text:
Effective Communication Between Corporate and its Retail Stores

[Retail]

In the fast-pace retail industry, there is a common struggle with internal communication between the corporate offices and its retail stores. Oftentimes, your communication channels, whether it be email or messaging, are inefficient and indirect, which can delay the execution of your campaigns.

As these struggles persist, there is a growing need for strong internal communication that can streamline processes between corporate and all distribution channels.  Effective communication is key to optimize marketing investments and facilitate company growth.

There are a number of common communication breakdowns we see in the retail industry today.

1.  EMAIL IS UNRELIABLE.

Communication between the corporate headquarters down to the retail stores was via email, which proved to be slow, inefficient, and quickly outdated. New campaigns and product offerings are miscommunicated or unclear, and misprinted collateral is not only costly but delays the execution of in-store campaigns.

2.  DIFFICULTY FINDING RELEVANT, TIMELY INFORMATION.

Your retail stores may be accessing outdated information and materials. Important announcements and collateral, such as latest price sheets, product briefs, merchandising guides, etc. are often lost within emails since there’s a lack of an organized, central location to store and distribute necessary information.

Additionally, information needed to be parsed manually at each of the region-specific distribution points making the entire process time-consuming and laborious.

3.  HIGH STAFF TURNOVER

As is common in the retail industry, high turnover rate and short-term staffing models add to the challenges. Email communication is sent to stale email addresses, critical information only lives inside an individual’s email where it isn’t accessible to the rest of the team, and there are inconsistencies in getting new staff trained and up-to-speed effortlessly.  Moreover, with store level teams working in shifts, information is difficult to distribute to all team members consistently.

4.  LACK OF BI-DIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION

Retail companies place heavy focus on passing down information from the top (corporate), down (to the retail stores), that they forget to also receive important feedback from their retail stores. Not only is it difficult for retail stores to give feedback to corporate, but it’s also difficult for them to reach out and ask for help, especially when emails to corporate get easily overlooked amidst the tens of retail stores

So, how do you solve these problems?

Instead of distributing documents via email and storing files under individual accounts, there needs to be dedicated resource pages that allows different teams to have real-time access to the latest reports, documents, collateral, calendars, directories, and more, in one centralized location. On your centralized platform, create permissions so that only the people that need to see specific information can access what they need. Regional managers in different zones don’t need to see each other’s documents.  Neither do store managers located out in Hawaii that don’t run winter campaigns alongside your stores in New York.  These resources must also be accessible to new hires, which reduces the level of effort and costly hours that are spent on-boarding high-turnover roles.

Standardized and custom, automated workflow procedures can also improve productivity.  A series of step by step processes that can be triggered by one action so that no communication is lost. For example, once a vacation request is submitted by an employee, it automatically notifies the manager and the head of HR in order to get approved. Similarly, a company-wide helpdesk that can receive feedback and requests, and send those to all relevant staff, will ensure that nothing is missed.

CLIENT CASE – IMPLEMENTING A COMPREHENSIVE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION SOLUTION

Take, for example, one of our retail clients that specializes in luxury apparel and accessories who encountered an internal communication breakdown and looked to Xelleration for a comprehensive solution.  The client’s brand is widely distributed across approximately 40 countries and their direct-to-consumer channels, including 40 retail stores, 14 outlet stores, and an e-commerce site, Vince.com. With such a broad distribution, a variety of communication problems arose.

Xelleration worked closely with the client to create a customized Retail Communications portal on a branded SharePoint Online site, allowing all retail stores to quickly and easily log-in to access their role-appropriate Marketing, HR, and Operations information from anywhere and any device.  Stores can quickly give feedback to Corporate, making errors easier to remediate and increasing overall productivity and innovation.  Organized processes and ability to track metrics enable smarter decision-making for future campaigns, leading to customer loyalty and operational efficiency.

HOW CAN THIS SOLUTION HELP ME?

By utilizing Xelleration’s Retail Communications solution, retail companies can continue to expand their operations without compromising the level of communication between the corporate headquarters and the retail stores.

Campaigns can be executed with increased frequency, consistency, and quality, while maintaining the highest return on investments. With more campaign flexibility and agility, retail companies can improve their competitive advantage and have more control over the customer experience with optimized marketing campaigns.

We know in retail, speed of information is very important. Your internal communication infrastructure is critical to your business’s success.  By leveraging standard tools you may already own, like Microsoft SharePoint, build stronger brand loyalty, execute campaigns more quickly and frequently, and increase ROI on your marketing investments to grow your business.

Want to see it in action? Request a demo today!

[]

About the author

Rachel Lu

Marketing Coordinator, Xelleration

question: What tips does the article say about breakdowns in communication between corporate and its retail stores?

answer: The article says that communication via email is unreliable. Important information is often lost within emails so it is difficult finding relevant, timely information. High staff turnover rate and working in shifts make information difficult to distribute. Lack of bi-directional communication also adds to the challenges.

question: What does the article say about how breakdowns in communication between corporate and its retail stores can be avoided?

answer: Resource pages that allow different teams to have real-time access to the latest information should be created. Standardized and custom, automated workflow procedures can also improve productivity. A company-wide helpdesk that can receive feedback and requests, and send those to all relevant staff, will ensure that nothing is missed.

question: What does the article say about the cost of suggested improvements of communication between corporate and its retail stores can be avoided?


split: train

text:
_A CARTOONIST'S NIGHTMARE_ is a 1935 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short in the _Looney Tunes_ series, starring Beans the Cat in his first solo film.[1] The film was directed by Jack King and was released on September 21, 1935.[2]

Plot

It is closing time at an animation studio and all the staff members are calling it a day. Meanwhile, an animator chooses to carry on with his work while a custodian keeps on watch. In his drawing, he sketches a dungeon scene where Beans the Cat encounters a goblin. Weary for working several hours continuously, the animator decides to take a little snooze. Before ending the session, he draws a steel barricade between the two characters to prevent the goblin from reaching Beans. Suddenly, the goblin comes to life and pulls him into the drawing. The goblin carries the animator away, heading somewhere beyond the scene.

Shocked and terrified, the animator tries in vain to break out of the goblin's grasp. He is then brought into a mystic chamber where painted portraits of various villains are displayed on the walls. The villains happened to be the animator's creations as well as those of his colleagues. They too come to life and emerge from their illustrations. As revenge for how he and other cartoonists made them get subdued in the end of each film, the villains give the animator a pencil and force him to draw a deep pit in the floor where they toss him inside. Upon falling in, the animator holds onto a branch, trying to avoid being devoured by the crocodile at the bottom.

Back at the scene still being worked on, Beans still stands behind the barricade, boredly waiting for his artist to come back. Just then, Little Kitty comes to him, offering a lunchbox. Beans is expecting food but is a little surprised to find a saw in the bread. He uses it to cut his way out of the metal fence. Finally freeing himself, he goes around to find his animator.

In no time, Beans finds the chamber where his animator is being tormented. To intervene, he hurls a boot at the goblin, luring the villains away as they try to capture him. Beans manages to lose them somehow when he returns to the place to rescue the troubled man. The animator then receives a pencil from Beans and draws a ladder to climb out the pit. When the villains return, Beans squirts grease from a grease gun between the room's entrance and the pit. The villains slide on the grease mess and fall into the hole, except for the goblin, who attempts to escape from the hole, but is punched by the angry animator into it. To vanquish them for good, the animator removes the hole with an eraser. Beans and the animator shake hands for a work well done.

It turns out that what the animator went through was merely a dream, as he is awaken by the custodian. To his relief, he finds the drawing on his desk unchanged. Not wanting to recall his experience, the animator erases the goblin and the steel barricade, leaving only Beans in the picture. As a compliment to his little friend, he draws a platter with gelatin on top for Beans to eat.

Analysis

According to animation historian Michael Samerdyke, some classic Hollywood cartoons from the 1930s are “too scary for children” and _A Cartoonist's Nightmare_ is one of them. He finds it to be a “very inventive” and interesting cartoon.[3] Samerdyke notes that Beans the Cat had previously appeared in _I Haven't Got a Hat_ (1935) as a tough little kitten. _A Cartoonist's Nightmare_ casts Beans into the role of a hero.[4] This gives “a nice heroic moment” for a character with a rather brief film career. Beans would not stay for long within the cast of characters of Warner Bros. Cartoons.[5]

To Samerdyke, the main villain of the short (described as the goblin above) more closely resembles a gorilla.[6] The rest of the villains seem to reside in the Villain Department of the studio. They sing their own villainous song: “The tables are turned and now you are in our clutches”. It is sung to the tune of “The Teddy Bears' Picnic” (1907).[7] The villains plan to dispose of the anonymous cartoonist, while Beans comes to the rescue. Beans is in effect rescuing his own creator. The cartoonist rewards him by drawing some ice cream and allowing the cat to enjoy it.[8]

The film's setting is an animated cartoon studio. Samerdyke notes that the building is depicted in a state of severe disrepair. It somewhat resembles a prison. Samerdyke speculates that these elements of the film could reflect the actual working conditions of the animators employed by Leon Schlesinger.[9] The film features interactions between a cartoonist and a living, sentient cartoon character (Beans). In this way it resembles (and foreshadows) _Duck Amuck_ (1953) and _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ (1988).[10]

Terry Lindvall and Matthew Melton have included this film in an analysis of reflexive cartoons, those whose narrative reveals something about the art of animation and filmmaking. The writers find that Jack King's _A Cartoonist's Nightmare_ clearly draws a portrait of what animators feel about their craft.[11] The opening scenes are telling. The scenes of the staff leaving the animation resemble crazy people leaving an asylum. The wife of the cartoonist attempts to pull him away from his work and fails. He is obsessively devoted to his work and claims that he has to “finish tonight”. He eventually falls asleep at his own drawing board.[12]

The cartoonist is pulled into the cartoon by a wicked character of his own creation. Lindvall and Melton find this scene to resemble a segment of _Twilight Zone: The Movie_ (1983), “It's a Good Life” directed by Joe Dante. In this segment a live-action character is incarcerated in a cartoon television program.[13] As the villain (described as a “hairy monster” by the writers), drags the captive cartoonist through the corridors of the studio, various sections are seen. Among them a gag department, a story department, a music department. The cartoon villains occupy a dungeon-like section of their own.[14]

Regarding the depiction of the other villains, each has been assigned a number of their own. For example, “Battling Barney” is #20 and “Dirty Dan” is #130. These characters have apparently been created by the cartoonist, products of his imagination. And they have reasons to resent him. They sing to him: “It's our turn. Now you are in our clutches! We are creations from your pen, it's in your hands we lie; you always manage to have us sin, now by your own hand you die.” [15] The characters blame their creator for causing them to commit sins. They seem to argue that they are not inherently bad people, they have been drawn that way. A sentiment echoed in another film by Jessica Rabbit.[16]

Availability

-   _Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6_

[1]

[2]

[3] Samerdyke (2013), 1935, pp. unnumbered pages

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11] Lindvall, Melton (2012), pp. 71-72

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

title: A Cartoonist's Nightmare

question: What is the animator's role in the story?

answer: The entire situation is a dream of the animator's own creation. He draws the dungeon scene with Beans the cat and the goblins. He has the power to create and destroy in the dream, being forced to draw a deep pit in the floor where he's tossed inside and erasing the hole with an eraser later on trapping the goblins inside.

question: What imagery is prominent in the story?

answer: The story is filled with dark, ominous imagery. The story takes place in a dungeon drawn by the animator. The antagonists are evil goblins. The animator is "shocked and terrified" and is being "tormented." He's kept in a "mystic chamber where painted portraits of various villains are displayed on the walls," which come to life to antagonize the animator. When forced to draw a pit where he's thrown in, the animator dangles above a perilous crocodile ready to devour him.

question: What influences from real life does the story integrate?

answer: The film's setting is an animated cartoon studio. It's depicted in a state of severe disrepair and somewhat resembles a prison. These elements of the film could reflect the actual working conditions of the animators employed by Schlesinger. If not literally, it could represent how they felt about their jobs. The scenes depict staff resembling crazy people leaving an asylum. The wife of the cartoonist attempts to pull him away from his work and fails. He is obsessively devoted to his work claiming he has to finish tonight, but eventually falls asleep at his drawing board. The villain drags the cartoonist through the corridors of the studio, we see a gag department, a story department, and a music department. The place is a dungeon.

question: Why does Beans the Cat not last as a character of Warner Bros. Cartoons?


text:
JUTTA ALLMENDINGER (born September 26, 1956 in Mannheim) is a German sociologist. She is the President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and a Professor of Educational Sociology and Labor Market Research at Humboldt University. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.[1][2]

Education

Allmendinger studied sociology and social psychology at the University of Mannheim and sociology, economics and statistics at the University of Madison, Wisconsin. In 1989, she earned her Ph.D. in social studies at Harvard University.

Career

Allmendinger worked at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin from 1988 and 1991, followed by an employment at Harvard Business School (1991/92). From 1992 to 2007, she was a full Professor of Sociology at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (on leave from 2003 to 2007). She also served as director of the Institute of Employment Research (IAB) at the Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg from 2003 until 2007. Between 1999 and 2002 she was chairperson of the German Sociological Association.[3]

In April 2007 she became President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and was appointed Professor of Educational Sociology and Labour Market Research at Humboldt University. Since 2012 she is also Honorary Professor of Sociology at Free University of Berlin.

Research

Her research interests focus on social inequality, education, and labor markets.

Role in German politics

Allmendinger is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).[4] When Federal President Joachim Gauck announced in June 2016 that he would not be available for reelection, Allmendinger was soon mentioned by German media as likely successor.[5][6]

Recently, she was appointed as chair of the Zukunftsrat of the Hesse State (inaugurated by Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel) and to the German government's so-called “coal commission”, which is tasked to develop a master plan on how to phase-out coal as an energy source and create a new economic perspective for the country's coal-mining regions.[7][8]

Memberships

Jutta Allmendinger serves in numerous advisory boards in Germany and abroad. Between 2006 and 2012 she was a member of the Scientific Commission of the German Council of Sciences and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat),[9] between 2007 and 2011 of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation established by the German government. In addition to that, she was a member of the advisory board of the Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Migration, Refugees and Integration, Maria Böhmer. Allmendinger was also a member of the High Level Economic Expert Group “Innovation for Growth” (I4G) of the European Commission (2012-2014). Since 2016 she has been a member of the supervisory board of the Berlin City Cleaning (BSR), and since 2017 she has been the Co-Editor of the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”.[10][11]

Allmendinger is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).

Awards

Jutta Allmendinger has received a number of awards: DAAD-Scholarship for postgraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA (1983/84), Krupp Fellowship (1986), Harvard Dissertation Merit Fellowship (1987/88), Award of the “Münchener Universitätsgesellschaft” for extraordinary achievements in teaching (1996), Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA, USA (1996-1997), Award of the “Deutscher Frauenring” (2003), Communicator Award (Stifterverband, 2009), Berlin Women Award (2011), “TUM Distinguished Affiliate Professorship” of the Technical University of Munich (2011), Berlin Order of Merit (2012), Soroptimist International German Promotional Award (2012), Waldemar-von Knoeringen Award (2012), Schader Award of the Schader Foundation (2013), Honorary Doctorate of the University of Tampere (2014), Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies of Harvard University (2015), Marsilius-Medal of the Heidelberg University (2016), Helge-Pross-Award of the University of Siegen (2017). Allmendinger was awarded with the Thomas Mann Fellowship 2018 of Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann House e.V.[12]

Selected publications

-   Allmendinger, Jutta (2017): Das Land, in dem wir leben wollen. Wie die Deutschen sich ihre Zukunft vorstellen_._ München: Pantheon.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta/Ellen von den Driesch (2015): An Ever Closer Union among the Peoples of Europe? Rising Inequalities in the EU and their Social, Economic and Political Impacts – Outcomes of EU-funded Research_._ Brüssel: European Commission.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta (2012): Schulaufgaben. Wie wir das Bildungssystem verändern müssen, um unseren Kindern gerecht zu werden. München: Pantheon.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta/Andreas Hirseland/Wolfgang Ludwig-Mayerhofer/Werner Schneider (2011): The Power of Money in Dual Earner Couples – A Comparative Study. Acta Sociologica 54 (4), pp. 365–381.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta (2010): Verschenkte Potenziale? Lebensverläufe nicht erwerbstätiger Frauen. Frankfurt a.M./New York: Campus.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta (2009): Frauen auf dem Sprung. Wie junge Frauen heute leben wollen. München: Pantheon.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta/Stephan Leibfried (2003): Education and the Welfare State: The Four Worlds of Competence Production. European Journal of Social Policy_,_ 13 (1), pp. 63–81.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta/Thomas Hinz (Eds.) (2002): Organisationssoziologie. Sonderband Nr. 42 der Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta/J. Richard Hackman/Erin V. Lehman (1996): Life and Work in Symphony Orchestras. Musical Quarterly_,_ 80 (2), pp. 194–219.
-   Allmendinger, Jutta (1989): Career Mobility Dynamics. A Comparative Analysis of the United States, Norway, and West Germany. Berlin: Edition Sigma.

[1]

[2]  Center for European Studies at Harvard University|last=University|first=Harvard|date=2018-08-17|website=Center for European Studies at Harvard University|language=en-us|access-date=2018-08-17}}

[3]

[4] Allmendinger soll ins Schattenkabinett _Der Spiegel_, May 18, 2009.

[5] Florian Gathmann (May 27, 2016), Gesucht: die neue Nummer eins _Spiegel Online_.

[6] Hans Monath and Cordula Eubel (June 6, 2016), Gauck-Nachfolger: Das Karussell der Kandidaten _Tagesspiegel_.

[7]

[8] Andreas Franke (June 6, 2018), Germany launches commission tasked to develop coal exit masterplan _S&P Global Platts_.

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

title: Jutta Allmendinger

question: Who is Jutta Allmendinger?

answer: Jutta Allmendinger is a German sociologist and President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Professor of Educational Sociology and Labor Market Research at Humboldt University, and Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.

question: From which universities did Allmendinger study?

answer: She studied at the University of Mannheim, the University of Madison, Wisconsin, and Harvard University.

question: What were her fields of study?

answer: She studied sociology, social psychology, economics, statistics, and social studies.

question: What does her research focus on?

answer: Her research focuses on social inequality, education, and labor markets.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Jutta Allmendinger is a German sociologist and President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Professor of Educational Sociology and Labor Market Research at Humboldt University, and Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.


text:
 A lone man stands with the only mind that knows the full story. With eyes covered in tears, he looks to the beach of the reservoir; to his surprise he had left no footprints in the sediment. Not that it mattered.
 His thoughts, as unfocused as they were, had one thing in common, what lied in front of him.

At least once in every man’s life, he will reach a problem that he cannot explain. Whether or not this problem is self-inflicted isn’t important, what is important is how he tries to solve it.

Much like other men he turned to those who have never helped him before, those whose faces have never been seen, and voices never heard.

The man laid down his head and whispered:

          Oh supreme, who has seen my Struggle
          Who has seen my truths and tale
          Oh supreme who helps those who deserve it not
          Who gives wealth to those who need the wrought
          Oh supreme who as heard all
          But only listened to the greedy
          Not the needy
          Oh supreme will you give me the knowledge
          Or shall I stay alone as always

He received no answer.

Looking at the body that lied before him, he felt only the purest fear. He looked at the dull eyes, the eyes that used to see, and glisten, but now are pale and only see death.
The torso showed twelve lumps could be seen on each side, and the waist has not seen nourishment for many days prior to the death. Inside the most expensive of shoes, two feet twisted in unnatural ways.

These were the same shoes the living man had worn, and with those shoes they both had the same suit hanging on their body.

With further observation one could tell that the man first broke his ankles, and with no motivation did not crawl to help. For it is not uncommon for the greatest of men to fall, and never to get back up.

title: Oh Supreme- Open to Criticism

question: Who does the narrator pray to?

answer: The narrator prays to supreme.

question: Are the narrator's prayers answered?

answer: No, the narrator's prayers are not answered.

question: What did the narrator find in front of him?

answer: The narrator found a body.

question: How did the dead man die?

answer: The dead man broke his ankles and then starved to death.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator finds a body and prays for help understanding it. The body seems strange, and the victim did not try and find help.


text:
NSVS 14256825, also known as V1828 AQUILAE, is an eclipsing binary system (of the Algol type) in the constellation of Aquila. The system comprises an eclipsing subdwarf OB star and red dwarf star. The two stars orbit each other every 2.648976 hours.[1] Based on the stellar parallax of the system, observed by _Gaia_, the system is located approximately 2,700 light-years (840 parsecs) away.[2]

Eclipse timing variations

Based on variations in the timing of the system's eclipses, in 2012 it was claimed that two giant planets were in orbit around the binary, with masses of 2.9 and 8.1 times the mass of Jupiter orbiting with periods of 3.5 and 6.9 years respectively.[3] The proposed system was later shown to be extremely unstable, lasting less than a thousand years (i.e., much shorter than the age of the system); more observations are needed.

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: NSVS 14256825

question: What other name does NSVS 14256825 have?

answer: NSVS 14256825 is also known as V1828 Aquilae.

question: What type of eclipsing binary system is NSVS 14256825?

answer: NSVS 14256825 is an Algol type eclipsing binary system.

question: What constellation is NSVS 14256825 a part of?

answer: NSVS 14256825 is a part of the Aquila constellation.

question: How often do the stars in NSVS 14256825 orbit each other?

answer: The stars in NSVS 14256825 orbit each other every 2.648976 hours.

question: What spacecraft was used to determine the distance to NSVS 14256825?

answer: The Gaia spacecraft was used to determine the distance to NSVS 14256825.

question: How many planets does the proposed system have?

answer: The proposed system has two planets in it.

question: What are the masses of the proposed planets?

answer: The masses of the proposed planets are 2.9 and 8.1 times the mass of Jupiter.

question: What problem does the proposed system have?

answer: The problem with the proposed system is that it is highly unstable, lasting less than a thousand years.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: NSVS 14256825 is a binary star system in the Aquila constellation. Based on observations it is roughly 2,700 light years away, and the system may contain two large planets. However, when modeled the theoretical system is unstable, so more observations are needed.


text:
WILLIAM HENRY BALGARNIE (12 May 1869 – c. July 1951) was a schoolmaster at Elmfield College, Woodbridge School and The Leys School, and was the inspiration for the character Mr. Chips in the book _Goodbye, Mr. Chips_, written by one of his students at The Leys, James Hilton.[1]

Life

He was born at Woolwich. He was the son of a Presbyterian minister, Balgarnie studied at and taught at Elmfield College before going to The Leys. In the 1890s he gathered with other Old Elmfieldians in London for a country walk followed by tea, which was invariably accompanied with recitations and ballads around the piano.

Balgarnie was the first Elmfieldian M.A. (1891), and went from Elmfield to Fowey Grammar School, in Cornwall.[2]

In 1894, Balgarnie was awarded a sizarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, from which he duly exited with a first-class Honours degree in classics.[3] There he met W. W. Gibberd, the mathematician, through the Cambridge University Hare and Hounds, the cross-country club.

What must be unique to Balgarnie is that he was followed at Trinity by his _elder_ brother, Edward, who entered Trinity in 1897 at the age of 30. From 1898 - 1900 he worked as an Assistant Master at Woodbridge school. And from 1900 till 1929 he was an Assistant and House Master at Leys school, and for 1 year he served as a Deputy Head Master(1929 - 1930).[4]

He was associated with three universities - he had M.A.s from London and Cambridge, and had worked for a year or two as anassistant Professor of Greek at Glasgow University under the young Gilbert Murray. His academic output included translations of Sophocles, Euripides and Lysias. He edited classical works, including Xenophon Anabasis.

At The Leys School in Cambridge he was senior classical master, and, for a short period, deputy head master, over a period of more than fifty years.[5]

He died at Porthmadog, Wales, after a heart attack.[6][7]

Leysian links with Elmfield College

Sir Dyson Mallinson was a governor at both Elmfield and The Leys.

Balgarnie was educated at and himself taught at Elmfield. One Elmfieldian who followed him to The Leys was Harold Rose.[8]

In popular culture

Among Balgarnie's students was James Hilton, who said he based the character Mr. Chipping in his novel _Goodbye Mr. Chips_ on Balgarnie.[9]

[1] Timothy Carroll, Who was the real Mr Chips?, _The Daily Telegraph_, 9 December 2002

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6] Milestones, _Time magazine_, 30 July 1951

[7] Obituary, _The Times_, 2 Aug 1951

[8]

[9] 2002 _Telegraph_ article on _Goodbye, Mr. Chipps_

title: William Henry Balgarnie

question: Who was William Henry Balgarnie?

answer: He was a schoolmaster at a couple of schools and was the inspiration behind the character Mr. Chips in the book Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

question: How many Masters Degrees does Balgarnie have?

answer: He has two, from London and Cambridge.

question: What kind of books did Balgarnie write?

answer: He translated classics written by Sophocles, Euripides, and Lysias.

question: What is the official cause of Balgarnie's death?

answer: He died of a heart attack.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
William Henry Balgarnie was a schoolmaster at Elmfield College, Woodbridge School and The Leys School. He is the inspiration behind the character Mr. Chips in the book Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

Balgarnie has dealings with three universities and had two Masters Degree from London and Cambridge. He also translated a couple of classics from Sophocles, Euripides, and so on.

Balgarnie died at Porthmadog, Wales, after a heart attack.


text:
[]

AP

The Chargers sent a pretty clear message about the defensive players that made their initial 53-man roster with a flurry of roster moves on Sunday: They weren’t good enough.

The team announced all of those moves on Sunday afternoon, including the addition of linebacker Terrell Manning. Manning was waived by the Packers on Saturday and he now joins defensive tackle Drake Nevis, defensive lineman Sean Lissemore and linebacker Reggie Walker as new faces on the Chargers defense.

Manning was a fifth-round pick for the Packers last season and had three tackles in five games of mostly special teams work for Green Bay. He couldn’t win a backup spot with them this year, but the Chargers are clearly looking for players to impress them on defense so he’ll have the opportunity for one in San Diego.

Linebacker D.J. Smith, a former Packers teammate of Manning’s, and defensive end Brandon Moore were released and defensive end Damik Scafe was placed on injured reserve to make room for Nevis, Lissemore and Manning. Walker has agreed to terms with the Chargers and the team will need to open another roster spot when he formally signs his deal.

The Chargers also announced tackle Nick Becton, linebacker Thomas Keiser and cornerback Marcus Cromartie have joined the practice squad.

question: What are the Chargers?

answer: They are an American Football Team?

question: What did the Chargers do?

answer: They changed their initial lineup to improve their defensive line.

question: How did the Changers change the lineup?

answer: Some players were released, one was placed on injured reserved. The opened slots where filled with new players.

question: What did these changes imply?

answer: That the original lineup of the Chargers had a weak defense.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Chargers announced changes to improve the defense of their initial 53-man roster.


text: Elliott awoke in his bed. Not quite sober, not quite drunk. Being a 25 year old neanderthal is simple, in his own mind, but arduous in the worlds mind. Upon placing his feet halfway on the floor he pondered if he should start his day, or end his day. Both ended in the same outcome of misery. With his head full of half stars he started his day,thinking about his failures as well as grandiose ideas of the day to come. He slid on his shoes and clothed himself the way he did yesterday, or anyday prior as far as he was concerned. He peered into the vacant window of his failures as he sipped his Irish coffee, contemplating on if he should start his day. There was never really any choice, anyway. He humbly yet stressfully lulled his way into his job, wondering why. He took his old cutless to work, thinking along the way of his failures. The flask in his inned jacket pocket, beating louder than his heart, reassured him of his confusion. Whilst passing beautiful women along his comute, he couldn't help but think of what could've been, The luxury of no anxiety, the freedom of his mind, and why he couldn't get his damn oil changed. As he strolled into his mundane job, the flask beat loudly as he imagined it in his blood stream. But his anxiety helped him carry on into his cubicle. He could see the poeticness of it, but chose to ignore it as his glee-full co-workers passed him by. He confusingly had an innermonolouge, but to hell with it, at least I have my flask, as he thought as he took a swig, How can a sell this nonsense to others, he thought. As sad as he was, he was the most enlightened one in this prison, or so he thought. He took a heroic swig from his flask and stared blankly at his monitor. "I'm not better than this", he thought. He jumped heart first into his workday, his flask of a heart picking up pace. He certainly had a case of the Fridays. The Fridays filled with booze and sorrow. He fumbled through his logic and decided that it was time for sleep. He stood up, strolled out of his office hoping someone would pick up on his aura, but no one did other than the rotating door upon his exit. As he decended down the stairs, he couldn't help but feel this was a soliloquy for his life. Down, down, down. Step after step until he reached the exit, The relief, the agony, the purity hit him at once, At that moment he fantasized that everything was not going to be alright, even though it was. During his ride back "home", he contemplated not life, but the actions in it. And in that pure moment he felt happiness, The happiness that only happens in commercials. It was okay. Today was okay, Tomorrow was a mystery, and he took solace in that. Finally, a half smile showed on his face. He had found his love, The love for the unknown. Praise be to his gods.

title: Feedback would be nice.

question: Describe Elliott's vice.

answer: He seems to be an alcoholic.

question: Is alcohol permitted at Elliott's workplace?

answer: Presumably not, as he goes to lengths to hide his flask.

question: Identify an example of figurative language used in the piece.

answer: "He jumped heart first into his workday, his flask of a heart picking up pace" is an example of figurative language. His heart did not literally jump before the rest of him, not is his heart literally a flask.


text:
“GUTEN TAG” is a 2002 song by German band Wir sind Helden. It was first released on an EP of the same title in 2002 and one year later as the first single of their debut album _Die Reklamation_. It was composed by Jean-Michel Tourette, Judith Holofernes and Pola Roy while the lyrics were written by Holofernes. The title is German for GOOD DAY.

Song information

“Guten Tag” criticises commodification.[1] In the lyrics, Holofernes tells a story in which she was blinded by the glittering world of consumption making her want everything she sees and changing her life for them (_“Meine Stimme gegen ein Mobiltelefon, meine Fäuste gegen eure Nagelpflegelotion.../My voice for a mobile phone, my fists for your manicure lotion...”_). These statements are all paradoxes as she always offers parts of her body or life she would need to have to use the products she demands. However, in the refrain, she soon realises that all these things do not make her happy after all which makes her demand her life back (_“An dem Produkt ist was kaputt - das ist die Reklamation/There is something wrong with this product - this is the complaint”_). “The complaint” would also be the title of the album the single is taken from. Informally, the song itself is also referred to by this name.

Excerpt

_Guten Tag, guten Tag ich will mein Leben zurück_
_Ich tausch nicht mehr, ich will mein Leben zurück_
_Guten Tag, ich gebe zu ich war am Anfang entzückt_
_Aber euer Leben zwickt und drückt nur dann nicht wenn man sich bückt_
_Guten Tag!_

English translation

Hello, hello, I want my life back_
_I'm not swapping any more, I want my life back_
_Hello, I'll admit at first I was delighted_
_But your life itches and twitches unless you bend over_
_Hello!''

Music video

The music video does not directly reflect the content of the song but shows the band's way to the first album in an ironic way. The whole clip is shown as a comic strip and at the beginning it presents Wir sind Helden as a teen band (their ages are indicated as 16, 18, 14) during their rehearsals.[2] Judith announces that she has just written a song, which is “Guten Tag” and the other band members love it. While the band plays the music, a stereotyped record producer enters the room saying “That is fresh!” while he thinks “Criticism of consumption + sex = €”. He offers them a record contract but they first turn it down (Mark Tavassol says “The music industry sucks”). Later, they accept it after all getting blinded by their expectations of the show business. The music video can be seen as an answer to the critics who stated that criticism of commodification is never authentic when commercially released.

Commercial success

The single entered the German single charts where it peaked at number 53. It stayed in the top 100 for eight weeks.[3] However, based on the high album sales, “Guten Tag” received heavy airplay in Germany.[4] Based on chart positions, it is the third most successful single of the band's debut album (following “Denkmal” and “Aurélie”). The single did not chart in any other country. It also appeared in the soundtrack of the game FIFA 04

Cover versions

Pop punk band, +44, covered their song in English for an iTunes Foreign Exchange EP.

Track list

The regular single included the original studio version of the song, a remix, the music video and a making of video. Furthermore, a remix of another album track - “Die Zeit heilt alle Wunder” - was included. The EP included also the follow-up singles “Müssen nur wollen” and “Denkmal” as well as the album track “Du erkennst mich nicht wieder” and the non-album track “Alphamännchen”.

EP

1.  “Guten Tag” – 3:36
2.  “Müssen nur wollen” – 3:35
3.  “Du erkennst mich nicht wieder” – 4:56
4.  “Denkmal” – 3:18
5.  “Alphamännchen”

Single

1.  “Guten Tag” – 3:36
2.  “Guten Tag (Ich bin Jean) ” – 4:22
3.  “Die Zeit heilt alle Wunder” (Homerecording, extended Aaaaaargh-version) – 4:45
4.  “Guten Tag” (video)
5.  “Guten Tag” (making of)

Reception

Overall, “Guten Tag” was a success with the critics. Most of them compared the song to German music of the 1980s (“Neue Deutsche Welle” and praised the clever and original lyrics.[5] However, some critics stated that the anti-commercial content of the song is not very authentic as it never can be on a commercially released album or single.[6]

An English version of Guten Tag was recorded in 2007 by the band +44. The meaning is relayed the same however the lyrics have been changed for a better North American reception.

Credits and personnel

-   Produced, recorded and mixed by Patrik Majer
-   Vocals and guitar by Judith Holofernes
-   Bass guitar by Mark Tavassol
-   Keyboards by Jean-Michel Tourette
-   Drums by Pola Roy

[1] Ich will Spass: CD-Check von “Wir sind Helden - Guten Tag - Müssen nur wollen - Aurelie - Die Reklamation” (Neue Deutsche Welle)

[2]

[3] Charts-Surfer: Suchergebnis

[4]  Ausgabe 'Konsum' |access-date=2008-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323065833/http://www.fluter.de/de/konsum/lesen/4544/ |archive-date=2008-03-23 |url-status=dead }}

[5]

[6]

title: Guten Tag

question: Summarize everything relating to the song's recording history.

answer: The original version of the song appears on an EP of the same title and as a single off the band's debut album, Die Reklamation. A remix appears on the single track list. Pop punk band +44 recorded a cover version of the song for an iTunes Foreign Exchange EP.

question: What does the article say about the song's theme of consumption?

answer: The song criticizes commodification. The lyrics depict a story about changing ones life for the glittering world of consumption. The song has been criticized as inauthentic, considering despite its anti-commercial content it was released commercially. The music video parodies this, with a record producer stating that "criticism of consumption + sex = €".

question: What does the article say about the song's reception?

answer: The song peaked at number 53 on the German singles charts and stayed in the top 100 for eight weeks. It is the third most successful single off the band's debut album but it did not chart in any other country. It was a critical success, praised for its clever and original lyrics. Some critics found the song's anti-commercial content to be inauthentic.

question: What does the article say about Wir sind Helden's follow-up album to Die Reklamation?


text:
[Najaf, 2017] [Najaf, 2017] NAJAF () or AL-NAJAF AL-ASHRAF (), also known as BANIQIA () is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2013 was 1,000,000 people.[1] It is the capital of Najaf Governorate. It is widely considered the third holiest city of Shia Islam (after Mecca and Medina), the Shi'ite world's spiritual capital, and the center of Shi'ite political power in Iraq.

Religious significance

Al-Najaf is considered sacred by Shi'a Muslims. An-Najaf is renowned as the site of the burial place of Muhammad's son in law and cousin, Imam ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib. The city is now a center of pilgrimage throughout the Shi'ite Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. As the burial site of Shi'i Islam's second most important figure,[2] the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shiites as the third holiest Islamic site.

The Imam ‘Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, the largest in the world.[3] It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised from the dead with Imām ‘Alī on Judgement Day. Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and convents were built around the shrine to make the city the center of Shīʻa learning and theology.

The Al-Najaf seminary is one of the most important teaching centres in the Islamic world. Ayatollah Khomeini lectured there from 1964 to 1978.[4] Many of the leading figures of the new Islamic movement that emerged in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon in the 1970s had studied at Najaf.[5]

Najaf, alongside Karbala, is considered a thriving pilgrimage destination for Shia muslims and the pilgrimage industry in the city boomed after the end of Saddam Hussein's rule.[6] However, due to the US sanctions on Iran, the number of Iranian pilgrims dropped significantly.[7]

Geography

Climate

Najaf has a hot desert climate, _BWh_ in the Köppen climate classification, with long, very hot summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature is 23.6 °C. The rainfall averages 69 mm.

History

The area of An-Najaf is located 30 km south of the ancient city of Babylon, and 400 km north of the ancient city of Ur. The city itself was founded in 791 [AD], by the Abbasid Caliph Harūn ar-Rashīd, as a shrine to ‘Alī bin Abī Ṭālib.[8]

Prehistoric and ancient times

[View of the city of Najaf, ca. 1914] [Men at Najaf during a religious festival, ca. 1914] [Masjid al-Imam ‘Ali in 1932.]

Archaeological discoveries show the existence of a populace dating back to the 1st century BC. Najaf possesses one of the largest burial grounds in the vicinity for Christians. The centuries following have proven this to also be a city with a multicultural and religious people. Mohammed al-Mayali, director of Inspectorate Effects of the province of Najaf, states "the excavation on the graves, which we have been working on for years, confirm that “Najaf” contains the largest Christian cemetery in Iraq, with a cemetery area of 1416 acres. We have found indications of Christianity on the graves through representations of crosses and stones with Christ-like engravings. There are also relics that date back to the Sassanid period. Also discovered in the excavation was proof of a thriving glass industry. Pots were decorated with the cross. as well as Hebrew writings, indicating a community of religious coexistence."

Wadi-us-Salaam in Najaf was a holy cemetery for Jewish and was Najaf called at that time Baniqia, and could be this is the first name of Najaf area.[9] [10]

The name Baniqia also was found in some texts which tell that in one day Abraham visited this village and stayed couple of days, then he continued in his journey from Mesopotamia to Arabia. [11] [12]

In Islam, the city is considered to have started with Ali who instructed that his burial place should remain a secret, as he had many enemies and he feared that his body might be subjected to some indignity. According to legend, the body of Ali was placed on a camel which was driven from Kufah. The camel stopped a few miles west of the city where the body was secretly buried.[13] No tomb was raised and nobody knew of the burial place except for a few trusted people. It is narrated that more than a hundred years later the Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, went deer hunting outside Kufah, and the deer sought sanctuary at a place where the hounds would not pursue it. On inquiry as to why the place was a sanctuary Harūn ar-Rashīd, he was told that it was the burial place of ‘Ali. Harūn ar-Rashīd ordered a mausoleum to be built on the spot and in due course the town of Najaf grew around the mausoleum.

Medieval and modern history

In early 14th century Sheikh Ibn Battuta visited the burial site of Ali ibn Abi Talib during his travels in Iraq after his pilgrimage to Mecca. During this period Najaf was called Meshhed Ali. As Translated by Samuel Lee, Ibn Battuta in his Arabic _Rihla_ relates:[14]

In the 16th century, Najaf was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Safavid dynasty of Iran maintained continuous interest to this Shia site. During the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–39), they were twice able to capture the city, but lost it again to the Ottomans in 1638.

Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Najaf experienced severe difficulties as the result of repeated raids by Arab desert tribes and the Persian army with acute water shortages causing lack of a reliable water supply. The number of inhabited houses in the city had plummeted from 3,000 to just 30 by the start of the 16th century.

When the Portuguese traveller Pedro Texeira passed through Najaf in 1604, he found the city in ruins, inhabited by little more than 500 people.[15] This was largely the result of a change in the course of the Euphrates river eastwards in the direction of Hilla, leaving Najaf and Kufa high and dry, leading to the destruction of the local formerly rich agriculture, demise of the palm groves and orchards, followed by the salinization of the underground water due to evaporation.

During the 18th century the scholarly life of Najaf came to be dominated by Farsi-speaking ‘Ulema’ (, Scholars) from Iran.[16]

The water shortages were finally resolved in 1803 when the Euphrates made its way to the city once again. The shift in the river's flow was the product of a century-long effort by the Ottomans to shift the flow of the river, so as to deprive marsh-dwelling tribes like the Khaza'il of the watery environment that allowed them to evade state control. These long-term efforts rendered successful the construction of the Hindiyya Canal in 1793, which further shifted the flow of the Euphrates. These hydrological shifts were to have religious implications. Most notable was the consolidation and spread of Shi'ism. As the shrine city of Najaf gained access to water again, its notables and holy men began to wield considerable power in the area.[17]

The Ottomans were expelled in an uprising in 1915, following which the city fell under the rule of the British Empire. The sheikhs of Najaf rebelled in 1918, killing the British governor of the city, that is Sayyed Mahdi Al-Awadi, and cutting off grain supplies to the Anaza, a tribe allied with the British. In retaliation the British besieged the city and cut off its water supply. The rebellion was put down and the rule of the sheikhs was forcibly ended. A great number of the Shi‘i ‘Ulema’ were expelled into Persia, where they set the foundations for the rise of the city of Qom as the center of the Shi‘ite learning and authority, in lieu of Najaf. Najaf lost its religious primacy to Qom, and was not to regain it until the 21st century, during the establishment of a Shī‘ī-majority government in Iraq after 2003.

Post–Saddam Hussein period

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Najaf was a key target of the invading United States forces. The city was encircled during heavy fighting on 26 March 2003 and was captured on 3 April 2003.

The clerical authorities of the Shī‘ī enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, which claimed autonomy in April 2003, after the fall of Baghdad, claimed to be taking their orders from senior clerics in Najaf.

On 4 April 2004, the Mahdi Army attacked the Spanish-Salvadoran-ALARNG base (Camp Golf, later renamed Camp Baker) in An Najaf, part of a coordinated uprising across central and southern Iraq in an apparent attempt to seize control of the country ahead of the 30 June 2004 handover of power to a new Iraqi government. This uprising led to the American troops arriving in the city in the wake of the Spanish withdrawal. In August 2004, heavy fighting broke out again between US forces and Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The battle lasted three weeks and ended when senior Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah ‘Alī Al-Sīstānī negotiated an end to the fighting.

[1]

[2] _Never Again! _ ShiaNews.com

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] Bryan Hill. [“Wadi Al-Salam: Magnificent Ancient Cemetery in Iraq is Largest in the World”], _Ancient Origins_, 23 July 2018.

[11] Brendan Koerner. [“Why Is Najaf So Holy?”], _Slate_, 27 April 2004.

[12] Imam Ali Holy Shrine. [“Baniqia Article ID 4648”], _Imam Ali Network_ .

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16] Yitzhak Nakash, _The Shi'as of Iraq_ (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994) p. 16

[17]

title: Najaf

question: How would Najaf be different if Imam ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib had been buried in another city?

answer: It might not be considered as sacred, as it would not contain the third holiest Islamic site.

question: How could the US increase pilgrimage to Najaf?

answer: By lifting sanctions on Iran.


text:
Introduction

    The sound of the wind blowing through the trees was deafening. It was not quite a storm, or even inclement weather conditions. It was mostly just the way the trees were lined up. It was almost as if they were strategically planted in each spot for this reason. Imagine the wind as a pinball and the trees as the little pegs and fancy things throughout the pinball machine. The wind just bounced left and right and back and forth off of the trees until it made it through to the field beyond the woods.

Conclusion

    The end.

title: Really short short story.

question: What is this story about?

answer: Wind whistling through trees.

question: How does the author describe the wind?

answer: They describe the wind as a pinball and the trees as the pegs and other fancy parts of the pinball machine.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author describes the wind whistling through the trees during a storm.


text:
_HYDROMORPHUS_ is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae.[1]

Geographic range

The genus _Hydromorphus_ is endemic to Central America.[2]

Species

Two species are recognized as being valid.[3]

-   _Hydromorphus concolor_
-   _Hydromorphus dunni_

Etymology

The specific name, _dunni_, is in honor of American herpetologist Emmett Reid Dunn.[4]

[1] .

[2]

[3]

[4] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). _The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles_. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (_Hydromorphus dunni_, p. 77).

title: Hydromorphus

question: What is hydromophus?

answer: It is a genus of snakes.

question: What is the geographic range of hydromophus?

answer: This genus is endemic to Central America.

question: List two species of hydromophus.

answer: Hydromorphus concolor and Hydromorphus dunni.

question: What is the etymology of Hydromorphus dunni?

answer: It was named in honor of American herpetologist Emmett Reid Dunn.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A short article on the hydromophu, a genus of snakes.


text:
_By Annie Aggarwal_

_Photography: Courtesy World Wide Web_

_READ TIME: 1 MIN 30 SECS_

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| ["living room hyderabad residence moriq architects indiaartndesign"]  |
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| _©Moriq Architects_                                                   |
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Have your needs outdone your space? Or are you just plain bored with the way your spaces look and feel? Basically, do you feel the strong urge to redecorate but don’t know how? Check out what we have in store for you…

‘Uplift the humdrum areas of your home into enriching everyday spaces’ is no longer easier said than done. Whilst choices are aplenty, especially with internet baffling you with supposedly ‘new’ designs, a little pragmatic assistance can go a long way in picking furniture, floors and walls to create spaces that reflect individual aesthetic sensibilities.

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| ["living room paris apt diff studio indiaartndesign"]                 |
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| _©Diff Studio_                                                        |
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| ["Felix Leicher beach house natural light indiaartndesign"]           |
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| _©Felix Leicher_                                                      |
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We are surrounded by countless choices - some chic, some rustic, some pop and yet others subtle and elegant! Here’s how we can narrow them down:

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  ["office design the orange lane indiaartndesign"]
  _©The Orange Lane_
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| ["redecorate dipen gada indiaartndesign"]                             |
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| _©Dipen Gada & Associates_                                            |
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COLOUR: Throw a splash of colour using accent pieces, pillows, or paint on a wall, amidst subtle investment furniture. And you have a room fresh as new. __

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| ["atrium hpa indiaartndesign"]                                        |
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| _©HPA_                                                                |
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  -----------------------------------------------------------
  ["redecorate texture play shabnam gupta indiaartndesign"]
  _©The Orange Lane_
  -----------------------------------------------------------

TEXTURE adds to the feel of a space. An exterior surface finish can give an organic feel to your interiors, while adding sleek, smooth-finish metallic furniture can lend that touch of sophistication. Mixing a variety of materials – glass and acrylic with exotic woods, can give the space a dimension of eclectic.

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  []
  _©The Orange Lane_
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| []                                                                    |
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| _©The Orange Lane_                                                    |
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You can always count on FABRICS to add the warmth and comfort you crave in your rooms.  A plush oversized chair or a restful couch can account for a functional makeover of a space. Play with rich drapes and luxurious upholstery to create a more formal setting.

  --------------------------------------------------
  ["living dining ansa interiors indiaartndesign"]
  _©Ansa Interiors_
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| ["art in interiors goregaokar indiaartndesign"]                       |
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| _© Goregaokar Architects_                                             |
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LIGHTING can effectively highlight or understate. With the variety of lighting options available, the fixtures themselves may act as central focal pieces or they may be subtle, drawing attention to a particularly interesting corner.

The smallest details have the potential to add significant character. A traveller’s home can be an ode to his adventures, a collector’s passion may reflect on his walls, adorned with rare pieces, and a nature enthusiast’s living space can sport a fresh green tinge and flowers changing with the seasons.

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| ["art in interiors hpa indiaartndesign"]                              |
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| _©HPA_                                                                |
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| ["art in interiors seza indiaartndesign"]                             |
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| _©SEZA Architects_                                                    |
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A piece of ART here, a bit of ACCESSORY there, can add intrigue and interest to an otherwise mundane space.

All these elements in harmony with each other can create inspired areas. Possibilities are endless. The best path to choose is the one that leads you to a space you would be delighted to call your own.

question: Summarize how you can narrow down a style.

answer: You can narrow down a style through color, texture, fabrics, lighting, and art. Texture can add to the feel of a space, while fabrics can add warmth and comfort. Lighting can highlight or understate areas. Art and accessories can add intrigue and interest.

question: Summarize everything relating to furniture.

answer: Pragmatic assistance in choosing furniture can go a long way in creating a space that reflects an individual. Colorful accessories paired with subtle investment furniture can be a great look. Sleek, metallic furniture can lend a touch of sophistication. Also, adding a plush oversized chair or a restful couch can add to a functional makeover.

question: Summarize everything relating to color.

answer: The author suggests that colorful accessories or a painted wall can look great amongst subtle investment furniture. It can make a room look fresh. Color can also be utilized in the green tinge of house plants.

question: What does the text say about rugs?


text:
Reading the New York Times’ op-ed page, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the most dangerous threat to free speech is leftist totalitarians who criticize or protest against the right. Bret Stephens chastises leftists for criticizing right wing commentator Kevin Williamson; David Brooks bemoans leftist campus protests, and Bari Weiss often does the same. The Times seems obsessed with finding victims of so called silencing.

The latest foray into this redefinition of free speech can be found in Weiss’ most recent piece in the New York Times Magazine, about a self-styled group of pseudo-intellectuals dubbed the “Intellectual Dark Web.”

The I.D.W., as it is referred to throughout the piece, is a loose affiliation of very successful left-hating pundits who strenuously claim to be oppressed. Among those Weiss cites as members are the conservative writer and speaker Ben Shapiro, whose podcast gets 15 million downloads a month; the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, whose self-help book is a bestseller and whose youtube videos get millions of views; New Atheist Sam Harris, who also has a very successful podcast; and critic of feminism, Christina Hoff Sommers, who has a sinecure at AEI.

These are people with large platforms, successful careers, and scads of cash. They are also people who, Weiss claims, are frequently and harshly criticized. For expressing beliefs such as “the existence of fundamental biological differences between men and women” or believing that “identity politics is a toxic ideology that is tearing American society apart,” these authors “have met with outrage and derision — even, or perhaps especially, from people who pride themselves on openness.”

Weiss presents the criticism of this counter-cultural vanguard as unfair, stifling, and obviously hysterical.

And yet, there’s an internal paradox in her criticism. Surely if you believe in free speech, then you should believe in the right of people to freely deride viewpoints they disagree with and find harmful, even when the derision is misguided.

Moreover, the derision in this instance is not wrong.

Weiss carefully and deliberately downplays and obfuscates the beliefs of the thinkers she discusses.

For instance, she says Peterson, who spoke out against a Canadian bill which sought to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity, “resisted on the grounds that the bill risked curtailing free speech by compelling people to use alternative gender pronouns.” But she fails to acknowledge that he has systematically misrepresented the legislation in question, which doesn’t even mention pronouns, and only includes punishments for words which are an immediate incitement to violence.

Peterson may be deliberately lying about the bill, or he may just be deeply confused; in either case, criticism of him is hardly a violation of his rights, but is an absolute necessity. That’s the case with many of Peterson’s other statements, too; thus, in an interview with the Epoch Times, Peterson called for Canadian educators teaching leftist ideas and egalitarian ideals to be tried for treason — a position that seems to require some pushback.

Weiss also doesn’t mention that Ben Shapiro has claimed that LGBT people face virtually no discrimination; neither does she acknowledge his openly racist declaration that “Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage.”

And Weiss doesn’t acknowledge that Christina Hoff Sommers has appeared on a podcast hosted by a white supremacist Holocaust denier (Hoff Sommers later published emails in which she wrote to the podcast hosts that she did not know the podcast was “associated with Holocaust revisionism”).

Perhaps most glaringly, when Weiss brings up another counter-cultural rabble-rouser, Kanye West, she mentions his praise for Trump supporter Candace Owens. “Mr. West’s praise for her was sandwiched inside a longer thread that referenced many of the markers of the Intellectual Dark Web, like the tyranny of thought policing and the importance of independent thinking,” writes Weiss.

That same day, Kanye told TMZ that slavery was a choice made by Africans – a heinous claim, which Weiss does not mention.

If Weiss truly believed that these folks were the purveyors of edgy, cool, courageous stances, as opposed to problematic ones that the Left is right to revile, surely she would have been honest enough to quote their most problematic opinions. Instead, she quotes only the milquetoast ones, portraying these people as edgy yet acceptable counter-cultural thinkers who the Left can’t tolerate because it cannot tolerate any dissent.

But the truth is, people don’t criticize the intellectual dark web because they hate free speech; they criticize the IDW because they believe these ideas are hateful — and dangerous. It’s dangerous to deny the Holocaust, or to give a platform to those who would. It’s dangerous to suggest that Blacks are intellectually inferior, as Sam Harris did when he discussed the issue with Charles Murray.

But because Weiss paints any criticism as unfair and oppressive, she is left somewhat at a loss when she turns to the parts of the IDW she doesn’t like. Weiss admits the group she’s championing has some uncomfortable connections. Members of the intellectual dark web have interviewed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and cartoonish alt right apologist Mike Cernovich. As Weiss rightly points out, “if you are willing to sit across from an Alex Jones or Mike Cernovich and take him seriously, there’s a high probably that you’re either cynical or stupid.”

And yet, Hoff Sommers herself sat across from someone just like that.

In fact, rather than distinguish between the I.D.W. and the hate-mongerers, Weiss’s piece exposes the slippage between them, a slippage best illustrated by our Commander in Chief, Donald Trump.

For the most obvious and unsettling member of the “intellectual dark web” is surely out president, though nowhere does Weiss acknowledge this. Trump’s brand is exactly the same as the brand that Weiss describes for the intellectual dark web. He presents himself as a brave truth-teller defying the left by stating uncomfortable truths—uncomfortable truths that turn out to be the same old prejudices and bigotry as ever.

Trump brands himself as a brave truthteller while going after “identity politics.” Like Jordan Peterson, he pushes for anti-trans legislation. Like Ben Shapiro, he targets Muslim people. Like Charles Murray he believes in the inferiority of black people. Like Hoff Sommers, he associates with Holocaust deniers.

As Trump illustrates, the real uncomfortable truth is that prejudice and bigotry remain not only popular but powerful. Marginalized people do not have the ability to silence those who demonize them. If they did, Trump would not be in the White House.

The right, though, has undertaken a conscious program of presenting themselves as oppressed and daring. Sam Harris says that the totalitarian left won’t let him talk about black people’s IQ. Not that dissimilarly, the alt right says that the totalitarian left won’t let them speak freely about the need for ethnic cleansing. That intellectual dark web stretches out farther than Bari Weiss would like it to.

Harris and Peterson and Shapiro et al have money and an audience. They have a fun narrative, in which they are fighting the forces of oppression, one daring idea at a time. But, as you’d think Trump would have demonstrated, saying hurtful things doesn’t necessarily make you a champion of liberty.

And powerful people insisting that they’re oppressed when they’re criticized doesn’t make anyone more free.

_This article has been updated to include Hoff Sommers’ claim that she did not know that the podcast was associated with Holocaust denial._

_Noah Berlatsky is the author of the book “Chattering Class War: Punching Pundits from Chait to Chapo and Brooks to Breitbart”._

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

No, ‘Dark Web Intellectuals’ Like Sam Harris And Jordan Peterson Are Not Being Silenced

question: What is the main motive behind the creation of IDW?

answer: It may be implied that the main motive of IDW is to claim to be oppressed.

question: What may be the reason behind well-known people being a part of the group?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What is the main theme of the article?

answer: The main theme of the article is the Intellectual Dark Web.

question: What is President Trump's take on the IDW?

answer: According to the article, although Weiss does not explicitly say it the President is the most unsettling and obvious member of the IDW. According to Weiss, Trump's brand is exactly the way as the brand Weiss describes for the Intellectual Dark Web.


text:
[]

__News Africa

AMONG THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PATRIOTS THAT POLAND CELEBRATES FOR SERVING IN THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT IN WORLD WAR TWO THERE IS ONE BLACK, NIGERIA-BORN MAN.

Jazz musician August Agboola Browne was in his forties, and had been in Poland for 17 years, when he joined the struggle against Nazi occupation in 1939 – thought to be the only black person in the country to do so.

Under the code name “Ali”, he fought for his adopted country during the Siege of Warsaw when Germany invaded, and later in the Warsaw Uprising, which ended 76 years ago this month.

Astoundingly, he survived the war in which 94% of the residents of Poland’s capital were either killed or displaced, and continued living in the ravaged city until 1956 when he emigrated with his second wife to Britain.

[Monument in Warsaw]IMAGE COPYRIGHTWOJCIECH ZAŁUSKI

image captionA monument to Browne was erected in Warsaw last year

A small stone monument in Warsaw now commemorates Browne’s life. But the scant details that there are may never have been known were it not for an application he made to join a veterans’ association in 1949.

The document was filed away for six decades, until 2009, when Zbigniew Osinski from the Warsaw Rising Museum came across it.

This form, filled out in beautiful cursive handwriting and with a passport-style photo attached to one corner, is his Rosetta Stone – the documentary fragment that led researchers to interpret isolated facts about his life and locate living descendants.

In the picture, Browne, dressed in a jacket and a snugly fitting jumper, looks lively and youthful with a hint of a smile on his face. All who met Browne described him as a handsome man and a sharp dresser.

[August Browne's passport photo]IMAGE COPYRIGHTOFFICE OF VETERANS AND VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION

By this time he was in his fifties, as the form reveals that he was born on 22 July 1895 to Wallace and Jozefina in Lagos – then part of the British Empire.

He arrived in England aboard a British merchant ship with his longshoreman father. From there, he joined a theatre troupe touring Europe and ended up in Poland via Germany.

‘Sheltered ghetto refugees’

Frustratingly, the form does not say what inspired him to leave Nigeria, or make Poland his destination, so an adventurous spirit seems the likeliest explanation. But by the 1930s, he became a celebrated jazz percussionist playing in Warsaw’s restaurants.

What Browne did write was that in the resistance he distributed underground newspapers, traded electronic equipment and “sheltered refugees from the ghetto”. This was a sealed-off area of the city in which Jews were forced by the Nazis to live and where 91,000 died from starvation, disease and murder. Some 300,000 were transported to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps.

[2px presentational grey line]

Warsaw Uprising

[Polish fighters holding rifles]IMAGE COPYRIGHTUNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

-   The Polish underground, known as the Home Army, attacked the German occupying forces on 1 August
-   They swiftly gained control of much of the city
-   Germany sent reinforcements and the nearby Soviet army did not help
-   The Poles surrendered on 2 October after 63 days
-   200,000 civilians and 16,000 Polish fighters died

_Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica and Warsaw Rising Museum_

[2px presentational grey line]

It appears that for Browne, staying in Poland after the war was a choice – as a citizen of the British Empire, he had the opportunity to leave.

When he arrived in Poland, he first settled in Krakow where he married his first wife, Zofia Pykowna, with whom he had two sons, Ryszard and Aleksander.

The marriage failed but at the outbreak of the war, Browne arranged for his children and their mother to seek refuge in England. But – perhaps committed to the Polish struggle – Browne did not go with them.

The incomplete jigsaw of information gives rise to many questions about his life.

‘A quiet, private man’

Tatiana, his daughter from his second, much longer, marriage to Olga Miechowicz, was born and brought up in London and is his only surviving child in Britain. She says he never talked about what had happened to him.

She is now 61 – her father died in 1976 when she was 17. She remembers him as “very quiet, very private, and quite distant” and that he never discussed his background in Poland or his early years in Lagos.

Tatiana is not certain why neither of her parents told her much about their past. She suspects it was to bury the trauma they endured and atrocities they witnessed.

[Polish fighters being led away]IMAGE COPYRIGHTKEYSTONE

image captionPolish soldiers surrendered after 63 days of fighting and were taken as prisoners of war

Thinking back, she recalls watching a documentary about the war with her parents and her mother saying: “I remember seeing people being hanged in the streets; I know that’s true because I saw it with my own eyes.”

But there was no discussion and now she wishes they had told her more.

Browne, though, never turned his back on the Polish culture that he had lived in for almost 35 years, and Tatiana says that Polish was the only language spoken in their London home.

He was remembered by an acquaintance in Poland for speaking “the purest Polish language, even with a Warsaw accent”. He was fluent in several languages.

“Dad taught me how to read and write in English,” Tatiana says.

‘Quick wit and real charm’

How the musician, who as a black person would have been so conspicuous, was able to survive in Nazi-occupied Poland remains a mystery.

Two other African men, Jozef Diak from Sudan, and Sam Sandi, whose exact place of origin on the continent is unclear, had served in the Polish army during the Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921) and remained in Warsaw afterwards, but both died before World War Two began.

Discounting them and Browne, experts say there may have been two other black Warsaw residents in the interwar years, professional entertainers whose traces disappear during the occupation.

But Tatiana’s recollection of her father’s charismatic personality may give a clue to his own endurance.

“Dad had a real quick wit and a real charm about him,” Tatiana says.

“When we used to go to church on a Sunday, I used to see him interact with other people. He had a real warmth that drew you in so you automatically liked him.

“When he was in company with other people, there was just this [energy]. People were drawn to him.”

[Map of his life]

[1px transparent line]

Browne’s story emerged in 2009 at a time of heightened patriotism and xenophobia in Poland.

It drew immediate interest from across the political spectrum and there were calls to memorialise him as a national hero.

At that time, then-President Lech Kaczynski, co-founder of the conservative Law and Justice party, wanted to “honour him on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising”, said Krzysztof Karpinski, a jazz historian who served as vice-president of the Polish Jazz Association, which was contacted by Kaczynski’s office for more information about Browne.

But Kaczynski died in a plane crash in 2010 and the plan apparently went with him.

It was not until last year that a small monument to the Nigerian-Polish resistance fighter was finally unveiled. That was funded by a non-profit organisation, the Freedom and Peace Movement Foundation. His war service is honoured by conservatives and progressives alike to symbolise the Poland of today.

[Gravestone]

image captionBrowne was buried in a cemetery in north London

Browne led a modest existence in England for the last two decades of his life. He continued working as a musician, at first doing session work. When he got older, “we had a piano at home so he used to give piano lessons,” Tatiana says.

They were a “lovely family,” Dr Michael Modell, who treated Browne for cancer, remembers.

He died at the age of 81 in 1976 and is buried under a plain headstone in a north London cemetery.

There is no sign of the traumatic and tumultuous events that he had been part of, which reflects the way he apparently lived his life in London.

“To me, it was just me growing up at home with a mum and dad. Whatever our life was, it was my normal,” Tatiana says.

_Nicholas Boston, PhD, is Associate Professor of Media Studies at the City University of New York, Lehman College. He was assisted by Wojciech Załuski in Poland._

__

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question: Which resistance leader is the topic of the article?

answer: August Agboola Browne

question: What document led researchers to facts about Browne?

answer: An application to a veteran's association

question: What did Browne do in restaurants during World War Two?

answer: Played jazz music

question: How many children did Browne have?

answer: Three

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article celebrates the life of August Agboola Browne, a resistance leader in Poland during World War Two. It details his life, his contributions to the resistance, and his life after the war. Some information about him is shared by his surviving daughter.


text:
I have a tendency to relate to song lyrics in the same way an apple can relate to international politics. I'm also what people call scatterbrained. Those people are assholes. If they were here right now, I'd untie their shoes.

Dark clothing and an apprehension towards smiling does not equate to me being interested in your shitty band. If you felt real pain you'd write a novel. Instead you're thinking of words that rhyme with *depression*.

I could be a lyricist if I knew how to rhyme and was better at bullshit.

The awkward pause. You've handed me your band's demo. You tell me to pay close attention to the fourth track.

Who the hell do you think you are?
What do you expect me to do with a cassette tape?
*When will you listen to me?*
*Where can I escape this loneliness?*
Why does the ballad on every shit album show up in the same place?
How many girls have fallen for this?

"You don't remember me at all, do you?" I remember he's a mediocre singer. I remember that he is part of a warm-up band that I am not here to see. I remember rolling my eyes throughout much of their performance. My mother used to tell me that if I kept rolling my eyes they would eventually get stuck in the back of my head. If only that could have happened twenty minutes ago.

I bite my tongue and it's the first thing I've felt all night.

*Discretion*.

He walks away and the dreadful exchange has concluded. This is part of his game. I've been given a riddle and the answer can be found in the fourth track.

It's months later and I've forgotten about this night.

*Repression*.

My jacket reeks of cigarette smoke and sweat. The noisome smell brings me back to the night this jacket was last worn, and my hand instinctively rediscovers the cassette tape buried deep within the side pocket. A sudden fear grips me, and I'm not sure why.

As luck would have it, I'm driving my father's old pick-up truck while my car is in the shop. The two knobs of the old cassette tape deck resemble eyes that tell me my next move.

I start the tape. The first three tracks are almost unbearable. The fourth track begins. A ballad.

One cliche after another. Dark. Creepy. It's about a girl. She has no idea she's being watched. My finger is reaching for eject. That is when he sings my name.

*Obsession*.

title: The Fourth Track

question: What does the narrator think is better than music?

answer: Writing novels.

question: What do people call the narrator?

answer: Scatterbrained.

question: Whose name does the narrator hear in the song?

answer: Her own.

question: What do all the words on the tracks rhyme with?

answer: Depression

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator listens to an awful band play music she does not appreciate. A few weeks later she is driving her father's truck listening to the same band when she hears her own name being sung in a song about obsession.


text:
So this is the first time I've ever written any fiction. The story, well it isn't really a story, it's kind of an opening or just me playing around. Have a look and tell me if my style of writing is ok or any tips for just starting out? Cheers :)
__________________________

It was a grey and miserable Saturday afternoon. It had been raining all morning and the sun had yet to make a real appearance. In Trafalgar square there were thousands gathered, crowding around the monuments and spilling out into nearby streets. Although this was the largest protest currently going on in the UK similar scenes could be seen in more than thirty cities nationwide. Near the front of the loud, chanting and aggravated crowd was a girl displaying all three of these with what seemed like as much vigour as the rest of the crowd combined. The rain ran off her hair, down her face and dripped from her chin; she had been outside since dawn and was freezing. Lucinda, as her mother called her, or Lucy as her friends called her, was wearing a long white coat with fur around the hood. It was zipped up against the strong winds and went to just above her knees, below that were skinny jeans and then bright red Converse trainers. Her face was made-up but only subtly focusing mainly on her eyes and she wore only one piece of jewellery: a thin chain with a pendant representing a double-thumbed fist clenching a Peyote button, a symbol popularised by her favourite author at the time.
Lucy stood with her placard held high, a hand written message on a large white board glued to an old table leg she had found in her garage and held with both hands. On the board was a potent slogan which could have been seen for the past year or so on bus stops, on billboards or broadcast on television, certain YouTube channels and blogs. The slogan was simply: ‘Talent is earned, not bought’. This was a protest against a relatively recent trend which saw people pay for a procedure which altered their genes and improved them in almost any area they wished.

*

In the year 2022 a company which developed from a subsidiary of a large pharmaceutical company focused on gene therapy to prevent and cure a range of genetic diseases stumbled upon a method to replace the current DNA in a person with other DNA. And separately, a different part of the company worked with a method to alter and splice current genes together. These methods combined allowed Aspire Inc. to improve the physical characteristics of a person to that of the current best person whose genes they were able to get access to. Of course they would only have the potential of that person and would still have to train to improve whatever skill they required. These abilities ranged from becoming physically stronger or being able to run more quickly to having a better memory or being exceptional at mathematics. The methods used remain the property of Aspire Inc. entirely.
By 2030 this process had been all but perfected and the company had hundreds of thousands of genes available to choose from to improve whomever they wished in whatever way they wished. Testing had proven safe and it was a matter of months before the process, known colloquially as ‘bettering yourself’, was commercially available. Initially the idea was praised and lauded by the population as one which would be the next great leap in human advancement since the internet. By the year 2032 there were two clinics in the world, one in London and one in New York, where a person could book an appointment, pay £100,000 per trait, and be seen and finished within 24 weeks. Depending on popularity, Aspire Inc. were planning to build more clinics worldwide. Their treatment was very popular, for those who could afford it.

__________________________

title: Never written fiction before. How's my style? (600 words)

question: In what year does this take place?

answer: Unclear but it is after the year 2032

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: By the year 2032 Aspire Inc has perfected a procedure which replaces bad genes with excellent ones making it possible for people to buy the ability to excel in math or running or virtually anything. Lucy holds up a sign in protest over people buying skills and talent instead of earning it.


text: Michael Hanna}} MICHAEL K. HANNA SR. (born August 25, 1953) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 76th district from January 1, 1991 to January 1, 2019. On February 12, 2018 he announced his retirement from public office. He served as Minority Whip in the legislature from 2011 until his retirement.

title: Mike Hanna

question: When was Michael K. Hanna Sr born?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr was born on August 25th, 1953.

question: What political party does Michael K. Hanna Sr belong to?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr belongs to the Democratic Party.

question: What district did Michael K. Hanna Sr represent?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr represented Pennsylvania's 76th district.

question: When was Michael K. Hanna Sr first elected?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr was elected in 1991.

question: When did Michael K. Hanna Sr retire from public office?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr retired from public office in 2018.

question: What position did Michael K. Hanna Sr hold in the legislature from 2011?

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr held the position of Minority Whip from 2011.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Michael K. Hanna Sr was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1991 until 2018. He represented Pennsylvania's 76th district and was Minority Whip from 2011 until 2018.


text:
On December 12, 1988, an explosion and subsequent fire triggered by illegal fireworks at the La Merced Market in La Merced, a neighborhood of Mexico City, killed more than 60 people.

The explosion took place at about 14:30 local time,[1] in an alley next to the main market.[2] _El País_ reported that the fire began when a gas cylinder used by a street food vendor exploded.[3] According to one witness, a single crate of fireworks initially exploded, which triggered a chain reaction of more exploding firework crates.[4] The fireworks immediately sparked a fire that spread to several nearby buildings containing shops and apartments, as well as almost 300 stalls in the marketplace.[5][6] Fires continued for most of the rest of the day.[7]

By nightfall on the 12th, 51 people had been confirmed dead by the Red Cross, with up to 83 injuries.[8] By the 13th, the death toll had reached at least 60, with the fire department saying that 62 people had died and the police putting the number at 64.[9]

In response to the disaster, Mexico city mayor Manuel Camacho Solis ordered the sale and use of fireworks in the city to be made illegal; previously, vendors selling fireworks were required to have a permit, while their use was unregulated.[10] Local reaction to the ban was skeptical, as residents said that illegal fireworks vendors frequently bribed local officials, who then ignored complaints about the situation.[11]

[1]

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title: Mexico City fireworks disaster

question: How many people did the Mexico City fireworks disaster kill?

answer: 64

question: How did the fire begin?

answer: The fire began when a gas cylinder used by a street food vendor exploded.

question: How did the Mexico City mayor respond to the disaster?

answer: He ordered the sale and use of fireworks in the city to be made illegal.

question: What was the reaction to the ban?

answer: The local reaction to the ban was skeptical, as residents said that illegal fireworks vendors frequently bribed local officials, who then ignored complaints about the situation

question: Explain the context of "300 stalls"

answer: The fire spread through 300 stalls in the marketplace.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about the Mexico City fireworks disaster of 1988, which killed 64 people. Illegal fireworks caused an explosion and subsequent fire. The mayor of Mexico City, Manuel Camacho Solis, ordered the sale and use of fireworks to be made illegal in response.


text:
I hate that THIS is your legacy on me. It couldn’t have been anything positive. No, it had to be the one thing that I’ve lived with for my whole childhood. It had to be the one fear that is a part of me, it’s who I am. I remember when we’d stay up until one, two, three o’clock in the morning talking about absolutely anything at all, from music, to what we read to the things society doesn’t deem appropriate. You were the first person I ever let in after my problems as a child. You were the first person I looked forward to seeing every day, the first person I looked for in a crowd. You were the only girl I ever felt butterflies talking to, which sounds kind of stupid considering how much we talked. We used to talk all the time. During class, passing notes in Social Science, used to walk all over campus just talking. We'd stop for food, but it was never a concern with us. Every night after I was done talking to you, I'd close my eyes and wish for one thing, that we'd be together.You're the first girl I ever asked out. God I remember how scared I was. Basically my whole being was screaming, "No, don't do it, you're going to wreck a friendship."

That's not what wrecked us though. We were like a time bomb, though, every night we stayed up talking about the randomest things, we were slowly exhausting ourselves. Exhausting what we had to talk about. I guess we were just too different, I suppose. There were other things we would get mad at each other about, but we'd always work through it, we'd never go to sleep mad at each other. Now, I go to sleep cursing your name, your very existence. You damaged me. I haven't spoken a word to you in three months now and you're still in my ear with everything I do. You are my demon, the pain I hide behind my eyes, I wake up every morning and I want to text you, but then I remember. It's not even that I miss you as a girlfriend or even a friend, I just want closure now. I like someone else now, I'm around her a lot, but I don't want her to turn into you. That is the scariest thing I've ever thought. I dread getting that close to another person because you were half of my brain, I shared with you my every thought, every fear, everything about me. And then, you turn around and abandon me like a dumpster baby outside your senior prom.

The one thing I could possibly ask of you is closure, but now you've siphoned off everything in your life that was close to both of us mutually. Left me with the pieces of our social glass house that you shattered with your sling-shot of a personality. You have no idea how bad you damaged me, you'll never know how often I thought about you, stopped what I was doing, sat down, and cried. I don't think you ever will either, with how exclusive you act now.

title: I'm still struggling with a break up, trying to vent, need outlets, trying this. Let me know what you think.

question: What did the girl say when the narrator asked her out?

answer: She said yes.

question: What is the legacy this girl had on the narrator?

answer: She left him with a fear of getting close to anyone else.

question: How many relationships did the narrator have prior to dating this girl?

answer: It is implied that this was their first relationship.

question: How did the breakup affect the narrator's social life?

answer: It is implied that he wound up losing a lot of their mutual friends.


text:
There once was a boy named Jim. Jim was super rad and really liked dogs, just like most other humans. His life was extremely okay, just like most people his age. He had friends but he always felt like they didn’t get him. He spend allot of time in his room with his corgi. After a while, he realized that he loved this dog. It wasn’t just a corgi, it was his friend and ally. He loved his corgi, and the joy that it had gotten from the simplest things.

The kids in Jim’s school were jerks though. They didn’t find Jim super rad at all, in fact they taught quite the opposite. Liking corgis that much was weird! Jim can’t LOVE a dog! Jim was super cool tho and he loved something that loved him back so why should what all of the kids in his school think even matter?

Months past, and eventually Jim was not okay with being friends with only his corgi. He wanted someone to hang out with, other then his mom and dog. He began to contemplating for hours on end on how to get people to like him more. The only way he taught he was able to make friends would to be stop being corgi boy and become a superhero. It worked when batman did it!

Jim became The Corgi Crusader. He will fight crime and injustice until the day that he die and stops bein fly

title: The Boy With A Corgi And A Dream

question: Does Jim really think his plan to become a superhero is going to work?

answer: He seems to think so.