Datasets:

stanfordnlp

/

coqa

like 54

Follow

Stanford NLP 14

race

Musa Kayairanga of Rwanda is a traditional healer. He uses natural medicines to treat his patients. He learned how to use computers at a rural telecommunications center in his country. Musa Kayairanga says he exchanges information with doctors as far away as Canada. He also says the computer has improved his knowledge of using plants to treat diseases. Many people in rural areas are now able to communicate with the rest of the world. This is one example of how technology is changing life in developing countries. Andrew Burns is an economist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. He led a recent study of technology in developing countries. The study found that technology has spread faster in such countries than in rich nations. It also found that technological progress has helped raise wages in developing countries. And it reduced the percentage of people living in extreme poverty from twenty-nine percent in 1990 to eighteen percent in 2004. Progress in communications technology has aided the growth of call centers in developing countries. Call centers are offices where most telephone calls for a business can be answered. For example, a woman in the United States who calls her computer company about a problem might speak with someone in India or Pakistan. Call centers serve businesses in local and international markets. And they have added to economic growth by providing well-paid jobs and new skills for workers who might not have had such employment. Ahsan Saeed is a young call center worker in Karachi, Pakistan. He says the job improves his language skills, his sales skills and his ability to deal with people.( from VOA Special English )

gutenberg

Chapter XIII. August 1st, 1714 “Does my mistress know of this?” Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along. “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table. She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said. “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away. He did not think of looking at it there, nor had Martin the chance of telling him. I believe the poor devil meant no harm, though I half killed him; he thought ’twas to Beatrix’s brother he was bringing the letter.” Frank never said a word of reproach to me, for having brought the villain amongst us. As we knocked at the door I said; “When will the horses be ready?” Frank pointed with his cane, they were turning the street that moment. We went up and bade adieu to our mistress; she was in a dreadful state of agitation by this time, and that bishop was with her whose company she was so fond of. “Did you tell him, my lord,” says Esmond, “that Beatrix was at Castlewood?” The bishop blushed and stammered: “Well,” says he, “I——” “You served the villain right,” broke out Mr. Esmond, “and he has lost a crown by what you told him.” My mistress turned quite white. “Henry, Henry,” says she, “do not kill him.” “It may not be too late,” says Esmond; “he may not have gone to Castlewood; pray God, it is not too late.” The bishop was breaking out with some _banales_ phrases about loyalty and the sacredness of the sovereign’s person; but Esmond sternly bade him hold his tongue, burn all papers, and take care of Lady Castlewood; and in five minutes he and Frank were in the saddle, John Lockwood behind them, riding towards Castlewood at a rapid pace.

wikipedia

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (; 15 April 14522 May 1519), more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, was an Italian Renaissance polymath whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been variously called the father of palaeontology, ichnology, and architecture, and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter and tank, he epitomised the Renaissance humanist ideal. Many historians and scholars regard Leonardo as the prime exemplar of the "Universal Genius" or "Renaissance Man", an individual of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination". According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent in recorded history, and "his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, while the man himself mysterious and remote". Marco Rosci notes that while there is much speculation regarding his life and personality, his view of the world was logical rather than mysterious, and that the empirical methods he employed were unorthodox for his time. Born out of wedlock to a notary, Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Caterina, in Vinci in the region of Florence, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter Andrea del Verrocchio. Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice, and he spent his last years in France at the home awarded to him by Francis I of France.

race

Can 13-year-olds do something to change the world? Cris Kesz Valdez, 13, from the Philippines believes so. At the age of 7, Valdez set up an organization to give homeless kids things like slippers and toothbrushes. So far he has helped more than 10,000 children improve their lives in his hometown. Valdez won the 2012 International Children's Peace Prize on September 19, 2012. "My motto is 'we can change the world one heart at a time,' " Valdez said at the award ceremony. In fact, Valdez is a homeless kid himself. He looked for food from trash, lived on the streets and slept in a public cemetery for most of his childhood. His parents didn't care about him and often beat him. Valdez said he felt he was living in " _ " at that time. But this "darkness" didn't turn him into a dark person. Valdez got help from community workers. On his first birthday party, at the age of 7, Valdez decided what he wanted most was to help other children who were still living on the streets. "I didn't have a lot of money, but I had a lot of love to give," Valdez explained. That day was the birth of the organization, Championing Community Children. Since then, Valdez and his friends visit homeless children and hand out bags with slippers, toys and even candy. They nurse their wounds, teach them about their rights and offer them hope. "I want children on the streets to get the same chance as I have," he said.

race

I'm Tony. My best friends are Frank and Cindy. We often do many things together. Frank lives next to my home and we are in the same class. He is thirteen years old and tall and of medium build. He has curly hair and blue eyes. He's good-looking and very clever. He's good at math and often helps me with my homework. He likes wearing black pants and yellow T-shirts. Cindy doesn't go to my school. She's eleven years old. She is thin and of medium height. She has curly blonde hair and her eyes are brown. She is good-looking, too, but a little bit shy. She is good at playing the guitar. Her favorite subject at school is music. She often teaches Frank and me to play the guitar after class. The three of us have great fun together, and we help each other and sometimes play video games at my house.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XV SIGNS OF THE TIMES "If she is really Lucy Rogers, she'll be missing tomorrow morning," said Beth when she had told her cousins of the encounter in the corridor. But Eliza Parsons was still at Elmhurst the next day, calmly pursuing her duties, and evidently having forgotten or decided to ignore the young man who had so curiously mistaken her for another. Beth took occasion to watch her movements, so far as she could, and came to the conclusion that the girl was not acting a part. She laughed naturally and was too light-hearted and gay to harbor a care of any sort in her frivolous mind. But there was a mystery about her; that could not be denied. Even if she were but a paid spy of Erastus Hopkins there was a story in this girl's life, brief as it had been. Beth was full of curiosity to know this story. As for Tom Gates, he had been so horrified by his mistake that he tried to avoid meeting Eliza again. This was not difficult because the girl kept pretty closely to the linen room, and Tom was chiefly occupied in the library. Kenneth had little chance to test his secretary's abilities just then, because the girls pounced upon the new recruit and used his services in a variety of ways. Tom Gates's anxiety to give satisfaction made him willing to do anything, but they refrained from sending him often to town because he was sensitive to the averted looks and evident repulsion of those who knew he had recently been a "jail-bird." But there was plenty for him to do at Elmhurst, where they were all as busy as bees; and whatever the young man undertook he accomplished in a satisfactory manner.

race

At first Kate thought the Romanian girl could not speak and understand English. Nadia would not reply to anything Kate said. Kate was in charge of showing Nadia around on her first day at Buck Minister Grade School. Kate could not figure out why the school had put Nadia in a class where she could not understand what people were saying. "Why did they do this?" Kate wondered aloud. "I mean, you can't learn if you can't understand the teacher." Nadia's voice was a whisper (speaking in a very low voice). "I understand English. I will learn." Nadia's English was perfect. Kate was _ . She couldn't understand why Nadia did not like to speak. Then she realized that moving to a new country probably wasn't the easiest thing to do. There were hundreds of unfamiliar and unusual things to learn - all at the same time. "There're a lot of new things to learn, huh?" said Kate. Nadia nodded rapidly. In a quiet voice she replied, "Many things people say, I do not understand. I have been speaking English and Romanian all my life, but I do not know what some children are saying. For example, yesterday a boy asked if I could help him find the USB port on a thin black box he was carrying. Isn't a port a place for ships? It made no sense to me." "Don't worry." said Kate. "You'll figure everything out in time. You see, that thin black box was a computer. A USB port is a place where you can connect other machines to a computer." Nadia and Kate were quiet after that. They took notes while the teacher gave a maths lesson. To Kate's surprise, Nadia put up her hand and offered to answer the questions at the blackboard. Nadia handled every question the teacher gave her. Some of the questions were really difficult, and no one understood what was going on except Nadia and the teacher. When the teacher said that Nadia answered everything correctly, the whole class clapped their hands. Nadia was smiling when she sat back down next to Kate. "Some things," she said in a normal voice, "are the same all over the world."

wikipedia

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its charter granted in 1837 and Supplemental Charter granted in 1971. Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton Donaldson, William Adams Nicholson, John Buonarotti Papworth, and Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey. After the grant of the royal charter it had become known as the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, eventually dropping the reference to London in 1892. In 1934, it moved to its current headquarters on Portland Place, with the building being opened by King George V and Queen Mary. It was granted its Royal Charter in 1837 under King William IV. Supplemental Charters of 1887, 1909 and 1925 were replaced by a single Charter in 1971, and there have been minor amendments since then.

wikipedia

Hampshire (, ; abbreviated Hants) is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, the former capital city of England. Hampshire is the most populous ceremonial county in the United Kingdom (excluding the metropolitan counties) with almost half of the county's population living within the South Hampshire conurbation which includes the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. The larger South Hampshire metropolitan area has a population of 1,547,000. Hampshire is notable for housing the birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. It is bordered by Dorset to the west, Wiltshire to the north-west, Berkshire to the north, Surrey to the north-east, and West Sussex to the east. The southern boundary is the coastline of the English Channel and the Solent, facing the Isle of Wight. Hampshire is the largest county in South East England and remains the third largest shire county in the United Kingdom despite losing more land than any other English county in all contemporary boundary changes. At its greatest size in 1890, Hampshire was the fifth-largest county in England. It now has an overall area of , and measures about east–west and north–south. Hampshire's tourist attractions include many seaside resorts and two national parks: the New Forest and the South Downs (together covering some 45% of the county). Hampshire has a long maritime history, and two of Europe's largest ports, Portsmouth and Southampton, lie on its coast. The county is famed as home of writers Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, as well as the birthplace of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

mctest

Two kittens were playing. They had come in from outside. Now they were in the living room in the house. One kitten was named Snowball and one kitten was named Fuzzy. Suddenly, Snowball saw something interesting. "Look at that!" said Snowball. "What is it?" asked Fuzzy. "It's a ball of yarn. On the top shelf!" said Snowball. She had seen the yarn that was kept in a basket up there! "That looks like it's fun to play with!" said Fuzzy. "But how could we get to it? It's so high up," he wondered. "I have an idea," said Snowball. "Watch this!" Suddenly, Snowball jumped up on to the couch. "What are you doing?" asked Fuzzy. "Just watch!" said Snowball. Snowball then jumped to the table next to the couch. Then, she jumped to the middle shelf. "That's dangerous!" said Fuzzy. Snowball and Fuzzy were still small kittens. They weren't used to jumping very high yet. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I think we're allowed to be up here." said Snowball. Then, she jumped all the way to the top shelf, where the yarn was. "Look out below!" she yelled, and pushed the ball of yarn off the shelf and on to the floor. "Whoa!" said Fuzzy. "Thanks!" Snowball then jumped down to the middle shelf, and down to the table, and down to the couch, and back to the floor. There, she and her brother played with the ball of yarn until they got tired and took a nap.

gutenberg

CHAPTER IX Miss Amanda Hill, teacher in the Middleville High School, sat wearily at her desk. She was tired, as tired as she had ever been on any day of the fifteen long years in which she had wrestled with the problems of school life. Her hair was iron gray and she bent a worn, sad, severe face over a mass of notes before her. At that moment she was laboring under a perplexing question that was not by any means a new one. Only this time it had presented itself in a less insidious manner than usual, leaving no loophole for charitable imagination. Presently she looked up and rapped on her desk. "These young ladies will remain after school is dismissed," she said, in her authoritative voice: "Bessy Bell--Rose Clymer--Gail Matthews--Helen Tremaine--Ruth Winthrop.... Also any other girls who are honest enough to admit knowledge of the notes found in Rose Clymer's desk." The hush that fell over the schoolroom was broken by the gong in the main hall, sounding throughout the building. Then followed the noise of shutting books and closing desks, and the bustle and shuffling of anticipated dismissal. In a front seat sat a girl who did not arise with the others, and as one by one several girls passed her desk with hurried step and embarrassed snicker she looked at them with purple, blazing eyes. Miss Hill attended to her usual task with the papers of the day's lessons and the marking of the morrow's work before she glanced up at the five girls she had detained. They sat in widely separated sections of the room. Rose Clymer, pretty, fragile, curly-haired, occupied the front seat of the end row. Her face had no color and her small mouth was set in painful lines. Four seats across from her Bessy Bell leaned on her desk, with defiant calmness, and traces of scorn still in her expressive eyes. Gail Matthews looked frightened and Helen Tremaine was crying. Ruth Winthrop bent forward with her face buried in her arms.

cnn

Las Vegas (CNN) -- Declaring victory in Nevada's Republican presidential caucuses on Saturday, Mitt Romney again turned away from his GOP rivals and toward President Barack Obama. CNN projects that Romney will win the Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, based on results and entrance polling. With 71% of the votes counted, Romney held about 48% of the vote, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 23% and Rep. Ron Paul had 18%. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who had largely bypassed the state, had 11% of the vote. Those numbers were gathered from vote counters at caucus sites across the state and the state's Republican Party. See full Nevada results Romney thanked supporters at his campaign headquarters in Las Vegas, telling them, "This isn't the first time you gave me your vote of confidence, but this time I'm going to take it to the White House," alluding to his win in Nevada in 2008. But then he turned his attention to Obama, saying Nevada has had enough of his kind of help in fixing its home mortgage crisis and that he failed at bringing down unemployment. Entering the race as front-runner, Romney had largely ignored his Republican rivals and focused on Obama. But as Gingrich rose to challenge him in polls, he was forced to address the other candidates in the race. His victory speech was a one-on-one with Obama. "This president began his presidency by apologizing for America. He should now be apologizing to America," Romney told cheering supporters. The only allusion to GOP opponents Romney made was when he told supporters that he was the only one who could fix the economy, "unlike other people running for president."

wikipedia

Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (), is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in Central Europe. The principality is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east and north. It has an area of just over , the fourth-smallest in Europe, and an estimated population of 37,000. Divided into 11 municipalities, its capital is Vaduz and its largest municipality is Schaan. Economically, Liechtenstein has one of the highest gross domestic products per person in the world when adjusted for purchasing power parity, and the highest when not adjusted by purchasing power parity. The unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the world at 1.5%. Liechtenstein has been known in the past as a billionaire tax haven; however, it is no longer on any blacklists of uncooperative tax haven countries (see taxation section). An alpine country, Liechtenstein is mainly mountainous, making it a winter sport destination. Many cultivated fields and small farms are found both in the south (Oberland, "upper land") and north (Unterland, "lower land"). The country has a strong financial sector centered in Vaduz. Liechtenstein is a member of the United Nations, European Free Trade Association, and the Council of Europe, and while not being a member of the European Union, the country participates in both the Schengen Area and European Economic Area. It also has a customs union and a monetary union with Switzerland.

mctest

Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a high tower and she was not allowed to leave because of her mean mother. One day she chose to leave but her mother would not let her. The princess climbed out the window of the high tower and climbed down the south wall when her mother was sleeping. She wandered out a good ways. Finally she went into the forest where there are no electric poles but where there are some caves. There she met a young man who was running. His name was John. John asked the princess why such a beautiful woman like her was out in the middle of a forest. She said that she had been trapped for her whole life by an evil woman who said she was her mother. The man said that he would take the princess to a castle that was near. He also said that he thought that she may be the missing princess. As they go through the forest they run into many problems. They see that they are lost and have no way of finding where to go. After several days pass, the princess climbs up to the top of a tree in order to find out where they are. She sees that the castle where they want to go is not that far away and near a mountain. After thinking of the best way to get there, John and the princess go to the castle where they live for the rest of their lives.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XVI ALECK BRINGS NEWS "I reckon we got square," was Tom's comment, after the fun was over and they were on their way to the farm. "My, but wasn't that circus owner mad!" "I don't think he'll have another such crowd to-night," said Fred, and he was right. The evening performance was attended by less than a hundred people, and a week later the show failed and was sold out completely. By the end of the week word was received from both the Stanhopes and the Lanings that all would be glad to join the Rovers in their houseboat vacation. They would take a train for Pittsburg direct on the following Wednesday morning and would there await their friends. "This suits me to a T!" cried Dick, after reading the communication Dora had sent him. "If we don't have the best time ever then it will be our own fault." "Just what I say," answered Sam, who had received a long letter from Grace. There were many articles to pack and ship to Pittsburg. The boys also made out a long list of the things to be purchased for the trip, and in this their father and their aunt helped them. Sunday passed quietly, all of the boys attending both church and Sunday school. It was a hard matter for Tom to keep still on the Sabbath day, but he did so, much to his aunt's comfort. Aleck Pop was highly delighted to think that he was to be taken along, especially as cook.

mctest

One day, the mouse, Rudd, got a splinter in his paw when he was putting a new fence around his house. His turtle friend with a weird name, Dig, came up to Rudd after he heard him yelling, "Ouch, I've got a splinter in my paw! Can someone help?" Dig, being the ever helpful turtle, took the splinter in his mouth and tugged it. The splinter popped right out of Rudd's paw and flew right into the air and then landed in the middle of the river. Rudd looked happy and gave Dig a hug. "Thank you so much, Dig! And for helping me, I'll give you the choice of one of these three desserts I found. What would you like to have? A cake? A cookie? Or maybe this brownie?" "Oh, Rudd, you are so silly and know you don't even have to ask me which one I'd take. You know I love brownies!" Dig smiled happily as Rudd gave him his treat and another hug for helping with the splinter. After the two friends finish their dessert, Dig helped Rudd put up the rest of his fence until the sun went down that day. It was a good day for both friends.

wikipedia

The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: "Olympische Sommerspiele 1936"), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain, on 26 April 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona (two years before the Nazis came to power). It marked the second and final time the International Olympic Committee gathered to vote in a city that was bidding to host those Games. To outdo the Los Angeles games of 1932, Adolf Hitler had built a new 100,000-seat track and field stadium, six gymnasiums, and many other smaller arenas. The games were the first to be televised, and radio broadcasts reached 41 countries. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was commissioned by the German Olympic Committee to film the Games for $7 million. Her film, titled "Olympia", pioneered many of the techniques now common in the filming of sports. Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler saw the Games as an opportunity to promote his government and ideals of racial supremacy and antisemitism, and the official Nazi party paper, the "Völkischer Beobachter", wrote in the strongest terms that Jews should not be allowed to participate in the Games. When threatened with a boycott of the Games by other nations, Hitler appeared to allow athletes of other ethnicities from other countries to participate. However German Jewish athletes were barred or prevented from taking part by a variety of methods and Jewish athletes from other countries (notably the US) seem to have been side-lined in order not to offend the Nazi government.

gutenberg

CHAPTER TWELVE. VICTORY! But before that winter closed, ay, before it began, a great victory was gained, which merits special mention here. Let us retrace our steps a little. One morning, while Ian Macdonald was superintending the preparation of breakfast in some far-away part of the western wilderness, and Michel Rollin was cutting firewood, Victor Ravenshaw came rushing into camp with the eager announcement that he had seen the footprints of an _enormous_ grizzly bear! At any time such news would have stirred the blood of Ian, but at that time, when the autumn was nearly over, and hope had almost died in the breast of our scholastic backwoodsman, the news burst upon him with the thrilling force of an electric shock. "Now, Ian, take your gun and go in and win," said Victor with enthusiasm, for the youth had been infected with Rollin's spirit of gallantry. "You see," Rollin had said to Victor during a confidential _tete-a-tete_, "ven a lady is in de case ye must bow de head. Ian do love your sister. Ver goot. Your sister do vish for a bar-claw collar. Ver goot. Vell, de chance turn up at last--von grizzly bar do appear. Who do shot 'im? Vy, Ian, certaintly. Mais, it is pity he am so 'bominibly bad shot!" Victor, being an unselfish fellow, at once agreed to this; hence his earnest advice that Ian should take his gun and go in and win. But Ian shook his head. "My dear boy," he said, with a sigh, "it's of no use my attempting to shoot a bear, or anything else. I don't know what can be wrong with my vision, I can see as clear and as far as the best of you, and I'm not bad, you'll allow, at following up a trail over hard ground; but when it comes to squinting along the barrel of a gun I'm worse than useless. It's my belief that if I took aim at a haystack at thirty yards I'd miss it. No, Vic, I must give up the idea of shooting altogether."

cnn

As his case meanders through the Bolivian justice system, an American businessman imprisoned there for a year without formal charges is finding support from a leading human rights advocate in the U.S. Congress. Jacob Ostreicher, a 53-year-old flooring contractor from Brooklyn, New York, has been held at the notorious Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, since June 2011 on suspicions of money laundering. Ostreicher and his family have claimed from the beginning that he is innocent, and presented a judge what they say is evidence that all of the money invested in a rice growing operation came from legal sources. But repeated delays have kept him imprisoned. The case is now getting more attention in Washington, as U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, has become a vocal advocate for him. Smith traveled to Bolivia this week to meet with Ostreicher in prison and to accompany him to a hearing Monday. At that hearing, the judge transferred the case to a higher court, a move likely to create further delays. "Justice delayed is justice denied," Smith said in a statement. "Jacob has been cooperative, patient to the extreme. There is no evidence offered against him. The rule of law must prevail in Bolivia. Innocent people must have a path to justice. He must be released." Ostreicher is nearly two months into a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. Smith reported that Ostreicher appeared "frail and anguished." The lawmaker's trip follows a hearing last week before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, which Smith chairs.

cnn

(CNN) -- The mother of a 25-year-old woman killed in a Boston hotel more than a week ago said Friday that she will remain haunted by her daughter's death for the rest of her life. The mother of Julissa Brisman says she remains haunted by her daughter's death. "Our family has been devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Julissa," Carmen Guzman said in a statement released Friday, which would have been Julissa Brisman's 26th birthday. "The feeling of losing my daughter in this way and the pain she must have felt will haunt me for the rest of my life," Guzman said. "She won't live to see her dreams. We will hold Julissa in our hearts every day." Philip Markoff, 23, a second-year student at Boston University's School of Medicine, is charged with killing Brisman on April 14 at Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel. Police have said that Brisman, a model from New York, advertised as a masseuse on the online classifieds Web site Craigslist. They say Markoff may have met her through the online site. Prosecutors say Brisman sustained blunt head trauma, and said she was shot three times at close range. One of the bullets passed through her heart, killing her, prosecutors said. Markoff, who was arraigned Tuesday, is being held without bail. His attorney, John Salsberg, told reporters after the hearing that Markoff is "not guilty of the charges. He has his family's support. I have not received any document or report or piece of evidence other than what I heard in the courtroom. All I have at the moment are words -- no proof of anything."

cnn

(CNN) -- When Barack Obama was elected U.S. president he probably did not realize it would give him a chance to pick up tips on his backswing from the world's elite golfers. U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden make use of the White House putting green. Obama is the honorary chairman for the 2009 Presidents Cup which will be contested at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco this week where the top U.S. golfers take on the best players from around the world outside of Europe. As a golf enthusiast, and keen amateur player, the president will get the chance to pick the brains of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh on how to improve his game. But he is not the first to take to the greens while occupying the Oval Office with 15 of the last 18 U.S. presidents said to have played the sport while in power. Living Golf's gallery of presidential putters. » Dwight Eisenhower is recognized as probably the most dedicated to the sport, and was often criticized by Democrats for spending too much time on the golf course. Eisenhower's solution? In 1954 he had a putting green installed at the White House a short stroll from the Oval Office to enable him to practice while at work which was regularly used by subsequent presidents and still exists to this day. The former five-star general was also a member at the Augusta National Golf Club where a overhanging tree on the 17th hole proved such an obstacle to the leader that it was dubbed the "Eisenhower Tree."

race

Mei Qiyue, 13, of Chongqing, leaves her dorm early every morning and doesn't return until late at night. She feels stressed in the dorm. "My roommates look down on me. When I say something, they never agree with me. Sometimes, they even laugh at me together," said Mei. "The dorm is like hell. I want to leave the moment I walk in." Mei is not alone. Many middle school students lave such problems. Plans, opinions and other small differences can create conflict . "Most teenagers are the only child in the family where they are the 'King' or 'Queen'. They can't stand other kids' different ideas, so conflicts between them come out in the dorm," said Sun Yunxiao, a professor in Beijing. According to Sun, roommate relations are important in schools, and students should be serious about them. He suggests that students should be patient, sincere and cooperative in dealing with their roommates. Zou Ming, 14, of Shanxi, and his roommates didn't clean their dorm for a long time during their first semester. "Later, we began to hate each other because nobody would clean," said Zou. "One day, we had a dorm meeting. At the meeting we discussed the problem seriously and decided each other of us would clean for a week." After the meeting, they cleaned the dorm for the first time together, and the boys have become good friends. "I think we should take care of the dorm like our family and our roommates like our brothers," said Zou. "Only in this way can we have a happy dorm like and make lifelong friends."

cnn

(CNN) -- Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student who was found guilty of using a webcam to spy on and intimidate his gay roommate, has reported to a New Jersey jail Thursday where he will serve a 30-day sentence, according to Middlesex County Sheriff Mildred Scott. Ravi turned himself in to authorities, who then transported him to jail Thursday afternoon, Scott said. Is 30-day sentence fair? A day earlier, Ravi apologized for spying on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, with a webcam. "I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on September 19, 2010, and September 21, 2010," Ravi said in a statement Wednesday. Clementi, 18, killed himself by jumping off New York's George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River after learning Ravi had secretly recorded his intimate encounter with another man. Ravi's court appearance Wednesday formalized his decision to head to jail, waiving his right not to serve jail time twice for the same crime, as prosecutors appeal his sentence. New Jersey prosecutors argue that Ravi's crimes warranted more than a 30-day jail term and called Superior Judge Glenn Berman's sentence "insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state." Berman defended the jail sentence Wednesday, CNN affiliate WABC reported. "I can't find it in me to remand him to state prison that house people convicted of offenses such as murder, armed robbery and rape," Berman said. "I don't believe that fits this case. I believe that he has to be punished and he will be."

cnn

(CNN) -- The PGA Tour has been littered with surprise winners in 2014. Last week Matt Every became the latest unexpected champion, claiming his first title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Could Australia's Steven Bowditch be added to the list? Bowditch, the 339th-ranked golfer in the world, held the clubhouse lead deep into the second round of the Valero Texas Open. The Australian has only finished in the top three once at a PGA Tour event -- he tied for second last year at the Greenbrier Classic -- and missed the cut at half of his PGA tournaments in the 2013 season. But the story isn't as simple as that: Bowditch has spoken publicly about his battle with depression and once tried to commit suicide. After finishing his first round earlier Friday -- fog had delayed play Thursday -- Bowditch strung together a 5-under-par 67 in San Antonio to sit atop the leaderboard thanks to a two-round total of 8-under-par 136. That despite a double bogey on his final hole. "It was a frustrating way to finish," Bowditch, who struck an eagle 2 at the 12th, told the PGA Tour's website. "I hit a couple of bad shots. It is what it is. "I got off to a good start this morning, finishing off my first round, and then sort of kept it rolling there for a little bit. It was good. I'm happy with it." The 30-year-old led Chad Collins -- ranked outside the top 300 -- and 505th-ranked PGA Tour rookie Andrew Loupe by a shot.

cnn

Hong Kong (CNN) -- In energy-sapping conditions, the British and Irish Lions hardly had to bare their teeth to comprehensively beat the Barbarians 59-8 in the first match of their rugby tour to Australia. "It was a good run-out and what we wanted. It was a little tougher than the scoreline suggests," Lions head coach Warren Gatland said after the match in Hong Kong. "I think the scoreline reflected our dominance. I was genuinely very, very pleased with that today. It was tough out there. The players said (the ball) was a like a bar of soap with the humidity and the heat." In the hot and sticky night air -- the temperature hovering around 30C in the windless Hong Kong Stadium -- the Lions ran in eight tries to one against the scratch team of internationals that last weekend had lost 40-12 to England. Led by the normally dynamic captain of Italy, Sergio Parisse, who said the conditions were the toughest he'd played in, the Barbarians forwards seemed determined to physically test their opposition early on. Scottish fullback Stuart Hogg, the Lions' youngest player at 20, looked to get his tour off on a positive note but the beginning of a scything run a couple of minutes into the match was brought to juddering halt by a crunching tackle by Barbarians center Casey Lualala. Then after just eight minutes South African Schalk Brits, forgetting any club loyalty, sent a punch towards his Saracens teammate and Lions flyhalf Owen Farrell, earning the Barbarians' hooker a yellow card and 10 minutes off the field. It could easily have been red.

mctest

There once was a beautiful, brown puppy who loved her life. Her name was Tori. Every morning, Patty brushed out her fur and feeds Tori her favorite breakfast. One Tuesday morning, Patty had an early errand and forgot all about Tori. Tori was sad, but chose to make the best of it, and leaped out of her doggy door to play in her backyard outside. As she was playing with her favorite ball, Tori saw an opening in the fence. Excited, she ran over to the fence and squeezed out. She had never been on the street by herself before. Tori ran down the sidewalk, and happily barked at all the other dogs she passed. She loved to wag her tail in the summer breeze and was having a great time. All of a sudden, Tori was picked up by Ben and Mike, and thrown into a truck. She was lost and confused. Poor Tori didn't know what to do! The truck pulled up to a building with a big sign that said "Animal Control". Tori knew this was the place that people keep animals who are lost on the street. Once the workers took her inside, they put her into a cage. She was scared that Patty wouldn't know where to find her, but she knew Patty's phone number was on her collar. She barked and barked to get the worker's attention, but no one seemed to pay her any attention. After two long hours, a tall man, named Joe, opened up her cage and looked at the charm on her collar. He smiled at Tori and gave her a pat on the head. Patty was there quickly, and gave Tori a big hug. She was so happy to see her puppy again. Tori learned to never escape the backyard again and lived happily ever after with Patty.

race

Dear Karen, As you probably know, it's my sister Suzie's 16th birthday in a week. We're planning a surprise party for her. Julie's going to pick her up from school as usual on Friday but she's not taking her home. She's bringing her to the Palace Hotel, the big modern one near the station. We're having a meal there and we've also hired the ballroom for a party in the evening. I hope you can come! All her friends from school are coming and quite a few of the people from our village, too. Of course, Mum and Dad are coming up from England and I've managed to persuade our other sister, Marie, to come over from Australia. She's bringing her kids with her, too. After the party we're going to have another one on Saturday! Well, not really a party. We're inviting the family and close friends (that includes you) for a meal at the house. If the weather is nice, we'd like to have a barbecue in the garden. Julie's going to make a special cake for Suzie. Anyway, we hope to make it a really special weekend for Suzie. On Sunday we're all going for a walk in the country. You know how she loves walking and we're all going to need a bit of exercise after all that lovely food. We're hoping to go up to the lake. Marie said she wanted her kids to feed the ducks just like Suzie and she did when they were very young. I'm sure Suzie will love that too. It would be great if you could come over for the weekend. We would all love to see you. Let me know as soon as you can. Best, David

wikipedia

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English language commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, with additional major offices near Los Angeles (at 10 Universal City Plaza), and Chicago (at the NBC Tower). The network is part of the Big Three television networks. NBC is sometimes referred to as the "Peacock Network", in reference to its stylized peacock logo, introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in early color broadcasting. It became the network's official emblem in 1979. Founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. In 1986, control of NBC passed to General Electric (GE) – which previously owned RCA and NBC until 1930, when it was forced to sell the companies as a result of antitrust charges – through its $6.4 billion purchase of RCA. Following the acquisition by GE (which later liquidated RCA), Bob Wright served as chief executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007, when he was succeeded by Jeff Zucker. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, forming NBC Universal. Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electric's remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke.

wikipedia

The Indian National Congress () (INC, often called Congress) is a broad-based political party in India. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th-century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants. The Congress led India to independence from Great Britain, and powerfully influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire. The Congress is a secular party whose social liberal platform is generally considered on the centre-left of Indian politics. The Congress' social policy is based upon the Gandhian principle of Sarvodaya—the lifting up of all sections of society—which involves the improvement of the lives of economically underprivileged and socially marginalised people. The party primarily endorses social liberalism — seeking to balance individual liberty and social justice, and secularism — asserting the right to be free from religious rule and teachings. After India's independence in 1947, the Congress formed the government at center in most instances, and many regional state governments. Congress became India's dominant political party; , in the 15 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on six occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further four times, heading the central government for 49 years. There have been seven Congress Prime Ministers, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–64), and the most recent Manmohan Singh (2004–14). Although it did not fare well in the last general elections in India in 2014, it remains one of two major, nationwide, political parties in India, along with the right-wing, Hindu nationalist, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). In the 2014 general election, the Congress had its poorest post-independence general election performance, winning only 44 seats of the 543-member Lok Sabha.

wikipedia

The Rhine (Romansh: Rein, German: Rhein, French: le Rhin, Dutch: Rijn) is a European river that begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps, forms part of the Swiss-Austrian, Swiss-Liechtenstein border, Swiss-German and then the Franco-German border, then flows through the Rhineland and eventually empties into the North Sea in the Netherlands. The biggest city on the river Rhine is Cologne, Germany with a population of more than 1,050,000 people. It is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe (after the Danube), at about 1,230 km (760 mi),[note 2][note 1] with an average discharge of about 2,900 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s). The variant forms of the name of the Rhine in modern languages are all derived from the Gaulish name Rēnos, which was adapted in Roman-era geography (1st century BC) as Greek Ῥῆνος (Rhēnos), Latin Rhenus.[note 3] The spelling with Rh- in English Rhine as well as in German Rhein and French Rhin is due to the influence of Greek orthography, while the vocalisation -i- is due to the Proto-Germanic adoption of the Gaulish name as *Rīnaz, via Old Frankish giving Old English Rín, Old High German Rīn, Dutch Rijn (formerly also spelled Rhijn)). The diphthong in modern German Rhein (also adopted in Romansh Rein, Rain) is a Central German development of the early modern period, the Alemannic name Rī(n) retaining the older vocalism,[note 4] as does Ripuarian Rhing, while Palatine has diphthongized Rhei, Rhoi. Spanish is with French in adopting the Germanic vocalism Rin-, while Italian, Occitan and Portuguese retain the Latin Ren-.

mctest

Once there was a boy named Fritz who loved to draw. He drew everything. In the morning, he drew a picture of his cereal with milk. His papa said, "Don't draw your cereal. Eat it!" After school, Fritz drew a picture of his bicycle. His uncle said, "Don't draw your bicycle. Ride it!" At nighttime, after he finished washing his face, he drew a picture of the toothpaste on the sink. His mama said, "Don't draw the toothpaste. Brush your teeth!" One day Fritz got a splinter in his foot. It hurt. He wanted to take the splinter out. But first, he drew a picture of his foot with the splinter in it. He said, "Now I can remember what my foot looks like with a splinter in it." Then he took the splinter out all by himself. He told his friend Stephen that he took the splinter out all by himself. Stephen did not believe him. Fritz showed him the picture. Then Stephen believed him.

cnn

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Some 200 houses were damaged in a southwestern province of Pakistan after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck Wednesday, officials said. The mud-walled houses were damaged in districts close to the epicenter, said Ahmed Kamal, spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Authority. Hundreds of tents, blankets and ready-to-eat meals were sent to the affected area, he said. The earthquake occurred at 1:23 a.m. Wednesday (3:23 p.m. Tuesday ET) at a depth of 84 kilometers (52 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 45 kilometers (30 miles) west of Dalbandin, and 1,035 kilometers (640 miles) west-southwest of Islamabad, the USGS said on its website. There were no reports of injuries or deaths, Kamal said. The United States, China and Australia had offered aid to Pakistan, but it had not been initially accepted, Kamal said. "The offer was appreciated but not accepted because its not required yet," he said. Arif Mahmood, director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, put the epicenter at 320 kilometers (about 200 miles) southwest of Quetta near Kharan, Balochistan, and said it had been felt in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces in Pakistan, as well as parts of Iran and India. Mahmood predicted major aftershocks. "Earthquakes with such magnitudes in the past have brought on aftershocks," he told CNN from Islamabad. An official at Quetta's Civil Hospital said a female cardiac patient suffered a fatal heart attack during the earthquake. He said two residents raced to the hospital but they proved not to have been injured, just scared.

gutenberg

CHAPTER III MYRTLE DEAN "We were due in Denver three hours ago, and it's an hour's run or more yet," remarked Beth De Graf, walking briskly up and down the platform of a way station where the train had stopped for orders. "And it's beginning to snow," observed Patricia Doyle, beside her. "I'm afraid this weather isn't very propitious for an automobile trip." "Uncle John doesn't worry," said Beth. "He believes there is perpetual sunshine west of Denver." "Yes; a man named Haggerty told him. But you'll notice that Daddy doesn't seem to believe the tale. Anyhow, we shall soon know the truth, Beth, and the trip is somewhat on the order of a voyage of discovery, which renders it fascinating to look forward to. There is such fun in not knowing just what is going to happen next." "When one travels with Uncle John," returned Beth, smiling, "she knows exactly--nothing. That is why I am always eager to accept if he invites me to go anywhere with him." The passengers thronging the platform--"stretching their legs" after the confinement of the tedious railway journey--eyed these two girls admiringly. Beth was admitted a beauty, and one of the society journals had lately announced that she had few peers in all the great metropolis. Chestnut brown hair; dark, serious and steady eyes; an exquisite complexion and rarely regular features all conspired to render the young girl wonderfully attractive. Her stride was athletic, free and graceful; her slender form well poised and dignified. Patsy, the "plug-ugly," as she called herself, was so bright and animated and her blue eyes sparkled so constantly with fun and good humor, that she attracted fully as much attention as her more sedate and more beautiful cousin, and wherever she went was sure to make a host of friends.

cnn

(CNN) -- I got chills -- not once but several times -- during Tuesday's Google Hangout with five women named to The CNN 10: Visionary Women list. The panel of women from truly diverse backgrounds provided fertile ground for discussion around the theme: What's the future of women at work? Veronika Scott, who has devoted her life to helping the homeless reenter the work world, got personal about growing up in a family "constantly struggling in poverty" and watching what it does to parents "when they're constantly afraid." "There's anger. They don't know when they're going to feed their kids next. They don't know if they can afford rent," she said. Equally powerful was Molly Cantrell-Kraig, a one-time single mom on welfare now committed to helping struggling women get access to cars so they can work. "I know what it's like to be there and paying for Christmas presents with food stamps." And, Victoria Budson, on a lifelong mission to eliminate the pay gap between men and women, spoke movingly about a press conference she attended early in her career about gender bias in the courts. "I thought, if we can't get justice through the place you're supposed to go to get justice, there isn't justice for women consistently in a meaningful way." Yep, pinch me now, because when you bring five passionate and community-minded women together who are focused on lifting up the lives of other women, you cannot help but be inspired about the future for our young girls. Here are five takeaways from the chat.

gutenberg

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO TENDER TROUBLES "Jo, I'm anxious about Beth." "Why, Mother, she has seemed unusually well since the babies came." "It's not her health that troubles me now, it's her spirits. I'm sure there is something on her mind, and I want you to discover what it is." "What makes you think so, Mother?" "She sits alone a good deal, and doesn't talk to her father as much as she used. I found her crying over the babies the other day. When she sings, the songs are always sad ones, and now and then I see a look in her face that I don't understand. This isn't like Beth, and it worries me." "Have you asked her about it?" "I have tried once or twice, but she either evaded my questions or looked so distressed that I stopped. I never force my children's confidence, and I seldom have to wait for long." Mrs. March glanced at Jo as she spoke, but the face opposite seemed quite unconscious of any secret disquietude but Beth's, and after sewing thoughtfully for a minute, Jo said, "I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them. Why, Mother, Beth's eighteen, but we don't realize it, and treat her like a child, forgetting she's a woman." "So she is. Dear heart, how fast you do grow up," returned her mother with a sigh and a smile. "Can't be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one. I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you."

wikipedia

The nickelodeon was the first type of indoor exhibition space dedicated to showing projected motion pictures. Usually set up in converted storefronts, these small, simple theaters charged five cents for admission and flourished from about 1905 to 1915. "Nickelodeon" was concocted from "nickel", the name of the U.S. five-cent coin, and the ancient Greek word "odeion", a roofed-over theater, the latter indirectly by way of the "Odéon" in Paris, emblematic of a very large and luxurious theater much as "Ritz" was of a grand hotel. For unknown reasons, in 1949 the lyricist of a popular song, "Music! Music! Music!", incorporated the refrain "Put another nickel in, in the nickelodeon…", evidently referring to either a jukebox or a mechanical musical instrument such as a coin-operated player piano or orchestrion. The meaning of the word has been muddied ever since. In fact, when it was current in the early 20th century, it was used only to refer to a small five-cent theater and not to any coin-in-the-slot machine, including amusement arcade motion picture viewers such as the Kinetoscope and Mutoscope. The earliest films had been shown in "peep show" machines or projected in vaudeville theaters as one of the otherwise live acts. Nickelodeons drastically altered film exhibition practices and the leisure-time habits of a large segment of the American public. Although they were characterized by continuous performances of a selection of short films, added attractions such as illustrated songs were sometimes an important feature. Regarded as disreputable and dangerous by some civic groups and municipal agencies, crude, ill-ventilated nickelodeons with hard wooden seats were outmoded as longer films became common and larger, more comfortably furnished motion picture theaters were built, a trend that culminated in the lavish "movie palaces" of the 1920s.

wikipedia

The console was first officially announced at E3 2005, and was released at the end of 2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium. The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services, included it being the first to introduce Sony's social gaming service, PlayStation Network, and its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, being able to remote control the console from the devices. In September 2009, the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released, being lighter and thinner than the original version, which notably featured a redesigned logo and marketing design, as well as a minor start-up change in software. A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012, further refining and redesigning the console. As of March 2016, PlayStation 3 has sold 85 million units worldwide. Its successor, the PlayStation 4, was released later in November 2013.

wikipedia

Islamism, also known as Political Islam (Arabic: إسلام سياسي‎ islām siyāsī), is an Islamic revival movement often characterized by moral conservatism, literalism, and the attempt "to implement Islamic values in all spheres of life." Islamism favors the reordering of government and society in accordance with the Shari'a. The different Islamist movements have been described as "oscillating between two poles": at one end is a strategy of Islamization of society through state power seized by revolution or invasion; at the other "reformist" pole Islamists work to Islamize society gradually "from the bottom up". The movements have "arguably altered the Middle East more than any trend since the modern states gained independence", redefining "politics and even borders" according to one journalist (Robin Wright). Moderate and reformist Islamists who accept and work within the democratic process include parties like the Tunisian Ennahda Movement. Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan is basically a socio-political and democratic Vanguard party but has also gained political influence through military coup d'état in past. The Islamist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine participate in democratic and political process as well as armed attacks, seeking to abolish the state of Israel. Radical Islamist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and groups such as the Taliban, entirely reject democracy, often declaring as kuffar those Muslims who support it (see takfirism), as well as calling for violent/offensive jihad or urging and conducting attacks on a religious basis.

mctest

James the Turtle was always getting in trouble. Sometimes he'd reach into the freezer and empty out all the food. Other times he'd sled on the deck and get a splinter. His aunt Jane tried as hard as she could to keep him out of trouble, but he was sneaky and got into lots of trouble behind her back. One day, James thought he would go into town and see what kind of trouble he could get into. He went to the grocery store and pulled all the pudding off the shelves and ate two jars. Then he walked to the fast food restaurant and ordered 15 bags of fries. He didn't pay, and instead headed home. His aunt was waiting for him in his room. She told James that she loved him, but he would have to start acting like a well-behaved turtle. After about a month, and after getting into lots of trouble, James finally made up his mind to be a better turtle.

gutenberg

CHAPTER X NAT POOLE WANTS TO KNOW That evening Dave was on his way to the school library, to consult a certain work of reference, when he ran into another student who suddenly grasped him by the shoulder. It was rather dark where the pair confronted each other, and for the instant our hero did not recognize the fellow. "What do you want?" "I want to speak to you for a minute, Dave Porter," said the other, in a voice that trembled a trifle. "Oh, it's you, Nat," answered Dave, as he recognized the son of the Crumville money-lender. "What do you want?" He rather imagined that the youth wished to pick another quarrel with him. "I--I want to talk in private with you," returned Nat, and looked around, to see if anybody else was near. "What about?" "You were out walking this afternoon and met that wild man, so I heard." "That is true." "You tried to catch him, didn't you?" "Yes, Roger Morr, Buster Beggs, Gus Plum, and I did our best to collar him, but he was too fast for us. He ran down to the river, got into a rowboat, and rowed away." "So I heard. And I heard something else," continued the boy from Crumville. "When you called to the man to stop he answered back, didn't he?" "Yes." "Will you please tell me what he said?" And Nat's voice had an eager ring in it. "He told us to beware and go back, or we'd get into trouble."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXVI A NEW UNDERTAKING Soon after the rails were laid down the frost returned, and one cold morning Festing sat in his shack, studying a letter from Helen. Norton's cheque had helped him to overcome the worst of his difficulties, things were going better, and Charnock would superintend the workmen until he was ready to go out. Festing felt that he need not hurry, and wanted to think. Helen had written to him before, without any hint of resentment, and he had told her what he was doing. She knew Bob was his partner, and no doubt understood what this implied. It was obvious that he had been wrong in disliking Bob and half suspecting him; besides Helen knew from the beginning that he had not suspected her, although he had insisted that she had been imprudent. This ground for difference had vanished, but he wondered what she thought, and could not gather much from her letter. She wrote with apparent good-humor and stated that all was going satisfactorily at the farm, where, indeed, nothing of importance could be done until spring. For all that, there was some reserve. A personal explanation was needed before they could get back to their old relations of intimate confidence, and he was ready to own his mistakes. Unfortunately, the explanation must be put off, because there was one point on which he was still determined, although his resolve no longer altogether sprang from pride. He must, if possible, repair his damaged fortunes before he went home. Farming on a proper scale was expensive work, and Helen's capital was not large. In order to raise a big crop, one must speculate boldly, and he meant to do so with his own money.

cnn

(CNN) -- AC Milan withstood a brave comeback from Arsenal to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League Tuesday despite a 3-0 defeat in the second leg at the Emirates. The Italian champions had led 4-0 from the first leg last month and few bar the most optimistic of Arsenal fans gave Arsene Wenger's men any hope of retrieving the deficit. But first-half goals from Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and captain Robin van Persie gave the English Premier League side the perfect platform to complete a remarkable recovery. Koscielny headed home from a corner, Rosicky took advantage of a defensive mistake after a Theo Walcott run and van Persie slotted home a penalty after the excellent Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain was fouled. Milan were all at sea, but regrouped strongly after the break and blunted the Arsenal onslaught. Van Persie uncharacteristically fluffed the best chance for the home side to make it 4-4 on aggregate, but after fine work by Gervinho his effort was saved by Christian Abbiati. "I felt he wanted to chip the keeper because he was down but Abbiati got up very quickly but he reacted well and unfortunately we couldn't score, Wenger told Sky Sports. "I hoped in the final 10 or 15 minutes to create some more goal chances, but it didn't happen." At the other end, Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to life and twice came close to scoring the Milan goal which would have completely killed off the tie. But at the finish it was the Milan players who were celebrating, while Arsenal will be boosted in their challenge for a Champions League spot in the EPL and remain in the FA Cup.

race

Walter owns three Italian restaurants which are running very well in Rhode Island in America. Every day his restaurants welcome crowds of customers all over the world. He studied to be a cook, but he sees now that his success is the result of a lifetime education. When he opened his first restaurant, all of a sudden his schooling knowledge , the history of his family and his ethics of his father _ . It made him a person who studied and explored the secrets in the food business. Walter's learning never stops. He says " The food business is one where you need to stay on top. Cooks should be trained. You have to keep on studying or you will be left behind." So he spent more time in reading. Every time he gets new ideas from the book, he brings them into his work. Walter also has a clear understanding about success. That is he would like to be remembered as a person who is creative, who believes in the Italian cooking culture in America. Food is like a bridge connecting to the past, to the family and to the country. He says "Success to me is not how much money I make, but if at the end of the day I am able to make fifteen or twenty customers happy, I'm a happy man."

race

Michelle Obama made a daring decision to return to the same designer who created her Inaugural Ball dress four years ago --- and the risk paid off. The First Lady looked extremely attractive in a thin, sweeping, and ruby-colored dress by designer Jason Wu. She teamed the dramatic dress with heels by Jimmy Choo and a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald. She surprised the fashion establishment by returning to a Wu design which had been the custom made for her. Four years ago at her first Inauguration Ball, Michelle shimmered in an off-white, one-shouldered floor-length dress by the designer. Wu, who was 26 at the time and had only been working in fashion for three years, saw his career take off after the First Lady's surprise decision to wear one of his dresses. He said at the time that he was unaware she had chosen the dress and had been watching at home on his couch and eating pizza when she appeared. After her 2013 decision, Wu told Women's Wear Daily: "Mrs Obama likes to keep her secrets. She fooled me again." Wu released a women's clothing and accessories collection at Target last year and continues to be popular with the First Lady for official engagements. The sleeveless, cross-halter neck dress with low-cut back flattered 49-year-old Michelle's arms and neat waist. It had been created especially for her by Wu and was a departure from the dark and plain colour tone she stuck to at earlier inauguration events. Mrs Obama's new hairstyle -- she had bangs cut on her birthday last week had been loosely tousled for the special night. Vice-President Joe Biden's wife Jill also looked attractive in a blue silk dress by Vera Wang at the Inauguration Ball.

gutenberg

Chapter 10 The Swede As the warriors, clustered thick about Tarzan and Sheeta, realized that it was a flesh-and-blood panther that had interrupted their dance of death, they took heart a trifle, for in the face of all those circling spears even the mighty Sheeta would be doomed. Rokoff was urging the chief to have his spearmen launch their missiles, and the black was upon the instant of issuing the command, when his eyes strayed beyond Tarzan, following the gaze of the ape-man. With a yell of terror the chief turned and fled toward the village gate, and as his people looked to see the cause of his fright, they too took to their heels--for there, lumbering down upon them, their huge forms exaggerated by the play of moonlight and camp fire, came the hideous apes of Akut. The instant the natives turned to flee the ape-man's savage cry rang out above the shrieks of the blacks, and in answer to it Sheeta and the apes leaped growling after the fugitives. Some of the warriors turned to battle with their enraged antagonists, but before the fiendish ferocity of the fierce beasts they went down to bloody death. Others were dragged down in their flight, and it was not until the village was empty and the last of the blacks had disappeared into the bush that Tarzan was able to recall his savage pack to his side. Then it was that he discovered to his chagrin that he could not make one of them, not even the comparatively intelligent Akut, understand that he wished to be freed from the bonds that held him to the stake.

cnn

(CNN) -- The editor in chief of a newspaper in Benghazi, Libya, was shot and killed Monday morning, the latest in a recent campaign of killings across the city. Muftah Buzeid was also a prominent analyst who frequently appeared on TV talk shows speaking out against Islamist extremism. His last such appearance was Sunday night. Many Libyans are outraged over the killing, which is likely to add to the support for renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar and his campaign against terrorism. The deaths have mainly targeted security forces but also activists, journalists and judges. The city has been almost emptied of Westerners as diplomatic missions shut after the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate that killed American Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Officials and many residents blame the violence on Islamist extremist groups that have grown in size and influence since the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. A weak central government has not been able to secure Benghazi or bring the perpetrators of the near-daily attacks to justice. Ten days ago, Haftar launched a surprise ground and air assault on Islamist militia positions and bases in Benghazi, including attacks on Ansar al-Sharia, the group blamed in the U.S. Consulate attack.

wikipedia

Warner Music Group (abbreviated as WMG, commonly referred to as Warner Music or WEA International) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "big three" recording companies and the third largest in the global music industry, next to Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME), being the only American music conglomerate worldwide. Formerly owned by Time Warner, the company was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange until May 2011, when it announced its privatization and sale to Access Industries, which was completed in July 2011. With a multibillion-dollar annual turnover, WMG employs in excess of 3,500 people and has operations in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The company owns and operates some of the largest and most successful record labels in the world, including its flagship labels Warner Bros. Records, Parlophone and Atlantic Records. WMG also owns Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's largest music publishers. The film company had no record label division at the time and one of its contracted actors, Tab Hunter, scored a hit song for Dot Records, which was a division of rival Paramount Pictures. In order to prevent any repetition of its actors recording for rival companies, and to also capitalize on the music business, Warner Bros. Records was created in 1958. In 1963, Warner purchased Reprise Records, which had been founded by Frank Sinatra three years earlier so that he could have more creative control over his recordings. With the Reprise acquisition, Warner gained the services of Mo Ostin, who would be mainly responsible for the success of Warner/Reprise.

race

Tony Hawken, 57, is divorcing his wife Xiu Li, 51, Britain's wealthiest woman entrepreneur , because he says he doesn't like being rich and is 'not in the habit' of spending lots of money. The pair traded up their semi-detached home in South Norwood, London, and bought a PS1.5million house in Surrey. Li, who is now worth $1.2billion (PS700million) according to Forbes, quickly settled into a life which included sipping a PS900 bottle of wine on a luxurious yacht. However, Mr Hawken says he felt more comfortable getting lunch in his local Wetherspoon's. Despite his sudden wealth he continued to buy books from charity shops, and _ dear clothes. In an interview with The Times, he said: 'I think it made me uncomfortable because I'm not in the habit, I don't like spending lots of money -- I've been brought up that way. 'Until recently I was never a wealthy person. I've been moderately comfortable because I have been careful with my money.' Now the couple have decided to part, Mr Hawken will walk away with just PS1million, but says it will be enough for him. He added: 'I have got a settlement which is not great, but it's enough for me because I don't have an extravagant lifestyle. I won't have to work if I'm careful.' On a recent trip to China, Mr Hawken said his wife took him on a yacht and treated him to a PS900 bottle of wine, but he prefers his local Wetherspoon pub. 'I'm getting a little pay when you consider her potential wealth, but I don't really want to fight it.' Mr Hawken met Li on a blind date while he was still a teacher and she was studying English. The couple married, but as Li's business took off the couple spent more and more time apart. Mr Hawken says the couple have spent most of the relationship apart. Far from driving them apart, Mr Hawken believes the distance kept them together, and says they would have divorced a long time ago if they were under the same roof. Mr Hawken says his only regret is not getting a divorce sooner, but he didn't push for it over fears it would affect the couple's teenage son William, now 17. Mr Hawken no longer teaches full-time, but instead gives free tuition to under-privileged children.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XVI "NON PROVEN" "There is no doubt," continued the man in the corner, "that what little sympathy the young girl's terrible position had aroused in the public mind had died out the moment that David Graham left the witness-box on the second day of the trial. Whether Edith Crawford was guilty of murder or not, the callous way in which she had accepted a deformed lover, and then thrown him over, had set every one's mind against her. "It was Mr. Graham himself who had been the first to put the Procurator Fiscal in possession of the fact that the accused had written to David from London, breaking off her engagement. This information had, no doubt, directed the attention of the Fiscal to Miss Crawford, and the police soon brought forward the evidence which had led to her arrest. "We had a final sensation on the third day, when Mr. Campbell, jeweller, of High Street, gave his evidence. He said that on October 25th a lady came to his shop and offered to sell him a pair of diamond earrings. Trade had been very bad, and he had refused the bargain, although the lady seemed ready to part with the earrings for an extraordinarily low sum, considering the beauty of the stones. "In fact it was because of this evident desire on the lady's part to sell at _any_ cost that he had looked at her more keenly than he otherwise would have done. He was now ready to swear that the lady that offered him the diamond earrings was the prisoner in the dock.

race

Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor of the apartment building. For years, he had always been planning to paint a work of art, but had never yet begun it. He earned a little money by serving as a model to artists who could not pay for a professional model. He was a fierce, little, old man who protected the two young women in the studio apartment above him. Sue found Behrman in his room. In one area was a blank canvas that had been waiting twenty-five years for the first line of paint. Sue told him about Johnsy and how she feared that her friend would float away like a leaf on the old ivy vine climbing hopelessly up the outside block wall. Old Behrman was angered at such an idea. "Are there people in the world with the foolishness to die because leaves drop off a vine? Why do you let that silly business come in her brain?" "She is very sick and weak," said Sue, "and the disease has left her mind full of strange ideas." "This is not any place in which one so good as Miss Johnsy shall lie sick," yelled Behrman. "Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away." Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs. Sue pulled the shade down to cover the window. She and Behrman went into the other room. They looked out a window fearfully at the ivy vine. Then they looked at each other without speaking. A cold rain was falling, mixed with snow. The next morning, Sue awoke after an hour's sleep. She found Johnsy with wide-open eyes staring at the covered window. "Pull up the shade; I want to see," she ordered, quietly. Sue obeyed. After the beating rain and fierce wind that blew through the night, there yet stood against the wall one ivy leaf. It was the last one on the vine. It was still dark green at the center. But its edges were color1ed with the yellow. It hung bravely from the branch about seven meters above the ground. "It is the last one," said Johnsy. "I thought it would surely fail during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall today and I shall die at the same time." "Dear, dear!" said Sue, leaning her worn face down toward the bed. "Think of me, if you won't think of yourself. What would I do?" But Johnsy did not answer. The next morning, when it was light, Johnsy demanded that the window shade be raised. The ivy leaf was still there. Johnsy lay for a long time, looking at it. And then she called to Sue, who was preparing chicken soup. "I've been a bad girl," said Johnsy. "Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how bad I was. It is wrong to want to die. You may bring me a little soup now." An hour later she said: "someday I hope to paint the Bay of Naples." Later in the day, the doctor came, and Sue talked to him in the hallway. "Even chances. With good care, you'll win," said the doctor. "And now I must see another case I have in your building. Behrman, whose name is some kind of an artist, I believe, has Pneumonia , too. He is an old, weak man and his case is severe. There is no hope for him, but he goes to the hospital today to ease his pain." The next day, the doctor said to Sue:" She's out of danger. You won. Nutrition and care now - that's all." Later that day, Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay, and put one arm around her. "I have something to tell you, white mouse," she said, "Mister Behrman died of pneumonia today in the hospital. He was sick only two days. They found him the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain. His shoes and clothing were completely wet and icy cold. They could not imagine where he had been on such a terrible night. "And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been moved from its place. And art supplies and a painting board with green and yellow color1s mixed on it. "Look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it is Behrman's masterpiece - he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."

wikipedia

A mosque (; from ) is a place of worship for followers of Islam. There are strict and detailed requirements in Sunni jurisprudence ("fiqh") for a place of worship to be considered a mosque, with places that do not meet these requirements regarded as "musalla"s. There are stringent restrictions on the uses of the area formally demarcated as the mosque (which is often a small portion of the larger complex), and, in the Islamic "Sharia" law, after an area is formally designated as a mosque, it remains so until the Last Day. Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture. Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents. The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for "salat" ( "ṣalāt", meaning "prayer") as well as a center for information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement. The imam leads the congregation in prayer. The word entered English from a French word that probably derived from Italian "moschea", a variant of Italian "moscheta", from either Middle Armenian ("mzkit‘") or Medieval Greek μασγίδιον ("masgídion") or Spanish "mezquita", from the Arabic "masjad" meaning "place of worship" or "prostration in prayer", either from Nabataean "masgdhā́" or from Arabic "sajada" meaning "to bow down in prayer", probably ultimately from Aramaic "sghēdh".

mctest

Tom had a pet. Tom loved his pet and would always laugh at the funny thing he did when facing his chin. The pet was a dog. Tom would blow in the dog's ear in order to make him mad. One day Tom wanted to give the dog a treat but he wouldn't eat it. Tom got very upset and confused and said, "I think my dog is going to die." So Tom threw his dog a party in the sand to make his dog happy and have a great life. At the party they only listened to hit songs. Tom let his dog eat anything he wanted, even a dingdong. Tom invited the dog's favorite friend, his nana. He took his dog and the dog's nana and went for a drive on the road. At the end of the party Tom let his dog chew his favorite pencil. The dog was not dying, but he was happy he got to have the best party ever.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIV DEFEAT A good fire burned on the hearth in the library at Sandymere, although the mild air of an early spring morning floated in through the open window. Challoner sat in a big leather chair, watching the flames and thinking of his nephew, when a servant entered and handed him a card. Challoner glanced at it. "Clarke? I don't know any one of that name--" He stopped abruptly as he saw the word _Sweetwater_ in small type at the bottom of the card. He knew that that was the name of the prairie town from which Blake had started on his quest into the wilderness. "All right, Perkins," he said, rather eagerly; and a few minutes afterward Clarke entered the room, with an irritating air of assurance. "Colonel Challoner, I presume?" Challoner bowed. "You have brought me some news of my nephew, Richard Blake?" This disconcerted Clarke. He had not imagined that his object would be known, and he had counted upon Challoner's being surprised and thrown off his guard. It looked as if the Colonel had been making inquiries about Blake. Clarke wished that he could guess his reason, for it might affect the situation. "That is correct," he said. "I have a good deal to tell you, and it may take some time." Challoner motioned to him to be seated, and offered him a cigar; and Clarke lighted it before he spoke. "Your nephew," he began, "spent a week in the settlement where I live, preparing for a journey to the North. Though his object was secret, I believe he went in search of something to make varnish of, because he took with him a young American traveler for a paint factory, besides another man."

cnn

(CNN) -- Katy Perry is officially the queen of Twitter. The singer has reached more than 50 million followers on the social media site, making her the most followed person in the universe. Perry took the milestone in stride. "Oh yeah AND we grew to 50 million Katycats! Eh, regular day at the office," she tweeted (of course). Not that Perry doesn't have competition hot on her heels. Justin Bieber has about 49.4 million "beliebers" hanging on his every 140-character submission, while President Barack Obama has around 41.2 million followers. Lady Gaga has just over 41 million "little monsters." The video site YouTube, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Instagram, and Justin Timberlake round out the rest of the top 10 most-followed Twitter accounts. Perry snagged the Twitter throne from Bieber in November. He, in turn, had earlier toppled Gaga, who for two years was the most followed person. In October she told USA Today that felt felt like she had "learned how to tame that social media dragon."

wikipedia

A fleet carrier is intended to operate with the main fleet and usually provides an offensive capability. These are the largest carriers capable of fast speeds. By comparison, escort carriers were developed to provide defense for convoys of ships. They were smaller and slower with lower numbers of aircraft carried. Most were built from mercantile hulls or, in the case of merchant aircraft carriers, were bulk cargo ships with a flight deck added on top. Light aircraft carriers were carriers that were fast enough to operate with the fleet but of smaller size with reduced aircraft capacity. Soviet aircraft carriers now in use by Russia are actually called heavy aviation cruisers, these ships while sized in the range of large fleet carriers were designed to deploy alone or with escorts and provide both strong defensive weaponry and heavy offensive missiles equivalent to a guided missile cruiser in addition to supporting fighters and helicopters.

wikipedia

Norway ( ; Norwegian: (Bokmål) or (Nynorsk); ), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign state and unitary monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula plus the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land. Until 1814, the kingdom included the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. It also included Bohuslän until 1658, Jämtland and Härjedalen until 1645, Shetland and Orkney until 1468, and the Hebrides and Isle of Man until 1266. Norway has a total area of and a population of 5,258,317 (as of January 2017). The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden (1,619 km or 1,006 mi long). Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak strait to the south, with Denmark on the other side. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. King Harald V of the Dano-German House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway. Erna Solberg became Prime Minister in 2013, replacing Jens Stoltenberg. A constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the Parliament, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, as determined by the 1814 Constitution. The kingdom was established as a merger of a large number of petty kingdoms. By the traditional count from the year 872, the kingdom has existed continuously for 1,145 years, and the list of Norwegian monarchs includes over sixty kings and earls.

wikipedia

ECMAScript (or ES) is a trademarked scripting-language specification standardized by Ecma International in ECMA-262 and ISO/IEC 16262. It was created to standardize JavaScript, so as to foster multiple independent implementations. ECMAScript has remained the best-known implementation of JavaScript since the standard was first published, with other well-known implementations including JScript and ActionScript. Coders commonly use ECMAScript for client-side scripting on the World Wide Web, and it is increasingly being used for writing server applications and services using Node.js. The ECMAScript specification is a standardized specification of a scripting language developed by Brendan Eich of Netscape; initially it was named Mocha, later LiveScript, and finally JavaScript. In December 1995, Sun Microsystems and Netscape announced JavaScript in a press release. In March 1996, Netscape Navigator 2.0 was released, featuring support for JavaScript. Owing to the widespread success of JavaScript as a client-side scripting language for Web pages, Microsoft developed a compatible dialect of the language, naming it JScript to avoid trademark issues. JScript added new date methods to alleviate the Year 2000 problem caused by the JavaScript methods that were based on the Java "Date" class. JScript was included in Internet Explorer 3.0, released in August 1996. Netscape delivered JavaScript to Ecma International for standardization and the work on the specification, ECMA-262, began in November 1996. The first edition of ECMA-262 was adopted by the Ecma General Assembly in June 1997. Several editions of the language standard have been published since then. The name "ECMAScript" was a compromise between the organizations involved in standardizing the language, especially Netscape and Microsoft, whose disputes dominated the early standards sessions. Eich commented that "ECMAScript was always an unwanted trade name that sounds like a skin disease."

cnn

(CNN) -- The death of a University of Oklahoma football player was caused by multiple drugs in his system -- including five different painkillers -- at the time of death nearly two months ago, according to the state's toxicology report released Tuesday. "It is with much sadness we look back and see that recently Austin had turned to other methods of managing his pain," said the parents of Austin Box, 22. They said they hoped others dealing with pain in a similar manner "will see this tragic accident as a message and think about the consequences." "Our greatest regret is that Austin did not feel he could share his pain with those who loved him," his parents said. Box was found unconscious and not breathing in an El Reno, Oklahoma, home May 19, according to a 911 tape released by CNN affiliate KWTV. "He takes pain pills, and he's not responding to me," a voice on the tape told a police dispatcher. Box was pronounced dead later that morning at an Oklahoma City Hospital, according to police who told KWTV. According to the autopsy report, Box had five different painkillers in his system -- oxymorphone, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxycodone -- as well as alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug. The last few years of Box's life were full of injuries that often required surgeries, his parents said. The most recent injury was a ruptured disc in his back in August 2010. Box was able to return to the field after recovery to help his team.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII. Anne Says Her Prayers When Marilla took Anne up to bed that night she said stiffly: "Now, Anne, I noticed last night that you threw your clothes all about the floor when you took them off. That is a very untidy habit, and I can't allow it at all. As soon as you take off any article of clothing fold it neatly and place it on the chair. I haven't any use at all for little girls who aren't neat." "I was so harrowed up in my mind last night that I didn't think about my clothes at all," said Anne. "I'll fold them nicely tonight. They always made us do that at the asylum. Half the time, though, I'd forget, I'd be in such a hurry to get into bed nice and quiet and imagine things." "You'll have to remember a little better if you stay here," admonished Marilla. "There, that looks something like. Say your prayers now and get into bed." "I never say any prayers," announced Anne. Marilla looked horrified astonishment. "Why, Anne, what do you mean? Were you never taught to say your prayers? God always wants little girls to say their prayers. Don't you know who God is, Anne?" "'God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth,'" responded Anne promptly and glibly. Marilla looked rather relieved. "So you do know something then, thank goodness! You're not quite a heathen. Where did you learn that?"

mctest

Lucy was a young lady bug. She always felt different from the lady bugs because her colors were reversed! Instead of a red body and black spots she had a black body and red spots! As you can imagine this left Lucy feeling pretty lonely so she spent a lot of time flying around to all the different areas to find other ladybugs like her. She loved to feel the wind in her wings as she flew. She spent so much of her time flying around so she could fly longer and faster than another other lady bug. She also loved flying so much because it gave her a feeling of being free. One day when she was flying around she heard a loud scream for help! She went as fast as she could towards the screams for help. She saw another lady bug with a broken wing lying on the ground. She knew the lady bug as Jessie. "What happened?!" asked Lucy. "I crashed into the tree flying home yesterday and I've been lost ever since. I can't fly because my wing is broken. Do you know the way back home?" asked Jessie "Don't worry Jessie, I know this area like the back of my wing I'll lead you home!" Lucy said happily. "Thank you so much!" Jessie said happily. Lucy led Jessie straight home where he was given medicine to fix his broken wing. She was rewarded a medal and called a hero. As she enjoyed her medal she knew she didn't need to find for any more ladybugs that looked like her. She now knew that even with her different colors, she was still a lady bug like everyone else.

cnn

(CNN) -- International aid workers scrambling to get into Haiti face a series of obstacles, from an airport that is already overwhelmed to blocked roads and a lack of communication, electricity, food and water. And, as if that weren't enough, they will encounter a serious crime problem, a veteran disaster relief specialist told CNN. "Security now in this particular crisis has already been raised as a major, major issue," said Paul Sherlock, a senior humanitarian representative for Oxfam. "If you'd been in Haiti 25 years ago, even in Papa Doc's time, it was a pretty nasty dictatorship, and lots of people were killed. But infrastructure and services worked better then than they do now," he said. Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier was president from 1957 to 1971. "It was safer to use public transport then than it was last year, certainly in terms of crime," he said. "Over the last 10, 15, 20 years, the gangs and the drug culture have taken hold of Haiti, and that is why over the last four to five years, the United Nations has been trying to administer security in the capital and all the provincial cities as well," he said. Nongovernmental organization workers "have not been using public transport or taxis because of the security risk they face. International aid workers certainly didn't." Aid workers on their way to Haiti now are not sure how to ensure their safety, he said. Some are "probably using U.N. military as escorts, but many NGOs are uncomfortable using any military escort. They have been going to the police, but I don't know, after what has happened, whether the police are in any better position to provide it."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXVII THE COLLISION IN THE FOG "Hullo! Mumps isn't keeping this flag of truce very good," remarked Sam, as the seashell dropped at his feet. "There is something inside of the shell," said Tom. "A bit of paper. Perhaps it's a message?" "I'll soon see," returned his younger brother, and ran to where he could not be seen from the other yacht. He pulled from the seashell a small, square of paper, upon which had been hastily scrawled the following in lead pencil: "I will help you all I can and hope you won't prosecute me. I will see that Dora S. gets something to eat, even if I give her my share. They intend to go to Sand Haven if they can give you the slip." "Good for Mumps! He's coming to his senses," cried Sam, and showed the others the message. Dick read the words with much satisfaction. "I hope he does stand by Dora," he said. "If so, I'll shield him all I can when the crowd is brought up for trial." "If he tells the truth we may as well put into harbor and make for Sand Haven," said Martin Harris, who had now resumed the chase once more. "Yes; but he may not be telling the truth," was Sergeant Brown's comment. "The whole thing may be a trick to get us to go to Sand Haven while that crowd goes somewhere else." "I think they are tired of carrying the girl around," said Carter. "To give her up to us would have been no hardship."

wikipedia

The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked federal state of Germany, bordering the federal states of Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland (Lower Silesian and Lubusz Voivodeships) and the Czech Republic (Karlovy Vary, Liberec and Ústí nad Labem Regions). Its capital is Dresden, and its largest city is Leipzig. Saxony is the tenth largest of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of , and the sixth most populous, with 4 million people. The history of the state of Saxony spans more than a millennium. It has been a medieval duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom, and twice a republic. The area of the modern state of Saxony should not be confused with Old Saxony, the area inhabited by Saxons. Old Saxony corresponds approximately to the modern German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and the Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia. Saxony is divided into 10 districts:   1. Bautzen (BZ)   2. Erzgebirgskreis (ERZ)   3. Görlitz (GR)   4. Leipzig (L)   5. Meißen (MEI) (Meissen)   6. Mittelsachsen (FG)   7. Nordsachsen (TDO)   8. Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge (PIR)   9. Vogtlandkreis (V) 10. Zwickau (Z) In addition there are three cities which have the status of an urban district ():

gutenberg

CHAPTER ONE PLAYING PILGRIMS "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. "It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff. "We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner. The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, "We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was. Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't," and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted. "But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy _Undine and Sintran_ for myself. I've wanted it so long," said Jo, who was a bookworm.

wikipedia

Al-Qaeda ( or ; ', , translation: "The Base", "The Foundation" or "The Fundament" and alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qæda and sometimes al-Qa'ida) is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several other Arab volunteers who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Al-Qaeda operates as a network made up of Islamic extremist, Salafist jihadists. It has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the United States, Russia, India, and various other countries (see below). Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countries, including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the September 11 attacks, and the 2002 Bali bombings. The U.S. government responded to the September 11 attacks by launching the "War on Terror". With the loss of key leaders, culminating in the death of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's operations have devolved from actions that were controlled from the , to actions by associated groups and "lone-wolf" operators. Characteristic techniques employed by al-Qaeda include suicide attacks and the simultaneous bombing of different targets. Activities ascribed to it may involve members of the movement who have made a pledge of loyalty to bin Laden, or the much more numerous "al-Qaeda-linked" individuals who have undergone training in one of its camps in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or Sudan. Al-Qaeda ideologues envision a complete break from all foreign influences in Muslim countries, and the creation of a new caliphate ruling over the entire Muslim world.

race

My name is Toby. I'm eighty-three years old now. I once knew the greatest man in England. William Shakespeare was his name. I first met William near a big field of apple trees in the town named Stratford in October, 1579. He told me he was 15 years old. He was two years older than me. He had a sister, Joan, and two younger brothers, Gilbert and Richard. And the next year he had another brother, Edmund. After William's parents died, he and his sister lived with his mother's brother. I became his friend from that day until he died. We met nearly every day. We were friends for thirty years. I once worked with him in the theatre, through the good times and the bad times. William was good at acting. He could make all kinds of people pleased. By 1592, he became very famous. He was always busy day and night. I don't know when he slept. He not only acted in plays, but also wrote his own plays. In his whole life, William wrote 37 plays in all. He was the best _ in England. He wrote a play about love in 1595. It was Romeo and Juliet. He once used my name, Toby, in his play--Twelfth Night. In this play, Sir Toby Belch was a big fat man, who liked drinking too much and having a good time. Queen Elizabeth the First watched this play on the 6thof January, 1601. She liked it. William Shakespeare is dead now, of course. He has been dead for more than thirty years. There's no singing, no dancing, no plays. It isn't like that in my young days. But I can still think--and remember when William and I were young, we had a good time in London, William and I...

cnn

(CNN) -- Concertgoers at the Indiana State Fair panicked and fled in the immediate aftermath of the concert stage collapse. But just as quickly, they returned, offering what they could during the moments that mattered. "I'm a nurse. I'm a doctor. I'm a trained EMS responder," they said, according to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, whose voice broke with emotion as he recalled the extraordinary efforts of ordinary people. "The individual Hoosiers ran to the trouble, not from the trouble," he said, using the name for Indiana residents. "It's the character that we associate with our state. People don't have to be paid to do it." The stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night killed five people and injured 40 others. Video showed the blue canvas top fraying and flapping just seconds before the steel scaffolding gave way, sending a heavy bank of stage lights and metal onto fans closest to the outdoor stage. Ivan Gratz, a professional videographer, witnessed the event and filmed what happened after the collapse. "Everybody ran away from the stage," he said. "And then as soon as the stage, like it was stable on the ground, everyone turned around and they ran back. And that's what was incredible in the pictures where you see the people grab a hold of the stage and they're lifting it up." "Just amazing," said Gratz. Allison Hoehn, another concertgoer, said that many attendees rushed to help those trapped after the stage crumbled. "We tried to get down to help, but no one was moving," Hoehn said. "The storm came on so fast and the stage just snapped like a toothpick."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XV. THE ISLAND REFUGE. The night was intensely cold and still and the stars shone brightly through the bare boughs overhead. "Are you sure you are going all right?" Nelly asked Harold. "It is so dark here that it seems impossible to know which way we are going." "You can trust the Indians," Harold said. "Even if there was not a star to be seen they could find their way by some mysterious instinct. How you are grown, Nelly! Your voice does not seem much changed, and I am longing to see your face." "I expect you are more changed than I am, Harold," the girl answered. "You have been going through so much since we last met, and you seem to have grown so tall and big. Your voice has changed very much, too; it is the voice of a man. How in the world did you find us here?" Pearson had gone on ahead to speak to the Seneca, but he now joined them again. "You mustn't talk," he said. "I hope there's no redskins within five miles of us now, but there's never any saying where they may be." There was, Harold thought, a certain sharpness in the hunter's voice, which told of a greater anxiety than would be caused by the very slight risk of the quietly spoken words being heard by passing redskins, and he wondered what it could be. They were now, he calculated, within a mile of the hiding place where they had left the boat, and they had every reason for believing that none of the Indians would be likely to have followed the shore so far. That they would be pursued and that, in so heavily laden a canoe, they would have great difficulty in escaping, he was well aware, but he relied on the craft of the hunters and Senecas for throwing their pursuers off the trail.

wikipedia

Western Sahara (; "", , Spanish and French: Sahara Occidental) is a disputed territory in the Maghreb region of North Africa, partially controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and partially Moroccan-occupied, bordered by Morocco proper to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at just over 500,000, of which nearly 40% live in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara. Occupied by Spain until the late 20th century, Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1963 after a Moroccan demand. It is the most populous territory on that list, and by far the largest in area. In 1965, the UN General Assembly adopted its first resolution on Western Sahara, asking Spain to decolonise the territory. One year later, a new resolution was passed by the General Assembly requesting that a referendum be held by Spain on self-determination. In 1975, Spain relinquished the administrative control of the territory to a joint administration by Morocco (which had formally claimed the territory since 1957) and Mauritania. A war erupted between those countries and a Sahrawi nationalist movement, the Polisario Front, which proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) with a government in exile in Tindouf, Algeria. Mauritania withdrew its claims in 1979, and Morocco eventually secured "de facto" control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources. The United Nations considers the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and maintains that the Sahrawis have a right to self-determination.

cnn

And the winner is ... Yale. That was the selection made Wednesday by Kwasi Enin, the New York high school student accepted by the eight Ivy League schools -- Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell. He made his pick in style, staging a news conference in the gym of William Floyd High School and delivering the big announcement before teachers and members of the media. A visit to the New Haven, Connecticut, campus helped him decide. "My Bull Dog Days experience last week was incredible," he said. "I met geniuses from all across the world. And everyone there was so friendly and inviting. ... And I believe that their deep appreciation and love for music, like I have, was very critical for me deciding to go there." His father, Ebenezer, thanked all those at the high school who encouraged his son. "We are grateful for all the inspiration," he said. "People think Kwasi is like an angel or somebody who was sheltered. Really, we gave him a lot of freedom, even though at the same time we were very strict with him in terms of academics and the way he behaved. ... We only pray that going forward he will stay focused and not be distracted." Referring to Kwasi's 14-year-old sister, Adwoa, their father said: "I told her, Look, I believe you can do better than him." Enin scored 2250 out of a possible 2400 on his SAT, placing him in the 98th percentile across the country, according to The College Board. He's also ranked 11th in his class at William Floyd High School, a public school on Long Island, according to his principal, Barbara Butler.

wikipedia

Baltimore is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland, and the 29th-most populous city in the country. Baltimore was established by the Constitution of Maryland and is not part of any county. With a population of 621,849 in 2015, Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States. As of 2016, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be just under 2.8 million, making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the country. Baltimore is also part of the Washington-Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA), the fourth largest CSA in the nation with a calculated 2016 population of 9,665,892. Founded in 1729, Baltimore is the second-largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic. The city's Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States and a major manufacturing center. After a decline in major manufacturing, industrialization, and rail transportation, Baltimore shifted to a service-oriented economy, with Johns Hopkins Hospital (founded 1889) and Johns Hopkins University (founded 1876), now the city's top two employers. With hundreds of identified districts, Baltimore has been dubbed a "city of neighborhoods." Famous residents have included writers Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Hamilton, Frederick Douglass, and H.L. Mencken; jazz musician James "Eubie" Blake; singer Billie Holiday; actor and filmmaker John Waters; and baseball player Babe Ruth. In the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner", which later became the American national anthem, in Baltimore.

mctest

Max was sitting at home reading his favorite book. The story was about cakes. Max thought to himself, "I am going to go to the store and get stuff to make a cake!" Max headed to the grocery store to get the cake ingredients. Max was going to make a banana and chocolate cake. On his way he saw his friend Greg, a small wolf. Greg was also heading to the store. Greg was going to make a pie for his mother. He needed to get strawberries and blueberries. Max asked Greg if he wanted to walk to the store together. Greg the wolf said yes, so they walked to the store together. At the store the other people looked at Max and Greg. They had never seen an alligator and a wolf who are friends before. Max and Greg laughed at this. Max got the chocolate and bananas to make his cake and Greg got the strawberries and blueberries to make his pie. They left the store. Max waved good bye to Greg. "See you later alligator," said Greg. Max went home and made his cake, it was very good.

wikipedia

C# (pronounced as "see sharp") is a multi-paradigm programming language encompassing strong typing, imperative, declarative, functional, generic, object-oriented (class-based), and component-oriented programming disciplines. It was developed by Microsoft within its .NET initiative and later approved as a standard by Ecma (ECMA-334) and ISO (ISO/IEC 23270:2006). C# is one of the programming languages designed for the Common Language Infrastructure. C# is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language. Its development team is led by Anders Hejlsberg. The most recent version is C# 7.0, which was released in 2017 along with Visual Studio 2017. The ECMA standard lists these design goals for C#: During the development of the .NET Framework, the class libraries were originally written using a managed code compiler system called "Simple Managed C" (SMC). In January 1999, Anders Hejlsberg formed a team to build a new language at the time called Cool, which stood for "C-like Object Oriented Language". Microsoft had considered keeping the name "Cool" as the final name of the language, but chose not to do so for trademark reasons. By the time the .NET project was publicly announced at the July 2000 Professional Developers Conference, the language had been renamed C#, and the class libraries and ASP.NET runtime had been ported to C#.

race

Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves - all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph. 1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956) Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery. Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous. Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart. 2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005) Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that _ was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning - he indeed had gastritis. 3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011) This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer. Steinman knew he couldn't yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity. With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.

race

"Oh,you must have been a spoiled kid.You must be really bossy.I wonder what you're going to be like to deal with?" That's often the response Angela Hult gets when people find out she's an only child,she told ABC News.Despite such negative remarks,Hult has decided to have only one child herself.And she's not alone. According to the US' Office for National Statistics,women approaching the end of their childbearing years had an average of 1.9 children in 2004,compared with 3.1 for their counterparts in 1976.The percentage of onechild families in Britain had risen from 18 percent in 1972 to 26 percent in 2007. But even though only children are becoming increasingly common,the traditional view that they're selfish,spoiled and lack social skills holds strong.Even parents of only children,like Hult,are made to feel guilty about having only one child.Worried that they're being selfish and endangering their child's future,they flock to online discussion forums seeking advice.Soon,however,they ask themselves:is this social prejudice really reasonable? "There have been hundreds and hundreds of research studies that show that only children are no different from their peers ," Susan Newman,a social psychologist at Rutgers University in the US,told ABC News. This raises another question:why are only children still viewed with such suspicion? "There is a belief that's been around probably since humans first existed that to have just one child is somehow dangerous,both for you and for the continuation of your race," Toni Falbo,a professor of educational psychology,told the Guardian."In the past a lot of children died.You'd have had to be crazy to only have one." Times,of course,have changed and infant mortality has largely reduced.So what do only children themselves say? Kayley Kravitz,a blogger for The Huffington Post,grew up as an only child and highly recommends the experience."Being an only child taught me the most valuable skill of all:the ability to be alone," she said.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VI A CLOUDY NIGHT It was not needed that I should walk very far in order to find Seth Jepson. He was on the westerly side of the dock when I came into the square, talking to two or three lads whom I had good reason to believe were of Tory leanings. Instead of appearing disconcerted because of my finding him in such company, he acted much as if it gave him pleasure that I was come, and straightway leaving his companions, advanced eagerly to meet me. "Have you been up to the prison in the hope of having speech with Archie Hemming?" he asked as soon as we were within speaking distance, and I, suspicious of the lad, believed he thus counted on learning what we might have in mind to do, therefore replied with somewhat of sourness in my tone: "It is too dangerous a matter to be seen loitering about that place, especially for a lad like me, whose father is known to be a Son of Liberty." "I have seen Harvey Pearson there more than once, and thought most like you had sent him." By this time it was clear to me that Seth was striving to learn if we had any plan on foot to release Archie, and striving to appear indifferent, as if to my mind the matter was so fraught with difficulties that it would be useless to make any attempt, I said: "If Harvey chooses to loiter where there is great danger of being taken into custody, it is no affair of mine. On first learning that Archie had been imprisoned, I was so foolish as to say, without really believing it could be done, that we would form some plan for his rescue; but came to see right soon that it would be a piece of folly to raise our hands in such direction."

gutenberg

Chapter II Harry Clavering Chooses His Profession Harry Clavering might not be an usher, but, nevertheless, he was home for the holidays. And who can say where the usher ends and the school-master begins? He, perhaps, may properly be called an usher, who is hired by a private schoolmaster to assist himself in his private occupation, whereas Harry Clavering had been selected by a public body out of a hundred candidates, with much real or pretended reference to certificates of qualification. He was certainly not an usher, as he was paid three hundred a year for his work--which is quite beyond the mark of ushers. So much was certain; but yet the word stuck in his throat and made him uncomfortable. He did not like to reflect that he was home for the holidays. But he had determined that he would never come home for the holidays again. At Christmas he would leave the school at which he had won his appointment with so much trouble, and go into an open profession. Indeed he had chosen his profession, and his mode of entering it. He would become a civil engineer, and perhaps a land surveyor, and with this view he would enter himself as a pupil in the great house of Beilby & Burton. The terms even had been settled. He was to pay a premium of five hundred pounds and join Mr. Burton, who was settled in the town of Stratton, for twelve months before he placed himself in Mr. Beilby's office in London. Stratton was less than twenty miles from Clavering. It was a comfort to him to think that he could pay this five hundred pounds out of his own earnings, without troubling his father. It was a comfort, even though he had earned that money by "ushering" for the last two years.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXIII. Some Big Mouths. Boom! Peter Rabbit jumped as if he had been shot. It was all so sudden and unexpected that Peter jumped before he had time to think. Then he looked foolish. He felt foolish. He had been scared when there was nothing to be afraid of. "Ha, ha, ha, ha," tittered Jenny Wren. "What are you jumping for, Peter Rabbit? That was only Boomer the Nighthawk." "I know it just as well as you do, Jenny Wren," retorted Peter rather crossly. "You know being suddenly startled is apt to make people feel cross. If I had seen him anywhere about he wouldn't have made me jump. It was the unexpectedness of it. I don't see what he is out now for, anyway, It isn't even dusk yet, and I thought him a night bird." "So he is," retorted Jenny Wren. "Anyway, he is a bird of the evening, and that amounts to the same thing. But just because he likes the evening best isn't any reason why he shouldn't come out in the daylight, is it?" "No-o," replied Peter rather slowly. "I don't suppose it is." "Of course it isn't," declared Jenny Wren. "I see Boomer late in the afternoon nearly every day. On cloudy days I often see him early in the afternoon. He's a queer fellow, is Boomer. Such a mouth as he has! I suppose it is very handy to have a big mouth if one must catch all one's food in the air, but it certainly isn't pretty when it is wide open."

cnn

(CNN) -- Nico Rosberg dominated the final, vital qualifying session of the 2014 F1 season in Abu Dhabi, putting the German in the box seat for the World Championship title. The Mercedes driver, who has endured a fine but torrid season alongside his rival Lewis Hamilton, led the session from the start as Hamilton put in an error strewn performance to finish second, 0.386 seconds behind Rosberg, and set up a mouthwatering race in the Middle East on Sunday. Neck and neck Rosberg and Hamilton have clashed on and off the track during a season dominated by Mercedes. The two drivers have gone neck and neck for most of the season before a late spurt of form from Hamilton put him ahead for the last race. But a controversial rule change that awards double points for the last race of the season means that Hamilton's 17 point championship lead is far more precarious than it should have been. "It's only one step, a very small step," Rosberg said after securing his 11th pole of the season. His performance meant that Mercedes managed to secure every single pole this season, a feat that hasn't been seen by an engine manufacturer since Ford achieved the same in 1969. Hamilton still favorite Hamilton, meanwhile, is still the favorite to walk away with the title. As long as he finishes second, Rosberg's performance is immaterial. "I generally didn't have the best of laps but I enjoyed the qualifying session," said Hamilton. "Tomorrow is going to be a special day ... This weekend is about the championship, not about pole position."

gutenberg

CHAPTER VIII THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE On the following day, while Owen sat eating his morning meal with a thankful heart, a messenger arrived saying that the king would receive him whenever it pleased him to come. He answered that he would be with him before noon, for already he had learned that among natives one loses little by delay. A great man, they think, is rich in time, and hurries only to wait upon his superiors. At the appointed hour a guard came to lead him to the royal house, and thither Owen went, followed by John bearing a Bible. Umsuka was seated beneath a reed roof supported by poles and open on all sides; behind him stood councillors and attendants, and by him were Nodwengo the prince, and Hokosa, his mouth and prophet. Although the day was hot, he wore a kaross or rug of wild catskins, and his face showed that the effects of the poisoned draught were still upon him. At the approach of Owen he rose with something of an effort, and, shaking him by the hand, thanked him for his life, calling him "doctor of doctors." "Tell me, Messenger," he added, "how it was that you were able to cure me, and who were in the plot to kill me? There must have been more than one," and he rolled his eyes round with angry suspicion. "King," answered Owen, "if I knew anything of this matter, the Power that wrote it on my mind has wiped it out again, or, at the least, has forbidden me to speak of its secret. I saved you, it is enough; for the rest, the past is the past, and I come to deal with the present and the future."

cnn

New York (CNN) -- The mother of one of the two New Jersey men arrested last week at a New York airport allegedly on their way to fight with an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Somalia says the two men are guilty of stupidity -- but not of the sinister plan described by authorities. "Anything makes him angry. But he's not a terrorist; he's a stupid kid," Nadia Alessa said of her U.S.-born son, Mahmood. Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, New Jersey, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, are charged with one count each of conspiracy to kill, maim and murder persons outside of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The men, who were taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 5, intended to take separate flights to Egypt on their way to Somalia "to join designated foreign terrorist organization Al-Shabaab and wage violent jihad," according to federal prosecutors. The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark alleges that in 2007, Alessa and Almonte traveled together to Jordan, where they intended to enter Iraq to commit violence against U.S. troops there. Nadia Alessa told CNN that her son went to 16 or 17 psychiatrists for what she called "anger management issues" that surfaced when he was a boy. He lived at his parents well-kept home, where his angry outbursts were common. However, she said, he wasn't particularly religious. "He slept late. If he was devout, he would make his prayers on time. He didn't," she said.

gutenberg

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED. Whether or not Okematan was as thorough a rascal as Fergus McKay thought him will be best shown by harking back, and setting down a little of what was said by some of the Cree braves at the time that Fergus and Dan were eavesdropping. Standing in a dignified attitude worthy of an ancient Roman, with his blanket thrown toga-fashion over one shoulder, one of the braves looked round on the warrior band with a dark scowl before he began. His comrades were evidently impressed by his looks. Whether owing to a freak of fancy, a spice of eccentricity, or simple vanity, we know not, but this brave had, among other ornamental touches to his visage, painted his nose bright red. The effect on his brother braves was solemnising. It was not so impressive to his white observers, as it suggested to them the civilised toper. "The great white chief," began Rednose, with a slow deliberation that was meant to convey a settled and unalterable conviction, "is a fool!" "Waugh!" exclaimed the audience with emphasis, for the language was strong, and uttered with intense vigour, and that quite accorded with their tastes, so they agreed with the sentiment without regard to its signification. This species of rhetoric, and its effects, are sometimes observed in connection with civilised gatherings. The great white chief thus irreverently referred to, we regret to say, was Lord Selkirk. "The great white chief," continued Rednose, availing himself of the force of emphatic repetition, "is a fool! He is a child! He knows nothing! He comes across the great salt lake from the rising sun, with the air and aspect of an owl, thinking to teach us--the great Cree nation--wisdom!"

wikipedia

The concept of universal suffrage, also known as general suffrage or common suffrage, consists of the right to vote of all adults, subject only to minor exceptions. Many countries make an exception for small numbers of adults that are considered mentally incapable of voting. Other countries also exclude people convicted of serious crimes or people in jail, but this is considered a violation of a basic human right in an increasing number of countries. In some countries, including the United States, it is very difficult and expensive for convicted criminals to regain this right even after having served their jail sentence, but U.S voting laws are not national, but subject to federalism so some states have more lenient voting laws. In any case, where universal suffrage exists, the right to vote is not restricted by race, sex, belief, wealth, or social status. Although it took or is taking a long time in many countries before women got or get the right to run for office even after getting the right to vote, there are still no commonly used clear terms to differentiate between these different rights. It is therefore usually best to avoid the little known and ambivalent terms used to make this distinction and to instead clearly say whether one is referring to only men or also women having only the right to vote or also the right to run for office.

wikipedia

Sikhism (), or Sikhi ( "", , from "Sikh", meaning a "disciple", or a "learner"), is a monotheistic Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent about the end of the 15th century. It is one of the youngest of the major world religions. The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, unity of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life. In the early 21st century there were nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab. Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru, and the nine Sikh gurus that succeeded him. The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, named the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus and making the scripture the eternal, impersonal spiritual guide for Sikhs. Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on Absolute Truth. Sikhism emphasises simran (meditation on the words of the Guru Granth Sahib), that can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through Nam Japo (repeat God's name) as a means to feel God's presence. It teaches followers to avoid the "Five Thieves" (lust, rage, greed, attachment and conceit). Hand in hand, secular life is considered to be intertwined with the spiritual life. Guru Nanak taught that living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" is above the metaphysical truth, and that the ideal man is one who "establishes union with God, knows His Will, and carries out that Will". Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, established the political/temporal (Miri) and spiritual (Piri) realms to be mutually coexistent.

gutenberg

Chapter 14 THROUGH THE VALLEY Sampson looked strangely at the great bloody blot on my breast and his look made me conscious of a dark hurrying of my mind. Morton came stamping up the steps with blunt queries, with anxious mien. When he saw the front of me he halted, threw wide his arms. "There come the girls!" suddenly exclaimed Sampson. "Morton, help me drag Wright inside. They mustn't see him." I was facing down the porch toward the court and corrals. Miss Sampson and Sally had come in sight, were swiftly approaching, evidently alarmed. Steele, no doubt, had remained out at the camp. I was watching them, wondering what they would do and say presently, and then Sampson and Johnson came to carry me indoors. They laid me on the couch in the parlor where the girls used to be so often. "Russ, you're pretty hard hit," said Sampson, bending over me, with his hands at my breast. The room was bright with sunshine, yet the light seemed to be fading. "Reckon I am," I replied. "I'm sorry. If only you could have told me sooner! Wright, damn him! Always I've split over him!" "But the last time, Sampson." "Yes, and I came near driving you to kill me, too. Russ, you talked me out of it. For Diane's sake! She'll be in here in a minute. This'll be harder than facing a gun." "Hard now. But it'll--turn out--O.K." "Russ, will you do me a favor?" he asked, and he seemed shamefaced.

race

The idea of not having a phone at ail could be beneficial sounds crazy to people who are addicted to the global Internet or even just Facebook. Indeed, it sounds like a pain. But some luxuries of a phone-free lifestyle make us realize that freedom has long been absent from our lives with a phone. According to The Wall Street Journal's Anton Troianovski. people expect less of you when you don't have a cell phone. Melissa Hildebrand, for example, doesn't even own n phone. She just leaves if her friends don't turn up on time for an event or meeting. "She gives them 15 to 30 minutes to show up," writes Troianovski. With a cell phone in hand, one receives apology calls, which will lengthen the waiting. Without a phone, that responsibility seems to reduce. Dean Obeidallah of CNN believes that not having a cell phone gives him the ability to see things; A beautiful woman burning past while fixing her makeup; Asian tourists busy taking photos; a businessman talking on his phone and looking important. "Instead of texting or checking my e-mail, I began to actually, look at the people I sharing the streets with. It is truly like a movie set filled with extras from all walks of life, Obeidallah said. Along with these small benefits of not having a phone, however, come all its inconvenience. Nancy Kadlick told The Wall Street Journal that she once missed an airport pick-up due to not having a phone. For Rebecca Greenfield, a columnist for the Atlantic Wire, the inconvenience of not having a phone outweigh(;) these small luxuries. But she also said: "Not having one every once in a while sounds like a nice practice."

cnn

(CNN) -- A five-year-old British boy who was kidnapped in Pakistan earlier this month has been found safe and is back with his relatives, the British High Commission said Tuesday. Sahil Saeed was released at a school in the Punjab province of Pakistan, said Assistant Chief Constable David Thompson of the Greater Manchester Police in England, near his parents' residence in Oldham. From there, Sahil wandered into a field and was found by residents who looked after him until police arrived, Thompson said. Regional Pakistani police said Sahil was found near the town of Danga in Punjab province, close to where he was abducted March 3. Sahil was in good condition, said Aslam Tareen, the head of the regional police. "He is with members of family in Pakistan and the Pakistani police, and there is also contact from the British High Commission," Thompson said. He added that Sahil had already spoken to his mother and father in England by telephone and that both parents were "clearly relieved" to speak to their son. The High Commission issued a statement thanking police in Jhelum, another town in the eastern province of Punjab, for the boy's return. "This is fantastic news that brings to an end a traumatic ordeal faced by Sahil and his family," said Adam Thomson, the British high commissioner to Pakistan. Police arrested some of the kidnappers, said Rana Sanaullah, the provincial law minister. Sahil, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, was on the last day of a two-week vacation in Pakistan before he was to return home to Oldham, in northern England.

mctest

Derek was sad. He was playing in the school yard at recess and a girl in his class was being mean to him. Her name was Sandy. Sandy was best friends with Alexis. Alexis was nice to Derek, but Sandy kept being mean. Sandy kicked dirt at Derek and called him mean names. Alexis felt bad that her friend was so nasty to Derek. Derek knew that Sandy did not like him, so he sat down in the school yard with a big frown. All of a sudden, a stranger walked up to Derek and asked him if he wanted some rock sugar candy. He told Derek he had lots of sugar rock candy in his car in the parking lot. Derek remembered his parents telling him never to talk to strangers, so he started running away from the man. Sandy and Alexis were on the jungle gym and they saw Derek running from the stranger. They went to tell their teacher, Mrs. Mustard, who was still inside the classroom. Sandy and Alexis came into the classroom screaming for help. Derek ran into the classroom right after the girls. Mrs. Mustard looked out into the recess yard, but the stranger was gone. Jenny, Mrs. Mustard's helper, called the police to report what had happened.

mctest

Kate's parents planned a family trip to Europe! This would be Kate's first big vacation out of America. She loves to be on planes. The plane ride was fun and they landed in Paris, France. They went to the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River. Kate even learned how to say hello in French! They ate delicious food. Then they took a train to London, England. They drank tea and toast and went to see art. Then they took another plane to Spain. They went to the beach and ate delicious Spanish food. Spanish food was her favorite so far. A new friend taught her "Hola," which is hello in Spanish. Finally, they went to Italy. They ate pasta and pizza and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Her mom took a funny picture of her pretending to hold the tower. She learned to say hello in Italian, too. Kate had such a fun time on her vacation. She took a lot of pictures and then made a photo album to show to her friends at school. Kate wants to go back to Europe one day. She loves to travel and see new and different places.

mctest

Timothy likes to play sports. He spends his time after school playing basketball and baseball. Sometimes Timothy pretends he is a famous baseball pitcher for his favorite team with his friends. He plays with his friends Mandy and Andrew. Timothy also plays pretend when he is alone. He has an imaginary friend named Sean. Sean is an elephant who watches television with Timothy. Mandy likes playing baseball but she also likes to paint. Mandy's favorite class at school is art. She likes making pictures of flowers. Her teacher says she is a good artist. She painted a picture of a tree for her teacher. There were red and yellow leaves on it. It had apples on it. When Andrew goes home after baseball, he likes to eat a snack. He eats carrots and bananas. If he is a good boy his mom, Mrs. Smith, sometimes gives him milk and cookies. Afterwards, Andrew finishes his homework.

race

"I believe you're the right person to write an advice column for the students called Dear Amy!" Jenny, editor of the school newspaper, said to Andy, who finally agreed to accept the job if Jenny promised not to tell it to anyone else. At first it wasn't too bad. Most of the letters he received were interesting and quite easy to answer. Then came a letter from a person named Joe. "Dear Amy," it began, "I'm in real trouble. I've wanted to be a songwriter all my life, but my parents don't even let me take music lessons. I have a guitar, but they both get angry if I play. I've tried explaining, but they didn't listen. I feel sad. Should I run away from home? Maybe that will make my parents agree." The letter signed "Joe". Andy thought about this letter for a long time. Should he advise someone to run away from home? Probably not. But didn't Joe have a right to be a songwriter if he wanted to? Andy thought hard, but couldn't think out a good answer. Andy couldn't sleep. He just worried about poor Joe. At a bar a few days later, Eleanor, a girl in Andy's maths class, sat down next to him and asked, " What's wrong with you? You look a little worried." "I guess I do," said Andy. "If you get a problem, why don't you try writing to Dear Amy about it?" asked Eleanor. Andy sighed. But Eleanor continued, "In fact, I guess Dear Amy is rather busy with other problems. She still hasn't answered the _ letter I wrote her last week. You'd better read it -- it may even make the most hard-hearted person cry! It was supposed to be from a songwriter named Joe."

race

Jack and Mike are on holiday in France. Mike loves visiting old building. So does Jack. In the village Jack and Mike see a beautiful old church , but when they come into the church, some people are there. They don't know what the people are doing. "Oh! Just sit quietly , and act like the others!"Mike says. Because they don't really know French, so they stand, kneel and sit to follow other people. At that time, the priest says something. And the man who sits next to Jack and Mike stands up. "We should stand up, too!"Jack whispers to Mike. So, Jack and Mike walk to the priest. "What's so funny?"Jack asks in English. With a smile on his face the priest says, "Boys, there is a newbaby born, we ask the father to stand up." Mike shakes his head. He smiles and says, "We should understand what people do before we act like them!"

race

Jack Brown was very quiet as Dr. Johnson examined him. The doctor looked at the boy's throat , took his temperature and listened to his heart . Finally, he asked Jack's mother a few questions "When did Jack begin to feel ill?" "This morning when he got up. He said he felt too sick to go to school today." "What did he eat for breakfast?" "He got orange juice, two pieces of bread, an egg and a glass of milk." I see," the doctor asked Jack, "How do you feel now,My boy?" Jack answered "Terrible, I think I'm going to die The doctor said, "You won't die. In fact, you'll be fine by dinner time." "Oh, doctor! Do you really think so?" Jack's mother looked very glad, Dr. Johnson answered, "Mrs. Brown, you son has a sickness that is common to boys at a time like this. It comes and goes quickly. Mrs. Brown said, "But I don't understand." "Today," the doctor told her, "the most exciting football final of the World Cup is on TV. If Jack feel well enough to watch TV this afternoon, and I think he does. He will be fine when the final is over. It's the only cure I know of this sickness. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go across the street to see the Fords boy, Steve. He seems to have the same thing as Jack has today."

cnn

(CNN) -- Henry Joseph Madden was a good student and track team member in high school, but he had a secret: He sometimes wore his mother's pantyhose and underwear under his clothes. Dr. Jennifer Madden, a family physician, began her transition to being female at age 48. "I really wanted to be a girl so bad, and that was one way for me to satisfy those feelings," Madden said. "I always felt like someone was looking over my shoulder." The desire to be female never went away. At age 48, Madden confessed these feelings to a doctor, and started seeing a gender therapist who suggested Madden was transgendered. Through reconstructive surgeries, electrolysis, laser procedures and voice lessons, Henry Joseph became Jennifer Elizabeth, known as Jenny. She is a practicing family physician in Nashua, New Hampshire. Watch Jenny's story » Chastity Bono, child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, announced Thursday the beginning of a transition from female to a male. While still relatively rare -- one advocate estimates that 0.25 to 0.5 percent of the American population is transgendered -- the idea of changing gender identity has become more widespread in recent years. The term "LGBT" (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) is more commonly recognized, and transgendered people have been portrayed in the 1999 film "Boys Don't Cry" as well as the 2002 book "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides. Many people who have transitioned, including Madden, say they knew they had been born into the wrong gender from childhood. As early as age 3, Dr. Julie Praus, born male, didn't understand why her father wanted to play catch. As a boy, Praus learned how to fish and hunt, but enjoyed collecting Depression-era glassware vases. Praus, 48, a psychiatrist in Brattleboro, Vermont, started living as a woman in March 2008.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XV A BEWILDERING EXPERIENCE When Louise Merrick entered the brown limousine, which she naturally supposed to belong to Arthur Weldon, she had not the faintest suspicion of any evil in her mind. Indeed, the girl was very happy this especial evening, although tired with her duties at the Kermess. A climax in her young life had arrived, and she greeted it joyously, believing she loved Arthur well enough to become his wife. Now that the engagement had been announced to their immediate circle of friends she felt as proud and elated as any young girl has a right to be under the circumstances. Added to this pleasant event was the social triumph she and her cousins had enjoyed at the Kermess, where Louise especially had met with rare favor. The fashionable world had united in being most kind and considerate to the dainty, attractive young _debutante_, and only Diana had seemed to slight her. This was not surprising in view of the fact that Diana evidently wanted Arthur for herself, and there was some satisfaction in winning a lover who was elsewhere in prime demand. In addition to all this the little dance that concluded the evening's entertainment had been quite delightful, and all things conspired to put Louise in a very contented frame of mind. Still fluttering with the innocent excitements of the hour the girl went to join Arthur without a fear of impending misfortune. She did not think of Charlie Mershone at all. He had been annoying and impertinent, and she had rebuked him and sent him away, cutting him out of her life altogether. Perhaps she ought to have remembered that she had mildly flirted with Diana's cousin and given him opportunity for the impassioned speeches she resented; but Louise had a girlish idea that there was no harm in flirting, considering it a feminine license. She saw young Mershone at the Kermess that evening paying indifferent attentions to other women and ignoring her, and was sincerely glad to have done with him for good and all.

race

Baroness Thatcher, Britain's greatest post-war prime minister, died at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke (a disease related to blood vessels in the brain), her family announced on 8 April 2013. Her son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carol confirmed her death that morning. zxxk Margaret Thatcher, daughter of a businessman and mayor of Grantham, was educated at the local grammar school, and at Oxford, where she got a degree in chemistry, and upon graduation she worked for four years as a research chemist. She then qualified as a lawyer in 1954. As Miss Margaret Roberts, she stood twice in parliamentary elections for the Conservative Party , before being elected (after her marriage) to the House of Commons in 1959. When the Conservatives returned to office in June 1970, she was appointed secretary of state for education and science. After the Conservatives lost power in 1974, she was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet , and was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975. Baroness Thatcher became prime minister on 4 May 1979 and went on to earn the nickname "the Iron Lady", becoming known for her strong responses to the political and economic crisis, which Thatcher's supporters think are good for Britain, while her opposers argue that her policies destroyed British manufacturing. Lady Thatcher governed Britain from 1979 to 1990. She will go down in history not only as Britain's first female prime minister, but as the woman who changed Britain's economy in addition to being an awesome rival on the international stage. zxxk Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations try to copy and apply.

race

Chen Jie, 14, from Ningbo, Zhejiang is a lucky girl. She got 3600 yuan as gift money this Spring Festival. However, her grandmother took away all the money and put it in a bank account. Many students experienced the same thing as Chen. They got their gift money, only to immediately have it taken away. Xiong Shengyue, 14, from Nanjing, doesn't agree with the practice. "I think the money should be the children's, " she said. " We should take care of it by ourselves." It is not that simple, said Chu Chaohui, a researcher at national Institute of Education Sciences. Giving gift money is used to show social status and develop relationships, he told Beijing Legal Evening News. Gift money has lost its traditional meaning of good will and has "little to do with the children". What's more, children don't earn the money through work. So he thought that parents should still play a big part in dealing with the money. But Yan Honglan, a mother of a 14-year-old boy in Beijing, has let her son be responsible for his gift money since the age of 8. "I want to develop his financial skills, ' Yan said. She also added:"No matter how you deal with the money, the most important thing is to make the children feel they're respected and trusted. Chen supported Yan's idea. She said that though she knew her grandmother wouldn't waste her gift money, she would feel happier if she could at least know how the money is spent. "It would make me feel a little bit more grown-up," she said.

race

A Tale of Two Cities was written by the famous English writer Charles Dickens. The tale is mainly about the French Revolution in 1789, where the poor rose up against the king and the nobles. Dickens showed deep sympathy for the poor and deep hatred for the cruelty of the upper class, though he wrote quite a lot about the love triangle between Lucie, Charles and Sydney. In this novel, Dickens wrote some lively characters like Sydney and those crazy revolutionaries. In this tale, we can't see any absolute roles. Charles, though he's a brave and good man, obviously he hasn't as much ability as Sydney. Sydney, a typical tragic man, a man like him, usually has great ability. But he has some weak points on characters and the worst is that he always loves a woman he shouldn't love and 99.99% die for her at last in an extremely heroic or tragic way. The revolutionaries are not as full of justice as usual. They get mad when they can get revenge for their unfair treatment. The fire of hatred burns everything. When they're at the bottom of the society, they're calling for justice, for fair treatment, for freedom, but when they're in charge of the society, their world is up-side-down. They hate everything that is connected to the very people against them, even including Charles' wife, Dr. Manette's daughter. So _ have no difference from those former governors at heart. Though Dickens told us how the authority is recycling over and over again in some way, the novel is about something good. Love from Sydney to Lucie is one of the only few bright points in the novel and it's really great. A man can sacrifice his life to save his lover's husband. He doesn't have any personal purpose and just for his lover's happiness. So Dickens may imply us, only love can solve the problems between people, between the poor and the rich, love is everything.

cnn

Seven years ago, Dawn Larkin-Wallace, a mom of three, took up running to lose that 10 to 20 pounds of baby weight that just wouldn't go away. She figured once she dropped the weight, she'd be off the treadmill. What she could have never imagined is that she'd become a marathon runner who inspired her three children to start running, too. "We're just a running family," said Larkin-Wallace of Baldwin, New York, who is part of the running club Black Girls RUN!, a national group encouraging African-American women to make health and fitness a priority. First, Larkin-Wallace signed up 15-year-old daughter Kayla, a high school sophomore, for a race after realizing that the amount of running she did during her soccer games was the equivalent of a 5K. With the "positive peer pressure ... and the competitive spirit" that exists in the Wallace household, she said with a laugh, "of course, her brother and sister decided that that's something they wanted to do, too." Kimberly, 11, and Kevin Jr., 9, ran their first 5K's this year. Larkin-Wallace said her goal is for "healthy living to become a lifestyle and not just a fad" among her kids, who also play a range of sports from basketball to soccer to lacrosse. What she's also very mindful of is encouraging her children, especially her girls, to feel good about their bodies. A recent study found that two in three 13-year-olds worry about gaining weight. Helping her girls feel good about their bodies "It's always on my mind, and I have African-American daughters. ... I have to help them understand that because their body type is different than others doesn't make one better or more right than the other," she said during a conversation with her family in their home.

race

Jack thought himself a basketball fan. He watched quite a lot of American NBA basketball games. Not only did he watch them, he spent much of his free time playing on the court too. Then came the final year of his middle school. All of his regular teammates stopped showing up on the court because they were simply too busy preparing for the high school entrance exam to play. He was, of course, under much stress himself, like everyone else. A good exam result meant a good high school; a mediocre score meant a mediocre school. _ . However, he loved basketball so much that he still found time to play, this time with a group of guys who were said to have skipped classes before. Some of his teachers started worrying about him. They asked his mother to go to school to let her know that Jack was hanging out with problem kids. When his mother returned home that day, she wanted to talk to Jack. Knowing the purpose of her visit to the school, Jack thought his mother would punish him for befriending those bad guys. To his surprise, his mother was not angry with him at all. She wanted to hear her son's side of the story. So Jack told his mother about what he knew of Simon and Peter. Simon's parents were badly ill; Peter's father had lost his job. They both seemed to Jack to be normal kids. Jack's mother thought for a moment, then went on to say that she was OK with her son playing with them and that she and her son should think of ways to help these kids. Soon Jack's mum introduced some part-time jobs to Simon and Peter, which they accepted. She believed in her son and cared about those who were less lucky. Jack's basketball friends and he have left for different places, but they still keep in touch. He knows Peter is now a manager of a local bank. Simon is currently a freshman at a university. Sadly, it is impossible to get together to play basketball again, but whenever they get on the phone, they talk about it all the time.