text:
Our eyes lock from across the bar. It’s tattered, run-down, out of sorts; a plethora of synonyms running rampant throughout a bar that's memories are a rollercoaster of emotion...she lights a cigarette, and the soft glow from her lighter sets aflame her red lipstick. She shuts it with a faint clap and the smoke lingers around her, tiredly, softly. The bartender approaches her, his drink-soaked rag painting spirals of soft mahogany and liquor. He asks with gentle kindness if she’d like a refill, and, without skipping a beat, her fingers tap the glass in acknowledgement. I watch the slow, steady pour of gold flow from the bottle as he tips it into her glass. It tidal waves momentarily and crashes amongst itself and she whispers a thank you, her gaze never leaving mine.

Fighting the urge to get up and approach this situation we’ve gotten ourselves into, I disengage our stare momentarily to take in my surroundings. New-comers and men whom are infinitely secured to barstools alike are strewn across this tavern. The hum of conversation floats around as, every once in a short while, the door opens and let’s a barely audible inhalation of air and the dispersed patter of rain flicking pavement outside coat our world of lost hopes, dreams and love.
And then I get up.

I walk towards her, calm and cool, as my heart inside plays a mixed melody of heavy drumming and de-escalating jazz. Time slows as I get my first full glimpse of the ravishing woman I’ve been ever falling for in the last hour. Her slender legs crawl upwards toward an almost too short skirt of deafeningly black silk. This silk ripples upward and explodes into hips, stomach and chest that would give the word immaculate a respectable run for its money.

My greeting comes out in silence; it’s as if I’m watching everything fold out from above, an audience member cheering on his favourite fighter. I lead with a heavy blow to the heart as I lean in; close enough for her to smell the wet and whiskey emanating from a long night of wandering from bar to bar in the drizzle that hasn’t seemed to let up in recent memory.

I watch myself ask her name, and the sound is turned up just long enough for me to hear her whisper back: Maxine. And a faint smile spreads across her lips as if she had been waiting to tell me that her entire life. As if the rain had lead my feet from a tiresome day at work, lifting me on invisible strings like a marionette throughout the night to this very bar, to that very seat, and shuffled them in dim-light and soft music across the floor to stand in front of her, to lean into her, to whisper to her, all for me to know the name of Maxine. A woman of explosive subtleness, impeccable taste in single-malt scotch, and, as I lock eyes with hers for the second time tonight, the soul of an angel.
She takes another long drag of smoke as we circle around the ring of attraction. She takes a swing back and feels the lapel of my trench coat. She comments on how very wet I seem to be. The hairs on my neck pulsate. She finishes her drink, the ice cut in half from having slightly watered down several drinks. I quickly raise two fingers in the air, not knowing if the bartender would see or not; truth be told, in that very moment I could not have been positive if gravity was even still anchoring us to earth. She catches me by surprise, my heartbeat tumbling, and pushes down my wrist, negating the drinks I had or had not ordered.

And she grabs my hand.
And she stands.
And she leads me towards the back of the bar.
And I could hear my veins digesting whiskey, my heart digesting emotions, and, once in that very short trip to the back, the doors of the bar swung open, the room inhaled, and I could hear the now heavy sheets of rain washing away the streetlight outside.

title: Sheets

question: Do the narrator and the lady know each other?

answer: No, the two are sitting across from each other in a bar.

question: Does the narrator approach the lady?

answer: Yes, the narrator approaches the young lady after exchanging a few glances.

question: What is the lady's name?

answer: The lady's name is Maxine.

question: Do the narrator and the lady leave the bar together?

answer: Yes, the narrator approaches the lady and offers a drink which, she refuses. Instead, she leads him towards the back door of the bar they were seated in.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
They exchange subtle glances throughout the night until the narrator breaks the chain. Building up his courage, he walks to the ravishing young woman and politely asks her name, which she says is Maxine.
She finishes her drink and the narrator signals the bartender for a refill. At that moment, she grabs his hand and leads him to the back of the bar.


split: train

text:
6/11/18

The skinny on Shinny: Part II – The restoration

A look at the restoration of William Flynn's Shinnecock Hills

Getting back the Flynn

Shinnecock Hills is one of the greatest golf courses in the world. It hasn’t fallen outside Golf Digest’s top 10 in the United States since 1985. So why would the course undergo dramatic, wholesale changes over the last decade?

The dirty little secret about the 2004 U.S. Open is that Shinnecock Hills was a hodgepodge of a golf course. The course that Flynn built had been tinkered with heavily. Fairways and greens had shrunk, trees had been planted over the years, and even the fairway grass had changed from fescue to rye. The 2004 version of Shinnecock Hills was miles away from its best self, the 1931 William Flynn version.

_Photo Credit: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club_

In 2004, Shinnecock was a one-dimensional, monotonous slog. Its members _knew_ this. They understood that the 2004 course was not a faithful version of William Flynn’s design. Off the tee, 25-yard wide fairways called for long and straight hole after hole. The penalty for a miss was thick rye grass rough that required chip outs. The minuscule greens left the USGA with few pin positions. The thick rough surrounding the greens corralled approach shots that missed, blurring the line between good and average. 2004’s U.S. Open was a strict test of execution.

This year’s championship showcases the changing philosophy in golf, a throwback to the game’s roots. Unlike its 2004 iteration, this golf course requires thought and execution. Shinnecock Hills will provide a greater reward for good shots and punish average ones. Fescue fairways are back, and the result is an improved playing surface for firm and fast conditions. Wider fairways should create more playing options and bring Flynn’s fairway bunkers back into the line of play. Larger (but slower) greens will give the USGA more tucked pin positions. Short grass around the greens will repel misses down hills yards away from their target.

In the end, Shinnecock Hills will require every type of skill to win. That’s what you want your U.S. Open to do. This year’s version of Shinnecock will be like solving a complex riddle as opposed to a challenging math equation.

All about the grass

To the casual golf fan, turf grass is not a sexy topic, but its importance cannot be overlooked.

Shinnecock has switched back to fescue from rye grass. The course was fescue originally, but was (insanely) re-seeded with rye in the run-up to the last U.S. Open. The decision to go back to fescue should be applauded. It’s become a logical choice for northern courses looking to play firm and fast (i.e. Bandon Dunes, Sand Hills, Sand Valley, etc.). The rye grass used in the 2004 championship was slow and water-dependent. It grew thick punishing rough but needed water. When the USGA attempted to speed things up the week of the championship, it died.

Fescue is the fastest-playing surface possible in this climate. The speed combined with Shinnecock’s snaking fairways will require players to hit the proper line and distance to find fairways. While there isn’t a ton of it, the fescue rough should also be an upgrade. Fescue tends not to be as as thick and punishing as rye grass, but thin fescue can sometimes create other challenges. It is notoriously unpredictable. Fescue rough can entice players to try the low-percentage shot from a disadvantaged position. We may see thrilling recoveries and also more shambolic head-on collisions.

  All world day at Shinnecock, course is dialed in. Really excited to see the best take on the expanded greens. No weak holes. pic.twitter.com/1EISAlIrNN

  — the fried egg (@the_fried_egg) June 3, 2018

More talk about width

I have occassionally, periodically, once-in-a-while touched on the topic of width and tree removal before. Shinnecock Hills has removed a bunch of trees – and that’s great. As Michael Clayton points out below, the course is wider:

Some U.S. Open fans may lament the width – favoring brutal, unforgiving rough that’s practically impossible to avoid. This, of course, is nonsense. The tree removal, fairway expansion and enlarged greens at Shinnecock Hills have reestablished the strategy and intent of the golf course. Depending on the day’s wind and pin position, different plays and positions will be rewarded. In 2004, many of Shinnecock’s fairway bunkers sat yards off the fairway in the rough. Flynn designed courses where the ideal angle of approach was often next to bunkers. The fairways will now run right into the bunkers, bringing the line between perfect and disaster closer.

One of the best concepts that width allows for is the idea of “delayed penalty”. A shot can appear great because it finds the fairway but is actually dead. It might not be a full shot, and angles aren’t accounted for with strokes gained statistics, but these small disadvantages will add up over time. Take the short par-4 8th, where taking the more aggressive line up the left will yield a wide open look at the angled green. Playing safe off the tee to the right finds a poor angle to approach the green with low visibility. From the right, players have a thin margin for error and have to deal with the doubt of a semi-blind shot.

[]

The view of the 8th green from the right side - Photo Credit: Jon Cavalier @linksgems

[]

The view of the 8th green from the left side of the fairway - Photo Credit: Jon Cavalier @linksgems

There is no chance the greens at Shinnecock Hills will play as dry and fast as the famously controversial greens of 2004. Instead, recapturing green sizes will give the USGA more pin positions that are closer to green edges and internal contours. My favorite example comes on the long par-4 14th. The green had lost its most interesting elements over the years, the small shelves on the right and left sides. Thanks to the green expansion, they are back and pinnable for the championship. These pins will require exceptional shots to have good birdie putts. Playing safe to the middle of the green will leave severe uphill putts.

Recapturing green sizes will add a bevy of new pin positions for the USGA to choose from. The long par-4 14th will have two new terrific locations on shelves on the right and left sides. In the 2004 US Open these locations were covered up by rough.

  Recapturing green sizes will add a bevy of new pin positions for the USGA to choose from. The long par 4 14th will have two new terrific locations on shelves on the right and left sides. In the 2004 US Open these locations were covered up by rough. pic.twitter.com/VBSTvWq7V2

  — the fried egg (@the_fried_egg) June 11, 2018

New tees

To combat the distance problem in golf, Shinnecock has been lengthened to 7,445 yards from 6,996 in 2004. New tee boxes were added on holes 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 16 and 18. This added distance should help provide the variety of approach shots that Flynn intended with its original design. Most importantly, the club and USGA worked closely with architecture firm Coore and Crenshaw to maintain the proper playing angles from the new tee boxes.

The most heralded restoration of this era is Pinehurst #2, which went under the knife to restore its natural roots. The impetus for Pinehurst’s restoration came from a need. Rounds were declining at the resort and its ranking was too. In 2009, Pinehurst slipped to 32 in Golf Digest’s rankings, the first time it was outside the top 20 in over 20 years. It was monumental for a resort to shut down its prized course for a year and go back to its original design.

Shinnecock’s refresh is in the same realm of importance. Unlike Pinehurst, Shinnecock’s need for change wasn’t apparent from the rankings. In the last 20 years, 6th is the lowest that Shinnecock Hills Golf Club had fallen in Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses. Since the 2004 U.S. Open, the lowest it ranked is 4th. Shinnecock’s changes are more about not resting on their laurels and returning golf to the original intent of the game. A game that’s challenging, littered with strategic choices and interesting recovery shots. A game that’s fun to watch.

_If you missed part I of The skinny on Shinny, check it out here. Part three will dive into the strategy and architecture behind some of Shinnecock’s holes._

question: Summarize all the information relating to Shinnecock Hills leading up to and including 2004.

answer: The course was built in 1931 by William Flynn. It has been inside Golf Digest's Top 10 since 1985. As time went by fairways and greens shrunk, trees were planted, and the fairway grass was changes from fescue to rye. This made the course a one-dimensional, monotonous slog. In 2004 the U.S. Open was held there. The thick rye rough made playing conditions difficult and left USGA with few pin positions. It was a strict test of execution, according to the author.

question: Summarize all the information relating to Shinnecock Hills after 2004.

answer: Shinnecock switched back from rye grass to its original fescue. This suits the climate well and creates a fast and firm playing surface although thin fescue can sometimes be unpredictable. Fescue rough is also more forgiving than than of rye grass. Shinnecock also removed a lot of trees, allowing for larger fairways running into the bunkers designed for that purpose. More greens will also more possibilities on pin positions to the USGA. The course has been made longer by moving tee positions on 9 holes while maintaining the proper playing angles.

question: Why is Shinnecock Hills under the microscope?

answer: The 2018 U.S. Open golf championship is being held there. The author wrote an article on the changes the course has undergone since the last U.S. Open was held at Shinnecock in 2004.

question: What is the relationship between the USGA and Shinnecock Hills?

answer: Shinnecock Hills has a long history and is probably one of the oldest golf courses in USA. The U.S. open has been held here on at least two occasions and probably more. The USGA and the club worked closely on the changes that have been made to return Shinnecock Hills to William Flynn's vision and design.

question: What is the USGA?

answer: It is not stated in the article. From the topic it can be inferred that it is the United States Golf Association.

question: Where is the Shinnecock Hills course located?

answer: It is not stated in the article, although it can be said that it is located in the USA.

question: Summarize all the information relating to fescue grass.

answer: Shinnecock switched back from rye to fescue. It was originally built with fescue grass, this changed before the 2004 U.S. Open. The rye grass did not provide good playing surfaces and punishing rough. The decision was made to change back to fescue. Fescue plays firm and fast. Fescue rough should also be an upgrade because it is not as thick and punishing as rye grass. Thin fescue, however, is unpredictable.

question: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of tree removal.

answer: Tree removal makes for a wider course. This is lamented by some, favoring brutal rough that is impossible to avoid. The tree removal returned the Shinnecock course to its original intent - different plays and positions will be rewarded. It also bring the fairway bunkers back into play, bringing the line between perfect and disaster closer. The width achieved by the tree removal also allows for delayed penalty where a great shot is actually dead. Recapturing green sizes also gives the USGA more in positions that are closer to green edges and internal contours.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Shinnecock Hills golf course have undergone changes to bring it closer to the original design intent before the 2018 U.S. Open is held there. Fescue grass was reseeded, replacing rye; Trees were removed making fairways wider and bringing the fairway bunkers back into play; Larger greens also means more pin positions closer to green edges and contours; 9 holes were lengthened and tee boxes moved to maintain proper playing angles. All of these changes will make golf at Shinnecock challenging, littered with strategic choices and interesting recovery shots.


text:
Beloved by advertisers of all stripes, content marketing has emerged as one of the most effective ways to build a brand's voice, establish trusting relationships with customers, and rank well in online search. And if you're an entrepreneur or you work in the digital space, then you're probably sick to death of hearing about it.

But it's important to learn as much as you can about content marketing if you're trying to grow a business, and here's why: In spite of the name, you can't reap content marketing's benefits simply by churning out content. To really benefit from this marketing strategy, you need to do it right--and that means avoiding classic mistakes like the ones described below.

1. Guessing about your audience instead of getting to know them.

It's not enough to assume you know what your audience is interested in or that if something is interesting to you, then it will also engage your audience. Instead, it's crucial to conduct customer research to understand the needs, wants, concerns, preferred content platforms, and buying triggers of the people you're trying to reach.

Using tools such as Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner is a good place to start; even better if you're able to connect directly with your customers via email surveys or personal interviews. Developing a comprehensive customer avatar is a goldmine when it comes to crafting content that resonates with your target audience.

2. Not allotting enough time for title generation.

This is one of the easiest traps to fall into. You've dedicated hours upon hours to crafting a piece of content, and your brain is pretty fried. So you slap a relevant-enough title on the copy and call it a day.

But here's the rub: Your content's headline is just as important (and perhaps even more so) than all of the body copy combined. That's because a lot of people may read the title--but significantly fewer people are going to click into the content and read it from start to finish if the title doesn't draw them in.

A good rule of thumb is to allocate around half as much time for generating a great title as it took you to write the piece. If that sounds like a ludicrous amount of time, that's a good sign that you need to devote more attention to titling.

3. Emphasizing quantity over quality.

This one's also easy to do: You get so caught up in generating SEO-optimized content (and lots of it) that you start designing your content around keywords instead of focusing on providing high-quality information to your target audience. This can backfire in a number of ways.

For starters, Google's algorithms increasingly prioritize high-quality content over copy that's stuffed with key words. Additionally, churning out low-quality content is going to degrade your audience's trust, thereby diminishing your content's conversions over time.

That's why it's critical to make sure all the content you publish is unique, accurate, and truly useful for your target audience. For examples, check out the blogs on Moz, SnoringHQ, and LushCosmetics and the video tutorials on BirchBox.

What each of these demonstrates is that content doesn't necessarily need to be jam-packed with fancy graphics and visuals (although it can be)--and you don't need to update your blog six times a day. What matters most is delivering information that is truly relevant and helpful to your specific audience. (Again, this is where it pays to really understand your customers.)

4. Failing to market your content.

The highest quality content in the world is unlikely to gain traction if you don't put as much (if not more) effort into marketing your content as you put into creating it in the first place.

That means leveraging strategies such as social media marketing, influencer shares, AdWords campaigns, email marketing, and native advertising. While you should be deliberate about the platforms you choose, odds are good that any marketing is better than none.

Not tracking your results.

You'll be much better equipped to make informed choices about how to market your content if you know which types of content resonate with our audience, which platforms generate the most attention for your content, and so on.

While it may feel tedious, tracking analytics such as click-through rates, unique visitors, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions--and then analyzing that data on a regular basis--is critical for learning what works (and what doesn't) and refining your marketing strategy over time.

Content marketing is not, in itself, a miracle cure for a struggling business. But it can be a great way to establish your brand and present your business as a trusted, helpful "friend" to your target customers. Avoid these common content marketing mistakes, and you'll be well on your way to developing content that effectively markets your business.

question: Summarize everything relating to getting to know your audience.

answer: The article states it is not enough to assume your audience is interested in something. It says that it is crucial to conduct customer research to understand what customers want. Tools such as Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner is a good place to start, according to the text. Also it recommends developing a comprehensive customer avatar which resonates with your target audience.

question: What does the article say about title generation?

answer: The article recommends that the marketer dedicate about half the time to writing a piece to making a title. This is because the title is sometimes even more important than the piece. Many people when they are scrolling just read the title. Thus it is important to devote a lot of time to a good headline.

question: What does the article say about quality?

answer: The text warns against emphasizing quantity over quality. Often it is possible that one starts designing content around search engine optimized keywords. This lowers the quality of the text. This can backfire because Google's algorithms increasingly prefer high-quality content. The goal is to deliver information to your specific audience.

question: What does the article say about failing to market your content?

answer: The article warns that the high quality content will go to waste if one does not market it. This means leveraging strategies such as social media marketing, influencer shares, AdWords campaigns, email marketing, and native advertising. It recommends any marketing strategy at all as being better than none.


text:
iPhone Screenshots

CropSwap is the first ever farm-to-phone app that connects a global consumer-base with produce local to them. We are committed to connecting our community with local growers to help support local economies while getting healthier and safer food into homes.

Growers can sell CropBoxes (new word) to our audience creating sustainable revenue opportunities when consumers subscribe to an operation’s product.

Consumers can purchase fresh produce through our app and schedule delivery to their door or pick up from a nearby marketplace or restaurant.

You can trade your backyard bounty with users in your neighborhood or even attend classes, events, and more on CropSwap.

Download our free app and join our community to start buying or trading local produce and plants and help be the difference our planet needs.

Nov 28, 2020

Version 6.2.7

What’s New v6.2.7:

We've been hard at work to improve CropSwap's performance and usability and are so excited to share these updates with you!

- From now the chat view will display the users' full names and their usernames.
- The feed has been improved new sections were added to provide a better understanding of what is close to me, these sections are New on CropSwap, Featured, Delivered to your door, and Pick-up locations.
- The screen for Box description has been updated, from now we are showing just the locations close to me and all the relevant information for Delivery and Pick-up.
- For Farmers, when the cellphone is “out of service” the app will keep part of the information to allow complete the delivery process later.

As always, we’ve squashed more bugs and rolled out general improvements to the performance of the app.

My kids are finally eating vegtibles

  I've really struggled getting my 2 and 5 year old to eat veggies... they're so distracted by the sugary things in the supermarket they think I'm being mean or punishing them for getting veggies instead of treats. I thought about maybe growing something of our own... they went From hating tomatoes to loving them! Now I'm able to introduce other fresh veggies to the kids... like it's an adventure. My 5 year old loves playing with my phone and helping me pick what to trade for. My 2 year old likes trying the new things from other people's gardens. All in all... I love cropswap.

Genius!!! Love the app :D

  I just signed up a friend recommended this app to me because I don't like shopping at over priced groceries store like Whole Foods or even Ralph's in LA. Sometimes you can taste the chemicals on the fruit and it's expensive to eat healthy which is crazy to me but that's a whole other deal. Anyways CROPSWAP is easy to follow and I love the chat option. I don't have a garden so I don't have anything to swap but I am on it as a hungry customer looking for organic produce from people who I don't mind giving my money too lol. Great app if you're trying to eat healthy and save!!! Love it!!!!

Revolutionary!

  This app is giving power to the people! We don't have to rely on the industrial farming and grocery system, we can grow our own and share with others. Thank you Cropswap for making this life changing tool! This is sure to reduce waste, packaging, travel distances, chemicals and everything else that gives conventionally grown and purchased food such a large carbon foot print. No more! Drawdown is within our hands. We can live in a way that sequesters carbon, fosters personal growth, and inspires community building. Three cheers for this app!

-   Developer Website
-   App Support
-   Privacy Policy

Supports

-   []
    Wallet

    Get all of your passes, tickets, cards, and more in one place.

-   []
    Family Sharing

    With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.

question: What is a CropBox?

answer: They are sold by growers to the app's audience and create sustainable revenue opportunities when consumers subscribe to an operation's product.

question: What are some of the updates for CropSwap?

answer: The chat view will now display the users' full names and usernames, and the feed has been improved with new sections added to provide a better understanding of what is close to a user.

question: What is a review of this app?

answer: One reviewer called the app "revolutionary" and that it gives power to the people.

question: What are some of the bugs the app squashed?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of this document, CropSwap, a farm-to-phone app, described how the app works and several new updates to their app. Several reviews of the app are also provided.


text:
His name was Dr. Doctor, PhD.
            And it still is.
            For now.
            But he’s been working—tightening bolts, screwing, driving screws, securing nuts, assembling, and pouring   his sweat and genius into his labor: creating.
            The laboratory was a spectacle to behold, one for the ages. The fiery blue arcs of extreme temperature   flickered.  His black be-goggled eyes hid behind shields, safe from seeing the consequence of his doings.
            Almost done!
            Another burst of oxyacetylene flame and another breath of God, puffed through the pneumatic drill, and—  crash!
            The door swung open behind him, and Buttler lurched inside, dispelling Dr. Doctor’s mad rhythm and hell-  bent determination.
            “Haven’t I told you enough times?” Doctor asked. “Never barge in here while I’m working! You…
            “You…”
            “Dimwit?” Buttler, who dearly loved and tentatively sought his master’s approval, aided.
            “Pre—cisely!” Doctor agreed. “Nitwit!”
            Buttler lurched closer.
            Doctor jotted data onto a clipboard.
            Buttler lurched closer, all but breathing down his master’s neck.
            “What are you working on, Master Dr. Doctor?”
            “Oh, my simpleminded buffoon of a heavyset waste of weight, I’ve told you more times than I can count that    this project is top secret, and equally equivocal to the aforesaid quantity of times that are astronomically uncountable   is the astronomically uncountable plethora of times I’ve told you that I’m in the throes of fabricating a “Bio-Aversive-  Frequency-Flux-Inhibitor-Lever,” which endows me with an inapprehensive conscience  in so doing, because your   chronic retardation leaves you prone to memory lapses; therefore, to confide in you once more is to confide in a deaf   dead man, severed of tongue, and equipped with his own rectum as a cranial protection apparatus!” Doctor finished,   panting.
            Buttler’s eyes rolled upward to check the databank in his brain, and he drooled a little, for only a moment.
            He came back.
            “Top Secret Doomsday Device!” Buttler Exclaimed. “I remember, now.”
            “I never said Doomsday Device!” Doctor Exclaimed. “It’s a bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever!”
            “Well, what does it do, then?” Buttler asked, eying the web of insulated electric eels slithering out of the walls   toward their source, a hip-high lever dead center of the room, neither position of which the doctor had labeled.
            “It’s complicatedly simplistic,” he explained. “When switched to the position at which you now see it, it does   nothing. But when you throw the switch to the opposite side, the device sends a network of electromagnetic impulses   via the copious lengths of wire, which subsequently trigger the onset excitement and quickness of what I, years prior,   had discovered and dubbed the hidden “bio-aversive-frequency” inherent in all things, which shall then maliciously   override the homeostatic disposition of the biosphere on which all biological nuances, including both you and I,   depend on for sustenance and preservation, for an indefinitely infinite span of temporal reality.”
            “I see.”
            “… Said the blind man!”
            “When can we finally test it?”
            “NEVER!” Doctor shouted. “You ignoramus, have you the vaguest, foggiest conception in that mound of   mush and mutton you cart atop your surly torso as to what the dire consequence of pulling the lever is?”
            “I haven’t,” Buttler agreed. “But what hurts my head even more is why you would invent something that you   can’t even use?”
            Dr. Doctor, PhD mused in silence for a moment, and then replied:
            “…Because…”

title: Short Story Prompts : writing

question: Describe the laboratory.

answer: The laboratory is stated to be a spectacle. There are mentions of blue arcs of flames, a web of electric eels in the walls, and a hip-high lever(the bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever) in the middle of the room.

question: What does the doctor specialize in?

answer: That isn't said specifically, but he's currently working on a bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever.

question: What is Dr.Doctor's relationship with Buttler?

answer: Buttler is subserviant to Doctor, and is an assistant of sorts. Doctor is hostile and insulting towards Buttler, to which Buttler always relents.

question: Why is Doctor's project top secret?

answer: It has dire consequences if enacted.

question: Why does Doctor call Buttler an ignoramus?

answer: Buttler asks Doctor when they can finally test the doctor's bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever. The Doctor calls him an ignoramus because he feels Buttler should already know that the lever has dire consequences.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Dr.Doctor works in his lab on his bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever. His servant Buttler comes in and inquires about it, but Doctor only has insults for him. After some back and forth, Doctor describes the lever to Buttler. He says that the device will maliciously override the homeostatic disposition of the biosphere on which all biological nuance, and that is use would have dire consequences. Buttler is confused why Doctor would make a device he can't use.


text:
KEITH MICHAEL CHADWICK (born 10 March 1953) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. After impressing at non-league Nantwich Town, he joined Third Division side Port Vale via Crewe Alexandra in August 1972. In five years he played 46 games in league and cup, scoring seven goals, before he was forced to retire due to injury. He later coached at Port Vale, H. & R. Johnson, Alsager Town, and Stoke City, and took up a career at Rolls-Royce Motors in August 1977. He worked for the company for 22 years, before he was appointed as Managing Director at Radshape Sheet Metal in March 2005.

Playing career

Chadwick graduated from the Port Vale junior side to join non-league Nantwich Town, before joining league club Crewe Alexandra. He returned to Port Vale as an amateur in August 1972, and finally signed a professional contract with the club in July 1973.[1] He got his first Third Division game in March 1974, and finished 1973–74 with five appearances under manager Roy Sproson.[2]

He was a regular first team player in 1974–75, playing both up front and at the back.[3] He got his first senior goal at London Road on 30 November, helping the “Valiants” to a 2–0 win over Peterborough United.[4] He also scored against Huddersfield Town, Southend United and Charlton Athletic (twice), to finish the campaign with five goals in 23 games.[5]

He scored twice in eighteen appearances in 1975–76, at Gillingham and Sheffield Wednesday; however he began suffering with knee troubles in the spring.[6] Causing him to miss the entirety of the 1976–77 campaign, these problems eventually brought about his retirement in March 1977, aged just 24.[7]

Coaching career

Chadwick was appointed the Port Vale youth coach a month after retirement from the game. He was sacked in September 1978, after choosing to play a big cricket match rather than travel with the youth team to a match.[8] He became the manager of H. & R. Johnson, where he resumed his playing career.[9] After moving on to Alsager Town of the Cheshire League, he was appointed as a coach at Stoke City's School of Excellence.[10]

Post-retirement

After his football career ended, he returned to Rolls-Royce Motors as a sheet metal worker in August 1977, where he stayed until December 1999. In his time at Rolls-Royce he had a number of positions, including: Quality Engineer, Supplier Development Manager, and various roles within the Purchasing Team.

On leaving the company he joined Aston based company Radshape Sheet Metal in June 2000 as Lean Manufacturing consultant, later becoming Sales/Quality Director. In March 2005, he became the Managing Director,[11] a position he still holds as of October 2014. Along with co-director Chris Dickinson he set up the biggest indoor radio controlled superstore in Europe, located in Minworth, Birmingham.

Statistics

Source:[12]

  Club        Season           Division         League   FA Cup   Other   Total
  ----------- ---------------- ---------------- -------- -------- ------- ------- ------- ---- --- ---
  Apps        Goals            Apps             Goals    Apps     Goals   Apps
  Port Vale   1973–74          Third Division   5        0        0       0
  1974–75     Third Division   22               5        1        0       0
  1975–76     Third Division   14               2        1        0       3
  Total       41               7                2        0        4       0

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[11]

[12]

title: Keith Chadwick

question: When was Keith Michael Chadwick born?

answer: He was born on March 10, 1953.

question: What did Chadwick do after he retired from football?

answer: He returned to Rolls-Royce Motors as a sheet metal worker in August 1977. He then joined the Radshape Sheet Metal in June 2000.

question: Where did Chadwick begin his coaching career?

answer: Chadwick was the Port Vale youth coach a month after retirement from the game.

question: Why did Chadwick retire?

answer: Injury troubles involving his knee forced him to retire.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Keith Michael Chadwick is a former English footballer who played as a midfielder. He had a five year career where he played 46 games and scored 7 goals. He retired after struggling with injuries. After retiring, he went on to work at Rolls-Royce Motors, and then moved over to Radshape Sheet Metal in 2000.


text:
Just a short story i wrote, any feedback/comments would be awesome!

I lie suspended here, in my world, alone with my thoughts. I hear muffled noises coming out of the Nothing. They are the Voices, quiet, murmuring, constant.  I know not what they are, nor what their purpose is. This sometimes frustrates me, not knowing, but it is a mere inconvenience, as they have no effect upon me. The Melody however, does. Here it comes now. It makes me tremble; it makes me quiver with anticipation at the thought of what is to come. The worst thing I can ever recall, the only thing I have ever been able to recall. It is like something takes all of my nerves, every last one, and stabs them individually with a red-hot spike. Yet even this description only comes close to what it is actually like. I call it the Paroxysm. An agonizingly violent eruption of pain, that makes my ears feel like they are bleeding, and my eyeballs want to explode out of my body. Then, as quickly as it starts, the Melody fades to silence and I return to my motionless state, slowly losing consciousness, and my sanity.
When I awake, I feel something different. This is not like all the other times the Paroxysm has come. I am unable to determine what has changed, and my imagination runs wild, pouncing at possibilities, roaring at potentials, snarling at probabilities. I curl into a ball, the Change making me want to hide from the Nothing. In a blinding flash of understanding, it dawns on me. The Voices, the constant, indeterminable murmuring which had been present throughout every occurrence of the Paroxysm, are no longer reaching my ears from across the infinite expanse of the Nothing. I feel like a part of me has been removed, a part that was irreplaceable has now been replaced with silence. As I now comprehend the Change, I begin to uncurl from my foetal ball. To my relief, nothing of my surroundings appears to have changed. The absence of the Voices appears to not have had any effect apart from shaking my world to its core, and thereby disproving all my theories, as I am still suspended in the inky-black of the Nothing.
I am startled by a sudden noise, coming out of the Nothing, but terrifyingly close. My addled mind cannot make sense of it at first, but it slowly begins to form recognizable words.
“mmheo….mehllo….Hello? Hello? Hey! Welcome back. We thought we’d lost you there. I’m afraid you’ve been in a very serious accident. Can you flex your fingers for me please?”
I flex my fingers. I somehow sense the new Voice is not pleased with the result of this flexing.
“Ah.” I hear the Voice murmur something which I couldn’t quite catch. It seemed to disappear off into the Nothing.
Now I hear rattling, whirring, beeping, clicking, squeaking. Then silence. Except this silence is different from the silence in the Nothing, there the silence is so deep it screams, while here it is punctuated by a steady drum. Babum-babum.
Here is the Voice again, “I’m terribly sorry sir.”
Somehow, these words bring a flood of images. They pour at me out of the darkness. An old man and woman. A young woman in a white dress. Three small children. A party. A fire. A car. A crash. A burn. Then I collapse once again into the safety of the Nothing. The gentle sound of the Melody washes over me once more, yet somehow I know that the Paroxysm will not come again.

title: The Melody (600-ish words)

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: "The narrator" is a man who has been in an accident and is now lying on a hospital bed in a coma.

question: What is the Nothing?

answer: It's the narrator's subconscious where his mind resides while in a coma.

question: What are the Voices he keeps hearing?

answer: It is implied that the voices are from the medical personnel who are trying to save his life.

question: What is the Paroxysm?

answer: An agonizingly violent eruption of pain brought on every time the narrator hears "The Melody." The narrator's ears feel like they are bleeding, and his eyeballs want to explode out of his body.

question: Write a ~9 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator was in a terrible car crash and is in a coma. He's aware and awake, but only deep in his subconscious, he calls 'The Nothing,' where he gives names for everything he doesn't understand. He keeps hearing muffled Voices, but he knows they can't hurt him. What he fears the most is 'The Melody' that brings an agonizingly violent eruption of pain brought on every time he hears it. He calls this pain 'The Paroxysm.' After the last Paroxysm, the narrator feels something change and actually hears someone talking to him, asking him to flex his fingers and telling him about the accident. However, the Voice doesn't seem pleased with the narrator's response as the narrator fades back into the silence of Nothing. The last thing the narrator hears is "I'm terribly sorry sir" before seeing a flood of images pour out of the darkness, presumably his life passing in front of his eyes. He can hear the melody again and knows the Paroxysm won't come anymore.


text:
GEORGE EDGAR HORTON (January 14, 1910 – February 15, 1992) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1962 to 1978 as member of the Progressive Conservative party.[1][2]

[1]

[2]

title: George E. Horton

question: Who was George E. Horton?

answer: A Canadian politician

question: What age did George E. Horton live until?

answer: 82

question: Describe George E. Horton's career.

answer: He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1962 to 1978

question: Describe George E. Horton's personal life.

answer: That information can't be found.

question: What was George E. Horton's political affiliation?

answer: He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: George E. Horton was a Canadian politican. He belonged to the Progressive Conservative Party. From 1962 to 1978 he served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.


text:
MATS ARNE OLOF WILANDER (; born 22 August 1964) is a former world No. 1 tennis player from Sweden.[1] From 1982 to 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open), and one Grand Slam men's doubles title (at Wimbledon). His breakthrough came suddenly and unexpectedly (even in Sweden) when he won the 1982 French Open. This occurred, more or less, simultaneously with countryman Björn Borg's decision to quit tennis.

In 1988, Wilander won three of the four Grand Slam singles events and finished that year ranked World No. 1. Although he never won the singles title at Wimbledon, Wilander twice won the Australian Open when that tournament was still played on grass courts. This makes Wilander one of only six men (along with Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic) to have won Grand Slam singles titles on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts.[2] He and Rafael Nadal are the only men in tennis history to have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles on each of the three surfaces (2 Australian when it was played on grass, 1 Australian and 1 US on hard, and 3 French on clay).

Wilander won his fourth Grand Slam singles title at the age of 20, the youngest man in history to have achieved that feat.[3] He also won eight Grand Prix Super Series titles (1983–88), the precursors to the current ATP World Tour Masters 1000. He won 33 singles titles and seven doubles titles during his career. He was also a driving force behind Sweden's run of seven consecutive Davis Cup finals in the 1980s.

In 2002, Wilander was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Career

Juniors

Born in Växjö, Sweden, Wilander first came to the tennis world's attention when he won the French Open junior title, the European under-16 and under-18 championships, and the Orange Bowl under-16 event in Miami.

1980–1988

Wilander made his debut on the professional tour at the clay court tournament in Båstad, Sweden in 1980. In September 1981, he lost his only career match against Björn Borg, losing in the first round of the Geneva Open in straight sets.

Wilander surprised the tennis world at the 1982 French Open. As an unseeded player, he upset second seed Ivan Lendl in the fourth round, fifth seed Vitas Gerulaitis in the quarterfinals, fourth seed José Luis Clerc in the semifinals, and third seed Guillermo Vilas in a four-set final that lasted 4 hours and 42 minutes. At the end of the semifinal against Clerc he requested replay of the match ball as he did not want to win the game due to a questionable referee decision. This was seen as an extraordinary display of fair play and garnered him the Pierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Trophy. He was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion at 17 years, 9 months, a record since broken by Boris Becker and Michael Chang. In only his third entry in a Grand Slam tournament, Wilander also became the player who needed the fewest attempts to win one, a record since equaled by Gustavo Kuerten at the 1997 French Open. Wilander then lost in the fourth round at both Wimbledon, to Brian Teacher, and the US Open to Lendl. Wilander won three additional tournaments in 1982 and finished the year ranked no. 7. During that year, Wilander was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.

Wilander returned to the French Open in 1983, where he lost to Yannick Noah after defeating John McEnroe in a quarterfinal. He lost in the third round at Wimbledon to Roscoe Tanner and in the quarterfinals of the US Open to Lendl. Wilander won his second Grand Slam title later that year at the Australian Open, played on grass at Kooyong Stadium, where he defeated McEnroe in a semifinal and Lendl in the final. He won eight other tournaments in 1983, including two Grand Prix Championship Series titles, and finished the year ranked no. 4.

Wilander retained his Australian Open title in 1984, beating Stefan Edberg in the quarterfinals and Kevin Curren in the final. He lost in the semifinals of the French Open to Lendl, the second round at Wimbledon to Pat Cash, and the quarterfinals of the US Open to Cash. He won three tournaments in 1984 including his third Championships Series title and again finished the year ranked no. 4.

In 1985, Wilander won the French Open for the second time, beating Lendl in the final, and again reached the Australian Open final, where he lost to Edberg. However, he lost in the first round at Wimbledon to Slobodan Živojinović and the semifinals of the US Open to McEnroe. He won three tournaments in 1985 and finished the year ranked no. 3.

Wilander rose to the no. 2 ranking, behind Lendl, on 28 April 1986. He then lost in the third round of the French Open to Andrei Chesnokov, the fourth round of Wimbledon to Cash, and the fourth round of the US Open to Miloslav Mečíř. His consistency at other tournaments, however, allowed him to again finish the year ranked no. 3. Wilander partnered with countryman Joakim Nyström to win the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1986. He also won his fourth Grand Prix Championship Series title.

The 1987 season saw Wilander unveil a more potent service and a new highly effective one-handed slice backhand, the latter a somewhat remarkable development for a mid-career top-level tennis professional.[4] Despite the improvements, however, Wilander was defeated by Lendl in the finals of both the French Open and the US Open in 1987. Cash again proved to be Wilander's nemesis at Wimbledon, winning their quarterfinal match in straight sets. Wilander won five tournaments in 1987 including two Grand Prix Tennis Championship Series titles and six overall, finishing the year ranked third in the world for the third consecutive year.

1988 was the pinnacle of Wilander's career. In January, he won his third Australian Open singles title, this time on Melbourne Park's hardcourts, defeating Edberg in a five-set semifinal and home town favourite Cash in a five-set final. In doing so, he became the only player to win the Australian Open on both grass and hardcourt. Wilander faced another home crowd favourite, Henri Leconte, in the final of the French Open. Wilander won in straight sets, missing only two out of 73 first serves in the entire match.[5] At Wimbledon, Wilander reached the quarterfinals where he lost to Mečíř. At the US Open, he reached his third Grand Slam final of the year. In a repeat match-up of the previous year's final, he defeated Lendl in five sets in close to 5 hours and ended Lendl's three-year reign at the top of the world rankings. This was Wilander's seventh Grand Slam singles title and resulted in his receiving the number one ranking, having won three of the year's Grand Slam tournaments, two more Grand Prix Championship Series titles at Key Biscayne and Cincinnati, and one other title in Palermo. He held the top ranking for a total of 20 weeks until Lendl reclaimed it at the end of January 1989.

His 1988 title at Cincinnati was his fourth there, at the time making him one of only three players since 1899 to win four titles in Cincinnati, along with Bobby Riggs and George Lott. Roger Federer has since joined the list.

1989–1996

Wilander's motivation, results, and ranking suffered in 1989. He lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Ramesh Krishnan, the quarterfinals of the French Open to Andrei Chesnokov, the quarterfinals of Wimbledon to John McEnroe (7–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4), and the second round of the US Open to Pete Sampras (5–7, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4). He did not win a tournament during 1989 and he finished the year ranked World No. 12.

Wilander briefly moved back into the top 10 rankings on 12 February 1990, but by the end of the year, his ranking had slumped to World No. 41. He defeated Boris Becker in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, only to lose to Stefan Edberg in straight sets in the semifinals. He skipped the French Open and Wimbledon and lost in the first round of the US Open to Brad Gilbert.

Wilander played only the first half of 1991. He lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and the second round of the French Open. He finished the year ranked World No. 159.

Wilander was absent from the tour in 1992. He played seven tournaments in 1993, losing in the first round of five of them. At the US Open, he lost in the third round to Cédric Pioline. He finished the year ranked World No. 330.

Except for Wimbledon, Wilander played a full schedule in 1994. He lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open to MaliVai Washington, the first round of the French Open to Andre Agassi (6–2, 7–5, 6–1), and the first round of the US Open to Guy Forget. His only victory over a top ten player was in the second round of the tournament in Indianapolis against Todd Martin. He finished the year ranked World No. 129.

Wilander's results improved slightly in 1995 as he finished the year ranked World No. 46. After losing in the first round of the Australian Open to Jacco Eltingh, he lost in the second round of the French Open to eighth ranked Wayne Ferreira 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–7, 8–6. He then lost in the third round of Wimbledon to Eltingh and the second round of the US Open to Martin. In other tournaments, he had wins against tenth ranked Marc Rosset, eighth ranked Ferreira, and sixth ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov. He also won his final tour match against Edberg, in the second round of the Canadian Open in Montreal.

In 1996, Wilander played only one Grand Slam tournament, losing in the second round of the French Open to Martin. He retired from the tour after losing his final match to Martin Damm in Beijing in October.

During most of his career, Wilander used the Rossignol F-200 Carbon tennis racquet, an early fiberglass model.

Failed drug test and suspension

During the 1995 French Open he and Karel Nováček tested positive for cocaine. They appealed the initial three-month suspension by the International Tennis Federation, claiming flawed test procedures but withdrew their appeals in May 1997 and on 15 May 1997 received a three-month suspension from the ATP Tour for failing a drugs test. Additionally Wilander had to return his prize money since May 1995, amounting to $289,005, and forfeit ranking points.[6][7]

Davis Cup

Wilander was an integral member of Sweden's highly successful Davis Cup team throughout the 1980s.

He reached his first final with Sweden in 1983, which they lost 3–2 to Australia (despite Wilander winning both his singles rubbers in the final). In 1984, Sweden (with Wilander) won the cup, beating the United States 4–1 in the final. Sweden retained the cup in 1985, with a 3–2 final victory over West Germany. Wilander helped Sweden reach the final again in 1986 but declined to play in the final because he was getting married (Sweden lost 3–2 to Australia). Wilander played in his fourth final in 1987, where Sweden beat India 5–0. Two more finals followed in 1988 and 1989, but Sweden lost both to West Germany. Wilander last played in Davis Cup in the 1995 semifinals, where he lost to Andre Agassi 7–6, 6–2, 6–2 and Pete Sampras 2–6, 7–6, 6–3.

Wilander compiled a 36–16 record in singles and a 7–2 record in doubles in the Davis Cup for Sweden. However, Wilander's most memorable Davis Cup match came in defeat. In a July 1982 quarterfinal tie against the United States on carpet in St. Louis, Missouri, Wilander was defeated in the deciding fifth rubber by John McEnroe 9–7, 6–2, 15–17, 3–6, 8–6. At 6 hours and 32 minutes, it remains the longest match in Davis Cup history.

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

  Tournament        1980   1981   1982   1983   1984   1985   1986   1987   1988   1989   1990   1991   1992   1993   1994   1995   1996   SR       W–L      Win %
  ----------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------- -------
  Australian Open   A      1R     A      W      W      F      NH     A      W      2R     SF     4R     A      A      4R     1R     A      3 / 10   36–7     84%
  French Open       A      A      W      F      SF     W      3R     F      W      QF     A      2R     A      A      1R     2R     2R     3 / 12   47–9     84%
  Wimbledon         A      3R     4R     3R     2R     1R     4R     QF     QF     QF     A      A      A      A      A      3R     A      0 / 10   25–10    71%
  US Open           A      A      4R     QF     QF     SF     4R     F      W      2R     1R     A      A      3R     1R     2R     A      1 / 12   36–11    77%
  Win–Loss          0–0    2–2    13–2   18–3   16–3   17–3   8–3    16–3   25–1   10–4   5–2    4–2    0–0    2–1    3–3    4–4    1–1    7 / 44   144–37   80%

Records

-   These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
-   Records in BOLD indicate peer-less achievements.

+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Championshi | Years       | Record      | Player tied | Ref         |
| p           |             | accomplishe |             |             |
|             |             | d           |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Australian  | 1983–1985   | 3           | Ivan Lendl  | [8]         |
| Open        |             | consecutive | Novak       |             |
|             |             | finals      | Djokovic    |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1983        | Youngest    | STANDS      | [9]         |
|             | Australian  | ALONE       |             |
|             | Open        |             |             |
|             | champion    |             |             |
|             | (19 Yrs., 3 |             |             |
|             | Mos.)       |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| French Open | 1982        | Won title   | Rafael      | [10]        |
|             |             | on the      | Nadal       |             |
|             |             | first       |             |             |
|             |             | attempt     |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1982        | Unseeded    | Gustavo     | [11]        |
|             | winner of   | Kuerten     |             |
|             | singles     | Gastón      |             |
|             | event       | Gaudio      |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Grand Slam  | 1982–1988   | 7 titles    | STANDS      | [12]        |
| tournaments |             | before      | ALONE       |             |
|             |             | becoming    |             |             |
|             |             | World No. 1 |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1982–1988   | 2+ titles   | Rafael      | [13]        |
|             | on clay,    | Nadal       |             |
|             | grass and   |             |             |
|             | hard courts |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Davis Cup   | 1982        | Longest     | John        | [15]        |
|             |             | match       | McEnroe     |             |
|             |             | played (by  |             |             |
|             |             | duration)   |             |             |
|             |             | vs. John    |             |             |
|             |             | McEnroe (6  |             |             |
|             |             | hours, 32   |             |             |
|             |             | minutes)[14 |             |             |
|             |             | ]           |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Personal life

Wilander, who won $8 million as a pro and more in endorsements, now spends much of his time living on an 81-acre estate in Hailey, Idaho, United States (part of the Sun Valley ski resort) with his wife Sonya (née Mulholland), a South African-born model. He competes from time to time on the senior tour. Since retiring as a player, he has served as captain of the Swedish Davis Cup team. Wilander also served as commentator for tennis matches on Eurosport.

Wilander has four children, Emma, Karl, Erik, and Oskar. His son Erik suffers from a comparatively mild form of epidermolysis bullosa, which benefits from Idaho's cool and dry air,[16] and Wilander and his wife have worked to raise funds for research into cures for the disease.

Wilander created a minor controversy during the 2006 French Open when he criticized several top players, including Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters, as lacking the competitive edge to beat their toughest rivals. After Federer's 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 loss to Nadal in the final, Wilander said that “Federer, today, unfortunately came out with no balls... you don't find too many champions in any sport in the world without heart or balls. He might have them, but against Nadal they shrank to a very small size and it's not once, it's every time.”[17]

In the aftermath of these comments, fans coined the neologism “Wilanders” as a humorous synonym for “balls”, denoting a competitive spirit and tenacity to win.[18]

Wilander began coaching Tatiana Golovin in July 2007. After working with Golovin in the later part of 2007, Wilander began coaching Paul-Henri Mathieu.

His brother, Anders Wilander, has been Mayor of Tranås Municipality since 2006.[19][20]

In 2012, Wilander won the International Club’s Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award.

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[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19] Swedish populations 1970, CD-ROM, Version 1.04, Sweden's Genealogy Association (2002).

[20] 1 (in Swedish)

title: Mats Wilander

question: Summarize Wilander's sportsmanship.

answer: He seems to be an exceptionally fair-minded sportsman during his prime. However, he handles losses poorly. His attitude toward his colleagues is also rather harsh. In aggregate, he's a very competitive sportsman who wants to win fairly but can't tolerate losses, whether it's him or not.

question: When was Wilander's prime, age-wise?

answer: He started his peak three months before his eighteenth birthday. His latest relatively good run of form was eight years later. Thus, he was aged 17-25 during his peak.

question: How does Wilander compare to his contemporary rivals?

answer: He was the best tennis player for only 20 weeks. Apart from his top year in 1988, he tended to lose against his best opponents. For context, he grabbed the No. 1 spot from Lendl, who held it for three years.

question: What would've happened if Wilander didn't fail a drug test in 1995?

answer: He was made to forfeit his earnings and ranking points from May 1995 until May 1995. That wouldn't have happened. However, his stature or general wealth wouldn't have changed much, if any.


text:
The 51ST ANNUAL TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS was held on Sunday 3 May 2009 at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, and broadcast on the Nine Network.[1] The ceremony was hosted by Gretel Killeen,[2] while the red carpet arrivals was hosted by Jules Lund, Shelley Craft, Lyndsey Rodrigues and Carson Kressley.[3] The red carpet arrivals was watched by 1.7 million viewers, while the ceremony was watched by 1.57 million viewers.[4]

Winners and nominees

In the tables below, winners are listed first and highlighted in BOLD.[5]

Gold Logie

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  -   REBECCA GIBNEY IN _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)
      -   Natalie Bassingthwaighte in _So You Think You Can Dance Australia_ (Network Ten)
      -   Andrew Denton in _Enough Rope_ (ABC1)
      -   Adam Hills in _Spicks and Specks_ (ABC1)
      -   Simmone Jade Mackinnon in _McLeod's Daughters_ (Nine Network)
      -   Rove McManus in _Rove_ and _Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?_ (Network Ten)
      -   Kate Ritchie in _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)
      -   Ian Smith in _Neighbours_ (Network Ten)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acting/Presenting

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Most Popular Actor                                                         Most Popular Actress
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  -   TODD LASANCE IN _HOME AND AWAY_ (SEVEN NETWORK)                        -   REBECCA GIBNEY IN _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)
      -   Gyton Grantley in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)                          -   Jodi Gordon in _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)
      -   Mark Priestley in _All Saints_ (Seven Network)                         -   Simmone Jade Mackinnon in _McLeod's Daughters_ (Nine Network)
      -   Ian Smith in _Neighbours_ (Network Ten)                                -   Kate Ritchie in _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)
      -   Erik Thomson in _Packed to the Rafters_ (Seven Network)                -   Kat Stewart in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)

  Most Outstanding Actor in a Series                                         Most Outstanding Actress in a Series

  -   GYTON GRANTLEY IN _UNDERBELLY_ (NINE NETWORK)                          -   '''Kat Stewart in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)
      -   Dustin Clare in _Satisfaction_ (Showcase)                              -   Julia Blake in _Bed of Roses_ (ABC1)
      -   Vince Colosimo in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)                          -   Rebecca Gibney in _Packed to the Rafters_ (Seven Network)
      -   Callan Mulvey in _Rush_ (Network Ten)                                  -   Claire van der Boom in _Rush_ (Network Ten)
      -   Damian Walshe-Howling in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)                   -   Madeleine West in _Satisfaction_ (Showcase)

  Most Popular New Male Talent                                               Most Popular New Female Talent

  -   HUGH SHERIDAN IN _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)               -   JESSICA MARAIS IN _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)
      -   Dean Geyer in _Neighbours_ (Network Ten)                               -   Kirsty Lee Allan in _Sea Patrol_ (Nine Network)
      -   George Houvardas in _Packed to the Rafters_ (Seven Network)            -   Rebecca Breeds in _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)
      -   Matt Lee in _So You Think You Can Dance Australia_ (Network Ten)       -   Ricki-Lee Coulter in _Australian Idol_ (Network Ten)
      -   Jordan Rodrigues in _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)                    -   Margot Robbie in _Neighbours_ (Network Ten)

  Most Outstanding New Talent                                                Most Popular Presenter

  -   JESSICA MARAIS IN _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)              -   ROVE MCMANUS IN _ROVE_ AND _ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?_ (NETWORK TEN)
      -   Lauren Clair in _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)                            -   Natalie Bassingthwaighte in _So You Think You Can Dance Australia_ (Network Ten)
      -   Hanna Mangan-Lawrence in _Bed of Roses_ (ABC1)                         -   Andrew Denton in _Enough Rope_ (ABC1)
      -   Hugh Sheridan in _Packed to the Rafters_ (Seven Network)               -   Grant Denyer in _It Takes Two_ and _Australia's Got Talent_ (Seven Network)
      -   Ashley Zukerman in _Rush_ (Network Ten)                                -   Adam Hills in _Spicks and Specks_ (ABC1)
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most Popular Programs

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Most Popular Drama Series                        Most Popular Light Entertainment Program
  ------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------
  -   _PACKED TO THE RAFTERS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)      -   _ROVE_ (NETWORK TEN)
      -   _Home and Away_ (Seven Network)              -   _Australia's Got Talent_ (Seven Network)
      -   _McLeod's Daughters_ (Nine Network)          -   _Deal or No Deal_ (Seven Network)
      -   _Neighbours_ (Network Ten)                   -   _Spicks and Specks_ (ABC1)
      -   _Underbelly_ (Nine Network)                  -   _Sunrise_ (Seven Network)

  Most Popular Lifestyle Program                   Most Popular Factual Program

  -   _BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS_ (SEVEN NETWORK)   -   _BONDI RESCUE_ (NETWORK TEN)
      -   _Domestic Blitz_ (Nine Network)              -   _Border Security_ (Seven Network)
      -   _Getaway_ (Nine Network)                     -   _Find My Family_ (Seven Network)
      -   _Ready Steady Cook_ (Network Ten)            -   _RPA_ (Nine Network)
      -   _Top Gear Australia_ (SBS)                   -   _RSPCA Animal Rescue_ (Seven Network)

  Most Popular Sports Program                      Most Popular Reality Program

  -   _THE NRL FOOTY SHOW_ (NINE NETWORK)          -   _SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA_ (NETWORK TEN)
      -   _The AFL Footy Show_ (Nine Network)          -   _Australian Idol_ (Network Ten)
      -   _Before the Game_ (Network Ten)              -   _The Biggest Loser_ (Network Ten)
      -   _Sports Tonight_ (Network Ten)               -   _Dancing with the Stars_ (Seven Network)
      -   _Wide World of Sports_ (Nine Network)        -   _The Farmer Wants a Wife_ (Nine Network)
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most Outstanding Programs

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie             Most Outstanding Comedy Program
  ------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  -   _UNDERBELLY_ (NINE NETWORK)                                    -   _THE HOLLOWMEN_ (ABC1)
      -   _Bed of Roses_ (ABC1)                                          -   _Mark Loves Sharon_ (Network Ten)
      -   _Packed to the Rafters_ (Seven Network)                        -   _Mr. Firth Goes to Washington_ (SBS)
      -   _Rush_ (Network Ten)                                           -   _Review with Myles Barlow_ (ABC1)
      -   _Scorched_ (Nine Network)                                      -   _Very Small Business_ (ABC1)

  Most Outstanding Sports Coverage                                   Most Outstanding News Coverage

  -   BEIJING OLYMPICS (SEVEN NETWORK)                               -   “CHINA EARTHQUAKE”, _ABC NEWS_ (ABC1)
      -   AFL Grand Final (Seven Network)                                -   “Brisbane Storms”, _Seven News_ (Seven Network)
      -   Beijing Paralympics (ABC1)                                     -   “China Earthquake”, _Nine News Sydney_ (Nine Network)
      -   Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 (Seven Network)                  -   “Financial Crisis” (Sky News Business)
      -   Tour de France (SBS)                                           -   “Nike Human Rights Investigation”, _Seven News_ (Seven Network)

  Most Outstanding Children's Program                                Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report

  -   _H2O: JUST ADD WATER_ (NETWORK TEN)                            -   “AFGHANISTAN: A SURVIVOR'S TALE”, _FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT_ (ABC1)
      -   _As the Bell Rings_ (Disney Channel)                           -   “Friday's Child”, _Australian Story_ (ABC1)
      -   _Dogstar_ (Nine Network)                                       -   “Mugabe's Calling Card”, _Dateline_ (SBS)
      -   _Figaro Pho_ (ABC1)                                            -   “Out of Control”, _60 Minutes_ (Nine Network)
      -   Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards (Nickelodeon)       -   “Timor War Criminal”, _Today Tonight_ (Seven Network)

  Most Outstanding Documentary                                       Most Outstanding Factual Program

  -   _FIRST AUSTRALIANS_ (SBS)                                      -   _BORDER SECURITY_ (SEVEN NETWORK)
      -   _Beyond Kokoda_ (The History Channel)                          -   _Family Fortunes_ (ABC1)
      -   _The Oasis: Australia's Homeless Youth_ (ABC1)                 -   _RPA_ (Nine Network)
      -   _Schapelle Corby: The Hidden Truth_ (Nine Network)             -   _Two in the Top End_ (ABC1)
      -   _The Howard Years_ (ABC1)                                      -   _Who Do You Think You Are?_ (SBS)
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Performers

-   Jessica Mauboy – “Been Waiting”[6]
-   Natalie Bassingthwaighte – “1000 Stars”[7]
-   Tom Burlinson – “Unforgettable”[8]
-   Annie Lennox – “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)”[9]

Hall of Fame

Bill Collins became the 26th inductee into the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame.[10]

Multiple nominations and awards

The following shows received multiple nominations.

-   11 NOMINATIONS: _Packed to the Rafters_
-   9 NOMINATIONS: _Underbelly_
-   7 NOMINATIONS:  _Home and Away_
-   5 NOMINATIONS:  _Neighbours_
-   3 NOMINATIONS:  _McLeod's Daughters_ and _Rove_
-   2 NOMINATIONS:  _All Saints_

The following shows received multiple awards.

-   6 AWARDS: _Packed to the Rafters_
-   3 AWARDS: _Underbelly_
-   2 AWARDS: _Rove_

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Logie Awards of 2009

question: Where was the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards held?

answer: The 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards was held at the Crown Palladim in Melbourne.

question: Who hosted the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards?

answer: Gretel Killeen hosted the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards.

question: How many people watched the red carpet for the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards?

answer: 1.7 million viewers watched the red carpert for the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards.

question: What network broadcasted the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards?

answer: The Nine Network broadcasted the 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The 51st Annual TV Week Logie Awards was held in 2009 in Melbourne. It was hosted by Gretel Killeen was watched by 1.57 million viewers.


text:
[Resistance of spread-spectrum system against narrowband interference]

In a spread-spectrum system, the PROCESS GAIN (or “processing gain”) is the ratio of the spread (or RF) bandwidth to the unspread (or baseband) bandwidth. It is usually expressed in decibels (dB).

For example, if a 1 kHz signal is spread to 100 kHz, the process gain expressed as a numerical ratio would be / = 100. Or in decibels, 10 log₁₀(100) = 20 dB.

Note that process gain does not reduce the effects of wideband thermal noise. It can be shown that a direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) system has exactly the same bit error behavior as a non-spread-spectrum system with the same modulation format. Thus, on an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel without interference, a spread system requires the same transmitter power as an unspread system, all other things being equal.

Unlike a conventional communication system, however, a DSSS system does have a certain resistance against narrowband interference, as the interference is not subject to the process gain of the DSSS signal, and hence the signal-to-interference ratio is improved.

In frequency modulation (FM), the processing gain can be expressed as

$$G_\text{p} = \cfrac{1.5 B_\text{n} (\Delta f)^2}{W^3},$$

where:

    _G_p is the processing gain,
    _B_n is the noise bandwidth,
    Δ_f_ is the peak frequency deviation,
    _W_ is the sinusoidal modulating frequency.

Category:Signal processing

title: Process gain

question: Explain how the process gain bandwidth is expressed.

answer: It is usually expressed in decibels.


text:
[Image for post]

Brian Duensing via Keith Allison
[Greg Huss]

In the middle of the offseason following a World Series championship, the Chicago Cubs went to work to improve their team and work toward defending their title and maintaining their role as the team to beat for the 2017 season. How did Theo & Co. do that? By signing Brian Duensing.

On December 2nd, Brian Duensing was signed to a Major League deal worth $2 million. Admittedly so, I was shocked and not in a good way. My initial thought was, “Who in the world is Brian Duensing?” After searching for the lefty reliever on several reference sites, I came to the conclusion that the Chicago Cubs were doomed if they were signing players like Brian Duensing.

Duensing came into the league as a swingman for the Minnesota Twins where he actually had a little bit of success. He pitched a total of 354 games up north, with 61 of them coming as a starter. During his time in the Twin Cities he was just about as average as a pitcher can get, as shown by his 99 ERA+ mark. He finished his tenure there with an ERA at 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.38. His strikeout rates that hovered right around the 15% mark with walk rates down around 7%.

After hitting free agency in the winter of 2015, Duensing found himself in the Kansas City Royals organization where he never made it to the Major Leagues. After being released mid-season by the Royals in 2016, he was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles. Much more of the same occurred there and he saw only 13.1 innings with the big boys in his time there.

Duensing put up good stats in Triple-A as a member of the Royals organization as you would expect from a 33 year old minor leaguer, but in his short stint with the Orioles he was less than stellar, accumulating just a 0.1 WAR. After a sub-par 2016 season it seemed as though Brian Duensing would struggle to sign a free agent deal with a Major League team for 2017.

In stepped the Chicago Cubs.

In 2017, Brian Duensing has been not only one of the best relievers on the Cubs but one of the best bullpen options in the entire league. Going into Wednesday’s game he had the 14th best ERA among qualified National League relievers to go along with the best mark on the Cubs roster. Before allowing the one run in the 7th inning Wednesday, he had a 20 inning scoreless streak going strong.

So what has he meant for the Cubs this season? He started off the season as a hybrid of a LOOGY and an innings eater. He would come in for a batter or two at a time to face a tough lefty where the matchup worked perfectly for him or in games that were blowouts to give the “better” bullpen options a break for the day to be used fresh the next game. A few months later and now Duensing is a part of that “better” options group and is able to be used in high leverage situations as shown by his appearance on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants. He came in during the 8th inning with the Cubs up only two runs, getting groundouts from Pablo Sandoval and Ryder Jones as well as a fly out from Brandon Crawford to make it a 1–2–3 inning.

What is different this year for the 34 year old compared to past seasons? It is pretty clear that the answer to that question is strikeouts. Duensing has been able to maintain that same low walk rate that he has proven he can keep in past seasons (5.2%) while dramatically raising his strikeout percentage all the way up to 27.8% in 2017.

That increase in strikeout percentage might be due to a change in pitch types that he has been using. Once the definition of a sinkerballer who focused on generating ground balls, Duensing has cut down his sinker usage by an extreme amount this season and is throwing many more curveballs to go along with your typical four-seam fastball as shown by Brooks Baseball.

[Image for post]

Courtesy of Brooks Baseball
This change in approach from the mound completely alters the type of pitcher that Brian Duensing is. Over the course of his career he has gone from a guy that pitches to contact by generating ground outs and double plays to a pitcher that guns for the strikeout by using a fastball-curveball-slider combination.

Between his style change to the amount of confidence he has gained by pitching for Joe Maddon due to the situation he gets deployed, Brian Duensing has become a significant weapon for the Chicago Cubs and you can expect to see him used in high leverage situations even more as the season moves along.

[Image for post]

_GREG HUSS IS CURRENTLY A STUDENT AT BALL STATE UNIVERSITY IN INDIANA. BORN AND RAISED IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS, HE SPENDS FAR TOO MUCH OF HIS FREE TIME FOLLOWING THE ENTIRE CUBS ORGANIZATION. YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER_ _HERE__._

question: How do we know Duensing was an average pitcher in Minnesota?

answer: He had a 99 ERA+ ran of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.38. Strikeouts at 15% and walk rates at 7%.

question: How many innings did  Duensing play with the Orioles?

answer: 13.1

question: Why did it seem Duensing would struggle to find a team for 2017?

answer: He hadn't improved and had just a 0.1 WAR.

question: What changed with the Cubs to make him a better option?

answer: He kept his walk rate low at 5.2%, and increased his strikeout rate to 27.8% by changing his pitch types from sinkerballer to using fastball-curveball-slider combination.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer: Brian Dunsing went from an average pitcher to a top tier choice for the Chicago Cubs. With the Minnesota Twins he had a 99 ERA+ ran of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.38. Strikeouts at 15% and walk rates at 7%. It seemed he would struggle to find a team for 2017 as he hadn't improved. But in stepped the Chicago Cubs. With them, he changed his pitching style. He kept his walk rate low at 5.2%, and increased his strikeout rate to 27.8% by changing his pitch types from sinkerballer to using fastball-curveball-slider combination.


text:
Bernie Sanders campaigns in Brooklyn on April 9. Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Last month, during a CNN primary debate in Flint, Michigan, Democratic presidential candidate fielded a question from the audience that people in his position don't get asked very often: "Do you believe that God is relevant?"

It's pretty hard to imagine any American politician answering that question with a "no," and Sanders didn't surprise. But he also didn't respond with a personal anecdote about his own faith, as Hillary Clinton did a moment later. In fact, he didn't mention himself at all, instead waxing poetic about what the world's religions have in common.

"What we are talking about is what all religions hold dear, which is to do unto others as you would like them to do unto you," Sanders gruffly told the audience.

The moment, though largely unnoticed, was a strange one in American politics. We don't blink when Ted Cruz makes an impassioned defense for school prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments on public grounds, but it's distinctly strange to watch a presidential candidate get all hand-wavy when someone asks him about God.

And yet, the Sanders approach to religion may be part of his appeal, at least among a significant bloc of voters backing his presidential campaign. A new report published by the Pew Research Center this month shows that nearly half of Sanders's support comes from Americans who are not affiliated with any religion—a group that pollsters and election experts commonly refer to as the "nones."

"The nonreligious population is exploding in this country right now," said Greg Epstein, executive director of the Humanist Hub at Harvard University. "We're in the middle of extraordinary growth, and it makes tremendous sense that you have a major political candidate [who is] basically running on a platform of what I would call humanism."

To be clear, Sanders says he believes in God—though he has also admitted to being "not particularly religious." Aside from the Flatbush dialect he shares with Larry David, Sanders's Judaism is barely noticeable in his politics. When Sanders talks about his faith, Epstein noted, he says things like "all life is connected" and "we're all in this together"—phrases that fit nicely into the progressive secularism that characterizes humanism.

Sanders's markedly irreligious campaign comes at a time when the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans is rising fast. In 2007, Pew estimated that 36.6 million American adults identified as atheists, agnostics, or "nothing in particular." By 2014, that number was up to 55.8 million—or nearly a quarter of the US adult population. According to that survey, younger Americans—a group that has overwhelmingly supported Sanders in the Democratic primary—are more likely to fall into this category, with 35 percent identifying as "nones."

"We're seeing a trend that is not going to be letting up any time soon," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. "It's reminiscent of the 80s, when the moral majority was rising," he added. "They weren't the difference-makers, necessarily, in Ronald Reagan's election, but people thought they had a big role to play. Because of that, they were courted for the next two decades."

The analogy to the Christian right is interesting. Religious conservatives have gained such leverage over American politics, particularly on the right, that the public debate over questions of morality and faith still tends to center on flash points like gay marriage and abortion.

Of course, the "nones" remain a clear minority in the US, and as such are unlikely to swing any election, especially on a national stage. Still, Speckhardt notes the group's potential influence is sizable, especially when its numbers are set alongside those of other religious groups.

According to Pew data from 2014, less than 2 percent of the US population identifies as Jewish, around the same number that identifies as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Catholics, by comparison, make up 21 percent of the population. That same Pew survey found that "nones" who identify as distinctly irreligious account for nearly 16 percent.

"We think of this as still a small group," Speckhardt said. "It's not, especially when you think about how politicians court other religious minorities."

Whether intentionally or not, Sanders seems to be courting these voters, even among some unlikely audiences. In a September speech at Liberty University, conservative Bible college founded by the Reverend Jerry Falwell, the Vermont senator quickly offered a statement about the secular realm in which his moral compass lies.

"There is no justice when so few have so much and so many have so little," he told students, "when the top one tenth of one percent… owns almost as much wealth as the bottom ninety percent." It's the message Sanders has been repeating for more than a year on the campaign trail, and the one he's likely to repeat again when he visits the Vatican later this month.

"A lot of people who are in the 'none' category, I think, would agree with that," said Gary Smith, a historian who has written several books about religion in American politics. "Even though they're not very religious, they're very social-justice oriented."

On the other side of the party line, the rise of a twice-divorced, abortion flip-flopper is raising questions about the power of religious voters in Republican politics. According to another Pew survey released in January, Sanders is actually second to Trump when it comes to the number of voters who see him as religious. But while the "nones" seem to be supporting Sanders en masse, just 20 percent of voters supporting Trump identify as religiously unaffiliated—far less than the 34 percent of Trump voters who identify as evangelical.

So while Trump's success may similarly reflect some kind of drop off in the influence that religion plays for American voters, Smith noted, unlike Sanders's supporters, Trump voters seem to support the reality-TV star in spite of—rather than because of—the candidate's perceived lack of faith.

"I think that people have been willing to overlook Trump's lack of religious involvement, particularly the evangelicals that voted for him, because they like other aspects of the man," Smith said.

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question: Why is Bernie Sanders a favorite among the "nones" or American voters who are not affiliated with any religion?

answer: Because Sanders is running on a platform of humanism and Judaism isn't present in his politics. He is also social-justice-oriented, and many "nones" identify with him.


text:
WHAT HONEY BUNS TELL US ABOUT PRISON CULTURE : BLOG OF THE NATION HONEY BUNS OFFER A MICROCOSM OF LIFE IN PRISON -- CURRENCY, VIOLENCE, RELATIONSHIPS, ADDICTION. A RECENT STORY IN THE _ST. PETERSBURG TIMES_ OFFERS A FASCINATING GLIMPSE AT THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF A SWEET SNACK IN FLORIDA PRISONS.

January 13, 20115:42 PM ET

[]

The mass produced honey bun offers a surprising look at life in prison. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM HIDE CAPTION

TOGGLE CAPTION

 iStockphoto.com

[]

The mass produced honey bun offers a surprising look at life in prison.

 iStockphoto.com

We talk about prison life and culture from time to time on the show. We've never talked about honey buns. From what I read in a recent article in the _St. Petersburg Times_, we've missed a key element.

  Honey buns — so puffy! — have taken on lives of their own among the criminal class: as currency for trades, as bribes for favors, as relievers for stress and substitutes for addiction. They've become birthday cakes, hooch wines, last meals — even ingredients in a massive tax fraud.

It's a feature piece, to be sure, but it's far from fluff. The story is a fascinating look into a world most of us will never experience. The sweet treats cost $1.08 in one Florida canteen. And prison food is basic, at best, so you can understand the cravings for something a bit more decadent, as a honey bun spokesperson calls it. But, there's also a darker side to the honey bun fixation.

  For all their sweetness, honey buns have a history of involvement in prison violence. In 2006, at the Kent County Jail in Michigan, inmate Benny Rochelle dragged his cell mate off the top bunk, killing the man, when he could not find his honey bun. And last year, at the Lake Correctional Institution west of Orlando, two men were sentenced to life in prison for stabbing with crude shivs the man they thought had stolen shaving cream, cigarettes and a honey bun from their footlockers.

You can read the full article at the _St. Petersburg Times_ site.

question: What are Honey buns?

answer: Honey buns are a puffy sweet treat in prison.

question: What is the connection between honey buns and prison?

answer: Honey buns have been used as currency for trades, as bribes for favors, as relievers for stress, and as substitutes for addiction.

question: How much do Honey buns cost?

answer: Honey buns cost $1.08 in one Florida canteen.

question: How are honey buns involved in prison violence?

answer: In 2006, in Michigan, an inmate dragged his cellmate off the top bunk, killing the man, when he could not find his honey bun. In another similar case last year, two men were sentenced to life in prison for stabbing with crude shivs the man they thought had stolen shaving cream, cigarettes, and a honey bun from their footlockers.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Honey buns in prison are being used as currency for trades, bribes for favors, relievers for stress, and substitutes for addiction. The bun costs $1.98 in a Florida canteen.

The treat has a rather darker side to it. In 2006, an inmate dragged his cellmate off the top bunk when he could not find his Honey bun. In a similar case last year, two men were sentenced to life prison for stabbing a man they thought had stolen their Honey bun, cigarettes and shaving cream from their footlocker.


text:
I'm not sure this is the appropriate subreddit for this. Please enjoy.

A man walks into an ice cream shoppe. He approaches the ice cream server behind the counter.

CUSTOMER- Can I have a vanilla ice cream please?

ICE CREAM MAN- Sure thing.(Scoops ice cream into cone)  Here you go.(Hands to customer)

CUSTOMER- This isn't Vanilla.

ICE CREAM MAN- Why of course it is.

CUSTOMER- No, this doesn't even look like ice cream.

ICE CREAM MAN- Well, wait a minute. Let me see that. (Takes cone from customer) Oh dang, you know something? This is vomit.

CUSTOMER- What?

ICE CREAM MAN- My vomit to be precise.

CUSTOMER- Why did you give me your vomit?

ICE CREAM MAN- I must have been keeping it in the vanilla ice cream container.

CUSTOMER- I have a couple questions.

ICE CREAM MAN- Ask away.

CUSTOMER- Why do you keep your vomit in the vanilla container?

ICE CREAM MAN- It's the closest one to me.

CUSTOMER- Why do you keep your vomit contained at all?

ICE CREAM MAN- Well I normally don't but I've been sick lately and instead of running to the bathroom every 20 minutes I just vomit in this container.

CUSTOMER- You can't honestly think that's acceptable.

ICE CREAM MAN- I do though.

CUSTOMER- I'm going to have to talk to your manager about this.

ICE CREAM MAN- I'm the manager.

CUSTOMER- Well then I'm going to have to ask you not to do that anymore.

ICE CREAM MAN- Do what?

CUSTOMER- Throw up in the ice cream.

ICE CREAM MAN- But there's no ice cream left in this container.

CUSTOMER- So you're out of vanilla?

ICE CREAM MAN- I'm afraid so.

CUSTOMER- Shoot...um...do you have strawberry?

ICE CREAM MAN- Coming right up.(looks in container) Oh you know what? This is diarrhea.

CUSTOMER- Do you have anything that didn't come out of your body?

ICE CREAM MAN- Let's see... I have mint chocolate chip.

CUSTOMER- I don't like mint.

ICE CREAM MAN- Well that's all the ice cream I have left.

CUSTOMER- But there are 16 containers here.

ICE CREAM MAN- Yup.

CUSTOMER- And they're all full to the brim.

ICE CREAM MAN- Yup.

CUSTOMER- ...I guess I'll have the vomit.

ICE CREAM MAN- Excellent choice sir. Here you go. (Hands cone to customer)

CUSTOMER- Thank you. Feel better.

ICE CREAM MAN- I'll try. Have a nice afternoon.

The man walks out with his ice cream cone, never to be seen again.

title: A Dialogue

question: Does the customer get ice cream?

answer: No, he gets vomit.

question: Does the ice cream salesman have any ice cream at all?

answer: Yes, mint chocolate chip.

question: What is in the vanilla container?

answer: Vomit.

question: How many ice cream containers are there?

answer: Sixteen.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A man walks into an ice cream shop and the ice cream man gives him vomit. He asks for another flavor, but in that container there is only diarrhea. The man asks if there is any ice cream at all, and the ice cream man says mint chocolate chip. The man does not like that flavor, so he takes the vomit.


text:
[Llanfendigaid with Stable Cottage and Dove Cottage at the back]

LLANFENDIGAID ESTATE, located on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd (formerly Merioneth: ), near Tywyn in north Wales is a mid-Georgian house that has belonged to the same family for over 600 years. Llanfendigaid is listed Grade II* by CADW which is only given to houses of exceptional historic interest. The estate once encompassed over , is now reduced to within the Snowdonia National Park.

History

The Nanney-Wynn family and their ancestors have occupied the lands of Llanfendigaid since approximately 1241. John Nanney married the Anwyl heiress in the early 17th century which means the family is related to Evan Vaughan Anwyl who descends from Owain Gwynedd. The current owner of the estate is William Nanney-Wynn Garton-Jones.

Llanfendigaid is a member of Premier Cottages and is operated as a high quality flex-catering complex.

Footnotes

title: Llanfendigaid Estate

question: In which country is Llanfendigaid located?

answer: It is located in Wales.

question: What is the cultural significance of Llanfendigaid?

answer: It has been in the same family for 600 years. Llanfendigaid is listed Grade II by CADW, this means it is a house of exceptional historic interest.

question: Summarize all the information relating to the history of Llanfendigaid.

answer: The Nanney-Wyn family and their ancestors have occupied the lands of Llanfendigaid since 1241. John Nanney married the Anwyl heiress in the early 17th century. The current owner of the estate is William Nanney-Wynn Garton-Jones.

question: What is Llanfendigaid currently being used for?

answer: It is a member of Premiet Cottages and is operated as a high quality flex-catering complex.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Llanfendigaid is a cottage located in northern Wales. It is located on an estate that has been in the same family for more than 600 years and is currently being operated as high quality flex-catering complex.