text:
	(1)

"Well."
"Do ya like it sweetie? Do ya?" The father pleads.
"It will be a fun thing for you to practice on and get good at. Maybe one day, you'll be an expert!" The mother sells, but her heart is not in it.

The anxious parents lean over the unwrapped present, the muscles on their faces contorted into taut smiles. What is that saying? It takes 21 muscles to frown but only 2 to smile? The muscular faces of Elise's parents are evidence that the saying is an oversimplification. How tight do the drums stretch? Elise looked at the taut corners of her mother's mouth. So close to tearing. Will it feel like a paper cut, or worse?

Of course, Elise had known that her 'surprise gift' would be a handmade marionette for some time. She had noticed an extravagant expense on the Visa bill, and very nearly done something drastic, but since it was for her (and, boy did she ever deserve it) she let it slide for just a few dozen points. The points might not seem like much, but they add up.  They sure do.

Aside from being expensive, Elise liked the marionette because it provided an innocuous way to further intimidate and dominate her peer group. She used peer group in a broad sense; her IQ was more than a bit of an anomaly, something she had been smart enough keep hidden. Let them underestimate you. Let them take down their guard. Oh the neighbors need an emergency babysitter? Do they now? Oh, the wheel wall of the rear right tire appears to have collapsed? How very... unexpected. Is everyone OK? No I don't mind staying later. Just get home safe. I can stay all night.

"Well. It does not seem like much of anything went into this gift. Not much thought, that is clear as day. It wasn't cheap, no, but it barely clears the gift I received after my friend Sven left when you account for changes in the cost of living. Perhaps most hurtful, at least to me, is that the website selling these marionettes has a very intuitive interface for customizing individual dolls. Does a unique girl such as myself deserve a simple toy that could just as easily belong to any  other little girl? Are my talents so indelibly stamped with the stench of fungible mediocrity that further cultivation would be tantamount to teaching the niceties of calligraphy to fruit flies?"

"I ask these questions not to hurt you. The toy, though useless, is not repugnant. I don't see it as a harbinger of the proverbial nuclear winter that looms. Always. But I do really want you to think; what was successful, and what was not, about this very specific action? I imagine the desolate blankness of the former will weigh on you heavily. Let it. It's deserved. But remember it is a learning experience." Elise's voice exuded curt wisdom.

"I will be taking my evening meal tonight, and for the foreseeable future, at quarter to 8 in the aft. You know my secretary's hours and contact information. When you're prepared a proper apology, and have a meaningful plan of action to rectify your failure, please do contact her. If it merits my attention, I shan't withhold. I am your firmest believer, Cindy. And yours as well, Ray."

"What impeccable manners." Cindy (almost) said reflexively.

It was the first time since the recent cut in the corner of her mouth had blossomed from a sore dryness to actual bleeding wound. The pain, though slight in the scheme of things, combined in her mouth with the iron from her blood, and very very nearly completely annulled the 'sweet' part bittersweet.

	(2)

Mrs. Cullin's third-grade class in Detroit was run with clockwork precision.

"Yes, ma'am."

"No, ma'am."

"If you please, ma'am."

"Pardon me, ma'am. Truly, that was my mistake."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am."

"All it takes is an iron fist," Mrs. Cullin would say, waiving her right arm and the plaster cast encasing it for dramatic effect. The teachers all championed her. "That Mrs. Cullin! What a sport." "Boy, she sure is. Coming back after a freak accident like that." Mrs. Cullin was right, all it takes is an iron fist.

"Mrs. Cullin?"

"Why yes Elise. What is the matter?"

"Can we see what your handwriting looks like, now that you're hand is broken?"

"Well, Elise, Mrs. Cullin is  an old woman with arthritis. I could hardly write before, ya know…,"

"Before what, Mrs. Cullin?"

"Before I foolishly slammed my hand in the freezer."

"That was quite, quite dumb Mrs. Cullin. You should write out 100 times how dumb it was. Then do the same in cursive. Don't worry about making it right on the first go-round; I'll make inspections when you're done, so you can get your penmanship back up to speed."

"Well, Elise won't that cut into the our social studies lesson plan?"

"Mrs. Cullin, your situational awareness must truly be beyond reproach to make such an astute observation. If only you could apply that very same skill, situational awareness I mean, when operating mechanically complex devices, like the door of a freezer."

"Thank you, Elis-."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Cullin, I don't believe I was finished. You had raised the issue of social studies, which I did not address in my initial comment. Whether social studies is interrupted or not, Mrs. Cullen, depends quite a bit on the accuracy and speed with which you can attack the assignment you've been given. After all, those lines are hardly going to write themselves, are they?"

(3)

"Mrs. Cullin?"

"Elise?"

"I just thought you should hear it from me first. Whilst you stood like a dope selfishly improving your handwriting, our fellow and classmate Randall Finley seems to have gone missing. The suspected culprit, or culprits, have fled through the wetland area behind the school with Mr. Finley in tow. Specifics about his condition are unknown, but I must say, having seen the wounds first-hand, things really do not look good. Unfortunately we may be looking at yet another funeral in this class. The luck we have, can you believe it?"

"My it truly is something you have to see to believe."

"One more thing, Mrs. Cullin. On a rather bizarre note, it appears that Mr. Finley shares not only your selective clumsiness, but his is also activated in the presence of freezer doors. Perhaps one of the higher-ups should look into, what do you think?"

"No… just a coincidence, Elise."

"Let me hear you say that again."

"It is just a bizarre coincidence."

"Again."

title: Simple Toys

question: What does it seem might have happened to Randall?

answer: He might have injured himself in the freezer door.

question: Why might the students have a shorter social studies period that day?

answer: Mrs Cullin's practicing her handwriting.

question: How do we know Elise is smart?

answer: She uses big words and abstract concepts in playing with her dolls.

question: Who is Cindy?

answer: A marionette, it seems.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Elise is a precocious third-grader who speaks to her marionettes-which she got as a birthday gift-in abstract concepts, using big words. At school she insists her teacher, who's injured her hand in a freezer door accident, write in cursive that she will never repeat her mistake. Along with the punitive measure, Elise wants to see if her teacher's handwriting has changed. Mrs Cullin submits, and as she's writing, Elise tells her a student has gone missing, speculating that maybe Randall Finley also had a freezer incident.


split: train

text:
A former member of the Obama administration claims Washington, D.C., often uses “misleading” news releases about climate data to influence public opinion.

Former Energy Department Undersecretary Steven Koonin told The Wall Street Journal Monday that bureaucrats within former President Barack Obama’s administration spun scientific data to manipulate public opinion.

[dcnf-logo]

“What you saw coming out of the press releases about climate data, climate analysis, was, I’d say, misleading, sometimes just wrong,” Koonin said, referring to elements within the Obama administration he said were responsible for manipulating climate data.

He pointed to a National Climate Assessment in 2014 showing hurricane activity has increased from 1980 as an illustration of how federal agencies fudged climate data. Koonin said the assessment was technically incorrect.

“What they forgot to tell you, and you don’t know until you read all the way into the fine print, is that it actually decreased in the decades before that,” he said. The U.N. published reports in 2014 essentially mirroring Koonin’s argument.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported there “is limited evidence of changes in extremes associated with other climate variables since the mid-20th century” and current data shows “no significant observed trends in global tropical cyclone frequency over the past century.”

Press officers work with scientists within agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA and are responsible for crafting misleading press releases on climate, he added.

Koonin is not the only one claiming wrongdoing. House lawmakers with the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for instance, recently jump-started an investigation into NOAA after a whistleblower said agency scientists rushed a landmark global warming study to influence policymakers.

Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, the committee’s chairman, will “move forward as soon as possible” in asking NOAA to hand over documents included in a 2015 subpoena on potential climate data tampering.

Koonin, who served under Obama from 2009 to 2011, went on to lament the politicization of science suggested that the ethos should be to “tell it like it is. You’re a scientist and it is your responsibility to put the facts on the table.”

NASA and NOAA’s actions, he said, are problematic because “public opinion is formed by the data that is formed from those organizations and appears in newspapers.”

Neither agency responded to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

_Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact  [email protected]._

question: Which member of the Obama administration made the claim?

answer: Former Energy Department Undersecretary Steven Koonin.

question: What proof did Koonin give?

answer: Koonin pointed that the National Climate Assessment in 2014 showing hurricane activity has increased from 1980 as an illustration of how federal agencies fudged climate data. In the fine print, it is mentioned that it has actually decreased in the decades before.

question: Is Koonin the only one making the claim?

answer: No, recently house lawmakers with the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology started an investigation into NOAA after a whistleblower said the agency's scientists rushed a global warming study to influence policymakers.

question: Did NOAA or NASA comment on Koonin's claims?

answer: No.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
A former Energy Department Undersecretary, Steven Koonin, claims that the bureaucrats in former President Obama's administration spun climate data to manipulate public opinion. He proves his point by speaking of the National Climate Assessment in 2014.

Koonin isn't the only one making holding these claims. Recently, house lawmakers with Committee on Science, Space, and Technology started an investigation into NOAA after a whistleblower said the agency's scientists rushed a global warming study to influence policymakers.

Neither agency has responded to these claims.


text:
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, should be removed from the "Schedule I" drug category if it passes the next stage of testing in clinical trials, experts have recommended.

According to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, drugs are categorized based on criteria that take into account whether they have accepted medical use, as well as their safety and potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are those that are considered by the federal government to have no known medical potential.

But despite its classification, psilocybin—alongside other psychedelic substances—is increasingly being recognized by scientists as a potentially effective treatment for a number of psychological disorders, such as addiction and depression. However, it must clear what are known as phase III clinical trials before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will even consider reclassifying it.

Recently, the FDA approved the use of psilocybin in a phase II trial—those which determine whether a drug has any biological effect at all—involving people with treatment-resistant depression.

If these trials are successful and psilocybin goes on to clear the next stage (phase III clinical trials)—which usually involve more participants and assess the effectiveness of the intervention—researchers from Johns Hopkins University recommend that the substance should be recategorized as a schedule IV drug, like prescription sleep aids, but with tighter controls.

The researchers came to their conclusions after reviewing studies examining the safety of hallucinogenic mushrooms for a paper published in the journal _Neuropharmacology._

"We want to initiate the conversation now as to how to classify psilocybin to facilitate its path to the clinic and minimize logistical hurdles in the future," Matthew W. Johnson, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a statement. "We expect these final clearance trials to take place in the next five years or so."

According to the researchers, studies involving animals and humans show that psilocybin has low potential for abuse and physical dependence. In experiments where rats push a lever to receive psilocybin, they don't keep pushing it like they do for other drugs, like cocaine, alcohol, or heroin. And evidence in humans show that people tend to only report using the substance a few times in their life.

Meanwhile, safety studies show that psilocybin is frequently rated as one of the least harmful drugs to users and society as a whole. The substance also has the lowest potential for lethal overdose—in fact, there is no known overdose level. Importantly, there is also evidence to suggest that psilocybin may have significant therapeutic benefits.

"There are very promising results for substantially decreasing depression and anxiety in cancer patients undergoing substantial psychological distress," Johnson told _Newsweek_. "Although more preliminary, there is also early evidence that that it can help with addictions including tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine addiction, as well as depression outside of cancer."

"Many other psychiatric disorders need to be examined, because there is good reason to think that when cautiously applied, psilocybin may have broad capabilities as a behavior change facilitator," he said. "It opens a therapeutic window of opportunity, in which people may have the ability to become less stuck to their normal patterns, be that thinking about yourself in a certain way as with depression, or taking substances."

Despite these benefits, the researchers make it clear that the use of psilocybin is not without its risks—although these are greater in recreational rather than medical settings.

For example, psilocybin has the potential to instigate or making worse psychosis in those who have a psychotic disorder—like schizophrenia—or a predisposition for such disorders. Meanwhile, there is also a chance that users could engage in "dangerous behavior in response to acute anxiety, panic, confusion, often called a 'bad trip'", according to Johnson. But these risks can be well managed if taken in the proper clinical setting with a trained individual, he says.

[GettyImages-77681604]

Stropharia Cubensis hallucinogenic mushrooms are pictured on 28 March, 2007 in the Hague. Evert-Jan Daniels/AFP/Getty Images
"If phase III research eventually meet the criteria for approving psilocybin as a medicine, the scientific evidence suggests that Schedule IV may be the appropriate classification, so long as additional risk mitigation strategies are used, including the provision that use needs to take place in a clinic, rather than at home—it's not 'take two and call me in the morning [situatution],'" Johnson said.

Mushrooms containing psilocybin have been used for millennia for spiritual and medicinal purposes. The substance produces its effects by activating serotonin receptors in the brain and causing different brain regions to coordinate with each other, or "cross talk". This can lead to profound changes in consciousness and long-lasting alterations in a person's outlook.

question: What drug has been recommended to be removed from Schedule 1 by experts?

answer: Psylocibin.

question: What has the FDA approved psylocibin for?

answer: A phase II trial.

question: Why do doctors want psylocibin to be cleared?

answer: To have paths for the public available for treatment.

question: What does Johnson say the promising results are?

answer: Decreasing depression and anxiety in cancer patients undergoing severe psychological distress.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about an effort by doctors to get the FDA to approve psylocibin for medicinal use by taking it off the scheduled substances list.


text:
UPON REQUEST:

The Occupant Beneath the Shed

by LatinBeef

The story you are about to hear is true. The names and identities of the people involved have not been changed in order to provide no protection to the innocent.

Many days ago, somewhere around the 3rd of July of this year. Wait! Let me first give a disclaimer. If you are an animal rights activist, please stop reading this right now. The rights of a certain animal in this story were breached. You may be, hopefully, offended by this account. Where was I? Many days ago, while I was living at my home in Indiana, there arose a problem of grand proportion. In our backyard, which is fairly large with a few mature trees and fenced in on all sides, there stands a shed. Beside the shed, to the left, is a fire pit, and of course as next to most fire pits is a stack of wood to be used in the fire pit. The shed, fire pit, and pile of wood as you may have begun to think, were not the problem. The problem was what was living underneath that shed and next to that fire pit and pile of wood. For a few weeks a large, furry, mean looking groundhog had been claiming stake to the area beneath our shed. Normally this wouldn't bother a kind hearted young fellow like myself, but this groundhog seemed to be fond of sticking his nose in other people’s dirt and creating as many tunnels as he possibly could throughout our yard.

For weeks I waited patiently for the right opportunity to approach this groundhog and discuss this problem face to face.

It was a sunny afternoon. I had decided I did not want to work that day because I was sick of working all the time and when I get sick of working I usually take a holiday. I spent my holiday in front of the TV watching various shows about this or that and a rattle a tat. While watching the television, my little brother became parched and got up to get himself a drink of water. The sink faces towards a window which gives way to the back yard. My brother lifted his eyes out that window and noticed something peculiar sun bathing atop our wood pile. He began to look closer straining his eyes to make out exactly what it was he saw. He then gasped, and loudly whispered, "LatinBeef! The ground hog is on our wood pile!" Immediately I ordered him to silence and posted him near the living room window as my "eyes on the objective" and warned him of the consequences for treason. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Once my little brother was in place, I then contemplated my options. Normally on an occasion like this my weapon of choice would be my Marlin tube fed semi-auto .22 Long Rifle with a 20x zoom scope. Earlier in the day I had heard children playing in the woods behind the shed and I had also removed my scope prior to this day to clean the weapon, so I decided this would not be the best method. I moved into the garage and began looking around. I noticed a long, old, forgotten, metal baseball bat hiding in the corner. I picked it up and gave it the proper inspection, making sure it was worthy of battle. Once I was prepared to engage the enemy I went back inside to remind my little brother of his duties, and that insubordination was punishable by death. So the hunt began.

I exited my garage along the side of my house making sure to be as quiet and sneaky as possible. Groundhogs have terrible eyesight, but a very keen sense of hearing. There the groundhog lay basking in the son atop my wood pile as if he were better than me. I was at this time approximately 30 meters from the objective. I slowly crept my way toward the groundhog keeping my eyes fixed on his location. Occasionally I would have to stop as the groundhog pointed his nose in the air as if sensing danger. Eventually he would go back to a relaxed state; once he felt the coast was clear. Slowly I tiptoed my way towards the shed. My goal was to get on the opposite side of the shed as the groundhog, and use the shed as a means of blocking my self from sight of the groundhog, then pouncing on him. Finally I reached the other side of the shed; my heart began to pound with anticipation. I then connected eyes with my little brother who had been keeping watch making sure the groundhog hadn’t shifted positions. To my surprise he gave me the signal that the groundhog had left the wood pile and begun movement towards the corner of the yard away from the shed. I took this opportunity to sneak to a tree that stood in between the groundhog and the wood pile. All I could do was wait, for now I was in the perfect position. The groundhog would have to pass by me in order to return to his home. The groundhog made his way towards the corner of the yard where a big pine tree of sorts grows tall. For some unknown reason the groundhog was spooked and began movement back towards the shed and of course straight past the tree I was hiding behind. I locked and loaded my baseball bat, ready to pounce as soon as he was within pouncing distance. Time slowed.

It was as if it had been scripted. I couldn't have planned it any better. Without the slightest clue of what hit him, the groundhog sprung into the air. My baseball bat had landed straight across the back of his skull. Thud. The groundhogs body smashed into the ground, then, whether a natural reaction of the groundhog or simply a law of physics, the groundhogs body became airborne. Before the body hit the ground, a second blow landed, this time splattering blood across the lawn. I paused. Now imagine scratching the belly of a dog, try to picture the kind of shivering and twitching that dog does while you scratch his belly, this is what the groundhog began to do. The only difference was I wasn't scratching his belly. To end his suffering, I applied yet another blow, ending his pain and ultimately his life. As I stood there looking down upon this poor lowly animal, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little fellow. He had put up a good fight for the past few weeks, but it was not his fate to come out the victor.

After proper burial of the beast, my little brother and I thought it would be fitting to send the groundhog off with a proper 21 bottle rocket salute. We respectfully lit one bottle rocket at a time in honor of the groundhog who previously occupied the space beneath our shed. Once all 21 bottle rockets hit the sky, we each rendered a hand salute toward the grave of our foe. The war was over, the troops could return home.

title: In honor of my real life cake day, and currently being deployed to Iraq...I'd like to share with you all a true war story from the home front: The Occupant Beneath the Shed

question: Who does the author suggest not read this story?

answer: They suggest that animal rights activists shouldn't read it.

question: Where does this take place?

answer: In the backyard of the author's home in Indiana.

question: What problem does the author face?

answer: A groundhog is creating tunnels in the author's yard.

question: How does the author kill the groundhog?

answer: He hits it with a baseball bat.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The author tells the true story of a problem he faced, urging animal rights activists not to read further. A groundhog has been digging tunnels in the author's backyard. The author manages to sneak up on it and kill it with a baseball bat. He and his brother celebrate.


text:
GILBERT ULANG (born July 23, 1979) is a former Filipino darts player.

Career

Ulang represented the Philippines alongside Lourence Ilagan at the 2015 PDC World Cup of Darts, during which they lost in the first round to Belgium's Kim & Ronny Huybrechts.[1] Ulang also competed at the 2016 World Cup with Alex Tagarao as the Philippines reached the second round, where they were eliminated by Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld of the Netherlands.[2]

Ulang qualified for the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship after defeating Prussian Dela Crus in the Final of the Philippines Qualifier.[3] He was defeated 2–0 in the preliminary round by fellow debutant Kevin Simm.[4][5]

Following an investigation into his match with Simm, Ulang was suspended by the Darts Regulation Authority until 17 December 2023 for match fixing.[6]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Gilbert Ulang

question: Who is Gilbert Ulang?

answer: Gilbert Ulang is a former Filipino darts player.

question: Why was Ulang suspended by the Darts Regulation Authority?

answer: For match fixing in a match in the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship.

question: How many World Cups did he participate in?

answer: three

question: What is Ulang doing now?

answer: The article doesn't specifically cover that, but he is suspended from competing in darts until December 2023.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Gilbert Ulang is a former Filipino darts player. He was suspended by the Darts Regulation Authority for match fixing in a match in the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship.


text: I began this life thousands of years ago on a rock wall somewhere in Africa. I painted the idea of you before such drawings could make sounds in our heads. And every time I come back, I'm the same. This is not the first time you've read this. I've told you a thousand times over a thousand years. I am no more the first me that's ever been than you are the first you. And we certainly won't be the last.

title: The Repeat

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: This information is not mentioned.

question: Where did his life begin?

answer: His life began thousands of years ago on a rock wall in Africa.

question: Who is the narrator speaking to?

answer: This information is not mentioned.

question: Has the narrator changed in these thousand years?

answer: No.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: His life began thousands of years ago on a rock wall in Africa. And now every time he comes back he is the same.


text:
I am a logical thinker. Everything is black or white, yes or no. Is is easier to kill myself than to have to deal with life? Yes, white. Will it be easier for the people I love? No, black. Do I care? No, black. Why do I not care? Because I will be dead anyway, white.

I hate thinking like this. Everything has to be black or white, there is no grey. Why can't there be any grey? That is the ultimate question. I have no yes or no answer to this. No Black or White. I want to have an answer but I can't think of one. FUCK!

Don't take this as self-pity, it isn't. Or, at least, I don't think it is. This is just what it is. I need to be heard. But I don't think anybody can hear what I have to say and understand it. Not that it would matter, Black.

Nothing matters any more. I love what I do. School is awesome, but somehow that's irrelevant. Black. Why can't I think straight? Because nothing is straight. Black.

Everything is going in circles. And I hate circles. I want to live in a square. A nice, small, box with nothing in it. To die is my way of saying thank you. Thanks everybody for this thing I call life. I know this sounds counter intuitive but it isn't to me. This is how I think. Nothing is backwards. Why can't something be backwards? Because if something were to be backwards everything had to be backwards, that's the rule of the universe. Black.

I don't want to feel this way, but somehow I do. This is the only Gray thing in my life. I want, but I don't want. I want to be loved. Not because the person has to but because they want to. I want to feel needed. No one needs me now. Nothing changes if I go. If I go, I'll be gone and after a few weeks everything will go back to normal. No one NEEDS me in their life to be able to live. Why not? because I am not worthy of being needed. Black. If no one needs you why do you live? To please yourself? What's the fun in that when you can't share that with others? There is no fun. Black. At least when I'm dead people will remember me. Not just know I'm there.

I want to be locked away and not have to deal with anything. This may seem selfish but I don't care. All my life I have been selfless. I think I am entitled to one selfish act. Suicide is the ultimate selfish act, and I know that. BI don't care. Not any more. BLACK.

title: My story

question: What are the two modes that the narrator thinks in?

answer: Black and white, yes and no, 1 and 0.

question: What does the narrator think of his life?

answer: He thinks he is useless to everybody, he wants nothing more than to be in a small box with nothing in it because life feels like its going in circles, and he hates circles. He wants to kill himself.

question: What is the one gray area of the narrator's life?

answer: He both wants and doesn't want to be loved.

question: Why does the narrator want to kill himself?

answer: The narrator thinks his whole life he has been selfless, going on living when he is so uncomfortable and resentful of life. He thinks he is entitled to the one selfish act of killing himself.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is horribly depressed because he can only think in terms of black and white. There is no gray area to the narrator, and it drives him crazy. The only gray area in the narrator's life is that he both wants and doesn't want to be loved. He believes he's been selfless his whole life because he has carried on living when everything is so terribly uncomfortable to him. He wants to commit the ultimate selfish act of suicide.


text:
Tumblr has confirmed that Kremlin trolls were active on its platform during the 2016 US presidential elections.

In a blog post today the social platform writes that it is “taking steps to protect against future interference in our political conversation by state-sponsored propaganda campaigns”.

The company has also started emailing users who interacted with 84 accounts it now says it has linked to the Russian trollfarm, the Internet Research Agency (IRA).

In the blog post it says it identified the accounts last fall — and “notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts”.

“Behind the scenes, we worked with the Department of Justice, and the information we provided helped indict 13 people who worked for the IRA,” it adds.

In an email sent to a user, which was passed to TechCrunch to review, the company informs the individual they “either followed one of [11] accounts linked to the IRA, or liked or reblogged one of their posts”.

“As part of our commitment to transparency, we want you to know that we uncovered and terminated 84 accounts linked to Internet Research Agency or IRA (a group closely tied to the the Russian government) posing as members of the Tumblr community,” the email begins.

“The IRA engages in electronic disinformation and propaganda campaigns around the world using phony social media accounts. When we uncovered these accounts, we notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts.”

Last month Buzzfeed News — working with researcher, Jonathan Albright, from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University — claimed to have unearthed substantial Kremlin troll activity on Tumblr’s meme-laden platform — identifying what they dubbed as “a powerful, largely unrevealed network of Russian trolls focused on black issues and activism” which they said dated back to early 2015.

The trolls were reported to be using Tumblr to push anti-Clinton messages, including by actively promoting Democrat rival Bernie Sanders.

Decrying racial injustice and police violence in the US was another theme of the Russian-linked content.

Since then The Daily Beast has also reported on leaked data from the IRA which also implied agents at the trollfarm had used Tumblr — and also Reddit — to spread political propaganda to target the 2016 US election.

Those IRA leaks suggested the IRA had created at least 21 Tumblr accounts — and included names replete with slang terms, including some accounts listed in the user email we’ve reviewed.

Tumblr, which is owned by TechCrunch’s parent company Oath, did not respond to an email we sent to their press office last month asking about possible Kremlin activity on its platform.

In today’s public post, the company writes: “As far as we can tell, the IRA-linked accounts were only focused on spreading disinformation in the U.S., and they only posted organic content. We didn’t find any indication that they ran ads.”

As well as emailing affected users, Tumblr says it will be keeping a public record of usernames linked to the IRA or “other state-sponsored disinformation campaigns”.

The full list of 84 Kremlin accounts on its public page is as follows:

1.  1-800-GLOUP
2.  4MYSQUAD previously known as: thomascestevez
3.  AADDICTEDTOBLACKK previously known as: kathyzunigaoverhere, soaddictedtoblackk
4.  ARTAUTUMN
5.  AWESOMELIZZYJENNINGSTHINGS
6.  BASTARDPIGEON previously known as: pigeonbastard
7.  BELINDADOINGITGOOD
8.  BELLAXIAO previously known as: blogmadworldlove
9.  BELLYGANGSTABOO
10. BEST-USA-TODAY
11. BESTOFNINEGAG previously known as: apolicethepolicethings
12. BLACK-TO-THE-BONES
13. BLACKNESS-BY-YOUR-SIDE previously known as: black-galaxy-magic, fullyfurrymiracle, u4guy, ufo-pilot-and-his-sexy-spouse
14. BLACKNPROUD previously known as: in-the-mirror-world, indiebirdsblog, no-place-for-homophobia
15. BLACKTOLIVE
16. BLEEPTHEPOLICE
17. CARTNSNCREAL previously known as: feelmydragonballs
18. CHANTELRENEEBLM
19. COLDFIREFAN
20. COOLMAGNIFICENTBETS
21. CYBERCOLLECTIONNERDSTUFF
22. DELROYHEATER previously known as: delroyheater32, mastercucumber, scrumptiousluminarytimemachine, sexinstructor666, sexintructor
23. DESTINYRUSH previously known as: delightfullyghostlysong
24. DOWN-TO-VENUS previously known as: teenageflowerluminary
25. EUGENY-A-ANTONOV
26. EVERYDAYCUTENESSTHERAPY
27. FEDUPWITHLYING previously known as: badgyalforyou
28. FUNKYCODEX previously known as: craftykryptonitedelusion
29. GENTLEXNOISE previously known as: slakerglitch, superblydopepatrol
30. GETANINSPIRATION
31. GOGOMRBROWN previously known as: go-mrbrown, infectedv0ice, todd-la-death
32. GOTTIMECHILLINAROUND previously known as: howardhenderson
33. GUNS4L1FE previously known as: 4lifeme, guns4lifeme, unabashedpolicerunaway
34. HONESTLYYOUNGPERSONA
35. HONEYJENNA
36. HUSTLEINATRAP previously known as: thenaturecanpost, tumblercube
37. INEVERSTOPEXPLORINGBLOG previously known as: charlenefletcher
38. INFO-MIX previously known as: americanstatistics, crazypolitician, girlsagainst, illegalmom, just-stat, rochelbarr
39. ITWONTBEEASYME
40. JAMESJDELVECCHIO
41. JENNINGSMIRACLE
42. JOYCHERRYBLOSSOM previously known as: joyfullyhappycherryblossom
43. JUSTMARILYNADVENTURE previously known as: justmarylinthings
44. KINGBEARDPLAYER previously known as: kirksgossplayer, placeofminimalthings
45. KIRSTENBROWNSTORIES
46. LAGONEGIRL
47. LAMCBRIDE
48. LOVEBOHOLIVEBOHO
49. MASSIVELYDOPEPOLICE
50. MASSMEDEAR previously known as: massblog021
51. MELANIN-DIARY previously known as: blackjourney2justice, dontshootus, jusslittlestoner
52. MISSBERRIANSTUFF
53. MOOSEBLOGTIMES
54. MORNINGWOODZ previously known as: 5cubes, bangbangempire, empireofweird, gifemprireohh, innerpicsempire, picsempire
55. NADIQUITEGOODATIT previously known as: runlovernad
56. NEVAEHTYLER previously known as: laserenita
57. NOTEVERYTHINGISWHITE previously known as: ashleyfsilver
58. POLIGRAPHME previously known as: poligraphmy
59. POSTINGWHILEBLACK previously known as: ghettablasta, heygeraldmartinjohanssen, honestinjun, nativewolveshere
60. REBELLLOUDWITHTHECROWD previously known as: massivelystrangetyrant
61. RICORDIO
62. RIKKI-RI
63. SASSYDREAMLANDCLOUD
64. SCENTEDBALLOONPANDA
65. SERGPOLOZOV
66. SHOUTOUTWORLDWIDE previously known as: blackprideworldwide, krispymentalitycowboy
67. SHYSHANNONSTUFF
68. SKULLOFJUSTICE previously known as: naughtykermit, ryanbutlersstuff, usnationaldebt
69. SKWAD55
70. SOMESTUFF4YA previously known as: somestufffoya, unitedposters
71. STARLING-ALL-BLACK-ALL-DAY
72. STOPROPAGANDA
73. SUMCHCKN previously known as: blondeinpolitics, blvckcommunity, classylgbthomie, hwuudoin, politixblondie
74. SUMMERINSOMNIAC
75. SUPERBLYGUN
76. SWAGINTHERAIN previously known as: blacklivesmatterusa, carzwithgirlz
77. THE-REAL-EYE-TO-SEE
78. THETRIPPYTRIP previously known as: matrixpath, themostpost
79. THINGSTOLOVEFOR previously known as: the-inner-mirror
80. THIS-TRULY-BRUTAL-WORLD previously known as: awesomewhitepearl, free-mind-and-soul
81. VOTEFORWEST2020 previously known as: mrbadasscat
82. WEPROUDTO2BLACK
83. WEVANESSASTEWARTSTUFF
84. YANBIG

Tumblr is urging users to be vigilant for ongoing troll activity — linking to a News Literacy Project CHECKLIST for spotting their tricks, and encouraging people to “be skeptical of things you read” and to use fact-checkers such as Snopes.

It also suggests users step in and “correct the record” when they see others spreading misinformation, regardless of whether they believe it’s being done intentionally or not.

Concluding its email to the user who had unwittingly engaged with 11 of the identified IRA accounts, Tumblr adds: “We deleted the accounts but decided to leave up any reblog chains so that you can curate your own Tumblr to reflect your own personal views and perspectives.

“Democracy requires transparency and an informed electorate and we take our disclosure responsibility very seriously. We’ll be aggressively watching for disinformation campaigns in the future, take the appropriate action, and make sure you know about it.”

Asked how he feels to learn Kremlin trolls had unknowingly infiltrated his Tumblr feeds, the user told us: “It’s unsettling, although maybe not surprising, that we legitimize and signal boost bad actors on social platforms by ‘liking’ or reposting content that doesn’t appear to have any political agenda at first glance.”

question: Who was active on Tumblr during the 2016 presidential elections?

answer: Kremlin trolls.

question: How many accounts were linked to the Internet Research Agency?

answer: 84.

question: What is the Internet Research Agency?

answer: A Russian trollfarm.

question: What did Tumblr do to the 84 accounts?

answer: They were deleted.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the activities of Russian Trolls on Tumblr during the 2016 Presidential elections. It lists the names of the accounts which had links to the Russian Internet Research Agency and mentions how and why Tumblr deletec those accounts.


text:
ALTO BONITO HEIGHTS is a census-designated place (CDP) in Starr County, Texas, United States. It is a new CDP formed from part of the old La Victoria CDP prior to the 2010 census with a population of 342.[1]

Geography

Alto Bonito Heights is located at (26.315777, -98.641329).[2]).

[1]

[2]

title: Alto Bonito Heights, Texas

question: Where is Alto Bonito Heights?

answer: Starr County, Texas, United States

question: When was Alto Bonito Heights formed?

answer: prior to the 2010 census

question: What is the population of Alto Bonito Heights?

answer: 342

question: What are the coordinates of Alto Bonito Heights?

answer: 26.315777, -98.641329

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Alto Bonito Heights is a census-designated place in Starr County, Texas, United States with a population of 342.


text:
The air was cool and the night was calm. The moon glistened on the fresh snowfall.
I rapped the door several times, not using the doorbell as I usually do.
She greeted me with a radiant smile at the door adorn in a scarf and the bells of her snow hat jumped with excitement for what was in store for the evening.
Our hands met as I helped her down the slippery stairs and, with no destination planned, we walked off into the moonlight.
The streets were empty and the snow untouched. The night was ours.
We had conversations about nothing, and reminisced about our days in highschool. Its hard to believe that after all this time we would become re acquainted with one anotherand inevitably fall in love. We reached the end of the cauldesac and I twireled her with my finger tips.
She slipped on the ice.
I caught her mid fall and pulled her close into a passionate embrace.
Her eye lashes were kissed with snow flakes and her cheeks blushed from the cold. Time was standing still and neither of us were meant to be anywhere else at that precise moment.
Our lips met deeply, in the cold of the night.
"There has been somehting I need to let you know" I said with the taste of her lips still on my breath.
"Is that so?" She said cheekly, positively glowing.
"You may say its about us," I continued.
"Go on" she said, with a smile.
"Well, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared. She said, 'Your're moving in with your aunt and uncle in Bel Air'".

title: Just for fun

question: Who are the characters to each other?

answer: Old high school friends reacquainted

question: Are the characters in love?

answer: They are falling in love

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator picks up an old high school friend for a date. He marvels at that fact that they have reacquainted and are falling in love.


text:
The 2016 OLIVET COMETS FOOTBALL TEAM, sometimes known as TEAM 116 in reference to the 116th season the Olivet football program had fielded a team, was an American football team that represented Olivet College during the 2016 NCAA Division III football season. The Comets play in the MIAA and played their home games at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, Michigan. Olivet was led by Dan Pifer, who was in his fifth and final season with the Comets, as he would be hired by the Walsh University football team of the G-MAC to become their new head coach in December 2016. In January 2017, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator Dan Musielewicz was hired as the new head coach for the Comets.

Season Synopsis

The Comets won the MIAA conference title outright for the first time since 1974 and at least a share of the conference title for the second consecutive year and the first time since 1913-1914. The title was the twelfth in school history and the nine wins in the season tied the single season record set in 2015. The Comets also made an appearance in the 2016 NCAA College Football Playoffs for the second time in school history, the other in 2007. Olivet faced John Carroll University in the First Round and lost to the Blue Streaks 37-12.

Broadcasting

For another season, broadcasting for the Comets was done by 89.1 The One WOCR FM with play-by-play done by sports director Matt Scher and color analysis by Zach Sturgill. The games could be heard on the radio and on wocrfm.com. A first for Olivet Football, home games were broadcast on the Comet Sports Network produced by Visual Premier Productions, LLC. with audio simulcasted from WOCR's broadcast. The Comet Sports Network broadcasts were streamed through YouTube.

Schedule

    SOURCE:[1]

[1]

title: 2016 Olivet Comets football team

question: Who won the MIAA conference title in 1974?

answer: The Olivet Comets

question: What does MIAA stand for?

answer: the article does not answer the question

question: What station broadcasted for the Olivet Comets in 2016?

answer: 89.1 The One WOCR FM

question: Who coached the 2016 Olivet Comets football team?

answer: Dan Pifer

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The 2016 Olivet Comets football team won the MIAA conference title and appeared in the NCAA College Football Playoffs.


text:
Alternate Title: HURRICANE KATRINA OREGON 2-DISASTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAM AFTER ACTION REPORT: NEW ORLEANS AIRPORT, AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 10, 2005

"On August 30, 2005 OR-2 DMAT [Oregon -2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team] was activated to respond to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. (Prior to activation, the team sent 8 members to augment WA-1 DMAT, which was staged in Houston, Texas prior to the hurricane making landfall.) On August 31, the team was sent to Houston, Texas where it staged and departed the next day for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (OR-2's cache departed on August 31 from Portland, Oregon in three trucks, with 6 team drivers, with an estimated arrival time for 4 to 5 days.) The team arrived at the New Orleans International Airport at approximately 1330 hours on September 1, 2005 and immediately started treating patients. Three Type I DMAT teams were already at the location delivering medical care. The team encountered an overwhelming demand for patient assessment and treatment during the next four days. Many of the medical personnel on site were extremely fatigued. Some of the previous teams were working up to 60 hours without any sleep. Supplies of both food and water were in short supply and the power had only recently been restored to the facility."

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Author:                           | Miller, Dr. Helen                 |
|                                   | McNamara, Joel                    |
|                                   | Jui, Dr. Jon                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Publisher:                        | United States. Department of      |
|                                   | Homeland Security                 |
|                                   | United States. Federal Emergency  |
|                                   | Management Agency                 |
|                                   | National Disaster Medical System  |
|                                   | (U.S.)                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Date:                             | 2005-09-25                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Copyright:                        | Public Domain                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Retrieved From:                   | Lessons Learned Information       |
|                                   | Sharing (LLIS)                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Format:                           | pdf                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Media Type:                       | application/pdf                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| URL:                              | https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=76 |
|                                   | 6144                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

__ Help with citations

question: When was the article written?

answer: September 2005

question: Who published the article?

answer: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and the National Disaster Medical System

question: What disaster is the article in response to?

answer: Hurricane Katrina

question: Why were the medical personnel fatigued?

answer: They had been working up to 60 hours without sleep

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Oregon-2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team was sent to New Orleans International Airport on September 1, 2005 and immediately began treating patients.


text:
Quite often prospective clients, and developers thinking of learning Xojo, ask my opinion of Xojo.  They are about to embark on a journey spending tens of thousands of dollars on a cross-platform tool and they want to know if Xojo is a right for them.  It’s a good question and I’ll share some of what I share with them in no particular order.

Xojo is pronounced “Zo Jo”.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard it pronounced “Ex Oh Jay Oh” or something else.  They just don’t know and I think it spooks a lot of people as it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.  Xojo has been around under various names (REALbasic and Real Studio) for twenty years – all with the same company.  At that point it’s easy to name a dozen languages/development environments that were popular twenty years ago that either don’t exist today or been sold so many times that they’re now obscure tools.

This isn’t your fathers BASIC.  Xojo uses the BASIC syntax but this isn’t like the venerable Visual Basic or even older GWBasic or QBasic.  Xojo apps are NOT interpreted at runtime – they compile down into native code for each of the platforms.  The language itself is a modern object-oriented language that happens to use the BASIC syntax.  Xojo is updated three to four times a year and has undergone a lot of upgrades in the past two decades.  It first supported 68000 code, then PowerPC and Fat applications, Carbon, and now finally Cocoa on the Mac side.  They’ve added Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi (Linux ARM), desktop and console application targets.  In the mobile space they’ve added iOS, and by the end of the year Android.  They’re also in the middle of the transition from 32-bit only applications to 64-bit applications.  For the most part things ‘just work’ and developers don’t experience too many issues (bugs happen but think about how many targets they’re supporting!).

Xojo applications are self-contained.  Take a compiled Xojo application and (with very few exceptions) literally copy the files to another computer and the application will just work.  Even Windows applications don’t need an official installer, however, it is recommended since most Windows users are comfortable and familiar with using them.  Most Mac applications are installed via drag-and-drop from a disk image but an installer can be used on the Mac as well.  This ease-of-installation is huge and it’s rare to have “DLL Hell” issue since all required libraries and resources are bundled together.  This does make the resulting output larger than some other development tools that depend on system libraries but I’ve rarely seen this an issue.

Xojo provides nearly everything you need in one tool (with some caveats).  The Xojo IDE has Code, Form, Menubar, Database, and Report editors (to name some of the big ones) in one tool so you never have to use another tool.  We’ve found the database editor to not be powerful enough so we prefer external database editors.  The built-in reporting tool also isn’t very powerful so we created our own reporting tool (Shorts) which has served us well in our consulting projects.  The nice thing is that all of the built-in tools work seamlessly with each other so the tools that are powerful enough for you ‘just work’ with few hassles.  The editors try really hard to protect your from hurting yourself while other tools are just a big text file that must be in an exact format.

The Xojo community is incredibly helpful.  The Xojo Forums are filled with some of the most helpful people I’ve ever met.  Some of the Xojo engineers respond to questions, but usually the community answers before they get to it.  Many other support forums are rude and condescending to newcomers to their language/tool.  The Xojo forum has even been known to answer questions about other tools.

Xojo is a cross-platform tool and because of this it has some compromises.  Controls are often the lowest- common denominator.  Grids especially aren’t as powerful as some are used to in the Windows world.  This is mainly because complex grids are not common in Linux and Mac environments.  Other controls have similar issues.  Things like automatic spell checking in TextArea’s are platform specific as on the Mac.  At times it is disappointing that there aren’t more control options for Xojo right out of the box (think date and calendar controls) but thankfully there is a third-party market for controls and libraries for Xojo that can often help.  Even though much is provided for you, it’s possible for a developer to use OS API’s using Declares that can significantly modify the appearance and functionality for some applications.

Xojo is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) environment.  Between the all-in-one IDE and the language creating applications in Xojo is fast.  This means that an initial investment can get your app developed faster and cheaper than many other languages.  Obviously some of this depends on the developers doing the work but it can make a huge difference.  We’ve always told clients that if they’re not happy with Xojo performance after the initial release they can use our code as the proof of concept to the developer in whatever language they choose.  There have only been a handful of clients that have ever switched languages after release and that’s usually been switching from desktop apps to web app.

The cost of Xojo isn’t very high compared to some tools.  For $699 per year per developer you can create web, console, and desktop apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Linux ARM plus iOS apps.  That’s all in the same environment and same language and with the exception of iOS applications (which requires a Mac) you can use Mac, Windows, or Linux to create everything.  Many developers use third party controls and libraries and even those are relatively inexpensive.  Plus, there are no royalty fees for your Xojo made applications.  All-in-All it can be a relatively inexpensive tool.

What considerations have I missed?

 Post Views: 341

question: What is Xojo?

answer: It's a computer cross-platform programming language tool.

question: How expensive is it to get the Xojo program?

answer: According to the author, relatively inexpensive.

question: How supportive are the Xojo customer support?

answer: According to the author, they are accommodating.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article talks about Xojo, a cross-platform computer programming language designed to create native applications for operating systems such as Mac, Linux, Windows, IOS, etc. According to the author, the software program is relatively inexpensive and has a constructive forum, especially for newcomers with questions about other tools.


text:
Abstract

The first wave of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) has subsided in New Zealand as in other southern hemisphere countries. This study aimed to estimate the effective reproduction number (R) of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) taking into account imported cases. It also aimed to show the temporal variation of R throughout the New Zealand epidemic, changes in age- and ethnicity-specific cumulative incidence, and the effect of school holidays. Using a new modelling method to account for imported cases, we have calculated the peak R during the containment phase of the pandemic as 1.55 (95% confidence interval: 1.16 to 1.86). This value is less than previously estimated in the country early in the pandemic but in line with more recent estimates in other parts of the world. Results also indicated an increase in the proportion of notifications among school-age children after the school holiday (3-19 July 2009). This finding provides support for the potential effectiveness of timely school closures, although such disruptive interventions need to be balanced against the severity of the pandemic. .

[Loading full text...]

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/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/15/24/art19591-en.htm?itemId=/content/10.2807/ese.15.24.19591-en&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

question: What is the topic of this abstract?

answer: The topic of this abstract is the 2009 pandemic influenza, A(H1N1), specifically in New Zealand and other southern hemisphere countries.

question: What does the abstract indicate is the purpose of the study?

answer: The study looks at the effective reproduction number of the influenza. The study looks specifically at changes in age and ethnicity cumulative incidence and the effect of school holidays.

question: Is the full text present?

answer: No

question: What do the findings support?

answer: The finding provides support for the potential effectiveness of timeley school closures.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The topic of this abstract is the 2009 pandemic influenza, A(H1N1), specifically in New Zealand and other southern hemisphere countries. The study looks at the effective reproduction number of the influenza, specifically at changes in age and ethnicity cumulative incidence and the effect of school holidays.


text:
I've been doing some short story writing exercises. The other day I chose to write brief stories based on the name of a song I just listened to. I gave myself one page in my journal to write the whole story. This one is based on Winter Song by The Head and the Heart.

Winter Song

He counted to fifteen fifteen times and now the winter song will always be fifteen minutes too long. The season has come fifteen minutes too early and the symphony has lost their rhythm. Their fingers are frozen and their toes shatter. There’s no hope now, the winter song will always be fifteen minutes too long. My husband will surely leave. He will give up on the orchestra, first the woodwinds, then the percussion with a rata-tat-tat and then the horns who blare their way into the storm. I will sit here and write in my book as the percussion marches by, rattling the window panes, and off they will go to be eaten by wolves. And the wolves will rata-tat-tat until they get taken by disease and then the roaches and the birds will carry the rata-tat-tat to the end of the world and to the end of time and the winter song will always be fifteen minutes too long.

title: Winter Song

question: What happens to the rest of the orchestra?

answer: Presumably the rest of the orchestra also dies, but only the percussion is focused on.

question: How did the birds and the roaches end up with the rata-tat-tat?

answer: The birds and the roaches ate the wolves after they died, and the wolves ate the percussionists who originally had the rata-tat-tat.

question: How would a story based off of "Spring Song" be different to this one?

answer: Winter is a season of death and despair, where Spring is the season of life and renewal, so a story based off of "Spring Song" would be this story's polar opposite.


text:
[Robert A. Walton (left) and Benitez L. “Benny” McCullum.]
MUNCIE – Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a total of 25 felony charges against two Muncie men accused of confining three local residents and torturing one with a nail gun.

Robert A. Walton, 55, and Benitez L. “Benny” McCullum, 34, were arrested last Thursday after they allegedly held two women and a man against their will in a building in the 3800 block of Broadway.

The charges, filed Tuesday in Delaware Circuit Court 4 by Chief Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman, provided more details of the torture Walton is accused of inflicting on one of the victims, a 46-year-old woman.

Walton faces 13 charges, including four counts of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison.

Those counts allege he “used an air gun to shoot staples/nails” into both of the woman’s legs, her “abdomen/torso” and one of her feet.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman “had to have surgery to remove the nails that were inside her leg bone.”

Walton is also charged with attempted aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon over allegations he placed a metal pipe against the same woman’s knee, which he threatened to break.

He is also charged with three counts each of intimidation and criminal confinement, and a single count of conspiracy to commit criminal confinement. In all, nine of the 13 charges against Walton are Level 3 felonies.

McCullum faces 12 charges – four counts of aiding, inducing or causing aggravated battery; three counts of criminal confinement; two counts of intimidation; and single counts of conspiracy to commit criminal confinement, attempted aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon.

McCullum is accused of pressing the barrel of the air gun to the 48-year-old male victim’s neck and striking that man in the head with a shovel.

The third victim, a 37-year-old woman, managed to escape and ran to a nearby convenience store, resulting in police being called to the scene.

Initial hearings are set Monday in Circuit Court 4. Walton continued to be held in the Delaware County jail on Tuesday under a $100,000 bond, while McCullum, the target of unrelated warrants, was being held without bond.

The court documents filed Tuesday do not address any possible motivation for the alleged abductions and violence.

“There is evidence of a motive but I don’t want to comment on that,” Hoffman said. “This was not a random act between strangers.”

_Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. Follow him on Twitter: @DouglasWalkerSP._

Police arrest two for confinement, torture

Charges likely next week in torture case

Download the The Star Press app

question: Why did the two men torture their victims?

answer: It is made clear that there was a motive and that they were not strangers to each other, however the police don't go into more detail.

question: How did the third woman escape?

answer: It isn't made clear in the article.

question: Why did the perpetrators use an air/nail gun?

answer: Unclear from the article, though it is likely they wanted to inflict pain but didn't want to kill their victims.

question: Why don't the police want to discuss possible motives?

answer: It likely has some legal ramifications for the victims.


text:
The CHANNEL ISLANDS COMPETITION AND REGULATORY AUTHORITIES (CICRA) is the name given to the combined Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority and the Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority, which operate in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey in the Channel Islands.

History

Formed in December 2010, CICRA is responsible for administering and enforcing the Competition (Jersey) Law 2005 and The Competition (Guernsey) Ordinance 2012. The purpose of the legislation is to prevent consumers being harmed by anti-competitive or exploitative behaviour in the market.[1]

The decision to form a joint body was taken because of the similarity of needs and the reduction in duplication through economies of scale. Resources available to CICRA are limited.[2]

Areas of responsibility

The areas of responsibility are being developed:[3]

-   Competition law
    -   Some areas of work are discretionary, others such as a duty to investigate mergers and acquisitions are statutory
-   Telecommunications
    -   Regulator
-   Postal sectors
    -   Regulator looking at quality and universal service obligations
-   Electricity – Guernsey 2012
    -   Regulator
-   Ports – Jersey 2015
    -   Economic regulatory authority, to protect and further the interests of users of port operations and where appropriate promote competition

Board

The board comprises a chairman, three executive directors and three non-executive directors. As of July 2016, Michael O’Higgins chairs the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) and the Guernsey Competition Regulatory Authority (GCRA). Together, these bodies make up the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA). The JCRA and GCRA administer different laws in each bailiwick respectively but share resources and cooperate on pan-Channel Island issues. After appointment in both jurisdictions, Mr O’Higgins became Chair of CICRA.[4]

There are fewer than ten staff spread between two offices in the two islands.[5]

Areas of contention

An investigation by CICRA into possible market abuse by a States of Guernsey contract in 2016 was blocked as the States refused to supply CICRA with the necessary funding.[6] The investigation was dropped in January 2017.[7]

The ownership of regulated companies by the governments, such as Jersey Post and Guernsey Electricity, can produce conflicts.[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

question: When was CICRA formed?

answer: December 2010

question: What is CICRA responsible for?

answer: Administering and enforcing the Competition (Jersey) Law 2005 and the Competition (Guernsey) Ordinance 2012

question: What is the purpose of the legislation CICRA enforces?

answer: To prevent consumers from being harmed by anti-competitive or exploitative behavior in the market

question: Who is the Chair of CICRA?

answer: Michael O'Higgins

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) is an organization consisting of the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority and the Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority, which operate the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is responsible to administering and enforcing laws to protect consumers from anti-competitive and exploitative behaviors in the market.


text:
In shogi, RIGHT KING or RIGHT-HAND KING (右玉 _migi gyoku_) is a defensive subcomponent of different openings in which the king stays on the right side of the board together with the rook, which protects the back rank (rank 9) as well as the eighth file. It is an exception to the general rule that the king is castled away from the rook.

It is possible to use a Right King formation within a Bishop Exchange opening as well as other openings.

The castle formation used in these strategies is also called a Right King castle.

Overview

When an opponent is building up a Static Rook position, castling the king to the left means that the player will need to defend from attacks from above. However, were the king to be placed in the right, far away from the opponent's attack, the efficacy of such an attack could be diminished. As for variations in right king, in the case where a castle has been built on the left flank, the opponent will expect that the king will transfer to the left as well, and hence will start many attacks toward there. Hence, playing right king can be said to be an effective move to counter this assumption. While it may appear at first glance to contradict the maxim of “Don't place the king and the rook close to each other,” insofar as there are no gaps where the opponent can drop pieces and it's possible to attack, it can be said that Right King has good balance. For example, if an opponent has attacked from the left flank, by way of P-4e, P-2d, the player can launch a counterattack aimed at the king's head with rook, bishop and knight. In some circumstances the rook can range in preparation for attacks from the left flank.

Yoshiharu Habu adopted this strategy in his seventh game in the title match of the Ōi tournament, playing white (_gote_), in September 12 and 13, 2016_._[1] Although Habu had initially moved his king leftwards to the 42 square earlier in the game, he later moved his king rightwards (K-52, K-61, K-72) to form a Right King position. Additionally, his left silver that was earlier on the 33 square has moved after a pawn trade on the fourth file to the 53 square (via S-44) further strengthening the Right King castle.

On the other hand, there are countermeasures for Right King, among the most notorious of which are Feint Ranging Rook and Subway Rook, or Chikara Akutsu's switching from a Floating Chrysanthemum Fortress to a Silver Crown.

Against Ranging Rook

Itodani's Right King

It was developed by Tetsurō Itodani. It can be used against Ranging Rook openings (especially against Cheerful Central Rook). The king itself defends the center, while the rook uses the left side to attack on Ranging Rook's king's head.

[1]

title: Right King

question: What is "Right King" in shogi?

answer: Also called the Right-Hand King, it is a defensive subcomponent of different openings in which the king stays on the right side of the board together with the rook, which protects the back rank (rank 9) as well as the eighth file. It is an exception to the general rule that the king is castled away from the rook.

question: What is the castle formation used in these strategies called?

answer: Right King castle.

question: What is the purpose of the Right King?

answer: If the opponent is attacking from the left, placing the king in the right could diminish the attack's efficacy.

question: What are the most notorious countermeasures for Right King?

answer: Feint Ranging Rook and Subway Rook, or Chikara Akutsu's switching from a Floating Chrysanthemum Fortress to a Silver Crown.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: In the strategy game of Shogi, "Right King" (also Right Hand King) is a defensive subcomponent of different openings in which the king stays on the right side of the board together with the rook, which protects the back rank (rank 9) as well as the eighth file. It is an exception to the general rule that the king is castled away from the rook. There are countermeasures for the Right King, including Feint Ranging Rook and Subway Rook.


text:
SANZA POMBO is a town and a municipality in Uíge Province in Angola.[1][2][3][4] The municipality had a population of 68,391 in 2014.[5]

Infrastructure

Sanza Pombo is served by Sanza Pombo Airport which is 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) northwest of the town.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

title: Sanza Pombo

question: Where is Sanza Pombo located?

answer: It is located in Uige Province, Angola.

question: In 2014, what was the population of Sanza Pombo?

answer: The population of Sanza Pombo in 2014 was 68,391.

question: Who serves Sanza Pombo?

answer: This town is served by the Sanza Pombo Airport.

question: What is Sanza Pombo?

answer: It is a town and municipality in Uige Province.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes a town called Sanza Pombo, located in Angola.


text:
NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS (NHCS) is a school district headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. It operates public schools in New Hanover County. It is the 12th largest school district in North Carolina and is estimated to be the 311th largest in the United States.[1]

Schools

[Eugene Ashley High School]

High schools

-   Eugene Ashley High School
-   John T. Hoggard High School
-   Isaac Bear Early College High School
-   Emsley A. Laney High School
-   New Hanover High School
-   Mosley Performance Learning Center
-   Wilmington Early College High School
-   South Eastern Area Technical High School

Middle schools

-   Holly Shelter Middle School
-   Murray Middle School
-   Myrtle Grove Middle School
-   MCS Noble Middle School
-   Roland-Grise Middle School
-   Trask Middle School
-   Williston Middle School
-   Lake Forest Academy School
-   Gregory Middle School

Elementary schools

[Carolina Beach Elementary School]

-   Walter L. Parsley Elementary School
-   Alderman
-   Anderson
-   Bellamy
-   Blair
-   Bradley Creek
-   Castle Hayne
-   Carolina Beach
-   Codington
-   College Park
-   Eaton
-   Forest Hills
-   Freeman School of Engineering
-   Gregory School of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
-   Holly Tree
-   Lake Forest Academy
-   Mary C. Williams
-   Murrayville
-   Ogden
-   Pine Valley Elementary School
-   Porters Neck
-   Snipes Academy of Arts and Design
-   Sunset Park
-   Winter Park
-   Wrightsboro
-   Wrightsville Beach

[1]

title: New Hanover County Schools

question: How many schools are there in New Hanover County in total?

answer: 43

question: How many high schools are there in New Hanover County?

answer: 8

question: What city is New Hanover County in?

answer: Wilmington, North Carolina

question: What is Bellamy?

answer: An elementary school in New Hanover County.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A list of schools in New Hanover County, Wilmington, North Carolina.


text:
[]

__Finance

Ghana’s Producer Price Index (PPI) for September 2020 has increased to 9.6 percent from 9.0 recorded in the previous month, the Ghana Statistical Service has said.

This, according to the Service represented a 0. 6 percentage points increase in producer inflation relative to the rate recorded in August this year.

The PPI measures the average change over time in the prices received by domestic producers for the production of their goods and services.

The Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Annim who announced this at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday said the monthly change in PPI between August and September 2020 was 0.1 percent.

For the Mining and quarrying sub-sector, he said its PPI decreased by 6.1 percentage points over August 2020 rate was 37. 9 percent to record 31.8 percent in September 2020.

He said the manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuel recorded the least rate of -0.3 percent in the manufacturing sector.

According to Prof. Annim, monthly changes in the mining and quarrying sub-sector recorded the highest rate of 5.2 percent while that of the manufacturing sub sector had a rate of 0.2 percent.

The utility sub sector, he said recorded no monthly rate change.

The Government Statistician said the manufacturing sector increased by 1.9 percentage points to record 5.9 percent with the utility sector recording the same rate of 5.8 percent recorded in August for September.

Prof. Annim stated that seven out of 16 major groups in the manufacturing sub-sector recorded inflation rates higher than the sector average of 5.9 percent.

The groups were manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers 16.6 percent, rubber and plastic products 16.5 percent, other non-metallic mineral products 11.1 percent, food products and beverages 8.9 percent, furniture 7.3 percent, publishing, printing and reproduction or recorded media 6.8 percent and textiles 6.3 percent.

SOURCE: Ghanaian Times

__

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question: What is PPI?

answer: PPI, or producer price index, measures the average change over the time in the prices received by domestic producers for the production of their goods and services.

question: How much did the PPI change by in the mining and quarrying sub-sector?

answer: In the mining and quarrying sub-sector, the PPI decreased by 6.1 percentage points.

question: How much did the PPI change in the manufacturing sector?

answer: In the manufacturing sector, PPI increased 1.9 percentage points.

question: How many groups in the manufacturing sub-sector recorded inflation rates higher than the sector average?

answer: Seven out of 16 of the major groups in the sub-sector recorded inflation rates higher than the sector average.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Ghana's PPI, or producer price index, increased to 9.6% from 9.0% for September 2020.


text:
SWAMI VIVEKANAND NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF REHABILITATION TRAINING AND RESEARCH (S.V. NIRTAR) is an autonomous institute functioning under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of India. It is the most prestigious institution in the field of rehabilitation. It is in Olatpur, 30 km from Cuttack.

History

The institute was conceived to provide manpower to the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India and created in the name of Directorate of Artificial Limbs Fitting Centre (DALFC) in March 1974 and started functioning at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. When the Institute was shifted to a rented place in Safdarjung Enclave, its name was changed to Central Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Training (CIPOT).

Following the offer of available land at Olatpur by former Odisha Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy during former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi's visit to Odisha, Indira suggested Balu Sankaran, Professor Emeritus at St Stephens Hospital and family surgeon to Indira Gandhi to study the feasibility of starting the Institute in Olatpur. The Institute was shifted from New Delhi to Olatpur in November 1975 and started functioning from 3 December 1975 following the recommendations of Balu Sankaran. Subsequently, the name of the Institute was changed from CIPOT to National Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Training (NIPOT) in 1976.

Courses and services

The institute offers bachelor's degrees in Physiotherapy (B.P.T.), Bachelor in Occupational therapy (B.O.T.), Bachelor's degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics (B.P.O.) of 4½ years including 6 months compulsory Internship as per rule of the University/ Rehabilitation Council of India in accredited hospitals, rehabilitation organizations in rural area/district rehabilitation centre, 2 - year master's degree in Occupational therapy (Neurology, Hand Therapy, Developmental Disabilities & Rehabilitation), Physiotherapy (Neurology, Paediatric, Musculoskeletal Conditions & Rehabilitation), and Master in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MPO) as well as Diplomate in National Board of Examination (DNB). It also conducts short orientation courses, Continuing Medical Education courses for rehabilitation professionals, awareness programmes for the functionaries of government and non-government persons with disabilities and their relatives, etc.

Rehabilitation services

Patients with locomotor/orthopaedic, neurologic, or developmental disabilities due to ailments like poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy, congenital deformities, leprosy, burn contracture, paraplegia, hemiplegia, etc., and hearing and speech disabilities are treated and rehabilitated. People with disabilities requiring artificial limbs and other rehabilitation aids and appliances are provided to prevent the impairment leading to disability and to make them near normal and to carry on their activities for daily living.

The rehabilitation is provided through the following infrastructure:

-   100 bedded hospital.
-   Prosthetic and Orthotic Dept.
-   Physiotherapy Dept.
-   Occupational therapy Dept.
-   Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
-   Two well equipped operation theatres for performing corrective and reconstructive surgeries.
-   Microsurgery.
-   Assessment Clinic consisting of Rehabilitation Specialists & professionals to evaluate the patients.
-   Radiological and Pathological investigation Units.
-   Cerebral Palsy Clinic.
-   Hand Clinic.
-   Speech Therapy.
-   Psychological counselling.
-   Vocational counselling, Training and Guidance.
-   Workshop for hand splints.
-   Hydrotherapy.
-   Modern and Sophisticated Rehabilitation equipments.
-   Rehabilitation Park.
-   Early Intervention Clinic

Prosthetics and orthotics

Head of the Department:Dr. Srikant Moharana

Prosthetics and orthotics science is now one of the world's fastest-growing area of research and development.

Prosthetics is the study of prescribing, designing and fitting artificial replacements (may be any part of a normal human body) by biologically feasible materials, they may be internal (e.g., artificial body implants, internal knee joints used in knee joint replacement surgery, etc.) or external (artificial limbs, aesthetic fingers, etc.). One who is expert in this science is called as a prosthetist and mainly deals with the external replacements. A prosthetist deals with mainly amputees (unilateral, bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral, etc.), or congenital malfunctioning of limbs or even replacing the missing limbs, etc.

Similarly, orthotics is the study of prescribing, designing and fitting supportive devises to any part of human body with any neuromusculoskeletal disorders and one who is expert in this science is called as an orthotist. Sometime splints are referred as orthosis (the device); they are otherwise used for a short period. Some of the pathologies where orthotists play an important role are all type of paralysis patient (hemiplegics, paraplegics, etraplegivstrieics, quadriplegics, etc.), polio myelitis, muscular dystrophy, CTEV, Cerebral Palsy, Burn injury, fractures (mainly fractures of cervical vertebrae), diabetic foot, leprosy, Perthe's disease, PID, LBP, vertebral deformities (scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, spondylolisthesis, etc.), phlagiocephalics, any LMN disorders, etc.

Apart from prosthesis and orthosis, a prosthetist and orthotist is the only licensed professional in India to prescribe mobility aids and appliances, i.e., crutch, wheelchair, walker, etc. Their workshops, one is called as the old laboratory which is near about 38 years old meant for production and the latest is a new laboratory meant only for academics and research which is equipped with latest pneumatic technology, with workshop layout by Ottobock healthcare, Germany.

The following aids and appliances are fabricated by department of prosthetics and orthotics at S.V .NIRTAR:

-   Endoskeletal Prosthesis: S.V. NIRTAR is the only premiere institute in India to have workshop facility and availability of components for endoskeletal Below Knee and Above Knee prosthesis with soft cosmetic cover.
-   Immediate Post Operative Prosthesis (removable and readjustable system)
-   Plastic FO, AFO, KAFO
-   Metallic AFO, KAFO and HKAFO
-   Co-polymer Polypropylene spinal braces
-   Aluminum alloy spinal braces
-   Wrist driven, Shoulder driven hand and upper arm splints
-   Fracture bracing

Expert faculties include: Dr. A. N. Nanda, Jr. Lecturer (Prosthetics), Dr. N. Ojha, Demonstrator(Orthotics), Dr. S. Moharana, Lecturer (Biomechanics), Er. R.C. Acharya (Engineering Drawing), Mr. R. R. Swain, Lecturer (Computer science) & Er. R. Das, Lecturer (Applied Mechanics).

Generally a student after passing out the bachelor's degree, gets campus selection before completion of internship, till date every students passing out from this branch have been appointed in MNCS, Hospitals, NGOs & private clinics. This is the only course that is recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

Occupational therapy

Head of the Department:Dr.(Mrs) Anurupa Senapati (Asst. Professor, Occupational Therapy)

Occupational Therapy (OT) is being practiced in India for several decades. OT is one of the important health disciplines. Occupational Therapists provide services to the individuals whose functional abilities are affected due to physical or mental illness, ageing process, developmental problems, emotional problems. Occupational Therapists use purposeful, goal-oriented activities to achieve its goals that is to help the individual to be functionally independent having satisfactory life. The Department of Occupational Therapy is well equipped to provide services to disabled clients at S.V.NIRTAR.

The following services are available at the Department of Occupational Therapy:

-   Evaluation and Management of Functional Deficits
-   General Occupational Therapy
-   Developmental Therapy
-   Behavioral therapy
-   Hand therapy
-   ADL Training
-   Advice on Barrier-free Environment
-   Sensory integration therapy
-   Aquatic Occupational Therapy
-   Small hand Splints (temporary)
-   Transfer Training and Mat Activities

Physiotherapy

Head of the Department: Dr. PatitaPaban Mohanty (Associate Prof. Physiotherapy)

Physiotherapy (PT) is the branch of modern treatment that deals with the diseases and disorders by physical/natural means. It is not merely application of physical modalities, but it includes evaluation, assessment, treatment planning and treatment application, re-assessment, modification of treatment programmes and advice to the client.

The department of P.T. caters services to both out and in patients. Patients are allotted to therapists who evaluate, assess and plan out the treatment and execute the therapy. Difficult and problematic cases are discussed in the departmental meetings and therapeutic measures appropriate for them are given. Suitable “Home exercise programmes” are advised to patients.

The following services are available at Dept. of Physiotherapy.

-   Electrotherapy – Electrical stimulation, Interferential therapy, TENS, TECAR THERAPY, DEEP OSCILLATION THERAPY etc.
-   Actinotherapy – Ultraviolet, Infrared Radiation, LASER etc.
-   Heat therapy – Paraffin wax bath, moist heat, Ultrasound, Short Wave Diathermy, Microwave Diathermy etc.
-   Exercise therapy
-   Manual therapy including traction and soft tissue Mobilization, manipulation
-   Hydrotherapy Units and Cryotherapy
-   Misc- CDG-Gait analyser, KIN KOM-Isokinetic unit, Pulsed Electromagnetic energy, Biofeedback, Virtual Reality Rehabilitation, Balance Rehab etc.

The Units of Physiotherapy Dept. are follows:-

-   Neurorehabilitation
-   musculoskeletal-1
-   musculoskeletal-2
-   musculoskeletal-3
-   paediatrics-1
-   paediatrics-2
-   stroke Rehabilitation unit

The Physiotherapy department has won many national as well as state level awards for its service. ACADAEMICS- course available - BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy, 4year and 6month Duration) MPT (Master of Physiotherapy,2 years Duration )

Faculty members:- 1.Dr.Patita Paban Mohanty, MPT(Rehab), Asso.prof and HOD. 2.Dr.Monalisha Pattnaik, MPT(Cardio pulmonary), Asst.prof.Physiotherapy 3.Dr.Basanta kaumar Nanda, MPT(Rehab)Asst.Prof.Physiotherapy 4.Dr.Chitta Ranjan Mishra, MPT(Rehab), Lecturer, physiotherapy 5.Dr.Pramod Tigga MPT(Rehab), Lecturer, physiotherapy 6.Dr.Sujata Moharathi, MPT(Sports), Demonstrator, Physiotherapy 7.Dr.Binay Kumar, MPT(Rehab), Demonstrator, Physiotherapy 8.Dr.Mamata Manjari Sahu, MPT(rehab), Demonstrator, Physiotherapy 9.Dr biswajit satpathy

question: Where is the Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research?

answer: India.

question: What types of degrees does it offer?

answer: A bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

question: How many beds are in the affiliated hospital for rehabilitation services?

answer: 100.

question: What is "prosthetics"?

answer: Prosthetics is the study of prescribing, designing and fitting artificial replacements (may be any part of a normal human body) by biologically feasible materials.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabiitation Training and Research (S.V. NIRTAR) is an institute of education that offers bachelor's degrees in Physiotherapy (B.P.T.), Bachelor in Occupational therapy (B.O.T.), Bachelor's degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics (B.P.O.); it also offers a master's degree in Occupational therapy (Neurology, Hand Therapy, Developmental Disabilities & Rehabilitation), Physiotherapy (Neurology, Paediatric, Musculoskeletal Conditions & Rehabilitation), and Master in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MPO) as well as Diplomate in National Board of Examination (DNB). It was created in 1974 in Olatpur, India.


text:
I take a deep breath, adjust my goggles and sprint to the end. My feet barely touch the mass beneath me and I approach the tip of the wing, the wind screaming beautifully past me, a rush like the flow of blood through an artery, like a wave of water crushing a swimmer for a moment before allowing her respite, the swell of breath as you feel a lover’s touch on your thigh, her eyes locking with yours before her lips do the same. My left foot touches the edge, heel to toe; my knee flexes, and for a moment I think I hesitate, but perhaps I don’t and just wish I had. Perhaps I am pushed.  I launch and turn backwards, flipping so I can see the plane behind me, the earth upside down and for a moment, the briefest moment, I’m suspended in the air. According to physics it’s at this moment where I’m not moving in any direction. There is nothing pushing me this way or that, no commitment to worry about, no forces act on me at all. Then I fall towards the earth speeding along towards the cities, commitment, life, reality. For the next several minutes I feel myself speeding up, crushing down at the solid ground. Finally it feels like I’m not falling. I feel suspended again, floating full of life and feeling and power here 10,000 feet above terra firma.

Pushing through the sky like a bottle opener into a cork, I spin and spin diving further and further towards a certainty I cannot escape. Clouds come into view, glorious and looming. I see them so often from the ground they have become meaningless; up here where it’s different I see them for what they are: constantly shifting bodies. Clouds don’t move, they come into being in a different space, while leaving other parts to wisp away into the wind. They pulse and breathe. They hold you for a moment and then release you. Inside the cloud there’s a magic, a concrete feeling of luscious glory that lasts momentarily before I exit. Clouds come and go as do I, entering and exiting them at a velocity best described as wonderful but dizzying.

The ground is closer and more real than ever, and it’s time to pull. Put a stop to this freedom and embrace safety, end the charade of a freewheeling care-free young man and settle down. The equivalent of a wife and minivan, the kids and the bills and the security of others. Someone who doesn’t just give you the thrill and leave you, something that doesn’t feel like a one night stand. Time to plant your feet on solid ground.

I fall, hand on the cord, eyes on the altimeter, and slowly rotate so I fall looking at the sky. Looking at where I was, seeing how far I’ve come and wishing I was one minute ago, three days ago, 6 months ago. Being dropped is terrible, falling is exhilarating, but finding ground again…

Finding ground again is frightening. The idea of walking around miles below where you were and having to work to get back up here to the sky: well honestly it’s goddam awful. I want to be up in the sky again already, looking down at everyone beneath me, I want to be high up again. But no, right now I’m falling; falling increasingly faster and faster. The ground is rushing at me, that which was so unimportant only a moment ago is now so very important.

I think of what it took to get here. The training, the practice, the years of waiting, the checking of gas, wheels, equipment, radio, wings, instruments, and all the work just to reach the air. Learning and practice and practice and trust and building something that could work. Only to find yourself up high above the world, above it all, nothing can touch you. Packing the chute…

Oh god the parachute. I touch the cord handle of the cord and recall this fall isn’t like the others. I’ve been here before, but I always landed softly, holding the plastic handle that was attached to my chute. There’s nothing safe about it this time. This time I will land hard. I’m passed the moment where I can actually deploy and safely land on the ground. I yank hard on the cord and my chute rips open; a chest with ribs broken and a heart looking at the surgeon beating softly with the thump of a speaker. Wind fills the parachute and I feel myself slow down incredibly fast. I look down and I see the ground only one hundred feet away. I brace myself and try to glide in along the ground, I pull my feet up and I pull the cords by me and I look and I scream, my mouth opens wide and it all comes flying out of me. I slide through high grass going far too fast; my body instinctively curls up and I roll along the ground cracking bones, bruising ribs, and generally fucking up my body. I inhale dirt and scrape a gash on my shin that deposits blood on the ground every few feet. The roll last 6 seconds, but I feel like I’ve been tumbling for months. Dust is everywhere and the cloud billows up around me as I finally come to rest on the ground.

Broken, bruised, beaten, busted up and generally destroyed on every level of existence. I cough and blood mixes into the bare grass around me and I contemplate laying here forever. The sun is fading in the west I look over at it, and I watch, laying down in a mixture of brown, red, green, and yellow and realize that there’s nothing that has to happen, there’s nothing that is more important than finding my own strength and standing up to say I’m ready. I slowly rise up to my knees, and then one foot at a time, I stand up. I watch the sun burn the remnants of the day away, a bright orange ball that everyday cooks the world to a crisp, only to show up the next morning to a fresh new set of ingredients; ready to burn again. The sun’s flames lick the ground and for a moment, a lifetime of a moment, the ground glows red along the entire horizon. I shrug off my parachute and look back up the sky.

I’ll be back up there again soon.

title: Falling in Love and Falling out of a Plane

question: Why does the parachute fail to protect the narrator from being injured?

answer: They do not deploy the parachute in time.

question: What is the significance of the title?

answer: The narrator is skydiving and is in love with the feeling of floating suspended above the earth.

question: How does the narrator's injury affect their love of skydiving?

answer: It doesn't--they are undeterred.

question: Why does the narrator stop speeding up at the end of the first paragraph?

answer: Presumably because they hit terminal velocity.


text: Along these red brick walls of Strangeways I stand facing my own mortality. Inside these walls that swallow up the pieces which society deems unworthy I stare into the abyss knowing, not believing my bereavement. Beside me stand two other inmates that have decided my fate. In a just world these men would become law abiding doctors or lawyers but instead they had to fight and kill in order to survive. These men will never know of a normal life outside these walls. Inside this black hole that swallows you up never to be seen again, this is a normal life in all its glory. This is not justice or a solution but a quick fix so normal people can sleep at night knowing their ethical crimes go unpunished. They say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes. This is your brain looking through all your memories trying to find a way out of the current situation. No memories flashed before my eyes. I knew there was no way out of this when I lost that court case all those years ago. As I looked into the eyes of the men next to me I saw nothing. No morals and no regrets for their wrong doings. Yet even though I was facing down certain death it was looking into those cold empty eyes that truly and utterly scared me.

title: Black Hole

question: What if the saying that "when you die, your life flashes before your eyes" was a myth and not necessarily true?

answer: If this saying was taken as a myth, then many people would not believe what they were seeing when in near death experiences.