text:
To many people, there is no such thing as a “happily ever after”. These people never get to experience what many do in movies and in stories of love and happiness. There is never a prince charming or a wonderful princess with a kind heart to save them from the turmoil their hearts are bound to; someone to sweep them off there feet. This story is no different. I begin this story with my death. It’s an untimely death that could have been prevented had I listened or perhaps had more options available. Or maybe it was fate that brought me to this point. The last seconds of my life were dramatic and suspenseful. There was a glimmer of hope here and there of me surviving the final blows that ended my life. Unfortunately that is not the case now as I am gone from the living. I could hear the doctors yelling to the nurses for more ‘O negative’. I could feel there hands on my chest pushing down hard as I slipped further and further away. The sound of my sisters cries before the ambulance was called to take me away. I could see the hopelessness in her eyes as she stood over me trying desperately to put pressure on the wound he created in my neck. That’s when I knew that the hope was lost, when I saw her eyes. She was a good sister, always had a heart of gold, room for others. Before the lost hope, before the pressure on my neck there was an argument. He was drunk, I was tired. My two children slept as I was getting home from work. That’s how it began though. He was drunk…

	Men. My entire living life I found no real use for them, not one, except my children. My father abandoned me as a child and the men my mother tried to replace him with were harsh and abusive. Perhaps this is what attracted me to my children’s father. He was charming, at first, everything I had been looking for while looking for my prince charming. Tall, dark, handsome, kind, and funny, these were the most attractive to start. His name was Tanner Williams; I met him on a cold November night at a house party. My sister, Maggie, didn’t like him at all, even then she saw the real him. She warned me before I went to him, ‘He’s no good. I’ve heard of his family, none of them are any good.’ I, however didn’t heed this warning, no, I went to him anyways with my confidence boosted by the third rum and coke of the night I held in my hand.

	‘Tanner right?’ I said coolly, he nodded. ‘Janice Mitchell.’ I smiled and so did he. ‘Just wondering if you wanted to get a drink?’
	His voice was low but soft, he sounded innocent, sweet. ‘Yeah, sure. What are you drinking?’

	We continued on the rest of the night on the front porch. It was quieter outside then in the house.  He told me of his family. Two older brothers, both with records and doing time; their father was a single father since his mother died when Tanner was very young, he never re married, never wanted to. Tanner worked construction to help his father pay for bills and they seemed to be a fairly functioning family. A pretty typical life for a twenty six year old man, graduated high school and decided college wasn’t for him, besides, he said, ‘Some one’s gotta help dad.’ I believe this was the point when I knew I liked him.

	I told Tanner of my family. ‘I have one sister, and a mother who lives with a douche of a boyfriend. They kicked me out when I was seventeen for dabbling in some harmless teenage experimenting.’ Though we still had a relationship I was only really close with my sister. I pointed to her as I talked about her. She was in the living room of the house. There was a large window with no curtains so it was easy to see her. She was surrounded by people. She had a heart of gold, letting anyone have one chance at her friendship and only those who really deserved it a second. The kind of girl who was the life of the party, smart, funny, pretty, but she just didn’t know it, which made her humble. I think that’s what attracted most people to her, the sweetest bitch you could ever meet. Then I told Tanner of my life. How my father left when I was young, and how my mother chose terrible men to be around two young girls as well as the abusive nature in which they controlled her. I dropped out of high school, and was now just living off of the welfare system. I had no thoughts or desire to go back to school. I was content, at the time, with the way life was going.

	We ended that night with a goodnight kiss and exchange in phone numbers. I was sure. He was it.

title: New Story I'm working on. Let me know if you think it's worth pursuing.

question: Summarize the scene where Janice met Tanner?

answer: They met on a cold November night at a house party. Janice's sister, Maggie, didn't like Tanner. Janice didn't heed her sister's warning. She approached Tanner after her third rum and coke, introduced herself and asked if he wanted to get a drink. He agreed. They spent the rest of the night on the front porch exchanging family histories. At the end of the night Janice was sure that he was the one. They shared a goodnight kiss and exchanged phone numbers.

question: Who stabbed Janice in the neck?

answer: The father of Janice's children, presumable Tanner when he was drunk.

question: Why was Janice stabbed in the neck?

answer: It is not clear from the story. Janice and the assailant argued. He was drunk and she was tired.

question: What happened first? Did Janice meet Tanner first, or was she stabbed in the neck?

answer: Janice met Tanner and they had two kids together. Some time later Tanner stabbed Janice in the neck and she died.

question: Summarize all the information relating to Janice's sister.

answer: Her name is Maggie. She cried when Janice was killed. She applied pressure to the wound and felt hopeless. She had a heart of gold with room for others, she was a good sister. She had a bad feeling of Tanner from the start and warned her sister against approaching him. Janice and Maggie were very close. She was the life of the party, smart, funny, pretty and also humble.

question: What conclusion is drawn from Janice's death?

answer: That happily ever after does not exist for her.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Janice dies from a neck wound while her sister, Maggie, tries to save her. Her children's drunk father, Tanner, stabbed her after an argument. She met Tanner at a dinner party. Her sister warned against him, but she did not listen. Tanner and Janice hit it off that same night.


split: train

text:
	(1)

"Well."
"Do ya like it sweetie? Do ya?" The father pleads.
"It will be a fun thing for you to practice on and get good at. Maybe one day, you'll be an expert!" The mother sells, but her heart is not in it.

The anxious parents lean over the unwrapped present, the muscles on their faces contorted into taut smiles. What is that saying? It takes 21 muscles to frown but only 2 to smile? The muscular faces of Elise's parents are evidence that the saying is an oversimplification. How tight do the drums stretch? Elise looked at the taut corners of her mother's mouth. So close to tearing. Will it feel like a paper cut, or worse?

Of course, Elise had known that her 'surprise gift' would be a handmade marionette for some time. She had noticed an extravagant expense on the Visa bill, and very nearly done something drastic, but since it was for her (and, boy did she ever deserve it) she let it slide for just a few dozen points. The points might not seem like much, but they add up.  They sure do.

Aside from being expensive, Elise liked the marionette because it provided an innocuous way to further intimidate and dominate her peer group. She used peer group in a broad sense; her IQ was more than a bit of an anomaly, something she had been smart enough keep hidden. Let them underestimate you. Let them take down their guard. Oh the neighbors need an emergency babysitter? Do they now? Oh, the wheel wall of the rear right tire appears to have collapsed? How very... unexpected. Is everyone OK? No I don't mind staying later. Just get home safe. I can stay all night.

"Well. It does not seem like much of anything went into this gift. Not much thought, that is clear as day. It wasn't cheap, no, but it barely clears the gift I received after my friend Sven left when you account for changes in the cost of living. Perhaps most hurtful, at least to me, is that the website selling these marionettes has a very intuitive interface for customizing individual dolls. Does a unique girl such as myself deserve a simple toy that could just as easily belong to any  other little girl? Are my talents so indelibly stamped with the stench of fungible mediocrity that further cultivation would be tantamount to teaching the niceties of calligraphy to fruit flies?"

"I ask these questions not to hurt you. The toy, though useless, is not repugnant. I don't see it as a harbinger of the proverbial nuclear winter that looms. Always. But I do really want you to think; what was successful, and what was not, about this very specific action? I imagine the desolate blankness of the former will weigh on you heavily. Let it. It's deserved. But remember it is a learning experience." Elise's voice exuded curt wisdom.

"I will be taking my evening meal tonight, and for the foreseeable future, at quarter to 8 in the aft. You know my secretary's hours and contact information. When you're prepared a proper apology, and have a meaningful plan of action to rectify your failure, please do contact her. If it merits my attention, I shan't withhold. I am your firmest believer, Cindy. And yours as well, Ray."

"What impeccable manners." Cindy (almost) said reflexively.

It was the first time since the recent cut in the corner of her mouth had blossomed from a sore dryness to actual bleeding wound. The pain, though slight in the scheme of things, combined in her mouth with the iron from her blood, and very very nearly completely annulled the 'sweet' part bittersweet.

	(2)

Mrs. Cullin's third-grade class in Detroit was run with clockwork precision.

"Yes, ma'am."

"No, ma'am."

"If you please, ma'am."

"Pardon me, ma'am. Truly, that was my mistake."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"All it takes is an iron fist," Mrs. Cullin would say, waiving her right arm and the plaster cast encasing it for dramatic effect. The teachers all championed her. "That Mrs. Cullin! What a sport." "Boy, she sure is. Coming back after a freak accident like that." Mrs. Cullin was right, all it takes is an iron fist.

"Mrs. Cullin?"

"Why yes Elise. What is the matter?"

"Can we see what your handwriting looks like, now that you're hand is broken?"

"Well, Elise, Mrs. Cullin is  an old woman with arthritis. I could hardly write before, ya know…,"

"Before what, Mrs. Cullin?"

"Before I foolishly slammed my hand in the freezer."

"That was quite, quite dumb Mrs. Cullin. You should write out 100 times how dumb it was. Then do the same in cursive. Don't worry about making it right on the first go-round; I'll make inspections when you're done, so you can get your penmanship back up to speed."

"Well, Elise won't that cut into the our social studies lesson plan?"

"Mrs. Cullin, your situational awareness must truly be beyond reproach to make such an astute observation. If only you could apply that very same skill, situational awareness I mean, when operating mechanically complex devices, like the door of a freezer."

"Thank you, Elis-."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Cullin, I don't believe I was finished. You had raised the issue of social studies, which I did not address in my initial comment. Whether social studies is interrupted or not, Mrs. Cullen, depends quite a bit on the accuracy and speed with which you can attack the assignment you've been given. After all, those lines are hardly going to write themselves, are they?"

(3)

"Mrs. Cullin?"

"Elise?"

"I just thought you should hear it from me first. Whilst you stood like a dope selfishly improving your handwriting, our fellow and classmate Randall Finley seems to have gone missing. The suspected culprit, or culprits, have fled through the wetland area behind the school with Mr. Finley in tow. Specifics about his condition are unknown, but I must say, having seen the wounds first-hand, things really do not look good. Unfortunately we may be looking at yet another funeral in this class. The luck we have, can you believe it?"

"My it truly is something you have to see to believe."

"One more thing, Mrs. Cullin. On a rather bizarre note, it appears that Mr. Finley shares not only your selective clumsiness, but his is also activated in the presence of freezer doors. Perhaps one of the higher-ups should look into, what do you think?"

"No… just a coincidence, Elise."

"Let me hear you say that again."

"It is just a bizarre coincidence."

"Again."

title: Simple Toys

question: What does the story say about Elise?

answer: She's a smart kid but also a manipulative bully. All the adults around her, including her parents, seem to suffer Elise's menacing behavior. She's aware that she's smarter than the people around them, but she uses this advantage to hurt people for some perceived personal gain. Elise also seems to enjoy causing people to suffer.

question: What does the story say about the adults?

answer: They seem fixated on subdued civility and subservience to Elise. They seem oblivious to her scheming and disregard her cruelty towards them. Her parents seem scared of Elise too.

question: What does the story say about how to raise a kid?


text:
_ROTUNDARIA TUBERCULATA_, commonly called the PURPLE WARTYBACK, is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk.

This species is native to eastern North America, generally in the Mississippi River drainage, where it is wide-ranging. It is still common in many areas, particularly in the southern part of its range.[1]

It was formerly classified as the sole species in the genus _Cyclonaias_, but in 2012 it was moved to _Rotundaria_ based on genetic evidence.[2]

[1] _Cyclonaias tuberculata_ NatureServe

[2]

title: Rotundaria tuberculata

question: What is the common name for Rotundaria Tuberculata?

answer: The Purple Wartyback

question: What is the Purple Wartyback?

answer: It is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk.

question: Where is the species native?

answer: It is native to North America, generally in Mississippi River drainage.

question: What constituted its reclassification from Cyclonaias to Rotundaria in 2012?

answer: Newfound genetic evidence.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The Rotundaria Tuberculata, commonly known as the Purple Wartyback, is a freshwater mussel. It is commonly found in North America, generally in Mississippi River drainage. In 2012, it was reclassified from being the only Cyclonaias to Rotundaria.


text:
Escaping the Dream
The boy is trapped by nightmares and darkness. He can't escape.

At sunset, he climbs into his bed and dreams of lies, pain and death...

The putrid stench of dying, rotting flesh. Why? Why is life so pitiful? The ground is littered with death. The skies weep, tossing down puddles of endless misery. The red lake grows larger.

I toss and turn, but I stay still, possessed by a living nightmare. Beads of sweat accumulate on my forehead. I'm drowning. The water... It never stops. Make it stop. Stop!

Quiet. In the distance. Are those people? ...Demons. Run.

I'm one of them. How could this be? How could this happen?

The screams, the blood, the terror, pulsing through the veins of a thousand sleeping warriors all armored and ready for war. They watch, frozen like statues as clouds of dark mist cascade on their helpless bodies.

A lake of blood.

Did it end? Is it over? The covers. They strangle me. I'm choking. Get it off! Stop it! Get away!

The dark mist. It won't leave.

I fly over the blood stained hills, the water reflecting the gruesome battle. I'm flying? What am I? What have I become?

Listen. The sounds of wounded men.
Somebody help them!
But there's no time to waste.

The door opens. A cloaked figure silently glides to the bedside of a troubled boy and whispers in the dead of night.

No audible words.

The ritual begins.

No... The end is near. The ritual...  is already over.

What happened?

The boy awakens. He sees a man in a robe on his bedside. The man is talking.

The boy asks the man, "What happened? I'm scared."

"Well, son, Satan tried to scare my little warrior tonight, but he won't win."

"How do you know that?"
The boy had no comprehension of Satan, but he was troubled by the name regardless.

"Because I happen to be your father. I'm here to protect you, son."

The boy, comforted by the robed man, slowly glided back underneath the covers as the robed man tucked him in.

The boy, once asleep, dreamt about a wonderful place. Beautiful, winged creatures soared effortlessly through silky skies, emitting light on their journeys. Magnificent buildings flooded the golden streets, and joyous praises could be heard throughout.

The boy, guided by instinct, found and opened the door to his house.

The robed man, waiting for him through the door, took the boy's hand and guided him through marble stairways, high arches, and intricately detailed furnished rooms.

The boy, curious by the unworldly beauty of the place, outstretched his hands and delicately glided his small fingers across the walls in awe of the mysterious texture.

When the boy had satisfied his curiosity, the robed man took the boy's hand once again and led him outside.

They walked through the streets, observing the peculiar yet beautiful creatures that endlessly fluttered around the robed man.

As they approached closer to one of the creatures, the boy could hear an angelic voice resonating loudly from its mouth.

The creature spoke of a wonderful king who conquered death and defeated sin, but the boy had never heard those words before. He had no ability to comprehend the story that was being told, but he enjoyed listening to the voice nonetheless.

His eyes teared up, and his vision blurred. He wasn't scared, however. His mind rattled with love, hope, peace, and joy, emotions he had never experienced before.

The emotions, beautiful creatures, the golden streets and the perfect climate. Paradise. How could one long for anything else?

The boy peacefully awoke at sunrise. He hopped enthusiastically to the window and opened the blinds. His eyes caught the first glimpse of the sunrise in the distance, and he felt happy.

His hands touched the cold window, and he made a shape of a cross with his finger out of the condensation on the glass. It was a symbol he had never seen before, yet he felt so attached to it.

He felt like he was dreaming...

But he had escaped.

title:
Escaping the Dream
- A short story/free-verse poem I created. Constructive criticism is appreciated! Just please don't go overboard on swearing.

question: What does the boy dream about at night?

answer: Lies, pain, and death.

question: What does the boy become in his nightmares?

answer: One of the demons, surrounded by screaming, blood, and terror in the veins of a thousand sleeping warriors.

question: Who whispers to the boy in his dream, and is beside him when he wakes from his nightmare?

answer: A cloaked man who claims to be the boy's father, after preforming a ritual on the boy and claiming to protect him from Satan.

question: What does the boy's father lead him to in the house?

answer: Still dreaming, the cloaked figure in the house has many strange creatures fluttering around him, one of which speaks loudly of a glorious king conquering death and defeating sin. It is preaching a depiction of paradise, and the boy feels overwhelmed with joy and calm.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: A boy is dreaming satanic nightmares of demons, death, lies, and blood. Rotting flesh and hatred surround him on all sides until a cloaked figure whispers to the boy, causing him to wake up and meet the man at his bedside. The man claims to be the boy's father attempting to protect him from satan. He quickly falls back asleep and meets the cloaked man in a house, surrounded by beautiful and strange creatures preaching of a great king conquering the evils the boy saw in his nightmares. He thinks it a depiction of paradise. The boy awakes, feeling calm and safe, and draws the symbol of a cross on his window with his finger.


text:
USER ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT (also abbreviated to UEM) is the management of a computer user's experience within their desktop environment.

The user environment

In a modern workplace an organisation grants each user access to an operating system and the applications required for their role, applying corporate policy to ensure the user has appropriate access levels. This typically includes items such as the filesystems, printers and applications they should and shouldn't have access to. Within this framework, each user has a preferred way of operating and they make a number of changes to enable them to work most efficiently. Common user changes are email signatures, language settings and the environment ‘look and feel’.

The combination of the corporate policy and user preference is described as the ‘user personality’. Users form an attachment to their PCs, but “their attachment is not to the device itself, but to the way in which they do their jobs today”.[1]

Managing user personalization is complicated, with a large number of factors and variables to be considered. As the desktop computing environment has evolved, the methods for delivering the desktop and applications have grown, further compounding the complexity involved in managing the user's personality.

History

The personal computer was originally introduced to the workplace as a standalone device. Over time these were networked and network-attached storage was introduced to enable resources and information to be shared. A number of advancements and new technologies from software companies have extended and improved this model. Citrix provides the ability to store the desktop environment centrally and publish it to remote users. Microsoft acquired some of this technology to develop their terminal server solution.

Virtualization is a technology that evolved from the mainframe computer, initially into the x86 architecture servers and now enables virtualized desktop environments. This is largely led by VMware and Citrix.[2] A further technology, application streaming, offers an alternative method for delivering applications to users. Softricity was a leader in this technology before being purchased by Microsoft who took the solution to market as Microsoft Application Virtualization.

The current environment

An IT administrator now has a variety of options when delivering a desktop and applications to a user; personal computer, virtual desktops, terminal servers, application virtualization, application streaming. Typically a combination of these is used to address all the requirements and constraints placed on an organization. Market analysts suggest these technologies are complementary and will exist in tandem, rather than the newest technologies dominating.[3] One growing part of the market is an increase in provisioned and virtualized desktops which can be managed centrally and addresses many of the limitations associated with distributed desktop computing.[4] Several analysts have stated that the future of PC desktops will be heterogeneous (i.e. differing Windows desktop delivery methods will coexist). Key to this is how system administrators design the user experience, the closer the basic look and feel is to how users have previously interacted with their desktops, the more accepting of the new technology they will be. “The nature of pooling or sharing desktops means that each user does not always log on to the same virtual desktop each time they log in and as a result, organizations need to properly plan for this version of musical chairs. It is absolutely critical when using pooled virtual machines (sometimes called dynamic pools) that you have a method of deploying applications and settings to users that is fast, robust and automated.”.[5] It is from this growing requirement that user environment management developed. Critical to the user environment is making sure that user profiles are portable in one manner or another from one session to the next.

User environment management

User environment management is a software solution which enables corporate policy and user preference data, the ‘user personality’, to be abstracted from the delivered operating system and applications and centrally managed. This personality can then be associated with the variety of delivery mechanisms an organization uses ‘on-demand’, enabling dynamic personalization of provisioned desktops and easier migration of users to newer technologies such as virtual desktops. User environment management can be applied to all Citrix, VMware and Microsoft delivery methods, including virtual, provisioned, streamed and published environments.

Due to the extensive nature of user environment management, there are a number of solutions in the market which address part of the solution such as Group Policy Preferences, DesktopAuthority (Dell) for policy management and Tricerat for profile management. Tranxition Software offers migration of profile settings with data and profile policy control. A few companies offer a comprehensive and complete user environment management solution (i.e. the ability to control both profile settings and offer a portable user experience) including AppSense, Liquidware Labs, VMware User Environment Manager (previously Immidio[6]), RES Software.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: User environment management

question: How is the profile of a computer user determined?

answer: In modern businesses, the employer grants the employees access to an operating system and various files and applications. Corporate policy determines how this is done. Once the user has his computer set up, he will modify his profile to include various preferences that make it easy for him to use the computer efficiently. The combination of the corporate policy and user configuration is called user personality.

question: Why has it become vital that user profiles are portable?

answer: Desktops are likely to be heterogeneous in the future. Pooling and sharing of resources will also be more common. As users move from one computer to another, they will want each computer experience to be the same. Portable profiles will ensure that the experience is the same, regardless of where they log in.


text:
_RAITU KUTUMBAM_ () is a 1972 Telugu-language drama film, produced by P. V. Subba Rao, P. S. Prakash Rao under the Nava Bharath Movies banner[1] and directed by Tatineni Rama Rao.[2] It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Kanchana in the lead roles and music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao.[3]

Plot

The film begins at a village where lives a joint family, its elder son Joogaiah (Satyanarayana) is a vagabond, so, his wife Annapurna (Anjali Devi) rears her both infant brothers-in-law Ramu & Madhu as equal to her daughter Lakshmi and they too feel the same. Becoming cognizant of his sister-in-law's struggle Ramu (Master Aadinarayana Rao) breaks-up his studies and takes up household responsibility. Years roll by, Ramu (Akkineni Nageswara Rao) works hard, brings up his brother Madhu (Ramakrishna) who becomes the Police officer and Joogaiah still habituated to his vices whose lavish expenses devours the strive of Ramu. In the same village, Paanakaalu (Dhulpala) a cruel moneylender whose only daughter Radha (Kanchana) falls for Ramu. Meanwhile, Madhu marries a modern girl Geetha (Geethanjali), daughter of millionaire Venu Gopal Rao (G.V.Subba Rao) who abides the penniless situation in their house and shifts to the city. On the other side, Lakshmi (Anita) loves their distant relative Lokeswara Rao / Lokam (Padmanabham) and Ramu wants to perform their marriage but Lokam's mother Bhoolokamma (Suryakantham) a shrew demands Rs.10.000 as dowry. Though it is not affordable, Ramu promises to give for the happiness of the couple. Right now, Ramu seeks for Madhu help who requests Geetha when she insults him, Ramu consoles Madhu and returns. In that critical situation, Ramu sells his entire property to Paanakaalu and raise the fund. During the time of the marriage, Joogaiah steals the amount, knowing it, unscrupulous Bhoolokamma calls off the marriage despite tying the knot. Even Madhu could not reach the venue as meets with an accident.

Eventually, Paanakaalu learns regarding the love affair of Ramu & Radha, so, intrigues against him by auctioning their property. Now Ramu moves to the city along with his family where Lokam supports him in getting a Taxi and he toils to recollect the dowry amount. After recovery, Madhu visits the village where he is aware of the misfortune and goes in search of his family. Parallelly, Lokam plays a drama with the help of Ramu and teaches a lesson to his mother. At present, Madhu finds whereabouts of his family and decides to take care of them to which Geeta refuses. Humiliated Madhu leaves the place and stays along with Ramu. After some time, in a party, a guy Sudhakar (Krishnam Raju) tries to molest Geeta when Ramu saves, which makes her realize the mistake and pleads for a pardon from Madhu. Simultaneously, Paanakaalu fixes a match for Radha, so, she escapes and reaches Ramu. Paanakaalu follows her, tries to take her against one's will when Ramu shields claiming herself as his fiancé. On his way back, Paanakaalu spots Joogaiah who has been troubled by debtors. Here Paanakaalu ploys relieve and bribe him to kill Ramu without knowing the reality. That night, Joogaiah seeks to slay Ramu, in between the combat, they recognize each other when Joogaiah repents and reforms himself. Frustrated Paanakaalu kidnaps Ramu's family. At last, Ramu rescues them and sees the end of Paanakaalu. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriage of Ramu & Radha.

Cast

-   Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Ramu
-   Kanchana as Radha
-   Ramakrishna as Madhu
-   Krishnam Raju as Sudhakar (Guest)
-   Chittor V. Nagaiah as Ramu's father
-   Satyanarayana as Joogaiah
-   Dhulipala as Panakaalu
-   Padmanabham as Lokeswara Rao / Lokam
-   Sakshi Ranga Rao as Sambhaiah
-   G.V.Subba Rao as Venu Gopal Rao
-   Anjali Devi as Annapurna
-   Suryakantham as Bhulokamma
-   Geetanjali as Geetha
-   Vijaya Lalitha as Dancer
-   Anitha as Lakshmi
-   Master Aadinarayana Rao as Young Ramu

Crew

-   ART: G. V. Subba Rao
-   CHOREOGRAPHY: Heeralal, Sundaram, Venu Gopal
-   FIGHTS: Raghavulu
-   DIALOGUES: Gollapudi Maruti Rao
-   LYRICS: C. Narayana Reddy, Dasaradhi, Kosaraju
-   PLAYBACK: Ghantasala, P. Susheela, L. R. Eswari, Jayadev, Saraavathi
-   MUSIC: T. Chalapathi Rao
-   STORY: P. V. Subba Rao
-   EDITING: J. Krishna Swamy, T. V. Balu
-   CINEMATOGRAPHY: P. S. Selvaraj
-   PRODUCER: P. V. Subba Rao, P. S. Prakash Rao
-   SCREENPLAY — DIRECTOR: Tatineni Rama Rao
-   BANNER: Nava Bharath Movies
-   RELEASE DATE: 1972

Soundtrack

Music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao. Music released on Audio Company.[4]

  S. No.   Song Title                 Lyrics              Singers                           length
  -------- -------------------------- ------------------- --------------------------------- --------
  1        “Ee Mattilone Puttamu”     C. Narayana Reddy   Ghantasala                        5:18
  2        “Ammaa Challani Maa”       Dasaradhi           Ghantasala, Jayadev, Sharavathi   3:42
  3        “Manase Pongenu Ee Vela”   Dasaradhi           Ghantasala, P. Susheela           3:26
  4        “Oorantha Anukuntunnaru”   C. Narayana Reddy   Ghantasala, P. Susheela           3:42
  4        “Jillayile Jillaayile”     C. Narayana Reddy   Ghantasala, L. R. Eswari          4:27
  6        “Yekkadikani Pothunaavu”   C. Narayana Reddy   Ghantasala                        4:28
  7        “Vaddanna Vadaladule”      Kosaraju            L. R. Eswari                      3:28

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Raitu Kutumbam

question: Summarize the plot of Riatu Kutumbam.

answer: It describes a farmer's family and the strife they go through.

question: What is the relationship between Joogaiah and Ramu?

answer: Joogaiah is a vagabond with vices being paid for by his brothers. Ramu and Madhu. He steals the money that Ramu made by selling his property to pay for Lakshmi's wedding. Paanakaalu convinces Joogaiah to kill Ramu. Joogaiah seeks Ramu, they recognize each other while fighting and Joogaiah repents.

question: Who is cast as Paanakaalu?

answer: Dhulpala.

question: Which family worked and played in Raitu Kutumbam?

answer: The Rao family.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Raitu Kutumbam is a 1972 Telugu-language film.


text:
Linda Newbery writes fiction for young readers of all ages. Recent novels include The Shell House, which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Sisterland, also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and - for younger readers - Lost Boy. Linda's next book, Set in Stone, is published in May by David Fickling Books. Here she discusses Richard Mabey's _Nature Cure_.

LINDA NEWBERY ON _NATURE CURE_ BY RICHARD MABEY

A chance hearing of Radio 4's _Book of the Week_ first alerted me to this wise and compelling account of Richard Mabey's decline into depression and re-emergence. Shortly afterwards a writer friend and I, by agreement, exchanged copies on our respective birthdays.

Nature Cure strikes many chords with me, from page 2 where Mabey describes the finding of a grounded swift. I had the same rare experience when one of my cats somehow caught one and brought it indoors through the cat-flap. Handling the bewildered but unharmed bird, I saw the perfection of its aeronautical design - strong, swept-back wings, wide gape, tough eyelids with bristly lashes. Like Mabey, I realized that the only way to return it to the air was to launch it like a paper aeroplane, and watched in amazed delight as it skimmed the grass before soaring high to rejoin the flock.

Swifts, epitomizing English summer with their screaming flight, hold a special significance for Mabey, echoing Ted Hughes for whom their return each May proved that 'the globe's still working'. So it was a sure sign of the depression he'd sunk into that he lay in bed too lethargic to turn his head while the swifts whizzed and screamed outside his window. Many writers will recognize the odd, bereft feeling of completing a book. For Mabey the work had been a massive one, _Flora Britannica_*, and the sense of loss was compounded by the death of his mother from Parkinson's disease, through which he and his sister had shared the nursing.

His home for most of his life had been in his parents' house in the Chilterns. There, he owned a piece of woodland, from which he banned the local hunt while encouraging neighbours to wander and collect wood. Debilitated and purposeless in his illness, he was encouraged by friends - and a new lover - to resume his absorption in the natural world and in writing, the twin passions which had always sustained him. Acknowledging that he'd never really 'fledged', and that the process of maturation demanded a move, he decamped with three cats to the Norfolk Breckland, as lodgers in an isolated seventeenth-century farmhouse. Here, through a solitary but cathartic winter, he finds new bearings and rediscovers his connection with the land. He examines maps, he ponders over interesting names, he reflects on the shaping of the landscape by human intervention and the enclosure of the commons, he becomes fascinated by 'westing' - what seems an instinctive alignment of buildings and field boundaries towards the setting sun.

This isn't only the story, though, of Mabey's illness and recovery. There are frequent digressions - into the effects of the Enclosures Act on Norfolk life and landscape, glaciation and land-forms, language and folklore, flora and fauna. The Northamptonshire poet John Clare, like the swifts, is present throughout. Mabey feels a strong affinity with Clare, 'ecological minstrel', not only because of Clare's mental illness and shared habitats, including the same Northampton hospital, but also for Clare's deep empathy with wild creatures and his skill in capturing their 'jizz' (to use the concise term coined by birdwatchers).

With his strong sense of the place of humans in the natural world, Mabey takes issue with the contrived drama of wildlife documentary and the time-lapse photography which gives extravagant speed to the growth of plants. Although I've often had doubts about the stage-managing of predator-victim scenarios for the cameras, I was surprised to find Mabey taking a swipe at David Attenborough, citing an instance where Attenborough displayed a wheeled toy leopard to monkeys, to provoke collective alarm behaviour. I haven't seen this particular clip; Attenborough, though, must have done more than anyone alive to share that sense of awe and wonder at the variety and energy of nature which is akin to Mabey's own. The charge of exploitation could surely have found better targets.

Mabey's exile took place during the winter of 2002-3, with the Iraq war looming. Tony Blair's case for invasion echoed, for Mabey, the worst aspects of man's assumed position at the top of the natural hierarchy. Blair may as well, Mabey thought, have pulled out a wheeled model of Saddam Hussein for the British public to scream at, like monkeys. The assumed rights of 'head-prefect nations' are linked to Lewis Thomas's observation that humans are still 'walking bootshod over the open face of nature, subjugating and civilising it'. Mainstream environmentalism, as opposed to the Gaia-like philosophy Mabey prefers, 'is unashamedly utilitarian and human-centred. It's based on enlightened self-interest: we want a healthy, unpolluted, species-rich ecosystem because our material future depends on it', but we also assume 'the right, or the duty, to determine every other species' share, too'.

The conventions of nature-writing demand that personal experiences are not admitted, as if enjoyment of nature is a sideline or diversion from the real business of life. But our connection to the natural world, as Mabey sees it, is essential to our spiritual and physical well-being. In the worst slumps of depression, he had become, like the grounded swift, 'the incomprehensible creature adrift in some insubstantial medium, out of kilter with the rest of creation. It didn't occur to me at the time, but maybe that is the way our whole species is moving.' To read Nature Cure, at least, is to slow that progress.

Perhaps the fear of losing drive and purpose is especially potent for writers, who must find their own motivation, their reason for sitting down to work each day, their urgent desire to make sense of the world in words. If that compulsion vanishes, what's left? But, as well as the honesty of Mabey's self-revelation and the range of his knowledge, it's the quality of his prose - the Ruskin-like attentiveness to shifts of light, patterns of growth, and behaviour of even the most common bird - that makes this book so memorable.

* Flora Britannica is another of my treasures, joined now by Birds Britannica (by Mark Crocker and Richard Mabey) which similarly combines natural history, folklore and anecdote.

[A list of the pieces that have appeared to date in this series, with the links to them, is here.]

question: What are Mabey's criticisms of modern natural conservationism?

answer: Mabey is a nature writer and finds spiritual as well as physical angles to the benefits of the natural environment to humans. Mabey, however, is wary of the modern contrived TV drama in TV documentaries. He believes most of the conservation and environmental philosophies today are too utilitarian and human-centered. He believes humans are selfish for wanting a clean environment purely because it benefits them.


text:
The TRUE PARROTS are about 350 species of colorful flighted (with a few notable exceptions{{#tag:ref|4 species are ground dwelling: three in genus _Pezoporus_ and the Antipodes parakeet.|group=Notes}}) hook-billed, mostly herbivorous birds forming the superfamily PSITTACOIDEA, one of the three superfamilies in the biological order Psittaciformes (parrots). {{#tag:ref|The other superfamilies are the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos) and New Zealand Strigopoidea which are also parrots, but not classified as true parrots.|group=Notes}} True parrots are widespread, with species in Mexico, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and eastwards across the Pacific Ocean as far as Polynesia. The true parrots include many of the familiar parrots including macaws, conures, lorikeets, eclectus, Amazon parrots, grey parrot, and budgerigar.

Overview

True parrots have a beak with a characteristic curved shape, the jaw with a mobility slightly higher than where it connects with the skull, and a generally upright position. They also have a large cranial capacity and are one of the most intelligent bird groups. They are good fliers and skillful climbers on branches of trees.

Some species can imitate the human voice and other sounds, although they do not have vocal cords — instead possessing a vocal organ at the base of the trachea known as the syrinx.

Like most parrots, the Psittacidae are primarily seed eaters. Some variation is seen in the diet of individual species, with fruits, nuts, leaves, and even insects and other animal prey being taken on occasion by some species. The lorikeets are predominantly nectar feeders; many other parrots drink nectar, as well. Most Psittacidae are cavity-nesting birds which form monogamous pair bonds.

Distribution and habitat

The true parrots are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, covering many different habitats, from the humid tropical forests to deserts in Australia, India, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and two species, one extinct (the Carolina parakeet), formerly in the United States. However, the larger populations are native to Australasia, South America, and Central America.

Conservation status

Many species are classified as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (see IUCN Red List of birds), as well as national and nongovernmental organizations. Trade in birds and other wild animals is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Nearly all parrots are listed on CITES appendices, trade limited or prohibited. Trapping wild parrots for the pet trade, hunting, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species have diminished wild populations, with parrots being subjected to more exploitation than any other group of birds.[1] Of the animals removed from the wild to be sold, very few survive during capture and transport, and those that do often die from poor conditions of captivity, poor diet, and stress. Measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profile charismatic species have also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the same ecosystems.[2]

About 18 species of parrots have gone extinct since 1500 (see List of extinct birds#Psittaciformes), nearly all in superfamily Psittacoidea.

Taxonomy

The parrot family Psittacidae (along with the family Cacatuidae comprising the order Psittaciformes) was traditionally considered to contain two subfamilies, the Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies) and the Loriinae (lories and lorikeets).[3] However, the tree of the parrot family now has been reorganized under the superfamily Psittacoidea: family Psittacidae has been split into three families, tribes Strigopini and Nestorini split out and placed under superfamily Strigopoidea and a new monotypic superfamily Cacatuoidea created containing family Cacatuidae.[4]

The following classification is based on the most recent proposal, which in turn is based on all the relevant recent findings.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Family Psittacidae, New World and African parrots

-   Subfamily Psittacinae: Two African genera, _Psittacus_ and _Poicephalus_
-   Subfamily Arinae
    -   Tribe Arini: 17 genera, and one extinct genus
    -   Tribe Androglossini: seven genera
    -   clade (proposed tribe _Amoropsittacini_) four genera
    -   clade (proposed tribe _Forpini_) one genus
    -   (other tribes) five genera

Family Psittrichasiidae, Indian Ocean island parrots

-   Subfamily Psittrichasinae: one species, Pesquet's parrot
-   Subfamily Coracopsinae: one genus with several species

Family Psittaculidae, Asian and Australasian parrots, and lovebirds

-   Subfamily Platycercinae
    -   Tribe Pezoporini: ground parrots and allies
    -   Tribe Platycercini: broad-tailed parrots
-   Subfamily Psittacellinae: one genus (_Psittacella_) with several species
-   Subfamily Loriinae
    -   Tribe Loriini: lories and lorikeets
    -   Tribe Melopsittacini: one species, the budgerigar
    -   Tribe Cyclopsittini: fig parrots
-   Subfamily Agapornithinae: three genera
-   Subfamily Psittaculinae
    -   Tribe Polytelini: three genera
    -   Tribe Psittaculini: Asian psittacines
    -   Tribe Micropsittini: pygmy parrots

Species lists

-   Species list sortable alphabetically by common or scientific name
-   Species list in taxonomic order

Gallery

File:Burung Nuri Biru Kuning.jpg|Two true parrot on the branches

[1] Snyder, N; McGowan, P; Gilardi, J; & A Grajal (2000), _Parrots: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, 2000-2004_. Chapter 1. vii. IUCN . Chapter 1. vii.

[2] Snyder, N; McGowan, P; Gilardi, J; & A Grajal (2000), _Parrots: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, 2000-2004_. Chapter 1. vii. IUCN . Chapter 2. page 12.

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

title: True parrot

question: Why are true parrots an endangered species?

answer: Wild parrots are affected by competition from invasive species, habitat loss, and illegal hunting for the pet trade. Hunted parrots often die during capture and transport. Those that make it to the buyers die in captivity due to poor diet and stress.

question: Explain how parrots can talk.

answer: Parrots don't have vocal cords and can't really speak. Instead, parrots use a vocal organ at the base of their trachea called a syrinx, to imitate the human voice and other sounds.


text:
cht

Cruise date:

18 Jun - 28 Jun, 2021

[Around Spitsbergen, In the realm of Polar Bear & Ice]

[m/v Ortelius]

m/v Ortelius

Cruise date:

28 Jul - 6 Aug, 2021

We are Oceanwide

Antarctica & Arctic cruise reviews

Overall rating based on 520 votes

Truly amazing and wonderful experience

by Gail Klispie

Trip far exceeded our expectations. The expedition guides and the Doctor Moniek were very knowledgeable, patient, kind, and wonderful. We got to know them fairly well. it was hard to say goodbye at the end o

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IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS

by CAROLINE and DAVE HUNT

Congratulations to everyone at Oceanwide for providing a superbly well run expedition on a marvellous ship. The Hondius is a world-leader in its eco credentials and superb for its operating environment. Ever

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A memorable trip

by Nigel Redford

This was dream trip of a lifetime. We are very please that we chose the Hondius. The hotel staff were superb , friendly and very helpful , the food was excellent and the facilities appropriate for an expedit

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A Superb Antarctic Trip

by Laura Hirst

An outstanding trip which was everything we hoped for and more. The passionate Oceanwide Expedition leader who , with his team epitomised the spirit of expedition by ensuring, (whether permitting!) we landed

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Amazing Antartica Adventure

by Wendee Schavocky

The Oceanwide Expeditions Basecamp Antartica Cruise was amazing on every level! I couldn’t have asked for a better Antarctica experience. The expeditions, lectures, meals and excursions were outstandin

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[Colin Drake]

Antarctic Circle and Peninsula

by Colin Drake

My wife and I have travelled extensively but this was the trip of a lifetime and unlike anywhere else we'd ever been, exceeding our expectations and leaving us wanting more. Our first Zodiac cruise set t

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an ice-strengthened ship and an icebreaker ship?

An ice-strengthened ship is a ship made of steel. These ships are made to get through the ice at Antarctica and the Arctic. Nowadays, most of the ships that cruise to Antarctica and the Arctic are ice-strengthened ships. Ortelius and Plancius ar

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What kind of clothing should I take with me during the expedition cruise?

The choice of clothing for cold temperatures during your Arctic or Antarctica expedition cruise is a very special matter. It depends on your individual experience whether to take warm clothes with you. Our advice is to take warm, wind and waterproof

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How do I prepare for my expedition trips?

Our voyages are “expedition” style cruise. Our emphasis is on wildlife encounters, personal contact with the environs, visiting sites of historical interest and to a lesser extent scientific stations. Our actual program will vary to take

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Do I have to be really ‘fit’ and in good health to join an expedition to the Arctic or Antarctica?

To join an expedition cruise to the Arctic or Antarctica, you must be in good general health and you should be able to walk several hours per day. The expedition is ship-based and physically not very demanding. Although we spend as much time as possi

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Are lifejackets provided on your cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica?

For the safety of all passengers during our cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica we provide everyone with a lightweight inflatable life jacket, which inflates automatically on contact with water. It is mandatory to wear these life jackets all ti

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How much time do we spend ashore during our polar cruise?

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About Oceanwide Expeditions

PASSIONATE

Taking you closer to the heart of the polar regions has been our driving passion at Oceanwide Expeditions for over twenty years. Our knowledgeable cruise leaders, committed staff, and thoroughly outfitted vessels are our way of expressing what we care about most: making your cruise to the Arctic and Antarctic truly unforgettable. When you sail with us, you experience a part of the world that is unlike any other. Mountainous glaciers, snow-swept shores, whales and polar bears and vast colonies of penguins make up this world, and they are all part of the surreal ecosystem you can watch unfold before you on your future Oceanwide expedition.

[]

ADVENTUROUS

Providing you a travel experience that inspires (and is inspired by) you, that’s what taking you _closer to the heart_ of the polar regions means to us. We get you away from the vessel and into the action as fast as possible: up to two landings per day in the morning and afternoon, with a fleet of inflatable Zodiacs ready to shuttle you past the ice floes and onto the shore. We keep our programs flexible so that you get the most out of whatever surprises nature has in mind. When you sail with us, the cruise is just the tip of the iceberg.

[]

PIONEERING

So what exactly is beneath the tip of that iceberg? The pioneering spirit, which all travelers to the polar regions (regardless of age and background) have in common. Guiding our expeditions with passion, tapping into the desire for inspiration and beauty, and always taking you closer to the heart of the Arctic and Antarctic – at Oceanwide Expeditions, that is our promise to you.

Show all polar cruises.

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question: What does the text say about preparing for expedition trips?

answer: Being that there is an emphasis on wildlife encounters, personal contact with the environment, and on visiting sites of historical interest there are preparations to take into an account. To be in general good health and able to walk several hours per day is one preparation. Packing the appropriate clothes for cold temperatures in the Arctic are also necessary. Warm, wind and waterproof clothes are encouraged.

question: Summarize the positive reviews.

answer: The positive reviews talk about what a great experience the expedition is. It's described as expectation exceeding, run well by friendly staff, and as a trip of a lifetime. People enjoyed the staff, the ship, meals, lectures, and excursions.

question: Summarize why someone may want to take this trip.

answer: Those who went on the trip enjoyed the staff, the ship, meals, lectures, excursions and people. The trip is supposed to bring out the pioneering spirit, inspire you, and allow you to experience an array of wildlife and ecosystems. Those who went describe it as exceeding their expectation and as the trip of a lifetime. All of these positive affirmations would inspire someone to take this trip.

question: What does the text say about sleeping arrangements?


text:
It wasn't that he was boring, but he had a grey disposition that lacked the color of spontaneity. Dez liked to race cars under the yellow glow of LA street lamps when Tory met him, but now people called him Desmond and he had no time for such impetuous acts. It's true that Tory had grown fond of the carte blanche that her black card afforded her and the charity dinners stimulated her, but the thrills in her life were limited by the creativity of the latest Bond film. She made a habit of reassuring herself how lucky she was, but she found herself increasingly difficult to convince. However, the thoughts of the comfort and safety Desmond provided were enough to calm most impulses.

They were staying in The Victoria in Rio. Tory had never liked her given name, although she could appreciate the refined qualities of this hotel; it was much nicer than the one they had stayed at just down the road a year before.

As he lowered his Wall Street Journal, Desmond glanced superficially out the window. He thought briefly about the misfortune of those in the favelas. They live each day without knowing when they might be caught in the crossfire of their existence, he concluded. His own life had gone exactly as planned. His pride was buoyed by his two Princeton degrees and an impressive CV that was anchored by his latest position as Chief Financial Officer. For a moment he thought about how lucky Tory must feel to have captured his attention, but then he reminded himself not to be too proud. Besides, she was as much a catch as he. Her beauty was more rare than the flawless yellow diamond on her left hand. She was the type of girl that would cause an ordinary man to choke on a conversation, yet he had bravely taken her up with charm and confidence.  "We're leaving in 5 minutes," Tory interjected. The humidity made her blouse stick to her curves and her sexuality was impossible to ignore. He couldn't remember where she had said they were going, but he pulled on his khakis and loafers.

When the old Volkswagen finally arrived at the top of the hill,the view was astounding. Marcelo, the tan, smooth-talking tour guide pointed out the geography below. Tory watched as his defined arms drew imaginary lines all over the bay and rugged peaks. It was truly a remarkable site. Marcelo and his partner were experienced in dealing with Americans; always the same questions about the safety of hang gliding. He would usually explain that in the wrong hands, the wing could be very dangerous but that they had some of the best safety records in the world. It was true that there had only been one accident before, and it was a result of a panicked passenger rather than the pilot.

Desmond was terrified. However, his face showed nothing but a confident expression. Through various nerve-wracking business interactions he had perfected the art of hiding his true feelings and he was glad to apply those skills in this situation. When they got in the beat up VW earlier that morning, Desmond asked Marcelo where they were headed. When he responded that they would be hang gliding over the city, Desmond immediately said there must be a mistake. "The mistake is that I married someone who can no longer excite me"  Tory blurted out. She was no longer satisfied by comfort, and as the words escaped her mouth Desmond felt a dull pain in his gut; the kind that comes when you realize a loved-one has been ashamed of you for longer than you would like to imagine. Now was his time to prove her wrong. He would be the first to go and when he got to the bottom he would demand that Tory respect him for the man he is.

Marcelo's partner would jump with Desmond. As she watched them suit up, Tory began to feel that maybe she had misjudged Desmond's complacency. She thought that he may just needed some encouragement to get out of his comfort zone; after all, he worked most days 9-5, and perhaps it was too harsh to blame him for wanting to relax. As she watched him jump she grew excited to see him at the bottom and share in the thrill of what she was about to endure.

As quickly as Dez had disappeared below the horizon of the cliff, she felt her legs give out and watched the ground race towards her. Marcelo had punched the back of her head and before she could regain her wits she was being dragged by her hair across the dirt launching pad and into the woods. They were alone, but she screamed as loudly as she could. Marcelo kicked her in the ribs. She continued to struggle as he ripped open her blouse to reveal her full breasts that he had been imagining all day and then he pulled her shorts around her knees. He grew tired of her screams so he flipped her over and shoved her face in the dirt.

As he landed on the beach, Dez felt an immense sense of relief and a rush of adrenaline like he hadn't felt since before he met Tory. He couldn't restrain himself from a spontaneous hug with his guide. As he looked back towards where they had come from he noticed that Victoria had yet to jump. "I knew she wouldn't have the guts to do it! She's all talk!" he exclaimed10 minutes later. He felt victorious. "Why don't you drop me back at the hotel so I can get a drink. I want Victoria to think about this on her own for a while." His guide obliged.

title: Jump (first short story)

question: Why would such wealthy people go to the destination in an old Volkswagen?

answer: The car must belong to the guides. Desmond and Tory are on holiday so they probably use public transport.

question: How does Marcelo think that he can get away with raping a tourist

answer: This is surely not the first time that this man has taken advantage of a woman. He is also very rough with her so there is likely to be evidence of the assault, apart from the DNA evidence. It can only be that he disappears into the community after the crime.

question: Does the other guide know what Marcello plans?

answer: It is unlikely that the other guide knows. Why would he an accessory to the crime. There is nothing on it for him.

question: Will this assault end the marriage of Desmond and Tory?

answer: It is likely since the marriage was already on shaky ground. Tory is bound to blame Desmond for abandoning her.

question: Write a ~19 sentence summary.

answer:
Dez has grown dull and boring. When Tory first met him, he used to race cars. Now they have settled into a humdrum existence. Desmond is successful and Tory enjoys the comforts that his money buys.

Desmond is proud of his success. He thinks how Tory must be grateful that she met him. Then he realizes that he is proud of her too. She is a rare beauty.
The tour guides take them to the top of the hill. Desmond is terrified when he realizes that they are about to hang glide. But he has perfected the art of hiding his true feelings. Tory had told him earlier in the day that he no longer excited her. So, he’s determined to take the leap and prove to her he still has what it takes. Marcello’s partner takes the jump with Desmond.

As soon as they are over, Marcello grabs Tory. He drags her into the bush where he rapes her.

Desmond waits at the bottom of the cliff. When Tory doesn’t arrive, he assumes that she got cold feet. He tells the guide to take him straight back to the hotel.


text:
(It's the first draft and part of a larger story, so...)

Rickartsdale? That little village? Nothing out there worth seeing. Nothing but a few small families and scary stories. Worse, it’s way out in the boonies. Far enough that you wouldn’t even see it on many maps. Used to be a bigger place, a proper community even. Things tend to be a little off in remote places like that, strange happenings and folks fleeing in a big hurry. Typical setup for your common folk tale. That is what you asked for, though... so...

Right, Rickartsdale. A proper farming community out just beyond the western border of the old kingdom. The little town sank into decline when folks started going missing. Like I said, typical setup. The culprit this time was your typical boogieman, a monster the people had started calling “the Druid of Weeds.” Nobody seemed quite sure what “it” actually was, but there were a lot of sightings. Some people said it was a wild-man, other people claimed it was a monstrously large cat, the big ones you don’t see in that region... Like jungle cats. Panthers, but big like a lion. Some folks even claimed it was a humble and unfamiliar ranch cat that stalked them. The one factor that always matched up was the eyes. Eyes that didn’t match, copper and emerald and full of hate like you wouldn’t believe. Contempt, most said. And another thing. This druid, or whatever it really was, a vigilant soul could catch it just sittin’ there watching you. Scoping out your habits, your home, your animals, not like a beast, but like a man planning something evil. Vigilant or not, the “prey” would find weeds around the monsters vantage point. Like the plants were compelled to grow wherever he planted his feet.

That was the unsettling part of the stories to me. If he skulked about long enough, you could see the paths he took around your property. A neat little line of weeds circling your home, leading up to the window outside your room. It was an evil omen, and being a farming community, you deal with weeds often enough that you may not see it. And if you neglected, they might just grow anyway, whether you were prey or not. Spooked a lot of folks, some even got out of dodge. Got worse when people started ending up dead.

It was always the farmers, though. Farmers, and traders coming in with their wares loaded up tall on whatever beast of burden they had. We found more than a few merchants on the side of the path, dragged just off the way and surrounded by their trinkets. People were quick to find out that the deaths were related to animals used for labor. Nothing was ever stolen, as far as the people knew, but the animals were always missing. Every once in awhile you would even find a branded animal roaming free and feral again, so they weren’t being stolen either.

Ah hell, I let that “we” slip, didn’t I? Well, you must have known, since you came looking for me in particular. That’s right, my folks were some of the many to walk away from that hole once things got bad. Once the town started trying to live off the land without any help of animals. Once the people were so afraid that they would drive away outsiders, just because they came on horseback. Eventually, people just stopped coming around entirely. The town, now a village, may as well have been an island. No place to raise a kid, the population may as well have been a cult.

The damndest thing, though, the reason this really stuck with me, there used to be a little cat that came around. A little stray cat with grey charcoal fur and mismatched eyes. He would come around the farm and beg for scraps. Just me, though, he had a way of making himself scarce when my father would come around. Good enough that I don’t think my parents ever saw it. He threw a bit of a fit one day, I was too young to figure why at the time, but he found me out back behind the barn one day taking a midday nap. I woke up in a knee-high growth of weeds. Told him it wasn’t there when I fell asleep... It was a short, soft bed of grass I fell asleep on, with that little stray on my chest. We moved away from there about a week later. Not before my father had a chance at getting a hunting party together. They never found anything, though. It’s hard to hunt something like that, chasing an idea from a story, and pissing it off something fierce in the process. It was easier to just leave, and we did. Left everything behind, too. We were marked, and there was no way we could load up a drawn cart. No way to move it without a donkey. We had to leave on foot.

*********************************

The man leaned back in his chair, readying himself for his conclusion to the story only to be interrupted by the woman sitting at the table across from him.

“Sounds like our guy.”

He cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”

“That’s definitely the one I’m looking for. When are we leaving?” The woman bore down on him with startlingly blue eyes. Eyes that didn’t entirely seem right on a person, just a little too bright, and fixed with a look of subdued fanaticism.

“I don’t think you quite understood what I was getting at...”

“Sunrise, then? I’ll get a couple of horses ready.”

“You weren’t even listening, were you?”

She grinned in response, but something in that mischievous smile made him uncomfortable. “I got the important bits. I’ll see you in the morning.”

title: Weeds

question: What is the intention of the writer in creating this work?

answer: The writer is introducing two main characters and setting the general backdrop to a larger story. A mystery is established with the mention of the strange cat-like creature, but the plot itself is not fully revealed -other than the two characters getting set up to look for the cat. With that, the writer's intention is to create an interesting hook to attract readers to read the rest of the story.


text:
The Civilized

Pushed out into the dusty arena, Kuru looked around. A roaring crowd surrounded him, but he couldn’t understand a word. Though they obviously weren’t cheering for his victory, they’re cheering for his sacrifice.

Rewind, this isn’t where the story begins.

In shackles Kuru shuffled along one of the famed roads that lead to Rome, as all the roads did. All the beaten and bruised men of different coloured skin shambled along the road led by the soldiers.

Kuru heard someone speak something in front of him. He realized that the words were in a language he didn’t understand. Then he heard the voice cry out in pain. The line of men didn’t slow down at the cry though, they kept marching.

Rewind further, something’s still missing.

His daughters tanned skin, his wife was teaching her how to work leather. Kuru was watching them as he sharpened his scythe. He smiled, the scene made him remember the times he spent learning from his father. The proper way to sharpen an edge, the best way to swing a blade, his father taught him the right way to do things.

Kuru would work in their family’s field with his father and they would talk. That’s where Kuru first learned of Rome; the wondrous city, the running water, the books of letters, of laws and democracy.

His memories were interrupted by a scream, then another.

Kuru stood up just in time to greet a trio of soldiers as they entered his home, swords already drawn. He saw a flash of iron and was barely able to dive out of the way as the sword came down where he had just been smiling.

He got to his feet as his family screamed again. The solider that flashed the iron stood between him and his family as the other two soldiers grabbed his wife and daughter and took them from their home.

Kuru was confused, scared and angry, but mostly confused. He didn’t know what was happening. He took a step towards the women he loved but had to jump back to avoid being struck by the iron blade.

Kuru had never fought a man, but now he had no choice. Gripping his scythe, he swung attempting to cut the soldiers legs down, but the soldiers bronze leggings stopped the blade short of flesh.

Pulling back his scythe, Kuru looked at the man’s face. A smile was on his lips as he swung his sword again, narrowly missing Kuru’s shoulder.  Kuru regained his balance in time to catch the soldier’s fist in his stomach.

His breath was driven from his lungs. He panicked, his mouth reached for air as he fell to the ground, scythe fleeing his hands. He heard the solider speak, “Roma Invicta” right before he felt the hilt of the sword on the back of his head.

Fast forward through the chained march with strangers, a march that lead him to the city he had dreamed about, and ended with him entering into the largest building he had ever seen.

 Fast forward to after the sword and shield had been forced into his hands and he was shoved into a dusty arena, surrounded by more people he had ever seen, screaming in a language he didn’t understand.

The sword in his hands felt heavy and as foreign as the words that the people were shouting. He stepped in a circle, seeing a spectacle that he couldn’t have imagined, Rome.

While Kuru didn’t understand the words spoken he could read the faces. They grimaced as they spat angry syllables at him. Fists were directed at him, thumbs pointed downward, fingers sliced throats as he looked at their eyes. Hate, anger, evil was the language they spoke.

He feared the mob that surrounded him, prayed that they would be held back by the massive structure.

Kuru cringed as the crowd erupted, even louder than they had been, deafening him.

A man in a gleaming golden suit of armor stepped out from behind a gate. His muscles rippled beneath the metal, his chiseled face shown only one blemish, a scar from his hairline to his chin.

Slowly the earsplitting noise organized into a chant of ‘Spartacus’, their hero, their God. When the man raised his sword in response to their love for him the crowd’s chant devolved back into a thunderous roar.

Kuru was at a loss, the sword and shield hung limply at his sides as he watched the spectacle. The scene seemed like a dream to him, no a nightmare.

Spartacus, their God, lowered his sword and pointed it in the direction of Kuru who looked to his sides, behind him, looked for what was being pointed at. Then he recognized it was himself. He began to tremble as the people’s idol began an effortless run at him.

Kuru was shocked that he was able to get his shield up in time to deflect a blow from being delivered. He thought the force that was delivered may have broken his arm through the metal that protected it.

The world broke into flashes of metal on metal, pain and blood.

Kuru’s body burned, his chest heaved, blood and sweat dripped from his frame as Spartacus paused to rally his supporters. Even Kuru marveled at what seemed to be a marble carving of a man glistening with perspiration, standing merely feet away with his back turned.

Time slowed for Kuru. He breathed in a breath that felt like ice as the peoples God turned, thrusting his sword into Kuru’s middle.

Kuru looked up into the cold eyes that held the sword. He was no God, he was a monster.

Falling to his knees Kuru looked to his chest, he saw blood leaking from around where the metal entered him. His hands trembled as they slowly reached up to the sharpened blade. In slow motion his fingers wrapped around the blade, red flowing from where they touched it, and pulling the sword out from whence it had entered.

Existence spun in Kuru’s eyes, the hard dirt hit his side. As the world faded to black Kuru heard the name of his reaper cheered.

So this is civilization, he thought.

title: The Civilized

question: How did Kuru learn of Rome?

answer: He heard about it from his father.

question: What are the differences in Kuru's conception of Rome at the beginning and end of the story?

answer: In the beginning, he thinks of Rome as civilized and wondrous. In the end, he thinks it's monstrous.

question: Why does the crowd at the arena want Kuru to die?

answer: They worship Spartacus and want to see him kill. Kuru is against Spartacus that day.

question: Summarize what happened at Kuru's home.

answer: Three centurions (Roman soldiers) assault and abduct Kuru and his family.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: Kuru watches his wife teach his daughter about leatherworking, smiling contently. He thinks of Rome, its running water, law, and democracy. Before he can understand what's going on, three soldiers enter their home and abduct them. Kuru tries to fight but fails. After a long travel, he finds himself with a shield and sword in an arena. A golden armored man, Spartacus, is cheered on by the vicious crowd to kill Kuru. Again, Kuru tries to fight to ultimately fail. As he dies, he doubts that this is civilization.


text:
”Keep moving,” Melnik said silently, ”the station is just some minutes away!”. The four men kept moving through the dark metro tunnel, walking silently over the dead beasts they had just shot. “Where had they come from?” Oleg said nervously, “this tunnel is supposed to be safe!”, “Stay silent! You know how good they can hear!” Arytom answered. The beasts were as big as dogs, looking like some kind of rats without any hair. With no eyes and sharp teeth, these rats used their ears and nose to track down their prey. The only light in the tunnel came from the flashlights they had taped on the sides of their AK-47s, the light was weak and only lit up a small path ahead. Anything could hide beyond that light, or behind them.

After some minutes Anton said “I think we are safe now, if it was anymore of them they would have shown some sign by now”. “Yeah, maybe you are right” Arytom answered. Then they heard it, steps behind them. They turned around quickly, guns ready, pointing into the darkness. “Who`s there? Show yourself!” Melnik said. More steps joined the first, then more, and then the steps turned into running. “Run! They are too many!” Melnik said, firing some shots blindly in the direction of the running. An inhuman shriek where heard, he had hit something. They started to run, hoping the station was not far away. Rats could run faster than humans, everyone knew that. They were closing in, every second they came closer. Melnik could almost hear they breathing, it was terrifying. Nobody will ever know what happened to them, their bodies would be dragged into the smaller side tunnels, where no sane human ventures. Then, in the distance, they could see some light. A red and weak emergency light over a huge metal gate with no opening, blocking the entire metro tunnel. “There it is! Open up! We are humans! Open!” Oleg screamed, and then they reached the gate. Oleg started to knock like a madman on the gate, “open god damn it! We are humans! Open!”. The other three men turned around and started to fire into the darkness, the beasts started to scream, furiously. “Maybe they are not there? Maybe they have left the station?” Oleg said, “Shut up and start to fire!” Melnik said. He turned around and joined the other men, “They are closing!”. The gate made a loud noise and then started to swing slowly inwards. “Get inside!” Melnik shouted, the men threw them self inside while the gate started to close again. You could just see some of the rats coming into the light before the gate slammed shut. The rats slammed into the gate, screaming like monsters before eventually turning silent and disappearing into the darkness once more.

“Welcome to Smolenskya!” one of the gate guards said with a huge smile, “the greatest station is Moscow!”, “Fuck you” Anton answered back laughing.

title: The Metro

question: Why did the beasts start to scream?

answer: Presumably because they had been shot.

question: What did the beasts intend to do with the humans?

answer: Eat them

question: Why is Anton laughing at the end of the story?

answer: Presumably because he is jittery from just having barely escaped death.

question: What is the genre of this story?

answer: Post-apocalyptic


text:
…and as he lay there against the wall, resting on a bed of pillows on the cold floor of a tiny bathroom, he knew it was time.
The rain beat steadily against the thin roof, like four thousand tiny hooves of a thousand tiny horses.  Or at least that’s how it sounded from the bed in the room below.  He’d always liked the rain; there was a sort of natural, chaotic peace that resonated in him. It was the sound of home.
	It was 1.37am on Wednesday and just like the week before and the week before that he couldn’t sleep.  The dog across the road was barking again, always at this time, always on a Wednesday.  He rose from the bed and approached the window.  Unsurprisingly there he was, the drunk. The same drunk that stopped to throw rocks at the dog every Wednesday. What a wonderful display of millions of years of evolution and thousands of years of culture.  He returned to his bed because he didn’t want to watch it again, there are only so many times you can watch a man get mauled by a dog.
	Thursdays had been hard recently, it’s difficult to concentrate on uninteresting things when you haven’t slept properly and don’t care to begin with. He rose from his cubicle chair and headed towards the break room. On his left was the coward, who watched her son get beaten on a daily basis. On his right was the boring man who was slowly siphoning company funds into his own private bank account and just ahead was the new one. He didn’t know her secret yet.
	The break room was a dull affair, bland coffee, cheap tea and chipped mugs.  The mistress was there, her whip wasn’t. She was one of the few people he liked, at least her secret didn’t hurt anyone…
	Friday, that day most people look forward to because the weekends near, but he didn’t. The weekend was no different, he just worked on personal things; shelves that needed repaired, chairs that needed sat in. You know the stuff.  The new girl was there today, she seemed like the hard working type. He wondered what she was hiding.
	Monday, he awoke again to the sound of rain and looking out the window he saw the new girl. It was her dog apparently. They smiled at each other at work. The drove home just behind each other but they both just got on with it, like everyone always does.
	And then it was Wednesday again, it was 12.23am when the barking started. The drunk was early tonight, maybe one less drink, maybe a new more heavy handed bouncer. Either way maybe this meant he’d get a decent night’s sleep.  The dog went quiet, and then the screaming started. Maybe this time the dog would finish him off.
	Thursday was unusual this week. He’d slept well.  He even had time to get a paper, he noticed new girl wasn’t there but the rest of them were. He sipped the shit coffee and began to flick through the paper. There she was, he wouldn’t be finding out her secret. Not from her. Strangled by a drunk, no witnesses but a confession and all for a good night’s sleep.
 	The rain beat steadily against the thin roof, like four thousand tiny hooves of a thousand tiny horses and as he lay there against the wall, resting on a bed of pillows on the cold floor of a tiny bathroom, he knew it was time. The paper was calling.

title: Subtract

question: What seems to be the problem with the narrator?

answer: The narrator is unable to sleep and is always hearing the dog on the street as well as the drunk who always makes commotion at night.

question: What action did the drunk commit?

answer: The drunk most likely killed the new girl in the middle of the night.

question: How did the narrator respond when he figured the drunk had killed the new girl?

answer: The narrator seemed to have just adjusted to the news of what happened in the night and seemed indifferent.


text:
Brooding Saurian{2}{G}{G}

Creature - Lizard

At the beginning of each end step, each player gains control of all nontoken permanents they own.

"I have been trapped in the lizard's lair for days. It seems to regard me as its child and will not let me leave."
—Aevar Borg, northern guide, journal entry

4/4

question: What is the name of the creature?

answer: Brooding Saurian.

question: What type of creature is Brooding Saurian?

answer: It's a lizard.

question: What happens at the beginning of each end step?

answer: Each player gains control of all nontoken permanents they own.

question: Whose words are cited in the text?

answer: The words of Aevar Borg.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text is a description of a game card.


text:
“TRY AGAIN” is a song by Japanese singer songwriter Mai Kuraki, taken from her third compilation album _Mai Kuraki Best 151A: Love & Hope_ (2014). It was released on 6 February 2013 by Northern Music. The song was written by Kuraki herself and her long-time collaborator Akihito Tokunaga.

Commercial performance

“Try Again” debuted at number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, selling 13,900 physical copies. The song charted on the chart for 8 weeks and has sold 20,237 physical copies, which is her lowest selling single to date.

Music video

A short version of the official music video was first released on Kuraki's official YouTube account on 18 January 2013. As of February 2018, it has received over 994,000 views on YouTube.[1] A full version of the video is included in the DVD accompanies limited edition of the single.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Chart (2013)                      | Peak                              |
|                                   | position                          |
+===================================+===================================+
| Japan (Oricon)[2]                 | 7                                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Japan (Japan Hot 100)[3]          | 9                                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Japan (Japan Hot Animation)[4]    | 1                                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Japan (Japan Top Singles Sales)   | 8                                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Japan (Japan Top Airplay)         | 22                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Monthly charts

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Chart (2013)                      | Peak                              |
|                                   | position                          |
+===================================+===================================+
| Japan (Oricon)                    | 20                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Year-end charts

  Chart (2013)     Position
  ---------------- ----------
  Japan (Oricon)   355

Certification and sales

|- ! scope=“row”| Japan (RIAJ) | | 20,237 |- |}

Release history

  Region                                    Date             Format                         Label
  ----------------------------------------- ---------------- ------------------------------ ----------------
  Japan                                     April 12, 2017   CD single (Standard edition)   Northern Music
  CD single/DVD (Limited edition)
  CD single/DVD (Detective Conan edition)
  CD single (Musing & edition)
  Digital download

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Try Again (Mai Kuraki song)

question: When was the song released?

answer: February 6, 2013

question: Who wrote the song?

answer: Mai Kuraki and Akihito Tokunaga

question: Who published the album that the song appears on?

answer: Northern Music

question: When was the music video posted to YouTube?

answer: January 18, 2013

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: "Try Again" is a song by Japanese singer songwriter Mai Kuraki which appeared on her third compilation album Mai Kuraki Best 151A: Love & Hope. It was released in 2013 by Northern Music.


text:
[A sign at iManage welcomes employees to the company’s new office July 31, 2017, the first day in the new space on West Madison Street in Chicago’s West Loop. The tech company, which stores information in the cloud for corporate clients, has nearly doubled its office space, creating room to add 100 new employees in the next two to three years, Chief Financial Officer Ray Scheppach said.]

A sign at iManage welcomes employees to the company’s new office July 31, 2017, the first day in the new space on West Madison Street in Chicago’s West Loop. The tech company, which stores information in the cloud for corporate clients, has nearly doubled its office space, creating room to add 100 new employees in the next two to three years, Chief Financial Officer Ray Scheppach said. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago-based iManage stores information virtually in the cloud for big corporate clients, but the firm is adding old-fashioned space for its own growth.

The technology firm moved Monday into a 48,000-square-foot headquarters in the 30-story office tower at 540 W. Madison St., nearly doubling its office space and creating room to add 100 new employees in the next two to three years, Chief Financial Officer Ray Scheppach said.

The expansion is a move within the West Loop building near Ogilvie Transportation Center, from the 24th floor to the third. The lease includes an option to later expand into the full 68,000-square-foot floor, Scheppach said. The previous iManage space was 26,000 square feet.

Expanded office space comes two years after the company spun out of Hewlett-Packard Co. to become privately held. iManage was formed in 1995 and was later owned by two other companies before being absorbed by HP.

Scheppach declined to provide revenue figures, but said iManage is experiencing rapid growth as large corporations increasingly need to store and share information such as documents and emails in the cloud, and use artificial intelligence to identify relevant data from reams of documents.

The company's 3,000 clients range from Carnival Cruise Lines to law firms including Kirkland & Ellis, DLA Piper and Latham & Watkins.

"As the world continues to move toward electronics for everything, security is huge," Scheppach said. "Whether you're a law firm or a bank, you're a technology company. That's only going to grow. Unfortunately, there are lots of bad guys out there who want to get a piece of confidential information."

Since becoming privately held in July 2015, iManage has grown from 150 workers to about 400, including almost 200 in Chicago. The company acquired London-based artificial intelligence firm RAVN Systems earlier this year, and more acquisitions are possible, Scheppach said.

Thus far in 2017, iManage has added 100 employees, almost half of which were from the RAVN acquisition, Scheppach said. iManage also has offices in Sunnyvale, Calif.; London; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Bangalore, India.

The Madison Street office tower is owned by a group led by Florida-based real estate investor Joseph Mizrachi's Third Millennium Group and New York-based investor David Werner. The building owners were represented in the lease by broker Jamey Dix of Telos Group. The tenant was represented by J. Frank Franzese, Steven Bauer and Aaron Schuster of Cushman & Wakefield.

IManage's new space has no walled, private offices, with all employees — including management — using the same office size and configuration. The layout includes small phone rooms and larger conference rooms for meetings, as well as open areas for collaborative work.

-   Business

Recommended on Chicago Tribune

question: Where was iManage's previous office?

answer: Information not found.

question: What are the 2 main points of the text?

answer: That iManage expanded and added new employees and they moved to a bigger office space.

question: What is iManage?

answer: It is a tech company, which stores information in the cloud for corporate clients.

question: Where did iManage move their office?

answer: In the Maddison Street office tower in Chicago's West loop.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text describes how the company iManage grew and moved into a bigger office.


text:
 | rev4 = _Jazzwise_ | rev4score=[1] | rev5 = _The Irish Times_ | rev5score = [2] | rev6 = Tom Hull | rev6score = B+[3] }}

_BREATHLESS_ is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard.[4] The album was released on May 26, 2015 by Blue Note Records.[5] The record also produced one single, “Soldiers”.[6]

Background

_Breathless_ features Blanchard's new band, The E-Collective, consisting of Fabian Almazan on keyboards, Charles Altura on guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums. The album also features Maroon 5's PJ Morton on three cuts, and JRei Oliver, Terence's son, on spoken word. Blanchard explained that he and drummer Oscar Seaton, with whom he has recorded several film scores, had been talking about an album like this for years before they finally found time to record it. Like his previous album _A Tale of God's Will_, this record is also a thematic album inspired by tragedy.[7] The album title serves as a reminder of the last words said by black New Yorker Eric Garner (“I can’t breathe”) in a chokehold by a NYPD officer[8] and explores the effects of racism and the aftermath of its devastation on societies around the world.[9] _Breathless_ was nominated for 2016 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.[10]

Reception

Bill Beuttler of _JazzTimes_ wrote “Blanchard’s trumpet, of course, provides scorching firepower atop the band’s assortment of infectious grooves. It may not be jazz as we know it, but it’s soulful, sophisticated and worth meeting on its own terms. And it’s good that Blanchard finally got around to it.”[11] Cormac Larkin of _The Irish Times_ commented “The spirit of Miles Davis would be hard for any American trumpeter in this genre to avoid, and there are certainly echoes of electric Miles, but perhaps also – intentionally or not – there is something more European here, reminiscent of Nils Petter Molvaer’s “future-jazz”, with the austere Nordic grooves replaced by the heat and flawless poise of some old-school jazz-funk”.[12] John Fordham of _The Guardian_ noted “It’s an uneven set, and maybe too generically funky for some jazzers, but certainly has its thrilling moments”.[13] Matt Collar of AllMusic noted “Ultimately, while Breathless is a break from the aggressive, acoustic swing that has marked much of Blanchard's career, it nonetheless retains all the jaw-dropping artistry and soulful creativity we have come to expect, albeit delivered in a vibrant, electric style”.[14] In his review for _The Buffalo News_, Jeff Simon commented, “The groove on this disc is a bore as often as not... As for consumers of groove music and hip-hop, there’s some decent jazz soloing here but nothing you can’t hear in vastly more impressive circumstances elsewhere.”[15]

Track listing

Personnel

THE E-COLLECTIVE

-   Terence Blanchard – trumpet, producer, writer (tracks: 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 12)
-   Donald Ramsey – bass
-   Oscar Seaton – drums
-   Charles Altura – guitar
-   Fabian Almazan – piano, synth

PRODUCTION

-   Don Was – A&R
-   Steve Cook – A&R, administration
-   Randall Leddy – art direction, design
-   Andrew F. Scott - cover art
-   Casey Contreary – assistant engineer
-   Frank Wolf – engineer, mixing
-   Don Was – executive producer
-   Gavin Lurssen – mastering
-   Henry Adebonojo – photography
-   Robin Burgess – producer
-   Tondrae Kemp – tour manager

Chart performance

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Chart (2015)                      | Peak                              |
|                                   | position                          |
+===================================+===================================+
| US Traditional Jazz Albums        | 7                                 |
| (_Billboard_)[16]                 |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| _Billboard_ 200[17]               | 12                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

title: Breathless (Terence Blanchard album)

question: What is Breathless?

answer: It is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

question: Who is featured on the album?

answer: The album features Fabian Almazan on keyboards, Charles Altura on guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums.

question: What is Blanchard's previous album called?

answer: A Tale of God's Will

question: How was it recieved?

answer: The reviews were mixed but largely positive. Comparisons were made to Miles Davis and his eclectic jazzy style was largely praised.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Terrence Blanchard's new album "Breathless" has released featuring Fabian Almazan on keyboards, Charles Altura on guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums. This is a follow up to his previous album, "A Tale of God's Will". The reception has been mixed, but largely positive, and Blanchard has drawn comparisons from critics to the spirit of Miles Davis.