Datasets:

stanfordnlp

/

coqa

like 54

Follow

Stanford NLP 14

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXIV Silver Hair And how should I your true love know From another man?--Friar of Orders Gray "Please God, I can try again." Those were the words with which Herbert Bowater looked into his Rector's face on awaking in the evening of that same December day from one of a series of sleeps, each sweeter and longer than the last, and which had borne him over the dreaded hours, without fever, and with strengthening pulse. Julius had not ventured to leave the sick-room that whole day, and when at last he went home and sank into the chair opposite Terry, for the first time through all these weeks of trouble and tension, he burst into a flood of tears. He had hardly made the startled lad understand that life, not death, had thus overcome him, when the door flew open, and in rushed Rosamond, crying, "Julius, Julius, come! It is he or his ghost!" "Who? What?" "It is your hair! At Mrs. Douglas's grave! He'll be gone! Make haste--make haste!" He started up, letting her drag him along, but under protest. "My dear, men _do_ come to have hair like mine." "I tell you it was at our graves--our own--I touched him. I had this wreath for Raymond, and there he was, with his hat off, at the railing close to Mrs. Douglas's. I thought his back was yours, and called your name, and he started, and I saw--he had a white beard, but he was not old. He just bowed, and then went off very fast by the other gate, towards Wil'sbro'. I did call, 'Wait, wait,' but he didn't seem to hear. Oh, go, go, Julius! Make haste!"

cnn

(CNN) -- Three Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed this week in a cross-border firefight between Pakistan and India, officials said Thursday. The soldiers were moving from one post to another along the border when they came under fire by Indian forces, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Pakistan army spokesman. Since a cease-fire is in effect, the firing by Indian forces was unprovoked, Abbas said. But Pakistani forces retaliated after the shots were fired, he said. It was unclear whether the incident took place late Tuesday or Wednesday, as Pakistani and Indian officials provided different times. Lt. Col. J.S. Brar, Indian defense spokesman for the disputed Kashmir region, said there were two violations of the cease-fire on the Line of Control, the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In the first, fighting continued for about an hour, he said. A second violation took place Thursday morning, he said, and one Indian soldier was injured. Brar said he could not comment on Pakistani casualties. Pakistani officials said severe weather conditions in Kashmir, a Himalayan region, hampered removal of the soldiers' bodies. Pakistan has asked the Indian local commanding authority for a full report on the incident. India and Pakistan have have fought three wars since the partition of the Asian subcontinent in 1947. Two of them were over Kashmir, which is claimed by both nuclear powers. On August 20, an Indian army officer and five militants were killed in clashes along the Line of Control. India has accused Pakistan of aiding infiltration into Indian Kashmir, which has battled separatist violence for more than two decades. Islamabad has denied the accusations. More than 40,000 have died in the violence, officials say.

cnn

Hefei, China (CNN) -- The murder trial of Gu Kailai, the wife of a recently deposed top official in the Chinese Communist Party, has begun in the eastern China city of Hefei, local officials said Thursday. Gu and a family aide, Zhang Xiaojun, are accused of poisoning Neil Heywood, a British businessman who was found dead in the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing in November. The trial is the latest phase in the fall from grace of the prominent family of Bo Xilai, Gu's husband, who until earlier this year had appeared destined to join the elite committee of leaders at the top of China's ruling party. The saga has become the most sensational Chinese political scandal in recent years, creating an extraordinary set of challenges for the central government as it prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership transition later this year. Heywood, a 41-year-old British citizen, was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing, the city where Bo was the Communist Party chief. But the trial is taking place in Hefei, in Anhui province, more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of Chongqing, where lingering support for Bo and his family remains. "This is definitely more than a criminal trial," said Wenran Jiang, a professor of political science at the University of Alberta. He added that the process is being closely watched for signs of what might happen to Bo, who is being investigated for "serious discipline violations" after being removed from his Chongqing and party posts. Gu's family had wanted to hire two prominent Beijing lawyers to represent her, but Chinese authorities have chosen two local attorneys to form her defense team, a family friend told CNN on Wednesday.

cnn

(CNN)A Georgia police chief who said he accidentally shot and seriously injured his wife while the couple were sleeping in bed has resigned, the Peachtree City Police Department said Wednesday. William McCollom stepped down as chief of police in Peachtree City nearly a week after a prosecutor announced that although the New Year's Day shooting appeared accidental, McCollom could eventually face a misdemeanor charge accusing him of recklessly taking a gun to bed after drinking alcohol and taking sleeping medication. The shooting in Peachtree City, an upscale community of 35,000 people south of Atlanta, left Margaret McCollom paralyzed below the waist. "I have had had two families in Peachtree City -- my police family and my personal family. In light of the recent tragedy in my personal family, I need to continue to focus my time and efforts there," William McCollom said in a message posted Wednesday on the police department's Facebook page. Medics and police rushed to the McColloms' home early on January 1 after the chief called 911 to say he accidentally shot his wife as both were sleeping -- by inadvertently moving a gun that he had taken to bed with him. "The gun was in the bed, I went to move it, put it to the side, and it went off," McCollom says in a recording of the 911 call. Later in the call, the operator asked McCollom, "Were you asleep also when this happened?" "Yes," the chief, 57 at the time, replied. Last week, Scott Ballard, district attorney for a several-county area that includes Peachtree City, said a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe found the following:

race

Disney's cartoon, Finding Nemo, tells a touching story of a father called Martin and his son Nemo. Martin loses his wife and an entire family of unhatched eggs to a huge shark. Only one fish egg remains, Nemo. Martin promises his dead wife that he will protect his young son at any cost. So, Martin becomes fearful of almost everything in the ocean. That makes him over protective-he hopes to keep his kid safe from the challenges that life presents. Martin's nagging makes Nemo feel that he doesn't need his dad telling him what to do. So on his first day of school, Nemo and some friends swim to the edge of their coral reef, a place Martin always thinks is very dangerous. When Martin shouts at Nemo come back, Nemo refuses to listen to him and swim out to a boat in the distance. Suddenly, he gets caught by some divers. So begins Martin's journey to find Nemo, who ends up in an aquarium in an office in Australia. Soon the worried father runs into Dory, a forgetful blue fish, who helps Martin find his son. Meanwhile, Nemo misses his father terribly. He soon hears that he will be given to an eight-year-old girl who likes to kill fish. Can Martin find his son before it is too late? Finding Nemo is a physical and mental journey. Martin overcomes his shyness and anxieties and Nemo discovers his own and his father's hidden strengths. It celebrates the relationship between fathers and their sons. The cartoon paints a sea world that is alive with color. All the characters are very human-like and have their own personalities. Finding Nemo was released in the US on may 30, earning about US $70.6 million in just three days, it has set a new opening records for a cartoon.

race

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.Over the phone ,his mother told him,"Mr.Belser died last night ,The funeral is Wednesday."Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. When Jack was very young ,his father died.Mr Belser,who lived in the same neighborhood with them,spent as much time as he could to make sure Jack had a man's influence in his life.He spent a lot of time teachimg Jack he thought what was important in his following life.If Mr.Belser hadn' taught him how to weave,he wouldn't be in this business now.So he promised his mother he would attend Mr.Belser's funeral. "You'd better not drive your car.It's a long way."his mother warned him. Busy as he was,he kept his word.Though tired from the earliest flight,Jack tried his best to help.Mr.Belser's funeral was small because he had no children of his own and most of his s had passed away. The night before he had to return home,Jack and his mother stopped by to see the old house Mr.Belser once lived.Now it belonged to him.He bought the house from one of his s. The house was exactly as he remembered.Every step held memories.Every picture,every piece of furniture... Jadk stopped suddenly. The box on his desk was gone!He once asked the old man what was inside.He just smiled and said it was the most valuable thing to him,though it almost cost nothing to others.He figured that someone from the Belser family had taken it ."I will never know what was so valuable to him."Jack thought disappotntedly. Three days later returning home from work,Jack discovered a small package in his mailbox. The handwriting was difficult to read,but the return address caught his attention."Mr.Harold Belser"it read. Jack couldn't wait to open it .Inside lay the familiar small box.His heart racing,Jack unlocked the box.Inside he found a gold pocket watch with these words engraved:"Jack,Thanks for your time!Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most was my time."Jack held the watch before his chest,tears filling his eyes.

cnn

HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Singer Christina Aguilera joins fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing Thanksgiving night on CNN. Christina Aguilera performed her hit single "Beautiful" at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,000 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, pays tribute to the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008. Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, has been named the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year. McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, received the honor at Saturday night's taping of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." The telecast airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Thanksgiving on the global networks of CNN. McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast. "To the country and the world, I ask you to please join us," McCartney said. "Together we can continue to rebuild families' homes and lives. ... If you join us, we'll be unstoppable." Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" features moving musical performances by Aguilera, Keys and Legend. Watch a preview of the show, including Aguilera's performance » Aguilera performed her hit single "Beautiful." Legend, backed by the world-renowned Agape Choir, brought the audience of more than 2,000 to their feet with his powerful call to personal action, "If You're Out There," from his just-released album, "Evolver." Keys sang "Superwoman," her tribute to women around the world, from her hit album "As I Am."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XLVI. OPERATIONS IN MISSISSIPPI--LONGSTREET IN EAST TENNESSEE--COMMISSIONED LIEUTENANT-GENERAL--COMMANDING THE ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES--FIRST INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Soon after his return from Knoxville I ordered Sherman to distribute his forces from Stevenson to Decatur and thence north to Nashville; Sherman suggested that he be permitted to go back to Mississippi, to the limits of his own department and where most of his army still remained, for the purpose of clearing out what Confederates might still be left on the east bank of the Mississippi River to impede its navigation by our boats. He expected also to have the co-operation of Banks to do the same thing on the west shore. Of course I approved heartily. About the 10th of January Sherman was back in Memphis, where Hurlbut commanded, and got together his Memphis men, or ordered them collected and sent to Vicksburg. He then went to Vicksburg and out to where McPherson was in command, and had him organize his surplus troops so as to give him about 20,000 men in all. Sherman knew that General (Bishop) Polk was occupying Meridian with his headquarters, and had two divisions of infantry with a considerable force of cavalry scattered west of him. He determined, therefore, to move directly upon Meridian. I had sent some 2,500 cavalry under General Sooy Smith to Sherman's department, and they had mostly arrived before Sherman got to Memphis. Hurlbut had 7,000 cavalry, and Sherman ordered him to reinforce Smith so as to give the latter a force of about 7,000 with which to go against Forrest, who was then known to be south-east from Memphis. Smith was ordered to move about the 1st of February.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXIII "It Won't Be True" Mrs. Greystock, in making her proposition respecting Lady Linlithgow, wrote to Lady Fawn, and by the same post Frank wrote to Lucy. But before those letters reached Fawn Court there had come that other dreadful letter from Mrs. Hittaway. The consternation caused at Fawn Court in respect to Mr. Greystock's treachery almost robbed of its importance the suggestion made as to Lord Fawn. Could it be possible that this man, who had so openly and in so manly a manner engaged himself to Lucy Morris, should now be proposing to himself a marriage with his rich cousin? Lady Fawn did not believe that it was possible. Clara had not seen those horrid things with her own eyes, and other people might be liars. But Amelia shook her head. Amelia evidently believed that all manner of iniquities were possible to man. "You see, mamma, the sacrifice he was making was so very great!" "But he made it!" pleaded Lady Fawn. "No, mamma, he said he would make it. Men do these things. It is very horrid, but I think they do them more now than they used to. It seems to me that nobody cares now what he does, if he's not to be put into prison." It was resolved between these two wise ones that nothing at the present should be said to Lucy or to any one of the family. They would wait awhile, and in the meantime they attempted,--as far as it was possible to make the attempt without express words,--to let Lucy understand that she might remain at Fawn Court if she pleased. While this was going on, Lord Fawn did come down once again, and on that occasion Lucy simply absented herself from the dinner-table and from the family circle for that evening. "He's coming in, and you've got to go to prison again," Nina said to her, with a kiss.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXVII ON THE TRACK Never for a moment did Marguerite Blakeney hesitate. The last sounds outside the "Chat Gris" had died away in the night. She had heard Desgas giving orders to his men, and then starting off towards the fort, to get a reinforcement of a dozen more men: six were not thought sufficient to capture the cunning Englishman, whose resourceful brain was even more dangerous than his valour and his strength. Then a few minutes later, she heard the Jew's husky voice again, evidently shouting to his nag, then the rumble of wheels, and noise of a rickety cart bumping over the rough road. Inside the inn, everything was still. Brogard and his wife, terrified of Chauvelin, had given no sign of life; they hoped to be forgotten, and at any rate to remain unperceived: Marguerite could not even hear their usual volleys of muttered oaths. She waited a moment or two longer, then she quietly slipped down the broken stairs, wrapped her dark cloak closely round her and slipped out of the inn. The night was fairly dark, sufficiently so at any rate to hide her dark figure from view, whilst her keen ears kept count of the sound of the cart going on ahead. She hoped by keeping well within the shadow of the ditches which lined the road, that she would not be seen by Desgas' men, when they approached, or by the patrols, which she concluded were still on duty. Thus she started to do this, the last stage of her weary journey, alone, at night, and on foot. Nearly three leagues to Miquelon, and then on to the Pere Blanchard's hut, wherever that fatal spot might be, probably over rough roads: she cared not.

race

Yao Ming was born in China in 1980. Now the big name from China is playing for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He is the son of two basketball players and he learned how to play basketball when he was young. Now, as one of the stars in the NBA, he is working hard to show the world that Chinese basketball players can do well in this game, too! Pele was a famous football player. He was born in Brazil in 1940. He started playing for Santos when he was only 16 and he didn't retire until 1977. He played for Brazil 111 times and he scored 97 international goals. Pele came from a poor family. He started playing football in the streets. He played for Santos and quickly became an international star. Steffi Graf was born in Germany in 1969. She won the tennis semi-final at Wimbledon in 1985 when she was only 16, but she lost the final to another great tennis player, Martina Navratilova. People were 'surprised at the strength and power of her game. She soon became a famous tennis player and won most of the main matches.

wikipedia

Yale University is an American private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701 in Saybrook Colony as the Collegiate School, the University is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The school was renamed Yale College in 1718 in recognition of a gift from Elihu Yale, who was governor of the British East India Company. Established to train Congregationalist ministers in theology and sacred languages, by 1777 the school's curriculum began to incorporate humanities and sciences. In the 19th century the school incorporated graduate and professional instruction, awarding the first Ph.D. in the United States in 1861 and organizing as a university in 1887. Yale is organized into fourteen constituent schools: the original undergraduate college, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and twelve professional schools. While the university is governed by the Yale Corporation, each school's faculty oversees its curriculum and degree programs. In addition to a central campus in downtown New Haven, the University owns athletic facilities in western New Haven, including the Yale Bowl, a campus in West Haven, Connecticut, and forest and nature preserves throughout New England. The university's assets include an endowment valued at $25.6 billion as of September 2015, the second largest of any educational institution.The Yale University Library, serving all constituent schools, holds more than 15 million volumes and is the third-largest academic library in the United States.

wikipedia

The House of Habsburg, also called House of Austria, was one of the most influential and outstanding royal houses of Europe. The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was continuously occupied by the Habsburgs between 1438 and 1740. The house also produced emperors and kings of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of England ("Jure uxoris" King), Kingdom of Germany, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia, Second Mexican Empire, Kingdom of Ireland ("Jure uxoris" King), Kingdom of Portugal, and Spain, as well as rulers of several Dutch and Italian principalities. From the 16th century, following the reign of Charles V, the dynasty was split between its Austrian and Spanish branches. Although they ruled distinct territories, they nevertheless maintained close relations and frequently intermarried. The House takes its name from Habsburg Castle, a fortress built in the 1020s in present-day Switzerland, in the canton of Aargau, by Count Radbot of Klettgau, who chose to name his fortress Habsburg. His grandson Otto II was the first to take the fortress name as his own, adding "Count of Habsburg" to his title. The House of Habsburg gathered dynastic momentum through the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. By 1276, Count Radbot's seventh generation descendant Rudolph of Habsburg had moved the family's power base from Habsburg Castle to the Duchy of Austria. Rudolph had become King of Germany in 1273, and the dynasty of the House of Habsburg was truly entrenched in 1276 when Rudolph became ruler of Austria, which the Habsburgs ruled until 1918.

mctest

Lisa has a pet cat named Whiskers. Whiskers is black with a white spot on her chest. Whiskers also has white paws that look like little white mittens. Whiskers likes to sleep in the sun on her favorite chair. Whiskers also likes to drink creamy milk. Lisa is excited because on Saturday, Whiskers turns two years old. After school on Friday, Lisa rushes to the pet store. She wants to buy Whiskers' birthday presents. Last year, she gave Whiskers a play mouse and a blue feather. For this birthday, Lisa is going to give Whiskers a red ball of yarn and a bowl with a picture of a cat on the side. The picture is of a black cat. It looks a lot like Whiskers.

cnn

(CNN) -- The death of Steve Jobs has renewed comparisons to another great innovator who died 80 years ago this month -- Thomas Edison. But there are important differences between the two men. In the 80 years between their deaths, consumers came to dominate the economy, a transformation that was only beginning during the later years of Edison's life. Steve Jobs was a master at understanding how to create transformative consumer technologies. Although Edison was a key innovator in two consumer technologies -- sound recording and motion pictures -- he struggled to understand the consumer markets he helped to create. His most important technological innovation was the electrical system, which made possible the personal computers, music players and smartphones innovated by Jobs. Edison was also more involved in the day-to-day work of invention than Jobs, and his other great innovation was the industrial research and development laboratory While the differences between Edison and Jobs are important, so, are their similarities. These offer lessons for other innovators. Jobs and Edison succeeded because they were good at envisioning how long-term developments in scientific and technical knowledge could be transformed into new technologies. At the start of his electric light research Edison described his vision for an entire electric light and power system and then used the knowledge of decades of research on incandescent lamps and generators to create the first viable incandescent lamp and the entire electric light and power system that made it commercially viable. Similarly, before developing the Macintosh computer, Jobs envisioned how two decades of work on graphical user interfaces and the computer mouse could transform the way people used computers, and also how the development of touchscreens and miniaturization could be transformed into the smartphone.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXIII AN EVENING AT APPLEYARD Rankine had got a few days' leave and was spending it at Appleyard. He sat beside Elsie in a corner of the billiard-room, where the party had gathered after dinner. He had arrived during the afternoon, and Andrew was not altogether pleased to see him, although he liked the man. Elsie had suggested that Dick should invite him, and had added that he might as well come when Madge Whitney was there. Since Elsie had not seen Rankine until he arrived, Andrew wondered what she meant; but he admitted that she generally had a reason for what she did. Nobody had been playing billiards or wanted to begin. Elsie and Mrs. Woodhouse were knitting and the others were talking quietly, while they waited for the evening newspaper. Presently Staffer made a remark about the Navy, and Madge Whitney looked at Rankine with a smile. "Don't you feel that you must answer that?" "I don't know that I can," Rankine answered good-naturedly. "To some extent, Mr. Staffer's right. The Navy certainly occupies the background of the stage, just now." "It strikes me as being out of sight altogether," Staffer said. "Well, perhaps that's its proper place. But I expect it will emerge from obscurity when it's wanted." "We must hope so," Staffer returned. "No doubt, your commanders are waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entry on the scene; but one imagines that ambitious young officers must find being kept in the background rather galling."

wikipedia

Mahātmā Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable")—applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa—is now used worldwide. In India, he is also called Bapu ji (Gujarati: endearment for "father", "papa") and Gandhi ji. He is unofficially called the "Father of the Nation" Born and raised in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujarat, western India, and trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, Gandhi first employed nonviolent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for various social causes and for achieving "Swaraj" or self-rule. Gandhi famously led Indians in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to "Quit India" in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, upon many occasions, in both South Africa and India. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian "dhoti" and shawl, woven with yarn hand-spun on a "charkha". He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and political protest.

cnn

Editor's note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 11:10 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. A nationally syndicated columnist, Martin has said he will vote for Barack Obama in November. He is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Visit his Web site for more information. Roland Martin says Howard Dean bucked other leaders and insisted on a 50-state Democratic strategy. (CNN) -- If Sen. Barack Obama is able to prevail over Sen. John McCain on Tuesday, all of those Democrats who ripped Howard Dean's 50-state strategy over the last four years should call the head of the Democratic National Committee and offer a heartfelt apology. First in line should be New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Chicago, Illinois, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and my CNN colleague, political strategist James Carville. When Democrats were in the final stages of winning back Congress in 2006, those three were at odds with Dean, saying he should forget about his pie-in-the-sky plan to have the Democratic Party competitive in all 50 states. They reasoned that money spent on get-out-the vote efforts in non-congressional elections was futile, and all the effort should be on reclaiming Congress. But Dean resisted their suggestions, weathering repeated calls for him to resign after that election. Dean's insistence on having a Democratic Party that existed in the heartland, and not just California, New York and Massachusetts, was brilliant in that it made clear that the party recognized the rest of America. iReport.com: What would you ask Obama?

cnn

Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Roberto Sanchez, the Argentine singer known as "Sandro" and who drew comparisons to Elvis Presley, died Monday night after complications from surgery, his doctor told reporters. He was 64. Sandro's romantic ballads made him a star in the 1960s, but he first found the limelight as rock and roll singer who imitated Elvis' style. In his long career, Sandro recorded dozens of albums and also acted in 16 movies, according to the Web site Rock.com.ar. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Spanish Rock movement. The singer was also known as "El Gitano," or "the Gypsy," because of his family's Roma roots. Some accounts place Sandro as the first Latino artist to sell out Madison Square Garden in New York. Sandro died at the Italian Hospital in Mendoza, Argentina, where he was being treated for complications from a heart and lung transplant last month. He is survived by his wife, Olga Garaventa. Funeral arrangements are pending.

mctest

As they went to the doors they saw they had the letters A, B, C, and D on them. What did it mean? Alpha, the leader, told everyone to stop and look at the doors, so as to see which door they would go through. The walls were brown and dirty. The lights were yellow. Door A was blue. This was Beta's choice. Door B was red. Door C was the same color as door A. Door D a color no one had seen before. Gamma felt that Alpha needed to make a choice soon before the monsters caught their scent. Delta was the first to voice a choice. He wanted to go in the red door. Alpha told him that the old books said to go in the blue door. This is why it was so hard for Alpha right now. Two doors were blue. Being a good leader, Alpha asked everyone what they wanted to do. The final choice was door D. They went in and enjoyed all of time in a world with odd colors.

race

Donald was not very good at math. He could not understand the teacher's explanations . Even when the teacher explained something a second time, Donald still could not understand it. "Never mind," Donald told himself. "I am quite good at other subjects. I will cheat in the math exam, then I won't be in trouble." "I will sit next to the boy who is best at math," he thought, "and copy down his answers." The day of the exam came, and Donald sat next to Brain Smith, who always was at the top of the class in math. Donald carefully copied Brian's answers onto his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher collected the papers and graded them. Then she said, "well, boys and girls. I have decided to give a prize to the student who got the highest grade. It's difficult for me to decide who to give the prize to, however, because two students, Donald and Brian, got the same grade." "Let them share it," one of the other students said. "I thought about that," the teacher said, "but I decided to give the prize to Brian." Donald was angry when he heard this. He stood up and said. "That's not fair. I got the same grade as Brian." 'That's true." The teacher said." However, Brian's answer to Question 18 was "I don't know," yours was "Neither do I".

wikipedia

The English word "translation" derives from the Latin translatio (which itself comes from trans- and from fero, the supine form of which is latum—together meaning "a carrying across" or "a bringing across"). The modern Romance languages use equivalents of the English term "translation" that are derived from that same Latin source or from the alternative Latin traducere ("to lead across" or "to bring across"). The Slavic and Germanic languages (except in the case of the Dutch equivalent, "vertaling"—a "re-language-ing") likewise use calques of these Latin sources. Despite occasional theoretical diversity, the actual practice of translation has hardly changed since antiquity. Except for some extreme metaphrasers in the early Christian period and the Middle Ages, and adapters in various periods (especially pre-Classical Rome, and the 18th century), translators have generally shown prudent flexibility in seeking equivalents — "literal" where possible, paraphrastic where necessary — for the original meaning and other crucial "values" (e.g., style, verse form, concordance with musical accompaniment or, in films, with speech articulatory movements) as determined from context.

mctest

Alex was happy when he woke up. He was really happy he didn't have to go to a dumb sit down school like his cousins. He was a home school kid. There was lots to do today. He woke Tigerrr, his kitty. They were going to look at the apple trees. He was seeing if he could grow more fruit by feeding them different kinds of food. He fed one chips and he fed one chocolate. He hoped the fruit would taste like apple chocolate! He fed one root beer and he fed another one salad. He fed one of them seaweed. He wrote down how many fruits each tree had, and this is what he found. The root beer tree had five fruits. The tree that was fed chocolate had three. The chip tree had ten. The salad tree had fifteen. The seaweed tree had fifty apples! They were everywhere. "The winner!", said Tigerrr, his paw in the air.

wikipedia

The Independent is a British online newspaper. Established in 1986 as an independent national morning newspaper published in London, it was controlled by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media from 1997 until it was sold to Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev in 2010. The last printed edition of "The Independent" was published Saturday 20 March 2016, leaving only its digital editions. Nicknamed the "Indy", it began as a broadsheet, but changed to tabloid (compact) format in 2003. Until September 2011, the paper described itself on the banner at the top of every newspaper as "free from party political bias, free from proprietorial influence". It tends to take a pro-market stance on economic issues. The daily edition was named "National Newspaper of the Year" at the 2004 British Press Awards. In June 2015, it had an average daily circulation of just below 58,000, 85 per cent down from its 1990 peak, while the Sunday edition had a circulation of just over 97,000. Launched in 1986, the first issue of "The Independent" was published on 7 October in broadsheet format. It was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at "The Daily Telegraph" who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwell's ownership. Marcus Sieff was the first chairman of Newspaper Publishing, and Whittam Smith took control of the paper.

wikipedia

Philosophy of space and time is the branch of philosophy concerned with the issues surrounding the ontology, epistemology, and character of space and time. While such ideas have been central to philosophy from its inception, the philosophy of space and time was both an inspiration for and a central aspect of early analytic philosophy. The subject focuses on a number of basic issues, including whether or not time and space exist independently of the mind, whether they exist independently of one another, what accounts for time's apparently unidirectional flow, whether times other than the present moment exist, and questions about the nature of identity (particularly the nature of identity over time). The earliest recorded Western philosophy of time was expounded by the ancient Egyptian thinker Ptahhotep (c. 2650–2600 BC), who said, "Do not lessen the time of following desire, for the wasting of time is an abomination to the spirit." The Vedas, the earliest texts on Indian philosophy and Hindu philosophy, dating back to the late 2nd millennium BC, describe ancient Hindu cosmology, in which the universe goes through repeated cycles of creation, destruction, and rebirth, with each cycle lasting 4,320,000 years. Ancient Greek philosophers, including Parmenides and Heraclitus, wrote essays on the nature of time.

cnn

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Ramesh Makwana knew the risks to his health by working in an agate factory, but at $4 a day the rewards were too great. Now, after 14 years of breathing in the fine dust created by grinding and polishing the gemstone, Makwana has silicosis, a respiratory disease that swells the lungs. "He's thankful to the stone because it helped him survive for so long. But now that he has lost so much, it is also a feeling of anger," Makwana told CNN through an interpreter, Mohit Gupta, the co-ordinator for the Occupational, Environmental Health Network of India. "He has lost his parents to it, and he himself knows he's going to die some day," he said. It's not known how many other workers in Asia are suffering from occupational diseases, but the Asia Monitor Resource Center (AMRC) has warned that the region is facing an epidemic. The last estimate on work-related diseases in Asia was released by the International Labor Organization in 2008. It estimated that more than 1.1 million people in Asia were dying each year. "One-point-one million is a really high number, but even then we're not sure, we think it may be a really conservative number," said Sanjiv Pandita, Executive Director of the AMRC. Frustrated by the lack of official records, Pandita and his team set out to find the true extent of the problem in six Asian countries: China, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. A report released ahead of this year's International Workers' Memorial Day on April 28, found similar problems in all countries; a lack of official data on the number of cases, partly due to a reluctance to diagnose work-related illness for fear of the financial cost.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXVI. AN UNWELCOME COMRADE. "He's in a bad way, that's certain," was Dick's comment, as he surveyed the prostrate form. Even though Jasper Grinder was an enemy, he could not help but feel sorry for the man. "We must get him up to our shelter as soon as possible," replied John Barrow. "It is easy to see he is half frozen--and maybe starved." "Shall we carry him?" "We'll have to; there is no other way." Slinging their guns across their backs, they raised up the form of the unconscious man. He was a dead weight, and to carry him through that deep snow was no light task. Less than half the distance to the shelter was covered when Dick called a halt. "I'll have to rest up!" he gasped. "He weighs a ton." But in a few minutes he resumed the journey, and now they did not stop with their load until the shelter was reached. Tom and Sam were watching for them. "Jasper Grinder, by all that's wonderful!" burst out Tom. "Was he alone?" questioned Sam. "He was, so far as we could see," answered Dick. "I can tell you, he's almost a case for an undertaker." This remark made everyone feel sober, and while the two younger Rovers stirred up the fire, Dick and the guide did all in their power to bring the unconscious man to his senses. Some hot coffee was poured down his throat, and his hands and back were vigorously rubbed. "Oh!" came faintly, at last, and Jasper Grinder slowly opened his eyes, "Oh!"

race

Tu Youyou has become the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize, for her work in helping to create an anti-malaria medicine. The 84-year-old's route to the honour has been anything but traditional. In China, she is being called the "three nos" winner: no medical degree, no doctorate, and she's never worked overseas. In 1967, malaria, a then deadly disease, spread by mosquitoes was _ Chinese soldiers fighting Americans in the jungles of northern Vietnam. A secret research unit "Mission 523 "was formed to find a cure for the illness. Two years later, Tu Youyou was instructed to become the new head of "Mission 523". "Mission523" read ancient books carefully for a long time to find historical methods of fighting malaria. When she started her search for an anti-malarial drug, more than 240,000 compounds around the world had already been tested, without any success. Finally, the team found a brief reference to one substance, sweet wormwood , which had been used to treat malaria in China around 400 AD. The team took out one active compound in wormwood, and then tested it. But nothing was effective until Tu Youyou returned to the original ancient text. After another careful reading, she changed the drug recipe one final time, heating the compound without allowing it to reach boiling point. After the drug showed promising results in mice and monkeys, Tu Youyou volunteered to be the first human recipient of the new drug. " In any case, Tu Youyou is consistently praised for her drive and passion. One former colleague. Lianda Li, says Ms Tu is "unsociable and quite straightforward", adding that "if she disagrees with something, she will say it." Another colleague, Fuming Liao, who has worked with Tu Youyou for more than 40 years, describes her as a "tough and stubborn woman". Stubborn enough to spend decades piecing together ancient texts, she applies them to modern scientific practices. The result has saved millions of lives.

wikipedia

The Boston Globe (sometimes abbreviated as The Globe) is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts since its creation by Charles H. Taylor in 1872. The newspaper has won a total of 26 Pulitzer Prizes as of 2016, and with a total paid circulation of 245,824 from September 2015 to August 2016, it is the 25th most read newspaper in the United States. "The Boston Globe" is the oldest and largest daily newspaper in Boston. Founded in the later 19th century, the paper was mainly controlled by Irish Catholic interests before being sold to Charles H. Taylor and his family. After being privately held until 1973, it was sold to "The New York Times" in 1993 for $1.1 billion, making it one of the most expensive print purchases in U.S. history. Historically, the newspaper has been noted as "one of the nation’s most prestigious papers," and was purchased in 2013 by Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. owner John W. Henry for $70 million from the New York Times Company. The paper's coverage of the 2001–2003 Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, received international media attention and served as the basis of the 2015 American drama, "Spotlight." The movie revolved around the Boston Globe Spotlight Team, a team of investigative journalists tasked with uncovering intricacies of a single topic or story.

race

Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called "First Lady of the Press". Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 to 1960. In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist. Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit.The World Almanachas cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide.

wikipedia

Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of human occupation from Paleolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. The city of Bath is famous for its substantial Georgian architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The people of Somerset are mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's entry for AD 845, in the inflected form "Sumursætum", and the county is recorded in the entry for 1015 using the same name. The archaic name Somersetshire was mentioned in the Chronicle's entry for 878. Although "Somersetshire" was in common use as an alternative name for the county, it went out of fashion in the late 19th century, and is no longer used possibly due to the adoption of "Somerset" as the county's official name after the establishment of the county council in 1889. As with other counties not ending in "shire," the suffix was superfluous, as there was no need to differentiate between the county and a town within it.

mctest

One day Poppy the puppy went outside to play. He ran around the yard as fast as he could. After running, Poppy began to play with his ball. When Poppy was tired of that, Poppy play catch with Mary. Poppy was very happy when Mary wanted to play with him. Poppy would jump on Mary and start to lick her face. Mary was happy when Poppy showed her all that love. Later on Mary and Poppy went inside to eat and take a nap.

race

Helen loved small animals. One morning while she was walking in the forest, she found two weak birds in the grass. She took them home and put them in a small cage. She looked after them with love and the birds both grew well. They thanked her with a wonderful song every morning. But something happened one day. Helen left the door of the cage open. The larger bird flew from the cage. She thought that it would fly away, so she _ it. She was very excited to catch it. Suddenly she felt strange. She opened her hand and looked sadly at the dead bird. Her great love had killed the bird! The other bird was moving back and forth in the cage. Helen could feel the bird want to go out. It wanted to fly into the blue sky. At once, Helen took the bird out of the cage and let it fly away. The bird circled, twice, three times... Helen enjoyed watching the bird flying and singing happily. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her head. It sang the sweetest song that she had ever heard. The easiest way to lose love is to hold too tight. The best way to keep love is to give it freedom.

cnn

(CNN) -- Matthew Murray, the man who police say shot and killed four people at two separate locations in Colorado on Sunday, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the coroner's office said Tuesday. A former roommate took this photo of Matthew Murray performing in a 2002 Christmas program. "The death of Matthew Murray has been ruled a suicide," the El Paso County Coroner's Office said in a statement. "It should be noted that he was struck multiple times by the security officer, which put him down. He then fired a single round killing himself," the statement said. Police Sgt. Skip Arms told The Associated Press that Murray shot himself in the head. Police say before Murray, 24, went down, he shot and killed sisters Stephanie and Rachael Works, ages 18 and 16, and wounded their father, who was in or near their car in the parking lot of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Murray also wounded two other people with his assault rifle as he re-entered the church. One of them, Larry Bourbonnais, said he tried to distract the shooter before security guard Jeanne Assam made her move. Watch Bourbonnais describe the scene at New Life » "I'm telling you right now, she's the hero, not me. It was the bravest thing I have ever seen," Bourbonnais said. "She had no cover. He fired -- I heard him fire three. I heard her fire three. And she just began -- she kept yelling 'Surrender!' the whole time. And she just walked forward, like she's walking to her car in the parking lot, firing the whole time."

gutenberg

CHAPTER V AT NIAGARA FALLS "See here, I want you to let me alone!" stormed Nat Poole, and he tried to jerk himself free. "Listen, Nat," said Dave, sternly. "If you make a noise it will be the worse for you, for it will bring the others here, and then we'll tell about what you tried to do. Maybe Mrs. Wadsworth will call an officer, and anyway all the girls and the boys will be down on you. Now, if you want Phil and me to keep this a secret, you've got to come along with us." "Where to?" grumbled Nat, doggedly. "You'll soon see," returned Dave, briefly, and with a wink at his chum. Somewhat against his will, Nat walked toward the end of the garden. He wished to escape from Mrs. Wadsworth and the others, but he was afraid Dave and Phil contemplated doing something disagreeable to him. Maybe they would give him a sound thrashing. "Don't you touch me--don't you dare!" he cried, when the barn was readied. "Remember, my father can have you locked up, Dave Porter!" "Well, don't forget what Professor Potts can do to you, Nat," answered Dave. "What are you going to do?" asked Phil, in an aside to his chum. Dave was trying to think. He had been half of a mind to lock Nat in the harness closet until the party was over--thus preventing him from making more trouble. Now, however, as he heard a locomotive whistle, a new thought struck him.

cnn

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The new Italian Serie A season kicks off with the first round of fixtures this weekend -- Fanzone details what to expect from the forthcoming campaign: So what's new? The Serie A managerial merry-go-round produced its usual raft of changes with over a third of clubs set to begin the season with a different coach from the previous campaign. Carlo Ancelotti's departure to Chelsea from AC Milan is the most high-profile change, with former Rossoneri hero Leonardo moving from his role as technical director at the club to take over as head coach. Walter Zenga's success in guiding unfancied Catania to a mid-table finish last season saw him make a controversial switch to bitter Sicilian rivals Palermo, with Gianluca Atzori replacing him at the Stadio Angelo Massimino. Who do you think will win the Italian Serie A title? Sound Off below. Delio Rossi parted company with Lazio, who appointed Davide Ballardini, while Luigi Del Neri left Atalanta to take over at Sampdoria with Angelo Gregucci taking the reins at the Bergamo club. Elsewhere, promoted Bari dispensed with the services of Antonio Conte and handed the job to much-traveled Giampiero Ventura, while Livorno have brought in veteran Vittorio Russo to work alongside Gennaro Ruotolo as the latter does not hold the relevant coaching badges. On the playing front, the major story was the transfer of Kaka from AC Milan to Real Madrid for $92 million, and the club spent part of that money on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who arrived from the Spanish outfit for a fee in the region of $21m. CNN's Pedro Pinto previews the coming campaign. »

gutenberg

CHAPTER VI BETTY DEMANDS HELP On the evening of Austin's return to Las Palmas he and Jefferson smoked and talked on the veranda steps. Mrs. Austin and Mrs. Jefferson were occupied with some sewing at a table near the lamp, but Olivia was not about. She had gone to a concert at the Metropole with a young English tourist whom Mrs. Austin approved. For all that, Mrs. Austin did not know how far Olivia approved and she was bothered about Kit. He had been longer than she had expected, and to some extent perhaps she was accountable for him. Mrs. Austin generally meant well and as a rule her plans to help people worked, but Kit was headstrong and had not left much to her. She wondered what Austin thought about her sending off the _Cayman_. Harry did not say much and he had been occupied since his return. Jefferson had, no doubt, talked to Muriel, but Muriel was sometimes reserved. Now Jefferson and Harry were together, Mrs. Austin thought she might, if she were cautious, get a useful hint. "I would rather like to get up an excursion to the mountains for Mrs. Gardner's party. She was Muriel's friend in England, and we have not done much to amuse her," she said. "However, I expect you could not join us?" "You mustn't count on Jake and me," Austin replied. "We have let things go long enough." "Yet the business kept going. In fact, I imagine it went pretty well." "That is so," Austin agreed with a smile. "We know where you got your talents, and things do go well when Don Pancho resumes control. All the same, he's had enough and I am needed."

cnn

Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN)Cameroonian troops and their allies have freed a German man who was held for six months by Islamist terror group Boko Haram, Cameroonian President Paul Biya said. Boko Haram kidnapped German citizen Robert Nitsch Eberhard in Nigeria in July, Biya said in a statement read Wednesday on state-run broadcaster CRTV. He did not detail how, when or where the rescue operation took place. "A special operation of Cameroonian armed forces and security services of friendly countries" freed the man, he said. Eberhard told journalists he was glad to be alive. "I am happy to see all these people around me, who have rescued me and made sure that I survived, because until the last minute, I did not know whether I would survive or I would not survive. It was for me a big problem. Because it was darkness, total darkness, and you see nobody around you. Then this is a big problem to say OK, I will survive or not survive," Eberhard said. Eberhard was flown in from Cameroon's Far North Region to Yaounde shortly after noon Wednesday. He said he was grateful to all those who worked to secure his release. The German ambassador to Cameroon, Klaus-Ludwig Keferstein, also thanked Cameroonian authorities, particularly because "we could find a solution to this problem of hostage-taking," he said. Eberhard spoke amid heavy security and mentioned that he was teaching at a vocational school in Gombe, Adamawa state, Nigeria, before the insurgents took him hostage in July. He has been taken to the residence of the German ambassador in Yaounde. The ambassador said initial medical care will be given to him before he is flown back to Germany for more medical attention.

race

Angela Chang didn't know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career . She went to many different record companies. But she was always _ for looking too young and small. "I'd never had such difficulties before," Chang said. But Chang's talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried. She soon became a star. Her first albumOver the Rainbowsold very well. She won many awards. "You wouldn't believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body," said one musician after hearing Chang sing. "She has a special voice. You can't forget it." But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP ValentineandAt Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired . Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene right. "I cried when I got back home," Chang said. "But I knew that I wouldn't always fail. You only fail when you give up." Now with four albums behind her -Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandoraand Flower in the Wonderland, it's clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, "I have a pair of invisible wings . They fly me to the skies and give me hope."

race

More college graduates in China are seeking for work experience instead of advanced degrees, a survey shows. The practical approach, coupled with a record number of students graduating from college, is expected to strengthen competition in the job market, analysts said. More than 76 percent of university students said they wanted to work after earning their degrees this summer, up from 68.5 percent in 2012 and 73.6 percent last year, according to poll results from Zhaopin.com, a major online agency, Zhu Bo. The annual survey also shows that about 20 percent university graduates chose to further education after graduation, while about 3 percent wanted to start their own businesses. Zeng Hao ,a 25-year-old media major, managed to land a job in a publishing company in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, before he received his master's degree from the University of Macau in June. " Work experience really matters in the publishing industry" he said. Wei Guihong , a program administrator at Nanjing University, said about 60 percent of the school's graduates entered the labor market every year. "More and more students majoring in a foreign language choose to go abroad to continue their studies to improve their language skills," she said continuously, "That's perhaps a bright future." Liu Junsheng , a researcher at the Labor and Wage Institute of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, believes that economic conditions play a vital role in shaping college graduates' choices ."There were fewer job opportunities in the market. " he said. "Although academic degrees still matter, more and more employers value job seekers' work experience." he said. The Zhaopin.com survey shows that each of the graduates sent resumes on average to about 28 potential employers and received five interview opportunities.

race

It was not the first time for Shi Benliang, a senior physics major at Peking University, to feed cats. But the 22-year-old felt sad when he saw the scars and wounds on the bodies of the little creatures. "I can imagine how they have suffered from being abandoned. They lead a harsh life wandering around," said the student..Shi is one of a dozen students at the university volunteering to feed the stray cats during the winter break. Recruited by the Stray Cat Rescue Association at the university through a Bulletin Board System (BBS), he took turns with other students to care for the homeless animals. It is estimated that there are more than 100 stray cats on the campus of Peking University. Jin Jing, 18, an economics freshman at the university, cared for the cats for two days. "At around 5 pm I cycled to the 22 feeding sites on campus marked on a special map," she said. "At each site I left some cat food and water."Jin was excited when the animals rushed to her feet. "Some are shy and timid, and others are more outgoing. Each of them has their own name such as 'Sweet Orange' or 'Karl Marx'," she said. "By feeding them I learned to respect life." Liu Chenhao, a senior electronics and computer science major, who is in charge of the association, said that feeding was just one part of their responsibilities."Our aim is to keep the stray cats in check and maintain harmony between them and the students on campus," he said. The organization also takes cats to the animal hospital to be treated for oral and skin disease. Another of its major tasks is to find new homes for the cats by uploading their photos and information online. "We're very careful when selecting owners and ask them lots of questions to ensure that they won't desert their cat under any circumstances, such as when they move house or get married," Liu said. But he stressed that their acts of kindness shouldn't encourage anyone to abandon their cat. "A cat's normal life expectancy is more than 10 years, but a stray one may survive for only two or three." (365words)

gutenberg

CHAPTER XVI A DESERTED STEAM YACHT "Dick, am I mistaken, or do I see a vessel over yonder?" Tom asked the question, as he suddenly straightened up and took a long look over to where the mist had temporarily lifted. "It certainly does look like a ship of some sort," answered Dick, gazing forward with equal eagerness. "Shall ve call owid?" asked Hans. "It is too far off." "Is she coming this way?" asked Sam, who had gotten so much salt water in his eyes that he could not see very well. "I am not sure if it is a ship," said Tom. "But it is certainly something." "Let us try to paddle closer," suggested his older brother, and all set to work; Tom using the folded campstool, and the others some bits of boards from the crates. Very slowly they approached the object, until they felt certain it was a vessel, a steam yacht, as they made out a few minutes later. But no smoke curled from the funnel of the craft, nor could they make out anybody on the deck. "Yacht ahoy!" yelled Dick, when he felt that his voice might be heard. To this hail there was no answer, and although the boys strained their eyes to the utmost, they saw nobody moving on the craft ahead. "Yacht ahoy!" screamed Tom, using his hands as a trumpet. "Yacht ahoy!" Still there was no answer, nor did a soul show himself. The curiosity of the castaways was aroused to the highest pitch, and as vigorously as they could they paddled to the side of the steam yacht. The craft was not a large one, but seemed to be of good build and in first-class trim. The wheel was lashed fast, causing her to ride fairly well in the faint breeze. Not a sail was set.

cnn

New York (CNN) -- The man accused of attempting to set off a car bomb in Times Square considered other targets in and around New York before the failed attack, an investigator said. Faisal Shahzad, 30, pondered attacks on Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, the World Financial Center and Connecticut helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky, going so far as to case some of the targets, a senior counterterrorism official with oversight of the investigation said Tuesday. Dressed in a gray sweatsuit, free of handcuffs, Shahzad appeared before a federal magistrate on Tuesday afternoon to hear the charges against him. As he walked into courtroom, Shahzad gave a slight smile to his public defender, Julia Gatto. At the end of the hearing, Gatto requested that Shahzad be served halal food -- prepared according to Islamic dietary laws -- while jailed. Gatto did not object to the government's request that he remain in federal custody. He did not enter a plea, and Magistrate Judge James Francis set his next hearing for June 1. Shahzad faces five counts in connection with the attempted bombing in Times Square on May 1. He could face life in prison if convicted. The Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen has been in federal custody since his arrest two days after the bomb attempt. During that time, he "has provided valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken," the U.S. attorney's office said. After 15 days of questioning, Shahzad invoked his right to an attorney at Tuesday's hearing, a federal law enforcement official said.

race

There seems to be a general assumption that brilliant people cannot stand routine ; that they need a varied , exciting life in order to do their best . It is also assumed that dull people are particularly suited for dull work . We are told that the reason the present-day young complain so loudly about the dullness of jobs is that they are better educated and brighter than the young of the past . Actually , there is no evidence that people who achieve a lot desire , let alone live , colorful lives . The opposite is nearer the truth . Einstein worked out his theory of relativity while serving as a clerk in a Swiss patent office . Immanuel Kant's daily life was a dull routine . The housewives of Konigsberg set their clocks when they saw him pass , on his way to the university . He took the same walk each morning , rain or shine . The greatest distance Kant ever traveled was sixty miles from Konigsberg . It may be true that work on the assembly line dulls the abilities and empties the mind , and the cure is only fewer hours of work at higher pay . But during fifty years as a workingman , I have found dull routine coexisting with an active mind . While doing dull , repetitive work by the water , I could talk with my partners and compose sentences in my mind , all at the same time . Chances are that had my work been too interesting I could not have done any thinking and composing at work or even on my own time after returning from work . People who find dull jobs unbearable are often dull people who do not know what to do with themselves at leisure . Children and mature people will get used to dull routine , while the adolescent , who has lost the child's ability for concentration and is without the inner resources of the mature , needs excitement and novelty to get rid of boredom .

cnn

(CNN) -- Pausing to catch her breath at the bottom of the mountain, Lindsey Vonn was back in business. It may not have been fast, it may not have been smooth but it was still a landmark moment for the Olympic downhill champion. The American skiing star had finished her first race since making a complicated recovery from a knee injury. Vonn needed reconstructive surgery on her right knee after landing heavily on the opening day of the Alpine Ski World Championships in Austria in February. She has waited 10 months to go racing again and in November her return was put on ice when she partially tore one of her reconstructed knee ligaments in training. There were no complications for Vonn on her first competitive return down Canada's Lake Louise course -- but her time did not trouble the leaders. She finished her run in one minute 59.22 seconds -- more than three seconds off the leading time and 40th overall. The start of the race had been delayed by hazy cloud and extremely cold temperatures which dropped as low as -36 Celsius. Germany's Maria Hoefl-Riesch eventually came out on top with the quickest time. Vonn is racing against time to find form and fitness as she attempts to defend her downhill crown at February's Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi. There she will aim to emulate the feat of fellow American, Picabo Street, who came back the season after reconstructive surgery to win gold at Nagano in 1998.

wikipedia

A tribe is viewed, developmentally or historically, as a social group existing before the development of nation states, or outside them. A tribe is a group of distinct people, dependent on their land for their livelihood, who are largely self-sufficient, and not integrated into the national society. It is perhaps the term most readily understood and used by the general public to describe such communities. Stephen Corry defines tribal people as those who "...have followed ways of life for many generations that are largely self-sufficient, and are clearly different from the mainstream and dominant society". This definition, however, would not apply to countries in the Middle East such as Iraq and Yemen, South Asia such as Afghanistan and many African countries such as South Sudan, where the entire population is a member of one tribe or another, and tribalism itself is dominant and mainstream. There are an estimated one hundred and fifty million tribal individuals worldwide, constituting around forty percent of indigenous individuals. Although nearly all tribal people are indigenous, some are not indigenous to the areas where they now live. The distinction between tribal and indigenous is important because tribal peoples have a special status acknowledged in international law. They often face particular issues in addition to those faced by the wider category of indigenous peoples.

cnn

(CNN) -- After years plagued by injuries and scandal, Tiger Woods pulled away from his competition Sunday to capture his first PGA Tour win since September 2009. Months after capturing the BMW Championship, Woods became a tabloid fixture for his affairs with several women that led to the end of his marriage. His golf game also suffered significantly in the 3 1/2 years since, thanks in large part to various injuries. Yet he had proved successful in the past at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, having won six times before this weekend at the course in his long-time hometown of Orlando, Florida. He walked up toward the 18th green Sunday to fervent applause, tipping his hat to fans. He ended up tapping in on that hole for par, to finish five strokes ahead of second-place finisher Graeme McDowell. Palmer: The old Tiger will be back "It feels really good," Woods told NBC, which covered the event. "(It was) a lot of hard work, I'm so thankful for a lot of people helping me out along the way. It's been tough." The tournament's namesake, Arnold Palmer, did not congratulate the winner as expected because of a health problem that led to his going to Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando. Alastair Johnston, chief operating officer of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, explained in a statement that the 83-year-old golf giant's blood pressure -- when checked 15 minutes before Woods wrapped up the contest -- was "at a level where the doctor involved suggested that he go immediately to get more intensive evaluation at the hospital."

mctest

Tammy was a purple tiger. She was friends with Bobby the blue bird. They were hungry so they went to the store together. At the store they saw some friends. They saw Pat the pink panther. They also saw Roger the red rabbit. Pat bought potatoes and eggs. Roger bought carrots and celery. Tammy bought some salad. Tammy also bought a pizza. Bobby bought seeds. They all wanted to eat dinner. They went back to Tammy's house to have supper. Tammy ate salad and seeds. Roger ate carrots and celery. Bobby ate potatoes. Pat ate eggs and carrots. Tammy was still hungry, so she ate some pizza too. They were all very full. They took a nap. After they woke up they played some games. Everyone had fun at Tammy's house. It got late and everyone went home. Tammy was pleased with how it turned out.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXI. Voices of the Dusk. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was just going to bed behind the Purple Hills and the Black Shadows had begun to creep all through the Green Forest and out across the Green Meadows. It was the hour of the day Peter Rabbit loves best. He sat on the edge of the Green Forest watching for the first little star to twinkle high up in the sky. Peter felt at peace with all the Great World, for it was the hour of peace, the hour of rest for those who had been busy all through the shining day. Most of Peter's feathered friends had settled themselves for the coming night, the worries and cares of the day over and forgotten. All the Great World seemed hushed. In the distance Sweetvoice the Vesper Sparrow was pouring out his evening song, for it was the hour when he dearly loves to sing. Far back in the Green Forest Whip-poor-will was calling as if his very life depended on the number of times he could say, "Whip poor Will," without taking a breath. From overhead came now and then the sharp, rather harsh cry of Boomer the Nighthawk, as he hunted his supper in the air. For a time it seemed as if these were the only feathered friends still awake, and Peter couldn't help thinking that those who went so early to bed missed the most beautiful hour of the whole day. Then, from a tree just back of him, there poured forth a song so clear, so sweet, so wonderfully suited to that peaceful hour, that Peter held his breath until it was finished. He knew that singer and loved him. It was Melody the Wood Thrush.

cnn

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani court Monday gave police two weeks to prepare their case for charging five Americans whom police suspect of planning terrorist attacks. Authorities have said they plan to prosecute the five men -- who are being held in jail -- under the country's anti-terrorism act. A court hearing was set for January 18. Police have said they are confident that the Americans were planning terrorist acts, according to Tahir Gujjrar, deputy superintendent of police in Sargodha, where the men were arrested December 9. Gujjrar told CNN a preliminary investigation suggests that the men came to Pakistan to wage jihad and had sought to link up with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jamaat-ud-Dawa militant organizations, neither of which showed interest, he said. The men wanted to martyr themselves, he said. Jaish-e-Mohammed is the group believed to be responsible for the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl. But Mohammed Ameer Khan Rokhri, an attorney representing the men, said they testified on the Quran, the Muslim holy book, "that they have no connection with any banned organization," including Jaish-e-Mohammed or al Qaeda. They told the court, "We are going to Afghanistan to help the Muslims who have been injured by the NATO forces and other Afghan forces," the attorney said. And they said the didn't intend to commit any crime in Pakistan, he said. The five young men are identified as Ahmed Abdullah Minni, Umar Farooq, Aman Hassan Yemer, Waqar Hussain Khan and Ramy Zamzam. All are in their early 20s except Yemer, who, according to the interrogation report from Pakistani police, is 18 years old. Two of the suspects are Pakistani-American, two are Yemeni-American, and one is Egyptian-American.

wikipedia

Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to paying subscribers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fiber-optic cables. This contrasts with broadcast television, in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television. FM radio programming, high-speed Internet, telephone services, and similar non-television services may also be provided through these cables. Analog television was standard in the 20th century, but since the 2000s, cable systems have been upgraded to digital cable operation. A "cable channel" (sometimes known as a "cable network") is a television network available via cable television. When available through satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB, as well as via IPTV providers such as Verizon FIOS and AT&T U-verse is referred to as a "satellite channel". Alternative terms include "non-broadcast channel" or "programming service", the latter being mainly used in legal contexts. Examples of cable/satellite channels/cable networks available in many countries are HBO, MTV, Cartoon Network, E!, Eurosport and CNN International. The abbreviation CATV is often used for cable television. It originally stood for "Community Access Television" or "Community Antenna Television", from cable television's origins in 1948. In areas where over-the-air TV reception was limited by distance from transmitters or mountainous terrain, large "community antennas" were constructed, and cable was run from them to individual homes. The origins of cable "broadcasting" for radio are even older as radio programming was distributed by cable in some European cities as far back as 1924.

cnn

(CNN) -- It's a grass-roots protest movement composed of the newly politicized and people distrustful of hierarchy. So how is it possible to be an illegitimate Tea Party member? Ask Republicans in Nevada. Some are accusing Jon Scott Ashjian, a new Tea Party candidate running for U.S. Senate, of being a fake. The allegation? He was put in the race by agents of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to siphon votes from the GOP. "No doubt about it," says Danny Tarkanian, one of the many Republican Senate candidates hoping to challenge Reid in November. "Nobody in the Tea Party knows who he is. He didn't know any of the principles of the Tea Party," Tarkanian tells CNN. Tarkanian even accuses "Harry Reid's staff, campaign, whatever" of picking Ashjian because he's Armenian, as is Tarkanian. He explains, "They know the Armenians are very close, they'll vote for each other." As for Reid, an aide dismisses the accusations. As does Reid, who says he's never met Ashjian or "anyone in his family." Reid tells CNN, "I think there are too many conspiratorialists in the world today. This is a free country." Sue Lowden, the Republican front-runner in the Senate primary, according to recent polls, is the former Nevada Republican Party chair and seems to be the Republicans' best hope of unseating Reid in November. Or at least she did, until Ashjian got into the race. Lowden says she's been very active with Tea Party groups in Nevada. "I am a Tea Party voter, absolutely." Which is why she says she finds it "a little strange" that Ashjian is emerging now. "I don't know who this person is. He's never been involved with anything that I'm aware of in this state."

race

Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was absolutely centered upon his own silly self. If anything could have driven me from Gladys, it would have been the thought of such a father-in-law. I am convinced that he really believed in his heart that I came round to the Chestnuts three days a week for the pleasure of his company, and very especially to hear his views upon bimetallism . For an hour or more that evening I listened to his tiring talk about bad money driving out good, and the true standards of exchange. "Suppose," he cried, "that all the debts in the world were called up at once, and immediate payment insisted upon,--what under our present conditions would happen then?" I gave the self-evident answer that I should be a ruined man, upon which he jumped from his chair, scolding me for my thoughtless quickness, which made it impossible for him to discuss any reasonable subject in my presence. At last I was alone with Gladys, and the moment of Fate had come! She sat with that proud, delicate figure of hers outlined against the red curtain. How beautiful she was! Gladys was full of every womanly quality. I was about to break the long and uneasy silence, when two critical, dark eyes looked round at me, and the proud head was shaken disapprovingly. "I have a feeling that you are going to propose, Ned. I do wish you wouldn't; for things are so much nicer as they are." I drew my chair a little nearer. "Now, how did you know that I was going to propose?" I asked in wonder. "Don't women always know? Do you suppose any woman in the world was ever taken unawares? But--oh, Ned, our friendship has been so good and so pleasant! What a pity to spoil it! Don't you feel how splendid it is that a young man and a young woman should be able to talk face to face as we have talked?" She had sprung from her chair, as she saw signs that I proposed to announce some of my wants. "You've spoiled everything, Ned," she said. "It's all so beautiful and natural until this kind of thing comes in! It is such a pity! Why can't you control yourself?" "But why can't you love me, Gladys? Is it my appearance, or what?" "No, it isn't that." "My character?" She nodded severely. "What can I do to mend it?" She looked at me with a wondering distrust which was much more to my mind than her whole-hearted confidence. "Now tell me what's amiss with me?" "I'm in love with somebody else," said she. It was my turn to jump out of my chair. "It's nobody in particular," she explained, laughing at the expression of my face: "only an ideal. I've never met the kind of man I mean." "Tell me about him. What does he look like?" "Oh, he might look very much like you." "How dear of you to say that! Well, what is it that he does that I don't do? I'll have a try at it, Gladys, if you will only give me an idea what would please you." "Well, it is never a man that I should love, but always the glories he had won; for they would be reflected upon me. Think of Richard Burton! When I read his wife's life of him I could so understand her love! And Lady Stanley! Did you ever read the wonderful last chapter of that book about her husband? These are the sort of men that a woman could worship with all her soul, and yet be the greater, not the less, on account of her love, honored by all the world as the inspirer of noble deeds." "And if I do----" Her dear hand rested upon my lips. "Not another word, Sir! You should have been at the office for evening duty half an hour ago; only I hadn't the heart to remind you. Some day, perhaps, when you have won your place in the world, we shall talk it over again."

mctest

Once there was a granddaddy named Tom who hadn't seen his daughter Rachel in many years. Rachel had a daughter of her own named Melissa, but she and Tom had had a fight before Melissa was born. Because of that, Tom had never met Melissa. Tom's wife Marge had died many years before, so he lived alone. He liked living alone, but he missed Rachel. Tom spent most of his time working in his garden. He liked to plant pumpkins, peppers, and tomatoes. He hated peas and broccoli, so he never planted them. He liked zucchini and spinach, but he didn't have any of those plants to plant. One day Tom got a call on his phone. He picked it up and asked who it was. The voice on the other end of the line said, "It's me, Rachel." Tom was so surprised he almost dropped the phone. He said, "Rachel, is it really you? I can't believe it." Rachel said that she had been thinking about Tom and she wanted to make up for their fight. Tom was so happy. They were going to meet the next weekend. Even before he hung up, Tom could imagine himself hugging his daughter. He sat down and thought about everything he wanted to say to her.

wikipedia

In the Pre-Modern era, many people's sense of self and purpose was often expressed via a faith in some form of deity, be that in a single God or in many gods. Pre-modern cultures have not been thought of creating a sense of distinct individuality, though. Religious officials, who often held positions of power, were the spiritual intermediaries to the common person. It was only through these intermediaries that the general masses had access to the divine. Tradition was sacred to ancient cultures and was unchanging and the social order of ceremony and morals in a culture could be strictly enforced. The term "modern" was coined in the 16th century to indicate present or recent times (ultimately derived from the Latin adverb modo, meaning "just now). The European Renaissance (about 1420–1630), which marked the transition between the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern times, started in Italy and was spurred in part by the rediscovery of classical art and literature, as well as the new perspectives gained from the Age of Discovery and the invention of the telescope and microscope, expanding the borders of thought and knowledge.

cnn

Tracy Morgan remained in critical condition Sunday but appeared to show signs of improvement after a car wreck a day earlier that killed another passenger, the comedian's publicist said. "He has been more responsive today, which is an incredibly encouraging sign," Lewis Kay said. Morgan's limo van was hit by a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike at about 1 a.m. Saturday, according to Sgt. Gregory Williams of New Jersey State Police. Morgan suffered several injuries, including broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken leg and a broken femur. He underwent surgery on his leg on Sunday, Kay said, noting any road to recovery would be a long one. "We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks," he said. The chain-reaction wreck killed Morgan's fellow passenger, comedian James McNair, who performed under the name Jimmy Mack, and injured several others, according to officials. The truck driver charged in the crash has turned himself in, police said Sunday. Kevin Roper, 35, posted a $50,000 bail Saturday night, according to James O'Neill, spokesman for the Middlesex, New Jersey, district attorney's office. Comedians Ardie Fuqua and Harris Stanton were among the injured, as was Jeffrey Millea, Williams said. One person was released Saturday, but Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey wouldn't disclose that person's name. Two others remained in critical condition Sunday, hospital spokeswoman Zenaida Mendez said. CNN reached Fuqua's agent on Sunday, but he had no comment. Walmart employee charged Roper is charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto after the tractor-trailer he was driving crashed into the limo bus, a statement from Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said.

cnn

(CNN) -- Rosa Brooks says "keep calm and shut the bleep up." The witty Foreign Policy writer is sick of what she calls "self-indulgent vicarious trauma" following the blasts at the marathon finish line in Boston last week, which killed three people, injured more than 100 and set off a manhunt that left an MIT cop dead. "You don't need to keep changing your Facebook status to let us all know that you're still extremely shocked and sad about the Boston bombing," she wrote last week. "Let's just stipulate that everyone is shocked and sad, except the perpetrators and some other scattered sociopaths." CNN iReport: Run for Boston Part of me loves her piece. It's a worthy critique of the faux-concern and needless commercialism that can grow out of tragedy. But I think Brooks is selling people short by writing that "there just isn't much most ordinary people should do in immediate response to events such as the Boston bombings." There's plenty to do, as runners have shown in the week since the bombing. Within hours of the blasts, people all over the world were lacing up their running shoes and going outside to run. It's a simple, selfish act. Some did it to clear their heads. Others to process what had just happened to fellow runners and those cheering them on. I did it because I felt like I just needed to do something. And I feel all the more compelled to keep training because of inspirational stories like those of Adrianne Haslet-Davis, a dance instructor who lost her foot in the bombing but vows to dance and run again.

race

If you had billions of dollars,would you give away almost all of it to charity ?Well that's what Mark Zuckerberg,CEO and founder of Facebook,just said he would do.Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan promised to give 99 percent of their money to society.Right now that is about $45 billion(289 billion yuan),and they plan to give away the money to things like science and education. Many billionaires have done similar things,for example,Bill Gates.But giving back and helping others isn't just for big billionaires.People like Zuckerberg and Gates may have more to give,but people with less are doing it too.Especially around the holidays,people want to do their part and give back to people who are less lucky than them.Schools may have food collections where people bring some food and together they can give away some other things to places like homeless centers. People also host special events like concerts or runs to be creative while raising money.Common people give away whatever they can to US charities like the United Way and the American Red Cross. Then these charities are able to help the poor in different ways like education,health and improving their lives.These things come together to make a big difference.

cnn

ISIS, as the Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria are known, has become the new face of international terrorism in the eyes of the United States and its Western allies. Now the focus in America and abroad has become what will President Barack Obama and other leaders do about it? Here are key questions on the matter: 1) Who killed James Foley? Britain's ambassador to the United States, Peter Westmacott, told CNN on Sunday that British officials were close to identifying the ISIS militant who beheaded Foley, an American journalist captured in Syria in 2012. He couldn't elaborate on the identity of the killer, who is seen decapitating Foley in a video posted last week on YouTube. "We're putting a great deal into the search," he said, referring to the use of sophisticated technology to analyze the man's voice. In the video, Foley, 40, is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black, who speaks with what experts say is a distinctly English accent. Linguists said that based on his voice, the man sounds to be younger than 30. He also appears to have been educated in England from a young age and to be from southern England or London. Britain close to identifying James Foley's killer, ambassador says 2) Will the United States expand air strikes to ISIS targets in Syria? Pressure is increasing on Obama to go after ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, ignoring an essentially non-existent border between them. Last week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said that taking on ISIS in Syria was the only way to defeat the Sunni jihadists.

cnn

(CNN) -- Jonathan Winters, the wildly inventive actor and comedian who appeared in such films as "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "The Loved One" and played Robin Williams' son on the TV show "Mork & Mindy," has died. He was 87. Winters died Thursday evening of natural causes at his home in Montecito, California, according to business associate Joe Petro III. Winters was known for his comic irreverence, switching characters the way other people flick on light switches. His routines were full of non sequiturs and surreal jokes. Williams, in particular, often credited him as a great influence. "First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend," tweeted Williams. "I'll miss him huge. He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha." Winters, who was widely admired by comedians in general, was awarded the Mark Twain Prize -- which goes to outstanding humorists -- in 1999. "Genius" was a common touchstone as comedians reacted to Winters' death. "R.I.P Jonathan Winters," tweeted comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks. "Beyond funny, he invented a new category of comedic genius." "Had a great run. Actual genius," tweeted Kevin Pollak. "A genius and the greatest improvisational comedian of all time," tweeted Richard Lewis. Gottfried: Jonathan Winters was mad brilliant Though he never had a breakout starring role, over the years his appearances on TV shows made him a beloved figure in the entertainment world. He was a favorite guest on "The Tonight Show" -- particularly in the early '60s when Jack Paar hosted it -- and turned up on the game show "The Hollywood Squares," Dean Martin's celebrity roasts and countless variety shows.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XLII The Prince dined carefully, but with less than his usual appetite. Afterwards he lit a cigarette and strolled for a moment into the lounge. Celeste, who was waiting for him, glided at once to his side. "Monsieur!" she whispered. "I have been here for one hour." He nodded. "Well?" "Monsieur le Duc has arrived." The Prince turned sharply round. "Who?" "Monsieur le Duc de Souspennier. He calls himself no longer Mr. Sabin." A dull flush of angry colour rose almost to his temples. "Why did you not tell me before?" he exclaimed. "Monsieur was in the restaurant," she answered. "It was impossible for me to do anything but wait." "Where is he?" "Alas! he is with madam," the girl answered. The Prince was very profane. He started at once for the elevator. In a moment or two he presented himself at Lucille's sitting-room. They were still lingering over their dinner. Mr. Sabin welcomed him with grave courtesy. "The Prince is in time to take his liqueur with us," he remarked, rising. "Will you take fin champagne, Prince, or Chartreuse? I recommend the fin champagne." The Prince bowed his thanks. He was white to the lips with the effort for self-mastery. "I congratulate you, Mr. Sabin," he said, "upon your opportune arrival. You will be able to help Lucille through the annoyance to which I deeply regret that she should be subjected." Mr. Sabin gently raised his eyebrows. "Annoyance!" he repeated. "I fear that I do not quite understand." The Prince smiled.

race

Robert Todd Duncan was born in 1903 in the southern city of Danville,Kentucky. His mother was his first music teacher. As a young man,he continued his music study in Indianapolis,Indiana. In 1930,he completed more musical education at Columbia University in New York City. Then he moved to Washington. For fifteen years, he taught music at Howard University in Washington. At that time, not many black musicians were known for writing or performing classical music. Teaching at Howard gave Duncan the chance to share his knowledge of classical European music with a mainly black student population. He taught special ways to present the music.These special ways became known as the Duncan Technique. Besides teaching,Duncan sang in several operas with performers who were all black. But it seemed that he always would be known mainly as a concert artist. However,his life took a different turn in the middle 1930s. At that time, the famous American music writer George Gershwin was looking for someone to play a leading part in his new work Porgy and Bess. The music critic of the New York Times newspaper suggested Todd Duncan. Duncan had almost decided not to try for the part as he knew it would not be easy to get it. But he changed his mind. He sang a piece from an Italian opera for Gershwin. He had sung only a few minutes when Gershwin offered him the part. He became famous because of the part in Porgy and Bess. Todd Duncan gained fame as an opera singer and concert artist. But his greatest love in music was teaching. When he stopped teaching at Howard,he continued giving singing lessons in his Washington home until the week before his death.

wikipedia

Existentialism () is the work associated mainly with certain late-19th- and 20th-century European philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual. While the predominant value of existentialist thought is commonly acknowledged to be freedom, its primary virtue is authenticity. In the view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point is characterized by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation, confusion, or dread in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophies, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience. Søren Kierkegaard is generally considered to have been the first existentialist philosopher, though he did not use the term existentialism. He proposed that each individual—not society or religion—is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely, or "authentically". Existentialism became popular in the years following World War II, and strongly influenced many disciplines besides philosophy, including theology, drama, art, literature, and psychology. The term is often seen as a historical convenience as it was first applied to many philosophers in hindsight, long after they had died. In fact, while existentialism is generally considered to have originated with Kierkegaard, the first prominent existentialist philosopher to adopt the term as a self-description was Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre posits the idea that "what all existentialists have in common is the fundamental doctrine that existence precedes essence", as scholar Frederick Copleston explains. According to philosopher Steven Crowell, defining existentialism has been relatively difficult, and he argues that it is better understood as a general approach used to reject certain systematic philosophies rather than as a systematic philosophy itself. Sartre himself, in a lecture delivered in 1945, described existentialism as "the attempt to draw all the consequences from a position of consistent atheism".

race

Book 1 : Brack Obama Grades: 3-5 Our Price: $ 8.95 His mother came from Kansas. His father came from Kenya. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, far from the center of American politics. Few people had even heard of Brack Obama before 2004. But one powerful speech in Boston changed all that for the Illinois senator . In 2008, this inspiring leader ran for the country's top job, President. Book 2: Danica Patrick Grades: 3-5 Our Price: $ 8.95 Growing up, Danica Patrick dreamed of racing in the Indianapolis 500. In 2005, her dream came true. Danica finished the race in fourth place, the best ever result by a woman. Three years later, she became the first female to win an IndyCar race. As a woman competing in a sport dominated by men, Danica faced many obstacles. But she never stopped believing in herself, no matter what the difficulties. Book 3: Ellen Ochoa Grades: 3-5 Our Price: $ 8.95 Some people dream of becoming stars. Ellen Ochoa dreamed of living among them! She worked hard to make her dream of becoming an astronaut come true. On April 8, 1993, she strapped herself in for the ride of her life aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Ochoa aimed high and ly went where no Hispanic woman had gone before. Find out about Ochoa's amazing journey in her own words and photos from her personal collection! Book 4: LeBron James Grades: 3-5 Our Price: $ 8.95 Fans, teammates, and opponents know him as King James. Many people consider LeBron James to be the most talented basketball Player of his generation. But there is much more to his story. He overcame hard times as a kid and rose to national fame as a teenager. He then jumped right from high school to the pros. Along the way, LeBron never lost sight of where he came from or who he is.

cnn

(CNN) -- After months of bloodshed, intrigue and revenge that made Yemen seem like an Arabian version of Hamlet, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has finally transferred his powers to his vice president, and elections are to be held in three months. At the ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to seal the transition deal worked out by the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saleh seemed relaxed and even chuckled as he signed several copies of the agreement, the result of intense diplomatic shuttling by U.N. envoy Jamal bin Omar and growing pressure from the international community. But Saleh also took a parting shot at his opponents, saying they had destroyed in months everything that had been built over years. April Longley Alley, Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, says the Riyadh deal offers an "opportunity to move past the current political impasse and to deal with critical issues like deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions as well as the very difficult task of institutional reform." Even so, Longley Alley and other analysts expect the epilogue to be anything but predictable. There are plenty of competing elements left behind: the thousands of mainly young demonstrators who took to the streets of Sanaa and other cities in January to demand democratic change, the tribal alliance that took up arms against Saleh, secessionists in the south and a Shiite rebellion in the north, well-organized Islamist groups and a budding al Qaeda franchise. Perhaps the most powerful figure in Yemen now is Brig. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the 1st Armored Division. He defected in March and took a chunk of the army with him. His units now control northern districts of the capital and are facing off against powerful remnants of the Saleh clan. The president's son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, long groomed to be his successor, and his nephew, Yahya Muhammad Saleh, command the most effective units.

wikipedia

Relatively insensitive film, with a correspondingly lower speed index, requires more exposure to light to produce the same image density as a more sensitive film, and is thus commonly termed a slow film. Highly sensitive films are correspondingly termed fast films. In both digital and film photography, the reduction of exposure corresponding to use of higher sensitivities generally leads to reduced image quality (via coarser film grain or higher image noise of other types). In short, the higher the sensitivity, the grainier the image will be. Ultimately sensitivity is limited by the quantum efficiency of the film or sensor. The Warnerke Standard Sensitometer consisted of a frame holding an opaque screen with an array of typically 25 numbered, gradually pigmented squares brought into contact with the photographic plate during a timed test exposure under a phosphorescent tablet excited before by the light of a burning Magnesium ribbon. The speed of the emulsion was then expressed in 'degrees' Warnerke (sometimes seen as Warn. or °W.) corresponding with the last number visible on the exposed plate after development and fixation. Each number represented an increase of 1/3 in speed, typical plate speeds were between 10° and 25° Warnerke at the time.

race

After ruling the tennis world for almost five years, Roger Federer is adjusting to life at NO.2. But, like any king whose throne has been taken away, the Swiss star is already planning secretly his return to power, beginning at this week's US Open. The problem is, many experts think he will never do it. They blame everything from age and tough competition to his racket and psychology. For years Federer, 27, had enjoyed the view from the top. Competitors saw him as undefeated, and for the most part he was. However, before the 2008 season began, Federer had an illness that stole his strength and clearly affected his play on the court. Ever since, he has struggled to return to form, winning just two of his last 14 tournaments. "Twenty-seven is an age when _ ." tennis great John McEnroe told the New York Times. Pancho Sefura, another tennis great, noted that Federer is also facing a maturing crop of young talents. "There are too many great players now," he said, naming Britain's Andy Murray, 21, and Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, 20. US magazine Sports Illustrated tennis columnist Jon Wertheim suggested that part of Federer's problem could be his insistence on using a small racket. He says that the smaller head demands ball control. But we see time and again that racket makers try to get players to use a certain stick -- one they would like to market to consumers and it has a negative effect the professional game. Sports psychologist Jim Loehr told the Times that Federer is probably feeling "a sense of doubt" after being considered as undefeated for so long. If Federer is to recover his state of being undefeated, Loehr said he must overcome his doubt. "Federer doesn't need fame and money. But he has to get better. He has to go to a whole new level. That's the only way he stays in the game," he said. As for beginning his first Grand Slam in ages as the NO.2 seed, Federer said it might be for the best. "Five years almost, I was expected to win every tournament I entered," he said, "so maybe Rafael Nadal now feels what I had to feel for a very long time. It will be interesting to see how he handles it."

wikipedia

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ),[note 1] is an island country located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country's population of 53,158 people (at the 2011 Census) is spread out over 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets. The islands share maritime boundaries with the Federated States of Micronesia to the west, Wake Island to the north,[note 2] Kiribati to the south-east, and Nauru to the south. About 27,797 of the islanders (at the 2011 Census) live on Majuro, which contains the capital. Micronesian colonists gradually settled the Marshall Islands during the 2nd millennium BC, with inter-island navigation made possible using traditional stick charts. Islands in the archipelago were first explored by Europeans in the 1520s, with Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar sighting an atoll in August 1526. Other expeditions by Spanish and English ships followed. The islands derive their name from British explorer John Marshall, who visited in 1788. The islands were historically known by the inhabitants as "jolet jen Anij" (Gifts from God).

wikipedia

In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of breath that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. In English, aspirated consonants are allophones in complementary distribution with their unaspirated counterparts, but in some other languages, notably most Indian and East Asian languages, the difference is contrastive. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin [pʰɪn] and then spin [spɪn]. One should either feel a puff of air or see a flicker of the candle flame with pin that one does not get with spin. In most dialects of English, the initial consonant is aspirated in pin and unaspirated in spin. In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), aspirated consonants are written using the symbols for voiceless consonants followed by the aspiration modifier letter ⟨◌ʰ⟩, a superscript form of the symbol for the voiceless glottal fricative ⟨h⟩. For instance, ⟨p⟩ represents the voiceless bilabial stop, and ⟨pʰ⟩ represents the aspirated bilabial stop.

wikipedia

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country located in Central Africa, with an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name evokes its location near both the Equator and the Gulf of Guinea. Equatorial Guinea is the only sovereign African state in which Spanish is an official language. , the country had an estimated population of 1,222,245. Equatorial Guinea consists of two parts, an insular and a mainland region. The insular region consists of the islands of Bioko (formerly "Fernando Pó") in the Gulf of Guinea and Annobón, a small volcanic island south of the equator. Bioko Island is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea and is the site of the country's capital, Malabo. The island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located between Bioko and Annobón. The mainland region, Río Muni, is bordered by Cameroon on the north and Gabon on the south and east. It is the location of Bata, Equatorial Guinea's largest city, and Oyala, the country's planned future capital. Rio Muni also includes several small offshore islands, such as Corisco, Elobey Grande, and Elobey Chico. The country is a member of the African Union, Francophonie, OPEC and the CPLP.

wikipedia

Martin Luther (/ˈluːθər/ or /ˈluːðər/; German: [ˈmaɐ̯tiːn ˈlʊtɐ] ( listen); 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, former monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He proposed an academic discussion of the power and usefulness of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor. Luther taught that salvation and subsequently eternal life is not earned by good deeds but is received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans even though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

wikipedia

Early Christianity is the period of Christianity preceding the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It is typically divided into the Apostolic Age and the Ante-Nicene Period (from the Apostolic Age until Nicea). The first Christians, as described in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, were all Jews either by birth or conversion, for which the biblical term "proselyte" is used, and referred to by historians as Jewish Christians. The early Gospel message was spread orally, probably in Aramaic, but almost immediately also in Greek. The New Testament's Acts of the Apostles and Epistle to the Galatians record that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included Saint Peter, James, the brother of Jesus, and John the Apostle. After the conversion of Paul the Apostle, he claimed the title of "Apostle to the Gentiles". Paul's influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than that of any other New Testament author. By the end of the 1st century, Christianity began to be recognized internally and externally as a separate religion from Judaism which itself was refined and developed further in the centuries after the destruction of the Second Temple. Numerous quotations in the New Testament and other Christian writings of the first centuries, indicate that early Christians generally used and revered the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) as religious text, mostly in the Greek (Septuagint) or Aramaic (Targum) translations.

race

A lot of the time celebrities have a team of people telling them what to wear for every different occasion. However, a naturally style savvy celebrity is not unheard of. Kate Moss Rising to fame in the mid-1990s, Kate Moss is one of the biggest supermodels ever and a fashion veteran . According to Forbes magazine, Moss has since earned more money than ever before. Emma Watson Born in 1990,well-known for starring in the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson is known for her beauty, and flawless style and grace on and off the red carpet. An advocate of eco-friendly fashion, Emma's worked with Italian designer Alberta Ferretti in 2011 on a collection of organic clothing featuring a series of environmentally friendly dresses. Victoria Beckham Well known for being real trendsetter , It's not _ that Victoria Beckham is among the list of style savvy celebrities . Indeed it was only a matter of time for her to start designing her own collection. The former Spice Girl had her own fashion brand, dvb, in 2007. Her designing works, ranging from clothes to fragrances , have been well received. Justin Timberlake A global music superstar, Justin Timberlake also earned the respect of fashion gurus --not only for being one of the most stylish celebrities but also for being a promising designer. Justin has managed to incorporate his sense of style into the clothing line, which is best known for its jeans.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXVIII INEFFECTUAL WOOING "At last!" Wrayson said to himself, almost under his breath. "Shall we have a hansom, Louise, or do you care for a walk?" "A walk, by all means," she answered hurriedly. "It is not far, is it?" "A mile--a little more perhaps," he answered. "You are sure that you are not tired?" "Tired only of sitting still," she answered. "We had a delightful crossing. This way, isn't it?" They left the Grosvenor Hotel, where Louise, with Madame de Melbain, had arrived about an hour ago, and turned towards Battersea. Louise began to talk, nervously, and with a very obvious desire to keep the conversation to indifferent subjects. Wrayson humoured her for some time. They spoke of the journey, suddenly determined upon by Madame de Melbain on receipt of his telegram, of the beauty of St. Étarpe, of the wonderful reappearance of her brother. "I can scarcely realize even now," she said, "that he is really alive. He is so altered. He seems a different person altogether." "He has gone through a good deal," Wrayson remarked. She sighed. "Poor Duncan!" she murmured. "He is very much to be pitied," Wrayson said seriously. "I, at any rate, can feel for him." He turned towards her as he spoke, and his words were charged with meaning. She began quickly to speak of something else, but he interrupted her. "Louise," he said, "is London so far from St. Étarpe?" "What do you mean?" she asked. "I think that you know very well," he answered. "I am sure that you do. At St. Étarpe you were content to accept what, believe me, is quite inevitable. Here--well, you have been doing all you can to avoid me, haven't you?"

wikipedia

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the home of the United States Congress, and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Though not at the geographic center of the Federal District, the Capitol forms the origin point for the District's street-numbering system and the District's four quadrants. The original building was completed in 1800 and was subsequently expanded, particularly with the addition of the massive dome, and expanded chambers for the bicameral legislature, the House of Representatives in the south wing and the Senate in the north wing. Like the principal buildings of the executive and judicial branches, the Capitol is built in a distinctive neoclassical style and has a white exterior. Both its east and west elevations are formally referred to as "fronts", though only the east front was intended for the reception of visitors and dignitaries. Prior to establishing the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., the United States Congress and its predecessors had met in Philadelphia (Independence Hall and Congress Hall), New York City (Federal Hall), and a number of other locations (York, Pennsylvania; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland; and Nassau Hall in Princeton, New Jersey). In September 1774, the First Continental Congress brought together delegates from the colonies in Philadelphia, followed by the Second Continental Congress, which met from May 1775 to March 1781.

cnn

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Korean is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to master, but an elephant in a South Korean zoo is making a good start. Koshik, a 22-year-old Asian elephant has stunned experts and his keepers at Everland Zoo near Seoul by imitating human speech. Koshik can say the Korean words for "hello," "sit down," "no," "lie down" and "good." His trainer, Kim Jong Gap, first started to realize Koshik was mimicking him several years ago. ""In 2004 and 2005, Kim didn't even know that the human voice he heard at the zoo was actually from Koshik," zoo spokesman In Kim In Cherl said. "But in 2006, he started to realize that Koshik had been imitating his voice and mentioned it to his boss." Why do elephants have hair on their heads? His boss initially called him "crazy." Koshik's remarkable antics grabbed the interest of an elephant vocalization expert thousands of kilometers away at the University of Vienna in Austria. ""There was a YouTube video about Koshik vocalizing, and I was not sure if it was a fake, or if it was real," Dr. Angela Stoeger-Horwath said. She traveled with fellow expert Dr. Daniel Mietchen to South Korea in 2010 to test the elephant's ability. They recorded Koshik repeating certain words his keeper said and then played them for native Korean speakers to see, if they were recognizable. "It is, for some of the sounds he makes, quite astonishing for how similar they are," said Mietchen of the University of Jena in Germany. "For instance the word 'choa' (meaning good) -- if you hear it right after what the keeper says -- it's quite similar."

cnn

New York (CNN) -- The mansion and four-acre estate featured in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film "The Godfather" is up for sale for a whopping $2.9 million. Owner Jim Norton said he put the eight-bedroom, five-bathroom Staten Island home on the market after his father recently passed away. The film employed a star-studded cast, including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Diane Keaton. Brando played fictional character Vito Corleone, the head of an organized crime family who transfers power to his reluctant son. The film is based on a novel written by Mario Puzo and begins with a scene filmed at the iconic estate, where the aging Corleone accepts requests for favors during the wedding reception of his daughter Connie, played by Talia Shire. The estate features a four-car garage, two fireplaces, an English pub and an in-ground swimming pool, Norton said. His mother collected behind-the-scenes mementos from the film, including pictures and autographs from cast and crew members, he said. Realtor Connie Profaci said the location was suggested by neighbor and co-star Gianni Russo, who played Corleone's son-in-law in the film. "His family lived near the home and was familiar with the English Tudor enclave connecting Todt Hill and Emerson Hill," Profaci said. "Paramount producer Al Ruddy agreed and the rest was history."

wikipedia

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global "lingua franca". Named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to England, it ultimately derives its name from the Anglia (Angeln) peninsula in the Baltic Sea. It is closely related to the Frisian languages, but its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse (a North Germanic language), as well as by Latin and Romance languages, particularly French. English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century, are called Old English. Middle English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England, and was a period in which the language was influenced by French. Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London and the King James Bible, and the start of the Great Vowel Shift. Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire, modern English spread around the world from the 17th to mid-20th centuries. Through all types of printed and electronic media, as well as the emergence of the United States as a global superpower, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the "lingua franca" in many regions and in professional contexts such as science, navigation and law.

race

The main reason people come to America is said to be that they can chase the American Dream. Everyone has heard of it, and many have died fighting for it. The only thing is that there is no clear definition of the American Dream. It is not defined by one dream, but by all the opportunities that the United States offers. Since the founding of the United States, people have been _ to define the American Dream. In the playDeath of a Salesman, every character is trying to realize his own version of the American Dream. Willy feels that he has done so. He has spent his whole life as a not very successful salesman. As he gets older, he starts having conflicts with everyone in his life, and feels that only by killing himself will the people around him be able to finally be happy. Bernard, on the other hand, feels that the American Dream can only be achieved through career success. He shows that through hard work and dedication he will be crowned with success. The dialogue of the characters reveals the different attitudes they have toward the American Dream, and the reaction of Willy to the fact that Bernard is very successful while he is not. Many people try to achieve the American Dream, but few actually do so. As with any goal, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve the American Dream. InDeath of a Salesman, all aspects of this goal are examined. For the goal to be achieved, the dream must be an attainable one which is worth working toward. It also must be a dream that the professional world accepts and finds useful.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII. TOM RESPECTS THE FLEA "NOON!" says Tom, and so it was. His shadder was just a blot around his feet. We looked, and the Grinnage clock was so close to twelve the difference didn't amount to nothing. So Tom said London was right north of us or right south of us, one or t'other, and he reckoned by the weather and the sand and the camels it was north; and a good many miles north, too; as many as from New York to the city of Mexico, he guessed. Jim said he reckoned a balloon was a good deal the fastest thing in the world, unless it might be some kinds of birds--a wild pigeon, maybe, or a railroad. But Tom said he had read about railroads in England going nearly a hundred miles an hour for a little ways, and there never was a bird in the world that could do that--except one, and that was a flea. "A flea? Why, Mars Tom, in de fust place he ain't a bird, strickly speakin'--" "He ain't a bird, eh? Well, then, what is he?" "I don't rightly know, Mars Tom, but I speck he's only jist a' animal. No, I reckon dat won't do, nuther, he ain't big enough for a' animal. He mus' be a bug. Yassir, dat's what he is, he's a bug." "I bet he ain't, but let it go. What's your second place?" "Well, in de second place, birds is creturs dat goes a long ways, but a flea don't."

cnn

(CNN) -- In different year, the race for attorney general in Pennsylvania might have been just a footnote to the presidential election. But more people in the Keystone State voted Tuesday for Kathleen Kane to be their attorney general than voted for Barack Obama to be their president. And much of that may be attributed to the furor over the Jerry Sandusky child sex case. She beat the Republican challenger, David Freed, by almost 15 points, and the overwhelming support makes her the first woman and the first Democrat elected to the job in Pennsylvania. What may have pushed Kane over the top was her strong stance on the Sandusky scandal. She promised to look back to November 2008, when the first victim came forward, and carry out an independent review into why Sandusky was not charged until three years later. "We need an independent investigator to look at what happened," Kane told CNN. "Over 3 million people feel that I am that independent investigator." Her promise means she'll be taking on the state's sitting governor, Tom Corbett. And her review into the Sandusky case investigation will delve into the years that Corbett was the attorney general. He launched the Sandusky investigation before he ran for governor. Despite some criticism, Corbett has denied that politics had anything to do with investigative decisions. Instead, he accused Democrats of politicizing the case when two leading state Democratic lawmakers wrote a three-page letter asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to look into how the Sandusky investigation unfolded. Holder's office says the letter is under review.

mctest

A man got fired from his job. He was in such a bad mood after. He walked out the door with his gum and gloves. He got madder and madder. A mailman walking by asked him how his day had been. He pushed the mailman who fell on a teacher. A nearby baby started crying. The man then felt bad and apologized. He knew the only thing that could make him happy would be pancakes. He went to a pancake restaurant and ordered a stack of pancakes. He ate the pancakes he had put syrup on and helped a worker sweep the floor. He had forgotten all about the firing from his other job. The worker was so surprised with how helpful the man was he told his boss. The boss talked to the man and asked if he'd like a job there. The man was so happy that his day had made such a turn around! He took the job and became head pancake maker.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VI Miss Mackenzie Goes to the Cedars About the middle of December Mrs Mackenzie, of Gower Street, received a letter from her sister-in-law at Littlebath, in which it was proposed that Susanna should pass the Christmas holidays with her father and mother. "I myself," said the letter, "am going for three weeks to the Cedars. Lady Ball has written to me, and as she seems to wish it, I shall go. It is always well, I think, to drop family dissensions." The letter said a great deal more, for Margaret Mackenzie, not having much business on hand, was fond of writing long letters; but the upshot of it was, that she would leave Susanna in Gower Street, on her way to the Cedars, and call for her on her return home. "What on earth is she going there for?" said Mrs Tom Mackenzie. "Because they have asked her," replied the husband. "Of course they have asked her; but that's no reason she should go. The Balls have behaved very badly to us, and I should think much better of her if she stayed away." To this Mr Mackenzie made no answer, but simply remarked that he would be rejoiced in having Susanna at home on Christmas Day. "That's all very well, my dear," said Mrs Tom, "and of course so shall I. But as she has taken the charge of the child I don't think she ought to drop her down and pick her up just whenever she pleases. Suppose she was to take it into her head to stop at the Cedars altogether, what are we to do then?--just have the girl returned upon our hands, with all her ideas of life confused and deranged. I hate such ways."

cnn

(CNN) -- Three Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed this week in a cross-border firefight between Pakistan and India, officials said Thursday. The soldiers were moving from one post to another along the border when they came under fire by Indian forces, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Pakistan army spokesman. Since a cease-fire is in effect, the firing by Indian forces was unprovoked, Abbas said. But Pakistani forces retaliated after the shots were fired, he said. It was unclear whether the incident took place late Tuesday or Wednesday, as Pakistani and Indian officials provided different times. Lt. Col. J.S. Brar, Indian defense spokesman for the disputed Kashmir region, said there were two violations of the cease-fire on the Line of Control, the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In the first, fighting continued for about an hour, he said. A second violation took place Thursday morning, he said, and one Indian soldier was injured. Brar said he could not comment on Pakistani casualties. Pakistani officials said severe weather conditions in Kashmir, a Himalayan region, hampered removal of the soldiers' bodies. Pakistan has asked the Indian local commanding authority for a full report on the incident. India and Pakistan have have fought three wars since the partition of the Asian subcontinent in 1947. Two of them were over Kashmir, which is claimed by both nuclear powers. On August 20, an Indian army officer and five militants were killed in clashes along the Line of Control. India has accused Pakistan of aiding infiltration into Indian Kashmir, which has battled separatist violence for more than two decades. Islamabad has denied the accusations. More than 40,000 have died in the violence, officials say.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIX OF THE CHANGE IN THOMAS To find ways of making David propose to Elspeth, of making Elspeth willing to exchange her brother for David--they were heavy tasks, but Tommy yoked himself to them gallantly and tugged like an Arab steed in the plough. It should be almost as pleasant to us as to him to think that love was what made him do it, for he was sure he loved Grizel at last, and that the one longing of his heart was to marry her; the one marvel to him was that he had ever longed ardently for anything else. Well, as you know, she longed for it also, but she was firm in her resolve that until Elspeth was engaged Tommy should be a single man. She even made him promise not to kiss her again so long as their love had to be kept secret. "It will be so sweet to wait," she said bravely. As we shall see presently, his efforts to put Elspeth into the hands of David were apparently of no avail, but though this would have embittered many men, it drew only to the surface some of Tommy's noblest attributes; as he suffered in silence he became gentler, more considerate, and acquired a new command over himself. To conquer self for her sake (this is in the "Letters to a Young Man") is the highest tribute a man can pay to a woman; it is the only real greatness, and Tommy had done it now. I could give you a score of proofs. Let us take his treatment of Aaron Latta.

race

Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over its legs under its body. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its children to the reality of life. In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it's sent sprawling . When it doesn't get up, the process is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time on its shaky legs. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there's safety. Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found something that runs through the lives of all these great people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They're beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they've realized some small parts of what they set out to do ."

race

At a day care center in Taxes, children were playing outside. One of the children was Jessica McClure. She was 18 months old. Jessica's mother, who worked at the day care center, was watching the children. Suddenly Jessica fell and disappeared. Jessica's mother cried and ran to her. A well was in the yard of the center. The well was only eight inches across, and a rock always covered it. But children had moved the rock. When Jessica fell, and she fell right into the well. Jessica's mother reached inside the well, but she couldn't feel Jessica. She ran to the phone and called 911 for help. Men from the fire apartment arrived. They discovered that Jessica was about 20 feet down in the well. For the next hour, the men talked and planned Jessica's rescue . Then they told Jessica's parents their plan. "We can't go into the well. " they said "It's too narrow. So, we're going to drill a hole next to the well. Then we 'll drill a tunnel across Jessica. Then we'll bring her up through the hole. " The man began to drill the hole on a Wednesday morning. "We'll reach Jessica in a few hours ", they thought. The men were wrong. They had to drill through the solid rock. Two days later, on Friday morning, they were still drilling,. And Jessica McClure was still in the well. During her days in the well, Jessica sometimes called her mother. Sometimes she slept, sometimes she cried, and sometimes she sang. All over the world people waited for the news of Jessica. They read about her in the newspapers and watched her rescue on TV. Everyone worried about the little girl in the well. At 8 P. M. on Friday, the men finally reached Jessica and brought her up from the well. Jessica was dirty, hungry, thirsty and tired. Her foot and forehead was badly injured. But Jessica was alive. A doctor at the hospital said, "Jessica was lucky she was young. She's not going to remember this very well. " Maybe Jessica will not remember her days in the well. But her parents, her rescuers, ans many other people around the world will not forget them. After Jessica's rescue, one of the rescuers made a metal cover for the well. On the cover he wrote, "To Jessica, with love from all of us. "

gutenberg

CHAPTER V The Vacation was over, and Vivian returned to Burnsley Vicarage. He bowed cavalierly to Mr. Dallas on his arrival, and immediately sauntered up into the school-room, where he found a tolerable quantity of wretches looking as miserable as schoolboys who have left their pleasant homes generally do for some four-and-twenty hours. "How d'ye do, Grey? How d'ye do, Grey?" burst from a knot of unhappy fellows, who would have felt quite delighted had their newly arrived co-mate condescended to entertain them, as usual, with some capital good story fresh from town. But they were disappointed. "We can make room for you at the fire, Grey," said Theophilus "I thank you, I am not cold." "I suppose you know that Poynings and Etherege don't come back, Grey?" "Everybody knew that last half:" and so he walked on. "Grey, Grey!" halloed King, "don't go into the dining-room; Mallett is there alone, and told us not to disturb him. By Jove, the fellow is going in: there will be a greater row this half between Grey and Mallett than ever." Days, the heavy first days of the half, rolled on, and all the citizens of the little commonwealth had returned. "What a dull half this will be!" said Eardley; "how one misses Grey's set! After all, they kept the school alive: Poynings was a first-rate fellow, and Etherege so deuced good-natured! I wonder whom Grey will crony with this half; have you seen him and Dallas speak together yet? He cut the Doctor quite dead at Greek to-day."

wikipedia

Set theory is a branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which informally are collections of objects. Although any type of object can be collected into a set, set theory is applied most often to objects that are relevant to mathematics. The language of set theory can be used in the definitions of nearly all mathematical objects. The modern study of set theory was initiated by Georg Cantor and Richard Dedekind in the 1870s. After the discovery of paradoxes in naive set theory, such as the Russell's paradox, numerous axiom systems were proposed in the early twentieth century, of which the Zermelo–Fraenkel axioms, with or without the axiom of choice, are the best-known. Set theory is commonly employed as a foundational system for mathematics, particularly in the form of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice. Beyond its foundational role, set theory is a branch of mathematics in its own right, with an active research community. Contemporary research into set theory includes a diverse collection of topics, ranging from the structure of the real number line to the study of the consistency of large cardinals. Mathematical topics typically emerge and evolve through interactions among many researchers. Set theory, however, was founded by a single paper in 1874 by Georg Cantor: "On a Property of the Collection of All Real Algebraic Numbers".

gutenberg

CHAPTER XV. "DROP IT." For ten or twelve days after the little dinner in Berkeley Square Guss Mildmay bore her misfortunes without further spoken complaint. During all that time, though they were both in London, she never saw Jack De Baron, and she knew that in not seeing her he was neglecting her. But for so long she bore it. It is generally supposed that young ladies have to bear such sorrow without loud complaint; but Guss was more thoroughly emancipated than are some young ladies, and when moved was wont to speak her mind. At last, when she herself was only on foot with her father, she saw Jack De Baron riding with Lady George. It is quite true that she also saw, riding behind them, her perfidious friend, Mrs. Houghton, and a gentleman whom at that time she did not know to be Lady George's father. This was early in March, when equestrians in the park are not numerous. Guss stood for a moment looking at them, and Jack De Baron took off his hat. But Jack did not stop, and went on talking with that pleasant vivacity which she, poor girl, knew so well and valued so highly. Lady George liked it too, though she could hardly have given any reason for liking it, for, to tell the truth, there was not often much pith in Jack's conversation. On the following morning Captain De Baron, who had lodgings in Charles Street close to the Guards' Club, had a letter brought to him before he was out of bed. The letter was from Guss Mildmay, and he knew the handwriting well. He had received many notes from her, though none so interesting on the whole as was this letter. Miss Mildmay's letter to Jack was as follows. It was written, certainly, with a swift pen, and, but that he knew her writing well, would in parts have been hardly legible.

gutenberg

Chapter XX. A Sweet Memory Now the lovely June days had come, everything began to look really summer-like; school would soon be over, and the young people were joyfully preparing for the long vacation. "We are all going up to Bethlehem. We take the seashore one year and the mountains the next. Better come along," said Gus, as the boys lay on the grass after beating the Lincolns at one of the first matches of the season. "Can't; we are off to Pebbly Beach the second week in July. Our invalids need sea air. That one looks delicate, doesn't he?" asked Frank, giving Jack a slight rap with his bat as that young gentleman lay in his usual attitude admiring the blue hose and russet shoes which adorned his sturdy limbs. "Stop that, Captain! You needn't talk about invalids, when you know mother says you are not to look at a book for a month because you have studied yourself thin and headachy. I'm all right;" and Jack gave himself a sounding slap on the chest, where shone the white star of the H.B.B.C. "Hear the little cockerel crow! you just wait till you get into the college class, and see if you don't have to study like fun," said Gus, with unruffled composure, for he was going to Harvard next year, and felt himself already a Senior. "Never shall; I don't want any of your old colleges. I'm going into business as soon as I can. Ed says I may be his book-keeper, if I am ready when he starts for himself. That is much jollier than grinding away for four years, and then having to grind ever so many more at a profession," said Jack, examining with interest the various knocks and bruises with which much ball-playing had adorned his hands.

race

Tom was a farmer. He worked on the farm all day,but sometimes he went to the town market to sell fruit and vegetables. One day, a terrible sound attracted his attention in the town market. He saw a young bull for sale. The bull was white and yellow. It was looking at Tom in fear. Tom walked up and touched its head gently. Just at that time they both seemed to have known each other for a long time. How amazing!Tom bought it at once and called it Amba. From then on , Tom and Amba got on well with each other. But some friends told him that it was dangerous to have such a close relationship with an animal. One afternoon , Tom was walking through the forest with Amba. Suddenly , Amba stopped walking and kept pushing Tom with its head. Tom was very surprised and looked around. There was a big snake in front of him. It was beautiful but poisonous. Quickly Amba stepped on the snake's tail with its foot and at the same time Tom picked up a stick and hit the snake's head heavily. Soon the snake . died. Tom was very grateful for Amba's help. When people heard this, they were shocked at the bull's expression of love for Tom. But for Tom, Amba was not a bull but a member of his family.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXII. The Pass List Is Out With the end of June came the close of the term and the close of Miss Stacy's rule in Avonlea school. Anne and Diana walked home that evening feeling very sober indeed. Red eyes and damp handkerchiefs bore convincing testimony to the fact that Miss Stacy's farewell words must have been quite as touching as Mr. Phillips's had been under similar circumstances three years before. Diana looked back at the schoolhouse from the foot of the spruce hill and sighed deeply. "It does seem as if it was the end of everything, doesn't it?" she said dismally. "You oughtn't to feel half as badly as I do," said Anne, hunting vainly for a dry spot on her handkerchief. "You'll be back again next winter, but I suppose I've left the dear old school forever--if I have good luck, that is." "It won't be a bit the same. Miss Stacy won't be there, nor you nor Jane nor Ruby probably. I shall have to sit all alone, for I couldn't bear to have another deskmate after you. Oh, we have had jolly times, haven't we, Anne? It's dreadful to think they're all over." Two big tears rolled down by Diana's nose. "If you would stop crying I could," said Anne imploringly. "Just as soon as I put away my hanky I see you brimming up and that starts me off again. As Mrs. Lynde says, 'If you can't be cheerful, be as cheerful as you can.' After all, I dare say I'll be back next year. This is one of the times I KNOW I'm not going to pass. They're getting alarmingly frequent."

wikipedia

The history of India includes the prehistoric settlements and societies in the Indian subcontinent; the blending of the Indus Valley Civilization and Indo-Aryan culture into the Vedic Civilization; the development of Hinduism as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions; the rise of the Śramaṇa movement; the decline of Śrauta sacrifices and the birth of the initiatory traditions of Jainism, Buddhism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism; the onset of a succession of powerful dynasties and empires for more than two millennia throughout various geographic areas of the subcontinent, including the growth of Muslim dynasties during the Medieval period intertwined with Hindu powers; the advent of European traders resulting in the establishment of the British rule; and the subsequent independence movement that led to the Partition of India and the creation of the Republic of India. Evidence of Anatomically modern humans in the Indian subcontinent is recorded as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3200 to 1300 BCE, was the first major civilization in South Asia. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE. This civilization collapsed at the start of the second millennium BCE and was later followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha propagated their Shramanic philosophies during the fifth and sixth century BCE.

cnn

Meet Dr. Gorbee Logan, the county health director for Bomi County in Liberia. You have now met half the medical team in Bomi County. There are two doctors in the entire county. I don't mean two doctors to treat Ebola patients but two doctors, period. Two doctors to take care of Ebola patients, plus the 100 patients in their general hospital, plus the rest of the county. That's two doctors for about 85,000 people. Logan doesn't complain, even though he's been working around the clock since June, when the first Ebola case appeared in this agricultural county. He would, however, like an actual Ebola treatment center. He's been taking care of patients in a holding facility, which has only 12 beds. Sometimes they have nearly double that number, and patients overflow onto mattresses on the floor. He can't send these patients to real Ebola treatment centers because they're all full. Ebola outbreak: How to help Logan has been begging the federal government for more than a month for an official Ebola treatment unit, one with more beds and a quarantine area for people who've come in close contact with Ebola patients but aren't sick. My team and I -- senior producer John Bonifield, senior photographer Orlando Ruiz and our coordinator, Liberian journalist Orlind Cooper -- saw firsthand Tuesday night just how much he needs a real hospital. About 7 p.m., an ambulance arrived at Logan's facility in Tubmanburg with five people who, the day before, had washed the bodies of a mother and daughter who had died of Ebola.

race

Edda, a Little Valkyrie's First Day of School Written and illustrated by Adam Auerbach. 32 pp. Christy Ottaviano/Holt. $15.50. Edda's home is in Asgard, "a land full of magic and adventure." But Edda, the littlest Valkyrie, doesn't have quite enough to do, until her father flies her "all the way to Earth for the first day of school." The contrast between home and school is hard to get used to (in one, she can ride reindeer; in the other she gazes guinea pig through glass at the classroom). In his first picture book, Auerbach mixes the two worlds perfectly. Children are likely to appreciate the joke. Planet Kindergarten By Sue Ganz-Schmitt. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. 32 pp. Chronicle. $14.99. After careful preparations and a successful blastoff, a boy finds himself in a very unfamiliar environment. "We're aliens from many galaxies on Planet Kindergarten," he reflects as he sees his very varied classmates for the first time. Prigmore, who designs for the movie industry, uses black backgrounds and bright colors to give this space adventure visual excitement and humor. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade By Justin Roberts. Illustrated by Christian Robinson. 42 pp. Putnam. $18.99. It makes sense that the author of the long, rhyming lines in "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" is a children's music performer. The story is about the power of one small person to fight prejudice. Sally, whom no one ever seems to notice, is "paying super extra special attention" to the "terrible stuff" happening around her. When she decides to take action, she's not alone for long. And Two Boys Booed By Judith Viorst. 32 pp. Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.59. Ever felt quietly confident one minute, and a shaking mess the next? In Viorst's story about determination, a little boy wakes up thinking about singing his song in the class talent show.

cnn

Several Jamaican sprinters were banned for doping earlier this year and now a footballer from the Caribbean nation has been suspended. Jermaine Hue, a creative midfielder who has made more than 40 appearances for the national team, received a nine-month suspension after he tested positive for dexamethasone. But a stiffer penalty was given to the team doctor, Carlton Fraser. He was hit with a four-year punishment after "having administered" the corticosteroid, FIFA said in a statement on its website. The two were provisionally banned in August after Hue tested positive following Jamaica's World Cup qualifier at Honduras in June. Hue, 35, has spent most of his career with Jamaica's Harbour View but had brief stints with the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS and Sweden's Mjallby. According to a report in the Jamaica Observer in August, Fraser was a personal friend of the late Bob Marley and also treated the reggae great. The sanctions are a further blow to the 'Reggae Boyz' -- they sit last in their qualifying group with only two matches remaining. Former world-record holder in the 100 meters, Asafa Powell, and Sherone Simpson admitted to testing positive for banned substances in July, a month after double 200-meter Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown received a provisional ban.

mctest

There once was a spider name Thomas. Thomas lived in North Carolina. Thomas was traveling to see his grandmother. His grandmother did not live in North Carolina. She lived in Georgia. Georgia was far from Thomas's house, so he had to take a train. He bought a ticket for the train ride. The ticket was five dollars. Before he got on the train, Thomas the spider packed his bag. He packed his blanket, two shirts, and two pairs of pants. He did not pack any books or toys. His grandmother had toys for him to play with. She also had books for him to read. Thomas likes to read and play with toys. Thomas used the phone to call his grandmother to tell her he was coming to visit. She was very excited. Thomas took his bag and went to the train. At the train Thomas looked at the snacks. He wanted vanilla pudding. They did not have vanilla or chocolate, so Thomas got strawberry. He took his bag and strawberry pudding and got on the train.

wikipedia

BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936. The domestic TV BBC television channels are broadcast without any commercial advertising and collectively they account for more than 30% of all UK viewing. The services are funded by a television licence. The BBC operates several television networks, television stations (although there is generally very little distinction between the two terms in the UK), and related programming services in the United Kingdom. As well as being a broadcaster, the corporation also produces a large number of its own programmes in-house, thereby ranking as one of the world's largest television production companies. Baird Television Ltd. made Britain's first television broadcast, on 30 September 1929 from its studio in Long Acre, London, via the BBC's London transmitter, using the electromechanical system pioneered by John Logie Baird. This system used a vertically-scanned image of 30 lines – just enough resolution for a close-up of one person, and with a bandwidth low enough to use existing radio transmitters. Simultaneous transmission of sound and picture was achieved on 30 March 1930, by using the BBC's new twin transmitter at Brookmans Park. By late 1930, 30 minutes of morning programmes were broadcast Monday to Friday, and 30 minutes at midnight on Tuesdays and Fridays, after BBC radio went off the air. Baird broadcasts via the BBC continued until June 1932.

cnn

Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (CNN) -- He escaped the war, but life's no happier now for Omar. The 8-year-old Syrian refugee longs for friends back in Qusayr, hard hit by a civil war that grinds on. He also misses days in school -- when the most he had to worry about was finishing his homework. "I work so I can bring money for my family," says Omar. His mother, like other refugees, asked that their last names not be used as they are worried for their safety. Eddie Izzard: In Syrian refugee camps, another day of childhood is lost I met Omar on a hot, dusty day in Lebanon's wind-swept Bekaa Valley. We were interviewing his mother when Omar and his 14-year-old brother came zooming by on a motorbike. They had just finished gathering eggs at a nearby farm -- what little money the kids make is the only way their family is able to survive. The job is hard, but Omar went through an even more difficult experience recently. "They hit us," he says timidly, describing how Lebanese boys his age beat him up. "They said to me," he adds, embarrassed and close to tears, " 'Damn every Syrian.' " Omar now faces a different kind of brutality -- a harsh reality reflected in the weary faces of kids all around. Their eyes make them seem far older. There's no childhood spark, with smiles few and far between. I ask a 15-year-old girl what life's been like for her here. "Life?" She asks unbelievingly -- as if the question were a farce.