text:
President Donald Trump responded to several news outlets calling the 2020 election for President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday with an inaccurate and desperate-seeming statement, claiming that his campaign will start “prosecuting our case” in court come Monday — in what would effectively be an attempt to overrule the will of the American people.

“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” the president said in his statement. “Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner in any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts.”

All states will certify their results in the weeks to come; and the projections made by Decision Desk and others who call elections were made based on current counts, which are not expected to significantly change between now and when that certification occurs later in November.

The statement also falsely claimed that election observers were not allowed to observe the vote count in several states. Not only were they, but in some cases these observers disturbed the count; others can be seen watching counters on livestreams.

The president’s words aren’t surprising, as he’d suggested ahead of the election that he would not accept its results. And, true to form, he has not.

In many ways, the official statement is a more formal version of the baseless allegations of voter fraud the president made in a series of tweets Saturday morning, in which he appeared to desperately grasp at any whimsical conspiracy theory necessary to keep power.

In those tweets, Trump lied about votes being “illegally received” in Pennsylvania “and certain other states.” Despite the fact, of course, that all states have counted only ballots submitted according to their guidelines. Some states, like Pennsylvania, allowed mail-in ballots received after Election Day — but with a postmark from Election Day, or earlier — to be counted. There’s nothing illegal about this, however; in fact, states are legally obligated to count ballots that are submitted in accordance with election law.

Trump also lied on Twitter about election observers not being allowed in counting rooms in “numerous states.” As noted above, this is false.

The tweets were flagged by Twitter as “disputed” and potentially “misleading.”

  ....This would ALSO change the Election result in numerous States, including Pennsylvania, which everyone thought was easily won on Election Night, only to see a massive lead disappear, without anyone being allowed to OBSERVE, for long intervals of time, what the happened...

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020

  ....Bad things took place during those hours where LEGAL TRANSPARENCY was viciously & crudely not allowed. Tractors blocked doors & windows were covered with thick cardboard so that observers could not see into the count rooms. BAD THINGS HAPPENED INSIDE. BIG CHANGES TOOK PLACE!

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020

Overall, there is no evidence of voter fraud or tampering with vote counting. As Vox’s Aaron Rupar explained, the Trump campaign is making wild allegations of impropriety now and hoping to find evidence for them later:

  Their strategy is to make allegations first and HOPEFULLY FIND EVIDENCE FOR THEM LATER. This state of affairs was thrown into stark relief late Friday morning during a Fox News interview with RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. During it, Fox News hosts appeared to be out of patience with her evidence-free insinuations that the election was somehow stolen from Trump.

  “We just haven’t seen it. It hasn’t been presented. There’s all kinds of stuff flying on the internet, but when we look into it, it doesn’t pan out,” anchor Bret Baier told McDaniel, as she failed to explain how her technical gripes about election observers in Michigan could possibly affect the result in a state Biden appears poised to win by well over 100,000 votes.

Trump took these falsehoods to a new level Saturday, concluding his morning tweets with a incorrect statement that he actually won the election, writing “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!”

  I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020

It’s concerning that the president of the United States is just outright lying about an election he lost, and that he has refused to concede now that it is clear he has lost. Perhaps even worse is that several high level Republican lawmakers have joined in on spreading doubt about the accuracy of the election results. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), along with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, all appeared on Fox News to repeat the false assertion that Trump won the election.

What lawsuits come Monday remain to be seen. But it is clear that Trump expects the courts to save him. However, as Vox’s Ian Millhiser has explained, that’s not a strategy that is likely to bear fruit. And whether he concedes or not, Biden will be sworn in as the next president of the United States in January.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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question: What does the text say about Donald Trump's response to the election?

answer: Donald Trump responded to several news outlets calling the 2020 election for President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday with an inaccurate and desperate-seeming statement, claiming that his campaign will start "prosecuting our case" in court come Monday. He claimed that Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner in any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts. He also claimed that election observers were not allowed to observe the vote count in several states.

critique: This is not a response to the election but a response to news outlets calling the 2020 election for Biden before the election results were announced.

critique: The response should include that Trump is refusing to concede the election.


split: test

text:
                           1

...Three's a crowd when you're standing in a bathroom stall...

Tap...Tap...Tap...

I couldn't begin to tell you how happy the sound of vigorous tapping of a 40 bag of blow pinned between the butt end of a lighter and the wall of a bathroom stall makes me.
"Fucking Nelson", I say while taking a drag of my cigarette, " can't afford to pay his employees on time, but can spend hundreds of dollars on flowers to put in the ladies room that look they  are straight from Babylon. who the fuck cares what you're looking at when you're taking a shit."

"Cunt" says Karlo.

Pascal just looks at us in disbelief, as he knows full well our conversation can be heard by the numerous 24h party people waiting to use the toilette.

Tap...Tap...Tap...

"Ready!" Says Karlo, "whose going first".
As he jams my car key into the baggy, we hear a loud banging on the door.

"What the fuck are you guys doing, there is people waiting at the bar and my bartenders are doing blow in the bathroom." The voice yells, " are you fuckers smoking!"

We share a glance. Immediately we know it's our manager Nathalie. We rush to take our bumps and pile out the bathroom stall.

"Take it easy" says a cocaine fuelled pascal, "they're swingers, they're not here for the alcohol.

Walking out the bathroom trying to navigate my way through a sea of half naked people wearing everything from burlesque style corsets, to ass less chaps, to nothing at all. Walking past the infamous cherry booths, that look like they came straight out of a speakeasy from a William S. Burroughs novel, crimson velvet curtain and all. I suddenly see several men walking in and out of one booth. My curiosity at this point is peeked. I can't resist. I stick my head in. I see so many naked men on one women fucking a hole out  the back of her head.

So many hands.
So many cocks.
One woman.
She's loving it.

"She's a squirter" one of them yells as he cums in unison.

They notice me. I lock eyes with one of the men a quickly get out of there. Making my way back toward the bar, I notice a man wearing a fine tailored suit with a look of horror and disbelief on his face. He's looking right at me now.

" she had never swung before, he says , " I mean we had gone to some of Frank's parties but we had never dinned in." That man was her husband.

I think back to something Burroughs wrote in "Junk", sodomy is as old as the human species.

                            2

The cocaine is hitting me now. I live for that feeling, when it washes over you like wave after crushing wave smashing into the the sandy beach with the force of two trucks colliding on the interstate. Therapeutic, calming, soothing. Blow is a pure kick, a feeling that lifts you straight up, like an elevator in a high rise, and starts leaving you as soon as you feel it.

Walking through the sea of people, I feel like a flounder swimming amongst it's school. Standing in front of me the most beautiful goddess I've ever seen dancing with the stylized gestures of a Mayan temple goddess. There was something archaic in her movements, an animalistic grace, beautiful and repulsive all at once. I'm immediately transported back to a time centuries ago. I could picture her like a gypsy girl dancing around the light of a campfire. I can hear the sounds of off beat clapping accompanied by the sounds of ancient instruments long forgotten. I can see her ambiguous gestures fading in and out of the light. The touch of her hand around my neck snaps me back to reality. She pulls me in close with the force of a WWII era woman clutching her husband whose returned from war in the old world, never letting go. It's amazing how you can feel alone with someone In room crammed with people. I always thought how strange it is that societies expectations of the times youth need to go to loud places to find people they can be quiet with.

All my different voices are hitting me now all at once. Uppers, downers, ketamine, cocaine, alcohol. You name it I'm on it. It feels like there is a force greater than gravity weighing me down on this spot. I get lost in the flickering of the strobe lights above us glistening of e beaded up sweat on her body. I'm hypnotized. Like a draconian figure from a Bram Stoker,s film I'm drawn to her neck. Our bodies move synchronized to the tantric rhythms the DJ is spinning.
I make my move.
I kiss her neck.
The sweat of her neck quenches my thirst. It was like I could tap into a source like I was turning on a faucet. I was the artist and she was my vessel. She filled my flask, I drank from it. I delved, devoured her. Unmistakably drowning in her knowledge  of magic, of good, of evil. I asked my self, "have I had my fill?"

I kiss her lips.
Our tongues dancing like champion tango dancers, strangers in the night. Is it love? Or is it lust?  She slips a pill of mdma in my mouth with her tongue.

 I'm not asking for forever, just for tonight.

She stares deep into my eyes with her pupils as big and black, with a mosquito's unseeing calm.

"Let's go back to my place."

title: [NF] strangers in the night

question: Summarize all the sexual activities going on in the story.

answer: The narrator and his friends are doing cocaine in the bathroom. The narrator sees a woman getting fucked by several men in a booth. The woman's husband is there, and he tells the narrator that his wife had never swung before. The narrator sees a beautiful woman dancing with him and kissing his neck. He kisses her lips and slips a pill of MDMA in her mouth.

critique: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

critique: The narrator wants to take the woman back somewhere else. erase the mention of the drug use in the bathroom.

critique: The response misses to mention that the narrator and the woman go back to her place.

critique: The answer omits the narrator's sexual encounter with the woman.

critique: The response should include that the narrator and the woman go back to her place.

critique: The cocaine use is not relevant to the question.

critique: It is omitted that the woman invites the narrator to her place.

text: Drug usage is not inherently sexual, and its mention should be removed from the response.

category: accuracy

question: Summarize everything related to drugs.

answer: There is cocaine in the bathrooms. The narrator says cocaine is pure kick and that he lives for that feeling when it washes over you. Cocaine takes him back to a time centuries ago. Cocaine lifts you up like an elevator and it leaves you as soon as you feel it. The narrator takes different drugs, such as cocaine, ketamine, alcohol, mdma.

critique: The response includes information that is not useful for the task.

critique: The narrator doesn't say cocaine is pure kick.

critique: The narrator's experiences with cocaine are not relevant to the question.

critique: The narrator is not the only one who takes drugs.

critique: The narrator is not the only one taking drugs.

question: What does the story say about what makes a good bartender?

answer: No answer

critique: The response misses to answer the question.

critique: There's no answer, but the story implies that the best bartenders are responsible, sympathetic, and observant of their customers' needs.

critique: The response misses to mention that good bartenders are friendly and attentive.

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator is a bartender.

question: Summarize the sources of tension in the story.

answer: The narrator is in a bathroom stall with two friends, doing cocaine. They hear their manager yelling at them to stop. The narrator is also attracted to a woman and wants to kiss her.

critique: The narrator seems a bit unhinged by drugs, but there aren't any notable sources of tension or upset that aren't already written.

critique: It is omitted that the narrator and his friends are doing cocaine in the bathroom of a bar.

critique: The narrator is in a bathroom stall with two friends, doing cocaine. They hear their manager yelling at them to stop. The narrator is also attracted to a woman and wants to kiss her. The narrator and the woman leave the club together.

critique: The narrator is attracted to the woman and wants to kiss her, but the woman also gives the narrator drugs.

critique: The narrator is not in a bathroom stall with two friends.

critique: The narrator is attracted to a woman and wants to have sex with her, not kiss her.

critique: The narrator's manager is not a source of tension.


text:
[]
Warriors returned from the Scattering - Heretics of Dune french edition cover art

THE SCATTERING was a major historical event that occurred in the chaotic period following the death of Leto Atreides II, the God-Emperor. Leto's death saw the eventual breakdown of his empire, severe famine on many worlds, and the introduction of Ixian no-ships. It was all part of The Golden Path, as put forward by Leto, which was triggered by a perceived need to diversify the human race and allow it to evolve.

Contents

-   1 Origin
-   2 Scattering Space
-   3 Return from the Scattering
-   4 Behind the Scenes
-   5 Appearances

Origin[edit | edit source]

Leto II's prescience allowed him to see into both the past and the future, and he believed that ten thousand years of rule by the Faufreluches had allowed the human race to become stagnant, and that drastic action on Leto's part was needed in order for the human race to survive.

Leto II was also aware that a likelihood existed that the Thinking Machines, before they were destroyed in the Butlerian Jihad, had scattered. A stagnant human race would have little chance should the machines return. The entire purpose of "Leto's Golden path" was to force the human race to abandon certainty, security, and safety as individual goals and to "scatter" not only geographically, but also to do so technologically, ideologically, and socio-politically.

As a result of this philosophy, during the reign of Leto II humanity was predominantly planet bound and ruled by an iron fist for more than 3500 years. This was in contrast to the relative freedom of expression and movement people enjoyed to a limited degree under the Faufreluches, the limits being predominantly the inherent control of feudal rule and the Spacing Guild monopoly on space travel. Indeed, Leto II exerted a level of control that was unprecedented in the Imperium, including power over the Guild and space travel, a feat that previous Emperors had been unable to accomplish. Upon Leto's death, the stalwart and long-established order of the Imperium disintegrated, as did control over freedoms and movement, and as a result, humanity rediscovered independence and nobilities on an unprecedented scale. This paved the way for humanity to "scatter" across the universe into the unknown and further evolution of the human race.

According to Leto II's plan, his death was followed by a collapse of political control and Spice supplies - as it would take generations for the Spice cycle to reassert itself on Rakis. Political order collapsed and entire worlds starved to death, in a chaotic period known as the Famine Times. The Scattering was an immediate response to the Famine Times, as refugees fled the anarchy consuming the Old Imperium.

Scattering Space[edit | edit source]

During The Scattering, many people remained within the boundaries of the Old Imperium. Many, however, did not. Countless humans departed the Old Imperium for uncharted space, never to return. For 1,500 years, humanity explored the uncharted realms of the universe beyond the boundaries of the Old Imperium. New groups and cultures evolved.

During the Scattering, vast waves of refugees spread outwards into uncharted space, so that the number of human-colonized worlds exponentially ballooned both in number and spread. The Bene Gesserit who remained in the territories of the Old Imperium could only make vague guesses at the size of "Scattering space", as it was theoretically infinite and even the Honored Matres might not know its full extent. One clue is that the Lost Ones returning from the Scattering refer to the Old Imperium as "the million worlds" or "the million planets" - implying that Scattering space is at least several multiples larger than that.

Little is also known of the exact socio-political history of what happened in Scattering space, other than that its development across 1,500 years was fairly rapid - a direct reaction to the enforced sedentary nature of Leto's Pace for 3,500 years, or the 10,000 year static structure of the Faufreluches under the Corrino empire.

What is known is that eventually, the Honored Matres developed as a fusion of Bene Gesserit and Fish Speakers (and possibly other groups) who had fled into the Scattering. An aggressive group focused on conquest and domination, the Honored Matres carved out vast swaths of territory among the worlds settled in the Scattering. One of these worlds, or perhaps a collection of worlds, was referred to as "Dur".

Another group that rose to prominence in Scattering space were the Lost Tleilaxu - no longer bound by even the pretense of following the restrictions of the Great Convention, they pushed genetic manipulation drastically farther than their Bene Tleilax forbearers in the Old Imperium ever did. Among other creations, the Lost Tleilaxu brazenly spliced together human and animal stock, creating the feline-based Futars and fish-based Phibians. The Honored Matres came into conflict with the Lost Tleilaxu, becoming their bitter enemies, in wars that spread across much of Scattering space. During this time the Tleilaxu refined the Futars, creating them for the express purpose of hunting Honored Matres. Nonetheless, the Matres managed to capture and enslaves many Futars and Phibians.

Return from the Scattering[edit | edit source]

About 1,500 years after the death of God-Emperor Leto II, many of the Lost Ones began to return from the Scattering to the space of the Old Imperium. Chief among these were the Honored Matres, who carved a path of conquest whether they went, and exterminated the Bene Tleilax and Bene Gesserit wherever they found them.

The Bene Gesserit eventually learned that the cause of this return was that the Honored Matres were fleeing an even more powerful adversary they encountered out in the Scattering, which the Honored Matres only briefly alluded to as "The Enemy" or "the Enemies of Many Faces". The Matres had managed to steal some of the powerful Obliterator weapons from this Enemy before being easily overwhelmed. While the Honored Matres were fixated on destroying the Bene Gesserit, they were also determined to learn their methods of cellular control over their own metabolism which granted them immunity to disease and poisons - a skill that had atrophied among the Matres themselves when they split off from the Bene Gesserit. From this the Bene Gesserit also deduced that the Enemy the Matres were fleeing had made extensive use of biological warfare, against which the Matres no longer had adequate defenses.

Behind the Scenes[edit | edit source]

Within the context of Frank Herbert's original novels, the Scattering occurs between the novels God Emperor of Dune and Heretics of Dune.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

-   _God Emperor of Dune_ (First mentioned)
-   _Heretics of Dune_ (Mentioned only)
-   _Chapterhouse: Dune_ (Mentioned only)

question: Summarize the origins of the Scattering.

answer: Leto II, the God-Emperor, saw into both the past and the future. He believed that ten thousand years of rule by the Faufreluches had allowed the human race to become stagnant. He believed that drastic action on his part was needed in order for the human race to survive. He believed that the Thinking Machines, before they were destroyed in the Butlerian Jihad, had scattered. A stagnant human race would have little chance should the machines return. The entire purpose of "Leto's Golden path" was to force the human race to abandon certainty, security, and safety as individual goals and to "scatter" not only geographically, but also to do so technologically, ideologically, and socio-politically.

critique: The answer is too long and should be rewritten.

question: What does the text say about the people who left the boundaries of the Old Imperium?

answer: Many people remained within the boundaries of the Old Imperium, however many did not. Countless humans departed the Old Imperium for uncharted space, never to return. For 1,500 years, humanity explored the uncharted realms of the universe beyond the boundaries of the Old Imperium. New groups and cultures evolved.

critique: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

question: What does the text say about the Heretics of Dune novel?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not mention the Heretics of Dune novel.

question: What did the Honored Matres want to learn from their enemies?

answer: The Honored Matres wanted to learn the Bene Gesserit methods of cellular control over their own metabolism.

critique: The Bene Gesserit methods of cellular control over their own metabolism gave them immunity to disease and poisons.

critique: The answer is a bit vague. It should be more specific.

critique: It is omitted that the Honored Matres wanted to learn this so that they could have immunity to disease and poisons.

critique: The Bene Gesserit methods of cellular control over their own metabolism granted them immunity to disease and poisons.

critique: The answer should mention that the Bene Gesserit are immune to disease and poisons.


text:
I'm looking for some feedback on my story or constructive criticism. Anything about taking out or adding things or whatever thoughts come your way would be helpful!

&#x200B;

I Have A Friend

&#x200B;

So, I have this friend. For some reason I feel sad before I even start to talk about her. She went to a Christian school growing up and made sure everyone knew it was her grandparents that sent her here, not her parents. She mentioned that she grew up with the Christian religion bashed into her by her grandparents and I’m pretty sure at this point she looked sick of it. Her Mom wasn’t as religious, so at least she got away from it occasionally. This girl just didn’t fit in with anyone at her little Christian Academy. This friend and I always thought Christians could sense someone who didn’t belong.

You could tell she didn’t know who she was by the way she flip-flopped between the shy, quiet kids and the loud popular kids. I don’t think she ever stuck with one group. It was a small school with even smaller classes, so it was hard not to notice everything about everyone. The teachers didn’t seem to care about her one way or another and the other kids were always a little bit more interested in someone else. She always seemed to be the second or third choice.

My friend did at one point find another friend named Audrey who she absolutely clicked with and we all became best friends, girl power and all that blah blah blah. Audrey brought out our crazy sides, gave us a reason to get up every day and was just someone to share things with. Neither of us had ever had a friend like her. We were jealous of Audrey a little bit but not enough to hate her, just enough to admire her. Our new best friend Audrey played the guitar, had a great family that loved their kids and all their kids’ friends as well. We were accepted in her house.

Audrey was a year older than us and went to high school first. We stayed best friends, but Audrey was finding new friends of her own. We got jealous but knew we were still her best friend. We were still in youth group together and making a lot of new friends. All was going well until we had to go to a different high school than Audrey. We drifted apart. All of us did after that.

I saw my friend go from this radiant, funny girl who had a sense of belonging back to her old self. I feel like she looked like she did when I first started to recognize her in middle school. Just a shell with nowhere to turn and not a clue where to start. So, this friend of mine seemed to be worse than when she started, in an even bigger pool of people but not knowing any of them.

All these new people my friend met were very different and clearly light years ahead of her. It was sadly clear that what my friend did to fit in was a drastic move on her part. We fell even further apart. It tore me apart to watch her start doing whatever everyone else did and say just to lose all hope of having her own personality. I saw this personality form in her when we were with Audrey but now its like the personality she developed drained away completely. She became a master of adapting to all the new situations that got thrown her way.

I barely knew her now. It was sad to see her everyday and not be able to do anything about it. Sometimes I would shout at her to get her attention but usually she’d brush me off and shove me away. I saw her throw her whole self into anyone who showed her some sort of attention or what she thought was love. This made it even harder when those people would continuously let her down, but she would move on and do it again.

It was like she was a detective interrogating all these different people for the answers, but they just weren’t giving her any. She was searching and searching with no results. I don’t think she knew she was looking for something, but I could clearly see it and looking back its clear that she was desperate. Neither of us really knew what she wanted or needed but I just wanted her to let me help. I could only be so persistent when she just continued to push me away.

I could go on and on about how this friend of mine continued to search for answers throughout high school, but it would be a never-ending story and to tell the truth it very well could still be happening today. I saw something happen to her though.

I was watching when it happened. She was with a boy she had met not long ago, and it was obvious she was infatuated with him; would do anything he said no matter what. He told her about something he had been doing behind her back and she looked pissed. But I know her better than anyone and I could tell she wasn’t mad about what he had been doing but that he had been doing it without her. Yet again she threw herself into everything whole-heartedly and if this was a part of this boy she thought she loved then she wanted in.

I can’t believe it happened. Well, I can’t believe that either of these things really went down. Before it all happened and before he gave her that shot in the arm that would take her away from me for a very long time she looked in the mirror. For the first time in years I looked back at her through that same mirror, she really saw me, and I really saw her. That connection happened, and we knew what we were doing. We knew what path we were taking. She seemed to be saying good bye for now but not forever. There was an awareness that she was making the decision to leave me behind. I don’t think she knew before she was leaving me, but now she was actively doing it.

I got to see myself clearly that day and through the rough years I occasionally got to look through the mirror when she let me, and we even had a few screaming matches. In the present I now know I made that choice for a reason and I knew it would be a very long time until I’d see myself again. But It did happen. Although my relationship with my friend is different now than when we were young, at least I get to see her every day.

title: [MF] Short Story on addiction(help!)

question: Summarize the feelings the narrator has toward her friend.

answer: The narrator is concerned about her friend's well-being. They are sad to see her go through so much pain and suffering. The narrator wants to help her friend, but their friend doesn't let them. The narrator feels like they have to let their friend go, but they know they will see each other again.

critique: The narrator's feelings are more complex than the answer suggests.

critique: The narrator doesn't feel like they have to let her go.

critique: "but their friend doesn't let them. The narrator feels like they have to let their friend go, but they know they will see each other again." - this sentence is a tautology and the last part is redundancy. These two sentences can be merged to make a better, simpler statement.

critique: The narrator doesn't feel like they have to let their friend go.

text: The narrator is a woman. Singular they isn't necessary.

question: Describe how the narrator's friend felt about her boyfriend.

answer: The narrator's friend was infatuated with her boyfriend. She would do anything he said no matter what.

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator's friend was pissed off when she found out her boyfriend was doing something behind her back.

question: How good of a friend is the narrator to her friend?

answer: It is implied that the narrator is a good friend.

critique: The narrator does try to be a good friend but is hindered by her friend not letting her.

critique: The narrator is a good friend, but it is not implied. It is explicitly stated.

critique: "It is implied that the narrator is a good friend." - the narrator is a good friend and is trying to help her friend. However, the narrator is not able to help her friend, who is struggling with addictions and cannot seem to find herself.

critique: The narrator might not be a good friend to her friend.

critique: The narrator is a good friend to her friend.


text:
Mauricio Pochettino fears that English football’s tendency towards over-analysis, and its fixation on minor issues like diving, is slowly “killing the game”. Speaking after Dele Alli was booked for simulation in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday - his third such offence in as many seasons - Pochettino voiced his belief that the general mood of moral panic within the game, over what he described as “minimal details”, risks stifling football’s natural expression.

Pochettino also reserved harsh judgement for the use of video technology, saying that human refereeing errors were an intrinsic part of the game. Likewise, he argued that simulation on the pitch, while an offence rightly punishable under the laws of the game, was simply a sporting tactic rather than anything more sinister, insisting: “Football is about trying to trick your opponent.”

The Tottenham manager has admitted in the past that during his playing days at Newell’s Old Boys and Estudiantes, diving to win a penalty from the referee was regarded as a skill, one even practised in training. And Pochettino’s distaste for English moralising is underpinned by the fact that it was his leg over which Michael Owen dived during the 2002 World Cup, ultimately sending England through to the knockout stages at Argentina’s expense.

Doubtless Pochettino will be accused in some quarters of giving divers a free pass. Yet equally, he deserves a good deal of credit for trying to convey a nuanced, intelligent sentiment in a language that is not his first. He agreed that Alli’s dive merited a booking, although he denied that Alli was beginning to develop a bad reputation amongst referees. But it was the froth and furore that followed which he found most baffling.

“Look, it was a yellow card,” he said. “It happens. The referee was right. During different games, a lot of situations like this happen. The problem now is that we are so sensitive about the situation, and then we are so focused on Dele Alli. It’s too much sometimes. There is such a focus on this type of situation. I think it’s a minimal issue.

“Look, there are a lot of positives from Dele. Of course, he's not perfect. Nobody is perfect. Of course, he is a clever boy. He is a little bit nasty. The problem is that, more than this type of situation, I am worried we are going to change the game that we know.”

Mauricio Pochettino has stressed that commentators shouldn't be overly fixated on Dele Alli's diving antics

(Getty)

Whereupon the discussion abruptly opened out into broader themes: into the media, into English exceptionalism, into the very essence of the game. “Football is a creative sport,” he said, “in which you need the talent that grows in a very intelligent person, a very smart brain. And now we are so focused on minimal details. I am worried that in a few years, we are pushing the sport we love now - a passionate sport that people love to watch around the world - into a very rigid structure. With VAR, with focusing too much on small actions like this.

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“Football is about trying to trick your opponent - yes or no? Tactics – what does ‘tactic’ mean? When you do tactics, it is to try to trick the opponent. You play on the right, but you finish on the left. Twenty years ago, thirty years ago, we all congratulated a player when he tricks the referee like this. That is the football that I was in love with when I was a child. Yes, in Argentina, but in England too. You believe that in England you were honest and always perfect?”

Finally, Pochettino argued that referees should simply be allowed to officiate and make errors unmolested by instant judgement and granular video analysis. “I am worried that maybe we are going to kill the game,” he said. “We love this game. Referees are humans too, and sometimes they are right, sometimes they are not right. In 10 months, over the whole season, sometimes it is against you, sometimes it is for you. For me, I like this type of football.

The Tottenham boss is concerned the game is being scrutinised to the point of death

(Getty)

“My worry is this: of course if you dive, and the referee saw you, you are punished. And he deserves it. But don’t go more crazy.”

After a turbulent few days, Alli will probably be grateful for a night away from the spotlight, as he is set to be rested for Tottenham’s FA Cup fourth-round replay against Newport County at Wembley on Wednesday night. Pochettino said he would make several changes, with crunch games against Arsenal and Juventus coming up in the next week. Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose could both return from injury, while Harry Winks, Fernando Llorente, Juan Foyth and Serge Aurier are all in contention for a start.

Naturally, Tottenham will remain heavy favourites against their League Two opposition, who will be bringing almost 8,000 fans to Wembley from South Wales. With Newport receiving 45 per cent of gate receipts, plus television revenue, this season’s cup run could end up earning the club around £700,000 - a third of their annual budget.

question: Summarize what the text says about diving/dives.

answer: Diving is a sporting tactic that is punishable under the laws of the game. It is a tactic that is used to trick the opponent. Diving is not a new thing, it was practiced in training during Pochettino's playing days.

critique: The answer should mention the reaction to the dive.

question: Summarize Pochettino's concerns about the future of the game of football.

answer: Pochettino is concerned that the game is being over-analyzed, which risks stifling football's natural expression. He also believes that referees are being too harshly judged, which is causing them to make more errors. He is also concerned that the game is being scrutinized to the point of death.

critique: Pochettino is more specifically concerned about the English game.

critique: The answer should mention the use of video technology.

critique: The answer should include that Pochettino thinks that the game is being over-analyzed with the use of video technology.

critique: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

critique: The response should include that Pochettino believes that diving is a part of the game and should not be punished.

question: Summarize what the text says about referees.

answer: According to Pochettino, referees are humans who sometimes make mistakes. He says that sometimes a referee gets something wrong, sometimes it's against the player, and sometimes it's for the player. He believes that the referees should be allowed to officiate and make errors without video analysis.

critique: The answer should mention that Pochettino believes that referees should be allowed to officiate and make errors unmolested by instant judgement and granular video analysis.

critique: "He believes that the referees should be allowed to officiate and make errors without video analysis." - this is incorrect. Pochettino believes that the referees should be allowed to officiate without video analysis.

critique: The response inaccurately mentions that referees sometimes get something wrong against the player, however it is the other way around.

question: What does the text say about Mauricio Pochettino's favorite football player?

answer: The text doesn't say.

critique: The text does say he was fond of the Argentinian striker, Michael Owen.

critique: This can be deduced, as the question asks for a player, and the text is asking Mauricio Pochettino to summarize his thoughts on and fears for the future of football in England, whilst in an interview with The Independent.

critique: The text does say that Pochettino's favorite player is Michael Owen.

critique: The answer should mention that Pochettino doesn't have a favorite player.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The text says Pochettino's favorite football player is Lionel Messi.

critique: The text does say that Pochettino's favorite player was Diego Maradona.


text:
Word of Liberal MP Raj Grewal’s gambling debts surfaced on police wiretaps in a much broader probe into other people suspected of money laundering and terrorist financing, says a source with knowledge of the events.

Grewal’s sudden decision to step down as the member for the southern Ontario riding of Brampton East was prompted by a gambling problem that led him to incur significant personal debts, the Prime Minister’s Office said last week.

The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Grewal’s debts came to the attention of the Ontario Provincial Police during an investigation of some “particularly shady guys” who might be involved in laundering drug money destined for an extremist group in the Middle East.

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“There are wiretaps up on an organized-crime (and) terrorism investigation. And they have people talking about his gambling debts on the wire,” he said.

WATCH: RAJ GREWAL MOVED OFF FINANCE COMMITTEE NOT RELATED TO GAMBLING, GOVERNMENT WHIP SAYS

 [Click to play video 'Raj Grewal moved off finance committee not related to gambling, government whip says'] 0:32 Raj Grewal moved off finance committee not related to gambling, government whip says

Raj Grewal moved off finance committee not related to gambling, government whip says – Nov 28, 2018

The source said he learned last spring that the RCMP had asked the OPP’s gaming unit about Grewal’s casino gambling based on reports of unusually large financial transactions.

“It is literally a collateral issue to a bigger investigation related to drugs, gambling and money-laundering.”

Grewal, who is a lawyer, has not been charged with any crime. There is no suggestion he knows anything of the alleged activities at the centre of the broader police probe, the source said.

Trending Stories

Attempts to contact him Wednesday for comment were unsuccessful.

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WATCH: LISA RAITT DEMANDS ANSWERS ON LIBERAL MP RAJ GREWAL

 [Click to play video 'Lisa Raitt demands answers on Liberal MP Raj Grewal'] 2:01 Lisa Raitt demands answers on Liberal MP Raj Grewal

Lisa Raitt demands answers on Liberal MP Raj Grewal – Nov 28, 2018

The RCMP declined comment, saying it does not confirm or deny the existence of criminal investigations unless charges are laid. The OPP did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

As of early Tuesday, Grewal had not resigned from the House of Commons, though Liberal MP Mark Holland, the government whip, said he understood the paperwork would be filed imminently.

If Grewal does not officially resign soon, he’ll be kicked out of the Liberal caucus, said a well-placed insider who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The federal ethics commissioner began an inquiry last May after two opposition MPs expressed concerns that Grewal might have been in a conflict of interest when he invited a construction executive – who was paying Grewal for legal services at the time – to official events with Trudeau during the prime minister’s trip to India this year.

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Grewal has said he will co-operate fully with the commissioner’s investigation.

WATCH: SENIOR LIBERALS: GREWAL LIED ABOUT GAMBLING DEBTS

 [Click to play video 'Senior Liberals: Grewal lied about gambling debts'] 1:47 Senior Liberals: Grewal lied about gambling debts

Senior Liberals: Grewal lied about gambling debts – Nov 30, 2018

The Prime Minister’s Office acknowledged last week that the RCMP had made inquiries related to the ethics complaint against Grewal. But the insider said the PMO is realizing only now that the Mounties’ questions might actually have been part of a broader investigation.

Conservative MP Gerard Deltell, who served with Grewal on the Commons finance committee, said he had enjoyed working with the Liberal and wished him well personally.

But Deltell added that he hopes Grewal’s personal issues have not jeopardized the country’s affairs. “That’s the main issue we have to address when we talk about it.”

© 2018 The Canadian Press

question: Summarize the main news event.

answer: The main news event is about Liberal MP Raj Grewal's gambling debts in Ontario. He incurred significant personal debts and decided to step down as the member for the southern Ontario riding of Brampton East. Grewal's sudden decision was prompted by a gambling problem that led him to incur significant personal debts.

critique: The answer should mention the broader investigation.

critique: The article does not mention where Grewal is from.

critique: The answer should mention the broader investigation into money laundering and terrorist financing.

critique: It's omitted that the RCMP had asked the OPP’s gaming unit about Grewal’s casino gambling based on reports of unusually large financial transactions.

critique: It omits mentioning how Grewal came to incur his debts.

critique: It is omitted that the police are investigating Grewal's debts as part of a probe into money laundering and terrorist financing.

critique: The answer omits the fact that Grewal's debts came to light during a police investigation into money laundering and terrorist financing.

question: Summarize Grewal's political career.

answer: No answer

critique: Doesn't describe Grewal's parliamentary career or the gambling debts

critique: The article mentions Grewal's political career.


text:
The MECHANICS EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA (MESA) was an independent trade union of tool-and-die-makers. First active in the automobile industry of greater Detroit, Michigan, MESA was founded in 1933 and was “the first union to effectively establish itself in what had been a traditionally open shop strong, Detroit's mass production automobile industry.”[1] MESA's general secretary was English immigrant Matthew Smith.

Origins

The Mechanics Educational Society of America was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists as an educational society. However, radical transplants from the United Kingdom like Smith, Frank McCracken, and John Anderson recognized the potential of the group and pushed for a full-fledged union. In June 1933, the U.S. Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 which protected the collective bargaining rights of unions. A month later, MESA began an organizing drive in Detroit, Pontiac, Michigan, and Flint, Michigan which increased membership to approximately 5,000.[2]

Leading members

Longtime national secretary Matthew Smith, who had been active in the Amalgamated Engineering Union in England, refused to obtain U.S. citizenship, telling a U.S. Congress subcommittee: “I'm an internationalist, a citizen of the human race.”[3] Another prominent leader was Trotskyist Bert Cochran, who was a district organizer for MESA during the 1930s and 1940s.[4] However, Cochran led several MESA locals out of MESA and into the UAW.[5]

Membership and Locals

Membership in 1944 was approximately 42,000.[6] By 1935, the union had expanded out of Detroit into other cities with a significant amount of industrial workers, including Rome, New York,[7] Flint, Michigan, Toledo, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio[8], Defiance, Ohio and the Connecticut cities of Torrington, New Haven, and Bridgeport.[9]

Federation and World War II

In July 1938, MESA rejected an invitation to merge with the recently-organized Congress of Industrial Organizations, citing “fundamental differences in policy” while also arguing the CIO's established union in the auto-industry, United Autoworkers (UAW), was run by a “quasi-dictatorship.”[10] In 1942, MESA became a founding member of the Confederated Unions of America. A 1944 article in the American Economic Review described the group as “...a class-conscious group far to the left of the AFL internationals and even most of the CIO affiliates.”[11]

MESA refused to adopt a no-strike pledge that other unions had agreed to during World War II. As such, it was targeted by the federal government via the National Labor Relations Board; in jurisdictional disputes with the CIO, the government consistently decided against MESA. In response, MESA's membership went on strike. In November 1944, United States Under Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson wrote to MESA's Smith saying “Your strikes...represent no honest grievance...You are striking our fighting men from the rear. The War Department insists these strike be stopped at once.” MESA refused to end the strike.[12]

Taft-Hartley and CIO Affiliation

In 1947, the Taft–Hartley Act became law. One of its provisions required union leaders to file affidavits with the United States Department of Labor declaring that they were not supporters of the Communist Party and had no relationship with any organization seeking the “overthrow of the United States government by force or by any illegal or unconstitutional means”, to which MESA acquiesced. The prevailing Red Scare, which began in 1947 and coincided with a period of McCarthyism, put a damper on popular support for radical unions like the Mechanics. In 1954, MESA absorbed the Metal and Machinery Workers Industrial Union (MMWIU), which had previously been affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World. In December of that year, MESA and its 12,000 members affiliated with the former jurisdictional opponent in the CIO.[13] A year later, in December 1955, the CIO, with the Mechanics as an affiliate, merged with the AFL to form the AFL-CIO.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]  Case Western Reserve University |accessdate=6 April 2020 |language=en |date=11 May 2018}}

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

question: Summarize the origins of the Mechanics Educational Society of America.

answer: Mesa was founded in 1933 by an internationalist by the name of Matthew Smith. It was the first union in that region to effectively establish itself in the automobile industry, an open shop strong.

critique: The answer should mention that MESA was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists.

critique: "MESA was founded in 1933 by an internationalist by the name of Matthew Smith." - this is incorrect. "The Mechanics Educational Society of America was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists as an educational society." - is the correct information.

critique: The answer omits that the union was initially founded as an educational society, and not a trade union.

critique: "It is a portmanteau word comprising "mechanics" and "education" as an educational society. " is unnecessary information for the answer since it loops back to the question.

critique: It is omitted that the Mechanics Educational Society of America was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists as an educational society.

critique: "It was the first union in that region to effectively establish itself in the automobile industry, an open shop strong." - this is not in the text.

critique: The answer doesn't mention the founding mentioned.

critique: The answer should mention the International Association of Machinists.

critique: The answer should mention that the group was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists.

critique: The passage does not explain why it was called Mesa.

critique: Replace the verb "establish" with the correct word "establish itself"

critique: "Mesa was founded in 1933 by an internationalist by the name of Matthew Smith." - this is incorrect. MESA was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists.

critique: The answer should mention that the union was founded by disgruntled members of the International Association of Machinists.

question: Summarize the most interesting facts in the text.

answer: The Mechanics Educational Society of America or MESA, was an independent trade union formed by tool-and-die-makers. It was the first union to establish itself in a traditionally open shop, Detroit's mass production automobile industry. In 1938, MESA rejected an invitation to merge with the recently-organized Congress of Industrial Organizations citing differences in policy while also arguing that UAW was run by a dictatorship.

critique: It is omitted that the union was targeted by the federal government.

critique: The mechanic's union referring to the UAW as a "quasi-dictatorship" is not relevant.

critique: The first sentence could be more specific about the union's founding.

critique: "It was the first union to establish itself in a traditionally open shop, Detroit's mass production automobile industry." - is redundant and unnecessary because it was previously mentioned that it was the first union to establish itself in Detroit's mass production automobile industry. Better to remove this sentence.

critique: "In 1938, MESA rejected an invitation to merge with the recently-organized Congress of Industrial Organizations, citing “fundamental differences in policy” while also arguing the CIO's established union in the auto-industry, United Autoworkers (UAW), was run by a “quasi-dictatorship.”[10] In 1942, MESA became a founding member of the Confederated Unions of America." - is evidence that MESA did not merge with the CIO. It is not evidence that MESA rejected an invitation to merge. The answer should reflect this.

critique: The answer should mention their refusal to gain U.S. citizenship.

critique: It is omitted that the union refused to adopt a no-strike pledge during WWII which resulted in a lot of problems.

critique: The response misses to mention that MESA was founded in 1933 and was "the first union to effectively establish itself in what had been a traditionally open shop strong, Detroit's mass production automobile industry."

critique: The answer should mention that MESA refused to adopt a no-strike pledge during World War II, which led to the government targeting the union.

critique: The answer should mention the union's refusal to adopt a no-strike pledge during World War II.

critique: "It was the first union to establish itself in a traditionally open shop, Detroit's mass production automobile industry." - this is inaccurate. MESA was the first union to establish itself in Detroit's mass production automobile industry.

critique: The response is missing some important details about the Mechanics Educational Society of America.

critique: The answer omits the founding date, the union's relationship with other unions, and its stance on labor strikes.

critique: The response misses to mention that MESA refused to adopt a no-strike pledge that other unions had agreed to during World War II.

question: What other organizations can be inspired or learn from the Mechanics Educational Society of America?

answer: Tool and die shops, unions, and marches for human rights and other unions.

critique: The answer should be clearer about the connection between the Mechanics and other organizations.

critique: The answer is not related to the question.

critique: "Tool and die shops," - this is not an organization that can be inspired or learn from the Mechanics Educational Society of America.

critique: The response is not related to the question.

critique: The response misses to mention that the article is about a union.

critique: There is no mention of marches or human rights in the article.

critique: There is no evidence that marches for human rights are inspired by MESA.

critique: There are no marches for human rights or other unions mentioned in the article.

critique: It's omitted that the Mechanics can be a source of inspiration for other organizations.

critique: The answer exaggerates what can be learned.


text:
June 30, 2019 / 3:24 PM / CBS News

Last decade, when American was embroiled in the Iraq War, a high-ranking U.S. Army Corps of Engineers put her career on the line to stand up to some of the most powerful men in America. She believed that a major corporation had been benefiting from a collection of well-connected contracts that were costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.

Although she was warned against it by supervisors, she blew the whistle on national TV in front of a Senate committee. "My name is Bunnatine H. Greenhouse. I have agreed to voluntarily appear at this hearing," she addressed the committee.

Bunny Greenhouse was an unlikely whistleblower. In 2005, Greenhouse was the highest-ranked civilian at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 "When I took my oath of office it said that you will conduct the business of contracting impartially … and with preferential treatment toward none. I saw preferential treatment toward KBR," she told "Whistleblower" host Alex Ferrer in "Bunny's War: The Case Against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."

KBR was Kellogg Brown and Root — back then, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the oil services firm Halliburton.  In the weeks prior to the invasion, Greenhouse learned that KBR was being considered for a massive no-bid contract known as Restore Iraqi Oil, or RIO.

"What was the size of this contract?" Ferrer asked.

"Seven billion dollars," she replied.

What Greenhouse didn't know is that even more powerful forces may have been involved.

"A lot of attention fell on Dick Cheney, the vice president, and the fact was that he had been the head of Halliburton for … six years," Vanity Fair journalist Michael Shnayerson explained. "So, the suspicion began to grow that perhaps Cheney was steering government contracts to KBR."

A spokesperson for Dick Cheney told CBS News that the former vice president severed all ties with Halliburton and KBR in the summer of 2000 when he became candidate for vice president.

A representative for KBR said "it's unfortunate that misinformation and myths about KBR's role in supporting the military in Iraq continue to be circulated. These assertions have repeatedly been shown to be false."

For Greenhouse, biting her tongue was never an option. "I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career," she told the Senate committee.

A 2004 government report decided the RIO contract was properly awarded. But the Army eventually split up the contract and, as Greenhouse had requested from the beginning, opened it up to competition.

"Eventually, your enemies at the Army Corps of Engineers caught up with you," Ferrer commented.

"I felt that I was physically being threatened," Greenhouse replied. "They set up a booby trap that caused me to fall," she added.

Born and raised in Rayville, Louisiana, Greenhouse and her six siblings grew up poor in the segregated south. Her parents instilled in her and her siblings a strong sense of morals, integrity and honor; no excuse for being less than the best. In the 1960s, she became the first African American teacher at the newly integrated Unity H.S.

In 1997, she accepted a job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She was hired by Lt. General Joe Ballard and was the first African American woman to become the head of contracting within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Greenhouse started to notice a "good ole boys club" forming again at USACE after her boss and mentor, Lt. General Ballard, retired in 2000. Then, in the weeks leading up to the Iraq War in 2003, she attended a top-secret meeting at the Pentagon to discuss details of the Restore Iraqi Oil contract. Present in the room were representatives of Kellogg Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, Cheney's former employer.

Greenhouse was concerned about awarding KBR with the no-bid, 5-year contract and urged to accept other bids and limit the duration of the deal. But her objections were never addressed, and KBR received the contract. Later, it was revealed in a draft audit that the company had overcharged the government for fuel purchases by $61 million. She ultimately testified in front of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

Greenhouse was the highest-ranked civilian at the Army Corp and she was incredibly good at her job. Because the top brass at USACE couldn't actually fire her, which was a perk of having a high station in the government, they demoted her. When this happened, she was stripped of her security clearance and sent off to a remote cubicle somewhere; she was basically condemned to oblivion. After she filed her whistleblower lawsuit, someone placed a trip wire placed around her cubicle and she fell, permanently damaging her knee.

The Defense Authorization Act Of 2009 reformed some of the very contracting practices that Greenhouse had objected to five years earlier and it limited the duration of certain no-bid contracts.

Greenhouse filed a mixed case lawsuit against the Department of Defense and the Army Corps of Engineers. The whistleblower case claimed that Greenhouse had been retaliated against for speaking out and had faced discrimination based on race, age, and gender. In July 2011, she agreed to a settlement of $970,000.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Bunny's War: The Case Against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers"__ aired Friday, June 28 at 8/7c on CBS.  _

question: What does the text say about KBR?

answer: KBR was Kellogg Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton. KBR was awarded a no-bid contract known as Restore Iraqi Oil, or RIO. Greenhouse was concerned about awarding KBR with the no-bid, 5-year contract and urged to accept other bids and limit the duration of the deal.

critique: The answer should mention the overcharging.

question: What does the text say about Dick Cheney?

answer: Dick Cheney was the vice president at the time of the Iraq War. He had been the head of Halliburton for six years, and there was suspicion that he was steering government contracts to KBR. Cheney severed all ties with Halliburton and KBR in the summer of 2000 when he became candidate for vice president.

critique: The answer does not convey the level of suspicion held against Cheney.

critique: The answer is incorrect in saying that Cheney severed ties with Halliburton and KBR in the summer of 2000 when he became candidate for vice president.

critique: The answer should mention that Cheney was the former head of Halliburton, not the current one.

critique: The answer should mention that Cheney was the former head of Halliburton.

critique: The answer should mention the fact that Cheney severed ties with Halliburton and KBR in the summer of 2000.

critique: The answer omits that Cheney was a former vice president.

question: What is Halliburton's gross annual income?

answer: Unclear

critique: The answer is unclear because it is not stated in the text.

critique: The answer is clear, but due to a typographical error, it is incorrect.

question: What does the text say about retaliation against Greenhouse?

answer: Greenhouse was the highest-ranked civilian at the Army Corp, and she was incredibly good at her job. Because the top brass at USACE couldn't actually fire her, which was a perk of having a high station in the government, they demoted her. Greenhouse was stripped of her security clearance and sent off to a remote cubicle somewhere. She was basically condemned to oblivion. After she filed a whistleblower lawsuit, someone placed a trip wire around her cubicle and she fell, permanently damaging her knee.

critique: The answer should mention that Greenhouse was demoted after she blew the whistle.

critique: The answer does not mention Greenhouse's lawsuit.

critique: The answer should note that Greenhouse has to pay for her lawsuit.

critique: The answer should mention that Greenhouse was retaliated against for speaking out.

critique: The answer should mention that Greenhouse was demoted for speaking out.

critique: The answer should mention Greenhouse's retaliation claim.

critique: The answer should mention that Greenhouse was demoted for speaking out about the contract with KBR.


text:
Two Houses.

Picture two houses across the street from one another. They looked perfectly normal and sturdy on the outside, but on the inside they were run down and falling apart. Inside of one lived a quiet and peaceful man, and in the other lived a beautiful and cheerful woman. Neither of them, however, liked being outside the confines of their own house.

One day, the peaceful man ventured across the street to the other house and was invited inside. The two strangers visited, shared laughs, told stories, and enjoyed the others company. At the end of the day, the man returned to his house.

The next day he visited again, but instead of talking, he started to slowly repair the inside of the run down house. When one of his repairs would break, he would immediately come over to fix the damage with a smile on his face. The two housekeepers became used to seeing one another each day, and eventually, the woman would come over to the man's house to visit. The woman noticed that his house looked much worse on the inside than hers, and started to sneak inside at night while he was asleep to make repairs. When the man would try to fix something himself, or repair damages to his own house, he would fail, and sometimes even make things worse. But the next morning,  he would notice that things would be fixed. This puzzled the man and he decided to ask the woman about it the next time she came over.

The next evening they spent together, he asked and she informed the man of what she had been doing, and the man asked why. She replied,
"Because people who show a caring and wholesome heart deserve to receive the same treatment they give to others." The man became confused.
          "But I am a shut in. Nobody gives to me, and I don't give to them. Why does somebody like me deserve somebody as wonderful as you?"

The woman put her hand on the man's shoulder and looked into his dark brown eyes. She noticed a hurt that had always seemed to hide beneath his smile, a sorrow that hadn't been revealed in a very long time. She said in a soft and gentle voice: "Somebody that prefers to be alone does not always prefer being lonely. There is always somebody who will care."

The two embraced, and the man sobbed and became limp in the woman's arms. Once he had calmed down, the woman kissed him on the cheek and returned to her house without saying a word.

The following morning, he noticed another man performing landscaping on her lawn, painting the outside of her house, and cleaning her patio. Each day the house would look more and more beautiful. He became sad that the woman had found somebody else to do her work, and started to loathe the landscaper that would beautify her house all the time.

The woman remained indoors all day, trying to make the interior of her house look as pleasant as the exterior. However, most of her attempts at repairs or renovation were disasters. The person she hired was no help, and was only after her money. She began to miss her neighbors company, along with his sturdy repairs and his gentle smile. As days went by, the man and woman thought about each other more and more, but never saw each other.

One afternoon, the woman heard her doorbell ring. Knowing it wasn't the landscaper she hired, she curiously approached the peephole of the door. Seeing that nobody was outside, she opened the door and looked for pranksters. Looking down, she saw a small, dirty looking tin with a bow neatly placed on top of it.

The interior of the unkempt tin was extravagantly decorated with soft velvet from top to bottom, and in the center laid a simple necklace with a key on it, resting on top of a small note. Putting the necklace on, she unfolded the small note and noticed little droplets of water on the page.

"You are the only one that can make it feel less empty. Please take care of it for me while I'm gone. I must go, but I will return one day."

After reading it the woman dropped to her knees, and tears started to form in her tightly shut eyes. For what seemed like years, she spent the next few months wishing the man would come back and going into his house to take care of it while he was gone. She noticed that every little thing she had done to the house remained unchanged, as if he never tried to correct the small mistakes she had made.

Eventually, the man returned. The woman was thrilled and filled with happiness, but also saddened by the fact that the man no longer came across the street to visit her. A few days after his return, she noticed he was packing his belongings into boxes. Fearing that he might move away, the woman mustered up the courage to go talk to the man.

"Why are you putting everything into boxes?" The woman asked.
    "Because," the man replied solemnly, "I am looking to create new memories and find a fresh start." The woman said nothing and returned to her house, slamming the door and fighting back tears.

The next morning, the man was loading his belongings into a moving truck when he saw a pile of boxes bigger than his own sitting in the woman's lawn. He walked across the street to the pile, and saw a note taped to one of the boxes.

"I will always love you, and I promise that I will always be next to you. No matter where we go."

The man's face turned into a broad smile, and he looked up to see the woman on her front patio, looking right back at him, the necklace glistening in the sunlight. She ran into his arms and they kissed for what felt like an eternity. The pair continued to load all of their belongings into the one moving truck, and left that very evening. Holding hands with his true love, the man looked into the rear view mirror to see the sun setting on the old, abandoned houses for the last time, and felt what was truly a pure happiness. An odd and relieving sensation washed over him like a tide, as he realized that he would never have to search for anything in his life, as long as he lived.

title: Some OC for you all to enjoy

question: Summarize what the story has to say about loneliness.

answer: Loneliness is exemplified in the story by the man and woman being entirely alone in their own houses. The man thinks that he wants to be alone, but he is sad that he is lonely. The woman feels the same way, but anyone who pipes up and offers to help is killed off by a tragedy of some kind. There's something creepy about the man's long absence and the fact that nobody is there to take care of the woman's house.

critique: The woman never has anyone help withstuff in her house. She hires a landscaper for outside work, but even the landscaper does the work off scene.

critique: The response contains inaccurate information.

critique: There is no evidence in the text to suggest that anyone who pipes up to help is killed off.

text: Mention the woman saying that preferring to be alone doesn't mean being wanting to be lonely.

category: coverage

question: Summarize the surprise in the conclusion of the story.

answer: The story began with two shut-in people exchanging pleasantries with each other, indicating that they each could be lonely in their own, separate homes. By comparison, the woman became a little closer, like perhaps close friends. The eventual conclusion, then, finds the man, presumably through his sense of renewal, packing his bags and uniting with the woman. Completely intertwined now, the two sell both their homes and leave together.

critique:
-The replies are in the wrong order. It should reflect chronologically from how the story happened.
-The last sentence is misleading. They don't sell or buy houses, or pack all belongings necessarily. This statement should be eliminated.

critique: The answer is a summary of the story, but it's not the surprise in the conclusion.

critique: The story doesn't begin with two shut-in people exchanging pleasantries, and the man and woman aren't close friends.

critique: The answer is a bit confusing and doesn't make much sense.

critique: The answer is a bit misleading. The man and woman are not friends.

question: Summarize the source of tension in the story.

answer: The encounter between the two shut-ins is not initially an emotionally charged one which is why when the destructive habit of revenge-repairing of the timid woman gets exposed, it's a mean shock for the male character. Ideally this should make the story resolve in their getting a closure on the vacuum they have in their lives, releasing them from their emotional imprisonment into the open spaces of the world.

critique: The response is confusing and inaccurate.

critique: The response contains some irrelevant information.

critique: The response contains inaccurate information.

critique: The response is not related to the source of tension in the story.

critique: "'Generally repairs were made to the man's house, then the damage would reappear either that day or the next. Eventually, the woman got tired of her guest's destructive habit and began to reverse the repairs that he had made in retaliation. To this, the man would respond angrily and fix the damage as soon as he became aware. The man seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the repairs that he diligently made, were undone every second day by the cruel, yet mysterious woman." is evidence that supports the origin of the tension.

critique: The model's use of big words is distracting.

text: The repairs were made in kindness, not revenge.

question: Explain the relationship between the occupants prior to this story.

answer: They didn't have a relationship, they were neighbors and had never conversed outside the norm at all.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The man and woman were neighbors and had a relationship.

critique: The answer is inaccurate. The man and woman were neighbors, but they had a good relationship.

critique: This is not quite accurate. They did meet each other, and did talk to each other.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The man and woman had a relationship. They were neighbors and had a good relationship.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The man and woman were neighbors and had never conversed outside the norm at all.

critique: It is incorrect that they didn't have a relationship.

critique: This is underestimating the closeness of their relationship


text:
Hail Tenno!

I’m here to talk nitty-gritty on a large systemic change that was discussed on Devstream 101: our upcoming changes to physical damage types and status procs.

SETTING THE STAGE:

Since Damage 2.0, physical damage has three types (Impact, Puncture and Slash, often referred to as IPS) brought to the forefront of Arsenals for modding and weapon diversity. There are also ten elemental damage types, consisting of four base elements (cold, electricity, heat and toxin) and the six combinations formed by modding two elements together. Each of these damage types is stronger or weaker against specific enemy types.

However, each of these damage types also have “status effects” that can be applied based on a “procedural random chance” percentage, often known as procs. Impact procs cause enemies to stagger, Puncture procs reduce the enemy’s damage output by a flat 30%, and Slash procs inflict “bleed” damage over time. Slash has long been considered the most powerful of these effects, primarily because Slash procs stack on top of one another and scale with weapon damage, while both Puncture and Impact procs could only have their flat effects refreshed.

LEVELING THE FIELD:

Those of you who watched our most recent Devstream will remember Khora, our next Warframe. Her powers allow players to switch between Impact, Puncture and Slash type modes, influencing the damage skew of her abilities. We saw this exciting new idea as an opportunity to revisit the various status proc types, and shake things up a bit!

In an update coming soon, we will be making changes to IPS status effects and proc damage calculation. Our primary goal was improving Impact and Puncture; both of these procs will now _scale in effectiveness_, based on the damage dealt. An Impact proc with a small damage output (like a single Akstilletto bullet) will still only cause a short stagger, while an Impact proc with high damage output (like a Vulkar shot) can scale all the way up to a ragdoll, temporarily immobilizing them. In a similar manner, Puncture procs will now scale in effectiveness from 10% to 75% damage reduction, based on the damage dealt at the time of proc. Slash will continue working as it does now, stacking multiple status effects on top of one another.

COVERING OUR BASES:

Here’s where the math starts to get complicated - for all you stat-savvy Saryns and min-maxing Mesas out there, read on!

Our more observant theorycrafters may see a flaw in the examples given above - these new damage-scaling procs would favour weapons that can output large damage amounts all at once, like snipers. In order to help rapid fire weapons compete in this regard, we are also making a systemic change to repeating procs: additional status effects will not “reproc”, but will instead additively increase the effectiveness of the existing proc. The upgraded proc is calculated using the damage total from the original proc and the new proc added together. For Puncture, this also refreshes the duration of the proc.

We are also making a change in how a proc’s associated damage output is calculated - before, a Slash proc would scale based on the weapon’s total base damage output. Now, all procs will be calculated using ONLY the damage type of the proc that is being inflicted. Players may feel encouraged to focus their weapon builds around certain damage types in order to consistently inflict powerful procs, or go for raw damage across several damage types to inflict multiple procs at once!

To help visualize how these changes will look, let's deep dive into the physical damage types to see how they play out in-game:

IMPACT now serves as a great means of crowd control. Got a Corpus Tech threatening your excavator? Immobilize priority targets by unloading your Akstillettos, giving you more time to address the threat. Overwhelmed by an army of MOAs? Level entire rooms with something like a Strun!

PUNCTURE can be used to minimize enemy lethality for frames with less survivability. Using high status puncture melees like Boltace or Endura, go blow-for-blow with Butchers and Powerfists without breaking a sweat. And if your Lex Prime can’t oneshot the Heavy Gunner rumbling towards your defense point, the enemy’s damage will be diminished long enough to safely deal the finishing blow.

SLASH works the same as it ever did, stacking bleed damage over time to make short work of enemies. Your 100% status Tigris Prime will still eviscerate single targets with multiple procs, while something like a Galatine will still inflict more serious singular procs in a wider area - ‘tis but a scratch.

FINAL INTENTIONS:

It's important that everyone understands our goals and what led us to the above changes. When designing Khora, an Impact/Puncture/Slash based frame, we knew it was time to bring up Impact and Puncture to Slash competitive levels of desirability thanks to long-term feedback. Having a frame specialize in the physical damage types is a pretty appropriate way to debut changes! Please approach all feedback with the understanding that from our end, our goal is a more interesting systemic change. Any edge case things that feel like massive nerfs should be civilly listed so we can address.

...AND WHAT ABOUT ELEMENTALS!?

With little time remaining in the year to properly iterate, we decided to split this into two parts. Part 1 is Physical and it is coming soon on PC. Part 2 is Elemental and coming in 2018. We didn't want to release something wholesale over the Holidays that we wouldn't be around to properly monitor. You will be seeing a new Dev Workshop in 2018 on Part 2 - Happy Holidays!

 EDITED DECEMBER 19, 2017 BY [DE]REBECCA

question: What does the text say about damage types?

answer: There are three physical damage types: Impact, Puncture, and Slash. There are also ten elemental damage types. Each of these damage types is stronger or weaker against specific enemy types.

critique: The answer should mention that the physical damage types are Impact, Puncture, and Slash.

critique: The answer should mention that the three physical damage types are Impact, Puncture, and Slash.

question: What does the text say about the process of leveling the field?

answer: The text discusses Khora, the next Warframe. She's the one who allows players to switch between Impact, Puncture and Slash type modes, influencing the damage skew of her abilities. This, the author claims, was an opportunity to revisit the various status proc types and shake things up a bit.

critique: The answer should mention that the author is talking about the changes to the damage types.

critique: "This, the author claims, was an opportunity to revisit the various status proc types and shake things up a bit." - this is irrelevant and should be deleted.

question: What does the text say about damage-scaling procs?

answer: New damage-scaling procs will favour weapons that can output large damage amounts at once, with rapid-fire weapons also getting a chance at competing. This is because additional status effects will not 'reproc' but will instead additively increase the effectiveness of the existing proc.

critique: The answer should mention that the damage-scaling procs will scale based on the damage type of the proc.

question: What does the text say about the companies final intentions?

answer: The companies intentions seem to be to improve damage scaling both for Impact and Puncture in such a way so that rapid-fire weapons and crowd control can coexist. By this, the text insinuates that Kora (the warframe) will have the ability to switch between the different damage types either from damage types or from enemies. Within the context of this text, it is implied that the devs are enthusiastic about the upcoming change.

critique: The answer is a summary of the text, which doesn't really answer the question.

critique: "By this, the text insinuates that Kora (the warframe) will have the ability to switch between the different damage types either from damage types or from enemies." - this is incorrect. Kora doesn't switch between damage types. She has three modes: Impact, Puncture, and Slash.

critique: The mention of crowd control and Kora's abilities make the function of Impact and Puncture very confusing, it gives an inaccurate understanding of both.

text: The answer is incorrect and should be rewritten to reflect their goal of bringing up Impact and Puncture to Slash competitive levels of desirability thanks to long-term feedback.


text:
The frequency used in military testing could be harmful to some animals

DEAR EARTHTALK: IS IT TRUE THAT MILITARY SONAR EXERCISES ACTUALLY KILL MARINE WILDLIFE?
 _-- John Slocum, Newport, RI_

Unfortunately for many whales, dolphins and other marine life, the use of underwater sonar (short for sound navigation and ranging) can lead to injury and even death. Sonar systems—first developed by the U.S. Navy to detect enemy submarines—generate slow-rolling sound waves topping out at around 235 decibels; the world’s loudest rock bands top out at only 130. These sound waves can travel for hundreds of miles under water, and can retain an intensity of 140 decibels as far as 300 miles from their source.

These rolling walls of noise are no doubt too much for some marine wildlife. While little is known about any direct physiological effects of sonar waves on marine species, evidence shows that whales will swim hundreds of miles, rapidly change their depth (sometime leading to bleeding from the eyes and ears), and even beach themselves to get away from the sounds of sonar.

In January 2005, 34 whales of three different species became stranded and died along North Carolina’s Outer Banks during nearby offshore Navy sonar training. Other sad examples around the coast of the U.S. and elsewhere abound, notably in recent years with more sonar testing going on than ever before. According to the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which has campaigned vigorously to ban use of the technology in waters rich in marine wildlife, recent cases of whale strandings likely represent a small fraction of sonar’s toll, given that severely injured animals rarely make it to shore.

In 2003, NRDC spearheaded a successful lawsuit against the Navy to restrict the use of low-frequency sonar off the coast of California. Two years later a coalition of green groups led by NRDC and including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the League for Coastal Protection, Cetacean Society International, and Ocean Futures Society upped the ante, asking the federal courts to also restrict testing of more intense, harmful and far ranging mid-frequency types of sonar off Southern California’s coastline.

In filing their brief, the groups cited Navy documents which estimated that such testing would kill some 170,000 marine mammals and cause permanent injury to more than 500 whales, not to mention temporary deafness for at least 8,000 others. Coalition lawyers argued that the Navy’s testing was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Two lower courts upheld NRDC’s claims, but the Supreme Court ruled that the Navy should be allowed to continue the use of some mid-frequency sonar testing for the sake of national security. “The decision places marine mammals at greater risk of serious and needless harm,” says NRDC’s Joel Reynolds.

Environmental groups are still fighting the battle against the sonar, lobbying the government to curtail testing, at least during peacetime, or to at least ramp up testing gradually to give marine wildlife a better chance to flee affected areas. “The U.S. Navy could use a number of proven methods to avoid harming whales when testing mid-frequency sonar,” reports IFAW’s Fred O'Regan. “Protecting whales and preserving national security are not mutually exclusive.”

CONTACTS: NRDC, www.nrdc.org; IFAW, www.ifaw.org.

EARTHTALK IS PRODUCED BY E/THE ENVIRONMENTAL MAGAZINE. SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EARTHTALK, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EARTHTALK is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

question: Summarize everything the text says about the military's use of Sonar systems in the sea and how it affects sea animals.

answer: The use of sonar systems was first developed by the U.S. Navy to detect enemy submarines and it has been used for this purpose for decades. The frequency of the sound waves can travel for hundreds of miles under water and retain an intensity of 140 decibels as far as 300 miles from their source. It is too much for some marine wildlife. The whales will swim hundreds of miles, rapidly change their depth and beach themselves to get away from the sounds of sonar.

critique: The answer should mention the consequences of sonar on marine wildlife.

critique: The answer should mention the deaths of the whales.

critique: The answer should mention the consequences of the use of sonar.

question: What does the text say about the other systems the military should use to ensure national security in the country while safeguarding marine wildlife?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the article does not mention any other systems.

question: What does the text say about the most suitable time for the marines to use the sonar system underwater?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the text doesn't provide any information relating to the best time of day for the navy to use sonar.

critique: The article does not answer this question.

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not mention a suitable time.

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not answer the question.

question: What does the text say about how long it takes for the sonar systems to detect enemy submarines underwater?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not answer the question.


text:
(Title pending)

The parked looked rather desolate; the weather was oppressive. There weren't any children playing, no mother tending to their young; there was nothing captivating about it. However, I still remember how green the grass was, the laughter of the children, soccer moms walking their dogs, but mostly, I remember her. Her green eyes, her elegance, and the way her hips swayed to and fro when she walked. The way her long black hair would look when the wind picked up and the way I laughed whenever she dropped something.

Every day at 10 a.m., I would see her perched on the park bench reading a book or a magazine of some sort. She'd sit there for about an hour or two, and then she would leave without anyone turning their heads but mine. It was as if I was that creepy kid in your math class who'd always stare at you whenever you got up to sharpen your pencil. My eyes were locked onto her and disappointment would wash over me whenever I lost sight.

This routine continued for many months, and she hadn't noticed me for I had said not a single word. I was never going to, because I didn't want to ruin the perfect image I had of her. It was better to admire from afar. Better to be unseen than noticed I thought. But some nights I'd wish I said something to her, just one word like hi. Still I didn't. It was my fear of rejection and what is she thought I was weird or creepy? What if she noticed I stared at her? All of these questions running through my mind and I could've said something, but I didn't.

On those I walked back to my place to think. Once I got home, the pungent smell of cigarettes filled up my nostrils and for some odd reason, everything seemed pointless:  My life, my career as a writer, my love life, evens my cat's life. So, I just began to wallow in my self-pity until I fell asleep. It's better if I don't go tomorrow I thought to myself. I lacked the gumption to ever talk to her so why should I go? But that night I had a dream that she spoke to me - she sounded beautiful - and that's all I remember. I woke up and jumped out of bed, took a shower, and put on my best dress. Then, I continued to run to the park maybe the dream was a sign that she was going to be mine. I bumped into people. I might’ve bumped into an old lady, but I didn’t care.
After 20 minutes of people yelling at me and frantic running, I arrived at the park just after 10 a.m., and I saw her - she was the first person I noticed, but she wasn't alone.  She was with a man - most likely her husband - and two children. They all looked happy - no troubles in the world. It was a bittersweet moment because she looked so happy when I have always seen her look so forlorn. After standing there for two minutes, I walked away and at that moment, I felt my whole world fall apart - piece by piece.

On my walk home I wondered if there was any animosity brewing between them – maybe he cheated and she secretly hates him, or maybe they just look happy and they’re planning to get a divorce. An overwhelming sense of false hope came and went away when I knew all of it wasn’t true. She’ll be there tomorrow I thought. I know she will.

After that I never saw her again - she never sat on her bench or read a book or a magazine of some sort. I felt empty inside without the sight of her. And day after day I waited for her to come back. She never did and I came to terms with it. She wasn't coming I shouldn't worry if she ever does, but an emptiness still lingered in my heart. Then I had another dream that was edifying.

In my dream, I desperately looked for her, hoping to fill the emptiness in my heart, she had to be there. I finally noticed her, stunned by how beautiful she looked. She had a little black dress on with shoes that complemented it so very well. She had red lipstick on and she did her hair in a perfect little bun. Oh, how I wish you could've seen her. She looked beautiful. Then, she said, "it's only life, darling," then she leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. She was gone. I never dreamt of her again. She was out of my life; out of my head.

title: RF (Second short short, please leave suggestion on what I can do to improve)

question: What does the story say about how the narrator became a writer?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the story does not mention anything about the narrator becoming a writer.

question: What does the story say about the narrator's inability to approach and talk to the girl in the park?

answer: The narrator has been admiring the girl in the park for months. He has never spoken to her because he is afraid of rejection and what she might think of him. He is also afraid she might notice he stares at her. He has a dream that the girl talks to him and he wakes up and runs to the park. However, he sees her with a man and two children and realizes she is not coming back.

critique: Add a bit about the narrator continuing to see her and never seeing her again

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator never sees the girl again.

text: The last sentence is inaccurate. Although downhearted, the narrator did not have a realization that the girl was not coming back when he saw her with a man and two children. He even thought she would be in the park again the next day, but he never saw her again.

question: What does the story say about the possible messages hidden in the narrator's dreams about the girl?

answer: The narrator's dreams about the girl are all about her. The narrator dreams about the girl in the park, and the girl is with a man and two children. The narrator dreams about the girl again, and she is wearing a black dress with red lipstick. The narrator dreams about the girl again, and she kisses the narrator. The narrator never sees the girl again after that.

critique:
"The narrator's dreams about the girl are all about her." - is incorrect. The dreams about the girl are about the narrator finding her after she vanishes.
"The narrator dreams about the girl in the park, and the girl is with a man and two children. The narrator dreams about the girl again, and she is wearing a black dress with red lipstick." - this part is also incorrect because it happened the other way around, not in the dream. Additionally, you don't dream about the color of her dress, you remember it from reality.

text: The narrator was not dreaming when he saw the girl with a man and two children in the park. That was reality.

question: What does the story say about the narrator?

answer: The narrator is a man who is in love with a woman he sees at the park every day. He never says anything to her because he doesn't want to ruin the perfect image he has of her. He would rather admire her from afar. He only sees her with her husband and children, and he feels his whole world fall apart. He never sees her again, and he never speaks to her.

text: "He only sees her with her husband and children, and he feels his whole world fall apart" is a bit misleading. What happened was when he had gathered the courage to talk to her, she found her at the park with a man and two children, so he was devasted.