PaulPauls/openwebtext-sentences · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 1 100k
Finally, when he was old enough, he packed a bag and set out, hoping he could find someone who knew the truth of it.“He went from place to place, asking everyone who claimed to know something about anything.
He asked midwives and physickers, but they couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
The boy asked arcanists, tinkers, and old hermits living in the woods, but no one had ever seen anything like it.“He went to ask the Cealdim merchants, thinking if anyone would know about gold, it would be them.
But the Cealdim merchants didn’t know.
He went to the arcanists at the University, thinking if anyone would know about screws and their workings, they would.
But the arcanists didn’t know.
The boy followed the road over the Stormwal to ask the witch women of the Tahl, but none of them could give him an answer.“Eventually he went to the King of Vint, the richest king in the world.
But the king didn’t know.
He went to the Emperor of Atur, but even with all his power, the emperor didn’t know.
He went to each of the small kingdoms, one by one, but no one could tell him anything.“Finally the boy went to the High King of Modeg, the wisest of all the kings in the world.
The high king looked closely at the head of the golden screw peeping from the boy’s belly button.
Then the high king made a gesture, and his seneschal brought out a pillow of golden silk.
On that pillow was a golden box.
The high king took a golden key from around his neck, opened the box, and inside was a golden screwdriver.“The high king took the screwdriver and motioned the boy to come closer.
Trembling with excitement, the boy did.
Then the high king took the golden screwdriver and put it in the boy’s belly button.”I paused to take a long drink of water.
I could feel my small audience leaning toward me.
“Then thehigh king carefully turned the golden screw.
Once: Nothing.
Twice: Nothing.
Then he turned it the third time, and the boy’s ass fell off.”There was a moment of stunned silence.“What?” Hespe asked incredulously.“His ass fell off.”
The following is authored by Chris Woods and Jack Serle at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Reprinted here with permission.
Pakistan: August sees the highest number of CIA strikes in Pakistan since October 2011.
A number of senior militants are killed along with at least two named civilians.
Yemen: At least 26 people are killed in five confirmed US drone strikes in Yemen.
This is still less than the May peak.
Civilian casualties are confirmed for the first time since May.
Somalia: For the fourth month no US military actions are reported in Somalia.
In related news, three Ugandan helicopters crash-land prior to an anticipated assault on militant-held Kismayo.
Pakistan July 2012 actions Total CIA strikes in August: 7 Total killed in strikes in August: 29-65, of whom at least 2 were reportedly civilians All actions 2004 – August 31 2012 Total Obama strikes: 291 Total US strikes since 2004: 343 Total reported killed: 2,558-3,319 Civilians reported killed: 474-881 Children reported killed: 176 Total reported injured: 1,226-1,359 For the Bureau’s full Pakistan databases click here.
The CIA launched seven drone strikes in August, the highest recorded in any month since October 2011.
The rate of strikes has continued to rise through the year.
Total CIA strikes per month in 2012 Total CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, per month of 2012.
All seven attacks happened after Ramadan.
Neither the CIA nor the Taliban seem to change their tactics in the month of fasting and the festival of Eid al Fitr.
The Bureau’s data shows that since President Obama came to office there has been no let-up in the tempo of strikes during Ramadan and Eid.
A CIA drone strike has never taken place on either Christmas or Easter Day.
The August barrage of strikes culminated with three coordinated attacks on August 24 that killed 13-18 people including several named militants, according to the Bureau’s field researchers.
Four named Turkistani militants died along with three named members of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).
For the first time in some months there were confirmed reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan.
On August 18 the wife of Ahsan Aziz, a Kashmiri militant, died in a strike alongside her husband.
Thirteen-year-old Osama Haqqani also reportedly died on August 21.
As many as 25 others died with the teenager, including his father Badruddin Haqqani, the third-in-command of the Haqqani Network.
These were the first known names of civilians reported killed since October 31 2001, although other civilians have been reported killed in this period.
Pakistan responded to the onslaught of strikes by continuing with its vocal protests, calling in a senior US diplomat for an official reprimand.
Washington in turn insisted that Islamabad pressure the Haqqani Network to stop cross-border attacks on Isaf and Afghan forces.
Yemen August 2012 actions Confirmed US drone strikes: 5 Further reported/possible US strike events: 1 Total reported killed in US operations: 26-33 Civilians reported killed in US strikes: 2 All actions 2002 – August 31 2012* Total confirmed US operations: 52-62 Total confirmed US drone strikes: 40-50 Possible additional US operations: 113-128 Of which possible additional US drone strikes: 57-66 Total reported killed: 347-990 Total civilians killed: 60-151 Children killed: 24-31 Click here for the full Yemen data.
Five of the six strikes in August were confirmed as US attacks by a variety of Yemeni officials.
The focus of US attacks has now moved to Hadramout in the eastern part of Yemen.
Five strikes hit targets in the arid province, bearing out reports that al Qaeda has taken refuge there.
This is a shift from Abyan province where most of the attacks occurred in July.
Yemeni security forces and local militia drove the militants from their ‘Islamic Emirate’ in Abyan earlier this year.
The first named civilian casualties were reported since Red Cross worker Hussein Saleh was killed on June 20 in a possible US airstrike.
Policeman Walid Abdullah Bin Ali Jaber and Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, a mosque imam, were killed in a house in the eastern Hadramout province when a nearby car carrying alleged militants was destroyed.
While drone strikes seem to have plateaued, al Qaeda and its ally Ansar al Sharia have continued with their bloody insurgency against the government.
In the most deadly attack this month, a suicide bomber targeted a funeral wake in Jaar where more than 150 people had gathered to mourn a local sheikh.
His militia had first fought alongside al Qaeda in Abyan before siding with the government.
At least 50 people were killed by shrapnel from the blast.
* All but one of these actions have taken place during Obama’s presidency.
Reports of incidents in Yemen often conflate individual strikes.
The range in the total strikes and total drone strikes we have recorded reflects this.
Somalia August 2012 actions Total reported US operations: 0 All actions 2007 – August 31 2012 10-21 Total US drone strikes: 3-9 Total reported killed: 58-169 Civilians reported killed: 11-57 Children reported killed: 1-3 Click here for the Bureau’s full data on Somalia.
Total US operations:Total US drone strikes:Total reported killed:Civilians reported killed:Children reported killed: August was the fourth consecutive month in which there have been no reports of US strikes.
Concerns remain that covert operations continue in the country, in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) peacekeepers fighting al Shabaab.
In related news, in the build-up to Amisom’s long-touted advance on militant-held Kismayo, the UN allowed Uganda to dispatch air support for the assaulting troops.
Catastrophically all but one of four helicopters sent by Kampala crashed into a Kenyan mountain.
The losses cast doubt on the military capacity of African nations engaged in Somalia, and their ability to have carried out any of the 10 strikes recorded by the Bureau since 2007 that are not confirmed as US operations.
Kismayo is the last deep-water port in al Shabaab’s hands.
Its fall could prove decisive in the battle with the militants in the south.
The assault was intended to start before August 20, the day of long-awaited parliamentary elections.
However those elections dragged on into the final week of August when a parliamentary speaker was finally voted in.
This has cleared the way for parliament to choose a president and for the eight year life of the Transitional Federal Government to end.
Other conflicts: Israel and Egypt The US and Israel are the only countries known to have carried out targeted killings with drones, with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) reported to have carried out a strike as early as 2004.
Until now all known Israeli strikes have been within Gaza.
On August 26 Ibrahim Owida Nasser Madan was killed in an explosion as he rode his motorbike through Egypt’s Sinai desert.
It was later reported by Israeli media that Madan had died in an Israeli drone strike up to 15km inside Egypt.
Both the IDF and Egyptian military denied the claims.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced on July 21 a Finding of No Significant Impact on the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (Initiative).
The finding clears the way for states and the federal government to invest in future passenger rail service in New England.
The Initiative proposes to restore service between Boston and New Haven through Springfield and Hartford and add new service between Boston and Montreal.
FRA awarded $942,775 to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) through FRA’s Next Generation High-Speed Rail Program to study potential service options and complete the Tier 1 Environmental Assessment, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
FRA found that no significant environmental impacts would result from adding more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger rail service, in large part due to the use of existing operating rail lines within existing rights-of-way.
The proposed infrastructure improvements also would be located within existing right-of-way along areas that were in the past double or triple tracked.
“More than two million people live within three miles of a station along this corridor,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg.
“For everyone to move safely and efficiently, the region needs a robust rail system, and this blueprint will help achieve that goal.” MassDOT and VTrans will coordinate the Initiative with other projects, including NEC FUTURE, FRA’s ongoing comprehensive planning effort to define, evaluate, and prioritize future investments in the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
The NEC runs from Washington, DC to Boston.
Together, this Initiative and NEC FUTURE would provide greater connectivity to central Connecticut, Massachusetts, northern New England, and Montreal.
“Existing passenger rail service through New England is limited and already at capacity for a region that is growing,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
“With an approved blueprint in hand, New England can now move forward to connect people to key job centers and allow students to easily travel to and from New England’s numerous colleges.”

Finally, when he was old enough, he packed a bag and set out, hoping he could find someone who knew the truth of it.“He went from place to place, asking everyone who claimed to know something about anything.

He asked midwives and physickers, but they couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

The boy asked arcanists, tinkers, and old hermits living in the woods, but no one had ever seen anything like it.“He went to ask the Cealdim merchants, thinking if anyone would know about gold, it would be them.

But the Cealdim merchants didn’t know.

He went to the arcanists at the University, thinking if anyone would know about screws and their workings, they would.

But the arcanists didn’t know.

The boy followed the road over the Stormwal to ask the witch women of the Tahl, but none of them could give him an answer.“Eventually he went to the King of Vint, the richest king in the world.

But the king didn’t know.

He went to the Emperor of Atur, but even with all his power, the emperor didn’t know.

He went to each of the small kingdoms, one by one, but no one could tell him anything.“Finally the boy went to the High King of Modeg, the wisest of all the kings in the world.

The high king looked closely at the head of the golden screw peeping from the boy’s belly button.

Then the high king made a gesture, and his seneschal brought out a pillow of golden silk.

On that pillow was a golden box.

The high king took a golden key from around his neck, opened the box, and inside was a golden screwdriver.“The high king took the screwdriver and motioned the boy to come closer.

Trembling with excitement, the boy did.

Then the high king took the golden screwdriver and put it in the boy’s belly button.”I paused to take a long drink of water.

I could feel my small audience leaning toward me.

“Then thehigh king carefully turned the golden screw.

Once: Nothing.

Twice: Nothing.

Then he turned it the third time, and the boy’s ass fell off.”There was a moment of stunned silence.“What?” Hespe asked incredulously.“His ass fell off.”

The following is authored by Chris Woods and Jack Serle at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Reprinted here with permission.

Pakistan: August sees the highest number of CIA strikes in Pakistan since October 2011.

A number of senior militants are killed along with at least two named civilians.

Yemen: At least 26 people are killed in five confirmed US drone strikes in Yemen.

This is still less than the May peak.

Civilian casualties are confirmed for the first time since May.

Somalia: For the fourth month no US military actions are reported in Somalia.

In related news, three Ugandan helicopters crash-land prior to an anticipated assault on militant-held Kismayo.

Pakistan July 2012 actions Total CIA strikes in August: 7 Total killed in strikes in August: 29-65, of whom at least 2 were reportedly civilians All actions 2004 – August 31 2012 Total Obama strikes: 291 Total US strikes since 2004: 343 Total reported killed: 2,558-3,319 Civilians reported killed: 474-881 Children reported killed: 176 Total reported injured: 1,226-1,359 For the Bureau’s full Pakistan databases click here.

The CIA launched seven drone strikes in August, the highest recorded in any month since October 2011.

The rate of strikes has continued to rise through the year.

Total CIA strikes per month in 2012 Total CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, per month of 2012.

All seven attacks happened after Ramadan.

Neither the CIA nor the Taliban seem to change their tactics in the month of fasting and the festival of Eid al Fitr.

The Bureau’s data shows that since President Obama came to office there has been no let-up in the tempo of strikes during Ramadan and Eid.

A CIA drone strike has never taken place on either Christmas or Easter Day.

The August barrage of strikes culminated with three coordinated attacks on August 24 that killed 13-18 people including several named militants, according to the Bureau’s field researchers.

Four named Turkistani militants died along with three named members of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

For the first time in some months there were confirmed reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan.

On August 18 the wife of Ahsan Aziz, a Kashmiri militant, died in a strike alongside her husband.

Thirteen-year-old Osama Haqqani also reportedly died on August 21.

As many as 25 others died with the teenager, including his father Badruddin Haqqani, the third-in-command of the Haqqani Network.

These were the first known names of civilians reported killed since October 31 2001, although other civilians have been reported killed in this period.

Pakistan responded to the onslaught of strikes by continuing with its vocal protests, calling in a senior US diplomat for an official reprimand.

Washington in turn insisted that Islamabad pressure the Haqqani Network to stop cross-border attacks on Isaf and Afghan forces.

Yemen August 2012 actions Confirmed US drone strikes: 5 Further reported/possible US strike events: 1 Total reported killed in US operations: 26-33 Civilians reported killed in US strikes: 2 All actions 2002 – August 31 2012* Total confirmed US operations: 52-62 Total confirmed US drone strikes: 40-50 Possible additional US operations: 113-128 Of which possible additional US drone strikes: 57-66 Total reported killed: 347-990 Total civilians killed: 60-151 Children killed: 24-31 Click here for the full Yemen data.

Five of the six strikes in August were confirmed as US attacks by a variety of Yemeni officials.

The focus of US attacks has now moved to Hadramout in the eastern part of Yemen.

Five strikes hit targets in the arid province, bearing out reports that al Qaeda has taken refuge there.

This is a shift from Abyan province where most of the attacks occurred in July.

Yemeni security forces and local militia drove the militants from their ‘Islamic Emirate’ in Abyan earlier this year.

The first named civilian casualties were reported since Red Cross worker Hussein Saleh was killed on June 20 in a possible US airstrike.

Policeman Walid Abdullah Bin Ali Jaber and Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, a mosque imam, were killed in a house in the eastern Hadramout province when a nearby car carrying alleged militants was destroyed.

While drone strikes seem to have plateaued, al Qaeda and its ally Ansar al Sharia have continued with their bloody insurgency against the government.

In the most deadly attack this month, a suicide bomber targeted a funeral wake in Jaar where more than 150 people had gathered to mourn a local sheikh.

His militia had first fought alongside al Qaeda in Abyan before siding with the government.

At least 50 people were killed by shrapnel from the blast.

* All but one of these actions have taken place during Obama’s presidency.

Reports of incidents in Yemen often conflate individual strikes.

The range in the total strikes and total drone strikes we have recorded reflects this.

Somalia August 2012 actions Total reported US operations: 0 All actions 2007 – August 31 2012 10-21 Total US drone strikes: 3-9 Total reported killed: 58-169 Civilians reported killed: 11-57 Children reported killed: 1-3 Click here for the Bureau’s full data on Somalia.

Total US operations:Total US drone strikes:Total reported killed:Civilians reported killed:Children reported killed: August was the fourth consecutive month in which there have been no reports of US strikes.

Concerns remain that covert operations continue in the country, in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) peacekeepers fighting al Shabaab.

In related news, in the build-up to Amisom’s long-touted advance on militant-held Kismayo, the UN allowed Uganda to dispatch air support for the assaulting troops.

Catastrophically all but one of four helicopters sent by Kampala crashed into a Kenyan mountain.

The losses cast doubt on the military capacity of African nations engaged in Somalia, and their ability to have carried out any of the 10 strikes recorded by the Bureau since 2007 that are not confirmed as US operations.

Kismayo is the last deep-water port in al Shabaab’s hands.

Its fall could prove decisive in the battle with the militants in the south.

The assault was intended to start before August 20, the day of long-awaited parliamentary elections.

However those elections dragged on into the final week of August when a parliamentary speaker was finally voted in.

This has cleared the way for parliament to choose a president and for the eight year life of the Transitional Federal Government to end.

Other conflicts: Israel and Egypt The US and Israel are the only countries known to have carried out targeted killings with drones, with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) reported to have carried out a strike as early as 2004.

Until now all known Israeli strikes have been within Gaza.

On August 26 Ibrahim Owida Nasser Madan was killed in an explosion as he rode his motorbike through Egypt’s Sinai desert.

It was later reported by Israeli media that Madan had died in an Israeli drone strike up to 15km inside Egypt.

Both the IDF and Egyptian military denied the claims.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced on July 21 a Finding of No Significant Impact on the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (Initiative).

The finding clears the way for states and the federal government to invest in future passenger rail service in New England.

The Initiative proposes to restore service between Boston and New Haven through Springfield and Hartford and add new service between Boston and Montreal.

FRA awarded $942,775 to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) through FRA’s Next Generation High-Speed Rail Program to study potential service options and complete the Tier 1 Environmental Assessment, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

FRA found that no significant environmental impacts would result from adding more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger rail service, in large part due to the use of existing operating rail lines within existing rights-of-way.

The proposed infrastructure improvements also would be located within existing right-of-way along areas that were in the past double or triple tracked.

“More than two million people live within three miles of a station along this corridor,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg.

“For everyone to move safely and efficiently, the region needs a robust rail system, and this blueprint will help achieve that goal.” MassDOT and VTrans will coordinate the Initiative with other projects, including NEC FUTURE, FRA’s ongoing comprehensive planning effort to define, evaluate, and prioritize future investments in the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

The NEC runs from Washington, DC to Boston.

Together, this Initiative and NEC FUTURE would provide greater connectivity to central Connecticut, Massachusetts, northern New England, and Montreal.

“Existing passenger rail service through New England is limited and already at capacity for a region that is growing,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

“With an approved blueprint in hand, New England can now move forward to connect people to key job centers and allow students to easily travel to and from New England’s numerous colleges.”