text:
The FORT OF SANTA CATARINA (also known as the _Fort of Santa Catarina de Ribamar_) is a medieval fort situated in the civil parish of Portimão, in the municipality of Portimão in Portuguese Algarve. The structure was considered one of the last Philippine military projects in the Algarve, erected to defend the peninsula from pirates and privateers, as well as military invasions. Its construction is one of the better examples that work of Alexandre Massai, a military engineer who toured the Algarve (between 1617 and 1621) to reinforce numerous military fortifications along the coast.

History

The origins of the Fort of Santa Catarina are still debated. Some authors point to a 15th-century origin, during the reign of King John III or Sebastian, although few proofs have been identified, except for a small chapel dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria.[1][2]

In 1621, during the Iberian Union, Alexandre Massai, leading a committee of hundreds of specialists traveled the mouth of the Arade River, in order to find the best site for the construction of a fortress to defend the lands along the southern extent of the River.[3] At the time many of the older medieval castles of Ferragudo and Portimão were already unable to support the defense of the coast to these limits, from pirates, corsairs and maritime invasions.[4] The obvious choice at the time was along the edge of Praia da Rocha (referred to as _Ponta de Santa Catarina_) where a hermitage had once existed (and had been integrated in to a new fort) along the southern extent of Portimão's territory.[5]

Various arguments have been suggested for this location, to the detriment of a proposed fortress sited further into the interior (likely in Ferragudo): the site offered better sight-lines, a greater access to potable water, and especially its privileged connection with Portimão, thereby determining its selection over other sites.[6][7]

In 1621, Massai designed three proposed plans for the fortifications, all of which included an ample northern facade to serve as the principal entrance-way to the structure.[8][9] The construction of the fortification began eight years later, in 1629, and was terminated in 1633 (relatively rapid for the time). Unfortunately, many of these elements were lost in successive years, owing to the alterations in design and function at the fort.[10] Of the original 17th-century project, only the front facade, organized around three symmetrical walls, with the central/main entrance recessed.[11] This front facade is constructed of large pilasters and lintel made from large blocks of round rock, conferring on a monumental structure, while the rest of the structure, in contrast, is relatively less grand. Also part of the project was a raised bridge, whose elements today no longer exist.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake damaged the fortress, with the public works to reconstruct the structure divided into a period immediately after the event (essential repairs), while the remainder was carried out in the 1790s.[12][13][14]

A profound remodeling of the space was accomplished during the 20th century, influenced by the development of tourism in the region; on 23 July 1946, a dispatch handed the property over to the Municipal Commission for Tourism of Portimão (_Comissão Municipal de Turismo de Portimão_).[15] The interior was divided into a post for the Guarda Fiscal and Captaincy of Portimão (who partnered in the construction of the new buildings), as well as a space for a lookout.[16][17] This last project occurred in the 1960s, and occupied a zone originally part of the battery, facing the sea in the extreme southeast corner of the building.[18][19] During these projects the walls and base of the fortress were reinforced using modern techniques, which permitted the expansion of the area devoted to the lookout.[20][21] In parallel, the progressive expansion of the beach meant that the fort could be used to support Praia da Rocha, including a restaurant and esplanade.[22][23]

In 1969 an earthquake provoked damages and repairs to the building; in addition to the construction of reinforced concrete lintels, the braces and pillars were consolidated, repairs were made to the wall panels, grouting of cracks and plaster reconstruction were completed and the roofing was repaired, while the doors and frames were all painted.

Architecture

Situated in the urban context of Portimão, on the extreme eastern portion of the Praia da Rocha, it is accessible by a staircase implanted into the cliffs. This fort defended the local settlements and the estuary of the Arade River, in conjunction with the Fort of São João do Arade on the opposite bank of the river in Ferragudo.

The fort is a trapezoidal plan, with the main gate oriented towards land, between battlements separated by ramps. The interior dependencies have been adapted into cafetaria and lookout; these spaces are single-height buildings consisting of rectangular spaces with doors, windows and tiled roofs with chimneys. A wall that is opened by seven arches separates the interior spaces from the walled lookout over the beach. The curtain of walls provides access to the beach by the staircase.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7] Valdemar Coutinho (1997), p.124

[8]

[9] Valdemar Coutinho (2001), p.134

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14] Maria da Graça Mateus Ventura and Maria da Graça Maia Marques (1993), p.41

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

title: Fort of Santa Catarina (Portimão)

question: What does the text say about other Philippine military projects in the Algarve?

question: What does the text say about the Fort of Santa Catarina's engineer?

answer: Alexandre Massai is the military engineer responsible for the construction of the Fort of Santa Catarina. He led a committee of hundreds of specialists and toured the Algarve between 1671 and 1621 to reinforce numerous military fortifications along the coast. Massai designed three proposed plans for the fortifications, all of which included an ample northern facade that served as the structure's main entrance.

question: What does the text say about the fort's architecture?

answer: The extreme eastern portion of the Praia da Rocha is accessible by a staircase implanted into the cliffs. The fort is a trapezoidal plan, with the main gate facing towards land between battlements separated by ramps. The interior dependencies have been adapted into a lookout and cafeteria.

question: What does the text say about the earthquakes that damaged the Fort of Santa Catarina?

answer: There were two recorded earthquakes that damaged the fort. The first one occurred in 1755 and only essential repairs were done, while the remainder was carried out in the 1790s. The second earthquake happened in 1969. Reinforced concrete lintels were constructed, wall panels were repaired, and races and pillars consolidated. Even the roof needed repair.


split: train

text:
[Persona 4 - Persona 4: The Animation - Satonaka Chie - Figma (#136) (Max Factory)]

Scale & Dimensions

H=130mm (5.07in)

BuyView more

Comments138

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In stock @ Solaris Japan (¥13,771)

Brand New for ¥13,771
└ Packed with recycled materials ♻
Pre Owned for ¥8,472
└ Check product page for item condition.

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In stock @ Neokyo
Today, 8283 yen on Amazon Japan.
Buy through Neokyo: neokyo.com/sear...
Only ¥250 fee, 45 days free storage.

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Looking for her! US based. As close to original price as possible preferred. Feel free to dm me!

5 months ago

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Looking to buy preferably buyer from canada/usa

5 months ago

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Selling 35$ free shipping to US. Also selling bundled with Amagi Yukiko for 55$

1 year ago⊛

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Looking to buy, located in the US!

1 year ago

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If anyone is looking to buy, I just lowered my prices in my shop. Free shipping in the U.S.

3 years ago

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Selling for $50 please PM if seriously interested complete with box and everything only been displayed

3 years ago

question: What is being sold?

answer: A Figma 136 Persona 4 Chie Satonaka Action Figure

question: What is the difference in cost between a new and pre-owned action figure from Solaris Japan?

answer: ¥5,299

question: Where are the people looking to buy this item located?

answer: In the US and Canada.

question: How recently were people looking to buy this item?

answer: 5 months ago.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article details information about the Figma 136 Persona 4 Chie Satonaka Action Figure. There are various options to purchase it in Japan listed. There are also comments from people in the US and Canada looking to purchase the item.


text:
Alright, it's a bit horror/creepy/freaky. I tried to still have the dark effect without being overly vulgar. Well enough stalling, here it is and be brutally honest:

When it comes down to it, there isn't much to me. I go to school. I'm not part of any clubs and I don't have any friends. I make decent grades and try my best to be avoided. If I had to describe myself, I'd say I was a cage. I'm a cage for the monster that lives inside my head and in order to keep it locked up tight, it's best to stay away.
	I only speak when spoken to and I stay out of the way in all situations. If someone tries to make a habit of talking to me, they only anger the monster so I let them know what it thinks and they leave me alone.
	I go home and my mother calls me names that no longer affect me. So she leaves physical bruises that no longer make me cry. When my father makes it home he adds to the bruises and the cuts. Then he takes it a step further. This is the only time I cry. This is the only time I allow the monster to rattle the bars of it's cage and make me struggle to keep it inside.
	One day he pushes too far. He holds me down and hurts me in the worst possible way and like a key in a lock, the monster's cage is unlatched. For just a moment, my father gets to lavish in the pain he's causing. And the monster simply smiles. In a flash The Monster bursts out and pushes me to the dark recesses of my mind.
	After a time that feels like forever and yet nothing at all, I fell The Monster sink Its claws into me and pull me onto its back so that though I have no control over what it does, I can see. The first thing that grabs my attention is my father's lifeless naked body as The Monster passes him on its way out into the living room. I watch as The Monster kills my mother, calling her all the names she had thrown at me throughout the years.
	I cling to this semi-consciousness as The Monster runs out the door of our small house, naked, and down the dirt road. I see that our body is covered in blood and I feel the smile stretched across our face. Then there are voices in the distance. I have a quick moment of panic when I realize people are coming and I'm scared what The Monster will do to them.
	Then it let's go. I'm thrown back into full consciousness so fast that I don't have time to make my body work and stay standing. I crumple to the ground as a man's footsteps carefully approach. He lifts me up and I scramble to find footing and look into the man's eyes, scared of what I'll find. As if reading my mind, his face is doused in horror as he takes in my blood covered nakedness.
	“What happened?” he yells in my face as if I might be deaf or asleep.
	I pull myself straight at that moment and a seemingly sane thought floats across my mind as the only possible response as I realize what The Monster has done.
	I laugh softly at the thought. “The bitch footed me with the bill.”

title: First Post. A little thing I wrote about a year ago entitled "The Cage"

question: Is the narrator a boy or a girl?

answer: I think she is a girl because she talks about her father hurting her in the worst possible way - probably rape or sexual assault.

question: What is a step further in the assault?

answer: Rape, sexual assault?

question: What does "the bitch footed me with the Bill" mean?

answer: The monster blaming the girl or the girl blaming the mother for what her father did?

question: Why are the narrator and her father naked at the time of the murder?

answer: The father has raped her

question: Write a ~13 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator, a schoolboy/girl, has no friends and tries his/her best to stay away from people. He says that he is a cage for the monster that lives in his head. At home, she is verbally and physically abused by his/her mother and when his father comes home the physical abuse is even worse. Then the father takes the abuse a step further. This is the only time the narrator cries and allows the monster to rattle the cage.
Then the day her father hurts her in the worst possible way, the monster is unleashed. The monster pushes the narrator to the dark recesses of her mind. Next thing she sees her father’s lifeless naked body. Then the monster kills the mother, calling her all the names her mother has called her.
The monster walks down the road naked and covered in blood. As the monster leaves, she crumples to the earth. A man picks her up and screams at her “what has happened?”. She says “the bitch footed me with the Bill”.


text:
Is Your Narcissist the "Vulnerable" or "Grandiose" Type?

_This blog post is by Randi Kreger and attorney/therapist Bill Eddy of the High Conflict Institute._

If you read the research, you'll see that dozens of researchers have put people with NPD into various categories with different names. For practical purposes, though, we can divide this into two groups: the vulnerable narcissist and the grandiose narcissist.

All narcissists are self-absorbed, see themselves as superior, and lack empathy. All display arrogance and disdain toward others, experience "narcissistic injuries" when others don't treat them as superior, and can't take direct feedback about their behavior. They are consistently very oblivious of their effect on others. The main differences, however, come in their ability (or inability) to feel deep emotions and the way they see themselves. In other blog posts, we'll point out the best way to respond to these differences.

Vulnerable NPs

Vulnerable narcissists (VNs) tend to be more emotionally sensitive. They feel helpless, anxious and victimized when people don't treat them like royalty. Just like those with BPD, vulnerable narcissists are preoccupied with fears of rejection and abandonment. They swing back and forth between feeling superior and inferior depending on what's going on in their life at the moment. A setback (such as being fired or threatened with divorce) can bring them to therapy. But when the crisis is over, they drop out.

VN's appear to be over-compensating for low self-esteem and a deep-seated sense of shame that may date back to early childhood. They developed the behaviors as a coping mechanism to deal with neglect, abuse or a dismissive style of parent-child attachment (meaning the parents never developed a close bond with their child, so he never felt safe and secure in his parents' love).

As adults, VNs care about how their partners see them and try to get respect. But ironically, they get defensive at suggestions that they change. They may have hidden affairs, yet accuse the other partner of being unfaithful and obsess about preventing that from happening.

An Example

John, a truck driver, is a vulnerable narcissist. He prides himself on his technical abilities to deal with any problem situation. He has a good reputation at work for his skills, but others are offended by his arrogance. They try to avoid him and put him down behind his back.

He marries Sandy, who has an administrative job. He feels easily threatened by Sandy's success and independence. But Sandy is quite codependent and spends a lot of effort "fixing" him, helping him feel great about himself. He complains to her about how people mistreat him at work and don't appreciate how special he is. He talks a lot about quitting his job and working with people who appreciate him. But he never does.

He also complains that his friends "turn against" him when they seem to avoid him or have other priorities. He blames Sandy when things go wrong around the house while he's on the road, and she has learned not to argue back. When Sandy gets a raise at work, John insults her and claims she must be sleeping with her boss. He demands that he determine how they spend their increased pay. Sandy sometimes hints about divorcing him, but he says he would kill himself if she did--so she doesn't.

Grandiose NPs

Grandiose narcissists are less sensitive and more confident. They know they are superior and will seek revenge or go into a vicious rage against those who don't treat them with respect or dare to give them negative feedback. They appear to have no sense of shame about themselves and truly have very high self-esteem. Their parents or caregivers may have treated them as superior from early childhood, so unlike VNs, they are not compensating for anything. They're simply acting out their expectations.

They don't care as much about how their partners see them and may easily walk out of the relationship if they don't get the respect and admiration they know they deserve. They may openly have multiple relationships/affairs and pride themselves on how many people see how wonderful they are. Like people with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), they can be very aggressive and dominance-seeking without empathy or remorse.

An Example

Fred, a physician, is a grandiose narcissist. He met Sharon, a nurse, at the hospital where he works. He divorced his first wife (who helped put him through medical school) and married Sharon, an attractive "trophy wife." Their relationship revolves around his career.

Everyone thinks Fred is a great guy—fun and witty. But behind the scenes he belittles Sharon and occasionally slaps her for acting "stupid." He doesn't want her to work, so she gives up her career to raise several children. In the meantime, Fred has several short affairs with other secretaries and nurses, which he doesn't hide. He gets furious with Sharon when this upsets her.

When the children get older, she wants to return to work. But he mocks her abilities. So she devotes herself to volunteer work related to the children's activities. One day, Sharon gets cancer. Fred gets the best treatment for her. But while she is in the hospital, he also develops a more substantial relationship with another nurse at work. When she finds out, Sharon is crushed--not only about the affair, but his undeniable inability to emotionally support her.

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question: What are the two types of narcissists?

answer: Vulnerable narcissists and grandiose narcissists.

question: Who is John?

answer: John is a vulnerable narcissist.

question: Who is Fred?

answer: Fred is a grandiose narcissist.

question: Which kind of narcissist is more sensistive?

answer: Vulnerable narcissists.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The writer makes a broad difference between forms of narcissism to two categories, vulnerable narcissists and grandiose narcissists. Vulnerable narcissists are insecure but still lack empathy, while grandiose narcissists are arrogant. They give example stories of two different relationships with these traits.


text:
A lucid dream is a dream in which a person realizes he or she is dreaming and is able to consciously interact with the dream. People can learn to dream lucidly through various techniques (discussed later). Some psychologists use lucid dreaming to treat trauma victims, including veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge, who received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, has also said that studying lucid dreams may greatly help us better understand the phenomenon of dreaming; unclear dreamer-recall has always been a great hindrance to studying dreams, but lucid dreamers are able to remember their dreams with greater clarity. They are also able to perform actions in dreams following the instructions of researchers.

TREATING TRAUMA

Psychologist J. Timothy Green treated a Vietnam War veteran who had recurrent nightmares about the time he saw his best friend killed in battle.

It was the same every time. His friend would fall, and blood would flow from his neck until he finally died.

“Because his dream was always the same, I suggested he pick one particular moment in the dream and each night as he fell asleep to mentally and emotionally visualize himself back in that particular moment and remind himself that he was dreaming. He decided to use the moment when he found that his buddy had died as the signal he was dreaming,” Green wrote in an article on Therapist-Psychologist.com.

The veteran followed Green’s advice and was able to realize he was dreaming when he saw his friend. He was then able to redirect the dream, telling his friend the war was over and they were going home. The friend didn’t die this time, but instead got up smiling and walked away.

The nightmare that had haunted this man for three decades did not return.

Green hypothesizes that nightmares are either subconscious attempts to make the individual aware of something, or they are “a psychological attempt to end a difficult, even terrifying event, in a less traumatic manner.”

“During lucid dreams, the individual is able to face the frightening images in his or her dreams and have the dream end in a more favorable and less traumatic manner,” Green wrote.

Neuroscientist and science writer Bill Skaggs noted that people who dream more often are also likely to be depressed.

“People who are very severely depressed often show an excess of REM sleep—the type of sleep in which dreams occur,” he wrote in a post on Quora.com. “Reducing the amount of REM sleep is an effective way of reducing the level of depression, at least temporarily.” Whereas eliminating REM sleep—eliminating dreams—is a temporary solution, Green helps patients change the dreams for more lasting results.

ALSO SEE: TALKING ABOUT NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES COULD HELP SOLDIERS HEAL, SAYS RETIRED COLONEL

THE PLACE OF LUCID DREAMING IN DREAM STUDIES

[Hobson-quote]

LaBerge began studying lucid dreaming more than 40 years ago for his Ph.D. at Stanford. At the time, many dismissed the phenomenon of lucid dreaming as temporary arousals from sleep. The experiments of LaBerge and others, however, showed the physical effects of lucid dreaming on the brain, eye movement, and muscle movement.

The effects on the brain set lucid dreaming apart from waking life, but also from imagining. A lucid dreamer performing a certain action, such as singing, in a dream produced different brain activity than the same person singing in waking life or imagining singing while awake.

Such experimentation was only possible with lucid dreamers.LaBerge directed a test subject to signal to him while in the dream using pre-determined eye-movement patterns. Once the dreamer realized he was dreaming, he would make the eye-movements, which would also cause the eyes of his physical body to move. Then he would sing. When he was finished singing, he would make the eye movements again.

This way, LaBerge could see where the singing began and where it ended and could examine the brain activity data for that exact time period to see how it correlated to the action.

“The fact that recall for lucid dreams is more complete than for non-lucid dreams … presents another argument in favor of using lucid dreamers as subjects,” LaBerge wrote in “Lucid Dreaming: Evidence and Methodology.” “Not only can they carry out specific experiments in their dreams, but they are also more likely to be able to report them accurately. That our knowledge of the phenomenology of dreaming is severely limited by recall is not always sufficiently appreciated.”

HOW TO REALIZE YOU’RE DREAMING

[Dreaming]
 Image of a man reclining via Shutterstock
Green had directed his patient to picture a scene as he was falling asleep and to also be aware that that scene is within a dream. This is one method of training yourself to dream lucidly.

Others have suggested would-be lucid dreamers get in the habit of asking themselves in waking life, “Am I dreaming?” If it’s a habit, you’re more like to ask yourself this question in a dream and realize it is indeed a dream.

Having a predetermined signal in mind can also help. For example, in the film “Waking Life,” which is themed around lucid dreaming, the main character knows that if he flips a light switch and it doesn’t change the lighting level, he’s in a dream. Many lucid dreamers have reported that establishing similar signals for themselves is helpful.

WikiHow gives several other techniques, including marking an “A” on your palm. Whenever you see the “A,” it can remind you to ask yourself whether you’re awake.

LaBerge wrote: “As long as we continue to consider wakefulness and sleep as a simple dichotomy, we will lie in a Procrustean bed that is bound at times to be most uncomfortable. There must be degrees of being awake just as there are degrees of being asleep (i.e. the conventional sleep stages). Before finding our way out of this muddle, we will probably need to characterize a wider variety of states of consciousness than those few currently distinguished (e.g. ‘dreaming,’ ‘sleeping,’ ‘waking,’ and so on).”

_Follow @TaraMacIsaac on Twitter, visit the Epoch Times Beyond Science page on Facebook, and subscribe to the Beyond Science newsletter to continue exploring the new frontiers of science!_

_*Images of a soldierand a man gazing via Shutterstock_

question: Can everyone experience lucid dreaming?

answer: Yes, and it can be learned through various techniques.

question: How does lucid dreaming help a person suffering from depression and PTSD?

answer: A person is made to face their fears in the dreams and can make them end favorably.

question: How are regular dreamers likely to get depressed

answer: It is not stated.

question: What is REM?

answer: Random Eye Movement.

question: Can a person know they are lucid dreaming

answer: Yes.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The article explains the concept of lucid dreaming. Psychologist Timothy Green used lucid dreaming to treat victims who suffered post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). Using a Vietnam war veteran as an example, he succeeded in curing him of his recurrent nightmares. He maintained that through lucid dreaming, a person could face the frightening images in the dreams and have those dreams end more favorably. Stephen LaBerge, a psychophysiologist, studied lucid dreaming at Stanford University. He talked about the physical effects of lucid dreaming on a person through the brain, eye movement, and muscle movement.


text:
[Elsevier]

[Applied Animal Behaviour Science]

Abstract

This study used The Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) and regression models to explore the relative importance of dog and owner characteristics, living environment and owner–dog interaction to household dogs’ aggressiveness towards strangers, owners and other dogs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 10 interpretable factors from the Chinese translation of C-BARQ: stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, dog-directed aggression, social fear, nonsocial fear, separation-related behavior, attachment or attention-seeking behavior, trainability, excitability and pain sensitivity. The factor structure of our study largely resembled that reported in Hsu and Serpell (2003) and van den Berg et al. (2006; Dutch translation of C-BARQ). All factors of the translated C-BARQ have adequate reliability (Cronbach _α_: 0.74–0.93) and are thus suitable for measuring temperament traits in Taiwan's pet dogs. Intrinsic and environmental variables important to the three aggression subscales were not entirely the same, but breed (_P_ ≤ 0.020) and physical punishment (_P_ ≤ 0.053) had significant relationships with all of them. Golden Retriever scored the lowest while dogs subjected to physical reprimands scored significantly higher on aggression subscales. In addition, higher scores on stranger-directed aggression were associated (_P_ ≤ 0.027) with living in rural areas, in houses with yard space and with more household members and being acquired either as puppies or for guarding purposes. Higher scores on owner-directed aggression were associated (_P_ ≤ 0.040) with male and older dogs, being neutered/spayed, having female owners, fewer other dogs in the household and being kept outside the house. Higher scores on dog-directed aggression, on the other hand, were associated (_P_ ≤ 0.050) with living in houses with either yard space or more household members and with spending less time with owners. Stranger- and dog-directed aggression had more important intrinsic and environmental variables common to them than did owner-directed aggression, which suggests that aggression towards owners may be regulated by different mechanisms from aggression towards strangers and other dogs. Although no causal relationship between dog aggression and environmental variables can be implied from observational studies, the results of this and other studies lend support to the possibility of reducing dogs’ aggressive responses through proper management by owners.

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Keywords

Aggression

Pet dogs

Temperament

View full text
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

question: What does C-BARQ stand for?

answer: The Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire

question: What does C-BARQ investigate?

answer: The relationship between owner and dog characteristics, living environment, and owner-dog interaction to dogs' aggressiveness towards strangers, owners, and other dogs.

question: What does "Cronbach _α_: 0.74–0.93" and "_P_ ≤ 0.020" mean?

answer: Unclear, doesn't say.

question: What was indicative of higher scores of owner-directed aggression?

answer: Male and older dogs, being neutered/spayed, having female owners, fewer dogs in the household and being kept outside.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Applied Animal Behaviour Science was a study that used The Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire to determine any correlation between owner and dog characteristics, living environment, and owner-dog interaction to dogs' aggressiveness towards strangers, owners, and other dogs.


text:
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A 20-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after a young father died taking part in the dangerous new 'Punch 4 Punch' craze.

Tommy Main, 23, collapsed after trading heavy punches with another man in the violent 'game' during a birthday party last June.

Mr Main, who worked for his father's removal firm, collapsed at a 16th birthday party at a house opposite his home in Erith, south east London.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance in a critical condition, but died an hour later without ever regaining consciousness.

His family lashed out at the time at revellers who filmed the violent clash and its tragic aftermath instead of helping to save the stricken young man.

Witnesses said he traded several blows with another young man before falling to the ground after a heavy blow to his upper chest.

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A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Desmond Bartley, 20, was charged on Sunday, February 1 with the manslaughter of Tommy Main of the Nursery, Erith.

"He is due to appear in custody at Bexley Magistrates' Court on Monday."

Punch 4 Punch started in the US and involves two people, one hand tied behind back, striking each other until one gives up.

It follows the Neknominate drinking crase which swept the internet earlier this year and was linked to a number of deaths in the UK.

The online game involves drinking a large alcoholic drink very quickly, posting the footage on-line and nominating someone else to take the next turn.

question: What is the 20-year old man charged with?

answer: The 20-year-old man is charged with manslaughter

question: What happened to Tommy Main?

answer: He collapsed after trading heavy punches with another man in the violent game during a birthday party.

question: What does the Neknominate drinking craze entail?

answer: It entails drinking a large alcoholic drink very quickly and posting the footage on-line and nominating someone else to take the next turn

question: What does the game, Punch 4 Punch, entail?

answer: It entails two people, one hand tied behind their backs, striking each other until one gives up.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The severe illnesses and deaths of the game Punch 4 Punch are described. This game is dangerous and follows another dangerous game that originated in the UK.


text:
He looks out the tinted window of His personal limo for one final glance of the brilliant city lights that ironically contrast the cimmerian gloom of the city’s dark urban structure.  It’s an eye full of mental stress for Him and He wonders what will become of those that still have hope, He has no clue why such nihilistic destruction is being brought upon them. To Him though, to Him it’s a gift. He will drink to that thought and He pours Himself a conservative amount of fine Sauvignon Blanc and His face twinges as He gulps it all down. He hates the taste of white wine but He has to get drunk and this is the only drink available that’s suitable for a person of His stature.  Feeling warm and cozy in His expensive suit that was tailored by a famous designer whose name He could not recollect nor could He care any less for.  Wondering how hard the tailor must have worked on this suit to sew every stitch to perfection so his work may eventually tread in the domain of art, but only to be bought and worn by a person like Him who could offer absolutely nothing to society. Such people were detestable to Him, they lacked the principals of honour and because of such reasons their work was destined to something so undeserving. He pours another glass and now everything seems a little bit blurry and watching the freezing furious flakes of snow free falling from the aura of the nightly black made His head spin. Tired and impatient He puts down His head and takes glances at His watch.

Appraising His thoughts and the time in His mind:
Ten – nine – eight (and millisecond after millisecond time ticks so slow) seven – six – five – four (and millisecond after millisecond time ticks so slow) three – two – one and now it is 1:00 am, we should reach our destination in about two more hours.  Damn we’re only 33 percent there and another hour until 66 percent. Damn it one more hour – that’s 60 minutes which is also 3600 seconds. Then another hour after that – that’s 120 minutes which is also 7200 seconds.

He sighs and sinks down in the leather seat and takes quick glimpses at His watch every 5 minutes to calculate their progress in a percentage.

He unintentionally slows down time as He obsessively counts down every minute but by doing so He frees Himself from the bounds of mental conformity and gives Himself one final chance to freely divulge His mental deformity.

Wanting human interaction before the end he rolls down the glass partition that covers Him from the driver.

It’s a damn cold night Tariq.

Yes sir, I know sir, should I turn up the heating sir?

First of all stop calling me sir, and no the heating’s fine. It’s just a cold night you know?  Not that physical type but that unforgivin’ type that sends chills down our spine and mercilessly weighs upon our soul.  Dammit Tariq, can’t you go any faster?

Yes sir. Okay sir.

He sighs.

Okay Tariq.

He looks at His glass of wine and awaits the welcomed malice of being drunk from a lake of bitter boundless. 30 minutes, 1800 seconds remain – duration 83% completed.

To Him it is an auspicious time and a brand new golden age so He avidly waits for humanity to start writing in its brand new blank page. His thoughts of extremity pass through the glassy streets of now urban dissonance and all the high structured buildings standing in their utter brilliance. Yonder through the newly constructed shelters for fallout do His thoughts pass about.  Evacuation escalation - such horrible times and His mind pounds with excitement as the prospect of death surrounds Him as numbing feral waves of coldness cling to the pits of His dumb limbs. He waits for His God given gift for opting out with none of the sin.
He sits back with eyes closed to put His mind at ease but death does not come so easily so His eyes shoot wide open and out of His mouth comes-

Please.

Sir?

I didn’t mean to fail. I didn’t mean to lose Faith in the end, but it was uncontrollable. All interest was lost Tariq, and the expectations were just too much. My calling is somewhere else. Heh. It’s most definitely not here anymore. So please let’s just finish this one final stop and leave.

So where will you go after this sir?

I’ll be returning to base, and then I’ll be starting all over in a completely new place.

Okay sir.

Okay Tariq.

The limo stops near a rustled up coffee shop.  His perspective changes, the weather changes, and His personality paces through undetermined cold heartedness.

Duration 100%.

title: Him Is a Man Nicknamed He

question: Explain the countdown in this story.

question: Summarize what is haranguing Tariq.

answer: It seems that he believes he has failed on a Biblical level. The countdown motif speaks to End Times stories-it's a rather apocalyptic setting. Tariq has failed his boss and lost faith in humanity, as well as in his own calling. Tariq might be some form of god, as evidenced in the last sentence with the bit about the weather changing with his perspective. Additionally, "him" and "his" are capitalized.


text:
The NORWEGIAN BORDER COMMISSIONER OF THE NORWEGIAN-RUSSIAN BORDER (__) is a Norwegian government agency subordinate the Ministry of Justice and Public Security that is headed by the National Police Directorate. The agency's main task is to ensure that the Border Agreement of 1949 between Norway and the then Soviet Union (now Russia), with subsequent regulations,[1] laws and codes of conduct and traffic in the border area are complied with.[2]

The Norwegian Border Commissioner was created in December 1950 and is headed by a civilian border commissioner. The position, however, has always been possessed by a military officer, discharged from the Norwegian Armed Forces. The post as the Border Commissioner Deputy has until now been occupied by the chief of the Garrison of Sør-Varanger.

The Border Commissioner is located in Kirkenes. The border station at Storskog is staffed by Norwegian police officers, in addition to the Border Commissioner's staff in Kirkenes.

[1] Bilateral agreements on the Norwegian-Russian border Norwegian Police, official website

[2] Laws and codes of conduct and traffic in the border area Norwegian Police, official website

title: Norwegian Border Commissioner

question: When was the position of Norwegian Border Commissioner created?

answer: The position of Norwegian Border Commissioner was created in December of 1950.

question: What main border does the Norwegian Border Commissioner deal with?

answer: The Norwegian Border Commissioner deals with Norway's border with originally the Soviet Union, now Russia.

question: Where is the Norwegian Border Commissioner located?

answer: The Norwegian Border Commissioner is located in Kirkenes.

question: What kind of person has always held the post of Norwegian Border Commissioner?

answer: An ex military officer has always held the position of Norwegian Border Commissioner.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The position of Norwegian Border Commissioner was created in 1950 and deals with maintaining regulations with the Norwegian border with Russia. It was originally created to maintain the border with the Soviet Union, and is based in Kirkenes.


text:
_LA MARCHA DEL GOLAZO SOLITARIO_ (Spanish for The March of The Lonely Huge Goal) Released in 1999 is the ninth studio album from the Argentine Ska Reggae Latin Rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs to reach gold.[1]

This is the last studio album from the band before taking a 9 years hiatus, combining the best of old with experimentation. “Los Condenaditos” unites samba beats to bluesy slide guitar and a wall of horns. There's even an instrumental Latin-jazz number, “57 Almas.”

Among the singles was the commercial success La Vida and Vos Sabes, whose video was censured in some countries for showing nudes.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Victor W. Valdivia awarded the album 2.5 stars stating "The thrash metal guitars and wild tempo changes have been abandoned for a jazzy, Brazilian feel. “C.J.” is a straight bossa nova track... while “Los Condenaditos” marries samba beats to bluesy slide guitar and a wall of horns. Lyrically, the band has toned down the quirky humor as well, preferring to write songs that are more reflective and philosophical, although there is still plenty of smart-ass humor to be found... Though Marcha is a frequently enjoyable listen, one can't help but feel that it's a bit of a step back (or at least sideways) after the peaks of their previous two albums, both of which would ultimately serve as better introductions to the Fabulosos Cadillacs. ".[2]

Track listing

1.  “La Vida” (“The Life”) (Flavio Cianciarulo) – 2:52
2.  “C.J.” (Vicentico) – 3:49
3.  “Los Condenaditos” (“The Little Damned”) (Vicentico, Gerardo Rotblat) – 5:08
4.  “Cebolla, El Nadador” (“Onion, The Swimmer”) (Vicentico) – 4:26
5.  “Vos Sabés” (“You Know”) (Cianciarulo) – 3:09
6.  “Piraña, Todos los Argentinos Somos D.T.” (“Piranha, All of Us Argentines are Coaches”) (Cianciarulo) – 3:03
7.  “El Baile de la Mar” (“The Dance of the Sea”) (Fernando Ricciardi) – 3:25
8.  “Roble” (“Oak”) (Vicentico) – 3:08
9.  “La Rosca” (“The Thread”) (Vicentico, Pablo Ziegler) – 4:28
10. “La Marcha del Golazo Solitario” (“The March of the Solitary Great Goal”) (Cianciarulo, Angelo Moore, Norwood Fisher, Walter Kibby) –  - “Rhythm-A-Ning” (Thelonious Monk)  - 5:06
11. “Águila” (“Eagle”) (Vicentico) – 3:22
12. “Salvador y los Cordones Flojos” (“Salvador and the Loose Shoelaces”) (Cianciarulo) – 2:53
13. “Necesito una Nariz de Payaso, ¿No Me Prestás la Tuya?” (“I Need a Clown Nose, Can I Borrow Yours?”) (Cianciarulo) – 3:10
14. “Negra” (“Black”) (Cianciarulo, Rotblat) – 1:57
15. “57 Almas” (“57 Souls”) (Cianciarulo) – 5:11
16. “Álamo” (“Poplar”) (Vicentico) – 1:25
17. “Porque Yo Te Amo” (“Because I Love You”) (Oscar Anderle, Sandro) - 4:26 _Additional track on reissue_

Personnel

-   Vicentico – vocals, piano on “Álamo” and “La Rosca”
-   Flavio Cianciarulo – bass
-   Ariel Minimal – guitar
-   Mario Siperman – keyboards
-   Fernando Ricciardi – drums
-   Daniel Lozano – trumpet & flugelhorn
-   Fernando Albareda – trombone
-   Gerardo Rotblat – percussion
-   Sergio Rotman - saxophone

Additional Personnel

-   Pablo Ziegler - Piano on “57 Almas”
-   David Campbell - String arrangements, orchestration and conducting on “Aguila”

[1] [http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=Los+fabulosos+cadillacs&album=&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP Certification]

[2] Valdivia, V. Allmusic Review accessed January 24, 2011

title: La Marcha del Golazo Solitario

question: Summarize the kind of music the album La Marcha del Golazo Solitario is.

answer: The band is described as being reggae, Latin, rock, and ska. They use a blend of samba beats, a blues guitar, and a chorus of horns. They have been described as having a "jazzy Brazilian feel".

question: Describe the band's influences.


text:
PHOEBE C. ELLSWORTH is an American social psychologist and professor at the University of Michigan, holding dual appointments at the Psychology Department and in the Law School.

Ellsworth received her B.A. from Radcliffe College in 1966 and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University in 1970.

Ellsworth previously held positions at Yale University and Stanford University. Throughout her career, she has served on various editorial boards, advisory committees, and review panels. She also served as a member on the Board of Trustees of the Law and Society Association, the Executive Board of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and the Board of Trustees of the Russell Sage Foundation.[1] She is currently a board member of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Ellsworth is noted for her work in law and psychology. More specifically, she has done research on jury behavior and decision making, public opinion and the death penalty, and eyewitness identification. Her other main research interest is in emotions. Some areas of research in this topic include facial emotions, cognition and emotion, and interpretation of emotion. As a graduate student, she worked with Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen to develop the photographs that were used in their research comparing perceptions of emotional faces across cultures.[2][3] Ellsworth is known for her contributions to appraisal theory,[4] emotions and culture,[5][6][7] challenges of emotion and language,[8] and for her writing on William James.[9] In much of her research, Ellsworth has intertwined an interest in cultural differences. In particular, she has taken a look at the cultural differences in perceiving facial emotions (Masuda, Ellsworth, Mesquita, Leu, Tanida, and Van de Veerdonk, 2008).

Ellsworth has received many honors in her career. She is a Frank Murphy Distinguished University Professor of Law and Psychology (2003), Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Lecturer (2002-2004). In addition, an annual symposium, Phoebe Ellsworth Psychology and Justice Symposium, was created in her honor to recognize her contributions to law and psychology. In 2014 she received both the Nalini Ambady Award for Mentoring Excellence and the Career Contribution Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.[10]

Recent publications

-   -   -   “Social Science and the Evolving Standards of Death Penalty Law.” S. R. Gross, co-author. In Beyond Common Sense, edited by E. Borgida and S. T. Fiske, 237-59. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
-   “Legal Reasoning.” In The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning, edited by K. J. Holyoak & R. G. Morrison Jr., 685-704. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005.
-   “Clapping with Both Hands: Numbers, People, and Simultaneous Hypotheses.” In Perspectivism in Social Psychology: The Yin and Yang of Scientific Progress, edited by John T. Jost et al., 261-73. APA Science Series; APA Decade of Behavior Series. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2004.
-   Ellsworth, P. C., & Gonzalez, R. (2003). Questions, comparisons, and preparation: Methods of research in social psychology. In M. Hogg & J. Cooper (Eds.), Sage Handbook of Social Psychology (pp 24–42). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
-   Ellsworth and A. Reifman. Juror Comprehension and Public Policy: Perceived Problems and Proposed Solutions. 6 Psychol., Pub. Pol'y, & Law 788 (2000).
-   Ellsworth, P. C., & Scherer, K. R. (2003). Appraisal processes in emotion. In R. J. Davidson, H. Goldsmith, & K. R. Scherer (Eds.), Handbook of Affective Sciences. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-   Ellsworth & Samuel R. Sommers. How Much Do We Really Know About Race and Juries? A Review of Social Science Theory and Research. 78 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 997 (2003).
-   Ellsworth & Samuel R. Sommers. White Juror Bias: An Investigation of Prejudice Against Black Defendants in the American Courtroom. 8 Violence & Abuse Abstracts 3 (2002).
-   Gross, S., & Ellsworth, P. C. (2003) Second thoughts: Americans; views on the death penalty. In S.P. Garvey (Ed.), Beyond repair? America's death penalty. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

[1] http://www.russellsage.org/scholars/byYear?year=2007%20-%202008

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] https://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/news/ci.phoebeellsworthawarded2014naliniambadyawardformentoringexcellenceandcareercontributionawardfromthesocietyofpersonalityandsocialpsychologymon25aug2014_ci.detail

title: Phoebe C. Ellsworth

question: Summarize Phoebe Ellsworth's work on facial expressions.

answer: Ellsworth has done research on recognizing emotion in faces and perceptions of emotion in faces across cultures. She worked as a graduate student with Ekman and Friesan on this topic, and later published a paper with Masuda, Mesquita, Leu, Tanida, and Van de Veerdonk in 2008. Her work on eyewitness identification and jury behaviour likely also incorporates this research.

question: What does the text say about Blackwell Publishing standards?


text:
The 2014 WINTER PARALYMPICS (), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the SOCHI 2014 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), held in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia from 7 to 16 March 2014. 45 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) participated in the Games, which marked the first time Russia ever hosted the Paralympics. The Games featured 72 medal events in five sports, and saw the debut of snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics.[1]

The lead-up to these Paralympics were met with concerns regarding Russia's military intervention in the nearby Crimean peninsula of Ukraine the month before the opening of the games. The head of Ukraine's NPC stated that it would pull its athletes if the situation escalated, while the United Kingdom and United States chose not to send governmental delegations to the Games. The crisis ultimately had no impact on athlete participation, but members of the Ukrainian team did stage symbolic protests of the crisis during the Games (including most notably, all but the country's flagbearer sitting out of the opening ceremony's parade of nations).

With 80 medals, 30 of them being gold, the host country of Russia won the most medals during these Games, and set a record for the most medals won by a single country during a single Winter Paralympic Games. Additionally, Russian skier Roman Petushkov won the most individual gold medals in Winter Paralympic history, with six golds across skiing and biathlon events.[2] However, following the Games, the IPC discovered evidence that Russia's performance had been aided by a wider state-sponsored doping program. This resulted in restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes during subsequent Paralympics.

Bidding process

As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics was also to host the 2014 Winter Paralympics.[3] Following the second and final round of voting at the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City, Guatemala on 4 July 2007, the city of Sochi, Russia was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.[4]

  2014 Host City Election – results
  ----------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
  City
  Sochi
  Pyeongchang
  Salzburg

Organization

Venues

[Panoramic view of the Sochi Olympic Park]

As with previous Paralympics, the 2014 Winter Paralympics used most of the same venues that were used by the Olympics, situated within the Sochi Olympic Park and the resort of Krasnaya Polyana.[5] Despite the IPC believing that Russia had “zero track record in terms of accessibility”—given that the Soviet Union passed on hosting the 1980 Summer Paralympics after claiming no disabled athletes lived in Russia, the venues were built to the IPC's standards, organizers were quick to fix some of the issues pointed out by officials during an audit of the venues in January 2014, and an IPC spokesperson stated that they were “confident and expect everything to be ready for Games time.” Organizers and the IPC hoped that the Paralympics' legacy would make Sochi a role model for inclusive design throughout the country, and IPC president Philip Craven went as far as dubbing Sochi the first accessible city in Russia, commending the country's changed stance on disability since 1980.[6][7]

Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster)

The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretin Valley, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Russia's border with Abkhazia.[8][9] The venues are clustered around a central water basin with a synchronized fountain, allowing all indoor venues to be within walking distance.[10][11] Off these, the venues used during the Paralympics included:

-   Fisht Olympic Stadium – ceremonies (opening/closing) 40,000 spectators
-   Shayba Arena – sledge hockey, 7,000 spectators
-   Ice Cube Curling Center – wheelchair curling, 3,000 spectators

Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster)

-   Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex – Biathlon, Cross-country skiing
-   Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort – Alpine skiing
-   Rosa Khutor Extreme Park – Snowboarding

Mascots

[Snowflake and Ray of Light (“Snezhinka” and “Luchik”)] A shortlist of 10 Olympic and 3 Paralympic designs were shown to the public on 7 February 2011, while the winners were revealed on 26 February 2011.[12] The Paralympic mascots, Ray of Light and Snowflake, represented contrasts and inclusivity: their fictional backstories portrayed them as having respectively come to Earth from a hot planet and a cold comet. After Ray of Light overcame his struggle to adapt to a winter environment, he bonded with Snowflake through a shared passion for winter sports.[13]

The Games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Games were held at Fisht Olympic Stadium on 7 March 2014. Entitled “Breaking the Ice”, the ceremony was themed around equality and “breaking” barriers, featuring ballet sequences set to music by notable Russian composers, and animated segments by Aleksandr Petrov based on the story of the firebird. During the parade of nations, Ukraine's athletes declined to participate in protest of the situation in Crimea, and was represented solely by its flagbearer Mykailo Tkachenko. In his opening speech, IPC president Philip Craven praised Russia for finally fulfilling its “dream” of hosting the Paralympics after previously passing on the opportunity in 1980. He called upon spectators to have a “barrier-free mind”, stating that “the sport you witness here will change you. Not just for now, but forever.” The Paralympic cauldron was jointly lit by Russian Paralympians Olesya Vladykina and Sergey Shilov.[14][15]

Participating National Paralympic Committees

Athletes representing forty-five National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, an increase of one NPC over 2010.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Participating National Paralympic Committees
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  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (HOST)

  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
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Brazil, Turkey and Uzbekistan made their Winter Paralympic debut in Sochi, while Hungary and South Africa, who participated in Vancouver, did not send any athletes.

Sports

Competitions in the 2014 Winter Paralympics were held in five Winter Paralympic sports, with 72 medal events in total. New for 2014 was the addition of snowboarding events, which were incorporated into the alpine skiing program.

-   []
-   []
-   []
-   []
-   []

Calendar

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics was held on 16 March 2014 at Fisht Olympic Stadium. Entitled “Reaching the Impossible”, the ceremony was themed around inclusivity, and featured sequences paying tribute to Russian abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexey Pajitnov's classic video game _Tetris_. During his closing remarks, deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak stated that the Games had become a “catalyst for our efforts to create a barrier-free environment in Russia”, and promised that “this important work will continue throughout our vast country.” Sir Phillip Craven congratulated Russia for hosting what he deemed to be the best Winter Paralympic Games, and stated that the Games' participants had “shown the world that absolutely anything is possible and that life is about amazing capabilities and not perceived deficiencies.”[16][17][18]

Medals

Sochi's Paralympic medal design was unveiled in May 2013 alongside its Olympic equivalent. The design incorporates a “patchwork quilt” of diamonds, some of which are translucent, containing designs that reflect Russia's regions, and also contain inscriptions in braille.[19][20]

Medal table

Broadcasting

In February 2013, following its successful broadcast of the 2012 Summer Paralympics, British broadcaster Channel 4 announced on February 2014 that it had obtained the broadcast rights to further Games, including the 2014 Winter Paralympics, and 2016 Summer Paralympics. Channel 4 planned to broadcast more than 45 hours of coverage from Sochi.[21][22] Australian coverage was provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, including live online streaming. However, aside from the opening ceremony (which was broadcast live), television coverage was limited to a daily half-hour highlights show.[23]

In the United States, NBC Sports acquired the rights to the 2014 and 2016 Paralympics in September 2013. Following criticism of its minimal coverage of past Paralympics (such as at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, where in contrast to its extensive Olympics coverage, it broadcast only five-and-a-half hours of highlights), NBC announced plans for a total of 52 hours of coverage during the Games, with at least 27 hours of coverage broadcast live, and live coverage of the opening ceremony. The majority of its coverage was relegated to NBC Sports Network, but NBC aired highlights of the opening ceremony the following afternoon, and live coverage of the sledge hockey finals.[24][25] CBC Sports, in conjunction with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, produced and syndicated television and digital coverage of the Games in Canada for CBC Television (30 hours), Ici Radio-Canada Télé (French, 7 hours), Sportsnet, AMI-tv (coverage with open described video), and Yahoo! Sports Canada.[26]

Concerns and controversies

Although concerns over LGBT rights still had a minor effect on the Games, they were overshadowed by a crisis in the Ukrainian region of Crimea which began during the Olympics, but became more severe immediately prior to the Paralympics.

Crimean crisis

On 27–28 February 2014 in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution, Russian troops seized control of most of the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine located on the northern coast of the Black Sea—roughly from Sochi,[27] including civil buildings, airports, and military bases.[28] On 1 March 2014, the Russian legislature approved the use of the Russian military in Ukraine, and Russian officials stated that their military forces in Crimea were not a breach of existing agreements between Russia and Ukraine.[29] The Ukrainian response has been muted trying to find a diplomatic solution, with no military action on the part of Ukraine's government, which was formed in Kyiv less than a week before the intervention. Russia vowed troops would stay until the political situation was “normalised”.[30] A referendum on whether Crimea would separate from Ukraine was held on 16 March 2014—the same day as the closing ceremony of these Games.[31]

The effects of these developments led to several notable political actions surrounding the Paralympics. On 2 March 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that British government officials were planning to boycott the 2014 Winter Paralympics in response to the situation in Crimea, while Prince Edward cancelled plans to travel to Sochi for the Games “on the advice of government.”[32][33] On 3 March 2014, United States National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden announced that the United States would not send a presidential delegation to Sochi (which was to be led by Tammy Duckworth) at all, “in addition to other measures we are taking in response to the situation in Ukraine.” Neither of the boycotts affected the participation of their respective athletes in the Games; Hayden went on to say that “President Obama continues to strongly support all of the U.S. athletes who will participate in the Paralympics and wishes them great success”.[34][35]

IPC communications head Craig Spence reported prior to the Games that there were not any boycott efforts among athletes, and stated that although the organization would keep an eye on the situation in the Crimea, “we've obviously expressed our disappointment with what's going on in the political situation, but at the end of the day, we're not here to do politics. We're here to organize a sporting event.” He went on to emphasize that the same level of security measures in place during the Olympics were in place during the Paralympics, ensuring that Sochi would be the “safest place” in the country during the Games.[36][37]

The Ukraine team still participated in the Games, but Valeriy Sushkevich, head of the country's National Paralympic Committee, warned that “if there is an escalation of the conflict, intervention on the territory of our country, God forbid the worst, we would not be able to stay here. We would go.” Similarly to the Olympics, political protests and statements among athletes were forbidden during Paralympic events, although two major, symbolic protests by the Ukrainian team occurred during the Games. During the opening ceremonies, all but one of the country's 31 athletes declined to participate in the parade of nations. The country was represented solely by Nordic skier and flagbearer Mykailo Tkachenko, whose entrance was greeted with an ovation from the audience.[38] Some Ukrainian medalists were seen covering their medal with their hand during ceremonies as another form of silent protest; Sushkevich stated that the covering was “a demonstration that aggression and the high ideals of Paralympic sports are incompatible.”[39]

Russian doping scandal

On 18 July 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency published the first part of an independent report detailing a state-sponsored doping program in Russian Olympic and Paralympic sport, coordinated by the country's Ministry of Sport and Federal Security Service (FSB), where positive urine samples were swapped in favour of clean ones in order to evade detection.[40] The IPC found evidence that swapping of positive samples had occurred during the 2014 Winter Paralympics.[41][42][43][44]

On 7 August 2016, the International Paralympic Committee announced that it had suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee. The country was banned from the 2016 Summer Paralympics. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, the RPC remained suspended, but the IPC did allow clean Russian athletes to compete neutrally under the Paralympic flag (mirroring a similar decision by the IOC for the 2018 Winter Olympics).[45][46][47]

LGBT rights

Concerns surrounding LGBT rights in Russia and the country's “gay propaganda” law continued into the Paralympics. On 4 February 2014, Norway's openly gay health minister Bent Høie announced he would attend the Games with his husband, as is common for cabinet officials to travel with their spouses.[48] The Federation of Gay Games also started a petition calling for IPC president Philip Craven not to attend the Games if Russian authorities did not allow the Russian Open Games, a multi-sport event for LGBT athletes which organizers attempted to hold prior to the Paralympics, to occur. These games were faced with a bomb threat, and its venues arbitrarily pulling out of providing their services for events, which was believed to be a result of government pressure.[49]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9] Russian Deputy PM leads Sochi delegation to inspect Munich Olympic Park Inside the Games, 22 May 2010

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

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[24]

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[26]

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[29]

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[32]

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[34]

[35]

[36]

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[49]

title: 2014 Winter Paralympics

question: How much para-Olympians feel when performing at the Paralympic Winter Games?

answer: As the Paralympic Winter Games are huge honor, those competing in the games must be very proud of their achievements.

question: What does the opening ceremony of the Winter Games represent?

answer: The opening ceremony of the Winter Games represents equality and breaking barriers, and a is a huge boost of morale of those competing in the Winter Games.


text:
  The man straightened his collar as he looked into the mirror, dreading having the "talk" with his son, Simon. No not that talk, a different talk. Simon got into a fight at school today. The principal said Simon didn't start it. That wasn't what concerned him, what did was the condition of the young man his son beat.

He closed his eyes and tried to come up with the right words. His thoughts quickly turned to prayers, because he had no idea what to say. After awhile he opened his eyes, he need not make his son wait any longer. He had sent Simon up to his room right after they got home from the meeting with the principal.

"It's time to bite the bullet." He encouraged himself as he left the bathroom.

He walked to Simon's room where he found the door open, waiting for him. His son was sitting at his computer desk, he let out a sigh to let him know he was there then walked over and sat on the bed. His son tuned to face him.

"Dad, I swear I didn't mean to hurt him that bad. He just kept on and on. He slapped me and I know you always say turn the other cheek, but I couldn't. I had no choice something inside of me just took over. I FELT LIKE A MONSTER! I promise all I wanted was for him to leave me alone." As his son spoke tears filled his eyes, he could tell he thought he had hurt his father. Simon's shirt was ripped and his knuckles was bloody.

"I understand more then you know."  He said with a smile.

"You do?" Simon said shocked.

"Yes, I guess you could say temper runs in the family."

"I have never seen you even get cranky before." Simon protested.

"Ah, but I am old. I have had many more years then you have to learn to control it."

"How can I be sure it won't happen again?" Simon asked as tears ran down his face.

"You should be kind to everyone, even the undeserving. It is not our place to judge. Turn the other cheek, know that if you don't bad things are to come, just like today. As you get older, the bad things worsen. There are even things you can watch for and avoid like I do."

"Like what daddy?"

"Confrontation, arguments or anything that may make you angry. If you have a thought or have a hard time calming down, go to somewhere you can be alone. Then yell and do whatever you need to get it out. I like a dark place personally."

"Like your study, is that why you had it sound proofed?" Simon asked.

His father not answering rose to his feet. Simon stood up and hugged his father.

"So I'm not in trouble?"

"Of course not. How bad did he hurt you?" He asked.

"My lip was bleeding, I think it stopped though. I'm okay." Simon answered.

"Go change your shirt and wash your hands, we are going for ice cream. That feels good on a busted lip." His father said with a smile leaving the room.

He could see Simon was happy, but he was not. He closed the door to his study and walked into the bathroom.

"Pick on my son." He said as he began to lose his temper.

"Slap my son." His heart raced and his hands stiffened and snapped.

"Bust his lip." His face tightened.

"Made him feel like a monster?" He asked himself.

He slammed his once human hands into the wall, he slammed his foot into the toilet. Water ran all over his feet as though a fresh cooling effect. He rested his clawed hands on the sink and in snapped and cracked under the pressure. His gaze turned to the mirror. Fangs, slit eyes that even to this day remind him of a cat and bone piercing his skin making horns.

"A monster." He whispers to himself.

A voice from deep within him speaks, "one day, you will have to tell him. He is my son too."

"Dad? Are you ready?" Simon's voice called out from the study.

"Oh yeah, just gotta change my shoes, I'll meet you in the car." He listened until he heard the door close to his study.

His gaze returned to the mirror now a man who is growing old looks at him instead of the beast that lives inside.

"I know that." He tells it, he knows it can hear him. It's always listening. "Today isn't that day."

He combed down his whitening hair and changed into dry shoes and met Simon outside.

"Dang dad, what took so long?"

"We have to stop by Lowe's, I need to place an order." He answered.

"Toilet in your study is messing up again?!" Simon asked.

"I guess I'm not the plumber I thought I was." He answered with a smile.

"Geez dad, I would have gave up by now. You have the patience of a saint."

title: [MF] The Understanding Father

question: What does the story say about the fight Simon gets into?

answer: Simon gets into a fight with a boy and beats him. He tells his father he did not want to hurt the boy but could not resist beating him - when the boy slapped him, Simon says he felt like a monster. His father is worried because he is aware that Simon overreacted because he was half man half beast.

question: What does the story say about how Simon's father feels about Simon's fight with the boy?

answer: Simon's father is worried if Simon hurt the boy badly. He is not sure what to tell Simon as it is not time to tell him they are shapeshifters yet. He advises Simon to go somewhere he can be alone next time when he cannot calm down. Then the father goes to the bathroom to be alone to calm down ashe gets angry about Simon's fight.

question: What does the story say about the condition of the boy Simon beat?


text:
Aaron took the stairs two at a time up to his apartment. The leftover rain on his coat slowly dripped onto the carpeted hallways as he walked on, casually and relaxed. He breathed in deeply and smiled. Nothing like the smell of rain. It had to be one of his all-time favorite smells, along with mint leaves and sticky raspberry yogurt.

Was sticky a smell? Aaron entertained that thought long enough to admit that it was, well, a stupid thought. He was beginning to think that he was recently having one too many of those. Taking out his keys, he quietly unlocked the door, grasping the smooth metal handle carefully as he did. Trying to sneak in on Bruce was always impossible, but he always tried anyways.

He opened his door to find his roommate waiting for him. Aaron smiled, white teeth contrasting with his dark complexion. “You know, one of these times I’m gonna do it.”	Bruce, wearing his typical bored expression, simply shook his head and sat back down on the couch to resume his game. Aaron also shook his head, still grinning, as he walked into his room. Dropping his backpack with college books with a muffled thump, he plopped down on his soft bed. He could already feel the energy draining from his body. It had something to do with the bed, he figured. In another minute he would be too tired to get up for anything.

“Amanda came over,” Bruce called from the other room. “She was looking for you.”	Aaron shot straight up, suddenly full of energy again. Amanda with the great legs. Amanda the woman from 3B. Amanda, the reason he had almost taken up dancing. Amanda with the great legs.

The legs were worth mentioning twice.

“What did she say?” he asked, trying to sound uninterested. He failed miserably.

“If you are so excited, why don’t you ask her yourself?” the blond haired Caucasian answered, his attention never leaving the game.

“What makes you think I’m excited?”

Bruce looked up at him for a moment. “Maybe the fact that you practically teleported from your bed to the couch when I mentioned her name.”

Damn.

Aaron leaned back onto the couch and let out a sigh. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to people with eyes.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “So what did she want?” He asked once more, his curiosity beating out his pride.

“Something about wanting ‘to see the world’.”

“... And?”

Bruce looked at his friend once more. “You don’t actually think I was paying attention to her words, do you Aaron?”

"You're an ass."

"I know."

“Did you at least get your eyes off of her body long enough to know where she is right now?”

Bruce thought for a moment. “I believe she was heading back to her room. That would be the first place I would check for her.”	Aaron was almost out the door by the time his friend finished talking.

Taking the hallway down to the elevator, he pushed the arrow a few too many times. It was only after he was inside did he realize how he was acting.	“Man, get a hold of yourself,” he mumbled, his palm on his forehead, as he tried to regain some composure. “She just wants to talk, maybe she saw your game last week. Or needs help with the writing assignment.”  He paused for a moment. “Yeah, she doesn’t need your help.”

When the elevator doors opened, Aaron was once again calm and controlled, with the exception of his extremely wide eyes. The sunglasses could fix that.

He knocked on the door, then rested back on his heels, trying to look as comfortable as possible. Two seconds later, it opened.	She was wearing volleyball shorts. At this moment, Aaron was very thankful he was wearing the sunglasses. Her long, blond hair ran just to the middle of her back, and was complimented by her beautiful blue eyes. Her whole figure was, well, amazing; not a toothpick, but athletic, curvy. Even her nose was attractive, and her lips looked great, smiling and forming words...

Shit, she was saying something.

“... said that you were out.” she finished, still smiling at him in that cute way, her eyes twinkling. She had one hand resting on her hip as she leaned against the door frame, looking like a model. Aaron stopped himself before going into another embarrassing lapse of attention.

“Yeah, I just got back from class. So what’s up?” he asked. He was getting better at this.

“Actually, I was just wondering what Mr. Hassle gave in our class yesterday. I missed it ‘cause of a dentist appointment.”  Aaron looked at her for a moment, then leaned onto his heels once more.

“Yeah, I’ll bring it over after dinner if you want.”  Stay calm, stay calm.

“Thanks,” Amanda said, her smile returning even brighter. “I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no problem. Oh, and what was that you mentioned about seeing the world, or something?”

Amanda stared at him for a moment, confusion written on her face. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” she answered slowly, still smiling.

He was gonna kill Bruce.

“You know what, don’t worry about it. I’ll see you after supper,” Aaron called as he turned toward the elevator once more. Finally, a study date with Amanda, sort of. This day just got about a million times better.

Now all he had to do was find a way to hid Bruce’s body, and the day would be perfect.

Roommates.

title: Roommates

question: What is Aaron's relation to Bruce?

answer: Bruce is Aaron's roommate.

question: Why was Aaron so excited to hear that Amanda had come looking for him?

answer: Amanda had great legs

question: What made it so obvious to Bruce that Aaron was excited to hear from Amanda?

answer: Aaron sprung from his room onto the couch when he heard her name.

question: Explain why Aaron felt the urge to kill his roommate Bruce.

answer: Bruce had mentioned that Amanda said something about seeing the world and when Aaron asked her about it, she seemed confused. Possibly a joke from Bruce.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Aaron gets home and greets his roommate Bruce. His roommate tells him that Amanda came looking for him, getting him very excited. Aaron tracks her down to find out what she wanted to tell him and learns she just needed a recap of a missed class. Aaron nonetheless gets excited over a "study date" with Amanda.


text: She showed up abrupt and unexpected in the early afternoon.  She was distraught and I was groggy and it was awkward.  She told me things I didn't want to know and when I told her I didn't want to know them she cried.  I made a drink for each of us and she refused hers but I was happy to have mine.  Some of the things she told me were my fault but not all of them.  I felt guilty and annoyed and guilty that I felt annoyed.  She noticed and I noticed but we both pretended that we hadn't.  After a while I ran out of things to say so I stopped talking and she started crying again.  I wanted to console her but I couldn't so I stared at the floor and waited for her to leave.  This made her angry and she left and I was left with myself.

title: A Story About a Girl part 2

question: Who has come to the narrator's home?

answer: This information is not mentioned.

question: What relationship does the narrator share with the woman?

answer: It may be implied that the woman is the narrator's lover.

question: Explain the narrator's reaction to the woman crying.

answer: The narrator felt guilty and annoyed. He tries to console her but didn't know how to so he stares at the floor waiting for her to leave.

question: Why was the woman here?

answer: It may be implied that the woman came over to mend their broken relationship (?)

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
The woman arrives at the narrator's house early in the morning, uninvited. She starts telling him things he doesn't want to know and when he tells her that, she begins to cry.

He feels guilty and annoyed after hearing her out. While he wants to console her, he cannot think how to do it and so, stares at the floor.

The lady gets annoyed at him and leaves.


text:
 user1488971792 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:11:36

Hi I'm after some advice.
I am getting married and just organising the hen do. Im in a bit of a predicament. My cousin (who is quite a bit older then me not that thats really relevant i suppose) is transgender- male to female. All the family have been very accepting and we would rather see her happy then living a lie and she is aware this is how we feel. This isn't a new thing and we have known about her becoming transgender for 2-3 years now.
now the difficult part!! Im organising a hen do, nothing wild, just an overnight stay, spa that sort of thing. its obviously all women, but i don't know whether to invite cousin or not. If it had of been a night out it wouldnt be an issue as i would have just invited her. However, we are all staying in a house together with a hot tub, she is in a relationship with a women and hasn't had any surgery so still 'male' physically. There will be young girls there who i know won't feel comfortable with a 'man.' i think it would be different if she had had surgery, i don't know why? if i don't invite her it will be awkward and i know she won't want to go on the stag do which i completely understand. I am yet to mention anything about the issue at all as i genuinely don't know what to do and dont want to hurt feelings etc any advice on how to handle this issue sensitively ?

 ImperialBlether Tue 21-Mar-17 17:13:10

I would organise a different hen do if it's important she's there.

 NC543212345 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:13:35

Has she got a history of being a sex offender? If not I can't see why you wouldn't invite her if you are close.

 PlayOnWurtz Tue 21-Mar-17 17:13:48

Regardless of their transition is this someone who you would want and would expect to be at the hen do? If not then don't invite them.

If yes and you don't want them there then say it's a small do.

 scottishdiem Tue 21-Mar-17 17:15:28

I think you need to ask those who are coming what their thoughts are as well. You can't force people to be comfortable about these things. You could also offer to go out with them separately with a few other friends/family where the plans are less of a problem?

 Familyof3or4 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:16:40

Invite her.
Why would the young girls not be comfortable with a male body, we swim in mixed pools?

 Trifleorbust Tue 21-Mar-17 17:17:03

[biscuit]

 DickToPhone Tue 21-Mar-17 17:17:27

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

 Happyandhungry Tue 21-Mar-17 17:17:47

If you're close then invite her, does she identify as female and seem female looks wise etc? She may be on drugs and hormones that shrink her manhood anyway (the pre surgery process) and so isnt really a "man". If you're not close just dont invite her.

 QueenArseClangers Tue 21-Mar-17 17:17:58

Nowt to do with being a 'sex offender' NC [hmm]

OP doesn't really think a straight man with a penis's presence would be conducive to a relaxing hen do involving getting semi naked in a hot tub.
I'd do as IMPERIAL suggests or have another 'non undressed' do.

 tabulahrasa Tue 21-Mar-17 17:18:34

Assuming you aren't all planning to be naked in the hot tub... I don't see why it's that big a deal tbh.

I mean, she's your cousin and not some random stranger...

 IamFriedSpam Tue 21-Mar-17 17:18:57

I don't see why she would be a danger to young girls? Were you all planning to be naked at any point? Why would anyone even see her genitalia?

 IamFriedSpam Tue 21-Mar-17 17:19:52

HE'S A BLOKE IN A DRESS, SURELY? IF YOU WANT HIM THERE FINE, IF NOT, DON'T.

No she's someone with male genitalia who identifies as a woman.

 annandale Tue 21-Mar-17 17:20:08

Ok personally I would invite your cousin but would not do a hot tub or spa, go for a different activity [removes splinters from arse]

 user1488971792 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:20:46

One of the girls coming has been abused in the past and to be honest i wouldnt feel comfortable getting up in my pjs and in swimwear in a hot tub that close to a man. As awful as it sounds its not particularly important to me that cousin is there but i think it will cause tensions within the family if I'm seen to exclude her, and she will see it like i have excluded her because she's transgender! which in a way i have i suppose- but i have no issue at all with her becoming transgender, and in fact i was one of the first people she told and supported her and told others in the family that she can't help it, its the way she feels we should support her as its difficult etc. its more because physically she is still a man, and she is in a relationship with a women and i wouldnt want any man, i have gay friends who i am not inviting either as even though they are attracted to men they are still a man! just feel torn and don't know what to do for the best

 HalfCarrot Tue 21-Mar-17 17:20:52

I wouldn't want to get in a hot tub with a penis. If the penis had been removed then fine I guess.

 DickToPhone Tue 21-Mar-17 17:21:55

"No she's someone with male genitalia who identifies as a woman."

I identify as a hippopotamus, doesn't mean I am one.

 user1488971792 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:22:14

its nothing to do with being a sex offender??!! i don't think anything at all of the sort, just wasnt sure about having a straight 40 something year old with men parts in a hot tub with teenage girls?

 user1488971792 Tue 21-Mar-17 17:23:11

half carrot: thats exactly my feelings! if she didnt have a penis anymore wouldnt be a problem? but then i don't know if that sounds ridiculous?

 Joffmognum Tue 21-Mar-17 17:23:16

Would you invite a cisgender lesbian? Of course you would. Invite her, but have a private word with everyone else going telling them, just in case it would catch them offguard.

If there's a good chance she'll get a semi in the hot tub, she won't get in, but she would be able to judge whether this will happen better than you. Talk with her too, if you're close enough that it won't be awkward.

 Thefitfatty Tue 21-Mar-17 17:23:30

Personally I wouldn't be going to a big naked hot tub hen do regardless of the genitalia of the guests...[confused]

 PurpleDaisies Tue 21-Mar-17 17:24:08

WHY WOULD ANYONE EVEN SEE HER GENITALIA?

It's obvious that someone has a penis if you're in a swimming costume. [confused]

Op I wouldn't spring this on the girl who has been abused. Whatever your view of whether the cousin is a woman or not, they have a penis and it's totally wrong to put the girl in that position.

 KindDogsTail Tue 21-Mar-17 17:24:19

SHE IS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A WOMEN AND HASN'T HAD ANY SURGERY SO STILL 'MALE' PHYSICALLY.

I am very confused by this, but as she is your cousin and you care for her, I would say, organise something completely different with no hot tub.

 Ecclesiastes Tue 21-Mar-17 17:24:56

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

 CustardShoes Tue 21-Mar-17 17:25:53

Is she actually officially legally gender reassigned? Because someone in a relationship with a woman, but not had surgery who calls themselves transgender. Well, I just think that sounds like a man who likes wearing dresses.

I'm afraid I probably wouldn't invite her to the sort of thing you've described. Not because she's a man who likes wearing dresses, but because all that _overperformed_ femininity, combined with male genitalia, just isn't something I want to be in a hot tub with, having to pretend that she's a straightforward woman. And my party, my rules etc etc etc

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question: What is a hen do?

answer: A hen do is a British gathering of women prior to a wedding, similar to a bachelorette party in the United States.

question: What forum is this post on?

answer: mumsnet

question: What question is being asked?

answer: Should a trans woman be invited to an all-woman hen do involving a hot tub and spa?

question: Has the trans woman in question had genital surgery?

answer: No, she has not.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This is a forum post where an anonymous user is asking for advice about inviting a trans woman to an all-woman event surrounding the anonymous user's wedding. The responses are mixed.


text:
PETTAI (புதுபேட்டை) is an industrial suburban area in Tirunelveli City. It is approximately 60 kilometers of downtown Tirunelveli along the Southern Railway line to Tenkasi.[1] It is been administered by the Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation.

History

Pettai actually got its name from the Vandi Pettais (godowns with cart-parking facilities). These Vandi Pettais were dealing with few agriculture commodities such as coriander, and chilli. Pettai is a populous urban area with many small-scale industries.

Glorious Time

Similar to many towns, Pettai also had a glorious time when the Co-operative Spinning Mill was in operation. People from across Tamil Nadu flocked here for the employment in this mill. Most of them settled here.

Industrial Estate

Pettai Industrial Estate is operated by SIDCO.[2] The major products manufactured here are PVC pipes, tanks, cooking utensils, nails, mattresses, etc. TANSI is also operated inside this estate. Government ITI and MSME are also present.

Educational Institutions

Though Pettai is situated near the Oxford of South India (Palayamkottai), it also has established educational institutions.

-   Government ITI[3]
-   Kamarajar Higher Secondary School
-   MDT Hindu College[4]
-   Rani Anna Girls' School
-   St. Antony's High School

Apart from this, there are number of private schools serving for the Pettai Public.

Religious Places

Though Pettai can be termed as a diverse population. Thevars form the majority.

Following are the notable temples in Pettai

-   Sivan Kovil near the police station
-   Murugan Kovil in Pandiyapuram
-   Vinai Theertha Vinayagar Kovil
-   Sundara Vinayagar Kovil
-   Narayanaswamy Kovil
-   Santhana Mariamman Kovil
-   Durgai Amman Kovil
-   Thiripura Sundari Amman Kovil
-   Uchinimakaali Amman Kovil

Following are the mosques in Pettai

-   Mohammed Nainar (M.N.P) Pallivasal
-   Rahumania Pallivasal (R.P)
-   M.G.P Pallivasal

Below are the notable Churches

-   St. Antony's Church
-   CSI Christ Church
-   St. Madha Church
-   Philadelphia Good News Mission Church, Veerabaghu Nagar, Pettai.

Famous

Pettai is famous for evening snacks such as Vadai and Murukku. They are famous because they are fried in the oils produced at traditional oil mills here. Chekkadi had many chekku (traditional oil mills). It is also famous for Parotta stalls. Earlier only Pettai hotels served parottas during lunch along with rice.

Famous Person

Quide Millath. On his remembrance, the government hospital in has been renamed. The Cheranmahadevi road flows within Pettai is also named after him as Quaid e Millath Road.

Shopping Hub

Pettai Bazaar serves as a shopping hub for the nearby villages.

Entertainment

Pettai had a movie theatre, Meenakshi Theatre.

Demographics

At the 2001 census, Pettai had 1,060 inhabitants, with 534 males and 526 females.[5][6]

Notes

Category:Cities and towns in Tirunelveli district

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6] 2001 Census Village Code = 1603800,

title: Pettai, Tirunelveli

question: Why is education important in Pettai?

answer: Pettai is close to Palayamkottai, which is considered "The Oxford of South India." However, it also has its own educational institutions. These are: Government ITI, Kamarajar Higher Secondary School, MDT Hindu College, Rani Anna Girls' School, and St. Anthony's High School. There are also a number of private schools serving for the Pettai Public.

question: What religious groups exist in Pettai?

answer: It is clear that there are many religions in Pettai. Thevars form the majority of religious groups, and there are at least nine Hindu-associated or perhaps Thevar temples in Pettai. There are also three mosques and four churches, suggesting that the city has Christian and Muslim minorities as well.

question: What foods are famous in Pettai and why?

answer: While Vadai and Murukku are common snacks in the South of India, Pettai is famous for producing them because they are fried in oils produced in the tradtional oil mills of the region. These are called "chekku" and are located in Chekkadi. They also are famous for Parotta stalls, a North Indian bread, but also fried in oil. Because Parottas are a more northern food item, in the past they were only served at Pettai hotels, during lunch, accompanied by rice.