The Austronesian languages are a language family that is widely dispersed throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, Madagascar and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, with a few members in continental Asia. Austronesian languages are spoken by about 386 million people, making it the fifth-largest language family by number of speakers, behind only the Indo-European languages, the Sino-Tibetan languages, the Niger-Congo languages, and the Afroasiatic languages. It is on par with Indo-European, Nigerâ€“Congo, and Afroasiatic as one of the best-established language families. Major Austronesian languages with the highest number of speakers are Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, and Filipino (Tagalog). The family contains 1,257 languages, which is the second most of any language family.

Similarities between the languages spoken in the Malay Archipelago and the Pacific Ocean were first observed in 1706 by the Dutch scholar Adriaan Reland. In the 19th century, researchers (e.g. Wilhelm von Humboldt, Herman van der Tuuk) started to apply the comparative method to the Austronesian languages, but the first comprehensive and extensive study on the phonological history of the Austronesian language family including a reconstruction of Proto-Austronesian lexicon was made by the German linguist Otto Dempwolff. The term Austronesian itself was coined by Wilhelm Schmidt (German "austronesisch") which comes from Latin "auster" "south wind" plus Greek "nÃªsos" "island". The family is aptly named, as the vast majority of Austronesian languages are spoken on islands: only a few languages, such as Malay and the Chamic languages, are indigenous to mainland Asia. Many Austronesian languages have very few speakers, but the major Austronesian languages are spoken by tens of millions of people and one Austronesian language, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), is spoken by 250 million people, making it the 8th most spoken language in the world. Approximately twenty Austronesian languages are official in their respective countries (see the list of major and official Austronesian languages).

Question: Who is credited with coining the term 'Austronesian Languages'?

Context: Wilhelm Schmidt is credited with coining the term 'Austronesian Languages'.


Teenagers in the UK and the US get to watch some wonderful TV shows. Why not have a look at a few of them yourself and take the chance to practice your English at the same time?

Modern Family

Network: ABC

Number of seasons: 3

The TV drama features two families, modern and traditional. The first is a typical American family with 3 adolescent children. Claire is a traditional mom, while Phil, the father, wants to be friends with his three children; he can name all the songs in the hit film High School Musical.

The second family is made up of a 60- year-old man, Jay, his attractive young Latin American wife, Gloria , and her 11-year-old son, Alex. Jay is 30 years older than Gloria and everyone thinks they are father and daughter.

2 Broke Girls

Network: CBS

Number of seasons: 1

Max Black is a cafe waitress and babysitter in Brooklyn, New York; Caroline Channing is the daughter of a Manhattan millionaire.

Neither of them ever imagined making friends with the other. But when Caroline loses all of her fortune after her father goes to prison, she applies for a job as a waitress in the same cafe and has to learn from Max.

Problems are unavoidable, but luckily, kind-hearted girls can always make things work out. They turn out to be great at helping each other out in their endless struggle against strange customers and picky bosses. Gradually a friendship develops.

True Blood

Network: HBO

Number of seasons: 4

Vampires live on in countless books, movies and television shows. If the Twilight series got you interested in vampire myths, then look no further than True Blood for another exciting adventure. Sookie Statckhouse is a small-town waitress. She is also telepathic . A meet with Bill Compton in a bar turns her life upside down. Bill is a vampire and that night Sookie saves him from a murder attempt. Sookie then becomes involved in a series of murder cases. The love between Sookie and Bill adds a touch of romance to a thrilling story.

Merlin

Network: BBC

Number of seasons:4

King Arthur is one of the most important mythical figures in England. But the BBC tells a slightly different story from the legend. Instead of focusing on Arthur, it is Merlin, the wizard who helps Arthur all the way through his adventures, who takes the lead role. Rather than the wise old wizard who instructs Arthur in the legend, the TV dram turns him into a handsome young man. Merlin meets Arthur in the kingdom of Camelot and believes that he is an arrogant bully . Arthur, likewise, has a less than great opinion of Merlin. The series focuses on how a friendship grows between the two.

Question: With which character does Caroline Channing develop a friendship?

Context: Caroline Channing develops a friendship with Max Black.


prefix = st1 /PITTSBURGH, Sept. 7 -- At 26, many people haven't even decided on a career. Luke Ravenstahl, cashing in on his family's political tradition, is already the mayor of Pittsburgh, the youngest mayor of any major city in the country. Although mayors elsewhere have been younger, Jeff Dunkel was 18 in 2001 when he was elected mayor of Mount Carbon, small towns inNew York, and elsewhere have also elected teenagers as mayors. But,Tallahassee, is the only other city with a population over 100,000 that has had a mayor as young as Mr. Ravenstahl. A supporter of Mr. Ravenstahl said concerns about Mr. Ravenstahl's age would _ once the city saw his work ethic. But now comes the hard part. As he strives to be taken seriously and take charge of a city only recently back from the brink of bankruptcy, the baby-faced mayor said that even the smallest decisions felt weighty, even what to wear in the Steelers game matters. And another pressing issue is to strengthen the city's economy. Pittsburghhas lost all its mills, nearly half its population and much of its downtown commercial district in the last several decades. "ButPittsburghhas 50,000 college students, and our challenge is to figure out how to retain them and to increase downtown development." He said. But one of the biggest uncertainties is how long he will remain in office. According to the city charter, Mayor Ravenstahl's term will not expire until November 2009. Some city lawyers, however, have argued that he must face the electorate next year. And residents in Pittsburghare still withholding judgment on him. Deli, Jimmy Cvetic, a sandwich shop owner, said "I call him Cool Hand Luke. He'll be all right, but he's going to need a cool hand to get through this." Mayor Ravenstahl said he was still coming to terms with the challenge he faced.

Question: He is the mayor of which city?

Context: Luke Ravenstahl is the mayor of Pittsburgh. Jeff Dunkel is the mayor of Mount Carbon.

(Luke Ravenstahl)-[mayor of]->(Pittsburgh) || (Jeff Dunkel)-[mayor of]->(Mount Carbon)


CHAPTER IX.

COUSINS.

"Come in," called Beth, answering a knock at her door.

Louise entered, and with a little cry ran forward and caught Beth in her arms, kissing her in greeting.

"You must be my new cousin--Cousin Elizabeth--and I'm awfully glad to see you at last!" she said, holding the younger girl a little away, that she might examine her carefully.

Beth did not respond to the caress. She eyed her opponent sharply, for she knew well enough, even in that first moment, that they were engaged in a struggle for supremacy in Aunt Jane's affections, and that in the battles to come no quarter could be asked or expected.

So they stood at arm's length, facing one another and secretly forming an estimate each of the other's advantages and accomplishments.

"She's pretty enough, but has no style whatever," was Louise's conclusion. "Neither has she tact nor self-possession, or even a prepossessing manner. She wears her new gown in a dowdy manner and one can read her face easily. There's little danger in this quarter, I'm sure, so I may as well be friends with the poor child."

As for Beth, she saw at once that her "new cousin" was older and more experienced in the ways of the world, and therefore liable to prove a dangerous antagonist. Slender and graceful of form, attractive of feature and dainty in manner, Louise must be credited with many advantages; but against these might be weighed her evident insincerity--the volubility and gush that are so often affected to hide one's real nature, and which so shrewd and suspicious a woman as Aunt Jane could not fail to readily detect. Altogether, Beth was not greatly disturbed by her cousin's appearance, and suddenly realizing that they had been staring at one another rather rudely, she said, pleasantly enough:

Question: Besides Beth, what is another name that this person is known by?

Context: Beth is also known as Cousin Elizabeth.


Manganese is a chemical element with symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is not found as a free element in nature; it is often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a metal with important industrial metal alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels.

Historically, manganese is named for pyrolusite and other black minerals from the region of Magnesia in Greece, which also gave its name to magnesium and the iron ore magnetite. By the mid-18th century, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele had used pyrolusite to produce chlorine. Scheele and others were aware that pyrolusite (now known to be manganese dioxide) contained a new element, but they were unable to isolate it. Johan Gottlieb Gahn was the first to isolate an impure sample of manganese metal in 1774, which he did by reducing the dioxide with carbon.

Manganese phosphating is used for rust and corrosion prevention on steel. Ionized manganese is used industrially as pigments of various colors, which depend on the oxidation state of the ions. The permanganates of alkali and alkaline earth metals are powerful oxidizers. Manganese dioxide is used as the cathode (electron acceptor) material in zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries.

In biology, manganese(II) ions function as cofactors for a large variety of enzymes with many functions. Manganese enzymes are particularly essential in detoxification of superoxide free radicals in organisms that must deal with elemental oxygen. Manganese also functions in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosynthetic plants. While the element is a required trace mineral for all known living organisms, it also acts as a neurotoxin in larger amounts. Especially through inhalation, it can cause manganism, a condition in mammals leading to neurological damage that is sometimes irreversible.

Question: What chemical property is characteristic of permanganates?

Context: Permanganates are powerful oxidizers.


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.

Question: What special skill did Mr. Belser teach to Jack?

Context: Mr. Belser taught weaving to Jack.


CHAPTER C - DOWN IN SUFFOLK

It need hardly be said that Paul Montague was not long in adjusting his affairs with Hetta after the visit which he received from Roger Carbury. Early on the following morning he was once more in Welbeck Street, taking the brooch with him; and though at first Lady Carbury kept up her opposition, she did it after so weak a fashion as to throw in fact very little difficulty in his way. Hetta understood perfectly that she was in this matter stronger than her mother and that she need fear nothing, now that Roger Carbury was on her side. 'I don't know what you mean to live on,' Lady Carbury said, threatening future evils in a plaintive tone. Hetta repeated, though in other language, the assurance which the young lady made who declared that if her future husband would consent to live on potatoes, she would be quite satisfied with the potato-peelings; while Paul made some vague allusion to the satisfactory nature of his final arrangements with the house of Fisker, Montague, and Montague. 'I don't see anything like an income,' said Lady Carbury; 'but I suppose Roger will make it right. He takes everything upon himself now it seems.' But this was before the halcyon day of Mr Broune's second offer.

It was at any rate decided that they were to be married, and the time fixed for the marriage was to be the following spring. When this was finally arranged Roger Carbury, who had returned to his own home, conceived the idea that it would be well that Hetta should pass the autumn and if possible the winter also down in Suffolk, so that she might get used to him in the capacity which he now aspired to fill; and with that object he induced Mrs Yeld, the Bishop's wife, to invite her down to the palace. Hetta accepted the invitation and left London before she could hear the tidings of her mother's engagement with Mr Broune.

Question: What business is Paul Montague associated with?

Context: Paul Montague is associated with Fisker, Montague, And Montague.

(Paul Montague)-[ASSOCIATED_WITH]->(Fisker, Montague, And Montague)


Diane Arbus is known for creating intense black and white photographs of very unusual people. She used a special camera that produced square shaped images. One art expert said Diane Arbus turned photography inside out. Instead of looking at her subjects, she made them look at her.

Diane Arbus was born in 1923 to a wealthy family in New York City. After finishing high school at the age of 18, Diane married Allan Arbus. Mr. Arbus worked in the advertising department of her father's store.

It was Mr. Arbus who gave Diane her first camera. Diane soon decided to take a class with the famous photographer Berenice Abbott. The Arbuses eventually started taking photographs of clothing. These images were used as advertisements for Diane's father's store. After the birth of their daughter, Doon, the Arbuses started a business together. Their purpose was to photograph clothing fashions. Diane Arbus was the stylist. She would prepare the hair and faces of the fashion models who wore the clothing being photographed. Allan Arbus took the pictures.

The couple soon had jobs from important fashion magazines such as "Vogue" and "Harper's Bazaar". Their work was very successful during the 1950s. They became part of a group of artists that were helping to redefine visual culture. They were breaking with past traditions to create a new look for a new decade, the sixties.

But Diane was not satisfied with her secondary role. She wanted a more active part in making photographs. She wanted to explore her own artistic expression and freedom. To do this, she stopped working with her husband. Then she started taking photography classes at the New School in New York City.

Arbus' teacher, Lisette Model, influenced her in many ways. She showed Diane how to use a camera like an expert. She also taught Diane to use her art to face her doubts and fears. Miss Model once said that Diane soon started "not listening to me but suddenly listening to herself."

Question: Who was their spouse?

Context: Diane Arbus was the spouse of Allan Arbus. Allan Arbus was the spouse of Diane Arbus.

(Diane Arbus)-[spouse of]->(Allan Arbus) || (Allan Arbus)-[spouse of]->(Diane Arbus)


On an August afternoon last year, Pamela Rivers, 40, and her friend Rita Graham, 38, were stopped at a red light on Cobb's Creek Parkway in South Philadelphia when a white SUV traveling in the opposite direction turned across traffic in front of them. It then jumped the curb and rushed through a grassy expanse before plunging down an embankment toward Cobb's Creek. Pamela quickly pulled over, jumped out of her car, and dialed 911.

Kenny Gibson, 23, and his friend Taron Green, 25, were driving home from a job when Rita flagged them down. Kenny stopped, and the men got out of the car and looked over the cliff. The SUV had landed upside down in five feet of water. A woman's leg could be seen swinging out the driver's side window.

"I have a fear of water," Kenny said now. "I almost drowned when I was nine." Even so, he and Taron hurried down the 50-foot embankment into the muddy water. "I couldn't just leave her," he adds.

The men waded out to the car and saw that the woman, Cheryl Allison, 61, was partially in water. Kenny tried unsuccessfully to open the door. Then he broke the window. But when he reached in to pull out Cheryl, he found she was trapped by the seat belt.

"Run back to the truck and grab a box cutter ," Kenny yelled to Taron. Meanwhile, Kenny tried in vain to push the car onto its side to create an air pocket for Cheryl.

That's when mechanic Marcell Porter approached the site. "I flipped into rescue mode," he said. When Taron returned, Kenny cut through the seat belt with the box cutter. He and Marcell tried to pull Cheryl out, but she wouldn't come out.

Marcell broke the rear window with a rock, hoping to rescue her from the back. Then he saw that she was still strapped in by her shoulder belt. Marcell reached for the box cutter and cut the remaining strap in two. Kenny leaned in, grabbed Cheryl by the waist, and pulled her out feet first. Marcell grasped Cheryl's legs, and they managed to drag her lifeless body onto a rock.

"Give her CPR!" Pamela yelled down to them. But the two men had no idea what to do. "Put your mouth on her mouth and breathe," she shouted to Marcell. And to Kenny, "Pump her chest!"

"We tried three times," said Marcell. Finally, Cheryl brought up water and started moving her fingers. The men rolled her over onto her stomach to let out more water.

Soon an ambulance arrived and transported Cheryl to the hospital, where doctors treated her. They never discovered what caused her to pass out, but she assumes it had something to do with the burning summer heat.

Over the next few days, they took turns visiting Cheryl in the hospital, where they shared hugs and tears. "We couldn't believe she was all right," said Pamela.

"It's just amazing that these people came together," said Cheryl. She stays in touch with her "angels" via frequent phone calls. "They are really beautiful people," she said.

Question: How old are they?

Context: Kenny Gibson has age 23. Cheryl Allison has age 61. Pamela Rivers has age 40. Rita Graham has age 38. Taron Green has age 25.

(Kenny Gibson)-[has age]->(23) || (Cheryl Allison)-[has age]->(61) || (Pamela Rivers)-[has age]->(40) || (Rita Graham)-[has age]->(38) || (Taron Green)-[has age]->(25)


Washington (CNN) -- When Paul Ryan struggled to explain a budget-balancing timeline under Mitt Romney, he highlighted the difficulty of trying to run a substantive campaign without being too specific.

While Ryan's interview Tuesday with Fox News' Brit Hume was no Sarah Palin-Katie Couric moment, the Republican vice presidential candidate's discomfort in answering when Romney's proposal would balance the budget was evident.

Ryan, a seven-term congressman from Wisconsin and chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he was unsure when Romney's proposals would balance the federal budget. Romney's plans say he would "put the federal government on a course toward a balanced budget" but does not say when.

Mitt Romney's 5-point plan for the economy

Hume repeatedly pressed Ryan on the question of "when" Romney's budget would balance.

Hume: "The budget plan you're now supporting would get to balance when?"

Ryan: "Well, there are different -- the budget plan that Mitt Romney is supporting gets us down to 20% of GDP (gross domestic product) government spending by 2016. That means get the size of government back to where it historically has been. What President Obama has done is he brought the size of government to as high as it hasn't been since World War II. We want to reduce the size of government to have more economic freedom."

Hume: "I get that. What about balance?"

Ryan: "I don't know exactly what the balance is. I don't want to get wonky on you, but we haven't run the numbers on that specific plan. The plan we offer in the House balances the budget. I'd put a contrast. President Obama, never once, ever, has offered a plan to ever balance the budget. The United States Senate, they haven't even balanced, they haven't passed a budget in three years."

Question: What committee is Paul Ryan the chairman of?

Context: Paul Ryan is the chairman of the House Budget Committee.

(Paul Ryan)-[IS_CHAIRMAN_OF]->(House Budget Committee)


(CNN) -- In most of the country, employers can force pregnant workers out of the workplace when their pregnancy interferes with their normal job duties.

Heather Wiseman, a retail sales associate, lost her job because consuming water while working, an activity necessary to maintain a healthy pregnancy, violated store policy.

Victoria Serednyj, a nursing home activity director, lost her job because her pregnancy interfered with her ability to lift heavy tables. Her employer terminated her employment even though lifting tables "took up a small part, roughly five to 10 minutes" of her day and her co-workers volunteered to perform this task.

Workers covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, by contrast, can continue working despite their physical limitations.

The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 broadened the ADA to include many short-term and relatively minor physical conditions. Pregnant women who experience comparable physical limitations should also have the opportunity to receive accommodations that will enable them to continue working.

According to EEOC regulations issued in 2011, the amended ADA requires employers to accommodate persons who experience "shortness of breath and fatigue when walking distances that most people could walk without experiencing such effects."

It also requires employers to accommodate persons with back injuries resulting in a "20-pound lifting restriction that lasts or is expected to last for several months." In some circumstances, even a far more common 50-pound lifting restriction may qualify an individual for ADA coverage.

To date, courts have balked at including pregnancy within the Americans with Disabilities Act. They've reasoned the physical limitations accompanying pregnancy are too short-term and minor to qualify as disabilities.

Question: Why did Heather Wiseman lose her job?

Context: Heather Wiseman lost her job due to pregnancy.


"Mobile phone killed my man," screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.

For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.

One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous"memory loss" study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can't comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive abilities. "I'm pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory," he says.

Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses exposed to microwaves become more -- rather than less -- receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.

An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.

"If _ doesn't certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn't going to cause cancer in humans," says William. And while there's still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don't be afraid.

Question: According to the study, what condition were mice found to be less likely to develop?

Context: Mice were found to be less likely to develop brain tumours.


Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding of black culture in America.

During the 1940's and the 1950's, Gwendolyn Brooks used her poems to describe conditions among the poor,racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women.

But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.

Gwendolyn Brooks once said that she wrote about what she saw and heard in the street. She said she found most of her materials through looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment in Chicago, Illinois.

In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago, where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was "A Street in Bronzeville" that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skills and her powerful descriptions about the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection.

In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. She won the prize for her second book of poems called "Annie Allen". "Annie Allen" is a collection of poetry about a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and a mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death andpoverty .

Gwendolyn Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.

Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called "Maud Martha". "Maud Martha" attracted little attention when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult lives of many women are popular among female writers today.

Question: What was the title of Gwendolyn Brooks' first published collection?

Context: The first published collection of Gwendolyn Brooks was 'A Street In Bronzeville'.

(A Street In Bronzeville)-[FIRST_PUBLISHED_COLLECTION_OF]->(Gwendolyn Brooks)


My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents' marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries , but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money. My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends. It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile. Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year. People who mine the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don't mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents. Then there's Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven't had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle. Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners' Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. "It's magic," he explains. "Once you start opal mining you don't want to do anything else... There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it." It's a place where dreams --- spiritual or material --- can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life.

Question: Based on the provided information, who is Neil Schellnegger's son?

Context: Neil Schellnegger's son is Luke.


The way we cook is important. In many countries, the two sources of heat used for cooking are natural gas or electric stoves. The World Health Organization(WHO) warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. The WHO finds that poor cooking, heating and lighting technologies are killing millions of people each year.

Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook stoves in the home. WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4.3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple biomass and coal stoves.

These findings show that the home use of poisonous fuels is to blame for many of these deaths. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste and so on. Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO' s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not correct the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors. "New technologies and clean fuels can rid people of this problem."

The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk.

Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way."There are already many technologies for clean fuels available now. An effective and reasonably low-cost ethanol stove that is made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company)is now being tested out. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves." In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1.

Question: What specific public health issue does The World Health Organization issue warnings about?

Context: The World Health Organization issues warnings about Indoor Air Pollution.

(The World Health Organization)-[WARNS_ABOUT]->(Indoor Air Pollution)


The American Revolution was a colonial revolt that took place between 1765 and 1783. The American Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain, becoming the United States of America. They defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War in alliance with France and others.

Members of American colonial society argued the position of "no taxation without representation", starting with the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. They rejected the authority of the British Parliament to tax them because they lacked representation in Parliament. Protests steadily escalated to the burning of the "Gaspee" in Rhode Island in 1772, followed by the Boston Tea Party in 1773, during which patriots destroyed a consignment of taxed tea. The British responded by closing Boston Harbor, then followed with a series of legislative acts which effectively rescinded Massachusetts Bay Colony's rights of self-government and caused the other colonies to rally behind Massachusetts. In late 1774, the Patriots set up their own alternative government to better coordinate their resistance efforts against Great Britain; other colonists preferred to remain aligned to the British Crown and were known as Loyalists or Tories.

Tensions erupted into battle between Patriot militia and British regulars when the British attempted to capture and destroy Colonial military supplies at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The conflict then developed into a global war, during which the Patriots (and later their French, Spanish, and Dutch allies) fought the British and Loyalists in what became known as the American Revolutionary War (1775â€“83). Each of the thirteen colonies formed a Provincial Congress that assumed power from the old colonial governments and suppressed Loyalism, and from there they built a Continental Army under the leadership of General George Washington. The Continental Congress determined King George's rule to be tyrannical and infringing the colonists' rights as Englishmen, and they declared the colonies free and independent states on July 2, 1776. The Patriot leadership professed the political philosophies of liberalism and republicanism to reject monarchy and aristocracy, and they proclaimed that all men are created equal.

Question: Who was the leader of the Continental Army?

Context: The Continental Army was led by General George Washington.

(Continental Army)-[LED_BY]->(General George Washington)


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 Åšramaá¹‡a movement; the decline of Åšrauta 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.

Question: During which period were the Shramanic Philosophies propagated?

Context: The Shramanic Philosophies were propagated during the Fifth And Sixth Century Bce.

(Shramanic Philosophies)-[PROPAGATED_DURING]->(Fifth And Sixth Century Bce)


Microbiology (from Greek , "mÄ«kros", "small"; , "bios", "life"; and , "-logia") is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, mycology, parasitology, and bacteriology.

Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound cell organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organismsâ€”all of which are microorganismsâ€”are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include eubacteria and archaebacteria. Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy. However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means. Microbiologists often rely on extraction or detection of nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA sequences.

Viruses have been variably classified as organisms, as they have been considered either as very simple microorganisms or very complex molecules. Prions, never considered microorganisms, have been investigated by virologists, however, as the clinical effects traced to them were originally presumed due to chronic viral infections, and virologists took searchâ€”discovering "infectious proteins".

The existence of microorganisms was predicted many centuries before they were first observed, for example by the Jains in India and by Marcus Terentius Varro in ancient Rome. The first recorded microscope observation was of the fruiting bodies of moulds, by Robert Hooke in 1666, but the Jesuit priest Athanasius Kircher was likely the first to see microbes, which he mentioned observing in milk and putrid material in 1658. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is considered a father of microbiology as he observed and experimented with microscopic organisms in 1676, using simple microscopes of his own design. Scientific microbiology developed in the 19th century through the work of Louis Pasteur and in medical microbiology Robert Koch.

Question: What place were they in?

Context: Jains were in India. Marcus Terentius Varro was in Ancient Rome.

(Jains)-[in]->(India) || (Marcus Terentius Varro)-[in]->(Ancient Rome)


Charles I (19 November 1600Â â€“ 30 January 1649) was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

Charles was the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England, where he spent much of the rest of his life. He became heir apparent to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones on the death of his elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1612. An unsuccessful and unpopular attempt to marry him to the Spanish Habsburg princess Maria Anna culminated in an eight-month visit to Spain in 1623 that demonstrated the futility of the marriage negotiations. Two years later, he married the Bourbon princess Henrietta Maria of France instead.

After his succession, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the divine right of kings and thought he could govern according to his own conscience. Many of his subjects opposed his policies, in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent, and perceived his actions as those of a tyrannical absolute monarch. His religious policies, coupled with his marriage to a Roman Catholic, generated the antipathy and mistrust of reformed groups such as the English Puritans and Scottish Covenanters, who thought his views too Catholic. He supported high church ecclesiastics, such as Richard Montagu and William Laud, and failed to aid Protestant forces successfully during the Thirty Years' War. His attempts to force the Church of Scotland to adopt high Anglican practices led to the Bishops' Wars, strengthened the position of the English and Scottish parliaments and helped precipitate his own downfall.

Question: What conflict is noted as contributing to the downfall of Charles I?

Context: The Bishops' Wars are noted as contributing to the downfall of Charles I.


LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's sister, LaToya Jackson, told a London newspaper she suspects her brother was "murdered" in a conspiracy by "a shadowy entourage."

Michael Jackson "was surrounded by a bad circle," LaToya Jackson told a British newspaper.

London's Daily Mail newspaper paid for the interview, according to a source close to the Jackson family and another source familiar with the interview arrangements. The amount of money paid was not disclosed.

LaToya Jackson was "very candid" throughout the four-hour interview, which took place in Los Angeles, California, last Thursday, said Caroline Graham, the Daily Mail reporter who conducted the interview.

Jackson cited no evidence of a murder conspiracy, Graham said, but she did tell the paper the family has seen results from the private autopsy it ordered. She would not reveal the findings, Graham said. Watch reporter describe LaToya's demeanor Â»

"There indeed had been concern among several family members about the circumstances around Michael's death," said Bryan Monroe, the last journalist to interview Michael Jackson. "Some folks have hesitated to go as far as saying it was murder."

The Los Angeles coroner could release his autopsy report on Jackson within a week, according to assistant chief coroner Ed Winter.

Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton told CNN last week that he was waiting for the coroner to determine the exact cause of Jackson's death. "And based on those, we will have an idea of what it is we are dealing (with)," he said.

The Jackson family knows that the probe into his June 25 death might turn into a criminal case, a source close to the family told CNN last Thursday. "The family is aware of a potential criminal prosecution," said the source, who did not want to be identified.

Question: What was Ed Winter's official role in the city of Los Angeles?

Context: Ed Winter served as the assistant chief coroner of Los Angeles.


Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding of black culture in America.

During the 1940's and the 1950's, Gwendolyn Brooks used her poems to describe conditions among the poor,racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women.

But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.

Gwendolyn Brooks once said that she wrote about what she saw and heard in the street. She said she found most of her materials through looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment in Chicago, Illinois.

In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago, where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was "A Street in Bronzeville" that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skills and her powerful descriptions about the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection.

In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. She won the prize for her second book of poems called "Annie Allen". "Annie Allen" is a collection of poetry about a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and a mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death andpoverty .

Gwendolyn Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.

Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called "Maud Martha". "Maud Martha" attracted little attention when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult lives of many women are popular among female writers today.

Question: What is it in?

Context: Drug Use is in the Black Community. Black Culture is in America.

(Drug Use)-[in]->(Black Community) || (Black Culture)-[in]->(America)


John Steinbeck once said, "All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing mother - love or hating moonlight."

I can't say that I'm the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was "The pearl" when I was in middle school, but I couldn't agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life.

According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.

Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Obama can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful.

I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn't understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I've spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.

After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19-inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life-changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.

Since then, prime-time season seems to take forever to arrive.

Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.

Question: Where does he fish?

Context: President Obama fishes in Texas. Ric Horst fishes in the Shoshone River.

(President Obama)-[fishes in]->(Texas) || (Ric Horst)-[fishes in]->(Shoshone River)


Going on a road trip? The St. Louis Arch, Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge are normal tourist sites. But if you prefer offbeat destinations, check out the following road-side attractions.

World's Largest Ball of Paint

Alexandria, Ind.

In 1977, Michael Carmichael set out to create the biggest ball of paint anywhere. Starting with a baseball as a center, he painted layer after layer of paint day after day, year after year. The ball weighs more than 1,300 pounds, with more than 20,000 coats of paint, which is recognized by Guinness world Records. Visitors can paint the ball themselves and become part of history.

The Museum of Dirt

Boston, Mass.

The museum is the idea of Glenn Johanson. Labeled glass bottles contain such treasures as dirt from the Great Wall of China, as well as sand from a desert in Saudi Arabia and Omaha Beach in France. Best of all, the cost of seeing this museum is dirt cheap: It's free.

Mount Horeb Mustard Museum

Mount Horeb, Wis.

It's heaven for hot dog lovers! This museum claims to have world's largest collection of prepared mustard . Its more than 4,100 bottles of spices come from 60 nations, including Turkey and Tibet. Visitors learn the history of mustard, from how it's made to how it's advertised and sold. The museum's creator, Barry Levenson, loves mustard so much, he even puts it on ice cream!

Paper House

Rockport, Mass.

Swedish immigrant Ellis Stenman was much ahead of his time in 1922, when he started to build a two-room house almost entirely out of newspaper. At the time, people didn't give much--if any --thought to recycling paper. In fact, "recycling" wasn't even a Word yet. The house is framed with wood, but the walls are made of 215 layers of newspaper. In all ,he used about 100,000 newspapers.

Question: Who created it?

Context: World'S Largest Ball Of Paint was created by Michael Carmichael. The Museum Of Dirt was created by Glenn Johanson. Mount Horeb Mustard Museum was created by Barry Levenson. Paper House was created by Ellis Stenman.

(World'S Largest Ball Of Paint)-[created by]->(Michael Carmichael) || (The Museum Of Dirt)-[created by]->(Glenn Johanson) || (Mount Horeb Mustard Museum)-[created by]->(Barry Levenson) || (Paper House)-[created by]->(Ellis Stenman)


MARIANNA, Florida (CNN) -- Leaning against his cane, Bryant Middleton shuffled toward the makeshift cemetery. Tears welled in his eyes as he leaned down to touch one of the crosses.

Bryant Middleton kneels by a row of white crosses on the grounds of a former reform school he attended.

"This shouldn't be," he said. "This shouldn't be."

Thirty-one crosses made of tubular steel and painted white line up unevenly in the grass and weeds of what used to be the grounds of a reform school in Marianna, Florida. The anonymous crosses are rusting away but their secrets may soon be exposed.

When boys disappeared from the school, administrators explained it away, said former student Roger Kiser.

They'd say, "Well, he ran away and the swamp got him," Kiser recalled. Or, "The gators got him." Or, 'Water moccasins got him."

Kiser and other former students believe authorities will soon find the remains of children and teens sent to the Florida School for Boys half a century ago. Watch Middleton kneel by the crosses Â»

On the orders of Gov. Charlie Crist, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week opened an investigation to determine if anyone is buried here, whether crimes were committed, and if so, who was responsible.

A group of men in their 60s, who once attended the school, have told investigators they believe the bodies are classmates who disappeared after being savagely beaten by administrators and workers.

The FDLE is just beginning its investigation, so there is no way to know if there is any truth to the allegations. The investigation will be challenging. Finding records and witnesses from nearly half a century ago will be difficult if not impossible. Many of the administrators and employees of the reform school are dead. Read more about the investigation

Question: What was located on the grounds of the Florida School for Boys?

Context: A makeshift cemetery was located on the grounds of the Florida School for Boys.

(Makeshift Cemetery)-[LOCATED_ON_GROUNDS_OF]->(Florida School For Boys)


CHAPTER XVII. EXCLUDED

But I needn't tell you what to do, only do it out of hand, And charge whatever you like to charge, my lady won't make a stand. -â€”T. HOOD.

The ladies' committee could not but meet over and over again, wandering about the gardens, which were now trimmed into order, to place the stalls and decide on what should and should not be.

There was to be an art stall, over which Mrs. Henderson was to preside. Here were to be the very graceful and beautiful articles of sculpture and Italian bijouterie that the Whites had sent home, and that were spared from the marble works; also Mrs. Grinstead's drawings, Captain Henderson's, those of others, screens and scrap- books and photographs. Jasper and a coadjutor or two undertook to photograph any one who wished it; and there too were displayed the Mouse-traps. Mrs. Henderson, sure to look beautiful, quite Madonna- like in her costume, would have the charge of the stall, with Gillian and two other girls, in Italian peasant-dresses, sent home by Aunt Ada.

Gillian was resolved on standing by her. "Kalliope wants some one to give her courage," she said. "Besides, I am the mother of the Mouse- trap, and I must see how it goes off."

Lady Flight and a bevy of young ladies of her selection were to preside over the flowers; Mrs. Yarley undertook the refreshments; Lady Merrifield the more ordinary bazaar stall. Her name was prized, and Anna was glad to shelter herself under her wing. The care of Valetta and Primrose, to say nothing of Dolores, was enough inducement to overcome any reluctance, and she was glad to be on the committee when vexed questions came on, such as Miss Pettifer's offer of a skirt-dance, which could not be so summarily dismissed as it had been at Beechcroft, for Lady Flight and Mrs. Varley wished for it, and even Mrs. Harper was ready to endure anything to raise the much- needed money, and almost thought Lady Merrifield too particular when she discontinued the dancing-class for Valetta and Primrose.

Question: What does she manage?

Context: Mrs. Yarley manages Refreshments. Lady Merrifield manages the Bazaar Stall.

(Mrs. Yarley)-[manages]->(Refreshments) || (Lady Merrifield)-[manages]->(Bazaar Stall)


A barangay (Brgy. or Bgy.; Filipino: "baranggay", ; also pronounced the same in Spanish), formerly referred to as barrio, is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. In metropolitan areas, the term often refers to an inner city neighbourhood, a suburb or a suburban neighborhood. The word "barangay" originated from "balangay", a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesian peoples when they migrated to the Philippines.

Municipalities and cities in the Philippines are subdivided into barangays, with the exception of the municipalities of Adams in Ilocos Norte and Kalayaan, Palawan which each contain only one barangay. The barangay itself is sometimes informally subdivided into smaller areas called "purok" ("English: "), barangay zones consisting of a cluster of houses, and "sitios", which are territorial enclavesâ€”usually ruralâ€”far from the barangay center. , there were 42,029 barangays throughout the Philippines.

When the first Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, they found well-organized independent villages called "barangays". The name "barangay" originated from "balangay", a Malay word meaning "sailboat".

The first barangays started as relatively small communities of around 50 to 100 families. By the time of contact with Spaniards, many barangays have developed into large communities. The "encomienda" of 1604 shows that many affluent and powerful coastal barangays in Sulu, Butuan, Panay, Leyte and Cebu, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasig, Laguna, and Cagayan River were flourishing trading centers. Some of these barangays had large populations. In Panay, some barangays had 20,000 inhabitants; in Leyte (Baybay), 15,000 inhabitants; in Cebu, 3,500 residents; in Vitis (Pampanga), 7,000 inhabitants; Pangasinan, 4,000 residents. There were smaller barangays with less number of people. But these were generally inland communities; or if they were coastal, they were not located in areas which were good for business pursuits. These smaller barangays had around thirty to one hundred houses only, and the population varies from one hundred to five hundred persons. According to Legazpi, he found communities with twenty to thirty people only.

Question: What was its population?

Context: Panay had a population of 20,000. Leyte had a population of 15,000. Cebu had a population of 3,500. Pampanga had a population of 7,000. Pangasinan had a population of 4,000.

(Panay)-[had population]->(20,000) || (Leyte)-[had population]->(15,000) || (Cebu)-[had population]->(3,500) || (Pampanga)-[had population]->(7,000) || (Pangasinan)-[had population]->(4,000)


Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. "Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology." Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group's latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. "Here in 2012, $252 on average-the technology spend for consumers this year." From tablet computers to smartphones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision." Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple's biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199. "The hardware inside is more powerful than what's in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple's maps." Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. "If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don't really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that's where the iPad and Apple's ecosystem shines the most." Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. "You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things." Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smartphones, laptops and tablets. With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive. "We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we'll go ahead and price match that for you." Elman Chacon said.

Question: Where does he work?

Context: Steve Koenig works at Consumer Electronics Association. Brian Tong works at Cnet.Com. Elman Chacon works at Best Buy.

(Steve Koenig)-[works at]->(Consumer Electronics Association) || (Brian Tong)-[works at]->(Cnet.Com) || (Elman Chacon)-[works at]->(Best Buy)


Birmingham is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Jefferson County. The city's population was 212,237 in the 2010 United States Census. In the 2010 US Census, the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of about 1,128,047, which is approximately one-quarter of Alabama's population.

Birmingham was founded in 1871, during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, through the merger of three pre-existing farm towns, notably, former Elyton. It was named for Birmingham, England, the UK's second largest city and then major industrial city. The Alabama city annexed smaller neighbors and developed as an industrial and railroad transportation center, based on mining, the new iron and steel industry, and railroading. Most of the original settlers who founded Birmingham were of English ancestry. The city was developed as a place where cheap, non-unionized, and African-American labor from rural Alabama could be employed in the city's steel mills and blast furnaces, giving it a competitive advantage over unionized industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast.

From its founding through the end of the 1960s, Birmingham was a primary industrial center of the southern United States. Its growth from 1881 through 1920 earned its nicknames as "The Magic City" and "The Pittsburgh of the South". Its major industries were iron and steel production, plus a major component of the railroading industry. Rails and railroad cars were both manufactured in Birmingham. Since the 1860s, the two primary hubs of railroading in the Deep South have been nearby Atlanta and Birmingham. The economy diversified in the latter half of the 20th century. Banking, telecommunications, transportation, electrical power transmission, medical care, college education, and insurance have become major economic activities. Birmingham ranks as one of the largest banking centers in the United States and as one of the most important business centers in the Southeast.

Question: What was its population in 2010?

Context: Birmingham had a population of 212,237 in 2010. Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 1,128,047 in 2010.

(Birmingham)-[has population in 2010]->(212,237) || (Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area)-[has population in 2010]->(1,128,047)


Universal Music Group (also known in the United States as UMG Recordings, Inc. and abbreviated as UMG) is an American global music corporation that is a subsidiary of the French media conglomerate Vivendi. UMG's global corporate headquarters are in Santa Monica, California. It is considered one of the "Big Three" record labels, along with Sony Music and Warner Music Group.

Universal Music was once the record company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in September 1934. The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939. MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram in May 1998 and merged it with Universal Music Group in early 1999. However, the name had first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. The PolyGram acquisition included Deutsche Grammophon which traces its ancestry to Berliner Gramophone making Deutsche Grammophon UMG's oldest unit. UMG's Canadian unit traces its ancestry to a Berliner Gramophone breakaway firm the Compo Company.

Between 1995 and 2000, music companies were found to have artificially inflated compact disc prices through the use of illegal marketing practices such as minimum advertised pricing, doing so in order to end price wars that began in the early 1990s by discounters such as Best Buy and Target. A settlement in 2002 included the music publishers and distributors; Sony Music, Warner Music, Bertelsmann Music Group, EMI Music and Universal Music Group. In restitution for price fixing they agreed to pay a $67.4 million fine and distribute $75.7 million in CDs to public and non-profit groups but admitted no wrongdoing. It is estimated suppliers/customers were overcharged by nearly $500 million and up to $5 per album which conflicts with proof of sale and purchase interests.

Question: What did it merge with?

Context: Mca Inc. merged with Decca Records. Polygram merged with Universal Music Group.

(Mca Inc.)-[merged with]->(Decca Records) || (Polygram)-[merged with]->(Universal Music Group)


Simply by analyzing a drop of blood, a doctor will be able to diagnose a birth defect or even cancer when it is in the early stage; using new technology, a material lighter but much stronger than steel can be produced.

These may sound like dreams at present. But the dreams may soon come true as research findings in laboratories are being turned into products more rapidly in the new century, according to experts participating in the fourth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Technomart, a technology exhibition and trade fair in Suzhou.

"Most people think nano-technology is too far-fetched to be real. But in fact nano-technology has been applied in a wide range of fields, such as medicine. It is coming into our daily life," said Cheng Jiachong from a Hong Kong-based nano-technology firm.

Nano-technology based on the nanometer, the unit of which is a billionth of a meter, enables scientists to have new concepts of disease diagnosis and treatment on a molecular and atomic scale, Cheng said.

By using nanometer particles, a doctor can separate the fetus cells from the blood of a pregnant woman to see if the development of the fetus is normal. This method is also being used in the early diagnosis of cancer and heart disease, he said.

One of the most significant impacts of nano-technology is at the bio-inorganic materials interface, according to Greg Tegart, executive advisor of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight.

"By combining enzymes and silicon chips we can produce biosensors. These could be implanted in humans or animals to monitor health and to deliver corrective doses of drugs," he told the participants a technology forum during the exhibition.

"Nano-technology could affect the production of nearly every man-made object, from automobiles, tires and computer circuits , to advanced medicines and tissue replacement, and lead to the invention of objects yet to be imagined," said David Minns, a special advisor to the National Research Council of Canada.

It has been shown that carbon nano-tubes are ten times as strong as steel, with one sixth of the weight, and nano-scale systems have the potential to make supersonic transport cost- effective and to increase computer efficiency by millions of times, he said.

The experts agreed that the APEC technology exhibition and trade fair provided many chances for exchanges of innovative ideas and products.

Question: What can they be combined with?

Context: Enzymes can be combined with Silicon Chips. Silicon Chips can be combined with Enzymes.

(Enzymes)-[can be combined with]->(Silicon Chips) || (Silicon Chips)-[can be combined with]->(Enzymes)


The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals), Keith Richards (guitar, backing vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985. Jones left the band less than a month prior to his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since. Following Wyman's departure in 1993, Darryl Jones joined as their touring bassist. Touring keyboardists for the band have been Nicky Hopkins (1967â€“1982), Ian McLagan (1978â€“1981), Billy Preston (through the mid-1970s) and Chuck Leavell (1982â€“present). The band was first led by Jones, but after teaming as the band's songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership while Jones dealt with legal and personal troubles.

The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the US in 1964, and identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the group began a short period of musical experimentation in the mid-1960s that peaked with the psychedelic album "Their Satanic Majesties Request" (1967). Subsequently, the group returned to its "bluesy" roots with "Beggars Banquet" (1968) which along with its follow-ups "Let It Bleed" (1969), "Sticky Fingers" (1971) and "Exile on Main St." (1972) is generally considered to be the band's best work and is seen as their "Golden Age". During this period, they were first introduced on stage as "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Musicologist Robert Palmer attributed the "remarkable endurance" of the Rolling Stones to being "rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music", while "more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone".

Question: When did he leave the band?

Context: Bill Wyman left the band in 1993. Mick Taylor left the band in 1974.

(Bill Wyman)-[left band in]->(1993) || (Mick Taylor)-[left band in]->(1974)


(CNN) -- "L.A. Law" had buzz right from the moment it premiered in 1986.

Co-created by Steven Bochco, hot off his success with "Hill Street Blues," the series was set at the high-priced Los Angeles law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak.

The cast was glossy and diverse, including Jimmy Smits, Blair Underwood, Jill Eikenberry, Michael Tucker, Susan Dey, Richard Dysart, Alan Rachins and Corbin Bernsen.

Most of all, it pushed the boundaries of the legal show the way "Hill Street" did with cop shows.

"L.A. Law's" principals argued cases involving rape, capital punishment, big business, child molestation, AIDS and medical malpractice at a time when such subjects were seldom mentioned on prime-time television, and certainly not in such detail. This was no "Perry Mason," or even "The Defenders."

Bochco being Bochco, the hard stuff was paired with moments of silly humor and steamy sex (or silly sex and steamy humor), making for a high-wire balance of drama and comedy.

One first-season episode got people talking about a fictional sex act called the "Venus Butterfly"; later, the show actually killed off a character by dropping her down an elevator shaft.

The big hair and big-shouldered suits of the '80s may be gone, but the show remains influential. David E. Kelley, a real-life lawyer who later created "Picket Fences," "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal," got his television start as a writer on "L.A. Law."

The show's first season is finally out on DVD, with the second expected to follow in a few months. CNN spoke to Smits, now a star of "Sons of Anarchy" who played idealistic Hispanic attorney Victor Sifuentes, and Alan Rachins, who played bottom-line-oriented partner Douglas Brackman Jr. and later starred on "Dharma and Greg," about the show and its impact.

Question: At which fictional law firm is the television series L.A. Law set?

Context: The television series L.A. Law is set at the law firm Mckenzie, Brackman, Chaney And Kuzak.

(L.A. Law)-[SET_AT]->(Mckenzie, Brackman, Chaney And Kuzak)


Since 1989, Dave Thomas , who died at age 69 ,was one of the most recognizable faces on TV . He appeared in more than 800 commercials for the hamburger chain named for his daughter ,"As long as it works ," he said in 1991 , "I'll continue to do those commercials ."

Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood. "He still won't let anyone see his feet ,which are out of shape because he never had proper-fitting shoes ," Wendy said in 1993. Born to a single mother , he was adopted as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan . After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work ."He fed me ,"Thomas said ,"and if I got out of line , he'd beat me ."

Moving out on his own at 15 ,Thomas worked , first as a waiter ,in many restaurants .But he had something much better in mind ."I thought if I owned a restaurant ,"he said ,"I could eat for free." A 1956 meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in 1968.

In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers , in Columbus ,Ohio ,which set itself apart by serving made-to -order burgers .With 6,000 restaurants worldwide ,the chair now makes $ 6 billion a year in sales .

Although troubled by his own experience with adoption ,Thomas , married since 1954 to Lorraine ,66 ,and with four grown kids besides Wendy ,felt it could offer a future for other children . He started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992.

In 1993, Thomas ,who had left school at 15, graduated from Coconut Greek High School in Florida . He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party .The kids voted him Most Likely to Succeed .

"The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave," says friends Pat Williams ."He wasn't a great actor or a great speaker. _ "

Question: Where is it located?

Context: Coconut Greek High School is located in Florida. Kalamazoo is located in Michigan. Columbus is located in Ohio.

(Coconut Greek High School)-[located in]->(Florida) || (Kalamazoo)-[located in]->(Michigan) || (Columbus)-[located in]->(Ohio)


My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr3:-@ kids FTF. ILNY, it's gr8. Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad; neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cell phones. To new comers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the translation of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's great. School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted . "Everyone should just relax", say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing, has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nurberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says. "kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mails, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than their parents." Linguist James says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can _ that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents. They too will think this way. James argues that languages do not and cannot become corrupted. They simply change to meet the new needs. However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but learning to write proper English is a must for their future." Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, aged 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun. "

Question: For what reason do languages evolve or change?

Context: Languages change to meet new needs.


Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid

Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid.

But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.

Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008.

Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school.

For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running.

But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum.

Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it.

"As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report's ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17.

Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, "served us well," Inzer says, but "to be discounting the price for families that don't need financial aid doesn't feel right any more."

Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level.

Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state's public institutions.

But in recent years, a growing chorus of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be "a sign that people are starting to realize that there's this destructive competition going on," says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need.

David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors.

"No one can take one-sided action," says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, "This is a merry-go-round that's going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves."

A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don't qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs.

That's one reason Allegheny College doesn't plan to drop merit aid entirely.

"We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship," says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny's vice president for enrollment.

Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment , meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program.

"Yeah, we're playing the merit game," acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. "The fact of the matter is, it's not just about the lowest-income people. It's the average American middle-class family who's being priced out of the market."

A few words about merit-based aid:

Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships.

Academic merit scholarships are based on students' grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process.

Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee . Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance.

Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.

Question: What official title does David Laird hold at the Minnesota Private College Council?

Context: David Laird is the President of the Minnesota Private College Council.

(David Laird)-[PRESIDENT_OF]->(Minnesota Private College Council)


Soccer star David Beckham will be there with his pop star wife Victoria. Elton John is attending with partner David Furnish.

The guest list for the April 29 union of Prince William and Kate Middleton is still being kept secret, but details have begun to leak out, with some coming forward to say they are attending and the Mail on Sunday newspaper claiming to have the official invitation roster .

The palace dismissed the newspaper's list as speculation Sunday.

It won't be clear until the day how the royal couple has balanced the protocol demands that they invite statesmen, diplomats, religious leaders, politicians and the like with invitations to the people they really want to see, particularly the crowd they made friends with when they met and fell in love at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

Kate Reardon, editor of high-society magazine Tatler, said many _ Britons acted as if they didn't really care about receiving an invitation while secretly checking the mail every day to see if the invitation had arrived.

"Everyone's been hoping," she said.

William and Middleton have showed their modern side by inviting a number of close friends, including some former sweethearts, the newspaper said.

The wedding is not technically a state event, which somewhat limits the protocol requirements applied to the guest list. But royal obligations still order that a large number of the 1,900 or so seats go to guests from the world of politics, not actual friends of the couple.

The couple have also invited many guests from the charities they work with, and Middleton has used her influence to invite the butcher, shopkeeper and pub owner from her home village of Bucklebury.

President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were not invited and many other international leaders are also expected to be watching on TV, not from a seat at Westminster Abbey.

It is not clear if treasured Brits from the world of stage and screen and pop music will be on the list.

Question: Who is his spouse?

Context: David Beckham has spouse Victoria. Barack Obama has spouse Michelle.

(David Beckham)-[has spouse]->(Victoria) || (Barack Obama)-[has spouse]->(Michelle)


Gone with the Wind is a novel written by Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. It was popular with American readers from the onset and was the top American fiction bestseller in the year it was published and in 1937 on the row. As of 2014, a Harris poll found it to be the second favorite book of American readers, just behind the Bible. More than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide. The sales of Margaret Mitchell's novel in the summer of 1936, at the virtually unprecedented price of three dollars, reached about one million by the end of December. Because it was released in the era of the Great Depression and Mitchell worried the high $3.00 price would ruin its chance for success. Actually the book was a bestseller by the time reviews began to appear in national magazines.

Herschel Brickell, a critic for the New York Evening Post, praised Mitchell for the way she "tosses out the window all the thousands of technical tricks our novelists have been playing with for the past twenty years."

One criticism by literary scholar Patricia Yaeger, leveled at Gone with the Wind, is for its portrayal of African Americans in the 19th century South. Former field hands during the early days of Reconstruction are described behaving "as creatures of small intelligence might naturally be expected to do. Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects whose value is beyond their comprehension, they ran wild~either from wrong pleasure in destruction or simply because of their ignorance." In Gone with the Wind Mitchell is blind to racial oppression and 'the inseparability of race and gender" that defines the southern belle character of Scarlett, according to Patricia Yaeger.

Yet there are complexities in the way that Mitchell dealt with racial issues. Scarlett was asked by a Yankee woman for advice on who to appoint as a nurse for her children; Scarlett suggested a "darky", much to the disgust of the Yankee woman who was seeking an Irish maid, a "Bridget". African Americans and Irish Americans are treated "in precisely the same way" in Gone with the Wind, writes David O'Connell in his 1996 book, The Irish Roots of Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind. Ethnic slurs on the Irish and Irish stereotypes spread in every part of the novel, O'Connell claims, and Scarlett is not an exception to the insults. And apparently in the novel, the Irish American O'Haras were slaveholders whereas African Americans were held as slaves.

Speaking on the subject of whether Gone with the Wind should be taught in schools, James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, says the novel should be taught in schools. Students should be told that Gone with the Wind presents the wrong view of slavery, Loewen states. Besides, the main complaint was that the racial slur "nigger" appears repeatedly in the novel. In the same complaint were several other books: The Nigger of the 'Narcissus', Uncle Tom's Cabin, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Another criticism of the novel is that it promotes plantation values. Mitchell biographer Marianne Walker, author of Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind, is of the opinion that those who believe Gone with the Wind promotes plantation values have not read the book. Walker states it is the popular 1939 film that "promotes a false notion of the Old South". She goes on to add that Mitchell had no involvement in the production of the film. Perhaps the most enduring legacy of Gone with the Wind is that people worldwide would incorrectly think it was the true story of the Old South and how it was changed by the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The film version of the novel "amplified this effect". Scholars of the period have written in recent years about the negative effects the novel has had on race relations.

Question: He is the author of which book?

Context: David O'Connell is the author of The Irish Roots Of Margaret Mitchells Gone With The Wind. James Loewen is the author of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. Marianne Walker is the author of Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With The Wind.

(David O'Connell)-[author of]->(The Irish Roots Of Margaret Mitchells Gone With The Wind) || (James Loewen)-[author of]->(Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong) || (Marianne Walker)-[author of]->(Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With The Wind)


Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid

Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid.

But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.

Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008.

Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school.

For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running.

But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum.

Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it.

"As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report's ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17.

Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, "served us well," Inzer says, but "to be discounting the price for families that don't need financial aid doesn't feel right any more."

Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level.

Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state's public institutions.

But in recent years, a growing chorus of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be "a sign that people are starting to realize that there's this destructive competition going on," says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need.

David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors.

"No one can take one-sided action," says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, "This is a merry-go-round that's going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves."

A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don't qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs.

That's one reason Allegheny College doesn't plan to drop merit aid entirely.

"We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship," says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny's vice president for enrollment.

Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment , meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program.

"Yeah, we're playing the merit game," acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. "The fact of the matter is, it's not just about the lowest-income people. It's the average American middle-class family who's being priced out of the market."

A few words about merit-based aid:

Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships.

Academic merit scholarships are based on students' grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process.

Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee . Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance.

Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.

Question: Where do they work?

Context: Sandy Baum works at Skidmore College. Monica Inzer works at Hamilton College. David Laird works at Minnesota Private College Council. Scott Friedhoff works at Allegheny College. Tom Lancaster works at Emory University.

(Sandy Baum)-[works at]->(Skidmore College) || (Monica Inzer)-[works at]->(Hamilton College) || (David Laird)-[works at]->(Minnesota Private College Council) || (Scott Friedhoff)-[works at]->(Allegheny College) || (Tom Lancaster)-[works at]->(Emory University)


A couple who held hands at breakfast every morning even after 70 years of marriage have died 15 hours apart. Helen Felumlee, died at 92 on April 12. Her husband, 91-year-old Kenneth Felumlee, died the next morning.

The couple's eight children say the two had been inseparable since meeting as teenagers, once sharing the bottom of a bunk bed on a ferry rather than sleeping on night apart.

They remained deeply in love until the very end, even eating breakfast together while holding hands, said their daughter, Linda Cody. "We knew when one went, the other was going to go," she said. According to Cody, about 12 hours after Helen died, Kenneth looked at his children and said, "Mon's dead." He quickly began to fade, surrounded by 24 of his closest family members and friends when he died the next morning. "He was ready," Cody said, "He just didn't want to leave her here by herself."

Son Dick said his parents died of old age, surrounded by family.

The pair had known each other for several years when they eloped in Newport across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, on Feb. 20, 1994. At two days shy of his 21stbirthday, Kenneth-who went by Kenny-was too young to marry in Ohio. "He couldn't wait.' son Jim said.

Kenneth worked as a railroad car inspector and mechanic before becoming a mail carrier for the Post Office. He was active in the church as a Sunday teacher.

Helen stayed at home, not only cooking and cleaning for her own family but also for other families in need in the area. She taught Sunday school, too, but was known more for her greeting card ministry, sending cards for birthdays, sympathy and the holidays to everyone in her community, each with a personal note inside. "She kept Hallmark in business," daughter-in-law Debbie joked.

When Kenneth retired in 1983 and the children began to leave the house, the Felumlees began to explore their love of travel, visiting almost all 50 states by bus. "He didn't want to fly anywhere because you couldn't see anything as you were going," Jim said.

Although both experienced declining health in recent years, Cody said, each tried to stay strong for the other. "That's what kept them going," she said.

Question: At what age did they die?

Context: Helen Felumlee died at 92. Kenneth Felumlee died at 91.

(Helen Felumlee)-[died at]->(92) || (Kenneth Felumlee)-[died at]->(91)