user: As of 2022, how many member states make up the European Union?

assistant: <think>
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are signatories to the founding treaties of the union and thereby share in the privileges and obligations of membership.</think>
27

user: What are some noteworthy facts from Gabriel García Márquez present on the text?

assistant: <think>
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (American Spanish: [ɡaˈβɾjel ɣaɾˈsi.a ˈmaɾkes] (listen); 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo ([ˈɡaβo]) or Gabito ([ɡaˈβito]) throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, particularly in the Spanish language, he was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. He pursued a self-directed education that resulted in leaving law school for a career in journalism. From early on he showed no inhibitions in his criticism of Colombian and foreign politics. In 1958, he married Mercedes Barcha Pardo; they had two sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo.

García Márquez started as a journalist and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories, but is best known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing a literary style known as magic realism, which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his works are set in the fictional village of Macondo (mainly inspired by his birthplace, Aracataca), and most of them explore the theme of solitude. He is the most-translated Spanish-language author.

Upon García Márquez's death in April 2014, Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, called him "the greatest Colombian who ever lived."</think>
Gabriel García Márquez was born in Colombia and is recognized as one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His work's literary style known as magic realism brought him critical acclaim and commercial success. Some of his works used places of his live as inspiration, and most of them explore the theme of solitude. He is the most-translated Spanish-language author. He was called "the greates Colombian who ever lived"by the president of Colombia at the time of his death.

user: Why are windows not attached directly to the studs of a house?

assistant: When installing windows, it is important to remember that houses move over time. Whether from foundation settling, or swaying in the wind, houses are not totally stationary. As a consequence, if you were to attach a new window rigidly to wooden framing, the glass in the window, which is rigid and brittle, might experience cracking or warping. Additionally, the components of the window, such as the seals and hardware that allows the window to open and close, might break down. Window installers will use a combination of shims and flexible sealing materials such as caulk, along with proper flashing, vapor barriers, and siding to make sure windows are water and air tight, and will operate properly for many years into the future.