text:
The September After
Or,
Starting Point

	I can hear Eliza crying again. She’s started to hide it from us – especially after we tried to get her to see a counselor – but I can still tell from the way her bed rocks in the room above us, and the quiet sniffles echo down the stairs. She’s been this way for a few weeks now, ever since the 28th of August. That is, ever since Jacob died.

	I still remember how she took the news. The doctors came out of the operating room and we were all so hopeful, after all 80% sounds like such a good chance when they tell you it’s potentially life-saving. What you never think of is the 20%, the chance that things don’t go so well and that your eight-year old son will be rolled out on a gurney, the doctor softly whispering the declaration of death to the orderly behind you as you stare at his face. None of us were expecting that 20%, Eliza the least since she was only eleven. I still remember her screaming as she ripped herself from my arm and went to grab Jacob’s hand, lifting the pale little thing up to her face and crying. We were both in shock – her mother and I, that is – as we watched our little girl, raised seeing House and his crew always succeeding, always curing forever the patient, cry into her brother’s lukewarm palm. We stood there for at least ten minutes before I made a move towards her, putting my hand on her shoulder and wiping the smooth scalp of my son. It had been such a hard two years on him, and it showed. He was as thin as a bone, and barely had any energy thanks to the therapy. I can only remember him smiling a handful of times, our little baby boy becoming more and more melancholy until the chemicals made him unable to even be depressed. On the cart, though, he was smiling. I guess he was finally at peace.

	None of us could keep from crying when we returned home. Eliza took a week off school, my boss gave me a week off from work when he heard the news. My wife had to return to her job after three days. She still wasn’t ready, not at all, but she kept it together at her factory and only fell apart when she came back home, sometimes staying up all hours of the night crying. She was fired four days later, falling asleep on her machine. We tried to not let Eliza find out, but we knew that she understood. I found her passed out over a drawing of her mother’s boss being stabbed by the Devil. I knew that was a bad sign, but honestly, I just put it away and laughed.

	Dinners were silent for some time, with Eliza pushing food around her plate with a fork, rolling beans back and forth with a fork while her mother and I attempted conversation. We stopped paying attention to what we made and what we ate, switching meals from cans with the homemade dinners we had been carefully making to exact specifications. Instead of the lively debate we had had in the past our meals were marked by the low-hanging depression and spirits of the topics we skirted around during the rare occasions we did speak.

	Eliza’s birthday was the Tuesday after her mother had been let go, the event normally marked by her jubilation but instead was a quiet, somber affair. We had balloons and cake, the usual decorations looked over and ignored by our daughter quickly before she went back to her room. It was about then that we tried to get her help; of course we weren’t expecting her to be over the death of her brother, but she showed no signs of rehabilitation either. It had been two weeks, and while her mother and I had begun to recover, she still cried every time she saw someone who reminded her of her brother, be it another child with a similar appearance or her art teacher who was notably bald, who’s class she had to be moved from because of her inability to control herself when she saw him. She refused to speak with any of the therapists we brought her to, curling up with her knees against her face when asked any question. No one could help us since she couldn’t speak to them, so we stopped sending her to doctors after a hard week.

	She has started to recover now, I can see. She’s able, at least, to control herself for long enough so that she can hide her crying from us. She can force a smile when she needs to, and can make herself speak to us while we eat, over our recent attempts at home-cooking again. But then she still cries in her room daily, and whenever someone hears this they ask me how I can think that she’s getting any better. I always tell them that I know she’s not getting over her brother. I know she’s depressed and I know she needs help. However, I know that she’s beginning to open up to us helping her again. As they say, you have to start somewhere.

title: The September After

question: Summarize the ways in which the different family members deal with the death of the narrator's son.

answer: Eliza cries often. None of the family could keep from crying. Eliza took a week off school, and the narrator took a week off work. The narrator's wife fell apart after coming home from work, staying up all night crying, which resulted in her getting fired. Eliza lost her appetite, and the family started putting less care into their meals.

question: Summarize Jacob's battle with illness.

answer: Jacob battled with illness for two years. The illness left him thin as bone, and therapy left him without any energy. He became more and more melancholy until the chemicals prevented him from feeling depressed. He underwent a surgery with an 80% success rate but wound up dying.

question: What does this story say about the best treatment for cancer?

question: Summarize the roles of the characters who aren't related to the narrator.

answer: The doctors came out of the operating room rolling Jacob on a gurney after he passed away. The doctor whispered a declaration of death to the orderly. The narrator's wife was fired by her boss, and Eliza drew the boss being stabbed by the Devil. Eliza cries every time she sees someone who reminds her of her brother. She refuses to speak to the therapists her parents bring her to.


split: train

text:
[Image: The Amish, who don’t get vaccinated, rarely get autism, cancer, or heart disease – coincidence?]
(Natural News) Do not talk about whether vaccines work or not, or whether or not they cause autism, unless you’re ready for a very heated debate. Although the link between vaccines and autism is nothing new, to even speak of it can get you labeled as an “anti-vaxxer” or a health fanatic of sorts by the sheeple (brainwashed masses) that believe every vaccine the CDC recommends not only works, but is 100% safe and 100% effective 100% of the time. Even if some vaccines work some of the time, are they worth the health risk? That is the ultimate question, because one statistic you may not know is that children who receive mercury-containing vaccinations(listed as thimerosal usually) are 27 times more likely to develop autism than those who don’t get those jabs. That comes from a recent study based on the CDC’s own data. Still want to keep it a hush-hush topic?

Pediatricians in America are not allowed to question vaccines at all, nor are they allowed to recommend less than the CDC recommends, or they face the wrath of the AMA – the infamous American Medical Association – that finds a way to shut down the “contenders,” sometimes even taking away their license to practice medicine. Big question: would the statistics of autism suddenly bottom out if mercury was removed from all vaccines, including flu shots? (By the way, the CDC lied when they said mercury has been removed from all vaccines).

Nary is a case of autism in the Amish communities of America

For starters, children are not born with autism. It appears during infancy or childhood, and is brought on by an overload of neurotoxins either consumed, injected or ingested from environmental factors, or all of the above. In fact, the recent autism spectrum disorder (ASD) spike over the past two decades in the USA directly coincides with the vaccine schedule increase, by quantity and frequency, enforced by the CDC. To understand why autism is next to non-existent for the Amish, consider that the Amish have been “cut off” from American scientific and medical “progress” for centuries, thus they’ve had less exposure to the major factors that trigger autism, including the most likely proponent–vaccines.

Take a little trip to the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country and try to tag yourself even half a dozen Amish children with autism and you’ll come up short. If statistics matched our national average, there would be about 200 in the Amish community, but to date, there are only three, one of which was adopted and brought over from China. Go figure. Another one actually did get vaccinated and developed autism shortly afterwards. Go figure again.

Here are some universal and national statistics to consider. Autism affects over 20 million people around the world, and occurs in boys four to five times more often than girls. In the US, one in every 68 children has some form of ASD, a 30% increase from just 2012. Why is that, you’re asking yourself? United States kids get 50 inoculations before age seven, many that are combinations containing multiple disease strains, mercury, formaldehyde (yes, embalming fluid for the dead), monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aluminum, just to name a few neurotoxins. Flu shots contain the highest levels of mercury, up to 25,000 times what the EPA allows as a maximum in drinking water and edible fish. Mercury is the second most poisonous element know to mankind.

Due to religious beliefs, the Amish opt out of all vaccines

Fortunately for the Amish, they’re also opting out of three of the most controversial vaccines on the market today: hepatitis B, HPV (human papillomavirus) and of course, the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella combo) that was implicated in the CDC vaccine-autism-link and biggest medical cover-up in history, ever. Conflicting with CDC claims, the multi-dose version of hepatitis B still contains thimerosal (50% mercury). The immature central nervous systems and the liver of Amish newborns are spared this volatile toxin thanks to their parent’s religious beliefs. Amish childrenexperience hardly any learning disabilities at all, in fact. Nor are the Amish experiencing typical US diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This could all be because they don’t eat GMO, take chemical pharmaceuticals, or vaccines. Surely, no government run regulatory agency will ever run this comparison of Amish health vs. non-Amish health, but the reality speaks for itself.

Still, the CDC refuses to regulate the vaccine industry and instead literally promotes toxic chemicals, dangerous heavy metal toxins, carcinogens and lethal “preservatives” like mercury. It’s all about lifestyle and natural health these days, if you really want immunity that doesn’t come with a boatload of permanent and debilitating “side effects,” like autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s syndrome or liver cancer.

SOURCES:

TraceAmounts.com

YourNewsWire.com

Healing-Arts.org

TruthWiki.org

12160.info

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

TruthKings.com

question: What does the text say about the debilitating health effects of vaccinations on children and why the Amish blatantly refuse to vaccinate their kids?

answer: The CDC-regulated vaccines are not considered to be safe, according to the author, because many vaccines issued in the U.S contain high doses of mercury, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aluminum, and formaldehyde. All of these neurotoxins can be found in the vaccines administered to children, including the famously issued flu shots, which contain the highest levels of mercury. Because these neurotoxins are contained in vaccines and are administered to children, the children are at risk of developing autism during infancy or childhood. This is why the Amish have blatantly kicked against vaccination, not only because of their religious beliefs against vaccination in general but also because of the poison being administered to children, causing them to develop neurological diseases later in life. Statistics show that any Amish kids rarely develop learning disabilities or other common U.S diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. This is because of their general lifestyle: they choose to avoid toxic vaccines and stay away from GMOs or chemical pharmaceuticals.

question: What does the text say about the dangers of taking vaccines generally?

answer: The dangers include exposure to very high levels of mercury, which is generally poisonous to humankind, and vulnerability to other neurological disorders such as liver cancer, heart diseases, and even diabetes. Also, these toxins in children can lead to neurological disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger's syndrome that can develop from infancy and childhood.

question: What does the text say are the possible dangers of Amish kids not being vaccinated against immune diseases?


text:
The 1940 IRISH GREYHOUND DERBY took place during September and October with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 5 October.[1]

The winner Tanist won £225 and was owned by Arthur Probert of London and bred by Mr W.Twyford (real name Father Browne). Tanist a brindle dog whelped in March 1938 would become one of the fastest trackers in the sport and was one of the foundation sires of modern racing greyhounds.[2]

Final result

At Shelbourne Park, 5 October (over 525 yards):

  Position   Name of Greyhound        Breeding                        Trap   SP      Time    Trainer
  ---------- ------------------------ ------------------------------- ------ ------- ------- --------------------------
  1st        Tanist                   Inler - Tranquilla              2      4-5f    29.89   Billy Quinn (Killenaule)
  2nd        Another Dancing Willie   Dasher Lad - Dancing Comet      5      2-1     30.37
  3rd        William the Conqueror    breeding unknown                4      6-1     30.40
  unplaced   Prince Norroy            Castledown Lad - Ruddy Mutton   1      10-1
  unplaced   Fearless Gaughan         breeding unknown                6      100-6
  unplaced   Cabin Blaze              breeding unknown                3      100-6

Distances

6, neck (lengths)

Competition Report

Shelbourne track record holder Tanist returned to Ireland after an unsuccessful spell at Wimbledon Stadium and within a week of his return he set a new national record for 525yds. He was entered for the Derby and was the firm favourite.[3][4]

Forty of Ireland's leading greyhounds entered the event and the early rounds proved a test for Tanist who found trouble but scraped through to round two where he won in 30.21. Another Dancing Willie won both of his opening rounds and defending champion Marchin' Thro' Georgia made it to the semi finals.

In the first semi final there was a very strong line up with ended with Tanist coming home first in a time of 29.80; twice Trigo Cup champion Fearless Gaughan finished second and Prince Norroy who would go on to win the Easter Cup the following year denied Marchin' Thro' Georgia a second Derby final appearance by taking third place. In the second semi Another Dancing Willie continued his winning ways by recording 29.94 success.[5]

The expected battle between Tanist and Another Dancing Willie did not materialise because Tanist eased to a six length victory in another very fast time of 29.89. Tanist passed the early leaders Another Dancing Willie and Prince Norroy on the back straight and drew clear.[6]

See Also

1940 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: 1940 Irish Greyhound Derby

question: Which months did the 1940 Irish Greyhound Derby take place?

answer: September and October.

question: Who won?

answer: Tanist.

question: How much did he win?

answer: 225 euros.

question: Who owned Tanist?

answer: Arthur Probert of London.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 1940 Irish Greyhound Derby was held over the months of September and October, with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on the fifth of October of that year. Track record holder Tanist, a brindle greyhound dog owned by Arthur Probert of London and bred by Mr W. Tyford in 1938,was declared the winner. He took home $225 euros for this victory.


text:
I am a BA-seeking college writer looking for some input on my short story. This was for fun/entertainment/venting, not for class.
_______________________________________________________________________
I study the old woman crying on the bus. She looks tired, like my mom did before she died, after she spent the night awake suffering from headaches. I feel her pain, but I cannot stand to look at her. I've been up too long to think about anything other than myself and slipping in between the sheets into a sweaty, alcohol-induced coma.
I watch another elderly lady come onto the bus. And the next stop, three more got on the bus, dressed in flowing long skirts and fedoras with flowers and shrunken wool sweaters. They falter when they put the crumpled ones into the driver’s hand. More and more stops and more and more broken down mothers fill the bus and it is becoming suffocating. I wonder why they keep letting them on.

They are all stuffed in here like a morgue, and it’s hot and musky and I start to I think I cannot breathe. It’s a mess of gorged veins and sweaty upper lips and I grab onto the cord for the next stop but it doesn't work, and we keep driving and driving so I keep holding on and pulling. I am against the window while dozens of old women stare at their hands, examining the deep blue veins underneath their thin waxy skin. I can't sit still and my mind is racing so I stare out the window to distract myself, and we are far away from anything I have ever seen on this bus route. We are driving, almost drifting off into the distance of a repetitive desert scene from nowhere and I shout “Where are we going?” but no one listens.

And I think of my mom who would hold me and help me fight through the pain of dozens of childhood ear and throat infections that made my tonsils swell to the point I couldn't breathe. I would clutch onto her and cry “Mommy Mommy make it stop,” and she couldn’t but she would skip work and cradle me and tell me everything would be all right. She's not here to comfort me anymore and nothing feels the same. The memory fades fast and the bus continues, all of us stuck here like at the end of a roller coaster ride, and the attendant is asking us to get off and we all just sit there patiently, waiting for the ride to start again.

title: Can't Let Go

question: The crying woman triggers a memory. What is it?

answer: The narrator remembers his dying mother who looked as tired as the crying woman does.

question: What are they giving the driver in place of fare?

answer: Crumpled flowers perhaps

question: Why does the narrator think that this crammed hot bus is like a morgue?

answer: This is a strange comparison since a morgue would be cool and not at all cramped. Perhaps it is the general feeling of misery, the reminder of his dead mother repeated over and over as each new woman climbs onto the bus.

question: Why does the bus not stop when the narrator wants to get off? After all, prior to this, it stopped continually to load more women on.

answer: Now that it is totally full it can't stop to load anymore. Perhaps the pull rope is just not working and the driver doesn't know that the narrator wants to get off? Perhaps the most likely explanation is that this is a dream.


text:
It sometimes feels like if you want to truly make a difference in your health, you need to hit the gym every day or make every workout as intense as possible. But new research suggests that simply walking more can have a real impact on lifespan. In fact, people in the study who walked just 150 minutes a week or more had a 20% lower risk of premature death, compared to those who walked less.

Even for people who didn’t meet those 150 recommended minutes of activity per week, walking at least a little bit was still better than getting no exercise at all, found the _American Journal of Preventive Medicine_ study.

Lead author Alpa Patel, a researcher with the American Cancer Society, says the study is good news for anyone who worries that walking doesn’t count as exercise. “In our study, close to 95% of people who engaged in any physical activity did some walking—but for half of those people, walking was the only moderate to vigorous exercise they got,” she says. “Now we can see that it really does have real benefits.”

The study, which followed nearly 140,000 people for an average of 13 years, compared adults who got no physical activity at all, those whose only exercise was walking, and those who walked plus did other types of exercise. It also compared people who got more than the recommended 150 minutes of activity per week and those who got less.

The people in the study were mostly senior citizens, with an average age of 70. During the study’s follow-up period, about 43,000 of them died.

Compared to people who reported getting some physical activity at the start of the study (but less than two hours a week), those who reported getting no activity at all were 26% more likely to have died. Those who got got between 2.5 and five hours of physical activity a week, on the other hand, had a 20% lower risk of death.

Whether people achieved their 150 minutes a week of physical activity through only walking or through other activities didn’t seem to matter; both groups reaped similar longevity benefits. In the walking-only group, those who walked the most were better protected against death from respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer than those who walked the least.

This wasn’t surprising to the researchers, because walking has previously been associated with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and breast and colon cancers. But Patel was a bit surprised that the people who only walked got almost as much benefit as those who got other types of exercise as well.

Only half of U.S. adults—and even fewer adults 65 and older—meet the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. For those people, Patel says, simply aiming to meet that threshold could have real implications on longevity.

The average pace people in the study walked at was 3 miles per hour, or a 20-minute mile. “It’s faster than you’d walk in the grocery store, and it’s enough to get your heart rate up a little bit, but it’s not like they were power walking or jogging,” says Patel. “Walking is the most common type of physical activity that people engage in in the United States, so I was very, very happy to see these results.”

When the researchers compared individuals who got more than 150 minutes of activity to those who got less, they did not include the small percentage of people who reported getting no activity at all. “People who are completely inactive, especially in this age range, may be that way because of underlying health reasons that keep them from being able to walk,” says Patel. “We didn’t want to overestimate the benefits of walking, so we only wanted to include people who were healthy enough to get around.”

The researchers also excluded people with chronic health conditions from their study, and controlled for factors such as smoking status and obesity. Still, the study could only find an association between walking and longer life, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

For people who enjoy more vigorous forms of exercise, there’s no reason to stop; other studies have shown that higher-intensity workouts also have benefits of their own. But for the millions of Americans who aren’t even getting the minimum recommendation for physical activity, Patel says the evidence in support of walking more—at any age—is strong.

“I hope this encourages people, especially older adults but really anyone who’s not engaging in a physical activity regimen, that they don’t have to go out and become a marathon runner,” says Patel. “Going from nothing to something provides a tremendous health benefit to overall longevity, and simply meeting those guidelines can provide even more.”

_This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com_

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CONTACT US at letters@time.com.

question: What does the text say about health?

answer: The article claims that you do not need to do intense workouts to make a difference in your health. New research suggests that simply walking can have an impact on your overall lifespan. People in a  study who walked just 150 minutes a week are at a lower risk of premature death.

question: What does the text say about walking?

answer: The article claims that people who walked just 150 minutes a week or more had a 20% lower risk of premature death, compared to those who walked less. However the study is limited as the researchers did not want to overestimate the benefits of walking.

question: What does the text say about physical activity in general?

question: What does the text say about Patel?

answer: Patel seems to be the head researcher on the study. He claims that when it comes to exercise, going from nothing to something provides a tremendous health benefit to overall longevity, and simply meeting those guidelines can provide even more.


text:
The 2015 OLIVET COMETS FOOTBALL TEAM, sometimes known as TEAM 115 in reference to the 115th season the Olivet football program had fielded a team, was an American football team that represented Olivet College during the 2015 NCAA Division III football season. The Comets play in the MIAA and played their home games at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, Michigan. Olivet was led by Dan Pifer, who was in his fourth season.

Season synopsis

The Comets won a share of the MIAA conference title for the first time since 2007 and for the eleventh time in school history. The nine wins in the season set a new single season record.

Broadcasting

For another season, broadcasting for the Comets was done by 89.1 The One WOCR FM with play-by-play done by station manager Travis Oberlin and color analysis by Daniel Neugent. The games could be heard on the radio and on wocrfm.com.

Schedule

    SOURCE:[1]

[1]

title: 2015 Olivet Comets football team

question: Who is Team 115?

answer: The 2015, 115th season Olivet Comets football team that represented Olivet College during the 2015 NCAA Division III football season.

question: Where do they play?

answer: In the MIAA at Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, Michigan.

question: Who was their coach?

answer: Dan Pifer who was in his fourth season at Olivet.

question: Did they win that year?

answer: Yes, they won the MIAA conference title

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The 2015, 115th season Olivet Comets football team that represented Olivet College during the 2015 NCAA Division III football season and is also known as Team 115. Playing in the MIAA, they hosted their home games at  Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, Michigan.  Their head coach was Dan Pifer who was in his fourth season. They won the MIAA conference title, the first time since 2007 and eleventh time in school history.


text:
If the eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar) went extinct in the 1930s, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) reported back in March, why do so many people in New England keep reporting cougar sightings?

If the eastern cougar (_Puma concolor couguar_) went extinct in the 1930s, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) reported back in March, why do so many people in New England keep reporting cougar sightings?

As FWS lead scientist Mark McCollough told me in March, the 110 confirmed cases on cougars (sometimes called mountain lions) being seen in the eastern U.S. were all traced to animals brought to the area from other parts of the country and had probably escaped or been let loose into the wild.

But now comes evidence that one cougar actually migrated to Connecticut all the way from South Dakota, a journey of 2,400 to 2,900 kilometers (1,500 to 1,800 miles). The North American cougar (also classified as _P. c. couguar_; cougar taxonomy is still a matter of great debate) was struck and killed by an SUV while crossing the Wilbur Cross Parkway on June 11. DNA tests proved that not only did the cougar originate in South Dakota, but also that it had previously been tracked in 2009 and 2010 through Wisconsin and Minnesota, where the animal's DNA had previously been collected through blood, hair and droppings. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, cougars disappeared from that state in the early 20th century. They died out in Connecticut prior to that.

Officials told the _The New York Times_ __ that the cougar was between two and five years old and was probably traveling looking for a mate, a process known as dispersing. Male cougars stay away from other males and maintain their own territories, but they rarely stray more than 160 kilometers.

"The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Daniel Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said in a prepared statement. "This mountain lion traveled a distance of more than 1,500 miles from its original home in South Dakota—representing one of the longest movements ever recorded for a land mammal and nearly double the distance ever recorded for a dispersing mountain lion."

Etsy said there is no evidence of any other cougars living in Connecticut.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory in Missoula, Mont., conducted the genetic tests. Kristi Pilgrim, laboratory supervisor for the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, told National Public RadioR that the station maintains a genetic database of cougars from "all over the west," which allowed them to link the animal killed in Connecticut with its kin in South Dakota.

Scientists were shocked and amazed at the cougar's journey. "As a biologist who has looked pretty carefully at the cougar issue, I was really astounded, as I think most biologists who deal with cougars were at this information, FWS's McCullough told the _Bangor Daily News_ last week. "It does, apparently, set a record as far as dispersal distance for any land mammal in North America that we're aware of, and is significantly beyond the previous record of dispersal of a cougar as far as straight-line distance." The previous dispersal record was just about 1,000 kilometers.

This animal, nicknamed the "Saint Croix Cougar" and "Twin Cities Cougar" during its travels, may have been solo, but that doesn't mean cougar sightings will stop now that he has been killed. Another unconfirmed cougar sighting occurred in Dresden, Maine (about 16 kilometers from where I live) just last week.

_Photo: Necropsy of the cougar killed in Connecticut, via Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection_

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

[author-avatar]

John R. Platt

-

John R. Platt is the editor of The Revelator. An award-winning environmental journalist, his work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications. His "Extinction Countdown" column has run continuously since 2004 and has covered news and science related to more than 1,000 endangered species. John lives on the outskirts of Portland, Ore., where he finds himself surrounded by animals and cartoonists.

question: What's the difference between a cougar and a mountain lion?

answer: They're the same animal-- They just go by different names. This is shown in the passage when Daniel Etsy, commissioner of the Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, refers to the animal as a mountain lion in one quote, but as a cougar in the next.

question: Why do people in New England keep reporting cougar sightings?

answer: Every case of a cougar being seen in the eastern U.S. were linked to animals brought there from other parts of the country. These animals had most likely escaped or been let loose. The one exception to that is this cougar that traveled from South Dakota to Connecticut.

question: Why did the cougar walk from South Dakota to Connecticut.

answer: While not confirmed, the cougar was mostly likely traveling & looking for a mate (a process known as dispersing). During this process, male cougars stay away from other males and maintain their own territories.

question: Why did eastern cougars go extinct?


text:
She sat on the chair, her eyes reflecting an internal struggle. Should she take 4 or 5 packets of bagels. She could not decide. She leaned down and turned to me and said "Is Scott coming tonight?" I was busy writing. I had to stop to think about her question.

"I think so" I replied "He usually comes to Friday night meetings. I think he quite enjoys the food to be honest. Not that I can point the finger, for I enjoy it as well."

She decided to take five lots of bagels in the end. She walked across the lounge and into the kitchen. Pausing at the  oven, she picked up the recently boiled kettle, and poured herself an invigorating cup of hot water. Having satisfied her thirst, she turned to the bench - her eyes devouring the moorish muffins she made yesterday. Before I knew it she was sitting down at the table next to me, fully enjoying the simple pleasures of life - a drink in one hand, a muffin in the other.

And she turned around and looked at the bagels again.

**Edit :** *Not sure if we are allowed to put in selfish plugs, but if you'd like read anymore of my writing - you can check it out over on /r/ComposerofWords*

title: Bagels and Indecisive Women

question: What is happening tonight?

answer: It is Friday night and a meeting is taking place. At least three attendees have been identified: the man, the woman and Scott. It is unclear what meeting this is, although it can be inferred that it is a peer support group for alcoholics based on its Friday night timing.

question: Why did the woman ask the man if Scott was coming?

answer: She is trying to decide how many bagels to take to the meeting. This is dependent on the number of people coming. It also seems that Scott enjoys bagels, so he might take more than one if he is there. Scott's intended presence might persuade her to take more bagels rather than less. She relies on the man's knowledge of Scott's movement, implying that they might be friends.

question: Does the woman make a decision on how many bagels to take?

answer: After enquiring if Scott was coming or not, the woman decides to take 5 packets of bagels. However, after sitting down with her drink and muffin she reconsiders her answer. The title also implies that she remains undecisive.

question: How many people are anticipated to be at the meeting?

answer: The woman is deciding between 4 or 5 packets of bagels. Assuming 5 bagels per packet, this means 20 to 25 bagels for the meeting. This implies expected attendance between 15 and 20 people.

question: What is the likely gender of the person the woman is talking with?

answer: It is likely a man. The title implies someone assessing women and evaluating their inability to make decisions. This can only be done by an outside party.

question: What does the use of the plural noun 'women' in the title of the story imply?

answer: It implies that a generalization is made that all women are indecisive and that this will be proven by way of an example in the story.


text:
ANCELL is an extinct town in the northeast corner of Kelso Township, Scott County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named for Pashal Ancell, a pioneer citizen, but was first known as Glenn. It is now part of Scott City.[1][2] Scott City is a consolidation of the formerly separate towns of Fornfelt, Ancell and Illmo, Missouri. These towns arose in association with the building and operation of railroads that passed through the area and all incorporated around the same time. Fornfelt, then known as Edna, incorporated in 1905. Illmo, on the Missouri side of a bridge linking Illinois and Missouri, incorporated in 1906. Ancell, just to the west of Illmo, incorporated in 1907. In 1960, Ancell merged with Fornfelt and formed Scott City. Illmo merged into Scott City in 1980.[3][4][5] A post office called Ancell was established in 1912 and remained in operation until this merger.[6] Ancell Cemetery is 5 miles south of Scott City.[7]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Ancell, Missouri

question: Where is Ancell located?

answer: It is located in Scott County in the U.S. state of Missouri.

question: Who is Ancell named after?

answer: Ancell is named after Pashal Ancell, a pioneer citizen.

question: What city was Ancell merged with?

answer: In 1960, Ancell merged with Fornfelt and formed Scott City.

question: What is the population of Scott City?

answer: Not answered.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article details the extinct city of Ancell, which is located in Scott County in the U.S. state of Missouri. In 1960, Ancell merged with Fornfelt and formed Scott City.


text:
JOSEPH HISLOP (5 April 18846 May 1977) was a Scottish lyric tenor who appeared in opera and oratorio and gave concerts around the world. He sang at La Scala, Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, and the Opéra-Comique, Paris, as well as forging a remarkable career in Denmark and Sweden, where he was made a Knight of the Dannebrog and a Knight of the Order of Vasa. He toured America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand on several occasions and made a large number of recordings, some of which are available on CD re-issues. Hislop is notable for having been the final teacher of the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling and for developing a number of fine British singers through his post-War work at the Guildhall School of Music and at Sadler's Wells. After retiring to Fife, he taught the Scottish baritone Donald Maxwell.[1]

Career

Joseph Hislop was born in the city of Edinburgh, at 16 Beaumont (sc. Bowmont) Place, in 1884. He was a pupil and chorister at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral School, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, under Dr Thomas Collinson and at the School of Arts (now Heriot-Watt University) where he studied photoprocess engraving. His early employment was in photo-press engraving at Hislop and Day (Edinburgh), then in Glasgow. Subsequently he studied at Bolt Court in London, learning the new three-colour process. Hislop was aware of his vocal ability, but his chances of making a progression into the professional ranks of classical music were dismissed by Dr Collinson. He was sent from Bolt Court to Gothenburg to introduce the latest photoprocess methods to a firm in that Swedish city.[2]

While living in Sweden, he joined a Stockholm male voice choir; but his exceptional voice stood out from the others and he was persuaded to abandon his initial career and train in Stockholm for the operatic stage. He was taught by Dr Gillis Bratt, a medical throat specialist who also sang. Then, uniquely for a non-Swede, he was accepted as a student at the Opera School in Stockholm. He made very rapid progress, and appeared in a performance of Gounod's _Faust_ at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1914.[3] He then went to Milan to further his training, and within a fairly short time he was singing leads in such major Italian opera houses as La Scala, La Fenice, Venice, Teatro di San Carlo, Naples and Teatro Regio, Turin.

Hislop made his London debut at Covent Garden, as Rodolfo in _La bohème_, in 1920. He was a great success, and he went on to receive acclaim for his performances in _Rigoletto_, _La traviata_. He continued singing at Covent Garden until 1928. In 1924, he appeared opposite Dame Nellie Melba. In 1926 he sang _Faust_ opposite Feodor Chaliapin as Mephistopheles.[4] This was a particularly memorable performance,[5] and was immortalised in extensive highlights (13 sides) by one of the early 'live' recording endeavours of the Gramophone Company (HMV).[6] In the 1926 season he sang Handel's _Messiah_ and was greatly admired in it.

He established a successful career in America, and first appeared (again in _Faust_) in Chicago in 1920. He toured in North and South America: he was warmly received in Buenos Aires in Argentina. In addition to his Verdi and Puccini roles, he was also a distinguished Roméo and Des Grieux in _Manon_. He made extended tours in Australia and New Zealand (where his associate artist, with whom he literally came to blows, was the pianist Isador Goodman)[7] and South Africa. Offers from abroad combined with lack of opportunity at home meant that he seems to have made only a handful of main stage performances in his native country.[8]

In Stockholm he received Royal honours, including the Literis et Artibus (1922) and the Order of Vasa in 1929. In Denmark he received the Order of the Dannebrog in 1926. He was appointed Professor of Singing at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm, remaining there until 1948.[9] His students in Sweden included Birgit Nilsson and Per Grundén in Stockholm and Jussi Björling in Gothenburg. He also taught in London at the Guildhall and also supervised singers at Sadler's Wells.[10]

Marriages

Hislop was married twice, first to Karin Asklund and then to Nancie Passmore (daughter of Agnes Fraser and Walter Passmore).[11]

Death

He died at his home, Lundin Links, in Fife, and was cremated at Kirkcaldy. He had lived in Fife for a number of years with his second wife, who survived him.[12]

[1] Michael T R B Turnbull, Joseph Hislop: Gran Tenore (Scolar Press, 1992).

[2] This paragraph sourced from Michael T R B Turnbull, Joseph Hislop: Gran Tenore (Scolar Press, 1992)

[3] 1914, Swedish Wikipedia, and Davidson 1955.

[4] J.Hislop & F.Chaliapin in Ch.Gounod’s opera "Faust” (Live from “Covent Garden” - London, 1928 (in Russian)

[5] G. Davidson, _Opera Biographies_ (Werner Laurie, London 1955), 132-34 at p. 133.

[6] J. Steane and K. Hardwick, 1979, _Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Historic Recordings of Actual Performances_ Album insert, (EMI Records, London 1979), pp 7, 10.

[7] Virginia Goodman, _Isador Goodman: A Life in Music_, 1983, p. 41

[8] Stephen Fraser 1 Retrieved 14 September 2014

[9] Davidson 1955, 134.

[10] H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack (Eds.), _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera_ (OUP, London 1974 printing).

[11] Joseph Hislop at History of the Tenor. Retrieved 22 October 2009.

[12] Michael T R B Turnbull, Joseph Hislop: Gran Tenore (Scolar Press, 1992)

title: Joseph Hislop

question: What made Hislop such a productive teacher, having taught so many students who later became distinguished in the music career?

answer: Hislop had a talent for singing but was discouraged by his teacher Dr Collinson. He decides to study photoprocess engraving and was sent to Sweden where his talent was recognized. Hislop trained in Milan and Stockholm and soon was touring Italy, London, and the United States. Hislop's earlier failure and subsequent redemption might have been a factor in what made him a perfect music teacher for many.


text:
[King Diamond is known for writing conceptual lyrics about horror stories] HEAVY METAL LYRICS are the words used in songs by heavy metal artists. Given that there are many genres of heavy metal, it is difficult to make generalizations about the lyrics and lyrical themes. In 1989, two metal scholars wrote that heavy metal lyrics concentrate “on dark and depressing subject matter to an extent hitherto unprecedented” in any form of popular music.[1] Jeffrey Arnett states that metal songs are “overwhelmingly dominated” by “ugly and unhappy” themes which express “no hope” for the future.[2] Deena Weinstein has proposed one way to analyze metal song themes is loosely grouping them into two categories: the Dionysian theme (a reference to the Roman God of wine), which celebrates “sex, drugs and rock and roll”, partying, and enjoyment of life and the Chaotic theme, which involves dark subjects such as Hell, injustice, mayhem, carnage and death.[3] Not all metal genres fall into Weinstein's two theme model; for example power metal's lyrical themes often focus on fantasy and mythology, camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, among other themes. Another exception is pop metal bands, which replaced “gloom and doom” themes with “positive, upbeat” songs about romantic love and relationships, part of their goal of appealing more to female listeners.[4] In metal overall, the small number of metal songs about relationships are typically about unions that have “gone sour” long ago.[5]

The thematic content of heavy metal lyrics has long been a target of criticism. According to Jon Pareles, “Heavy metal's main subject matter is simple and virtually universal. With grunts, moans and subliterary lyrics, it celebrates  a party without limits  The bulk of the music is stylized and formulaic.”[6] Music critics have often deemed metal lyrics juvenile and banal, and others[7] have objected to what they see as advocacy of misogyny and the occult. During the 1980s, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) petitioned the U.S. Congress to regulate the popular music industry due to what the group asserted were objectionable lyrics, particularly those in heavy metal songs.[8] The PMRC used music professor Joe Stuessy to testify against metal. Professor Stuessy alleged that heavy metal songs focus on violence, substance abuse, perversion, S&M, and Satanism.[9] Robert Walser analyzed 88 metal songs' themes to determine if Professor Stuessy's claims were valid. In Walser's analysis, the dominant theme in the metal songs was “longing for intensity”; he found that the negative themes described by Stuessy and the PMRC were uncommon.[10] Jeffrey Arnett analysed the lyrics from 115 metal songs: he found that the top three messages were “grim themes” about violence, angst and protest.[11]

Metal artists have had to defend their lyrics in front of the U.S. Senate and in courtrooms. In 1985, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was asked to defend his song _Under the Blade_ at a U.S. Senate hearing. In 1986, Ozzy Osbourne was sued because of the lyrics of his song _Suicide Solution_.[12] In 1990, Judas Priest was sued in American court by the parents of two young men who had shot themselves five years earlier, allegedly after hearing the subliminal statement “do it” in a Priest song. While the case attracted a great deal of media attention, it was ultimately dismissed.[13] In some predominantly Muslim countries, heavy metal has been officially denounced as a threat to traditional values. In countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Malaysia, there have been incidents of heavy metal musicians and fans being arrested and incarcerated.[14]

History

There were “heavy”-sounding bands before Black Sabbath, such as Led Zeppelin and Cream. However, the use of “dark and aggressive music” and “offensive lyrics” at the same time was started by Black Sabbath.[15] Black Sabbath 's second album _Paranoid_ (1970) “included songs dealing with personal trauma—'Paranoid' and 'Fairies Wear Boots' (which described the unsavoury side effects of drug-taking)—as well as those confronting wider issues, such as the self-explanatory 'War Pigs' and 'Hand of Doom.'”[16] Black Sabbath's drummer, Bill Ward, states that the band chose its darker lyrical themes because they were “sick and tired of all the [hippie] bullshit- love your brother and flower power forever” and the romantic themes about being “hung up” about a woman that were popular in mainstream music.[17] Metal lyrics often demonstrate a “bad attitude” and “political incorrectness” and it tends to have “occult and satanic symbolism”.[18]

Deriving from the heavy metal genre's roots in blues music, sex is another important topic—a thread running from Led Zeppelin's suggestive lyrics to the more explicit references of glam metal and nu metal bands.[19] Some themes are excluded in most heavy metal, such as optimistic, hope-filled songs, songs about romantic love or songs with a 1960s counterculture message of trying to change the world.[20] In general, metal lyrics are not lighthearted [21] and they do typically not make use of satire.[22]

Music critic Robert Christgau has called metal “an expressive mode it sometimes seems will be with us for as long as ordinary white boys fear girls, pity themselves, and are permitted to rage against a world they'll never beat”.[23] Karen Bettez Halnon did research that shows that heavy metal fans see the songs they enjoy as an alternative to listening to “impersonal, conformist, superficial and numbing realities of commercia[l]” music."[24]

Themes

Occult

[Black metal bands have song lyrics that refer to occult subjects and death.] Occult themes[25] and references to “occult religious practices” are used in metal lyrics.[26] References to Satanism and Gothic horror are present in heavy metal lyrics.[27] As an example of references to Satan, the song “Hell Awaits” by Slayer “glorifies Satanic rule”.[28] The metal band Cradle of Filth writes lyrics which mix “Satanism, occult” and horror movie themes.[29]

Death metal songs involve themes of “horror, gore and environmental and social decay”, including descriptions of dismemberment and “botched forensic procedures.” [30] James Parker states that while the use of Hell- and underworld-oriented themes in heavy metal can be “dark and disturbing”, they are “honest about human nature”, and as such, listening to metal lyrics can be beneficial for listeners' mental health (he says metal lyrics can “keep us sane”).[31]

War and violence

A key theme in heavy metal lyrics is the “pointless horror and destruction of war”.[32] A number of heavy metal songs criticize war, including “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath); “One” (Metallica); “Symphony of Destruction” (Megadeth) and “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For” (Lamb of God).[33] Heavy metal has a “lyrical fixation with dark themes, including war, destruction, doom and misery.”[34] Heavy metal lyrics focus on the “poetics of destruction”, such as “death, mutilation and physical violence.”[35] Ronald Pogue states that death metal songs have “violent, aggressive and angry lyrics”.[36] Later thrash metal bands' songs “questioned injustices such as warfare”.[37]

Religion

Even the earliest heavy metal used religion in its lyrical themes, notably Black Sabbath, which usually performed with a crucifix, even though their music had messages about black magic.[38] In the 1980s groups such as Slayer and Venom showed a “fascination with religion”, which can be seen in "Slayer’s groundbreaking 1986 album “Reign in Blood”, which features “Larry Carroll’s satanic-themed cover art.”[39] Metal bands may have been fascinated with religion to antagonize “conservative Christian groups” that criticized metal.[40] Through the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, anti-Christian messages in metal got more extreme, with Deicide releasing songs such as “Kill the Christian.” [41]

Some metal songs criticize religion, such as “Death Church” by Machine Head, which “criticizes the hypocrisy of the Christian church.” [42] Metal groups “…seek out every…avenue to assault religion”, including “religious hypocrisy”, specifically Christianity.[43] Metal songs use themes from the _New Testament_ _Book of Revelations_ which focus on apocalypse (e.g., Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast”). The metal subgenre with the most emphasis on apocalyptic themes is thrash metal.[44] Anti-patriarchal themes are common in metal.[45] Black metal song lyrics usually " attack Christianity" using “…apocalyptic language” and “Satanic” elements. Bands with explicitly Christian lyrics make up a distinct subculture in the heavy metal community, sometimes called white metal in contrast to black metal.

Women

Heavy metal lyrics have been called “…callous toward women” [46] and the PMRC claimed in the 1980s that metal songs are misogynistic and that they promote rape and other violence towards women. Andrew Cope states that claims that heavy metal lyrics are misogynistic are “clearly misguided” as these critics have “overlooked the overwhelming evidence that suggests otherwise.” [47] Craig Hayes states that metal “clearly empowers women”.[48]

Cope states that there are styles of rock music that contain misogynistic lyrics, but he says this is mostly “blues-based rock music” and “cock rock”.[49] Contrary to the claims of anti-metal critics, Cope states that “metal has opened up a space for women”, and there has been significant growth" in the number of female metal performers since the mid-1990s.[50] Some metal bands even have male/female co-lead vocalists (e.g., Nightwish and Lacuna Coil) and in the 2000s, mainstream metal magazines such as _Terrorizer_ have had a number of articles and cover stories about female metal artists.[51]

Drugs and alcohol

[Jack Daniel's whiskey is celebrated in heavy metal culture. Head shops sell T-shirts and belt buckles with the brand's distinctive label. Carnivore has a song about the drink, entitled “Jack Daniels And Pizza”.] Heavy metal lyrics make references to “substance abuse”.[52] Even the name of the genre, “heavy metal”, has been called a drug reference, as it was taken from the William Bourroughs story _Nova Express_, in which the author used the term to refer to “addictive drugs”.[53] Weinstein states that drug use is not used much as a lyrical theme in metal, because drugs do not “resonate with the power” of heavy metal music (Black Sabbath's “Sweet Leaf”, a song that celebrates marijuana, is a notable exception).[54] Andy Bennett states that the classic era-heavy metal themes of sex, drugs and rock and roll are not present in extreme metal; in these subgenres, if songs refer to drugs, it is usually a warning about the dangers of drug use.[55] There are a number of metal songs that celebrate drinking alcohol and drunkenness, e.g., Saxon’s “Party Till You Puke”; W.A.S.P’s “Blind in Texas”.;[56] AC/DC's “Have A Drink On Me”; Hellyeah's “Drink, Drank, Drunk”; Black Label Society's “Born To Booze”; Carnivore's “Jack Daniels And Pizza”; and Hammer Fight's “I Didn't Like Drinking (Until I Started Drinking)”.

In an analysis of Black Sabbath songs from 1970 to 2013, 13% of the songs had substance use references; however, 60% of these references depicted substance use in a negative way.[57] “Contrary to the notion that heavy metal music glorifies or encourages substance use…, Black Sabbath’s lyrics…weave a cautionary tale of how persistent substance use can hijack free will, become the dominant focus” of the user's life, and lead to misery.[58] Although the early albums had some positive references to drugs, but almost all of the later albums' references to drug use were negative, with songs alluding to the "misery of having their life ruled (and possibly ruined) by drug use.[59] Black Sabbath songs warn listeners that they can lose their dignity and end up “constantly suffering”, due to the “raw horror of addiction”.[60]

Finnish metal bands from the 1990s such as Niskalaukaus, Kotiteollisuus and Viikate have songs that about “problem drinking” and the “misery of alcoholism”, which describe situations where men try to “escape from the miseries of life” and deal with their shame by “excessive drinking”.[61]

Rock and roll and metal

There are a number of metal songs which “praise rock or rock and roll”, but these songs should not be thought of literally, as extolling the merits of early 1950s rock and roll. Weinstein states that in these metal songs, the words “rock” or “rock and roll” refer specifically to heavy metal and its important role.[62] Examples include AC/DC's “Rocker”; Judas Priest's “Rock Hard, Ride Free”; Sammy Hagar's “Rock ‘n’ Roll Weekend”; Twisted Sister's “I Believe in Rock ‘n’ Roll”; Motorhead's “Rock ‘n’ Roll”; and Ozzy's “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”.[63]

Some songs are self-referential to the genre. Many of these songs directly praise heavy metal (or simply “metal”) and celebrate its importance. Examples include Sammy Hagar's “Heavy Metal”; Judas Priest's “Metal Meltdown”; Metallica's “Metal Militia”; Anvil's “Metal On Metal”; Venom's “Black Metal”; 3 Inches Of Blood's “Metal Woman”; Exodus's “Metal Command”; and Manowar's “Die For Metal”. Some songs refer to both metal and rock and roll, such as Rock Goddess' “Heavy Metal Rock 'n' Roll”.

Sexual aspects

Heavy metal lyrics contain themes about “sexual excess”.[64] Some metal songs by Cannibal Corpse contain a “depiction of sexualized violence”.[65] Weinstein states that while “lust and sex” are important lyrical themes for most metal bands (apart from Black Sabbath), sex is depicted as fun and “without commitments”, but it is not depicted as sadistic or violent, as critics of metal lyrics often claim. Examples of sex-themed metal songs include AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill”; Krokus’ “Long Stick Goes Boom”; AC/DC's “Whole Lotta Rosie”; Motörhead's “Fast And Loose”; and WASP's “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)”. The Mentors became infamous for their sexual shock rock lyrics, most notably the song Golden Shower which had its lyrics read during the PMRC hearings.

Politics and social themes

Craig Hayes states that politics is inherent in every metal band's message; he states that while these political messages vary, they are often being a critique of “mainstream political and social mores.” [66] While thrash metal bands aimed their songs at a " similar suburban working class audience that characterized the hardcore scenes", “thrash metal musicians were much less ardent in their politics than most hardcore bands” because for thrash musicians, hardcore was too “preachy” and “message”-focused (e.g., left wing hardcore songs like Dead Kennedys' “California Uber Alles”).[67] But this does not mean that thrash bands did not have lyrics with political content; thrash bands did “question injustices such as industrial capitalism, warfare, the environment and social control”.[68] As well, lyrics in thrash metal often deal with social issues and reproach for The Establishment, using direct and denunciatory language, an approach which thrash borrowed from hardcore punk. Anti-patriarchal themes criticizing authorities and institutions are common in metal.[69]

Metal genres

Black metal

“Black metal songs are meant to be like Calvinist sermons; deadly serious attempts to unite the true believers”. Misanthropy, global catastrophe, war, death, destruction and rebirth are also common themes.[70] In the early years of black metal, the subgenre's lyrics often “fused virulent anti-christian politics with Nietzschean-inspired satanism and ecological mysticism”, with some bands' lyrics exploring themes relating to “Occultism, Nietzsche, paganism, [and] mystical Nazism”.[71] Another topic often found in black metal lyrics is that of the wild and extreme aspects and phenomena of the natural world, particularly the wilderness, forests, mountains, winter, storms, and blizzards. Black metal also has a fascination with the distant past. Many bands write about the mythology and folklore of their homelands and promote a revival of pre-Christian, pagan traditions. A significant number of bands write lyrics only in their native language and a few (such as Burzum and Arckanum) have lyrics in archaic languages such as Old Norse.

Death metal

The lyrical themes of death metal may invoke slasher film-stylized violence,[72] religion (sometimes Satanism), occultism, Lovecraftian horror, nature, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, science fiction, and politics,[73] and they may describe extreme acts, including mutilation, dissection, torture, rape, cannibalism, and necrophilia. Even though death metal's songs have been described as containing “images of extreme violence”, fans “report feelings of transcendence and positive emotions”, which has made psychologists curious to learn why.[74]

The lyrics of death metal bands have been called less important than the song titles and band names (e.g., Autopsy, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dismember, Napalm Death, Suffocation), because the guttural, “bestial” death growl and screaming style of singing makes it hard to understand the lyrics.[75]

While death metal lyrics tend to be associated with the violent content of bands like Cannibal Corpse and the pro-Satanism lyrics of Deicide, the band Morbid Angel has lyrics with diverse subject matter, ranging from “Sumerian mythology, the Roman Empire, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft.”[76]

Extreme metal

According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris,[77] the defining characteristics of extreme metal can all be regarded as clearly transgressive: the “extreme” traits are all intended to violate or transgress given cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Kahn-Harris states that extreme metal can be " close to being formless noise", at least to the uninitiated listener.[78] He states that with extreme metal lyrics, they often " offer no possibility of hope or redemption" and lyrics often reference apocalyptic themes. Extreme metal lyrics often describe Christianity as weak or submissive,[79] and many songs express misanthropic views such as “kill every thing”.[80] A small number of extreme metal bands and song lyrics make reference to far-right politics; for example, the Swedish black metal band Marduk has an obsession with the Nazi Panzer tank, which can be seen in works such as _Panzer Division Marduk_ (1999).[81]

Nu metal

Lyrics in nu metal songs, which may include hip hop music-style rapping, are often angry or nihilistic; many of the genre's lyrics focus on topics such as pain,[82][83] angst,[84][85] bullying,[86] emotional issues,[87][88] abandonment,[89][90] betrayal,[91] and personal alienation,[92][93] in a way similar to those of grunge.[94][95][96][97] A lot of nu metal lyrics that are about these topics tend to be in a very direct tone.[98] Describing Korn's 1994 album, one reviewer stated that the “lyrics were raw and confessional in nature, addressing themes of child sexual abuse, violence and drug use.” [99] In 2000, _The Guardian_ stated that nu metal lyrics are “filled with doom and bitterness”, “lots of swearing”, criticism of “the 'system'”, with “very little sex, and no satanism.”[100]

_The Michigan Daily_ wrote about Limp Bizkit's lyrics, writing that the band “used the nu-metal sound as a way to spin testosterone fueled fantasies into snarky white-boy rap. Oddly, audiences took frontman Fred Durst more seriously than he wanted, failing to see the intentional silliness in many of his songs”.[101] Dope's lyrics are usually about sex, drugs, parties, women, violence and relationships.[102] In 2013, Lucy Jones of _NME_ stated that “a lot of nu metal lyrics depict women as mere sex objects” and she states that Courtney Love declined to “perform alongside Limp Bizkit and System of a Down” due to their allegedly sexist statements.[103] Limp Bizkit's lyrics have been described as “misogynistic”, such as the 2013 song “Ready to Go”, with the lyrics “is that your bitch, cause she told me she’s ready to go.”

However, some songs have lyrics that are about other topics. P.O.D. have used positive lyrics about promise and hope.[104] Drowning Pool's “Bodies” is about moshing.[105] Wayne Swinny of Saliva said that the band's song “Badass” was “meant to be one of those 'sports anthem kind of songs'”.[106] According to Josh Chesler of the _Phoenix New Times_, the lyrics of Deftones, whose style is a mix of nu metal and post-hardcore, “tend to have complex allusions and leave the songs open to many different interpretations.”[107] _Raw Alternative_ praises the lyrics on Incubus' _Make Yourself_ (1999), noting they are not “as angst-y as most of its nu metal contemporaries either, and instead takes turns into the philosophical and ethereal.”[108] Michael Siebert states that a “significant portion of the genre’s appeal was in the lyrics”, with Korn and other groups dealing with “transgressive themes”; Linkin Park “frankly addressing suicidal ideation and alienation”; and Slipknot and Mudvayne expressing “nihilistic rage”.[109]

Power metal

Power metal's lyrical themes often focus on fantasy and mythology, camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, war and death, or combinations of the listed themes. Power metal songs focus on themes that “appeal to the listener's sense of valor and loveliness”.[110]

Censorship and legal issues

From its earliest years, heavy metal bands have aimed at “…breaking taboos and inciting debate” with their “confronting music, themes and imagery”, which is a key part of metal's “creative culture”.[111] Craig Hayes acknowledges that metal lyrics have included “…hurtful, heinous and horrific ideas”; indeed, he states that “a lot of metal strives for offensiveness for the simple pleasure of misadventure”, which leads to “mind-bending, degenerate and wonderfully hostile musical journeys” that provide a “purge and release” for listeners.[112] Metal lyrics contain “abundant potentially offensive material”, due to “metal’s inherently transgressive nature.”[113] Most of the time, metal explores transgressive themes symbolically, with the “transgression serving as a tool of expression”, as with any other artform.[114]

1980s–1990s

In the 1980s, the lyrics of heavy metal led to “panicking parents”; however, since then, “culturally, metal has lost its boogeyman” status to gangsta rap.[115] In 1985, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was asked to defend his song “Under the Blade” at a U.S. Senate hearing. At the hearing, the PMRC alleged that the song was about sadomasochism and rape; Snider stated that the song was about his bandmate's throat surgery.[116] In 1986, Ozzy Osbourne was sued because of the lyrics of his song “Suicide Solution”.[117] A lawsuit against Osbourne was filed by the parents of John McCollum, a depressed teenager who committed suicide allegedly after listening to Osbourne's song. Osbourne was not found responsible for the teen's death.[118] In 1990, Judas Priest was sued in American court by the parents of two young men who had shot themselves five years earlier, allegedly after hearing the subliminal statement “do it” in a Priest song. While the case attracted a great deal of media attention, it was ultimately dismissed.[119]

In 1991, UK police seized death metal records from the British record label Earache Records, in an " unsuccessful attempt to prosecute the label for obscenity".[120] In 1997, the Egyptian police jailed many young metal fans and they were accused of “devil worship” and blasphemy, after police found metal recordings during searches of their homes.[121]

2000s

In 2012, the Norwegian metal band Taake, which was nominated for the Norwegian Spellemann Award (the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy Award), included allegedly anti-Muslim lyrics in their music, including the phrases “To hell with Muhammud and the Mohammedans” and their “unforgivable customs”.[122] In 2013, Malaysia banned Lamb of God from performing in their country, on the grounds that the “band’s lyrics could be interpreted as being religiously insensitive” and blasphemous.[123] Specifically, the Malaysian government indicated that the band has used “excerpts from the Quran” in their lyrics.[124]

In 2014, a Russian court banned the lyrics and album covers of Cannibal Corpse on the grounds that they depict “violence, the physical and mental abuse of people and animals, murder and suicide”, which the court held could “damage the mental health of minors”.[125] In September 2014, a man from Kentucky who "posted the verses of the Exodus song “Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)”" on his Facebook account was “jailed and accused of terrorist threats”.[126] The lyrics the man posted on Facebook read: “student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood splattered treatise of hate / Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends in debate.” [127] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is defending the man, using a First Amendment of the Constitution of United States of America freedom of speech argument.[128]

Impacts

Alleged violent, drug-related, antisocial and occult content or impacts

[Protest the Hero, shown here at a show in May 2007, had their music used in a study on the impact of aggression on listeners.]

Heavy metal has been the subject of critiques from “music industry watchdogs and parents’ groups for its violent, drug-related, sexual, antisocial and occult lyrics”.[129] During the 1980s, the PMRC, an advocacy group which was against the alleged presence of negative themes in popular music, used music professor Joe Stuessy to testify against metal. Professor Stuessy alleged that heavy metal songs focus on violence, substance abuse, perversion, S&M, and Satanism.[130] Walser analyzed 88 metal songs' themes to determine if Professor Stuessy's claims were valid. Walser found that the themes Stuessy claimed were common in metal were actually uncommon in heavy metal songs. In Walser's analysis, the dominant theme in the 88 songs was “longing for intensity”.[131] Jeffrey Arnett states that metal songs are “overwhelmingly dominated” by “ugly and unhappy” themes which express “no hope” for the future.[132]

In an experiment on aggression and heavy metal music, male college students who were exposed to violent-themed lyrics from the metal band Protest the Hero (the songs “Bloodmeat” and “Limb from Limb”) behaved in a more aggressive fashion. Specifically, the students added more hot sauce to a cup of water that they believed that another person would have to drink.[133] In Stack's 2001 analysis of metal songs, he found consistent messages of “hopelessness and loneliness” and he discovered a “positive correlation between heavy metal fandom and suicide acceptability” in the study participants.[134] In 2013, Rafalovich and Schneider analyzed the lyrical content of US and European heavy metal bands and found many themes of “violence and aggression.”[135]

Perception of lyrics by listeners

Deena Weinstein states that heavy metal lyrics are “…meant to be heard rather than read” from a page.[136] Weinstein states that the “total sound” of the band in metal is more important than any of the parts, including the lead vocals.[137] Weinstein states that metal lyrics should not be interpreted literally; instead, she states that they are “figurative” and “suggestive”.[138] While Weinstein states that the lead vocal part is not as important as the overall sound of the band, “Wass showed that 87% of adolescent heavy metal fans knew the lyrics to their favorite songs”.[139] Similarly, Professor Hannelor found that metal fans “…listen more and know the words of songs better than fans of general rock music.”[140]

Positive effects

Andy Bennett states that while extreme metal’s lyrical themes include " destruction, decay and disease, disillusion, corruption through power, confusion and isolation", these themes “resonate” with the real-world challenges that young people face in modern society.[141] Bennett also states that metal lyrics can enable young people to deal with and “face the difficulties in their lives.” [142] Epstein and Pratto state that “many heavy metal songs have socially constructive lyrics” which show “concern for the world that youth will inherit.” [143]

Craig Hayes states that metal “clearly empowers women, and people of all ethnicities, sexualities and classes..” [144] Queer heavy metal fans have stated that metal lyrics “spoke to their experiences of trauma, oppression and marginalization”.[145] Metal is a “fantastically visceral vent” to purge frustrations and provide catharsis.[146] Josh Haun argues that “…metal lyrics are pure fantasy”, so listening to violent lyrics is no different than watching a horror film.[147] Hayes praises metal lyrics for addressing “challenging” and “contentious” issues in its lyrics, in contrast to “bland” chart-topping pop music which does not examine these serious issues. Hayes states that the challenging nature of metal lyrics “inspire discussion”, as metal lyrics are “unquestioningly thought provoking”.[148] Robert L. Gross states that heavy metal can be viewed as a “musical and cultural excursion into fantasy land”.[149] A 2015 study titled “Extreme Metal Music and Anger Processing” showed that “listening to extreme [metal] music may represent a healthy way of processing anger”.[150]

A study indicated that heavy metal is a positive influence on smart children and teens; it was called “a comfort for the bright child”.[151] As well, the study showed that “…intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures” of being smart.[152] The study found that metal listening is _not_ associated with delinquency and poor academic achievement. The study indicated that teen metal listeners use metal to “…help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted” (highly intelligent), as it acts as a “cathartic” to enable the teens to deal with alienation and “purge negativity”.[153]

Professor Bill Thompson from Australia's Macquarie University studied the impact of listening to death metal and found that it brings joy to fans, and that it does not “desensitize” them to the depictions of violence in the songs.[154] He found that death metal fans derive pleasure from listening to violence-oriented themes in the same way that general listeners enjoy listening to sad songs that are intended to “elicit unhappiness”. Thompson came to this conclusion by having a group of death metal fans and a group of non-fans listen to Bloodbath's song “Eaten” (which is about cannibalism) and, for comparison, Pharrell Williams' upbeat pop hit “Happy”, while showing violent and non-violent images and recording the peoples' responses. He says that the results of his study should be “reassuring to parents or religious groups” who are concerned that youth who listen to death metal may be adversely affected. Bloodbath lead singer Nick Holmes praised the study, stating that it proves that his “lyrics are harmless fun” that are no more dangerous than a person watching horror movies or hobbyists doing battle re-enactments.[155]

Potential concerns

Epstein and Pratto state there is a risk that metal listeners may misunderstand or misinterpret song lyrics, since it is hard to hear the words in the “…complex, loud” music. Metal songs typically have powerful, heavily distorted guitars and loud, aggressive drumming, which can make it hard to hear the vocals. For example, even though Ozzy’s song “Suicide Solution” is about the “evils of alcohol”, “many…listeners incorrectly believe the song advocates suicide.” [156] A study states that young people who listen to heavy metal and some other types of rock have an “increased risk of suicide.” [157]

Young heavy metal fans have “more problems with school authorities and teachers” and these listeners are more likely to engage in “delinquency” and “reckless behavior” (the latter issue was also associated with listening to rap).[158] Swedish and US studies from the 1990s showed that heavy metal fans had “decreased motivation for school, lower grades” and an increased potential for dropping out.[159] Studies from the 1980s and 1990s in the US showed that fans of heavy metal were more likely to use drugs and alcohol; as well, heavy metal fans, along with those who like hip-hop, techno and reggae, were associated with “smoking, drinking and cannabis use”.[160] Victor Strasburger acknowledges the studies that show a correlation between heavy metal listening and adolescent issues such as drug use, but he questions the “chicken-and-egg” link, asking whether the association arises because "high[-]risk teens who are angry like to listen to heavy metal music because it validates how they feel, or does the music “make” them do things they would not ordinarily do?"[161]

Craig Hayes states that since metal artists constantly explore “transgressive topics” in their song lyrics and themes, there are examples of metal songs with “…sexism and misogyny” and “racism, and homophobia”. Hayes states that as a result of this “transgressive” exploration mindset, some metal song lyrics “…will always be offensive to someone.” [162] Gavin Russell states his concern with specific “post-millenial metalcore splinter genres’ obsession with the punishment of women” and their lyrics, which he alleges “justify violent misogyny”.[163] A small number of “ultranationalist black metal” bands have “controversial far-right political opinions”[164] related to Nazism or racism.

Simon Tatz from the Mental Health Council of Australia states that metal music “has some worrying aspects”, including the nihilistic lyrics that may “reinforce alienation and exclusion”.[165] A University of Melbourne scholar, Dr Katrina McFerran, found that “young people at risk of depression are more likely to be listening to music, particularly heavy metal music, in a negative way”, typically listening over and over to the same song or album “to isolate themselves or escape from reality”, which she says could “suggest suicidal tendencies.”[166]

[1] Hatch and Millward (1989), p. 167

[2] Sylvan, Robin. _Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music_. NYU Press, 2002

[3] Weinstein, Deena. _Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture_. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 35

[4] Bennett, Andy. _Cultures of Popular Music_. McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 2007. p. 41

[5] Weinstein, Deena. _Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture_. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 36

[6] Pareles, Jon. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DB113DF933A25754C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all “Heavy Metal, Weighty Words”] _The New York Times_, July 10, 1988. Retrieved on November 14, 2007.

[7]

[8] See, e.g., Ewing and McCann (2006), pp. 104–113

[9] Walser, Robert. ''Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music.’’ Wesleyan University Press, 2014.

[10] Walser, Robert. ‘’Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music.’’ Wesleyan University Press, 2014.

[11] Sylvan, Robin. _Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music_. NYU Press, 2002. p. 157

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[15] Cope, Andrew L. _Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music_. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 140

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[17] Bentley, Nick; Johnson, Beth; Zieleniec, Andrzej. _Youth Subcultures in Fiction, Film and Other Media: Teenage Dreams_. Springer, Mar. 31, 2018. p. 155

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[19] Weinstein (1991), p. 36

[20] Weinstein, Deena. _Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture_. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 34-35

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[22] Macan, Edward. ‘’Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture.’’ Oxford University Press, 1997.

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[25] Cope, Andrew L. _Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music_. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. P. 139

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[27] Cope, Andrew L. _Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music_. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 139

[28] Cope, Andrew L. ‘’Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music’’. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 140

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[31] Parker, James. “How Heavy Metal is Keeping Us Sane: Dark and Disturbing, the Music is Honest About Human Nature”. _Atlantic_. May 2011.

[32] Cope, Andrew L. ‘’Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music’’. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 139

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[34] Conway, Kevin P. and McGrain, Patrick. “Understanding Substance Use and Addiction Through the Lyrics of Black Sabbath: A Content Analysis”. _Substance Use and Misuse_. Vol. 52, 2010, issue 12.

[35] Bennett, Andy. ‘’Cultures of Popular Music". McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 2007. p. 43

[36] Pogue, Ronald. _Deleuze’s Wake: Tributes and Tributaries_. SUNY Press, 2004.

[37] Pillsbury, Glenn. _Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity_. Routledge, 2013. p. 6

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[43] Hayes, Craig. “A Very Dirty Lens: How Can We Listen to Offensive Metal”. _PopMatters_. September 20, 2013.

[44] Lunskow, George N. _Religious Innovation in a Global Age: Essays on the Construction of Spirituality_. McFarland, 2004.

[45] Cope, Andrew L. _Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music_. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 39

[46] ’’Media Entertainment: The Psychology of its Appeal.’’ Eds. Dolf Zillmann and Peter Vorderer. Routledge, 2000. p. 188

[47] Cope, Andrew L. _Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music_. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 141

[48]

[49] Cope, Andrew L. ‘’Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music’’. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 141

[50] Cope, Andrew L. “Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music”. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 141

[51] Cope, Andrew L. ‘’Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music’’. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 142 and 144

[52]

[53] Oksanen, Atte. (2011). Drinking to Death: Traditional Masculinity, Alcohol and Shame in Finnish Metal Lyrics. NAD: Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 28. 357-372. 10.2478/v10199-011-0030-3.

[54] Weinstein, Deena. ‘’Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture’’. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 36-37

[55]

[56] Weinstein, Deena. _Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture_. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 37

[57] Conway, Kevin P. and McGrain, Patrick. “Understanding Substance Use and Addiction Through the Lyrics of Black Sabbath: A Content Analysis”. ‘’Substance Use and Misuse’’. Vol. 52, 2010, issue 12.

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[62] Weinstein, Deena. ‘’Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture’’. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 37

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[69] Cope, Andrew L. ‘’Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music’’. Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2010. p. 36

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[72] Moynihan, Michael, and Dirik Søderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.). Feral House. , p. 27

[73] Wikihow: How to Appreciate Death Metal

[74]

[75] Partridge, Christopher. _The Lyre of Orpheus: Popular Music, the Sacred, and the Profane_. Oxford University Press, Nov. 18, 2013

[76] Bardine, Bryan, “Metal and Gothic Literature: Examining the Darker Side of Life (and Death)” (2015). English Faculty Publications. Paper 59. http://ecommons.udayton.edu/eng_fac_pub/59

[77] Kahn-Harris, Keith, _Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge_, Oxford: Berg, 2007,

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[105]  |url=http://www.nme.com/news/drowning-pool/54507 |work=NME |last=Bychawski |first=Adam |date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=January 25, 2017}}

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[109]

[110] Christe (2003), p. 372

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[113]

[114]

[115] Parker, James. “How Heavy Metal is Keeping Us Sane: Dark and Disturbing, the Music is Honest About Human Nature”. ’’Atlantic’’. May 2011.

[116]

[117]

[118] _VH1: Behind The Music--Ozzy Osbourne_, VH1. Paramount Television, 1998.

[119]

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[121]

[122] “Norwegian band causes stir with anti-Islamic lyrics; nominated for prize”. ‘’Al Arabiya News’’. January 10, 2012.

[123] Weber, Katherine. “Malaysia Bans ‘Lamb of God’, Grammy-Nominated Heavy Metal Band, Says Lyrics are Blasphemous”. _The Christian Post_. September 5, 2013.

[124]

[125] Lifton, Dave. “Heavy Metal Group Banned in Russia for Lyrical Content”. _Classic Rock_. November 30, 2014

[126] http://mashable.com/2014/09/11/man-jailed-heavy-metal-on-facebook/#iOo9Cd1vHSqx

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[133] Mast, John F. and McAndrew, Francis T. "Violent Lyrics in Heavy Metal Can Increase Aggression in Males. ‘’North American Journal of Psychology’’. 2011, Vol. 13, no. 1, p. 63-64

[134] Evans, Keith McKay, ““One More Drinkin’ Song”: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Country Music Lyrics Between the Years 1994 and 2013” (2014). All Theses and Dissertations. 5318.

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[136] Weinstein, Deena. ‘’Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture’’. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 34

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[138] Weinstein, Deena. _Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture_. Da Capo Press, 2009. p. 34

[139] Kurtz, Lester R. and Turpin, Jennifer E. ‘’Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict’’. Academic Press, 1999.

[140] Labels and Lyrics: Do Parental Advisory Labels Inform Consumers and Parents? Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. United States Senate, 105th Congress, Second Session. June 16, 1998. U.S. Government Printing Office, 2000.

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title: Heavy metal lyrics

question: Define heavy metal lyrics?

answer: They are the words used in songs by heavy metal artists.

question: What is heavy metal's main subject matter?

answer: According to Jon Pareles, it is simple and virtually universal. It celebrates a party without limits.

question: Who is Jon Pareles?

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

question: What does Andrew Cope say about women and heavy metal lyrics?

answer: In response to claims that heavy metal lyrics are misogynistic, he says those claims are misguided. He says these critics have “overlooked the overwhelming evidence that suggests otherwise.”

question: What is the typical opinion of war in heavy metal lyrics?

answer: Many lyrics call out the "pointless horror and destruction of war".

question: Summarize all that relates to the Occult and heavy metal lyrics.

answer: According to the article, black metal bands have song lyrics that refer to occult subjects, death, occult religious practices, Satanism, and themes of horror, gore, and environmental and social decay. James Parker states these themes are just honesty about human nature, and these lyrics can help keep listeners sane.

question: Name all the themes related to heavy metal lyrics.

answer: Occult, war and violence, religion, women, drugs and alcohol, rock & roll and metal, alcohol and drugs, sexual aspects, and social and political themes.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article details heavy metal lyrics, which are used by heavy metal artists. Themes, genres, history, censorship and legal issues, impacts, and potential concerns of heavy metal lyrics are discussed.


text:
Could it be that the most peaceful place is the one that’s far away?

I've been gazing for quite a moment now at a wall hanging between ledges from our rooftop not too distant from me.  I've been gazing upon it because I saw something – I saw something beautiful.

I saw the afternoon’s warm natural color bathing its radiant light to the walls cream painted color. I saw the mystic cloud dances its shapeless form around the fluorescent blue sky behind it. I saw nature; simple and beautiful nature.

The more I looked at it, I asked the question.

The more I looked at it, I made a thought: I could die right now.

It became quite sardonic as I dwell more into my own thoughts to think such relationship between natural beauty and wishful death.

I dwell deeper.

As I dwell, I became scared.

Is this vivid beauty imitating the crawling sensation of death?

Then I blinked.

I stopped staring. I've been away from myself too long.I stood up from my seat, grabbed my notebook and pen, and walked away towards the rooftop’s door, away from what I saw, away from that deathly beautiful scenery.

As I walked back to my floor, my heart pumped furiously as if it pumps for the first time. I started breathing hard and heavily.But the weird thing is I do not sense fear haunting me. I did not feel scared, not anymore, not at all.

I was feeling alive.

I felt being reborn.

title: The Most Peaceful Place

question: What is the likely gender of the narrator?

answer: There is no indication in the text and it is not relevant.

question: Why is the narrator contemplating death?

answer: Because they are on a rooftop, feeling content, watching the afternoon light, and their mind forms associations with natural beauty and the sense of an ending. Not mentioned but also a possible factor is the relation of rooftops with suicides.

question: Why does the narrator feel reborn?

answer: Having touched on some frightening thoughts of death in comparison to natural beauty, they feel rejuvenated to recognize that they are alive and free to experience that.

question: What is beautiful about the wall?

answer: The beauty of the wall is the way the afternoon light settles on its cream paint, and the backdrop of the sky and light clouds surrounding it.

question: What is "the question"?

answer: It is not explicitly stated, but given the context of deep thought, it is likely related to the question of the meaning of life.


text:
GEOFFREY ROBERT DAVIES (born 22 July 1946) is a former Australian cricketer.[1] He played 73 first-class matches for New South Wales between 1965/66 and 1971/72.[2] He toured New Zealand with the Australian team in 1966-67 and 1969-70, and was once 12th man for the Australian Test team.[3]

Davies was a middle-order batsman and leg-spin bowler. When he was chosen to tour New Zealand in 1967 _The Canberra Times_ said he was “destined to become a permanent member of the Australian side – if he retains his promise”.[4] He played as the professional for East Lancashire in the Lancashire League in 1967 and was one of the league's leading players, scoring 695 runs at an average of 48.98 and taking 40 wickets at 15.97.[5] He was considered a contender for the 1968 tour of England, but was not selected.[6]

[1]

[2]

[3] _The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket_, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 138.

[4]

[5] _Wisden_ 1968, pp. 749–50.

[6] Murray F. Tippett, “Contenders for the Australian Team to tour England”, _Playfair Cricket Monthly_, March 1968, pp. 16-17.

title: Geoff Davies (Australian cricketer)

question: When was Davies born?

answer: July 22, 1946

question: What sport does Davies play?

answer: Cricket

question: What position was Davies on the Australian Test team?

answer: 12th man

question: How many first-class matches did Davies play for New South Wales?

answer: 73

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Geoff Robert Davies is a former Australian cricketer who was born in 1946. He played 73 first-class matches for New South Wales between 1965/66 and 1971/72. He was considered a contender for the 1968 tour of England, but he was not selected.


text:
Wrap bracelets are everywhere, have you noticed? Well, they're everywhere except Sam Moon. I searched high and low for a $5 wrap bracelet carefully made with love in a Chinese sweatshop but came up empty handed.  The obvious solution was to make one myself.

I found several good tutorials online so I won't get too specific here. If you want specifics you should visit Sew Petite Gal who has a nice video tutorial that I found AFTER I had finished my bracelet. Figures. The Rings & Things Blog has some good instructions.Inspiration and Realisation has a tutorial but the one I found most helpful was from The Hollie Rogue.

The technique reminds me a lot of the macrame we did in the 70s. So much so that I almost wanted to light some incense, listen to the Doobie Brothers and pop open a Tab. You can still buy Tab, ya know, only now it has slightly fewer carcinogens. Actually it doesn't have any. Remember when the FDA announced that saccharine could cause bladder cancer and any product containing saccharine had to have a warning label on it? I remember. Well, I don't remember all the details (thank you Wikipedia) but I do remember when everyone quit drinking Tab because of the saccharine. Then in 2000 the FDA changed its mind and said that there hasn't been one single case where saccharine caused an increase in bladder cancer so it's okay to consume now. That retraction statement must have been whispered cuz I don't remember it at all.

Wrap bracelets. Right. I'm back on track now. You can buy a lovely wrap bracelet from Chan Luu for around $245.00 or you can make one yourself for free if, like me, you just happen to already have all the supplies on hand. See? Sometimes hoarding is good. When I come across some new craft or technique I want to try, nine times out of ten I already have all the stuff for it because I bought the supplies (or dug them out of a dumpster) ten years ago and even though I didn't need them right then, I knew there would come a day.
[]
Supplies you will need:

Some cord (leather, cotton, whatever)
Some thread
A needle
A button
Some beads
Some super glue
A clipboard or binder clips
Some tape

How much you will need of each of those things depends on how long you want your wrap bracelet to be. Since this was my first try I opted for just a double wrap. I don't know what size my wrist is but I'd say it's about average, leaning toward the small side. For my bracelet I used 36" of cotton cord, 12 feet of beading thread, and about 65 beads. I got the beads off a broken garage sale necklace so I'm not sure what size they are. My best guess is 4.5mm. This produced a bracelet about 15" long which wraps twice around my wrist nicely. The measurements will vary depending on your wrist size, bead size and even the size of the button for your clasp. Just eyeball it.
[]Some of the tutorials have you start with the loop end, others have you start with the button end. I started with the button end. You just knot your cord and your beading thread in the button shank or on the back of the button if your button has holes.

Then put it on your clipboard or use some binder clips to attach it to something so you can spread it out like the picture. This helps to keep everything from getting all twisted as you work. From here I just followed the instructions on the tutorial and it turned out great!
[][]

[]

 I did make one small change and I hate to even mention it because I can't explain it. If you ever did macrame you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you add the bead from the same side every time, your stitches on one side of the cord will be straight but they will be slanted on the other side. To fix that, I went back through the center of each bead twice instead of once so that the stitches on the cords would match. This means you will alternate from which side you add the bead. One time you'll add from the left, the next time you'll add from the right, etc.

I know, that makes no sense. When you make your bracelet just bring it by the house and I'll show you what I mean. I can show you, I just can't tell you.

As with most beading projects, the first 4 or 5 beads will probably look like crap. This is normal. After about 7 or 8 beads you will establish a rhythm and it will all come together. Trust me.
[]This is my finished bracelet and I really do love it! Oh, the superglue is for your final knot. Since I put the button on first, my last step was to make a loop for it with the end of the cord. I just made a slip knot, pulled it really tight, cut off the excess cord and put on a dab of super glue so it wouldn't "slip".

[][]

Since this was so easy I'm going to step it up a notch and make a quadruple wrap with charms on it. You heard me right. That's just my daredevil nature coming out to play.

question: What are the supplies you need to make wrap bracelets?

answer:
Some cord (leather, cotton, whatever)
Some thread
A needle
A button
Some beads
Some super glue
A clipboard or binder clips
Some tape

question: What does the technique remind the author of?

answer: Macrame from the 70s.


text:
[Hey, it only worked for Liz Lemon once!]

arrow
 Hey, it only worked for Liz Lemon once!

C'mon people! If you simply must play crazy to skip jury duty, you really shouldn't go on the radio and brag about it afterwards. Hard to believe, but people still listen to the radio. Including judges. Just ask Denver Mary Kay saleswoman Susan Cole. She's now facing hard time for lying to get out of jury duty last fall.

Here's the story: Last October Cole, 57, called in and bragged to the KOA's _Dave Logan Show_ that to get out of jury duty she put on a dress skirt over reindeer socks, a white and a black shoe, huge black eyebrows, bright red lipstick and an "Ask Me About My Bestseller" t-shirt. "When they asked me about mental issues, I got up and said, 'YEAH, I HAVE SOME MENTAL ISSUES.' And the judge said, 'Does anybody care if she leaves?' And everybody all at once said in a great big loud voice, 'No!' It was hilarious," she said on the air. "My life is so busy, I didn’t have time to think about it. I made the darndest, blackest eyebrows."

Unfortunately for Cole, Judge Anne Mansfield was listening at the time and was able to trace the incident using court transcripts. Cole was arrested yesterday on felony charges of first-degree perjury and attempt to influence a public servant and now faces a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison on each charge.

She really shouldn't be that surprised though, acting crazy to get out of jury duty doesn't even work all the time on television! Just ask Liz Lemon:

When a NYC woman tried to play "racist" to avoid jury duty, a judge ordered her to indefinite jury duty.

NYC NEWS NEVER SLEEPS. GET THE GOTHAMIST DAILY NEWSLETTER AND DON'T MISS A MOMENT.

question: What did Susan Cole do to face "hard time"?

answer: Susan Cole of Denver is facing "hard time" for lying to get out of jury duty.

question: How was Susan Cole's admission to lying discovered?

answer: Susan called into a radio show explaining that she got out of jury duty dressed the part of a person suffering with a mental disorder and announced she had mental issues. She was dismissed.

question: Who caught Susan's admission?

answer: Judge Anne Mansfield was listening to the radio show and was able to trace the incident using court transcripts. Cole was arrested and faces felony charges of first-degree perjury and attempt to influence a public servant; she faces a maximum of up to 6 years in prison for each charge.

question: How is this story tied to the character Liz Lemon?

answer: Liz Lemon, a character on a tv show, acted crazy to get out of jury duty and it worked.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Susan Cole of Denver is facing up to 12 years of jail time for lying to get out of jury duty. She called into a radio show explaining that she pretended to be a person suffering with a mental disorder to get out of jury duty. Unfortunately for her, a judge was listening to the radio show and tracked her down.