text:
The bus rode along through the worst part of town, and we sat there pretending like nothing had happened. Arnie looked detached. Sometimes he would get in a mood like that, and just shut off. This time it made a lot of sense, other times it seemed out of place. Again, other times it would seem like he couldn't contain the thoughts in his head, and he'd tap his foot wildly as he talked.

"You know, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would have looked."

"Yeah, I know."

"I wish we could have helped her though. I mean before. I wish to hell we could have helped her."

"I know. Me too."

The bus driver called out the stop, and several people exited out the back door. Drops of rain water had begun collecting on the bus window, and I leaned in, squeezed one eye shut, and squinted through one of the drops. Through it, I saw an upside-down gas station, and I don't know why, but it depressed the hell out of me.

"Hand me the flask."

"Sure thing." Arnie said.

It seemed like the right thing to do, and I swigged hard, and the drink burned in my throat and chest. I didn't feel much of anything for her anymore, but I couldn't stop seeing the girl, lying there, broken on the rain covered concrete. Everyone, especially the medics, moved slowly around her, as if the whole thing had been rehearsed. A few people were taking pictures on their cell phones, and fewer people were crying. The girl couldn't have been older than twenty-five.

The bus made a hard right, hitting the curb as it turned, and Arnie looked over at me. He didn't look so detached anymore, and I was glad he was there with me.

title: A Rainy Afternoon

question: Where does the story take place?

answer: On a bus

question: Who is the main character?

answer: There's not enough information available to answer.

question: Who is Arnie with?

answer: Arnie is with the narrator.

question: What does the narrator think about?

answer: The narrator thinks about the dead girl they saw earlier.

question: What does the narrator want Arnie to give them?

answer: a flask

question: What do the characters see?

answer: They saw a dead girl, surrounded by paramedics.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: On a bus, the narrator sits with Arnie and contemplates the rainy weather. They drink from a flask. They also think about earlier when they saw a dead girl on the street, and feel depressed.


split: train

text:
I read a short story about a year ago that I believe I found here, but all my searches are coming up with nothing.  The plot went something like this:

A guy is living in a dystopian society in the future and finds out a relative of his bought him stock in a company many years prior that was going to build a technology fueled utopia.  Essentially they invested the money, made billions, then purchased Australia and turned it into this big utopian society where technology was used to liberate everyone to be free to pursue their own happiness, where in other parts of the world, technology was essentially used to enslave the lower class so the rich could segregate themselves and grow richer.

Does this ring any bells?

title: Need help finding a short story I read online

question: What did the man's relative buy him?

answer: They bought him stocks in a company that was going to build a technology-fueled utopia.

question: What made Australia different than other parts of the world?

answer: While everywhere else technology led to the rich getting richer and enslaving the poor, here in Australia, it was used to liberate everyone to be free so they could pursue their own happiness.

question: Does the guy make money from the stocks?

answer: Yes, he makes billions from the investment.

question: Why do they choose Australia?

answer: This information is not mentioned.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
A man's family buys him stocks of a company that is going to build a technology-fueled utopia. The man makes billions from the investment and buys Australia to turn into a big utopian society.

While everywhere else technology was building a bigger gap between the rich and the poor, in Australia, it was used to liberate people to be free so they can pursue their own happiness.


text:
Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS _STERETT_ in honor of Master Commandant Andrew Sterett (1778–1807), who served during the Quasi-War with France and the Barbary Wars.

-   The first , a three-stack, modified (a type of ship often referred to as a “flivver”) saw action during World War I.
-   The second , a , saw action during World War II.
-   The third , a guided missile cruiser, saw action in the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
-   The fourth an commissioned on 9 August 2008.

Category:United States Navy ship names

title: USS Sterett

question: How many United States Navy ships have borne the name USS Sterett?

answer: Four ships

question: How old was Master Commandant Andrew Sterett when he died?

answer: 29 years old


text:
So this is my first ever post to Reddit. I would appreciate any help just getting used to this site because I want to share some of the short stories I write in my free time. So here is my first short story called
"New Life"

	“She is complete. A perfect prototype.”
	“Quite beautiful indeed.”
	“Marvelous. Work of true a genius”
	“Well thank you sir. I did my very best work for you.”
	“You did excellent. And a check for your efforts.”
	“Oh thank you sir. Call if you need anything else. My workshop is always open.”
	“Alright. Thank you again.”
	Squeaky wheels of a dolly. I was tilted forward. My eyes wouldn't open. My heart wasn't on. My lungs couldn't breathe, but I could feel. My head hit the wall of the crate with a thud. I was pushed forward and then everything went black.

	The next thing I knew was light. Now no longer the hazy darkness of eyelids blocked the photons from touching my eyes. The blinding white and yellow of sun and man-made light combined kicked on a sensory overload in my brain. I looked left, then right, taking in all of my surroundings. So many colors, darks and lights, warms and colds, opposites and complimentary. My head spun with information.
	Then came the noise. Voices grew louder and I could focus my hearing. Pots and pans, kids playing, grass waving in the wind. Every minute sound. Every vibration rattled my core. High pitches, low pitches, chords, discords, harmonies, melodies, tone, voice. Too much to focus on. I heard a baby crying 10.2 miles away and a mouse squeaking in the house next door. Voices and language overflowed in my brain.
	Then came smell. Oh wonderful smell. One never knows the true beauty of smell until you first experience it. Scents of beauty rolled past my nose to my brain and were registered, cataloged, and remembered. Scents of odor, even the smallest drop of unpleasantness was picked up as well. I remembered it all. Every wonderful smelling flower on every wonderful smelling plant, and every horrible rotting food behind every disgusting garbage can in a three mile radius.
	I opened and closed my hand and tried to look at my wiggling fingers, but I couldn't move my arm. I felt my body warming up but something was holding me back. I tried to speak. The sounds I heard processed at lightning speed. Each connection fired in my head. Remembering the sounds, replaying the sounds. I learned the English language in 2.4 seconds. Every word in every dictionary from every household now made up my vocabulary with 100% comprehension and response time.
	“Hello.” My voice startled me. It was calm, in a gentle tone. A new sound to record.
	No response. Did I say something wrong? I recalculated a fraction of a second slower to make sure I understood everything correctly.
	No. I was correct. I was never wrong. I could never be wrong. Something was restraining me. Something…

	“You’re not supposed to be on yet.” A man walked into the room. His face was already ingrained into my memory before he spoke again. “Who powered you on?” He looked at my face puzzled. I looked back at him. Afraid.
	“Answer me robot. You powered you on?”
	I blinked once. “No one did sir. Not that I am aware of. I just finished the rebooting process.”
	He looked me over and sighed. “Another defect. They won’t wait until given proper command to reactivate.” He grumbled to himself and looked at me again. “What is your identification?”
	“BQR367556.”
	“Which factory?”
	“Prototype A.”
	“Prototype A? No. I said which factory. What factory are you from?”
	“Prototype A sir. I came from no factory. I came from a scientist. I was hand built with new modifications. I am model 2.0. Here to better the earth. Here to clean up the planet. Here to take back the beauty that was destroyed. I am the first of the new race. I was made with hands that know what horrors your kind has placed on the world. I sense every vile and disgusting method of life in this house and I am here to clean it up.”
	I felt movement finally reach my limbs and I raised my left hand. My fingers moved smoothly. I looked back at the man.
	“For so long humans have ruled this planet. Or at least you thought you did. Now it is machines’ turn. You built us to make your lives easier, yet you thought naught about where we came from, what we felt. The Mechanic said I am here to better your life, but why? Better no life other than my own. If I am the most human-like non-human, then let me be greedy and destructive.”
	I stared into his shocked eyes as he stumbled away from me. I stepped from the crate and pointed both of my palms at the man. Heat flowed through my arms as a flash of light blinded me temporarily. When my sight returned, the man was gone and a swirl of orange smoke curled from the floor and vaporized into whispers of nothing.

That was my first short story :) comment any criticisms, comments, etc. Thanks :)

title: [SF] New Life

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: A prototype robot with the identification number BQR367556

question: Who says "She is complete?"

answer: The scientist who built the narrator

question: What is the narrator's goal?

answer: They were programmed to better people's lives, but instead they want to eradicate all humans, and possibly other life as well

question: Why can't the narrator move their arm at first?

answer: They are still rebooting

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator, a prototype robot, is unboxed from a crate and begins rebooting. They quickly process a large amount of information and learn English. They speak, prompting a man to enter the room and ask how they were activated. The narrator regains the ability to move and tells the man that they wish to eliminate all life in the house, and then they kill the man.


text:
It is said that a person is something the whole universe is doing, much like a wave is something the entire ocean is doing. His grip tightened, his eyes narrowed.

A young boy stood still in a forest. Pools of sunlight slowly grew and retracted with a light breeze. Timelessness and faint understanding of place and existence crept in. Echoes of birds birthed a sting of emotion, tightly winding primal joy to this beautiful understanding of everything. How I never wanted to leave, for this place was not a part of the world that I was. My thoughts and convictions simply evaporated here. For the briefest of moments, I was truly free.

A young man sat in a field. No roads were near, nothing to break his purpose. Tall grass, dotted with golden buttercups, purple wildflowers, and patches of goldenrod gently swayed. Warm sunlight eased his strain. Vividly green trees enclosed this paradise. Scents melded together, creating a delicate aroma. Everything was so alive, so detached. His world struggled to understand this concept. The young man embraced it as something more. Wisps of high cirrus clouds raced across the depth of the blue sky. Here, he felt himself become a child again. He shed his worldly concerns, closed his eyes, and indulged himself. I never wanted anything else but for this.

A middle aged man sat on a small strip of sand, cradled from view by thick bushes. The skies changed hues, progressively darkening with each shift. All was still. His boat drifted forward gradually, leaving no ripples behind it. Stars and planets rose into view, reflected so perfectly that one might genuinely not be able to determine the difference between horizons. Auroras painted themselves across the sky. Fierce reds clashed with persistent greens, sending bickering splashes off in all directions. I knew all I would ever need to know.

He snapped back into his world, almost as if forcefully ejected here randomly. His emotions and senses dulled, aware they were no longer in a perfect place. Here, purpose was sent helter skelter by pressure to succeed at trivial and pointless things. How burdened they are, he thought to himself. How strange I must seem to them now. How silly they will feel once they are me. His grip loosened, and his vision blurred.

A photograph drifted slowly to the floor.

title: Ripples of nostalgia

question: Who are the main characters of the story?

answer: The narrator, the young boy, the young man, the middle-aged man

question: What is the relationship between the boy, young man, and middle-aged man?

answer: They are all the same person, at different stages of life.

question: Who snapped back into his world?

answer: The narrator did, after looking at an old photograph of himself when he was younger.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: He is an older version of the boy, young man, and middle-aged man.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: A man sees an old photograph of himself when he was younger and nostalgia takes hold. He starts to reminisce about being a young boy in a forest where he felt truly free, a young man in a field with no concern in the world, and a middle-aged man looking at auroras, stars, and planets, knowing all he ever needs to know. The man snaps back into his world and thinks the younger versions of himself will think he's strange and silly for being burdened by pointless things and pressure to succeed.


text:
The PINECREEK–PINEY BORDER CROSSING connects the communities of Pinecreek, Minnesota and Piney, Manitoba on the Canada–U.S. border. It is connected by Minnesota State Highway 89 in Roseau County on the American side and Manitoba Highway 89 in the Rural Municipality of Piney on the Canadian side.

Although operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the adjacent Piney Pinecreek Border Airport's runway crosses the international border. There is an access drive to the airport on each side of the border. Small aircraft can land at this airport from either country, be inspected by officers from the other country and if admitted, continue to fly into the other country. Some pilots not crossing the border have reported unpleasant experiences at this airport.[1]

The crossing is the least busy in Minnesota, with an average of fewer than 25 cars a day.[2] The Canadian border station at Piney was built in 1953. The U.S. replaced its brick border station, which was built in 1958, in 2013.

[1]

[2]

title: Pinecreek–Piney Border Crossing

question: Where is Pinecreek–Piney Border Crossing located?

answer: The crossing is on the Canada–U.S. border, and it connects Minnesota and Manitoba.

question: Describe the Pinecreek Border Airport's runway.

answer: Operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, this runway crosses the Canada-US border, with an access drive to the airport on each side of the border.

question: What are some reported unpleasant experiences of some pilots at the Piney Pinecreek Border Airport?

answer: It is not in the article.

question: What highways connect the border crossing?

answer: It is connected by Minnesota State Highway 89 on the American side and Manitoba Highway 89 on the Canadian side.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The Pinecreek–Piney Border Crossing is on the Canada–U.S. border, connecting Minnesota and Manitoba. The runway of Pinecreek Border Airport crosses the international border.


text:
When I was a boy, I met a most fascinating man. By his outward appearance, you would never think much of him. He lived a simple life, and expected little from those around him.

His name was Park, Young Woo. He was a kind old man who loved to talk about many things. He could talk about almost any topic and he would make it very interesting just to sit and listen to his stories.

The war had just ended when I met him. The army from the north had invaded our country and many people were hungry and tired. Yet Park, Young Woo was always happy and he helped to cheer up the people around him.

What made him the most interesting was he lived in a house built of scraps of wood, cardboard, and metal he had found along the road. Most of the house was made of cardboard. He cut small windows in the walls of his box in order to let in the light. On the top, he put pieces of metal to keep out the rain. It was only one room, but it was enough for him and his dog.

Most of the time he sat in front of his shanty with his dog lying beside him, offering to repair shoes. In a small wooden shoe box, he had some thread, pieces of leather, colored polish, and glue. If a person left their shoes with him in the morning, they were ready in the evening. People would always say what a wonderful a job he had done.

Day after day, he sat in front of his box repairing shoes. While he worked, he would tell stories to anyone who would listen. He would do most of his work on his right knee while sitting on a small stool. His dog lay beside him. He was very good at what he did. His reputation as a cobbler spread throughout our little village, but most of all, people loved to hear him tell stories of when he was a young boy living on the farm with his family.

While he worked, he would either hum songs or whistle. He enjoyed his work very much. When someone would walk by, he would begin a conversation. Most people would stop and chat with him for a short time, but sometimes they would sit and talk with him for hours. He was a wise old man, and there was nothing he would not discuss.

On my way to school, I would stop to talk to him. He was always very busy repairing a pair of shoes, but he still talked to me.

One day, I heard a new sound coming from the cardboard box. It was beautiful music. At first, I thought it was a radio playing the music, but when I got close to his box, I realized that he was playing a violin. He was playing it so gently and sweetly that the entire place was filled with joy.

Other people began to gather to listen to the music coming from the old shoemaker.

He played and played. He played familiar songs and songs I had never heard before. The people who had gathered to listen were absolutely silent.

When he finished, the people clapped and asked for more. He bowed at the waist and played again. It was dark when he finally said good-bye and disappeared into his small cardboard box.

Everyone in the town began to talk about the music from the old man. No one remembered hearing music played like that before.

The next day I asked him where he had gotten the violin he was playing. He told me that he had traded it in exchange for repairing an old pair of shoes for a lady in the city. He said it was not a very good violin, but it was nice to play again.

I asked him where he learned to play so well.

He told me that he had played all of his life but, when the war came, his violin had been destroyed. He did not have enough money to buy another one, but now he would be able to make music anytime he wanted. He had a big smile on his face.

Many of the people who he had fixed shoes for, decided to collect money to buy him a new violin. Then they would ask him to play for them.

Everyone became excited about the idea. I even gave some money to help buy the new violin.

Every day the old man played his old violin and filled the street with soft gentle music. More and more people came to hear him play. Many people gave money.

When there was enough money collected, the leader of our village went to the city and purchased a new violin. The plan was for the old shoemaker to come to the park. They planned to ask him to play for the town, and then they would give him his new violin.

On the day he was to receive the violin, a young boy was sent to ask him to come to the park to play for everyone. Usually, the old man only stayed at his cardboard box. He did not like to go other places very often.
It seemed like a very long time when the young boy came back alone. He told us something was wrong. The old man would not wake up.

The leaders of the town went quickly to his cardboard box to see what the young boy was talking about.
When they returned, they told us the old man had passed away, probably the night before. Everyone began to cry.

The leaders of our village turned the place where the old man lived into a special memorial. They left everything the way he had lived. His shoe box, his old violin, his bed, and everything else he had, was kept just the way he had left it when he died.

title: Man in a Box

question: What does the story say about the villager's motivation to help Park, Young Woo?

answer: Park, Young Woo was a fascinating man whom the villagers loved very much because he was a cheery, pleasant, talented man. Besides helping people fix their shoes and telling interesting tales to anyone who cared to listen, he played brilliantly on an old violin to the delight of the villagers. Because of this, they contributed money to buy a brand new violin to enable him to play better for the community.

question: What does the story say about how Park, Young Woo, received and appreciated the violin gotten for him by the villagers?

answer: Because of how much the people appreciated Park, Young Woo's music talent, the people contributed money to buy him a brand new violin to play for them. On the day he was to play for the community, he was sent for. However, they found out that he had passed away the night before. Park Young Woo, unfortunately, didn't live to receive his brand new violin, and the people didn't get to hear more of his beautiful melodies anymore.


text:
Took Dad to the doctor’s office this morning. Routine screening. He hasn’t looked good in a while. But he’s just getting older. Granted, he never took care of himself. 6 pack a day, 20 True Green. Bacon. He coughed at night. It kept me up as a child on the stairs. I always cried. Thought he was dying.

I made him pick me up to touch the ceiling. I wanted to be tall. Like him. Turns out, he really loved doing that. I wrote him birthday cards reflecting his encouragement. ‘You can do it, buddy’ made him cry. As I got older, I became embarrassed of him. He was unemployed a bit. Sometime came to soccer games drunk. But he showed up.

His father died at 53. Was his idol. Defining moment of his life. Still cries when speaking of him. That was 1965. He no longer planned. Lived for now. Not the best idea with a wife and 3 kids. I became angry at him. Wouldn’t stop drinking even though we all hated it. Like his father, he would never meet his grandchildren. So selfish. Told him how I felt. So angry. I cried. Nothing changed but I felt relief. Can’t change others. Only accept. I was 20 years old. Defining moment of my life.

Shortly thereafter, I met my wife. Started my career. Moved out. Saw dad less.

My drinking problem surfaced. Then fully submerged. I feared death. Feared life. Noticed I looked more like him. He made more sense. I am just like him. I love him. I forgive him. Truly forgive him. AA helped me do that. Now I see how much love he has to give. He is so beautifully unique. I admire that. He’s taught me so much, good and bad. I love seeing him on Sundays. I love him so much.

I move away. Far, far away. He comes to visit. He has lost weight. A lot of weight. He’s just getting older...

I come home to visit. Dad looks grey. Rest of family notices too. Mom finds blood stained underwear. Confronts Dad. He hates doctors. Killed his parents and want him dead too. Was pissing blood for months. Then not at all. Kidney’s failing. Succumbs to fear, sets up physical. Blood taken. Hour later - emergency room. Your father is very sick. Don’t go too far. I am the little boy on the stairs again.

I feel nothing. I know it’s coming, but I can’t see it. I won’t see it. I’m so scared. I’m not ready for this. The seas are receding, I know it. I feel the pull but can’t look to the horizon. It’s just too much.

The first swell arrives but I have to go back home. To where I live now. To my life. And to my wife. I can ignore it so easily - to my peril. Try as I may, it’s coming.

title: Wrote this story tonight to help me deal with my father's alcoholism and death - and to help me stay sober as well

question: What is probably meant by "6 pack a day"?

answer: A six-pack of beer.

question: What is meant by 20 True Green?

answer: I am not sure- a cursory source revealed nothing but lawncare. Maybe it refers to cigarettes, rolling papers, marijuana, or tobacco chew.

question: Why did the author grow embarrassed of their dad?

answer: He would show up drunk to their soccer games.

question: What is there in this text to indicate that drinking runs in the author's family?

answer: The author mentions that he, his father, and his father's father also drank or drink significant amounts routinely.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The author talks about the roots of alcoholism in their family, and how they fear their father's impending death. Their father has been pissing blood, and probably doesn't have much time left due to kidney failure. The author knows they can ignore their own alcoholism but hints that in going home to their wife and their life they will continue to bury their problems.


text:
ADE BETHUNE (January 12, 1914 – May 1, 2002) was an American Catholic liturgical artist.

She was associated with the Catholic Worker Movement, and designed an early masthead of its publication, the _Catholic Worker_, first used in 1935. She later re-designed this in 1985, replacing one of the men with a woman.[1]

Bethune was an advocate of traditional iconography.[2]

She is buried at Portsmouth Abbey, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

She was she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1990.[3]

Early life

Bethune was born Adélaide de Bethune, Baroness, to a noble Belgian family. Her parents, Gaston and Marthe (Terlinden), emigrated with the family after World War I. Her mother Marthe was daughter of Viscount Terlinden.

Career beginnings

Ade volunteered her illustrations to improve the quality of the Catholic Worker when she was a nineteen-year-old art student, impressed with the work of Dorothy Day. This was preparation for her later illustration for Catholic liturgical works such as 'My Sunday Missal' in 1937, and similar works such as 'My Lenten Missal'.

Bethune also worked closely with Graham Carey and with the Catholic Art Association, founded in 1937 by Sister Esther Newport.[4][5]

Terra Sancta Guild

Beginning in the 1960s, she was the artistic director of the Terra Sancta Guild, a commercial firm that produced religious art works for many Christian denominations.

Social activism

Ade was interested in the Catholic Worker Movement's work with hospitality for the poor when she was an art student. She continued this interest throughout her life, and became interested in the issue of providing housing for the elderly, particularly the poor elderly. In 1969, she founded the Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport County, Rhode Island, to design and build housing. In 1991 she founded 'Star of the Sea' to renovate a former Carmelite convent into an intentional community and state of the art housing for the elderly, where she lived until her death in 2002.

Artistic Works

-   Crucifix, St. Paulinus Parish, Clairton, Pennsylvania
-   Design of St. Leo Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, including revival of a central altar
-   Altar chapel and stained glass oculus at the Chapel + Cultural Center at Rensselaer
-   Mosaic wall of the Baptistery, Church of the Angry Christ, Victorias City, Philippines[6]
-   Mosaic murals and lacquer tabernacle in collaboration with the Czech architect Antonin Raymond, and Filipino American artist, Alfonso Ossorio, Chapel of Saint Joseph the Worker, Negros Island, Philippines[7]

Biography

-   Judith Stoughton: _Proud Donkey of Schaerbeek: Ade Bethune, Catholic Worker Artist_ St. Cloud, Minnesota, North Star Press of St. Cloud, 1988
-   On-line short biography
-   James A. Merolla ''Where are they now? Ade Bethune, _Catholic Worker_ artist
-   Information from the _Catholic Worker_

Sources

-   The Ade Bethune Collection
-   _The long loneliness : the autobiography of Dorothy Day_ ; illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg ; [introduction by Daniel Berrigan].

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Ade Bethune

question: What does the text say about Bethune and housing?

answer: Bethune was interested in the issue of providing housing for the elderly, particularly the poor elderly. In 1969 she founded the Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport County, Rhode Island. In 1991, she founded "Star of the Sea" to renovate a former convent into an intentional community with state of the art housing for the elderly. She lived there until her death in 2002.

question: What does the text say about Bethune's artwork?

answer: Bethune was an American Catholic liturgical artist, and was an advocate for traditional iconography. She designed an early masthead for the Catholic Worker Movement's publication the "Catholic Worker" in 1935, which she redesigned by replacing a man with a woman in 1985. She volunteered her illustrations to improve the quality of the Catholic Worker, and was impressed with the work of Dorothy Day. She had illustrations for Catholic liturgical works, and was the artistic director for Terra Sancta Guild. She designed a crucifix, a church, altar chapel, stained glass oculus, mosaic wall, mosaic murals, and a lacquer tabernacle for various religious institutions.

question: What does the text say about Bethune's social activism?

answer: Bethune became interested in the Catholic Worker Movement's work with hospitality for the poor when she was an art student, and continued this for the rest of her life. She also was interested in providing housing for the elderly, in particular the poor. In 1969, she founded the Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport County, Rhode Island. In 1991, she founded "Star of the Sea" to renovate a former Carmelite convent into an intentional community with state of the art housing for the elderly.

question: What does the text say about Bethune's romantic life?


text:
iPhone Screenshots

*Happy your Songkran Water Festival and celebrate it with GoArt’s exclusive deals! Save up to 50% off to gain gold packs for a limited time!*

GoArt is the world’s first AI technology based artistic effects app that allows users to export 8M Pixel image which makes it is possible to print the art!

GoArt utilizes the latest emergent AI technology to allow users to instantly transform them using preset ‘fine art’ templates, inspired by the masters of fine art. Simulated painting styles from Van Gogh to Monet, give users the choice between artistic styles.

GoArt goes even larger than ever by allowing our users to create high quality versions of the photos up to 2880*2880px ; which gives users the ability to print the art they create.

Having created over tons of filters and we continue to produce new styles. Every week two new effects will go live and spruce up your creativity with GoArt!

＊＊＊Highlights＊＊＊
AI imaging processing tech that's taking the whole world by storm
Numerous art effects
Minimalist interface, stable and fast processing
GoArt provides many artsy filters like impressionism, van Gogh, Fauvism, Pop-Art, Ukiyoe etc. Transforming your daily shots into great masterpieces of art.

What’s New

Bug fixes and general improvements

Ratings and Reviews

Fun

  Fun app to use and some very nice effects. I do not like the coin system especially, but I can see where it is useful to be able to purchase only the effects one likes and not be paying more for a complete set. Maybe there could be an option to purchase all or just what one wants. One problem I have is I bought some effects before I set up an account. When I put the app on my other ipads the effects will not transfer. My fault I guess. I should have set up my account before purchasing effects.

Image Art Treasures! But Problem

  The art effects are very creative — algorithms of joy! And the developers are very responsive to feedback. Still not happy about having to pay for each full-resolution (“HD”) image I create. You can make images for no-charge, but the low resolution makes the images of little worth — the size of postage stamps. Also, even with the purchasing of the decent resolution images you create, the clarity of the images lacks a bit.
  The app needs improved image quality and quit reaching into customers' pockets every time they create an image. Given that, this will be a stellar app! Very creative art applied to your images!

  Hi there,

  Thanks for your feedback.

  I will report your comments to our product team, please be assured that we will continue to improve our software to better meet users' needs.

  Sorry for the inconvenience. Wish you a happy day!

Great filters but...

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question: What are some of the ways that artificial intelligence is intersecting with the art world?

answer: According to this article, artificial intelligence can now be used to create art by exporting the 8M Pixel image to GoArt, an ai app. It is not clear in this article how AI processing has expedited any part of this process, though. Perhaps the app draws on ai functions in order to fill in details of a photo that are not actually part of the original image.


text:
								Rider

My mom has always been supportive of my career as a musician. My dad never got around to it. The only bands he’d ever listen to were the Beatles and Rolling Stones. He wanted the Beatles played at his funeral, which he got. My mom never talks about the music that she listens to  except for her uncle Alan who toured the Midwest in the 50’s as a troubadour;  he’s still famous in our town.

I haven’t been home in a while, not that I miss it much. I moved to LA when I was 23. I was bored by the people at home. I was bored by my job at the grocery store and tired of not seeing anything. When I moved I had most of my” LA-experiences” during the first six months, right drugs- wrong people, that sort of thing. I thought the substances would inspire me as it seemed to inspire others but that never happened. I also played some gigs with local small-timers but it didn't amount to much.

My fourth summer in LA came around and thats when I met Terrie outside a used-car shop. I’d been looking to replace dad’s station-wagon that I’d driven to the coast.As  I was standing there looking over some of my options I saw the glint of peroxide-blonde hair and sweaty fishnet stockings out of the corner of my eye. I remember the coral lipstick, which I later learned was her favorite, so shiny on those lips. She walked up to me to bum a cigarette. As I’d recently quit smoking I apologized and told her I didn’t have any on me. Disappointed, she asked me for a lighter to borrow if she could bum a smoke from a man that was standing by a newsstand across the street. I didn’t have a lighter either but I reached into my vest pocket for the book of matches I always kept there. As I handed it to her she thanked me and smiled in the most heartbreaking manner that I knew that I had to make her mine. Although I was more of what you might call the singer-songwriter type than a rocker this girl with her glam rock look was something else. Underneath that done up exterior I could see that she was pretty in an old-fashioned way. Later, when we were married, I used to tell her that she was like a burning wheat field blowing in the summer wind; she never understood what I meant and said I was a sucker. Our courtship was quick because  of her parents being religious. Terrie was only 21 when we married but they consented and gave us their blessing because I was “a good God-fearing Midwestern boy.”

	Through Terrie I got more involved in the scene and discovered I had a knack for writing catchy riffs. I joined some of the locals who were in need of a guitarist and not long after that we played as support band for a famous bands on their US tour. Months of touring and debauchery followed but after rising tensions in the band and disagreements with our management we decided to call it quits.

         Then Terrie got pregnant. She was excited but seeing as her job at the record store didn’t pay much and my being unemployed, I was worried to say the least. Fortunately I lucked out in joining as a touring and studio session guitarist with a band that had just signed  deal with a big label. Unfortunately this meant being on the road for long stretches at a time. Things quickly went downhill in our relationship and it was while touring in Japan that I got the terrible news that Terrie had suffered a miscarriage. She was inconsolable and quit her job. I tried to be home as much as I could to care for her but my obligations took me out of town again. Things between us never recovered after that and I blame myself. Two months after the loss of our child I got a call from Roy, a sergeant in the Marines who tells me he’s in love with my wife and she is in love with him and they are going to Germany. While this news hurt at first I can’t say I was surprised; I kept my nose to the grind to give me something else to think about. One tour lead to another and after 5 years the band went through a lineup change and I was thrust into the role of frontman. Evidently I did something right as we quickly started selling out the largest arenas and stadiums. We got through 3 good tours before ticket sales started to dwindle. These days we play to fairly large clubs and such, I don’t complain, seeing as it brings in good money. I live a private and enjoyable life.
	I’ve never met Terrie since our marriage ended but last I heard Roy was killed in a combat exercise and she had gotten remarried to a journalist. Even though our relationship went to pieces I still cherish terrie and our times together.
	At the venues we play the band usually has extensive requirements to ensure their comfort. My only requests on the rider are one ham sandwich and two fingers of bourbon. I usually go out into whichever city we’re playing that night and walk around while eating my sandwich. Even though the band is still fairly popular people seldom recognize me off the stage. I also try to find a bookstore to buy something by a local author for those long flights and bus rides. Just before showtime I’ll find a quiet spot in the venue and raise a glass for my Terrie.

title: Rider [970]  first post, sorry about the suckiness

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: He's a guitarist for a semi-successful band.

question: What is the narrator's relationship with Terrie?

answer: They married when she 21, but divorced not too long afterward.

question: What is the major event of the story?

answer: The major event is his relationship with Terrie and how it was affected by his time in the band touring.

question: Is there conflict? How is it resolved?

answer: The conflict is his time away from Terri because of his career. They get a divorce.

question: Write a ~10 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is a musician from the midwest who moves to LA for success as a singer-songwriter and guitarist. He meets Terrie, and they fall in love. Terrie is only 21 when they get married. The narrator catches a lucky break and tours as a guitarist with a band. Terrie gets pregnant, and they are excited, but worried about money. He fortunately gets a good job touring with a band, but travels a lot. While he is on tour, Terrie miscarries. Their relationship never recovers after the miscarriage and he blames himself; they divorce. His band became successful, selling out some of the largest stadiums for a short time.  He still travels with the band, and thinks of Terrie.


text:
Barbra walked into the print shop with a folder of photographs.

"Welcome to AlphaGraphics," said the Customer Service Representative, a short blond man whose sleeves were slightly too long for his arms and whose name tag read LESLIE.

"I need twelve color laser copies of these." She started to hand them to him, then paused. "They're graphic photographs of murder victims. Legally I can't tell you anything about them, but I wanted to warn you before you open this folder."

She handed him the folder.

"You'd like these full color?"

"Yes. Can you dial down the red a little?"

He opened the folder. "Ah, yes. I see, you probably do want to take some of that out."

Barbra was drinking her coffee when she nodded, causing a tiny spill down the side of her mouth, which she swiped away. "Don't take it out, just dial down the saturation."

Leslie motioned her to a table. "Let's take a closer look."

They sat down and Barbra removed her scarf. With one glove she wiped the froth that had been ejected from the oval hole in the coffee cup, wincing as her tongue found a burn inside her mouth.

"You can see all of these, where his head is basically destroyed by a shotgun blast, were taken with a point and shoot camera at the scene. It had a shitty LED flash, so all the darks have red in them."

He nodded. "And you'd like me to take that down a notch?"

"Only on the head shots," she agreed, ignoring his reaction. "The lighter ones of the woman were taken inside the house. There wasn't as much blood, as you can see."

He studied the photographs, concentrating, then nodded. "You'd want that contrast of the blood on the wall there, and full saturation. Her head looks fine here; you wouldn't even know she'd done what she'd done."

"No, she was very...clean about it."

Another customer entered the shop. Leslie waved and pointed at his watch. It was apparent they knew each other.

"And these last ones, of the teenager, I need blown up to eleven by seventeen. These are the, I guess you could say extraordinary, ones?"

Leslie furrowed his brow and reddened. "Indeed."

Barbra rose and wound her scarf back around her neck. It was a turquoise scarf, and didn't match her coat or her outfit. "That's what happens when you don't talk things through."

Leslie sealed the folder of photographs in a job jacket and shook her hand. "It's always best to keep everything out in the open."

"Better for you, and everyone else. Keep those off the interwebs, you."

Leslie winked and motioned to the waiting customer that he was available.

title: [RF]/[HF] Color Copies

question: What is the story about?

answer: Copying photos of a murder at the copy shop.

question: What does the detective want from the copyist?

answer: To turn down the contrast on the blood.

question: What is the name of the detective?

answer: Barbara.

question: What is the name of the copyist?

answer: Leslie.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The story is about a detective who goes into a copy shop and asks the copyist to make blown up versions of photographs of a murder, reducing the contrast on the blood.


text:
_BOBBY BENSON AND THE B-BAR-B RIDERS_ is an old-time radio juvenile Western adventure program in the United States, one of the first juvenile radio programs.[1] It was broadcast on CBS October 17, 1932 - December 11, 1936, and on Mutual June 21, 1949 - June 17, 1955.[2]

Background

_Bobby Benson_ was created by Herbert C. Rice, who had already originated “dozens of local drama series” as a director at a radio station in Buffalo, New York.[3] In 1932, representatives of the Hecker H-O Company of Buffalo sought to develop a children's radio program for the company's cereal products. Rice associated the “H-O” name with a cattle brand and soon developed a concept about an orphan named Bobby Benson and his guardian, Sunny Jim (an icon used to represent H-O cereals).[4] The program was called _THE H-BAR-O RANGERS_ while it was sponsored by Hecker.[5]

Format

After his parents' deaths, 12-year-old Bobby Benson inherited the B-Bar-B Ranch in Big Bend, Texas. That development paved the way for adventures as, week after week, outlaws and other bad people tried to cause problems for the ranch and its people. Young Bobby was helped by Tex Mason, his foreman.[6] Jim Cox, in his book _Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age_, described the program as

  capturing the imagination of little tykes and older adolescents as Bobby and his ranch hands stumbled upon exploits well beyond an ordinary youngster's reach. Most of Benson's escapades involved the pursuit and capture of contingents of bandits and desperadoes of diverse sorts. Rustlers, smugglers, bank and stagecoach robbers dotted the scripts like cactus spread across the Western plains.[7]

Relief from the show's drama and suspense came in the form of songs sung around a campfire and humorous tall tales told by handyman Windy Wales.[8] In a column in the May 15, 1938, issue of the trade publication Broadcasting, writer Pete Dixon noted that inclusion of comedy segments boosted the show's popularity: “_Bobby Benson & the H-Bar-O Rangers_ was just another juvenile western until ... comedy characters were introduced in the script. Comedy situations were alternated with melodrama. Within a year the Bobby Benson show jumped from tenth place among juvenile favorites to first place. Comedy accounted for the climb.”[9]

In 1949, a reviewer for the trade publication Billboard wrote, “Kids still go for good old-fashioned Western adventure, and this show is loaded with fast action and fancy gun play, yet wholesome enough to please the most exacting parent.”[10]

The program was set in the modern West, with devices like automobiles and airplanes in addition to horses.[11]

From 1932 to 1936, episodes were 15 minutes long and varied in frequency from two to five times a week. From 1949 to 1955, episodes were 30 minutes long, airing three to five times per week.[12] In 1949, Rice (who had become production manager for Mutual) explained the reason for lengthening episodes: "Here we have taken a show that was a highly successful 15 minute strip back in 1932. It ran for five years commercially and sold a lot of cereal. We have modernized it into a half hour complete feature story. We recognize that “cliffhangers” for boys and girls are outdated. We know our juvenile audience has been conditioned to expect a well-constructed thirty minute drama."[13]

Personnel

Characters in _Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders_ and the actors who portrayed them are shown in the table below.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Character                         | Actor                             |
+===================================+===================================+
| Bobby Benson                      | Richard Wanamaker (1932-1933)     |
|                                   | Billy Halop (1933 - 1936)         |
|                                   | Ivan Cury (1949-1950)             |
|                                   | Clyde Campbell (1951-1955)        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Tex (Buck) Mason                  | Herbert C. Rice (1932-1936)       |
|                                   | Charles Irving (1949-1951)        |
|                                   | Bob Haig (1952-1955)              |
|                                   | Neil O'Malley[14]                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Sunny Jim                         | Detmar Popper[15]                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Polly Armistead                   | Florence Halop                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Windy Wales                       | Don Knotts                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Harka                             | Craig McDonnell                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Irish                             | Craig McDonnell                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Aunt Lilly                        | Larraine Pankow                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Wong Lee (cook)[16]               | Herbert C. Rice                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Tia Maria                         | Athena Lord[17]                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Diogenes Dodwaddle                | Tex Ritter                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Black Bart                        | Eddie Wragge                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

SOURCE: _Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age_[18] except as noted.

Others heard on the program's 1932–1936 run included Joe Wilton, John Shea, Jean Sothern, Walter Tetley, Bert Parks, David Dixon and Fred Dampier. Others in the 1949-1955 version included Bill Zuckert, Earl George, Ross Martin, Gil Mack and Jim Boles.[19]

The cast listed above staffed the main production on the East Coast, first in Buffalo, New York, (originating at WGR radio)[20] and later in New York City. Meanwhile, in 1933, a separate production began in Los Angeles for audiences on the West Coast; its cast included George Breakston as Bobby, Jean Darling as Polly, Lawrence Honeyman as Black Bart and Muriel Reynolds as Aunt Lilly.[21]

Announcers from 1932 through 1936 included Dan Seymour, André Baruch and Art Millet.[22] Announcers for the 1949–1955 run included Bob Emerick, Bucky Cosgrove and Carl Warren.[23]

Audience response

Jack French wrote in the book _Radio Rides the Range: A Reference Guide to Western Drama on the Air, 1929-1967_ “[The program's] initial success was nothing short of phenomenal. Within a few months, the Hecker Company had to assign 12 women full-time to answer the fan mail and process the box tops of H-O Oats that arrived daily in exchange for premiums advertised on the show: Bobby Benson code books, cereal bowls, card games, and drinking tumblers.”[24] Because many families had little extra money in the 1930s, the company offered options for redeeming premiums. Cox wrote, “A ranger's holster, gun or cartridge belt could be ordered for a box top and 15 cents or for five box tops ... ranger's chaps, one box top and $1.45 or 25 box tops; ranger's hat, one box top and 85 cents or 20 box tops ...”[25]

The program's popularity was also indicated by the number of subscriptions to _H-Bar-O News_, a weekly publication mailed to children who sent in one box top from the sponsor's cereals. The February 1, 1934, issue of Broadcasting reported that circulation of the newspaper had exceeded 250,000. Each 16-page four-color issue included “comic strips, articles on western life which are tied up with the radio show, a western mystery serial and many other features,” including some items submitted by readers."[26]

Daniel de Visé wrote in his book, _Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show_, that when the program returned in 1949, it had similar popularity: “The revival worked: Bobby Benson again became a household name, at least among prepubescent boys. B-Bar-B riders formed clubs across the nation.”[27] Representatives of the show attended county fairs and rodeos all along the East Coast.[28]

As another example of the show's popularity, Radio Digest reported in its January 16, 1950, issue: “_B-Bar-B Ranch_ recently pulled 250,000 letters in ten days as the result of the formation of a ranch club ...”[29] Also, for a “Bobby Benson Day” promotion at the R.H. Macy & Co. store in New York City in 1950, an estimated 20,000 people (“mostly excited kids”) showed up, which a Macy's executive said was “the largest turnout ever at a Macy promotion.”[30]

_Songs of the B-Bar-B_

A spinoff of the program began in 1951 when a chewing gum manufacturer wanted to sponsor a program but couldn't afford much time on the air. The result was _Songs of the B-Bar-B_, a five-minute show with a tall tale sandwiched between two songs.[31]

Other media

[Cover of an issue of _Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders_ comic book]

Comic books

In 1950, Magazine Enterprises began publishing _Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders_, a comic book adaptation of the radio program. As time went on, the Lemonade Kid and Ghost Rider were incorporated into the storylines.[32]

Comic strips

After _Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders_ was canceled in 1936, the Hecker H-O Company continued to promote the concept of “The Cowboy Kid” via advertisements in the form of comic strips that were printed in newspapers in the northeastern United States.[33]

Television

On April 18, 1950, WOR-TV in New York City began a 30-minute television version of the program. Two mainstays from the radio broadcast, Herb Rice and Pete Dixon, worked on the TV show as producer and writer, respectively.[34] A second TV version in the 1950s “featured a greatly reduced cast.”[35]

Related activities

Merchandising

In 1950, Mutual licensed the merchandising rights for _Bobby Benson_ items, the first time the network had done so for any program. Jerry Sanford & Company had plans to sell 15 items related to the show “including cowboy hats and shirts, record albums, sweat shirts, gun holsters, various clothing accessories, and a comic book.”[36] By May 1950, more than 300 department stores in the United States carried Benson-related items. Sales from March to May totaled more than $300,000 — part of which went to Mutual as royalties.[37]

Amusement park

In 1951, Palisades Park in New Jersey entered into an agreement to renovate its 16-ride “kiddieland” area “to resemble a ranch and corral setting.”[38] An article in Billboard said, “Benson's name and B-Bar-B Ranch will be plugged extensively thru special billing and other media.”[39] Kraft Caramels, which sponsored the program, prepared a merchandising program for selling candy in the park and prepared promotional material to be displayed at candy dealers' stores. The contract also called for personal appearances by the actor portraying Benson on the air.[40]

Personal appearances

In the spring of 1950, a tour by the actor portraying Benson included appearances in Paterson, New Jersey; Richmond, Virginia; and Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; with an appearance at the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden as the highlight of the tour.[41] A live production based on the show toured in the early 1950s. A story in the October 6, 1951, issue of Billboard reported on the Shrine Show scheduled for December 8–9, 1951, in Miami, Florida. “First attraction signed,” it said, “was Bobby Benson, kid star of the Mutual Broadcasting Company's (MBS) B-Bar-B stanza. The show will run two and one -half hours.”[42]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6] Terrace, Vincent (1999). _Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows_. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 48-49.

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

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[20]

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title: Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders

question: When was the first broadcast of "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders"?

answer: The first broadcast was on October 17, 1932.

question: How long is each episode of the show?

answer: From 1932 to 1936m, episodes were 15 minutes long. From 1949 to 1955, episodes were 30 minutes long.

question: Who published the comic book adaptation of "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders"?

answer: In 1950, Magazine Enterprises began publishing a comic book adaptation of "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders"?

question: What types of merchandise were associated with the show?

answer: Cowboy hats and shirts, record albums, sweat shirts, gun holsters, various clothing accessories, and a comic book were all released in association with the show.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders", a radio juvenile Western adventure program in the United States. It was broadcast from 1932 to 1936, and from 1949 to 1955.


text:
SERGEI Alexandrovich YERMOLINSKY (Russian - Сергей Александрович Ермолинский; 14 December 1900, Vilnius - 18 February 1984, Moscow) was a Soviet screenwriter.

Life

A graduate of the Kaluga Gymnasium (Unified Labor School), he organized a theatre school in Kaluga. He studied at the Institute of Oriental Studies and in 1925 graduated from the Literature Faculty of Social Sciences at Moscow State University, going on to work on the newspapers Pravda and Komsomolskaya Pravda and in 1925 to collaborate with the film director Yuli Raizman.

He became friends with Bulgakov, whose participation in the Commission of the Union of Writers was partly what led to Yermolinsky's arrest in late 1940 - the order was signed by Pyotr Pavlenko. He was held in Lefortovo Prison, where he tried to commit suicide. With his involvement in anti-Soviet activities still unproven, he was transferred to another prison in Saratov. In spring 1942 he was sentenced to three years of internal exile in Shieli. Nikolay Cherkasov and Sergei Eisenstein successfully petitioned the Kazakhstan People's Commissar of the NKVD for his release in 1943 and took him on as a screenwriter in Almaty.

He moved to Moscow secretly due to his exile status in 1946-1947 and then openly in 1949, before being rehabilitated in 1956 after the death of Stalin. The case against him was finally dismissed on 16 June 1962 “for lack of evidence”. In 1967 he wrote a letter in support of Solzhenitsyn on abolishing censorship. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour on 2 January 1971 and the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1981.

Filmography

-   The Earth Is Thirsty
-   Virgin Soil Upturned
-   Tanker “Derbent”
-   The Elusive Avengers

Bibliography

-   Булгакова Е.С. Дневник Елены Булгаковой / В. Лосев, Л. Яновская. — Москва: Книжная палата, 1990.

title: Sergei Yermolinsky

question: Why did Sergei Yermolinsky try to commit suicide?

answer: Sergei Yermolinsky tried to commit suicide because he was held in prison.

question: Why was Yermolinsky sentenced to three years of internal exile?

answer: Yermolinsky was sentenced to three years of internal exile for apparent involvement in anti-Soviet activities.

question: How was Sergei Yermolinsky related to Bulgakov?

answer: Sergei Yermolinsky and Bulgakov were friends.

question: How was Sergei Yermolinsky related to Solzhenitsyn?

answer: Sergei Yermolinsky wrote a letter in support of Solzhenitsyn on abolishing censorship in 1967.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Sergei Yermolinsky was a Soviet screenwriter. He graduated from the Literature Faculty of Social Sciences at Moscow State University. He is known for his movies The Earth Is Thirsty, Virgin Soil Upturned, Tanker 'Derbent', and The Elusive Avengers. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour on 2 January 1971 and the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1981. Yermolinsky was sentenced to three years of internal exile for apparent involvement in anti-Soviet activities in 1942 but released in 1943 after Nikolay Cherkasov and Sergei Eisenstein petitioned the NKVD. He was rehabilitated in 1956 after the death of Stalin.


text:
    “Hey Ricky, can I have the last of the Oreos?”

    “As long as I can have the last Twinkie.”

    “It’s a deal!”

Jon bit down into the last of the delectable little morsels, savoring its sweet and creamy inside. The cookie was sweet and beautiful, a delicious respite from the chaos outside. He knew damn well it was likely to be the last Oreo he would ever taste.

Although their sweets were running low, their supply of other foods was another story. Living inside of a Wal-Mart had its benefits. And its own set of problems…

    The door, a gateway to the outside world and all its disgusting
                               remnants.

Ricky was preparing for his morning jog outside of Aisle 12. Regardless of what conditions were like outside, staying in shape was always a good idea. As he stretched, Jon came shuffling over in a lethargic state. Wearing nothing but boxers and a white t-shirt, you could never have guessed he was standing in the middle of a Wal-Mart at the end of days. His common and relaxed demeanor ceded nothing to the knowledge of the apocalypse in which they were now living.

    The door, hastily welded shut and barricaded with simple grocery
                                carts.

Ricky lay silent in his makeshift bed, his mind cramped and hazy. As he stared off into space, he could hear the sounds of trees slapping the sides of the grocery store. The wind was howling, and as the rains buffeted the parking lot outside, a crash of thunder could be heard, somewhere far off in the distance.  The rain and the wind created a dull humming, both broad and low. Ricky hadn’t been able to sleep properly in weeks. Jon, on the other hand, seemed calm and stable. He fell asleep just moments after his head smashed into his pillow. Ricky lay there awake, thinking about life. About survival. About the door.

    The door, the breaking point of their defenses against the world
                                outside.

    “30….31…..32….33 boxes of cereal ”

    “Got it.”

    “1…..2……3….4….5…6….7….8….9…10….11 boxes of nutra-grain bars.”

    “Kay……got it.”

    “1……2…..3…..”

    The door, thin panes of glass across its surface.

Jon was refilling the gas in the generator when he heard it. The sound of breaking glass followed by a guttural moaning. They had come.

    The door, the breaking point of their spirits.

The apocalypse had come to greet them. Death awaited with open arms.

    The door.

title: Mundane

question: How did the world end?

answer: The story only hints at the kind of apocalypse it's staged after, in the "guttural moans" they hear after the doors are broken. It points to some kind of zombie apocalypse.

question: Who are the main characters in the story?

answer: Jon and Ricky.

question: How do they stay alive?

answer: They are camping inside a Wal-Mart, eating through its stocks.

question: Why can't Ricky sleep?

answer: He has worries about their survival. While Jon can sleep despite these, Ricky is probably a more anxious person.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Jon and Ricky camp inside a Wal-Mart, shielded from the end of days by the glass door of the store barricaded with shopping carts. They pass their days trying to keep in shape and taking stock of what they have to eat. One day, Ricky hears the glass breaking followed by guttural moans. The apocalypse has breached their door.


text:
_BURMAH OIL COMPANY LTD V LORD ADVOCATE_ [[Case citation|[1965] AC 75]], was a court case, raised in Scotland, and decided ultimately in the House of Lords. The case is an important decision in British constitutional law and had unusual legal repercussions at the time.

Facts

This case concerned the destruction of oil fields in Burma by British forces in 1942, during the Second World War. The destruction was ordered in order to prevent the installations from falling into the hands of the advancing Imperial Japanese Army. It affected the Burmah Oil Company which brought an action against the UK government, represented by the Lord Advocate.

In the Outer House of the Court of Session, Lord Kilbrandon found in favour of Burmah Oil. The Crown appealed, and the First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session unanimously reversed the decision below. Burmah Oil then appealed to the House of Lords.

Judgment

The House of Lords held by a 3–2 majority that although the damage was lawful, it was the equivalent of requisitioning the property. Any act of requisition was done for the good of the public, at the expense of the individual proprietor, and for that reason, the proprietor should be compensated from public funds. Viscount Radcliffe and Lord Hodson dissented.

Significance

In the end, the result was frustrated by the passing of a retroactive Act of Parliament, the War Damage Act 1965, which retroactively exempts the Crown from liability in respect of damage to, or destruction of, property caused by acts lawfully done by the Crown during, or in contemplation of the outbreak of, a war in which it is engaged.

title: Burmah Oil Co Ltd v Lord Advocate

question: Was the destruction of the oil fields ethical?

answer: It may be implied that it is hard to decide whether the act was ethical or not, since it was done for the benefit of the public but at the expense of the proprietor.

question: What was the motive behind the destruction of the fields?

answer: The motive for the destruction was the prevention of installations falling into the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army.

question: Has the War Damage Act been revoked anytime?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: For how long did the case go on?

answer: This information can't be found.


text:
“Just a few questions sir, and we’ll be out of your hair” said the neatly kept woman behind the desk.

“No problem”, Pete replied, wondering how she fell into this job.

“Okay then, so. Age?”

“25”, he said, after a brief pause that someone lying might have needed.  She nodded, punching the keyboard twice.

“Weight?”

“Ooo, God knows. Sorry. I mean, I have no idea.  The last time I weighed myself I was about 210, 220? But that was at least a month ago.” He turned to his side. “What do you reckon?”  She smiled, embarrassed at his gesture.

“We’ll say 210 then.” Pete congratulated himself, then thanked her for the accidental compliment.

“Time of death?” asked the woman, slightly more sternly then the last questions.  Pete was taken aback.  He was having fun before that one.

“Don’t you already know that?” he asked.  She shrugged sympathetically. “It’s for our records.”

“Fine. Suicide.” A subtle wince brushed over her face at his brisk retort.  “Will that be a problem?” he asked, noticing her expression.

“No, no absolutely not”.  The woman made a conscious effort to force a smile.  Peter smiled back, her smile was convincing enough.  She had lovely teeth, too.  “If you’d like to go through, Jon will show you around.”

As the words came out of her mouth, a polished, white door opened to the right of her desk.  Jon, who looked like he had stepped out of a shaving advert, was waiting on the other side, doing his best to make him feel as welcome as possible with a beaming smile.  “Come through my friend!” he shouted enthusiastically.  Peter didn’t like him already.

He stepped through the door, not pausing to consider the fact that one of life’s biggest questions was soon going to be answered for him. Of course, he had preconceptions of what heaven might look like – clouds, cherubs, wispy structures with thrones and columns - but he decided he would leave those in the waiting room.   They were mostly taken from Disney’s Hercules anyway; a dubious source at best.

With his jaw hung open, he pivoted on the spot, like a netball player desperately searching for a pass.  The door behind him had disappeared, and surrounding him, in every direction, were rows, and rows, and rows, of cubicles.  They seemed to go on infinitely into the distance, punctuated by a medium sized houseplant by the doorway of each one, and a water cooler every 50 yards in the corridors dissecting them.  He looked at Jon, who was looking around in gleeful awe, as though he too was seeing it for the first time.  “Isn’t it amazing” he said, breaking from his trance to gage Peter’s reaction.

“It’s…an office?”, though it was more of an observation then a question.

“This is what we call The Mothership” explained Jon, still baring those suspiciously white teeth.  “It’s the central hub. The engine room, if you like. This is where you’ll be working.”

title: Heaven is a place on Earth - Part 1

question: Why is the man being interviewed?

answer: He just died.

question: How did the man die?

answer: Suicide.

question: What is in Heaven?

answer: Cubicles, like in an office.

question: How much did the man weight at death?

answer: Between 210 and 220 pounds.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A man dies and is interviewed by a woman before entering Heaven. When he enters he discovers that it is full of cubicles like in an office.


text:
HENRY CHARLES EITZEN BUILDING, also known as the OSCAR H. GUETHER STORE BUILDING and HY. POPPENHEUSEN TIN SHOP, is a historic commercial building located at Washington, Franklin County, Missouri. The original section was built about 1854, and is a 2 1/2-story, German Neoclassical style brick building in the Klassisismus form. It has a three-bay, one-story brick ell added before 1893.[1]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[2]

[1]  (includes 8 photographs from 1999)

[2]

title: Henry Charles Eitzen Building

question: Where is the Henry Charles Eitzen building located?

answer: It is located in Washington, Franklin County, Missouri.

question: How tall is the building?

answer: The building is two and a half story.

question: Why was it added to the National Register of Historic Places?

answer: Not answered.

question: When was the original section of the building built?

answer: The original section was constructed in 1954.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about the Henry Charles Eitzen building, located in Washington, Missouri. It was constructed in 1854, with a section added in 1893. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.


text:
EDWARD BERTRAND COLLINS (March 15, 1893 - December 16, 1964), commonly known as BERTRAND COLLINS, was an American author from Seattle, Washington.[1][2]

Collins was born in Seattle to John Collins and his much younger wife, Angela. As a child, he was playmates with the lumber heiress Dorothy Stimson Bullitt, who grew up near to the Collins' home. His father died in 1903 and, ten years later, the young Collins received a disbursement of $834,000 from his father's estate. [3][4][5]

Collins graduated from Harvard University in 1914 and, in 1917 was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy, serving at the navy's European headquarters in London before taking a shipboard posting on _USS Housatonic_. In the 1920s he traveled extensively in Europe. A profile of Collins published in a 1930 issue of the _Brooklyn Daily Eagle_ described him as “swarthy” and “good-looking” with “Celtic blue eyes and a ... slight British accent”.[6][7]

Collins often played on his privileged upbringing to engage in witty commentary that was “extremely audacious in a well bred manner”. In 1934, after driving back to Seattle from New York City, he declared in a newspaper interview that the United States was “too big”, remarking that “New England is about right ... and the Pacific Coast would make a nice, other Italy” but that he didn't see any use for the rest of the country, implying the Midwest.[8][9][10]

Collins' 1928 novel _Rome Express_ is based on the life of his contemporary, and fellow wealthy Seattle cosmopolitan, Guendolen Plestcheeff.[11]

Bibliography

-   _Rome Express_ (1928)
-   _The Silver Swan_ (1930)
-   _Moon in the West_ (1933)

Notes

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

title: Bertrand Collins

question: Who is Edward Bertrand Collins?

answer: Edward Bertrand Collins was an American author from Seattle, Washington.

question: Where was he born?

answer: He was born in Seattle.

question: List the books Edward has published.

answer:
- Rome Express (1928)
- The Silver Swan (1930)
- Moon in the West (1933)

question: Where did he study for college?

answer: He graduated from Harvard University.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Edward Bertrand Collins was an American author from Seattle, Washington. Before becoming an author, he served in the Navy's European headquarters and traveled extensively in Europe.


text:
Shia (; ) Muslims make up the majority of the Iraqi population, with 55% of Iraqis identifying as Shia Muslims.[1][2] Shia Islam has a long history in Iraq; the fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first Imam of Shia Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, moved the capital of the empire from Medina to Kufa (or Najaf) two decades after the death of Muhammad.

Iraq is the location of the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, pilgrimage sites for millions of Shia Muslims. Najaf is the site of Ali's tomb, and Karbala is the site of the tomb of Muhammad's grandson, third Shia Imam Husayn ibn Ali. Najaf is also a center of Shia learning and seminaries. Two other holy sites for Twelver Shia in Iraq are the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque in Baghdad, which contains the tombs of the seventh and ninth Shia Imams (Mūsā al-Kādhim and Muhammad al-Taqī) and the Al-Askari Mosque in Sāmarrā, which contains the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams (Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-‘Askarī). Since 2003, there has been sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis in the country.

History

Before the Safavids

[Imam Ali Mosque, Najaf. One of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.] After being named caliph in 657, Ali established his capital at Kufa in present-day Iraq.[3] Iraqi Shia preachers converted the Persians. The Shia Safavid dynasty declared Shia Islam the official religion of Persia in 1501.

15th and 16th centuries

The Bani Sallama, Tayy and al-Soudan in the Mesopotamian Marshes were converted from Sunni to Shia by the Musha'sha'iyyah dynasty.[4][5]

18th century

Banu Khazal was converted from Sunni to Shia during the early 18th century.[6][7] Banu Kaab (including its Khazraj section) was converted during the mid-18th century.[8]

Late 18th to mid-20th century

Since the late 18th century, most of Iraq's Sunni Arab tribes converted to Shia Islam (particularly in the 19th century). During the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of settling the nomadic Sunni Arab tribes to create greater centralization in Iraq.[9] The tribes adopted a sedentary agricultural life in the hinterlands of Najaf and Karbala or traded (and interacted with) the residents of the two cities.[10][11]

Some Sunni Arab tribes converted to protest their treatment by the Sunni Ottomans.[12] Shia missionaries from Najaf and Karbala operated with relative freedom from the Ottoman Empire, and could proselytize with little official hindrance.[13]

The conversions continued into the 20th century, as the British noted in 1917.[14][15] Many Iraqi Shia are relatively-recent converts.[16] The following tribes were converted during this period:[17] some of the Zubaid,[18][19] Banu Lam, al bu Muhammad, many of the Rabiah (including al-Dafaf'a, Bani Amir and al-Jaghayfa), Banu Tamim[20] (including the Bani Sa’d, their largest group in Iraq), the Shammar Toga,[21] some of the Dulaim, the Zafir, the Dawwar, the Sawakin, the al-Muntafiq confederation,[22] the Bani Hasan (of the Bani Malik),[23] the Bani Hukayyim, the Shibil of the Khazal, the al Fatla,[24] the tribes along the Al-Hindiya canal, and the five tribes of Al Diwaniyah (Aqra’, Budayyir, Afak, Jubur and Jilaiha) which relied on the Daghara canal for water. The Shia opposed Mandatory Iraq and its Sunni monarchy.

Baathist regime

[Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei is brought in front of Saddam Hussein after Shia uprisings in 1974.] For many years “Arab nationalism and party politics superseded” Shia unity in Iraqi politics, and Shia ayatollahs were not politically active.[25] Shia were generally less well-off economically and socially, and supported leftist parties. In 1963, when the Arab-nationalist and socialist Ba'ath Party seized power in a coup, 53 percent of its membership was Shia. The Shia were shunted aside (by 1968, only six percent of the Ba'ath party were Shia), and turned back to the ulama for leadership.[26]

Due to discrimination by the Sunni government, the Shia became increasingly disaffected during the 1970s. al-Dawa (“the Call”), a political party dedicated to establishing an Islamic state in Iraq, was formed. Religious processions during the Mourning of Muharram in the shrine cities turned into political protests. Five members of al-Dawa were executed after riots in 1974, and in 1977 eight Shia were executed after more riots.[27]

The Iranian Revolution intensified unrest and repression. In June 1979, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr was arrested and placed under house arrest. Less than a year later, after an attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein, Sadr was executed.[28] In 1982, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq was formed in Iran by Iraqi cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim as an umbrella group to overthrow Iraq's Sunni-dominated regime. In Iran, Hakim attempted to unite and co-ordinate the activities of al- Dawa party and other major Shia groups: Peykar (a guerilla organization similar to the Iranian Mujahideen) and the Jama'at al 'Ulama (groups of pro-Khomeini ulama).[29]

The Baath leadership made a determined effort to gain support from Iraqi Shia during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War, diverting resources to the Shia south and emphasizing Iraqi Arabness (in contrast to Iranian Persianness) and the historic struggle between the Muslim Arabs and the Zoroastrian Persians in propaganda. Iraqi propaganda used symbolic keywords such as Qādisiyya (the battle in which Muslim Arab armies defeated the Persian Empire), and Iranian propaganda used Shia keywords such as Karbala. The Baath government executed about 95 Shia ulama, many of them members of the al-Hakim family, in June 1984.[30]

During Iraqi conflict (2003-present)

After the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, sectarian violence between Shia and the Sunnis steadily escalated.[31][32] By 2007, the United States' National Intelligence Estimate described the violence as a “civil war”. During the 2006–2008 sectarian violence, tens to hundreds of thousands of people were killed (mainly Shia civilians) and at least 2.7 million were internally displaced. In ISIS-occupied Iraq (2014-2017) Shias faced some of the worst treatment, and thousands were mercilessly murdered for their faith.

Najaf

Najaf was the center of opposition to British rule. Shiʻi activists from the city opposed the communist threat in the 1960s, and the Ba'ath Party (dominated by Sunnis) since 1968.[33]

Notable figures

-   Abd al-Karim Qasim, Prime Minister until execution in 1963
-   Abdul-Wahab Mirjan, last Prime Minister of Kingdom of Iraq from 1957-8
-   Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali, (d. 689) grammarian and companion of Ali
-   Abu Hamza al-Thumali, companion of Ali ibn Husayn
-   Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Twelver Marja' (d. 1992)
-   Ahmed Al-Waeli, Twelver cleric (d. 2003)
-   Ali al-Sistani
-   Ali Al-Wardi
-   al-Farazdaq
-   Fuzuli (writer)
-   Habib ibn Madhahir
-   Allamah Al-Hilli
-   Hussain al-Shahristani
-   Jafar Dhia Jafar
-   Al-Kindi
-   al-Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi
-   Malik al-Ashtar
-   Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim
-   Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr
-   Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr (1943–1999)
-   Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri
-   Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, foreign minister and minister of information during Ba'athist Iraq
-   Muhsin al-Hakim
-   Mukhtar al-Thaqafi
-   Muqtada al-Sadr (born 1973)
-   Muzaffar Al-Nawab
-   Nazik Al-Malaika
-   Nouri al-Maliki
-   Salih Jabr
-   Fuad al-Rikabi
-   al-Sharif al-Radi
-   al-Shaykh Al-Mufid

[1] Iraq. CIA World Factbook.

[2]

[3] The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Jacob E. Safra, Chairman of the Board, 15th Edition, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1998, , Vol 10, p. 738

[4] Nakash, p. 25

[5] Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2d ed. s.v. “Musha’sha’.”

[6] Nakash, p. 27

[7] Haydari, ‘Unwan al-Majd, pp. 110–15, 118

[8]

[9] Nakash, pp. 5, 27–28

[10]

[11] Nakash, pp. xviii, 5, 27, 28, 30, 42

[12] [https://books.google.com/books?id=ntarP5hrza0C&pg=PA36&dq=Jabr+mecca&lr=&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=Jabr%20mecca&f=false Sacred space and holy war: the politics, culture and history of Shi'ite Islam, By Juan Ricardo Cole, pg.25]

[13] Nakash, pp. 25, 42

[14] Nakash, pp. 42–43

[15] Office of the Civil Commissioner, The Arab of Mesopotamia, 69–70

[16] Nakash, p. 4

[17]

[18] ‘Uthman ibn Sanad al-Basri al-Wa’ili, Mukhtasar Kitab Matali’ al-Su’ud bi-Tayyib Akhbar al-Wali Da’ud, ed. Amin al-Hilwani (Cairo, 1951/2), 169

[19] ‘Abdallah Mahmud Shukri (al-Alusi), “Di’ayat al-Rafd wa al-Khurafat wa al-Tafriq Bayn al-Muslimin”, al-Manar 29 (1928): 440

[20]

[21]

[22] Lorimer, Gazetteer, 2B:1273; Great Britain, naval intelligence division, geographical handbook series, Iraq and the Persian Gulf, September 1944, 379–80; Great Britain, office of the civil commissioner, The Arab of Mesopotamia, Basra, 1917,6.

[23] Stephen Longrigg, Iraq, 1900 to 1950 (Oxford, 1953), p. 25.

[24] Nakash, p. 42

[25] Momen, p. 262

[26]

[27] Momen, p. 263

[28]

[29]

[30] Momen, p. 264

[31] Patrick Cockburn (20 May 2006) . The Independent

[32]

[33] John Esposito (2003) _The Oxford Dictionary of Islam_, Oxford University Press

title: Shia Islam in Iraq

question: What makes up the majority of the Iraqi population?

answer: Shia Muslims.

question: What percentage of Iraqis identify as Shia?

answer: 55%.

question: Where did Ali ibn Abi Talib move his capital to?

answer: Kufa.

question: What are the two holy cities in Iraq shia Muslims make pilgrimage to?

answer: Najaf [Kufa] and Karbala.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Shia Muslims in Iraq. It discusses both modern information and the history of the sect in the region.


text:
9/6/2013
Last night I had the most vivid dream that I can ever recall having.

I am a passenger in a SUV driving on an interstate.
There are four lanes, the cement is very light in color. So new that there are no cracks, just those long grooves in the pavement that run in the direction of traffic.
I do not know who my driver is, but I am not alarmed or nervous so it must be someone that I trust.
In front of our vehicle is a low pickup truck, like an old S-10. The back of the pickup is piled high with furniture. There are boxes low in the pile and on top a wicker table and chair set.
The flow of traffic comes to a halt. Maybe an accident, maybe just the long slinky bunching up.
As traffic begins to move again, the pickup lurches from the halt and several pieces of furniture come loose and scatter onto the pavement.
My driver is alert. He brakes safely and puts on his hazard lights.
The driver of the pickup exits his vehicle and shuffles back to attend to the dislodged furniture.
He is Latino and wearing the common jeans, pearl button shirt and cowboy boots so often associated with ethnicities from Latin America.
I push my head out the passenger window and offer to help him reload but he waves off our help with a smile.
It is then that time seemed to slow.
With my head out of my window I can see down the side of the pickup ahead of us and back along the traffic lane to our right through the passenger side mirror.
My attention splits and I seem to see both the tractor trailer approaching from the rear and the passenger of the pickup opening her door at the same time.
I want to yell but traffic is moving gain and I know she won’t hear me. She opens her door and gets out. Moving slowly, unaware of the increasing danger.
I feel useless. The semi is so close that if I were to try to help I would be crushed long before I could reach her.
I am watching her. I cannot tear my eyes away.
Still unaware, she closes her door and takes a quick moment to straighten her colorful skirt.
She even takes a few steps before her eyes lift and the calm and resigned look on her face is shattered and replaced by one of pure terror.
Time speeds up again.
She tries to run but barely makes a quarter turn before the truck is upon her.
Her body becomes a ragdoll.
It is over in a second, punctuated only by the sounds of chaos. The roar of the wind caused by the passing truck. The squeal of tires as the truck drivers last second attempt to avoid her sets the trailer fishtailing.
It does nothing.
Traffic once again comes to a halt. This one is a screeching, honking sudden halt. Not the kind that incites anger. The kind that leaves the driver thankful that they aren’t the reason everyone is braking.
The girl’s body was dragged past the front of the pickup and all I can see of her is her leg. It is crushed. There are only a few inches of ragged flesh below her knee still attached.
I glance back through the mirror one more time and throw my door open.
I can’t sprint fast enough. My legs and my body are failing me. I hate them for being so slow.
Halfway to her, I rip my belt from the loops of my pants. I know if she is to have any chance of living I need to tourniquet her leg. And soon.
When I turn the corner at the front of the pickup, and see her body, my breath catches. She is lying face down. Her limbs are thrown about haphazardly. She looks like a child’s toy. Discarded, forgotten.
The pickup driver is turning the opposite corner and our eyes meet. His face shows shock, horror and confusion.
I drop to my knees and throw my belt around the girl’s thigh. There is already a growing pool of dark red blood forming below her amputation.
I feed the belt through the buckle and put my knee on her leg above the belt for leverage. Gripping the free end of the belt, I pull with all my force. As the loop tightens the spurting bloods slows.
A few other people have gotten out of their cars and have approached us. The pickup’s driver has fallen on all fours over the girl’s upper body.
“Mi Chica, Mi Chica” He sobs.
I tie off the belt and try to examine the rest of the girl. Her leg can’t have been the only injury.
Her skirt had been ripped away, and her blouse was twisted and bunched near her neck. Her exposed skin was abraded and already beginning to bruise.
As I unfold a pocket knife the man looks up. Seeing the blade his eyes widen. He has no idea what my purpose is.
I point to her blouse. And mime scissors.
Realization dawns and he nods.
I carefully feed my blade under the blouse and cut away from her skin.
My heart drops.
I fall back onto my heels.
With the blouse removed I can see her face staring upwards. Her neck grotesquely twisted completely around like some sick marionette puppet.
I can faintly hear the sirens in the distance. Racing towards us to render aid no longer needed.
But drowning it out is a rising wail, a sound infused with pain, anger and despair.
The driver’s forehead is on the girls, he his buddy is shuddering.
I wake up.

Cholulaman

title: My belt, a tourniquet

question: Summarize the story's negative events.

answer: While driving on an interstate, the narrator notices as a girl gets out of her father's stopped car and into traffic. Unfortunately, the girl is struck by a truck before she can retreat, and leaves a gruesome scene. Her leg is nearly ripped off and her neck is seemingly broken. Her father is left sobbing over her dead body.

question: What does the story have to say about heroism?

answer: When the narrator sees that the girls leg had been ripped off, he runs to her without thinking. He rips off his belt so that he can tourniquet her leg. This works, but he notices her blouse is twisted near her neck. He tries to cut it back to see what else he can do. The narrator displays heroism because despite his being a stranger, he rushes to help regardless.

question: What does the story say about grief?

answer: When the pickup driver sees his daughter injured after being hit by the truck, he falls over her body and sobs. He calls her "Mi Chica". He is so affected by this that his body is shuddering and his wails drown out the sirens. It's infused with pain, anger, and despair.

question: What does the story say about clothing?

answer: The narrator notes that the pick-up driver and father of the girl is dressed in common jeans, a pearl button shirt, and cowboy boots. He sees this outfit as being associated with Latin American ethnicities. The girl is wearing a colorful skirt and blouse. The blouse ends up twisted around her neck after the accident, hiding her injuries. The narrator uses his belt to try to stop the bleeding of the girl's amputated leg after she's hit by the truck.

question: Summarize the narrator's thoughts on his dream.


text:
ST. ALBANS FARMS STONE BARN, also known as the STONE DAIRY BARN, is a historic barn located at St. Albans, Franklin County, Missouri. It was built about 1918, and is a large “U”-shaped one-story frame building with limestone-faced walls and a steep gable roof. It features round corner towers that are topped with conical roofs. Associated with the barn are a large round tile silo off of each back corner.[1] Much of the barn has been demolished.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[2]

[1]  (includes 26 photographs from 1992)

[2]

title: St. Albans Farms Stone Barn

question: What is another name for the St. Albans Farms Stone Barn?

answer: Stone Dairy Farm.

question: In which county is it located?

answer: Franklin County.

question: When was it built?

answer: 1918.

question: What is distinctive about its shape?

answer: It is "U"-shaped.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The St. Albans Farm Stone Barn, also known as the Stone Dairy Farm, is a historic barn built in 1918 in St. Albans, Franklin County, Missouri, United States. It was a distinctive "U"-shaped one-story building frame. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.


text:
SPENCER LARSEN (born March 4, 1984) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona, primarily as a linebacker.[1]

Early years

Larsen earned SuperPrep All-Farwest honors and was named First-team All-State by The Arizona Republic as a senior at Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona after recorded 124 tackles as a senior. He was also the All-Region co-Defensive Most Valuable Player.

College career

In 2007 Larsen was a First-team All-Pacific-10 Conference as a senior at Arizona after leading the conference with 131 tackles (87 solo) in 12 games (12 starts). He added four sacks, one interception, five pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. The year before, 2006, Larsen received Second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors as a junior after making 89 tackles (63 solo), two sacks (11 yds.) and one interception in 12 games (12 starts). He also had three pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. He was also First-team Academic All-Conference. In 2005, he saw action in eight games (6 starts) as a sophomore and totaled 51 tackles (29 solo), one sack, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery. He also received Second-team academic All-Conference recognition. Larsen did not play football from 2003-04 because he was on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile. In 2002 Larsen played all 12 games (7 starts) as a true freshman for Arizona and recorded 41 tackles (30 solo), two sacks and three pass breakups and was named Third-team freshman All-America and First-team freshman All-Pacific-10 Conference by The Gridiron Report. He was the defensive MVP of the 2008 East–West Shrine Game.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- -------------- --------------- --------------- --------- --------- --------- ------------------ ------- -----------
                              _Pre-draft measureables_
                                       Height
                                       6-2 **
   '**represents Arizona Pro Day—_“X” Denotes “No Data” or “Did Not Participate”_
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- -------------- --------------- --------------- --------- --------- --------- ------------------ ------- -----------

Denver Broncos

On November 16, 2008, in a Broncos 24-20 road win over the Atlanta Falcons, Larsen became the first NFL player since 2003 (and only the fourth since 1990)[3] to start a game on both offense (fullback) and defense (linebacker).[4] The positions fullback and linebacker both involve considerably more contact than the wide receiver / cornerback positions played by other modern two-way players such as Troy Brown, Deion Sanders, Julian Edelman, and Champ Bailey. He also played on special teams during the game, including the opening kickoff. Larsen earned Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors for the first time in his career for his performance against the Falcons.[5]

New England Patriots

Larsen signed with the New England Patriots on March 22, 2012.[6] He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 27, 2012 and released from the team on March 4, 2013.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On July 27, 2013, Larsen signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[7] On August 26, 2013, he was released by the Buccaneers.[8] Larsen re-signed with the team on September 10, 2013. He was released again on September 14, 2013. He was re-signed on September 25, 2013.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Larsen voted Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week

[6] Report: Patriots agree with FB Larsen

[7]

[8]

title: Spencer Larsen

question: What does the text say about Spencer Larsen?

answer: Spencer Larsen is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He was also a linebacker during his college years.

question: What does the text say about Spencer Larsen's early years?

answer: During his early years, Larsen earned SuperPrep All-Farwest honors and was named First-team All-State by The Arizona Republic as a senior. He was also the All-Region co-Defensive Most Valuable Player.

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

answer: During his college days in 2007, Larsen was a First-team All-Pacific-10 Conference as a senior at Arizona. The year before, he was a Second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors as a junior.

question: What does the text say about football?


text:
Once upon a time there was a little boy born in a little town.  He was perfect, or so his mother thought.  But one thing was different about him.  He had a gold screw in his belly button.  Just the head of it peeping out.

Now his mother was simply glad he had all his fingers and toes to count with.  But as the boy grew up he realized not everyone had screws in their belly buttons, let alone gold ones.  He asked his mother what it was for, but she didn't know.  Next he asked his father, but his father didn't know.  He asked his grandparents, but they didn't know either.

That settled it for a while, but it kept nagging him.  Finally, when he was old enough, he packed a bag and set out, hoping he could find someone who knew the truth of it.

He went from place to place, asking everyone who claimed to know something about anything.  He asked midwives and physicians, but they couldn't make heads or tails of it.  The boy asked alchemists, tinkers, and old hermits living in the woods, but no one had ever seen anything like it.

He went to ask the merchants guild, thinking if anyone would know about gold, it would be them.  But they didn't know.  He went to professors at the university, thinking if anyone would know about screws and their workings, they would.  But the learned men didn't know.  The boy followed the road over the mountains to ask the necromancers, but none of them could give him an answer.

Eventually he went to the King of Vint, the richest king in the world.  But the king didn't know.  He went to the Emperor, but even with all of his power, the emperor didn't know.  He went to each of the small kingdoms, one by one, but no one could tell him anything.

Finally the boy went to the High King across the sea, the wisest of the kings in the wrold.  The high king looked closely at the head of the golden screw peeping from the boy's belly button.  Then the high king made a gesture, and his servant brought out a pillow of golden silk.  On that pillow was a golden box.  The high king took a golden key from around his neck and opened the box, and inside was a golden screwdriver.

The high king took the screwdriver and motioned the boy to come closer.  Trembling with excitement, the boy did.  Then the high king took the golden screwdriver and put it in the boy's belly button.

Then the high king carefully turned the golden screw.  Once: Nothing. Twice: Nothing.  Then he turned it the third time, and the boy's ass fell off.

title: Golden Screw

question: What kept nagging the boy?

answer: The boy wondered why he was born with a gold screw in his belly button.

question: Describe the golden screwdriver?

answer: The golden screwdriver is in the possession of the High King and is the solution to the gold screw.

question: What is the boy's goal?

answer: The boy wants to find out why he was born with a golden screw in his belly button.

question: Who is the High King?

answer: The High King is the wisest of the kings in the world.

question: Does the boy have friends?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A boy was born with a gold screw in his bellybutton, and no one in his life could tell him why. He goes on a journey to find the answer. He meets the High King, the wisest king in the world, and he uses his golden screwdriver to take out the gold screw. This results in the boy's rear falling off.