text:
by: Jonathan Carrera

Posted: Dec 2, 2015 / 02:48 PM PST / Updated: Dec 2, 2015 / 07:30 PM PST

The search continues for the armed suspect who robbed a gas station mini-mart in North Las Vegas Tuesday night and shot a man who may have tried to stop the crime.

A customer who police say confronted the suspect in front of the store was shot and critically injured.

Bullet holes can still be seen in the Green Valley Grocery Market near Craig and Pecos roads.

“I go there everyday,” said customer Jermaine Atchison. “Just not expecting stuff like that.”

Police say an armed man attempted to rob the store around 10 p.m. and a customer intervened.

The two exchanged gunfire with the suspect getting away. The man who tried to stop the robbery was shot and ended up in the hospital in critical condition.

“I don’t think I could confront somebody with a gun, already robbing a place,” Atchison said.

In the summer of 2014, Joseph Wilcox was shot and killed in a Walmart store when he tried to stop a couple who had killed two Metro Police officers at a nearby Cici’s pizza restaurant.

While his intentions may have been good, police say it’s never smart to take on a suspect.

“The best you can do is call the police, notify the authorities of what’s going on so we can come and deal with situations like this,” said North Las Vegas Police Officer Steven Wiese.

A another convenience store near where the shooting happend, worker Carina Negrete says she’s been trained to never confront a criminal whether or not they are armed.

“Don’t argue, don’t try to handle the situation. Just let it happen because your safety is more important than whatever they are going to take,” she said.

“It’s tough and it’s sad, you don’t want anybody to get hurt but sometimes people sacrifice themselves for the greater of others,” said Tyler Harris, a customer.

Police say it’s possible the robbery suspect was also shot. He remains on the loose.

Employees at the Shell gas station would not go on camera, but they are cooperating with police and thankful no one else was hurt.

question: What could've happened if the customer hadn't intervened?

answer: Someone different could've gotten hurt, though it's also possible that nobody would have gotten hurt.

question: Why might it be a bad idea for a civilian to intervene in a robbery?

answer: Intervening could be dangerous for the civilian.


split: train

text:
[]

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old woman of African-origin was allegedly gang-raped by four men in a car and later pushed out of the moving vehicle near Chilla border in east Delhi in the early hours of Friday. The police have arrested the four accused who were identified by the woman. Their car has been seized.
In her complaint, the woman said she was returning home from a farmhouse in Chhatarpur in south Delhi and had managed to reach Saket in an autorickshaw. While she was waiting for another vehicle, the men - identified as Rakesh, Sunny, Deepak and Johnson - approached her and offered to drop her home. She said she agreed to board the car, a Hyundai Accent, after which they drove around parts of south Delhi and took turns to rape her. The woman said she tried to raise an alarm but the men had gagged her.
They drove towards Noida through Ring Road to avoid a police picket. She said they stopped their car after reaching a spot just a few metres ahead of a police post near Chilla border and pushed her out before driving away. She managed to walk up to the guards at the border post and narrated her ordeal.
She was immediately taken to Mayur Vihar police station where a case was registered. She was admitted to the LBS Hospital nearby where she was treated for her injuries and later released.
Police said the woman provided them with the mobile number of Johnson and they managed to track him down to the Janta Flats in Mayur Vihar, Phase 1. The other three were arrested from a locality in Neb Sarai. During interrogation, they admitted to have offered a lift to the woman.
A case under Section 376 G (gang rape) has been registered against the men. Police said the woman claimed she was in India on a tourist visa.

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question: What is the location of this news report?

answer: New Delhi

question: What is the story about?

answer: A 30-year-old woman of African-origin was allegedly gang-raped by four men and then pushed out of a car. Police have arrested the four accused who the woman identified.

question: Did the woman get medical attention?

answer: Yes, she was admitted to the LBS Hospital, treated, and released.

question: Did the woman know the assailants?

answer: The story doesn't explicitly indicate she knew them, but it seems she knew one of them, Johnson, because she had his mobile number.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: In New Delhi, a 30-year-old woman of African-origin was allegedly gang-raped by four men and then pushed out of a car. Police have arrested the four accused who the woman identified. She was admitted to the LBS Hospital, treated, and released.


text:
The setting is a medium sized room in what could be a hospice, or maybe a nursing home. The room is sparsely furnished, without anything uunnecessary giving the room an empty feeling. On one side of the room there is a Queen sized bed, the sheets are made perfectly, with what could only be practiced methodicism. On the other side of the room there are some bay windows, the windows are closed and the light curtains are drawn letting in little light, outside it is twilight, giving the room a dark yellow tinge . In one corner there is a dresser, the dresser top has been organized in such a way to draw the observer's attention to one picture in specific. The majority of the light from the window hangs on the top of the dresser, which is filled with picture frames and pictures from what seems like another universe, next to the pictures are letters and medals for honor and bravery.

 Next to the dresser is a rocking chair with an old man sitting in it. His frame is well built, with broad shoulders and a thick neck. The Man's best years behind him, his skin now hangs off of him much like the drapes from the top of the bay window. The Man is slowly rocking back and forth muttering truths the world has long forgotten, but remain true to him. His face looks as though he just swallowed something very bitter, a grimace of sorts.
The door to the rest of the building slowly creaks open and The Lawyer walks in. The Lawyer is a skinny man, with pale, almost transparent skin. His suit is unimpressive, the most interesting accessory is his tortoise rimmed glasses, which frame his empty pale eyes. The Lawyer's face is devoid of any wrinkles, much like that of a baby, and if he wasn't fully grown it wouldn't surprise The Man if he started crying and asking for his mother's breast. When The Lawyer shuts the door quietly behind him the room takes on a cool eerie feeling, much as if it had transformed from a home to a cold, damp graveyard. The light from the window seems to bend towards The Lawyer, and the dresser top dims noticeably as The Lawyer takes a seat near the door.
There is a moment of silence before The Man begins, with a voice that needs convincing:

The Man: It's not so bad, you know.

The Lawyer says nothing, just giving the same unblinking stare as before.

The Man: At first I was worried, scared even. It isn't everyday that I have been so closely acquainted with my mortality. I can count the number of times on one hand, in fact... But this time I don't think they'll give me a metal hahaha!

The Lawyer remains motionless, simply watching the man. The Lawyer is so still to the audience it would seem he isn't even breathing. Clearly unsettled the man argumentatively continues:

The Man: Not much of a talker, are you? Well, that's alright. I don't feel like having a conversation anyway.

There is a silence for a while before The Man shifts uncomfortably in his seat. It is clear that The Man does want a conversation. The Man by turns takes glances at the dresser top and The Lawyer before continuing:

The Man: It really isn't so bad... It's Father's day, if you don't already know. I am a father myself. I have two boys, well, they were boys. It seems silly calling them that now, they could toss me over their shoulders if they chose to. (The Man laughs a little, not robustly like before, but knowingly. Confidently.) Yeah, they've grown up... I won't pretend I was the perfect father, in some ways I was the worst. I look at all these pictures and I noticed something, would you like to know what I noticed?

The Lawyer moves for the first time, slowly dropping his head into a nod. The Lawyer's hair doesn't move, his suit doesn't crinkle, almost as if he were a plastic replica of a real man.

The Man: Alright, I noticed that, in all these pictures everyone is always smiling.  No one ever takes pictures of the times when no one is smiling. But that isn't the truth, is it? (The Man clears his throat awkwardly it is clear that he isn't used to talking about something so personal)
No. No one takes pictures of the bad times, only the good times. Why should that be? It should be easy to remember the good... It seems to me, that the good always fades behind the bad, it's easier to remember the hard stuff. There's some irony in that. And now here I sit, close to the end, and all I feel is regret. All the bad sticks out in my mind and the voices of the mistakes I made call out to me across the years, but then, I look at these pictures, and I remember the good stuff. Like, like this one (The Man enthusiastically points to the picture in the middle of the dresser, the picture is faded, but four figures can be made out. Three men and a Woman)

That's my family, or, it was before my wife died. And then I just couldn't keep them together. I just had too many expectations. I wanted something else for my sons, and all they wanted was to be their own men. I regret that I hadn't let them live their own lives I thought I knew what they wanted, but my desire for them overrode what I should have been doing: let them grow on their own. That's what I am doing now though, right? (The Man's eyes haven't left the picture, a pause) I lived my dream. Now they live theirs. I'm passing the torch. When I realize that, I know the only truth: I lived the dream. It's time for them to do it on their own. I think that, and I can only be happy. This is one of those times that a picture should be taken. So people can remember the happy time.

The Man's face curls into a smile, a genuine smile. The Man kept rocking, but the rocking was less lively. Next to him the heart monitor goes dead. A monotone beep is heard throughout the room, and nurses rush in to see if they can save The Man. They pay no attention to The Lawyer, almost as if he isn't there, going around him like a large rock in a river. The Lawyer gets up and looks more closely at the picture on the dresser. The four people are smiling, everyone is happy, like the best kind dream you could have. The corner of The Lawyer's mouth curled up into a whimsical smirk before he left to a room just down the hall.

title: First share, wanna know what you guys think

question: What is the man's regret?

answer: He regrets the times when he forced the way of life he preferred onto his sons.

question: Is the man happy or sad in the end?

answer: He seems more happy than sad.

question: Is the lawyer a real character?

answer: Everybody ignores him, and he doesn't speak. It's unclear whether he's meant to be a real character or not. However, the prior assumption should be that he's a real character.

question: Does the man disapprove of happy pictures?

answer: He doesn't. He just ruminates about happy and sad pictures, expressing his complex thoughts about them. He's glad to have reminders of the good times in the end.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The man on the rocking chair is well-built but old. The lawyer, a younger man in an unimpressive suit with a face free of wrinkles like a baby, enters the room. The old man talks about his sons, and he's clearly proud, mentioning how he regrets the times when he wasn't the best father. He seems happy in the end to remember the good times and to have passed the torch of living their dreams to his sons. The heart monitor dies out. The nurses rush in, and the lawyer takes a look at the man's picture of his family, a smirk on his face before he leaves toward a room just down the hall.


text:
Thousands of migrants on Monday fled one of Greece's main camps on the island of Lesbos after apparently setting fire to the facility, police said.

"Between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants have fled the camp of Moria" because of the fire, a police source told AFP, adding that strong winds were fanning the flames.

Some 150 minors housed at the camp were evacuated to a children's village on the island, the police source said.

There are now over 60,000 refugees and migrants in Greece, most of them seeking to travel to Germany and other affluent EU countries.

But they are unable to do so after several eastern European and Balkan states shut their borders earlier this year.

Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the condition of Greek migrant camps, pointing to overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.

The situation is particularly acute on Lesbos and other eastern Aegean islands facing Turkey, where most of the migrants land and are held for registration.

According to government data, there are over 13,000 people on five islands in facilities built to house fewer than 8,000.

Brawls are common in the island camps, with many desperate to avoid being returned to Turkey or their home countries after spending a small fortune and risking their lives trying to escape poverty and persecution.

question: How many migrants have fled the camp?

answer: Between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants.

question: On what Greek island was the migrant camp located?

answer: Lesbos.

question: How many refugees are in Greece?

answer: Over 60,000.

question: How many people are meant to be housed in the island facility?

answer: 8,000.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses a fire which caused migrants to evacuate a camp on the island of Lesbos. The refugee situation at the time of the article was severe, with 13,000 migrants living in island facilities meant to house 8,000 and more than 60,000 refugees in Greece.


text:
HAPPY VALLEY CHONGQING () is a theme park in Yubei District, Chongqing, China. It Opened on 8 July 2017, it is the seventh installation of the Happy Valley theme park chain.[1][2]

Notable rides

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Name                  Type    Manufacturer                   Model              Opened   Other statistics
  --------------------- ------- ------------------------------ ------------------ -------- ------------------ -----
  Family Coaster        Steel   Vekoma                         Family Boomerang            -   Length:        [3]
                                                                                -   Height:
                                                                                -   Speed:

  Flying Wing Coaster   Steel   Bolliger & Mabillard           Wing Coaster                                   [4]

  Jungle Dragon         Wood    Great Coasters International   Wood Coaster                -   Length:        [5]
                                                                                -   Height:

  Monte Carlo Track     Steel   Golden Horse                   Mine Train                                     [6]
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Happy Valley Chongqing

question: What is Happy Valley Chongqing?

answer: A theme park.

question: Which country is it in?

answer: China.

question: When did it open?

answer: July 8, 2017.

question: How many installments are there of the Happy Valley theme park now?

answer: Seven,including this one.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Happy Valley Chongqing is a theme park in China that opened in July of 2017. It is the seventh installment of the Happy Valley theme park chain.


text:
_RHINOPLOCEPHALUS_ is a genus of seasnake in the family Elapidae. The genus is monotypic, containing the sole species _RHINOPLOCEPHALUS BICOLOR_, known commonly as MÜLLER'S SNAKE, MULLER'S [sic] SNAKE, and the SQUARE-NOSED SNAKE.[1] The species is endemic to Australia.

Geographic range

_R. bicolor_ is found in the Australian state of Western Australia.[2]

Reproduction

Little is known about reproduction in _R. bicolor_. It is not known for certain whether it is oviparous or viviparous.[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Rhinoplocephalus

question: What is a rhinoplocephalus?

answer: It is a genus of seasnake in the family Elapidae.

question: Where is the rhinoplocephalus bicolor's geographic range?

answer: It is found in the Australian state of Western Australia.

question: When was the rhinoplocephalus bicolor discovered?

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

question: What does the rhinoplocephalus bicolor look like?

answer: It's not mentioned specifically, but one of its names is "the square-nosed snake". One could assume it has a square nose.

question: What does oviparous mean?

answer: That information can't be specifically found in the article, but it relates to reproduction.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The rhinoplocephalus, a genus of seasnake in the family Elapidae , and the rhinoplocephalus bicolor, found in Western Australia, are discussed.


text:
Mythological monsters roam the land, and it will be up to the player to find out what they are, study their weaknesses, gather the necessary tools, and then defeat them in combat in visual novel_ __Walkerman_.

[ss_b5250b64ea438a1a9c38a2bd3bd413e53880d75c.1920x1080]

_Walkerman_ draw from monsters like vampires and werewolves, getting players to research their weaknesses by searching through the game’s world and talking to its inhabitants. Over the course of their conversations and decisions, they’ll gain the tools they need to beat the monster of each episode.

Players will have to engage the monster in combat on an isometric grid once they encounter it, selecting from several available options in order to defeat it. These sequences will offer many different means of positioning the player to stay safe, as well as multiple solutions on how to finally kill each beast. These will entirely depend on the player’s research and gatherings, so hard work will pay off.

[ss_b5250b64ea438a1a9c38a2bd3bd413e53880d75c.1920x1080]

When not hunting monsters, the player can make decisions in the hero’s social life, deciding who to speak with and trust. These decisions will also affect the overall arc of the story.

_Walkerman_ is set to release in five episodes, and a prologue is currently available for free on Itch.io. The first full episode is due to release in May of this year.

[Alistair Wong]

Very avid gamer with writing tendencies. Fan of Rockman and Pokémon and lots more!

question: Where does the visual novel, Walkerman, draw inspiration from?

answer: It draws inspiration from vampire and werewolf monster lore.

question: On what kind of graphic interface does Walkerman combat take place?

answer: On an isometric grid.

question: How many episodes is the first initial release of Walkerman set to have?

answer: Five episodes.

question: What kind of gamer will enjoy Walkerman?

answer: Fans of Pokemon might like it.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Walkerman is an isometric visual novel that draws inspiration from vampire and werewolf monster lore. The player is expected to travel the game maps conversing with NPCs, learning the strength and weaknesses of these monsters. The player must use all this information gathered to help them overcome the monsters. Fans of Pokemon or Rockman might enjoy Walkerman.


text:
The transit police officer severely wounded during the hunt for the men who planted bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon was discharged from the hospital on Friday, almost two months after the attack that stunned the nation.

Richard Donohue, 33, an officer with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, left the rehabilitation center where he has been recuperating for the past month. He was escorted by fellow officers as he left Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, according to video from the scene.

Donohue said he was inspired by exercising at the facility with some of the victims of the April 15 bombing.

“We’re all on the same track. We all want to get better,” he said. “We’re all working hard to do so.”

On crutches, Donohue told reporters that he was getting better and could walk a few steps with the help of a cane, but “I have a long way to go” to complete his recovery. The officer, who still has a bullet in his body, said he was hoping to have a bit more independence, sleep in a larger bed, cook and eventually return to work.

He also said he was looking forward to spending time with his pet dog and 7-month-old son.

“I swear, every time I see him, he’s got another tooth,” Donohue said of his son. “He has more teeth than me.”

On April 15, Patriots Day, two bombs, built out of pressure cookers, went off on Boylston Street near the finish line of the marathon. Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded.

On April 18, authorities using surveillance images identified Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, as the suspects. They are of Chechen heritage. The identification of the brothers set off the biggest manhunt in the history of metropolitan Boston, which was essentially shut down during the search.

Later that day the suspects killed an MIT police officer, authorities said, in an attempt to steal the officer’s weapon. The suspects then carjacked a vehicle and fled to the suburb of Watertown, where a fierce gunfight between the suspects and police ensued. Officials have said that the suspects tossed crude explosives and opened fire with guns. Officials said hundreds of shots were fired.

Donohue was hit in the leg and seriously injured, though it remains unclear who fired the bullet that struck him. Police said they recovered one handgun at the scene.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was injured in the shootout and was apparently run over by his brother fleeing in the car. Tamerlan was pronounced dead of what his death certificate said was “gunshot wounds of torso and extremities” and “blunt trauma to head and torso.”

The injured Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured on April 19, hiding in a boat in a backyard in Watertown. He faces federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted he could be sentenced to death.

Donohue on Friday told reporters that he doesn’t remember anything about the gun battle in which his femoral artery was severed. He has said in the past that it didn’t matter to him if he was a victim of friendly fire since officers were just doing their jobs during the deadly encounter with the brothers.

Among those accompanying Donohue as he left the center was transit police Chief Paul MacMillan, who said he was looking forward to having Donohue back on duty.

“It’s just a remarkable story that he is where he is today,” MacMillan said. “As soon as he’s ready, we’ve got a uniform for him and we’ll put him to work.”

ALSO:

2nd victim dies from Louisiana chemical plant explosion

Florida deck collapse: Dozens are hurt watching NBA Finals

Ohio football player, convicted of rape, gets sex-offender status

question: Summarize the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing.

answer: Three people were killed and more than 260 were wounded. The bombing resulted in a manhunt for the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar. The two of them killed an MIT police officer then fled to Watertown, where a gunfight ensued with the police. Richard Donohue, a police officer, was struck in the leg and only left the rehabilitation center at the time of the article's publication. Tamerlan was killed during the shootout.

question: What does the article say about Richard Donohue's personality?

answer: He is a loving family man who enjoys spending time with his dog and his son. He is loyal to his fellow officers and not bitter about the injury he suffered.

question: Summarize the motivation behind the attack.

question: Summary Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's role in the news story.

answer: Dzhokhar was a suspect in the bombing along with his brother Tamerlan. After the bombing, he and his brother carjacked a vehicle and fled to Watertown, where they engaged in a gunfight with the police. He ran over his brother while fleeing in the car. He was later captured hiding on a boat in a Watertown backyard. He could possibly receive the death sentence for his crime.


text: I wake up and wonder where my phone is and get up and carefully walk through the wreckage of my room to the bathroom and take a very satisfying morning piss.  My head is throbbing as I make my way to the refrigerator to see if there is any more alcohol.  I'm wearing boxer shorts and a presumably very dirty plain white t shirt and can only assume that my phone is in my pants where ever they are.  There are two beers and a mostly empty bottle of  whisky and I drink the remainder of the latter and light a cigarette.  I feel like I'm walking through water as I make my way into the other room and look at the dead girl on the floor I knew was there all along.  She is very pretty and I feel sad that she is dead but I can't help feeling that she is nothing but a nuisance at this point.

title: A Story About a Girl part 1

question: Who is the titular girl?

answer: She is dead on the floor of the narrator's home

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: He has just woken up and seems hungover

question: Where is the story set?

answer: The narrator's home

question: List the main characters.

answer: The narrator

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator wakes up hungover. He drinks some whiskey and smokes a cigarette. He notices the dead girl on the floor and feels sad but also that she is a nuisance.


text:
  Category                                                 Fire Danger Index
  -------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- ---------
  Forest                                                   Grassland
  style = “background:#C80815” | CATASTROPHIC (CODE RED)   100 +
  style = “background:#FF4040” | EXTREME                   75–99
  style = “background:orange” | SEVERE                     50–74
  style = “background:#FCF75E” | VERY HIGH                 25–49
  style = “background:skyblue” | HIGH                      12–24
  style = “background:#ADDFAD” | LOW–MODERATE              0–11

  : Fire danger rating[1]

The MCARTHUR FOREST FIRE DANGER INDEX (FFDI) was developed in the 1960s by CSIRO scientist A. G. McArthur to measure the degree of danger of fire in Australian forests. The index combines a record of dryness, based on rainfall and evaporation, with meteorological variables for wind speed, temperature and humidity.[2]

A similar approach was adopted by McArthur for grassland areas. Luke and McArthur details the early development and use of these indices.[3] In 1980 Noble et al.[4] produced algorithms based on mathematical equations of best fit. These algorithms have been used since the early 1980s to enable easy computation. However they are often used with input values outside McArthur's intended design, resulting in FFDI values in excess of 100. The power function nature of the algorithm, together with limits of precision in measuring the input variables, may result in a large range of uncertainty in the calculated FFDI. For example, in conditions that produce an FFDI of 100, small fluctuations in wind speed and temperature would suggest a ± 20% range in FFDI.

McArthur tested his meter using low-intensity fires on Black Mountain, near Canberra (see Luke and McArthur) with the most extreme conditions being when FFDI was in the 20s range. McArthur specified a wind averaging period of “more than 5 minutes”.[5] A 10-minute period is the most common period used in Australian wind speed measurements and calculated FFDI values using different wind averaging periods cannot be compared. Since wind speed varies considerably over small distances, “observed” FFDI values will vary even more.

A fire danger index of between 12 and 25 on the index is generally considered a “high” degree of danger, while a day having a danger index of over 50 is considered a “severe” fire danger rating. Above this level in 2010 a distinction was made between forest and grassland fuels. For forest fuels, an FDI over 75 is categorised as “extreme” and over 100 as “catastrophic” (Victoria does not use the term “Catastrophic” but uses other factors on the worst fire days to declare a “Code Red” period [6]). For grassland fuels the threshold FDI values for the Extreme and Catastrophic ratings were increased to 100 and 150 respectively. Fire danger ratings are determined by the responsible fire agency in each jurisdiction, based on weather information provided by the Bureau of Meteorology and fuel information. Other considerations besides the Fire Danger Index, such as the likelihood of lightning ignitions and the severity of wind changes may also be considered by the agencies in determining a fire danger rating.

McArthur used the conditions of the Black Friday fires of 1939 as his example of a 100 index.

The FFDI on Black Saturday, 7 February 2009, reached much higher than the maximum value of 100. At such extremes it is meaningless to specify a particular value of FFDI. After the Black Saturday bushfires, the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index was revised. The category “Catastrophic” was added to help identify those situations where fires will spread so quickly that they present a critical threat to life and safety.

[1]

[2]

[3] Luke R.H. and McArthur A.G., “Bushfires in Australia”, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1978.

[4] Noble I.R., Bary G.A.A., and Gill A.M. (1980), “McArthur's fire danger meters expressed as equations”, Australian Journal of Ecology, 5, pp. 201–203.

[5]

[6]

title: McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index

question: Why was the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index created?

answer: It was created to measure the degree of danger of fire in Australian forests.

question: What all does the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index include?

answer: The index is a combination of a record of dryness, based on rainfall and evaporation, with meteorological variables for wind speed, temperature and humidity.

question: Who developed the index?

answer: The index was developed by CSIRO scientist, A.G. McArthur.

question: What scores on the index are considered a high degree of danger?

answer: The scores of 12 thru 25 can be considered a high degree of danger.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describe how the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index was created, who created it, what the index entails, what the numbers on the index mean, as well as how the index has been tested for accuracy.


text:
is a Japanese footballer who plays for FK Auda in Latvia.[1]

Career

In 2019, Seiya joined Latvian club FK Auda in the Latvian First League.[2]

[1]

[2] Kamil Wojciechowski w łotewskiej II lidze, 90minut.pl, 16 April 2019

title: Seiya Kitano

question: Where was Seiya Kitano born?

answer: He was born in Japan.

question: Where does Seiya Kitano currently live?

answer: He plays for a Latvian football club, he probably lives in Latvia during the football season.

question: In what field does Seiya Kitano work?

answer: He is a professional football player.

question: In which league does Seiya Kitano play?

answer: He plays in the Latvian first league.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Seiya Kitano is a Japanese football player who plays for FK Auda in Latvia.


text:
Click, clack. Click, clack. The sounds of metal against metal reverberated through the entire ship as the captain walked towards the guard rail on the starboard side. Every other step the captains prosthetic leg stuck the ships metal surface and rang out. From just below the knee a metal contraption attached to his leg. Hinges and blots dotted the device and ever few steps a release valve opened and steam hissed out. The device was solid bronze and extremely heavy and as such, it required a lot of strength to take a single step, much less walk across the ship.

He continued his difficult trek until he reached the railing. Leaning against it he looked over to his right and saw one of his passengers staring out across the night sky. She stood there silent, not even noticing the captains presence, completely enthralled by the view in front of her.

“Its beautiful isn’t it?” the captain said, breaking the silence. The female passenger could only manage a nod and did so without breaking eye contact with the view.

The captain gave a small chuckle.

 “I used to be just like you, the first time I saw all of this” he motioned with his arm, swinging it about.

Hundreds of feet below them the giant city spread out in every direction, seemingly never ending. The snow capped mountains that sat in the center of the city shined as the sun just barely peaked over the tip of the highest peak. The setting sun cast enough light to see the city as it feel asleep. And just enough darkness to see the stars coming to life. Their light brightening the night sky.

“When I first saw it I knew that I would never be able to go back. And I haven’t, I have called this ship home ever since.” the captain said after a few moments of silence.

The female passenger pointed down to the ships running through the rivers that cut through the city. and spoke for the first time

“They don’t even know what they are missing.” she said almost in shock.

“And that is the way of things, you never really know what you are missing until you have held it in your hands and you wonder were has it been your entire life.” The captain sighed.

“I have meet so many river boat captains who say that airship travel is impractical and unorthodox and unsafe. They neglected to mention it is beautiful.”

“The airship is a relatively new invention, compared to boats. New is scary, and new is confusing. They say that only the foolish mess with the scary and confusing.” he gave a quick laugh “And as such, I am a fool among fools.”

The passenger looked at the captain and asked him.

“How did you first come to fly on this ship?” she asked.

“Ah.” he sighed “Now there is a story. Have you ever heard of Jeremiah the Mad?” the captain say the lack of recognition on the passengers face and continued. “I assumed as much, he was way before your time. Anyways, Jeremiah was a captain like I am myself on board a very similar vessel such as this one. Only he was not a captain of a passenger vessel, he was a thief and a murder and was greatly feared through out the water district.” the captain paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

“I suppose you can see were this story is going, my family owned a shipping company. The Eastern Trading Company as it was called back then. My family has just commissioned the build of a new line of passenger ships and the first one was ready for its maiden voyage.” the captain stopped once again and leaned against the railing, his mechanic leg hissing.

“My father thought is was a good idea if my family and I were on board the ship for its voyage. The first night of the voyage the ship was attacked and boarded by Jeremiah the Mad and his crew. We fought back and they killed my family. I lost my leg.” He raised his mechanic leg as he said this, then continued his story.

“I was twelve years old.” he said quietly. The passenger next to him stood staring with her eyes wide open.

“Oh my god I am so sorry!” she exclaimed. The captain gave a small smile.

“The past is the past, no use feeling sorry for what already happened” he said. The passenger stood silent, not
saying a word. The captain then turned and started to limp away. Click, clack. Click,  clack. As he walked away the passenger realized he never answered her question.

“wait!” she yelled “you never answered, how did you come to fly on this ship?”

The captain stopped and turned around to face her.

“But I did tell you, you are standing on the ship that used to belong to Jeremiah the Mad.” he said.

“What?” she said in shock. “how did you get his ship?”

“That is a story for another time.” he answered. He turned and continued to walk away, leaving her in absolute shock. As he walked away he spoke over his shoulder.

“Best be getting under shelter, a storm is picking up” he said as he disappeared under the deck.

The passenger just stood in shock watching the captain disappear. She turned and faced the guard rail and ran her hand over it, whipping dust off it. Something caught her eye. Looking down she could faintly see a symbol scathed into the railing. It read.

J

title: The Airship (first story)

question: What might have happened if the Captain's family didn't go on the airship's maiden voyage?

answer: Speculative answer: The Captain's family might still be alive (maybe except for his father because Jeremiah would've attacked either way) and he'd still have his leg.

question: Summarize everything that happened to the Captain.

answer: The Captain lost his entire family and his leg when Jeremiah the Mad attacked their ship. He somehow managed to capture Jeremiah's airship and is now its Captain. The leg he lost has been replaced with a heavy, brass, artificial leg that is operated by steam.

question: What is the Captain's motivation for staying on the airship despite losing his leg?

answer: He is motivated by the beauty of his surroundings high up in the air.


text:
The clearest thing about that night was the slight laugh lines that formed at the corners of his eyes and lingered by his lips. I wanted to trace them, slowly...perhaps with my fingers; perhaps with my own lips. I couldn't quite decide.

I spotted him midway through the show. The band had a Rockabilly vibe and he was the only other person moving to the beat in the tiny space. It was, after all, a local pub with no dance floor. He didn't have a lot of dance moves, but I could tell he loved the music. We smiled at each other and quickly looked away, but our feet kept leading us closer together. Finally, there was only a rough looking Biker between us, covered in piercings. I took a deep breath, placed my hands on the leather-clad gentleman's shoulders, and whispered tantalizingly in his right ear..."Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but you're the only thing between me and the man who's dancing. I'm going to move you over a bit."

And I did just that, guiding the slightly confused guy out of the way, as I slid up next to the man with the shy smile. The band played on, sweat dripping and beer chugging; singing about heartbreak and sex and beautiful women. We danced, bumped into people, made room for ourselves--we twisted and stomped and cheered until our voices were raw and feet sore. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked with an accent, during a brief pause from the band. "Well, I..." I looked up at his face, at his smile, noticing the laugh lines. "Sure. I'll have whatever you're having." He ducked off while I tried to place it. Aussie, maybe?

He returned a minute later, empty handed. "They won't serve me! They think I've had enough." Though he didn't seem that inebriated to me, I started to laugh. He looked puzzled. "It's your accent! They think you're worse off than you are!" He groaned and we both shrugged and turned our attention back to the music. Back to the beat, back to the rhythm. We danced in tandem but we didn't touch, not even once.

At the end of the show the singer threw his arms around me. "I'm sorry, I'm so sweaty!" I didn't mind. He was giddy, he had thrown all of his joy into that hug, and he released me with the biggest grin on his face. "You boys were fantastic tonight. I'm so glad I came." I hugged the bass player and said my goodnights, while the band had another beer.

Outside, my new friend asked if there was somewhere else we could get a drink. "There's an Irish pub a couple blocks down." I gave him a sideways glance. "Maybe I should order for us." He laughed with me and we headed out. At the pub, I tried to figure out when and how to say what I needed to. I didn't want him to waste his money on buying me drinks, only to be disappointed. In the end I just kinda blurted it out--"I am in a bit of a different relationship situation. I am married, but we see other people...I don't do one night stands, though." He shrugged. "Eh, I'm not sure how to pick up girls, anyway." He was an engineer, though what he really wanted was to be a helicopter pilot. He was in town for work and only had one night to live it up. "I still want to dance! Do you know any nightclubs?"

I took him to the gay bar. It was the nearest place I could think of with a dance floor still going. "You don't mind, do you?" I asked while he took my hand. "Nah. Gay people are pretty good dancers. Is this okay...?" He squeezed my hand lightly. "Yeah, I think so. It's nice." He nodded. Our steps were a little uneven as the alcohol made its way through our limbs.

"So," he said, pausing a little. "If you aren't planning on having sex with me, do you think you could be my wing woman?" I laughed. "Of course."

At the club, we made our way out on the floor and moved and grooved to the awful music. The alcohol made us care a little less about the lyrics and we just followed the beat. We still didn't touch, except the accidental bumps when someone else crashed into us. I nodded towards the pole at the side of the dance floor. "You know, I broke my arm here once." He raised an eyebrow and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned, taunting me a little. "Well, you should get back on the horse then, yeah?" "Yeah, perhaps."

I jumped up, closed my eyes, and moved through two more songs, not daring to look at him. When I came back down he whispered to me "Well, you've got some moves." We had another drink and he looked over the crowd. "I feel bad about chatting someone else up; I'm here with you!" "Go, silly, I brought you here to have a good time. Do what you want to do."

"Well, mostly, I want to do you."

"...Okay, not that. Go on now." I shooed him away, laughing. He talked and danced with a few girls before returning to me. "She just asked me straight up if I'd like a fuck." He motioned to a pretty blonde across the floor. "Oh. That's rather direct. Well then?" "I turned her down." He smiled. I smiled. We danced some more.

When our feet would no longer hold us and I was sure my lungs would burst, we sat on a couch in the corner. "So....what about kissing?" he inquired, as we were close together and comfortable. "Kissing is not a one night stand, is it?" I paused. "I...I don't really know!" "Well it's your rules, silly, what do you mean you don't know?"

His kisses were gentle and warm. I pulled back, blushing. He leaned in again, and I kissed him on the nose and dashed back to the dance floor. He followed. We had one more dance left in us. This time, we moved in close, and I slid my arm around his neck briefly. We moved together--slightly apart, but I could feel the warmth of his chest. Then the song was over, and we pulled away.

Outside, I told him we had two options. "We can go find some food, or part ways here." "Food!" After some discussion, however, we realized that our only option that late was ordering from the 24 hour pizza place. "We could order to my room...?" He was so hopeful. "Not happening, my dear." "Well, you can't fault me for trying," he said sheepishly. I couldn't. I probably would have enjoyed the one night with him, but it really wasn't my thing. I called him a cab and said I could walk home from there, as my house wasn't far. "Will you be alright, though?"

"Probably!"

The walk took me a half hour. I met others on the way, with calls of "Pretty lady!" and "Where's the party?" but I made it home fine, of course. I texted him to let him know I made it, and he replied in kind. The next morning we each texted once to say thanks for the company and we had had a good time. He was the last to text and I left it at that, smiling.

Two days later, I received one more text from him.

"Hi, good meeting you and all the very best, but I would appreciate not texting me as I am with someone and she would not like me getting texts from strange women. I hope you can understand, take care and look after yourself, me."

I would have traced his laugh lines with my fingers after all, I think. Very lightly.

title: Saturday night

question: Do the woman and the man make love?

answer: No, the man is in an open marriage but does not do one-night stands.

question: Where does the woman take the man?

answer: She takes him to the gay bar.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: A woman goes up to talk to a shy man at a nightclub. It turns out that he is married and in an open relationship but does not do one night stands. She takes him to a gay bar and they dance and kiss. Then he walks her home. Later he texts her and says the woman he is with would not appreciate him getting texts from her. She smiles, and is amused.


text:
1

He dies.

----------

2

He treads water and clenches to his split and failing craft. He says,

"And so I lay here on the splinters of my self spun boat. These planks I hewed  and wrapped in sinewy fibers. These oars I snapped from limbs and carved. The cracks were caulked by mine own  hand. And proving water tight I sailed. And now it's just hardly sinking in.
So what of my final home? Where am I to set my weariness? It's been some years last I was blessed and sinned I have since. Not only under great duress but often.

For instance, more or less every time she was there. I'd break to stretch my legs and walk the block thru the market to saunter past she, the dancing lass on the corner. Just this bit uncovered by the buttressed booths awnings and she dancing in the break of it, in the eye of it, in that one shaft of light amidst all of it, she ran with the capstan and called to all hands, we weather this squall I'll see once more my betrothed!

She never saw me though. And I but briefly stood by there, to admire her twirlings and soak in her, illustrious. So my pleased smile, my eyes so warm, my even clap to the fiddler's foot, it all tasked the viewer to match my own gaiety.

And blending so, leading bystanders even by my example, it was a simple thing  to walk right past as she turned her back. I'd spin while I clapped and feinting a fall, grasp right and left and deftly snatch some lustrous coins right from her cup. Tumbling back up and cradling my split head, no one thought me for a second to be a simple street thief, they so stricken in grief with my wail, pain excruciate!

Not for the need was it did, not for the spare of loose change in my tailored track pants. And I didn't do it for the thrill of the deed, as some mischief making teen might to defy the truth of his prolonged wean from the bottle. No, for I drank like a fish myself! why had you bottled me up then I'd have been your greatest chum. So, no, no miscreant am I, for  I  never drew pleasure from my criminality. and never did  I consider my personal vices to be  the  essential stuff of my character. Why, I washed in the drink like some wash in the tub, that virtue I claim.

And in virtue I am poor, I'll scrap till the last for any bit of it. So no miscreant am I. You might think me then some wayward soul, aimless and in need of direction. You couldn't be wronger. Now, my aim is fine and when I set mine I hit it near every time. But my sights have long been set low, and by some force of inertia, or by that complacentness so apt to befall idealists like myself, I've settled low and never flown far. And in my shade all canopy bowered I've lurked so long I remember none else. Now when I dream, I dream of a cavern deep, one watered dark and pooled.

Some irony then! Me, here, adrift all sun baked and isolate, like a toy in the bath. But this pool interconnects all over the globe and so really never seperated, I can say my last gasp and wherever she might be sea gazing she need only crane one ear cupped and strain some little bit to hear my words thus:

Please pray for me Amanda, our hearts once joined fast, so that I may see you again when all this has passed."

His tawny hair drops below the surface, there's no thrashing. Only bubbles, and soon naught.

----------

title: Last Musings Adrift

question: Why was the narrator adrift in the sea?

answer: Not clear, we only know that he's trying to get back to his betrothed, but not why he was out there in the first place.


text:
Dylan was a starving artist, often making more money raking yards than selling his photos. Even though he vows to quit his passion, he always makes his way to the State Capitol to catch candid images of people around the statues and lawn.

As another rather uninspiring day draws down to its end with no pictures worth taking, Dylan begins to pack his equipment and head for his small apartment. He's grown too used to this feeling.

Suddenly, ten young women in canary yellow dresses walk onto the lawn and form a circle, barefoot in the neatly cut grass. While people start to crowd around what must be the beginnings of some sort of performance, Dylan struggles to ready his camera and get in front of the onlookers.

The women fall to the ground in unison as he lifts the camera up to his eye; Dylan snaps several quick pictures as the crowd grows silent. The ten bodies lie there for about two minutes before people grow concerned.

"Somebody dial 911!" came the scream that broke the silence. The woman kneels there with her hand on the pulse--or lack thereof--of the redhead of the group.

After the hysteria died down, the police marked the scene, and the media has asked their questions, a journalist rolls through Dylan's rolls photos of what's being called a mass suicide. The fourth one on the roll was an almost surreal capture; yellow dresses appear to float in the air as they fall and the faces look dead before they hit the ground, like the souls can be seen leaving the body.

The journalist looks into Dylan's eyes, "I don't know what your portfolio looks like, but it seems as if you finally have your million-dollar photo."

title: Ten Canaries

question: What does Dylan do for a living?

answer: He is an unsuccessful photographer who also does yard work.

question: What are the women doing?

answer: They gather in a circle of ten women, all wearing canary yellow dresses. Then they all die.

question: What is strange about one of the photos?

answer: One of the pictures reveals floating yellow dresses as if he captured an image of the womens' souls.

question: Why did the women die?

answer: The police are calling it a mass suicide, but nobody knows for sure.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This story describes how a photographer named Dylan captures a supernatural phenomenon on camera after witnessing 10 women dying simultaneously in a public ritual.


text:
_ACANTHALUTERES SPILOMELANURUS_ , the BRIDLED LEATHERJACKET, is a species of fish of the family Monacanthidae in the order of Tetraodontiformes. It can reach 14 cm in total length.[1][2]

Habitat

It is a fish of subtropical climate and demersal.

Geographical distribution

It is found in Australia, from Perth to Sydney .

Comments

It is harmless to humans.

[1] FishBase

[2] Kuiter, R.H., 1993. Coastal fishes of south-eastern Australia. University of Hawaii Press. Honolulu, Hawaii. 437 p.

title: Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus

question: What kind of environment does the fish prefer?

answer: Demersal and subtropical.

question: What are the genus, family, and order of Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus?

answer: Acanthaluteres, Monacanthidae, and Tetraodontiformes, respectively.

question: Where does the fish live?

answer: Around Perth to Sidney, Australia.

question: How large can the fish get?

answer: 14 cm of total length.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus, the Bridled Leatherjacket, is a species of fish of the family Monacanthidae in the order of Tetraodontiformes. The fish, which can reach 14 cm in total length, is harmless to humans. It is found in Australia, from Perth to Sidney. It's a subtropical and demersal fish.


text:
XAVIER BETTEL (; born 3 March 1973) is a Luxembourg politician who has been Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 2013. He has previously served as Mayor of Luxembourg City, and was also a Member of the Chamber of Deputies.[1][2]

Bettel is a member of the Democratic Party.[3] Following the 2018 Luxembourg general election he became the first openly gay Prime Minister in the world to be re-elected for a second term.[4][5]

Early life

Bettel was born on 3 March 1973 in Luxembourg City. His father, Claude Bettel, was a wine merchant and his mother, Aniela, is of French-Russian descent and a grandniece of the composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.[6][7][8] After completing his secondary school studies at the _Lycée Hélène Boucher_ in Thionville,[9] Bettel obtained a master's degree in Public and European Law and a DEA in Political Science and Public Law from Nancy 2 University in Nancy, France.[10][11] He also studied maritime law as well as canon law at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, where he was studying thanks to the Erasmus Programme.[12] For four years in the early 2000s he hosted _Sonndes em 8_, a weekly talkshow, on the now-defunct private T.TV television network.[13][14] In 2017, he also received an Honorary doctorate from Sacred Heart University Luxembourg.[15][16]

Political life

Municipal politics

In the 1999 communal elections, Bettel was elected to Luxembourg City's communal council, finishing sixth on the DP's list. Two years after his election to the local Council, on 12 July 2001, he was certified as a lawyer.[17] By the time of the 2004 legislative election, Bettel had significantly consolidated his position, and finished fourth (of the five DP members elected), assuring him a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.[18] On 28 November 2005, after the communal elections in which he was placed fourth on the DP list, Bettel was appointed _échevin_ in the Council of Luxembourg City.[19]

Following municipal elections on 9 October 2011, Bettel was sworn in as Mayor of Luxembourg on 24 November 2011.[20][21]

National politics

Bettel ran for the Chamber of Deputies in the 1999 legislative election, and finished 10th amongst DP candidates in the Centre constituency, with the top seven being elected.[22] However, the DP overtook the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) as the second-largest party, and its members formed the majority of the new government as the Christian Social People's Party's (CSV) coalition partners. Thus, with Lydie Polfer and Anne Brasseur vacating their seats to take roles in the government, and Colette Flesch not taking her seat so as to focus on her role as Member of the European Parliament, Bettel was appointed to the Chamber, starting 12 August 1999.[23]

Prime Minister

First term

In 2013, Bettel was elected leader of the Democratic Party, and in the 2013 election, led the party to a third-ranked position in parliamentary seats. On 25 October, Bettel was designated by Grand Duke Henri as the formateur for the next government.[24] He assumed his post as Luxembourg's Prime Minister on 4 December 2013. In the government's coalition of the Democratic Party, Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party and The Greens, he leads the cabinet with Co-Deputy Prime Ministers Étienne Schneider and Félix Braz. In his first term, he also holds the functions of Minister of State, Minister for Communications and the Media, Minister for Culture and Minister for Religious Affairs.[25]

Second term

Following the 2018 Luxembourg general election, he became the first openly gay prime minister in the world to be re-elected for a second term. He began his second term when his government was formed on 5 December 2018.[26], which he currently leads with Co-Deputy Prime Ministers François Bausch and Dan Kersch. The government is a continuation between the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), and The Greens from the Bettel I government, with minor changes.

On 16 September 2019, following a short bilateral meeting on the status of Brexit negotiations, Bettel continued a press conference without British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after Johnson abruptly pulled out due to an anti-Brexit protest held by British citizens living in Luxembourg.[27] Bettel gestured towards Johnson's empty podium and confirmed that the UK government had not tabled any concrete proposals for amendments to the UK's Withdrawal Agreement, particularly the “Irish backstop” that Johnson wishes to replace.[28] This being despite the public pronouncements of Prime Minister Johnson and the UK's departure date from the EU fast approaching.[29] Pro-Brexit UK media reported the matter as an ambush,[30] whilst other UK and international media outlets largely saw the incident, and the reaction of pro-Brexit UK media outlets to it, as confirming the empty bravado and rhetoric of Johnson's premiership, the reduced status of the UK post-Brexit, and the increasing hypersensitivity and aversion of pro-Brexit pundits and politicians to criticism.[31][32][33][34][35][36]

Personal life

Bettel is gay,[37] and has stated that increasingly in Luxembourg “people do not consider the fact of whether someone is gay or not”. Bettel is Luxembourg's first openly gay Prime Minister and, worldwide, the third openly gay head of government following Iceland's Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2009–2013) and Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (2011–2014).[38] As of 2020, he is one of two openly gay world leaders in office, the other being Ana Brnabić, the Prime Minister of Serbia.

Bettel has been married to Gauthier Destenay since 2015,[39] the same year that same-sex marriage was introduced to Luxembourg.[40][41]

Honours and awards

  Award or decoration   Country                                                                      Date
  --------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ --------------
  []                    Order of Civil Merit
  []                    Order of Orange-Nassau (Grand Officer)
  []                    Order of the Oak Crown (Knight Grand cross)
  []                    Legion of Honour (Commandeur)
  []                    Order of the Crown (Grand Cross)
  []                    Order of Prince Henry (Grand Cross)
  []                    Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Member 1st Class)
  []                    Order of Orange-Nassau (Knight Grand Cross)
  []                    Order of the Republic of Serbia[47] (Grand Collar, Serbia's highest award)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20] “Xavier Bettel - Luxembourg City's new Mayor”, _Wort.lu_, 10 October 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.

[21] “Xavier Bettel sworn in as capital's mayor”, _Wort.lu_, 24 November 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2011

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]  Europe Letter: To the British, last week's podium moment was a humiliation – but they misread the signals |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/what-the-boris-bettel-show-said-about-european-discourse-1.4030460 |access-date=29 September 2019 |work=The Irish Times |date=25 September 2019 |language=en}}

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38] “Leo Varadkar, gay son of Indian immigrant, to be next Irish PM.” _The Guardian_. 2017-06-02 Retrieved 2017-06-03.

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44] Remise de la grand-croix de l'ordre de la Couronne à Xavier Bettel par Charles Michel on www.gouvernement.lu

[45] /photo/1

[46]

[47]

title: Xavier Bettel

question: Who is Xavier Bettel?

answer: He is a Luxembourg politician who has been Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 2013.

question: What is a factor that distinguished Bettel from other Prime Ministers?

answer: Bettel was the first openly gay Prime Minister in the world to be re-elected for a second term.

question: What types of politics was Bettel involved in?

answer: He was involved in municipal and national politics, quite heavily.

question: How many awards has Bettel received in his lifetime?

answer: According to the article, Bettel has received 9 awards in his lifetime.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the political career of Xavier Bettel, a Luxembourg politician who has been Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 2013. Bettel was well known as one of the first  openly gay Prime Ministers in the world to be re-elected for a second term.


text:
War Birds

The air is still and cold, frozen. Frozen like the whole of the City’s population. They stand and stare on porches and balconies, wait in terror on sidewalks and roadways. Sirens ring out long and loud, a useless warning of what is coming. Then there is silence. No traffic, no footsteps, only a deafening quiet. It creeps up the roads and into the houses filling up the lungs of the citizens. Families cower in their living rooms, while couples prepare to throw each other into the arms of the enemy, and those who are alone thank God no one will see them in their most fragile of moments. The City waits in terror. No one runs, no one breaths, no screams…yet. The still wind begins to move as if uncomfortable in the silence. Suddenly the wind begins to scream, cut through by mile wide metal wings. Like an ant hill trampled the City is in instant chaos. People climbing over people, hurtling fences, tumbling over cars. They run. In their hearts they know they will not escape the fire storm that is coming, but still they run. Anything to trick themselves into hopefulness. Those on the southern most fringe of the City see them first. The War Birds. They rip through the clouds, gnashing their teeth and bringing death. The wind roars for them as they hunt for prey that cannot hide. Those on to the north run from the city limits hoping only to evade the deepest circles of the Hell now brought to their doors. Others simply wait accepting that they will die today in burning arms. Far more citizens wait in their homes without the dignity of acceptance. Those who acknowledged the Reapers coming embrace sit calmly, while the rest blubber prayers to Gods they never believed in, or prepare an early departure from this world. In its last terrified moments the City tosses off all pretense. It citizens show one another who they truly are cowards and heroes alike. The War Birds descend on the City for an infinite moment that ripples through time out into forever. Even as this moment passes the City stills feels the hot breath they breathed down the streets. Even as they fly back to their hangers to rest on a new batch of hellish eggs the City feels their terrible presence in the fires that linger. The citizens scream prayers and damnations as they melt into the crumbling inferno that is their City
Even after the long living fires are reduced to embers the screams stretch on and on throughout eternity. No one was spared from the fires not children, nor the elderly, not the guilty or the innocent. The air is hot and still, the acrid smell of death is scorched into the earth itself. No one goes near the City anymore. The roads were closed and the maps were changed. Everyone forgets what they know to be true. This great memory loss is everyone’s reminder that the War Birds and their masters are the powerful and the strong. A reminder that Gods hold the fire and any so bold as to emulate Prometheus can be punished just as severely for their ambition. This is the legacy the War of Birds.

title: War Birds

question: Why did the War Birds attack the city?

answer: The War Birds attacked the city to punish the people for stealing from the Gods.

question: What might have happened if the people of the city came together and fought back instead of running away or accepting their fate?

answer: Speculative answer: The people probably outnumbered the mechanical War Birds and given man's ingenuity, they may have put up a good fight.

question: Who sent the War Birds?

answer: Their masters, whom the people seem to think of as Gods.


text:
NRK (an abbreviation of the Norwegian: NORSK RIKSKRINGKASTING AS, generally expressed in English as the NORWEGIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION) is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest media organisation in Norway. All other TV channels, broadcast from Norway, were banned from 1960 until 1981. NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and three national radio channels on digital terrestrial television, digital terrestrial radio and subscription television. All NRK radio stations are being streamed online at NRK.no, which also offers an extensive TV service. NRK is a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union.[1]

Financing

Until 01.01.2020 About 94% of NRK's funding comes from a mandatory annual licence fee payable by anyone who owns or uses a TV or device capable of receiving TV broadcasts. The remainder comes from commercial activities such as programme and DVD sales, spin-off products, and certain types of sponsorship. NRK's license income in 2012 was more than 5 billion kroner. In the autumn of 2015, the government announced that it planned to change the way NRK is financed. This is in part a reaction to the decline of TV ownership in Norway. From 01.01.2020 the NRK funding is an item in the national budget and the costs are covered through taxation for each individual liable for income taxes in Norway.

History

[NRK television tower in Trondheim] _Kringkastningsselskapet A/S_, a privately owned company and the predecessor of NRK, started regular radio broadcasts in Norway in 1925. NRK itself was founded in 1933. Based on a model similar to that of the BBC and located in Oslo, it was a replacement for privately operated radio stations in larger cities. NRK initially set out to cover the entire country and had a monopoly on broadcasting in Norway. The monopoly came under intense pressure when Norwegian TV companies began broadcasting from abroad in addition to international cable TV. Cable TV started in 1982 and satellite TV in 1986 (the launch of TV3 in 1987 and TVNorge in 1988). It was not until the launch of TV 2 on 5 September 1992, that NRK's monopoly on television broadcasting in Norway ended.

During the Nazi German occupation, Norwegian transmitters were used to broadcast Nazi German war propaganda to Northern Europe (particularly Scotland and the northern half of Ireland, where the sea path ensured a good signal) and Scandinavia.

Prior to the Nazi German occupation, NRK had also been partly financed by radio commercials.

NRK was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union, which was founded in 1950. In 1954, NRK started broadcasting television shows, on a trial basis. Regular broadcasts started in 1960.

In 1969, NRK adopted its current corporate logo which consists of the lowercased “nrk” wordmark that has the letter “n” being made up of a rectangle and a reversed-italic rectangle, the letter “r” being made up of a rectangle and a circle, and the letter “k” being made up of a rectangle and reflecting-mirrored italic rectangles. This became the current corporate logo for NRK and it is having a long use throughout today.

NRK was the last of the major European public broadcasters to introduce a second radio station, officially starting as late as 1984. In 1993, NRK launched a third radio station, the youth-oriented _P3_. A 24-hour station for classical music, _Alltid Klassisk_ (now called “NRK Klassisk”), introduced in 1995, was the first of its kind to be broadcast digitally using digital audio broadcasting. The 24-hour news station _Alltid Nyheter_ started in 1997, followed by a radio station for teenagers, _mP3_ in 2000, which mostly plays pop music.

On 1 September 1996, a second television channel called NRK2 was launched. The original television channel is now known as NRK1. On 3 September 2007, NRK launched its third channel: a youth channel called NRK3. Later that year, on 1 December, NRK launched its fourth television channel, NRK Super, which is aimed at children. NRK3 and NRK Super share the same channel, with NRK Super broadcasting from 06:00 to 19:30 and NRK3 from 19:30 to 06:00.

In 1999, following NRK Interaktiv's relaunch as NRK.no, NRK redesigned its current corporate logo (that were introduced in 1969), so that it could be similar to its old version. This new version of NRK's current corporate logo made its first appearance in an ident in 2000 by making its overhaul to NRK's radio and television channels.

A traditional music radio station, _NRK Alltid folkemusikk_ (now known as “NRK Folkemusikk”) was launched in 2004 on DAB and internet radio. [Broadcasting House, one of the main buildings at NRK headquarters at Marienlyst, Oslo]

NRK's international radio transmissions, known as _Utenlandssendingen_, began shortwave transmission in 1948. Initially broadcasting in Norwegian, English-language programs were added later. The service was discontinued on 1 January 2002. All NRK broadcasting activities on shortwave ceased on 1 January 2004. NRK's mediumwave transmitter at Kvitsøy on 1314 kHz used to be widely heard internationally and was one of the most commonly heard trans-Atlantic DX signals in eastern North America. The frequency carried a mixture of NRK's radio channels P1 and P2, and was called _Europakanalen_ (literally “The Europe Channel”). However, these mediumwave transmissions were discontinued on 1 July 2006.

All of NRK's radio stations are now available on the internet. Several of NRK's television programmes are also available on the internet.

On 16 April 2015, the Norwegian Ministry of Culture announced its intention to eventually switch off all FM transmitters in the country, with the first such transmitter expected to be switched off on 11 January 2017, therefore making Norway the first country in the world to completely transition to digital radio. According to the Ministry of Culture, the decision was justified because transmitting through the FM network was eight times more expensive than transmitting through digital audio broadcasting, and because only five national radio stations are transmitting on FM, compared to the 42 digital radio stations allocated in Norway, with 22 stations transmitting on the latter. NRK Radio is expected to transition from FM to digital radio before commercial radio stations do so.[2][3][4]

NRK claimed to have the longest-running radio show, _Lørdagsbarnetimen_ (_The Saturday Children's Hour_), which ran from 20 December 1924 until 11 September 2010.

Organisation

[Entrance to Television House, another building at NRK's headquarters] The CEO began major organisational changes in 2008, with the aim of creating a more agile NRK, while still adhering to the principles of the broadcaster-producer model introduced in January 2001. By January 2009, the number of programme-producing divisions had been reduced from five to three, separated more along geographical than functional lines, and at the same time simplifying trading in the internal market. The programme-producing divisions are:

-   _Marienlyst_ covering all facilities in Oslo
-   _Distrikt_, encompassing all regional offices and with their headquarters in Trondheim
-   _Sami_, the producer of Sámi programmes situated in Karasjok

Thor Gjermund Eriksen has been director-general of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation since 12 March 2013.[5] The previous directors were Olav Midttun (1934–1947, except during the Nazi occupation), Kaare Fostervoll (1948–1962), Hans Jacob Ustvedt (1962–1971), Torolf Elster (1972–1981), Bjartmar Gjerde (1981–1988), Einar Førde (1989–2001), John G. Bernander (2001–2007)[6] and Hans-Tore Bjerkaas (2007-2012). After WW2, all but Hans-Tore Bjerkaas and John G. Bernander had been active politically in socialist parties. The current director-general, Thor Gjermund Eriksen, came from Sosialistisk Venstre parti(SV), a membership he resigned 4 days before the date of accession.

The chairman of the board is Birger Magnus, Marius Lillelien heads the broadcasting department, and the head of the news department is Marius Tetlie.[7] In 2017, NRK employed 3 419 and 266 temporary staff.[8]

Notable television programmes

NRK productions

-   _Dagsnytt Atten_
-   _Dagsrevyen_
-   Melodi Grand Prix (The Norwegian national selection for Eurovision Song Contest)
-   _Nytt på nytt_
-   _Skam_
-   _Skavlan_ and _Først & sist_
-   _Urix_

Other shows

-   Eurovision Song Contest 1986, Eurovision Song Contest 1996 and Eurovision Song Contest 2010
-   _Slow television_

Channels

Radio

-   NRK P1 - generalist channel, with regional opt outs
-   NRK P2 - cultural channel
-   NRK P3 - youth oriented channel
-   NRK Alltid Nyheter - 24/7 news
-   NRK Båtvær - 24/7 weather forecast on DAB only
-   NRK Folkemusikk - 24/7 Traditional Norwegian folk music
-   NRK P1+ - A spinoff of P1, targeting a mature audience
-   NRK P13 - 24/7 rock and indie music
-   NRK Jazz
-   NRK Klassisk - 24/7 classical music
-   NRK mP3 - 24/7 dance music (also called mP3)
-   NRK Sápmi - in Sami languages
-   NRK Sport - 24/7 sports channel
-   NRK Stortinget - broadcasts when parliament (Storting) is in session.
-   NRK Super - 24/7 for children

Television

-   NRK1
-   NRK2
-   NRK3 / NRK Super

Regional broadcasting

NRK has 12 regional offices around Norway. Each office has its own broadcasts on both television (on NRK 1) and radio (on NRK P1), as well their own news sites on the internet. They also contribute news coverage to national news programmes. NRK's headquarters are at Marienlyst in Oslo and Tyholt in Trondheim.

FM radio switch-off

Norway was the first country to announce a complete switch-off of national FM radio stations, including NRK P1 with regional services, NRK P2 and NRK P3, NRK mP3 and NRK Alltid Nyheter. Switch off started on 11 January 2017, and ended on 13 December 2017.

From 2018, all FM transmitters are replaced with broadcast via DAB +, internet and cable.[9]

High definition

NRK has an HD outside broadcast van, producing high-definition video.[10] The first Norwegian series filmed in HD was _En Udødelig Mann_ (“An Immortal Man”) about the young Henrik Ibsen. The action six-part miniseries called _Kodenavn Hunter_ was also filmed in HD. Promotional videos are freely downloadable from NRK's site, and the full-length last episode is available.[11]

NRK uses H.264 as the compression codec for the digital terrestrial network which is commonly used to compress videos stored as mp4.[12]

NRK has also started to offer HD content via BitTorrent. This is currently a very limited offer due to rights restrictions, but it is growing steadily.[13]

In preparation for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, NRK announced that they would launch a high-definition channel, and their first native HD broadcast would be from Vancouver. NRK1 HD is a simulcast of NRK1.[14]

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[5] Nina Berglund: New NRK boss gets down to work Views and News from Norway, 12 March 2012

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title: NRK

question: Why did some Norwegian companies start broadcasting abroad?

answer: It is implied that they did so to circumvent NRK's monopoly on broadcasting in Norway.

question: How many years after the launch of Cable TV was satellite TV launched in Norway?

answer: 4 years

question: How did NRK benefit from switching to digital broadcasting?

answer: They were able to save money.

question: How many logos has NRK had?

answer: At least two.


text:
[Michael Dyer speaks to children in his hometown of Little Rock last fall. during O.K. Program and KICKIT session at the Dunbar Magnet Middle School gymnasium. -- Former Auburn running back Michael Dyer attends a KICKIT session in his home town of Little Rock.]
-   Michael Dyer has accepted a scholarship offer and will have immediate eligibility
-   He was the offensive MVP of the 2011 BCS Championship with Auburn
-   His mentor Fitz Hill says he believes Louisville will provide a support system for the running back

Michael Dyer is ready to run again – at Louisville.

The former Auburn running back, who hasn't played football since the 2011 season, has accepted a scholarship offer and plans to enroll at the school and report next week, according to Fitz Hill, the president of Arkansas Baptist College who has served as Dyer's mentor. Dyer, who will be a junior, is immediately eligible after graduating last month with an associate's degree from Arkansas Baptist.

"He's excited to have an opportunity to resume his career," Hill told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday evening. "Many people doubted that Michael would ever make this comeback, and it's here."

Dyer could not be reached for comment. Louisville officials are prohibited from commenting on Dyer until he enrolls. But the running back, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Auburn and was the offensive MVP of the 2011 BCS Championship game, could provide Louisville – already considered a dark-horse candidate in the BCS title race – with a potent weapon to go with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Dyer brings baggage after leaving Auburn and then Arkansas State because of incidents involving guns and drugs, but Hill, who personally mentored Dyer for several months, told USA TODAY Sports he would vouch for him.

"Based on what he has done at Arkansas Baptist College, I don't have one negative," Hill said. "I can't talk about (what happened at) Auburn or Arkansas State, but I can talk about Arkansas Baptist College. It's been all positive."

Dyer left Auburn after he was suspended in December 2011 for failing drug tests. He has since admitted smoking "spice," or synthetic marijuana, as well as marijuana. A few months later, Dyer testified in the trial of four former teammates, acknowledging they used his .45 pistol, though he said the gun, which was legally purchased, was taken without his permission.

He transferred to Arkansas State in January 2012, but was dismissed from the program by then-coach Gus Malzahn – the current Auburn coach who was Auburn's offensive coordinator when Dyer played there – before fall practices started after news of a traffic stop months earlier became public. Dyer was cited for going 96 mph in a 70 zone. A state trooper confiscated a handgun, even though it was stored unloaded in a backpack in the car's trunk.

Dyer enrolled at Arkansas Baptist, a small school in Little Rock, Ark., last fall. Along with classes, he spent considerable extracurricular time with school officials including Hill, formerly the head coach at San Jose State. Hill told USA TODAY Sports in July that Dyer was "misunderstood," noting that he hasn't been charged with a crime.

"Everybody you talk to thinks he's an ex-felon," Hill said. "He's not an ex-anything."

Hill said during a visit to Louisville last month, Dyer assured Cardinals coach Charlie Strong he wouldn't blow the opportunity. "He looked in (Strong's) eyes and said he wouldn't let him down," said Hill, who said he believed Louisville would provide a support system for Dyer.

"To me, it's just like a handoff," Hill said. "Everyone knows he plays football, but this was a decision for the support system. I think the environment will be productive for him. He told me, 'I just want to find a place that's going to be positive for me to finish the next two years of college football and to get a degree.' "

Louisville and TCU expressed interest in Dyer last spring, but backed away. Hill told USA TODAY Sports last month some schools had grown more cautious of Dyer "because of the (Aaron) Hernandez situation."

Dyer told USA TODAY Sports he intended to clear his name at his next stop.

"I'm not bringing anything but my clothes and myself," he said. "My next opportunity, I'm just gonna go play football, go to class, be respectful and do all the things I'm supposed to do. That's it for me."

[Michael Dyer (5) weaves to evade Alabama defensive back Robert Lester (37) during the first half of Auburn's 2011 game against the Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium.]
Although Dyer said last month he had received interest from Marshall, Western Kentucky and Troy, he also said he would like to walk on at Arkansas, even if another school offered a scholarship – the attraction being playing for his home-state school, with the added symbolism of not asking for anything but a chance. But at SEC media days, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said "there will not be a transfer running back at Arkansas."

At Louisville, Dyer would augment an already dangerous offense. Coming off a Sugar Bowl victory against Florida last January, the Cardinals are ranked No. 9 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and has a legitimate shot at an unbeaten season and contention for a berth in the BCS title game. Two veteran running backs are returning after knee injuries.

Strong, while not speaking specifically about Dyer – NCAA rules prohibit coaches from publicly discussing potential recruits in-depth – said last week he isn't against providing a second chance, if he could "just make sure you have an impact on a younger person's life," according to the Louisville _Courier-Journal_.

"You want to make sure that if you bring anyone into your program, he's going to become part of your program and you're not going to become him. That's what I always say," Strong said. "Any time we're looking to bring anyone into this program, it's all about us wanting to change that young man's future and give him a future where he has a chance to go be a productive citizen of society."

On Monday, Bridgewater told ESPN that Louisville players "would take him in and welcome him."

Hill said while Dyer had "made some bad decisions, he made some good decisions, too," adding that among those was the decision a year ago to sit out the season rather than transferring to a lower-level school to play immediately. Hill noted that Dyer also could have made himself eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft.

"He hasn't taken the easy way out," Hill said. "That's what I admire in respect."

_George Schroeder, a national college football reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @GeorgeSchroeder_.

[]

question: Who is Michael Dyer?

answer: A running back who has accepted a scholarship at Louisville.

question: Where was Dyer playing previously?

answer: Auburn and Arkansas State

question: Why did Dyer leave Auburn and Arkansas State?

answer: He left after he was suspended for incidents involving guns and drugs.

question: What did Dyer accomplish at Aurburn?

answer: He was the offensive MVP of the 2011 BCS Championship

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
A reporter for USA TODAY Sports writes about Michael Dyer accepting a scholarship offer and will be running back at Louisville.
Dyer left both Auburn and Arkansas State after incidents involving guns and drugs.
Dyer says he intends to clear his name with the upcoming move.


text:
Please keep in mind, it was written by my uncle on his very first try, english is not even his first language.

THE DRIFTER
A cowboy goin through a desert alone beneath a relentless sun. facing the warm desert wind on his face. Alone on a pale horse with a rifle in his saddle. Couldn’t see no one in miles. Whispering to his horse “ boy we have been in worse we will make it through . after two days of wandering he sees a woman alone blond hair and blue eyes . cried so much that she couldn’t cry no more.  He helped the lady on his pale horse she was half conscious . took her to the town she stared at him asks his name. he replies maam” I am just a drifter”. Leaving her to the doctor he goes to the town people stare at him .  As for me , I knew what they saw, looking at me , and it wasn’t much.  My jaw was blunt and my nose had been broken, and I carried most of my hundred and ninety pounds in my chest and shoulders . I had forty eight inches chest above a riders small waist.  The denim shirt which I wore had been blue at one time, but had faded, nothing I wore or owned was new, my outfit was beat up, rained on and sand weathered, and that included me too. Along with that I had a stubble of beard on a face deep browned by the sun, and light brown eyes that showed up lighter than they were, against my dark tanned  skin. In my belt was a bowie knife, and down the back of my neck a throwing knife. Tied my horse and went in the hotel, silence ripped through the room. I walked slowly to the bartender, only my spurs could be heard in the pin drop silence of the hall. One man spoke out he is the same man who helped the witch lady. I was surrounded by four of them. As one of them tried to punch me I took my bowie knife and  made a deep cut above his nose he screamed and went on the floor, punched the other one on the nose blood spilled on his face . Kicked the third one on the ribs and could hear his ribs cracking , he gasped for breath.  Fourth rustler ran to the door and I threw my throwing knife which pierced through his left leg and he fell to the floor.
 Lady recovered in few days and found drifter when he was leaving out of town. Eyes gazed down she approached him. Mr. won’t you come and visit my family our house is close to the  river . he  said “maam once I had a family and I don’t want to refresh my memory . I am a drifter lady, I don’t want to get involved I am a lonely man who lives in the mountains, hunts grizzly and bisons for a living. I have to endure harsh cold weathers and heat of the deserts.  I am a drifter lady please forgive me. So he left her alone where she was. She stared after him as he slowly vanishes in the setting sun. That pale rider is me.

title: The Drifter

question: Who is the protagonist?

answer: He is a nameless drifter.

question: Who does the drifter travel with?

answer: He travels with his horse.

question: Who does the drifter find while traveling?

answer: He finds a lonely woman who has been crying.

question: Where does the lady invite the drifter?

answer: She invites him to visit her family that lives close to the river.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer: A drifter travels with his horse. One day, he passes by a woman who is alone and has been crying. He lifts her onto his horse and they go to a nearby town. He goes to a hotel, where someone accuses him of helping a witch. He defeats the man and four others. Later, when the lady recovered, she invites him to meet her family. The drifter declines.


text:
When the gas station shut down, Edna spoke up.

It was after a long string of shutdowns...decades ago, the fabric mill, then the supermarket, the hardware store, Bob's repair shop (he retired to Jacksonville), and the last restaurant. Soon after, everything but FastGas. From just shy of 5,000 people, to the last 30 living inhabitants of Dekher, TN. We all hesitated to call it a ghost town, but the boarded-up houses and stores said if the town wasn't dead, then it was definitely undead. Dekher was a zombie town, that didn't know it had died as parts of it fell off and disappeared.

The last unofficial-council meeting was just 5 people. Half the town were packing their belongings into old station wagons and onto utility trailers. There wasn't much left that mattered, and most people were making their last trip to complete their moves to somewhere more important. The council met on two opposite-facing wooden benches in front of the old general store. I was already there when the others arrived, undoing the bolts from the floor under the better of the two benches, so that I could take it with me. My late wife and I had carved our initials on the back when we were 18, shortly before we were married. I didn't want to leave it behind when we all left.

"Noon", Harold said.

"Hey", I said. We were non-committal in our greetings. This wasn't going to start great, or end with "See you later".

A lot of small groups of people start as a community. They move through various phases of friendships and hatreds, and eventually to a complete lack of concern. Old good memories exist alongside grudges; what comes to the forefront of mind depends on the situation, but rarely seem important enough to raise a heart rate.

Edna arrived with Betsy. Betsy drove her husband's old Cadillac and parked it right in the middle of the street, as usual. A dead end town with few cars meant that things didn't need to get complicated.

Leo arrived with a coffee pot and a stack of ceramic cups, washed from the last meeting but stained from many previous ones.

We sat for a while, sipping that coffee. No one talked about the future or the past. No one talked about the town.

Like I said, Edna spoke up.

"We should have a parade."

Leo and Harold were immediately indignant. They called the idea stupid and wasteful, and refused to have anything to do with it. I kept quiet and looked at the convertible Caddy.

"I'm in", I said, and Harold's proclaimed annoyance petered out.

Betsy offered the Cadillac before I could ask about it. Leo clearly did an abrupt about-face and offered to drive it, so the "Queens" of the parade could sit on the back and wave to the...crowd. Harold was silent for quite a while before he spoke up and offered the old pedal-powered 4-wheeler, if I'd pedal it. Edna talked about a dress she hadn't worn in 40 years.

Within an hour, the parade was planned. I don't think anything in this town had been planned that quickly since we were kids. We separated and went to our houses and I'm sure we all dreamed of parades. Thursday today...the parade was to be Saturday morning.

The next day I walked by Harold's and he was painting sheets of plywood, attached to the sides of his utility trailer. The trailer was loaded with his belongings and it was clear he had thought of something no one else had. The parade was not just a route...it was the path out of town for the last time.

After a quick discussion, I ran to the others' houses and arrived to each winded and excited, explaining the plan. The parade was moved to the afternoon and we all were now in a mad rush to pack our belongings for the parade. Edna and Betsy were making plastic flowers to attach to the Car, and the 4-wheeler was abandoned in favour of my pickup truck (with more plastic flowers, once Betsy showed me how to make them from the plastic bags left behind at the gas station). No one slept Friday night and we were exhausted at parade time, with full gas tanks and everything we cared about we us.

We started at the fabric mill and the parade route moved roughly along the chronological order of shut-down businesses. We stopped for a moment of reflection at each and moved on. Harold talked about getting caught shoplifting condoms in the 50s and we all roared in laughter. Edna might have been blushing too much. Leo explained how the weather vane on top of the school got shot off. Betsy talked about coming back after nursing college and how so many people she'd cared for that have now passed on or left, treating each similarly. I spoke about each job I had in town and then men and women I had worked with, feeling like I should have less to talk about than I did.

We waved, and drove, and spent a lot of time acting like there were more people to watch than the few last stragglers who were getting their last move completed. We were all crying by the end and no goodbyes were said as we each took a different turn off the old highway.

Edna spoke up, and none of us will ever go back to Dekher.

(All rights reserved by me. Please don't hate me for this. I've been stolen from before.)

title: Edna Spoke Up

question: Why does the narrator hesitate to call Dekher a ghost town?

answer: It seems more like a zombie town.

question: What is the symbolic importance of the parade?

answer: Maybe it's their coming together to refuse to die along with the town.

question: Why do they not say their goodbyes?

answer: It's likely they all refuse to acknowledge it is the end of their beloved town.

question: Who paints the plywood?

answer: Harold.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator and few scant inhabitants of a dying small town fete the place they've known by having a last-minute, final parade. After it, they drive their separate ways, out of town.