text:
Two she-wolves fought over a limb, snarling and ripping as they did. Occasionally they would forget the corpse altogether, tumbling into the latecomers who (as beggars could not be choosers) were left to dispose of the still-warm innards. The alpha male guarded the face and chest, sitting at ease with paws out in front, eyes constantly on wandering pups who tested his patience. Any pack member he deemed too close was subject to a few lazy swipes of his claws, teeth exposed in a menacing show of rank. Every now and then he would feign a yawn but snap his jaws shut, a loud crack that caused his pups to scarper and the bitches to whimper, blood smeared snouts hidden deep inside flesh.

Not 10 feet away lay a handgun loaded, cocked and impotent. *If a shot is fired in the forest and no one is present to witness it, does it make a sound?* The wolf whose brains now lay spattered over the ruby red autumn leaves, turning them black, would tell you that it *does*. The power in the buckshot had propelled the beast to onto its side and there it had stayed, twitching uncontrollably as it drowned in its own blood. The pack had not mourned, nor were they spurned on to seek revenge. Cold and calculated they had kept formation, following the scent upwind, quickly filling in gaps created by short-lived disharmony. A few adolescent males had stayed with the dying creature however, nuzzling and pawing but once the death spasms stopped and the stump no longer wheezed red, they too slunk away.

The hill they had stalked him up was dense with trees and plants, carpeted with leaves of a range of deep autumn colours. He, clambering, had flustered up a storm of dying debris as he shot round after round into the air (feeble attempts to scare away the horror that haunted him) to no avail. Rustling leaves caught his attention as he fled, every crunch simply fire in the fuel that supported his aching legs. Still, he ran despite the snarls and yelps that seemed to perpetuate from nowhere, pressing fear deeper into his core. The pack had smelled him less than a league away and he had noticed the howls getting closer and closer every minute. It wasn’t until eyes, flashing red in the moonlight, had begun to pepper the darkness of the thicket that he had run. He had still been in possession of his handgun then; it was lost, dropped as they attacked his arms when they surrounded him at the top of the hill, where the silhouetted trees were at the thickest and not even the sound of traffic could be heard.

The handgun had remained unfired until the wolves, 17 heavy rounds in the magazine, something he did not expect; before he followed the trail up through the plains to the forest he had intended to use it on a more human-like target. Police sirens were floating in the chilled night air, faint and feeble as they blared somewhere in the distance, clearly looking in a very wrong direction. A dusty path leading away from the edge of town was the one he had picked in case of emergency and, as it so happened, the once quiet evening had offered him a level of emergence too invasive to ignore. He had taken luck by the hand when the sirens had first screeched at the front door to his cabin. How on *earth* did they find him there? Not even he knew where it was at the best of times. He had not been near civilisation in almost a year, wandering only *away* from the closest town (he selected those who had become lost and dragged them further away), aided by a shittily drawn map pieced together by the hopeful, confessional ravings of his victims.

The police had, of course, broken the door down and found copious evidence but no one to pin it to. Spreading out they had scoured every room, destroying as they went with shouts of ‘The cunt’s not ‘ere, sir!’ and ‘Clear!’ cutting through the thick and musty air. Meanwhile, he had dropped into the tunnel and scarpered, shotgun strapped to his chest, handgun in its holster and the map fucked somewhere on his table. He had been careful, he had rested assured at nights knowing that nothing in the cabin could be traceable or lead to him but now he felt a snagging doubt slipping into his step, corrupting his mind. He would stop at intervals in the tunnel (it lead up through a well just over half a mile after the start of the trail) and freeze, focussing his hearing to see if they had followed him. Like the worst game of hide and seek, no one had followed him and he had finally made it to the well, allowing for his escape to the hills.

“Look at this stuff, sir. It’s him. It’s got to be. That....is *fucked* up” The policeman pointed, a gloved finger raised towards the obscenities (he had once called it his Wall of Fame) that were thumb-tacked to the wood. Each depicted a gory scene of torture, each victim contorted in agony, features distorted in pain. None looked very alive, at least for not much longer after that specific picture. There was proof, you see, thumb-tacked to the wall of fame. The sergeant began to silently remove the collection, one by one, face down. “It’s guys like this that get what’s coming to them.” A woman, now a man, blood and pain, then a child. He looked at it with a hard stare. “Crime is easy. Getting away with it is easy.” Less and less the horror that adorned the wall sullied the cabin’s inside. It had once been a pleasant home to some pleasant people. “You see,” he spoke to his men now. In his hand was a photograph of a girl no older than 20 who was crying, smeared in her own blood. Fingers that had held the photo had left behind a bloody, but clear, print. “You see, it’s not running away from the crime that’s difficult. Any wild animal can run. It’s *living* with what you’ve done that tests you. You look over your shoulder and lie and hate and writhe from the thought of it. You know that one day you will find yourself backed into a corner with a ghost of everyone whose throat you’ve slit or brains you’ve bashed in. Every time you’ve lied, every frown you’ve forced. You know one day that it will all come back to bite you on the ass. Each ghost just a razor sharp tooth in the mouth of a beast you reared. And when they find you, they *will* have their revenge”.

title: Each Ghost

question: What does the story say about vampires?

question: What is the man's role in the story?

answer: The man is a serial killer who targets people that become lost and kidnaps them. He owns a cabin in the woods where he tortures and kills his victims. The man took pictures of his victims (either dead or near death) and thumb-tacked them into his wall, like a twisted "wall of fame". He is on the run after the police found his cabin, using a network of tunnels to escape. The man got away from the police but was chased by a pack of wolves, who surrounded him at the top of a hill.

question: What is the significance of the wolves hunting the serial killer in relation to the story?

answer: The pack of wolves hunting (and possibly killing) the serial killer fulfills what the sergeant said about guys like the serial killer getting what's coming to them. Killers can get away with their crimes easily. The hard part is living with what they have done. Killers always look over their shoulders knowing full well that one day, they will find themselves backed into a corner with the ghosts of everyone they've killed.

question: What does the text say about the wolves' motivation for hunting the serial killer?

answer: The pack of wolves was probably motivated to hunt the serial killer because of hunger and territory. The man ended up in the wolves' territory while he was running from the police, and the pack needed to hunt him down as a message to other animals not to wander into wolf territory. The wolves might have also been hungry at the time. The wolves aren't motivated by anger or revenge after the serial killer shot a member of the pack.


split: train

text:
[Health Data]

An analysis now shows Veterans Affairs is “egregiously” blocking access to hospital data mandated under the Hospital Share initiative.

The Sunlight Foundation conducted a government transparency assessment of VA and ripped the agency for being horrifically not transparent.

HOSPITAL DATA TRANSPARENCY?

About the disgraceful cover-up within VA, Sunlight Foundation stated:

  “The absence of a new open government plan from the Department of Veterans Affairs over the past six years is not only an egregious flouting of President Barack Obama’s 2009 Open Government Directive, but a failure in governance that calls into question whether such plans accurately reflect the priorities and mission of agencies.”

The Sunlight Foundation also stated:

  “On that count, we call on Congress, the VA and the Department of Health and Human services to restore hospital performance data. A blank website at hospitalcompare.va.gov is a national embarrassment. Of the 733 datasets from the VA on Data.gov, the five related to healthcare date back to 2009. That’s not good enough.”

Normally, the Sunlight Foundation is generally moderate in tone, but apparently the gross dysfunction and obfuscation of data about health care.

You should email Secretary McDonald to ask him to abide by the Obama Administration’s transparency mandate to back up agency assertions that the wait list scandal was cleaned up.

[email protected] (his public email that usually gets answered by ghost writers)

I will be in Washington DC soon for an event discussing veterans appeals. You should ask Secretary Bob to meet with me about your concerns.

Tell Bob, “Hey Buddy, it is time you put up or shut up about health care reforms. You cannot assert you fixed the wait list problems while refusing to back up your assertions with real data.”

Source: https://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2016/09/30/the-department-of-veterans-affairs-needs-a-new-open-government-plan/

question: Why is there a complaint about the Veterans Affairs?

answer: The Sunlight Foundation conducted a transparency assessment of Veterans Affairs. They found the institution to be severely lacking in that regard. Transparency is mandated in the Open Government directive.

question: What directive establishes the requirement of sharing hospital data?

answer: President Obama's 2009 Open Government Directive establishes the requirement.

question: How comprehensive is the Veterans Affairs hospital data?

answer: It's not comprehensive at all. Their latest datasets are six years old.

question: Why is the tone of the Sunlight Foundations' message about the issue harsh?

answer: It seems that the gross dysfunction and obfuscation of data about health care ticked them off.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Analysis shows Veterans Affairs blocks access to hospital data mandated under the Hospital Share initiative. The latest dataset from VA belongs to 2009, about 6 years old. The mandate was part of President Obama's 2009 Open Government Directive. Sunlight Foundation chides the VA in a request of hospital performance data.


text:
Well for starters, my elevator buddy and I would have already said hello. Because that's what you do when a random cutie comes into the elevator and sends you a dashing smile.

And when the elevator broke, I'd say something funny, like, "Well, I meant to break the ice, but I think I accidentally got the elevator instead." Cue my cute smile, and blush. I'd throw a nervous hand up into blonde curls, and just look at him with big brown eyes while biting my lip. He'd be cool about it, chuckle, and just roll with it. We'd start talking.

I'd bring up random questions, and talk to him like he was closer to me than God. Just really honest, heart to heart conversations. When he asked me about my childhood, I wouldn't be afraid to put some of the nitty gritty ugly stuff out there, but I'd put perspective. About how I've grown up. I'm independent. I'm over all that pain. And I'm new in the city.

He'd tell me he's been raised here all his life, and that his mom just passed away. I'd understand, because my mom was my only role model. He knew that, too, based on my story. He's actually on the way to clean out her apartment, and the only key he could find is the one was the one he decorated for her in third grade. He tears up as he shows me, it's the only key floating around in his pocket not attached to a key ring.

I hold his hand, and tell him it's going to be okay. That when this elevator starts working, he doesn't have to clean up his past alone. I'll help him, because even though I have work to do, this just feels right.

And he starts to smile, and thanks me, and holds me tight. And just as he's about to kiss me, the elevator starts again. We make out until it reaches his floor.

We giggle. We go back to his late-mother's apartment holding hands. We have passionate sex on the floor. And when I'm done, I look up on the pictures and see his family photo. He's sitting for the portrait with his wife and three children.

And I feel like a broken elevator, I can't decide whether or not to go down back to my room or back up to bed with him.

title: "If you were stuck in an elevator with a stranger for more than an hour, what would you do?"

question: What is the twist ending of the story?

answer: The man lied to her and manipulated her.

question: What does the man lie to her about?

answer: That his mother has just died.

question: What does the main character discover?

answer: That the man is actually married.

question: Why does the main character bond with the man?

answer: They got stuck in an elevator.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A man and a woman get stuck in an elevator together. They share stories of their lives. Then the man takes the woman back to his apartment. They make love, but then she sees a picture of his wife and children.


text:
[best rate]

APPLY FOR THE BEST LOAN IN 2 MINUTES!

APPLY NOW

You're eligible for a Loan if you're...

At least 21 years old, but not more than 70 years old upon loan maturity

A Filipino citizen with a residence and office landline

Regularly employed for at least 1 year with a minimum gross monthly income of Php 10k

Self-employed operating a legitimate business that has been profitable for at least 3 years

How does LoanSolutions.ph work?

-   __
-   Step 1

    FILL OUT APPLICATION FORM

-   Tell us your personal information like name and contact details. We need this to process your loan application.

-   __
-   Step 2

    Get Matched with Lenders

-   Check your loan options from our partner banks and lenders and choose the best one.

-   __
-   Step 3

    GET YOUR LOAN!

-   Get your loan after processing and approval from our partners.

Example: A loan of Php 160,000 has a monthly repayment of Php 6,364, payable within 36 months or 3 years when calculated at 1.2% interest rate (15% APR).

Disclaimer: A typical APR from our network of banks and lenders ranges from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 20% with minimum loan term of 12 months to a maximum loan term of 36 months and no application fee. The example above only includes interest and principal payments and is true only for this example. Different loan amounts via different lenders and banks within our network may result in a different comparison rate and may require an application fee.

question: What company/website is being advertised?

answer: LoanSolutions.ph

question: What are some factors that make you eligible for a loan?

answer: You have to be at least 21 years, but not more than 70 upon loan maturity. You also have to be a Filipino citizen with a residence and office landline.

question: How do you fill out the application form?

answer: You tell the business your personal information like name and contact details.

question: What is step 3?

answer: You get your loan after processing and approval from the business's partners.

question: Does this business offer student loans?

answer: That information can't be found in the document.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This document is an advertisement for LoanSolutions.ph, which is seemingly a loan company based in the Philippines. The document goes over requirements and the steps to get a loan.


text:
Learn and practice the following, frequently-used, Czech verbs. In many languages, the most important verbs are often completely irregular, and so must be learned individually and carefully. Many of these verbs, particularly _být_, are frequently used as auxillary verbs, and are thus doubly important.

_Být_ - To Be[edit | edit source]

"To be" is the most irregular verb in the Czech language, as indeed it is in English and many other languages. It is also the most important, because it is used as an auxillary verb to form both the past and future tense, and features in other grammatical constructions as well.

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

_BÝT_ has an irregular present-tense conjugation, in that both the stem (_js-_) and the conjugal suffixes don't follow the any of the usual, regular rules for present conjugation in Czech.

             1st person        2nd person         3rd person
  ---------- ----------------- ------------------ ---------------------
  Singular   _jsem_ = I am     _jsi_ = you are    _je_ = he/she/it is
  Plural     _jsme_ = we are   _jste_ = you are   _jsou_ = they are

Past participle[edit | edit source]

_BYL, BYLA, BYLO; BYLI, BYLY, BYLA._ When talking about a singular subject, you need only know the (grammatical) gender of the subject...

             Masculine        Feminine           Neuter
  ---------- ---------------- ------------------ -----------------
  Singular   _byl_ = he was   _bylA_ = she was   _bylO_ = it was

... but things are a little different when you want to say "they were".

  ---------------------------------------------------------
           Masculine _animate_   Feminine &        Neuter
                                 masc. inanimate
  -------- --------------------- ----------------- --------
  Plural   _bylI_                _bylY_            _bylA_
  ---------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

_BUDU, BUDEŠ, BUDE; BUDEME, BUDETE, BUDOU._ For the FUTURE IMPERFECT ("I will do such-and-such") aspect, one uses the infinitive (dictionary) form of the verb with the appropriate future tense form of _být_, which functions like the English future auxillary verb "will".

          1                    2                     3
  ------- -------------------- --------------------- -------------------------
  Sing.   _budu_ = I will      _budeš_ = you will    _bude_ = he/she/it will
  Plu.    _budeme_ = we will   _budete_ = you will   _budou_ = they will

Predictably, the future tense of _být_ by itself, expresses "I/you/he/etc. will be".

Imperative mood[edit | edit source]

_BUĎ, BUĎTE, BUĎME!_ There are three ways to order people about in Czech. When it comes to _být_, the stem for the imperative, _buď-_, is irregular. If you're talking to one person, you can use the second-person-singular: _buď!_ If there are more than one person, or you wish to be more formal, use the plural: _buďte!_ Finally, if you want to include yourself in the group, there's the first-person-plural: _buďme!_

Conditional mood[edit | edit source]

The CONDITIONAL MOOD in Czech is constructed from the past participle and special forms of _být_. We use conditionals whenever we use the phrase "I would..." to say what might have occured had things been otherwise (had some _condition_ prevailed). The most familiar and useful of conditional expressions is "I would like... ": _Chtěl bych..._

          1                     2                     3
  ------- --------------------- --------------------- ------------------------
  Sing.   _bych_ = I would      _bys_ = you would     _by_ = he/she/it would
  Plu.    _bychom_ = we would   _byste_ = you would   _by_ = they would

Passive voice[edit | edit source]

One of two ways to form the PASSIVE VOICE in Czech involves the verb _být_. English speakers also use "to be" when forming a passive sentence, such as the following one. A passive sentence is formed from the approriate tense of _být_, followed by the PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of the main verb. _Být_ does not itself have such a participle, as it cannot meaningfully be used in the passive voice.

_Dávat_ - To Give[edit | edit source]

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

          1                    2                     3
  ------- -------------------- --------------------- --------------------------
  Sing.   _dávám_ = I give     _dáváš_ = you give    _dává_ = he/she/it gives
  Plu.    _dáváme_ = we give   _dáváte_ = you give   _dávají_ = they give

Past participle[edit | edit source]

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine           Masculine           Feminine              Neuter
          (animate)           (inanimate)
  ------- ------------------- ------------------- --------------------- --------------------
  Sing.   _dával_ = he gave   _dával_ = it gave   _dávalA_ = she gave   _dávalO_ = it gave

  Plu.    _dávalI_            _dávalY_            _dávalY_              _dávalA_
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

          1                             2                              3
  ------- ----------------------------- ------------------------------ ----------------------------------
  Sing.   _BUDU dávat_ = I'll give      _BUDEŠ dávat_ = you'll give    _BUDE dávat_ = he/she/it'll give
  Plu.    _BUDEME dávat_ = we'll give   _BUDETE dávat_ = you'll give   _BUDOU dávat_ = they'll give

_Dělat_ - To Do or Make[edit | edit source]

_Dělat_ is not an irregular verb (is is in fact a class-V or á-type verb), but it is a very frequently used and useful one.

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

          1                  2                   3
  ------- ------------------ ------------------- -------------------------
  Sing.   _dělÁM_ = I do     _dělÁŠ_ = you do    _dělÁ_ = he/she/it does
  Plu.    _dělÁME_ = we do   _dělÁTE_ = you do   _dělAJÍ_ = they do

Past participle[edit | edit source]

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine          Masculine          Feminine             Neuter
          (animate)          (inanimate)
  ------- ------------------ ------------------ -------------------- -------------------
  Sing.   _dělal_ = he did   _dělal_ = it did   _dělalA_ = she did   _dělalO_ = it did

  Plu.    _dělalI_           _dělalY_           _dělalY_             _dělalA_
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

          1                           2                            3
  ------- --------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
  Sing.   _BUDU dělat_ = I'll do      _BUDEŠ dělat_ = you'll do    _BUDE dělat_ = he/she/it'll do
  Plu.    _BUDEME dělat_ = we'll do   _BUDETE dělat_ = you'll do   _BUDOU dělat_ = they'll do

_Chtít_ - To Want[edit | edit source]

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

          1                    2                     3
  ------- -------------------- --------------------- --------------------------
  Sing.   _chci_ = I want      _chceš_ = you want    _chce_ = he/she/it wants
  Plu.    _chceme_ = we want   _chcete_ = you want   _chtějí_ = they want

Past participle[edit | edit source]

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine             Masculine             Feminine                Neuter
          (animate)             (inanimate)
  ------- --------------------- --------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
  Sing.   _chtěl_ = he wanted   _chtěl_ = it wanted   _chtělA_ = she wanted   _chtělO_ = it wanted

  Plu.    _chtělI_              _chtělY_              _chtělY_                _chtělA_
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

          1                             2                              3
  ------- ----------------------------- ------------------------------ ----------------------------------
  Sing.   _BUDU chtít_ = I'll want      _BUDEŠ chtít_ = you'll want    _BUDE chtít_ = he/she/it'll want
  Plu.    _BUDEME chtít_ = we'll want   _BUDETE chtít_ = you'll want   _BUDOU chtít_ = they'll want

_Jít_ & _Jet_ - To Go[edit | edit source]

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

          1                 2                  3
  ------- ----------------- ------------------ ------------------------
  Sing.   _jdu_ = I go      _jdeš_ = you go    _jde_ = he/she/it goes
  Plu.    _jdeme_ = we go   _jdete_ = you go   _jdou_ = they go

          1                  2                   3
  ------- ------------------ ------------------- -------------------------
  Sing.   _jedu_ = I go      _jedeš_ = you go    _jede_ = he/she/it goes
  Plu.    _jedeme_ = we go   _jedete_ = you go   _jedou_ = they go

Past participle[edit | edit source]

_ŠEL, ŠLA, ŠLO; ŠLI, ŠLI, ŠLA._ _Jít_ has an irregular set of past participles.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine         Masculine         Feminine           Neuter
          (animate)         (inanimate)
  ------- ----------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------
  Sing.   _šel_ = he went   _šel_ = it went   _šla_ = she went   _šlo_ = it went

  Plu.    _šli_             _šli_             _šli_              _šla_
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_JEL, JELA, JELO; JELI, JELY, JELA._ _Jet_ has a rather more regular past tense.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine         Masculine         Feminine            Neuter
          (animate)         (inanimate)
  ------- ----------------- ----------------- ------------------- ------------------
  Sing.   _jel_ = he went   _jel_ = it went   _jela_ = she went   _jelo_ = it went

  Plu.    _jeli_            _jely_            _jely_              _jela_
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

_PŮJDU, PŮJDEŠ, PŮJDE; PŮJDEME, PŮJDETE, PŮJDOU._ _Jít_ like some other verbs expressing movement, possesses an irregular future tense, instead of using auxillary _být_. The future tense is constructed from the prefix _pů-_, and the present conjugation, as shown below.

          1                      2                       3
  ------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ---------------------------
  Sing.   _PŮjdu_ = I'll go      _PŮjdeš_ = you'll go    _PŮjde_ = he/she/it'll go
  Plu.    _PŮjdeme_ = we'll go   _PŮjdete_ = you'll go   _PŮjdou_ = they'll go

_POJEDU, POJEDEŠ, POJEDE; POJEDEME, POJEDETE, POJEDOU._ _Jet_, similarly, posesses a future tense constructed from the present tense, preceded by the prefix _po-_.

          1                       2                        3
  ------- ----------------------- ------------------------ ----------------------------
  Sing.   _POjedu_ = I'll go      _POjedeš_ = you'll go    _POjede_ = he/she/it'll go
  Plu.    _POjedeme_ = we'll go   _POjedete_ = you'll go   _POjedou_ = they'll go

_Mít_ - To Have[edit | edit source]

Present conjugation[edit | edit source]

          1                  2                   3
  ------- ------------------ ------------------- ----------------------
  Sing.   _mÁM_ = I have     _mÁŠ_ = you have    _mÁ_ = he/she/it has
  Plu.    _mÁME_ = we have   _mÁTE_ = you have   _mAJÍ_ = they have

Past participle[edit | edit source]

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Masculine        Masculine        Feminine           Neuter
          (animate)        (inanimate)
  ------- ---------------- ---------------- ------------------ -----------------
  Sing.   _měl_ = he had   _měl_ = it had   _mělA_ = she had   _mělO_ = it had

  Plu.    _mělI_           _mělY_           _mělY_             _mělA_
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future tense[edit | edit source]

          1                           2                            3
  ------- --------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
  Sing.   _BUDU mít_ = I'll have      _BUDEŠ mít_ = you'll have    _BUDE mít_ = he/she/it'll have
  Plu.    _BUDEME mít_ = we'll have   _BUDETE mít_ = you'll have   _BUDOU mít_ = they'll have

question: Which is the most irregular and also the most important verb in the Czech language?

answer: "To be" - _Byt_

question: Why is "To be" the most important verb in the Czech language?

answer: It is used as an auxiliary verb to form both the past and future tenses. It features in other grammatical constructions as well.

question: What do you need to know to talk about a singular subject?

answer: You need only know the grammatical gender of the subject, e.g. masculine, feminine or neuter.

question: In which three ways can you order persons around in Czech?

answer:
1. If you're talking to one person, you can use the second-person-singular: _buď!_
2. If there are more than one person, or you wish to be more formal, use the plural: _buďte!_
3. If you want to include yourself in the group, there's the first-person-plural: _buďme!_

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Czech verbs are given here in a format with which it can be learnt and practiced. It is noted that the most important verbs are irregular and should be learned individually.


text:
The MASTERCRAFT BOAT COMPANY is a United States-based manufacturer of luxury high-performance boats. The company was founded in 1968 in Maryville, Tennessee, and is currently headquartered in Vonore, Tennessee.[1] MasterCraft boats are used in waterskiing, wakeboarding and wakesurfing, though the company has also produced several boats that are not focused on water sports, such as the NauticStar line of fishing boats.[2]

History

[MasterCraft] MasterCraft's founder Rob Shirley was a young waterskiing instructor who opened a waterskiing school in Florida 1965. In 1968, with the help of a few fellow waterskiers, he modified a Ski Nautique boat manufactured by Correct Craft. The boat was completed in August, and debuted at the U.S. Nationals in Canton, Ohio. In that same year Rob had to close the school and moved to his wife's parent's farm in Maryville, Tennessee. There he founded the MasterCraft Boat Company, which initially operated out of a two-horse barn.[3]

During its first year of operation, MasterCraft only built 12 boats using the modified hull design. The operating facility was moved to Vonore, Tennessee and now has approximately 600 employees. As of 2006, MasterCraft produced over 3,000 boats per year, sold in 25 different countries by over 100 domestic and international dealers.

Some of its most popular boats today are the Prostar series of direct drive ski boats, and the X-Series Wakeboard boats, many of which share hulls with the Prostar series, but come equipped with wakeboard-specific features such as ballast tanks and a wakeboard tower. All MasterCraft Models use Ilmor inboard marine engines built on the General Motors 5.7, 6.0, 6.2, and 7.4-liter V8 engine blocks.

In 2007, the company was acquired by two private equity firms: Charlesbank Capital Partners and Transportation Resource Partners (affiliated with Roger Penske). In 2010, the company was recapitalized by Wayzata Investment Partners.[4]

In May 2015, MasterCraft filed for an IPO to raise $100M.[5]

On July 17, 2015, Nasdaq announced that trading of MCBC Holdings Inc., operator of MasterCraft Boat Company, commenced on The Nasdaq Stock Market trading as (Nasdaq:MCFT).[6]

[1]

[2]

[3] “MasterCraft Boat Company, Inc.”. Encyclopedia.com website, accessed on 2019-05-15.

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: MasterCraft

question: How long did Rob Shirley have the waterskiing school in Florida?

answer: Three years.

question: How many boats did MasterCraft build in 1968?

answer: 12.

question: What if Rob did not have to close the skiing school?

answer: Maybe he would never found MasterCraft.

question: How many boats did MasterCraft build in 2009?

answer: Over 3000.


text:
Suzy sat at her grandmother's lap, in the old house that her grandmother had lived in for many years now. She loved nights like these, where her grandmother would tell her stories. To her eight year old eyes, grandma was the wisest person in the whole city... no... the whole world. As her eyes scanned the room as her grandmother told her about how in her days they used to catch dragonflies and tie them on string, something glistened softly on the mantelpiece where the fireplace was. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a red stone set in what seemed to be a crude flower frame, no larger than her thumb. Curious about the object she turned and asked her grandmother, who had the answer to everything "Gramma, what's that?".

Anna was taken by surprise, because Suzy had been quiet all the while. She looked in the direction that her granddaughter was pointing, and saw the little brooch on the mantelpiece. "Why Suzy, you mean the little flower brooch over there? The red one?" said Anna. Suzy looked confused. "Gramma... what's a broooch?" she asked. Anna laughed and said as simply as she could "Well, it's a shiny thing just like that one, which we sometimes use to pin to clothes". "ohh..." said Suzy, and she got up to take a closer look. Her grandmother motioned to her to bring it closer, and Suzy sat in her lap once more, this time with brooch in hand.

"Where did you get it from gramma? Did grampa give it to you?" asked Suzy. Anna laughed again, then with a slightly more solemn expression said "No, not from grampa. It was a present from someone else, when I was very young. In fact, I think I was just about your age". "Wow... who was it?" asked Suzy, filled with curiousity. Anna smiled gently at her granddaughter, and told her story just as she remembered it...

Anna was playing in the snow then, something she had always loved. Her father had been gone for 2 years at that point, and her mother was busy at work as usual. Her brother was in the house, studying furiously as he had been for some time, and he was never any fun. So she had gone to her secret spot in the hilltop where she could see the whole town and where the air was fresher. There she observed the hustle and bustle as the people went about their day in the city below, and she drew circles in the snow. Ah... bliss.

Not long after she had begun to build a tiny snowman army, she heard footsteps coming up the pathway. Turning around, she saw a man dressed in a winter coat walking up the path. When he caught sight of her, he smiled and winked at her. "Ah, so my secret place isn't so secret after all, is it?" he said. Anna frowned and said "Nuh uh, this is my secret place! I came here first! It's mine, mister!". "Ah, you must be right! My mistake. Well, it's been a tough day, so would you mind sharing your special spot with me for awhile so I can catch my breath?" said the man playfully. Anna inspected him from head to toe before finally saying "Well... you look you're not a bad guy, so I guess I'll let you. But just this once!". The man smiled, and thanked her graciously.

He sat there in the snow watching the city, while she continued building the snowman army. Once that was complete, she started work on the bad guys, big monstrous creatures. Of course, they would still be no match for her army, because the bad guys always lose in the end. All of the stories her mother told her ended that way.

After he had sat there for a long time, he came over to her to see what she had made. "So... what do have here, little one?" he asked again. "These" she said, pointing to the snowman army "are the good guys and they will fight against" then she pointed to the monsters she had made out of snow "these baddies here. And they'll win of course!". The man smiled, a little sadly. "Do the good guys always win?" he asked weakly. "Yes! Of course they do!" said Anna confidently. The man fell silent for a short while. Then he said "I wish I had your conviction little one, but sometimes it feels as though no matter what I do, no matter how hard we fight, the bad guys won't give in". "Don't worry mister" said Anna, "as long as you're a good guy you have nothing to fear, right?". He smiled, and then nodded.

"You're right, little one." he said. "It's hard sometimes. I'm sure even for a little one like you this war has been hard. So many of our people are suffering because of it. Yet it is a necessary suffering, because we have to win against the bad guys. We have to do what is right." he said with a steely resolve in his voice. "I promise you little one, when this war is over, things will be good again. We will have won against the bad guys, and things will be good" he said. Anna jumped excitedly upon hearing this, and danced in the snow. "You better win against the baddies mister!" she said. the man simply nodded in response.

They heard footsteps walking up the hill, and a soldier dressed in full military regalia walked towards them. The man smiled and said "looks like I have to go little one. You have been good company, and I feel refreshed. Thank you for sharing your spot with me". He pulled out a brooch from his coat pocket, shaped like a flower and with a ruby in the middle and handed it to her. "This I bought for someone else, but I think it is better left with you". Anna stared at the shiny brooch, and beamed with excitement upon receiving something so beautiful. She hugged him in gratitude.

Then the soldier spoke "Fuhrer, it is time for us to go". The man smiled at Anna once more, and he left with the soldier.

That was the first and last time she ever saw the man in person.

"Why do you keep it gramma?" asked Suzy. "Well..." said Anna, "I used to believe, just like that man that evil and good were two easily distinguishable things. That there were the good guys and the bad guys, and the purpose of the good guys was to make sure the bad guys were defeated at all costs. People will tell you this Suzy, that this man is bad, or that man is good. In reality I think that it isn't anywhere near that simple." She held her granddaughter close.

" I guess the reason I keep it Suzy, is to remind myself to never lose sight of the humanity that is in us all".

title: Red

question: In what time period is the story set?

answer: The soldier refers to the older man as the Fuhrer, probably referring to Adolf Hitler. This story was set in Germany during the second world war. An ongoing war is referred to.

question: Who gave Anna the brooch?

answer: An older man approached her while she was playing and sat with her for a while. A soldier comes to fetch the man and refers to him as Fuhrer, referring to Adolf Hitler.

question: What does the brooch remind Anna of?

answer: Anna keeps the brooch because it reminds her that there is humanity in us all.

question: Explain why Anna kept the brooch.

answer: Anna kept the brooch because good and evil are not easily distinguishable things.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: An 8 year old girl, Suzy, asks her grandmother, Anna, about a brooch on the mantelpiece. Anna explains that when she was 8 years old she was building an army of snow men when a man approached and asked if he could enjoy the view. Later he asked what she was building and she told him about the good guys always beating the bad guys. When he is called away by a soldier he gives her a brooch. This brooch, given by the Fuhrer, reminds Anna that there is humanity in all of us.


text:
I stare down at my arm. It’s so pale and unblemished. I slowly lift up my razor blade. I can feel it’s cold anticipation, ready to tear my skin apart, which is exactly what it’s going to do. I drag it across my flesh in a long slow drag. I watch as the warm crimson spreads. My arm, my clothes, -nothing remains dry. Why do I do this to myself? I keep saying that I’m going to stop.
	Suddenly there is a knock at my door. I panic. I wrap a dirty cloth around my arm and run into the hotel closet. “Get out here right now you little bitch.” I can already tell who it is from their voice. My drug dealer. As I’m crouching in the closet I try to slow my breathing, but my heart jumps when the door is kicked in. There’s a tiny hole in the closet door, and I lean forward to put my eye to it. I can see he’s brought company. They’ve moved into another area of my hotel room, possibly the kitchen. I close my eyes as I strain to hear them, but by the time I open my eyes I’m too late. I feel a searing hot rod force its way into the back of my skull. I can’t stop screaming, and that attracts the rest of the men.
	I have no choice but to obey. I come out of the closet quietly while they tie me up.  I try to remain calm, but I falter as the boss begins to talk. “Guess what Sabrina? I woke up today and I found all my drugs and money gone. You’re the last person I’ve sold to in days. What did you do with them?
	I have no idea what he’s talking about. He’s probably high right now. But then I suddenly remember something. The razor blade on my bed. At the current moment they have me tied up, lying face down on the floor. I look up at him and use my most innocent voice. “I didn’t do it, but I know who did. But right now I’m a little uncomfortable. You can keep me tied up, but please let me lie down on the bed. “
	“Why should I care if you’re comfortable or not?”
“Because otherwise I’m not  going to say a thing.”
	“I guess I’ll just have to beat it outta ya.”
I smile a cocky grin. “You already poked out one of my eyes and I haven’t said anything yet.” I hear him curse under his breath as he throws me onto the bed.  Within seconds I find the razor blade and start to cut at the rope that imprisons me. I’m done quickly and he doesn’t even notice.
	“Quite stalling and tell me something already.”
“Oh, I’ll tell you something.”
	“what’s that?”
“you’re going to die.”
I throw my razor, quick and sleek, and watch as his blood spurts out. His goonies have seen enough, and bolt for the door.  They think they’re going to get away, but they’re not. I grab the two closest things on the end table next to my bed, a pen and a vase. I sprint out my door and quickly catch them in the parking garage. The first assailant makes the mistake of turning around to look at me, and I smash the vase into his face, sending a million shards of glass into his eyes, flesh, and even mouth. I grab a piece before it hits the ground and I kill him like I did his boss, by slicing his throat. This whole time his buddy has just been standing there, watching me kill him. Once his friend is done it’s only me and him, and he has my full attention. I take my pen and jab it into his right eye, just like the one that got damaged on my own face less than five minutes ago. I quickly pluck the pen back out and sink it into his heart, and let his body drop. I don’t care about the mess, let the staff clean it up.

title: Short story 1 (warning:bloddy/gore)

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The drug dealer calls her Sabrina, she is a woman who self harms.

question: Why is the drug dealer pursuing the narrator?

answer: The drug dealer accuses Sabrina of stealing his drugs and money because she is the last one he sold to.

question: Why does the narrator kill the men?

answer: She might have killed the drug dealer out of self defense. She pursued the drug dealer's goons to the parking garage and killed them as well.

question: Did the narrator steal the drugs and money?

answer: The narrator has no idea what the drug dealer is talking about when he accuses her of taking the drugs and money. She did not steal the drugs and money.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: A woman, Sabrina, is busy cutting herself in her hotel room when there is a knock on the door. Her drug dealer demands to know what she did with the drugs and money that she stole from him. She did not steal the drugs or money. She cuts through her bonds with the razor blade she used earlier and kills the drug dealer with it. Then she pursues his goons to the parking garage and kills them as well.


text:
[]

[]

Anna recently celebrated her birthday, but her party was a muted affair. Not many people feel like celebrating in times like these. Their country has been at war for six years. Most don’t really know the reason why or how it started; Anna herself was merely twelve when it began. All she knows is that the city she lives in is bombed often and most of the men in her life—friends, family, lovers—have been conscripted by the army. Many of them have died while others are listed as missing in action. Some have come back from the front horribly mutilated, missing limbs, minds shattered.

Anna’s unsure when the war will end but despite the calm reassurances of the country’s leader (who become leader for life twelve years ago, when she was six), rumours circulate that her country is losing the war. Anna suspects this is true since the evidence is all around her. All the men save those too old or too young have been placed in uniform and marched off. Incessant bombing raids by the enemy’s air force, obviously uncontested by her the pilots of her own country, occur on almost a bi-weekly basis. Leaflets dropped from enemy planes inundate the country side, and even though the security forces have threatened anyone who reads them with death, trusted friends have shown them to Anna. The leaflet’s say that the enemies forces are closing in on their country’s borders with alarming speed.

Anna is scared yet has no idea what to do. Her father is gone, brothers too. Her mother was grievously wounded in a bombing raid and is hospitalized. She is on her own, and tries to live life as best she can.

One day, to the east, Anna hears a battle being fought close to the city. Soon thereafter many of her country’s soldiers enter the city, retreating west as fast as they can. Anna desperately wants to join them, but this city is her home. Her mother is in the hospital here, and if she leaves how will her brothers and father be able to find her? There is also the fact that enemy soldiers are closing in from the west as well. In the end she does not see the point of fleeing. She hopes for the best.

The next morning the enemy arrive. A motley force of weary faced men and women riding on tanks with submachine guns slung across their backs fill the streets. During the day they drive through the city in column after column, seemingly numberless. Most soldiers seem to pay her no heed; a couple even wave Anna over and offer food. Having been near starvation for the last year she cautiously accepts it, thanking them in her language even though they can’t understand each other.

Toward evening columns begin to stop. Soldiers dismount off tanks to prepare their dinners. Anna see bottles of alcohol begin to circulate, and as the sun settles she listens to an ever increasing chorus of gun fire rattling in adjacent neighbourhoods and raucous laughter echoing off ruined buildings. Anna locks her door and tries to go to sleep.

A few hours later the screams begin. Women’s screams. More laughter. Anna rolls out of bed and peeks out the window. Out in the street, illuminated by headlights (the electricity in her city has been out since February) she sees clusters of enemy soldiers. In the middle of them she sees pale, writhing bodies. Women. Women surrounded by men. They’re being raped. Suddenly Anna notices a soldier notice her, and she retreats away from the window. Within minutes her door is kicked in. Three soldiers rush in, blinding her with their flashlights. They shout at her in their language.

“I don’t understand you!” Anna cries back.

“Come! Come!” they bark in a crude attempt at her language.

Anna shakes her head and screams as hands grab her by the arm and hair. She’s forced outside into the street.

“Stop! Let me go!” she pleads.

A fist hits her. Her head is yanked back. The cold barrel of a pistol is shoved against the side of her head. She can actually feel, not just hear, the hammer being pulled back.

“Fuck you!” the owner barks in her ear. “Fuck you!” another shouts as he strikes her again.

Her dress is ripped off, her underwear thrown aside. There is no hesitation. The moment she’s forced down to the street a soldier begins to rape her. He finishes inside Anna quickly, but another jumps on her before the first has even pulled up his underwear. By the time the fourth one finishes Anna feels numb. They surround her, laughing, occasionally kicking or shoving a gun into her face. There are even women in uniform watching, goading their countrymen on. Occasionally, when the light passes over exposed male genitalia, Anna sees sores and bumps, sure signs of venereal disease. Sometimes, when it’s close to her face, Anna imagines she can even see crabs squirming in their pubic hair. And the whole time pictures are taken of the assault like she’s a hunter’s trophy.

Eventually it just seems to stop. Her vagina is mutilated. Anna gathers her rags about herself and drags herself upstairs to try and sleep.

The next day she visits one of the few doctors not conscripted into the army. The line into his inadequately staffed and grossly under-supplied office goes around the block. In the improvised emergency room she is crudely disinfected with very little medicine, and the doctor only has enough stitches to sew up the worst parts outside her vagina. He can’t get the rips inside her because he’s far too busy and ill equipped to do so. She goes home and tries to let her body heal itself. There is no one there to comfort her and with the water not running Anna can’t even take a bath to clean herself.

Anna is raped again that night and several other times thereafter. A tell tale bump appears after weeks of living like this. She’s pregnant with the enemy’s child. She could never tell which one of the dozens of men who raped her fathered it.

This horrifying scenario is what millions of German women in 1944 and 1945 lived through when the Soviet Red Army swept toward them. It’s undoubtedly what many women throughout history on the losing sides of war faced. Nothing I wrote above was made up or exaggerated. In 1944 the Red Army on the Eastern Front of World War 2 finally began closing in on Nazi Germany. As soon as they left Russian soil Soviet soldiers began to rape en masse. Not just Germans either. Women in every country west of Russia were indiscriminately raped.  This even includes Holocaust survivors. Yes, Soviet soldiers drove up to the death camps, saw the mounds of naked bodies and emaciated women within the barb wire and their first instincts were to begin raping every woman with a pulse.

[2002_03_25_1_d]

Today’s western women really have no idea how lucky they are to live in societies where the vast majority of men are sickened by the thought of rape and consider it one of the worst evils imaginable. Can any western woman of sound mind, in her vilest imaginings, honestly envision any of her male peers being able to rape a woman freshly liberated from Auschwitz? If so, I’m be more concerned about the morality of the woman.

The main inspiration for this article came from Anthony Beevor’s book The Fall Of Berlin 1945. Beevor is one of the première military historians writing today and for any history buff who doesn’t know him I recommend anything he’s written. Here are some examples from his book to illustrate what a real rape culture is;

  “Yet there still seemed to be little idea of the degree of horrors in store for them. The most prevalent for girls and women of all ages was gang rape.

  […]

  “Red Army soldiers don’t believe in “individual liaisons” with German women… Nine, ten, twelve men at a time – they rape them on a collective basis.”

  […]

  “In fact victims could be as young as twelve years old. ‘The NKVD group attached to the 43rd Army discovered that German women who had stayed behind in Schpaleiten had tried to commit suicide. They interrogated one of them called Emma Korn. “On 3 February,” she told them, “frontline troops of the Red Army entered the town. They came into the cellar where we were hiding and pointed their weapons at me and the other two women and ordered us into the yard. In the yard twelve soldiers in turn raped me. Other soldiers did the same to my two neighbours. The following night six drunken soldiers broke into our cellar and raped us in front of the children. On 5 February, three soldiers came, and on 6 February eight drunken soldiers also raped and beat us.” ’ Three days later the women tried to kill the children and themselves by cutting all their wrists, but evidently they had not know how to do it properly.”

  […]

  “Once soldiers had alcohol inside them, the nationality of their prey made little difference. Lev Kopelev described hearing a ‘frenzied scream’ in Allenstein. He saw a girl, ‘her long, braided blonde hair dishevelled, her dress torn, shouting piercingly: “I’m Polish! Jesus Mary, I’m Polish!” ’ She was pursued by two inebriated ‘tankists’ in full view of everyone.”

  […]

  “It seems as if Soviet soldiers needed alcoholic courage to attack a woman. But then, all too often, they drank too much and, unable to complete the act of rape, used the bottle instead with appalling effect. A number of victims were mutilated obscenely.”

  […]

  “…there was no chance of escape. Nuns, young girls, old women, pregnant women and mothers who had just given birth were all raped without pity.”

  […]

  “If anyone attempted to defend a woman against a Soviet attacker it was either a father or a young son trying to protect his mother. ‘The thirteen-year-old Dieter Sahl threw himself with flailing fists at a Russian who was raping his mother in front of him. He did not succeed in anything except getting himself shot.”

Events like that would be hard to read about even if they were fictional. Yet this really happened, and the fact that it did in a supposedly civilized area of the world, less then 70 years ago, is chilling. That’s why it’s beyond infuriating to hear things like ‘the west has a rape culture’ or that men who perpetrate seduction game are ‘rapists’. To use a phrasing they themselves love, I submit that the bored idiots who claim that we in the west perpetrate a rape culture have no idea how utterly PRIVILEGED they are.

They’re unintelligent, they’re ignorant of history and just saying that they live in a rape culture belittles the real victims of rape and trivializes the millions of women living in real rape cultures (which, ‘coincidentally’, all exist outside of the West). Hundreds of thousands of men forcing themselves on hundreds of thousands of women is a rape culture. A few episodes of Law and Order where the rapist gets off and women feeling regret after having a drunken one night stand with a stranger is as far from rape culture as the Earth is from the Sun. There is no comparison.

Admittedly there were rapes on the Western Font of World War 2 perpetrated by American and Anglo forces. Yet the numbers pale when compared to the Soviet army, and gang rapes did not occur on any type of comparable level with western soldiers. For the most part, when western soldiers liaised with German women they provided food and cigarettes and other luxuries and the German women willingly slept with them. Nowadays we call that dating. And the western allies didn’t rape out France or Holland or Belgium, like the Soviets raped out Eastern Europe.

Women in the west are extraordinarily lucky to live with such civilized men. And yet they and their pathetic manslaves are trying to destroy our once phenomenal and nowadays mostly all-right culture by voting in politicians and parties who are already flooding our countries with non-western men from societies that have real rape cultures. Here, I’m going to show you two pictures from two proclaimed rape cultures, one real and one supposedly real. Can you tell, at a glance, which one comes from the western ‘rape culture’ and which one comes from the Middle Eastern rape culture?

[NaMHRpa]

[dutch reporter]

Perspective is a powerful thing. Utopian daydreamers and overeducated fools who think Jean-Jacques Rousseau wasn’t full of crap are going to be forced to get some the hard way as our society degrades under the masses of the ‘heroic’ third world types they’re forcing open the gates for. Real rape cultures _do_ exist, and they currently exist exclusively outside of western countries. However, as our elites and their cronies continue to import citizens from these cesspools, a new rape culture will take root in our once safe nations. We are already seeing the beginnings of rape culture taking hold in the Scandinavian countries as more and more Middle Easterners are welcomed in, and it’s likely that, if immigration trends continue, the woman of the larger western democracies will soon suffer the same scale of rape that their Nordic sisters are already being subjected to by unchecked diversity.

All I can say is, thank god I’m a man. The west of the future doesn’t look so bleak for it’s Y chromosome children.

The men and women of thoughtless liberalism _will_ reap what they sow. I hope they enjoy it, and don’t forget to tell their or their partner’s rapists how much they honour their rapist’s culture  while they assault them. I’m very sure all those German girls were telling their Soviet defilers something similar.

A REBUT AGAINST THE EVENTUAL SO WHAT THEY WERE NAZI’S COMMENT

_Hey Billy, who cares? After all most of these raped women were Nazi’s! They deserved it._

I expect a comment like that to pop up at some point, and to avoid posting a wall of text in the comments I’ll post it up here.

Dear sirs or madam, if you honestly think like that then you’re heartless and wrong. Here is how the German elections in 1933 played out. Here is a census giving a rough idea how many people lived in Germany at the time (remember, not all of voting age). According to the census, there were 65,362,115 Germans in 1933. According to the voter turnouts, 44,685,764 million voted (71.6% of the population; total percentage of the voting age population unknown). Of the 44,685,764 million who turned out to vote, only 17,277,180 voted for Hitler. The Nazi party did not even win a majority, since a majority would have needed to control 324 seats and the Nazis won only 288. Hitler was never voted in as a dictator. He gained absolute power through the historically unfortunate death of Paul von Hindenburg, back room political shenanigans and manipulating political policies that the public had no control over or say in. Out of 65,362,115 Germans, only 17,277,180 could legitimately be called Nazi’s and blamed for what happened to their country. Using my shaky math, the total percentage of legitimate Nazi’s in Germany who voted for Hitler was 26.43 percent.

Roughly 3 out of 4 Germans did not deserve anything that happened to them, the majority of the raped women included. Many girls raped by the Soviets _WERE_ _NOT EVEN BORN_ when Hitler seized power, and many more at the time were children or young teens who could not vote or understand the reality of politics. Like their young male counterparts doing most of the fighting and dying in a war they had no decision in starting, these women and girls had their lives ruined by a minority of the population. The political parallels to today’s progressives are eerie, and just go to show how letting even a small group of radical people with evil, ignorant and selfish agendas influence the rest of us can doom everyone.

READ MORE: _THE WARSAW RISING_

question: What is the main point of the article?

answer: The article admonishes the labeling of drunken mishaps as rape culture. It states that brutal rape culture exists and that it's mostly outside the Western nations. The author uses these points to argue against immigration.

question: How does the author preemptively argue against "German women deserved rape because they were Nazis"?

answer: The author points out that only a minority of voters chose Hitler and most of the victims weren't of voting age.

question: How does the author try to defend the Western culture?

answer: The author states that most men are civilized in these cultures and would find rape disgusting.

question: What supporting arguments does the author offer against unchecked immigration?

answer: The author alleges that the occurrence of rape in Nordic countries is on the rise due to immigrating Middle-Easterns.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The article admonishes the labeling of drunken mishaps as rape culture. It states that brutal rape culture exists and that it's mostly outside the Western nations. The author uses these points to argue against immigration.


text:
thumb|upright=1.35|A US B-17 Flying Fortress “Miss Donna Mae II” is hit by bombs after drifting under the bomber flying above it. The damage to the horizontal stabilizer caused the plane to go into an uncontrollable spin and crash, killing all 11 crew members. FRIENDLY FIRE is an attack by a military force on friendly or neutral troops while attempting to attack the enemy. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while engaging an enemy, long range ranging errors or inaccuracy. Accidental fire not intended to attack the enemy, and deliberate firing on one's own troops for disciplinary reasons, is not called friendly fire,[1] and neither is unintentional harm to civilians or structures, which is sometimes referred to as collateral damage.[2] Training accidents and bloodless incidents also do not qualify as friendly fire in terms of casualty reporting.[3]

Use of the term “friendly” in a military context for allied personnel started during the First World War, often when shells fell short of the targeted enemy.[4] The term _friendly fire_ was originally adopted by the United States military; S.L.A. Marshall used the term in _Men Against Fire_ in 1947.[5] Many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) militaries refer to these incidents as BLUE ON BLUE, which derives from military exercises where NATO forces were identified by blue pennants and units representing Warsaw Pact forces by red pennants. In classical forms of warfare where hand-to-hand combat dominated, death from a “friendly” was rare, but in industrialized warfare, deaths from friendly fire are common.

History

Paul R. Syms argues that friendly fire is an ancient phenomenon.[6] He notes recorded events in Ancient Greece and other early accounts of battles. He and other historians also note that weapons such as guns, artillery, and aircraft dramatically increased friendly-fire casualties.

By the 20th and 21st centuries, friendly-fire casualties have likely become a significant percentage of combat injuries and fatalities. Jon Krakauer provides an overview of American casualties during and since the Second World War:

  While acknowledging that the “statistical dimensions of the friendly fire problem have yet to be defined; reliable data are simply not available in most cases,” The Oxford Companion to American Military History estimates that between 2 percent and 2.5 percent of the casualties in America's wars are attributable to friendly fire.[7]

Under-reporting

In the annals of warfare, deaths at the hand of the enemy are often valorized, while those at the hand of friendly forces may be cast in shame. Moreover, because public relations and morale are important, especially in modern warfare, the military may be inclined to under-report incidents of friendly-fire, especially when in charge of both investigations and press releases: Although there may well be a longstanding history of such bias,[8][9] Jon Krakauer claims “the scale and sophistication of these recent propaganda efforts, and the unabashedness of their executors” in Iraq and Afghanistan is new.[10]

Causes

Friendly fire arises from the “fog of war” – the confusion inherent in warfare. Friendly fire that is the result of apparent recklessness or incompetence may be improperly lumped into this category. The concept of a fog of war has come under considerable criticism, as it can be used as an excuse for poor planning, weak or compromised intelligence and incompetent command.[11]

ERRORS OF POSITION occur when fire aimed at enemy forces may accidentally end up hitting one's own. Such incidents are exacerbated by close proximity of combatants and were relatively common during the First and Second World Wars, where troops fought in close combat and targeting was relatively inaccurate. As the accuracy of weapons improved, this class of incident has become less common but still occurs.

ERRORS OF IDENTIFICATION happen when friendly troops, neutral forces or civilians are mistakenly attacked in the belief that they are the enemy. Highly mobile battles, and battles involving troops from many nations are more likely to cause this kind of incident as evidenced by incidents in the 1991 Gulf War, or the shooting down of a British aircraft by a U.S. Patriot battery during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[12] In the Tarnak Farm incident, four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight others injured when a U.S. Air National Guard Major dropped a 500 lb (230 kg) bomb from his F-16 onto the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment which was conducting a night firing exercise near Kandahar.[13][14] Another case of such an accident was the death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, although the exact circumstances of that incident are yet to be definitively determined.[15]

During World War II, “invasion stripes” were painted on Allied aircraft to assist identification in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Similar markings had been used when the Hawker Typhoon was first introduced into use as it was otherwise very similar in profile to a German aircraft. Late in the war the “protection squadron” that covered the elite German jet fighter squadron as it landed or took off were brightly painted to distinguish them from raiding Allied fighters.

ERRORS OF RESPONSE INHIBITION have recently been proposed as another potential cause of some friendly fire accidents.[16][17] These types of errors are different from visual misidentification, and instead appear to be caused by a failure to inhibit a shooting response.

A number of situations can lead to or exacerbate the risk of friendly fire. Difficult terrain and visibility are major factors. Soldiers fighting on unfamiliar ground can become disoriented more easily than on familiar terrain. The direction from which enemy fire comes may not be easy to identify, and poor weather conditions and combat stress may add to the confusion, especially if fire is exchanged. Accurate navigation and fire discipline are vital. In high-risk situations, leaders need to ensure units are properly informed of the location of friendly units and must issue clear, unambiguous orders, but they must also react correctly to responses from soldiers who are capable of using their own judgement. Miscommunication can be deadly. Radios, field telephones, and signalling systems can be used to address the problem, but when these systems are used to co-ordinate multiple forces such as ground troops and aircraft, their breakdown can dramatically increase the risk of friendly fire. When allied troops are operating, the situation is even more complex, especially with language barriers to overcome.[18]

Impact reduction

Some analyses dismiss the material impact of friendly fire, by concluding friendly-fire casualties are usually too few to affect the outcome of a battle.[19][20] The effects of friendly fire, however, are not just material. Troops expect to be targeted by the enemy, but being hit by their own forces has a huge negative impact on morale. Forces doubt the competence of their command, and its prevalence makes commanders more cautious in the field.[21]

Attempts to reduce this effect by military leaders involve identifying the causes of friendly fire and overcoming repetition of the incident through training, tactics and technology.[22]

Training

thumb|upright=1.2|Soldiers perform a night assault at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center September 21, during Bold Quest 2011, a Joint Staff lead coalition combat assessment exercise to test the interoperability of target identification systems of member nations to reduce friendly fire incidents. Most militaries use extensive training to ensure troop safety as part of normal co-ordination and planning, but are not always exposed to possible friendly-fire situations to ensure they are aware of situations where the risk is high. Difficult terrain and bad weather cannot be controlled, but soldiers must be trained to operate effectively in these conditions, as well as trained to fight at night. Such simulated training is now commonplace for soldiers worldwide. Avoiding friendly fire can be as straightforward as ensuring fire discipline is instilled in troops, so that they fire and cease firing when they are told to. Firing ranges now also include 'Don't Fire' targets.[23]

The increasing sophistication of weaponry, and the tactics employed against American forces to deliberately confuse them has meant that while overall casualties have fallen for American soldiers in the late 20th and 21st centuries, the overall percentage of deaths due to friendly fire in American actions has risen dramatically. In the 1991 Gulf War, most of the Americans killed by their own forces were crew members of armored vehicles hit by anti-tank rounds. The response in training includes recognition training for Apache helicopter crews to help them distinguish American tanks and armored vehicles at night and in bad weather from those of the enemy. In addition, tank gunners must watch for “friendly” robotic tanks that pop out on training courses in California's Mojave Desert. They also study video footage to help them recognize American forces in battle more quickly.[24]

Technological fixes

Improved technology to assist in identifying friendly forces is also an ongoing response to friendly fire problems. From the earliest days of warfare, identification systems were visual and developed into extremely elaborate suits of armour with distinctive heraldic patterns. During the Napoleonic Wars, Admiral Nelson ordered that ships under his command adopt a common paint scheme to reduce friendly fire incidents; this pattern became known as the Nelson Chequer. Invasion stripes served a similar function during the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II. When radar was developed during World War II, IFF systems to identify aircraft developed into a multitude of radio beacons.

Correct navigation is vital to ensuring units know where they are in relation to their own force and the enemy. Efforts to provide accurate compasses inside metal boxes in tanks and trucks has proven difficult, with GPS a major breakthrough.

Other technological changes include hand-held navigational devices that use satellite signals, giving ground forces the exact location of enemy forces as well as their own. The use of infrared lights and thermal tape that are invisible to observers without night-goggles, or fibres and dyes that reflect only specific wavelengths are developing into key identifiers for friendly infantry units at night.

There is also some development of remote sensors to detect enemy vehicles – the Remotely Monitored Battlefield Sensor System (REMBASS) uses a combination of acoustic, seismic vibration, and infrared to not just detect, but identify vehicles.[25]

Tactics

Some tactics make friendly fire virtually inevitable, such as the practice of dropping barrages of mortars on enemy machine gun posts in the final moments before capture. This practice continued throughout the 20th century since machine guns were first used in World War I. The high friendly fire risk has generally been accepted by troops since machine gun emplacements are tactically so valuable, and at the same time so dangerous that the attackers wanted them to be shelled, considering the shells far less deadly than the machine guns.[26] Tactical adjustments include the use of “kill boxes”, or zones that are placed off-limits to ground forces while allied aircraft attack targets, which goes back to the beginning of military aircraft in World War I.[27]

The shock and awe battle tactics adopted by the American military – overwhelming power, battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force – are employed because they are believed to be the best way to win a war quickly and decisively, reducing casualties on both sides. However, if the only people doing the shooting are American, then a high percentage of total casualties are bound to be the result of friendly fire, blunting the effectiveness of the shock and awe tactic. It is probably the fact that friendly fire has proven to be the only fundamental weakness of the tactics that has caused the American military to take significant steps to overturn a blasé attitude to friendly fire and assess ways to eliminate it.[28]

Examples

Incidents range from the killing of Royalist commander, the Earl of Kingston, by Royalist cannon fire during the English Civil War,[29] the bombing of American troops by Eighth Air Force bombers during Operation Cobra in World War II,[30] the eight-hour firefight between British units during the Cyprus Emergency,[31] the downing of a British helicopter by a British warship during the Falklands War,[32] the shooting of two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters by USAF fighters in 1994 during the Iraqi no-fly zones,[33] the killing of a Royal Military Policeman by a British sniper during the war in Afghanistan,[34] and the Tarnak Farm incident when US Air National Guard pilots in 2002 bombed 12 Canadian soldiers, four of whom were killed;[35] these were the first Canadian casualties of the war in Afghanistan.

[1] Regan, Geoffrey (2002) _Backfire: a history of friendly fire from ancient warfare to the present day_, Robson Books

[2]

[3]

[4] Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. cites a 1925 reference to a term used in trenches during the war

[5]

[6] Kirke, Charles (ed.). 2010. _Fratricide in Battle: (Un)Friendly Fire_. London: Bloomsbury, p. 7.

[7] Krakauer, Jon. 2010. _Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman_, NY: Anchor Books, p. 405.

[8] Claire Outteridge, Simon Henderson, Raphael Pascual, Paul Shanahan, “How can Human Factors be Exploited to Reduce the Risk of Fratricide?” in Kirke, p. 115

[9] Krakauer, Jon. 2009. Where Men Win Glory. NY: Bloomsbury, p. 204.

[10] Krakauer, Jon. 2009. _Where Men Win Glory_. NY: Bloomsbury, p. 205.

[11]

[12] The Economist _Closing in on Baghdad_ 25 March 2003

[13] Friscolanti, Michael. (2005). _Friendly Fire: The Untold Story of the U.S. Bombing that Killed Four Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan._ pp. 420–421

[14] CBC News Online (6 July 2004). “U.S. Air Force Verdict.”

[15]

[16] Biggs, A. T., Cain, M. S., & Mitroff, S. R. (2015). Cognitive training can reduce civilian casualties in a simulated shooting environment. Psychological science, 26(8), 1164–1176.

[17] Wilson, K. M., Head, J., de Joux, N. R., Finkbeiner, K. M., & Helton, W. S. (2015). Friendly fire and the sustained attention to response task. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 0018720815605703.

[18]

[19]  Percin, Gen. Alexandre (1921) _Le Massacre de Notre Infanterie 1914–1918_, Michel Albin, Paris;

[20] Shrader, Charles R. (1982) _Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire in Modern War_, US Command & General Staff College Survey No.1

[21]

[22] Kirke, Charles M. (ed., 2012) _Fratricide in Battle: (Un)Friendly Fire_ Continuum Books

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

title: Friendly fire

question: How would friendly fire likely be different if warfare was not industrialized?

answer: Deaths from friendly fire would likely not be as common.

question: Should the term "fog of war" be accepted when discussing friendly fire?

answer: No, as it may be used to excuse poor planning, compromised intelligence, and incompetent command.

question: How would reporting of friendly fire differ if public relations and morale were not as important in modern warfare?

answer: Reporting of deaths due to friendly fire would likely be more accurately reported.

question: What would happen if modern warfare eliminated practices like dropping barrages of mortars on enemy machine gun posts in the final moments before capture?

answer: Friendly fire would be much more avoidable.


text:
Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive. Freud and other psychoanalysts used a variety of techniques to bring to the surface the subconscious thoughts of their patients. The Surrealists borrowed many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art, with the belief that the creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.

In psychology, “automatism” refers to involuntary actions and processes not under the control of the conscious mind—for example, dreaming, breathing, or a nervous tic. Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

TO EXPLORE MORE, CLICK ON EACH ARTWORK THUMBNAIL, THEN CLICK AGAIN ON THE LARGER IMAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE BOX ABOVE.

Paints composed of pigments ground to an extremely fine texture in an aqueous solution of gum Arabic or gum tragacanth. The absence of white fillers, such as those in gouache, creates a medium with luminous transparency.

A work of art made from paint applied to canvas, wood, paper, or another support (noun).

The method with which an artist, writer, performer, athlete, or other producer employs technical skills or materials to achieve a finished product or endeavor.

A form, sign, or emblem that represents something else, often something immaterial, such as an idea or emotion.

An artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II. Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, the Surrealists sought to overthrow what they perceived as the oppressive rationalism of modern society by accessing the sur réalisme (superior reality) of the subconscious. In his 1924 “Surrealist Manifesto,” Breton argued for an uninhibited mode of expression derived from the mind’s involuntary mechanisms, particularly dreams, and called on artists to explore the uncharted depths of the imagination with radical new methods and visual forms. These ranged from abstract “automatic” drawings to hyper-realistic painted scenes inspired by dreams and nightmares to uncanny combinations of materials and objects.

In popular writing about psychology, the division of the mind containing the sum of all thoughts, memories, impulses, desires, feelings, etc., that are not subject to a person’s perception or control but that often affect conscious thoughts and behavior (noun). The Surrealists derived much inspiration from psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s theories on dreams and the workings of the subconscious mind.

A combination of pigment, binder, and solvent (noun); the act of producing a picture using paint (verb, gerund).

A technique that involves rubbing pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface below to be translated to the sheet. The term is derived from the French frotter, which means “to rub.”

A game in which each participant takes turns writing or drawing on a sheet of paper, folds it to conceal his or her contribution, then passes it to the next player for a further contribution. The game gained popularity in artistic circles during the 1920s, when it was adopted as a technique by artists of the Surrealist movement.

Derived from the French verb coller, meaning “to glue,” collage refers to both the technique and the resulting work of art in which fragments of paper and other materials are arranged and glued or otherwise affixed to a supporting surface.

Strategies of writing or creating art that aimed to access the unconscious mind. The Surrealists, in particular, experimented with automatist techniques of writing, drawing, and painting.

Questions & Activities

1.  FREE ASSOCIATE

    Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalysts used a variety of techniques to discover thesubconscious thoughts of their patients. The Surrealists used many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art. One of the best-known techniques is called “free association.”

    You will need a partner for this activity. Copy five of the following words onto a sheet of paper and read them to your partner one at a time. After you read each word, instruct your partner to respond immediately with the first word that comes to mind. Jot down their responses next to each word on the paper, then switch! Are any of these associations surprising?

    Feel free to come up with a new list of words for additional rounds.

    Round 1:
    Pine tree
    Flashlight
    Book
    Hand

    Round 2:
    Mushroom
    Parrot
    Ship
    Bus
    Glove

2.  PLAY EXQUISITE CORPSE

    These instructions for playing Exquisite Corpse were originally published in a 1927 issue of the Surrealist journal _La revolution Surrealiste_. Play a round with your family or friends (ideally in groups of four). The instructions can be adapted to make drawings, collages, and poems.

    1.  A piece of paper is folded into the same number of sections as there are participants.
    2.  The paper is unfolded and given to the first player, who draws in the first space, spontaneously, leaving slight traces of lines extending into the next section. The player then folds the paper over to hide what he or she drew.
    3.  Each player continues the drawings in their successive section, taking cues from the bits of lines that their predecessor left visible.
    4.  When the last player has finished, the sheet is opened to reveal the full drawings.

    What was it like to draw or write without seeing the other sections? Are you pleased with the results? How do you think your drawings or poems would have differed if you’d had a chance to view the previous contributions?

    Share your work with others.

3.  MAKE AND INKBLOT DRAWING

    In the days before ballpoint pens, people wrote using metal-tipped nib pens and bottles of ink. Sometimes the metal tips would leak, causing a messy inkblot. Psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud noticed that people would see pictures in these inkblot patterns; Freud became interested in them as tools for delving into his patients’ subconscious.

    Make your own “inkblot” using ink, paint, watercolor—even black coffee or dark tea, if those are more readily available. Drop a bit of your chosen stain in the middle of a sheet of paper. Fold the paper in the center, pressing the two halves together. Repeat this process enough times to create five to 10 inkblot drawings.

    Write down the images evoked by the inkblots. If you have friends or family nearby, show your inkblot drawings to them and ask what they see. How are your answers similar? How are they different? Are you surprised by the different associations people have for the same inkblots?

4.  MAKE A FROTTAGE

    Max Ernst used frottage—rubbing atop materials as diverse as string, mesh, even crusty bread—as a way tapping into his subconscious. Find a sheet of paper and place it on a variety of textured surfaces. Rub the paper with a soft pencil or crayon.

    What associations with people, symbols, objects, or things from nature do the resulting textures conjure for you? Elaborate on your associations by outlining certain sections, adding new features and colors to the rubbings.

    When your picture is complete, share your work with others.

question: What is the name of the artistic movement that rose out of the writings of Sigmund Freud?

answer: Surrealism.

question: What is Surrealism?

answer: It is based on the belief that "creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought".

question: What are the practical ways in which surrealism is expressed in art?

answer: Spontaneous writing, painting, or drawing in a way that is free from association with images and words.

question: What is the name of one of the leading cheerleaders of surrealism?

answer: French poet, Andre Breton.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Surrealism as an art or creative philosophy arose out of Sigmund Freud's writings. Proponents of this school of thought championed the belief that "creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought". Hence, they produced creative works that are mostly abstract and free from the strappings of logical explanations. French Poet, Andre Breton, was one of the leading lights of surrealism.


text:
"Mr. Billingmyer's Seventy-Fifth Halloween" by Ryan Sheffield

The doorbell rang for the first time that evening around half past six, and the excitement that brought Thomas Jacob Billngmyer to his feet was that of a grade school child. This was to be his seventy-fifth Halloween, but with such gleeful enthusiasm in his arthritic bones, one might have easily mistook it for his first. An old man he was, yes, but a child at heart. And how he loved the children.

“Trick or treat!” was the chorus they sang, and to Mr. Billingmyer it was more lovely a sound than any Yuletide carol could ever be. The costumes grew more unrecognizable to him as the years passed—the children of late preferring their popular television characters to the more classic Halloween staples to which he was accustomed—but he loved them just the same. For one night every year they could be anything. For that one wonderful night, they were no longer burdened by the strict rules of school marms or the limits of the adult world. Adults preferred the rules and rigid routine, growing up and out of their imaginations and leaving them behind like a snake’s old skin—much to their own detriment, in the opinion of Thomas Billingmyer. On this night, he could be anything and there were no rules.

“Happy Halloween to you all!” he proclaimed, and dropped a piece of candy in the baskets, bags and buckets of the smiling children. They thanked him and ran off down the drive, back to their imagination-deprived parents who waited in their boring, everyday clothes to lead the little ghosts and ghouls to the next well-lit house on the street.

He watched them go and shut the door, too excited to sit down again. He wished he had had the foresight to purchase a carving pumpkin during the day. But he supposed it was best this way. His searing joints did not share his festive mood. Such spoilsports they were! He missed his youth dearly, and though seventy-five Halloweens were more than most could hope for, he would trade it all to have stayed young. To have never known that awful world of responsibility and toil and boredom that all adults must occupy. To never shed the precious gift of childhood imagination.

 In the two hours that followed his first evening visitors, the doorbell rang but four times. Each time was a grand time—tiny witches and pint-sized devils joyous and shouting and thankful—but it was so much fewer than the year before. And so the pattern had gone for years. Perhaps the children these days grew up too quickly. The world was changing and adulthood intruded on their little lives too soon. The old man wondered if a year would come when there would be no Trick-or-Treaters at all. He wouldn’t likely live to see that terrible night, and for that he was grateful. He would not be alive to mourn the world’s imagination. He would see to that.

It was nearing 9o’clock and Mr. Billingmyer had all but given up when the doorbell rang again. He made his way to the door as quickly as his grumpy, old skeleton would allow. But this time he was not greeted by the shouts of princesses and goblins. The young man that darkened his doorway had long since shed and forsaken childhood, his scary costume nothing more than his own skin and that putrid symbiont, desperation.

The young man pulled a knife from his shoulder bag and pushed Thomas Jacob Billingmyer backward into the house. He locked the door behind him and peeked nervously through the blinds on the window.

“Keep your mouth shut, old man. I swear to God, I will cut you.” He gestured with the knife and Mr. Billingmyer did as it commanded, backing away slowly toward the living room.

“Sit down.” The knife directed him to the wooden chair he had set out for resting between doorbell rings. He did as he was told. The young man dug through his bag and pulled out a roll of duct tape which he used to bind Mr. Billingmyer, most uncomfortably, where he sat.

The young man was desperate indeed. He dug through all the drawers—even the kitchen pantry!—looking for valuables he never would have sought had youthful imagination not been so cruelly discarded. Mr. Billingmyer did not truly blame him. Adulthood encroaches as it will.

He watched patiently as the young man darted into the bedroom, rummaged around, and returned with handfuls of jewelry. Most were obviously “costume” fakes, but the young man did not strike him as someone with a very discerning eye. He felt bad for him, really.

“What time is your wife supposed to be gettin’ home, old man?” he asked as he filled his shoulder bag with the worthless trinkets.

“I never married,” replied Mr. Billingmyer.

“What, are you some kind of fruit? Why you have all this shit? Nevermind. Cash. Where is it?” The young man held out the knife. It wasn’t very threatening. It seemed to be serving more as punctuation than anything else.

“I’m afraid I don’t have any,” said the old man.

“You don’t have any? Bullshit. Don’t lie to me, man. I’m not kidding around here!” The punctuation was sharp but weak.

“I’m terribly sorry. I really can’t help you, son.”

The young man threw his arms in the air and began pacing.

“You’re lying,” he said, though it seemed to be directed more at himself. “Shit!”

He took a few minutes to quickly—and most ineffectively—ransack the house in search of money that was not there. He gave up easily. Mr. Billingmyer assumed the young man had done so a great many times before.

“Shit… shit…” He threw himself into a chair and ran his fingers through his hair. It was a sad and pitiful sight. Mr. Billingmyer wished he didn’t have to see it. After a moment, the young man got up in a huff and grabbed a piece of candy from the Trick-or-Treat bowl.

“That candy is for the children!” shouted the old man. He was incensed and his lip was trembling. “It’s for the children, not for you!”

“Shut the hell up, old man,” he said weakly. He unwrapped the candy and ate the entire bar in one bite. “No money… liar…” he mumbled. And then he fell facedown on the living room floor.

His body shook with spasms and blood began to pour from his mouth, nose, ears, and even his tear ducts. The poison worked so much faster than Mr. Billingmyer thought was possible. And such a mess…

Though his bones put up quite a fuss, the old man was able to wriggle free of his restraints after only a few minutes of trying. Goodness, the place was a mess!

It was getting late and he supposed he should probably be on his way. The night was waning, the little ghouls were returning home with their bounties, and the homeowners would likely be back soon. And to find such a mess! He felt rather apologetic, but there was little he could do but make himself scarce before they arrived.

Thomas Jacob Billingmyer’s seventy-fifth Halloween was going to end as a disappointment. He hoped the next would be better, if fate saw fit to let him live to see it.

Then the doorbell rang. Mr. Billingmyer rushed to the door and opened it just a crack.

“Trick or treat!” sang the children. The old man smiled. Oh, to be young forever. Adulthood was the end of dreams. And no one deserved that.

The children extended their baskets, buckets and bags and the old man gave them each a piece of candy.

“Happy Halloween to you all!” he said. And looking into their smiling faces, all the disappointment and misfortune vanished from his mind as though it were never there.

Yes, he thought. It was a wonderful night.

title: I challenged myself to write a short horror story for every day in October. I thought I'd share one with you guys. Happy Halloween!

question: In what way might Mr. Billingmyer have contributed to the dwindling number of trick-or-treaters?

answer: By poisoning them.

question: What is going to happen to the children at the end of the story?

answer: They will probably eat the candy and be poisoned.

question: What is the hidden implication of the lines "Adulthood was the end of dreams. And no one deserved that"?

answer: Mr. Billingmeyer intends to poison and kill the children, thus saving them from growing to adulthood.

question: What could the man with the knife have done to ensure the children at the end of the story survived?

answer: He could have killed Mr. Billingmeyer.