text:
***UPDATE***: You can see the coloring book The Satanic Temple plans to give away right here.

…

In January of 2013, World Changers of Florida, Inc. held Bible distributions at a number of public high schools in Orange County, Florida. No student would be forced to take one, but there would be a table set up where interested students could take a copy if they wanted:

[]
This alone could have been illegal, but the Orange County School Board agreed that _non_-Christian groups could also have a distribution if they wanted. The Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) called their bluff and planned their own giveaways.

The only problem was that their books were heavily censored:

  ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS INSISTED ON VETTING THE FREETHOUGHT LITERATURE FROM FFRF AND OTHER SECULAR GROUPS. It censored many of the materials, including “Letter to a Christian Nation,” Sam Harris’ book; “The Truth,” an essay by Robert G. Ingersoll; “Jesus Is Dead” a book by Robert Price, professor of philosophy and religion; “What on Earth Is an Atheist,” a book by Madalyn Murray O’Hair; “Why I am Not a Muslim,” a book by Ibn Warraq, and several FFRF “nontracts,” including “Dear Believer,” “Why Jesus?” “What Does the Bible Say About Abortion?” and “An X-Rated Book.”

The school board obviously had no issue with rape or violence since they allowed the Bible in… but why would anyone censor _Letter to a Christian Nation_ or _Why I am Not a Muslim_?

In fact, the list of censored literature was long and much of it made little sense:

[]
The school board offered some flimsy explanations for their decisions, but the Freedom From Religion Foundation didn’t buy them — and they felt that the courts wouldn’t either since it really just boiled down to, “AHHH! ATHEISTS!” So, in June of last year, FFRF filed a federal lawsuit against the district:

  The school district prohibited one book because its message that Jesus was not crucified or resurrected “is age inappropriate for the maturity levels of many of the students in high school.” However, the bible that the school approved for distribution claims that [Jesus was] crucified and resurrected. “PERMITTING ONE VIEWPOINT (THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION OCCURRED) AND CENSORING THE OPPOSING VIEWPOINT (THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION DID NOT OCCUR) IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL,” FFRF’s complaint states.

  …

  The complaint lists dozens of factual examples of how secular materials and secular volunteers were treated differently from the World Changers and the biblical material:

  -   The district objected to the Harris book for describing “the sacrifice of virgins, killing and eating of children in order to ensure the future fertility of mothers, feeding infants to sharks, and the burning of widows so they can follow their husbands into the next world.” FFRF’S COMPLAINT NOTES THAT THE CONCEPTS FLAGGED AS AGE INAPPROPRIATE ALL APPEAR IN THE BIBLE.
  -   WCF put up interactive whiteboards, had volunteers staffing tables to talk with students and passed out invitations to worship at the Orlando Wesleyan Church. PLAINTIFFS ATTEMPTED TO PASS OUT A PIZZA PARTY INVITATION BUT WERE CENSORED AT SEVERAL SCHOOLS. FREETHOUGHT VOLUNTEERS HAD TO WAIT UP TO AN HOUR AT SOME SCHOOLS TO SET UP.

The point of the lawsuit was simple: If you’re letting Christians hand out materials promoting their beliefs, you can’t stop atheists (and others) from doing the same. To argue otherwise is viewpoint discrimination. The district must allow everyone or no one.

A couple of months ago, a district judge dismissed FFRF’s lawsuit — but not on its merits. JUDGE KENDALL SHARP noted that the school district has since allowed FFRF to distribute all the books it previously prohibited, making this lawsuit irrelevant:

  In this case, the circumstances are sufficiently clear that THE ALLEGED WRONGFUL BEHAVIOR — DEFENDANT’S INITIAL PROHIBITION OF A SUBSET OF THE MATERIALS THAT PLAINTIFFS SOUGHT TO DISTRIBUTE — WILL NOT RECUR IN THE FUTURE.

  …

  Defendant has unambiguously expressed its position that each of THE MATERIALS PLAINTIFFS SOUGHT TO DISTRIBUTE WILL BE UNCONDITIONALLY ALLOWED.

The result of that ruling made clear that the district would allow any group, religious and non-religious, to distribute literature to students in a passive way.

Personally, it would be much better if they banned the book distributions altogether, but as long as they’re treating all groups equally, no problem.

And now we’re seeing the consequences of the school board’s decision.

Today, the Satanic Temple announced that it would join in on the fun:

  … The Satanic Temple has announced they will follow suit by providing Satanic materials to students during the new school year. AMONG THE MATERIALS TO BE DISTRIBUTED ARE PAMPHLETS RELATED TO THE TEMPLE’S TENETS, PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE OF SATANISM, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEGAL RIGHT TO PRACTICE SATANISM IN SCHOOL.

  …

  The Satanic Temple’s spokesperson, Lucien Greaves, explains, “We would never seek to establish a precedent of disseminating our religious materials in public schools because we believe our constitutional values are better served by respecting a strong separation of Church and State. However, IF A PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD IS GOING TO ALLOW RELIGIOUS PAMPHLETS AND FULL BIBLES TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO STUDENTS — AS IS THE CASE IN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA — WE THINK THE RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO IS TO ENSURE THAT THESE STUDENTS ARE GIVEN ACCESS TO A VARIETY OF DIFFERING RELIGIOUS OPINIONS, as opposed to standing idly by while one religious voice dominates the discourse and delivers propaganda to youth.”

In other words, thanks to Christians, children will now be exposed to Satanism.

Damn, I love the Constitution.

In a statement, FFRF reiterated its desire to ban all distributions of this kind:

  FFRF DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT SATANISTS OR CHRISTIANS OR EVEN ATHEISTS SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTING LITERATURE TO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS. We have given Orange County every opportunity to close the distribution forum and repeatedly asked them to do so. Each time, they have refused. FFRF does not endorse the New York based Satanic Temple’s literature any more than we would endorse the bible or think it should be given to students. HOWEVER, ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANNOT LEGALLY PREVENT THE TEMPLE FROM DISTRIBUTING ITS LITERATURE.

It’s not hypocritical to want the district to stop the giveaways while still wanting an all-inclusive policy.

Remember: The school board members brought this upon themselves. If anyone wants to complain, then talk to them.

I think we can sum up all of this with a line I once read in a book:

  A man reaps what he sows.

(Large portions of this article were posted earlier.)

question: What is the primary complaint about Orange County regarding book distribution in public schools?

answer: The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), as well as the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), complain that Bible give-aways shouldn't be allowed in public schools.

question: Why do the Atheist and Satanic groups want to distribute reading material in public schools?

answer: Under the U.S. Constitution, discrimination based on viewpoints isn't allowed. While both groups oppose the distribution of the Bible, they also want to ensure the availability of opposing viewpoints as long as the Christians get to do it.

question: Why do Christians want to distribute reading material in public schools?

answer: Presumably, they want to spread their faith.

question: Why was the Orange County School Board's decision to allow some books but ban others considered hypocritical?

answer: The board cited reasons such as "this book contains material that isn't age-appropriate", while the same material is present in the Bible.

question: Why does the U.S. Constitution allow the distribution of Satanic books?

answer: The Constitution doesn't specifically allow the distribution of Satanic books. However, since it forbids discrimination based on beliefs, if Christians get to distribute the Bible, other groups (like the Satanic Temple) are also free to distribute their books.

question: Why did the Judge dismiss the complaint about the Orange County School Board's allowance of bible give-aways by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)?

answer: By the time the lawsuit reached Judge Kendall Sharp, the school board had unambiguously expressed that the materials FFRF wants to distribute will be unconditionally allowed. This made the lawsuit irrelevant.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The Orange County School Board allowed give-aways of Bibles in public schools and stated that non-Christian groups can also do it. However, when the Central Florida Freethought Community wanted to distribute books about Atheism, they encountered many roadblocks and bans. Since then, the school board walked back on the restrictions before the Freedom From Religion Foundation's (FFRF) lawsuit reached the judges. FFRF doesn't want any distribution about religion, but they insist on equality. The Satanic Temple also decided to give away books.


split: train

text:
traitors in our beloved country.

‘They can hand over their British passports on the way out and say don’t ever try and come back.’

The Ukip candidate, who currently works as a chartered surveyor, said that the extremists ‘have one aim to convert or murder all “non-believers”.’

He added: ‘They don’t like our freedom, want to destroy our way of life and will not rest until they fly their flag over our shores.’

Mr Fraser’s comments came as Nigel Farage revealed the party’s pledge card, which includes saying no to the EU, controlling the country's borders, an extra £3 billion for the NHS, cuts in foreign aid spending and no tax on the minimum wage.

At the launch in Westminster, the Ukip leader said it is now ‘a party of what modern Britain is’.

He said: ‘The thing about Ukip is we have become the most eclectic, diverse political pa

question: Who is being titled, traitors?

answer: It may be implied that the extremists are being titled traitors.

question: Who are the extremists?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Who is the Ukip candidate?

answer: The Ukip candidate is Mr. Fraser.

question: Who is Nigel Farage?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Ukip candidate, Mr. Fraser, says the extremists can hand their British passports on the way out and never enter the country again. Fraser's comments came in after Nigel Farage revealed the party's pledge card which includes saying no to EU, controlling the country's borders and an extra 3 billion pounds for the NHS.


text:
 Market Analysis

Once again, a major political event didn't roil markets.

Time and again in 2016, pundits warned major political events would cause an earthquake for markets. Brexit. Donald Trump winning the US election. And now Italy's Senate reform referendum, which failed Sunday, taking Prime Minister Matteo Renzi down with it. Yet each time, after the widely feared thing actually happened, stocks were fine. Sometimes within a couple days, as with Brexit, and sometimes within a couple minutes, as with Italy, giving investors another chance to learn a crucial lesson: Don't overrate political events.

Markets are efficient and very, very good at discounting widely discussed events before they happen. Such was the case with Italy's referendum. Unlike Brexit and the US election, referendum polls pretty soundly signaled the referendum's defeat weeks beforehand. Conversation has long since moved from, "Will it pass or fail?" to, "What happens after it fails?" Even the related "if" over whether Renzi would stay in power seemed mostly resolved before the vote. After flip-flopping on whether the vote was also a referendum on his leadership (first he said it was, then-after seeing David Cameron go down post-Brexit vote-walked it back), in the campaign's final days, Renzi made it pretty clear he'd go if he lost. Hence markets weren't shocked when, after 60% of voters rejected the ballot measure, Renzi announced his intent to mozie over to President Sergio Mattarella's office and hand in his papers.

Italian stocks dipped as much as -2.1% intraday Monday, but by day's end they'd clawed most of it back, and the benchmark FTSE MIB closed just -0.2% down on the day. Most everywhere else, markets were buoyant. The UK's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 all topped 1% (in local currencies), enjoying pleasant mornings. The S&P 500 was up all day, finishing 0.6% higher.[i] Finance blogger (and CNBC pundit) Josh Brown-aka "The Reformed Broker"-sums the reaction up as "crisis fatigue. If everything is a crisis, then nothing is." Calling it "the boy who cried wolf" would be a bad analogy, so we won't do it, but you get the drift: When people repeatedly hear events are certain negatives for stocks, and reality proves the warnings wrong, at some point, people get wise and start brushing them off.[ii]

As for what comes next, Italy will get its eighth government since 2000 and 64th since Il Duce. No one knows who will lead yet, but we'll gain clarity in the coming days as Mattarella meets with party leaders and decides whether to call snap elections, instruct Renzi's Democratic Party (DP) to form a new administration or appoint a technocratic government. Of those options, the first seems least likely, considering Mattarella is a staunch europhile and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) seems poised to do well in a snap vote. Most expect Italy to get a technocratic government with a narrow mandate to focus on electoral law reform that would limit the possibility of a hung parliament. For now, though, Renzi will stay in power (at Mattarella's request) until Parliament approves the next budget.

In other words, Italy likely maintains the status quo: A gridlocked government that can't push through labor market or other long-delayed reforms, but can't do any harm either. It would also keep pro-euro leaders in power until 2018 at least, limiting populism's march. M5S may be polling neck and neck with the DP now, but a lot can change in a year and a half, especially if M5S-led local governments continue floundering. It's fair to point out that in Italy, "status quo" means economic and political basketcase, but again, markets are efficient. By most measures, Italy is in a far better place than in 2011 and 2012, when the eurozone crisis threatened to take it down. If global markets could handle Italy then-when Silvio Berlusconi was a going concern, the economy was shrinking and debt service costs were spiraling-they can handle Italy now. For all the hand-wringing, its economy is growing, and low interest rates have pulled down borrowing costs.

We think Italy's referendum is most compelling when viewed in concert with Austria's presidential revote, which also occurred Sunday, pitting the former leader of the Green Party Alexander Van der Bellen against the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer. Both are technically populists, as the establishment candidates both fell in the first round earlier this year. But Van der Bellen is regarded as a pro-euro statesman, while the anti-EU Hofer would have been Europe's first democratically elected far-right head of state since the 1940s. In May, Van der Bellen narrowly won, but Hofer challenged, and the courts ruled there were irregularities and overturned the results. This time around, polls had Van der Bellen ahead 51% to 49%, but he won 53% to 47%-a stronger showing and rebuke to all those fears of a post-Brexit domino effect.

Remember this next year, as the Netherlands, France and Germany go to the polls with anti-euro populists polling well. Populism doesn't beget populism, and pro-euro parties are more resilient than they usually get credit for. French voters just said "non, merci" to former President Nicolas Sarkozy in his party's presidential primary, rejecting his populist turn in favor of free-market reformer FranÇois Fillon-a former Prime Minister who is about as "establishment" as it gets. Spain's pro-euro government just returned to power after two elections and 10 months of deadlock, sidelining the populist Podemos party. Angela Merkel is running for a fourth term in Germany and presently has no clear rival (though that could change as the other parties get more organized). Fears of populism splintering the eurozone are just another iteration of euro breakup fears, which markets have dealt with ad infinitum since 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[i] Everything in this paragraph comes from FactSet, as of 12/5/2016.

[ii] You're probably wondering why it would be a bad analogy. Well, the boy who cried wolf was eventually right, and when no one listened to him, it got pretty ugly. We do realize the events that do wallop markets are the ones no one sees coming or everyone writes off, but in that scenario, you probably don't have a boy crying wolf. Unless you do. Anyway all analogies are bad analogies.

question: What does the article say about Italian politics?

answer: The article focuses on possible market impacts given Italy's Senate reform referendum which failed, taking Prime Minister Renzi down with it. Ultimately, effects were minor. Now, Italy will get its eighth government since 2000. No one knows who will lead yet, but they'll gain clarity in the coming days as Mattarella meets with party leaders and decides whether to call snap elections, instruct Renzi's Democratic Party to form a new administration, or appoint a technocratic government. The first option seems unlikely as Mattarella is a staunch europhile and the anti establishment Five Star Movement seems poised to do well in a snap vote. Most likely, Italy will get a technocratic government with a narrow mandate to focus on electoral law reform that would limit the possibility of a hung parliament. Renzi will stay in power at least until Parliament approves the next budget. Italy will likely maintain the status quo: a gridlocked government that can't push through labor market or other long delayed reforms.


text:
There’s something wonderful about food writer Olia Hercules. It’s not solely because she shares her surname with the almighty God of ancient Greece (though that couldn’t possibly go unnoticed). When you look at her Instagram feed, there’s just an idyllic quality to her lifestyle. Everything seems considered yet totally uncontrived, in an authentic, artisanal way.

The cover of her first recipe book is almost fairytale-like: all elaborate swirls, and the title ‘Mamushka’ conjuring images from Ukrainian folklore. Surely it must carry some profound, symbolic meaning?

"Oh, it’s from The Addams Family," Olia told me, as I turned up for lunch in the garden of her North London home.

Just after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, The Addams Family film became available in Ukraine (where Olia was born and raised). Before that, everything beyond the Soviet Union was known as ‘zagranitza’ (the abroad). That outside world was one of freedom – something to hope for. The ‘Mamushka’ was a silly, fictitious dance in the film, something she and her family found great humour and comfort in. ‘Mamushka’ became an affectionate name for the strong women in Olia’s family, signalling an appreciation of that silly freedom.

Olia\ was\ born\ and\ raised\ in\ Ukraine\ (KRIS\ KIRKHAM)

From the moment Olia opened the door and warmly pulled me inside her home, it was manifest that to her, family was everything. Her mother – also named Olia to make life easier for dad, I was told – embraced me and welcomed me into the house, before the pair loaded up my plate with hearty food.

I asked if her father was around and Olia couldn’t hold back the smile. She told me he was still in Ukraine, but she’d just finished a Skype call with him. For the first time in her life she’d seen him cry. He had copied and pasted the Amazon reviews of Olia’s cookbook into Google Translate, and was overcome with pride at his daughter becoming a published writer.

Olia apologised for some imperfect element of the lunch. It’s what chefs do; when you project so much of yourself into a dish, it becomes personal, and you instantly feel the need to make excuses for potential flaws. I saw nothing wrong. In fact, I could only taste perfection. The garlicky chicken was incredibly tender, and soaked in an herby liquor. With every mouthful a different flavour made itself known: dill; tarragon; parsley; so complex and addictive.

As I dragged my hunk of sourdough through the flavoursome juices, she told me where her love of food came from. I imagined it would be at her mother’s knee, in a Ukrainian kitchen where nothing is measured. She corrected me; that’s where she came to know food, but it was actually on her year-long visit to Italy during university, when a plate of warm spaghetti and sea urchins flicked the switch.

There\ are\ always\ empty\ plates\ when\ Olia\ cooks\ (KRIS\ KIRKHAM)

Amongst the memories, and the loving anecdotes of her son, Sasha, she told me about the latest recession; how the job she was in (TV) crumbled; how people were laid off. That prompted her to take her passion and make it into something more. She completed a diploma at Leith’s, before working the long hours in a professional kitchen for Yotam Ottolenghi. Now, she is being heralded as a new food star, casting a spotlight on Eastern European food. Many recipes in the book were inspired by her family: she spent weeks chasing her mum and grandma around the kitchen with scales and measuring spoons, trying to translate those vague ‘pinches’ and passed-down ‘glugs’ into reliable recipes.

Savouring my last bite of cheese-stuffed bread (which I will definitely be making) I queried whether her creativity could ever be caged in a professional kitchen – a place of regiment and hierarchy. She says it couldn't: she enjoyed working with Ottolenghi, but wants to "do my own thing" and style food (As I complimented the crockery, she recalled a journey back to Ukraine, to her grandma’s kitchen, when she filled an empty suitcase full of cutlery and knick-knacks to style her book authentically). That freedom also enables her to be a mother, a strong ‘Mamushka’.

What I liked most about Olia was her ability to maintain conversation without sacrificing a single bite of her food: she ate; she talked; she drank; she talked. She ate with her hands and insisted that I did. Both she and her book are so refreshing.

Recipes from Olia Hercules

Garlicky poussins with plum chutney

Spring radish & tomato salad

Georgian kidney bean salad

question: What does the text say about the economic and political situation in Ukraine?

question: Summarize how the Olia Hercules' approach to food changes over the story.

answer: Hercules came to know food in her mother's Ukranian kitchen where nothing is measured, but learned her love of food while visiting Italy for a year. Her job in TV crumbled and she decided to make her passion into something more by completing a diploma and doing some work experience. She started compiling her own cookbook by following her mother and grandmother around the kitchen to document their recipes. She wanted to style the food as authentically as possible before publishing it. She will not work in a professional kitchen, but continue creating and styling her own food.

question: What does the story say about Mamuschka?

answer: Although the name conjures images of Ukranian folklore, it is from Addams family TV series. After the Soviet Union was dissolved, the Addams family series became available in the Ukraine. Mamuscka became an affectionate name for the strong women in Olia's family and points to an appreciation of their silly freedom. Her freedom in deciding not to work in a professional kitchen, but rather keeping on creating and styling her own food makes her a strong mother figure in her own right.

question: Summarize the recipes that Olia Hercules included in her cookbook.

answer: Olia Hercules' cookbook is a refreshing collection of Easter European recipes, some of which have been inspired by her family. Recipes mentioned in the article: Garlicky chicken with plum chutney, spring radish and tomato salad, Georgian kidney bean salad and cheese-stuffed bread. The garlicky chicken was tender and soaked in an herby liquor that revealed different flavors with every mouthful. She ate with her hands and insisted that others do so as well.


text:
The TAHITI INTERNATIONAL is an international badminton tournament held in Tahiti, French Polynesia organised by Tahiti Badminton Federation, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Oceania.[1] In the last few years, this tournament has been an BWF International Challenge with total prize money US$17.500.[2] In fact, this tournament established since 2009, but not yet sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation.[3][4]

This tournament held at the University of French Polynesia sports hall in Punaauia.[5] The opening ceremony of this event displayed the Tahitian culture with music and dance.[6]

Previous winners

+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| Year    | Men's   | Women's | Men's   | Women's | Mixed   | Notes   |
|         | singles | singles | doubles | doubles | doubles |         |
+=========+=========+=========+=========+=========+=========+=========+
| 2016    | Indra   | Moe     | Adam    | Akane   | Vitalij | Tahiti  |
|         | Bagus   | Araki   | Cwalina | Araki   | Durkin  | Phone   |
|         | Ade     |         |         |  Ayaka  |  Nina   | Interna |
|         | Chandra |         | Przemys | Kawasak | Vislova | tional  |
|         |         |         | law     | i       |         | BWF     |
|         |         |         | Wacha   |         |         | Interna |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | tional  |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Challen |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | ge      |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| 2013    | Brice   | Salakji | Ruud    | Nicole  | Ruud    | Air     |
|         | Leverde | t       | Bosch   | Grether | Bosch   | Tahiti  |
|         | z       | Ponsana |  Koen   |         |         | Nui     |
|         |         |         | Ridder  | Charmai | Salakji | Interna |
|         |         |         |         | ne      | t       | tional  |
|         |         |         |         | Reid    | Ponsana | BWF     |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Interna |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | tional  |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Challen |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | ge      |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| 2012    | Tan     | Michell | Adrian  | Eva Lee | Ross    | Air     |
|         | Chun    | e       | Liu     |  Paula  | Smith   | Tahiti  |
|         | Seang   | Li      |         | Lynn    |  Renuga | Nui     |
|         |         |         | Derrick | Obanana | Veeran  | Interna |
|         |         |         | Ng      |         |         | tional  |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | BWF     |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Interna |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | tional  |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Challen |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | ge      |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| 2010    | Alistai | Cee     | Ross    | Leanne  | Ross    | Tahiti  |
|         | r       | Nantana | Smith   | Choo    | Smith   | Interna |
|         | Casey   | Ketpura |  Glenn  |  Kate   |  Kate   | tional  |
|         |         |         | Warfe   | Wilson- | Wilson- | BWF     |
|         |         |         |         | Smith   | Smith   | Interna |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | tional  |
|         |         |         |         |         |         | Series  |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
| 2009    | Arnaud  | Johanna | Alistai | _no     | Nichola | Tahiti  |
|         | Genin   | Kou     | r       | competi | s       | Interna |
|         |         |         | Casey   | tion_   | Jinadas | tional  |
|         |         |         |  Brent  |         | a       |         |
|         |         |         | Kevin   |         |         |         |
|         |         |         | Miller  |         | Victori |         |
|         |         |         |         |         | a       |         |
|         |         |         |         |         | Liu     |         |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
|  |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+

Performances by nation

  Pos     Nation   MS   WS    MD    WD    XD    Total
  ------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- -------
  1                0    0     1     1     2     4
  2                0    1     0     1     1     3
          0        1    1     1     0     3
  4                2    0     0     0     0     2
          0        1    0     1     0     2
  6                0    0     1     0     0.5   1.5
          1        0    0.5   0     0     1.5
          0        1    0     0     0.5   1.5
  9                1    0     0     0     0     1
          1        0    0     0     0     1
          0        1    0     0     0     1
          0        0    1     0     0     1
          0        0    0     0     1     1
  14               0    0     0.5   0     0     0.5
  Total   5        5    5     4     5     24

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Tahiti International

question: What is the Tahiti International?

answer: an international badminton tournament held in Tahiti, French Polynesia

question: What was displayed at the opening ceremony of the tournament?

answer: Tahitian culture with music and dance.

question: What is the total prize money of the tournament?

answer: US $17,500

question: Explain why the Tahiti Badminton Federation was sanctioned?

answer: This information is not available in the article.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Tahiti International is an international Badminton tournament held in Tahiti, French Polynesia. The total prize money for the tournament is $17,500 USD.


text:
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (_Muromachi bakufu_ or _Ashikaga bakufu_), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi _shōgun_, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga.

From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama periods (later 15th – early 16th centuries).

The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the _Nanboku-chō_ or Northern and Southern Court period. This period is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration. The years from 1465 to the end of the Muromachi period are also known as the Sengoku period or Warring States period.

Muromachi bakufu

[Hana-no-Gosho (Flower Palace) in Kyoto]

Emperor Go-Daigo's brief attempt to restore the imperial power in the Kenmu Restoration alienated the samurai class. Ashikaga Takauji obtained the samurai's strong support, and deposed Emperor Go-Daigo. In 1338 Takauji was proclaimed _shōgun_ and established his government in Kyoto. However, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from his confinement and revived his political power in Nara. The ensuing period of Ashikaga rule (1336–1573) was called Muromachi from the district of Kyoto in which its headquarters – the – were located by third _shōgun_ Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1378. What distinguished the Ashikaga shogunate from that of Kamakura was that, whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium with the imperial court, Ashikaga took over the remnants of the imperial government. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga shogunate was not as strong as that in Kamakura had been, and was greatly preoccupied with civil war. Not until the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (as _shōgun_, 1368–94, and chancellor, 1394–1408) did a semblance of order emerge.

[Muromachi samurai (1538)]

Yoshimitsu allowed the constables, who had had limited powers during the Kamakura period, to become strong regional rulers, later called _daimyōs_. In time, a balance of power evolved between the _shōgun_ and the _daimyōs_; the three most prominent _daimyō_ families rotated as deputies to the _shōgun_ at Kyoto. Yoshimitsu was finally successful in reunifying the Northern and Southern courts in 1392, but, despite his promise of greater balance between the imperial lines, the Northern Court maintained control over the throne thereafter. The line of shoguns gradually weakened after Yoshimitsu and increasingly lost power to the _daimyōs_ and other regional strongmen. The _shōgun_{{'}}s influence on imperial succession waned, and the _daimyōs_ could back their own candidates.

In time, the Ashikaga family had its own succession problems, resulting finally in the Ōnin War (1467–77), which left Kyoto devastated and effectively ended the national authority of the _bakufu_. The power vacuum that ensued launched a century of anarchy.

Economic and cultural developments

[A ship of the Muromachi period (1538)] The Japanese contact with the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) began when China was renewed during the Muromachi period after the Chinese sought support in suppressing Japanese pirates in coastal areas of China. Japanese pirates of this era and region were referred to as _wokou_ by the Chinese (Japanese _wakō_). Wanting to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wokou threat, Yoshimitsu accepted a relationship with the Chinese that was to last for half a century. In 1401 he restarted the tribute system, describing himself in a letter to the Chinese Emperor as “Your subject, the King of Japan”. Japanese wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, and folding fans were traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, books, and coins, in what the Chinese considered tribute but the Japanese saw as profitable trade.[1]

During the time of the Ashikaga bakufu, a new national culture, called Muromachi culture, emerged from the bakufu headquarters in Kyoto to reach all levels of society, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism.

[Muromachi-era illustration to a fictional narrative]

Zen Buddhism

Zen played a central role in spreading not only religious teachings and practices but also art and culture, including influences derived from paintings of the Chinese Song (960–1279), Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The proximity of the imperial court to the bakufu resulted in a commingling of imperial family members, courtiers, daimyō, samurai, and Zen priests. Art of all kinds—architecture, literature, Noh drama, Kyōgen (comedy), poetry, sarugaku (folk entertainment), the tea ceremony, landscape gardening, and flower arranging—all flourished during Muromachi times.

Shinto

[Music scene during the Muromachi period (1538)] There was renewed interest in Shinto, which had quietly coexisted with Buddhism during the centuries of the latter's predominance. Shinto, which lacked its own scriptures and had few prayers, had, as a result of syncretic practices begun in the Nara period, widely adopted Shingon Buddhist rituals. Between the eighth and fourteenth centuries, Shintoism was nearly totally absorbed by Buddhism, becoming known as Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto).

The Mongol invasions in the late thirteenth century, however, evoked a national consciousness of the role of the kamikaze in defeating the enemy. Less than fifty years later (1339–43), Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), the chief commander of the Southern Court forces, wrote the _Jinnō Shōtōki_. This chronicle emphasized the importance of maintaining the divine descent of the imperial line from Amaterasu to the current emperor, a condition that gave Japan a special national polity (kokutai). Besides reinforcing the concept of the emperor as a deity, the _Jinnōshōtōki_ provided a Shinto view of history, which stressed the divine nature of all Japanese and the country's spiritual supremacy over China and India.

Provincial wars and foreign contacts

The Ōnin War (1467–77) led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among _bushi_ chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords as central control virtually disappeared. The imperial house was left impoverished, and the _bakufu_ was controlled by contending chieftains in Kyoto. The provincial domains that emerged after the Ōnin War were smaller and easier to control. Many new small _daimyō_ arose from among the samurai who had overthrown their great overlords. Border defenses were improved, and well fortified castle towns were built to protect the newly opened domains, for which land surveys were made, roads built, and mines opened. New house laws provided practical means of administration, stressing duties and rules of behavior. Emphasis was put on success in war, estate management, and finance. Threatening alliances were guarded against through strict marriage rules. Aristocratic society was overwhelmingly military in character. The rest of society was controlled in a system of vassalage. The _shōen_ (feudal manors) were obliterated, and court nobles and absentee landlords were dispossessed. The new daimyō directly controlled the land, keeping the peasantry in permanent serfdom in exchange for protection.

Economic effect of wars between states

Most wars of the period were short and localized, although they occurred throughout Japan. By 1500 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated the growth of transportation and communications, which in turn provided additional revenues from customs and tolls. To avoid such fees, commerce shifted to the central region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and to the Inland Sea. Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds.

Western influence

thumb|upright=1.5|Nanban ships arriving for trade in Japan. 16th-century painting. By the end of the Muromachi period, the first Europeans had arrived. The Portuguese landed in Tanegashima south of Kyūshū in 1543 and within two years were making regular port calls, initiating the century-long Nanban trade period . In 1551, the Navarrese Roman Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was one of the first Westerners who visited Japan.[2] Francis described Japan as follows:

The Spanish arrived in 1587, followed by the Dutch in 1609. The Japanese began to attempt studies of European civilization in depth, and new opportunities were presented for the economy, along with serious political challenges. European firearms, fabrics, glassware, clocks, tobacco, and other Western innovations were traded for Japanese gold and silver. Significant wealth was accumulated through trade, and lesser daimyō, especially in Kyūshū, greatly increased their power. Provincial wars became more deadly with the introduction of firearms, such as muskets and cannons, and greater use of infantry.

Christianity

[A Japanese votive altar, Nanban style. End of 16th century. Guimet Museum.] Christianity affected Japan, largely through the efforts of the Jesuits, led first by the Spanish Francis Xavier (1506–1552), who arrived in Kagoshima in southern Kyūshū in 1549. Both daimyō and merchants seeking better trade arrangements as well as peasants were among the converts. By 1560 Kyoto had become another major area of missionary activity in Japan. In 1568 the port of Nagasaki, in northwestern Kyūshū, was established by a Christian daimyō and was turned over to Jesuit administration in 1579. By 1582 there were as many as 150,000 converts (two percent of the population) and 200 churches. But _bakufu_ tolerance for this alien influence diminished as the country became more unified and openness decreased. Proscriptions against Christianity began in 1587 and outright persecutions in 1597. Although foreign trade was still encouraged, it was closely regulated, and by 1640, in the Edo period, the exclusion and suppression of Christianity became national policy.

Events

-   1336: Ashikaga Takauji captures Kyoto and forces Emperor Daigo II to move to a southern court (Yoshino, south of Kyoto)
-   1338: Ashikaga Takauji declares himself _shōgun_, moves his capital into the Muromachi district of Kyoto and supports the northern court
-   1392: The southern court surrenders to _shōgun_ Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the empire is unified again
-   1397: Kinkaku-ji is built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

[Ryōan-ji rock garden]

-   1450: Ryōan-ji is built by Hosokawa Katsumoto.
-   1457: Edo is established
-   1467: The Ōnin War is split among feudal lords (_daimyōs_)
-   1489: Ginkaku-ji is built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa
-   1543: Firearms are introduced by shipwrecked Portuguese
-   1546: Hōjō Ujiyasu who had won the Battle of Kawagoe becomes ruler of the Kantō region
-   1549: Catholic missionary Francis Xavier arrives in Japan
-   1555: Mōri Motonari, who had won the Battle of Miyajima, becomes ruler of the Chūgoku region
-   1560: Battle of Okehazama
-   1568: The _daimyō_ Oda Nobunaga enters Kyoto and ends the civil war[3]
-   1570: The Archbishopric of Edo is established and the first Japanese Jesuits are ordained
-   1570: Battle of Anegawa
-   1573: Oda Nobunaga overthrows the Muromachi _bakufu_ and extends his control over all of Japan[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Muromachi period

question: What trends characterized Japan in the 1300s?

answer: Lack of unity with opposing shogunates in control throughout Japan.


text:
[“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (_pictured_) spent sixteen weeks at number one, tying for the longest run at number one since the chart's inception in 2007. It also became the joint-longest-running number-one single of the year, and later ranked as the best-performing single of the year.]

This is a list of the CANADIAN HOT 100 number-one singles of 2017. The Canadian Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of Canada. Its data, published by _Billboard_ magazine and compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as airplay and streaming.

Note that _Billboard_ publishes charts with an issue date approximately 10–11 days in advance.

A Canadian flag denotes a Canadian artist.

Chart history

[“Despacito” by Luis Fonsi (_pictured_) and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber spent sixteen weeks at number one, tying for the longest run at number one since the chart's inception in 2007. It also became the joint-longest-running number-one single of the year.] [“Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift (_pictured_) debuted at number one, becoming the twentieth song to do so.] [“Rockstar” by Post Malone (_pictured_) featuring 21 Savage debuted at number one, becoming the twenty-first song to do so.] [Camila Cabello (_pictured_) and Young Thung scored their first number-one single with “Havana”.]

  -- ---------------------------------------------
     Indicates best-performing single of 2017[1]
  -- ---------------------------------------------

  : Key

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| Issue date      | Song            | Artist(s)       | Ref.            |
+=================+=================+=================+=================+
| January 7       | “Starboy”       | The Weeknd      | [2]             |
|                 |                 | featuring Daft  |                 |
|                 |                 | Punk            |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| January 14      | [3]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| January 21      | [4]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| January 28      | “Shape of You”  | Ed Sheeran      | [5]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| February 4      | [6]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| February 11     | [7]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| February 18     | [8]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| February 25     | [9]             |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| March 4         | [10]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| March 11        | [11]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| March 18        | [12]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| March 25        | [13]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| April 1         | [14]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| April 8         | [15]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| April 15        | [16]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| April 22        | [17]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| April 29        | [18]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| May 6           | [19]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| May 13          | [20]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| May 20          | “I'm the One”   | DJ Khaled       | [21]            |
|                 |                 | featuring       |                 |
|                 |                 | Justin Bieber , |                 |
|                 |                 | Quavo,          |                 |
|                 |                 | Chance the      |                 |
|                 |                 | Rapper and Lil  |                 |
|                 |                 | Wayne           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| May 27          | “Despacito”     | Luis Fonsi and  | [22]            |
|                 |                 | Daddy Yankee    |                 |
|                 |                 | featuring       |                 |
|                 |                 | Justin Bieber   |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| June 3          | [23]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| June 10         | [24]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| June 17         | [25]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| June 24         | [26]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| July 1          | [27]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| July 8          | [28]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| July 15         | [29]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| July 22         | [30]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| July 29         | [31]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| August 5        | [32]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| August 12       | [33]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| August 19       | [34]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| August 26       | [35]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| September 2     | [36]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| September 9     | [37]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| September 16    | “Look What You  | Taylor Swift    | [38]            |
|                 | Made Me Do”     |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| September 23    | [39]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| September 30    | [40]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| October 7       | “Rockstar”      | Post Malone     | [41]            |
|                 |                 | featuring 21    |                 |
|                 |                 | Savage          |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| October 14      | [42]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| October 21      | [43]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| October 28      | [44]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| November 4      | [45]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| November 11     | [46]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| November 18     | “Havana”        | Camila Cabello  | [47]            |
|                 |                 | featuring Young |                 |
|                 |                 | Thug            |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| November 25     | [48]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| December 2      | [49]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| December 9      | [50]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| December 16     | [51]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| December 23     | “Perfect”       | Ed Sheeran and  | [52]            |
|                 |                 | Beyoncé         |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| December 30     | [53]            |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

title: List of Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2017

question: How long did "Shape of You" spend in the number one spot?

answer: 16 weeks.

question: Whose song is it?

answer: Ed Sheeran.

question: What is this list?

answer: Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2017.

question: What is the Canadian Hot 100 Chart?

answer: A chart that ranks the best-performing singles of Canada.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Canadian Hot 100 Chart is a chart that ranks the best-performing (music) singles of Canada.


text:
**The Theater**

While I was sitting outside the coffee shop across from the theater, I overheard a woman’s conversation with what appeared to be her boyfriend. I was waiting for my ride home, so I decided to people watch to pass the time. This woman’s conversation kept catching my ear, however, and I decided to listen for a bit.

The woman spoke to her boyfriend about her children, telling him how one of them is just so funny when you get him talking about something he’s interested in, and how smart her daughter is. She told him about how her children were doing in school, how she loved them so much, and how they were growing up so fast. The man laughed along and nodded in all the right places, and they seemed to be having a nice time together.

Having heard enough of their conversation to satisfy my curiosity, I looked over at the theater. I admired all the arches and pillars and lights that made up the face of the building, and warmly remembered the theater’s opening week. People crowded the stairs, cars filled the parking lot and the outer walls were immaculate white, red letters shining from above the crystal clear glass of the windows that lined the massive, shining glass doors. Now, looking at the theater, I notices streaks of gray stained down the tops of the walls and dull spots on the windows, dimmed lights where the theater’s name used to shine so brightly.

Although it was a warm June day, the sky was filled with clouds and there was a strong wind. Gulls stood on the light fixtures above the flapping movie banners that hung on the theater’s wall, watching the occasional car meander through the parking lot. Other birds flew through the sky, catching the wind when they could and diving down to the ground before rising back into the sky. I watched them flying and felt happy that birds could be so happily excited by something that they were given by nature. In our own way, humans aren’t so different from the birds. Birds were naturally given flight, and humans were naturally given the tools to create.

I saw a group of children playing on a horizontal column of basalt, playing chicken and pretending the ground was lava. They laughed and smiled, having fun in the warm wind as I observed from a distance. The children were supervised by one of their fathers, and although there was so much fun being had around him, he looked bored as he sat watching on the bench carved from basalt across from them.

I looked back at the chatting couple sitting near me and found them kissing. In the moment before I shifted my gaze back to the theater, I caught a flash of gold from the woman’s hand. The ring on her hand had no gem, and was dulled with age. Despite the fact that I didn’t have all of the background on their story, my heart sank at this small detail. I had felt joy at watching a woman who was, to the extent of my knowledge, having an affair with this man.

I glanced back to the theater, gloomily looking at the grayed stairs, disenchanted from the realization that the happy couple was really just a display of infidelity. I saw that the escalators I had once ridden to the gleaming glass doors of the theater were now blocked by yellow tape and perfectly still. The glass roof over the escalators was dulled by rain and sun over the years, making its slow journey to opaqueness. The walls were spotted with brightness in places that were once covered by light fixtures that had long fallen off of it. My eyes slowly rose to the top of the building, where two metal spires reached into the sky, holding in place a great metal circle through which the spot of sun in the clouds shone.

I realized at that moment that I was seeing the building exactly how its imaginer had intended it to be seen, with the sun shining through the centerpiece of his wall. I widened my view to see the whole face of the building as one, rather than as individual, flawed pieces. I was amazed to see how beautiful the building I had been looking at was, and how all of the flaws disappeared when you looked at it all together.

Momentarily in awe, I looked around at all of the people around me.
I caught a glimpse of the couple holding hands, and noticed that the man had a ring to match the woman’s. Along with that, I heard the woman say with a shaky voice how sad she would be when he had to return to serve in the military.

When I looked over to the group of children, I saw the man supervising them smiling and laughing with the children while rounding them up and taking them to his vehicle. I saw the van pull away, carrying the group of children to their little league game.

Then, I heard a tapping sound to my right and saw that a gull had landed on the table next to mine. He pecked up the crumbs left over from the coffee shop’s earlier customers, and flew off again, dipping and rising in the wind.

My ride pulled up in front of the theater and I began walking toward it. I then caught another glimpse of the theater, and was happy to see that it was still as beautiful as it had been during its opening week. My eyes drifted higher and I saw that the sun had slipped from its socket atop the theater, and I smiled, feeling like I had shared a secret with the person who had envisioned the theater.

Although I only rarely see the theater now, I always remember how I felt when I stepped back and saw it for what it really was. I now realize that everything is worth looking at more than once, and that the way you first see things isn’t always how they truly are.

title: My cheesy first short story

question: What's the theme that ties all of the narrator's observances?

answer: That perspective greatly changes the way you see things, not everything is seen as it truly is.


text:
Once upon a time, a train travelled through the snow-covered tracks of North Dakota.  Inside the train was a little too warm. Thankfully, there was a steady draft coming from some flaw in the train’s structure, and the draft was keeping Mr. McLeery’s legs cool.

Mr. McLeery had taken this train before, but never this far north. In the past, he had detrained at Lawsmith County, where he worked as a pinprick clerk for Industrial Recursions, LLD. But this morning, Mr. McLeery felt no compulsion to get off at Lawsmith. Instead, he remained on board to see just where this train goes. “It can’t go into Canada, can it?” he thought. But where is the last stop? And will any other passengers still be aboard at that point?

The train chugged along. It didn’t seem to be in a hurry. The scenery was pretty drab – white, grey and then white again. Until the brown dot. The brown dot ahead took a long time to grow into the shape of a building. Mr. McLeery attributed this to the otherwise vacant landscape, allowing him to see for miles across the snowy plains.

But there it was, a building. And soon enough, the train’s breaks slowly screeched, and a slightly mechanized voice announced the “last stop, Downey’s Creek.” Mr. McLeery looked about the train car. There were no other passengers, and no train personnel. And so, he gathered up his briefcase and his down jacket, and Mr. McLeery detrained.

The first, obvious sign of incongruity was the lack of a creek at Downey’s Creek. The second sign was the complete absence of life, other than his own, as the train pulled out of the station. The doors of the old, wooden, brown train station were unlocked, but no one was inside. There were no roads that Mr. McLeery could see that approached the station.

The train took a few minutes to maneuver around the tracks and to retreat southward. Then, Mr. McLeery was alone.

“Perhaps this was a mistake,” thought Mr. McLeery. But he was keenly aware of the fact that he didn’t much feel concerned about his precarious situation. How long until another train arrived? Where would he get food? Would he have to spend the night? And where? Plus, he was fairly certain that his cell phone would not work out here. After all, it barely worked back in Lawsmith. But none of this worried Mr. McLeery, as he stepped off the platform and began trudging in a random direction, through the snow.

The snow was about a foot deep, and made loud, crunchy noises as he stepped. They were the only noises, other than his own breathing, that Mr. McLeery could hear. After 20 minutes of walking, Mr. McLeery looked back. The brown station was small. After another 20 minutes, he looked back again. Now the station was just a brown dot. In another 20 minutes, his right ankle becoming a little sore, Mr. McLeery looked back again, and this time saw nothing but snow. He stopped to enjoy the sensation of being in the center of a sea of snow – no trees, no houses, no people, no animals. Not even any birds. Just Mr. McLeery, holding his briefcase, surrounded by an empty, white plain.

Uncertain which direction to continue, Mr. McLeery remained still, waiting for something to happen. As the afternoon turned to evening, the temperature dropped, and Mr. McLeery closed his eyes to the burning cold. He began to freeze. Sitting down was no longer an option, as his legs would refuse to bend. As Mr. McLeery died, his focus turned deeply inward.  He was completely unaware of the snow and the cold and even of his dying body. Mr. McLeery’s attention was consumed by an image. An image of great meaning. And he was becoming part of that meaning, and had always been a part.

Mr. McLeery’s body was a frozen shell – a man, standing in a snowy, white pain, holding a briefcase. To an observer, he would have appeared like a wildly out of place statue commemorating normalcy; the normal as abnormal. But there was no observer, and there was no Mr. McLeery.

[For more stories & wordplay, visit me at www.daisybrain.com]

title: Mr. McLeery

question: What happens to Mr. McLeery at the end of the story?

answer: Mr. McLeery reaches "the end of the line" figuratively and literally. After reaching the last train station, he marches out into the cold snow. He cannot find his way and is aimless and freezes to death.

question: Where does Mr. McLeery think the train might stop?

answer: At the beginning of the story, Mr. McLeery is curious about where the train will end. He thinks that it might go into Canada, but then thinks that is impossible. He wonders if any other passengers will be on board when it reaches the last stop.


text:
DOORBIN () is a Bangladeshi rock band formed in 2004.[1]

History

In 2004 Syed Shahid formed the band Doorbin with Sabbir and Noyon. In 2006 they released their first album “Doorbin” with help of a number of well wisher.[2]

Members

Current members:

-   Syed Shahid (Band Leader & Main Vocal)
-   Ayub Shahrier (Vocal & Rhythm)
-   Fahad (Lead Guiter)
-   Rafi (Keyboard & Composer)
-   Shishir (Drums)
-   Hridoy (Lead Guiter)
-   Shawn (Base Guiter)

Past members:

-   Arfin Rumey (Vocal & Composer)
-   Kazi Shuvo (Vocal & Guiter)[3]

Album and singles

Solo albums

-   Doorbin (2006)
-   Doorbin 2.01 (2008)
-   Doorbin 3.01 (2010)
-   Doorbin 4.01 (2015)
-   Doorbin 5.01 (2017)[4]

Mixed albums

-   Amader-71 (2015)
-   Amader-71 2.0 (2016)[5]

Awards

-   5th Citycel-Channel I Awards (Best Band) - Won[6]
-   11th Meril Prothom Alo Awards - Nominated

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Doorbin

question: Who are the band members?

answer:
The band members are:
- Syed Shahid
- Ayub Shahrier
- Fahad
- Rafi
- Shishir
- Hridoy
- Shawn

question: Who formed the band?

answer: Syed Shahid formed the band with Sabbir and Noyon.

question: Which was their first album?

answer: Their first album was "Doorbin."

question: Who is the lead singer?

answer: The lead singer is Syed Shahid

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Doorbin is a Bangladeshi rock band. The band was formed by Syed Shahid, Sabbir, and Noyon in 2004. Syed is currently the bandleader and the main vocal. Doorbin currently consists of seven members. They have composed five solo albums and two mixed albums. The band has been awarded the "Best band" award by the Citycel-Channel I Awards.


text:
Darkly twisted
not the words I would have used to discribe the innocent creature sitting before me
But as these many weeks have past digging deeper through this outward facade revealing an ever increasing labyrinth of which I feel I have only glanced apon the surface giving only hints while seething among the depths are many terrors that I would dare not to put to paper for fear of relinquishing that which I hold most sacred the continuation of my work and more over my sanity
I cannot even to you my most trusted friend give more then an impression of my findings so far For without the scientific evidence to support my claims I fear a padded cell and lovely new coat would be the only just reward for revelations
           More to come.   Your friend P

title: A short story I just wrote called darkly twisted its in parts so if you want the rest let me know

question: What is the creature referenced in the story?

answer: It is unclear what the creature is.

question: What is the tone of the story>

answer: Fearful

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: It is unclear who the narrator is.

question: Where does this story take place?

answer: It is unclear where this takes place.

question: What does the narrator fear?

answer: Being institutionalized

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator sees a creature beside them. They do not tell anyone about it for fear that they will be put in a mental institution.


text:
I found this in my email from way back in high school. Little to no research was involved, so please excuse any inaccuracy.

The pounding of hooves grew stronger, as their cheers grew louder. His back stiffened as his heart began to slow. The horse’s breathing became strong and rhythmic. As he lowered the lance, the world was lost to the sounds of a slow pounding thud.

Thud.

“You awake in there?”

	The boy was lying in a large puddle of blood as the voices continued to speak.

“What do you mean he’s not talking? I put good money on that child and he was supposed to win. Don’t tell me I can’t show that waste of space what he is worth to me before—“

“Sire, please. The boy will be ready for the next fair. I swear.”

“I’ve had enough of this nonsense. This…this boy will either win or his blood won’t be the only one shed next time,” was the only thing the Duke managed to get out before he stormed out of the stable.

“Thanks,” the boy mumbled between his blood stained teeth.

“Don’t mention it William, just get up and help me clean up this mess.”

Timothy had been training William for sometime now and he knew better than to flatter him or tell him that he tried his best. William never liked that kind of stuff. He was stern and headstrong and he knew that the Duke meant business. The next fair he would have to face the Stranagor’s knight. Roland.

Weeks that followed seemed to crawl by as William’s hard work became ingrained into his mind. All he could think of was Roland and his greasy smile. Roland saw no honor in the game. He did not fight for the church. He did not fight for his honor and not even for his most recent wench, but he fought for his money; and it was the money that he would die for.

Click. His boots were set. His mind racing. Straps tightened and greaves on. The bones creaked under the weight of his chest piece. He felt the cold unrelenting steel between his fingers and his nerves began to tremble. Steam began to seep through the slits in his helmet as he mounted his steed and retrieved his lance. He could feel the slow rising and falling of the horse’s chest as he rode out to face his opponent.

Roland was waiting with his sick twisted smile hidden beneath solid black steel. William knew it was time. The signal was sent and William’s heart began beat furiously as his horse’s hooves pounded against the dirt. He raised his lance directly at the slit between Roland’s helmet and breastplate and rode on. He clenched his teeth as he waited for impact. His arm began to ache as the splinters began to fly. He could almost feel the hot liquids splatter inside Roland’s helmet as the short screams of agony bellowed as a response. William turned his horse towards the roaring crowd.

title: A Medieval Knight's Tale

question: How was the boy injured?

answer: The boy, William, was injured in a jousting tournament.

question: Who is William?

answer: William is the boy, and he is fighting in what seems to be a jousting tournament.

question: What is the relationship between Timothy and the Duke?

answer: It's not clear, but Timothy seems to be his subordinate. Timothy trains the Duke's jouster.

question: What happens at the fair?

answer: The fair has/is a jousting competition.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The Duke is angry at Timothy and William when William is defeated at a jousting fair. He threatens Timothy that if William loses next time, William's blood won't be the only one to shed. Timothy trains William until the next competition where William will be facing off with Roland, who has no honor. At the fair , William wins.


text:
[Conversation]
Credit: Pixabay
I have worked with leaders who tell me they work 70 hours a week because they are putting out fires all day long.

When leaders fix problems, they unintentionally teach employees to adopt a victim mentality. Instead of taking initiative, the employee runs to the leader complaining and expecting the leader to take action. Coaching (versus fixing) is a better method of promoting a culture of personal responsibility and improving productivity. Here are the simple steps to coach employees to empowerment.

Listen

When you don’t see the logic, it’s tempting to try to intervene by fixing or challenging. You have to take a counterintuitive approach and listen. Simply take a pause and hear the other person out. Take a deep breath, and silently count to three. Do not multi-task. Do not interrupt. Do not nod in disagreement. Simply hold space and let the other person finish.

Acknowledge

Acknowledge the other person’s reality. Acknowledgement does not equal agreement. Example: "I hear you, Stephanie. It sounds like you are overwhelmed." Stephanie will either agree or correct you. Once you acknowledge the emotion they usually begin to calm down.

Focus the energy

Next, you are going to help Stephanie focus her energy by asking the question, “What do you want?” There are thousands of ways to ask the question. For example, “What is your intended result?” or “What is your objective?” Use your own authentic style to guide Stephanie to articulate her end result.

Don't take the bait

Once you ask, “What do you want?” prepare to be distracted. This is where Stephanie is likely to break into a story about why things aren’t fair, and why you don’t understand, as she reminds you of her seniority or tenure.  Do not -- I repeat, do not -- take the bait. It wastes time and encourages more emotional storytelling. If Stephanie says something like, “I just want Jada to move away,” don’t react to their frustration or sarcasm. Instead, get curious.

Get curious

The question to use here is, “What would that give you that you don’t have now?” Using curiosity effectively creates a pattern interrupt, and helps you get to the root of what Stephanie really wants: “I would be able to apply for Jada’s position.”

Refocus

Your goal is to get Stephanie, or Steve, or whomever is complaining, to actually take responsibility for stating what they want. In the example above, Stephanie wants to be a manager. (She doesn’t really want Jada to move.) In short, until a person claims what they really want, they will continue to complain.

Ask the empowerment question

The next question is, “What are your choices?” In this example, our fictional character Stephanie says, “I could get an advanced degree so that I can apply to be a manager.” When you help your employee find their choices, you help them find their power.

Seek willingness

The final step in the coaching to empowerment method is to see if there are any roadblocks or resistance. You are attempting to see if Stephanie is willing to do what it takes to get what she wants. The question is, “Are you willing to get your advanced degree?” Stephanie’s answer helps you to know if she is willing to do what is required.

Conclusion

People complain for two reasons: They want something and don’t know what it is, or they know what they want, but don’t know how to get what they want. Now that you know why people complain, you can help someone who has gotten lost in the complaint forest to get some direction.

_Marlene Chism is a consultant, international speaker and the author of "Stop Workplace Drama" (Wiley 2011) and "No-Drama Leadership" (Bibliomotion 2015). Visit her at MarleneChism.com and StopWorkplaceDrama.com. Connect on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter._

_If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader._

question: Summarize the source of conflict in the example case. She thinks things aren't fair and the coworker doesn't understand. She wants Jada to move away but only because she wants to apply for Jada's manager position.

answer: The worker, Stephanie, is overwhelmed.

question: What does the article say about good leadership?

answer: Good leadership involves coaching employees rather than solving their problems for them. A good leader will empower their employees by getting them to take responsibility for what they want.

question: Summarize the metaphors the article employs.

answer: It uses the metaphor of putting out fires to represent solving problems. The article also makes reference to getting "lost in the complaint forest".

question: What does the article say about dealing with one's bosses?


text:
(Also found at mrhoneywell.wordpress.com)

It’s 12:47am and I’m in a bar at a chatty table of 8, though I don’t understand a word anyone is saying. A game show is on TV, the players dolled in bowl cut wigs and antique soldier outfits. I rub my eyes hard, and open them to my neighbor looking at me saying something I can’t understand. He sounds concerned. He says something to the other people at the table, they look at me with similar concern and nod in agreement. My neighbor stands up and pulls on my jacket sleeve, motioning for me to get up, so I do and he leads me to the bathroom. When inside, he brings me to the sink and points at the mirror. My eyes are bloodshot red, and my neighbor keeps saying things I can’t understand, pointing to my eyes, and I stare at him blankly. He turns me toward him, gesturing and repeating something with concern. He washes his hands, turns to me again, leans my head back, then slowly and carefully removes my contact lenses one at a time. I blink and look at him, he says something with a seemingly relieved tone of voice. I look in the mirror and rub my eyes long and hard.

I open them to a blurry, empty bathroom. The door leading back into the bar is open, and I can tell the bar is empty as the flashing, cartoonish images are lost on the dead, black TV screen, chairs are overturned on the table tops, the vibration of life long gone.

The front door of the bar is open and I carefully step into the rainy night. I empty my pockets: I have a key to a locker, a train ticket reading 6:00 AM, a dead cell phone, and a wet map. I start walking, looking for a sign of other people to ask for directions, but the streets are empty. I peer at street signs, trying to find something recognizable on the map, but the signs are illegible or in a language I never knew. I hear cars moving by down a side street and follow the sounds of acceleration, which seem just out of reach. I come up to a street with a few cars driving by but no sidewalks and no people. I follow the direction most cars are going, my thumb out, hoping for a ride or just for someone to look at me and let me know I’m not alone. The rain is light, and a fog hovers over my path. Fleet Foxes “An Argument” can be heard from somewhere, humming echoes of discordant, unarranged horn and violin notes squeaking out of rhythm forming confusion and cacophony. I walk for who knows how long, while the sun stays asleep and I slosh one soaked shoe in front of another, thumb hanging by my side.

In time, the sound of twenty cars or more tumbling through a city street rises and fluorescent lights make the fog and haze faintly glow. Someone is walking towards me and I hold up my hands and say excuse me but they pass by like they would pass through a ghost. The road ahead opens up with more lanes feeding and connecting into city streets with color, lights, and music from cars. I feel out of place, like a wet remnant of the world I’ve just passed through, or maybe the world that passed through me. A couple is walking past, again I reach my hand out with a map, but they hush and turn their heads away as if something in the dark, empty store next to us caught their eye. Soon people are passing me more regularly in the streets, none of them take notice of me as I hold out my map in pleading. The phantom train whistles in my head, or outside, I can’t tell. I see a clock tower displaying 5:00 AM, and I remember my train is at 6:00. I look down at the fumbled bunch of papers in my hands, soaked with tears or rain, when I feel the warmth of a woman walking by me with a bright red umbrella. She seems to glow, wearing a summer dress with soft skin and light brown hair. I watch her pass like the dead watch the living, yearning to reach out for what has not been invaded by the hazy night. She walks about ten feet in front of me, then hesitates for a minute, and turns slowly towards me like a lighthouse swinging its beam for lost sailors.

There we stood facing each other, and her with her head cocked to the side in consideration. I held up my map like a signal flare, and she took a few quiet steps toward me as the rain seemed to die down. “Do you know where the train station is?” I asked. She looked at me me, confused, then fired off a rapid series of questions in another language. I half heartedly laughed, and with a smile pointed to myself and said “English.” I pointed to the faded picture of a train station on my map, and she nudged closer to me for a look, bringing me under her umbrella. She looked over the map and nodded, then pointed in a general direction, saying “choo, choo” and tugging on an imaginary foghorn. I looked in the direction, which seemed like a dark, misleading forest at the time. I gave her a long, hopeless look, and pointed to my eyes, making a thumbs down gesture. She looked around into the dreary night with a smile like a hiker atop a mountain, then flashed her bright eyes toward me and says OK.

Through a chance street that seemed to lead straight to the horizon, the pinkish-orange tint of the sun began to crack through the night. She hooked her arm in mine and pulled me down the city street lovingly, and I felt my clothes drying from her warmth and the shelter of her bright umbrella. She asked “America?” and I said yes. She seemed delighted. “You like here?” I said yes, and she gave out a little cry of joy. As we walked, I tried to act out the things I’d seen and the people I’d met, the places I’ve been and the rooftops and overlooks of the wide river nearby. We laughed and laughed. We passed through an opening market that smelt of boiling eggs and freshly cut basil. Lost in time, I felt that we would walk forever arm in arm, that I was home, and I could happily die that way. As we approached the river I had once overlooked, we stopped and saw the sun firing off colors through wisps of cloud and jet streams. A mercury vapor lit clock tower read 5:45 as we reached the front train station steps. We turned to each other, and she squeezed my arm, then in a moment were locked in a kiss. We stayed there for who knows how long, but when eventually we let go, I ran my fingers across her warm arms and took one last look into the lamps of her eyes, then turned into the train station, the words “thank you” on my smiling lips.

Hours later, riding the train through the clear, blue day, I struggled to remember the exact details of her face, the curves of her body, the sound of her voice. Today I have come to grips with the fact that I’ll never really know.

title: The Lighthouse (Travel Fiction)

question: What happens to the narrator in the bathroom?

answer: He is brought to the sink and his acquaintance is pointing to his eyes in the mirror. He sees they are bloodshot red. His friend leans the narrator's head back and carefully removed his contact lenses. His friend leaves and the narrator rubs his eyes once again. When he opens his eyes, the bathroom and bar are empty and he walks outside on the streets.

question: Summarize why is the narrator having issues getting to the train station?

answer: The narrator is having trouble getting to the train station first of all because he can't see. Earlier that night, his eyes were bloodshot so someone helped him take his contact lenses out. Because of the rain outside, his map is wet. He doesn't understand the language so can't read road signs. Because it is so early in the morning, no one is on the streets and when people start appearing, no one stops to help him.

question: Summarize how the author communicated with the lady that helped him.

answer: The communication between the author and the lady was verbal and non-verbal. He asked her if she knew where the train station was but it seems she didn't understand English. They did exchange some minimal English conversation but mostly communicated non-verbally. He pointed to where he wanted to go on his map and also pointing to his eyes, made a thumbs down gesture that signified he can't see very well. While walking together towards the station he tried acting out the things he saw and did.

question: What does the text say about where the lady works?


text:
The bloody sun was nearing its highest point when the man reached the outskirts of the ruined city. It was a breezy day, and the shifting grass seemed to shy away from him as he made his slow voyage across the plain. He was a tall man, well tanned from being in the sun for long hours, and his face had crinkled into an expression of age and rugged wisdom. His body was strapped in torn leather, and his facial hair suggested a few days of no shaving. In his right hand he bore a walking stick, sharpened at the end to a point, like a spear. A holster hung about his waste, and in it, a 10 millimeter Bren Ten, with a single clip left to use.

Hoping to find some much needed supplies, the man continued his trek, glancing between the skyline of ruined towers, and the great mountains beyond them. A sign, eroded by age, read in large white letters “Welcome to Denver.” He heard of the place before. They used to call it the “mile high city,” but that was long ago. Back when he had friends.

He had been the first male born to his tribe, he recalled, and he was called "blessing" by many. They told him the stories of how the great tribes fell, and the towers became empty. They told him of sky people, who had come down to the earth and snatched its inhabitants. But in defiance, they fought back and were swiftly annihilated. Seeing their potential slaves mostly dead, the sky people fled, and left them to their ruined home.

His tribe were his friends. But his friends had sent him out here, out West. He was to find civilization, and return to save his people. But more and more he feared that there was no civilization to be found.

So now there were no friends. It had been a long time since he had heard the sound of another voice. His own often provided that helpful second opinion. He liked his voice, but he often remembered his friends’.

 Thinking of these things made the trip seem shorter, and he soon found himself amongst the great tombs of skyscrapers, monuments to a greater time. The man saw nothing but rubble and trash, nothing worth collecting. He kept on, his spear held tightly in his hand. Who knew what monster may inhabit these crypts? The place was deathly quiet; the only sound was the slight rustle of the wind upon the grass. But his ears perked up as a piece of rubble fell out of place.

Stopping, the man looked around, until he saw a figure reveal itself in the shadow. A friend…finally? No. A bullet whizzed past his head. He dropped the spear, and quickly whipped out his pistol. Taking aim as the figure approached, he discharged a bullet. But in the mere sliver of time before he pulled the trigger, he saw the figure’s face. It was a woman, a beautiful woman, not scarred by the brutal reality of this hostile wasteland. He could not cut down such beauty; his heart would not allow him, even for survival. His hand moved the slightest inch out of line as he fired, and the bullet sailed off, striking nothing.

She fired back, this time not missing. He felt the hot lead hit his chest, and the pain seared him. Dropping his gun, the man slowly bent down on one knee, and then another. He grasped at his chest, and began to breathe raggedly. He could feel his heart hurting. As he fell backwards to the ground, tears began to form in his eyes. As the darkness began to surround him, he felt not fear, but joy. He wished the woman a farewell in his mind, and hoped she lived to escape this harsh place. With his last breath of life, the man looked up at the great towering tombstones, and to the clouds beyond.

“It is fitting,” thought he, “to die in a graveyard.”

title: The Graveyard

question: Who is the protagonist?

answer: An unnamed man.

question: What genre is this story?

answer: The story is dystopian fiction.

question: Where does the protagonist die?

answer: He dies in a graveyard.

question: Who was the figure that the protagonist saw?

answer: An unnamed woman.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The protagonist is on the search for supplies and any remainders of civilization. Some alien force has attacked humanity and left few people alive. He arrives in what was once Denver. He hears a noise and sees a figure in the distance. It is a woman and she shoots him and misses. She finally hits him and he dies in a graveyard.


text:
_JOHNNY MIDNIGHT_ is an American crime drama that aired for one season in syndication from January 3, 1960 to September 21, 1960. The series stars Edmond O'Brien as the title character.

Synopsis

O'Brien portrayed Johnny Midnight, a New York City actor turned private detective. Midnight's cases frequently focused upon Times Square and Broadway, where he had triumphed earlier on stage. Midnight lives in a plush Manhattan penthouse. O'Brien narrated the crime drama in the terse style associated with Humphrey Bogart or Walter Winchell. The theme song of the series is “Lullaby of Broadway”.[1]

The supporting cast included Arthur Batanides as Sergeant Lupo Olvera, Barney Phillips as Lieutenant Sam Geller, and Yuki Shimoda as Uki, Midnight's wise-cracking Japanese manservant.

Other guest roles were filled by Parley Baer, Whitney Blake, Walter Burke, Russ Conway, Billy De Wolfe, Joe Flynn, Connie Hines, DeForest Kelley, Viveca Lindfors, Doug McClure, Ann McCrea, Tyler McVey, Jay Novello, J. Pat O'Malley, Jacqueline Scott, Robert F. Simon, and William Schallert, Lurene Tuttle, and Adam West.[2]

Production notes

Jack Chertok produced the program, prior to his association with the sitcom _My Favorite Martian_.[3]

[1]

[2]

[3] Alex McNeil, _Total Television_, New York: Penguin Books, 1997

title: Johnny Midnight (TV series)

question: When did Johnny Midnight first air?

answer: The show first aired on January 3, 1960.

question: Who is playing the lead role?

answer: The lead role is played by Edmond O'Brien.

question: What role does Edmond play?

answer: Edmond plays the role of Johnny Midnight who is an actor turned private detective.

question: Does the series have a title track?

answer: The series has a theme song - Lullaby of Broadway.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
Johnny Midnight is a crime drama that aired for one season in 1960.

The show stars Edmond O'Brien. He plays the character of Johnny Midnight who is an actor turned private detective.  Edmond's character is supported by Arthur Batanides as Sergeant Lupo Olvera, Barney Philips as Lieutenant Sam getter, and Yuki Shimoda as Uki.


text:
[]

LAPAROSCOPY is a minimally invasive surgical technique used in procedures as a diagnostic tool or for surgeries such as removal of the uterus, fibroids, ovarian cysts, pelvic adhesions, endometriosis etc. For many procedures, such as removal of an ectopic pregnancy, treatment of endometriosis, or ovarian cystectomy, laparoscopy has become the treatment of choice.

Compared with laparotomy, multiple studies have shown laparoscopy to be safer and to have a shorter recovery time Bedekar Hospital has facilities for basic and advance laproscopic/ keyhole surgery.We have all latest equipment for the same.

INDICATIONS

DIAGNOSTIC LAPAROSCOPY
Frequently, the physician needs to assess the pelvis for acute or chronic pain, ectopic pregnancy, endometriosis, adnexal torsion, or other pelvic pathology, or for determination of tubal patency.

TUBAL STERILIZATION
Trocar placement is similar to diagnostic laparoscopy. Bipolar electrosurgery, clips, or silastic bands may be used to occlude the tubes

LYSIS OF ADHESION
Adhesions may form due to prior infection, such as a ruptured appendix or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, or previous surgery. Adhesions may contribute to infertility or chronic pelvic pain. The chances of pregnancy after lysis of adhesions is relatively low for most patients, and this type of surgery has been largely supplanted by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Likewise, adhesiolysis is often ineffective in curing chronic pelvic pain, in part because most adhesions rapidly reform after surgery.

Adhesions may be lysed by blunt or sharp dissection.

TREATMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS
Endometriosis, a cause of female infertility, is a condition in which endometrial tissue, the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus, grows outside the uterus and attaches to other organs in the abdominal cavity such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis is a progressive disease that tends to get worse over time and can reoccur after treatment. Symptoms include painful menstrual periods, abnormal menstrual bleeding and pain during or after sexual intercourse.

The blood that is shed from the endometrial tissue in your abdominal cavity has no place to go, resulting in pools of blood causing an inflammation that forms scar tissue. The scar tissue can block the fallopian tubes or interfere with ovulation. Another result of endometriosis is the formation of ovarian cysts called endometrioma that may also interfere with ovulation.

Laparoscopy is the most common procedure used to diagnose and treat endometriosis.10 Endometriotic lesions may be resected or ablated. Both of these techniques have shown to improve fertility and decrease pelvic pain.

TREATMENT OF ECTOPIC PREGNANCY
Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that implants and grows outside the uterine cavity; either in the fallopian tubes or ovary or rarely in the abdominal cavity. With advances in sonography ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed very early before itruptures causing heavy blood loss. If surgical treatment is required for ectopic pregnancy it is bettermanaged by laparoscopic surgery. A salpingostomy or salpingectomy may be performed to remove the embryo and gestational sac.

POLYCYSTIC OVARIES
In some women, the follicle (egg) manages to grow but is unable to rupture leading to formation of small grape like cysts within the ovary. These cysts contain androgenic hormones impairing fertility. While rupture of the eggs can be induced in some of the women, a segment of these woman may be resistant to the drugs(thick capsule).These women may need surgical drilling of the ovary, where puncture holes are made in both ovaries using monopolar current through the endoscope. Good results are seen following this surgery.

question: What is the difference between laparoscopy and laparotomy?

answer: While laparotomy requires full surgery and sometimes invasive procedures, laparoscopy does not require such. This is why laparoscopy is sometimes called "keyhole" surgery because of its minimal invasiveness.


text:
This past November, Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith was involved in an altercation outside of a pizza shop in New York City. A 19-year-oldreportedly claimed Smith attacked him, choked him, and slammed him into a wall in retaliation for a joke about him being traded by the Knicks. Deadspin has acquired video footage that shows what happened that night, which as far as we can tell involves Smith, after being berated for a long time, gently smiting a rude teen.

The clip above was shot outside of Artichoke Pizza on the corner of West 17th and Tenth Avenue in the early morning hours of November 13. It begins with Smith—wearing a black hoodie—being heckled by two bad teens who seem upset that Smith would not take a picture with them. The rowdy teens send some very teenaged taunts in Smith’s direction—“I’m from Two-Nine and Lex!” and “I want you to do something; gonna get 50 grand!” and the like —while one of Smith’s friends—the guy in the red jacket—talks back to the teens before attempting to move to the other side of the street with Smith.

The clip then cuts to surveillance footage from a camera on the same block. You can see Smith—at this point in the middle of the crosswalk—return to the teens and deliver what appears to be a gentle shove (or, at worst, some sort of loose smiting) to one of them before being pulled away by his friend. The shoved or smited teen lurches back from the contact, like Manu Ginobili, and may or may not brush into a wall by the time he’s finished. We don’t know if this video depicts the entirety of Smith’s interaction with the teens, but it seems to support the New York prosecutor’s decision not to press charges. Manhattan DA spokesman Patrick Muncie released a brief statement when the case was dropped:

  After a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding this case, we have concluded that the evidence does not support criminal charges against Mr. Smith.

The teen who claims to be on the receiving end of the smiting is still pursuing a civil suit worth $2.5 million. Smith will be playing tonight in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

_Photo via AP_

question: What is NBA player Smith accused of by a teenager?

answer: A teenager claims that Smith attacked him, choked him, and slammed him into a wall.

question: What does the video acquired by Deadspin show?

answer: The video shows Smith, after being attacked, gently pushing or smiting the teenager.

question: Does Smith slam the teenager into a wall?

answer: The video shows that the teenager may or may not brush into a wall.

question: What does the New York prosecutor decide to do?

answer: The New York prosecutor decides not to press charges.

question: How does this fight finish?

answer: The teenager is still pursuing a civil suit worth $2.5 million against Smith.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A teenager claims that NBA player Smith attacked him, choked him, and slammed him into a wall in retaliation for a joke about him. However, Deadspin acquires surveillance footage that shows Smith, after being berated, gently pushing or smiting a rude teen. It is not clear if the teenager brushes into a wall. The New York prosecutor decides not to press charges, but the teenager is still pursuing a civil suit worth $2.5 million against Smith.


text:
Greetings, fellow writers.

There are to be a few things introduced to this subreddit over the coming months. The first such thing is a "theme". This month's theme? Space Travel. If you've written something that involves space travel in the past, respond to this post with a link to it. If you write something new for the theme, respond to this post with that link as well. At the end of the month, this thread will be archived in the community wiki (an encyclopedia for the subreddit) for all future readers to digest. This will make it easier for them to find something for the mood they are in.

Here is a sneak peak at what a few months will hold:

- November 2013: Space Travel
- December 2013: Winter
- January 2013: Resolutions
- February 2013: Time Travel

As stated, however, only respond with links to space travel related short stories or serials you have begun. After February 2013, there will be no advanced warning on what the theme for the next month will be.

Regards from another planet!

title: [MODPOST] Short Stories Theme Months (November's Theme: Space Travel)

question: What is the current month's theme according to the excerpt?

answer: The current month's theme is Space Travel.

question: What is the theme for January 2013?

answer: The theme for January 2013 is resolutions.

question: What do the themes for the month do?

answer: These themes are created for subreddits that are only for topics that fit under the theme chosen.

question: What is the theme for February 2013?

answer: The theme is Time Travel for February 2013.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This excerpt describes the themes chosen to become subreddits.