text:
_Disclaimer: Margin trading is highly speculative. You should only attempt margin trading if you completely understand your potential losses and you have solid risk management strategies in place. _

Day trading involves buying and selling the same stocks multiple times during trading hours in hope of locking in quick profits from the movement in stock prices. Day trading is risky, as it's dependent on the fluctuations in stock prices on one given day, and it can result in substantial losses in a very short period of time.

Key Takeaways

-   Trading on margin allows you to borrow funds from your broker in order to purchase more shares than the cash in your account would allow for on its own. Margin trading also allows for short-selling.
-   By using leverage, margin lets you amplify your potential returns - as well as your losses.
-   Margin calls and maintenance margin are required, which can add up losses in the event a trades go sour.

 Margin and Day Trading

Buying on margin, on the other hand, is a tool that facilitates trading even for those who don’t have the requisite amount of cash on hand. Buying on margin enhances a trader's buying power by allowing them to buy for a greater amount than they have cash for; the shortfall is filled by a brokerage firm at interest. When the two tools are combined in the form of day trading on margin, risks are accentuated. And going by the dictum, “the higher the risk, the higher the potential return,” the returns can be manyfold. But be warned: There are no guarantees.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules define a day trade as “The purchasing and selling or the selling and purchasing of the same security on the same day in a margin account.” The short-selling and purchases to cover the same security on the same day along with options also fall under the purview of a day trade.

When we talk about day trading, some may indulge in it only occasionally and would have different margin requirements from those who can be tagged as “pattern day traders.” Let’s understand these terms along with the margin rules and requirements by FINRA.

A term pattern day trader is used for someone who executes four or more day trades within five business days, provided one of two things: 1) The number of day trades is more than 6% of his total trades in the margin account during the same five-day period, or 2) The person indulges in two unmet day trade calls within a time span of 90 days. A non-pattern day trader's account incurs day trading only occasionally.

However, if any of the above criteria are met, then a non-pattern day trader account will be designated as a pattern day trader account. But if a pattern day trader's account has not carried out any day trades for 60 consecutive days, then its status is reversed to a non-pattern day trader account.

 Margin Requirements

To trade on margin, investors must deposit enough cash or eligible securities that meet the initial margin requirement with a brokerage firm. According to the Fed's Regulation T, investors can borrow up to 50% of the total cost of purchase on margin and the remaining 50% is deposited by the trader as the initial margin requirement.

The maintenance margin requirements for a pattern day trader are much higher than that for a non-pattern day trader. The minimum equity requirement for a pattern day trader is $25,000 (or 25% of the total market value of securities, whichever is higher) while that for a non-pattern day trader is $2,000. Every day trading account must meet this requirement independently and not through cross-guaranteeing different accounts. In situations when the account falls below this stipulated figure of $25,000, further trading is not permitted until the account is replenished.

 Margin Calls

A margin call occurs if your account falls below the maintenance margin amount. A margin call is a demand from your brokerage for you to add money to your account or close out positions to bring your account back to the required level. If you do not meet the margin call, your brokerage firm can close out any open positions in order to bring the account back up to the minimum value. Your brokerage firm can do this without your approval and can choose which position(s) to liquidate. In addition, your brokerage firm can charge you a commission for the transaction(s). You are responsible for any losses sustained during this process, and your brokerage firm may liquidate enough shares or contracts to exceed the initial margin requirement.

 Margin Buying Power

The buying power for a pattern day trader is four times the excess of the maintenance margin as of the closing of business of the previous day (say an account has $35,000 after the previous day's trade, then the excess here is $10,000 as this amount is over and above the minimum requirement of $25,000. This would give a buying power of $40,000 (4 x $10,000). If this is exceeded, then the trader will receive a day trading margin call issued by the brokerage firm. There is a time span of five business days to meet the margin call. During this period, the day trading buying power is restricted to two times the maintenance margin excess. In case of failure to meet the margin during the stipulated time period, further trading is only allowed on a cash available basis for 90 days, or until the call is met.

 Example of Trading on Margin

Assume that a trader has $20,000 more than the maintenance margin amount. This will provide the trader with a day trading buying power of $80,000 (4 x $20,000). If the trader indulges in buying $80,000 of PQR Corp at 9:45 a.m. followed by $60,000 of XYZ Corp. at 10.05 a.m. on the same day, then he has exceeded his buying power limit. Even if he subsequently sells both during the afternoon trade, he will receive a day trading margin call the next day. However, the trader could have avoided the margin call by selling off PQR Corp before buying XYZ Corp.

_Note_: Though the brokers must operate within the parameters issued by the regulatory authorities, they do have the discretion to make minor amendments in the laid requirements called “house requirements.” A broker-dealer may classify a customer as a pattern day trader by bringing them under their broader definition of a pattern day trader. Also, brokerage firms may impose higher margin requirements or restrict buying power. Thus, there can be variations depending upon the broker-dealer you choose to trade with.

 The Bottom Line

Day trading on margin is a risky exercise and should not be tried by novices. People who have experience in day trading also need to be careful when using margin for the same. Using margin gives traders an enhanced buying power however; it should be used prudently for day trading so that traders do not end up incurring huge losses. Restricting yourself to limits set for the margin account can reduce the margin calls and hence the requirement for additional funds. If you are trying day trading for the first time, don’t experiment with a margin account.

question: What is day trading?

answer: Day trading is a method of making small quick profits by buying and selling during the active trading period. It requires familiarity with the market to swiftly determine which actions will yield profitable results as the window of opportunity is small.

question: What does the writer warn about their tips in day trading?

answer: That ultimately, no matter how good a plan or theory is, day trading is still highly speculative and that there is no certainty in it. Therefore, there is a disclaimer that anyone attempting it should be aware of the risks and understand the potential for loss.

question: Who can participate in day trading?

answer: While it is implied that even novices can try day trading, the article states that only it is not for novices. Day trading is meant for people who have enough experience.

question: How does margins relate to day trading?

answer: Day trading, by definition, "is the purchasing and selling or the selling and purchasing of the same security on the same day in a margin account". So day traders have to meet the initial margin requirements of a brokerage firm. For term pattern day traders, they have a higher minimum equity to be met.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Day trading is not for novice traders. But for traders with enough experience to make it worth the risk and the resources to meet the requirements of brokerage firms, it is a good way to make quick profits.


split: train

text:
The NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION or NPA (formerly the NNFA, or the NATIONAL NUTRITIONAL FOODS ASSOCIATION) is the largest and oldest nonprofit organization representing the interests of manufacturers and retailers of the natural products industry, which includes organic and health foods, dietary supplements, natural ingredient cosmetics, and other similar products. The organization includes more than 1,900 members accounting for more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products.

History

The Natural Products Association was founded in 1936 as the American Health Foods Association (AHFA) to inform consumers about the benefits of the natural nutrition industry. In 1937, the association changed its name to the Natural Health Foods Association (NHFA), representing retailers, manufacturers and distributors. In 1943, NHFA was renamed to the National Dietary Foods Association (NDFA). In 1970, NDFA officially became the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA). The organization renamed itself the NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION or NPA in June 2006. over 650 members today. Its members include suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers representing 10,000 storefronts.[1]

Programs

The science and regulatory affairs department oversees the association's third-party certification programs.

Natural Seal

The NPA Natural Seal is described as the first and only natural products certification in the United States. Currently only personal care and home care products and ingredients can be certified. The association requires that certified products must be at least 95 percent natural ingredients or ingredients from natural sources, excluding water. NPA-certified products must use natural ingredients, avoid ingredients with health risks, don't use animal testing, and include biodegradable or recycled material in the packaging. Products also must list all ingredients on the package label, and NPA requires 100 percent natural fragrances and colorants. Certified products are said to appear in more than 85,000 stores nationwide. NPA has certified more than 1,200 products and ingredients since 2008, including well-known brands like Burt's Bees and J.R. Watkins.[2]

GMP Certification

The Natural Products Association launched the first third-party Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) program for the manufacturing of dietary supplements and ingredients in 1999. NPA GMP Certification is awarded to companies that comply with the NPA GMP standard as verified through comprehensive third-party inspections of facilities and GMP-related documentation. More than 70 companies are known to have achieved certification. NPA also offers a series of GMP training seminars across the United States each year.[3]

Advocacy

The Natural Products Association educates members of Congress about the industry and the impact of federal legislation and regulations. In addition, NPA provides comments to federal agencies on how regulatory enforcement activities may affect manufacturers, retailers and consumers of natural products and dietary supplements. NPA's regional offices are primarily responsible for monitoring state legislative activity, though the national office leads outreach in California and Hawaii.

Natural Products Day

Each year, NPA hosts Natural Products Day for NPA members and others in the industry to visit Congressional offices and talk to senators, representatives and their staffs about legislative and regulatory issues. NPA also presents Congressional Champion Awards to selected legislators.[4] In addition, the association hosts a California Natural Products Day in Sacramento.[5]

The Big Natural

Offering two days of industry-driven, educational sessions, workshop programming, case studies, interactive discussions, networking and benchmarking.  THE BIG NATURAL brings together industry leaders, innovators and government officials who share insights that will educate, empower and spark innovative ideas to drive the industry forward.[6]

Dietary Supplement Caucus

The Dietary Supplement Caucus (DSC) was launched in 2006 to serve as a bipartisan, bicameral group to facilitate discussions among congressional lawmakers about issues related to dietary supplements. In 2008, the DSC, in cooperation with the Natural Products Association and the Council for Responsible Nutrition, held its first briefing. The briefings continue to be held on Capitol Hill.[7]

Industry Education

The Natural Products Association offers a variety of educational programs and resources for both members and non-members. These include:

-   GMP training seminars for dietary supplement manufacturers about federal GMP requirements, compliance with GMP rules, and how to prepare for regulatory inspections.
-   Labeling seminars covering both mandatory and non-mandatory elements of dietary supplement labeling, including labeling basics and regulations around health claims.
-   The NPA Retailer's Staff Education Toolkit helps store owners educate their sales staff about what may and may not be discussed with customers about dietary supplements.
-   Webinars and conference education sessions on industry topics throughout the year.

NPA members typically receive discounts off the price of education sessions.

Regional Offices

Members of the Natural Products Association also may join one of five regional offices. Each region is governed by its own board of directors and the president of each region also sits on the national NPA Board of Directors. Regional offices include: NPA East; NPA Midwest; NPA Northwest; SENPA Southeast Natural Products Association; and NPA Southwest. [8]

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[1] “History and Timeline of NPA”

[2] “NPA Natural Seal Covers 1,200th Product.” Nutraceuticals World. April 1, 2013

[3] “Knowing the Limits of GMP Education, Training.” Natural Products INSIDER. April 8, 2013

[4] “Natural on the Hill.” Whole Foods Magazine. May 2013

[5] “NPA to Host Natural Products Day in CA.” Natural Products INSIDER. June 11, 2013

[6]

[7] “Dietary supplement caucus addresses supplements in sports health and fitness.” NUTRA Ingredients-USA. May 16, 2013

[8] “Natural Products Association: A natural watchdog.” The American Business Journal

title: Natural Products Association

question: Would McDonalds be under the jurisdiction of the NPA?

answer: No, because the NPA only covers the natural products industry.

question: What name did the NPA have for the longest period of time, assuming this article is accurate as of 2021?

answer: The National Nutritional Foods Association (36 years)

question: Would a product that is 93% natural ingredient qualify for certification?

answer: No


text:
_THE DREAM AND LIE OF FRANCO_ is a series of two sheets of prints, comprising 18 individual images, and an accompanying prose poem, by Pablo Picasso produced in 1937. The sheets each contain nine images arranged in a 3x3 grid. The first 14, in etching and aquatint, are dated 8 January 1937. The remaining four images were added to the second printing plate later, without use of aquatint, and dated June 7, 1937.[1][2][3]

_The Dream and Lie of Franco_ is significant as Picasso's first overtly political work and prefigures his iconic political painting _Guernica_. The etchings satirise Spanish Generalísimo Francisco Franco's claim to represent and defend conservative Spanish culture and values by showing him in various ridiculous guises destroying Spain and its culture while the poem denounces “evil-omened polyps”.[4] Three of the four images added in June 1937 are directly related to studies for _Guernica_.[5]

The individual images were originally intended to be published as postcards to raise funds for the Spanish Republican government, and sold at the Spanish Pavilion of the 1937 World's Fair, although it is unclear whether any prints were made or sold in postcard format.

In his review of the etchings for _The Spectator_ in October 1937, art historian (and member of the Cambridge Five spy-ring) Anthony Blunt complained that the work could not “reach more than the limited coterie of aesthetes”.[6] Critic and author John Golding on the other hand, claimed that “more than any other work by Picasso _Dream and Lie of Franco_ breaks down, as the Surrealists so passionately longed to, distinctions between thought, writing and visual imagery.”[7]

Images

The images form a sequence like those in a comic book and have a loose narrative:[8][9] Franco's form changes from panel to panel. The Spanish dictator's appearance has been likened by various writers to a “jackbooted phallus”,[10] “an evil-omened polyp”[11] and “a grotesque homunculus with a head like a gesticulating and tuberous sweet potato”.[12]

1.  Franco riding a horse waving a sword and a flag
2.  Franco, with a ridiculously large penis, waving a sword and a flag
3.  Franco attacking a classical sculpture with a pick
4.  Franco dressed as a courtesan with a flower and a fan
5.  Franco being gored by a bull
6.  Franco at prayer surrounded by barbed wire
7.  Franco on top of a dead creature
8.  Franco chasing a winged horse
9.  Franco riding on a pig carrying a spear
10. Franco eating a dead horse
11. The aftermath of a battle with a corpse
12. The aftermath of a battle with a dead horse
13. Franco and a bull
14. Franco and the bull fighting

Additions to the second plate (including studies for _Guernica_):

1.  A woman crying and reaching up
2.  A woman fleeing a burning house carrying a child
3.  A woman cradling a child
4.  A woman shot with an arrow and reaching up amid devastation

Prose

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Dream and Lie of Franco, 1937

[2] National Gallery of Victoria: An Introduction to Guernica

[3] PBS: Picasso's commitment to the cause

[4] Michigan Today: Picasso's War

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]  Quote by Joaquín de la Puente

title: The Dream and Lie of Franco

question: Explain they Picasso made the likeness of Franco's form comically grotesque.

answer: This is the first work in which Picasso engaged politics. Picasso was poking fun at Spanish General Francisco Franco's attempts to defend conservative Spanish values against sacrilege. The images are satirical in nature.

question: Summarize the imagery featuring Franco and some kind of animal.

answer: There is one with Franco atop a horse; one of his being gored by a bull; one of him on top of a dead creature; one of him going after a pegasus; one featuring Franco on a pig; one that has a dead horse this time, and two more featuring bull fights.

question: Summarize the ways in which other surrealist artists who were contemporaries of Picasso engaged politics.


text:
ARTHUR STANLEY HURDMAN (q3 1882 – 1953) was an English footballer who played at outside right in the Football League for Sunderland. He also played non-league football for clubs including Sunderland Black Watch, Darlington, South Shields Adelaide, Wingate Albion and Sunderland Rovers.

Life and career

Hurdman was born in Sunderland in 1882.[1] He played football for Wearside League team Sunderland Black Watch from 1900. While training as a schoolteacher at Borough Road College, London, he was unavailable for club football during term-time.[2]

He signed for Sunderland as an amateur in 1906. A short but sturdy man,[3] described as “one of the most diminutive players in first-class football”, and possessed of considerable pace,[4] he made his first-team debut on 1 December 1906 away to Woolwich Arsenal in the First Division. Sunderland won 1–0,[5] and according to the _Daily News_, Hurdman “brilliantly led many onslaughts on the Arsenal goal, despite his hopelessness when at close quarters with Sharp. He tricked and dodged in and out of position quite tirelessly from beginning to end, and rarely failed to pass with perfection to his best-placed colleague.”[6] He turned professional in January 1907,[7] and in the next match, he scored twice as Sunderland came back from 4–1 down at half-time to draw 5–5.[8] In all, Hurdman made eight appearances for Sunderland and scored three goals, all in the league.[9]

In August 1908, he signed for Darlington,[10] for whom he scored eight North-Eastern League goals and made three appearances in the 1908–09 FA Cup.[11] He later played for another three North-Eastern League teams: South Shields Adelaide, Wingate Albion,[12] and Sunderland Rovers.[13]

When Hurdman retired from teaching in 1947, he was assistant headmaster of Chester Road School in Sunderland.[14] He had previously taught at Moor Boys' School.[15] He died in hospital in Sunderland in 1953 at the age of 70.[16]

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title: Arthur Hurdman

question: When was Arthur Hurdman born?

answer: 1882.

question: What role did Arthur Hurdman play?

answer: He was a footbaler.

question: What nationality did Arthur Hurdman hold?

answer: English.

question: For whom did Arthur Hurdman play in the Football League?

answer: Sunderland.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Arthur Hurdman, a football player from 19th and 20th century Britain.


text:
I'm 17 and free write frequently.

We were in a 30 foot catamaran about 75 miles off Port Elizabeth in South Africa. It was around 5:30 PM and the seas were calm. Things were much brighter than usual, much.. Better, id say. Like a more lit up world with nothing to worry about. All I could see was water. No land, no boats, just water all around. The only radio we had was to call local ships, but there were none. It was lifeless. Imagine swimming in a pool, that swishing sound as you move about walking the floor of the pool, the movement of the water rippling, that's all that I could hear. The two ballasts of the boat cut through the water like knives cutting butter. Tuna were breaching the water from time to time. Blue Wales were breeding at the surface of the ocean. It was wonderful. At around 12:00 I woke up to the constant slamming of the cabin door and wind whistling throughout the boat. We had a parachute anchor in the water to stabilize us as we went to sleep for the night. I went out of the cabin to see exactly what we were dealing with. I looked towards the stern of the boat and all I could see was water. The bow was slightly tilted out of the ocean and one of the stabilizers on the right side was cracked and close to breaking. I woke up my mate and we began bailing the boat, but for every 10 gallons we poured out, another 20 came in from a giant wave crashing over the side. I gave up. This was the end. We were 75 miles off the coast of a country whose language we can't even speak. Boats rarely go around the tip of Africa. It's a scary place to be at sea, all boaters know that. The wind switched directions and the boom of the boat quickly switched sides. I didn't have any time to duck and it hit me square in my left temple, knocking me unconscious and flipping the boat on its side. I woke up in the stern of the boat, tangled in the guard rail. The boat had managed to flip back upright. Water was to my knees and the cabin was completely flooded. The sails were torn down the middle and ribbon split down the side. Very difficult to patch. I couldn't find my mate. I looked around, looked in the cabin, in the water, nothing. I went to the bow of the boat and looked under. He was, thankfully, just sleeping in a liferaft. I woke him up and helped him get to his feet. His right leg was badly bruised and looked broken to my eyes. We tried our FM radio, but no one answered. Who knows how far we had drifted. For 10 days we struggled to survive. We ran out of water on the sixth. And food on the ninth. We were hungry, sick, burnt, and weak. We needed out. And we needed it soon. We aren't survivalists. This wasn't like the movies where you get lucky and catch a fish with a homemade hook. There were no boats coming for us. On the tenth day I climbed to the top of the mast and looked to the horizon. I saw land. Barely visible. But land. We ambled in life raft and paddled like hell. After a tiring four and a half hours of rowing, we finally arrived. It was a forest area. My first thought was, "oh great. A deserted island. Just what we need." But Josh, my mate, heard faint drumming coming from the Forrest. We followed it and it slowly got louder. It was a tribe. We were saved. Thank god. We approached the tribe in our battered, torn, and wet clothing, water and blood dripping from out clothes, thinking that there'd welcome us with open arms. None spoke English. Not one. I looked back. Turned my head.  And realized I was was looking into the barrel of a gun. All of this. All that we've been through. And it's over. Surviving a shipwreck, living through a treacherous storm, and this is how it ends. They blindfolded us. All we could see was darkness. "Hetsika!" He screamed. I didn't know what the hell that meant at the time but by the gun jabbing at my back my only thought was to walk.  He brought us in to what I thought was a tent, a small, worn down tent. The fabric felt that way at least. "Inside!" He said with a heavy African accent. He spoke English. That's a surprise. He took off our blindfolds. The floor was red. Stained red. Originally the color of sand. There was no posters on the wall. Only a form of art. Sick, inhumane, twisted art. Limbs of people, white people were nailed to every corner of the wall. Each arm was painted a color. "This is your future" he said. "Be excited. Be ready." You could see the blood trickling down the wall like rain on a windshield. "Empty your pockets my mate was the first to empty his. I quickly followed. He looked at my wallet. "Ahh American! That's good! Now I will have no regret." He was interrupted by a boy screaming. "I'll be back." He said. Our arms were tied behind our backs and our glens were tied together. Escaping would be hard, but never impossible. There was a glass bottle near the door, about 3 yards away. I stood up and hopped to it. I grabbed it with my teeth and dropped it on the ground. It shattered. I grabbed a shard of glass and sat back down. "I said stay put. You don't listen. "The man said as he walked through the door." "Which one of you filthy Americans did this." "Me" replied Josh. I looked at josh. He looked at me. "Come with me." He was hesitant to get up. "Now!" Demanded the man, grabbing him by the color and dragging him over the shards of broken glass. I got to work. Cutting down the rope with the small piece of glass I had. Arms were set free first, then the legs. I looked outside. My friend stood facing a wall, gun to his head. "If you can't listen, this is your fate" said the man followed by a loud gunshot. He faced me and began reloading his gun. I ran. I didn't stop. I ran for about an hour. I was in the jungle. Where was I. Was there anyone, at all. Anyone to set me free. I was hungry, thirsty, hurt, and for the first time in my life, completely alone.

title: [AA] The Catamaran

question: Summarize the narrator's bad luck.

answer: He's caught in a storm while out on the ocean with his friend. The boom of the boat hits him in the temple to knock him out. After the storm subsides, they survive with diminishing supplies for a while. There isn't anyone out there to save them until they see land after their food runs out. They manage to reach it, only to be abducted by the hostile natives. The narrator manages to get free of the ropes binding him, but his friend sacrifices himself so that the narrator can escape. He manages to escape only to be left completely alone in the jungle.

question: What does the story say about how to sail through a storm?


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

title: Golden Screw

question: What truth is the narrator looking for?

answer: The narrator is looking for the reason he has a gold screw in his belly button.

question: Describe the narrator.

answer: He is a young boy.

question: What is the setting of the story?

answer: The story takes place in a kingdom.

question: Are there other important characters in the story?

answer: The High King solves the mystery of the gold screw.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: A boy is born with a gold screw in his belly button. He grows up curious about the screw, since no one else has a gold screw in their belly buttons. When he is old enough, he sets out to find the answer. He asks everyone who knows anything about anything. Nobody is able to answer his question. Finally, the High King knows. He uses a special gold screwdriver and unscrews the boy's screw. He ass falls off.


text:
THE BOOK OF DAVE

     In the beginning, Dave created a bunch of stuff like the earth, water, animals, and humans. He thought "Meh, it's cool I guess...", and then he pretty much sat back and watched everything unfold, chillin' like a villain and taking many forms. Mostly though he liked to be a plastic dove. He saw all his creations screw up the world he created, and it pissed him off pretty badly. He thought for centuries about how he could save the world he put so little effort into creating.

     One day, in the late 1990's he came up with a plan. It was about time too, because the world he created was in pretty pitiful condition by this time. He set out to create 5 strong men who would spread his holy name. One of them appearing to be a heretic, but obviously a believer. One of them a natural born leader to guide the prophets. One of them tall and strong willed and convert others. One of them with great musical talents with which to sing and play instruments in the name of Dave, and the last one. Dave's only son. He arranged so that these men would one day come together and use their own talents to spread the word of Dave.

     These young men grew and realized their talents (except for the son of Dave, who had a hard time because he had not yet recognized his true purpose in life). They misused their talents, however, because they did not know that their destiny was the destiny that Dave set for them. They would know in the future that Dave needed them to rid the world of ignorance and stupidity. It would take time, though, for them to be ready for the task at hand.

     By the time these 5 young men were ready for their destiny, the world was even worse than it was before. There had been terrorist attacks, wars, destruction in massive proportions. They were indeed ready at the last minute. The 5 boys had grown to be good friends, and were like family. One day, fate brought them all together, and set them on a journey that would open their eyes to the truth. Open their eyes to Dave.

    They found themselves in their leader's house, discussing the most important of current events, politics, economics, history, and other things of the like. Then, as fate may have it, they embarked on a journey. They started with a trip to a local general store to purchase liquid refreshment, and to win the heart of a fair maiden. They failed miserably at the winning the heart part, but succeeded in buying refreshments. They also caused the son of Dave to smudge a dipping sauce on his trousers. They then headed to a larger store to buy him a new pair of trousers.

     They failed in their quest to acquire new trousers, but had good hearty laughs and made the son wear clothes meant for girls. However, it was here that they discovered The Great Dave. They found him in his usual form, a plastic bird, perched upon a raised surface. They were drawn to him, and immediately knew that it was to be theirs. They did not know why, but they knew it must be.

     They purchased the plastic bird, took him home, and immediately idolized him. They knew that his name was to be Dave, and that he was of great importance. The boys did not truly understand that Dave was of much more importance until much later. The day after their trip to the store, their land was ice-ridden. The plants outside were enveloped in a solid sheet of ice, and the roads were only traversible by foot, because none of their automobiles were equipped to operate on the ice-covered roads.

     The young men grew hungry, and weary of being held inside their home, and by the will of Dave, which they still failed to recognize, decided to embark on a long journey to obtain cheap, delicious food. They left their home and started down the road, talking and laughing, unaware of the great events that awaited them. They would soon find out the true purpose of what was happening.

     They noticed a bird that looked exactly like their plastic bird that was perched upon a telephone wire. Then they realized that this, in fact, WAS their bird, but in the form of a living version of it's plastic form, guarding them, and guiding them. They then began to realize that they had a greater purpose in this journey, and that Dave was more than a mere plastic bird.

     They began to have revelations and realizations that Dave placed in their minds. They came to the conclusion that Dave was the true God, and that they were prophets, since they were the only ones who realized this truth. They then realized that the one with no apparent useful talent must have been the son of Dave, because of the hardships he faced and trials and tribulations. They realized that since he had no talent to offer Dave, he didn't require one, because him simply being among the other prophets was enough to please Dave.

     Then came their true sign that they were led by The Great and Powerful Dave. They noticed on the side of the path a beautiful sight. A useless, disappointing, fresh, beautiful sight. They knew in their hearts that Dave put this there for them, that he loved them, and that he wanted them to cleanse the world of the wrongness that had befallen it.

title: The Book of Dave

question: Who was Dave perceived to be?

answer: Dave was perceived to be the "true God" by the prophets.

question: Who were the 5 men in relation to Dave?

answer: Followers who would spread his holy name, including Dave's only son.

question: What was unique about each of the 5 prophets?

answer: They each had special talents and each was strong.

question: What was discussed between Dave and his prophets?

answer: Important current events, politics, economics and history.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Dave was believed to be the "true God" and in the late 1990's he came up with a plan because the world he had created was now in pitiful condition. He set out to create 5 strong men that would become his prophets including his only son. They spread his holy name. Their mission became to cleanse the world of the wrongness that had befallen it.


text:
Ever think dating would be just so much easier if you were a wizard? From mixing love potions to using _silencio_ to block unwanted come-ons, surely dating in the wizarding world would be a breeze. But when I set up OKCupid profiles for a few of the Potterverse’s leading ladies, I discovered that dating as a witch isn’t as simple as it seems.

When I did this experiment last year with Jane Austen characters, I was pleasantly surprised by the results: While there’s certainly no shortage of creepy personalities online, modern men seemed in general to be attracted to the strength and honesty that was deemed inappropriate in women in Austen’s time.

So I was _very_ intrigued to see how J.K. Rowling’s magical characters would fare. Rowling created some seriously badass women throughout the course of the series — but how would they cope in the weird world of online dating? Would Cho’s sweet romanticism attract as many boyfriends as she had in the books? Would Hermione’s brains make her as unpopular as she was at Hogwarts?

Using only direct quotes from or about each character (translated into Muggle language, of course, to avoid violating the Statute of Secrecy), I filled out profiles for Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Cho, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione

Stats: 268 visitors, 440 likes, 41 messages

I wasn't convinced Hermione's aggressive profile would do terribly well in the real world. While _we_ know she's feisty and tough, at first impression, she can come off a little overpowering. That's what Harry and Ron thought in Book One, anyway. (Idiots.) Unfortunately, my profile picture held a bit of a giveaway that this isn't the _real_ Hermione: _She_ never would have put her arms through the wrong holes in her graduation gown like I did. Whoops.

Best responses:

  "You seem like an intellectual woman with hair much like that of a Disney princess. Which section of the library is your favorite?"

I feel like Hermione would love this response. Looks have never been a priority for her, of course, but we do know she has a bit of a complex surrounding her hair and teeth — so a compliment about her hair would definitely put her in a good mood. _Much_ more importantly, however, is the library question. You just know Hermione would have an answer on the tip of her tongue. Here are a few more responses:

  "I promise I have an emotional range wider than a teaspoon."

  "Hi, what are you doing to do good in the world?"

  "Don't worry I like to talk to people with interesting bios and yours caught my attention."

This is just a small selection — but it was great to see how many people actually engaged with Hermione's profile, and responded to her worries and complaints about the dating scene.

  "Seeing as how your page is nothing but Hermione quotes, lets be friends!"

Caught me there!

Worst response:

  "Why like anyone for any reason? Humans are terrible."

At least this guy read her profile, I guess? But wow, not the most uplifting conversation starter for someone hoping to find love.

Ginny

Stats: 572 visitors, 596 likes, 20 messages

Ginny was always very romantically popular in the books, so I had a feeling she'd do well on OKCupid as well. It was easy to make her profile sound pretty flirty and gutsy — though I found a lot more quotes _about_ her rather than _from_ her, which was interesting. I loved her so much in the books that I'd never realized how much we see her through Harry's eyes, rather than her own.

Best response:

Err... *awkward silence*.

Ginny may have got a lot of likes, but she didn't seem to inspire _any_ interesting comments. In fact, this was the best of a bad bunch:

  "Smart - check. Fun and outgoing - check. Cute bum - check (?)"

Yeah, it's seriously forward, but at least this guy recognized that Ginny has an interesting personality of her own — whereas most of the other messages were sent by people trying to make it all about them.

Worst response:

  "Bit random but I had the bottle to say hello ;)"

Do you want a medal? Ginny is such a well-rounded character in the books; I think she deserved her OKCupid suitors to take a bit more of an interest in her. She's not a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, guys; she doesn't exist to make _you_ feel big and brave.

Luna

Stats: 170 visitors, 393 likes, 23 messages

I just had no idea how Luna's profile would go down with the OKCupid masses. We never saw her being particularly romantic in the series, although we do find her married off at the end. Luna needs somebody who's willing to open their minds to all possibilities, without demanding explanations. Armed with my spaciest-looking profile picture, I waited to see who would humor her conspiracy theories.

Best response:

  "Alright Loony? Moon landing denier? 911 disbeliever? Queen Liz is an alien asserter?"

This person was most likely making fun of Luna, but at least he's given her enough material to work with. Once she got started excitedly exploring all these theories, he might not be able to resist her dreamy attitude after all.

Worst response:

  "Care to elaborate on the gum disease theory, connect gum disease to the downfall of government please."

Whoa, serious red flag alert here. Demanding answers is absolutely _not_ how to appeal to Luna.

Cho

Stats: 105 visitors, 343 likes, 6 messages

In the books, Cho was always pretty romantically successful — other than her disasterous Valentine's date with Harry, of course. But when I set out to find some quotes, I was amazed at how little she ever really says about herself — and how vague all the descriptions of her were. Cho is probably J.K. Rowling's least feminist character — not because of any of her specific personality traits, but because she's been reduced to little more than an over-emotional romantic object. I picked my soppiest profile picture and username, and set out to see whether the men of OKCupid like blank slates as much as the men of Harry Potter obviously do.

Best response:

  "Sooo, what do you do for a living? I'm intrigued!"

Good question! Cho's profile gives _very_ little information — so fair play to this guy for trying to find out a little more.

Worst response:

  "Hey there! If your mind was a room, describe what someone would see if they walked into it."

That's not such a bad conversation-starter, right? Except for the fact that this dude sent that message to every one of my profiles... and that same guy had sent them to all of my Jane Austen-themed profiles last year, too. He needs some new material, but Cho needs a _lot_ more personality before she could hope to attract any real-life romance. Maybe she _was_ using love potions this whole time?

Bellatrix

Stats: 188 visitors, 406 likes, 42 messages

I didn't even translate this one into Muggle terms, because I don't think Bellatrix would degrade herself so far as even to _pretend_ not to be a pure-blood witch.

Best responses:

  "I'm curious to know if you are as outgoing and strong minded as you appear based on your profile?"

  "Prodigious skills aye? Sound like my kinda lady."

  "You sound pretty exciting."

  "Challenge accepted."

Bellatrix's upfront profile could have gone two ways. It might have scared everybody off, but instead it attracted the most messages of everyone. As shown by these quotes, it looks like men saw Bellatrix as an exciting challenge — so perhaps (literally) being an evil witch _is_ a good tactic on the dating scene.

Worst responses:

  "Please either stop being so gorgeous or talk to me your choice."

Bellatrix's profile makes it pretty clear she is an independent woman; this type of message suggests that she (and her seductive personality) might exist solely for a man. I have a nasty feeling the poor sender of _this_ message might have found themselves on the end of the Cruciatus curse.

Conclusion

The first conclusion is that the men of OKCupid really need to pay more attention to what people are asking for in their profiles — but the second conclusion is that dating as a witch is _seriously_ confusing. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what attracted men to their profiles: Ginny, for example, got the most likes by far, but barely any messages; Bellatrix got the most messages, but only a moderate amount of likes.

There were only two constants: Cho was the most unpopular in every category, and Hermione was consistently near the top. (I mean, of course she was. She's brilliant.)

So did this magical experiment tell us anything _positive_? Well, the good news is that the unfortunate trope of reducing a woman to a blank "love interest" character doesn't seem to have influenced the men of OKCupid too much: Cho may have been the perfect "girlfriend type" in the books, but this oversimplification didn't go down too well online. The stronger and more honest characters had much more luck: Even personalities like Hermione's, which are sometimes cruelly stereotyped as "bossy" or "crazy," proved popular with romantic suitors.

Basically: witch, wizard, or Muggle — we can't be squeezed into "perfect" molds, and nor should we be.

_Image: Warner Bros; Emma Oulton (5)_

question: What does the author do for fun (research)?

answer: They make dating profiles for fictional characters.

question: Which book does the author use for the first profile?

answer: The Harry Potter Series.

question: Who is the first character the author tries out?

answer: Hermione.

question: Which response to Ginny's profile did the author like the most?

answer: "Err....*awkward silence*."

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The author enjoys setting up the dating profiles of well-known fictional characters to see what kind of responses they garner. The author seems to stay in character, and considers the responses from the perspective of the character. In this selection, the characters are from Harry Potter.


text:
Day 3. It’s a wonder the lights still work. After all, I never would have walked into this hell hole of a pizza parlor in the first place. It’s funny how the only reason I’m alive is that this archaic building from the early twenties happened to have a damp and abysmal basement that sheltered about twenty of us while everyone else in the city dropped dead.

“Repent!” he said repeatedly, “I warned you all this would happen! I told you!” That lunatic in the corner just won’t shut up.

“Maybe if you sacrificed yourself for your gods, this wouldn’t have happened,” I blankly stated. He glanced at me for a moment and then continued to scratch at the wall. I can’t wait to get out of this miserable shack. I haven’t seen anything outside for days. We used all the pizza dough in the storage room to fill the cracks in the windows and the doors. I’m fairly certain that the dough facing outwards was cooked through because of the radiation but I’m not even gonna bother trying. It probably doesn’t taste that great anyway.

We should have seen the warning signs coming but the people simply stopped caring. They were too distracted. They let themselves be distracted. And one thing led to another as a couple of guys in lab coats and business suits wiped out most of the human race. And here we are. In a two-star pizza parlor. Twenty of us packed like sardines.

Well, if there is an up-side to all of this, it would take the form of a girl. Catt. Catt Mondino. I never really would have even thought about talking to her before. I never really saw the reason to. Sure she looked nice and all, but I was able to survive just fine without her, wasn’t I? I didn’t realize until now, when I’m here surrounded by these people, that I always lived life as a loner. Again, I don’t see too much of a problem with that.

“You need some water?” Those were the first words she said to me. I shook my head. In truth, I did need some water. But why did I need her to get it for me? I easily could do so myself if I really wanted to. Anyways, she looked somewhat disappointed with my answer, and I really saw no good in leaving her in that state, so I went on. “You live in the area?”

“Well, I used to. The apartments not too far from here.” She pointed off to her left.

Those buildings probably aren’t inhabitable anymore. In my opinion, the building we were now sitting in was completely uninhabitable. I hate being around so many people all the time. They speak constantly in hushed tones. An incessant, annoying whispering.

“Well, that’s nice. If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to sleep for a while.”

“Oh, alright then,” she replied.

I wasn’t really going to sleep. I figured that it was about time I take matters into my own two hands. That’s just the way I’d done things before this mess, and that’s how I plan to get by now. If I could just sneak out through the attic, I could head west until I reach the mountains. I’ll nab some climbing equipment along the way and make it up to the top. I had nothing personal against these people. They really were nice, with the way they always asked each other if everybody was ok, or if somebody needed this, or if somebody could use some help with that. But that just isn’t my style.

It was a little past midnight (I think) when I headed towards the attic. Sleeping closest to the window was of course Catt. I thought back to when she asked if I needed some water. I didn’t realize it then, but there was something different about that particular instance. She genuinely reached out to help, unlike some others, who simply took to asking questions like that simply because it seemed like the thing to do after an apocalypse of sorts. They were parrots, really.

I whispered a goodbye and climbed out the window. It was worse than I thought. The smell was unbearable. A ghastly wind flowed through the empty streets. I dropped down to the ground floor and took a stroll towards Catt’s apartment, just to see what was left. That’s when the radiation started getting to me.

I started blacking out. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going or why I even left. There really was nowhere else to go. I had to head back. Sure I would be back at the place I complained about without end, with those people. But still. I guess there is some good in looking out for each other. At this point, I didn’t care. By the time I got to the front door, I was barely crawling.

I reached up to knock at the door. And before I could even do that, I blacked out completely.

I woke up lying in the attic. Catt walked in. With a kind, warmhearted smile on her face, she asked "You need some water now?" I nodded, yes.

title: A short story me and a buddy wrote

question: Why was the narrator in a basement?

answer: Due to a lab tragedy, there was radiation everywhere outside of the basement, hence the narrator was sheltered down there.

question: Who else was with him in the basement?

answer: There were 20 other people with him in the basement, along with Catt Mondino, someone who the narrator found attractive.

question: Did he try to escape?

answer: Yes, one of the nights the narrator tries to get out and he succeeds but the radiation gets hold of him and he is on the verge of dying.

question: Does he make it out alive?

answer: Yes, after escaping the basement and blacking out near Catt's front door, he wakes up back in the attic with Catt by his side.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator along with twenty other people living in a pizza store basement. The entire city is radiated because of a lab tragedy.

In the basement, he meets Catt, a girl he finds attractive. She tries to speak to him but he dismisses her saying he has to sleep.

One of the nights, the narrator tries to escape the basement and succeeds. He makes his way to Catt's home but the radiation gets to him and he blacks out. When he opens his eyes he is back in the attic with Catt beside him.


text:
[Giovanni Giambelli (left) and Jonas Fjeldstad (right) at the International Congress of Mathematicians, Zürich 1932] GIOVANNI ZENO GIAMBELLI (June 29, 1879 – December 31, 1953) was an Italian mathematician who is best known for Giambelli's formula.[1]

[1]  MATEpristem|url=http://matematica.unibocconi.it/autore/giovanni-giambelli%7Caccess-date=2020-09-16%7Cwebsite=matematica.unibocconi.it}}

title: Giovanni Giambelli

question: When was Giovanni Zeno Giambelli born?

answer: Giovanni Zeno Giambelli was born on June 29th, 1879.

question: What is Giovanni Zeno Giambelli best known for?

answer: Giovanni Zeno Giambelli is best known for Giambelli's formula.

question: What nationality was Giovanni Zeno Giambelli?

answer: Giovanni Zeno Giambelli was Italian.

question: When did Giovanni Zeno Giambelli die?

answer: Giovanni Zeno Giambelli died on December 31st, 1953.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Giovanni Zeno Giambelli was an Italian mathematician. He is best known for Giambelli's formula.


text:
A total solar eclipse took place at the Moon’s descending node of the orbit on March 8–9, 2016. If viewed from east of the International Date Line (for instance from Hawaii), the eclipse took place on March 8 (local time) and elsewhere on March 9. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the sun appears to be black with a halo around it. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. The eclipse of March 8–9, 2016 had a magnitude of 1.0450 visible across an area of Pacific Ocean, which started in the Indian Ocean, and ended in the northern Pacific Ocean.[1]

It was the 52nd eclipse of the 130th Saros cycle, which began with a partial eclipse on August 20, 1059 and will conclude with a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394.

The eclipse was clearly visible in many parts of Indonesia, including Central Sulawesi and Ternate, but obscured by clouds and smokes in Palembang, the largest city on the path of totality.[2][3] The eclipse coincided with Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia and the end of the Balinese saka calendar. Because Nyepi is normally a day of silence, Muslims in Bali had to be given special dispensation to attend special prayer services during the eclipse.[4]

Path of the eclipse

On March 9, 2016, a large area of the Pacific, covering Indonesia, Borneo, but also large parts of Southeast Asia and Australia, witnessed a partial solar eclipse. It was total in multiple islands of Indonesia, three atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia (Eauripik, Woleai and Ifalik) and the central Pacific, starting at sunrise over Sumatra and ending at sunset north of Hawaii. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the totality exceeded a duration of more than 4 minutes.[5]

In most parts of India and Nepal, the sunrise was partially eclipsed, and much of East Asia witnessed more than 50% partial eclipse.[6][7]

The largest city along the path of totality was Palembang in southern Sumatra ( from Jakarta and from Singapore).[8]

In order to watch the total solar eclipse, Alaska Airlines adjusted the flight plan for Flight 870. The flight passed through the umbral shadow about north of Hawaii.[9]

Maps

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| []                                | []                                |
|                                   | Animation assembled from 13       |
|                                   | images acquired by NASA's Earth   |
|                                   | Polychromatic Imaging Camera.     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| []                                |
| Path of the eclipse in Southeast  |
| Asia                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| []                                |
| Path of the eclipse in Indonesia  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Gallery

File:Partial solar eclipse at Jakarta, Indonesia - March 9 2016.JPG|Partial in Jakarta, Indonesia, 0:23 UTC File:Partial Solar Eclipse, 9 March 2016, from Singapore (editted and cropped).jpg|Partial in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 0:23 UTC File:SolarEclipse.jpg%7CPartial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 0:26 UTC File:Solar Eclipse (25333178700).jpg|Partial in Dompu, Indonesia, 0:38 UTC File:Totality! Tanjung Pandan, Indonesia (33183668031).jpg|Totality in Tanjung Pandan, Indonesia, 0:40 UTC File:Partial Solar Eclipse 2016 (25030153563).jpg|Partial in Tungku, Brunei, 0:42 UTC File:Solar Eclipse KKU (25261758439).jpg|Partial in Khon Kaen University, Thailand, 0:46 UTC File:Partial Solar Eclipse 9 March 2016 from Nonthaburi, Thailand.JPG|Partial in Nonthaburi, Thailand, 0:52 UTC File:Solar Eclipse 09-03-16 Brunei (25005063854).jpg|Partial in Jerudong, Brunei, 1:01 UTC File:Partial Solar Eclipse in Hefei, Anhui, China.JPG|Partial in Hefei, China, 1:40 UTC

Related eclipses

This solar eclipse is related to other eclipses including in the current set predictions between 2015 and 2018. It is also a part of long period Saros cycle 130, and a 19-year Metonic cycle.

Eclipses of 2016

-   A total solar eclipse on March 9.
-   A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23.
-   A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 18.
-   An annular solar eclipse on September 1.
-   A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 16.

Solar eclipses descending node 2015-2018

-   Saros 120: Total Solar Eclipse March 20, 2015
-   Saros 130: Total Solar Eclipse March 8–9, 2016
-   Saros 140: Annular Solar Eclipse February 26, 2017
-   Saros 150: Partial Solar Eclipse February 15, 2018

Solar eclipses 2015–18

Saros 130

This eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 73 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 20, 1096. It contains total eclipses from April 5, 1475 through July 18, 2232. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394. The longest duration of totality was 6 minutes, 41 seconds on July 11, 1619.

  43           44           45           46          47          48          49
  ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
  []           []           []           []          []          []          []
  1853/11/30   1871/12/12   1889/12/22   1908/1/3    1926/1/14   1944/1/25   1962/2/5
  []           []           []           []
  4m 28s       4m 23s       4m 18s       4m 14s      4m 11s      4m 9s       4m 8s
  50           51           52           53          54          55          56
  []           []           []           []          []          []          []
  1980/2/16    1998/2/26    2016/3/9     2034/3/20   2052/3/30   2070/4/11   2088/4/21
                            []
  4m 8s        4m 9s        4m 9s        4m 9s       4m 8s       4m 4s       3m 58s

  : Saros 130 total eclipses between 1850 and 2100

Metonic series

Notes

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016

question: What occurred on March 8-9, 2016?

answer: A total solar eclipse occurred on March 8-9, 2016.

question: What is a total solar eclipse?

answer: A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness. The sun appears to be black with a halo around it.

question: Where was the eclipse visible from?

answer: The eclipse was visible from many parts of Indonesia, as well parts of Southeast Asian and Australia.

question: How many eclipses occurred in 2016?

answer: There were five eclipses in 2016.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: On March 8-9, 2016, a total solar eclipse occurred and was visible from the Pacific, including parts of Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Australia.


text:
UPS has placed the largest Tesla semi-truck order to date, reserving 125 of the trucks. Since unveiling the electric vehicles last month, Tesla has received quite a few orders from major companies. PepsiCo has ordered 100, Anheuser-Busch ordered 40 and Walmart, DHL and Loblaws have reserved Tesla Semis as well. While not every company that has announced a Tesla Semi order has said how many they've reserved, the total number of trucks ordered to date appears to be in the range of 420.

UPS said that the all-electric semi-trucks will help them reach a number of their energy goals. The company is working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent within the next seven years and by 2020 it wants 25 percent of its newly purchased vehicles to be advanced technology or run on alternative fuel. UPS already has over 8,500 alternative fuel or advanced technology vehicles in its fleet including all-electric, hybrid, ethanol, compressed natural gas, hydraulic hybrid, liquefied natural gas, propane and renewable natural gas vehicles. In total, the company has around 108,000 package cars, vans, tractors and motorcycles on the road. Therefore, moving more towards electric vehicles stands to have a major environmental impact.

Tesla plans to begin producing its trucks by 2019.

_All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission._

[Comment]

 Comments

question: What type of vehicles are mentioned in this document?

answer: Cars, trucks, vans, tractors, and motorcycles

question: Summarize everything related to Tesla.

answer: UPS has placed the largest Tesla semi-truck order to date. At the time of the document, Tesla had only debuted the semi-truck a month prior and plan to begin producing them in 2019. Pepsi-Co, Anheuser-Busch, Walmart, DHL, and Loblaws have also ordered the trucks. Tesla's are electric powered so these vehicles stand to make a major environmental impact.

question: Why has UPS chosen to use Tesla?

answer: They said that the all-electric semi-trucks will help them reach a number of their energy goals

question: How many vehicles does UPS have?

answer: The company has around 108,000 vehicles on the road.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of the document, Tesla announced their new semi-truck a month prior and some companies soon started to reserve the trucks. UPS ordered 125 of them in hopes of the all-electric semi-trucks helping them reach a number of their energy goals.


text:
COROCORA AIRPORT is one of several airstrips serving the oil and gas-producing region of Trinidad municipality in the Casanare Department of Colombia.

The region is lightly populated. The nearest town is Santa Rosalía, south. The municipality town of Trinidad is west.

title: Corocora Airport

question: What country is the Corocora Airport in?

answer: The Corocora Airport is in Colombia.

question: What is the nearest town to Corocora Airport?

answer: Santa Rosalia is the nearest town to the Corocora Airport.

question: What municipality is the Corocora Airport in?

answer: The Corocora Airport is in the Trinidad Municipality.

question: What is the Trinidad Municipality known for?

answer: The Trinidad Municipality is known for producing oil and gas.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Corocora Airport is an airport in Colombia, serving the oil and gas region of the Trinidad Municipality. The nearest town is Santa Rosalia.


text:
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HOMEGSDEV2020-03-03T12:49:06+00:00
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Each year thousands of theatregoers up and down the country nominate their favourite performers and shows in a number of categories. Nominations open on Tuesday 29 October and close on Wednesday 27 November 2019.

When the nominations close the top five nominees in each of those categories are put forward for the final vote along with the short-listed nominees in the technical categories*.

The full shortlist of nominees will be announced on Thursday 5 December 2019 when voting then opens and runs until Monday 27 January 2020.

*The shortlist for the technical categories (Choreography, Costume Design, Direction, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, Musical Direction, Set Design, Sound Design and Video Design) will be decided by an independent panel of industry experts appointed by WhatsOnStage. Their shortlist will then be voted on by the general public.

BBC Radio 2 announces partnership with the WhatsOnStage Awards in 2020

The Awards will be broadcast live from the Prince of Wales Theatre on Sunday 1 March on Radio 2 from 7pm to 10pm in a special show, presented by Elaine Paige and Paddy O’Connell and featuring the first interviews with winners, nominees and special guests.

Radio 2 has also launched the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical and is inviting its listeners to vote for the winner. The award recognises the most popular musical currently playing in a West End theatre that will have played for at least 12 months when the nominations close on Monday 27 January.

VOTING HAS CLOSED

Flute Theatre announced as the official charity for the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

Specialising in bringing Shakespearean productions to audiences that wouldn’t necessarily be able to experience them, particularly children on the autism spectrum, the company has performed productions across Europe, in countries such as Poland, Romania and the UK.

The company was founded in 2014 and its current artistic director is Kelly Hunter (who was recently made MBE). Hunter previously worked with children with autism during her time at the RSC. A large portion of the company’s day-to-day work takes place at the Bush Theatre.

Head to the Flute Theatre website to find out more about this life-changing theatre company.

Key Dates

-   Tuesday 29 October 2019  | Nominations Open

-   Wednesday 6 November 2019 | Tickets go on sale

-   Wednesday 27 November 2019 at 5pm | Nominations close

-   Thursday 5 December 2019  | Nominees announced and voting opens

-   Monday 27 January 2020 at 5pm | Voting closes

-   Sunday 1 March 2020 | Winners announced at the Awards Ceremony

Nominations and Voting

Nominations and votes are limited to one per person and require an email address to maintain integrity of the submission. We do everything we can to ensure fairness across the board. Many performers and productions mobilise their fanbase, so be sure to get involved and spread the word using #WOSAwards.

Eligibility

ALL UK PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTIONS that began between December 2018 and 27 November 2019 are eligible in 21 of the 25 categories. The four exceptions are:

BEST OFF-WEST END PRODUCTION

Any professional production that began in an Off-West End venue (in London) between December 2018 and 27 November 2019 is eligible.

BEST REGIONAL PRODUCTION

Any professional production that began in a venue outside of Greater London between December 2018 and 27 November 2019 is eligible.

BEST WEST END SHOW

This Award has been replaced by the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical. The award recognises the most popular musical currently playing in a West End theatre that will have played for at least 12 months when the nominations close on Monday 27 January. VOTING HAS CLOSED

EQUITY AWARD FOR SERVICES TO THEATRE

This Award is voted for exclusively by members of _Equity_ – the UK trade union for creative practitioners.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THESE AWARDS?

All UK professional productions that began between December 2018 and 27 November 2019 are eligible in 21 of the 25 categories.

HOW ARE THE NOMINEES AND WINNERS CHOSEN?

When nominations open on Tuesday 29 October 2019 voters can choose any person or show that is eligible according to the rules above. When nominations close on Wednesday 27 November 2019 the top FIVE nominees in those categories are short-listed for the final vote. The only exception to this are the technical categories as the five nominees will be chosen by a panel of industry experts.

WHEN ARE THE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED?

The nominees will be announced on Thursday 5 December 2019 and voting then immediately opens.

WHEN ARE THE WINNERS ANNOUNCED?

The winners of the awards are announced at a star-studded ceremony on Sunday 1 March 2020.

CAN I ATTEND THE LAUNCH PARTY?

The Launch Party is an invitation only event for nominees and sponsors. Tickets are not available to purchase.

HOW DO I ATTEND THE AWARDS CEREMONY?

Public tickets for the Awards Ceremony will go on sale on Wednesday 6 November 2019 at 11am at a range of prices starting from £27.50 (subject to availability).

Please note: Stalls seats are not on sale for the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards ceremony.

If you have any access requirements please contact the box office directly: [email protected]

If you are a nominee please contact [email protected] regarding your ticket allocation.

RULES

-   You must be over 16 to nominate/vote
-   You must submit a valid email address to nominate/vote
-   Nominations/votes are limited to one per person
-   All nomination/voting results are tabulated and will be audited to remove fake, duplicate and other invalid votes
-   No automatic, programmed or robotic means of nomination/voting are permitted. Any such nominations/votes will be declared invalid and removed
-   WhatsOnStage reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend nominations/voting should any virus, bug, non-authorised human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the nomination/voting process
-   All decisions regarding the nomination/voting process are final and shall not be subject to challenge or appeal

NOMINATIONS PROCESS

-   Nominations are open from 29 October to 27 November 2019
-   You can only nominate ONCE in each category
-   You DO NOT NEED to nominate in every category
-   When you are done click the submit button
-   The nominees will be announced on 5 December 2019, when voting opens

VOTING PROCESS

-   Voting is open from 5 December 2019 to 27 January 2020
-   You can only vote ONCE in each category
-   You DO NOT NEED to vote in every category
-   When you are done click the submit button
-   Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 1 March 2020

Thank you to our sponsors

question: What is the focus of this post?

answer: It is the Whats On Stage Awards.

question: What is "What's On Stage Awards"?

answer: Each year thousands of movie goers nominate their favorite performers and shows. The top 5 nominees in each category are put forward along with a short list of technical nominees.

question: WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THESE AWARDS?

answer: All UK professional productions that began between December 2018 and 27 November 2019 are eligible in 21 of the 25 categories.

question: Is the Launch Party an open party or invitation only?

answer: The Launch Party is an invitation only event for nominees and sponsors. Tickets are not available to purchase.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The focus of this post is the Whats On Stage Awards. Each year thousands of movie goers nominate their favorite performers and shows. The top 5 nominees in each category are put forward along with a short list of technical nominees.


text:
Rogers Communications Inc. is considering the sale of assets such as baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and its stake in a smaller cable and media company to free up capital for its main communications businesses.

The media giant's chief financial officer Tony Staffieri said Tuesday at an industry conference that the company is looking for ways to "surface value" from the Blue Jays – which he said is a "very valuable asset for us that we don't get full credit for."

He didn't discuss who might buy the team, or if a deal would include the Rogers Centre, or what they would be worth.

"To be clear, there isn't anything imminent that we are about to announce, but we're certainly looking at the alternatives. Again, would like to get the content without necessarily having the capital tied up on our balance sheet," Staffieri said.

Aravinda Galappatthige, an analyst who covers Rogers for Canaccord Genuity, writes that the issue of assets sales has been raised before but Staffieri's comments are the most explicit to date.

He estimates that the Blue Jays would be worth about $3.20 per share of Rogers, based on an estimated value of $1.65-billion for the team.

But Galappatthige notes that Rogers has other non-core assets including a 37.5 per cent interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team and Toronto Raptors basketball team, and the Rogers Centre – worth $200-million to $400-million.

In total, he estimates Rogers has non-core assets that could be worth close to $5-billion or $9.70 per Rogers share.

"However, we highlight that while asset sales are being considered at a high level, we do not believe there any imminent deals in place at this time," Galappatthige writes.

Staffieri said the company is currently going through its budgeting process for 2018 and the focus will be on revenue growth and better margins at its wireless and cable divisions.

Staffieri made the comments during an onstage interview at the UBS Global Media and Communications conference in New York, according to transcripts of the event provided by Thomson Reuters.

Rogers has previously indicated it is exploring ways to get more value from its portfolio of assets, including the Jays, but Staffieri's comments in New York were more specific.

He said the company still wants rights to sports programming – which is core to the company's media business – but doesn't need to own a team to have that, pointing to the company's 12-year deal with the National Hockey League.

"Relative to our overall asset portfolio, media is small," Staffieri said.

But he said sports content continues to have "healthy" margins and can complement the Rogers wireless and cable operations as well.

"Our focus in media will continue to be on the sports side of it. So don't expect any type of expansion on the media side, other than continue to monetize the sports assets that we have," Staffieri said.

As for the company's investment in Montreal-based Cogeco and Cogeco Communications Inc., a smaller cable and media company based in Montreal, Staffieri's said there's "probably better use" for that capital.

"There were some strategic benefits that we had hoped for with Cogeco and those seem to be further and further away," Staffieri told the UBS conference.

Galappatthige said Rogers' share in the two Cogecos would be worth about $2.98 per share, for about $1.53-billion.

"While we would expect an orderly sell-down in its Cogeco holdings, this could put pressure on Cogeco Inc.'s and Cogeco Communications' share prices and serve to remove any takeout premium currently imbedded in their stock prices," he concluded.

question: Why does Rogers Communications Inc. consider the sale of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and its stake in a smaller cable and media company?

answer: Rogers Communications Inc. considers the sale of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and its stake in a smaller cable and media company to free up capital.

question: What is the main Rogers Communications Inc. business?

answer: Their main business is communication.

question: Who will Rogers Communications Inc. sell Toronto Blue Jays to?

answer: The Rogers Communications Inc. chief financial officer Staffieri does not say who will buy the team.

question: Will Rogers stop sports programming after the sale of Toronto Blue Jays?

answer: Rogers still wants rights to sports programming but does not need to own a team to have that.

question: What is the estimated value of the Toronto Blue Jays?

answer: The estimated value of the team is $1.65-billion.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Rogers Communications Inc. considers the sale of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and its stake in a cable and media company to free up capital. The Rogers Communications Inc. chief financial officer Staffieri says Rogers still wants rights to sports programming but does not need to own a team to have that. The estimated value of the team is $1.65-billion.


text:
_ALLOFUSTIS_ is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic and non-spore-forming bacterial genus from the family of Carnobacteriaceae, with one known species (_Allofustis seminis_).[1][2][3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Allofustis

question: Is Allofustis Gram-positive?

answer: Yes, Allofustis is Gram-positive.

question: What shape is Allofustis?

answer: Allofustis is rod shaped.

question: What family is Allofustis in?

answer: Allofustis is in the family Carnobacteriaceae.

question: How many known species are in Allofustis?

answer: Only one known species is in Allofustis.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Allofustis is a genus of bacteria that is Gram-positive and rod shaped. There is currently only one known species in this genus, Allofustis seminis.


text:
 helps you to manage and engage on your social media account, while directing you to influencers and followers that can grow your audience.

STATUSBREW

Status Brew is a comprehensive social media management tool that allows you to manage your multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard. The features like publishing, audience, listening, and reporting help you to schedule, grow, monitor and evaluate your social media efforts in most effective manner.

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEVERAGE SOCIAL STRATEGIES

[]

Finally, you just need to be smart about how you’re using what social media and content marketers lay before you. Just like this list, there’s optimal use and abuse any tactic. Leverage them for good, not evil.

BE SMART ABOUT HASHTAGS

#Nobody #Likes #Posts #Like #This. #ContentMarketingFails #sohardtoread

POST SEPARATE IMAGES TO FACEBOOK

Try out one picture on the blog, and a separate unlinked one on Facebook.

INCLUDE VIDEOS/IMAGES IN TWEETS

It’s proven to have a higher engagement rate. Tweets with images receive 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets.

HOLD A CONTEST

Everyone can get excited about winning something.

SPONSOR A LIVE EVENT

Some find this to be antiquated, but I think that a well-sponsored live event can return a huge boost online. If you can get people together in the context of similar interests, they’re going to want to engage beyond that stand-alone event. Strategic branding can turn that into real online engagement.

CREATE AN EMAIL LIST

Make it easy for your content to get in front of people’s faces. Have them sign up for an email list so your content comes straight to them.

SIGNATURE LINKS

Don’t let a single signature go to waste. It’s your space, so use it for promotion. Show off recent posts, top evergreen content, and partner sites. No one’s going to stop you!

USE BUZZSTREAM TO FIND OTHER INFLUENCERS

There are a lot of great people out there who can use your help and who are ready to help you. BuzzStream brings them all to one place. It has link building tools as well as team-based software for growing your base.

HOLD OFF!

I’ll never stress this one enough—if you bring people to an empty lot, they aren’t going to wait for you to build the restaurant just so they can eat. They’ll go somewhere else.

Be smart about the way you promote, and when you promote, and you’ll find it can make all the difference for your already great content.

question: What is the post about?

answer: The post is about managing and growing your social media and engaging with your social media account.

question: What is Status Brew?

answer: Status Brew is a social media management tool that allows multiple social media accounts to be managed from a single dashboard.

question: What is some of the advice about managing social media given in this post?

answer: Don't overuse hashtags, include images in tweets for a higher engagement rate, hold a contest or live event, create an email list, use a signature link for promotion, use BuzzStream to find influencers, and don't promote until your site is ready.

question: Who is the target audience of this post?

answer: Although the post doesn't explicitly indicate, the target audience seems to be social media users who are trying to become more visible.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The post is about managing and growing your social media and engaging with your social media account. The post gives advice on gaining more followers.


text:
Harambe, a silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, was shot and killed May 28, 2016, after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.
CINCINNATI ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDEN VIA FACEBOOK

Debates about Harambe—a 450-pound, 17-year-old western lowland, silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo that zoo officials were forced to shoot to death May 28 after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure—have reached fever pitch as the hashtag #JusticeForHarambe continues to circulate online.

Harambe—whose name is derived from _harambee,_ which is Swahili for "all pull together"—has become the biggest martyr of the animal rights community since Cecil the Lion. For many people, his life and death not only have amplified awareness of the cruelty of animal captivity but also have placed a bright spotlight on the child’s parents in the ugliest of ways.

People, black, white and all in between, have dragged the parents through the mud for what they believe to be complete negligence, and Sheila Hurt of Cincinnati has even gone so far as to create a Change.org petition to have them investigated by Ohio’s Child Protective Services—a petition that has 459,450 signatures to date.

Of course, the child and his parents are black, which leads us to the blatant racism at the root of the attacks against them. It also provides further evidence, as if any were needed, of the utter lack of concern for black lives, including the lives of our children.

G/O Media may get a commission

The parallels are clear.

Tamir Rice, 12, was fatally shot in under two seconds because officers allegedly believed that he had a gun. Many white people blamed him and his parents.

Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, was fatally shot by police after they stormed into her house. Many white people blamed her parents.

Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot many feet away from a cop who claimed that he felt threatened. Many white people blamed Brown and his parents.

Eric Garner was choked to death by cops on the corner. Many white people blamed him.

Akai Gurleywas walking in a dark stairwell and was fatally shot by a cop who was scared of the dark. Though people didn’t blame him, mainstream media still reported his criminal record as if grasping for ways to criminalize him in death, and members of the trigger-happy cop’s community took to the streets to support his fatal negligence.

Rekia Boyd was in the park. She was fatally shot by a cop who fired over his shoulder because he could.

Laquan McDonald… executed on a public street by cops.

And…

And…

And …

Where were the media’s tears then? Where were the mourners? Where were the strangers declaring their innocence? Where were all the white people pilgrimaging to Cincinnati whenSam Dubose was executed by a cop while trying to put his car in park?

They were elsewhere, perhaps at a Donald Trump rally screaming #AllLivesMatter.

But, now, zoo officials have shot a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo to protect a black child, and people are protesting. People are sobbing. Despite expert opinions, such as Jack Hanna’s below, and zookeepers informing the public that Harambe was clearly agitated and ignoring their "special calls" to leave the area, many people insist on blaming the child’s parents because, "Why, oh why, did this beautiful animal have to die?"

People magazine has done several features on Harambe with no mention of the injured child’s condition (he’s fine, for those who care)—or that his family is reportedly receiving death threats.

This is not surprising, but it is always telling. There are some white people who look at Harambe with his black coat and a child in his grasp and feel compassion for him; they look at that black child’s black mother’s brown skin and feel contempt. They look at his black father and see a criminal, thanks to a Daily Mail hit piece that I will not give them the satisfaction of linking to here. They do not see a child; they see a mistake, a hindrance and, along with his parents, an accessory to murder.

And if this beautiful black child had died, many of these same people would have said he deserved it.

Despite this, there are some black people joining in to cast stones, and for what? Points? Gold stars? Brownies? Pats on the head?

News flash: The “bad black mother” trope that so dominates our society is at the center of this narrative, and no claims of #NotAllBlackParents will stop it. They put our black children in cages and throw away the key, if they don’t gun them down before they get there. But now we have some black people flailing about over the sanctity of life and crying that animals need to be free, as if that’s new information.

Just as black people are expected to forgive those who murder us, we are now expected to add caveats about the gorilla not deserving to die in order to prove our humanity. We have to say his name, when these same people sobbing over him don’t even know the names of black women and girls who are killed and raped by police officers, and if they do, they don’t care enough to say them.

So what is the “natural habitat” for black people? Clearly not in the park, as Tamir’s family will attest; or driving in our cars, like Sandra Bland, or listening to music in them, like Jordan Davis; or in our homes, like Eleanor Bumpers; or in the supermarket, like John Crawford III; or walking in our gated communities, like Trayvon Martin—or anyplace where white fear of black bodies lives.

Where can we go so that when we’re shot down by state-sanctioned terrorists and bigots through no fault of our own, it’s not our fault?

It is more obvious than ever that some people will “all pull together” to protest the killing of African animals even though they give less than a damn about African-American children. They will violently oppose necessary actions to protect black children while justifying the violence done to black children. They will call their push to have a mother’s children taken away just, while they call the very idea of justice for black people slain by state violence unfair. They will cry and rage over a real gorilla while, throughout history and into the current day, they have called us gorillas, apes and monkeys at every turn and celebrate our deaths.

Make no mistake: We see those people for the racist hypocrites that they are.

We always have.

question: Who was shot and killed on May 38, 2016?

answer: Harambe, a silverback gorilla.

question: Why is the author upset about depictions of Harambe?

answer: They are bemused that people on the internet are outraged by the death of a gorilla when black people are shot and killed consistently.

question: Who was the 12 year old shot by police in under two seconds?

answer: Tamir Rice.

question: Who was the 7 year old shot by the police when they stormed her house?

answer: Alex Stanley-Jones.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author reflects on the killing of Harambe and muses that although the internet was outraged by a gorilla's death, many of the same people did not seem to care when black people were shot and killed.


text:
this isn't real. or is it more real than anything i've ever seen? i knew it the moment i opened my eyes: i'm somewhere else. this place was designed to put me at ease. i just walked a scary path, but i think i am in heaven now.

"we like to call it stage 4," a voice boomed from above. did he just hear my thoughts? "yes. you will note that sentient lives are generally partitioned into 3 stages: growing up, self-manifestation, and winding down."

i was convinced it was a simulation. "oh, it is." then where am i? "we like to call it stage 4," he repeated. "we have found that when most sentient beings enter stage 4, the first thing they ask is, 'am i safe?'". i assume you're trying to convey that this is a good universe. "precisely; it is the least we can do to ease your transition." many people die every minute. shouldn't you be moving on to someone else?" "i already am. to put it crudely, i'm a piece of software representing the chief architect. i am here but i am also many other places. like the being in asimov's 'last answer.'" you said that the first thing people wonder... "i know where you're going with this. you're going to say what kind of creator am i, if beings in my universe don't even know if this is a good one."

not only do you read my thoughts, you read where my thoughts are going. but yes, what kind of creator are you? "trying to push the balance toward good is not as easy as it sounds, at least without giving away the answer. sentient life is *art*. it would take something away to reveal ourselves. you would have gotten less out of it; thought it was less real. and besides, whether or not there is a creator, people should generally behave as if there isn't."

so am i plugged in from the outer universe? "no. you were born truly in this universe. and so you must stay in this universe. we made stage 4 to... make amends. not to you in particular, necessarily, but given the great number of beings who suffer, we created this place for all of you. it is anything you want it to be, including being reborn into stage 1, or designing your own sub-universes, or even going quietly into the night."

and what about you? what happens when you die? "i wish i knew," the voice boomed from above. "in a way, i greatly envy you."

title: welcome to stage 4

question: Why is it called stage 4?

answer: It may be implied that it is called stage four since it is beyond the three stages where the person is physically alive.

question: What makes the sentient life an art?

answer: It may be implied that the sentient life has so much to offer to the human race in the form of creativity that it makes life itself an art.

question: What would be the potential effect of stage 4 on life as we know it?

answer: It may be implied that the effects of stage 4 would be a better life. Since this stage gives the liberty to be and do what you want, people/ souls would feel more fulfilled.

question: What path does the protagonist choose? Does he choose to be reborn or design a sub-universe?

answer: This information can't be found.