text:
In recent years, the futuristic concepts of the ‘smart city’ have gone from science fiction to business fact. As devices are becoming smaller, less power-hungry and more mobile, people, places and things are becoming connected all around us. Anything that can be assigned an IP address and transmit data over a network is part of the Internet of Things (IoT). With so many ways to take advantage of connectivity in the home, IoT has the potential to be a game-changer for facilities management and social housing providers. Technology companies like Cradlepoint are making it possible.

For social housing organisations, technology offers a wide range of efficiencies and potential cost savings relating to asset management and maintenance. Integrated into housing management systems, wired and wireless networking solutions that enable IoT can help to significantly reduce the time spent on property visits, pre-empt maintenance problems, and improve the health and wellbeing of tenants.

At the same time, with accurate, up-to-date data on the condition of properties as well as their energy usage, housing organisations can avert problems and identify which features work well and which don’t. This in turn can inform future investment and building decisions.

My team have been talking to a number of housing associations across the country and have compiled a list of the key benefits of smart home technology.

1. Security

Obviously, a big concern for tenants as well as housing associations is security, whether it's protection from vandalism, burglary, or anti-social behaviour. There are already a number of smart devices out there designed specifically for this purpose. They're particularly useful when a property is unoccupied, and are becoming smaller and less intrusive, so tenants don’t need to worry about their own privacy. These systems can do everything from arming and disarming remotely, to capturing CCTV footage and communicating directly with law-enforcement.

2. Locking Systems

Smart locks are a great solution to the age-old problem of lost keys or broken locks. They only require a smart phone with the matching signals to unlock the door. This means facilities managers won't have to keep track of keys when lost or tenants move out. They can use a centralised online system to authorise tenant’s entry or revoke their access. This also has its advantages for managing maintenance staff property access.

Smart locks capture the data of who’s entered and exited, which can be used to alert of intruders, adding further security to premises.

3. Lighting

There is a lot of money to be saved in smart lighting. Gartner claim that smart lighting could reduce household energy consumption by 90%. Multiplied across a wide portfolio of properties, this could greatly reduce costs.

Being able to remotely manage lighting in communal spaces should improve living conditions and security. Having smart bulbs, which essentially learn when occupants are usually in or out, allowing them to switch on even if there's a change in the pattern, may also deter potential thieves.

4. Heating Systems

Another example of how the connected home is transforming property management is the smart thermostat. Controlled with ease from remote locations through a web-enabled system, facilities managers can constantly monitor tenant energy usage and cut down on power consumption. In fact, The Energy Saving Trust claim that using a thermostat in this way can save between £70 and £150 per household per year.

Smart thermostats can be remotely controlled to switch on the heating when a property is unoccupied, reducing the risk of pipes freezing and bursting. They can also highlight households that may be struggling with, for example, fuel poverty.

There are further advantages for maintenance. A good example of this is British Gas’ smart boiler: ‘BoilerIQ.’ The connected boiler carries out preventative maintenance, checking itself for faults and sending data directly to British Gas who can then solve the problem remotely. This kind of connected system will anticipate and fix an issue before it disrupts usage and inconveniences tenants or causes damage.

5. Water Leakage and Damp Protection

Problems with damp, especially in older building stock, creates costly issues for housing associations. It can be made worse because it's not always clear that there's a problem until it's too late. It can start as a leak and escalate into flooding, causing extensive damage. With smart sensors, the problem can be addressed early.

Smart sensors monitor and send real-time data about property conditions. If the property is becoming damp (which the sensor can detect by measuring humidity and moisture levels), facilities managers can tackle the problem before the costs escalate. Couple this with heat sensors to ensure that the property is being kept warm enough, and you shouldn't have to worry about any major damp problems. This could have a profound impact on reducing incidences of poor health among social housing occupants.

6. Carbon Monoxide, Smoke and Fire Alarms

Providing a safe environment for tenants is paramount and smart technology has vastly improved the quality and reliability of household alarm systems. Being able to provide real-time data and connectivity to emergency services is obviously an advantage.

Connected household smoke and fire alarms also help to reduce the cost of replacing and maintaining systems that can be remotely monitored and serviced, as well as time spent on property call-outs.

7. Smart Appliances

With smart appliances, you can get constant diagnostics and operational data. Even more helpfully, they can transmit to service centres where they can instantly diagnose problems and, if need be, order the parts required.

For example, LG developed internet-connected smart appliances that save energy by operating more efficiently. Their “Smart Diagnosis” feature troubleshoots issues quickly before they become bigger problems. When the appliance detects a fault, it diagnoses and finds a solution by telephoning the LG Call Centre or communicating through a smartphone app. This could save housing associations and tenants time and money.

8. Garden Irrigation Systems

In communal areas, often there is green space that needs upkeep. A property with outdoor space can be difficult to maintain all year round. Once again, smart technology now exists which can remotely manage garden irrigation from afar. Sprinklers that are connected to a network can be managed easily online.

Solar-powered sensors are also available that can fully monitor garden life, catering for heat, humidity and soil conditions. This could improve outdoor spaces while removing much of the need for onsite maintenance.

9. Healthcare

The NHS deals with one million patients every thirty-six hours, and much of this effort is spent on health monitoring. Connected technology could provide additional healthcare benefits for vulnerable tenants through remote monitoring and communication. Such technology is still in development, but there is room in the market for wearable tech partnering up with the healthcare sector. For social housing organisations, public health is a critical issue for serving the community.

10. Smart Meters

With 4.2 million connected utility meters currently in homes and businesses across the UK, the appeal of smart meter installations is evident. Knowing heating, electric and water usage in real-time has a tremendous benefit for public housing organisations. Property managers no longer need to rely on estimated bills and tenants can be assured that they only pay for exactly what they use.

--

This is my team’s list of some key benefits that Cradlepoint have been discussing with customers, however the possibilities are endless. Simply put, having a connected property stock will make managing housing easier, cheaper and more efficient. Being armed with an accurate, real-time picture puts housing providers in control, allowing for better maintenance and repairs planning, more economical purchasing, and informed decisions when it comes to placing tenants. It could reduce administration, phone calls and property visits required to diagnose potential issues and carry out repairs, as well as provide accurate data from sensors to monitor households that appear to be struggling, and work proactively with them before an illness or property damage occurs.

If you would like to know more about the innovative technology that enables all these amazing devices, please get in touch.

question: What does the text say about the benefits of a smart home heating system?

answer: A smart thermostat can be controlled remotely, which can reduce the risk of pipes freezing and bursting when no one is home, and facilities managers can use them to reduce power consumption and save on energy costs. Some appliances can also carry out their own preventative maintenance.

question: What does the text say about the Internet of Things?

answer: Anything that can be assigned an IP address and transmit data over a network is part of the Internet of Things. It has the potential to be a game-changer for facilities management and social housing providers, and it is making the concept of a "smart city" a reality. The Internet of Things can significantly reduce the time spent on property visits, pre-empt maintenance problems, and improve the health and well being of tenants.

question: What does the text say about the cost of smart home devices?


split: train

text:
It used to be that a man ranting and raving in the street would be deemed insane.

It used to be that murder and sin would be scarce, and that we could all sleep safe in our beds.

I long for the days that used to be.

Times were that we could live solely for ourselves, develop hobbies, and survive. Now, it's a do or die enviroment, where theres just two choice: Co-operate, or kill.
Should it be that we choose kill, we become no better than those who hound us, seek our scent and divulge into the most barbaric of natures. However, co-operation carries it's own risks.

Emotional attachment is always far too common, and not a day goes by where we don't lament upon the fate of others, or envy the fortune of the rest. It appears that the seven deadly sins strike into each corner of the globe, taking victims as they deem fit.

Sloth strikes upon most, the creatures of the wastes striking as they simply just lay there, incapable of movement. Their cries are heard throughout the encampments, and no one man is safe, regardless of weaponry or strength.

Lust fuels the savage, whether it be for money, power, or more... carnal desires. These men show no mercy, and create in-fighting, deterring our attention from the true enemy.

Gluttony leads to a drain on resources, and as famine and starvation plague our "society", we are left far too weak to retaliate, and so some are left to die, their frail bodies posing no threat to those outside.

Greed appears to fuel all these sins, sowing the seeds of treason, trickery, manipulation and violence. This avarice simply descends into anarchy, devolving a once civilized location to simply survival of the fittest, or the most under-hand, as it would seem, with raiders occupying many old-world establishments.

Envy and Pride are rarely seen seperate, as many men are born and slain by their own hubris. We all long for a greater life, and so we channel this through personal possessions. When bartering cannot offer you that which you seek, some would descend into such primitive nature, as, to quote an ancient bard, civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

And so we all invoke Wrath.
We all are led to the same fate.
And we all, inevitably, decay.

title: Seven (First time writing in roughly a year)

question: In what time period is the story written?

answer: Information not found.

question: Will the narrator choose to cooperate or kill?

answer: Information not found.

question: Is the narrator in a sort of post-apocalyptic scenario?

answer: Information not found.

question: Does it get better?

answer: Information not found.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator depicts a society where it is: cooperate or kill and describes how the 7 deadly sins are part of this society.


text:
The 30TH BATTALION was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand 3rd Division, raised for service during the Second World War. After being raised in late 1940, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Fiji and on New Caledonia during the early part of the war, before undertaking combat operations during the latter part of the Solomon Islands campaign, landing on Vella Lavella and the Green Islands in 1943–1944. The battalion was disbanded in mid-1944 to return manpower to the New Zealand economy and to provide reinforcements to the New Zealand 2nd Division, which was fighting in Italy.

History

Formed in September 1940, and drawing personnel from the Canterbury and Otago districts, the 30th Battalion was initially assigned to the 8th Brigade, before eventually becoming part of the 14th Brigade, which served in the Pacific. Shortly after its establishment, the battalion undertook garrison duties on Fiji to defend against a possible Japanese attack, before handing over to US troops.

Service on New Caledonia followed before the 3rd Division concentrated on Guadalcanal in August 1943. As the Solomon Islands campaign progressed, the 3rd Division was given a combat role, and the 30th Battalion took part in its first combat operation of the war, landing on Vella Lavella in September 1943. In February 1944, the 30th fought another battle against the Japanese, this time on Nissan Island. In mid-1944, amidst a manpower shortage in New Zealand, the battalion returned to New Zealand and was broken up to return personnel to civilian industry and to provide reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division, fighting in Italy.

Over 2,000 personnel served in the battalion throughout the war. Of these, three were killed in action, two died of wounds, 10 were wounded in action and three died of illness or in accidents. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: one Distinguished Service Order, one Distinguished Conduct Medal, two Military Medals, and three Mentioned in Despatches. One US Legion of Honor was also awarded. For their service, the 30th Battalion received four battle honours: “Solomons”, “Vella Lavella”, “Green Islands”, and “South Pacific 1942–44”. In 1957, these honours were passed to the battalion's successor units: the Canterbury Regiment, the Otago and Southland Regiment, and the Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment.[1]

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 30th Battalion during the war:

-   Lieutenant Colonel J.B. Mawson
-   Lieutenant Colonel J. Irving
-   Lieutenant Colonel H.A. Pattullo
-   Lieutenant Colonel S.A. McNamara

[1]

title: 30th Battalion (New Zealand)

question: What was the 30th Battalion?

answer: The 30th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand 3rd Division, raised for service during the Second World War.

question: When was the 30th Battalion formed?

answer: It was formed in September 1940.

question: Where was the 30th Battalion initially assigned?

answer: It was initially assigned to the 8th Brigade.

question: Shortly after the establishment of the 8th Brigade, where did the battalion take duties?

answer: The 30th battalion took on garrison duties on Fiji to defend against a possible Japanese attack, before handing over to US troops.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the history, establishment, and purpose of the 30th Battalion in New Zealand.


text:
NHS trusts are still treating junior doctors as if they are expendable at a time when low morale should be a priority

[]A family friend isn’t happy. Fresh from graduation—and only days from beginning his first proper job—Sam has yet to set eyes on a contract, a rota, or even basic information about what he can expect to be paid. And no, he isn’t embarking on a career as an Uber driver, Deliveroo courier, or some other ad hoc entrant into Britain’s burgeoning gig economy. Sam is a final year medical student. Five A-levels, a degree in medicine, and another in science under his belt: he is the kind of graduate big firms would leap at. But the employer failing him so dismally—before he’s even started life as a doctor—is Britain’s biggest, the NHS.

Sam’s experience is far from unique. As is depressingly usual for July, junior doctors and medical students have been peppering social media with forlorn posts asking their peers what to do about their new employers, the NHS trusts flatly ignoring their pleas to provide them with a contract, rota, and confirmation of their salary in advance of starting work.

These requirements are hardly outlandish. In what other job—graduate entry or otherwise—are you expected to sign a waiver opting out of the European working time directive and start work without being given any information whatsoever about what you will be paid or what your working hours will be? It says something about doctors’ capacity to accept their lot that any one of us tolerates being treated with such corporate disdain.

A colleague, only three years into her training, summed it up to me like this: “I just assumed this must be how it’s done in medicine. Whenever I’ve asked medical staffing for a contract and salary details before starting work, I’ve been made to feel like I’m doing something wrong just by asking. The implication was that I should be grateful I had this opportunity to be a doctor, so just stop being so demanding. When you look back on it, it’s madness.”

Madness indeed. Another colleague describes being called out of the blue by his HR department shortly after being signed off sick for a fortnight. Despite having informed his seniors of his absence for serious illness, HR informed him that they expected him to find his own locum cover, that the rota gap was his own fault, and that it was unprofessional and unacceptable that he had not himself somehow filled it. “It was humiliating,” he told me. “I was vulnerable. But they expected me to email my colleagues, explain my health problems to everyone, and persuade someone to cover for me. It made me feel as though I wasn’t valued in the system at all.”

One of the glimmers of hope emanating from last year’s dismal dispute between junior doctors and the government was the unprecedented chorus of pledges from every powerful institution within the medical establishment to tackle the problem of rock bottom morale among doctors in training. I thought—perhaps naively—that this would mean proper action, not mere words. So how is it that a full year later, in July 2017, NHS trusts are still getting away with treating their newest doctors—the ones filled to the brim with hope and enthusiasm—with such frank disdain?

Is it really beyond the combined might of the health secretary, NHS England, NHS Employers, the GMC, and Health Education England—all of whom have promised to get serious about addressing low morale in an alienated doctor workforce—to ensure that trusts can no longer exploit their youngest and most vulnerable medics in this manner? And, at least as pertinently in an era of unprecedented NHS staff shortages, can any of them really afford not to? Around one in 10 specialty training posts were reported unfilled this year. So on basic economic grounds—if not those of decency—ensuring that juniors aren’t made to feel cheap and expendable ought to be a top priority.

Responsibility rests most obviously with individual employers. There are 152 acute hospital trusts in England. That means there are potentially 152 trust CEOs who are either choosing to turn a blind eye to or—worse—simply not caring about the fact that the institutions they lead are failing to provide their junior doctors with such basics as a contract, a rota, and a confirmed salary before employing them. There may well be individual trusts who can confirm that none of their junior doctors are being treated in this manner. But can all trust CEOs guarantee that from this point onwards, none of their junior doctor employees will be subjected to these practices—and if not, why not?

_RACHEL CLARKE is a specialty doctor in palliative medicine based in Oxford. Twitter @DOCTOR_OXFORD_

COMPETING INTERESTS: None declared.

question: Summarize the responsibility of NHS trusts according to the author of this article.

answer: The NHS trusts are required to give their applicants-upon hire-a comprehensive and comprehensible outline of the terms of their contract. They should also be held accountable for making payments on time and in the full amount of the agreed-upon salary. Finally, NHS trusts need to describe and adhere to a rotating schedule of work performed by different doctors so that they may be relieved from their position without the patients' suffering lack of or inadequate care.

question: Summarize how an unclear contract can penalize an unknowing employee.

answer: A doctor may find themselves penalized by the antics of HR should they be late to or absent from work without sufficient notice-even with justifiable cause such as illness. In this case, the doctor can even be held responsible for reaching out to colleagues and explaining their illness in order to find someone to fill the gap in the rotating schedule. Furthermore, they are sometimes chastised for having let down the team despite evidence that their illness is clearly not their fault.

question: Summarize how minor recent precedents offer some hope to junior doctors in the UK, and speak to whether or not that promise is realistic.

answer: For starters, voices of dissent are being published and presumably read. This article is likely one among many, and in the age of viral information, the internet distributes op-eds like this one readily. On a more concrete level, the author cites a situation last year (as of the time of the writing of this article) in which every institution holding some power in the medical arena pledged to do whatever it takes to bolster morale amongst junior doctors. However, it is clear that the loose tenets of this promise have not been applied, as doctors continue to lament a reality that is less than respectful and appreciative of their work and qualifications.

question: Summarize the concrete and executable steps necessary to implement change on a structural level that will remedy the demoralizing and tiring conditions for junior doctors in the UK at present.


text:
In Elliott Friedman’s most recent 30 Thoughts, he mentioned in thought #26 that he was hearing rumblings that the 2018 NHL All-Star Game would be in the southeast.

Now Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy has written that it is likely to be Tampa as the host, reporting: “The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to host the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, multiple sources with knowledge of the process tell Yahoo Sports. The deal hasn’t been officially announced, but barring a late setback the event will return to Tampa for the first time in 19 years.”

One mitigating factor that might stop the ASG from being hosted in Tampa Bay is the NHL’s scheduling of the Olympics. An All-Star Game would preclude the NHL from taking two weeks off for the Olympics in addition to the All-Star break. According to Joe Smith, despite the fact that the league and team have not yet commented,

  The delay in the announcement of an All-Star Game appeared to be linked to the uncertainty over the NHL's potential participation in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea. It sounds more and more like the NHL won't be going to the Olympics. Next year's NHL schedule is expected to be announced later this summer.

Tampa Bay hasn’t hosted the NHL All-Star Game since the 1998-99 season when Amalie Arena was still known as the Ice Palace. Tampa has long been a destination for special events in professional sports. The area has hosted the Super Bowl four times, the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament four times, the Final Four for the women’s tournament twice (as well as another scheduled for 2019), the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four hockey tournament twice, as well as the Formula One St. Pete Grand Prix.

With the weather and location, as well as the success of the All-Star Game in Nashville and Los Angeles, Tampa is a great choice for the All-Star game. The league won’t have to worry about weather in Florida impacting travel or the schedule. Amalie Arena is one of the ten largest venues in the NHL and has gone through some extensive renovations since Jeff Vinik purchased the team, and due to Vinik’s investment was named the best sports franchise by ESPN’s Ultimate Rankings in 2016.

For Lightning fans, it’ll be an incredible opportunity to see the NHL’s best players participate in the skills competition and the presumed continuation of the 3-on-3 tournament to determine the winner of the weekend. Plus all of the festivities that will go on in and around the arena for the weekend as the NHL’s stars converge on Tampa Bay.

I’m excited. You should be excited. This! Is! Awesome!

question: What NHL teams are mentioned in this document?

answer: Tampa Bay Lightning is the only team mentioned

question: What is the main point of this document?

answer: At the time of this document, Tampa was in talks of being the host of the NHL All-Star Game. However, there was delay in the announcement of this due to NHL's potential participation in the 2018 Olympics.

question: What does the 2018 Olympics in South Korea have to do with this document?

answer: The NHL was in talks of participating in the 2018 Olympics, which was stalling the announcement of the NHL All-Star Game taking place in Tampa.

question: Which city is mentioned the most in this document?

answer: Tampa

question: What deal hasn't been officially announced at the time of this document?

answer: The deal is Tampa being the host of the NHL 2018 All-Star Game.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of this document, Tampa was in talks of being the host of the NHL All-Star Game. However, there was delay in the announcement of this due to NHL's potential participation in the 2018 Olympics. Due to timing, the All-Star Game wouldn't allow the NHL to take two weeks off for the Olympics.


text:
“Hands”
	It began almost as soon as I woke up. In fact, it was what caused my awakening. It sounded like there was something crawling within the walls of my bedroom. Mice, I thought. I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed.
	I shower silently. I never understood people who listened to music or sang in the shower. Silence is what I liked. Even the sound of the running water made me cringe. The warm water pounded at my back. I felt something soft on my shoulder. I turned around quickly, a chill running up my spine. I turned down the cold water.
	I tried to relax again, but the chill never went away. I stepped out of the shower and over to the sink. I pulled a razor and shaving cream out of the medicine cabinet. As I closed the cabinet, I saw the towel that was hanging up drop to the floor in the mirror. I turned around quizzically. Shaking my head and sighing, I bent down to pick up the towel and put it back on the rack just as I saw something scurry across the tiled floor to the sliver of space between the opened bathroom door and the wall. Fuck, it has to be rats. I quickly finished shaving and went downstairs to the kitchen.
Starting a fresh pot of coffee, I tried to remember if I had any rat traps left somewhere. Maybe that would warm me up. I opened the door to the pantry and stood on my toes so I could see the contents of the top shelf. I saw the outline of something and reached my hand in. I felt around until my fingers ran into something soft. It moved just as I went to grab it. I jumped and stepped back. Instinctively, I put my hand over my chest to calm myself. I heard the last few drops dripping into the coffee pot. I poured myself a cup. As I sat, sipping at my coffee, I convinced myself that it was only my imagination. Imagination? Wow, I haven’t used that in years. It was hard for me to even remember the last time my mind wandered elsewhere. Well, there were those times when I- no, I won’t go into that.
	I heard a child outside, screaming with joy. I stood up and walked to the kitchen window. Pushing back the curtain, I could see the young boy running through a sprinkler. He screamed again, causing my fist to clench and jaws to lock. There was a sudden, loud crash behind me. I whipped around to find the coffee pot lying in hundreds of pieces on the floor. How had it fallen? Did the rat knock it over? I sighed and went to the hallway closet for rags and a broom.
	I threw away the broken glass, and washed the mug I had used. I decided to check the garage for something to kill this rat that kept ruining my morning. I moved past the plastic containers, which were now starting to fill up the garage, to the tools. I really needed to clean them off from the last time I used them. I rustled through a box until I found an old poison rat trap. I opened it and saw it had already been used.
	I heard the clicking of heels on the driveway outside the garage door. I sighed to myself and threw the trap away. I heard the doorbell ring and started making my way to the front door. As I was closing the garage door, I felt a tug at the bottom of my pant leg. I looked down, hoping to catch the rat red-handed, but the doorbell rang again. I huffed and stomped to the front of the house. I opened the door halfway.
	“Hi,” a young blonde woman was standing on the old welcome mat, smiling at me.
	I opened the door fully, “Hello.”
	“I just wanted to introduce myself. I just moved in next door,” she smiled and held her hand out.
	I looked down at her hand for a moment, then back up to meet her eyes. I shook her hand slowly.
	When she pulled away, I noticed her fidgeting with her bracelets, “Well, it was nice meeting you. If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”
	I flicked my tongue across my lips, still staring at her hands. I smiled at her, “I’ll be sure to do that.”
	I closed the door silently and wiped my face with my hand. I turned around and saw grey everywhere. Rats weren’t the cause of my shake up this morning. All around me were severed hands. Shit, I left the garage door open. They began to climb up my pant legs. I tried shaking them off, but they held tight. I began swatting at them. They covered my eyes and mouth. There were just too many.

title: "Hands" a short story I wrote for my English class

question: What is the narrator's fate at the end of the story?

answer: He is swarmed (and possibly killed) by the hands.

question: How did the coffee pot break?

answer: One of the hands must have knocked it onto the floor.

question: Why was the blonde woman fiddling with her bracelet?

answer: Presumably she was able to see the severed hands and was nervous.

question: What is the soft thing in the shelf that the narrator's fingers brush against?

answer: Presumably another hand


text:
Introduction

Before we begin, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is not important, but who I am is. I am the last and only remaining observer of the apocalypse. The story you are about to read is about you and everyone you love.

Part 1 – Heat

“I can’t wait for the winter.” Zach says to himself, staring out his bedroom window at an empty park across the street. Zach is a 20 year old human, a college drop out. He was a political science major before the announcement. He didn’t see any reason to have any ambitions given the situation.

He sits on the edge of his bed and turns on the television in his room. He grew up in this house, and he knows it intimately. The volume on the television is too low to hear, Zach still looks outside of the window. “It will be better in the winter” he sighs.

The local 6 o’clock news plays silently. The closed captioning on the news reads “farmers are leaving their crops at a quickening pace, food prices are skyrocketing”.

Zach is still day dreaming about the cold when he is startled by a knock at the door.

“Dinner is ready!”

It was obvious to Zach’s mother that she had startled him. She already knew what was on his mind.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. We’re all a bit jumpy this time of year.”

Zach’s family didn’t have to worry about food prices. Zach’s parents were both involved in lucrative careers, and he has always enjoyed most everything he has ever wanted. Today all he wanted was to go outside and run for miles. If he ever got the chance, he decided he wouldn’t plan on stopping, and that he would run until he couldn’t run anymore.  Running outside is against the law now, and has been since the announcement. Only the police are allowed to run outside, and even then only under special circumstances. A boy who lived down the street ignored these rules a couple weeks ago and there has been no word of what happened to him since. Zach envied him, and hated himself for being too scared to follow his lead.

At the dinner table the discussion was brief and short as usual. Humans don’t talk as much as they used to. Humans are funny; they will do anything to keep living. Actually almost everything has changed since the U.N. made the announcement last April. The humans have migrated to rural areas at a staggering rate, and businesses have their employees work from home whenever possible.  Air conditioning is mandated for every property. The more comfortable people are, the lower their heart rate is. This keeps them alive longer. This helps them survive.

Zach finished his food and went back to his room. He spends most of his time there, watching television and drawing. He finds peace in solitude. As an optimist he tries to keep his brain on the move, just in case there is a solution. Apathy is his death and he knows it.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, chasing sleep. He dreams about Christmas as a child, the presents, family gatherings, and snowball fights.

title: O - Part 1

question: Why did Zach drop out of college?

answer: Because, due to the apocalypse, a degree wouldn't be of any use to him.

question: What sort of apocalypse does the story center around?

answer: Global warming

question: Why does Zach believe things will be better in the winter?

answer: Because they won't be facing the same extreme heat.

question: Why does Zach occupy himself with drawing and watching television?

answer: Because he thinks he will die if he becomes inactive.


text:
The ceiling was white. Jon was lying on a hospital bed, about to be wheeled into surgery. Jon was no stranger to surgery as he had been though dozens of life altering cut-ups, he did have a problem however with “the gas”. “Sleeping Gas” as it is known colloquially, is known medically as general anesthesia, which is used to induce a coma during surgery. Jon hated the “gas”, he was afraid of it.

“I don’t like it, Ma” Jon said.

“I know, Jon. But you have to. I already asked and the surgeon said he’d be uncomfortable with you just being under L.A.”

L.A. or local anesthesia, much like the city it shares its acronym with, renders its patients physicality unresponsive, devoid of sensation, but ironically conscious. Jon had attempted to negotiate that his surgeries be done with nothing but L.A, to escape the “gas”.

“What is the problem with the G.A. anyway? Isn’t it just like going to sleep?” Jon’s father asked brusquely.

“Pa. It terrorizes me because it is so unlike sleep. You know when you take a nap or wake up the next morning, you are fully conscious of the fact that time has passed? With G.A, there’s like a gap in your existence. It’s like you died for the duration of your surgery and brought back to life. I don’t like it.” Jon mused.

Soon after, the Anesthesiologist arrived, she was there to ask some procedural questions like what prescription drugs Jon had been taking, if Jon had eaten anything six hours before, et cetera et cetera. Jon knew all the answers by hard, he had been though this countless times. Jon’s mother however, attempted to facilitate an abrupt discussion surrounding “the gas”. Jon played along but in truth he knew what the answers were. So while she went on and on about how harmless it was, and how there were no long term physical repercussions…et cetera, et cetera. Jon began panicking about the repercussions to his psyche, he had terrible memories surrounding “the gas”, namely more dangerous and life threatening surgeries he underwent as a child.

Soon it was time to be rolled into the operating theater. Jon’s sympathy party stood up to say goodbye.

“You have nothing to be afraid of Jon! It’s only knee surgery! Nothing vital or life threatening this time!” John’s father exclaimed.

“MY GOD. Does no one get IT?!” Jon thought as he entered the theater.

Jon’s fear was palpable now. The nurses in the operating theater hooked Jon up to the medical apparatus that transformed his vital signs into a series of lines and beeps.

“ Are you afraid or nervous Jon?” the nursed asked.

“No. Why?” Jon fibbed.

“Then why is your heart rate so high?” she replied pointed at the screen making successive beeps.

“No idea.” Jon falsifying again.

“ ‘Sup Jon! How’re we doing today?” Jon’s orthopedic surgeon pronouncing his arrival.

Jon liked him; definitely liked him enough to forgive him for denying the request for no “gas”. Jon replied with further fabrications surrounding his state of mind and false fortitude.

With the arrival of his surgeon, it was time for surgery to begin. It was time for “the gas”. Now Jon had finally begun to resign himself to this, he took a deep breath and steeled himself for death. Jon heard the twist of a valve, a rush of air, the cacophony of beeps as the mask loomed over his face, and then all was darkness.

***

Then Jon awoke. The ceiling was still white.

title: The Gas

question: Why is Jon afraid of sleeping gas?

answer: He feels it is more like dying than sleeping

question: What does Jon request in lieu of general anesthesia?

answer: Local anesthesia

question: Why is Jon getting surgery?

answer: There is some unspecified problem with one of his knees

question: Who is with Jon just before his surgery?

answer: His parents

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Jon is in a hospital bed waiting to have surgery on one of his knees. He is afraid of being put under general anesthesia with sleeping gas. He tells his parents it's more like dying than going to sleep. He is taken to the operating theater, is put under, and then wakes up.


text:
lost and found

Marinette Dupain-Cheng watched with dissatisfaction as her best friend, Alya Cesaire, pulled on her bright orange, down-filled coat. Nino Lahiffe, another longtime friend and Alya’s boyfriend, was doing the same with his decidedly less fussy jacket.

“Do you really have to go?” Marinette whined.

Alya wrinkled her nose. “I know, Mari, I’m sorry! It’s just that I _have_ to get back home to finish this video project. It’s due in three days and I’m so close to being done that I can taste it.”

Nino held a hand up apologetically. “And I have to be—”

“A supportive boyfriend, I know,” Marinette said, waving one hand toward them dismissively as she took a sip out of her drink with the other. She pursed her lips, but then gave them a goofy grin. “Get out of here already.”

“Is it really that bad to be stuck here with me?” came a sheepish voice from beside Marinette.

Nino laughed. “Where’d you pick up those guilt trip skills, Adrien? Your dad?”

Adrien Agreste, the fourth and final member of the inseparable quadrant of friends, sat in the seat beside Marinette’s with his hand in his chin, looking playfully morose.

 Marinette turned beet-red. “Oh, Adrien, you know I didn’t mean it like that—I just haven’t seen Alya all week, and she already has to go—”

 Adrien placed a reassuring hand on Marinette’s shoulder and threw her a bright smile. “It’s fine, Mari. I’m joking.”

Alya leaned in to give Marinette a hug and air kiss, and then Nino did the same. “I’ll see you in a few days! I’m camping out at Nino’s to finish this project, and then I promise I’m all yours for all of next week after this hell is over.”

 “I’m holding you to your word!” Marinette said, before she waved them off.

As Nino and Alya exited the bar, Marinette turned back around and noticed that Adrien’s hand was still on her shoulder. He was absentmindedly chewing on the straw of his drink, apparently totally unaware of the continuing bodily contact.

Marinette marveled; just four years ago, she would have melted on the spot. Adrien Agreste, with his kind heart, brilliant green eyes, stylish mop of blond hair that always seemed to fall the perfect way over his forehead, tall, built body, and impossibly sweet smile, was touching her without a second thought. But now—

Marinette had long since gotten over her teenage crush on Adrien, which she occasionally remembered with embarrassment—not at the fact that she’d liked him, as she’d always found him quite likable, but at how she’d been rendered positively speechless whenever he was around for at least two years. Now that they were twenty and they’d known each other so well for what felt like forever, it seemed laughable that Adrien Agreste, dork and cat-lover extraordinaire, could ever have made her nervous, beautiful and sweet as he might be.

“You okay there?” Marinette said, waving one hand in front of Adrien’s glazed eyes.

Adrien startled, sitting up a little straighter and removing his hand from her shoulder. “Huh?”

“You seemed to zone out for a minute. You _have_ been quiet today,” she added with a frown. “What’s been going on?”

Adrien shook his head quickly, and his lips curled up into a smile. “Nothing. It’s been a _long_ exam period, that’s all.”

Marinette took a sip out of her own drink and grimaced at the amount of alcohol in it. She envisioned the liquid traveling down her throat and burning smoky holes in it along the way. “You sure? I know how you are about hiding things,” she chided.

Adrien, as Alya liked to say, had always had the poor-little-rich-boy thing down to an art form. As a professional model who had never let his popularity get to his head and remained perpetually sweet and hard-working, even as he climbed higher and higher peaks to success, Adrien was revered by all except the person who mattered most to him. Gabriel Agreste, much to Marinette’s confusion, never seemed satisfied with his son’s performance in anything. She wondered if Adrien had spoken with his father today.

 “I’m _fine_,” Adrien reassured her, and he looked pointedly at her glass. “You, on the other hand, need to catch up.”

Marinette frowned down at her drink. “It’s too strong,” she complained. “I’ll be out like a light if I finish this.”

Adrien laughed, and without a word, he slid his glass across the table and took hers.

Marinette stuck her tongue out at him, but she picked up his glass and sipped. Something floral, with just a hint of sweetness, seemed to melt over her tongue. She pursed her lips. “Much better,” she admitted. “Thanks.”

Adrien clinked his newly-claimed drink against hers. “Bottoms up, Marinette. Let’s celebrate the end of a spectacularly terrible semester.”

---

Even while half-slumped over, disheveled, and reeking of alcohol, Adrien Agreste managed to look relatively glamorous. It made Marinette, who looked like a creature from the underworld when she was that drunk, sick to her stomach. Or maybe that was the liquor.

Exhausted, excited, and probably not full enough of carbohydrates, both of them had outdone themselves at the bar, although Marinette at least knew she’d make it to the next morning alive. She wasn’t so sure about Adrien, whose forehead was hot against her shoulder as he snoozed, snoring softly.

It was like stepping into the taxi had somehow hit Adrien’s “off” switch: one moment, he’d been talking and joking animatedly, convincingly, to Marinette, to the point where she’d wondered if the alcohol had even affected him at all, and the next, he’d been out.

 The taxicab pulled up to Adrien’s townhouse, and Marinette turned to gently shake Adrien by the shoulder.

“Adrien.”

“Mmmph.”

“Adrien, come _on_. You can’t sleep here.”

Adrien lifted his head and looked at Marinette through one bleary eye. “Whudtimeizit?” He peered past her through the taxicab window. “I don’t wanna go in there.”

Marinette frowned. “What do you mean?”

 Adrien shrugged, eyes half-lidded and glassy. Even in his intoxicated, barely-there state, his expression was like a parody of someone who was trying very hard to look casual. “I just don’t want to.”

 “Adrien… Are you okay?”

Marinette caught the cab driver looking impatiently at them through the rearview mirror, and she bit her lip, thinking quickly. She _knew _it. He hadn’t been himself all night, but every time she’d tried to approach it, Adrien had masked whatever he was burying with another goofy smile and a stupid pun. But something was very clearly wrong, and she couldn’t just leave him alone in that big house, where she knew he lived all by himself.

Marinette nodded to herself. Right, then. She was going to take care of this.

She turned to the cab driver and gave him the address for her flat. Adrien could sober up there, tell her what was going on, and then spend the night and let her force-feed him a hangover-curing breakfast the next morning, even if it killed him.

 ---

“Here,” Marinette said, pushing a large glass of water into Adrien’s hands. “Drink all of it.”

Adrien stared at the water for a moment before downing it in four loud gulps. “Thank you.”

Marinette sat down beside him on her couch, observing him with a critical eye. He was still glassy-eyed and smelled as though he’d dragged half the bar into her apartment with him, but he was, at the very least, more lucid than he’d been in the cab.

“Adrien.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows and glanced at her sideways.

“What’s going on?” Marinette paused, and then added firmly, “And don’t try to tell me it’s nothing!”

Adrien pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on an indeterminate spot on the wall, before he turned his eyes to her. Marinette was momentarily stunned—she wondered how she managed to be surprised, time after time, at how very _green_ they were.

“Marinette…” He swallowed. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

Marinette felt her heart sink into her stomach. Adrien looked as though he might cry and didn’t sound too far off from it, either. She thought about all the secrets she’d kept over the years from her closest friends, even Alya, and reminded herself that she’d want any one of them to react with acceptance and an open mind if she ever chose to reveal those secrets to them.

“Try me,” she said softly. “You’d be surprised."

Adrien’s eyes remained trained on her own for five long seconds before he pressed his fist against his mouth. “Okay,” he mumbled. “Do you remember Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

Marinette felt her brow furrow in a knee-jerk reaction. She almost wanted to laugh. Did she remember Ladybug and Chat Noir? She had _lived and breathed_ Ladybug and Chat Noir. They formed a core part of her soul. But it had been a long, long time since Paris had needed its heroes.

After the defeat of Hawkmoth, Chat Noir had disappeared. And after a few weeks of showing up on rooftop after empty rooftop waiting fruitlessly for her partner to come out from the shadows, Marinette had forced herself to retire Ladybug as well. Marinette had given a tearful goodbye to Tikki and handed the earrings back to Master Fu, assuring him that if evil ever returned to Paris, she'd take them back in a heartbeat.

The depression that had ensued had been unfathomable in its depth. The eighteenth year of Marinette’s life was a black hole that she hardly remembered.

Subconsciously, Marinette raised a hand to one unadorned earlobe. It was only when she saw Adrien look at her curiously, cautiously, that she realized she hadn't responded yet. “Uh—uh-huh,” she said, nodding.

“Well, what if…” Adrien’s eyes fell to his hands, which were folded in his lap, but he appeared to force himself to look back at her once more before continuing to speak. “Mari, what if I told you that _I_ was Chat Noir?”

There was only silence then, and Marinette could only begin to guess what her expression must have looked like in those few seconds following Adrien’s statement.

Truly, she hadn’t even realized it was possible to feel so much at one time. A string of jumbled words—_Wait what did I hear that right he can’t be serious can he_—buzzed through her brain as a dim roar, like water rushing to a shore, filled her ears. Simultaneously, a particularly prickly sensation crawled up her body in a wave, until it reached her heart.

“Wh-what?” she whispered.

Adrien let out a shaky, mirthless laugh. “I told you you’d think I was crazy.”

Much to Marinette’s surprise, Adrien didn’t look shocked or hurt at her apparent disbelief. This made the moment more painful, somehow. She scrambled to pull herself together. “No—no, Adrien, I'm just—”

“I know it's a lot to take in,” he interrupted, and he looked at her with such pleading in his eyes that she found herself unable to speak once more. “And I don't have my miraculous anymore, so I don't think I have any way of proving it to you. But...”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw him absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against his ring finger, and it was as if someone had splashed a bucket of cold water over her head. Blinking rapidly, she started to see him in a totally new light, dizzy with how quickly her brain was suddenly connecting the dots. The same bright green eyes, framed by the same long lashes. _Of course. _The same perfectly unruly sunkissed hair, just a little more windblown when he was flying from building to building and somersaulting in midair to avoid an akuma attack. All those nights where the mission had ended, and it had been time to detransform and go home, and her partner had been so reluctant to do so, because—

_“I don’t wanna go in there.”_

Because he’d either had to go home to an empty house, or to Gabriel Agreste, which was almost worse than nothing at all. And then there was the newly added dimension to the understanding that Gabriel was Hawkmoth, a revelation that had shaken Marinette to her core and sent Adrien into a tailspin for the better part of that year. But she could only imagine, knowing what she knew now, how he must have felt in the moment as Chat Noir: triumph, at first, in finally apprehending their years-long enemy, only to find out it was his own father. And then, to see him taken to jail and dragged through the mud, and to bear some of that burden as his son, as well, without being able to tell a soul that he'd been the one to capture him in the first place.

 Marinette felt a fresh pang of hurt for him in her heart. _Of course of course of course of course—_

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette breathed.

Adrien’s own expression transformed as he registered the sorrow in Marinette’s eyes, in the set of her mouth. His lips parted, and Marinette heard the softest intake of breath. “You believe me.”

Marinette nodded. “I do.”

She did. All this time. All this time, the partner she’d missed and mourned and cursed and cried over had been right here. Everything inside her was on fire.

“Thank you, Marinette,” Adrien said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his head. “You have no idea—”

And surely—surely, he didn’t have a clue that she was—

In the back of her mind, Marinette heard Adrien’s voice shaking, and she tuned back in, alarmed.

“—I thought it’d get easier, you know, with the passage of time—but it’s been two years, and…” Adrien ran his hands through his hair. “I still feel so _empty_, like I lost a part of my body, or worse—like—”

“Like you don’t have the same soul you did before,” Marinette finished.

Adrien looked up at her, and Marinette bit back a gasp. The glassiness in Adrien’s eyes was now distinctly amplified by unshed tears.

“_Yes_,” he whispered. “And the worst part is… Marinette… I abandoned her. Ladybug. After it was all over. I saw…You know. That night, I saw my father, and—I just—I got scared, and I went to M—the person who’d given me the miraculous in the first place, and I gave him my ring and told him—I couldn’t do it anymore, I—” Adrien stopped, and one hand rose to shield his eyes as a stifled sob erupted from his chest. “Sh-she was my best friend. And I left her all alone, with no explanation, and now she’s gone. I _miss_ her. And now I can’t even tell her… It’s all my fault.”

Marinette felt her own hand cover her mouth as she watched Adrien—sweet, joyful Adrien—begin to cry. Swallowing back tears of her own, Marinette scooted closer to him and put an arm around his back and leaned her chin on his shoulder, not knowing what she could possibly say. When—if ever—would be a good time to let him know that she was right here?

Adrien was wrought with sobs now, unable to speak. Marinette had never, in her many years of knowing him, seen him like this—but then again, she thought, it probably wasn't often that he let himself let go this way. She rubbed his back and tugged on his shoulder a bit, and eventually, he moved so that his head was tucked neatly between her chin and her shoulder. She could feel warm tears on her collarbone.

When Adrien had quieted, Marinette moved to sit up, as she’d slid against the back of the couch, but he was dead weight against her. She leaned down to see his face—his eyes were closed. Deep breaths told her that he was asleep.

She studied him. But for the wetness on his face, which Marinette wiped away carefully with the back of her index finger, it was impossible to tell he’d been so grief-stricken just moments before. Her heart was so full that she really thought for a moment that it might burst. Both sheer joy and potent, rending sadness competed to fill the empty space that had been left in Chat’s absence.

Adrien Agreste, Chat Noir—one and the same. Both totally heartbroken, just like her. She wondered how they’d managed to hide from each other so well for so long.

“_Chaton_,” she tried, softly. Her heart pounded like a bass drum in her ears.

Adrien remained dead asleep. Marinette bit her lip and felt two hot tears slip out of her eyes, down her cheeks, onto her neck, where Adrien’s had been moments prior.

“I’m here,” she breathed. “I’m here."

Minutes later, Marinette succumbed to her own inebriated exhaustion, and she fell asleep.

---

Marinette awoke when the ache in her neck grew to be too much to bear. She felt dizzy and a little ill, and the buzz in her head told her that she was still somewhat intoxicated. Adrien clung to her, his head on her chest, his own chest rising and falling with the rhythm of his sleep. She was parched.

As gently as she could, Marinette slipped out from underneath him and tiptoed through the dark to get to her kitchen, where she filled and downed two glasses of water. She filled one more and brought it back to the living room, where Adrien, hair mussed and eyes half-lidded with sleep, but awake, nonetheless, sat before her.

Marinette moved to hand him the glass, and then thought better of it. She reached out her free hand. “Come on.”

Adrien blinked at the outstretched hand for a moment, and Marinette, much to her surprise, felt four-year-old nerves revving back to life in the pit of her stomach. Thankfully, before she could stammer out a clumsy explanation, he took her hand, and Marinette led him to her small bedroom in the back of the apartment, turning out the lights as she went.

---

“Comfortable?” Marinette said quietly, making her way to the bed.

“Yes. Thank you.” Adrien’s silhouette was unfamiliar in the darkness, and again, Marinette’s stomach churned just a little bit.

“Of course,” she said, trying to sound as casual as possible, and suddenly, she was so nervous that she couldn’t even turn to him. She lay down, facing the ceiling. They were far enough apart that they didn’t touch, but still, Marinette was quite aware of the heat emanating from his body.

_Tell him. Why won’t you tell him?_

Marinette lay wide awake for who knew how long, pondering the question. It should have been such a simple thing. _You know how you said you’re Chat Noir? Well, I’m Ladybug. Surprise!_

But the terrifying part wasn’t really telling him, then, was it? It was what came after—the unknown. Would he be relieved and overjoyed and sad for the lost years, as she was? Or overwhelmed at the notion that she’d been there all along? Or—and this was the worst option, and the reaction she feared most—disappointed, perhaps, that it was just her? That would tarnish not just one, but two relationships she’d cherished since she’d been a young teenager. She didn’t know if she could take any more heartbreak.

But she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself. Now that she knew where her partner had been this whole time, he deserved to know the same. He deserved to know that she’d never really held it against him for disappearing, too.

“Adrien—”

“Are you awake?” Adrien whispered, at the same time Marinette had said his name. “Oh. I guess you are.”

He turned onto his side so he could face her. Marinette did the same. She could see the outline of his face—the dip between his brow and his cheekbone, the glint of his eyes—in the dim city light filtering in through the window.

“Wh-what’s up?” she said, and she was glad she had an excuse to whisper, or he’d have heard her voice trembling.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” he said softly. He sounded distinctly more sober now than he had before. “I’ve never told anyone what I told you tonight. It feels like a huge weight is off my chest. And maybe now… Even if I can’t go back and fix things, I can—”

“Adrien.” Marinette clutched at the sheets, the churning in her stomach intensifying.

“Hm?”

“I have something to tell you, too.”

“What is it?”

Marinette knew he could hear the trepidation in her voice from the concern in his.

She took her time, trying to choose her words carefully. “Um… You know… How you told me—that you felt like you’d lost a part of yourself… ever since you gave up being Chat Noir?”

Adrien nodded.

“W-well, me, too. I knew exactly how you felt, Adrien,” Marinette murmured, “because I’ve been living that for the last two years, too. Right there with you.”

There was a long pause. She couldn’t even hear him breathing anymore. In the darkness, Marinette couldn’t read Adrien’s eyes, but she wasn’t sure if she should be comforted or made more nervous by the fact that he didn’t take them off of hers.

“_Mon minou_,” she whispered, and she blinked away tears. “It’s me. I don’t have my miraculous, either, because I gave them back to Master Fu after… After I gave up on you coming back.”

She knew then that Adrien had to have been holding his breath for quite some time, because she finally heard him let out a shaky exhale. Instinctively, she pulled the covers up so close that they reached her nose.

And then, she felt his hand, skimming along the side of her face, tracing along her cheeks and lips.

“_Buginette_?” his voice was teetering somewhere between joy and disbelief, not a trace of disappointment to be found.

She let out something that was half a laugh and half a sob, and before she knew it, Adrien had closed the gap between them and thrown an arm around her so that his face was buried in her hair.

“My Lady,” he said, voice low. Marinette suspected he was trying to hold himself together. “_Marinette_. How? How did I not know?”

Marinette laughed thickly. “I guess we’re really good at hiding our identities, after all. I always thought I was pretty terrible at it.” She paused. “How were you so quick to believe me?”

Adrien pulled back, meeting her eyes. She saw a look of hesitation cross his face for the briefest moment—or maybe that was just the darkness—and then his hand slid down to hers under the covers, where he intertwined their fingers. Marinette felt something spark to life inside of her, deep and low.

“Well, you mentioned Master Fu. No one else could have possibly known about him. But even if you hadn’t, it’s like… You said it, and suddenly, I knew.”

Marinette smiled. “Me, too.”

Adrien smiled back, but then his face fell. “You—you said you gave your miraculous back to Master Fu after you gave up on me coming back. Does that mean you waited for me?”

Marinette bit her lip. She thought about lying. There was no point in him knowing, really, she thought; it’d only cause him fresh heartache that he didn’t need. But it seemed wrong to be dishonest in this particular hour, even if it were for his own good. “Yes.”

“How long?”

“Just a few weeks,” Marinette said, trying to make it sound as nonchalant as possible. But she was sure he could visualize it almost exactly as it had happened: Ladybug landing, night after night, on their usual rooftops, hopeful at first, then worried, spending the nights searching for him, and then beside herself, until she’d given up altogether out of pure exhaustion.

Adrien let out a soft “oh.”

“Please don’t be down on yourself about it,” she added hastily. “It’s not a big deal—and now we know—”

“So that’s why you were so—that whole year. After it was all over. For a really long time, Mari, because of me, you weren’t… You weren’t all there.”

Marinette squeezed his hand, which was still interlocked with hers. “Neither were you.”

And now she knew why. He had lost so much more than his father that year.

A long breath escaped Adrien. “I’m really sorry, _Buginette_. So sorry.”

“No, really,” Marinette insisted, panicking a little at the anguish in his voice. “Please don’t be sad. It’s okay now, see? We found each other in the end, right? And I was never angry to begin with. I just didn't understand. And now I do.”

Adrien was silent for what felt like an eternity. For some reason, Marinette worried for a moment that he might bolt—but finally, she saw the outline of his shoulders relaxing, and he moved himself closer to her, so that their foreheads touched. Marinette forgot how to breathe.

“I know I never lost you, after all,” he said. “But I’m really glad I found you again.”

Marinette couldn’t speak. She nodded, and Adrien let go of her hand to brush a tear away from her eye before it fell. His fingers remained on her face, his eyes fixed on hers, and she only had a second or two to ponder the expression on his face before he moved, ever so slightly, to press his lips against hers.

---

“You _WHAT_?” Alya groaned loudly into the phone, and Marinette carefully stepped out of bed, hoping she hadn’t woken Adrien. She wandered into the kitchen and began to gather pans and ingredients to make breakfast as Alya ranted about how she couldn’t believe this was happening in the middle of her finals.

“I swear, Marinette, once this is over, we need to go out and I want _every. Juicy. Detail._”

Marinette laughed. “It’s not—okay, well—it’s kind of juicy.”

Alya let out something akin to a scream, and Marinette heard a faint, “Babe, what is it?” in the background.

“Go away! I can’t talk to you right now! I’m busy,” Alya hissed, presumably at Nino.

Marinette giggled as she imagined Nino slinking off sadly to another room. “You really should be nicer to him."

“Don’t change the subject! What happened? I can’t wait! I’ve decided. I need to know _now_.”

“Well,” Marinette started, twirling a pan full of oil this way and that to coat it. She wondered where she could begin.

She and Adrien had discussed the night before the extent to which they should reveal their being together to their best friends, but they hadn’t come to a decision. On the one hand, there really wasn’t any need to explain their alter egos as part of the story, but on the other hand, it felt wrong to keep it from them any longer. She held her tongue. Maybe it would be better if they decided to tell Alya and Nino together, she thought. She cracked several eggs into the pan, and they hit the metal with a satisfying _sizzle_.

Just as Marinette had made the decision to give Alya the abridged version, she felt a pair of warm arms slide around her waist and a chin against her shoulder. Marinette turned around and tried to bite back a laugh as Adrien placed a soft kiss along her jawline.

“Would you look at that,” she said into the phone. “Bad timing. I’ve got to go, Alya.”

“What? You can’t just go now! I _need_ to know!”

“I know, I know. Think you could afford to do dinner tonight? Maybe I can tell you then?”

Alya didn’t answer for several seconds, and then she sighed. “I’m going to work my _ass_ off today, Marinette. Double speed. Because I know this story will be worth it. You’d better not let me down!”

Marinette caught Adrien’s eye. He looked at her quizzically, and she grinned. “I won’t. Promise. Bye!”

Adrien kissed her forehead. “Good morning.”

Marinette put her phone down, and she couldn’t help but beam at him. His hair was mussed in every which direction, eyes bright and wide and alert. He was chewing on his lower lip to bite back a smile. It was adorable.

“Good morning, _Chaton_.”

“Can I help at all?” he asked, watching her flip the eggs.

“Nope. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I feel like someone threw a boulder at my head last night,” he said, leaning against the counter beside her. “Also, there’s a chance that I’m going to be sick.”

Marinette winced.

“But I think I’m perfectly happy, regardless.” He smiled down at her.

Fireworks exploded in Marinette’s stomach. She had to remind herself to look back down at her pan so the eggs wouldn’t burn.

Adrien’s phone went off then, and he held the screen up to her to show that Nino was calling. Shooting her a grin, he answered and placed it on speakerphone.

“Hey, Nino.”

“Dude, did you make it home last night? I didn’t understand anything you were trying to say in your texts, and Marinette sent me like, four snapchats of you guys in that bar at three in the morning.”

Adrien laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “Not necessarily… But I’m fine.”

There was a pause. “Wait. How are you not super hungover? Why do you sound so happy? Does this have anything to do with why Alya is in her studio freaking out by herself?”

Adrien exchanged glances with Marinette and burst into laughter. “It’s a _long_ story.”

question: Who is Marinette?

answer: Marinette is a college student and an implied retired superhero, Ladybug.

question: Describe Marinette's relationship with Adrien?

answer: Marinette and Adrien are in a tight-knit group of four people, so they are good friends. Marinette used to have a crush on Adrien several years prior. She learns that he had been her anonymous superhero partner, Chat Noir, and she reveals to him that she was Ladybug. After this revelation, they begin a romantic relationship.

question: What is the main event of this document?

answer: The main event is when Adrien reveals to Marinette that he was Chat Noir, and that he feels guilty for abandoning his partner, Ladybug, two years prior. This causes Marinette to consider revealing that she was Ladybug.

question: What happens after the taxicab pulls up Adrien's house?

answer: Adrien decides he doesn't want to go inside of his townhouse, and goes to Marinette's flat instead.

question: Over how much span of time does this document take place?

answer: The events take place in less than a day.

question: What is happening in the middle of Alya's finals?

answer: Marinette decides to tell Alya about her and Adrien being together.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Marinette and Adrien belong to a tight-knit group of friends, including Nico and Alya. One night, Adrien gets drunk and Marinette takes him home when he appears to be distressed. He confesses that he was Chat Noir, Marinette's superhero partner, and that he feels guilty for abandoning Ladybug (Marinette) two years prior. Marinette confesses that she was Ladybug. The two are elated that they are reunited and begin a romantic relationship.


text:
[The Bars on this map] The JUNGLE BAR () is a region between the rivers Chenab and Ravi in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of Rechna Doab.“Bar”, in the local language, means a forested area where there are no resources for cultivation, like water. This Bar is named of here's Jungle forested area. Almost all the area of this bar used to be part Jhang District, but nowadays it is divided between the districts of Jhang and Toba Tek Singh.

Jungle Bar is a vast area with a number of Punjabi tribes.

Category:Regions of Punjab, Pakistan

title: Jungle Bar

question: Where is the Jungle Bar located?

answer: It is situated between two rivers in Punjab, Pakistan, in the southern part of Rechna Doab.

question: Describe the Jungle Bar.

answer: It is a forested area where some Punjabi tribes live.

question: What does "bar" mean in the local language?

answer: It is a forested area without resources for cultivation, like water.

question: Why is the Jungle Bar now divided between the districts of Jhang and Toba Tek Singh?

answer: It is not in the article.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Jungle Bar, a forested region in Punjab, Pakistan, is the home of many Punjabi tribes.


text:
She knew the day would not go her way from the sounds stirring up out of the garage. A few dings, a couple of bangs, that was typical. Not like this. This sounded like something gone wrong. Kat pushed up off the couch, wandered her way to the door connecting the house to the garage, and leaned in the frame of it.

There was Vincis, standing in front of a car; its hood was up and he was staring into it’s guts as if it had verbally accosted him, as if it had offended him, personally.

Kat frowned just a bit. She didn’t know who the car belonged to, but she did know it was some high roller, someone who could possibly make Vincis’ day a little less pleasant, if he so felt like it. And why not, right? Why not heap more issues on a guy that was already so high strung, they could use him for the telegraph?

Quietly, she stepped into the garage - but not quietly enough. This was, after all, Vincis’ domain, and nothing happened in here without his knowledge. She got about halfway to him when he turned his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Impossibly bright and blue, eyes he got from his father, much to his dismay.

“H-Hey,” he said, a hint of a smile trying to make it across his features. It didn’t quite make it, but she noticed the attempt. It was enough in her book. “I’m s-sorry. Was I m-making t-too much noise?”

She smiled at him, shaking her head. “Nah, not too much.” Soon she was right beside him, and neatly checked him with her hip. “What are you working on?” And instantly, she could see the way Vincis’ features, which had just started to relax, tighten up again. He turned back forward, gesturing with his hand to the car before them, lips dipping into a frown.

“I c-can’t figure out wh-what’s wrong with it. I’ve tried everyth-thing.” Here, he reached up, running his hand through his hair - something Kat knew he only did, especially with greasy hands, when he was truly upset. Vincis tended to view cars as puzzles - and if he couldn’t fix one….well.

This was his talent. If he were incapable of fixing a car, he generally thought it to mean that he was incapable of performing and from there, things just went downhill. It was the little things that always bothered Vincis, not the big things. Launch an idea at him that might terrify another man, and he handled it like a champ. Give him a car he couldn’t fix?

He tended to take that poorly. Add in the fact that the car happened to belong to some big-wig, and Kat was pretty sure that all was not well upstairs.

The slim, delicate line of her hand reached out, long fingers coiling around his bicep. “How long do you have?” she asked, the dark line of her brow arching.

“Until the end of the w-week.”

And with that, she smiled. “You’ve got plenty of time, baby. You’re the best mechanic in town - you’ll figure it out.”

“But w-what if I’m not the b-best mechanic in town?” he suddenly snapped - and if his flinch was any sign, a little harder than he meant to. Kat wasn’t so much as phased, though.  She just smiled at him, that same lazy, easy smile, the one that had charmed his socks off from the start.

“Well, he doesn’t know that, now does he?” she asked. “And he can damn well wait, just like any other person can.” Vincis’ features crumpled a bit, looking from her to the car.

“I…I j-just don’t w-want to be a s-screwup. N-not in my w-work and…and n-not w-with you,” he muttered, gaze shifting downwards - only to be pulled around when she took his chin, turning his face to her.

“Hey…Vincis, I don’t love you because of the parts of you that I like.”

Briefly, the red-head looked completely, utterly baffled, totally not understanding just what the hell that was supposed to mean.

The ex-prostitute clarified it for him: “I love you for the parts about you I don’t like.”

title: [Short Story][Fiction] Flawed - 707 words

question: How did Kat know that the car belonged to some high-roller?

answer: It must have been flashy and expensive car

question: Why does Vincis think that Kat has come into the garage?

answer: He thinks that he may have made too much noise and disturbed her.

question: What kind of speech impediment does Vincis have?

answer: He stutters

question: What was Kat's previous profession?

answer: She was a prostitute

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer:
Kat walked through the door between the house and the garage. Vincis was staring under the hood of the car as though it had accosted him. Kat could see that the car belonged to some high roller. The highly-strung Vincis made an attempt at a smile and asked her whether he had made too much noise.

She asks him what he’s working on and he tells her that he can’t figure out what the problem is. Cars were the only things he understood and his self-confidence went south when he couldn’t figure out a car problem.

He tells her that he doesn’t want to screw up with her or the car. The ex-prostitute tells him that she loves him for all the parts about him that she doesn’t like.


text: And God looked upon his creation. All broken up at the smallest level into fire, water, earth, and air. But He felt that there was something off. That it wasn't right, that there was a certain…lacking in the arrangement of the universe. These building blocks with which He would form all of existence were too rough, too misshapen to be used for the epitome of all His work. What would come after, what would think for itself would never feel at home in a universe so simplistic, so opposed to the inherent complexity of it all. And so God went smaller. And smaller. And smaller, until even He had to squint to see what he was working with. And so came into the world, protons, neutrons, electrons, and a whole slew of minuscule particles. He forced them together, into new and different forms. And so God put the finishing touches on the universe, arranging everything so that Mankind would by itself learn to be gods through manipulation, creation and destruction.

title: Prompt-Why Is Chemistry So Freaking Hard?

question: What did God break his creation into?

answer: God broke his creation into - fire, water, earth, and air.

question: Why was God not satisfied with his creation?

answer: After creating everything he still felt like something was lacking. The building blocks he had used for the existence of all were too rough and misshapen and so he kept going smaller and smaller.

question: What did God finally create?

answer: God finally created protons, neutrons, and electrons.

question: Why did God create these minuscule particles?

answer: God created these tiny particles so that mankind would learn to be gods themselves through manipulation, creation, and destruction.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
God looked at his creation, all broken till its smallest level. But he wasn't satisfied. He still felt like something was lacking. The building blocks he had used for creation were too rough and misshapen, hence he kept going smaller and smaller.

God finally created electrons, neutrons, and protons thinking that mankind would learn to be gods through manipulation, creation, and destruction.


text:
MAXIM THORNE is an American lawyer and civil rights advocate who teaches on philanthropy at Yale University. He is the founder of JusticeInvestor, a litigation crowdfunding company focused on environmental and social justice cases. He became a Senior Vice-President of the NAACP in 2008,[1][2] where he helped establish the first LGBT Task Force. Thorne helped argue _Abbott v. Burke_ on behalf of Head Start and the NAACP.[3][4][5]

Early life and education

Thorne was born in Georgetown, Guyana on 24 November 1964. He spent his early years in Nassau, Bahamas along with his sister, Katya, attending St. Thomas Moore's Primary School, until he was 10, then returned to Guyana where he attended St. Margaret's Primary School and Queen's College.[6] His mother, Eslyn Thorne, who is of mixed Indian and Chinese descent, met his father, who is also multi-ethnic (Black, Scottish, Indian and Chinese), while in Georgetown, Guyana. Thorne immigrated to the United States in 1984. He is the great-grandson of Alfred A. Thorne, a human rights advocate and educator in British Guiana.[7]

Thorne holds a bachelor's degree with cum laude honours in economics and political science from Yale College[8][9][10] and a JD from Yale Law School.[11]

Career

In 2012 he taught “Philanthropy in Action” at Yale, where a gift by an anonymous donor allowed students to donate $100,000 to charitable causes.[12]

Thorne became Managing Director of The Andrew Goodman Foundation in 2016. Thorne was appointed Executive Vice-President of the Paley Center for Media in 2013.[13]

Thorne was active in the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, serving on the Finance and Policy Committees, LGBT Leadership Council and African American Leadership Council. He resigned from the LGBT Council after a personal email exchange criticising the Clinton campaign became public.[14][15]

Previously he was chief operating officer at Human Rights Campaign, and Vice-President at Human Rights Campaign Foundation.[16]

Formerly, Thorne was Executive Director of New Jersey Head Start, an association of all the Head Start Programs in New Jersey. While at the NJHSA, he oversaw the implementation of _Abbott v. Burke_, the New Jersey Supreme Court decision that mandated parity in funding and Whole School Reform. Thorne had represented Head Start, the New Jersey NAACP State Conference, and daycare centres in later litigation (_Abbott VIII_).[17] For its efforts the agency won the first annual “Lawyer as Problem Solver Award” of the American Bar Association in 2002.[18]

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title: Maxim Thorne

question: What does Maxim teach?

answer: Maxim teaches Philanthropy at Yale University.

question: Summarize Thorne's early life.

answer:
Thorne was born on 24 November 1964 in Georgetown, Guyana. He spent his early years in the Bahamas with his sister and then returned to Guayana when he was 10. He is the great-grandson of Alfred A. Thorne, a human rights advocate and educator in British Guiana.

Thorne immigrated to the U.S. in 1984. He holds a bachelor's degree with cum laude honours in economics and political science and a JD from Yale Law School.

question: What is Thorne's educational qualification?

answer: Thorne holds a bachelor's degree with cum laude honors in economics and political science from Yale College and also holds a JD from Yale Law School.

question: What business is the JusticeInvestor into?

answer: It is a litigation crowdfunding company focused on environmental and social justice cases.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Maxim Thorne is a civil rights advocate. He is the great-grandson of Alfred A. Thorne. Maxim holds a bachelor's degree with cum laude honours in economics and political science from Yale College and a JD from Yale Law School.

He currently teaches Philantrophy at the Yale University and is the founder of JusticeInvestor. Thorne was active in the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, serving on the Finance and Policy Committee, LGBT Leadership Council, and African American Leadership Council.


text:
It’s hard to understand why a school would bar a same-sex couple from attending prom… maybe because dancing leads to slow dancing and slow dancing leads to not procreating and that goes against all things good and holy.

But that’s what Lexington Catholic High School in Kentucky did to senior HOPE DECKER and her date, sophomore TIFFANY WRIGHT:

  _In an email Sunday, Lexington Catholic president Steve Angelucci said, “As a Catholic high school, we uphold every teaching of the Catholic Church. The policies and procedures of our school reflect those teachings.”_

  WHEN THE COUPLE TRIED TO ENTER THE SCHOOL’S GYMNASIUM, WHERE THE PROM WAS HELD, THEY WERE TURNED AWAY…

But the students — always smarter than the administrators at these schools — got the last laugh:

[]
Dancing outside the prom (via Lexington Herald-Reader)
  _Armed with several car stereos and a group of supportive friends, THE TEENS HOSTED THEIR OWN PROM IN THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT, complete with a table stacked with snacks. After the night’s final song under the stars, 108 students signed a letter to the administration criticizing its decision to turn the girls away._

  …

  _“We had a wonderful night, and we were surrounded by true friends,” Wright said. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”_

Beautiful 🙂

And Wright even got in the perfect response to anything the administrators could say against them:

  _“I would understand and respect the school’s decision if they truly upheld church teachings,” Wright said Sunday night. “THEY DIDN’T FORBID THE ENTRANCE OF ALL THE COUPLES WHO’VE HAD PREMARITAL SEX AND ALL THE KIDS WHO PLANNED TO GET DRUNK AFTER THE PROM.”_

It didn’t happen in the classroom, but the girls and their classmates learned something valuable that night: If you stand together for the right reasons, people will be on your side. Too bad school officials aren’t supporting them, but the media sure as hell will be.

question: What is Hope Decker's relation to Tiffany Wright?

answer: They are a same-sex couple going to high school prom together

question: Why did the couple get turned away at their own prom?

answer: The school turned them away because "same-sex couples upheld church teachings"

question: How did the students respond to the school's actions?

answer: They hosted their own prom in the school parking lot and signed a letter to the administration criticizing its decision.

question: What did the students learn that night?

answer: If you stand together for the right reasons, people will be on your side.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Lexington Herald reports on the Lexington Catholic High School when a same-sex couple is turned away at the gymnasium where their prom was being held.


text:
[Caporn says the <i>Avengers</i> tattoo his girlfriend paid for on his 27th birthday is the best present he ever received.]

Caporn says the _Avengers_ tattoo his girlfriend paid for on his 27th birthday is the best present he ever received.Credit:Twitter @capey

Mr Caporn began collecting 20 years ago, buying up to 30 comic books each week, and has now built up a collection of more than 10,000.

"I actually worked out I've been reading comic books for about 20 years, and that's continually buying them every week," he said.

"I have a whole office full of toys and books and pieces and a whole bedroom back at my parents place.

"Anytime anyone comes to visit they come have a look at my geek den."

[Luke Caporn calls his room of collectables his "geek den".]

Luke Caporn calls his room of collectables his "geek den".Credit:Twitter @capey

Mr Caporn plans to one day open his own store and once travelled interstate to dine with US comic book creator "god", Stan Lee.

"He was going to Melbourne to Oz Comic-Con and I booked flights and tickets immediately and fished out a bit of money," he said.

[Caporn has previously commissioned Mark Brooks (Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men) to create a piece of artwork for him.]

Caporn has previously commissioned Mark Brooks (Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men) to create a piece of artwork for him.Credit:Twitter @capey

"The dinner cost about $250 but he's like 90 so I knew it was the only chance in my lifetime to meet him.

"He's pretty much a god."

[Fans will pay between $27.50 and $780 for a ticket to Supanova.]

Fans will pay between $27.50 and $780 for a ticket to Supanova.Credit:Twitter @capey

The 28-year-old has even been recognised at overseas conventions for the _Avengers_ tattoo he has inked on his wrist.

"I've travelled to Singapore for a convention before...they'd seen me online so I was getting recognised," he said.

"It's kind of like wearing my 'geekdom' on my sleeve.

"Since the [_Avengers_] film came out, people love it."

Attending conventions allows him to connect with people who share his interests.

"The culture is great - people with your same interests and people in costumes," he said.

"All different fans and we all get along.

"In my general life I don't have too many friends who share those interests."

Cultural studies lecturer Jon Stratton says fantasy and sci-fi are unique genres because they create spaces for fans to escape into.

"Sci-fi creates alternative worlds and that fascinates people," he said.

"It means you get some people who want to expand on that world and others who want to live in that world rather than this one.

"People are fascinated by the kinds of aliens that are created and the potential possibilities with different kinds of alien life."

Fans collect autographs and photos of the genres' celebrities because it gave them a special claim to share that experience with others, the Curtin University lecturer says.

"An autograph is something that's specific to a particular individual," he said.

"It's something that you can show to people to say 'I met this person'.

"A lot of this goes back to the idea of celebrity.

"If you've done film or television, because it's a mass medium and so many people can see you, there's that sense that you become something special and people think that you're different."

Supanova VIP tickets sell for up to $780 and when Arnold Schwarzenegger visited Perth, fans paid $10,000 for a spot at his private dinner.

"It tells you something about the extraordinary celebrity," Professor Stratton said.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger started off as an amazing bodybuilder then he made a number of films, many of which are still very highly regarded.

"It's a remarkable career and talk about an immigrant success story in the United States."

Professor Stratton said while $10,000 to meet 'Arnie' - or even $80 to meet Carrie Fisher - might seem over the top to some people, the value of tickets, signatures and photos was whatever fans were willing to pay to get their piece of history.

"What you have with Carrie Fisher is that history of being Princess Leia, a very charismatic character - one of the characters that people most remember from Star Wars," he said.

"People are prepared to pay that much money to be close to them and get their autograph so in that sense it's clearly not too much money."

-    FOLLOW WATODAY ON TWITTER

question: What does the text say about Caporn's tattoo?

answer: Caporn's girlfriend gifted him the tattoo for his birthday and says that it was the best present he had ever received. Now, Caporn is being recognized at conventions for the Avengers tattoo on his wrist.

question: What does the text say about Arnold Schwarzenegger?

answer: It talks about how Schwarzenegger is an extraordinary celebrity. When Schwarzenegger visited Perth, fans paid $10,000 for a spot at his private dinner. It mentions how he started off as an amazing bodybuilder and then made many films which are highly regarded.

question: Summarize why tickets to meet celebrities at private dinners and attend events are very expensive.

answer: Professor Stratton says that tickets to these events might seem expensive but fans find value in obtaining autographs and photos to capture a piece of history. In some cases, these tickets are not actually considered to be too much money.

question: What does the text say about Comic-Con in the United States?


text:
BRANDIN BRYANT (born September 16, 1993)[1] is an American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

College career

Bryant first went to college at Fort Scott Community College as a redshirt freshman. He transferred to Florida Atlantic University, where he would be a starter for the following four seasons. He majored in communication and political science. During his junior season, he returned to Nebraska, where his grandfather had played in the mid-1950s. Over his four-year collegiate career, he totaled 121 total tackles (25.0 for a loss), 12.5 sacks, 2 passes defended and a forced fumble. He earned FAU's comeback player of the year award during the 2015 season.[2][3]

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Bryant was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016.[4] He played in all four of their preseason games, compiling 3 total tackles.[5] On September 3, 2016, Bryant was waived by the Seahawks.[6]

New York Jets

On October 24, 2016, Bryant was signed to the New York Jets' practice squad.[7] He was promoted to the active roster on December 20, 2016.[8]

On August 4, 2017, Bryant was waived/injured by the Jets and placed on injured reserve.[9] He was waived from IR on August 9, 2017.[10]

Cleveland Browns

Bryant signed with the Cleveland Browns on August 9, 2019.[11] He was waived on August 31, 2019 and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[12][13] The Browns elevated Bryant to their active roster on November 22, 2019. He was waived on December 21, 2019 and re-signed to the practice squad.[14] The Browns signed Bryant to their reserve/futures list on December 30, 2019.[15] Bryant was waived by the Browns on May 8, 2020.[16]

Miami Dolphins

Bryant was signed by the Miami Dolphins on August 12, 2020.[17] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on August 15, 2020,[18] and activated the next day.[19] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[20]

Buffalo Bills

On September 17, 2020, Bryant was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad.[21] He was elevated to the active roster on October 31 for the team's week 8 game against the New England Patriots, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[22]

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title: Brandin Bryant

question: Who is Brandin Bryant?

answer: An American football player for the Buffalo Bills.

question: Where did he play before going pro?

answer: Fort Scott Community College and Florida Atlantic University.

question: Who first signed him into the NFL?

answer: Seattle Seahawks

question: How has his career been characterized?

answer: A lot of signing to practice squads then being waived.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Brandin Bryant is an American NFL football player who started his career at Florida Atlantic University. Initially signed by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, he's spent a lot of time on various teams' practice squads and waived from many. For the Buffalo Bills, his tenure has similarly been characterized as time on the practice squad, some active roster play, then back to the practice squad.


text:
With constant interruptions and vital checks, getting a good night of sleep in the hospital can be a challenge for patients.

But a recent EarlySense study conducted at the University of Chicago found that using the company’s contact-free remote monitoring system as an alternative to waking patients up for vital check throughout the night led to better sleep and satisfaction for patients.

“What the study actually shows is ... you get improvement in sleep quality, patient satisfaction and the efficiency of the nursing team by focusing their attention on the patients that really need care, and those that are stable and low risk don’t need to be woken up at all,” Avner Halperin, CEO of EarlySense, told MobiHealthNews.

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The study included approximately 150 patients, who were divided into a control and an intervention group, according to Halperin. Low-risk patients in the intervention group were not woken up at night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The intervention group reported better sleep and increased satisfaction. The study, which was funded by EarlySense, also found that patients monitored by system “incurred no additional deterioration or adverse events, versus the control group.”

“There is no increase in risk whatsoever for the patient, and they sleep better and are more satisfied, so we save a lot of clinician time — which is by the way also equivalent to dollars and cents,” Halperin said. “We show that by using our system you can actually take better care of patients, because you get early warning and you can intervene sooner and you have fewer visits to intensive care, shorter length of stay, fewer falls, etc. And that was already shown in previous research.”

Researchers estimated that this practice could lead to a reduction in overnight staff workloads, decreasing costs by $200,000 to $550,000 per 100 hospital beds per year.

The study is now being submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

WHY IT MATTERS

In a hospital setting patients are typically woken up several times a night for vital checks. Studies have shown that sleep disruptions are associate with negative health outcomes including ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE, DELIRIUM, and DELAYED HEALING.

EarlySense is pitching its technology as an alternative to the manual checks that require waking a patient up.

“The way we see it is that you probably need fewer vital sign checks and not all patients need frequent checks,” Halperin said. “You probably are going to need those checks and you want physicians to be at the bedside for those more complex, higher risk patients. But for 50 or 60 percent of the patients who are completely stable, what this study shows is we can do much less vital sign manual checking and still get better outcomes.”

WHAT'S THE TREND

EarlySense made headlines in December when it announced that it was integrating with HILL-ROM’S CENTRELLA model hospital bed. The company said that the new technology would be able to measure heart rate and respiratory rate over 100 times per minute.

A month later EarlySense announced a $39 million funding round led by HILL-ROM AND WELLS FARGO. At the time the company said that the new money would be used for expanding its AI analytics capabilities and grow sales both internationally and domestically.

ON THE RECORD

“In this study, we were able to accurately identify low-risk patients and avoid waking them at night, with the safety net of continuous vital sign monitoring,” Dr. Dana Edelson, the study’s principal investigator, said in a statement. “This practice represents a simple, patient-centered approach to deploying expensive healthcare resources which improves patient satisfaction and decreases costs without increasing risk. Letting our low-risk patients sleep at night is an easy win and should be the new standard of care.”

question: What kind of improvements will contact-free remote monitoring bring to low-risk patients and hospitals?

answer:
A study conducted at the University of Chicago by EarlySense reveals that contact-free remote monitoring as opposed to the traditional method of waking up patients to check their vitals does help patients sleep better and altogether lead to wellness.

The study was done with 150 patients under a controlled setting. The results show that low-risk patients benefited most from longer sleep and better health when remotely monitored versus those who were woken up to have their vitals checked. Contact-free remote monitoring is also said to help in reducing a hospital's expenditure as fewer nurses would be needed for overnight duties.