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

title: Short Story Prompts : writing

question: List the main characters.

answer: Dr. Doctor, PhD., and Buttler

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Where is the story set?

answer: Dr. Doctor, PhD.'s laboratory

question: In what time period is the story set?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Write a ~9 sentence summary.

answer: Dr. Doctor, PhD. is working on something in his lab when Buttler enters and asks what he is working on. Dr. Doctor berates him for barging in on his work and tells him he is making a bio-aversive-frequency-flux-inhibitor-lever. Buttler asks what it does and when they can test it, and Dr. Doctor responds that they must never use it. Buttler asks why he would make something that can never be used, and Dr. Doctor does not have an answer.


split: train

text:
 By Jacqueline Thomsen - 03/18/18 05:17 PM EDT

[Comey's unreleased book lands at No. 1 on best-sellers list]

© Greg Nash

Former FBI Director James Comey[]James Brien ComeyCarter Page sues over surveillance related to Russia probe Top Republicans praise Trump's Flynn pardon The new marshmallow media in the Biden era MORE’s unreleased book has landed at the No. 1 spot on the Amazon best-sellers list just one day after he told President Trump[]Donald John TrumpGeraldo Rivera on Trump sowing election result doubts: 'Enough is enough now' Murkowski: Trump should concede White House race Scott Atlas resigns as coronavirus adviser to Trump MORE that “the American people will hear my story very soon.”

Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership," rocketed up the list over the weekend, after starting at No. 15 on Saturday.

The book is scheduled to be released on April 17.

The fired FBI director is expected to use the upcoming book tour to challenge attacks on him and the FBI by Trump and some Republicans.

Comey on Saturday after the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe[]Andrew George McCabeCarter Page sues over surveillance related to Russia probe McCabe defends investigation of Trump before Senate committee: We had 'many reasons' The Hill's 12:30 Report: What to know about the Pfizer vaccine announcement MORE hinted in a tweet that he will reveal more information about his interactions with the Trump administration.

“Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not,” Comey tweeted.

  Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.

  — James Comey (@Comey) March 17, 2018

Trump has been attacking Comey and the FBI on Twitter in the days since McCabe’s firing.

On Sunday, he accused the former FBI director, who the president fired last year, of lying under oath.

  Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018

  The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018

  Wow, watch Comey lie under oath to Senator G when asked “have you ever been an anonymous source...or known someone else to be an anonymous source...?” He said strongly “never, no.” He lied as shown clearly on @foxandfriends.

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018

[TheHill.com]

The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax

The contents of this site are ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

question: Who is the article about?

answer: James Comey.

question: What book took the number one spot on the Amazon bestseller's list?

answer: James Comey's book.

question: What is the title of James Comey's book?

answer: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership.

question: When is Comey's book scheduled to be released?

answer: April 17.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses James Comey's new book, which was a memoir about events during his investigation. The article also contains some attacks in the form of tweets made by the former President due to the publication of this material.


text:
In case you're counting, and T.Y. Hilton is, the Indianapolis Colts don't have one No. 1 receiver, they have three, and he's one of them.

"All you have to do is turn on the film and watch me play," Hilton said with his customary economy.

Hilton is a doer, not a talker, a little man with a propensity for the big play.

Turn on the video and watch Hilton score his 13 regular-season touchdowns; they have covered an average of 40.5 yards.

Check out the Colts' you've-got-to-be-kidding-me 45-44 wild card dismissal of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013. It doesn't happen without Hilton: 13 catches, 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Measure him against his teammates: Hilton has accumulated 18 plays of more than 30 yards the past two seasons. The rest of the Colts have 19.

Measure him against history: Hilton has caught passes for 1,944 yards. That's a chubbier total than seven of the top 10 players on the NFL's career receiving list achieved over their first two seasons: Terrell Owens (1,456 yards), Tony Gonzalez (989), Tim Brown (733), Marvin Harrison (1,702), James Lofton (1,786), Cris Carter (845) and Henry Ellard (890).

Hilton's a fast starter, just for starters. His total is better than the player with whom he walked off the practice field Wednesday, Colts teammate Reggie Wayne, No. 11 on that list, and a 1,061-yard man over his first two years.

"That's my big brother," Hilton boasted with obvious affection and a nod toward Wayne.

OPENING THE PLAYBOOK

The Colts thought they were getting a great return man when they traded fourth- and fifth-round draft picks to the San Francisco 49ers for the 2012 third-round selection, 92nd overall, which brought the 5-9, 178-pound Hilton to Indianapolis. It turns out they were getting one of the NFL's most dynamic young performers and fastest players, and they figure it's time to open the throttle.

"It's just a matter of getting creative," Pagano said. "It's easy to line him up and run him down the field and run go routes, crossers and things like that, but I think there's so much more that we can do with a guy like that."

Hilton flashed his big smile.

"Right side, left side, inside, outside," he said, checking off the launch points at which he expects to line up this season. "I want to do more."

Hilton closed last season with a three-game run that included 11 catches for 155 yards against Jacksonville, the aforesaid 13 receptions for 224 yards against Kansas City, then four catches for 103 yards during a divisional-round loss at New England. He will tell you he's a better, smarter, stronger player now, in his second season in offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's offense and after another offseason with quarterback Andrew Luck.

Nor can the importance of Wayne's tutelage be overstated.

Hilton habitually sits in the front of the receivers' meeting room, Wayne in the rear. If Hilton has a question on anything, he merely glances back. The connection is automatic; Wayne will supply the answers post-meeting.

It has been that way since the start, but the character of the relationship intensified last October, when Wayne suffered a season-ending knee injury against Denver. Suddenly Hilton was Option 1, and the lone true playmaker in a wide receiver cast that included Darrius Heyward-Bey, Griff Whalen, Da'Rick Rogers and LaVon Brazil. Suddenly opponents' defensive game plans and coverages focused on Hilton.

"T.Y. is one of those guys that you don't have to tell him much," Wayne said. "One thing I told him when they were rolling coverage to him was, 'Welcome to my world.' "

Wayne's injury would require reconstructive knee surgery. It was the darkest stretch of his first 13 NFL seasons. It was the most difficult of Hilton's two, but together they toiled and triumphed.

"He ended up finishing pretty strong and for me to be a cheerleader at the time, it was one of the first times I can say I really was able to sit back and enjoy a football game," Wayne said, "through him."

By Hilton's reckoning, he and Wayne give the Colts two No. 1 receivers, and Hakeem Nicks, a free agent signed by the Colts after five years and a pair of 1,000-yard seasons with the New York Giants, supplies a third.

That imposing threesome is complemented by rookie receiver Donte Moncrief, Whalen and Rogers and versatile get-down-the-field tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Hamilton is all about creating mismatches, or as he calls them, "crises," for the defense, and the many principals and capacities of the Colts' receiving corps should yield an abundance.

To wit: In their preseason opener against the New York Jets last week, the Colts got Hilton isolated on a hopelessly overmatched linebacker. Hilton turned a shallow in-route into a 21-yard gain.

Colts running back Trent Richardson doesn't see how defenses can cheat against the run by filling the box with eight or nine defenders, not like last year, not with that receiving group and Luck throwing to them. Richardson is all aboard. Everyone is.

"Exotic," Allen called the Colts' arsenal.

"Dominant. Completely beast mode," veteran Colts defensive end Cory Redding said. "We have weapons all over the field."

[]
STANDING ON THE GAS

Harrison, whose many team receiving records Wayne is poised to break, was once asked about his best 40-yard dash time. Harrison shrugged.

"How fast are you?" his interrogator persisted.

"Fast enough," Harrison said with the brevity Hilton closely approximates.

A quadriceps injury prevented Hilton from running the 40 at the 2012 National Scouting Combine, but he would answer all the questions. Ten days later, during Florida International's pro day, Hilton ran 4.34 with the wind. Then, just to verify the clocking, achy quad be darned, he ran 4.39 into it.

A year earlier, during team timing and testing, he had run 4.24. That's not fast. That's sudden.

Legit? Hilton was asked Wednesday.

"Legit," Hilton responded.

How fast is the Colts' fastest player? Fast enough.

Again, look at the crowd with which he's running.

Hilton's 10 100-yard receiving games over the past two seasons is the NFL's sixth-best total. Stacked above him are the elite of the league's elite: Detroit's Calvin Johnson (18 games), Denver's Demaryius Thomas and Chicago's Brandon Marshall (13 each), Houston's Andre Johnson (12) and Cincinnati's A.J. Green (11).

Only two players have exceeded Hilton's five plays of 50-plus yards over the past two seasons. They are Green with seven and Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson with six. Throw in Hilton's 75-yard punt return against Buffalo in 2012 and he equals Peterson.

Hilton's receiving yardage total has been topped by a single member of his draft class: Cleveland's Josh Gordon, the first selection in the 2012 supplemental draft, has caught passes for 2,451 yards.

We're talking fast company here, and the best is almost certainly yet to come because that's all we've seen, starters, fast starters.

_Email Star reporter Phil Richards at phil.richards@indystar.com and follow him on Twitter at @philrichards6._

COLTS WIDE RECEIVER T.Y. HILTON'S TWO-YEAR NFL STATISTICS:

RECEIVING

RUSHING

YEAR

GP/GS

NO.

YARDS

AVG.

LONG

TD

NO.

YARDS

AVG.

LONG

TD

2012

15/1

50

861

17.2

70T

7

5

29

5.8

19

0

2013

16/10

82

1,083

13.2

73T

5

2

6

3.0

3

0

Totals

31/11

132

1,944

14.7

73T

12

7

35

5.0

19

0

RETURNS

PR

FC

YARDS

AVG.

LONG

TD

KR

YARDS

AVG.

LONG

TD

2012

26

18

300

11.5

75T

1

7

118

16.9

26

0

2013

17

12

159

9.4

34

0

0

0

0.0

0

0

Totals

43

30

459

10.7

75T

1

7

118

16.9

26

0

Over his two NFL seasons, Hilton ranks among the leaders in 100-yard receiving games and 50-plus-yard touchdowns. The rundown:

100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES, 2012-13

50-PLUS-YARD TOUCHDOWNS

PLAYER

TEAM

GAMES

PLAYER

TEAM

TDS

Calvin Johnson

Detroit

18

A.J. Green

Cincinnati

7

Demaryius Thomas

Denver

13

Adrian Peterson

Minnesota

6

Brandon Marshall

Chicago

13

T.Y. Hilton

Colts

5

Andre Johnson

Houston

12

Josh Gordon

Cleveland

5

A.J. Green

Cincinnati

11

Jacoby Jones

Baltimore

5

T.Y. Hilton

Colts

10

question: Who is T.Y. Hilton?

answer: Hilton is an American football No. 1 receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.

question: Who does Hilton describe as his "big brother"?

answer: Colt's teammate, Reggie Wayne.

question: When did Hilton start playing for the Colts?

answer: Hilton started playing for the Colts in 2012.

question: In the article who is quoted as saying, "Right side, left side, inside, outside,..."

answer: Hilton

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Hilton is an American football No. 1 receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He began playing for the Colts in 2012.


text:
“Given the chance, I’d have given my life for you.”

“Do you not fear death?”

“I do not fear death; I fear what it will do to those I leave behind.”

“Surely that is not the reason for such a noble offer?”

“I admit, my greatest fear is that of being the one left behind.”

“Does it not get hot under the masks you wear?”

“Just as hot as it does under yours, my dear.”

A single shot is heard, two pistols fall to the floor.

title: Masks. [<100 Words]

question: Who shot?

answer: Unclear.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Two people discuss whether the fear of dying is scarier than the fear of being the one left behind.


text:
The ORECA 07 is a Le Mans Prototype built by French manufacturer Oreca to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations.[1] It made its official race debut in the opening round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 24 Hours of Daytona,[2] and its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at the 2017 6 Hours of Silverstone. The car is the successor to the Oreca 05.

Development

[Oreca 07 with LMP2 Endurance Trophy|left] The preparation of the prototype trace back to the development of the Oreca 05. The Oreca 05 was developed with the consideration of what the factory knew about the new technical rules for the LMP2 class in the FIA World Endurance Championship for 2017. Taking knowledge from the Oreca 05’s performance, the French team decided to develop a new car, and based it around the predecessor. Oreca’s goal was to maximize the performance by focusing on the energy and resource usage. The team opted to use this strategy not only to build a car based on a proven predecessor, but also to allow teams update their Oreca 05’s within reason to costs. The chassis of the Oreca 07 is mainly based on the 05, with the monocoque being not focused on much with the car. The Oreca 07 internals come equipped with a Gibson GK-428 V8 engine.[3][4]

The car performed its first factory shakedown test in late October 2016 at Circuit Paul Ricard.[5]

Alpine A470

[Alpine A470 of Signatech Alpine Matmut|left]

French car manufacturer Alpine raced the Alpine A470 in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Team Signatech Alpine Matmut. This car is technically identical to the Oreca 07, using the same chassis and internals, with Alpine branding. This is the successor to the Alpine A460, which Alpine raced and won the LMP2 category for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season.[6]

{{-|left}}

Acura ARX-05

[Acura ARX-05|left]

A variation of the prototype, the Acura ARX-05, was created for IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype class under the DPi regulations. The car was developed in partnership with Honda Performance Development and Oreca.[7] The powerplant of the vehicle is a production-based 3.5 litre V6 twin-turbo Acura AR35TT. Other alterations from the 07 include Acura-specific bodywork.

A pair of cars will be campaigned in the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under the Team Penske banner.[8]

{{-|left}}

Aurus 01

[G-Drive Racing competed with Oreca 07, and in 2019 rebranded it as Aurus 01|left] [G-Drive Oreca 07 rear lights on display in the rain|left]

G-Drive Racing competed with Oreca 07 in 2017 and 2018. Russian car manufacturer Aurus partnered with them in 2019 to rebrand it as Aurus 01 and to race it in the European Le Mans Series. This car is technically identical to the Oreca 07, using the same chassis and internals, with Aurus branding.[9]

{{-|left}}

Rebellion R13

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: Oreca 07

question: What is Oreca 07?

answer: A Le Mans Prototype designed to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations. The car is the successor to the Oreca 05.

question: Who is the manufacturer of Oreca 07?

answer: Oreca, a French manufacturer

question: What is the purpose of Oreca 07?

answer: It is meant to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations and is used for racing.

question: When was Oreca 07 built?

answer: Unclear, but sometime around 2016, which is when it performed its first factory shakedown test.

question: What is the difference between Oreca 07 and Alpine A470?

answer: The cars are technically identical. They use the same chassis and internals.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Oreca 07 is a racecar prototype designed by Oreca in order to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations. The article compares it to the Alpine A470, the Acura ARX-05, and the Aurus 01.


text:
_ACTINOTHOE SPHYRODETA_, the SANDALLED ANEMONE,[1] is a small sea anemone in the family Sagartiidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and is common on the north, west and south coasts of Britain. It is usually grey or whitish but may have an orange oral disc. The translucent white tentacles that grow around the edge of the oral disc can number up to 120.

Description

_Actinothoe sphyrodeta_ is a small, delicate sea anemone. The base can grow to a diameter of about and the anemone often appears plump and squat, but the column can be extended to a length of , and the oral disc expanded to a diameter of . The column is smooth, and has a number of cinclides, which appear as dark slits on the upper part of the column, but no adhesive suckers. Five whorls of up to 120 irregularly arranged, moderately long tentacles grow at the edge of the oral disc. Acontia (stinging threads) from the gastrovascular cavity can readily be extruded from the mouth which is at the centre of the oral disc. The column is pale grey, the oral disc is white or orange and the tentacles are white with grey bases.[2][3][4] This sea anemone can be distinguished from similarly coloured forms of _Sagartia elegans_ by the presence of longitudinal white striations on the column and the absence of suckers.[5]

Distribution and habitat

_Actinothoe sphyrodeta_ is common around the British Isles, and is found on the Atlantic coast of France. Around the coast of the British Isles, it is common in the north, west and south, and around Ireland, but uncommon on the east coast of Scotland and England.[6] Its northern limit is likely to be the southern part of the North Sea and is found at least as far south as the Bay of Biscay. It occurs in caves and under overhangs, on rock walls, and on brown seaweeds such as _Laminaria_ fronds and _Himanthalia elongata_ buttons. It can occasionally be seen on the lower shore but it is mostly a sublittoral species, inhabiting depths down to about .[7]

Ecology

_Actinothoe sphyrodeta_ reproduces by longitudinal fission.[8] The base lengthens in one plane, the two halves of the base move apart and the tissue between them tears; often base and oral disc rupture first. The two resulting fragments may be of unequal size but both normally have part of the base, throat, oral disc and ring of tentacles. The wounds heal and two new individuals are formed.[9] This sea anemone is often found living in association with the jewel anemone (_Corynactis viridis_), and the Devonshire cup coral (_Caryophyllia smithii_).[10]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Actinothoe sphyrodeta

question: What is Actinothoe sphyrodeta?

answer: Actinothoe sphyrodeta is is a small sea anemone in the family Sagartiidae.

question: Where is Actinothoe sphyrodeta commonly found?

answer: It is commonly found on the north, west, and south coasts of Britain.

question: How does Actinothoe sphyrodeta look like?

answer: It is small, smooth, has a number of cinclides, and has five whorls of up to 120 irregularly arranged.

question: How does Actinothoe sphyrodeta reproduce?

answer: Actinothoe sphyrodeta reproduces by longitudinal fission.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Actinothoe sphyrodeta is is a sea anemone in the family Sagartiidae. It is small, smooth, has a number of cinclides, has five whorls of up to 120 irregularly arranged. It is often found living in association with the jewel anemone and the Devonshire cup coral.


text:
Skip to content

The war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria isn’t exactly making headway, indeed it seems destined to be the latest open-ended military boondoggle in a long line for the US in that region.

[]Still, that doesn’t mean the mess can’t get even bigger, and that’s exactly what’s likely to happen, according to officials familiar with the situation who say that the US is likely to agree to expand the ISIS warto include its assorted affiliates across the planet.

Certain nations within the US coalition, primarily Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are demanding the war be expanded to other countries with ISIS presences as well, and US officials say that keeping those nations satisfied will virtually oblige the administration to accept the demands.

Right now, the focus seems to be on getting the war expanded to Libya and to Egypt’s own Sinai Peninsula, where factions have pledged allegiance to ISIS and gained recruiting credibility as a result.

These are far from the only ISIS affiliates abroad, however, with Nigeria’s Boko Haram noteworthy in having renamed itself ISWAP to reflect its new position as Islamic State West Africa Province. Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan all also have meaningful ISIS presences. Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are also struggling with ISIS attempting to set up shop there.

The ISIS war isn’t going particularly well to start with, however, and the White House still hasn’t gotten it authorized by Congress. It seems like this would be a particularly difficult time to sell the idea of expanding it from two countries to a dozen or more.

[]

question: What does the author of the post opine about the war against ISIS?

answer: The author believes the war against ISIS is destined to be an "open-ended military boondoggle".

question: Which nations within the US coalition are demanding the war be expanded to other countries with ISIS presences?

answer: Egypt and Saudi Arabia

question: To which countries do they want to expand the war?

answer: Libya and Egypt

question: What is the author's opinion on expanding the war to other countries?

answer: The author believes it will be a tough sell to Congress.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The author believes the war against ISIS is destined to be an "open-ended military boondoggle". While Egypt and Saudi Arabia are demanding the war be expanded to other countries with an ISIS presence, the author believes it will be a tough sell to Congress.


text:
_ANACITHARA GOODINGII_ is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Horaiclavidae.[1]

Description

The length of the acuminate-ovate, white shell attains 7.5 mm, its diameter mm. It contains 7 whorls. The aperture is narrow. The outer lip is thickened and slightly sinuate. The siphonal canal is short and narrow. The fine prominent plicate ribs (numbering 9–10) are continuous up the spire. The ribs are spirally marked with minute, dense striations. The spiral row of reddish dots on the ribs, two on the upper whorls and three on the body whorl, are the principal distinctive characters of this species.[2]

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to New Zealand and occurs off Ninety Mile Beach, North Island.

[1] WoRMS (2015). Anacithara goodingii (E. A. Smith, 1884). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=432946 on 2016-12-21

[2] Smith, E. A. (1884). _Diagnoses of new species of Pleurotomidae in the British Museum_. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (5) 14: 317-329

title: Anacithara goodingii

question: What is Anacithara goodingii?

answer: Anacithara goodingii is a species of sea snail, in the family of Horaiclavidae.

question: What size is the sea snail?

answer: The shell of the sea snail attains 7.5 mm (diameter), and contains 7 whorls.

question: What is the distinctive characteristics of the species?

answer: The distinctive characteristics of the snail is the spiral row of reddish dots on the ribs of the shell, two on the upper whorls and three on the body whorl.

question: Where is the sea snail found?

answer: This sea snail is limited to New Zealand and occurs off Ninety Mile Beach, North Island.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Anacithara goodingii is a species of sea snail, in the family of Horaiclavidae. This sea snail is limited to New Zealand and occurs off Ninety Mile Beach, North Island.


text:
JEAN BOYER (4 October 1948 – 28 June 2004) was a French organist and a professor of organ at several institutions including the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse de Lyon.

Career

Jean Boyer's father, Noël Boyer, a former student of André Marchal and Jean Langlais, was the organist of the Cathedral Saint Vincent and taught piano and violin at the Conservatory of Sidi Bel Abbès. Jean Boyer began his musical studies in Toulouse, where he trained with Xavier Darasse. He obtained a first organ prize in 1969 and recorded his first record in 1971 at the organ of Gimont in the Gers department.

In 1972, he became the organist of the Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris, taking over from Michel Chapuis. He remained in office until 1995. In 1975, he also joined Michel Chapuis, André Isoir and Francis Chapelet at the pulpit of the Église Saint-Séverin.[1]

Jean Boyer was a professor at the Conservatoire of Bayonne, of Brest, at the Schola Cantorum de Paris, at the Conservatoire de Lille (1982-1992), where he succeeded Jeanne Joulain, and finally at the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse de Lyon, where he succeeded Xavier Darasse. He was also _regular visiting teacher_ at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.[2]

Among his students were Élise Rollin, Yves Lafargue, Nicolas Bucher, Arnaud Pumir, Dong-ill Shin, Jean-Luc Perrot, Damien Simon, Aude Schumacher, Francis Jacob, Bruno Beaufils, Brice Montagnoux, Dominique Chevalier, Laurent Bouis, Sylvain Heili, Lionel Avot, Andrés Cea Galan, Willy Ippolito, Jérôme Mondesert, Aude Heurtematte, Michel Jézo, Régis Rousseau, Thomas Ahrén du Quercy, Su-One Park, Hye-Won Park, Ayako Kuwayama, Yukiko Jojima, Loreto Aramendi, Mickael Souveton, Krzysztof Pawlisz.

In 2004 a cancer broke out; Boyer died at the age of 55 following the effects of cerebral haemorrhage. He is buried at in Lille.

Jean Boyer was a great “discoverer” of ancient instruments. His scant discography illustrates his mistrust of the fixed recording compared to the spontaneity of concerts.

Distinctions

-   1972: Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros
-   1978: Laureate of the Arnhem-Nimègue (Netherlands) competition

Discography

-   Spanish, Flemish and French pieces on the organ of Gimont
-   Pieces by Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly at St Nicolas des Champs
-   Integral of the organ work by Johannes Brahms
-   Integral of the work by orgueby Nicolas de Grigny at Collégiale Saint-Sylvain of Levroux (1979)
-   Organ pieces by Jehan Titelouze, Charles Racquet, Francisco Correa de Arauxo
-   _Leipzig chorals_ by Johann Sebastian Bach at Porrentruy
-   Integral of the organ work by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault
-   Mass by Maurice Ohana
-   _Concerti grossi_ op.3 by Georg Friedrich Haendel

Bibliography

-   1995: _La “Grand Pièce Symphonique” de César Franck._ In: Hans Davidsson, Sverker Jullander: _Proceedings of the Göteborg International Organ Academy 1994._ Göteborgs universitet, Göteborg
-   1997: _Johannes Brahms et l'orgue._ In _Japan Organist_
-   1998: _Nuances dynamiques dans la musique d'orgue de J. S. Bach._ In _30 ans d'orgue. Évolution de la facture d'orgue, de l'interprétation et des répertoires ancien et contemporain au cours des 30 dernières années._ Académie de l'orgue de Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Saint-Dié, (pp. 155–156).

[1] _De janvier 2004 à juin 2004_ (in French) musimem.com

[2] _Mort de l'organiste Jean Boyer_ (in French) Libération, 30 June 2004

title: Jean Boyer (organist)

question: What nationality is Boyer?

answer: He was French.

question: What was Boyer most known for?

answer: He was a French organist and a professor of organ at several institutions. He was also a "discoverer" of ancient instruments.

question: How did Boyer die?

answer: He died in 2004 from a the effects of a cerebral hemorrhage.

question: Was Boyer married?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Name Boyer's distinctions.

answer: Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros and Laureate of the Arnhem-Nimègue (Netherlands) competition

question: Why did Boyer have a scant discography?

answer: He had a mistrust of the fixed recording compared to the spontaneity of concerts.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses the career and work of Jean Boyer, a French organist and a professor of organ at several French institutions.


text:
MUHAMMAD YUSUF UTHMAN ABD AL SALAM (Arabic: محمد يوسف عثمان عبد السلام) was the founder of Jund al-Aqsa, a Salafist jihadist group active in the Syrian Civil War. Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam is also commonly referred to by his nom de guerre Abu Abdulaziz al-Qatari (Arabic: أبو عبد العزيز القطري). He was a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian origin who lived in Qatar.

Al-Qatari was a longtime jihadist and veteran of al-Qaeda. He was allegedly affiliated with a number of terrorist organizations including the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and ISIS.

Personal

Al-Qatari was born in the Fadhil district of Baghdad in 1956.[1][2] His family was believed to be of Palestinian descent.[3] Qatari reportedly held a Jordanian passport and was known to use fraudulent identification and alternative names to avoid detection.[4]

Al-Qatari is believed to have had four children.[5] Two of his children, both of which were Jordanian citizens which held Qatari-IDs, are under US and UN sanctions for financially assisting the al-Nusra Front and other al-Qaeda branches.[6][7][8] His two sons are named Ashraf Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam and Abd al-Malik Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam.[9]

Terrorist activities

It is thought that al-Qatari left Iraq to join al-Qaeda in Afghanistan where he worked closely with Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abdullah Yusuf Azzam in fighting in the Soviet-Afghan War.[10] Al-Alam News Network claimed that al-Qatari was a teacher and mentor of Osama bin Laden and persuaded him to go to Afghanistan to join the war.[11] From Afghanistan, al-Qatari traveled to Chechnya where he fought against Russian forces.[12]

During the late 1990s, al-Qatari returned to Baghdad where he was sentenced to life in prison under the rule of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.[13] Amid the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Abu Abdulaziz reportedly escaped from prison and assisted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in forming the predecessor to ISIS, al-Qaeda in Iraq.[14][15] Before al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, the group was known as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.[16] This group carried out violent acts targeting diplomats, foreign troops, entertainment centers, and Iraqi Shi’ites after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[17][18][19]

It is reported that al-Qatari entered Syria months after the start of the Syrian Civil War with one of his sons, Abu Turab, who was later killed in Syria.[20] In Syria, al-Qatari worked with Abu Muhammad al-Julani to found the al-Nusra Front in 2012.[21] According to reports, al-Qatari and al-Julani were dispatched to Syria by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in order to form terrorist sleeper cells.[22]

Al-Qatari would later split from the al-Nusra Front to establish Jund al-Aqsa. While Jund al-Aqsa continued to fight alongside the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham against Western-backed groups in Syria, divisions emerged between Jund al-Aqsa and its partners over fighting ISIS.[23][24] Al-Qatari and Jund al-Aqsa were known for reconciliatory efforts among jihadist groups, and purportedly opposed fighting ISIS.[25][26] It is believed that al-Qatari may have acted as a mediator between al-Jolani and al-Baghdadi in unsuccessful attempts to reconcile their groups.[27]

Death

Rumors surfaced of al-Qatari’s death in early 2014.[28][29] Later 2014 reports claimed that al-Qatari’s body was found in the Idlib countryside.[30] According to reports, al-Qatari was killed during clashes with the Syrian Martyrs’ Brigade.[31]

[1]

[2]

[3]  FDD's Long War Journal|website=FDD's Long War Journal|accessdate=2016-12-20}}

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]  أخبار {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 10.11.2014|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|accessdate=2016-12-20}}

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]  militant group|newspaper=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=2016-12-20}}

[20]

[21]

[22]  Zawya|website=www.zawya.com|accessdate=2016-12-20}}

[23]

[24]  Syrian Press Center|website=syrianpc.com|accessdate=2016-12-20}}

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

title: Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam (Abu Abdulaziz al Qatari)

question: How can one describe Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd Al Salam?

answer: He can be described as the founder of Jund al-Aqsa, a Salafist jihadist group active in the Syrian Civil War.

question: What terrorist organizations was Al-Qatari allegedly affiliated with?

answer: He was allegedly affiliated with al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and ISIS.

question: Who were Al-Qatari's sons?

answer: His sons were Ashraf Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam and Abd al-Malik Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam.

question: Where did Al Qatari live?

answer: He lived in Qatar.

question: Who did Al-Qatari work with when he joined al-Qaeda in Afghanistan?

answer: He worked with Osama bin Lade, Ayamn al-Zawahiri and Abdullah Yusuf Azzam in fighting in the Soviet-Afghan War.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article identifies Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd Al Salam, the founder of Jund al-Aqsa, a Salafist jihadist group active in the Syrian Civil War. Al-Qatari worked with terrorist organizations and his affiliation with several terrorist organizations are discussed.


text:
HANS ROSENTHAL (2 April 1925 – 10 February 1987) was a radio editor, director, and one of the most popular German radio and television hosts of the 1970s and 1980s.

Life

Rosenthal grew up in a Jewish family on Winsstraße No. 63, in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. His childhood was marked by an aggressive antisemitic atmosphere, the result of rising German Nazism. His father died of kidney failure in 1937, after he had lost his job at Deutsche Bank AG. When his mother died of colorectal cancer in 1941, Hans and his younger brother Gert (born 1932) found themselves in the orphanage. Starting in 1940, Hans was forced to participate in unfree labour, while his brother was deported and like many other relatives died in the Holocaust. After Hans escaped the last deportation of German Jews (German: _Fabrikaktion_) in February 1943, he went into hiding and until 1945 was able to stay at a safe house in a small garden allotment in Berlin-Lichtenberg, where three German women helped him to survive.

After the war, Rosenthal began an apprenticeship as an assistant director at Berliner Rundfunk, a public broadcaster. However, he soon came into conflict with the supervisors of the Soviet Military Administration and from 1948 onwards worked for the _Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor_ (RIAS), a broadcaster controlled by the American occupying forces. He became chief entertainment editor and soon began hosting his own radio quiz shows: _Allein gegen alle_, _Wer fragt, gewinnt._, _Das klingende Sonntagsrätsel_, _Spaß muß sein_ (broadcast from London's Paris Theatre during the 1966 FIFA World Cup), _Opas Schlagerfestival_, _Da ist man sprachlos_, _Die Rückblende_ and _Günter Neumann und seine Insulaner_. Later on the German ZDF public television channel, he presented shows like _Gut gefragt ist halb gewonnen_, _Rate mal mit Rosenthal_, _KO OK_, _Das Schlagerfestival der 20er Jahre_, and _Dalli Dalli_, a co-production with ORF, an Austrian broadcaster. [Rosenthal with assistant Monika Sundermann on _Dalli Dalli_, mid 1970s] The most popular of these, the TV show _Dalli, Dalli_ (derived from or , “Hurry Up!”), aired 153 times from 1971 to 1986. Celebrities had to compete in several fast-paced quiz rounds and games of skill, critiqued by a panel of judges. Even today, Rosenthal is known in Germany for his catchphrase _Sie sind der Meinung, das war ... ?_ (“So you all think that was... ?”) when he thought something impressive had been done. The TV audience then answered _Spitze!_ (“Great!”), at which point Rosenthal would jump into the air. Because he was not tall, he was often referred to affectionately as _Hänschen_ Rosenthal (literally “Little Hans”).

He was a member of the Central Council of Jews in Germany from the 1960s onwards. He often took his vacation in Utersum on the island of Föhr, of which he was eventually made an honorary citizen. From 1965 until 1973 Rosenthal was chairman of the Tennis Borussia Berlin football club. Rosenthal started a foundation called _Schnelle Hilfe in Akuter Not_ (which roughly translates as “Fast Help in Dire Need”).

In 1980, Rosenthal published his autobiography _Zwei Leben in Deutschland_ (“Two Lives in Germany”). In 1986, along with Paul Spiegel, he started an international media agency, which promoted actors, TV presenters and artists. In the same year Rosenthal fell ill with stomach cancer and was no longer able to work as a TV host. He died in 1987 in Berlin, aged 61.

Awards

-   1972 – Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
-   1973 – Bambi
-   1974 – Goldene Kamera
-   1979 – Goldene Kamera
-   1984 – Goldene Kamera
-   1985 – Goldene Europa
-   1986 – Telestar

Other honours

-   1993 – The square in front of the RIAS building (now the home of Deutschlandradio Kultur) in Berlin-Schöneberg was named Hans-Rosenthal-Platz
-   2007 – A sports center in Berlin-Westend was named _Hans-Rosenthal-Sportanlage_

Books by Rosenthal

-   _Zwei Leben in Deutschland_, Bergisch Gladbach 1980,

Literature about Rosenthal

-   Leonard Gross : _The Last Jews in Berlin_, Simon & Schuster, USA 1982,
-   Thomas Henschke: Hans Rosenthal. _Ein Leben für die Unterhaltung. Schwarzkopf u. Schwarzkopf_, Berlin 1999,
-   Michael Schäbitz, Paul Spiegel, Curth Flatow: _Hans Rosenthal. Deutschlands unvergessener Quizmaster; bewusster, stolzer Jude. Jüdische Miniaturen_, Band 19. Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin - Centrum Iudaicum / Hentrich and Hentrich, Teetz 2004,

title: Hans Rosenthal

question: What does the text say about how to become an effective broadcaster?

question: What does the text say about Hans Rosenthal's early life?

answer: Rosenthal was born on April 2, 1925, and grew up in a Jewish family in Berlin at the height of aggressive antisemitism due to the rise of German Nazism. His father lost his job at Deutsche Bank AG and died of kidney failure in 1937, while his mother died of cancer in 1941, making Hans and Gert (his younger brother) orphans. Rosenthal was forced into unfree labor in 1940, but Gert was deported along with many other relatives and died in the Holocaust. Rosenthal escaped the last deportation of German Jews and went into hiding until 1945. He survived because three German women let him stay with them in their small garden allotment in Berlin-Lichtenberg.

question: What does the text say about Rosenthal's impact on Germany?

answer: Having survived the war as a Jew in Germany, and thriving as a famous broadcaster after it, Rosenthal's contributions were recognized by the government. He was made an honorary citizen of Utersum on the island of Föhr (he often vacationed there). He received the Federal Cross of Merit in 1972 and was featured in several books. In 1993, the square in front of the RIAS building (now Deutschlandradio Kultur) in Berlin-Schöneberg was named Hans-Rosenthal-Platz. A sports center in Berlin-Westend was also named the Hans-Rosenthal-Sportanlage in 2007.

question: What does the text say about Rosenthal's notable activities or projects outside his hosting and broadcasting career?

answer: Rosenthal was a member of the Central Council of Jews in Germany from the 1960s onwards. He was the chairman of the Tennis Borussia Berlin football club from 1964 to 1973. Rosenthal started a foundation called Schnelle Hilfe in Akuter Not (translated: Fast Help in Dire Need). He published his autobiography in 1980 entitled Zwei Leben in Deutschland (Two Lives in Germany). Rosenthal and Paul Spiegel started an international media agency that promoted actors, TV presenters, and artists in 1986.


text:
[] ANDREAS MOUSTOXYDIS (, 1785 – July 29, 1860), sometimes Latinized as MUSTOXYDES or in the Italian form ANDREA MUSTOXIDI, was a Greek historian and philologist from Corfu. [_Sui quattro cavalli della Basilica di S. Marco in Venezia_, 1816]

He studied at Pavia, and in 1804 published a treatise on the history of Corfu titled _Notizie per servire alla storia Corcirese dai tempi eroici al secolo XII_. This publication led to employment as historiographer of the Ionian Islands, a position he maintained until 1819.

As a young man, he undertook an extended scientific journey to Italy, followed by travels to France and Germany. In Italy, he discovered manuscripts of the rhetorician Isocrates at the Ambrosian and Laurentian libraries. In the meantime, he published a two-volume work on the history of Corfu called _Illustrazioni Corciresi_ (1811–14).

In 1820, he was appointed secretary to the Russian envoy at Turin, and nine years later was named director of education by Greek president Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831). Following Kapodistrias' murder, he returned to Corfu, and was restored to his former position as historiographer. Here, he founded the philological/historical journal _Hellenomnemon_. At the time of his death, he was director of the department of education at Ionian Academy.

As a philologist, Mustoxydis edited seven of Isocrates' orations, the scholia of Olympiodorus on Plato, and in collaboration with Demetrios Schinas of Constantinople, he published a five volume edition of Ambrosian Anecdota. In addition, he was author of an Italian translation of Herodotus (1822), and also published a number of papers on the 2nd century author Polyaenus.

title: Andreas Moustoxydis

question: When was Andreas Moustoxydis born?

answer: 1785.

question: What did Andreas Moustoxydis do?

answer: He was a historian and philologist.

question: What is the name of the journal Andreas Moustoxydis founded?

answer: Hellenomnemon.

question: What nationality did Andreas Moustoxydis hold?

answer: Greek.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Andreas Moustoxydis, a Greek historian and philologist.


text:
VICTORIA VERA is a census-designated place (CDP) in Starr County, Texas, United States. It is a new CDP formed from part of the former La Casita-Garciasville CDP prior to the 2010 census with a population of 110.[1]

Geography

Victoria Vera is located at (26.318087, -98.692960).[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Victoria Vera, Texas

question: What is the name of the census-designated place being described in this passage?

answer: The name of the census-designated place being described in this passage is VICTORIA VERA.

question: Where is VICTORIA VERA located?

answer: VICOTRIA VERA is located in Starr County, Texas.

question: From which prior CDP does VICTORIA VERA form from?

answer: It formed from the prior CDP, La Casita-Garciasville.

question: In what measurements is the location of Victoria Vera described?

answer: The location of the place is given in longitude and latitude.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article provides a short description of Victoria Vera, a census-designated place in Texas.


text:
INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, New York, Paris, Sydney and Washington, D.C.

ITN produces the daily news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in the UK, and in recent years has diversified to produce a wide range of content including documentaries, sports, advertising and digital material for a range of international clients.

Between 1955 and 1999, ITN was more commonly known as the general brand name of ITV's news programmes. Since 8 March 1999, ITV has used _ITV News_ as the brand name for its news programmes, though ITN continues as the network's news provider.

History

ITN was founded in May 1955 by a consortium of the initial four Independent Television (later ITV) broadcasting companies, with former Labour MP Aidan Crawley as editor-in-chief. The first bulletin was broadcast at 10 pm on 22 September 1955 on ITV's launch night. The bulletin was presented by former champion athlete Christopher Chataway. From the start, ITN broke new ground by introducing in-vision and named 'newscasters' (rather than the BBC's nameless and sound-only 'newsreaders'), and reporter packages. The unique, probing reporting style of Robin Day caused shock among politicians, finding themselves questioned continually for information – this had never been the case with the BBC. There was also some early tensions with the ITV companies. ABC Television, the ITV contractor for the north and Midlands on weekends, immediately called for shorter ITN bulletins. While the ITA ruled on a minimum of a 20-minute bulletin, disagreements with the ITV companies over ITN's budget triggered the resignation of its news editor Aidan Crawley after just one year in 1956. He was replaced by Geoffrey Cox.[1]

Throughout the early years, ITN continued to develop its service to the ITV network with an agenda to firstly, fulfil its public service broadcasting requirements and secondly satisfy the ITV companies by attracting viewers. Under this method, ITN continued to differentiate itself from the BBC by conducting probing interviews, introducing more human interest stories and bringing ordinary people on to screen by using so-called 'vox pops' (interviews, usually held in the street, with members of the general public), all of which were seen as a radical departure at the time in British broadcasting.[2] As the ITN reporter and later ITN political editor Julian Haviland, put it: “My view was that at ITN we must be at least as responsible and accurate as the BBC, without being so damned boring”.[3] As ITV expanded, each ITV company that made up the network's federal structure had to purchase a stake in ITN and to continue to finance the company.

In 1967, ITN was given the go-ahead by the ITA to provide a full 30-minute daily news programme at 10 pm on ITV. There was further tension with the ITV executives as they were sceptical of the idea that viewers would want a full 30 minutes of news every Monday to Friday and they were also losing valuable peak time slots which could be used for the sale of commercial advertising. _News at Ten_ began broadcasting on 3 July 1967 with a newscaster team consisting of Alastair Burnet, Andrew Gardner, George Ffitch and Reginald Bosanquet. It was initially given a 13-week trial run, however, the programme proved to be extremely popular with viewers and continued for a further 32 years. _News at Ten_ was to become one of the most prestigious news programmes of its time in British history with a reputation for high-quality journalism and innovation.[4] ITN's _News at Ten_ also prompted the BBC to gradually expand its 20:50 news bulletin from ten minutes to fifteen, twenty and then twenty-five minutes. _The Nine O'Clock News_ began broadcasting in 1970 as _News at Ten's_ rival. ITN also established other programmes in the ITV schedule. _First Report_, a lunchtime bulletin began in 1972 and by 1976, _News at 5.45_ commenced. This was a period when ITN enjoyed its greatest plaudits, following Lord Annan's 1977 report on the future of broadcasting, which declared: “We subscribe to the generally held view that ITN has the edge over BBC news.”[5]

ITN obtained the contract to produce _Channel 4 News_ when the channel started broadcasting in 1982. The programme was launched by Peter Sissons, Trevor McDonald and Sarah Hogg. The hour-long programme has been broadcast at 7 pm since it started and has a reputation for high-quality journalism and thorough analysis. Further expansion came with the launch of overnight television on ITV in 1988, with ITN providing hourly news bulletins, as well as the half-hour _ITN Morning News_ to conclude the overnight schedules.

Until the 1990s, the individual ITV companies had an obligation to provide a national news programme, which required them to take a share in the ITN operation. Following the Broadcasting Act 1990, ITN had to apply and bid for a licence to provide such services on these ITV networks, and would have to fight competition in order to preserve its services, as had become the case with other ITV franchisees. The Broadcasting Act also allowed the Independent Television Commission to introduce ownership rules for news providers. The move was to transform the company from a 'cost centre' to a 'profit-making business'. The move saw 400 staff made redundant, and the closure of a number of international bureaux to claw back a £10 million deficit in order to provide a competitive product to obtain the ITV news contract. Within three years the company turned to profit in 1993 with suggestions at the time that the company should be listed on the stock exchange.[6]

The company launched _5 News_ in 1997 following the foundation of Channel 5.

The 1990s saw major changes to the television landscape in Britain. The growth of multichannel television saw ITV's share of audience fall. Against this backdrop ITV itself became increasingly commercially aggressive. This was to be a major turning point in ITN's history which saw a reduction in the ITV news contract. By this period the main ITV companies Granada and Carlton had also viewed unfavourably the scheduling of _News at Ten_ which became a subject of dispute between ITN and the ITV companies. ITN favoured keeping the bulletin, however, the ITV companies claimed audiences were lost at 10 pm as the news interrupted films and drama programming. _News at Ten_ eventually ended in March 1999 with ITN's flagship bulletin moved to 6.30 pm with a shorter late night bulletin at 11 pm. Consolidation of the ITV network under a unified ITV brand also saw the removal of the on-screen ITN brand which was replaced with _ITV News_.[7] From this point, the ITN brand was gradually phased out and it is now only referenced to in the end production caption.

In 1997, ITN started producing the Royal Christmas Message every other year.[8]

The early years of the 21st century was to prove to be a challenging period. The axing of _News at Ten_ caused public outcry and ITN's viewership figures fell by 13.9%[9] Political pressure and pressure from the media resulted in ITV bringing back a shorter 20-minute bulletin at 10 pm three nights a week. The programme eventually lost share to the BBC News at Ten (which launched in 2000 to capitalise on ITV's move) and ITV eventually axed the programme again in 2004 and moved the bulletin to 10:30 pm before bringing it back to 10 pm again in 2008. The biggest challenge came in 2001 when British Sky Broadcasting bid to supply network news to ITV as part of a consortium. ITN eventually succeeded and was awarded a contract extension to 2008. In January 2005 Sky News took over supplying bulletins to Channel 5; ITN had produced _5 News_ since its launch in 1997 and the contract was returned in February 2012, following a change of ownership at Channel 5.

In August 2000, ITN launched its own 24-hour news channel in the UK, broadcast on satellite, cable and digital terrestrial. It was 50% owned by ITN and 50% owned by NTL. Carlton and Granada gradually bought out the two stakes and renamed the channel the ITV News Channel. It closed down on 23 December 2005. Poor ratings in comparison to BBC News 24 and Sky News, and ITV's desire to re-use the channel's allocation on Freeview, were cited as the reasons.[10]

In March 2004 following its acquisition of the London News Network, a company previously owned by the now merged Carlton and Granada, ITN began producing local news bulletins for the ITV London region. ITN produced _More4 News_ between 2005 and 2009. In 2007 it began producing Setanta Sports News; however it closed in 2009.[11]

Between 1996 and 2002, it also owned a share of London News Radio, which was based at ITN's Gray's Inn Road headquarters and operated the LBC and News Direct London radio stations. ITN used to operate a radio news service on behalf of Independent Radio News (IRN) but on 15 October 2008, IRN announced that Sky News Radio was to replace ITN as its main supplier from March 2009.

While news production remains the cornerstone of ITN's business model, the company has diversified from its original remit. ITN Source (originally ITN Archive) is one of the world's largest sources of historical film.[12] ITN Productions creates multi-platform content for major global brands, covering genres such as factual, entertainment, news and corporate production. Clients that commission award-winning programmes from ITN Productions include major UK and international broadcasters such as ITV, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, History and Discovery, with television commissions including Climbing Great Buildings on BBC2 and Mud Men on History.[13]

Operations

[An ITN satellite van]

ITV News

ITN has produced all national news bulletins on ITV since the network was launched on 22 September 1955. Originally the ITN logo and brand featured prominently on all news bulletins on ITV, however, since March 1999, bulletins have been branded as _ITV News_. Trademarks of _ITV News_ include the use of the clock-face of the Elizabeth Tower of Westminster Palace, the chimes of Big Ben punctuating the days headlines and the signature theme tune; _The Awakening_ by Johnny Pearson.

Throughout the early years, ITN established programmes in the ITV schedule including _First Report_ at lunchtime, _News at 5.45_ in the evening and the flagship _News at Ten_. Today, _ITV News_ on weekdays broadcasts the _ITV Lunchtime News_ at 1.30pm, the _ITV Evening News_ at 6.30pm and _ITV News at Ten_ with bulletins broadcast at various times on weekends. ITN has at times interrupted the ITV schedule to provide updates on major breaking stories of national and international importance including the September 11 attacks, London bombings, 2005 or events involving the British Royal Family. ITN has covered every general election since 1959 for ITV, providing comprehensive coverage of the counts throughout election night and has also broadcast special programmes covering the UK budget speech given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

ITN's history is inextricably linked to that of ITV as prior to the Broadcasting Act 1990 each of the ITV companies owned a share. In the 1990s, under new ownership, it was accused of abandoning its previous news style, which was broadsheet in style to mid-market tabloid with news stories that focused on personalities in the news rather than heavy news coverage leading to accusations of dumbing down its coverage.

ITN's most famous news programme, _News at Ten_ was also controversially replaced by an 11 pm news bulletin in 1999, said to be in order to allow ITV to broadcast films without the interruption of a 10 o'clock news bulletin. _News at Ten_ was subsequently re-instated in 2001 after heavy public criticism over the change. The restored programme was 10 minutes shorter than its predecessor and carried less in-depth news coverage. It was also broadcast at a later time at least one day a week, which meant it was often jokingly referred to as _News at When?_ There was increasing speculation that the _News at Ten_ would again be moved, after under-performing against the _Ten O'Clock News_ on BBC One which broadcasts every day at 10:00 pm. In October 2003, the Independent Television Commission gave ITV approval to move _News at Ten_.

The _ITV News at 10.30_ launched on ITV on 2 February 2004 (the day that ITV in England, Wales and Southern Scotland came under the ownership of a single company) and was presented by Sir Trevor McDonald. The programme was longer than its predecessor and carried an integrated regional bulletin, as well as more business stories, a nightly sports update and a preview of the following day's newspapers. Mark Austin took over main presenting duties on 16 January 2006.

The rebranded programme again saw new titles, this time featuring people walking over the face of Big Ben and has lately followed a more “sensationalist” approach to its main headlines. When ITV executive chairman Michael Grade joined ITV, he made it clear that he saw news as the key in defining any channel. On 14 January 2008, the _News at Ten_ returned, presented by Julie Etchingham and McDonald returned to his duties again. Mark Austin joined Etchingham as co-presenter in 2009. As of October 2015, Tom Bradby has been the main presenter on the programme.

_ITV News at 6.30_ has, since it was launched in 1999, been the network's most popular bulletin. Its presenters include Mary Nightingale, Ranvir Singh and Charlene White.

In March 2004, ITN took over production of ITV London's regional news programmes, which relocated from The London Television Centre on the South Bank to ITN's Gray's Inn Road base.

Channel 4 News

ITN is home to Channel 4 News, having produced the programme since the channel's inception in 1982.

The Channel 4 News flagship programme is 55 minutes of in-depth news and current affairs broadcast at 7 pm each weekday and at 6:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekday evening programme is anchored by Jon Snow, whereas Krishnan Guru-Murthy presents the weekend bulletins.

A five-minute-long news summary goes out Monday to Friday at midday. The bulletin replaced Channel 4's 30-minute _News at Noon_ programme in late 2009, six years after its launch during the Iraq War of 2003.

ITN created _More4 News_ when the digital channel More4 was launched in October 2005. It ran at 8 pm, immediately after Channel 4 News. It was originally presented by Sarah Smith; Kylie Morris took over presenting duties in June 2007 and Smith was posted to the US as Channel 4 News' Washington correspondent. In December 2009 Channel 4 cancelled _More4 News_.[14]

5 News

From the launch of Channel 5 in 1997, ITN provided the news bulletins for 5 News. However, in January 2005, ITN lost the contract, which was awarded to Sky News. In 2011 ITN regained the contract in a three-year deal to provide news for Channel 5 from early 2012, but on a much-reduced budget. The deal followed an agreement by Sky and Northern & Shell, the then-owner of Channel 5, to terminate the 5 News contract early.[15]

ITN Productions

ITN Productions was formed in February 2010 and incorporates the non-news operations of ITN, including the former ITN On, ITN Factual and ITN Corporate divisions.[16]

ITN was one of the first companies to provide news content for 3G mobile phones, when it struck a deal to provide daily news bulletins for the 3 network in 2003.

It has since expanded its video news service providing news, sport and showbiz content to a wide range of broadcasters, newspapers and websites.

Showbiz bulletins from ITN are broadcast daily on a number of television channels, including FYI Daily on ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4, The Fix on 4Music and Access on 5Star. A daily showbiz breakfast show, _The Breakfast Fix_, is broadcast on 4Music.

From August 2013, ITN Productions was awarded the contract to produce the Premier League online and mobile highlights service for News UK. Content appears on _The Sun_ and _The Times_ subscription websites and mobile apps.

Digital content is supplied to sports news video agency SNTV.

ITN Productions also creates factual programming for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 as well as international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel, History Channel, PBS and National Geographic Channel.

ITN has produced shows for Sky, with one of its later programmes being _Harrow: A Very British School_.

ITN also supplied programming to the now-closed Teachers TV service.

Former operations

ITN began its own _World News_ bulletins in the late 1980s, which were shown around the world on local television channels, particularly on PBS stations in the US, where presenter Daljit Dhaliwal (now with Al-Jazeera English) enjoyed cult status. These were discontinued in 2001, in the face of competition from dedicated news channels such as BBC World (now known as BBC World News), although it still provides footage to CNN International and reports often appear on _PBS NewsHour_. Its _ITV Evening News_ bulletin was shown on the Newsworld International cable channel in the US.

From November 1997 to April 2003, ITN held a 49% stake in European news channel Euronews.[17][18]

ITN launched a 24-hour news channel on 1 August 2000, which in 2002 was sold to the main ITV companies Carlton and Granada, and rebranded as the ITV News Channel. It was closed down in 2005.

On the same day, ITN launched a 24-hour radio station called ITN News Radio. It broadcast nationally on the Digital One multiplex until 2003.

In 2005, ITN became a shareholder in Espresso Group, a provider of digital content to more than 60% of primary schools in the UK and also internationally. Espresso services feature an extensive library of broadband teaching resources and student activities to motivate pupils and support teachers, including content from ITN Source. In May 2008, the Education Clip Library, a unique, video licensing service for educational publishers and broadcasters around the world, was launched. It is aimed at educational publishers and broadcasters seeking to add video to their instructional products and services. Espresso was acquired by Discovery Education (part of Discovery Communications) on 7 November 2013.[19]

Setanta Sports News was a 24-hour sports news television channel produced by ITN and jointly owned by Virgin Media Television and Setanta Sports, launched on 29 November 2007. The channel ceased broadcasting on 23 June 2009, when Setanta's UK operation were placed into administration following financial difficulties.

In October 2008, ITN founded digital production company Diagonal View as a joint venture together with digital entrepreneur Matt Heiman.[20] The company packages footage from the ITN archive and syndicates it to a range of commercial partners including MySpace, YouTube and MSN. In March 2017, the company was sold to Sky, who paid £2.6m for ITN's stake.[21][22]

ITN Consulting was the management consultancy arm of ITN, combining the resources of ITN with the consulting team's experience to advise global media companies on issues spanning all areas of strategy and operations, including financial planning, marketing, scheduling and content, recruitment, and interim management. With partner Venture Consulting, it had offices in London, Milan, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney. It operated as a network with its consultants working on engagements globally and focused “on how strategy can be implemented to deliver to real change”. ITN Consulting stated that “an understanding of how global, regional and local media markets conflict and come together enables them to identify the opportunities this creates”. They took an external, outsider perspective as well as having the viewpoint of senior “insider” media executives. ITN Consulting was extensively involved in the development of business plans for local TV in the UK.[23] It also consulted a range of national broadcasters on improving performance. The unit closed in 2012.

ITN Source (formerly ITN Archive) licensed video footage from ITN's one million hours of archive content including news, drama, celebrity, comedy, music, wildlife, natural history and film. It also syndicated on-the-day news footage generated by ITN to other broadcasters and producers worldwide. The service represented the moving image libraries of Reuters, ITV (including ITV Studios), ANI, UTV, Fox News, Fox Movietone, Gaumont British, Nine Network and other specialist collections. The division was closed at the end of 2016, when ITN outsourced its archive sales to Getty Images.[24]

Corporate affairs

Headquarters and studios

ITN has been based at 200 Gray's Inn Road since 1991. The purpose-built headquarters were designed by architect Sir Norman Foster, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 8 May 1991.[25][26] The building also houses the ITV Network Centre and Warner Bros. offices.[27][28] Prior to the redevelopment, the site was the location of The Times and The Sunday Times offices from 1974 to 1986,[29][30] and The Guardian offices from 1961 to 1976.[31]

ITN's first base was Ingersoll House on Kingsway, before moving across the road to Associated-Rediffusion's newly converted Television House shortly before the first broadcast.[32]

In August 1969, the company moved to ITN House at 48 Wells Street, close to the BBC's Broadcasting House.[33]

As of December 2020, there are currently three operational television studios based at ITN. Studios 1 and 2 are located in the basement of the building, with both studios measuring 2,438 Sq Ft in size each. Studio 1 is currently used by the ITV national news bulletins and the ITV News London bulletins, and comprises a full green screen backdrop in the studio, with two desk areas facing each other. Studio 2 is used by Channel 5 News and also produces Jeremy Vine's morning show on Channel 5. Studio 6 is located adjacent to the atrium of ITN and has been home to Channel 4 News since 1999.[34]

Leadership

The Chief Executive of ITN is Anna Mallett, who joined the company in April 2019.[35][36] She was previously the Group Chief Operating Officer and MD, Production at BBC Studios.[37]

Ownership

The current shareholders of ITN are:[38]

-   ITV plc (40%)
-   Daily Mail and General Trust (20%)
-   Thomson Reuters (20%)
-   Informa (20%)

Upon its inception, ITN was jointly owned by all the ITV operating companies, with shareholdings split roughly in proportion to each company's advertising income. However, the Broadcasting Act 1990 allowed the ITC to set ownership rules. It was decided to limit the ITV companies to a maximum joint 49% stake, with no single company allowed more than a 20% holding. The powers were abolished by the Communications Act 2003.

Parodies

ITN has been spoofed several times on ITV's _The Benny Hill Show_, namely in one 1971 show with the logo reading “NIT” instead of “ITN” and with Hill as [[Reginald Bosanquet|Reginald “Boozenquet]]” and Andrew Gardner.

ITN was also spoofed in a sketch in 1978 with Benny Hill as Angela O'Rippon, a parody of Angela Rippon, and as Ann Afford, a parody of Anna Ford. It was also spoofed in a black and white 1971 show and a 1973 episode.

[1]

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[34] http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/studio%20history.htm#wells%20st

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[38]

title: ITN

question: Explain why ITN produced a daily 30-minute newscast?

answer: They were the first to devise the format, they believed in innovation and they had no competition, they believed people would be interested in that much news.


text:
If a Shelby farts in the woods, am I still hard?

Shelby. Let’s get going with that bitch.
Oh the dry desert queen. How many tears must I lash on you to make you wet. Lemme sing you a song you cunt. Shelby. Are you listening? It doesn’t matter. This is about me. This is about ME. My love for you doesn’t exist inside you. It exists in magnetic fields surrounding the FUcKING MIDWEST OF AMERICA. MAGNETIC FIELDS. You’re a SIMPLETON Shelby, you don’t even know what that means. Hell, with those golden locks, you don’t need to know up from down, you sexy flooze.
Ahh, the good ol’ days. Remember when I used to go down on you for hours? No? That’s because I didn’t. You weren’t worthy.

…Who am I kidding, I wasn’t worthy. Lemme break down to you right now. (Would Tom Cruise say that to you?)

I love your laugh. I don’t even love it, but I love that you do laugh. I love your fucking smile. When you get too drunk I want to smash your head in. I feel the same way around small dogs that don’t bark loud. Listen bitch. You’re a dime a dozen, but that don’t make you drab. NOT A SCAG SHELBY.

Let me touch your butt, I’m a scientist.

Shelby listen, time’s running out. They’re coming for me soon, and when they come, they’ll drag me back into STEVE. STEEEEEEVEEEE. STEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE. What a spineless cocksucker. I’m gonna take you away one day baby, far away. Somewhere where the weather suits your clothes, and my God, wear a tight red dress. I won’t cum in my pants, I’ve never done that unintentionally.

I’ll never hit you unless you hit me. IF you hit me, I’ll hit you hard in the legs. You got milky legs, I wonder what your moms legs looked like, maybe there are some pictures somewhere. Either way, don’t believe any of this 2012 stuff. I don’t. But, you never know.

Kinda like you never know if we’ll meet again!!!! I can only hope so. Right now I can hear them coming. They want Steve back. They’re gonna get him.

One of these days I’ll show them it’s not okay to play God. I’ll show them I’ve been my own God this whole time, moving mountains with ease and taking no pleasure in things untrue. You’re first class cunt, Shelby. The only reason I called you that name one time was because you deserved it, but you didn’t deserve that other thing. Don’t bring that up ever again.

Anyways, They’re getting closer. MAN it’d be good to touch your ass right now Shelby!
One more thing bitch. When you apologize, you’re a sheep. But unlike the other sleazy sheep shape shifters I encounter everyday, your fur is golden. Pure gold. Ain’t that a bitch?

Keep crying for me, my fragile, ohsobreakable playdoll.

title: Unedited RANT about SHELBY

question: Describe the narrator's mixed feelings for Shelby?

answer: The narrator appears to be bouncing between admiration of Shelby and anger. He loves her smile but would like to smash her head in when she gets drunk. He finds her exciting but then says she's a dime a dozen.

question: What does the narrator mean by they will drag him back into Steve?

answer: It appears that the narrator may be Steve pretending to be someone he is not. He doesn't have much admiration for Steve as he calls him a spineless cocksucker. Clearly, the narrator feels the need to revert to his previous spineless self when the others are with him.


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

“I don’t like it, Ma” Jon said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No. Why?” Jon fibbed.

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

“No idea.” Jon falsifying again.

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

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

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

***

Then Jon awoke. The ceiling was still white.

title: The Gas

question: What is Jon afraid of?

answer: Jon is afraid of being put under general anesthesia. He describes the feeling as if one has died for the duration of the surgery and then brought back to life. It does not feel like napping or waking up the next morning. The "gas" has John panicked about the repercussions this would have to his psyche.

question: How will John feel after he awoke from his surgery?

question: How is Jon feeling as he is getting prepped for his surgery?

answer: John is feeling aggravated and nervous as he gets prepped for his surgery. His father said he has nothing to be afraid of as this is only knee surgery, nothing vital or life threatening. This aggravates Jon because he is afraid of how the anesthesia makes him feel. Jon is nervous as the nurses hook him up in the operating room, and the nurse can tell as his heart rate is so high.


text:
Our Verdict

Not without its drawbacks, this is the brightest shining example of not only Microsoft's vision of a laptop-free future, but the entire laptop-tablet hybrid category.

For

-   Sharp display and design
-   Huge Type Cover upgrade
-   Can truly do both

Against

-   OK battery life
-   Runs hot at times
-   Type Cover still optional

Knock it for the Windows 8 launch. Lay into it for how it debuted the original Xbox One. But, when it comes to the Surface Pro 3, don't pull out the torches and pitchforks just yet – Microsoft is onto something here.

Over the past few years, the Redmond, Wash. Windows maker has proved to be one of the bolder technology companies, for better or worse. Microsoft clearly isn't scared of falling on its face in the hope of landing on what in the world tech users want next in this turbulent industry, and the Surface Pro 3 is – well, it just might be an exception.

The company has hammered away at what it considers is a problem with tablets for years. Since the launch of the Surface Pro, Microsoft has sought after the ultimate mobile computing device, one that could usurp the laptop with a tablet-first approach.

All five versions of the Surface Pro 3 are available now in the US, UK and Australia. They are: 64GB / Intel Core i3 ($799); 128GB / Core i3 ($899); 128GB / Core i5 ($999), 256GB / Core-i5 ($1,299), 256GB / Core i7 ($1,549) and 512GB / Core i7 ($1,949).

It's also available in many more countries, including 25 new markets for the first time.

The Surface Pro 3 is closer than Microsoft has ever been to making good on its mobile computing vision. After over a week with the slate, I'd go so far as to say that the Pro 3 is closer than any laptop-tablet hybrid released yet.

Microsoft was so sure of itself that not only did it directly compare the Pro 3 to Apple's iPad Air and 13-inch MacBook Air, it gave members of the press pre-release Surface Pro 3 units during an announcement event in New York. Sure, the units have bugs as of this review, but who cares?

"I forced the giving away of the device, just so you're aware," Surface team lead Panos Panay told me just after the reveal. "I said, 'You know what? I want the product in people's hands.' 'But the bugs are still there. They're not all done until June 20, until it's on market.' I don't care. The purity of the device is still true, and on June 20 there will be more drops."

[Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review]

One look at the thing might explain Panay's eagerness to get the Surface Pro 3. It's no iPad Air, that's for sure, but the iPad Air isn't packing a 12-inch display.

Recent developments

Going on three years now, the Surface Pro 3 is by no means obsolete, though it is much harder to come by. That’s because, back in February, the Surface Pro 3 was actually removed from the Microsoft Store online.

The silver lining is that there’s plenty to look forward to from Microsoft in the near future. Seemingly a follow-up to the gone-but-not-forgotten Windows RT, long-time tipster Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet has suggested that a lightweight Windows 10 Cloud is in the works.

Set to take on Google’s Chromebook line, Windows 10 Cloud is expected to be revealed at the #MicrosoftEDU event on May 2 in New York City. We can’t say for certain what we’ll see on that day, but as Microsoft teased on our invite, we can safely anticipate to “Learn what’s next.”

Design

Yes, Microsoft bumped the Surface Pro touchscreen from a tiny 10.6 inches to a far roomier 12 inches. In the process, the pixel count has been upped from 1920 x 1080 to 2160 x 1440 The result is a modest boost in pixels per inch – 207 ppi to 216 ppi – given the increase in screen real estate.

More important is Microsoft's interesting choice in aspect ratio. Rather than sticking with the Pro 2's 16:9 or glomming onto the iPad's 4:3, the firm went with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The company claims that, with this aspect ratio, this 12-inch screen can actually display more content than the MacBook Air's 13.3-inch panel at 16:10. The move was also made to make the tablet feel more like your average notepad when held in portrait orientation.

[Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review]

Wrapped in a bright, silver-colored magnesium shell that's cool and smooth to the touch, the Surface Pro 3 feels premium in every regard. The tablet keeps the trapezoidal shape of its predecessors, but manages to come in both thinner and lighter than before. Plus, the tablet's upper half is beset by vents on its edges to better dissipate heat pushed out by its fan.

Microsoft also moved the Windows home button to the device's left side of its silky smooth – though, rather thick – glass bezel. This way, it appears on the bottom of the slate while held upright, calling out, 'Hey, hold it this way now.' While it's no doubt the lightest Surface Pro yet, I'm not sure whether I could hold onto it for an entire subway ride home.

Adorning both sides of the Pro 3 are 5MP cameras capable of 1080p video recording. While stills on either shooter won't blow you away, the front-facing lens should do just fine for Skype and the weekly video meeting over VPN.

[Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review]

This Surface isn't without its sidekick(s)

A tablet wouldn't be much of a laptop replacement without a keyboard, and the Surface Pro keyboard was in desperate need of a boost. Luckily, Microsoft sent the Type Cover back to the drawing board, and what came back is the best version yet. From keys with deeper travel and stronger feedback to a wider glass trackpad that actually clicks, nothing was off the table.

But the most important improvement is the brand new double hinge. Equipped with a strong magnet that latches onto the Pro 3's lower bezel, the Type Cover can now rest with just a portion of it touching your lap or desk. This proved to make writing on my lap much more stable than with previous Surface devices. (Plus, the plush cover comes in five colors: red, blue, cyan, black and purple.)

Tucked beside the Type Cover is also the newly improved Surface Pen. Microsoft made a point of calling its stylus that, because the firm wants it to be seen as and feel like the writing instrument we've all grown up with. With an aluminum finish and a useful clicker up top, the Surface Pen is weighted to better feel like a pen. Using Bluetooth and powered by N-trig, the stylus tracks closer to its physical position than ever before, thanks to some major improvements to the Surface screen.

[Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review]

The new Surface Pro 3 unarguably has the look and feel of a premium product, so it only deserves to be stacked up against the most luxuriously built tablet and laptop around.

Adobe launched major updates to two of its classic design applications in March. CalledTouch Workspace, the apps are available now free of charge to existing Creative Cloud subscribers and Surface Pro 3 owners with the latest versions of Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 and Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 installed. The apps feature a streamlined design user interface that makes it more responsive to fingertips, while optimizing a number of new or existing software tools with touch interaction in mind.

_First reviewed: May 2014_

GABE CAREY HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REVIEW

Current page: Introduction and design

Next Page Specifications

question: What is the Microsoft Surface Pro 3?

answer: A laptop-tablet hybrid computer.

question: How much does the Surface Pro 3 cost?

answer: Depends on specs and memory, options range from $799 to $1,949.

question: When did this article originally appear?

answer: At least 3 years before the update.

question: Who said "But the bugs are still there. They're not all done until June 20, until it's on market?"

answer: Presumably the interviewer/narrator.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Tech giant Microsoft launched it's tablet-laptop hybrid flagship, the Surface Pro 3. Ranging from $799 to $1,949 depending on specs, the Surface Pro 3 is closer than Microsoft has gotten to mobile computing. Microsoft readily compared it to Apple's iPad and MacBook, even giving members of the press pre-release units. Three years later, it's not obsolete, but much harder to come by after being delisted from Microsoft's online store.


text:
CRUSADE (foaled 11 March 2009) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for his upset win in the 2011 Middle Park Stakes. He showed his best form as a juvenile when he won one minor race from his first three starts before taking the Middle Park at odds of 25/1. On his only subsequent start that year he finished sixth on dirt in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He ran poorly on his only appearance as a three-year-old and was retired to become a breeding stallion in South Africa.

Background

Crusade is a dark bay or brown horse with no white markings[1] bred in Kentucky by La Traviata Syndicate, a breeding organisation associated with the Coolmore Stud. The colt was sent into training with Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle. Like many Coolmore horses, the official details of his ownership changed from race to race: he was sometimes listed as being the property of Michael Tabor, whilst on other occasions he was described as being owned by a partnership of Tabor, Derrick Smith and Susan Magnier.

Crusade was sired by Mr Greeley, whose five wins included the Swale Stakes and the Lafayette Stakes and who also finished second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.[2] As a breeding stallion, Mr Greeley is best known as the sire of the outstanding Irish-trained filly Finsceal Beo and the Sussex Stakes winner Reel Buddy.[3] Crusade's dam La Traviata was bought as a two-year-old at the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale in February 2006 for $1.1 million by the bloodstock agent Dermot “Demi” O'Byrne on behalf of Coolmore.[4] She showed good form in a brief racing career, winning three of her races in the United States in 2007 including the Grade III Victory Ride Stakes.[5] She was descended from the American broodmare Miel, making her a distant relative of Rodrigo de Triano and Shaadi.[6] As a broodmare La Traviata went on to produce the multiple Group One winner Seventh Heaven.[7]

Racing career

2011: two-year-old season

Crusade was ridden in his first three starts by Colm O'Donoghue. For his racecourse debut the colt was sent to England for a maiden races over seven furlongs at York Racecourse on 19 August. Starting as a 33/1 outsider he made some progress in the second half of the race but then faded inside the final furlong and finished eighth of the seventeen runners, more than eleven lengths behind the winner Rugged Cross. Nine days later the colt started 5/2 favourite against fifteen opponents in a maiden over six furlongs at the Curragh. Crusade went to the front at half-way, broke away from his rivals a furlong out and won by two lengths from the filly Pearl In The Sand.[8]

On 22 September Crusade was sent back in England and stepped up in class for the Group Three Somerville Tattersall Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse and started the 5/1 second choice in the betting behind the Roger Varian-trained Farraaj. He took second place approaching the final furlong but looked to be outpaced in the closing stages and finished fourth behind Crius, Farraaj and Zip Top. Despite his defeat Crusade was moved up again in class when he returned to Newmarket for the Group One Middle Park Stakes on 8 October in which he was ridden by Seamie Heffernan. The started a 25/1 outsider in a sixteen-runner field headed by the joint-favourites Caspar Netscher (Gimcrack Stakes) and Family One (Prix Robert Papin), whilst the other thirteen runners included Bapak Chinta (Norfolk Stakes, Lilbourne Lad (Railway Stakes), Saigon (Rose Bowl Stakes) and Crusade's more fancied stablemate Reply who had won a valuable sales race at Doncaster. After tracking the leaders, Crusade made a forward move a quarter mile from the finish, overtook Reply just inside the final furlong and stayed on to win by three quarters of a length. Lilbourne Lad got the best of a five-way blanket finish for second place ahead of Reply, Balty Boys, Caspar Netscher and Saigon.[9] After the race Heffernan commented “He has improved from run to run. It's grand. When it comes together it is great. He is taking his race well, he has plenty of scope and plenty of speed.”[10]

On his final run of the year, Crusade joined his more highly regarded stablemate Daddy Long Legs for a trip to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on the dirt track at Churchill Downs on 5 November. Partnered by the American jockey Julien Leparoux he started slowly and never looked likely to win, but made steady progress in the last quarter mile to finish sixth of the thirteen runners behind Hansen, Union Rags, Creative Cause, Dullahan and Take Charge Indy.[11]

2012: three-year-old season

Crusade was entered in the Irish 2000 Guineas but did not run in the races, instead making his first appearance of the year in the Greenlands Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh on 26 May in which he was matched against older horses. Ridden by his trainer's son Joseph O'Brien he began to struggle in the last quarter mile and dropped away to finish last of the eleven runners behind the six-year-old gelding Tiddliwinks.[12]

Assessment

In the 2011 European Thoroughbred Rankings, Crusade was given a rating of 113, making him the fifteenth-best juvenile colt of the year, six pounds behind the top-rated Camelot.[13]

Stud record

At the end of 2012 Crusade was sold to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Breeders Club and exported to become a breeding stallion at the Highdown Stud in South Africa.[14] A representative of the buyers described Crusade as “a handsome horse, well-balanced and athletic. He has a good head, a good eye and a lovely disposition - very nice natured and easy to work with. He is a correct, athletic walker with a very good speed pedigree”.[15]

Pedigree

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[15]

title: Crusade (horse)

question: When was Crusade born?

answer: March 11, 2009

question: Who bred Crusade?

answer: La Traviata Syndicate, a breeding organization

question: To whom was Crusade sold in 2012?

answer: Kwa-Zulu Natal Breeders Club

question: Where did Crusade's upset win occur?

answer: The 2011 Middle Park Stakes

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Crusade is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for his upset win at the 2011 Middle Park Stakes. In 2012, he was sold to Kwa-Zulu Natal Breeders Club, a South African horse breeding group.