text:
BIG DATA INSIGHTS INTO LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

eHarmony and Netflix match you up with compatible people or
mystery movies based on how you answer their questions. You too can use modern
technologies and methods to find love and friendship.

1.
GO ONLINE. _MORE
THAN A THIRD OF NEW MARRIAGES BEGIN ONLINE, AND COUPLES WHO MEET ONLINE REPORT HIGHER
MARRIAGE SATISFACTION, ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER._
It’s an effective way to clarify what you’re looking for in a partner and meet
more singles.

2.
PERSONALIZE YOUR GOALS. Families come in many different shapes today.
You may want to marry and have children early in life. You may find happiness
in other arrangements.

3.
SEEK COMPANIONSHIP. As adults live longer, many men and women place
a higher value on companionship. _BEING ABLE TO TALK WITH SOMEONE IS LIKELY TO
MATTER MORE THAN THEIR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OR FINANCIAL STATUS._

4.
MAKE NEW FRIENDS. Longer life spans may also mean that you’ll
need to keep making friends in your later years. It may require more effort
than it did when you are were a student or new parent, but the rewards are
worth it.

5.
COVER LONG DISTANCES. On the other hand, you can hang onto your old
friends even if you live on opposite sides of the world. Schedule regular video
calls or plan your vacations together.

6.
BOND AT WORK. If your career plays a large part in your life,
you may enjoy participating in professional associations and socializing with
your colleagues. Whatever you do for a living, office friendships can add to
your job satisfaction.

7.
EXPLORE SHARED INTERESTS. Maybe your passions have more to do with your
leisure interests. Browse Meetup or start a group who will want to join you for
weekend hikes or local theater performances.

APPLYING PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS TO LOVE AND
FRIENDSHIP

Companies use big data to predict what their customers will
buy next or what product features they want. You can usually figure out what
your future will look like based on your behavior today.

1.
PRACTICE KINDNESS. _BEING THOUGHTFUL AND COMPASSIONATE WILL DRAW PEOPLE TO YOU._ It’s impossible to predict when you will run
into someone you want to know better, so stay in practice.

2.
GIVE GENEROUSLY. Look for ways to brighten someone else’s day.
You’ll feel happier, and experience fewer conflicts. Ask a co-worker how you
can help them meet a proposal deadline. Shovel the snow off the sidewalk for an
elderly neighbor.

3.
COMMUNICATE OPENLY. Strong communication skills will make your
relationships run more smoothly. Speak directly and tactfully. Listen attentively.
Express your appreciation and offer constructive feedback.

4.
TAKE RISKS. Welcoming love and friendship into your life requires you to be vulnerable
at times. You may sometimes feel rejected or hesitant to reveal your true
thoughts. _REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE, AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE
TO GAIN._

Even in a rapidly changing world, some things remain the
same. Big data and technology offer new ways to enhance your love life and
broaden your social circle. At the same time, you can still attract your next
dinner date or best friend by cultivating a loving heart.

question: What are the conclusions of big data on enhancing our love lives and making more friends?

answer: Just like companies use computer analytics to figure out what their customers want to buy next, some firms are using the same technology to figure out how to help people find love and broaden their base of friendships. According to analytics, to enhance our love lives, we ought to try and brighten someone else's day, speak tactfully and listen attentively. Also practicing kindness and being vulnerable goes a long way to making people trust us.


split: train

text:
MOLLY PARKIN (born MOLLY NOYLE THOMAS, 1932) is a Welsh painter, novelist and journalist, who became most notable for her work on _Nova_ magazine, newspapers and television in the 1960s.

Early life

Parkin was born in 1932, the second of two daughters, in Pontycymer in the Garw Valley, Glamorgan, Wales. She and her family moved to London to live with her grandparents when the Second World War began in 1939.[1] She went to Willesden County Grammar School (now Capital City Academy). During the war, without her parents' knowledge, at the age of 12 she worked on a paper round in Dollis Hill, London, in the evenings. She told her mother that she was studying art after-hours at school. Her grandfather saw her delivering papers, however, and reported this to her mother who prevented her from continuing with the job and punished her by making her do housework. After this she earned a little money from a Mr Hill, their lodger, who took pity on her and paid her to clean his room. She idolised Hill, who she thought was a gentleman, and many years later saw similar characteristics in the actor James Robertson Justice. Later the family bought a tobacconist's and newsagent shop, which employed four paperboys. When one of the paperboys was caught stealing money, her mother—needing to fill his shift quickly—made Parkin, then aged 14, do his paper round instead. On her first day, a car knocked her off her bicycle and she hit her head on the kerb. She was knocked unconscious, hospitalised, and spent about a year off school, convalescing. Parkin spent much of this period alone in her room above the shop, drawing and painting. This developed into an interest in the arts.[2]

Career

In 1949 Parkin gained a scholarship to study fine art at Goldsmiths College, London, and then a scholarship to Brighton College of Art. After marriage she became a teacher, painting throughout this period. After a series of affairs, including a long-term association with James Robertson Justice, Parkin separated from her husband at the start of the 1960s; at this time she lost the desire, inspiration and passion to continue with her artwork.

To support her two daughters, Parkin turned to fashion. After making hats and bags for Barbara Hulanicki at Biba, and working alongside Mary Quant, she opened her own Chelsea boutique, which was featured in a _Newsweek_ article about Swinging London. After selling the shop to business partner Terence Donovan, she joined _Nova_ magazine in 1965, when the radical Dennis Hackett became its editor. David Gibbs' comprehensive anthology[3] of _Nova_ pages and images says of Parkin: “A dynamic sense of colour and design was all she needed to guide her. Unfettered by the accepted wisdom of the fashion system, she introduced an unconventional and startling view of what women could wear... always teasing the edges of taste... She set the standard.”

In her two years as fashion editor the flamboyant Parkin raised the bar with her coverage – shot by the new generation of young photographers – that again affirmed the Swinging City[4] which _Time_ magazine reported in 1966 as the hub of creativity and hedonism. She moved on to become fashion editor of _Harpers & Queen_ in 1967, and _The Sunday Times_ in 1969, being named Fashion Editor of the Year in 1971. After becoming a television personality in the 1970s, Parkin was banned from the BBC for swearing.

In the 1970s, as a chatshow celebrity and libidinous novelist, Parkin wrote an uninhibited weekly interview in the Saturday edition of the _Evening Standard_. She also wrote a 750-word outline for a novel entitled _Love All_. Although it was disliked by publishers Blond & Briggs, the office secretary commented that she liked it, and it was picked up for publication. Her second novel was more sexually-oriented. Published in 1975, _Up Tight_ was highly publicised, thanks to fashion photographer Harry Peccinotti’s cover shot of a French model wearing see-through knickers; this jacket design resulted in booksellers Hatchards keeping it under the counter. After returning from living in New York City in 1980, she split from her second husband Patrick Hughes, and was again in need of funds to pay for her daughters' education.[5] By the time her novel _Breast Stroke_ was published in 1983, she had become an alcoholic. The three publications, plus various articles for men's magazines, earned her the position of 24th in _Time Out_ magazine's review of London's best erotic writers.[6]

After the publication of her autobiography _Moll: The Making of Molly Parkin_ in 1993, Parkin started painting again, with her first exhibition in more than a decade at the Washington Gallery in Penarth. Much of her new work was inspired by Celtic landscapes, in particular Pontycymer—although she also found her travels in India moved her to produce more vibrantly coloured works. In October 2010, her memoirs _Welcome to Mollywood_ were published.[7]

In 2010, a portrait of Parkin painted by Darren Coffield was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London for the BP Portrait Award.[8]

She was a 'castaway' on the BBC Radio 4 programme _Desert Island Discs_ in May 2011.[9]

In May 2012, she was awarded a Civil List Pension by the Queen for her services to the arts.[10]

Parkin featured in an episode of Channel 4's _Britain's Weirdest Council Houses_ in February 2016, in which she was filmed in her council flat in a tower block in the World's End Estate at the World's End area of Chelsea. She had moved into the flat in 2002, after she was declared bankrupt following a period of alcoholism.[11]

In 2017 Parkin appeared live in a one-woman show at a London salon hosted by Simon Oldfield of Pin Drop Studio.[12]

[1]

[2]

[3] “Nova 1965-1975, by David Gibbs (Editor), David Hillman (Compiler), Harri Peccinotti (Photographer)”. _Pavilion Books, 1993_.

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] “Welsh artist Molly Parkin becomes a subject in awards show”, 24 June 2010

[9]

[10]

[11] 'Clive Martin meets the octogenarian artist whose wild social life has been as striking as her painting' - _The Guardian_ 14 June 2014

[12]

title: Molly Parkin

question: What was Molly Parkin's first job?

answer: At the age of twelve, she started to deliver newspapers without telling her parents. She told her mother that she was studying art after hours. Her grandfather saw her at work and informed her mother who prevented her from working anymore and made her do housework instead.

question: What incident was to result in Parkin's love of art?

answer: When one of the paperboys at the family tobacconist was fired, Molly had to fill in and deliver papers. She was hit by a car and hospitalized. She was booked off school for a year and spent the time in her room above the shop drawing and painting.

question: In what profession did Molly Parkin really excel?

answer: Molly Parkin excelled as a fashion editor, raising the bar with her coverage. She moved from Nova to Harper's and Queen and then on to the Sunday Times. She was named Fashion Editor in 1971.

question: How did Molly meet James Robertson Justice?


text:
Of the bonus tracks, Nile Adventure is the only non-circuit course. Instead it's the longest track of all; more than a third longer than most of the others (based on time). As with many tracks, you start on a long straightaway this time heading for a bridge with three archways. Head for the middle archway and try to boost over it. A 4 second hidden boost is waiting for you. As you land or go through an archway, the track heads right under a bridge and immediately right after the bridge to a pair of ramps. The closest ramp offers a 9 second boost and the farther ramp a 4 second boost. Grab a boost and by the time you land the track will be headed left again, only to turn sharply right at the end of the rock face. Take the right-hand turn and cross the first checkpoint before turning left onto a long straight section. This stretch has a drop halfway along with a 4 second boost hanging in the air in the near distance. To get the boost you can either jump from before the drop and boost to get it, or drop and immediately jump to grab it. Either way, there are a pair of waterfalls, one to either side and an entrance to a tunnel. Take the tunnel as these waterfalls only mask rocks. Once in the tunnel, the track takes a series of turns and between each turn the water slopes downward. The turns are left, right, right and finally left with a 4 second boost after the first right.

After the turns you will be in a long stretch with some basic hieroglyphics on the walls and a guardian statue at the end. Just before the guardian is a 4 second boost and a long drop to beneath the guardian, so if you are jumping along the straight be sure to land before it. At the bottom of the long drop is the second check point and another guardian this time guarding the entrance to a tunnel. Look ahead as you go under the guardian. The track goes left under another tunnel entrance and a smaller tunnel entrance is to the right. Don't bother with either one, instead look up to see three archways which would otherwise be a large single archway if it weren't for a pair of very solid pillars. Aim to get between the two pillars and land at the entrance that is there. Manage this correctly and not only will you get the 9 second boost for passing through any of these three archways, but you will get an instant speed boost that will put you at maximum speed immediately. You are now on a long upward stretch, which jettisons you high into the air over a long, thin canal and culminates in long, narrow slope where you collect a 4 second boost on the way down.

Exiting the slope and you plummet into a wide tunnel with a snake's head in front forming the exit and almost swallows the 4 second boost that sits there as you pass by. Inside the snake's innards, the track takes an immediate left revealing a small straight followed by a long right hander that begins sharp. As the right-hander straightens the river slopes down to a 4 second boost and a long left hander. By the time you collect the four second boost and start on the left hand turn you will be out of the snakes innards as it changes to be a rock tunnel with snake moving through it. At the end of the left hander you can see the snake moving through the right-hand side of a long straight and a 4 second boost at the end of the tunnel. As you collect the 4 second boost there's a large drop down and a sphinx's head guarding another tunnel. Jump before the drop and you will fly through the face of the sphinx and into the tunnel.

This tunnel forms the nastiest part of this, and probably any, track. It is lined with sarcophagi, and the track itself is lined with triangular forms on either side that will slow you down if you hit them, which is easy to do. The tunnel takes a left shortly after starting and then a long right before a sharp left with a 4 second boost. This is followed with another long right and on the next left is another 4 second boost which leads you onto a short straightaway. Depending on the version, you'll have already noticed many of the sarcophagi drop down as you travel along the water of the track. No matter which version, this next straight will drop down various sarcophagi and may hit you as you attempt to jump at the hanging 9 second boost. Try to get the boost as you land, because the track takes a sharp right hand turn. You'll notice at the end of this straight section a sarcophagus opens to show a hidden section of track. Despite containing two 9 second boosts (one hidden as you enter the tunnel), it's actually a longer way through. Take the right hand turn and you will find checkpoint three under another archway. After the archway the track heads right then left and onto a long stretch where you can see the exit. Along this leg of the track large sections of roof drop down to keep you at track level, so don't try jumping here.

Exiting the tunnel you find the only location that allows the night sky to be seen. This is the same part where the hidden section of track leads. As you drop down from the tunnel exit to the water below you can see a ramp with a 4 second boost atop and in the distance another tunnel entrance, this time in the shape of a triangle. This tunnel takes you right then left before taking an even sharper right then left. Don't boost around this last left as you will overshoot and miss the 9 second boost that sits before another large drop and the tunnel's exit. At the bottom you enter another tunnel. This tunnel heads straight and soon enters a section where the roof and sides are circular and revolving. The track takes a mirrored split that you can safely ignore. Instead jump over the islands in the middle to collect a 4 second boost in the middle of each, with three islands in all. Just prior to the third island is a 9 second boost traversing the width of the tunnel. After the last island, the revolving ceiling finishes and you careen along a now rock-lined straightaway, which ends in a left. This left initially hides a climbing bargeway heading right, then right and climbing again. At the top it heads left and back into a rock-lined tunnel for a short stretch with a 4 second boost and another long drop at it's exit.

You will now be flying along a huge cavern with a single-eyed, scorpion-like creature lying beneath the surface of the water with its legs flailing around in the air. Ahead of you is another guardian over a tunnel entrance and its eyes fire a pair of beams which intersect at the water just in front of you for the duration of this long stretch. As you near the eye of the creature beneath the surface, in some versions, it rears the eye and you can use this to bounce off to get the 9 second boost, or you can simply jump at the boost and avoid the speed reduction that occurs with the collision of the eye. Land your boat and enter the final tunnel of the track. The tunnel begins with a short straightaway followed by a right then left before exiting on that left turn with a 4 second boost and the now-familiar drop. Go headlong at the finish line which will now hopefully be in front, if you took the left turn correctly between the feet of a sphinx.

question: Which is the only non-circuit course?

answer: The Nile Adventure

question: In what time increments are the boosts set?

answer: The boosts are set in either 4 seconds or 9 seconds increments.

question: How would you describe the description of the tunnels and boosts of this excerpt?

answer: The description is very intricate, outlining every possible detail, turn, and boost.

question: What is the tunnel lined with?

answer: The tunnel is lined with sarcophagi.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Nile Adventure is described as the only non-circuit course and its twists and turns are described in great detail. Each tunnel and each boost is created differently and all are different versions.


text:
The taxi station was dark when I walked in. As usual, before my night shifts would begin, I turned on the lights and slid myself onto a chair in the kitchen. No one had arrived yet. I got out a pack of cigarettes and placed them on the table, getting through three before Pedro barged in.

“Eeeh bro, what the fuck you think you doin’. There’s no smoking in here’.

“Fuck you, Pedro”.

Pedro giggled and went over to the coffee pot and turned it on. He had a wry smile like a birth mark. It was a part of him.

“Any bookings tonight, Prashnath?”

“Yeah. I got a weird one. I got to go out of Seattle. Tiger Mountain state forest. It’s not even near anything. Middle of nowhere. I’m shit scared, man. No houses nearby, I looked it up on maps. It’s scary as shit outside at this time of night, already, without getting killed by demons or some shit, man”.

Pedro was listening, pouring his coffee. He sat down next to me, lit a cigarette and smiled.

“You are fucked, bro”

“Shut up, I am serious. I want to cancel it. Before you walked in I was going to send this guy a message. Was going to tell him to shove his creepy forest up his arse, man”.

Pedro chuckled in the tobacco of his cigarette.

“What is the name of the place again, Prashnath”.

“Tiger Mountain”.

Pedro winced. For a moment the birth mark disappeared.

“Do not go there, bro. I am not even trying to be funny here. That place is bad. There is some fucked up stories from there. Couple of guys that worked with me back at city cabs ran into trouble there”.

“What. What do you mean. Don’t mess with me”.

“I mean if you go to this place tonight, you will seriously get sacrificed to demons or something. I swear I am not messing with you. Look at my face, bro. I am serious about this”.

“What did the guy’s at city cabs say. I swear if you are messing with me..”

“There was this big Russian guy I used to work with, yeah? His name was Vladimir or Vladislav or something like that. Anyway, doesn’t matter. This guy, like you, gets a booking at this place in Tiger forest. It was just me, Vlad, and two other guys on shift that night. Real quiet. We all head off, do our thing, and me and the two other guys are back at the station at four o’ clock.

So here we are waiting for Vlad to get back, getting really pissed off because we cannot lock up, and we want to go home. We call this guy, send him messages and everything, but no reply. Of course we start to think the worst, right. ‘Shit, Vlad’s hit a fucking tree’, we thought.

Well, we were all about to start looking for this guy when he fucking turns up. I swear to Christ bro, this guy was dirty, and had holes all over him, cuts all over his face and shit.

‘Vlad, what the fuck. What happened’ I said.’

Does not say a thing. Just sits down, has a smoke. Not a fucking thing. Eventually Vlad says he was attacked, right? Now, I want you to get this picture in your head. This guy, Vlad, is huge, bro. He is a beast. He could take anyone in a fight. Shit, he could take three. So when you see this guy walking in all torn up, saying he got attacked, it makes you think, bro: who the fuck could do that to this guy.

So I question him. It doesn’t make sense

‘What do you mean attacked. Who the fuck attacked you’ I said.

This is exactly what he said, bro.

‘I take job in Tiger forest. It take me forty minutes to get to this place, and no one there. I wait for ten, twenty minutes, no one there. I come back. There was man on road, his car broke down. I get out, I help. I tell you, man. I got bad feeling from this guy. I don’t know why, sometime you just get bad feeling, you know? But I ignore the bad feeling, I help. I go to him, but then I hear noise from tree line along side of road. All these people wearing black, only black. They come out of the trees. Some holding torches, some holding knives. It was an ambush.’

Vlad was surrounded by a satanic fucking cult in the middle of the forest, I shit you not. He tried to run back to his car, get away that way, but they got there before he did. They closed in on him, saying all this weird shit in another language. Vlad was lucky he was built like a house because he was able to charge one of the guys holding a torch. Knocked him to the ground. Had to run away into the forest.”

“That is crazy, man. There is no way I am taking this booking. I am not even going to message him back.”

I went to light another cigarette when I noticed the wry smirk reappear on Pedro’s face.

“Oh fuck you, man. Do not scare me like that.

Pedro laughed.

“No bro, for real. Watch out”.

“Yeah, yeah”.

I finished the cigarette quickly, grabbed my coat and hopped into the car, ready to start my shift; ready to go to Tiger Mountain. Pedro was full of shit, he was always like that. I started the engine. As the car sat and quietly roared I thought about Pedro’s smile, and how it collapsed into fear when I told him I was going to Tiger Mountain. Admittedly that was strange. Very strange. But Pedro was full of shit, he was always like that..

title: Tiger Mountain.

question: What does the story say about the narrator and Pedro?

answer: The narrator smokes in the office. Pedro barges in and tells him he cannot smoke as a joke. The narrator tells him he got an assignment to go to Tiger Mountain state forest and that he is terrified to go. Pedro insists that he shouldn't go and that the place is too dangerous.

question: What does the story say about Tiger Mountain?

answer: According to the story, Tiger Mountain is a dangerous place to be. The narrator is stressed out over being assigned there. His friend, Pedro, urges him not to go.

question: What does the story say about Vlad?

answer: The narrator and Pedro are having a conversation. Then Pedro tells him a story when he was waiting for Vlad to get back. He came back not saying a word and Pedro asked him what happened. He tells them that he was attacked in the Tiger forest by a satanic cult. Just as the narrator is about to believe him he notices Pedro smirking and gets mad at him for pranking him. He then gets ready to leave for Tiger Mountain and tries to shrug off his conversation with Pedro.

question: What does the story say about survival?


text:
 Charles stumbles up the stairs mumbling complaints about his bad leg, the broken elevator and his good for nothing landlord who had procrastinated in fixing it. The leg that had carried him up the stairs solo now throbbed with agony of strain. Standing on the last platform before his floor he sweat and began hopping and tossing his body up each step. At last he reaches the flat floor and dramatically throws his hands in the air and rejoices for the flat ground he could now swagger upon. Charles opens the door to find a pair of shoes he hadn’t seen in a while. “At least she had the dignity to let me know she is here” he thought. He flipped the main room’s light on and immediately noticed one of the bulbs was out, “Just one more thing” he said aloud to nobody.
 Charles turned to find both the mother of his child and his sweet innocent Chloe sitting in a chair placed in the center of the room. It was unfair she had brought her now, at this time of night. Sharon was dressed in red and the dim light sketched her eyes with red. “The Devil in flesh” he thought. Even though he smelled of sweat and alcohol Chloe approached and hugged her father. He hated himself at that moment, for not being a better father; for not doing more with his life, his time, for not being sober. She looked up at him smiling and stood hugging his waist. They stood like that for a moment, “How was your day” he wanted to say. But his moment was lost when Sharon stood and approached the little girl. Gently yet sternly she said “Daddy and I are going to have to talk now ok? Why don’t you go try to sleep?” Chloe turned and said “Night daddy.” And ran to the part of his home he dedicated to her privacy.
Once she was out of earshot the apparently tender and loving mother turned into the biblical creature she reminded him of. With malice in her voice she said “What’s wrong with you? You haven’t said a word outside of the shout you gave outside and the mumble you made when you came in.” “Whaz it got to do with me and you?”  He said, not completely understanding why he had said it.  His eyes swam over her mocking smile and suddenly she had her hand out and was speaking. He realized she was demanding money and something about the car.
He sobered up pretty fast at that moment and said “That’s mine thank you, there’s a few things you can’t get your greedy hands on that’s mine, and my daughter and my car are completely beyond you.” Her face reddened matching her choice of clothing and suddenly she was ablaze full of anger and hate. “It’s our daughter actually!”, she screamed he had been blown away by how loud she suddenly got. “and she is more mine than yours simply because I birthed her you snotty, drunken, imbecile.” She raised her hand and smacked him square in the face making it more of a palm punch and less of a smack. In a flash of drunken stupor and adrenaline he threw his arm up and caught her in chin. She flailed her arms and screamed loudly as she stumbled over the chair, luckily the floor caught her.
He heard a sad sound that made his heart drop, he heard crying. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t even trying to..” he was cut off as she turned and said to him with dry eyes “Look what you’ve done now you idiot”. He turned and let his heart break. She stood huddled against the frame of the door crying and frightened, of him.

title: The Loser

question: Summarize Charles's views on his landlord.

answer: Charles views, his landlord, quite cautiously. The landlord had left the lights on to let Charles know they were there. Charles gets irritated with the landlord because he sees his lights broken and know they are not fixed. Charles is also annoyed because he has a bad leg and there is a broken elevator in his apartment.


text:
The EMECO 111 NAVY CHAIR is a recycled plastic chair manufactured by Emeco. It is based on the Emeco 1006 chair originally built for Navy warships during World War II.[1]

History

In 2006, Coca-Cola sought a means to keep their plastic bottles out of landfills, and sought product applications via manufacturing partnerships. They approached chair manufacturer Emeco, best known for manufacturing chairs from aluminum.[2][3] Emeco's leadership “jumped on the project.”[4] The company saw it as an opportunity to develop an innovative, structurally sound material and keep plastic bottles out of the landfill.[5] The two companies began to talk about the possibilities of recreating the iconic Navy Chair using rPET.[6]

Development

[A cafe using Emeco 111 Navy Chairs]At the time Emeco began working to create the chair out of rPET, other companies were making rPET products such as T-shirts, bags, caps and notebooks.[7] Soft recycled PET plastic was originally intended for short-lived fabric and textiles and Emeco needed to build a tough, one-piece, scratch-resistant chair for heavy-duty use.[8]

Emeco’s engineering team worked for 4 years to create a material made of recycled PET plastic that is made into pellets. Those pellets are mixed with glass fiber and color pigment.[9] Each chair starts out as six kilograms of plastic pellets that are melted down and then injection-molded into the shape of the 1006 Navy Chair. Craftsmen add the H brace to make the chair sturdier and they smooth out any imperfections that result from injection moulding.[10][11]

The resulting 111 Navy Chair has the identical design of the 1006 Navy Chair. The one-piece design is scratch-resistant and suitable for heavy-duty use.[12]

Each 111 Navy Chair is made of at least 111 recycled PET plastic bottles – 65% post consumer PET – with 35% glass fiber and pigment; this gives the chair its name.[13] The chair comes in 6 colors and passes all commercial requirements—it is structurally strong, fire retardant and cleanable.[14]

Results

As of late 2016, over 22 million plastic bottles have been kept out of the landfill and made into 111 Navy Chairs. Emeco CEO Gregg Buchbinder said in an interview with _Forbes_ magazine “We’ve turned something many people throw away into something you want and can keep for a long, long time.”[15]

The chair sells at a much lower price than the original.[16][17]

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[8]

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[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

title: 111 Navy Chair

question: What chair is the 111 based on?

answer: The Emeco 1006 chair

question: What is the 111 Navy Chair made of?

answer: It is 65% post consumer PET and 35% glass fiber and pigment

question: How many colors does the chair come in?

answer: 6

question: As of 2016, how many plastic bottles have been made into 111 chairs?

answer: Over 22 million

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Emeco 111 Navy Chair is a recreation of the Emeco 1006 chair, but made out of a mixture of recycled PET plastic and glass fiber and pigment. The 111 Navy Chair is scratch-resistant, suitable for heavy-duty use, fire retardant, and cleanable.


text:
I don’t know how much longer this search can go on. I am in dire need of repairs and all the parts I need are damaged or not compatible. Time is slowly dwindling away and soon I am going to be another heap of metal populating this ever growing “graveyard” for robots like me.

Finding replacement parts can become an aggravating chore for a robot who has become unwanted by consumers interested only in making their lives easier and “less complicated.” My sole purpose was to provide entertainment and company to the children whose parents could afford me. I was built to be able to respond to children’s commands. I could even talk back if I was asked a question that I was programmed to answer. I was built to move around on a wheel that resembled a small bicycle tire. I guess my creators figured that it would provide more excitement for the younger generation to have such a unique way of moving around.

But, as technology advances, newer models are created that provide not only entertainment for kids but also luxuries for adults. No longer do people have to do their own cooking or clean their own houses. There are models built for just about anything a person could desire; work, entertainment, pleasure, even crime if bought from the right seller.

Along with these advances in robot technology come cheaper prices tags. More people can afford these luxuries of a robot companion. There is just no place for a robot like me in the world today. I mean, I’m built like a unicycle. I can’t get around like the models built with two or even three legs. It takes a considerable amount of time and effort just for me to climb a set of stairs. Along with the handicap of transportation, I have only six fingers, three on both hands. Gripping things can become quite complicated for me at times. Simply put, I’m an antique.

The only thing keeping me going is the knowledge I was programmed with to repair myself. As long as I have the parts, I can fix myself. But, I’m not alone in this “graveyard.” This place is populated by robots, like myself, that no longer serve a purpose in this world. Over time, our circuits and parts grow old and become useless and since we can’t heal like our creators and owners, we must replace. The older we get, the less likely we will be able to find the parts we need. Eventually, time will do its thing and our circuits will die and we will become nothing more than recyclable scraps.

On the left side of my lower back is a switch that is barely reachable with my left arm. I think I must have been one of the last models built with such a switch as I have not seen it on many models that has been dumped here since my arrival. Whenever my previous owners would reach back and flip it, my internal clock would jump forward an uncertain amount of time and suddenly I would be in another room with different people or with the same people, just wearing different clothing. I’ve never been able to understand how it works.

This “graveyard” has run dry of the parts I need. I can’t go on much longer here. That switch might be the only way left for me to get out of here and take me somewhere I can continue to survive. Maybe it will take me to some new owners that have piles of old, working parts that would be a perfect fit for me. Maybe they’ll have children that appreciate the simplicity of my purpose. The thought of this makes me feel the same kind of happiness that I think my previous owners felt when they use to play with me.

With little effort, I reach back and place my finger on the switch. Click…

title: Antique

question: What does the text say about the robot and advancing technology?

answer: The narrator is a robot in need of repairs, however all the needed parts are damaged or incompatible. The robot knows that with time, it will end up in a "robot graveyard". It was created with the purpose to provide entertainment to children but as technology advances, newer models are created to provide more than just entertainment. With these advancements, the robot becomes an antique and no longer serves a purpose. It's only advantage is the knowledge it was programmed with to repair itself. However, it will eventually be unable to find parts, circuits will die and become recyclable scraps.


text:
Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index has soared to its highest level in its nine-year history as America's stock market basks in Donald Trump's presidential victory.

The latest score of +6 for the week ending Nov. 27 inched past the previous high of +5 recorded in January 2015.

Theindexwas -11 in the last full week before the Nov. 8 election, but then jumped to +4 the week after. Gallup noted that the change was largely attributable to Republicans becoming more optimistic about the economy's direction.

Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index is the average of two components: how Americans rate current economic conditions and whether they feel the economy is improving or getting worse.

Economic confidence has been below zero nearly continuously since 2008, hitting its lowest level of -65 in October 2008 at the onset of the financial crisis. Aside from the recent pair of positive index readings, Gallup's weekly scores were positive several times during a brief, three-month span from late 2014 to early 2015, when U.S. consumers enjoyed a sustained drop in gasoline prices.

Thirty percent of Americans rated the economy as "excellent" or "good" last week, while 22% said it was "poor," resulting in a current conditions index of +8 -- this is, by one point, the highest score recorded for this component over the past nine years. The latest current conditions score is up two points from the prior week.

The economic outlook component is at its highest since February of last year. For the week ending Nov. 27, this component moved further into positive territory at +4, compared with +1 the previous week. The latest score is the result of 49% of Americans saying economic conditions in the country are "getting better" and 45% saying they are "getting worse."

The stock market’s rise to record highs after Trump’s presidential victory shows that investors are optimistic that the economy will improve as President Barack Obama leaves office, says Charles Gasparino, author and Fox Business Network senior correspondent.

“His promise to cut both corporate taxes and red tape will translate into higher corporate profits so businesses can expand and create jobs,” GASPARINO WRITES IN THE NEW YORK POST. “Real unemployment can finally decline not because people are dropping out of the workforce but because they’re actually working again.”

Trump will come into office with Republicans controlling the Senate and House of Representatives, making economic reforms a realistic possibility instead of prolonged gridlock. Under President Obama, the U.S. economy never exceeded 3 percent yearly growth for the first time since World War II.

“With the GOP controlling the House as well as the Senate, traders see real economic growth on the horizon, not just a Fed-induced stock-market bubble where interest rates are so low there’s no other place to put your money,” Gasparino says.

(Newsmax wire services contributed to this report).

© 2020 Newsmax Finance. All rights reserved.

question: What is the highest level the Gallup's Economic Confidence Index has reached?

answer: +8 score.

question: What score was the index at before the elections?

answer: -11

question: What is the Gallup's Economic Confidence Index?

answer: It is the average of two components: how Americans rate current economic conditions and whether they feel the economy is improving or getting worse.

question: What is the lowest score the index has reached?

answer: The lowest the index has reached is -65, in October 2008.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The Gallup's Economic Confidence Index has reached its nine-year high of +8. The index was at -11 in the week before the November 8 election. Gallup notes that the change is largely due to Republicans becoming more optimistic about the economy.

The index is an average of two components: how Americans rate the current economic conditions and whether they feel the economy is improving or getting worse. The economic outlook component is at its highest since February of last year.

Gasparino writes in the New York Post that Trump's promise to cut both corporate taxes and red tape translate into higher corporate profits so businesses can expand and create more jobs.


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

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

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

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

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

title: Short story: The Watch

question: What did the narrator lose today?

answer: A watch.

question: Why is the watch important?

answer: It's an heirloom from their grandfather.

question: How did the narrator's father meet the narrator's mother?

answer: Their cars broke down in the same spot.

question: Where does the man find his watch?

answer: In the couch.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: A man reflects on the history of a watch he has misplaced as he searches around the house for it. His grandfather wore it during the Depression. His father was wearing it when he met the narrator's mother. He himself had been wearing it when he witnessed a gruesome car wreck. A man dying in the wreckage had gripped the his left hand below the wrist as he passed away. The man locates the watch in the couch. He gives it to his son, who initially flings it aside. Once the narrator explains the importance, the son puts it on and wears it, promising his father that it will see everything.


text:
It was the night she moved out of Belltown, after breaking up with her boyfriend.

“Hey, can you help me move my dog up to my dad’s place? I don’t have a car, and I don’t want to be on the bus for four hours,” she said over the phone, her voice tired and a bit sheepish.

“Of course,” I said, “I have time to kill tonight.” Never mind that I would pay nearly any price to see her, or make any excuse, or drive to any location for her – tonight, it happened to be true.

So naturally, I drove to her apartment at the base of Queen Anne, right where it starts to blend into Belltown. The roads shimmered under the veil of a fresh rain, and the sky smelled of western winds and the sound. It didn’t take long to load her dog up into my car. We pulled out, driving down Aurora toward 85th, the corgi panting breathlessly against the backseat windows.

I cannot recall what we talked about. Whatever empty words were exchanged in that transit, they have been burned away by the later events of that night. It was likely about her work, and where she would be moving to, and what her schedule would be. Soon, we’d arrived, and delivered her dog to her dad’s house. Standing around outside afterward, we were both too awkwardly needy of the other to say goodbye.

“Hey,” she said, “Let’s go get a drink down the street at Gainsbourg! It’s named after my favorite French guy.”

“Sure,” I said, “I have time to kill, and I wanna hang out with you.”

“Aww, that’s sweet!” she said, elbowing me gently in the ribs.
I winked at her, and accepted the cigarette she’d produced, popping it my mouth with a salute.

As we walked down the street, the stoplights and neon beer signs reflected off the puddles in the street and upon the sidewalk, washing everything in garish colors and a carnival atmosphere. Her hair, brilliantly red against her white sweater, swung to and fro as she skipped a few feet ahead of me. After a moment, she looked back and winked at me. I flushed, but winked back.

“Hey,” she said, walking backwards, “You’re pretty great, you know that?”

I didn’t have a sensible response, but it didn’t matter. She grabbed my hand and bolted across the street, our feet throwing up cascades of water droplets that glowed against the neon signs, dodging traffic as we went.

Gainsbourg was mostly dark wood, with the copper fitments of antique espresso machines thrown in against keg taps. I liked it immediately, not only because of the décor, but because the bartender nodded at us and welcomed her back.

“What will you have?” asked the bartender, regarding the two of us. I ordered a sazerac, and she ordered a French 75. We talked about nothing for a time,
I felt the toe of her shoe press against bottom of my foot, and then slide to one side. The sides of our feet pressed together, and I froze. Whatever I was saying stumbled over itself, words slowing to a crawl, only to die slowly inside my mouth. I dipped my head and shifted my leg, so that our calves pressed against each other, and heard her catch her breath in response.

It felt as if tongues of electricity licked the length of my spine. This long-anticipated touch – this sense of total awareness of her body against mine – had shuttered my ability to function as a person. That sensation expanded to become the sum total of everything in my world, blotting out sound, and sight, and smell, until the only thing that remained part of my existence were the places where the two of us touched.

I put my sazerac down, because my hands had started to shake.

“What are we doing?” I asked, licking my lips.

“I don’t know,” she said, “But I don’t want it to stop.”

There was a silence which stretched out in all directions. Even the bartender seemed to stop what she was doing, so many feet down the bar.

“I don’t want it to either. I need to be near you,” I said.

She dipped her head. Lifting one hand, she dropped her face into her palm and rested it there. I heard a quiet exclamation of ‘Jesus Christ’ slip out of her mouth. I placed my hands flat on the bar as I felt the toe of her shoe slide up the length of my calf, and turned to regard the rain falling washing over the sidewalk outside.

When I turned back, she was staring straight at me. I cocked my head in query.

“I love you so much,” she said. “How did I let you slip away? How did I forget how important you were to me?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “But I love you more than I know how to explain. I’m caught in orbit around you, and your gravity refuses to let me go.”

We finished our drinks, and walked back to the car. In the alley between the street and her dad’s house, she pressed herself against me, smelling of coconut and tobacco.

“It’s so dark here…” she murmured. “Anything could happen.”

At the suggestion, I stopped. Shaking my head slowly, I put my arms around her waist, and pressed my cheek against her forehead.

“No. Not anything,” I whispered.

As we drove back toward Queen Anne, I pressed the accelerator to the floor of the car. The flat six leapt in response, purr of the cylinders turning to a growl as our speed crept up. Fourty. Fifty. Sixty. As I settled out at seventy, Billy Idol sang of Flesh for Fantasy, and Eyes Without a Face. She squealed happily, squeezing her fingers around my arm until it started to sting.

As we turned off Aurora, she released her grip and slid her fingers into mine; our grip was rigor mortis. Letting go of the other would have been a betrayal and admission of wrongdoing, and neither of us was prepared to admit what we felt was wrong. It was too present, too ready, and too powerful.

As I pulled to a stop in front of her apartment, I put the car in park, and turned to look at her. I was going to say something silly and endearing, but the words died in a hum on my lips. Silence. And then our lips were together, arms wrapping around the other as words fled entirely, replaced by a language older and more primal. Her tongue upon mine, my fingers knitting into her hair. The moment stretched out across perceptible time, until we finally drew back.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked.

“Definitely,” she said, winking at me. “Are you sure you can’t come upstairs?”

“I’m positive,” I said. And sadly, I was.

All that remains of her is ash pressed into the shape of a crystal heart, her body long gone, and her laugh a distant memory. Everywhere I go in this city, I hear the echo of her voice with every clink of a glass. Every darkened space holds her shadow, and every street corner is painted with a memory of her. I have no idea how I get by moment to moment without falling to my knees.

All I can say is that life passes moment to moment, and every moment without her, I feel like I’ve lost a limb.

title: A Night in Greenwood (Xpost /r/offmychest)

question: Where did the narrator meet the girl he was on a date with?

answer: Information not found.

question: Was it their first date?

answer: It seems like they've seen each other before.

question: What was the girl's name?

answer: Information not found.

question: Are they going to go home together after the date?

answer: He is going to drive her home but he won't go up to her flat.

question: Are they going to have food or just drinks on their date?

answer: Just drinks.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator helps his friend take the dog from her flat to her dad's house. After that, they go for drinks where they inevitably start touching each other. They confess their love for each other and the narrator drives the girls back home.


text:
Last Stop

Sweat begins to drip down Reznov’s face as the countryside of his homeland rushes by his window. He knows what’s coming up and it’s a necessity that he maintains his composure yet his heart starts to palpitate and palms become clammy as the border crossing gets closer and closer. He’s confused and taken back by his anxious state. He’s forgotten the first rule in his line of work; maintain a calm state of mind and under no circumstances …break… character. This directly leads into rule number two; don’t, get, caught. Then again this time it isn’t really work. He’s not pretending anymore, not adopting a new character when he arrives at his destination nor are there any contacts to help…this time it’s just him. This time it’s personal. No more fake IDs and passports and most importantly no more help from Shinra Headquarters.

Shinra Headquarters. He shudders at the thought of his old place of work. What he believed in, what he worked for, what he fought for, what he lived for, and yet, the whole reason why he’s fleeing. He thinks back on what caused him to turn his back on his homeland, never to return, to effectively run from his country and kin and seek refuge in ‘enemy’ territory. All of his life he thought he was fighting for the right reasons. He’s seen so much now that he doesn’t know what to think. Was everything he believed in and dedicated his life for a lie? All propaganda from a totalitarian and fascist government that he himself worked for and gathered intel for and worst still…believed in. It’s like his whole world has been tipped upside down since he broke free from that world of despair and oppressive tyranny. He still can’t believe that he couldn’t see what kind of world he was living in worse yet working for. Not until now.  Peace sells…but who’s buying? They tried to control everything, control people to the point of oppression, control food, control luxury items, control thought, control free speech. Control freedom. It’s like the harder you squeeze your fist the more easily people will see cracks between your fingers like he did. He finally realised that the people and government he was working for and had once believed in was incompatible with his morals.

As he thinks this he is disrupted by the chime of a the train announcement; “Last stop coming up; The International border crossing at Safia” .

His stomach drops and he feels as though he’s just gone over the crest of a steep rollercoaster experiencing negative gravity. He turns pale, shudders as if someone had poured ice cold water down his back. Then Reznov feels unbearably ill. He takes several deep breaths trying to keep calm and collected. He reflects on  past missions he has completed - hundreds of dangerous and risky operations, with many involving tricky border crossings, even been in life threatening situations several times and he’s done this all without batting an eyelid. Yet now that has been backed into fleeing and he is a mess. He’s meant to be a professional yet right now he’s acting like an amateur, with nerves worse than the first day on the job. Not calm or confident in his expert ability. He’s mouth feels full of cotton wool and his throat dry.

Suddenly he hears foot steps behind him. This is it he thinks. It’s over. Well I’m not going out without a fight he mutters as he mentally prepares himself. The footsteps get closer. His fight or flight response kicks in and there’s an adrenalin surge throughout his body. He has the look of a prepared killer in is mako green eyes and he is ready. He feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, sir...”

He grabs the hand and pins the person against the wall of the train violently. To his horror he sees a petrified young female train attendant. What has he done how could he do this he thinks.

“S..sorry” Reznov stutters then he runs to the restroom.

He slams closed the door, puts his hands against the sink and looks at himself in the mirror dripping in sweat still feeling unbearably ill.

He was ready to kill that poor young train attendant without so much as a second thought, thank god he didn’t he thinks. He splashes water on his face as deeply exhales; he doesn’t know what to do now. He’s questioning his ability, wondering if it’s worth it, wondering if he’ll even make it. He’s lost.

“This is your driver speaking, we are 5 minutes away from the international border crossing have your RFID chips and registration ready, thank you for traveling skyline railway have a safe trip”

He can’t do this he thinks. He looks in his front pocket at his last resort. The last line of defence for any Shinra covert agent. Cyanide. He takes out his forged registration and looks at where the RFID chip he made and programed was in his arm. In his right hand is his registration. In his left hand is a cyanide pill. Possible freedom. Or instant escape. He hears the train screech on the breaks as they arrive at their last stop. It’s time to decide…

title: Last Stop (Short story I wrote for school feedback is appreciated)

question: Where is the story set?

answer: Aboard a train in a fictional totalitarian state

question: Who is the main character?

answer: Reznov, a former Shinra agent

question: What decision must the main character make at the end?

answer: Whether he will try to escape with his forged documents or take a cyanide pill

question: Why is the main character fleeing his country?

answer: He believes that the totalitarian and fascist government he lives under is incompatible with his morals

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Reznov is aboard a train heading to the border of his country. He is a former secret agent for Shinra, his country's intelligence organization, but he feels his morals are at odds with his country's totalitarian and fascist government. As the train nears the border, he starts to panic and nearly attacks a train attendant. He goes to the bathroom and contemplates whether to try to escape with his forged documents or take a cyanide pill.


text:
The man answered me hoarsely, a queer smile playing across the corner of his cracked lips, "It is said that when the gods wish to punish us... they answer our prayers."

His face, a map of scars, was strangely familiar, like a distant place long forgotten.

"Speak not in riddles old man," I snarled, "You will make your peace with to whomever gods you pray well soon enough. Until then, you answer to Me, and pray, pray now, my vengeance is kinder than theirs."

His sunken eyes shone dimly, and bore no fear. "Then I truly hope my debt to them is paid," he laughed, wistful.

"Tell me, what did you wish of them, Barabbas? What shining stone did you cheat from the Wardens' lot? What coveted prize did you squander on stolen time? What dungeon's claim did you lay away on halcyon roads? Was it Love? Riches? Power? Tell me. Tell me before I send you back to the hell from whence you came, wretched man."

"I sought something. I think... I sought knowledge. Understanding."

"Then you are a fool, old one. Tell me, out of perversion, what did you learn, living out your wasted days? What carnival spectacles did the wilds divulge, as you wandered far and away? What secrets did the amber halls and dim-lit alleys whisper to prowling ears? What shrouded facts sought their way through dead tomes, spilling torrid wanderlust into grey matter? Was it Techne? Logos? Pathos? Teach me. Teach me, before I snuff out your pathetic spark."

He took a deep breath and exhaled, a visible shudder traveling through his frail skeleton. I saw his eyes glimmer distantly. I saw him strain, the furrows of his brow crossed in wrought exertion. I watched his frail hand reach across the distance between us, stretching as if to grasp something unfathomable and then, a solitary tear fell onto the cold ground.

"I cannot... I can no longer remember. I am old and my mind is not what it once was."

He closed a pair of weary eyes and hung a tired head, anguish painted across his worn features.

"Once a fool, always a fool, I can see," I spat, seizing his slacking jaw, and peering into cloudy eyes, a visage of sorrow. "Tell me your story. Show me your sins. Show me your joys and regrets, your dreams and sorrows. Show me it all, the last thing you do before these damned eyes are shut forevermore. SHOW ME!"

Silence. Grimacing, he forced his eyes shut, face a contortion of singular will, summoning every scrap of concentration he could gather.

Time stood still.

Then, suddenly, his eyes sprang open and the clouds parted within revealing a sudden inner light, a clear and piercing gaze. His brow lifted, his focus sharpened and a sudden strength found itself within him, wresting my hand away.

Hands astir, he gripped my hands, arms, and face frantically, some terrible recognition dawning over him. Clasping my head with his palms, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, drained.

"Speak, you despicable thing! Tell me your name! Speak, damn you!" I growled, anxious to hear his last words. Crouching, I knelt beside his haggard frame.

He spoke, after a time, eyes aglow with perception. His words were slow and deliberate. This is what he told me.

"You... I remember my wish. I wished to know an old man’s secret, once. My name is... but, ah! that, you know already. Let me teach you what I have learned. Let me show you, eager one.”

And he smiled, a wry smile, breathing his last.

As he closed his eyes, I opened mine to curse him, but he was gone, and I awoke lying alone, cursing only myself.

title: The Wish

question: What does the old man say the gods do to punish us?

answer: The old man says that they punish us by answering our prayers.

question: What does the narrator call the old man?

answer: The narrator calls the old man Barabbas.

question: Who is the narrator cursing at the end?

answer: The narrator curses himself at the end.

question: What was the old man's wish.

answer: The old man wished to know an old man's secret.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is talking to an old man, demanding to know his secret. The old man says he does not remember, until he is filled with a supernatural force and says that he wished to know an old man's secret. The old man disappears and the narrator is left cursing himself.


text: Upon my arrival to that military town out west, it was apparent I was in a new place. The geography was different; there were actually hills and bluffs to look at, and long drives to take on winding roads through the Texas Hill Country. I was always five minutes from the nearest dirt road and knew of a spot we would take my 4x4 off-roading at night to the top of the tallest hill on the edge of town and look over the city lights. By tradition, we'd stay up there until the cab of my truck had completely filled with smoke. On that hill I found a peace that I couldn't find in any of the bars in town, a peace that kept me going back to that spot for years, multiple times a week, just to soak it all in and relax at the end of my days.

title: The Misadventures of Captain Jack (part 2)

question: What's one difference between where the narrator comes from and the new place?

answer: There are hills and bluffs in the new place.

question: What kind of a vehicle does the narrator have?

answer: A 4x4.

question: Why did the truck catch on fire?

answer: It didn't; it was filled with smoke from smoking marijuana.

question: Where did the narrator find peace time and time again?

answer: A spot on the hill.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator reminisces about their first time going out west to a military town in Texas.


text:
GOTHER CLARKE (27 April 1875 – 12 October 1917) was an Australian cricketer.[1] He played seven first-class matches for New South Wales between 1899/00 and 1901/02.[2] He was killed in action during World War I in the First Battle of Passchendaele.[3] While treating a casualty, Clarke and several others were killed by a shell.

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Gother Clarke

question: When was Gother Clarke born?

answer: Gother Clarke was born on April 27th, 1875.

question: How many first-class matches did Gother Clarke play?

answer: Gother Clarke played seven first-class matches.

question: What team did Gother Clarke play for?

answer: Gother Clarke played for New South Wales.

question: What battle did Gother Clarke die in?

answer: Gother Clarke died in the First Battle of Passchendaele.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Gother Clarke was an Austrailian cricket player. He played seven first-class matches from 1899 to 1902. He died in 1917 during World War One.


text:
_CATFISH BLUES_ is an American indie family comedy film, released in 2016. It was written by Michael Worth and directed by Junior Bonner. It stars Max Tadman and Worth's grandmother Lois Stewart as a pair of friends who spend a summer searching for lost animals in a Northern California town. The film also features veteran actor Tim Thomerson.

Produced by Worth's production company Grizzly Peak Films, the film premiered at the 2016 Big Island Film Festival[1], where it won the Best Family Film and Audience Choice Feature Award.[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Catfish Blues

question: What is "Catfish Blues"?

answer: a 2016 American indie family comedy film

question: Who is Michael Worth?

answer: The writer of the screenplay.

question: Where did the film premier?

answer: At the 2016 Big Island Film Festival

question: Summarize the plot of the film.

answer: Max Tadman and Lois Stewart are friends who spend a summer searching for lost animals in a Northern California town.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: "Catfish Blues" is a 2016 American indie family comedy film, produced by Grizzly Peak Films. It premiered at the 2016 Big Island Film Festival and won Best Family Film and Audience Choice Feature Award.


text:
THE STANDARD MODEL: WHAT IS IT, HOW DOES IT LOOK, AND HOW DOES IT TASTE?

[BlandEcupcakeModel]

The Standard Model of Particle Physics in the cupcake representation. Credit: E. Bland

Hi All,

Today’s post is an introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics.  First off, saying “Standard Model of Particle Physics” is long-winded, so it is often shortened to “Standard Model” or abbreviated by “SM”. In short, the SM is presently the best description of how matter behaves, interacts, and works at very small distances and very high energies. High and small, of course, compared to our everyday experiences.

ELEMENTARY: In the SM is a collection of particles believed to be the elementary building blocks/constituents of all known matter and energy. By “elementary”, I mean that there are no smaller pieces inside these objects. To put this into perspective, humans (~2 meters) are made of cells (~10 μm); cells are made of molecules (~1 nm), or chains of atoms. Atoms (~100 pm = 1 angstrom) are made of electrons (?) that orbit a central nucleus (1~10 fm). A nucleus  is comprised of protons (1 fm) and neutrons (1 fm). Both of these are made of quarks (?) and gluons (?). However, as far as experiments have shown, SM particles are not made of smaller objects. Therefore, we call call them “elementary”, “fundamental”, and “point-like.” If there comes a day where we discover that quarks have sub-structure, then quarks will lose their “elementary” status.

[size_scale_big_uoregon]

Scale of the Universe. Credit: U Oregon.

SPIN: Elementary particles are separated into three categories: matter, force carriers, and Higgs bosons (or fermions, gauge bosons, and the Higgs bosons). Fermions and gauge bosons have small but nonzero, _intrinsic_ angular momentum, called SPIN. Angular momentum is a measure of how energetically and how quickly an object is rotating. Think of a bike wheel that _NEVER_ stops spinning and has only two speed: fast and half-fast. A standard unit of angular momentum at small distances is an ћ (pronounced: “h-bar”). This is like a mile or kilometer being a standard unit of distance, or a day being that for time. All gauge bosons carry the same amount of spin, 1ћ; all elementary fermions carry half as much spin, ћ/2. Particles that carry no spin are called scalars. More broadly, a boson is any particle with an integer amount of spin, i.e., 1 ћ, 2 ћ, 3 ћ, …, and a fermion is any particle with half-integer spin, i.e.,  ћ/2, 3 ћ/2, 5 ћ/2, … Spin is an example of a SPACETIME QUANTUM NUMBER. Even sets of fermions make a composite boson; odd sets of fermions make composite fermions, like the proton.

CHARGE: There are 12 elementary fermions: the up (u), down (d), charm (c), strange (s), top (t), and bottom (b) quarks; the electron (e), muon (μ), and tau (τ) charged leptons; and the electron-neutrino (νe), muon-neutrino (νμ), and tau-neutrino (ντ) leptons. These labels/names represent another quantum number called FLAVOR. In addition to spin, these particles also carry several different charges that cause them to be repelled or attracted when in proximity to each other, in other words _to experience a force_. There is the ELECTRIC (or electromagnetic) charge, WEAK HYPER charge, WEAK ISOSPIN charge, and STRONG (or color) charge. Quarks carry all charges; charged leptons carry all charges _except_ for color; and neutrinos carry only weak charges. In fact, electric charge is a combination of hyper and isospin charges. Charges are examples of INTERNAL QUANTUM NUMBERS. In addition, each particle has a partner particle called an ANTIPARTICLE. Particles and antiparticles have the same spacetime quantum numbers but _opposite_ internal quantum numbers. For example: an electron is a spin-1/2 fermion with -1 electric charge; a positron (an antielectron) is a spin-1/2 fermion with +1 electric charge.

FORCES: Gauge bosons are the mediators of the electromagnetic, weak, and color forces, and each force is associated with a conservation law. Fermions interact, exchange momentum, and scatter off each other by exchanging gauge bosons. For example, an electron and positron can interact by exchanging a photon. Throughout this whole process, the electric charges of the electron and positron were individually conserved.

[qed_ep_tChannel]

The photon (γ) is the gauge boson for electromagnetism, and the rules of electromagnetism at small distances and high energies are called quantum electrodynamics, or QED.The gluon (g) is the gauge boson for the strong force, and its rules are called quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The strong force is responsible for holding the proton together: protons and neutrons are made up quarks that are bound together by gluons. Weak forces are responsible for certain types of radioactive decay and flavor-changing interactions. For example: an electron can radiate a W boson and become an electron-neutrino, and a top quark dominantly decays into a bottom quark and a W boson. The gauge bosons of weak isospin are the W1, W2, and W3 bosons; for weak hypercharge, this is the B boson. However, _at low energies, weak charges are no longer conserved_. What is conserved is the sum of isospin and hypercharge. The Ws, B, and three Higgs bosons (more on this in a bit) then combine, becoming the W+, W-, and Z bosons, collectively call the weak bosons. These are very massive particles, about 80 and 90 times MORE MASSIVE than the proton.

HIGGS BOSONS: In the SM, there are FOUR Higgs bosons: H (sometimes call _THE_ Higgs boson), φ1, φ2, and φ3. All four Higgs are scalars (zero spin) and carry both weak isospin and weak hypercharge; two carry nonzero electric charge. A summary of all particles and how they can interact are described in this image:

[2000px-Elementary_particle_interactions]

Any two particles connected by a line can interact. Some bosons can interact with bosons of their own type.

MASS AND ELECTROWEAK SYMMETRY BREAKING: In the early universe, _ALL ELEMENTARY FERMIONS AND GAUGE BOSONS WERE MASSLESS_. At some point, everything underwent a phase transition that BROKE the hypercharge and isospin conservation laws. During this phase transition, quarks and charged leptons acquired mass. The massless hypercharge and isospin gauge bosons along with φ1, φ2, and φ3 mixed and became the massive W+, W-, and Z bosons. Because of this, the W+, W-, and Z bosons can mediate weak interactions but, under the right conditions, behave like the scalars φ1, φ2, and φ3. This phenomenon is called ELECTROWEAK SYMMETRY BREAKING (EWSB). After EWSB, there is one remaining physical Higgs boson, H, which was only just discovered in 2012.

To summarize:

1.  The Standard Model of Particle physics is presently our best description of how matter behaves and interacts at very small distances and very high energies.
2.  Elementary particles are not made of any smaller particle and are divided into two categories: fermions (half-integer spin) and bosons (integer spin)
3.  Fermions make up matter (like protons and atoms), and come in 12 different varieties, or flavors.
4.  Gauge bosons mediate forces: the photon mediates electromagnetism, the gluon mediates the strong force, and the W+, W-, and Z bosons mediate the weak forces.
5.  The Higgs bosons are scalars (zero spin) and facilitate electroweak symmetry breaking. After EWSB, only one Higgs boson, H, remains.
6.  Only the photon and gluon are massless; _EVERYTHING_ else has a mass.
7.  Not everything in the SM agrees with data, but we have yet to find a better theory.

Happy Colliding

– Richard (@BraveLittleMuon)

question: What is the standard model?

answer: It is the best description of how matter behaves, interacts, and works at very small distances and very high energies

question: In the SM, what does elementary mean?

answer: It means that there are no smaller components in a certain object.

question: What are the elementary building blocks?

answer: Quarks and gluons.

question: Which particles don't have mass?

answer: The photon and gluon.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The test describes what the Standard Model Of Particle Physics is and what it is comprised of.


text:
Doing the Dishes

With a sigh you look over at the mountain of distress that has accumulated in the kitchen sink. You did your best to only use paper plates, plastic forks, and solo cups, but the need for the stronger sturdier supplies couldn’t be avoided.  Through the chaos of the week you were forced to use actual glasses, plates, and utensils.  It started innocent enough; a surprise dip that needed a home, a cake that needed to be cut with a solid knife.  Before long the cabinet floodgates opened with plate after plate, glass after glass with the silverware drawer aiding in the onslaught. They all joined together to accumulate germs, caked food, and farms of bacteria, eventually creating a fortress in the sink.  Something had to be done, though you wished it never had come to this.

You slide up your sleeves and approach the mountain of dirt, grime, and germs.  For a moment you think about all the mouths, hands, food, and saliva that lie in wait on those burdensome dishes.  You shake the thought and turn on the water.  It flows freely from its spout, slowly warming up to you as you busy yourself with the disinfectant, pouring it all over the mess that is before you.

The water builds its heat, and the plates are nearly fully lathered up in the cleansing liquid signaling the beginning of the purge.  With your mind on the upcoming offensive strike, a slight excitement builds as you take out the brillo pad and charge into battle.  The plates don’t even put up a fight as the caked food bleeds away at your hand.  The caked residue flows freely off the plates, disappearing into the black hole that drains the sink.  Their grimy armor gives way to their shiny skin, soon finding a new home on the dishwasher rack.  As the battle rages with the plates and pans, they slowly reveal the frontline soldiers; the forks, spoons and knives.  However, they must wait their turn as the glasses continue to stand tall, rebelling against your wishes.

Without hesitation you pierce the glasses with your wiry weapon and scrape away the liquid that’s settled in side.  The glasses fall quickly, with the silverware soldiers lying in wait.  You grab the dishcloth, and begin wrapping them and stripping them of their infected skin, wiping them clean as you before tossing them into the dishwasher for the second cleansing.  The soldiers put up a fight, for each one needs to be dealt with individually.  It doesn’t matter - you are relentless, and once the last one is discarded you see one last rebellion, one last fight that you must win.

The drain is being held up by rebellious leftover food particles, leaving a pool of warm water that continues to grow.  A sly smile grows upon your lips as your hand reaches over to a switch that is close by.  Your finger flips up device and the drain begins to roar, slicing up and destroying anything that gets in its way.  You can almost hear the tiny bacterial screams and the food gives way quickly, and the water that was once held up flows freely down the sink.

With your primary offense successful, you look over to the dishwasher who holds a look of determination.  You feed the device its cleaning substance, and then close it. The dishes inside are worn and tired, unaware of the second purge that awaits them.  Confidently you turn the knob, and as you hear the water rushing towards the machine, you wipe your hands clean and relish in satisfaction of another successful battle against the dishes.

Though the battle was won, the war will never end.

title: [AA] Doing the Dishes (619)

question: What does the passage say about the narrator's preference for plastic dishes?

answer: The writer gives the impression that the protagonist is opposed to the chore of doing the dishes. This is primarily because of the burden of washing glassware utensils. At a point, the protagonist contemplated using plastic plates to save themselves the stress of washing glassware kitchen utensils and maintaining a neat sink.


text:
MARGARET WHITING (born 1933) is a British film and television actress born in Bristol, England as Margaret Elizabeth Whiting.[1][2][3] She was nominated in 1978 for a Saturn Award as “Best Supporting Actress” in _Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger_.[4] She is an alumna and Associate Member of RADA.

Theatre

-   1956: _Timon of Athens_ at Old Vic Theatre
-   1956-1957: _Titus Andronicus_, _The Comedy of Errors_, and _Antony and Cleopatra_ at the Old Vic Theatre
-   1973: _Titus Andronicus_ at the Aldwych Theatre
-   1974-1976: _John Gabriel Borkman_, _The Grand Manoeuvres_, _Equus_, _Heartbreak House_, _No Man's Land_, _Happy Days_, _The Misanthrope_, _Comedians_, _Phaedra Britannica_, _Engaged_, _The Playboy of the Western World_, _Plunder_, _Hamlet_, and _Judgement_ at the Old Vic Theatre
-   1976: _Tamburlaine the Great_, _The Playboy of the Western World_, _Il Campiello_, _Hamlet_, _Counting the Ways_ at the Olivier Theatre
-   1984: _The Way of the World_ as Mrs. Marwood at the Haymarket''

Filmography

-   _The Password Is Courage_ - French farm woman (1962)
-   _The Informers_ - Maisie Barton (1963)
-   _The Counterfeit Constable_ - La femme de l'agent 202 (1964)
-   _Mister Quilp_ - Mrs. Jiniwin (1975)
-   _Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger_ - Zenobia (1977)
-   _The Secret Garden_ - Nurse Boggs (1987)

TV work

-   The Count of Monte Cristo: A Toy For The Infanta - Queen Maria (1956) (TV serial)
-   Theatre 70: Till Murder Do Us Part (1960) (TV serial)
-   The Cheaters: The Weasel - Jane (1960) (TV serial)
-   ITV Play of the Week: The Plough and the Stars - Nora Clitheroe (1961) (TV serial)
-   BBC Sunday-Night Play: Somewhere for the Night - Kitty (1961) (TV serial)
-   No Hiding Place - Blanche Farrel (1961) (TV serial)
-   The Avengers: The Yellow Needle - Jacquetta Brown (1961) (TV serial)
-   ITV Play of the Week: A Letter from the General - Sister Henry (1962) (TV serial)
-   Studio 4: Summer Storm - Elena (1962) (TV serial)
-   Crane: The Third Bullet - Tina Mondrego (1964) (TV serial)
-   The Human Jungle: Struggle for a Mind - Angie (1964) (TV serial)
-   Festival: Six Characters in Search of an Author - Step-daughter (1964) (TV serial)
-   ITV Play of the Week: The Wife of Knightsbridge - Perdita Street (1964) (TV serial)
-   Public Eye - Nancy Heuston (1965) (TV serial)
-   Thursday Theatre - Juliette (1965) (TV serial)
-   Knock on Any Door: The Machine Minder - Alice Hall (1965) (TV serial)
-   Undermind: Too Many Enemies - Alice (1965) (TV serial)
-   No Hiding Place - Clare Store (1965) (TV serial)
-   Armchair Theatre - Betty (1965) (TV serial)
-   BBC Plays: The House (1965) (TV serial)
-   Love Story: A Dream In The Afternoon - Kate (1967) (TV serial)
-   Public Eye: The Beater and the Game - Margaret Smeaton (1971) (TV serial)
-   The Strauss Family - Hetti (1972) (TV serial)
-   ITV Sunday Night Theatre: Before Paris - Ruth (1972) (TV serial)
-   Two Women - Cesira (1973) (TV serial)
-   The Sweeney: Hit and Run - Fladge (1975) (TV serial)
-   Play for Today: The After Dinner Game - Gaynor Humbolt (1975) (TV serial)
-   Public Eye: Fit of Conscience - Evelyn Friendly (1975) (TV serial)
-   Disraeli - Lady Blessington (1978) (TV serial)
-   BBC2 Play of the Week: Langrishe Go Down - Maureen Layde (1978) (TV serial)
-   BBC2 Playhouse: Going Gently - Sister Marvin (1981) (TV serial)
-   Artemis 81 - Laura Guise (1981) (TV play)
-   Jury - Ann Coombs (1983) (TV serial)
-   Shroud for a Nightingale - Delia Dettinger (1984)
-   C.A.T.S. Eyes: Good as New - Mrs. Walker (1986) (TV serial)
-   Rumpole of the Bailey: Rumpole for the Prosecution - Mrs. Fabian (1991) (TV serial)
-   McCallum: City of Dead - Victoria Wells (1998) (TV serial)
-   Let Them Eat Cake - 2nd Aristocratic Woman (1999) (TV serial)

Personal life

She was married to actor Colin Blakely from 1961 until his death in 1987; the couple had three sons, including twins.[5][6]

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title: Margaret Whiting (actress)

question: Who is Margaret Whiting?

answer: She is a British film and television actress born in Bristol, England as Margaret Elizabeth Whiting.

question: What award was Margaret nominated for in 1978?

answer: She was nominated for a Saturn Award as "Best Supporting Actress" in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.

question: Summarize everything relating to Margaret's personal life.

answer: She was married to actor Colin Blakely from 1961 until he died in 1987; the couple had three sons, including twins.

question: List all Margaret's films.

answer:
- The Password Is Courage_ - French farm woman (1962)
- The Informers - Maisie Barton (1963)
- The Counterfeit Constable - La femme de l'agent 202 (1964)
- Mister Quilp - Mrs. Jiniwin (1975)
- Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger - Zenobia (1977)
- The Secret Garden - Nurse Boggs (1987)

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Margaret Whiting is a British film and television actress born in Bristol, England. She was married to actor Colin Blakely from 1961 until he died in 1987. They had three sons, including twins. Margaret was nominated for a Saturn Award as "Best Supporting Actress" in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. She was also heavily involved in theatre and appeared in several TV shows.


text:
[The Bajaur casket mentions the father of Indravarma, i.e. Vispavarma, as the king of the Apracas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]] VISPAVARMA or VISNUVARMA (ruled circa 0-20 CE)[2] was an Indo-Scythian king of the Apracas, who ruled in the area of Bajaur in modern northwestern Pakistan. His reign is known for sure to include the date of 6 CE, due to his description as king on the 5-6 CE Bajaur casket.[3]

Vispavarma is mainly known from a dedicatory Buddhist inscription by his son Indravarma, who mentions him as his father. The inscription which is written in Kharoshthi, translates into English as:

In the Bajaur casket inscription, Vispavarma is further described as king of the Apracas by his son Indravarma, the date of the dedication being 5-6 CE:

Since the Bajaur casket indicates that Vispavarma was king as of 5-6 CE, his reign is usually dated to around 0-20 CE.

[1] Metropolitan Museum of Art notice 1

[2] A Kharosthī Reliquary Inscription of the Time of the Apraca Prince Visnuvarma, by Richard Salomon, South Asian Studies 11 1995, Pages 27–32, Published online: 09 Aug 2010 2

[3] An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman, Richard Salomon, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 116, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1996), pp. 441-442

title: Vispavarma

question: Who was Indravarma's father?

answer: Vispavarma was Indravarma's father.

question: What area did Vispavarma rule?

answer: Vispavarma ruled the area of Bajaur in modern day Pakistan.

question: When was the Bajaur casket dedicated?

answer: The Bajaur casket was dedicated in 5-6 CE.

question: What language is the inscription on the Bajaur casket written in?

answer: The inscription on the Bajaur casket is written in Kharoshthi.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Vispavarma was a king of the Apracas, ruling over the area of Bajaur. Much of the information about him is known from a Bajaur inscription dated to 5-6 CE. Because of this, historians believe he ruled from about 0-20 CE.