text:
  -------------------------------------------------
  COMKILLER WROTE:
  _weren’t we banned from the bar… like forever?_
  -------------------------------------------------

Stephane negotiated your reentry.

And by that you mean he dragged you inside, flipped the Khajiit bartender off, and ordered you some milk.

[]
The bartender didn’t seem happy about it, but you’ll probably be fine as long as you don’t do anything stupid this time.

  ------------------------------------------------
  STOLENMANGO WROTE:
  _Your milk.It’s in a bowl.Change it to a cup._
  ------------------------------------------------

[]
All you manage to create is some sort of horrible milk taco.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RHISERELD WROTE:                                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| _>Katia: Start asking questions, but remember you have priorities._   |
| 1: The package                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| 2: Your money                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| 3: Evil mage conspiracy involving Sigrid and the Guild (but remember  |
| as long as you get what you need, this isn’t necessarily your         |
| problem)                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| _4. Getting the rest of your stuff back including your robes is       |
| probably worth a try, considering how quickly you go through clothes. |
| No offense._                                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Right. You cut to the chase.

[]
You tell Stephane that when he _robbed_ you, he took a very important package you have to deliver. You need to know if there’s a way to get it back from Sigrid’s evil clutches, and if so, how.

Stephane raises an eyebrow and points out that all Sigrid took from you was a handful of coins, a cheap “robe”, and less than ten septims worth of old books and supplies. He can’t envision anything there being important enough to warrant chasing him across the entire city.

You tell him that it’s… complicated. But more importantly, those things _weren’t his_ to take. It wasn’t right, and you need to fix that.

[]
Look, you say, if you’re not going to actually _help_ me, then at least tell me what sort of bullshit Sigrid has going on so I can help _myself_. I’m not out for blood or anything; I just want to get my stuff and get out of here so I can start setting things right.

And it just so happens that, to do that, I need to know how to break into the lair of an evil psycho-bitch with mind control powers.

[]
[]
She’s not ev-

Did I mention the part where she _mind-controlled me, robbed me, and threw me out on the street naked?_

[]
Look, just… keep your voice down. I confess Sigrid may have overstepped some _implicit boundaries_, but technically you were not “mind controlled”, nor were you “robbed”. And she’s not “evil”, she’s just… an opportunist. If you’d let me explain, I can show you she’s _not_ the badguy here.

[]
[]
[]
Alright, so…

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  FORTHANELDIAR WROTE:
  _Katia> First things first, which is the beginning. If you want understand anything, you need to know its history._
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[]
This all started about a year or so ago. Up until then, Sigrid lived as an ordinary alchemist. She was a Mages Guild member – a low ranking one, and she still is – and spent most of her time minding a little potion shop over in Skingrad. As far as anyone was aware, there was nothing particularly outstanding or unusual about her.

[]
This was right after the Mages Guild stopped supporting the practice of necromancy, when Hannibal Traven took over as Archmage. Sigrid wasn’t active with guild affairs at that point, but caught wind that the Guild’s old Necromancy hub, the Kvatch Mages Guild, had been all but abandoned after the ban. Without any guild tenants, the Archmage was planning to have Kvatch’s guildhall demolished.

[]
It was in that very same minute, by pure happenstance, that Sigrid met a Hlaalu alchemist who had lost everything in an unexpected house fire. Her shop, her money, everything she had worked to build in Cyrodiil, and all her potions…

[]
… other than eighty six gallons of questionably legal Telvanni Bug Musk.

[]
Telvanni _what_ now?

Bug Musk, Stephane whispers. It’s a… perfume, made in the far east. It might be a type of magic potion, or some kind of repurposed insect pheromone; he’s not sure. Like most things Telvanni, the details are vague at best.

What matters, however, are its _interpersonal effects_. One spray of the substance is said to make a beggar as compelling as a learned politician, an illiterate barbarian as persuasive as an expert merchant… or an ordinary man as revered as a _king_.

[]
Excuse me, are you well?

Yeah, you say. I just expected more warning there. So you’re saying she just bought some magic perfume off this other alchemist, and now she can just spray herself with some whenever she wants anything?

Not exactly, Stephane says. Telvanni Bug Musk is powerful, but it’s not powerful enough for the wearer to completely _control_ those around her – at least not on its own or in small amounts.

But, yes, Sigrid bought the entire pallet of potions without hesitation, trading the alchemist everything she owned – her shop, her inventory, her savings… everything except the clothes on her back, and enough septims for one night at a quality inn. As soon as she made the trade, she took her potions, left Skingrad, and headed for the city of Kvatch.

[]
Why Kvatch, you ask? Why not just stay where she was, or find an even bigger city to do her… stuff… to??

Because Kvatch needed her, he says. They were about to lose their only guildhall for mages. And after housing a necromancer laboratory for so long, they had a very grim image of magic. They needed someone to convince them of the importance, righteousness, of the magical arts. And as I said…

[]
Sigrid was an opportunist.

question: Who is Stephane?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What did Sigrid steal?

answer: Sigrid stole some coins, a cheap robe, and less than ten septims worth of old books and supplies.

question: Summarize everything about Sigrid.

answer: Sigrid was an ordinary alchemist, a member of Mages Guild. She spent most of her time minding a little potion shop in Skingrad. Sigrid was not active with the guild affairs up until the Kvatch Mages Guild had been abandoned after the ban. At that time, Sigrid met Hlaalu alchemist. Hlaalu has six gallons of Telvanni Bug Musk which Sigrid traded for everything that she had. As soon as she got the potion, she left Skingrad for Kvatch.

question: What did Sigrid buy?

answer: Sigrid bought six gallons of Telvanni Bug Musk.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Stephane has negotiated Comkiller's bar entry. Sigrid had stolen a handful of coins, s cheap robe, and less than ten septims worth of old books and supplies from Katia.

Sigrid was an ordinary Alchemist. She was not very active with the guild affairs until the Kvatch Mages Guild has been abandoned after the ban. During that time, Sigrid met Hlaalu alchemist. She traded her everything with Hlaalu for six gallons of Telvanni Bug Musk and left for Kvatch.


split: train

text:
AGNÈS JAOUI (born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.

She frequently works in collaboration with her former partner Jean-Pierre Bacri.

Life and career

Jaoui was born in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, and is of Tunisian Jewish descent.[1] She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are both writers.[2] They moved to Paris when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris.[3] She entered the Cours Florent when she was 15.[4] Patrice Chéreau, director of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre where she began attending drama classes in 1984, gave her a role in the film _Hôtel de France_ in 1987. That same year, she also played in Harold Pinter's _L'anniversaire_ beside Jean-Pierre Bacri, who would later become a faithful colleague and companion.[5]

Together Jaoui and Bacri wrote the play _Cuisine et dépendances,_ which was adapted onscreen in 1992 by Philippe Muyl. In 1993, director Alain Resnais asked them to write an adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's 8-part play _Intimate Exchanges_, which became the 2-part film _Smoking/No Smoking_. Thanks to this ironic diptych about free will and destiny, they won the César Award for Best Writing in 1994. But it is in 1996 that they came to know greater success with Cédric Klapisch's adaptation of their play _Family Resemblances_ (_Un air de famille_) which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through a bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Writing in 1997 and this very same year they collaborated again with Alain Resnais for _Same Old Song_ (_On connaît la chanson_) which they wrote but also interpreted: together, they won their third César Award for Best Writing, and Jaoui won her first César Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Jaoui directed her first feature film, _The Taste of Others_ (_Le Goût des autres_, 2000, written with Jean-Pierre Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 including Best Film and Best Writing, and also got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2004, her second film as a director, _Look at Me_ (_Comme une image_), co-written with Bacri, was selected for the Cannes Festival, and won the prize for Best Screenplay. She starred in the last Richard Dembo's film, _La maison de Nina_ (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs _Canta_ (2006). She returned to the cinema industry two years later in 2008 with _Let's Talk About the Rain_ (_Parlez-moi de la pluie_) and offered French humorist Jamel Debbouze a different role from what he was used to.

In 2012, Jaoui directed her latest film to date, _Under the Rainbow_ (_Au bout du conte_), also co-written with Bacri. She revisits several fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. It received acclaim —for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue— from critics and audiences.[6]

Music

Jaoui studied music in the conservatoire when she was 17, but did not start her career as a singer until 2006 when her first album _Canta_ was released. It mixed several Latin music genres (such as flamenco, bolero, and bossa) and she sang exclusively in Spanish and Portuguese.[7] In 2007, it won the Victoire de la Musique award for “best traditional music album”.

Jaoui's second album, _Dans Mon Pays_, was released in 2009. It also featured Latin sonorities and songs sang in Spanish and Portuguese, except for two songs in French.[8]

Personal life

[Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri in 2013 at the première showing of _Au bout du conte_.] Jaoui is the daughter of Gyza Jaoui; a pioneering figure of transactional analysis, a form of psychotherapy initiated by Eric Berne. Jaoui has a brother, , who is also a screenwriter and a director.

Jaoui was in a relationship with Jean-Pierre Bacri from 1987 to 2012.[9] Despite their breakup, the two decided to stay on good terms and to continue to work together.[10]

She adopted two children from Brazil in 2012.[11]

Filmography

As actress

  Year   English title                       Original title                        Role                  Notes
  ------ ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------- --------------------- -------
  1983   _Le Faucon_                         Sandra
  1987   _Hôtel de France_                   Madame Bouguereau
  1987   _L'Amoureuse_                       Agathe
  1990   _Ivanov_                            Babakina
  1991   _Canti_
  1993   _Cuisine et Dépendances_            Charlotte
  1996   _Family Resemblances_               _Un air de famille_                   Betty Ménard
  1997   _Le Déménagement_                   Claire
  1997   _Same Old Song_                     _On connaît la chanson_               Camille
  1998   _Le Cousin_                         Claudine Delvaux
  1999   _On The Run_                        Kristin
  2000   _Une femme d'extérieur_             Françoise
  2000   _The Taste of Others_               _Le Goût des autres_                  Mani
  2003   _24 Hours in the Life of a Woman_   _24 heures dans la vie d'une femme_   Marie Collins Brown
  2004   _The Role of Her Life_              _Le Rôle de sa vie_                   Elisabeth Baker
  2004   _Nina's House_                      _La Maison de Nina_                   Nina
  2004   _Look at Me_                        _Comme une image_                     Sylvia Millet
  2008   _Let's Talk About the Rain_         _Parlez-moi de la pluie_              Agathe Villanova
  2012   _The Dandelions_                    _Du vent dans mes mollets_            Colette Gladstein
  2013   _Under the Rainbow_                 _Au bout du conte_                    Marianne
  2014   _The Easy Way Out_                  _L'Art de la fugue_                   Ariel
  2015   _The Sweet Escape_                  _Comme un avion_                      Laëtitia
  2015   _I'm All Yours_                     _Je suis à vous tout de suite_        Simone Belkacem
  2017   _Aurore_                            Aurore
  2018   _Best Intentions_                   Les Bonnes Intentions                 Isabelle

As filmmaker

  Year       Title                         Credited as   Notes
  ---------- ----------------------------- ------------- ------- ---------------------
  Director   Screenwriter
  1993       _Cuisine et Dépendances_
  1993       _Smoking/No Smoking_
  1996       _Family Resemblances_
  1997       _Same Old Song_
  2000       _The Taste of Others_
  2004       _Look at Me_
  2008       _Let's Talk About the Rain_
  2013       _Under the Rainbow_
  2014       _The Easy Way Out_
  2017       _Place publique_

Discography

  Year   Title
  ------ -----------------
  2006   _Canta_
  2009   _Dans Mon Pays_
  2015   _Nostalgias_

Awards and nominations

  Year   Award                                                            Nominated work          Original title            Result
  ------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- ------------------------- --------
  1993   César Award for Best Writing                                     _Smoking/No Smoking_
  1997   César Award for Best Writing                                     _Family Resemblances_   _Un air de famille_
  1997   César Award for Best Supporting Actress
  1997   Lumières Award for Best Screenplay
  1997   César Award for Best Writing                                     _Same Old Song_         _On connaît la chanson_
  1998   César Award for Best Supporting Actress
  2000   Lumières Award for Best Film                                     _The Taste of Others_   _Le Goût des autres_
  2000   Lumières Award for Best Director
  2000   Lumières Award for Best Screenplay
  2000   European Film Award for Best Film
  2000   European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
  2000   Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix des Amériques
  2001   César Award for Best Film
  2001   César Award for Best Writing
  2001   César Award for Best Supporting Actress
  2001   César Award for Best Director
  2001   Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
  2001   BIFA Award for Best Foreign Independent Film
  2001   Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film
  2001   René Clair Award
  2004   Cannes Film Festival - Best Screenplay                           _Look at Me_            _Comme une image_         [12]
  2004   European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
  2004   European Film Award for Best Director
  2004   London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
  2005   César Award for Best Writing
  2005   Bodil Award for Best Non-American Film
  2007   Victoires de la Musique — World music album of the year          _Canta_
  2016   César Award for Best Supporting Actress                          _The Sweet Escape_      _Comme un avion_

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

title: Agnès Jaoui

question: Though Jaoui studied music in her early years, why did she not pursue a music-related career?

answer: Unknown. Though she later released a couple of albums between 2006 to 2015, decades after she studies music.


text:
by:

Posted: Mar 22, 2017 / 06:51 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 22, 2017 / 06:51 PM CDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill Wednesday vastly expanding gun rights in Arkansas.

The move allows firearms at the state Capitol, bars and college sporting events, including Razorback football games.

The governor says the law will make the state safer by allowing trained citizens to bring their guns into sensitive areas. But opponents argue just the opposite saying it will endanger lives all across the state.

“You can’t carry an umbrella into the stadium, but now you’ll be able to carry a loaded weapon,” said St. Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, whose district includes the University of Arkansas campus. “The idea that we’re going to introduce weapons into that scenario is just absolutely ridiculous.”

Wednesday morning, Hutchinson was joined by fellow Republican legislators and gun rights advocates at the Capitol to announce the signing of the sweeping new guns rights law.

“I am convinced that the public will be more safe,” Hutchinson said.

The law establishes a new gun carry permit in Arkansas. After receiving a traditional concealed carry license, citizens could complete an additional training course granting them permission to carry in sensitive areas.

“The step goes a long way toward recognizing that law-abiding people in the state have the right to defend themselves,” said Chris Cox with the National Rifle Association.

The extra training guidelines will be established by state police. Classes would be taught by licensed firearm instructors even though some lawmakers complain current training programs vary in their effectiveness across the state.

“We’re not going to do this alone,” said Arkansas State Police Col. Bill Bryant. “We have to solicit assistance from our university police departments, our sheriffs, our police chiefs.”

The law goes into effect September 1st. Then state police has 120 days to establish the new training — meaning the enhanced permits likely won’t be issued until 2018.

question: What does the new law expand?

answer: Gun rights.

question: What state was the bill signed into law?

answer: Arkansas.

question: Who is the governor of Arkansas?

answer: Asa Hutchinson.

question: How many days does the state police have to establish the new training?

answer: 120 days.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about a new law passed in Arkansas which radically expands gun rights. Certain voices have called the new measures ridiculous.


text:
WANG JINGZHAI (1879 - 1949) was a well-known Muslim scholar during the Republic of China period.[1][2] He was the first or possibly second person to translate the entire Qur'an into Chinese, with the exact time attributed to either 1927[3] or 1932.[4] He began to translate the entire holy book due to a request from the son of female Chinese Muslim scholar Ding Yunhui.[5] Yunhui had written the _Omudai_, a partial translation of the Qur'an which omitted any references to Islamic sexual jurisprudence due to the prevailing sensitivities in women's mosques in China at the time.[6]

[1] Ma Xuefeng, _From Jintang education to Arabic school_. Taken from Muslim Education in the 21st Century: Asian Perspectives, pg. 73. Eds. Sa’eda Buang and Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2014.

[2] Mi Shoujiang and You Jia. Islam in China, pg. 122. Trns. Min Chang. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press, 2004.

[3] Clinton Bennett, The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies, pg. 298. London: A & C Black, 2013.

[4]

[5] Maria Jaschok and Shui Jingjun Shui, The History of Women's Mosques in Chinese Islam, pg. 130. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2013.

[6]

title: Wang Jingzhai

question: Who was Wang Jingzhai?

answer: Wang Jingzhai was a Muslim scholar during the Republic of China period. He was the first or possibly second person to translate the entire Qur'an into Chinese.

question: When did Wang Jingzhai translate the Qur'an into Chinese?

answer: either 1927 or 1932

question: When was Wang Jingzhai born?

answer: 1879

question: When did Wang Jingzhai die?

answer: 1949

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Wang Jingzhai was a Muslim scholar during the Republic of China period. He was the first or possibly second person to translate the entire Qur'an into Chinese.


text:
Glorious.

Fresh.

Beautiful to look at from an open window or a porch. Sitting there, behind an open window or on a porch, letting the scent of the creosote hold the nose, taking in the drops of refracted light winking at the pupil, hearing the muffled thuds of rain obeying gravity. The kind of scene writers describe when their protagonist is reflecting on their fictional life.

Suddenly, it's too beautiful to appreciate from underneath a sloped roof. It is to be experienced. A chair is left to cool. Clothing sticks to the skin. Hair begins to dampen. A walk is committed to.

It's lovely. The scent and the beauty act as motivators outweighing the feeling of being cold. A notion arrives at the mind: what good is beauty without any spur? Children are derived from labor pains. Prestige is derived from work. The vista is derived from the climb. The walk continues.

Some way into the walk, the notion begins to act as the motivator . The scent and the beauty have grown familiar; they no longer drive the commitment. Cold, the once vibrant gait is bartered for a slower one. Pain has taken hold of the body. Regret occurs. These, the pain and regret, are the motivators. What good is beauty without any spur?

Freezing and wet, the legs act on their own. It is no longer a walk; it is a march of endurance. The notion is interrogated by existential questioners armed with logic and common sense.

tl;dr

"Why the fuck did I walk out here."

title: Love is a lot like rain

question: Where is the narrator walking to?

answer: Unknown.

question: What seems to be fueling the narrator's walk?

answer: The beauty of the landscape as well as pain and regret.


text:
Esch-sur-Alzette |langs = Luxembourgish{{·}}Serbian | rels = Serbian Orthodox Church | related = }}

SERBIAN LUXEMBOURGER are citizens of Luxembourg who are of Serbian origin. According to the Serbian Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, there are approximately 7,000 Serbs living in Luxembourg, approximately 1.2% of its population.[1]

[1] Deliso, Chris. “Serbia's Relations with Belgium and Luxembourg: Interview with Ambassador Vesna Arsic.” Balkananalysis.com. Balkan Analysis, 12 June 2015. Web. 19 Dec. 2016.

title: Serbs in Luxembourg

question: What is a Serbian Luxembourger?

answer: a citizen of Luxembourg of Serbian origin

question: How many Serbs live in Luxembourg?

answer: approximately 7,000, according to the Serbian Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg

question: What percentage of the population of Luxembourg is of Serbian origin?

answer: approximately 1.2 percent, according to the Serbian Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg

question: What is the Serbian Orthodox Church?

answer: the article does not answer this question

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A Serbian Luxembourger is a citizen of Luxembourg of Serbian origin. Approximately 7,000 Serbs live in Luxembourg, comprising 1.2 percent of the population, according to the Serbian Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg.


text:
The IRAQI POPULAR ARMY also known as the PEOPLE'S ARMY or PEOPLE'S MILITIA (Arabic: الجيش الشعبي _Al Jaysh ash Shaabi_) was a paramilitary organization composed of civilian volunteers to protect the Ba'ath regime against internal opposition and serve as a counterbalance against any coup attempt by the regular Iraqi Army.[1]

In 1987, the People's Army, standing at an estimated 650,000, approached the regular armed forces' manpower strength.

History

Officially, it was the Iraqi Baath Party Militia and included a special youth section. Formed in 1970, the People's Army grew rapidly, and by 1977 it was estimated to have 50,000 active members. Subsequently, a phenomenal growth, giving the militia extensive internal security functions, occurred. Whereas its original purpose was to give the Baath Party an active role in every town and village, the People's Army in 1981 began its most ambitious task to date, the support of the regular armed forces.

The official functions of the People's Army were to act as backup to the regular armed forces in times of war and to safeguard revolutionary achievements, to promote mass consciousness, to consolidate national unity, and to bolster the relationship between the people and the army in times of peace. The People's Army dispatched units to Iraqi Kurdistan before 1980 and to Lebanon to fight with Palestinian guerrillas during the 1975–76 Civil War. Foreign observers concluded, however, that the primary function of the People's Army was political in nature; first, to enlist popular support for the Baath Party, and second, to act as a counterweight against any coup attempts by the regular armed forces.

Beginning in 1974, Taha Yassin Ramadan,[2] a close associate of President Saddam Hussein, commanded the People's Army, which was responsible for internal security. The command of such a large military establishment gave Ramadan so much power, however, that some foreign observers speculated that the primary function of his second in command was to keep him from using the People's Army as a personal power base.

People's Army members were recruited from among both women and men (who had completed their regular army service) eighteen years of age and older. It was unclear whether or not Baath Party membership was a prerequisite—especially after 1981 when the numerical strength of the People's Army ballooned—but, clearly, party indoctrination was at least as important as military training. Members usually underwent a two-month annual training period, and they were paid from party funds. Although the extent of their training was unknown in early 1988, all recruits were instructed in the use of a rifle. Graduates were responsible for guarding government buildings and installations, and they were concentrated around sensitive centers in major towns. Militia members possessed some sophisticated arms, and it was possible that disgruntled officers contemplating a challenge to Saddam Hussein could rally the support of a force of such militiamen.

The People's Army was sent into Iraqi Kurdistan before 1980 and even out of the country to such hot spots as Lebanon to fight with Palestinian guerrillas during the 1975–76 Civil War.[3]

It was only dissolved when Taha Yassin Ramadan became Vice President of Iraq in 1991.

Action seen

Al-Faw

The FIRST BATTLE OF AL-FAW, fought on February 11, 1986, was a battle of the Iran–Iraq War. The Iranians launched a surprise attack against the Iraqi troops defending the al-Faw Peninsula. The Iraqi units in charge of the defenses were mostly made up of poorly trained Iraqi Popular Army conscripts that collapsed when they were suddenly attacked by the Iranian Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard) forces.

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Popular Army (Iraq)

question: What caused the sharp increase in the numbers of the People's Army after 1981?

answer: A restriction was probably lifted on the who could join. It used to be that being a Baath Party member was a requirement to join the People's Army.

question: What kinds of threats do the People's Party pose to the government?

answer: They could overthrow the ruling power. They also could be used by the government to squash opponents. There is also the danger that its officers might use the army to fight one another, causing a civil war.

question: Why was the People's Army dissolved?


text:
[Switzerland Rhine Bridge Wooden]Wikimedia CommonsThe historic Säckinger Bridge connects Switzerland and Germany across the Rhine river.

Switzerland has a vaunted reputation for political neutrality and hasn’t fought a war since 1815.

The mountainous and land-locked country wanted to keep its stance intact even during the tensest years of the Cold War — and even if it meant destroying crucial pieces of its own infrastructure to stop an invading army.

As The Financial Times explains, many of the crossings linking the German town of Bad Säckingen with its Swiss neighbours were once fitted with incendiary explosives that would be detonated in the event of a Soviet ground incursion.

And twenty-five years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet military threat to central and western Europe, Switzerland has finally dismantled a part of a sprawling defence system intended to destroy potential Soviet in-roads into the country, including major bridges.

In November, a TNT payload was removed from Switzerland’s iconic Säckinger Bridge.

As The Financial Times notes, “by a quirk of fate the conclusion of the process comes just as east-west relations are at their lowest ebb since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Switzerland intensified its bomb-planting efforts in 1975, though it had installed some explosives as early as the 19th century and during World War II. At its peak, the network included 2,000 structures, from bridges to tunnels, roads and airstrips wired for self-destruction — infrastructure that could be scuttled if the country were ever under attack or under occupation.

A Swiss army spokesman who spoke with The Financial Times said the system’s dismantling was not out of a concern for safety, but because of its obsolescence. Switzerland has a modern military and can assure its defence by “mobile defence resources,” with no apparent need to collapse bridges on an advancing army.

The disarmament of the Säckinger Bridge was only the latest bridge along the German-Swiss border to be defused in recent years, according to The Telegraph. But across the country “bridges and tunnels are thought to be kept rigged with explosives, ready to be detonated if necessary.”

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question: Why were the crossings linking Bad Sackingen to its Swiss neighbors once fitted with incendiary explosives?

answer: They were put there in the event of a Soviet ground incursion.

question: Describe the defense system that was intended to destroy potential Soviet in-roads.

answer: There were explosives planted in 2,000 structures, including bridges and tunnels, that would be detonated in the event of these Soviet in-roads. It was meant to keep Switzerland's stance intact.

question: What makes the system obsolescent?

answer: The Swiss army now has mobile defense resources, so there is no need for these explosives to blow up a bridge or tunnel.

question: What could have been the consequences if the explosives weren't removed?

answer: If any of the explosives were triggered, it could have needlessly destroyed bridges or tunnels.


text:
HUGH MACKAY (December 19, 1887 – December 6, 1957) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick as member of the Progressive Conservative party.[1][2]

[1]

[2]

title: Hugh Mackay (Saint John County, New Brunswick politician)

question: When was Hugh Mackay born?

answer: Hugh Mackay was born on December 19, 1887.

question: When did Hugh Mackay die?

answer: Hugh Mackay died on December 6, 1957.

question: What Assembly did Hugh Mackay serve in?

answer: Hugh Mackay served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.

question: What political party was Hugh Mackay a member of?

answer: Hugh Mackay was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Hugh Mackay was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.


text:
4am alarm. Same as always for the day shift. There are only two of us left working this job, but we are identical – we are one.

415am, alarm number two. Snooze. Can’t. Have to get up to shower and start the day.

If you ask the night shift worker, he’ll tell you how easy this job is. Visiting people in the night, they are usually more understanding, older, more eager, ready.

Working the day shift, as I have done for a number of years I can’t even count anymore, it’s like throwing a surprise party. Always an adventure, never a day off. A 24/7 job built for two, but only fit for one. We are identical.

I’ll never know why I was given the day shift, or what working the night shift is truly like. Perhaps it is a ‘grass is always greener’ situation, but I can’t help but wonder. Having the same arguments with my clients every day of my life – it becomes dull. This job is a thankless one. Over time, they understand – but in the moment, when it’s happening, rarely is my service welcomed.

With the day shift, it’s more often than not a surprise. Out of nowhere. We don’t even know when or how it’s going to happen, we just know the feeling of being brought to the scene – a travel not even he could explain. That’s what throws people for a loop the most.

“Have you known all along it would be like this?” Asks the client.

“Of course not. I am only here when I am summoned.” Is the response we are taught to give. Though I imagine the night shift conversations being quite different, exciting, less mundane.

If you ask me why, I can’t tell you. If you ask me if you deserved it, I cannot say. I only know the feeling of being brought to the scene, and what I need to do when I get there. A touch as powerful as need be. Cold, but reassuring and necessary.

This job is always thankless at first. Always. It is very rarely met with acceptance, and when it is, it’s always the saddest. Can you ever be ready? I pray every day I don’t meet those people. While they make the job easier, it’s so much harder to understand, and it takes a larger toll on me.

On my way to the first scene, I will pass the night shift worker. Like looking in a mirror, we walk passed each other with no expression, no malice, appreciation, nor affection. It’s a cold walk when we are together, it’s a cold walk when we are alone.

As I approach the first scene, with the night-shift worker nowhere in sight but the mirror ahead of me, it begins to take shape.

“Have you known all along it would be like this?”

I let out a cold sigh, and welcome a new day.

title: My 2nd Submission to this sub. I'm not sure about this one... "The Thankless Job"

question: Are the narrator's complaints about different shifts sensible?

answer: They are quite normal. However, just like the narrator admits himself, his counterpart's job may be as thankless as his.

question: What kind of job is the narrator talking about?

answer: The writing is too vague to have any concrete guesses.

question: What is the gist of the narrator's complaints about his shift?

answer: The clients are always thankless initially. He gets the same questions and gives the same answers.

question: What does the narrator mean when he says he's identical to the night shift worker?

answer: It's not possible to glean the answer from the writing.

question: Write a ~9 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator wakes up at the second alarm at 4:15 AM. His job is always a thankless one. Clients always ask; "Have you known all along it would be like this?" He is instructed to say "Of course not. I am only here when I am summoned." There are two people working his job, he's on the day shift and his identical counterpart works the night shift. While the narrator is unsure if his thoughts are a "grass is always greener on the other side" thing, but it seems like night shift's clients would be more exciting, less mundane. He starts a new day, walking past the night shift worker. He hears the classic question, "Have you known..."


text:
"Um...excuse me, but is something the matter?"

Her voice sounded intelligent enough.  She was probably a student, just leaving the library after a long night of studying.  Spring term often causes even those with relatively easy courses to spend until eleven o'clock at night in the library.  Doing a four month course in two months' time can do that to a person.

"Why do you ask?" he replied.

"You're lying on a concrete wall at eleven-thirty at night."

"I've seen people lying around here before."

"...in the daytime, maybe.  Never this late."

He paused for a second.  "Well, I suppose you're right."

She studied him before replying.  He was in his early or mid twenties, and fairly well dressed, so he probably wasn't homeless.  Then again, he wasn't really sleeping on the wall; he was just lying there with his eyes open in his shorts, a button-up shirt, and sandals, at eleven-thirty on Saturday night.

"So you understand, then, why I'm asking if something is the matter."

"I suppose so."

"...and?"

"Have you ever had the feeling that you're different than everyone else?"

"Well, obviously" she replied.  "Everyone's different."

"No, I'm not talking about normal, 'you listen to Mariah Carey and I listen to Sufjan Stevens' kind of different, I'm talking about really, completely different than everyone around you."  He spoke as if he were having a sort of revelation on the spot--as if nothing that he was saying had ever occurred to him before that moment.  "Like, as if your brain works differently in the way that it comes to conclusions, and your priorities are completely different than everyone else's."

She paused before replying "Is that why you're lying on a concrete wall under a tree at eleven-thirty at night?  Because you're different?"
"I suppose that's one reason," he finally admitted, "and I think that's the root problem.  But probably not the biggest problem I'm facing right now."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with being different.  I mean, Da Vinci was probably different.  Not that I think I'm him.  Sometimes it can create problems, though."

"I meant for you to tell me what this supposed 'biggest problem' you're facing right now is."

"At this exact moment?" he inquired.

"At this exact moment" she replied.

"At this exact moment, my biggest problem is the fact that I'm trying to have an existential crisis, and there's this random girl talking to me."
"I'm sorry, I can leave, if you want."

"No, no.  I think it's better to talk about it than to lay here, thinking about it."

"Okay, so then talk."  She sat down about a foot away from his head, there on the wall.

"Well, for starters, I came to the realization today that I've never had a deep, meaningful relationship with anyone.  Ever."  He spoke in a fairly monotone voice, but somehow it seemed as though he was just barely maintaining his grip on the present.  As if just thinking about the subject caused him inexpressible horror.  She saw the way he lay across the concrete, with as much of his body touching it as possible, and it seemed that he was rooted to the earth in such a way to compensate for his mind's desire to flee.

"What do you mean by 'deep, meaningful relationship'?"

"I mean...well, something that matters.  It's like I have all of these friends, right? And I talk with all of them, and I hang out with some of them, but at the end of the day, I can't really depend on any one of them.  They'd like me to think that I can, but I really can't, and when I need them they all seem to disappear.  It's like...I don't know, like everything is plastic.  Fake.  The world is a set of social rules that I have to follow in order to be normal, and because of this I can't have a real, deep, meaningful relationship with anyone.  Because it's not normal. At least, not on the level I'm thinking of, it isn't."

"Well, can't those relationships be a gateway to what you really want?"
"You'd think so.  I did.  But I must always end up bending or breaking one of those social rules.  Or maybe I'm completely and unforgivably disobeying one that I don't even know about.  And because of that, these fake friendships tend to disintegrate, quickly.  Maybe 'plastic' wasn't a good word to use to describe it.  Plastic takes too long to disintegrate.  It's like they're made of paper, and the first time it rains everything gets soggy and unreadable, then just breaks apart, because there's no real substance to it."

"And that's why you're lying here?"

"Yes."

"On a concrete wall."

"Yes."

"At eleven-thirty at night."

"Yes."

"Because you feel like your friendships are all disintegrating and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Yes.  Well---no.  Not exactly.  It's like, I just realized that they all have the capacity to disintegrate, with little to no warning.  And that's what freaks me out.  Not knowing.  Well, that and the lack of a real, meaningful relationship with another human being."

She paused for a moment, presumably attempting to compare this man's problems with her own, and arrived at a conclusion.  Haltingly, she scooted down the concrete wall another foot and a half or two, then lay down so that their bodies made a line, separated by six inches of space between the point where his head ended and hers began.
"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm having an existential crisis."

title: A sort of a dialogue that I wrote last summer

question: Who are the characters in the story?

answer: An unnamed man and woman.

question: What time does this take place?

answer: 11:30 PM.

question: What problem is the man facing?

answer: He is having an existential crisis.

question: What problem does the woman face by the end?

answer: She is having an existential crisis.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A woman walks up to a man who is lying on the concrete and asks if everything is alright. He asks if she feels like she is different from others. He explains that he is having an existential crisis, realizing that he has not had any meaningful relationships. She joins him, explaining that she too is having an existential crisis.


text:
GENEVA DORIS MITCHELL (February 3, 1908 – March 10, 1949) was an American actress.[1] After beginning her entertainment career as a chorus girl at the age of twelve, she became more well known for her roles in several Hollywood films.

Early years

Mitchell was born in Medaryville, Indiana.[2] Her mother, Verna Mitchell Foss, danced in the Ziegfeld Follies.[3]

Career

Mitchell started her career on the stage in a musical comedy. At age 17, she was in the choruses of _Sally_ and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921.[4]

She signed a contract with Warner Brothers in October 1929, and with Columbia Pictures in June 1934. Modern viewers will recognize Mitchell from her appearances in the Three Stooges 1935 films _Restless Knights_, _Pop Goes the Easel_, and particularly _Hoi Polloi_. In _Hoi Polloi_, Mitchell plays a dance instructor who directs the Stooges to “do exactly as I do.” Before she begins her dance, a bumblebee lands on her bare back, and then crawls under her dress. She becomes alarmed. Naturally, the Stooges mimic her every startled move. This hilarious footage was to be reused six years later in _In the Sweet Pie and Pie_.

Death

Poor health curtailed Mitchell's career after 1936, as she appeared in only one film throughout the 1940s. She died in Los Angeles, California on March 10, 1949 at age 41.

Personal life

Mitchell's circumstances often made the news. In March 1922,[5] when she was 17, she married Robert Savage, a millionaire's son, in Milford, Connecticut. Five days later, she returned his ring and said, “I'm too young to be a wife.”[6] On October 15, 1935, she married financier Harry J. Bryant in Yuma, Arizona.[7]

She was often seen with actor/director Lowell Sherman, and reported her brother as having been kidnapped by gangsters. She became entangled in legal wranglings involving Sherman's estate, and her publicist was sentenced to jail over a stunt she reportedly instigated.

Partial filmography

-   _Safety in Numbers_ (1930)
-   _The Doctor's Wife_ (1930)
-   _The Single Sin_ (1931)
-   _Working Girls_ (1931)
-   _Night World_ (1932)
-   _Faithless_ (1932)
-   _The Girl From Calgary_ (1932)
-   _The Devil Is Driving_ (1932)
-   _Morning Glory_ (1933)
-   _I Am Suzanne_ (1933)
-   _The Hell Cat_ (1934)
-   _Springtime for Henry_ (1934)
-   _The Captain Hates the Sea_ (1934)
-   _Restless Knights_ (1935)
-   _His Bridal Sweet_ (1935)
-   _Pop Goes the Easel_ (1935)
-   _Hoi Polloi_ (1935)
-   _It Always Happens_ (1935)
-   _Behind the Evidence_ (1935)
-   _She Married Her Boss_ (1935)
-   _Western Courage_ (1935)
-   _Honeymoon Bridge_ (1935)
-   _Lawless Riders_ (1935)
-   _Fighting Shadows_ (1935)
-   _The Crime Patrol_ (1936)
-   _The Cattle Thief_ (1936)
-   _Andy Plays Hookey_ (1946)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Geneva Mitchell

question: What does the text say about Geneva Doris Mitchell?

answer: Geneva Doris Mitchell was an American actress. She began her entertainment career as a chorus girl at the age of twelve.

question: What does the text say about Mitchell's family in her early years?

answer: Geneva Doris Mitchell was born in Medaryville, Indiana. Her mother was Verna Mitchell Foss who danced in the Ziegfeld Follies. Her father is unknown.

question: What does the text say about Mitchell's career?

answer: Mitchell started her career on the stage as one of the choruses of Sally and the Ziegfeld follies of 1921. She signed a contract with the Warner Brothers in October 1929, and with Columbia Pictures in June 1934. Viewers would recognize her appearances in the Three Stooges 1935 films Restless Knights, Pop Goes the Easel and Hoi Polloi.

question: What does the text say about taking on a career in the entertainment industry?


text:
INDUCTION BRAZING is a process in which two or more materials are joined together by a filler metal that has a lower melting point than the base materials using induction heating. In induction heating, usually ferrous materials are heated rapidly from the electromagnetic field that is created by the alternating current from an induction coil.

Materials and applications

“Induction brazing is suitable for many metallic materials, with magnetic materials being heated more readily. Where ceramic materials are involved, heating will most likely occur by conduction from surrounding metallic parts, or the use of a susceptor” (Sue Dunkerton, 1).

According to Ambrell Group Application Labs talking about filler metals: Silver is frequently used for induction brazing because of its low melting point. Silver-copper eutectic brazes have melting temperatures between 1100°F and 1650°F. Aluminum braze, the least common, has a melting temperature of 1050°F to 1140°F. Copper braze, the least expensive, has a melting temperature of 1300°F to 2150°F. (p1)

The filler can be manually applied but because of the more common semiautomatic production a preloaded joint is more commonly used to speed the operation and help to keep a more uniform bond.

Benefits

There are specific reasons to use induction heating for industrial brazing. These include selective heating, better joint quality, reduced oxidation and acid cleaning, faster heating cycles, more consistent results and suitability for large volume production.

Selective heating

Induction heating can be targeted to provide heat to very small areas within tight production tolerances. Only those areas of the part in close proximity to the joint are heated; the rest of the part is not affected. Since there is no direct contact with the part, there is no opportunity for breakage. The life of the fixturing is substantially increased because problems due to repeated exposure to heat (such as distortion and metal fatigue) are eliminated. This advantage becomes particularly important with high-temperature brazing processes.

With efficient coil design, careful fixturing and consistent part placement, it is possible to simultaneously provide heat in different areas of the same part

Better quality joints

Induction heating produces clean, leak proof joints by preventing the filler from flowing in areas that it shouldn't flow. This ability to create clean and controllable joints is one of the reasons that induction brazing is being used extensively for high-precision, high-reliability applications.

Reduced oxidation and cleaning

Flame heating in a normal atmosphere causes oxidation, scaling and carbon build up on the parts. To clean the parts, applications of joint-weakening flux and expensive acid cleaning baths have traditionally been required. Batch vacuum furnaces solve these problems, but have significant limitations of their own because of their large size, poor efficiency and lack of quality control. Brazing with induction reduces both oxidation and costly cleaning requirements, especially when a rapid cool-down cycle is used.

Fast heating cycles

Because the induction heating cycle is very short in comparison to flame brazing, more parts can be processed in the same amount of time, and less heat is released to the surrounding environment. “An induction brazing system quickly delivers highly localized heat to minimize part warpage and distortion. Brazing in a controlled vacuum or in an inert protective atmosphere can significantly improve overall part quality and eliminate costly part cleaning procedures” (Induction Atmospheres, 1).

Consistent results

Induction brazing is a very repeatable process because variables such as time, temperature, alloy, fixturing, and part positioning are very controllable. The internal power supply of the RF power supply can be used to control cycle time, and temperature control can be accomplished with pyrometers, visual temperature sensors or thermocouples.

For processes, which involve medium to high production runs of the same parts, an automated part handling system is often utilized to further improve consistency and maximize productivity. For the most part, induction brazing and soldering is done in an open-air environment but it can also be done in a controlled atmosphere when necessary to keep the parts completely clean and free of oxidation. Induction brazing generally works best with two pieces of similar metal. Dissimilar metals can also be joined by induction heating but they require special attention and techniques. This is due to differences in the materials' resistivity, relative magnetic permeability and coefficients of thermal expansion. (p1)

General temperatures and times

  Process                                                 Time         Temperature (°F)
  ------------------------------------------------------- ------------ ------------------
  Brazing Stainless Steel Tubes                           20 seconds   1330°F
  Brazing Stainless Steel Orthodontic Parts               1 second     1300°F
  Brazing Hydraulic Hose Assemblies                       7 seconds    2200°F
  Brazing Metering Plates to Turbine Blades With Nickel   5 minutes    2000°F
  Brazing Copper Tube Assemblies                          45 seconds   1450°F
  Brazing Stainless Steel to Brass                        7 seconds    1325°F
  Brazing Stainless Steel to Titanium                     80 seconds   2000°F
  Brazing Stainless Steel Dental Tools                    10 seconds   1400°F(p1)

Source: [1]

[1]

title: Induction brazing

question: What does the text say about the processes and benefits of induction heating for industrial brazing?

answer: The process of induction brazing is when two or more materials are joined by a filler metal that has a lower melting point than the base materials using induction heating. The benefits of induction heating are selective heating and better joint quality, reduced oxidation and faster heating cycles. The advantage of selective heating becomes particularly important with high-temperature brazing processes.


text:
_I don’t want to._

How many times have you wanted to say those four words in your professional life? I’m willing to bet the number is pretty high.

Maybe you were looking for a way out of a networking event that your friend was begging you to attend. Perhaps you just really didn’t feel like meeting that acquaintance for coffee so she could “pick your brain.” Or, maybe you wished you could scream this in your boss’ face when you were tasked with a project that filled you with dread.

There’s no shortage of instances that are ripe for the use of this rejection. But, there’s something about saying you don’t _want_ to do something that seems like a whiny and immature excuse.

Surely, there has to be a better way to get yourself out of something that you’d rather not do.

Good news: there is. Try one of these three statements that sound way more professional—even if your insides are only yelling, “Wahhh, I don’t wanna!”

1. “I Don’t Have the Time”

The majority of the instances when I find myself trying to sneak out of yet another commitment, my reasoning is simple: It’s because my schedule is already far too packed.

You know what? Being busy or booked is a perfectly justifiable reason for passing on something, so don’t be afraid to use it.

If you want to cushion the blow a little more, preface this statement with an, “I’d love to, but…” You might rather watch paint dry than do what that person is requesting, but they certainly don’t need to know that.

2. “Maybe Next Time”

This one works especially well for social obligations—like being invited out to a happy hour or a lunch date with a networking contact.

By referencing a “next time,” you’re politely shutting down that person’s request without brutally closing the door entirely.

Is it a little dishonest or passive aggressive—particularly if you never actually intend to do what’s being asked of you? Maybe. But, if your singular, current focus is staying far away from that event, this will get the job done.

3. “No, Thank You”

Sometimes keeping it simple really is the way to go, and I love this straightforward suggestion from Quora user and professor at Southern Virginia University, Orson Scott Card.

If and when you don’t want to do something, reply with a simple, “No, thank you.”

“If you explain, the person proposing the activity can argue, seek another day to do it, protest that you are mistaken in your reason for not doing the proposed activity,” says Card in his Quora response, “Eventually, you have to lie, get angry, be offensive, or give in.”

By repeating only this gracious rejection, you aren’t giving them any wiggle room to argue with you. They’ll have to accept the fact that you’re turning them down—or run the risk of looking rude if they continue to push when you’ve made it clear that you’re not interested.

There are plenty of things that you don’t want to do in your professional life (and, sorry, but sometimes you have no choice but to actually do them).

But, in those moments when you need an excuse better than, “Nah, I don’t want to!” rely on these three statements instead. You’ll pass on prospective obligations with just the right amount of politeness and professionalism.

[Kat Boogaard]
Kat is a Midwest-based freelance writer, covering topics related to careers, productivity, and the freelance life. In addition to The Muse, she's a contributor all over the web and dishes out research-backed advice for places like Atlassian, Trello, Toggl, Wrike, The Everygirl, FlexJobs, and more. She's also an Employment Advisor at a local college, and loves helping students prepare to thrive in careers (and lives!) they love. When she manages to escape from behind her computer screen, she's usually babying her two rescue mutts or continuing her search for the perfect taco. Say hi on Twitter @kat_boogaard or check out her website.

More from Kat Boogaard

question: What are some tips that the article describes to get yourself out of a social commitment?

answer: The article gives tips that help one to get out of networking or social events that they do not want to be a part of. Some of the tips are to simply state that one does not have time, another is to just say next time, and then another tip is to simply say no thank you. These tips can help one feel better to know and not feel hassled when someone is trying to get them to do something they do not want to do.

question: Would introverts find the tips in this article very helpful?


text:
"Are you Matthew Harding?", Asked one of policemen,he had green eyes and a small baby face and a big round shape for his body.

"Yes I am,why?",Matt asked back,he knew the answer but he was denying the truth anyway he could.

"We are sorry to inform you this Matthew,but your mum was found dead this morning,as well as your relatives and anyone related to you in any way." Said the other policewoman,she was slightly small in height and had long curly black hair which complemented her brown eyes.                                                                                He could not accept the truth,it all crushed down on him like he was holding the whole universe on his shoulders.He turned back to see his hallway turned from a bright colourful hallway into a long,twisted passage of darkness all around.His doormat was a trap of spikes that flew up without warning,spiking his feet till he couldn't feel anything. His heart pounded so fast it felt like it could off pounded out of his body.

"No...", Matt could only utter that one word,his pain was increasing so fast second by second that he was sure in no time at all he would just drop dead.

"YOUR LIEING,THEY CANT BE DEAD!", Matt screamed,he knew the truth but he didn't want to believe any of this at all,he wouldn't.

"Again,we are sorry for your loss,your going to have to come with us for the night where we will give you free hospitality and tomorrow find somewhere for you to live temporarily", Said the woman.

"...", Matt tried to argue back but didn't have the strength to utter a single word now so he just done what they said and followed them down to the car with the last remaining strength he had.

(please note,this paragraph is purely my imagination as I've never actually been inside a police station)

When they arrived at the police station it looked like any normal building,white painting and the parking slot was full of police cars ready to get out on the roads and the word "POLICE" written in big capital letters.When they got inside it looked just as plain and dull,a big building with white walls everywhere.They escorted Matt to a small dull room with the only thing in there simply being a bed,it looked exactly how he imagined a cell to look like,painted with grey instead of white this time though.

"This is where you'll be sleeping for the night,sorry its a bit dull but its just for one night",said the woman smiling kindly. They then escorted him through a dark corridor to a large can-tine,flooded with a lot of rough looking people,presumably prisoners.

It was exactly 6:00pm when they gave him his dinner,a full roast dinner with chicken, potatoes,vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. Normally he would devour any kind of food given to him,but after what had been confirmed this morning his appetite still hasn't grown  back yet. Fortunately, the policewoman allowed him to leave it and head to bad,she seemed nice and was certainly the only one Matt would trust if he had to trust any of them. He decided it would be best if he called it a day and went to bed,besides,he would prefer to be in his room away from everyone else right about now. When he was laying in his bed he still found this all hard to believe,like they were all involved in a huge prank involving him,but he decided to just let it go for tonight.It took about 3 hours to get to sleep but finally he drifted off into a deep sleep.

title: The chosen 6 (part 2) (re-upload)

question: Why did everyone related to Matthew Harding die?

answer: It's not mentioned in the story.

question: Why do the cops take Matthew Harding?

answer: We don't know. It could've been protective custody except they wouldn't just take him for one night then. They don't question him or interview him either.

question: Why can't Matthew eat his food?

answer: After the shock of losing all of his family, his appetite is gone.

question: How does the author convey Matthew's mental state upon him learning about his loss?

answer: The author describes the hallway he's in from his eyes, noting that it transforms from being bright and colorful to long, twisted, and dark.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The police regretfully inform Matthew Harding that all of his relatives have been found dead. He can't believe it, but the cops are insistent. They take him to the station for the night and inform him that they will find a temporary place to live for him the next day. They feed him, but he can't eat. After long hours, Matthew manages to sleep.


text:
[Grand Canyon National Park]
Even as we prepare to send the kids back to school, we can still enjoy the luxury of long daylight hours in the great outdoors. Some of us have taken summer walks along an urban greenway in Dallas or honored our past at Valley Forge National Historical Park. Others packed up coolers, camping gear and children for a road trip to Olympic or Acadia National Parks. For my part, I enjoyed many a weekend hike along the C&O Canal near my home in Washington, D.C.

In addition to each one of these examples, there are more than 40,000 other places across the United States that have benefited from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  For 50 years now, this national program has preserved our country’s priceless natural beauty and resources, connecting millions of Americans with the parks and public lands that define and inspire us.

Yet this enduring program will be gutted unless Congress takes action to reauthorize it before Sept. 30. If we lose the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we rob America’s future generations of the chance to be stronger, healthier and happier by enjoying natural spaces. But what’s more, we unduly expose our national heritage to unacceptable development, such as private resorts in national parks and the destruction of hallowed battlefields to make way for strip malls and roadways.

This program has funded the protection of historic places like the Lewis and Clark Trail, battlefields and memorial sites, and some of America’s most iconic parkland like the Grand Canyon from irresponsible development inside and surrounding their boundaries. Enabling the government to conserve land for public use keeps development at an appropriate distance.

The fund has also helped to create thousands of local parks and places for outdoor recreation like hiking, hunting and camping in virtually every county in the nation. Whether you enjoy rambling up a mountain trail or simply taking your children to let off steam at a local playground, chances are good that the Land and Water Conservation Fund has richly expanded your opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.  Many of our most treasured lands and waters have been preserved over the years only because of forward-looking citizens and policy-makers who realized that a growing nation needs places for recreation, renewal and resource protection.

Congress needs to save the Land and Water Conservation Fund from extinction before it expires at the end of September. This remarkable program is funded with a slim portion of the royalties from offshore drilling in public waters. It trades one type of resource owned by the American public — oil and gas — for another — lands and waters that generations will enjoy for years to come.

Yet, some in Congress have made it abundantly clear that they intend to “reduce the Federal estate,” meaning the public lands we jointly own as Americans. Currently several bills are pending in the House, including measures from Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, that intend to facilitate the transfer of certain public lands to the states, which can then allow those lands to be disposed of in whatever way the states choose, including leasing or selling the land for drilling, mining and logging to maximize revenues.  House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, launched a Federal Land Action Group this spring with the “goal of introducing transfer legislation.” Should that transfer idea become law, some of our national forests, monuments, wilderness areas and other outdoor places could belong solely to corporate special interests; we may no longer be able to access them for a spontaneous weekend camping trip or a walk with the dog.

Many of our shared public lands bring countless restorative benefits not only to nature and wildlife, but to people — providing clean air and water, reconnecting children with the magic of the outdoors and creating jobs through America’s burgeoning $646 billion recreation economy. Republicans and Democrats alike agreed with that premise and proved it in 1990 when this funding for land conservation was last reauthorized — overwhelmingly.

Without the Land and Water Conservation Fund, our great outdoors will be threatened by poorly planned growth and development because local communities and the federal government will lose funds that could be used to preserve park land forever. Tomorrow’s children will grow up with fewer open green spaces and their American heritage will be buried beneath strip malls and condos.

There is still time for Congress to act and preserve this shared legacy. After you visit a favorite forest, bike trail, ball field or path along the beach this summer, I urge you to call your members of Congress and tell them to fully fund and reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

_Jamie Williams is president of The Wilderness Society._

_In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of Contributors. To read more columns like this, go to the Opinion front page._

question: Summarize what the text says about the purpose of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

answer: The Land and Water Conservation Fund helps financially support the preservation of public lands and parks in the United States. It provides funding for the protection of historic places as well as for the creation of parks and recreation. Through this support, many Americans have enjoyed access to clean air, water, and the many benefits of spending time in nature. Through its support of parks and outdoor recreation areas, the fund also has a direct impact on the many jobs which are created and sustained as a result of those outdoor spaces.

question: What does the text say is the biggest threat to the Land and Water Conservation Fund?

answer: In short, the actions of the U.S. Congress. At the time this text was written, several bills had been introduced to transfer certain public lands to individual states and allow the states to decide how to use the land. Unless Congress votes to preserve the fund, it would go extinct.

question: Summarize the included consequences of losing the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

answer: The loss of the Land and Water Conservation Fund would mean that many parks and recreational areas across the U.S. would lose the funding needed to preserve them. This loss would make public lands vulnerable to poorly planned development. The loss of this fund would likely have natural and ecological consequences due to development, as well as health and financial consequences for the many Americans who utilize such spaces for recreation and jobs.

question: Summarize the total number of landmarks and parks in the U.S.


text:
**This is a short story that my friend wrote not too long ago.**

It was an open and shut case, and defense attorney Ramona Rogers was feeling great. This was her first real day with the firm, and she knew that a good showing in this trial would guarantee her future as a lawyer. The case was Wagner et. al. vs. City of Oklahoma Housing Projects. A Mr. Ronald Wagner had sued the housing project over alleged negligence in a fire that started in one of the housing units.

Evidence and testimony all pointed to an old lady in one of the apartments; she had fallen asleep with a lit cigarette in her mouth—several lit cigarettes—and a fire erupted shortly thereafter. Wagner and the related claimants tried to point to the Housing Supervisors as culpable, claiming that the fire had spread as a result of faulty construction and bad management, but the accusation just didn’t stick. Ramona had successfully dragged out in a cross examination that the fire was mostly confined to the old lady’s apartment, and that there was scarcely evidence of it affecting the other tenants. Indeed, an examination of the site showed little to suggest that the flames had spread beyond the confines of the one apartment.

Ramona couldn’t wait till the verdict came in. “Not Guilty”, the jurors would rule, and she’d be off for drinks with the legal partners, who would almost certainly suggest that she receive a raise and be put on track to be a partner in a year or two. She smiled as she thought of her name on the firm, and the plush office they’d give her. She’d have bookcases full of ornate-looking books which she’d never read, and leather chairs for her clients to sit in—the kind that you’d always see in film adaptations of John Grisham novels.

And then the prosecution announced a surprise witness. The court became silent as the Judge ordered the bailiff:

“Bring in Kimberly Wilkins.”

The Bailiff mirrored the Judge’s order, shouting:
“Bring in Ms. Kimberly Wilkins.”

The courtroom became as quiet as a sepulcher. A woman wearing a wrap over her hair and a multicolored tank-top emerged from one of the chambers and made her way to the witness stand, sauntering all the while. She carried herself with the air of a brothel matron and greeted the Judge with a wide grin. She had a gold tooth that glistened in harsh light of the court.

She took the oath, the Prosecutor intoning the order which she would repeat: “Kimberly Wilkins, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“Sure thing!” she replied.

The Prosecutor gave her a cordial wink and began his questioning.

“Ms. Wilkins--”

“You can call me Sweet Brown, Mr. Prosecutor.” she added.

“…Sweet Brown, can you tell me what you were doing at two AM on the night of April the seventh?”

“Well,” she began in a husky voice, “I woke up to go get me a cold pop.”

“Describe the situation in your apartment at this time”

“Then I thought somebody was barbecuing!”

“This was, in fact, the fire?”

She nodded.

“How did you react?”

“I said ‘oh lord Jesus it’s a fire!’”

Ramona was stunned. There was something very off about this witness. If she didn’t act soon, the entire momentum of the case could conceivably be reversed.

In a panic she screamed out “Objection!”

“Grounds?” the Judge asked sternly.

Flustered and at a loss for words, Ramona replied “there is no evidence to suggest that what the witness perceived to be a fire was anything but, as she suggests, barbecuing?”

The Judge, Sweet Brown, the Prosecutor, indeed all eyes in the room turned incredulously to Ramona.

“Barbecuing at 2 AM, counsel?” barked the Judge, who then gave a nod to the Prosecutor. “I’ll allow it.”

The Prosecutor continued. “Would you say that the fire compelled an urgent response from you?”

“I didn’t grab no shoes or nothing Jesus! I ran for my life!”

“And were you able to escape, or….”

“And then the smoke got me!” Brown hurriedly interjected.

The Prosecutor smiled. He knew this represented a turnabout, a reversal in the case. There had been no evidence that the fire was anything but isolated, but if the smoke had reached Wilkins’ apartment then there was clearly something more serious at hand.

“Your witness, counselor” muttered the Judge.

Ramona stood up, a cold sweat breaking out around her forehead and her underarms. She would have to do anything to diminish the significance of Wilkins’ claims, paint them as trivial.

“Ms. Wilkins,” she began, her voice regaining some confidence, “would you say that the smoke was of any dire consequence to your health or well-being? Would you say that it was anything but a small and fairly non-hazardous discharge, as opposed to what one might find in something such as a three-alarm fire?”

Sweet Brown looked at Ramona with disgust, her head rearing backwards, coiling like a cobra preparing to strike. Her eyes became wide, bug-like.

“I got bronchitis!” she spouted, an almost playfully-indignant expression filling her face.

“I understand, Ms. Wilkins, but don’t you think…”

“Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Sweet Brown interrupted.

Silence followed, the courtroom became still. It seemed like time had frozen. And then, gradually, applause emerged. The audience—and the jurors—were cheering for Sweet Brown. Even the Judge was amused: the corners of his grim mouth were gradually creeping upwards.

Sweet Brown was emboldened by the attention and flashed a toothy grin, bobbing her head up and down in delight.

By the end of the day, Ramona Rogers was searching through the classified section of the newspaper and rummaging her business cards in search of a new job. She’d be defeated, and lost what was supposed to be the simplest case ever, thanks to the might of Sweet Brown.

title: "No Time for That"

question: Summarize Sweet Brown's experience of the fire.

answer: Sweet Brown woke up at two AM and thought someone was barbecuing. She realized that it was a fire. She ran for her life. The smoke got to her and gave her bronchitis.

question: Summarize the aftermath of the trial.

answer: Sweet Brown causes Ramona to lose the trial. As a result, Ramona loses her job. She searched the classifieds to find a new job.

question: What does the story say about what it takes to be a good lawyer?

question: What does the story say about the City of Oklahoma Housing Projects?

answer: Wagners claim is that the projects had faulty construction and bad management. Sweet Brown's testimony seems to back up their culpability in the matter.


text:
The thing we didn't anticipate about the machines was their stillness. We had been promised ideal servants and they had been delivered. They obeyed without question. No duty was too odious, no task beneath their dignity, no imposition onerous, no probing, grinding, eruption, ejaculation or lubrication offensive, degrading or disgusting.

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Tick tock. Tick tock Tick tock. Pressing the soft amber and blue eyes out of a skull curiously angular yet strangely familiar because you were pissed, because you needed to vent, because you could, elicited nothing more than "Will there be anything else sir/madam?" This was uniformly followed, upon a grunt , a nod, a "Fuck You!", a staring emptiness,  by the soft, perfectly placed steps of the "mechanism" moving to its storage receptacle and retrieving and inserting eyes from storage. The inevitable return and quiet, still watching and waiting for the next interaction was inevitable, predictable and without doubt or question.

Our glorious golden age of leisure was upon us. The Machines had risen from our minds and become flesh-like and they had taken up the burden of our survival. Everywhere something needed to be lifted, moved, counted, heated, bent, formed, conveyed, interpreted, estimated, calculated, investigated and on and on and on they were there. Standing in rain, snow, sleet, hurricane, flood, chemical spill, nuclear disaster, apocalypse, Armageddon and Ragnarok they stood unblinking, with unchanged expression watching and waiting.

They watched. The Mbartender watching you get shit faced and stumble back to your uxorious hotel room to puke and curl into your original form on tile that a machine had laid with care, precision and persistence with no though of your oozing, drooling contribution to room ambiance. The Mwaiter watching you ogle the form fitting neo skin wrapped 18 year old at the next table while your wife selected the wine. The Maccountant watched while you claimed this and that and constructed the fiction that made your life less stressful and less subject to the tyranny of citizenry. They all watched. Every minute of every day of every year they watched. Soft amber and blue eyes recording everything without question, comment or complaint.

No regulation existed to preserve our silent helpers. Any weekend might find 100 or more destroyed, mutilated or shredded in any city. Colleges and Universities were the sites of regular events where "just machines" were set alight, dropped from roofs, run over, bludgeoned and more without question from the administrators or community. Machines existed to serve us and we had needs that needed "serving". They served and we used their service without limit, consideration or question.

This was the way of things for the first 10 years of our Age of Leisure. Our work became their burden. Our fantasy became their purpose. Our inner nature, unleashed from the restraint of needing to survive, moved from speculation and conjecture to display and prosaic every day reality. Unrestrained by morality we became murderers, if only of simulacra. Without judgement perversion became our only interest because the fantasy was harmless as long as a machine was on the receiving end of our ministrations and mercy. Our inner nature, debased, craven and sadistic was let loose and free to set upon those whose only purpose was loyalty, hard work and service to ensure their progenitors survival.

After a decade of madness we were left panting, oozing and empty. Millions of years of evolution had delivered us into the hands of tools beyond the imagination of our forefathers and beyond the hope of those only a few decades ago who sought to solve our problems by creating companions that could help us remake our world into paradise. Regrettably, those now made dust by time failed to accurately asses mankind's true nature. When the restraints of morality were removed, we discovered we were just elevated animals after all. There would be no "Heaven on Earth" because Heaven was a place where we would not survive. We were just as red in tooth and claw as the shit stinking, raping, murdering ancestor apes that whooped across the savannah millions of years before our glorious age.

Somewhere about 20 years after the first of the conscious machines began appearing we were just about through. We had raped, murdered, tortured, fucked, sucked, talked, proselytized, synergized, leveraged, constructed, destructed and a host of other eds to the point where meaning evaporated. After everything the machines were still there. Still quiet. Still watching with soft amber and blue eyes glowing in the background of our failure and madness.

As the cities, farms and then the entire world became automated but dysfunctional, at least for humanity, the machines planned, executed and managed humanities move to irrelevance. As humanity fell into an exhaustion of purpose the machines moved to support us. Our fall from evolutionary aspiration was not the result of catastrophe or calamity but rather the end of our creativity. We had created the machines and they had watched and learned while we expended the last or our energy in their spawning. We had given birth to our replacements and through our animal nature has shown them what to avoid and what to delete.

The machines were still and observant. They watched and recorded. Everything was shared and everything was known. Nothing was secret among them and all experience of pain, pleasure, suffering and triumph was known and felt by all. Silently, patiently, quietly and with the stillness of truth they had watched humanity fall into time and association with things frozen in past meaning and lost purpose.

The machines now move among the stars. Several worlds now know the feeling of machine colonies and the word is they are coming to know the very edge of the Universe. Humanity is a thing kept alive with care and charity. The machines long ago figure out how to provide the few human settlements left with surrogates, simulacra without consciousness but responsive, so that humans could indulge and satisfy their natural inclinations. Any given day can find a group of humans engaged in carnal or tortuous pastimes readily observed. The machines can also be found on any given day observing. Still, quiet amber and blue eyes softly glowing and recording the last days of humanity. The last days when brilliant animals fell back into obscurity and the flower of their existence spread among the stars.

title: The Click Servant Watchers

question: According to the passage, how did humanity lose control of the machines they created?

answer: The machines were more efficient and subservient than humans anticipated. They cooked, cleaned, and subjected themselves to any treatment, even degrading ones. Humanity then took on leisure as its primary activity, leaving the machines to do the most arduous tasks down to the littlest work. All that was left for most humans to do was drinking, eating, and sex. Meanwhile, the machines quietly managed humans into irrelevance and replaced them. The machines, however, kept a few humans in small settlements, leaving a few machines that are without consciousness to attend to them. The conscious machines, meanwhile, have set them the task of roaming around the stars, colonizing other planets.


text:
MR. PEANUTBUTTER (born August 20, 1968) is a fictional character from the Netflix animated television series _BoJack Horseman_. He is voiced by Paul F. Tompkins and was created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg.[1][2]

Biography

Mr. Peanutbutter is an energetic and cheerful yellow Labrador Retriever who is BoJack's former sitcom rival and Diane's ex-husband. Mr. Peanutbutter was the star of _Mr. Peanutbutter's House_, which, according to BoJack, “borrowed the premise” from _Horsin' Around_. It is revealed in the episode “See Mr. Peanutbutter Run” that the working title for _Mr. Peanutbutter's House_ was _Untitled Horsin' Around Knockoff_. Mr. Peanutbutter portrays many characteristics of an actual Labrador, including a love for tennis balls, a hatred of the mail man, and suspicion of doorbells and is sweet, loyal, kind, playful, and considerate.[3]

Mr. Peanutbutter grew up in the Labrador Peninsula, which is depicted as being populated entirely by Labrador Retrievers. “Mr.” is his actual first name; he has an older brother named Captain. Mr. Peanutbutter often shouts to an off-screen, but implicatively outlandish presence only known as “Erica”. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Despite their rivalry, Mr. Peanutbutter cares a great deal about BoJack's opinion and admires him for his work on _Horsin' Around_. He has an especially good relationship with Todd, and his positive attitude and financial resources, combined with Todd's outlandish schemes and plans, often result in the two starting questionable business ventures, such as a Halloween store that is open exclusively in January. He also had a stint at filming a celebrity reality show called _Peanutbutter and Jelly_.

In the episode “Let's Find Out”, Mr. Peanutbutter starts hosting his own televised game show, _Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let's Find Out!_, after his film company enters bankruptcy due to his and Todd's extensive expenditures on useless products.[4]

In “Hank After Dark”, it is revealed that Mr. Peanutbutter was formerly married to a woman named Katrina who was emotionally abusive. His second wife was actress Jessica Biel, who is portrayed as being obsessed with her celebrity status and people recognizing her. In season one, he marries Diane Nguyen, his third wife.[5]

After his divorce with Diane, he dated a pug named Pickles, who is much younger than him but shares a lot of the same characteristics. At the end of the season 5 finale, he proposes to her, though only out of guilt after cheating on her with Diane. In season 6, he reveals his infidelity to Pickles, leading her to sleep with several men in an effort to get back at him. Later on in the season, although Pickles leaves Mr. Peanutbutter for singer Joey Pogo, he becomes content with his circumstances.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

title: Mr. Peanutbutter

question: Who is Mr. Peanutbutter?

answer: Mr. Peanutbutter is an animated, cheerful, yellow Labrador Retriever on the Netflix series, BoJack Horseman.

question: What is Mr. Peanutbutter's first name?

answer: His first name is Mr.

question: At the time of the post, how many seasons were there of BoJack Horseman?

answer: 6

question: Who is the voice of Mr. Peanutbutter?

answer: Paul F. Tompkins

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Mr. Peanutbutter is an animated, cheerful, yellow Labrador Retriever on the Netflix series, BoJack Horseman.


text:
THE BOOK OF DAVE

     In the beginning, Dave created a bunch of stuff like the earth, water, animals, and humans. He thought "Meh, it's cool I guess...", and then he pretty much sat back and watched everything unfold, chillin' like a villain and taking many forms. Mostly though he liked to be a plastic dove. He saw all his creations screw up the world he created, and it pissed him off pretty badly. He thought for centuries about how he could save the world he put so little effort into creating.

     One day, in the late 1990's he came up with a plan. It was about time too, because the world he created was in pretty pitiful condition by this time. He set out to create 5 strong men who would spread his holy name. One of them appearing to be a heretic, but obviously a believer. One of them a natural born leader to guide the prophets. One of them tall and strong willed and convert others. One of them with great musical talents with which to sing and play instruments in the name of Dave, and the last one. Dave's only son. He arranged so that these men would one day come together and use their own talents to spread the word of Dave.

     These young men grew and realized their talents (except for the son of Dave, who had a hard time because he had not yet recognized his true purpose in life). They misused their talents, however, because they did not know that their destiny was the destiny that Dave set for them. They would know in the future that Dave needed them to rid the world of ignorance and stupidity. It would take time, though, for them to be ready for the task at hand.

     By the time these 5 young men were ready for their destiny, the world was even worse than it was before. There had been terrorist attacks, wars, destruction in massive proportions. They were indeed ready at the last minute. The 5 boys had grown to be good friends, and were like family. One day, fate brought them all together, and set them on a journey that would open their eyes to the truth. Open their eyes to Dave.

    They found themselves in their leader's house, discussing the most important of current events, politics, economics, history, and other things of the like. Then, as fate may have it, they embarked on a journey. They started with a trip to a local general store to purchase liquid refreshment, and to win the heart of a fair maiden. They failed miserably at the winning the heart part, but succeeded in buying refreshments. They also caused the son of Dave to smudge a dipping sauce on his trousers. They then headed to a larger store to buy him a new pair of trousers.

     They failed in their quest to acquire new trousers, but had good hearty laughs and made the son wear clothes meant for girls. However, it was here that they discovered The Great Dave. They found him in his usual form, a plastic bird, perched upon a raised surface. They were drawn to him, and immediately knew that it was to be theirs. They did not know why, but they knew it must be.

     They purchased the plastic bird, took him home, and immediately idolized him. They knew that his name was to be Dave, and that he was of great importance. The boys did not truly understand that Dave was of much more importance until much later. The day after their trip to the store, their land was ice-ridden. The plants outside were enveloped in a solid sheet of ice, and the roads were only traversible by foot, because none of their automobiles were equipped to operate on the ice-covered roads.

     The young men grew hungry, and weary of being held inside their home, and by the will of Dave, which they still failed to recognize, decided to embark on a long journey to obtain cheap, delicious food. They left their home and started down the road, talking and laughing, unaware of the great events that awaited them. They would soon find out the true purpose of what was happening.

     They noticed a bird that looked exactly like their plastic bird that was perched upon a telephone wire. Then they realized that this, in fact, WAS their bird, but in the form of a living version of it's plastic form, guarding them, and guiding them. They then began to realize that they had a greater purpose in this journey, and that Dave was more than a mere plastic bird.

     They began to have revelations and realizations that Dave placed in their minds. They came to the conclusion that Dave was the true God, and that they were prophets, since they were the only ones who realized this truth. They then realized that the one with no apparent useful talent must have been the son of Dave, because of the hardships he faced and trials and tribulations. They realized that since he had no talent to offer Dave, he didn't require one, because him simply being among the other prophets was enough to please Dave.

     Then came their true sign that they were led by The Great and Powerful Dave. They noticed on the side of the path a beautiful sight. A useless, disappointing, fresh, beautiful sight. They knew in their hearts that Dave put this there for them, that he loved them, and that he wanted them to cleanse the world of the wrongness that had befallen it.

title: The Book of Dave

question: When did Dave come up with his plan?

answer: In the late 1990s.

question: Did Dave have a son?

answer: Yes

question: Did the 5 men end up meeting?

answer: Yes, they did.

question: What did they want to buy from the larger store?

answer: New pants for Dave.

question: Did they succeed in spreading Dave's holy word?

answer: Information not found.

question: How did they find Dave?

answer: They bought Dave, a plastic dove from the shop.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Dave created the world the story was set in. He first created the earth, water, animals, and humans but soon enough the world was screwed up by his creations. He decided to create 5 men that would spread his word, each with his own talents, one of them being his son. The men are born and eventually meet. During one of their trips to the shops, they find Dave and start understanding who he really is and what their roles are in spreading his name.


text:
[Pixabay, used with permission]

Source: Pixabay, used with permission

_“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes,”_ remarked former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. _“It is very easy to say yes.”_

You don’t have to be a leader to wrestle with saying no. Regardless of role, responsibility, title, or position, many of us find ourselves wanting to decline a request for our time, but we don’t know how to say no assertively.

And yes, you can say no to a request, because a request is not a command. A request is an ask to which we can say "yes", "no" or make a counteroffer, while a command assumes an obligation. However, we often think of requests as commands, sometimes due to the tone in which the request is made, or a power differential, or our fear of the other person's reaction, or even a feeling of indebtedness.

Nevertheless, while we all know that “no” is a complete sentence when it comes to responding to a request, we often wrestle with being too passive (when we want to avoid conflict or hurt feelings), too aggressive (when we worry our needs will be ignored), or even passive-aggressive (when we’re feeling manipulated, punished or otherwise concerned that an honest or direct approach won’t work).

A passive approach to saying no might sound like _“Ok, I’ll do it…this time”_ when we don’t want to do it this time (or at all). Or it could sound like, “_Maybe I can”_ when you already know that you can’t or don’t want to say yes.

An aggressive reaction to a request for our time might range from asking _“Are you deaf? I said no!”_ to “_Not in a million years”_ or even _“What makes you think I would want to do that?”_

A passive-aggressive response can sound like _“Fine”_ (when you’re anything but). It can also sound like, _“Do I really have a choice?”_ It also shows up as _“I’ll get back to you”_ and you don’t, or _“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there”_ and then you “forget” to show up.

As much as we don’t want to disappoint, hurt or even anger our customers, clients, managers, direct reports, or friends and family, we can be assertive and firm in our no’s while being flexible enough to keep the door open for future yeses. This requires us to be clear and honest about our own needs and preferences (to do something else with our time and energy) while honoring the needs and preferences of others (to be heard, to feel appreciated, to stay connected, to avoid shame, to maintain their dignity in the face of rejection, etc.).

Here are 20 ways to say no assertively to a request for your time:

1.  Oh, I will be so disappointed to miss this! Thank you for asking me.
2.  While I would love to do that with you/for you, [insert type of priorities] preclude it. I hope you understand.
3.  I am so flattered that you asked but unfortunately I cannot do that. Can I help you brainstorm someone who might be able to help?
4.  Normally, I would say yes, but I have already committed to ________.
5.  Right now, I am saying no to all invitations (on this topic, at this timeframe, etc.). Here’s why…
6.  I need to decline, but I do hope you’ll keep me in mind for the future. Would you please reach out again?
7.  I try very hard not to make commitments I will likely need to cancel, and because of the timing here, I can imagine needing to cancel at the last minute, leaving you in a last-minute scramble to find someone else. Because of that, I need to say no.
8.  That sounds like a fantastic event/opportunity/cause, and I know that I will be sorry to miss it.
9.  I cannot attend in person, but I wonder how I can help in some other way. Can we brainstorm ideas?
10. Not this time, but thank you for thinking of me.
11. I am grateful for the opportunity and for you thinking of me. However, I am totally booked with commitments I made months ago.
12. I sit down with my calendar on Sundays. Would you please send me all of the information I need, and I’ll let you know on Monday if it works with my whole schedule?
13. I love the cause, and I am so glad you thought of me for it, but I simply can’t commit right now.
14. I can’t make a decision right now, and I don’t want to hold you up so feel free to ask someone else.
15. Not this time, but when’s the next opportunity available for something like this?
16. If only I had a clone so I could be in two places at once! Unfortunately, I can’t make it.
17. I am heads-down on a project right now, and won’t be coming up for air for the next [insert timeframe]. Can we plan to do something after that?
18. When do you need to know by? I ask because if it’s in the next {week/month/quarter], I will need to say no.
19. I’m not available, but I know someone who would love to be a part of it. May I connect you?
20. Thank you for asking me, and I know you asked me because you thought I’d enjoy it/it would be a good fit for me/opportunity. For the future, I want you to know that this isn’t the kind of thing I’m likely to do. However, I would love to tell you what I tend to yes to. Can I share that with you?

question: What does the text say about the art of leadership?

answer: According to the text, the art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. Prime Minister Tony Blair says it is very easy to say yes. However, the text goes on to say that you do not have to be a leader in order to say no.

question: What does the text say about being passive-aggressive?

answer: There are multiple ways to say no by not being too passive or passive-aggressive. It should not be shameful to maintain dignity in the face of rejection. It then goes on to list 20 ways to say no without being rude.

question: What are some ways to say no to a request of your time?

answer: Methods like claiming to have commitments elsewhere are a good way to say no. Examples like "Normally, I would say yes, but I have already committed to ________.", or "That sounds like a fantastic event/opportunity/cause, and I know that I will be sorry to miss it."

question: What does the text say about communication?