text:
The MEDIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 that produces and distributes documentary films about the impact of American mass media. Their films focus on topics such as gender, race and representation, health, class, consumerism, politics, and the environment, with the purpose of encouraging critical thought about the media, its effects on viewers, and on the world more broadly.[1][2][3]

Sut Jhally founded the Media Education Foundation after receiving a cease and desist letter from MTV, whose music video clips he had compiled to create a video for use as a teaching tool about sexism and the objectification of women in popular culture.[4][5] He countered that the work was protected under the fair use doctrine and that his intent was to use the clip for educational purposes only. Jhally subsequently founded the Media Education Foundation as a platform for distributing other films regarding media awareness and its impact.

[1]

[2]

[3]  Cultures of Resistance|website=culturesofresistance.org|access-date=2019-08-15}}

[4]

[5]

title: Media Education Foundation

question: When was the Media Education Foundation founded?

answer: 1992.

question: Who founded the Media Education Foundation?

answer: Sut Jhally.

question: Which organization sent Sut Jhally a cease and desist letter?

answer: MIT.

question: What doctrine did Sut Jhally cite to protect his work?

answer: Fair use.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about an educational foundation to teach the public about bias in the media founded by Sut Jhally.


split: train

text:
Posted on 01 Oct 2018

[Plovdiv MU 2018 Relocation completed: The Journey Begins]

THIS YEAR’S GROUP OF 1ST YEAR STUDENTS COMPLETED THEIR RELOCATION TO THE CITY OF PLOVDIV ON SEPTEMBER 21ST WHERE A FEW DAYS LATER THEY WOULD BE STARTING THEIR COURSES AT PLOVDIV MU.

They traveled to Sofia Airport in Bulgaria where they were met by the local SME team who organized their transfer to Maritza hotel and settled into their rooms that had been booked on their behalf. That evening, there was a briefing by the local team on was to occur in the following days and to answer any and all questions. Real estate agents were there and spoke to each student individually to understand their requirements regarding accommodation. All the students had the opportunity to choose one of two unique SIM card packages, exclusive to SME students. The following day, students were escorted to register at the university by the city managers which only lasted about 10 minutes for each student since most of the paperwork had already been completed by the students the day before at the briefing. After a tour of the university campus, students were taken to a local bank to open a bank account and after a couple of days on to the local immigration office to get a Bulgarian ID Card.

A Meet and Greet was organized on Saturday, September 29th, where students had the chance to socialize and meet other students from previous years who gave them a lot of insight information and study tips.

SME would like to wish all the best to these students and to remind them that, some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.

question: What does SME stand for?

answer: Unclear.

question: Where is Plovdiv MU?

answer: Bulgaria.

question: What is the purpose of this update?

answer: To inform the reader about the process students go through when they initially arrive at their relocation destination.

question: Explain what the students did once they arrived...

answer:
Students arrived at Sofia Airport and were taken to Maritza Hotel. The same evening there was a briefing, informing the students what to expect over the coming days.

The next day students met with real estate agents to specify their needs for accomodation and were offered SIM card packages tailored for them. They then went on to register at the University (Plovdiv), where they also toured the campus. Students then went to open a bank account and register for a Bulgarian ID Card.

Later they would also attend a meet and greet wit other students who could give them advice regarding their time at the University.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A page regarding te relocation of students to Plovdiv MU in Bulgaria, updating the reader on their experience when the students arrived.


text:
About Mrs. Amanpreet Nagpal

Amanpreet Nagpal is an efficient, conscientious and caring counselor with extensive knowledge of facilitating empowerment, rehabilitation and guidance to clients who have experienced trauma and hardship. She has a proven ability to empathize with individuals and groups whilst retaining an objective and realistic approach to their treatment, therapy, and goal. She is comfortable working and communicating with people from all backgrounds, and has experience of group therapy with motivational and transforming workshops. She intends to work on emotional health as it relates to physical and social well-being. She allows miracles to make life magical for all. She is an author and blogger Touching the hearts of many and creating shifts in their life through her Inspirational writings.

She is a Consulting Psychologist, Motivational Coach, Hypnotherapist, Access Bars Practitioner, and Trained in Metaphor Therapy, Certified in REBT, DMIT Practitioner (Multiple intelligence tests), Tarot and Angel Card Reader.

OBJECTIVE - “Our journey is a choice, from being to be free”

MISSION STATEMENT - If You Will, You WILL!

She facilitates you on a journey to explore self, bring forth your uniqueness and be the individual that you are! She provides you with the tools and techniques that make you aware to choose a life you truly desire. It is here that her motivational and empowering seminar/ workshops shine like a beacon.

The workshop offered by her can play a significant role in helping an individual to understand how best to adopt and implement new ideas or techniques, to enhance the quality of life.

Therapies

-   Hypnotherapy __ 3000/Session
-   Counseling therapy __ 3000/Session
-   Life Coaching __ 3000/Session
-   Access Consciousness Bars and Body process __ 3000/Session
-   Tarot Card Reading __ 3000/Session
-   Angel Card Reading __ 3000/Session
-   DMIT Counselor __ 8000/Session

Mode of Session

-   At centre
-   Long distance
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Articles

[Happiness tricks]

Events

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Tangible Tarot Yes! You too can be a tarot reader and unleash the divine potential yo. . .

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Share this page

question: Who is Amanpreet Nagpal?

answer: A counselor, traditional and more.

question: What is she a practitioner of?

answer: Consulting psychologist, motivational coach, hypnotherapist, trained in Metaphor Therapy, Certified in REBT, DMIT practitioner, and Tarot and Angel card reader.

question: What do her services aim to provide?

answer: She facilitates you on a journey to explore self, bring forth your uniqueness and be the individual that you are! She provides you with the tools and techniques that make you aware to choose a life you truly desire.

question: How much does she charge for her services?

answer: 3000 in an unknown currency for each service except DMIT counseling which she charges 8000 for

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Amanpreet Nagpal is a counselor that seeks to bring forth your uniqueness and supports your being the individual that you are. She is a consulting psychologist, motivational coach, hypnotherapist, trained in Metaphor Therapy, Certified in REBT, DMIT, and is a Tarot and Angel card reader. She charges 3000 for each of her services, except DMIT counseling which costs 8000.


text:
"Um...excuse me, but is something the matter?"

Her voice sounded intelligent enough.  She was probably a student, just leaving the library after a long night of studying.  Spring term often causes even those with relatively easy courses to spend until eleven o'clock at night in the library.  Doing a four month course in two months' time can do that to a person.

"Why do you ask?" he replied.

"You're lying on a concrete wall at eleven-thirty at night."

"I've seen people lying around here before."

"...in the daytime, maybe.  Never this late."

He paused for a second.  "Well, I suppose you're right."

She studied him before replying.  He was in his early or mid twenties, and fairly well dressed, so he probably wasn't homeless.  Then again, he wasn't really sleeping on the wall; he was just lying there with his eyes open in his shorts, a button-up shirt, and sandals, at eleven-thirty on Saturday night.

"So you understand, then, why I'm asking if something is the matter."

"I suppose so."

"...and?"

"Have you ever had the feeling that you're different than everyone else?"

"Well, obviously" she replied.  "Everyone's different."

"No, I'm not talking about normal, 'you listen to Mariah Carey and I listen to Sufjan Stevens' kind of different, I'm talking about really, completely different than everyone around you."  He spoke as if he were having a sort of revelation on the spot--as if nothing that he was saying had ever occurred to him before that moment.  "Like, as if your brain works differently in the way that it comes to conclusions, and your priorities are completely different than everyone else's."

She paused before replying "Is that why you're lying on a concrete wall under a tree at eleven-thirty at night?  Because you're different?"
"I suppose that's one reason," he finally admitted, "and I think that's the root problem.  But probably not the biggest problem I'm facing right now."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with being different.  I mean, Da Vinci was probably different.  Not that I think I'm him.  Sometimes it can create problems, though."

"I meant for you to tell me what this supposed 'biggest problem' you're facing right now is."

"At this exact moment?" he inquired.

"At this exact moment" she replied.

"At this exact moment, my biggest problem is the fact that I'm trying to have an existential crisis, and there's this random girl talking to me."
"I'm sorry, I can leave, if you want."

"No, no.  I think it's better to talk about it than to lay here, thinking about it."

"Okay, so then talk."  She sat down about a foot away from his head, there on the wall.

"Well, for starters, I came to the realization today that I've never had a deep, meaningful relationship with anyone.  Ever."  He spoke in a fairly monotone voice, but somehow it seemed as though he was just barely maintaining his grip on the present.  As if just thinking about the subject caused him inexpressible horror.  She saw the way he lay across the concrete, with as much of his body touching it as possible, and it seemed that he was rooted to the earth in such a way to compensate for his mind's desire to flee.

"What do you mean by 'deep, meaningful relationship'?"

"I mean...well, something that matters.  It's like I have all of these friends, right? And I talk with all of them, and I hang out with some of them, but at the end of the day, I can't really depend on any one of them.  They'd like me to think that I can, but I really can't, and when I need them they all seem to disappear.  It's like...I don't know, like everything is plastic.  Fake.  The world is a set of social rules that I have to follow in order to be normal, and because of this I can't have a real, deep, meaningful relationship with anyone.  Because it's not normal. At least, not on the level I'm thinking of, it isn't."

"Well, can't those relationships be a gateway to what you really want?"
"You'd think so.  I did.  But I must always end up bending or breaking one of those social rules.  Or maybe I'm completely and unforgivably disobeying one that I don't even know about.  And because of that, these fake friendships tend to disintegrate, quickly.  Maybe 'plastic' wasn't a good word to use to describe it.  Plastic takes too long to disintegrate.  It's like they're made of paper, and the first time it rains everything gets soggy and unreadable, then just breaks apart, because there's no real substance to it."

"And that's why you're lying here?"

"Yes."

"On a concrete wall."

"Yes."

"At eleven-thirty at night."

"Yes."

"Because you feel like your friendships are all disintegrating and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Yes.  Well---no.  Not exactly.  It's like, I just realized that they all have the capacity to disintegrate, with little to no warning.  And that's what freaks me out.  Not knowing.  Well, that and the lack of a real, meaningful relationship with another human being."

She paused for a moment, presumably attempting to compare this man's problems with her own, and arrived at a conclusion.  Haltingly, she scooted down the concrete wall another foot and a half or two, then lay down so that their bodies made a line, separated by six inches of space between the point where his head ended and hers began.
"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm having an existential crisis."

title: A sort of a dialogue that I wrote last summer

question: Summarize the topics the narrator is thinking about.

answer: He is thinking about the fact that he is different than everyone else. He is also concerned that he has never had a deep, meaningful relationship with anyone. He's troubled by the fact that his friendships are all disintegrating.

question: What are the reasons the girl thinks something is the matter?

answer: Because the boy is lying on a concrete wall at eleven-thirty at night. People usually lie there in the day, but never that late at night.

question: Describe the boy's academic performance.

question: Summarize the climax of the story.

answer: The girl considers what the boy said and seems to come to a conclusion. She joins the boy lying down on the ground. She says that she is having an existential crisis of her own.


text:
So this is the first time I've ever written any fiction. The story, well it isn't really a story, it's kind of an opening or just me playing around. Have a look and tell me if my style of writing is ok or any tips for just starting out? Cheers :)
__________________________

It was a grey and miserable Saturday afternoon. It had been raining all morning and the sun had yet to make a real appearance. In Trafalgar square there were thousands gathered, crowding around the monuments and spilling out into nearby streets. Although this was the largest protest currently going on in the UK similar scenes could be seen in more than thirty cities nationwide. Near the front of the loud, chanting and aggravated crowd was a girl displaying all three of these with what seemed like as much vigour as the rest of the crowd combined. The rain ran off her hair, down her face and dripped from her chin; she had been outside since dawn and was freezing. Lucinda, as her mother called her, or Lucy as her friends called her, was wearing a long white coat with fur around the hood. It was zipped up against the strong winds and went to just above her knees, below that were skinny jeans and then bright red Converse trainers. Her face was made-up but only subtly focusing mainly on her eyes and she wore only one piece of jewellery: a thin chain with a pendant representing a double-thumbed fist clenching a Peyote button, a symbol popularised by her favourite author at the time.
Lucy stood with her placard held high, a hand written message on a large white board glued to an old table leg she had found in her garage and held with both hands. On the board was a potent slogan which could have been seen for the past year or so on bus stops, on billboards or broadcast on television, certain YouTube channels and blogs. The slogan was simply: ‘Talent is earned, not bought’. This was a protest against a relatively recent trend which saw people pay for a procedure which altered their genes and improved them in almost any area they wished.

*

In the year 2022 a company which developed from a subsidiary of a large pharmaceutical company focused on gene therapy to prevent and cure a range of genetic diseases stumbled upon a method to replace the current DNA in a person with other DNA. And separately, a different part of the company worked with a method to alter and splice current genes together. These methods combined allowed Aspire Inc. to improve the physical characteristics of a person to that of the current best person whose genes they were able to get access to. Of course they would only have the potential of that person and would still have to train to improve whatever skill they required. These abilities ranged from becoming physically stronger or being able to run more quickly to having a better memory or being exceptional at mathematics. The methods used remain the property of Aspire Inc. entirely.
By 2030 this process had been all but perfected and the company had hundreds of thousands of genes available to choose from to improve whomever they wished in whatever way they wished. Testing had proven safe and it was a matter of months before the process, known colloquially as ‘bettering yourself’, was commercially available. Initially the idea was praised and lauded by the population as one which would be the next great leap in human advancement since the internet. By the year 2032 there were two clinics in the world, one in London and one in New York, where a person could book an appointment, pay £100,000 per trait, and be seen and finished within 24 weeks. Depending on popularity, Aspire Inc. were planning to build more clinics worldwide. Their treatment was very popular, for those who could afford it.

__________________________

title: Never written fiction before. How's my style? (600 words)

question: What was the protest about?

answer: The protest was about a recent trend where people could pay to alter their genes and improve them in any area they wished.

question: How much did the treatment cost?

answer: The treatment costs £100,000 and takes 24 weeks.

question: Who pioneered this procedure?

answer: A subsidiary, Aspire Inc., of a large pharmaceutical company that was focussing on gene therapy to cure genetic diseases, stumbled upon this method of replacing the current DNA with other DNA.

question: What could the procedure change in a person?

answer: The procedure could bring about a range of changes in a person, from making them run faster and improving their physical strength to giving them better memory.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Trafalgar Square was filled with people on this Saturday afternoon. People gathered to protest against Aspire Inc.'s recent invention of replacing DNA. The procedure would replace people's DNA and make them better at whatever aspect they wanted to better.

The procedure was accidentally found while the company was working on gene therapy to cure a range of genetic diseases. They state that the process is "completely safe" and is advertised as 'bettering yourself'.


text:
The Justice Department has now appointed a Special Counsel to handle the investigation of alleged “links” and “collusion” between the Russian government and President Donald Trump’s successful campaign for president.

What is completely baffling about this decision, and the allocation of vast resources from the FBI, Justice Department and congressional oversight committees, is that no prima facia evidence that these alleged “links” [Seth Rich]and “collusion” constitute a violation of any specific statute has been presented, or as far as we can tell, even alleged.

However, there are, as our friend Diana West has exhaustively documented, two other known crimes that are being studiously ignored by the FBI: the vast security breach of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) email system and the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich.

In her must read May 20 article, “A Seth Rich Chronology, Part 1” West points out that “it is important to bear in mind that the FBI has never examined the DNC computer network because the DNC prohibited the FBI from doing so. Also, that the FBI, under former Director Comey, not to mention President Obama and the ‘Intelligence Community,’ thought this was perfectly ok.”

So, the FBI has never actually undertaken an investigation of the alleged DNC “hack” because the agency has never actually had any evidence or a crime scene to investigate.

Instead of the FBI’s computer crimes forensics section, the DNC and its law firm Perkins Coie choose instead to turn to CrowdStrike.

CrowdStrike's Moscow-born co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is a nonresident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council, a globalist, interventionist and swampist think tank, which gave Hillary Clinton its Distinguished International Leadership Award in 2013.

The political nature of the DNC's choice of a politically connected cyber-security firm itself is not too surprising; what is five-alarm-shocking, says West, is that the FBI has never verified the firm's "Russian hacking" findings.

Why wouldn’t the DNC want the FBI plowing through its servers and network?

Because it wasn’t the hack of their email system they were worried about, it was defending against the investigation of other potential crimes hidden on the DNC’s servers and network that might be revealed by an FBI forensics team plowing through their data.

Anything from pornography to financial crimes could have turned-up – and has in other cases where the FBI has gained access to computers.

Indeed, the FBI has long-relied upon outside computer techs, such as electronics giant Best Buy’s Geek Squad, to turn in child pornographers they uncover while repairing client computers – but the DNC could count on CrowdStrike to keep any such embarrassing data confidential.

The other crime that the FBI has studiously ignored is, as Ms. West points out, the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich.

On July 10, 2016, DNC staffer Seth Rich, whose title was reported as "voter expansion data director," was murdered in the street near his home in Washington, DC.

The DC police attribute his murder to robbery, although nothing was stolen and his murder remains unsolved.

Two weeks later, Ms. West points out that just three days before the start of the Democratic National Convention, Wikileaks starts releasing 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments from the Democratic National Committee. The emails document the DNC's efforts to sink Bernie Sanders' primary run against Hillary Clinton. DNC chairman Wasserman Schultz will resign over the election-meddling scandal within the week.

On August 1, 2016, notes West, Peter Schweizer publishes "From Russia with Money," a stunning report on Clinton cronyism and corruption detailing multiple and profitable connections between Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, John Podesta, and Russia. (More info on Podesta and his Russian business dealings will follow from Wikileaks.)

The Hillary-supporting establishment media studiously ignore evidence of "Russian influence" on Clinton and Podesta both.

On or about August 9, 2016 observes West, during an interview (video through this link), Julian Assange brings up the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich while discussing the great risks Wikileaks sources take. Wikileaks will contribute $20,000 to what grows to more $125,000 in reward money for information leading to arrest of the murderer(s) of Seth Rich. According to private investigator Rod Wheeler, no one has come forward to try to claim the money.

Fast forward to last week, May 16, 2017.

West reports that in a May 16, 2017 interview with Sean Hannity, private investigator Rod Wheeler says that in March, when he began his investigation into the murder of Seth Rich on behalf of the Rich family, he called the DCPD but didn't hear back from anyone for two to three days. Wheeler says he learned from the family on May 15 that during that March interim, a high-ranking official at the DNC got the information about his query and called the Rich family "wanting to know why I was snooping around."

Who in the DCPD called the DNC official and why, asks West.

In this same interview, Wheeler adds that Seth Rich was having problems at work, and that the person he was having problems with was the same DNC official who called Rich’s father.

Wheeler, a former D.C. police homicide detective who was hired by a third party to investigate for the Rich family, told Fox 5 in Washington, D.C., Rich’s laptop had evidence indicating he had been in contact with the organization.

“Now, questions have been raised on why D.C. police, the lead agency on this murder investigation for the past ten months, have insisted this was a robbery gone bad when there appears to be no evidence to suggest that,” says Wheeler.

“The police department nor the FBI have been forthcoming,” said Wheeler. “They haven’t been cooperating at all. I believe that the answer to solving his death lies on that computer, which I believe is either at the police department or either at the FBI. I have been told both.”

A federal investigator who reviewed an FBI forensic report detailing the contents of Rich’s computer generated within 96 hours after his murder told Fox News that Rich made contact with WikiLeaks through Gavin MacFadyen, a now-deceased American investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker and director of WikiLeaks who was living in London at the time.

MacFadyen, an early mentor and defender of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, died of lung cancer in October 2016.

The investigator, who requested anonymity, said 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments between DNC leaders, spanning from January 2015 through late May 2016, were transferred from Rich to MacFadyen before May 21.

Fox 5 asked Wheeler if his sources have connected Rich to WikiLeaks, and he replied: “Absolutely. Yeah. That’s confirmed.”

Wheeler said he believes there’s a big cover-up that involves the FBI and the police department.

“My investigation shows someone within the D.C. government, Democratic National Committee or Clinton team is blocking the murder investigation from going forward,” Wheeler told Fox News. “That is unfortunate. Seth Rich’s murder is unsolved as a result of that.”

Diana West and Rod Wheeler have identified the two crimes that the FBI should be investigating, and they have nothing to do with Donald Trump and his successful campaign for President, and everything to do with the wrongdoing and cover-up at the Democratic National Committee.

[Share this]

question: Summarize all the information relating to Wikileaks.

answer: Wikileaks released 44 053 emails and 17 761 attachments from the Democratic National Committee three days before the start of the Democratic National Congress. Julian Assange brought up the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich while discussing the great risks Wikileaks sources take. Wikileaks contributed $20,000 in reward money for information on the murder of Seth Rich. A private investigator found that Seth Rich made contact with Wikileaks and was murdered because he supplied the aforementioned documents to Wikileaks.

question: Summarize all the information relating to the Democratic National Committee.

answer: The Democratic National Committee's email system was breached. The FBI have never investigated this breach because they haven't been given access to the DNC computer network. The DNC turned to CrowdStrike, a Russian cybersecurity firm, for enhanced security after the hack. According to this article, the DNC does not want to give the FBI access to its

question: What is the purpose of this article?

answer: The purpose of this article is to make a case for the FBI to focus their attention on the Democrats, rather than the Republicans.

question: Why is the FBI investigating the Trump campaign?

answer: The Justice Department appointed a Special Council to handle the investigation of alleged links and collusion between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign.

question: Are there grounds for the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign?

answer: According to the author, there is no prima facie evidence that alleged links and collusion constitute a violation of any specific statute.

question: Why is Diana West's authority accepted over that of the Justice Department?

answer: It is not clear from this article. It sounds like she is a reported investigating the Democratic National Committee and the murder of Seth Rich. The author holds that the Justice Department is not investigating these things.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A security breach of the Democratic National Committee emails and the murder of Seth Rich should receive more attention from the Justice Department than alleged links and collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign.


text:
BONNIE ERICKSON (born September 20, 1941) is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics, best known for her work with Jim Henson and The Muppets where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic.

Biography

Jim Henson Company and The Muppets

Erickson began her career with a background in theater and art, having studied at the University of Minnesota and the Art Students League of New York. After working in legitimate theater as assistant to costume designer Patricia Quinn Stewart, she was hired by Jim Henson in 1970 to provide costumes for the Muppet characters in _The Frog Prince_. She continued with the company, specializing in puppets made from carved foam like Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf.[1][2]

Erickson served as Head of the Muppet Workshop for Jim Henson Associates, and set up the original London workshop for _The Muppet Show_.[3]

In 1983, Erickson served as Design Consultant and Workshop Director for the Jim Henson series _Fraggle Rock_.

In 1986, Erickson became Vice President of Creative Projects for The Jim Henson Company in which she worked on productions such as _The Tale of the Bunny Picnic_ and _The Christmas Toy_.

Erickson served as a Creative Director for the product division of The Jim Henson Company and Children's Television Workshop from 1987 to 2000, in which time she art directed the creation of the popular children's toy Tickle Me Elmo.[4][5]

Harrison/Erickson, Inc.

In 1977, she and Wayde Harrison established Harrison/Erickson, Inc., a design and marketing resource for national sports teams, television production and the advertising and toy industries, with Jim Henson Associates as their first client.[6]

Erickson designed many professional sports mascots, including the Phillie Phanatic and Youppi!, now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[7][8]

The Jim Henson Legacy

In 1994, Erickson became a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Jim Henson’s contributions to the worlds of puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media technology. From 2007 to 2010, she served as President, and then Executive Director until 2014. During her tenure, she oversaw the Henson Family collection of objects from Henson productions at the Smithsonian Institution, Center for Puppetry Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, The Strong, and Museum of Pop Culture.[9]

Erickson was also instrumental in the installation of a statue of Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland. The caricature Muppet of Jim Henson she created inspired the action figure by Palisades Toys.[10]

Erickson's notable credits

The Muppets

-   _The Muppet Musicians of Bremen_, Puppet Designer/Builder for Caleb Siles, Mean Floyd, Mordecai Sledge, and Lardpork. (1972)[11]

-   Designer/Builder of caricature puppets of Jim Henson and Frank Oz, and Designer of Jerry Nelson, first seen on _The Dick Cavett Show_ (1973)[12]

-   _The Muppets Valentine Show_, Puppet Designer/Builder for George the Janitor, Designer of Mildred Huxtetter (1974)[13]

-   _The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence_, Puppet Costume Designer. Designed and built Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, the Muppet Newsman, Dr. Nauga (eventually became Dr. Julius Strangepork), and the Gene Shallit caricature puppet. Designer of Zoot. Co-designed Animal. Built Janice. Co-built The Swedish Chef. (1974)[14]

-   _Saturday Night Live_ The Land of Gorch sketches, built Vazh. (1975)

-   _The Muppet Show_, Builder of Fozzie Bear (1976)[15][16][17]

Mascots

[Phillie Phanatic, originally designed by Bonnie Erickson in 1978]

-   Phillie Phanatic, mascot for Philadelphia Phillies (1978-present)

-   Youppi!, mascot for Montreal Expos (1979-2004)/Canadiens (2005-present)

-   Sharpo, mascot for Sharp Electronics (1979-1982)

-   Big Shot, mascot for Philadelphia 76ers (1979-1994)

-   Dandy, mascot for New York Yankees (1981-1985)

-   Ribbie and Roobarb, mascot for Chicago White Sox (1982-1990)

-   Duncan the Dragon, mascot for New Jersey Nets (1982-1991)

-   K.C. Wolf, mascot for Kansas City Chiefs (1989-present)

-   Booster, mascot for Houston Rockets (1989-1993)

-   Hugo, mascot for Charlotte Hornets (1989-present)

-   Stuff the Magic Dragon, mascot for Orlando Magic (1989-present)

-   Jaxson de Ville, mascot for Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-present)

-   Pirate Pete, mascot for Delaware River & Bridge Authority (1995-present)

-   Slyly, mascot for Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1996-present)

-   G-Whiz, mascot for Washington Wizards (1998-present)

-   Phred, mascot for Philadelphia Phillies (2000-present)[18]

Advertising clients

-   Burger King
-   Cadbury
-   Budweiser
-   McDonald’s
-   AT&T
-   Nutella
-   American Dairy Association
-   Lysol
-   Sharp Corporation
-   Bell Atlantic
-   Bette Midler's The Divine Miss Millennium Tour[19]

Notable toy and product manufacturer clients

-   Applause, Inc.
-   Axlon
-   Enesco
-   Fisher-Price
-   Hasbro
-   Knickerbocker Toy Company
-   Colorforms for Maurice Sendak
-   Mattel
-   Kurt S. Adler[20]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

title: Bonnie Erickson

question: Who is Bonnie Erickson?

answer: An American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics.

question: What is she best known for?

answer: Her work with Jim Henson and "The Muppets" where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic.

question: What role did she play in the creation of Tickle Me Elmo?

answer: She served as Creative Director in which time she art directed the creation of Tickle Me Elmo.

question: What role did she play in the legacy of Jim Henson?

answer: Erickson served as a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Henson's contributions to puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Bonnie Erickson is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics. She is best known for herwork with Jim Henson and "The Muppets" where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic. She served as Creative Director for the product division of the Jim Henson Company and Children's Television Workshop in which time she art directed the creation of Tickle Me Elmo. Erickson served as a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Henson's contributions to puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media. She created her own company with colleague Harrison and designed many professional sports mascots.


text:
This is not a utopia.  It is the perfect universe from a mathematical perspective.  It is the one possible universe, out of the infinite number of possible confirmations the universe could take have taken post-bang in which the mass and energy of all was, all that is, and all that will be in the absolute sense of the universe is in two equal and opposite distinct points.  In this perfect universe, these two distinct points would be traveling at equal and opposite velocities in all existing planes except for one.  This mean this one and only one universe, out of the infinite number of possible confirmations the universe could have taken post-bang will have the most massive explosion, the most impressive display of force that has ever been  possible at any point in any universe's history, would occur.  Can you imagine it?  It would be the most glorious thing that has ever taken place or ever will take place in the entire cosmos.  In this universe, after this tremendous display, all would be silent.  Everything was equal and opposite, and all would be silent.  Space and time no longer exist, or mean anything as concepts.  This is one universe, in all of the possible universes.  Literally one in an infinite number of possibilities.  We have no math to understand the concept of that.  It literally does not make sense.  That is how unlikely that occurrence is.  That's how tremendous the power of that one occurrence must be.  I use "single" in this case in the symmetrical sense of the word.  Because, mathematically speaking, this single equal and opposite velocity can occur in an infinite number of directions in an infinite number of planes.

There is another universe.  In this universe, the big-bang occurs in such a specific way, as before, a particular set of circumstances occur.  However, in this universe, our planet is formed.  The masses of heterozygous quantum-probability decisions take place over the billions of years that the planet exists, creating life.  This life divides, evolves, and interacts in such a specific way humans exactly as we know them form.  All of these humans have the exact same social interactions and procreation patters as they do in our history so you and I were created.  This means that one out of all the infinite meiotic divisions that could have occurred in the germ lines of all humans ever, and combined with the correct mate, occurred.  Which means all chance meetings that led to marriage, all the stupid fights that led to divorce, and all the drunken kisses that happened in our world happened.  And in that universe, everything in our lives happened like they did.  Out of the infinite number of possible decisions we made, we made the exact same ones again.  And in this universe, you were friend's with my friend's friend, and we went to the same party.  And then I met you, in that one instant when our eyes met.  In that one instant, in that single, completely and utterly and mind benignly improbable moment that it is truly and rightly one single occurrence in a certain and awesomely infinite number of possibilities.  More impossible than anything that could ever be imagined.  The tremendous nature of the magnitude of that one moment will never leave me.

title: The Perfect Universe

question: What is the story about?

answer: It's about the big bang, universes, and life.

question: Where does this setting occur?

answer: It occurs in the infinite possibilities of space and time.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: That information can’t be found.

question: Is there a perfect universe?

answer: The narrator talks about the perfect universe being from a mathematical perspective.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: This talks about having the perfect universe from a mathematical perspective and several infinite possibilities. The narrator talks about this universe having the most massive explosion, the most impressive display of force possible. The narrator talks about the power of that one occurrence in an infinite possibility. In another universe, the big bang occurs specifically identical to the very last detail as our universe, down to social interactions and personal affiliations.


text:
Sale

[Global Ops: Commando Libya]

Region restrictions

Activates within United States

This game has world-wide activation. No known region restrictions in effect.

Description

January 21, 1968… A B-52G bomber crashes in the Arctic Ocean and an atom bomb goes missing. It has remained missing... until now… The CIA has learned that a notorious Russian mafia boss, Yebievdenko, has the weapon and wants to sell it to a ruthless Libyan ruler. As a member of a special unit, you must stop this deadly arms deal. The destiny of the world is in your hands!

Features:

-   A special kind of third-person action shooter: set out in breathtaking pursuit of dangerous terrorists!
-   Diverse missions and a series of new assignments: complete all the challenges; action-packed combat missions, stealth missions and hot pursuits in vehicles!
-   A massive arsenal of different weapons and vehicles: use all the means available to you to catch the criminals!
-   Hours of gameplay fun: either solo or with friends: complete 9 single-player levels and show what you’re made of in 3 different online Multiplayer modes!
-   Detailed graphics: fight in realistic settings from Greenland to Libya!

Requirements

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Windows Requirements:                                                 |
+=======================================================================+
| OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7                                              |
| Processor: AMD or Intel dual-core processor 2.2 GHz                   |
| Memory: 2048 MB RAM                                                   |
| Graphics: ATI or nVidia graphic card with at least 256 MB             |
| DirectX®: 9.0c                                                        |
| Hard Drive: 6 GB HD space                                             |
| Sound: DirectX 9 compatible soundcard                                 |
| Other Requirements: Broadband Internet connection                     |
|                                                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Requires Steam and a Steam Account to play Windows version.       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Reviews & Comments

No reviews to list at this time.

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question: Is this game based on real world events?

answer: No, fictitious circumstances regarding the loss of a nuclear weapon.


text:
NORTH EASTERN INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA & HOMOEOPATHY (NEIAH), is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, within the government of India. It is situated at Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, Meghalaya. It was formally inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik on 22 December 2016.[1]

As of 2016 the Institute offers a four and a half year degree course in Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery.[2]

[1] http://indianexpress.com/article/education/naik-inaugurates-northeast-institute-of-ayurveda-and-homeopathy/

[2] http://neiah.nic.in/aboutus.html

title: North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy

question: Define the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH).

answer: It is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, within the government of India.

question: Where is NEIAH located?

answer: Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, Meghalaya.

question: Who inaugurated the institute and when?

answer: Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik, December 22, 2016.

question: What does the institute offer?

answer: As of 2016, the Institute offers a four and a half year degree course in Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH) is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Ayush, within the government of India, inaugurated on December 22, 2016, by Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik. The Institute is located at Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, Meghalaya, and offers four and a half year degree courses in Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery.


text:
Chapter one (I guess i'll be leaving)

I can hear sirens in the distance and mechanical exhales. Jim Morrison is still singing light my fire  loudly in the background. I hope they don't play it at my funeral, its 6 minutes 58 seconds long and id hate to bore anyone. I can't see but I'm not blind, I've watched too many movies to know that theres just a shit load of blood in my eyes. "You know that it would be untrue" My legs are mangled and most of teeth are embedded into the steering wheel. My right hand must gone through the wind screen, it feels like theres less parts than there were before. "C'mon baby light my fire"; do cars actually explode? Who cares I'm fucking euphoric.

The sirens get closer but still sound decades away. I cough up around a pint of blood and the remainder of my teeth that didn't end up in the wheel. The next song starts rolling, Bon Iver - Skinny Love.. honestly, who the fuck wants to die to that? With my healthy left hand I manage to find the untouched stereo and skip to the next track,  Anthony Green - Baby Girl. I can't help but grin. I must look like a fucking Jack o lantern. i start tapping away. I'd sing if i could move my jaw.

So much is out of place "Baby girl twist awaaaaayyy" Im in desperate need of a chiropractor. "When you're talking to me i can't breath" My phone starts vibrating. My mother calls me every time she hears sirens, i tell her its silly. I wonder how the other poor fucker is. I should feel guilty but I'm just enjoying the song too much "This common feeling ends when you enter, not many cigarretes left"

I can't stomach the smell of the fast food that was on the passenger seat and bring up more blood, a lot this time and i come close to passing out. I beg a fictional god like every dying atheist does for a quick ending and a ticket to heaven but soon pull myself together and realise that I'm being a dick. What happens next? Who gives a fuck? i doubt ill be judged on how lovely I am so i can relax about that. "Meredith ill miss you when you go anywhere" This makes me think about her for the remainder of the song. Not Meredith she's mr Greens lady, I'm thinking of my sweetheart. The only thing I've ever loved. She was a fucking psycho of course but nowhere near normal. Id get lost in her cold brown hair and stare for hours into her muddy eyes. The cleanest complexion and the dirtiest soul. My heart beats harder for her, a little too hard and as the police pull me from the vehicle I'm already dead.

title: Sirens

question: Was the character in a car crash?

answer: Yes

question: Is he going to survive the crash?

answer: No

question: Is he going to let his mother know he was in a crash?

answer: No

question: Is the other person alive?

answer: Information not found.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The main character got into a car crash. He is badly wounded and losing a lot of blood but is able to skip a song on the radio. He listens to music while he ignores his mom's call and thinks about his sweetheart. The police arrive at the scene but he soon dies.


text:
2016–17 SENIOR WOMEN'S ONE DAY LEAGUE was the 11th edition of the women's List-A competition in India. It was played from 1 October to 19 October 2016. It is played in round robin format. Total 27 teams in 2 tiers are divided in 5 groups, 2 in Elite group and 3 in Plate group.[1][2] At the end of season the finalists from plate group are promoted to elite group and one bottom most team from each elite group are relegated to plate group. Railways women won the tournament.[3] Himachal Pradesh emerged as winners in Plate group.[4]

Elite Group

Teams

  Elite Group A   Elite Group B
  --------------- ----------------
  Baroda          Andhra
  Delhi           Madhya Pradesh
  Goa             Mumbai
  Hyderabad       Punjab
  Maharashtra     Railways

Elite Group A

  Position   Team          Matches   Won   Lost   NR   Pts   NRR
  ---------- ------------- --------- ----- ------ ---- ----- --------
  1          Maharashtra   4         4     0      0    16    +1.645
  2          Delhi         4         2     2      0    8     +0.307
  3          Baroda        4         2     2      0    8     -0.460
  4          Hyderabad     4         1     2      1    6     +0.181
  5          Goa           4         0     3      1    2     -1.825

Advanced to Super League Relegated to Plate group 2017–18

The Elite Group - A comprised Maharashtra, Delhi, Baroda, Hyderabad and Goa. While Maharashtra won all four games of the league phase to qualify for the Super League, Delhi qualified on the basis of net run rate after winning two of their four games.[5]

Elite Group B

  Position   Team             Matches   Won   Lost   NR   Pts   NRR
  ---------- ---------------- --------- ----- ------ ---- ----- --------
  1          Madhya Pradesh   4         2     0      2    12    +0.320
  2          Railways         4         1     0      3    10    +1.820
  3          Andhra           4         1     2      1    6     -0.231
  4          Punjab           4         1     2      1    6     -0.614
  5          Mumbai           4         0     1      3    6     -0.477

Advanced to Super League Relegated to Plate group 2017–18

The Elite Group - B comprised Madhya Pradesh, Railways, Andhra, Punjab and Mumbai. MP finished at the top of their table with two wins from four games while Railways finished at the second position. They had won one match while there was no result in three of their matches and points were equally split.[6]

Elite Group Super League

  Position   Team             Matches   Won   Lost   Pts   NRR
  ---------- ---------------- --------- ----- ------ ----- --------
  Winner     Railways         3         3     0      12    +2.232
  2          Maharashtra      3         1     2      4     -0.284
  3          Madhya Pradesh   3         1     2      4     -0.919
  4          Delhi            3         1     2      4     -1.011

Railways emerged winners from the elite group of Women's one-day tournament 2016–17. The Mithali Raj-led team won all their three matches in the super league phase to finish at the top of the table and claim the title while Maharashtra finished as runners-up.[7]

Plate Group

Teams

  Plate Group A   Plate Group B   Plate Group C
  --------------- --------------- ---------------
  Gujarat         Bengal          Assam
  J & K           Odisha          Chhattisgarh
  Jharkhand       Rajasthan       Haryana
  Karnataka       Tamil Nadu      Himachal
  Kerala          Uttar Pradesh   Saurashtra
  Vidharbha                       Tripura

Plate Group A

  Position   Team        Matches   Won   Lost   Pts   NRR
  ---------- ----------- --------- ----- ------ ----- --------
  1          Kerala      5         4     1      16    0.554
  2          Karnataka   4         3     1      12    0.785
  3          Jharkhand   5         3     2      12    -0.174
  4          Vidharbha   4         2     2      8     0.576
  5          Gujarat     5         2     3      8     -0.288
  6          J & K       5         0     5      0     -1.713

Promoted to Plate group Semi Finals Promoted to Plate group Quarter Finals

Plate Group B

  Position   Team            Matches   Won   Lost   NR   A   Pts   NRR
  ---------- --------------- --------- ----- ------ ---- --- ----- --------
  1          Odisha          4         2     0      0    2   12    0.746
  2          Uttar Pradesh   4         2     0      0    2   12    0.435
  3          Bengal          4         1     1      1    1   8     0.045
  4          Tamil Nadu      4         0     1      2    1   6     -0.220
  5          Rajasthan       4         0     3      1    0   2     -0.801

Promoted to Plate group Quarter Finals

Plate Group C

  Position   Team           Matches   Won   Lost   NR   Pts   NRR
  ---------- -------------- --------- ----- ------ ---- ----- --------
  1          Himachal       5         3     1      0    14    0.880
  2          Haryana        5         3     1      1    14    0.469
  3          Saurashtra     5         2     3      0    8     0.021
  4          Tripura        5         2     3      0    8     -0.591
  5          Assam          4         1     1      1    8     0.435
  6          Chhattisgarh   4         1     3      0    4     -1.205

Promoted to Plate group Semi Finals Promoted to Plate group Quarter Finals

Plate group knockouts

Quarter Finals

Semi Finals

Finals

Statistics

Most runs

[8]

  Player               Team               Mat   Inns   Runs   Ave     SR      HS     100   50
  -------------------- ------------------ ----- ------ ------ ------- ------- ------ ----- ----
  Neena Choudhary      Himachal Pradesh   7     7      348    69.60   63.85   103*   1     2
  Smriti Mandhana      Maharashtra        7     7      226    37.66   85.93   74     0     2
  Mona Meshram         Vidharbha          5     5      225    56.25   58.29   71*    0     3
  Vellaswamy Vanitha   Karnataka          7     6      214    35.66   96.83   70     0     2
  Neha Tanwar          Delhi              5     5      201    67.00   59.11   74*    0     2

Most wickets

[9]

  Player                Team               Balls   Wkts   Ave     Econ   BBI    SR      4WI   5WI
  --------------------- ------------------ ------- ------ ------- ------ ------ ------- ----- -----
  Tanuja Kanwar         Himachal Pradesh   408     17     7.82    1.95   4-13   24.00   2     0
  Shivangiraj Singh     Uttar Pradesh      270     14     5.00    1.55   5-11   19.28   0     1
  Ekta Bisht            Railways           227     13     5.15    1.77   3-1    17.46   0     0
  Poonam Yadav          Railways           228     13     8.76    3.00   4-8    17.53   2     0
  Sahana Pawar          Karnataka          358     13     9.92    2.16   4-10   27.53   1     0
  Challuru Prathyusha   Karnataka          354     13     10.30   2.27   4-14   27.23   1     0

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: 2016–17 Senior Women's One Day League

question: What is the 2016–17 Senior Women's One Day League?

answer: It was the 11th edition of the women's List-A competition in India.

question: When was the tournament played?

answer: October 1 to 19, 2016.

question: Who won the tournament in each group?

answer: Railways women won the tournament in the Elite group, while Himachal Pradesh won in the Plate group.

question: How many are the teams and how are they divided?

answer: A total of 27 teams in 2 tiers are divided into 5 groups, 2 in Elite group and 3 in Plate group.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 2016–17 Senior Women's One Day League was the 11th edition of the women's List-A competition in India played from October 1 to 19, 2016. A total of 27 teams in 2 tiers are divided into 5 groups, 2 in Elite group and 3 in Plate group all played in a round-robin format. Railways women emerged victorious in the Elite group, while Himachal Pradesh were the winners in the Plate group.


text:
_HYPOCOELOTES_ is a genus of East Asian funnel weavers containing the single species, _HYPOCOELOTES TUMIDIVULVA_. It was first described by Y. Nishikawa in 2009,[1] and has only been found in Japan.[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Hypocoelotes

question: What is Hypocoelotes?

answer: Hypocoelotes is  is a genus of East Asian funnel weavers.

question: Where is Hypocoelotes found?

answer: Hypocoelotes was only found in Japan.

question: How many spacies does Hypocoelotes contain?

answer: Hypocoelotes contains the single species.

question: Who first described Hypocoelotes?

answer: Y. Nishikawa first described Hypocoelotes.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Hypocoelotes is a genus of East Asian funnel weavers. It contains a single species and has only been found in Japan.


text:
Anthony Weiner — the former New York congressman whose career and marriage were wrecked by sexting scandals — sobbed Monday as a federal judge sentenced him to nearly two years in prison for X-rated communication with a 15-year-old girl.

It was the denouement of a three-act drama that took Weiner, 53, from the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol to a wood-paneled courtroom in the city he once hoped to lead as mayor.

"I was a very sick man for a long time," Weiner told the judge in asking for leniency. "I have a disease but I have no excuse."

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner arrives at U.S. Federal Court on Monday for sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of sending obscene messages to a minor.Lucas Jackson / Reuters
The disgraced Democrat's voice began cracking moments after he started reading a statement in which he invoked his soon-to-be ex-wife, Huma Abedin, and their young son. Abedin, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, was not in the courtroom, but Weiner's parents and brother sat in the first row.

RELATED: WHY ANTHONY WEINER'S SENTENCE COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

Pausing at times to wipe his eyes with a tissue, Weiner said that even after his predilections were publicly exposed twice before, forcing him to resign from Congress and dooming a mayoral run, he remained in denial.

"I convinced myself my behavior wasn't really a problem," Weiner, 53, said.

But now, he said, he realizes he is "an addict," attends therapy twice a week and is trying to help others with sexual compulsions. "I ask you for the opportunity to prove that it's real," he told U.S. District Judge Denise Cote. "If I fail, I know what will happen, but with God's grace I know I will not."

A courtroom sketch shows Anthony Weiner during his sentencing.Christine Cornell
Weiner regained his composure as he waited for the judge to hand down the sentence, but when she said he would have to serve 21 months, he began crying again.

His head bowed, he held his hands over his face as she spelled out the remaining terms of the sentence, including supervised release for three years, DNA collection and federal and state sex offender registration. Weiner is prohibited from having contact with the victim and must take part in a sex offender treatment program, Cote ruled. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, but no restitution.

He will remain free until Nov. 6. It has not been decided where he will do his time. His lawyer said that being sent to the federal jail in Manhattan, a maximum security facility, would make it difficult for Weiner to see his son and asked that he be sent to a lower-security facility. But the judge said the most she could do was not recommend the lockup closest to New York City.

The charge to which Weiner pleaded guilty, one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors asked for 21 to 27 months, telling the court that on three separate occasions Weiner went online from his Manhattan apartment "and asked a real 15-year-old girl to display her naked body for him and to sexually perform."

"There is a history here that simply cannot be ignored," Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Kramer said, referring the earlier scandals. "What required to stop the defendant from re-offending is a meaningful term of imprisonment."

[]

Weiner's lawyer, Arlo Devlin-Brown, pushed for probation, saying he would not get the treatment he needs in federal prison. He focused on what Weiner had not done: he didn't initiate the contact with the teen, he didn't try to meet her and he didn't collect child pornography or display the hallmarks of pedophilia.

"This was his first teenage and his last teenage victim," Devlin-Brown said.

Cote's remarks suggested she was trying to strike a balance between the seriousness of the offense and Weiner's efforts at rehabilitation.

She said she had received letters from the 15-year-old's father and grandfather, but did not disclose their contents. The motives of the girl, who sold her story to a British newspaper, played no role in her decision, she said. Instead, the judge said, the opportunity to send a message that would deter others from preying on minors was a significant factor.

"This was a serious crime and it's a serious crime that deserves a serious punishment," Cote said. "She was a minor. She was a victim. She's entitled to the law's full protection."

The sentencing capped a six-year scandal that revealed Weiner to be a savvy, ambitious politician by day and a reckless Internet lothario by night.

It began unfolding in 2011 when he accidentally tweeted a photo of his bulging crotch, prompting his resignation from Congress amid revelations the misfire wasn't a one-time transgression.

Anthony Weiner, a former Democratic congressman, leaves Federal Court in New York on Monday after being sentenced for 21-months for sexting with a 15-year-old girl.Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images
Two years later, Weiner mounted a run for mayor of New York, but that campaign was derailed by revelations that he had continued to have steamy conversations online, using the alias Carlos Danger, after he quit the House to focus on being a "better husband" to a pregnant Abedin.

When the last round of allegations surfaced in 2016 — including reports that Weiner had transmitted a photo of himself shirtless and aroused, with his son asleep on the bed next to him, to a mother of two — Abedin announced she was leaving him. Their divorce is not yet final.

The probe became a factor in the presidential election when James Comey, the FBI director at the time, announced that an investigation into Clinton's private server needed to be reopened because of emails found on a laptop used by Weiner and Abedin. Clinton has said the development contributed to her loss to Donald Trump.

In a letter before sentencing, Abedin asked the judge for leniency on behalf of the couple's son, describing Weiner as a good father.

"With Anthony, I have repeatedly found myself in circumstances I never imagined," she wrote. "I am devastated by Anthony's actions, and I understand he must face their consequences."

Following the sentencing, Weiner's lawyers issued a statement saying they were "disappointed" that he would be imprisoned.

"Judge Cote reasoned that because of Anthony's notoriety, a sentence of imprisonment could discourage others from following in his footsteps. We certainly hope this public service message is received, but it has resulted in a punishment more severe than it had to be given the unusual facts and circumstances of this case," they said.

[]Tracy Connor

Tracy Connor is a senior writer for NBC News. She started this role in December, 2012. Connor is responsible for reporting and writing breaking news, features and enterprise stories for NBCNews.com. Connor joined NBC News from the New York Daily News, where she was a senior writer covering a broad range of news and supervising the health and immigration beats. Prior to that she was an assistant city editor who oversaw breaking news and the courts and entertainment beats.

Earlier, Connor was a staff writer at the New York Post, United Press International and Brooklyn Paper Publications.

Connor has won numerous awards from journalism organizations including the Deadline Club and the New York Press Club.

She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Patrick Martin

contributed.

question: When was the article written?

answer: Sometime after 2016, since Clinton has lost the election

question: How long was Weiner sentenced to serve in prison?

answer: 21 months

question: Who published the article?

answer: NBC News

question: Who was Weiner's lawyer?

answer: Arlo Devlin-Brown

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Anthony Weiner is sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl.


text:
-   Scientists found that the slow seismic hum of wind whipping across sheets of frozen ice sound eerie when sped up some 1,200 times.
-   Researchers buried 34 seismic sensors under the deep snow layer that sits atop the Ross Ice Shelf's underlying ice.
-   They found that the snowy cover – known as the firn layer, which insulates the ice below – undergoes constant movement from exposure to the wind above.

The scientists liken it to 'singing', but to our ears the creepy dirge of Antarctic ice shelf vibrations sounds more like the sinister score of a horror movie.

Researchers on Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf have recorded the slow seismic hum generated by wind forces whipping across the ice sheet's frozen landscape.

The frequency detected is far too low for the human ear to hear naturally, but when it's sped up some 1,200 times, what emerges is an eerie soundtrack of restlessness hidden within the bleak polar isolation.

"It's kind of like you're blowing a flute, constantly, on the ice shelf," says geophysicist and mathematician Julien Chaput from Colorado State University.

Once it's rendered audible, here's what the creepy vibration phenomenon sounds like:

Of course, Chaput and his team weren't originally setting out to make the soundtrack to a horror movie.

The purpose of their research was to learn more about the physical properties of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica's (and the world's) largest floating slab of ice, which is roughly the size of Spain.

As the world keeps getting catastrophically hotter, Antarctic ice shelves are beginning to dramatically collapse and break apart.

To better understand the forces at work, Chaput and fellow researchers buried 34 seismic sensors under the deep snow layer that sits atop the Ross Ice Shelf's underlying ice.

These seismic sensors monitored the ice shelf's structure from late 2014 to early 2017, and when the team analyzed the data, they realized this snowy cover – known as the firn layer, which insulates the ice below – undergoes constant movement from exposure to the wind above.

"We discovered that the shelf nearly continuously _sings_ at frequencies of five or more cycles per second," the authors explain, "excited by local and regional winds blowing across its snow dune‐like topography."

According to the researchers, variations in wind strength (due to things like storms) and changes in air temperatures can both impact the snow layer, and in so doing affect the pitch of the seismic hum detected.

"Either you change the velocity of the snow by heating or cooling it, or you change where you blow on the flute, by adding or destroying dunes," Chaput explains.

"And that's essentially the two forcing effects we can observe."

Studying how these vibrations behave and evolve over time could help us learn more about how ice sheets are responding to a world that's getting too hot too fast, researchers think.

"Like the thick, hairy hide of the woolly mammoth, the upper skin of the Antarctic ice sheet … is the most important protection from the ravages of a warming climate," writes glaciologist Douglas MacAyeal, who wasn't involved with the study, but has authored a commentary on it.

"What should concern geoscientists most about Antarctica's protective skin of firn is whether, and how, it will be breached by surface melting and meltwater percolation processes in the coming century."

That's a point Chaput agrees with.

"Melting of the firn is broadly considered one of the most important factors in the destabilisation of an ice shelf," he told Gizmodo, "which then accelerates the streaming of ice into the ocean from abutting ice sheets."

It's a crucial time for this kind of research, as the ice in polar regions undergoes massive shifts glaciologists are struggling to keep track of.

Thanks to Chaput and team, we've now got another means of keeping tabs on these monumental transformations taking place – even if the overall picture is looking grimmer than ever.

Basically, another song nobody wants to hear.

The findings are reported in _Geophysical Research Letters_.

_Visit __INSIDER's homepage__ for more._

__
Read the original article on ScienceAlert. Copyright 2018. Follow ScienceAlert on Twitter.

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question: How much did the researchers speed up the seismic hum?

answer: The researchers sped up the seismic hum about 1,200 times.

question: How many seismic sensors did the scientists bury?

answer: The scientists buried 34 seismic sensors.

question: How large is the Ross Ice Shelf?

answer: The Ross Ice Shelf is roughly the size of Spain.

question: What frequency does the shelf vibrate at?

answer: The shelf vibrates at five or more cycles per second.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Researchers have measured vibrations in the firn layer of the Ross Ice Shelf. These seismic vibrations give scientists valuable insights into how these ice sheets melt and destabilize.


text:
“I am committed. I want to be with you. I know sometimes I come across as inconsiderate or selfish or uncaring or an asshole or whatever. I’m sorry. I really am. I want to work on it and want to make this work.” These lies slipped through his thinly parted lips as easily as the smoke vaguely exhaled in their wake.

	With his right hand, he put out the remains of his cigarette on the concrete bench. Passing the butt into his left palm his elbow gently brushed her side as he slipped the cigarette into his pocket. Glancing out of the corner of his left eye he mumbled a rye apology with a crooked, half-cocked grin. Were he alone on the bench he would have just flicked the still-burning cigarette away into the patchy grass.

	In the pregnant silence that followed, he wore a mask of contrition and introspection knowing he was further proving his earnestness. The silence swallowed the words he wished he knew how to say. “I don’t feel the same about this relationship as you do. I don’t feel the fire or burning attraction. I kind of just enjoy having someone in my life and don’t see this as serious or long term. I just want you around so I feel better about myself.” He was always incapable, always dragged along in relationships, always cared for far more than he cared to be.

	Pulling a pack of gum from his right pants pocket, he thumbed out a piece from its foil and plastic bubble and slid it between his still-parted lips.

	Replacing the packet, he turned to face her and held her gaze, letting his eyes fill with hope and replacing his contrition with a confident grin. “I feel optimistic.” He lied. He felt trapped. “I love that we can talk about these things openly and I know we can work through it. I realize I have a lot of room for growth and I want to grow. And you’re worth going through these growing pains. I’m grateful for you and know that things will get better if we can keep communicating and keep growing together.” He swallowed his gum which he would have typically just spat on the ground, hoping some sad sack would find it later on the bottom on his shoe and his living room carpet. The hard lump of gum went down easier than the most recent batch of falsehoods. But they both went down easier than bringing the truth up would have been. So he swallowed his gum and his feelings and let the moment stand for what it was.

	He took her right hand in his and brought it too his lips. He slipped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her head and letting her left hand fall to his thy.

	She sighed, smiled heavily to herself, and sank into his embrace. “Thanks.” She said, hopeful and in love. “Thanks.”

title: My first attempt at flash fiction. Feels weird giving this to the Internet.

question: Why does the narrator lie?

answer: He seems to be a selfish person who just wants to have somebody around to feel good about himself.

question: Is the narrator actually selfish?

answer: Yes, he lies with intent, knowing his lies are important for her girlfriend in her decision to continue their relationship.

question: Why does the girl accept his apologies?

answer: He's probably a good liar, and what he says is somewhat sensible if she's willing to give him a chance.

question: What is the most likely fate of the couple?

answer: The kind of selfish behavior that triggered the talk will happen again, and eventually, the couple will break.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is talking with his girlfriend. He apologizes for his seemingly selfish behavior, saying there are growing pains in their relationship, and he wants to go through them for her. He's lying because he feels good about himself having someone around. He doesn't think long-term or serious. But the lies go down easier than the truth, and she accepts his apologies in the end.


text:
STEVEN MOREWOOD FRHistS is Senior Lecturer of International History in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Birmingham. He has been elected a FRHistS.

After a degree, his first teaching post was as lecturer of Social and Economic History at the University of Leicester. From there a PhD followed at University of Bristol in 1985 under the external examiner Esmonde Robertson, a founder of the subject area at the London School of Economics. He published his first book, Pioneers and Inheritors in 1990, which was quickly followed by a co-written history of Eastern Europe. He followed by a contribution to the edited collection of essays in 1995 _The Chiefs of Staff and men on the spot_.

Previously a lecturer at the University of Leicester and the University of Manchester, he has supervised both PhD and postgraduate MPhil courses on Modern Eastern Mediterranean History. He is currently in 2016, the external examiner for students of history at the University of Hull, and a contributor of _History Today_ magazine.[1]

[1] Richardson & Stone, Decisions and Diplomacy, (1995), p.viii

title: Steven Morewood

question: Does Birmingham in this article refer to a city in the UK or U.S.?

answer: A city in the UK.

question: What kind of postgraduate courses has Steven Morewood supervised?

answer: Courses on Modern Eastern Mediterranean History.

question: How many magazines does Steven Morewood contribute to?

answer: At least one that is mentioned in this text, called History Today.

question: What 20th century decade is mentioned most in this text?

answer: The 1990s.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This text offers a brief biography of Steven Morewood, Senior Lecturer of International History in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Birmingham in the UK. The text covers where Morewood was educated, as well as some of his roles in academia up to the year 2016.


text:
I was thirteen when I came here, shipped away from my home so I wouldn’t ‘damage the family name’. It’s all about appearances you see. If I had stayed there my father would never have been elected; ‘the Prime Minister can’t have a son like you’. That’s what my mother told me while she was pushing me into the back of the Rolls. Six years have passed since then; for all this time these red and white tents have been my home and today is no exception. Welcome to the Freak Show. Sure, the ground changes every few months but it’s reassuring to know that wherever we are in the world this little haven will always be the same.

I think we’re somewhere outside Leeds, nobody tells me these things anymore. Regardless the ground was frigid beneath my large, stomping feet. The sun shone with a cool severity, it was for show mostly and did nothing to warm us. Alexandra (the Bombastic Bamboozling Bearded Lady!) handed me a warm cup of something or other. Dan the Strongman ranted on about how he could taste the cinnamon hints in it, it just tasted like grass in hot water to me. The drink scolded my tongue slightly and I exiled myself to the facilities.

I stared into my drooping eyes through the mirror, my greying, bulbous face filled up all the space on the wall. With a heavy head I inspected my tongue and washed every nook and cranny of what my dear sister used to call ‘the North Face of the Eiger’. Until I was five years old my life was comfortable, my parents told me I was a late developer but at the very least I could still sleep in a bed at night. That’s what I miss most about that life – well it would be if I could remember any of it. Since then I’ve had to sleep sitting upright or my leaden skull might snap my neck; that’s what happened to the last guy anyway. You know who I mean. You probably saw the film, or the play; the world has never grown tired of putting us on display like animals, exploiting our condition. The doctor thought I might have a combination of some neurofibbywibby disorder and Proteus syndrome. Proteus syndrome, what a laugh. Did you know it’s named after an old and forgotten Greek sea-god who can change his shape? Whichever sick physician thought that up has a lot of guts, I can tell you every last one of us would change our damn shape the minute we got the chance.

Alexandra helped my get my gnarled trunk through my sleeve while my other arm lay withered by my side. It was going to be quite a busy day today; we had three shows lined up. The sound of children’s laughter began to cross the horizon and the sweet and roasted scent of fresh peanut brittle wafted over the park. I poked a large, solitary eye through a tent-flap. Tickets were being stamped, small bodies were spiralling down the Helter Skelter and miscellaneous faces began to light up like as yellow sponges and pink tigers were won from the stalls around us. MC stuck his long neck into the dressing room, ‘Positions people!’ he cried, ‘We have an audience to astonish!’ Alexandra asked me if I’d seen the grooming kit, it was on her chair and she led me to the ring. Hundreds of eager little faces filled the tent, nibbling away at popcorn and slurping Tongue Gulp! by the gallon.

MC waltzed in front of the lights, singing a little song and dancing a merry jig to keep the audience entertained. This episode lingered for a few minutes while James Brown, our clown, searched desperately for his comedy hand buzzer. Alexandra grabbed my hand with a giggle and I felt a little jolt travelling through my body. James snatched it off her while we lost ourselves to laughter. His snarl twisted into a grin as soon as the spotlights hit his face and MC sauntered off with sweat running down his nose. After a while it was Alexandra’s turn to perform. I watched her for a little while, the spotlights glinting off every facet of her silver sequined dress. She’d been going on and on about getting this new outfit for months and I smiled as she span around in front of the ecstatic crowd. She joined me back in the shadows breathing heavily and holding both her thumbs up. ‘You’re going to kill it!’ she whispered excitedly.

My gross feet dragged across the sand and my eyes shrivelled away from the lights. I searched every gleeful face in the tent looking for them. I would do it every time I walked the ring but I knew they would never be here, the darling family of Britain. Looks can be deceiving. There was an uncomfortable silence interrupted by a child’s cough. MC’s voice crackled through the loud speakers and I felt every eye in the room scouring over my sunken body. Behold, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! The Enchanting Enigma of the East: the Elephant Man!

title: [RF] The Elephant Man

question: Why was the narrator forced to join the circus?

answer: The narrator has Proteus syndrome, which causes parts of the body to grow disproportionately. As such he is an "elephant man." When his father is elected Prime Minister, he is condemned to join the circus because he "cannot have a son like him."

question: What does the narrator do at the circus?

answer: The narrator is part of the "freak show", where people with different body types are shown off to wow the audience. One of his friends, Alexandra, is a bearded lady. The freaks perform for the audience to astonish them.

question: What does the narrator look for in the ring when he performs?

answer: He is looking for his family. He wishes they would be there. But they never are; they have abandoned him to the circus.


text:
A perceived death threat against President Hassan Rohani within the seminary of the holy Shi'ite city of Qom has led to controversy in Iran, with some calling it a disaster for the seminary -- home to thousands of influential clerics and theology students -- and others demanding an investigation.

The implicit warning came in a placard held by a group of clerics who staged a protest on August 16 to register their unhappiness with economic problems that they blame on Rohani.

A commander of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was reported to have been among the speakers at the event, which was held amid a sharp fall of the Iranian currency and rising prices on food and other basic goods.

The sign suggested that those who are in favor of negotiations with the United States could meet the same fate as former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a onetime Rohani ally whose 2017 death was blamed on a heart attack but has been described by some, including family members, as suspicious.

"You whose slogan is negotiation, expect [to end up] in Farah's swimming pool," the sign, WIDELY SHARED on social media, said in a presumed reference to Farah Pahlavi, the widow of the late shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Rafsanjani was reportedly found dead by his bodyguards in a swimming pool in the Iranian capital where he used to swim regularly. He was 82.

Seemingly unsubstantiated claims followed suggesting that he had been drowned or poisoned. There were also allegations by some hard-liners that Rafsanjani had died in a swimming pool that once belonged to the Pahlavi regime, which was brought down by Iran's 1979 revolution.

DEATH THREAT?

The sign at the Qom seminary protest was quickly interpreted as a death threat against second-term President Rohani, who has been criticized by conservatives in particular over his outreach efforts toward the West, most notably through negotiations with the previous U.S. administration that resulted in the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump recently abandoned.

Protesters at the August 16 gathering expressed support for comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier in the week had banned talks with the United States while also suggesting he had made a mistake by allowing Rohani's government to negotiate with Washington.

Khamenei, who as supreme leader holds the final word on religious and political matters in Iran, also said that mismanagement hurts the Iranian economy more than U.S. sanctions that were reimposed earlier this month following Trump's announcement in May to withdraw from the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), whose signatories include all five permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Germany and the European Union, in addition to Iran.

"In fact, this slogan means, 'Mr. President, we will get rid of you, as we did with Hashemi Rafsanjani," deputy parliament speaker Ali Motahari, who urged the Intelligence Ministry to investigate the incident, said.

He added that an investigation could offer clues into the death of Rafsanjani, which, he said remained a mystery.

[Another Qom protester burns a U.S. dollar to protest economic hardships on August 16.]

Another Qom protester burns a U.S. dollar to protest economic hardships on August 16.

Motahari said signs and slogans at the August 16 protest demonstrated that a segment of those attending the Qom seminary are facing "social and political degeneration."

Qom is a global hub of Shi'ite scholarship and a key player in the battles for influence and power in Iran, whose population is thought to be over 90 percent Shi'ite.

Other comments, including from the conservative daily Jomhuri Eslami, SUGGESTED that stickers on the protest banners that said "return after the event" were proof that a "certain" political group organized the gathering.

'CERTAIN' GROUPS

Senior Qom-based hard-line cleric Nasser Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said the incident was a "total disaster" for the Qom seminary, where he noted that many Iranian leaders, including revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, received their training.

Makarem said those in charge of the seminary should explain who permitted the "damaging event," adding that IRGC commanders should also explain whether they authorized their members to attend the gathering.

"Who ordered that the honor of Shi'a should be brought into question and the enemy made...happy?" Makarem asked in an August 20 statement posted by semiofficial ISNA news agency.

Pro-reform cleric Ahmad Montazeri, the son of the late dissident Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Iran's military and security apparatus was involved in the incident, although he did not offer specific evidence.

"There are certain groups that believe they own the country, they feel they represent Islam, they are in military bodies as well security bodies, they can do whatever they want. They can even go as far as giving signs to theology students and threatening the country's elected president with murder," Montazeri said in a telephone interview from Qom.

Amid the controversy, former lawmaker Hamid Rasaei, a critic of Rohani and the nuclear negotiations, said that the sign in question, which he said was in poor taste, did not constitute a threat against the Iranian president.

"It means that whoever is optimistic about talks with the Great Satan will die in abjection," Rasaei was quoted as saying by Iranian media. "Pro-government media are trying to magnify the issue and distract the public opinion from other problems, such as skyrocketing prices and economic pressure."

Noushin Seyed Hosseini of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this report

question: who is President Hassan Rohani?

answer: Iranian president.

question: How did  President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani die?

answer: Rafsanjani was found dead in a swimming pool in 2017, which was blamed on a heart attack, but some claimed he was drowned or poisoned.

question: What was written in the placard that was interpreted as a death threat against President Hassan Rohan?

answer: It said "You whose slogan is negotiation, expect [to end up] in Farah's swimming pool."

question: Why were the clerics of the seminary of the holy Shi'ite city of Qom protesting against President Hassan Rohani?

answer: They are unhappy with economic problems and criticize President Hassan Rohani over his negotiations with the United States.

question: How did deputy parliament speaker Ali Motahari interpret the sign at the Qom seminary protest?

answer: According to Ali Motahari, the slogan meant the clerics would get rid of the president as they did with Hashemi Rafsanjani.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The clerics of the seminary of the holy Shi'ite city of Qom protested against President Hassan Rohani as they were unhappy with economic problems and the president's negotiations with the United States. They held a placard that some interpreted as a death threat against the president. An investigation was demanded.


text:
The fan moves back and forth. Looking left then right, guarding my room from the things I cannot see. The constant whirr is calming, and reassuring to my restless mind. That is what they tell me anyway. I am restless. I am confused. I am dangerous they say. So I stay in this room, because it is what is good for me. For everyone. But I don’t mind. There’s a very nice bed, and my fan. The whirr is very calming to my restless mind, I’m told.

The people here are very kind, and come to see me often. There is a child down the hall from me that is not very pleasant though. I know all the things she has done. She’s probably sitting in there planning her next act as I speak. That’s why she doesn’t get a nice room like the rest of us. Hers is darker, and there isn’t even a window. I don’t think she’s allowed visitors anymore either. The poor child.

My family, they come to see me every week. Twice a week if I am lucky. They did anyway. Not so often anymore. I always enjoyed when my mother came though. She is most beautiful. At least she was, until one day – Oh, three years ago sounds about right. I’m sorry, I just can’t keep track of time very well in this, ever so nice room. It really is very nice. Anyway, where was I? Oh, my mother! Yes!  We found her at the bottom of the stairs. Her curly, flowing blonde hair, blood streaked, casting an almost beautiful veil of sorts over her face.

“A quick blow to the head”, they said.  “There was no sign of resistance, or struggle.” And she was gone down the spiral staircase, just like that. My mother never liked that staircase.

Personal belongings falling from her bag left a trail to her body. Almost as if it were a child’s game, with a twist at the end. The killer meant for us to find her like that. I know. But no one believes me though. They all just think I’m crazy. I know it was no accident, or fluke. Lipstick and mints don’t fall in such a perfectly crafted line like by chance! This was the work of a killer. A good one at that. Leaves no evidence, but the crime in plain sight for all to find. Almost flaunting it. Proud of it even.

I’ve watched the girl leave and return unnoticed three times. Each time claiming another victim. The nice people think she is getting better, I hear them talking about letting her have a nice room soon, and maybe even letting her go. But I know! The girl does not get better in the mind she gets better at hiding the evil keeping her here! They know nothing.

When the girl left, she used a window in one of the empty rooms. We are on the first floor, so it was probably quite easy for her. It was quiet, but not so quiet that she could be heard easily, especially with the fans whirring as they so often do. She was back within the hour and ever so graciously strolled back into her room as if nothing more than a quick run to the store had just happened. Although unsuspected by others, I knew better. My thoughts were proven correct by afternoon the next day.

I was allowed out for good behavior, and improvements with my “instability” and “franticness” as the nice people call it. Consequently, I went to visit my family. That’s when we found my mother. Her beautiful blonde hair, an elegant mess over her face. Her motionless body. The trail. They crying. They betrayal. My father and sisters seldom spoke to me, or each other for nearly a year after that.

Until the girl left again.

She was barley noticeable this night, and if I hadn’t known better I would have thought it Max, our house cat, out for a midnight stroll as he so often does. Probably admiring the very nice rooms. They are painted a beautiful shade of blue. The girl does not get to enjoy this though because she does these terrible things. Slipping out the door was a simple task for her on this night. Especially when the nice people were starting to ease up on her security and restrictions. She might have been able to have a nice room soon too.

I was also trusted more. And with each passing day I found more interesting things to do with my time. One day I simply wandered about, admiring and counting all the doors and windows I could find. They are all quite beautifully made. Carved wood frames, and shiny copper hinges around every corner, all accented by lovely blue walls. I even attended Sunday services every once and a while. These were almost as calming to me as the whirr of my fan.

I went to service that morning after the girl had left, to get my mind settled and well rested. Since I was out, I did not hear the news until nearly mealtime. My father was dead, my sister told me. In synch as they always were. Its quite a spectacle to hear them speak, it truly is. I miss their voices sometimes. It was as if they were not two minds, but one. Each knowing exactly what the other’s intentions would be. Sometimes I wished I had a twin. No one ever understood me the way they seemed to understand each other.

My father was drowned in our pool. Oh, how I loved that pool. Summers of swimming and carefree fun. He never went near it though. Not once. He was always afraid of water, but had it made just for us. That’s how we knew it wasn’t an accident.
I was allowed out for the funeral.

After that I did not see the girl for a long time, and my sisters started coming to visit every week. Over the course of their visits however, they acquired a distaste for my fan, which I would never fully understand. When they were here, we spoke of the past, new events, but mostly of when I would be able to leave. It was always a topic of interest that no one seemed to know the answer to. I was calmer, oh yes. I was aware. They saw nothing wrong, and neither did the nice people. How terrible I feel for tricking them. They really are very nice.

My poor sisters were the last to go. I saw it coming. I didn’t know when, and it took me two full months to figure out how, but I could feel it.

For her grand finale of sorts, the girl had taken my fan, the fan belonging to the boy on room over, and every other she could find on her way out.

The house was burned down by morning.

I awoke to the fan moving back and forth. Looking left and then right. Guarding my room from the things I cannot see. The constant whirr is calming and reassuring to my restless mind. I am restless. I am confused. I am dangerous. So I stay in this room because it is what’s good for everyone. I have a bed, and my fan. The constant whirr is very calming to my restless mind. It’s the only way I can live in this dark room alone.

title: Second edit, needs a title, any advice appreciated. (1,248 words)

question: Summarize the central theme of the story.

answer: The theme of this story seems to be solitude. The main character seems to like their time alone, privileging that over grief. Their family members have all perished, yet the narrator is almost okay at the end, staring at the fan, alone in a room. Additionally, they mention at several points that they need their mind to be settled.

question: Explain two possibilities for the ending of the story.

answer: One possibility is that there was never any "girl" and that the narrator is the girl. Perhaps she has dissociative tendencies, or dissociative identity disorder. This would make sense as the narrator is seemingly trapped in a room at the end, and has used the language of "let me out..." with regards to being granted permission to attend their father's funeral. The second possibility is that there was a girl, and that she has framed the narrator, or at least made the narrator look gullible. It's possible that now the narrator is in an institution because the doctors think the narrator has lost their mind.

question: Explain the measures the narrator-or the girl-might have taken to quiet their mind.

answer: The narrator might have first hit her mother on the head, causing her to tumble down the staircase to her death. Then, she might have caused her father's drowning death in their pool. Finally, the narrator and or girl might have murdered the narrator's sisters by starting a fire.

question: Explain why "the girl" might have committed these atrocities.