text:
Direct Action policy is off to great start after spending just over a quarter of its $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), Environment Minister Greg Hunt says.

Results show that the Government's first auction purchased 47 million tonnes of carbon abatement for $660 million.

The ERF is the centrepiece of the Direct Action policy and is designed to do the heavy lifting in reducing Australia's emissions.

Mr Hunt said this proved to the world that there were other, more effective ways, to reduce emissions, other than a "great big electricity tax".

"This is a stunning result for Australia, a stunning result for the Government - but most importantly it's a stunning result for the environment," he said.

One hundred and seven contracts have been awarded, however the results do not reveal how much each particular project received.

Instead the Government released an average price of $13.50 per tonne of carbon.

Auction participant and drought-affected land holder John Bull was successful in the auction and happy with the result.

Mr Bull said he will nurture the growth of native trees like mulga and bimblebox, which store carbon in their trunks, for their lifetime - usually about 100 years.

"It all worked out pretty well and has been a worthwhile exercise, its provided some certainty around income," he said.

Josh Harris from Climate Friendly, a company which provides carbon management solutions, managed 16 projects in the auction, all of which were successful.

"It's a great day for Aussie farmers and what we know now is that they've got a new income stream up to 10 years, generated though contracts with the Government," Mr Harris said.

'Medium-term sustainability of the scheme is a concern'

With more than a quarter of the scheme's $2.55 billion already spent, concerns over the long-term sustainability of the scheme have been raised.

Hugh Grossman from energy analyst company RepuTex, which modelled the ERF, said that it remained to be seen what would happen if ERF funding was exhausted.

"On the present trajectory, the ERF budget would be eroded very quickly, so the medium-term sustainability of the scheme is a concern," Mr Grossman said.

"The auction result indicates that landfill gas and native forest protection project developers have sought to 'cash in' from the first auction, while industry waits to participate."

The Clean Energy Regulator, which ran the auction, said it could not have asked for a better level of participation.

Chief executive Chloe Munro said people should not be concerned or draw any conclusions from the amount spent in the first auction.

"You can't extrapolate from the results of a single auction what the outcome will be across the ERF," Ms Munro said.

"We were very happy with the mix of the projects that were presented.

"It's put the Emissions Reduction Fund on a good track for the future."

Climate groups responded cautiously to the news.

Climate Institute chief executive John Connor said the auction results highlighted weakness in the scheme.

"Through the ERF, the Government has shifted the responsibility for pollution reduction from the polluter to the taxpayer," Mr Connor said.

The next auction has not been scheduled but it is expected they will occur quarterly.

[]

A breakdown of the first ERF auction results.(Supplied: Clean Energy Regulator)

question: What is the centerpiece of the Direct Action Policy?

answer: The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) is the centerpiece of the Direct Action Policy.

question: Where are the initiatives of the Emissions Reduction Fund taking place?

answer: In Australia

question: What are one of the concerns voiced about the initiative?

answer: Concerns over the long-term sustainability of the scheme have been voiced.

question: Which group seems the most hesitant about this initiative?

answer: Climate groups seem the most hesitant about the initatives

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses an initiative called Emission Reduction Funds, which has been heavily invested in by Australia's government to reduce Australia's emission.


split: train

text:
Picture rain making the dirt into mud under the grass. Feel the cold puddles seep into your shoes and squish with your socks. Hear the thunder. The cool drops of rain hit your skin. It’s making your skin raise up with goosebumps. Watch the lightning light up the dark world like a strobe light at a rave. You know it’s bright, and it might even blind you for a quick moment. Suddenly, everything seems suspended in the air. The world feels like it’s stopped, like a giant pause button has been pressed so everything’s still. The rain hangs there. Thunder is silent. Even the lightning isn’t as bright. Everything has become dull, and there you are in the middle of it.

This is where it starts. This is where everything begins: at the pausing of time. Life as you know it has changed, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re stuck in between the void of this world and the next. It’s all gone downhill, and you’re caught like a rat by a cat. What can you do? Absolutely nothing. In fact, do you even know what just happened?

You’ve died.

Yes. That’s right. You’ve died. You are dead, and there’s nothing to do but stand there, looking at this page. This page of words is telling you that you are no longer living, and you don’t believe it. It’s obvious that you don’t. Nobody would. Nobody ever does until they finish reading this.

What happened, you ask. How did I die, you ask. Actually, there are a lot of things you ask and a lot of things that you scream and a lot of things you just yell. There’s no need for that. What you need to do is remain calm. It will all be okay. After all, you are dead. It won’t get any worse.

Roaming this world isn’t so bad. You just have to find the end. That’s all. Find the end and you’re out, home free. Getting there won’t be easy, but you have to if you want to get out of this frozen world. This isn’t a purgatory. This isn’t a punishment. This is your challenge. You have to escape this place. You won’t find anyone else in this vast, frozen world. You’ll only find yourself. Alone.

Go ahead. Find your exit.

title: Frozen

question: What is this story foreshadowing?

answer: This story is foreshadowing death.

question: How does the narrator explain getting out of this frozen purgatory?

answer: The narrator explains the only way to get out of this frozen purgatory is to "find your exit". It won't be easy and it will be a challenge, but you can escape.


text: A young traveller set his steed to gallop forth from the hamlet, harboring a freight of crumblecakes, humble pie, and a flask of mutton chowder. When dusk drew nigh, the hungry lad, carrying nary but a burlap sack and an unsheathed cutlass, happened upon a thicket of mangrove saplings. Said the saplings of the boy, "We pray thee not cleave thine halberd unto our husks! In our stead, decorticate thither elderberry bush upon the summit of of snowfall!" The lad, hoisting himself upon the mare with haste, fared north through the billows of the river and west betwixt the fallow canyons of bower. Walking apace atop a windy mount whereon grew the elderberry bush, grave were his spirits and empty were his intestines. Upon the icy mount the hardy-minded wayfarer stood aground, and seeking to instill a throng of sorrows upon the mighty elderberry bush with his famed falchion, the lad steadied his hand-spear above breast of the mighty shrub. On the brink of sword-swing, he yielded ere he bequeath the vegetable's final request. Thus spake the elderberry bush, "O, through vault of heaven bestirred by such sin-flecked beings, ride we anon! O, along woodland haunts and heirlooms of girded bairns, seekest thine most loyal liegemen! Hurry, my kinsman, to the midwives of brinewolves thou so-est despair. A face so fettered with bloodlust, so deftly dopping among the turbid winds of time, shalt not behest of the hellish fiend. Spurn thine baleful wields unto the rift of linden and begone!" Thus spake the elderberry bush.

title: The Fable of the Elderberry and the Wayfarer

question: Where is the elderberry?

answer: On an icy mountain west of the bower canyons and north of the river

question: What did the elderberry say?

answer:
literally: ""O, through vault of heaven bestirred by such sin-flecked beings, ride we anon! O, along woodland haunts and heirlooms of girded bairns, seekest thine most loyal liegemen! Hurry, my kinsman, to the midwives of brinewolves thou so-est despair. A face so fettered with bloodlust, so deftly dopping among the turbid winds of time, shalt not behest of the hellish fiend. Spurn thine baleful wields unto the rift of linden and begone!"

interpretation: uncertain

question: Why did the traveller look for the elderberry?

answer: To eat the elderberry.

question: Who are the characters in the story?

answer: The wayfarer, the mangrove saplings, and the elderberry bush

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The wayfarer is a young man travelling on a steed in a world where the plants are able to speak. A thicket of mangrove saplings begs him to spare their life and in turn they tell him the location of the elderberry bush. Despite his hunger, the wayfarer seeks out the elderberry. The elderberry makes a last request when the man finds it.


text:
 This article is more than 4 YEARS OLD

Violence that erupted in mid-September shows no sign of abating with separate attacks in West Bank that left four Palestinians dead

[Israeli soldiers body check a journalist after clashes in a West Bank village north of Hebron]

Israeli soldiers body check a journalist after clashes in a West Bank village north of Hebron. Hebron has been a frequent flashpoint in the recent spate of violence. Photograph: Abed Al Hashlamoun/EPA

Four Palestinians have wounded several Israeli soldiers in separate attacks before they were shot and killed by Israeli forces, the military has said following the latest violence in more than two months of almost daily Palestinian assaults against civilians and soldiers.

The attacks that began in mid-September are showing no sign of abating. Violence erupted over tensions at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, and quickly escalated and spread to the West Bank, Israel and the Gaza border.

So far, 19 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings and shootings. At least 106 Palestinians have also died, including 71 said by Israel to be attackers. The others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

In Friday’s assaults, three Palestinians stabbed Israeli soldiers in two separate incidents and, later, a Palestinian rammed his car into troops at an army post in the West Bank, wounding two soldiers before he was shot and killed by other troops at the scene.

In one of the earlier incidents, a Palestinian stabbed a soldier in the neck during a security inspection near the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, the Israeli military said. It said troops at the scene opened fire and killed the attacker.

In the other incident, two Palestinians attacked a soldier with knives in Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, wounding him before Israeli troops shot and killed them, the military said.

A total of four Israeli soldiers were wounded in Friday’s attacks – but non were hurt seriously.

Hebron has been a frequent flashpoint in the recent violence. The city is home to 850 Israelis who live in heavily guarded enclaves, surrounded by tens of thousands of Palestinians. Many of the Palestinian attackers in the past months of bloodshed have been from Hebron.

Israel says the current spate of violence is due to incitement by Palestinian leaders over the Jerusalem holy site as well as videos encouraging violence spread on social media. Palestinians say it is rooted in frustration over years of failed talks and lack of hope of gaining statehood.

question: How old is this article?

answer: No explicit date is given but it was reposted more than 4 years after it was originally published.

question: What is the source of conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis?

answer: The text indicates that the source of conflict is primarily religious but also territorial.

question: How many Israelis live in Hebron?

answer: At the time of this article, 850.

question: Is Hebron a Palestinian or Israeli city?

answer: The article states it is Palestinian.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article details some violent events resulting from a conflict between Palestine and Israel. The violence erupted over tensions surrounding a holy site in Jerusalem that is important to both parties and has spread throughout the area.


text:
Key Words

Published: Dec. 4, 2017 at 4:53 p.m. ET

[]

Sen. Chuck Grassley.

 Getty

Sen. Chuck Grassley, what do _you_ think about getting rid of the federal estate tax?

“ ‘I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.’ ”

Yes, the Iowa Republican took a page from Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” playbook in discussing his thoughts on repealing or modifying the so-called “death” tax with the Des Moines Register over the weekend.

Critics contend, of course, that such a move is nothing more than a juicy kiss blown to the rich, which will only widen the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

Grassley, apparently, believes that those not benefiting from the repeal of the tax are missing out because they are, well, drinking, womanizing and watching movies instead of saving their money.

Grassley, specifically — and some would say wrongly — claims the estate tax is an unfair burden on farmers and small-business owners.

“The federal estate tax may force family members to liquidate to pay the death tax,” he said earlier this year. “It’s harder than ever for families to pass down the family-run farm or business from one generation to the next. The death tax creates financial hardship for family businesses to survive and thrive.”

As it stands now, the estate tax is a 40% tax on wealth assessed when a person dies, and is aimed only at assets above $5.5 million for individuals and $11 million for couples. The House and Senate bills would increase the exemptions up to $11 million and $22 million, respectively. The House version gets rid of the tax completely in 2024.

Grassley’s quotable comment was given a run for its money by another remark during the tax-bill debate from Sen. Orrin Hatch.

The Utah Republican, pressed by Democratic colleague Sherrod Brown of Ohio over why the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, was not in line for funding, recalled his role in creating the program and his support for it in the years since, but continued: “I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and billions and trillions of dollars to help people who won’t help themselves — won’t lift a finger — and expect the federal government to do everything.”

question: Why is the federal estate tax referred to as the "death" tax?

answer: Because the federal estate tax is a tax on the transfer of the estate of a deceased person.

question: Who was said to benefit from the tax?

answer: The rich.

question: Who suffers more if the tax is modified?

answer: Family-run businesses.

question: What did Grassley think about the federal estate tax?

answer: It appears that Grassley was not in favor of the tax.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes Senator Chuck Grassley's opinion concerning getting rid of the federal estate tax. He talked about how the tax would affect the survival of family businesses because of the hardship it would likely create. He also claimed it's an unfair burden on farmers and small business owners.


text:
HENRY JONES LANCHESTER (1834–1914) F.R.I.B.A was an English architect and surveyor. Most of his building work was carried out in Greenwich and Hove.

Biography

Lanchester was born on 5 January 1834, at Islington, the son of Frederick Lanchester and Mary Ann Smith.[1]

In 1850, Lanchester began his architectural career. Articled to William Wallen, he was educated in various offices; namely those of John Wallen, Edward Ryde, Charles Broadbridge and William James Gardiner.[2]

In 1856, Lanchester began to practice in his own right as a qualified architect and surveyor. He was responsible for the construction of a number of buildings in the vicinity of Greenwich and was also engaged in railway and estate surveying.[3]

When the 1860 Volunteer movement was started, Lanchester joined the ‘Six-Foot Guards’, “so called because every member of the corps was six feet more”.[4]

In 1862, Lanchester married Octavia Ward (1834–1916), and they went on to produce five sons and three daughters.[5]

By 1870, the Lanchester family had moved to Brighton[6] where Henry was engaged for many years in the laying out and building work on the extensive Stanford Estate.[7] He is recorded as the consulting architect for the renaissance style Palmeira Mansions, built 1883–1884, in Church Road, Hove.[8]

During this period he produced a handbook: _How to Make a House Healthy and Comfortable_.[9] He also pursued his interest in the problem of London traffic; preparing several improvement schemes dealing with the matter.[10]

In 1874, Lanchester joined the Royal Institute of British Architects as an Associate becoming a RIBA Fellow in 1903.[11]

In 1878, Lanchester gave notice to the Office of Commissioners in York, of his intention to apply for patent in respect of the invention of “an improved facing brick or tile.”[12]

In January 1914, Lanchester died at Lindfield, near Haywards Heath; it was his 80th birthday.[13]

Children of Henry Jones Lanchester

HENRY VAUGHAN LANCHESTER (1863–1953) was born at St. John's Wood. He was articled to his father and trained to be an architect.[14]

FREDERICK WILLIAM LANCHESTER (1868–1946) was born at Lewisham. Frederick turned to invention and development in various fields of science and engineering. With his brothers he formed the Lanchester Engine Company and became a significant British motor-car builder. He also contributed to the study of aeronautics, prior to and after, the first successful powered fight.[15]

FRANCIS LANCHESTER (born 1870) was born in Brighton. Francis (Frank) Lanchester was a co-founder of the Lanchester Engine Company.

GEORGE HERBERT LANCHESTER (1874–1970) was born at Hove. In 1899, the brothers, George, Frank and Frederick Lanchester formed the Lanchester Engine Company which became the Lanchester Motor Company Ltd. George Lanchester headed the company after the departure of Frederick Lanchester, in 1899; and is credited with the design of the Lanchester Thirty-Eight.

EDITH LANCHESTER (1871–1966) was born in Hove. Edith Lanchester became an active member of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) political party and in October 1895, she announced that she intended to live in a de facto relationship with fellow socialist, Shamus Sullivan (1872–1945).[16] Incensed by her ‘immorality’, Edith's father and her older brothers kidnapped her and had her committed to the Rochampton Asylum on the grounds of “over-education”. “The Lanchester Kidnapping Case”, as it became known, motivated the press to seize upon the behaviour of her father, who in turn, wrote to _The Times_ telling the paper’s readers that his daughter was not of sound mind and that her “’naturally impressionable nature’ and ‘overstudy’ had made her susceptible to ‘dangerous doctrines’”.[17] Edith Lanchester was released from the Asylum as the doctors could not honestly detain her and “considered her perfectly sane, although somewhat foolish”. Edith and her father never again spoke to each other.[18] Edith is the mother of actress Elsa Lanchester.

[1] Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History, http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Henry_Jones_Lanchester

[2] Brodie A. (ed.) 2001, _Directory of British Architects, 1834-1914: Vol. 2 (L-Z_), Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects: London, Continiuum. p 8

[3] ‘Obituary’, _The Building News_ No. 3079, January to June 1914, p.54. Available https://archive.org/stream/buildingnewseng106londuoft#page/n35/mode/2up

[4] ‘Obituary’, _The Building News_

[5] Burwood, S. in Magill, F.N. (ed.) 1999, _The 20th Century Go-N: Dictionary of World Biography, Volume 8_, New York: Routledge, P.2069

[6] Grace's Guide

[7] Obituary,_The Building News_

[8] Judy Middleton 2003 , ‘Palmeira Mansions, Church Road, Hove’, http://hovehistory.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/palmeira-mansions-church-road-hove.html

[9] Lanchester, H.J. 1873, _How to Make a House Healthy and Comfortable_, London: Simpkins Marshall

[10] ‘Obituary’, _The Building News_

[11] ‘Obituary’, _The Building News_

[12] _The London Gazette_,4 June 1878 available online, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24589/page/3435

[13] 'Obituary’, _The Building News_

[14] Brodie A. (ed.) 2001, _Directory of British Architects_ p.9

[15] Burwood, S. in Magill, F.N. (ed.) 1999

[16] http://elsalanchester.freeservers.com/bio.htm

[17] Freeman N. 2011, _1895: Drama, Disaster and Disgrace in Late Victorian Britain_, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

[18] Freeman,N. 2011

title: Henry Jones Lanchester

question: Where did Henry begin his architectural career?

answer: His architectural career began when he articled to William Wallen.

question: Did Henry practice on his own?

answer: Yes, he began practicing on his own in 1856.

question: Who did Lanchester marry?

answer: Lanchester married Octavia Ward.

question: Has Lanchester written any books?

answer: Yes, Lanchester has written - How to Make a House Healthy and Comfortable.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer:
Henry Jones Lanchester was an architect and surveyor. He began his architectural career with William Wallen with an Articleship. During the Volunteer movement of 1860, Lanchester joined the 'Six-Foot Guards'.

Henry is responsible for the building work of Stanford Estate. He was also the consulting architect for the renaissance style Palmeira Mansions in Hove. He was a RIBA Fellow at the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Lanchester was married to Octavia Ward in 1862, they had five sons and three daughters.


text:
The SCOTLAND NATIONAL MEN'S LACROSSE TEAM is governed by Lacrosse Scotland and is coached by Matt Bagley.

History

Prior to the Lockerbie air disaster in December 1988, the men's game had not been represented in Scotland since the turn of the 20th century. The tragedy of Pan Am Flight 103 saw many Syracuse University students perish and on a memorial visit one year later the University's lacrosse team were surprised that there was no Scotland national men's team for them to compete against. The country was challenged to pull together an inaugural and bona fide team; this was achieved some eight months later and following the 1990 World Championships the men's team played their first representative match. Scotland has now played memorial games against Syracuse during visits to Lockerbie to pay their respects to those lost in the air disaster, and hope this fixture will continue into the future.

The 1994 World Series was a tremendous showcase for the sport and an opportunity for Scotland to make its name on the World stage. Scotland wanted people in Scotland to hear more about this fine sport and inspire greater grass roots participation through the existing British Lacrosse Development Program. The development game, Pop Lacrosse, a mixed sport played in schools is growing at an impressive rate. During 1997/8 Pop Lacrosse was introduced to nearly 100 schools in the Fife, Lothian, SW Region, Perthshire, Tayside, Central and Strathclyde areas. The numbers of players coached was in excess of 10,000 and the number of PE teachers educated in coaching was nearly 250.

Since that time Scotland have been represented at every European and World Championships held. Scotland have ranked 3rd in Europe and 6th in the World Championships.[1]

World Lacrosse Championships

2014

This was the second World Championships with Head Coach John Kenney at helm, after an impressive 7th placed finish in 2010. Scotland were placed in the White Division and won all 3 pool games, scoring 61 goals in the process, and advanced to play Finland in the play-in games. Scotland overcame Finland and then New Zealand to advance into the quarter finals. A narrow defeat to the Iroqouis (10-8) saw Scotland face-off against Japan, with a place in the elite Blue Division at stake. After two periods of over time, Scotland took the victory (9-8). The final game of the tournament pitched the Scots against their rivals England in a fierce game that ended with another narrow defeat (15-13). Despite this narrow loss Scotland still finished in 6th place overall and will compete in the Blue Division in 2018.

2010

In the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship, Scotland was in the Turquoise Division. They won their division with a 3-0 record, and finished with an overall record of 6-2, earning them a 7th-place finish overall. Game results were as follows:[2]

  Winning team   Losing team      Score
  -------------- ---------------- -------
  Scotland       Latvia           20-4
  Scotland       New Zealand      18-8
  Scotland       France           19-2
  Scotland       Czech Republic   17-14
  Scotland       Ireland          15-9
  Australia      Scotland         20-11
  England        Scotland         23-9
  Scotland       Netherlands      11-10

Roster

  Name                    Position   Height   Weight   Date of birth   Home team
  ----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- --------------- ----------------------
  Thomas Barker           Midfield   179 cm   76 kg    10 Apr 1985     Sheffield Steelers
  Myles Bonnar            Attack     183 cm   80 kg    6 Nov 1987      Stirling Uni.
  Jordan Coffey           Attack     182 cm   83 kg    2 Apr 1987      Ajax Rock
  Stuart Craig            Midfield   190 cm   82 kg    20 Mar 1987     Wilmslow
  Nicholas Duncan-Price   Midfield   180 cm   80 kg    21 Sep 1979     University of Bath
  Jesse Fehr              Attack     183 cm   88 kg    29 Apr 1987     Harvard University
  Douglas Freeman         Defence    188 cm   99 kg    6 Jan 1983      Ohio Weselyan Uni.
  Dave Gill               Midfield   180 cm   76 kg    13 Nov 1990     Loughborough Uni.
  Ethan Harris            Goalie     171 cm   78 kg    20 Apr 1981     UMBC
  Brendan Healy           Midfield   180 cm   81 kg    8 Apr 1984      Maryland Uni.
  Ian Healy               Attack     170 cm   82 kg    12 Jan 1981     Maryland Uni.
  Dan Heighway            Attack     185 cm   78 kg    15 Aug 1980     Heaton Mersey
  Richard Heighway        Midfield   180 cm   77 kg    19 May 1986     Heaton Mersey
  Robert Hetherington     Defence    190 cm   94 kg    23 Nov 1987     Stirling University
  Timo Higgins            Goalie     183 cm   88 kg    8 Sep 1988      St. Andrews Uni.
  James Huntington        Midfield   188 cm   82 kg    1 Oct 1986      Stirling University
  Troy Kachor             Midfield   180 cm   75 kg    11 Sep 1988     Calgary Mountaineers
  Malcolm Kent            Midfield   178 cm   73 kg    8 Dec 1988      Stirling University
  Tommy Kirkland          Defence    181 cm   76 kg    10 June 1991    Timperley
  Conor McLaughlin        Defence    175 cm   73 kg    20 June 1991    Muhlenberg College
  Julian MacMillan        Midfield   175 cm   84 kg    20 Apr 1987     Saint Leo Uni.
  Rory Marsden            Defence    192 cm   89 kg    5 Dec 1981      Stirling University
  Graham Monaghan         Attack     185 cm   75 kg    5 Sep 1989      Sussex Uni.
  Quentin Morgan          LSM        153 cm   77 kg    13 Apr 1988     St. Andrews Uni.
  Chris Paton             Attack     175 cm   94 kg    18 Oct 1987     Glasgow Uni.
  Michael Rushworth       Defence    180 cm   110 kg   29 May 1988     Aberdeen Uni.
  James Slade             Midfield   180 cm   81 kg    18 May 1985     Western Ontario Uni.
  Calum Watson            Defence    183 cm   83 kg    12 Dec 1981     Manchester Uni.

[3]

2006

In the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship, Scotland was in the “red division”, i.e. the second tier. Results were as follows:

  Winning team   Losing team   Score
  -------------- ------------- -------
  Scotland       Italy         13–12
  Scotland       Wales         7–3
  Ireland        Scotland      16–9
  Scotland       Hong Kong     21–3

Red division standings after the round-robin phase of the tournament were:

1.  Ireland
2.  Scotland
3.  Italy
4.  Wales
5.  Hong Kong

Finals

With the nations ranked amongst their division, they played off for their final standings. The winner from each lower group played a lower-ranked nation from Blue division for their shot at the championship. Scotland's results were as follows:

  Winning team   Losing team   Score
  -------------- ------------- -------
  Italy          Scotland      10–7
  Scotland       Netherlands   15–3

The final standings were:

1.  Canada
2.  USA
3.  Australia
4.  Iroquois Nation
5.  England
6.  Japan
7.  Ireland
8.  Germany
9.  Finland
10. Italy
11. Scotland
12. Netherlands
13. Wales
14. Latvia
15. Czech Republic
16. Denmark
17. Spain
18. South Korea
19. New Zealand
20. Hong Kong
21. Bermuda

European Lacrosse Championships

Scotland has been represented in every European Championship, dating back to the very first one in 1995 in Prague-Pilsen, Czech Republic. In the latest games in 2012, Scotland finished 6th out of 17 participating countries.

  Year   Location        Place
  ------ --------------- --------
  2012   Amsterdam       6th[4]
  2008   Lahti           9th
  2004   Prague          3rd
  2001   Cardiff         4th
  2000   Glasgow         3rd
  1999   Manchester      3rd
  1997   Stockholm       6th
  1996   Düsseldorf      3rd
  1995   Prague-Pilsen   4th

National Box Lacrosse team

The Scotland national indoor lacrosse team was reformed in 2018 through the generation of a domestic box lacrosse league and is currently managed by Brendan Cook (General Manager), Brian Witmer (Head Coach) and Navi Mahal (Assistant Coach). The team will be participating in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships 2019.

Under-19 team

Scotland made their first appearance in the Men's Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships during the 2008 tournament.[5] The team placed eighth overall out of twelve competing nations.[6]

[1] http://www.lacrossescotland.com/page/national/senior-men/information-3668/

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Scotland men's national lacrosse team

question: Who coaches the Scotland men's national lacrosse team?

answer: Matt Bagley.

question: Who governs the Scotland men's national lacrosse team?

answer: Lacrosse Scotland.

question: What caused lacrosse to return to Scotland?

answer: The Lockerbie air disaster.

question: What university lost many students in the Lockerbie air disaster?

answer: Syracuse University.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about the Scotland men's national lacrosse team. It discusses the history of the sport in Scotland, the Lockerbie air disaster, and lists players and teams from past seasons.


text:
TELSTRA HAS CALLED ON THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO GIVE IT MORE TIME TO IMPLEMENT A PROPOSED MANDATORY DATA PRESERVATION SYSTEM, ALSO STATING THAT IT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR SUCH A SYSTEM.

Keeping data on certain persons of interest is a requirement under the proposed Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011, which a joint select committee examined today. Under the proposed amendment, which is being made primarily to ensure that Australia meets the requirements to accede to the Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, internet service providers (ISPs) would be legally required to be able to preserve and store data for up to 180 days when served a notice by participating foreign nations. This data would be released later, once a warrant is issued.

Telstra already has in place the necessary systems to preserve data when necessary local warrants are sought, but not for the longer 180-day period specified in the Bill.

The draft Bill specifies that ISPs should have their systems compliant 28 days after the Act receives Royal Assent. However, representatives for Telstra have said that it and other ISPs would not be able to make arrangements to comply within the timeframe, calling instead for an implementation study period.

"Telstra suggests there be an implementation study period of 90 days following the Royal Assent of the Bill to enable [ISPs] to undertake the necessary feasibility and impact studies on our networks, and that there should then be an exemption process for [ISPs] of up to 18 months following that implementation study period, to enable [ISPs] to physically design, build, integrate and test the new systems and network upgrades, to ensure the data the law enforcement has requested can be delivered in a secure and safe method according to the lead agency's standards," said Telstra director, government relations, James Shaw.

In addition, Shaw said that ISPs are currently experiencing a large number of changes, such as altering their business processes and systems for the National Broadband Network (NBN) and IPv6. These changes would make implementing a preservation system more complex, he said.

"The activities required to comply with these arrangements are likely to require [ISPs] to divert a significant amount of time and financial resources, and are likely to involve significant amendments to our network and IT systems, which, in a company as complex as ours, are not straightforward and we suspect will also involve a reconsideration of capital programs and business planning programs within the business," Shaw said.

However, assistant secretary, telecommunications and surveillance law branch, Catherine Smith, of the Attorney-General's Department, said that she was surprised to hear that the changes to accommodate the legislative amendment would be so onerous. She said that she had thought the changes that ISPs would have to make would be minimal.

"I didn't understand from my discussions that there would be any need to build delivery standards, or have any specifications or anything like that. We're not going to tell them how to do it; we want them to tell us how it's best to be done," Smith said, pointing out that the requirements of the Act and Convention allowed ISPs to implement the system in any manner that they preferred.

"The Act and the Convention doesn't require stored information to be stored in a specific way. It doesn't require any capability. The convention already talks about not requiring industry to go outside their particular practices," she said.

"It may be in the case for a small ISP, for example, that they copy some emails on to a CD-ROM, they lock it in a protective filing cabinet and then, when the warrant comes in, that's what they hand in. There's no perfect science in how this will actually be done."

Telstra also said that it should not be responsible for the whole cost of having to implement the preservation system, since it wasn't a core part of its business.

"[These obligations] should be subject to further discussion with government as the proposed amendments we believe will place a significant resource burden on [ISPs] in the form of cost and manpower," Shaw said.

Smith said that the government is already making the necessary arrangements to compensate ISPs.

"The Telecommunications Act is being amended to ensure that [ISPs] will be able to recover costs for foreign preservation notices, and the domestic ones as well, for giving that information, storing that information and passing it over," she said.

Other organisations at the inquiry, such as the Australian Privacy Foundation and the Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, kept privacy as a key focus of their submissions. However, when Telstra was asked if the company had any privacy concerns over the secondary use of preserved data, the company admitted that privacy had not been a focus area with regards to its submission.

"I don't think that's really an issue we've turned our mind to, to be quite honest. Our focus in dealing with this legislation has been around our obligation to preserve and then provide that [data], and how we can do that in the most cost-efficient way, but bearing in mind the need for utmost security around the preservation and transfer of that data."

question: What is Telstra?

answer: It appears to be a company that is an internet service provider, available in Australia.

question: What do "ISPs" refer to?

answer: Internet service providers.

question: To what government is the Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 being proposed?

answer: The Australian Federal Government.

question: Who is Catherine Smith?

answer: The assistant secretary of the telecommunications and surveillance law branch of the Attorney-General's department.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: In this article, internet service provider Telstra is highlighted as requesting a delay period for responding to Australia's legislation that would require them to store data for 180 days for cyber-security purposes. The legislation requires changes to Telstra's systems and bears a financial burden as well. Smith, who works in the Attorney-General's office, says they did not anticipate that the legislation would be so cumbersome for ISPs and that the government is attempting to work out compensation for the changes required by the new laws.


text:
_TOM OF FINLAND_ is a 2017 Finnish biographical drama film directed by Dome Karukoski and written by Aleksi Bardy. It stars Pekka Strang as Touko Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, a Finnish homoerotic artist.[1]

_Tom of Finland_ premiered on 27 January 2017, at Gothenburg Film Festival and 24 February 2017, in Finnish cinemas.[2] It was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[3][4]

Premise

Touko Laaksonen returns home after serving in World War II. In post-war Helsinki, he makes a name for himself with his homoerotic drawings of muscular men. Before finding fame, he finds challenges from his sister and Finnish society due to his art.

Cast

-   Pekka Strang − Touko Laaksonen aka Tom of Finland
-   Lauri Tilkanen − Veli (Nipa)
-   Jessica Grabowsky − Kaija Laaksonen
-   Taisto Oksanen − Alijoki
-   Seumas Sargent − Doug
-   Jakob Oftebro − Jack
-   Troy T. Scott − Tom's man
-   Werner Daehn − Müller
-   Þorsteinn Bachmann − Editor of the Physique Pictorial Office

Reception

Awards

At the 2016 Finnish Film Affair (a “work-in-progress forum” running alongside the Helsinki International Film Festival), _Tom of Finland_ shared the Best Pitch prize, splitting the award money with _Post Punk Disorder_.[5][6]

At the 2017 Göteborg Film Festival, the film won the Fipresci Award.[7][8]

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.[10]

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title: Tom of Finland (film)

question: In what genre can the film, Tom of Finland, be categorized as?

answer: This film can be categorized as a biographical drama.

question: Who directed and wrote the film?

answer: Dome Karukoski directed the film and Aleksi Bardy wrote the film.

question: Who is Tom of Finland known as?

answer: He is known as a Finnish homoerotic artist.

question: Where did the film premiere at?

answer: The film premiered at Gothenburg Film Festival.

question: What award did the film win at the Goteborg Film Festival in 2017?

answer: The film won the award of Fipresci Award.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the premise, creation, and fame of the Finnish film, Tom of Finland.


text:
The bumblebee that Thomas had been following landed gracefully on one of his mother's daisies. Its feet connected with the center of the flower, and the miniature wings that had carried it there seized their movement. The stem of the daisy bent slightly under the pressure of the tiny creature. It began to sway. A cool breeze blew through the garden, and all of the other flowers swayed with it. The bee could have been a snake charmer, or the conductor of an orchestra. The garden continued to dance for a long time, and eventually Thomas lost interest in the bee.

Towards the other side of the garden was an apple tree, big enough to shade him if he lay on his back. Thomas walked over to it, and before lying down, he listened to the sounds around him. There were footsteps on the other side of the hedge, wind through the grass and leaves, and the ever-present sound of his mother weeping.

It had started four months ago, on Christmas of 1918. He had awoken earlier than ever, and had run into her bedroom expecting celebration and presents. Instead, she had told him to wait until later for the gifts. He had seen tears on her rosy cheeks, and had heard her crying upstairs while he sat waiting by the tree. Since then, she had never told him what was wrong, and it hadn't seemed to get better. He suspected that it had to do with her husband, Thomas' father - although he wasn't his father, really. The man had left his mother when Thomas was only four years old, and he had never known him. She had told him that his father had gone off to save the world, and would be back again soon. But after four years, he still hadn't returned.

His mother stopped crying, and the property was peaceful once again. Thomas tossed aside some twigs, and lay down in the shade.

The garden was Thomas' home - he spent more time here than in the house beside which it resided. He came when he was in a good mood, and had spent some of his happiest days here, chasing bumblebees and climbing the oak trees. He also came when things weren't at their best, because it helped him forget about the bad things that sometimes happened. When his mother cried, he came to the garden to keep his mind off of his father. Sometimes, he even liked to pretend that he was the man. If a bird landed on one of his favourite trees, Thomas would clap his hands and yell at it, as if he was the guardian of the house. He had trained himself to be attentive, which is why he sat upright instantly when he heard a noise close by.

The man that had been walking outside was now unlocking the gate, and Thomas' heart began to race. Who was this man, and what reason did he have to enter the garden? The stranger stepped through and began walking down the path towards the house. It wasn't anybody that he recognized, and the man seemed to have a limp, as if he had been injured. Thomas stood up to get a better view, but made sure to hide himself behind the massive trunk of the tree. The man was almost at the door, and was picking up his pace. All of the practice that Thomas had had protecting the garden was now shying from his memory, and he only felt a sickening worry that his mother was going to be taken from him too. The man stepped up onto the porch, and opened the door, letting it swing in slowly. He called something, which to Thomas sounded like "Anna", which was his mother's name. There was silence, and then he heard a different sound from his mother than all of the ones he had heard the past winter - she screamed.

Thomas felt his heart race faster, if that was possible, and was ready to run at the man. Then he saw his mother rush out the door and embrace him, with the most compassion Thomas had ever seen from her. She was crying again, and so was the man, but Thomas could tell that these were not tears of sorrow. They stood there like that for a long time, and then the wind died down, and everything was silent in the garden. Thomas didn't know who this man was, but he was thankful that his mother was better now. He looked across the yard at the field of daisies, which were pretty, and then at his mother, who was even prettier. She had noticed him standing there, and she was smiling.

title: I'm entering a short story contest at school, any feedback would be appreciated (I don't right much at all, so this might be a disaster)

question: What does Thomas hear in the garden?

answer: Footsteps, wind through grass and leaves, and the sound of his mother weeping.

question: Where did Thomas' mother tell him her husband went?

answer: To save the world.

question: Why does Thomas' mother cry?

answer: Because her husband has been away for four years.

question: Who walks into the garden?

answer: A man who Thomas doesn't recognize, but his mother embraces compassionately. Possibly her husband.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Thomas is an 8 year old boy who likes to play in the garden when his mother cries. Thomas' mother cries because her husband, not Thomas' true father but the man of the house, has been gone for four years. One day when his mother is crying, a man he doesn't recognize limps into the garden and calls Thomas' mother's name. She screams, and runs out to embrace him compassionately, for a long while.


text:
FEC filings released Sunday provide an illustration of how dramatically the contributions of mega-donors eclipse those of normal citizens.

For example, billionaire George Soros gave $6 million to the pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC Priorities USA last quarter. By comparison, the average donation to the Bernie Sanders campaign — the only one mostly funded through small donors — was $26.28, according to a spokesperson for the campaign.

That means Soros gave as much money as a small city’s worth of small donors — 222,000 people, slightly larger than the population of Des Moines.

The $3 million that pro-Israel billionaire power couple Haim and Cheryl Saban gave is equivalent to about 185,000 Sanders donations, or a bit more than the population of Boulder.

Former AIG chief Hank Greenberg gave $10 million to Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise Super PAC through his company, C.V. Starr. That’s 370,000 average Sanders donations — almost the population of New Orleans.

All of this could pale compared to the general election. The Koch-backed networks of political organizations reportedly plan to spend up to $900 million on the 2016 election; that’s 33 million small donors averaging $27 a pop. If every resident of Shanghai and New York City wrote a check for that amount, they still would not match the Kochs.

_Related:_

-   Hillary Clinton Laughs When Asked if She Will Release Transcripts of Her Goldman Sachs Speeches
-   Elizabeth Warren Challenges Clinton, Sanders to Prosecute Corporate Crime Better Than Obama
-   Hillary Clinton Made More in 12 Speeches to Big Banks Than Most of Us Earn in a Lifetime
-   The “Bernie Bros” Narrative: a Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism
-   Hillary Clinton’s Single-Payer Pivot Greased by Millions in Industry Speech Fees

_Top photo: Demonstrators in Washington, D.C., mark the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which enabled the creation of Super PACs._

question: How much money did George Soros donate?

answer: George Soros donated $6 million.

question: What was the average donation to the Bernie Sanders campaign?

answer: The average donation size to the Bernie Sanders campaign was $26.28.

question: How much did Hank Greenberg donate, and who did he donate to?

answer: Hank Greenberg gave $10 million to Jeb Bush's Super PAC.

question: How much are the Koch-backed networks of political organizations planning on spending for the 2016 election?

answer: They are planning on spending up to $900 million.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article gives an overview of the sizes of various donations to the many campaigns for the 2016 presidential election.


text:
MARCELO CANO RODRÍGUEZ is a Cuban physician and a member of the Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional (CCDHRN, English: Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation).

Marcelo Cano Rodríguez was imprisoned during the Black Spring crackdown on dissidents in 2003.[1]

[1]

title: Marcelo Cano Rodríguez

question: Who is Marcelo Cano Rodríguez?

answer: a Cuban physician and a member of the Comisión de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional

question: How is Comisión de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional initialized?

answer: CCDHRN

question: How is Comisión de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional translated to English?

answer: Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation

question: When was Marcelo Cano Rodríguez imprisoned?

answer: 2003

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Marcelo Cano Rodríguez is a Cuban physician and a member of the Comisión de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional. He was imprisoned in 2003.


text:
The DOSSO KINGDOM is a precolonial state in what is now southwest Niger which has survived in a ceremonial role to the modern day.

Early history

The Djerma people of Niger are believed to have migrated from what is now the Fula region around Lac Debo, Mali during the Songhai Empire, and settled first in Anzourou and Zarmaganda in the 16th century. In the 18th century, many Djerma resettled south to the Niger River valley, the Fakara plateau and Zigui in what is now Southwest Niger near Niamey. Forming a number of small communities, each led by a Djermakoy, these polities soon found themselves pressured from the north by the Tuareg and the Fula from the southeast, as well as other ethnic groups in the area. While Djermakoy Aboubacar founded the Dosso state from his own Taguru clan around 1750, it remained a small collection of villages in the Dallol Bosso valley until the 1820s, when it led much of the resistance to the Sokoto Caliphate. While Dosso fell under the control of the Amir of Gando (a sub division of Sokoto) between 1849 and 1856, they retained their Djermakoy and the nominal rule of a much larger Djerma territory, and were converted to Islam. Under Djermakoy Kossom (r. 1856-65), Dosso united all of the eastern Djerma, and left a small state stretching from Tibbo and Beri in the north, to Gafiadey in the south, and to Bankadey and Tombokware in the east.

French colonialism

French colonial forces first entered the area in the 1890s and found Dosso allied with local Fula communities and small states like Kebbi against other Djerma states, the Dendi, the Gourounsi (in modern Burkina Faso) the Hausa states to the east (in what is now southern Niger), and still struggling to retake the territory it held in 1865.[1]

Zarmakoy [2] Attikou (r.1897-1902) took the military help offered by the French forces based in Karimama (now Benin), but found that after the military conquest of his enemies in 1898, the French forces were stationed in Dosso, where they would stay for the next 60 years. Attikou had delegated the negotiations to his prince Awta, and this future Zarmakoy hitched his star to French power.[3] Despite tensions, the French found one of their few allies in the region, and this alliance of necessity came to benefit Dosso as much as it hurt them. With French aid, Zarmakoy Awta (r.1902-13) retained all of what is the modern Dosso Department, and with his help, the French put down revolts led by a charismatic Marabout in the Dosso region in 1906.[4] The Zarmakoy of Dosso was integrated into the French Colonial system through a type of Indirect Rule rare in its scale and continuity in French West Africa. In most places the French established rulers at village level (the _Chef du Canton_) who were promoted by the French over traditional rulers, and thus were entirely dependent upon the French. At Dosso, the French allowed the Zarmakoy to not only retain but expand his territory and to choose his own successors, keeping continuity with the pre-colonial state, and standing above his own _Chefs du Canton_ at the local level. The French so depended upon the Zarmakoy of Dosso, that in 1923 they moved the capital of the then Military Territory of Niger from Zinder, the home of the powerful pre-colonial Sultanate of Damagaram to a village in Dosso territory which was to become Niamey.

Independence

As independence approached in the 1950s, Niger was one of the few areas of French West Africa without a growing political class. The Zarmakoy of Dosso, as patron of the Djerma region, became a powerful political king maker for the coming order. Political parties vied for the support of the Zarmakoy and the powerful Hausa leaders in the east and the then Zarmakoy, Issoufou Seydou, played a leading role in Nigerien politics at the time of independence. Zarmakoy Seydou was a founder of the PPN, and later the UNIS parties, and was Vice-President and Minister of Justice from December 1958-October 1959. Today the Dosso aristocracy continue to hold influential positions throughout Nigerien government, with a majority of post independence leaders having been drawn from the Djerma.

The city of Dosso also retains an important place, with a large population of aristocratic class Djerma who rely on the patronage of the Zarmakoy, as the more traditional ruling class reject modern careers.[5]

Rulers chronology

-   c.1750– ?; Zarmakoy Aboubacar
-   ?–?; Zarmakoy Laouzo
-   ?–?; Zarmakoy Gounabi
-   ?–?; Zarmakoy Amirou
-   1856–1865; Zarmakoy Kassam/Kossom Baboukabiya
-   1865–1890; Zarmakoy Abdou Kyantou Baba
-   1890–1897; Zarmakoy Alfa Atta
-   1897–1902; Zarmakoy Attikou
-   1902–1913; Zarmakoy Aoûta/Awta
-   1913–1924; Zarmakoy Moussa
-   1924–1938; Zarmakoy Saidou
-   1938–1953; Zarmakoy Moumouni
-   1953–1962; Zarmakoy Hamani
-   1962–1998; Zarmakoy Abdou
-   1998–2000; Zarmakoy Issoufou
-   2000–current; Zarmakoy Maïdanda Saidou [6]

[1] It was these Hausa states who largely resisted the Sokoto Caliphate in its conquest of more southern Hausa cities. For the period of colonial contact, see: Finn Fuglestad. A History of Niger: 1850-1960. Cambridge University Press (1983)
Kimba Idrissa, Les populations du “Niger” occidental au XIXe siecle et leurs reactions face a la colonisation (1896-1906). Paris (1981).

[2] The traditional ruler of Dosso is called _Zarmakoy_ or _Djermakoye_, an autochthonous title meaning literally “King of Djermas”, where _koy_ means “ruler”, “lord”, or “king” in Zarma (or Djerma) language. See Peace Corps/Niger, “An Introduction to the Zarma Language”.

[3] Christopher Wise. Yambo Ouologuem: Postcolonial Writer, Islamic Militant. Lynne Rienner Publishers (1999) pp. 168-9

[4] Paul E. Lovejoy and J. S. Hogendorn. Revolutionary Mahdism and Resistance to Colonial Rule in the Sokoto Caliphate, 1905-6. The Journal of African History, Vol. 31, No. 2 (1990), pp. 217-244.

[5] Decalo (1979), p.95: “Most of the population of the town claims chiefly descent and hence is 'forbidden' to work or pay taxes, or to engage in commerce, living off the generosity of the Djermakoy who receives a variety of gifts from his commoner subjects.”

[6] Dosso: Accueil populaire réservé au Sultan Maïdanda Saidou Djermakoye. nigerinter.com. December 2nd, 2015.

title: Dosso Kingdom

question: What does the text say about the French colonialism of the Dosso Kingdom?

answer: The French colonial forces entered the area in the 1890s and Zarmakoy Attikou took the military help offered by the French forces. The French would stay for the next 60 years. The French had few local allies in the region but the alliance of necessity benefited Dosso as much as it hurt them. The French had established rulers at village level who were promoted by the French over traditional rulers so they became entirely dependent on the French.


text: She stood lifeless next to the wall at the end of the darkened musty corridor, blood still dripping off of her hand where it had run down her arm from her shoulder.  She slowly starts to peak around the edge of the wall when a loud **SHRIEK!** echoes terribly off the moldy ceramic walls. Quickly she jerks her head back in fear of being spotted.  Cautiously dropping to her knees and now down on all fours she tries to look again.  The long hall is slightly misty from the broken windows and the adjacent forest next to the abandon hospital. About halfway down the passageway, broken beams of moonlight fall upon the blood soaked floors from the previous victims who were brought here that tried to escape. At the far end it appears very deep and dark….her hopes are set on the stairwell that is mirrored to the one she just came from, hoping desperately that it is unobstructed.  Minutes pass without as much as a sound from anywhere.  The silence is very thick and weighs heavily upon her eardrums.  She decides that the time is now! Slowly she starts to stand back up as her knees and ankles crack like twigs.  Waiting again for a few more minutes so she doesn’t stir up attention. She begins her trip down the hall, staying close to the walls and underneath the windows of the rooms in the ward.  Peeking around the corners of the open doors where the moonlight shines in to making sure the coast is clear and continues to press on. She is more than halfway down the hall now and is coming into the darkest part when she hears movement from behind her…she quickly turns her head to see a zombie flying out of one of the rooms and in full stride, hungry for the scent of fresh blood dripping from her wounds.  She runs as hard and as fast as she can into the pure darkness, hands in front of her reaching out to slam in the handle of the stairwell door when she reaches it.  “Wham” the door flings open in a *whoosh* and jerks her in with it, losing her balance but only for a moment. She turns and slams the door back closed, just in time to hear the dreadful zombie behind her slam head first into the heavy steel door.  *Sigh* she breathes a full chest of air in relief. *“I made it, I made it” * …... **“SHRIEK!”** she spins around just in time to see the putrid mouth of another Zombie lurching at her thin frail neck, as into tears her flesh and veins. Her head is severed off and lays into a pool of her own blood.  Her eyes still processing the horrific scene to her brain of the zombie feasting on her fresh corpse.

title: Abandoned

question: Who is "she"?

answer: It's never explained fully, but she is running away from zombies.

question: Describe the source of the shriek.

answer: It seems the shrieks are coming from the zombies.

question: What were the "previous victims" victims of?

answer: They seem to be victims of the zombies that reside in this building.

question: How does the story end?

answer: The female protagonist is brutally killed and eaten by a zombie.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The female protagonist tries to make her way through passageways and corridors to escape the zombies. She notices blood-soaked floors from the previous victims who had been brought there. She escapes a zombie when she is jerked through a steel door. As she breathes a sigh of relief, a zombie brutally kills and eats her.


text:
Strange Encounters

"It's weird officer, real weird." Mark Henderson was at the local police station in Alberton, Ontario on 4: 36am August 8th, 1951. Strangely enough, a building he's never seen, in a town he's never been to before, yet familiar.

"All right smooth talker, let's take it from the top once more. I know there's not much to it as you've continued to repeat but let's see if anything else pops out at you and then we will pay for your gas home." Officer Dan Richardson was becoming more and more tired with the story was hearing.

There just can't be anyway. Dan thought becoming more and more enraged within. The moment he walks out of here I'm just going to throw this case out. Hocus pocus my ass, what does he take me for, an idiot?! At best this is the best damn way to get free gas.

"Well like I said before, I had just filled up at half past 10pm, so I could drive out and get to the place that sells tobacco by the pound still..."

Yes, yes we all go out to New Market for cheaper cigarettes, not relevant.

"...and I was driving out to Bakersfield like I said,"
He didn't refer to it as Bakersfield before? The puzzled Officer thought.

"...on the way there I had to swerved out of the way of a truck with these god forsaken bright lights. I guess I was a bit sleepy Officer and woke up in the nick of time but after that I found myself just driving around an unfamiliar road.

I was having awful headaches, for a bit around that time too. Images that started accompanying them are hard to distinguish but almost always included me in a white setting... I don't know it sounds crazy now. Anyways, I pulled over till they subsided and drove straight here in hopes that you could help me figure out where I am so I can get home, but I still can't remember where that was again. Some rest will cure this forgetfulness. I feel like I've been up all night." Mark felt like that was all the information that he could give, he couldn't remember what town he lived in nor his wife or his phone number. He kind of felt a helpless feeling fall over him.

"We'll now that you've told us where you were driving to we can call that regions station and see if there is a match to your name anywhere close to there. It should only take a few hours."

Not long after that another Office came into the room and asked if Officer Dan could speak with him for a moment.
What did the results turn up Frank?

"He wasn't lying when he said things were weird. It turns out that there isn't  even a Bakersfeild anywhere near here. In fact, you have to drive 14 hours north to get to a small town called Bakersfeild." Officer Frank said as he started to debrief.

"...here's where things get truly disturbing. When we searched his name through the local police department Mark has a missing person out because his wife...."

"Wow, his wife sure gets worried quickly. Seems a bit much don't you think he's only been gone for half a day at most. Can't remember his name or town he lives in, probably doesn't remember setting out on a road trip. Likely to get away from her if she's that crazy." Office Dan remarked crudely as if this was all an elaborate funny joke.

"If you'd let me finish, his wife reported him missing August 8th, 1950, sir. This was reported after she spent a full day returning home from a place that was 8 hours away from their town. She reported being in the passenger seat of a driverless car after being at a gas station for an unknown reason. All she could remember before waking up was that there was a blinding white light that she couldn't help but look at. It actually says 'forced' in the report." Frank said growing more and grimmer as he read from the file between his trembling hands.

Officer Dan, started to sit in the closest seat he could find. He couldn't believe that Mark was 14 hours away from home. That would make his whole time scale false. Not to mention the fact that he has been missing for a full year, a full year exactly he would later realize.

He began to think about the crazy aspects of them all, his wife's story at the time; driverless cars, being at a gas station for no reason, it all makes sense now, only after hearing Marks story.

"Sir there is one more thing in the reports." Frank said with a grave look in his eyes.

"What more could it be?"

"The wife had three cuts into her skin going the length of her back; she said that's the first appearance  of them in her life. It was like they were skillfully cut as the doctors said there was no way any doctor could stitch a cut that clean without some kind of pain. She reported none."

"All right Frank thanks for all the intel." Dan has a hard enough time giving gratitude in the first place and was finding it particularly challenging to give it with what he just learned.

The door opens to the interrogation; with it brought an energy that mimetic death. Officer Dan began relaying the frightening news to Mark, which still hasn't sunk in, himself.
"One last thing before we send you on your way home to your wife, if you will Mark. Your wife reported three cuts on her back that she had never seen before that night. Could you remove your shirt and pants please, I just want to know if we should have medical look at you first." Officer Dan asked Mark in the most genuine and sincere way he could.

"No problem Sir, it was starting to itch a bit anyways. It'll be nice to readjust it." Mark said in a cheerful way. For he sees this all as a blessing. Finally, he can see his wife and start the laughing process.

As Office Dan brought his coffee cup down from a big deep, delicious gulp, the liquid left his mouth as fast as it came in. in one fellow motion Office Dan vomited, dropped his cup, and tripped on his own two feet.

With his eyes wide open from shock; he gazed at a man whose skin, from head to toe, was scalped. Only his muscles were visible. Each and every muscle strand picked clean of its protective layer of skin. No blood was seeping through, it was as if there was its own invisible skin that covered him. Which is likely why he hasn't miraculously died.

As Mark turned around to confront a mirror, the last thing to pass through his mind was his beautiful wife; he pictured the way her soft cherry red hair flowed over her shoulders like a creek over an edge. Her rosy cheeks gently glowing in the sun. It was comforting to his mind to have such a lovely mental image cross it because once his  eyes focused on the mirror, his hideously deformed body sent his body into a trauma that it couldn't handle and  at  10:29PM August 8th Mark Henderson collapsed dead.

As for Dan Richardson, well he wishes that the story ended there.

title: [SF] Strange Encounters

question: Summarize the source of tension in the story.

answer: It seems that some officers are going to question a suspect in what is perhaps the skinning of his wife. This is not very clear. The suspect is unable to account for big chunks of his time, and it seems that he spent hours on the road when he claims to have spent considerably less time.


text:
a little nervous about posting this, the first short story I ever really tried to write.

                                    Dial.

	Breathe, just breathe. His eyes drifted open, swallowing the sweat from his brow. His arm stretched for the left side of the bed, hoping, praying to find her there. But he only felt cold sheets. Baby Blue eyes and long blonde hair soared through his mind as he closed his eyes and pictured her face,  if only he could hold her again.... Snap out of it! His eyes tore open again, this time, they remained open, drinking in the early morning sunlight as it peeked through the curtains. He took a long breath, and rose from his bed, his feet sinking into the plush carpet that lined the bed. He staggered over to bathroom door, his hand grasping for the handle. He pushed his way through the doorway, headed to the shower, when he saw something through the corner of his eye. He gazed into the mirror a moment before he realized that it was him that he saw. He looked at his ragged, glassy-eyed reflection and felt only disgust, the kind of disgust where nothing about his face appealed to him. Nothing in that glassy-eyed gaze seemed worth anything, and he hated it. Deep in the pit of his stomach he knew this was all due to her, but he couldn't bring himself to face it. Just like he couldn't bring himself to accept she was gone. Gone, and never coming back again. He could still see the moment she left in his mind, playing over and over again like an old movie reel. Her bag in her hand, her fist clenched around a plane ticket, her big blue eyes looking over him with revulsion. Her mouth forming the ugly words that would shatter his world, smashing it into innumerable pieces. “I hate you Jeff” her voice shaping that last word like it was something foul, as if it left poison on her tongue to say it at all. “You're nothing, and you're never going to amount to anything, you're worthless” He had never known until then that words could cause physical pain, pain so volatile and intense that it hurt him to talk, which is why he said nothing as she left. His reflection faded back into his view, and he gazed deep into his eyes. “I am worthless” he said, saying the words aloud to himself as if  to try and affirm her. Saying them aloud didn't help though, all it did was serve to sear them deeper into his mind. He thought of the days when He had been in her favor, when all the words he said made a smile rise from her beautiful lips. He could not have said for the life of him when his words lost their magic, when everything he said caused her to scowl instead of smile. When all he did caused her to look at him like he was dirt, instead of gold. The moment that these changes began eluded him, he supposed that he would never know what triggered the downward spiral in their relationship, but he knew that the spiral was there, and it led to nothing but emptiness for him. Maybe it had been when he lost his job, or when the doctor told them that they were barren, and they would never have the large family she had always wanted. He couldn't be sure. These events all brought upon the poison that killed their love, and their marriage. He tightened his tie around his neck, and headed out the door. The air was cold, nipping the bare skin at the edge of his collar, causing him to instinctively shiver. He proceeded down the sidewalk still wrapped up in his thoughts, thinking of her. He shuffled through the crowded streets, a ghost among the living. He was shrouded in thought, hardly noticing any other people around him, walking through them like a salmon up a stream. He walked for hours, not sure what he was searching for, but searching nonetheless. He eventually found himself in his old college hangouts, navigating the bars and alleyways like the back of his hand. Then he saw it. O' Sullivan's pub. The place where he met her, the place where his life truly began. He remembered everything about the night they met, from her perfume to his sweaty, nervous palms.  That night they hardly spoke, the feeling was that neither of them had to, they felt like two puzzle pieces. The fit together, forming one whole, words had nothing to do with it. They spent the night wondering the drenched Seattle streets, not caring about where they were headed, only caring that the other person was there when they got there. He quickly shook his head, as if to slam the thoughts into the sides of his skull to expel them. He opened the old wooden door and stepped into the musky air of the small pub. He breathed it all in, the liquor stained chairs, the faint smell of musty cologne, and the cracked old bar. The seats at the bar were as uncomfortable as he remembered, with just the right amount of splinters to actually bother someone sitting on them. “Can I getcha something?” the bartender's voice was thick and raspy, as if he had a very bad cold. “ A beer would be great, thanks” He looked around as the bartender poured out his drink. “Busy day?” He asked. “Nah, kind of a slow day.” The bartender handed him his beer, “ Enjoy.” He took a sip of his beer as the door to the bar squealed open, and a figure stepped through. The seat next to him pulled back and the figure sat down next to him. “ Beer please.” The voice that emanated from the figure was soft and smooth, like velvet. He froze, his beer still held in his hand in midair. Oh God he thought, it's her. Slowly, he drew in a breath with a hiss and turned to face the figure sitting next to him. Long blonde hair obscured his view of the face, he strained for a better look. “ Is there a reason you're staring at me bud?” Her face whirled to face him, and He breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't her. “ Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew.” She rolled her eyes as she started to dig through her purse. The bartender handed a beer to her, “ Thanks.” He couldn't stop looking at her, and he didn't know why. They spent the next few minutes like that, with him looking nowhere but her, and she looking everywhere but at him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She cautiously sipped her beer, playing the nonchalant card about the man next to her that was obviously staring at her. “You know, usually when people stare at me, they at least try and get my name.” She said. “ Alright then, what's your name?” “Anya, yours?” “Jeff.” “What do you do for a living Jeff?” “Well actually, I'm kinda in between jobs right now, but I'm a writer.” “Ohh how exciting,” she chuckled. He smiled back at her, trying hard to remember the last time he had a friendly conversation with another human being. Their conversation  continued on like this for a while, with them both sharing details about their life to the other, but both never sharing anything really meaningful, but they both had a few laughs and discovered they had a similar sense of humor. As she got up to leave, she handed him a small folded slip of paper. “Anya 555-342-7865” was written on the inside of the folded side of the paper. He smiled as he watched her hail a cab and tell the driver where to go. He looked again at the slip of paper, still smiling. He wasn't really sure why he was smiling, but it felt right in this situation. He headed home, now thinking very little of her and more and more of Anya. He turned his key in his lock and headed to bed. Staring at his ceiling that night, he decided he had to see Anya again.
		The next morning he awoke from his bed, reached to his left, and still felt nothing. Looking down his arm, he saw a small slip of paper laying on his nightstand. Lifting the paper up to his sleepy eyes, he smiled. Reaching for his phone, he already had the number memorized.

title: Dial.

question: Why did Jeff look so weary?

answer: A woman, supposedly his wife, had left him.

question: What did the woman think of Jeff?

answer: The woman thought that Jeff was worthless and that he would never amount to anything. Jeff thought that maybe her views of him had changed after he lost his job and after the doctor told them they wouldn't be able to have a family.

question: What effects did her words have on Jeff?

answer: Jeff felt physical pain after hearing her words. Prior to this, he had no idea how words could hurt. The pain was so volatile and intense that it hurt him to talk back and he just let her leave.

question: Explain what the narrator does after leaving the house

answer: After the woman leaves him, the next morning, the narrator heads to the bar where they first met. He sits there sipping his beer when he meets Anya. The two talk for quite a while and Anya drops her number.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer:
Jeff wakes up in bed without the woman he loves beside him. She had left him stating that he was worthless. Her words had hurt Jeff so much so that he could not talk back and let her leave.

Jeff then proceeds to the bar where they had first met. As he sips his beer, a familiar figure sits beside him. He thinks it's her, but it's a stranger named Anya. They two have a good talk and Anya leaves, dropping by her number.

The next day Jeff wakes up without the woman but smiles watching the chit of paper with Anya's number on it.


text:
_(Top photo: A heroin user in the US preparing to inject. Image used for illustrative purposes. Photo: Jae C Hong AP/Press Association Images)_

_This post originally appeared on VICE UK_

When the synthetic cannabinoid Spice first gained a following among internet drug geeks as a cheap, mellow, legal marijuana substitute in 2009, no one predicted what would happen next.

Under myriad brand names and legal bans, synthetic cannabinoid products—now generally known as Spice, after the original—became increasingly unpredictable, potent, and toxic. Instead of making people feel slightly stoned, demand for a stronger hit led to a drug with side effects more reminiscent of crystal meth than weed. It left users agitated, incapable of sleep, aggressive, and addicted, and caused havoc among young offenders, the homeless, and those in the prison system.

Now, nine months after the Psychoactive Substances Act banned all "legal highs" such as Spice, research into the latest UK drug trends has revealed that the continued use of the substance may be breeding an as yet unreported side-effect: an increase in heroin use among young people.

Published today by DrugWise, a study I co-authored—"Highways and Buyways: a snapshot of UK drug scenes"—includes interviews with drug treatment workers, police officers, researchers, and other experts representing 32 organizations and 13 police constabularies. The survey revealed that in several parts of the country, young people—a demographic not associated with heroin these days—have been reported as using the opiate to self-medicate the side effects of Spice use.

  "We've seen [Spice users] using valium for withdrawal, then the valium sellers are selling heroin, and so they will try that."

Sam, in his early 20s, is one of a growing group of young homeless hostel residents in Newcastle who have started using heroin on the back of Spice. "One day in November I'd been on the rattle [withdrawing] from Spice for two days," he tells me. "I was sweating, I had the shakes, felt sick, and couldn't get to sleep. One of the older residents suggested I try heroin to calm me down. It didn't knock me out like Spice did—it made me tired—but it helped take the rattle off. Now I smoke a £10 [$12] bag of heroin a day at night after Spice. Since then I've also started using crack. So now, after starting on Spice, I'm chasing three habits instead of one."

Many of these young people are unfamiliar with the risks of taking heroin. Two weeks ago, a 19-year-old who was known to drug and homeless services in Newcastle died. A source confirmed that he had been addicted to Spice and that he had recently started using heroin. However, the results of the autopsy have not yet been released and therefore the cause of death has not been confirmed.

Kevin, 26, almost died during his first heroin hit, taken intravenously last summer. "I was cutting down on Spice because I was sick of the scene and needed something to make me sleep for the night," he says. "Someone gave me some heroin and I injected it. It felt better than valium and [I] just went onto my back. I overdosed and an ambulance came to save me." Despite this, he now regularly uses heroin as a comedown for Spice. Like others fresh to heroin from Spice, he has also started using crack.

"Spice can be a gateway to heroin and crack. Since last year I've seen a rise in young people moving from Spice to heroin," says Mick Portis, a harm reduction worker at the city's Lifeline project. Portis tells me that heroin has crept onto young people's drug menus because the Spice withdrawal is so severe.

Packets of Spice on sale before the Psychoactive Substances Act was introduced. (Photo: Markus Schreiber AP/Press Association Images)

As we walk down one of the city's smartest Georgian streets, Portis tells me of two teenage boys he knows—who've begged on this street for money to pay for Spice—who have started sex work and moved onto heroin. "We've seen people using valium for withdrawal, then the valium sellers are selling heroin, and so they will try that," he says, adding that crack—never a big drug in Newcastle, unlike 30 miles down the road in Middlesbrough—has entered the city "in a big way in the last two months."

Alongside Newcastle, Scarborough, Southampton, Stoke, east London, and Manchester, Belfast has seen a similar picture develop. One drug expert explained: "There is a new phenomenon of young people as young as 17 starting to use heroin in Belfast, mainly on the back of using Spice. Most of the hostels said these young people who were on Spice are all on heroin now."

The DrugWise research into Britain's drug market reveals a patchwork of hidden scenes—a narcotic landscape that is becoming increasingly varied and mutable, from codeine-addicted housewives in Hartlepool and West Country fishermen on speed, to Lithuanian dealers in Belfast and homeless powder cocaine injectors in Glasgow.

The survey provides the first litmus test into the impact of last year's Psychoactive Substances Act—which banned the sale of new psychoactive substances (NPS) from head shops—on the supply and use of Spice. And it reveals a divided picture: in around half of the areas surveyed, the Act has barely affected the market, with many users buying drugs under the counter from head shops, from street dealers and the internet. By contrast, in the rest of the areas surveyed the law has done what it set out to do, resulting in reduced availability and use, even in prisons. Drug services are finding, however, that some people are replacing NPS with old school drugs such as cannabis, alcohol, and opiates.

The move away from NPS use in some areas comes at a time, the report found, of "unprecedented" street purity levels in traditional substances, namely heroin, crack, and powder cocaine and ecstasy, alongside the continued rise of the black market in prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Heroin, powder cocaine, and rock cocaine have risen from sub-20 percent purities in 2010 to more common purities in 2016 of between 43 and 74 percent. The rise in purity of ecstasy pills has been well documented, with some pills containing quadruple doses: 300mg of MDMA.

_RELATED: WATCH 'HIGH SOCIETY—THE TRUTH ABOUT ECSTASY'_

[]

One drug expert quoted in the report says that in the face of highly pure traditional drugs and the ban on legal highs, he believes Spice and other NPS are living on borrowed time in Britain. "The USP of Spice was legal, accessible, did not come up in drug tests, cheap. But it is starting to lose all these selling points. I'm not convinced there will be a big enough market, as its users need continuity of supply, otherwise they will go onto something else. So unless it's being imported into the UK in large amounts, supply may not be maintained."

Official statistics show amphetamine use is increasingly uncommon in the UK. However, the report found it's a drug still being used, albeit under the radar. For example, as well as speed being popular among a large group of middle-age injectors in Lincolnshire and domestic abuse victims in east London, the drug is also being used by fishermen in coastal areas in the south west of England as an alertness aid in an increasingly competitive industry.

As one drug worker explained: "There is a no drinking rule at sea, but that does not stretch to taking illegal drugs, as long as it's kept under control. The need for drugs seems to be accepted within the community, but is kept behind closed doors."

At the other end of the country, in Glasgow, exists another counter-intuitive drug scene. Over the last two years, health workers have been dealing with an HIV epidemic among homeless drug injectors. One of the causes of this spike is an escalating number of city center homeless people opting to inject powder cocaine, a rarity in Britain. As with the injection of crack, a form of cocaine that is rarely sold in Glasgow, cocaine injecting often entails more frequent and risky use of needles.

Prescription and over-the-counter medications diverted onto the black market are a rising presence on the UK drug scene, according to the report. Alongside valium and tramadol, the anti-epilepsy drugs pregabalin and gabapentin have become a mainstay of diverted medications taken by heroin users.

Meanwhile, in places such as Hartlepool, Northern Ireland, and Tyneside, codeine is increasingly being used, the report says, by adults as a way of getting through the day. Some are taking up to 40 codeine-containing pills—such as Nurofen Plus and co-codamol—a day. In Hartlepool, codeine is particularly popular with housewives, as one drug service told the survey: "These housewives use codeine regularly throughout the day, to take the edge off, make them more relaxed, less stressed, so they can cope. But it's creating long-term health problems."

Codeine is also on the rise with young people as a recreational drug. In Southwark and Kent, drug workers say they are seeing more teenagers, inspired by US hip-hop culture, drinking Lean (also known as Dirty Sprites, Sizzurp, and Drank), which is codeine, in the form of cough syrup, mixed with a soft drink. Similarly, one source told the survey that the benzodiazepine Xanax, another drug linked to American celebrity culture, is becoming more popular with young adults.

Despite falls in the number of cannabis users, drug services have reported a rise in people coming in for treatment for problems with the drug. But according to a separate report published today by drug policy group Volteface, "Black Sheep: An investigation into existing support for problematic cannabis us," the help out there is largely inadequate. It says if cannabis was a regulated drug then treatment for problem users would not be so badly neglected.

In conclusion, the DrugWise report says the British drug market is slowly reconfiguring itself since being shaken up by a dive in purity levels and the arrival of NPS eight years ago.

"The history of drug use in the UK since the Second World War," says the report, "has been propelled by a series of 'tipping points' such as smokeable heroin, HIV/AIDS, rave culture, and the internet. None of the previous tipping points could have been predicted, so what comes next remains to be seen."

_Some names have been changed._

_Follow Max Daly on Twitter._

_UPDATE 07/02/17: An earlier version of this article did not make it clear that the results of the autopsy of the 19-year-old in Newcastle had not been released, and so a cause of death had not yet been confirmed._

question: Which drug is highlighted in this article?

answer: Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid.

question: What was an unexpected side effect of using Spice?

answer: Many young people begin using heroin as a way to self-medicate from the side effects of Spice use.

question: What is the study called that the author co-wrote?

answer: "Highways and Buyways: a snapshot of UK drug scenes"

question: What drugs is Spice a "gateway" to?

answer: Heroin and crack

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article explains a relatively new synthetic cannabinoid drug called Spice.  young people begin using heroin as a way to self-medicate from the side effects of Spice use.


text:
USS _SARATOGA_ may refer to the following United States Navy warships:

-   , an 18-gun sloop-of-war launched in 1780; lost at sea the following year

-   , a 26-gun corvette built on Lake Champlain for service in the War of 1812

-   , a 22-gun sloop-of-war; commissioned 1843; served until 1888

-   , a later name for the armored cruiser

-   , a never-completed converted into an aircraft carrier

-   , a commissioned in 1927; active in World War II; was sunk by atomic bomb test in 1946

-   , a supercarrier; commissioned 1956; decommissioned 1994

title: USS Saratoga

question: How was the 18-gun sloop-of-war lost at sea?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Why was the supercarrier decommissioned?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What is the relevance of the title of the article?

answer: The title of the article relates to the U.S. navy warships, which is what the article is about.

question: What is the motive of this article?

answer: The motive of this article is to educate the reader on the different U.S. Navy warships called USS Saratoga.


text:
The BULLOCH COUNTY COURTHOUSE is a historic courthouse that is located in downtown Statesboro, Georgia. It was built in 1894 to house the county government.[1][2] On September 18, 1980, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

History

[Confederate Monument at courthouse]

18th century

Bulloch County was officially established on February 8, 1796. Bryan and Screven counties were the two counties that Bulloch County was created from by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. Bulloch County was named after Archibald Bulloch, who was Georgia's first provisional governor from 1776 to 1777.[4] In 1796 three men were appointed to be commissioners: Drury Jones, John Mikell and Israel Bird. They were in charge of finding a proper place to build the courthouse and the jail.[5] In May 1797 the first Superior Court was held in Bulloch County at Stephen Mills’ home and continued to be held there until the courthouse was built.[6][7][8] The fourth Mondays in April and October were the only two days that the superior court met each year. The inferior court, however, met every first Monday of the month. When Bulloch County first started having court, there were no local lawyers or judges. Bulloch County obtained its first lawyers and judges after the Civil War.[9]

The justices of the inferior court that were appointed by the legislature in 1796 were Israel Bird, John Rawls, and James Bird. The justices of the peace included John Douglas, John Everett, Robert Scott, William McCall, and Mark Pridgeon.[10]

19th century

Benjamin Richardson, Drury Jones, Joseph Rogers, and John Everett, and Stephen Denmark are the justices of the inferior court that were appointed through 1800. Jarvis Jackson, Hardeman Richardson, and John O’Neil were the ones that succeed them in 1802. The justices would now be compensated for their services in 1802 because of an act that was passed. Bridger Jones was appointed in 1808 as justice. S. Williams and Jonathon Roberts were appointed as justices in 1810.[11]

In 1803, in exchange for receiving of land to build the courthouse, jail, and other public buildings, the Georgia General Assembly was to name the new county seat “Statesborough.”[12] Bulloch County did not have a courthouse until 1806.[13] All of the court proceedings before 1806 were held in private homes or under the Old Walnut Tree. Statesboro did not grown any in the fifty years that it had been developed. It was just considered the place where court took place.[14] On December 5, 1864 the 15th Corps of General William Sherman's army burned the courthouse.[15][16] “Statesborough” was officially incorporated by the legislature on December 20, 1866. The name changed from “Statesborough” to “Statesboro.” [17]

The second courthouse was built shortly after the first courthouse was burned. It was a two-story wood frame structure on Courthouse Square.[18][19]

The Bulloch Grand Jury decided in spring of 1894 to build a new courthouse. The two-story building was sold after the Grand Jury decided to build a new courthouse. By December 1894 the new courthouse was built. The total cost of the courthouse was twenty thousand dollars, which included furnishings.[20][21]

In 1897, the Bulloch County community came together to buy and get a clock installed at the courthouse.[22] It is also thought that the courthouse at one time had an open-flame system at the top of the building that was used in the hopes of raising the warm air out of the building up to the roof. The open flame system is thought to have been used for some years before being dismantled with no record as to its success in helping to cool the building.

20th century

On April 26, 1909 the Confederate monument was dedicated. The Confederate monument is in memory of the Confederate soldiers who served from 1861 to 1865. The United Daughters of the Confederacy raised the money for the monument that presides on Court House Square.[23]

The Bulloch County Courthouse and its square appear in the film _1969_. In several scenes, the “B” in Bulloch County is changed on the courthouse to a “C” for the film's “Culloch County.” The former bank building now housing the Averitt Center for the Arts appeared in “1969” as a bus station. The courthouse square is also prominent in the film's ending scene.

Architecture

The courthouse was designed by Bruce and Morgan in 1894.[24] It was renovated in 1914 in the Classical Revival and Queen Anne styles by Edward Columbus Hosford, who is noted for the courthouses and other buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and Texas.[25][26] Columned porticoes and the large corner brick masses were added in 1914.[27] Throughout the years, the courthouse went through many renovations that utilized different colors of brick, which might be why the exterior of the courthouse was coated with white plaster. By the 1990s, the county commission decided to restore the courthouse to its original condition. The restoration began in 1998. Some of the white plaster was professionally removed because the plaster contained asbestos, which posed a health risk. The rest of the white plaster that was not removed was just painted a red brick color. The restoration was completed in 2000.[28] Martin, Rule and Associates, of Statesboro were the architects for this renovation in 1998 to 2000.[29]

Today

The courthouse is still in use. In the 1990s, the courthouse no longer had enough space for all of the functions that it normally provided; therefore, it expanded into the adjacent buildings around the courthouse. Also in the 1990s, Bulloch County built a judicial annex, which is located across the street from the courthouse.[30] The county officers are now located in the former Statesboro First Federal Savings and Loan Association Building, and the courts and judges’ offices are located in the new annex.[31]

[1] Seel, Robert M, _Bulloch County, Georgia: Spirit of a People, Celebrating 200 Years of Bulloch County History, 1796-1996_, Statesboro Publishing Company,1996, p.153.

[2] Coleman, Leodel and Coleman, G. C. Jr., _Statesboro A Century of Progress 1866–1966_, The Bulloch Herald Publishing Company,1969, p.91-96.

[3]

[4]

[5] Brannen, Dorothy, _Life in Old Bulloch_, The Statesboro Regional Library,1992, p.6-7.

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13] Parrish, Beth C, _Historically First…_, Douglas Printing Company, 1977, p.1.

[14] Brannen, Dorothy, _Life in Old Bulloch_, The Statesboro Regional Library,1992, p.47.

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23] Presley, Delma E and Banks, Smith C, _Images of America: Bulloch County_, Arcadia Publishing,1997, p.59-63.

[24] See New Georgia Encyclopedia article on _Thomas Henry Morgan: Bruce and Morgan_

[25] Caldwell, Wilber W, _The Courthouse and the Depot: The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair: A Narrative Guide to Railroad Expansion and Its Impact on Public Architecture in Georgia, 1833-1910_, Macon: Mercer University Press, 2001, p.252.

[26] National Register listings for Bulloch County

[27]

[28]

[29] Martin, Rule & Associates website

[30]

[31]

title: Bulloch County Courthouse

question: Summarize the context in which the Bulloch County Courthouse was constructed.

answer: The courthouse was constructed in the late 1700s, and named after Georgia's first provisional governor. Three commissioners were appointed to oversee its construction. The county obtained its first lawyers and judges after the civil war. There are confederate monuments built around it suggesting what kind of opinions the litigators held at this place of justice.

question: Summarize what kinds of cases and trials were held at the Bulloch County Courthouse in the 1800s and 1900s.