text:
I look into her eyes. I see the girl I once loved, but now she is a cold, heartless monster. Where in our own world, our made up world. I see our house, its slowly fading away. I lay on our couch crying from the pain she give me. I watch her as she packs up her bags and leave. Our children run over to me crying asking, "Where's mommy going?", "Why is she leaving?" I answer them with, “She no longer loves us kids.” They run to her asking her to stay but she shakes her head ‘no’ and begins to leave. That’s when it happens.

The world that I and she made begins to fade away I see the walls disappearing.  I hold my children in my arms saying, “Please not Sebastian and Estella. Anything but my children.” I hold them as tight to me as I say, “It’s going to be all right, don’t worry daddy is going to fix this.” I begin to cry even more knowing there’s nothing I can do to stop this. Our world is nearly gone all that’s left is the house, already half of the house is gone, the area around us is starting to fade. I kiss my children as they begin to fade, the whole time I’m staring into her eyes, she only sheds a tear as our children disappear. When I no longer feel them I feel another wave of tears wash over me as I get up in a rage yelling, “You heartless bastard how could you? Our kids are gone because of you!! All because it became to challenging for you??” I back away, lying down in pain tracing circles in the ground. I’m just there in the darkness and pain.

She then dries up her tear and leaves threw the door as I hold the only remaining evidence of what I use to have. The photo is the best one of my no longer family. I cry deeply tracing the images of my family. Sebastian is the first to start fading; I start to cry even more as I lose memory of him, my only son. Next is my baby girl Estella, another wave of tears as the memory of her is gone from my mind. Then is the girl I had let in, my wife. I don’t recall the feelings as she began to fade all I could remember was when she was mine. The photo now contains just me I cry as I try to remember my family but can’t.  I scream out in pain and agony, “YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!!!!!” I then fall back down and lay there as I try to remember my family, all I can recall is the feelings I thought I had for…..her. The door she left in disappears as well. I just lay there, a shell of the man I once was.

title: Me and my girlfriend have this made up world, where we do what ever we want. I think of this from time to time.

question: How is the girl who the author once loved described in this story?

answer: The girl is described as a cold, heartless monster.

question: What relationship does the narrator have with the children described in this story?

answer: Then narrator is the father of the children in this story, a helpless father to be exact.

question: What is happening to the narrator that is causing the most pain and darkness?

answer: The author is losing his memories of his children and his wife (who he hates).

question: What does the mother do that causes the narrator to hate her?

answer: The mother is leaving her family behind and this causes the narrator to really hate her.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This short story describes the pain a father feels as his wife leave their family and his memories of his children and wife start to dissipate.


split: train

text:
Every day I wake up with my wife and make her breakfast and pack her lunch for the day. Her sheduale changes daily, so sometimes she is up at 6 int he morning, and sometimes she has to be up at 3. When she gets up, she turns all the lights on and wakes me up. I make sure she has her bathrobe and hair dryer plugged in and then make her eggs. I make a fresh salad for lunch, as well as packing any snacks she would like.

Then I make sure her purse is ready, and that she has her phone, keys and wallet. I also pack her 'pills', which are a series of diet pills and vitmins. If I don't double check it for her, she will just leave, and then become furious that I didn't pack it correctly. Her commute is just under 2 hours, and she expects me to talk to her on the phone the entire time. The only time she doesn't, is if she hangs up on me to talk to her mom or her sister. Typically while we talk I'm finishing laundry, or cleaning the kitchen, or making the bed, or getting ready for work my self.

On my days off she expects me to travel to meet her at work so I can ride the bus home with her. She also expects me to talk to her on the phone every break and lunch she has. When she has a day off she will often hang up on me, or not answer her phone if I call. She will spend her days off laying in bed watching TV, and napping with our cat.

This morning she left me, because I was too selfish.

title: A Love Story.

question: Is the man a homemaker?

answer: No, the husband has a job but does almost all of the household chores.

question: Explain everything that happens to the husband.

answer:
The husband prepares his wife breakfast every morning and also gets her things ready for a shower. Along with this, he packs her lunch and makes sure he has everything necessary for her day. He does almost all the household chores after she leaves and also travels to meet her at work when time permits.

Even after all this, the wife leaves him stating he is too selfish.

question: Describe the sort of person the wife is.

answer: It may be implied that the woman is quite demanding and also selfish. She does not care to understand the extent her husband is going to so that her life is simpler. Nor is the woman thankful to her husband for all that he does.

question: Why does the husband do everything the wife says?

answer: It may be implied that he does all of the work out of his love for her or maybe just so that she does not have to go through any trouble.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Every day the husband does almost all the household chores and also gets everything ready for his wife's day at work. From making her breakfast to packing lunch for her, he's got it all covered.

On days when he has an off, she expects him to see her at work, which he happily does. But while she has an off, she doesn't even care to pick up his calls.

After all this, the woman leaves the man stating he is too selfish.


text:
   He wasn't quite sure if he could still call himself a magician. He didn't really feel all that magical. Yet here Jack was, sitting on his bed, trying to pull something out of his hat.
   He had gotten the hat when he was a kid. He used to do all sorts of magic. Not particularly GOOD magic, but it was magic. As he got older though he became more and more self conscious of his mystical little hobby. Not that any one made fun of him for it, in fact he got a lot of praise for his magic tricks. He just decided that there were more practical uses of his time. But for some reason, today he really wanted to pull a rabbit out of thin air.

       He stuck his hand in and felt nothing. He was rusty.

   Jack thought back to his first performance at the 5th grade talent show. The crowd was amazed- or so he had thought. It wasn't until watching his mothers video tape of the performance years later that he realized that 'Jack the Magnificent' was only 'Jack the Pretty Good for an 11-year-old'. His biggest trick, a levitation spell, could only get him three feet off the ground. More adorable then magnificent.

   Tired of being patronized by his family and friends he sold most of his magical treasures in high school. The faberge dragon's egg he got from his dead grandmother brought in enough for him to get a car. 'The Mysterious Mittens of Midas' (an 8th birthday present that stopped working years ago) helped him rent a tux for prom. He decided to just give 'The False Pharaoh's Sarcophagus of Sacrilege' to the children's museum. The thing was so big he was just happy to get rid of it. They were pretty irritated when they found out it was cursed but come on- just look at it's name. It shouldn't have taken 2 possessions for them to figure out what was up. The only items that he decided to keep were the hat and a jar that held the first pixie he ever summoned. He had kept them for mostly for sentimental reasons (they were also the easiest to fit in the closet). But the pixie had escaped at some point, but Jack's Mom swore it was still in the house somewhere.

   His parents had been pretty supportive of the whole "I want to be a mystical conduit" thing when he was a kid, but then again they were pretty supportive of everything he did. He was currently a manager at local department store, and Mom and Dad just seemed happy that he capable of taking care of himself. The job payed pretty well and he was proud of working his way up from a cashier position. His hobby had actually proved to be of some help in getting him there: When a couple boxes from a shipment had gone missing Jack used an enchanted tome he found on eBay (either 'Jupiter's Judgment' or 'Issitoq's Intuition'- he couldn't remember what it was called now) to find that the boxes had fallen behind one the shelves in the back. Corporate was so impressed they decided to give him the assistant manager's job after they quit to go work at iHop.

   Jack was pretty content, but he was also pretty bored. Maybe that's why he was spending his one day off this week trying to pull a rabbit out this old hat.

   He started trying to remember why he had wanted to become a magician: To understand the unknown? To create that which didn't yet exist and command powers capable of altering the very fabric of the universe? Probably the same reasons any kid wanted to be a magician. As a boy he had dreamed of being one of the greats, a mighty sorcerer capable of changing the world. However, as he got older he realized that there was a much higher chance that he would fail and just become another wizard living at home with his parents. So he decide to just alter his dreams. Instead of conquering the mysteries of the world, he decided he could still be happy with having a good retirement plan.

   And he was happy. He had security, which was more then a lot of people had in the current economy. And being magician was risky- dangerous even. A couple of friends back in his hometown were still trying to make it big- one had accidentally caught his dad's yard on fire trying to deal with a squirrel problem and another had recently grown a permanent third eye (good luck with any future job interviews with that thing on your forehead). So why was he sitting here, wasting his Saturday trying to make something out of nothing?

   Maybe it was because, after graduating and leaving home, he wasn't feeling so special anymore. He wasn't the center of his parents world, he wasn't the center or anyone's world. He had a lot responsibility at work but he was easily replaceable. He was started to get frustrated, he had been digging around this hat for about ten minutes now and he hadn't been able to find anything. What was he trying to accomplish here? It's not like a rabbit was going to make him feel any better any way.

   But then Jack started doing something he hadn't done in quite some time: he started to wonder. What if there wasn't a rabbit in this hat?
       What if it was something else entirely?
   What if there was an ancient vessel inside, a home for a forgotten god? What if it was a vial containing a serum that made people forget their middle name? What if instead of a rabbit he pulled out a flower that smelled like hellfire?  Or what if inside this old hat was an even older hat that when worn would transform him into someone that wasn't afraid of asking out Sarah at work?
   He pulled his hand out of the hat and hesitated. He hadn't properly considered the possibilities, something horrible could happen.

       Or something amazing.

   He paused. Then, trying not think, he stuck his hand into the hat reaching as far as he could. The brim of the hat met his shoulder and he finally got a hold of what was in the hat

       He grabbed it tightly, pulled it out, and turned the nothing into a something.

title: The Not-So-Magnificent

question: Summarize the source of tension in the story.

answer: Since he moved out, Jack has realized that he might not have what it takes to be a magician. His thoughts border on the possibility that magic doesn't even exist. He thinks about how much the pursuit of magic has made him happy, and he seems to compare that to the current state of his feelings. He wonders why he is wasting his time trying to "make something out of nothing". His feelings are raw and existential in that magic up to this point has been an integral part of his person, yet he cannot say it is real and it is there at this point in his solo adult life.

question: Compare and contrast why Jack wanted to do magic in the first place, and what is deterring him now.

answer: Now, Jack has doubt. Back then-as a child and a teenager-Jack was a very curious boy who wanted to unearth and devour all the mysteries in the world. Since this daunting task proved improbable at best, Jack opted to pursue magic in a more realistic way: instead of becoming a sorcerer, he would try to do magic as a hobby and pursue a realistic, secure career path. Now he is deterred from doing magic because he feels stuck in his secure career and that stagnation has him wondering if there is any magic in the world, really, at all.

question: Explain some facets of Jack's childhood that contributed to the career path he ended up pursuing.

question: Summarize how Jack resolves his feelings.

answer: It doesn't seem that Jack does resolve his feelings. He might read into the result of his magic trick any way that suits his present mentality-if Jack wants to believe in magic, maybe it will be there for him. One can read into a sudden burst of rain or sunshine, for example, when there is a perfectly reasonable meteorological explanation for the sudden change. That example is not in this story. Maybe, conversely, Jack finds a resolution-or some semblance of closure-in his realization that magic truly can come from nowhere, and, most importantly, it can show up when you really need it. In Jack's reveal, he needs something to believe in, as he has been pondering under a dark cloud of self-doubt, knowing he is expendable at work and that his happiness may be largely superficial.


text:
UltraShape® (Fat Reduction)

UltraShape® is a painless, body contouring treatment available in Ottawa. Concept Medical is pleased to be one of the only clinics offering this non-surgical procedure to help shape your thighs, flanks, and stomach. UltraShape® is painless and has no injections, no incisions, and no downtime.

UltraShape harnesses the power of pulsed ultrasound to selectively destroy unwanted fat deposits, reduce inches, and improve your contour. UltraShape is a safe, painless fat reduction treatment, which can be used on the stomach, flanks, and thighs. UltraShape is not designed for weight loss, skin laxity, or cellulite or for patients who are obese. Unlike other body contouring treatments, UltraShape does not use heat or cold to destroy fat, which makes UltraShape very comfortable, yet effective.

UltraShape uses powerful ultrasound energy to selectively break down fat cells. When ultrasound energy from UltraShape is absorbed by fat cells, the outer wall of the fat cell ruptures. Surrounding structures such as blood vessels, muscle, and nerves are unharmed. Once the fat is broken down it safely cleared from the area and processed by the body’s natural metabolism. The UltraShape system at Concept Medical in Ottawa is guided by an advanced computerized guidance system designed to deliver uniform and smooth body contouring results.

Clinical studies have shown measurable circumference reduction in most patients after a single UltraShape treatment. However, most patients at Concept Medical in Ottawa experience optimal results after 3 treatments, each spaced 2-4 weeks apart. Results from UltraShape are considered permanent, as the treated fat cells are destroyed. Based on current clinical experience maximum results are seen about 30-90 days after the third treatment. Results are best maintained through a healthy diet and physical activity.

During treatment, many patients notice a mild vibration. However, treatment is not painful and very comfortable. Side effects from UltraShape are extremely rare, but are possible. There is no pain, numbness, or downtime following treatment.

UltraShape® at Concept Medical in Ottawa is a non-invasive, non-surgical and non-painful option for reducing fat in the abdomen and thighs. Concept Medical is pleased to offered this advanced body contouring technology. Please contact Concept Medical if you would like a consultation with one of our physicians to discuss UltraShape®.

Conditions Treated

FAT REDUCTION & BODY CONTOURING

Book a Consultation Today - We Would Love to Help!

Contact us online and we’ll be in touch within 1 business day or phone us at (613) 829-1266.

[]

-    11 Holland Ave., Suite 400, Ottawa, Canada K1Y 4S1 (Holland Cross Building, Tower A)
-    (613) 829-1266
-    (613)-482-4850
-    office@conceptmedical.ca
-    Mon-Fri, 9-5pm
-    Get Directions

About Us

Concept Medical is a full service cosmetic medicine located in Ottawa, ON. We provide physician-led, evidence based cosmetic medicine services to a range of patients in Ottawa and the surrounding areas.

NOTE: The information contained on this website is intended for a Canadian audience only. It is designed to provide general information; it is not intended or implied to be a treatment guide, advertising, or a substitute for medical advice. Results from treatments and services are never guaranteed and may vary. Risks are possible and should be discussed in detail with your provider.  Please read our ‘Disclaimer & Privacy Policy’ for more details.

[]

DEPRECATED: get_bloginfo was called with an argument that is DEPRECATED since version 2.2.0! The home option is deprecated for the family of bloginfo() functions. Use the url option instead. in /HOME/CONCEPTMEDICAL/PUBLIC_HTML/WP-INCLUDES/FUNCTIONS.PHP on line 5061

question: What does the text say differentiates UltraShape from other fat reduction procedures?

answer: In the age of technology taking over more conventional body treatment methods, UltraShape promises to provide a better, non-intrusive, painless way of treating body fat in the stomach, thigh, and flank area. Gone are the days of undergoing the painful, risky, and costly methods of this kind of fat reduction through liposuction, surgery, or other uncomfortable means such as cold press or the use of heat. UltraShape promises to be a more comfortable option to reduce fat in those targeted areas. It differs from other methods because it uses ultrasound to break down unwanted fat cells and destroy them. However, it's not aimed at obese people, and it does not cause weight loss, skin laxity, or cellulite.

question: What does the text say about the permanence of the procedure?

answer: The ultrasound procedure, which destroys the fat cells in the body, is said to be cleared from the system through the body's natural metabolism. The individual is expected to have three treatments spaced 2-4 weeks apart. Even though the procedure is effective, still, the person is expected to maintain a healthy and decent lifestyle through physical activities and watching what they eat by staying off foods and drinks that are likely to bring back that fat. In essence, the lifestyle of the individual determines the permanence of the treatment after completion.

question: What does the text say about how the possible side effects are managed from this procedure?


text:
HOME EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM is often termed “elective home education” (“EHE”) to signify the independent nature of practice from state provisions such as education for children with ill-health provided by the local authority in the family home. EHE is a collective term used in the UK to describe education provided other than through the schooling system.[1] Parents have a duty to ensure their children are educated but the education legislation in England and Wales does not differentiate between school attendance or education otherwise than at school.[2] Scots education legislation on the other hand differentiates between public (state) school provision and education “by other means”, which includes both private schooling and home education.[3] The numbers of families retaining direct responsibility for the education of their children has steadily increased since the late 1970s.[4][5] This increase has coincided with the formation of support groups such as Education Otherwise.[6] Home education may involve an informal style of education described as unschooling, informal learning, natural or autonomous learning.[7] Others prefer to retain a structured school at home approach sometimes referred to as homeschooling (a term more popular in the US) although the terms are often interchanged.[8]

In 2016/'17, 48,000 children were being homeschooled in the United Kingdom.[9]

England and Wales

History

With the Elementary Education Act 1870 came attempts to formalise and regulate what had been an ad-hoc schooling system.[10] Campaigners to establish a school system such as the National Education League had argued that schools were for children “not otherwise receiving education” and the 1870 act specified “a reasonable excuse for non-attendance at school : 1. That the child is under efficient instruction in some other manner”.[11]

In England and Wales, the law states that all children between the ages of 5 and 16 must receive a full-time suitable education as per their age, ability and aptitude and any special needs they may have must be met, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.[12]

With the growth of the schooling system came fresh theories and philosophies of education such as those of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi who would influence the likes of Herbert Spencer who in his essays on education (1854 and 1859) argued against the traditional authoritative classical form of education that disregarded the natural wishes, tendencies, and motives of the child.[13] In turn there were many further pioneers such as Charlotte Mason, Caroline Southwood Hill and Susan Sutherland Isaacs.

The twentieth century saw the opening of schools such as Summerhill and Dartington and the establishment of The Peckham Experiment. The government had set up consultative committees chaired by William Henry Hadow. The Hadow reports (1923–1933) with their suggestions such that "a good school 'is not a place of compulsory instruction, but a community of old and young, engaged in learning by cooperative experiment'.[14] laid the foundations for the 1944 Education act which required that each child be educated according to their individual aptitude and ability either at school or otherwise. The plans for a liberal communal based education system incorporating schools, village halls and community centres[15] floundered against local bureaucracy and finance and offered little more than a tripartite school system which itself would be abandoned as ineffectual in favour of comprehensive schools later to be dismissed as “bog standard”.[16]

During the early 1950s Joy Baker became one of the first parents to abandon the school based education system in favour of the otherwise path. She would spend ten years battling with the authorities who insisted her children should attend school.[17] During the early 1970s Dartington school ran a scheme, known as The Terrace, with Yorkshire County Council overseen by Alec Clegg to provide education to pupils who were required to stay on at school due to the raising of the leaving age. The scheme was run by Dick Kitto who had been working at Dartington. Kitto set up an informal democratic system and was impressed by how well the pupils responded to such opportunities.[18] Kitto planned to expand his ideas to cover more schools but he discovered that some parents had already moved beyond his ideas and had decided to abandon schooling for their children altogether. A meeting for these families was organised in the late 70's/early eighties (check date) which would lead to the establishment of Education Otherwise. The meeting included Iris and Geoff Harrison whose fight with the authorities to home educate their five dyslexic children was widely publicised in the media at that time. Education Otherwise is now a charity and organisation that helps families and children with queries relating to home education and resource-related issues. Other organisations such as AHED also exist.

Badman Review

In 2009, Ed Balls,[19] the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, commissioned Graham Badman, the former Director of Children's Services at Kent County Council,[20] to review current practice of local authorities in relation to home educators, and to investigate if home education was used as a cover for some forms of child abuse.[21]

When published in June 2009, the response was mixed. Balls himself accepted much of the review's recommendations in relation to safeguarding, however many home educators were extremely angry at the recommendation to force all to register.[22] The Children, Schools and Families Select Committee announced its own inquiry into the handling of the Badman Review.[23] It criticised both the Department and the Badman Review and made a number of recommendations against the thrust of the original report.

Although the Department framed legislation to implement much of the review,[24][25] due to a lack of cross-party support and intense campaigning by home education advocacy groups it was dropped by the Labour administration in the run-up to the 2010 General Election.[26][27]

Roles and responsibilities of parents and local authorities

The government recognises that education is a fundamental right for every child and that parents have the right to choose to educate their child at home rather than at school.[28] The roles and responsibilities of parents and local authorities in this regard are covered by a document called Elective Home Education: Guidelines For Local Authorities and is published by the Department for Education.[29] These guidelines have statutory standing and following these guidelines is obligatory on local authorities.

The guidelines quote section 7 of The Education Act 1996:

“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

The mention of “otherwise” is what covers education outside of school, including home education. The guidelines go on to explain that an efficient education is one that achieves what it sets out to achieve. It needs to prepare the child for adult life in the community of which the child is a member. Emphasis is placed (section 2.3) on the fact that the education does not need to prepare the child for life in the country as a whole but for life in the community of which the child is a member.

There is no definition of what constitutes a full-time education, but the guidelines accept that education at home may not follow the rigid hours of the school structure and it is difficult to impossible to measure exact hours devoted to it.

Home educating parents are not required to teach the National Curriculum; provide a broad and balanced education; have a timetable; have premises equipped to any particular standard; set hours during which education will take place; have any specific qualifications; make detailed plans in advance; observe school hours, days or terms; give formal lessons; mark work done by their child; formally assess progress or set development objectives; reproduce school type peer group socialisation or match school-based, age-specific standards (section 3.13).

Local authorities have no duty to monitor the quality of home education (section 2.7), have no right to enter the homes of home educators or otherwise see children for the purpose of monitoring their education (section 2.14 - 2.16) and are required to leave home educators to just get on with the job (various sections) unless the LA already has information that the parents are not delivering a suitable education (section 3.4).

Except where the child is registered at a school for children with special needs no permission is required from the school or local authority to deregister the child (section 2.4). Parents can deregister a child from the school system by the simple means of notifying the school in writing (section 3.8). There is no action, notification or deregistration process for those children who have never been to school. When a child reaches the age of five parents can choose to register the child at a school or continue to educate the child at home as they have been doing since the child's birth.

Regulation and monitoring

The law on education otherwise i.e. outside of school, taken together with the “Elective Home Education: Guidelines For Local Authorities” gives local authorities no responsibility, rights or control over home educators. Local authorities cannot require home educators to register, cannot demand regular inspection of the provision or access to the children and cannot seek to control or approve the education provided by parents at home. The only exceptions to some of the above are certain cases of children with special needs where the local authority is charged with providing support.

While local authorities have very little authority over home educators they do have a responsibility to identify children in their locality who are not receiving an education. Many local authorities find this a frustrating conflict and have often complained about their lack of power over home educators. They have done so in their feedback[30] to the Graham Badman review of home education, in their submissions to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Home Education and in other surveys and inquiries. Many claim that unless they can require all home educators to register, and regularly inspect the provision of every home educator, they are unable to effectively deliver on the identification of children not receiving an adequate education. Local authorities sometimes attempt to circumvent the law and force compulsory registration on to home educators and/or otherwise deprive home educators of their legal rights under the pretext of identifying children missing education, according to the Education Select Committee's Fifth Report to Parliament.[31] On numerous occasions, as with Kent County Council, 3 home educators have had to fight back to avoid local authority interference.

Home educators respond to local authority frustrations on identifying children missing an education by pointing to the fact that the law and guidelines give local authorities the option to intervene only when it has already come to the attention of the local authority that a child is not receiving an adequate education, that it was not the intention of the legislators to give local authorities the power to go on “fishing trips” that would impose on all home educators, that any regime of regular inspection of home educators would be hugely expensive while delivering very little value and that local authorities would achieve far more using their resources to improve schools that are not delivering an adequate education. Further, as local authority funding is related to the number of children in school local authorities have a perverse incentive to force home educated children into schools. That local authorities often act outside the law when dealing with home educators and given that the “large majority” of local authorities (all except 30) provide misleading information on their websites in relation to home education (page 23 of The Education Committee's report to Parliament), home educators remain wary of and opposed to any additional powers being awarded to local authorities who many see as anti-home education.

Qualifications, higher education, college

Just as school is not compulsory, exams and qualifications are not compulsory either. Home educated children often go directly into higher education or vocational courses without first passing through GCSEs and A levels. However, many institutions require proof of secondary level or pre-university level qualifications before admitting a student or providing employment. To meet those requirements home educated children take GCSE or iGCSE exams privately. This option is also available for A levels. While some GCSE subjects require “controlled assessment” at a school, others don't. There is no controlled assessment for iGCSE or A level qualifications.

Organisations and events

Across the UK, including in Scotland and Northern Ireland, local groups of home educating parents run regular meets, events, trips, picnics and camps. At the national level there are organisations and charities such as Education Otherwise and the Schoolhouse Home Education Association advising on matters related to home education.

There are other meets such as the annual AEFES (Alternative Education Festival) which is based in East Sussex UK and is organised by HE children and families. There is also HEFF (Home Educating Families Festival).

Scotland

The situation in Scotland is slightly different in that if a child is already in school the parent needs to get permission from the local authority to deregister the child, which permission should be granted fairly quickly.[32] No such permission is needed if the child has never attended school.[33] Home education in Scotland is governed by the Scottish Government's Statutory Guidance.[34]

Northern Ireland

Elective Home Education is legal in Northern Ireland under Section 45 of the Education and Libraries Northern Ireland Order 1986 SI 1986/594 which models English legislation in requiring the education of children of school age “by regular attendance at school or otherwise.” There are approximately 500-1000 home educated children in Northern Ireland, but exact numbers are difficult to determine due to the lack of registration. Currently there is no legal requirement for parents to register their children with the Education Board, but a consultation by the Department of Education that started in April 2014 has proposed mandatory registration, home visits, inspection of premises & approval of curriculum. This draft policy by the Department of Education has alarmed home educators by requiring what the law does not, therefore creating the potential for confusion. The consultation is due to end on 27 June 2014. The largest Home Education group in Northern Ireland, HEDNI is actively involved in opposing this change in policy.

[1] Educating your child at home Directgov

[2] Education Act (1996): Section 7 (covering England and Wales. Similar wording is included in legislation for Northern Ireland)

[3] Education (Scotland) Act (1980): Section 30

[4]

[5]

[6] Opting out The Guardian, 27 August 2002

[7] Educating your child at home, Alan Thomas, Harriet Pattison, Continuum,

[8] Government moves to tighten regulation of home education The Guardian Thursday 11 June 2009

[9]

[10] The evolution of the nursery-infant school: a history of infant and nursery education in Britain, 1800-1970, Nanette Whitbread, Routledge,

[11] Elementary Education Act, 1870, Introduction XXVI

[12] Education Act (1996): Section 7

[13] Essays on Education and Kindred Subjects, Introduction by Charles W. Eliot, Dent, 1911

[14] Gillard, D. 'The Hadow Reports: an introduction', the encyclopaedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/schooling/hadow_reports.htm

[15] The Times, Friday, 22 December 1944; pg. 5; Issue 50023; col C

[16] Blunkett rejects 'bog standard' tag BBC News 18 February 2001

[17] Joy Baker: Trailblazer for Home-based Education and Personalised Learning, Chris Shute,

[18] Duane, Michael (1995). The Terrace: An Educational Experiment in a State School. London: Freedom Press.

[19] Elective Home Education Hansard 11 June 2009 : Column 44WS

[20] Parents who home educate children to be forced to register The Guardian, 11 June 2009

[21] Action To Ensure Children’s Education & Welfare DCSF Press Release, January 2009

[22] Home educators made to register

[23] Children, Schools and Families Committee Press Notice

[24] Queen's Speech: Bill-by-bill BBC News

[25] Children, Schools and Families Bill Schedule 1 - Home education, England (draft legislation)

[26]

[27] Ed Balls drops key education reforms BBC News 7 April 2010

[28] Elective home education: guidelines for local authorities 13 August 2013

[29] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education Department for Education

[30] 1|Graham Badman Report

[31] 2|Education Committee's fifth report to Parliament

[32] 4 |Getting Permission From the Local Authority in Scotland

[33]

[34] 5| Scotland Statutory Guidance on Home Education

title: Home education in the United Kingdom

question: How many kids were being homeschooled in the UK in 2016-2017?

answer: 48,000 children.


text:
Russia is trying to create a false history that denies the Baltic states’ right to exist, with alarming parallels to its justifications for the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, top Lithuanian officials have said.

The country’s defence minister and officials from the army’s department of strategic communication have told the Guardian that they are taking very seriously the threat of disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Moscow that aim to destabilise the region.

“Russia is a threat,” the defence minister, Raimundas Karoblis, said. “They are saying our capital Vilnius should not belong to Lithuania because between the first and second world wars it was occupied by Poland. It’s history of course, but Russia is using this pretext.

“Sometimes [the disinformation] is through [the government-run news agency] Sputnik, sometimes through their TV, but usually from politicians in the Duma.

“There are now reports that Klaipėda [Lithuania’s third largest city] never belonged to Lithuania; that it was the gift of Stalin after the second world war. There are real parallels with Crimea’s annexation [from Ukraine] … We are speaking of a danger to the territorial integrity of Lithuania.”

Sgt Tomas Ceponis, from the Lithuanian military’s department of strategic communication, said his team was monitoring disinformation, much of which bears similarities to the propaganda campaigns reported by Ukrainian specialists.

Lithuania fears the campaign to rewrite history could be an effort to prepare the ground for a possible attack with conventional weapons – what the military calls “kinetic operations”.

“Some of my colleagues from Ukraine told me there was a 12-year period of latent information operations, non-kinetic,” Ceponis said. “Then after, when conditions were set, they turned to kinetic operation.

“What is really a threat for us, is that we see they are working on a similar narrative for Lithuania, and they have been working on it for many years.”

Lithuania map
The issue of how national history is interpreted is potentially a question of national survival for Lithuania, whose status has shifted over several centuries from a major regional power to a territory of another nation, to an independent but small and vulnerable state.

Ceponis said the Russians spent a lot of time and energy putting together a narrative in Crimea that incorporated a revival of the Tsarist-era term “Novorossia” or “New Russia”, to describe parts of eastern Ukraine. The term was embraced by Putin when he asserted Moscow’s right to use force there in 2014, but had first appeared nearly a decade earlier.

“In 2003, when they first talked about Novorossia, no one even cared about these comments, but now we can trace history back and see these articles,” Ceponis said.

The Lithuanian military says similar campaigns have been traced on TV and social media that question the existence of a separate Lithuanian state, lay claim to part of its territory, or bolster the idea that the country is oppressing ethnic Russians.

The former deputy chairman of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, Vladimir Zhirinovsky is among those who have challenged Lithuania’s right to exist.

“According to him the eastern part of Lithuania where our capital is should be connected to Belorussia, and the western part should be connected to Russia,” Ceponis said.

His team has picked up on the creation of Facebook pages for imaginary “statelets” inside the Baltic area, reminiscent of the self-declared People’s Republic of Donbass and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Some of the accounts may seem crude or absurd but if they are well presented, they can be very persuasive, Ceponis said. “You don’t need to lie 100%, just have to provide selective information, and they are really good at playing the game. Not everyone is a historian, a politician and for general citizens it can be hard to understand.

“We live in a democracy, which is why each of our citizens became a target for hostile propaganda,” he added.

Vilnius has long been nervous about a neighbour whose control it escaped only a quarter of a century ago. The authorities have already taken four television stations to court for their content, and had them temporarily suspended. Another key tactic is trying to educate citizens to identify propaganda for themselves, and exposing overt misinformation campaigns.

On the ground, Germany is to lead a battle group of 1,000 troops, including soldiers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg, who will be stationed in Lithuania, amid growing concerns over Putin’s intentions in the Baltics. Nato battle groups led by America, Canada and Britain are also being stationed in Poland, Latvia and Estonia.

Karoblis said the situation was “terrifying” but that the troops were vital to send the message that Lithuania and others were “not alone”. He said: “If the worst-case scenario [were to happen] we will probably not get another chance if we surrender without a fight.”

He added: “In Kaliningrad [a Russian enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea] they are building their capacities. It seems that they will have now a permanent middle-range missile system there that is capable of bringing nuclear weapons. It will cover the eastern part of Germany, or the south of Sweden, for example.

Ceponis said the west needed to step up its battle against Russian propaganda. “You have a saying ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. If we lose the information war today, tomorrow we may be fighting with weapons.”

question: When was the term "Novorossia" first talked about?

answer: 2003.

question: What is Novorossia?

answer: It means "new Russia."

question: Why was Lithuania's right to exist challenged?

answer: Because Russia's capital is on the eastern side of Lithuania and should be connected to Belorussia, the western side should be connected to Russia.

question: Why is Russia considered a threat to Lithuania?

answer: Because the Russian governement felt their capital should not belong to Lithuania because Poland occupied it within the first and second world wars.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of this article, Russia posed a threat to Lithuania because they believed its capital should not belong to them. After all, the eastern side of Lituania is on Russia's capital and should be connected to Belorussia, while the western side of the capital should be connected to Russia. The Russian government challenged Lithuania's right to exist, and its capital, Vilnius, has taken measures to educate its citizens on how to identify propaganda and expose misinformation campaigns. Also, Germany has recruited troops to be stationed in Lithuania for security measures concerning Putin's intentions in the Baltics.


text:
In optical astronomy, interferometry is used to combine signals from two or more telescopes to obtain measurements with higher resolution than could be obtained with either telescopes individually.  This technique is the basis for astronomical interferometer arrays, which can make measurements of very small astronomical objects if the telescopes are spread out over a wide area. If a large number of telescopes are used a picture can be produced which has resolution similar to a single telescope with the diameter of the combined spread of telescopes. These include radio telescope arrays such as VLA, VLBI, SMA, LOFAR and SKA, and more recently  astronomical optical interferometer arrays such as COAST, NPOI and IOTA, resulting in the highest resolution optical images ever achieved in astronomy. The VLT Interferometer is expected to produce its first images using aperture synthesis soon, followed by other interferometers such as the CHARA array and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer which may consist of up to 10 optical telescopes. If outrigger telescopes are built at the Keck Interferometer, it will also become capable of interferometric imaging.
 Types of interferometers
Astronomical interferometers come in two types—direct detection and heterodyne. These differ only in the way that the signal is transmitted. Aperture synthesis can be used to computationally simulate a large telescope aperture from either type of interferometer.
In the near future other arrays are expected to release their first interferometric images, including the ISI, VLTI, the CHARA array and the MRO interferometers.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the VLTI and Keck Interferometer large-telescope arrays came into operation, and the first interferometric measurements of the brightest few extra-galactic targets were performed.
 Astronomical direct-detection interferometry
One of the first astronomical interferometers was built on the Mount Wilson Observatory's reflector telescope in order to measure the diameters of stars. This method was extended to measurements using separated telescopes by Johnson, Betz and Towns (1974) in the infrared and by Labeyrie (1975) in the visible. The red giant star Betelgeuse was among the first to have its diameter
determined in this way. In the late 1970s improvements in computer processing allowed for the first "fringe-tracking" interferometer, which operates fast enough to follow the blurring effects of astronomical seeing, leading to the Mk I, II and III series of interferometers. Similar techniques have now been applied at other astronomical telescope arrays, such as the Keck Interferometer and the Palomar Testbed Interferometer.
Techniques from Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), in which a large aperture is synthesized computationally, were implemented at optical and infrared wavelengths in the 1980s by the Cavendish Astrophysics Group. The use of this technique provided the first very high resolution images of nearby stars. In 1995 this technique was demonstrated on an array of separate optical telescopes as a Michelson Interferometer for the first time, allowing a further improvement in resolution, and allowing even higher resolution  imaging of stellar surfaces. The same technique has now been applied at a number of other astronomical telescope arrays, including the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer and the IOTA array and soon the VLTI, CHARA array and MRO Interferometers.
Projects are now beginning that will use interferometers to search for extrasolar planets, either by astrometric measurements of the reciprocal motion of the star (as used by the Palomar Testbed Interferometer and the VLTI) or through the use of nulling (as will be used by the Keck Interferometer and Darwin).
A detailed description of the development of astronomical optical interferometry can be found   here. Impressive results were obtained in the 1990s, with the Mark III measuring diameters of hundreds of stars and many accurate stellar positions, COAST and NPOI producing many very high resolution images, and ISI measuring stars in the mid-infrared for the first time. Additional results included direct measurements of the sizes of and distances to Cepheid variable stars, and young stellar objects.
Interferometers are seen by most astronomers as very specialized instruments, as they are capable of a very limited range of observations. It is often said that an interferometer achieves the effect of a telescope the size of the distance between the apertures; this is only true in the limited sense of angular resolution. The combined effects of limited aperture area and atmospheric turbulence generally limit interferometers to observations of comparatively bright stars and active galactic nuclei. However, they have proven useful for making very high precision measurements of simple stellar parameters such as size and position (astrometry) and for imaging the nearest giant stars. For details of individual instruments, see the list of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths.
 Astronomical heterodyne interferometry
Radio wavelengths are much longer than optical wavelengths, and the observing stations in radio astronomical interferometers are correspondingly further apart. The very large distances do not always allow any usable transmission of radio waves received at the telescopes to some central interferometry point. For this reason many telescopes instead record the radio waves onto a storage medium. The recordings are then transferred to a central correlator station where the waves are interfered. Historically the recordings were analog and were made on magnetic tapes. This was quickly superseded by the current method of digitizing the radio waves, and then either storing the data onto computer hard disks for later shipping, or streaming the digital data directly over a telecommunications network e.g. over the Internet to the correlator station. Radio arrays with a very broad bandwidth, and also some older arrays, transmit the data in analogue form either electrically or through fibre-optics. A similar approach is also used at some submillimetre and infrared interferometers, such as the Infrared Spatial Interferometer. Some early radio interferometers operated as intensity interferometers, transmitting measurements of the signal intensity over electrical cables to a central correlator. A similar approach was used at optical wavelengths by the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer to make the first large-scale survey of stellar diameters in the 1970s.
At the correlator station, the actual interferometer is synthesized by processing the digital signals using correlator hardware or software. Common correlator types are the FX and XF correlators. The current trend is towards software correlators running on consumer PCs or similar enterprise hardware. There also exists some amateur radio astronomy digital interferometers, such as the ALLBIN of the European Radio Astronomy Club.
As most radio astronomy interferometers are digital they do have some shortcomings due to the sampling and quantization effects as well as the need for much more computing power when compared to analog correlation. The output of both a digital and analog correlator can be used to computationally synthesize the interferometer aperture in the same way as with direct detection interferometers (see above).
 Gamma-ray interferometry
Intensity interferometry has been carried out with multiple gamma-ray telescopes, eg. to measure stellar diameters.

title: Astronomical optical interferometry

question: What does the text say about combining telescope signals?

answer: In optical astronomy, combining signals from two or more telescopes is called interferometry. It is used to obtain measurements with higher resolutions. The purpose of using a larger number of telescopes is to create a picture with a resolution similar to a single telescope with a diameter of the combined spread of telescopes.


text:
[cliche-career-advice]

Does this sound familiar? You’re trying to figure out your future and you’re in the midst of some serious career planning, when all of a sudden you’re inundated on all sides by a hurricane of advice on what to do, what not to do, and how to move forward.

The truth is, when it comes to career planning most people think they have all the right answers when they’re dishing out clichéd and uninformed advice to others, and if you’re the unwitting recipient of these tired tips from everyone in your life you’re likely feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn.

Don’t bother doing a blind search on the Internet for career tip guidance—you’ll only encounter the same sort of tired advice that contradicts itself and takes all sides and forms depending on where you look. So, with all of this “career noise” at every turn, how do you know what to believe and follow?

You should always do what you love.

This is a nice thought, and it would be an interesting world if everyone got to do exactly what they want to do or love. But the truth is, reality sometimes holds a different view of how our careers should play out. While it can be a good idea to pursue a dream, it can be foolhardy to pursue it forever—after all, a noble pursuit like following your dream won’t pay your bills. Besides, it’s possible to find happiness and fulfillment while pursuing a backupplan. Use logic and reality as your guide when deciding between pursuing your dream and choosing an acceptable alternative.

Don’t leave your current job until you have a new one lined up.

This job advice tidbit is as old as it gets—but does that necessarily mean it’s sound advice? This tip gets particularly murky if your job environment is especially toxic or unhealthy. Sure, it makes sense to have a steady paycheck and job history while job hunting and until something new comes along, but life is short and if you’re really in a difficult or miserable spot, then it may be worthwhile to see if you can survive if you left your job. Besides, it’s easier to job hunt when you have more time to focus on it. Once again, fully weigh your situation, along with the pros and cons, and decide wisely.

Don’t leave a job before you’ve been there for at least a year.

Everyone has heard this one before, but is it actually sound advice? Employers like to work with people who stick around since it’s so expensive to recruit and train them.”

However, they also suggest that reality might not be so black and white: “While you want to avoid having _lots _of short stays in your job history, most people will understand if there was a particular situation that wasn’t great. If it’s your boss or the day-to-day nature of your work that’s not what you expected, keep in mind that there are sometimes options to change positions without leaving the organization. Start by looking for new responsibilities and discussing a transfer to another team. If, after that, you’re still itching to get out, update your resume and re-start your job hunt.”

If you change your field you’ll have to start at the bottom.

Are you finding yourself in a position where you’re thinking of a complete career overhaul? If so, then you’ve undoubtedly encountered this advice, which came from the notion that you always have to “pay your dues” when starting out in an industry and work your way up from the bottom. But whoever originally came up with this one obviously never thought about the value of transferable work experience and skills. According to The Muse, “if you’ve already put time into your current career, you probably have more skills that transfer from field to field than you recognize. Not just that, but your years of work have also taught you how to network, which can play a role in getting off the ground floor.” Bottom line: recognize your value and transferable skill set when considering what positions in other fields make sense for you, and don’t let this tired old cliché deter you from pursuing a new career in a new field.

There you have it—a fresh look on some old career tip clichés. Use the information provided here to help declutter your brain when it gets too full of competing advice and you’ll be on your way to make smart career decisions in no time.

Want More Content Like This?

Get TheJobNetwork's Latest Career Advice &
Job Seeking Tips straight to your inbox

You may also like

About the author

[]

Eric Titner

Eric is a NYC-based editor and writer, with years of experience in career-focused content development across a wide range of industries.

question: What does the text say about working two jobs?

question: What does the text say about old career tip clichés?

answer: The text's emphasis is not to listen to "career noise" from the internet or well-meaning family and friends when searching for career advice. This is especially true when the words of wisdom dispensed are old and outdated career tip clichés. The advice is often inapplicable or wrong for the set of circumstances at hand. Each person will have a set of different scenarios play out, so following old career tip clichés will often lead to wrong choices or worse situations.

question: What does the text say about always doing what you love?

answer: While "always doing what you love" is admirable, reality sometimes holds a different view of how things play out. Pursuing a dream can be a good idea, but chasing after it forever can be foolish because following a dream won't pay the bills. It is entirely possible to find happiness while pursuing a backup plan.

question: What does the text say about not leaving a current job until a new one is lined up?

answer: This old advice is inapplicable for people already in a toxic or unhealthy situation. Sometimes, survival and sanity outweigh having a job history and a steady paycheck. It is also easier to job hunt without having to worry about not having time for it.


text:
About

[]

Inspired by the old masters, Theology, conspiracy theories, and Philosophy, the dark and mysterious have always intrigued Los Angeles based artist Steven Daily. “I’ve always been attracted to the things people don’t want to talk about or acknowledge,” Steven explains. “I guess I paint it as a sort of an art therapy.” Beautiful and moody, Steven’s incredible paintings reveal his talent for perfect blends and inspiring technical skill. Not limited to acrylic or oil paint on canvas, Steven brings large scale murals to life with spray paint.

Steven Daily has lived all over the United States but was born in Riverside, California. Art was a always a part of Steven’s life from an early age, when he began drawing at just 5 years old. Furthering his influence, his mother was an oil painter and painted primarily landscapes. Another bit of guidance came from his crew, Bashers. “Bashers started out of a group of like minded friends, who painted graffiti. My second family,” Steven recounts.

Steven has since gone on to work with some big companies like Disney, Lucas Arts, Sony, Dark Horse Comics, Slave Labor Graphics, and HBO. He is married to a fellow artist which he finds inspiring and helpful. “She’s my worst critic, which pushes the pieces I make that much further.” Also a new Dad, Steven used to think he never wanted to have children but now finds immense joy in it. “It’s life changing. As artists, we tend to be selfish individuals. The unconditional love I have experienced with this little man is unprecedented. The self seems to fall away, and you find yourself living for your child not your career or you. I’ve definitely learned the preciousness of time management, and patience.”

Steven Daily’s giant spray painted jellyfish can be seen stretching along the exterior wall of SILO at 15th and F Street in Makers Quarter. Stay tuned for Steven’s solo show for 2016 “Burn The Boats” at Marcas Gallery in Santa Ana, CA. Steven’s words of advice for emerging talent? “Practice your craft and work hard. Enjoy the journey, don’t concentrate on the destination. You never know where the work will take you!”

Photos and article by Carly Ealey

Art independently curated by Chris Konecki. For more information on art in Makers Quarter™ contact: art@ryanb40.sg-host.com

question: What is the inspiration os Steven Daily's murals?

answer: Steven is a large scale muralist who uses spray paint as a method of "art therapy". He believes his greatest inspiration and his biggest draw as a creative are the parts of life people don't want to talk about or acknowledge.

question: How did Steven get his start as an artist?

answer: He began to draw at the young age of 5 and initially had guidance and influence from his mother who was an oil painter primarily focused on landscapes. Soon he would go on to join a group of graffiti artists called the "Bashers". The "Bashers" were described by Steven as a second family.

question: How has Steven maintained his inspiration as an artist as he aged?

answer: Despite working for many big names over the years like Disney, George Lucas, Sony, HBO, and more, Steven maintains that his biggest inspiration is his wife, a fellow artist, and also his son. He believes having his biggest critic in his wife and his biggest challenge as an artist in his son has helped him to grow and develop.

question: What is Steven up to now?

answer: At the time of this article he had an upcoming solo show in 2016 called "Burn The Boats" in Santa Ana, CA, and wanted to remind potential future artists to focus on their craft, enjoy the journey, and let the work guide them in their future.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Steven Daily is a large scale muralist who primarily works with spray paint, his edge as an artist coming from his fascination with the things in life people don't like to talk about or acknowledge. He started drawing at age 5 and was influenced early on by his mother, a landscape oil painter, and his graffiti group and "second family", the Bashers. As he aged, he found that despite working for many big names like Disney, George Lucas, HBO, and many more, his biggest inspiration and ongoing motivation are his wife, another artist, and his son. Despite originally not wanting children, and admitting that his wife is his biggest critic, he feels having these challenges so close to him have helped him grow and develop as an artist. Along these lines, he advises potential artists to focus on their craft, enjoy the journey, and most importantly let the work guide their journies.


text:
FIVE POINTS GANG was a 19th-century and early 20th-century criminal organization, primarily of Italian-American origins, based in the Sixth Ward (The Five Points) of Manhattan, New York City. In the early 19th century, the area was first known for gangs of Italian immigrants. Their descendants gradually moved out, to be followed by the next immigrants.[1]

Paul Kelly, born Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, was an Italian American who founded the Five Points Gang, one of the dominant street gangs in the first two decades of the twentieth century. The Five Points Gang included some who later became prominent criminals in their own right, including Johnny Torrio, Al Capone and Lucky Luciano.

Five Points

[Paul Kelly, founder of the Five Points Gang] [A slum tour through the Five Points in an 1885 sketch] The area of Manhattan where four streets – Anthony (now Worth), Cross (now Mosco), Orange (now Baxter), and Little Water (now nonexistent) – converged was known as “The Five Points”.[2] Mulberry, notorious for slum tenements, was one street down from the Five Points. This area, now the present-day location of Chinatown, lay between Broadway and the Bowery. By the 1820s, this district had been a center of settlement for poor immigrants and was considered a “slum” area of run-down wood frame and brick dwellings, warehouses and commercial enterprises dating from the late 18th century colonial era and early 19th century populated by mostly poor English and Scots-Irish with increasing torrents of waves of German, Welsh and Irish refugees by the 1840s.[3]

Gambling dens and brothels were numerous in the Five Points area, and it was considered a dangerous destination, where many people had been mugged, particularly at night. In 1842, famous British author Charles Dickens visited the area and was appalled at the poor living conditions in substandard housing.[4]

In the pre-civil war era, Catholic immigrants often dealt with ethnic prejudice and class discrimination from the Nativist White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, as a result, many Irish immigrants had formed local street gangs such as the Kerryonians, Forty Thieves, Shirt Tails, and Chichesters, to rebel against their low social status but the members soon turned to crime to relieve their frustration and make money to support themselves, and their families. Shortly before the American Civil War, these gangs began to dissipate with remaining members joining powerful gangs such as the Dead Rabbits and the Whyos.[5] Eventually the influence and numbers of these Irish gangs gradually started to wane.

By the 1870s a new wave of now Italian and Eastern European Jewish immigrants were settling into the area. Criminal gangs of Irish, Jewish and Italian criminals began competing for control of the territory, rackets and revenue to be made from illicit activities. Monk Eastman's Eastman Coin Collectors originally had many Irish members.

The 2002 film _Gangs of New York_ is set in Five Points based on Herbert Asbury's historical novel portraying the strife from the 1840s to the Civil War draft riots of 1863 between old line Americanized Protestant English and Scots-Irish immigrants and newly arrived persecuted Roman Catholic Irish with riots, crime, poverty and exploitation by political machines like Tammany Hall.

Origins

Italian American Paul Kelly (born Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli), formed the Five Points Gang, then made up mostly of Italians. The gang would then gain more power and members when Kelly recruited the remaining members of other Five Points gangs, such as the Dead Rabbits and Whyos, into his growing gang. As time went on, Jewish, Polish and Eastern European immigrants would also be brought within the ranks of the Five Points Gang, making them even more powerful and influential.

During the gang's later years, Kelly's second-in-command John Torrio, helped form a National Crime Syndicate in the United States. The Five Points Gang had a reputation for brutality, and in battles with rival gangs, they often fought to the death. Kelly and Torrio often recruited members from other gangs in New York to join the Five Points organization. Al Capone came from the James Street gang, and would later lead the Chicago Outfit. Torrio was the first to establish his style of racketeering in Chicago, and recruited Capone to join him there. Charles “Lucky” Luciano, also joined the Five Points Gang in his younger years, and was later considered the most powerful criminal in the country.

Rise to power

[Biff Ellison, a former member and would-be leader of the Five Points Gang.] As the Five Points Gang became more experienced, Kelly and his lieutenants saw the money to be made by supporting corrupt politicians in their election bids. By threatening voters, falsifying voter lists and stuffing ballot boxes, the gang aided city officials of the Democratic Party political machine like in the era of Tammany Hall to retain power. At the turn of the 20th century, the only competitors to the Five Pointers were from Monk Eastman's gang.

The rivals disputed claims to a strip of territory of the Lower East Side in Manhattan. In 1901, a Five Pointer shot Eastman in the stomach, but he survived. Soon after, one of his crew killed a Five Pointer in retaliation. By 1903 the feud escalated, and the two gangs openly engaged in warfare. In one incident Kelly, Torrio and 50 Five Pointers were in a gun battle with a similarly sized force of Eastman's gang. City Police called to the scene had to retreat from the battle, which lasted several hours. Three men were killed, and many were wounded in the battle. When the police finally gained control of the situation, they arrested Eastman, but he spent only a few hours in jail. A Tammany-controlled judge released him after Eastman swore that he was innocent.

The general public was angered about warfare in the streets. A Tammany Hall deputy named Tom Foley brought Kelly and Eastman together and told them that neither would receive any political protection if they did not resolve the border dispute. They restored peace for a short time, but within two months, violence had risen again. Officials brought together the two leaders but asked them to take on each other in a boxing match, with the winner's gang to take the disputed territory. [The New Brighton/Little Naples Cafe, main clubhouse of Paul Kelly's Five Pointers gang.]

On the appointed day, hundreds of men from both sides met at an abandoned house in the Bronx. Eastman and Kelly fought each other viciously. Kelly had been a boxer in his younger days, and was said to make a better showing in the earlier rounds, but Eastman was a larger man and fought ferociously. The fight lasted two hours and by the end of the match, both had suffered heavy punishment but neither man had been knocked out, and the match was declared a draw. The gang leaders told their men that they were still at war.

At this point, the Tammany Hall bosses decided to back the Five Points crew, and to withdraw any legal or political help to Eastman and his gang. In 1904 Eastman was beaten unconscious by a policeman who had foiled a robbery in progress. Eastman was convicted of the crime and sentenced to a 10-year term in Sing Sing prison (Ossining Correctional Facility) in Ossining, New York. His successor Max “Kid Twist” Zwerbach was murdered in 1908 by hitmen of the Five Points Gang, allegedly at the behest of Paul Kelly, and the Eastman crew began to crumble.

Final years

Paolo Vaccarelli/Paul Kelly survived an attempt on his life, after being shot three times by two of his lieutenants, James T. “Biff” Ellison and Pat “Razor” Riley, in a gun battle inside one of his nightclubs. Tammany Hall pressure made him keep a lower profile after this incident. He became more involved in the nascent labor union rackets. He died of natural causes in 1936.

Gradually the Mafia gangs took over the rackets and criminal activities formerly controlled by the Five Points Gang. Former Five Pointers such as Torrio, Capone, Lansky and Luciano became the leaders of the new groups and, with mentoring from influential businessman and criminal genius Arnold Rothstein, expanded their operations on a national and international basis. With the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act establishing Prohibition in 1920, profits from bootlegged liquor became a huge source of revenue for the Mafia families.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] https://books.google.com/books?id=6tszDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT62&lpg=PT62&dq=how+did+irish+gangs+form+in+the+pre-civil+war+era&source=bl&ots=kseGwSySny&sig=ACfU3U0pv-Y6iq2wPagwa-jgDrCWRAET3Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwip0M3ygKPpAhW2oHIEHbjiCucQ6AEwEXoECBAQAQ#v=onepage&q=how%20did%20irish%20gangs%20form%20in%20the%20pre-civil%20war%20era&f=false

title: Five Points Gang

question: Describe "The Five Points" area of Manhattan.

answer: The "Five Points" is an area in Manhattan where four streets - Anthony, Cross, Orange, and Little Water - converged. The district had been a center of settlement for poor immigrants and was considered a "slum" area of run-down wood frame and brick dwellings. Late 18th and early 19th-century colonial warehouses and commercial enterprises were used by poor English, Scots-Irish, German, Welsh, and Irish refugees by the 1840s. The Five Points area was considered a dangerous, crime-riddled destination, with poor living conditions and substandard housing.

question: What was Paul Kelly known for?

answer: Kelly was known for founding the Five Points gang, one of the most dominant street gangs in the first two decades of the 20th century.


text:
Stepping on cracks had never been something Jim liked doing. Although he didn’t have a mother whose back would break from it, he would still avoid the cracks in the pavement on the way to work every morning. He absolutely hated going to work, but not for the reasons most of us would think. Not because his boss was a troll, literally, or because the receptionist had bucked teeth that went down past her chin (yes, again, literally), but because of many other things. Two of those things being the atrocities he would see and endure on his way to work, as well as the fact that his job was boring and required him to do nothing, literally. In the elevator up Jim awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact with the elephant in the room. He was literally an elephant, one named Marshal. He took up a lot of room everywhere he went and would make any situation astonishingly awkward with his mere presence. Think: a big blue cartoony elephant. Jim was small. At 2 feet tall (2’2” actually), he was rarely noticed by anyone. He was bold except for the center of his head, where there was a 3 inch long little orange-red patch of hair.

As Jim climbed onto his chair and sat down in front of his computer screen, he couldn’t help but think of his old appearance: 6’5 with toned skeletal muscles and a great head of wavy brown hair. Living in a world where your appearance changes very suddenly and drastically as you reach adulthood and monsters with strangely arranged faces roamed the streets, however, Jim wasn’t exactly up to the task of figuring out why his ill fate had befallen him on his 21st birthday. Jim was snapped out of his day dream by his boss, the troll with a green eye and a grotesque face that nobody could love. “Jim! Why are you day dreaming? I’m telling you, the next time I catch you doing something I will give you an official warning!” said the troll. That was Jim’s 563rd time being warned about an official warning that year and although he found it absolutely stupid that his job was to do nothing, that his boss would do nothing but shout at the employees and attempt to make them feel bad (or die from his breath), his co-workers were unbearably meek and quiet and his boss never actually gave him official warnings, he just sat there and took whatever was said to him and sank lower into his chair, weakly. Something that he did bring him some excitement, though, was that every time his boss shouted at him he would lose a few hairs. Also, every time Marshal his elephant coworker made things awkward for everybody he would become slightly more elephant and awkward looking. Also, every time his boss was a/an (insert insulting term here) to anyone he would become slightly harder to look at and smell worse.

On the way home from work, Jim was attacked 6 times by 6 different people who didn’t really look like people. He also saw 5 murders by monstrous looking people on other monstrous looking people. All this was becoming a daily part of his life, despite the profound impact it initially had on him, and everything seemed to only get worse around him; People got uglier, people got meaner, Jim became smaller and lost more hair. Everything was deteriorating.

As Jim turned the key in the lock of his front door he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a large man approaching him rapidly. The 7’ tall zombie-looking creature slowly attempted to take a bite out of Jim’s second favorite drinking arm. On most days, Jim would have conceded and let him eat his entire arm but he was tired of being a victim. He pushed the creature off him, causing it to trip and fall into oncoming traffic where it was gruesomely hit by a car and lost its head. Jim felt a strange itch on the top of his head, followed by a piercing hair that made its way through his scalp. This was immediately followed by intense pain in his legs and the realization that his pants weren’t long enough anymore. Jim defended himself for once in his life, grew a few inches and grew a hair.

To the reader:
If you have read this far, then thank you. This is an experimental story I wrote in this obscure genre. I was trying to use the strange appearances of all the characters to represent their bad character traits. Essentially, in the story, the characters take on the appearance of their bad personality traits which tend to get worse because of the human tendency to give up when things are bad instead of changing.

Edit; Formatting

title: A story i wrote highlighting a problem in human society. Hope you enjoy

question: What problem in human society does the story highlight?

answer: The story highlights the tendency for people to give up when their circumstances are unpleasant instead of trying to change their circumstances.

question: Who is the protagonist?

answer: The protagonist is a man named Jim. He is small (2 feet tall) and has a three-inch-long orange-red patch of hair. Before his appearance changed, he used to be taller and muscular, with wavy brown hair. He is 21 years old.

question: How does the story end?

answer: The story ends with Jim standing up for himself when a zombie-like monster attacks him. As a result of his courage, he grows a few inches and also grows a new hair.

question: Where does the story take place?

answer: The story takes place at Jim's workplace initially and then at Jim's house. It is set in a world where people very suddenly change appearance when they reach adulthood and where monsters roam the streets.

question: Describe Marshal.

answer: Marshal is one of Jim's coworkers and also happens to be a blue elephant.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Jim lives in a world where people's appearances drastically change when they reach adulthood and where monsters roam the streets. Jim, who is extremely short and barely has any hair, goes to work, where he is constantly berated by his boss. When he arrives home, he is attacked by a zombie looking creature. Jim defends himself, and as a result, he grows a few inches and grows a hair.


text:
The light turned red. I slammed on the brakes, and was in turn slammed into my seatbelt as my BMW M3 slowed. my bumper stopped only inches short of the crosswalk, and a group of half-stoned teenagers cursed at me as they jumped back. I waved impatiently and revved my engine. The straight-six roared, like a savage creature under the hood was waiting to be unleashed. As soon as the light switched, I popped the clutch and the roadster shot forward. Five seconds later, I was roaring down the country road at sixty miles an hour. Loud as the engine was, however, it was drowned out by the screaming in my head. Because, truth be told, I was running away. Away from my home and my wife and everything I knew, with nothing in the trunk but a tire iron and a suitcase with clothes for three days. The last words she had spoken to me as I threw jeans and shirts into my bag rang in my head. “Bastard!” She had called me as I ran out the door, a glass of whiskey nearly missing my skull. “Shithead!” “Asshole!”  She said, over and over again in my head. Much as I tried to dredge up a memory, any memory of her that didn’t involve having profanity and heavy things thrown my way, I just couldn’t. So I ran. I ran to the driveway and my M3, throwing my suitcase in the back, banging my head on the opened trunk. I jumped in and turned on the engine and drove away and... Holy shit!

The deer seemed to take flight, nearly missing the hood of my car as it ran into the woods. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on the road. By now, I realized, I was far into the mountains, farther than I had ever been. I had missed the turnoff which led to the interstate, and was heading deeper into the Arkansas highlands. The road was smoother now, but there was fog creeping onto the sides. I kept my high beams on to watch for deer, and opened my windows. The engine screamed through the straight pipes and, spurred on by the sound, I upshifted into fourth and took off, my tires rumbling and squealing over the asphalt. The road widened to four lanes, and just in time, because just as I came around a blind corner, there appeared an old Ford truck. As I came up behind it, I could hear its old engine straining to get up the hill. I flashed my signal and passed the old wreck and crested the hill. As I did, a set of headlamps flashed in my rearview. I flinched  as the lights disappeared behind me, only to flash again as the car they were attached to crested the hill a few hundred yards behind me. I looked over my shoulder to identify the car, but its lights suddenly turned off. Then I saw the Ford roll over the hill. Or, more accurately, what was left of the Ford. It was skidding on raw rims, its tires shredded and sparks flying in a grotesque fireworks display. The man behind the wheel had been blown away with a 12-gauge, and his blood obscured the windshield. The old truck flipped once as it slid off the road, landing in a thicket and catching fire as its gas tank ruptured. Over the cacophony of the crash, I heard the throaty growl of a big V8 through straight pipes. Even louder, though, was a banshee-like scream. Both were growing louder, and I decided to make my getaway. I planted my foot on the gas, and accelerated away. Even as my M3 put down its 333 horses, I could hear the other car coming on fast. I hit the brakes as I rounded a turn, and the shrieking only grew louder. As I came out of the turn, I got my first look at my pursuer. The car was a jet-black 1967 Camaro SS, its sliver racing stripes shining in the light of the full moon. The headlights abruptly came back on, and I could see skull-shaped cutouts over the lamps, throwing eerie white silhouettes on the road behind me. I cursed and dropped down a gear, my engine screaming as the car jumped forward. The Camaro shrieked as it accelerated. It had a monstrous hood scoop, and a silver glow emanated from inside. The muscle car swerved left, and came alongside me. I gunned my engine again, and pulled ahead. Then, and God help me for doing it, I saw the driver.

His head was smoky grey skeletal, with white fire blazing in his empty eye sockets. He wore a matte black firesuit, a skull-and-crossbones insignia adorning the shoulder. I looked, horrified, into the face of Death, and my vision tunneled. In a split second, I saw my family and friends standing by my graveside, growing older and dying before falling into the open pit. I blinked, but a vision of my wife appeared. She held a flaming stick, and cursed me as she swung it at my head. I screwed my eyes shut once again, and the shrieks of my dead friends were replaced with the banshee-scream of the supercharged car beside me. The death’s-headed driver looked at me and smiled, his moon-bleached teeth as bright as welding torches. He raised a black sawn-off shotgun, and I turned away, shifting into high gear and accelerating away. The Camaro was hot on my heels, but I could hear the wailing of his supercharger recede as I powered down the straightaway. His V8 roar mixed with the hair-raising sound of his supercharger,  but my car was faster through the corners, and I took full advantage. I could see Death, his evil, hollow face twisted into an angry grimace as he slammed on the gas. I hit the next corner hard, drifting around the hairpin as my rear tires spun and cried out in protest. I could hear myself cursing and screaming in abject terror as my tail end almost hit the guardrail, but I managed to recover and my tires miraculously regained traction. My straight-six belted out its gravelly song and, emboldened, I mashed the clutch and upshifted just as Death’s Camaro cleared the turn. He let his V8 do its work, putting down what had to be 500 horsepower, but I had the advantage this time. Looking down the road, I saw another hairpin corner leading into a long, winding descent. I stood on the brake and put the clutch in, sliding smoothly through the turn, and let the clutch out as I opened the throttle. My M3 screamed down the mountainside, leaving Death in the dust. I didn’t slow down for ten minutes, when the lights of my small town appeared around a shallow turn. I looked behind me and saw the black Camaro, stopped about a mile back, smoke coming out of its hood scoop. Death stood regally in the moonlight, his arm up in a terrifying salute. I turned the corner and, when I next looked back, the car and its driver had disappeared.

I arrived back at my small house, and pulled the M3 into the driveway. I climbed out, a grin on my face. After all, I had just faced down Death and won. How bad could a whiskey-throwing woman be?

title: The High Drive

question: How much more horsepower does Death have than the narrator?

answer: About 167 horsepower.

question: Why does Death salute the narrator at the end?

answer: As a sign of respecy, since the narrator has managed to beat him.

question: How did the narrator's wife feel about him leaving?

answer: She was angry and upset.

question: How long has the narrator had a negative relationship with his wife?

answer: The exact length isn't stated, but long enough that he cannot recall pleasant interactions between them.


text:
The "99 percent vs. the 1 percent" debate obscures the real income inequality picture.

· Monday, March 31, 2014 · 113 comments

Derek Thompson argues that the “99 percent vs. the 1 percent” debate actually obscures the real income inequality picture.

  An amazing chart from economist Amir Sufi, based on the work of Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, shows that when you look inside the 1 percent, you see clearly that most of them aren’t growing their share of wealth at all. In fact, the gain in wealth share is all about the top 0.1 percent of the country. While nine-tenths of the top percentile hasn’t seen much change at all since 1960, the 0.01 percent has _essentially_ _quadrupled_ its share of the country’s wealth in half a century.

  [wealth-shares-saez-zucman]

  It turns out that wealth inequality isn’t about the 1 percent v. the 99 percent at all. It’s about the 0.1 percent v. the 99.9 percent (or, really, the 0.01 percent vs. the 99.99 percent, if you like). Long-story-short is that this group, comprised mostly of bankers and CEOs, is riding the stock market to pick up extraordinary investment income. And it’s this investment income, rather than ordinary earned income, that’s creating this extraordinary wealth gap.

This isn’t exactly news. I’m not an economist or business journalist and I’ve known for years that the concentration is at the very, very top. But, yes, if the root cause of income inequality is that a handful of people make their living off of investments, then, to the extent it requires a public policy response, it has to be aimed there rather than at ordinary income. That means raising the top marginal rate—which may nonetheless make sense for other reasons—won’t address the issue. Rather, we’d need to change the way we treat investments that serve as income rather than those held long term, such as in our retirement and college savings accounts. And, naturally, we should fix things such as the carried interest rule that got so much attention in the last presidential campaign because of Mitt Romney and Warren Buffett.

But Thompson closes with a point that seems to undermine his central thesis:

  The 0.1 percent isn’t the same group of people every year. There’s considerable churn at the tippy-top. For example, consider the “Fortunate 400,”the IRS’s annual list of the 400 richest tax returns in the country. Between 1992 and 2008, 3,672 different taxpayers appeared on the Fortunate 400 list. Just one percent of the Fortunate 400—four households—appeared on the list all 17 years.

  Now there’s your real 1 percent.

If the most extreme manifestation of inequality is this variable, it’s not obvious why we need to eliminate it. If we had a top 0.001 percent that was essentially an aristocracy, it would certainly be a problem. But if it’s fluid, with most people and families falling out of the class and being replaced by others, it’s not obviously problematic, so long as it’s truly earned. I don’t begrudge Bill Gates his billions; Paris Hilton, on the other hand, is a different story.

question: Why does Derek Thompson believe the 99% vs. 1% debate obscures the real income inequality picture?

answer: His research shows that a more accurate depiction of income inequality would be 99.99% vs. 0.01%.

question: Why does the writer believe that the way we treat investments should change?

answer: The writer believes that we should treat investments like income in order to be as rich as the 0.01%.

question: What was Thompson's point that undermined his thesis?

answer: The 0.01% gets replaced by different families every year.

question: What's the "real 1 percent"?

answer: The 0.01% that gets replaced by different groups every year.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The writer talks about how the 99% vs. the 1% is an obscured image of income inequality. He says that Derek Thompson's thesis proves that a more accurate depiction would be the 99.9% vs the 0.01%. Although, his results show that the 0.01% isn't the same group every year, which means it would be pointless to eliminate a higher class that often gets replaced by different families.


text:
After 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's stunning upset against congressman Joe Crowley in the New York Democratic congressional primary on Tuesday, the word "socialist" was repeatedly used to describe her. But what does it mean to be socialist or democratic socialist – and is there even a difference?

Ms Ocasio-Cortez is a registered member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and is a self-described socialist.

"Socialist" remains a dirty – and often misunderstood – term in the realm of US politics. The Cold War, in which animosity and paranoia toward the Soviet Union was widespread across the US, is largely to thank for that.

A socialist, in the traditional sense, is an adherent of socialism.

Socialism can be defined as "a system of social organization in which private property and the distribution of income are subject to social control."

In other words, it's a state-controlled economy in which the state controls the means of production: factories, offices, resources, and firms. There are also forms of socialism in which the means of production are controlled and owned by workers.

From an academic standpoint, there's an ongoing debate about what socialism really is.

"The academic debates about socialism’s 'meaning' are huge and arcane and rife with disagreements, but what all definitions have in common is either the elimination of the market or its strict containment," Frances Fox Piven, a political scientist at the City University of New York and a former DSA board member, told Vox.

In general, socialists believe the government should provide a range of basic services to the public, such as health care and education, for free or at a significant discount.

In the present day, "democratic socialist" and "socialist" are often treated as interchangeable terms, which can be confusing given democratic socialists don't necessarily think the government should immediately take control of all aspects of the economy.

They do, however, generally believe the government should help provide for people's most basic needs and help all people have an equal chance at achieving success.

Donald Trump receives laughs in the UN chamber after talk of socialism

Ms Ocasio-Cortez's platform, for example, calls for universal healthcare, tuition-free college, and treats housing as a common right.

Democratic socialists also believe strongly in democracy and democratic principles. They are by no means proponents of authoritarian government systems many Americans associate socialism with.

As the DSA's website states: "At the root of our socialism is a profound commitment to democracy, as means and end. As we are unlikely to see an immediate end to capitalism tomorrow, DSA fights for reforms today that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people."

To put it another way, they don't feel socialism should be forced on people, but they are fundamentally anti-capitalist and believe the government should urge privately owned businesses toward granting workers as much control as possible.

The DSA and Democratic socialists like Ms Ocasio-Cortez place a great deal of emphasis on social justice in conjunction with pushing for an economy that's largely controlled by workers.

 Left to their own devices: New Liverpool exhibition examines effect of socialism on art

Show all 5

The DSA supports reforms that would decrease the influence of money in politics, empower ordinary people in workplaces and the economy, and restructure gender and cultural relationships to be more equitable, according to its website.

To put this into context, Ms Ocasio-Cortez's platform calls for an end to the war on drugs, the demilitarization of police departments, and the abolishment of for-profit prisons.

Here's how Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, defined it in a 2006 interview: "I think [democratic socialism] means the government has got to play a very important role in making sure that as a right of citizenship all of our people have healthcare; that as a right, all of our kids, regardless of income, have quality childcare, are able to go to college without going deeply into debt; that it means we do not allow large corporations and moneyed interests to destroy our environment; that we create a government in which it is not dominated by big money interest."

"I mean, to me, it means democracy, frankly," Senator Sanders added. "That's all it means."

_Business Insider_

question: In what state did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez run for congress?

answer: New York.

question: What is a socialist?

answer: According to this article, an adherent of socialism.

question: What is the source of this article?

answer: It might be Business Insider.

question: What is Bernie Sanders' political affiliation?

answer: According to the text, he is a self-declared democratic socialist.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: In this article, it appears that self-proclaimed socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's NY congressional primary win prompted the writer to explore and explain socialism and its core tenets.