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GARY WARREN HART (born GARY WARREN HARTPENCE; November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. He represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1975 to 1987.

Born in Ottawa, Kansas, he pursued a legal career in Denver, Colorado, after graduating from Yale Law School. He managed Senator George McGovern's successful campaign for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination and McGovern's unsuccessful general election campaign against President Richard Nixon. Hart defeated incumbent Republican Senator Peter Dominick in Colorado's 1974 Senate election. In the Senate, he served on the Church Committee and led the Senate investigation regarding the Three Mile Island accident. After narrowly winning re-election in 1980, he sponsored the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984, becoming known as an “Atari Democrat”.

Hart sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984, narrowly losing the race to former Vice President Walter Mondale. Hart declined to seek re-election to the Senate in 1986 and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. He was widely viewed as the front-runner until reports surfaced of an extramarital affair, and Hart withdrew from the race in May 1987. He re-entered the race in December 1987 but withdrew from the race again after faring poorly in the early primaries.

Hart returned to private practice after the 1988 election and served in a variety of public roles. He co-chaired the Hart-Rudman Task Force on Homeland Security, served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and was the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. He earned a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford and has written for outlets such as _The Huffington Post_. He has also written several books, including a biography of President James Monroe. Hart has been married to Lee (Ludwig) since 1958 and has two children.

Early life and education

Hart was born in Ottawa, Kansas, the son of Nina (née Pritchard) and Carl Riley Hartpence, a farm equipment salesman.[1] As a young man, he worked as a laborer on the railroad. He and his father changed their last name to “Hart” in 1961 because “Hart is a lot easier to remember than Hartpence.”[2] Raised in the Church of the Nazarene (which he ultimately left in 1968), he won a scholarship to the Church-affiliated Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) in Bethany, Oklahoma, in 1954[3] and graduated with a B.A. in philosophy in 1958. He met his wife, Oletha “Lee” Ludwig, there, and they married in 1958.[4] Initially intending to enter the Nazarene ministry, he received a B.D. from Yale Divinity School in 1961 before receiving an LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1964.[5]

Career

Early legal work

Hart became an attorney for the United States Department of Justice from 1964 to 1965, and was admitted to the Colorado and District of Columbia bars in 1965. He was special assistant to the solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior from 1965 to 1967. He then entered private law practice in Denver, Colorado,[6] at the firm of Davis Graham & Stubbs.[7]

George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign

Following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota co-chaired a commission that revised the Democratic presidential nomination structure. The new structure weakened the influence of such old-style party bosses as Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who were once able to hand-pick national convention delegates and dictate the way they voted. The new rules made caucuses a process in which relative newcomers could participate without paying dues to established party organizations.

In the 1972 primary elections, McGovern named Hart his national campaign director. Along with Rick Stearns, an expert on the new system, they decided on a strategy to focus on the 28 states holding caucuses instead of primary elections. They felt the nature of the caucuses made them easier (and less costly) to win if they targeted their efforts.[8] While their primary election strategy proved successful in winning the nomination, McGovern went on to lose the 1972 presidential election in one of the most lopsided elections in U.S. history.

United States Senator

In 1974, Hart ran for the United States Senate, challenging two-term incumbent Republican Peter Dominick. Hart was aided by Colorado's trend toward Democrats during the early 1970s, as well as Dominick's continued support for the unpopular President Richard Nixon and concerns about the senator's age and health. In the general election, Hart won by a wide margin (57.2% to Dominick's 39.5%) and was immediately labeled a rising star. He got a seat on the Armed Services Committee, and was an early supporter of reforming the bidding for military contracts, as well as an advocate for the military using smaller, more mobile weapons and equipment, as opposed to the traditional large-scale items. He also served on the Environment and Public Work Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. From 1975 to 1976, Hart was a member of the post-Watergate Church Committee that investigated abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service.[9] Hart served as the chairman of Senate Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation. He flew over the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in an Army helicopter several times with fellow Senator Alan Simpson during the nuclear accident[10] and led the subsequent Senate investigation into the incident.[11]

In 1980, he sought a second term. In something of a surprise, his Republican opponent was Colorado Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanan, a moderate candidate who narrowly defeated the more conservative choice, Howard “Bo” Callaway, in the party primary, by fewer than 2,000 primary votes. Fourteen years earlier, Callaway had been the Republican gubernatorial nominee in his native Georgia. Callaway in the early 1970s had bought and run an elegant resort in Crested Butte. Buchanan had hit Hart hard for supporting the Panama Canal Treaties and for backing then-President Jimmy Carter in 80% of his Senate votes. Buchanan charged in a campaign ad about Hart: “He votes one way and talks another when he is back here. He is a liberal, McGovernite carpetbagger.” Hart responded that Buchanan's charges reflected her narrow viewpoint and insisted that his campaign would rise above partisanship. Said Hart in a campaign ad: “I will not ignore her. We will interact and debate, but I am going to run a campaign for the 1980s. What is her plan for the environment? For national defense? For the economy? It took me a year or so to formulate my ideas.”[12] In the end, Hart won narrowly, with 50.2% of the vote to his opponent's 48.7%.

On December 2, 1981, Hart was one of only four senators to vote against[13] an amendment to President Reagan's MX missiles proposal that would divert the silo system by $334 million as well as earmark further research for other methods that would allow giant missiles to be based. The vote was seen as a rebuff of the Reagan administration.[14][15]

Hart cosponsored the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 with Senator Charles Mathias, which was signed into law. The act created a new category of intellectual property rights that makes the layouts of integrated circuits legally protected upon registration, and hence illegal to copy without permission. This protected Silicon Valley chips from cheap foreign imitations.[16] Similar legislation had been proposed in every Congress since 1979.[17] It led to Hart being called the leader of the “Atari Democrats”.

Conservative Republican Senator Barry Goldwater remarked of Hart, “You can disagree with him politically, but I have never met a man who is more honest and more moral.”[18]

Like most of the Democrat party, Hart was pro-choice on the issue of abortion.[19]

United States Naval Reserve service

thumb|upright=1.35|Hart accepting his US Naval Reserve commission from Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo, December 4, 1980

Citing the increasing likelihood of an armed conflict in the Persian Gulf and his reluctance to “stay in the Senate and authorize and appropriate funds to send young men like my son off to fight that war,”[20] Hart applied for a commission in the United States Naval Reserve's Standby Reserve Active Status List program in the late 1970s. He was over the statutory age limit of 38 and had not amassed any prior military experience; moreover, in contrast to his stated rationale, this category “would not be called up immediately in the event of a mobilization.”[21] By mutual agreement, Hart and United States Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo deferred the consideration of the request until the aftermath of the 1980 election.[22] His application contained an incorrect birth date (November 28, 1937) that he had used inconsistently on official documents for 15 years.[23]

Following his reelection, Hart received an age waiver from Hidalgo and was commissioned as a lieutenant (junior grade) in the Judge Advocate General's Corps on December 4, 1980. The commission carried “no pay or allowances.”[24] Although Hart sought to be commissioned in the grades of lieutenant commander or commander (in keeping with contemporaries in Congress who had served in World War II and the Korean War), Navy Judge Advocate General John S. Jenkins advised Hidalgo to commission Hart at the lower rank because he “didn't bring to the program anything that was so unusual that we could recommend appointment at a higher grade.”[25] However, then-U.S. Navy Senate liaison officer John McCain (who cultivated a close friendship with Hart in that capacity, presaging his own political career) maintained in a 1984 interview that a field officer appointment would have been “appropriate.”[26] Following ten days of active duty with the United States Sixth Fleet in August 1981, Hart was promoted to lieutenant on January 1, 1982.[27] Pundits such as Rowland Evans and Robert Novak suggested that Hart's appointment was a cynical political maneuver designed to “clear the biographical decks” for the 1984 presidential election in an era when military service was perceived as a tacit prerequisite for the presidency.[28]

In a 2007 commentary for _HuffPost_, Hart asserted that his desire to “understand and communicate better with our troops” was the primary motivation for his appointment.[29] Although he “did not routinely fulfill [his] reserve duties” and “chose not to feature this experience in subsequent campaigns,” he maintained that his service “helped [him] enormously in appreciating what our military does to make us more secure.”[30]

1984 presidential campaign

[Campaign logo] [Hart at the Democratic National Convention in 1984] In February 1983, during his second term, Hart announced his candidacy for president in the 1984 presidential election. At the time of his announcement, Hart was a little-known senator and barely received above 1 percent in the polls against better-known candidates such as Walter Mondale, John Glenn and Jesse Jackson. To counter this situation, Hart started campaigning early in New Hampshire, making a then-unprecedented canvassing tour in late September, months before the primary. This strategy attracted national media attention to his campaign, and by late 1983, he had risen moderately in the polls to the middle of the field, mostly at the expense of the sinking candidacies of Glenn and Alan Cranston. Mondale won the Iowa caucus in late January, but Hart polled a respectable 16 percent. Two weeks later, in the New Hampshire primary, he shocked much of the party establishment and the media by defeating Mondale by 10 percentage points. Hart instantly became the main challenger to Mondale for the nomination and appeared to have the momentum on his side.

Hart's media campaign was produced by Raymond Strother, a native Texan who had begun his career in Louisiana.[31] Hart could not overcome Mondale's financial and organizational advantages, however, especially among labor union leaders in the Midwest and industrial Northeast. Hart's campaign was chronically in debt, to a final count of $4.75 million.[32] In states like Illinois, where delegates were elected directly by primary voters, Hart often had incomplete delegate slates. Hart's ideas were criticized as too vague and centrist by many Democrats. Shortly after he became the new frontrunner, it was revealed that Hart had changed his last name, had often listed 1937 instead of 1936 as his birth date and had changed his signature several times. This, along with two separations from his wife (1979 and 1981), Lee, caused some to question Hart's “flake factor.” Hart himself admitted in an interview that he was going through a midlife crisis and focused too much on his career, neglecting his family.[33] Reporters observed that the Harts appeared distant and distracted in public. Hart was also not close to his children, often leaving his wife to raise them completely alone.[34] He and his wife briefly dated each other casually during their second separation, which occurred for a few months in 1981. Additionally, the Harts had begun divorce proceedings but had stopped them after reconciling.[35] Hart and his wife later stated that the separations, caused by too much time spent apart due to politics, only strengthened their marriage. The Harts have remained married for almost 60 years.[36]

The two men swapped victories in the primaries, with Hart getting exposure as a candidate with “new ideas” and Mondale rallying the party establishment to his side.[37] The two men fought to a draw in the Super Tuesday, with Hart winning states in the West, Florida and New England. Mondale fought back and began ridiculing Hart's campaign platform. The most famous television moment of the campaign was during a debate when he mocked Hart's “new ideas” by quoting a line from a popular Wendy's television commercial at the time: “Where's the beef?” Hart's campaign could not effectively counter this remark, and when he ran negative TV commercials against Mondale in the Illinois primary, his appeal as a new kind of Democrat never entirely recovered. Hart lost the New York and Pennsylvania primaries, but won those of Ohio and Indiana.

Mondale gradually pulled away from Hart in the delegate count, but the race was not decided until June, on “Super Tuesday III”.[38] Decided that day were delegates from five states: South Dakota, New Mexico, West Virginia, California and New Jersey.[39] The proportional nature of delegate selection meant that Mondale was likely to obtain enough delegates on that day to secure the stated support of an overall majority of delegates, and hence the nomination, no matter who actually “won” the states contested. However, Hart maintained that unpledged superdelegates that had previously claimed support for Mondale would shift to his side if he swept the Super Tuesday III primary.[40] Once again, Hart committed a _faux pas,_ insulting New Jersey shortly before the primary day. Campaigning in California, he remarked that while the “bad news” was that he and his wife had to campaign separately, “[T]he good news for her is that she campaigns in California while I campaign in New Jersey.” Compounding the problem, when his wife interjected that she “got to hold a koala bear”, Hart replied that “I won't tell you what I got to hold: samples from a toxic waste dump.”[41] While Hart won California, he lost New Jersey after leading in polls by as much as 15 points.

By the time the final primaries concluded, Mondale had a considerable lead in total delegates, though he was 40 delegates short of clinching victory. Superdelegates voted overwhelmingly for Mondale at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco on July 16, making him the presidential nominee. Hart, already aware that the nomination was all but Mondale's after the final primaries, lobbied for the vice presidential slot on the ticket, claiming that he would do better than Mondale against President Ronald Reagan (an argument undercut by a June 1984 Gallup poll that showed both men nine points behind the president). While Hart was given serious consideration, Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro instead. In his address to the convention, after his name was placed in nomination for president by Nebraska governor Bob Kerrey and he received a 15-minute standing ovation, Hart concluded, “Our party and our country will continue to hear from us. This is one Hart you will not leave in San Francisco.”[42][43]

This race for the nomination was the most recent occasion that a major party presidential nomination has gone all the way to the convention. Mondale was later defeated in a landslide by the incumbent Reagan, winning only his home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Many felt that Hart and other similar candidates, younger and more independent-minded, represented the future of the party. Hart had refused to take money from Political Action Committees (PACs), and as a result he mortgaged his house to self-finance his campaign, and was more than $1 million in debt at the end of the campaign.

1988 presidential campaign

[Campaign logo][Hart speaks at Cornell University in late 1987.] Hart declined to run for re-election to the Senate, leaving office when his second term expired with the intent of running for president again. On December 20, 1986, Hart was allegedly followed by an anonymous private investigator from a radio station where he had given the Democratic Party's response to President Reagan's weekly radio address. That alleged investigator report claimed that Hart had been followed to a woman's house, photographed there, and left sometime the following morning. This allegation would ultimately cause him to suspend his planned presidential campaign.[44] After Mario Cuomo announced that he would not enter the race in February 1987, Hart was the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 1988 election.[45][46]

Hart officially declared his candidacy on April 13, 1987.[47][48][49][50]

When Lois Romano, a reporter for _The Washington Post_, asked Hart to respond to rumors spread by other campaigns that he was a “womanizer”, Hart said such candidates were “not going to win that way, because you don't get to the top by tearing someone else down.”[51] The _New York Post_ reported that comment on its front page with the headline lead in “Straight from the Hart”, followed below with big, black block letters: “.{{'”}}, and then a summary of the story: “Dem blasts rivals over sex life rumors”.[52][53]

In late April 1987, _The Miami Herald_ claimed that an anonymous informant contacted the paper to relate that Hart was having an affair with a friend, claimed it was the equivalent of the Iran-Contra scandal, provided details about the affair, and told the _Herald_ that Hart was going to meet this person at his Washington, D.C., townhouse on May 1.[54][55] As a result, a team of _Herald_ reporters followed Donna Rice on a flight from Miami to Washington, D.C., then staked out Hart's townhouse that evening and the next Saturday, and observed a young woman and Hart together.[56] The _Herald_ reporters confronted Hart on Saturday evening in an alley about his relationship with Rice.[57][58] Hart replied, “I'm not involved in any relationship,” and alleged that he had been set up.[59]

The _Herald_ published a story on May 3 that Hart had spent Friday night and most of Saturday with a young woman in his Washington, D.C. townhouse. On that same day, in an interview with E. J. Dionne that appeared in the _New York Times_, Hart, responding to the rumors of his womanizing, said: “Follow me around. I don't care. I'm serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They'll be very bored.”[60] At some point the reporters for the _Herald_ learned that the _New York Times_ was planning to feature the quote in their article on Sunday. When the two articles appeared on the same day a political firestorm was ignited.[61] On Sunday, Hart's campaign denied any scandal and condemned the _Herald_{{'}}s reporters for intrusive reporting.[62] Hart later noted that his “follow me around” comment was not “challenging the press with a taunt”, but, made in frustration, was only intended to invite the media to observe his public behavior, and never intended to invite reporters to be “skulking around in the shadows” of his home.[63] '“He did not think of it as a challenge,” Dionne would recall many years later. “And at the time, I did not think of it as a challenge.”'[64] Nor did Hart's comment influence the _Miami Herald_ to pursue the story.[65]

The next day, Monday, the young woman was identified as Donna Rice, and she gave a press conference also denying any sexual relationship with Hart.[66] Hart insisted that his interest in Rice was limited to her working as a campaign aide.[67] However, “the facts floated on a sea of innuendo.”[68]

The scandal spread rapidly through the national media, as did another damaging story about angry creditors of the $1.3 million debt Hart had incurred in his 1984 campaign.[69] Media questions about the affair came to dominate coverage of Hart's campaign,[70] but his staff believed that voters were not as interested in the topic as the media was.[71] Hart's staff believed that the media was filtering his message.[72] A Gallup Poll conducted that week for _Newsweek_ (but published the following week) found that 55% of Democrats believed that Hart had been truthful, and 44% of them were unconcerned about the issue. The polling of all voters was even more favorable to Hart. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the respondents it surveyed thought the media treatment of Hart was “unfair”, and 70% disapproved of covert surveillance by the media. A little over half (53 percent) responded that marital infidelity had little to do with a president's ability to govern.[73] _Time_ magazine had similar results: of those polled, 67% disapproved of the media writing about a candidate's sex life, and 60% stated that Hart's relationship with Rice was irrelevant to the presidency.[74] When queried about the matter, Cuomo remarked that there were “skeletons in everybody's closet.”[75]

On May 8, 1987, a week after the story broke, Hart suspended his campaign after _The Washington Post_ threatened to run a story about a woman Hart had dated while separated from his wife, and his wife and daughter became similar subjects of interest for tabloid journalists.[76]

At a press conference, Hart defiantly stated, “I said that I bend, but I don't break, and believe me, I'm not broken.”[77][78] Hart identified the invasive media coverage, and its need to “dissect” him, as his reason for suspending his campaign, “If someone's able to throw up a smokescreen and keep it up there long enough, you can't get your message across. You can't raise the money to finance a campaign; there's too much static, and you can't communicate. Clearly, under the present circumstances, this campaign cannot go on. I refuse to submit my family and my friends and innocent people and myself to further rumors and gossip. It's simply an intolerable situation.”[79][80] Hart paraphrased Thomas Jefferson and warned, “I tremble for my country when I think we may, in fact, get the kind of leaders we deserve.”[81][82][83] Hart later recalled, “I watched journalists become animals, literally.”[84]

_The New York Times_ opined that some compared Hart's press conference to Richard Nixon's “Last Press Conference” of November 7, 1962, in which Nixon blamed the media for his loss in the 1962 California gubernatorial election and did not take responsibility for his own actions.[85] Hart, in fact, received a letter from Nixon himself commending him for “handling a very difficult situation uncommonly well”.[86] The unprecedented nature of the investigation and reporting on Hart's personal life was widely noted and reported at the time;[87] the _New York Times_ said the situation “will certainly provoke a needed debate on his contention that the system has gone out of control.”[88]

Having withdrawn from the presidential race, Hart left for Ireland to spend time away from the media with his son. He rented a cottage in Oughterard, though he remained in contact with key members of his team. What news did filter out was that he was not excluding a return to the race.[89] _The New York Times_ also pointed to his odd ambivalence toward the presidency even before being caught by “the system”: “Only half of me wants to be President. [...] The other half wants to go write novels in Ireland. But the 50 percent that wants to be President is better than 100 percent of the others.”[90]

[Campaign button] His campaign chairman, Colorado congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, jumped into the race following Hart's withdrawal, but soon after withdrew herself at an emotional press conference on September 28, 1987.[91]

In December 1987, Hart returned to the race, declaring on the steps of New Hampshire Statehouse, “Let's let the people decide!”[92][93] Hart said that the other candidates did not represent his new ideas of strategic investment economics, military reform and “enlightened engagement in foreign policy.”[94] Hart warned, “We could lose more young Americans unnecessarily in the Persian Gulf.”[95] He initially rose to the top of the polls nationally, and second behind Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in New Hampshire,[96] but was soon confronted with more negative stories about prior debts from his 1984 campaign.[97][98] He competed in the New Hampshire primary and received 4,888 votes, about 4 percent.[99] After the Super Tuesday contests on March 8, in which he won no more than 5 percent of the vote, Hart withdrew from the campaign a second time.[100][101] Eventual Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis lost the 1988 United States presidential election by a substantial margin in both the popular and electoral vote, by margins unequaled since, winning in only 10 of 50 states.

A _Miami Herald_ editor who participated in the paper's initial Hart scandal stories disputed the possibility of a conspiracy theory involving Lee Atwater as published in _The Atlantic_.[102]

Later career

[Hart in 1995]

After his Senate service and presidential races, Hart resumed his law practice. He remained moderately active in public policy matters, serving on the bipartisan US Commission on National Security/21st Century, also known as the Hart–Rudman Commission, commissioned on behalf of Bill Clinton in 1998 to study U.S. homeland security. The commission issued several findings calling for broad changes to security policy, but none were implemented until after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[103] He earned a D.Phil. in politics from the University of Oxford in 2001 with a dissertation entitled _The Restoration of the Republic_; while at Oxford, he was a member of St Antony's College.

Hart gave a speech before the American international law firm Coudert Brothers on September 4, 2001, exactly one week before the September 11 attacks, warning that within the next 25 years a terrorist attack would lead to mass deaths in the United States. Hart met with aviation executives in Montreal, Canada, on September 5, 2001, to warn of terrorist attacks. The _Montreal Gazette_ reported the story the following day with a headline, “Thousands Will Die, Ex-Presidential Hopeful Says.”[104] On September 6, 2001, Hart met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to urge, “You must move more quickly on homeland security. An attack is going to happen.”[105] In a subsequent interview with Salon.com, Hart accused President George W. Bush and other administration officials of ignoring his warnings.[106]

In late 2002, urged by former Oxford classmates, Hart began testing the waters for another run for the presidency, launching a website at GaryHartNews.com and a related speaking tour to gauge reactions from the public. He started his own blog in the spring of 2003, the first prospective presidential candidate to do so. After a few months of speaking, Hart decided not to run for president and instead endorsed Democrat John Kerry. According to an October 23, 2004 _National Journal_ article and later reports in _The Washington Post_, Hart was mentioned as a probable Cabinet appointment if Kerry won the presidency. He was considered a top candidate for either Director of National Intelligence, Secretary of Homeland Security or Secretary of Defense.

Since May 2005, he has been a contributing blogger at _HuffPost_.[107] He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[108] Hart also sits on the Advisory Board of Operation USA, a Los Angeles-based international relief and development agency. It was announced in January 2006 that Hart will hold an endowed professorship at the University of Colorado. He is the author of _James Monroe_, part of the Times Books series on American presidents published in October 2005. Hart is an Honorary Fellow of the Literary & Historical Society of University College Dublin. He is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. He is also a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.[109]

In September 2007, _The Huffington Post_ published Hart's letter, “Unsolicited Advice to the Government of Iran”, in which he stated that “Provocation is no longer required to take America to war” and warns Iran that “for the next sixteen months or so, you should not only not take provocative actions, you should not seem to be doing so.” He went on to suggest that the Bush-Cheney administration was waiting for an opportunity to attack Iran, writing: “Don't give a certain vice president we know the justification he is seeking to attack your country.”[110]

Hart linked American energy policy with national security in an essay published in November 2007.[111] Hart wrote, “In fact, we do have an energy policy: It's to continue to import more than half our oil and sacrifice American lives so we can drive our Humvees. This is our current policy, and it is massively immoral.” Hart currently sits on the board of directors for the Energy Literacy Advocates. He founded the American Security Project in 2007[112] and he started a new blog in 2009.[113]

Since retiring from the Senate, he has emerged as a consultant on national security, and continues to speak on a wide range of issues, including the environment and homeland security. In 2006, Hart accepted an endowed professorship at the University of Colorado at Denver. He has been a visiting lecturer at Oxford University, Yale University, and the University of California. He is Chair of the U.S. State Department's International Security Advisory Council, Chair of the U.S. Defense Department's Threat Advisory Council, and Chair of the American Security Project. He was Vice-Chair of the Advisory Council for the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Co-Chair of the U.S.-Russia Commission, Chairman of the Council for a Livable World, and President of Global Green, the U.S. affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev's environmental foundation. Most notably, he was Co-Chair of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, which predicted terrorist attacks on America before 9/11.

He has written or co-authored numerous books and articles, including five novels.

U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland

In October 2014, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry named Hart as the new United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland.[114] Hart is the second former U.S. Senator to hold the post. The first was George Mitchell, former seat-mate and former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, who served from 1995 to 2001. In a statement, Kerry called Hart “a longtime friend” and said he was “a problem-solver, a brilliant analyst, and someone capable of thinking at once tactically, strategically, and practically.”[115]

Publications

Nonfiction

-   _The Republic of Conscience_ (Blue Rider Press, 2016);
-   _The Thunder and the Sunshine: Four Seasons in a Burnished Life_ (Fulcrum Publishing, 2010);
-   _Under The Eagle's Wing: A National Security Strategy of the United States for 2009_ (Speaker's Corner, 2008);
-   _The Courage of Our Convictions: A Manifesto for Democrats_ (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2006);
-   _The Shield and The Cloak: The Security of the Commons_ (Oxford University Press, 2006);
-   _God and Caesar in America: An Essay on Religion and Politics_ (Fulcrum Books, 2005);
-   _James Monroe_ (in the American Presidency series edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.; Times Books/Henry Holt, 2005);
-   _The Fourth Power: A New Grand Strategy for the United States in the 21st Century_ (Oxford University Press, 2004);
-   _Restoration of the Republic: The Jeffersonian Ideal in 21st Century America_ (Oxford University dissertation, 2002);
-   _The Minuteman: Restoring an Army of the People_ (Free Press, 1998);
-   _The Patriot: An Exhortation to Liberate America from the Barbarians_ (Free Press, 1996);
-   _The Good Fight: The Education of an American Reformer_ (_New York Times_ Notable Book; Random House, 1993);
-   _Russia Shakes the World: The Second Russian Revolution_ (HarperCollins, 1991);
-   _America Can Win: The Case for Military Reform_ (Adler and Adler, 1986);
-   _A New Democracy: A Democratic Vision for the 1980s and Beyond_ (William Morrow, 1983);
-   _Right from the Start: A Chronicle of the McGovern Campaign_ (Quadrangle, 1973);

Novels

-   _Durango_ (Fulcrum Publishing, 2012)
-   _I, Che Guevara_ (as John Blackthorn; William Morrow, 2000)
-   _Sins of the Fathers_ (as John Blackthorn; William Morrow, 1998)
-   _The Strategies of Zeus_ (William Morrow, 1987)
-   _The Double Man_ (with William Cohen; William Morrow, 1985)

In January 2000, Hart revealed that he is the political thriller writer John Blackthorn, whose books include _Sins of the Fathers_ and _I, Che Guevara_.[116]

Electoral history

COLORADO UNITED STATES SENATE ELECTION, 1974 (DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY):[117]

-   Gary Hart – 81,161 (39.92%)
-   Herrick S. Roth – 66,819 (32.86%)
-   Martin P. Miller – 55,339 (27.22%)

COLORADO UNITED STATES SENATE ELECTION, 1974[118]

-   Gary Hart (D) – 471,688 (57.23%)
-   Peter H. Dominick (R) (inc.) – 325,526 (39.50%)
-   John McCandish King (I) – 16,131 (1.96%)
-   Joseph Fred Hyskell (Prohibition) – 8,404 (1.02%)
-   Henry John Olshaw (Independent American) – 2,394 (0.29%)

COLORADO UNITED STATES SENATE ELECTION, 1980:[119]

-   Gary Hart (D) (inc.) – 590,501 (50.34%)
-   Mary Estill Buchanan (R) – 571,295 (48.70%)
-   Earl Higgerson (Prohibition) – 7,265 (0.62%)
-   Henry John Olshaw (I) – 4,081 (0.35%)

1984 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES:[120]

-   Walter Mondale – 6,952,912 (38.32%)
-   Gary Hart – 6,504,842 (35.85%)
-   Jesse Jackson – 3,282,431 (18.09%)
-   John Glenn – 617,909 (3.41%)
-   George McGovern – 334,801 (1.85%)
-   Unpledged delegates – 146,212 (0.81%)
-   Lyndon LaRouche – 123,649 (0.68%)
-   Reubin O'Donovan Askew – 52,759 (0.29%)
-   Alan Cranston – 51,437 (0.28%)
-   Ernest Hollings – 33,684 (0.19%)

1984 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION:[121]

-   Walter Mondale – 2,191 (56.41%)
-   Gary Hart – 1,201 (30.92%)
-   Jesse Jackson – 466 (12.00%)
-   Thomas Eagleton – 18 (0.46%)
-   George McGovern – 4 (0.10%)
-   John Glenn – 2 (0.05%)
-   Joe Biden – 1 (0.03%)
-   Martha Kirkland – 1 (0.03%)

1988 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES:[122]

-   Michael Dukakis – 9,898,750 (42.47%)
-   Jesse Jackson – 6,788,991 (29.13%)
-   Al Gore – 3,185,806 (13.67%)
-   Dick Gephardt – 1,399,041 (6.00%)
-   Paul M. Simon – 1,082,960 (4.65%)
-   Gary Hart – 415,716 (1.78%)
-   Unpledged delegates – 250,307 (1.07%)
-   Bruce Babbitt – 77,780 (0.33%)
-   Lyndon LaRouche – 70,938 (0.30%)
-   David Duke – 45,289 (0.19%)
-   James Traficant – 30,879 (0.13%)
-   Douglas Applegate – 25,068 (0.11%)

1988 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION:[123]

-   Michael Dukakis – 2,877 (70.09%)
-   Jesse Jackson – 1,219 (29.70%)
-   Richard Stallings – 3 (0.07%)
-   Joe Biden – 2 (0.05%)
-   Dick Gephardt – 2 (0.05%)
-   Lloyd Bentsen – 1 (0.02%)
-   Gary Hart – 1 (0.02%)

In popular culture

-   At a 2015 concert in Denver, Bono of U2 recognized Hart for his work in the Irish peace process: “And tonight, in the room, I want to thank Gary Hart for his work in bringing peace to our country in Ireland. You worked hard on it, sir.”[124]
-   In the final chapter of Stephen King's _Dark Tower_ series, _The Dark Tower_, the character Susannah Dean travels to an alternate 1980s America where Hart is president.
-   Hart appeared as himself on a May 1986 episode of _Cheers_ (episode 425; “Strange Bedfellows, Part 2”).
-   Chilean folk-rock band Sexual Democracia's song “Don't Cry, Gary Hart”, a cueca sung in English, appears on their album _Buscando Chilenos 2_ (1992).
-   Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young released a video satirizing the events of the _Miami Herald_{{'}}s stake-out of Hart's home, and other events of 1987, in _American Dream_ (Neil Young, 1988).[125]
-   In his novel _Then Everything Changed_, author Jeff Greenfield creates an alternate history in which Hart defeats Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.
-   Hart is mentioned in the Jeffrey Archer book _First Among Equals_.[126]
-   The “womanizer” scandal involving Donna Rice is the topic of an episode of the _RadioLab_ podcast (January 29, 2016).[127]
-   Hart is portrayed by Hugh Jackman in the 2018 film _The Front Runner_, which focuses on his 1987 scandals.
-   In a November 1987 episode of _The Golden Girls_, “Brotherly Love” (S3/E8), Dorothy's ex-brother-in-law, Ted, asks Rose what she does for a living. Dorothy cuts into their conversation and quips, “Gary Hart's Campaign Manager.”
-   The February 7, 2019 episode of the _You're Wrong About_ podcast discussed Hart.[128]

[1]

[2] Garry Clifford, Peter Carlson, “Gary Hart: George McGovern's Whiz Kid Has Grown Up, and Now He Wants a Chance to Be President Too”, _People Magazine_, (Vol. 20, No. 8, August 22, 1983)

[3]

[4] Richard Ben Cramer, “What It Takes: The Way To The White House” (Random House 1992) pg. 340

[5]

[6]

[7] Hart, stressing ideals, formally enters the 1988 race, New York Times, April 14, 1987

[8]

[9]

[10] Amy Goodman interview of Gary Hart “Fmr. Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Gary Hart: 'Both Houses of Congress Belong to the President's Party'” (March 28, 2006)

[11] Nuclear accident and recovery at Three Mile Island: a report / prepared by the Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation for the Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate, Washington: U.S. G.P.O.(1980)

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16] Michael D. Scott, Scott on Information Technology Law (Third Edition 2014) section 5.01

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32] Lindsay, Robert “Convention Sideline: Raising Money”, New York Times, July 21, 1984, pg. 11

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42] Gary Hart, et al., “Democratic National Convention Day 3” C-SPAN. (July 18, 1984)

[43] Phil Hirschkorn, “America's Last Great Convention: Mondale, Jackson & Hart Dish To Salon About Wild 1984 DNC”, _Salon_. (February 15, 2015)

[44] David Johnston. (June 7, 1987). “Hart's Link to 2d Woman was Found by a Private Detective”. _The New York Times_.

[45] John Dillin for The Christian Science Monitor. February 23, 1987 Cuomo's `no' opens door for dark horses

[46]

[47] Gary Hart, Senator Gary Hart Statement Of Candidacy (April 13, 1987)

[48]

[49] Gary Hart, “Hart Announcement”, C-SPAN. (April 14, 1987)

[50] James Coates, “Hart Starts March For The White House: A 'Deadly Serious' Campaign Ahead”, _Chicago Tribune_. (April 14, 1987)

[51] William Safire. (May 3, 1987). “On Language; Vamping Till Ready”. _The New York Times_.

[52]

[53] Matt Bai. _All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid_. Knopf (September 30, 2014)

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62] E.J. Dionne, Jr. (May 4, 1987). “Paper and Hart in Dispute Over Article”. _The New York Times_. p. A16

[63] Maureen Dowd, “Liberties; Change of Hart”, New York Times, March 22, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/22/opinion/liberties-change-of-hart.html

[64]

[65] James Savage, 'Following Gary Hart', _The New York Times_ (March 31, 1998) https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/31/opinion/l-following-gary-hart-264539.html

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70] Gary Hart, “Hart News Conference”, C-SPAN (May 6, 1987) http://www.c-span.org/video/?3680-1/hart-news-conference

[71]

[72]

[73] Matt Bai. _All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid_. Knopf (September 30, 2014) p. 136

[74] John Dillin, Press Unfair to Hart? Polls Show Public Concern; Experts Back Tough Scrutiny", The Christian Science Monitor (May 12, 1987) http://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0512/apress.html

[75] John Dillin, PRESS UNFAIR TO HART?. Polls Show Public Concern; Experts Back Tough Scrutiny", The Christian Science Monitor (May 12, 1987) http://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0512/apress.html

[76] Matt Bai. _All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid_. Knopf (September 30, 2014) p. 129

[77] Gary Hart, “Hart First Withdrawal” C-SPAN (May 8, 1987) http://www.c-span.org/video/?3681-1/hart-first-withdrawal

[78] New York Times, Transcript Of Hart Statement Withdrawing His Candidacy (May 8, 1987) https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/09/us/transcript-of-hart-statement-withdrawing-his-candidacy.html

[79]

[80]

[81]

[82]

[83]

[84] Maureen Dowd, “Liberties; Change of Hart”, New York Times, March 22, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/22/opinion/liberties-change-of-hart.html

[85]

[86]

[87]

[88]

[89]

[90]

[91] Warren Weaver, Jr. for _The New York Times_. September 29, 1987 Schroeder, Assailing 'the System,' Decides Not to Run for President

[92] Bob Drogin for the Los Angeles Times. December 16, 1987 Hart Back in Race for President : Political World Stunned, Gives Him Little Chance

[93]

[94]

[95]

[96]

[97] Richard L. Berke for the New York Times. January 10, 1988 The Nation; Hart's 1984 Debts Make The 1988 Campaigns Nervous

[98] Richard L Berke for the New York Times January 22, 1988 Hart's Advisers Deny New Charges, but Are Fearful of Impact

[99] Dartmouth College. History of Presidential Debates at Dartmouth: 1988: “Presidency in the 200th Year of the Constitution” Page accessed November 19, 2014

[100] Associated Press, in the Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1988 Quits Campaign : 'The People 'Have Decided,' Hart Declares

[101] Gary Hart, “Hart Second Withdrawal” C-Span (March 11, 1988) http://www.c-span.org/video/?2154-1/hart-second-withdrawal

[102]

[103]

[104]

[105] Gary Hart, WABC interview with John Batchelor and Paul Alexander, May 28, 2002.

[106]

[107]

[108] https://www.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/FY17%20Membership%20Roster.pdf

[109] https://www.issueone.org/reformers/#reformer-full-list

[110] Gary Hart. “Unsolicited Advice to the Government of Iran”

[111] Gary Hart essay

[112]

[113] Gary Hart Matters of Principle

[114] https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2014/10/21/gary-hart-named-envoy-to-northern-ireland

[115]

[116]

[117]

[118]

[119]

[120]

[121]

[122]

[123]

[124]

[125]

[126]

[127]

[128] https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-hobbes/youre-wrong-about/e/58649563?autoplay=true

title: Gary Hart

question: What caused Gary Hart to suspend his planned presidential campaign?

answer: A private investigator followed him and photographed him leaving a woman's house the next morning, revealing his extramarital affairs.


split: train

text:
Creature on the mount

In my home upon the mountain of Araj, there are many trails and paths that people travel. My house stands as a way point for the wary; a place that they can lay their heads and drink when their travels become too much to bear. Every time they come I ask them about their travels- things they have seen. Most of them are there visiting from other continents-North America, Europe. They tell me of their love for Araj. The trees so green and fair, the air clearer than anything they ever experienced. Yes the mountain is beautiful and I’ve dwelled here for many years, but sadly due to my old age, have never been to the top. I wonder sometimes if I’ll ever make it. If I’ll ever witness the same beauty that my visitors have done so many times before me.

Strangely one day a man came to my home. He was alone with no pack on his back or shoes on his feet. Trapped in a daze, he stumbled past my home nearly falling from the cliffs. I grabbed him and led him to a bed to rest. He twitched and writhed, mumbling about strange things, whispers of knowledge and wisdom being spoken through the mist at the top of the mountain, clothed figures sleuthing about between the trees. IN an out of consciousness he went until finally he drifted off to sleep. The following morning he awoke and knew of nothing that he had spoke about. I asked him many times but he apologized and said he could not remember. I bid him farewell and he departed. Some weeks later I found more travelers descending from the mountain trails, lost in their thoughts, unable to speak in their native tongues. Each of them spoke of things lurking at the top of this mount. A beast with many layers of hair preaching inconceivable messages about the universe and the realm of which we inhabit, acolytes at its side with masked faces and strange bodies. Of course I questioned them the following morning but they too were oblivious to their own words.

More months passed by and the instances of this phenomenon became too frequent for me to ignore. With my rooms filling up nightly of people with minds plagued with delusion, I finally decided to see for myself what was at the top of mount Araj. Late in the night, when the moon was at its fullest, I left my home, packed for a days journey. I made my way up through the rocky and steep trails, sometimes having to veer off the path to climb higher, upon uneven sets of rock and timber.  The further up I reached the more I noticed that the animals of the night were no longer hooting, crying, or scampering through the bush. Crickets were absent as well, creating a stale and unsettling silence in the moonlit air. Finally I reached a pathway that seemed to differ from the one that I was on. More paved and cared for, I followed it. It led me to a cave nestled conveniently in the side of the mount. I entered it, going against my better judgment. I felt my way through the dark, placing one foot carefully in front of the other, hoping to not fall down dark hole. And as I made my way through, I began to hear the echoes of strange chants rising throughout the cave. Up ahead, the dim light of a fire burned brightly, giving way to strange shadows jumping against the cavern walls, going in and out. Afraid as I was, my heart raced with a peculiar anticipation. I needed to find out what was happening-what crazed abominations lurked within.

I hid around a corner, just out of sight, listening intently. I could understand nothing that was being said. It was as if the figure speaking was not using its tongue but some other method. The sounds it made started to blend together and I felt as if my mind was being swished about. Unable to take any more of it, I lunged around and confronted the mysterious beings face to face.

At this point in time I must inform you that I can vaguely recall the events that transpired and to tell the truth, I’m not sure if I ever will fully remember them. Strange isn’t it.

Once I turned the corner I saw a tall beast; long legged, man-like, lengthy strands of dirty brown hair, matted on like a rug of poor quality. A strange garment of green and black was laid upon his back and he looked at me as if we were familiar at some point in life. His hands were raised up high, preaching to a small group of people that I had seen go up the mountain earlier that day. Figures dressed in black grabbed me by the arm and sat me down with them. The audience of travelers did not flinch, or even give acknowledgment to my presence. The beast continued his message, preaching over the strange fire that sparked with blue and violet. I looked at him with innocent eyes and mind, frightened and bewildered. Then, his mouthing changed and I could understand every word- every syllable he was pronouncing unto us. I cannot remember what it was he was saying exactly but I do recall the feeling. It was like I was entering a dream of unparalleled knowledge. I felt that the world was opened up and had swallowed my former self into it. The stars, the galaxies, the universe-it all made sense. Nature, life, death, there was nothing I was ignorant of any longer. As his message went on I remember a white light blinding me then waking up in my home unable to remember a thing. It wasn't until after a few weeks that I was able to recall even the slightest detail. And still, I struggle with the reality of what happened there.

Often, I look up the trail of mount Araj and convince myself that I will return to the cavern one day but I know I probably will not. To be honest, I am afraid of that creature and its strange words. Man is not meant to know such things and it is clear that our brains will not let us retain it. I have now blocked my home from any more travelers. I wish to see them no more. These last days of my old life I will spend seeking a form of peace for my soul. Maybe leave the mountain once and for all. I am not sure..I am not sure.

title: The creature on the mount (tell me what you think. wrote in 45 minutes.)

question: What is the theme of this story?

answer: Occult knowledge.

question: What does the man discover on the mountain?

answer: A cave filled with a cult and a demonic entity.

question: What lets the man know there is something supernatural happening on the mountain?

answer: Pilgrims who stay at his house have visions he cannot remember.

question: Why does the man block his home to travelers?

answer: He feels there are some things the human mind is not meant to know.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This story is about a man who notices travelers who lodge in his home near a mountain called Araj are having visions. He climbs the mountain himself and discovers a cult worshipping a mysterious beast. He closes his home to travelers in consequence.


text:
_TAP THE RED CANE WHIRLWIND_ is an album by American blues singer and guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps. It reached number 11 on the _Billboard_ Top Blues Albums.

History

_Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind_ is a collection of solo live performances from engagements at McCabe's, Santa Monica, California and Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, California in 2004.

In an interview regarding his first live release, Phelps said, “My passion lies in performing live, in the sense of 'no net' string grabbing and 'lord knows what' singing and flying by my seat and watching the songs come alive (hopefully) in a way that I could have never predicted beforehand. I've wanted to have a recorded representation of that for some time...”[1]

Reception

Music critic Thom Jurek praised the release in his Allmusic review, writing “Phelps is a dynamite guitarist who adds, subtracts, and morphs figures onto the original fingerstyle lines, and uses his voice to offer evidence of the timelessness of the lyric. And as moving and virtuosic as these two performances are, it's his own songs that offer the true prize of this collection... if there is one recording that captures the sum of the magic, power, and poetry that is Kelly Joe Phelps, this one's it.”[2] Fred Kraus of Minor 7th wrote: “His slices-of-life verses provide character insight without being self-confessional, and just enough detail to be recognizable without being self-focused. His observations are such that they open up our world rather than reduce it. Phelps definitely has it going on.”[3]

David Greenberger of _No Depression_ praised the album with reservations, writing “After exploring the studio possibilities with a shifting but sympathetic group of players, Phelps turns, on this record, to a form that has been his mainstay: live, solo performance... His music is so tied to a sound that the songs can roll into one another, as well as disappear into themselves. Granted, some of those issues can be chalked up to creative subtleties, but there are times when you just want him to change registers and head into the truly unknown. That said, Phelps is a riveting performer, integrating his singing into his playing with results that exude fully committed emotional character... Phelps’ singing goes down so smooth I just want him to even let out a cough to rough up the flow at some point.”[4]

PopMatters critic Robert R. Calder is equally equivocal, giving the album 5 of 10 stars: “He seems hardly to have combined verbal inspiration into any very conventional sort of song.... In some respects Phelps lets himself off easy. The lack of straight sequential meanings simply spreads words and phrases across the virtuoso guitar music... The result is probably good in parts, but I wonder how the real oddness of some lyrics might disquiet listeners after a little longer than a critic can allow himself/herself to relisten to a review copy before writing. There's a cause of disquiet at odds with the gentle and often beautiful music. I'll declare no conclusion but advise potential listeners that they might find something incoherent and unlikeable. It's worth suggesting that while there's impressive evidence here that Kelly Joe Phelps is an exceptionally talented musician, guitarist, and performer, he has perhaps not distinguished himself in words.”[5]

Track listing

All songs by Kelly Joe Phelps unless otherwise noted.

1.  “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” (Skip James) – 9:46
2.  “Not So Far to Go” – 7:35
3.  “Jericho” – 8:46
4.  “Fleashine” – 6.44
5.  “Cardboard Box of Batteries” – 6:29
6.  “Gold Tooth” – 8:56
7.  “Tommy” – 6:47
8.  “I Am the Light of the World” (Reverend Gary Davis) – 6:28
9.  “Waiting for Marty” – 6:26

Personnel

-   Kelly Joe Phelps - vocals, guitar

PRODUCTION:

-   Engineered and mixed by Shawn Pierce
-   Mastered by Greg Calbi
-   Photography by Michael “Mick” Wilson
-   Design by Gwen Terpstra

[1] Six String Soul interview. January 2005. Retrieved June 24, 2010.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

title: Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind

question: What is the history of Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind?

answer: The album is a collection of solo live performances from engagements at McCabe's Santa Monica, and Freight and Salvage, in Berkeley, both in California in 2004. The guitarist says that his passion lies in performing live. He wants his songs to come alive in a way he has never predicted beforehand.

question: Describe the reception of the album.

answer: Some critics, such as Thom Jurek, praise the album. Jurek calls Phelps a "dynamite guitarist." Fred Kraus describes his verses as "slices of life" and claim he has got it "going on." Other reviewers, such as David Greenberger, and Robert R. Calder, are more equivocal. They find the lack of sequential meaning in the album too jarring.


text:
A cold wind rustled the barren trees and swept through the empty playground. “We’re going to freeze out here, lets head back”, said Jane. Too late. I was already frozen.

We returned to the house, and Jane asked if I wanted coffee. It was rhetorical; I didn’t drink coffee. A cold draft penetrated the house. She fetched her instant and sat beside me, “I’m glad we got to talk”. Silence. “This is tough for you. I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through.”  Her voice was breaking, tears welled in her eyes. “James is a good man, you’d like him”. Did that even dignify a response? “Paul, I’m so sorry-“, she started sobbing, “I never wanted for us to end, I will always love you”.

I wish my arms still worked so I could hold her again. If only I could speak, I would say I'll always love her back. But I could only observe, and not interact, as the woman I loved, set herself free.

title: Frozen

question: Why is the protagonist sad?

answer: His girlfriend is moving on from their relationship. The story is very unclear as to why anything happened.

question: How did Paul get frozen?

answer: No reason is mentioned in the story.

question: Why does Jane apologize to Paul?

answer: She apologizes for moving on to a new relationship while Paul is frozen.

question: Summarize Paul's final wish.

answer: He wishes he could hold Jane in his arms and tell her he will always love her.

question: How did Paul get home while frozen?

answer: The story doesn't elaborate on how the couple went back home.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: While outside with his girlfriend Jane, Paul gets frozen for some reason. Back at home, Jane apologizes to him for moving on, saying she'll always love him. Paul can't respond due to being frozen, but he wishes he could hold her and tell her he will always love her.


text:
It is just another day…

The bell rings signifying the next rotation. I stand up and in a single file line, walk briskly to the next station. The pace of the walk has been determined so that we can all get to our next station within the allotted time frame. Anyone who is late to their station gets punished.  A second bell rings to let us know that this time frame has finished and that we should all be ready once again.

The room is bright, illuminated only by artificial lighting. There are no windows, windows can be distracting. There is slight chatter, but this is quickly ended by the administrator at the head of the room. We all shut up out of a deep fear of punishment. We all reside in our own respective spaces, designated specifically for us to maximize our ability.

After a pre-specified time period, we stand up, make a line by the alphabetical order of our last name, and proceed to the next station. One of us is singled out and made to wait behind, everyone knows it is because he has not been reaching the set performance standards and will likely be punished as a result. Only a few of us dare sneak a look in his direction. Most simply stare at the hair of the person in front of them.

As soon as the administrator gives us the signal, we proceed out of the station onto the next. The halls immediately become a swarm of apparel all exactly the same. If we do not strictly abide by the dress code, we will be punished. There are personal storage spaces along the halls; we are all given our own. These personal storage units can be periodically checked for any sort of contraband material, if they find any in ours, we will be punished.

At last, a special bell rings to let us know that we are now allowed to consume the necessary nutrients to sustain us through the day. We all proceed to the eating area and go through the food distribution line. Today we have two choices of meals. After receiving our food we then go to our designated eating spots. A bell will ring notifying us that we are no longer allowed to eat. Administrators are dispersed around the room to make sure all conversation is kept appropriate with threat of punishment.

The closing of our workday is signified by a final 25th ring of a bell. This is accompanied by a voice from the loudspeakers reminding us to be productive and persistent in the work assigned for us to do in our own discretionary time lest we be punished the next work day. We all walked in an organized manner outside to the transportation services provided to us.

Today is just another day. Same as tomorrow.

Just another day of middle school.

title: Just another day...

question: Describe the story's setting.

answer: The story is set in middle school.

question: Who is singled out?

answer: The person who is failing their class.

question: How does the narrator feel about their day?

answer: They seem tired.

question: What does the narrator feel about middle school?

answer: From the way he describes it, it seems like he thinks school is too restrictive.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator talks about their boring routine in middle school and how they have to put with "just another day".


text:
Welcome!

[]

Video Production

For Corporate and Promotional Video Production, look no further than talkingcloud. We combine creativity, sharp content and digital marketing expertise to engage your audience. As one of the most innovative corporate and promotional video production companies, talkingcloud offers more than a decade of experience working with companies of all sizes. We are an end-to- end creative video production company; working with passion to develop an initial concept, through storyboarding, filming, editing and post-production to delivery with a digital marketing support package.

[]

Post Production

Video Editing is an art. Creating short & sharp videos are need of the day to tell your stories to the world. This is where we, talkingcloud do make difference. We know you have lots of footage for your story but we know how to create compassionate one! Our post-production team of creative directors, editors, designers, animators, compositors, VFX supervisors delivers a full complement of post-production services. Including video editing, compositing, color correction and streaming video. In an era where the cutting edge of technology is constantly being redefined, be it stereoscopic 3D or an HD audio mix, talkingcloud is committed to staying at the forefront of everything that is possible technically and creatively.

[]

Motion Graphics

In the process of broadcasting, one cannot imagine his production without the use of CG. Be it a Title Montage, Break bumpers, Information or Infographics, Virtual sets etc. Motion Graphics are everywhere. talkingcloud would help you create identity for your production from scratch to end result. Creation of broadcast graphics is one of our core specialties.

CORPORATE EVENTS

Are you organizing an event? Let us know! We are specialized in video documenting the event. From creating a pre event content, covering live event, and creating a story for the event & from the event.

CORPORATE VIDEOS

In today’s world videos are the need of an hour. A video can be your round the clock salesman without tiring & taking any leaves, always smiling and welcoming new potential clients. Talkingcloud is one stop solution for your business videos.

PROCESS DOCUMENTATION

We do video documenting of various processes from educator’s home visit in a school to documenting a student’s emotion for school where they have spent 15 years of their life. Reach us for more information.

YOU SHOOT WE EDIT

It is exactly as it is termed above. Whether you are a media house, film maker or marketing personnel you always have a story to tell, just go in the field and capture your vision. Leave the rest on us; we willdeliver you an engaging story! With over a decade of experience and one of the known companies for video editing, talkingcloud promises you unrivaled quality of video editing services with least turnaround time.

FOR YOUTUBERS

As a YouTuber you have lots of challenges. You are focusing on ideation, conceptualization, scripts, VOs, research, production & post production, streaming, marketing and revenue generation! How about you find a partner who can support you with broadcast ready videos? STUNNED!!! As a YouTuber just send us a VO & we will deliver you broadcast ready video or send us your row footage & you will get a viral video back. Start Simple! Get Smart!

BRANDING
and advertising

How does the world view you?
Your brand lets you stand out in a crowded bazaar and compete. We focus on design and big ideas.

  __ marketing is no longer about the stuff you make but about the stories you tell - Seth Godin

Case Studies

Follow our film crew to Challenge site IIM, Ahmedabad, where 50 entrepreneurs from all over India. We the talkingcloud media production house from Ahmedabad, producing films all over India, The site space was approximately 428,967 square meters. The challenge aims to encourage the intuitive, easy to use products and solutions that enable and drive access to service imperative for development. E.g. Financial, Healthcare, E-governance, Educational.
This event was first part of Innovate for Digital India Challenge & it was all about presenting new ideas, mentoring & brainstorming sessions. There was a special lecture from Mr. Sushil Handa of Claris Group. Jury members like Mr.Shrikrishna Ramamoorthy – Partner, Unitus Seeds Funds, Mr. Sachin Kelkar – APAC Scale Programme Intel, Mr.Ashish Deshpande – Cofounder & Director, Elephant Design, Ms Rema Subramanian – Cofounder & Managing Partner, Ankur Capital, Mr. Naganand Doraswamy – VP, Span Systems, Mr. Kishore Ramisetty – Sr. Director Market Enabling Solutions, Intel, Mr. H K Mittal – Adviser, Member Secretary, NSTEDB
Talkingcloud was present there with Multi Camera. The team was present from 0800 hrs. There were numerous sessions like workshops, presentations, lectures & special workshop by IIM, Ahmedabad students on “How to present your IDEA” to new target audience. We did more than 35+ interviews in this event & collected more than 22 hrs of footage.

Now, you can see the magic here!

We are talkingcloud, and Let us take your story to the world…!
On the Spot Turn Around!
The Jury Opinion on the challenge!

Government views on the challenge!

This is just a simple case study of video documenting an educational or learning process. Asking honestly, how many of you will read approx 6 - 8 A4 size pages process to understand exactly what process is? Answer is very few of us. How about same thing in just 3 and half minute beautiful video!

This is how it begins, one of the very prestigious education institution have taken an initiative by their Grade 3 students to do a social experiment by creating Rotating Art Installation - It reads poems with different combinations upon rotation'. Here, Students have learned to Observe, Define, Brain-storming & Prototype.

They captured the moments of the entire process with some mobile devices few videos & some clicks. They asked us to help them with their row footage & create a memorable story around it which explains entire process beautifully & we created this magical few minutes for them.

If you can shoot from any device & we will do our magic to your footage & make it a memorable video.

-   You shoot, we edit.
-   Quick & Easy Videos.
-   Very Economical

question: What specialty does talkingcloud offer?

answer: They specialize in anything video-related. This can be production, post-production, CG work, documentation, etc. Editing of videos provided by their customers is also possible. They specifically mention making ready-to-broadcast videos for Youtubers.

question: Summarize talkingcloud's SEO services.


text:
WERNER EPLINIUS (1907-1957) was a German screenwriter.[1]

Selected filmography

-   _Gasparone_ (1937)
-   _Maria Ilona_ (1939)
-   _The Immortal Heart_ (1939)
-   _Die goldene Stadt_ (1942)
-   _Melusine_ (1944)
-   _King for One Night_ (1950)
-   _Once on the Rhine_ (1952)
-   _Homesick for Germany_ (1954)
-   _Music in the Blood_ (1955)
-   _The Tour Guide of Lisbon_ (1956)
-   _The Beautiful Master_ (1956)
-   _My Brother Joshua_ (1956)
-   _Just Once a Great Lady_ (1957)
-   _The Winemaker of Langenlois_ (1957)
-   _The Big Chance_ (1957)

[1] Noack p.193

title: Werner Eplinius

question: Who was Werner Eplinius?

question: How long did Werner Eplinius live?

answer: He lived for 50 years.

question: What is Werner Eplinius's the most recent movie?

answer: Eplinius's the most recent movie was The Big Chance.

question: What was Werner Eplinius's firts movie?

answer: Eplinius's firts movie was Gasparone.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Werner Eplinius (1907-1957) was a German screenwriter. Some of his movies are Gasparone, - Maria Ilona, The Beautiful Master, and The Winemaker of Langenlois.


text:
JUPITER PICTURES () was an Indian feature film production company founded in Coimbatore in 1934 by M. Somasundaram (popularly known as “Jupiter Somu”) and S.K. Mohideen. Jupiter Pictures was a major production house with 46 releases with 36 films released in Tamil, 5 in Telugu, 2 each in Kannada and Hindi and one joint release in Tamil and Telugu. In the late 40s and early 50s, they operated out of Central Studios in Coimbatore. Following the closure of the studio, they relocated to Chennai and took over Neptune Studio in Adayar which would later become Sathya Studios . In Chennai, the Jupiter Pictures office operated from a leased historic and palatial building in Mylapore known as “Mangala Vilas”.

A. S. A. Sami directed most of his films with Jupiter Pictures. In Chennai during the 50s and 60s, Jupiter produced many successful films, such as “Manohara” (1954, directed by L.V. Prasad), “Karpukkarasi” (1957, A. S. A. Sami), “Thangapathumai” (1959, Sami), “Ellorum Innattu Mannar”(1960, Tatineni Prakasha Rao), “Arasilankumari” (1961, Sami). Jupiter Pictures films made with other producers were sometimes less popular. In its later years the company was managed by S.K. Habibullah.[1]

Filmography

-   “Menaka” (1935) [Released in Sri Shanmuganandha Talkie Company]
-   “Chandrakantha” (1936) [First Movie in Jupiter Pictures]
-   “Anaadhai Penn” (1938)
-   “Kannagi” (1942) [Highest grossing Film of the year]
-   “Kubera Kuchela” (1943) [One of Highest grosser]
-   “Mahamaya” (1944)
-   “Vidyapathi” (1946)
-   “Sri Murugan” (1946) [One of Highest grosser]
-   “Rajakumari” (1947) [One of Highest grosser, and made M. G. Ramachandran as star]
-   “Kanjan” (1947)
-   “Abhimanyu” (1948)
-   “Mohini” (1948)
-   “Velaikkaari” (1949) (C. N. Annadurai's First Film)
-   “Kanniyin Kaadhali” (1949) (Madhuri Devi in dual role, 1 role disguised as male)
-   “Krishna Vijayam” (1950)
-   “Vijayakumari” (1950)
-   “Marmayogi” (1951) (Highest grosser)
-   “Sthree Sahasam” (1951) (Distributor Only)
-   “Sudharshan” (1951) (Distributor Only) (P. U. Chinnappa's Last Film)
-   “Kaithi” (1951)
-   “Rani” (1952) (Bilingual Film, simultaneously made in Hindi)
-   “Zamindar” (1952)
-   “Naam” (1953)
-   “Manithan” (1953)
-   “Inspector” (1953)
-   “Azhagi” (1953)
-   “Manohara” (1954) [Producer under Manohar Pictures]
-   “Sorgavasal” (1954) [Produced under Parimalam Pictures]
-   “Karpukkarasi” (1957)
-   “Thanga Padhumai” (1959)

[1] https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/santhosham-1955/article6401521.ece

title: Jupiter Pictures

question: Why did Jupiter Pictures go out of business?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: What was the last film released by Jupiter pictures?

answer: Thanga Padhumai

question: List three films released by Jupiter Pictures in the 1940s.

answer: Kanjan, Mohini, Kanniyin Kaadhali

question: Who founded Jupiter Pictures?

answer: M. Somasundaram (also known as Jupiter Somu) and S.K. Mohideen

question: Summarize everything relating to Chennai.

answer: Jupiter Studios relocated to Chennai after Central Studios closed. They operated there out of a building in Mylapore known as "Mangala Vilas". While based in Chennai, Jupiter Studios produced many successful films, including Manohara, Thangapathumai, and Arasilankumari.

question: Who was A.S.A. Sami?

answer: A director who directed most of his films with Jupiter Pictures.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Jupiter Pictures was an Indian feature film production company. They were founded in 1934 and active up until the late 1950s. They operated out of Central Studios in Coimbatore until its closure, at which point they relocated to Chennai. Director A.S.A. Sami made most of his films with Jupiter Pictures.


text:
[Top human rights award goes to education leader]

The former Secretary General of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in the Philippines has been named as recipient of a top international prize for trade union rights.

France Castro, a top trade union activist in the Philippines, has been named as the recipient of  the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights 2019. Castro, who is the former Secretary General of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), is renowned in the trade union world for her tireless defence of human rights in the Philippines. Indeed, her advocacy for human rights has also led to harassment of her as a consequence.

The prize was announced today by Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

CONTEXT

The Philippines is among the 10 worst countries in the world for workers and trade unionists, according to the ITUC. Basic workers’ rights are not respected, including the right to organise and collectively bargain and to be protected against child labour, discrimination and forced labour. Against a background of state violence and suppression of civil liberties, workers and trade unionists face threats and intimidation from the regime when defending their rights.

Castro and some of her colleagues at the ACT are among active trade unionists, in particular journalists and teachers, who have been targeted, harassed and prosecuted by the Duterte regime. Some activists have been killed or imprisoned and death threats are common. During a recent keynote speech at the Executive Board of Education International (EI), one of Castro’s colleagues highlighted recent illegal profiling and vilification of unionised teachers by the police. This has resulted in significant disruption of union activities and the invasion of teachers’ privacy.

CASTRO’S EXAMPLE

Castro has become a symbol for democracy and workers’ rights in her country. A qualified teacher, she established an education union in Quezon City, just north-east of the capital, Manila. Later, she was elected Secretary General of the ACT, which is a member of EI, and focused on uniting teachers within one trade union.

Under her leadership, the ACT has quickly grown to become one of the largest trade unions in the Philippines. In 2016, it negotiated the first collective agreement for public school teachers, which recognises the right to strike.

As an elected Member of the _Philippine_ House of Representatives, Castro has fought against neoliberal reforms in education and filed bills for the rights and welfare of education workers. She has also fought against lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility, the mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps in senior high school and targeting of minors in the regime’s anti-drug war.

She and her union have long been engaged in the defence of indigenous people’s right to education, activism that led to her being attacked by paramilitary forces and detained during a solidarity mission in Lumad schools in Talaingod last November.

_The Arthur Svensson prize is granted to a person or an organisation that has worked predominantly to promote trade union rights and/or to strengthen trade union organising around the world. The prize is an international award established by the Norwegian trade union, Industri Energi. It is awarded annually by the Committee for the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights._

Source

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question: What does the text say about the ACT?

answer: France Castro is the former Secretary General of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT). Castro and some of her colleagues at the ACT are among active trade unionists, in particular journalists and teachers, who have been targeted, harassed, and prosecuted by the Duterte regime.

question: What does the text say about Castro's personal life?


text:
Hey readers (and writers) of Short Stories! This is my first post, and frankly, my first piece of writing (other than school) that I put a decent amount of time into. I'm just wondering what you guys think! Be honest, I want to improve. And yes, for the record, this is all true. EDIT: Sorry for my title being so similar to another post from a few hours earlier, I didn't even realize until after I posted!

The Midst of the Night

   As one slowly fades to two, my mind runs a marathon. As with a marathon, it is both painful and rewarding; remembering what was, imagining what could have been. A bittersweet river of emotions that I wish would end, but know will run on. Why must you do this to me?
The end is no fault of yours, really. Just fate. A cruel hand was dealt, and I had already pushed all my chips to the center. Did you? I long to know the answer, but also hope to never know. If you feel like I do, just show me a sign. Anything. But you won’t. Who’s to say you don’t have the same sleepless nights? You might. But my suspicion is you don’t. And knowing that for sure is a thousand times worse than not knowing.

   I try to recreate the past- mostly arguments. Why couldn’t they have ended better? Either way, they mean little that isn’t why it’s over. They are just a painful remainder of a mostly happy time. I was always the bad guy, you never did any wrong, yet I always just agreed. I was blinded by love. Now that the rose colored glasses are gone, I realize that isn’t true. My feelings are equal to those of everyone else.

   I create future conversations knowing all too well that they will never occur. Or if they do, not as well as in my head. I’m not as smooth a talker as I am a thinker, and while I know you well, you responses are unpredictable.

   The rational majority of my mind knows this needs to happen, and better now than later. Yet the small romantic area still aches. Each day I try to convince myself it’s fine. It’s an argument I have trouble winning. Must you convince yourself? Or had you long ago conquered that small voice of anti-reason lurking through your consciousness? That’s another thing it might be better not to know.

   Do you even care about me? Your words sound so, but your actions reek with apathy. If actions speak louder than words, your sentence of investment has been drowned out by the manifesto of disregard. I’m but an old newspaper: interesting at one time, now tossed in the corner, only to be glanced at occasionally. I pray that it is but a figment of my negative imagination.

   I know in time, all this will fade just as two now fades to three. It will be a black and white scene in a long film of technicolor. I only wish it could fade sooner. But time is a merciless warden, imprisoning you in the present, only allowing you to leave when he sees fit. The mind is a complex thing. It almost enjoys the pain. I am far simpler, and I don’t.

title: The Midst of the Night

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: There's not enough information to answer the question.

question: What is the narrator thinking about?

answer: they are reflecting on their unfortunate circumstances, lost love, and their self-worth

question: Who is the narrator talking to?

answer: There's not enough information to answer the question.

question: What does the narrator think will fade?

answer: Their anger and frustrations

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is angry and can't sleep, so they have a long rant in their mind directed at some person that's offended them. They reflect on their negative feelings about their situation. As they count, trying to sleep, they think about how to the anger will eventually fade.


text:
Warm ginger ale and a cold body. Good times.
            The day started out relatively normal. Alarm went off at five am. Punched the snooze button. Broke the fourth alarm clock this week. Slept in until eight. Woke up for real, looked at the bashed clock, looked at my watch, let loose a string of choice words. Tried to shave and put on pants at the same time. Got caught and nicked my ear. Opened my fridge, no food; only a sock. What the hell?
            Normally, I woulda got in my car, broken three speed limits on my way to the local deli, and gotten a sandwich. Instead, I got in my car, looked over to my passenger seat, threw up, and stumbled out of my car, now rancid with the smell of upchucked Pad Thai from last night, and a dead body.
            My first call to 911 ever happened that day as well. I had to call in a fire.
            I went to work like normal that day, except my commute involved a bike and a pissed off crossing guard. I was looking forward to spending an entire day of lying through my teeth to make sure some sorry bastard got twenty-five years instead of forty in the state penitentiary. Of course, it’s a little hard to make witnesses sweat when you keep thinking about the clean up job you’ll have to do on your car.
            I guess I won that day. Of course, society lost fifteen years of not having deal with some sociopath arsonist. I think his name was Noah. Heh.
            I wasn’t looking forward to going to my house that day. Can’t imagine why. Regardless, I stopped by the local grocery store to pick up some melons. She slapped me and stormed off, but at least I killed some time.
            The distinct smell of freshly cut grass hit my nose as I biked down a residential street. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shirtless man on his rider lawnmower. And this is supposed to be a residential area. I suppose his glistening d-cups were the ultimate sign of laziness. Sickening.
            After mentally flipping off Mr. Landscaper-Gone-Wild, I decided to stop by an old friend’s house. Jack and I go way back. Mr. Daniels has always been halfway decent to me, always cheering me up and getting me some great stories to tell his other patrons. I’d have had a great conversation with him too, but his doorman insisted I pay my tab. So much for boozing up.
            As I lit the torch, I sipped on the only drink I managed to get off the guy. I set my ginger ale aside, and watched as the first glimmers of the fire began to pop. I stood back, and savored the yells and smoke. Bellua would be pleased.
            I smirked as my fingers flew to pocket, pulled out my crap phone, and dialed 911. I breathed in, and reported the fire in the most civilian way I could.
            After getting to my house, I downed the rest of the drink. I’m sure the bartender wasn’t worried about the glass.
            I donned my latex gloves and surgical mask, and slowly pulled on the body’s arm. It came off. Dammit Bellua. I thought better of my initial plan, threw the arm back into the car, and shoved the body’s head down. I got into the driver’s seat. Bad idea. I got back out, got reacquainted with my lunch from that afternoon, and covered my nose with a section of fabric.
            The drive to the bog was one of the most refreshing drives I’d ever had. I began conversing with the body. It’s nice to have someone to listen, even if that someone was turning a nasty shade of green. I’m sure it wasn’t because of my story though.
            As I dumped the body, I noticed a perfectly square piece of skin missing from the back of the body’s head. Bellua’s rituals always creep me out. I stopped myself from befouling the interior of my car any further, and drove back to my house.
            After a long day’s work, I was ready to turn in. But I have work to do.
            I popped open the secret compartment of my car’s trunk, I reminisced about the first time I met Bellua. I used to be a mess, but Bellua gave me a purpose. Clean up his dirty work, and in return he would do the same for me. In exchange for getting stacks of green for reducing felons’ sentences, Bellua required that I dispose of his victims. What Bellua didn’t know at the time was that I’m more fucked up than he is.
            Bellua has a warped sense of justice. He thinks that by killing off the corrupt government officials, he can fix the system. I don’t give a shit about the system. I just wanna see it burn. That’s why I’ll play along with Bellua, until I have the resources to pull off my master plan.
            I was running low on accelerant. I took comfort in the fact that Bellua still hadn’t discovered my tools, but it was curious how I blew through a month’s worth is a week. No, I realized, it’s me. My fires are getting bigger.

title: Bellua (Original Short Story By Me) p.1 Fire

question: Why is the narrator going through so many alarm clocks?

answer: He keeps punching the snooze button and breaking them.

question: Explain why the narrator decides to ride his bike to work.

answer: The smell of his car was rancid because of the dead body inside and the vomit.

question: Why does the narrator have a dead body in his car?

answer: Bellua requires that the narrator dispose of his victims in exchange for making good money reducing felons' sentences.

question: Explain who are Bellua's victims.

answer: His victims are corrupt government officials

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is in charge of disposing Bellua's victims in exchange for getting him a job making good money, reducing felons' sentences. Bellua thinks he can fix the system by killing corrupt government officials.


text:
Mason’s brush arched and swirled with the careful elegance of a conductor, the foxtail bristles leaving swaths of scarlet across the snow white canvas. He was careful not to make a single mistake, as he only had so much material to paint with. He bit to lower left corner of his lip, his right eye half shut in concentration, as he pushed himself to perfection. He had been practicing for this moment his entire life.

He had familiarized himself with the tool he was using, practicing with it at great lengths. He had sacrificed some of his physical and mental well-being to obtain the flawless technique he would be using today. He felt that his entire life had led to this moment… and perhaps it had.

He had gone so many days without eating over his years of practice that he was not diverted by the smells wafting up through the wooden boards of his room in the Brass Wolf Inn. Even though tonight was the village’s Spring Festivus he was still working undistracted. The odors that were once mouth-watering and intoxicating no longer pulled him away from his work. The earthy scents with a biting pinch from the spiced mead, the subtle call of the peppercorn venison, the sweetly suffocating weight of a bulb of honey-buttered onion, and the familiar memory that accompanied the yeasty allure of freshly baked and airy loaves of bread… none of these held power over him anymore.

This was quite a lot to say for a penniless man on a holiday where the last meal of the night was free. Every copper, every bit every talent he owned, earned, or inherited went into the Painter’s Guild at Ivanhill. Though he had learned so much more after he was expelled and sentenced to a trial, having been taught by the natural flow of the forest when he fled the great city with nothing but a bedroll, a foxtail brush and linen canvas (both stolen), and the clothes on his back.

He had crafted his own paints in the countryside by stealing flour from mills and mixing it with both cold and boiled water and introducing colored clay into the mixture until it was the consistency he needed to paint with. In larger cities he would spend any collected alms on linseed oil and chalk, powdering the latter and mixing the two until he had oil paint to aid in his work and education. Both of these paints he would practice with by painting with his coattail or fingers upon rocks and trees, learning how to use a single color and the pressure upon the strokes of his instruments to create a half-dozen different shades.

The things he painted were elaborate and detailed, having only dense jungle and active wildlife as subjects. He learned to paint both quickly and slowly, to take an image and capture it in the flash before it was gone or to notice small details and slowly work them into the boulders and oak trunks he worked on. With all of his schooling and practical experience, with his hardships and determination, Mason had become a fantastic artist.

Now here he was at the end of the long road he had been traveling. His stolen canvas held aloft by the window, the brush matted in crimson. His hands did not shake, his brow did not sweat, and he breathed as he should rather than holding his breath with each stroke. He exuded confidence, it poured from his posture and movements and began to flood the room as if it were water. Soon it would leak into the floorboard and drip on those below and they would come up to his room to see what force they were beholding.

That was what they did.

Just as Mason had finished the last stroke, he stepped backwards and smiled at the canvas. His work was finished. After all he had gone through he was finally free of the images trapped in his head, he had finally had given life to them. The lines and curves breathed in their first breath of completion upon the canvas as the door to Mason’s room burst open.

Mason was seized by his shoulders and throw to the floor as three men entered the room. One man pinned him down as the others examined the painting with horror. They screamed in his ears – large and powerful fists came down upon his face and broke his nose. Paint poured from his nostrils as the fists continued to come down, smashing his teeth into his mouth and down his throat. Mason gulped for air and swallowed a molar in the chaos.

He was hoisted to his feet and thrown against the back wall, his head slamming into the wood. He stared in shock and horror as flint and steel were brought in. The metal shriek of the tools spat sparks upon the canvas until it began to blaze. Mason watched his life’s work turn to smoke and heat and flames. He was not even given the courtesy of watching it die as it was thrown out of the window and into the streets below where it smoldered into ash away from its creator’s eyes.

Mason screamed and thrashed and wept as they dragged him away. He begged for answers as to why they would treat him and his work so cruelly, for all he had painted was a field of flowers, butterflies, and a beautiful woman standing among them. His art was nearly clichéd, merely done in a more professional manner than most men could achieve.

He was told he knew why as he was taken to the jail to be tried and executed. He was clubbed over the head and his world went dark. The last vision he had of the room in which his masterpiece was created was his palette lying on the floor and a woman kneeling over it, crying, as men tried to console her or drag her away…

title: [OC] "The Painter" - a quick 1,000 words as a writing exercise.

question: What is Mason painting?

answer: He is painting an image of flowers, butterflies, and a woman.

question: Why does Mason go without eating?

answer: It's implied he can't afford to buy food.

question: Why does Mason go to jail?

answer: He murdered a person to use their blood for paint.

question: What type of medium does Mason paint in?

answer: He normally uses oil paints, but now he paints with blood.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Mason is finishing up a painting that he's making with another person's blood. As he works he reflects on his life. He is soon arrested for murder.


text:
A RESTAURANT IN THE CHINESE CITY OF SHANGHAI HAS HIRED TWO VERY SPECIAL CHEFS. “TOYA” AND “KONA” ARE NOT ORDINARY CHEFS, THEY'RE ROBOTS.

The ramen stand,Toyako, opened in December and is located on Daming Road in the Hongkou district of Shanghai.

Toya and Kona are able to serve four types of ramen and can prepare each bowl in 90 seconds. They don’t prepare each bowl from scratch, but instead are able to boil water, cook the noodles, pour the proper amount of soup and add extra ingredients like beef or egg.

[]

The restaurant owner, Liu Jin, claims the two robotic chefs cost him over $150,000 and six years of research by a Japanese company. Jin told Shanghai Daily:

_“You don’t get any problems with robots. They’ll never ask for leave and they won’t get sick.”_

Each bowl of ramen costs just under $9 a bowl, which is considered expensive compared to more conventional ramen places, but customers still seem to find their meals quite tasty.

[]

question: What are the two robot chefs cooking?

answer: Ramen

question: How much did they cost?

answer: Over $150,000

question: Are the customers satisfied?

answer: The customers seem to find their meals quite tasty.

question: What's the owner of the restaurant saying?

answer: He likes the robots because they are not causing any problems, they don't ask for leave, and don't get sick.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about a restaurant owner in China that hired 2 robots as chefs.