text:
Gaps in information frustrate the work of fact-checkers. But what about when a government agency creates them?

“To know that the data has been tracked in the past and is maybe still tracked currently and is not being released — that just seems like a step backward,” said Angie Holan, editor of PolitiFact (a project of the Poynter-owned Tampa Bay Times).

Her concern stems from a recent change to the FBI’s 2016 crime report, which FiveThirtyEight reports now has close to 70 percent fewer tables than the 2015 version. Among the data tables missing in the report — the first to come out under the Trump administration’s FBI — is specific information about arrests, homicides and the only national estimate of gang-related murders.

The FBI has released a statement saying that the reduced tables were part of an effort to streamline its crime report because of a lack of web traffic, and that the missing data is still available upon request. But FiveThirtyEight reports the FBI only provides the raw data file, which is harder to analyze and does not always match the figures posted online. The news outlet also cited a former FBI employee who said the process was “shocking.”

The missing crime statistics are not the first example of government agencies scrubbing information during the Trump administration. In April, the EPA removed several agency websites that referenced detailed climate data and scientific information, The Washington Post reported.

Emily Atkin, an environmental politics reporter for The New Republic, told Poynter that while the change mostly removed climate information for the general public, it has made it a little harder for her to find basic data.

“A lot of the information they’ve taken down is readily available in other places,” she said. “The thing that used to take us 10 minutes now takes us 30 minutes.”

While PolitiFact hasn’t yet encountered a fact check that required data from the latest FBI crime report, Holan said the fact-checking team will try to work around it going forward. Glenn Kessler, who runs The Washington Post Fact Checker, also told Poynter in an email that the newspaper has discussed how to deal with the gaps.

In that, there are two general things any organization can do: finding the data elsewhere and telling your audience when you can’t.

“You just have to do your best and look for alternative sources,” Holan said.

In Argentina, that’s a lesson that fact-checkers learned first-hand years ago — and they offer important insights for organizations anywhere around the world facing sudden reductions in government data.

In 2007, the Argentine government started fudging its inflation rate statistics for political gain. Even after reforms in 2014, Reuters reported Argentina was still underreporting its inflation rate compared to private estimates.

And it’s not just economic data that’s been hard to come by. In 2008 — also under the administration of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — the Argentine government stopped publishing annual crime statistics. It wasn’t until 2016 that they published new numbers.

Those gaps in official data posed a formidable problem for the country’s fact-checkers. Laura Zommer, director of Chequeado — a Buenos Aires-based fact-checking organization — said that, in order to accurately check politicians’ statements about the economy, they had to turn to alternative sources.

“We use alternative sources when (there is) bad information,” she said. “Then we use a special qualification that we have in Chequeado that is called ‘insostenible’ (unsupported).”

While statistics from nonprofit organizations and private economists are often imperfect, they can serve as placeholders for missing or inaccurate government information, Zommer said. And at American fact-checking organizations, that’s also standard practice for working around gaps in data.

In the U.S. — where there’s a lack of numbers about issues such as police shootings  — journalists have also turned to unofficial measures, drawing upon databases created by organizations like The Washington Post and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to fill in gaps. Eugene Kiely, director of FactCheck.org, told Poynter that while FBI crime data is notoriously unreliable because it’s voluntarily reported, it’s usually the best data available to journalists.

“There are other sources out there that do it, but you can’t make comparisons to previous years because you’re mixing apples and oranges,” he said. “You just have to look for another source and be clear to our readers that we can’t make comparisons.”

In short: Some data is better than no data. But what should fact-checkers do when no one else is keeping track?

“In those cases, our work isn’t to explain or to inform about the data of the phenomenon, but to inform citizens that there is not evidence about it,” Zommer said.

It’s a good rule of thumb to repeat a politician's claim and add context about why it can’t be verified, she said. During the years that Argentina didn’t release annual crime statistics, Chequeado published stories adding context to claims about the murder rate.

“Every time that the president … said homicides were going down in that period, we published an article saying the government stopped publishing official statistics about this — and it’s up to you to believe them or not,” Zommer said.

Those stories can be backed up by filing public records requests.

“All the times that they repeat (claims), make access to information requests again and again asking for that data,” Zommer said. “It’s stronger if we can say … we also required it in a formal way using the law and they don’t care.”

“That shows clearly that it is a political decision — it’s not just a mistake or someone decided not to do that.”

Being transparent and persistent when it comes to publishing government data goes back to what Kiely said is a central tenet of fact-checking: The burden is always on the person who makes the claim. And Zommer said fact-checkers have a responsibility to hold them accountable.

“You as a fact checker should be an advocate for good public data,” she said, “and if that data is not there, you have a problem.”

question: Summarize everything related to the FBI.

answer: This article reports on how FBI's 2016 crime report, the first to come under Trump administration's FBI, has 70% fewer tables than the 2015 version. The FBI says that they were just trying to streamline its crime report, and that missing data is still available upon request. FiveThirtyEight reports the FBI only provides a difficult-to-interpret raw data file. A former FBI employee said the process was "shocking". The director of FactCheck.org said that FBI data is notoriously unreliable, but it's the best data available to journalists.

question: What does the text say about Argentina?

answer: In 2007, the Argentine government started messing with their inflation rate statistics for political gains, and continued on with underreporting these rates even after reforms in 2014. In 2008, the Argentine government stopped publishing annual crime statistics, and didn't post new ones until 2016. This posed a problem for their fact checkers, who had to turn to alternative sources. The Argentine president would say that homicides were going down during a certain period, and fact-checkers would have to add context about the murder rates. Zommer claims these omissions were political decisions.

question: What does the text say about handling missing or inaccurate government information?

answer: The FBI claims that missing data is still available upon request. Holan says that people have to do their best to find alternative sources in cases of missing or inaccurate government information. Additionally, organizations can also tell audiences when additional data can't be found, or provide other context around the missing data. Fact-checkers can also hold the government accountable for missing information by asking the government for the data and making access to information requests.

question: What does the text have to say about Trump's positions?


split: train

text:
Liquid

I woke up this morning on an unfamiliar couch clutching a peppergrinder in one  hand and a Red Bull in the other.  An angry, turgid sensation inside my mouth reminded me that I had been drinking last night; I sat up to get my bearings both my head and my gut rebelled in memory of just how much.  I eased back  into the couch, which I now noticed to be in a state that only added fuel to  my stomach's disobedience.

I woke up a second time this morning with my face pressed to the musty upholstery of a vaguely familiar couch.  From my awkward vantage point, I gazed over a  landscape of matted greens, ranging from apple to zucchini.  The thought of food reminded me of the burgeoning revolution in my stomach, which, having  caught my attention once again, chose that particular moment to mount its  final offensive and break free of the injustices that I had so thoughtlessly imposed upon my body the previous night.  As I lay incapacitated by the uncontrollable heaving in my diaphragm, I recalled the objects that I clutched in either hand, and the more pressing matter of where the fuck I was.

Laboriously, I raised my head for a second time this morning, and, for a second time this morning, I regretted it deeply.  However, spurred on by the powerful demons of shame and despair, I stood up unsteadily and plodded off in search of cleaning facilities.  The first thing I found was a coffee table.  Rather, my left foot found it.  I found a carpet whose must made a fresh meadow of my green friend. After some half-hearted struggling, I stood up again.  This time, accounting for  the noticeable spin of the world, I made my way to the nearest door, pausing only to pocket the peppergrinder in order to free the requisite appendages to open said door.

In retrospect, I might have gleaned some clues as to the identity of my unfortunate  host by the clothes strewn across the floor, or the pictures on the wall,  or even by approaching the snoring occupant of the bed in the far corner of the room.  However, I had already relieved one of three plumbing urges in an inappropriate place and I was determined that the other two would be dealt with in a more orderly fashion in a more suitable location.

As I stumbled through the crass early afternoon sun, I regretted every decision that I had made last night on the simple principle of the matter.  Marks on the back of my hand told me that I had frequented not one, but five fine, upstanding establishments of varying degrees of debauchery and a distinct lightness in my backpocket informed me that I was most likely in all sorts of financial trouble.  The optimist in me commanded that I look on the bright side of things, but my eyes screamed in  protest at every flash and glare they met with so I compromised and continued on without looking at all.

To passers-by I must have been a sight.  The stride of my left leg was by far outpaced by that of my right, resulting in a stagger fit for a peg-legged pirate.  My lips were ashen with dehydration, but a suspiciously chunky smudge on chin and black tshirt informed any observer plainly that I must have expelled some precious fluid recently. Fortunately, my hairstyle was pristine, but that was only the intentional byproduct of a carefully maintained lack thereof.  I easily feigned a tired and vacant expression on my face and studiously avoided eyecontact with my silent judges by staring at my untied shoelaces until I reached my front door.

There are few pleasures in life that outweigh that of a cold glass of water when your mouth is so dry you cannot move your tongue.  However, the pleasure is soon diluted when you reflect upon the series of events that have led to this eventuality.  Particularly, when the events are at best mere logical conclusions rather than an firm memory.  I take another deep draught of water and realize that instead of feeling more refreshed, I feel  the momentum of the liquid in my stomach with every motion of my body, accompanied by  splashing sounds which herald yet another act of excess.  My body is bloated by rash decisions which I suspect outline some form of avoidance behaviour, but I can't for the life of me pinpoint the exact cause thereof.  I put my moka on the stove and begin to  brew a strong cup of coffee and retire to the shower to wash away any remnants of the  night and my shameful start to the day.

I fumble with the dial and am immediately punished with a barrage of ice cold needles which bite my skin, but that lasts for only a moment before the needles turn to fiery arrows  that melt my already soft flesh.  The rapid turn of events disorients me further and I  struggle to stand up straight.  The half dozen half empty bottles of formulaicly scented  body wash are not so fortunate and raucously tumble about in the halfpipe of my bathtub. After a few more adjustments of the dial, I return my attention to the disarray at my feet and slowly return them to their places, opening only the last bottle to squeeze out a few  drops of civilization to rub onto my body so that I can convince myself that I am presentable. I stand, face down, letting the water flow down my back contemplating an image of myself deep in pithy contemplation, conjuring a fantasy of reaching some yet unrevealed philosophical realization.  Finally, I realize that my coffee is burning.

The sickly sweet smell of burnt coffee will penetrate every conceivable corner of my apartment, so I open few windows, grab a cigarette and step outside.  My clothes are decent but unremarkable, fashionable, but not avant garde, and spotless but not clean.  Between my formulaic bodywash and run of the mill deodorant, there is no evidence that I haven't done the laundry in weeks, but the ever so slight dullness in my clothes establishes an aura of mediocrity and shabbiness to my appearance.  Not so far as to imitate the trainwreck that I was this morning, far enough for me to feel as unimpressive as my shirt.  A few dark smudges on the backs of my hands are all the evidence I have left of the previous night.  Those, and my missing wallet and two souvenirs.  I crack open the Red Bull, even though my obnoxiously strong coffee has already  made me mildly giddy and apprehensive.  It is in this unremarkable state that I begin another dull Wednesday at 4PM.

You see, being above average intelligence is a curse in this world.  I wish so dearly I could be as fullfilled as the average plebe by the wonders of popculture and consumer products.  That  Hollywood movies could both emulate blowing my mind and opening my eyes and that I could  aspire to a 9 to 5 at the local grocery store, settle for a bitchy wife with no particular function in society, and dream about women whose conversational abilities would overwhelm only the most naive of teacups.  Unfortunate me, I see the world through a finer lens at a higher resolution than most.  I am capable of great feats in the realms of art and science.  Should I  put my mind to it, I can understand the currents of politics or the fundamental shifts in societal values at a level worthy of my education.  My motivation is absent due to a lack of circumstance, not by any fault of my own.  There are those who are blessed with this obscene drive to do things. I am, unfortunately, not one of those people.  I something or someone to come by and start my engine and keep it running, but when that happens, I will achieve something great.  I get  flashes of inspiration that others dream of, you see.   I see that life is not worth living, but I'm not quite ready to disappear just yet, so I simply exist, floating.

This is what I tell myself as I reach my office.  This what I tell myself to make everything seem ok. The hollow caffiene rush from the coffee and Red Bull makes it impossible to sleep at my desk, but the lack of energy and food makes it impossible for me to work, so instead, I surf the internet searching for that elusive flash of inspiration that will motivate me to achieve my potential. After a few hours, I prepare to leave.  It didn't happen today, but I only need that one in my lifetime, after all.

Tomorrow, I will wake up in my bed at 1pm with a splitting headache, nauseated by the smell of burning coffee, throat parched and unable to hold a thought in my head until 4pm.  Tomorrow, I will wonder about what will have happened tonight and finally give up.  Tomorrow, I will come to the philosophical realization that nearly washes over me every day in the shower.  Tomorrow, I will have a flash of inspiration that will motivate me to get myself moving to the ultimate achievement which will justify the life I live. Tomorrow, today will no longer matter and I will no longer have to feel unremarkable in the mirror.  Tomorrow, I will no longer forget the precise point of my actions midway.  Tonight, I need another drink.

title: my first short story in 8 years

question: Where did the narrator wake up in?

answer: In their bedroom.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: Information cannot be found.

question: Is the narrator hungover?

answer: Yes.

question: Is the narrator an alcoholic?

answer: The passage implies that they are.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator wakes up from a hangover and tries to drag himself to work. As he gets through his day, he reminds himself of the cycle of his daily life and tells himself that tonight, he needs another drink.


text:
thumb|upright=0.682|right|Carole Mallory

CAROLE MALLORY (born February 24, 1941) is an American author, actress, former model, teacher and critic who appeared in the films _Looking for Mr. Goodbar_ and _The Stepford Wives_. She was the nine-year companion of writer Norman Mailer and kept notes and her writings with his edits, selling them to Harvard University in 2008, after his death.

Education and early career

Mallory was awarded an art scholarship to Pennsylvania State University. She graduated from there with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education. After attending Temple University's Tyler School of Art for her Master's, she taught art in Pennsylvania schools for two years. She became a Pan American Airlines stewardess and began modeling in Paris while still employed by the airline. Her first assignment was for _Vogue Paris_. Mallory has appeared on the covers of a variety of magazines including _Cosmopolitan,_ _Newsweek_, and three separate _New York Magazine_ covers.

Acting

Mallory filmed over fifty commercials.[1] Her first spot was for Olympic Airlines, the award-winning ‘no dancing in the aisles’ campaign, while on leave of absence from Pan American Airlines. She also appeared in the “English Leather” commercial campaign (“All my men wear English Leather, or they wear nothing at all”) commercial campaign, which ran for ten years. Her commercial for Faberge's “Tigress” campaign titled “Are You Wild Enough to Wear It?” directed by Michael Cimino was banned as too risque for one of the networks because her crocheted bathing suit with its spider web effect did not have support. As she ran towards the camera while performing a strip tease, her breasts jiggled. In the early seventies “jiggling breasts” were forbidden on TV. _60 Minutes_ aired her Faberge Tigress commercial in one of its segments about sex in television. Mallory starred as Madge in the play _Picnic,_ and as Tiffany in _Mary, Mary_ at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania.[2] During the early seventies she studied with Wynn Handman, the director of The American Place Theatre, in New York. When she moved to Hollywood, she studied with Harvey Lembeck in his _Comedy Improvisation Workshop_.[3]

Writing

Mallory authored the 1988 novel _Flash_ about a female alcoholic surviving Hollywood. Gloria Steinem wrote that it was: “fast, smart and irresistible.”[4]

In 2010, she published a memoir, _Loving Mailer._ Between 1988-96, as a journalist, she interviewed Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Gore Vidal, Dudley Moore, Brooke Astor, Jesse Jackson, Erica Jong, Jay McInerney, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Isabella Rossellini, Leiber & Stoller, Milos Forman, George Plimpton, and other notables.

Her writing has been published by: _The New York Times_, the _Los Angeles Times_, _Esquire_, _Playboy_, _Parade_, _Elle_, _New Women_, _Time Out_, and _M Magazine_. Among the books she has written are:

-   _Vidal vs. Mailer_ (2016)
-   _My Friendship with Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller_ (2013)
-   _My Friendship with Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal (How They Buried The Hatchet)_, 2013.

She has taught at Rosemont College, Cheltenham Adult School and Widener University and worked as a book reviewer for _The Philadelphia Inquirer_. In 1983, she began a nine-year relationship with Norman Mailer, who urged her to quit acting and pursue writing. She went on to study writing at UCLA, NYU, and Columbia University. After Mailer's death, she sold seven boxes of documents and photographs to Harvard University, containing extracts of her letters, books and journals.[5]

Public speaking

On June 28, 1987, when Mallory's story of overcoming alcoholism was the cover story of _Parade Magazine_, she was asked to speak at her alma mater, Pennsylvania State University, for a D.U.I. convention of mothers who had lost children to drunk drivers. On October 5, 2013, she was invited to be keynote speaker at _Tucson Modernism Week_, in Tucson, Arizona—a celebration of mid-century modernism in art and architecture. Because she was a Pan Am airline hostess in the 1960s, Mallory was asked to speak about how this propelled her into becoming a model, an actress, an author, a critic and a teacher.[6]

On October 16, 2013, she was asked to speak at the Elkin's Park Library about her memoir _Picasso's Ghost._ She also spoke about this book on January 13, 2013, at the Lower Providence Library about _Picasso's Ghost_. In March 2014, in celebration of Woman's History Month, the Chester County Library asked Mallory to speak about her life experiences and career, both to celebrate the history and empowerment of women.

Personal life

In 1968, she married the artist Ronald Mallory, whose kinetic mercury sculptures are featured in the Whitney Museum, MoMA, as well as a variety of other museums and venues. In 1971, the Mallorys divorced.

On the night of Pablo Picasso's death on April 8, 1973, Claude Picasso asked her to be his wife. Their love affair ended in 1980.[7]

She has dated Sean Connery, Rod Stewart, Peter Sellers, Warren Beatty, Marcello Mastroianni, Louis Malle, Richard Gere and Robert De Niro.[8]

In 2000, Mallory again married, following her mother's death. As of 2017, she is a film critic for _The Huffington Post_.

Filmography

-   _The Killer Elite_ (1975) as Rita
-   _The Stepford Wives_ (1975) as wife, Kit Sunderson
-   _Seen Dimly Before Dawn_ (1976)
-   _American Raspberry_ (1977) Morning Mist girl
-   _Looking for Mr. Goodbar_ (1977) as Marvella
-   _Steel_ (1980) as Charlene
-   _Brave New World_ (1980) as Miss Trotsky
-   [[Take This Job and Shove It (film)|_Take This Job and Shove It]]_ (1981) as B-Jo.
-   _Fire and Ice (1983 film)_ (1983) Rotoscoped by Frank Frazetta for Ralph Bakshi/Voice of Queen of the Fire Planet
-   _Norman Mailer: The American_ (2010) Eraser Films documentary
-   _The Robin Williams Autopsy_ (2015) Reelz TV documentary by ITV London

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Carole Mallory

question: What does the story say about Carole Mallory's career?

answer: Carole Mallory was a stewardess and began modeling in Paris while still employed by Pan American. She filmed over fifty commercials and starred in the play 'Picnic' and in 'Mary, Mary' When she moved to Hollywood, she studied with Harvey Lembeck in his 'Comedy Improvisation Workshop'. She appeared in the films 'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' and 'The Stepford Wives'. She authored the novel 'Flash' and a memoir. As a journalist, she interviewed many notables. She has taught at Rosemont College, Cheltenham Adult School, and Widener University and worked as a book reviewer for 'The Philadelphia Inquirer'.

question: What does the story say about Carole Mallory's education?

answer: She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education. She attended Temple University's Tyler School of Art for her Master's. She went on to study writing at UCLA, NYU, and Columbia University.

question: What does the story say about what the movie Steel is about?


text:
“Are you afraid of death?, my friend” asked my co-passenger. Not quite amused by the question and not understanding what he was getting at, I replied with a stern ‘No’. I knew that picking up hitchhikers was a bad idea. But the thought of a long boring journey, alone, made me do what I would not usually have done. I hoped I would not repent it. This new friend was shuffling around in his seat, as if trying to get something out of his pocket. I caught the glitter off a metal object in his coat. I thought about the worst possible situation. This seemed to be it and that object seemed to be a gun.

“What are you doing?”, I shouted at him, startling him and making him fumble a bit more. ”Jesus, why the fuck are you shouting?”, he shouted back. He found what he was looking for. His hand slowly took the gun out of his pocket. I found his use of Jesus and fuck in the same sentence a bit funny.

It was a metal box which had some weed rolled up.

All calm now, the hitchhiker said “If you are not afraid, I don’t think you would mind driving high” and handed me a lit joint. It was an interesting trip that one, sure did not repent it.

title: Feedback: road trip

question: Who was the co-passenger?

answer: The co-passenger is a hitchhiker.

question: Does the co-passenger put the narrator in danger?

answer: No.

question: What does he have in his pocket?

answer: The hitchhiker has a metal box in his pocket that contains some rolled-up weed.

question: Why does the narrator pick him up?

answer: The narrator was on a long journey and he didn't want to travel alone and be bored, hence he picks up the hitchhiker.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator picks up a hitchhiker while traveling a long distance. The hitchhiker asks him if he is afraid of death. The narrator replies with a no and now questions his decision of letting this man in his car.

The hitchhiker attempts to take something out of his pocket which seems to be a gun but turns out to be a metal box with some rolled-up weed inside.

"If you're not afraid, I don't think you mind driving high." says the hitchhiker handing him a lit joint.


text:
CORRUPTION IN YEMEN is a highly serious problem. Yemen is the most corrupt country in the Gulf region.[1] It is also the poorest country in the Middle East, “with an exceptionally high birth rate, acute rates of child malnutrition and rapidly dwindling reserves of oil and water.” In Yemen, according to Chatham House, “corruption, poverty and inequality are systemic”;[2] in the words of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, corrupt activity is “so entrenched and pervasive” that many citizens feel powerless.[3]

Absent any “system of control and accountability,” corruption is now present throughout the public and private spheres, so much so that in the words of the World Bank, “[c]orruption and patronage networks are running the country's public affairs.” This ubiquitous corruption has resulted in weak government and “corrupt power blocs that control public resources.” As a consequence of civil-service corruption, there are large numbers of so-called ghost workers. Corruption in the energy, communications, and health and education sectors have resulted in inadequate service or no service at all.[4]

Jane Marriott, Britain's Ambassador to Yemen, stated in December 2013 that corruption in Yemen was so pervasive that it was credibly undermining the security and economy of the nation. She also noted that institutionalized corruption of such a grand scale discourages development and innovation.[5]

As of 2018, Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index ranks the country 176th place out of 180 countries.[6]

Background

In the mid 1990s, corruption allegedly became “rampant” in Yemen.[7] The presidency of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who served from 1990 to 2012, was said to be marked by the admixture of government, military, and corporate interests as well as by extensive nepotism and self-enrichment. Members of Saleh's Sanhan clan established power bases in the military, with Saleh's nephew Mohammed Abdullah Saleh running the Central Security Forces (CSF).[8] On Mohammed Abdullah Selah's death in 2001, his son Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Selah took control of the CSF. Meanwhile, Yahya's brothers Tarik and Ammar ran the Presidential Guard and the National Security Bureau (NSB) respectively. Military aid from the US and other Western countries ended up enhancing the personal wealth of these members of the Saleh family and also enhancing their “ability to act as a source of patronage.”[9]

In 2008, business people with close ties to Ahmed Ali Saleh, the son of President Saleh, reportedly used World Bank funds to found Shibam Holding Company, a government-backed property developer. This new firm took control of a great deal of government land and, later, of the General Investment Authority (GIA).[10]

Beginning in 2004, another clan, the Houthis, fought a six-year war against Saleh, whom they accused of corruption and criticized for sundry other reasons, including his U.S. and Saudi ties and his failure to support economic development in their region. This struggle gradually turned into a conflict between Ahmed Ali's Republican Guard and Ali Mohsin's First Armoured Division, and it escalated in 2009 with a Saudi troop deployment. In 2010, international pressure led to a ceasefire.[11]

Also in 2010, the CEIP stated in that Yemen was at greater systemic risk of collapsing from corruption, than by being toppled by Al-Qaeda.[12]

Young Yemenis' anger over “political and economic exclusion” led to a 2011 popular uprising and increased the risk of civil war. In response, the U.S., U.K., and Saudi Arabia pushed for a transfer of power that would remove Saleh but left the political elites essentially intact. In 2012, then, with the elite's power crippled by its “increasingly obvious corruption,” [13] Ali Abdullah Saleh resigned from the presidency in exchange for a guarantee of immunity from prosecution and a promise that he could stay in the country.[14]

This resignation effectively averted civil war. Replacing Saleh as president was his deputy, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The negotiated handover of power was widely viewed as “a regional success story” that could set Yemen on a “path towards a secure, prosperous future.”[15] As _IRIN News_ put it, these developments were widely considered a step forward for good governance advocates, who had struggled to make reforms for years.[16]

Over two years later, however, anti-corruption activists were still embattled with an entrenched culture of corruption that discourages honesty. A representative of a local human-rights foundation said that one patronage system had been dismantled, only to begin all new corruption systems. It was noted that bribery under Saleh was “more standardized” and that the breakdown of central authority has caused groups to demand inconsistent bribe amounts.[17]

In 2013, Yemen's score on Transparency International's (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was the lowest it had received from TI in all years' rankings. In a survey of Yemenis taken the same year, 42% believed corruption was up since 2011.[18] The World Bank agreed that by 2014 there had not been “any noticeable improvement in anti-corruption efforts” in Yemen, and that in fact corruption in the country was “still rampant and growing.”[19]

When Saleh's successor, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, was toppled in a coup in 2015, Saleh was accused of playing a role in it.[20]

Government

Nepotism

[160 px|Yemeni President Hadi with Secretary Clinton] Under Saleh, power was alleged to be distributed to the president's relatives and members of his clan, who came to dominate the military, tribes, government, and economy.[21]

A 2013 report argued that Saleh utilized his massive to garner cooperation between the nation's tribal elite. This system operated to the benefit of the Yemeni elite at the expense of the poor majority. The report noted that the elite rarely keep their looted wealth within the nation, further bearing down on Yemen's populace.[22]

A UN panel told the Security Council in February 2015 that Saleh was thought to have accumulated up to $60 billion through corruption during his tenure.[23] He had carried out these activities in collaboration with friends, family, and associates, including at least five prominent businessmen, and his stolen assets had reportedly been “hidden in at least twenty countries with the help of business associates and front companies.” An estate of $60 billion would make Saleh the fifth richest man in the world.[24]

Today, despite the changes that have taken place, Yemen's economy is criticized as still being dominated by a tiny elite consisting of military, tribal, political, and business leaders, with around ten families and groups of business associates controlling over 80% of the country's imports, manufacturing, processing, banking, telecommunications, and goods transport. Yemen's future, stated a 2013 report by Chatham House, will be determined by “whether its elite remains more concerned by the threats posed by rival factions within the elite, or prioritizes its response to popular anger arising from the failure to allocate resources more widely.”[25]

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) has pointed out that a custom known as _wasta{{'}}_, or favoritism, ensures that favors or job appointments are routinely given to persons who have relatives in positions of power or who pay sufficient bribes to public officials.[26]

According to the World Food Programme, “over 10 million Yemenis – 46 per cent of the population – do not have enough to eat,” a problem that is worsened by “the self-enriching behaviour of the country's elites, who are depleting Yemen's resources, sending illicitly earned and untaxed profits abroad, and often actively resisting much-needed structural reforms.”[27] Nepotism, according to _IRIN News_, is routinely present in public aid projects, and its presence is more often a hindrance.[28]

Election fraud

Elections have been characterized by _Freedom House_ as “vote buying, the partisanship of public officials and the military, and exploitation of state control over key media platforms.”[29] According to Chatham House, a national debate about corruption was occasioned by the 2006 election campaign, but this debate did not lead to any systemic changes.[30] Also, “parliamentary elections have been repeatedly postponed,” with the 2009 elections put off to 2011 and then put off again.[31]

Military

According to _Chatham House_, corruption is reportedly widespread in the Yemeni military, a state of affairs partially caused by the virtual absence of civilian oversight. In 2013, the Transparency International Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index ranked Yemen's defense establishments as one of the world's most corrupt. Since at least 2010, the army has consisted of “a series of factional alliances that more resembled a collection of feudal warlords than a modern, centrally managed military,” because “Saleh was wary of creating a centralized military capable of mounting a coup.”[32]

A “parastatal” entity called YECO, which procures military equipment and is run by active-duty officers, owns a great deal of land and “various parastatal enterprises,” mostly in what used to be South Yemen, according to _Chatham House_. YECO is active in various sectors, including real estate, tourism, construction, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, transport and agriculture. The military is permitted to seize land for its own use, and can do so either directly or via YECO. It has been suggested that this land is often given to officers or sold to developers for private profit. Both Saleh and Ali Mohsin had “extensive patronage networks inside YECO.”[33]

Bribery and petty corruption

Bribes have been characterized as not only widespread but “necessary” in Yemen, given the poor economic conditions that compel subject police and other civil servants to try to live on salaries that “barely meet subsistence levels.” As Philippe Le Billon of the University of British Columbia has put it, petty corruption of this sort is often the only way civil servants can make ends meet.[34]

In Yemen, a person who is not entitled to a passport can easily secure one in exchange for a bribe. This causes trouble for Yemenis who have legitimate passports and who wish to work in other Gulf countries. These Yemenis' resultant inability to get jobs abroad limits remittances and thus weakens the Yemeni economy.[35]

Business

Land

The process by which land is sold and registered is reportedly murky and lacking in transparency, and these systematic weaknesses provide opportunities for widespread corruption.[36]

Oil

During the Saleh era, the oil and gas industry was supposedly “the main source of export revenue and government finance.” Saleh personally approved “all major deals and production-sharing agreements” with foreign oil firms. The government-owned Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation “dominated the import and distribution of petroleum products, and delegated monopoly privileges to a major operator, Tawfiq Abdulraheem ,” who was close to Saleh . Corruption in this sector principally involved the awarding of service contracts and import/export deals. In addition, “Saleh allocated state-subsidized fuel products on a quota basis to his relatives and political allies, who were free to charge a substantial mark-up to wholesale domestic buyers, or trade their allocated quota overseas at international market prices.” Saleh also allowed certain businessmen “to claim subsidies on non-existent fuel imports, on the basis of falsified import documents.” This practice cost the national treasury dearly, although YECO profited greatly from it. “Oil-related corruption was also endemic in the military, with officers benefiting directly from fuel allocated to their units and using military transport infrastructure to move it both within Yemen and to foreign markets.”[37]

The _Wall Street Journal_ reported in 2010 that the US Justice Department was investigating Schlumberger, an oil firm, for corruption connected to its activities in Yemen. In 2002, Schlumberger had bid on a contract with state-run PEPA via a local agent, Zonic Investments, run by Tawfiq Saleh Abdullah Saleh, and paid a “signing bonus” of $500,000 to an offshore subsidiary of Zonic in addition to disbursing an additional $1.38 million to PEPA. Also, two PEPA officials rented cars to Schlumberger at artificially high prices, and Dhakwan Petroleum and Mineral Services, owned by Ali Mohsin, which imported and exported equipment for Schlumberg, received $280,000 for processing paperwork. The Journal stated that when Schlumberger sought to end its arrangement with Dhakwan, “it became impossible for it to import equipment into Yemen.”[38]

Fuel subsidies in Yemen, according to the IMF, open substantial opportunities for corruption. These subsidies chiefly benefit rich Yemenis, encourage excess consumption, and provide opportunities for smuggling.[39]

Medicine

At a typical hospital, according to _IRIN News_, doctors and other staff are, according to one employee, mostly hired on the basis of connections to the local sheikh, without regard to qualifications. Many of those who are hired are either “ghost workers” – i.e., do not exist – or do not actually show up for work. The latter receive their own paychecks, while the sheikh takes those for the “ghost workers.” Medical funding rarely makes it past the employees dividing it between themselves.[40]

Another medical professional described a similar situation in a hospital in Sanaʽa, where a fellow aid worker paid graft on a daily basis in cooperation with the Yemeni military officer in charge of the facility. The corrupt activity at this hospital involved over-billing an aid agency. _IRIN News's_ interviewee chose not to report the corruption because he feared that doing so could thwart investors, which would cause the hospital to fall apart.[41] Colleagues agreed that whistleblowing in this case would likely be pointless, given the military's impunity. Moreover, these medical professionals risked losing their jobs, or worse, for defying authority.[42]

Banking

Yemen's central bank has raised much of its capital from private banks “by selling treasury bills and bonds into the domestic market at generous interest rates.” This resulted, allegedly, in excellent profits for elite businessmen who held most of the government's debt but deterred other businesspersons from applying for loans.[43]

Economic growth

A December 2014 World Bank report stated that corruption is a continued drain on the economy of Yemen. Corruption by influential individuals who strong-arm investors, forcing them to pay for protection, negatively affects Yemen's business climate, according to the report, causing investor flight that results in fewer job opportunities and hesitation on the part of Yemeni businessmen abroad to invest in their own country.[44]

A September 2010 report on Yemeni corruption by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) described corruption as the chief source of Yemen's stagnation. Fighting corruption, stated the report, must be central to stabilization and development. According to CEIP, corruption was preventing the expansion of small business owing to the arbitrary corruption they face at the hands of police and government officials. This, in turn, keeps unemployment high, and discourages investment.[45]

A 2010 documentary film by the Center for International Private Enterprise, _Destructive Beast_, exposed the cost of corruption, in terms of economic and social impact, in Yemen.[46]

Foreign aid

“Yemen's reputation for corruption,” _IRIN News_ has maintained, is a chief factor why Yemen received limited aid. _IRIN_ stated that in 2006, a London group that had granted $4.7 billion in aid to Yemen saw only about 10 percent of that funding pass through corruption obstacles and contribute to aid.[47]

In 2011, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) found that current efforts to reduce corruption in the foreign aid to Yemen rely too much on internationally driven “technical-legal” processes that lack sufficient local consent. Also, current anti-corruption approaches tend to be legal framework, which has little impact on the localized groups that lack rule of law.[48]

Anti-corruption activities

According to the World Bank, the regulatory bodies monitoring corruption in Yemen are weak. The parliament, instead of acting against corruption, is said to have acted as an enabler of government opacity because it routinely defends the government.[49] However, some of the laws Yemen has proceed with have been called a “good start.”[50]

The Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC), however, has “not...fully realized” its officially designated role. Authorities have slowed down its investigative procedures or impeded the referral of cases to authorities that are supposed to take action on them. Also, the legal system lacks framework for special cases. Out of 2400 corruption complaints filed from 2007 to 2014, only 71 were heard in court. In 2013, 100 cases of corruption were referred to the SNACC for prosecution, but by the end of that year no verdicts had been forthcoming.[51]

In 2013, President Hadi dismissed several highly placed officials for corruption. Also, the Central Organization for Control and Auditing has prosecuted corrupt officials and recuperated embezzled funds.[52] Freedom House has credited the Yemeni government with trying to fight corruption, but has also pointed out that the country has no conflict of interest enforcement and that bodies responsible for auditing and investigation are not independent of the executive branch.[53]

Transparency International's 2005 Global Corruption Report noted donors in Yemen rarely denounce corruption for fear of politically-motivated reprisals.[54]

A campaign by Transparency International's Yemen chapter (YTTI), addressed corruption in the security sector, particularly bribery and extortion by police officers and soldiers. In 2012, police were alleged to have threatened YTTI members violently and may have even resorted to force. Also, the group's project coordinator was shot by an unidentified shooter after delivering a speech on corruption, seriously injuring him.[55]

The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) has backed Yemenis who demand greater government accountability and transparency. In 2013, the then British Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan MP, told journalists that Yemen requires better leadership in combatting corruption at every level.[56]

The US State Department has expressed concern about the lack of laws protecting Yemeni government employees who report corruption. According to the Department's 2013 Human Rights report on Yemen, NGO's reported several instances of reprisals for employees reporting corruption. The same report describes how Yemen's Ministry of Social and Labor Affairs unfairly put up barriers to human rights-related groups, whereas unrelated groups experienced few difficulties.[57]

National Dialogue

Hamid al-Ahmar, Sheikh Abdullah's son, sponsored the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), a “grassroots consultation exercise,” beginning in 2009. Its goal was “to draw up a national 'salvation plan' for Yemen.” At the same time, civil-society activists took up “a more aggressive stance, staging regular sit-ins in front of the parliament building.” One of those activists, Tawwakul Karman, went on to share the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.[58] The Conference, which brought together “a wide range of participants,”[59] allowed people to “air their grievances publicly” but did not enable them to “significantly challenge the informal networks of power that have proved remarkably resilient to change in the past.”[60] NDC participants recognized that the nation's wealth had been looted by a privileged elite. The Good Governance Working Group, whose task was to develop an approach to fighting corruption, called for a law protecting journalists, whistleblowers, and witnesses.[61]

See Also

-   International Anti-Corruption Academy
-   Group of States Against Corruption
-   International Anti-Corruption Day
-   ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems
-   United Nations Convention against Corruption
-   OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
-   Transparency International

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title: Corruption in Yemen

question: What is the most corrupt country in the gulf region?

answer: Yemen.

question: What does the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index rank the country at?

answer: 176th out of 180 countries.

question: When did corruption allegedly become rampant in Yemen?

answer: The mid 1990s.

question: Who was president at the time corruption began?

answer: Ali Abdullah Saleh.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about corruption in the Yemen. It discusses the history of the corruption, the comments of international observers, and examines the causes and effects of corruption in that country.


text:
I've always wanted critical feedback on a piece I happened to write, what do you guys think?

The pungent stench of stale sweat, poorly disguised by the cheap cologne, tainted the office to the point where I could almost taste it. Just like I could almost taste her fear, distress, hope and confusion. “Never expected this hmm baby?” I whispered seductively. “Like I never expected you to humiliate me on national television?” I continued as my tone immediately transformed to one of disgust. Pinned to the wall by my sturdy arms, her body tensed as I watched emotions flash in her eyes, hopelessly attempting to discern my weakness. Her instinctual reaction, as most girls her age, was to use her body. Desperately she pushed up against me, as her hand gently ruffled my hair and slowly trailed down my neck. “It doesn’t have to be this way. I still love you” she declared faintly as her lips brushed the spot her fingers just left. Her eyes locked mine in, her soft brown eyes, as she stood on her toes to reach my lips. Some girls think the moment of anticipation right before the kiss is the way to entice a guy, but she knows better. Her lips tenderly grazed mine, and then she pulled back, luring me in. I was far beyond the influence of my self control. Sensing her victory, she launched herself at me, full on. I casually withdrew and smiled. I recognized these moves, but enjoyed them nonetheless. “You’re going to have to do much better than clichéd apologies. Haven’t you heard, seduction leads to destruction. And that’s what’s coming for you,” I threatened, with my most irresistible voice; I found that it gave the threat a chilling effect.
I forcefully pinned her back against the wall, chuckled for the sole purpose of infuriating her, and then began explaining how she would transfer all her property, money, and valuables to under my name without arousing suspicion.

title: wrote this a while ago- feedback really appreciated!!

question: Why was the narrator angered at the girl?

answer: For humiliating him on national television.

question: What was the girl's reaction when he had her pinned to the wall?

answer: To declare her love for him and use her body against him.

question: What do some girls think is the way to entice a guy?

answer: The anticipation right before the kiss.

question: How did the narrator threaten the girl?

answer: He explained how she would need to transfer all her property, money and valuable to under his name.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator enters the office and confronts the girl who humiliated him on national television. She tries to seduce him, declaring her love for him, but it doesn't work and he threatens her.


text:
Tom’s mangled body was found on the side of the road. The police concluded that he’d jumped off the bridge; a suicide, as there seemed to be no evidence of foul play.

Tom’s mother had called me up, distraught, and asked if I knew what had happened. I told her I had no idea, which was the truth. Tom was pretty much always happy, but I had been seeing him less and less for the past couple of weeks because he spent so much time on the computer. Tom was really good with computers. He made his own websites, programs and games. I always wanted to know how he did it, but all I could do was help my parents with simple problems whenever they called “Jack!” which was actually pretty often.

I was afraid to go to Tom’s house because his mother was so upset. But she insisted I went and look through his things. Because I knew him better than anyone else, she said. I knocked on his door and was greeted by his mother, whose eyes were dark from lack of sleep. She let me in and led me up the stairs to Tom’s room. She pleaded with me to look through his room, and find some reason why he might have taken his own life. Then she went back downstairs. I heard her start to cry again.

I didn’t know where to start, Tom didn’t own much. His cupboards were full of clothes, from what I could see, and his drawers were empty. I looked over at his computer. He had always gone on about it, rambling on and on about the processing power and graphics quality, but I never really knew what any of it meant. Instinctively, I sat down and switched it on. It went through the boot process, and I was greeted with a grassy meadow. I opened up his documents, only to find them empty. I opened up the hard drive folder to find it empty, too. The computer’s data had been completely wiped! Why would Tom have done that? I then recalled something Tom had told me last week.

“Data is never lost, Jack.” he’d said.

“But what if you delete it? Then it’s gone forever,” I’d replied.

“It says it’s gone, but it’s always there. Even if there are just fragments. Nothing is gone forever.”

I pulled out a USB that Tom had given me and plugged it into the computer. A folder of all the programs Tom had put on it popped up on the screen. I opened up the Fragment Finder and let it scan his hard drive. Multiple files of strange symbols started appearing, and after about ten minutes the program was done. I scrolled down through the list of files, but they all seemed unreadable.

My eyes landed upon a file called chatlogs.txt. I double clicked it and looked through the messages that Tom had received. One caught my eye. It read: “ur not cool ur just some lame twelvie hacker. do us a favour and kill urself.” It was from someone called Debian192. I was shocked, I had never known all this time that Tom was a hacker. Perhaps he’d hacked something that made others jealous. But then I wondered; had this message pushed him over the edge, made him take his own life?

I was deciding whether I should tell his parents, but I thought I should dig deeper, to see if there was more to it. I chose a file at random and opened it. I realised that among the miscellaneous characters, there was readable text. It was titled ‘hacklog13_07_14’, and below was a series of commands. Each included the text, ‘gamesonline.com’ which I assumed was a website that he’d hacked. I realised that ‘13_07_14’ was a date…maybe the date he’d hacked this site. Following a gut feeling, I closed the file and scrolled to the top of the list to find the most recent thing he’d hacked. The title was ‘hacklog27_11_14’.

Yesterday. The day he’d died.

Below was a note from Tom. My eyes widened as I scrolled down to read it.

“Jack. If you’re reading this then they’ve probably already found me. First things first - I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but since you’ve made it this far I suppose you deserve to know. I hacked into Red Umbrella Tech just to see if I could, but I found something I shouldn’t have. They’ve created an Artificial Intelligence that thinks exactly like a human. They’re using it as a guinea pig to test things that are too painful or dangerous for humans.

“The worst part is, the AI believes that it’s actually human. It *feels* the pain, Jack. I accidentally downloaded and started it on my own computer, but when I found out what it was, I couldn’t get rid of it - it would be like murder. But they traced me, Jack. I can hear them coming! But I’ll keep the AI safe. I’ve saved it to a USB within a realistic environment where it can live in peace. Where *you* can live in peace.”

“May you live forever, Jack.”

title: [SF/CF] Death and Life

question: Why did Tom kill himself?

answer: Tom had hacked into Red Umbrella Tech. There he discovered they had created an AI. It was being tested on, but it thought it was human and thought the same things he did. Then he was tracked down. Perhaps he ended his own life or perhaps they ended it for him.

question: Describe how Jack finds the data about Tom's death.

answer: Jack goes to Tom's computer and turns it on. It's empty, so Jack plugs in a usb and runs a program Tom created in there. It finds fragments of data. Jack navigates through multiple files, such as chatlogs.txt and hacklog13_07_14 and 27_11_14. Then he finds a note from Tom.

question: What is the twist in the story?

answer: The twist in the story is that Jack is in fact the AI Tom hacked. He has been saved in a cyberspace environment which looks like suburban America. In fact, he is an AI without knowing it.


text:
Major Hurricane Erin

Storm Activity:

Storm Maps

There are no maps available for this storm.

Storm Track Statistics

There is no tracking data for this storm.

News

Category 6 Sets Its Sights Over the Rainbow

Published: 6/19/2020

Alexander von Humboldt: Scientist Extraordinaire

Published: 6/17/2020

My Time with Weather Underground (and Some Favorite Posts)

Published: 6/15/2020

May 2020: Earth’s Warmest May on Record

Published: 6/12/2020

Black Lives Matter—In Science and Everywhere Else

Published: 6/11/2020

-   -   -   -   -

Hurricane Archive

Basin

Select basin

All Atlantic Storms (1851-2020)

Select a year

Historical Hurricane Statistics

-   Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE)
-   Costliest U.S. Weather Disasters Since 1980
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Articles of Interest

-   Hunting Hugo: The Hurricane Hunters' Wildest Ride
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-   A new world record wind gust: 253 mph in Australia's Tropical Cyclone Olivia
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-   Late-starting hurricane seasons
-   Looking back at Hurricane Gustav's record 211 mph wind gust
-   Haiti's tragic hurricane history
-   Global warming and the frequency of intense Atlantic hurricanes: model results

Visit the Complete Hurricane Archive

question: What is the hurricane named

answer: Hurricane Erin

question: Which areas will Hurricane Erin affect?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Where did the hurricane originate?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Where will the hurricane make landfall?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A webpage on hurricanes in the Atlantic basin.


text:
After years of being single, I was finally talking to somebody. Naturally, I was eager for any opportunity to see her. Chatting via Instant Message for a few days, there was finally an opportunity. She was free one night and wanted to hang. Awesome.  But before that, there was just one small thing she needed help with.

She had a pet frog. Keyword: HAD. Despite my love interest's tender love and care, the amphibian passed away 3 days prior. Poor little guy. But my love interest -- we'll call her Renee -- never got around to emptying the tank. She just didn't have the guts to reach in and throw it out. That being said, I didn't have to grab it out of the tank and give it a proper frog burial (or whatever), but  *it would be nice*. Being the "aim to please" person I was, I accepted the challenge. The frog would be extracted from its home, laid to rest, then we'd continue the date from there. Awesome. I groomed myself, brushed and flossed, climbed into the van and sped off.

Upon arriving at her apartment, we exchanged pleasantries, hugs, and all  the stuff that young nervous people do when they like each other. But the pleasantries could only last so long. It was now time to head to the scene of the incident. She swung open the basement door and descended down the stairs. I followed, listening to lumber boards creak and squeak below as they bore the weight of my being.

Uhh, by the way: if you're eating something, I'd either finish it or put it away. This next part is...  unappetizing.

The basement's carpet was vacuumed just minutes earlier. It was white with dark blue speckles every couple inches.  Her computer desk had only a computer on it, her  bookshelves held books and housed glass figurines.  The bed was made squarely as an envelope. I was surprised by how meticulous and tidy Renee was about her apartment. Pleased by it, in fact.

After taking in the tidy apartment's scenery, I turned my attention to the frog tank.

The hard water stains at the top of the tank, the algae-green water, and the deceased frog had festered for three days, creating about six gallons of frog stew. Remember what I said about unappetizing? I approached the tank, staring directly into the cold eyes of our deceased friend.

Before going in, protection was desperately needed. I asked Renee. Any rubber gloves? She searched mentally for a second... nope. Alright... vinyl gloves? Not at all.  Gloves at all? No. Well, darn. It was starting to look like I'd have to plunge my bare hand into this toxic  tank -- a thought that truly horrified me.

Wait! Renee found a grocery bag! That'll do. I turned it inside-out, stuck my hand inside, and had  a makeshift plastic-bag-glove -- like I was picking up dog poop. Now it was time to dispose of the body. Without  hesitation, my hand started downward toward the deceased. Within seconds, the feeling of cold, stale water chilled my fingertips through the plastic bag. During this whole ordeal, my head was turned away from the tank. I couldn't see what was going on below. Feeling my submerged hand around the bottom, the tank's contents were becoming familiar to me. Gravel, corral, more gravel, a fish castle, then a stick. Finally, I felt the unmistakable bumpy, slippery texture of a dead frog. Here he is.

My bagged hand immediately clasped itself around him. He immediately slipped out. Clearly, my grocery bag  wasn't designed around a dead frog. I maneuvered my hand more carefully around him and lifted him out again, making it out of the water this time. But he slipped once more, did a belly-flop into the putrid water, then sunk back down into the gravel. Catching a dead frog was proving harder than catching a live one. Finally, I made an underhanded reach into the tank and extracted  the frog once more. This time, he stayed in the palm of my hand.

Frogs are usually green. However, when our amphibian friend passed away, he turned a rancid  gray. By the way: know how frog legs taste like chicken? Well the dead frog smelled a lot like a rotten chicken. And  felt like it, too. Boy, that little guy was slimy.

I had a crushing realization: now what? I had planned (kinda) to extract the dead frog from the tank -- but made NO plans for anything after that. I eyed Renee, hoping she had the answer. Nothing. We began to panic.

I proposed flushing him. Nope, that would clog the 'loo. Throw him in the kitchen trash? NO!!! The carcass lay in my hand like a hot potato, except cold and it smelled nowhere near as good as a potato. If we didn't act fast, we were both gonna vomit. Then, in a split-second, Renee rushed over to her  sliding door and threw it open. I instantly dashed out with the carcass into the back yard. Luckily, there was an  extensive woodsy area behind her apartment. With a deep breath, a crank of the arm, and a "HOOAH!", I sent  the frog out a hundred yards or so to its final destination.

And off in the distance, I heard an unmistakable *SHPLACK!!!*

It sounded like throwing out a carton of curdled milk. Except bonier. And meatier.

Rest in piece, little guy.

Written by AndreaRCarr and submitted to reddit on 2013-DEC-16

Edit: typos. Misspellings.

title: Why I Don't Own a Frog

question: What was the big task at hand for the narrator?

answer: The big task at hand for the narrator was to help his crush with burying her dead pet frog. The narrator's crush was too heartbroken to take her frog out and properly bury him, so it was important for him to do this for her so they could have a good date. Little did the narrator know that taking out the dead frog from his tank and burying him would be a really gross process.

question: Describe how the narrator feels about Renee.

answer: The narrator has a crush on Renee. The narrator has been single for a while and is very eager to see Renee.  He really likes her and is person who likes to please, so he does what he can to help her out. He goes as far as to grab her pet frog out of his tank, as he is dead, and give him a proper burial since she cannot do it.

question: Will the narrator feel the same way about Renee after dealing with her dead pet frog?


text:
Tom woke to the sound of blaring music once again, his tired eyes glanced over to his clock “5:00” it read. “What the hell is going on?” Tom decided to go investigate further, he peeked out of his room to discover his roommate Guy and 3 other people getting drunk in the living room. “I can’t do this much longer.” Tom thought, reflecting on the many times Guy has done similar things. “Well, might as well get ready for work.” he murmured, heading to the bathroom. He glanced in his mirror almost not recognizing what he saw before him, his once neat black hair had become greasy and unkempt and his skin was growing more and more pale, his arms growing skinnier. The more hours Tom had to put in at his work as an I.T. Consultant the worse and worse he looked. “Today’s the day.” he said, forcing a smile on his face “Today’s the day.”

  The day seemed to drag on, seconds felt like hours, minutes like days. Tom had been planning on quitting his job for months now, working up the courage to do so. He was not very confident and rarely acted out on his desires. He was constantly being harassed by his boss George Howard who was a very controlling man and often went the extra mile to make Tom miserable. Tom was on break when he passed George’s office, he knocked on the door. “What!?” George screamed, as if Tom was about to pull his teeth. Tom froze, speechless, he knew what he wanted to say but the words were not coming out.
“Quit standing there like a fucking moron and get back to work.” Tom’s face was becoming red as he remembered all the times George had harassed him at work.
”Screw you fat ass.” Tom said immediately regretting what he said. George’s eyes bulged out of his head. “What the hell did you just say to me” George was now stomping closer and closer to Tom. “Fuck, yo-.“ Before Tom could get his word out George’s fist met his face with stunning force. Tom’s body went limp as his head hit the floor with a loud thump.

“It’s about time you woke up, you were starting to worry us.” Tom heard as he was opening his eyes. “Where am I?” “St. Josephs Hospital.” She replied. The woman was tall and had long brown hair. “You’re way to hot to be a nurse.” Tom was surprised by his own bluntness. “Thank you Tom” she said, she didn’t seem effected by his comment at all. “What is that?” Tom said referring the green liquid she was putting in his I.V. “Just something to sooth the nerves.” As soon as she injected the liquid Tom felt a Freezing tingling sensation all over his body and was unable to move. “Damn it!” he thought, “What the hell is going on!” His vision began to tunnel as his nurse drew closer. She slipped something around his neck and give him a kiss on the mouth. “Good luck Tom, you’ll need it” He immediately passed out.

“Am I stuck in some sort of dream? I can’t be.” He thought as he finally came to. He quickly reached around his neck to reveal what the mystery woman left him. “What the hell?” It was a bight silver key with a ball on the end, Tom examined it further T.K. “Those are my initials, this has got to be a coincidence” Tom didn’t have much time to look at the key before a strange man in a black over coat barged into the hospital. “Where the hell is she!?” he screamed “Where is the key?” Tom’s eyes light up “There is no way he’s talking about this.” He thought. “Where is the woman!?” he kept yelling. Tom overheard a nervous clerk stating they don’t know what he’s talking about. Just then the man pulls out a gun. “Screw this!” Tom said, jumping up head still pounding from the punch. He spotted a door down the hall with an exit sign. As he was stealthily making his way to the door he spotted his clothes on the chair next to him quickly grabbing them as quietly as possible. “What the hell is up with today?” he thought getting closer and closer to the door. The man with the gun was growing more angry, he let out a warning shot sending everyone into panic. Tom had finally reached the door, grabbed the handle and pulled with all his might, the door wouldn’t budge, it was locked. “Can this day get any worse.” he thought. Just then the glimmer from the key caught his eye. “Well it’s worth a try.” He thought as he took it off his neck and cupped it in his hand.

“Tom Keen!!” Tom turned around and froze like a deer in the headlights, the man with the gun was now pointing it at him and walking his way. “Give me the God Damn key Tom before people get hurt!” Tom glanced at the key and smiled moving it closer and closer to the door, all Tom could think about was how he wanted to be home in his own bed. “Tom I will shoot you if you don’t hand it over!” Tom thought for a second looked towards the door and back at the man with the gun “Fuck yo-“ Just then the door opened with a bright light that absorbed Tom.

Tom woke up in a sweat, looking around he was in his room, blaring music coming from the living room he glanced at the clock as it read “5:00”. Tom was beginning to freak out he immediately look down at his hand to reveal that key still grasp firmly in his fist. “What the hell is happening?” He looked at the key again, He began smiling drawing it close to his bedroom door. “I want to go to Paris.” he said half jokingly. As soon as the key touched the door it flew open with the same bright light and in the blink of an eye Tom was standing only a few feet away from the Eiffel Tower. Tom then grew the biggest smile. “Today’s the day.”

title: My first Short Story.

question: What does the passage say about the key?

answer: When he is in the hospital, a mysterious, unnamed woman gives Tom a silver key and kisses him; he passes out and she is gone when he wakes up again. Tom finds the key has his initials engraved into it: T.K. A man with a gun barges into the hospital, asking after the woman and the key, and pursues Tom, demanding Tom hand over the key. Tom wakes again, in his room this time, and still has the key. He puts the key in his door, thinks of Paris, and opens the door to the sight of the Eiffel Tower.

question: Summarize Tom's day at work.

answer: Tom works as an I.T. consultant, a job that makes him unhealthy and is having an adverse impact on his health. His boss is a bully named George Howard who seems to go out of his way to make Tom miserable. This is the day Tom finally quits his job, but he freezes up when he tries to tell his boss. His boss screams at him and Tom yells back insults until George punches him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

question: What does the text say about sword fighting?

question: Summarize Tom's living situation.

answer: Tom lives with a roommate named Guy, who often has people over and spends time getting drunk in the living room, playing loud music that wakes up Tom. Tom is unhappy with the situation but puts off dealing with it. At the end of the story, Tom's bedroom door opens to Paris.


text:
Depending on how we act, Ebola could be over or infect 1.4 million by January.

— -- Without the proper intervention, the Ebola outbreak could reach 1.4 million cases by the end of January, according to new estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That means there could be 21,000 new cases by the end of this month alone.

The CDC created a mathematical model to determine how the West African Ebola outbreak will play out depending on different intervention scenarios, taking into account that current Ebola case counts are "vastly" under-reported, as health officials have been saying since August.

"The CDC estimates are staggering," said ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser. "While this is a disaster for West Africa, it is also a disaster for the United States and the rest of the world."

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According to the World Health Organization, 5,357 Ebola cases have been reported since the outbreak began in West Africa six months ago, including 2,630 deaths. But the organization last month warned that people are hiding their infected family members and burying their dead in secret, leading to "shadow zones" and "invisible caseloads." The CDC's estimates for _reported_ case counts, if current trends continue, are 8,000 by the end of this month and 550,000 by the end of January.

Though there have only been a handful of Americans who have contracted Ebola -- all while working in West Africa -- Besser said the outbreak is a problem for the global community.

"Germs tend to travel," Besser said. "More people sick in Africa increases the chances that the disease will get imported to America. While it won't spread here, any transmission in the U.S. will be for many people, quite terrifying."

Although things look grim if nothing changes, the agency predicted that intervention can make a huge difference.

If 70 percent of Ebola patients are placed in Ebola treatment centers or home settings that reduce transmission by December, the outbreak could be nearly over by the end of January, according to the CDC. However, every month that intervention is delayed means more cases and a slower stop to the outbreak.

"If conditions continue without scale-up of interventions, cases will continue to double approximately every 20 days, and the number of cases in West Africa will rapidly reach extraordinary levels," the report reads.

The CDC study authors concluded that more beds, staff and other treatment resources are needed to curb the outbreak.

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question: Why would people hide infected family members or bury bodies in secret?

answer: It is not stated, but it is possible that they want to avoid getting quarantined for having been exposed to the virus themselves.

question: What percentage of the reported cases have resulted in deaths?

answer: Roughly 49 percent.

question: Assuming the ratio of deaths to cases remains constant, how many deaths are there projected to be by January, assuming the virus isn't stopped?

answer: 686,000