text:
QUITO -- The Greek crisis is a tragedy for the country and a danger for the world economy. Germany is demanding that Greece continue to service its debts in full, even though Greece is clearly broke and the International Monetary Fund has noted the need for debt relief. The collision of reality (Greece's insolvency) with politics (Germany's demands) was bound to create a disaster. And, indeed, it has: the shocking collapse last week of the Greek banking system.

Yet there still is a way out of this mess. Greece's debt should be cut sharply, and the country should remain within the eurozone.

In negotiations with its creditors this spring, Greece recognized this, insisting that its debt be reduced. Germany refused. Though the United States and the IMF privately sided with Greece, Germany prevailed, as creditors usually do.

Yet creditors sometimes prevail to their own detriment; by pushing the debtor to the breaking point, they end up bringing about a complete default. Germany's mistake this was to push the Greek economy -- already in conditions rivaling those of the Great Depression -- into a complete financial collapse.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has a clear negotiating strategy, aimed at getting Greece to agree to leave the eurozone. Unfortunately for him, Greece does not want to exit, and it cannot be forced to do so under the treaties governing the European Union. What Greece wants is to remain in the eurozone, with a lower debt burden -- a position that is both economically astute and protected by treaty.

Indeed, a euro exit would be remarkably costly for Greece, and would almost certainly create political and social chaos -- and perhaps even hyperinflation -- in the heart of Europe. The value of Greek residents' savings would be slashed, as euros were suddenly converted into new Drachmas. The middle class would be eviscerated. And the currency conversion would not save the country one cent with regard to its external debt, which would, of course, remain denominated in euros.

Still, Greece's debt burden is unsustainable. Last week, Greece defaulted on its payments to the IMF, rightly choosing pensions over debt service. The country's creditors should now negotiate a consensual debt reduction through some combination of lower (and fixed) interest rates, reduced face value of debt and very long maturities.

There are plenty of precedents for such a course. Sovereign debts have been restructured hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times -- including for Germany. In fact, hardline demands by the country's U.S. government creditors after World War I contributed to deep financial instability in Germany and other parts of Europe, and indirectly to the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933. After World War II, however, Germany was the recipient of vastly wiser concessions by the U.S. government, culminating in consensual debt relief in 1953, an action that greatly benefitted Germany and the world. Yet Germany has failed to learn the lessons of its own history.

_I propose a four-step path out of the Greek crisis._

FIRST, I recommend that the Greek people give a resounding "No" to the creditors in the referendum on their demands. This has already been achieved.

SECOND, Greece should continue to withhold service on its external debts to official creditors in advance of a consensual debt restructuring later this year. Given its great depression, Greece should use its savings to pay pensioners, provide food relief, make crucial infrastructure repairs and direct liquidity toward the banking system.

THIRD, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras must use his persuasive powers to convince the public, in the style of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself. Specifically, the government should make clear to all Greeks that their euro deposits are safe; that the country will remain within the eurozone (despite the false claims by some members of the Eurogroup that a no vote means a Greek exit); and that its banks will reopen immediately after the referendum.

FINALLY, Greece and Germany need to come to a rapprochement soon after the referendum and agree to a package of economic reforms and debt relief. No country -- including Greece -- should expect to be offered debt relief on a silver platter; relief must be earned and justified by real reforms that restore growth, to the benefit of both debtor and creditor. And yet, a corpse cannot carry out reforms. That is why debt relief and reforms must be offered together, not reforms "first" with some vague promises that debt relief will come in some unspecified amount at some unspecified time in the future (as some in Europe have said to Greece).

To be sure, in the Greek debacle, both sides have made countless mistakes, misjudgments and misdeeds over the last decade, and even before. A country does not reach Greece's parlous state without a generation of egregious mismanagement. But nor does a country go bankrupt without serious mistakes by its creditors -- first in lending too much money, and then in demanding excessive repayments to the point of the debtor's collapse. With both sides at fault, it is important for them not to lose the future by squabbling endlessly over the past.

Easing Greece's debt burden while keeping the country within the eurozone is the correct and achievable path out of the crisis, and it can be accomplished easily through a mutual accord between Germany and Greece, to which the rest of Europe will subscribe. The result would be a win not only for those countries, but also for the world economy.

-   [Electoral workers prepare ballot boxes in a warehouse in Thessaloniki, Greece, on July 2, 2015, ahead of Sunday's economic re]

-   [Municipal workers carry ballot boxes into a warehouse in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015, in preparation for the upcoming ref]

-   [Ballot boxes for the upcoming referendum are stored in a warehouse in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015.]

-   [Municipal workers carry ballot boxes into a warehouse in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015, in preparation for the upcoming ref]

-   [Electoral workers prepare ballot boxes in a warehouse in Thessaloniki, Greece, on July 2, 2015, ahead of the upcoming referen]

-   [Municipal workers store booths in a warehouse in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015, in preparation for the upcoming referendum.]

-   [Youths chant slogans supporting the "no" vote for the upcoming referendum in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015.]

-   [A man passes out a leaflet reading in Greek "Vote NO in the referendum, Down with the EU" in Athens, Greece, on July 2, 2015]

Calling all HuffPost superfans!

Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter

question: Who is Greece's creditor?

answer: Germany

question: What does Greece insist from Germany?

answer: That their debt be reduced.

question: What does Germany aim?

answer: To get Greece to leave the eurozone.

question: How can Greece achieve its path out of the crisis?

answer: Through a mutual accord with Germany

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The Greek economic crisis is a a tragedy for the country and a danger for the world economy. Greece insists that their debt be reduced but Germany, their creditor, refuses.
Germany is seen as being mistaken for pushing the Greek economy into a complete financial collapse. Additionally, Germany has aimed to get Greece to agree to leave the eurozone. Though Greece would not accept this and cannot be forced to.
A path out of the crisis can be achieved through a mutual accord.


split: train

text:
GEORGE JOSEPH BELL (26 March 177023 September 1843) was a Scottish advocate and legal scholar. From 1822 to 1843 he was Professor of Scots Law at the University of Edinburgh. He was succeeded by John Shank More.

Early life

George Bell was born in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, a son of the Reverend William Bell (d. 1779), a clergyman of the Episcopal Church of Scotland. He was the younger brother of the surgeon John Bell, and an elder brother of the surgeon Sir Charles Bell. At the age of eight he entered the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He received no university education further than attending the lectures of both A. F. Tytler and Dugald Stewart. Between 1787 and 1788 he attended lectures on Scots law by Hume, Professor of Scots Law at the University of Edinburgh, and nephew of the philosopher Hume.

Advocate and scholar

Bell became a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1791, and was one of the close friends of Francis Jeffrey. In 1804 he published a _Treatise on the Law of Bankruptcy in Scotland_, which he enlarged and published in 1826 as _Commentaries on the Law of Scotland and on the principles of Mercantile Jurisprudence_, praised by Joseph Story and James Kent.

In 1821, Bell was elected Professor of Scots Law in the University of Edinburgh; and in 1831 he was appointed to one of the principal clerkships in the supreme court. He was placed at the head of a commission in 1833 to inquire into the Scottish bankruptcy law. His smaller treatise, _Principles of the Law of Scotland_, became a standard text-book for law students. He wrote also _Illustrations of the Principles_.

in 1805 Bell married Barbara Shaw, granddaughter of Very Reverend David Shaw.[1] In 1832 they were living at 68 Queen Street in the centre of Edinburgh, since demolished.[2] In his final years he lived at 6 Darnaway Street.[3]

He is buried in St John's Episcopal Churchyard at the west end of Princes Street in Edinburgh.[4]

[1]

[2]

[3] Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1840

[4]

title: George Joseph Bell

question: How long did George Bell live?

answer: 73 years

question: Identify the Bell brothers from eldest to youngest.

answer: John Bell was the eldest, George Bell was the middle child, and Sir Charles Bell was the youngest.

question: How old was George Bell when he married Barbara Shaw?

answer: 35 years old

question: What are George Bell's biggest contributions to Scotland and Scottish Law?

answer: Other than dedicating his life to teaching Scots Law, his biggest contributions are the treatises he published, namely "Commentaries on the Law of Scotland and on the principles of Mercantile Jurisprudence" and the smaller "Principles of the Law of Scotland", which became a standard textbook for law students.


text:
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder. As soon as the folder was within my possession I knew what must be done; it was pure instinct. I immediately opened it up and read all of the information.
     I remembered that my name was Bob Lamron. I am 23 years old, have neither children nor a wife; they were only given to you if you had proven yourself faithful and intelligent enough. I asked the women who handed me the folder where I was and what events had occurred that left me in this situation. She just looked at me and smiled.
Two rather large males, who appeared to be body guards disguised as physicians, led me out the front door. As soon as I walked out, a car appeared out of nowhere. From the car came a robotic voice; it addressed me by name and commanded me to enter the automobile.          As I got in the car, the voice spoke again. It asked me what my home address was. I had no clue; I could not even remember if I had children 10 minutes ago. How was I supposed to answer the voice with details of my forget life? The women who had presented me with the folder, a nurse, that I had woken up next to, ran out of the building and handed me the same folder that I had left behind in the room. I opened it up and aloud, “2534 Egareva Rd.” As soon as the words had left my mouth, the taxi immediately sped off, presumably to the address.
As I saw the things I passed by I started to remember details, like I had never forgotten them at all. Trees, Birds, people, restaurants, fountains, everything! It was all flooding in as if there was a dam in my brain and it had just been ruptured without notice. We arrived at my house and I opened the front door. I walked into my room and sat down. I could not recall the events that had occurred before I woke up. It was like the dam of knowledge in my mind had been concealed. My mind had locked away any memories of the events and I could not do anything about it. The more I thought, the more my head hurt.
It felt like one of those moments when you are mid conversation with someone and another person, uninvolved in the conversation, calls your name. You stop talking in order to address the interjection of your name, but when you try to come back into the original conversation, you can’t remember what you were talking about no matter how hard you try. I sat there on my couch and tried as hard as I could to recall what had happened.
I then positioned myself so that I could see out of the window. I saw a grey, bleak world. Everything was so average, so normal. The only color people were given permission to wear were different shades of grey. The lighter your color, the higher up your social class was. I was just an average grey.
As I was thinking through all of this, my eyes were fixed upon a section of peeling paint in the right corner of my peripheral vision. For some reason I knew I was supposed to go over to it; it was like I had some kind of cosmic urge. My hand lifted from my side and I started to peel the paint. It came off fairly easily, far too easier than any paint should have, for that matter. Suddenly, I saw something concealed under the peeling paint. I knew I had to uncover it. As I tore the paint off a fit overcame me. Next thing I knew, I was tearing, ripping, and enjoying this more than anything I had enjoyed before. I was ripping everything in sight off the wall.
I stepped back and looked at my wall and there was writing everywhere. The memories started flooding back into my head of what had happened. I had uncovered something big. The government had been spiking everyone. Now they wouldn’t just bug a room, or a camera in a park to see what was going on, they were putting microphones in you. They had put chips in your brain so that they could see, think, hear, and smell everything you have ever come in contact with. Knowing I had just remembered this I knew they would be after me. I shut the blinds and closed the door in my room.
I lightly lifted a blind cover and looked out the window. I saw a slim, black, shiny car pulled up to the front of my building. The same two men who had accompanied me out of the hospital got out of the black car. I sat there shaking, wondering what I could do. The second I saw them barge in through the front door, I jumped out of my second story bedroom and landed on the pavement. My ankle buckled and I felt a sharp pain but I knew I had to get out of here and tell someone what is going on. I screamed names but no one would listen to me. I was living in a selfish world where people only cared about themselves. I gave up. I fell to the floor, my ankle throbbing, and looked at the door to my building, expecting the two men to walk through. I was doomed.
The two men eventually came out of my building and grabbed me. They didn’t say a word; all they would do is stare straight forward. Then they put me in the back of the car and drove off. It was the exact same route that led back to my house. I had only been out for an hour, at most and here I was, being dragged back.
When I got there the female nurse was sitting there with a needle filled with what appeared to be a sedative. As she inserted it in my vein, two doctors walked into the room. The first said, “Okay, begin sedation and we’ll get ready for the micro-chip reset.”
The other doctor responded, “Looks like this one didn’t turn out to well again like the last time.”
	As they finished their sentences I realized something. They have been resetting everyone until they get every single one of us to be perfect for their society. They don’t want people to have character or personality; they are just looking to create the most generic human being, like emotionless robots. As I thought this, I started to black out.
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder.

title: Deja Vu

question: Who is controlling the world where the narrator exists?

answer: Probably some kind of a control-freak dictator or an AI machine.

question: Why did the narrator remember past events when others could not?

answer: The narrator might have some kind of neural makeup that is negating whatever chips the government planted inside of him.


text:
Eugene was tired. It was four o'clock, Friday the 29th, and he had to post his rent by five. His scumbag landlord; a sweaty, short Italian named Leon was threatening to kick him out for the third time in as many months. Eugene was out collecting debts from customers. Eugene considered himself a modern businessman, pulling himself up by the bootstraps in the greatest place in the world, the city of New York. He loved New York, but the feeling wasn't mutual; He called himself an 'Entrepreneur', the City of New York preferred the term 'Drug Dealer'.

Eugene stood in the cramped, poky sitting room, trying not to move or breathe. Every available surface was covered in cats. Cat figurines on the small worn coffee table, cat pictures on the walls, magazines about cats, cat baskets, cat scratching posts, a cat clock on the wall, and of course an actual, real life cat. Though the moniker cat was loosely applied here: The thing was about as big as a dog, and as ugly as a sewer rat. It stared Eugene down with its one eye, almost daring him to move closer so it could pounce and sink its claws and teeth into him. He'd been on the wrong end of it before and still bore the evidence to prove it. He hated that bastard cat.

The cat leapt, and Eugene instinctively flinched, but it wasn't an attack, it instead landed in the lap of the old woman sitting on the frayed couch, settled in and began to purr, its eyes fixed again on Eugene and he tried to ignore it. A tiny withered hand appeared from within the purple shawls and layers and began to stroke it idly. The other hand held a slim cigarette, absent-mindedly shedding ash and embers like little snowflakes on the threadbare carpet. She exhaled like a death rattle, blowing blue smoke into the air where it hung like a thick fog and made Eugenes' nostrils burn and his eyes water.

"So, Ive got your order here, and well.." Eugene fumbled in his messenger bad and produced a little shoebox, pulling out the bag of weed, ".. its coming up to the end of the month and I think we should talk about your tab". He tossed the bag into the faded china bowl on the table (Cat shaped) and disappeared the box back into the messenger bag. The old woman pursed her lips and she sucked on the cigarette, a long draw burning it almost down to the filter, before discarding it in an ashtray on the arm and immediately lighting another.

"Ah, dah, dah, boy" she drawled in her rough slavic accent. "Is tough time for me and the little Pushkin" she scratched the cats ears and it let out a rumble of enjoyment.

"Many cold nights. Many bills for the heat and light, so the money is tight, yes?".

"Look, I get that, but I've got bills that need paying too, see?"

She pursed her lips and pulled on the cigarette again, avoiding Eugenes gaze, staring instead at the ancient television in the corner, its screen dulled by years of smoke and dust, as if simply refusing to acknowledge Eugene would make him disappear. He sighed, exasperated:
"Listen" he started, "I'm not leaving here without my money, ok? If you cant pay it all right away, thats fine, just give me something, anything, so I can get on my way and keep the wolves from my door." She scoffed, and mumbled something about Eugene not knowing what wolves at the door was really like, but he ignored it. The cat jumped down from the babushkas lap and skulked around the furniture, Eugene made a mental note to be worried, it looked like it was trying to flank him behind the couch. He side stepped around the coffee table to put some kind of barrier between him and it.

The elderly lady had lit another cigarette, and was studiously ignoring him. He bent down and picked up a small silver statuette of two cats playing with a ball of yarn from the end table. "How about this" he said, holding the figurine out for the woman to see, "Ill take one of these, and pawn it to cover your expenses, and we'll clear the rest of the debts, but from here on out, we deal in cash only. Upfront payment. Deal?"

The elderly woman leapt from the settee with speed and ferocity that startled Eugene, he stepped back, bumping into a musical box that plinked a few notes of an East-European folk tune. The elderly womans face was inches from his, eyes ablaze, and teeth bared. "You would take from me!? An old woman?! What could you take from that Stalin and his army did not?" Eugene backed away as she spat on the ground and hurled insults in her mother tounge. As he moved, he felt something soft brush against his leg and he remembered the cat as it launched its attack.

Tumbling backwards over the couch in a flurry of fur and arms, Eugene came up quick and bolted for the door. The elderly woman cut him off, blocking the door wielding a ancient and metal tipped walking cane. She let out a ferocious battle cry and swung the stick, he ducked, diving across the couch as the stick collided with a shelf, shattering the figurines and raining shards of glass and porciline down on him. He scrambled to his feet, right as the cat, who had positioned itself on the back of the couch, leaped into the air aimed at him.

In a panic, Eugene lashed out with his foot. He connected with the feline predator, punting it across the room, it sailed through the air, twisting in a panic as it tried to right itself, but its efforts were in vain. With a splintering crash, the cat burst through the small curtained window and disappeared into the void with an ear splitting howl. Eugene froze for a second. The apartment was deathly quiet, except for the low hum from the ancient television, and then he heard the faint

-thump-.

"Fuck."

The old woman erupted in a moan that escalated to a wail, and then full blown howling agony as she crossed the room, her gnarled hands framing her face, to look out the window. Eugene took this moment of distraction to make his exit. He tried to not look at the tangled lump of silk and fur that sat on the pavement outside the apartment building, from the corner of his eye it looked like the cat was snugly wrapped in a blanket, and sleeping in the afternoon sun. He hurriedly limped towards the subway station, his hands clutching the small silver figurine of the two cats playing with the ball of yarn. He promised himself he would get the old woman a new cat, and he made a mental note to clear her debt entirely. Behind him on the pavement, the silk curtain stirred slightly.

title: The Cat and the Dealer

question: What does the story say about why Eugene hated the elderly woman's cat?

answer: The elderly woman was a big fan of cats, and it was evident in her apartment, with every design in the house in the shape and design of a cat, including her actual pet cat. Eugene had hated the elderly woman's pet cat because of its looks. It was large like a dog and ugly like a sewer rat. On one of his visits to the elderly woman's place, he had a nasty encounter with the cat where it attacked him, leaving horrible marks on his body. Ever since, Eugene has taken care to try as much as possible to avoid the unfriendly ugly cat and try not to get on its wrong side.

question: Summarise what ensued between Eugene, the elderly woman, and her cat when the woman refused to pay for the drugs.

answer: The elderly woman appeared to be a regular customer of Eugene's drug business. However, when Eugene came to deliver drugs to her place, she claimed not to have any money to pay for the drugs. Eugene insisted she makes part payment so he wouldn't have to leave her home empty-handed and have something to render to the people he worked for, whom he referred to as wolves, but the old woman wouldn't budge. Because of this, Eugene attempted to take her glass cat figurines as collateral which only infuriated her. She tried to attack him for trying to take her cat figurines for pawning but missed. While Eugene attempted to escape the old woman, her cat made to attack him as well, but he kicked it out of the apartment's window by accident in self-defence. Horrified that he had killed the old woman's cat, he left her apartment with the glass figurine promising himself to replace the cat, but alas, the cat survived the fall.


text:
JAMES GILKES (born 21 September 1952) is a former sprinter from Guyana who specialised in the 200 metres.

Career

He was 1975 Pan American 200 metre champion, and in 1979 he took the silver medal in the same event.

He was runner up to Don Quarrie of Jamaica in the 1978 AAA's 200 metres event.

At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton he finished fourth in the 100 metre final, then took the silver medal in the 200 metres, finishing behind Allan Wells of Scotland.

In 1978, Gilkes was denied a world record for the 4x200 m relay; while the Tobias Striders team he was a member of broke the old world record with a time of 1:20.23, but this was rejected as a record because the team members were from different countries. The other members of the team were: Guy Abrahams, Panama; Michael Simmons, USA; and Don Quarrie, Jamaica.

The team from the University of Southern California (Joel Andrews, James Sanford, William Mullins and Clancy Edwards) that finished second in the same race also broke the old world record: their time of 1:20.26 was accepted as the new world record.[1]

In 1979 he took 3rd place in the “Golden sprints” in Zurich.

Gilkes would have been a medal favorite in the 200 m (which Don Quarrie won) at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, but Guyana joined the African boycott over New Zealand's rugby team's tour of apartheid South Africa. He applied to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permission to run as an individual under their flag but was denied the request.[2][3][4] He also went to the 1980 Olympic Games where he reached the semi-finals of both the 100 and 200 metres before he was eliminated.

His personal best time for the 200 metres was 20.14 seconds, achieved in September 1978 in Ingelheim.

Gilkes studied first at Fisk University then moved to the University of Southern California (USC). He was an important member of the track team at both colleges. As of 2012, Gilkes was still ranked in the top 10 all-time performers for the USC Trojans at 100 and 200 m, joint 8th and 4th respectively.[5]

He enjoyed success for both colleges at the NCAA (USA Collegiate) championships, including a win at 220 yards in 1974:[6][7]

-   1974 (for Fisk) – 6th in 100 y; 1st in 220 y
-   1975 (for USC) – 2nd in 200 m
-   1976 (for USC) – 3rd in 100 m; 2nd in 200 m.

Gilkes joined Fisk University when it started a student transfer program with his native country of Guyana in 1972.[8] Gilkes remained at Fisk University until 1974 when he transferred to USC.[9] He has stated he was not unhappy at Fisk but did not enjoy the Tennessee weather and preferred the sunnier climes of California.[10]

Rankings

Gilkes was ranked in the top ten 100 and 200 m sprinters in the world from 1974 to 1979, according to the votes of the experts of _Track and Field News_.[11][12]

  Year   100 m   200 m
  ------ ------- -------
  1974   -       3rd
  1975   9th     3rd
  1976   9th     6th
  1977   -       -
  1978   -       3rd
  1979   -       3rd

  : 100 meters

USA Championships

Gilkes when in the United States was eligible at that time to compete in the USA National Track and Field Championships. He achieved the feat of finishing second in the 200 m five years running.[13]

  Year   100m   200m
  ------ ------ ------
  1974   -      2nd
  1975   -      2nd
  1976   -      2nd
  1977   5th    2nd
  1978   6th    2nd

  : USA Championships

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

title: James Gilkes

question: Summarize Gilkes' career during the 1990s.

question: Summarize everything relating to Gilkes' education.

answer: Gilkes studied first at Fisk University and then at the University of Southern California. He joined Fisk University when it started a student transfer program with Guyana in 1972. He remained there until transferring to USC in 1974.

question: Summarize Gilkes' career during 1978.

answer: In 1978, Gilkes was a runner up in the AAA's 200 metres event. He finished fouth at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton in the 100 metre final and came second in the 200 metres. He was denied a world record for the 4x200 m relay. He achieved his personal best time for the 200 metres that year in September in Ingelheim (20.14 seconds). He was ranked 3rd in the top ten 100 and 200 m sprinters in the world that year.


text:
[CleanTechnica logo]
Clean Power [no image]

PUBLISHED ON October 27th, 2017 | _by Joshua S Hill_

October 27th, 2017 by

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The American Wind Energy Association published a new report which revealed the country’s current pipeline of wind energy projects under construction or in advanced development as of the end of the third quarter reached 29,634 MW, a 27% year-over-year growth and on track to provide 10% of America’s electricity by 2020 alongside $85 billion in economic activity and 50,000 new jobs.

[]The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) published its _US Wind Industry Third Quarter 2017 Market Report_ this week, which is designed to provide a current snapshot of the current state of the US wind energy industry, revealing activity and trends, as well as new wind capacity installed, wind projects under construction and in advanced development, and new power purchase agreement signings and project acquisition activity.

The big news from the third quarter report was the state of the US wind energy project pipeline, which is nearing 30 gigawatts (GW) with the total number of wind energy projects currently under construction or in advanced stages of development reaching 29,634 megawatts (MW) as of the end of the third quarter of 2017 — made up of 13,759 MW under construction and 15,875 MW in advanced development. Since AWEA only started measuring this statistic at the beginning of 2016, we don’t have super long growth trends, but the third quarter figure is nevertheless up 27% year-over-year.

US WIND POWER CAPACITY INSTALLATIONS, BY QUARTER

[]

“Wind power’s value to investors, utilities and corporate purchasers is clear: fixed-cost clean energy at competitive prices,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “The high level of wind under construction and in advanced development shows we are on track to deliver 10% of America’s electricity by 2020, along with $85 billion in economic activity and 50,000 new jobs.”

New third quarter pipeline activity reached 4,248 MW worth of new capacity entering advanced development and another 638 MW beginning construction. Further, developers installed 534 MW during the third quarter, bringing the cumulative installed capacity for 2017 up to 2,892 MW, and total cumulative wind capacity in the United States up to 84,944 MW.

US ANNUAL AND CUMULATIVE WIND POWER CAPACITY GROWTH

[]

During the third quarter, four separate US states together deployed 243 wind turbines across five project phases. Texas led the way, installing 402 MW, followed by Indiana which installed 100 MW, New Mexico which installed 30 MW, and California which only managed 2 MW for the quarter. Regarding wind capacity under construction or in advanced development, 30% of combined activity is located in the Midwest, with an additional 23% located in Texas, followed by 20% in the Mountain West states and 18% in the Plains states. Cumulative capacity per state looks like this:

US INSTALLED WIND POWER CAPACITY, BY STATE

[]

During the third quarter, utilities announced plans to develop and own a total of 3,040 MW worth of wind capacity, bringing the cumulative total of utility announcements up to 8,840 MW since the beginning of 2016 — with four separate utilities accounting for 94% of this activity.

One of the announcements made during the third quarter was the massive 2,000 MW Wind Catcher project in Oklahoma which we covered back in July being developed by American Electric Power’s (AEP), and Alliant Energy’s new 500 MW New Wind II project in Iowa.

“There’s a rebalancing of the generation resources, not only in our company but in this country, that’s going on,” said Nick Akins, the chief executive of AEP. “This project is consistent with our strategy of investing in the energy resources of the future, and it will save our customers money while providing economic benefits to communities.”

Doug Kopp, President of Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility, said, “The goal of this project is to bring additional low-cost, clean energy to our customers and the State of Iowa.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica member, supporter, or ambassador — or a patron on Patreon._

_Sign up for our free daily newsletter or weekly newsletter to never miss a story._

_Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here._

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Latest Cleantech Talk Episode

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAGS: american wind energy association, AWEA, US Wind Industry Third Quarter 2017 Market Report

About the Author

[]

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

question: When was this article written?

answer: October 27th, 2017

question: What is being discussed in the article?

answer: Wind energy in the United States

question: Which state installed the most wind turbines in the third quarter?

answer: Texas

question: What are some of the companies involved in developed wind energy that are mentioned?

answer: American Electric Power (AEP) and Alliant Energy

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses a report published by the American Wind Energy Association that discusses the United States' wind energy development in the third quarter. Construction has seen growth, reaching 29,634 megawatts by the end of the quarter in 2017. States such as Texas, Indiana, and New Mexico lead the way for new installations. More states continue to jump on this trend.


text:
One evening in bed, the philosopher turned to his wife and said: “I cannot intuitively, subjectively, or objectively acknowledge your existence,” He sighed as if this was a thought that he’d been laboring with for some time, and went on; ‘at best you are the product of my past experiences and my personality construct, but essentially you are an outcome of my brain’s chemistry, and current physiological state (if they exist).

“The “you” that I believe is you, is an interpretation of a perceived reality. If there is a “real” you, you must be nothing like what I believe you to be, but something entirely unknowable to me. If there is a “you”, you exist at a point in time and space that I will never reach; nor will I ever be able to objectively observe what exists there. It is impossible for me to prove your existence beyond the framework of my own mind. Therefore it is irrational for me to believe in you” He said, his voice rising. “ I cannot believe in you! I do not believe in you!”

With that, the philosophers wife disappeared instantly, leaving behind only the faint “pop” of air rushing in to fill the vacuum where she had once been. “Aha!” said the philosopher, so you were an illusion all along! Logic and reason have triumphed over the untrustworthy human senses!” The philosopher turned on his side, and slept comfortably.

The next evening, the philosopher turned to the empty space on the other side of his bed and said “I miss you.”

title: The Philosopher's Wife.

question: Did the philosopher's wife ever exist at all?

answer: Her disappearance after his argumentation against her existence suggests she did not, but his proclamation that he missed her suggests she had existed to him.


text:
On the other side of our Human World, there was a Monster World.

There was a young monster named Davi.  Davi was a lonely boy.  He had　seven　brothers, but he always stayed home alone.

Davi cried everyday.  He wanted to make friends.

Davi went to talk to his grandfather, who was the guard of the gate　which connects　Human World and Monster World.

Davi asked his grandfather, "I want to go to Human World.  I don't　have any friends here.  Maybe I can make friends over there."

Gradfather said "No, it's too dangerous.  No one in Human World likes Monsters.  You won't make any friends there."

But Davi went "Nobody in Monster World likes me anyway.  I want to at least try making friends in Human World!"

Grandfather decided to allow Davi 3 days in Human World, and gave Davi 3 gold coins, and told him "These coins may help you when you are in trouble."

Davi thanked his grandfather, and went through the gate.

Davi walked through the dark...

Davi landed on the street.  He was amazed at the sun, the sky, the　tall trees, and the houses!

Davi saw a college dormitory in which college girls were petting a　cat.

Davi sneaked into the dormitory and talked to the cat.　"Mr!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with humans?"

" Meow! " answered Mr. Cat.  "I am not going to tell you　because you are a Monster.  We don't like monsters.  But I see you have　three gold coins in your pocket.  If you give me one coin, I'll answer　your question."

Davi gave him one gold coin.  Then Mr. Cat went "Ok!  All I do is　mew and purr at people's feet."

Davi said "Thank you, Mr. Cat!"

Davi approached the college girls, who were busy chattering with each other, and purred and mewed at their feet.  The college girls turned around, and...

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!  Monster!!!"  The college girls screamed in horror, and ran out of the building!

Davi was left alone in the dormitory.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

On the second day, Davi saw two young boys playing with a dog in a house.

Davi sneaked into the house, and talked to the Dog. "Mr!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with Humans?"

" Arf!" answers Mr. Dog.  "I am not going to tell you because you are a monster.  We don't monsters.  But I see you have two gold coins in your pocket.  If you give me one coin, I'll be happy to answer your question."

So Davi gave him one coin.  Then Mr. Dog went "Okay!  All I do is bow-wow, and lick people's faces."  "Thank you, Mr. Dog!" said Davi.

Davi approached the two young boys, and suddenly licked their faces and BOW-WOWED!!

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!! MONSTER!!"  cried the two young boys.  They screamed in horror and ran out of the building!

Davi was left alone in the house.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

On the third day, Davi saw a huge house in which an old blind lady was feeding a small bird in a cage.

Davi sneaked into the house, and talked to the bird. "Mrs!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with humans?"

"Chirp!" answered Mrs. Bird.  "I am not going to tell you because you are a Monster.  We don't Monsters.  But I see you have one gold coin in your pocket.  If you give me the coin, I'll be happy to answer your question."

So Davi gave her his last gold coin.  Then Mrs. Bird says "Okay!  All I do is chirp and sing a song!"

Davi started singing a song.  Then...

"Where does this come from?" the old blind lady approached Davi.  Davi was so happy.  "This is the most beautiful song I have ever heard,"said Old Blind Lady.

Then she touched Davi's face.  "Who are you? What is this?  Could this be a... AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Monster!!!!"  The Old Blind Lady screamed in horror, and fainted dead!

Davi was left alone once again.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

Davi went back to the gate.  He was very sad.  The trees, the sun, the sky didn't amaze Davi anymore.

Davi met his grandfather at the gate.  Grandfather went "Why are you crying?"  Then Davi answered "I tried really hard to make friends with humans, and asked Mr. Cat, Mr. Dog and Mrs. Bird for advise, and I followed their good advice, but nobody liked
me.  Nobody cared about me anywhere.  I'll be alone for the rest of my life.  Nobody likes me!"

Then grandfather answered "It takes so much courage just to go to Human World.  And you were on your own Davi.  You are the most courageous Monster I have ever seen.  Everytime you cried, you learned to be stronger.  You don't need anyone else."

Davi listened to his grandfather.  "Now go home, Davi," said grandfather.

Davi walked back to his house, and opened the door, then...

Davi's seven brothers rushed to Davi, cheering "We've heard you were in Human World by yourself?!" "I wish I can be like you!"  "You are so brave!"

Davi finally smiled.  From that day on, Davi played with his brothers everyday, and lived happily ever after.

(Copyright @ myself)

title: I hope you like my short children's story I wrote about a monster who tries to make friends with people

question: What does Davi want?

answer: He wants to make friends.

question: How does Davi travel to the human world?

answer: He passes through a gate that connects Human World and Monster World.

question: Why does Davi cry?

answer: Because he is not successful at making any friends in the human world.

question: Summarize Davi's encounter with the cat.

answer: The cat initially refuses to tell Davi how to make friends with humans. In exchange for one of Davi's gold coins, the cat advises Davi to mew and purr at people's feet.

question: List everyone Davi encounters in the human world.

answer: Mr. Cat, a group of college girls, two young boys, Mr. Dog, Mrs. Bird, and the old blind lady

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Davi is a young monster who doesn't have any friends. He travels to the human world in the hopes of making friends, but everyone he encounters there runs away scared. When he returns home, his seven brothers admire his bravery and play with him every day.


text:
[peace of mind]

It’s the goal for most adults: peace of mind. So often we find ourselves trapped in a hurricane of deadlines, issues, bills, and personal anxieties, to the point that the only choice is to keep struggling through the hurricane or break down, and the latter isn’t much of an option.

We think of the idea of peace as this far-off destination that requires a struggle to reach. “If I just buckle down and get through this, I’ll find peace eventually,” we tell ourselves.

But peace isn’t a place we have to reach. Peace is a state of mind that we can adopt right now, as long as we know what to do.

Even in the toughest and most stressful times, peace is just a state-of-mind shift away.

Here are 40 ways you can better shift into that perfect peace of mind at will:

SOLITUDE

[]

1.  LOVE YOURSELF. Be the best friend you always wanted. Talk to yourself, share your thoughts and anxieties and wishes with yourself. You might discover something new.
2.  POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS. Repeat those soft but smart positive affirmations that give you a sense of power and presence.
3.  CONNECT WITH NATURE. Give yourself time every week to sit beside a tree or hike up a mountain.
4.  GIVE YOURSELF A YOU DATE. No one else, just you. Watch a movie, go to a restaurant, buy some clothes. Do what you want to do.
5.  READ A BOOK. Action, adventure, self-help. Anything. Just give yourself that experience.

ACTIVITY

[]

_FEEL LIKE YOU'RE STUCK IN A RUT? TIRED OF NOT FINDING DEEP AND MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS IN LIFE? LEARN A POWERFUL FRAMEWORK FOR ALIGNING YOUR SPIRITUALITY, WORK, FAMILY AND LOVE AROUND YOUR TRUE NATURE FROM A MODERN DAY SHAMAN. LEARN MORE HERE._

1.  CLEAN UP. There’s a part of your home that you haven’t touched in _years. _Clean it up.
2.  STRETCH. Reconnect with your body. Spend 5 to 10 minutes a day just stretching. You’ll be surprised how stiff you’ve become.
3.  GO OUT. Ride a bike, get in the car, or hop on the train—see the scenery and take it all in.
4.  WALK ON THE BEACH. We don’t all live next to the beach, but whenever you can, give it a shot. The fresh ocean air and the sand in your toes is always a refreshing experience.
5.  DANCE. Let the music sink into you, and let your body respond naturally.

COMMUNICATION

[]

1.  APOLOGIZE AND FORGIVE. If you made a mistake, don’t hold it over yourself. Apologize to yourself and forgive.
2.  LET GO OF A GRUDGE. Any grudge, no matter how old. Call them up and let them know you want to move on.
3.  LET IT OUT. If someone frustrates or annoys you, let them know about it. Don’t hold it in.
4.  WRITE WHAT YOU LEARN. When you go through a weird or tough situation, write down what you’ve learned and study it. This deepens the lesson.
5.  BURN YOUR WEIGHT. All the anxieties and issues holding you down? Write it down and burn the paper. Tell your brain that these things are nothing.

CONTRIBUTION

[]

1.  SERVE OTHERS. Serve those around you because you want to, not because you are being paid to.
2.  HELP OTHERS WITH YOUR TALENTS. If you have certain skills or talents, figure out ways to share those skills to the community.
3.  UNCONDITIONAL KINDNESS. Learn to help other people without worrying what you will get back from it.
4.  VOLUNTEER WITH ANIMALS. Is there a nearby animal shelter? Go volunteer; you will love it.
5.  HELP CHARITIES. Choose one with an advocacy you believe in.

ACCEPTANCE

[]

1.  DON’T JUDGE YOURSELF. Don’t say “I should/shouldn’t have.” Instead, say, “I did my best, I’ll be better next time.”
2.  APPRECIATE OTHERS. It can be easy to try to make those around us perfect instead of adapting to them ourselves.
3.  APPRECIATE YOURSELF. Write a list—things you like about you. Make it as long as you can.
4.  ENJOY THE PRESENT. Take time every day to smile and enjoy the now, instead of always building for the future.
5.  BE COMPASSIONATE. Even if others have wronged you in the past, try to look at life in their shoes and understand their issues.

CREATIVITY

[]

1.  BLOG. Write your thoughts, your goals, your ideas.
2.  WALK AND PHOTOGRAPH. You don’t have to be a pro to take pictures. Go around the neighborhood and photograph the pretty things you see.
3.  MEDITATE. Get a quote that you love, sit down, and think about it.
4.  PEACE COLLAGE. Create a collage of pictures that give you a sense of peace and satisfaction.
5.  ART THERAPY. Reconnect with art, even if you haven’t touched it in years. Paint, crayons, pens—put your colors to paper.

MEDITATION

[]

1.  BREATHE THROUGH ALTERNATE NOSTRILS. It might sound unusual, but it helps you become more intimate with your breathing. Hold down one nostril and inhale through the other, then reverse.
2.  GUIDED MEDITATION. If you don’t want to go to a class, then try a YouTube video that will guide you into meditation.
3.  SLOW WALK. Take a slow walk around the block, absorbing everything from the motions of your body to the feeling of the earth under your feet.
4.  BREATHE A HUNDRED TIMES WHILE COUNTING.
5.  MEDITATE. Spend 5-10 minutes a day just sitting down to meditate.

CONNECTION

[]

1.  SELF-CARE WITH OTHERS. Ask a friend to join you with your self-care; going out to walk or to a gym session.
2.  FIND FRIENDS ONLINE. You can find everything on the Internet, so find someone who can understand what you are going through.
3.  BOND WITH YOUR LOVED ONES. Take off the adult stress for a day and invite your best friend or loved one to a fun date. Be a kid again.
4.  STOP SELF-CRITICAL THOUGHTS. Stop blaming yourself or those around you.
5.  BE TRUTHFUL. Never tell a lie in your relationships; it only serves to weigh you down.

[]

See more

-   PREVIOUS ARTICLE Scientists believe cockroach milk could be one of the most nutritious foods in the world
-   NEXT ARTICLE 11 life lessons from Buddha (that will help you to understand yourself)

 Next post__

question: Summarize the suggested methods that have to do with walking.

answer: One suggested method is for a hike up a mountain. Another method suggests walking on the beach. Yet another method suggests walking around the neighborhood and taking pictures. Finally, taking a slow walk is suggested as a form of meditation.

question: Summarize the methods that cannot be done alone.

answer: Serving others requires interacting with other people. Helping others with your talents does as well. Showing unconditional kindness and volunteering with animals also involve others. Appreciating others does as well. All of the suggestions under connection involve other people as well, except for stopping self-critical thoughts.

question: Summarize the methods for attaining peace of mind that involve money.

answer: Giving yourself a date possibly involves spending money. Helping a charity could possibly involve donating money.

question: What does the article say about seeking psychotherapy?


text:
The sheets were warm underneath as December seeped through the cracks between the windows and walls. The lights within their room shone bright and they wore clothes this night, these lovers, and were as sober as children should be. There were milk and cookies beneath the polaroid, and the radio sat silent.

Adam, in his pajamas, sat waiting, a stack of pillows supporting his back as Kate slid upon the bed. She crossed her legs under her, pulled up her hair and tied it.

“Come now, get to it,” he said, eager.

“Do be patient.” She whipped out a book from behind her, and Adam made himself comfortable.

Taking out the bookmark, she picked up where she had left of.

Adam was read to of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. They flew, these children; their thoughts much as what he felt now. Adam had read this story before. He would not pass up, however, how she looked when she read. He liked her gesturing and intoning during the exciting bits; her melodramatic whispering and her sudden sullen air during the sad parts. He dipped a cookie in milk as she told him of the ticking, and the clock ingested.

She would, at times, act out scenes she knew well with fervor and passion — he thought her pretty when she did. It was a sight he very liked to behold, that, and she does not notice when she does it.

I have a place where dreams are born
And time is never planned.
It’s not on any chart;
You must find it with your heart,
Never Never Land.

Kate held the book in one hand as she moved and swayed, telling the story. She was entirely aware of Adam and his knowledge of this story. How could he not? Kate had often badgered and blustered him to bury his face between the pages of her favorite books. She would not pass up, however, how he looked when he was read to. She liked how his jaw hung slightly open as she gestured and intoned during the exciting bits; how he edged ever so slightly closer as she whispered melodramatically, with a sudden sullen air, during the sad parts. He would fold his toes and tug his legs towards him as she spoke.

She would see him thoroughly crestfallen as Wendy implored not to be forgotten — she thought him adorable when he did. It was a sight she very liked to behold, that, and he does not notice when he does it.

“You won’t forget me, will you Peter, before spring cleaning time comes?”

She slipped beside him as he placed the book beside the empty plate of cookies.

“Well, that’s enough adventures for one night.” He placed an arm around her.

Oh, I think we can afford one more before we go to bed,” she said, looking up at him.

He grinned. “Do tell.”

“This adventure I have in mind, it shall invite a need of your lips, and mine, of course. A task too great, I think — even for one such as you.”

“Really now? I will have to be very courageous then.”

“That, you would. But, before this grand undertaking of ours,” she said, pushing herself off of him. “You must first brave the frigid air, journey to a far, far away land, and tidy those teeth. Cookie bits plague them.”

He laughed. “And then the adventure?”

“An awfully big one, I imagine,” she said, amused by him.

He flew, her Adam, towards the sink and was swift in his return. He stood there, his eyes on her.

“Hello there,” he began, as he sat on the bed. “Now there’s a sight to make me fly.”

“Oh, you’ll do nothing of that sort,” she said, pulling him in. “I’d rather like you to stay here, and I’d rather you’d stay with me tonight.”

She had him sit in front of her; she held his face in her hands and said, “You won’t leave me, will you Adam, before spring cleaning time comes?” Her eyes met his.

“Leave you at spring? We don’t have spring where we live, Kate.”

She smiled. “Precisely.”

Of course Adam promised; and then he flew — or, at least, that was what he felt, as her lips met his.

title: Adam & Kate #019

question: What does the story say about how Adam likes to spend time with Kate?

answer: He likes when Kate reads him a book. The story describes how she read him a book about a boy who would not grow up. He listens to her carefully and asks her to read again and again.

question: What does the story say about Kate's relationship with Adam?

answer: Adam is Kate's boyfriend. It seems they love each other as they enjoy spending time together. Kate often reads to him books in the evening, and he likes that very much, especially when she acts out scenes in the books.

question: What does the story say about how Kate and Adam spend their mornings?

question: What does the story say about why Kate asks Adam if he is going to leave her?

answer: It is not clear if Kate is really worried if Adam is going to leave her or she is just teasing him as he looks disappointed when she reads him about Wendy who begs Peter not to forget her. She finds him adorable when he looks disappointed, and he is not even aware of that.


text:
DAVID L. STARLING is an American businessman and railroad executive, best known for running the Kansas City Southern Railroad.

Early work

After growing up in Booneville, Arkansas, Starling began his career as a railroader in 1967 on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad depot two blocks from his house. After attending college, he went to work in 1971 for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway as a clerk telegrapher. He entered dispatcher training in 1973 in the consolidated training office in Springfield, Missouri, later taking management training and becoming an assistant trainmaster in Memphis, Tennessee, where he worked for Hunter Harrison. When the Burlington Northern Railroad purchased the railroad in 1980, he became Director of Trains and Terminals for his region; as part of his work, he first met Mike Haverty, who he would later succeed as President and CEO of Kansas City Southern.[1]

In 1984, he joined Mi-Jack Products and, working for Jack Lanigan, started up In-Terminal Services. In 1988, he became a managing director for American President Lines, first managing stack trains in the Chicago region, then for the Southern region, headquartered in Atlanta, which managed double-stack trains crossing the Mexican border for, among other customers, Ford and Chrysler.[2][3] After overseas posts in the Philippines and Hong Kong, he was recruited to work on the Panama Canal Railway rehabilitation project, which Lanigan and Haverty were working on as well; he moved to Panama in 1999, and construction finished in July 2001.[4]

Kansas City Southern

He became President of the Kansas City Southern in 2008.[5] In 2010, he took over as CEO from Mike Haverty, effective August 1. The transition occurred just as the company suffered a major 23-day outage along a mainline in Mexico due to Hurricane Alex.[6]

In 2012, he was named Railroader of the Year by _Railway Age_.[7][8] He stepped down as President on March 1, 2015, and as CEO on July 1, 2016, handing control to Patrick J. Ottensmeyer.[9]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: David L. Starling

question: Who is David L. Starling?

answer: David L. Starling is an American businessman and railroad executive.

question: Where did Starling begin his railroad career?

answer: He began his railroad career on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad depot.

question: What recognition did he receive in 2012?

answer: He was recognized as Railroader of the Year by Railway Age.

question: For which Railroad was he the CEO? For how many years?

answer: He was CEO of the Kansas City Southern Railroad for eight years.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: David L. Starling is an American businessman and railroad executive. He was CEO of the Kansas City Southern Railroad for eight years.


text:
First story, so give me some feedback on it!

"Get up." A bucket of water accompanied Mart's polite demand. He always had a way with words. Not the good way, mind you. More like the do-what-I-say-or-I'll-clobber-you way.
"Blech!" I sprung up from my bed, sheets drenched and sticking to my body. "Do you ever knock?" I peeled the linen off of my chest, revealing the ugly dragon-shaped scar I wore there.
"You're late. I expected you to be up an hour ago."
"Yeah, well, I wanted to be up an hour later." I grumbled. "I need my sleep, you know."
"You and Rax need to train. You will get nothing done by sleeping in." Mart strolled out into the hallway. "You will be dressed and downstairs in ten minutes." The wooden door slammed shut behind him, making the iron hinges complain.
"Ugh." I muttered. The stone floor was cold today, despite the sunlight streaming in through the window. "You there, Rax?"
Of course. Mart seems to have a knack for waking both of us. He answered, his voice echoing through my mind.
"Which is why you steal naps when he lectures us." Rax chuckled. Sometimes he woke up with me, but he hand a tendency to sleep even after I've awakened. Soul bonds are weird like that.
"You ready to address the entire nation today?" I asked, snapping my fingers. Flames swept across my body, drying me off in moments.
*I find it odd how you humans are so fond of these public speeches. What point is there in shouting words at each other?"
"Lots of points, if you bothered to listen to them." I countered. I grabbed the set of pants I had laid over a chair the night before.
I heard Rax snort. *Why even bother putting on pants? * "You know how us humans don't like to see each other's private parts, right?"
I guess. But they're just going to disintegrate anyways.
"Then we'll put on a fresh pair afterwards. Come on, it's been a year. You should've picked up on some of this stuff." I opened the door and began to hop down the spiral staircase. Living in the spire of a castle did have its advantages, but the climb was not one of them.
I have. Rax sniffed. I just fail to see why your people bind themselves so strongly to it.
"Don't tell Mart that. He'll give us another lecture on the history of our cultures or something."
A deep, throaty laugh erupted in my consciousness. That he would.
I slid to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and sprinted down the open hallway. A servant ducked into an open doorway as I rushed past.
"Sorry!" I called behind me. Navigating my way through the twists and turns of the castle, I eventually found myself behind a stage in the courtyard.
"Barely in time, as usual." Mart commented. "Come. The king is about to begin."
Rax and I let out a collective sigh as Mart led us to the side of the stage. In front of us banners shining gold in the sunlight waved with the resonating chants of the people. Their cheers were directed to the ornately dressed man center stage. His robes were purple and gold, his crown studded with fine jewels. The king certainly knew how to distinguish himself.
With a wave of his hand, his citizens quieted.
"People of Accon!" His voice boomed across the plaza. "It has been a year since the end of the Fiery Wars, a year since I ended the pointless slaughter of our people."
He ended it? Rax scoffed. Please. You did more than that old bag did.
"Manners." I snapped.
"Today, our fields are flourishing, our homes are being rebuilt, and we even have dragons working with us to repair our torn nation."
"Don't say it." I said, cutting of Rax before he could make another snide remark. I heard a small huff in the back of my mind.
"Out of our peace treaty came many great things, but one achievement stands above all. Arthur, if you would join me." The king said, motioning for me. I climbed up onto the stage, trying not to notice all the people staring at my scar.
"Here we have the perfect bonding of man and dragon, showing that we can live together not just in the physical world, but that we are one in the spiritual world as well." The crowd was silent. I shifted my body weight to my other foot, trying to dispel the discomfort I was feeling.
"Arthur, if you would be so kind as to show us the miracle God has given you." The king stepped back, leaving me exposed.
"You ready, Rax?" I whispered, my fists clenched.
I will enjoy this He responded. I felt him begin to stretch and pull against my flesh. My scar began to burn, searing my chest. Red scales slid into place, covering my skin in a ruby barrier. I began to feel smaller and smaller. My arms sprouted leather, bending into wings that caught the breeze as easily as I breathed. My chest burned with molten fire. I closed my eyes and let the sensation overtake me. There were some downsides to sharing a soul with a dragon, but this was certainly not one of them.

title: [FN] Anniversary

question: Summarize everything relating to dragons.

answer: Arthur has a dragon-shaped scar on his chest. Rax, the dragon, communicates with Arthur telepathically. The two of them share a soul bond. Rax doesn't understand why Arthur bothers putting on pants. The king gives a speech, announcing that humans are working together with dragons to rebuild their nation. He highlights Arthur as an example of a perfect bonding of man and dragon.

question: What does the story say about Arthur's relationship with Rax?

answer: Rax communicates with Arthur telepathically. The two of them share a soul bond. They are training together. The king considers them an example of the perfect bonding of man and dragon, both in the physical world and in the spiritual world. Their bond also allows Arthur to transform into a dragon.

question: What does the story say about the Fiery Wars?

answer: A year has passed since the end of the Fiery wars. The king takes credit for ending the war. Rax scoffs at that notion, believing that Arthur did more to end the war than the king did. Following the war, the dragons helped work with the people to repair the torn nation. The two forces signed a peace treaty.

question: What does the story say about how Arthur bonded with Rax?


text:
-

    Exploring Chikmagalur Day 1 : Hirekolale Lake & Mallanduru shooting point

    Reaching Chikmagalur Right after winding up our visit to Javagal Lakshmi Narayana Temple, we headed towards our primary destination: Chikmagalur.We took the scenic route which goes through Belavadi and joins Belur – Chikmagalur state...

-

    Javagal Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

    If you are a history buff and love art, you wouldn’t have missed visiting Belur and Halebeedu when in Karnataka. Historians believe that there are more than 100 such beautiful temples built by Hoysalas...

-

    Agumbe Via Chikmagalur

    Agumbe is one of the moistest places in Karnataka and is also called as Cherrapunji of Karnataka. It can be reached from Bengaluru via Chikmagaluru or via Shivamogga. This is the writeup about the...

Exploring Chikmagalur Day 1 : Hirekolale Lake & Mallanduru shooting point

Reaching Chikmagalur Right after winding up our visit to Javagal Lakshmi Narayana Temple, we headed towards our primary destination: Chikmagalur.We took the scenic route which goes through Belavadi and joins Belur – Chikmagalur state...

Javagal Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

If you are a history buff and love art, you wouldn’t have missed visiting Belur and Halebeedu when in Karnataka. Historians believe that there are more than 100 such beautiful temples built by Hoysalas...

Agumbe Via Chikmagalur

Agumbe is one of the moistest places in Karnataka and is also called as Cherrapunji of Karnataka. It can be reached from Bengaluru via Chikmagaluru or via Shivamogga. This is the writeup about the...

Achyutaraya Temple, Hampi

Reaching the place After visiting the Underground Shiva temple, we were left with the last destination left in our Hampi 2 days trip. And it was Achyutaraya temple. It’s just 5 mins drive of...

Underground Shiva Temple, Hampi

Reaching the temple After spending time inside Zenana Enclosure, google map showed us a dusty mud road to reach our next destination, Underground Shiva temple or Prasanna Virupaksha temple. Without giving the second thought,...

Zenana Enclosure, Hampi

After Hazara Rama temple, we walked towards Zenana Enclosure. Zenana Enclosure is a vast area with beautiful monuments inside and bordered by the tall compound walls. This was a private property reserved for the...

Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi

After visiting Sanapur lake and Vijaya Vittala Temple Our first destination post-lunch was Hazara Rama Temple. This is my most favorite temple in Hampi and we recommend you to add this to your Hampi...

Vijaya Vittala Temple and Stone Chariot of Hampi

After spending a spectacular morning at Sanapur lake, we headed towards the very famous Vijaya Vittala temple of Hampi.   Vijaya Vittala temple Vijaya Vittala temple is the most spectacular and the must-visit temple of Hampi....

Serenity at Sanapur Lake

Our stay at Gowri resort was a pleasant one. Though it was very basic accommodation, the place was amidst beautiful nature. Just in front of the rooms, there were green paddy fields and the...

Queen’s Bath, Mahanavami Dibba, and Stepped Tank

Queen’s Bath After visiting Badavi Linga idol, we headed towards Royal Enclosure. On the Royal Enclosure side of Hampi, the first attraction you will get to see is Queen’s bath. [Click here to see...

Krishna Temple, Lakshmi Narasimha, and Badavi Linga

Krishna Temple We headed towards Krishna Temple post lunch and reached there at 3.30 pm. Krishna Temple is situated very close to Sasivekalu Ganesha idol. The temple was built in 1513 AD by the...

Sasivekalu Ganesha, Kadlekalu Ganesha, and Ruins of Hampi Bazar

We started climbing down the Hemakuta Hill at around 1 PM. Enroute, we visited one of the big Ganesha idols of Hampi, Sasivekalu Ganesha. Since it was carved by a mustard seller, the idol is...

Virupaksha Temple and Hemakuta Hill

As planned, we started from home to Hampi Virupaksha Temple in the early morning at 4 AM and traveled on the empty wide road of Bengaluru-Pune highway via Nelamangala > Tumkur > Sira > Hiriyur....

HAMPI – Visual Treat for History Lovers

Hampi had been on our wish list from the day Steps Together journey started, but somehow the plan did not materialize. We did not want to postpone our visit to Hampi any further at...

Kavi Shaila and Kavi Mane

Date: 25-Jan-18 Yet another trip to our hometown from Bangalore and an opportunity to tick off one more place from our bucket list. This time, it was Kavi Shaila, a memorial built for the...

Someshwara Temple and Kolaramma Temple of Kolar

The second Sunday of 2018 and we have our brand new Tata Nexon at home. Why not go for a long drive, we thought and opted to go to Kolar and visit two temples...

Shivagange – Perfect day trip from Bangalore

Finally, the day has come to visit Shivagange hill, one of the popular weekend getaways from Bangalore and one of the noted trekking destinations in Karnataka. For most of the folks from Bangalore, a...

Jog Falls and Keladi temple – Gems of Karnataka Tourism

No matter how many times you visit the highest waterfall in India- Jog falls, you can never miss a visit when you are around Shimoga. After spending some time in the viewpoints of Unchalli...

Unchalli Falls – Hidden treasure of Sirsi

When you hardly know anything about the place and expect a least out of it and then if it turns out to be extraordinary, then the feeling that goes through your minds would be...

Banavasi – the oldest town of Karnataka

After visiting Marikamba temple, we proceeded towards Banavasi. Amongst all the places that we planned for this trip, Banavasi had been our most favorite. This had a special mention in our minds because of...

question: What can be stated as some beautiful locations, according to the text.

answer: According to the text, some beautiful locations are the Javagal Lakshmi Narasimha Temple. It is a great location for history and art lovers. The Underground Shiva Temple in Hampi is also beautiful as is the Zenana Enclosure. Another favorite temple to visit in Hampi is the Hazara Rama Temple.

question: Who would benefit from reading about all these temples?


text:
It wouldn’t last for forever. Everyone had the thought in the back of their minds at one point or another. The gods of pop music had fallen. N’Sync, The Backstreet Boys, and Destiny’s Child all had their moment in the spotlight, but that moment had passed. The executives of the music industry knew this. They also that music of the present was paling in comparison to music of the past. Justin Timberlake is a dancing monkey compared to Bob Dylan. TATU became small when Simon and Garfunkel were mentioned. They needed to solve this problem, so they came together to create a plan to continue to milk the cash cow. This plan that they eventually came up with was called Project Tween.

     Project Tween was kept secret amongst the group. It was truthfully brilliant, and all they needed was a lot of money and some scientific help, which can easily be bought. The idea was to create millions of highly advanced androids that could take the place of girls between the ages of 10-13 throughout the country. These machines would be indistinguishable from the girls. The main goal of the tweens is to boost the sales of all of the people involved in their creation. The creators have also created a name for their organization; The Illuminati. Originally the Illuminati consisted of only music agents who wanted to save their careers and make it big but over the years, members outside of the music realm had been added to the secret society.

     The mission of the tweens is to infiltrate the homes of the parents of their target. There, they will sprinkle the real girl with “pixie dust”, a military grade sleeping agent that will allow them to sleep for 3 or 4 years and feel like it’s only been a night, and bring them back to headquarters. From here, they assume the identity of the girl. At this point, they’re programmed to be hooked on whatever music receives the most money, no matter what the quality.

     They will want everything that has to do with the artist they are programmed to support. They will buy posters, merchandise, concert tickets, and, most importantly, they will use social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, to spread photos and videos of the artist, and posts about how in love they are with him. This is an attempt to contribute to the author’s following and fan base. This will get him or her more endorsements, late-night appearances, and general fame.

     One of the scientific breakthroughs of the tweens is their fueling system. The tweens literally need Starbucks coffee to survive. The CEO of Starbucks is one of the main funders of the Illuminati, and he wanted to make sure that he got the most bang for his buck. They will also treat the beverages like they are pop stars, and blog, tweet, and post about them.

     So here we are in the year 2014. This system has carried on seamlessly since its inception in the mid-2000’s, and originality has begun to fade. Artists no longer have to try to create meaningful songs. Their loving fans exist to boost their lyrics to the heavens. Stars have also become worse role models. They’re aware that, no matter what, their fans will love them. They can get into bar fights, drag races, and drug circles with little to no consequence. If they’re caught, they won’t face jail, but will merely go to “rehab” and write a song about how they’re the victims.

     But these “artists” aren’t aware that the fans are robots. They think they’ve captivated the hearts of girls all across the country by being themselves. They think they deserve the fame, that they’ve earned the fame. Honestly, they’re just regular people who happened upon a stroke of luck. Anyone can lip sync an hour-long concert with a million mindless machines in the crowd, but only few can inspire with true music and meaning. Few can end wars or invoke social change with just a guitar and a message, and these people are rare to come by in the field of generic artists out there today.

title: Project Tween (Social Critique/Satire 691 words)

question: When did the project begin?

answer: In the mid-2000s

question: What is the goal of the project?

answer: To boost music and merchandise sales

question: What are the robots fueled by?

answer: Starbucks coffee

question: How is it cost-effective to build millions of robots just to have those robots buy music and merchandise that their makers produce?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: In the mid-2000s, due to declining quality in the music industry, a group of music agents and other large corporations creates a project to replace tween girls with Starbucks-fueled robots to buy their products.


text:
-An Introduction-

We set out at around five pm. It was a Saturday.

We drifted out with no general direction, no destination to cap off what was sure to be, as Darren often stated, “one hell of a road trip, bitch!”
In those early days we contemplated the “great western gap”, (“Great Western Vag”, Yaemon often quoted when bored), otherwise known as Grand Canyon. Hell, it looked cool in Into The Wild (2007), and some stuntdriver hopped it back in the 90’s or something.  And Thelma n Louise (1991) had their famous lesbo burn out there as well, (earning many brownie points with Meg n  Margaret, who where known to sometimes dabble in a little sumin summin every now and then, a secret burden they would keep to their grave.)

Somewhere in New Mexico we inevitably fell astray of our possible destination, instead winding up at the chicken restaurant featured in Breaking Bad(2008-2012), and making fools of ourselves by going on a 15 minute photo spree, re-enacting bits of the show for all to see, uploaded to all the facebooks and twitters of the world, as if in defiance, boldly stating “WE ARE GRADUATES AND WE’RE STILL RELEVANT!, MOTHERFUCKERS!”.

 In retrospect it was a foolish, good ol’ reddit style meta-circle-jerk, living in the flesh; Internet meme mythos consolidated in the subconscious mind of the Millennial’s of the world, and asserting itself on some  primordial level in the modern world.

Yeamon Milo  (23) Was definitely Pedobear. A closet creeper that hid behind the mask of stupidity to consummate his horrific fantasies, but we didn’t catch on until it was too late. I guess you could argue he turned into Insanity Wolf towards the end there, a real fucking monster, but more on that later.

Darren Wolodarsky (19) was a definite Conspiracy Keanu.  Always smelling of reefer and speaking in hushed, harsh tones in public. Only in the seclusion of hot boxed garages and smoked out pads of middle America suburbia, safe haven of the “lazy stoners”, did he reveal his true knack of comedic timing and brilliant wordplay he’d learned specifically to perform to this small, private audience. I guess you could call him a bit of a Jekyll n Hyde of Socially Awkward/Awesome penguin, of meme fame.

Pancho “Peter” Vasquez (21)  was a Good Guy Greg for sure, blunt and all. Always a pleasant person to be around, he saved our asses back during the Great Drug Scare of ’12, something we never really were able to pay him back for before it all came crashing down.  A smart theologian who always questioned what exactly spirituality meant to him. A most honest man.

Meg Blanco (17) was still legally a minor, and not even a high school graduate, but she was eventually accepted as the Naïve College Girl. After the tragic incidents that befell us at Death Mountain, her bass playing skills had become the stuff of legends, and the simple 3 track demo tape she released online (“Dark Heart Melodies”, May 3, 2009) for free all those years ago got a post-mortem revival which eventually catapulted the track “Blue Dream” (5/5 on Pitchfork) , to the no.1 top billboard spot for a record breaking 20 weeks. I guess she could also be referred to as a “Marlene” (of Adventure Time fame).

Margaret Thatcher (20 and yes, ironically named) The closest one you could consider to be a “hipster”, whatever that vague blanket term means. Arts and crafts. Thick rimmed glasses. Long blonde hair.  Into the Beatles, but only if it was on vinyl. Hit up the arthouse scene from time to time , dabbling in it every now and then, some would say for street cred, others not so much.

So as I was saying before, this motley crew of various graduates and collegiate level students all got packed into Wolodarsky’s Mystery Van and spent the better part of the day laying on the shag carpet in the back, a personal party room on four wheels, all of us just lying face up to get a better view of the rainbow fractals drifting across the ceiling,.

Oh, the van was also blacklight equipped.

After visiting the Breaking Bad set, we decided to wander our way up to the frigid northern region to find the fabled mass E.T.  (Atari, 1982) burial sites. We all had agreed that this was a sound venture to embark upon, and so it went!

Actually, we should stop at this point of the trip, and observe a few things, because the shit that goes down here eventually causes a fucking hurricane later down the road. Planted the seeds of destruction, if you will.

It all went back to the incident we went through one night that freaked us out for a few months, but we cant start there, no, far too dark and dreary. We’ll start here instead, an earlier memory from the final days of blissful; solace, before deterioration.

title: An Introduction  (original stuffs)

question: Who is Meg Blanco?

answer: Meg Blanco is 17 years old and an excellent bass player. She's the youngest member of this friend group.

question: Who is Darren Wolodarsky?

answer: Darren Wolodarsky is 19, fond of cannabis, and interested in conspiracy theories. Other members of the friend group find him very entertaining.

question: Who is Margaret Thatcher?

answer: Margaret Thatcher is the most trend-conscious membre of the friend group. She's into the arts, but some might guess that it's a performative interest.

question: Where is this group of young people headed?

answer: on a road trip to the Grand Canyon

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: A group of young people are on a road trip to the grand canyon. They range in age from 17 - 23. A number of them are fond of cannabis.


text:
[250 px|right|thumb|Rice field after harvest (in Japan).]

The 2008 GLOBAL RICE CRISIS occurred between January and May 2008, the international trading price of rice jumped dramatically, increasing more than 300% (from USD $300 to $1,200 per ton) in just four months.[1] By December 2008, prices had decreased substantially, if not returned to previous levels, marking an end to the crisis.

Causes

While the rice crisis did occur at the same time as the 2007–2008 world food price crisis, Tom Slayton has argued the spike in rice prices are a special case.[2] Slayton argues that the price increases were a result of rising oil and petrochemical prices (peaking in July 2008); and export restrictions by a number of countries.[3] Trying to protect citizens from inflating rice prices due to growing oil costs, some national governments, namely India and Vietnam, began restricting export of rice.[4][5] Partly because of increasing wheat prices, the Indian government decided to increase the percentage of rice (over wheat) in its food distribution programs.[6] To help secure food security, India (the source of more than 10% of world rice trade) stopped all non-Basmati exports in October 2007, lifting the ban temporarily, then re-applying it in April 2008.[7] and some retailers began rationing sales, due to fears of insufficient global supplies of the grain. Vietnam, fearing shortages due to a cold wave on the Red River Delta in mid-January 2008, banned sales to international rice traders.[8] Both of these cases caused a steady increase in prices during the first months of 2008. Other countries, including Egypt and Pakistan,[9] as well as Brazil[10] followed by placing their own restrictions on rice exports, helping to drive up the price even further.

As the market prices rose, Thailand developed an idea for a new organization to regulate rice supplies and prices.[11] This new organization would've mirrored the system used in oil sales by the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries.[12] The proposal for the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries never flourished, but the idea scared markets, allowing rice prices to reach very high levels.[13]

In late April 2008, rice prices hit 24 cents a pound, twice the price that it was seven months earlier.[14]

Six years of drought in Australia's rice-growing regions may also have encouraged people to fear a reduction in global rice supplies, and helped cause the commensurate rise in global prices.[15]

Effects

While Japan, which produces enough rice for its domestic needs, maintained a constant pricing and no consumer concern, Countries in West Africa as well as the Philippines, dependent upon imports to provide the staple food of rice, were particularly hard hit by increasing prices.[16] Growing panic over retail prices in the Philippines spread across Asia. “People panicked everywhere,” according to economist Peter Timmer. “In Ho Chi Minh City, for heaven's sake, the center of the second-largest rice exporting surplus in the world, supermarkets and rice markets got cleaned out in two days.”[17]

On 15 April, the Philippines, the world's largest rice importer, urged China, Japan, and other key Asian nations, to convene an emergency meeting, especially taking issue with those countries' rice export bans. “Free trade should be flowing”, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap stated.[18] In late April 2008, the Philippines government requested that the World Bank exert pressure on rice exporting countries to end export restrictions.[19]

Asian rice consumers and agricultural commodity traders around the world had been aware of the problem for months, but it garnered widespread attention in the United States in the week beginning April 21, 2008 when a Costco Wholesale Corporation store in San Francisco, California limited rice purchases to five 20-pound bags per customer.[20] Later in the week, on April 23, the outlet reduced that number to two. Also on April 23, Wal-Mart division Sam's Club announced it would limit the sales of 20-lb. bags of long-grain rice to four per customer. Other sources stated that the limits were only placed on imported rice, and that non-imported medium- and short-grain rice remained in comparative abundance.[21]

Also on April 23, “Thai shipments of rice” to a major Canadian rice wholesaler, Western Mills, Ltd. abruptly ceased:

    _"“We've never seen anything like this in the history of this company,” said Lawry Poupart, controller at the company, which supplies major chains including Safeway and Save-On-Foods. “Everybody is precariously watching what's happening in the world.”_ [22]

Food Riots

Deadly riots over the rising price of food erupted in Haiti on April 4, 2008,[23] due primarily to a jump in the price of rice, “the main ingredient of the Haitian diet,”.[24] Six people were killed in the unrest, including a U.N. peacekeeping soldier on April 12, and the unrest subsided only when the nation's Prime Minister resigned and the government lowered the price for a bushel of rice.[25] These developments caused alarm in the highest levels of global economic analysis and planning.[26] [27]

Ending the crisis

While there was no physical shortage of rice, increasing prices created a panic that supplies could not match demand. This fear was lessened when the United States allowed Japan to export unsold American rice (stockpiled in Japan because of a World Trade Organization decision). As of 16 May, anticipation of the move had already lowered prices by 14% in a single week.[28] Although the rice from Japan was never actually sold or shipped, the world market price continued to fall every month of 2008 thereafter.[29]

[1] How Fear Drove World Rice Markets Insane, NPR, November 02, 2011

[2] Rice Crisis Forensics: How Asian Governments Carelessly Set the World Rice Market on Fire, Tom Slayton, Center for Global Development (CGD), Washington, DC.

[3]

[4]

[5] “Vietnam and India move to limit rice exports” International Herald Tribune March 29, 2008

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] Brazil halts rice exports as world food prices climb

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14] “Cyclone fuels rice price increase”, _BBC News_, 7 May 2008

[15] “A Drought in Australia, a Global Shortage of Rice”, New York Times, 17 April 2008.

[16] " Asian states feel rice pinch", BBC News, 11 April 2008.

[17]

[18] “Manila calls for Asian summit over food crisis” , _The Standard_, 15 April 2008

[19] Al Jazeera 2008, 'Manila urges end to rice export ban' , _Al Jazeera English_, 29 April. Retrieved 29 April 2008.

[20] “Rice Shortage Roils San Francisco Stores, Markets, Food Banks”, Bloomberg, 25 April 2008.

[21] “Global rice squeeze hitting U.S. consumers”, San Francisco Chronicle 25 April 2008.

[22] “From Wal-Mart quotas to a 'frenzy' in Vancouver, Asia's rice crisis goes global” Canadian _The Globe and Mail_, April 24, 2008

[23] “Food riots turn deadly in Haiti” BBC news, April 5, 2008

[24]

[25] “World food crisis hits home” (see timeline in the article) Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 24, 2008

[26] “Crisis in Haiti as World Bank issues food price warning” “foodcrisis.wordpress.com” April 16, 2008.

[27] “The U.S. Role in Haiti's Food Riots” April 21, 2008. Bill Quigley via Counterpunch.org

[28]

[29]

title: 2008 global rice crisis

question: What does the text say about how to cook rice?

question: What does the text say about the 2008 Global Rice Crisis?

answer: The 2008 Global Rice Crisis occurred between January and May 2008. The international price of rice jumped dramatically, increasing more than 300% (from USD $300 to $1,200 per ton) in just four months. By December 2008, prices had decreased substantially, if not returned to previous levels, marking an end to the crisis.

question: How did the 2008 Global Rice Crisis happen?

answer: One of the causes for the spike in rice prices was rising oil and petrochemical prices. This caused some national governments, namely India and Vietnam, to begin restricting rice exports in an effort to protect citizens from inflating rice prices due to growing oil costs. Due to fears of insufficient grain supply, some retailers began rationing sales that caused a steady increase in rice prices during the first months of 2008. Other countries (Egypt, Brazil, and Pakistan) followed suit and this exacerbated the problem, causing Thailand to propose a new organization to regulate rice supplies and prices. This idea spooked the markets, and rice prices spiked even further. The six-year drought in Australia's rice-producing regions may have also stoked fears of a global shortage, raising prices even more.

question: What does the text say about the Philippines' role in the 2008 Global Rice Crisis?

answer: Being the world's largest rice importer, the Philippines was hit hard by increasing rice prices. Growing panic over retail prices in the Philippines spread across Asia and people panicked everywhere, even in countries with a rice surplus (Vietnam). The Philippines urged China, Japan, and other key Asian nations to convene an emergency meeting to take issue with those countries' rice export bans. In late April 2008, the Philippine government requested the World Bank to exert pressure on rice exporting countries to end export restrictions.


text:
Azaleas
I was out in the garden, tending to my Azaleas. The same thing I did every single day, of every single week, of every single month. Monotony is a man’s best friend, I’ve heard it said. I walked out and looked at my prized flowers. I made my way towards the plastic watering pail and picked it up. I filled up my watering pail and trotted on over to the flower bed. The water fell from my hands, and for a moment I was a god. A rain god. But only for a moment. The water hit the eager dirt and soaked in, and those thirsty flowers began to soak up the drink that I had provided for them. I stepped back, and watched my flowers. I stepped back, and watched my children.

Those flowers were my life. Those fragile things were everything to me. When I was away from them I was a mortal man, doomed to die a mortal’s death. When I was with them I was king of the gods – my will gave them life, and, if I chose it, death. They needed me. Someone needed me. Something needed me. At least, for now anyways.

I walked back to the spot where I had picked up the watering pail and put it down. I started to walk towards my house, but stopped before I reached the door. I turned, and looked back at my flowers. I smiled. I stood there and smiled at my babies.

I walked towards the house, and opened the door. I entered, closed the door, and took off the shoes that I was wearing. I placed them on a carpet near the door. I walked up the few steps on the half landing near the door, and turned into the kitchen. I turned on the tap and let it run for a few minutes, staring at the water cascading down. What I had done for my flowers, the tap did for me. It quenched my thirst. I reached into my cupboard and grabbed the first cup I saw. I filled it with water, and watched the cup overflow, the excess water pouring down the sides of the cup into the sink. I dumped the cup out, and refilled it. This time, I filled it only half way.

I placed the cup on the counter and turned off the tap. I raised the cup to my lips, and drank. The water soothed my parched throat. I put the cup back in the cupboard, and shut the cupboard door. I checked my watch – it was five. I walked into my bedroom, and paused for a moment. What had I come in here for? I couldn’t remember. I sat down on my bed for a moment. It was silent. The silence had always unnerved me. Outside, with my Azaleas, there was noise. The wind blew, birds chirped, and crickets chirped. In this house, though, there was nothing. Nothing but silence – stark  white silence.

For the life of me, I couldn’t remember what I went in there for. In the corner, a spool of rope that I bought on a whim lay there, collecting dust.  It had lain there for almost two years. In the other corner there was a wicker chair, which my mother left me in her will the previous year.

I walked out of my bedroom and walked listlessly around the house for a while. I checked my watch again – five ten. Almost no time had passed. This was part of the monotony – the in between times.  Those grey moments when nothing happened in particular. They were the best parts of the monotony.

I walked out of the front door and sat down on the porch. I looked down at my wrist – five twenty. Right on schedule. I sat there for a while and watched as a few people passed. Children and their parents on their way to the local park, lovers taking a summer evening stroll, bikers riding around – they were all part of my routine. I would watch, and they would let me.

I sat outside until it got dark. I got up off the porch, and walked back inside.  I turned the porch light on. I walked back to the bedroom and took of my shirt and my pants, and placed them in the hamper.
I walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap. I let it run for a few moments until it was warm. I took a toothbrush from the holder and ran it under the water. I grabbed the toothpaste a applied some of it to the toothbrush. I turned off the tap, and brushed my teeth. I finished brushing my teeth and turned the tap back on to wash off the toothbrush. I placed the tooth brush back where it belonged.
I turned off the tap again and walked out of the bathroom. I entered my room and went to bed. I slept.

I woke up abruptly. Something was wrong. This was not part of my schedule.  I looked around. I was standing in the middle of the street. I turned in a circle. Where am I? “Help!” , I yell. Then, I see it. The house is right there. I had walked outside in my sleep.
 I walked back towards the house and opened the door. I went to my bedroom and sat on my bed. I wasn’t sure what had just happened. The monotony had broken.

I was petrified. Monotony was my life. Day in, day out – the days all blended into each other. The life I lived was a large roll of cloth, with no seams or tears. Until then, that is.

I sat on my bed for an hour, confused. I didn’t know what was happening. I was alone. I fell back asleep, only to be woken up by my alarm clock. Monotony had returned. I walked into my bathroom and undressed. I turned on the shower and waited until it was the proper heat. I stepped in, shampooed my hair, washed my body, and stepped out.

I wrapped a towel around myself and left the bathroom. I entered the bedroom and dressed for work. Slacks, Oxford, tie – all there. I put my socks on and went to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and took out some milk. I went to the cupboard and took out the same cup I had used for water the previous day. I poured myself a glass of milk. I put the glass to my lips and drank. I was not parched this morning, but I drank with the same speed as if I was. Monotony is anything if it is efficient.

I washed the glass, and put it away. I slipped on shoes and walked outside.  I went into the back yard, and picked up the green, plastic watering pail. I filled it with liquid, and walked to my flowers. I fed my young. They gobbled up what I had to give them. They were so grateful. Not a single molecule of what I so graciously gave them was wasted.  They wished to appease their god by showing thanks.
I put the watering pail away and walked to the front yard. I stood there for a moment and wondered what had happened the night before. I checked my watch – seven fifteen.

I walked to the bus stop. People passed me, left and right. They ran, they walked, they biked.

In a sea of people I was alone.

I arrived at the bus stop. I checked my watch – seven thirty. When the bus arrived I got on and sat down. I stayed there until I arrived at my stop. I got up and walked off of the bus.
I checked my watch – seven fifty.

I walked to work. I arrived and checked in. I went to my desk and sat down. Paperwork in, paperwork out.  I worked all through the day. I checked my watch – five thirty. It was time to leave. I got up and checked out. I walked back to the bus stop. The bus arrived and I got on. I sat down.

I walked from the bus station back to the house. I walked into the backyard. I picked up the watering pail and fed my children. They seemed to weep at the sight of me. I gave them food, but I felt like no god this time.  I felt nothing. My flowers ate what I had given them.

I placed the watering pail back in its place. I walked to the door and opened it. I entered the house and walked to the bedroom. I grabbed the spool of rope. I tied it into a knot. I stood upon my mother’s wicker chair and placed the rope around my neck.  I kicked the chair from beneath me.

I hung until I was dead.

Swinging back and forth, I found my eternal, blissful, monotony.

title: Azaleas (constructive criticism please)

question: Explain what the character means when they say they are a god.

answer: They mean that they are the one who decides whether the flowers live or die (by watering them).

question: What is a negative emotion the narrator may be suffering from?

answer: Loneliness


text:
The HENRY F. BEINKE HOUSE (also known as the WM. WOLLBRINK HOUSE) is a historic house located at 610 Jefferson Street in Washington, Franklin County, Missouri. It is locally significant as an example go the Missouri-German style of architecture.

Description and history

It was built about 1878, and is a 1-1/2 story, side entry brick dwelling resting on a stone foundation. The facade is three bays wide and it has a side-facing gable roof and segmental arched door and window openings. It has a small rear addition added about 1900.[1]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 2000.[2]

[1]  (includes 8 photographs from 2000)

[2]

title: Henry F. Beinke House

question: What is Henry F. Beinke House?

answer: A historic house located in Washington, Missouri.

question: What is it notable for?

answer: It is an example of the Missouri-German style of architecture.

question: When was it built?

answer: 1878.

question: What are its characteristics?

answer: It is a 1 1/2 story, side entry brick dwelling on a stone foundation.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The Henry F. Beinke House, also known as the WM. Wollbrink House, is a historic house in Washington, Missouri. It is significant as an example of the Missouri-German style of architecture. Built in 1878, it is a 1 1/2 story, side entry brick dwelling on a stone foundation. It has a side-facing gable roof and segmental arched door and window openings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.