text:
41% of applicants who have terrible candidate experiences (rating them one out of five stars) say they’ll take their loyalty and money elsewhere. But for candidates with five-star experiences, 64% say they’ll definitely increase their relationship with the employer—even if they didn’t end up getting the job.

As illuminating as that statistic is, it’s just one of hundreds of intriguing and often surprising facts available in the 2016 North American Candidate Experience Research Report compiled by the Talent Board. A nonprofit research organization, the Talent Board gives out the CandE Awards (short for candidate experience, of course) and has conducted similar research for six straight years, unlocking major insights into the ways both candidates and employers view the hiring process.

For the report, they interviewed 240 companies and over 183,000 candidates to learn how candidate experiences are evolving from both sides of the table—here are five key takeaways and suggestions that stood out from reviewing their findings.

1. CANDIDATES WANT A “PROGRESS BAR,” BUT MANY AREN’T GIVEN ACCESS TO REGULAR STATUS UPDATES

[]

Ever used Domino’s pizza tracker? It’s a marvel of modern marketing and technology that tells you exactly where your pizza is in the cooking and delivery process—and customers eat it up. Consumers love detailed tracking and status updates, whether it’s for an incoming pizza or the arrival of a friend in an Uber—and today’s candidates are no different.

According to the Talent Board’s research, job seekers want (and increasingly expect) insight into two areas: how far along they are with the application as they’re completing it, and status updates as they go through the hiring process. In a sense, this all relates back to receiving regular feedback, which statistics reveal as one of the most important aspects of the candidate experience.

“Candidates want to understand their progress,” says the Talent Board’s report. “When customers shop online, they have insight into how many steps are left before they complete their purchase. Candidates deserve a similar experience.”

Yet many employers still fall short: Though 52% of candidates with five-star experiences were given an application progress indicator, only 4% of overall candidates say they were given a link to check their status after applying.

Clearly, providing regular updates improves the candidate experience, and recruiters should let candidates know where they stand frequently, whether through tracking technology or simply by increasing touch points.

2. CANDIDATES AREN’T USING THEIR PHONES TO APPLY TO JOBS, BUT THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITIES ON MOBILE

According to the Talent Board’s data, mobile continues to be one of the biggest areas for new TA investment. 79% of surveyed employers allow candidates to apply to jobs via mobile, according to the 2016 report—an increase of 18% in just a year—and many more have plans to enable mobile applications imminently.

However, the data also reveals that most candidates aren’t actually using their phones or tablets to apply for jobs. Though that number has gone up a tiny bit in recent years, just 12% of candidates applied on mobile devices in 2016.

That said, many candidates perform their initial research on their phones, then move to laptops or desktops to complete the actual application. For example, of the one billion job searches performed each month, 60% are done on mobile. When candidates have their resumes pre-saved on sites like LinkedIn, they can then take advantage of streamlined (even one-button) application processes as soon as they find an open position.

Simply put, recruiters should make sure their job listings are mobile-friendly and invest in building up an application process which doesn’t require access to a desktop computer.

3. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCES GET AMPLIFIED QUICKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Recruiters already know that a bad candidate experience can quickly turn into a triple whammy: a lost candidate, a lost customer, and a missed opportunity for referrals.

But there’s another problem: As Virgin Media learned, the hit you take from a single negative candidate experience could become millions of dollars when you factor in the friends and family that they share their experience with.

First, the bad news: The data shows that social media sharing might mean the hit is even worse than that. Candidates share their negative experiences 34% of the time on social media, broadcasting the gory details to a gigantic audience.

These upset candidates often use social media the same way disgruntled consumers do:

_“How many of you have used social media to garner customer service action instead of growing old waiting on the customer service phone trees? [...] The same is true for job seekers… Those negative experiences not only potentially impact the employment brand and direct revenue... but also diminish [recruiters’] ability to attract sought-after talent and the referral networks that come with them.”_

Fortunately, there’s also good news: According to the report, candidates are even more likely to share their positive experiences. They share them with “inner circles” more than 81% of the time, and go online to tell positive candidate stories about 51% of the time via social media.

In other words, bad experiences can cost your company on a large scale through social media proliferation—but you can also turn that perception around quickly by taking immediate steps to rectify the situation.

4. RESPECTING THE CANDIDATE’S TIME IS REALLY, REALLY (REALLY) IMPORTANT

When it comes to candidates voluntarily withdrawing from the application process, it’s all about time—wasting it, that is. The longer you drag the process out, the more likely the candidate is to become frustrated and lose interest in the position.

In the report, “respect for candidate time” and “length of overall time” were the two most commonly cited reasons for candidate withdrawal. And among candidates with one-star overall experiences, 19% felt their time was not respected during interviews and other appointments.

Most meaningfully of all, 99% of candidates with five-star experiences said they did not have problems with recruiters disrespecting their personal time.

In short, though recruiters already know respecting candidates’ time is important, the data shows it could actually be the single biggest difference between a positive and negative experience.

5. YOU PROBABLY AREN’T PROVIDING ENOUGH EMPLOYEE TESTIMONIALS

Here’s one area that most recruiters and TA teams can easily improve on: providing actual employee testimonials in your career sites and posts.

You probably know that employee-based content is incredibly valuable to candidates—and that employee referrals are now the number one source of quality hires. In fact, the report reveals that candidates now value the words and opinions of existing employees more than they did even just a year or two ago.

Career sites are still the most valuable source for job information, says the data, but modern, Internet-savvy candidates are increasingly wary of taking employer-based information at face value.

“Candidates no longer want to go directly to the source to discover information about the company and the job,” says the report. “They want to hear from existing employees and peers.”

But employers can also improve their own career sites, job descriptions, and employer branding by incorporating authentic employee content. For the report, candidates were asked what types of job and marketing content they considered most valuable. Employee testimonials landed right near the top at 36%, a 3% increase since 2014; meanwhile, 35% called out salary and compensation, 5% less than two years ago.

Taken together, these five takeaways paint a clear picture: By keeping candidates updated on their progress, respecting their time, and giving your existing employees an authentic spotlight, you can make huge, impactful improvements to your candidate experience.

* image by clement127

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question: What does the article say about what devices candidates use to search and apply for jobs?

answer: According to the Talent Board's data, mobile continues to be one of the biggest areas for new TA investment. 79% of surveyed employers allow candidates to apply to jobs via mobile, according to the 2016 report. However, the data also reveals that most candidates aren't actually using their phones or tablets to apply for jobs. Though that number has gone up a tiny bit in recent years, just 12% of candidates applied on mobile devices in 2016.

critique: Add in the detail about how candidates search for opportunities on mobile.

critique: The answer should mention that most candidates search for jobs on mobile.

critique: The answer should mention that candidates search for jobs on mobile more often than they apply for them.

critique: The answer should mention that candidates search for jobs on mobile.

critique: The question is about the devices candidates use to search and apply for jobs, not the Talent Board's data.

critique: It is omitted that most candidates perform their initial research on their phones, then move to laptops or desktops to complete the actual application.

critique: The answer should mention that candidates search for jobs on mobile devices.

question: What does the story say about social media sharing of positive and negative experiences?

answer: According to the Talent Board's data, social media sharing might mean the hit is even worse than that. Candidates share their negative experiences 34% of the time on social media, broadcasting the gory details to a gigantic audience. These upset candidates often use social media the same way disgruntled consumers do. Candidates share their positive experiences 81% of the time with inner circles and go online to tell positive candidate stories about 51% of the time via social media.

critique: It's missing a lot of detail from the source text.

critique: The answer should mention that the Talent Board's data also shows that candidates are even more likely to share their positive experiences.

critique: The story doesn't say that negative experiences are worse than positive ones.

critique: The percentages and numbers in the response are off.

critique: The answer should mention that candidates are more likely to share positive experiences.

critique: The answer should mention that the Talent Board's data shows that candidates are even more likely to share their positive experiences.

question: What does the article say about the unemployment rate in the USA?

answer: No answer

critique: The article does not mention the unemployment rate in the USA.

critique: The article does not mention the unemployment rate.

critique: While it isn't mentioned in this article, the unemployment rate in the USA isn't mentioned.

critique: The passage does not mention the unemployment rate.

critique: The article doesn't mention the unemployment rate.


split: train

text:
One definition for social is “pleasant companionship with friends or associates” (Merriam-Webster). You’re probably social at work when you interact with people in friendly ways. That’s natural and makes work more enjoyable. _Are you social on social media?_

Social media helps connect people. Never in the history of humanity has it been so easy to connect with so many people anywhere in the world. I’ve made friends across the globe – and met some in person – because I chose to be social on social media. You never know where those relationships will lead.

HOW I USE LINKEDIN

I accept every request to connect on LinkedIn even though most people don’t know how to use LinkedIn effectively. For example, too many people just click on the request to connect button without sending a personal message to say why they want to connect. When I get a request like that I always send this message immediately after accepting the connection:

  Thanks for reaching out to connect with me Joe. I’m curious, how did you come across my profile? Brian

Almost everyone responds and the number one reason they want to connect with me is because they’ve taken one of my LinkedIn courses. It would be foolish on my part to dismiss so many connections – especially those who’ve enjoyed my course – just because they’re not more LinkedIn savvy. And who knows, those people could be clients in the future.

I like when people are honest and tell me, “I just clicked on the connect button because LinkedIn suggested you. I hope that’s okay?” My usually response: “Thanks for letting me know. Today is your lucky day!” My humor gets laughs and often opens up people to further communication. It’s being social.

AN INTERESTING EXCHANGE

The best exchange happened recently. I changed the name and a few other facts to keep the person anonymous. You’ll see the importance of being social in our brief exchange. There was humor and the principle of liking was clearly in play for both of us.

  Me: Thanks for reaching out to connect Joe. I’m curious, how did you come across my profile? Brian

  Joe: It suggests people. You looked interesting!

  Me: Thanks for letting me know. I’ve done courses for LinkedIn Learning so a lot the time that’s the reason. It’s good to know why people are reaching out. I’m going to let my wife know someone found me interesting today. Every little bit helps. 😉 Have a terrific day. Brian

  Joe: You tell her I found you interesting AND handsome AND someone who looked like he’d be an awesome husband.

  Me: I’ll show her that message!

  Me: I just show her and she said, “He seems like a funny guy.” I told her I wasn’t sure about that but being an Ivy League grad, I knew you were smart…and perceptive!

  Joe: A smart something …. do you do talks for insurance conferences?  I am co-chairing an insurance sales conference this year.

It remains to be seen if I’ll speak at the conference but I know this: my odds are much better than they’d have been if I had rejected the connection. If I’d have accepted the connection, but not been social, my chance to speak would have still been much less.

CONSIDER…

There are plenty of reasons to steer clear of social media and one big one is the time suck once you start scrolling through feeds. To prevent falling into the time trap set designated times to use certain apps. For example: I generally try to use LinkedIn early in the morning and limit browsing Facebook to the times when I take a mental break from reading or writing.

Something else to consider – don’t wait until you need to make LinkedIn connections to start making them. That’s one of the biggest mistakes people make. They start working it after they’ve left a job and need a new one. Think of LinkedIn connections like regular relationships – the more time you invest everyday the better positioned you’ll be when you need help. People are more willing to help those they consider friends (liking) and those who’ve helped them in the past (reciprocity). It starts with you being friendly and looking for ways to help others.

CONCLUSION

If you want to grow your influence I encourage you to be more social on social media. It’s a great opportunity to practice your influence skills, make friends, and maybe open the door to new opportunities.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®, is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. His Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning course, Persuasive Selling, has been viewed by more than 50,000 people! His latest course, Persuasive Coaching, just went live. Have you watched them yet? If not, click on either course name to see what you’ve been missing.

question: Summarize what this text says about social media usage.

answer: People who work with others may wish to be more social and friendly to other's in any occupation. This can mean influencers using social media to their advantage. The way in which the article argues people should use social media and other networking tools, is less about self-promotion and more about fostering conversation and getting to knowledgable friends. In order to use these tools effectively, it's suggested not spending too much time on it, and keeping to a specific schedule could be of help in that regard.

critique: The article does not say that people who work with others may wish to be more social and friendly to other's in any occupation. This can mean influencers using social media to their advantage. The way in which the article argues people should use social media and other networking tools, is less about self-promotion and more about fostering conversation and getting to knowledgable friends. In order to use these tools effectively, it's suggested not spending too much time on it, and keeping to a specific schedule could be of help in that regard.

critique: "People who work with others may wish to be more social and friendly to other's in any occupation." - this is inaccurate because the article is about using social media to connect with people. The author is also a LinkedIn expert.

critique: The article does not say anything about people who work with others.

critique: The answer is not clear on what it means by "work with others".

critique: "When you're working, you're thinking about how to talk to others in a friendly manner so you're being social when you're working." means that a person wants to socialize when they are busy with their job. The article was made to attract people to be social online and that won't be relevant to the target audience.

critique: The article is not arguing that people should use social media; it is arguing that people should be social on social media.


text:
[Peninsula Jewish Community Center. Foster City, CA]

Peninsula Jewish Community Center’s Gan Tzedek (Justice Garden). Foster City, CA

Our nation is enslaved to an industrial food system that is making us sick and fat. It abuses workers (with many cases of modern day slavery), is inhumane to animals, pollutes our drinking water with manure and pesticides, and contributes to climate change. Eating is a religious act. These foods do not reflect Jewish values of humane treatment of animals, workers rights, protecting the environment and human health.

This Passover, we can liberate ourselves from this system by supporting farmers that grow food more sustainably. Below is a list of suggestions for your seder and throughout the year. _There’s so much more that can be done, so please share your ideas in the comments section, at the bottom of the post. _

[Mr. Ha's. La Cienega Farmers Market. Los Angeles]

Mr. Ha’s eggs. La Cienega Farmers Market. Los Angeles

BEITZAH (HARD BOILED EGG)
*_Choose happy chicken eggs._
Choose eggs from chickens that are raised humanely (feathers not removed, not de-beaked, have plenty of space, spend time outside and eat a natural diet). Yes, the myriad of egg carton labels are confusing, so the Humane Society of the US provides a great explanation page for consumers. The highest animal welfare standard for eggs is offered by Animal Welfare Approved,which includes a list of certified providers by zip code.

WINE
_*Go organic.
_Farm workers are the backbone of our nation’s food industry, toiling under dangerous conditions for meager pay and exempt from many of the nation’s labor laws. Farm workers–including those harvesting grapes–their families and nearby communities are exposed to pesticides, putting them at risk for short and long-term health effects.  Hazon offers a list of certified organic, kosher for Passover wines.

GEFILTE FISH
_*Choose ocean-friendly fish_
Fish populations worldwide are under severe threat because of industrial fishing. “90% of the world’s fisheries fully fished or in decline,” according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Serving sustainable fish is a great way to protect threatened fish stocks and support fisherman catching environmentally-friendly fish. The Seafood Guide has all of the answers for what fish to buy and eat,including which Whitefish and Carp for your gefilte fish. And, if you don’t want to make your own, check out the Gefilteria’s artisanal, Brooklyn-made gefilte fish.

[La Cienega Farmers Market]

Red leaf lettuce. La Cienega Farmers Market, Los Angeles

MAROR, CHAZERET, AND KARPAS (HORSERADISH, GREENS, VEGETABLES)
*_Buy produce from a local farmer. _
Knowing who and how your produce is grown is a huge step in ensuring that you are buying from a small, sustainable farmer. Small local farmers are integral to your community food system: their farms save open space, ensure continuity of family-owned farms and provide delicious, produce grown with more environmentally-friendly techniques.

ZROA (ROASTED SHANK BONE)
*_Opt for a roasted beet
_Worldwide, 77 billion animalsare raised annually for food, generally under inhumane conditions that violates tza’ar ba’alei chayim (the Talmudic law preventing cruelty to animals). Raising livestock contributes more greenhouse gas emissions globally than transportation.And it takes a whopping 2,000 gallons of water to raise a pound of beef.  Opting for a vegetarian seder is easy. And, replacing a shank bone with a roasted beet is common amongst vegetarians and “the Talmud mentions beets as one of the vegetables sometimes dipped during the seder.” If fully eliminating meat is too drastic, become a “reducetarian”or go Meatless Monday.

[Underwood Family Farms, Culver City Farmers Market]

Beets. Underwood Family Farms, Culver City Farmers Market

_*OR choose s__ustainably-raised meat_
If you do prefer to eat meat, buy sustainably-raised meat. Such animals are raised in natural and normal environments on small farms: grass-fed, humanely raised on pastures.  In addition to using these standards, Robariah Farms, Wise Organic Pastures, Kol Foods, and Grow and Behold are certified kosher, too.

HAROSET (“BRICKS AND MORTAR” MIXTURE)
_*Support your local beekeeper_
Honeybees pollinate every third bite of food we eat, amounting to$19 billion in US crops annually.Bees are under threat and dying off from Colony Collapse Disorder, (CCD)threatening crop yields. CCD is thought to be caused by climate change, pesticides, habitat loss and pests. Buying local honey for your haroset supports farmers and beekeepers who are protecting critical wild honeybee populations.

[Twin Springs Fruit Farm, Takoma Park, MD Farmers Market]

Twin Springs Fruit Farm, Takoma Park, MD Farmers Market

_*Choose organic apples
_Apples are rated #1 for pesticide residue on Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list. If you’re choosing just a few organic produce items for the holiday, apples should be at the top of your list.  Pesticides are a toxin used to kill bugs and other plants that are invasive to crops. However, many pesticides toxicity extends beyond the fields to consumers and dangers include: “brain/nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone disruption, skin/eye/lung irritation.”

DAIRY
*_Choose organic, hormone-free dairy._
Forget the iconic images plastered on milk containers of rolling hills, red barns and frolicking dairy cows. Nearly 90% of all dairy cows raised in the US are done under inhumane conditions, where they are crammed into indoor pens, fed corn and pumped with rGBH (genetically engineered hormone to make them produce more milk).  Opt instead for dairy products from cows raised under humane conditions: on pasture, fed grains and without rGBH.

Pesach sameach!

question: What does the article say about how to choose foods aligned with Jewish values?

answer: Choose foods that are grown sustainably and humanely. Eat vegetarian or replace meat with red beet. Also look for local produce. Opt for sutainably-raised meat. Support your local beekeeper, choose organic apples and go organic with dairy.

critique: The answer omits that the article also suggests to buy produce from local farmers.

critique: The answer omits the importance of choosing eggs from chickens that are raised humanely.

critique: The article does not say to eat red beet instead of meat.

critique: The answer omits the need to buy produce from local farmers.

critique: The article doesn't say to eat red beet instead of meat.

critique: The answer omits the importance of choosing organic.

question: What does the text say about halal food?

answer: No answer

critique: The text does not mention anything about halal food.

critique: The article does not mention anything about halal food.


text:
So this girl has this crazy idea that trees will evolve to kill us. This was my response:

You forget by the time the trees evolve to kill us we will just have like crazy laser shooting mechanized lumberjacks. It will be all out war...

**The Herbivites**

The lumberjacks in there smokey loud vehicles destroyed the forest covered landscape at an very alarming rate. Burning and cutting there way through. The trees were getting slaughtered. It was a god damn extermination(pardon my french =S.) It wasn't until the trees observed the once fleshy humans living unscathed in there massive metal machines. Watching there brothers die and there enemy's conquer with no lacerations or casualty's spawned a massive idea to echo throughout the global root network.

The trees used there extensive root system to lay out a perfect mapping of the battle fields enemy locations and geological data. The lumberjacks were so noisy and there vibrations could be felt from thousands of feet away.

It was a sunny day, the forest was still glistening with morning dew. A legion of scouts flew out from underneath the trees, mist spraying in there wake. Headed directly for the lumberjacks largest battalion.

They circled the lumberjacks round and round. The lumberjacks targeting systems couldn't keep up with the tumbleweeds unbridled charge. Most of the lumberjack army converged on the tumbleweed. There numbers were so large the lumberjacks saw it as an opportunity to make them extinct. They saw immeasurable profit in this as tumbleweeds were the fastest of the herbivites. And previously were alerting the other herbivites of the lumberjack advancements.

The lumberjacks grew enraged at there lack of kills. They kept burning there fuel faster and faster. The trees also observed the odd and disgusting smoke coming out of there machines earlier and saw the machine was only outputting matter. Not taking any in. The trees knew it couldn't last forever.

Out of the forest and into the canyon. The tumbleweeds sped faster and faster across the endless rocky dessert terrain. The lumberjacks were convinced this was every tumbleweed on the planet. They were right, but they forgot about the trees.

The redwoods layed themselves down. There arms were weak but there mass was amazing. The redwoods were then strapped large flat rocks held together by massive jungle vines. The ash trees made quick work with there brothers so as not to prolong there pain. The mighty oaks approached the edge of the cliff rolling the red woods closer and closer into battle.

One final push and the redwoods could not be stopped. Redwood after redwood rolled over the lip. One continued assault that lasted for 5 minutes straight. By the time it was all over there was a massive land bridge of redwood. thousands of lumberjacks lay at the bottom. If they were not killed in the assault they screamed and cried for there wife's and children. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. The trees joined forces on top of the bridge and mourned the redwoods sacrifice.

Some jacks were still alive stuck under millions of pounds of rocks and wood. "This is captain Jon Miller.... RESPOND"! The radio chirped in "eerrrraraarrhh hheeeeeeeeeiiiiiip". "Son I know I know but I need you to fire up your weapons system if its operational...". "sir"? "Can't you feel that. They are on top of us right now adding more and more weight. The assault is over lets burn these herbivites and show them who will always be on top."

(Totally just realized I have no idea how to format dialogue while writing.)

The smoke rose up through the cracks of the redwoods. The herbivites cheered at the release of there souls. It grew hotter and hotter and the trees danced and danced.

Thud Thud Thud. Every step billowing the fire. It burned faster and faster. Gaining more and more oxygen to burn. The trees dancing harder and harder so happy in there victory. So joyous to bath in there brothers ashes.

A monstrous cracking sound boomed from underneath the trees. The whole stack dropped dizzying amount. Over 3/4th of the herbivites lay stuck on the pile. Many limbs were lost. The herbivites now realized what was happening. They fell victim to there own celebration and were now going to join there brothers in the largest die off in the history of earth.

They screamed and prayed for justice. Some jumped and fell to the desert floor where the bodies splintered and exploded. Surely a more instant death then being burned from root to leaf.

The surviving herbivites watched on as there brothers burn up in agony. They decided to try and contact the lumberjacks. That is if there were any remaining. The willows lead the trees to the humans in the most calming ways.

There was a need for calm. The willows came up with the idea of trying to communicate with the lumberjacks. They had used there roots to break into a computer. They felt its electric pulse. 1's and 0's 1's and 0's. They thought how could a language consist of only 2 states? 2 words?

It didn't take them long to figure out the answer. Yes and No. The most basic of communication. So they recruited the potatoes for there electrical charge in a attempt to reason with the lumberjacks.(That's right freaking potato phone baby!)

And so the willows marched into St. Paul and head straight for the capital. They wired up the potatoes and rigged it up to a giant walmart sign. The potatoes figured out how to control there energy output. This would dim the light on an off. The willows connected to the potatoes root system orchestrated the whole thing.

Flashing the light on and off on and off. Walking straight towards the capital. The humans stood in wonder and awe. They previously thought the herbivites were only hostile. They saw higher intelligence in that one flash of light then any other creature has ever demonstrated in history. It was baffling how fast the herbivites advanced and adapted.

The willows arrived at the lawn on the capital. Jesse Ventura stood on the roof(on account of marshal law... And predator.) He screamed as loudly as he could. "WE WANT TO LEAAARRRN".

The wallmart sign lit up. The willows bowed there leaves. General Ventura ordered one of the few remaining lumberjack mechanized assault vehicles to jump up and down in morse code.

- .... .. ... / .. ... / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / -.-- --- ?

The trees responded with the light flickering on and off.

- --- / .-.. .- --.. -.-- / - --- / .-. .. --. .... - / -.. .. .- .-.. --- --. ..- . / .... . .-. .

The trees figured it out instantly. Ventura stood amazed. World peace was announced. The humans would only use metal for construction from now on no matter how high the cost. The herbivites returned to rest in there woods. They will be here for a long time.

The End.

title: [SF] The Herbivites

question: What does the story say about the attack of the flowers?

answer: No answer

critique: The response misses to mention that the attack of the flowers is not mentioned in the story.

critique: The input does not mention any attack from flowers.

critique: The attack of the flowers is not mentioned.

critique: There is no mention of flowers in the story.

question: Summarize the main conflict of the story.

answer: The conflict begins when the lumberjacks start to cut down the trees at an alarming rate. The trees then observe the humans and plan to fight back by using their root system to map out the areas that they want to attack. The lumberjacks retaliate by using their massive fleet of machines to kill the trees. The trees use their massive root system to trap the lumberjacks and destroy them.

critique: The answer omits the part where the trees try to communicate with the humans.

critique: The effects of the war is summarized awkwardly

critique: The lumberjacks do not use their massive fleet of machines to kill the trees.

critique: It's omitted that the trees' attack kills thousands of lumberjacks.

critique: "The trees use their massive root system to trap the lumberjacks and destroy them." - this is incorrect. The lumberjacks used their machines to kill the trees.

critique: The answer should include the truce between the humans and the trees.

critique: The answer omits the part where the lumberjacks try to kill the trees by burning them.

question: What does the story say about the Herbivites?

answer: The Herbivites are a species of trees that have evolved to kill humans. They are led by the willows, who are the smartest of the trees. The Herbivites are able to communicate with humans using a potato phone. The humans are amazed by the Herbivites' intelligence and agree to stop killing them.

critique: The answer omits the reason the Herbivites want to communicate with humans.

critique: It's omitted that the Herbivites are able to communicate with humans using only two words: yes and no.

critique: "The Herbivites are able to communicate with humans using a potato phone. The humans are amazed by the Herbivites' intelligence and agree to stop killing them." - this happened but it should be moved to the early part of the statement to reflect its actual importance to the second half of the answer.

critique: The answer should mention the war between the Herbivites and the lumberjacks.

critique: "The Herbivites are able to communicate with humans using a potato phone." - this is inaccurate. The Herbivites used a potato to communicate with the humans.

question: What does the story say about Jesse Ventura?

answer: Jesse Ventura is a general who is in charge of the remaining lumberjack mechanized assault vehicles. He is in St. Paul, and he's the one who orders one of the lumberjacks to jump up and down in Morse code. He stands on the roof of the capital building.

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

critique: There is no evidence to suggest that Jesse Ventura is in charge of the remaining lumberjack mechanized assault vehicles.

critique: The answer should mention that Ventura wants to communicate with the trees.

critique: The answer should mention that Ventura wants to talk to the trees.

critique: It incorrectly mentions that Jesse Ventura orders the lumberjacks to use Morse code.

critique: It would be better to just say he runs the country.


text:
Greetings All –

Let me recognize my fears so that I may see the truth beyond them. Step 51 (MP3) [Open in Drive or copy to your Drive – Download folder or play from Drive – Step PDF also.]

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  []
  Let me recognize my fears so that I may see the truth beyond them. Step 51
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YOUR OBSTACLES MUST BE RECOGNIZED in order for you to see beyond them. If they are ignored or denied, if they are protected or called by other names, you will not realize the nature of your restraint. You will not understand that which oppresses you. Your life is not born of fear. Your Source is not born of fear. To be able to recognize your fear means that you must realize that you are part of something greater. Realizing this you can learn to become objective about your life and to understand your present circumstances without self-condemnation, for it is within these circumstances that you must cultivate yourself. You must start from where you are. To do this you must take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses.

IN YOUR TWO PRACTICE PERIODS TODAY, evaluate the existence of your fears and remind yourself that your reality is beyond them, but that you must recognize them to understand their damaging presence in your life. Close your eyes and repeat the idea for today; then consider each fear that arises in your mind. Remind yourself that the truth is beyond that specific fear. Allow all fears to arise and be evaluated in this way.

TO BE WITHOUT FEAR, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND FEAR—its mechanism, its influence on people and its result in the world. You must recognize this without deception and without preference. You are a great being working in a limited context, in a limited environment. Understand the limitations of your environment and understand the limitations of your vehicle, and you will no longer hate yourself for being limited.

PRACTICE 51: Two 30-minute practice periods.

Picture:  Pécs, Hungary - Old wall supported by beams, once for defense against fearful attack.

If this is your first time seeing one of the “Steps to Knowledge”, then welcome. There are 365 Steps, daily spiritual practices if one seeks to complete them in a year, but that is not necessary. They can be used by people of any religious tradition or no religious tradition. They will help one to become mindful in the world.

The Step today is from the book: _Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing._ The practices were brought to the world through Marshall Vian Summers, The Messenger for The New Message From God. Important background for the Steps is in: “G_reater Community Spirituality_” and the “_Wisdom Books - I and II”_. Hard copies are available from the New Knowledge Library Store. The Society for the New Message from God also has a Free Book Project. If you need the books now, PDF files can be found here: http://goo.gl/RJuuGP

Keeping a journal is recommended. If you have a Steps book, write your reactions and comments, highlight or underline points that strike you, and date the note. In this way, your Steps book can be a partial journal.

Using the PDF, you can print out pages as you need them, or use the software to maintain a digital copy where you can enter notes and highlight text that stands out.

Other modern methods of keeping a journal include having a document on your PC or phone to keep notes. You could send yourself an email or use the voice recorder function. It is important to capture insights and reactions because it is by this means that you can understand change. Sometimes it may just be a word or short phrase, an image or a scene.

To end this post I again offer the blessing: "May the presence of the Teachers be with you." In the invocative language of Knowledge this blessing is: "Nasi Novare Coram" (pronounced NAH-see no-VAHR-ay co-RAHM)

The short form of Nasi Novare Coram used by students is NNC.

NNC

[]

P.S. Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts linked below provide a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. There are other Steps students blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as a companion, or use a number of such Steps journeys.

Doing Steps with only the texts, messages and your life experience, including what you may have studied and practiced is your journey. I’m showing Step comments after the Step, so as not to influence anyone in advance. It is a wilderness trek to be left to your own wits, but then you can also listen more closely for guides, angels and teachers, always first saying: “I surround and protect myself with the Love and the Grace of God.” Thankfully, I was taught this practice in 1989.

question: What does the text say about fears?

answer: The author says that to be without fear, you must understand fear. You must recognize it without deception and without preference. You must recognize that you are a great being working in a limited context, in a limited environment.

critique: The answer omits the first step to overcoming fears.

critique: The answer should mention the author's advice to recognize one's fears.

critique: The answer should mention that the author says that you must recognize your fears to understand their damaging presence in your life.

critique: The answer should mention the practice of recognizing one's fears.

question: Summarize what the author is offering the reader.

answer: The author is offering 365 daily spiritual practices for people of any religious tradition or no religious tradition. They are designed to help one become mindful in the world. The author is offering the steps from a book, which was brought to the world through Marshall Vian Summers, The Messenger for The New Message From God.

critique: Extra details that do not pertain to the question

critique: The answer could mention the book's title.

critique: It is omitted that the author is offering the reader to take inventory of their strengths and weaknesses.

critique: The author is offering the reader the steps from a book, which was brought to the world through Marshall Vian Summers, The Messenger for The New Message From God.

question: What does the text say about your environment?

answer: The text says that to be without fear, one must understand fear. One must recognize this without deception and without preference.

critique: The response does not answer the question.

text: Add that if you understand the limitations of your environment and the limitations of your vehicle, you will no longer hate yourself for being limited.

category: coverage

question: What does the text say about yoga?

answer: No answer


text:
UPON REQUEST:

The Occupant Beneath the Shed

by LatinBeef

The story you are about to hear is true. The names and identities of the people involved have not been changed in order to provide no protection to the innocent.

Many days ago, somewhere around the 3rd of July of this year. Wait! Let me first give a disclaimer. If you are an animal rights activist, please stop reading this right now. The rights of a certain animal in this story were breached. You may be, hopefully, offended by this account. Where was I? Many days ago, while I was living at my home in Indiana, there arose a problem of grand proportion. In our backyard, which is fairly large with a few mature trees and fenced in on all sides, there stands a shed. Beside the shed, to the left, is a fire pit, and of course as next to most fire pits is a stack of wood to be used in the fire pit. The shed, fire pit, and pile of wood as you may have begun to think, were not the problem. The problem was what was living underneath that shed and next to that fire pit and pile of wood. For a few weeks a large, furry, mean looking groundhog had been claiming stake to the area beneath our shed. Normally this wouldn't bother a kind hearted young fellow like myself, but this groundhog seemed to be fond of sticking his nose in other people’s dirt and creating as many tunnels as he possibly could throughout our yard.

For weeks I waited patiently for the right opportunity to approach this groundhog and discuss this problem face to face.

It was a sunny afternoon. I had decided I did not want to work that day because I was sick of working all the time and when I get sick of working I usually take a holiday. I spent my holiday in front of the TV watching various shows about this or that and a rattle a tat. While watching the television, my little brother became parched and got up to get himself a drink of water. The sink faces towards a window which gives way to the back yard. My brother lifted his eyes out that window and noticed something peculiar sun bathing atop our wood pile. He began to look closer straining his eyes to make out exactly what it was he saw. He then gasped, and loudly whispered, "LatinBeef! The ground hog is on our wood pile!" Immediately I ordered him to silence and posted him near the living room window as my "eyes on the objective" and warned him of the consequences for treason. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Once my little brother was in place, I then contemplated my options. Normally on an occasion like this my weapon of choice would be my Marlin tube fed semi-auto .22 Long Rifle with a 20x zoom scope. Earlier in the day I had heard children playing in the woods behind the shed and I had also removed my scope prior to this day to clean the weapon, so I decided this would not be the best method. I moved into the garage and began looking around. I noticed a long, old, forgotten, metal baseball bat hiding in the corner. I picked it up and gave it the proper inspection, making sure it was worthy of battle. Once I was prepared to engage the enemy I went back inside to remind my little brother of his duties, and that insubordination was punishable by death. So the hunt began.

I exited my garage along the side of my house making sure to be as quiet and sneaky as possible. Groundhogs have terrible eyesight, but a very keen sense of hearing. There the groundhog lay basking in the son atop my wood pile as if he were better than me. I was at this time approximately 30 meters from the objective. I slowly crept my way toward the groundhog keeping my eyes fixed on his location. Occasionally I would have to stop as the groundhog pointed his nose in the air as if sensing danger. Eventually he would go back to a relaxed state; once he felt the coast was clear. Slowly I tiptoed my way towards the shed. My goal was to get on the opposite side of the shed as the groundhog, and use the shed as a means of blocking my self from sight of the groundhog, then pouncing on him. Finally I reached the other side of the shed; my heart began to pound with anticipation. I then connected eyes with my little brother who had been keeping watch making sure the groundhog hadn’t shifted positions. To my surprise he gave me the signal that the groundhog had left the wood pile and begun movement towards the corner of the yard away from the shed. I took this opportunity to sneak to a tree that stood in between the groundhog and the wood pile. All I could do was wait, for now I was in the perfect position. The groundhog would have to pass by me in order to return to his home. The groundhog made his way towards the corner of the yard where a big pine tree of sorts grows tall. For some unknown reason the groundhog was spooked and began movement back towards the shed and of course straight past the tree I was hiding behind. I locked and loaded my baseball bat, ready to pounce as soon as he was within pouncing distance. Time slowed.

It was as if it had been scripted. I couldn't have planned it any better. Without the slightest clue of what hit him, the groundhog sprung into the air. My baseball bat had landed straight across the back of his skull. Thud. The groundhogs body smashed into the ground, then, whether a natural reaction of the groundhog or simply a law of physics, the groundhogs body became airborne. Before the body hit the ground, a second blow landed, this time splattering blood across the lawn. I paused. Now imagine scratching the belly of a dog, try to picture the kind of shivering and twitching that dog does while you scratch his belly, this is what the groundhog began to do. The only difference was I wasn't scratching his belly. To end his suffering, I applied yet another blow, ending his pain and ultimately his life. As I stood there looking down upon this poor lowly animal, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little fellow. He had put up a good fight for the past few weeks, but it was not his fate to come out the victor.

After proper burial of the beast, my little brother and I thought it would be fitting to send the groundhog off with a proper 21 bottle rocket salute. We respectfully lit one bottle rocket at a time in honor of the groundhog who previously occupied the space beneath our shed. Once all 21 bottle rockets hit the sky, we each rendered a hand salute toward the grave of our foe. The war was over, the troops could return home.

title: In honor of my real life cake day, and currently being deployed to Iraq...I'd like to share with you all a true war story from the home front: The Occupant Beneath the Shed

question: Summarize the theme of this story.

answer: The theme of this story is that of a war. The narrator and his brother are at war with the groundhog. The narrator is the general and his brother is the eyes on the objective. The narrator is the one who does the fighting. The narrator and his brother win the war.

critique: The theme is not explicitly stated in the story.

question: Summarize the narrator's feelings throughout the story.

answer: The narrator is initially annoyed by the groundhog, but then becomes determined to kill it. He is excited when he finally succeeds. He feels sorry for the groundhog, but also feels that it was his fate to die.

critique: The narrator does not feel sorry for the groundhog. He feels that it was his fate to die.

critique: The narrator is not initially annoyed by the groundhog. He is annoyed by the groundhog's habit of digging tunnels in his yard.

question: Describe the source of tension in the story and explain how it gets resolved.

answer: The narrator's children have been getting around the backyard, causing a problem for the previously established groundhog. The narrator decides to attack the groundhog, and the groundhog attacks back. The narrator eventually wins the battle, but feels bad for the groundhog.

critique: The answer is inaccurate. The narrator doesn't feel bad for the groundhog.

critique: It's not the children who are causing the problem for the groundhog. It's the narrator.


text:
[]

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press, New York, USA
Year Published:  1995   First Published:  1988
Pages:  354pp   Price:  20.50   ISBN:  0-312-05233-2
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX6247

How does the U.S. political system work and for what purpose? What are the major forces shaping political life and how do they operate? Who governs in the United States? Who gets what, when, how, and why? Who pays and in what ways. These are the central questions investigated in this book.

Abstract:  Michael Parenti proposes in Democracy for the Few that the America is not a pluralistic democracy as it is idealized to be. Conversely, he believes it is a plutocracy where an unelected wealthy capitalist class controls both America's social and political institutions, which they use as tools to legitimize their rule and further their interests. Although democratic in name, Parenti believes the structure of capitalism prevents true democratic freedoms from being realized. He emphasizes that what makes a system democratic is not only its procedures, such as voting, but its outputs, such as an equal distribution of wealth.

Parenti offers a comprehensive and critical look at the entire capitalist American system. He makes frequent use of references and footnotes to support his arguments. Early chapters are devoted to the historical development of America's political system. From the birth of the American Constitution to the present day, Parenti describes how capitalist interests have trumped the interests of the working class. Later chapters are dedicated to modern American institutions such as Congress and the mass media. He illustrates how these institutions provide the illusion of the possibility of democratic change, while actually working to maintain the status quo.

Parenti does admit that there have been some democratic victories in America. However, he stresses they were hard-fought struggles that succeeded despite, and not because of, the current system. Nevertheless, he believes that there are limits to democratic reform because capitalism, by its very structure, is incompatible with democracy. In the end, Parenti suggests that socialism might be the answer. Although he concedes he does not know what kind of socialism is best or how to achieve it, he believes it is necessary to replace the capitalist system with a more democratic system.

[Abstracted by Jared Ong]

Table of Contents

Preface

1. Partisan Politics
Beyond Textbooks
The Politico-Economic System

2. Wealth and Want in the United States
Wealth and Class
Who Owns America?
The Dynamic of Capitalism
Productivity and Human Needs
The Hardships of Working America

3. The Plutocratic Culture: Institutions and Ideologies
American Plutocracy and Cultural Hegemony
Ideology: Right, Center, and Left
U.S. Public Opinion: Which Direction?
Democracy: Form and Substance

4. A Constitution for the Few
Class Power in Early America
Containing the Spread of Democracy
Plotters or Patriots?
Democratic Concessions

5. The Rise of the Corporate State
Serving Business: The Early Years
The Not-so-Progressive Era
The New Deal: Hard Times and Tough Reforms

6. Politics: Who Gets What?
Welfare for the Rich
Taxes: Helping the Rich in their Time of Greed
Deficit Spending and the National Debt
Military Spending: Buttering the Guns
Economic Imperialism

7. Health, Environment, ad Human Services: Sacrificial Lambs
The Poor Gets Less (and Less)
"Urban Removal" and "Mess Transit"
Health and Safety for Nobody
Ecological Disaster

8. Unequal before the Law
Criminal Law: A Double Standard
Victims of the Law
Nonenforcement: When the Law Fails Us

9. Political Repression and National Insecurity
The Repression of Dissent
Political Prisoners, USA
Toward a Police State
The National Security Autocracy

10. The Mass Media: For the Many, by the Few
He Who Pays the Piper
The Ideological Monopoly
Official Manipulation
Political Entertainment
Room for Alternatives?

11. The Greatest Show on Earth: Elections, Parties, and Voters
The Sound and the Fury
The Two-Party Monopoly
The Right to Vote
Voter "Apathy" and Participation
Democratic Input

12. Who Governs? Leaders, Lobbyists, or Labor?
The Ruling Class
Lobbyists: Special Treatment for Special Interests
Grass-Roots Lobbying
Labor Besieged

13. Congress: The Pocketing of Power
A Congress for the Money
A Special-Interest Committee System
Helping Themselves: The Varieties of Corruption
The Legislative Labyrinth
A Touch of Democracy

14. The President: Guardian of the System
Salesman of the System
The Two Faces of the President
A Loaded Electoral College
The "New Federalism" Ploy
The President versus Congress: Who Has the Power?

15. The Political Economy of Bureaucracy
The Myth and Reality of Inefficiency
Secrecy, Deception, and Unaccountability
Bureaucratic Action and Inaction
Serving the "Regulated"
Public Authority in Private Hands
Monopoly Regulation versus Public-Service regulation

16. The Supremely Political Court
Who judges?
Conservative Judicial Activism
Circumventing the First Amendment
As the Court Turns
Influence of the Court

17. Democracy for the Few
Pluralism for the Few
Reform and the "Mixed Economy"
Democracy as Class Struggle
The Two Faces of the State
What Is to be Done?

Index

Subject Headings

-   Agricultural Business/Agribusiness
-   Anti-Democratic Ideologies & Structures
-   Black Issues
-   Bureaucracy
-   Business
-   Campaign Financing/Political
-   Capitalism
-   Children
-   Class Conflict/Class Struggle
-   Communism
-   Crime
-   Democracy
-   Discrimination
-   Elections
-   Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
-   Health Care
-   Image Sources
-   Income Disparities
-   Interest Groups
-   Labour Unions
-   Law
-   Lobbying/Lobby Groups
-   Minority Rule
-   Oil Industry
-   Police
-   Political Parties
-   Politics
-   Poor, The
-   Poverty
-   Property Rights vs. Democracy
-   Race & Class
-   Regulatory Affairs
-   Repression
-   Socialism/Case for
-   Taxation
-   U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
-   U.S. Politics
-   Voting
-   Voting Rights (Suffrage)
-   Wages
-   Women's Issues
-   Working Class

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question: What according to the text is Parenti's take on capitalism?

answer: He believes that capitalism is incompatible with democracy.

critique: The answer should mention that Parenti believes capitalism is a plutocracy.

question: Summarize the plutocratic culture.

answer: Parenti uses political and economic theory to describe the elite's control of politics. Wealth and class are used to identify the elite, however, the elite's existence is not fully clear. Political influence and capitalistic structure go hand-in-hand. He sees the mass media as serving the few and being in favor of the status quo.

critique: The answer should mention that the plutocratic culture is described as having institutions and ideologies.

critique: The answer should mention that Parenti sees the plutocratic culture as being incompatible with democracy.

question: Summarize Parenti's take on socialism.

answer: Parenti believes that socialism might be the answer to replace the capitalist system with a more democratic system. He does not know what kind of socialism is best or how to achieve it, but he believes it is necessary to replace the capitalist system with a more democratic system.

critique: The answer should mention that Parenti believes socialism is necessary because capitalism is incompatible with democracy.

critique: The answer should mention that Parenti believes socialism is necessary to replace capitalism because capitalism is incompatible with democracy.

question: Summarize a few of the references that Parenti makes to support his arguments.

answer: No answer

critique: The article says Parenti uses references and footnotes to support his arguments.

critique: The article lists many references, so an answer is included.

critique: The answer should mention that Parenti makes frequent use of references and footnotes to support his arguments.


text:
There he was at the bank that day, someone else’s blood soaking into his clothing and on his face a look of absolute shock. It’s hard to believe that only a few minutes ago, it was a normal day for Jason Grayson. Even his past years of military training and experience could not have prepared him for a situation like this./////
	For Jason, the day started out like any other. He showered, went for a walk, ate breakfast and then left his house to run errands before a day of work.  Normally, the days seemed to blend together in J’s mind. At this point in his life he did not have many friends or a social out goings other than at his dead end hotel desk job that did not pay well. Regardless of not having many friends Jason still had an enormous amount of care for people and was always very empathetic, even towards complete strangers. Jason spent much of his downtime in public places, observing people. He wondered what their lives were like and how they viewed the world around them in contrast to how he viewed it.//////
	His unusual care and concern for others made Grayson different than his fellow officers and superiors during his time in the military.  He joined when he was eighteen, with no other goals but to help his fellow Americans and protect them from what they called terrorists. After spending nearly two and a half years in military training, Jason was experienced in both hand to hand and combat with weapons.  Despite his extensive training he found that the military was not a place for someone like him after he went on his first real mission.////
	He and his platoon were given orders to infiltrate a terrorist organization in southern Iraq with no explanation of why they were doing so, other than it being a group of “terrorists”. Jason always wondered why the terrorist’s hatred toward Americans was so much that they would commit the terrible act of violence on 9/11 that killed nearly three thousand people and began the war which he fought in. It was not until after his first and only mission that he really began to research the motivation for terrorist’s actions.////
	When they arrived at the enemy’s camp, Grayson had doubts swirling through his head that what his superiors were telling him to do was moral. He entered the camp and found that there were only fifteen people there, nearly half of which were women and children. The platoon was given orders to “Take out the terrorists” and place any women and children in military custody. As Jason stormed the camp alongside a group of thirty men, he saw people being shot down without good reason. He was sickened by the sight and had to fall back behind because he realized there was no way he could take another man’s life unless he knew for a fact that they were a threat to his own or that of another innocent person. When the slaughter ended the only sound that remained was the crying of young children and the echo of gunshots ringing in the distance. At this time Jason ran forward and shouted at his fellow soldiers saying “How could you do this?! Did not those men have the same face that you do? How do you know that they meant to cause harm?!  Even if they did why do you think they intended to do so in the first place?!!” The lieutenant who was wiping blood off the barrel of his gun was the only one with a reply. He said “These men were terrorists. They deserved every bit of what they had coming.” Jason was speechless for a few seconds before saying to his superior officer, “I do not care what you say, and I will die before I kill a man without knowing for certain that they intend to cause me or the people in my country harm.” This made the lieutenant furious, he walked up to Jason, got right up in his face and shouted for all the platoon to hear, “Misconduct!!!”////
	The very next day the lieutenant began making arrangements to have Jason discharged from the military for his unwillingness to kill. It was only a few weeks before he was sent home and stripped of his military officer ranking. This was fine with Grayson. He went back home and began to study the origins of terrorist hate towards Americans. What he discovered was that radical Islamists hate America mainly because of the government’s tendency to meddle in foreign affairs and that the US and Iraq had many conflicts pre 9/11. This insight into the so called enemy’s perspective made him realize that conflicts like the one between US and Iraq do not just start out of nowhere, that there is always a reason when seemingly senseless violence occurs./////
	This memory was what ran through Jason’s mind as he stood in the bank that day, looking at the covered up face of the robber who had just taken another man’s life for no apparent reason other than to prove a point, he was not to be messed with. As everyone in the bank screamed and cried in sheer terror, Grayson just stood there thinking about the robber and wondering what would make the man commit such a terrible and selfish deed besides the obvious desire for money. He still believed even though the violence appeared to be completely senseless, that there was a deep seeded reason for the burglar’s actions which he ultimately had no control over.////
	The robber walked further into the bank with a gun in each hand, shouting “Give me money or someone else will be killed!” By this time everyone had stopped screaming but the muffled sound they made trying to contain their crying was still heard. Jason sat on the floor next to the dead man. His clothes now stained with blood that was not his own. He could no longer see the gunman from the floor but could hear his footsteps getting closer to the bank teller who was frantically throwing money into a sack.////
	 The next thing that the burglar said made everyone in the rooms’ heart sink deep down into their stomachs. “This isn’t enough money! I want fifty thousand dollars in my hand within the next minute or I start unloading these bullets into everyone in the building!” It was then that Jason stood up; he knew that he would be dead anyways if he did not do something. As soon as he stood, the robber’s gun pointed directly at his head. He shouted, “Please! Please don’t shoot! I just want to help you get your money! I do not want anyone else to die and I know that you don’t want that either, you just want your money, right?” The robber replied, asking “Oh yeah? And how are you going to help me get my money? Unless you have fifty grand in your pocket, you are going to die.” Jason stood there scared out of his mind but he watched as another brave man stood up behind the robber and hit him over the head with his briefcase. The robber turned around immediately but Jason leaped forward at the same time tackling and disarming him. Jason kicked one of the guns across the room but took the other into his hand and placed the barrel right between the man’s eyes. In the heat of the moment Jason thought about killing the man. He said to him “You deserve this! You’re scum! You took an innocent man’s life today and now I’ll take the life of a guilty man.” Just as Jason was about to pull the trigger He reached down and removed the robbers mask only to find a scared young man, with a face that looked just like his own.

title: Working title [RF]

question: What does the story say about Jason Grayson?

answer: Jason Grayson was an officer in the military. He's the type of person who cares even for complete strangers. He joined when he was 18 and was an excellent fighter in combat and hand-to-hand. He left the military after his first real mission in the Middle East because he questioned the moral ethics of killing innocent people (e.g. families, children) for no reason other than for doing their job as terrorists. He also never intended to take another person's life without knowing for sure if it was a threat to him or another person. He believed that all living things are good in one way or another.

critique: It's omitted that he is empathetic and has a deep sense of care for others.

critique: 'He also never intended to take another person's life without knowing for sure if it was a threat to him or another person. He believed that all living things are good in one way or another.' This is an assumption, not a part of the text. This should be omitted.

critique: The second sentence of this response is inaccurate. Jason left the military because he refused to take a direct role in the war.

critique: The last sentence is not relevant to the question.

critique: "He joined when he was 18 and was an excellent fighter in combat and hand-to-hand." - this part is irrelevant to Jason's story.

critique: The response contains inaccurate information.

critique: The last two sentences don't make any sense together

critique: An important detail is omitted, and should be added: that he comes home and begins studying the origins of terrorist hate towards Americans.

critique: It could be made more clear that he was discharged from the military and stripped of his officer ranking

critique: It's omitted that he joined the military to help his fellow Americans and protect them from what they call terrorists.

text: The response misses to mention that when Grayson returns home, he finds himself inside a bank that is getting robbed and defuses the situation without killing the robber.

refinement: Jason Grayson was an officer in the military. He's the type of person who cares even for complete strangers. He joined when he was 18 and was an excellent fighter in combat and hand-to-hand. He left the military after his first real mission in the Middle East because he questioned the moral ethics of killing innocent people (e.g. families, children) for no reason other than for doing their job as terrorists. He also never intended to take another person's life without knowing for sure if it was a threat to him or another person. He believed that all living things are good in one way or another.

question: What does the story say about terrorism?

answer: No answer

critique: There is a lot of information about terrorism in the story.

critique: The question is not answered but the story discusses terrorism.

critique: This response is incorrect, inaccurate, and does not address the question.

critique: The response misses to mention that the story mentions that the terrorists hate America mainly because of the government's tendency to meddle in foreign affairs.

critique: There is a mention of terrorists. It counts for the question.

critique: No answer is given, but there is information about terrorism in the story.

critique: The narrator learned about terrorism from his research into his time in the military.

critique: It misses to mention that Jason learned that the reason behind terrorist actions is the US's tendency to meddle in foreign affairs.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The story does talk about terrorism.

critique: There is a mention in the story about terrorism and the narrator's experience in the military.

question: What does the story say about winning the war?

answer: No answer

critique: While it is true that the story does not explicitly say that the narrator wins the war, the story does show how Jason's experience in the war changed his perspective on violence and prejudice. If the narrator's perspective has changed as a result of his experiences in the war, then it is concrete evidence that the narrator is trying to change the world for the better.

critique: The answer is not 100% accurate. Jason realized when he was in Iraq part of the cause to terrorism was the US meddling in foreign affairs. He was able to realize this because he saw first hand that terrorists didn't just want to hurt Americans because they hated them, because they hate those that meddled in their affairs.

critique: This response is not accurate and does not answer the question.

critique: It incorrectly states that there is no answer to the question.

critique: This is incorrect. The story does discuss winning the war.

critique: There is no answer because the story does not mention winning the war.

critique: The answer is not relevant to the question.

critique: No answer is given, but the story does not talk about winning the war.

critique: The story doesn't mention winning the war.

critique: There are no allusions to the war being a "war" in the story. The narrator mentions that the story relates to a situation where the protagonist felt something was unjust and the means to deal with it was the military.

question: What does the story say about Jason and the robber?

answer: Jason was a boy who joined the military when he was 18. After joining and training in the military for two and a half years- and becoming skilled at hand-to-hand and combat with weapons-he is sent on his first a mission and notifies his superior officers that he won't ever kill anybody who he has any doubt about them doing harm to anyone other than himself or other innocent people. His superiors discharge him from the military for insubordination.  A few weeks later, he goes back home to try to figure out the motivations of hatred behind radical Muslims. He is then held up at a bank by a robber (whom Jason knows from watching has killed someone). He goes over to the robber and takes control of the situation by de-masking him and, much to himself, nearly kills the boy in order to keep him from continuing to do whatever harm he is doing to others. Instead, having learned his morals after leaving the military, he let's him go.

critique: The robber's face is not revealed to Jason

critique: The model includes a lot of unnecessary information that does not need to be included in the answer.

critique: The response contains irrelevant information.

critique: The model states that Jason was a boy and it is not stated in the story.

critique: "a few weeks later, he goes back home" is inaccurate and should be removed.

critique: "Two and a half years" - wrong unit of time (years should be "years" instead of "years").

critique: The main character thinks about terrorists and the killing of a man who only seemed to represent their problems with the government. His superiors discharge him for this mental act because of the burden of their jobs.

critique: There's no evidence that Jason was a boy.

critique: "Jason was a boy who joined the military when he was 18." - this never happens in the story. Jason is never referred to as a boy.

critique: "desire for money" is a wrong adverb for "money"


text:
I heard about SUNY Maritime through ambush. I was woken early one Saturday morning at an insulting time by my mother. She told to get up because we’re going to see a college. I hadn’t visited any schools yet and this was October of my senior year. I didn’t even ask where I was so sleepy. I simply put on a heavy coat, took a blanket and pillow and lay my six foot wide frame in the back seat and slept. At some point in the five hour ride from D.C. to New York I remember waking up and asking where we were going, she might have said more but all I caught was New York. I remember thinking, “cool, that’s perfect, far enough, close enough,” and then falling asleep again. She woke me just as we approached the Throggs Neck exit.
I recall being bewildered by the unfamiliar street and having to ask somebody for directions from his car. We weren’t to far, and lowering the window after all that time let in the sea air – it was fantastic even if it was the Hudson. We took the turn down a long narrow back street, the only way in or out for that matter. When we finally came to a small round about with a giant stone wall opposite us with a connecting lever gate. At the entrance stood a guy in uniform, dress blues (how I know thee well). I had neither the heart nor the will to tell my mother after such a long drive I wasn’t going to do military school. But we still drove down the street, which ran along the northern side of the peninsula. At its widest it couldn’t be more than a hundred yards wide save a narrow strip the stretches out called the point. What I then thought to be a mile but later would learn was about half was the road we traveled on, a strait drive to the back of the school then back around again in a circle. From there it was your standard college open house, lots of bewildered and shy highschoolers shadowed by there parents. As a black kid I instantly noticed how few of me there were. We crowded into an auditorium to hear them ejaculate onto us and then tell us how it was the best ejaculate because it was a maritime ejaculate. I expected as much, then they asked us to divide into groups for the first half of the day, I remember thinking, I could do that in an hour (I actually would, often). We were taken through boring halls and standard classrooms. Two things of note and the only positives of that place: The Fort Schuler and the waterfront estate, damn I loved that water (never got in it though.). Then we were told to divide into our interest, I picked naval architecture. I loved to draw then and wanted something similar to my interest, but almost picked something else when m mom suggested it. Glad I did though, I walked into one of the classrooms in the science wing of the S & E (science and engineering). I saw a girl there with the last name Porshe, I don’t know why but she stuck with me, not particularly hot, little bit of a flat face and a sharp chin but it played well to me.  After they made jokes about the courses they basically said you don’t have to be in regiment to take this major. Regiment being the uniformed students, there was a minority of non-regimental ‘civilians’ that attended the school with out the hassle of regiment. But Porshe was regiment. We left the room and I recall wanting to make friends with the one guy who spoke up in there for the highschoolers just to be like “hey, you’re not the only fearless one among us,” but I couldn’t think of a reason to start a conversation when he was in front of me when they were filing out. We followed this with lunch, where I interacted with another prospect who was a total meat-head lax-bro who made vast proclamations about himself and what he’d do if he came there. (He did, and he sorta held true to the work out goals; what else do you do when you have a cheating gf, only weekend leave, and near no attractive girls. Not to say the girls aren’t talented, but they can’t help there anatomy. Another lesson I learned after enrolling). We separated from our parents at this point, they said they wanted to separate us like we inevitably would be on the day. Just champion stuff these guys, eh? This is when they drove home that the regiment is tough, fair, and easily manageable. I already lived most of the lifestyle, save the working out part, with all the private schooling I was ready. By then it was time to either tour the ship or leave, I was tired from all forced ejaculate they kept pinching my nose to give me so we left. My mother and I still left that place with an overall good view. Sadly fo future me, I knew that was to be my school the moment I saw the water.

title: This is a true story excerpt from the auto-biographic novel I'm working up. I wonder if you'll like the first draft (unspell-checked). Names are changed for here. This is Titled: Intro to SUNY.

question: What does the text say about SUNY Maritime?

answer: The narrator's mother takes him to SUNY Maritime during his senior year. The narrator is surprised by how few of his race attends the school. The narrator is told that he does not have to be in regiment to take the naval architecture course. The narrator's parents leave him at the school and he already knew that was to be his school when he saw the water.

critique: The narrator is not surprised by the lack of black students.

critique: The narrator is not surprised by the lack of black people at the school.

critique: The narrator's parents don't leave him at the school, they leave him at the open house.

question: What does the text say about the narrator's friends?

answer: No answer

critique: The response is incorrect. The narrator does not have any friends.

critique: The text has some information about the narrator's friends.

critique: The text doesn't say anything about the narrator's friends.


text:
[Testing a spherical mirror using an interferometer. All surfaces in the tester are either flat or spherical, so the tester itself is fairly easy to fabricate and test. This setup can test a spherical mirror of any size – since the wavefront is spherical, the mirror can be small and close up, or many meters across and further away. The test only requires that the pinhole be located at the center of sphere defined by the mirror's surface.] A NULL CORRECTOR is an optical device used in the testing of large aspheric mirrors. A spherical mirror of any size can be tested relatively easily using standard optical components such as laser, mirrors, beamsplitters, and converging lenses. One method of doing this using a _Shack cube_ is shown at the right, and many other setups are possible. An interferometer test such as this one generates a contour map of the deviation of the surface from a perfect sphere, with the contours in units of half the wavelength used. This is called a _null test_ because when the mirror is perfect, the result is null (no contours at all). If the result is not null, then the mirror is not perfect, and the pattern shows where the optician should polish the mirror to improve it.

[Adding a null corrector so the interferometer test can measure an aspheric mirror. The null corrector cancels the non-spherical portion of the mirror figure, so when viewed from point A, the combination looks precisely spherical if the mirror under test has the correct figure. Diagram is not to scale – the null corrector is much smaller than shown here.]

However, the mirrors used in modern telescopes are not spherical – they are rotations of parabolas or hyperbolas, since these more complex shapes reduce optical aberrations and give a larger field of view. (See, for example, Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, or three-mirror anastigmats such as LSST.) Non-spherical mirrors such as these will not give a null result when tested as above, and null results are strongly preferred (they are very clean tests that require little interpretation, and the results translate directly to polishing requirements). One solution is to introduce a _null corrector_, as shown in the second figure. This consists of one or more lenses and/or mirrors introduced into the optical path that make the desired mirror look like a perfectly spherical mirror. Using this device, the measured contour map now shows the difference from the desired shape instead of the difference from a sphere. Now measurement and polishing can proceed just as in the spherical case. This method is used in the manufacture of almost all large mirrors for modern telescopes.[1]

Since the mirror will be ground to what the null corrector reports as the right prescription, it is critical that the null corrector be itself correct. An error in building the null corrector led to the mirror in the Hubble Space Telescope being ground to the wrong shape.[2] Less famously, this has happened in other cases as well, such as the New Technology Telescope.[3] Originally, there was no easy way to test a null corrector, so mirror fabricators needed to take extra care that the lenses were correct and spaced correctly (this second part, spacing, was the source of the Hubble null corrector failure).[4] With the advent of computer-generated holograms, it is now possible to create a hologram with the phase response of an arbitrary mirror. Such a hologram can be made to analytically duplicate the phase response of the desired mirror, then be tested with the null corrector just as the real mirror would be tested. If the combination looks like a spherical mirror to the interferometer, then both the null corrector and the hologram are correct with high probability, since the null corrector and the hologram are constructed independently by different procedures.[5] This procedure was used to test (and find an error in) the null corrector used for the MMT Observatory single-mirror retrofit.[6][7]

[1] . More than you ever wanted to know about null correctors.

[2]  The definitive report on the error in the Hubble mirror, traced to an error in the construction of the reflective null corrector.

[3] . Mentions error also happened during the manufacture of the New Technology Telescope.

[4]

[5]  “The hologram is designed and fabricated independently from the null corrector, so agreement between the two indicates a high probability that both are correct.”

[6]  p. 85.

[7]

title: Null corrector

question: What does the article say about testing an aspheric mirror?

answer: An aspheric mirror is a mirror that is not spherical. It is a rotation of a parabola or a hyperbola. The mirrors used in modern telescopes are not spherical. They are rotations of parabolas or hyperbolas. The null corrector is used to measure an aspheric mirror. The null corrector cancels the non-spherical portion of the mirror figure. It makes the desired mirror look like a perfectly spherical mirror. The measured contour map now shows the difference from the desired shape instead of the difference from a sphere.

critique: The null corrector is used to measure a spherical mirror, not an aspheric mirror.

critique: The answer should mention that the null corrector is used to measure an aspheric mirror.

critique: Grammar and semi-clumsy sentence structure. Revise for flow.

critique: The answer is a copy-and-paste of the article's text.

critique: The answer should mention that the null corrector is critical to the testing of aspheric mirrors.

text: The first four sentences are unnecessary.

category: coherence

question: What does the story say about the qualities that make a good telescope?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer is empty. "No answer" should be replaced.

critique: The answer should mention that the article doesn't discuss the qualities that make a good telescope.

critique: It is omitted that a good telescope should have a spherical mirror.

critique: The answer should mention the qualities of a good telescope.


text:
The sweat dribbled down my neck… Guns screamed as they bombarded our mighty vessels. The deaths of innocent solider pained me to know that young men who had such blissful live were strong enough to give it all up in the name of their country… the sirens howled as we approached the beach the mortars rained upon us like a pack of lions charging at their prey. That very shrapnel that once formed those mortars was now either stuck in the sand or impaled in a soldier’s soul forever holding him at the battlefield.
The heavy machine gun emplacement rained fire upon us. The howitzers did so to… fatigue struck me as I stumble across the beach searching for some cover to emplace myself within hoping that nothing would harm me. As I ran I noticed a hole that had been created by the mortars explosion. As I dived into it my life passed before my eyes… my birth…my first birthday… my first pet… my graduation and finally my death. In a way I had predicted my own death. The end-game of my life….  As the mortar struck the captain screamed “move up” I began to dash for the nearest bunker knocking anything in my way down. The Germans  began to charge bayonets at the ready. The cavalry began their assault on the bunkers. As they approached the Germans they drew there sword and began to slash furiously. One by one they fell. Rolling… rolling ever more on the battlefield. Their heads where like that of a beach ball. It was a simpler time back then before all this erupted, the chaos, the destruction, the bloodshed.
Our Capitan ordered us to open fire and so we did the black gun powder ceased my nostrils as if they were trying to take control. The very touch of the guns was brutal so much pain was caused by them and what would they solve. Their purpose was not to create but to destroy to take away to cause pain to other people. Wars were not intended for peace they were intended to destroy…take over…rule. They are the very thing that will soon end the human race, and one day and when it does end … we will all think back to this moment the First World War.
BANG!! An explosion I charge up further hoping that I won’t be shot. Today is not a good day to die. Today was my birthday the day I was born… and this day could be the last. I have to make every minute count. This is not war this is poverty… corruption
Death!
We were the front line we were to supposedly lead the fight but why? We were we picked to lead the fight I never wanted to come out here but peer pressure from my friends caused me too. It should have been my choice I always dreamed about owning a little bar. But that dream was cut short because of this. We all thought this would be fun… a way to travel the world. I wanted to see parts of the world I would never be able to see. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I took it not knowing the horrors that would follow me. I see now that warfare is something not to be trifled with and yet I choose to be engulfed into its everlasting flames. It was as if I had entered the gates of hell and was now stuck there for eternity. My only salvation was death and that was a price I was willing to pay.
As I began to move again a huge squad of Germans decided to show their faces and we were ready for them. The captain howled across the battlefield open fire. Rifles blazed one bullet after a next. They tore through the Germans flesh as if we were tigers ripping flesh from our captured prey. Bullet by bullet … bit by bit the Germans fell believing in what they thought was right.
There weak body’s not able to withstand the fear driven shot of the rifles.
Why did the Germans even choose to fight was it over land, Politics or maybe just for fun. Will we ever find out what this was over? Will this war ever end? It seems like years since we signed up. The propaganda tricked me into this they were abusing our lives’ taking away our freedom, for the sake of their own. Why don’t they come down here and fight. Why don’t they see what trench warfare is like instead of making up lies saying it brilliant.
What was the point in all this? Many lives are being wasted by the second. And for what? We will get nothing in return for the price we paid. We sold our soul to the devil and yet get nothing in return.
I can only hope we have enough men to help take this. Reinforcement’s would only be gunned down as soon as they landed. Our job now was to secure this beach that mean taking out every last German within 2 miles of here. We need our reinforcement if we’re going to make a push into the city. Who knows what horrors await us there. I don’t want to think about. I must concentrate on taking this position first. It is vital we own this spot or how else will we be able to launch our attack. As I charge into the bunker a German lunges at me with his bayonet I manage to dodge the first to strikes and get him but his friend catches me off guard.
 All I hear is death…
All I smell is smoke…
All I see is blood spurting from the huge gash in my chest…
We were all made for a purpose mine was to go into war and die. There was no point in me trying to move. It would only make my sacrifice more painful. As I look up I see a crowd of Germans pointing their guns at me waiting for their leader to give them the word. He spoke in English “burn in hell you English dog”. They were the final word I heard.
Then my brother’s charged in hoping to save me they were too late.
As they burst through the doors the Germans had pulled the trigger. I laid there on the floor never to awaken again…  Put into an eternal slumber.

title: [HF] Short war story

question: What does the story say about World War II?

answer: No answer

critique: The story doesn't talk about World War II.

critique: The question is asking for information that is not in the story. The response should be "no answer".

critique: The story does not mention anything about World War II.

critique: The passage does not mention World War II.

critique: The response misses to mention that the narrator is reflecting on the First World War and how it was a pointless war that wasted many lives.

question: What did the story say about the narrator?

answer: He didn't want to be part of the war. He was pressured by his friends to be a soldier because of the propaganda. He hates the war for taking away his freedom. He wishes he had stayed home instead of being involved in the war. He feels that his life had no meaning.

critique: The narrator's life had meaning because he was able to serve and die for his country.

critique: The narrator's life had meaning because he was a soldier.

critique: The narrator's life had meaning, he just didn't want to be a soldier.

question: What does the story say about the battle for the beach that claimed the life of the narrator?

answer: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were in a war against the Germans. They were on their way to the beach and the Germans bombarded them with heavy machine gun emplacements and howitzers. The narrator and his fellow soldiers were the front line and they were supposed to lead the fight. The narrator and his fellow soldiers were tricked into the war by propaganda. The narrator and his fellow soldiers were supposed to secure the beach and take out every German within 2 miles of there. The narrator and his fellow soldiers needed reinforcements to make a push into the city. The narrator and his fellow soldiers were killed by the Germans when they charged into the bunker.

critique: The answer does not mention that the narrator is English, and most likely knows English. The Germans yell "burn in hell you English dog" before their guns sing.

critique: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were not supposed to lead the fight.

critique: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were not tricked into the war by propaganda.

critique: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were killed by the Germans when they charged into the bunker.

critique: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were not supposed to lead the fight. They were the front line.

critique: The narrator and his fellow soldiers were not killed by the Germans when they charged into the bunker.

text: The answer uses the same sentence structure repeatedly, damaging its flow.

category: other

category_text: Style

question: What does the story say about the narrator's thoughts on World War I?

answer: The narrator thinks warfare is something not to be trifled with. The narrator thinks that wars were not intended to create peace and rule. The narrator after experiencing the horrors of war and losing their friends, want to leave the war. The narrator wants to make sure they survive this World War I. The narrator thinks there is no point in joining the war and that they have wasted their lives for nothing.

critique: The narrator is not thinking about leaving the war.

critique: The narrator is not thinking about leaving the war, he is thinking about making every minute count because he fears this is his last day alive.

critique: "The narrator thinks that wars were not intended to create peace and rule." This sentence is not accurate. It should be removed and replaced with the narrator thinks that wars are meant to cause destruction, take over, and rule.

critique: The narrator is not thinking about leaving the war, he is thinking about how he wants to make every minute count because he thinks this could be his last day alive.

critique: The narrator wants to make sure he survives this World War I.

critique: The narrator's thoughts are not explicitly stated.

critique: The narrator's thoughts are not expressed in the story.

text: The narrator's general ideas about war aren't the most relevant parts to his thoughts about World War I. The most relevant are his thoughts about trench warfare, which debuted with WWI.

category: accuracy