text:
Her cracking hand felt like broken needles, raw from the inevitable ruination of an aging pine tree in the cold, and I swear for just an instant I felt at home.  Her cheeks were swollen in the cold and her rose coloured nose told the tale of the day that we had just spent walking this coastline and making up stories of growing old together.  She belonged there.  It was as if the streets were there exclusively for her, new pebbles erecting with every stride she took as we walked arm in arm, the algid air biting at our necks, synonymous with ourselves.
	I didn't belong there. There were no pines, save for the needles that drew lines in her palms.  I could have told myself that this was where it should end, that the closest place to home was be her broken skin.  She looked at me with half smile that made me stutter and I could smell spring on her breath as she leaned closer, hopeful for a moment of warmth.
	Like some sort of beacon, I looked past her silver hair that mimicked the swelling ocean and saw my liberation. Haunting steam rose like an apparition from the tops of the train engines as they bellowed to the world news of their impending departure, apathetic to whether or not anyone was listening. I knew that right then I had to break away. With her palm in mine and her cheeks begging for a hearth, my lips trembled as my words stumbled over themselves and she gave me a look with her glassy doe eyes that would have brought my to my knees if they weren't too frozen to fold.  As she stared to me or through me, I couldn't tell, the ocean behind her mocked her filling eyes, and I knew that she knew.
	Through a brief instance of mutual understanding, and an unspoken reassurance that this would not be where it ended, I noticed that she was about eight stories tall and was a crustacean from the protozoic era.  She looked down on me with those big red eyes, oh it was scary, and I yelled "What do you want from me monster?!", and it bent down and said "I need to borrow about treefiddy".

title: Shores of Scotland

question: Who is the narrator talking to?

answer: The Loch Ness Monster, this is a reference to the animated television show "South Park."


split: train

text:
I wrote this for my English 12 class, feedback/suggestions would be great. :)

*Red*

The morning light shines through my window, hitting my face, bringing me back into consciousness. I throw off my duvet, and note the absence of my cat from the bed. I need to let him outside, he tends to get stir crazy. I have my fuzzy robe on within a minute, and after making my bed, I head towards the bathroom.

Brush teeth, wash face, comb hair. The morning routine has been drilled into my head for ages. But I like it that way. Orderly.  Routine. I start to make my way back to my bedroom, pausing at the first doorway on my left. It's the twins' room. The door was wide open, but my cat wasn't inside. A bunk bed is in the corner, the top with a bright pink blanket, the bottom with a baby blue one. Toys scattered the floor, a half-full glass of dark red juice sitting on the bedside table. I pick up the worn, stuffed rabbit from the carpet, feeling the threads - they barely holding it together. It was once my toy, but it was given my sister. No one ever asked me if I was okay with that, they just assumed I was finished with such childish things. I never liked the rabbit much anyway, toys seem like a waste of time; but I put the rabbit in the big pocket on the front of my robe.  I walk over to the dresser, running my finger along the edge of it, gazing at my reflection in the mirror on the wall. My dark hair falls just past my shoulders, contrasting the pale skin and light green eyes I inherited from my mother. I have always liked being pale; it makes me feel like a ghost. Like I can be invisible.

I softly close the door behind me as I exit the room, making my way to the next one. I really need to find my cat.

My eldest brother's room is even more messy than the twins'. Clothes and books and magazines and pens and CDs and game controllers and posters everywhere. They covered the now barely visible laminate, futon bed, and red walls - like a collage of my brother and everything he is. The CDs he had bought at a yard sale last weekend lay piled beside the bed. I pick up one of them, the edge of the case was cracked, but the album art was pretty. Abstract and complex. A picture had been thrown to the ground, ripped in two. My brother had recently been broken up with, and seemed very distraught over it. I don't understand his emotions. Why would he feel sad about someone who didn't want him anyway? His face looks happy in the photo. I always wonder what people are really thinking in photographs. Are they really happy? Or are they faking it?

I slam his door as I leave, it had been difficult to close ever since him and my father had been playfully wrestling and broke through it. I remember it sounded like a gunshot, or at least what I thought a gunshot sounded like at the time. So loud and out of place.

The next door was to my parent's room; maybe the cat is hiding in there. My mother tries to keep it orderly, the effort is evident. Clothes folded, but never put away. A small garbage can in the corner, but it hadn't been changed in so long it had begun to overflow. Both of my parents work nine to five jobs and have four children to raise - so keeping a neat room was not a priority. I lay down on the their cozy, king-sized bed, with its deep red comforter and silky white sheets. I could smell my mother's favourite perfume and my father's aftershave that my brother had bought for his birthday. Amateur hand-drawn pictures by my siblings lined the walls, maybe to remind the two that they had something to get up for in the morning. My mother's jewelry lay scattered on her vanity, her beautiful white gold bracelet with little diamonds embedded was right on the edge. She has always told me I could have it someday. I hope that day is soon. I enter the hall and slowly close the door to the room, to avoid that irritating creaking sound it makes sometimes.

I wonder if the cat has gone back to my room.

As I enter, I feel the breeze come in from the open window, blowing my hair behind me. Most of my room is white, the colour always looks neat. I gaze around at my books, all ordered alphabetically. At the bedside table, where my alarm clock and lamp are placed flawlessly parallel to each other. At the closet, where the transparent curtain covering it revealed the neatly hung clothes within. At the desk, where not a single thing is out of place. Perfection.

Hunger hits me suddenly; I should go join my family downstairs. I hang a sharp right outside my door and descend down the staircase, towards the kitchen. I ignore the sticky wetness under my feet as I put some bread in the toaster. The cat was sitting on the counter, looking at me. Almost glaring. How long has he been down here? I wonder why he didn't sleep in my room last night. I cast open the window over the sink, so he can go outside.

I stare out at the cloudy sky through the now open window; an airplane speeds across, and a flock of birds land in a nearby tree. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a bird - floating through life, often with no direction, no feeling. The popping toast breaks the perfect silence that had fallen over my house. I eat it plain, my hunger wouldn't allow for any more delay. I finish the toast, and sigh, my stomach finally satisfied. I feel content.

I turn around, away from the counter and towards my family.

Red smears the walls, the cupboards, the counters, the floors. And the five bodies on the floor. Their unseeing faces and clothes and skin all covered with that ruby red substance. Some dishes and cutlery lay scattered with them, knocked down in the struggle. The colour coats the fallen items and people, blending them all together. Red. So much red.

A scream pierces the air, breaking that beautiful silence once more. A look of horror on our neighbour's face as she walks into the kitchen; I forgot she was coming by to pick up her casserole dish. Maybe she can help me clean up; this is quite a mess. I sit down in the crimson and run my fingers through it as she sobs into the telephone, summoning emergency services. I don't see what the emergency is - there's no saving those who are gone.

title: Red

question: What does the story say about what happened to the narrator's cat?

answer: The narrator wakes up and notices that her cat is not in her room. She is looking for the cat in her twins' room, but the cat is not there. Then she goes to her eldest brother's room, then her parent's room, and checks if the cat is back in her room, but nothing. Then she goes downstairs to join her family and finds the cat sitting in the counter.

question: What does the story say about the narrator's family?

answer: The narrator lives with her parents and three siblings. Her eldest brother broke up with his girlfriend and seems very upset about that. Her parents work nine to five jobs.

question: What does the story say about the city the narrator lives in?


text:
BAGONG MOUNTAIN SCENIC SPOT (Chinese:八公山风景区) is a national AAAA level scenic spot.[1] It locates at Bagongshan District, Huainan, Anhui province. Mountain Bagong, known as a famous historic mountain, has many stories and legends like “ride/hang on someone's coattails”(Chinese: 一人得道鸡犬升天). Bagongshan Toufu created by Liu An is well-known across the world and it plays an irreplaceable role in Chinese cuisine. Besides, Bagongshan is the originating place of creatures. Fossils of Huainan, commonly known as “Huainan worm” was formed 800 million years ago. It is by far the Earth's earliest ancient fossils ever found by the international geological community entitled it as the “Blue Planet” on the source of life.[2]

__TOC__

History

Bagongshan has a long history. During the ancient time, it was called Beishan (北山) or Zijinshan (). It was in primitive society, a tribe lived beside the Huai River. Then in Western Zhou dynasty, a kingdom was established named zhoulai (州来) whose capital city was at the foot of Bagongshan.

Besides, the name Bagongshan was originated from Lord Liu An's legend of becoming immortal. In Western Zhou dynasty, Bagongshan was a part of Huainan State. The governor of this state Liu An attached great importance to gather talents. Among all these talents, eight people was mostly appreciated. Thus they were called Bagong (). Liuan and his followers (Huainan Zi) studied about astronomical phenomena, formulated legislative plans and refined Chinese herbs. It was said that one day, Liu successfully made immortal medicine. Then, he became one of the immortals.[3] However, during the process of making immortal medicine, Liu and his followers had mistakenly put gypsum into the soy milk, then tofu was accidentally made by this mistake.

Major attractions

White Pagoda Temple

White Pagoda Temple has a long history. Dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty, an eminent monk from the White Horse Temple in Luoyang (Henan province), came to Bagongshan and decided to build a temple there. Having considered the relationship between White Horse Temple and this temple, people thus named it White Pagoda Temple. Through the dynasties, the original temple has been destroyed. The existing temple is a re-built one. White Pagoda Temple follows the architectural style of Southern building style and covers an area of 6000 square meters.[4]

Stone Landscape

Stone Landscape is an important geological landscape which is recognized as the precious treasure from the immortals. It is about 1.5-to-5-meter high and covers an area of 300 thousand square meters. According to geologists, the rocks there proves the long history of Bagongshan. About 700 million years ago, Bagongshan district was a shallow beach where was filled with chippings. Because of the diastrophism, Bagongshan distract was flooded. Then, under the pressure effect, the original chippings turned into rocks, which was the initial formulating stage of this landscape.[5]

Tourism Information

[Main entrance of Bagong Mountain Scenic Spot] [BaGong Shan National Geopark (Bagong Mountain National Geopark)]

  Address                Bagong Mountain scenic spot, Huainan, Anhui province
  ---------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Postcode               232072
  Telephone number       0554-5231196
  Level                  AAAA
  Type                   Forest Park
  Ticket price           40RMB each person. Free for serviceman, the handicapped, old men aged above 70, and kids under 120 centimeters tall.
  Open hour              8:00 --- 18:00
  Parking information    Parking lot at the north gate
  Price of commentator   40RMB per time.
  Tourism activities     Lunar April eighth, Temple fair at the White Pagoda Temple 15 September, Tourism festival of Bagong Mountain
  Specialty              Bagongshan Toufu Huainan beef soup

[6]

[1] 公山风景区官网 (Bagongshan Official Site). Accessed 11 Oct. 2016.

[2]

[3]

[4] 淮南白塔寺网 (White Pagoda Temple Official Site). Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.

[5] 八公山公众信息网 (Bagongshan Public Information Site). Accessed 11 Oct. 2016.

[6] 安徽旅游政务网(Anhui Tourism Government Administration site). Accessed 11 Oct. 2016.

title: Bagong Mountain Scenic Spot

question: What is an "AAAA" level scenic spot?

answer: The article does not explain.

question: What country is Bagong Mountain Scenic Spot in?

answer: China.

question: What names was it called during ancient times?

answer: Beishan or Zijinshan.

question: To what dynasty does the White Pagoda Temple date back?

answer: The Song Dynasty.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Bagong Mountain Scenic Spot is an AAAA level scenic spot located in Bagongshan District, Huainan, Anhui province, China. It has many ancient  relics and monuments, such as White Pagoda Temple and Stone Landscape. The area is imbued with a lot of ancient lore.


text:
Nailiya Yulamanova
Nailiya Yulamanova (; born 6 September 1980) is a Russian long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon.
 Biography
She won the Saransk Marathon in 2006 and went on to finish twelfth at the 2006 European Championships and 32nd at the 2007 World Championships.
Yulamanova won the Prague International Marathon in 2007 and 2008, the Istanbul Marathon in 2008 and the Rotterdam Marathon in 2009. She competed in the women's marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and finished eighth overall, the second best European finisher after Marisa Barros of Portugal.
She placed ninth at the 2010 Boston Marathon, but went on to finish in second position behind Lithuania's Živilė Balčiūnaitė in the women's marathon at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, which led Russia to the title of the European Marathon Cup. Yulamanova was subsequently awarded the gold medal after Balčiūnaitė was disqualified for a doping offence.
She won the Shanghai Marathon in December in a new personal best of 2:26:05. Initially set for the 2011 Berlin Marathon, she instead chose the Amsterdam Marathon and came fifth with a time of 2:26:39 hours.
She was given a two-year ban from competition, lasting from 10 February 2012 to 2014. Abnormalities in her biological passport showed proof that she had committed doping offences. Her results were annulled from 20 August 2009 until the date of the ban. This period included her European marathon title win and her personal best-setting run in Shanghai.
 Achievements
Yulamanova in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships
*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

title: Nailiya Yulamanova

question: Where was Nailiya Yulamanova born?

answer: Presumably in Russia

question: Why was Nailiya Yulamanova given a two-year ban from competition?

answer: Her biological passport showed proof that she had committed doping offences.

question: What competitions did Nailiya Yulamanova win?

answer: The Saransk Marathon in 2006, the Prague International Marathon in 2007 and 2008, the Istanbul Marathon in 2008, the Rotterdam Marathon in 2009, and the Shanghai Marathon.

question: What type of athlete is Nailiya Yulamanova?

answer: A long-distance runner specializing in marathons

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Nailiya Yulamanova is a Russian long-distance runner specializing in marathons. She won several marathons including the Saransk Marathon in 2006, the Prague International Marathon in 2007, and the Rotterdam Marathon in 2009. She was given a two-year ban from competition in 2012 due to doping offences.


text:
The 1975 BAGAN EARTHQUAKE occurred on July 8 at 6:34 pm local time (12:04 UTC) in Bagan, Myanmar. Many important stupas and temples were destroyed. The strongest intensity was felt in the towns of Nyaung-U, Pakokku, and Yesagyo, and in the Myaing townships on the confluence of the Ayeyawady River. Damages were also reported in Chauk and Natmauk townships. It had a magnitude of 7.0.

Art historians rank the archeological treasures of Bagan (formerly called Pagan) with the renowned temple complex at Angkor Wat or with the European artworks of Venice and Florence. The earthquake “irreparably damaged many of the great temples of Bagan, an artistic landmark of Asia and the center of the Burmese national culture.”[1] Burma's Director General of Archeology said the earthquake the worst in the last 900 years of recorded history.[2]

The source of the earthquake is still controversial because of uncertainties in the depth information ranging from 84 to 157 km. Subduction and collision of the India Plate and the Burma Plate is ongoing and this earthquake was on the interface of these two plates.[3]

[1] An Earthquake in Burma Ravages Ancient Shrines by Henry Kamm, The New York Times, July 24, 1975

[2] U.S. Geological Survey: Earthquake History for July 8th Today in Earthquake History

[3] The Bagan Earthquake (1975) by Tint Lwin Swe, Myanmar Earthquake Committee

title: 1975 Bagan earthquake

question: When did the Bagan Earthquake occur?

answer: The Bagan Earthquake occurred on 8th July 1975.

question: Where was the most intensity felt?

answer: The maximum intensity of the Bagan Earthquake was felt in the towns of Nyaung-U, Pakokku, Yesagyo, and in the Myaing townships.

question: What did Burma's Director General of Archeology say?

answer: The Director General of Archeology said that the earthquake was the worst in the last 900 years of recorded history.

question: What was the source of the Bagan Earthquake?

answer: The source of the earthquake is controversial.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
The Bagan Earthquake hit Burma in 1975. It destroyed numerous stupas and temples, and heavily damaged the towns of Nyaung-U, Pakokku, and Yesagyo.

The Burmese Director General of Archeology called it the worst earthquake in 900 years. However, the source of the earthquake still remains controversial.


text:
“What is it like dying”?
Will always heard this question first, always answering with the same response he’d been using for years. Why is it always the first one? Mortal mentality, so feeble.
“It depends on how you die, I died quickly, so my death was fairly painless, but I’m sure my remains suggested otherwise. I’ve met people from all walks of death, from the self-inflicted suicide, to the limitless potentials of human stupidity”.
The group ejected from their seats, with the chairs passing out behind them. The electronic equipment bumbled into incomprehensible fits, jumping and fizzing from one measurement to the other. Lights flashed into a hyperactive frenzy, committing suicide one by one.
Will was, weirdly, fascinated by this equipment. His usual audience were medieval monks, or shamanic tribes. He’d seen electricity before, but electricity to measure me? Now that’s innovation.
“How did you die”?
Mortals were so predictable. Next he’ll probably ask “what’s you name”?
“I died in a car crash when I was twelve years old. My buddy Phil and I tried taking his dad’s car out to pick up some girls, but being the middle of winter, the car spun out of control”.
 “I sense a new presence in the room” whispered the leader of the group over a wavering void of whimpers.
“Hey Phil!”
Phil, being clumsier than a bear on stilts, never fails to make an entrance. The group inhaled a simultaneous gasp of fear, as an assembly of barrels pivot wildly on their bases.
“Hey man, listen, I’ve got an amateur summoning over in Idaho, sleepover, teenagers, you know, that sort of thing. Anyway, wanna go freak them out?”
“Idaho? Sure, better than these living deadheads”.

title: A short story about a bored ghost.

question: Where does this story take place?

answer: Unclear, some kind of after life

question: What does the protagonist do?

answer: He's answering questions that recently dead have about the experience of dying. Then he accepts an invitation to haunt some teenagers.

question: Why is his usual audience medieval monks, or shamanic tribes?

answer: Unclear, implies some kind of specialization in spirituality being requisite to taking part in the meeting.

question: Are the attendants of the meeting living or dead?

answer: Implied from the protagonist's describing them as "living deadheads" that they're still alive.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The protagonist is before an assembly of still living. Unlike his usual groups of medieval monks or shamanic tribes, this group was using technology to measure him. He answered questions they had about dying, such a mortal mentality. His friend from life, Phil, joins the group and invites him to haunt some teenagers in Idaho. The protagonist agrees saying it's better than these living deadheads.


text:
 Posted 11/16/2016

[What Is A Green Card Lawyer]

A green card is a certification for a foreigner to work and live in the United States and in most cases indefinitely. It is one of the most prized targets for anyone who wishes to live within the United States Of America and is the hardest to achieve. The system of getting a green card is rather complicated, and one needs the help of a green card lawyer to help in the process. An attorney who is experienced in immigration matters and one who can offer you help when getting a green card is called an immigration lawyer and these lawyers are worth their weight in gold. Immigration is a challenging, stressful and rather complicated process - there are no guarantees. There are many issues associated with this process such as documentation and compliance with the law as well as proving your eligibility within the Green Card Program.  A green card lawyer ensures a smooth process, less stress and they will be able to fight your corner thus ensuring you get a fair hearing of your case for citizenship within the USA.

The Green Card Process Is Long and Overwhelming

Many people often feel overwhelmed and lack confidence by the process of the interview and the documentation of getting the green card.  There are also other things required during the hearing that make it difficult for one to handle alone and especially if you are new to the country. Therefore a green card lawyer becomes a source of solace and confidence to many people who have bogged the legal complication that comes along with obtaining a green card.

UCIS office grants a green card certification, and it makes a person a permanent and eligible resident of the US. You are supposed to show the green card to the authorities when asked for - failure to which you can be jailed or fined heavily. Remember that citizenship is not the same as having a green card. It does not give one the freedom to get an elected office, hold a government position and also to vote, it merely allows you to remain in the country and offers a path to citizenship if one so chooses.

A green card lawyer is a necessity. He or She will assist you through the challenges of getting a green card and will advise you on whether you need a waiver - letting you know the possible pitfalls and how to prepare all evidence necessary.

When the USCIS asks for more evidence or information regarding the green card processing, the layer will offer his assistance. Remember that the petition may be rejected if you fail to take proof on time. The lawyer can thus gather evidence on your behalf and file your responses that will help the process to move ahead.

Not only will the immigration lawyer assist you to complete the immigration form but he will also give you guidance and also monitor the petition progress for you. The attorney also prepares you for the interview.

How Much Will Your Immigration Attorney Cost?

Just like any other legal representative, you will have to pay some fees and this is fully dependent on the amount of work it will take to go through the application process. The fee you pay to the green card lawyer will be dependent on many factors and not one Attorney or IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM will be the same. However, you want to get yourself the best lawyer you can, after all, this is your life and your future - you would not place those in just anyone's hand - would you?

 Consider the knowledge, experience and the success history of your attorney. Make sure they have valid and real experience with difficult cases and remind yourself of the issues you may face.

The benefits of a good immigration firm or lawyer is truly endless and if you want a smooth application process and someone who will stand by you during the difficult interviews, then you should seriously consider in investing in a good experienced Green Card Attorney.

Have Your Say!

question: Summarize the role a Green Card Lawyer plays for their client.

answer: A green card lawyer ensures a smooth process and makes sure their client gets a fair hearing of their case for citizenship. They are a source of solace and confidence for people who have bogged the legal complication of obtaining a green card. They assist clients through the challenges of getting a green card and advise them on whether they need a waiver. They will provide assistance when the USCIS asks for more evidence or information regarding the green card processing. They will also give guidance, monitor the petition progress, and prepare their client for the interview.

question: What does the article say about how to train to become a green card lawyer?


text:
ACADIA PARISH SCHOOL BOARD is a school district headquartered in Crowley, Louisiana, United States. The district serves all of Acadia Parish.

Current Board members

-   District One – Dr. James W. Proctor
-   District Two – Douglas J. LaCombe
-   District Three – Delo Hebert, Jr.
-   District Four – Rebecca Foux Atkinson
-   District Five – Steve Jones
-   District Six – Ike Richard
-   District Seven – James Higginbotham
-   District Eight – Milton R. Simar

Notable board members

-   John Travis Nixon (1867-1909), publisher of what became _The Crowley Post Signal_[1]

School uniforms

Beginning in the 1999–2000 school year the school district requires all students to wear school uniforms[2]." _Acadia Parish School Board_.

Schools

Preschool

-   Central Rayne Kindergarten (Rayne)[3]
-   Crowley Kindergarten (Crowley)[4]

Elementary Schools

-   Branch Elementary (Branch)[5]
-   Church Point Elementary (Church Point)[6]
-   Egan Elementary (Egan)[7]
-   Estherwood Elementary (Estherwood)[8]
-   Evangeline Elementary (Evangeline)[9]
-   Iota Elementary (Iota)[10]
-   Martin Petitjean Elementaryl (Rayne)[11]
-   Mermentau Elementary (Mermentau)[12]
-   Mire Elementary (Rayne)[13]
-   Morse Elementary (Morse)[14]
-   North Crowley Elementary (Crowley)[15]
-   Richard Elementary (Church Point)[16]
-   Ross Elementary (Crowley)[17]
-   South Crowley Elementary (Crowley)[18]
-   South Rayne Elementary (Rayne)[19]

Middle Schools

-   Armstrong Middle (Rayne)[20]
-   Church Point Middle (Church Point)[21]
-   Crowley Middle (Crowley)[22]
-   Iota Middle (Iota)[23]

High Schools

-   Church Point High (Church Point)[24]
-   Crowley High (Crowley)[25]
-   Iota High (Iota)[26]
-   Midland High (Midland)[27]
-   Rayne High School (Rayne)[28]

Alternative Education

-   Acadia Parish Alternative (Crowley)[29]

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title: Acadia Parish School Board

question: Describe some key components of the Acadia Parish School Board.

answer: This school board has eight districts with eight board members. A notable board member is John Travis Nixon, who published the Crowley Post Signal. This school board also required all school districts to have students wear school uniforms. The school district is also comprised of elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.

question: Is the Acadia Parish School Board a good school board focused on the excellence of education and their students?


text:
I was lying on something soft, my body sunk into it. When I opened my eyes everything was so white, so clean.
“Where am I?” I thought. “Am I dead?”

I sat up and looked around. I felt strangely light headed but not in an uncomfortable way. It felt like I was flying.
When my eyes adjusted to the brightness I saw a figure approaching me. I felt no fear but more of rejoice, like seeing an old friend after a long time.

I stood up, but fell backwards; only to find a stool behind me, in which I sat. When the figure got closer I saw it was a man. His skin was somewhat of a mixture of white, brown and black, I couldn't figure out the colour.
As he came closer he started to speak. I had never heard the language but I somehow recognized it. To my amazement I could understand it. He was speaking towards me, but not to me. What he said was beautiful. He said “Come here my child, for you have nothing to fear with Me. Walk along side Me and you will never feel the need of anything ever again.”

When the man was close enough I stood up. At that moment he was within five meters of me. I asked him “Where are we?” And he answered “We are where you want us to be. We can be anywhere.” I looked around for the second time and my heart nearly skipped a beat; we were in my childhood home, in the living room.
The man sat down and so did I.

After a short while I asked him “Are you God?”

“Yes.” He answered.

“But if you are God then I must be dead.”

“Must you?” He asked. “For you to be dead you had to be living at some point.”

“Are you saying I don’t exist?”

“No. On the contrary; you are the only one that exists.”

“What are you saying?”

“I am saying that you are the only human being in the world.”

I did not quite understand what he was talking about and he must have realized that because he said. “You are the only man in the world and every other human is your imagination. What I am telling you now I have told you countless of times.”

I started to get very confused and felt a headache coming. “Just to get this straight; I am not dead because I was never alive, I am the only man and everything else is my imagination and you have told me this before? How come I can’t remember it then?”

God signed and pointed to the door. “When you walk through that door you will be born again. You will know everything from all your past ‘lives’ but not remember anything from them.”

“What is the point in this?”

“The point is very simple; when you have lived through everything you will know everything and then you will become God.”

“So I will replace you?”

“Correct.”

“And the only thing I have to do is walk through that door?” I pointed at the door and felt a small shiver lead up my spine.

“Also correct.”

I stood up in haste and was going to walk to the door when God interrupted me. “But I must warn you; you are automatically walking to your doom.”

“I know, but since I don’t really live I don’t really die either, do I?” I said, with a grin, and walked through the door.

“Smart kid” mumbled God “I wonder how long it will take him this time to figure out that he is my son.”

Edit: Formatting

title: The world as we know it

question: What happens after the boy walks through the door?

answer: According to the man, the boy would be reborn and would live to become who the man is.

question: Where was the boy currently?

answer: The boy was in his childhood home.

question: What would have happened had the boy refused to walk through the door?

answer: It may be implied that the boy wouldn't be reborn.

question: What might have the boy thought of the man/god?

answer: It may be implied that the boy might have initially thought the man is lying but eventually trusts him and agrees to what the man says and decides to walk through the door.


text:
CHARLES ADDY MCILVEEN (March 9, 1910 – July 26, 1972) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1960 to 1972 as member of the Progressive Conservative party.[1]

[1]

title: Charles A. McIlveen

question: Who was Charles Addy McIlveen?

answer: a Canadian politician

question: When was Charles Addy McIlveen born?

answer: March 9, 1910

question: When did Charles Addy McIlveen die?

answer: July 26, 1972

question: What party was Charles Addy McIlveen a member of?

answer: the Progressive Conservative party

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Charles Addy McIlveen was a Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1960 to 1972 as a member of the Progressive Conservative party.


text:
[BR Standard Class 7 70034 _Thomas Hardy_ at Liverpool Street with _The Hook Continental_, 1955.] _THE HOOK CONTINENTAL_ was a passenger train running between London's Liverpool Street Station and Harwich Parkeston Quay where it connected with the night ferry sailing to the Hook of Holland in the Netherlands. It was introduced as a named express by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1927,[1] and was part of the marketing strategy pushing the concept of almost seamless travel from London overnight to numerous European destinations utilising the company's own ships and the rail connections from the Hook of Holland.

Previous service

An express service had existed under Great Eastern Railway (GER) operation prior to the amalgamation of the railway companies, and the GER had in 1904 produced its first corridor train set of 13 coaches specifically for the service. This was also the first GER train to be steam heated throughout and Claud Hamilton 4-4-0 steam locomotives were equipped to supply it with steam.[2]

Headboards

The train initially carried a simple headboard carrying the wording “Hook of Holland” at the top of the smokebox, but this was later changed to read “The Hook Continental”, and carried both the British and Dutch flags either side of the definite article. This was also carried at the top of the smokebox.[3] An example of the similar “Day Continental” headboard can be seen at the National Railway Museum.

New rolling stock

1925

In 1925 a new train set was placed in service composed of eleven bogie coaches and two Pullmans but it was considered a very difficult turn due to the weight of the train and the climbs to Bethnal Green and Brentwood, with speed restrictions through both Chelmsford and Colchester, followed by the severe restriction over the junction at Manningtree. The tare weight was 430 tons with a gross of up to 455 and it constituted the 'top link' at Parkeston shed where four engine crews were responsible for this duty. The B12 / “1500” class 4-6-0s were used exclusively and the train was allowed 82 minutes for the 68.9 miles for the down journey.[4][5]

1936

A further new and more luxurious train set was introduced in 1936 with the same composition as the 1925 set and weighing 443 tons tare. Occasionally this was increased by an additional bogie and duties by this time had been taken over by the “Sandringham” or “B17” Gresley 4-6-0s, although their performance was never considered greatly superior to the earlier G.E.R 1500s especially after the latter had been fitted with larger boilers.[6][7]

World War II

The service ceased immediately at the outbreak of World War II, with the three ships on the Hook service being requisitioned for war service, and it only re-opened in November 1945 with three sailings per week. Of the three vessels, was lost and the was purchased by the government as a troop carrier leaving the to operate the service.[8]

Post-war

The service was restored to daily in the summer of 1947 with the arrival of the faster and more capacious “Arnhem” from the John Brown Shipyard on Clydebank.[9] The Thompson B1 class 4-6-0s took over the duties at that time from the B17s and continued as the principal locomotive on the train until the “Britannia” 4-6-2 pacifics availability, after which they provided motive power for any relief services required until the withdrawal of steam locomotion in the Great Eastern area.[10]

Relief trains

During peak traffic periods in the summers of the mid-1950s, particularly on a Friday night, there would be an additional ferry sailing, requiring several relief trains. During the summer of 1957 there was a second train 10 minutes after the main train with three further reliefs available as required. Only one of these reliefs would stop at an intermediate station, Colchester, and only the main train would be advertised.[11]

Operational problems

From an operational perspective, the fact that the evening departures were after the main rush period at Liverpool Street was beneficial, but the up trains in the morning would arrive at the morning peak, and any delays caused by the late arrival of the ferry would create difficulties finding the paths and capacity at Liverpool Street. Various alternative paths were laid down in the working timetable in case of need. One small bonus was that the ferries from the Netherlands enjoyed the cushion of an extra hour for their passage because of the time difference.[12]

“Britannia” allocation

The main train in both directions in the mid-1950s was hauled by a Britannia 4-6-2 and Stratford adopted a policy of allocating 70000 Britannia whenever possible. The locomotive was allocated to and maintained by Stratford but was driven by a Parkeston crew.[13] By then the train weight had grown to 485 tons tare and up to 520 tons gross, and the allowed time was actually increased to 90 minutes compared to the 82 of 1912.[14]

Timings

The main train was timed to arrive about 30 to 35 minutes before the ferry sailed and its arrival often coincided with the ferry's mandatory horn test. During that heyday period of steam, a Britannia class locomotive's whistle received an apparent response from the ship. The sounding of the train whistle was a warning to the station staff that it was approaching, obscured from view by the extensive system of sidings, for what would be a busy few minutes as large amounts of mail and baggage were transferred to the ship.

Tickets

Except in very exceptional circumstances, passengers were required to hold tickets for the ferry to be allowed to travel on the service.

Withdrawal

As travel patterns changed, with the growth in car accompanied ferry travel and the greater availability of air services, the levels of foot passengers declined and in May 1987 _The Hook Continental_ was discontinued. It was succeeded by a limited stop service to and from Harwich International which was timed to connect with the night Hook of Holland sailings, which was timetabled and marketed as the _Admiral de Ruyter_.[15]

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title: Hook Continental

question: Summarize the Hook Continental's history.

answer: It started operating with its name in 1927, part of a travel route by the London and North Eastern Railway that marketed seamless travel from London to several cities in Europe. A similar route had existed since 1904 without seafaring. The train set was upgraded in 1925 and 1936, and both sets traveled relatively slowly because of the weight. The route stopped functioning in the Second World War but resumed limited service in 1945 and daily in 1947. There were additional ferries and relief trains in the 1950s during rush hours. The route's usage dwindled as air travel became more common, and eventually, the combined train and sea route was abandoned in preference of two synced routes.

question: What does the article say about the comfort of train and sea travel compared to air?

question: What does the article say about the locomotives used?

answer: The route preceding the Hook Continental used Cloud Hamilton 4-4-0 steam locomotives. They were upgraded to B12 / 1500 class 4-6-0s. Sandringham or B17 Gresley 4-6-0s entered use in 1936, however, the last change wasn't considered a performance upgrade after the new locomotives were outfitted with larger boilers. In 1947, the Thompson B1 class 4-6-0s overtook the duties until Britannia 4-6-2s became available, which lasted until the route stopped service.

question: What does the text say about the usefulness of the Hook Continental route?

answer: It was a combined train and ferry route, allowing travel from London to many different locations in Europe. Considering the route lasted from 1927 to 1987, it must've been a busy one for most of its lifetime. There were additional ferries and trains required in the 1950s, which means that the route was used often.


text:
Somewhere, lost in Yemen, there stands a banana tree. Not just any banana tree...your banana tree. And your banana tree grows tall and fruitful as all banana trees should. Otherwise they would not be banana trees at all. They would just be trees, or, even worse, seeds resting upon dead soil. But your tree is a tree. Your tree is a banana tree and beneath your tree is an empty chair made of ancient mahogany.

On some days people come to the chair to sip coffee with God but most of the time find only you. They say you seem close enough, though you too know so little of anything holy. And they bring you their problems to see if coffee can drown them or at least to test and see if the bastards can swim. Some problems will drown away beneath the strength of a particularly powerful brew, but most slurp the Belgian bean roast up, making them new problems altogether; more indignant and dastardly things. And the people cry and cry until you convince yourself that they are all oceans, and if you look at them like a reflection you can't help but think to yourself that you really are quite ugly and alone here.

And those broken little problems cry. They wonder why you hate them and why you don't love them like you do those whom they call home. And you wish to help them too, but you can't, or won't, or shouldn't, or haven't, or something. The beasties curl their knees tight to their chests dissolving themselves into little balls clutching tightly to tattered issues of Calvin and Hobbes, promising themselves that one day life will resemble those pages.

You see all their pain and wonder where all the caretakers went off to. Why no one will hold you like they hold that book. All you want is to know them, to  call them all by name, scoop them up into your tree's branches, point to the stars and say "that one is yours. That one is how you remember that I love you". But you possess no words to convey this love...so you bawl until you wash them all away and they too become oceans, or ocean, and you really are alone in this world, except for one girl you find lounging beneath your banana tree.

Her name is Guanchala, but she calls herself Gigi. She loves listening to people sing from their depths. "There is treasure buried there". Her depths sound like Joni Mitchell and raindrops gloriously pitter pattering agains pavement. And she always smells of petrichor. She says she knows home as the place where souls and nerves all touch at once, until the edges of where she begins and you end become indistinguishable. Often she builds tire swings amidst your branches and lets her feet dangle in the void separating soil and God. On certain nights she sneaks into the valley, scales the branches and reads to you excerpts from Zora Neale Hurston. She "soaks in the moonlight glow and the soprano hum of passing lightning bugs" until she overflows with light and songs. The beauty mark at the edge of her mouth arches toward the heavens as she radiates words from within the worn beige covers of her collected stories. "She was the world and the heavens  boiled down to a drop." She tells you of dreams of sailing away from all this loathing one day; That she shall "stow away upon the S.S. Lewis and sail with you clutched tightly in one arm and her tattered beige book in the other." But, she never asks you to help her find that boat. She is more concerned with what the two of you will become on any given day.

"What does your face look like today?" In these moments you are not alone. You are there and she is there. The two of you sit on the shore digging your toes into the sand. You look out onto the crashing waves of the ocean and upwards into the stars hanging heavy against navy skies. You take turns calling each star by name as they implode before your eyes and become dust. Now there is only man, woman, and a tree. She buries her fingers into the rich chestnut soil and holds you in her cardigan-covered arms. Stardust floats down into soil. The cries of the ocean no longer sound of sorrow, but of wedding bells. The two of you rise and begin to march towards the altar waiting beneath the banana tree.

title: [MF/FN] Starbucks Soliloquies

question: What does the story say about coffee?

answer: Some people come to sip coffee with God under the banana tree, but only find the main character. They bring their problems to the main character to see if coffee can drown them or not. Some problems can be fixed by a strong brew of coffee, but sometimes drinking the coffee can bring new ones.

question: Summarize Gigi's interests.

answer: Gigi likes to sing and listen to other people ding from their depths. She also likes to read to the main character from her collected stories. She's also interested in the main character and the relationship they have.

question: What does the text say about loneliness?

answer: The main character feels alone and ugly when they stare into the faces of those who cry to them. They notice how some grip a comic, and feel that no one will hold them as tight as that. They just want someone they can spend time with and love. However, their loneliness seems to come to a halt after they meet Gigi.

question: What does the text say about the main character's family?


text:
								Rider

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

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

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

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

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

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

question: What is meant by "LA experiences"?

answer: Probably drugs and promiscuity.

question: Why did the narrator initially move to LA?

answer: To pursue a music career, presumably, though they say it was because they were bored.

question: Why did Terrie's parents let them get married?

answer: The parents seem to have assumed the narrator was a Christian who shared their values.

question: Why did the narrator's relationship with Terrie come to an end?

answer: They were gone too often and she suffered a miscarriage while they were on tour abroad so they could not console her.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator discusses their love for music and their move to LA, after which they met a young woman named Terrie and they married fast on account of her religious upbringing. The narrator's music career progresses, and they are on tour in Japan when they find out Terrie has had a miscarriage. The marriage suffers and is never truly repaired; they split and Terrie marries a military guy, who dies, and the narrator hears she's since wed a journalist. Now, still in LA, the narrator drinks to their Terrie.


text:
Skip to content

[]Well, as of Saturday, I’ve now run both Trail of Cthulhu and Call of Cthulhu.  Here’s my thoughts.

Trail of Cthulhu is a commendable attempt to nail out a framework for both running and and playing investigative games.  It’s quite structured, but this structure provides a clearly defined set of parameters for how an investigation-based game can be run.  I think that Trail offers good support for new players.  Essentially, the ‘trail’ is a series of ‘Core Clues’ that are defined when the investigation is devised.  Things flagged as ‘Core Clues’ let the Keeper know which information is important enough to be imparted to players to guide them through the investigation.  The investigators in turn automatically find the clues as long as they a) have the relevant ability and b) use it in the right location.  (Trail can also be run in different modes – one where all of the investigators’ skils are recorded on a matrix and given out by the Keeper if the player states exactly what they are investigating – having the relevant ability might reveal more information.  The other mode is where the players are proactive and state what skill they are using to determine which particular effect.) Players can also spend points to achieve the Call of Cthulhu equivalent of a critical success and get extra, more detailed information.

Call of Cthulhu is far more organic and messy. It’s got greater variability, due to the vagaries of rolling for clues.  If the investigators miss what Trail of Cthulhu terms a ‘Core Clue’, it’s up to the Keeper to determine if the investigators should get this, or resort to various ‘Luck/Knowledge/Idea’ rolls so that the correct information is imparted.  Failed rolls may also mean investigators can get bogged down or blocked for advancing further in the game.  Generally if the entire group rolls, someone is bound to succeed on one of these rolls and a bit of a dice rolling fest occurs at this bottlenecks in the investigation.  This greater variability can also lead to more unpredictability; this may create a certain excitement when odd things can happen due to critical successes or failures.

Overall, Trail of Cthulhu appeals more to me (because of technical writer in me, perhaps!) and I’d certainly recommend it over Call of Cthulhu for new Keepers/players.  It’s an attempt to ‘risk manage’ the structure of an investigative game.  It’s more structured baseline is intrinsically more ‘fair’; it gives more responsibility to the players in terms by giving them control of their point pool allocations.  On the other hand, Call of Cthulhu’s greater randomness can create a greater sense of excitement and unpredictability in the course of events.  I think that more has the potential to go wrong with Call of Cthulhu as there aren’t many safeguards built directly into the system to guarantee that the investigation will be more of a success.

But if Trail of Cthulhu guarantees core clues, does it mean that players are ‘spoon fed’ and it is assured that they investigation will be completed?  What is the objective of an investigative RPG?  My current idea is that it would model an impartial universe, where the crime would occur if not stopped by the actions of the investigators (with only light GM touches to better manage events and stimulate drama via character interactions).

I’m certainly amenable to running Call of Cthulhu again.  However, I’d like to run Trail again in a far more relaxed mode, and possibly pre-record the various skills to determine who gets what so the system is less prevalent to the players.  In this way, the investigation would flow as simply as the a Call of Cthulhu one, without forcing the players to miss clues or to compromise the ‘impartial universe’ stance of the Keeper, as the players would determine when their own ‘critical successes’ would be relevant.  Definately I’ll need to run a few more games of it to see if I can get the effect I want from the system.

question: What is Trail of Cthulu?

answer: Based off the document, it seems to be an investigation game. The "trail" is a series of "Core Clues" that are defined when the investigation is devised.

question: What are 'Core Clues'?

answer: They allow the Keeper to know which information is important enough to be imparted to players to guide them through the investigation.

question: What do failed rolls mean?

answer: They may mean that investigators can get bogged down or blocked for advancing further in the game.

question: What is the objective of an investigative RPG?

answer: The author says it would model an impartial universe where the crime would occur if not stopped by the actions of the investigators.

question: Why does the author say they are amenable to running Call of Cthulhu again?

answer: The author doesn't really explain why they are amenable, but they do say the greater variability in the game can lead to more excitement.

question: What is appealing about Trail of Cthulhu?

answer: The author describes the game as intrinsically more fair than Call of Cthulhu due to its structured baseline.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of the document, the author described how they felt about the games Trail of Cthulhu and Call of Cthulhu. The author preferred Trail of Cthulhu over Call of Cthulhu after running both.


text:
[]

A judge on the High Court in London granted a dying British teenager's request to be cryogenically frozen. The ruling was last month, but media coverage was restricted while the girl was still alive. TIM IRELAND/AP HIDE CAPTION

TOGGLE CAPTION

 Tim Ireland/AP

[]

A judge on the High Court in London granted a dying British teenager's request to be cryogenically frozen. The ruling was last month, but media coverage was restricted while the girl was still alive.

 Tim Ireland/AP

A 14-year-old girl in the U.K. who was dying of cancer won the right to be cryogenically frozen, in a case that's being described as remarkable — and potentially the first of its kind.

The girl wanted to have her body preserved in the hopes that scientists someday would be able to bring her back to life and cure her illness. Her wishes were initially supported by her mother but not her father, which led the girl to seek a judge's intervention to ensure that her mother would decide what would happen to her body.

The judge granted her request — and her father changed his mind and agreed to support his daughter's last wish.

The girl, who is not being named to protect her privacy, has since died. The Associated Press reports that the court ruling came in October, but media coverage was restricted while the girl was still alive.

The Guardian has more on the case:

  "During the last months of her life, the teenager, who had a rare form of cancer, used the internet to investigate cryonics. Known only as JS, she sent a letter to the court: 'I have been asked to explain why I want this unusual thing done. I'm only 14 years old and I don't want to die, but I know I am going to. I think being cryo‐preserved gives me a chance to be cured and woken up, even in hundreds of years' time.

  " 'I don't want to be buried underground. I want to live and live longer and I think that in the future they might find a cure for my cancer and wake me up. I want to have this chance. This is my wish.'

  "The girl's parents are divorced. She had lived with her mother for most of her life and had had no face-to-face contact with her father since 2008. She resisted his attempts to get back in touch when he learnt of her illness in 2015."

The AP notes that cryogenic technology "has not yet been proven to be effective." As Marcelo Gleiser wrote for NPR last year, the technical challenges of preserving and reconstructing a human brain, for instance, are "horribly daunting" — and it's not at all clear whether it's even possible. People who choose to preserve themselves cryogenically argue that future science may be leaps and bounds ahead of what's currently understood to be feasible.

The girl's mother supported her interest in cryogenics and agreed to her desire to have her body preserved. But her father was opposed, as the BBC reports:

  "He said: 'Even if the treatment is successful and she is brought back to life in let's say 200 years, she may not find any relative and she might not remember things and she may be left in a desperate situation given that she is only 14 years old and will be in the United States of America.'

  "Although he then changed his mind, saying he respected his daughter's decision, he subsequently wanted to see his daughter's body after her death — something to which she would not agree."

The girl was too young to make a legally binding will, so she asked the court to intervene to guarantee that her mother would be solely responsible for determining how her remains would be handled.

The judge visited the teenager in the hospital and said he was impressed by the "valiant way" she faced her death, and that he had no doubt she had the mental capacity to file a lawsuit, according to the AP. He called the case unprecedented.

The girl died with the knowledge that she would be frozen, and her body has been sent to the United States for long-term cryogenic storage at a cost of $46,000, the AP reports.

The BBC notes there were some concerns among hospital staff about the way her body had been prepared for cryogenic freezing, and the judge in the case suggested there might be a need to regulate cryogenic freezing in the future to prevent problems in carrying out wishes such as these.

question: When was the article written?

answer: Sometime after 2015

question: Who published the article?

answer: AP

question: What were the girl's father's arguments against her being cryogenically frozen?

answer: He feared that even if it was successful, she could be revived hundreds of years in the future with no one to help/support her

question: What was the cause of the girl's death?

answer: A rare form of cancer

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A British teenage girl was granted her request to be cryogenically frozen after she died from a rare form of cancer. The case was the first of its kind, and the judge suggested that more regulation of cryogenic freezing may be needed in the future.


text:
Declaration of Peace

Mother told that it had been almost seventy years since peace had been declared by the Leaders. The Anniversary was scheduled for the next week and the country prepared in committed silence. Candles sparked to life in windows, streamers hung low over the streets, and the men began to pin their regulation Doves to their marching uniforms. Dad had begun to practice marching with the rest of the men for the annual Reenactment. Mother wouldn’t let him where his Dove in the house though, even if it was regulation.

Mother moved absentmindedly when the Reenactments approached, she seemed distracted and her eyes turned red. She would mumble things to herself while moving about the house like “The men always come back alright” or “It’s An Honor when they stay.” Most of the women used the same phrases to console each other while the men were gone; seemed like Mother was practicing. For most though the excitement became palpable the closer the Reenactment drew; it was everywhere we went.

The Colours of the year flew in the streets: a regal purple, gold, and white. The newspapers carried the Colours high and low, paperboys screamed out the bulletin. Houses prepped and dressed to look the part and popular fashion followed to compliment. Patriotism rose in the Secondary Schools as it did that time of the year; they bragged about the bonds they would purchase for the celebration. After the schools let out, factories like Dad’s lit up and the Colours were cut into fabric for the uniforms. The men’s Class A emulated power: Purple suit with gold twine and white rank, the men looked kingly that year.

The marching improved daily and I with my young peers helped distribute plastic flowers to the men as they began to leave. The synthetic colours sparkled in the sunlight as the men accepted them and kept strutting.

The night Dad left, he stooped to hug me and say good bye. His eyes crinkled like he was laughing as he assured me that he would come back soon enough; it was only a quick Reenactment. The purple of his collar shadowed his face; he seemed resigned under his thin happiness. Standing he turned to Mother, and opened his hand for her; she gingerly took his Dove and embraced him.

“I have to go.” He said. Mother released and he was gone.  The gold trim on his coat shimmered in the moon as he fell into formation.

“It was An Honor,” Mother said, her moonlit cheek dry in the wind.

title: A mini Dystopia.

question: What are they reennacting?

answer: The anniversary of the declaration of peace.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator's father has to go to the reenactment. The narrator's mother is afraid but keeps reminding herself that almost everyone comes back from the reenactment and that it is an honor to go.


text:
GEORGE MARTIUS MACDERMOTT(28 April 1863 - 30 March 1939)[1] was an Anglican priest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2]

MacDermott was educated at Durham University, where he matriculated as a member of Hatfield Hall and was ordained in 1889. He continued his studies at Durham, going on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1891.[3] After curacies in Hyde, Slaugham, Banham and Hilgay he was Rector of Eccles from 1900 to 1906. He was Vicar of North Walsham with Antingham from 1906 to 1909; Rector of Little Ellingham with Great Ellingham from 1909 to 1921; Archdeacon of Norfolk from 1918 to 1920; Rector of Ashby Oby with Thurne from 1921 to 1928; Archdeacon of Norwich from 1921 to 1938 and Rector of St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich with St Peter Hungate.

Notes

Category:1863 births Category:1939 deaths Category:19th-century English Anglican priests Category:20th-century English Anglican priests Category:People educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Category:Archdeacons of Norwich Category:Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham Category:People from Breckland District

[1] _Deaths_ The Times (London, England), Saturday, Apr 01, 1939; pg. 1; Issue 48269

[2] ‘MAC DERMOTT, Rev. George Martius’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U157473, accessed 22 Dec 2016]

[3]

title: George MacDermott

question: Who was George Martius Macdermott?

answer: He was an Anglican priest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

question: Where was Macdermott educated?

answer: He was educated at Durham University.

question: When did Macdermott earn his Bachelor of Arts degree?

answer: He earned his degree in 1891.

question: What was Macdermott's position from 1906 to 1909?

answer: He was the Vicar of North Walsham with Antingham from 1906 to 1909.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the life experiences of George Martius Macdermott, an Anglican priest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


text:
The 2017 BNP PARIBAS DE NOUVELLE-CALÉDONIE was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourteenth edition of the tournament which is part of the 2017 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia on 2–7 January 2017.

Singles main draw entrants

Seeds

  Country   Player                    Rank¹   Seed
  --------- ------------------------- ------- ------
            Adrian Mannarino          60      1
            Roberto Carballés Baena   145     2
            Lee Duck-hee              149     3
            Quentin Halys             153     4
            Kenny de Schepper         162     5
            Dennis Novikov            169     6
            Stefano Napolitano        172     7
            Mathias Bourgue           183     8

-   ¹ Rankings are as of December 26, 2016.

Other entrants

The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:

-   Alexander Blasco

-   Romain Bousquet

-   Nicolas N'Godrela

-   Joanick Pattoua

The following players received entry from the qualifying draw:

-   Jake Delaney

-   Peđa Krstin

-   Luca Margaroli

-   Finn Tearney

Champions

Singles

-   ADRIAN MANNARINO def. Nikola Milojević 6–3, 7–5.

Doubles

-   QUENTIN HALYS / TRISTAN LAMASINE def. Adrián Menéndez-Maceiras / Stefano Napolitano 7–6(11–9), 6–1.

title: 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie

question: What was the 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie?

answer: The 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts.

question: Was the 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie both men and women tournament?

answer: No, the 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie was a man tournament.

question: Who won the men's singles?

answer: Adrian Mannarino.

question: who did Adrian Mannarino play with in the men's singles?

answer: He played with Nikola Milojević.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: 2017 BNP Paribas de Nouvelle-Calédonie was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourteenth edition of the tournament that was part of the 2017 ATP Challenger Tour. Adrian Mannarino won the men's singles, and Quentin Halys and Tristan Lamasine won the men's doubles.


text:
His life was going good. For the first time in a long time or at least as long as he could remember he'd stay awake until three or four o'clock and still he could not complain. He didn't mind his job at the retirement home, cleaning toilets and emptying bedpans, taking out garbage bags that undoubtedly held the ghosts of false teeth. The girlfriend he'd held onto for the last two years or so despite her knowing about that cocktail waitress he'd picked up in that seedy bar on Albany St. didn't bother him as much now as she'd used to. He didn't know if she was talking less or if he was paying attention less. To be quite honest he didn't care, as long as things stayed quiet. His apartment wasn't quite so much anymore, probably only because he wasn't there so much anymore. He went to library a lot, trying to study during the day and then emptying the bedpans at night, so.

She wished she could say the same about her situation. He barely spoke to her now which could have been because he just didn't care anymore or because the pot always conveniently hit him as soon as she started talking or a combination of the two or neither at all. She had no money left because she'd taken the fall in some big cover up at work (she was a secretary for a dick in a blue and brown suit) and they ended up letting her go and not giving her unemployment which she was fighting but it didn't look good. She'd probably have to move out of her house off of Douglass and maybe possibly move in with him if he ever spoke to her again, which by now she figured was a fifty-fifty shot. She loved him she guessed but it wasn't the same as before that one time she went to surprise him at his apartment on Mine and he wasn't there. She waited for him on his porch for what seemed like forever, but was really only two hours before he came home, his mouth smelling of sour wooden barrels and his clothes like cheap dying flowers. He was too drunk to even lie to her about where he'd been or who with or doing what and he told her everything and she walked away but called him the next day anyway because, hey, what else was she really going to do? That changed things even though she told him she forgave him because really she didn't and she was really starting to resent him, unfairly yes, but resent him she did.

He flicked his cigarette on the side of the Folgers coffee can he used as an ashtray. Camels this time. They had been on sale; a dollar fifty off if you bought two packs. He'd bought four. He saved three dollars. He didn't particularly like Camels, the way they tasted or smelled, but he liked saving three dollars he guessed. She wasn't awake yet. She had stayed the night for some reason that he didn't know, something about rent money or something. His cigarette burned his throat. He did not brush his teeth last night because he was too drunk to do so and it didn't matter because he didn't kiss her anymore anyway. Fuck it, he thought. Everything was fuck it now. The truth is that he was quite content emptying the bedpans in the middle of the night and smoking cigarettes he didn't really care for during the day. He was letting her go through all of this, day by day. She maybe didn't know it and he didn't exactly tell her, but anyone watching them on a fifteen inch Technicolor screen could have picked up on that.

She woke with a slight headache, the mild pulsing sensations the remnants of a three AM vodka and seltzer. She didn't drink tonic anymore because she had recently learned that it contained, unbeknownst to her, calories.  She had slept in the bed alone. He fell asleep drunk on the couch in the living room in front of the TV while it spit out sports scores. He was already awake. She could smell the smoke from his cigarette. Marlboro Reds, she guessed. Those were his favorite. She had bought him a carton for his last birthday, along with some other things. It wasn't a very sunny day but there was enough light for the shadows to come in and out of focus  over the flesh colored bedspread. She heard the TV. Possibly a report about last night's baseball game. She couldn't tell. The air conditioner roared.

He got up and showered and left without waking her or saying goodbye or anything. He justified it in his head because he had to work the night shift and it was late but really he wouldn't have woken her either way and he knew it. Sometimes this made him sad but not usually and sometimes he didn't even notice it. He walked the eleven blocks to his job in the dark. He wouldn't take a taxi or anything because then he couldn't smoke cigarettes on the way and he liked to get at least two and sometimes three in by the time he got there. He walked through the small doors into the dimly lit receptionist room and immediately walked to the employee only bathroom and vomited up that afternoon's gin. His shift lasted eight and a half hours because he got a half hour meal break on which he smoked four or five cigarettes. He couldn't remember exactly how many. He walked back the eleven blocks and watched as the taxis and busses and cars full of college kids probably smoking pot out of blunts or bowls or joints rode by. He walked up the stairs to the apartment and put his coat on the chair in the kitchen. He looked around on the counter for the remnants of the gin, not even being conscious enough to notice that she was gone. His coat fell off the chair.

She packed up her life or at least as much of it as she could find in the forty five minutes she had before he got back into a blue tote bag with some words on it and walked the opposite direction of the way he'd be coming home from work. It crossed her mind if he'd even notice if she walked right by him but on the off chance that he would she did not want to deal with it. She walked until Mine hit College and turned towards the park at the end, near Huntington. She wasn't really going to the park but she kind of had no place else to go, so why not. It was a pretty alright day for the park she figured. She was tired, though. She had not slept well maybe because of the vodka and Red Bull or probably because, well, things sucked. The student center had a bread shop or something that had pretty good coffee so she decided to stop and get one, to go. The place smelled like pastries and sandwiches and, of course, the ever important java that she needed. There were a few people in line ahead of her. The girl in front of her wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt and a backpack, probably filled with notebooks that were probably filled with scribblings that, aside from the day she wrote them, would probably never be read again. The girl eventually left with a medium soy mocha something or other. She was next, and ordered a plain coffee with skim milk because, I mean, it was beach season and even though she didn't go to the beach hardly ever she still liked to pretend to feel good about herself. She dropped her change into the little cup marked "tips for exceptional service" and turned to leave. Then she saw him.

His head was pounding from the drinks he apparently had before he went to sleep, although he couldn't really remember ingesting them.  His eyes ached and even though it was probably not true at all he attributed it to him having to look at the miserable apartment, so he left. He wanted a bagel so he went down towards the Au Bon Pain in the student center. He'd gone there nearly every day when he was an undergrad at the college but hadn't been there much since mainly because he didn't want to hear the frat guys talking about the one or two or three brunettes or blondes they'd conned into sleeping with them the night before. He simply did not care. He had to wait behind three people, one of them wearing a purple backpack that looked full of not so important books. He immediately pegged her as a philosophy major. They all had a bunch of books with them all the time that no one besides themselves actually cared about. She left with what appeared to be a ridiculous coffee or something. While the girl behind philosophy girl ordered, he thought about what would happen if coffee didn't exist, whether people would miss it much if they were never exposed to it. Then he decided that he didn't care anymore and decided to look at the breads behind the counter of which there were a lot. He was pretty sure that they made up some of these breads because he was pretty sure that no one outside of the people who worked at the shop had ever heard of them. He then decided that he also did not care about that, either. The girl who was ordering what appeared to be a normal cup of coffee turned cup in hand and made her way towards the door. They locked eyes, realizing that no matter what the radio and movies and hallmark commercials told them, everything was always going to be the same and they'd probably have to die to break the cycle.

title: Post Bachelor's

question: Why does the male protagonist believe his life is going well?

answer: This appears to be most because of his apathy to his quality of life, including his girlfriend, job and apartment, and his tendency to work his way through his day with cigarettes.

question: What is the female protagonist's self-image like?

answer: She does not appear to have high self-esteem and is quite concerned about staying slim.

question: How do the protagonists differ in terms of how they perceive others?

answer: The female protagonist seems to be less perceptive of those around her, and projects her feelings of despair about the future on others. The male protagonist is generally apathetic or judgmental about others, thinking dismissively of them from a position of superiority.

question: Why do the protagonists stay in a relationship with one another?

answer: The male protagonist takes the relationship for granted and assumes that for all his bad behaviour, his girlfriend will remain with him. The female protagonist, despite her resentment towards her boyfriend, seems to feel there is no hope for her going at it alone or changing her lot in life.


text:
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    About OUMA

 Oglethorpe University Museum of Art Chandler Anderson '13 2019-01-24T14:40:13-05:00

[OUMA]

OUMA is the only small liberal arts university museum in the Southeast that regularly shows nationally and internationally recognized exhibitions.

HOURS

Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

(Closed on Mondays & University Holidays)

Wednesdays open until 8:00 PM

ADMISSION

$5.00 for Adults
FREE for Children under 12
FREE for Members and OU Petrel Pass

UPDATE

OUMA is currently closed for in-person visits due to campus restrictions. Please visit the news page for to stay informed about upcoming virtual programming!

question: What does OUMA stand for?

answer: Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.

question: Where is the museum located?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What is the museum about?

answer: OUMA is a small liberal arts university museum.

question: What are the admission fees?

answer: $5 for adults and free for children under 12, member and OU petrel Pass.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: An excerpt containing basic information about the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.


text:
_NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE_ is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Juke Kartel, released through Emporium Music on 3 April 2009. The title of the album comes from lyrics in the song “Then She Said”.

Live performances

On 27 March 2009, Juke Kartel commenced their _Nowhere Left to Hide_ national tour. They were supported by Town Hall Steps and Stone Parade. They also performed at the Gippsland emergency relief concert, to support victims of the February 2009 Victorian bushfires, along with Evermore, Adam Brand and Lee Kernaghan.

Singles

The first single released from the album was “Save Me”, on 4 October 2008. A music video was shot in New York City and has been shown on Channel V and Video Hits. The song was featured in an episode of The Biggest Loser 5 in the United States. The second single released was “December” on 10 January 2009. “If Only” was the third single released on 3 April 2009. The song was released in conjunction with _Nowhere Left to Hide_, to radio and as a digital download. On 27 March, Juke Kartel performed an acoustic version of “If Only” on Channel Ten.

Track listing

1.  “Save Me” - 3:44
2.  “Throw It Away” - 3:06
3.  “December” - 4:21
4.  “If Only” - 3:42
5.  “Innocence” - 3:51
6.  “My Baby” - 3:44
7.  “Sleeptalker” - 5:27
8.  “The Closer We Get” - 3:39
9.  “Scars” - 3:32
10. “Then She Said” - 3:59
11. “On Fire” - 4:17
12. “Firesign” - 4:47

Chart performance

  Year                       Chart                       Peak Position
  -------------------------- --------------------------- ---------------
  2009                       ARIA Australian Albums[1]   20
  Australian AIR Charts[2]   4

[1]

[2] Top 20 Albums 100 Indie www.aircharts.com.au

title: Nowhere Left to Hide

question: When was the album released?

answer: April 3, 2009

question: Who was the album's artist?

answer: Juke Kartel

question: What singles were on the album?

answer: "Save Me," "December," and "If Only"

question: What position did the album peak at on the Australian AIR Charts?

answer: 4

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Nowhere Left to Hide is the debut studio album by Juke Kartel, an Australian rock band. It was released in 2009 and contains the singles, "Save Me," "December," and "If Only." The album peaked at number 4 on the Australian AIR Charts.