text:
[] Commercial Cooking Certificate

Working in a kitchen takes patience, flexibility, and an immense understanding of not only your own work, but the work of everyone around you. Whether you’re in a narrow food truck or in a large restaurant kitchen, you’ll need to work perfectly with the people around you. And as you advance through your career, you’ll need the skills to not only be a good chef, but also to manage, lead, and create a successful kitchen operation — restaurant or otherwise. Getting your certificate now will ensure you’re prepared for the fast-paced, exciting, and ever-changing culinary world!

Is the Culinary Arts program for you?

Do you not just cook, but create? Do you like tinkering with recipes and adding flavors of your own? Are you interested in all things food? Whether you’re already cooking culinary masterpieces or you’ve only just started your journey in the kitchen, Lane’s Culinary Arts program will prepare you to be a professional ready for whatever comes your way.

When you’re ready to get started, just apply! Our Admissions Office staff will guide you through the steps to enroll to get you started right. You can also contact Admissions with any questions you have about the college, to schedule a tour of the campus, or just to say hello. If you’re not ready to apply today, you can request more information on the program and we’ll get in touch to make a plan that works for you. Be sure to also review information on the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism Management program below.

What will you learn in the Culinary Arts program?

As a culinary arts student, you’ll learn to:

-   create menus using local, seasonal fare (often using food grown on campus!)
-   cost and plan a menu with complimentary dishes
-   work with food and kitchen equipment safely
-   manage inventory purchasing and receiving
-   use food and beverage controls to manage kitchen inventory effectively, ensuring you’ll always have the ingredients you need
-   develop knife skills to work quickly while protecting your hands
-   prepare a variety of regional and international cuisines
-   perfect your dining room service skills
-   operate cooktops, ovens (baking, convection, and conventional), and grills
-   operate food processors, dough mixers, meat slicers, espresso machines, and a variety of kitchen tools
-   operate cash registers and point of sales (POS) systems
-   develop supervisory and human relations skills.
-   develop fundamental baking and pastry knowledge and skills

Turn your passion for food and cooking into a career! Focusing on classical culinary principles and techniques, our program’s coursework builds your knowledge and skills through a carefully chosen sequence of courses with an emphasis on learning by doing. Our program is designed for individuals looking for a career in cooking and food service, as well as those just wanting to learn more about food and improve their cooking skills.

Applying to the Culinary Arts program

In order to ensure every student in the program is able to receive the individual attention and meaningful critiques that they deserve, admission to the Culinary Arts program is selective. To enter one of our programs, once you have completed the Steps to Enroll, you’ll need to show readiness for Math 25 or higher and Writing 97 or higher. Students who do not meet reading and/or math requirements may apply to PASS Lane Summer programming for alternative admission process. PASS Lane contact is Marcia Koening (koeningm@lanecc.edu) 541.463.5818, Bldng 11/244.You will also need an Oregon Food Handlers card.

Ready to apply today? You can apply using our online application!

What can you do next?

Completing your culinary certificate will show your future employers that you're serious about a career in food, and that you have the experience necessary to be an asset in a kitchen. Your skills will be backed by a certificate that shows you’re a well rounded and competitive employee.

Whether you’re starting this certificate with no previous experience or you’ve been working in a kitchen for a while, your Lane Culinary Degree will help you stand out from the crowd and show you’re ready to take the next step in your career! If you’re interested in continuing to a four year program, talk with a program advisor to develop a plan that works for you.

Personal attention from engaging faculty

As a student in the culinary program, you’ll join a cohort that will move through classes together. You’ll work closely with other students to master culinary skills and develop networking connections to help you throughout your career. Your culinary labs will never have more than 24 students and will always be taught by an instructor, not a grad student. Our attentive faculty have real world experience, and they bring those experiences to the classroom! Because of our small class sizes, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your instructor on a first name basis.

Get to know the Culinary Arts faculty and advisors

The faculty and advisors for the program can help you meet your career goals. They can answer any program specific questions you might have, and help you find opportunities outside of the classroom. Advisors will help you schedule your classes and plan for the future. You’ll work with them to create a term by term planner that meets your needs and goals to ensure you complete your degree. And if you’re planning on transferring to a four-year school they can help you take the classes you need to count towards your bachelor's degree.

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Get real world work experience

When you're getting ready to start your career, it’s important that you’re able to show that you have relevant, real world work experience. During your time in the Culinary program, you’ll complete 3 credits of Cooperative Education courses, where you’ll work at a local business earning the experience that’ll make you stand out. Many students even continue to paid employment at their former internship site.

State of the art facilities

The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program is in Building 19. Building 19 holds several culinary classrooms, including the Wiper Kitchen. As the primary classroom for the culinary program, this kitchen offers a dedicated space for you to get hands-on experience using commercial grade equipment. As a first year student, you’ll make it your home.

You’ll have the opportunity to work and run a real restaurant in the second year of the culinary program. The Renaissance Room is a Contemporary American Bistro restaurant that seats 60 and is open to the public for lunch three days a week. Under the supervision of our experienced and credentialed faculty chef instructor, the restaurant provides our culinary and hotel/restaurant/tourism management students with hands-on experience and an instructional environment that offers a quality dining experience to its guests.

THE RENAISSANCE ROOM:

Attending classes at Lane

Lane’s main campus is tucked into the foothills of the Oregon Cascades, providing a stunning landscape for your education. With incredible resources on campus like advising, tutoring services, the library, First Year Experience and so many more, you have the opportunity to make the most out of your degree. Lane also offers student housing at Titan Court in downtown Eugene, next to our Mary Spilde Center. Ready to learn more? Schedule a campus tour to explore our beautiful campus and amazing facilities.

Program Outcomes

  ----------------------------------------
               2019
  ------------ ----------- ---------------
  Graduation   Job         ACF
  Rate (%)     Placement   Certification
               Rate (%)    Rate (%)

  25%          TBD         20%
  ----------------------------------------

  :  Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management, AAS

  ----------------------------------------
               2018
  ------------ ----------- ---------------
  Graduation   Job         ACF
  Rate (%)     Placement   Certification
               Rate (%)    Rate (%)

  29%          No Data     10%
  ----------------------------------------

  :

  ----------------------------------------
               2017
  ------------ ----------- ---------------
  Graduation   Job         ACF
  Rate (%)     Placement   Certification
               Rate (%)    Rate (%)

  29%          No Data     38%
  ----------------------------------------

  :

question: Who is this document advertised for?

answer: It is advertised towards those who are creative cooks of all expertise levels, those who either want to make food a career or those who just want to enhance their skills.

question: What are some things you would learn in the Culinary Arts program?

answer: You can learn to create menus, develop knife skills, and use food and beverage controls to manage kitchen inventory effectively.

question: How does the document tell you that you can turn your passion for food and cooking into a career?

answer: If you join the Culinary Arts program, you can focus on classical culinary principals and techniques with courses that have an emphasis on learning by doing.

question: How do you apply to the program?

answer: You have to complete the Steps to Enroll, show readiness for Math 25 or higher and Writing 97 or higher, and have an Oregon Food Handlers card. After that, you can apply using the online application.

question: What are some of the types of equipment mentioned?

answer: Food processors, dough mixers, meat slicers, espresso machines, and cooktops

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of this document, Lane's Culinary Arts program advertises and describes their services. They are geared towards those who are creative in the kitchen at any expertise level and are interested in making food a career or enhancing their skills. Details on how to apply to the program are also given.


split: train

text:
STEF WILS (born 8 February 1982) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Belgian club K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar.

Career

Wils started his career at the highest level of Belgian football with Lierse, where he remained 5 seasons. He then signed for Westerlo where he was supposed to replace Chris Janssens. Wils made his move to Gent during the winter transfer window of 2008–09, before returning to Westerlo in August 2011, signing a three-year contract. After the relegation of Westerlo in 2012, he moved to Cercle Brugge.

Honours

K.A.A. Gent

-   Belgian Cup (1): 2009–10

title: Stef Wils

question: When was Stef Wils born?

answer: He was born on February 8, 1982.

question: Where did Wils begin his career?

answer: He started his career with the Belgian football club Lierse.

question: What position does Wils play?

answer: He plays center back.

question: What team is Wils currently on?

answer: He currently plays for the Belgian club K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Stef Wils is a Belgian professional footballer who plays the center back position. He currently plays for the Belgian club K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar.


text:
If you regularly contribute to a health savings account and plan to claim Social Security past your full retirement age, watch out.

That's because you can no longer contribute to an HSA once you're on Medicare, no matter whether you sign up just for Part A hospital coverage (which is free) or additional parts of the program that require premiums.

While this sounds straightforward enough, complications can arise for people who delay _both_ Social Security and Medicare.

Here's why: When you delay claiming Social Security beyond your full retirement age, you're generally offered a lump sum in retroactive benefits of up to six months, dating no farther back than your full retirement age (which is 66 for most people right now).

If you're not yet on Medicare when that happens and are contributing to an HSA, there's the potential for issues.

"The problem is that if you take the lump sum from Social Security, it triggers Medicare Part A being effective retroactively as well," said certified financial planner Peggy Sherman, a lead advisor at Briaud Financial Advisors in College Station, Texas. "So if you made contributions to an HSA during that time, you face an excise tax of 6% on those contributions in addition to income taxes."

Anyone in that situation should remove those so-called improper contributions and alert your employer to remove any matching contributions made on your behalf, she said.

"That would need to be done by the tax return filing date for the year it's happening in," Sherman said. "If you sign up for Social Security this year, you have to remove those contributions by April 15 of next year to avoid the tax issue."

With more people staying in the workforce well into their 60s and 70s, it's a situation that's more likely to crop up as those workers put off claiming Social Security and enrolling in Medicare.

As long as you have qualified health insurance through work, you can delay going on Medicare without facing a late-enrollment penalty. This means you can continue contributing to your HSA in combination with a high-deductible health plan.

For 2019, the maximum HSA contribution is $3,500 if you have self-only insurance, and $7,000 for family plans. People age 55 and older are allowed to put in an additional $1,000. The money comes with a triple tax benefit: Contributions are deductible, the money grows tax-free and withdrawals are tax-free as long as they are used to pay for qualifying medical expenses.

Delaying Social Security also holds appeal: Your benefits grow by 8% each year you delay up until age 70.

The lump sum offered by the government, and retroactive Medicare coverage, depends on how far beyond your full retirement age you are when you claim Social Security. As mentioned, you can get up to six months' worth of retroactive benefits.

MORE FROM PERSONAL FINANCE:
One way to get guaranteed income while delaying Social Security
Those credit scores you see may not be what lenders use
Trump vs. the Fed: What it means for your money

For example, say your full retirement age is 66 and you tap Social Security three months after your birthday. The government would offer to give you a lump sum worth those three months of benefits, which would make your effective date retroactive to your birthday. Sign up six months or more after your full retirement age, and you'll be offered a six-month lump sum for retroactive benefits and effective date.

If you think you'll accept a lump sum, you need to stop your HSA contributions before that retroactive date would kick in to avoid the tax complications, Sherman said.

She also pointed out that rejecting the lump sum — and retroactive effective claiming date — isn't necessarily a bad idea anyway.

"If they say we'll give you a lump sum worth six months and you say no, your base benefit will be 4% higher," Sherman said.

In other words, based on an 8% increase in your base benefits for each year you delay claiming Social Security, the effective date that's six months later would mean a permanent 4% increase in monthly benefits. If you were to take the lump sum, your base benefit would be pinned to that earlier date of claiming, making it less.

If your Medicare coverage becomes effective in the middle of the year, you can make HSA contributions that are proportional to the time you were still eligible to contribute. That is, each month of eligibility would be 1/12th of the maximum amount you can put in.

And of course, while you can no longer contribute to an HSA once you're on Medicare, you can use the money to pay for premiums, copays, deductibles and any other qualifying medical expense, Sherman said. Also, once you turn 65, there is no longer a 20% penalty if the money is used for nonmedical expenses.

_SUBSCRIBE TO CNBC ON YOUTUBE._

question: What does the text say about Medicare?

answer: You are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A when you apply for Social Security after retiring. Medicare has multiple parts: Part A includes hospital coverage and is free, additional parts of the program require premiums. If you delay Social Security and Medicare after retiring, it is important to end you Health Savings Account at a certain time, otherwise excise tax of 6% can be charged. If you stay employed and have qualified health insurance, you do not face a late-enrollment penalty from Medicare. When you are on Medicare, you can no longer contribute to a Health Savings Account.

question: What does the text say about the current retirement age?

answer: The full retirement age for most people are 66 years old. More and more people are working into their 60's and 70's. If you have qualified health insurance, you can delay going on Medicare without facing late-enrollment penalty. It makes sense to hold off claiming Social Security because your benefits grow by 8% each year until age 70. Also, once you turn 65, there is no longer a 20% penalty if the money is used for nonmedical expenses.

question: Summarize the information relating to tax in the article.

answer: You can delay going on Medicare after your full retirement age if you have qualified health insurance through you employer. You can also continue contributing to your Health Savings Account during this time which hold triple tax benefits: Contributions are deductible, the money grows tax-free and withdrawals are tax-free as long as they are used to pay for qualifying medical expenses. Once you claim Social Security after retirement it triggers Medicare Part A and, if you are still paying toward your Health Savings Account at this time, excise tax will be charged at 6%. Contributions should be stopped to avoid this. It is also worthwhile to consider rejecting the lump sum to increase your base benefit.

question: Summarize the information relating to the restriction of nonmedical expenses.


text:
[Indy moments 100]

As a Briton who has followed Motor Racing pretty much since he started talking I have always been drawn to Indycar racing and in particular to the Indianapolis 500. Very few races in my eyes are able to capture that mix of excitement, unpredictability and most importantly history that makes Motor Racing so compelling for both myself and for many others. Yes American Open Wheel Racing has had its ups and downs over the years, but if anything it has only helped to add to the intriguing nature of the sport and its showpiece event. This year of course the Indianpolis celebrates its 100th running, so as a tribute to the great race I decided to put together this blog commemorating some of the most legendary stories that have helped to make the Memorial Day race what it is today. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to 100 years and 100 moments of the Indianapolis 500.
For the start of this countdown it seems fitting that we begin by looking at how the legendary 500 began its life in the first place, a story defined by technology, opportunism and like most things in the 20th century, corporate pressures.

In 1900 businessman Carl Graham Fisher, who had at the time made his living running a cycling repair shop in his native Indiana, attended a show held in New York’s old Madison Square Garden as part of a team led by cycle racing pioneer Barney Oldfield, the show proving the first ever recording of a motoring exhibition taking place in North America. Convinced that these ‘horseless carriages’ were to be the future of transport, Fisher invested heavily in motoring based businesses at the expense of his cycling empire, opening one of the first ever car dealerships in America as well teaming with the inventor Percy C. Avery to patent the creation of what would later become the world’s first car headlight. As demand for the motor car grew Fisher was the first to benefit, and in the process helped to establish is place as one of the figureheads of the burgeoning trade.

[61pgzq6bgxl]
The aforementioned ‘Line in the dirt’, demonstrating Fisher’s vision for a purpose built racing facility in Indianapolis
In 1905 Fisher returned from a from a racing event in France where he had been amazed at the advances in motoring design and craftsmanship from these machines in mainland Europe when compared to American creations of the time. At the time test and racing facilities in North America had been restricted to public roads and on old horse tracks, facilities ill-equipped for the vigour of car testing and not satisfying in a racing context to the paying customer. Fisher made the assumption that for the benefit of the motor community that a purpose built facility designed for car testing should be developed, with Fisher’s home town of Indianapolis quickly chosen as the ideal location for the venture.

Construction of the facility would commence on the 20th of March, 1909, five miles North West of Indianapolis city centre on four adjacent eighty acre tracks which had once been previously used for farmland, adjacent to the commuter track of what was to become Georgetown road, with the circuit itself first being used for competition for the first time in August later in the year. Early races however proved to be disastrous, the circuit’s crushed stone and asphalt surface over a clay undercoat made the track conditions treacherous, and following a spate of fatalities in the first few months Fisher and his fellow investors made the expensive decision ($100,00 in 1909 money) to repave the entire circuit with 2.5 million bricks as well as the introduction of concrete walls surrounding the track, earning the circuit the nickname ‘The Brickyard’ in the process.

[1911-carl-fisher-at-indy]
Fisher tests the original layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The newly repaved course was reopened in time for the 1910 racing season, where the speedway and its new surface would play host to nine racing events over the course of the year, it would however be the catalyst for the next trouble to hit the speedway during its short life. Whilst the Memorial Day event at the speedway proved to be a success, generating an attendance of 60,000 people to watch Ray Harroun win the 200 mile Wheeler-Schebler Trophy race from that point on attendances at the speedway grew progressively smaller over the course of the year, culminating in a paltry 18,000 people attending the final day of an event held during Labor Day weekend, the figures prompted Fisher and his associates to make the suggestion that the large number of events that the Speedway was holding per year was working to it’s detriment and in the process diluting the interest in the sport in the local area. On the 5th of September, 1910 Fisher and his partners met up to decide on a future for their speedway, it was there that a pivotal decision, one with major future implications, was made.

Starting with the 1911 racing season the Speedway would instead of hosting multiple events over the course of the year play host to just one large, solitary event on the profitable memorial day weekend with a large cash incentive of $30,000 dollars awarded to the winner. After much discussion over the length of the event, which included the idea of a 24 hour race long before the concept was thought of for Le Mans, a length of 500 miles was decided upon by the four men, this length would be long enough to prove beneficial for car manufacturers to test their machines but still short enough to avoid the fear of paying customers leaving the facility before the event. Within two days of the decision the formal announcement was made, and this new and prestigious event would make its inaugural running on the 30th of May, 1911, and thus the Indianapolis 500 was born.

question: When was the Indianapolis 500 born?

answer: May 30, 1911

question: Who founded the Indy 500?

answer: Carl Graham Fisher

question: Why did they call it the Indy 500?

answer: Indy is short for Indianapolis, the city where the race originated from and where the speedway is located. "500" means 500 miles, and the first driver to reach 500 miles wins the tournament.

question: How much was the first cash prize of the Indy 500?

answer: $30,000

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The blog post is all about the author's appreciation of the Indianapolis 500 and the iconic race's humble beginnings. Businessman Carl Graham Fisher became fascinated with the advances in automobiles after attending a motoring exhibit in New York and opens one of the first-ever car dealerships in America that the expense of his cycling empire. He then goes to France to watch a racing event and was amazed by European strides in motoring design and craftsmanship. Realizing American motoring was nowhere near its European counterparts, Fisher decides to build a facility where cars could be tested, and decides his hometown of Indianapolis as the location. This decision paves the way for future racing events being held at the speedway, ultimately leading to the creation of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911.


text:
John MacAndrew bent to the ground, picking up the last piece of wood, he placed it with the others.  John's wife sent him out to the woods to find firewood for the night.

On his way back to the farm, John noticed three men in the woods, traveling down an animal made path.  John was expecting them.  Reivers who were sent out to find John and kill him.  Reivers were raiders along the Scottish/English border consisting of both nationalities.  John had earlier joined forces with the Ross clan who where pursuing a group of reivers who had stolen the cattle of the Ross Clan.  John was one archer of supreme skill and made a name for himself killing reivers with his bow.  At the end of the pursuit, John pulled out his bow and struck the Chief reiver in the eye.

As the men walked down the path they noticed a young man carrying a bundle of wood.  The young man was not a tall one, actually he was rather short in stature, and seemed to have trouble carrying the wood as he stumbled and dropped one piece after another.
"You there boy," the reiver said.  "Do you know a John MacAndrew?"
"I know him," John said.  "I'm the servant."
"I need you to show us where he lives."
"Not sure if I can do that, he doesn't like visitors."
What a surprise, thought the reivers.  John MacAndrew was known for his run-ins with border raiders and was constantly in danger from one seeking a vendetta.
"Tell you what," one of the reivers said.  "I will give you two shillings if you bring us to MacAndrew."
"Two shillings? I guess I could take you to his house."
They followed the boy up the path to a small farm and up to the farm house.  The house was not much to look at, at most it looked like it held two rooms.  Outside the house was an old oak tree, it looked as if it been there for centuries.

Claire MacAndrew placed the last log into the fireplace.  She sat at the large table at the center of the room, the table itself almost took up the entire room, leaving little space to walk.  Where is he?  John should be home by now, thought Claire.  It was a cold night and the fire would not last much longer.  There was a knock on the door.  Claire got up from her seat and opened the small wooden door.  Standing outside was her husband and three large men.  John took off his hat and held it with both hands.
"Excuse me Ms,"  John said.  "Is your husband around?"
"He ran off about an hour ago, but he should be around here somewhere."
Claire and her husband had many encounters with reivers.  She knew all about the dangers that seemed to follow John wherever he went.  Once again she would have to help John escape his troubles.  Where would he be without me?  Dead, perhaps, thought Claire.
"Would you like to come in?"
"Do you have food?" said one of the reivers.
"We always have food for guests, please sit down."
The reivers one by one walk in and sat down at the table.  John also walked it with his hat still in hand as he stood patently by the door.
"Samuel,"  Claire turned to John.  "Go fetch the master,  I think he went to check on the cows."
"Yes Ms."
With a smile John put his hat back on and ran out the door, closing the door behind him.

Once outside, John made his way to the barn located behind the house.  The barn was where the MacAndrew's kept farm equipment and newly slaughtered animals.  Inside there was a newly killed cow.  John placed the cow on his shoulder and carried it back to the house.  Placing the cow against the door, with the flesh side up, made it more of a challenge to open the door from the inside.  John turned around to face the old oak tree.  My favorite tree, thought John as he started to climb.  About six meters up, John reached into a hollow crevice within the tree.  He pulled out a bow and a quiver with a supply of arrows.

Placing three cups on the table, Claire poured water for each of the three men at the table.
"I thought you had food."
"I'm bringing you food, I thought you would want some water first."
At the far end of the house Claire opened the pantry where she stored a small provision of food.  She gathered a arm full of small whole wheel size of cheese.
"I hope you all like cheese."
"Cheese?" said one man.  "She has cheese!"
"A whole wheel of cheese." Claire said.  She made her way over to the men, still seated, eagerly awaiting the first meal in half a day of travel.  While walking to the reivers she slipped and fell onto the newly swept dirt floor.  The balls of cheese bounced and rolled away from her in every direction.  The three men all in a hurry flew from their seats and dived for the cheese, fighting each other for the food.  As if they where rodents, desperate for food, crammed the food into their own mouths as if there was no time to chew.  Suddenly the room was filled with the cry of the young man.
"MacAndrew is coming!"  the boy yelled.  "John MacAndrew is on his way!"
The men struggled to get to their feet.  One choked as he tried to spit a large piece of cheese from his mouth.  They rushed for the door, but there was something pressing against the small wooden door, slowing their escape.

John watched as if someone was struggling to open the door.  The fresh cow carcass was doing what he wished.  John pulled out an arrow from his quiver.  Pulled back on his bow, aimed at the door and waited.  The door slowly by little budged open more and more.  A large jut finally flew the door open as the carcass fell in front of the door with the skinned side facing upwards.  The first of the reivers rushed out.  He slipped on the skinned carcass and landed on his back.  John released his first arrow.  The arrow struck the man in the neck entering from the lower part of the neck and traveled upwards towards the skull.  Reiver number two emerged from the farm house, sword in hand.  He looked around, as if he was scanning his surroundings.  John released his second arrow.  The reiver looked upwards towards the oak tree.  The arrow struck the man in the head, killing him instantly.  The third and final reiver staggered out, still choking on his piece of cheese roll, sword in hand.  The third arrow left John MacAndrew's bow.  Striking the man in the spleen.  The man fell as he screamed in agony.  John released a fourth arrow.  Hitting the man in the stomach, followed by a fifth arrow to the chest.

John placed his quiver of arrows and bow back into the crevice of the old oak tree.  As the climbed back down his wife came out to see what had happened.
"You know they will send more men to find you."
"Let them come,"  John said.  "They are not the first, and they will not be the last raiders I kill."
"Don't you think it would be wise to move north?"  Claire said.  "I mean--away from the border, away from the cattle raiders?"
"Why?  John asked.  "This is our home.  If they want to steal my cattle and my way of living they will have to get past me first.  I'm not going to be chased away from my home."
"I'm just not sure how many times I can get you out of trouble John."
"Don't worry, I'm the best archer this place has ever seen.  I'm not going anywhere soon."

title: John MacAndrew and the Reivers

question: Who is the best archer in the land?

answer: John MacAndrew.

question: Where do reivers live?

answer: On the border of England and Scotland.

question: Why do the reivers want to kill John?

answer: He joined forces with the Ross Clan, to pursue some cattle they had stolen from the Ross clan.

question: How does John deceive the reavers?

answer: He pretends to be a farm-hand when he is actually the master of the house, then he ambushes them.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: John MacAndrew is the best archer in the land. He lives on the border of England and Scotland, a land plagued by reivers. He fights off a group of cattle raiders who come to his farm by ambushing them.


text:
[William L. Crittenden] Colonel WILLIAM LOGAN CRITTENDEN (1823–1851) was a United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican–American War and later accompanied Narciso López's 1851 filibustering Lopez Expedition in Cuba. He was captured by Spanish forces and executed in Havana on August 16, 1851.

Family

Crittenden was born to Henry and Anna Marie (Allen) Crittenden in 1823. His brother was Thomas Theodore Crittenden, who became Governor of Missouri in 1881 and issued a bounty for Jesse James. At the time of Crittenden's participation in the López expedition, his uncle, John J. Crittenden, was serving as Attorney General of the United States.

Crittenden's paternal grandfather was John Crittenden, who served as a major with the Virginia militia in the American Revolution and was one of the first settlers in Kentucky. His maternal grandfather was John Allen, a Kentucky soldier who was killed in action at the Battle of Frenchtown in 1813. Through Allen, he was also a descendant of Benjamin Logan, an early Kentucky pioneer.[1]

Military career

Crittenden attended the Military Academy at West Point, and after graduation, served in the Mexican War. After the war, he resigned his commission and, in 1851, joined López's expedition to liberate Cuba from Spanish rule. The expedition departed New Orleans on August 3, 1851 on the steamer _Pampero_. The filibusters disembarked at the village of Morillos on August 12. Upon their arrival, however, they found little support among the local Cuban population and López traveled inland, leaving Crittenden in command of a force of 100 men. Spanish forces quickly surrounded Crittenden's troops, who desperately tried to escape the island in four small fishing boats. They were quickly captured by the Spanish steamer _Habanero_ on the 15th. Crittenden and 50 of his men were taken to Havana and executed as pirates on August 16.[2]

Americans in both the north and the south were infuriated when news of the executions reached the States. Even if they disapproved of the filibusters' breach of neutrality, many Americans saw the response of the Spanish officers as unnecessarily brutal. In New Orleans, growing anti-Spanish sentiment resulted in riots that attacked the Spanish consulate in the city. However, the U.S. government refused to officially protest Spain's actions, maintaining that the expedition had been an illegal operation.[3]

Crittenden became a martyr and folk hero to the people in Kentucky in the years following his death. A popular story purported that he had refused to be blindfolded or kneel to his executioners, proclaiming that “A Kentuckian always faces his enemy and kneels only to his God.”[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: William Logan Crittenden

question: What year did Colonel William Logan Crittenden die?

answer: 1851.

question: In which war did he fight?

answer: The Mexican-American War.

question: Where did he attend military academy?

answer: West Point.

question: What was his fate?

answer: He and his crew were executed as pirates in Havana in 1851.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Colonel William Logan Crittenden was a US military officer who served in the Mexican-American War. Educated at West Point, an esteemed military academy, he went on serve in the war. He resigned from his commission in 1851 to take a steamer from New Orleans to Havana with a crew of 50 men to attempt to liberate Cuba from Spanish rule. Crittenden and his men were summarily captured by the Spanish steamer Habanero and executed as pirates in Havana. He has been elevated to martyrdom in US folklore.


text:
Introduction: Loading Message Card

This is an awesome hand-made "Loading Message" card and it is super easy to make! Watch as you pull the card out from the envelope the bars will actually "load"! This card isn't just great for techies, its great for everyone! The card measures about 6.5 inches wide and 3.6 inches high and will fit nicely in #8 size envelope.

I have made greeting cards similar to this one before, and actually, its almost like a theme of cards with the similar style/design and I can proudly say that "It's back and better than ever!". You may have seen my other greeting card instructables ("Loading" Christmas Card" and Retro Valentine's Day Card) before and think "why did he make another one?". Well, this one is CUSTOMIZABLE!

Located in step 2 are 3 files; A .docx file, a .pages file and a PDF. This way it doesn't matter whether you have a Mac OS or a Windows OS, you'll be all set either way! With these documents you can edit the text on the card and/or replace it with your own personal message!

As you can see in the photos, this card was specially designed to look like an old computer's loading window. Also, there are various improvements in the way the card was designed compared to my previous ones. Now what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Step 1: Supplies

To make this card you will need:

Scotch Tape

Scissors

An X-ACTO Knife

A Printer

2 Sheets of White Card-stock - _not shown in photos_

Something To Cut On (i.e. A Cutting Mat) - _not shown in photos_

Step 2: Customizing Your Card

As mentioned in the intro, you can customize the card! But before you can begin customizing your card you will need to download and install the "silkscreen" font from fontsquirrel.com. Once you have downloaded and installed the font you may be begin customizing your card! To do this you will need to download the appropriate file from this step (_If you have WINDOWS, download the ".zip" file; it contains the ".docx" file. If you have a MAC download the ".pages" file_).

_If you don’t have Microsoft Word OR Pages you can download the PDF and manually add your own text to the card. The PDF does not have any editable text fields, but you can easily add your own using just about any software._ After you have downloaded the appropriate file, add/edit text to your satisfaction. Once you are pleased with the results print both pages on to sheets of white card-stock.

WINDOWS USERS: Download the ".zip" file; it contains the ".docx" file.

Step 3: Cutting

Use a pair of scissors to cut out all the 3 parts of the card from the 2 sheets of paper you just printed. Then use an X-ACTO knife to remove all of the dark blue rectangles from the front of the card. This can be tedious, so just take your time and make sure that you are giving it your best! This will also be very strenuous on your hands so if you need, every few rectangles put the knife down, flex your hand, and resume cutting. Don't forget to cut out the bigger one on the far right of the card.

Step 4: Assembling

Now its time to assemble the card! Place the front of the card onto the back of the card (the mostly white piece). Make sure they are lined up exactly on top of each other. Also make sure you can see the dark blue coloring through the holes on the front of the card. Now place a long strip of tape across the entire top edge of the card, leaving half to hang off. Fold the tape that is hanging off over to the back of the card. If you have any excess tape like as shown in the photos, use your scissors to cut the excess tape off. In other words, what you are really doing is making a pouch by taping closed the edges of the card from the outside. Do this to all of the edges of the card _except_ the right edge. Then, using scissors, cut the white square out from the right side of the card.

Step 5: Finishing

Now all you have to do to is insert the remaining piece with your personal message into the "pouch" you just made. It may be a tight squeeze, so if the card doesn't slide in out of the pouch easily, you may need to trim it down a little on the top and bottom. That's it! Your done!

5 People Made This Project!

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question: How large is the card?

answer: The card is about 6.5 inches wide and 3.6 inches tall.

question: What is the card designed to look like?

answer: The card is designed to look like an old computer's loading window.

question: How can you customize the card?

answer: You can use whatever text you would like on the card.

question: What font do you need to download?

answer: You need to download the "silkscreen" font from fontsquirrel.com

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article details how to make a hand-made "Loading Message" card that can be customized in regards to the text it shows.


text:
Everything was shutting down. The orange glow of the candles and torches flickered and faded. She noticed this. Eric, she called, as I descended into blackness. Eric, she warned, as footsteps approached. I could no longer heed her. I felt overwhelmingly intoxicated, unable to stand, unable to willfully coordinate useful movement.

Her final call was half my name and half violence. Our pursuers had reached us, hushing her with a blow to the windpipe and dragging her away. As I drew in dusty, labored breath and began weeping, pleading with them, they attacked me as well. My ribs, neck and head received a flurry of strikes and a sharp shock to the back told me I had been stabbed. A new taste graced my tongue and spilled to the floor. I sputtered and my breathing seized.

The candle's glow sharpened with a new scream. The last offering from the poor girl. It echoed off cold walls, in my head, my wound, and invaded my blood. Our assailants had left their dagger in me. I painfully stretched and writhed, grasping the blade and freeing it from between my ribs. It was ancient, inscribed with a language unknown to myself on a shining, yet darker than gunmetal blade.

I attempted to stand. Control was coming back, but rising without leaning into the walls would have been impossible. I held the blade tightly and resolved to follow her last cry down the corridor. I shuffled weakly forward, feeling the grit and blood combine with fearful sweat on the dagger's handle. I stumbled through darkness and wondered how far in the ground we - I - was. I couldn't even hear the subways rumble past anymore. The bustle of the thriving city above was mute, seemingly as terrified as I was in the dark. I descended more steps, expecting the flames of hell to greet my soles.

She was forcibly laid on an altar. They did not attempt to bind her. They simply held her, in the interest of time, and completed their sacrament. A pyre's flames began to consume what remained and unleashed an awful stench to go with the ghastly sight. The followers awaited my arrival and tended the flame.

I couldn't pay her any mind. They watched as I staggered into the light. They were not surprised. I was expected. The only words offered were, "It is done," barely audible over the roar of the flame. They offered no fight. It seemed as if they had offered themselves as sacrifices in return for the girl. There was no resistance as the blade I now held sunk deep into their hearts.

I worked quickly, invigorated by this new feeling, the pleasure of murderous revenge. Yet, as they lay writhing on the floor, choking on their final breaths, I felt unsatisfied. And then, panicked.
What had I done? I hadn't known these people, and I hadn't known why they had brought the girl and I down there. I hadn't even known the girl whom I took revenge for. But she had known me, somehow. Fearing repercussion, I felt the need to cover my tracks. The crackling fire, blazing high to the ceiling, offered me a solution. I slowly, laboriously dragged each corpse, and some, soon-to-be corpses, toward the fire, singeing myself as I pushed them into the heat.

In my excitement I forgot about my wound. Something, adrenaline, perhaps? Something covered the pain, despite the massive rush of blood seeping out. With my shirt I attempted to stop it and turned to face the stairs. I began the long journey skyward, accompanied by my footsteps and new memories only.

After what seemed to be hours, I arrived where we began our captive decent. I pushed hard on the metal grate overhead, noticing I had finally stopped leaking blood. Maybe I had run out, I weakly joked to myself. The grate swung open, crashing hard. The sound of the city greeted my ears again, and artificial light, fluorescent, neon, lit the alleyway like daylight. I struggled to lift and close the grate with another slam. I began walking quickly, paranoid for witnesses. I still bore the blade thoughtlessly.

"You look dead," commented a homeless man, crumpled against the wall, arms protecting his drink. I could hardly speak, and became more worried, looking for more viewers. I limped to my apartment as fast as my legs would allow.

I felt like I had conquered easier mountains. The last bit of stairs leading to my apartment tested me more than anything else that day. Several times I collapsed weakly, desiring nothing but rest. Luckily, the common areas of my building were vacant. I wondered how late it at night it had become, how long our ordeal lasted. I shuffled the last few steps to the door, unlocked it, entered and slammed it shut quickly, locking every available lock. I crawled through the kitchen, to the bathroom, leaning on the sink. I turned it on, drinking messily from a cupped hand, before searching for gauze. Too tired to care, I stuffed it in any wound I could muster, and burned the last of my energy crawling to the bed. I slammed face down on my pillow and closed my eyes, instantly asleep.

I found no relief from the terror of yesterday in my unconscious. Events played and replayed, reliving the attack, the pain of the stab, the fear as the girl was dragged away forever. I felt once again the warm fire, the cold stares of my victims. They seemed to stare at me even in death, and beyond the flames' consumption. I saw myself again, from a different point of view, as I stumbled wildly from the alley to my apartment, more ragged and animalistic than I remembered. Like a madman, I saw myself entering the apartment, drinking, bandaging myself, and crashing into my bed. I saw myself lay there for what seemed like hours, even recognizing the light of the sun begin to creep into the windows. I see myself become startled as the sunlight revealed a viewer, seated neatly on an old folding chair.
I "inspect" closely.

In disbelief, I conclude it is the girl.

title: "You look dead." [Go ahead, critique me without mercy! I'll thank you for it.]

question: From the passage, who is the girl?

answer: The girl's identity is not stated.

question: Why was the narrator's life in danger, and how did the girl know him?

answer: It is not stated why the narrator is in danger or how the girl knows him.

question: Why didn't the attackers put up a fight when the narrator attempted to kill them?

answer: It seems they expected to lose their lives because they killed the girl.

question: What led the narrator to his current circumstance?

answer: That information cannot be found.

question: Write a ~9 sentence summary.

answer: Eric's life is in danger as some people he doesn't know are after him. He finds himself in a dark place with a girl he doesn't know. It appears the girl knows who he is as she calls out his name to warn him of the pursuers after his life; she is killed. The attackers expect Eric to retaliate for killing the girl, so they don't put up a fight. Even though wounded, Eric manages to stab them in the chest. He gets rid of the bodies by incinerating them and shuffles out from underground back into the city. He trudges home weakly, hoping he isn't seen by anybody else besides a homeless man. When he gets home, he drinks water, barely caters to his wound and falls asleep. In his subconscious, he replays the previous day's events right until he sees the girl in the room.


text:
For months you have held this family captive.  It started out so innocently. Barely knew you were there. But over the last few months, no one is denying your existence anymore. Sure, my wife said you were a bit mean when she first thought you were around. No worries, normal stuff, nothing to get upset over, right? Maybe she was even making some of it up? But those first signs of abuse should have been a key indication of what was to come.

Everyday I’d go to work thinking things were fine. She would give me reassurances that she was tip top, and nothing was the matter. I’d tell my co-workers what was going on, only to receive laughs and smiles. “Is this the proper reaction to a hostage situation?” I think back wondering how it got this way so fast.

Months pass and things seemed to be escalating. She would inform me of pains, and problems. I would ask her if there was anything I could do to help. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all normal,” brushing my attempts at assistance away. “Not a whole lot you can do,” would be the rebuttal. Feeling powerless in these situations, anxiety can turn to worry. Sometimes daydreams to be released from this captor play out in my mind, wanting for some kind of way to change the predicament for the best, with as little consequence as possible. These thoughts and schemes are a constant plague on my reality.

More time passes. We learn more about you, your name for a start. Funny how we could all go so long without knowing what to call you, but understanding between captor and hostage takes time doesn’t it. I guess now we can have a proper dialogue. You don’t really say much, but we are well aware of your intentions. We know what you have in store for us, more so what you have in store for my wife. It scares her tremendously, but she carries on. Strong enough to withstand what pain you put her through. Again I wish for some way to help her through this, to stand in and take some of that pain for her. But I am not your target, she is.

Your demands are starting to take their toll. I try and contemplate what help I could get, who I could contact. But we are so far gone at this point, there really isn’t much anyone can do. Long before now, we would stop anyone trying to intervene. Yes, we are both so attached to you, o captor, we would fight tooth and nail for your safety, despite what pain you cause.

The day comes that one of your attacks is too much. She is in so much pain. Bodily fluids have been spilt. She needs medical attention. As we all proceed to the hospital, thoughts run through my mind. “It’s almost over. The opportunity is here. We’re getting out of this.” Neither one of us leave her side. This relationship has turned very different, but no one is paying any attention. It takes many hours, but she if finally calm and stable. Things are quiet, and she is sleeping.

As I finally take this chance to have a face-to-face with you properly, I hold you close. “Damn son, your brother didn’t screw with us this much.” I give you a kiss, and lay you back in your crib. We get to take you home tomorrow. Suddenly I realize you and your brother will be holding us hostage for the next 18-20 years. But that is ok, I’m going to love every minute of it.

The End

title: Hostage situation

question: Summarize how the main character changes over the course of the story.

answer: The main character's wife is pregnant, he shares the news with coworkers and receives laughs and smiles. Over the coming months, the situation escalates with his wife enduring increasing amounts of pain and problems during her pregnancy while he could only watch from the sidelines, feeling powerless the main character dreams of being free. The main character opens a dialogue with his unborn baby, but does not learn much. He becomes increasingly attached to the new baby and admits that he would fight tooth and nail to protect him. The baby is born through a painful and long birth. The main character holds his son close and acknowledges that they will look after him and his brother for 18-20 years.

question: Summarize the way in which the perceived hostage situation manifests.

answer: The main character's wife starts to endure abuse. When the main character shares his situation with his coworkers they laugh it off, and in hindsight he doesn't think this is an appropriate response to a hostage situation. The situation escalates with his wife's pain getting worse and the main character feeling helpless and starting to get anxious. They get attached as time passes and the main character acknowledges that they are now committed for the next 18-20 years.

question: What is the wife's role in the story?

answer: In the first part of the story she realizes that she is pregnant with a baby. She shares her situation with her husband, but he thinks she might be making some of it up. As the pregnancy progresses she experiences escalating pain and problems. She is terrified of the future but remains strong until the baby is born. She is stable at the end of the story and her husband is speaking to their newborn son.

question: Summarize the motivation of the hostage taker?


text:
I wrote this in high school, was thinking about trying to get it published, any thoughts or critiques would be great

Once there was a pickle named Girth. Girth was a very happy pickle, a little green for his age, but he got along well with all the other pickles in his town. When his parents told him his family had to move to a new town, Girth was very upset. This meant he would have to leave his family and friends, including the town he grew up in. No more strolls down Strubb Meadows, Girth thought, or family dinners at the People Barrel. Although Girth was devastated about having to leave his beloved town, he was also excited about the idea of moving somewhere new.
	When all of his possessions were packed up, and the car ready to go, Girth and his family set off for their new town. When they arrived, Girth noticed that this new town was very similar to his old town, with one major difference. Instead of everyone being dark green and bumpy, like they were in his old town, everyone here was smooth, and a lighter shade of green. “How very odd” Girth thought to himself. When he asked his parents about it, they told him that everyone in this town was a ‘cu-cumber’. “What’s a cu-cum-ber?” Girth asked, curious to know about them. “Well” replied his mother, “They’re just like Pickles, just a little smoother”. “Oh boy!” Girth responded gleefully “Cucumbers! I can’t wait to meet one!” When Girth got home, he eagerly packed his school bag, excited for his first day at school.

	The night flew by and the next thing Girth knew, it was time for school.  When his Mom dropped him off, she gave him a big kiss, and drove away.  Girth walked in to his new school, excited for his first day at Cucumber Collegiate.  As he walked to his first class, Girth noticed that many of the other kids were staring at him, whispering things to each other and laughing.  Girth assumed they did this to all new students, and continued walking to his class. The day went on and it seemed that everywhere he went, people were staring and whispering. Girth was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, and started wishing that he had never moved to this strange new town.
	 Every time he tried to talk to some of the other children, they would call him a word he didn’t understand, and run away. At the end of the day, Girth was closing his locker and getting ready to walk home when a big scary looking Cucumber approached him and knocked the books out of his hands. “Ouch!” cried Girth. “What was that for?” wondering if the Cucumber had knocked him by accident. “Look Bump face” said the cucumber in a booming voice “You don’t belong here, so I suggest you leave”.  “And take your bumpy face with you!” yelled someone from the group that had begun to form around Girth.  Girth’s cheeks turned a bright green, boiling hot from embarrassment. He grabbed his books off the ground and ran home as fast as (his legs would take him) he could, hearing someone call out “Relish Breath!” as he ran away.

	When Girth got home, he ran straight for his room and started to cry in his pillow. Days passed and every day seemed to get worse for Girth as he was teased and bullied by all the Cucumbers at school. Girth couldn’t understand why he was being teased until one fateful morning his father finally explained it to him.  He told Girth about the feud between Pickles and Cucumbers, and how Cucumbers had enslaved Pickles until not so long ago. Girth couldn’t understand why all the Cucumbers teased him because he was a pickle, but continued going through school miserably. One day, on a particularly miserable afternoon, Girth ran into a mysterious old cucumber on his way home from school. “What’s wrong child?” the old Cucumber asked. “Nothing you could possibly understand” Girth replied and continued walking. “Nothing indeed...” the old cucumber muttered to himself, sneering as he disappeared into the shadows.

	The next day, Girth was walking home from school again when the mysterious old cucumber approached him again, this time carrying something under his robe. “Here child, drink this potion and you will find the happiness you seek.” Girth was very scared to drink the bubbling potion, but figured that desperate times called for desperate measures. Girth stared at the potion, watching it froth and bubble in his hand. “But what will the…” Girth turned around and realized he was talking to nobody, as the old cucumber was gone. While he remembered his parents saying something about taking candy from strangers, Girth didn’t particularly remember them saying anything about potions. At that, Girth shrugged, and drank the potion. Like magic, his body began to transform, his skin stretching out and his colour changing to that of a Cucumber. When Girth ran home to show his family this amazing change, they did not recognize him. “But Mom! Dad! It’s me!” he cried. “Get off our property you crazy cucumber! Haven’t you people tormented us enough!” they yelled as they slammed the door in Girth’s face.

	Although Girth was terribly sad about his family kicking him out, he was now fitting in very well at school, as everyone was being very nice to him. When he passed pickles in the hall, he would sneer at them and call them names as the cucumbers had called him when he was a pickle. After school Girth would go hang out with his new friends, causing mischief by teasing pickles, or vandalizing their houses. One day, when Girth and his cucumber friends were out causing mischief, he realized that the house they were about to vandalize was the house he had used to live in. A cucumber beside him threw a rock through the front window of the house, causing Girth’s parents to run outside. “Go back to where you came from you pickle scum!” one of Girth’s friends yelled out. Girth saw his mother run back inside crying, his dad slammed the door and ran back inside to comfort her.

	Girth continued life like this, going through school, causing mischief with his friends, and everything he had dreamt of before the transformation. Although Girth was doing all the things he thought would make him happy, he realized that he was in fact, not very happy, and hadn’t been happy in weeks. Girth decided to look for the old cucumber that gave him the potion so he could turn himself back into a pickle and be with his family. When he found him, he asked him to transform him back. “Looks like you got yourself in a dilly of a pickle.” The old cucumber chuckled to himself. “Sadly, I cannot transform you back, only you can”.
“You worthless old cucumber!” Girth cried. “Look what you’ve done to me!” As he ran away, he started to cry and his tears burned hot against his skin. As his salty tears fell, his skin began to darken, and bumps began to form. When Girth looked at himself, he realized he had transformed back into a pickle.

	Now looking like himself, Girth went back to his family, his parents delighted to see him again. Although he was still teased by the cucumbers, he just smiled it off and continued doing whatever he was doing. For the first time in a long time, Girth was finally happy, and continued being happy until the end of his days.

title: Children's Book I Wrote - Girth The Pickle

question: What social norm is the excerpt metaphorically criticizing?

answer: Racism


text:
Protesters gathered outside of the _Los Angeles Times_ building on Wednesday to speak out against the potential sale of the newspaper and other Tribune Company properties to Koch Industries, the privately held company owned by Charles and David Koch. Reason TV asked why the potential sale was so upsetting to those gathered and what they thought about possible city council actions against the _Times_.

Answers ranged from a fear of the _Los Angeles Times_ being transformed into a right-wing propaganda machine to a general distrust of billionaires and/or large corporations owning media companies (despite the fact that the Tribune Company is, of course, a large corporation, and billionaires besides the Kochs are interested in the purchase).

About 4 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller and Tracy Oppenheimer.

Subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

_(Full disclosure: David Koch is trustee of Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason TV. He was not involved in or consulted during the making of this video.)_

question: Who is considering buying the Los Angeles Times?

answer: Koch Industries is considering buying the Los Angeles Times?

question: Why were people worried about the potential sale of the Los Angeles Times?

answer: People were worried for a variety of reasons, including distrust of billionaires and fears that the Times will be turned into a right-wing propaganda machine.

question: Who owns the Los Angeles Times now?

answer: The Tribune Company owns the Los Angeles Times right now.

question: Who owns Koch Industries?

answer: Charles and David Koch own Koch Industries.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Koch Industries is considering buying the Los Angeles Times. People are concerned due to distrust of billionaires and large corporations, and fears that the Times will be turned into a propaganda machine.


text:
The PORTLAND THIRTEENTH AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[1]

It included 20 contributing buildings, including work by architect William C. Knighton.[2]

Two buildings in the district were designed by architect William C. Knighton.[3]

File:Armour and Company building, Portland, OR.JPG|Armour and Company building File:Chown Pella in NW Portland, OR.JPG|Chown Pella File:Filson, NW 13th Avenue, Portland, OR.JPG|Filson

[1]

[2]  with

[3]

question: What is the Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District?

answer: a historic district in Portland, Oregon, US

question: How many buildings are in the Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District?

answer: 20

question: When was the Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places?

answer: 1987

question: Who was William C. Knighton?

answer: an architect

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.


text:
Middle East

06:38 GMT 13.04.2016(updated 09:00 GMT 13.04.2016)

Get short URL

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prepares to supply Syrian rebels with more lethal weapons should the fledgling cessation of hostilities in the Arab republic collapse, US media reported, citing officials.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The message that "all bets will be off" and the so-called Plan B will come into force should the truce collapse and negotiations lead nowhere was reportedly relayed by CIA Director John Brennan and State Secretary John Kerry in private meetings with Russian counterparts.

"The outside patrons will double and triple down, throwing everything they can into Syria, including much more lethal weaponry," a senior US President Barack Obama administration official told The Wall Street Journal late Tuesday.

The CIA and its regional partners are considering various types of anti-aircraft weapons for deliveries to Syrian rebels, although US and Mideast officials declined to specify the precise systems, citing the program's sensitivity and concerns with Syrian government backers' possible countermeasures.

 © Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov

"The agreement is to up the ante, if needed," a senior US official conveyed the CIA’s message to the US coalition backing Syrian rebels.

The so-called Plan A cessation of hostilities between Syrian government forces and rebel groups, with the exception of terrorist networks operating in the country, took effect on February 27 and has been described as largely holding despite violations.

The day after Russia and the United States negotiated the ceasefire, on February 23, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the United States was "not ruling out a plan B" in case the truce did not hold. Russia questioned US commitment to the cessation of hostilities with its contingency plan.

question: Which US agency prepared to supply Syrian rebels?

answer: The CIA.

question: What nation was the USA negotiating with?

answer: Russia.

question: When did Russia and the United States negotiate the ceasefire?

answer: February 23 2016.

question: What media agency published this paper?

answer: Sputnik.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article summarizes relations between the USA and Russia as they negotiate over a ceasefire in Syria. It mentions the CIA arming Syrian rebels.


text:
Learn More About The CRA Snitchline

The CRA Informant Leads Program (aka “The CRA Snitch Line”) allows people to report tax fraud in Canada. Using the CRA snitch line, you ca

n report deliberate misrepresentations of income and deductions to the Canada Revenue Agency. In most cases, the Informant Leads Program handles tax cases involving individuals.

For example, you can contact the program to provide information on the “underground economy,” meaning individuals who are earning unreported (and therefore untaxed) income.

HOW DOES THE LINE WORK?

Anyone can report suspected tax evasion by phone, online or through the mail. The information will be reviewed and assessed by the CRA and the Agency will respond as it deems necessary. Those who report to the Informant Leads Program will not be provided with feedback on the tips that are provided as it is prohibited by law for the CRA to do so.

The CRA will protect the identity of anyone who provides information to the leads program. By legal obligation, the CRA cannot even provide any information that may disclose that there is an informant at all.

Once information has been provided to the so-called “CRA Snitch Line,” this information cannot be recalled or cancelled. All information is reviewed and valid allegations may be investigated.

There is no monetary reward or compensation for reporting information to the CRA Informant Leads Program. However, a separate program, the Offshore Tax Informant Program, may provide monetary awards to those who report on major international tax non-compliance cases that lead to taxes being assessed and collected if the potential assessment is greater than $100,000.

WHEN REPORTING

If you wish to report information to the Informant Lead Program, the CRA requests that you provide as many details about the individual and the situation as you can. The agency recognizes that not all information will be available.

In addition to information regarding the identity of the taxpayer being reported on, the CRA will want to know the type of fraud that is suspected, details of any observations you have made, any documents that may be available, as well as information regarding cash and other assets.

IF SOMEONE REPORTS ON YOU

While you will not know that the tax information that the CRA has was provided to the agency by an informant, the CRA will investigate all valid allegations and take action as necessary. If the CRA believes that you have committed tax evasion, it will utilize its very broad powers to investigate and punish you.

Among other powers, the CRA can:

-   Issue fines and penalties
-   Garnish wages or take other action to collect tax debt owed
-   Refer cases to the courts for criminal prosecution

The severity of the consequences will depend on the nature of the specific situation. If you worry that you may be prosecuted by the CRA for tax fraud, or if the CRA has already contacted you regarding tax fraud, tax evasion, or misrepresentation, please contact us today at 1-888-868-1400 to speak with a qualified professional at Tax Solutions Canada.

question: What is the CRA Snitch Line?

answer: This is the nickname for the CRA Informant Leads Program that allows people to report tax fraud in Canada.

question: Is there a reward for reporting tax fraud?

answer: The CRA does not give rewards for reports. But another program, the Offshore Tax Informant Program may do so for reports on major international tax non-compliance cases if certain criteria are met.

question: What does the CRA do with reports?

answer: They likely assess the validity of the information and as per their official statement, fully utilize their resources in pursuing cases with valid details.

question: Will a person under investigation know what information that CRA has been given?

answer: No, or at the very least, this information will bot be given by the CRA.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The CRA Informant Snitch Line provides people in Canada with a way to report tax fraud. There is no reward or incentive given by the CRA, though the Offshore Tax Informant Program does for matters regarding major international tax non-compliance cases. When accepting a report, the CRA will require as many details as possible. Lastly, when given valid proof, the CRA will fully investigate and prosecute persons who have committed tax evasion.


text: TRACY (WILBUR) HIGH CONTINUATION SCHOOL is a public continuation school in Cerritos, California, serving grades 9-12. It is part of ABC Unified School District. The school has a teen parent program which gives teen parents the skill they need to raise a child.

title: Tracy High Continuation School

question: What is a continuation school?

answer: Given the mention of teen parents, it is probably a school for teens that are at risk of not graduating on time.

question: What is the ABC Unified School District?

answer: It is the school district that includes Cerritos, California.

question: How does the Tracy High Continuation School support teen parents?

answer: The school has a teen parent program which gives teen parents the skills they need to raise a child.

question: Which grades are taught at Tracy High Continuation School?

answer: The school serves grades 9-12.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Tracy High Continuation School is a public continuation school in California that has a teen parent program to give teen parents the skills they need to raise a child.


text:
JENKENS & GILCHRIST, P.C. was a Dallas-based law firm, founded in 1951 as Jenkens & Bowens to service the various businesses controlled by Clint Murchison, Jr. _The Dallas Morning News_ was an early client. As a result of the extent of Murchison family holdings, the firm soon developed expertise in corporate transactions.

In the 1980s, the firm faced liability and financial difficulties resulting from involvement in the Savings and Loan Crisis. Jenkens settled a number of malpractice lawsuits in 1987 for $18 million. In the 1990s, Jenkens saw intense growth and added offices outside Texas for the first time to expand from a regional into a national law firm.

Opening a Chicago office with a tax attorney team from Altheimer & Gray in 1998 would become the most fateful act for the firm.[1] In 2000, the firm merged with Parker Chapin Flattau & Klimpl to launch in New York City. By 2001, the firm employed more than 600 attorneys, reaching its peak in size. In 2004, the firm advised Fossil, Inc. in its $173 million secondary securities offering managed jointly by J.P. Morgan, Jefferies & Company, and CIBC World Markets.

Firm's demise

In the 1990s, the Chicago office began a lucrative practice of offering tax shelter advice to a variety of wealthy corporate and individual clients, primarily by drafting opinion letters stating that certain tax schemes were compliant with the Internal Revenue Code. The Chicago tax group earned $267 million from 1998 to 2003. The group worked in coordination with tax advisers at Ernst & Young.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began investigating Ernst & Young and several taxpayers in 2002. Eventually, it audited many Jenkens clients, who subsequently filed malpractice suits against the firm. In 2003, the IRS itself sued Jenkens & Gilchrist. Facing a substantial potential liability, the firm began to unravel.[2]

As negotiations about settling with the government and other plaintiffs dragged on, partners with portable business began to depart. In 2005, the 90-attorney New York City office from legacy Parker Chapin defected to Troutman Sanders. In 2007, the Los Angeles office decamped to Baker & Hostetler. The remaining partners in the Chicago office switched to Nixon Peabody. Some 100 attorneys in Dallas, Austin and Houston found a new home at Hunton & Williams. The majority of the San Antonio office moved to Texas firm Jackson Walker, LP while Partner Phillip D. Freeman and Associate Nicole Betters, along with many from the Austin office, moved to Winstead.[3]

Finally, the firm agreed to settle its liabilities with the IRS, pay a $76 million fine, and to cease practicing law effective March 31, 2007.[4]

On May 24, 2011, four lawyers with the firm were found guilty of tax evasion, conspiracy, and related charges stemming from a ten-year tax shelter scheme that prosecutors said generated more than $1 billion in fictive losses.[5] As of 2012, the defendants were seeking a new trial after learning one of the jurors lied about her background in order to be selected.[6]

[1] Lynnley Browning, “Inquiry into Tax Shelters Widens Beyond Audit Firms,” _New York Times_, February 4, 2006.

[2] Katie Fairbank and Terry Maxon, “How Jenkens & Gilchrist Lost Its Way,” _Dallas Morning News_, April 1, 2007.

[3] http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/news/8336/24-winstead-attorneys-listed-among-texas-rising-stars

[4]

[5] Patricia Hurtado and Chris Dolmetsch, “Chicago Lawyer Daugerdas Found Guilty in Tax Shelter Trial”, Bloomberg, May 24, 2011.

[6] Bob Van Voris, “Ex-Juror Arrested, Forced to Testify in Bid for New Tax Shelter Case Trial”, Bloomberg, February 15, 2012.

title: Jenkens & Gilchrist

question: Summarise the activities of the firm that led to its demise from the 90s till the mid 2000s.

answer: Jenkens & Gilchrist's Chicago office began offering tax shelter to several of their wealthy corporate clients in conjunction with tax advisers Ernst & Young, which brought in a revenue of $267 million from 1998 to 2003. However, in 2002, the IRS began investigating Ernst & Young and other companies, which led them to audit the clients of Jenkens & Gilchrist. Those clients later filed a malpractice suit against them, and by the following year, the IRS also sued Jenkens & Gilchrist, leading them to face significant liability and decline. Between 2005 and 2007, most of the firm's partners in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, and Houston offices ported to other firms. Eventually, the firm settled its liabilities with the IRS, paid its fine of $76 million, and came to a final dissolution on March 31st, 2007.


text:
_ZIERIA BAEUERLENII_, commonly known as the BOMADERRY ZIERIA, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of New South Wales. It is a sometimes straggly shrub with velvety leaves composed of three leaflets. In late autumn to spring there are clusters of small white to pinkish flowers with four petals and which appear to be unable to produce seeds.

Description

_Zieria baeuerlenii_ is an open, spreading shrub which usually grows to a height of and has a velvety covering on its younger branches. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are composed of three leaflets with the central one heart-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide with a stalk long. The other two leaflets are similar in shape but slightly smaller. Each leaflet has a velvety covering of hairs and has its edges rolled under.[1][2][3]

Masses of small pinkish-white flowers about in diameter are arranged in clusters of between three and seven in leaf axils. The clusters have a stalk up to and are longer than the leaves. Four large green, leaf-like bracts surround each flower cluster. The sepals are triangular, about long and covered with velvety hairs. The four petals are broad lance-shaped, about long, overlap each other and have a layer of hairs on the outside. Flowering occurs from September to October but fruit have never been observed and evidence suggests that the species has lost its ability to reproduce sexually.[4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

Bomaderry zieria was first formally described in 2002 by James Andrew Anderson from a specimen collected near Bomaderry Creek. The description was published in _Australian Systematic Botany_.[7][8] The specific epithet (_baeuerlenii_) honours the German-born plant collector Wilhelm Baeuerlen who moved to Australia in about 1883, lived in the Shoalhaven area and collected for Ferdinand von Mueller and Joseph Maiden.[9][10]

Distribution and habitat

_Zieria baeuerlenii_ is only known from an area of near Bomaderry. In grows in soil derived from sandstone in forest, woodland and scrub.[11][12][13]

Ecology

Fruit or seed of Bomaderry Zieria has not been observed and it is thought that the species has lost the ability to reproduce sexually and probably reproduces from suckers. It has the ability to regenerate after bushfire.[14][15]

Conservation

Bomaderry zieria is listed as “Endangered” under the New South Wales _Threatened Species Conservation Act_ and under the Commonwealth Government _Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999_ (EPBC) Act. Some of the threats to the species are habitat damage due to illegal activities, weed invasion, grazing by rabbits and frequent fires.[16][17]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

title: Zieria baeuerlenii

question: Describe the plant's leaves.

answer: They consist of three leaflets, each of which is covered in velvety hairs

question: Describe the plant's flowers.

answer: They are small pinkish-white color and grow in masses

question: How does the plant reproduce?

answer: The plant does not produce seeds and is believed to reproduce via suckers

question: What is the plant's conservation status?

answer: It is endangered and it is only known to grow in an area near Bomaderry, New South Wales

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Zieria Baeuerlenii is an endangered plant endemic to a small area in New South Wales. It does not produce seeds and reproduces only by suckers. It produces clusters of small pinkish-white flowers from September to October.


text:
CHRISTIAN GAILLY (14 January 1943 – 4 October 2013) was a French writer.

Biography

Born in Paris, Gailly first tried to make a career as a jazz saxophonist, then opened a psychoanalyst practice. He began to be published in the 1980s thanks to Jérôme Lindon.[1][2][3]

His novel _L'Incident_ was adapted to cinema by Alain Resnais under the title _Les Herbes folles_ in 2009. _Un soir au club_, winner of the prix du Livre Inter in 2002, which sold 170,000 copies, was adapted by Jean Achache.[4][5] _Nuage rouge_, published in 2000, was awarded the prix France Culture.[6] His latest work is a collection of short stories, _La roue, et autres nouvelles_, published in January 2012.

Christian Gailly has always recognized the influence of Samuel Beckett on his work, the reading of _The Unnamable (novel)_ having definitively convinced him to tackle writing.

Themes

Close to the minimalist mouvement,[7] he was a member of the groupe of the éditions de Minuit to which belonged also among others Jean Echenoz, Jean-Philippe Toussaint and Christian Oster. Rhythmic style and absurd imbroglios are the trademark of his novels. His novels deal mainly with impossible loves, loneliness, sickness and death, but also with other daily tragedies that he tackles in a light tone, sometimes close to gaiety.[8] His writings nevertheless maintain a connection with his love of music, especially jazz, in novels such as _Be-Bop_ and _Un soir au club_.[9] The influence of American culture, especially cinema, is very present in _Les Évadés_ or _Lily et Braine_.

His writings often highlight very concrete details which gradually take on great importance, since, according to the author, his stories are sprinkled with “clues, elements, objects, details”.[10]

Works

All the works of Christian Gailly are published at éditions de Minuit.[11]

-   1987:
-   1989:
-   1991:
-   1992:
-   1993:
-   1995:
-   1996:
-   1997:
-   1998:
-   2000: , Prix France Culture, 2000
-   2001: , Prix du Livre Inter, 2002
-   2004:
-   2007:
-   2010:
-   2012:

About the author

-   -   -   -

The following book gives voice to four translators of Gailly's works:

-   Collectif, avec Christian Doumet, Patrick Quillier, Jean-Yves Masson, Robert Davreu, Heinz Schwarzinger, Mike Sens, Claire Jatosti.[12]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] Interview with Chr. Gailly, Nouvel Obs, 07 Oct. 2013, see https://bibliobs.nouvelobs.com/actualites/20131007.OBS0031/mort-de-christian-gailly-l-ecrivain-de-jazz.html

[11]

[12] http://www.actes-sud.fr/catalogue/actes-de-colloque/actes-des-vingt-troisiemes-assises-de-la-traduction-litteraire

title: Christian Gailly

question: What's Christian Gailly's age at death?

answer: 70 years.

question: How did Gailly transition from being a jazz saxophonist to a writer?

answer: Samuel Beckett's novel The Unnamable inspired him to write, and Jérôme Lindon helped him get published.

question: What are the themes of Gailly's writings?

answer: Impossible loves, loneliness, sickness and death, and tragedies.

question: What is the groupe of the éditions de Minuit in which Gailly is a member of?

answer: It is a publishing house where all of Gailly's works are published.

question: What are the themes of Gailly's writings?

answer: Impossible loves, loneliness, sickness, and death.

question: Name two of Gailly's novels that were adapted to films?

answer: L'Incident and Un soir au club.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Christian Gailly (1943–2013) was a French writer, and all of his writings are published at éditions de Minuit. Some of his works are L'Incident, Nuage Rouge, and Un soir au club.


text:
_44 LIQUORMART, INC. V. RHODE ISLAND_, 517 U.S. 484 (1996), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that a complete ban on the advertising of alcohol prices was unconstitutional under the First Amendment, and that the Twenty-first Amendment, empowering the states to regulate alcohol, did not lessen other constitutional restraints of state power.

Background

In 1956, the Rhode Island Legislature passed two regulations restricting the content of alcohol advertisements. The first prevented both in and out-of-state manufacturers, wholesalers, and shippers from “advertising in any manner whatsoever” the price of any alcoholic beverage offered for sale in Rhode Island. The second prevented Rhode Island news media from “mak[ing] reference to the price of any alcoholic beverages” under any circumstances.[1]

In 1985, a liquormart brought a suit against the liquor control commissioner, arguing, among other things, that the first regulation, which prevented the liquormart from advertising its prices, was unconstitutional. The Rhode Island Supreme Court, however, held that the regulation did not violate the First Amendment, the Commerce Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, or the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.[2]

In the same year, the Rhode Island Liquor Stores Association filed a suit that attempted to enjoin a local Rhode Island newspaper, _The Call_, from advertising prices of liquor outside of the state. In that case, the Rhode Island Supreme Court held that the second regulation was constitutional, and enjoined the newspaper from advertising out-of-state liquor prices.[3]

In _44 Liquormart_, the company 44 Liquormart Inc. owned liquor stores in Rhode Island. The other petitioner, Peoples Super Liquor Stores, Inc., operated several liquor stores in Massachusetts, which Rhode Islanders used. The complaint original began, because 44 Liquormart attempted to run an advertisement, which the Supreme Court of the United States described as:

Because the advertisement _implied_ that 44 Liquormart had low prices, the Rhode Island Liquor Control Administrator fined the store $400.00. After being assessed the fine, the petitioners brought the suit, alleging that the regulation was unconstitutional. The District Court found the regulation banning advertisements unconstitutional, because the state did not prove that the law directly advanced its interest in reducing alcohol consumption, and because the law's reach was unnecessarily extensive.[4]

The First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, ruling that an increase in alcohol advertisements would lead to an increase in alcohol sales and that the Twenty-first Amendment gave Rhode Island's ban a presumption of validity.[5]

Opinion of the Court

Justice Stevens, writing for the plurality, reversed the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He stated first that it was a mistake to assume that commercial speech was not entitled to protection under the First Amendment.[6] Relying heavily on the Court's decisions in _Bigelow v. Virginia_ and _Virginia Bd. of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc._, Stevens concluded that the Court's “early cases uniformly struck down several broadly based bans on truthful, nonmisleading commercial speech, each of which served ends unrelated to consumer protection.”.[7] He nonetheless noted, however, that the Court has at the same time recognized that states may regulate commercial advertising to a greater degree than non-commercial advertising.[8]

While Stevens essentially reaffirmed the principle that states have a wider latitude to regulate commercial speech, he stated that Rhode Island had gone too far. Specifically, he stated that the Court has, in the past, been wary of the “dangers” of outright content-based bans on commercial speech. He further stated:

Having described the regulation as a “paternal” one, which assumes that the public will respond badly to the truth, the Stevens court then went on to address Rhode Island's argument that it had “substantial interest” in promoting temperance. Stevens, however, did not give much weight to this argument, because the state provided no findings of fact showing that the ban actually did promote temperance.[9]

Stevens further rejected Rhode Island's argument that because the facts supporting or opposing a conclusion that the total ban did, in fact, promote temperance could “go both ways,” the First Circuit Court of Appeals was correct in deferring to the legislature. In rejecting the state's argument, Stevens called into question the Supreme Court's ruling in _Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico_, which was extremely deferential to the legislature.[10]

Finally, Stevens quickly rejected Rhode Island's contention that the Twenty-first Amendment gave the state the power to enforce the complete advertising ban. He conceded that the Amendment did give the state's greater ability to regulate alcohol without violating the dormant commerce clause, but that it did not "license the States to ignore their obligations under other provisions of the Constitution.”[11]

Concurrences

Stevens wrote for the majority as to Parts I, II, VII, and VIII. The major holdings from these sections were that the Twenty-first Amendment did not “save” Rhode Island's total ban from unconstitutionality and the result that the ban was unconstitutional.

Stevens, in Parts III and V, which were joined by Justice Ginsburg and Justice Kennedy, and Justice Souter, stated that the First Amendment allowed for greater regulation of commercial advertising than non-commercial advertising.

Stevens, in Part IV, which was joined by Justice Kennedy and Justice Ginsburg, concluded that not all commercial advertising is as protected as other types of commercial advertising.

Stevens, in Part VI, which was joined by Justice Kennedy, Justice Ginsburg, and Justice Thomas, rejected the Court's reasoning in _Posadas_.

[1] .

[2] _S & S Liquor Mart, Inc. v. Pastore_, 497 A.2d 729 (1985).

[3] _Rhode Island Liquor Stores Ass'n v. Evening Call Pub. Co._, 497 A.2d 331 (1985).

[4]

[5]

[6] _44 Liquormart, Inc._, 517 U.S. at 496.

[7] _44 Liquormart, Inc._, 517 U.S. at 497-98

[8]

[9] _44 Liquormart, Inc._, 517 U.S. at 505

[10] _44 Liquormart, Inc._, 517 U.S. at 509.

[11] _44 Liquormart, Inc._, 517 U.S. at 516.

title: 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island

question: What caused the United States Supreme Court to change its mind with regards to the restriction of alcohol advertisements?

answer: The Supreme Court decided that the Rhode Island law does not fully increase citizens' temperance in the use of alcohol. It also believes that the amendment granting the state total right to ban advertisement has gone too far.


text:
My brother wasn’t really alive when he died. His soul was empty, his mind was vacant. Every needle gave him temporary euphoria yet the drugs took back what he owed them. Every time he stabbed a needle into him, he bled; he was left to die in a fashion as meaningless and trivial as his life, leaving the rest of us to navigate this maze of a hell hole.
I walked into the entrance of the courtyard, the building as gray and monotonous as the cold winter sky. The courtyard was empty. I passed by the one lone tree of the courtyard. Its charcoal branches, twisted and bare seemed to reach out like hands trying to clutch something out of reach. The piss-stained stairwell felt cold and damp, the rat inhabitants of the building scuttled past, hungry desperate, scavenging for their next meal, whatever it takes.
The city felt a world away yet it was just out the door. The building was just a facade so the outside world could ignore us. On the outside the businessmen stepped around the homeless, the junkies, the rodents of the city like discarded rubbish. I walked outside and watched across the road as a man ritualistically measured out two teaspoons of sugar and carefully placed them in his coffee for his morning fix.  The rush of the city didn’t penetrate the walls of my building, only the sirens could be heard within its confines. It was the part of the inner-city less seen.
The building was on its last legs. It was old, decrepit. The concrete was cancerous and cracked. The roofs seemed to slouch in the middle, barely able to support its weight. It was a dying cause, a failed social experiment. It made you feel suppressed, trapped, institutionalised. Sometimes I wish it would fall down. The walls house too many bad memories, too much pain, too much suffering.  I get this feeling the buildings going to come down on me, the weight of the bricks crushing me without warning. Sometimes I think I wouldn’t mind if it did so this could all be over and done with.
I walked back inside to our apartment; my mum was passed out on the couch again. I caught a glimpse of a photo of my brother. The pain felt like a knife stabbing through the heart, it was too fresh. the memory, too real. Death is a tough thing to digest but I get the feeling that the feeling will never go away. My thoughts are like parasites in my head, gnawing at my brain.
I left my brother to die. Isolated, lonely, He reached out for help but there was no one there, no support, no help. That’s how it is in life. I feel that’s where I’m destined, where I’m headed. Ever since the death of my brother I’ve truly felt alone in the world, he was on the only sense of direction that I felt in my life and now there’s no one. Dad is long gone and mum is about as good supportive and caring as him. The school keeps calling about me but she doesn’t care. I haven’t been since my brother died. There I’m an outcast, that povo kid who lives in a rundown house with a drunk as a mother. I hate school and no one dares come inside the building to take me away, the outside world never comes inside this building, they know better.
Yesterday I caught my mother shooting up. I see that same vacant look in her eyes that my brother had before he died. The same look that the man had in his eyes as he lay on the sidewalk, coughing up blood as red began surround his abdomen. I murdered a man for twenty-dollars. That’s all that was in his wallet. I panicked, I messed up. He was on his way home from work. A white collared businessman. He walked into the alleyway and I held a knife to him. He tried to make a run for it. I was caught up in the moment, too nervous, too involved in the situation. I sunk the sharp knife into his soft belly as he lay on the ground, mumbling something I couldn’t make out as blood pooled and he wheezed and coughed. He went pale as I ran away. Blood covered my hands as I sprinted. I tossed the knife in the harbour as the man lay down in the dirty streets in his last moments. People saw him but did nothing. He was ignored. For that brief moment he became a part of my world, he was a part of the discarded, the outsiders. He knew what it felt like to be pushed to the side.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of that man in the gutter, left alone, the look in his eyes, the look of death. The same look I see when I look in the mirror

title: "the outsiders"-first post here

question: How does the narrator feel about their brother's death?

answer: That he died isolated and lonely, reaching out for help.

question: What kind of mother did the narrator and their brother have?

answer: A drunk.

question: What did the narrator do to the businessman?

answer: Murdered him.

question: What do the narrator's brother and mother have in common?

answer: They both used heroin.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator guides us along a dreary and depressing timeline of their brother's death, and their mothers abuse problems. Both their brother and mother used heroin, and their mother was a drunk as well. All around the narrators home they see the same things, abuse, death, and decay. The narrator tells the story of killing a man for the contents of his wallet, and the look in the  man's eyes as he lay dying matched that of the vacant look of their brother's, and their mother's as they used.


text:
[]

A photo of a billboard on a government-funded toilet amounting to P4.98 million on Boracay Island has gone viral and has drawn criticisms and disbelief from Boracay residents and tourists

ILOILO CITY—Is it carpeted and air-conditioned? Is the toilet bowl made of gold? Will snacks be served?

These are some of the reactions of residents and tourists on Boracay Island over a toilet project of the local government costing nearly P5 million.

Residents who have frequently aired gripes of worsening flooding along the main road of the island, traffic congestion and inadequate drainage system have targeted the project on social media.

“I wish they have the same budget for roads, (addressing) floods and waste,” said a resident in a post in one of the island’s community social media page.

Many of the criticisms were posted on Dec. 24, at the height of flooding on the island which long-time residents considered the worst to have hit the popular island-resort.

The “comfort room” project costs P4,980,000, according to a billboard erected at the project site along the beach in Barangay Balabag, one of the three villages of the 1,032-hectare island.

The INQUIRER could not reach Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling through his mobile on Wednesdayfor comment. Municipal engineer Elizer Casidsid did not reply to text messages and calls on his mobile phone.

A contact number posted on the billboard was also inaccessible.

The project, funded and implemented by the Malay municipal government, was scheduled to start on Dec. 8 and set to be completed on May 27, 2018.

The project is being undertaken by contractor Audric Construction & Supply based in Banga town in Aklan.

A perspective of the project superimposed in the billboard showed a two-story structure accessible to persons with disabilities.

But members of the Facebook community pages said the cost was too much considering that there are other pressing concerns that both the national and local governments should address.

“That’s already a (condominium unit),” one of those who commented said.

Various problems have persisted or worsened on the island amid the drive to draw in more tourists.

Tourist arrivals recorded a new high at 1,725,483 in 2016, 11 percent higher than the 1,560,106 tourists recorded in 2015, according to data from the Malay municipal tourism office and Department of Tourism in Boracay./asu

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question: What is the controversy of the article?

answer: A toilet project that is costing P4.98 million which is taking place on Boracay Island.

question: What is the "comfort room" project?

answer: The "comfort room" project is the toilet projects. It's not clear exactly what the project is other than it is a two-story structure accessible to persons with disabilities.

question: The story was written/published by what publication?

answer: The Inquirer

question: Why are residents of the island angry over the toilet project?

answer: They say that they wish the government has as much money to spend on flooding roads and addressing waste problems.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Residents of Boracay Island are angry over the government spending nearly P5 million on a "toilet project". It seems the project is building a two-story structure of condominiums that will be accessible to people with disabilities. The residents are angry because they believe there are more important issues that need government money.