text:
I'm posting this in a moment of weakness. Please sympathize with me and don't be a jerk. And yes their are some stupid parts. I'm a freshman and high school. I thin it's not half bad.

The Fake Relationship

The wind pressed against my face.  It was 6:30 in the evening and I was praying on the forward of the ship. The sun was setting now, leaving a wonderful streak of red and light pink. We had  embarked four days ago and I had enjoyed the cruise with a host of new friends. Caitie, a beautiful blond, was the first of many teenagers my age that I spent my days with. She had a step-sister, Lexie, and they were both from Witicha, Kansas. After I had finished my prayer, I laid against the glass that protected the miniature golf course from the powerful wind. The best nights to pray were the nights where the ship was traveling directly into the wind. Physics where against me, but I broke the equilibrium and stood face first in to a wonderful stream of cooling air. Ecstasy, The cruise ship I was traveling on, had thirteen decks with a mixture of staterooms, restaurants, shops, and clubs for many different age groups; Because of my age, I was placed into the high school  teen's club. I checked the time- 7:08-, I began my walk down stairs to meet up with Emily, a short, brown-haired sixteen year old. Emily had a later eating time then myself so we arranged a time to meet up and go to the teen's club. I walked down two fleets of stairs and came to the grand entrance where I boarded the ship. The grand entrance had two main elevators and two secondary elevators, but I never used them because they were much to slow. Luckily, I had taken the time on the first day to learn where everything on the ship was and where the corridors went. When I approached Emily, she was wearing tan shorts and a tank top over her bikini.

"Hey! How was dinner?", I asked.

"It was pretty good," She had a high pitched voice that for some reason was not annoying to listen to. The conversation we had was pointless, but if everything in our life had to have meaning it would be pointless. I checked the time again- a habit I had made to check if it was a dream or not- and it was 8:34. By this time, a large number of people had walked into the club and began socializing and enjoying the latest songs. Then, Zulay began passing along white tee shirts to everybody in the room and placed a tub of markers on a table for every to sign each other's shirts. I picked up a maker immediately began signing people's shirts.  Caitie, who 'hated' me, wrote, "I freakin' hate you" all over the front of my shirt. I laughed. Later on in the night, I handed my shirt to Emily who wrote half a paragraph about how she would miss me and I should never stop talking to her. The smile on her face was genuine and made me believe with every strain of muscle in my heart that she meant every single word; so, we continued on with the night like every other teenager, with our heart in the moment.

"I'm going to go back to my stateroom. I have to fly home tomorrow and hurry to my cheerleading completion." Every word from her mouth seemed to slow time and at the thought that tomorrow morning will be the last time I see her my heart turned to stone.

"oh, It's alright. Hey. Um before you go what's your number so I can talk to you later." The nervousness grow in my voice as I said the last few words. She gave me her number and as I typed in the last few numbers she had already left the room. I hurried out of the club to joined her. We walked downstairs and to her stateroom. I said good night as if it was the last time I would see her. After this, I went to my room and feel asleep.

The next day, I woke and found myself already missing her, but I had hope because I had her cell phone number so after today I could text her often. So I lived that day as a normal day before the embankment, texting friends and listening to music on the two hour ride home.

A few days later, I felt like it was time to continue my relationship with Emily; so, I texted her. She responded a few minutes later and I had a conversation with her, but she wasn't talking like she was on the cruise. She used one-word answers and never sent more than three words in a text, but I disregarded it.

June 16, half a month after my last conversation with Emily and I had not had a reply. I wasn't sure what to think of the situation so I forced it out of my mind. But, the festering idea that she had forgotten about me still remained. I couldn't let such an amazing person out of my life; so, I tried again. My phone went off, I had high hopes but it was Callie. She told me that she was going to drink with some 'friends.' I persuaded her not to, but it was set in her heart that she wanted to; so, I franticly texted Emily and explained the situation and how she always had good ideas and solutions for problems.To my surprise, I got a reply and I read the words slowly dissecting every single one. She sounded friendly, but it was only words on a screen. She expressed her concern and what she would have done. Most of which, I had already did. After a few more text messages about Callie, I said, "It would be nice if we talked every now and again." So, we did and it was so wonderful reconnecting with her. I remembered the five wonderful days with her and the level of reality I felt when I was with her. It was getting late so I said good night and how it was nice to reconnect. I had hoped that this would be the new beginning for our relationship, but she had other plans. The next day, I texted hoping we could talk some more like last night. She did not.

This struck me like a car slamming into a 18 Wheeler. I had no hope about reconnecting anymore; because, my idea that she had forgotten me for whatever reason was true and she just wanted me gone. And then I remembered, It was a small detail but an important one. She had said that the jacket she was wearing was her boyfriends. All emotion left me. I felt nothing, not rage nor tears. I just felt empty so I went to bed.

The next morning, I still felt nothing, but I was inspired. So I wrote onto a notepad, "I dream about you every now and again. Even after you rejected me. I can't help my subconscious. You're too deep for me to forget you.  Nor do I want to forget.  I dream about you every now and again. When I do, it's always comforting. You give me hope about how you forgot me, but I'm dead and gone to you. Please don't make me beg; the only outcome I want is you accepting that I should be in your life. But what is your reason now? Or better yet. Is it you who fail to accept me in your life? Or is it him." Unlike an English paper, The words just flowed from my mind. I recalled the events in my head, The true was that I had been blind to the reality that not everyone you meet is who they really are. Some people will lie to you and will make you believe they care for you, but to her I was just a flirt.

title: The Fake Relationship. I wrote this for a class forever ago. Forgive the grammatical errors please. I haven't had time to fix them and it's almost hard to work on this story anymore. [First]

question: Where was the narrator travelling to on the ship?

answer: It appears he was on his way home.

question: What was the narrator's relationship with Caitie?

answer: They were just friends who met on the ship.

question: For how long had the narrator been on the journey?

answer: Four days.

question: Where were the travellers coming from?

answer: That information cannot be found.

question: What was the relationship between Emily and the narrator?

answer: They were friends who met on the ship but got close enough to exchange contacts. Also, the narrator was attracted to her.

question: Why was Emily not as friendly as she was with the narrator when they were on the ship?

answer: She had a boyfriend she didn't tell him about earlier, and it seems she just wanted someone to flirt with on the boat cruise.

question: Were all the travellers in the high school teen's club freshmen?

answer: It is not stated.

question: Was Emily also a freshman in high school?

answer: It is not stated.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator, a freshman high school student, met Emily on a boat cruise and became attracted to her. On the eve of their departure, they exchanged numbers, and Emily encouraged the narrator to always keep in touch before they went their separate ways. Shortly after the boat cruise, the narrator got in touch with Emily, but her demeanour appeared different from when they met. He made several more attempts to reconnect and maintain an open line of communication between them, but it dawned on him that she had a boyfriend and only wanted to flirt with him.


split: train

text:
All criticism is awesome! thanks
                 A Bad Suggestion
From the seventh floor balcony, I waited for the stars to rise and fall. Just as soon as they went up, they were greeted by another far away star, and together they would dance in a melancholy stupor until they met at a focal point of blackness, and subsequently collided leaving smolder and hot metal parading the sky. The 7TH floor of the abandoned children’s hospital was an ideal place to watch them, and I remember doing so with my older brother. Sometimes we would cheer for more rising stars, and sometimes we would recognize the stars for what they truly were. Our moods were interchangeable based on how we felt, and often, were just interpretations, for they never lasted. In the end it was the same old story. Genocide had swept our nation like a broom, and its only remaining duty was to sweep the rest of us under the rug. We were of the last ones there; the survivors. We were alone and had nothing to rely on but each other, and our father’s mandatory last advisement: “Trust No one.” This, of course, was months before his last and more imperative words: “Run!” On this particular night the moon was full, and whenever there was a hiatus in the back and forth of gunfire and floating bombs, we could still see our native Africa illuminate from the same light that had guided our ancestors. We got tired of listening to the clamor of bullets ricochet, and bored of watching the flares and missiles illuminate the sky. We were hungry, and had nowhere to sleep. It was time to begin our night’s usual routine of scavenging. My brother nudged me in the shoulder, “Come on, we have to go now.” We turned around from the balcony and sprinted down the concrete stairs of the hospital until we reached the bottom. When we made it out of the hospital stairs, the smell hit us. The stench of death is something that is overwhelming at first, but just like anything if you give it time, it will either take on the droll task of expected repetition or, it will haunt your every dream, and stalk your every move. It was most definitely stalking us and it scared us more than ever. We proceeded to run immediately to our right, through the cold sand, and past the huge tree. Usually, the task of running just on the outskirts of immediate war was enough to urge us to keep running. However, on this particular night, the leafless branches of the tree collided with the silver radiance of the moon in an utmost peculiar way. We stopped and watched the branches sway just for a moment. I don’t know why we stopped. Maybe it was just intuition telling us, but our intuition had been sidetracked for so long, we dared not to think that. Our momentary seconds of splendor were soon over, and we began to run again. The sand whistled beneath our cracked black feet as we ran. I remember the unusual chill in the air, and the warmness that would embrace my face each time a far- away missile would light up the sky, and leave its presence booming in the echoes of the barren desert. As we ran, the village where we used to live approached our immediate right, and just adjacent to them were the black windows and torn rubble that used to be our home. We didn’t dare look, for if we did we might have tried to decipher our home from the others, which of course would just perpetuate the fact that there were no homes left at all. It was important to us that we carry no baggage, we were free of emotion. We were no longer people, and I only say this because we had no characteristics of any normal person. We were too young to generate any logical conclusions on our non-generic personalities, so we just went with the notion that we had none. Our feet kept moving until we reached an old tire factory. The smell of burning rubber was still lingering in the air like a flame from an old wick, as we mechanically hopped over the only part of the fence that was not barb wired. There was a light on in the distance. If somebody was there we would rip them to shreds. We didn’t care who they were or why they were there. Trust no one. That was our motto, and we stuck to it like it was the law. Perhaps it was the sound of our tearing flesh on the rocks beneath us, or, perhaps it was the flickering shadow that left its impression so memorably on the hard dirt path. I don’t know what it was for sure, but somebody inside of that room heard us. We began to run faster as the room beyond us started to rumble with preparation. My brother pulled out a long blade that sparkled in the moonlight. Then, that door opened. He warned us to stop, but we kept on going. We were savages. As we neared, the outline of the man’s skull began to familiarize itself with the images of my mind. I paid no attention. The man pulled out a large assault rifle, and we stopped dead in our tracks. He shot my brother between the eyes and I locked mine with his. My brother was dead on the ground. He was only following the advice that my father had given him: Run, and trust no one. He did well. Then, it became clear to me and my shadowed counterpart just exactly who we were looking at. The man I was staring at was my father. As he dropped down in tears, I glanced at my brother’s bloody corpse, and soon after brought my head up to look at the battles in the distance. I took one hard glance at my father, and then remembered his last pieces of advice to me and my deceased brother. I proceeded to turn around and run as fast as I could.

title: Short Story-A Bad Suggestion

question: What were the stars that the siblings watched each night?

answer: Stars don't generally collide, certainly not in the numbers described in the article. These are bombs and missiles. The world has been destroyed and the last on earth are destroying one another in battle.

question: What was the cause of the war?

question: Why don't the siblings look at the remains of their home?

answer: They didn't want to have to try to work out where their house started and ended and which were the wrecks of their neighbors. In doing so they would have to acknowledge the utter destruction. They wanted to be free of emotion and carry no baggage.


text:
Epilogue[edit]

I'm not that fond of books.

But whenever I'm reading a book, I can become blank. That feeling is why I like to read books. It also lets me disappear from my surroundings that only look at me as a loose fragment.

That's why I came here to look for a book that will allow me to go blank.

Lots of paperbacks are lined up in the bookcase before me. I open one and find myself confronted with pages that are crammed full with letters. I get a bit gloomy, but this gloominess will save me. I need a story that will absorb me, one that will gently take me into a world of fantasy, one that feels real yet mystic, gentle yet rough, one that runs though me.

"I'll always be by your side."

Suddenly, I hear someone talk to her lover.

This bookstore is quite spacious and has a good selection, but there aren't many customers around because of a large chain store that recently opened by the station. That's also why I like it here.

I instantly notice that something is strange; there was no couple when I walked through the store a moment ago.

Almost as if by reflex, I look in the direction of the voice.

"My dear Reina Kamisu."

The one saying so is a girl from high school ... no, her face looks young, but she might actually be in university judging by the air she has about her. She is dragging her leg along. Maybe it's artificial. Not that I care.

At any rate, there is no man in front of her, nor is she carrying a cell phone. Well, she clearly said a girl's name, so that's not surprising. If that had been all, I would probably have gone back to searching for a book.

However—

—the girl is gazing into space.

Rena Kamizoo?

There seems to be no such person anywhere.

She is just gazing into space with a soft expression on her face. She suddenly glances over to me, so I hurriedly pick up a paperback and pretend to be looking through some books.

However, I keep observing her with sidelong looks. It's hard to describe, but she makes a somewhat fragile impression on me, which might be because of her strange statement or her injured leg, but ... I can't shake off the feeling that she is fragile in a more essential way.

And that feeling resembles me.

A cell phone starts to ring as if to reproach me. I quickly return my gaze to the book. It seems to be hers.

The girl answers the call, shortly after which another girl approaches her while holding a cell phone at her ear. Apparently, they have arranged to meet up here.

They start to chit-chat. And yet ... the girl seems a bit distracted. I mean ... she keeps sneaking peeks at the place where she was looking at until her friend arrived.

I feel unsettled.

"Anna, let's go."

"Mm," nods the girl who is wearing a wristband on her left wrist as she follows her friend and pulls her leg along.

Aah—

—I couldn't overlook it.

The girl, who had been called Anna, smiled into space the moment her friend looked away.

No, that's not right—

—She smiled at Reina Kamisu.

Reina Kamisu.

The invisible friend.

"Ah—"

I drop the book I was holding.

Dizziness. A gentle dizziness.

I quickly pick up the book, but I'm too wobbly on my legs to stand up again. I sit down.

Something is tickling my head.

I see stars floating and sparkling around me.

"———"

I—

＊＊＊

—have an irreplaceable best friend.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" she says after hurrying to me.

As she takes breath, I answer, "M-mm, not at all."

"Good," she smiles. With an absurdly beautiful expression.

Huh? How long did I wait? It feels like nothing, but it also feels like forever.

Oh, who cares? She's here now. That's what matters.

"Come, let's go."

I give her an assertive nod. My irreplaceable friend smiles and takes my hand.

Yeah, that will do.

I'm okay as long as she's here.

I don't need to know anything else.

I don't want to know anything else.

Right—

Fumi Saito's best friend—

—Reina Kamisu is HERE.

＊＊＊

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The narrator is not described.

question: Describe the feeling the narrator gets when reading books.

answer: Whenever they are reading a book, they become blank, disappearing from their surroundings.

question: Who are the other major characters?

answer: The narrator, Anna, Anna's friend, Reina Kamisu, Fumi Saito

question: What kinds of books does the narrator like?

answer: Books that take them into a world of fantasy and feel real yet mystic, gentle yet rough.

question: How old is the narrator?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Who is Reina Kamizoo?

answer: Fumi Saito's best friend.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: While at the bookstore, the narrator encounters a girl who addresses someone named Reina Kamizoo, who doesn't actually appear to be present. After a while, the girl meets with a friend of hers and they leave. The narrator is left wondering about Reina. Reina is Fumi Saito's best friend.


text:
[some text]
Journalist Charlie Rose, right, makes opening comments as Rory Kennedy, center, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. look on before Rose conducted an interview Friday in front of a full audience at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas. The Kennedys are in Dallas as a year of observances begins for the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
DALLAS - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is convinced that a lone gunman wasn't solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and said his father believed the Warren Commission report was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship."

Kennedy and his sister, Rory, were interviewed by Charlie Rose on Friday night in front of an audience in Dallas as a year of observances begins for the 50th anniversary of the president's death.

Their uncle was killed on Nov. 22, 1963. Five years later, their father was assassinated in a Los Angeles hotel during his primary victory celebration.

Robert Kennedy said his father spent a year trying to come to grips with his brother's death. He said his read writings by Greek philosophers, Catholic scholars, poets and Henry David Thoreau "trying to figure out kind of the existential implications of why a just God would allow injustice to happen of the magnitude he was seeing."

He said his father believed the Warren Commission, which concluded Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing the president, was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship." He said that he, too, questioned the report.

"The evidence at this point is convincing that it wasn't a lone gunman," he said, but he didn't say what he believed may have happened.

The attorney and well-known environmentalist also told the audience light-hearted stories Friday about memories of his uncle.

As a young child with an interest in the environment, he recalled, he made an appointment with his uncle to speak with him in the Oval Office about pollution.

He'd even caught a salamander to present to the president, which unfortunately died before the meeting.

"He kept saying to me, 'It doesn't look well,"' Robert Kennedy recalled.

question: When was the article written?

answer: Around 2013

question: Who did Charlie Rose interview?

answer: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

question: What is the interviewee's relationship to President Kennedy?

answer: President Kennedy was his uncle

question: What did the Warren Commission conclude?

answer: That Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killed John F. Kennedy

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the killing of John F. Kennedy, his nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said that he does not accept the conclusions of the Warren Commission report.


text:
[Johannes Hoffmann v Schweidnitz, later Johann IV, Bishop of Meissen] JOHANNES HOFFMANN VON SCHWEIDNITZ (also: _Johann Hoffmann_; ; ; c. 1375 – 15 April 1451) was a Roman Catholic theologian, Professor of Theology and Rector at both Prague and Leipzig Universities, and served as Bishop of Meissen from 1427 until his death.[1]

Life

Johannes Hoffmann von Schweidnitz was born around 1375 in Schweidnitz, Duchy of Schweidnitz. He began theology studies at Prague University in 1393. In 1396 he earned a baccalaureate and four years later licentiate. A little later he achieved a magister degree. In 1408 he was dean of the Faculty of Arts and by 1409 had become rector of the university. In that year, the Jan Hus crisis developed, culminating in the Decree of Kutná Hora. As a result, Hoffmann organized, with Johannes Otto von Münsterberg, the exodus of German students from the University of Prague to the city of Leipzig.[2] Somewhere between 5,000 and 20,000 German doctors, masters, and students left, and the reputation of Prague University was severely damaged.[3]

Johannes Otto von Münsterberg became the rector of Leipzig University and Hoffmann became co-founder and Professor of Theology in the so-called Princes College. During the summer semester of 1413 Hoffmann was elected Rector of the University. Around 1415, Hoffmann was also Canon at the Meissen Cathedral as well as Provost of the collegiate chapter in Großenhain. He participated in the Council of Constance from 1414 to 1418 which ended the Western Schism. After the death of his friend Johannes Münsterberg in 1422, he founded the “College of Our Lady” at Leipzig University specifically for Silesian professors.[4]

In 1427 he was appointed as Johann IV, Bishop of Meissen.[5] In this position he was considered wise and prudent, and led the diocese through difficult times of the Hussite Wars. He successfully ended the exemption with the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, which had existed since 1400. His philosophical and theological works identify him as loyal to papal scholars and an opponent of the Hussites.[6]

He died in 1451 at the residence of the Bishops of Meissen, Burg Stolpen, and is buried at Meissen Cathedral. His grave slab of sandstone shows him drawing with the crook and raising his right hand in blessing.[7]

Writings

-   _Quaestionum theologicarum cum solutionibus liber_
-   _De missae officio et actionibus omnibus ll. VI. ad Fridericum et Guilielmum fratres, Marchiones Misnenis_

[1]

[2]

[3] Howard Kaminsky: _A History of the Hussite Revolution_ (New York: Wipf and Stock, 1967) p66 ff

[4]

[5] Constantin von Wurzbach: _Hoffmann, Johann (III.)._ In: _Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich._ 9. Theil. Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Wien 1863, S. 171 (Digitalsat)

[6]

[7] Matthias Donath: _Die Grabmonumente im Dom zu Meißen._ Leipziger Universitätsverlag, 2005, , S. 322–324

title: Johannes Hoffmann von Schweidnitz

question: When was Johannes Hoffman von Schweidnitz born?

answer: 1375.

question: Where was he born?

answer: Schweidnitz, Duchy of Schweidnitz.

question: What did he start out studying?

answer: Theology.

question: With whom did he work at the so-called Princes College?

answer: Johannes Otto von Münsterberg.

question: Write a ~10 sentence summary.

answer: Johannes Hoffmann von Schweidnitz was born around 1375 in Schweidnitz, Duchy of Schweidnitz. He earned his baccalaureate and four years later a licentiate in the discipline of theology at Prague University. A little while later he received his master's degree, then went on to serve as a the dean of the Faculty of Arts. By 1408, he was a rector of the university. After the Jan Hus crisis, he resigned to organize the exodus of German students from Prague University. Thousands of students, doctors, and masters left, damaging the reputation of the university. Johannes Otto von Münsterberg became the rector of Leipzig University and Hoffmann became co-founder and Professor of Theology in the so-called Princes College. After an illustrious career alongside his friend Johannes Munsterberg, Munsterberg died, and Hoffman founded the "College of Our Lady" at Leipzig University, specifically for Silesian professors. In 1427, he was appointed as the Bishop of Meissen. Johannes Hoffman von Schweidnitz died in 1451.


text:
I haven't written anything of substance in a long while, so I wrote this as an exercise to shake the rust off. It is a stand-alone excerpt that could fit in a historical or fantasy based novel. I hope I've been able to depict the multiple layers of this scene well enough. Thanks for reading!

       Just south of a small mountain range, a cool spring breeze passed through a stone monastery. The overgrown ivy covering the northern face of the building danced as the wind tickled its bountiful growth. From the top of the smooth cut stone structure the ivy had crept to meet the rocky cliff face upon which the monastery was perched. Green ivy, grey rock, and beige stone lay against a backdrop of deep, clear blue, as the sky was brimming with colour at the onset of the new season. The monastery was a large, square compound, with four stone parapets at each corner of the building, the northernmost being flush against the cliff face. At the centre was a circular courtyard, filled with beds of flowers and shrubs around the perimeter of the courtyard. Forming this perimeter were a series of stone pillars, the bases of which were buried beneath the lush green of the plants. Atop one of the pillars was a nest of sparrows, and the birds fluttered around the courtyard, singing cheerfully.
	That friendly mountain breeze made its way into the courtyard, towards a simple wooden bench that faced the mild warmth of the afternoon sun. It brushed aside the hem of a white robe, cooling the ankles of the monk sitting alone on the bench. He was an old man, whose ample belly was poorly disguised by his simple clothes, yet his face had retained its youthful glow, enhanced by his bald pate gleaming in the sunlight. His eyes squinted against the sun as he smiled contentedly, listening to the sparrows’ concert and taking in the fresh growth of greenery. His smile widened as he heard the faint clapping of sandaled feet on stone tiles. The dim sound grew in resonance as the footsteps approached, and from his seat on the bench the monk called out cheerfully,
	“Good afternoon, Brother,”
	The newcomer emerged from within the monastery, coming into view, similarly clothed in a white habit, yet a bit younger than his colleague. Unlike the seated monk, he was quite thin, and though he was not smiling, he had an honest, open face.
	“May I join you?”
	“Of course! Please sit.”
	The slender monk then held up the jug and two cups he had been holding, and smiled faintly, to which the older monk laughed and patted him on the shoulder as he lowered himself onto the bench.
	“I suppose it is never too early to celebrate such a fine day” he said.
  	The second man carefully poured a cup of red wine, and passed it to his companion, after which he poured himself a cup. For several minutes they both sat in silence, sipping their wine and admiring the courtyard and its garden. Finally, the thinner monk placed his cup on the ground next to the jug of wine, and fixed his gaze on the heavyset monk.
	“The vote is tomorrow, the monastery is in a furor, it is quite a nuisance.”
	The older monk chuckled and returned the look, “I have been through many such votes, and this is by far the most tiresome of them all.”
	Not known for outbursts of laughter, the younger monk gave a hearty grin, flashing what teeth he had left before remarking, “We are priests, not politicians, my friend. I should say this is ill befitting our station. Such ambition is better left to the less morally inclined.”
	In response his companion simply smiled, looked down at his cup, and took a sip, his light grey eyes surveying the wine like a hawk watched a rabbit. The younger man likewise took a sip, his eyes watching his friend as he swallowed the warm red liquid.
	“Brother,” he said, smiling, “I’m afraid you’ve besmirched your habit.”
	The larger monk stared at him, watching his eyes and his smug expression as he slowly reached his arm towards his friend’s throat, only to gently place his slender finger upon a red stain at the collar of the robe. The culprit was not hidden, as a line of red was visible on the large monk’s cup from where the wine had spilled.
	Breaking eye contact and looking down at his lap, the bald man laughed, tut-tutting to himself, “That won’t do at all,” he said.
	“Yes,” his friend said slowly, looking at the patch of red, “that stain must be removed.”
	“Or perhaps, I could simply find a way to hide it,” he said as he watched the thin man, “with so many habits and so many monks, I’m sure there are more than a few concealed stains amongst our ranks.”
	The skinny monk’s face bore an expression of sincere contemplation as his eyes bored into the large monk’s robe, “Perhaps,” he said.
	He reached down to collect the jug and his own cup, rising from the bench. His robe had gone into disarray, and he quietly adjusted it before turning back towards the older monk. They shared a warm smile as each stared at the other, with the hefty monk raising his cup in front of his sharp grey eyes as he said through grinning teeth, “My thanks, for the drink, Brother.”
	The thin man nodded to him, and headed for the interior of the monastery, his sandals playing the same song against the stone that they had when he approached, only this time in reverse. As the song faded to nothing, the solitary monk once more perked his eyes and ears toward the chattering sparrows.
	The sun was still out, the sky was still blue, the garden was still radiant, and the birds still sang. As he finished his wine, the monk contemplated the one thing he knew with certainty on that beautiful day. For himself, or the man who just left, there would be no sun, no sky, no garden, no birds, no wine, waiting for them tomorrow. Only death. He decided then that he had not yet had his fill of such marvelous spring days.
	“Now then,” he said, laboriously rising from the bench, “I suppose I should see about removing this stain.”

title: The White Habit

question: What does the text say about why the two monks were going to die the next day?


text:
[A young woman keeps track of how much life insurance she needs after using SelectQuote's life insurance calculator]
Life insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all and most people have no idea how much life insurance they need. Purchasing life insurance can often seem like a daunting process and you might be wondering where to even begin.

Our life insurance calculator will help you determine what your family’s ongoing and one-time expenses are, and give you a head start on determining the right life insurance policy and amount for you.

Below, we break down the steps of estimating how much life insurance you might need.

STEP 1: DO YOU NEED LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE?

While many people might think they might not need life insurance coverage, it’s actually an extremely smart investment for anyone to consider. Whether you’re married, have children, are single, have purchased a home, or traveled the world, life insurance is a sure way to safeguard your loved ones in the case the unexpected happens.

STEP 2: PUT TOGETHER YOUR BASIC INFORMATION.

Since life insurance replaces lost income and pays for outstanding debt, upcoming expenses, and final expenses,  you’ll want to make sure the amount of coverage you purchase is enough to help your loved ones cover all of these costs.

STEP 3: THINK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.

Do you currently have or are you planning on having any children? If you currently have children, how old is your youngest? Any other dependents? These questions will help you determine the length of your life insurance policy. Term life insurance policies are a smart investment for younger families, as they’re set to expire close to when you achieve major financial life events; things like paying off your mortgage, becoming an empty-nester or when your kids are no longer dependent on your income are just a few examples. Permanent life insurance, such as whole life insurance or universal life insurance, are other options to consider, but as the name alludes, this kind of coverage is meant to last your entire lifetime.

STEP 4: CONSIDER YOUR ASSETS.

How much do you have in savings and liquid assets, not including retirement? How much do you have in retirement savings and college funds? Do you currently have any life insurance? How much?

Your assets include your savings, investments,existing life insurance policies, and these questions can help you assess how much wealth you’ve already accumulated that you can pass on to your survivors and how much life insurance would be beneficial.

STEP 5: CONSIDER YOUR DEBTS.

Do you currently have a mortgage? Do you have any other debt? Just like we have to determine your assets, we also have to determine your liabilities. Factors like your mortgage payoff date are important to know in order to recommend the length of a term life insurance policy.

STEP 6: THINK ABOUT YOUR PREFERENCES.

How much of a financial cushion would you like to give your family? The cost of life insurance will depend on a number of factors, but both the type of coverage and amount of coverage will have an impact.

Our life insurance calculator is a good place to start when trying to determine how much life insurance coverage might be right for you and your family, but weighing all your options and sifting through the fine print can become time consuming and overwhelming. We can help simplify the process, providing coverage and cost comparisons from some of the most trusted insurance companies in just minutes. We’ll take the time to get to know your needs and find the best life insurance policy options available to you.

question: Summarize three reasons a person might consider moving to this type of life insurance.

answer: If someone has family, they would want to make sure their loved ones will be okay in the event of their passing-untimely or otherwise. They might also want to make sure their assets are secure and will be passed on, in this vein. Paying off debts and handling funeral costs are two other-and specific-things that this life insurance can figure out for buyers.

question: Describe who would be likely to switch to this life insurance.


text:
Crypto trading card game 'Gods Unchained' looks pretty sweet in first gameplay trailer

[Looks familiar, but also pretty well done.]
Looks familiar, but also pretty well done.
Image: Gods Unchained/Youtube

Cryptocurrency-based gaming is growing up.

_Gods Unchained_, an upcoming trading card game (TCG) based on Ethereum, has released its first gameplay trailer, and it looks great.

On the surface, _Gods Unchained_ is a clone of _Hearthstone_, Blizzard's game that made the genre immensely popular after it launched in 2014. You collect cards, which give you various traits and abilities, build a deck, and then try to defeat opponents in turn-by-turn play.

But the game is different in one key aspect — its cards live as non-fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are cryptographic tokens which are unique, contrary to fungible tokens (think ethers or bitcoins) which are all exactly alike and interchangeable (for technical details, go here).

This means that once you purchase a _Gods Unchained_ card (which you can easily do with ether, Ethereum's currency), it's literally yours — no one can alter it (unless the code of the smart contract that defines it allows it). This trait should resonate with gamers who are annoyed by Blizzard's constant changing of _Hearthstone_'s rules, with certain cards being nerfed (i.e. made less powerful) and others boosted in order to balance gameplay.

Fuel Games, the Sydney-based company behind the game, received a $2.4 million seed round of funding in May, with Coinbase Ventures participating. It also created quite a bit of buzz among would-be-players, who spend tens of thousands of dollars on rare cards well before the game's planned launch. In total, the company says it sold over 1.5 million cards.

  To date, we’ve sold over 1.5 million Gods Unchained cards to thousands of gamers all around the world. We are so excited to finally show them what we've been working on.

  — Gods Unchained (@GodsUnchained) November 15, 2018

Games based on non-fungible Ethereum tokens aren't new; one often cited example is _Cryptokitties_, a digital kitty trading card game whose popularity brought Ethereum's network to a screeching halt earlier this year. But _Cryptokitties_ (which recently received a big round of funding of its own) is quite a simple affair, while Gods Unchained appears to be fully-fleshed out with beautiful graphics and tons of features.

The game is also different in the way it interacts with Ethereum's blockchain. In _Cryptokitties_, everything happened on the blockchain; with _Gods Unchained_, the gameplay takes place on the company's servers. This means that the game should probably perform well and not clog Ethereum's network once it goes live — but it also means it's not very decentralized, which is an important trait of many Ethereum-based projects.

CoinDesk reports that the game will enter a closed beta period in the "next couple of weeks," during which the players who have pre-ordered cards will be able to try it out. A three-month open beta period is scheduled after that, followed by a full launch.

_Disclosure: The author of this text owns, or has recently owned, a number of cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH. The author is also quite sure he had once purchased some_ Gods Unchained _cards, but for the life of him, he can't find them now. _

question: What does the article say about the cryptocurrency aspect of the game 'Gods Unchained'?

answer: "Gods Unchained" is an upcoming trading card game based on Ethereum. Its cards live as non-fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. NFTs are cryptographic tokens which are unique. Once you purchase a "Gods Unchained" card, using ether, Ethereum's currency, no one can alter it. Games based on Ethereum NFTs aren't new, another popular NFT blockchain game being "Cryptokitties". Cryptokitties brought Ethereum's network to a screeching halt earlier this year. But Gods Unchained interacts with Ethereum's blockchain differently. In Cryptokitties, everything happens on the blockchain. With Gods Unchained, gameplay takes place on the company's servers. This means it won't suffer from performance issues, but it won't be decentralized.


text:
Op-Ed Contributors

-   March 6, 2017
-

[People protesting the executive order President Trump signed in January, barring immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.]

Credit...Yana Paskova for The New York Times

President Trump’s executive order barring immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries experienced nearly universal defeat in the federal courts. On Monday, he issued a revised version of that order, but it still suffers from a fundamental, and fatal, flaw: It constitutes unlawful religious discrimination.

On the surface, this revised order looks different from the first version. It explicitly exempts Iraq from the travel ban, thus reducing the number of affected countries to six, as well as lawful permanent residents (that is, green card holders) and people who have visas. It no longer categorically bars Syrian refugees or includes a religious test to determine which refugees may enter the country. And in a marked departure from the earlier order, it goes into effect in 10 days, so that the chaos that unfolded in airports around the world when the January order became effective presumably won’t happen again.

These changes are, no doubt, intended to address the due process concerns that led the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm a lower-court ruling that put a hold on part of the original order. But while these changes are important, they do not fix the core problem with the executive order: The administration is waging an all-out assault on Islam and Muslims.

That’s because anti-Muslim bias and bigotry that characterized the original travel ban remain in this revised version. The order is still limited to only Muslim-majority countries: namely, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Residents of those countries — and only those countries — will be severely restricted in their ability to travel into the United States for 90 days. Left off are the predominately Christian countries that the State Department lists as “Terrorist Safe Havens” like Colombia, the Philippines and Venezuela.

The revised order also continues to traffic in bigoted and largely false perceptions: By requiring the governmentto compile occurrencesof “honor killings” by immigrants, it gives official recognition to an inflammatory and misleading trope of Islam that is perpetuated by anti-Muslim hate groups.

President Trump has not been subtle in his intentions. We need look no further than his own words to figure them out. On the campaign trail, he constantly conflated the vast majority of peaceful Muslims with the small handful of violent Muslims.

After the Paris attacks in November 2015, Mr. Trump said that “we’re going to have no choice” but to close some mosques in the United States, where “some really bad things are happening.” The next month, after the attack in San Bernardino, Calif., he called for a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and released a factually dubious statement that “large segments of the Muslim population” have “great hatred towards Americans” and favor Shariah law. Astonishingly, that statement is still posted on Mr. Trump’s website.

In December, when a reporter asked whether he had reconsidered his stance on Islam, President-elect Trump replied: “You know my plans. All along, I’ve been proven to be right.” This dark and wholly unsubstantiated worldview about Islam and the American Muslim community is shared by several of the president’s senior aides and advisers.

Let’s be clear: This revised order is a Muslim ban. All the countries he has excluded are more than 90 percent Muslim. Three of them — Iran, Somalia and Yemen — are more than 99 percent Muslim. Even though Mr. Trump tailored his order to survive legal challenges, as his former adviser Rudolph Giuliani conceded on national television, his objective is clearly to exclude Muslims.

The Trump administration argues that the ban protects the country. Yet by excluding Iraq from the order, Mr. Trump has cleared travel from one of the two countries from which Islamic State terrorists operates. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security concluded last month that “country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.” Former national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations have made clear that the January order does not make our country safer. Instead, the bigotry that Mr. Trump spews at news conferences and on Twitter have been a boon for terrorists’ recruitment efforts.

The twisted worldview does not match reality. Muslims have been part of America for centuries, since the first slave ships arrived in the 17th century. Today, Muslims represent 1 percent of the United States population: They are our teachers, doctors, neighbors and co-workers.

American Muslims will suffer a particular harm from this executive order: Those who have ties to the banned countries won’t be able to see their family members and close friends. American Muslims will also be deprived of the instruction from the leading Islamic scholars who are from those countries.

Thousands of Muslim men and women serve in the armed forces; many have given their lives defending our nation and our ideals. They contribute to the diversity that has always been our nation’s pride and strength. President George W. Bush paid tribute to this in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks when he said, “There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know — that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.”

President Trump and his top advisers would be wise to listen to President Bush. The Muslim ban and President Trump’s relentless attacks on Islam are not just an assault on thousands of patriotic, innocent Americans — they violate our Constitution and our most fundamental American values and beliefs.

question: Why is President Trump’s executive order barring immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries illegal?

answer: Because it constitutes unlawful religious discrimination.

question: How do two versions of the order differ?

answer: The original version bar immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries and reviewed version exempts Iraq, permanent residents, and people who have visas.

question: Is the reviewed version of the order better?

answer: Not really, because anti-Muslim bias and bigotry remain in the reviewed version.

question: Why did President Trump want to ban Muslims?

answer: He argues that the ban protects the country.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: President Trump’s executive order and reviewed version of the order barring immigrants from some Muslim-majority countries are illegal as they constitute unlawful religious discrimination. The revisited version is not much better than the original as it keeps anti-Muslim bias and bigotry. Muslims have been part of America since the 17th century and represent 1 percent of the U.S. population today. They will suffer harm from this order as twill not be able to see their family members and friends from banned countries and will be deprived of the instruction from the leading Islamic scholars who are from those countries.


text:
BRIAN BARNWELL is an American lawyer and politician, currently serving as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly.[1] Since January 2017, he has represented Assembly District 30 in Queens; the district includes Maspeth, Woodside, Middle Village, and portions of Astoria, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Rego Park and Long Island City.

Early life, education, and family

Born in New York City in 1986, Brian Barnwell has been a longtime Woodside resident. He comes from a middle-class family of law enforcement officers, nurses and teachers. Barnwell graduated cum laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He went on to earn his law degree from Albany Law School.

During his time in law school, Barnwell worked for the Albany County District Attorney's Office and for the Albany Law School Civil Rights and Disabilities Law Clinic.

Career

After graduating from law school, Barnwell went into private practice and practiced general law. Barnwell then worked as an aide in Queens City Council Member Costa Constantinides’s office.[2] Barnwell first announced in July 2015 that he would seek the District 30 seat in the Assembly; at the time, he was a political newcomer.[3] Incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Margaret Markey had been elected to the seat nine times.

In the September 2016 Democratic primary, Barnwell defeated Markey 1,710 votes to 1,082.[4] One report on the election result stated that “[this] might be one of the biggest political upsets Queens has ever seen.”[5] After defeating Republican candidate Tony Nunziato by a large margin in the November 2016 general election,[6] Barnwell took office in January 2017.

In the summer of 2018, Barnwell was named to City & State's “Albany 40 Under 40”[7] He joins other “figures crafting groundbreaking legislation, shaping public opinion and driving the news cycle.”

New York State Assembly

Since his time in office, Barnwell has introduced legislation that provides tax relief for seniors and the middle class. Barnwell also drafted legislation to attempt to reform the affordable housing formula, and proposed bills that would allow for tougher sentencing on violent felons.[8] Barnwell has also pushed a bill that would outlaw the sale of puppies by “puppy mills.”[9] Barnwell has been the primary sponsor on many other pieces of legislation. He has worked to create bills that hold the government accountable and promote citizen well-being.[10]

Barnwell is the chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce within the New York State Assembly. Barnwell also serves as a member of the Committee on Aging, the Committee on Banks, the Committee on Children and Families, the Committee on Labor, the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, the Committee on Real Property Taxation, the Asian Pacific American Task Force, and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.[11]

Electoral history

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] http://vote.nyc.ny.us/downloads/pdf/election_results/2016/20160913Primary%20Election/01402300030Queens%20Democratic%20Member%20of%20the%20Assembly%2030th%20Assembly%20District%20Recap.pdf

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

title: Brian Barnwell

question: Who is Brian Barnwell?

answer: An American lawyer and politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the NY State Assembly.

question: What district does he represent?

answer: Assembly District 30 in Queens; the district includes Maspeth, Woodside, Middle Village, and portions of Astoria, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Rego Park and Long Island City.

question: Where did he go to school?

answer: Arizona State University and Albany Law School.

question: What committees does he serve on?

answer: Barnwell is the chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce within the New York State Assembly. Barnwell also serves as a member of the Committee on Aging, the Committee on Banks, the Committee on Children and Families, the Committee on Labor, the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, the Committee on Real Property Taxation, the Asian Pacific American Task Force, and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.[

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Brian Barnwell is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly. He went to school at Arizona State University and Albany Law School. He represents Assembly District 30 in Queens. He serves as chair of the subcommittee on emerging workforce, and other committees.


text:
There i was, it was an early day for me, unusually early considering my sleep problems, yet there i was at the internet cafe , again. I had logged on already when an older, much older lady walked in to use their phones for a long distance call, she was asking the attendant something about rates, but the attendant didnt speak good engish, so i helped her out.

The old lady attempted to make a phone call and then came out of the booth, and glanced over the titles of my emails while standing behind me, she saw something astrology had sent me, and she immediately asked me if i was into that, and i said , well im not sure what i said, but then she asked me my name, date of birth, sign etc, all the usual details.

Then she looked up in the air above me and to my side, pointing with her finger for what seemed to be like for her use, cause i sure as hell didnt see anything nor did i know what she was doing.She started telling me about her life, and describing it before and after she had left and arrived in this country, and then she said it, those words that i had only heard one other person say in my entire life, she told me before she use to come here she use to stand/sit in her country looking in the direction of america, and say to herself, "thats where im going". She was Russian

I was a bit taken aback by that, i wasnt sure wether to divulge that information to her or not, im not sure wether i eventually did or not, because after, i asked her about her drawing in the air, and she started mentioning planets, and transits and that sort of thing...and then she told me i was going to live a long time, not to worry that i would live a long time, she even had an approximate age, she said that i would live to be anywhere between 103 years old and 105 years old, i honestly didnt care.

Fast forward a couple of weeks , and there i was talking to one of my favorite people in the neighborhood, irish jimmy, by the corner store, poor jimmy was older and had problems with drinking and drugs and other types, but he wasnt a trouble maker, and he never judged me, nor did he ever know what was going on with me , unlike everyone else in the neighborhood, those nosey gossiping fake fucks.

it was a nice day, the sun was out, i was sitting on a milk crate with my back to the store/wall, and jimmy was making me laugh, not a bad day at all, a little while had passed by and jimmy was still going on with jokes and how he used to live it up in the old days, when he was much younger, i could tell he was catching a nice buzz from the beer i bought him, not his first beer of the day, i dont like drunks, as the matter of fact i hate them, but i didnt mind jimmy.

Jimmy and i spoke of longevity at this point in our ramblings..living, dying , old age and the such...almost exactly at the same time that Jimmy was about to start a sentence i noticed the minivan of the russians or croatians or whatever pulling up to the light, when jimmy said: "you know how i know i'm going to live a long time? because i'm meant to suffer", and then the light turned green and those russians made the turn, as they turned by us, i noticed an old lady in the back seat , older than usual, i dont think i had seen her before,.

A  few thoughts ran thru my head...the old russian lady at the internet cafe , whom i happen to mention to jimmy during our old age and death ramblings , which is why he replied what he replied, the fact that the old russian lady that had nothing to do with these russians and the old lady in the back seat i had never seen before, the fact that jimmy didnt know any of these people, the timing of it all, and lastly what my therapist and plenty of people had told me before about a "drunk man's words" or something of the sort which i cant remember because i dont deal with drunks as i have previously written.

I never saw the old lady from the back of the minivan again, nor did i ever see the old lady at the internet cafe ever again, just saw them that one time each, and i spent alot of time at the internet cafe both before and after...

and then there was jimmy from around the corner, him i saw all the time, but not after that time, not after what he told me that time, I never saw him again.

title: I never saw him again

question: What could have happened to Jimmy?

answer: Based on the flow of the narrative, while the speaker could not find a direct correlation between the old Russian ladies and the minivans, it is highly likely that they are related to Jimmy's disappearance. Two lines of dialogue provide clues as to where they have gone. First is the old lady hinting that she's going to America, and the second is Jimmy saying he is meant to suffer and will live for a long time. Putting the content together, it is possible that Jimmy is going with the Russians to America and he will be subjected to something unpleasant or painful.


text:
[Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine march. (Photo: John W. Iwanski)]Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine march. (Photo: John W. Iwanski)

_This story wasn’t published because of advertisers or corporate sponsors, but through support from Truthout readers. Click here to join the community that keeps us going!_

On November 10, leading Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh, 67, was jailed after being found “guilty” of immigration fraud.

The US government claims Odeh lied on an immigration application when she said she had never been arrested, convicted or imprisoned.

Odeh is accused of concealing that she was charged by the Israeli military with bombing a supermarket when she was 22.

The charge is based on a “confession” obtained by rape and torture at the hands of members of the Israeli military (IDF) more than 40 years ago. Odeh, who moved to the United States in 1995 and serves as the associate director of the Chicago Arab American Action Network (AAAN), was alleged to have “confessed” to the bombing charges imposed by the Israeli military court.

“It was clearly not a fair trial,” Odeh’s lawyer Michael Deutsch, with the People’s Law Office, in Chicago, told Truthout. “The entire defense was gutted by the court’s rulings.

He [Judge Gershwin Drain] refused to allow her PTSD defense, would not let her expert testify, nor even allow the defendant in her own testimony to mention torture, or her innocence, or the lack of fairness of the Israeli military courts.”

Truthout previously reported how Odeh, along with 500 other Palestinians, was arrested at the age of 22 by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during a massive security sweep following the 1967 war and occupation of the West Bank.

At the time, as now, many Palestinians who were detained by the IDF were later charged with crimes they did not commit to justify their detention. Odeh was charged with bombing a supermarket. While in prison, she was tortured with electrical shock and raped with batons.

Odeh’s father was tortured in front of her. IDF personnel even attempted to make her father rape her.

She was beaten regularly with metal rods, kicked, threatened, humiliated, denied medical care and access to a bathroom, and – almost needless to say – was denied access to legal resources. She was made to watch a Palestinian man literally tortured to death. She eventually signed a confession to stop IDF personnel from continuing to torture her father.

Deutsch believes that all of this, in addition to other information like the strength of the Israel lobby in the United States and the fact that Odeh is a prominent supporter of Palestinian liberation, was more than enough to make the case that the charges against Odeh were politically motivated.

Given what the Israeli military did to his client, Deutsch drew a stark analogy for Odeh’s case.

“From 1969 to the present, the IDF tortures people, and we have plenty of evidence of this systematic torture,” he said. “If you have Nazi courts, would they put in a conviction from a Nazi court in a US court?”

The defense filed a motion less than a week after the verdict and has asked the court to reconsider its ruling.

“Ms. Odeh is now languishing in a county jail hours away from her lawyers and her community,” Deutsch said.

The trial and verdict represent a dangerous precedent being set for those working for justice for Palestine in the United States.

COVERING FOR ISRAEL

Deutsch was blunt about what he believes is happening with regards to the US judicial system.

“She is facing a US judicial system that seems committed to cover up the crimes of Israel and prevent the truth from being aired in a public trial,” he said.

When asked what a just verdict might have looked like in Odeh’s trial, Deutsch noted, “True justice would not have resulted in an indictment of a woman who has lived a peaceful and productive life for almost 20 years in the US who is doing extraordinary work with immigrant women in her community.”

Deutsch told Truthout he believes Odeh’s indictment is an attempt to “criminalize her.” He noted that the organization that Odeh works for was targeted prior to the charges. “In 2010, the AAAN was investigated by the FBI, and the FBI wanted more information on Rasmea’s background and sent a request to the Israeli government to pull her file.”

Later that same year, the FBI raided the homes of various activists, including Hatem Abudayyeh, the executive director of AAAN. Following the raids, activists were called upon to testify during a grand jury.

“Everyone refused to testify at the grand jury, no indictments were made, and possessions seized during the home raids were returned to people,” Deutsch said. “But it was during this that they learned of her history in the occupied territories.”

Deutsch is well versed in cases like Odeh’s, given that he was one of the lawyers for the Attica prisoners following the 1971 prison uprising and state massacre. He was also the legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City and has been with the People’s Law Office since 1970.

Truthout was provided with a court affidavit for Odeh’s US case, within which Mary Fabri, a licensed clinical psychologist who also worked as the senior director of Torture Treatment Services and International Training for the Kovler Center in Chicago, provided the details of Odeh’s treatment at the hands of the IDF.

Fabri has diagnosed Odeh with PTSD and has provided expert opinion that Odeh has suppressed some of the memories of what happened to her at the hands of the IDF.

Deutsch also sees a legal problem with the US government’s attempt to frame Odeh’s conviction and persecution by an occupying force as evidence of illegal activity.

“That doesn’t hold up to due process or the fundamentals of international law,” he said. “These military courts the Israelis set up are illegal under international law; hence, no evidence from them should be used in this case.”

Deutsch and others on Odeh’s defense team say her indictment is part of a governmental effort to criminalize those working to educate people about what is really happening in the occupied territories.

“I’ve seen, in other cases I’ve worked on, a close collaboration between the US and Israeli Justice Departments, and I think the Israelis are more than happy to cooperate with that and condemn her and have her thrown out of the country,” Deutsch said.

If Odeh’s conviction stands, she automatically loses her citizenship and would be subject to deportation.

Given that the IDF just killed more than 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority of whom were civilians, the possible ramifications of deportation are, indeed, dire.

PRO-ISRAEL JUDGE STEPS DOWN, REPLACED BY ANOTHER?

The original judge for Odeh’s case, US District Judge Paul Borman, was forced to recuse himself from her trial after Deutsch and other attorneys accused him of having lifelong ties to the Israeli government.

Borman had angrily refused to recuse himself after initial objections to his participation revealed his close ties to Israel, but then it was also discovered that his family had financial ties to the supermarket Odeh was accused of bombing. Borman had also been honored with a civic award in part for his support of Israel, and his family had raised more than $3 million for a pro-Israel charity.

“She’s maintained she was not involved,” Deutsch said of the bombing. “Even though she and all the other Palestinians she was detained with said they’d been tortured and recused their confessions. So she’s saying whatever she said [at the time of her detention] was a result of torture, and she was not involved [in the bombing].”

Abudayyeh, AAAN’s executive director, told Truthout he felt vindicated by Borman’s decision to recuse himself.

“It was all about his relationship to Israel,” he said. “So for him to have said that he was offended for being attacked [for his pro-Israel bias] was absolutely disingenuous.”

But with Judge Drain presiding over Odeh’s case, the pro-Israel bias of the court did not appear to be alleviated.

Immediately after the verdict was read, Judge Drain said, “I don’t normally comment on verdicts, but in this case I will: I think it’s a fair and reasonable one based on the evidence that came in.”

Of the judge’s statement, Deutsch said he had never heard of a judge commenting on the verdict from a jury before, called it “gratuitous,” and added, “That is not his job to do so, but it provides us a window into his whole thinking into this trial.”

In addition to prohibiting major components of Odeh’s defense, Judge Drain mandated that she be detained for five months while awaiting sentencing. He cited a supposed lack of ties to her community (despite the groundswell of support that has rallied behind her) and therefore a “risk of flight.”

“This was in the face of tens of people from Chicago, who she has mentored and who love her, attending the trial in Detroit,” Deutsch said. “Also, her whole struggle is to stay in Chicago and not to flee.”

INSTITUTIONAL OPPRESSION

Abudayyeh sees the indictment against Odeh as part of a broader attack against the Palestinian community in general.

“There is Islamaphobia, and it’s moved from being a personal tool of oppression to structural and institutional,” he explained. “Even non-prominent Muslims are being caught up in law enforcement entrapment on both coasts now. The majority of the prominent Muslims caught up in that net have in common that they are Palestinian organizers and are challenging US foreign policy as it relates to Palestine specifically.”

Abudayyeh, the AAAN and other groups supporting Odeh believe her trial was in no way fair.

The AAAN released a statement immediately after her conviction, and Abudayyeh told Truthout: “It wasn’t fair because Rasmea was not able to offer the essence of her defense, that she was never guilty of the bombings in Jerusalem in 1969, and that she was tortured and raped into a forced confession by the Israelis at that time. If she was not guilty of the bombings, and if she did not accept the ‘conviction,’ then there was nothing false in her answers to the questions on the citizenship application.”

Motions have been filed to reconsider Odeh’s bond, as well as to set aside her conviction and allow for a new trial.

“In addition, it is highly prejudicial for the government to be allowed to enter into evidence that she was ‘convicted’ by Israel, without giving her the opportunity to enter into evidence that the ‘conviction’ was in an Israeli military court that does not offer even a modicum of due process to Palestinians and that it was based on a forced confession,” Abudayyeh added. “The judge did not allow these aspects into her defense.”

Similar to Deutsch, Abudayyeh believes another of the biggest impediments to Odeh getting a fair trial is that the government has been allowed to describe her as someone who was “convicted of multiple bombings in Israel that killed two people and injured many more.”

“It is almost impossible to get a fair trial in this country if you are a Palestinian who is branded a ‘terrorist,’ and that is what happened here,” Abudayyeh said. “We are hopeful that we will be able to talk about the torture, rape and forced confession in our appeal, because that is the only way that she can get a fair trial, if all the evidence about 1969 is allowed, and not just the Israeli/US prosecutors’ version of it.”

Odeh’s trial could set a disconcerting and troublesome precedent if evidence from a military court in a foreign country is allowed to stand in a US court.

In the wake of the verdict, activists in Chicago and Oakland held rallies and conducted direct protest actions, demanding Odeh’s immediate release.

Nora Barrows-Friedman, writing for Electronic Intifada, reported at the time: “In downtown Oakland today, activists chained themselves to the federal courthouse, condemning the trial as one that was politically motivated in an attempt by the US government to silence Palestine solidarity activism around the country. The five activists were arrested by local police just hours after their protest began.”

Abudayyeh maintains that Odeh’s trial is critically important and says the case must be won.

“We know historically in this country that every social justice movement that has been effective has come under attack by law enforcement, and we believe very strongly that this is what is happening to Palestinians here now,” Abudayyeh said. “We are winning some battles now, and Palestinians around the world are winning this battle against Israel for the hearts and minds of the world, with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. So, this is how the US and Israel are reacting . . . they are attacking us by trying to criminalize us. So if they can take down a community icon like Rasmea, then they think they can criminalize the movement as a whole.”

Odeh faces up to 10 years of imprisonment before being subject to deportation proceedings.

Deutsch told reporters just after the trial that he believes there are very strong points for appealing the conviction, which Odeh’s attorneys will file after sentencing is concluded.

Abudayyeh believes that for justice to be truly served in Odeh’s case, she would be released immediately pending sentencing, since she is neither a flight risk (her entire case was predicated on her demanding to be allowed to stay in the United States) nor a danger to society.

“Justice for Rasmea in the long term would be an acquittal on appeal, which is what we believe will happen if all the evidence of her torture, forced confession, PTSD, etc., comes before the court,” he concluded. “Rasmea is a Palestinian icon who has dedicated 50 years of her life to social justice, and who has, in the past 10 years in Chicago, selflessly supported the empowerment of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and other oppressed communities here. She is the epitome of an immigrant who is serving the US and its residents, and must be acquitted of this unjust charge and conviction.”

question: Explain the story of Rasmea Odeh.

answer:
Rasmea Odeg is a Palestinian activist who has been living in the US for 20 years. According to he article, due to a clamp down by the joint efforts of the US and Israeli governments, evidence was found implicating Odeh for lying on her immigration forms. Odeh stated she had not been arrested or convicted in the past, which proved untrue according to Israeli records.

However, Odeh claims that the kangaroo court set up to convict her in Israel obtained a confession from her through means of rape and torture. The defense in her case claims that the US court was working towards convicting Odeh no matter the evidence she was allowed to supply.

question: What is the plan at the time of the article to get Odeh released?

answer: Michael Deutsch is planning to appeal the ruling that Odeh would need to wait for sentencing in county jail. The aim of her legal team is to see her acquitted of the charges made against her, allowing her to remain in the United States without difficulty.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A Truthout article regarding Rasmea Odeh a 67 year old Palestinian activist who was found guilty and imprisoned for allegedly lying on her immigration form. The article covers her history and the context of her present (at the time of the article) and ongoing legal predicament.


text:
BRYAN KEHL (born June 16, 1984) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Brigham Young University (BYU).

He has also been a member of the St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Kehl's biological father, Maurice Turner, played in the NFL for four years.[1] Kehl's brother, Billy Turner plays Guard for the Green Bay Packers. Kehl's biological mother, Amy Smith, got pregnant in 1984 in college at Utah State, she loved Turner, but marriage was not in their plans. Smith decided to give up Kehl for adoption.

College career

As a freshman Bryan was recruited by Utah, Oregon, Utah State, Harvard, Yale, Penn, BYU, and Idaho State. He eventually decided to play his college ball at Brigham Young University in 2002 while majoring in mechanical engineering and business. He played his freshman year as a reserve right outside linebacker before taking time off from school and football to participate in an LDS Church mission to Toronto for two years. His freshman year, he recorded 14 tackles, 6 of which were solo tackles in 11 games. He also earned the “prep team defensive player of the week award” versus Utah State along with letterman honors. In 2005 when he returned for his second year of college, Bryan played in 11 games as a backup right outside linebacker. He recorded 30 tackles, 15 of which were solo and received letterman honors. Some of these tackles included 4 which were in the Las Vegas Bowl against California. He also blocked a punt that propelled BYU to its only score against Boston College.

In 2006 when Bryan was a junior, he started as BYU's weakside linebacker. This season he was ranked third on the team with 70 total tackles, 30 of which were solo and 8 tackles for a total loss. He also had three sacks, a recovered fumble, and led BYU linebackers during the season with 6 pass break-ups. He was an honorable mention All-Mountain West and Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors recipient. In 2007 as a senior, Kehl received First-team All-Mountain West Conference honors. He was named the team's defensive MVP, one of the captains, and earned the Strength and Conditioning Award. He ended his senior year with a career-high 91 tackles, 52 of which were solo. He put up 11.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and caused and recovered a fumble during his senior year. He deflected four passes and had an interception in three consecutive games, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Professional career

Pre-draft

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                _Pre-draft measureables_
                         Height
                         6-2¼ **
   _* represents NFL Combine_ **represents BYU Pro Day
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New York Giants

Kehl was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. The Giants traded up (from 130 to 123 overall) by swapping picks with the Pittsburgh Steelers and giving up one of their sixth round picks (194 overall). He was placed second on the depth chart as weak side linebacker behind Gerris Wilkinson. Kehl made his first NFL start on October 26 for the injured Gerris Wilkinson when the Giants beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Bryan got his first interception of his NFL career in this game. He picked off Steeler's quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and ran it back for 17 yards.

Kehl was waived by the Giants on September 14, 2010.

St. Louis Rams

Kehl was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Rams on September 15, 2010.

Washington Redskins

On April 23, 2012, Kehl signed with the Washington Redskins.[2] For the team's 3-4 defensive scheme, he switched from an outside linebacker to an inside linebacker to play a backup role to London Fletcher and Perry Riley.[3] Kehl was cut on August 31, 2012 for final cuts before the start of the 2012 season.[4]

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 2, 2012 Kehl was signed by the Chiefs. On November 27, 2012 Kehl was waived by the Chiefs after playing only 3 games for the team.

Second Stint with Redskins

On November 28, 2012, Kehl was claimed off waivers by the Redskins.[5] Set to be a free agent again for the 2013 season, the Redskins re-signed him to another one-year contract on March 14, 2013.[6] In the Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys, he tore the ACL in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve the next day.[7]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Bryan Kehl

question: What does the text say about Bryan Kehl?

answer: Bryan Kehl is an American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New York Giants.

question: What does the text say about Kehl's college career?

answer: Kehl was recruited during his freshman year in Utah, Oregon, Utah State, Harvard, Yale, Penn, BYU, and Idaho State. He decided to play college ball at Brigham Young University in 2002.

question: What does the text say about his teams?

answer: Keh was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Kehl then made his first NFL start on October 26 as a temporary replacement for Gerris Wilkinson. He was waived by the Giants on September 14, 2010, then claimed by the St. Louis Rams. After this, Kehl signed with the Washington Redskins. He was cut by the 2012 season and was signed by the Chiefs. However, he was waived after playing only three games. On November 28, 2012, Kehl was claimed off waivers by the Redskins.

question: What does the text say about Kehl's family?

answer: Kehl's biological father, Maurice Turner, played in the NFL for four years. His brother, Billy Turner plays Guard for the Green Bay Packers. His parents never got married despite loving each other and having a child together. Eventually, his mother decided to give him up for adoption.


text:
_PENDA'S FEN_ is a British television play, written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clarke. It was commissioned by BBC producer David Rose, and first broadcast on 21 March 1974 as part of the corporation's _Play for Today_ anthology series.[1]

Plot

Set in the village of Pinvin, near Pershore in Worcestershire, England, against the backdrop of the Malvern Hills, the play is an evocation of conflicting forces within England past and present. These include authority, tradition, hypocrisy, landscape, art, sexuality, and most of all, its mystical, ancient pagan past. All of this comes together in the growing pains of the adolescent Stephen, a vicar's son, whose encounters include angels, Edward Elgar and King Penda himself. The final scene of the play, where the protagonist has an apparitional experience of King Penda and the “mother and father of England”, is set on the Malvern Hills.[2][3]

Cast

-   Spencer Banks as Stephen
-   Jennie Hesselwood
-   Ian Hogg
-   Georgine Anderson
-   John Atkinson
-   Geoffrey Staines as King Penda

Music

Music from Elgar's _The Dream of Gerontius_ features throughout the play. The 1971 Decca recording by Benjamin Britten with Yvonne Minton as the Angel is used, and the album itself features as a prop. Extracts from Elgar's _Introduction and Allegro_ are also heard.

Original music is by Paddy Kingsland of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, who also electronically manipulated parts of the Britten recording.

Reception

Critics have noted that the play stands apart from Clarke's other, more realist output. Clarke himself admitted that he did not fully understand what the story was about.[4] Nonetheless it has gone on to acquire the status of minor classic, to win awards and to be rebroadcast several times by the BBC.

Following the original broadcast, Leonard Buckley wrote in _The Times_: “Make no mistake. We had a major work of television last night. Rudkin gave us something that had beauty, imagination and depth.”[5]

In 2006, _Vertigo_ magazine described _Penda's Fen_ as “One of the great visionary works of English film”.[6]

In 2011, _Penda's Fen_ was chosen by _Time Out_ London magazine as one of the 100 best British films. It described the play as a “multi-layered reading of contemporary society and its personal, social, sexual, psychic and metaphysical fault lines. Fusing Elgar's ‘Dream of Gerontius’ with a heightened socialism of vibrantly localist empathy, and pagan belief systems with pre-Norman histories and a seriously committed – and prescient – ecological awareness, ‘Penda's Fen’ is a unique and important statement.”[7]

The play was released on limited-edition Blu-ray and DVD in May 2016.[8]

[1]

[2] _David Rudkin: Sacred Disobedience: An Expository Study of His Drama 1959-96_ by David Ian Rabey, Oxford, Routledge, 1998

[3] Rolinson, D. _Alan Clarke_ Manchester University Press, 2005

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pendas-Fen-Limited-Edition-Blu-ray/dp/B01BGX1B0W

title: Penda's Fen

question: Summarize all the information relating to the BBC's 'Play for Today' anthology series.

question: Summarize all the information relating to the music used in Penda's Fen.

answer: Music from the 1971 recording of Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius' features throughout the play, while the album itself serves as a prop. Extracts from Elgar's 'Introduction and Allegro' are also heard. Original music is by Paddy Kingsland of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. One critic wrote that fusing this music with the play's themes is an unique and important statement.

question: Summarize the reception of Penda's Fen.

answer: The play was directed by Alan Clarke and stands apart from his other, more realistic, work. It is seen as a minor classic, won awards and was rebroadcast by the BBC multiple times. The Times wrote that it has beauty, imagination and depth. Another critic described it as a visionary work and was chosen as one of the 100 best British films in 2011 by Time Out.

question: Summarize the conflicting forces in England past and present.

answer: The conflicting forces in England include authority, tradition, hypocrisy, landscape, art, sexuality, and its mystical, ancient pagan past. All of these themes were not fully understood by the film's director. One critic described it as a multi-layered reading of contemporary society and its personal, social, sexual, psychic and metaphysical fault lines.


text:
I firmly believe in the existence of Santa Claus.

Mock me if you will, most non-believers do.  But I know, in my heart of hearts, that He is real and that He visits all the good children of the world and gives them toys on Christmas Eve while they sleep.  And try as I might to be a good person, I know that He does not consider me to be one. I know this because He hasn't given me a single present since I was eight years old.

My parents supplemented the absence of Santa's gifts with ones that they bought themselves, and they did their best to try and convince me that there really is no Santa Claus and that there never was. They did this to spare my feelings but I know the truth. That He lives on the North Pole with his helper elves and magical flying reindeer.  That He sees us when we're sleeping and knows when we're awake.  That He knows when we've been bad or good.  And that He finds me lacking despite my best efforts.  I'm naughty in his eyes.

I don't know what I did between the ages of seven and eight that was so heinous as to deserve such a fate.  I search my soul everyday for answers yet it is always for naught.  But I have faith that one day He will let me know what my transgressions were so that I may make amends.  Until then I will just keep praying that maybe this year my tree won't be empty on Christmas morning.

title: Empty Tree

question: How old is the narrator now?

answer: If their parent supplemented gifts, but their tree has been empty as of late, they must be adults living on their own now.