QUES: Enter the Shoguns: Japan's austere, ruthless, but statesmanlike new ruler, Yoritomo Minamoto, set up his government in Kamakura (just south of modern Tokyo), well away from the "softening" influence of court life that had been the undoing of his predecessor, Kiyomori. First of the national rulers to take the title of sei-i tai-shogun ("barbarian-subduing great general"), Minamoto expanded and consolidated his power by confiscating lands from some of the defeated Taira and redistributing them to his samurai vassals. Minamoto died in 1199, and the feudal structure passed intact to the tutelage of his widow's family, the Hojo, who were content to play regent to a figurehead shogun, in much the same way as the Fujiwara had done with the emperor. The fiction of Japanese imperial power had become infinitely extendable. The emperor at Kyotostill seconded by a Fujiwara regent at courtlegitimized a Minamoto who was himself a military dictator controlled by a Hojo regent. In a country where form and substance were inextricably interrelated, two things counted in politics: symbolic authority and real power. Neither could exist without the other. A thwarted Mongol invasion in 1274 weakened the Kamakura regime. The fighting brought none of the usual spoils of war that provincial warlords and samurai had come to expect as payment. And the treasury was empty after earthquake, famine, and plague had crippled the economy. Buddhist monasteries were using their private armies to support imperial ambitions to bring power back to Kyoto. Worst of all, the Kamakura warriors, resenting the way the Kyoto court referred to them as "Eastern barbarians," sought refinement in a ruinous taste for luxury: extravagant feasts, rich costumes, and opulent homes. Kamakura was falling apart.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: What are Eastern barbarians?

QUES: Joe's parents are farmers and they have a huge farm with cows, chickens, and ducks. Joe loves the farm and all the things he gets to play around and play on. One day, Joe's father told him not to get near a tractor that was sitting in the field. His father was worried that Joe would climb on it and hurt himself. Joe went out to the field and was feeding the horses and cows. When he was done, he saw the tractor his father told him not to get near. He knew that climbing on the tractor wouldn't hurt anything, so he did. He climbed on to the seat and sat there. Then, he pretended he was his father and pretended that he was driving the tractor. Joe's father saw him playing on the tractor and called for him. Joe heard his father calling for him and got off the tractor really fast. When he did that, he fell off and hurt his arm. Joe was in pain and his father came running to check on him and picked him up and sat him on a bench and asked him why he did that. Joe looked at his father and said, "I wanted to be like you." Joe's father gave him a hug and asked him if he wanted to ride with him on the tractor. Joe did and after he got a bandage on his arm, he and his father rode in the field on the tractor.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Who fell off the tractor and got hurt?

QUES: Tim had always a red bike. His birthday party was coming up and he hoped that his parents would finally get him the bike. When his friends came over for the party, Tim was very worried that he wouldn't get the bike. He looked at all the presents and none of them seemed big enough to have a bike in them. Tim was sad. When it was time to open the presents he opened them one at a time. The first present was not a bike. The second present was not a bike. The third present was the biggest one. Tim knew if the bike was going to be in any of the presents it was going to be in this box. Tim opened it and there was no bike inside. Just as Tim tried not to look too upset, his Dad brought in the biggest present of them all. His Dad had been hiding the present all along. Tim opened it and his new bike was inside the box. Tim put the bike together with his Dad's help.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Why was Tim sad?

QUES: The Creed family moves into a new home , close to a road where truckers often drive unsafely . They befriend their neighbor , Jud Crandall , who tells them about a nearby pet cemetery which was built on Indian burial grounds and is rumored to be haunted . Later , Louis Creed , working at the University of Maine at Orono health center , treats Victor Pascow , who has been hit by a truck and incurred massive head injuries . Pascow dies after grabbing Louis , addressing him by name , and uttering a cryptic message . He also promises to '' come to '' him . That night , in what is seemingly a dream , Victor visits Louis , warning him about the burial ground beyond the pet cemetery . Louis wakes up to find his feet covered in dirt . Church , a cat owned by Louis ' daughter Ellie , is killed by a truck on the road in front of their house while Rachel , Ellie and Gage are in Chicago . Jud takes Louis to an ancient Micmac Indian burial ground beyond the pet cemetery they visited earlier and buries the cat . Church is brought back to life , but is an evil shell of himself . He attacks Louis and reeks of decomposition . Louis asks if a person was ever buried in the grounds . Jud replies , '' Christ on His throne , no. . And whoever would? '' Sometime later , Louis ' young son Gage is killed by a truck on the same road . Louis considers burying Gage in the burial grounds . Jud tries to dissuade him from doing so , telling him about a young man from town , Timmy Baterman , who died in service during World War II .
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
Are people buried in the cemetary?