text:
Her feet burn as she walks down the pavement. Her hands rest upon her very pregnant stomach and her shirt that was stained from dirt and sweat. Sarah runs her toes through the puddle of blood that had collected by a sewer run off to soothe her sore feet. She lowers her head and watches her feet as she passes the little boy that is screaming under the stop sign, his body is covered in scabs and blisters.

Amongst the screaming of the demons that soar like vultures in the ashy sky, which would occasionally mutilate a person with its claws or tackle them and rip their flesh with their rows of tiny pointed teeth, she stares at Bryson’s house across the street.

Gene and Tommy are sitting in a dying maple tree on a September afternoon. Hey, Tommy. Look at that girl down there,” Gene says as he nudges Tommy in the ribs.

Tommy is busy staring at the green circles of fungi on the rotting park bench below them. “Huh,” he responds. “What do you think she’s doing,” Tommy asks after realizing he heard the question.

“I don’t know. She’s been staring at that house for two days now.

Heh. I still can’t believe that sky, sure is something,” Gene says. “Like the way the red sun clashes with the grey sky and how the orange horizon looks like it’s dripping down the sky.”

The two watch her standing in the street, her reflection looking just as scared as her in the broken windows of an abandoned building.  A few leaves fall from the maple tree only adding to the chaos.

“Not many of them around anymore are there Gene,” Tommy asks.

Gene shakes his head. “No, not really.  The rays from the conceding sun beam down on Gene and Tommy’s glistening black backs.

When the world was supposed the end in December, it didn’t really. But it was the end of how things used to be and the beginning of something new. On the twenty-first, some were saved-those who believed and those who were forgiven. Some were asked to stay behind- angels to act as warriors against the demons. Bryson was chosen because of his strength and his heart. No one knew why children were left behind, or husbands and wives who attended church every Sunday.

Months of uncertainly passed until March when the asteroids hit, damaging all the power lines and many homes. And this month, September, was when the demons appeared. But those who were left were not in total gloom, for they were given a second chance. To prove themselves through their struggles and conquer the evil that had overtaken their lives. The angels that stayed and fought represented hope for mankind, that God had not totally given up faith in man and that in their struggles and they could find rebirth and washed pure in the blood and tears of Christ.

Sarah finally moves and makes her way further down the road. She walks past a yellow house, it’s siding smeared in charcoal covered ashes and notices through the big glass window a woman can be seen in the kitchen making dinner. Her husband and three children sit around the dinner table. The littlest girl with her hair in a pony tail grabs her fathers hand and with the other hand waves to her mother to come to the table. They bow their heads and pray. She continues walking.

“She’s getting awfully close. I think she’s finally going to go inside,” Gene says excitedly cocking his head to the side to better watch her with his round black eye.

She walks up the steps of the house of interest, taking a deep breath causing her chest to rise and she knocks on the door. It creaks as it slowly swings open. She looks inside, his brown hair can be seen off the side of the couch as he lays motionless. She slowly walks inside, turning to face him. She looks at his face, his solid black eyes lifeless and his massive wings rested peacefully on his back. She screams and turns away running down the steps, leaving the door open just as it was.

“Did you hear that,” Tommy asks.

Sarah runs down the street, tears streaming down her face. She trips on the stairs of the deck of her house and falls and she lays there sobbing. She rolls over to her side, clutching where her unborn child rests inside of her.

 Gene and Tommy watch two old men in rocking chairs crack open beers, rifles sitting in their laps. Intrigued by the cackling of their voices they listen as the men relay stories about how they weren’t going to let anyone take them until they were damn well ready. One of the men raises his gun and shoots and a hovering demon, bringing Gene and Tommy’s attention back into focus.

“Hey, where’d that girl go,” Gene asks.

From inside her house, clamor can be heard as she rummages through drawers and closets, emptying their contents on the dusty floor. A gunshot echoes through the trees and the startled blackbirds fly away.

title: Walking without Wings

question: Who is Bryson?

answer: It may be assumed that Bryson is Sarah's unborn child's father.

question: Why is the girl staring at the house?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Is Sarah alone?

answer: Yes.

question: Does the old man kill Sarah?

answer: It may be assumed that the gunshot kills Sarah.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Pregnant Sarah stares at Bryson's home. Gene and Tommy look at her from afar, discussing why she has been staring at the house for 2 days.
Sarah further walks to a house belonging to a family. She nervously makes her way into the house. Watching the husband lay motionless on the couch Sarah screams and runs to her home. Gene and Tommy hear a gunshot.


split: train

text:
RADU PALADI (16 January 1927- 30 May 2013) was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. His compositions include stage and film music, choral works, vocal music and vocal-symphonic works, chamber music, symphonic music as well as concertos.

Education

Radu Paladi studied piano with Titus Tarnavski at the Cernăuți Conservatory (at that time in Romania, now in Chernivtsi, Ukraine) from 1941 until 1943. Between 1947 and 1956 he studied piano with Florica Musicescu, composition with Leon Klepper, harmony with Paul Constantinescu and instrumentation (orchestration) with Theodor Rogalski at the Royal Academy of Theatre and Music, later known as the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest.

Teaching

Radu Paladi started his teaching career from 1954 until 1963 as an assistant and continued from 1963 until 1996 as a lecturer at the Academy of Theatre and Film “Ion Luca Caragiale” in Bucharest.

Artistic career

Radu Paladi was a member of the Association of Romanian Composers and Musicologists since its foundation in 1949. He performed as a pianist in song recitals and chamber music in Romania, Spain and Germany. As a soloist in his own piano concerto, Paladi played with various Romanian orchestras, e.g. the Iași Philharmonic Orchestra on the occasion of the first performance of this work, with the Botoșani Philharmonic Orchestra and, last not least, the Bucharest National Radio orchestra with whom he recorded his piano concerto. From 1969 to 1972, Paladi worked as a conductor and artistic director of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Botoșani. Apart from being busy conducting numerous Romanian amateur choirs and vocal ensembles, he was a frequent judge at various national contests of vocal and instrumental music as well as composition contests. [Radu Paladi with George Popovici]

Honours and awards

-   First prize at the National Composition Contest in Bucharest (1951)
-   First prize and awarded the gold medal at the International Composition Contest in Moscow for the cantata “Dar de nuntă” (i.e. wedding present) for mixed choir and orchestra (1957)
-   Third prize at the Moscow International Contest for his string quartet no. 1 (1957)
-   Medal of Work third class (1959) and Order of Merit in Culture third class in Romania (1968)
-   Award of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists (1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1996)
-   23rd-of-August Medal (1979)
-   Award of the Romanian Academy (1980)
-   Award Romanian Order of Knights (2000)
-   Award of Excellence of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists (2002)
-   Grand award of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists to honour the composer's life's work (2007)

Musical works

Stage music

-   Pălăria Florentină (A Florentine Hat), 1957
-   Sălbatecii (The Savages), 1958
-   Școala Calomniei (The School of Calumny), 1961
-   D-ale Carnavalului (Carnival Hustle and Bustle), 1962

Film music

-   Fluierașul fermecat (The Little Magic Flute), animated cartoon, directed by Pascal Rădulescu and Constantin Popescu (1957)
-   Ciulinii Bărăganului (The Thistles of the Bărăgan), directed by Louis Daquin (1957)
-   La porțile pământului (At the Gates of the Earth), directed by Geo Saizescu (1965)
-   Pe drumul Thaliei (On Thalia's Way), (1965)

Choral works

-   more than 200 works for mixed chorus a cappella, for choir and piano, for choir and orchestra
-   60 colinde (among them Christmas carols and Easter chants) for mixed chorus a cappella based on the collections of Béla Bartók, George Breazul, Gheorghe Cucu (1990-1995)
-   12 poems for mixed chorus a cappella based on verses by Mihai Eminescu (1988-1992)

Vocal music

-   8 songs for soprano and piano
-   4 duets for soprano, bass-baritone, and piano
-   13 songs for bass-baritone and piano

Works for piano

-   Suite for piano (1940)
-   Theme with variations (1950)
-   Rondo a capriccio (1954)
-   Prelude and fugue (1955)
-   Cadence for the piano concerto in C minor, K. 491 of W.A. Mozart (2011)

Chamber music

-   String quartet no. 1 in C minor (1955)
-   Wind quintet (1998)
-   String quartet no. 2 (2013)

Vocal symphonic works

-   Cantata “Dar de nuntă” (Wedding Present), 1957
-   Oratorio “Oratoriul Eliberării” (Oratorio of Liberation), 1959
-   Cantata “Poem de slavă” (Poem of Fame), 1964

Symphonic music

-   Symphonic suite “Fluierașul fermecat” (The Little Magic Flute), 1954
-   Symphonic suite “Sălbatecii” (The Savages), 1958
-   Symphonic suite “Ciulinii Băragănului” (The Thistles of the Bărăgan), 1957

Concertos

-   Concerto for piano and orchestra in C major (1989)
-   Concerto for violin and orchestra in E minor (2002)

CD Recordings

-   Quartetto per archi nr. 1, Quartetto Academica, prodotto della DYNAMIC s.r.l. Genova, 1979
-   2 Colinde: “Dimineața di Crăciunu”, “Colo sus la răsăritu”, Corul Academic Radio, dirijor Aurel Grigoraș, UCMR-ADA 1523011 Editura Casa Radio, 2001
-   2 Colinde, Corul Academic Radio, dirijor Aurel Grigoraș, Producător: Editura Muzicală UCMR, 2005
-   “De ce nu-mi vii?”, Corul Academic Radio, în: Antologia Muzicii românești, Creații corale românești nr. 1, Producător: UCMR-ADA 2A 18481
-   “Noapte de vară”, Corul Academic Radio, dirijor Aurel Grigoraș, în: Antologia Muzicii românești, Creații corale românești nr. 2, Producător: UCMR-ADA 031.076050
-   “Atât de fragedă”, Corul Academic Radio, dirijor Dan Mihai Goia, în: Antologia Muzicii românești, Creații corale românești nr.9, Producător: UCMR-ADA RO9AF125012655
-   2 Colinde: “Dimineața di Crăciunu”, “Colo sus la răsăritu”, Corul Academic Radio în: Antologia Muzicii românești, Creații corale românești nr. 10, Producător: UCMR-ADA RO9AF105012464, 2009
-   String Quartet no. 1 in C minor, Lupot String Quartet, ars sonandi, 2015
-   Streichquartett Nr. 1 c-Moll, Martfeld Quartett, Coviello Classics, 2016 COV91607

Works published in print

-   Suita pentru pian (piano suite) Editura de Stat, București, 1951 (out of print)
-   Suita pentru pian (piano suite), Editura de Stat pentru literatură și artă, București, 1954 (out of print)
-   Suita pentru pian (piano suite), Editura Muzicală, București 1968 (out of print)
-   Suita pentru pian (piano suite, fragment)in: Rumänische Klavierminiaturen, Leipzig, Peters Verlag, 1976
-   Rondo a capriccio, Editura Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor din România, București, 1953 (out of print)
-   Rondo a capriccio, Editura Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor din România, București, 1954 (out of print)
-   Cvartet de coarde nr. 1 do minor (string quartet no. 1 in C minor), Editura Muzicală, București, 1960 (out of print)
-   Coruri (Choruses), Editura de Stat pentru literatură și artă, București, 1956 (out of print)
-   Cântece și Coruri (chants and choruses), Editura Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor din România, București, 1967 (out of print)
-   Poem de slavă pentru tenor, soliști, cor mixt și orchestră, pe versuri de Corneliu Șerban (Poem of Fame for tenor, soloists, mixed chorus and orchestra based on verses of Corneliu Șerban), Editura Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor din România, București, 1968 (out of print)
-   Două piese pentru cor și orchestră pe versuri de Vlaicu-Bârna (two pieces for choir and orchestra based on verses of Vlaicu-Bârna), Editura Muzicală, București, 1975
-   Dar de Nuntă, Cantată pentru cor mixt și orchestră pe versuri de Ion Serebreanu (Wedding Present, cantata for mixed chorus and orchestra based on verses of Ion Serebreanu), Editura Muzicală, București, 2003
-   Dar de Nuntă, reducție pentru pian (Wedding Present, piano score), Editura Muzicală, București, 2003
-   8 Lieduri pentru soprană și pian (8 songs for soprano and piano), Editura Muzicală, București, 2013
-   Concert pentru vioară și orchestră (concerto for violin and orchestra), Editura Muzicală, București, 2014
-   Cvintet de suflători (wind quintet), Editura Muzicală, București, 2014
-   Lieduri și Duete pentru voci grave, medii, înalte și pian (songs and duets for deep, middle and high voices and piano), Editura Muzicală, București, 2014
-   12 Poeme pe versuri de Mihai Eminescu (12 poems based on verses of Mihai Eminescu), Editura Muzicală, București, 2014
-   Cvartet de coarde nr. 2 (string quartet no. 2), Editura Muzicală, București, 2014
-   Concert pentru pian și orchestră (concerto for piano and orchestra), Editura Muzicală, București, 2015
-   Cvartet de coarde nr. 1 do minor (string quartet no. 1 C minor), Editura Muzicală, București, 2017

Literature

-   Cosma, Viorel: _Muzicieni români_, Lexicon, Ed. Muzicală, București 1970
-   Popovici, Doru: _Radu Paladi, Poeme corale pe versuri de Mihai Edminescu_, revista _Muzica_ 6, nr. 3 1995
-   Popovici, Doru: _Radu Paladi, Colindele pentru cor a cappella_, revista _Muzica_ 8, nr. 1
-   Zbarcea, Veronica: _Radu Paladi, Spiritul compozitorului_, revista _Radio România_ nr. 259, 14 ianuarie 2002
-   Codreanu, Petre: _Radu Paladi, Concertul pentru vioară și orchestră_, programul Filarmonicii George Enescu, 15 februarie 2007
-   Scurtulescu, Dan: _Radu Paladi, din nou_, revista _Actualitatea muzicală_ nr. 4, aprilie 2007
-   Manea, Carmen: _Concertul pentru pian de Radu Paladi_, revista _Modele umane și repere profesionale_, Colecția AkadeMusica nr. 4, Ed. UNMB 2012
-   Alexandrescu, Ozana: _Radu Paladi, Concert pentru pian și orchestră_, programul Filarmonicii George Enescu, 8 decembrie 2016
-   Dediu, Dan: _Radu Paladi - o evocare_, revista _Actualitatea muzicală_ nr. 6, iunie 2013
-   Stäbler, Marcus: Rezension der CD des Martfeld Quartetts (2015), FonoForum, 9/2016, S. 51
-   Kneipel, Eberhard: Rezension der CD des Martfeld Quartetts (2015), Das Orchester, 12/2016, S. 72

title: Radu Paladi

question: Who is Radu Paladi?

answer: Radu Paladi was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. His compositions include stage and film music, choral works, vocal music, and vocal-symphonic works, chamber music, symphonic music as well as concertos.

question: Summarize everything relating to Paladi's education.

answer: Paladi studied piano at the Cernăuți Conservatory with Titus Tarnavski from 1941 to 1943. He studied piano with Florica Musicescu, composition with Leon Klepper, harmony with Paul Constantinescu, and instrumentation (orchestration) with Theodor Rogalski at the Royal Academy of Theatre and Music, later known as the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest, between 1947 and 1956.

question: How long was Paladi's teaching career?

answer: 42 years

question: List three awards Paladi won.

answer:
- First prize at the National Composition Contest in Bucharest (1951)
- First prize and awarded the gold medal at the International Composition Contest in Moscow for the cantata “Dar de nuntă” (i.e. wedding present) for mixed choir and orchestra (1957)
- Grand Award of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists to honor the composer's life's work (2007)

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Radu Paladi was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. His compositions include stage and film music, choral works, vocal music, and vocal-symphonic works, chamber music, symphonic music as well as concertos. He first studied piano at the Cernăuți Conservatory in 1941. Paladi later went to the Royal Academy of Theatre and Music (later known as the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest) to study composition, harmony, piano, and instrumentation between 1947 and 1956. Paladi's teaching career spanned 42 years and in 2007, he was given the Grand Award of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists to honor the composer's life's work. He passed away on May 30, 2013, at the age of 86.


text:
I was in the main hallway of our house, preparing a batch of tomato sauce.

The place was big and clean, and had huge glass windows overlooking the beach. Life had been pretty good lately. There had been a lot of changes and adaptations, but on the whole it was easier, better. No more worries of nations falling apart or people going hungry. I'd even gotten into cooking on my own terms.

But I had to get the damn sauces made right now, so the crews could distribute them to the neighborhood; a real neat labor division, for anyone in the radius who wanted fresh tomato sauce. I loved cooking, but the rigid schedules I knew I would only ever despise.

I absently maneuvered past my father in the hallway and almost dropped the big metal cylinder. A frantic thought passed through my head: *I'll have to make another because I'm going to drop this one*, and I had the strange impression that a drop-down menu with a Copy function would have been the absolute best way to remedy the situation. To my surprise I recovered with the cylinder still snugly in my hands.

When I looked up at the countertop on the side of the hall, ready to heft the batch of sauce onto its receptacle plate, I found that there was already a cylinder of sauce there.

I had only *made one*. I put the ingredients in, stirred, cooked... I racked my memory. The tall tub of sauce that was on the counter *hadn't* been made, but there it was.

I realized I had copied it. I made another drop-down in my mind, and there it was, plain as day, a Copy function. While carrying a bucket of tomato sauce, I could think something that made something impossible happen.

I hit the Copy function, and then there were two cylinders of sauce on the counter. My arms were going numb now, more from shock's adrenaline than the weight of the bucket, so I set the third next to them.

I made another drop-down in my mind. There was nothing on it now. Just blank. No Copying. The tub of sauce had to be in my hands for it to work.

A very strange feeling began to creep up on me. I felt compelled to slam the extra sauce buckets into the trash receptacle before anyone could see them and ask me to explain what I was doing, what I was doing to the matter and energy I'd created by impossibility, but I rejected it. I'd been a crazy person all my life, and now I had the chance to show my family I had every right to be crazy.

I didn't get off to a good start on that.

"*Look! Look!*" I yelled, eyes wide, backpedaling through the living room with my finger pointing at arm's length, instantly accusing the utterly inanimate buckets and their basil-flavored contents of abominable witchery.

My father gave me a stale look. It could have been facial sign language in our family for *oh no, here we go again*. He waved my son over, and they left the room through the screen doors to play on the beach. I beamed a hurt look into the backs of their heads, but I couldn't bring myself to confront them verbally. The door closed behind them, and Mom turned to face me with a suppressed scowl.

*There's still a chance to change your mind,* said some weird impression from my memories. *You can stop this. Or you can take another risk. But whatever you do,* ***move fast***.

"Be respectful around your father! He's been through so much," said Mom, as my father and my son walked out of earshot.

"Look," I said, as quietly and firmly as I could, and pointed at the counter again.

Both our pairs of eyes followed my accusing finger again, and found three buckets of sauce on the counter. I fought the urge to sprint as I went over to pick one up. With the bucket in my hands, I took a breath and summoned another menu in my mind.

It was blank.

Then it hit me; when the weird voice spoke to me, I had been so afraid, I'd done some other strange thing, and cleared the ability out of instinctual fear.

"Huh... wait. I have to make another! It saved the *procedure*," I said, and began throwing cabinets open to find an empty bucket and more ingredients.

Outside, it began raining. I thought it had been clear a moment ago, but this was a whole new climate for me. In fact, we'd moved here because my father and I had missed the rain.

*Hurry,* said the voice from my memories, fouling my happiness with the rain, giving it the flavor of rotten meat. *Unexpectedly* rotten, the worst flavor.

"Oh, Lz_erk," said my mother, "you can't keep doing this. Don't you remember what happened last time, when we found you screaming in a ball in the middle of the house?"

*Middle of the house?* My inner dialogue mocked, ever more eloquent than my stumbling speech; *You mean the pit that existed that whole afternoon. The impossible pit under the house that was gone only hours later. It was raining then too, and hard, and the water pooled around my knees and soaked my gloves and jacket while I screamed out my infantile confusion from a muddy gorge right under us. You never did come up with a plausible excuse for why you found me soaking wet when I appeared in the other hall. Never matched how I supposedly got there with the timestamps on the uses of the home's access points.*

I was banging the sauce together as quick as I could, but it had only been two seconds while I thought, and I barely had an empty pot on the counter. *You're running out of time,* "said" the impression from my memories. Panic struck me as I found the layers of meaning in the memories: the dread, the knowledge that something unusual was going to happen, was thickening around me like a vat of corn starch and water under attack by flamethrowers.

"I copied the sauce," I said. "I can do it again if I have time, I swear, but I copied it -- they appeared out of nowhere. Look at them, why would I make *three*?"

I looked outside while Mom pondered my statements, and saw that the rain was coming down *hard*. It was thick pellets, droplets like hailstones, big enough to see in their diagonal downward pounding even at this distance to the windows in the living room. I was worried for my father and my son, but it was obvious now that what I had done was making it rain. Just like last time. The world was going into debug mode.

I shouted, "do you realize what this means? *The world is a simulation!*"

"You have to stop this," said my mother. "Don't you remember what happened last time? When you were sick. We found the solution, and everything was okay again."

I stared at her in disbelief as the waves swelled outside.

title: Debug Mode [1120 words, sci-fi/horror]

question: What happens to the narrator in the story?

answer: She finds herself making a tomato sauce and then copying the sauce, creating more out of thin air. Her family appears worried about her but she doesn't understand what's going on. She realises tat te world is in debug mode

question: Why does the martor think the world has entered debug mode?

answer: A storm grows outside. It's where her father and son are.

question: What appears to be the problem in the story?

answer: The narrator perceives the world as if it's a simulation.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A woman is making tomato sauce in a kitchen when she begins to copy the finished product. She can't remember cooking the sauce three times. The woman takes the sauce to her family and they show concern. A storm grows outside and the woman believes that it has entered debug mode.


text:
WE DISCUSS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF ELECTRIC CARS, AS WELL AS THEIR PROS AND CONS. ARE ELECTRIC CARS WORTH IT? CHECK OUT OUR PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND VOTE

History of electric cars

Before discussing the present and future of electric cars, it is worth having a closer look at their past. Electric cars or electric vehicles (EV) are not a novelty as many think. In the late NINETEENTH CENTURY and early twentieth century automobiles propelled by an electric motor were popular in Europe and America. The invention of the acid-lead RECHARGEABLE BATTERY by French physicist Gaston Planté in 1859 paved the way for the electric car. The first electric car was built by the English electrical engineer Thomas Parker in 1884. In the US, the first electric car was created by William Morrison in 1890. The next year German engineer Ferdinand Porsche developed the first HYBRID ELECTRIC CAR, powered by both electricity and gas.

Initially electric cars were considered CHEAPER, CLEANER, AND QUIETER than the other alternatives. Both in London and New York electric cabs became a popular means of transportation. It is estimated that in 1900 more than third of the cars sold in the US were powered by elecricity, while 40% used steam and only a fifth of them were powered by gasoline.

The advances in car engine technology, and in particular those in the area of internal combustion made the electric alternative less appealing. Gas cars grew in popularity, in particular due to the much quicker and easier refueling process. The processes of mass production by companies such as Ford and the fast growing oil industry and gas station infrastructure served to marginalize both electric cars and those powered by steam. In 1920 electric cars went OUT OF PRODUCTION in the US.

In the mid-1950s concerns about air pollution grew. Some companies and government funded institutions in the US initiated research projects to develop new electric cars, such as the 1961 Henney Kilowatt. Unfortunately the performance and practical problems of these cars hindered their commercial success. The oil crises in the 1970s brought back the interest in developing electric cars, but it was not until the 1990s when government agencies and car makers put a serious effort into advancing electric car engine technology.

The Toyota Prius, launched in Japan in 1997 became the first MASS PRODUCED hybrid electric car. The Honda Insight also became a success. The rising gas prices as well as the growing concerns with pollution and climate change have since stimulated the market. Most major car manufacturers have launched projects for electric and/or hybrid cars. New companies such as Tesla and Coda Automotive have entered the market. There are currently about fifty different models of electric cars available and different market segments according to cars' speed capabilities, such as low speed neighborhood electric vehicles, city cars, highway capable vehicles, and electric race cars, with a top speed near 120 mph (200 km/h). THE FUTURE OF ELECTRIC CARS seems bright. It is estimated that by 2020 the market share of electric cars will grow to 7% of the global market.

ELECTRIC CARS PROS AND CONS

There is now a growing diversity among electric cars, however they share similar advantages and limitations:

PROS:

-   Electric cars are very quiet, much more than gas cars
-   Electric car owners don't suffer the strong fluctuations in gas prices
-   The performance of electric cars is improving fast
-   The design of electric motors is relatively simple. Some of the maintenance duties necessary for gasoline cars are not necessary in electric vehicles
-   The inclusion of less parts than in combustion engines reduces the likelyhood of mechanical problems
-   Probably the most important pro is that electric cars are much more environmentally friendly than gas cars. Their owners have the right to feel that they are contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable world

CONS:

-   Recharging the batteries is a relatively slow process. How long does it take to charge an electric car? It depends, some electric vehicles can be charged in 4 hours, others need 15 to 20 hours. So overall it still takes much more time than filling up the gas tank of a regular car
-   Since charging stations are not still widespread everywhere, taking the car out of town and in particular long road trips are problematic
-   Charging electric cars home during peak hours can increase your utility bill
-   Reduced choice. Although the range of electric cars available is growing fast, they are still a small portion of the total number of cars available in the market
-   Although some companies such as Tesla are putting great effort in the design of electric cars, overall they tend not to be very appealing

After considering all these factors, would you reconsider your stance on the electric cars vs gas cars debate. Would you consider buying an electric car?

ELECTRIC CARS PROS AND CONS: SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?
Vote and explain why you like or dislike electric cars

If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option.

question: What is the topic of the article?

answer: The article discusses the past, present, and future of electric cars as well as the pros and cons.

question: Summarize the history of the electric car.

answer: The first electric car was built by English electrical engineer, Thomas Parker, in 1884. In 1900 more than a third of the cars sold in the US were powered by electricity, while 40% used steam and only a fifth of them were powered by gasoline. In 1920 electric cars when out of production. The oil crisis in the 1970s brought back the interest of electric cars, but not until the 1990s did companies put in serious effort to advancing them.

question: What was the first mass-produced electric car?

answer: The Toyota Prius was launched in 1979, becoming the first mass-produced electric car.

question: The article suggests that by 2020 what percentage of the global market will be electric cars?

answer: 7%

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the past, present, and future of electric cars as well as the pros and cons.


text:
The sky is poetic when you consider it emotionally: sunsets draw tears and rolling tongues of clouds pull mouths open and vicious, wandering storms inspire dizzying cries for God or help or *someone*.

I am not poetic.

This is what makes me stare at the cottage-cheese ceiling in my room at night and wonder why I will never admire myself. I conjure you and watch you effortlessly twist nails into your hands, watch the wounds bleed ink and meaning, because you always told me you admired me but I never believed you, and the way your eyes would look not into me but behind me made me nervous and I think that’s why you could never really love me.

But I tried.

*Fuck you* I tried.

I tried and then I told myself that your angled good looks were beyond me and that your ancient, slippery tongue would never find mine and then I ached until I could convince myself of some flaw you weren’t aware of. I tangled myself into tight enough knots that I couldn’t walk straight and I couldn’t unwind myself for long enough to make hollow conversation or take deep enough breaths.

I wanted your easy wit and your offensive charm but I wanted you to give it to me like a lesson so I could hang it on the wall like a picture and remember the time I fell in love with the idea of a boy. And I didn’t care that I knew you would never feel awful, rooted things for me. I never cared about that.

And I made like I was finding myself or something because your body sitting next to mine made me feel shallow and hopeless and all I wanted to do was be *your* type of person and then you would let me crawl inside of you and decipher your secrets for myself.

You were different than anyone I knew with your swarming lies and your spangled lines of art and people and pale, tortured love stories. You drew me in with those choked eyes of yours like the depths of you were hungry for something you knew you would never have.

Storms strike first from a distance: all swirling, coked-up air and this graceful, rhythmic dance between high and low pressure that spins so far out of control it makes hearts grow restless even when all you can see of it makes it look like a gray, stretched-out cotton ball. I watch cagey men on National Geographic. I watch them crawl in head-first, greedy-eyed. I cringe at their middle fingers raised to the clouded sun.

You gutted me.

You gutted me and you didn’t realize that you’d done it because I didn’t turn myself inside-out for you like you thought I did. I absorbed you and leaked you back out and you smiled at me as if to say *you’re the girl I’ve been waiting for* and I was so drunk with your approval that I couldn’t look at my toenails without seeing them through your eyes.

But my heart pounded with each inch you let me head in your direction and you welcomed me with your spinning, wild arms and I smiled at you as if to say *you get all of me but you don’t get to know why* because that was my idea of mystery.

You didn’t ask questions.

I watch storm chasers and I watch twisters pick up houses and cows and spit them back out crumbled and worthless. I watch how the air, coiling, grins and doesn’t stop. I watch adrenaline-junkies point their cameras and get the shot and I watch their smiles: that kid on Christmas morning clutching a toy helicopter like it’s all he’s ever going to need.

I haven’t moved from this place since you left.

If I move I’ll get caught up in your backlash and your intelligent, twitching fingers with those sweet, tidy good-byes of yours. I’ll gag on the memory of you and your drugged march because you had to be going somewhere always, forced to inhale the comforting slant of your whole body, the one I knew like the curve of my own reflection.

I remember you gave me a notebook once, and you wrote my name in your earnest chicken scratch on the inside of the sturdy red cover and you told me *go crazy* but I didn’t. I sat and watched you scribble yourself into oblivion on your own blank pages. I could never dream up enough words to write a good sentence. You thought we were kindred, back then. You told me not to look for it, just to find it, and I would know. You told me a lot of things and I remember them all, but your words sit beside me like a pale sketch of you, eyes wide and shoulders slack. For a long time your words filled me up but now they’re just scraps of your character that I can’t seem to hide anywhere.

Sometimes I wish you were still here but mostly the riprap of ripped-up ground and shattered houses you have left me with feel like home enough to crawl into and sleep. The imprint of your body here is big enough so the sheets puff thick around my head and I’ll never have to breathe again.

You were poetic enough for the both of us.

title: Riprap

question: Why did the boy leave?

answer: She had no faith in his love. She doubted his admiration. She was constantly looking for flaws of which he was unaware. She wasn't able to make meaningful conversation.

question: Why did she feel shallow and hopeless?

answer: Because she didn't feel that she was his type of person

question: Why did she need his approval so badly?

answer: She lacks self-esteem. She doesn't feel worthy of him

question: Did she really love the boy?

answer: She notes that she fell in love with the idea of a boy. Perhaps she had created an idyllic person who existed in her imagination only. Sher refers to him as being a liar. So, he was certainly not flawless.

question: Write a ~11 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator stares up at the ceiling. She was never poetic. She would conjure the boy up and watch as he bled words and meaning. He had always claimed to have admired her but she never believed him. She believes that the boy could never really love her because his eyes looked past her. She tried and then decided that his good looks were beyond her.

He gutted her. She saw everything in life through his eyes, absorbed him and leaked him back. She hasn’t moved since he left.

He had once given her a notebook and told her to go crazy, but she wrote nothing between the red covers, choosing instead to watch him scribbling away. He passed through her life like a tornado and she is left with the shattered remains.


text:
[items.[0].videoTitle]

Local musicians are on a mission to put Cincinnati's music history on the map, one craft cocktail at a time.

CINCINNATI -- History can be told in a myriad of ways, but for two local musicians, they're banking on your taste buds.

Maya Banatwala and Kristen Kreft are on a mission to put Cincinnati's music history on the map, one craft cocktail at a time. The longtime bartenders created a recipe book of dozens of cocktails inspired from local musicians past and present or those with ties to the Queen City.

"Cincinnati is a Mecca of music history," Kreft said. "We’re right here in the middle of the Midwest where all music worlds collide. Country music, soul music, R&B, Blues, Funk music. It all kind of originated right here. We’ve got King Records, Fraternity Records, Jewel Records."

They first came up with the idea for their book, titled "Rocktails: An Amped Up Spin on Mixology," while working together as bartenders for many years together at Japp's in Over-the-Rhine.

[]
Kristen Kreft and Maya Banatwala have come up with dozens of craft cocktail recipes for their book based on Cincinnati's music history. Emily Maxwell | WCPO

“Being musicians, we both kept coming up with cocktail lists that represented music in the area," Banatwala said. "Every time we worked together we kept saying, 'We have to write a book!' and also honor musicians in Cincinnati through cocktails because that’s what we like to make."

Banatwala and Kreft are no strangers to Cincinnati's music scene. Banatwala is the front woman of local rock group Heavy Hingesand Kreft, a well-known vocalist who helps several local bands and artists, is founder of popular group The Perfect Children. (Side note: Both groups perform at Ironfest this Saturday at the Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky.)

The pair spent the past year compiling stories and interviewing local musicians and DJs for inspiration for their recipes. As part of that process, they held several fundraisers where they tested their creations through special pop-up events at live-music bars like Listing Loon and Urban Artifact.

Some of those local acts included The All-Seeing Eyes, Cincinnati Knights, Quiet Lives, Darlene, Lung Carriers, Yusef Quotah, Andrew Jody, Brian Olive and more.

"We would hire a band, ask them to give us a list of their five favorite songs, read the lyrics, find a little history about the song and create a cocktail based on that moment," Kreft said.

[]
Kristen Kreft and Maya Banatwala hold up one of their signature cocktails at the Listing Loon. Emily Maxwell | WCPO

After a year had a passed they realized that they gathered enough material to create their first book. "Rocktails: An Amped Up Spin on Mixology," pays homage to the city's local scene. Each recipe has step-by-step instructions and a description of how they derived their inspiration. Some are takes on old classics, but all of them are new recipes that the pair designed.

Banatwala and Kreft have a second book in the works, called "Cincinnati Rocktails," set to publish in the next few months that will solely focus on Cincinnati icons or famous artists who got their start here, like Rosemary Clooney and Hank Ballard.

The Cincinnati natives hope their recipes bring awareness to their hometown's music heritage.

“We want to honor these iconic musicians, but we also want to honor Cincinnati," Kreft said. "And we kind of want the world to know that these musicians, Cincinnati played a giant role in their life. And what’s the best way we can do that is that we can make

question: Summarize the motivations behind Banatwala and Kreft's cocktail project.

answer: Banatwala and Kreft want to put Cincinnati's music on the map by creating cocktails inspired by local musicians. The two musicians and mixologists are ready to mix both cocktails and music while drawing awareness to the contributions of local musicians to the community and the world in general.

question: What steps have Banatwala and Kreft taken to promote their upcoming book?

answer: They have held a number of fundraising events. They have also conducted interviews with local bands. Also, the duo has served up their special cocktails at pop-up events at music bars.


text:
JAWOLE WILLA JO ZOLLAR (born December 21, 1950) is an American dancer, teacher and choreographer of modern dance. She is the founder of the Urban Bush Women dance company.

Biography

One of six children, she was born Willa Jo Zollar in Kansas City, Missouri, to parents Alfred Zollar Jr. and Dorothy Delores Zollar.[1] From age seven to seventeen, Zollar received her dance education from Joseph Stevenson, former student of Katherine Dunham.[2] Zollar also had early training in Afro-Cuban and other native dance forms which later helped to shape her teaching aesthetic.[3] After high school graduation she went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in dance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and from there also received her Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University, where she is currently a tenured dance professor.[4] In 1980, Zollar moved to New York City, where she studied under Dianne McIntyre, artistic director for Sounds in Motion Dance Company.[5] In 1984, she left the company and established her own, called the Urban Bush Women, which became the first major dance company consisting of all-female African-American dancers.[6]

Movement style and choreography

Zollar's choreographic style is influenced by the dance traditions of black Americans—modern dance, African dance, and social dance.[7] Her movement synthesizes influences from modern dance (a combination of Dunham, Graham, Cunningham, and Limón techniques), Afro-Cuban, Haitian, and Congolese dance.[8] She emphasizes the use of weight and fluidity as opposed to creating clean shapes.[9] From her Afro-Cuban dance training she employs a strong sense of dynamic timing, rhythmic patterns, and continuous flow of movement. She derives many of her movement ideas from African-American culture—allowing the “church testifying, emotional energy shap[e] the form, and the rawness of that form, like you have in jazz,” she says.[10]

In her choreography, Zollar creates avant-garde dance-theater productions that speak from the black female perspective.[11] Her pieces are collaborative performances between dancers, vocalists, artists, actors, composers and musicians, including vocalizations, a cappella singing, storytelling, and social commentary. Through these mediums, Zollar pushes towards social awareness and change. Zollar also explores African-American folk traditions and the reality of the black woman's experience, tackling uncomfortable and controversial social topics such as abortion, racism, sexism, and homelessness, in a hard-edged and straightforward way.[12] Many dance critics say that Zollar's company makes a point to show the reality of African-American culture, revealing how black Americans express themselves when not in the presence of whites.[13]

List of works

-   1984 _River Songs_; _Life Dance…The Fool's Journey_
-   1985 _Working for Free_
-   1986 _Anarchy, Wild Women and Dinah_; _Girlfriends_; _Madness_; _LifeDance I…The Magician (The Return of She)_
-   1987 _Bitter Tongue_
-   1988 _Heat_; _Lipstick_; _Shelter_; _LifeDance II…The Papess_
-   1989 _I Don’t Know_, _But I Been Told_, _If You Keep on Dancin’ You Never Grow Old_
-   1990 _Praise House_
-   1992 _LifeDance III_
-   1994 _Nyabinghi Dreamtime_; _Vocal Attack_
-   1995 _Batty Moves_; _BONES AND ASH: A Gilda Story_
-   1996 _Transitions_
-   1997 _Self Portrait_
-   1998 _Hand's Singing Song_
-   2000 _Soul Deep_
-   2001 _HairStories_
-   2002 _Shadow's Child_
-   2004 _Walking with Pearl- Africa Diaries_
-   2005 _Walking with Pearl…Southern Diaries_
-   2011 _visible_
-   2012 _Blood Muscle Bone_
-   2014 _Hep Hep Sweet Sweet_
-   2014 _Walking with 'Trane, Chapter 2_

Awards

-   New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship (1984)
-   National Endowment for the Arts choreography fellowships (1988–90)
-   New York Dance and Performance Award (1992)
-   Worlds of Thought Resident Scholar, Makato State University (1993–94)
-   Capezio Foundation Dance Award (1994)
-   Who's Who in America (1995)
-   Regent Lecturer, Department of World Arts and Culture, University of California (1995–96)
-   Bessie Award for _Walking With Pearl…Southern Diarie_ (2006)
-   Dance Magazine Award (2015)[14]

[1] Great Performances: Free To Dance - Biographies - Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

[2] Hussie-Taylor, J. “Zollar, Jawole Willa Jo”, _International Dictionary of Modern Dance_. Detroit: St. James Press, 1998, 852.

[3] White-Dixon, Melanye. “Zollar, Jawole Willa Jo”, _International Encyclopedia of Dance_. 6th ed. 6 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1998, 448.

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9] Office of Research: Research In Review: The Journey of Jawole

[10] Zollar as quoted in Hussie-Taylor's “Zollar, Jawole Willa Jo”, 852.

[11]

[12] Hussie-Taylor, “Zollar, Jawole Willa Jo”, 854.

[13]

[14]

title: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

question: Summarize what happened in the 1980's.

answer: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar moved to New York in 1980 where she studied under Dianne McIntyre, artistic director for Sounds in Motion Dance Company. In 1984 she received the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship and established the Urban Blush Women dance company, this became the first major dance company consisting of all-female African-American dancers. She created 'Working for Free' in 1985 and 'Bitter Tongue' in 1987 amongst others. From 1988 to 1990 she received the National Endowment for the Arts choreography fellowships and worked on multiple productions including 'Praise House'.

question: Summarize the significance of Urban Bush Women dance company.

answer: The dance company was the first major dance company consisting of all-female African-American dancers with Zollar as its founder in 1984. Zollar creates avant-garde dance-theater productions that speak from the black female perspective pushing towards social awareness and change. The Urban Bush Women dance company makes a point to show the reality of African-American culture, revealing how black Americans express themselves when not in the presence of whites.

question: What does the text say about social justice issues?

answer: Urban Bush Women dance company was founded in 1984 and was the first major dance company consisting of all-female African-American dancers. This puts the company in a unique position of influence to showcase how black Americans express themselves when not in the presence whites. It uses its productions to explore the African-American traditions and realities of black women as it relates to abortion, racism, sexism and homelessness. The dance company does this in a straightforward way to push towards social change, and using this energy to shape the form and rawness of the form of dance they use.

question: Summarize Zollar's production 'Walking with Pearl... Southern Diaries'.


text:
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment f or future generations."
She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truely recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

*I didn't write this story, and I don't know who did. I like it and want to share.

title: Being Green

question: Summarize the main complaint in the story.

answer: The narrator is talked down to by a young cashier. The young woman blames the older generation for not caring enough about the environment. The narrator, however, thinks about how they almost always reused many things back then, and that most things weren't accomplished through electrical appliances. This ultimately meant there was far less waste compared to the "use and throw away" approach of modern times.

question: What does the story say about how environmentalism changed through the last few decades?

answer: The story comments that modern times, even though people are obsessed with the "green thing," pollute and waste a lot more compared to the past. The story mentions the lack of all the electrical appliances, human work accomplishing most things, and less dependency on electrical appliances. Basically, the story posits that environmentalism became a shallow movement.

question: What does the story say about coal power versus solar?


text:
ADA ROGATO (22 December 1910 – 15 November 1986) was a pioneering woman aviator from Brazil. She broke five records, becoming the first South American woman to earn a glider pilot's license and the first Brazilian woman to earn paratrooper certification. She broke the world record for the longest solo flight, was the first to fly across all three of the Americas and held the Brazilian record for the number of parachute jumps. She was also Brazil's first woman agricultural pilot, flying crop dusters for the Biological Institute to eliminate pests which were destroying the country's coffee crop.

Early life

Ada Leda Rogato{{#tag:ref|The Biological Institute notes that when Rogato was hired she used the name Ada Leda Rogato until 1954 when she removed Leda, stating it was not shown on her birth certificate. This would be born out by press clippings, which repeatedly use “Ada Leda” in the early part of her career.|group=“Notes”}} was born on 22 December 1910 in São Paulo, Brazil to Maria Rosa (née Grecco) and Guilherme Rogato. Her parents were immigrants from Italy. Her education was typical for girls of her era, minimal schooling, learning painting and taking piano lessons. From a young age, Rogato wanted to learn to fly, but when her parents separated, she had to help her mother by doing domestic work and selling embroideries and handicrafts to make ends meet. Saving her earnings, she was able to secure enough money to take flying classes at the Flying Club of São Paulo and earn her class “C” glider pilot's license in 1935, becoming the first Brazilian and first South American woman glider pilot.

In 1936, Rogato took additional lessons and passed her testing to become an airplane pilot, flying various types of American-made planes, as well as Brazilian-made planes like the Muniz M-7, Muniz M-9, among others. She was the third licensed airplane pilot of Brazil, following Teresa De Marzo and Anésia Pinheiro Machado. She flew as a test pilot for light aircraft built in Brazil and begin flying in air shows. Needing to earn a living, she took a typing course and applied to enter the civil service.

Career

[Ada Rogato's Cessna 140, at the Museu da TAM in São Carlos, Brazil] In 1940, Rogato began working as a secretary at the Biological Institute, replacing the previous temporary secretary. She took a course on library science to improve her skill and asked to be allowed leave to continue her participation in “Wing Week” activities. The following year, Rogato took a skydiving course, gaining the first Brazilian paratrooper certification and bought a Paulistinha two-seater airplane. Upon receipt of her paratrooper certification, the Aeronautics Ministry asked for Rogato to be allowed a three-month leave to offer training at the Technical School of Aviation. During World War II, she performed volunteer missions, patrolling the _Litoral Paulista_ (coast of São Paulo). For her service, she became the first woman to receive the title of Pilot in _Honoris Causa_ by the Brazilian Air Force. In 1942, Rogato performed a daring night parachute jump. She was the only woman and was accompanied by five men, who jumped from a Focke-Wulf plane into the bay off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The president, Getúlio Vargas was on hand to witness the jump and the parachutists rescue by the two boats waiting at the ready.

When Rogato returned to the Biological Institute, she was assigned to the Animal Health Surveillance Section, which led to their recruitment for her to serve as the first woman agricultural pilot in 1948. As she had accumulated over 1,200 flying hours, the Institute hired her to spray insecticide in an effort to eliminate the plague of borer beetles which were damaging the country's coffee crop. She worked as a crop duster, spraying the insecticide Gamexame (hexachloro- cyclohexane), while wearing protective gear. The insecticide was later banned as a health hazard, but not before Rogato had her only serious accident, when a malfunction of the spraying apparatus caused her to crash. Rogato was hospitalized for a month and it was later speculated that the exposure to the chemicals may have led to her development of cancer. After her recuperation, Rogato returned to crop-dusting.

In 1950, Rogato took a sabbatical from the Biological Institute and flew at her own expense to participate in airshows in Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. While in Chile, she became the first woman to skydive in the country and won applause when she landed with a Brazilian and Chilean flag. She was awarded a commendation by the Chilean government. She crossed the Andes in her Paulistinha and was awarded an aeronautical merit medal for the accomplishment. She was also given a Cessna 140, which he would use the following year on her record-breaking flight. In 1951, she broke the longest solo flight record when she flew 51,064 miles from Tierra del Fuego to Anchorage, Alaska over a six-month period. Flying south from Rio de Janeiro, she went to Uruguay and then Argentina before crossing the Andes, traversing the west coast of South America, Central America and North America to reach Anchorage. From Anchorage, she flew to the farthest north airport, at Fort Yukon at the Arctic Circle. She then retraced her flight to Seattle and flew to Washington, D.C. and on to Montreal and Ottawa in Canada before heading to the Caribbean to fly through Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Venezuela, all three Guyanas before returning to Brazil. The voyage was billed as a good-neighbor tour and she met with the first ladies of each of the 17 countries through which she flew.

In 1952, Rogato became the first civilian pilot to take-off or land a low-powered aircraft, her Cessna, from El Alto in La Paz, Bolivia, which at that time was the highest altitude airport in the world. In 1956, she undertook an official mission for the São Paulo government, flying to each capital of the Brazilian states and in the process became the first pilot to fly over the Amazon rainforest. In 1960, Rogato set another first, becoming the first woman to arrive at Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego, which was the southernmost city in the world at that time. One of the intriguing markers of Rogato's career is that all of her flights were completed as solo voyages in low-powered aircraft (85 horsepower or less engine), which did not have sophisticated instrumentation, or even a radio. She held the Brazilian record of parachute jumps with 105 to her credit.

Rogato retired from the civil service in 1980, having attained the position of Sports and Tourism section chief for technical division, but continued to fly until four years before her death. It is said she only stopped flying because she could break no further barriers without a more powerful plane. From 1980 until 1986, Rogato served as the director of the Museum of Aeronautics and Space of São Paulo and also as president of the Santos Dumont Foundation.

Death and legacy

Rogato died on 15 November 1986, in São Paulo and her body laid in state at the Museum of Aeronautics. She was buried in the Santana Cemetery of São Paulo after a special “squadron of smoke” tribute. Rogato was the first woman to receive the National Commendation of Aeronautical Merit, with the rank of knight. She also became the first woman Wing Commander in the Brazilian Air Force and the title of Pilot in _Honoris Causa_ by the Brazilian Air Force. The government of Chile decorated her as a meritorious Grand Officer of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins in 1951. In 1952, she received commemorative wings from the Bolivian Air Force for her flight to La Paz. Rogato was also decorated with the wings of the Colombian Air Force and in 1954 received The Paul Tissandier Diploma of Merits in Aviation from the French organization, Aeronautics International.

There is a street in Ribeirão Preto named in her honor and a town square in Lapa which bears her name. In 2000, a stamp was issued by the Brazilian Post Office to commemorate her flight over the Andes. In 2011, the Brazilian writer, Lucita Briza, published a biography of Rogato's life, _Ada—Mulher, pioneira, aviadora_ with C&R Editorial. Rogato's medals and her Cessna have been on display at the TAM Museum in São Carlos since 2012.

Notes

title: Ada Rogato

question: List the records Ada Rogato broke.

answer: World record for the longest solo flight, the first pilot to fly across all three of the Americas, the Brazilian record for the number of parachute jumps.

question: How did Ada Rogato take her first flying lesson?

answer: She helped her mother with domestic work while selling embroideries and handicrafts. She saved a bit of money to take flying lessons.

question: Summarize Rogato's longest solo flight.

answer: She visited 17 countries in the Americas and met their First Ladies at the time. It took her six months to complete the trip, and she broke the longest solo flight record.

question: Elaborate on one of the most noteworthy aspects of Rogato's illustrious flying career.

answer: She flew solo in low-powered (85 horsepower or less) aircraft exclusively. She also made a lot of parachute jumps with 105 to her name.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer: Ada Rogato (22 December 1910 – 15 November 1986) was a pioneering woman aviator from Brazil. She broke several records with the most noteworthy being the longest solo flight record when she flew over 17 nations in the Americas and met their First Ladies. Born to a poor family, Rogato used to sell embroideries and handicrafts to save enough money for her first flying lesson. She has served in the Brazilian Air Force, flew as an agricultural pilot to spray insecticide, and did various missions for the São Paulo government. She flew until four years before her death. She flew solo in low-powered (85 horsepower or less) aircraft exclusively and had the record for the most parachute jumps with 105. After her death, both her native homeland of Brazil and several nearby countries held ceremonies in her honor.


text:
It's a pleasant summer afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska. The sunset is nearing and the airport looks nice. The grass outside is in that half dead half alive state. We're all familiar with that grass. We're waiting for our flight, as always, so I decide to look around for the hotties, as always. Fortunately I saw some this time, two of them. One was a blue eyed blonde, the other was either a really tan white girl or a Latino, with brown eyes and brown hair. They both were wearing blue jeans and looked my age. I check them both out, not so discreetly, and the blonde would not look over where as the other looked over every once and a while. By the time I caught her eye for the third time, I sent a smile. She noticed. We then started to board the plane. This was Southwest, so there's no assigned seating and we all line up in the order of what place ticket we got. The blonde was a few boarding places ahead of me, where as the other was a boarding group behind me. We got on the plane and it's time to pick a seat. When I got on I saw the blonde sit down. I look over a few times and she doesn't seem interested. Now I have two options: do I take the seat next to the blonde or sit down somewhere else and hope the other one sits next to me? I ended up choosing the other one. I took a window seat in an empty row right on the wing a few rows behind the blonde. There are two empty seats to the left of me. The rest of the group boards, no one sits next to me. The start of the next group boards, no one sits next to me. Then I see her enter the plane. I see her and she sees me, I send a half smile and she looks away. She walks closer, closer, closer and then she's at my seat. Without making eye contact she sits down in my row with a seat in between us. Perfect, everything great except the seat between us. The rest of everyone boards the plane and thank-god-baby-jesus the seat between us remains open. I didn't talk to her. I think to myself 'Ok, once the plane takes off I'll start talking.' We get the safety lecture and go down the runway. We are starting to take off when I see her start to plug in her headphones, dammit there goes that plan. I'll take it though, as I feel luck's been on my side thus far. New plan, I'll talk to her once they get drink orders, as she'll have to take off her headphones. In the meantime, I fidget with my phone and bounce around between shitty games and music. Then the drink person comes by. "What do you want?," He asks. "Hot chocolate, please." I respond. "And I'll have a cranberry (something)." She says. Her earphones are out so I strike. "So... Are you from Oma... Nebraska or Colorado?" I ask. "What?" She replies in a sweet voice as if she's interested with what I'm saying. "Where are you from?" I say in a cleaner voice this time. "Colorado."
"Oh cool, what city?"
"Colorado Springs."
This answer was better than somewhere in Nebraska, but still an hour away from where I live.
"Cool."
"Where are you from?" She asks. Somehow this caught me off guard. I guess everything catches someone that doesn't talk to girls that often off guard.
"Uh... Greenwood Village."
We then have some small talk over the next few minutes. I find out she's a young sophomore, just like me. Then I run out of things to talk about, so I resort to my phone. By then I found out she played Volleyball and where her hometown is, that's about it. I formed my next plan of action soon after that; I ask her what her name is when we get our drinks. Perfect. It happens and I tell her my name, she tells me hers and I shake her hand (are you supposed to do that?). Somehow I was too caught up in thinking of what to say next that I completely forgot her name. Now at this point I could make up something for you, but I don't want to wreck my mental image of 'her' with a name. I'll just remember beautiful 'her' as 'her.' I actually had a plan this time of what to talk about. I ask her where she has visited, and she gives me a list. That conversation develops to where I'm happy, and then I have an opportunity to tell a story. Now I'm comfortable. I tell her the story about how I almost got ran over in Albuquerque, and she's gasps and laughs. Perfect. We then talk for the rest of the flight, and we laugh a lot. We then land and it's time to make a real move. We stand up and there are a lot of people close to us, so I decide to confess later. She then says she has all her bags with her and by then I knew I had to tell her soon as I wouldn't be able to at baggage claim. We start to walk down the jetway, and the following happened:
"So you know how you asked me earlier why I sat near the back of the plane?" I say.
"Yeah."
"I did it because I was hoping I would sit next to you."
"Oh, ok."
"Yeah. So do you have a boyfriend?"
"Kind of. There's this kid in Nebraska that I try to have a long distance thing with, but it doesn't really work out."
"Oh, ok."
At this point I could have asked for her number but there's no use, we live an hour away from each other and I don't have a car. We then get to the gate.
"Nice talking to you." She says. "Yeah." I reply with a smile.
That was it between us, I saw her walk away and then I went to the bathroom. As I was walking towards the train in the airport, I saw her get on, and it left. I was too far away to get on the train. That was the last thing I saw of her, her back and her bottom in those blue jeans.
If I could do it all over again I would probably have gotten her Instagram. Although, maybe it's better that I didn't, I now get to keep this memory of her and not see her get together with someone through Instagram. I'll never know, though, as this is all I have of 'Her'.

title: [NF] Her

question: Summarize the theme of this story.

answer: The theme is sometimes you should accept what you get. The narrator seemingly drives home this point in the final paragraph when they address the "what-ifs". Maybe the brief connection with this girl needed to be sufficient and it wasn't meant to be anything more.

question: Summarize why the narrator was on this flight.

question: Summarize the plot twist.

answer: The narrator so far had delighted in this girl's ongoing engagement of his advances, but there is a setback when they ask her if she's seeing someone. She is, and that usually means the end of a pursuit. However, the double twist comes when she says it's long distance and therefore not going well. It's not clear why the narrator does not interpret that as a green light.

question: Summarize what the narrator could have done instead of parting ways.

answer: They could have gotten her phone number or her social media information. If they had felt particularly ballsy, they could have pried a bit more into the situation with her current boyfriend. Maybe she told them it wasn't going well because she knows it's over and wants an excuse to leave. However, that interpretation could lead to unwanted advances.


text:
CLARENCE STRAIT in northern Australia separates Melville Island from the mainland of Australia. It also connects the Beagle Gulf in the west to the Van Diemen Gulf in the east. It is approximately 50 km (31 mi) north of the city of Darwin.

Administrative status

On 4 April 2007, most of the area occupied by the Clarence Strait was gazetted by the Northern Territory Government as a locality with the name, Vernon Islands. The locality has not been added to any existing local government area and is considered to be part of the Northern Territory's unincorporated areas.[1][2][3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)

question: What is a strait?

answer: A bridge of land mass connection two or more masses of land.

question: How far is the Clarence Strait from Darwin?

answer: About 50 km, or 3 miles

question: Which territory is the Clarence Strait in?

answer: Northern Territory.

question: Which island does it connect to Australia's mainland?

answer: Melville Island.


text:
The LANCASTER–TOLSTOI BORDER CROSSING connects the city of Lancaster, Minnesota and community of Tolstoi, Manitoba on the Canada–United States border. It is the westernmost international border crossing in Minnesota following the closure of the Noyes–Emerson East Border Crossing in 2006. The border crossing is surrounded by Kittson County, Minnesota and the Municipality of Emerson - Franklin, Manitoba.

History

This crossing was established in 1950 after U.S. Highway 59 was redirected to connect with the newly-constructed Manitoba Highway 59 in order to provide a more direct route between Thief River Falls, Minnesota and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Prior to that time, U.S. Highway 59 veered west out of Lancaster and joined U.S. Route 75 near the now-closed port of entry at Noyes, Minnesota. When the border crossing was first established in 1950, the U.S. Customs Service operated out of a white two-story building some distance from the border. A brick inspection station was constructed at the border in 1965; this building was replaced with the current facility in 2004. The current Canadian border station was built in 1971.

title: Lancaster–Tolstoi Border Crossing

question: What does the Lancaster-Tolstoi Border crossing connect?

answer: It connects the city of Lancaster, Minnesota and Tolstoi, Manitoba on the Canada-United States border.

question: When was the crossing established?

answer: It was established in 1950

question: What is the relationship between the crossing and U.S. Highway 59?

answer: After the U.S. Highway 59 was redirected to connect with the newly constructed Manitoba Highway 59, the crossing was constructed.

question: What happened in 2004?

answer: A brick inspection station constructed at the border was replaced.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses the Lancaster Tolstoi Border Crossing (It connects Lancaster, Minnesota and Tolstoi, Manitoba on the United States-Canada border.) and its history.


text:
As Tesla 3 unveiled, Greens warn Sydney to go electric or risk choking on tailpipe emissions

Electric car owners should be exempt from paying thousands of dollars in stamp duty and given the right to drive in transit lanes, the NSW Greens have said following Tesla's first release of an electric car for the masses.

As other world cities offer financial incentives to encourage electric car use, NSW is falling behind and losing the opportunity to reduce air and noise pollution on roads, Greens transport spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi says.

The Californian electric car company unveiled its first model aimed at the masses, the Tesla 3, on Friday. Business analysts have called it Tesla's "iPhone moment" after customers queued overnight to order 200,000 cars in the first day, despite the car not shipping until next year. The iconic Detroit car manufacturer Chevy is due to release an affordable electric car next year.

But as countries including Britain, China, France and Spain offer government subsidies worth thousands of dollars for electric car purchases, and in London electric cars are exempt from the congestion charge, the only incentive in NSW is $30 off a registration fee rise.

[Tesla electric car owner Sally Perini, at a charging station on top of Westfield Chatswood. ]

Tesla electric car owner Sally Perini, at a charging station on top of Westfield Chatswood. Credit:Quentin Jones

The Greens have proposed five incentives that would cost the NSW budget $31 million over five years but which they believe will tip the balance in favour of electric cars for many car purchasers in Sydney.

-   Allow electric cars to use transit lanes;
-   Waive stamp duty worth $1200 to $6000;
-   Offer half-price registration fees (a saving of $130 to $170);
-   Purchase electric cars for government fleet use;
-   Install more electric charging stations;

"Electric vehicles are the future and offer significant environmental benefits," Dr Faruqi said.

"The government should provide incentives to put them more within reach of ordinary people, and really jump-start their widespread adoption in Australia."

Greens energy spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said: "Instead of mandating ethanol, which has dubious environmental benefits, the government should be promoting electric vehicles as a truly environmental personal transport solution".

The Tesla Model 3 is expected to cost $50,000 when it arrives in Australia in 2018. The current models are luxury vehicles.

Sally Perini says the upfront cost of her luxury Tesla S series meant it was "a huge decision" to buy the car, one of the first 60 to be imported to Australia.

"The Tesla attracts attention and that's why I thought it would be wonderful to have it. Clean energy technology is exciting," she says.

"Internal combustion engine cars are fossil fuel burning machines on wheels."

Ms Perini says going electric has changed her relationship with her car. She denies becoming a rev head, because she doesn't drive it further. But Ms Perini gushes when she describes the experience: "The car is like a giant computer on wheels".

It drives itself out of her narrow garage without her sitting in it. "I'm not a very good driver. It's just taken so much anxiety away," she says.

Ms Perini says the unveiling of affordable electric cars is a "game changer" for clean energy. But she says now is also the time for governments to step in with incentives.

The Tesla has a range of 400 kilometres before it needs recharging, and Ms Perini, who lives at the foot of the Blue Mountains, says she has never had a problem covering the distance to and from the city. But she says people have anxieties about charging electric cars.

"Most people's daily use of a car is no more than 40 kilometres on average, but because of this country's vast distances, people say, 'Oh, but what if we have to go on a long trip?"'

"We do need help with charging stations to address that anxiety. We certainly need public charging stations for people who don't have access to a garage."

The City of Sydney offers electric car charging in its car parks for no additional cost, and has a fleet of 14 electric vehicles for council staff.

Some Westfield shopping centres, hotels and Stockland centres also offer electric car charging.

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question: What is NSW Greens?

answer: A political party in Australia, apparently.

question: What incentives do the Greens propose?

answer: Allow electric cars to use transit lanes; Waive stamp duty worth $1200 to $6000; Offer half-price registration fees (a saving of $130 to $170); Purchase electric cars for government fleet use; and install more electric charging stations.

question: Why does Ms. Perini say they need more public charging stations in Australia?

answer: Because not everyone has access to a garage, and the country has lots of wide open distances.

question: How does Perini describe conventional cars?

answer: Internal combustion engine cars are fossil fuel burning machines on wheels.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: As Tesla unveils its new Tesla 3, Sydney, Australia emphasizes "go electric or risk choking on tailpipe emissions." The Australian political party, The Greens, has proposed progressive concessions to support electric vehicle adoption including allowing electric cars to use transit lanes, and installing more electric charging stations. The article describes anecdotes from an Australian Tesla owner who loves her car.


text: BOB MARTIN (7 June 1922, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia – 13 January 1998, Vienna, Austria), born LEO HEPPE, was an Austrian singer, who was the first participant representing Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest. The first “Austrian” was Freddy Quinn who represented Germany in . Martin, singing in German “Wohin, kleines Pony?” (Where to, Little Pony?), placed last in the field of ten. He received three points in total - one from the Netherlands and two from the United Kingdom. He has been especially popular in southern Austria.

title: Bob Martin (singer)

question: Why did Bob Martin not go by his birth name (Leo Heppe)?

answer: There is no way to glean this from the passage, but it is possible the aim was to Anglicize the name in order to appeal to wider (Western) audiences.

question: How was Bob Martin not the first Austrian?

answer: Although he was the first Austrian to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, Austrian Freddy Quinn previously participated in the contest (though representing a different country).

question: How many years was Martin active as a singer?

answer: This information is not clear in the text, but one could guess about 50 years, based on his 75-year lifespan, incorporating childhood and potential retirement years.

question: Why did Martin come last in the contest?

answer: This information is not clear in the text.


text:
Rider

Rider

My mom has always been supportive of my career as a musician. My dad never got around to it. The only bands he’d ever listen to were the Beatles and Rolling Stones. He wanted the Beatles played at his funeral, which he got. My mom never talks about the music that she listens to  except for her uncle Alan who toured the Midwest in the 50’s as a troubadour;  he’s still famous in our town.

I haven’t been home in a while, not that I miss it much. I moved to LA when I was 23. I was bored by the people at home. I was bored by my job at the grocery store and tired of not seeing anything. When I moved I had most of my” LA-experiences” during the first six months, right drugs- wrong people, that sort of thing. I thought the substances would inspire me as it seemed to inspire others but that never happened. I also played some gigs with local small-timers but it didn't amount to much.

My fourth summer in LA came around and thats when I met Terrie outside a used-car shop. I’d been looking to replace dad’s station-wagon that I’d driven to the coast. As  I was standing there looking over some of my options I saw the glint of peroxide-blonde hair and sweaty fishnet stockings out of the corner of my eye. I remember the coral lipstick, which I later learned was her favorite, so shiny on those lips. She walked up to me to bum a cigarette. As I’d recently quit smoking I apologized and told her I didn’t have any on me. Disappointed, she asked me for a lighter to borrow if she could bum a smoke from a man that was standing by a newsstand across the street. I didn’t have a lighter either but I reached into my vest pocket for the book of matches I always kept there. As I handed it to her she thanked me and smiled in the most heartbreaking way. I knew that I had to make her mine. Although I was more of what you might call the singer-songwriter type than a rocker, this girl with her glam rock look was something else. Underneath that make up I could see that she was pretty in an old-fashioned way. Later, when we were married, I used to tell her that she was like a burning wheat field blowing in the summer wind; she never understood what I meant and said I was a sucker. Our courtship was quick because her parents were very religious. Terrie was only 21 when we married but they consented and gave us their blessing because I was “a good God-fearing Midwestern boy.”

	Through Terrie I got more involved in the scene and discovered I had a knack for writing catchy riffs. I joined some of the locals who were in need of a guitarist and not long after that we played as support band for a famous band on their US tour. Months of touring and debauchery followed but after rising tensions in the band and disagreements with our management we decided to call it quits.

         Then Terrie got pregnant. She was excited but seeing as her job at the record store didn’t pay much and my being unemployed, I was worried to say the least. Fortunately I lucked out in joining as a touring and studio session guitarist with a band that had just signed  deal with a big label. Unfortunately this meant being on the road for long stretches at a time. Things quickly went downhill in our relationship and it was while touring in Japan that I got the terrible news that Terrie had suffered a miscarriage. She was inconsolable and quit her job. I tried to be home as much as I could to care for her but my obligations took me out of town again. Things between us never recovered after that and I blame myself. Two months after the loss of our child I got a call from Roy, a sergeant in the Marines who tells me he’s in love with my wife and she is in love with him and they are going to Germany. While this news hurt at first I can’t say I was surprised; I kept my nose to the grind to give me something else to think about. One tour lead to another and after 5 years the band went through a lineup change and I was thrust into the role of frontman. Evidently I did something right as we quickly started selling out the largest arenas and stadiums. We got through 3 good tours before ticket sales started to dwindle. These days we play to fairly large clubs and such, I don’t complain, seeing as it brings in good money. I live a private and enjoyable life.
	I’ve never met Terrie since our marriage ended but last I heard Roy was killed in a combat exercise and she had gotten remarried to a journalist. Even though our relationship went to pieces I still cherish terrie and our times together.
	At the venues we play the band usually has extensive requirements to ensure their comfort. My only requests on the rider are one ham sandwich and two fingers of bourbon. I usually go out into whichever city we’re playing that night and walk around while eating my sandwich. Even though the band is still fairly popular people seldom recognize me off the stage. I also try to find a bookstore to buy something by a local author for those long flights and bus rides. Just before showtime I’ll find a quiet spot in the venue and raise a glass for my Terrie.

title: Fisrt Post: "Rider"

question: Why did the narrator move to LA?

answer: The narrator said they were bored of the people in their hometown, and seems to have aspirations of being a musician.

question: Who is Terrie?

answer: Terrie is a girl that the narrator meets outside of a used-car shop. They quickly get married, due to her parents' religiosity.

question: Who is Roy?

answer: Roy is the man that Terrie ends up getting together with, and Terrie's relationship with the narrator deteriorates.

question: What does the narrator do for a living?

answer: The narrator is a musician that tours all over the world.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator moves to LA to escape their boring hometown. In their fourth year in the city, they meet Terrie. They quickly get married and Terrie becomes pregnant. The narrator begins to tour after joining a band. This has a negative affect on the narrator and Terrie's relationship, further exacerbated by Terrie having a miscarriage. Two months after this, the narrator gets a call from Roy, a sergeant in the Marines who tells them that he is in love with Terrie, and they are moving to Germany. The narrator goes on to becoming the frontman of the band, and tours for a good amount of time. Before playing shows, the narrator always toasts to Terrie.


text:
[The 1878 church.] The SANKT-GERTRAUD-KIRCHE is a Protestant church in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany. It is dedicated to Gertrude of Nivelles.

History

It was first built in 1368 by the city's tailors' guild as the “St.-Gertraud-, Urban- und Theobald-Kapelle vor dem Gubener Tor” (Chapel of St Gertrude, Saint Urban and Saint Theobald before the Gubener Gate) to provide a place of worship for merchants heading south and stopping off in the city. That building and its successor stood on what is now the site of the monument to Heinrich von Kleist.

The Gubener Gate and the chapel were both destroyed by the Hussites in 1342, but the chapel was soon rebuilt and in 1539 was used as both a guild chapel and a parish church. Its parish register survives as far back as 1614, though imperial troops burned the church and its district to the ground in April 1631 just before Gustavus Adolphus's troops attacked the city during the Thirty Years War. In 1660 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style and reconsecrated on 25 April 1662. A new altar was installed in 1670 in the late-Gothic style.

After the Napoleonic Wars the tailors' guild could no longer afford to maintain the building and responsibility for this passed to the city authorities. Before the guild's dissolution, it donated a ewer, bowl and table used for baptisms - the silver baptismal bowl is still in use. The church was dilapidated by 1822 and services moved to the Marienkirche instead during 1823 and 1856 whilst restorations were carried out. A commission was set up to build a new Sankt-Gertraud-Kirche in 1865 and construction began in 1873. The new three-aisled Neo Gothic basilica by Carl Christ and Wilhelm Kinzel was completed and consecrated on 20 December 1878, with the new organ installed the following year.

A new spire was added between 1882 and 1885, whilst general repairs removed much of the decoration and added the current peak to the spire around 1930. The church was badly damaged by artillery fire at the end of the Second World War but soon repaired and on 15 May 1949 the congregation left its temporary church and moved back into the permanent building. The parish merged with that of the Marienkirche in 1975 and a floor was put into the nave of the Sankt-Gertraud-Kirche between 1978 and 1980, creating a parish room and parish office on the lower floor and a worship space on the new upper floor. Since 1980 the worship space has also housed the medieval altar, bronze font, seven-branched candlestick and several inscriptions.

Sources

-   http://ns.gis-bldam-brandenburg.de/hida4web/view?docId=obj09110161.xml

category:Churches in Frankfurt (Oder)

FrankfurtOder Gertrud Category:Protestant churches in Brandenburg

title: Sankt-Gertraud-Kirche, Frankfurt (Oder)

question: What church is being described in this article?

answer: The SANKT-GERTRAUD-KIRCHE church is being described in this article.

question: Where is this church located?

answer: It is located in Frankfurt, Germany.

question: What happened to the church at the end of the Second World War?

answer: The church was badly damaged by artillery fire at the end of the Second World War.

question: What was donated before the guild's dissolution?

answer: Before the guild's dissolution, a ewer, bowl, and table used for baptism were donated.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the history and construction, as well as restoration, of SANKT-GERTRAUD-KIRCHE, a Protestant church in Frankfurt, Germany.


text:
“I don’t think you heard me clear enough the first time.” The robber held the weapon to his arm. “If you don’t give me your money, I’ll have to take your arm instead!”

The doctor leaned back in his chair and brought his hand up to his forehead. He couldn’t waste time thinking about his past. The wall clock across from his desk continued to tick. “Just five more minutes,” he thought. To him this was both good and bad. Getting his next patient out of the way early was a relief, but the fact that the time of the appointment was fast approaching made him uneasy. There was something very unsettling about his next patient.

He got up from his chair and walked over to a machine in the back of the room. He set a mug underneath the spout on the machine, and then he pressed the button. A smooth black liquid spilled out of the nozzle and slowly filled his mug. When he was satisfied with the amount, he pressed the button again to stop the flow, and picked the mug up to take it to his desk. He brought the mug to his mouth for a drink, but just as he did so the ringing of his telephone startled him. Not wanting to leave anyone waiting, he set the mug down on his desk.

“Hello?”

“Good morning sir. Your patient is here, should I send him up?”

“Is there anyone else with him?”

“Just a couple of soldiers, sir.”

“Good, send him in.”

“Uh… sir?”

“Yes?”

His secretary paused as if trying to think of the right way to word the question.

“How soon do you expect a full recovery?”

“Possibly by the end of next week if all goes well.”

“That’s good news sir.”

“I’d say so. Maybe then I could perform a surgery. I may be good at psychology, but I prefer to do something more straightforward.”

He hung up the phone and reached over to pick up his mug. His hand slipped however and he tried to steady the mug with his other hand. A jolt of pain shot up his arm and the contents of the mug spilled all over his desk. He clenched his jaw and held on to the stump that was once his wrist. When the pain finally subsided he looked at his arm to see if he had caused it any further damage. Two metal bars stuck out from the stump. He could see a few cracks running through them. Thin metal pipes stuck out at awkward angles around the two bars. Some of the pipes were bent, while others had oil oozing out of them. He must have broken some of the valves. The worst of the damage was a thin crack that ran along the length of his forearm. Thanks to his clumsiness it was going to take a lot longer for the nanomachines to rebuild his arm.

About a Minute later, the doctor heard a knock at the door. “Come in!” he said as he was wiping a rag across his desk. The two soldiers entered the room. They flanked the patient on both sides and carried energy spears to keep him under control. He was slouching forward like he had been defeated. The doctor could see a few stab wounds on his arms.

“We brought the prisoner in for his appointment.” The soldier looked at the doctor’s desk. “Did you spill something?”

“Just a little oil. It shouldn’t be too difficult to clean up.”

“if you need us we will be waiting outside the door.” He pointed to the patient. “He doesn’t have any weapons, but you should try to be careful nonetheless.”

The two soldiers walked out of the room and closed the door. The doctor then got up from his desk and sat down at a chair in a corner of the room. He motioned for his patient to sit in the chair opposite from him. The patient had a somewhat generic build. He looked very similar to the soldiers that had brought him into the room. Except his eyes were on the front of his face, as opposed to the sides. His eyes always made the doctor uneasy. While most robots have lights for their eyes, the patient’s lights were different. They were small, like the light of a laser, making his eye sockets look dark and empty. This was very uncommon in robots. But very common with the disorder his patient had. He stared at the patient’s eyes for a few minutes, hoping that he would ask a question. When he didn’t, the doctor decided to break the silence.

“So it’s been about a fortnight since our last appointment right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Two weeks.”

“Interesting. So have you seen any improvement of your condition?”

“I guess you could say so. I haven’t recovered my memory, but I don’t think that I’ve lost anything yet.”

“So you haven’t had any more episodes?” he paused to reword his question. “You haven’t had any visions?”

“Not yet. None since the first one.”

“Let’s recap,” the doctor opened his folder, “at your last appointment you said you relived the final moments of some kind of ancient machine. What did this machine look like?”

“It wasn’t a machine. It was a living creature, like a bird, or a cow.”

“A cow? So this cow had sentience?” The doctor said, confused.

“Well, no. It walked on two legs like a robot, except it was a living creature. It didn’t have any metal parts or lights for eyes.”

The doctor was still pretty confused. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of an animal that could think for itself. “Why don’t we move on to something else. What exactly happened to this ‘bipedal
cow’?”

“Okay,” The patient forced himself not to correct the doctor again, “It was 1:00 in the morning, and he was trying to contact his son. His phone wasn’t working, and none of the other devices in his house were working either. It was like there was a power outage, but everything lost power. Even the things that used batteries. At this point he started to panic. He grabbed his shotgun and went outside to see if his dog was safe. The dog started to freak out and began barking incessantly. It sounded like it had just heard a pack of wolves in the distance, and sadly this wasn’t far from the truth. In a few seconds, thousands of robots came running toward the house. They were carrying spears, swords and all sorts of energy weapons. He tried to shoot a few of them down with his shotgun, but sadly the bullets bounced harmlessly off of their armor. The last I saw was the dog getting cut into ribbons by the robots as the man was forced to watch.”

“And that was what set you off?”

“Yes, I couldn’t remember anything else before what had happened to the man and his dog. So I saw the robots around me as enemies,” he looked at the stab wounds on his arms.

The doctor wrote a few more notes in his folder, and then he looked back at his patient. “That will be enough for today. I’ll schedule an appointment for next week, and we’ll see how you’re doing then.”

“Are there other people with a problem like mine?” the patient said

“Indeed there are others. But don’t worry. You’ll receive the same treatment they received.”

The patient seemed a little more hopeful and walked out of the office in high spirits. The doctor sat in his chair for a few more minutes then slowly got up and walked to a calendar by his desk. He felt sad for what he would have to do next. The disorder his patient had wasn’t common. It was a fault in the coding that would cause its victim’s memories to be replaced by the memories of someone from a time long passed. Whether these memories were real or not, he didn’t know. What he did know however was that those who suffered from this disorder would lash out against their friends and family after each episode. This was the third time this had happened to his patient and it needed to be stopped before more robots died. He picked up his pen and wrote the date on his calendar.

June 17th Execution

title: The Doctor's Office

question: How did the doctor lose his hand?

answer: It seems that a robber cut the doctor's hand off when he refused to give him his money.

question: How was the robot wounded?

answer: He does not remember.

question: What did happen to the robot?

answer: He lost his memory.

question: Is the doctor going to help the robot?

answer: No. It seems the doctor appoints the robot's execution.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: The doctor is waiting for his next patient. Two soldiers bring him in, warn the doctor to be cautious, and walk out of the room. The patient is a robot with amnesia. The doctor asks him if he sees any improvement in his condition and if he had any visions. The robot described how a creature was attacked. The doctor tells the robot he will schedule an appointment next week, and the robot leaves. The doctor realizes that the robot's condition is caused by a fault in the coding that would cause its victim’s memories to be replaced by the memories of someone from a time long passed. The doctor knows he needs to stop this before more robots die and schedule the robot's execution.