QUES: Triumph and Disaster: The 20th century saw a stupendous release of energies that had been pent up for the 250 years of Tokugawa isolation. By 1930 raw-material production had tripled the figure of 1900, manufactured goods had increased twelve-fold, and heavy industry was galloping towards maturity. Britain led the World War I Ailies in large orders for munitions, while Japan expanded sales of manufactured goods to Asian and other markets cut off from their usual European suppliers. Merchant shipping doubled in size and increased its income ten-fold as the European fleets were destroyed. Setbacks in the 1930s caused by the European postwar slump were only a spur to redouble efforts by diversifying heavy industry into the machine-making, metallurgical, and chemical sectors. Even the terrible 1923 Tokyo earthquake, which cost over 100,000 lives and billions of dollars, provided another stimulus due to the construction boom that followed. Riding the crest of this economic upsurge were the zaibatsu conglomeratesa dozen family-run combines, each involved in mining, manufacturing, marketing, shipping, and banking. These tightly controlled commercial pyramids were the true heirs to the old feudal structures. Japan's progress toward parliamentary democracy was halted in the 1930s by the growing nationalism being imposed on government by the generals and admirals. They proclaimed Japan's mission to bring progress to its backward Asian neighbors in language not so very different from that of the Europeans in Africa or the US in Latin America. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Soviet Union was regarded as a major threat to Japan's security, and the army felt it needed Manchuria and whatever other Chinese territory it could control as a buffer against Russian advances. In 1931 the Japanese occupied Manchuria. And then in 1937, with the popular support of ultra-right-wing groups, the army overrode parliamentary resistance in Tokyo and went to war against the Chinese Nationalists. By 1938, they held Nanking, Hankow, and Canton. Japanese expansionist policies were leading to direct confrontation with the West. Japan hoped that war in Europe would divert the Soviet Union from interference in East Asia, giving Japan a free hand both in China and, through its alliance with Germany, in French IndoChina after the defeat of France. The US responded to the Japanese invasion of IndoChina with a trade and fuel embargo, cutting off 90 percent of Japan's supplies. The result was the attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941) and total war.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: What event allowed the zaibatsu conglomerates to take advantage of an economic upsurge?

QUES: The grant also will help victims go through court proceedings after losing a job or being evicted because of an abuser's actions, Xanthopoulos said. "It's going to help the victims, but it's also going to help their children," he said. More than 270 domestic violence assaults in Madison County were reported last year, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statistics. In Jackson, more than 730 domestic violence assaults were reported last year, according to records. "Domestic violence is certainly on the increase and we need to do something to curve that. I see this as helping that," Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork said of the grant. Domestic violence accounted for five of 12 murders in 2001 in Jackson, police have said. And the increase in calls prompted Jackson Police Chief Rick Staples in March to form a focus group to determine if police officers need to make changes in their response to domestic calls.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: How many more domestic violence assault cases were in Madison county and Jackson county?

QUES: Adrienne Saunders is happily married to her art dealer husband , Jack . They have a daughter named Mary . Adrienne hears from a friend that she thought she saw Jack in town when he claimed to be on an out of town business trip . Adrienne confronts him , but he denies being in town , and their lives continue . Soon after a museum curator is mysteriously murdered , and a relic that Jack bought for the museum is revealed to be a fake . Jack is placed under suspicion , and then Adrienne receives word from the police that Jack perished in a car accident . In trying to wrap up Jack 's affairs , Adrienne begins to suspect that her husband had switched identities with a high school classmate , Frank Sullivan . When she sees a high school yearbook picture of her husband attributed to Sullivan , she is convinced . She tracks down a relative of Saunders , who confirms that Frank and Jack were inseparable in high school . After Jack died , the relative never saw Frank again . She explained that Frank 's father was an alcoholic and that his mother worked as a toll booth operator . She directs Adrienne to Frank 's mother , who lives in a rundown apartment in Brooklyn . Frank 's mother bitterly receives the news that she has a granddaughter , telling Adrienne that Frank was always selfish and that he never looked in on her . A stalker lurks at Adrienne 's loft . He comes in to Adrienne 's bed while she is asleep and caresses her . He watches Mary , who is spooked by the man in her room at night .
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Who is Mary's real father?

QUES: You might want to know how cold it is. You may need to know how fast the wind is blowing. Maybe it rained last night? Do you know how much? Does it feel humid to you? You have heard all these questions before. To answer these questions, we need data. That data comes from special tools. These tools collect data about the weather. You can see some of the common tools listed below: A thermometer measures temperature. An anemometer measures wind speed. A rain gauge measures the amount of rain. A hygrometer measures humidity. A wind vane shows wind direction. A snow gauge measures the amount of snow.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
What tools are used to measure the amount of precipitation?