text:
Damn. Now I really didn't see this happening. Of all the things to happen at this bland school and this is the shit that happens. Wow. I guess I'm getting a bit carried, let me start from the beginning.
          My school, Jefferson Middle School, is rather boring, nothing really exciting happens here except the occasional girl drama that usally goes like, "Brian likes me! Not you, skany hoe!" And ends in a matter of three days. I'm usually quiet, if you were to call me "popular girl," you would be wrong but calling me a "nerd" wouldn't be right either. I was just sort of there. I had my friends and that's all I needed. That's where this story starts. With my friend, Daniel. Daniel was a pretty intresting boy. All acceralted classes, loved video games and comics, and wasn't bad looking at all. Over the first year of middle school, Daniel and I became pretty close. Hanging out after school and learning about eachother. It was pretty nice. Daniel loved life and he wasn't afraid to show it. If he had something to say, oh would he say it, but he was never disrespectful about it. He was always being a gentlemen. People always said shit about him.
         "Oh! Did you hear about Daniel? I heard he was sucking cock in the bathroom!"
         "Daniel the fag!"
         "Daniel should go burn in fucking hell with all the other fags that enjoy buttsex!" Get the trend here? They kept on saying he was gay, over and over. Through messages on Facebook, notes, or even writing on bathroom walls, which is very cliche. There have been times where I have asked if he was gay and I would get the same answer every time.
          "Do you think I am?" Over and over, he never changed it. Daniel was really proud and he felt as if he shouldn't state if he were gay or not and I really admire that about him. 8th grade started and I assumed that the gay jokes would have gotten old by now, but they didn't. They actual got worse. More people started calling him a "fag, dick-sucker," and spreading rumors that I don't even wanna remember. I noticed a change in Daniel, he wasn't as outgoing, didn't speak his mind, became less quite, less proud. I tried helping him, I really did but it never worked. He seemed to just become more depressed. Those kids never noticed either, they just attacked him more and more, getting more ruthless with each insult. This drama was lasting way more than three days and I wasn't sure what would happen. Shit even got worsed.
          That's when I heard the intercom come on one day during class.
       "Students, I am sad to announce that our student, Daniel Rigsbee, has died yesterday." They didn't tell us how he died, but we all knew. He killed himself. The voice of the principal announcing his death was so fucking emotionless, it made it seem as if Daniel was some character in a movie that died. Everyone was silent. I was filled with anger. Those ruthless bastards did this. They didn't know when to stop. The minute the bell rang, I sprinted to his house asking if it was true was they said today. His father simply nodded and beckoned me in. He said that there was a note left in his room directed to me and "bitches." I walked to his room, feeling as if I was going to puke. I found the note, all directed in rainbows, colors, and smiley faces. It made me sick. I opened the note with nervoness and read.
        "Dear Juno and the son of bitches at school. Let me make this clear. I am not fucking gay. I am as straight as the pole your mom dances on. I should not have to tell people this, it's my life and you shouldn't be butting in. Pun intended. You caused this and I hope you feel great. You did it! You've killed me! I'm not gonna say that this wasn't your guys' fault because fuck that. It totally was. I hope you live with that burden that you killed me for your whole life. Juno, I hope you live a great life and don't cry over me, you didn't cause this. You are amazing and don't let people do what they did to me to you. I would punch their neck. (:
                                            Bye,
                                                  Daniel-Not fucking gay-Rigsbee
        What the fuck? That wasn't sad at all. This was the Daniel that I knew. He killed himself because he was done of the shit. I don't think he felt sorry or anything. I don't even know. As I turned to leave, I found something else. It was another note reading, "I hope this was exciting enough for you, Juno. I am a coward. I wasn't gonna deal with this anymore. They didn't win, remerber that. I won. They get to deal with my death. -Daniel"
         Fucking. Daniel.

title: Uhhmm...Well I'm 13 and I would like to be a writer when I get older so here's one of my short stories. Reviews? Be honest.

question: Did Daniel commit suicide because he hated being bullied every day by mean classmates, or did he do it to prey on their conscience?

answer: Even though Daniel's personality changed over time from a happy, simple teenager to a more reclined individual, it appears he chose to end his life as a way to punish those who constantly defamed his character.

question: Why did the school authority not seem to care very much that Daniel took his life?

answer: It may appear that the school was used to having several cases of teen suicides, so another teen taking their life over bullying seemed to be a regular phenomenon for them.

question: What measures did the school take to avert another possible suicide taking place?

answer: It is not stated, and it seems not much would've been done to prevent Daniel from taking his life. The same thing with another student in the school.

question: Were Daniel's parents aware of the changes in his behavior before he took his life?

answer: It is not likely, because they might have had some impact in helping his situation, like changing his school.

question: What possible coping mechanism(s) will Juno use to get over the trauma of losing her friend?

answer: She will likely try to cling to the positive and loving memories of him throughout their friendship.

question: Explain how Daniel's emotional journey led to his death.

answer: Daniel was a brilliant, video-loving, comic-loving teen who was very close friends with Juno in the first year of middle school. However, he was constantly bullied by unpleasant classmates who called him offensive names based on possibly unsubstantial claims of his sexual orientation. At some point, the attack on his personality got to him so much that he became altogether unhappy and dissatisfied with himself. He ultimately committed suicide because he couldn't handle the bullying anymore and hoped his death would forever be a punishment to his bullies.

question: How did the students deduce that Daniel committed suicide even though the school authorities didn't announce the cause of his death?

answer: They knew it was suicide because they noticed a sudden change in his behavior and how their bullying affected him.

question: Why didn't Juno defend Daniel all the time he was being bullied and defamed?

answer: Juno had a laidback personality and most likely didn't want to be caught up in the drama going on with Daniel, despite being his very close friend. If she had intervened, it may or may not have had any impact. She must have thought Daniel was dealing with the issue maturely and brilliantly until he dipped.


split: train

text:
NGC 6914 is a reflection nebula located at approximately 6,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus, and was discovered by Édouard Stephan on August 29, 1881.[1] Ultraviolet radiation from stars in the Cygnus OB2 association ionize the nebula's hydrogen.[2]

[1]

[2]

title: NGC 6914

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.


text: Passing all of the road signs I've failed to notice. Hitting all of the bumps where new pavement was laid. All of the trees I've glanced at, but never saved. Every store, restaurant, boulder in the median, everything I’ve looked at but never actually seen. All present to me now, even more to miss. Funny, how we tune out the little components in life until we find a reason to look back. I look out the window at all of the scenery that I’ve glanced passed in the past. I take out the coin, one side a bronze steer-skull, with a backdrop of Texas painted in glossy red. On the back side, a sheriff star. The coin was given to me by my uncle. An agent in the Secret Service; he gave it to me right before he moved from his location in Arlington, to D.C. How the irony is strong. He gave me this coin and said to bring it wherever I might feel frightened. I’ve never felt so frightened in my entire life than in this rusty, faded white Honda Civic coupe. Two Berretta PX4 Storms lay in the trunk, in a useless gun case that I will never get to use again. I have never been one to cry, one to cower, one to fight. The driver, dressed completely in black, sped down the highway, almost there. I flipped the coin once more. Heads. Nobody can beat the coin toss, than why is it so hard to beat now? My motives are clear. I have grown tired of all of the unnecessary competition, the bragging, and the dominance. The coin toss is fair game. Nobody is better at flipping the coin than the next clown in line. I flip again, for good fortune, maybe this time things will change. Heads. I really didn't want it to come to this. I've never been violent in my past, always looking for the best in people. I flip. Heads. Looking at the steer, I tremble. Thirty heads, zero tails. The irony is that my uncle gave me this coin, under the impression that it would give me the motivation to do something great, to make a change, to do something great. Here I am, in some car, with someone I found on craigslist. Things are about to change. Heads.

title: A short story I'm writing for a class. The topic is a high school revenge. It's unfinished, any thoughts?

question: What is the narrator's motivation?

answer: To overcome and escape the misery of high school.

question: How many times does the narrator flip the coin?

answer: 31

question: Describe the narrator's relationship with their uncle.

answer: The uncle gave the narrator a token for bravery, which shows sympathy for the narrator's unhappy situation. The narrator now feels they are letting down their uncle by bringing the token for courage to commit violence.

question: Describe the narrator's relationship with the driver.

answer: They met on Craigslist; it's implied they don't know each other beyond this shared venture.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is on their way to high school with two guns, a driver they met on Craigslist, and a coin they keep flipping that only comes up heads.


text:
Aiming to educate diners about a woman’s right to breastfeed in public, a group of about 20 women staged a "nurse-in" Wednesday at a Chick-fil-A in Knoxville, Tennessee. That’s where, earlier in the week, an employee had asked a mother nursing her 5-month-old daughter to stop.

More on Shine: Breastfeeding Note From Pizza Waitress Pays it Forward

"Just as I was finishing up, an employee came up and told me other parents were afraid of letting their children play while I was feeding her, especially without a cover," mom Jennifer Day told ABC News 6 in Knoxville. So she rallied other lactating pals, who decided the protest would be an effective way of letting folks know that the state law — which allows women to breastfeed anywhere, public or private, where they are "otherwise authorized to be present" — is on the mom’s side.

More on Yahoo!: More Than 3,000 Moms Will Breastfeed in Public for TheBump.com Second Annual Public Display of Breastfeeding

"We want everyone to feel safe. We want nursing mothers to feel safe. Because what is more family than a mother and her baby? And this is a family restaurant," nurse-in co-organizer Anna Hurley (a former Chick-fil-A employee) told the TV station. "We just want to normalize breastfeeding. We just want society to change its views.”

Chick-fil-A—which was under fire last year for making millions in donations to political organizations that oppose gay rights—released a statement, saying, “The manager has apologized and regrets any offense he may have caused." The restaurant also plans to now work with the East Tennessee Breastfeeding Coalition for some sensitivity training, the coalition told News 6.

"I called them," Sherri Hedberg, coalition chair told Yahoo! Shine. "It's something we do in our area. Chick-fil-A is not the first place to give a woman a problem over this. I just tell them, 'I'm here to help.'" Hedberg said she sent the restaurant a training packet, but because the franchise owner was away, a formal commitment could not yet be made.

As for the nurse-in, she added, "It turned out great. Chick-fil-A was very welcoming and accommodating, and it was kind of like a big party. The customers, for the most part, were fine."

Unfortunately, this was just the latest breastfeeding brouhaha in what’s been an ongoing issue, despite state laws, which support women's rights to nurse in public.

"It's not illegal to breastfeed anywhere in this country," Jake Marcus, a Philadelphia-based lawyer and breastfeeding activist, told Yahoo! Shine. But, she explained, because of "poorly written laws" that, for the most part, have no enforcement provisions, the legal authority for a woman to breastfeed actually lies with the owner of an establishment in most states, including Tennessee.

"You have a right to breastfeed as long as the owner has given you the right to be there and to breastfeed," Marcus said. So legally, if a proprietor asks a woman to stop breastfeeding and she does, then she can stay. If she doesn't stop and is asked to leave but does not, a proprietor can then explain to the police that she is a trespasser and have her arrested. Only a handful of states, including New Jersey and Vermont, have enforcement provisions attached to their laws.

On Wednesday, a group of 25 women held a nurse-in at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to protest a July incident on an American Airlines flight; that one involved an anonymous woman who was allegedly asked to cover up by a flight attendant so as not to offend the kids who were on the plane.

And earlier this week—which just happened to be World Breastfeeding Week—mom Lucy Eades was asked, because of “indecency,” to stop nursing her newborn at the Burleson Recreation Center in Texas as she waited for her older daughter to take dance class. That exchange, between a rec center employee and Eades, was recorded and uploaded to YouTube (where the video has been viewed more than 540,000 times) by the baby’s dad, who eventually asked the employee to leave his family alone. The city of Burleson, amazingly, defended itself, issuing a release that said, in part, “To be respectful of everyone's rights we asked the women to cover up.” A nurse-in is now slated to take place at the rec center on Saturday.

In July, a Belgian mom and her diplomat husband were asked to leave a White Plains, New York, country club after an employee allegedly told breastfeeding mom Roseline Remans, "Please leave immediately, you are disturbing the members."

“Lactivists” have also been outspoken around the world on the issue recently, with women staging a nurse-in this week in Santorini, Greece, where a breastfeeding woman had been chased away from a café. Earlier this summer, hundreds of Danish moms held a protest in front of Copenhagen’s City Hall after a woman nursing her baby in a nearby restaurant was told by patrons that it was “disgusting.”

“Either you're family friendly or you're not,” blogger Jeanne Sager noted on the Stir in response to the Texas incident this week. “And as long as you're not OK with breastfeeding moms, you're NOT family-friendly.”

RELATED:
Breastfeeding Inspiration From 7 Celebrity Moms
The Top 7 Things That Surprised Me About Breastfeeding
10 Things You Might Not Know About Breastfeeding

question: When was the article written?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Where did the nurse-in occur?

answer: A Chick-fil-A in Knoxville, Tennessee

question: What is the legal status of breastfeeding in public in the U.S.?

answer: It is legal everywhere, but only a handful of states have provisions to enforce that right

question: Who leads the East Tennessee Breastfeeding Coalition?

answer: Sherri Hedberg is the coalition chair

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A nurse-in took place at a Chick-fil-A in Knoxville, Tennessee after a nursing mother was told to stop there. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world recently.


text:
Priciest House In American Sells For $120 Million

BEACHFRONT DREAM HOME SELLS FOR US RECORD $120 MILLION

[Copper Beech Farm]

  ” A SPRAWLING ESTATE, SITUATED ON PRIME WATERFRONT PROPERTY ALONG THE US EAST COAST, HAS SOLD FOR $120 MILLION, SETTING A NEW RECORD IN THE UNITED STATES.

  THE SALE OF COPPER BEECH FARM, IN THE CONNECTICUT TOWN OF GREENWICH, WAS FINALIZED FRIDAY, ACCORDING TO THE GREENWICH TIME NEWSPAPER.”

  ” “THIS IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE PROPERTY SOLD IN AMERICA,” REAL ESTATE AGENT DAVID OGILVY TOLD THE NEWSPAPER.

  THE DREAM HOME HAD BEEN LISTED FOR SALE NEARLY A YEAR EARLIER, IN MAY 2013, FOR $190 MILLION.”

  [Copper Beech Farm]

  ” THE 13,500-SQUARE-FOOT (1,250-SQUARE-METER) MAIN HOUSE, ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1898 IN FRENCH RENAISSANCE STYLE, HAS 12 BEDROOMS, NINE BATHROOMS AND 10 FIREPLACES, A LIBRARY, A SOLARIUM, A WINE CELLAR AND A SERVANT’S WING.”

  [Copper-Beech-Farm-1]

  ” THE PROPERTY ALSO INCLUDES TWO ISLANDS, NEARLY A MILE (1.5 KILOMETERS) OF BEACH, A TENNIS COURT, A SWIMMING POOL AND A HOT TUB, ALL SURROUNDED BY A SUMPTUOUS GARDEN WITH EXTRAORDINARY ATLANTIC OCEAN VIEWS, ACCORDING TO CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE.”

_READ MORE_

  —

question: How much did the house sell for?

answer: The house sold for $120 million.

question: Where is the house located?

answer: The house is located in Greenwich, Connecticut.

question: Who bought the house?

answer: This information can't be found in the article.

question: What does the house include?

answer: The house includes two islands, nearly a mile of beach, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a hot tub, a library, a solarium, and a wine cellar. All of this besides the twelve bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and 10 fireplaces

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
A beachfront house in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut is sold for $120 million. According to real estate agent David Ogilvy, it happens to be the most expensive property sold in America.
The house was built in 1898 and has 12 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, 10 fireplaces, a library, and much more. The whole property also includes two islands and nearly a mile of beach.


text:
[Celine - Stone Grout Sealer]

Ingenuity makes it clear.
Solvents make it strong.

Professionals love Celine – a clear topical stone grout sealer. So, when they asked us to build a durable gloss sealer for interior and exterior, we went all in. And then we went way, way beyond, creating a solvent sealer with a lavender fragrance and the most staggeringly powerful resin collection known. And we did it without adding a millimeter to its iconic all-in-one design.
Buy Celine >

[]

There’s never been a better
time to seal your stone.

A clear UV protection sealer with a solvent core is remarkable enough. But, a clear sealer, which is shower approved, is an entirely different creature. And hydrophobic technology, and fast drying resins, have the power and flexibility to balance superb durability with a great single application performance. So, whether you’re sealing your slate, marble, travertine, limestone or flagstone, it all gets done at lightning speed. Proof, once again, that there’s perfection in our sealants.
Marble >   Travertine >   Slate >   Granite >

[Celine - A Clear Solvent Stone Grout Sealer for Stone]

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[Celine Stone Grout Sealer]

Pushing hydrophobic stone sealers
even further with Celine.

Celine’s clear resin protection leaves a meticulous sheen and delivers an intense hydrophobic experience, waterproofing the surface. It prevents mold, mildew and stains in your shower and outside patios, while cutting down on the efflorescence.
Watch Celine Video >

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Easy to use. Easy To love.

When we want to formulate something great, we challenge every assumption in chemistry. We cast aside all standard materials and methods that the industry currently offers to labs. We refused to rest until it became possible to create sealers like no other. Imagine a sealer that is chemical resistant, which maintains your stone with ease. And we can’t wait for you to experience this hydrophobic sealer to unfold in front of you.

[Celine Stone Grout Sealer | pFOkUS]

[]

[Shower Restorations had made easy with Celine Stone Grout Sealer]

Shower restoration just
became easier.

You strive for durable sealers with that perfect coat of lush enhancement. And we strive for long-lasting sealers that last in the worst environments. First, clean the grout and stone with Imperia, color seal all the joints with Caponi and then seal all the stone with Celine. Imperia is our deep cleaner for all tile, grout and stone. Caponi is a 2 part pigmented stone grout sealer made with titanium and epoxies/resins.
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[]

Enhancing the color of etched stone.

Traditionally, stone enhancing sealers have relied primarily on water and oil based penetrating sealers that don’t prevent stains or etching. But, Celine’s sealant performance is dramatically increased preventing etching, mold & mildew and chemical damage. pFOkUS® chemists looked ahead and engineered a process more powerful than others. Not only does it feature a state-of-the-art topical protection with deep penetration — it also features enhancing technology of all dark colored porous stones.
Buy Celine Pack of 3 >

[Enhance the Color of Etched Stone with Celine Stone Grout Sealer]

[]

Questions about Celine – stone grout sealer?
We have answers.

DOES CELINE’S SHEEN STAY HIGH GLOSS?

The sheen wears down overtime. The sheen will last longer on floors than showers.

WILL CELINE HELP PREVENT EFFLORESCENCE ON SHOWER FLOORS?

Yes. If Caponi is used to seal the grout, Sentura used to replace the caulk and then waterproof all the stone with Celine.

CAN WE APPLY CELINE OVER ITSELF?

Yes. As long as the stone is cleaned with Imperia. Celine will emulsify itself into the current coat of Celine.

DOES CELINE HAVE A BAD SMELL?

Celine is fragranced with a lavender smell.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CELINE AND WATER BASED SEALERS.

Celine seals, waterproofs and is chemical resistant and UV rays protectant. Water based sealers only seal the surface.

[Celine Stone Grout Sealer - Bottle Sprayer]

[]

question: Summarize the importance of Celine's clear resin protection.

answer: Celine's clear resin protection leaves a meticulous sheen. It also delivers an intense hydrophobic experience which basically waterproofs the surface. The resin protection also prevents mold, mildew, and stains in showers and outside patios. The resin protection also cuts down on efflorescence.

question: Summarize what the text states about enhancing the color of etched stone.

answer: The text describes how traditionally, stone enhancing sealers relied on water and oil based penetrating sealers to prevent stains or etching. But now with Celine's sealant performance, it has dramatically increased the prevention of etching, mold and mildew, and chemical damage. The chemists working on Celine made sure to look ahead and work with top notch protection.

question: As a customer, does the way this text describes and advertises Celine seem to be interesting?


text:
[View from the clubhouse patio] SUBURBAN GOLF CLUB is a private country club in Union Township, New Jersey founded in 1896.[1] The current course was designed by golf course architect A. W. Tillinghast in 1922. [2] Tom Bendelow designed the predecessor 9 hole course in 1896.[3] In 1999, Ron Prichard Full restoration .[4]

Suburban Golf Club, Inc. is a non-profit corporation of approximately 230 golf members. It has an 18-hole golf course designed by the architect A. W. Tillinghast. It is situated within the township of Union, Union County, New Jersey. It lies near the intersection of the Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 22, and New Jersey Route 82 and is approximately 15 miles from Times Square, New York City. The elevation of the Club House is 80 feet above sea level. It is adjacent to the hummocks, a natural water basin and source for the Elizabeth River. Its entrance is on Morris Avenue, which historically is the main road from Elizabeth to Morristown.[5]

The Club has adopted a monogram which depicts its two most important aspects; its age, having originated in 1896, and its location in the metropolitan area and particularly Northern New Jersey. [6]

On March 18, 1896, a group of men, residents of Elizabeth, met, associated themselves, and formed what was then known as the Suburban Club of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The Club was actually founded on March 23, 1896, when a Certificate of Incorporation of the Suburban Club of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was filed with the Union County Clerk.[7]

The present course layout was designed in 1922. The media has often characterized our course as “well bunkered and tree lined.” The course had been lengthened somewhat from what it was in the 1920s but its length is not its challenge. This is found in the narrowness of the fairways and tightly trapped small greens. The fairways and greens are well trapped. Many stately indigenous trees surround the course including many types of oak, maple, elm and evergreens. Several flowering and ornamental trees are observed in the spring.[8]

The 18 holes are 6,525 yards in length, with nines of 3,362 and 3,163 yards. Par is established at 71 with nines of 36 and 35. There are two par 5's and three par 3's. Ladies yardage is 6,123. The Club has, throughout the years, been host to all major State tournaments. The course record is 63, held by Ryan McCormick. Because of the many bunkers, trees and small greens, the course is described by commentators as a gentlemen's course but requiring a high degree of accuracy.[9]

In 1999-2001, the most extensive renovation in the Club's history was undertaken. Two million dollars in funds were approved by the general membership for on course renovations. Golf course architect, Ron Prichard, was commissioned to create and implement the Master Plan. Hundreds of trees were removed, 82 bunkers on the course was rebuilt, the fourteenth green was redesigned and built to USGA specifications, many fairways were reshaped/expanded, a complete new irrigation system and pumps were installed. Approximately 200 yards were added to the length of the course[10].

[1] Cohen, Gideon. Suburban Golf Club, Union, New Jersey review, The Golf Course Guru, April 28, 2011. Accessed December 24, 2016.

[2] Albert Warren Tillinghast, Richard C. Wolffe, Robert S. Trebus, The Course Beautiful: A Collection of Original Articles and Photographs on Golf Course Design (Tree Wolf Productions 1916).

[3] Barclays Buzz: Favorite N.J. courses? Star-Ledger golf writer Brendan Prunty chimes in http://s.nj.com/urWINDT

[4] “A History of Suburban Golf Club”, Suburban Golf Club. Accessed December 24, 2016.

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Suburban Golf Club

question: Where is the golf club?

answer: Union Township, New Jersey

question: When was the golf club founded?

answer: March 23, 1896

question: Who designed the current course?

answer: A. W. Tillinghast, but the course was renovated between 1999 and 2001 by Ron Prichard

question: Who hold the course record?

answer: Ryan McCormick

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Suburban Golf Club is a private country club in Union Township, New Jersey. It was founded in 1896, and its current course was designed by A. W. Tillinghast in 1922, but the course was renovated from 1999 to 2001 by Ron Prichard. The current record for the course is 63, held by Ryan McCormick.


text:
###Parenting
A small but courageous child enters a restroom and hears the distinct sound of expletives and running water.  Two men are standing there.  One, older at age twenty-six, washes his hands, and mutters constantly about the "fucking fucks out to kill him."  The other, physically aged around 50, uses the urinal placed conveniently in front of him to block out all knowledge that there is a man beside him washing away either his sins or his sanity.  Given the entrance of the child, one would hope that the muttering man might halt his fearful utterances to protect the ears of the unworthy and unprepared, but he continues his rant.  One might also pray that the suddenly cautious and unsocial child might back away from this conversation of insanity.  He does not, and moves quickly past them into the bathroom stall.  This is much to the dismay of both the fifty year old man and the urinal.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The boy hums the tune to his favorite television series as he allows the urine to escape the dark depths of his body and bathe within the thin fluorescent lighting of the bathroom.  Barely realizing that it is free at last, the urine ends its journey in the rusted and moist pipes of the plumbing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The fifty year old man, no longer able to feign his usage of the urinal without looking like a coward in the presence of a child, takes a deep breath and asks why the crazed man is washing his hands so much.  Silence.  The sudden quiet brings fear into the fifty year old man, and he almost forgets to fear for the child situated nearby.  The urinal begins to beckon to the physically aged gentleman again, but he resists the comfort its gleaming, porcelain surface offers.  He begins to ask again, but only a breath of air escapes as the cleanly shaven head of the twenty-six year old man turns toward him and becomes furrowed.  His dark blue eyes pierce into the fifty year old man’s mind.  The silence deafens the occupants of the restroom.  The tune of the child has stopped.  The only remaining sound is that of the delusional man's sink.  A family of cockroaches recently made their home in the drainpipes of that sink.  Supposedly able to withstand the power of a nuclear bomb, they now silently drown in the liquid that gave them life.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
A toilet flushes in the child's stall, ending what could have been an eternity of silence.  The child exits his realm of safety, washes his hands in the twenty-six year old man's sink, and says goodbye to the two men of the bathroom.  He concludes his restroom adventure by leaving through the same cruel door that allowed the three bathroom occupants entrance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The two men glance at each other.  The mentally mature man had considered pulling out a small pocket knife and unjustifiably killing the fifty-year old man, but the sight of the child disrupted these thoughts.  Reminded of his childhood, the mature man weeps.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, the child arrives safely back into the hands of his parents within the Applebee's.  A sweet and smiling waiter asks him what he would like to order.  The child shyly refuses to answer, but after some encouragement from his parents, one word escapes his lips: fuck.

title: Parenting - 550 Words - I am very new at this whole writing thing, so believe it when I order you to criticize to your heart's content. (Warning: Some Language)

question: What is this story about?

answer: An encounter between a child and two older men in a restroom

question: Who are the main characters in the story?

answer: A young child, a 26-year-old man, and a 50-year-old man

question: What might the 'lesson' of the story be?

answer: Parents can't always control what their kids are exposed to

question: Where does the story take place?

answer: An Applebees bathroom

question: What tragedy did the boy's interruption stop?

answer: One man was thinking about killing the other.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A small boy wanders into a bathroom to relieve himself when he overhears a strange encounter between two men. In this encounter, the young boy learns a new word: "fuck".


text:
WILHELM ERBEN (3 December 1864, in Salzburg – 7 April 1933, in Graz) was an Austrian historian, known for his work in the field of auxiliary sciences of history and his studies involving the history of medieval warfare.

He studied history at the University of Vienna, and from 1885 studied with Theodor von Sickel at the Institut für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung (Institute for Austrian Historical Research) in Vienna. From 1888 to 1891 he was an employee of the Monumenta Germaniae historica, and afterwards, served as curator at the Imperial Army Museum in Vienna. In 1901 he qualified as a lecturer, and two years later was named professor of medieval history and historical auxiliary sciences at the University of Innsbruck. From 1917 up until his death in 1933, he taught classes as a professor at the University of Graz. In 1915 he became a member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences.[1]

Selected works

-   _Die Kaiser- und Königsurkunden des Mittelalters in Deutschland, Frankreich und Italien_, 1907 – The imperial and royal charters of the Middle Ages in Germany, France and Italy.
-   _Urkundenlehre_ (3 volumes, 1907–11; with Ludwig Schmitz-Kallenberg and Oswald Redlich).
-   _Ein oberpfälzisches Register aus der Zeit Kaiser Ludwigs des Bayern_, 1908 – An Upper Palatinate register from the time of King Ludwig of Bavaria.
-   _Quellenstudien aus dem Historischen Seminar der Universität Innsbruck_, 1909 – Source studies from the Historical Seminar of the University of Innsbruck.
-   _Die Schlacht bei Mühldorf, 28. September, 1322; historisch-geographisch und rechtsgeschichtlich untersucht_, 1923 – The Battle of Mühldorf; historical-geographical and legal history examined.
-   _Das Salzburger Fragment der Sächsischen Weltchronik_, 1924 – Salzburg fragment of the Saxon Chronicle.
-   _Kriegsgeschichte des mittelalters_, 1929 – War history of the Middle Ages.
-   _Rombilder auf kaiserlichen und päpslichen siegeln des mittelalters_, 1931 – Roman images of imperial and papal seals of the Middle Ages.[2][3]

[1] Erben, Wilhelm (1864-1933), Historiker Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon und biographische Dokumentation

[2] [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?lookfor=%22Erben,Wilhelm,1864-1933.%22&type=author&inst= HathiTrust Digital Library] (published works)

[3] Most widely held works by Wilhelm Erben WorldCat Identities

title: Wilhelm Erben

question: Wilhelm Erben was born when?

answer: 2 December 1864.

question: What did Wilhelm Erben do?

answer: He was an Austrian historian.

question: What did Wilhelm Erben study?

answer: History.

question: Where did Wilhelm Erben study?

answer: The University of Vienna.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Wilhelm Erben, an Austrian historian in the 19th and 20th centuries.


text:
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Today for Bundt Bakers I, am posting these beautiful and delicious Black Bottom Apple Bundlets. These are so cute, they do not require any icing or extra trimmings, they are so yum on it's own.

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By the way these are suitable for any occasion, a formal affair,  to a breakfast treat or will make an excellent dessert too, top them up with a scoop of ice cream - of your choice and serve.. yum yum..surely whoever part takes of this dessert are lucky to enjoy this.

For our event this month the theme is "Apples" and our Host isWendy Thank you Wendy for hosting this event.
 Few I, made in a aluminium bundt molds, these had to be loossend from the sides then unmold, the silcions one are the best for these Black Bottom Apple Bundlets.
 If you have any bundts remaining then refrigerate them. These taste yum even when cold.

_MAKES 12 BUNDLETS_

_INGREDIENTS_
_FOR THE APPLE TOPPING_
2  - 3 Big Apples - skinned and cubed
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Heaped Unsalted butter
_FOR THE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING_
150 Grams Cream cheese
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg
½ Teaspoon Vanilla essence
_FOR THE BLACK BOTTOM_
¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Apple Juice
3 Tablespoons Oil
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons  Cocoa powder
1½ Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla essence
½ Teaspoon Baking soda
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt

_METHOD_

_FOR THE APPLE TOPPING_

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In a pan cook apples, brown sugar and the butter , Cook, stirring once, 5 minutes or until apples are caramelized.

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Let cool.
_FOR THE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING_

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Meanwhile  in a bowl beat cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla essence and the egg until smooth, light and fluffy . Set aside.
_FOR THE BLACK BOTTOM_

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In another bowl place the remaining  brown sugar, cinnamon powder, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla essence, apple cider vinegar, apple juice (except cooked apples) and whisk until well blended.

Divide evenly among  the bundts - at the bottom add a tablespoon cocoa mix then a heaped tablespoon cream cheese mixture, top each with a tablespoon apples.

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These beauties are ready to go into the oven.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C or until cheese mixture has puffed and set.

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Ready and out..hmmm

Cool them on a wire rack completely,  before removing from  the moulds.

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Enjoy them with a cuppa or tea or coffee.

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  Serve them as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream of your choice.. yum yum.

_LABELS :_ Bundt Bakers, Bundts, Apple, Black Bottom Apple Bundlets, Healthy, Cream Cheese, Baked

Take a look at the Apple Bundts other's are sharing today.
Apple Bundt with Caramel Glazeby A Day in the Life on the Farm
Apple Butterscotch Bundt Cake by Katin špajz|
Apple Crumb Ring Bundt by Living the Gourmet
Apple Zucchini Nut Mini Bundtsby All That's Left Are The Crumbs
Black Bottom Apple Bundlets by Sneha's Recipe
Caramel Apple Bundt Cake by Merce`s Cake
Quinoa and apple bundtcake with rumby Cookpad
Reduced Carb Apple Pecan Spice Cakeby Palatable Pastime
Toffee Apple Bread Pudding Bundtby Food Lust People Love
Vegan Apple & Oats Mini Bundt Cakes by Patty's Cake

question: Alter the recipe in order to make 6 bundlets instead of 12.

answer: The instructions will mostly remain the same as the process will not be changed. But the ingredients will be adjusted in order to reduce the amount made almost all of the ingredients can be halved, except for the egg in the cream cheese topping which will remain as is.


text:
 I took one short, quick breath. I let my eyes go, adrift over the landscape. Short breathe after short, serene breath. "Let go," it whispers in my ear. The flowers, the trees, the leaves, the clouds. They speak in short exhales of deep vibration. I am knocked aback by a feeling of freedom. It has rested in my mind, dormant for years, stubborn.

 The vibrations rattle my fragile being. Shaken to the core and stripped of my comfort, I am naked. I am naked to the universe as it sees me. It is finally my turn to see it. The mysterious entity of beauty and dominance. Mathematical accuracy may explain certain things but certainty may never be reached. My eyes catch things, time to time. I piece together my perception.

 Here I stand. A wall of soft air runs over my body. It whispers and sings simultaneous chords of distinct happiness. "You have always been, you have always been without." Doubtlessness fills my mind. Not certainty, but doubtlessness. It is one being. It rains a kind of chaotically ordered mist. It veils my mind. It unveils my mind.

  I regrant my eyes control of my perceptions. It shows me what can be, what is, what will be, what has been, what isn't. A linear progression through indescribable imagination. Only indescribable in the English language. Alas, our limitations are set.

 "Let them go, let them reform to a stairway," it delicately instructs me. I obey. The weight is lifted from the displacement of molecules in which I stand. I float to the outermost atmosphere of the planet. I gaze downward, I feel the chokehold begin to give way. I cannot be held back.

 I smell the old, stale, familiar air. I hear the mundane rustle of nothing in particular. My eyelids retract and I see the white walls. What was once a mystical land of the impossible yet so possible, is once again my room. The small building I inhabit was, just yesternight, an infinite opening to the land of the homeless, the open, the last and first frontier. It is still that, it can still be. It still eyes.

 "Okay," I sheepishly mutter to myself as I stretch out across my sheets, "This day will be better." Change is upon me. My bones ache, my eyes water. My nose runs, my body begs to be cleansed. My mind is above, searching, wandering. I let it. Change is upon me. Change is here. Dear change, here is your chance. Make it count.

 Welcome.

title: [OC] "Undertones"

question: What is the narrator's name?

answer: This information is not in the text.

question: Where is the story set?

answer: An open field that is implied to be a sort of spiritual plane that the narrator accesses from their bed.

question: Let what "reform to a stairway"?

answer: Whatever the narrator is standing on.

question: What does the title ("Undertones") refer to?

answer: That is unclear.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator has a surreal experience with varying physical and emotional sensations, and then stretches out across their sheets and says, "This day will be better."


text:
 Get the best Cyber Monday deals on mobile tech here!

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The

Google Nexus 5 is probably the most anticipated smartphone right now. We saw Apple, Samsung, Sony and LG all launch their flagships for 2013, and the only big announcement left is the Nexus 5.

Luckily, we already know a lot about the device thanks to FCC filings and a leak from none other but Google showing the device in its full glory. Now, we have one more piece to the puzzle and that comes in a form of a Nexus 5 performance benchmark.

The

Nexus 5 appeared on GFXBench’s website. The handset scored brilliantly on two game simulation tests. We don’t yet have the on-screen result, but off-screen testing shows that the Nexus 5 is most likely featuring the powerful Adreno 330 GPU. This puts it on par or even ahead the graphics powerhouse that is the Apple iPhone 5s, and again matching or leading the Android crowd.

The T-Rex 2.7 test is a very graphically intensive benchmark designed to show off maximum workload that games will put on mobile devices. With a score of 23.1 frames per second, the Adreno 330 shows that it is a valid competitor and perfectly on par with Imagination Technologies’ 6 series of chips and the PowerVR G6430 included in the iPhone 5s. Both GPUs support Open GL ES 3.0. The ARM Mali-T6xx series of chips is the only other family supporting the technology.

Let us however mention that these are merely leaked results for the Nexus 5 and we have not been able to verify them yet.

The other score that you can see right at the source below is Egypt 2.5 offscreen, a less intensive test where high-end phones like the Nexus 5 are already stretching the limits at 58fps.

We have a full

Nexus 5 round-up where you can find out all about the upcoming Google device.

source:

GFXBench

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question: What is the most anticipated smartphone at the time the article was written?

answer: The Google Nexus 5.

question: Why do people know about the device already?

answer: FCC leaks.

question: On what website did the Nexus 5 appear?

answer: GFXBench.

question: How well did the handset score on the T-Rex 2.7 test?

answer: Brilliantly, with a score of 23.1 frames for second.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is a summary of the Google Nexus 5 and its specifications, discussing how it is one of the most anticipated and competitive smartphones at the time the article was written.


text:
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Westgate Park's salt lake has once again turned cotton-candy pink. (Parks Victoria)

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The lake owes its vibrant hue to a single-celled algae that thrives in conditions of extreme saltiness. (Parks Victoria)

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Though the cotton-candy colored waters look inviting, experts have warned visitors against diving in. (Parks Victoria)

SmartNews Keeping you current

Hot weather, scant rainfall and high salt levels have created a perfect storm for pinkness

 smithsonianmag.com
 March 14, 2017

Last week, a Melbourne salt lake at Westgate Park turned a vibrant shade of pink. This natural phenomenon is an annual occurrance, reports Joanna Klein for the _New York Times_, and owes its vibrant hue to a single-celled algae that thrives in conditions of extreme saltiness.

After periods of hot and dry conditions, Klein reports, water evaporates from the lake, skyrocketing its salinity “to eight or 10 times that of the ocean.” Such high salinity is common this time of year after periods high temperatures and scant rainfall, according to the Facebook Page of Parks Victoria, which manages the area.

Few organisms can survive in such conditions, Klein writes, but in Westgate Park lake one living creature thrives: a single-celled algae called _Dunaliella salina_. When salt begins to build in its environment, the microbe starts producing carotenoids—a class of colored pigment.

 And_ voila_: a perfect storm of pinkness.

Though the cotton-candy colored waters look inviting, experts have warned visitors against diving in, reports the BBC. Mark Norman, Parks Victoria chief conservation scientist, tells the BBC that the water is not necessarily dangerous, but also isn't great for swimming.

"It's so salty and muddy on the bottom that you would come out looking like a frosted rum ball, especially when you dried," he says.

Less dramatic versions of this process take place in salty bodies of water across the globe. When shrimp feast on carotenoid-producing algae, for instance, they take on a pinkish-color, and flamingos get their signature hue from munching on pink shrimp. Lakes where flamingos dwell usually do not appear pink, Klein explains, because their waters can support a variety of wildlife in addition to the algae. Sediment can inhibit the process, as can the type of salt.

Though very specific conditions are required for a lake to display the confectionary brilliance seen at Westgate Park, the phenomenon isn’t as rare as you might think. According to the BBC, naturally occurring pink lakes can also be seen at Australia’s Murray-Sunset National Park. Lake Hillier in Western Australia has been known to turn pink, too. The Salina de Torrevieja in Spain, Dusty Rose Lake in Canada, and Lake Retba in Senegal have all boasted pink waters. As Danny Lewis reports for Smithsonian.com in August of 2016,_ _Lake Burlinskoye turned bright pink during a heat wave in northern Russia.

Pretty as it may be, the Westgate Park lake won’t stay pink for much longer. The waters are expected to return to their regular blue hue by early June, when the temperatures cool and Australia’s winter begins.

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question: What would be different if the pink plumes were dangerous?

answer: Officials would shutdown access to the bodies of water and would warn people against entering the water more earnestly.


text:
This is a rough idea and this is the first draft. There are probably a lot of errors, but my eyes need to look at something else for a while. In the meantime, it would be nice to have some feedback from a fresh perspective. Cheers.

Bridge

A man walks east along a dirt road. He carries a leather pack and inside is a stale loaf of bread wrapped in butcher paper, a few apples tied together with a handkerchief, and a metal canteen filled with warm water. His lips are chapped from the heat and his frugal rationing. On his journey he passes several towns, but he never stays the night, always sleeping far off the road and past the outskirts. Each morning he wakes in the cool darkness and walks slowly toward the dim glow in the east. He hasn’t spoken a word in months and hasn’t needed to.

Eventually, the man comes to a bridge that leads over a large body of water. He stops before it and looks to the north. A large metropolis glowing with revelry consumes the horizon. He turns to the south and sees a vast desert fading into a mirage. He faces the bridge again and wanting neither the city nor the desert, decides to cross. The sun sets behind him as he makes it to the other side. He pulls off the road and sleeps until the dark morning.

The man is startled awake by the brilliance of the sun. He has slept in later than he had intended to. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and gathers together his things, but then he stops. Something in the west catches his eye, or rather the lack of something. The bridge is gone. No evidence of its existence remains. He sees the shore of where he’s been as a thin, tan line upon the sea. The metropolis looks like a spec. Alarmed, but unshaken, the man picks up his pack and continues east, leaving the vanished bridge behind him.

He walks for several hours until finally he hears the crashing of waves. He scales a small hill, following the sound. At its summit, the man looks out into an endless ocean. The bridge he had crossed that was no longer there had led him to an island. The great expanse of the desert and the sensory overload of the metropolis don’t seem so unappealing anymore. He stands there for some time, staring east into the void. Finally, he decides to turn around. The man starts walking west.

It isn’t until the next day that the man reaches the other side of the island. He finds the spot where the bridge had been and decides to set up camp. “Perhaps the bridge will reappear just as it has disappeared.” The man didn’t believe his own mouth, but hope would be enough to keep him going. He fashions a shelter out of branches and large palm leaves. He digs a pit with his hands and starts a fire. Then, he waits.

After several days, his bread and apples spent, the man starts building a boat, but with his increasingly weak condition, his labor is slow. At night, when the earth is cool, he eats the bugs and worms crawling and squirming in the grass and leaves. By the time the man finishes the boat, he is malnourished and hosting lice and ticks. His fatigue spreads to his mind, and despite all of this, he sets off into the water with nothing more than his oar. He paddles with vehement strokes, every other one in time with a thin, raspy exhale. Before he is even halfway across, the sun starts to sink. He fights to keep his eyes open, but the darkness takes him. With the last of his energy, the man falls over the side of the boat and into the water asleep.

It is mid afternoon when he wakes in the sand, the waves forcing salt into his mouth and nostrils. He coughs violently, but silently. He looks around him, wondering how he was still alive or if he was alive at all. When he sees his shelter, he knows he is alive or condemned to Hell or both. He staggers to his feet and walks toward it. The coals are still warm in the fire pit.  He sits next to it, almost not breathing. He leans against a tree and looks up. Hanging from its branches are several large melons. The man gets up quickly. He manages to get one down by throwing a rock at it. With another, he cuts open the melon and presses it into his face. He sucks its moisture and starts to laugh. He gathers some more and sleeps well.

A few days pass and the tree is bare. The night comes and the man eats bugs. With his boat lost, he fashions another in his starvation and casts out. When tossed to the water and washed to shore, the man wakes among dead fish. He eats them over a period of a week. Days following, he begins to starve. He sees the line of where he came from on the horizon, and in his weakness, fashions a boat to set out into the treacherous waters only to brought back half-dead.

He would wait for the bridge forever.

title: [Bridge] (Draft 1)

question: Where did the man come from?

answer: A dirt road, along which he had been walking East for a long time.

question: Will the man get off the island?

answer: No.

question: Why did the bridge vanish?

answer: Unknown

question: Where is the island?

answer: Near a metropolis the man saw before, in the Sea.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A man walks East along a dirt road. He comes to a bridge, and seeing a city and a desert on either side, decides to take it. After he crosses the bridge it vanishes and he is stranded on an island. He begins to starve, and attempts to build a raft two times to escape the island, but he never succeeds.


text:
[Weird Italy lazio The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

Monterano stands on a tuff hill whose sides dive for about 100 meters on two underlying gorges formed by the Mignone River to the north and from the stream Bicione to the south and east.

Located to the west of LAKE BRACCIANO, about 2 kilometers from the town of CANALE MONTERANO, the village is situated between the Tolfa and Sabatini Mountains in the heart of the NATURAL RESERVE OF MONTERANO.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-008 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]
Monterano ghost town

The hill is crossed by the two gorges and is dotted with ETRUSCAN BURIAL GROUNDS, small caves covered with thick vegetation, and some pools of boiling water, representing the ancient volcanic activity in the area.

The starting point of the history of Monterano is to be found in the Etruscan period, though, at present, there are any ruins.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-001 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

The only evidence of this civilization is given by the presence of tombs scattered along the foothills of the hill and an artificial passage carved into the stone, the Cavone, allowing an easy downhill run.

Like all Etruscan towns, from the second century BC, Monterano also was subject to the Romans who expanded the road network and built the aqueduct. By the fourth century AD, when the Roman Empire was gradually falling under the pressure of barbarian invasions the territory of Monterano suffered the same fate.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-006 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

The Lombard rule did nothing but impoverish even more people at least until the Christian bishop and last inhabitants of the nearby Forum Clodii, exasperated and frightened by the continuous raids of the Germanic people, at the beginning of 500 decided to abandon their lands and move to Monterano.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-005 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

The town was enlarged and fortified, and new roads and solid walls were built. This repopulation, together with the fact that it became a bishop’s seat, brought Manturianum (as it was called in the sixth century AD Monterano) again to be the most important center of the Sabatina. This status lasted until the tenth century when the diocese was taken from the town of Sutri. The latest news we have about a bishop of Monterano dates back to 998. This event was followed by a slow and gradual decline that brought the village to have few inhabitants.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-004 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

Only in the fourteenth century, Monterano saw a substantial economic, demographic, and social recovery, but now the center of power had finally moved to the nearby and more powerful Bracciano.

At the end of 1300 and the beginning of the next century, the village had a reputation for his mercenary captains Coluzia and Gentile: the first was sent by the Pope to quell the revolt of Corneto (now Tarquinia), and the second, co-owner of the manor, participated in the wars of succession for the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1500 the manor was bought by the Orsini who took advantage of the period of economic crisis and the simultaneous weakening of the Papal States.

[Weird Italy lost-monterano-002 The Lost City of Monterano Featured Italian History Magazine What to see in Italy pope clement x orsini monterano ruins monterano Lazio ghost city etruscan town etrurian people canale monterano altieri abandoned town ]

But the real flowering of the village occurred after the acquisition of the estate by the Altieri family who had distinguished Emilio Bonaventura Altieri as a member who became Pope under the name of Clement X in 1670. With the new ownership, the village was enriched with significant buildings whose design was entrusted to Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Church and Convent of St. Bonaventure, overlooking the octagonal fountain were restored. Unfortunately, this new artistic vitality did not last long.

After the death of Pope Clement X, the people of Monterano knew another period of great economic and social difficulties mainly due to the confusion and instability of the Papal States. But a far more serious scourge struck in 1770: malaria, which decimated the population, especially the peasantry. Deprived of the temporal power of the Pope (1798), Monterano passed under the Roman Republic, which capitulated the following year by the Bourbon army. Once the Papal States were restored, a bloody and unexpected incident put an end to the long and troubled history of Monterano. The town was destroyed and burned by the French army.

_Photos: courtesy of Monterano municipality
Source: http://www.lazionascosto.it/monterano.html_

question: What is Monterano?

answer: Monterano is an ancient Etruscan town in Italy. Long abandoned by its inhabitants, Monterano is now a ghost town and known as The Lost City of Monterano.

question: Where is Monterano located?

answer: Monterano is located in the Lazio region of Italy, west of Lake Bracciano between the Tolfa and Sabatini Mountains. The village stands on a tuff hill sandwiched between two gorges formed by the Mignone River to the north and the Bicione stream from the south and east.

question: Why was Monterano abandoned the first time?

answer: The Romans held Monterano for a time, expanding the road network and building an aqueduct. However, the Roman Empire's rule came to an end by the fourth century AD under the relentless pressure of barbarian invasions.

question: Who or what was responsible for the town's resurgence, repopulation, and later destruction?

answer: Christian bishops were responsible for the Monterano's resurgence and repopulation. The bishop's seat (and later Pope Clement X) gave the town status. Malaria hit the population hard, and the town was finally abandoned when the French Army burned it down.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Monterano (aka The Lost City of Monterano) is an ancient Etruscan village located in the Lazio region of Italy. The town has a troubled history that started when Rome abandoned Monterano at the height of the barbarian invasions. After a cycle of abandonment and repopulation dependent on bishops and the pope, the seemingly cursed town was finally abandoned after the population was hit by malaria and when the French Army burned down the village after a bloody and unexpected incident. Monterano is now a ghost town.


text:
-   Home
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-   The Anti-Racism Action Initiative Community Report Back

[]THE ANTI-RACISM ACTION INITIATIVE COMMUNITY REPORT BACK ON MARCH 31ST FROM 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM AT THE HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.

On November 25th, 2016 The McMaster Womanists collaborated with Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights – McMaster McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alliance – MISCA The President’s Advisory Committee on Building Community Alliance (PACBIC), McMaster Muslims For Peace and Justice the NGen Youth Centre and more to initiate conversations in response to the Anti-Racism Directorate dialogues surfaced in Hamilton in order to provide a more accessible venue for community members and students who wish to discuss their experiences of racism, and xenophobia. This initiative worked to eliminate the bureaucracy and positional hardships that accompanies being vocal around issues of racism in Hamilton.

This community report back will go over the full report summary from the Anti-Racism Action Initiative (to be released on March 18th), as well as community updates of race-related happenings in the city. The second half of the event will consist of break out discussions in collaboration with the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, around how to turn each of the demands from the report, into policy directives. We will then assign these directives to various community groups and activists who will be responsible for accomplishing these directives.

The event will be in the Hamilton Room of the Central Public Library

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT: HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EVENTS/995563887243130/

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We are proud to be collaborating with the _Canadian Collation Against Racism (CCAR), The President’s Advisory Committee for Building an Inclusive Community (PACBIC), the President’s Office at McMaster University, the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), the Office of Matthew Green Ward 3,  Canadian Coalition Against Racism (CCAR), New Generation Youth Centre (NGen)_, as well as a number of McMaster youth-led groups including but not limited to: _Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR),McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice (MMPJ),_ and _McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alliance (MISCA), Nu Omega Zeta_ and more!

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

© 2020 McMaster University Faculty of Humanities. Privacy Policy

question: Why did the McMaster Womanists collaborate with community groups on November 25th, 2016?

answer: The McMaster Womanists collaborated with community groups to initiate conversations in order to provide a more accessible venue for community members and students who wish to discuss their experiences of racism and xenophobia.

question: What will the McMaster Womanists discuss in collaboration with the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic?

answer: The McMaster Womanists will discuss how to turn each of the demands from the report into policy directives.

question: Where will the Anti-Racism Action Initiative Community Report Back will be presented?

answer: The Anti-Racism Action Initiative Community Report Back will be presented at the Hamilton Public Library.

question: Who did The McMaster Womanists collaborate with?

answer: The McMaster Womanists collaborated with CCAR, PACBIC, the President’s Office at McMaster University, HCCI, the Office of Matthew Green Ward 3, CCAR, NGen, etc.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The McMaster Womanists collaborated with community groups on November 25th, 2016. to initiate conversations to provide a more accessible venue for community members and students who wish to discuss their experiences of racism and xenophobia. The McMaster Womanists wrote the Anti-Racism Action Initiative Community Report Back. Now they need to find a way to turn each of the demands from the report into policy directives.


text:
“THE BRAMBLE BRIAR”, “THE MERCHANT'S DAUGHTER” or “IN BRUTON TOWN” (Roud 18;[1] Laws M32) is a traditional English folk murder ballad that tells the story of how two brothers murder a servant who is courting their sister. There are many versions of the song going by a number of different titles.

Synopsis

A girl of noble birth falls in love with a servant and the two agree to get married. However, her two brothers discover the tryst and, because they consider him too low-born for her, decide to murder him. They go out hunting in the woods early in the morning and take the servant along with them. One of the brothers kills the man and hides the body in a bramble thicket. Once back home, their sister asks them why they are whispering to each other and what has become of the servant. One of the brothers tells her that they have lost him somewhere that he will never be found. That night the girl dreams of her lover. He is dead and covered in blood. The following day, she goes out to the woods where she eventually finds the corpse in the briars. She kisses his dead lips and sits mourning with his body for three days. When she at last returns, her brothers ask her why she is whispering and she tells them to get away from her, calling them “bloody butchers”. In other versions of the story, she severs the head of the unfortunate victim, and takes it back with her in a jar.

Commentary

The ballad was collected by Cecil Sharp in 1904 but is considerably older than that. It is a re-telling of a 14th-century tale called _Isabella and the Pot of Basil_ by Boccaccio although, according to _The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs_ the story was probably not new even then.[2] The English romantic poet, John Keats, adapted the story into a poem called Isabella, or the Pot of Basil.[3] Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt illustrated Keats's poem in his painting, _Isabella and the Pot of Basil_, in 1868.[4]

Authentic Field Recordings (Selection)

-   Eliza Pace of Hyden, Kentucky was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1937[5]
-   Doney Hammontree of Bethel Grove, Washington County, Arkansas was recorded by Irene Carlisle Jones in 1951[6]
-   Carolyne Hughes of Blandford, Dorset, England was recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1968[7]
-   Nelson Ridley of Kent, England was recorded by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in 1974 [8]

Revival Recordings

Many musicians have recorded the song, including, using the title “Bruton Town”:

-   Davy Graham on his 1963 album _Large as Life and Twice as Natural_
-   Martin Carthy on his 1966 album _Second Album_
-   Maddy Prior and Tim Hart on their 1968 album _Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 1_
-   Jacqui McShee with Pentangle on their 1968 album _The Pentangle_ and live on their 1968 album _Sweet Child_
-   Sandy Denny, live in 1972, released on her 1986 album _Who Knows Where the Time Goes?_
-   Broadside Electric, on their 1999 album “With Teeth”

Using the title “Bramble Briar”:

-   Louis Killen on his 1964 album _English and Scottish Folk Ballads_
-   Meg Baird, Helena Espvall & Sharron Kraus on their 2006 album _Leaves From Off The Tree_

[1]

[2] _The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs_ by Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd (1959)

[3] http://www.john-keats.com/gedichte/isabella.htm John Keats: Isabella

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: The Bramble Briar

question: Summarize the message of the ballad.

answer: The moral of the ballad is a bit difficult to discern. The overall message seems to be that no deed goes unpunished-the sister is even punished though she did nothing but fall in love out of class order. That her brothers stooped to murder is morally disgraceful yet the act does not go truly punished, save for their sister's madness. The ghost of the murdered does not return in a vindictive manner.

question: Summarize how the ballad was received contemporaneously.

answer: Since it is the retelling of a story, it was quite popular already. The fact that this begot many versions is evidence that the story and its theme were well-liked, and the ballad, in melody and in lyrics, catchy. There was also a famous illustration done by William Holman Hunt to accompany the song.

question: Summarize the kinds of music that was popular at the time of this ballad's release.


text:
“MY FAIR WESEN” is the 20th episode of season 3 of the supernatural drama television series _Grimm_ and the 64th episode overall, which premiered on May 2, 2014, on the cable network NBC. The episode was written by Sean Calder from a story by Thomas Ian Griffith and Rob Wright, and was directed by Clark Mathis.

Plot

OPENING QUOTE: “No longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan.”

Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) is introduced to Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) as yet another Grimm, much to her surprise and Nick (David Giuntoli) states that she will live with them for a short time in order to introduce her to the Wesen world. In an upscale store, a group of women distract the clerks so they can steal clothes & jewelry. One of them, Cammy (Kiah Stern) almost gets caught then fails to meet them at their rendezvous point. The rest of the girls meet up at a warehouse with a smarmy, controlling guy named Ken (Michael Graziadei) who inspects the merchandise disapprovingly. Cammy eventually shows up there in a panic but Ken is upset at Cammy's late arrival (& for getting detected stealing previously), woges into a Lebensauger and kills her by sucking her blood dry, as the other three cower in silence.

Renard (Sasha Roiz) places Adalind (Claire Coffee) in a hotel suite for safety and at her plea, he decides to stay with her overnight. Not feeling well with all the Wesen revelation and strange hospitality, Trubel decides to quietly leave, only to be stopped by Nick out on the porch, having anticipated her reaction. He claims that if she doesn't give his help a chance and runs off again, she could land up in jail for the murders she committed. This convinces her to stay and returns to bed. Next morning he introduces Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) and gets them to proper woge to her to prove that she doesn't need to be afraid of every Wesen.

A couple discover Cammy's body in the woods. Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) go to investigate and decide to bring Trubel as a ride-along. Upon seeing the drained blood, distinctive bite mark and no razor used on the body, they decide to look for info/clues at the trailer. There, Hank finds that the characteristics belong to the Lebensauger and Nick remembers Ryan's case, a Wesen they've encountered before. They decide to check the last place where Cammy stayed but before leaving Trubel also finds an entry on a Siegbarste, a Wesen whom she claims killed her foster parents. Meanwhile, Ken tells one of the girls, Donna (Karissa Lee Staples) to find a replacement for Cammy to as to complete “their little family”.

Nick, Hank and Trubel arrive at the house where the owner introduces them to Megan (Mavil Avila), Cammy's roommate. Frustrated that Nick & Hank got no information, while later alone with her, Trubel threatens Megan, who's a Wesen, to reveal anything she knows about Cammy's whereabouts. Megan reveals that Cammy last saw Donna in a square downtown. They discuss with Renard that Donna may be looking for a replacement girl/thief. Meanwhile, Trubel talks with Wu (Reggie Lee) about not being comfortable with all the new experiences, causing him to remember the nightmares he experienced. Adalind arrives at a storage unit to retrieve something that her mom left in her will and finds a book of spells, although the book won't open, seemingly magically sealed shut. In frustration she throws it through a mirror and accidentally cuts herself with a shard of glass but her blood drips on the book, sizzling and absorbed by the pages, that proves to be the key - causing it to open.

Nick, Hank and Trubel are watching over Donna but Trubel, in an attempt to solve the crime, rushes over to her feigning being a runaway beggar and successfully acquiring her attention then leaves with her. Donna takes Trubel to the girls and with Ken, who approves of her and tells them to give her a dress and makeover. Nick and Hank manage to trace down Donna's vehicle and arrive at the warehouse. Meanwhile, Ken has been attempting to have sex with Trubel, causing her to snap at him via a punch to the nose, which causes him to woge into his Wesen form. He is outraged that he's been brought a Grimm and pounces on her. Donna woges into another Lebensauger and tries to ambush her too, just as Hank drives the car into and through a wall, giving Trubel time to stab Donna in the neck. Ken tries to attack before Nick kills him with a few bullets to the torso. The other two cowering girls are rescued.

Later that night, Trubel tells Nick and Juliette that she knew she had stuffed up and that she would like to stay a bit longer to learn more. As the lights elsewhere in the house are turned out, Trubel is in bed, making notes about Lebensäuger in her book.

The final scene shows an elderly man coughing and holding one of the keys.

Reception

Viewers

The episode was viewed by 4.93 million people, earning a 1.3/5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale, ranking second on its timeslot and fifth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind _Shark Tank: Swimming With Sharks_, _Blue Bloods_, _20/20_, and _Shark Tank_.[1] This was a 12% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.39 million viewers with a 1.2/4.[2] This means that 1.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With DVR factoring in, the episode was watched by 7.72 million viewers with a 2.4 ratings share in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

Critical reviews

“My Fair Wesen” received generally positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland gave the episode a “B-” grade and wrote, “By introducing a completely new character that threw a wrench in every bit of the tenuous equilibrium _Grimm_ built within the New Scoobies, there was hope for the show to jolt in a new, unexpected direction. But instead, almost everything followed easily predictable beats. Trubel followed Nick and Hank investigating a case; she got too involved in an effort to prove herself (however subconscious this urge may have been); Nick felt guilty over involving her too quickly in a case pattern that has grown routine for him and Hank; Trubel took her unintentional and illegal undercover work too far, forcing Nick and Hank to further cover up her involvement—and yet still Nick has to acknowledge her raw talent while begrudgingly admitting that she hasn't been afforded the same slight Grimm advantages he had, namely a family to help with emotional support when the seemingly impossible threatens to drive a person insane.”[4]

Nick McHatton from _TV Fanatic_, gave a 3.5 star rating out of 5, stating: “Only Nick knows the trouble Trubel sees - and he's determined to see her through this Grimm initiation period. But _Grimm_ Season 3 Episode 20 demonstrates, helping Trubel is going to take some serious work.”[5]

MaryAnn Sleasman from _TV.com_, wrote, “If there'd been any doubt that Nick was attempting to tackle more than he could handle in adopting the latest stray to wander into Portland, 'My Fair Wesen' drove the point home with a series of mishaps courtesy of Trubel the Reluctant Grimm that kind of made me wonder how she's survived until now. It's not that Trubel isn't smart — she certainly is — but her rookie status in the world of Wesen and Grimm and her lack of common sense in the boring old muggle world made for some exchanges that were probably meant to be funny but mostly came off as, 'seriously?'”[6]

[1]

[2]

[3] Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' Has Biggest 18-49 Ratings Gain, 'The Blacklist' Tops Viewership Gain, 'Hart of Dixie' & 'Nashville' Top Percentage Gains in Week 32

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: My Fair Wesen

question: Which tv series aired the episode called "My Fair Wesen"?

answer: Grimm.

question: What genre is the series?

answer: Supernatural.

question: Who wrote the episode?

answer: Sean Calder.

question: When did the episode first air?

answer: May 2, 2014.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: "My Fair Wesen" is the 20th episode of the third season of the supernatural television show Grimm. It was written by Sean Calder from a story by Thomas Ian Griffith and Rob Wright, and was directed by Clark Mathis. It aired on May 2, 2014 on the cable network NBC. The episode revolves around Trubel's introduction to the Wesen world. It generally received positive reviews from critics.


text:
News / FAQ: Weapon Skins

Tuesday, December 5th, 2017
This week we will be introducing an exciting new system into Dirty Bomb; weapon skins. We wanted to take some time to detail just how this new system works, and address some of the questions we’ve been asked since the announcement.

What Are Weapon Skins?

Weapon skins allow you to customize the look of your weapon on your favorite Loadout Cards. It’s another layer of cosmetic-only customization; allowing you to be even more individual on the battlefield.

They come in different rarities (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Cobalt) and also a number of finishes (Scarred, Worn, Standard, Refined and Pristine).

Rarity
Finish
Bronze
Scarred
Worn
Standard
Refined
Pristine
Silver
Scarred
Worn
Standard
Refined
Pristine
Gold
Scarred
Worn
Standard
Refined
Pristine
Cobalt
Scarred
Worn
Standard
Refined
Pristine
What Weapon Skins Can I Get At Launch?

When this system launches you will be able to choose from 3 ranges of skins;  In addition there will also be Nuclear Winter weapon skins, which can be obtained through playing during the event.

[]

How Are They Acquired?

Weapon skins come in Cases, similar to the Cases we have in the store currently. There are two types of Weapon Cases in Dirty Bomb; locked and unlocked.

Locked Cases drop very occasionally  in the post match screen.

What’s The Difference Between The Cases?

Cases that you purchase will have a higher drop chance for rare skins and better finishes, and will also not include the lowest value skin (Bronze Scarred weapon skins).

[]

How Are They Equipped?
You can use our new Merc Deck system! Load up your favorite Merc, select the Loadout Card you want, then apply the weapon skin that matches that weapon. The skin will be attached to that Merc Deck and won’t usable elsewhere until it’s unattached.

On top of that you can then equip Trinkets. For the first time Trinkets can be equipped _per Merc_, meaning that you can further customize your Loadout!

You will be given one Deck slot per Merc and will be able to unlock additional slots for 5,000 Credits.

This is the alpha implementation of the system, so there will likely be a few things to work out and improve. Let us know what you think when you get your hands on it, we will be listening to the community to help evolve the system.

Are The Case Contents Random?

As with our existing Loadout Card system, the outcome of each case is determined randomly. However, you can see which weapons feature in each Weapon Case, meaning you can better target the skins you’re after.

We’ll be introducing a ‘Trade Up’ system next year to allow you to improve rarity and finish, which we’ll detail closer to the time.

[]

FAQ

Why Aren’t These Direct Purchase?
Initially weapon skins will only be available through Cases, purchased in the store or dropped in-game (and opened with keys). We will also implement Obsidian weapon skins in a future update which will be available for direct purchase.

Will Any Be Available Through In-Game Events?
Yes! We understand that it’s important you to get your hands on great stuff. To that end, everyone who plays Dirty Bomb throughout the Nuclear Winter event will get their hands on some weapon skins.

We’ll be detailing the Nuclear Winter event in more detail later this week, so keep your eye on our social channels!

What If I Don’t Care About Weapon Skins And Get A Case?
That’s fine! We know cosmetics aren’t for everyone, so you’ll be able to recycle any unwanted Cases, earning fragments to help you craft towards the Loadout Cards you want.

Can I Use Weapon Skins On Obsidian Loadouts?
Yes you can!

question: What is this article about?

answer: Weapon Skins

question: What are Weapon Skins?

answer: This seems to be a way to customize the look of a weapon in an online game.

question: Who is the target audience for this story?

answer: The target audience seems to be people who play the game.

question: When was this article written?

answer: Tuesday, December 5, 2017

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article, written in December 2017, introduces Weapon Skins. Weapon Skins are a way to customize the look of a weapon in an online game.


text:
[Templewood, in Frogshall, Norfolk] PAUL EDWARD PAGET (24 January 1901 – 13 August 1985) was the son of Henry Luke Paget, Bishop of Chester and Elmer Katie Hoare (sister of Sir Samuel Hoare).

He became business partner - and life partner[1] - of John Seely (later Lord Mottistone), whom he met at Cambridge and in 1922 they formed the firm of Seely & Paget, in which Paget concentrated more on clients than on design work.[2] The partners became successful designers of opulent houses in the 1920s, and restored many damaged church buildings after World War II.

Paget was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA). He was also a Commander, Royal Victorian Order (CVO).[3]

After Seely's death, Paget succeeded him as Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral in 1963, but completed little further architectural work.[4] He was master of the Art Workers Guild in 1971.[5]

In August 1971, aged 70, Paget married Verily Anderson in London, England and retired with her and her children to Templewood in Frogshall, Northrepps, Norfolk, a building he had designed for his uncle Samuel Hoare, Viscount Templewood.

[1] ‘The Partners: Seely and Paget’, _English Heritage_. Web resource accessed 8 July 2019

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Sussex Parish Churches.

title: Paul Edward Paget

question: When was Paul Paget born?

answer: Paget was born on January 24, 1901.

question: What was Paget's career?

answer: Unclear. He seemed to have been a designer or architect.

question: How did Paget become successful?

answer: He and his partner John Seeley designed opulent houses in 1920s and restored damaged church buildings after World War II.

question: Did Paget ever marry?

answer: Yes. He married Verily Anderson at the age of 70.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Paul Paget was possibly an architect of designer of houses. He became successful with his partner John Seely by designing opulent houses in the 1920s, as well as restoring churches after World War II.


text:
GRAND PRIX TOKYO 2016

TOP 8 Coverage

Ever since the entrance of _Shadows over Innistrad_, Standard has been more vibrant than ever. With numerous archetypes that are constantly evolving, all eyes were on Tokyo (and New York) in anticipation for a wave of new surprises.

3,335 combatants showed up in the first Grand Prix Tokyo in 19 years, making it the largest Standard Grand Prix in the history of Japan. 957 made it through to Day 2, and six rounds later, only 8 remain. The survivors are Carlos Ballester, Takaya Saito, Kensuke Kato, Eng Chu Heng, Takuma Morofuji, Kazuki Yada, Kazushige Suzuki and our champion Riku Kumagai.

Most of the players in the Top 8 are first-timers, and indication that anyone can shine on the big stage if they bring along a great deck, play well and run good. Perhaps the most amazing story of all is how Eng Chu Heng from Singapore steamrolled his way to a 13-0 finish to become the first player to secure his Top 8 berth.

In particular, Japanese National Champion 2005 and Grand Prix Kobe 2015 Champion, Takuma Morofuji, was the most experienced of the lot. Competing in his second Grand Prix Top 8 and going for a second title, he was most unfortunately waylaid by Kazushige Suzuki in the semifinals. Advancing to the finals with his trusty Grixis Control deck, Suzuki met his match when Kumagai overpowered him with a myriad of threats that even the almighty control deck couldn't answer.

As the ancient _Magic_ adage goes, "there are no wrong threats, only wrong answers"!

That couldn't be more apt when Kumagai secured his victory with a Planeswalker (Gideon, Ally of Zendikar), a creature which transforms into a Planeswalker (Nissa, Vastwood Seer) and a land that becomes a creature (Needle Spires). True enough, Suzuki stumbled and Kumagai emerged victorious in three close games.

The others should not be too disappointed either, since everyone wins complimentary airfare and coveted invites to Pro Tour _Eldritch Moon_, which is scheduled to take place in Sydney this summer (or in Australia's case, winter!). The eight have demonstrated that they know a thing or two about the new Standard format, and should be ready to display their prowess on a larger arena.

Congratulations once again to Riku Kumagai! Your Naya midrange deck will likely shake up and shape up the Standard metagame for the upcoming weeks and months!

DAY 2 COVERAGE

Yesterday, a total of 3335 players converged at Big Sight, one of the biggest tournament sites in Tokyo. After 9 rounds of intense competition, “only 957” have made it past Day 1. Nine players have the perfect 9-0 record, while five others are also technically undefeated at 8-0-1.

Key players to watch include two-time Player of the Year (21) Yuuya Watanabe, three-time Pro Tour Top 8 competitor (24) Kentaro Yamamoto, Hall of Famers Shuhei Nakamura, Shota Yasooka and Kenji Tsumura, as well as World _Magic_ Cup Champion Tzu Ching Kuo.

Several other Grand Prix mainstays are on their heels, such as Yuuki Ichikawa, Yuta Takahashi, Lee Shi Tian, Jason Chung, Huang Hao Shan, Raymond Tan, Park Jun Young among others.

Just six more Rounds to go before the Top 8 of Japan's largest Standard Grand Prix is forged, and when the dust settles, only one can call himself (or herself) the Grand Prix Tokyo Champion!

Article

 May 8 2016

Deck Tech: Bant Humans by Chapman Sim

Going into Round 12, here is what the matchups at the top 12 tables looked like (the order jumbled up to protect the players who are battling for the spot in the Top 8): 4-Color Company vs. Bant...

Learn More

DAY 1 COVERAGE

Tokyo Big Sight is quite literally a big site! A total of 3335 players converged this morning to battle it out in the new world of Standard. This is a rather memorable weekend for us all, since we've not had a Grand Prix hosted in Tokyo for nearly two decades. To make things even merrier, this overwhelming turnout makes it the largest Standard tournament in Japan to date.

After 9 rounds of competition, the massive field has been reduced down significantly, but only nine players emerged unscathed. Shawn McNeace, who made the Top 8 at Grand Prix Nagoya earlier this year leads the standings, followed by Hiroaki Nagai, Hiroyuki Gotou and Takaya Saito.

Two-time Player of the Year and seven-time Grand Prix Champion, Yuuta Watanabe, was also one of the nine 9-0 players, along with Kazuo Washimi, Koji Maruyama, Eng Chu Heng and Tadayuki Kumazawa.

Five other players are also technically undefeated, with 8-0-1 records. Other key players to watch include Raymond Tan, Yuuki Ichikawa, Huang Hao Shan, Shuhei Nakamura and Kentaro Yamamoto, all at a respectable 8-1 record! And that's just a few names from among the hundreds whom are going to be returning tomorrow to battle for the champion trophy.

With Standard being more diverse than ever, a slew of new brews have arisen If you're still itching for more Standard action, stay tuned as we swing over to the other side of the planet. Grand Prix New York will be equally monumental and pairings for Round 1 just went up as we're winding down in Tokyo!

Top 8 Decklists

Kazuki Yada's Black-Green Aristocrats

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

Sort by:

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Takaya Saito's White-Black Humans

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

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Riku Kumagai's Naya Midrange

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

Sort by:

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Takuma Morofuji's White-Green Tokens

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

Sort by:

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Eng Chu Heng's 4-Color Company

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

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Kensuke Kato's Grixis Control

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

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Carlos Ballester's White-Green Tokens

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

Sort by:

[]

Kazushige Suzuki's Grixis Control

Grand Prix Tokyo 2016

 [Download Arena Decklist] []

Sort by:

[]

GP Tokyo 2016

Top 8 Bracket

Quarterfinals

CARLOS BALLESTER, 2-1

Takaya Saito

Kensuke Kato

RIKU KUMAGAI, 2-1

Eng Chu Heng

TAKUMA MOROFUJI, 2-1

Kazuki Yada

KAZUSHIGE SUZUKI, 2-1

Semifinals

Carlos Ballester

RIKU KUMAGAI, 2-0

TAKUMA MOROFUJI

Kazushige Suzuki, 2-0

Finals

RIKU KUMAGAI, 2-1

Kazushige Suzuki

Pairings, Results, and Standings

FINAL STANDINGS

Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.

question: What is the Grand Prix Tokyo 2016?

answer: This is a tournament for players of a card game known as Magic. Of the initial 3,335 players, 8 made it to the top.

question: What kind of card game is Magic?

answer: Magic is a game where players create their own decks and use those to compete with other players. The importance of a good deck was seen in this tournament as majority of the top 8 were first timers -which implies that the quality of the deck more than made up for the lack of experience against veteran players.

question: What are decks?

answer: Decks are player-customized sets of cards that they use to play Magic. Some deck configurations are given names such as "Grixis Control", while others have simpler names are more literal (eg. "black-green aristrocrats").

question: Where was the tournament held?

answer: The event was held in Tokyo Big Sight, major tournament site in the city. Of the 8 top players, Riku Kumagai won the championship. All of the 8 will be flying to Sydney to take part in the Eldritch Moon Pro Tour.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Tokyo Grand Prix 2016 is a two-day tournament held at the Tokyo Big Sight which saw over 3000 player in Magic -a card game where players make their own decks and compete with other players.


text:
The ITAPUÃ STATE PARK () is a state park in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It protects a promontory to the east of the mouth of the Guaíba River where it enters the Patos Lagoon south of the state capital of Porto Alegre. The promontory contains samples of the original environment of the area, including a small lagoon, various historical relics, and beaches.

Location

The Itapuã State Park is located in the south of the Itapuã District of the municipality of Viamão, Rio Grande do Sul. It is on a promontory bounded to the south and east by Patos Lagoon and to the west by Lake Guaíba. As of 1996 the park covered . The park is from Porto Alegre, the state capital. It has the objective of protecting natural beauty and resources, especially flora and fauna, and protecting sites of historical and archaeological value in the region.

History

The word _Itapuã_ is of Guarani origin, and means “rocky point”. The area was formerly known as the Itapuã Promontory. The first European settlers arrived in 1733 and attempted farming. The land changed hands several times, at one time partly occupied by 60 families from the Azores, but was not fertile. Governor Ildo Meneghetti issued decree 8.190 of 1 October 1957 to define the southern part of the promontory, an area of , as being public utility for expropriation purposes, but the decree was allowed to expire with no action taken.

The same of the southern part of the promontory were again declared of public use and expropriated by decree 22,535 of 14 July 1973. Governor Euclides Triches expropriated the land for the Itapuã Tourist Complex, which was to have resorts, handicraft centers, and to be used for recreational, cultural and leisure activities. It was administered by the state's tourism authority. The area was expanded to by decree 25.162 of 23 December 1976. The 1976 expropriation by Governor Sinval Guazzelli was to protect and preserve the landscapes of two additional areas.

However, the state government failed to protect the ecosystem and allowed quarrying, growth of unauthorized summer settlements and uncontrolled visits, which caused protests from environmentalists, scientists and others concerned about the environment. In 1984 the land was transferred to the Environment Department of the Secretariat of Health and Environment. An organization to fight for protection of the park was formed in 1985 with representatives of various civil society organizations. That year the quarries and illegal summer homes were closed down and researchers began to investigate the area.

The park was formally created by Governor Sinval Guazzelli by decree 33.886 of 11 March 1991. This decree expanded the protected area to cover including the Lagoa Negra (Black Lagoon). On 21 December 1993 the park was expanded by decree 36.016 to include the Pombas, Junco and Ponta Escura islands. The park was closed for over ten years to let its ecosystems recover and to build its administrative structure, and reopened in April 2002.

Environment

The Köppen climate classification of the region is Cfa, with a humid subtropical climate, average temperature in the hottest month over and temperatures in coldest month between . The average temperature is . Average annual rainfall is . There is frequent fog.

The Itapuã State Park is in the pampas biome. It preserves one of the last remnants of the original environment of the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, between the waters of Lake Guaíba and Laguna de Patos. Environments include hills, beaches, dunes, lagoons and marshes. Fauna include the brown howler (_Alouatta guariba_), locally threatened with extinction, neotropical otter (_Lontra longicaudis_), margay (_Leopardus wiedii_) and migratory birds such as the buff-breasted sandpiper (_Tryngites subruficollis_) and tropical kingbird (_Tyrannus melancholicus_).

[Fora beach, promontory in background]

Visiting

Normally the park is open from Wednesday to Sunday between 9am and 6pm, but closed on weekdays from 12am to 1:30pm. There is a limit of 350 people per day, and on Sundays many people are unable to enter. The park infrastructure includes bathrooms, changing rooms, parking and grills, but visitors must bring their own food and charcoal. Collection of firewood is prohibited. There are three beaches, but as of 2015 only one was open. Visitors may use the beaches to swim, but cannot take pets, play ball sports or ride bicycles.

The Visitor's Center has a permanent photographic exhibition with images of the park. A small museum exhibits weapons and boat parts used by the combatants in the Ragamuffin War (Revolução Farroupilha) of 1835–45. There are historical relics from the war in the Morro da Fortaleza (Fortress Hill), Junco Island and the Ferraria dos Farrapos. The Itapuã Lighthouse, completed in 1860, stands where the waters of Lake Guaíba meet those of the Laguna dos Patos. Scheduled groups may receive a talk giving information about the park and its history. Guided tours of ecological trails may be arranged in advance.

Notes

Sources

-   -   -   -

Category:State parks of Brazil Category:Protected areas established in 1991 Category:1991 establishments in Brazil Category:Protected areas of Rio Grande do Sul

title: Itapuã State Park

question: Where is the state park?

answer: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

question: When did the area become a state park?

answer: It was made a public area in 1957, which was renewed in 1973, but the park was formally created in 1991

question: When is the park open?

answer: Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm, but it is closed on weekdays from 12am to 1:30pm

question: What does Itapua mean?

answer: Rocky point

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Itapua State Park is a state park in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It was declared a public area in 1957 but formally became a state park in 1991. It encompasses samples of the area's original environment and various historical relics and beaches.