text:
Something I wrote while trying to sleep. Fuck grammar, syntax, and structure, for now.

How does someone wake up everyday wanting to shoot themselves? I wonder this everyday. I wake up. I open my eyes. I wait for reality to seep in, and I cry. I don't know why I do this or if anyone one else does this;but I do. I wait for my nerves to calm down and get ready for the sound of my perpetual fan to fill my ears, and I stop. Sure, I wonder, when is this gonna stop? Is my nose red? Will my family notice how red my eyes are? But, regardless, I wake up; I find my shoes; I put on some pants and walk out. At first I really don't notice anything. I hear the snores of my father, sometimes my mother's. I walk towards the bathroom in the hallway and stare into the mirror. My eyes are red, and my nose is red. I don't really think people notice how red my eyes are anymore. I think they just think it's normal. The majority of people don't say anything and think it's natural. You know, like when someone has a rather large mole underneath their left eye or when someone's nose has clinging mucus. I, and they, don't say anything. I just smile through the bullshit of reality and hope that they don't notice that I've noticed.
I've always wanted to meet some lovely girl with a lazy eye, you know, a really, really lazy eye. I mean, she's be absolutely beautiful. Her lips would have they radiating pinkness which would vibrate in the dark. Her hair would be eternally black and wavy, kinda like that fear you feel when you stare into the woods at night. Her body would be sharp, tight, and skinny like a ballerina that moves violently, perfectly on her toes. I would meet her somewhere...like some fucked up bench outside of an abandoned school's playground. She's be smoking a girly cigarette and pretend like I wasn't there when I'd come up to her. I sit next to her, she'd look at me and smile. At first I'd think she's just staring at the ground, modestly smiling at my presence. But I'd soon realize that I'm looking her lazy eye. She really wouldn't say anything, just mumble something like, "I used come here when my parents were beat each other up. They never really noticed I'd leave." I sadly smile and fall in love with her. She's stand up after a while, slowly tip toeing around the room, each second that'd pass her toes would move faster and faster and faster. I'd hear and watch them click across the concrete. Then, out of nowhere, she'd laugh. At first it'd shock me, I'd think, "What a deep laugh for a girl so small." Then she's begin again, moving her body. I'd tear up, a little. Then she'd whisper, I must leave. She'd come up to me, with lazy eye and all, and kiss me, half on the lips, half on the cheek. It wouldn't be sexual. It wouldn't be dull. It'd feel perfect. I'd sit there a while watching the trees sway and imitate her dance in the heavy, high wind. The moon would shine too brightly, but wouldn't be able to overcome the darkness. I wish I'd meet her.
So I rub my nose and some watery substance drains out. I look again, some minutes have passed since I started thinking about her, my nose is no longer red. I sit on the toilet with my pants still on and wait for my mood to change. After sometime passes and I realize I need to get to work soon, I shift my thoughts. I focus on my clothing, on brushing my teeth, and taking a piss. After I do all those things I sit again on the toilet. I sigh. I walk out my front door, lock it behind me, and begin walking.

title: untitled

question: What is preventing the narrator from meeting someone like the girl they describe?

answer: The passage does not state explicitly. However, it seems as though the narrator's feelings of sadness prevents him from expressing himself fully to those around him.

question: Why is the narrator depressed?

answer: Not answered.

question: What is the mood of the passage when the narrator speaks about the girl?

answer: The tone is a bit romantic but also hopeless, as the narrator seems to long for her.


split: train

text:
Part of the Council for International Schools (CIS) accreditation process asks schools to “demonstrate a commitment to internationalism/interculturalism in education” and that this should be “reflected throughout the life of the institution.” In this article, I will be presenting the case that schools of a religious tradition are best placed to fulfil this aspect of education given their deeply rooted sense of history, tradition and culture.

In her book “International Mindedness” Lesley Stagg concludes by paraphrasing Dan Young “Internationalism advocates the quality of ‘being’ international within the overall climate and character evident when you enter the school. It includes the one for all organizational principles that reflect a global community concern (known to its community to exist inside and outside its walls), as well as an overall positive attitude between diverse cultures (and countries). It is evidenced where students and faculty celebrate this quality as they come together for learning and teaching… when common global interests and collaboration are recognized as imperative.”

To my mind, in order to successfully meet this goal, it is essential that the school have at least one unifying feature. There must be something tangible that unites all in the midst of diversity. CIS exhorts the guiding statements of a school as this focal point and these guiding statements must be embedded in the curriculum and in the culture of learning. This is not particularly controversial and is something commonly accepted in the domain of international schools. However, I would like to suggest that in reality, many international schools across the world do not have this one unifying feature and that, in fact in many cases, their guiding statements are contrived, jargonistic and essentially meaningless. The exception to this fact being those schools, which have a deep-rooted sense of history, enshrined in tradition and have a culture that is known and embraced by the wider community. I would argue that this is the case in schools underpinned by a religious tradition.

Moreover, in order to create an “overall positive attitude between diverse cultures (and countries)” it is necessary to celebrate what unites families from diverse cultures and countries and in many cases, this is their religious experience. Children from a multitude of countries, different races, speaking different languages and having a range of cultural norms, inevitably populate an International School. Finding something to unite such a diverse community is a challenge CIS recognizes, but within a school embracing a religious tradition, there is no challenge because, despite the obvious diversity, children and their families are united by their religious beliefs. This is more obviously the case when they all hark from the same religious tradition, but I contend that it can also be the case when children of different religions, or denominations within a particular religion, are educated together as their belief in God (or in some cases a Supreme Being) transcends any of their apparent differences. Many dismiss too often religion as a cause of conflict but I would argue the contrary and suggest that in reality religion unites people due to the fact that they have a common sense of purpose and of human dignity. Nothing is more unifying than a common set of beliefs. This permeates deeper than any contrived ideology.

Central to religious identity is a call to community, to social justice, to a respect for human dignity, to peace and reconciliation and to celebrating unity in diversity. These are the features of international mindedness that CIS wants schools to embrace. Whilst many schools barely touch the tip of the iceberg with respect to international mindedness, schools with a religious identity and faith commitment are deeply rooted in their sense of mission, of their ethos, of their values. International Schools of a non-religious nature could learn a lot by looking at schools of a religious nature. They would observe that in the vast majority of cases (some schools with a religious identity are clearly better than others) that the guiding statements of the school are embedded throughout the institution. In the best schools, the mission and ethos of the school are deeply embedded in the curriculum. Such schools do not have a narrow view of curriculum as merely the teaching of a syllabus or academic program but moreover that it is inclusive of all aspects of a child’s learning experience and development as a human person. Subsequently, children will learn explicitly about issues of prejudice and discrimination, different belief systems (other than that of the denomination of the institution), ethical systems, cultural norms, the dignity of the human person, social enterprise and the like. Furthermore, schools with a religious tradition have always valued prayer and meditation as an essential part of human development. Recognizing this the secular world now promotes “mindfulness” as a non-religious alternative to meditation. Separating meditation from faith, where Buddhist, Christian or another, is somewhat morally bankrupt and a very dubious business in itself.

Many international schools have adopted mission statements but sometimes these are a uniformity of bland clichés with no deep sense of an underlying philosophy. Perhaps even more worrying is the trend for schools to adopt the language of “No child left behind” and focus on college and workplace preparedness as the raison d’etre of education rather than focusing on the development of the whole child with the human dignity. It is immoral to see a child as no more than economic fodder for the future workplace. Schools should reject any policy or system that diminishes the dignity of the human person and refutes the idea that anyone can be reduced to the status of an economic unit or passive-dependent.

Recognizing the distinct nature that schools underpinned by a religious tradition have, and by learning from their best practice, International Schools across the world can learn to emulate the “one for all” educational principles that underpin faith schools. The shared “worldview” that unites people of faiths underpins the values and mission of such schools and enables them to be truly international.

question: What are the advantages of religious-minded international schools over non-religious ones?

answer: One of the core values of international schools with a religious tradition is that they are able to easily create an atmosphere of positive attitude between children of different cultures, countries, and backgrounds. The reason for this is because many children share religious cultures that cut across continents. Also, rather than religion being a source of conflict, a religious-minded international school can use it to establish a unique common belief that cuts across different religions to bring the students together, creating a unified and peaceful environment for children to thrive.

question: What are the pitfalls of international schools adopting mission statements that are more-or-less jargon with no underlying philosophy?

answer: Some international schools do create mission statements they do not wholly believe in. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to an educational environment with no cohesion, ethical systems, or academic programs that develop a child's learning experience. Unlike international schools with religious traditions, these inferior schools are simply focused on producing a person who is an economic unit rather than a wholesome individual.


text:
GÖYGÖL (, literally “the Blue Lake”) is a natural impounded lake in Azerbaijan. It is situated at the footsteps of Murovdag, not far from Ganja.[1]

History

Due to an earthquake which hit the area on 25 September 1139, parts of the Kapaz Mount collapsed and blocked the path of the Kürəkçay River.[2] As a result of diversion of water flow, a lake with pure mountain water was created, hence the name given signifying the pureness of the water. The nearby city of Khanlar was renamed after the Göygöl Lake on 25 April 2008. The city founded as Helenendorf by first German settlers in Azerbaijan in 1819 and with considerable German minority until 1941 had been renamed to Khanlar in 1938. In 1941, German settlers were relocated by Soviet authorities to Kazakhstan and their homes were filled by Armenians by orders of Anastas Mikoyan.[3] In 1925 the lake was incorporated into the newly founded “Goy Gol State Reserve” which was superseded as Göygöl National Park in 2008.

General information

Greater Göygöl area is often split into 19 lakes, 8 of which fall into large lakes category, Maralgol, Zelilgöl, Qaragöl among them. It is situated at 1,556 meters above the sea level.[4] The complete length reaches 6,460 meters. The depth of the lake is 93 meters.[5] Due to pureness of the water, one can see underwater life clearly 8–10 meters below the surface. The lake fauna is very rich. The Göygöl Trout has evolved from the river trout since the natural creation of the lake. The Göygöl area is known for dry winters and mild to warm summers. Rainfalls range from 600 to 900 mm. There is an Azerbaijani Army corps close to Göygöl.[6] The lake is a major tourist attraction during the spring and summer seasons. In 2009, more than 4500 tourists have visited Goygol. Among the tourists, many are German nationals. In the vicinity of Göygöl, there are settlements once populated by ethnic Germans, many monuments of German culture and an old German Lutheran church built in 1854.[7]

In pop culture

Due to its beauty, the lake has been an inspiration for many novels, poems and music bands.[8][9]

[1] Большая Советская Энциклопедия: Гейгель

[2] “Погляди на Гейгель, королеву озер”... 24.11.05 Фаик ЗАКИЕВ Retrieved on 30 September 2010

[3] Гейгель отмечает свое 189-летие – 23.08.2008 First News Retrieved on 30 September 2010

[4]

[5] Гейгельский Национальный Парк

[6] DÖVLƏT TƏBİƏT QORUQLARI: Göy-göl Dövlət Təbiət Qoruğu

[7] 10.07.2010 First News Retrieved on 30 September 2010

[8] GÖY GÖL – ƏHMƏD CAVAD

[9] “Göygöl”ün 40 yaşı qeyd edilib. 30.01.2010 Ayna newspaper. Xatun Retrieved on 30 September 2010

title: Göygöl (lake)

question: Summarize the text where it discusses the history of the Goygol Lake.

answer: The text begins by stating that an earthquake hit the area in Azerbaijan, that caused Kapaz Mount to collapse and block the path of the Kurekcay River. Due to this, a diversion of water flow, a lake with pure mountain water was created. The nearby city of Khanlar was renamed after the Goygol Lake. The city was also founded by the first German settlers in Azerbaijan in 1819.

question: Summarize some of the interest facts of the Goygol area written in the text under the subheading of general information.

answer: Some interesting facts of the Goygol area is that it was often split into 19 lakes, 8 that fall into the large lake category. The depth of the Goygol Lake is 93 meters. The water is so pure that one can see underwater like clearly. The lake is a major tourist attraction during the summer and spring seasons.

question: Would Goygol Lake be a great setting for a movie?


text:
_CONTINUOUS JOURNEY_ is a 2004 documentary film directed by Indian-Canadian film-maker Ali Kazimi. The film chronicles the events that took place during the 1914 voyage of the Komagata Maru.

Summary

In 1914, a Singapore-based Sikh known as Baba Gurdit Singh took the SS Komagata Maru on a voyage to transport Indian immigrants over to Canada. On May 23, 1914, the Japanese ship arrived in Vancouver with 376 passengers: 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus. Feeling confident due to a great portion of the men having war relations to the British Indian Army, Gurdit Sing soon realized that it wasn't so easy for his men to live in Canada. This was due to an act they weren't yet aware of: the continuous journey regulation of 1908, which excluded Indians and South Asians from being able to enter the country.

Reception

_Continuous Journey_ was screened at many festivals upon its release in 2004. Following its premier, the film won various awards including the Best Documentary Feature Audience Award at the 23rd San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and also won second place for the Audience Award along with an honorable mention for Best Director both at Hot Docs 2004.[1]

The documentary garnered many positive reviews from critics. Canadian documentary director Peter Wintonick wrote in an issue of _Point of View_ on the film's brilliance and stated “rarely has a documentary been so beautifully directed and rendered, shot for shot, image by image, pan by pan, zoom by zoom.”[2] Ali Kazimi's knowledge of the events depicted in the film was adored by Susan Walker of Toronto Star as she commented “Kazimi has gone at the incident from every angle.... (His) interviews with historians both in Canada and India provide a rich context for the fate of the 375 rejected immigrants.”[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Continuous Journey

question: When was the documentary Continuous Journey released?

answer: 2004.

question: Who directed Continuous Journey?

answer: Ali Kazimi.

question: What is the documentary about?

answer: A group of Indians who seek refuge in Canada in 1914.

question: What is the name of the ship the characters in the film pilot?

answer: The SS Komagata Maru.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about a documentary film relating to an element of Canadian history. It tells the story of an Indian crew who were refused entry to Canada in 1914.


text:
ALEKSEI ALEKSEIEVICH RODIONOV (March 27, 1922 – May 18, 2013) was a Soviet-Ukrainian diplomat who served as the Soviet Ambassador to Pakistan from 1971 until 1974 and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada after the Cold war from 1991-92.

He is notable for his appointment that saw his involvement during the war with India in 1971 when the Soviet Union directed a secret message to President Yahya Khan to come up with a peaceful political settlement for the East Pakistan to avoid going through the conflict with India.[1] The now-declassified RODIONOV MESSAGE ultimately warned Pakistan that “it will embarking a suicidal course if it escalates tensions in the subcontinent.”[2]

On the issue of the Indo-Soviet treaty, he acrimoniously defended the clauses of the treaty to President Yahya Khan while committing that the Soviet Union's economic aid would continue to Pakistan.[3] During his tenure, the Soviet Union's relations with Yahya Khan had met with demise but he worked towards repairing relations with Bhutto in 1971 when he lobbied in the Soviet Union for the establishment of the Pakistan Steel Mills.[4] On 24 January 1972, he delivered an official invitation to then-President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto In Karachi to pay a state visit to Soviet Union that took place in 1974.[5] In 1974, Rodionov was recalled from his posting as Soviet ambassador to Pakistan in order to take up other duties. Soviet Ambassador Sarvar A. Azimov had succeeded him who stayed until 1980.[6]

After the Cold War, he opted for Ukraine and served as Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada from 1991 until 1992.[7]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Aleksei A. Rodionov

question: What was the Rodionov Message?

answer: A secret message to President Yahya Khan instructing him to come to a peaceful settlement with India

question: How long did Rodionov serve as the Soviet Ambassador to Pakistan?

answer: 3 years, from 1971 to 1974

question: Who succeeded Rodionov as Ambassador to Pakistan?

answer: Sarvar A. Azimov

question: When did Rodionov serve as the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada?

answer: 1991 to 1992

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Aleksei Alekseievich Rodionov was a Soviet-Ukranian diplomat known for delivering the Rodionov message, a secret message to President Yahya Khan to avoid a conflict with India. After the Cold War, he served as the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada from 1991 to 1992.


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

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

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

     They will want everything that has to do with the artist they are programmed to support. They will buy posters, merchandise, concert tickets, and, most importantly, they will use social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, to spread photos and videos of the artist, and posts about how in love they are with him. This is an attempt to contribute to the author’s following and fan base. This will get him or her more endorsements, late-night appearances, and general fame. One of the scientific breakthroughs of the tweens is their fueling system. The tweens literally need Starbucks coffee to survive. The CEO of Starbucks is one of the main funders of the Illuminati, and he wanted to make sure that he got the most bang for his buck. They will also treat the beverages like they are pop stars, and blog, tweet, and post about them.

    So here we are in the year 2014. This system has carried on seamlessly since its inception in the mid-2000’s, and originality has begun to fade. Artists no longer have to try to create meaningful songs. Their loving fans exist to boost their lyrics to the heavens. Stars have also become worse role models. They’re aware that, no matter what, their fans will love them. They can get into bar fights, drag races, and drug circles with little to no consequence. If they’re caught, they won’t face jail, but will merely go to “rehab” and write a song about how they’re the victims. But these “artists” aren’t aware that the fans are robots. They think they’ve captivated the hearts of girls all across the country by being themselves. They think they deserve the fame, that they’ve earned the fame. Honestly, they’re just regular people who happened upon a stroke of luck. Anyone can lip sync an hour-long concert with a million mindless machines in the crowd, but only few can inspire with true music and meaning. Few can end wars or invoke social change with just a guitar and a message, and these people are rare to come by in the field of generic artists out there today.

title: Project Tween (Social Satire 691 words)

question: Summarize the second paragraph.

answer: A group calls themselves The Illuminati and sets 'Project Tween' upon the world, which involves lifelike robots replacing human girls between 10 and 13 years of age. The group was established by music agents to boost sales, but people from outside the music industry have since joined the secret society.

question: Summarize the timeline of Project Tween.

answer: First, pop music seemed to lose its effect, with the moment passing for N'Sync, The Backstreet Boys, and Destiny's Child. In the mid-2000s, Music executives and the CEO of Starbucks founded the Illuminati to ensure they could still profit from that market. The author is writing in 2014, a time in which the project is still going strong.

question: What does the story say about indie rock?

question: What does the story say about Starbucks?

answer: The robotic tweens are fueled by Starbucks coffee. This was put in place by the CEO of Starbucks, who helped found the Illuminati. The tweens are programmed to treat Starbucks beverages like pop stars, especially on social media.

question: Summarize the tenth paragraph.


text:
The SHARP-TAILED SNAKE or SHARPTAIL SNAKE (_Contia tenuis_) is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia.

Common names

Additional common names for _C. tenuis_ include brown snake, gentle brown snake, Oregon worm snake, Pacific brown snake, Pacific ground snake, and purple-tailed snake.[1]

Geographic range

_C. tenuis_ is distributed through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Canada: Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia around Victoria, British Columbia,[2] and a newly discovered site in Pemberton, British Columbia.[3][4]

Description

The sharp-tailed snake has an average total length (including tail) of as an adult. It is distinguished by its sharp tail spine, which is the protruding tip of the last tail vertebra. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans. Rather, the tail is used to stabilize small prey, such as slugs, for consumption. The dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens occasionally found. The ventral surface is a striking series of black and white crossbars.[5]

Behavior

The sharp-tailed snake is a shy, secretive creature most often encountered under rocks and logs, and rarely to never found in the open.[6] It is able to persist in urban areas where appropriate cover can be found. It is known to burrow into soft soil or cracks in the clay, and may be encountered by people who are digging in the garden or removing concrete. When encountered, the sharp-tailed snake may roll into a ball and remain still. It can be mistaken for a worm by the casual observer.

Diet

The diet of _C. tenuis_ is largely restricted to slugs and eggs of slugs.[7]

Reproduction

The adult female _C. tenuis_ lays 4–16 eggs in the summer, underground or in a burrow. Each hatchling is in total length (including tail).

[1] Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). _Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada_. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). (_Contia tenuis_, pp. 156–160, Figure 49, Map 18).

[2] “Sharp-tailed Snake”. The Reptiles of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Environment. www.bcreptiles.ca. 1

[3] Atkinson, Cathryn (2013). “Rare snakes found in Pemberton: Proposed Pemberton development area home to snakes on federal list of species at risk”. _Pique_. August 15, 2013. www.piquenewsmagazine.com. 2

[4] South Coast Conservation Program Regional Dialogues on Land Use Planning for Species and Ecosystems at Risk. Proceedings Fall 2013. 3

[5] Stebbins RC (2003). _A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition_. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp., 56 plates. . (_Contia tenuis_, pp. 346–347 + Plate 46 + Map 134).

[6]

[7]

title: Sharp-tailed snake

question: What does the text say about cobras?

question: What does the text say about the Sharp-tailed Snake?

answer: The Sharp-tailed Snake or Sharptail Snake (Contia tenuis) is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia. Other common names for C. tenuis include brown snake, Oregon worm snake, Pacific brown snake, Pacific ground snake, and purple-tailed snake. The snakes' diet is largely restricted to slugs and eggs of slugs. The adult female C.tenuis lays 4-16 eggs in the summer, underground or in a burrow.

question: How does the text describe the Sharptail Snake?

answer: The sharp-tailed snake has an average total length of 12-18 inches (30-46 cm) as an adult. It is distinguished by its sharp tail spine, which is the protruding tip of the last tail vertebra. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans, but the tail is used to stabilize small prey (like slugs) for consumption. The dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens occasionally found. The ventral surface is a striking series of black and white crossbars.

question: What does the text say about the behavior of the Sharptail snake?

answer: The sharp-tailed snake is a shy, secretive creature most often encountered under rocks and logs. The snake is rarely to never found in the open and is often mistaken for a worm by casual observers. It is able to persist in urban areas where appropriate cover can be found. It is known to burrow into soft soil or cracks in the clay and may be encountered by people who are digging in the garden or removing concrete. When encountered, the sharp-tailed snake may roll into a ball and remain still.


text:
Friendship: A Dying Act

There is no longer any hope for mankind. What once was a natural instinct is now considered a physical strain. It seems as though the true meaning of the word "friend" has be altered, manipulated, and transformed into something that is hardly recognizable now. What does this mean? Friendship is dead.

Few people actually know what it means to be a "true friend". Some might argue that most people never knew to begin with; this is a sad truth. People in the modern society of today are facing too many difficult problems to focus on something as minuscule as "friendship". What problems could one possibly possess that would restrain them from participating in a ritual as old as time? It's hard to know where to start.

Most of those occupying the earth today will never truly understand the real meaning of friendship. They will not experience the joys and pains that accompany such a rare relationship. They will not even attempt to devote themselves to their friendship for fear of jeopardizing their own precious lives. It is easy to assume people today have many flaws that contribute to a lack of this understanding. People are selfish, focusing only on what is best for them. Few have any respect or regard for others. The concept of friendship is foreign to this type of bunch. Never will the self-centered people of our time understand friendship. The idea of putting someone else first is revolting. Why would anyone find joy in helping others when they can simply help themselves and receive better results?

Friendship is dead. It is a rock awkwardly positioned in the ocean. The waves that crash the landmark represent time. As the water passes by, it chips the edges of the boulder. Eventually, the rocky sculpture begins to erode and fade. The edges softening more and more with each hard blow, until the rock ceases to exist all together. All that is left are the remains of something that was once great, something so beautiful to look at and admire. The same can be said for friendships. The more time passes, the weaker the bond gets. Careless people of the new age, contemporary society are contributing to the casualty as well. There is no longer any hope for mankind.

A friendship so special, so rare in the world today should be admired and acknowledged. Instead, it is often questioned even criticized. No one will understand a type of friendship that provides hope and support. A type of unspoken bond that assures friends would do anything and everything for each other. There is no end to kindness. True friends recognize the other's needs before they are made public. They offer to help, simply because they receive joy and happiness from the act. There is no selfishness because real friends put the other person first; it is automatic. Such a unique relationship provides support that is hard to find otherwise. A true friendship is not in the words spoken, but those that are left unsaid. This friendship lies within implied messages. Real friends can sit in silence because they enjoy each other's company. The lack of sound and conversation is filled with unspoken truth and a bond that cannot be broken. Friends are content just being near each other.

This type of relationship used to exist, though it seems like many decades have passed since then. Gone are real friendships. They have been replaced by fake impostors. Selfish two-faced people have ruined the concept. Real friends are always there for one another, no matter the circumstances. People now tend to jump ship at the first sight of rough water. Instead of repaired the minor hole in their boat, they ignore it. Eventually the hole grows with the lack of attention. Then water fills the deck, dooming those still aboard. Boats sink, just as friendships fail.

The dying act of true friendships and meaningful relationships can still be saved. Few still exist, proving that not all hope is currently lost. People can change their ways, improve their relationships, and live an optimistic life. Whether that happens or not, will remain an unanswered question. The power of change is there; it is up to the people to decide how they use it. Ask not what your friends can do for you, but what you can do for your friends.

title: Friendship: A Dying Act

question: Why won't people today understand true friendship?

answer: People today do not try to devote themselves to their friendship fearing that they might jeopardize their own lives. They are selfish.

question: Explain how the writer draws a relation between a boulder and friendship.

answer: The writer equates friendship to a rock awkwardly positioned in the ocean. The waves that crash the boulder represent time. With the waves crashing, the boulder loses its edges and slowly begins to erode until it seizes to exist.

question: Describe a real friendship according to the writer.

answer: According to the writer, real friends enjoy each other's company, they can sit in silence. A real friend is always there for another no matter what the circumstance.

question: How can real friendship still be saved?

answer: The writer believes that few real friendships still exist. People can improve their relationships. There is scope for change but the power to exercise the change is in the hands of the people.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer:
The writer believes that real friendship is dying. People these days have become selfish. They do not devote their time to friendship thinking it may jeopardize their own lives. He tries to draw a relation between a boulder in the ocean and friendship.

He believes that real friendships existed deceased ago, they are now replaced by fake imposters. The writer thinks that the dying real friendship can still be saved. People can change their ways and improve their relationships. There is scope for change but the power to exercise the change lies in the hands of the people.


text:
[]
Photo credit: iStock.
Lesbians, gay men and bisexual adults in California are more likely than straight people to delay seeking medical care, even though they have the same or even higher rates of health insurance coverage, according to a new study.

Researchers at UCLA examined survey data from about 83,000 California adults that included questions on a variety of health indicators, including access to health care and insurance, health problems, health behaviors and sexual orientation. They found that gay and bisexual men were more likely than straight men to have health insurance, while lesbian and bisexual women had similar rates of health insurance coverage compared to straight women.

But when it came to actually using their health insurance coverage, gay, lesbian and bisexual adults lagged significantly behind their straight peers. Twenty percent of gay men and 21 percent of bisexual men reported delaying seeking health care in the past year, compared to 13 percent of straight men.

Among gay and bisexual women the difference was even more pronounced. While just 18 percent of straight women reported delaying care, almost 30 percent of lesbians and bisexual women said they’d put off seeing a doctor.

“Unfortunately we don’t have the data to answer (why) directly,” said Susan Babey, one of the authors of the report. “But other research suggests that one possibility is that lesbian, gay and bisexual adults have experienced discrimination or not feeling welcome in health care settings in the past and so are avoiding repeating those kinds of experiences by delaying care even if they need to see a medical provider.”

That conclusion sounded right to Amanda Wallner, director of the California LGBT Health and Human Services Network, a statewide coalition of non-profit providers, community centers, and researchers advocating for policies and resources to advance LGBT health.

“It’s something that we’ve actually known about for a while. Other studies have shown similar findings and anecdotally we hear stories about this all the time,” she said. “It’s an entirely rational reaction…[LGBT adults] are responding to either their own previous experiences of discrimination or to a perception that they may experience that.”

Wallner said she’s heard stories of doctors refusing to provide certain medical treatment to LGBT people, questioning their lifestyle behaviors and not respecting their relationships. Another problem is transportation, she said. Some people only want to go to clinics they know are friendly to the LGBT community. But getting to those clinics can be a challenge, she said, because there often aren’t many of them and they may be far from where patients live.

When people don’t seek medical care early it can be costly to both patients and society, said Babey. Those who delay seeing a doctor can end up with more serious and difficult-to-treat health conditions, and are more likely to need emergency care, she said. In fact, the UCLA study shows gay, lesbian and bisexual adults visited the emergency department more often than straight adults. The difference was especially pronounced for bisexuals.

The study didn’t examine health access for transgender and questioning people. That was due to a lack of survey data on that population, Babey said. However, the researchers plan to look into the issue in a future study, she said.

Wallner said health providers can help address LGBT patients’ distrust of the medical system by taking steps to be more affirming toward them. Practices should include using patients’ preferred names and pronouns, asking LGBT people about their relationships but not focusing on sexual orientation to the exclusion of other aspects of their lives, conducting training on LGBTQ awareness and cultural competency, partnering with local LGBTQ organizations to do outreach, and showing posters in their health care practices that include LGBT people and families, she said.

“I look forward to the day when we start to chip away at those disparities and people do feel comfortable going into their doctor,” Wallner said. “We need to break down the stigma because it’s killing people.”

question: What does the article say about the death rate among the LGBT in California?

question: Summarize the reasons for LGBT members to avoid healthcare.

answer: While there's no direct reason cited in the article for LGBT people to avoid healthcare, it's posited that either discriminatory behavior or its expectation is the major factor. The article also quotes Amanda Wallner, director of the California LGBT Health and Human Services Network, as saying that anecdotal evidence suggests the same. Wallner suggests that a more affirming public outlook can help with this problem.


text:
[Africa Proconsularis (125 AD)]TROFIMIANA was an ancient Roman–Berber city in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis and in late antiquity of Byzacena. It was located in the Sahel, Tunisia region.

The city was also the seat of an ancient bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church.[1][2] It survives today as a titular see.[3][4] The current bishop is Joseph V. Brennan who succeeded Pierre Nguyên Van Kham in 2015.

[1] Trofimiana at _gcatholic.org_

[2] Charles Vialart, Geographia sacra, or of all the knowledge of the ancient patriarchal (excudit Franciscus Halma, 1704), p104.

[3] Trofimiana at _catholic-hierarchy.org_.

[4] Apostolische Nachfolge – Titularsitze

title: Trofimiana

question: What was Trofimana?

answer: An ancient city.

question: Who ruled it?

answer: The Ancient Romans.

question: In which province was it located?

answer: Africa Proconsularis.

question: What is a bishopric?

answer: The text does not explain.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Trofimana was an ancient Roman-Berber city in the province of Africa Proconsularis. In modern day, this is the Sahel, Tunisia region. The city was also the seat of an ancient bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church.


text:
9 Oct, 2012 21:14

There are probably more than 14 million kilograms of explosives on the seabeds off several US coasts. The unexploded bombs – dumped there by the military – pose a continuing danger as energy companies drill for underwater oil.

Most of the debris consists of malfunctioning or outdated ordnance or weapons and explosives seized from war enemies. It was dumped from the 1940s, when there was little regulation over international water, until 1972, when an international treaty banned uncontrolled waste disposal."These bombs are a threat today and no one knows how to deal with the situation," said William Bryant, a Texas A&M University professor of oceanography who recently presented the findings at a conference aimed at tackling the problem."If chemical agents are leaking from some of them, that's a real problem. If many of them are still capable of exploding, that's another big problem."The risk of unused bombs suddenly detonating is small, but any accident can be catastrophic, particularly if there are pipelines nearby.Bryant is even more worried about toxic agents, such as mustard gas, the dreaded World War I weapon, which is carcinogenic and causes burns. It may harm marine life, and has on several occasions been accidentally lifted off the sea bottom by US fishermen.The dangerous cargo was meant to be disposed of in specially-designated zones off every coast of the US, but Bryant says that a significant proportion of it was “short-dumped” – dropped off closer to the coast, and never documented.Oil and telecommunications companies have long been aware of the danger. Last year, BP had to move and explode a bomb from its functioning pipeline, an expensive operation that took several months.But Bryant believes that removal can occasionally be as dangerous as simply leaving the ordnance at the bottom, so essentially the damage has been done.He estimates that around 90 million kilograms of munitions are in all of the world’s water basins.There have been recent reports of extensive and erratic nuclear waste disposal programs carried out by the Soviets near the Arctic Ocean, including dumping a nuclear submarine with a dangerously unstable reactor."You can find munitions in basically every ocean around the world, every major sea, lake and river," says Terrance Long, founder of the Underwater Munitions Conference."They are a threat to human health and the environment."

question: When was the article written?

answer: October 2012

question: Where was the article published?

answer: That information can't be found

question: How did bombs end up in the seabeds off US coasts?

answer: They were dumped there by the military in the 1940s

question: What threat do the bombs pose?

answer: They might leak toxic chemicals, harming marine life, and they are a threat to offshore oil drilling

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: More than 14 million kilograms of explosives were dumped in seabeds by the military in the 1940s, and today they pose a threat to marine life and offshore oil drilling. Attempting to remove them however may be just as dangerous as leaving them where they are.


text:
	The Time I Found Love In A Senior Citizen –By Aaron Brooks

	Her Tinged Ciggerate’s heat radiated off into the back of my neck. I could feel her Presence. I couldn’t help but stare. Both me and my mother’s eyes were fixed on the slow burning Marlboro in her hand and the smoke that spit up her wrist.
“I’m A Libertarian, I don’t like to be told what to do.”
She observed my mom, down to the heartbeat. As did I. We both hated everything my mom did. We both hated being told what to do by my mothers all seeing eyes.
	She wasn’t the type of Libertarian who complains about Guantanamo Bay. She’s The Kind Of Libertarian who fucking drops Acid and goes to musical festivals. The epitimy of cool. Everything boring old me needed. Not only did she not have an opinion on Free trade economics SHE DIDN’T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT FREE TRADE ECONOMICS. She smoked weed on the hood of homeland security vehicals.
	The 14 in me wanted to end my conversation with her. Drugs, fun and freedom had taken there sweet toll on her body. Her hair was frizzed her clothes slightly tattered.  For being at the Jewish religious ceremony centered around death her shoeless feet dancing was quite the practice of someone celebrating life.  She was what a 65 year old women should be physically yet somehow she had redefined sexy for me in thirty seconds. We didn’t say much after that except small talk about “The fucking Bastard” known as Mayor Bloomberg. Everything she Said held so much weight. After our conversation came to a sad conclusion I mulled over her words like a priest reading the book of Mathew. I spent the rest of the night eating salled debating wether to go talk to her or not. I knew I would once have these debates with myself I didn’t know they’d would be about talking to someone who probably spent her morning opening social security checks. At a Shiva for all places! As if my pedophilic fantasies couldn’t get any worse, they had to be during a week that’s supposed to be filled with depression and tears.
	I looked all around the party for her, I curled around all the corners of the house. Elevating myself above tables scanning across the circles of people looking for her. Sometimes I saw her, but than she would be gone and disappear into another women. Some moments I would see her twice, at other times it seemed she never existed.
	Well fuck. She’s gone. I had my chance; I could have gone back to her house and talked into the morning. We could have drank, laughed and loved.
			KIDS THESE DAYS- Muriel Frumberg
	I had to get out of that shiva. My brother died for fucks sake, I can’t have one night of griping and smoking. This boy and his mother whom I had never met before came up to me wish me good luck or some shit. And they both stay fixated on the cigerates I was lighting back to back. People say they don’t care how you look, that’s bullshit. His mom looked so scared that I was talking to her son. Turns out this kid is some kind of Libertarian as well, he tried talking drones with me. Pathetic. I was minding my business my brother had just died. It was not the appropriate time for foreign policy discussion for fucks sake.
	You should have seen this kid. He was fucking weird. His eyes constantly were shifting around. He didn’t let people walk behind him. If you left the fucking boy alone for a second he would start mumbling to himself.
	I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. This kid’s definitely got something fucking wrong with him, probably have to do with something with his shitty bitch of a mother.
	THE NEXT IS A TEXT CONVERSATION AARON’S MOM AND DAD
DAVID: How was Shiva.
SARAH: It was good. Jean says “hi”.
Aaron was acting a little weird.
I think he was talking to voices again.
DAVID: What exactly was he doing
Or saying?
SARAH: He was talking about an old woman
He was talking to “her” about drones and
Mayor Bloomberg. He introduced me to her.
It was all very eerie.
DAVID: What else is there to do?
More therapy? More meds? What?
SARAH: Part of me says yes. However,
This is the first time I’ve seen Aaron
Happy in a long time.
DAVID: Are you suggesting we just
Let him live in his own little universe?
SARAH: Maybe just until the school
Year starts up again?
DAVID: Are you fucking insane? I think
We should send him back to the psych ward.
He’s obviously depressed.

title: I'm 14 with the beginning stages of schizophrenia. I feel free to answer any questions about Jewish terminalogy

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.


text: It was 3am and I needed a ride home. I had a place to stay, but no idea how to get there. A car was driving up so I flagged it down. The driver seemed like I could trust him so I got in his truck and attempted to tell him how to get to where I needed to go. He was from out of town and was as familiar with the area as I was. He asked what I had to do, and I said nothing. He was passing through town to pick up sections of a chopped up tree that he could later turn into firewood and sell. He said his place overlooked Morrow Rock and asked if I wanted to go back there with him and smoke. I agreed on the condition that he gave me a ride back. He had a cool dog. It was a 6 month old boxer/pitbull with a black coat and amazing, bright, cream colored eyes. His name was Lazarus. The car ride was about 25 minutes long and he did most of the talking. I answered in short sentences that had a hint of an attitude that said “Don’t fuck with me”. He was a lonely man with no one left in the world. His dad died when he was young, and his mom is a drug addict who he regularly sells prescription pills to. Their latest transaction was pills in exchange for about a quarter eighth of an ounce of weed, which we later smoked. He was 28 and had a 9 year old kid who he never saw. This man only had his dog, and that night he needed a friend to talk to. He was a meth addict, which although he later told me, was evident from his firewood scheme, disjointed ideas, and overall behavior. He lived with an air of uneasy and uncertain enthusiasm. This was the reason for my slight attitude. He needed to know that I was only here to talk. I was not someone to be messed with. He needed to know that I was smart, and that the things he told me didn’t frighten or alarm me. I laughed at his 3 prison stints and called him an idiot for going that many times. I had his respect, and he told me everything he could think of. When we got back to his place, I saw Morrow Rock just past the inland part of the bay that was about 300 yards in front of me. We entered the door of the garage and I saw that this was not his house. He lived on a mattress next to the clutter of a senior citizen that hadn’t given much thought to a room like this in more than 15 years. There was a fridge from which he handed me a Gogurt and a water. He told me that the woman who owned the house used to swim with William Hurst in his beautiful pools of gold leaf and Roman architecture. His father had known her, and apparently he was doing some job on the house for her. It looked like nothing more than squatting. He told me about how he got kicked out of school at 16, and about kayaking in the bay when the tide was high, and about his favorite boyhood potato gun. He told me about his fear of being alone, and how he preferred to have someone with him as much as he could. His mom pays for the food that he and Lazarus eat. We smoked and talked until 8am, and then we started splitting wood. It was what he loved to do. He said his dad had bought him the hydraulic powered machine that I used, which he called a splitter, to separate the wood that they used to get from cutting down trees. At 8am the city allowed the operation of machinery. He took a brand new chainsaw out of his truck and cut wood that was 3 feet in diameter after we unloaded it from the bed. We turned sections of trees into firewood fit for a campsite. We finished up around 10am and I asked him to drive me home. He had been waiting to hear from his mom so that she could give him money to fill up his gas tank, but we had already agreed that I’d be back where I needed to be by 11am. He put 3 gallons of gasoline that was meant for the chainsaw in his tank. As we drove back to town he tried to convince himself that putting gasoline mixed with oil in his truck wouldn’t harm it, but he had no basis, or power to reason why that was true. I gave him a series of statements that followed logically and gave him reason to believe that it would be fine, even though I had no idea if the premises were true. He dropped me off at the local Right Aide around 11am, and gave me his phone number. I didn’t know his name and substituted it with August 26, 2012 in my phone. He honked as he drove away, and I thought about an interesting night spent with a man who didn’t have much hope. He had a very privileged youth, and his life could have been a thousand times different. But this is who he was, and after a sleepless night I was glad to have known him. I thought for the rest of the day about his life, and those whom he had known. I hoped that life could change him, and wondered if it could. In the hot, morning sun I hoped that he could move on to better things than splitting wood, and to be more than a date in a directionless man’s phone.

title: Addicted

question: Why does the narrator go back to the man's house?

answer: Unclear.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is looking for a ride. He has somewhere to stay but no way to get there. Luckily a man driving by stops and gives him a lift. The man invites the narrator over to his place to smoke where he shares stories about his life with the narrator. The next day the man drops the narrator off at a Rite Aid.


text:
[The Kitchen Collection HD Laurel Hex Multi Porcelain Tile by British Ceramic Tile]

_I think this might be my dream kitchen. It features The Kitchen Collection HD Laurel Hex Multi Porcelain Tiles from British ceramic Tile_

So in my last post I told you guys all about my planned bathroom makeover which is due to start in just under two weeks…I’m so freakin’ excited I might just explode! But today I wanted to share another exciting project with you as we are also doing a kitchen makeover, YAY!! I can’t even begin to tell you how badly it needs a revamp, it makes me shudder every time I go into the kitchen. You see, as I’ve explained before here, the guy who owned our flat before us fancied himself as a bit of a property developer, but almost everything he did here sucks!! The kitchen itself was brand new but the workmanship is just appalling and so shoddy. The kitchen floor tiles are all uneven and when we first moved in we were constantly tripping up on them. The wall tiles have been applied using dabs of adhesive here and there so they are all uneven too and he didn’t use spacers either. He replaced the light fitting and did an awful job there, it looks really messy. It really is just shocking and I can’t wait to remove all trace of his not-so-handy-work with our kitchen makeover!

In my last post, I explained how I had the opportunity to have a one-to-one consultation with DIY-expert Jo Bahari as part of MoneySuperMarket‘s #MSMHomeImprove campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the fact that making improvements in and around your home can have an effect on your home insurance policy and sometimes even drive it down. We’ve mostly done a a bit of cosmetic work so far such as painting and wallpapering and we’ve had a few new carpets fitted, but the plans we have for our bathroom and kitchen makeover are a bit more extensive.

[The Design Sheppard Kitchen Before]

_Our kitchen as it is now, cluttered and severely lacking storage space. (Please excuse the appalling pictures)_

We currently have a beech kitchen that looks like every other budget kitchen fitted throughout the UK. Whilst there is nothing wrong with it, I would like it to be a bit more individual and unique. Our budget won’t stretch to a new kitchen sadly because if it would I’d be straight down to IKEA for a new Metod kitchen or I’d go with Magnet Kitchens as they have some great space saving designs. But we plan to make some small changes such as painting the cabinets, replacing work tops, sink, tap and hob (and eventually the oven) and we will be replacing all the wall and floor tiles.

[Magnet Kitchens Plinth Drawer]

_Magnet Kitchen’s Plinth Drawer_

Our kitchen is quite small and doesn’t really make the best use of the space. We are sorely lacking in storage space. We currently only have one double cupboard that we use to store food and all the others are used for kitchen equipment. My husband is a real foodie and loves to cook so we have excessive amounts of pots, pans and ingredients. As a temporary measure, when we moved in we put up some open shelves. This is quite trendy at the moment but only looks good when used to display pretty things. Half used bags of pasta and rice really don’t look good on open shelves and make the whole kitchen look even more cluttered. So they have to go and we need to come up with some alternative storage solutions that won’t break the bank.

One wall in the kitchen is pretty redundant . It features a 1970’s style hatch through to the living room which we actually find really useful having two small kids we need to keep an eye on. But this means we don’t have any wall cabinets on this wall. Again we have temporarily put up a shelf above the hatch which looks awful. We can’t really put kitchen cabinets on this wall as we wouldn’t be able to get into the kitchen if we did. We need to get creative so that we can use this wall to create additional storage.

Finally we have a real lack of work surface. I have considered adding a fold down solution under the hatch but as this is where the radiator is this would not really work.

So as well as getting advice about my bathroom, Jo also offered some helpful tips regarding my kitchen. I explained all the issues I just described and here are some of Jo’s suggestions:

  Storage is clearly the key issue for you and I would suggest a couple of things. You could fit a wall unit between the fridge and the extractor and also another one where you currently have the cover shelves. Also over the hatch you could use a couple of the VALJE wall units from IKEA and maybe a wall unit over the kitchen window.

[IKEA valje-wall-cabinet-with-door-white]

  You can install a small half shelf in the cupboards for things like spices and cooking ingredients. And for the corner cupboards things just get lost unless you use something like this solution below. You can buy these interior fittings from most hardware stores and they should fit easily to the units but check before you buy.

[IKEA UTRUSTA corner base cabinet pull-out ftting]
_UTRUSTA Corner base cabinet pull-out fitting from IKEA_

  As for the lack of work surface I think once you start putting a few more wall units in you won’t notice it so much as the kitchen will feel less cluttered. You can put a section of work surface over the tumble dryer. And if you put a small shelf above this you could put the gadgets and appliances on the shelf to maximise work surface space.

So again, some great ideas from Jo and it’s given me plenty to think about. I’m still scared to get going with this project but at the end of the day things can’t get much worse so whatever we decide to do will be an improvement! I’ll keep you posted on our progress! And if you have any suggestions please feel free to share them as I’m always interested to hear from you guys!

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

_Disclosure: This post has been written in collaboration with MoneySuperMarket who arranged my one-to-one consultation with Jo Behari. However, all the opinions in this post are my own and I stress that I only collaborate with brands and companies that I genuinely like and believe that my readers will like too. _

question: Why is the narrator so keen to get started on the kitchen renovations?

answer: The previous owner has done some really shoddy upgrades on the kitchen. The wall and floor tiles have been poorly laid and they are neither smooth nor evenly spaced. The light fitting he replaced is messy. The narrator can't wait to remove any evidence of his poor workmanship.

question: Apart from the poor workmanship what are the other problems with the kitchen?

answer: The kitchen is very unoriginal and the narrator would like to add some personal touches to the decor. Storage space is lacking so the narrator must find some storage solutions that fit with the budget. They also need to increase the counter space.


text:
THIS REPORT IS FOR THE MEDIA AND GENERAL PUBLIC.

On 22 February 2015 at 13:15hrs, an explosion occurred at a pro-Maidan march commemorating the anniversary of February 2014 events in Kharkiv (during which three people died in demonstrations), outside the Palace of Sports on Marshal Zhukova Street (7km east of the city centre). The SMM, who were monitoring the commemoration, heard the blast and felt shockwaves from their position 100m away. The SMM arrived at the scene of the explosion at 13:20hrs, and saw two dead individuals covered with Ukrainian flags and casualties being attended to. The SMM noted the explosion caused no damage to nearby buildings or windows. At 14:45hrs, a police spokesperson and a representative of the prosecutor’s office gave a press conference at the scene, confirming that an explosive device killed two (one police officer, and one civilian taking part in the march) and injured eleven, six of whom were police officers.

The SMM observed that the main commemoration had concluded and that approximately 500 participants (approximately equal numbers of men and women and some children) were on Marshal Zhukova Street carrying a 250m long Ukrainian national flag to Liberty Square when the device was detonated. Police confirmed to SMM that the explosion took place at the head of the march which was led by police officers escorting participants to Liberty Square. The police also informed the SMM that the device consisted of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) and shrapnel concealed in a plastic bag and was detonated remotely. According to police, the device was similar to one that exploded at the Moscovyi District Courthouse in Kharkiv (see _SMM Daily Report based on information as of 21_ January). The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism according to police.

question: Where did the incident occur?

answer: An explosion occurred at a pro-Maidan march in Ukraine during a commemoration parade.

question: What is the main event of the article?

question: Was anyone injured in the event?

answer: Two died, eleven were injured.

question: Did the police get involved?

answer: Yes. Police were at the event when the explosion occurred. They are investigating the occurrence as an act of terrorism.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: An explosion occurred at a pro-Maidan march in Ukraine during a commemoration parade. Two people died, and eleven were injured.


text:
You want a more engaged, inspired, resilient, and resourceful workforce, don’t you?

Who doesn’t?

Here’s one simple thing you can do to make this happen: _REMIND EMPLOYEES REGULARLY ABOUT THE GOOD THAT THEY DO AND THE IMPACT THEIR WORK HAS._

You do this by showing employees the impact of their work and you share stories of the great things your organization does through them.

If you want to be a talent magnet, do the same thing in your recruiting and employer branding. Show job prospects and new hires how your organization makes a difference, through the great work of your employees.

How a 5 minute meeting increased productivity 400%

In _How Customers Can Rally Your Troops _— a “must read” for leadership teams desiring greater employee engagement — Wharton Business School’s Dr. Adam Grant describes the impact of sharing customer stories with employees.

The article opens up with the attention-grabbing question:

  How did a five-minute meeting motivate university fundraisers to increase their weekly productivity by 400 percent?’

It goes on to describe how a university fund-raising department asked Dr. Grant to help them solve a problem that had vexed management.

They were asked to help management boost employee morale and performance. All attempts to do so in the past had failed. The department also suffered from horrific turnover, a problem endemic to the fund-raising industry which averages over 400 percent turnover, which is the equivalent of having all employees turnover every three months.

Dr. Grant’s intervention?

Show employees they matter

Connect employees directly with the impact their work made in the lives of others.

He invited a recipient of the university scholarship to share their story with the beleaguered fundraisers. That five minute story motivated employees to make more calls and bring in more revenue.

More specifically, the group of employees who heard the recipient’s speech more than doubled their calls per hour and increased their weekly revenues from $411.74 to $2,083.52!

Why is connecting employees to customer stories so powerful?

MEANING AND PURPOSE ARE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEEDS

It taps into the human need for meaning and purpose. It satisfies the need to feel like we matter and that our work matters.

As Studs Terkel, in his classic _Working_ wrote so poignantly:

  Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”

Research on employee engagement reveals this critical human need in action. One of Gallup’s 12 drivers of employee engagement speaks to this core need: “T_he mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important._”

We see the role this need plays in attracting talent. Anybody involved in recruiting and hiring talent knows that the new generation of employees want to work for an employer who is doing good things in the world.

Millennials want to make a difference

A study by the Intelligence Group revealed that 64 percent of Millennials say it’s a priority for them to make the world a better place.

This quote from a recent Linkedin post that to date has over 1.3 million views and 1,400 comments titled _Why Millennials Keep Dumping You: An Open Letter to Management_ captures this desire:

  I was raised to believe I could change the world. I’m desperate for you to show me that the work we do here matters, even just a little bit. I’ll make copies, I’ll fetch coffee, I’ll do the grunt work. But I’m not doing it to help you get a new Mercedes.

  I’ll give you everything I’ve got, but I need to know it makes a difference to something bigger than your bottom line.”

Seeing the impact of great work

Customer-facing employees benefit from the motivation and engagement-boosting experience of seeing the impact of their work on a regular basis. This direct contact with the fruits of their labor keeps them emotionally engaged with their work and their employer’s mission.

However, those who don’t deal directly with clients and customers can easily feel detached from their employer’s mission and the good that they do.

Amir Zonozi, Chief Strategy Officer at Zoomph, recognizes this problem: “We (the marketing team and leadership)  go to conferences and we get a lot of love from clients who are absolutely in love with our product,” says Zonozi. Developers, however, don’t typically get to go to such conferences…”

Instead, developers get to hear about bugs and improvements that need to be made to the software they toiled to create.

To give their software developers the chance to experience  firsthand the results of their hard work, Zoomph leaders bring them out in the field — literally — to see the impact they have.

Recently, after Zoomph software developers solved a customer problem that competitors told the Baltimore Orioles was impossible, Zonozi and other members of the management team took the developers to the Orioles’ home opener.

There, they got to see the Zoomph-powered monster splash screen projecting real time Oriole-related tweets from fans and the franchise in front of a 50,000 crowd. At another game, the developers who made it possible got to sit in the press box, and when the game was over, walk the field and go on a guided tour of the stadium.

Putting this into action

1.  BRAINSTORM OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE YOUR BACK OFFICE EMPLOYEES A CHANCE to directly, in-person, witness the impact your product or service has on your customers’ lives.
2.  ACTIVELY SOLICIT AND CURATE STORIES FROM CUSTOMER-FACING EMPLOYEES and your customers that illustrate the difference your organization makes in the world. Use them on your recruitment portal, at new hire orientations, and company-wide meetings.
3.  CAPTURE AND SHARE CUSTOMER STORIES ON VIDEO WHENEVER POSSIBLE, and use them on your recruitment portal, at new hire orientations, and company-wide meetings.
4.  INVITE CUSTOMERS TO SPEAK AT COMPANY-WIDE MEETINGS AND TELL THEIR STORY DIRECTLY TO EMPLOYEES. This is something that Medtronics, the life-saving medical device company does each year. They fly in people whose lives were saved by a Medtronics device, and invite them to tell their story to an audience of teary-eyed employees, who go away reminded of the importance of their work.

question: According to the author, what's one way to attract and keep good employees?

answer: Remind them regularly about the good they do and the impact their work has.

question: What's another tip?

answer: Connect employees directly with the impact their work has made on the lives of others.

question: What's another tip?

answer: Mine and curate stories from customer-facing employees about their worth.

question: Who is Dr Grant?

answer: He wrote "How Customers Can Rally Your Troops".

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article explains how to attract and keep good employees by connecting them to the impact their work has made on the lives of others and letting them know how good they are at their jobs consistently. A big component of this method is involving the customers directly in feedback reception so that the employees can see the tangible results of their hard work.


text:
Hi! I was trying to make this neither a poem or a short story, or maybe both at the same time? I'm obviously not very skilled. This is my first draft and I would love some tips if you've got a moment. Thanks.

~           ~             ~

Deep within the city of Piraeus the moon glowed with soft light. Merchants from Athens sold their wares free from the heat, and that comfort gave them much delight. Then appeared a young girl holding a basket no more than twelve. She walked up to a herbalist, and pointed to a shelve. The lass' red riding cloak fluttered softly in a breeze, and after the wind stopped it settled down around her knees. “Take this thyme, and your grandma will be just fine, now don't you dare offer me money, I wouldn't accept a dime.” Said a women to the girl. As quickly as she came, she was off in a whirl. Nearby atop a stone brick bathhouse a fowl and terrible creature perched. It's eyes darted back and forth like it was conducting research.

The young girl walked down a brick path and scanned dark corners for trouble. There were footsteps behind her so she picked up her pace on the double. The footsteps quickened like a downhill rolling boulder. The girl in the red cloak gasped as a hand latched down on to her shoulder. “Stay away!” yelled the girl in fear. From the shadows wearing a guard uniform the hand's owned appeared. “Little Red, what are you doing this late and all alone?” Asked the guard to the girl in a melodious tone. “I was at the market, getting something for my grandmother!” Quipped the girl to the guard without even a stutter. “Fine take your leave!” Spoke the guard like thunder. “But don't cry to me, when a mugger rips you asunder.”

Off strolled the mysterious girl clad in red. Unfortunately she wasn't aware of the beast that wanted her dead. Near the edge of the city was her home, it looked tranquil only at night when few stirred. Little Red spotted a cat, and smiled when he purred. She scratched behind his ears and he huffed acting lazy and fat. The sound was like music for an eavesdropping rat. Moving on, the girl took her basket and went inside. Waiting in the darkness the creature did hide.

The little girl approached her sick grandmother's bed. She had words in her mind but despite her best efforts they remained unsaid. In the dim light of the room the girl felt something was wrong. It's smelled as if something just didn't belong. She starred at her grandmother and saw a glow in her eyes. “I have medicine now, you'll be better by sunrise.” Just then it occurred to the girl she was in danger. “Grandma your eyes oh my, well I've never...”

“All the better for seeing you, my dear.” Growled a voice mired and queer.“Your tone. What happened?” Little Red said austere. “Just the flu sweet child, come closer” She said as she  gestured. “Your teeth grandmother. They've gone and festered.”
“All the better for eating you, my dear.” Little Red's eyes widen in panic, and she was filled with fear.

Just then wood splintered and crashed. The guard from earlier reappeared in a flash. The creature turned and it attacked. It's claws were menacing and it's aim was exact. Everything ended with a spear to it's chest. The creature was slain and later put to rest. Little Red thanked the guard, and then cried for her grandma. Only when she spotted her basket from earlier, did her expression change from sad to awe. She reached inside and withdrew a small green plant. “May this thyme grant me courage now that my grandmother can't,”  said the twelve year old girl, quietly in her head. Little Red pondered who her surrogate family could be, and came up with only despair and dread.

title: Once Upon Some Thyme

question: In what way is this story written like a poem?

answer: It rhymes.

question: What happened to the girl's grandmother?

answer: She is dead, presumably eaten by the beast.

question: What fairy tale is this story based on?

answer: Little Red Riding Hood

question: What sort of ending does this story have?

answer: A bittersweet ending, since Little Red has survived the beast but she must now live without her grandma and feels despair and dread for the future.


text:
  It was like getting hit by a train. I knew I hadn’t literally been hit by a train, but in all my twelve years of existence i had never felt something that painful. He had said it wouldn’t hurt, but he lied.

   "That one was a little high", he said.

   "Yes sir", was all i could manage to reply.

   That rifle had a hell of a kick. I rubbed my shoulder to try and comfort my bones as they screamed in protest. My step father had promised to take me hunting but now i was having second thoughts.

   His name is John David Adams Senior. He has been married to my mom for the last two years. It wasn’t strange to me, having a new dad, like it was to most people. That’s mostly because i never had an old dad. For as long as I can remember it’s just been me and my mom. He is a nice man, although he can be very strict at times.

  We got up from the old wooden bench set up on the outskirts of a field about two hundred yards from our camp, and walked towards the bullseye I had been aiming for.

  The crisp mid-December air felt amazing, like a cold blanket kissing my face. As we walked, the smell of gunpowder that had saturated the air slowly dwindled away, and was replaced by the sweet aroma of freshly cut grass.

  As we reached the target, I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. He had been right. The hole was nowhere near where I had been aiming for, but it was only my first shot, and we had a whole case of bullets to go through. As we walked back to the bench I rubbed my arm again, apologizing for the pain that was to come.

  Fifteen shots and a short ride later we arrived back at the camp to plan out my first hunt. Our camp was an old house in Natchez, Mississippi that had been converted into a hunting camp by a group of men Mr. John had befriended. From the outside, it looked like hell. The walls had boards missing and the roof patched in spots with sheets of tin, but from the inside it wasn’t half bad.

  As we walk through the front door into the living room I pass the huge map of the property that is used to show everyone where we would be the following day. “You see that spot there, number 24?” He asked.

  I replied “Yes sir.”

  “That’s where we will be tomorrow.”

  I woke the next morning to the sound of the alarm screeching like a fire engine alerting us to a new day. My bed was a sanctuary, a place to relax, but it was time to embrace the day and face the trials that were to come.

  As i pulled on my gear i glance at the clock and realize it is only four in the morning. That explains the iron gates that had replaced my eyelids constantly trying to slam shut.

  The ride to the stand was dark and quiet. Not in a frightening way though. it put me in a calm and comfortable mood. I could almost feel the forest surrounding me waiting for the sun to rise and give light to the new day, and the new events that would unfold.

  We parked on the road and walked to the stand, being as quiet as possible so as to not alert whatever was lurking in the dark trees. We are now predators, and somewhere, hidden behind a curtain of foliage, is my prey awaiting its fate.

  There are two chairs in the stand, each facing out a window that gave a full view of the two fields below. The fields were perpendicular to each other and connected in the corners, that is where our stand is set up. I positioned one chair so i could have a full view of each side at all times.

  As the sun slowly rose to its seat in the sky, the field came into view and revealed the life brimming below. I see chipmunks and birds going about their morning activities, but i see no deer.

  An hour or two goes by with no luck. My nose is starting to freeze when Mr. John taps me on the shoulder and points towards the field I was looking at. I didn’t see anything though, but readied my rifle anyway, just as he has taught me.

  Slowly, a deer creeps its way onto the field and I feel my heart begin to race. I let the animal come closer before preparing for the kill. Steadily I lower my head to the stock and gaze through the scope.

  My heart is leaping out of my chest, but i breathe deeply to attempt to calm it down.

  “Breathe out and squeeze,” he whispers.

  As the air escapes my lungs I slowly squeeze the trigger and ready myself for the impact. The world seems to slow down and disappear, leaving only me and my prey.

  Inside the scope that became my entire universe in that half a second, I hear the click of the hammer against the bullet then almost instantaneously the world explodes back to life. I see the birds flying in every direction, frightened by the sound of the shot, and in the very center of the field, lying still and lifeless, i see my target.

  We left the stand to see how I did. As we come upon the animal i feel pride for what I had accomplished and sorrow for the animal, but this is the way of life. Some must die so that others may survive. Natural selection has never seemed so real to me.

  “Beautiful shot, you did great. I’m proud of you, son,” He said, smiling at me.

  In that moment i am happier that i have ever been, not because i had ended a life, but because I had made him proud. In his eyes I can see the absolute truth in that statement, that for once in my life someone was proud of me.

  I looked into those eyes and saw the pride radiating from them, and I realized i had finally found what i had been hunting for all along.

 I love you, Dad.

  This is an original story written by me. It is also my first post, so i apologize for any formatting errors. I hope you liked it!

title: The Hunt

question: Summarize the narrator's thoughts as they shot their target.

answer: The narrator feels pride for their accomplishment at shooting at their target. But, the narrator also feels sorrow for the animal and justifies it by saying this is the way of life. The narrator states that some must die so others can survive.

question: Summarize the most important realization in this story.

answer: The most important realization that happens in this story is when the narrator finds out what they have been hunting for all along. The narrator was looking for pride and approval from their dad. When the narrator's dad said he was proud of him, it made the narrator the happiest he has been and he found what he was hunting for all along.

question: Would the narrator get better at hunting since he had received his step father's approval and made him proud?


text:
The 2016 KBS ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS took place on December 24, 2016. The main ceremony was hosted by Lee Hwi-jae, Yoo Hee-yeol and Hyeri (Girl's Day), and the red carpet was hosted by Jeon So-mi and Choi Yoo-jung of I.O.I. The ceremony was televised live on KBS.

Winners and nominees

+------+
| Gran |
| d    |
| Priz |
| e    |
| (Dae |
| sang |
| )    |
+======+
| -    |
| KIM  |
|      |
| JONG |
| -MIN |
|  -   |
|      |
| _2   |
|      |
| DAYS |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
| NIGH |
| T_   |
|      |
| -    |
| Kim  |
|      |
|      |
| Jun- |
| ho - |
|      |
|      |
| _2   |
|      |
|      |
| Days |
|      |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
|      |
| Nigh |
| t_,  |
|      |
|      |
| _Gag |
|      |
|      |
| Conc |
| ert_ |
|      |
| -    |
| Lee  |
|      |
|      |
| Hwi- |
| jae  |
| -    |
|      |
|      |
| _The |
|      |
|      |
| Retu |
| rn   |
|      |
|      |
| of   |
|      |
|      |
| Supe |
| rman |
| _    |
|      |
| -    |
| Shin |
|      |
|      |
| Dong |
| -yup |
|  -   |
|      |
|      |
| _Hel |
| lo   |
|      |
|      |
| Coun |
| selo |
| r_   |
|      |
| -    |
| Yoo  |
|      |
|      |
| Jae- |
| suk  |
| -    |
|      |
|      |
| _Hap |
| py   |
|      |
|      |
| Toge |
| ther |
|      |
|      |
| seas |
| on   |
|      |
|      |
| 3_   |
+------+
| View |
| ers' |
| Choi |
| ce   |
+------+
| -    |
| _2   |
|      |
| DAYS |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
| NIGH |
| T_   |
|      |
| -    |
| _Gag |
|      |
|      |
| Conc |
| ert_ |
|      |
| -    |
| _Hap |
| py   |
|      |
|      |
| Toge |
| ther |
|      |
|      |
| seas |
| on   |
|      |
|      |
| 3_   |
|      |
| -    |
| _Hel |
| lo   |
|      |
|      |
| Coun |
| selo |
| r_   |
|      |
| -    |
| _Imm |
| orta |
| l    |
|      |
|      |
| Song |
| s    |
|      |
|      |
| 2_   |
|      |
| -    |
| _The |
|      |
|      |
| Retu |
| rn   |
|      |
|      |
| of   |
|      |
|      |
| Supe |
| rman |
| _    |
+------+
| Top  |
| Exce |
| llen |
| ce   |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Vari |
| ety  |
+------+
| -    |
| LEE  |
|      |
| DONG |
| -GOO |
| K -  |
|      |
| _THE |
|      |
| RETU |
| RN   |
|      |
| OF   |
|      |
| SUPE |
| RMAN |
| _    |
| -    |
| RA   |
|      |
| MI-R |
| AN - |
|      |
| _SIS |
| TER' |
| S    |
|      |
| SLAM |
|      |
| DUNK |
| _    |
|      |
| -    |
| Defc |
| onn  |
| -    |
|      |
|      |
| _2   |
|      |
|      |
| Days |
|      |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
|      |
| Nigh |
| t_   |
|      |
| -    |
| Kim  |
|      |
|      |
| Seun |
| g-wo |
| o -  |
|      |
|      |
| _Mr. |
|      |
|      |
| Hous |
| e    |
|      |
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| Husb |
| and_ |
+------+
| Exce |
| llen |
| ce   |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Vari |
| ety  |
+------+
| -    |
| KI   |
|      |
| TAE- |
| YOUN |
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|      |
| _THE |
|      |
| RETU |
| RN   |
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| OF   |
|      |
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| _    |
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| LEE  |
|      |
| BEOM |
| -SOO |
|  -   |
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| _THE |
|      |
| RETU |
| RN   |
|      |
| OF   |
|      |
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| RMAN |
| _    |
|      |
| -    |
| Bong |
|      |
|      |
| Tae- |
| gyu  |
|      |
|      |
| –    |
|      |
|      |
| _Mr. |
|      |
|      |
| Hous |
| e    |
|      |
|      |
| Husb |
| and_ |
|      |
| -    |
| Hong |
|      |
|      |
| Jin- |
| kyun |
| g -  |
|      |
|      |
| _Sis |
| ter' |
| s    |
|      |
|      |
| Slam |
|      |
|      |
| Dunk |
| _    |
+------+
| Rook |
| ie   |
| Awar |
| d    |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Vari |
| ety  |
+------+
| -    |
| MIN  |
|      |
| HYO- |
| RIN  |
| -    |
|      |
| _SIS |
| TER' |
| S    |
|      |
| SLAM |
|      |
| DUNK |
| _    |
| -    |
| YOON |
|      |
| SI-Y |
| OON  |
| -    |
|      |
| _2   |
|      |
| DAYS |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
| NIGH |
| T_   |
|      |
| -    |
| Jess |
| i -  |
|      |
|      |
| _Sis |
| ter' |
| s    |
|      |
|      |
| Slam |
|      |
|      |
| Dunk |
| _    |
|      |
| -    |
| Kim  |
|      |
|      |
| Se-j |
| eong |
|  -   |
|      |
|      |
| _Tal |
| ents |
|      |
|      |
| for  |
|      |
|      |
| Sale |
| _    |
+------+
| Othe |
| r    |
| Awar |
| ds   |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Best |
| Scre |
| enwr |
| iter |
| Awar |
| d    |
+------+
| -    |
| JI   |
|      |
| HYUN |
| -SOO |
| K -  |
|      |
| _SIS |
| TER' |
| S    |
|      |
| SLAM |
|      |
| DUNK |
| _    |
| -    |
| JUNG |
|      |
| SUN- |
| YOUN |
| G -  |
|      |
| _2   |
|      |
| DAYS |
|      |
| &    |
|      |
| 1    |
|      |
| NIGH |
| T_   |
| -    |
| YOON |
|      |
| KI-Y |
| OUNG |
|  -   |
|      |
| _GAG |
|      |
| CONC |
| ERT_ |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Radi |
| o    |
| DJ   |
| Awar |
| d    |
+------+
| PARK |
| MYUN |
| G-SO |
| O    |
+------+
| styl |
| e=“w |
| idth |
| =”35 |
| %"   |
| |    |
| Best |
| Coup |
| le   |
| Awar |
| d    |
+------+
| LEE  |
| KWAN |
| G-SO |
| O    |
| &    |
| JUNG |
| SO-M |
| IN   |
| -    |
| _THE |
| SOUN |
| D    |
| OF   |
| YOUR |
| HEAR |
| T_   |
+------+

Presenters

  Presenter(s)                      Award
  --------------------------------- ----------------------------------
  Park Bo-gum, Irene (Red Velvet)   Excellence Award (Comedy)
  Kim Jong-kook, Cha Tae-hyun       Top Excellence Award (Talk show)

Performers

  Artist   Song(s)
  -------- -----------------------------
  Unnies   _Shut Up_
  Twice    _Cheer Up_, _TT_
  AOA      _Heart Attack_, _Good Luck_
  I.O.I    _Pick Me_

title: 2016 KBS Entertainment Awards

question: When did the 2016 KBS Entertainment Awards take place?

answer: December 24th, 2016.

question: Who hosted the main ceremony?

answer: Lee Hwi-jae, Yoo Hee-yeol, and Hyeri.

question: Which group is Hyeri part of?

answer: Girl's Day.

question: Who hosted the red carpet?

answer: Jeon So-mi and Choi Yoon-jung.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 2016 KBS Entertainment Awards took place on December 24, 2016. The main ceremony was hosted by Lee Hwi-jae, Yoo Hee-yeol and Hyeri (Girl's Day), and the red carpet was hosted by Jeon So-mi and Choi Yoo-jung of I.O.I. The ceremony was televised live on KBS.


text:
Former Trump campaign adviser Rick Gates reached out to an Israeli company in 2016 and asked for proposals to run a disinformation campaign, including creating fake online identities, to help President Trump win the primary and general election, The New York Times reported Monday.

Gates, the longtime business associate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, earlier this year pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The Times said Gates sought a proposal from Psy-Group, a company founded by Israeli intelligence officers.

There is no indication the Trump campaign acted on the proposal, The Times said, but the firm’s owner, Joel Zamel, did meet with Donald Trump Jr. in August 2016.

Mr. Zamel’s attorney told The Times the meeting at Trump Tower was just to outline the company’s capabilities in “general terms.”

Gates had hoped the fake identities would influence 5,000 Republican delegates by attacking Mr. Trump’s toughest primary opponent, Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican. He also planned to compile “intelligence dossiers” on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her aides.

The Israeli company’s proposal is separate from the disinformation campaign waged by Russia during the 2016 campaign, The Times said. However, Mr. Mueller has copies of the proposal and has questioned Psy-Group employees, according to the article.

Gates pleaded guilty earlier this year to making false statements to FBI agents and conspiracy against the United States. He is cooperating with the special counsel’s office and was the star witness against Manafort at his August financial fraud trial.

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Please read our comment policy before commenting.

question: Who reached out to an Israeli company in 2016?

answer: Rick Gates.

question: Why did Rick Gates reach out to the Israeli company?

answer: For help to run a disinformation campaign.

question: What investigation did Gates plead guilty in?

answer: Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

question: How many Republican delegates did Gates hope to influence?

answer: 5,000.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the prosecution of Rick Gates for engaging in a disinformation campaign in the 2016 election. The trial was part of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.


text:
MICHAEL GARRISON is the former president of West Virginia University, succeeded by C. Peter Magrath on August 1, 2008.[1] A graduate of the WVU class of 1992 and earned a J.D. at WVU in 1996 after attending St. Anne's College, Oxford University on a Rotary Scholarship.[2][3] He lectured as an adjunct professor in West Virginia University's department of Political Science in the years preceding his appointment as president.[4] Garrison had been managing member of Spilman Thomas & Battle pllc in Morgantown. In 2003, Garrison was awarded a Toll Fellowship from the Council of State Governments [5] following his tenure as Chief of Staff to West Virginia Governor Bob Wise from 2001-2003.[6] He served as Cabinet Secretary in the West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue until 2001.[7] In 2007, Garrison was selected as West Virginia University's twenty-second president.[8]

Garrison's selection as president was controversial with some on the university's faculty; the faculty senate voted no confidence in him in April 2007.[9] The _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_ noted concerns about his lack of academic experience and the possibility that his inclusion among the finalists was the result of his political connections.[10][11]

In 2008 Garrison became involved in a controversy involving the granting of an MBA degree to Heather Bresch, who had failed to complete the required credits. A panel led by WVU faculty members produced a report on the incident described by the _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_ as criticising the university administration for having made “a 'seriously flawed' decision fraught with favoritism.”[12] In May 2008 the faculty senate voted 77-19 to call for Garrison's resignation[13] - a demand repeated by a vote (565-39, with 11 abstentions) open to all WVU faculty at a mass meeting a week later.[14] In August 2012, West Virginia University officially closed its investigation, reaching no conclusion but foreseeing “unreasonable delays in investigating complaints of misconduct” raised questions about violations of due process rights.[15]

On June 6, 2008, Garrison officially announced he would resign as President of the University effective September 1, 2008.[16] In October 2008 a West Virginia grand jury decided not to indict Garrison on criminal charges relating to the degree scandal.[17] Some news accounts alleged a friendly relationship between Garrison and the Governor, but the official WVU investigation ended before reaching the same conclusion.[18]

After leaving West Virginia University, Garrison returned to his former law firm, Spilman Thomas & Battle,[19] Garrison's more recent work includes representing natural gas company Northeast Energy in its $42 million suit against the City of Morgantown, West Virginia.[20] Northeast is seeking an injunction against the city, to prevent enforcement of its recent ban on horizontal hydraulic fracking. Morgantown passed its ban after Northeast sited a drill pad near the city's primary drinking-water intake, and the ban and the issue have received increasing press coverage, both locally [21] and even nationally. [22]

[1] WVU Administration

[2] http://www.spilmanlaw.com/Attorneys/D-H/Garrison,-Michael-S

[3]

[4] “WVU Committee Narrows Presidential Field to Three”, _State Journal_, 22 March 2007, accessed 2008-04-26

[5] http://www.csg.org/

[6] HighBeam

[7] WVU President's page

[8] http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2007/04/13/5614

[9] Ian Urbina, “University Investigates Whether Governor’s Daughter Earned Degree”, _New York Times_, 22 January 2008, accessed 2008-04-26

[10] West Virginia U. Ignores Controversy and Picks Garrison as New President, _Chronicle of Higher Education_, 13 April 2007, accessed 2008-05-06

[11] Jonathan D. Silver and Eleanor Chute, “Controversy roils search for new WVU president”, _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, 1 April 2007, accessed 2008-04-26

[12] Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, “University revokes degree after scathing report on M.B.A. awarded to Bresch”, _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, 24 April 2008, accessed 2008-04-26

[13] Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, “WVU faculty wants president's ouster”, _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, 6 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-06

[14] Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, “WVU faculty: President Garrison must go”, _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, 14 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-14

[15] http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/wvu-closes-book-on-fraudulent-awarding-of-mba-649973/?p=0

[16] Associated Press, “1”, _Yahoo! News_, 06 June 2008, accessed 2008-06-06

[17] Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, “Degree Scandal Not a Crime”_Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, 18 October 2008

[18]

[19] http://www.spilmanlaw.com/

[20] Ry Rivard ““Gas drillers want $42 million from Morgantown”,” _Charleston Daily Mail_, 7 July 2011, accessed 2011-07-12

[21] Ben Adducchio & Associated Press ““Company sues Morgantown over drilling ban”,” _West Virginia Public Broadcasting_, 27 June 2011, accessed 2011-07-12; Duane Nichols ““Judge Upholds Morgantown Frack Ban, Denies Injunction, Drilling Continues”,” FrackCheckWV, 25 June 2011, accessed 2011-07-12

[22] ; ;

title: Michael Garrison (politician)

question: Summarize everything related to Garrison's controversies.

answer: Garrison's selection as president of West Virginia University was controversial with some of the university's faculty. There were concernt about his lack of academic experience and that he was included as a finalist due to his political connections. There was also controversy surrounding the granting of an MBA degree to Heather Bresch, who hadn't completed the required credits. In 2008, the faculty voted to call for Garrison's resignation. Garrison resigned in September of that year but was not indicted on criminal charges.

question: What does the article say about Garrison's personal life?