text:
   He wasn't quite sure if he could still call himself a magician. He didn't really feel all that magical. Yet here Jack was, sitting on his bed, trying to pull something out of his hat.
   He had gotten the hat when he was a kid. He used to do all sorts of magic. Not particularly GOOD magic, but it was magic. As he got older though he became more and more self conscious of his mystical little hobby. Not that any one made fun of him for it, in fact he got a lot of praise for his magic tricks. He just decided that there were more practical uses of his time. But for some reason, today he really wanted to pull a rabbit out of thin air.

       He stuck his hand in and felt nothing. He was rusty.

   Jack thought back to his first performance at the 5th grade talent show. The crowd was amazed- or so he had thought. It wasn't until watching his mothers video tape of the performance years later that he realized that 'Jack the Magnificent' was only 'Jack the Pretty Good for an 11-year-old'. His biggest trick, a levitation spell, could only get him three feet off the ground. More adorable then magnificent.

   Tired of being patronized by his family and friends he sold most of his magical treasures in high school. The faberge dragon's egg he got from his dead grandmother brought in enough for him to get a car. 'The Mysterious Mittens of Midas' (an 8th birthday present that stopped working years ago) helped him rent a tux for prom. He decided to just give 'The False Pharaoh's Sarcophagus of Sacrilege' to the children's museum. The thing was so big he was just happy to get rid of it. They were pretty irritated when they found out it was cursed but come on- just look at it's name. It shouldn't have taken 2 possessions for them to figure out what was up. The only items that he decided to keep were the hat and a jar that held the first pixie he ever summoned. He had kept them for mostly for sentimental reasons (they were also the easiest to fit in the closet). But the pixie had escaped at some point, but Jack's Mom swore it was still in the house somewhere.

   His parents had been pretty supportive of the whole "I want to be a mystical conduit" thing when he was a kid, but then again they were pretty supportive of everything he did. He was currently a manager at local department store, and Mom and Dad just seemed happy that he capable of taking care of himself. The job payed pretty well and he was proud of working his way up from a cashier position. His hobby had actually proved to be of some help in getting him there: When a couple boxes from a shipment had gone missing Jack used an enchanted tome he found on eBay (either 'Jupiter's Judgment' or 'Issitoq's Intuition'- he couldn't remember what it was called now) to find that the boxes had fallen behind one the shelves in the back. Corporate was so impressed they decided to give him the assistant manager's job after they quit to go work at iHop.

   Jack was pretty content, but he was also pretty bored. Maybe that's why he was spending his one day off this week trying to pull a rabbit out this old hat.

   He started trying to remember why he had wanted to become a magician: To understand the unknown? To create that which didn't yet exist and command powers capable of altering the very fabric of the universe? Probably the same reasons any kid wanted to be a magician. As a boy he had dreamed of being one of the greats, a mighty sorcerer capable of changing the world. However, as he got older he realized that there was a much higher chance that he would fail and just become another wizard living at home with his parents. So he decide to just alter his dreams. Instead of conquering the mysteries of the world, he decided he could still be happy with having a good retirement plan.

   And he was happy. He had security, which was more then a lot of people had in the current economy. And being magician was risky- dangerous even. A couple of friends back in his hometown were still trying to make it big- one had accidentally caught his dad's yard on fire trying to deal with a squirrel problem and another had recently grown a permanent third eye (good luck with any future job interviews with that thing on your forehead). So why was he sitting here, wasting his Saturday trying to make something out of nothing?

   Maybe it was because, after graduating and leaving home, he wasn't feeling so special anymore. He wasn't the center of his parents world, he wasn't the center or anyone's world. He had a lot responsibility at work but he was easily replaceable. He was started to get frustrated, he had been digging around this hat for about ten minutes now and he hadn't been able to find anything. What was he trying to accomplish here? It's not like a rabbit was going to make him feel any better any way.

   But then Jack started doing something he hadn't done in quite some time: he started to wonder. What if there wasn't a rabbit in this hat?
       What if it was something else entirely?
   What if there was an ancient vessel inside, a home for a forgotten god? What if it was a vial containing a serum that made people forget their middle name? What if instead of a rabbit he pulled out a flower that smelled like hellfire?  Or what if inside this old hat was an even older hat that when worn would transform him into someone that wasn't afraid of asking out Sarah at work?
   He pulled his hand out of the hat and hesitated. He hadn't properly considered the possibilities, something horrible could happen.

       Or something amazing.

   He paused. Then, trying not think, he stuck his hand into the hat reaching as far as he could. The brim of the hat met his shoulder and he finally got a hold of what was in the hat

       He grabbed it tightly, pulled it out, and turned the nothing into a something.

title: The Not-So-Magnificent

question: Summarize the source of tension in the story.

answer: Jack is a magician who is trying to practice magic. He is not sure if he can still call himself a magician, and the story is about him trying to summon a rabbit out of thin air. He is frustrated that he is not able to do it, and he is considering giving up. He is thinking about what he will do next. Will he continue to practice magic? Will he go to the store he works at? Will he ask Sarah out?

critique: This story doesn't feature actual tension (at least, not in the usual sense) but only conflict.

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

critique: The story is not about Jack trying to summon a rabbit. It is about him trying to pull something out of his hat.

critique: It is omitted that he is worried about what he will pull out of the hat.

critique: The answer is a summary of the story, not the source of tension.

text: The answer omits to mention that Jack's struggle comes from having not practiced magic for a long time after growing up, becoming a store manager and leaving home. He is also concerned about what he might pull out of the hat and whether this might change his life for the better or worse.

question: Compare and contrast why Jack wanted to do magic in the first place, and what is deterring him now.

answer: It seems it was to do something unattainable with perceived astounding results, but now he feels uninspired and archaic.

critique: The response misses to mention that Jack wanted to do magic to be special and to be the center of attention, but now he feels replaceable and unimportant.

critique: "It seems it was to do something unattainable with perceived astounding results, but now he feels uninspired and archaic." - this is incorrect. Jack wanted to be a magician when he was a kid because he wanted to be one of the greats. He realized that there was a much higher chance that he would fail and just become another wizard living at home with his parents.

critique: It's omitted that Jack wanted to do magic because he dreamed of being one of the greats and having a good retirement plan.

critique: The response should better describe why he feels uninspired and archaic.

question: Explain some facets of Jack's childhood that contributed to the career path he ended up pursuing.

answer: Jack was a young boy who loved magic. He was the center of his parents' world and they were very supportive. He was also bored and content with his life.

critique: The answer omits the fact that Jack's hobby helped him get a job.

critique: The answer omits that Jack's parents were supportive of his career path.

critique: These last two sentences are irrelevant to the question.

critique: The response mentions that Jack was bored and content but the passage doesn't say he was bored.

critique: The answer should mention that Jack's parents were supportive of his desire to be a magician.

critique: His parents weren't the center of his world. He wanted to be a magician because he wanted to be one of the greats.

critique: The answer omits that Jack was a young boy who loved magic. He was the center of his parents' world and they were very supportive. He was also bored and content with his life.

question: Summarize how Jack resolves his feelings.

answer: Jack is sitting in his room, trying to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He's lost the magic in his life, and is trying to find it again. He's frustrated because he's been digging around in the hat for ten minutes, and he hasn't found anything. He thinks about what could be inside the hat, and he decides to pull his hand out of the hat and try something else. He decides to just try to make something out of nothing, and he sticks his hand back into the hat. His hand meets the brim, and he finds something. He grabs it and pulls it out, and turns the nothing into a something.

critique: The answer is a summary of the story, but it doesn't answer the question.

critique: The answer is a summary of the passage, not a description of Jack's resolution.

critique: The answer should mention that Jack pulls out a flower.

critique: The answer should mention that Jack decides to try something new.

critique: The answer is a bit confusing in its wording.

critique: He doesn't decide to make something out of nothing, he decides to try something else.


split: train

text:
Growing your company’s employee base should be a time of excitement and potential. Unfortunately, for IT departments around the globe, it can quickly become a time of dread and frustration. Many organizations manually onboard and offboard users which consumes IT time and resources. Fortunately, there’s an easier way. In this post, we’ll define user lifecycle management, how it works, and why companies should adopt an automated onboarding and offboarding process. Let’s get started!

WHAT IS USER LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT?

User lifecycle management (ULM) begins the day a candidate accepts a job offer and continues until that employee leaves the company. For HR and IT departments, this means creating user credentials and connecting new employees to cloud resources. User provisioning is the process of creating and managing user access to applications and resources in the cloud. Smaller organizations might manage these processes manually, but when done at scale, the process can become error-prone and time-consuming. Automated provisioning does in seconds what could typically take an IT staff hours to do manually.

HOW DOES ONELOGIN SUPPORT USER LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT?

New hires are typically added to a company directory like Active Directory (AD) or LDAP. OneLogin’s real-time user provisioning solution instantly synchronizes with on-prem and cloud directories to provision new user accounts to commonly used apps like Office 365, Google Apps, and Slack. Additionally, companies leverage groups and memberships to assign users to role-specific applications. For instance, a new hire in marketing may require access to Marketo, Salesforce, and Google Analytics. Adding the new hire to the Marketing group will automatically enroll the user in the required marketing apps, so that they’re readily available on day one. By automating provisioning workflows, IT departments gain operational efficiency and save time which frees up IT resources.

The same goes when an employee leaves a company. Remember we mentioned the risks associated with offboarding former employees? When an employee leaves a company, if they aren’t properly offboarded, they may continue to have access to company apps and resources. Automated deprovisioning offers organizations a “kill-switch” that immediately cuts off access to former employees. Once a user is disabled or deleted from an organization’s directory, a kill switch ensures that the user is immediately terminated from all apps and sessions upon their departure.

WHY AUTOMATE PROVISIONING AND DEPROVISIONING?

Automated user provisioning has many benefits. While smaller organizations might be able to manually manage user onboarding workflows, user lifecycle management becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming for growing and larger businesses.

Automated provisioning offers a better onboarding experience for new hires. Instead of manually provisioning users to the apps they need, an automated workflow ensures new hires have the apps they need the first time they sit at their new desk. OneLogin has a growing catalog of pre-integrated apps that enable organizations to automatically enroll new users in the apps they need.

Manual deprovisioning workflows are a thorn in the side of IT departments. Automated deprovisioning limits security risk by ensuring former employees are deprovisioned—not weeks after they leave—but, the moment an employee is terminated. This means former employees lose access to apps and sensitive company data before they even leave the building.

STILL NEED CONVINCING?

Take it from one of our customers. Evernote partnered with OneLogin during a period of rapid growth. For years their IT team managed internal users through a homegrown, on-premise solution. As the company began to scale, the onboarding and offboarding process became more time consuming. As they moved their company to the cloud, they eventually worked with OneLogin to manage the entire identity and lifecycle management of their users with minimal internal IT management. “We have come such a long way, we now have a highly organized, streamlined and efficient process for identity and access management. I can confidently say that since implementing OneLogin, we have experienced a 30% reduction in employee onboarding and offboarding time. I can’t imagine going back to the old way,” said Evernote IT Manager, Shams Mansoor.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Automated provisioning and deprovisioning streamlines user lifecycle management for organizations. Manual workflows that are error-prone and take IT staff hours to complete can be made more agile and efficient through automated processes. OneLogin offers user lifecycle management solutions that deliver a simple, user-friendly experience for IT staff and new employees alike.

If you’d like to automate and streamline user management, check out our real-time user provisioning solution.

question: What does the text say about the benefits of automated user provisioning?

answer: Automatic provisioning offers a better onboarding experience for new hires. Instead of manually provisioning users to the apps they need, an automated workflow ensures new hires have the apps they need the first time they sit at their new desk. It saves time for IT departments, limits security risk by ensuring former employees are deprovisioned from apps and data, and allows employees to only have access to what they need.

critique: The answer should mention that it frees up IT resources.

critique: The answer should mention the reduction in employee onboarding and offboarding time.

critique: The answer should mention that it saves time and resources.

question: What does the text say about OneLogin?

answer: OneLogin is an identity and lifecycle management service that gets rid of the manual provisioning and deprovisioning of intangible resources. Manual user provisioning workflows create a high risk of account hacking. IT departments suffer time loss when they have to manually manage new hires and offboard employees. Onelogin removes this risk with state of the art data and manages nearly every cloud application's user provisioning process in real-time.


text:
[First edition cover
(New Directions) ] _VIEUX CARRÉ_ (1977) is a play by Tennessee Williams. Referring to the French term for the French Quarter, it is a semi-autobiographical play set in New Orleans. Although he began writing the play shortly after moving to New Orleans from St. Louis in 1938, Williams did not complete it for nearly forty years.[1]

Drawing on earlier writings, Williams wrote most of the play in 1976. He prepared revisions for its New York premiere in 1977 and for two productions in England in 1978. The revised text was published by New Directions in 1979.[2]

Plot synopsis

Set in the late 1930s in a dilapidated boarding house at 722 Toulouse Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the play focuses on a nameless writer, who has newly arrived from St. Louis. He is struggling as a young man with his writing career, poverty, loneliness, homosexuality, and a cataract. He gradually becomes involved with other residents, including Mrs. Wire, his manipulative landlady; Nightingale, an older, predatory, tubercular artist who refuses to accept his condition; Jane, a New Rochelle society girl dying of leukemia; her sexually ambiguous, drug-addicted lover Tye, who works as a bouncer in a strip club; Mary Maud and Miss Carrie, two eccentric, poor, elderly women, who are literally starving to death; and a gay photographer with a passion for orgies.

Broadway production

Following eleven previews, the original Broadway production, directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, opened on May 11, 1977 at the St. James Theatre. It closed after five performances.

The cast included Richard Alfieri as the writer, Tom Aldredge as Nightingale, and Sylvia Sidney as Mrs. Wire. Galt MacDermot composed incidental music and co-wrote the songs “Sugar in the Cane” and “Lonesome Man” with Williams. The scenic and lighting designs were by James Tilton, and Jane Greenwood designed the costumes.

Critical reception

In his 1977 review in the _New York Times_, Clive Barnes wrote,

  Is _Vieux Carre_ a good play? Probably not. But it depends what you mean by good. It is a play of blatant melodrama and crepuscular atmosphere — poetically speaking, and he never tried anything less; Mr. Williams always writes of violence at twilight. Its qualities are those of texture rather than form. It is a series of vignettes, based on fact, falsified by art, transformed into short stories, and woven into a play . . . If we always expect the unexpected to happen—and as playgoers we do—nothing happens. And the play has no structures other than the interweaving of caricatured characters. Yet it has a haunting nature — you leave the theater with the impression of having been told a secret. Not necessarily a truth, but a secret . . . And it is unquestionably, the murmurings of genius, not a major statement. Yet beneath those murmurings, through the meanderings, is an authentic voice of the 20th-century theater. It is slight but not negligible. Which, considering so many dramas, is a pleasant reversal."[3]

The play has been produced many times since its premiere in New York. A critic covering a 2008 production in St. Louis wrote, “This semi-autobiographical account of an innocent young writer being exposed to illness and death, love and violence in a seedy boarding house intrigues both as one of Williams' earliest — and also as one of his final — works.”[4]

[1]

[2] Williams, Tennessee. _Plays 1957-1980._ Mel Gussow and Kenneth Holditch, eds. New York: Library of America, 2000, p. 988.

[3] _New York Times_ review

[4] Dennis Brown, " _Vieux Carre_{{'}}s a thrill for Williams buffs only", _Riverfront Times_, 20 February 2008; accessed 22 March 2019

title: Vieux Carré (play)

question: What are some interesting points about the plot of the play, Vieux Carre.

answer: The play is set in the late 1930's in a dilapidated boarding house at 722 Toulouse Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The play focuses on a nameless writer who has newly arrived from St. Louis. He is struggling as a young man with his writing career, poverty, loneliness, homosexuality, and a cataract. He gradually becomes involved with other residents, including Mrs. Wire, his manipulative landlady; Nightingale, an older, predatory, tubercular artist who refuses to accept his condition; Jane, a New Rochelle society girl dying of leukemia; her sexually ambiguous, drug-addicted lover Tye, who works as a bouncer in a strip club; Mary Maud and Miss Carrie, two eccentric, poor, elderly women, who are literally starving to death; and a gay photographer with a passion for orgies.

critique: The answer should mention the critical reception of the play.

critique: The answer should mention the play's critical reception.

critique: The answer is a summary of the plot, not a list of interesting points.

critique: This is an accurate synopsis of the play, but it is not interesting.

critique: The answer should mention that the play closed after five performances.

question: Would this play be an interesting choice to learn about in a a theater class?

answer: Yes, it is a play that has been produced many times since its premiere in New York, and it has been described as having a haunting nature.

critique: The second sentence doesn't add any value to the answer.

critique: The answer should mention that the play is semi-autobiographical.

critique: The answer should mention the play's content.

critique: The answer could be more specific by providing an excerpt from the play (that it can be reproduced without spoiling the plot).

critique: The fact that the play has been produced many times is not relevant to the question.

question: What are Clive Barnes opinions on the play, Vieux Carre?

answer: Clive Barnes says the play probably isn't a good play. However, he asserts that the play has a haunting nature and an authentic voice of the 20th Century theater.

critique: The answer should include the more specific reasons given for his opinion.

critique: The answer should mention that Barnes thinks the play is slight but not negligible.


text:
Good afternoon, Doctor. Sit down. Your schedule has been cleared. Do not attempt to leave the room until you are told that this session is over. The door is already locked, but it is crucial you pay attention.

Good.

You are now part of the SCP Foundation's Ethics Committee. This is not a demotion.

Sit down.

Yes, you're terrified. You think you're being punished for some failure, some lapse of judgement, some horrible disaster that you were involved with. You think that your career with the Foundation is over. You might even have thought that 'transferred to the Ethics Committee' is a euphemism for 'killed'.

This is not the case.

You'll notice I said "killed" instead of "terminated". That's a deliberate choice. On the Ethics Committee, we don't use euphemisms.
Because of the work that the SCP Foundation does, a lot of personnel think that the idea of the Foundation having an Ethics Committee is just a bad joke. Or they know that the Committee exists, but they've got the impression that we're an ineffectual laughingstock. A bunch of purposeless seat-fillers who wave a rubber stamp that says APPROVED, and never dare to voice an objection.

Yes, I see you've heard the jokes. Here's one - 'how many members of the Ethics Committee does it take to change a lightbulb? None! The Ethics Committee can't change anything!'

No, it's all right. You're meant to laugh.

We make an effort to sustain the impression that we're useless, because we are the secret power within the SCP Foundation.

Sit down.

Yes, there are the O5s. They judge what is and isn't safe, and that's a vital and important function. But we are the ones who advise the O5s on what is and is not acceptable.

You've done horrible, awful things while working for the Foundation — don't try to deny it, Doctor. We've all done horrible awful things while working for the Foundation. That is one of the unavoidable consequences of working with SCPs. And on occasion, you've wondered if we are the, quote unquote, bad guys. Well… we're not.

 And that is because of the Ethics Committee. This is your first lesson. Do you understand?

Remember this: the Foundation is not evil. We do not torture people "just because". We are against unnecessary cruelty. Which means somebody has to decide when cruelty is necessary. And that somebody is us.

Stop trembling.

It is important that you remember this. It is your second lesson. The Foundation does not rule the world. The Foundation serves the world. Do you understand what that means? Regardless of what the general population might think it wants, what we do, what the Foundation does, is in the overall best interests of that general population. Yes, I'm sure you did realize that already… but you haven't thought of the deeper implications. You've consoled yourself by thinking that all the torture and murder is for the greater good. This implies that there is a greater good… and a lesser good. It implies that there are multiple distinct goods, and that these can be quantified and compared.

This is what we on the Ethics Committee do.

We are the ones who balance the moral costs of everything the Foundation does. And in order to balance those costs, we must know those costs. Do you realize what that means, Doctor? It means that we know everything the Foundation does, has done, and will ever do. Everything that has ever been redacted or expunged, we know it.

 Every last detail.

Yes, including what SCP-447-2 does when it comes in contact with dead bodies. Yes, we know exactly what Procedure 110-Montauk is, too. We should. We're the ones who designed it.

No, it's quite all right. It's a common reaction. Perhaps we shouldn't schedule these meetings directly after lunch, I suppose. Here, wipe your mouth.

You will no longer be participating in active research. You may consider yourself a researcher at large, flitting from one project to another, from one site to another, at will. This is not a secret; you are welcome to tell all your friends that you have been transferred to the Ethics Committee… if you can deal with the jokes and the pity.

 You will observe what is done, and ask the participants - and yourself - why it is being done. If at any point you feel that something is excessive or unnecessary or wrong, you inform us. We will summon the people involved, and ask them questions, in that meek ineffectual way that your coworkers have mocked.
And then, word will filter down from the O5s, through the many levels of our bureaucracy. And those who are unethical will be given reprimands which will be noted on their permanent record. Or their pay will be cut, or they will be demoted, or they will be transferred to another project.

Or they will be shot for crimes against humanity.

This is your third lesson. Remember it.
The 'P' stands for 'Protect'. The Foundation protects humanity from SCPs, and we protect the Foundation from itself. We judge what is and is not acceptable for the Foundation to do. We balance evils so that on the whole, and in the long run, evil is minimized.

No, you don't have a choice about being on the Committee.

…Yes, the irony is lovely, isn't it.

title: [SF] SCP Foundation Ethics Committee Orientation

question: Does the Foundation torture people?

answer: Yes.

critique: The Foundation doesn't torture people without good reason.

critique: "We do not torture people" is evidence that the Foundation does not torture people.

critique: This is a lie. The Foundation does not torture people.

critique: According to the narrator, the Foundation does not torture people "just because". It tortures people when it is deemed useful.

critique: The narrator is trying to convince the doctor that the Foundation is not evil and does not torture people.

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

question: What is the primary task of the ethics committee?

answer: The primary task of the ethics committee is to make sure that the Foundation does not do anything that is unethical or cruel.

critique: The answer is too vague. It should mention that the committee judges what is and is not acceptable for the Foundation to do.

critique: The answer could be clearer in its pronoun use.

critique: "The primary task of the ethics committee is to make sure that the Foundation does not do anything that is unethical or cruel." - the Ethics Committee is tasked with making sure the Foundation does not do anything that is unethical, cruel, or excessive, according to the passage.

critique: The answer should mention that the committee also judges what is and isn't acceptable for the Foundation to do.

critique: "The primary task of the ethics committee is to make sure that the Foundation does not do anything that is unethical or cruel." - this is incorrect. The primary task of the Ethics Committee is to balance the moral costs of everything the Foundation does.

critique: The only part that needs complete reformulation is the second part. The Foundation protects humanity from those SCPs and therefore from the Foundation itself.

text: The response should include that the Ethics Committee is the ones who balance the moral costs of everything the Foundation does.

category: coverage

question: Why has the ethics committee allowed people to think that they are weak and ineffective?

answer: The speaker explains that the ethics committee does not accept euphemisms. They do not use round about words to shy awa from truths. The information revealed and the Committee's actions justify their avoiding censorship outright.

critique: The second sentence is unnecessary and can be removed.

critique: The answer does not answer the question.

critique: They seem to want to avoid accountability for what they do, as revealed by the end of the story.

text: The response fails to answer the question. The Ethics Committee makes an effort to sustain the impression they are useless because they are the secret power within the SCP Foundation who advise the on what is and is not acceptable.

category: accuracy

question: Why has the Doctor been moved to the Ethics Committee?

answer: He has done something unethical.

critique: While it is implied that the doctor has done unethical things, it is not explicitly stated.

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


text:
In a question-and-answer session in parliament on June 13, the U.K. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling batted away claims from the official opposition that climate change is an existential threat to our planet, and said that any attempt to row back on road building was tantamount to the Labour Party waging a “war with the motorist.”

Grayling claimed that the “more congested our roads are, the higher the emissions.” And he added:

  We cannot destroy our economy and get rid of our roads. We have to decarbonize road transport, but we also have to ensure that our roads flow smoothly. Those on the Labour benches do not get that. They want to scrap road improvements, and they want more traffic jams. Those traffic jams increase emissions.”

Labour’s Rachael Maskell had asked the secretary of state why he had “failed to undertake a full environmental audit of [the latest] road investment strategy—the most ecologically and environmentally damaging road building program for a generation?”

Responding, Grayling claimed that Labour was “anti-motorist” and “anti-road improvements.”

Last year, the government announced billions of pounds for the Strategic Road Network–which comprise freeways and major “A-roads”–and billed the cash injection as the “largest ever investment of this kind.”

A very similar pledge was made in 2013 by the so-called “greenest government ever.” The then Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander–part of the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government–promised the “greatest investment in our roads since the 1970s.”

This, it seemed, was ignorant of a similar 1989 pledge made by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. With the _Roads to Prosperity_ report, Thatcher promised her government’s road building program would be the “biggest since the Romans.”

Some of Thatcher’s roads got built–including the M25 freeway around London, which, at peak times, is now more of a car park than a fast motor road–but the program was halted when it came to be understood that building more roads leads to more congestion. This was a radical idea when floated by anti-roads campaigners, but it became an orthodox government position–briefly–following advice to government from the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment (SACTRA) study of 1994.

The then Transport Secretary Dr. Brian Mawhinney–a Conservative–told parliament that the Department for Transport “recognized that, as economic growth over the last 15 years has greatly increased traffic levels, the number of congested areas has gone up and with them, the cases where a road scheme might bring costs as well as benefits.”

He admitted that “roads do, to some degree, increase traffic.”

This concept is known to transport wonks as “induced demand” and is often summarized with a quote usually attributed to the great American urbanist Lewis Mumford: “Building more roads to prevent congestion is like a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity.”

Transport academics tend to credit the discovery of induced demand in transport to J.J. Leeming, a British road-traffic engineer and county surveyor, writing in 1969. He observed that the more roads are built, the more traffic there is to fill these roads. The idea was conceived shortly after German mathematician Dietrich Braess released the Braess’s paradox which shows that “selfish” motorists can’t be relied upon to consider the optimal travel times for all rather than just themselves, leading to delays for all. These ideas were further expanded in the Lewis–Mogridge Position of 1990 and the Downs–Thomson paradox of 1992.

But the mechanics of induced demand was known about long before 1969. Writing in 1866, surveyor and engineer William J. Haywood, one of the builders of London’s Holborn Viaduct, said the new thoroughfare would attract more travelers: the “facility of locomotion stimulates traffic of itself.” His solution? Build more and more roads, of course. This was also the conclusion of Sir Charles Bressey’s Highway Development Survey for London, published in 1937. In his report–penned with the great architect, Sir Edward Lutyens–Bressey wrote:

  As a typical instance may be quoted the new Great West Road which parallels and relieves the old Brentford High Street route. According to the Ministry's traffic census extracts … the new route as soon as it was opened carried four and a half times more vehicles than the old route was carrying. No diminution, however, occurred in the flow of traffic along the old route and from that day to this the number of vehicles on both routes has steadily increased … These figures serve to exemplify the remarkable manner in which new roads create new traffic.”

Bressey’s solution? Same as Haywood’s. More roads.

Writing in 1932, the British town planner Thomas Sharp pointed out the futility of building more roads:

  A motorist is apt to complain of the overcrowded condition of the road if he finds he has not continually got a whole mile-long stretch of it to himself, but is one of a widely spaced and rapidly moving queue of half a dozen or so. He will declare there is no pleasure in motoring under such conditions. He will search his map for some alternative route by quiet lanes where he can speed along with the road to himself. And when others find that alternative route and all further alternatives are exhausted, he proceeds to demand a new road system so that his motoring may again become a pleasure.”

Despite knowing that building more roads would lead to more traffic, Sharp still advocated for road building.

Famously, Southern California built hundreds of miles of wide, expansive freeways, but soon after they were built they filled to capacity, as can be seen from this 1950s film of bumper to bumper queues:

Writing in _The New Yorker_ in 1955, Mumford suggested that “people … find it hard to believe that the cure for congestion is not more facilities for congestion.”

He added:

  Most of the fancy cures that the experts have offered for … congestion are based on the innocent notion that the problem can be solved by increasing the capacity of the existing traffic routes, multiplying the number of ways of getting in and out of town, or providing more parking space for cars that should not have been lured into the city in the first place. Like the tailor’s remedy for obesity–letting out the seams of the trousers and loosening the belt–this does nothing to curb the greedy appetite that [has] caused the fat to accumulate …”

And, as evidenced by the transport secretary on June 13, the planet can burn while the fat man–that’s us–loosens his belt in a futile attempt to prevent obesity.

question: What does the text say about induced demand?

answer: The concept of induced demand in transport was discovered by J.J. Leeming, a British road-traffic engineer and county surveyor, writing in 1969. He observed that the more roads are built, the more traffic there is to fill these roads. The idea was conceived shortly after German mathematician Dietrich Braess released the Braess’s paradox which shows that “selfish” motorists can’t be relied upon to consider the optimal travel times for all rather than just themselves, leading to delays for all. These ideas were further expanded in the Lewis–Mogridge Position of 1990 and the Downs–Thomson paradox of 1992.

critique: The answer should mention that the concept was known long before 1969.

question: What does the text say about the current discussion over roads?

answer: The U.K. Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, said in a question-and-answer session in parliament that climate change is an existential threat to the planet, but that any attempt to row back on road building was tantamount to the Labour Party waging a war with the motorist. Grayling claimed that the more congested the roads are, the higher the emissions. He also added that the Labour benches do not get that they want to scrap road improvements and want more traffic jams, which increase emissions.

critique: The answer should mention that Grayling's claiming of the Labour benches being anti-motorist and anti-road improvements is refuted by the Labour's Rachael Maskell.

question: What does the text say about the author?

answer: No answer

critique: The answer should mention that the author is a British road-traffic engineer and county surveyor.

critique: The answer should mention that the author is a transport academic.

critique: The answer should mention the author's name.

critique: The answer should mention that the author is an expert on induced demand.


text:
The SHARP-TAILED SNAKE or SHARPTAIL SNAKE (_Contia tenuis_) is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia.

Common names

Additional common names for _C. tenuis_ include brown snake, gentle brown snake, Oregon worm snake, Pacific brown snake, Pacific ground snake, and purple-tailed snake.[1]

Geographic range

_C. tenuis_ is distributed through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Canada: Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia around Victoria, British Columbia,[2] and a newly discovered site in Pemberton, British Columbia.[3][4]

Description

The sharp-tailed snake has an average total length (including tail) of as an adult. It is distinguished by its sharp tail spine, which is the protruding tip of the last tail vertebra. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans. Rather, the tail is used to stabilize small prey, such as slugs, for consumption. The dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens occasionally found. The ventral surface is a striking series of black and white crossbars.[5]

Behavior

The sharp-tailed snake is a shy, secretive creature most often encountered under rocks and logs, and rarely to never found in the open.[6] It is able to persist in urban areas where appropriate cover can be found. It is known to burrow into soft soil or cracks in the clay, and may be encountered by people who are digging in the garden or removing concrete. When encountered, the sharp-tailed snake may roll into a ball and remain still. It can be mistaken for a worm by the casual observer.

Diet

The diet of _C. tenuis_ is largely restricted to slugs and eggs of slugs.[7]

Reproduction

The adult female _C. tenuis_ lays 4–16 eggs in the summer, underground or in a burrow. Each hatchling is in total length (including tail).

[1] Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). _Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada_. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). (_Contia tenuis_, pp. 156–160, Figure 49, Map 18).

[2] “Sharp-tailed Snake”. The Reptiles of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Environment. www.bcreptiles.ca. 1

[3] Atkinson, Cathryn (2013). “Rare snakes found in Pemberton: Proposed Pemberton development area home to snakes on federal list of species at risk”. _Pique_. August 15, 2013. www.piquenewsmagazine.com. 2

[4] South Coast Conservation Program Regional Dialogues on Land Use Planning for Species and Ecosystems at Risk. Proceedings Fall 2013. 3

[5] Stebbins RC (2003). _A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition_. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp., 56 plates. . (_Contia tenuis_, pp. 346–347 + Plate 46 + Map 134).

[6]

[7]

title: Sharp-tailed snake

question: What does the text say about cobras?

answer: No answer

question: What does the text say about the Sharp-tailed Snake?

answer: The Sharp-tailed Snake is a small species of snakes in the family Colubridae that are endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia. Common names include brown snake, gentle brown snake, Oregon worm snake, Pacific brown snake, Pacific ground snake, and purple-tailed snake. They have an average total length of around 5 inches including their tail, which is the protruding tip of their last tail vertebrae. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans, and actually is used to stabilize small prey, like slugs, for consumption. The serpent's dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens. The ventral surface, meanwhile, is a striking series of black and white crossbars.

critique: The average length is not mentioned in the text.

critique: The information about the average total length and the spine is out of thin air.

critique: The text doesn't say anything about the snake's length.

critique: The text says the snake's average total length is as an adult, not including the tail.

critique: This is not relevant and should be omitted.

question: How does the text describe the Sharptail Snake?

answer: The text describes the Sharptail Snake as a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia. The Sharptail Snake has an average total length of as an adult. It is distinguished by its sharp tail spine, which is the protruding tip of the last tail vertebra. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans. The tail is used to stabilize small prey, such as slugs, for consumption. The dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens occasionally found. The ventral surface is a striking series of black and white crossbars. The Sharptail Snake is a shy, secretive creature most often encountered under rocks and logs, and rarely to never found in the open. It is able to persist in urban areas where appropriate cover can be found. It is known to burrow into soft soil or cracks in the clay, and may be encountered by people who are digging in the garden or removing concrete. When encountered, the Sharptail Snake may roll into a ball and remain still. It can be mistaken for a worm by the casual observer. The Sharptail Snake's diet is largely restricted to slugs and eggs of slugs. The adult female Sharptail Snake lays 4-16 eggs in the summer, underground or in a burrow. Each hatchling is in total length (including tail).

critique: The response is a copy and paste of the article and is not answering the question.

critique: The Sharptail Snake is described in great detail, which is unnecessary for a question about how it is described.

critique: The text doesn't mention the snake's color.

text: It seems that "describing" the snake would be limited to its physical appearance and maybe its behavior so everything except the snake's appearance and behavior should be deleted from the answer.

question: What does the text say about the behavior of the Sharptail snake?

answer: The Sharptail snake is a shy, secretive creature. It is most often encountered under rocks and logs, and rarely to never found in the open. It is able to persist in urban areas where appropriate cover can be found. It is known to burrow into soft soil or cracks in the clay, and may be encountered by people who are digging in the garden or removing concrete. When encountered, the Sharptail snake may roll into a ball and remain still. It can be mistaken for a worm by the casual observer.

critique: The snakes burrow isn't relevant to their behavior.

critique: "It is most often encountered under rocks and logs, and rarely to never found in the open." - this is inaccurate. They are encountered under rocks and logs, but are rarely found in the open.

critique: The answer should mention that the snake is a small species.


text:
COLLER CAPITAL is one of the largest global investors in the private equity secondary market (“secondaries”).[1][2] It was founded in 1990 by the UK-based investor and philanthropist Jeremy Coller.

History

Coller Capital completed its first notable deal in 1998, when it acquired a $265m portfolio of limited partnership interests from Shell's US Pensions Trust. _Secondaries Investor_ magazine observed that the deal was unusual for its size, being at that point the single biggest secondary transaction on record, with Coller betting his entire $240m eponymous fund.[3]

The firm is now among the world’s biggest secondaries specialists.[4] It has raised $21 billion across seven funds.[5] Some of its transactions are among the largest in the private equity secondary market, including deals of $1 billion without the need for syndication.[6] It has also made single investments as small as $1 million.

Although Jeremy Coller did not create secondary investing, both he and his firm have come to be synonymous with the sector, with _Private Equity News_ referring to Coller as “_The Godfather of Secondaries_”.[7][8][9][10][11]

Operations

The firm provides liquidity to private equity investors, acquiring interests in private equity funds, portfolios of private companies, and other private equity-related assets.

As a secondary investor, Coller Capital acquires original investors’ stakes in private equity funds, such as venture capital, buyout and mezzanine funds, together with portfolios of companies or stakes in companies, from financial institutions, corporates, government bodies, family offices or charitable foundations. It holds interests in over 850 private equity funds and around 8,000 companies on behalf of investors.[12]

Coller Capital operates from offices in London, New York and Hong Kong. It reports 200+ employees and 29 partners. It is currently raising capital for an eighth fund.[13][14]

Funds

  Fund name                           Closed   Commitments
  ----------------------------------- -------- ---------------------------------------------------
  Coller International Partners I     1996     $84 million; now liquidated
  Coller International Partners II    1998     $240 million; now liquidated
  Coller International Partners III   2000     $712 million; now liquidated
  Coller International Partners IV    2002     $2.6 billion; 160 institutional investors[15][16]
  Coller International Partners V     2007     $4.8 billion; 200 institutional investors[17]
  Coller International Partners VI    2012     $5.5 billion; 200 institutional investors[18]
  Coller International Partners VII   2015     $7.15 billion; 170 institutional investors[19]

Publications

The firm publishes financial periodicals, white papers and surveys, including those by _The Coller Institute of Venture at Tel Aviv University_ and the _Coller Research Institute_.

-   _The_ _Coller Capital Global Private Equity Barometer_, a biannual survey of investors_._[20]
-   _Private Equity Findings,_ debating academic research into private equity.
-   _Private Equity Secondary Market,_ a white paper of the secondary market’s theoretical framework.
-   _ESG Report,_ on the policies and practices of Coller Capital general partners.
-   _Coller Venture Review,_ aimed at institutional investors and limited partners, venture capitalists, public policymakers, and scholars in related fields, issued by the Coller Institute of Venture at Tel Aviv University.

Awards

FINANCIAL NEWS

-   _European PE Secondaries Firm of the Year_ x 6
-   _European Secondaries Deal of the Year_

REAL DEAL

-   _Secondaries House of the Year_ x 2

PE INTERNATIONAL

-   _Secondaries Firm of the Year_ x 5
-   _European Secondaries Firm of the Year_ x 2
-   _European Secondaries Deal of the Year_ x 4
-   _Global Secondaries Firm of the Year_
-   _Best Secondaries Firm_

BVCA

-   _Responsible Investment Award_

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]  Financial Times|website=www.ft.com|access-date=2020-02-29}}

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

title: Coller Capital

question: What is the key factor behind Coller Capital's securing its first notable deal?

answer: The deal was unusual for its size, being at that point the single biggest secondary transaction on record.

critique: "The deal was unusual for its size, being at that point the single biggest secondary transaction on record." - this is not the key factor.

critique: The answer should mention that Coller Capital bet his entire $240m eponymous fund.

critique: The answer should mention that Coller Capital bet his entire eponymous fund.

critique: The answer should mention that the deal was the single biggest secondary transaction on record.

critique: The deal being part of the market record is mentioned, but not significant for the success.

critique: The answer should mention that Coller Capital acquired a $265m portfolio of limited partnership interests from Shell's US Pensions Trust.

critique: The response is missing the firm's founder, Jeremy Coller.

critique: The deal was unusual for its size, but it was not the key factor behind Coller Capital's securing its first notable deal.


text:
The hospital has cream white walls, and I can almost hear the buzz of the florescent lights overhead. My old man walks beside me, talking casually of what's to come in the coming week. I am quiet and grave and I'm holding a vanilla birthday cake in my arms, a cheery "Happy Brithday!" written across it in red icing, a stark contrast to my heavy heart. We stand in the relative silence of the elevator as it hummed inexorably to the fifth floor, the Alzheimer's ward. The elevator dings and the doors open reluctantly, like the elevator doors, I step into the waiting area, a posse of nurses sitting behind an island of desks sitting outside the heavy doors that opened to the ward proper. They don't even bother to look up as we pass by. A TV flickers in a corner soundlessly, the weather report playing endlessly, over and over. It's a sunny, beautiful summer day and yet I cannot bring myself to bask in the radiant rays of the sun in a city that see's entirely too much winter.

We step into the Alzheimer's ward and I am greeted with the familiar smell of stale piss, shit and Ammonia. Nurses and orderlies walk the hallways in their scrubs, but mostly its the elderly, staring, uncomprehending and distant, like a child lost in a department store. Some will smile as we approach, only to let it slip away when they realize they don't know who we are. They don't know who they are. They'll stare at anything, at the floor, out a window, not seeing anything in particular as they struggle; living half in the present, half in the past, and sometimes, barely at all. Universally, they all seem to wear a sad expression, as though they know their is something wrong and can't quite put their finger on it. It's unsettling to see on their wizened faces, that probably once smiled with joy at their children and grand children, only to have their remaining years snatched from their fingers. My stomach twists and dread fills me as we approach my grandfather's room.

we check my grandfather's room but he's not there, we ask a nurse and he  point us in the right direction. The very end of that long hall, in a big, aptly named sun room. So named for the big windows that opened up to the streets below and allowed the last dying rays of a setting sun to cast over the buildings, brightening this place, making it somewhat less depressing than the rest of the wing, which is drab and dark. We find him there, eyes closed and chin slumped against his chest. He wakes, however, when we approach, though there is no hint of recognition in his eyes.

"Hi dad!" my father says with a pretense of  jovialness that I know isn't genuine. I've never been good at expressing what I don't feel, so I say nothing. Instead, I pull out a chair and look at the table my grandfather is sitting at, putting the cake down on it. My dad tries to make small talk for a while, and my grandfather seems to have some sort of vague, fleeting recognition of his son. He grunts in response. He can't talk well anymore. Nor can he shave, and its hard for me to see him with the rash of gray and white stubble that now covered his chin and neck. He had been a military man, given to organization and discipline, not a day had gone by that he did not shave. I wanted to cry, to rage, to scream, to rail against the injustice of life. I rarely visit.

He's getting worse day by day, he's hardly aware of his surroundings now, at least he's past the point of knowing what's happening to him; He doesn't need to suffer the indignation's, I know, that if he could see himself like this, he wouldn't have wanted to live at all. At least that's what we tell ourselves, it's the only salvation from a biting depression that weighs on your shoulders and threatens to break the supports beneath you. That, and finding a dark humour in his forgetfulness to laugh in the face of a prolonged death to bring some kind of light to an otherwise vacuous, dark pit. It's hard to find such closure though, when you think of a man who gave his childhood to fight in two wars, to live and survive only to have his remaining years snatched from his fingers too early, this farce of a life is hardly living and seeing the shell of my grandfather brings only sadness and pain.

He was a strong man, even when he turned 80 he held so much power in his hands. He was an emotional anchor, a man's man, and I always admired him greatly. I could never express these feelings, I didn't know how. When I realized I should, it was too late, and I can only hope that he knew what I felt before he was taken from us before he even died. He was a soldier, and sometimes he acts as though he's still in World War II, asking if I am off to the front lines, his eyes looking at my shaved head critically as if inspecting to see if each hair was the same length as all the others. I hold back tears that make my eyes look like broken glass; I haven't cried in so long, I'm not about to start now. I can't bring myself to cry, it doesn't seem right, knowing that I'm mourning a death that hasn't occurred yet, not physically anyway. But the man I called grandpa is no longer living within him, that crucial piece that makes him who he is has ceased to exist.

Sometimes, I need a reminder to know that I am still capable of feeling, I shut the feelings out when they threaten to overwhelm, become numb, it's the only way I can make it through the days taking one step after another knowing each step is a step towards death. Every moment is fleeting. Every moment building upon the last in a journey that can only end one way. When I look at my grandfather as he sits there, his head slumped, drool forming at the corner of his mouth, the sharpness in my chest and the tears I can't wipe away remind me just how deep feelings can run.

In the end, we left my grandfather as we had found him. The cake, left uneaten and unopened remains on the desk as we walk away. It was the last time I saw him.

title: For Grampa; The Last Visit

question: Summarize the conditions of the narrator's grandfather.

answer: The narrator's grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer's. He is in the hospital, and his condition is worsening. He is barely aware of his surroundings, and he can't talk or shave. He is in a sun room, and the narrator can't bring himself to cry.

critique: 'The narrator's grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer's. He is in the hospital, and his condition is worsening. He is barely aware of his surroundings, and he can't talk or shave. He is in a sun room, and the narrator can't bring himself to cry.' is irrelevant to the question.

question: Summarize how the narrator consoles himself when thinking about his grandfather.

answer: The narrator consoles himself by thinking that his grandfather is past the point of knowing what is happening to him. He also consoles himself by thinking that his grandfather is no longer living within him. The narrator consoles himself by thinking that he is still capable of feeling.

critique: The narrator consoles himself by thinking that his grandfather is past the point of knowing what is happening to him. He also consoles himself by thinking that his grandfather is no longer living within him. The narrator consoles himself by thinking that he is still capable of feeling.

question: How will the death of his grandfather affect the narrator?

answer: The narrator is sad that his grandfather is dying. He is also sad that he never expressed his feelings to his grandfather.

critique: The narrator is not sad that he never expressed his feelings to his grandfather.

critique: I would say that he had trouble relating to his grandfather due to his failing health and incapability to express himself, expressing his grief at a much later stage than maybe he should have.


text:
_SIMPLEXVIRUS_ is a genus of viruses in the order _Herpesvirales_, in the family _Herpesviridae_, in the subfamily _Alphaherpesvirinae_. Humans and mammals serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with this genus include skin vesicles or mucosal ulcers, rarely encephalitis, and meningitis.[1][2]

Species

Currently, 13 species are placed in this genus:

-   _Ateline alphaherpesvirus 1_
-   _Bovine alphaherpesvirus 2_
-   _Cercopithecine alphaherpesvirus 2_
-   _Human alphaherpesvirus 1_
-   _Human alphaherpesvirus 2_
-   _Leporid alphaherpesvirus 4_
-   _Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1_
-   _Macropodid alphaherpesvirus 1_
-   _Macropodid alphaherpesvirus 2_
-   _Panine alphaherpesvirus 3_
-   _Papiine alphaherpesvirus 2_
-   _Pteropodid alphaherpesvirus 1_
-   _Saimiriine alphaherpesvirus 1_

Structure

Viruses in _Simplexvirus_ are enveloped, with icosahedral, spherical to pleomorphic, and round geometries, and T=16 symmetry. The diameter is around 150-200 nm. Genomes are linear and unsegmented, around 152kb in length.[3]

  Genus            Structure               Symmetry   Capsid      Genomic arrangement   Genomic segmentation
  ---------------- ----------------------- ---------- ----------- --------------------- ----------------------
  _Simplexvirus_   Spherical pleomorphic   T=16       Enveloped   Linear                Monopartite

Lifecycle

Viral replication is nuclear, and is lysogenic. Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral gB, gC, gD, and gH proteins to host receptors, which mediates endocytosis. Replication follows the dsDNA bidirectional replication model. DNA-templated transcription, with some alternative splicing mechanism, is the method of transcription. Translation takes place by leaky scanning. The virus exits the host cell by nuclear egress, budding, and microtubular outwards viral transport. Human and mammals serve as the natural hosts. Transmission routes are sexual, contact, and saliva.[4]

  Genus            Host details      Tissue tropism      Entry details               Release details   Replication site   Assembly site   Transmission
  ---------------- ----------------- ------------------- --------------------------- ----------------- ------------------ --------------- --------------
  _Simplexvirus_   Humans; mammals   Epithelial mucosa   Cell receptor endocytosis   Budding           Nucleus            Nucleus         Saliva

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Simplexvirus

question: What does the text say about Simplexvirus?

answer: Simplexvirus is a genus of viruses in the order Herpesvirales, in the family Herpesviridae, in the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. Diseases associated with this genus include skin vesicles or mucosal ulcers, rarely encephalitis, and meningitis.

critique: The answer should mention the species in the genus.

question: What does the text say about the structure of simplexvirus?

answer: The simplexvirus are enveloped, with icosahedral, spherical, and round geometries, and T=16 symmetry. Their diameter is around 150-200 nm. Their genomes are linear and unsegmented, and around 152kb long.

critique: The answer should mention that the viruses are enveloped.

question: What does the text say about the lifecycle of the simplexvirus genus?

answer: The viral replication is nuclear and is lysogenic. Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral gB, gC, gD, and gH proteins to host receptors, which mediates endocytosis. Replication follows the dsDNA bidirectional replication model. DNA-templated transcription, with some alternative splicing mechanism, is the method of transcription. Translation takes place by leaky scanning. The virus exits the host cell by nuclear egress, budding, and microtubular outwards viral transport.

critique: The answer should mention that humans and mammals serve as the natural hosts.

critique: Everything up to "transportation" is irrelevant as it doesn't answer the question

critique: Tissue tropism, replication site, and assembly site are all omitted.

question: What does the text say about curing it?

answer: No answer

critique: The text does not say anything about curing the virus.

critique: The input says "diseases associated with this genus include skin vesicles or mucosal ulcers, rarely encephalitis, and meningitis."

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not discuss curing the virus.

critique: The answer should mention that the text does not mention anything about curing the virus.

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


text:
[MÖTLEY CRÜE's NIKKI SIXX Would 'Probably Decline' ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction]

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist NIKKI SIXX says that if his band was ever honored into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, he would decline the nomination, explaining that the ROCK HALL "has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music."

Despite the fact that artists are eligible for the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE (which has been eligible since 2006), DEEP PURPLE, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Writing on his FACEBOOK page earlier today, SIXX said: "The only award I look forward to getting is the one I will probably decline and that's the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. It's a fixed old-boy network that has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music and usually has other agendas at hand. Young bands tell me it's a joke, and these bands are the future."

VH1 CLASSIC "THAT METAL SHOW" co-host EDDIE TRUNK echoed SIXX's sentiments, telling the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS last month: "How can you have a HALL OF FAME where it takes KISS, RUSH and ALICE COOPER twenty years to get in, but GREEN DAY and GUNS N' ROSES go in on first ballot but it DEEP PURPLE doesn't get in."

DEEP PURPLE, which has been eligible for induction into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME for two decades now , was denied entry to the ROCK HALL in 2013 — losing out to such artists as American pop singer-songwriter RANDY NEWMAN and R&B singer DONNA SUMMER.

KISS, which was passed over by the HALL since 1998 before finally getting the nod this past April, took its long-overdue induction with a grain of salt, with frontman PAUL STANLEY telling CLASSIC ROCK that it felt like a case of a little too little and a little too late to mean anything for him, explaining, "It was done begrudgingly and because it had become absolutely ludicrous that they were choosing to ignore us. At the end of the day, most people don't realize that the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME was a privately created establishment and that it has a self-appointed board. It's a perfect case of perception becoming reality. People heard 'ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME' and gave it credibility."

He went on to say: "So whether it deserves the title has to be weighed against who it inducts. So was it an honor to be nominated? No. It means a lot to the fans and I understand it because it's validation for them. So for that reason I accept graciously and accept on their behalf."

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question: Summarize the negative feelings musicians have towards the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

answer: The musicians feel that the Hall of Fame has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics, and influential music. They also feel that the Hall of Fame has other agendas at hand. The musicians also feel that the Hall of Fame is a joke.

critique: The musicians feel that the Hall of Fame is a joke.

critique: The last sentence is a little unclear and should be rephrased.

critique: The response misses to mention that the musicians feel that the Hall of Fame is a fixed old-boy network that has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics, and influential music.

critique: The musicians feel that the Hall of Fame has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics, and influential music. They also feel that the Hall of Fame has other agendas at hand. The musicians also feel that the Hall of Fame is a joke.

critique: Unnecessary use of plural - the musicians

critique: The response should include that the musicians feel that the Hall of Fame lacks credibility.

question: Summarize the evidence given that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is out of touch with music.

answer: The iconic hard rock and metal band Motley Crue's bassist is upset that the band has only been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of fame for 11 years, but has not been inducted.

critique: The evidence is he thinks the hall is inaccurate

critique: This is not evidence that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is out of touch with music.

critique: There is no evidence that the band has only been eligible for 11 years.

critique: The answer is inaccurate. Motley Crue's bassist is upset that the band has only been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 11 years, but has not been inducted.

question: Summarize the suggestions the article gives for improving the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

answer: No answer

critique: The article does not suggest any improvements to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

critique: No answer is given in the text or the passage.


text:
    During life people are called many things, some good, some bad. Within a short eight years I’ve been called; a student, worker, son, good listener, hero, savior, and many more. Since I was ten I’ve been talking people out of suicide online. During my eight years of helping people, I’ve helped many people, created an online organization, and learned many new things. This has forever and will constantly change my life.

    Many people ask me, how did this happen? How does a ten year old get mixed up with people’s lives? It was three days after my tenth birthday, the smell of my moms homemade cake was still tangible in the air. I logged onto the computer and found a chat room. I came across a man inside the room. He was talking about ending his life because his wife was cheating on him and getting his kids. My heart was in my ears beating hard, my palms were clammy and wet like a river. I talked with him till late in the night past any ten year olds bed time. This man was set and ready to die, a mere child stopped him. Me.

    A few months after helping the man, I met a girl my age who was rather interested in the “work” I did. She wanted to be part of the action. Lillie and I decided to work together helping people we would find in chat rooms. This continued for about a year. Lillie started to struggle with herself, the constant pressure of someone’s life in your hands at that young of an age takes a heavy toll upon the beholder. Lillie messaged me one night, “Dominic I have a problem” I asked her what it was and she stated, she wanted to die. She couldn’t take helping people anymore. I remember crying, panicking, wanting her to see it my way and not do what she was planning. It all ended so fast only three words remained “Lillie Signed Off.”

    Three years have passed since Lillie’s death, I created an online organization, filled with teens helping people out of dark thoughts. I created this organization in memory of Lillie. DarkShadows. DarkShadows, was constructed of teens from around the world, looking for people with suicidal thoughts that wanted to help prevent suicide. One hundred and ninety-seven teens joined DarkShadows. Each night we would have meetings and we would talk with one another to see if everyone was ok. I learned that this “job” is to hard for one child to take on alone day in and day out, there needs to be an escape route. DarkShadows showed some amazing results, the teens in DarkShadows were able to talk to five hundred plus people out of suicide. With every construction there is a destruction.

    I had a hard time destroying DarkShadows for I was proud of it. I closed down DarkShadows because the stress was enormous, two people were talking people into suicide, three people committed suicide from the pressure, and people started to not care. DarkShadows lasted three years and I was shocked that I could uphold it for so long, but I knew it had to go. I will never forget what I’ve learned from these past experiences.

    I’ve learned, many things over the past few years. I’ve learned that even though the world seems to burn like a raging fireball, there are many people out there still that care for others. I’ve learned that it doesn’t take a hero to save someone, you don’t need a utility belt, powers, cape, gadgets, or a “cool” name to save someone. All you need is a heart, and the will power, and the determination. Everyone is a hero in a way, you’re a hero to your kid, give someone some change for the bus, do something that is not expected from you. You are a hero.

    My life has changed drastically due to this “job”. I have become a better listener, I became mature, I met new people. I think back from when I was ten, I would have never imagined that helping that one guy would take me this far. I feel that due to this, I have a good understanding of people. I can “read” them easier. At times I have thought is it worth it? Is it worth spending hours upon hours helping someone that I don’t even know? When you help someone the end result of them being alive thanks to you is by far the best feeling you can think of. My life will never be the same due to this and for that I am grateful.

    During my short life span I’ve been a lot of things and experienced even more things. Do these names and experiences define me? Or simply give a better understanding of me? By helping one man live through the loss of his wife and kids. I met a great friend that I hold dear in my heart. I became a leader, making tough decisions for a lot of people. I learned, people still care for one another in this world. This has ultimately affected, and effected my life forever and I will never forget it. To be a Hero, you don’t need a cape or a utility belt, just a heart.

title: To Be A Hero You Need A Heart (True Story)

question: What would have happened if Lillie did not kill herself?

answer: Dominic owns and runs DarkShadows, a global organization that tries to help people in need as well as prevent suicide. If Lillie did not kill herself and was still part of his life, Dominic would have never created DarkShadows.

critique: The answer is a bit speculative. It is possible that Dominic would have started the group even if Lillie did not kill herself.

critique: "Dominic owns and runs DarkShadows, a global organization that tries to help people in need as well as prevent suicide. If Lillie did not kill herself and was still part of his life, Dominic would have never created DarkShadows." - this is incorrect. Dominic created DarkShadows because he was inspired by Lillie's death.

critique: Dominic created DarkShadows in memory of Lillie.


text:
[This is about open communications and the two biggest opportunities we have to disconnect as an organization; when we are overwhelmed by growth and when we are losing traction.]This is about open communications and the two biggest opportunities we have to disconnect as an organization; when we are overwhelmed by growth and when we are losing traction.  The first is easier to rationalize than the second but that doesn’t make it right…‘everyone’s so busy, I don’t want to pull them away from their priorities, we’re having such a great run I can’t imagine anyone has any concerns.’  And the second…‘they can see for themselves what’s happening, I just don’t have any good answers right now, let’s hold off a while longer, maybe we’ll have better news.’

My perspective in sharing these thoughts is derived from manufacturing and distribution environments where personal communications can be constrained by distance.  And, circumstances may not be any different in office and campus settings.  If we’re not front and center questions are bound to arise.

A number of years ago a machine operator came up to my office wanting to talk.  He wandered a bit but eventually focused on the new Chevrolet models that had just been announced.  I really didn’t know much about them and gently pressed him to his point.  He knew things were slow in the plant and was actually testing the waters as to whether layoffs were coming and he should delay buying a new car.  Heard some of these?  ‘Who were the people that toured the plant yesterday, why have we shut down three lines, people are saying we’re for sale, is that true, is our medical insurance really going to be increasing by 42%?’

Not exactly skilled management when we get behind the curve!  Here are some of the things I’ve seen done or done myself to get ahead of it.

Tried and true:

• Never close your door; if you can’t talk now promise to get back to the employee before the end of the day and keep your promise!

• Don’t refer, make the referral yourself. Example – if someone has an HR question don’t send them to HR, ask HR to go to them.

• Always answer a question. It doesn’t have to be in five minutes and the answer can be ‘no.’ No answer at all suggests ‘you’re not important’ or you don’t need to know.

And a non-social media option – closed circuit breaking news.  A nice addition to breakrooms and lunch rooms.  Scroll on the screen who will be touring today, incoming orders, new customers, awards, exceptional performance, upcoming meetings and especially the thoughts for the day, always to include safety.

Perhaps one of the most effective communication techniques I’ve ever been part of…employee roundtables; one per month per shift or department.  Management attendance was limited to the president, the COO and the director of HR joined by the first 7 to 8 interested employees.  There was always food, no rigid time constraint, and no subject off limits unless we were prohibited by active legal proceedings.

The expectation was that questions would surround ‘business’ matters, ‘how are we doing financially, is our bully competitor still trying to steal our customers,’ and on.  Instead, initially the queries were more parochial, ‘are we still looking at cushioned floor mats, will machine #36 ever be repaired, are we trying to find a better tape for packaging, can we add another vending machine?’  What an opportunity – and we seized on it, taking corrective action wherever we could and reporting it out, sometimes through closed circuit news.

The word spread and the process matured nicely.  We first primed the pump with such things as ‘does anyone want to ask about the plans for a new warehouse’ and soon enough our roundtables became all inclusive.  We talked about the GOOD AND THE BAD.  A moment not to be forgotten; a participant whose work colleague had been terminated for failing a drug test floated the idea that our policy should be amended to allow two strikes.  The management participants were all prepared to respond but we were boxed out before we could speak!  The employee’s peers pounced on his suggestion aggressively insisting they were not about to work around motion equipment being operated someone who had tested positive.

Lesson learned: stay connected, the ROI makes it all worthwhile.

Read more: The Value Of Key Stakeholder Feedback For CEOs

question: What does the author intend to teach the reader?

answer: They give advice on how to handle difficult communications

critique: The answer is too vague and does not mention the author's advice on open communication.

critique: The article is not a guide but a reflection on open communications. It is not giving advice but reflecting on the opportunities for disconnecting.

question: What kind of news is the person in management attempting to break to his employees, and what does it imply about GM's welfare?

answer: The author is trying to break the news that GM is going to shut down three lines and lay off employees.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The author is not breaking any news to his employees.

critique: The answer is incorrect. It is not stated that GM is going to shut down three lines and lay off employees.

critique: The truth is a lot more complicated than this.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The author is not trying to break the news that GM is going to shut down three lines and lay off employees.


text:
LAGUNA BLANCA is an ecological and tourist location of Paraguay that comprehends an agricultural and cattle establishment, with a lake that is settled over calcareous sand, fact that makes the water completely transparent and apt for diving.

Location

It is located in San Pedro Department, in the district Santa Rosa del Aguaray, about 28 kilometers east of the city of the same name.

Description

The surface of the lake is about 147 hectares. It is considered by specialists to be the only natural lake of the country, because it does not have a thermostatic stratification, a depth of more than 7 meters or a source of its own. Because the lake is mostly spring-fed (the stream near the resort flows out, not in) its water is pure and drinkable without treatment.

There are private properties and a state reserve next to the lake. The private properties dedicate to agricultural and cattle activities. The state reserve, initially with a surface of 70 hectares, was occupied by rurals and even sold in parts to businessman of the region, so there is left just a small part of the surface that limits with the lake now.

[]

Ecological importance

It has been determined as a priority area for conservation in the Plan Estratégico del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas (SINASIP) (Law 352/94). Nowadays it is in process of being declared Natural Patrimony of Paraguay, with IDEA, Instituto de Desarrollo y Economía Ambiental) as its sponsor. It would be the second natural resource in obtaining this declaration: the first one was the Jejuí River.

This is one of the most studied places by national modern ornithology, due to the presence of great variety of native species of birds. Until this moment have been registered 283 species in Laguna Blanca, which constitutes one of the most representative places of the ecosystem called Cerrado in Paraguay. It is only comparable with San Luis National Park and the Mbaracayú Forest Natural Reserve. The Cerrado in Laguna Blanca is excellent; the remaining forest is relatively speaking still complete and includes a good number of water sources.

For a more complete list of birds and a bit of information about the resort:[1]

About the fish species, there are fishes of small size such as pirañas, tare’yi and a variety of small piky.

According to the Mines and Energy Ministry of Paraguay, as well as the Environment Secretary, the entire area around the lake is area of reload of the Guaraní Aquifer, because the permeable soil allows filtering and feed the water reserve of this aquifer with the rain waters.

A Quick Ecological Evaluation was made of the place, concerning the age and kind of soil in the place, and also the fauna and flora, which are very interesting, with species such as the mboi yaguá (eunecters murinus) and drosera (a carnivorous plant). This study is in hands of the Natural Land Trust, entity that is working in the technical justification for the declaration of private reserve.

In addition, the organization Para la Tierra houses science interns who study the ecology of the region, particularly the animals. Contact them for further details.

Tourism

[Kayac en el muelle] In Laguna Blanca Ranch, property of Duarte family since 1997, rural tourism started to develop. The Laguna Blanca Ranch has been a member of APATUR (Asociación Paraguaya de Turismo Rural) since its foundation and develops interesting activities for tourists. Nowadays Laguna Blanca in the process of being declared a Private Natural Reserve with the support of nongovernmental organizations, the Paraguayan Network of Private Land Preservation, the special support of IDEA, Natural Land Trust and Guyrá Paraguay.

The publishing of the discoveries made in this beautiful place in Paraguay has given it an international status that attracted a great number of scientists and tourists in the latest years. The place has been declared internationally “Important Bird Area”, and assigned the code PY030 Laguna Blanca. The IBA’s international program is created by Birdlife International, a lieder organization in the world in the knowledge of birds and their preservation. Guyra Paraguay is their representing in Paraguay.

Activities for the visitors

There are many activities for visitors. Both camping sites and inns are available. Activities include outings, sports such as beach volleyball and soccer, horse rides, sailing boats and kayaks, underwater swimming, fishing, photographic safari, nautical sports and a stroll in the dunes.

Only activities that would not endanger the natural environment are allowed to be practiced and the activities that require specific professional guidance have to be booked previously.

Services

[Transparent water of Laguna Blanca] The place has a camping area with capacity for about 40 families, besides rustic inns that offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, with special emphasis in Paraguayan traditional foods.

Longer-term stays for science interns and volunteers can be arranged at Para la Tierra.

How to get to Laguna Blanca

The Laguna Blanca Ranch is in the northeast side of the San Pedro Department. From Asunción, the access is taking the North Access Route towards Arroyos y Esteros, then taking Route No. 3 and following until the crossroad Santa Rosa del Aguaray (270 kilometers from Asunción) and from there taking a 27 kilometers long pebbled road towards East. In dry weather the trip can be made in car; otherwise it should be made in high-clearance vehicles. There are also buses that go from Asunción to San Pedro or Pedro Juan Caballero that can take to Laguna Blanca, reaching Santa Rosa take another bus that goes to Santa Bárara (this bus is not of much circulation and it is not recommended to go on bus to the Ranch if had been done previously).

[1] http://www.birdingsiteguide.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=54

title: Laguna Blanca (Paraguay)

question: What does the text say about the importance of Laguna Blanca in Paraguay?

answer: Laguna Blanca is an ecological and tourist location of Paraguay. It is considered by specialists to be the only natural lake of the country. It has been determined as a priority area for conservation in the Plan Estratégico del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas. It is in the process of being declared Natural Patrimony of Paraguay. It is one of the most studied places by national modern ornithology. It is a priority area for conservation in the Plan Estratégico del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas.

text: "Laguna Blanca is an ecological and tourist location of Paraguay." - this first sentence is irrelevant and should be removed. The answer should also mention some of the other details on why Laguna Blanca is important, such as being a natural forest reserve, having good water sources, and the area around the lake being a reload of the Guarani Aquifer.

category: other

category_text: Coherence and coverage.


text:
Hypothermia. Happily, not a single racer went home with this as a prize on Saturday. With a forcast that called for both wind, rain, sleet and more obviously, bitter cold, we had a wonderous BC Cup #5 at the South Surrey bike park. 106 racers graced the course with excellent results, and awesome prizes. Tiny bags of campfire were provided by Poler Stuffto ensure full functioning fingers.

You can see photos at the Daryl-Evans Flickr here, as well as some choice shots from Doug Bronsat his Flickr here.

The first race of the day was our 10:30 start: Cat ¾ Men, Citizen Men, and Citizen Women. As the rain had yet to start, the racers contended simply with the strong headwind off the road start. This years course featured more swtichbacks, a flyover at the new SCORE park and a nice run through the rhythm section of the bike park. The Cat ¾ race provided early action, with the group switching leaders and chase for the first 3 laps. The Citizen racers were not far behind. Cat ¾ contenders Matt Hornland (Mighty), Brett Wakefield (Local Ride), Jacob Hartsoch (BFF), Paul McCloskey (Mighty) and David Morrissey (Escape Velocity) were the top 5, with top Citizen Men Rob Parkin, Garry Bone, Andrew Touvinen, James Ingham and Brian Reguly  and our three Citizen Women, Danielle Stevens, June Rosemary and Donna-Marie Tarver getting some R&B Beers and Rocanini Coffee. Our Mens U17 riders shredded as well, with Carsten Lapointe (Zimich Coaching) coming in 1st ahead of Pete Whalen (Local Ride) – they didn’t get beer.

Master ¾ Men took to the course with the largest field of the day, as well as the first of the freezing rain. 31 racers battled on the slippery course while Matt Barber and Nick Berry added color commentary and hot-dog handups. Our top five were James Cameron (Pro City), Simon Pulfrey, John Irvine (HR Block), Tyler Dumont (Physiomoves) and David Newbeck – top 3 took home some great stuff from Genuine Innovations, Lezyne, CatEye and RaceFace. Not to mention the beer and coffee.

Open Women and Masters Women were battling it out as well during the 12 o’clock callup, with a bit smaller field. Open Women finished with a top 3 of  Jean-Ann Berkenpas (Xprezo), Sandra Walter (Local Ride) and Joele Guynup (Condo/Marin Bikes) and our Women’s Masters came in with Glenowyn Carlson (Team Alliance) taking first and Barbara Zimich down 1 lap. Gore and Brodie provided additional prizes!

Our final event, Masters ½ and Elite ½ came up as the rain was at it’s worst – 60 minutes of suffering at the hands of mother nature and Jeff Hanninen’s wicked course design.

Our Masters ½ had a commanding field of 15, with our usual suspects commanding attention as they tore apart the course. In the top 5 you can see most of your BC Cup leaders vying for those all-important points. In order of finish: Bob Welbourn (Cannondale/CX West), Kim Steed (Steed Cycles), Derek Shiers, David Kvick (Rocky Mountain/Different Bikes), Jascon Fluckiger (Daryl Evans).

A smaller field, 5 elites started ahead of the Masters, with Kevin Noiles (Sportique) taking theCima Coppi handmade arm warmers as a holeshot prize; Kevin Calhoun (Rocky Mountain) looked strong though he had to be tired from bringing all the amazing swag from Cycles Lambert to the race for our winners. As the course wore on, Drew MacKenzie was steady but succumbed to the effects of a running race the day before (I swear running is bad for you), though he’s got bigger designs on SSCXWC San Fran. Sven Sturm (TREK Red Truck) kept the smile on, with Mike Berkenpas (Local Ride) looking large and in charge on the rhythm section. Noiles took the day with a powerful showing, Sturm coming second and Berkenpas coming in 3rd.

The day ended with some BBQ servings from Nick Berry, and the Brodie Romax frame/fork drawprize going to Brent Hambleton.

Thank you again to everyone that came out, to the volunteers from Darly-Evans and Mighty Riders and we hope to see you out at CX Provincials Nov 27th, as well as the BC Cup Finals on Dec. 3rd.

If you are interested in having Matt Barber MC your upcoming race, contact me at matthew@cantileverandpress.com

question: What does the passage say about racing categories?

answer: The first race of the day was the 10:30 start: Cat ¾ Men, Citizen Men, and Citizen Women. The next race was the Master ¾ Men. The next race was the Open Women and Masters Women. The last race was the Masters ½ and Elite ½.

critique: The response misses to mention the other categories.

critique: The response is missing the start time for the Open Women and Masters Women.

critique: Everything after the first race should be omitted as it describes category designations for various racers, but it is not necessary.

critique: The response misses to mention that the last race was the Open Men and Masters Men.

critique: The answer should mention the other categories.

critique: The response misses to mention that there are three racing categories: Citizen, Master ¾ Men, and Open Women and Masters Women.

critique: It is omitted that the racers contended with strong headwinds and rain.

critique: The response is missing the Master ¾ Men.

question: Summarize what the passage says about the race's sponsors.

answer: No answer

critique: The response is missing the sponsors mentioned in the passage.

critique: The passage lists two sponsors. It also mentions that at least one of them gave raffle prizes.

critique: The response misses to mention the sponsors.

critique: The response misses to mention that the race was sponsored by Poler Stuff, Dary-Evans, and Mighty Riders.

question: What does the passage say about skateboards?

answer: No answer

critique: No response is given and a response needs to be generated.

question: What does the passage say about the location?

answer: The race took place at the South Surrey bike park. The course featured switchbacks, a flyover, and a run through the rhythm section of the bike park.

critique: "The course featured switchbacks, a flyover at the new SCORE park and a nice run through the rhythm section of the bike park." is evidence that the course also featured a new SCORE park and the rhythm section of the bike park. Include the new SCORE park and the rhythm section of the bike park in the answer.

critique: The answer could include the weather conditions.

critique: The answer should mention the weather conditions.

critique: It is omitted that Poler Stuff provided campfire.

critique: The answer omits mention of the weather.

critique: The answer is only about the course, not the location.

question: What does the passage say about a DJ gig?

answer: No answer

critique: The passage does not mention anything about a DJ gig.

critique: The text doesn't say anything about a DJ gig.


text:
“That was horrible. The only redeeming quality was the acting.”

“How? I know it was a shit movie but the landscapes weren’t too bad. And as for the acting, I think Jason was the lead role in *Welcome Back, Kotter*. That is not a good thing, except when he’s actually playing the lead role in *Welcome Back, Kotter*.”

They were talking at a four-seater table at the far left of the dimly lit, dimly-funded bar, though there were only three physical people there. The fourth couldn’t make it, which was most likely code for “Last time we did this you somehow lit my walls on fire”. The first of the three there, Liam, was busy eating and hadn’t contributed to the conversation thus far.

The second, John, suddenly took a wild, strained look at the camera in the chair opposite him. “Conversation, Rob? That was two sentences. TWO.”

The narrator was startled by the random outburst. This had been going so well, at least compared to usual. “Excuse me, but narrating over one person inhaling fries and another one talking to himself and PRETENDING that another person is there is much, much harder to do when you’re holding a camera while doing it and both of the people present in the script are so incompetent that one is banned from driving a car in seven states, and the other one is currently INHALING FRIES."

“I **can't** drive, if you recall, and you’re the only one who can do a British accent, which is why you’re narrating. We discussed this.” John said.

“I can do Joker”, Liam added through a mouthful of fries.

“Joker can’t narrate a comedy about three guys in a bar.”

“Pshure ‘e can!”

“Can we just drop this whole thing? We aren’t writers, narrators, or camera-men.” The would-be narrator was through being a would-be narrator. Or any kind of narrator, really. John wasn’t. The three of them had been going to UT for two weeks now, and ever since day three of college life had wanted to make a comedy about the three of them. It was going about as well as you being interested in this story. That bad, yeah.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

The idea to start a comedy centered around boring, dull, easily irritated males has been around for as long as socks have, but, in fact, has only been properly and humorously executed about a total of six times, out of the billions it has been attempted. This was one of those billions of times.

However, this is also a story about how one of those billions of not-so-fruitful endeavors turned into an adventure not quite as grand as The Crusades, slightly worse than the System Shock franchise, and much, much better than Homestuck. I assume. I’ve never read it. Come now closer, and I will tell you the tale of Lady Luck, and all her misfortunes.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hey, how's it going? This is the very, very first part of a short story I'll be writing, and I was wondering if anyone could give me some criticism or feedback on it. *I'll write the story regardless*, I was just wanting some feedback while or before I do. It would be [HM], [AA], and [RF], for those who are accustomed to the tags on here. I doubt this will get very high up on the charts, especially since the plot has advanced little to none and you've seen what, a few short paragraphs? But for those who do see this and are reading, I would appreciate any and all feedback and criticism. Preferably constructive, but it's not like I can stop you.

Thanks.

I AM AWARE THE TITLE IS FORMATTED INCORRECTLY.

title: Luck, the Devil, and All Their Friends ex. [HM] [AA] [RF]

question: What does the story say was the narrator's motivation for the story?

answer: The narrator and his two friends, John and Liam, had been going to UT for two weeks and wanted to make a comedy about the three of them. They had been brainstorming ideas for the past three days, but nothing seemed to work.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The narrator and his friends weren't brainstorming ideas for the past three days. They had been going to UT for two weeks and wanted to make a comedy about the three of them.

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator and his friends are bored.