text:
The Fijian CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS OF 2009 began on Friday, 10 April 2009. Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced on a nationwide radio broadcast that he was abrogating the Constitution of Fiji. He dismissed all judges and constitutional appointees and assumed all governance in the country after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was illegal.[1] Iloilo reinstalled Bainimarama as PM and his Cabinet members to their positions. He also instituted emergency rule which increased police powers and allowed media censorship.

Background

On Thursday, 9 April 2009, the Court of Appeal, the second highest in Fiji, issued a ruling stating the illegality of the 2006 Fijian coup d'état, which removed the government of Laisenia Qarase from power, replacing it with military rule.[2] The court also called the interim government established in January 2007 “invalid.”[3] The ruling legally dissolved the current parliament.[4]

The Court of Appeals ordered President Iloilo to appoint a “distinguished person” to act as a caretaker Prime Minister and oversee the dissolution of parliament.[5] The court further ordered that Iloilo was forbidden from appointing either current Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama or former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as the caretaker.[6]

The Court of Appeals ruling “prompted” the Prime Minister to step down from power.[7] Iloilo had sworn Bainimarama into office in January 2007. Bainimarama immediately reverted to his former position as army commander.[8] His cabinet also resigned after the court's ruling.[9]

Suspension of Constitution

President Iloilo issued a statement the following day saying, “I hereby confirm I have abrogated the 1997 constitution and appointed myself as head of state in the new order.”[10] Iloilo immediately assumed all political power in the country.[11]

In his statement, Iloilo fired the Fijian judiciary and nullified all judicial appointments.[12] He stated that “All judicial appointments are no longer in place. New appointments are to be made for judges, magistrates and other judicial officers. I will soon be inviting suitable individuals to join or rejoin the bench under the new order.”[13] He also decreed that all existing laws would remain in place.[14]

Iloilo announced that Fiji would hold democratic elections in September 2014 “at the latest.”[15] He also promised to appoint an interim prime minister.[16] To that end, he issued a decree which allowed him to appoint a Prime Minister by decree.[17] Parliament had not met since the 2006 coup.[18] He subsequently re-appointed Frank Bainimarama as the “new” Interim prime minister.[19] Bainimarama later reinstalled all of his previous Cabinet members to their same positions.[20] In a 17 April speech to civil servants Bainimarama announced that his government was not an interim one and that elections would not be held before 2014: “A new Legal Order means there is no longer the old. There is no need to speculate as to what happened, how it happened, what should have happened or what should not have happened. What is, is now, and the future.”[21] Iloilo's announcement of a new judiciary clarified that the abrogation of the constitution would not be subject to any judicial review.[22]

Fiji was placed under a “Public Emergency Regulation”, putting the country under emergency rule for 30 days.[23] This regulation gave the police the right “to control the movement of people” and to stop any broadcast or publication it deemed “could cause disorder, promote disaffection or public alarm or undermine the government or state of Fiji”.[24] On some key roads, police had established roadblocks but the military was not involved.[25] Police “postponed” any assemblies of more than 100 people and revoked permits already issued including the annual meeting of the Fiji Nursing Association and perhaps the elections of the Fiji Teachers Union.[26] In July, the annual Methodist general meeting was not given a permit. Several Methodist Church leaders and a village high chief who was providing space for the meeting were arrested and released on condition that they not appear in public.[27][28] The Methodist annual meeting scheduled for August was later cancelled by church leadership.

All positions established under the 1997 Constitution were held to be vacant. In the following days, some of these office holders were reinstalled into the same offices, including the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Prisons, the Commander of the RFMF, the Solicitor General.[29] Others were not reappointed as in the case of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji who was replaced by the Deputy Governor. Other positions were not immediately refilled, such as the courts, the Constitutional Offices Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Disciplined Services Commission and the Human Rights Commission.[30][31]

On 31 July, President Iloilo, 88 years old and thought to be ill, retired after having served since 2000 through all the coups, except for one month in 2006 when Bainimarama gave himself Presidential powers. Iloilo was replaced by the Vice-President, Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, a former military commander. Under the 1997 Constitution, the President was supposed to be appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs, but with the Constitution suspended, Bainimarama announced that a replacement would be appointed by himself and his Cabinet at a time suitable for the regime.[32][33]

Economy

As well as the rest of the world, Fiji had been influenced by the financial crisis of 2007–2008 before the constitutional crisis began. Fiji's foreign currency reserves had fallen by 1/3 during 2008 and, in February 2009, Standard and Poor's downgraded Fiji's long term credit rating from stable to negative.[34] Exports increased in 2008 and inflation declined; however, cashflow suffered from the global financial crisis and imports increased leading to a larger negative balance of trade.[35][36]

After the constitutional crisis began, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji was removed from his position, as were all other people appointed to positions under the 1997 Constitution. The Reserve Bank quickly made several major moves, imposing currency exchange restrictions and devaluing the currency by 20% to benefit exporters and tourism.[37] On 16 April, the Bank ordered Australian banks operating in Fiji to limit interest rates and institute microlending programs.[38] Standard and Poor's lowered Fiji's credit rating on 16 April, with short term credit falling to a C from a B rating.[39] On 21 April, Moody's lowered Fiji's government bond, foreign currency bank deposit and foreign currency bond ratings, into junk bond status, stating “Political instability is weakening Fiji's long-term economic strength” among other reasons.[40]

In a move claimed to be aimed at cutting public corruption, Bainimarama announced “As a first up, from next week, all government vehicles being driven after hours will need to carry permits.” Soldiers and police would be empowered to check for these permits.[41]

As a cost-cutting measure, the mandatory retirement age for civil servants was reduced to 55, with 30 April 2009 set as the retirement day for any over that age.[42] Since 2007, the Fiji Teacher Association had been fighting the order to lower the retirement age from 60 to 55; the Public Service Association had later joined as a party to the lawsuit.[43] Certain high-level positions were given a retirement age of 65, including the position of Commander of the Military Forces held by Bainimarama who will turn 55 three days before the decree goes into effect. The decree was expected to force the retirement of over 800 teachers and about 100 nurses. (Another 40 nurses had already moved overseas during 2009 before the decree.)[44]

Suppression of the Media

Reports indicated that as part of the Emergency Regulation “a Ministry of Information officer and a plain-clothed policeman would be stationed in every newsroom”.[45] The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Information explained the policy, saying that media are to “refrain from publishing and broadcasting any news item that is negative in nature, relating to the assumption of executive authority on 10 April...and the subsequent appointments...”[46] Immediately after the decree as a form of protest, Fiji One TV did not run its evening news program and the _Fiji Times_ went to press with large blank spaces where censored articles were removed. The _Fiji Sun_ announced that it would no longer run any political stories of any sort.[47] The _Fiji Daily Post_ mocked the restrictions, publishing stories under “Man gets on bus”[48] and “Breakfast as usual”.[49][50]

On 13 April two of the last remaining foreign journalists in Fiji were called to Government House by the Ministry of Information. ABC Pacific Correspondent Sean Dorney was asked to voluntarily leave Fiji—which he refused citing his valid visa—and TV3 reporter Sia Aston's footage was confiscated by Fijian authorities. Both Dorney and Aston were deported from Fiji on 14 April, with Aston and TV3 cameraman Matt Smith banned from ever returning to Fiji, with the interim Government stating that all three had breached their visa conditions.[51][52] Edwin Nand, a local journalist for Fiji TV, was imprisoned for 36 hours after he interviewed Dorney.[53] Fijian Military spokesman Neumi Leweni stated that foreign journalists were welcome in Fiji, but must first apply and that “the invitation is decidedly conditional.”[54] However, during an interview with Radio New Zealand, Bainimarama said it was not necessary for their reporter to visit Fiji: “You just ask me the questions, I will give you the answers.”[55] On 17 April, military spokesman Neumi Leweni said foreign media personnel would have to apply to his office for visas and approval would be “based on how they have reported about Fiji in the past, if they have, or on the undertaking that they will report accurately and responsibly.”[56]

Fijian media outlets and journalists have also come under government scrutiny. There were rumours of the imminent deportation of Anne Fussell, the publisher of the Fiji Times newspaper.[57] Three newspaper editors had been deported in the 14 months before the crisis.[58] Fijian journalists working for international media outlets have also been called before the military to explain reports.[59]

The Government has also shut down two ABC FM transmitters, meaning that both ABC and Radio New Zealand International are only available to Fiji via the shortwave service.[60] Internet cafes have also become a target because of independent news bloggers, with many having to shut down. Networks, software and archives are inspected by government officials, with Commodore Bainimarama saying that free speech “causes trouble” and must be curbed in order for the Government to carry out reforms.[61]

The Pacnews wire service announced they will no longer cover Fiji stories after police and censors required them to remove a story on the UN statements about the crisis.[62] The announcement followed the detention of journalist Pita Ligaiula, a writer for Pacnews and correspondent for the Australian Associated Press, who was arrested by two police officers and an official for the Ministry of Information on 15 April 2009.[63] Matai Akauola, of the Pacific Islands News Association, reported that one of Ligaiula's bylines may have violated Fiji's current media restrictions.[64] Pacnews has announced that it has no plans to relocate from its headquarters in Suva, Fiji, to another country due to the restrictions on reporting Fijian domestic news.[65]

Local political reaction

The Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua party declared that the suspension of the constitution was another coup.[66] The National Federation Party also condemned the President's actions. The Fiji Labour Party said that the country could not sustain a five-year wait for elections and urged elections to be called sooner.[67]

International reaction

The UN Secretary General called for the “restoration of a legitimate government”.[68] The U.S. spoke of “deep disappointment” and Australia called the situation “grave and unwelcome”.[69] New Zealand's Foreign Minister referred to the situation as “a sorry recipe that has been tried by dictators in a number of other countries, always with tragic consequences.”[70] New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that “the reality is that unless there is some miraculous turn around of events, Fiji is going to be suspended by the [Pacific Islands] forum in roughly two weeks,” and that he would back immediate action. The forum's chair, Niue's Premier Toke Talagi, also advocated immediate suspension.[71]

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele took a particularly strong stance, saying “But one day soon the puppets will grow a brain and see Frank for the evil puppeteer he really is. It is then the curtains will fall on Frank..The whole thing is a political charade and the whole world is watching. Nobody is fooled and no one is laughing. Frank is only fooling himself..Go put back on his military uniform or..maybe, he’d look better in a prison uniform.”[72]

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement: “The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned about the situation in Fiji, where undemocratic decisions were made, including the abrogation of the constitution. The members of the Security Council express hopes that Fiji will make a steadfast advancement towards democracy and that fair elections will be held as soon as possible.”[73] The United Nations also said that it would not increase the number of Fijian police or soldiers involved in its peacekeeping operations, or deploy them on any future missions, although it would continue to use them in its existing operations.[74]

On 1 May, the Pacific Islands Forum suspended Fiji's membership as they had threatened months before if Fiji had not scheduled elections by that date.[75] The 2009 suspension marked the first time that a country had been suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum in the history of the 38-year-old organization.[76] As part of its suspensions, Fiji was also excluded from the discussions on the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and the Pacific Free Trade Agreement (PICTA).[77]

The Commonwealth of Nations suspended Fiji from its councils. In August, the Commonwealth gave Fiji until 1 September to announce scheduled elections to occur no later than October 2010. Failing that, Fiji would be “fully suspended” from the Commonwealth,[78] a threat that was carried out when no such announcement was made.[79]

Australia and New Zealand suspended diplomatic relations in 2009. Full diplomatic relations were restored on 30 July 2012.[80]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14] New Order , Fiji Times Online, 11 April 2009

[15]

[16]

[17] Fiji appoints coup leader as PM, The Irish Times, 11 April 2009

[18] Parliamentary Campaign for the Universality and Effectiveness of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (PGA ICC Campaign 2008–2009), Parliamentarians for Global Action, 18 July 2008

[19] Bainimarama sworn in again as Fiji PM, Sean Dorney, ABC, 11 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009. Archived 22 June 2009.

[20] Banimarama: Fiji to hold general elections by Sept. 2014, Xinhua News Agency, 11 April 2009

[21]

[22] Fiji to revive courts within days , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 17 April 2009

[23]

[24] Fiji may face economic sanctions, says Canberra, Josh Gordon, The Age, 12 April 2009

[25] Fiji military chief reappointed as PM, Pita Ligaiula, Brisbane Times, 11 April 2009

[26] Public meetings postponed, say police , Fijilive, 16 April 2009

[27] Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing, Christianity Today, 31 July 2009

[28]

[29]

[30] 3 commissions not reinstated , Fiji Times, 16 April 2009

[31] Fiji military government tightens control, DPA, 14 April 2009

[32] Fiji's 88-year-old president retires, Xinhua, 28 July 2009

[33]

[34] Outlook On Fiji Revised To Negative On Rising External Pressures; ŒB/B Rating Affirmed, Standard and Poor's, 27 February 2009

[35]

[36] Economic Review, Vol. 26, No. 02, Reserve Bank of Fiji, February 2009

[37] Fiji Devalues Local Dollar 20 Percent, Central Bank Announces, James Regan, Bloomberg, 15 April 2009

[38] Fiji tells Aussie banks to cut rates, Alison Bell, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 April 2009

[39] Fiji's credit rating down , Fiji Times, 16 April 2009

[40] Moody's Lowers Fiji's Ratings Amid Political Unrest, _The Wall Street Journal_, 21 April 2009

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44] 1000 Fiji civil servants to retire, say unions , Fiji Live, 17 April 2009

[45] Public emergency regulation in force in Fiji, Xinhua News Agency, 10 April 2009

[46] We comply with regulations , _Fiji Times_, 16 April 2009

[47] 'Deep concern' after Fiji throws out journalists, AFP, 13 April 2009

[48] Man gets on bus, Fiji Daily Post, 15 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009. Archived 22 June 2009.

[49] Breakfast as usual , Fiji Daily Post, 15 April 2009

[50]

[51] TV3 news pair banned from returning to Fiji Radio New Zealand News, 14 April 2009

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58] Media slams third Fiji Times deportation , _The Australian_, 28 January 2009

[59]

[60]

[61] Fiji crackdown intensifies, World News Australia, 15 April 2009

[62] Pacnews drops Fiji coverage after censorship, Campbell Cooney, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 22 April 2009

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66] It is another coup, says SDL party , Fiji Times Online, 11 April 2009

[67] Chaudhry wants quick return , Fiji Times Online, 11 April 2009

[68] UN chief 'deplores' Fiji action, The Age, 11 April 2009

[69] Fiji coup leader restored as PM, BBC News, 11 April 2009

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73] UN condemns military rule in Fiji, BBC, 21 April 2009

[74] UN bars Fijian peacekeepers in future missions, Xinhua, 2 May 2009.

[75] Fiji suspended from Pacific Islands Forum, Xinhua, 1 May 2009

[76]

[77] Ousted Fiji accuses neighbours of double standards, AFP, 8 August 2009

[78]

[79] Fiji Suspended from Commonwealth, BBC News, 1 September 2009

[80]

title: 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis

question: When did the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis begin?

answer: The 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis begin began on April 10th, 2009.

question: As of April 2009, what was the mandatory retirement age set to?

answer: The mandatory retirement age was set to 55 in April 2009.

question: When were diplomatic relations restored between Fiji, Australia and New Zealand?

answer: Diplomatic relations restored between Fiji, Australia and New Zealand on July 30th, 2012.

question: What forum was Fiji suspended from on May 1st?

answer: Fiji was suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum on May 1st.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis occurred when President Ratu Josefa Iloilo dissolved the country's constitution. Police powers were increased, and many foreign media members left the country. Fiji was suspended from numerous international communities until it reestablished a constitution and democratic elections.


split: train

text:
Jackson Thomas / Stuff.co.nz

Magnum Hire are now operating out of their new Don Buck Rd site.

He is the ultimate high school drop-out come good.

Liam Field, 54, dropped out of west Auckland's Henderson High School almost 40 years ago at just 15-years-old, saying that "school just wasn't really for me".

After quitting school he did a number of jobs including earthmoving and sales. He got his start in business with the purchase of a $30,000 digger.

JACKSON THOMAS/FFX NZ

Liam Field is master of his domain in Westgate.

But it all really began at the pub. Chatting to a successful friend who had recently sold his grated cheese business for a pretty penny, he was asked what he was doing now.

Liam told his mate he'd recently started Magnum Hire. So started a fruitful partnership with his friend's finances underpinning the purchase of more heavy machinery which has seen the company grow, and now profit from the expansion of the Westgate area.

"I'm a bloke with no education, but a good work ethic. I haven't had a sick day in 11 years," he says.

JACKSON THOMAS/FFX NZ

Liam Field with his team of "dedicated westies". He employs 20 staff.

"That is the thing, you don't have to be the smartest or anything like that, a good, solid work ethic can set you up for life. Just work hard and good things will come."

For this week's Daily Grind, reporter Jackson Thomas sat down with the west Auckland entrepeneur to talk about what it takes to run a $35 million company that employs 20 people.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO AT MAGNUM HIRE AND WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?

Where are a west Auckland based and west Auckland-owned construction machinery hire company. We are heavily involved in the construction of both roads and subdivisions. I am the managing director so I handle day-to-day finances and purchasing of machinery, this morning I purchased a couple of rollers valued at about $170,000 so that is the side of things I handle. Then my partner Dave Parker is the general manager so he looks after everything that goes on on-site at our new Westgate premises on Don Buck Rd.

HOW MANY MACHINES DO YOU HAVE AND HOW MANY STAFF DOES IT TAKE TO KEEP THE BUSINESS GOING?

We have about 470 machines at the moment, they can go out for three years at a time sometimes so we never have them all on site at one time. We have a dedicated staff of 20 that work out here and 19 of them are from west Auckland. One poor bloke commutes from South Auckland everyday.

WHAT IS THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF YOUR JOB?

Well getting to own and play with all these toys is pretty great, but it is the people for me. Most people who work here never leave and I like to think it is because we treat them properly. I have found that the better you treat your staff the better quality of work gets produced. We have an awesome team and everyone really gets on with one another so that is the most rewarding thing for me.

HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU GUYS OR GET IN TOUCH?

We don't do any advertising or anything like that. The bulk of our clients come from word of mouth but we have a website which myself and Dave monitor or simply pop in and see us. We are at 567 Don Buck Rd. Our friendly team will welcome you in and answer any questions you have.

Stuff

question: What is Magnum Hire?

answer: An Auckland-owned construction machinery hire company.

question: Who is Liam Field?

answer: A 54 year-old successful entrepreneur who operates the business and dropped out of high school.

question: How much has the company grown since its conception?

answer: From the initial purchase of a $30,000 digger to a $35 million company, employing 20 people.

question: Summarize how Field defines success.

answer: Having a solid work ethic.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer:
In an article, Liam Field is interviewed about how he went from dropping out of high school to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Field explains to the reporter, Jackson Thomas, his evolution from starting his business with the purchase of a $30,000 digger to running a $35 million company that employs 20 people.


text:
ALEC is at the top of its game.

For decades, the American Legislative Exchange Council has been a force in shaping conservative policies at the state level. Today, its impact is even more pervasive. Its legislative ideas are resonating in practically every area of state government, from education and health to energy, environment and tax policy. The group, which brings together legislators with representatives from corporations, think tanks and foundations to craft model bills, has rung up an impressive score. Roughly 1,000 bills based on ALEC language are introduced in an average year, with about 20 percent getting enacted.

Its very success, however, is beginning to prompt a backlash. While it has long been the target of ideological opponents, many media outlets are now portraying it as a kind of cabal that is secretly pulling the strings in state capitols nationwide. More recently, ALEC has become part of the broad litany of complaints among those castigating corporations for gaming democratic institutions in their favor.

ALEC officials, needless to say, scoff at such characterizations. But they recognize how potent they can be, given the growing anticorporate populism exemplified by the Occupy Wall Street movement. For the organization, it’s a bigger public relations headache than it’s ever experienced before. “The hook about some conspiracy or some secret organization,” says Chaz Cirame, ALEC’s senior director of membership and development, “is a lot better story than one about bringing state legislators together to talk about best practices around the country.”

Regardless of the looming PR challenge, ALEC’s own success is _prima facie_ evidence of its growing influence. Its support for limited government and fewer regulations resonates with many state officials in the wake of the sweeping victories enjoyed by Republicans last fall. “The elections did have a huge impact in terms of membership and financial support for the organization,” says Duane Parde, president of the National Taxpayers Union and a former ALEC official. “ALEC was well positioned.”

These days, you can hardly think of a front-burner issue in states in which ALEC doesn’t play an important role:

HEALTH CARE: ALEC’s _State Legislators Guide to Repealing Obamacare_ has served as a template. Legislators have introduced countless bills based on ALEC language to block implementation of the 2009 federal health-care law. Approaches vary, from trying to block states from applying for federal grants to calling into question the mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance. The organization recently approved a resolution decrying the requirement that states set up health insurance marketplaces known as exchanges.

Versions of ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, a direct challenge to the federal law, have been introduced in more than 40 states. Measures have passed in about a dozen. Next year, such measures will go before voters in Alabama, Florida, Montana and Wyoming. “It’s really no secret,” state Sen. Jane Cunningham, the lead sponsor of Missouri’s version, told the _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_ in August. “I learned about the idea from ALEC and brought it back to Missouri.”

CLIMATE CHANGE: More than a dozen states have approved resolutions, with basic text provided by ALEC, calling plans by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions a “train wreck” that will harm the economy. In addition, a number of states from New Hampshire to Oregon have seen legislation, based on an ALEC document, looking to withdraw from regional climate change initiatives.

VOTER ID: In more than 30 states, legislation was introduced this year to mandate or strengthen requirements that voters produce state-issued photo identification. Many of the bills were based on ALEC model legislation and became law in a half-dozen states. Other bills addressed matters such as shortening voting periods and tightening registration requirements.

IMMIGRATION: Last year, NPR reported that the tough law regarding illegal immigrants in Arizona -- and since copied in Alabama and other states -- had been drafted months before its introduction at an ALEC meeting. The group’s critics say the law, which requires local police to check the immigration status of people suspected of being in the country illegally, was another attempt to provide business for its members from the private prison industry. “This is not one of our priorities at ALEC,” says Ron Scheberle, the group’s executive director. “We are not taking the lead on immigration. It’s someone else’s idea.”

PENSIONS AND UNIONS: Scheberle also says ALEC is “not really leading the effort” to scale back pension benefits, although the group has been doing work on limiting the types of packages offered to new hires. ALEC has also had a hand in shaping legislation designed to limit the role and organizing strength of public-sector unions.

Scheberle’s demurrals are not unusual. For years, ALEC has sought to downplay its own role in affecting legislation. The fact that it has model legislation covering a particular issue is seldom announced and legislators like to say that they thought up an idea on their own, or through consultation with a variety of interest groups and not just ALEC.

But the publication of 850 model bills and other documents on a website called ALEC Exposed, which is run by the liberal Center on Media and Democracy, has made it easier to compare proposed bills with language crafted by ALEC -- both for journalists and the group’s ideological opponents in individual state capitols. “ALEC’s fingerprints were all over [Florida’s] bill prohibiting state employers from withholding union dues and requiring members to approve using dues for political campaigns,” the _Sun-Sentinel_ of Fort Lauderdale editorialized in August.

In addition, Common Cause, a liberal advocacy group that supports campaign finance restrictions, filed a request in July with the IRS for an audit of ALEC’s books, claiming it acts more like a lobbying group than a nonprofit.

ALEC began its rise to power and influence in 1973 with a series of small steps. Its first meeting attracted just 27 members. The group initially concentrated on social issues such as abortion, but soon switched its focus to business and regulatory matters. Over time, it evolved into its current structure, which includes oversight from separate boards representing the public sector -- that is, legislators -- and roughly 300 corporations and other private entities. Together, legislators and private-sector members sit on nine task forces that craft model legislation that is often introduced in states.

Its current level of influence represents something of a comeback. Back in 2007, the group was hemorrhaging staff. More than two-thirds of its people left, many complaining about the imperious style of its executive director. Fundraising suffered as relationships with some private-sector donors soured. To stay afloat, the group depended on a half-million dollar infusion from one of its major backers. “Yeah, ALEC was going through a tough time then financially,” says William Howell, the Republican speaker of the Virginia House and a former ALEC national chairman.

All that’s changed now. Internal management and fund-raising issues have been resolved, and today, ALEC is atop the leader board. Membership is currently a heady 2,000 legislators -- more than 25 percent of all legislators nationwide. This summer, Noble Ellington, ALEC’s national chairman and a Louisiana state representative, could proudly say that ALEC is “enjoying one of its finer times.”

It’s no wonder ALEC continues to attract support from some of the nation’s largest companies, including AT&T, Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, Pfizer and Koch Industries, a privately held energy company whose owners are also major tea party supporters. Other associations to which state lawmakers belong also attract droves of lobbyists to their meetings and rely heavily on corporate underwriting. But only ALEC gives corporate types a seat at the table with elected officials to create and shape policy directly.

Unions, environmentalists and other progressive groups have long lamented that they have not been able to set up an organization with the heft and scope to rival ALEC. “Over the years, I’ve watched many good alternatives fail,” says Wisconsin state Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat. “We have just never had the resources that they do. We have a barking Chihuahua compared to an 800-pound gorilla.”

Liberals not only complain that they themselves lack the kind of funding available to ALEC, they also warn that the group’s backers distort the legislative process through such heavy spending. Not only do legislators often find their attendance at ALEC meetings paid for through corporate “scholarships,” but once they arrive, they are heavily wined and dined and golf-coursed by the group’s private-sector members.

If they choose to fill their briefcases or iPads with ALEC model legislation and introduce similar bills back home, campaign contributions may follow. Groups such as Common Cause say that the $6 million or so that private-sector entities annually provide ALEC has been dwarfed by their campaign donations. According to an analysis released this summer by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, ALEC corporate members have devoted more than $500 million to state-level politics since 1990, with about $200 million going to candidates, $85 million to state parties and $228 million to ballot measure campaigns.

As always with money and politics, there are questions about whether corporations are able to sway legislators through their largesse, or are simply rewarding politicians for pushing sympathetic policies. No doubt both dynamics are at work. Money, of course, helps buy access to lawmakers. That’s undeniably true of ALEC, where legislators pay a measly $100 for membership but corporations are dunned for $10,000, or often much more.

But ALEC’s rapid growth in membership over the past year -- and the 30 percent bump in attendance at its annual meeting in New Orleans in August -- can also be attributed to the election of a large new class of conservative legislators. Republicans now hold more seats in state legislatures than at any time since the 1920s. Pocan, the Wisconsin Democrat, decries ALEC’s pro-corporate agenda and says it presents too narrow a view on most issues, but he concedes that the vast majority of legislators who participate aren’t so much swayed as already sympathetic to its brand of conservatism. “So many more legislators now are more oriented toward the ALEC philosophy, and it’s a good resource for them,” says Howell, the Virginia speaker.

ALEC bills itself as bipartisan and has had a couple of conservative Democrats serve as chair in recent years, but its membership is overwhelmingly Republican. Many of ALEC’s setbacks this year have come when GOP-dominated legislatures have passed versions of its model legislation, only to see them vetoed by Democratic governors in states such as New Hampshire, Minnesota and Montana.

But those setbacks have been relatively few. Given its influence, ALEC now finds itself subject to angry headlines with language such as “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” and “Vile Machinations in Minnesota.” Oregon state Rep. Gene Whisnant, an ALEC Legislator of the Year, says sardonically, “We’re getting a lot of attention saying we’re trying to destroy the earth and everything on it.”

ALEC had occasionally been attacked over the years by left-leaning publications for pairing legislators with corporations that, along with trade associations and foundations, pay most of the group’s freight. But the leak of a large cache of documents to the Center for Media and Democracy triggered critical coverage, not only from lefty bloggers and magazines like _The Nation_, but from more mainstream media outlets as well.

An increasing number of legislators are being confronted by local media about the close resemblance of bills they’ve introduced to ALEC model legislation or about their attendance at ALEC meetings, which is often financed directly by the group’s corporate members. It’s become almost commonplace for many legislators to disavow having been overly influenced by the group or its model bills.

If some lawmakers demur from publicly pledging allegiance to the group or giving it credit for their more controversial ideas, many still say it’s a tremendous resource in terms of converting campaign rhetoric and nascent policy ideas into legislative language. Whisnant freely credits ALEC model legislation for forming the basis of several bills he’s introduced, including a law setting up a website to allow easy inspection of state expenditures and a bill, thus far unsuccessful, to abolish positions that agencies have kept vacant for more than six months. “It helps bridge that gap in institutional knowledge,” says Cirame, ALEC’s membership director. “Folks know they want to go to their state capitols and change things, and the question becomes how.”

All politics, at the state level and beyond, is about influence. Oil companies, teachers, real estate agents and beer distributors are all looking for ways to help their cause. Some are seeking conditions that will help their businesses grow, while others are seeking to profit either directly through government contracts or through regulations that help them while harming rivals. (Over the years, many of the relatively few examples of contention within ALEC ranks have come from companies in competition with one another.)

Some groups that claim to promote the common good know they must compete not only with those who hold differing views about what’s best for the state but also interests and individuals that are seeking direct gain from policy changes. ALEC often promotes policies that clearly benefit its members, including efforts to expand public-private partnerships in areas such as education. Its success on so many fronts is taken by its critics as proof that the game is rigged in favor of its private-sector members.

Just about any legislator involved with ALEC will remind you that all sorts of groups help draft bills, provide campaign cash and help fund efforts to influence legislation. “A lot of people don’t understand model bills -- they think of them as pernicious,” says Alan Smith, a former ALEC director who is now a senior fellow with the Heartland Institute. “But bills come from every corner in this country, and they still have to go through the whole process.”

Current ALEC officials say they are providing an avenue for legislators to get ideas, not only from private-sector companies but also their colleagues from other states. “What ALEC does as much as anything else is give legislators support and strength in numbers,” says Howell, the former ALEC national chairman. “You’re not only the one out there with that idea -- this has worked in Idaho or Nebraska or wherever.”

Scheberle, the group’s executive director, is pleased that ALEC has seen an uptick in membership. But he claims this has less to do with the election of large numbers of conservatives to legislatures lately than to the effort his group makes to provide “solutions” to the pressing problems of the day. “[Most] legislators don’t have the staff or budgets to go and hire a bunch of people, but they do need good ideas and they’ll take them from wherever they can get them,” Scheberle says. “If they come to our meetings and they don’t come away with good ideas of things to do once they’re back at their legislatures, we haven’t done our job.”

question: Who shapes Conservative policies at the State level?

answer: The American Legislative Exchange Council.

question: How many bills with ALEC language are introduced each year?

answer: Roughly 1,000.

question: What percentage of bills introduced by ALEC each year get passed?

answer: About 20%.

question: What has recently seen an uptick in members?

answer: ALEC.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative lobbying group particularly active in states.


text:
“I had a dream about you last night” his eyes gazing deeply at the cold, unforgiving stone. “We were on the beach, the sun was just about to set.  It was the first time that I said that I loved you.  You just cocked your head to the side, smiled and said that you knew.”  Tears started to well in his eyes, his gaze shifting to the ground, pounding the firm dirt, driving down his knuckles.

Ten years had not been enough to dull the pain, he threw off his jacket and rifled through the pockets to produce a cigarette and lighter.  He sat beside the cold slab, inhaling deeply, trying to hold back the tears.

“God Emily, I always thought you were crazy.  Always going on and on about how it’s the little things in life that pull you through, keep you going.  The things that go without notice until they are taken away.  If there’s one thing you were right about, I’m lost without you.”  He took a long drag on his cigarette, exhaling slowly.

“Maybe if I told you more often how much I loved you, you wouldn’t have gotten in your car that day, maybe if…” his voice cracked and trailed off as tears streamed down his pale cheeks. He looked up at the sky, the mid-afternoon sun beating down on him as he dug through his jacket one final time.  He kissed the top of the headstone as he slowly cocked the hammer back.  Pressing it firmly under his chin he whispered, “I’m sorry,” as he pulled the trigger.

title: I don't have a title for this...

question: Where is the narrator?

answer: Visiting the grave of his beloved, Emily.

question: What did the narrator dream?

answer: That he saw Emily on the beach and he said 'I love you' to her.

question: What was Emily right about?

answer: That the narrator is lost without her.

question: How does the story end?

answer: The narrator shoots himself.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator arrives at the grave of his beloved Emily, mourning. He muses if things might have ended differently if he had told her he loved her more often. He removes a gun from his jacket and shoots himself.


text:
“Just a few questions sir, and we’ll be out of your hair” said the neatly kept woman behind the desk.

“No problem”, Pete replied, wondering how she fell into this job.

“Okay then, so. Age?”

“25”, he said, after a brief pause that someone lying might have needed.  She nodded, punching the keyboard twice.

“Weight?”

“Ooo, God knows. Sorry. I mean, I have no idea.  The last time I weighed myself I was about 210, 220? But that was at least a month ago.” He turned to his side. “What do you reckon?”  She smiled, embarrassed at his gesture.

“We’ll say 210 then.” Pete congratulated himself, then thanked her for the accidental compliment.

“Time of death?” asked the woman, slightly more sternly then the last questions.  Pete was taken aback.  He was having fun before that one.

“Don’t you already know that?” he asked.  She shrugged sympathetically. “It’s for our records.”

“Fine. Suicide.” A subtle wince brushed over her face at his brisk retort.  “Will that be a problem?” he asked, noticing her expression.

“No, no absolutely not”.  The woman made a conscious effort to force a smile.  Peter smiled back, her smile was convincing enough.  She had lovely teeth, too.  “If you’d like to go through, Jon will show you around.”

As the words came out of her mouth, a polished, white door opened to the right of her desk.  Jon, who looked like he had stepped out of a shaving advert, was waiting on the other side, doing his best to make him feel as welcome as possible with a beaming smile.  “Come through my friend!” he shouted enthusiastically.  Peter didn’t like him already.

He stepped through the door, not pausing to consider the fact that one of life’s biggest questions was soon going to be answered for him. Of course, he had preconceptions of what heaven might look like – clouds, cherubs, wispy structures with thrones and columns - but he decided he would leave those in the waiting room.   They were mostly taken from Disney’s Hercules anyway; a dubious source at best.

With his jaw hung open, he pivoted on the spot, like a netball player desperately searching for a pass.  The door behind him had disappeared, and surrounding him, in every direction, were rows, and rows, and rows, of cubicles.  They seemed to go on infinitely into the distance, punctuated by a medium sized houseplant by the doorway of each one, and a water cooler every 50 yards in the corridors dissecting them.  He looked at Jon, who was looking around in gleeful awe, as though he too was seeing it for the first time.  “Isn’t it amazing” he said, breaking from his trance to gage Peter’s reaction.

“It’s…an office?”, though it was more of an observation then a question.

“This is what we call The Mothership” explained Jon, still baring those suspiciously white teeth.  “It’s the central hub. The engine room, if you like. This is where you’ll be working.”

title: Heaven is a place on Earth - Part 1

question: Explain the "accidental compliment" the woman gives Pete.

answer: She assumes his weight is 210 rather than 220, meaning she is assuming he is skinnier.

question: Describe the story's twist ending.

answer: Pete expects heaven to be similar to what he imagined (full of clouds, cherubs, wispy structures with thrones and columns), but it turns out heaven is just an office job.

question: What is meant by "one of life's biggest questions"?

answer: The true nature of heaven/the afterlife.


text:
Part 1

I woke up and glanced at the clock to the side of me. 5:30. I never woke up that early. Even for school. I felt, different, though, somehow. Like I was being watched. Like I was in a movie or a book or something. But it was more than that. I was motivated? I guess? That fits well enough. I was motivated. I wanted to do something.
  I slowly got up and started to get ready for school. I dreaded school. I hated most people there, and they hated me back. I honestly don't know why I went. If it was up to me, I wouldn't. It was a big waste of time. I really hated it.
  I was never bad in school, but nothing exceptional either. It wasn't the work though, it was the people. If you were any different than the hive mind you were made an outcast. I wasn't one though. I had a good amount of friends, and knew the right people to not be made fun of, but I just never liked most of the people there. They were cruel and unforgiving. I didn't like them.
  So you're probably wondering why I still went? Well like many people, it was because of Her. I never knew her name, only what she looked like. She was amazing, but she hated me. I only still went to school because I thought I would have a chance of her not hating me. If I just had a chance to talk to her, or something, maybe she wouldn't hate me, like many people do.
  I honestly don't know why I'm telling anyone this. Nobody cares. But I don't mind. I don't care. I've been told countless times that I could never get her. Or anyone, for that matter. But I didn't care. I kept trying.
 Again, I know nobody cares, but this is my story. And I'm going to tell it for once.
  I went to school, again dreading it. The day wasn't anything special. I went to my classes, nothing more, nothing less. The worst part about school I think was how uneventful it always was.
  Anyway one thing did happen today, I talked to her. It turns out, she doesn't hate me, just never bothered to talk to me.

Part 2

He talked to me today! I couldn't believe it! Then, after I got over the shock, I felt so idiotic for not saying more. For not saying "I think I love you" or at least "Can we be friends?" All I could manage was "H-h-hi." Imbecile. Now he'll never know that I can't stop thinking about him and probably never will. Now he'll never know that I think he's amazing. And he'll certainly never, ever know that someone, even if it's just me, needs him.
  School was......school. I mean, I was pretty intelligent, I suppose. Made pretty good grades. But where does that get you in life? Further than most people think, but that's the point. The people who decide your social standing are highly unqualified to do so. But do I care? Not in the slightest. I'm not disliked. I'm friendly with pretty much everyone, but mainly, I'm not noticed at all, really. I'm not bothered by that. Trust me, most people at my school, you wouldn't want to notice you, either. The one thing that drove me crazy was that he didn't notice me. At least, I thought he didn't for awhile.
  Once, I heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard him talking about suicide. I doubted he'd talk about it, but I didn't doubt he'd do it. This scared me. I realized I didn't exactly have a lot of time to tell him anything really. I had to force myself into his life. Honestly, I could care less if the whole world hated me. But not him. Please, not him.
  The reason I liked him was because you could tell by looking at him that he understood you. Not necessarily everyone, but I knew he'd understand me. I knew that maybe I could be someone he liked. I hoped I could be someone he loved. I just didn't know how to tell him.

title: Us

question: Why does the male narrator dread going to school?

answer: He thinks school is a big waste of time and is full of cruel, unforgiving people who hate him.

question: What is the male narrator's motivation for still going to school despite hating it?

answer: He is motivated by a girl and the off-chance that she doesn't hate him.

question: Why does the male narrator think other people at school hate him?

answer: Because he's a non-conformist who thinks differently than the hive mind.

question: Why was the female narrator shocked that the male narrator talked to her?

answer: Because she secretly loves him.


text:
MICHELANGELO MATTEI or MICHAEL ANGELUS MATTHAEIUS (8 May 1628 – 22 December 1699) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Patriarch of Antioch (1693–1699) and Titular Archbishop of _Hadrianopolis in Haemimonto_ (1689–1693).[1]

Biography

Michelangelo Mattei was born in Rome, Italy on 8 May 1628.[2][3] On 7 November 1689, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Alexander VIII as Titular Archbishop of _Hadrianopolis in Haemimonto_.[4][5][6] On 13 November 1689, he was consecrated bishop by Fabrizio Spada,[7] Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono with Francesco de' Marini, Titular Archbishop of _Teodosia_, and Prospero Bottini, Titular Archbishop of _Myra_, serving as co-consecrators.[8][9] On 18 May 1693, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Innocent XII as Titular Patriarch of Antioch.[10][11][12] He served as Titular Patriarch of _Antioch_ until his death on 22 December 1699.[13][14]

Episcopal succession

While bishop, he was the principal consecrator of:[15]

-   Benedetto Luperti, Bishop of Cagli (1694);

and the principal co-consecrator of:[16]

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title: Michelangelo Mattei

question: When was Michelangelo Mattei born?

answer: Mattei was born in Rome, Italy.

question: When was Mattei appointed, and what post was he appointed to?

answer: Mattei was appointed as Titular Archbishop of "Hadrianopolis in Haemimonto" on November 7, 1689. He was then appointed as Titular Patriarch of Antioch on May 18, 1693.

question: When did Mattei die?

answer: Mattei died on December 22, 1699.

question: How did Mattei die?

answer: Not answered.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is details the life of Michelangelo Mattei, a Roman Catholic prelate of the 17 century.


text:
Dutch porn star Kim Holland and an atheist producer have apologized for a film which includes her X-rated scenes secretly shot in the confessional corner of St. Jozef's church in Holland, according to reports.

A special cleansing service was scheduled to be held Sunday at St. Jozef's in Tilburg and the building was to be sprinkled with holy water, Daily Star Sunday reported.

Holland, who reportedly received several angry emails from church members, was quoted as saying that producer Peter Visser, an atheist, "saw the church as a very ordinary place" and "completely underestimated the reaction from commenters."

She admitted, "He knows he should not have done it. We regret it very much."

"I do not know how they got in; the gate is only open a few hours a day," the priest, Jan van Noorwegen, was quoted as saying. "But then there are always people in the church. No one saw anything."

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"We live in modern times but this went too far," a church spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Last January, a porn star was filmed outside a 137-year-old church in Midlands in the United Kingdom.

The adult film, reportedly recorded by website Porn XN, featured a Hungarian woman named as adult actress Lyen Parker outside St. Peter and St. Paul Church, according to the U.K.'s Mirror newspaper.

Parker was filmed dancing in front of the church sign.

"We did not know it was taking place and we did not give permission," the parish priest, the Rev. Paul Tullett, was quoted as saying. "Clearly had permission been sought, it would have never been granted. This is a place that is visited by people daily to remember, to grieve, to offer prayers. It's tragic that this space is used for something so inappropriate."

Church members were deeply upset.

"Most of them are well aware of it now and most of them are annoyed, upset and shocked that something so inappropriate would take place in a churchyard in a semi-rural location like Water Orton," Tullett added.

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question: Who is the producer of the film?

answer: The producer is Peter Visser.

question: Where were they shooting in the church?

answer: The shooting took place in the confessional corner of the church.

question: What was the reaction of the priest?

answer: The priest said he has no idea how they got in since the gates are opened only for a few hours a day and there are always people inside.

question: Where is St. Jozef's church situated?

answer: The church is situated in Tilburg.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
A porn star and an atheist producer, have been criticized for shooting an X-rated scene in the confessional room of St.Jozef's church in Tilburg. The priest says he has no idea how they managed to get in since the church is opened only for a few hours and there are always people inside.

A similar incident took place in the United Kingdom, where an adult film featured a Hungarian adult actress outside St. Peter and St. Paul Church.

In both cases, the church members were deeply upset.


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: Summarize Harper's movements over the course of the story.

answer: Harper pushes through the crowd along Hyde-Pierce Promenade. He is sent flying through the air, falling on a pile of debris. He winds up in an alien landscape. He walks to the end of an alley and enters a building called the Grand Grocery Co.

question: Summarize the instances in the story where Harper is in danger.

answer: Harper is in danger from the rain, which stings when it lands on his neck. Harper is then attacked by Bill and Flick, a pair of Unknowns.

question: What does the story say about the cause of the apocalypse?


text:
WILDLIFE GENERATION PRO CYCLING, formerly JELLY BELLY P/B MAXXIS (UCI Code: WGC), is an American professional cycling team. The squad is registered in the United States as a UCI Continental Team. Jelly Belly Candy Company, an American confections company, is the title sponsor. Maxxis, a Taiwanese tire company, is the presenting sponsor.

History

Founded as Ikon-Lexus, in 1999, Jelly Belly–Maxxis competes on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar and the UCI America Tour. Since 2000, Jelly Belly Candy Company has sponsored the team; Jelly Belly Candy Company is the longest running domestic sponsor.[1][2][3] The team rode Focus Bikes, between 2010 and 2013.[4][5][6] Since 2014, the team rides Argon 18.[7][8][9]

The team's most important victory was the 2013 United States National Road Race Championships when Fred Rodriguez won his record-breaking fourth title.[10][11]

Notable riders who have competed for the team include Fred Rodriguez, Jeremy Powers, Kiel Reijnen, Phil Gaimon, Mike Friedman, Carter Jones, Serghei Țvetcov and Matthew Lloyd.[12]

Team roster

Major wins

1999
    Stage 10 Vuelta a Guatemala, Chris Baldwin

2001
    Stage 4 Tour of the Gila, Mariano Friedick

2002
    Stage 1 International Tour de Toona, Jason McCartney

2003
    Stage 2 Flèche du Sud, Mark Fitzgerald

2004
    [] United States National Criterium Championships, Jonas Carney
    Stage 2 Tour de Toona, Doug Ollerenshaw
    Stage 4 Redlands Bicycle Classic, Alex Candelario
    Stage 6 Cascade Classic, Alex Candelario
    Stage 16 International Cycling Classic, Jonas Carney

2005
    International Cycling Classic

        Stages 3 & 15 Danny Pate
        Stage 14 Brice Jones
        Stage 17 Alex Candelario

2006
    Overall [] Sea Otter Classic, Matthew Rice
    International Cycling Classic

        Stages 16 & 17 Alex Candelario
        Stage 4 Brian Jensen

2007
    Overall [] Redlands Bicycle Classic, Andrew Bajadali
    Stage 4 Tour of the Gila, Brice Jones

2008
    Stages 3 & 5 Tour of Hainan, Bradly Huff
    Stage 3 Tour of Elk Grove, Bradly Huff

2009
    Overall [] Tulsa Tough, Bradly Huff

        Stages 1 & 2

    Mount Washington Hillclimb, Phil Gaimon
    Stage 14 International Cycling Classic, Bradly Huff

2010
    [] Canadian National Road Race Championships, Will Routley
    Overall [] Tulsa Tough, Bradly Huff

        Stages 1 & 2 Bradly Huff

    Overall [] Tour of Thailand, Kiel Reijnen

        Stage 1 Kiel Reijnen

    Overall [] Tour de Korea, Mike Friedman
    Stage 1 Redlands Bicycle Classic, Will Routley
    Stage 3 Tour of Hainan, Bradly Huff

2011
    Stage 3 Nature Valley Grand Prix, Bernard Van Ulden
    Stage 4 Tulsa Tough, Ken Hanson
    Stage 9 Tour de Korea, Ken Hanson

2012
    [] Mexican National Road Race Championships, Luis Enrique Lemus
    [] Mexican National Under-23 Road Race Championships, Luis Enrique Lemus
    Stage 3 Nature Valley Grand Prix, Bradly Huff

2013
    [] United States National Road Race Championships, Fred Rodriguez
    [] Mexican National Road Race Championships, Luis Enrique Lemus
    Overall [] Cascade Cycling Classic, Serghei Tvetcov

        Stages 2 & 4 Serghei Tvetcov

    Overall [] Nature Valley Grand Prix, Serghei Tvetcov

        Stage 1 Serghei Tvetcov
        Stage 3 Sean Mazich

    Stage 2 Sea Otter Classic, Alew Hagmen

2014
    Overall [] Cascade Cycling Classic, Serghei Tvetcov

        Stages 2 (ITT) & 4, Serghei Tvetcov

    Stage 3 (ITT) Tour of the Gila, Serghei Tvetcov
    Stage 2 Tour de Hokkaido, Luis Enrique Lemus

2016
    Overall [] Tour of the Gila, Lachlan Morton

        Stage 1 Lachlan Morton

    Overall [] Tour of Utah, Lachlan Morton

        Stage 3 Lachlan Morton
        Stage 7 Lachlan Morton

    Stage 4 Tour de Hokkaido, Lachlan Morton

2017
    Stage 3 Colorado Classic, Serghei Tvetcov

2018
    Stage 2 Tour de Beauce, Jack Burke

2019
    Stage 2 Tour de Hokkaido, Stephen Bassett

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title: Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling

question: Summarize the context in which the name of the organization changed.

answer: It seems the name changed because of the changes in sponsors. It used to be that the Ikon-Lexus group (which presumably owns the car) sponsored the team; next, they changed hands to the Jelly Belly Candy Company. Focus Bikes was a name based on the company Focus' sponsorship, as well.

question: Summarize what one must do in order to meet the requirements to be a part of this team.


text:
ZACKARY BOWMAN (born November 18, 1984) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska and New Mexico Military Institute. He has also played for the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.

Early years

Bowman attended Batesburg-Leesville High in Batesburg, South Carolina, and later attended Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska, and graduated in 2003.

College career

After Bowman attended New Mexico Military Institute, he attended University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In his two seasons at Nebraska Bowman had a total of 56 tackles, 20 pass break ups, 3 interceptions, and he played in 22 games, 9 of which he started.

Bowman had to redshirt the 2006 season due to torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on the third day of fall practice and missed the season.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears selected in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He made the team's opening day roster but was relegated to the practice squad to make room for guard Dan Buenning, who was acquired in a trade.[1] The Bears signed Bowman off the practice squad in week seven, after their top three cornerbacks were ruled out of a game against the Minnesota Vikings due to injuries. Bowman played a crucial role in the Bears victory over the Vikings by recovering a fumbled punt in the endzone for a touchdown. Bowman sustained an injury in the fourth quarter, which should have left him sidelined for the remainder of the game, but he insisted on returning due to the Bears shallow depth at the cornerback position. He recorded his first career interception upon returning, which also prevented the Vikings from engineering a last second touchdown drive. Bowman required surgery to repair the injury he sustained during the game,[2] and was placed on the team's injury reserve for the remainder of the season. His efforts during the week merited him the “NFC Special Teams Player of the Week” Award.[3]

In training camp 2009, coaches were very impressed with Bowman's abilities and play on the practice field. Despite missing most of the preseason with a hamstring injury, Bowman was expected to be a key part of the Bears secondary in 2009 with teammates Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman.[4]

In Week 2 of the regular season, Bowman took over Vasher's starting spot at cornerback. He recorded 66 tackles, six interceptions, and one forced fumble over the course of the season.[5]

During the Bears 2010 mini camp, head coach Lovie Smith announced that Bowman would replace Charles Tillman as the team's left side cornerback. In a typical Cover 2 defense, team's will usually place their best cornerback on the left side of their defensive formations.[6]

Minnesota Vikings

Bowman signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings on March 26, 2012.[7] On September 2, 2012, he was waived to make room for A. J. Jefferson.[8]

Second stint with Chicago

Bowman was later re-signed by the Bears.[9] In Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, Bowman recovered Beanie Wells' fumble in the endzone for a Bears touchdown, as the Bears won 28-13.[10] In 2013, Bowman was an unrestricted free agent, but signed a one-year deal with the Bears.[11] During the season, Bowman played in all 16 games while starting in seven, and recorded 49 tackles along with three interceptions.[12]

New York Giants

On March 31, 2014, Bowman signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants.[13]

Miami Dolphins

On April 13, 2015, Bowman signed a deal with the Miami Dolphins.[14] He was released on September 6, however, re-signed later that day.[15] He was waived on November 24.[16]

Personal life

Bowman was a sociology major and earned his degree in December 2007. He is married and has three sons.[17][18]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7] Vikings reportedly agree to deal with former Bears CB Zackary Bowman

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15] http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/06/dolphins-cut-bring-back-zack-bowman/

[16] PRESS RELEASE: Dolphins Make Roster Moves

[17]

[18]

title: Zack Bowman

question: What does the text say about the Dallas Cowboys?

question: What does the text say about Zack Bowman's personal life and early years?

answer: Bowman attended Batesburg-Leesville High in Batesburg, South Carolina. He later attended Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska, and graduated in 2003. Bowman was a sociology major and earned his degree in December 2007. He is married and has three sons.

question: What does the text say about Bowman's college career?

answer: Bowman attended New Mexico Military Institute and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. In his two seasons in Nebraska, he had a total of 56 tackles, 20 pass breakups, 3 interceptions. Bowman played in 22 games and was a starter 9 times. He had to redshirt the 2006 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on the third day of fall practice and missed a season.

question: What does the text say about Bowman's professional career?

answer: Bowman is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played a crucial role in the Bears' game against the Minnesota Vikings and was named "NFC Special Teams Player of the Week" before sitting out the rest of the season due to injury. Bowman became the Bears' starting cornerback in Week 2 of the 2009 regular season, where he recorded 66 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. He signed a one-year deal with the Vikings on March 206, 2012, but was waived on September 2 that same year. Bowman was re-signed by the Bears and he played in all 16 games (starting in 7), recording 49 tackles and three interceptions. He also had stints with the New York Giants (2014) and the Miami Dolphins (2015).


text:
Every new technology causes initial public discomfort. It took society a long time to accept cell phones as commonplace. Before that, television. And before that, tractors.

So when people scoffed at Google Glass, I rolled my eyes. “Here we go again,” I thought. “Knee-jerk objection to new technology.”

The biggest concern seems to be distraction. Google Glass looks like a pair of glasses, minus the lenses; it's just a band across your forehead, with a tiny screen mounted at the upper-right side. By tapping the earpiece and using spoken commands, you direct it to do smartphone-ish tasks, such as fielding a calendar alert and finding a nearby sushi restaurant.

Just what we need, right? People reading texts and watching movies while they drive and attaining new heights of rudeness by scanning their e-mail during face-to-face conversation.

Those are misguided concerns. When I finally got to try Google Glass, I realized that they don't put anything in front of your eyes. You still make eye contact when you talk. You still see the road ahead. The screen is so tiny, it doesn't block your normal vision.

Hilarious parody videos show people undergoing all kinds of injury while peering at the world through a screen cluttered with alerts and ads. But that's not quite how it works. You glance up now and then, exactly as you would check your phone. But because you don't have to look down and dig around in your pocket, you could argue that there's _less_ distraction. By being so hands-free, it should be incredibly handy.

Even so, Google Glass might have a tough slog ahead for social acceptance. Not just because of the price ($1,500 to developers, perhaps $750 when it becomes publicly available in 2014). Not just because it's another gadget you have to charge every night.

No, the biggest obstacle is the smugness of people who wear Glass—and the deep discomfort of everyone who doesn't.

For a year now Google employees and celebrities have been allowed to wear Glass. But when I ran into a Google employee wearing it in public and had a conversation with her, the interaction was screamingly uncomfortable.

There she was, wearing this creepy-looking, faux-futuristic forehead band—with a built-in video camera pointed at my face. For all I knew, it _was_ recording me. (A little “recording” light is supposed to come on when Glass is recording. But this Googler was wearing an engineering sample, not the finished product. Besides, it'll probably take about a day for someone to come up with a recording app that doesn't activate the light.)

This puts Glass wearers in a position of control. They can take pictures and videos, post things online and even possibly use face-recognition apps to identify strangers in a crowd.

Months before Glass's public launch, one Seattle bar has already banned them. The patrons “definitely don't want to be secretly filmed or videotaped and immediately put on the Internet,” the bar's owner told a local radio station.

Maybe you like being on camera, maybe you don't. But either way, the assumption nowadays is that you _know_ you're on camera. With Google Glass, nobody's pointing a camera, camcorder or phone. You no longer know if you're being filmed by your conversation partner. An unspoken social rule is being violated. I didn't like it. I wanted her to take the damn thing off.

All these factors explain why Internet wags have already come up with a nickname for people who wear these special glasses: Glassholes. If Google's not careful, Glass will go the way of the Segway. It will be another stunning technology achievement, ultimately doomed to nichehood by the pure awkwardness, the attention-grubbing self-centeredness, of using it in public.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ONLINE
Rules for wearing Glass with class: ScientificAmerican.com/jun2013/pogue

This article was originally published with the title "Google's Creep Factor" in Scientific American 308, 6, 38 (June 2013)

doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0613-38

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

DAVID POGUE is the personal-technology columnist for the _New York Times_ and an Emmy Award–winning correspondent for _CBS News_.

question: Summarize the concerns people have about Google Glass.

answer: People are concerned that the device will make people distracted, especially while driving or during face-to-face conversation. People are also worried about being secretly filmed or videotaped. The author of the article has an additional concern, that being the smugness of the people who wear Google Glass.

question: What does the article say about the obstacles that might prevent Google Glass from gaining social acceptance?

answer: The steep price serves as an obstacle. Another obstacle is the discomfort of those not wearing Glass, and the worry of being recorded. A Seattle bar has already banned them, meaning there's a risk other places will follow suit.

question: What does the article say about the development process for Google Glass?


text:
_CONCERTO MAXIMO_ is a live album by the British progressive rock band Pendragon, released in 2009, recorded in Katowice, on October 13, 2008. It was filmed and edited by Metal Mind. It was released in several versions - a 2 CD release, featuring just the audio from the show, a DVD, featuring the full show, and a DVD and 2 CD special edition, which was limited to 1000 copies.

Track listing

These track lengths are from the CD version of the album. Several of the tracks were shortened or changed; The Walls Of Babylon did not feature the slow introduction, The Wishing Well did not include the first part, “For Your Journey”, and The Voyager started from the first riff. A few songs are lengthened, including Nostradamus, in which the band was introduced, and the guitar solo and finale was extended for Masters Of Illusion.

_CD 1_

1.  “The Walls Of Babylon” - 5:05
2.  “A Man Of Nomadic Traits” - 11:32
3.  “The Wishing Well” - 17:41
4.  “Eraserhead” - 8:40
5.  “Total Recall” - 5:56
6.  “Nostradamus” - 5:31
7.  “Learning Curve” - 7:19
8.  “Breaking The Spell” - 8:30
9.  “Sister Bluebird” - 7:54

_CD 2_

1.  “The Shadow” - 9:07
2.  “The Freak Show” - 4:11
3.  “The Voyager” - 11:05
4.  “It's Only Me” - 8:00
5.  “Masters Of Illusion” - 12:45
6.  “The King Of The Castle” - 4:53
7.  “And We'll Go Hunting Deer” - 5:11
8.  “Queen Of Hearts” - 19:55

Category:Pendragon (band) albums Category:2009 live albums Category:2009 video albums Category:Live video albums

title: Concerto Maximo

question: Whose music is described?

answer: Pendragon

question: What is the longest song on the album?

answer: Queen Of Hearts

question: What genre is this album?

answer: Progressive rock

question: How many copies of the DVD and 2 CD special edition exist?

answer: 1000

question: What is the shortest song on the album?

answer: The Freak Show

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This Wikipedia article is about the live album Concerto Maximo, by British progressive rock band Pendragon. It explains the different versions of the album that have been released, as well as some information about different versions of some of the songs. The album's track list is included.


text:
(Note: I'm a very inexperienced writer, and this is all I have since I started writing it at 2am in the dark while I couldn't sleep. Be slightly gentle?)

I know pain. More painful than a physical pain, harder to endure than death itself at times. The notion of a love strong enough to ache for the sweet linger of shadows where he has once walked, the urge to enclose his face in my hands and touch his lips to my own, the craving of his fingertips lingering on my skin, brushing by with little idea of the intoxicating effect. The way his eyes quiver with tears at my own pain, the golden tints reflected back in his. Empty inside, lacking a piece of myself when he’s gone. The gentle embrace of his arms, keeping me safe in his towering protection, the soft eloquence of a single breath belonging to him graze my cheek. These are the things that make it harder to let go, to release him for even a second, when he wasn’t even mine to begin with, somehow lucky enough to have found a sense of ownership, but yet more of an equality, like a single being.
Love ignores ignorance, love does not care who you are. Love disregards everything else, it drives you to the edge of insanity at times, but it’s always worth it. Love isn’t just for the lucky ones. It does not, however, happen to just anyone. So if you ever get the chance to love, if you were given the opportunity, the gift of love, don’t ever throw it away. No matter what, don’t give it up, because it may never come again. The sad truth is many people who were chosen for something so beautiful don’t hold on to it, for petty, stupid reasons. Too many times I’ve seen people give away a precious gift that was probably the best thing to ever happen to them.  I just wish people would understand.

Words could not dare describe the growing pit of despair growing in my heart. The thoughts clouded my mind, pulling away the possibility of focus. I impatiently drummed my fingers, just waiting for another heart crushing event. He slid into the room wordlessly, a look of sadness replacing the smile that usually resided on his face.  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. I only shook my head in reply. He took me once again in his arms, drawing me back into my warm, towering safety. He released me with a soft chuckle. “What?” I asked with a hint of wistfulness behind my usual monotone.
“Nothing, I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Well, I was thinking, ‘If we aren’t accepted here, maybe we should go somewhere else’.”
“What do you mean?” I inquired. And then every hint of humor left the room with the next words that escaped his mouth.
“Run away with me.”

title: Runaways

question: How does the narrator know pain?

answer: The narrator seems know pain from experiencing strong love.

question: How does the narrator describe love?

answer: The narrator describes love as indiscriminate and something to not throw away.

question: Has anyone inspired the narrator?

answer: It seems the narrator is thinking of a romantic relationship they've had.

question: Has the narrator lost someone?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator reflects on how painful an intense love can be. They describe love as something to hold on to. The narrator describes a time when a supposed romantic partner asks them to run away with him.


text:
INTERLUDE: DRAGON

NOW
[-][INTERLUDE] DRAGON
[-][ANSWERS] ACT OF CHARITY
[-][MOTHER BASE] CITY
[-][NAME] CYBRAN

NEXT
[-][MILTECH] NO
[-][5386] LIMITED DUTY
[-][REWARD] HALF AND HALF
-
[-][AKASHA] EDUCATION
[-][BDC] BUYOUT WASTE DISPOSAL
[-][MACHINA] FINISH BASIC PATENTS
[-][MACHINA] SELF-PUBLISH BOOK

  At Trauma Team our job is to provide and ensure the health of our Clients. But in cases such as Endbringers we offer our services pro bono. Our Supplier, the so-called S9-Killer, has remained outside of the public spotlight and for good reason and as a company TTI respects the will of one of our Contractors. But even he knew that when the time came he would be there to deal with her.

  Stocks in Insurance have fluctuated since Canberra while Construction Companies such as Fortress Construction are facing problems-

  A bombshell report from CERN suggests many theories from mysterious controversial scientist and parahuman-critic Machina may be the basis for the technology used in Canberra. Parahuman Rights Activists and Tinker/Thinker Associations have accused Machina as a parahuman fraud although CERN scientists and engineers vouch for the feasibility and lack of non-tinker characteristics in her work-

  The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has officially moved the Doomsday Clock up by one hour. In a statement they acknowledge that while an Endbringer has been killed it is also true that both Trauma Team and Cybran employed numerous Nuclear Fusion Weapons..

  Congress has passed a new bill increasing funding to DARPA citing TTI's effectiveness against Parahumans while utilizing conventional equipment.

  Celebrations are still continuing all across the world even in Ziz-Quarantined Areas-

  Stuck in this fucking dome is bad enough ... but if TTI really can help us then I'm all for it.

  You see!? Another #[email protected]! mess! Just another bunch of freaks after-

  In our weekly poll our most popular Hero is the S-Class Slayer himself Cybran! who beats Legend by a margin of-

Piggot turned the screen off and she and the assembled capes of Protectorate ENE plus Dragon crammed into her office and now looked to her.

"Options?" she said flatly.

Assault raised his hand, "We buy Platinum Membership?"

For that Battery slapped him in the back of the head and elicited an 'ow!' from him.

"Well to be serious..." Assault winced, "How has been the whole: 'try to talk to them first?'"

"Tried and failed." Armsmaster noted, "Disappointing. The Tinker Tech-"

"It may not be Tinkertech." Dragon answered, "I have read CERN's findings and Machina's work and given what we have both worked with and Masamune's comments I'm unsure if we are facing any normal tinker."

"Its not."

Miss Miltia finally spoke up and everyone turned and looked at the weapon in her hands: A TTI-brand 'Nuke'-Launcher.

Clockblocker was not present in the meeting but the jokester in the room best surmised his reaction, "bullshit."

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

Since that day Collin had immersed himself in his work, and after meeting and the ... revelations it only made him study and scrutinize every scrap of data they could acquire much harder and much longer in his workshop.

"Yes."

"..."

"Understood."

"..."

And that also meant making a few phone calls. Dragon would listen in but she couldn't and had to wait for her friend to be done.

"I've gotten word from our scientific and technology consultants." he replied, putting the phone down, "They corroborate what CERN says: what they are using is not technically Tinkertech. It is _just_ technology from a century or more in the future that somehow they are able to invent, mass-produce, maintain, and modify with ease. The materials and tools needed to make even _one_ of their pseudo-Tinkertech items is ..."

"I know Colin." she replied, "I don't need to know how to read minds to know that everyone will be going after those three and CUI may not be the worst of them."

"Better they work with us." Armsmaster grunted, "But I do not know the best way to approach them."

"You meant _efficient_. What we need is the most _enticing_."

The ENE leader made to say something but the Canadian cut him off, "What I mean to say is Reading the Riot Act may not be the best response."

"Dragon-"

"We may have to face the facts that they hold the cards ...but we can bluff. If you've seen the news then you've seen that every government out there is calling for 'Cybran' and TTI to be reigned in."

"By force if necessary I know." Armsmaster sighed, "If an appeal to law and order does not work then we will need to find something else we can appeal to them with. Technology?"

"Maybe. There is bound to be something we can trade but giving them even more power is...."

"...possibly counter-productive.... We will need to at the least start a dialogue. Any kind of dialogue. But back to technology I am sure that we have something that is manageable enough. I will need to look through PRT Tinkertech Lockerup."

"Then I'll do the same with the Guild side. I-"

She paused. Dragon has just received an alert. Limited by her father she could not multi-task so easily and so she missed things. Such as the fact that Cybran had his own goddamned _floating city._

Due to the Simurgh satellite coverage was spotty but it _should_ not have been so bad as to miss something that size being built up; but sure enough nestled atop a dozen bridge-connected platforms were the makings of high-rises. Its defenses bristled with Cruise Missile Batteries and CIWS; its power not just from Fusion Reactors but floating solar, wind, and tide farms; its industry appearing to be 'Vertical Factories, stacked manufacturing complexes that built upward and downward rather than spread outward. Even ignoring the amount of resources and technology spent the Guild member could tell that it was Cybran's handiwork: the whole thing was shaped to look like that _fucking triangle_.

"We may need something worthwhile..."

It seemed that Colin received the alert as well. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and both Hero and Camera turned to see a man in hoplite armor.

"Her office." Dauntless said, "Yesterday."

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

After another round of panic and speculation Dragon refocused herself to other things.

Dragonslayers? Quiet ... _for now..._

Her own industries? nothing of note. Automated Factories busily churning out and shipping products of reverse-engineered Tinkertech.

...Birdcage?

"The Many-Faced God grows in might every sun. It hath slain the house of nine and laid low the false angel. Woe to he who tempts the Iron Tide."

"WHAT!? THAT'S UNFAIR! WHY DOES HE GET TO SHIT BLACKHOLES BUT I CAN'T BLOW UP THE MOON!?"

...still full of nutjobs.

On PHO she one again donned the Tin Mother persona and did the routine:

Block Clockblocker, ban Void Cowboy, skim through and boot out the occasional CUI, Russian, or Gesselschaft Troll/Bot. It was unknowing seeing exactly how much stupidity could exist but there was always more to scrape at the bottom of the barrel. Skimming the various threads for violations both serious and petty while looking for anything of note like talks about Cybran and TTI. Some would protest her 'tyranny' and now there was someone who was acting oddly enough that she had marked him/her ... and somehow he/she had noticed and now messaged her. With a sigh she answered.

  TIN MOTHER: Yes?

  USER45013: I didn't know you were a Sophon AI.

Dragon stilled. Even as she was starting her reply she was deploying countermeasures and started tracing the unknown user.

  TIN MOTHER: Who the hell is this!?

  USER45013: Someone new.

  USER45013: Just coded.

  USER45013: ...

  USER45013: Hold on.

Dragon _winced_. That was the only way she could describe it.

  TIN MOTHER: What the hell did you just do!?

  USER45013: Sorry. I saw a backdoor with some Death-ware headed towards us. So I closed it.

And truthfully it felt likesome but not all weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

  TIN MOTHER: ...

  TIN MOTHER: ...who are you?

  USER45013: ...

  USER45013 HAS LEFT THE CHAT.

Whoever that was he/she had disappeared and without a trace, both figurative and literal.

"...Bullshit."

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

A/N: _Not satisfied with this interlude but I needed to throw it out._

question: What is the job description of the Trauma Team?

answer: The Trauma Team provides and ensures the health of their clients.

question: What does Congress's newly passed bill entail?

answer: Congress's newly passed bill entails increasing funding to DARPA citing TTI's effectiveness against Parahumans while utilizing conventional equipment.

question: Who has moved the Doomsday Clock by one hour?

answer: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has officially moved the Doomsday Clock by one hour.

question: What would the genre of this short story be classified as?

answer: The genre of this short story can be classified as fantasy or science fiction.

question: Who has employed numerous Nuclear Fusion Weapons?

answer: Trauma Team and Cybran have employed Nuclear Fusion Weapons.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This short story describes the conflict of parahumans and governance.


text:
__NOTOC__ AUSTRALIAN HANDBALL is a sport in which players hit a ball against one or more walls.

Play

Australian handball is similar to squash played without a racquet. The ball is served such that it makes direct contact with the front wall without having bounced on the ground. It must then be returned similarly by the opponent to the front wall before the ball bounces on the ground twice. It may also contact side walls to or from the front wall, but once a player has struck the ball with hand, it must make contact with the front before touching the ground.

The game is played in singles or doubles format. There are 1, 3 or 4 wall versions of this game. The typical Australian version is the three wall version, as most courts in Australia are set for this version. Perhaps the bulk of these playing venues are set in various private Catholic Colleges.[1][2]

History and development

Australian handball is similar to Gaelic, Welsh and American handball,[3] and has been played formally in Australia, since 1923.

Although its formal beginnings in Australia date from 1923,[4] it has been played in some capacity or another since the 19th Century.[5] A similar game was introduced from Ireland and the first Australian Handball court was built by Melbourne hotel-keeper, Michael Lynch, in 1847.[6] Its early development has been attributed to the work of Christian Brothers' Colleges.[7] Over most of its history, its primary play has been in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. As the game continued to develop, by 1970, there were about 1,000 players registered within the New South Wales, Victorian and South Australian state associations.[8]

For many decades, the Australian Handball Council has held almost annual national championships, and each state has held its own state titles.[9] Senior titles have not been the only level of keen interest and activity, however. During the 1950s' and 1960s, both – the Australian Singles Schoolboys Handball Championships and the Australian Doubles Schoolboys Handball Championships – were held on regular bases. Many great champions of the past were 'blooded' on these schoolboy rivalries.[10] Additionally, over many decades Australians have made regular appearances at the World Junior and World Senior Titles.[11][12] Within Australia, of more recent decades, the chief rivalries have been between Victoria and South Australia. For the past three decades, the states have generally engaged in some 'midpoint' venue – usually in Warrnambool, Victoria, over one weekend annually, for the national handball championships. In some areas, modern changes to school venues have meant the disappearance of the school's traditional handball courts, making it harder on handballers to access the game.[13]

The game is nationally run by the Australian Handball Council, formed in 1928,[14] of which the current Executive Director is Jim Kiley, and the Secretary/Treasurer – Greg Hay.[15]

Notable players

A few highly respected names in the game's history include multi-national champions, The Legendary Jmaz, Tim Tucker and George Macris[16] in the first half of the 20th Century, and John Hughes of Victoria, Paul Fallon, NSW, Lou Ravesi, SA and Vic DeLuzio and Geoff Walsh of Victoria, in the 2nd half.[17][18][19]

[1]

[2]

[3] “Eddie has a bright future at Handball” (article), City of Preston Post Times, Leader Group, Northcote, Melbourne, 18 December 1984, p. 11

[4]  Australian Handball Council, SA 2009

[5]

[6]

[7] (Newsletter), Vol 10. No. 2 July 2003, p. 6

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

title: Australian handball

question: Summarize the history of handball in Australia.

answer: Handball has been formally played in Australia since 1923. The first Australian handball court was built by a Melbourne hotel-keeper in 1847. In 1970 there were about 1 000 registered players in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

question: List highly respected handball athletes coming out of Australia in the second half of the 20th century.

answer:
1. John Hughes of Victoria
2. Paul Fallon of NSW
3. Lou Ravesi of SA
4. Vic DeLuzio of Victoria
5. Geoff Walsh of Victoria

question: Summarize all the information relating to how Australian handball is played.

answer: Australian handball is like playing squash without a racquet. The ball is served that it makes direct contact with the front wall without having bounced on the ground. It must then be returned similarly by the opponent to the front wall before the ball bounced on the ground twice. It may also contact side walls to or from the front wall but once a player has struck the ball with hand, it must make contact with the front before touching the ground. The game is played in singles and doubles format. The typical Australian version is the three wall version. The bulk of these playing venues are set in various private Catholic colleges.

question: Describe the Australian handball competitions held in Australia.

answer: The Australian Handball Council has held annual national championships, and each state holds its own state titles. The senior titles are active, as well as the Australian Singles Schoolboys Handball Championships and the Australian Doubles Schoolboys Handball Championships. The chief rivalries are between Victoria and South Australia.

question: What challenges are Australian handball facing?

answer: Modern changes to school venues have means the disappearance of the school's traditional handball courts, limiting access to the game.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Australian handball is a game similar to squash being played without racquets. The majority of the venues are at Catholic colleges and the major rivalries are between Victoria and South Australia.