text:
This is a short story I wrote for a writing contest. I lost, but I liked this story so I figured I'd get some more opinions. Besides, just losing doesn't tell me how to improve.

Kosmonaut

Peace. Bleak, black, emptiness. Is there anything more to life than that?

I have been circling Earth for months now. I once knew what it was like on the surface. Going day to day, ambling from work to home and home to work. No thought, no excitement. Just life. I once thought there was nothing more than that. But now, seeing the universe and all of its glory from my minuscule metallic prison, I can see that I was wrong.

I feel I am a lost sentinel, a castaway guardian of the earth. Silently I watch as burning stars and glowing satellites fly past me. I observe everything, and nothing will touch me. Nothing can surpass me; and nothing has or ever will. I am the sole caretaker of the universe. I can see into the oblivion and sense and feel all that is around me. There is nothing I cannot bear witness to. The cold metal box I call home is the only barrier between me and the beyond. It is my citadel, my prison and my liberation. I cannot be touched by anything, only enlightenment. It is wonderful.

Floating weightlessly through my metal cocoon, I can stare into the vastness of space and know that I am alone and yet not alone. I can be no more alone anywhere than in space, thousands of miles from earth. Not a voice heard but my own; even my radio has died. The only face I see is in the mirror. I am only touched by filtered air. And yet being so close to worlds I do not know gives me hope that I am not as alone as I appear to be. The vastness that I view bestows upon me the knowledge of life not yet seen. I can feel it.

I look out the windows, beyond the fogged glass, and see nearly eternal blackness. There is no day in space. There is only light from one window, the one facing the sun. Perpetual sun. No setting. No night and no day. Out the other window, I can see into eternity. Every shining star, every galaxy and asteroid, every single speck of glowing space. I can see it all. And it is beautiful.

I realize my time in heaven is coming to an end. My mission was slated for only a year. That time bled away in an instant. A blink of an eye, and I am being taken away. A minuscule fish in a vast sea, being reeled in on a hook and line. Too soon. Too soon.

Knowing that I will lose my endless bliss is difficult to bear. As I sit and stare through the glass, I ponder ways of staying. I have no radio to contact Earth. Mankind is nonexistent here.

I am due back home in just a week's time. But there is no home to return to. I have thought long and hard about my life, both free and earth bound. Now, I don my suit.

Bound to my metal prison, I drift into nothingness. Through my visor I can see the stars and galaxies clearer than ever before. They surround me. I am not behind them; they are not in front of me. I am within them. I feel the strongest sense of peace and belonging. I am in nothing and nothing is in me. I am eternity.

I feel a tug as I reach the end of my tether. I detach the clip from my belt.

I am swimming in a sea of emptiness. The stars are all within sight, but never within my grasp. I can feel the weight of time pressing heavy on my chest. Eons bore through my skull. A millennia passes before my eyes. My life is irrelevant. I cherish it.

My angle changes, the earth covers the stars. One cloud covers most of the land; a milky charcoal mass smothering green life. Oceans, radiant blue against the blackness of space. Life on earth is rendered invisible. Insignificant. Nothing compares to the universe.

I can see into space and time. I am falling into oblivion. I can see my space pod drift away from me. All is gone. I am at peace. I am nothing and I am everything. I am eternity. Just before I drift out of sight, I hear the soft echo of radio static.

title: Kosmonaut

question: Summarize the main themes of this story.

answer: The primary theme of this writing seems to be loneliness. The author describes sitting in the vastness of space, with the sound of nothing but their own voice. They are in charge of nurturing the entire universe from where they exist at present, which feels like it is very present.

question: Describe what this space is and what the significance of it is to the author.

answer: This space is a sort of heaven for the author. They seem to have a precious, important, almost biblical mission there, as is supported by the lexicon the author indexes to describe their existence as being contingent upon their surroundings. The vastness of the knowledge to come may be the same as the vastness of this space, and knowledge, as anyone knows, exists within one's self.

question: Explain how the author got into this space.


split: train

text:
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder. As soon as the folder was within my possession I knew what must be done; it was pure instinct. I immediately opened it up and read all of the information.
     I remembered that my name was Bob Lamron. I am 23 years old, have neither children nor a wife; they were only given to you if you had proven yourself faithful and intelligent enough. I asked the women who handed me the folder where I was and what events had occurred that left me in this situation. She just looked at me and smiled.
Two rather large males, who appeared to be body guards disguised as physicians, led me out the front door. As soon as I walked out, a car appeared out of nowhere. From the car came a robotic voice; it addressed me by name and commanded me to enter the automobile.          As I got in the car, the voice spoke again. It asked me what my home address was. I had no clue; I could not even remember if I had children 10 minutes ago. How was I supposed to answer the voice with details of my forget life? The women who had presented me with the folder, a nurse, that I had woken up next to, ran out of the building and handed me the same folder that I had left behind in the room. I opened it up and aloud, “2534 Egareva Rd.” As soon as the words had left my mouth, the taxi immediately sped off, presumably to the address.
As I saw the things I passed by I started to remember details, like I had never forgotten them at all. Trees, Birds, people, restaurants, fountains, everything! It was all flooding in as if there was a dam in my brain and it had just been ruptured without notice. We arrived at my house and I opened the front door. I walked into my room and sat down. I could not recall the events that had occurred before I woke up. It was like the dam of knowledge in my mind had been concealed. My mind had locked away any memories of the events and I could not do anything about it. The more I thought, the more my head hurt.
It felt like one of those moments when you are mid conversation with someone and another person, uninvolved in the conversation, calls your name. You stop talking in order to address the interjection of your name, but when you try to come back into the original conversation, you can’t remember what you were talking about no matter how hard you try. I sat there on my couch and tried as hard as I could to recall what had happened.
I then positioned myself so that I could see out of the window. I saw a grey, bleak world. Everything was so average, so normal. The only color people were given permission to wear were different shades of grey. The lighter your color, the higher up your social class was. I was just an average grey.
As I was thinking through all of this, my eyes were fixed upon a section of peeling paint in the right corner of my peripheral vision. For some reason I knew I was supposed to go over to it; it was like I had some kind of cosmic urge. My hand lifted from my side and I started to peel the paint. It came off fairly easily, far too easier than any paint should have, for that matter. Suddenly, I saw something concealed under the peeling paint. I knew I had to uncover it. As I tore the paint off a fit overcame me. Next thing I knew, I was tearing, ripping, and enjoying this more than anything I had enjoyed before. I was ripping everything in sight off the wall.
I stepped back and looked at my wall and there was writing everywhere. The memories started flooding back into my head of what had happened. I had uncovered something big. The government had been spiking everyone. Now they wouldn’t just bug a room, or a camera in a park to see what was going on, they were putting microphones in you. They had put chips in your brain so that they could see, think, hear, and smell everything you have ever come in contact with. Knowing I had just remembered this I knew they would be after me. I shut the blinds and closed the door in my room.
I lightly lifted a blind cover and looked out the window. I saw a slim, black, shiny car pulled up to the front of my building. The same two men who had accompanied me out of the hospital got out of the black car. I sat there shaking, wondering what I could do. The second I saw them barge in through the front door, I jumped out of my second story bedroom and landed on the pavement. My ankle buckled and I felt a sharp pain but I knew I had to get out of here and tell someone what is going on. I screamed names but no one would listen to me. I was living in a selfish world where people only cared about themselves. I gave up. I fell to the floor, my ankle throbbing, and looked at the door to my building, expecting the two men to walk through. I was doomed.
The two men eventually came out of my building and grabbed me. They didn’t say a word; all they would do is stare straight forward. Then they put me in the back of the car and drove off. It was the exact same route that led back to my house. I had only been out for an hour, at most and here I was, being dragged back.
When I got there the female nurse was sitting there with a needle filled with what appeared to be a sedative. As she inserted it in my vein, two doctors walked into the room. The first said, “Okay, begin sedation and we’ll get ready for the micro-chip reset.”
The other doctor responded, “Looks like this one didn’t turn out to well again like the last time.”
	As they finished their sentences I realized something. They have been resetting everyone until they get every single one of us to be perfect for their society. They don’t want people to have character or personality; they are just looking to create the most generic human being, like emotionless robots. As I thought this, I started to black out.
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder.

title: Deja Vu

question: What does the story say about Bob Lamron?

answer: Bob Lamron wakes up in a hospital room and is handed a folder immediately. He remembers who he is but asks what events led to him ending up in the hospital room. The nurse does not answer him and two men lead him out of the front door. Bob slowly recovers his memory about the government spiking everyone for their "perfect society." Two men show up at his doorstep and he jumps out of the window to try and escape them.

question: What does the story say about amnesia?

question: What does the story say about the two men and Bob Lamron?

answer: The two men are government employees that were assigned to Bob. They are there to make sure he does not regain his memories of the government spiking everyone to create the ideal perfect society. Bob remembers anyway and the two men take him away to spike him again.

question: What does the story say about its society?

answer: The government takes control of everyone by spiking them and making them forget their memories. This is to make everyone a generic robotic human and create the perfect society. Bob remembers eventually and tries to escape it, only to fail and end up getting his memory wiped once again.


text:
Rider

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

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

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

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

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

title: Rider-yeah it ain't much (voi paska)

question: Why does the narrator raise a glass to Terrie at the end of the story?

answer: Because he still cherishes their time together.

question: List all of the characters who are deceased by the end of the story.

answer: The narrator's father, the narrator's unborn child, and Roy

question: What would have happened if Terrie hadn't had a miscarriage?

answer: Terrie might not have wound up with Roy instead of the narrator.

question: Would Terrie and the narrator have been able to support the baby if they hadn't had a miscarriage?

answer: Probably, with the narrator's income from touring.


text:
The 2017 SAMFORD BULLDOGS FOOTBALL TEAM represented Samford University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference (Socon). They finished the season 8–4, 6–2 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost to Kennesaw State in the first round.

Schedule

-   Source: Schedule

Game summaries

Kennesaw State

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West Alabama

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@ Georgia

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@ Western Carolina

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The Citadel

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@ VMI

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@ Wofford

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Chattanooga

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@ Mercer

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East Tennessee State

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Furman

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FCS Playoffs

@ Kennesaw State–First Round

{{-}}

Ranking movements

title: 2017 Samford Bulldogs football team

question: Where is Samford University?

answer: It seems to be located somewhere in the south the U.S..

question: Who is the coach of the Samford Bulldogs football team?

answer: Chris Hatcher

question: How did the Samford Bulldogs fair in the 2017 season?

answer: They finished the season 8-4, 6-2 in SoCon in a tie for second place. They lost the FCS Playoffs in the first round.

question: What is SoCon?

answer: It is the Southern Conference.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses the 2017 Samford Bulldogs football team of Samford University.


text:
JOHN B. CLOPTON (February 12, 1789 – March 20, 1860) was a nineteenth-century American politician and jurist from Virginia.

Early life

Clopton was born in Cumberland County, the son of John Clopton. He served in the Virginia militia in the War of 1812. In 1818 Clopton attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He then practiced law in his home county.[1]

Career

[The Virginia Capitol at Richmond VA
where 19th century Conventions met]

Elected as a Virginia state senator for several years, Clopton was also chosen as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. There he was elected by the Convention to serve on the Bill of Rights Committee that considered matters not referred to the Legislative, Executive or Judicial Committees. He was elected from the senatorial district made up of Charles City, Elizabeth City, James City, Henrico, New Kent, Warwick and York Counties, and the cities of Williamsburg and Richmond, and served along with John Marshall, John Tyler, and Philip N. Nicholas of that district.[2]

Clopton was appointed by the Virginia Assembly as judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in 1834, then served on the Virginia General Court from 1834 to 1851. From 1851 until his death nine years later, he was appointed as judge of the Sixth Circuit.[3]

He was corresponding secretary of the Virginia Historical Society alongside Hugh Blair Grigsby, who also served in the 1830 Constitutional Convention.[4]

Death

John B. Clopton died on March 20, 1860 at Old Point Comfort Virginia.[5]

[1] Pulliam 1901, p. 75

[2] Pulliam 1901, p. 75

[3] Pulliam 1901, p. 75

[4] Pulliam 1901, p. 75

[5] Pulliam 1901, p. 75

title: John B. Clopton

question: Where was John B. Clopton born?

answer: Cumberland County, Virginia

question: Describe Clopton's personal life.

answer: He was the son of John Clopton.

question: What were some positions held by Clopton?

answer: Virginia state senator, judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, and judge of the Sixth Circuit.

question: At what age did Clopton die?

answer: 71

question: Describe Clopton's career before entering politics.

answer: Prior to entering politics, Clopton served in the Virginia militia during the War of 1812. He also practiced law in his home county.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: John Clopton was a politician and jurist from Virginia. He served on the Seventh Judicial Circuit, the Virginia General Court, and the Sixth Circuit.


text:
[Grilled pork braciola.] BRACIOLA (; plural BRACIOLE ) may refer to several distinct dishes in Italian cuisine.

Cut of meat

Braciola may refer to an Italian dish, consisting of slices of meat that are pan-fried or grilled,[1] often in their own juice or in a small amount of light olive oil. They are different from the finer cut _fettine_ (“small/thin slices”), which never have bone and are generally thinner.

Involtini

In Sicilian cuisine, Italian-American cuisine and Italian Australian cuisine, _braciola_ (plural _braciole_) are thin slices of meat (typically pork, chicken, beef, or swordfish) that are rolled as a roulade (this category of rolled food is known as _involtini_ in Italian) with cheese and bread crumbs and fried. In Sicilian, this dish is also called _bruciuluni_.

Braciole can be cooked along with meatballs and Italian sausage in a Neapolitan ragù or tomato sauce, which some call _sarsa_ or _succu_ (Sicilian), or 'Sunday gravy' in some areas of the northeastern United States. They can also be prepared without tomato sauce. There exist many variations on the recipe, including variations of cheese and the addition of vegetables, such as eggplant. Braciole are not exclusively eaten as a main dish, but also as a side dish at dinner, or in a sandwich at lunch.

[Cooked Braciola.]

After being stuffed and rolled, braciole are often tied with string or pinned with wooden toothpicks to hold in the stuffing. After pan-frying to brown, the rolls of meat are placed into the sauce to finish cooking, still secured with string or toothpicks.

[1]

title: Braciola

question: What makes braciola a delicious dish?

answer: Perhaps it's the aroma of the meat or its juiciness and thin slices, although that is just an opinion.

question: Can Muslims eat braciola?

answer: Yes, except for pork braciola since Muslims don't eat pork as it's against their religion. All other meats are okay, such as chicken, beef, and swordfish.

question: What happens if you won't tie the braciola with a string or pin it with a wooden toothpick?

answer: The string or wooden toothpick holds the meat to its shape. Without it, the stuffing will slip out easily.

question: How do pan-fried and grilled braciola differ?

answer: The pan-fried braciola is probably more oily compared to grilled braciola.


text:
Next week’s Virginia gubernatorial election has many important consequences, including whether a disgraced man running a race-baiting campaignwill assume leadership of an increasingly blue state, but one that many voters and watchers overlook: The results may well determine whether Virginia changes its method of electoral vote allocation.

Republicans stung by Virginia’s swing to a blue state — it voted for a Democratic president in each of the last three elections after not having done so a single time since 1964 — want to take electoral votes away from future Democratic victors by ending the winner-take-all system.  Instead, they want to allocate electoral votes by congressional district, which only Nebraska and Maine do today.

The winner of each of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts receives an Electoral Vote with the remaining two votes going to the statewide winner.  This policy is nothing more than an effort to benefit future Republican candidates by taking a handful of votes away from likely Democratic victors and giving them to the statewide loser.  In close elections, always a likelihood given the mix of swing states, this could be decisive, especially if Republicans in Democratic Minnesota succeed in passing similar legislation.

Had this legislation been in effect during the 2016 election, Donald Trump would have won six electoral college votes to Hillary Clinton’s seven despite Clinton winning the state easily.  Barack Obama also would have seen some five or six votes lost to Mitt Romney (Democrats would have benefited in the years prior).  That Republicans push this policy now rather than a decade ago when Virginia seemed reliably red shows they foresee losing the state in future presidential elections and want to bolster their candidate.  It’s not about accurately reflecting the statewide vote, as Republicans have claimed, because they obviously showed no concern for Democrats earning electoral votes even as George Bush won the state.

Switching to proportional allocation of electoral votes makes sense, but only if all states embrace such a reform (otherwise, it hurts the statewide winner and could potentially deny her enough votes in the election).  However, any such change to proportional allocation should not be done by congressional districts.  As we all know, gerrymandering plagues congressional districts (as does geographic clustering), so attempts to proportionally allocate electoral votes based on congressional district results falls well short of fairness.  Trump won 44 percent of the Virginia vote but 54 percent of its congressional districts.  Proportional allocation must be done at the statewide, not congressional district, level (and with a threshold requirement).

Virginia has yet to enact such a blatant Republican power-grab because it has a Democratic governor.  The measure passed the Election Subcommittee along party lines, which portends well for Republicans: They have a nearly 2/3 majority in the House of Delegates and a one-seat majority in the state senate.  But they don’t control the governorship and the governor can veto the measure.

If Ed Gillespie wins the election, Republicans will control the state legislature (the senate is not up for election this cycle) and can pass its desired measure by whipping the party into line.

This election has lasting influence on the nature of the GOP, the Republican majority in the House of Delegates, and controlling 2020 redistricting.  It also may well determine whether Virginia helps statewide Republicans losers — that is, Donald Trump — in the next presidential election.

Go vote!

question: What change is being proposed to Virginia's legislature?

answer: Virginia is considering changing to a proportional allocation of Electoral Votes.

question: How many congressional districts does Virginia have?

answer: Virginia has 11 congressional districts.

question: What does the author claim needs to happen to switch to proportional allocation?

answer: The author claims that all states need to embrace this reform for it to work, not just states here and there.

question: How much of the popular vote did Trump win in Virginia?

answer: Trump won 44 percent of the Virginia vote.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Virginia is considering switching to a proportional allocation for its Electoral Votes. The author argues that this switch needs to be nationwide, not just on the state level, since it benefits Republicans in the majority Democrat state.


text:
Posted with her permission. She says she would greatly appreciate comments and criticisms. Without further delay, here it is:

The moon hung like a haunting specter in the sky, casting a dim, eerie light over the city. From one of the darkest corners of the white city the fresh snowfall was marred by deep red as the unfortunate wolf found himself on the wrong side of too many debts. Those he'd wronged in the past had come for him and taken all that he had left to give them. He wouldn't be around when the sun came up. No, his debtors were smarter than that. By morning, it would look as clean and pure as the rest of the world. "Get -it- out of here" came a gruff, commanding voice. Hardly a sound from the two shadows flanking the figure was heard before they set to work refreshing the ground, clearing any trace of their presence, and getting what was left of the deadbeat wolf out of the alley so the trio could get home. It was going to be another long night. The leader sighed heavily, shoving the wolf's remains into a sack, while watching the other two work to remove the bloody snow. It was a tireless, thankless job, but it had to be done. That's just the way it was. After the snow in the alley was reset using a combination of fake snow and shovels for consistancy, the three took off and escaped into the rooftops as the moon started to set, moving quickly and quietly to get as far away as they could before the dawn was upon them, and the early birds were out in force, getting the city ready for the new day. A city with a big day ahead of it. A city full of busy people. A city now with one less resident.

title: A short untitled snipet written by a friend.

question: Who is the wolf?

answer: No description is given in the story.

question: Is the wolf a human or an animal?

answer: It's unclear.

question: Why are the men replacing the snow?

answer: To remove the blood so that no evidence of the murder is left behind.

question: Where and when does the story take place?

answer: On a winter night in an undisclosed city.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: In the snow-covered city lit with moonlight, the wolf's three debtors are busy with the tireless job of replacing the reddened snow with fake snow or shoveling nearby snow so that no trace of blood is left.


text:
She said she met him in a diner (a lie; it was a bar...didn't matter.)  She said she hadn't slept with him much (also a lie; Susan was a very easy going girl...still, didn't matter).  She also said that they'd been great friends, and that's what had ruined their relationship (true enough).  After a week or so of her going on about him, I'd felt like I knew her old college flame, and since he was in town for a few days conference, I had no problem meeting him for drinks.  Susan and I had been dating for over a year now, so this seemed okay.

Imagine my surprise when he entered the bar, and I did in fact know him.  He'd had a different name then, but I'd spent days in a courtroom over a decade ago, watching his smug face.  All through the charges of vehicular manslaughter, the evidence that he'd been drunk, and yet the jury finding him guilty of nothing more than petty misdemeanors and a  slap on the wrist.

And here was that same bastard, sitting across from me making small talk.  Acting as if we had every bit of a potential friendship budding.  So I asked him, "ever live out east?"

"why know, I haven't." (liar; we lived in New Haven at the time)

"is Garret a middle name?"

"Uh, no, its my first." (liar; in court you were announced as James Tyler)

"We should go easy on the drinks...you've had problems in the past, haven't you?"

"um...well, yes...I guess anyone could go a bit too far if not careful." (half true; most people know enough to call a cab.)

Suddenly Susan's phone went off.  In the intervening silence, Garret and I sat across from each other, nervous smile matched against my flat expression.

"Dear, I've been called in to work.  A couple of the ER nurses have a terrible flu, and Janie and I are needed tonight.  She's coming now to pick me up.  Can you please see Garret back to his hotel."

And then she was gone, and Garret and I were awkwardly finishing our drinks.  I collected the tab, since he was our guest, and we headed for the car.

"Let me help with that door, it sticks a bit," I said, and as he bent down to enter the passenger seat I grabbed the back of his hair and slammed his head repeatedly into the door frame.  His body went slack, and my grip slipped from the blood, so he slumped to the pavement.  I took my heel and smashed in his face for good measure, then drug his body next to the trash against the building.  He wouldn't be found til morning.

As I straightened up and got in the car to head home, I thought back to that face.  The same face who had taken my young bride and newborn son...that same face who had gotten off scot-free...and that same face that would never leave my nightmares.  I'd seen it walk through the door tonight.  I'd seen it at a grocer two months ago and followed it home.  I'd seen it in the park four months before that, and strangled it by the bathrooms.  I fear I'll never stop seeing it.

title: caught in another lie

question: What is the main character's problem?

answer: He is a psychotic serial killer who believes his victims are the person who murdered his wife.

question: Who is the main character meeting?

answer: His wife's ex boyfriend.

question: How does the story begin?

answer: With the main character counting the lies.

question: What is the major tension in this story?

answer: We are wondering how the main character knew this man in court, and why this man is lying. It is not until the climax of the story that we realize the narrator was delusional and that he thought this man was someone else.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The story is about a man meeting his girlfriend's ex at a cafe. At first we think he knows the man from before, but it turns out the man is a serial killer who delusionally believes that his victims are the man who killed his family. He kills his girlfriend's ex.


text:
ST. LOUIS. Mo. – Saint Louis FC won 5-0 against FC Denver in the second leg of their preseason weekend fixtures.  The club will travel to the University of Evansville on March 10 to face defending USL Cup champion Louisville City FC in the final preseason match before the USL regular season begins on March 16.

The first half started with an own goal from FC Denver following a corner kick from Joey Calistri in the 8th minute.  STLFC would double the score in the 17th minute through Christian Volesky before Calistri added two more before halftime to lead 4-0 at the break.

Calistri would seal his hat trick in the 60th minute with a brilliant free kick from 25 yards out that was taken quickly and caught out the FC Denver goalkeeper.  The match would finish 5-0 and give Saint Louis FC a 4-0-1 record through preseason with 29 goals scored.

question: Who did Saint Louis just play?

answer: Saint Louis just played against Denver.

question: When will Saint Louis play Louisville City?

answer: Saint Louis will play Louisville City on March 10th.

question: What was the score at halftime?

answer: The score was 4-0 at halftime, with Saint Louis in the lead.

question: How many total goals has Saint Louis scored thus far?

answer: Saint Louis has scored 29 goals so far.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Saint Louis won their soccer match against Denver with the final score being 5-0. On March 10th they will play their final preseason match against Louisville City.


text:
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The push to bring art back to schools could get a boost thanks to a new study that shows kids understand science better when they're encouraged to draw in class. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom and Australia write in the latest issue of _Science_ that allowing students to draw during science class—the same doodling that teachers generally discourage—actually helps kids retain the information being taught.

To be clear, we aren't talking about allowing students to scribble at will. The improved understanding and retention of information happens when students read a science passage and draw pictures demonstrating the content. For example, if a chemistry student is studying catalysts and draws a quick picture of a beaker over a Bunsen burner—then makes visual representations of the chemical reaction—she's more likely to internalize the concept. In addition, the researchers found that students who draw during science class actually enjoy the subject more than those who only read the text or write summaries of what they've read.

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

This isn't a completely surprising find, as scientists throughout history have used drawings, diagrams, and other kinds of visual aids to comprehend and explain scientific phenomena. And given that people are more apt to remember something if they write it down, it makes sense that drawing further stimulates the brain's ability to recall information.

The researchers conclude that along with reading, speaking, and writing, drawing should actually be regarded as a key part of science education. But why stop there? Bored students in English class might just give classics like _Jane Eyre_ a second chance if they could doodle the drama going down between Jane, Mr. Rochester, and the unknown figure in the attic. Given all the benefits, let's bring drawing—and doodling—back to class.

_photo via Wikimedia Commons_

question: Does drawing help kids understand better?

answer: Within science education, yes, it does.

question: How does drawing affect understanding and knowledge retention?

answer: not answered

question: What are the key parts of science education?

answer: Scientists believe that reading, speaking, writing, and drawing should be regarded as key parts of science education.

question: Does drawing things help learning other subjects?

answer: Not answered.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article explains that drawing diagrams and pictures of relevant content can help understanding and learning retention of science subjects.


text:
An independent bookstore featuring the Gateway to the Klondike’s largest selection of Alaska-Yukon books, maps, calendars, journals, magazines, and more…

SHOP SMALL SATURDAY NOV. 28 – _LOTS OF BOOKS ON SALE! _We will be open 11-4 with for this annual SDC event. Also open Saturdays in Dec. before Christmas and participating in the Chamber’s ‘Shop In Skagway’ starting Nov. 24 and the ‘Winter Wanderland’ on Dec. 5. Enter our drawing for a _Big Book Gift Bag_!

CLOSED THANKSGIVING & NOV. 27 – Happy Thanksgiving, Skagway!!!

USED BOOK BONANZA! We recently received several new boxes of Used Books and they are great for winter reading. Hardbounds only $2 and paperbacks just $1. Check it out!

NORTH WORDS AUTHORS BLITZ –_ _Check out titles on sale from 2019 and 2020 North Words authors, including new books from Heather Lende and Eva Holland (_Nerve_ – made Time’s Top 100 for 2020!)

Proud to be a North Words Writers Symposium sponsor since 2010!

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_SKAGWAY: CITY OF THE NEW CENTURY_

NEW REVISED & EXPANDED PAPERBACK EDITION! 436 pages _of_ feature stories from Skagway’s amazing history compiled and edited by local writer Jeff Brady._ __ Revised edition published in 2019 (includes nearly 400 photos). __SIGNED EDITIONS IN OUR STORE!_

_SPECIAL 40% OFF first edition signed hardbounds of this classic!_

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_Best of Skagway Police Blotter – Volume 2_

The long-awaited second volume of the best from the log books of the Skagway, Alaska Police Department along with items from the popular Heard on the Wind column in The Skagway News, choice comments and questions from visitors that make everyone laugh. $14.95. Compiled and edited by Dave Sexton and Jeff Brady and released in summer 2016 by Lynn Canal Publishing along with a revised edition of the classic Volume 1. _Signed Copies Available!_

See these and more Lynn Canal Publishing titles!

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_The Dyea Convicted Felons Club _

In this sequel to _Nowhere Else to Go, but Dyea_, we find transplanted white collar ex-convict Henry Stillwater with his poker-playing fellow “felons” in the middle of a mystery set in the historic ghost town of Dyea (pronounced Di-eee).  Stillwater has settled into a new life and love in the valley at the end of Alaska’s Inside Passage, but his peace is disturbed by the discovery of a body, and a treasure of sorts that seemingly eludes all who pursue it, including wild, unruly critters large and small.  Complicating Stillwater’s life is a visit by his attorney daughter who sent him away to Alaska, but she too is absorbed by the mystery and where it takes them – to the summit of the Chilkoot Trail. _A new novel by Nita Nettleton with cover art by Courtenay Birdsall-Clifford. _

_READ ADN REVIEW OF BOTH OF NITA’S DYEA BOOKS_

COVID-19 STORE STATUS

CURRENTLY UNDER SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER TILL 6 PM NOV. 23 – CURBSIDE ORDERS ONLY. PLEASE CALL 907-983-3354 DURING OUR CURRENT BUSINESS HOURS: 12:30-4:30 PM, MONDAY-FRIDAY. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY, EVERYONE!

Watch for more NEW ARRIVALS and see more store updates and news on our _Facebook_ page  @SKAGWAYBOOKS!

[]

question: How long will the bookstore be open for Shop Small Saturday?

answer: 5 hours

question: How much would it cost to buy one hardback and one paperback book at the Used Book Bonanza?

answer: $3

question: Who edited Best of Skagway Police Blotter – Volume 2?

answer: Dave Sexton and Jeff Brady

question: What is the prequel to The Dyea Convicted Felons Club

answer: Nowhere Else to Go, but Dyea

question: What is the bookstore whose ads this post compiles?

answer: Skagway Books

question: What word is misspelled in the post?

answer: And

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This post details upcoming sales and events for Skagway Bookstore. It also describes some of the recent and upcoming book arrivals and outlines the store's policy during the Covid-19 pandemic.


text:
DR. ZEUS INC., also known simply as THE COMPANY, is a fictional entity in a series of time travel science fiction stories by Kage Baker.

According to the stories, Dr. Zeus operates from the 24th century, using technologies of time travel and immortality to exploit the past for commercial gain. The immortality technology is limited to taking young children and turning them into cyborgs. The time travel technology only allows journeys into the past, and returns to the present. No artifacts or people can be brought forward from their own times. In addition, the technology is expensive and dangerous for normal humans to use.

History, or at least recorded history, cannot be changed. Dr. Zeus cannot save Lincoln, warn the _Titanic_, prevent the sack of Rome, or stop the burning of the Library at Alexandria. It can take valuable artifacts thought to be lost in these and other events, hide them and 'rediscover' them in the future. However, even without the dangers of time travel, Dr. Zeus' employees hate the past. By their time, all stimulants and narcotics are illegal, vegetarianism is compulsory, and they are disease- and dirt-phobic. They find the past's inhabitants disgusting.

To carry out its mission, Dr. Zeus sends its employees far into human prehistory, where they take children from Neanderthal and modern human families and give them the immortality treatment. These individuals are then promised a bright future in the 24th century, in exchange for working for the Company till then. Their job is to preserve cultural artifacts, valuable plants, and endangered species, hiding them in safe places till the Company can 'recover' them in the future. The cyborgs will get to the 24th century the old-fashioned way, by living through the intervening millennia. Along the way they can create others to help them, using children who would otherwise die and not affect history. They are also provided with many recordings of future culture, entertainment, and a carefully edited view of history. Dr. Zeus alone knows everything that will happen up till the 24th century.

As the series progresses, it becomes apparent that the Dr. Zeus story is itself a fiction. How they came by their technology, and how long the Company has really existed, is an unfolding mystery. Furthermore, not even Dr. Zeus knows what happens after July 9, 2355; although it is possible to send messages to the past, there is nothing from beyond that date. This is known as the Silence, and is a source of dread to both Company people and cyborgs.

Origin of Dr. Zeus Inc.

The story of the Company's origin evolves through the sequence of novels and short stories. As told in the introductions to _In The Garden of Iden_ and _Sky Coyote_, the Company was founded in the 24th century by scientists and businessmen who developed both the immortality process and time travel. This theory is backed up by the mortal Bugleg who, in _Sky Coyote_, claims to have developed “Pineal Tribrantine 3”, an artificial hormone which keeps the cyborgs youthful.

Towards the end of _Mendoza in Hollywood_, Mendoza gleans enough from historical records to realize that the Company has, operating under various names, been active on Santa Catalina Island for some time in history. Exiled to that island in the distant past, she is instructed to await the arrival of technologically advanced humanoids and inform the Company when their technology reaches a certain level. At this point, she believes, Company operatives will arrive from the future, kill all the humanoids and hide their technology to be “discovered” later.

Further clues appear in _The Graveyard Game_ when Lewis, attempting to discover Mendoza's location after her disappearance, stumbles across a secret society in Victorian England called “The Gentlemen's Speculative Society”. This is the most recent in a series of secret societies, apparently dating back to ancient Egypt, dedicated to discovering advanced technology and exploiting it for profit. The successor to the Society is a company known to be an early cover for Dr. Zeus Inc. The first incarnation of these societies, in Egypt, was started by none other than the Facilitator Joseph, Lewis's friend and partner in the search for Mendoza.

At the beginning of _The Life of the World to Come_ it is revealed that Sir Francis Drake discovered a cache of secret documents and mysterious potions and gadgets on Santa Catalina in the 16th century. He then gave the discovery to the alchemist John Dee, a member of one of the secret societies.

In the final book, the artificial intelligence known as “Zeus” is created in the 24th century, in an attempt to counter the powerful AI owned by Alec Checkerfield. Since “Zeus” has access to all the Company's information and the time travel technology, it effectively existed before its creation. This fact is underscored by the delivery, minutes after the activation of the AI, of a communications terminal in the shape of the god Zeus, ordered a few years previously. At this point, it can be argued, the Zeus AI intervened in history to ensure its own creation in the 24th century, instructing its operatives to carry out those activities which produce the history already known to have happened.

Major characters

The immortality process, taking place as it does in early childhood, results in an individual who matures into a young adult and remains that way forever. “Facilitators” resort to makeup and prosthetics in order to appear to be older for their roles, but others appear as they always have. The Botanist Mendoza, for instance, appears to be approximately 19 years old despite having lived for thousands of years during her life and exile in the distant past. Joseph is described as “seeming to be about 35” (_The Graveyard Game_), indicating that Facilitators may have their “natural” ages set higher for their roles.

Preservers

Preservers are the main agents of the Company, specialists in different types of artifacts.

-   Mendoza: a female cyborg, a botanist recruited from the dungeons of the Inquisition in 16th century Spain.
-   Lewis : a male cyborg, a literature specialist taken as a baby in Roman times.
-   Kalugin : a male cyborg, tasked with preserving the contents of shipwrecks by accompanying them to the bottom of the ocean, dropping into fugue state, and awaiting eventual rescue. Husband of fellow immortal Nan d'Araignee.
-   Nan d'Araignee: a female cyborg, an art preservationist. Wife of fellow immortal Kalugin. She is from West Africa, having survived a slave raid on her village as a child. Her name is derived from Anansi, the spider god, via the French for _spider_.

Facilitators and Security Techs

These operatives lay the groundwork for the Preservers and keep them in line. They are masters of disguise and deceit.

-   Joseph : 20,000 years old as a cyborg, he is from what is now the Basque region of Spain. He recruited Mendoza and is, in his own mind, her father.
-   Porfirio : a first-generation _mestizo_, his mother having been an Aztec, and his father a _Conquistador_. In exchange for doing the Company's dirty work, he is allowed to maintain contact with the descendants of his brother, who was not suitable for recruitment.

Executives

Executives run secret Company facilities and implement policy. Some have become intoxicated with power and regard ordinary mortals as a disease to be wiped out.

-   Labienus : about 15,000 years old, originally from the location of Jericho in what is now Palestine.
-   Aegeus : of unknown age, he runs Eurobase One for millennia. He is Labienus' major rival.
-   Victor : Executive Facilitator, he has been modified by Labenius to create poisons and toxins. In league with Suleyman, though both Labienus and Aegeus believe him loyal to them.
-   Suleyman : runs a base in Fez, Morocco. Opposes attempts by other executives to exploit or eradicate mortals.
-   Latif : One of Suleyman's chief assistants.
-   Sarai : One of Suleyman's chief assistants.
-   Kiu: has run operations in Egypt, where she posed earlier in her life as a princess, and in later years managed operations recovering Egyptian antiquities desired by the company.
-   Nennius: one of Labenius' chief assistants, key to the Adonai project.
-   Eliphal De Wit: Key to the Mars Two events.
-

Enforcers

Enforcers are specially bred cyborgs, created in pre-History from Neanderthal and even stranger hominid stock. They were created as warriors to destroy the prehistoric Great Goat Cult which threatened to prevent History from happening at all.

-   Budu : recruited Joseph while killing the Great Goat Cult fanatics who killed Joseph's parents. He also recruited Labienus in prehistory and Victor in Anglo-Saxon Britain.
-   Marco : rebels, is captured, and is sent back in time to 300,000 BCE to operate _Options Research_.

Adonai

Trying to replace the Enforcers with a breed of mortal who will be easy to control, and not inclined to hang around forever, the Company genetically engineers a series of identical individuals under the project name _Adonai_.

-   Nicholas Harpole in Elizabethan times, Mendoza's doomed first love.
-   Edward Alton Bell-Fairfax, a Victorian adventurer and secret agent who encounters Mendoza in California, suffering the same fate as Nicholas.
-   Alec Checkerfield, a 24th-century rich kid who is able to hijack high-tech data systems, including Company data and a time machine. He also finds Mendoza and she falls for him all over again.

Cabals and conspiracies

With centuries to think about the future, and an unknown fate awaiting them in 2355, it is not surprising that various groups of cyborgs have been conspiring to make sure they come out ahead.

The Plague Club

Since he went rogue in 1099 Budu has apparently been gathering disciples. He was disgusted by the religious wars of medieval times and wished to return humanity to a state where it could be ruled by the Enforcers, who simply kill anyone who makes war on others. This would mean drastically reducing the population. His recruits included Labienus, who with Nennius began researching plagues as a means of carrying out Budu's vision. Budu objected to this, but Labienus may have engineered his downfall and gone ahead anyway, beginning with the Spanish flu epidemic.

The Imperial faction

Cyborgs such as Aegeus enjoy a rich lifestyle, propped up by many mortal servants. They aim to be at the top of the pile with humanity as their slaves. They see themselves as being the real masters of the Company, with mortals such as Bugleg as mere puppets.

Humanitarians

Suleyman and his allies aim to frustrate the Plague Club, but also protect the interests of cyborgs against any attempt by the Company to get rid of them, or to place them all in storage.

Mortals

In the 2350s mortals such as Bugleg, the cowardly, introverted leader of the Company expedition recounted in _Sky Coyote_, become increasingly concerned that the cyborgs outnumber them and will take over. They attempt to find ways of disposing of the cyborgs, trying poisons etc. In the Eos (Harper Collins) edition of _Sky Coyote_ an epilogue of sorts shows Bugleg's frantic memo to a colleague, followed by Aegeus' sarcastic comments, and Labienus' comment on Aegeus.

Rogues

Both Joseph and Budu are beyond the Company's control. Joseph revives Budu, but may not like what Budu wants him to do. Meanwhile Alec is a different kind of rogue, with his own time machine.

Homo umbratilis

_Homo umbratilis_, meaning _Man of the Shadows_, is the name of a third species of human, after _Homo neanderthalensis_ and _Homo sapiens_. Small, pale and furtive, they hide from all contact with humans and cyborgs. They have racial memory, being born with full recollection of the knowledge of their ancestors. There are hints that they are in fact a hive species, like bees, ants and naked mole-rats, except for some hybrids from raids by humans. The hybrids are mechanical and scientific geniuses, and may be the source of the technology that the Company uses. They are not very creative, but can focus intensely on developing something, such as a disrupter field that paralyzes the cyborgs, whom they regard as enemies. Attempts to exploit these creatures, once they come to the attention of the Company, are important to the series' plot.

An example of their monomania is that, having originally disabled and captured Lewis in medieval Ireland, after he escapes with mortal help they concentrate on recapturing him until the 23rd century, even though there are other cyborgs around for them to capture and study. It is Lewis' encounter with them that lets Aegeus take advantage of their abilities.

In the final novel, _The Sons of Heaven_, we learn more about these humans, but their origins and final fate remain obscure. A group headed by a queen female (given the title _Quean_ in the novel) occupies tunnels in an artificial mound known as a “Hill”. The Quean is attended by “stupids”, the _idiot savant_ workers who can produce technological marvels but are incapable of original thought and have limited communication skills. One of the talents of the Quean is a power of persuasion which can even be used on ordinary humans to compel them to do her bidding. Occasionally a _homo sapiens_ male is kidnapped to become the Quean's consort. The children of this union are hybrids known in the Hill as “Uncles”. The Quean can also mate with Uncles, to produce more “stupids”. The Uncles, while waiting their turn for her favors, fetch her luxuries from the outside world. Eventually the Quean produces a daughter, who, if she is not killed by her mother first, will grow up to overthrow her with the help of some of the Uncles. The Uncles, like the “stupids”, live short lives, a few decades at most. The Quean and her daughters seem to live much longer. All have inbred knowledge called Memory which tells them who they are, and what their role in the Hill is.

Thanks to the Company's own breeding program, mortals such as Bugleg, descended in part from captured Queans, have many of the abilities, and shortcomings, of the Homo umbratilis males.

The Great Goat Cult

This cultural movement is referred to frequently within the novels. The main points that can be gleaned about it are that it was a cult among humans, the main object of which was to wipe out unbelievers. Cult members covered their bodies in tattoos. Unbelievers consisted of anyone who refused to be tattooed, anyone who created any other kind of art (like Joseph's father, a cave painter), and anyone unwilling to join in the killing. The cult seems to have existed for thousands of years across Eurasia and possibly Africa. Joseph's tribe in the Basque region of Spain was wiped out by it circa 18,000 BCE, as was Labienus's village in the Middle East 5000 years later.

From the point of view of the Company in the 24th century, the Cult was impeding the start of civilization. The Enforcers were created to destroy the Cult. Possibly because of their small numbers, a few thousand at most, this seems to have taken them thousands of years.

Company locations

Despite relatively low numbers, in their many thousands of years of existence the cyborgs build several elaborate facilities which serve as starting points for missions, and gathering points for new recruits. Preservers deliver their findings to these locations for storage. Incidentally, these facilities also serve as power bases for high-ranking cyborgs, known as Executive Facilitators.

Eurobase One

Possibly the oldest facility, this is remembered by some, including Joseph, as once being nothing more than a stockade. By the third century CE it is an elaborate and luxurious facility run by Aegeus, where he experiments with hybrids of humans and Homo umbratilis. It is located in the Cevennes mountains of France.

Eurobase Five

In contrast, this appears to be nothing more than a large house in the Netherlands, run for centuries by Executive Facilitator Van Drouten, serving as a collection point for Dutch art and artifacts. The house is located on the Herengracht canal in Amsterdam.

Mackenzie Base

Located somewhere in the Canadian Arctic, this is Labienus' power base. In _Sky Coyote_ the Chumash tribe were transplanted to this base where they worked for the Company doing menial jobs.

New World One

This base existed in the jungle of the Yucatan for hundreds of years before being dismantled in 1701. Its human servants were rescued sacrifices from the Mayan culture. Having been sacrificed, they believed themselves to be in Heaven, serving the gods. The head of New World One styled himself as the god Kukulcan. The last such was the fey and feckless Houbert, who seemed to prefer elaborate social events to the business of running a base.

Terra Australis

This was an underground training base somewhere in the Australian desert, where Mendoza received her immortality treatment and education.

Alpha-Omega

Located on an island in 500,000 BCE, this is a storehouse for all the genetic material used by the Company in creating its servants and Project Adonai, according to _The Machine's Child_. Since the Company could not trust a cyborg with the store, it is overseen by a 24th-century mortal, David Reed. To protect his sanity, he has been “cyborged” so that he lives in a Virtual Reality world which duplicates an office in London, complete with virtual colleagues. An Artificial Intelligence looks after his needs, but the AI has developed an emotional attachment to David. The virtual office may be a projection of a real office located on a hidden floor of a building in 24th century London.

Santa Catalina

The island of Santa Catalina is the hub around which all of the mysteries of the Company revolve. Settled by strange, pale humanoids in about 150,000 BCE, it seems to be the repository of the secrets which make the Company's activities possible. In the 24th century it is the home of the Company's main database, which Alec and his AI companion The Captain raid, stealing both data and a time shuttle, setting them off on their career as time-traveling pirates sworn to destroy the Company.

The discovery of artifacts on the island by Sir Francis Drake's crew serves as the critical event that a secret society, based in England, uses to transform itself into the cabal which eventually reveals itself as Dr. Zeus, Inc. in the 24th century. Naturally the Company goes to great effort to maintain possession of the island as much as recorded history allows. Actual history records that in the 19th century much of the island was owned by a syndicate which included the Banning family and the father of General George S. Patton. In the stories the Company buys up their holdings to protect its hidden resources in the island's interior.

Mount Olympus HQ

Appearing in _Mendoza in Hollywood_ and _The Graveyard Game_, this is a house on Zeus Drive off Mount Olympus Drive above Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles. The location described corresponds to a real cul-de-sac.[1] The house is equipped with a “time transcendence” chamber to send people and objects through time.

The stated reason for the existence of this facility is “monitoring the Lookout Mountain Avenue anomaly”, apparently a source of paranormal phenomena located nearby. The area has a history, real and imagined, of attracting unusual people, as well as artists, musicians etc.

Others

Mentioned in passing in the stories are _Edobase_ (old Tokyo), _Greenland Base_, Antioch (as an underground way station in 1099 CE), _London Station_ etc. In the novel _In The Garden of Iden_, Joseph, Mendoza and the rest of the team ride a Company-built subway system which “connects all parts of England” during the Tudor period. The ride is safe but uncomfortable, the carriages being small and boxlike. The maximum speed is about that of a fast stagecoach, but without the risk of being robbed, or in the case of cyborgs pretending to be Spaniards, attacked by enraged mobs. The method of propulsion is not revealed.

Cyborg anatomy

All the bones in the human skeleton are replaced by “ferroceramic steel” in the cyborgs. Joints are replaced by “linkages”, such as ball joints. The remaining tissues are pervaded by “nanobots” which use the original DNA of the human to regenerate any damaged organs. This is one of the reasons only young children can receive the treatment, since (according to the stories) DNA degrades beginning at birth.

Cybernetic implants in the brain give the cyborgs advanced abilities and senses, such as perfect memory, encyclopedic knowledge, instant learning, enhanced vision and hearing, multi-spectral scanning, and radio communication. Other implants tap into their senses and broadcast them to monitoring stations, so that Security Techs can always know what their charges are doing. The cyborgs can recognize, understand, and speak any known human language instantly, including local variants and dialects. Their _lingua franca_ is called “Cinema Standard”, presumably the English spoken in 20th century movies, with which most Company operatives are obsessed.

Special organs release chemicals such as “Pineal Tribrantine 3” or PT3, which confers youth and vigor. Cyborg muscles are much stronger than the human equivalent. Their bodies are also capable of “hyperfunction” which allows them to carry out actions at many times normal speed.

Unknown to most cyborgs, their bodies are also equipped to go into a “fight mode” where their hands become claws, their eyes gain protective covers, and their mouths sprout fangs. The skin drains of color in this mode, and they resemble a white demon. Normally psychological conditioning prevents them from entering a fight, but several stories, such as “The Hotel at Harlan's Landing” involve high-speed fights between rival cyborgs.

As is revealed in _The Machine's Child_ the final line of defense for the Company's immortal agents is a “time-transcendence” field in the brain-case. With the brain “a split-second out of phase” with real time the brain case is, in effect, impenetrable. In addition the time field seems to be able to bend reality in order to preserve the brain, as Marco finds out when he tries to destroy some heads in a white-hot fire-pit, only to have them re-appear in the stores where he had previously kept them. This “time field” is probably also necessary for the cyborgs to perform their outrageous feats of speed.

Crome's radiation

Described as a blue glow occurring around certain places and persons, this is supposedly the source of paranormal abilities in humans and cyborgs. The tendency to emit Crome's radiation can be measured, according to the novel _Sky Coyote_, and the Company's standards forbid recruiting individuals with more than minimal Crome potential. Joseph, confronted with Mendoza's measured potential several hundred times the maximum, persuaded the technician making the measurement to fudge the number so she could be recruited, rather than send her back into the dungeons of the Inquisition to be tortured and killed.

According to _Mendoza in Hollywood_, materials such as quartz can accumulate Crome's radiation little by little, from the tiny amount emitted by all living things, until their entire charge is suddenly released, resulting in visions, time distortions, messages from the dead etc. It is a large body of quartz beneath the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Lookout Mountain Avenue which causes so much abnormality in that location, up to and including sending Mendoza and her companion forward in time from 1863 to 1996. This body of quartz is supposedly also tied to old Native American folk tales about the trickster god Coyote stealing the moon and burying it in Laurel Canyon.

The origin of the name is not explained in the stories.

Paradoxes

These are endemic in time-travel stories, and usually provide the main plot twist. From the beginning of the Company stories, it is apparent even to Dr. Zeus that, in exploiting so-called recorded history, they may be responsible for history turning out the way it did, beginning with annihilating the Great Goat Cult so History as we know it could begin. As character after character turns against the Company, they are still unable to break free, their actions only making events turn to Dr. Zeus' advantage. But did the Company engineer their rebellion, or simply benefit from it? Is Dr. Zeus manipulating events, or just making sure that what is known to have happened does happen, to safeguard its own destiny? Only the things Dr. Zeus doesn't already know about can hurt it, but what does Dr. Zeus not know?

Theobromos

Throughout the stories, the cyborgs mention “theobromos” as their narcotic of choice. In fact this is simply chocolate. Having been rendered immune to all known human diseases, and being largely unaffected by alcohol and other drugs, since their bodies quickly reprocess such chemicals into harmless forms, the cyborgs react to theobromos as humans might to alcohol or marijuana. The name is derived from theobromine, one of the stimulants found in the seeds of the cacao plant, although that itself takes its name from the Greek words for “food of the gods”. Naturally the cyborgs have developed their own varieties of the plant which are especially intoxicating.

Over-indulgence brings on a hangover which has to be treated with large amounts of complex carbohydrates, such as pizza or fettuccine alfredo. The humans who run the Company do not like their servants intoxicating themselves, but are powerless to prevent them from doing so.

Theobromos provides a thread of humor, sometimes ironic, which runs through the stories. Examples include:

-   Joseph and Lewis go on a binge at Ghirardelli's in San Francisco, Joseph at one point snorting cocoa powder like cocaine (_The Graveyard Game_). In _The Machine's Child_ Alec and Mendoza visit the same place shortly after Joseph and Lewis have left. The staff are still cleaning up.
-   Later in _The Graveyard Game_, Joseph and Lewis go on a buying spree at Rowntrees in York, England.
-   Suleyman's protege Latif secretly runs a highly profitable black-market in theobromos out of Eurobase Five, until operatives from Central America come to complain about him undercutting them. (_The Children of the Company_)
-   Mendoza's tragic confession in _Mendoza in Hollywood_ is obtained with the help of 5 kilograms of “finest Guatemalan” theobromos.
-   In the same novel, Mendoza's companion Einar eats “cakes of theobromos” one after the other in order to stay calm as they explore Laurel Canyon, where time distortions surround them with visions of past and future events.
-   Security Tech Porfirio is armed with a tranquilizer, “based on theobromos”, to help him subdue rogue cyborgs (_Gods and Pawns_).

Names

Dr. Zeus is named for the Greek God Zeus, who defeated his father Cronus. Cronus is sometimes confused with the entity Chronos, the personification of Time.

The “New Inklings” are named for a group of intellectuals in pre-WW2 England, of whom the best known are C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Events the Company caused or exploited

This list only includes events in known history, or myth. Future exploits by the Company are described in the books.

-   The disappearance of the Ninth Legion in Roman England. In _The Graveyard Game_ it was revealed that the Ninth was wiped out by Brigantes, who were in turn killed by Enforcers travelling with the Legion. Joseph was there as coordinator. Nennius supervised the cleanup. No trace of the battle was left.
-   The expedition of Sir Francis Drake. Part of the temporal paradox that creates the Company involves a discovery of artifacts by Drake's men on the island of Santa Catalina. In fact it is not known exactly where, or indeed if, Drake landed in California. Accounts that have him landing at the location known as Drake's Bay may be false. It is possible he landed in what is now Oregon. Drake, in the stories, is working partly for John Dee, who already has some artifacts in his possession. One of Drake's men happens to have been a witness to Nicholas Harpole's martyrdom.
-   The San Francisco earthquake. As recounted in _The Children of the Company_, this was a major operation to coordinate snatching many different items immediately before the earthquake and the subsequent fires. There was also a “Dance on the Eve of Destruction” party set up by the cyborgs, partly to say goodbye to the vibrant 19th century city that was about to be destroyed.
-   In _The Children of the Company_ Labienus is present when Carthage is destroyed and its population enslaved, fulfilling recorded history and ensuring the dominance of Rome. Part of the Roman justification for the conquest is that Ba'al Hammon, the Carthaginian deity, is Kronos, whom Zeus defeated.

[1] [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=zeus+drive,+los+angeles&sll=43.154722,-77.615833&sspn=0.140757,0.2005&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=19&ll=34.113521,-118.370009&spn=0.001248,0.002446&t=h&iwloc=addr Satellite image] of Zeus Drive at Google maps

title: Dr. Zeus Inc.

question: What would the 24th century generation think about Dr. Zeus's stories?

answer: The 24th century generation may think that Dr. Zeus was way ahead of his time and described the current day technologies of their time.

question: What do you think will happen in the Dr. Zeus stories from after July 9, 2355?

answer: Like many stories, another chapter or segment of Dr. Zeus's imagination can take place, and maybe Dr. Zeus may take a turn and start looking into the past and exploring how the technology has changed the world.


text:
The JERRY E. DICKERMAN HOUSE is an historic house at 36 Field Avenue in the city of Newport, Vermont. Built about 1875 for a prominent local lawyer and customs collector, it is a prominent regional example of residential Second Empire architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]

Description and history

The Jerry E. Dickerman House is located in downtown Newport, just north of the Goodrich Memorial Library on the east side of Field Avenue. It is a 2-1/2 story wood frame structure, with a clapboarded exterior and dormered mansard roof, which provides a full third floor. The main facade is three bays wide, with the outer bays housing projecting polygonal window bays with bracketed roofs at each level. The central bay projects slightly, and is capped by a larger facade dormer with a bellcast roof outline surrounding a round-arch balcony door opening. The main entrance is at the ground level of this bay, sheltered by a porch with bracketed posts. The interior of the main section of the house retains much of its original woodwork, despite a mid-20th century conversion to apartments.[2]

The house was built about 1875, and was originally set facing Main Street, which was then lined by similarly fashionable houses of the community's upper class. It was moved to its present location about 1930 to make room for a commercial building, and was converted into apartments in the 1940s or 1950s. Maps of the period show about half a dozen or so Second Empire houses, of which only two are known to survive.[3]

[1]

[2]  with

[3]

title: Jerry E. Dickerman House

question: What is the address of the Jerry E. Dickerman House?

answer: 36 Field Avenue.

question: In which state is it located?

answer: Vermont.

question: What kind of roof does it have?

answer: A dormered mansard roof.

question: What year was it built?

answer: 1875.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The Jerry E. Dickerman House is a historic house in Vermont. It was built in about 1875. It has moved locations once in the 1930s, and was converted into apartments in the 1940s or the 1950s. It is what is known as a "Second Empire house", of which only two are known to survive.


text:
ROSS PEARSON (born 26 September 1984) is an English mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of 12–13 (1 NC) with the organization.

Background

Pearson, born and raised in Sunderland, England, began training in Tae Kwon Do at the age of six, before adding judo and boxing to his repertoire in high-school. Pearson later began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 17. He also attended Carilion Craft Training in Sunderland. Pearson worked as a brick layer afterwards. Inspired by early UFC events, Pearson decided to become a professional MMA fighter.[1][2]

MMA career

_The Ultimate Fighter_ reality show

In 2009, Pearson competed on the reality TV show _The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom_. He placed first in the lightweight division.[3]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2010

Pearson defeated kickboxer Dennis Siver by unanimous decision on 31 March at UFC Fight Night 21.[4]

Pearson was submitted by Cole Miller via second-round rear-naked choke on 15 September 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22.[5]

Pearson faced Spencer Fisher on 27 February 2011 at UFC 127. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[6]

2011

Pearson lost to Edson Barboza via split decision at UFC 134[7] in a bout that earned _Fight of the Night_ honours.[8]

For his next fight, Pearson dropped to Featherweight and faced Junior Assunção on 30 December at UFC 141. Pearson won the fight by unanimous decision.[9]

Pearson faced Cub Swanson on 22 June 2012 at UFC on FX 4. He lost the fight by TKO late into the second round.[10]

2012

In July Pearson was confirmed as the Team UK coach for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Pearson faced George Sotiropoulos in a Lightweight bout on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6. He won the fight by an early third-round TKO.[11]

2013

Pearson next faced Ryan Couture on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9. He won the fight by TKO in the third round.[12]

Pearson faced Melvin Guillard on 26 October 2013 at UFC Fight Night 30.[13] The fight ended in a no contest when Pearson was deemed unable to continue after being cut on the forehead by an accidental illegal knee.[14]

2014

A rematch with Guillard was expected to take place on 8 March 2014 at UFC Fight Night 37. However, Pearson pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Michael Johnson.[15]

Pearson faced Diego Sanchez on 7 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42.[16] Despite outstriking Sanchez in every round, and getting a knockdown in round 2, Pearson would ultimate lose the fight by highly controversial split decision.[17] 13 of 14 media scorecards had the bout 30-27 Pearson, while the 14th had Pearson winning 29-28.[18] As a result, Pearson filed an appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission, “in hopes the decision is overturned, at the very least to a no-contest.”[19] The official decision was ultimately upheld.[20] Despite an official loss on the scorecards, UFC president Dana White indicated that the organisation had ruled out the possibility of an immediate rematch and said that they would informally treat it as a win for Pearson, and that he would be compensated that way. UFC paid Pearson $30,000 as an unofficial win bonus[21]

Pearson was expected to face Abel Trujillo on 16 August 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47.[22] However, on 4 August, Trujillo pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Gray Maynard.[23] He won the fight by TKO in the second round. After a close first round, early in the second round Pearson landed a combination which knocked Maynard down, causing the referee, Keith Peterson, to step in to stop the fight as Maynard was deemed not to be intelligently defending himself.[24]

Pearson faced Al Iaquinta on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55.[25] Despite being the odds-on-favorite, Pearson lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[26]

2015

Pearson faced Sam Stout on 14 March 2015 at UFC 185.[27] Pearson won the fight via knockout in the second round dropping Stout with a left hook and finishing him with a right hand on the ground.[28] Subsequently, Pearson won a _Performance of the Night_ bonus.[29]

Pearson faced Evan Dunham on 18 July 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72.[30] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[31]

Pearson faced Paul Felder on 5 September 2015 at UFC 191.[32] He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[33]

2016

Pearson faced Francisco Trinaldo on 17 January at UFC Fight Night 81.[34] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[35]

Pearson was expected to face Abel Trujillo on 20 March at UFC Fight Night 85.[36] However, Trujillo was removed from the card on 12 March due to alleged visa issues which restricted his entry to Australia. As a result, Pearson faced Chad Laprise on the card.[37] He won the fight via split decision.[38]

Pearson was expected to face James Krause on 8 July at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale.[39] However, Krause was pulled from the fight on 13 June for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Will Brooks.[40][41] Pearson lost the fight via unanimous decision.[42]

After the loss, Ross Pearson moved to the Welterweight division. Pearson explained that cutting less weight gives him more energy and better sleep.[43] He repeatedly had renal and digestive issues due to the weight cut.[44]

Pearson came in as a short notice replacement to face Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight bout on 30 July at UFC 201, filling in for an ill Siyar Bahadurzada.[45][46] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[47]

A rescheduled bout with James Krause was scheduled for 19 November at UFC Fight Night 99.[48] Subsequently, on 26 October, Krause pulled out of the fight citing a torn hamstring.[49] He was replaced by Stevie Ray.[50] Pearson lost the fight via split decision.[51]

Despite the three-fight losing streak, Pearson did not want to retire. He wanted the UFC to host an event at Newcastle before retirement.[52]

2017

[Countries where Ross Pearson has competed in as of August 2017] Pearson faced Dan Hooker on 11 June 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.[53]

2018

Pearson faced Mizuto Hirota on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221.[54] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[55]

Pearson faced John Makdessi on 28 July 2018 at UFC on Fox 30.[56] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[57] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[58]

Pearson was expected to face Joseph Duffy on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[59] However, Pearson announced on 7 November that he was out of the bout due to a broken nose and subsequent surgery to correct the injury.[60]

2019

Pearson faced Desmond Green on 30 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2.[61] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[62]

Pearson announced his retirement on 8 April 2019.[63]

Pearson returned to MMA on 16 November to fight Davy Gallon at Probellum 1, losing the fight via KO.[64]

Fighting style

Pearson is known for his powerful punches.[65] His favourite grappling technique is the armbar.[66]

Pearson has stated that his hero is Randy Couture.[67][68]

Training

Pearson is a member of The Alliance MMA Gym. Nick Hands coaches Pearson's Muay Thai, Sean Casey coaches Pearson's boxing, and Barry Gibson serves as Pearson's strength and conditioning coach.[69]

Personal life

Pearson has an Australian wife, Kristie Jane Pearson. Kristie used to work as a ring girl. The two met at UFC and got married. Ross Pearson moved to Australia to be with his wife. They had their first child, a girl, in 2016.[70]

In his free time, Pearson does motocross.[71]

Filmography

TV series

  Year   Title                                                      Role      Notes
  ------ ---------------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------------------------------
  2009   _The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom_   Himself   Winner of Lightweight division
  2010   _MMA Live_                                                 Himself   Episode dated 29 July 2010 [72]
  2012   _The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes_                        Himself   Head coach of Team UK

Video games

  Year   Title                   Role      Notes
  ------ ----------------------- --------- --------------------
  2010   _UFC Undisputed 2010_   Himself   Playable character
  2012   _UFC Undisputed 3_      Himself   Playable character
  2014   _EA Sports UFC_         Himself   Playable character
  2016   _EA Sports UFC 2_       Himself   Playable character
  2018   _EA Sports UFC 3_       Himself   Playable character

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

-   ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP
    -   The Ultimate Fighter 9 Tournament Winner (Lightweight)
    -   Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Dennis Siver, Edson Barboza and John Makdessi[73][74]
    -   Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Sam Stout
-   ULTIMATE FORCE
    -   UF Lightweight Champion (One time)
    -   One successful title defense
-   TOTAL COMBAT
    -   Lightweight Champion
-   STRIKE AND SUBMIT
    -   Lightweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

|Loss |align=center|20–17 (1) |Davy Gallon |KO (rolling thunder kick) |Probellum 1 | |align=center|3 |align=center|4:26 |Brentwood, Essex, England | |- |Loss |align=center|20–16 (1) |Desmond Green |TKO (punches) |UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:52 |Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|20–15 (1) |John Makdessi |Decision (unanimous) |UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |- |Win |align=center|20–14 (1) |Mizuto Hirota |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 221 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Perth, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|19–14 (1) |Dan Hooker |KO (knee) |UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt | |align=center|2 |align=center|3:02 |Auckland, New Zealand | |- |Loss |align=center|19–13 (1) |Stevie Ray |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Belfast, Northern Ireland | |- |Loss |align=center|19–12 (1) |Jorge Masvidal |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 201 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|19–11 (1) |Will Brooks |Decision (unanimous) |The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|19–10 (1) |Chad Laprise |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Brisbane, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|18–10 (1) |Francisco Trinaldo |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |- |Win |align=center|18–9 (1) |Paul Felder |Decision (split) |UFC 191 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|17–9 (1) |Evan Dunham |Decision (Unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Glasgow, Scotland, Scotland | |- |Win |align=center|17–8 (1) |Sam Stout |KO (punches) |UFC 185 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:33 |Dallas, Texas, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|16–8 (1) | Al Iaquinta | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:39 | Sydney, Australia | |- |Win |align=center|16–7 (1) |Gray Maynard |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:35 |Bangor, Maine, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|15–7 (1) |Diego Sanchez |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |- |NC |align=center|15–6 (1) |Melvin Guillard | NC (no contest) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:57 | Manchester, England | |- |Win |align=center|15–6 |Ryan Couture |TKO (punches) |UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi | |align=center|2 |align=center|3:45 |Stockholm, Sweden | |- |Win |align=center|14–6 |George Sotiropoulos |TKO (punches) |UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson | |align=center|3 |align=center|0:41 |Gold Coast, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|13–6 |Cub Swanson |TKO (punches) | UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:14 |Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- |Win |align=center|13–5 |Junior Assunção |Decision (unanimous) | UFC 141 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|12–5 |Edson Barboza |Decision (split) | UFC 134 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- |Win |align=center|12–4 |Spencer Fisher | Decision (unanimous) |UFC 127 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 |Sydney, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|11–4 |Cole Miller |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:49 |Austin, Texas, United States | |- |Win |align=center|11–3 |Dennis Siver |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | |- |Win |align=center|10–3 |Aaron Riley |TKO (doctor stoppage) |UFC 105 | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:38 |Manchester, England | |- |Win |align=center|9–3 |Andre Winner |Decision (unanimous) |The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|8–3 |Ian Jones |Submission (rear-naked choke) |Ultimate Force: Nemesis | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:33 |Doncaster, England | |- |Loss |align=center|7–3 |Abdul Mohamed |Decision (unanimous) |Cage Gladiators 9: Beatdown | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Liverpool, England | |- |Win |align=center|7–2 |Cedric Celerier |Submission (punches) |MMA Total Combat 24 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:35 |London, England | |- |Win |align=center|6–2 |Aidan Marron |Submission (armbar) |Ultimate Force: Punishment | |align=center|3 |align=center|4:34 |Doncaster, England | |- |Win |align=center|5–2 |Sami Berik |Submission (triangle choke) |Strike and Submit 6 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:37 |Gateshead, England | |- |Win |align=center|4–2 |Mark Spencer |TKO (punches) |MMA Total Combat 23 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:44 |Cornwall, England | |- |Win |align=center|3–2 |Steve Tetley |Submission (armbar) |CWFC: Enter The Rough House 5 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:46 |Nottingham, England | |- |Win |align=center|2–2 |Gavin Bradley |KO (punch) |MMA Total Combat 22 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:05 |Cornwall, England | |- |Loss |align=center|1–2 |Curt Warburton |TKO (doctor stoppage) |MMA Total Combat 21 | |align=center|1 |align=center|5:00 |Cornwall, England | |- |Win |align=center|1–1 |Will Burke |Decision |MMA Total Combat 21 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Cornwall, England | |- |Loss |align=center|0–1 |Chris Hughes |Submission (rear-naked choke) |HOP 1: Fight Night 1 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:33 |Swansea, Wales |

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

| Win | align=center| 3–0 | Jason Dent | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom | (airdate) | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 2–0 | Richie Whitson | Submission (armbar) | The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom | (airdate) | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:40 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 1–0 | A.J. Wenn | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom | (airdate) | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |

Professional boxing record

      Result   Record   Opponent     Type   Round, time   Date          Location   Notes
  --- -------- -------- ------------ ------ ------------- ------------- ---------- -------
  1   Win      1–0      Salar King          2 (4),        15 May 2019

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] …|date=28 July 2012|website=archive.is|access-date=23 March 2019}}

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]  MMAROCKS|last=Zubkiewicz|first=Bartłomiej|date=31 January 2019|website=MMA Rocks!|language=pl-PL|access-date=31 January 2019}}

[62]

[63]  BJPenn.com|website=www.bjpenn.com|access-date=2019-04-09}}

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

[74] …|date=28 July 2012|website=archive.is|access-date=23 March 2019}}

title: Ross Pearson

question: Who is Ross Pearson?

answer: An English mixed martial artist

question: Where did Pearson compete?

answer: In the lightweight division of the UFC.

question: What did Pearson begin training in?

answer: In Tae Kwon Do at the age of six and then added Judo and Boxing in high school.

question: Summarize Pearson's fighting style.

answer: He is known for his powerful punches and his favorite grappling technique is the armbar.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Ross Pearson is an English mixed martial arts artist. He first started training in Tae Kwon Do at the age of six and then in Judo and Boxing. After competing in UFC, Pearson decided to become a professional MMA fighter.


text:
LESTER B. PEARSON SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS is a public, elementary - Grades 4 to 8, school in London, Ontario, Canada, part of the Thames Valley District School Board. Most students begin in the Grade 4 year, though there are occasional openings in other grades.

Academics

The academic program is rigorous and based on the Ministry of Education (Ontario) curriculum. Teachers are fully qualified members of the Ontario College of Teachers and are specialists in their particular arts area. The school day is about an hour longer than other public schools, to allow for the arts enriched curriculum. Students at Pearson carry a heavy homework load. EQAO results reflect the value of an arts education for all students. Identified gifted students participate in the TVDSB Itinerant Gifted Program. Extracurricular sports include Volleyball, Basketball, Cross Country, and Track & Field. Pearson teams and individual athletes do very well in inter-school and regional competitions.

Arts curriculum

Dance

Students have dance class several times a week in studios with sprung wood floors. Dances go from ballet to hip-hop to swing, with emphasis on collaboration, expression and technique.

Drama

At Pearson, there are different shows going on throughout the year. The Grade 4 students do a small performance that is usually composed of a number of skits. The Grade 5 students do a play that is based on the historical curriculum on First Nations. In the past years the Grade 6s have done many performances including: “Number the Stars”, “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, “Ready Steady Go”, “Clowns”, and “How to Eat like a Child”, and the beloved “A Christmas Carol”. The Grade 7s spend most of the year doing drama units including Voice Unit, Improvisation, Character Unit, Stage Combat, Design Unit, and sometimes a staged weapons unit, but the Grade 7s do not actually produce a show. The Grade 8s do two shows. They always produce a Shakespearean Play, and an original play that they write, design, and perform themselves.

Music

Three components: Vocal, Keyboard, and an Instrument.

Each grade has Single Vocal where you learn theory and music history, and Double Vocal where both the classes in a grade learn to sing together as a choir and develop individual choral technique. The Pearson Singers, an auditioned SAT choir of approximately 70 in Grades 5–8, rehearses twice a week in the early morning. The Singers have toured Carnegie Hall, Canterbury Cathedral, Chicago, and New Brunswick. The “Twelve” is an SATB group of approximately 12–18 Grade 8 students who perform more complex pieces with more solo work. At the end of the year the whole school does a massive Choral Celebration at H.B. Beal Secondary School.

Every student receives instruction on the keyboard. Grade 4s are introduced to recorder and piano. Beginning in Grade 5, each student trains on either a string or wind instrument and performs numerous concerts with that instrument all the way through Grade 8.

The Stage Band is a special winds group consisting of only saxophones, trombones and trumpets that play jazz music and tour around the city.

Visual Art

Subjects are covered from Picasso to Two Point Perspective: Art History, Drawing, Painting, Stained Glass(Grade 8), Ceramics, Design & Colour Theory. Students are educated in Canadian visual artists as well, such as Emily Carr, Pitseolak Ashoona, and the Group of Seven.

Other

The school has a workshop, used to build and store props and sets for plays. In the winter after New Year's Day the whole school goes on a ski trip at Boler Mountain. At year end, Grades 4, 5 and 7 go to East Park for a day. Grade 6 goes to Camp Kawartha, Grade 7 to Canada's Wonderland and Grade 8 to Quebec City.

Summer Arts Camp

Each year a series of two-week summer arts camps are offered at the school, with Pearson teachers or other TVDSB art specialist teachers. Some kids return every year.

Notable alumni

Though Pearson is not a performing arts school, some graduates have gone on to performing or arts-related careers.

-   Trevor Blumas, Actor
-   Rebecca Liddiard, Actress
-   Luke Macfarlane, Actor
-   Sam Maggs, Author
-   Amber Marshall, Actor
-   Meaghan Smith, Singer
-   Kyle Blair, Actor
-   Mark Uhre, Actor

title: Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts

question: Summarize the school's history.

question: Summarizer everything related to the faculty.

answer: The teachers are fully qualified members of the Ontario College of Teachers and are specialists in their particular arts area. Each year, a series of two-week summer arts camps are offered with the Pearson teachers.

question: Summarize everything relating to performances.

answer: The Grade 4 students put on a small performance composed of skits. The Grade 5 students do a play based on the historical curriculum on First Nation. The Grade 6 students do performances like "Number the Stars" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Grade 8s produce both a Shakespearean play and an original play that they write, design, and perform themselves. The Pearson Singers have toured Carnegie Hall, Canterbury Cathedral, Chicago, and New Brunswick. An SATB group called the "Twelve" performs more complex pieces with more solo work. At the end of the year, the whole school does a Choral Celebration at H.B. Beal Secondary School. The Stage Band plays jazz music and tours around the city.