text:
I wrote this for my English 12 class, feedback/suggestions would be great. :)

*Red*

The morning light shines through my window, hitting my face, bringing me back into consciousness. I throw off my duvet, and note the absence of my cat from the bed. I need to let him outside, he tends to get stir crazy. I have my fuzzy robe on within a minute, and after making my bed, I head towards the bathroom.

Brush teeth, wash face, comb hair. The morning routine has been drilled into my head for ages. But I like it that way. Orderly.  Routine. I start to make my way back to my bedroom, pausing at the first doorway on my left. It's the twins' room. The door was wide open, but my cat wasn't inside. A bunk bed is in the corner, the top with a bright pink blanket, the bottom with a baby blue one. Toys scattered the floor, a half-full glass of dark red juice sitting on the bedside table. I pick up the worn, stuffed rabbit from the carpet, feeling the threads - they barely holding it together. It was once my toy, but it was given my sister. No one ever asked me if I was okay with that, they just assumed I was finished with such childish things. I never liked the rabbit much anyway, toys seem like a waste of time; but I put the rabbit in the big pocket on the front of my robe.  I walk over to the dresser, running my finger along the edge of it, gazing at my reflection in the mirror on the wall. My dark hair falls just past my shoulders, contrasting the pale skin and light green eyes I inherited from my mother. I have always liked being pale; it makes me feel like a ghost. Like I can be invisible.

I softly close the door behind me as I exit the room, making my way to the next one. I really need to find my cat.

My eldest brother's room is even more messy than the twins'. Clothes and books and magazines and pens and CDs and game controllers and posters everywhere. They covered the now barely visible laminate, futon bed, and red walls - like a collage of my brother and everything he is. The CDs he had bought at a yard sale last weekend lay piled beside the bed. I pick up one of them, the edge of the case was cracked, but the album art was pretty. Abstract and complex. A picture had been thrown to the ground, ripped in two. My brother had recently been broken up with, and seemed very distraught over it. I don't understand his emotions. Why would he feel sad about someone who didn't want him anyway? His face looks happy in the photo. I always wonder what people are really thinking in photographs. Are they really happy? Or are they faking it?

I slam his door as I leave, it had been difficult to close ever since him and my father had been playfully wrestling and broke through it. I remember it sounded like a gunshot, or at least what I thought a gunshot sounded like at the time. So loud and out of place.

The next door was to my parent's room; maybe the cat is hiding in there. My mother tries to keep it orderly, the effort is evident. Clothes folded, but never put away. A small garbage can in the corner, but it hadn't been changed in so long it had begun to overflow. Both of my parents work nine to five jobs and have four children to raise - so keeping a neat room was not a priority. I lay down on the their cozy, king-sized bed, with its deep red comforter and silky white sheets. I could smell my mother's favourite perfume and my father's aftershave that my brother had bought for his birthday. Amateur hand-drawn pictures by my siblings lined the walls, maybe to remind the two that they had something to get up for in the morning. My mother's jewelry lay scattered on her vanity, her beautiful white gold bracelet with little diamonds embedded was right on the edge. She has always told me I could have it someday. I hope that day is soon. I enter the hall and slowly close the door to the room, to avoid that irritating creaking sound it makes sometimes.

I wonder if the cat has gone back to my room.

As I enter, I feel the breeze come in from the open window, blowing my hair behind me. Most of my room is white, the colour always looks neat. I gaze around at my books, all ordered alphabetically. At the bedside table, where my alarm clock and lamp are placed flawlessly parallel to each other. At the closet, where the transparent curtain covering it revealed the neatly hung clothes within. At the desk, where not a single thing is out of place. Perfection.

Hunger hits me suddenly; I should go join my family downstairs. I hang a sharp right outside my door and descend down the staircase, towards the kitchen. I ignore the sticky wetness under my feet as I put some bread in the toaster. The cat was sitting on the counter, looking at me. Almost glaring. How long has he been down here? I wonder why he didn't sleep in my room last night. I cast open the window over the sink, so he can go outside.

I stare out at the cloudy sky through the now open window; an airplane speeds across, and a flock of birds land in a nearby tree. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a bird - floating through life, often with no direction, no feeling. The popping toast breaks the perfect silence that had fallen over my house. I eat it plain, my hunger wouldn't allow for any more delay. I finish the toast, and sigh, my stomach finally satisfied. I feel content.

I turn around, away from the counter and towards my family.

Red smears the walls, the cupboards, the counters, the floors. And the five bodies on the floor. Their unseeing faces and clothes and skin all covered with that ruby red substance. Some dishes and cutlery lay scattered with them, knocked down in the struggle. The colour coats the fallen items and people, blending them all together. Red. So much red.

A scream pierces the air, breaking that beautiful silence once more. A look of horror on our neighbour's face as she walks into the kitchen; I forgot she was coming by to pick up her casserole dish. Maybe she can help me clean up; this is quite a mess. I sit down in the crimson and run my fingers through it as she sobs into the telephone, summoning emergency services. I don't see what the emergency is - there's no saving those who are gone.

title: Red

question: What is the narrator doing?

answer: The narrator has just woken up and she sees that her cat isn't in bed. She heads towards the bathroom after making her bed.

question: Where does the narrator go?

answer: The narrator heads to the twins' room and then to the room of her eldest brother. She's searching for her cat there.

question: Describe the narrator's parents' room.

answer: The narrator's parents' room is tidy and orderly. There's a king-sized bed and with a deep red comforter and silky white sheets. She also sees her mom's white gold bracelet that she's promised to give her someday.

question: Where was the cat?

answer: The cat was sitting on the kitchen counter.

question: What does the narrator see in the kitchen?

answer: The narrator sees all the five members of her family dead on the floor. Their bodies and faces are all covered in blood.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator wakes up to find that her cat isn't next to her. She makes her bed and sets out to find him. She goes to her sibling's rooms and then to her parents' room, but doesn't find him anywhere. She then goes to the kitchen to find the cat on the counter. She lets the cat out and turns to her dead family lying on the floor, covered in blood.

The neighbor comes to the kitchen and screams on seeing the dead bodies. She calls up the emergency services, but the narrator doesn't see what the emergency is as her family is already dead.


split: train

text:
JOHN BURGES (Burgess) (1563–1635) was an English clergyman and physician. He held nuanced reformist views on the vexed questions of the time, on clerical dress and church ceremonies. His preaching offended James I of England, early in his reign, and Burges went abroad for medical training. He spent many years building up a practice, and only resumed a relationship of conformity within the Church of England in the 1620s.

Life

Early years

Burges was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and graduated at that university as B.A. in 1586.[1] He was rector of the small living of St. Peter Hungate in Norwich as early as 1590; it has been conjectured that he was a Norfolk man.[2]

Norfolk years

When proceedings were taken against Thomas Cartwright and his supporters, Burges identified with the Puritan party of Cartwright. He accepted their position on the surplice and the cross in baptism: they were not unlawful, but they were inexpedient. He left himself in the hands of his congregation; if they would not be scandalised by his wearing the surplice and using the ceremonies, he would conform; if their consciences would be wounded by his submission, he would not. They answered that if he wore the surplice they would not profit by his ministry; and accepting the verdict he resigned.[3]

Lincolnshire years

Not long after this Burges moved into the diocese of Lincoln, and had for his diocesan William Chadderton, who was translated from Chester in 1595. Chadderton seems to have left him unmolested during the remainder of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Throughout the first year after James I's accession the nonconformist party gave the king no peace. On 16 July 1604 a proclamation was issued requiring all ministers to conform to the new book of ecclesiastical canons before the last day of November following. Burges was regarded as a leading man among the conscientiously disaffected. While the Convocation was deliberating on the canons he was called upon to explain the ground he took and to preach before the king at Greenwich on 19 June 1604. Burges chose his text from Psalm cxxii. 8, 9. One particular passage seems to have provoked the king. Burges likened the ceremonies to Vedius Pollio's glasses, “which were not worth a man's life or livelihood,” and for this and other expressions he was sent to the Tower of London.[4]

He was not kept long in prison; on sending a written copy of his sermon with a letter of submission to the king and another to the lords of the privy council, he was released. He drew up his _Apology_, which was addressed to Bishop Chadderton, and sent to him in manuscript; another copy was presented to the king by a friend, Sir Thomas Jermyn of Rushbrooke, Suffolk. The pamphlet was circulated, and William Covell was ordered to prepare an answer. When the day appointed for arrived, Burges refused to subscribe to the canons, resigned his living, and was silenced.

Life overseas

Burges left England and retired to Leyden, where for the next six or seven years he studied medicine and took the degree of doctor of physic.

Return to England

Burges seems to have returned to England in 1612 or 1613; in June of the latter year James I wrote a letter to the university of Cambridge complaining that he had been allowed to take the degree of doctor of physic without subscription to the three articles of the 36th canon. The university, in consequence of the king's letter, passed a statute enacting that none should take the doctorate in any faculty without previously subscribing.[5]

Burges had taken up his residence in London, and by a stretch of the royal prerogative he was prevented from practising physic in London on the ground that he had been in holy orders. He moved to Isleworth, and rapidly acquired a large and lucrative practice, his patients including Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford. Theodore Mayerne, court physician, defended him, and in June 1616 Francis Bacon wrote to George Villiers suggesting that he should intercede for Burges with the king, saying that the doctor was then prepared to subscribe, and desired to resume his ministry.[6]

Burges was elected to a preachership at Bishopsgate, and six months afterwards he was offered and he accepted the living of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire, which had been resigned by Edward Chetwynd on his promotion to the deanery of Bristol in July 1617. On 5 July of that month he preached at Paul's Cross, where the audience included Ralph Winwood. But at no point did he regain royal favour.[7]

Later years

When Sir Horatio Vere went out to engage in the war of the Palatinate in 1620, Burges accompanied him as his chaplain; he does not seem to have remained long with the English force, and he was succeeded by his future son-in-law, William Ames. In January 1625 Bishop Thomas Morton collated him to a prebendal stall of Wellington in Lichfield Cathedral. At Sutton Coldfield he continued to reside till the end of his life, being, as Anthony à Wood writes, “held in much respect among the godly.”[8]

On 10 July 1627 Burges was one of fifty-nine Cambridge men who incorporated at Oxford, regarded then as a conformist to the church of England.' Four years after this he published his last work.[9] Burges died 31 August 1635, and was buried in the chancel of Sutton Coldfield church, where a monument exists to his memory. He perhaps never quite relinquished his medical practice, and as late as August 1634 he was admitted an extra licentiate of the College of Physicians.[10]

Family

Burges married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Wilcox, whose works he edited in folio in 1624. By her he had at least three daughters, one of them married to William Ames.[11]

Notes

[1]

[2] :s:Burgess, John (1563-1635) (DNB00)

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9] _An Answer Enjoyned to that much applauded Pamphlet of a Namelesse Author, bearing this Title, viz. “A Reply to Dr. Morton's General Defence of three nocent Ceremonies, &c.” ... Published by his Majestie's special command_, London, 4to, 1631.

[10]

[11]

title: John Burges

question: Who was John Burges?

answer: He was an English clergyman and physician. He held nuanced reformist views on the vexed questions of the time, on clerical dress and church ceremonies.

question: Where was Burges educated at?

answer: St. John's College, Cambridge

question: Where did Burges move to after Norfolk?

answer: Burges moved into the diocese of Lincoln

question: Why did Burges leave England?

answer: He retired and spent the next several years studying medicine, taking the degree of doctor of physic.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: John Burges was an English clergyman and physician. He held nuanced reformist views on the vexed questions of the time, on the clerical dress and church ceremonies.  His preaching offended James I of England, early in his reign, and Burges went abroad for medical training, becoming a doctor of physic. He spent many years building up a practice and only resumed a relationship of conformity within the Church of England in the 1620s.


text:
The LANDER DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT comprises the commercial core of Lander, Wyoming. The district includes 16 buildings listed as contributing to the historic district, including a series of commercial buildings, the Noble Hotel, the grand Theatre and the Stockgrower's Bar. The Federal Building is included, and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well. Most date between 1890 and 1910. Most earlier buildings burned or were torn down and replaced by more permanent masonry structures. By 1910 an oil boom had begun in central Wyoming, providing an incentive to build substantial buildings. The district comprises most of the north side of Main Street between Second Street and Fourth Street, with three properties on the south side and one facing Lincoln Street at Third Street.[1]

The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1987.[2]

[1]  with

[2]

title: Lander Downtown Historic District

question: Where is the Lander Downtown Historic District located?

answer: It is located in Lander, Wyoming.

question: What recognition was given to the Lander Downtown Historic District?

answer: It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1987.

question: What are some of the well known buildings that contribute to the historic site?

answer: Some of the well known buildings that contribute to the historic site are the Noble Hotel, the grand Theatre and the Stockgrower's Bar, as well as the Federal Building.

question: What had happened to earlier buildings that were built around the district?

answer: Earlier buildings have burned down or were torn down and replaced by more permanent masonry structures.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the Landor Downtown Historic District and its significance and what the district comprises of.


text:
Washington (AFP) - A new genetic history of HIV shows how the pandemic almost certainly took root in the 1920s in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers said Thursday.

Assisted by train transport and the sex trade, the virus that causes AIDS then spread across the continent and eventually the world, infecting some 75 million people and killing 36 million of them.

An international team of researchers reconstructed the genetic history of the HIV-1 group M pandemic, and found that the common ancestor of group M is "highly likely" to have emerged in Kinshasa around 1920.

While various strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have jumped from primates and apes to humans at least 13 times, only one such transmission event has led to a human pandemic.

And it did because it was aided by "a 'perfect storm' of factors, including urban growth, strong railway links during Belgian colonial rule, and changes to the sex trade, combined to see HIV emerge from Kinshasa and spread across the globe" between the 1920s and 1950s, said the study in the journal Science.

"For the first time we have analyzed all the available evidence using the latest phylogeographic techniques, which enable us to statistically estimate where a virus comes from," said senior author Oliver Pybus of Oxford University's Department of Zoology.

"This means we can say with a high degree of certainty where and when the HIV pandemic originated."

A key factor in the pandemic's spread was the use of trains as transport, which helped bring the virus from isolated pockets of people into the larger city, which was Kinshasa, among the best connected of all central African cities.

"Data from colonial archives tells us that by the end of 1940s over one million people were travelling through Kinshasa on the railways each year," said Nuno Faria of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, first author of the paper.

Then, looking at genetic data, scientists could see that HIV spread across what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Belgian Congo and Zaire) to other major cities, by the early 1950s.

These regional hubs were connected to southern and eastern African countries.

"We think it is likely that the social changes around the independence in 1960 saw the virus 'break out' from small groups of infected people to infect the wider population and eventually the world," Faria said.

These social changes include sex workers who took on a large number of clients, coupled with "public health initiatives against other diseases that led to the unsafe use of needles (which) may have contributed to turning HIV into a full-blown epidemic," the study said.

Campaigns to treat people with sexually transmitted diseases may have been carried out using needles that were not sterile, suggesting another route for HIV and co-infections with hepatitis C that are often seen in men in the DRC over 50.

HIV was first identified in 1981, and the AIDS epidemic ballooned for more than a decade until antiretroviral drugs were created. These long-term regimens have transformed HIV from a fatal disease into a chronic condition for many of those infected.

Researchers said further study is needed to understand the different social factors that enabled the virus to spread the way it did.

question: When did AIDS emerge?

answer: Between the 1920s and the 1950s.

question: What African city did AIDS first break out in?

answer: Kinshasa.

question: How many people travelled by train every year through Kinshasa at the end of the 1940s?

answer: One million.

question: What caused the virus to break out and infect the world?

answer: Independence in the 1960s.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses a study examining the African backstory of the AIDS epidemic, which emerged between 1920 and 1950 in central Africa. It discusses the politics of Belgian colonial rule, the use of trains in Kinshasa, and the eventual outbreak of the virus globally after decolonization.


text:
_VITAL SIGNS 2_ was the second album of the Pakistani band Vital Signs released in 1991.

Track listing

All music composed by Vital Signs. All songs written by Shoaib Mansoor.

Personnel

All information is taken from the CD.

Vital Signs

-   Junaid Jamshed - vocals
-   Rohail Hyatt - keyboard, backing vocals
-   Shehzad Hasan - bass guitars
-   Rizwan-ul-Haq - lead guitars

Production

-   Produced by Rohail Hyatt
-   Recorded, Mixed & Mastered at EMI Studios in Karachi, Pakistan

title: Vital Signs 2

question: What is Vital Signs2?

answer: It is the second album of the Pakistani band Vital Signs.

question: Who wrote all the songs?

answer: Shoaib Mansoor

question: List all the band members of Vital Signs.

answer:
- Junaid Jamshed - vocals
- Rohail Hyatt - keyboard, backing vocals
- Shehzad Hasan - bass guitars
- Rizwan-ul-Haq - lead guitars

question: When was Vital Signs 2 released?

answer: 1991.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Vital Signs 2 is the second album of the Pakistani band Vital Signs. All the songs were composed by the band and written by Shoaib Mansoor. They released the album in 1991.


text:
TOM O'FLAHERTY (born 21 July 1994) is an English rugby union player who plays for Premiership Rugby Exeter Chiefs as a winger.

O’Flaherty started playing rugby at Old Alleynians in a highly successful minis side, before going on to play for Dulwich College winning the Daily Mail Trophy twice and then briefly Blackheath before moving to study at Cardiff University where he played for Cardiff RFC towards the end of 2013 and scored four tries in four appearances. A move to Bridgend Ravens followed where he scored 18 tries in 25 appearances in the 2014-15 season. That campaign culminated in the Ravens lifting the SWALEC Cup with O’Flaherty scoring the match-winning try against Pontypridd RFC in the final at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. He spent a season in France, with French Top 14 side Montpellier but returned to Wales after a season where he had joint registration with Bridgend and the Ospreys. After debuting for the Ospreys in 2016 against Harlequins F.C. in the Anglo-Welsh Cup he played against Cardiff Blues and Glasgow and also came off the bench versus Bristol Rugby. He was also part of the Ospreys squad for that season's Singha Premiership 7s competition.[1][2]

On 26 January 2017, O'Flaherty signed for English club Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership prior to the 2017-18 season.[3]

He played on 30 March 2018 as Exeter beat Bath Rugby in the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup.[4]

Honours

SWALEC Cup

Winner 2014-15

Anglo-Welsh Cup

Winner 2017-18

Heineken Champions Cup

Winner 2019-20

[1] https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/remarkable-tale-welsh-premiership-winger-12528980.amp

[2] https://www.exeterchiefs.co.uk/players/tom-oflaherty

[3]

[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/rugby-union/43582927

title: Tom O'Flaherty (rugby union)

question: Who is Tom O'Flaherty?

answer: an English rugby player who plays for Premiership Rugby Exeter Chiefs as a winger

question: When was Tom O'Flaherty born?

answer: 21 July 1994

question: Where did Tom O'Flaherty start playing rugby?

answer: Old Alleynians

question: Where did Tom O'Flaherty go to university?

answer: Cardiff University

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Tom O'Flaherty is an English rugby player who plays for Premiership Rugby Exeter Chiefs as a winger.


text:
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Photo by Tanya Walter of www.visionartphotography.com

Maya DeLeina is a multi-published Erotic Vampire Romance Author  with Siren,  Evernight, Ellora's Cave and Mystic Lotus Publishing.
 Her current series includes Ambrose Heights Vampires, My Naughty Vampire, Vampire Architects and Seasons of the Vampire.

Born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Maya could be seen at her favorite beach, Lanikai, performing with an all-girl band where she played keyboards, guitar and provided vocals, working as editor in her high school's yearbook  and volunteering her time at a humane society through UH of Manoa civic groups.
 In 2006, Maya relocated to Colorado. Her crystal blue oceans, waterfalls and eighty degree year-round weather were traded for four season weather, enchanting forests and majestic mountains that led to her rekindled love for vampires.
In winter of 2010, she penned her first manuscript and by 2011, Flesh Fantasy was under contract and released by Siren Publishing. To date, Maya has published  _Flesh Fantasy, Veil of Seduction, Blood of Luna, Dark Companion_, Fire and Ice and Crimson Snow.
In 2014, she banded with other Colorado romance authors to form the group, Mile High Muses, in which Maya serves as "The Vamp". Catch her Forbidden Fruit Friday blog and guests she hosts on Sultry Saturdays.
Not only does Maya have theatrical book trailers that bring her vampires to life, all of her vampires were featured in Singer/Songwriter Jill Cohn'smusic video "Blessing Moon".

Maya's books can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand, Smashwords, Createspace and more.

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What the critics are saying...

"...I absolutely loved Ms. DeLeina's new universe. I finished reading, craving more. My mind reeled and my body yearned for the tantalizing pleasures in Flesh Fantasy. My only negative comment about the story is that there wasn't another book...yet. Read Flesh Fantasy and be transported into a fantasy world of erotic sex, deceiving plots and laugh out loud humor. This book does not disappoint!" -- MOONFLOWER, _WHIPPED CREAM REVIEWS_

"...I must say that Ms. Maya DeLeina knows how to hold your attention and I will gladly wait for her next release… and the next book from this series. It deserves 4.5 stars." -- DOLCE AMOUR, _BOOKED UP REVIEWS_

"...This is my first book by Ms. DeLeina but it won’t be my last. The well written storyline and romance in the love story made me want more... I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a paranormal novel with a little twist. If you like action, love, and lots of hot action, this is the book for you." -- TINA, _TWO LIPS REVIEW_

"...All in all, Maya DeLeina deftly weaves humour, hot loving with some hidden horrors all wrapped up in one erotic, lusty bite. The stage is set. The game begins. And the stakes are higher than ever at Ambrose Heights. A book to get your teeth into before the sun comes up." -- SASSY BRIT, _ALTERNATIVE READS_

"I found that the characters were simply marvelous; the story was intricate and complex; and the world building was exceptional and inventive. I found myself lost in the tale. I was up until 5 am and had to force myself to go to bed, but lay awake just thinking about the story." --Molly, CBLS

"Readers get ready for a delicious, super sexy and dramatic read. Ms. Deleina does a great job blending the preternatural with the everyday human world we’re used to." -- T.S. Peters, JERR

"This author is a woman who knows how to write a creative steamy-hot love scene, I mean whoa!" -- Jet, BD Reviews

Maya's Vampires featured in Jill Cohn's Music Video

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question: What does the text say about Maya DeLeina's upbringing?

answer: Maya DeLeina was born and raised in Oahu. Before becoming a writer, Maya was an active beachgoer and played keyboards, guitars and vocals for an all-girl band. She was involved in volunteering at civic groups and working as editor for her high school yearbook. It wasn't until 2006 when Maya relocated to Colorado and rekindled her love for vampires amongst the natural beauty of the state.


text:
New Orleans had her Katrina. New York had her 9/11. Houston has her Harvey. No matter where you live, there is some disaster that can put all others to shame, some event so upending that you will always remember what you were doing when this thing happened.

Lets call this your Zombie Apocalypse Scenario.

The Centers for Disease Control actually put out a Zombie Survival Guide, thereby demonstrating that some parts of the government are allowed to have a sense of humor. (Not you, IRS.) The Zombie Survival Guide created such a social media buzz that it crashed the poor CDCs website. The creator of this preparedness hit said, “the whole idea was, if you’re prepared for a zombie apocalypse, you’re prepared for pretty much anything.”

_Exactly._

When Your Biggest Threat Is Complacency

Realistically, the most challenging emergency a lot of people _will_ face is a couple days without power, but the most challenging emergency they _could_ face is a whole lot worse. The problem is, nobody is motivated by the threat of 48 hours without power. If anyone was, we’d all have the government recommended three days of food and water on hand. (Nearly 50% of the United States does not have that.)

That’s why gearing up to fight imaginary Zombies works but gearing up to fight a gas leak doesn’t. That’s why people who exert 100 units of energy to battle an emergency can’t be bothered to spend 5 units of energy preventing an emergency. That’s why events like Harvey get you off your ass.

Sometimes it takes a little well-placed shock and awe to overcome complacency and to get us going. Don’t feel bad, it’s not your fault – that’s just the way the human brain works. And we are going to use this to our advantage.

There is some event in your region that _is_ your particular Zombie Apocalypse Scenario. Some event that has enough psychological power that it will snap you out of your complacency and get you taking the action you know, deep down, you should have taken years ago.

Let’s figure out what it is.

My Personal Zombie Apocalypse Scenario

When I researched the types of emergencies most likely to affect my family here in the Maritime Northwest, I learned about the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Seattle is in a very geologically active region, crisscrossed by fault lines that occasionally shift or stretch. We puny humans feel this tectonic yoga as earthquakes.

Of the many fault lines that can cause earthquakes in this area, The Cascadia Subduction Zone Fault is the biggest and baddest of them all.

As you’ll recall, in 2011 there was a devastatingly powerful earthquake off the coast of Tohoku, Japan that triggered the tsunami that eventually let to the failures of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The Tohoku earthquake was what’s called a megathrust quake. At magnitude 9.1 it was the fourth most powerful earthquake on record. All earthquakes of that magnitude are megathrust quakes.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is the type of fault that creates these extreme, powerful, megathrust quakes. Running along the coastline from Northern California to Vancouver Island, it periodically experiences full or partial ruptures.

Geologists believe an earthquake along some or all of the Cascadia fault line occurs, on average, every 243 years. The last Cascadia quake happened 317 years ago, on January 26, 1700. Geologists don’t like to use terms like “overdue” but c’mon – on a scale of 1 to 243, we’re at a 317.

According to Kathryn Schulz, writing for the New Yorker, the odds are about one in three that a partial rupture of the Cascadia fault will unleash an 8.0 to 8.6 earthquake on the Pacific Northwest within the next 50 years. The odds of a full-margin rupture and an earthquake that measures 8.7 to 9.2 is about one in ten.

A full rip of the Cascadia Fault is pretty much total Zombie Apocalypse territory. But don’t take my word for it, here’s what governmental and scientific studies found when they looked at the likely results of a Cascadia quake.

Oregon Resilience Plan Results

In 2013, The Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC) completed an exhaustive earthquake preparedness study.

The result was the 314 page Oregon Resilience Plan (giant PDF, be warned). It includes information on how long after a Cascadia quake it would take before basic services were restored to the I-5 corridor area that includes Portland, Eugene and Medford (the “Valley”) and the Oregon Coast.

Time to Restore Services:

-   Electricity (Valley) 1 to 3 months
-   Electricity (Coast) 3 to 6 months
-   Police and fire stations (Valley) 2 to 4 months
-   Drinking water and sewer (Valley) 1 month to 1 year
-   Drinking water and sewer (Coast) 1 to 3 years
-   Top-priority highways (partial restoration) (Valley) 6 to 12 months
-   Healthcare facilities (Valley) 18 months
-   Healthcare facilities (Coast) 3 years

[What Would Happen To Oregon In An Earthquake]

Cascadia Rising Results

If you’re in Washington State like me, it’s not much better. After participating in a regional 2016 earthquake drill called Cascadia Rising, The Washington National Guard published a summary of their findings about the risks of a Cascadia Fault rupture.

The Washington coast and Olympic Peninsula are expected to be completely inaccessible by road. Because of soil liquefaction, pretty much all of South Seattle along the I-5 corridor is expected to sustain major structural damage.

While the greatest initial damage won’t occur around the highly populated areas of Puget Sound, the knock-on effects caused by infrastructure damage could be terrible.

According the the Washington National Guard:

-   37% of the region’s 48 Emergency Operations Centers will be unusable.
-   46% of region’s 112 hospitals will be unusable and another 17% will be able to operate at half capacity. In all, hospital capacity is reduced by 45%. There will be virtually no hospital capacity west of I-5.
-   All senior living facilities west of I-5 will be unusable.
-   30% of the region’s 971 fire stations will be unusable. In all, fire fighting capacity is reduced by 33%.
-   48% of the region’s 178 police stations will be unusable. In all, police response capacity is reduced by 51%.
-   Most sea, air and rail facilities west of the I-5 corridor suffer complete to severe damage, and along the I-5 corridor damage is severe to moderate.
-   All major roads west of Puget Sound will be unusable. 1-5 corridor roads in liquefaction zones (from Seattle south to Tacoma along the I-5 corridor) are likely to be impassable.
-   8,440 deaths and 12,114 injuries are anticipated as a direct result of the earthquake and tsunami.
-   1,274,327 million people in the Western Washington region are expected to require “mass feeding and hydration”.
-   Over 500,000 homes are expected to be damaged.

[What Would Happen To Washington In An Earthquake]

If the earthquake we Northwesterners call “The Big One” hits in our lifetime, many of us will be totally cut off from the systems that make modern life possible. It will be a very difficult situation. This is not hyperbole; these are just the sober facts about a disaster that will, eventually, hit my region.

When I think about my preparedness, I think about that inevitable, eventual Cascadia quake. That’s the thing in the back of my head that keeps me from getting complacent. In working towards better preparedness for that eventuality (and of course I’m not there yet) a nice side effect is preparedness for all the run-of-the-mill standard regional threats, like windstorms and power outages.

Select Your Own Zombie Apocalypse Scenario

Every region has some kind of major disaster threat – something where Mother Nature just gets really angry. Regional disaster threats tend to impact many people at once by shutting off power, destroying infrastructure and generally overwhelming a region’s ability to immediately deal with the disaster.

These threats are generally expected in the sense that, if you live in tornado alley, you know it. If you live on the Pacific coast, you know the ground might go wobbly at any time. If you live on the Florida coast, you know hurricanes are part of life.

One or more of these scenarios is probably a credible threat to your region:

-   Hurricanes
-   Windstorms
-   Snow and Ice Storms
-   Tornadoes
-   Extreme Heat
-   Extreme Cold
-   Earthquakes
-   Landslides
-   Tsunamis
-   Flooding
-   Volcanoes and Lahars
-   Wildfires

If you live someplace immune to predictable regional threats (where would that be exactly?), consider non-regional threats which are more personal in nature or which can happen anywhere.

Anyone’s home or apartment building can catch fire. Chemical spills can happen anywhere a tanker-truck or train could crash, which is most of the country. By their nature, these threats are less predictable. Some require fast action, some require long-term planning. Some require rapid home evacuation, some require hunkering down.

Although non-regional threats can seem more scary because they aren’t as predictable, our basic preparedness will help make these difficult situations easier to handle too.

-   Unexpected Job Loss
-   Home fires
-   Hazardous Materials Spills
-   Industrial or Transportation Accidents or Explosions
-   Terror Attacks
-   Civil Unrest
-   Widespread Illness or Pandemic

Today’s Preparedness 101 Challenge: What’s The “Big One” You Are Preparing For?

Pick one specific, credible emergency that really motivates you to increase your preparedness – that’s your Zombie Apocalypse Scenario. Write your scenario down (a comment is great, or wherever you like) then spend 5 or 10 minutes learning about your emergency.

Your emergency scenario could be a major earthquake, Category 4 Hurricane, extended snowstorm, etc. Remember the goal: if you’re prepared for _this_, you’re prepared for pretty much anything.

Do some research! What emergency events are likely to hit your region? How do people prepare for and come through that kind of emergency? (Follow the links above to get started.) What would it be like if _you_ were in that scenario?

Really _see_ that these types of events do impact real, live people and they could impact you. I don’t want you to prepare out of fear, but if it takes a little bit of fear to overcome inertia – use that as motivation.

FAQ

_Q: I live in an area with multiple risks. Can I pick more than one scenario?_
A: Sure, but the main idea here is to find the clear, precise risk assessment that will give you something to benchmark off of as you advance your preparedness. We also don’t want folks who are new to prepping to get overwhelmed trying to prep for everything all at once.

_Q: If you live in someplace with a 1 in 3 chance of being destroyed in 50 years, why not just move?_
A: Some people do choose to move in order to get away from environmental risk factors. Personally, I love my region – just like Floridians love their low-lying tropical-storm prone coasts and Montanans love their big, open, wildfire-prone land. No region is perfect, but Cascadia has a lot going for it.

_Q: Is this whole month going to be thought exercises? When do I get my checklists?_
A: No! And soon! We’re gonna get to the Bug Out Bags and water storage and all that stuff starting with the next post. But don’t skip this high-level stuff, ok? If you are thoughtful about your philosophy of preparedness and your risk factors, you’ll actually save money and time in the long run, and you’ll end up ahead of 90% of the Mall Ninja Preppers who go big on gear but short on thinky-thinky.

7

question: What does the author compare the hypothetical zombie apocalypse to?

answer: Katrina; 9/11; Harvey

question: What is the most challenging emergency most people will face?

answer: No power.

question: What is the problem with no power?

answer: Most people aren't that motivated to do something about the emergency if they're only facing a couple days without power.

question: What can places do to make sure they're okay in the event of a disaster scenario?

answer: Have a resilience plan.


text:
All the world is silent. The streets outside of the window groan with each passing car, but none make noise. They are all distant, many miles away. Inside, there is more silence. A world of non-existent sounds and forever stillness. The laptop, set aside, shares nothing but the sheen of a blank screen. The cellphone is only a quiet piece of metal and plastic. There is no object that can penetrate the silence. There is no outside. There is only here, there is only now.

And now is a time for sitting. For quietly taking in what's before her. A bed sheet, a blanket, two pillows, and her feet. I like this, she thinks, but the registration of her thought disturbs her silence, so she pushes them back down and merely looks. She looks upon them, on the hardwood floor of her studio, and silently expresses satisfaction for herself, for her will to push past where she'd been, and where she is at now. All quietly, all without a thought. Loneliness introduces itself with a whisper, but it knows its place and its place is far away. It merely notifies her of its presence and that is enough. She acknowledges it for that's all that it needs, and continues on with what's before her. Mine, she thinks. The thought is firm and it creates ripples across her studio. It is not a disturbance, but a natural part of the world. There has never been anything more natural than a thought that is secure and definite and at this moment. I made this. This is mine.

And I like it.

And, hearing the conviction in her thought, far and away, Doubt rose and looked her way. And doubt was far. Very far. But there is a certain quality of Doubt that allows it to travel with a speed not limited by distance or time. And Doubt is not an impatient thing, it is one that is content to wait, and linger, and haunt, like Lonliness. Together, they are powerful forces that do not need to be near to be known. So Doubt rose and looked out at her and she felt it. Even from that distance, and with all the conviction she had within her, she felt Doubt.

It was not a good feeling, but she didn't have time to worry about Doubt now. The silent world was starting to murmur and she would not have it. Not tonight. Not while she had created her retreat in the middle of her living room. Not tonight. Not ever. So she stayed where she was and looked at her pillows, and blankets, and bed sheets and felt satisfied. But there was more to do. She needed string to suspend the sheets. She needed to get up to tie the string to her window blinds and across the room to her kitchen cabinet doors. She needed to make those secure so that her bed sheets would be able to hang from them and create the tent that she had in her mind. And then she needed to light it. She needed to create the atmosphere that would make her tent living room perfect. She needed her retreat and she needed it to be perfect.
And so, that's what she did.

She laid down her blankets, creating a soft bedding in the middle of her open living room. Above it, she suspended string reaching across the entirety of her studio, from the window blinds to the open kitchen cabinets, securing them tightly at each end, making them perfect for the exact tent shape that she wanted. A small pride grew within her as she started to see her creation take shape. She viewed it as herself and as an observer watching herself create and then be within the space she saw she was creating, and a small seed of accomplishment sprouted within her alongside her pride. All it needed now were some books to hold the sides of the suspended sheets down to create the proper shape of a tent and then some lights to -

and Lonliness comes again. A quick step closer than where it was before. It is pushed back by her will, but its step into her territory was a message: I am always here. I am always close. She stands at this and closes her eyes. There are no sights, there are no sounds, there is only me. There is only my wants and my desires and that is all. There is nothing else. There is only what I want. Lights. I want light.

And the lights she has in mind are perfect. Small electric diodes taped to the inner lids of mason jars. Simply made and, when their wires are touched to a battery, emitting a warm light, they look to be the glow of small fireflies. Magic in a jar. Magic in a living room. It's beautifully cinematic and it's perfect.

title: All the World is Silent

question: Who is the female subject?

answer: That information isn't clear beyond a woman who is proud of all she has accomplished despite where she has come from. She takes pride in being able to create her own space.

question: Where had the female subject been before where she is now?

answer: That information isn't clear, but it can be assumed she was in a worse predicament than she is now.

question: Summarize the female subject's relationship with doubt.

answer: Doubt rises in the woman despite her positive situation, but she acknowledges she doesn't have time for it.

question: Describe what the woman has in mind for her tent living room.

answer: She wants to connect her bed sheets from her windows to her kitchen cabinets with string, and use books to hold the sheets down and create the shape of a tent. She also wants to light up the tent with small lights in mason jars to give the illusion of the warm glow of fireflies.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A woman decorates her dwelling and feels immense pride in doing so. Despite being proud of how she's gotten here and the joy she finds in creating a tent in her living room, she still has to fend off feelings of doubt and loneliness.


text:
“Is that seat open?”
a moments pause....
“I said, is that seat open?”

The man two seats away quickly got up and left instead of answering the guy’s question.
Who asks random people if the other seat at a sit-down restaurant is open? The questioner, a rather tall man with a thick brown beard and wearing a white tee with a rather large yellow stain towards the bottom, had been making a circuit of the room asking each table if their seat was open.

 Maybe I should just leave the room before the guy gets to me. I really hate these awkward moments with anybody and will do nearly anything to avoid them. In fact, I didn’t even really know why I was still here. I had finished my meal and was just sitting here drinking my coffee watching this guy make his way around..As he drew closer, I went back to my newspaper and flipped to the sports section, hoping he wouldn’t notice me.

“Is that seat open?”
“what?.... No, no it’s not open.” He sits across from me anyways and immediately grabbed my paper and started reading it. Everyone was staring. After about a minute in he looked up.
“I saw that no one was sitting with you and was planning on sitting with you a little bit after I entered the restaurant.” He calmly said this as he was turning my newspaper around.
“Why do you read the newspaper at night? Isn’t it typically more of an early morning ritual for people?” I just glared at him. Why can’t he just leave me alone?

“Why are you here, sitting with me? What if I was waiting for someone?” He ignored me and continued flipping through the news. This continued for at least another minute and I would’ve stopped him but honestly I didn’t even know how to go about stopping him. After a few moments he abruptly slapped the paper down and looked me in the eyes.

“I really like this restaurant, and I don’t like eating alone. You looked bored so I decided I would sit with you, besides who goes to a sit-down restaurant and eats alone?”

“Well, I enjoy eating alone; it allows me time to think.”

“You’re a pensive fellow; I bet you live by yourself” He said quickly as he was pointing at my bare left ring finger. “And, I bet you don’t have a girlfriend because who has a sit-down meal on a Saturday night by himself?”

“Two of us clearly.”

“Hahaha! You know I wasn’t planning on eating alone when I came in here. You did see me ask all of those people, didn’t you?” There was a pause as i drank my coffee and gave him the point. At this point i didn’t see a point in trying to take it from him.

“Tom, is it alright if i call you Tom? You look like a Tom.”
“My name isn’t Tom; it’s …” He just barreled on his way.
“Right Tom, I’m going to order a drink. Do you want a drink? You know what? I’m just going to get you one too. I hate drinking alone” As he said this he waved the waiter over and ordered two drinks and then looked back down at the paper for a bit.

“You know you didn’t have to buy me that. I make plenty of money from my accounting job and my name isn’t Tom; it’s....”

“Listen, I don’t want to sound rude, but i honestly don’t give a rat’s ass what your name is or what you do for a living. I just wanted to come here and buy somebody something.” The drinks came and he grabbed his and downed it in a few gulps. I just sipped at mine and stared across the table at him.

A drink later, he spoke up again.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Yes, well not really anymore.” Everyone had stopped staring, and i was approaching the end of my first drink.

“Why am I making you uncomfortable? Is it that I’m wearing this ugly, stained white tee when I came in or was it that you were one of the last tables i asked? (I assure you if you’re worrying that I chose tables in no particular order, so it is nothing against you). In fact, if you’ll permit me to say...”
“It doesn’t look like i have a choice.”
“No, no of course not. Anyways Tom, I was going to say that you would make a rather splendid first impression if you talked more. But back to my original question. Why am i making you uncomfortable?” I paused for a few moments and took a sip to buy me more time.

“well.... I don’t know. It’s just when i came here i was sort of making the decision to eat here by myself and then you showed up and ruined my night.”

“I don’t think that is the real reason and it insults me when you say that ‘i’ ruined your night. Tom ma’ boy, it was an admirable lie you told me there. I bet you don’t even realize it was a lie. Allow me to explain.”
“Please do.”
“You’re, quite simply, uncomfortable with me crushing your social norms. You’re so used to life just happening for you. I bet you majored in something that would be ‘useful’ outside of college and would have an immediate job waiting for you because you were too scared to try something different. And to top it off, I bet you really didn’t even necessarily make that decision yourself. You allowed yourself to get talked into it, just like you’ve allowed me to call you Tom for the past 15 minutes when your name clearly isn’t Tom.”

I was quiet for another minute thinking about what he said. As i was about to open my mouth with a reply, he launched onwards.

“I think you were alone tonight because you plainly haven’t just gone up and asked anybody out to come eat with you. You sat here with your paper killing time, really just waiting for someone, anyone, to come talk to you.” Another pause as he gulped down the glass of water the waiter brought, letting it spill all down the front of him in a rather disturbing manner.

 I quickly got out my wallet gave him five dollars.
“Thank you for the drinks but i really have to go.”
“Of course you do.... Goodnight Tom.”
“Good bye.”
I turned and hurried out into the night.

title: Sit-Down Dinners

question: Summarize the plot of the story.

answer: A stranger is asking people in a restaurant if seats are open. He gets to the narrator's table and starts reading his newspaper. They have a conversation that makes the narrator uncomfortable. The narrator pays for his drink and hurriedly leaves.

question: What does the text say about the narrator?

answer: According to the text, the narrator hates awkward moments and just wants to be left to eat and read his newspaper in peace. From what the stranger says, he does "look like a Tom" and he is able to deduce that he is single and lives by himself. The narrator says that he has an accounting job, and the stranger deduces that he didn't make that decision for himself, he got talked into it.

question: Summarize the conversation the narrator has with the stranger.

answer: The stranger sits down at the narrator's table, steals his newspaper, and starts a conversation with him. The narrator asks why he's sitting here and the stranger says he doesn't like eating alone. The stranger starts making deductions about the narrator and calling him Tom, and it makes him uncomfortable. The stranger tells the narrator some harsh truths, which causes the narrator to leave hurriedly.

question: Summarize the stranger's unusual behavior.

answer: The stranger is asking people if spare seats are open at a sit-down restaurant. He is wearing a stained T-shirt and sits down at the narrator's table. He steals his newspaper and starts reading it and having strange conversation. While at the table, he has bad table manners, such as spilling his water and downing his drink in a few gulps.


text:
Like many of the most compelling startups, littleBits began life as a side-hustle — no expectations, no early push for venture capital. Just a bit of tinkering to pass the time. Ayah Bdeir was a recent MIT grad with a fellowship at New York City architecture design firm eyeBeam when the seeds of the company first sprouted.

“It wasn’t ever meant to be a product or a company. It was just a little project that I was doing. I took it to Maker Fair in 2009,” Bdeir explains, as we sit down in a corner of the company’s spacious Manhattan digs. “It was just me, in a little booth, showing it off to friends, and suddenly hoards of people started coming up and kids starting lining up to play with them. I started to realize there was a real opportunity to inspire kids and empower them to get excited about education.”

Things are bustling inside littleBits’ Chelsea offices. The company moved to the space in 2014 to make room for its rapidly expanding business, and roughly two years later, it already appears to be bursting at the seams. It was, in part, the right product at the right time — littleBits got its foot in the door a few years before Kickstarter and Indiegogo flooded with STEM toys and every major toy company began attempting to teach kids to code.

A little bit bigger

But the startup’s success goes a lot deeper than good timing. Bdeir began tinkering with the company’s modular building blocks a full three years before founding the company in 2011. In their earliest iteration, the “bits” that form the core of the company’s offering were designed for prototyping. In an era when it was becoming increasingly possible to launch a hardware startup from scratch, Bdeir believed she was working on a powerful tool to help inventors bring their visions to life.

“Designers make tables and chairs, and now they’re designing DVD players and coffee makers and Nests,” the CEO explains. “So they need to prototype with electronics; littleBits was a tool for prototyping. It was never really meant for kids.”

It’s a bit of a circuitous route to market, perhaps — but it’s an important distinction. That littleBits began life as a tool for grownup designers meant the product wasn’t subject to the same sort of designed by committee process that often tools the best intended kids products. While it’s true that the sorts of designers that formed the audience Bdeir imagined weren’t likely to be electrical engineers or professional programmers, the core product wouldn’t be subject to any of the dumbing down we often associate with mainstream children’s products.

All ages

[]

In spite of an unexpected demographic shift, however, littleBits’ core offering has actually changed very little since its initial conception. In the past half-dozen years, the startup has expanded its offering a good bit and struck a number of partnerships with content companies and educational programs, but the same pieces Bdeir first created during her post-graduate downtime are still at the heart of littleBits.

“It’s not an Easy-Bake Oven,” she explains with a smile. “It’s not dumbed-down or over-simplified. It’s real engineering made easier to use. Whether you’re an eight-year-old kid or an actual engineer, your interaction with the bits are the same. What changed was the marketing. What changed was how we talk about it. So, instead of saying this is so you can prototype your next invention, this is so you can invent a cool thing or get excited about robotics.”

The foundation of the company’s success has been the embrace of openness — both with regards to the product itself and the audience it targets. On the former, the company has made a point of offering compatibility where possible. That means selling adapters for popular building blocks like LEGO, creating a modding kit aimed at Minecraft players and making its kits work with protocols like IFFFT and Scratch.

A Rey of hope

[]

As far as inclusivity among its audience, Bdeir cites what she calls the company’s “hidden mission” to empower girls to embrace engineering and programming through littleBits. Of course, the company has never shied away from that fact, but it’s also never gone out of its way to create kits specifically targeted at girls, in place of the category’s traditionally young male demographic. Instead, its products are specifically designed to be gender neutral, with bright colors and handwritten text designed to appeal to anyone interested in a stepping stone to a STEM education.

That mission extends to littleBits’ latest offering — a partnership that could prove transformative for the small company. In 2016, the company was given the opportunity to join the Disney accelerator — it was an offer too good to turn down. After all, that program has helped establish fellow kid-focused startup Sphero as a force in the electronic toy category. In 2015, the company went from being a smartphone-controlled novelty to the hottest piece of merchandise for history’s biggest film franchise with the release of BB-8.

“We packed our bags, myself and three other colleagues, and we spent the summer in LA,” says Bdeir. “We spent a bunch of time in Disney meeting with different departments, creatives, character artists, trying to figure out what we could do together. We circled around the best match, which was Star Wars.”

[]

LittleBits, too, found itself embracing a droid — though the New York company opted for a familiar favorite. The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit was one of the most compelling offerings among the deluge of products released on Force Friday in anticipation of December’s The Last Jedi. With the company’s familiar system at its heart, the 30-piece set compels young creators to build their take on the perennial favorite wayfarer droid, R2-D2.

“When we embarked on the Star Wars product, we really opened up the idea of a droid not just being a robot that looks a certain way,” says Bdeir. “The shell is transparent. You can see inside. You can customize it and give it different functions like being a sock-sorting droid or sibling-protecting droid or food-delivery droid.”

The new Star Wars film also afforded littleBits the ability to say true to its “hidden mission,” according to Bdeir. “We used Rey as a mentor. She’s a scavenger, a problem solver, a tinkerer. She’s your mentor throughout the journey.”

question: Summarize everything relating to the purpose of littleBits.

answer: littleBits was never meant to be a product or company. Rather, it was just a little project Bdaeir was doing. The company's hidden mission is to empower girls to embrace engineering and programming. Its products are specifically designed to be gender neutral.

question: What does the article say about the company during the 2010s?

answer: The company moved to a new office in 2014 to make room for its rapidly expanding business. The company was founded in 2011. In 2016, the company joined the Disney accelerator. In 2015, they went from being a smartphone-controlled novelty to the hottest piece of merchandise for the Star Wars franchise.

question: What does the article say about other products?

answer: littleBits got its foot in the door a few years before Kickstarter and Indiegogo were flooded with STEM toys and major toy companies tried to teach kids to code. It isn't dumbed-down or over-simplified like an Easy-Bake Oven. littleBits sells adaptors for popular building blocks like LEGO.


text:
Architecture is the new medium taking the forefront of modern art and design. These five Chicago-based photographers show us exactly what it’s like living in the concrete jungle, from different cities around the world.

Vittoria Zupicich Captures An Italian Church That Is Anything But ArchaicBehancehttps://www.behance.net/gallery/38763247/Building-with-LightYou wouldn’t typically think of a church as an example of modern architecture, but The Church of Saint Paul the Apostle in Foligno proves us wrong. With geometric concrete windows and bold lighting fixtures, this church was one of photographer Vittoria Zupicich’s most well-received projects. Zupicich is an architectural photographer who travels between San Francisco and Chicago to capture architectural art and design. Her work is especially popular in San Francisco. However, this church project was one of her personal favorites. She says it “forces the viewer to wonder about the meaning of Christian architecture of our time.”nextpage

In need of the perfect architectural photographer in Los Angeles? You can never go wrong with this list!

Hunter KerhartPhoto courtesy of hunterkerhart.comhttp://hunterkerhart.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/The-Spring-Arcade-by-Hunter-Kerhart-Small.jpgHunter Kerhart is freelance architectural photographer specializing in historic sites and structures. Certified by the Association of Independent Architectural Photographers (AIAP) and the Professional Aerial Photographers Association (PAPA), his work ranges from aerial, exteriors, interiors, to urban and cityscape.
WEBSITE: www.hunterkerhart.comnextpage

As an oil, gas, and energy hub, many people don’t think of Houston as an architectural powerhouse. But, as a growing city with other major industries like healthcare, research and technology, the Texas town has a lot more to offer than meets the eye. These top five architectural photographers have the skill and creativity to showcase the hidden beauty of the city.

Vittoria ZupicichVittoria Zupichichhttp://vittoriazupicich.com/After making a name for herself on the West Coast, Vittoria Zupicich is now making a splash in Texas with her award-winning skills photographing the architecture and design throughout Houston. Her photographs of architecture for an array of clients is showcased in exhibits as far as California. In addition, she was ranked first in American Photographic Artists (APAs) Architecture Category. Her many accolades and accomplishments, along with her impressive portfolio make her an excellent pick to shoot commercial architecture.nextpage

The City of Brotherly Love also has a lot of love for its amazing architecture. These five photographers from the city have showcased these buildings in astonishing ways.

Vittoria ZupicichVittoria Zupicichhttp://vittoriazupicich.com/galleria.php?rif=49Vittoria Zupicich’s biggest inspiration for photography was her father. “From his very first day of parenthood, he became obsessed with photographing every moment of his three daughters’ lives,” she stated on her website. Over the recent years, Zupicich has become a praised photographer with numerous accolades to her name.nextpage

When it comes to astonishing architectural photographers in the Big Apple, the list is endless. These five photographers are surely some of the most prolific out there today.

Chris CooperChris Cooperhttp://www.chriscooperphotographer.com/From Carrier & Company to Specter DeSouza Architects, Chris Cooper has worked with a long list of clients in the area. The photographer manages to show off his versatile styles on occasion. “My shooting style varies by project… I’m as fluent in a highly crafted controlled lighting style as I am in a natural light ‘decisive moment’ journalistic style,” he said on his website.nextpage

Vakil Mosque, ShirazPhoto courtesy of: 500pxhttps://500px.com/photo/86103851/vakil-mosque-by-mohammad-reza-domiri-ganji-In their entirety, Mosques showcase a few of the most beautiful architecture that the world has ever seen. The dedication to the work, the mathematics and geometry utilized is just wondrous and fitting for a temple of one of the most largest religions on earth. Since there is too much awesomeness in on structure, we’ve decided to cover Mosque ceilings in this article. And boy are they intricately beautiful and absolutely takes your breath away.nextpage

Capital Hill Residence, RussiaNaomi Campbell, supermodel girlfriend of Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin, certainly received a unique and special gift — a holiday retreat in Barvikha, Russia. Not exactly a deal your everyday mortgage adviser could have arranged. Doronin hired Zaha Hadid Architects to design a residence resembling a space ship straight out of a science fiction movie. The 22 meter tall watch tower encloses private quarters with a view that imitates the feeling of sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.nextpage

If you’re looking to break into the world of architecture, find a firm that will support your endeavors. Finding the right firm could kick start your career to architectural success. Discover how to make millions by signing with one of these firms.

If you’re looking to break into the world of architecture, find a firm that will support your endeavors. Finding the right firm could kick start your career to architectural success. Discover how to make millions by signing with one of these firms.nextpage

Ever wonder what other buildings in other country looks like? Well look no more for today, we’ll bombard you with eye candy that’ll make you wish you belong in that place in particular.

The Lookout, ScotlandPhoto courtesy of: Processacrafthttp://processascraft.tumblr.com/Designed by two architectural design students from Strathclyde University, the idea was to help tourist frame up the beautiful scenery. The maximum it can hold is only three people! You must admit, it does accentuate the scenery around it. I wonder what it would be like to have an entire house made out of this material!? You would have an invisible house!nextpage

The Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North KoreaIn the architectural industry, it is all about prestige and coming up with the most innovative, modern and beautiful designs. Face it, there are a few firms that get all the work and if you aren’t coming up with top notch creative ideas, you aren’t going to be able to compete. Yet, when we saw the following buildings, we weren’t sure what happened. I suppose you will always love something that you made but bleh! these creations sure make you think twice about what some people like versus others.
As things tend to go in North Korea, this hotel supposedly began construction in 1992 but was kept secret and seemed to be incomplete and abandoned until unveiled as complete in 2009. It’s shape, an ode to the Egyptian pyramids but when made almost entirely of cold, rough, bland, grey concrete, it is almost sad how far behind the times this massive monstrosity is. Perhaps they could have gone with a bit smaller and more tasteful looking figure.nextpage

question: What does the text say about architecture in Houston?

answer: Houston is known as an oil, gas and energy hub but its architectural side is often overlooked. Houston offers a lot more than it meets the eye. Some top photographers have what it takes to capture the city's hidden beauty. Photographers like Vittoria Zupicich is bringing her award winning skills from the West Coast to Texas, capturing Houston's architecture and design.


text:
Politics

DOJ misplaced correspondence from Dec. 14, 2016, to May 17, 2017 — the same day Rosenstein appointed special counsel

Federal officials “failed to preserve” text messages from two FBI executives who were virulently opposed to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a key five-month period of the 2016 presidential campaign. That’s according to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson.

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were both involved in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of allegations that Trump colluded with Russians to defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Strzok also participated in the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server and address to conduct official U.S. diplomatic business while she was secretary of state under President Barack Obama.

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Johnson said in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray the committee obtained 384 new pages of Strzok-Page texts, according to The Washington Post.

[lz_ndn video=33417685]

“The loss of records from this period is concerning,” Johnson wrote — wondering why the FBI “did not preserve text messages between Ms. Page and Mr. Strzok between approximately December 14, 2016, and May 17, 2017,” The Post reported.

That latter day — May 17, 2017 — was the day Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as head of the investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government or elements linked to it.

Stephen Boyd, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs at the Justice Department, wrote a letter to Johnson on Friday in which he notified the committee of the missing text messages.

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“The department wants to bring to your attention that the FBI’s technical system for retaining text messages sent and received on FBI mobile devices failed to preserve text messages for Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page,” Boyd wrote, according to The Daily Caller.

RELATED: FBI TEXT MESSAGES GIVE AMMUNITION TO TRUMP, GOP

“The result was that data that should have been automatically collected and retained for long-term storage and retrieval was not collected,” Boyd wrote, pointing to “misconfiguration issues related to rollouts, provisioning, and software upgrades that conflicted with the FBI’s collection capabilities.”

According to the text messages revealed earlier, Strzok called Trump “an idiot” in a message to Page. In a later text, he wrote, “I want to believe the path u threw out 4 consideration in [Andrew McCabe’s] office — that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk.”

Page told Strzok in a text message, “Maybe you’re meant to stay where you are because you’re meant to protect the country from that menace.” Strzok told Page there was significant “pressure” to conclude the Clinton investigation after Trump won the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

The text messages between the two former Mueller staffers incensed many Republicans — who cited them as evidence that the Justice Department’s investigations into both Trump and Clinton were tainted.

Although the new batch of text messages hasn’t yet been revealed publicly, the Associated Press noted Strzok and Page expressed “displeasure about the timing of [former Attorney General Loretta] Lynch’s announcement that she would defer to the FBI’s judgment on the Clinton investigation.”

“Strzok said in a July 1 text message that the timing of Lynch’s announcement ‘looks like hell,'” AP reported. “And Page appears to mockingly refer to Lynch’s decision to accept the FBI’s conclusion in the case as a ‘real profile in courag(e) since she knows no charges will be brought.'”

_PoliZette writer Kathryn Blackhurst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter._

question: What does the article say about the text messages?

answer: Text messages between two FBI executives, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who opposed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump failed to be preserved. The loss of the text messages were over a five month timeframe in which the FBI's technical system failed to preserve. Text messages revealed Strzok calling Trump "an idiot". The messages angered Republicans whom described them as evidence that the Justice Department's investigations into both Trump and Clinton were tainted.


text:
**Out of Time**

*968 Words*

Harper Welles pushed through the heavy crowd along Hyde-Pierce Promenade in the heart of the Blue Zone. He was working against the tide of people like a spawning salmon. The collar of his long canvas coat was turned up to keep the stinging rain off his neck while his mask protected most of his face. Branded in mustard yellow lettering across the area just above the bug-eye lenses was his government assigned Personal ID: W-HG070147-BL-91-937PA.

A beefy hand clothed in a neoprene glove clutched at the shoulder of Harper’s black duster and roughly yanked him into the narrow, dark space between buildings. “Well lookie here, Flick. We got us a young one from Sector 91.  A little far from home aren’t you? Do your Matri and Patri know where you are, offspring?” The words came out stark and unencumbered. Harper just stared at the mountainous man with missing teeth and a face peppered with small glistening acne-like sores. He had heard about those who had acclimated to the ruinous, lung-biting atmosphere but their life expectancy was considerably shorter.

“He’s a good one, Bull,” said the shorter of the two. His words sounded normal, muffled. Flick’s government PID had been shaved off his mask. Shit, Harper thought, Unknowns. “I wonder if he makes noise,” Flick continued and poked Harper lightly with a slender metal rod.

“Yeah, offspring. I asked you a question. You a deaf-mute or something?” Harper, still surprised into silence, blinked as Bull effortlessly lifted him from his feet.  “Let’s give this one some flying lessons, Flick.”  The landscape tilted and rotated as he felt himself sail through the air.  He watched the slice of dirty orange haze outside the alley until he hit the back wall and fell onto a pile of debris, his mask jarred loose from his head.  The cardboard and trash collapsed beneath him like a sink hole and Harper disappeared through it.

The landing on his back was a hard one and forced all the air out of his lungs. He kept his eyes squeezed closed bracing for a second attack from the pair of Unknowns. At the same time Harper was afraid to breathe in without his mask. His ears were ringing by the time reflexes took over and he gulped air into his lungs. Sweet, cool, soothing, unexpected air.

His eyes sprang open and like Dorothy stepping into Munchkin Land, Harper was faced with an equally alien landscape. He slid up the alley wall to a standing position, eyes darting. The orange dinge had been replaced with lapis blue skies and the poisoned atmosphere was gone. Harper filled his lungs again, deeply. No burn. No choking. Just pure, perfumed, smooth air.

Bull and Flick, along with the rest of the scurrying populace had vanished. Only a few unmasked individuals dotted the walkway beyond the alley, moving at a leisurely, unguarded pace. Bright unfiltered sunlight bathed the relatively clean concrete and macadam. Near the mouth of the short alley was the entrance to what purported to be the Grand Grocery Co. Loosely hand lettered on the glass doors were the words “WE’RE OPEN. COME IN!” After looking around for a moment longer, Harper complied with the directive.

Before poking his head inside, he ran his hand over the door frame in a caressing motion. Wood. He had never seen this much wood. A whole building constructed from it, the proprietor must be a very wealthy man.  The floors creaked under his footsteps despite his stepping reverently to avoid damage. He was assaulted with a wall of smells. Fresh, sweet, earthy and grassy smells. He was amazed by the pyramids of fruits and abundance of vegetable stacked with abandon in heavy crate-like bins. Fruit and veg right from the tree and soil.

“Son?” An older man in a shoulder-to-shin white apron stood at the front window where he had been stacking round orange-skinned foods for display. “Can I help you? Are you feeling all right? You don’t look well.” The shopkeeper was alarmed by the boy’s extremely pale and unhealthy appearance.

“I was attacked by a couple of…” He stopped himself before the word “Unknowns” came out.

“You’re not local, are you, son?” Harper shook his head in answer to the old man’s question.  He has no idea how much an understatement that is, Harper thought. “Take a seat.  There’s a chair over behind the counter.”  The old man steered the black-coated young man over towards the counter with a kind hand on his back.  "I saw you eyein’ those oranges.  Would you like one?”

Harper nodded this time. He was disarmed by the kindness the man showed.  The world—or time—he came from was a desperate, untrusting place and period. His own family unit, if he had still belonged to one, would not have shown caring of this level. The man in the apron returned with two oranges and Harper sunk his teeth deeply into one.

“Hang on there, son. Those ain’t apples. You gotta peel these.  Here, let me show you.”  The shopkeeper removed the thick bumpy skin in big chunks revealing tender succulent wedges.  The boy popped one in his mouth and bit down. Juice as fresh and welcomed as the air and sun outside the shop filled his mouth.  He greedily shoved two more sections in at the same time. Juice leaked from the corners of his mouth while tears ran down his cheeks mixing with the nectar. He wept as the old man—a stranger to him—stroked the boy’s back with gentle compassion.  Harper Garrett Welles had no idea how he would ever find his way back to where or when he came from. He desperately hoped that he never would.

title: I've written a few short stories but this is my first foray into Science-Fiction. Feedback welcomed.

question: What is the protagonist's name?

answer: Harper Welles

question: Who attacks Harper?

answer: Some Unknowns named Bull and Flick.

question: Why did they attack him?

answer: He's not from there.

question: Where does Harper seek refuge?

answer: A grocery store.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Harper Welles is far away from home, working in a dangerous and toxic area called the Blue Zone. He's been assigned by the government to this post. One day two Unknowns called Bull and Flick attack him. Harper escapes-the two disappear-and seeks refuge in a grocery store. A very kind man listens to his story and gives him an orange. Harper thinks about how he doesn't know that he'll ever make it back home.


text:
A Senate inquiry into equal marriage has moved the issue a step closer as it unanimously rejected several measures to discriminate LGBT people.

The report by the committee that was released on Wednesday examined the Government’s bill and rejected a number of proposals, including the ability for civil celebrants to reject marrying a same-sex couple.

[]

In the report, it recommends creating a new category of independent religious celebrants who, because of their religious beliefs, would be allowed to refuse to marry a couple.

However, it did state this should be reviewed and more clearly defined in order to get a better balance between freedom of religion and equality.

Civil celebrants would have no form of objection and would be required to marry any couple legally allowed to do so.

The inquiry also recommended removing the ability for anyone to reject a same-sex wedding on the basis of “conscientious objection”, stating it was “unprecedented” to allow one group of people to justify discrimination against another.

Most marriage equality advocates welcomed the news and hoped it raised the chance of cross-party cooperation in this session of Parliament.

Marriage advocate, Rodney Croome, said the report rejected, “proposed discrimination against same-sex couples [and] shows progress on marriage equality is possible when our elected members work across party lines”.

Anna Brown the chair of Australians for Equality told the Guardian the report offered “sensible solutions to address concerns about religious freedom”.

The committee was chaired by marriage equality opponent David Fawcett and included the pro-marriage equality Liberals Dean Smith and James Paterson, Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team.

Recently, an Australian politician claimed that LGBT people were using Nazi mind control to increase support for same-sex marriage.

question: What were the proposals that were rejected?

answer: The proposals that were rejected were ones that tried to discriminate against LGBT people with regards to marriage.

question: What did the proposal suggest?

answer: The proposal suggests creating a new category of independent religious celebrants who would be allowed to refuse to marry a couple due to their religious beliefs.

question: Who is David Fawcett?

answer: David Fawcett is a marriage equality opponent that is one of the chairs of the committee Australians for Equality.

question: Who is Anna Brown?

answer: Anna Brown is one of the chairs of the Australians for Equality Committee.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Several measure that were meant to discriminate against LGBT were rejected in the Australian Senate, including one that allowed for individuals to refust to marry same-sex couples.


text:
GULCH HVOSCHEVATAYA is a protected area, botanical reserve of regional importance on the territory of Krasnensky District, Belgorod Oblast.

Geographical position

The total area of the reserve is . It is located in Krasnensky District of the Belgorod region, on the territory of rural settlement Raskhovets. The reserve is located within the beam of the same name. It is a left spur of the beam, which stretches from east to west between the villages and Rashovets hop and opens into the valley of the river Kamyshenko. From the first village on the reserve deleted in a northeasterly direction, and the second - by in the north-west. The north side of the reserve adjacent to the forest Hvoschevoye.

Vegetation

Within the reserve the vegetation is represented by motley-feather grass steppe. Along the perimeter of reserve surrounded by fields where crops are grown. Arable land covers a protected area from the east and the west, and from the south. That is, the mouth plowed beams. Horsetail tract north of the reserve is bayrak (gully) forest.

History of formation

For the first time the status of specially protected area Hvoschevataya first received in 1991. Then the decision of the executive committee of Belgorod Oblast Council of People's Deputies in its territory botanical reserve was created.[1] The reason for arming was of rare species of plants, including stipa. Later, the status of the reserve was confirmed in 1995 [2] and in 2016 [3] the provisions of the Head of Administration and the Government of the Belgorod region.

[1] О создании сети особо охраняемых природных территорий области // Решение исполнительного комитета Белгородского областного Совета народных депутатов от 30.08.1991 №267

[2] О расширении сети особо охраняемых природных территорий области// Постановление главы администрации Белгородской области от 31.10.1995 №628

[3] Об утверждении перечней особо охраняемых природных территорий регионального значения Белгородской области//Постановление Правительства Белгородской области от 15 августа 2016 года №299-пп

title: Gulch Hvoschevataya

question: Where is the gulch?

answer: In the Krasnensky District of Belgorod Oblast

question: When did the area first receive protected status?

answer: 1991

question: What is adjacent to the reserve on the north side?

answer: The Hvoschevoye forest

question: What river valley does the reserve open into?

answer: The Kamyshenko river valley

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Gulch Hvoschevataya is a protected botanical reserve in the Krasnensky District of Belgorod Oblast. It first received protected status in 1991.


text: Uday's cheek was pressed against the hard dirt floor of his family’s adobe hut. It didn't hurt anymore, and he was no longer afraid. The afternoon sun was shining directly into the common area. It shone through at the spot where the wall should have met the ceiling. Uday breathed short, shallow breaths, and he thought of playing soccer with his older brother. He remembered the way the stray dogs would sit and watch them play, and how they would never interfere. They were good dogs, Uday thought. He also remembered when he had fallen and cut his ankle open on the  dirt; which had been baked almost to concrete by the sun. He remembered the way his brother Aban had put his shoulder under the pit of his arm to help him walk home, and how he had told him not to cry. He smiled a weak, childly smile, thinking of how he had kept strong; and held the tears back until he limped through the door, and saw his mother. He felt something warm in his gut, remembering how she had taken him into her arms, and kissed his black hair. Laying in the dirt, in the sunlight, he thought about his mother. He thought of seeing her very soon. Uday blinked, and he thought that his blinking felt very slow. It felt as if his eyes lids were moving through heavy liquid. He felt a soft hum in his chest, directly beneath his heart. As he fell asleep, he could feel the dirt caked against the corner of his mouth. When he awoke it was later in the evening, and the sun no longer shone into the house. He lifted his head from the ground and sat up. It was nearing dusk, and he could smell his mother’s kubbah cooking over a fire. Over by the doorway, he saw his brother, and his brother was smiling and spinning a soccer ball between his fingers. Uday jumped to his feet, and as he and his brother went for the door, their mother called to them, telling them to be back in an hour for supper.

title: Dirt Floor

question: Why is Uday's cheek pressed against the dirt floor?

answer: Possibly because of his ankle injury, but this is unclear.

question: Who are the major characters in this story?

answer: Uday, his mother, and Aban (his brother).

question: What is the central conflict of this story?

answer: Uday injured himself the last time he went to play soccer with his brither, sustaining a cut to his ankle.

question: Where does Uday go at the end of the story?

answer: He goes to play soccer with his brother, Aban.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Uday is lying on the dirt floor of his family's hut. He reflects on playing soccer with his brother, Aban, and remembers injuring his ankle and how his mother comforted him afterwards. After falling asleep, he wakes up to find his brother standing in the doorway, and the two of them head out to play soccer.


text:
The city of Cologne on the western edge of the Twin Cities area on Thursday signed a deal that would make it the first local government in the state to entirely offset its municipal electricity with solar power.

The city of 1,500 people in Carver County will go all solar by subscribing to a community solar garden planned by energy developer SunShare at the nearby Bongards cheese plant, which also would be solar subscriber.

Under the deal, the city’s share of the solar garden — the output of about 2,700 panels — will generate during sunny times more power than the city needs for its City Hall, water pumps and other uses. The extra solar power goes on the grid, offsetting electricity the city draws at other times from Xcel Energy Inc., which remains the city’s power supplier.

Cologne, which expects to save $1.1 million on the deal over 25 years, is one of many local governments interested in Xcel’s Solar Rewards Community program. It allows any customer to subscribe to centralized solar projects, or “gardens,” whose output is sold at solar-friendly rates to Xcel, offsetting all or part of the customer’s monthly bills.

More than a dozen Minnesota cities, including St. Paul and Minneapolis, have installed modest-sized solar projects, usually with grant money. Now, many more local governments are considering deals for far-larger solar projects as renewable energy developers offer subscriptions with no upfront costs and immediate savings.

“It definitely makes sense economically,” said Brian Millberg, Minneapolis’ energy manager, who has been studying the city’s solar options.

The city of St. Cloud and the Metropolitan Council recently solicited bids from energy companies for multiple, large solar garden projects on government properties. The Metro Council intends to solicit another round of bids, and open the door for counties and cities to participate. Those solar gardens would be built on sites chosen by developers, most likely on the urban fringe.

Jessie Dickson, city administrator for Cologne, said its City Council, which approved the project 5-0, liked the idea that solar power will be generated nearby. SunShare hopes to complete that and other solar gardens by the end of 2016 to capture an expiring 30 percent federal solar tax credit.

“It is a pretty healthy chunk of change,” Dickson said of the approximately $40,000 a year in electricity bill savings the city could spend on roads, parks or other city needs.

Cologne didn’t solicit bids for the project, unlike other local governments, which hope that pitting energy developers against each other will lead to better prices and terms. Mayor Scott Williams said bidding didn’t come up, and didn’t seem necessary. “We looked at it as an opportunity to save money,” Williams said.

The opportunity for solar-related savings already has attracted other big energy users, including Ecolab Inc., a Fortune 500 company in St. Paul, and institutions like Macalester College in St. Paul and St. Olaf College in Northfield. All three have announced deals this year to offset all of their electricity with power from other solar garden developers.

With the new program growing so popular — more than 600 solar garden applications since early December — Xcel has complained about its scope. Some solar developers propose large clusters of gardens at single sites, resembling the large-scale solar arrays that utilities build at lower cost to ratepayers. Warning that if all 600 solar gardens are built, customers’ rates could rise by 2 percent or more, Xcel has asked state regulators for limits on the program.

Several cooperative utilities in Minnesota also offer solar gardens. Only Xcel’s program, which is mandated by a 2013 state law, allows independent energy developers to build solar projects, freely market them to Xcel customers and sell the power to Xcel at regulated rates that exceed the retail price of electricity.

Despite the uncertainty over Xcel’s program, energy developers like SunShare are still signing deals with subscribers, hoping that issue will be resolved. So far Xcel has not given engineering approval for any solar garden to begin construction, however.

The idea of a city going all-solar “is something we couldn’t even have imagined talking about four or five years ago,” said Ken Bradley, a SunShare executive who negotiated the deal and lobbied for the law that made it possible.

Businesses and residents of Cologne won’t get any of the solar power, but they have the option of signing up for solar gardens themselves. Bradley said many other cities are considering similar deals.

“In the last six weeks, I have met with 25 cities,” the SunShare executive said. “I am driving all over the state.”

Some local governments may prefer that solar power be generated in their communities. In St. Paul, where a large solar array generates power from atop the RiverCentre parking ramp, the city is interested in other rooftop or ground locations, but that’s not always possible because of structural issues, lack of open space or higher cost, said Anne Hunt, the city’s environmental policy director.

Metro Council, which operates wastewater treatment plants and Metro Transit, is reviewing bids from energy developers for a mix of rooftop and ground-based solar projects. The locations include transit rooftops and land at the Empire wastewater treatment plant near Farmington. That solar project is similar to one underway at the Blue Lake plant in Shakopee.

“It is a good opportunity for government and others to make a difference,” said Jason Willett, director of finance and energy for the Metro Council environmental services.

For the next round of Metro Council’s solar garden bidding, energy developers will be asked to pitch projects for metro cities and counties that want to participate, Willett said. Minneapolis and St. Paul have not yet decided whether to participate. One drawback is that solar developers likely would choose sites on less-expensive land at the urban fringe.

“Politicians are very aware that ribbon cuttings are an important part of the political process,” said John Farrell, who researches solar policy for the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “It is not so meaningful when you are out in Chisago County doing the ribbon cutting for a Minneapolis solar array.”

question: Where is the city of Cologne located?

answer: It is located in Minnesota, U.S..

question: What is the main topic of this document?

answer: Solar power in Minnesota

question: What is Brian Millberg referring to when he says "It definitely makes sense economically"?

answer: He is referring to solar power.

question: How much money do solar panels save?

answer: In the case of Cologne, they would expect to save $1.1 million on the deal over 25 years.

question: What big energy users are attracted to solar-related savings?

answer: Ecolab Inc., Macalester College, and St.Olaf College

question: What is Xcel?

answer: It seems to be a utilities company in Minnesota which has the program that allows independent energy developers to build solar projects, freely market them to Xcel customers and sell the power to Xcel at regulated rates that exceed the retail price of electricity.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This document discusses when Cologne, Minnesota signed a deal that would make it the first local government in the state to entirely offset its municipal electricity with solar power. Solar power, its cost effectiveness, and growing popularity are discussed.