text:
Austin Mitchell was a backbench Labour MP for 40 years before stepping down in 2015.

A self-confessed maverick who refused to toe the party line, he has always been fiercely opposed to Britain remaining in the EU.

Here, on the second anniversary of the EU referendum, he delivers a powerful and timely reminder of why Brexit must be seen through.

My long-held and passionate attitude to the European Union is summed up in four words — three of which are ‘the European Union’, preceded by a commonly used four- letter verb of exhortation that the Oxford English Dictionary describes as ‘vulgar’.

I’ve always been a Eurosceptic, ever since I first stumbled across the Common Market, as the EU then called itself, in 1962. I was 28, Yorkshire born and bred, and, with my doctorate from Oxford, was teaching history at a university in New Zealand. A colleague gave a lecture on the Common Market — and, to my horror, he endorsed it as ‘a good thing’.

Incredible. Almost blasphemy. Britain led the Commonwealth. New Zealand, rich in dairy products, was its antipodean farm. Europe was there for us to defeat in war. How could an Englishman be so daft?

Austin Mitchell campaigning for fishermen in 1978. He was a backbench Labour MP for 40 years before stepping down in 2015

Fortunately General De Gaulle, the French president, agreed with me and dismissed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s efforts to join a club he should never have applied for in the first place.

I was further comforted when a succession of British politicians came out to New Zealand to assure us that if Britain did join this alien institution then, scout’s honour, New Zealand’s access to the British market would be protected. The old relationship would carry on.

They lied. Albion can be perfidious and was particularly so when it betrayed New Zealand by joining in 1973 — egged on by Tory prime minister Ted Heath, who was so eager to get us into Europe that he did so on less than favourable terms. We were asking to be clobbered and duly were.

I was back in Britain and had switched jobs to become a journalist and a presenter on regional television when two years later Harold Wilson, the new Labour PM, called for a referendum to endorse or reject that decision.

I voted ‘No’. But two-thirds of the country said ‘Yes’. We were staying in.

I was far from convinced this was the right decision, and my hostility increased when in 1977 I was elected Labour MP for Grimsby.

The town’s fishing industry had been ruined when the Europeans cunningly declared the seas around Britain common waters and gave other members, even landlocked Luxembourg, equal access.

As a result, we got only a small proportion of our own fish.

I formed a Save Britain’s Fish campaign, which attracted support from all over the country.

Tory MP Edwina Currie pointed out that: ‘You don’t want to save Britain’s fish. You just want to eat them.’ Which was true, but far better for us to eat them than have them gobbled by undeserving Europeans who took our jobs and the processing industry with them.

Tory MP Edwina Currie pointed out that: ‘You don’t want to save Britain’s fish. You just want to eat them’

There was more to my scepticism about Europe than a lingering desire to catch our own fish, however.

I believed then, and still do now, that the nation state is not only the best but the only way of advancing the cause of the people while maintaining their democratic control of the process.

There is nothing the EU can do for us that we can’t do better for ourselves. Europe is too big, amorphous, divided and powerless.

It’s not a democracy but a plutocracy with a rootless bureaucracy, always pursuing an ever-closer union the people don’t want, yet never able to reach it.

As a concept it is a piece of sublime mysticism and nonsense, a mirage.

The trouble was that the EU couldn’t break away from its original purpose of protecting French agriculture and boosting German industry.

With these two states dominating, Europe embarked on a journey where few wanted to go, to an ever-closer union only the Brussels bureaucrats sought, imposing policies without democratic consent and ever prepared to overrule the people for their own good.

My basic reason for opposing membership was economic. The European Union drained Britain of jobs, money, demand and growth.

It became a brake on our economy, not an accelerator.

Being a deal between the interests of Germany, which needed a bigger market for its manufacturing, and France, which wanted agricultural protection for its food, the EU didn’t suit Britain, a net agricultural importer with a less modern and less well-invested industry.

The basis of British trade had been buying cheap food, particularly from Commonwealth countries, and sending them our manufactured goods in return.

That stopped after we joined. The Common Agricultural Policy required us to buy France’s more expensive food. Costs went up and every family of four lost £20 a week.

Meanwhile, Labour’s policy to boost jobs in the regions had to be scrapped because it was against the rules. What had been a surplus in our trade with Europe before we went in became a steadily growing deficit.

Our membership contributions — in effect, our payments for being damaged — went up year by year, siphoning off money to Europe, particularly to the powerful German economy, which generated ever-bigger surpluses at the expense of everyone else and particularly us.

To cap all this, Europe’s fast growth, which enthusiasts had claimed Britain would hitch up to, slowed substantially.

That’s why in my successful campaign in the 1979 General Election, I stood on a soapbox outside the Bird’s Eye frozen fish factory in Grimsby to denounce Brussels. And I’ve been doing so as vigorously as I can ever since.

But I’ve increasingly found myself out on a limb in a political class inexorably drawn to Brussels.

Europe is very attractive for those who don’t like Britain.

For the liberal intellectuals and many of our elite, who saw themselves as cosmopolitan rather than nationalist, Europe was nicer than their brutal, xenophobic compatriots.

Those suffering in Britain — the unions, local government and the Labour Party — came to love the beguiling hopes Europe held out for them.

They didn’t see that it had no ability to help lame dogs over stiles and that its handouts were really the nation’s own money coming back, but with the EU’s heavy costs deducted.

My views remained unchanged as the Common Market marched on, grandiosing into the European Community, then the European Union.

Major Labour figures from Roy Jenkins to Peter Mandelson went off to Brussels and found a bigger and better stage to strut on.

Brussels came up with the Exchange Rate Mechanism, to set in stone rates of exchange between the various European currencies. Tory Prime Minister John Major took us in briefly. It was a disaster

There, people actually listened to them rather than dismissing them out of hand. They came back to proclaim Europe’s benefits.

Then Brussels came up with the Exchange Rate Mechanism, to set in stone rates of exchange between the various European currencies.

Tory Prime Minister John Major took us in briefly. It was a disaster. The whole system collapsed and Britain was humiliatingly forced out.

We sceptics heaved a sigh of relief, forgetting the propensity of dogs to return to their own vomit.

Instead of backing off, the EU went for an even stronger monetary union by creating the common currency, the euro.

Unable to get electoral support for ever-closer union, the EU bureaucracy tried to smuggle it in through the back door.

A common currency, they hoped, would lead to convergence and develop the central institutions necessary to manage it.

By now Tony Blair was in Downing Street with his New Labour re-make. It wasn’t a respray job on the old jalopy but a total re-engineering.

Daft as a Liberal when it came to anything that would demonstrate his Euro-enthusiasm, he was passionately in favour of a single European currency.

Not understanding economics, he didn’t realise that Britain would be shackled by a fixed, and inevitably overvalued, exchange rate, with consequences ruinous for our weaker economy.

Fortunately, Gordon Brown, his Chancellor, saw the dangers and managed to think up five tests, failure in any of which would deny entry until the time was ripe. Which in my view it never would be.

Britain stayed out of the euro, thank heaven, leaving us peripheral to the Eurozone, the EU’s great adventure into the clouds.

The Eurocrats persisted with monetary union, even though it forces deflation on weaker and less competitive partners.

Britain would have been one of these if we had been foolish enough to join in.

Brussels showered money on the weaker European economies, then crippled them with unsustainable and unrepayable debt, as the Germans refused to underwrite it. Any grudging help went to save the banks, not the individual nation.

Increasingly the EU was losing its shine. Unemployment was high, with a quarter of its young people out of work.

Germany built up huge economic surpluses, which it didn’t spend or recycle to the less successful economies.

To manage the euro, the EU needed the economic institutions of the nation state, but the Germans couldn’t accept that.

The EU could only move forward by greater federalism to create ‘ever-closer union’ but the members didn’t want this straitjacket. It was hit by the refugee crisis and couldn’t agree on what to do about it.

By now Tony Blair was in Downing Street with his New Labour re-make. It wasn’t a respray job on the old jalopy but a total re-engineering

It could possibly have conciliated British public opinion by delivering benefits to Britain, whose EU membership costs were spiralling all the time.

But it wouldn’t and didn’t. It was deadlocked: rudderless and dominated by Mrs Merkel, the most cautious politician in Europe.

Yet still Britain clung to the edge of this rickety raft.

The public were told to be happy with this developing disaster, and a Euro-enthusiastic Tory-led coalition government did nothing about it.

That is, until an overconfident David Cameron buckled to pressure in his own party and announced that he would solve his party problems by renegotiating improved terms for our membership, to be endorsed by a referendum.

He asked Brussels for changes to make the EU more acceptable in Britain. He got nothing worth having but still embarked on what he confidently assumed would be an easy victory.

The battle of Brexit was a thrill for me. I had stood down from Parliament by the time of the referendum. I was into my 70s and had been an MP for nigh on 40 years.

Suddenly I was in demand again.

As one of the few survivors of that rare breed, the Labour Eurosceptic, I was hauled into debates to provide a balance to overconfident Euro-enthusiasts who couldn’t believe anyone would be insane enough to want to leave the Franco-German condominium.

It was the best fun I’d had for years. It was marvellous to harangue large audiences who were with me, for a change, rather than sitting there in stony-faced silence as Labour audiences had.

Even more wonderfully, the campaign ended in triumph. To the amazement of Cameron and the rest of Britain’s elite, he lost. The British electorate, two-thirds of whom had voted to stay in 1975, had changed its mind.

Victory was a strange new phenomenon. It had never happened to me before. I was as euphoric as any politician is ever allowed to be.

What happened, though, was in fact a peasants’ revolt rather than a triumph for my arguments.

The people, angered by cuts, stagnant living standards, de-industrialisation and austerity, used this unaccustomed power to express their unhappiness not just at Europe but at three decades of neo-liberal politics and globalisation which had done little or nothing for them.

The educated and the liberal middle classes had come to identify with Europe as part of their privileged way of life, and supported a union that they saw as the symbol of enlightened internationalism and civilised (ie their own) values.

The less well-off, the less educated and the people who’d been left behind felt differently.

Britain’s elite were shocked by the nation’s rejection of their wisdom and advice. George Orwell once remarked that ‘England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality’.

That remained true of the liberal intellectuals, who’d given up on Britain and saw Europe as the future.

For the people to reject the EU just showed how irredeemable the British were.

It was, as they saw it, a surrender to racism, xenophobia, insularity and everything liberal intellectuals dislike in their own people.

On the other hand, Eurosceptics like me saw the vote as the result of a 40-year learning experience.

For me, the referendum result was the turning point I’d hoped for since 1979. The people had achieved what the politicians had failed to do.

It’s a shame it took so long and that so much damage was done before it came. Winning is rare in the political game. But it’s nice.

It has not, though, led to any belated acclaim coming my way. After the referendum, invitations to speak dried up as if I’d been a personal friend of Jimmy Savile.

The Guardian lost every article I sent them (as it had before, but now without explanation or reply).

The BBC, which had used me as a tame Brexiteer throughout the campaign, once it was over immediately replaced me with a Muslim to keep up their other diversity targets.

As for what lies ahead of us, the EU’s intransigence and the weakness of an insecure Government in negotiating are making withdrawal messy and difficult.

The Remainers don’t help.

They denounce the vote as the result of fear, ignorance, even Russian deceit, and have unleashed another, even bigger tide of fear about the consequences.

They do everything they can to discredit the British case for withdrawal, to shackle, soften and weaken the Government’s negotiating position and to collude with the EU to resist it, in the hope that eventually the people will give up their foolishness and stay, unhappily or not, in the promised land.

The Brexiteers, in contrast, can only wait and see, hoping for a good outcome which can’t emerge until negotiations end.

The British Government has been weakened by its second election and Remain’s long rearguard action.

The EU Commission, struggling to keep its rickety show on the road and facing unmanageable difficulties in Eastern Europe and Italy, wants to punish Britain pour décourager les autres.

These are the symptoms of an impossible negotiation. I fear that the account by the former Greek minister of finance, Yanis Varoufakis, of the way the EU crushed his country’s aspirations may well be an omen of what’s to come.

Intransigence, delay and simple bloody-mindedness were their weapons — and clearly still are.

Those who believe they have a divine right to rule don’t give up easily. Nor must we.

-   Extracted from Confessions Of A Political Maverick by Austin Mitchell, to be published by Biteback on July 3 at £20. © Austin Mitchell 2018. To order a copy for £15 (25% discount), call 0844 571 0640 or go tomailshop.co.uk/books. P&P is free on orders over £15. Offer available until July 9, 2018.

question: Who is speaking in this speech?

answer: Austin Mitchell.

question: How long was Austin Mitchell a Labour MP?

answer: 40 years.

question: When did Austin Mitchell step down?

answer: 2015.

question: What cause does Mitchell support in his speech?

answer: Brexit.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is a transcript of a speech made by Austin Mitchell in support of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.


split: train

text:
REJANG PEOPLE (Rejang: _Tun Hejang_ or _Tun Ejang_) are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, native to the some parts of Bengkulu Province and South Sumatera Province in the southwestern part of Sumatera Island, Indonesia. They occupied some area in an cool mountain slopes of the Barisan mountain range in both sides of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. With approximately more than 1,3 million people, they form the largest ethnic group in Bengkulu Province. Rejangese people predominantly live as a majority in 5 out 10 regencies and city of Bengkulu Province, while the rest of them who lives in South Sumatera resides at 7 villages in the district called as Bermani Ulu Rawas. The Rejangs are predominantly an Islam adherent group with small numbers following a religion other than Islam. According to research, Rejangese people are the descendants of the Bukar-Sadong people who migrated from Northern Borneo (Sarawak).

Etymology

The etymology of the name of Rejang or in Rejang language itself as Jang is remains unclear.[1] It is not clearly known when the name Rejang people was used or when did they first regard themselves as Rejang. Another question that is yet to be certain if the name Rejang itself is a term or reference name that was given by other neighboring ethnic groups. According to the locals of Lebong Regency, it is believed that the word _Rejang_ means “to cross over”. This belief if based on a widely spread myth among the Rejang community in Tapus, which is believed to be the oldest Rejang settlement. The belief mentions that the ancestors of the Rejang people came from a distant land where its exact location is unknown. Hence, some scholars believe that the term Jang or Rejang has a correlation with the possibility of Rejangese people in ancient time did not reside in Sumatra.

On the basis of that belief, therefore according to Professor Richard McGinn's observation that presents a theory or hypothesis that the ancestors of the Rejang people originate from a region in the northern part of West Borneo that is known as Sarawak today, from which the ancestors of the Rejang people crossed over the Karimata Strait from Borneo to Sumatra with unclear reason. The term Jang or the verb Merejang means “passed” (specifically means “passed the strait”) or “traveling not on land”.[2] However, the meaning of Jang word which is the native term used by Rejangese people to describe themselves as a single entity remains unclear. The usage of that word also limited just for describing the entity of Jang and uncommon in the daily conversation. Upon their arrival at the estuary of the Musi River, they went upwards Musi River and Rawas River towards the upstream to the place where majority of the Rejang settlements are today in the interior of Bengkulu Province.[3] The term Rejang is also the same as the Rejang River in Sarawak, Malaysia, the place where it is thought to be the land of origin of the Rejang people before settling in Sumatra.[4]

Apart from that among the community of Taba Anyar Village, there is a story that the term Rejang and Lebong are correlated and is used as the name for Rejang Lebong Regency came from the common practice of _merajang rebung_ (meaning “chopping bamboo shoots”) in the Rejang community that is still seen today. Bamboo shoots have long been consumed as a food source in the interior of Bengkulu Province. From the common practice of chopping bamboo shoots, then came the term Rejang and Lebong. Nevertheless, this one story is doubted by many parties due to the impression of simply rhyme matching the terms alone.

Population

The population is not well measured, with estimates from 250,000 to a million. The 2000 Indonesian census estimated the population at around 350,000.[5]

Distribution

[Rejang village heads in Curup, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Indonesia, circa 1939.] In Bengkulu Province, the Rejangese people are prevalent in Rejang Lebong Regency (districts of Lebong Utara, Lebong Selatan, Curup and Kepahiang), in North Bengkulu Regency (districts of Taba Penanjung, Pondok Kelapa, Kerkap, Arga Makmur and Lais),[6] in Kepahiang Regency,[7] in Lebong Regency and in Central Bengkulu Regency.[8] Majority of them lived in along the slopes of Bukit Barisan mountain range.

History

Ancestors of Rejang people are ancient Austronesian peoples. Their migration to Sumatra occurred as a result of several waves of migration 1,200 years ago from Tonkin, Indochina through Borneo.[9] Some linguist argue on the basis of the analysis of Rejang language, that the main role in the formation of Rejang people was played by settlers from the island of Kalimantan.

In the first half of the 19th century, the lands of Rejang people were captured by the Dutch colonialists (the Dutch were in power along the coastal areas of Bengkulu was officially established on April 6, 1825,[10] but many internal areas were not colonized until the 1860s). According to reports of Dutch officials in Bengkulu, the Rejang was divided into 5 linguistic and tribal groups, each of which was subject to a separate leader. The traditional culture of Rejang people was badly affected, when at the end of the 19th century, gold was found in their lands and a large number of miners who did not belong to their people went to this region.[11] The rapid spread of monetary relations led to the decline of local traditional way of life, but the natives retained their customary law, dancing and singing. In 1945 the lands of Rejang people became part of Indonesia.

Ethnic groups relations

Neighboring ethnics includes the Serawai people, Bengkulu’s Malay people (Melayu Bengkulu), Kerinci people, Pasemah people, and Lembak people. Rejangese people had always been sharing some vocabularies with these people because of the proximity between them. In this common era, there are many inter-ethnic marriage between Rejang with its neighboring ethnic groups.

Suggested relation with ethnics from Borneo includes Bidayuh, Bukar, and Sadong.[12]

Language

The Rejang people have a language of their own with the same name. The Rejang language is the main language used to carry out conversations at home or among the extended families. While in public places or while conversing with non-Rejang people, the language that is used is the Bengkulu language. The Bengkulu language at this moment is seen as a lingua franca to carry out communication between the native Rejang people and the non-native ethnic people. Bengkulu is a variant of the Malay language with its own native speakers in Bengkulu Province. The Bengkulu language is known for sharing similarities with Minangkabau language and Palembang Malay.

Linguist Richard McGinn suggests that the Rejang people originate from outside of Sumatra and migrated there for reason yet to be known. Sarawak is the region where it is said to be the birthplace of the Rejang people before migrating to Sumatra. According to McGinn, Rejang does not have a single related language in Sumatra. Based on his observations the closest language to the Rejang language is the Bukar Sadong language in Sarawak that is classified under the Bidayuh people or previously known as “Land Dayak” people.[13][14] However, the language of the Rejang people are quite different from the Rejang-Baram languages of Borneo.[15]

As the Rejang language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian languages group of the Austronesian languages family,[16] this language possesses a number of similar vocabularies with a variety of other indigenous languages and spoken in farther locations in Indonesia.

The Rejang language consists of five major dialects[17] with distinct variations and differences among the dialects itself in various degrees. Four of the five dialects are used in Bengkulu Province and the other one is used in North Musi Rawas Regency, South Sumatra Province. The five dialects are:-

-   Rejang-Musi dialect is not uniform and therefore divided into two dialects namely:-[18]
    -   Musei / Musi / Musai / Kepahiang dialect. It is used along the upstream of Musi River in Rejang Lebong Regency, part of North Bengkulu Regency and parts of Kepahiang Regency especially in Merigi and Ujan Mas.
    -   Cu’up / Curup dialect, the archaic name is Selupu dialect. It is spoken in Curup and its surrounding region.[19]
-   Utara dialect, also known with the name Pesisia / Pesisir / Coastal dialect. It is spoken in parts of Central Bengkulu Regency such as Pondok Kelapa and in regions of North Bengkulu Regency.
-   Lebong dialect. It is spoken in Aman Delta and Tes Lake, Lebong Regency and it surrounding region.[20] This dialect is regarded as the standard Rejang language.
-   Awes or Rawas dialect. It is used in upstream of Rawas River in North Musi Rawas Regency. This dialect is considered as the proto-dialect or the oldest dialect in the Rejang language, and according to Professor McGinn it functions as a tool in helping to reconstruct Old Rejang language.[21]

Speakers of these various Rejang dialects are able to mutually understand each other with the level of understanding of above 80%, except for Rawas dialect. Rawas dialect is almost unrecognizable when spoken to speakers of other dialects.

Script

Before the 20th century, the Rejang people have used their own written script in official correspondence, a script that is known as Buak Rikung.[22] Today, the Rikung script is commonly known as Kaganga alphabets,[23] and it is taught in schools in Rejang Lebong Regency and North Bengkulu Regency. This script is a type of abugida and is a developed from Indian scripts. The main characteristics of the script are the sharp and bold straight lines in contrary to Javanese script and Balinese script that are more wavy. The evolution of the Rejang script that led to its sharp, straight and bold lines is said to be the consequences of the adaption of writing on wood, bones, bark cloth, bamboo, buffalo horn and (now lost) copper plates.[24] It is harder to make curvy lines on materials of hard surface, as a result curvy lines evolved into straight and sharp lines.

The term _rikung_ in the Rejang language bears the meaning to scythe or to mow grass or at a cornering angle. According to folk tales, the Rejang script was first written with sharp tools including sickle which produces sharp lines. According to other tales, Rejang script is referred to as _rikung_ due to its cornering angles. There are 19 main consonants (_buak tu'ai_) in Rejang script, changes in vowel sound (_tando ketikeak_) and 9 doubling consonants (_buak ngimbang_).[25] These 28 alphabets are assigned single or double diacritic marks to produce sounds other than “a” and also produce diphthongs.[26]

Religion

Folk religion

Not much is known about the religion or the beliefs that is practiced by the ancestors of the Rejang people. The most clearest and important relics that exist today that states about the spiritual or religious experiences of the old Rejang society are the _rejung_ and _kedurai agung_ tradition. Both of these traditions are inseparable from each other. _Rejung_ is a pile of land produce or food and cakes[27] that are arranged in a similar manner. Its height could reach up to 2 meters. Allegedly, _rejung_ symbolizes the shape of a mountain especially Kaba Mountain that is situated in an important position in the spiritual condition of the Rejang people. _Rejung_ is carried out during a procession or a _kedurai agung_ (meaning, “big feast”) ritual.[28] _Rejung_ is the offering for the gods that are worshiped through the _kedurai agung_.[29]

The belief of the Rejang people in the supernatural powers in their surrounding environment has created a dichotomy between _diwo_ and _nyang_ with _smat_. _Diwo_ refers to “gods” and _nyang_ refers to “goddess”. The names of the gods and goddesses of the folk belief of the Rejang people are almost unknown. However, the most well known is the Goddess of Paddy or Goddess of Fertility that is known as Nyang Serai. Nyang Serai is the Rejang people's version of Javanese Goddess of Paddy, Dewi Sri.[30] In honor of the goddess, people in the past would make offerings of sacrificial animals, burn incense or deliver apem pancake. One of the most famous places to carry out the offerings ritual is Bingin Kuning District in Lebong Regency.[31]

There is also a term used for hermitage or prayer to the deities in Rejang language that is called _betarak_. One of the main locations to _betarak_ is in Mount Kaba. Mount Kaba is actually opened to the public. This area is a conservation area and permission from the officers at the entrance is required and it is an obligation to report the number of hikers. Nevertheless, based on the tale of Muning Raib, Rejang people from Curup are forbidden to enter Mount Kaba to avoid misfortune or calamity.[32]

In contrast to the _diwo_ or _nyang_ that's worshiped by the community, the _smat_ group on the other hand are feared; be it of its nature to consume its victim nor to dwell in certain locations in the lands of the Rejang people. In order to avoid _smat_, prayer and seeking permission must be done before entering a place or taking something from nature. Seeking a permission is done by saying, “_stabik nik, keme nupang melitas_”, which means “excuse me, granny, we're passing by”. Types of _smat_ that the Rejang people believe are such as _sebei sebkeu_, _si'amang bi'oa_, _sumei_ and _smat la'ut_. There are some _smat_s that are positioned as guards or _tunggau_ in certain places. The most well known _tunggau_ among the Rejang people is the Dung Ulau Tujuak or the Seven Headed Snake that inhabits the _srawung_ or underwater cave beneath the Tes Lake, Lebong Regency.

The old Rejang society regard the jungle as a gift by God and as the source of life. The jungle are the source of timber, honey and animal game. When clearing the jungle, the _tabeus_ ritual is carried out to seek permission from the ancestral guardian of the jungle before the clearing of the jungle is carried out.[33] Just as in other society, the jungle or _imbo_ are usually inhabited by mystical animals such as _imeu_ or tiger. For the Rejang community, the tiger is seen as an ancestral incarnation, sacred and should not be hurt or killed. Tigers are seen as old relatives addressed as _datuk_, _ninik_ or _puyang_.

Present day beliefs

At present, many of the Rejang people embraces Islam. Currently, there is no official statistics on the number of religious beliefs in the Rejang community. It is estimated that nearly 100% of the Rejang people practices Islam.[34] Most of the Rejang people are not associated with any specific branches of Islam. However, just as other Muslim communities in the Malay Archipelago, the Rejang people are adherents of the Shafi‘i school in Sunni Islam.[35] The main Islamic organization are the Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. The minority Islamic organization such as Naqsyabandiyah are often frowned upon as _sulup_ are found in Suka Datang village, North Curup District, Rejang Lebong Regency nearby the Musi River.[36]

The existence of Hindus or Buddhists and Christians in the settlements of the Rejang people is generally related to the non-indigenous communities that lies behind it. Hindus in the Rejang customary region are generally Balinese people, Buddhists are mainly Chinese Indonesians and Christians are part Batak and Javanese people. Islam is considered as part of the religion of the community and part of which is inseparable from the culture today. Islam influences the funeral procedures, the use of halal food, as well as cultivating the culture of praying and Tahlila in mosque. Islam is estimated to have entered the lands of the Rejang people in the 16th century.[37] Islam was introduced by the Minangkabau people, Bantenese people and Acehnese people, whom had already experienced Islamization earlier.[38] Before the arrival of Islam, it is said that the Rejang people had already knew Hinduism that were introduced by the Four Monks from Java.

Culture

[Local foods at a market in Curup, Bengkulu, Indonesia.] Rejang people usually live in the valleys of mountain river area that is known as in the upper of Ketahun River region in Lebong Regency.[39] The main livelihood is agriculture especially as rice cultivators,[40] although they are also considered good fishermen and hunters, and today they also often seek out work as hired workers on plantations and in forestry. The introduction of monetary relations at the end of the 19th century led to large losses of traditional material culture and lifestyle assimilation of other ethnic groups. Today, even the Rejang people would even buy clothings from other neighboring people groups. However, the culture of the Rejang people is considered slightly maladaptive, because they miss out on many of the benefits of modern civilization and they treat foreigners with disdain.[41]

The main social structure is made up of rural hamlet (_talang_), consisting of 10 to 15 houses.[42] Traditional families are usually large and extended. The kinship is counted only on the patriarchal lineage. Children from the intermarriage of Rejang women with other ethnicity receive a lower status in the community than pure blooded Rejang children. Noble families of _kutei_ (meaning, “community”)[43] are distinguished, who are considered to be the founders of the village or the whole populated area. Leaders are chosen from their noble class to form a leadership system called, _tui kutei_ or _tuei kutei_ or _tuwi kutei_.[44] Rejang people have a common law for all customary matters;[45] which differs significantly from both state legislation and the norms of Islam. The leaders have long lost the possibility of absolute rule over their fellow society, but retained their functions as judges.

Rejang people are known for their song and dance art, including popular female dances. In Rejang society, women do occupy high position. In their customary law, severe penalties such as adultery are provided; which is in line with Islamic laws that makes it easier for the Rejang people and also one of the earliest people group to convert to Islam.[46] In the present era, despite a number of them still adhere to traditional cultural practices, many Rejang people have received higher education and have been represented in various modern skilled professions or as government employees.

Festivals

There are a few festivals that are celebrated by the Rejang people especially, _Rayo_ or _Idulfitri_, _Rayo Ajai_ or _Iduladha_, annual celebration of each Regencies as well as Indonesian Independence Day in every August. _Rayo_ and _Rayo Ajai_ are the two biggest celebrations for the Rejang people. These two religious holidays of Islam; that is already considered as the people's religion, is the time for people to return to their hometown, visit families, vacationing with family members and to build close bonds with one another. The night in celebrating _Rayo_ as well as _Rayo Ajai_, parade, processions and small scale fireworks can be seen. In the 27th day of Ramadan towards _Rayo_, the Rejang people observe the _Opi Malem Likua_ tradition where they would light up wooden poles of coconut husks in front of their houses for the spirit of their ancestors to be able to find their way back to their homes for the _Rayo_ celebration.[47]

Annual Regency Day and Indonesian Independence Day are two festivals that are celebrated by the Rejang people are not related to any religion. During the Annual Regency Day, exhibition by the relevant Small and medium-sized enterprises of the Regency, along with musical performances of artists that were invited from various places.[48] The largest Annual Regency Day is carried out in May annually in Curup, Rejang Lebong Regency. While the Indonesian Independence Day celebrated in August annually is enliven with street contest and other typical independence day competitions such as climbing Areca nut palm, sack racing, tug of war, street marching[49] and others.

Martial arts

Pencak Silat is one of the many kind of Rejangese culture. The Pencak Silat that originate from Rejang land is well known as Silat Jang Pat Petulai.[50]

Traditional weapons

Most of the traditional Rejang weapons are bladed weapons. These traditional weapons in everyday practicability were metamorphosed into various tools that are needed for everyday usage. Traditional Rejang weapons includes the spear which is referred to as _kujua_ or _kujuh_, the parang that is called _pitat_,[51] the badik or _badek_, the kris or _ke-is_ and a curved badik in a shape of a tiger's claw is called _badek slon imeu_.

The usage of the parang is seen as a compulsory tool to bring along when working on the field. The parang is used for land clearing, to make pathways, to cut wood and to split open coconuts. The use of spear is becoming lesser these days. Generally, it was used for traditionally catching fish in the clear river waters.[52] Kris is generally used in martial arts or as amulets to be kept in homes.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

title: Rejang people

question: Where are the Rejang people from?

answer: They are native to some parts of Bengkulu Province and South Sumatera Province in the southwestern part of Sumatera Island, Indonesia.

question: Who is Professor Richard McGinn?

answer: He is a linguist who has knowledge on the Rejang people.

question: What are the subsections of the religion section in this article?

answer: Folk religion and present day beliefs

question: What is the population of the Rejang?

answer: The population is not well measured and could range from 250,000 to a million.

question: Describe one dialect of the Rejang language.

answer: The Cu’up / Curup dialect is spoken in Curup and its surrounding region.

question: Summarize everything related to festivals.

answer: The Rejang people celebrate a few festivals. Islamic holidays Rayo and Rayo Ajai are the two biggest celebrations for the Rejang people. The other most popular celebrations are Annual Regency Day and Indonesian Independence Day.

question: What is the current main religion of the Rejang?

answer: They predominantly practice Islam.

question: What is a parang?

answer: It is seen as a compulsory tool to bring along when working on the field and used for land clearing.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article details the Rejang people of the Bengkulu Province in Indonesia. They are primarily Islamic and their population is said to range between 250,000 and 1 million. The article covers such topics as distribution, history, ethnic group relations, language, religion, culture, festivals, martial arts, and weapons.


text:
You know when you find out that you lost the item that you simply cannot lose? That’s me today. I lost a watch that was passed down from my grandfather, and he told me never to lose it because it was part of the family, kind of like a family heirloom or something. It didn’t matter that much to me, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of remorse.

The watch had seen things, things that you wouldn’t even believe. For one the watch had been with my grandfather in World War II. It almost was lost in the war but my grandfather literally risked his life to make sure that it would continue to be in the family. He was captured in the war and some fool wanted to take it for himself, my grandfather simply said “no” and the person beat him nearly to death. I guess that after that the person got bored and went off to try and steal something else. Yeah, that watch has seen things you would never believe.

My grandfather told me about his own father and his experiences with the watch. He said that his father was wearing the watch during the Great Depression, said that he was going to keep the watch even if it meant starving to death. The dust storms made the watch sort of rusty and decrepit looking but he fixed it up real good. My great grandfather’s wife kept on bugging him to sell the thing for a dollar but my great grandfather would not have it. That watch was here to stay; it has seen some things you wouldn’t believe.

My own father passed the watch down to me a few years back. He told me that he was wearing the watch when he met my mother. They both happened to be driving along and their cars just happened to break down in the same spot. He said it was like one of those things you see on TV where people just fall in love instantly like they were pieces of a puzzle. After they got both of their cars fixed he gave her his number and that was that.
You know I still haven’t told my story about what the watch has seen. I was wearing the watch when I saw a horrible car crash right in front of me, one of those crashes where the car flips over. I stepped out to see if I could help. There was a man in the car and he was cut up pretty bad, he was on death’s door it seemed like. He grabbed my hand with the watch on it and didn’t say nothing, just held on. The watch was there, it saw the man die right in front of it. After that the watch felt like it wasn’t even there, like something was gone from it. I don’t know, that watch has seen some things you wouldn’t even believe.

  When I finally found the watch sitting inside the couch I thought that it was time to give it to my son. He took it and kind of just threw it on his desk. I tried to explain to him that it was a family treasure and that it was important to keep because it had seen some things he wouldn’t even believe. After that my son asked what it had seen. I told him about the time I was climbing a very tall tower in some big city and that it had seen all the people beneath it, saw them walking about and it saw that those people all had different destinations. It saw that all of those people would just kind of ignore each other for the most part. It saw the birds in the sky and the clouds and the big buildings all combining to make something quite beautiful. It saw everything at that moment, and I mean everything. My son put on the watch and told me that it would see more than everything, that it would see impossible things that you would never even believe. And you know what? I believed him.

title: Short story: The Watch

question: What does the text say about the watch?

answer: The watch is a wristwatch that has been passed down for several generations. The narrator's great-grandfather kept it during the Great Depression, his grandfather had it during WWII, his father had it on when he met the narrator's mother, and at the end of the story, the narrator passes it on to his own son. The author repeats many times that the watch has "seen some things you wouldn't believe."


text:
	I was a close friend of Ben Harper's for about 10 years, from playing legos, to shooting tin cans, to racing cars. I was there for him after his parents died, about to take him in until his aunt decided to stop being a bitch and let him live with her. Ben was never right after his parents died, but I could never put a finger on what exactly happened. It was like his mind was wrapped in a foggy black abyss, wrestling with itself, closing out everything he ever had. He went from constant chatter, to silent reluctance, and  from soccer practices to therapy sessions. But one thing was for certain, Ben Harper was always my good friend.
	As kids, we were always playing cops and robbers. I was always a cop, alongside our good friend Dennis, and Peter was always the first to volunteer himself to be the robber, most likely because he was  always so damn good at it. He'd sneak by with a certain level of stealth that made you think his feet weren't even on the ground. Even thinking  about it now...I'd say Peter's exceptional skills in cops and robbers is what has turned me and Dennis into such great cops. Always taking in the smallest details, always analyzing multiple times. Peter was a great catalyst to our career success.
	But one day in our sophomore year of highschool, Peter came to my house, unannounced. He asked if he could come in, his head tilted to the ground, hands shaking. He didn't walk in right away, but stood like a statue in an exhibit.
	“Can I come in...?”  Slightly monotone.
	Something was wrong.
	“Yeah dude, you alright?”
	He walked right passed me, sat on the couch his head in between his legs, cradled by his trembling hands.
	“My fucking aunt dude...”
	Peter's aunt was a bitch, everyone knew that. She treated Peter like a 6 year old, making him come home for dinner, making sure he was inside at night. I think she's part of the reason why he's fucked up, in fact, I'm almost sure of it. When I bring it up all he says is, “Dude, you have no idea...”
	I ask Peter what happened. He gets up, pacing, running a hand through his wild hair.
	“I get home, and there are boxes in my room. She gives me this smartass smirk that she's done my whole fucking life and just says, 'Be packed by next week. We're moving.'”
	He's reliving the moment as he explains it. I've never seen him this mad. I don't know what to say.
	“Fuck, dude.”
	“I'm losing it Tony, I'm really. Fucking. losing it.” He slams his hands on the wooden table as he says it.
	I keep trying to calm him down, but the brewing rage inside of him just keeps a continuous boil. I tell him maybe he could live with me for a while, to which his face turns blank. His rage turns to fear.
	“Do you know what she would do to me?”
	You're right, I don't...What the fuck happens at Peter's when no one is around?
	 I tell him to get in the car, and I drive off. I pick up Dennis, and we head to the shooting range.  Peter shot consistent bulls-eyes that night. That was one of the last memories I have of him, until he was gone.
	Dennis and I stayed close throughout our college years. We went to NYU together, were in the same frat, and lived together the whole four years. We tried to keep in touch with Peter as much as possible, but it was rough. He moved from New Jersey to Minnesota, and was going to college, but I don't think he ever told me what he was going for. Apparently his aunt restricted how much he could talk to people, so he could never talk for long. We eventually fell out of contact, but I hope he was at least living at college and moved out. *That fucking bitch.*

title: Blood Red Part I (feedback appreciated)

question: What's the moral of the story?

answer: That Ben Harper's aunt was a bitch


text:
[Grosvenor Park Lodge] GROSVENOR PARK is a public park in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England (). It consists of of land overlooking the River Dee. It is regarded as one of the finest and most complete examples of Victorian parks in the North West of England, if not nationally.[1] On 22 August 2013 the designation of the park was raised from Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens to Grade II*.[2]

History

[The park as seen from the air|upright=1.2] The land, which formerly consisted of fields, was given to the city by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster. The Marquess also paid for the design of the park by Edward Kemp. It was laid out in 1865–66 and opened with great celebration in November 1867[3] although the Marquess was not able to attend.[4] Grosvenor Park has recently undergone a £3.6 million restoration as part of the 'Parks for People' [5] programme. The park received a £2.4 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional funding from WREN[6] and Cheshire West and Chester Council. [7] The programme aimed to repair and restore some of the original features. A new building named the Activity Zone was built to serve local community activities and the Lodge was refurbished and converted for use as a cafe. [8] The park was reopened in July 2014 by Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and descendant of the original benefactor.[9]

Grosvenor Park Lodge

Designed by local architect John Douglas, this was originally the park keeper's lodge. The building has been designated by Historic England as a Grade II listed building.[10] For a time it housed the city council's parks & gardens office. After the 2014 refurbishment of the park, it reopened as The Lodge Cafe.[11] The lodge, together with some of the other structures in the park, are among Douglas's first recorded commissions by the Grosvenor family, and the first known example of his use of black-and-white architecture.[12][13] The lodge is in two storeys, the lower storey being built in red sandstone and the upper storey being timber-framed with plaster panels. The roofs are of red-brown tiles.[14] On the upper storey are eight carvings which represent William the Conqueror and the seven Norman Earls of Chester.[15]

Contents

[Archway from St Michael's Church with Jacob's Well drinking fountain in the background] In addition to ornamental flower beds, grassed areas, trees and footpaths, the park contains a number of other features.[16] Before the park was established there was in one of the fields a well, Billy Hobby's Well, which was reputed to have magical properties. John Douglas designed a canopy to stand over the site of the well.[17] The canopy is listed at Grade II.[18] Money was raised by public subscription to erect a statue to the 2nd Marquess in 1859.[19] The statue is in white marble and was made by Thomas Thornycroft.[20] The statue was originally surrounded by four guns, two being Boer guns which were captured in the Boer War and the other two were Russian guns which had been captured at Sebastopol in the Crimean War. The guns are no longer present.[21] The statue is listed at Grade II.[22]

In the park are three medieval arches moved from elsewhere in the city, both of which are listed at Grade II. St Mary's Arch with its wing walls dates from around the 13th century and formerly stood in St Mary's Benedictine Nunnery.[23][24] The Old Shipgate Arch formerly stood to the west of the Bridgegate and was taken down in 1831.[25][26] The third archway was removed from St Michael's Church.[27][28] Also in the park and listed at Grade II is Jacob's Well Drinking Fountain consisting of a small stone arch with a drinking fountain for people and a dish for their pets, which is now dry.[29][30] During the laying out of the park a long line of Roman earthenware water pipes was discovered close to the lodge which used to bring fresh water from Boughton to the Roman fortress. In the 1950s a rockery was constructed on the southern edge of the park with waterfalls, streams and fountains.[31] The main gates of the park, together with other gate piers and sections of the park walls, all designed by John Douglas, are listed at Grade II.[32][33][34][35]

Activities

A number of cultural and horticultural events, including events in the Summer Music Festival, are held in the park.[36] Also in the park is the Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway which was built in 1996 to commemorate the centenary of the Duke of Westminster's railway at Eaton Hall. It has a gauge of and a circuit of .[37]

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

During the summer months (July–August) the park hosts the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, a purpose-built outdoor theatre that has been described as a 'Northern alternative to The Globe and Regent's Park'.[38] The theatre, operated by local arts producer Storyhouse (formerly Chester Performs), is the only full-time professional theatre company outside London and first opened in 2010. _The Stage_ described the 2013 production as 'what good alfresco summer theatre is all about'.[39]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

title: Grosvenor Park, Chester

question: Summarize the water features of the park.

answer: Grosvenor Park overlooks the River Dee. Within the park there is the Billy Hobby's well, which was believed to have magical properties, and the Jacob's Well Drinking Fountain. Jacob's Well Drinking Fountain consists of a small stone arch with a drinking fountain for people and a dish for their pets. In the 1950s, a rockery with waterfalls, streams, and fountains was built.

question: Summarize the landscaping details of the park.

answer: Grosvenor Park was built on fields. There are ornamental flower beds, grassed areas, trees, footpaths, and other features. There is also a rockery which has waterfalls, streams, and fountains.

question: Summarize all of the updates to the park in the 21st century.

answer: In 2010, the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre was opened by local arts producer Storyhouse. In 2013, the park's designation was raised from Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens to Grade II*. In 2014, the park was refurbished and the Grosvenor Park Lodge was reopened as The Lodge Café. Gerald Grosvenor reopened the park in the same year following those refurbishments.

question: What does the text say about playgrounds?


text:
LINUS CHINEDU OKORIE, popularly known as Linus Okorie (born 30 April 1974) is a Nigerian leadership consultant, author and the president and founder of Guardians of the Nation International(GOTNI),[1] a nonprofit leadership development organization, based in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. He is a conference speaker and a regular guest in many print media, radio, and television platforms across Nigeria. He is the radio and TV host of “The Leadership Clinic.” Okorie is an Alumnus of International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP).[2]

Early life and family

Linus was born in Cameroon, in a town called Kumba, South West Province.[3] Linus Okorie hails from Egbuoma in Oguta LGA of Imo State.

Education

He had his primary school at Saint John's primary School Kumba, Southwest Province, Cameroon and his secondary school at Government Secondary School, Owerri,[4] Imo State. He studied History and International Relations at Imo State University, Owerri where he became the first elected Students' Union president. He holds a master's degree on Organizational Leadership from Regent University, USA.[5]

Career

While in university, he mobilized young individuals who bought into his leadership vision and initiate Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI).[6] He had his National Youth Service at the National Assembly (NYSC) in Abuja, and proceeded to the Lagos Business School where he took appointment as the Research and Executive Assistant to Prof. Pat Utomi, the Director of the Lagos Business School of the PAN African University.[7]

Leadership and membership

He is a member of the Third World Leadership Association[8] (TWLA), based in the Bahamas with Dr. Myles Munroe as Chairman. Linus is a board member, Imo State University Alumni. He was an Assistant Secretary, Senate Committee on Integration in Africa and National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review (2002), respectively.[9]

Publication

Footprints: Leading Beyond Today[10]

Awards

African Heritage Award[11]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

title: Linus Chinedu Okorie

question: Who was Linus's mentor at the PAN African University?

answer: Prof. Pat Utomi.

question: When did he found the GOTNI?

answer: While in university at Imo State University.

question: What are Linus's accomplishments?

answer: He founded the Guardians of the Nation International while in university. He is a board member of the Third World Leadership Association.

question: What does Linus do in general?

answer: He appears as a guest in many print media, radio, and TV programs in Nigeria. He hosts The Leadership Clinic on both radio and TV. He's also the founder and president of Guardians of the Nation International.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Linus Chinedu Okorie (born 30 April 1974) is a Nigerian leadership consultant, author, and the president and founder of the Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI), a non-profit leadership development organization. He appears regularly in print media and TV. He is also the radio and TV host of The Leadership Clinic. Linus became the first elected Students' Union president at Imo State University and holds a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University, USA. He is also a member of the Third World Leadership Association.


text: The soldier looked to his left and right, appalled by his comrade's blank expressions. They stared forward with apathy, as if the impending battle was nonexistent. The soldier gulped as the front line began to edge forward, one enemy at a time. His comrades began to counter attack, strategically matching their opponents. After a matter of only minutes, the soldier gasped for air and began to collapse along with the rest of his army. The Heavens seemed to speak at that moment, and as his vision began to fade, the soldier heard the sacred word: "checkmate."

title: The Obsolete Soldier

question: Why did the soldier suddenly gasp for air and collapse?

answer: It might be implied from the passage that he was shot.

question: Was the soldier about to die?

answer: It might be implied he was.

question: Who uttered the sacred word "Checkmate?"

answer: It is not stated.

question: Why was checkmate the sacred word?

answer: That information is not known.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A brief war tale about a soldier at war with his comrades and seemingly was on the verge of death when he collapsed with the rest of his army and heard the sacred word "Checkmate."


text:
COMMENT It has kept everyone waiting but Magic Leap has finally revealed that… there are still publications stupid enough to keep printing its bullshit.

This time around it is the desperate-to-please tech arm of Rolling Stone, Glixel. Glixel shuttered its San Francisco office earlier this year: a loss for tech journalism but a golden opportunity for Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz.

To recap: the augmented reality startup has received nearly $2bn in funding over four years, values itself at $6bn, and has yet to produce anything but fake technology.

First, there was the faked whale video – in which a full-size virtual whale leapt out of a gym floor – that everyone, including mainstream TV news outlets, covered in great detail. It never happened.

Then there was the fake robot shoot-em-up game. Then the fake planets revolving around a desk video. It turned out that rather than reflect Magic Leap's technology, the over-funded upstart simply paid huge sums of cash to a biz that does Hollywood special effects to make it all look real.

As the money well dried up, Abovitz persistently failed to turn his vision into reality, and so the showman continued to exploit tech journalism's weakness – its desire for the Next Big Thing – to get scribes to report his failure as a secret project just about to come good.

In a circle-jerk most clearly demonstrated with blood-testing disaster Theranos, the hype fed the money which fed the hype which fed the money. Yet, we still have nothing but glowing news clippings of a fantasy technology.

But this time...

This time, of course, it's different: Magic Leap has published pictures of its AR goggles with a promise to open up it system to developers in "early 2018." Rolling Stone was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes viewing of the technology in action – which is, by the way, the exact same thing Abovitz did with WiReD magazine last year.

It is the same story all over again.

Amazingly, the article not only mentions that no one believes Magic Leap anymore but literally lists how tech publications continue to be conned by the salesman's spiel.

From the article: "The first real look at what the secretive, multi-billion dollar company has been working on all these years… It also adds some insight into why major companies like Google and Alibaba have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into Magic Leap, and why some researchers believe the creation could be as significant as the birth of the Internet."

So that's:

-   Secretive = like Apple and so working on something amazing
-   Lots of money = must be doing something good
-   Big-name investors = must be credible
-   Hyperbolic quote = this is going to be amazing

But, yet again, all the warning signs are there:

Any tech journalist that signs an NDA is already asking for trouble. Especially with a company that has repeatedly prevaricated about its technology. The reporter then makes an effort to be honest:

At this point, the article should have gone into all the times that Magic Leap has offered people – typically celebrities like Beyonce, Ricky Gervais etc – a special look at its demo as a way of raising its profile and creating buzz in order to bring in more money. But it doesn't.

Instead it goes into great depth about the very carefully constructed demos that Magic Leap has put together in a carefully controlled environment – and completely fails to recognize the difference between spending billions on something cool and having an actual real product that people can buy.

[Goggle boy - Magic Leap]

This is how it looks - honestly.

Fantasy vs Reality

The article is littered with pictures of models with Magic Leap's new goggles – supplied by Magic Leap. But they are, of course, just more PR puff. Abovitz literally cannot stop himself from confusing sci-fi enthusiasm with what he is able to actually do.

It makes him someone exciting to listen to – but unfortunately, no, this vapor-ware-rub won't alleviate rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago, strains, toothache, frostbite, swellings, bruises and animal bites:

We can say with some confidence that even if that was all possible within a single headset, it most definitely would not look like the pictures released by Magic Leap. Morever, the tiny attached computer is not going to be capable of processing that amount of information.

But even if Magic Leap had somehow bested the best technology companies on the planet to get this level of miniaturization, it would still need to have skyrocketed past current battery technology to make it all work for more than five minutes.

The article is full of Abovitz's excited future-painting and the incredible journey he and his team have gone through. But, of course, he fails – again – to provide any real details. Some quotes:

Despite all of this, the article still continues to give a glowing tribute: "Magic Leap, in releasing their system to the world is combining a slew of technologies into something that could one day reinvent the way we deal with all technology."

And of course the article has served its purpose: getting over-excited individuals to write glowingly about a pretend made-up technology. Which soothes investors. Here's the thing with investing: once the money is in, it's very hard to get out. In fact, often the only way to get it out, especially with new technology, is to rely on hype bringing in a big valuation and then cash out before its real value is properly assessed in the market.

So here then are our predictions:

-   Magic Leap will finally produce a product in 2018 – but many months later than it says.
-   That product looks nothing like the PR puff photos we are seeing this time around.
-   The goggles will either be much larger than shown, or contain far fewer sensors.
-   The attached mini-computer will be much bigger than shown.
-   There will be a big battery attached – but it still won't allow the system to run more than 20 minutes.
-   The resolution of the real product will be far lower than the demo – taking with it much of the magic.
-   The company will release the product early to fanbois that will get over-excited about it and provide glowing reviews (the Apple model)
-   It will cost: whatever is your highest imaginable figure plus $150
-   When real reviewers try it out, they will say things like "it has a lot of potential", "it wasn't for me", "it will be interesting to see where this technology goes" and similar faint praise.
-   When The Register finally gets hold of a unit, the headline will read something like: "Magic Leap? More like Tragic Dump." Subhead: WE TOLD YOU SO.

[The Magic Leap goggles]

Incredible, airbrushed and available... when?

And in truth, Abovitz knows it's all coming, but he just can't get off the ride because it's all gone too far and he's too tied up in it.

"I call this the cockroach of the industry because it just never dies and it needs to just stop," Abovitz said in the article. He said it while looking at a monitor with a picture of a stereoscope from the 1830s. But, let's be honest, we know and he knows that he's not talking about the stereoscope. ®

question: What is the article about?

answer: A reality check on what Magic Leap really is and how the media industry can be used to fuel hype without proper context.

question: What is Magic Leap?

answer: Supposedly, a VR tech product that is supposed to revolutionize the industry. In reality, it appears to be vaporware despite the hundreds of millions invested in it, and the billions it is supposedly worth (in USD).

question: Has the process of media hyping vaporware happened before?

answer: With Magic Leap, yes. There's even a pattern for it. The article also implies that it has been done with other products as well but none are directly mentioned.

question: Is there any truth to Magic Leap's promises?

answer: It is hard to question or verify the authenticity or sincerity of Magic Leap's claims about the technology it planned to develop. What is stated is that by 2018, the provided launch year, the company had little more than concepts and CG clips and was as far away from an actual marketable product as possible as even their still images of the googles did not line up with what was possible with the available technology.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Article notes that the Rolling Stone publication, particularly, their tech side Glixel, has done a story on Magic Leap. And then the article proceeds to break down the facts and details about why Magic Leap is not a credible company (or product), and that media is mostly fine feeding the hype -which creates a something akin to a cycle.


text:
It was a gunshot. Probably.

It probably was a gunshot.

Look, I want to be up-front about this, but the truth is that I am a liar; I lie about stuff like this all the time.

But seriously though, this time I am telling the truth. I mean, like, fuck Epimenides—he was probably a great guy, but I mean damn…

It was a gunshot.

Probably.

A weighted hammer cocked back with priming pin content on making it to first base with the back-end of a hollow point; a hollow point extending its business card into…

Fuck.

It was a gunshot. What did you expect? Fluffy bunnies and pancakes? Raindrops on roses and such? It ain’t exactly the sound of music now is it?

And I am not lying either.

Who’d lie about something like this?

A gunshot? Probably was.

I mean, it might as well have been.

Blood never had an attractive state: doesn’t look good, doesn’t smell great, doesn’t feel particularly grand either—especially if it’s yours. I mean, your own. I mean, curb the second-person bullshit for a moment and go first person in someone else’s shoes.

Tastes even worse.

I ain’t a liar. Nope. Well, I mean I am. But not this time.

It was a gunshot. A knife wound. A hack-saw to the calcium cupcake. Fuck.

“The things we do to ourselves.”

“The things we do to each-other.”

“The things we do to each-other, without even knowing.”

“The things we do to each-other, without ever knowing.”

I’m not a liar. Typically.

I mean, I guess I technically am. But…

I’m not lying.

It was a gunshot.

I mean, it hurt. A lot.

title: Bang Bang Bye Bye

question: Who is the protagonist?

answer: The protagonist is a liar.

question: Who fires the gunshot?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Who does the bullet hit?

answer: It's implied that the narrator is the one who gets shot.

question: Who is speaking the dialogue at the end of the story?

answer: Possibly the protagonist.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The protagonist is a liar. There's a gunshot, although they may be lying about this, and there is blood. The narrator muses about the things people do and insists they are not lying about the gunshot.


text:
KATIE LEAN, PATIENT SAFETY MANAGER, OXFORD PATIENT SAFETY COLLABORATIVE

This joint project with East Berkshire CCG was highlighted within the AKI Programme within Oxford Patient Safety Collaborative

BACKGROUND

Fewer residents are suffering urinary tract infections (UTIs) following the introduction of a hydration programme in care homes. UTIs are closely associated with dehydration. The project was designed to encourage residents to drink more fluids with the aim that this would lead to fewer UTIs requiring medication or hospital admission. This approach involved introducing structured drinks rounds seven times a day, designed and delivered by care home staff. The initial focus was in four care homes which had higher than average UTI admission to hospital rates.

As a result the number of UTIs requiring hospital admission fell from 18 in 2015/16 to six in 2017/18 – – a 66% reduction. There were also fewer UTIs needing treatment with antibiotics within all four care homes.

The approach has now been extended to six more care homes in East Berkshire and three in Oxfordshire – making 13 in total. The good hydration project has won a number of national prizes including the 2018 HSJ Quality Improvement Initiative of the year, NICE Shared Learning Award 2018 and three in the 2017 PrescQIPP awards. A series of animated videos have been developed to spread the learning among care home staff.

[]

AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of admission to hospital for care home residents. One in four nursing home patients admitted to hospital is dehydrated. Dehydration increases the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) which can lead to multiple complications including confusion, falls, acute kidney injury and hospital admission. The Oxford Patient Safety Collaborative identified care home hydration as a key priority within its acute kidney injury programme. To address this it began building relationships initially with East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and residential/nursing homes in their area. A pilot project was established in 2016 with four care homes in East Berkshire with a total of 150 residents. These homes had above average hospital admission rates for UTIs over the previous three years.

METHOD AND APPROACH

Hydration training was delivered to more than 220 care home staff who then designed and delivered structured drinks rounds seven times every day. The trolleys were bright, inviting and offered multiple options of drinks, cups and glasses. Staff used their imagination to create attractive themed trolleys, including Halloween, sporting events and the Royal wedding!

[][][]

MEASUREMENT PLAN

[]

FIND OUT MORE HERE

RESULTS AND EVALUATION

The initial target was to reduce UTI-related hospital admissions year-on-year by 5%. In reality the results were far more impressive. Across the four care homes there was a 33% reduction (from 18 cases in 2015/16 to 12 in 2016/17). The downward trend has been maintained with just six UTI-related hospital admissions in 2017/18. The number of UTIs requiring antibiotics also fell – from an average of one every nine days to one every 51 days. Skin integrity also improved and GP calls fell.

The four care homes also demonstrated sustained compliance of 99% with the commitment to provide seven structured drinks rounds each day. Qualitative data from a focus group of managers and staff indicated that residents were more alert and willing to participate in activities. One resident who had had recurrent UTIs every six weeks was UTI-free for ten months after getting actively involved in the project and recording their fluid intake in a diary. Their mobility and social interaction improved as a result too.

“The training has given us understanding of why it’s important to ensure that residents have enough fluids – it’s looking at the whole system, not just a drink.”

CARE HOME STAFF MEMBER

_“Keeping it simple means it’s not only easy to implement, but also easy to sustain.”_

SUNDUS JAWAD, LEAD MEDICINES OPTIMISATION CARE HOMES PHARMACIST, EAST BERKSHIRE CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP

LEARNING POINTS

-   Always have a dedicated local authority or Clinical Commissioning Group link who knows the care home, works with them and who can support them, especially until this approach becomes routine practice.
-   Extra support is necessary in the first three months of the project.
-   It would be wise to include Healthwatch at the beginning of the project and also look at cross-boundary working including infection control, pharmacists etc.
-   Review guidance on UTI management locally in care home and GP services and implement good practice guidance.

question: What training program was introduced to care homes and why?

answer: Hydration training was introduced to care homes to reduce the rate of UTIs. The goal was for residents to drink more fluids, which leads to fewer UTIs and lower hospital admission. The program targeted care homes with higher than average UTI admission.

question: How effective was the training?

answer: The training aimed to reduce UTI-related admissions by 5%. However, the results overshot the mark by several orders of magnitude. The program reduced admissions for UTIs by 33% across all four care homes where testing occurred. The downward trend was maintained, with just six UTI-related hospital admissions in 2017-2018.


text:
By Leo Babauta

Last night I received a phone call from a loved one, someone who I love deeply but have struggled with internally because I’ve been worried about his health.

I want to help him, because I feel I’m losing him.

I want to show him my habit method, so he can give up smoking and drinking and eating unhealthy foods, can take up exercise and meditation, and all of a sudden be transformed into a healthy person again.

And of course, I can’t. I want to control something that scares me, but I can’t. I’m not in control of the universe (haven’t been offered the job yet), and I’m not in control of anyone else. I want to help, but can’t.

So I melted.

Not melted as in “had a meltdown”, which sounds wonderful if you like melted foods but actually isn’t. I melted as in I stopped trying to control, stopped trying to change him, and instead softened and accepted him for who he is.

And guess what? Who he is? It’s wonderful. Who he is — it’s super awesome mad wonderful. He’s funny and loving and wise and passionate and crazy and thoughtful and philosophical and did I mention crazy?

I melted, and accepted, and only then could I actually enjoy his presence instead of worrying about losing him or changing him.

And this, as I’ve learned, is the best way to be.

We can stop trying to change people, and just melt into their presence, just notice who they really are, just appreciate it. We can stop complaining about our life circumstances, about our losses, about how the world is, and just melt into it.

Just accept. Just notice. Just appreciate.

This is the way to be.

question: Who is Leo Babauta?

answer: The author whom writes the entry about his friend.

question: What does Leo want help his friend give up?

answer: Smoking, drinking and eating unhealthy foods.

question: Why does Leo stop trying to help his friend?

answer: Leo realized he needs to accept him for who he is.

question: Explain why Leo wants to help his friend.

answer: Leo feels he is losing his friend who he loves deeply.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Leo Babauta writes an entry expressing concern for a friend's health. Leo wishes to help by showing his friend healthy habits but realizes he should stop trying to change people and accept them for who they are.


text:
The sand was blowing so hard it was difficult to see anything.  Even the tanks parked just a few feet away seemed insubstantial. The goggles I wore did little to keep the sand out.  I felt filthy.  My eyes ached and felt as if they could produce no more tears. My hands and all other exposed skin were raw and tender from the biting sand. I huddled in as close as I could to my battle buddy, Mike.  Outer discomfort was only part of the reason we kept so close to each other.  Fear dictated most of our actions. The need to hold on to something familiar. Mark and I had become good friends during our training. Our shared struggles in infantry and airborne schools had developed a trust that only deepened when we both washed out of the Ranger Indoctrination Program. Our faith in each other had become the only stable thing we had. Training was over and we were going to war.

We stood in that storm for what felt like hours before a wiry man stepped up to us and shouted in our ears to be heard over the wind “you fags follow me!”

Unquestioningly, Mark and I did as we were told and were lead through the sandblaster to a small tent where we could wait out the storm. As the storm failed we found that a meal and some water had been left for us. We had not had anything to eat or drink since landing in Kuwait at least sixteen hours prior to arriving at our little tent. Our hunger and thirst helped make short work of the food and water, but as we finished a wave of nausea washed over me and I ran outside to purge myself in the sand.

 “Why do I always throw up when I’m nervous?” I asked Mark after rinsing the bile from my mouth.
“I don’t know” he shrugged.
“That’s just the faggot coming out of you” barked a deep nasally voice with a hint of a southern drawl.

Mark and I both turned to the speaker ready to throw insults back in return.  Fortunately for us, our eyes were quicker than our tongues, and our words never quite reached the air. We both snapped-to upon seeing the same wiry soldier who had shown us to our tent.  Without the sand swirling between us we could clearly see the stripes on his collar.

“You privates want to say something?” he asked.
“No, First Sargeant.” we replied in unison.
“Good” said the First Sargeant.  “You two see that group of vehicles circled up about four yards to your twelve o’clock?”
“Roger, First Sargeant”
“Then double time over there and report to Lieutenant Black.”
 “And for fuck sake don’t salute” he yelled at our backs as we hurried off to follow his instructions.

We found Lieutenant Black playing spades in the back of a Bradley. He did not acknowledge our presence until he and the other soldiers with him had finished their hand. When he finally did look up he pointed at Mark and said “you first.”
“PFC Mark Strunk reporting for duty, sir” Mark replied.
“Sound like stump” grunted one of the soldiers who had been playing cards.
“Where you from Strunk” asked the Lieutenant
“Denver, Colorado, Sir.”
“Good. And who is this turd with you?”
Barely recognizing my cue, I stumbled over both my feet and my words and said “PFC Brandon McNair reporting for duty, sir.

“Alright, listen close Stumpy and Mcturd.” Said Lieutenant Black “The president is going to declare war any day now.  We are currently sitting less than a mile from the border. When he does declare war we are to be the point of the spear going into Iraq. You two are a liability to me. We don’t have time to train you up on unit SOP and I won’t have you getting someone killed by being in the way. So what that means to you is stay on the hip of the team leader I assign to you, keep your head down, and do what you are told.”

To be continued...

title: Stormcoming

question: Why does the narrator vomit?

answer: Partly from nerves but also because they had gone without food and then quickly eaten.

question: Why is the narrator relieved that they had not offered a cheeky response to the insult from the wiry man?

answer: They realized just on time that the man was of a higher rank than them so they would have been in trouble if they had responded inappropriately.

question: Why does the Lueitenant consider the narrator and his friend liabilities?

answer: Because the two have no experience outside of military school.

question: Write a ~11 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator is in the desert and huddled as close as he can get to his battle buddy Mark. Their shared experiences at infantry school, the fear and the sheer discomfort of the desert winds ensure that they stay close to one another. Their faith in each other is the only stable thing that they have. Training is over and they are going to war.

They find food in a tent. They have had nothing to eat or drink since they arrived in Kuwait at least 16 hours prior. The narrator is overcome by nausea and brings up all he has eaten. The two men are told to report to lieutenant Black. Black tells them the president is about to declare war. They are a mile from the border with Iraq and the two new soldiers will be a liability. They are told to stick with the team leader and do what they are told.


text:
STATE HIGHWAY 79 runs in Erode, Namakkal and Salem districts of Tamil Nadu, India. It connects Erode in the west with Malliakarai, Attur taluk in the east. [1]

Route

The highway passes through Pallipalayam, Tiruchengode and Rasipuram extending to a length of 98.8 km.

Major Junctions

-   State Highway 96 (Tamil Nadu) at Erode
-   State Highway 79A at Pallipalayam
-   State Highway 94 at Tiruchengode
-   National Highway NH-44 (Old NH-7) near Rasipuram

[1]

title: State Highway 79 (Tamil Nadu)

question: Where is State Highway 79?

answer: This highway can be found in the districts of Erode, Namakkal, and Salem in  Tamil Nadu, India.

question: How long is the highway?

answer: The highway is 98.8km long.

question: What areas does the highway cover?

answer: The highway connects Erode to Malliakarai, Attur taluk. In between, it passes through Pallipalayam, Tiruchengode, and Rasipuram.

question: What are the the major junctions of the highway?

answer:
The junctions are as follows:
- State Highway 96 (Tamil Nadu) at Erode
- State Highway 79A at Pallipalayam
- State Highway 94 at Tiruchengode
- National Highway NH-44 (Old NH-7) near Rasipuram

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 98.8km long State Highway 79 can be found in the districts of Erode, Namakkal, and Salem in  Tamil Nadu, India. The highway connects Erode to Malliakarai, Attur taluk. In between, it passes through Pallipalayam, Tiruchengode, and Rasipuram.


text:
The River
Since I was young I had always found closure in the river next to my home.  I would always go and camp by the riverside whenever I had the chance.  The feeling was like no other to get away from the business of life and relax in the stillness that nature had to offer.
I recall one time I went camping.  The day started off like every other day, I woke up in my one man tent to the comfort of my Colman sleeping bag.  The crisp, morning air scorched my nostrils as I slowly rose from my slumber.  I exited my tent and stood still in my camp listening to the slow, rhythmic splashes of the river.  The sound put my mind into a trance as I tried to shake the sleepiness that the morning brings.  While standing still I heard the giggling of a group of girls.  An early morning tubing brigade was in the making.  One could tell just by looking at this group that this was not their first time around the bend.  There were about four of them, each with their individual coolers that were probably not filled with pop and bottled water.
Knowing the history of the Crow Wing River I assumed that these girls were going to slowly float down to the bridge trying to catch an early morning buzz.  With each empty beer they would gossip about boys and try to one up each other with their “personal” experiences.  I had to chuckle softly to myself, thinking of what those girls were going to talk about, and knowing that I was going to join them on the river in the hours to come.
I turned my back to the river and headed for my cooler, trying to find something to cure my morning hunger.  I opened the lid and found six beers, a loaf of wheat bread, some venison steaks, and a freezer bag of premade pancakes.  I pulled out the pancakes and opened the bag. A brief smell of stale bread brushed my nose, but I was too hungry to care.  I sat in my folding chair as I ate my breakfast.  While I sat and ate, I listened to the music of the woods.  The birds were singing their good morning song, the trees creaking to the light wind that wisped over the land.  I ate half of the bag of pancakes and threw the rest into the woods so the birds could have breakfast as well.
I started to clean up my camp a bit and get ready for the day’s activities.  I had planned on tubing the river that day, and that is what I was going to do.  I retrieved my tube from the back of my car and took out the cold Bud Light’s that were in my cooler.  Being only sixteen at the time I was at risk of getting caught, but the area was so remote that there was only a slight chance.  I made my way down to the river, slowly wading in to check the water.  The water was cold, but not shockingly cold.  I was only knee deep in the water and I threw my tube in.  With beer in hand I submerged my body underneath the water.  There was a momentary pain in my trunks, but it went away fast as my whole body was chilled.  I came up next to my tube and climbed in.  The sun was beaming down on my body and it felt good on my freshly chilled skin.  I started rowing with my hands trying to find the right spot in the river where I could just sit and let the current do all the work.
 I made my way down the river, sipping on my beer and lost in my thoughts.  My mind started running with all of my life’s stresses, school, grades, football and girls.  I, not knowingly, entered the first of many bends in the river and became stuck on the edge.  On one side there was a forest filled with brush and on the other was a small meadow where deer were known to bed.  I was brought back from my thoughts as I was stuck for a short while.  When I looked up I was presented with a picturesque scene.  A faun was jumping around in the meadow, happy to be alive.  I could tell it was young from the spots it still had.  The faun seemed to have not a care in the world, rolling in the grass that grew thick in the meadow.  I slowly pushed off from the shore, still looking at this being full of life.  I quietly passed by the faun, yet midway through I had to cough.  The noise shook the little deer and its ears perked up.  The faun found my position in the river and I froze solid, trying not to make it run away. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.  As I slowly moved with the river I lost contact with the faun, but heard it resume frolicking in its meadow.
I started to think of the faun, how it didn’t scare when it saw me, how it found me nonthreatening and how its will to play was greater than its will to run.  I pondered our meeting while the river swept me away.  The faun was stricken with fear when it saw me, yet it overcame that fear so it could play and be happy.  I was transfixed by this topic until the river brought me to a group of five children; all of them not older then thirteen.  They were swinging from a rope tied onto a tree that grew over the river.  They were taking turns grabbing onto the rope and swinging into the water.  Nothing could break their happiness.  They were laughing as each one hit the water and came up with a huge grin.  As I watched I thought how lucky they were, to be young and not care about the stresses that I had to endure.  All they knew was that swinging off the rope into the river was fun and that is all they needed to know.
I made my way farther down the river still thinking about the faun and the children when I came across a tree that had fallen into the river.  I put my hands in the water and maneuvered around the fallen tree.  As I passed I started wondering how that could be, how the tree was so tall and scraping the sky one day and the next it was dead in the water.  The idea hit me that all trees do is stay stationary in one spot all of their life, waiting for death to fall upon them.  They wait and watch as the world around them bustles with life, not able to do anything about it.  They wait for their roots to give out and just the right amount of wind to push them over.  All they can do is sit and wait for their demise.
The current then took me farther down the river and I could see my destination.  My destination was Mary Brown Bridge.  The bridge was covered in graffiti from each graduating class of the surrounding schools.  As I came closer I could hear the slurred yelling from the group of girls that left before me.  They were standing on the side of the bridge jumping into the river like it was their job.  After each one would jump they would whoop and holler, while they took another chug of beer.  I made it to the bank of the bridge and slowly rose from my tube, I didn’t realize how much I had actually drunk on the river, and I stumbled my way up onto the bridge.  The girls noticed my presence and beckoned me to join them in their end of float fun.  As I walked to the side of the bridge fear overcame my body.  The risk of drowning subdued me from jumping as I placed my hands on the wall and looked down at the water.  The river was high this year so the current was really strong, especially under the bridge.
My legs started to buckle in fear as the girls provoked me to jump.  I started thinking about the children that didn’t care if they got hurt jumping into the river; they were having too much fun.  I thought of the faun and how it overcame its fear so it could frolic around, not caring who was watching.  I thought about how the tree stood still its whole life, and then died without any accomplishments, how it was alive one day and gone the next.  The risk of drowning started to die down and courage arose within me.  Life is too short to not take risks, to not have fun.  I then got up on the edge of the bridge, the girls started to cheer, and I jumped.

title: I wrote this awhile back, hope you guys like it.

question: How did the narrator overcome his fear?

answer: He remembers some of the incidents he saw on the banks of the river and that motivated him to overcome his fear of jumping off his tube to escape the strong currents.


text:
[Ottoman camps outside Gyula during the 1566 campaign. Dimitrije Ovčarević, the captain of Gyula, died while defending the city.]

DIMITRIJE OVČAREVIĆ (; 1552–66) was a Habsburg Serb nobleman. Dimitrije Ovčarević belonged to the Ovčarević family, a notable Serb family in Habsburg service in the 16th century, and was a relative of the earlier Petar Ovčarević (fl. 1521–41), a Šajkaši commander and spy, and contemporaries Mihailo Ovčarević (fl. 1550–79), a Šajkaši commander, and Jovan Ovčarević (fl. 1557), an emissary.[1] In 1552 he is mentioned as a leader of the Serbs in Banat, and in 1553 as the captain of Gyula. He was very loyal to King Ferdinand I and enjoyed his support. In 1556 it was planned that he travel to Vienna to meet Ferdinand for some business, however, the king asked him to postpone due to Ottoman movement. The same year he was given to govern a part of the Csanád chapter until its populating, in order to maintain troops. The king often used Church property, due to financial shortage, to pay the voivodes' expenses and troop maintenance. Dimitrije also held the estates of Kerekegyháza and Nagyfalu in the Temes County; Turegyház, Bócsar, Bikács and Szanád in the Torontál County; Mezőtakancs and Délegyháza in the Csanád County; Csokás, parts of Szentpéter, Fenlak, Variaș , Torny , Bata in the Arad County; and Marian and Kétegyháza in the Zărand County. The royal treasurer paid the maintenance of 85 cavalry, several dozen being under Dimitrije's command. In war-time this number increased significantly. Other captains mentioned in the muster were Vladislav Kerecseny, Pavle Beke, Franja Horvat and others alongside Dimitrije. When the Ottoman army set out on campaign in 1566, a part of the army attacked Transylvania and surrounded Gyula. Dimitrije fell while bravely defending the city.[2] Many castellans and captains died during the Ottoman campaign of 1566. Shortly after his death, the city surrendered to the Ottomans. He was survived by his sister Margarita, who was married to Nikola Crepović, a respected Serb leader in Banat.

[1] ,

[2] ,

title: Dimitrije Ovčarević

question: When was Dimitrije Ovčarević born?

answer: 1552.

question: What house did Dimitrije Ovčarević belong to?

answer: Habsburg.

question: How did Dimitrije Ovčarević die?

answer: He was defending the city of Gyula in 1566 when the Ottoman army attacked and fell bravely defending it.

question: Where did he travel in 1556?

answer: To the city of Vienna to meet King Ferdinand I, to whom he was loyal.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Dimitrije Ovčarević, a Habsburg Serb nobleman from the 16th century who was involved in campaigns against the Ottomans.


text:
OPERA HALL BLOCK, also known as the FARMERS STATE BANK and CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, is a historic opera house and commercial block located at King City, Gentry County, Missouri. It was built in 1895, and is a 2 1/2-story, rectangular, Romanesque Revival style brick building. It measures 50 feet by 110 feet, and features a corner oriel window.[1]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[2]

[1]  (includes 18 photographs from 2001)

[2]

title: Opera Hall Block (King City, Missouri)

question: What are the alternative names of the Opera Hall Block in King City, Missouri?

answer: Farmers State Bank and Citizens National Bank Building.

question: Describe the appearance of the building.

answer: It's 2.5 stories tall, rectangular, and in the style of the Romanesque Revival.

question: When was the Opera Hall Block built?

answer: In 1895.

question: What is the area of the block?

answer: It's 50 feet by 110 feet, so it's 5500 square feet.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Opera Hall Block, also known as the Farmers State Bank and Citizens National Bank Building, is a historic opera house and commercial block located at King City, Gentry County, Missouri. The rectangular, Romanesque Revival-style brick building was built in 1895. It measures 50 feet by 110 feet and features a corner oriel window. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.


text:
NORVAL CAMPBELL (21 September 1908 – 11 September 1977) was an Australian cricketer.[1] He played eleven first-class matches for New South Wales between 1926/27 and 1934/35.[2] In 1926, he took six wickets for 118 runs in an innings, and was the youngest leg spinner to achieve a five-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield until Lloyd Pope took seven wickets for 87 runs in October 2018.[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Norval Campbell

question: What year was Norval Campbell born?

answer: 1908.

question: Which sport did he play?

answer: Cricket.

question: For which country did he play?

answer: Australia.

question: What year did Norval Campbell die?

answer: 1977

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Norval Campbell was an Australian Cricketer.


text:
Home

/
 News

/
China Ranks Ethereum as the World’s Best Blockchain Network, Bitcoin at #13

[ethereum futures]

Advertisement

_Join our community of 10 000 traders on Hacked.com for just $39 per month._

On May 17, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released its public blockchain ratings, ranking various blockchain projects like Ethereum in the global cryptocurrency sector based on three criteria: technology, application, and innovation.

Bitcoin at #13

As shown in the chart below, the Chinese government ranked Ethereum as the world’s best blockchain network at number 1. The top five included Ethereum, Steem, Lisk, NEO, and Komodo, all of which utilize smart contracts to efficiently and securely process information in a decentralized manner.

The addition of Steem in the top five rankings of the Chinese government’s blockchain network was unexpected by the community because unlike Lisk and NEO, Steem is not a base layer blockchain technology that can be used to create decentralized applications. Steem is a content distribution platform based on the blockchain with a primary purpose of distributing content. Essentially, Steem is like Reddit based on the decentralized blockchain.

Another surprising addition to its top 10 rankings was Monero at number 9, given that several governments including the Japanese government and its financial services agency (FSA) have expressed their concerns towards cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash that are capable of processing anonymous payments that could be associated with money laundering and criminal activities.

The cryptocurrency community was taken aback by the ranking of bitcoin at 13, which was co-ranked with privacy-focused cryptocurrency Verge. The bitcoin community was understandably outraged by the ranking of bitcoin at 13, considering that bitcoin has the longest track record as the most secure and dominant cryptocurrency in the global market.

The argument that bitcoin’s application is limited to a form of money and payment is illogical, as the Chinese government ranked Steem, which has a single application on its blockchain network that is a content distribution platform, as the 2nd best blockchain network behind Steem.

More importantly, bitcoin has one of the most active open source development communities in the global cryptocurrency sector and it has developed innovative technologies like Confidential Transactions (CT), Bulletproofs, and Lightning Network, which allows developers to enable private transactions, process micro-payments, and with solutions like RootStock, potentially allow bitcoin to function as an Ethereum-like smart contracts platform.

Exceeded Expectations

The majority of the cryptocurrency community expected the Chinese government to rank private blockchain networks and protocols that can assist the government in surveillance or monitoring transactions at the top. Hence, the ranking of the government which placed cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Monero demonstrate the intent of the government to remain objective in its assessment.

However, analysts have stated that the Chinese government has overlooked the long track record, hashrate, computing power, and accumulated difficulty of major blockchain networks like bitcoin and prioritized next-generation blockchain networks instead.

Earlier this month, South China Morning Post, a major publication based in Hong Kong, reported that China’s public blockchain rankings were developed by China Center for Information Industry Development (CIID), an institute that works closely with the government to advise on policymaking in technology.

The high ranking of Ethereum and smart contract blockchain networks could influence the government to potentially allow some blockchain networks to operate in China.

_Featured image from Shutterstock._

Follow us on Telegram.
Advertisement

question: Does the author believe China fairly ranked the blockchain networks?

answer: The author seems to believe China was biased in their rankings.