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Q: Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Abstract: The author reviewed artificial cells and their applications in hemoperfusion for chronic renal failure, poisoning, fulminant hepatic failure, removal of aluminium and iron, and metabolic assists. Other areas reviewed included artificial cells containing enzymes, multienzymes, immunosorbents, cell cultures and other areas. Artificial cells can be formed as membrane coated adsorbent or microencapsulated adsorbent, enzymes and cells. The large surface to volume relationship and the ultrathin membrane of artificial cells allows the rapid equilibration of metabolites. Artificial cells containing enzymes, ion exchange resin and activated charcoal have been used for hemoperfusion. The microencapsulated or membrane coated absorbents, enzymes, cells, immunosorbents and other material are prevented from releasing unwanted material into the circulation and prevented from adverse effects on blood cells. Because of the problem of charcoal in releasing emboli and depleting platelets we first developed coated activated charcoal hemoperfusion for clinical application. This has been used extensively in clinical studies. The artificial cell approach has also been applied to a number of other hemoperfusion approaches. The lack of space only allows this paper to summarize some of the approaches originated from this research centre.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Hemoperfusion based on artificial cells for aluminium and iron removal, immunosorption, fulminant hepatic failure, uremia, poisoning and metabolic assists. option2: Antibiotic treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease. Trends among private physicians in the United States, 1966 through 1983.
A:
|
Hemoperfusion based on artificial cells for aluminium and iron removal, immunosorption, fulminant hepatic failure, uremia, poisoning and metabolic assists.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Abstract: The purpose of this was to determine whether the site of physiological narrowing within the upper airway was uniform or differed among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Inspiratory pressures were measured with an esophageal balloon catheter and three catheters located at different sites along the upper airway: supralaryngeal airway, oropharynx, and nasopharynx. Peak inspiratory pressure differences between catheters allowed assessment of pressure gradients across three airway segments: lungs-larynx-retroepiglottal airway (esophageal-supralaryngeal pressure), hypopharynx (supralaryngeal-oropharynx pressure), and transpalatal airway (oropharynx-nasopharynx pressure). In five patients, hypopharyngeal obstruction was present, and in four patients no hypopharyngeal obstruction existed. In these four patients the site of obstruction was located at the level of the palate. In a given subject, the site of obstruction was the same during repeated measurements. The presence or absence of hypopharyngeal narrowing during sleep was not predictable from gradients measured across different segments of the upper airway during wakefulness. We conclude that the site of physiological upper airway obstruction varies among patients with obstructive sleep apnea and is not predictable from pressure measured during wakefulness. We speculate that uvulopalatopharyngoplasty may not relieve obstructive apneas in patients with hypopharyngeal obstruction.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Variable site of airway narrowing among obstructive sleep apnea patients. option2: Leads from the MMWR. Premature mortality from diabetes mellitus--use of sentinel health event surveillance to assess causes.
Variable site of airway narrowing among obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Abstract: A prospective study of patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus and reevaluate the diagnostic approach necessary to detect this complication. Endoscopy with mucosal biopsy was performed in 97 subjects. Twelve (12.4%) were found to have Barrett's esophagus. The sensitivity and specificity of the endoscopic and radiologic examinations for Barrett's esophagus were prospectively evaluated. Endoscopy (92%) was significantly more sensitive than radiology (24%) in detecting Barrett's esophagus (p less than 0.001). The frequency and severity of reflux symptoms among patients determined to have Barrett's esophagus, reflux esophagitis, or normal esophageal biopsies were quantitatively similar in all three groups, except for significantly greater daytime heartburn in those with reflux esophagitis (p less than 0.01). These data indicate that Barrett's esophagus complicates gastroesophageal reflux more often than previously believed.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Barrett's esophagus. A prevalent, occult complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease. option2: Assessment of a scheme for prioritizing inorganic toxicants by using signs-and-symptoms analysis.
Barrett's esophagus. A prevalent, occult complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Abstract: Faecal metronidazole and hydroxymetronidazole concentrations measured by high pressure liquid chromatography are reported during 10 episodes of Clostridium difficile colitis in nine patients. Bactericidal faecal concentrations were present in all patients with acute disease receiving oral or intravenous metronidazole, and all responded to therapy. Metronidazole and hydroxymetronidazole concentrations fell as the diarrhoea improved and neither substance was detectable in the faeces of five patients after recovery. This demonstration of intracolonic therapeutic concentrations of metronidazole supports the clinical experience of oral metronidazole being effective in the treatment of antibiotic associated diarrhoea caused by C difficile and also suggests a potential role for intravenous metronidazole in this disease.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Faecal metronidazole concentrations during oral and intravenous therapy for antibiotic associated colitis due to Clostridium difficile. option2: Planning for the health care needs of patients with AIDS [editorial]
|
Faecal metronidazole concentrations during oral and intravenous therapy for antibiotic associated colitis due to Clostridium difficile.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then an example. Follow the example to solve a new instance of the task.
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Abstract: Some patients converted from ventricular fibrillation to organized rhythms by defibrillation-trained ambulance technicians (EMT-Ds) will refibrillate before hospital arrival. The authors analyzed 271 cases of ventricular fibrillation managed by EMT-Ds working without paramedic back-up. Of 111 patients initially converted to organized rhythms, 19 (17%) refibrillated, 11 (58%) of whom were reconverted to perfusing rhythms, including nine of 11 (82%) who had spontaneous pulses prior to refibrillation. Among patients initially converted to organized rhythms, hospital admission rates were lower for patients who refibrillated than for patients who did not(53% versus 76%, P = NS), although discharge rates were virtually identical (37% and 35%, respectively). Scene-to-hospital transport times were not predictively associated with either the frequency of refibrillation or patient outcome. Defibrillation-trained EMTs can effectively manage refibrillation with additional shocks and are not at a significant disadvantage when paramedic back-up is not available.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds option2: Maintenance of compliance in a small diameter arterial prosthesis.
Solution: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds
Why? The abstract is about refibrillation and it is also mentioned in the abstract that it is managed by EMT-Ds. So it is an apt title.
New input: Abstract: Both heparin and fibrinolytic agents carry a risk of bleeding. Because of their beneficial effects in restoring vessel patency, we prefer the use of fibrinolytic agents in patients with acute deep vein thrombosis unless there is some specific contraindication. With the treatment regimen we have outlined, the risk of bleeding is extremely low. We have found that the long-term results achieved with streptokinase therapy are excellent, and normal venous hemodynamics can be restored quickly and effectively.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Treatment of acute deep venous thrombosis with fibrinolytic agents. option2: Management of urinomas by percutaneous drainage procedures.
Solution:
|
Treatment of acute deep venous thrombosis with fibrinolytic agents.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
Given the task definition and input, reply with output. Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Abstract: The influence of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) on human detrusor and on pig detrusor, trigone, bladder neck and urethral smooth muscle was explored in a series of in vitro experiments. Serotonin evoked a dose-dependent and reversible contraction of the detrusor. The reverse response was triggered in trigone, bladder neck and urethral smooth muscle--a dose-dependent and reversible relaxation. The maximum amplitude of this relaxation was 85 +/- 15% of the relaxation produced by electrical nerve stimulation. The effect of serotonin was unaltered by blockade of ganglia, alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors, cholinergic receptors and prostaglandin synthesis. The serotonin antagonists ketanserin, methysergide and cyproheptadine partly inhibited the effect of serotonin. The antagonism differed in potency on strips of different origin. The antagonists were ineffective or minimally effective in blocking responses to nerve stimulation. The effect of serotonin was probably mediated by specific serotonin receptors different from the serotonin-S2-receptors predominating in vascular smooth muscle. Serotonin is a potential neurotransmitter in lower urinary tract smooth muscle, but its importance in micturition physiology and pathophysiology is unknown.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Influence of serotonin on lower urinary tract smooth muscle in vitro. option2: Intestinal lymphangiectasia and bilateral pleural effusions: effect of dietary therapy and surgical intervention on immunologic and pulmonary parameters.
|
Influence of serotonin on lower urinary tract smooth muscle in vitro.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Q: Abstract: The surgical anatomy of a transtemporal approach to the structures of the clivus was defined with the aid of dissections in 10 cadaver heads. The steps in the dissection consisted of first exposing the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA), the internal jugular vein, and the caudal cranial nerves, each at the skull base; then performing small retromastoid and temporal craniotomies; and, finally, drilling away the petrous and tympanic bone to expose the intratemporal parts of the facial nerve, the petrous ICA, the sigmoid sinus, and the jugular bulb. To expose the structures of the lower clivus, the sigmoid sinus was ligated and divided, the facial nerve was displaced anterosuperiorly, and the inner ear structures were preserved. Dural opening exposed the anterolateral and anterior surfaces of the medulla, the pontomedullary junction, and the spinomedullary junction. The ipsilateral vertebral artery and often the contralateral vertebral artery and the vertebrobasilar junction, the caudal cranial nerves, and the origin of the 6th, 7th, and 8th cranial nerves were well exposed. To expose the structures of the middle clivus, we drilled away the labyrinth, the cochlea, and a portion of the clival bone. The facial nerve was displaced posteroinferiorly. Dural opening exposed the ipsilateral anterior surface of the pons, the midbasilar artery, and the ipsilateral 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th cranial nerves. A portion of the contralateral anterior surface of the pons was also exposed at times. The superior limit of this exposure was just above the origin of the trigeminal nerve. The exposure of the upper clival structures was limited with this approach, and required medial temporal lobe retraction. Two case reports are included to illustrate the application of the transtemporal approach to the exposure and clipping of aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar system. The advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Transtemporal approach to the skull base: an anatomical study. option2: "Friends" dance for Library of Medicine [news]
A:
|
Transtemporal approach to the skull base: an anatomical study.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
Teacher: Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? If you are still confused, see the following example:
Abstract: Some patients converted from ventricular fibrillation to organized rhythms by defibrillation-trained ambulance technicians (EMT-Ds) will refibrillate before hospital arrival. The authors analyzed 271 cases of ventricular fibrillation managed by EMT-Ds working without paramedic back-up. Of 111 patients initially converted to organized rhythms, 19 (17%) refibrillated, 11 (58%) of whom were reconverted to perfusing rhythms, including nine of 11 (82%) who had spontaneous pulses prior to refibrillation. Among patients initially converted to organized rhythms, hospital admission rates were lower for patients who refibrillated than for patients who did not(53% versus 76%, P = NS), although discharge rates were virtually identical (37% and 35%, respectively). Scene-to-hospital transport times were not predictively associated with either the frequency of refibrillation or patient outcome. Defibrillation-trained EMTs can effectively manage refibrillation with additional shocks and are not at a significant disadvantage when paramedic back-up is not available.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds option2: Maintenance of compliance in a small diameter arterial prosthesis.
Solution: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds
Reason: The abstract is about refibrillation and it is also mentioned in the abstract that it is managed by EMT-Ds. So it is an apt title.
Now, solve this instance: Abstract: The relationship between air flow at 38 degrees C and area colour change on a flexible liquid crystal film was found to be virtually linear between the values of 1 and 31 min-1 cm-2. This value of flow per unit area corresponded to values expected at the level of the nostril during quiet breathing. A series of 6 subjects were asked to breathe over a flexible liquid crystal film regularly during the day and the area of colour change produced by flow from each nostril was examined. Four subjects showed a regular change in relative flow through each nostril whilst 2 subjects showed a constant flow through each nostril. This simple and non-invasive technique provides a method of examining the nasal cycle in adults and children in health and disease.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: A non-invasive method of demonstrating the nasal cycle using flexible liquid crystal thermography. option2: Recovery of human neutrophils from complement attack: removal of the membrane attack complex by endocytosis and exocytosis.
Student:
|
A non-invasive method of demonstrating the nasal cycle using flexible liquid crystal thermography.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Q: Abstract: To evaluate the influence of plasma protein concentration and colloid osmotic pressure (COP) on blood volume and blood pressure, we studied 40 patients with the nephrotic syndrome (plasma protein 41.1 +/- 5.3 g/liter, COP 10.9 +/- 2.2 mm Hg) and 43 patients with chronic renal failure (plasma protein 65.0 +/- 5.8 g/liter, COP 22.4 +/- 3.0 mm Hg) at overhydration, during gradual edema removal to normal hydration, and occasionally, to mild dehydration. The number of measure points was 113 in the nephrotic syndrome and 92 in renal failure. In both groups blood volume was normal at normal extracellular fluid volume (ECFV). Elevation of ECFV to 300% of normal in the nephrotic syndrome occurred with only a modest elevation of blood volume (NS). Elevation of ECFV to 200% of normal in the patients with renal failure was attended by a major elevation of blood volume (P less than 0.01). Reduction of ECFV to about 10% below normal was accompanied by parallel blood volume reduction in both groups. Blood pressure was comparable at normohydration, and increased to clearly hypertensive levels only in the renal failure group with increasing ECFV and blood volume (P less than 0.01). No major blood pressure difference was observed between normal and subnormal hydration, but hypotension was observed twice in the nephrotic group. Apparently, patients with severe hypoproteinemia due to the nephrotic syndrome are generally able to preserve their blood volume even when free of edema. However, their blood volume is not elevated in overhydration, in contrast to patients with renal failure who are normoproteinemic. This difference in regulation of extracellular fluid distribution is probably related to the hypoproteinemia, and its effect to reduce tissue-fluid protein.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: The importance of plasma protein for blood volume and blood pressure homeostasis. option2: Medical emergencies during air travel. Aircraft resources and guidelines for 'good samaritan' physicians.
A:
|
The importance of plasma protein for blood volume and blood pressure homeostasis.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
One example is below.
Q: Abstract: Some patients converted from ventricular fibrillation to organized rhythms by defibrillation-trained ambulance technicians (EMT-Ds) will refibrillate before hospital arrival. The authors analyzed 271 cases of ventricular fibrillation managed by EMT-Ds working without paramedic back-up. Of 111 patients initially converted to organized rhythms, 19 (17%) refibrillated, 11 (58%) of whom were reconverted to perfusing rhythms, including nine of 11 (82%) who had spontaneous pulses prior to refibrillation. Among patients initially converted to organized rhythms, hospital admission rates were lower for patients who refibrillated than for patients who did not(53% versus 76%, P = NS), although discharge rates were virtually identical (37% and 35%, respectively). Scene-to-hospital transport times were not predictively associated with either the frequency of refibrillation or patient outcome. Defibrillation-trained EMTs can effectively manage refibrillation with additional shocks and are not at a significant disadvantage when paramedic back-up is not available.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds option2: Maintenance of compliance in a small diameter arterial prosthesis.
A: Refibrillation managed by EMT-Ds
Rationale: The abstract is about refibrillation and it is also mentioned in the abstract that it is managed by EMT-Ds. So it is an apt title.
Q: Abstract: The paper describes physical examination of the knee and some of the knowledge functional anatomy necessary for diagnosis and management of knee disorders that occur in children. It includes brief descriptions of the diagnostic features of these conditions, as well as principles of conservative and surgical management.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Knee problems in children. option2: Severe neurologic disturbances after metrizamide myelography. A case report.
A:
|
Knee problems in children.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
[Q]: Abstract: Repetitive chest pain of obscure origin is commonly encountered in older children and adolescents. A questionnaire study was conducted to determine the long-term outcome in 31 patients diagnosed as having idiopathic recurrent chest pain after an average 4.1-year follow-up period. Although 45 percent reported having had persistent symptoms, chest pain had disappeared in 81 percent of those followed more than 3 years. Equally reassuring is the fact that in no case did occult disease subsequently appear to account for the initial symptoms. This study supports the current clinical approach of limited diagnostic evaluation and reassurance in the management of these patients.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: The natural history of idiopathic chest pain in children. A follow-up study. option2: Cumulative effects of quinidine and aspirin on bleeding time and platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptors: potential mechanism of bleeding diathesis in patients receiving this combination.
[A]: The natural history of idiopathic chest pain in children. A follow-up study.
[Q]: Abstract: The recognition of macromolecule abnormalities in various metabolic or immunologic related disease states has led to the use of plasma exchange for therapeutics. Limitations of plasma exchange, however, exist. Membrane plasma filtration provides a practical alternative. Solute removal can be made selective by the choice of operating conditions as temperature and the selection of the membrane/module design. The optimal temperature range is a function of the plasma type, solute concentrations and membrane system. Operation at below physiologic temperature (cryofiltration) is particularly suited for the removal of cold aggregative solutes, while operation at near or above physiologic temperature is more suited for the separation of solutes having large size differences at normal physiologic temperature. Membrane filtration is simple and safe to perform, is more selective than plasma exchange, does not require plasma product infusion and is more versatile than selective sorption in its applications.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Blood detoxification by membrane plasma filtration. option2: Leads from the MMWR. Tuberculosis--United States, 1985.
[A]: Blood detoxification by membrane plasma filtration.
[Q]: Abstract: In a series of 715 patients operated on by microsurgical techniques for intracranial saccular aneurysms between 1970 and 1980, part of the aneurysmal sac was not obliterated in 28 aneurysms in 27 patients (3.8% of 715 cases). Clinical follow-up evaluation for 8 years (range 4 to 13 years) and angiographic follow-up studies for 6 years (range 2 to 10 years) in these 27 cases revealed that one aneurysm rest increased in size and bled twice, five were spontaneously obliterated, two decreased in size, 13 remained unchanged, and in seven cases no late follow-up angiography was performed. The incidence of rebleeding from an aneurysm rest was 3.7% of the 27 in whom the sac was not obliterated and 0.14% of all 715 patients who were operated on.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Natural history of postoperative aneurysm rests. option2: Neutropenia and fever in patients undergoing combination chemotherapy for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.
[A]:
|
Natural history of postoperative aneurysm rests.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
test
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then some input of the task.
Given an abstract, indicate which of the provided candidate titles (Option1 and Option2) best describes it (respond with the text of the title, not option1/2).
Abstract: The effectiveness of intralesional bleomycin (1 U/ml) in the treatment of warts refractory to conventional methods of treatment has been shown in well-controlled studies. We have now evaluated more dilute concentrations of bleomycin in the treatment of recalcitrant warts. Warts were assigned for therapy with intralesional bleomycin at a concentration of 0.25 U/ml, 0.5 U/ml, or 1 U/ml at 3-week intervals. If warts persisted after three injections or had recurred by 3 months' follow-up, treatment was considered a failure. Twenty-six patients whose warts had persisted after conventional treatment entered the study. Three patients had spontaneous regression of untreated warts during therapy and were not included in the results. Of seventy-nine warts treated with intralesional bleomycin, sixty-two (78%) were cured after one to three injections. Responding warts showed a hemorrhagic eschar even with the lower bleomycin concentrations and healed without complication. Almost all treated warts responded, although not all were cured. Treatment with bleomycin at 0.5 U/ml was as effective as treatment with 1 U/ml. Bleomycin at 0.25 U/ml is effective therapy but not enough warts were treated to permit a conclusion when compared with higher concentrations.
Which is the apt title for the abstract? option1: Reduced dose of bleomycin in the treatment of recalcitrant warts. option2: Termination of early pregnancy by the progesterone antagonist RU 486 (Mifepristone).
Output:
|
Reduced dose of bleomycin in the treatment of recalcitrant warts.
|
task624_ohsumed_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 1
|
validation
|
Teacher:In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: The reality that free services aren’t actually free is currently being demonstrated through the latest money-grab by MySpace. User account information is being made available to anyone who wants it for a surprisingly cheap price.
One look at the Infochimps website shows that you can purchase 24 hours of MySpace’s real-time data stream for just $30. The data is described as follows:
It contains most all fields and data offered by the stream, unparsed and packaged for a full day.
When you sign up for a MySpace account, you also agree that MySpace own all the content you decide to upload. A fair exchange in return for the service being free? Maybe it was at the time, but now anyone can buy all the information for analysis and marketing if they so wish.
[UPDATE] MySpace has since been in contact making it clear that they are in fact not selling user data, instead allowing what is already freely available to be repackaged and sold by Infochimps. Here’s MySpace’s official response to this news:
MySpace is not selling user data to Infochimps. MySpace provides developers, including companies such as Infochimps, with free access to publicly available real-time data (such as status updates, music, photos, videos) using our Real Time Stream feed. We have identified the need for third-party developers who can’t handle the size of our full feed to still have access to the data in a different format. For this reason InfoChimps is offering developers a pre-packaged version of our Real Time Stream, as a value-added service.
MySpace also point to the Infochimps blog for further information on what exactly is being offered:
This data is not sold by MySpace, but given out for free from their API and then packaged by Infochimps for redistribution. By giving developers free access to publically available real-time data (such as status updates, music, photos, videos) MySpace reinforces its commitment to powering the real-time social Web and the development of open standards.
Read more at PC World
Matthew’s Opinion
Unfortunately, this is the reality of your data on a site like MySpace. The content of the site is owned by the company, not the individual, and they can use it how they please. There is a developer agreement attached to purchasing the data, but that won’t stop marketeers filtering through the information and using it for their gain.
Targeted advertising, statistical analysis for future product launches, and even use by other social networks to help improve their service, are all potential uses for this data.
The decision to sell this data is clearly one based on a need to generate revenue from the network. MySpace has lost its mojo of late while rival Facebook is going from strength to strength. Turning to selling off of data streams sounds like desperation to me. ||||| Social networking just became a little riskier to your privacy. Information from MySpace is now for sale to third parties ranging from academics and analysts to marketers.
The data will include any activity or information that is attached to an account. That includes blog posts, location, photos, reviews, and status updates--among others. Infochimps, an Austin, Texas, company that collects and sells structured data, is selling the data.
Of course, MySpace is perfectly within its rights to work with Infochimps, because it legally owns the data and the server logs. Users waive their right to privacy in exchange for free Web hosting and access to its social features. "Free" comes at a cost. Here's snippet of what "they" know about you.
This is exactly the type of scenario that Eben Moglen, a Columbia University law professor and founder of the Software Freedom Law Center, warned of at a seminar about privacy in cloud computing last month. I wouldn't have imagined that MySpace would be one of the aggressive purveyors of personal data.
In his talk, Moglen advocated development of peer-to-peer social networks in which users retain ownership of their data. His suggestion is looking more appealing (and prophetic) now that one of the biggest names in social networking has sold out its users' privacy.
[NOTE: The original version of this story stated that MySpace was selling data; in fact, Infochimps is the seller, through a revenue-sharing agreement with MySpace. MySpace has released the following statement:
MySpace is not selling user data to Infochimps. MySpace provides developers, including companies such as Infochimps, with free access to publicly available real-time data (such as status updates, music, photos, videos) using our Real Time Stream feed. We have identified the need for third-party developers who can't handle the size of our full feed to still have access to the data in a different format. For this reason Infochimps is offering developers a pre-packaged version of our Real Time Stream, as a value-added service.
More information is available from Infochimps Blog.] |||||
Student:
|
In a scenario privacy advocates have warned about, MySpace has started selling user data to third parties—and you may be surprised to hear what a low price your private data goes for. A whopping 24 hours of MySpace's data stream is sold for a mere $30 by one firm, a sign of how hard up MySpace has gotten as it falls ever farther behind rival Facebook. "Turning to selling off of data streams sounds like desperation to me," Matthew Humphries writes on geek.com. Desperate or not, MySpace is a sobering reminder that social media sites, and not their users, own content users post to the sites—a reason online privacy expert Eben Moglen recently called for peer-to-peer social networks where users retain ownership of their data, PC World reports.
|
task1291_multi_news_summarization
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Problem:May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan. ||||| President Donald Trump expressed his condolences for the wrong mass shooting after four people were fatally shot and at least ten injured in Northern California Tuesday.
“May God be with the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI and Law Enforcement has arrived,” Trump, 71, tweeted close to midnight Wednesday.
Get push notifications with news, articles, and more!
The commander-in-chief failed to recognize the latest massacre in Rancho Tehama Reserve, California, on Tuesday morning when a lone gunman occurred went on a random shooting spree in around the tiny community and targeted the local elementary school.
Rancho Tehama is about 190 miles north of San Francisco.
Donald Trump Twitter
Sutherland Springs, Texas, was the location of the Nov. 5 church shooting where 25 people and an unborn child were killed.
Twitter users quickly slammed Trump with many calling out his inability to remember each mass shooting that has taken place this year.
The President of the United States is tweeting at midnight about the wrong mass shooting and it's like the 500th most insane Trump story of the week. — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 15, 2017
No way. I thought people were joking. Donald Trump actually did tweet about the wrong mass shooting. Good lord. I know he's not the brightest, but it's wild we have such a big issue that POTUS can mix up the tragedies. pic.twitter.com/ec9ho0gUsJ — Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) November 15, 2017
Trump just tweeted again about the church shooting in Sutherland Springs. The 1st tweet was the day of the event, 9 days ago. Is this his shooting tweet template? He forgot to change the location to today's shooting: California. pic.twitter.com/IToC7UXkyP — Shannon Ritenour (@ShannonRitenour) November 15, 2017
Many were in disbelief over Trump’s confusion.
1. We have too many mass shootings. ONE is too many.
2. That's no excuse for a POTUS confusing them. Carelessness is callousness.
3. Trump's done nothing to address root causes. His presence exacerbates the crisis. — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) November 15, 2017
While others claimed Trump disclosed his template for post-massacre tweets.
Trump just tweeted again about the church shooting in Sutherland Springs. The 1st tweet was the day of the event, 9 days ago. Is this his shooting tweet template? He forgot to change the location to today's shooting: California. pic.twitter.com/IToC7UXkyP — Shannon Ritenour (@ShannonRitenour) November 15, 2017
Did u just copy & paste this & forget to change the city? — Name cannot be blank (@cadillaccannon) November 15, 2017
Just realized he said this about Sutherland, TX 9 days ago. Same tweet. Mass shootings are literally now a “fill-in-the-blank” game for him _________________ 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/0j70iDNVF6 — William French 🗽 (@FrenchieButts) November 15, 2017
The suspected gunman of the Rancho Tehama shooting was killed by law enforcement. Authorities believe they know his name but are still working to confirm his identity. |||||
Solution:
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A possibly jet-lagged President Trump arrived back in the US late Tuesday—and sent his condolences to victims of the wrong mass shooting. "May God be with the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas," he tweeted around midnight. "The FBI and Law Enforcement has arrived." Trump apparently meant to tweet about Tuesday's mass shooting in northern California, and the mix-up caused some Twitter users to speculate that he has been using a template to send tweets about massacres, People reports. After the Nov. 5 mass shooting in the Sutherland Springs church, Trump tweeted: "May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene."
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In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
question:
The world governing body of football, Fifa, is facing an unprecedented crisis on the eve of its congress in Zurich after Swiss authorities arrested a string of officials on corruption charges and opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
More than a dozen plainclothed officers descended on the five-star Baur au Lac hotel on Wednesday, where officials had gathered for Fifa’s annual meeting.
Fifa corruption crisis: the key figures in the controversy Read more
The arrests were made on behalf of US authorities, after an FBI investigation that has been under way for at least three years. The US Department of Justice said authorities had charged 14 officials, nine of whom are current or former Fifa executives. Those arrested in Zurich face extradition to the US.
“They were expected to uphold the rules that keep soccer honest. Instead they corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and enrich themselves,” said the US attorney general, Loretta Lynch, at a news conference in New York. “They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament.” Events tainted by corruption included the award of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa and the 2011 Fifa presidential election, she said.
Separately, Swiss federal prosecutors said they had opened criminal proceedings in connection with the award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. These decisions have been shrouded in claims of bribery and corruption ever since the vote in December 2010.
The Swiss authorities seized “electronic data and documents” in a raid on Fifa headquarters. Bank documents had earlier been collected from various Swiss financial institutions. Police will question 10 members of the Fifa executive committee who took part in the World Cup votes. The 10, all still current members of Fifa’s ExCo, include senior vice-president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s sports minister who is head of the country’s 2018 World Cup organising committee. The others are Angel Maria Villar Llona (Spain), Michel D’Hooghe (Belgium), Senes Erzik (Turkey), Worawi Makudi (Thailand), Marios Lefkaritis (Cyprus), Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Rafael Salguero (Guatemala) and Hany Abo Rida (Egypt).
In a statement, the Swiss attorney general’s office said the executives were being questioned on suspicion of “criminal mismanagement” and money laundering. It said the timing of the operation was deliberately co-ordinated with the arrests on behalf of the US authorities “to avoid any possible collusion” between suspects and because a large number of those involved in the voting for the two World Cups were present in Zurich, where Fifa president Sepp Blatter was expected to be re-elected for another four-year term on Friday.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘We instigated the investigation which led to arrests’ – Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio, at a press conference on Wednesday
At a later press conference at Fifa headquarters, spokesman Walter de Gregorio denied Blatter was in any way involved with either investigation and said that the Swiss proceedings were as a result of information provided by Fifa to the attorney general’s office in November 2014. He also confirmed that there was no suggestion that Russia or Qatar would lose the World Cup.
The arrests on behalf of the US authorities form part of an international investigation into bribes worth $100m (£65m) spanning three decades. The allegations date back to the 1990s and involve “the acceptance of bribes and kickbacks”, Swiss officials said.
Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb, of the Cayman Islands, was among those arrested. He is the head of Fifa’s North American regional body, known as Concacaf, which reported itself to US tax authorities in 2012.
The organisation had not paid taxes for several years when its president was Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer was secretary general.
As well as Webb, the Department of Justice statement confirmed the Fifa officials charged were Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz. A further four defendants were the sports marketing executives Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis. A further marketing executive, José Marguiles, was charged as an intermediary.
The DoJ statement confirmed the charges were for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, “among other offences” and alleged a “24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer”.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hotel staff escort a man from the Baur au Lac, Zurich, shielding him with a sheet
The arrests came two days before Fifa president Blatter had expected to be re-elected for a fifth term. On Wednesday morning, Blatter – who was not among those arrested – was said to be actively lobbying to have Friday’s election postponed.
Blatter has been closely entwined with many of those charged in the US during his 40 years at Fifa, including the Paraguayan Leoz and the Trinidadian Warner. Webb and Figuero are current Fifa vice-presidents.
Last year it emerged that Blazer, who was forced to resign after being accused of financial irregularities, had been helping the FBI with its long-running inquiry. The DoJ statement said Blazer had already pleaded guilty to charges, as had José Hawilla, the owner and founder of the Traffic Group, a multinational sports marketing agency with its headquarters in Brazil.
Blazer wore a wiretap at the London 2012 Olympics and, although seriously ill, has been continuing to help the FBI with its investigation.
“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” said Lynch. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.”
Fifa corruption arrests: Uefa calls for postponement of presidential election Read more
The raids in Zurich are believed to have begun shortly before 6am, when six Fifa officials were led from the Baur au Lac hotel to unmarked cars with sheets over their heads.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said: “The US attorney’s office for the eastern district of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kickbacks between the early 1990s and the present day.
“The bribery suspects – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries – delegates of Fifa (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and other functionaries of Fifa sub-organisations – totalling more than $100m.
“In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America. According to the US request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the US, and payments were carried out via US banks.”
Pressure is now bound to build on Blatter to postpone Friday’s election, where he is standing against Jordanian Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest L-R: (top row) Former President of the Brazilian Football Confederation Jose Maria Marin, President of the Venezuelan Football Federation Rafael Esquivel, President of Costa Rica Football Federation Eduardo Li, former President of South American Football Confederation Nicolas Leoz, (bottom row) former President of the Nicaraguan Football Federation Julio Rocha, former Acting President of South American Football Confederation Eugenio Figueredo, former FIFA Executive member Jack Warner, and President of Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football Jeffery Webb. Photograph: Reuters
“Today is a sad day for football,” said Prince Ali on Wednesday morning. “Clearly this is a developing story, the details of which are still emerging. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
The mounting sense of crisis in Zurich has echoes of four years ago when Blatter was re-elected unopposed following the withdrawal of his Qatari rival Mohamed bin Hammam amid bribery claims that again centred on Concacaf members. Then he sailed on, asking: “Crisis? What is a crisis?”
The difference this time is that Swiss prosecutors have cooperated with US law enforcement to extradite Fifa officials gathered for the most high profile meeting in its calendar.
Zurich cantonal police arrived at the Baur au Lac hotel, where senior Fifa executives habitually gather on their all-expenses paid jaunts to Zurich for committee meetings, at about 6am on Wednesday. They stopped at reception to get the room numbers for the officials they intended to arrest. The men were not handcuffed as they were led away from the hotel. “Very peaceful,” tweeted New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt. “Hotel staff meanwhile is freaking out.”
Photographs showed officers hiding the suspects behind sheets as they escorted them to unmarked cars. One, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was allowed to bring his luggage as he left through a side door, the New York Times reported. Reporters were shooed away shortly after arrests began.
Owen Gibson (@owen_g) We've been booted out of the lobby of the Bauer au Lac: "We must protect the privacy of our guests". Might be a bit late for that.
The last time international media attention was focused on the Baur au Lac was four years ago, when US and British World Cup bids were rejected in favour of Russia and Qatar. Suspicions of vote-buying and wrongdoing in those bidding contests have dogged Fifa ever since.
Swiss officials said the suspects’ deportation could be sanctioned immediately. The statement added: “The Zurich cantonal police will question the detainees today on behalf of the FOJ regarding the US request for their arrest.
“A simplified procedure will apply for wanted persons who agree to their immediate extradition. The FOJ can immediately approve their extradition to the US and order its execution.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Costa Rica football president Eduardo Li shakes hands with Fifa president Sepp Blatter before kick-off at the 2014 World Cup. Photograph: BPI/REX Shutterstock
“However, if a wanted person opposes their extradition, the FOJ will invite the US to submit a formal extradition request within the deadline of 40 days specified in the bilateral extradition treaty.”
Last November, Fifa’s ethics committee closed its investigation into the controversial bidding process that saw Qatar named as host of the 2022 World Cup, ruling that any breaches of the rules were only of “very limited scope”.
The decision to award Qatar the tournament was hugely controversial, prompting an avalanche of allegations about the way it won the bid and concerns about the searing heat in which matches would be held as well as the treatment of migrant workers building the infrastructure underpinning it.
But Fifa said an investigation did not find any direct link between the World Cup bid and illicit payments made by the disgraced former Asian Football Confederation president Bin Hammam, a Qatari who was banned for life for paying bribes during a campaign to unseat Blatter as president.
• This article was amended on 28 May 2015 to correct the spelling of the Baur au Lac. ||||| An election, seemingly pre-ordained to give Mr. Blatter a fifth term as president, is scheduled for Friday.
The case is the most significant yet for United States Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, who took office last month. She previously served as the United States attorney in Brooklyn, where she supervised the FIFA investigation. Ms. Lynch and F.B.I. Director James Comey were expected to hold a news conference on Wednesday morning in New York.
With more than $1.5 billion in reserves, FIFA is as much a global financial conglomerate as a sports organization. With countries around the world competing aggressively to win the bid to host the World Cup, Mr. Blatter has commanded the fealty of anyone who wanted a piece of that revenue stream. He and FIFA have weathered corruption controversies in the past, but none involved charges of federal crimes in United States court.
United States law gives the Justice Department wide authority to bring cases against foreign nationals living abroad, an authority that prosecutors have used repeatedly in international terrorism cases. Those cases can hinge on the slightest connection to the United States, like the use of an American bank or Internet service provider.
Image Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president, is among those expected to face charges in the United States. Credit Luis Acosta/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Switzerland’s treaty with the United States is unusual in that it gives Swiss authorities the power to refuse extradition for tax crimes, but on matters of general criminal law, the Swiss have agreed to turn people over for prosecution in American courts.
Critics of FIFA point to the lack of transparency regarding executive salaries and resource allocations for an organization that, by its own admission, had revenue of $5.7 billion from 2011 to 2014. Policy decisions are also often taken without debate or explanation, and a small group of officials — known as the executive committee — operates with outsize power. FIFA has for years functioned with little oversight and even less transparency. Alexandra Wrage, a governance consultant who once unsuccessfully attempted to help overhaul FIFA’s methods, famously labeled the organization “byzantine and impenetrable.” ||||| ZURICH (AP) — The Swiss Federal Office of Justice says six soccer officials have been arrested and detained pending extradition at the request of U.S. authorities ahead of the FIFA congress in Zurich.
In a statement Wednesday, the FOJ says U.S. authorities suspect the officials of having received of paid bribes totaling millions of dollars.
It says the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and now.
FIFA, soccer's world governing body, is holding a presidential election in Zurich on Friday, when Sepp Blatter has been widely tipped to stay in the job. ||||| Image copyright Reuters
Two criminal investigations into corruption at football's world governing body Fifa are under way, with seven top officials arrested in Zurich.
The seven are among 14 indicted on corruption charges in a US inquiry, the US Department of Justice said.
The second criminal case was launched by Swiss prosecutors into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, to be held in Russia and Qatar respectively.
But Fifa says it plans to go ahead with an election for president as planned.
Incumbent president Sepp Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term, was not one of the seven officials arrested.
Fifa also said there would be no rerun of the World Cup bidding processes for 2018 and 2022.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The raid took place at a five-star hotel in Zurich early on Wednesday
Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan - Mr Blatter's rival for the Fifa presidency - said "we cannot continue with the crisis in Fifa".
"Fifa needs leadership that governs, guides and protects our national associations."
Fifa's Zurich headquarters has also been raided, with electronic data and documents seized. US authorities also searched the headquarters of Concacaf - the Fifa confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean - in Miami, Florida, as part of their investigations.
'Rampant, systemic, deep-rooted'
The US justice department said 14 individuals were under investigation worldwide for allegedly accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period.
Image copyright AFP / getty images Image caption The Fifa executives indicted include Rafael Esquivel, Nicolas Leoz, Jeffrey Webb, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Eugenio Figueredo and Jose Maria Marin
The seven arrested at a five-star hotel in Zurich on Wednesday were:
Jeffrey Webb - head of Concacaf, and Fifa vice-president
Costa Rica's national football chief Eduardo Li, who was due to join Fifa's executive committee on Friday
Uruguay's Eugenio Figueredo, president of South American football governing body Conmebol
Venezuelan Football Federation president Rafael Esquivel
Brazil's Jose Maria Marin, a member of Fifa's club committee
Fifa development officer Julio Rocha, from Nicaragua
Costas Takkas, of the UK, an attache to the Concacaf president
Also indicted are former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Aaron Davidson, Alejandro Burzaco, Jose Margulies, and Hugo and Mariano Jinkis.
"The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States," said US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
"Today's announcement should send a message that enough is enough," Acting US Attorney Kelly Currie said.
Several officials have already pleaded guilty, the US Department of Justice says. These include Charles "Chuck" Blazer, the former head of Concacaf, who was previously on the Fifa executive committee.
Image caption The BBC 's Nick Bryant tweeted this diagram from US prosecutors showing the alleged scheme
Mr Blazer, one of Fifa's most senior US representatives, allegedly started working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and took part in undercover work, according to US media reports.
Mr Warner reacted to the news by saying he had not been questioned and was innocent of any charges.
He said that since leaving Fifa four years ago "I have recommitted my life to the work of improving the lot of every citizen of every creed and race in this nation (Trinidad and Tobago)... I have fought fearlessly against all forms of injustice and corruption."
He added: "The actions of Fifa no longer concern me."
Football's untouchable 'dark prince' - Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Switzerland
Many have wondered how Sepp Blatter can have been in charge of Fifa for so long amid so many reports of corruption and yet remain, apparently, untouched.
One Swiss newspaper jokingly called him "the dark prince of football, the godfather, Don Blatterone" - but no inquiry has ever revealed proof of his involvement in corruption.
"He's a survivor," says one member of parliament, Roland Buechel. "Nothing ever sticks to him; there is always someone between him and the bribes."
Some old friends describe Mr Blatter as down-to-earth and open. Others who have worked with him say he is a man who resents opposition, pointing to the swift departure of Fifa colleagues who dared to question him.
What emerges, finally, is a man who both critics and supporters say cannot imagine his life without Fifa, a man whose tenure as president has outlasted three marriages.
But as scandal follows scandal, Mr Blatter's determination not to leave his post willingly could see him bundled unceremoniously out of the back door.
Sepp Blatter: The man who won't give up
'Right track'
Fifa "welcomes the process and co-operates fully with the attorney general of Switzerland," spokesman Walter DeGregorio told reporters on Wednesday.
"It is certainly a difficult moment for us," he said, "but this is good for Fifa. It confirms that we are on the right track".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio: "This confirms that we are on the right track"
Both Swiss and US justice officials said the indicted officials had allegedly received $150m worth of bribes from the early 1990s for football tournaments in the US and Latin America.
The alleged crimes were agreed to and prepared in the US via US bank accounts, the office of the Swiss prosecutor said, adding that the Swiss authorities could immediately approve the extradition.
In the second case, Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings "against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups".
Swiss police said they would question 10 Fifa executive committee members who participated in the votes that selected Russia and Qatar in December 2010.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the investigation would not affect its hosting of the 2018 event, telling Associated Press: "We've got nothing to hide." ||||| (CNN) Allegations of corruption at FIFA are nothing new to those who follow international soccer. But what was surprising to some Wednesday was the sense that someone was finally doing something about them.
The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a 47-count indictment in federal court in Brooklyn that detailed charges against 14 people accused of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
The most serious are the racketeering charges, which allege that the officials turned soccer "into a criminal enterprise," according to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch , who spoke to reporters in New York. A conviction could command a sentence of up to 20 years.
"The idea of being shocked about bribery and racketeering at FIFA is like being shocked about jumping into a pool and finding yourself wet," said Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation magazine.
"What makes this particularly different is the fact that this time it looks like the charges have real teeth. I mean, coming from the U.S. Department of Justice, that's a first. That's never happened before," he said.
'We are issuing FIFA a red card'
The complexity of the investigation Lynch described was evident by the federal officials accompanying her, including an assistant U.S. attorney, FBI Director James Comey and Richard Weber, head of the IRS criminal investigation division.
"This really is the World Cup of fraud, and today we are issuing FIFA a red card," Weber said.
FIFA officials are accused of taking bribes totaling more than $150 million and in return providing "lucrative media and marketing rights" to soccer tournaments as kickbacks over the past 24 years.
"The defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world," Comey said in a statement. "Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA."
The indictment "is the beginning of our work, not the end" of an effort to rid global soccer of corruption, said Kelly Currie, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
After the news conference, Chris Eaton, former FIFA head of security, said that U.S. officials have done "something that no other police organization or other region has done so far on FIFA."
"The fact is there's been no jurisdiction that was able to take a report, or to take action, or to coordinate a global action such as the U.S. has done today," he said. "We're seeing for the first time a very powerful jurisdiction take action against a very powerful, opaque organization."
Stan Collymore, a former member of England's national team, said it's a good thing Washington got involved in FIFA's business. He wasn't the only one saying so.
The United States is the only nation who can tackle FIFA. Well done Attorney General and DOJ!! #BoycottFIFA — Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) May 27, 2015
This is extraordinary! FIFA is imploding. The best thing that could possibly happen to the beautiful game. https://t.co/l5Hiwp0WxZ — Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 27, 2015
Extradition and next steps
The next step in the FIFA corruption investigation is extradition, whereby federal officials will attempt to bring suspects to the United States to face allegations they arranged bribes at meetings on U.S. soil, employed the U.S. banking system in conveying the bribes and created documents to cloak their activity, Lynch said.
"In short, these individuals, through these organizations, engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held and who would run the organization overseeing organized soccer worldwide," she told reporters.
Among the decisions allegedly sullied by corruption , Lynch said, were the "sponsorship of the Brazilian national soccer team by a major U.S. sportswear company," the 2011 FIFA presidential election and the placement of the 2010 World Cup.
JUST WATCHED FIFA officials arrested on corruption charges Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH FIFA officials arrested on corruption charges 02:19
"Around 2004, bidding began for the opportunity to host the 2010 World Cup, which was ultimately awarded to South Africa, the first time the tournament would be held on the African continent. But even for this historic event, FIFA executives and others corrupted the process by using bribes to influence the hosting decision," she said.
The South African Football Association called the allegations baseless and promised to challenge them. Spokesman Dominic Chimhavi added, "Those individuals that brought the World Cup to South Africa were men of high integrity. Men like the late President Nelson Mandela and our former President Thabo Mbeki. The bidding process was never compromised."
FIFA announced shortly after Lynch's news conference that it was banning 11 individuals from "football-related activities" as a result of the investigation. Seven of them have already been arrested by Swiss authorities, while others on the list had previous indictments and guilty pleas unsealed Wednesday.
The list also included former presidents of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, the governing bodies for soccer in North America and the Caribbean, and South America, respectively.
Arrests
In addition to the U.S. probe into corruption that Lynch earlier called "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted," soccer's governing body also finds itself on the end of a Swiss investigation into World Cup bidding.
Swiss authorities raided FIFA's headquarters in Zurich on Wednesday, the same day they announced an investigation into the last two awarded World Cup bids -- to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 -- both of which have been under fire since they were announced in 2010.
JUST WATCHED FIFA arrests: We have cooperated with investigators Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH FIFA arrests: We have cooperated with investigators 02:31
But the day's more definitive and, right now, damning action came out of the United States.
Seven people were arrested Wednesday in Zurich with help from Swiss authorities, Lynch said. Among them was Jeffrey Webb, a FIFA vice president and head of CONCACAF.
Authorities executed a search warrant at CONCACAF's Florida office Wednesday morning, Lynch said.
The majority of those arrested are contesting extradition to the United States, Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice said. Though Lynch cited seven arrests, the Swiss office's statement mentioned only six.
In Argentina, the process for the extradition of three defendants named in the U.S. indictment has begun, according to the country's state-run news agency Telam. A federal judge has received a detention order from the U.S. Embassy for the Argentine citizens Alejandro Burzaco, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, the agency reported.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter is not one of those arrested or facing charges by U.S. authorities, but he was among those investigated
Asked if the U.S. investigation had cleared Blatter, Lynch told reporters, "I'm not able to comment further on Mr. Blatter's status." Officials said earlier Wednesday that the investigation into Blatter's possible involvement continues.
Blatter said in a statement that FIFA welcomes the investigations by U.S. and Swiss authorities, and he believes their inquiries "will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football." In fact, he said, the Swiss investigation was "set in motion" when FIFA submitted a dossier to authorities last year. He did not elaborate.
"Such misconduct has no place in football, and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game," Blatter said. "We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and we will work vigorously within FIFA in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing."
Election looms
FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio said the specter of scandal won't stop executives from soccer's scandal-plagued governing body from gathering Friday to possibly elect Blatter to a fifth term, despite questions raised by Greg Dyke, the head of Britain's Football Association, in light of Wednesday's developments.
However, European football's governing body, UEFA, said its member associations should consider whether to attend the upcoming FIFA World Congress, which it said should be postponed. UEFA further called for "new FIFA presidential elections to be organized within the next six months."
The plans for future World Cups in Qatar, which has been dogged by criticism for its treatment of foreign workers rushing to build stadiums , and Russia are still on as well, De Gregorio said.
JUST WATCHED FIFA: Sepp Blatter 'not involved' in allegations Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH FIFA: Sepp Blatter 'not involved' in allegations 03:21
Yet Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, one of those challenging Blatter for FIFA's presidency, said Wednesday, "We cannot continue with the crisis."
"FIFA needs leadership that governs, guides and protects our national associations," said Ali, who has in the past blasted what he calls FIFA's culture of intimidation. "Leadership that accepts responsibility for its actions and does not pass blame. Leadership that restores confidence in the hundreds of millions of football fans around the world."
De Gregorio scarcely mentioned the U.S. indictment at his news conference, though he did put a positive spin on the Swiss investigation.
"This for FIFA is good," he said. "It is not good in terms of image, and it's not good in terms of reputation, but in terms of cleaning up, in terms of everything that we did in the last four years."
Former FIFA VP among those indicted
Six of those indicted in the United States have current ties to FIFA, while another, Jack Warner, is a former FIFA vice president and ex-president of CONCACAF. Others connected to soccer bodies in North America, South America and the Caribbean are sports marketing executives and, in one case, a person who works in broadcasting.
Warner said in a statement that he had not been interviewed as part of the investigation, declared his innocence and said, "The actions of FIFA no longer concern me."
"The people of Trinidad and Tobago will know that I quit FIFA and international football more than four years ago and that over the past several years, I have recommitted my life to the work of improving the lot of every citizen of every creed and race in this nation. This is where I have let my bucket down," he said. "I have fought fearlessly against all forms of injustice and corruption."
JUST WATCHED Lynch: U.S. determined to root out FIFA corruption Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Lynch: U.S. determined to root out FIFA corruption 02:58
According to a video aired by CNN affiliate CNC3, Warner arrived at a Port-of-Spain police station in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday. The government has received a request from the U.S. government for Warner's extradition.
In May 2011, Warner and fellow FIFA member Mohammed bin Hammam of Qatar were suspended by FIFA's Ethics Committee, pending the outcome of an investigation of corruption allegations against them.
Warner resigned from his position the following month , and FIFA announced that "all Ethics Committee procedures against him have been closed and the presumption of innocence is maintained."
The Justice Department on Wednesday also unsealed information on four people and two "corporate defendants" who pleaded guilty to various charges in recent years.
One of them, Charles Blazer, a former member of the FIFA Executive Committee, "decided early on to use his position for personal gain," and between 2005 and 2010 amassed $11 million in unreported income, said the IRS' Weber.
Also included are Warner's sons Daryll, a former FIFA development officer who pleaded guilty in 2013 to two counts related to wire fraud and structuring of financial transactions, and Daryan, who has forfeited $1.1 million as part of his plea and will forfeit an undisclosed sum when he is sentenced for wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and the structuring of financial transactions.
Jose Hawilla, the owner of the Brazilian sports marketing company, Traffic Group, also saw his 2014 indictment unsealed. At that time, he agreed to forfeit $151 million while pleading guilty to racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Swiss probe
Details on the Swiss investigation were not as readily available.
"The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups," the office said Wednesday. "In the course of said proceedings, electronic data and documents were seized today at FIFA's head office in Zurich."
The same office added later that it has blocked accounts at banks in Switzerland where alleged bribes flowed and seized related bank documents.
Swiss federal police will question Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko about how FIFA awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, an official with knowledge of the investigation has confirmed to CNN.
Mutko is one of 10 people who took part in the voting and is being investigated, according to Swiss authorities.
The attorney general's office of Switzerland said it is looking into criminal mismanagement and money laundering as part of its investigation into the 2018 and 2022 bids.
"The files seized today and the collected bank documents will serve criminal proceedings both in Switzerland and abroad," a statement from the attorney general's office said
England was one of the countries that submitted a failed bid for the 2018 World Cup, while the United States saw its 2022 bid shot down. Soccer bodies in both countries issued statements regarding Wednesday's developments, though the U.S. Soccer Federation said it wouldn't comment on specifics.
"There is no higher priority, and nothing more important, than protecting the integrity of our game. We are committed to the highest ethical standards and business practices, and we will continue to encourage CONCACAF and FIFA to promote the same values," the U.S. federation said.
Dyke, chairman of England's Football Association, said, "As one of the associations who nominated Prince Ali it will not surprise you to learn that if the election for president goes ahead The FA will be voting for him. However, there must be a question mark over whether the election should take place in these circumstances.
FIFA has cleared itself
FIFA has been at the center of corruption investigations for years, but the organization has long dismissed allegations that top officials were on the take.
Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions The most controversial World Cup ever just got a whole lot more controversial. ... Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions When Manuel Neuer lifted the World Cup trophy after helping Germany win the 2014 final, he did so in the month of July. But when the 2022 World Cup final is staged, it's likely the final will take place in December. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions English Premier League boss Richard Scudamore isn't very happy about the proposed rescheduling of the 2022 World Cup. "Very disappointed that's the word, I think, on behalf of the all the European leagues and particularly the European clubs who provide most of the players for this World Cup," he said in a statement. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions A World Cup tournament in November and December presents particular problems for the English Premier League because, unlike Germany, France, Italy and Spain, it does not have a winter break. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions A "winter" World Cup will create a fixture headache for Europe's major tournaments -- the Champions League and the Europa League -- which stages group games in those winter months. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions However, European governing body UEFA, whose president is Michel Platini, issued a statement supporting the FIFA task force's recommendations. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions Players union FIFPro said a switch to the winter months is the only viable solution to protect the health and safety of the players who will be competing at the 2022 World Cup. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions But a World Cup in November and December is good news for the NFL, as it now won't clash with the Super Bowl. This year's final was staged on February 1. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions FIFA told CNN that the 2022 World Cup final would not be held on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Qatar 2022: The unanswered questions A final decision on when the tournament will be staged will be made at a meeting of FIFA's executive committee between March 18 and 19. Hide Caption 10 of 10
In December, FIFA's Ethics Committee said it was closing its investigation into alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 bidding process that awarded the World Cup to Russia and Qatar, respectively.
Criticism immediately followed. There were allegations of corruption in the bidding process. Qatar's oppressive heat also drew ridicule, as did its labor rights record.
FIFA said its investigation found no corruption and it had no reason to reopen the bidding process.
In December 2012, FIFA banned for life bin Hammam, the Qatari member of its top governing body who had previously been suspended along with Warner for ethics violations. |||||
answer:
If there were a World Cup for tackling corruption in soccer, the US would now be the runaway favorite to win it. At least six officials from FIFA, soccer's world governing body, were arrested in a surprise overnight raid at a hotel in Zurich, where they had gathered for their annual meeting, the AP reports. More: The soccer chiefs are being held pending possible extradition to the US on federal corruption charges that go back more than 20 years and include alleged bribery involving World Cup bids, sources tell the New York Times. The Times' sources say US prosecutors targeted members of FIFA's powerful and secretive executive committee, and the BBC reports that those arrested include Jeffrey Webb, head of the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean. The officials arrested in Zurich do not include FIFA President Sepp Blatter—who is up for re-election Friday—but sources tell the Guardian that nearly a dozen other soccer officials worldwide may have been arrested overnight. The bribery allegations are believed to center on bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and the Swiss have now opened their own investigation into the bidding, reports the BBC. The charges follow a long FBI investigation, reports CNN, which notes that although most or all of the alleged bribery is believed to have occurred outside the US, American prosecutors may be able to claim jurisdiction because of the long reach of US banking regulations, and because the US is the biggest World Cup television market. (Allegations of FIFA corruption go back many years and include claims that Russia gave away a Picasso as it bribed its way toward hosting the 2018 World Cup.)
question:
Exploding Kittens is a highly strategic kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten and loses the game. The deck is made up of cards that let you avoid exploding by peeking at cards before you draw, forcing your opponent to draw multiple cards, or shuffling the deck.
The game gets more and more intense with each card you draw because fewer cards left in the deck means a greater chance of drawing the kitten and exploding in a fiery ball of feline hyperbole.
The game was created by Elan Lee (Xbox, ARGs), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), and Shane Small (Xbox, Marvel). We think this game combines all the things we're best at creating, and and put together this Kickstarter campaign because we can't build this without you.
So if you're into card games or laser beams or weaponized enchiladas, please help us make this game a reality. We think you'll love it as much as we do.
Hugs and enchilada kisses,
-Elan, Matt, and Shane.
The Origin Story
Exploding Kittens started when Shane Small proposed a game to Elan Lee where a joker was inserted into a deck of cards and they took turns picking cards until the joker came up. It was called “Bomb Squad” and it wasn’t any fun at all.
Over the next few weeks, two important things happened: First, after neglecting work, family, and a social life, Shane and Elan developed a rule-set that started working and brought the game to life. Second, Matt Inman saw the game, thought it was super fun, and asked to join the team. (btw, if Matthew Inman ever asks you if he can join your team, the answer is “HELL YES”.)
We changed the name to "Exploding Kittens" and our little team was born.
BUT YOU'RE BLOWING UP KITTENS! NOT COOL, BUDDY.
We struggled with this a lot. We love the name Exploding Kittens, but we don't want to hurt kittens. We also don't want the kittens to be hurt by anyone else. Eventually we decided to explore the concept of the kittens blowing themselves up.
First, Matt tried drawing the kittens as the actual bombs:
But that felt too Angry Birds’ish.
Next, we tried making the kittens suicidal, but that felt terrible.
In the end, we realized that everyone understands feline shenanigans, and that could be our solution. Our kitties would not blow up out of malicious intent or negligence, but by doing the things that kittens do, like running across keyboards or chewing on things they shouldn't be chewing on.
From there, the rest of the cards fell into place, and the cards used to defuse the exploding kittens were items you'd use to defuse regular kittens.
HELP US BUILD THIS GAME
We wanted to put this project on Kickstarter because it's the fastest way for us to get the game into your hands and make improvements as a community. We think this game is great, but we need your help making it even better.
So, if a world full of weaponized pork missiles is a world you want to live in, please back this project and help us build this game.
With love and pork missiles,
-The Exploding Kittens Team (Matt, Elan, and Shane)
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For more information about the game: http://www.explodingkittens.com
Follow us: Facebook Twitter
Music: Royalty-free music from Bensound. ||||| When Matthew Inman, best known as the creator of online comic The Oatmeal, launched a Kickstarter campaign for a card game called Exploding Kittens, he asked for a modest $10,000. The internet, however, would have none of that nonsense.
The original goal soon turned out to be pocket change as the project reached its goal in mere minutes; within 24 hours, the funding had reached $1 million. On Tuesday, with 22 days to go and more than 107,000 backers pledging $4.2 million, it became the most-backed Kickstarter project of all time.
Other projects have raised more money, but Exploding Kittens has the most backers.
What Kickstarter project has the most backers? http://t.co/rAATB976SA — Kickstarter (@kickstarter) January 28, 2015
In a tweet, Inman congratulated his team for this incredibly successful first week on Kickstarter.
And on the project's official page, founders — who besides Inman include Elan Lee and Shane Small — thanked backers for their support, and announced some upcoming updates.
"You wonderful people have come together to form the largest community in Kickstarter history, and the numbers keep rising. Tomorrow we'll talk about some important updates, but today is just about you," says the post.
Described as a card game "for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats," Exploding Kittens is a take on Russian roulette, with players drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten card, losing the game.
The basic version of the game, containing 56 cards, can be obtained by pledging $20 on Kickstarter; for $35, backers also get a NSFW copy of the deck.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. |||||
answer:
When last seen, Exploding Kittens had reached its $10,000 Kickstarter goal in eight minutes and zoomed right on by, racking up a hefty $1.8 million as of last Wednesday. But the Internet, apparently a big fan of "kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats," did not stop there: The Russian Roulette-inspired brainchild of The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman is as of yesterday Kickstarter's most-backed project ever, though Mashable notes that other projects have pulled in more money. The current eye-popping stats: Upward of 109,000 backers to the tune of more than $4.3 million. Twenty-two days remain in the campaign.
question:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As anyone who has grown up around snow knows, part of the fun of sledding is the risk of soaring off a jump or careening around a tree.
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2013 file photo Zoe Reisen,10, of Dubuque, Iowa, sleds down a hill at Allison-Henderson Park on in Dubuque, Iowa. Faced with the potential bills from people who are injured sledding,... (Associated Press)
But faced with the potential bill from sledding injuries, some cities have opted to close hills rather than risk large liability claims.
No one tracks how many cities have banned or limited sledding, but the list grows every year. One of the latest is in Dubuque, Iowa, where the City Council is moving ahead with a plan to ban sledding in all but two of its 50 parks.
"We have all kinds of parks that have hills on them," said Marie Ware, Dubuque's leisure services manager. "We can't manage the risk at all of those places."
A study by Columbus, Ohio-based Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that between 1997 and 2007, more than 20,000 children each year were treated at emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries.
In meetings leading up to the ban, Dubuque council members lamented the move but said it was the only responsible choice given liability concerns and demands from the city's insurance carrier. They pointed to judgments in sledding lawsuits in the past decade, such as a $2 million judgment against Omaha, Nebraska, after a 5-year-old girl was paralyzed when she hit a tree and a $2.75 million payment when a man in Sioux City, Iowa, slid into a sign and injured his spinal cord.
Some cities have opted for less drastic measures in the last several years rather than an all-out ban, including Des Moines, Iowa; Montville, New Jersey; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Columbia City, Indiana. By banning sledding on certain slopes or posting signs warning people to sled at their own risk, cities lessen their liability if someone is seriously hurt, but they're still more vulnerable to lawsuits than if they had adopted an outright ban.
And then there's the small central Illinois city of Paxton, where park district officials removed the sledding hill in 2013.
It was more of a dirt mound, created years ago to cover a pile of concrete, metal and other junk, recreation director Neal McKenry said, but given how flat the area is, the 20-foot rise often was crowded with sledders. There was concern someone would slam into trees that had grown on the mound.
"Obviously, many people used this area to sled in the winter, but the park district never promoted it as a sled hill," McKenry said. "It was simply a built-up mound of dirt that people happened to sled on." The area is now being used as a dog park.
In Omaha, the city banned sledding at a popular hill as a test one winter after losing a lawsuit, but decided to allow it again after most people ignored the restriction.
"It wasn't practical," assistant city attorney Tom Mumgaard said. "People wouldn't abide by the ban."
Instead, the city has posted signs warning of sledding risks and workers at the site of the failed ban put pads around posts and hay bales around trees. Mumgaard said courts in Nebraska have decided cities must protect people, even if they make poor choices.
Most people realize that cities must restrict potentially dangerous activities to protect people and guard against costly lawsuits, said Kenneth Bond, a New York lawyer who represents local governments. In the past, people might have embraced a Wild West philosophy of individuals being solely responsible for their actions, but now they expect government to prevent dangers whenever possible.
"It's a great idea on the frontier, but we don't live on the frontier anymore," Bond said.
That doesn't sit well with Natasha Koss, 40, who frequently sleds with her 5-year-old daughter Elsa in Marquette, Michigan.
Koss sometimes requires Elsa to wear a helmet. When they try a particular hill for the first time, her husband does a few runs solo as a precaution. She said she'd report any safety issues to city authorities but couldn't imagine filing suit over a sledding mishap.
"I would most certainly take personal responsibility," she said. "You need to have a mindset to make the best decisions for your own safety."
However, Steve King, who runs a website that promotes sledding, said he understands why cities impose restrictions. He notes that most sledders don't wear helmets and it's near impossible to steer away from trees, rocks or signs.
"We live in a lawsuit-happy society and cities are just being protective by banning sledding in areas that pose a risk for injury or death," King said.
___
Associated Press writer John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this report.
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Follow Scott McFetridge at https://twitter.com/smcfetridge ||||| DUBUQUE The Dubuque City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would restrict sledding to two areas: the sled hills at Allison-Henderson Park and Bunker Hill Golf Course.
City leaders say the ban will help protect the city from a lawsuit in the event of injury. They say they can inspect and control the conditions at the two popular parks, but it would be too much to cover every single city park.
Members of the city council say they understand the near-rite of passage status going sledding down a snow-covered hill holds for kids and their parents, but say protecting people also protects the city’s bottom line.
I think we have responsibility to the taxpayer to cover ourselves against this kind of settlement, said city council member Kevin Lynch.
The push for change comes after park users in other Iowa communities sued and won. A Sioux City man settled with the City for $2.75 million after he slid backward into a parking sign in 2012.
A woman in Boone claimed negligence after she hit a concrete cube while sledding on city property in 2008. The City of Boone agreed to pay her more than $12 million.
That’s the kind of liability the city council doesn’t want to worry about.
Yeah, [restricting sledding] stinks, but if we get hit with one of these. It’s a lot of money for our citizens, city council member Joyce Connors said,
Opponents to the proposed ordinance change say limiting sledding to two city parks will cause congestion at Bunker and Allison-Henderson.
The signs are going to be at these places anyway. There’s going to be a less chance of collision if there is more space for people to enjoy these activities, argued city council member David Resnick.
It sounds like we are going to have the most beautiful parks in the city of Dubuque as long as nobody goes there and does anything except walking through them carefully wrapped in Bubble Wrap, added city council member Karla Braig.
The ordinance also would put a complete ban on the use of inner-tubes at any park.
City Manager Mike Van Milligan pointed out the proposed ordinance doesn’t apply to private property.
A billed failed in the Iowa Legislature in 2013 that would protect cities from being liable if someone is hurt while sledding on city property. The City of Dubuque plans to lobby in favor of the bill should lawmakers reintroduce it. |||||
answer:
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When a childhood pastime comes with a million-dollar price tag, sometimes the pastime loses out. In recent years, a 5-year-old's sledding injury led to a $2 million lawsuit against Omaha, Neb., while another case saw Sioux City, Iowa, paying $2.75 million. Such cases are prompting cities in states from Nebraska to New Jersey to crack down on sledding, banning the practice on many hills, the AP reports. Dubuque, Iowa, for instance, is poised to ban most sledding, allowing it in only two parks. The planned ban "stinks," a city council member tells KCRG, "but if we get hit with one of these (suits), it's a lot of money for our citizens." In other cases, city signs note that sledders do so at their own risk. The city of Paxton, Ill., even physically removed a sledding hill. It wasn't a natural one: The city had basically used dirt to hide a pile of concrete and junk. Trees were growing at the site, and some feared that sledders would hit them. "We live in a lawsuit-happy society, and cities are just being protective by banning sledding in areas that pose a risk for injury or death," says a man who runs a sledding website. That risk is very real: One study found that in the decade ending in 2007, sledding-related injuries landed some 20,000 kids a year in the ER. But one mom tells the AP she thinks individuals, not the government, should take responsibility. "You need to have a mindset to make the best decisions for your own safety," she notes.
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In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
In a wide-ranging interview, Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, spoke out on "Good Morning America" about her husband's death during a mission in Niger and the controversy that has surrounded it.
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She told ABC News' chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos, that she was upset about remarks President Trump made during a condolence call and said she has many unanswered questions.
"He died as a hero," she said.
George Stephanopoulos: We’re joined now by the widow of Sgt. Johnson, Myeshia Johnson. Myeshia thank you for coming in this morning. I hope you’re feeling the prayers the thoughts of all of us. Myeshia Johnson: Yes.
GS: You know it was so clear watching the funeral how loved and respected La David was by his family, his friends, his community, his fellow soldiers. What do you want people to know about him? MJ: Well, I want the world to know how great of a soldier my husband was and a loving and caring father and husband he was to our family.
GS: You knew him since you were six, huh? MJ: Yes sir.
GS: And I also know you have a lot of questions about what happened. MJ: Yes.
GS: In Niger, What’s at the top of your mind? MJ: The questions that I have that I need answered is I want to know why it took them 48-hours to find my husband; why couldn’t I see my husband? Every time I asked to see my husband they wouldn’t let me.
GS: What did they tell you? MJ: They told me that he’s in a severe, a severe wrap like I won’t be able to see him. I need to see him so I will know that that is my husband. I don't know nothing they won’t show me a finger, a hand. I know my husband’s body from head to toe. And they won’t let me see anything. I don’t know what’s in that box, it could be empty for all I know. But I need, I need to see my husband. I haven’t seen him since he came home.
GS: And what have they told you about what happened in Africa? MJ: I really don’t know the answers to that one neither because when they came to my house they just told me that, um, it was a massive gunfire and my husband as of October 4th was missing, they didn't his whereabouts. They didn't know where he was or where to find him and a couple days later is when they told me that he went from missing to killed in action. I don’t know how he got killed, where he got killed or anything. I don’t know that part they never told me and that’s what I’ve been trying to find out since day one, since October 4th.
GS: Are you confident you’re going to get the answers you need? MJ: If I keep pushing for them I will.
GS: And they say they don't know? MJ: They wont tell me. They won’t tell me anything. I don't know anything.
GS: There are also a lot of questions about the phone call you received from President Trump. I know you were in a car to the airport. Tell us what happened next. MJ: Me and my family was in the limo to receive my husband from I think it was Denver, Dover, we went to...
GS: Dover. MJ: Dover, and we was literally on the airport strip gettin' ready to get out and he called Master Sergeant Neil’s phone. I asked Master Sergeant Neil to put his phone on speaker so my aunt and uncle could hear as well. And he goes on to saying his statement as what he said was...
GS: The president... MJ: Yes the President, said that he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway. And it made me cry cause I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said he couldn’t remember my husband’s name. The only way he remembered my husband's name is because he told me he had my husband’s report in front of him and that’s when he actually said La David. I heard him stumblin' on trying to remember my husband’s name and that’s what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country why can’t you remember his name. And that’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier. He did what it take other people like five years to do in three years. So imagine if my husband was here now. It took my husband three years to make E-5 -- it takes other soldiers five to six years just to make E-5. So if he was here now he woulda been on his way to bein' the E-6 or E-7. My husband had high hopes in the military career.
GS: What did you say to the President? MJ: I didn’t say anything I just listened
GS: But you were upset when you got off the phone? MJ: Oh very, very upset and hurt. Very it made me cry even worse.
GS: Congresswoman Wilson reported that and you explained she was in the car with you. MJ: Yes.
GS: She’s been close with your family for a long time? MJ: Yes. Ms. Wilson, my uncle-in-law was Ms. Wilson’s elementary school principal and my husband was in her 5,000 role model program that’s why she’s well connected with us because she’s been in our family since we were little kids.
GS: The President said that the congresswoman was lying about the phone call. MJ: Whatever Ms. Wilson said was not fabricated. What she said was 100 percent correct. It was Master Sgt. Neil, me, my aunt, my uncle and the driver and Ms. Wilson in the car, the phone was on speaker phone. Why would we fabricate something like that?
GS: Is there anything you’d like to say to the President now? MJ: No. I don’t have nothing to say to him.
GS: Your little girl’s going to be born in January. MJ: Yes January 29th. GS: What are you gonna tell her about her dad? MJ: I’m gonna tell her how awesome her dad was and how a great father he was and how he died as a hero.
GS: Words she’s gonna love to hear Myeshia thank you for sharing your story this morning. MJ: Thank you. ||||| The pregnant widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, who was among four U.S. service members killed in Niger this month, expressed a mix of blame and sorrow today on "Good Morning America," saying she was "very angry" about President Donald Trump's condolence phone call and upset because she says he struggled to "remember my husband's name."
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ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos spoke to Myeshia Johnson, who criticized Trump's handling of the phone call, which started a firestorm of controversy.
" onerror="this.src='http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/myeshia-johnson1-gty-mem-171023_4x3_992.jpg'" /> Gaston De Cardenas/AFP/Getty Images
"I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name, and that's what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country, why can't you remember his name?" said Johnson, who had known her husband since she was 6 years old.
"That's what made me upset and cry even more, because my husband was an awesome soldier."
After Myeshia Johnson's interview aired, Trump argued on Twitter today that he said La David Johnson's name "from the beginning" and "without hesitation."
I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2017
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., last week adamantly defended her version of Trump's phone call to Myeshia Johnson in an interview with ABC News.
Wilson, who was accompanying Johnson to Dover Air Force Base when Trump called, heard him on speakerphone attempting to console her.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Polaris
"I heard him say, 'Well I guess you know he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts,'" Wilson told ABC News.
Trump called her description a "total fabrication."
But Johnson today said Wilson was "100 percent correct" about the call from Trump, saying this morning, "Why would we fabricate something like that?"
U.S. Army
Johnson said she was barred from seeing her husband's body and was not given a straight story on how he died in Niger. He was 25.
"I need to see him so I will know that that is my husband," said Johnson, who's expecting to give birth to their daughter in January.
She added, "They won't show me a finger, a hand. I know my husband's body from head to toe, and they won't let me see anything."
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Polaris
She said the casket her husband came home in, adorned with a U.S. flag, remains a mystery box for her. "I don't know what's in that box," she said. "It could be empty, for all I know."
Johnson added, "I need to see my husband."
As for the circumstances of her husband's death, she said she wants "to know why it took [soldiers] 48 hours to find my husband."
ABC News
"I don't know how he got killed, where he got killed or anything," she said. "I don't know that part. They never told me, and that's what I've been trying to find out since Day One, since Oct. 4."
Asked today what she wants people to know about her husband, she said, "I want the world to know how great of a soldier my husband was and a loving and caring father and husband he was to our family."
ABC News' Kelly McCarthy contributed to this report. |||||
What President Trump did or didn't say in a condolence call to the pregnant widow of US Army Sgt. La David Johnson has been the subject of controversy for days, and now Myeshia Johnson herself has weighed in. In a Good Morning America interview with George Stephanopoulos, Johnson describes what hurt her "the most": hearing President Trump "stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name ... my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country why can't you remember his name?" She says "the only way he remembered my husband's name is because he told me he had my husband’s report in front of him and that’s when he actually said La David." On Twitter, Trump countered that: "I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!" As for Rep. Frederica Wilson's assertion that Trump made an "insensitive" remark about Johnson knowing what he was signing up for, Johnson says Wilson was "100% correct. ... Whatever Ms. Wilson said was not fabricated." Asked if she had anything she'd like to say to the president, Johnson said no. But she does have questions about "why it took them 48 hours to find my husband" and why, despite her repeated requests, she has not been allowed to see his body. "They told me that he's in a severe, a severe wrap," she says, but "they won’t show me a finger, a hand. I know my husband’s body from head to toe. ... I don't know what’s in that box, it could be empty for all I know. But I need, I need to see my husband. I haven’t seen him since he came home." (This group is now calling for John Kelly to apologize to Wilson.)
Nasdaq has scored Facebook's shares, according to people familiar with the matter, winning what has been seen as the most-coveted listing among a new guard of Web businesses. Steven Russolillo has details on The News Hub. Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters
Facebook Inc. is going to be ringing the Nasdaq Stock Market's bell.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. scored the planned stock-market listing of the social-media company, according to people familiar with the matter. The win gives Nasdaq one of the most-coveted deals among the new crop of Internet companies and a leg up in the race for technology IPOs.
Securing Facebook's listing burnishes Nasdaq's reputation in the high-tech arena. The exchange is home to firms such as Apple Inc. and Google Inc. Shares in Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook will trade under the symbol FB, previous filings said.
Nasdaq and NYSE Euronext's New York Stock Exchange compete fiercely over listings, and last year the intensity accelerated amid the wave of Internet IPOs from the likes of LinkedIn Inc. and Groupon Inc.
"This is a strong, substantial win for Nasdaq, and no doubt a momentum builder for future listings," said Richard Repetto, an analyst at Sandler O'Neill & Partners.
Facebook's offering, which could raise $10 billion, is set to be the biggest U.S. Internet IPO since Google's in 2004. Facebook is preparing its IPO for May, according to people familiar with the matter.
Nasdaq had an edge from early on in the process, a person familiar with the matter said, and its IPO package was considered substantial and flexible. Deal promotion was a secondary concern for the company, this person said. Facebook is well-known enough that the deal was considered able to sell itself. More important was the group of companies Facebook would list alongside, like Apple, Google and Microsoft Corp., this person said.
Enlarge Image Close Xinhua/Zuma Press (left), Agence France-Presse/Getty Images (right) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left, and Nasdaq CEO Robert Greifeld
"Winning Google further emboldened Nasdaq's reputation as being the exchange of choice for the technology companies," said Jay Frankl, senior managing director at FTI Consulting. "The Facebook listing I've seen as being similar to the Google listing, which had a similar competition between the exchanges, and a similar win for Nasdaq, and a tremendously successful IPO for both," Mr. Frankl said.
NYSE made gains last year in technology listings, netting LinkedIn, Pandora Media Inc. and Chinese social-networking site Renren Inc. Analysts said winning Facebook would have helped swing the pendulum in the Big Board operator's favor in terms of recruiting future listings and potential transfers.
NYSE and Nasdaq have long fought over Silicon Valley listings, though Nasdaq had a head start in the nation's tech capital after opening a Silicon Valley office more than 20 years ago. In 2010, Nasdaq marked its 20th anniversary in Silicon Valley with a bell-ringing ceremony at San Jose City Hall with Nasdaq CEO Robert Greifeld. "We call Silicon Valley Nasdaq country," Bruce Aust, a Nasdaq executive vice president who heads listings, said in an interview that year.
In recent months, Mr. Aust has been a frequent presence in Silicon Valley in a bid to win the listings of companies such as Facebook and Zynga Inc., at times flying out from New York almost monthly. Meanwhile, the NYSE has increased the size of its capital-markets team in Silicon Valley over the past few years. Both Nasdaq and NYSE frequently hold IPO "boot camps" for up-and-coming companies in Silicon Valley.
Last year was a big year for social-media IPOs, with companies from Angie's List Inc. to Zynga launching publicly. In 2012, the host of social-media flotations could include GlamMedia, Kayak Software and LivingSocial.
Companies pay annual fees to list their stock, and exchanges also garner listings-related income from the sale of market data and ancillary services offered to their listed companies. A company can pay as much as $500,000 annually for an NYSE listing fee, while all Nasdaq fees are capped at about $100,000.
When deciding on which exchange to list, companies often look at the costs as well as the promotional efforts that will help increase visibility. That includes events like the NYSE's or Nasdaq's bell-ringing ceremonies. Exchanges also offer other services for needs such as investor relations.
Last year, listings and issuer services brought in about $372 million for Nasdaq OMX, accounting for about 22% of the company's revenue.
While the Facebook win will grab headlines for Nasdaq, the NYSE continues to lead in the number and value of company debuts.
This year, the NYSE has launched 24 corporate IPOs that together have raised $4.9 billion, according to Dealogic. The Nasdaq has been home to 16 offerings totaling $1.3 billion.
The NYSE led last year, as well, with deals raising $28 billion, while Nasdaq's corporate IPOs brought in $9.3 billion.
The expected $10 billion that Facebook plans to raise in the IPO could value the social network at as much as $100 billion. Google's 2004 offering raised $1.9 billion, giving the company a valuation of $23 billion.
Associated Press Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Among U.S. companies, only Visa Inc., General Motors Co. and AT&T Wireless have held offerings larger than $10 billion.
Reports of the Facebook listing boosted Nasdaq's shares, which closed up 30 cents, or 1.2%, to $25.52 on Thursday. NYSE Euronext, meanwhile, fell 36 cents, or 1.3%, 28.31. Facebook's decision regarding Nasdaq was earlier reported by CNBC and the New York Times.
—Pui-Wing Tam, Alexandra Scaggs and Kaitlyn Kiernan contributed to this article.
Write to Jacob Bunge at jacob.bunge@dowjones.com and Steven Russolillo at steven.russolillo@dowjones.com ||||| Pool photo by Yuriko Nakao
Facebook, which is preparing for its highly anticipated initial public offering, has picked a home.
The social network will list its shares under the ticker symbol FB on Nasdaq, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity because the discussions were private.
It is a significant coup for the exchange, which has been embroiled in a battle with the New York Stock Exchange for the darlings of Silicon Valley. While big technology companies, like Apple and Google, have traditionally flocked to Nasdaq, the New York Exchange has aggressively courted the new crop of Internet companies over the last year, grabbing notable offerings like LinkedIn and Pandora Media.
“It’s a high-profile win for their listings business,” said Michael Adams, an analyst Sandler O’Neill. “In terms of earnings, the impact won’t be dramatic, but it’s something to be proud of.”
Shares of the Nasdaq OMX Group rose 1 percent on Thursday, to close at $25.52. Shares of NYSE Euronext fell about the same to close at $28.31.
For Nasdaq, Facebook is not just any listing.
With more than 800 million users and $3.7 billion in revenue, Facebook has come to dominate the social media industry. The company is widely expected to go public next month and is on track to be the largest offering since Google’s debut in 2004. The I.P.O. could value the sprawling social network as high as $100 billion, people familiar with the matter have said, putting it on par with some of the world’s largest corporations, like McDonald’s and Citigroup.
Based on a possible offering of $5 billion or more, the Facebook listing will be the largest in Nasdaq’s history, according to data from S.& P. Capital IQ.
In picking Nasdaq, Facebook had to weigh the differences between the exchanges. Nasdaq is a fully electronic marketplace, while the New York Exchange offers a hybrid model, with a floor-based marketplace and an electronic one. The exchange is widely considered a more global brand, compared with Nasdaq. But its pricing structure is more expensive than Nasdaq’s.
Several years ago, Nasdaq was the undisputed leader for technology I.P.O.’s. But its lead has since eroded, amid increasing competition from the exchange, which has spent considerable energy courting the new class of high-flying Internet companies.
Beyond winning LinkedIn, the professional social network, the exchange lured Yelp, the popular reviews site, Renren and Freescale Semiconductor. The exchanges are currently locked in a dead heat for new offerings, with both recording $4.4 billion in I.P.O. volume for the last 12 months, according to data from S.& P. Capital IQ.
Amid a strengthening market for new offerings, Facebook is entering the home stretch of its I.P.O. process. In the last few weeks, the company has curbed trading on secondary exchanges, where its private shares are traded, and pushed ahead on regulatory disclosures.
This week, for instance, the Federal Trade Commission agreed to expedite the approval of a filing for Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive and founder of Facebook.
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Nasdaq has scored a major coup in the world of stock exchanges: It's getting Facebook, report the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. The company will list under the ticker symbol FB on the tech-heavy exchange after its initial public offering, expected next month. Nasdaq already has the likes of Apple and Google on its roster, and the arrival of Facebook cements its reputation as the high-tech home for stocks. The New York Stock Exchange had been vying for the company, too.
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Bottled water, flashlights, batteries and other staples were flying off store shelves across Puerto Rico on Tuesday as nervous residents braced for the arrival of Hurricane Irma — already one of the strongest storms ever recorded and currently packing 185 mph winds.
The Category 5 storm was churning toward the Caribbean and expected to make landfall in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by Wednesday before sweeping across Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos, the National Hurricane Center warned.
Irma, which was heading westward at a speed of 15 mph, was expected to reach Florida later in the week and was already the same category storm as Hurricane Andrew, which devastated south Florida in 1992, killing 44 people and doing $25.5 billion in damage.
In Puerto Rico, there were already long lines at gas stations in Gurabo, a small city 45 minutes southeast of the capital San Juan that is predicted to be in the path of the monster storm.
Latest on the Storm
Destruction likely to begin in the northern Caribbean in less than 24 hours.
Puerto Rico's north shore will be in or very close to Irma's hurricane winds.
Florida's fate largely depends on if Cuba weakens Irma first.
All signs point to major or historic hurricane impact in South Florida this weekend.
Tourists ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys starting at sunrise Wednesday.
Miami Beach urges residents to prepare for possible evacuation.
Classes were canceled and schools were being stocked with supplies and starting to accept residents from low-lying areas who were heeding the warning of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello to "take Hurricane Harvey as a lesson" and evacuate their homes.
Flooding from Harvey claimed dozens of lives in Houston. Local police in Puerto Rico were going door-to-door in the most vulnerable areas to make sure there was no repeat there of the tragedies experienced in south Texas.
Rossello declared a state of emergency on Monday, activating the National Guard, canceling schools and freeing up $15 million in emergency funds for the financially troubled island, his office said in a statement.
The director of Puerto Rico's power company predicted that storm damage could leave some areas without electricity for four to six months. But "some areas will have power [back] in less than a week," Ricardo Ramos told radio station Notiuno 630 AM. The utility's infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession, and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year.
Meanwhile, at the Ralph's supermarket in Gurabo, manager Angel Luis Rodriguez Velazquez was presiding over a packed store. Triple the usual number of customers were packing their shopping carts with bottled water, canned meats and other products, batteries and "first necessity products" like diapers.
"At this store, I've been working for seven years and it's the first time I see it like this during hurricane season," he told NBC News. "It been very fuerte [strong or difficult]."
Water bottles have been placed in front of partially empty shelves at Ralph's Supermarket in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, in preparations for Hurricane Irma, on Sept. 5, 2017. Mariela Santos / NBC News
Irma was upgraded to a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane earlier Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. And meteorologists warned the already dangerous hurricane could grow larger and stronger before it makes landfall.
"We had Patricia a couple years ago in the Pacific and that had over 200 mph winds," Dennis Feltgen, an NHC spokesman, told NBC News. "Irma is definitely in that elite group of super powerful storms."
Irma "is moving into waters that are warmer and [are] a very favorable environment for even further development," added Heather Tesch, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.
NBC News meteorologist Sherri Pugh said Irma "will be a strong storm and doesn't have much opportunity to weaken."
"In the next 24 hours, I'm most concerned about the northern Leeward Islands and soon the Virgin Islands," Pugh said. The "storm surge is forecast to be 7 to 11 feet for most the U.S. and British Virgin Islands."
Irma, which was about 130 miles east of the island of Antigua as of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, was also expected to dump anywhere from 4 inches to a foot of rain and generate life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, forecasters warned.
"This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane," U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned. "It's not time to get on a surfboard."
The scene outside of a National Hardware store in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, in preparations for Hurricane Irma, on Sept. 5, 2017. Mariela Santos / NBC News
In Florida, all tourists vacationing on the low-lying Keys were ordered to evacuate starting at sunrise Wednesday.
"We value our visitors and want them to be safe,�? said Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi. “This is the reason why we need them to calmly leave the Keys with plenty of advance notice before the storm may reach our shores. We do hope they will return after the storm passes and we can reopen.�?
Gastesi said they also expect to issue a mandatory evacuation order for residents of the Florida Keys as well.
Related: Harvey's Toll Includes Ongoing Trauma Felt by Survivors
In Miami Beach, the city advised residents to "begin evacuation preparations" in anticipation of an evacuation order.
Earlier, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced he was activating 100 members of the Florida Air and Army National Guard. He declared a state of emergency in all of the state's 67 counties, saying it was necessary for local governments to prepare immediately. And he asked President Donald Trump to approve an emergency declaration even before Irma makes landfall.
"Current forecast models have Florida in Irma's path — potentially impacting millions of Floridians," he said in a statement. "While the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared."
Florida's senators, Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, urged Trump to approve Scott's request for an early emergency declaration "to ensure that full federal resources are made available."
"As we recently witnessed with Hurricane Harvey, preparation and up-front resources are paramount," the senators said in a statement.
Sunshine State residents appeared to be preparing for the worst.
Images posted to social media from Naples, in South Florida, and Temple Terrace, outside Tampa, and Delray Beach on the Atlantic Coast, showed bare store shelves as well.
"There's a drought in the water aisle and Home Depot is packed," NBC Miami reporter Ari Odzer joked on Twitter.
At a Home Depot in Royal Palm Beach, a sign alerted shoppers that it was short on wing nuts and 5-gallon jugs for gasoline and water.
A shopper there, David Graham, referenced Hurricane Harvey, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee to shelters and led to thousands of rescues. At least 48 deaths have been attributed to Harvey so far across six Texas counties.
Graham told NBC affiliate WPTV of West Palm Beach, "People are being more vigilant, I guess." ||||| (CNN) As Floridians cleared supermarkets of bottled water and emptied gas pumps, people in the northeastern Caribbean were making last minute-preparations before powerful Hurricane Irma hit their islands.
Late Tuesday, the massive Category 5 storm was almost upon islands like Antigua and Barbuda with near-record 185 mph sustained winds. In its 11 p.m. ET advisory, the US National Hurricane Center said the eye of the hurricane was 50 miles from the two islands.
The center of the storm was moving to the west-northwest at 15 mph.
The hurricane center said the extremely dangerous core of Irma would hit the northern Leeward Islands -- which include Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla -- Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
It's too early to tell whether the storm will make landfall on the US mainland, but forecasts show it could turn toward Florida over the weekend.
Forecasters' most immediate concerns are for the people of the northeastern Caribbean, the hurricane center's Michael Brennan said.
"Anguilla, all the way toward (Antigua and) Barbuda, all the way up even toward the British Virgin Islands (are) in grave danger of an eye wall hit at (at least) 150 mph -- that devastates the island, no matter what island it is," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday.
Those islands are under hurricane warnings, as are Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Martin/St. Maarten, and St. Barts.
One Twitter user in St. Barts posted a photo of rain coming down and winds beginning to sway the leaves of the palm trees Tuesday evening.
The hurricane center warned the storm is "potentially catastrophic," especially if the worst conditions hit islands at high tides.
Fishermen get boats out of water
Irma's forecast track currently has it near or over Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla by early Wednesday, and the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon.
The Dominican Republic issued a hurricane warning Tuesday evening that included coastal cities from Cabo Engaño to the northern border with Haiti.
Preparations to protect life and property in those areas "should be rushed to completion," the hurricane center said in an 11 p.m. ET advisory.
These homes on Nikki Beach in St. Barts are deserted Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Irma.
"We could see storm surges of 7 to 11 feet -- that's certainly life-threatening -- and very, very heavy flooding rainfall" in the far northeastern Caribbean islands as well as winds that could cause catastrophic damage near the eye wall, Brennan said.
Hurricane warnings are issued to areas that are expected to experience hurricane-force winds (at least 74 mph).
JUST WATCHED Space station gets a look at Hurricane Irma Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Space station gets a look at Hurricane Irma 00:48
On Antigua, home to roughly 80,000 people, fishermen used machines to lift their boats onto docks and other residents flocked to stores to stock up on food and other supplies ahead of the storm, video broadcast by ABS TV Antigua and distributed by Reuters shows.
The US Virgin Islands, with about 100,000 people, declared a state of emergency Tuesday and ordered the National Guard into active service.
John Klein, owner of White Bay Villas & Seaside Cottages on Jost Van Dyke island in the British Virgin Islands, told CNN they were rebooking the guests.
"We have backups for (our utilities), but in a storm of this magnitude it's not best for the guests to be there because they may get stuck," he said.
Computer models show the system possibly near the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday and Friday, and Cuba on Friday and Saturday -- and potentially turning north toward Florida by the weekend.
Puerto Rico: Long lines
Hundreds of people rushed to the stores, emptying shelves of food and drinking water just as Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard on Monday.
Crowds wait outside a store in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma nears.
For hours, people also lined up outside hardware stores hoping to get plywood, batteries and power generators. If Irma knocks out power, Puerto Ricans said they are worried it would take weeks or months before the power is restored.
"It (power) is something absolutely necessary, especially due to Puerto Rico's weather. We need to have the A/C or a fan on all night," a woman told CNN affiliate WAPA
Last month, the director of Puerto Rico's power utility, Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez, said several factors have made the island's electric system "vulnerable and fragile," WAPA reported.
One of those is the shortage of employees. Many workers recently retired or left their jobs for better prospects on the US mainland, Ramos Rodríguez said.
Public schools and officials at the University of Puerto Rico campuses have canceled classes, and many businesses are closed.
"Make a U-turn and die in the ocean, Irma. The Caribbean islands don't need more problems!" Twitter user mujertropical wrote about the storm.
Make a U-turn and die in the ocean, #Irma. The Caribbean islands don't need more problems! #PuertoRicoSePrepara — mujertropical🌴 (@chattypatra) September 2, 2017
Getting ready in the Sunshine State
While Irma's exact path is uncertain, Florida -- where storm-wary shoppers were standing in long lines outside some stores Tuesday -- is bracing for the storm.
Miami-Dade County will start evacuating special-needs residents on Wednesday, and may announce other evacuations soon, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.
"I would rather inconvenience our residents" with evacuations than suffer loss of life, Gimenez said.
Schools and county offices are to be closed on Thursday and Friday.
And the state's Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, said it will order visitors to evacuate by sunrise Wednesday , and residents should begin to evacuate 12 hours later.
In Florida, people were standing in lines at stores to buy water and other goods on Tuesday.
In Miami, supermarkets and other stores were already selling out of water and nonperishable food.
The @Publix on SW 27 Ave in #Miami is almost sold out of #water. Overheard staffer saying they've gone thru 10 pallets today. #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/uUyaHWJe1i — Tom Martinelli (@firstnameTom) September 4, 2017
"I've been through hurricanes and they're like 'Oh it's going to hit right here' and then it hits 30, 40 miles up the coast and it kind of changes the way everything goes, so better safe than sorry," Greg Andrews told CNN affiliate WPLG.
The lines at Costco in Pembroke Pines appeared to be several hours long, Javier Aragon tweeted.
@nbc6 Hundreds of people lined up outside Costco in #PembrokePines hours ago waiting to get ready with supplies for #HurricanIrma pic.twitter.com/6Zvi2nXV0x — Javier Aragon (@JJAragon_) September 5, 2017
In Clearwater, along Florida's Gulf Coast, a Publix store still was selling six-packs of water but had run out of larger cases, Carrie Hart said. Hart told CNN that workers there were trying to calm shoppers.
On Twitter, she described a "mad run" on the remaining six-packs.
The mad run on 6 packs of water. @publix is out of cases. Expecting more tonight. Store 1300. They are doing their best people. Calm down. pic.twitter.com/MdZuO3vC1m — CarrieTBow (@CarrieTBow) September 5, 2017
"@publix is out of cases. Expecting more tonight. Store 1300. They are doing their best people. Calm down," she tweeted.
Irma could head to Florida by the weekend, Myers said Tuesday.
😲😲 #irma #cat5 #175mph A post shared by Kurt S. (@kfitlifestyle) on Sep 5, 2017 at 6:24am PDT
"Just tremendous damage if we get this storm, this big, over parts of Florida," Myers said.
After declaring a state of emergency across Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said President Donald Trump had "offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma."
White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert tweeted that the President had declared emergencies for Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Scott also ordered 7,000 National Guard troops to report for duty by Friday morning. Of those, 100 were activated Tuesday to begin helping with preparations, he said.
"I cannot stress this enough. Get prepared," Scott said at a news conference. "Learn your evacuation zone. Listen to your locals. This storm has the potential to devastate this state. You have to take this seriously."
Near-record winds
Irma has become one of the strongest storms recorded in the Atlantic, and is threatening to slam into Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with "potentially catastrophic" force on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Irma was churning west Tuesday evening in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph -- well above the 157 mph threshold for a Category 5 , the hurricane center said.
#Irma is only the 5th Atlantic basin hurricane with a peak wind speed of 185 mph or higher. pic.twitter.com/R3hZ2FG94b — NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) September 5, 2017
The last storm with sustained winds that strong in the Atlantic was 2005's Hurricane Wilma , which weakened before it brushed Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, turned right and crossed Florida. Irma's Atlantic wind speeds are behind only 1980's Hurricane Allen, which peaked at 190 mph at sea
Why Irma could be especially intense
JUST WATCHED Airplane flies straight into Hurricane Irma Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Airplane flies straight into Hurricane Irma 00:47
Irma is a classic " Cape Verde hurricane ," meaning it formed in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands (now known as the Cabo Verde Islands), before tracking all the way across the Atlantic, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
And Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples include Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Ivan
Another storm, Tropical Storm Jose, is 1,500 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
"Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the future progress of Jose," the hurricane center said. ||||| South Florida remains in Hurricane Irma’s path as the Category 5 storm continued to move west early Tuesday.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, Irma had sustained winds of 175 mph and was moving toward the Leeward Islands at 14 mph.
Never miss a local story. Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access. SUBSCRIBE NOW
"Hurricane Irma is stronger," said CBS4 meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez. "A monster hurricane."
Irma is expected to become stronger in the next two days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is expected to take a west-northwest turn on Tuesday night and will likely affect South Florida. Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency by Monday afternoon.
"Now is the time to prepare," Gonzalez said.
A tropical storm warning was issued for Dominca early Tuesday.
Hurricane watches in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra were changed to hurricane warnings late Monday. The government of Antigua also upgraded the hurricane watch for the British Virgin Islands to a hurricane warning.
Guadeloupe is under a hurricane watch.
The storm is about about 320 miles east of the Leeward Islands and hurricane-force winds are extending 45 miles out from the storm’s center.
As with previous advisories, the NHC warned that hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning areas by Tuesday night. |||||
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Hurricane Irma is now a Category 5 storm as it barrels toward Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. The National Hurricane Center, which describes Irma as a "dangerous major hurricane," says islands could start feeling hurricane conditions later Tuesday and it could make landfall in Anguilla early Wednesday, CNN reports. In Puerto Rico, a state of emergency has been declared and residents have been cleaning stores out of food and drinking water. Authorities warn the storm could generate waves 23 feet high. "This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane," says US Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp. "It's not time to get on a surfboard." Meteorologists warn that Irma, which could dump up to 10 inches of rain on the area, is moving into warmer waters that are expected to give it added power, NBC News reports. The storm is expected to take a west-northwest turn on Tuesday night, putting it on course to potentially slam into Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency, the Miami Herald reports. Georgia and the Carolinas could also be at risk, says Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather. Irma has the "potential to be a major event for the East Coast," he says. "It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of (Hurricane) Harvey."
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Responding to a report that NPR was closer to accepting a $5 million donation from a phony Muslim group than previously acknowledged, NPR released e-mails to TPM backing up their claim that they had refused the money.
In their initial statement after hidden camera footage of their executives lunching with the fake foundation, NPR said that “The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept.” The Daily Caller reported Thursday evening on emails in which NPR executives said they were “awaiting a draft agreement” from their legal counsel on the donation, raising the question of how far down the line negotiations had proceeded.
NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher told TPM via e-mail that the agreement “never got beyond the internal drafting stage - and was never sent. Period.” To back up her claim, Christopher provided TPM with four pages pages of emails in which CEO Vivan Schiller, who resigned Wednesday, and her staff discuss a potential donation from MEAC, the fake Muslim group created by James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas to infiltrate NPR.
In an e-mail dated March 3, sent by the recently resigned Schiller to Betsy Liley, who appears in the two O’Keefe tapes, and two other staffers, Schiller suggests that MEAC is behaving oddly and that she can’t accept a donation without further information — despite pressure from the group to take the money immediately. She also correctly notes that MEAC’s information would have to be provided to the IRS, resolving an issue that Lilely appears to have left unclear in a conversation with a phony Muslim donor depicted in the most recently released video.
“I spoke to Ibrahim,” she writes. “He says they ARE a 501c3. And then he added… “I think”. I told him we would need to know for sure AND we would need to look at the 990 as we do for any first time donor. He stressed that they want confidentially and I told him what Joyce told me - that it would not need to be reported in the public part of the 990 but it would need to be reported to the IRS, including the name of the donating institution. He had questions on all of the above which I said I simply don’t have the expertise to answer but that one of our lawyers could. He repeated again that they want to deliver the check. I said that’s very generous but we really need to sort out these issues first. He said is there a problem - and I said I don’t know till we can see the 990. He seemed a bit worried that there was some subtext to our hesitation.”
In a March 3 e-mail a member of O’Keefe’s group posing as MEAC board member, “Omar Kasaam,” writes that his group is “eager to help NPR fight back against the sensationalized, ratings-driven corporate media and their relentless efforts to sew mistrust and xenophobia among America’s citizens” and says that his group cannot reveal its donors, but is willing to locate the necessary tax forms to move forward.
But the group clearly raises red flags for Joyce Slocum, NPR’s General Counsel and Sr. Vice President, who politely informs “Kasaam” the next day that NPR has been unable to find any information on MEAC despite its supposed status as a registered 501c.
“I’m sure you will understand that we need to verify certain information with respect to any organization that proposes to make a significant gift to NPR,” Slocum writes, adding that “Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate the necessary information about the Muslim Education Action Center, and so we need to ask that you provide it.”
In the latest e-mail, dated March 5, Schiller refers “Kasaam” to Slocum’s questions.
“Thank for your kind note and continued interest in NPR,” she writes. “Our General Counsel, Joyce Slocum, has sent you a note under separate cover with a few questions. We look forward to hearing back from you.”
The full e-mails released by NPR can be viewed here. ||||| An NPR fundraising executive said her organization would be willing to shield a would-be donor from a government audit by keeping the donor's name anonymous, according to a series of surreptitiously recorded phone calls released Thursday by a conservative activist.
Betsy Liley, NPR's senior director of institutional giving, made the comments to a man posing as a trustee of a fictitious Muslim charity, which the man had said had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Egypt-based group that has suspected ties to terrorists.
Liley's conversations with the man were captured as part of a sting operation orchestrated by James O'Keefe, who has targeted the ACORN community group and Planned Parenthood with secret recordings.
O'Keefe secretly videotaped Liley's boss, Ron Schiller, making demeaning comments about conservatives during a luncheon meeting set up to discuss what the NPR managers believed was a potential $5 million contribution. Liley was also at that meeting and briefly comments in the video.
Ron Schiller resigned from NPR on Tuesday for his role in the video scandal. The video's release also led to the resignation Wednesday of his boss, NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller (no relation to Ron Schiller).
In a lengthy follow-up phone call with Liley after the lunch, an O'Keefe associate posing as "Ibrahim Kasaam" of the Muslim Education Action Center (a fictitious entity) expressed concerns that NPR, which receives government funding, would be subject to government audits or would have to disclose the source of its donations.
Liley responded, "If you were concerned about that, you might want to be an anonymous donor and we would certainly, if that was your interest, we would want to shield you from that."
At another point, Kasaam asked Liley, "It sounded like you're saying that NPR would be able to shield us from a government audit, is that correct?"
"I think that is the case, especially if you were anonymous, and I can inquire about that," Liley said. She later informed Kasaam via e-mail that NPR's management had cleared an anonymous donation from his group.
NPR had previously said, in the wake of the luncheon video, that it had "repeatedly refused" to accept donations from the organization.
NPR put Liley on administrative leave as a result of the video.
It's not illegal for a nonprofit organization to accept a contribution from a donor that wishes to remain anonymous. But in this case, the issue appears to be how far would NPR have gone to protect the anonymity of a potentially unsavory donor - one that might have connections to interests hostile to the United States.
An NPR spokeswoman, Anna Christopher, had no comment on the phone recording. But she said: "All donations, anonymous and named, are reported to the IRS. NPR complies fully with all tax and financial disclosure regulations."
NPR issued a statement late Thursday that said, "The statement made by Betsy Liley in the audio tapes released today regarding the possibility of making an anonymous gift that would remain invisible to tax authorities is factually inaccurate and not reflective of NPR's gift practices. . . . NPR will not be deterred from its news mission and will ultimately be judged by the millions and millions of listeners and readers who have come to rely on us every day."
In a related development, more than 20 NPR journalists - including Cokie Roberts, Robert Siegel and Susan Stamberg - said in an open letter to listeners that the journalists were appalled by the comments Ron Schiller made in the video.
"Those comments have done real damage to NPR," they said in the letter. "But we're confident that the culture of professionalism we have built, and the journalistic values we have upheld for the past four decades, will prevail." ||||| New video released Thursday afternoon indicates National Public Radio intended to accept a $5 million donation from fictitious Muslim Brotherhood front group Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC) Trust – and that the publicly funded radio network might have helped MEAC make the donation anonymously to protect it from a federal government audit.
When a man posing as Ibrahim Kasaam asked, “It sounded like you were saying NPR would be able to shield us from a government audit, is that correct?” NPR’s senior director of institutional giving, Betsy Liley, responded, “I think that is the case, especially if you are anonymous. I can inquire about that.” According to conservative James O’Keefe, whose Project Veritas organization conducted the NPR sting organization, the man posing as Kasaam made two follow-up phone calls to Liley after their lunch.
Liley said a $5 million donation would amount to about “10 years of support.”
Kasaam follows up by asking: “The fact that NPR is not only a tax-exempt organization, but also receives direct contributions from the government — does that invite some sort of government oversight or government examination of contributions, et cetera?”
Liley answered: “They have audited our programs at times and, I think, as part of that, they can look at our audited financials. If you are concerned in any way about that, that’s one reason you might want to be an anonymous donor. And, we would certainly, if that was your interest, want to shield you from that.”
Liley mentioned a precedent at NPR — in more than $80 million in donations from universities.
“As I said, like this guy that I used to work with who gave – where I used to work for the university, I don’t know, $5 or $10 or $12 million, he was just entered into the database as anonymous,” Liley said. “I knew who he was and about five other people did, but there was no paperwork in any official place that identified him as that donor.”
Watch:
With that remark, Liley was likely referring to her time at Purdue University, where she was the assistant vice president for corporate and foundation relations. Liley said she and NPR have taken millions of dollars in donations anonymously before.
“We also got an $8 million gift,” Liley said. “I don’t know if you remember this; about two years ago a number of institutions, higher ed institutions, all with women as presidents, got donations that ranged from $5 million to $12 million. They were never identified who the gifts were from, but they totaled about $80 million dollars.”
The man posing as Kasaam asked Liley whether NPR accepts anonymous gifts on a regular basis, and if the process they were talking about was common among NPR fundraisers.
“I don’t know if they – I know at Purdue we were a public institution, so we were part of government, and therefore our books could have been, you know, open to any inquiry from a member of the public,” Liley said. “You’re a private nonprofit, and so we have a different standard. We do comply with government audit but I don’t think that they go into our donor database.”
Following their phone calls, Liley checked with NPR’s senior management, and sent an e-mail to the man posing as Kasaam saying MEAC was cleared to make an anonymous donation of $5 million.
“NPR can list MEAC as an anonymous donor in our database, which would mean we would not disclose the organization’s name,” Liley wrote in the e-mail to the fictitious Kasaam. “We do not publish a list of gifts, so it would not be an issue there.”
Liley’s e-mail addressed the MEAC representatives’ concerns about government audits: “The audits of our governmental grants are conducted by the same firm we hire to do our NPR financial audit.”
Liley wrote that she’s “awaiting a draft of a gift agreement from our legal counsel and will share it when I have it.”
That e-mail directly contradicts NPR’s public statements issued in the wake of O’Keefe’s first video. “The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept,” NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm said in NPR’s official response.
The new video shows recently ousted NPR Chief Executive Vivian Schiller knew of her subordinates’ meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood front group. “Vivian knows about our meeting as my email indicated I think for her to feel – for us to prep her appropriately for the next meeting, it would be great to have some more information from you guys,” Liley said. “But Ron and she talked, and I shared notes from our meeting about kind of where you are in your interest, and so I think for us to do kind of our due diligence, it would also be helpful to get some of the background information [on the organization and on its leadership.”
Liley was referring to now former NPR Foundation president Ron Schiller, who made disparaging remarks about the Tea Party movement and Jewish people. He was set to work for the Aspen Institute, but has since decided against going to work there. |||||
Output:
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NPR may have been embarrassed by its ex-fundraiser’s comments on the Tea Party—but at least it refused to accept the $5 million offered by phony donors, right? That original claim had been poked at by the Daily Caller, which yesterday said that emails showed NPR execs were "awaiting a draft of a gift agreement" from their legal counsel, indicating that they might have been closer to taking than they had admitted. But NPR rep Anna Christopher tells TPM the agreement "never got beyond the internal drafting stage—and was never sent. Period." She offers internal emails as evidence. In one, then-CEO Vivian Schiller says the “donors” are acting strangely, and that she needs more info on their status. But the drama doesn't stop there. In a recording released yesterday, one of the "donors" asks an exec if she is "saying that NPR would be able to shield us from a government audit." The exec responds that she thinks “that is the case, especially if you were anonymous,” reports the Washington Post, which notes that keeping donors anonymous isn't illegal—the question, it writes, is how far NPR would go to keep a "potentially unsavory" donor's identity hidden. NPR last night released the following: "The statement ... regarding the possibility of making an anonymous gift that would remain invisible to tax authorities is factually inaccurate and not reflective of NPR's gift practices."
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task1291_multi_news_summarization
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NIv2
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zs_opt
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train
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In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Let me give you an example: A photo series on the popular Humans of New York Facebook page may have went viral and captured the nation’s attention last Tuesday, but for Daniel Kang, the post really hit home.
When Kang, a junior studying computer science at the University of Michigan, heard that the refugee pictured and his family were relocating to his hometown of Troy, Mich., he said he knew he had to help.
“I was really inspired by how intelligent he was and I knew a lot of people wanted to welcome him, so I thought, why not it be me?” he said.
On the Humans of New York Facebook page with over 16 million likes — including comments from President Obama — the seven-part picture series’ captions detail one Syrian scientist and his family’s tale of loss after a missile strike destroyed their home, forcing them to to flee to Turkey, now with plans of coming to the United States.
“Everything ended for us that day. That was our destiny. That was our share in life,” the scientist said. Battling stomach cancer, the loss of a home, career and seven family members, the man, whose name remains confidential to protect his identity as a refugee, expressed his hope for a new life in the United States.
“I learned today that I’m going to Troy, Michigan,” he said. “I know nothing about it. I just hope that it’s safe and that it’s a place where they respect science. I just want to get back to work. I want to be a person again. I don’t want the world to think I’m over. I’m still here.”
Knowing that refugees come to the United States with little more than they can carry, Kang quickly organized a crowdfunding campaign to help establish the man in his new home.
In four days, the GoFundMe page has raised over $16K in donations from over 700 people. On Saturday afternoon, actor Edward Norton also began a fundraiser for the scientist, raising even more for the refugee who says he “just wants to be a person again.”
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Kang. “A lot of people thanked me for doing a nice thing but I really feel like I was doing what anyone else would have done.”
Kang said he’s received many messages from people expressing their gratitude, those who want to reach out to the man personally, as well local companies interested in working with the scientist. This includes invitations to lecture at local colleges, research job opportunities and potential help from local medical facilities in treating the man’s stomach cancer.
“There’s definitely a lot of interest in helping him out,” he said.
The biggest concern, said Kang, are those skeptical of how the money will reach the man.
Kang, who has successfully crowdfunded in the past, is working closely with GoFundMe, the local refugee relocation agency Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, and is in communication with the Humans of New York staff to make sure all funding goes to the scientist.
In the end, Kang said he just hopes the scientist receives the welcome he deserves.
“If I could talk to him right now, I’d just tell him how sorry I am for everything he’s been through and that he’s coming to a great place. One of the things he said that resonated with me the most is that ‘I hope Troy is a place that appreciates science.’
I’d say out of all the cities in Michigan, Troy is the best place to raise a family, be a scientist and we can’t wait to have him.”
Oona Goodin-Smith is a student at Oakland University and a member of the USA TODAY College contributor network. ||||| I saw this story on one of my favorite sites, Humans of New York, and it moved me to tears. This man has suffered profound loss that would crush the spirit of many people and yet he still passionately wants a chance to contribute positively to the world. If we don’t welcome people like this into our communities and empower his dream of making an impact with his life, then we’re not the country we tell ourselves we are. Let’s reject the 'anti-human’ voices that tell us to fear refugees and show this man and his family what Americans are really made of. Let’s show that a country built by the energy and dreams of immigrants still believes in brave people who come here with hope for better life.
Everything we raise here will go to help this family so that the father can get the medical treatment he needs to live and pursue his work, and his family can build a new stable life after their tragedy, and…as the Scientist beautifully expresses…to support his dream of contributing to the world.
Thanks to Humans of New York for sharing these stories. Thanks to the team at CrowdRise for putting this together and figuring out how to get even the credit card transaction fees covered so we can get the maximum to the family.
Thanks to everyone who rallies together to create the power of the crowd. If enough of us kick in the price of two frappucinos, we can probably transform the experience of this family and show them that life can deliver healing and kindness, not just heartbreak.
Thanks to Benevolent, all donations are tax-deductible. We will work with Benevolent to use all donated funds to help this family and will seek to use any excess or unused funds to help the other 11 profiled in the HONY ‘Syrian American’ series.
Edward Norton ||||| DETROIT, MI -- Moved to tears by a Humans of New York feature on a Syrian refugee fleeing to Metro Detroit, Hollywood actor Edward Norton launched an online fundraiser that had raised nearly $450,000 for the widower and his four children as of Thursday afternoon.
"I didn't hear about it, but I want to thank him very much from the humanity perspective," the man told NBC News after hearing about the fundraiser's success. "There are people outside who need that money much more than me."
The man asked NBC to refer to him as "Abu Ammar," a fake named used to protect his relatives who remain in Syria. He's known to many on the Internet simply as "The Scientist," which is also his profession.
The refugee's family was scheduled to arrive in Troy, a Detroit suburb, Thursday. He and four surviving children spent the last two years in Instanbul, Turkey. They fled civil-war-torn Syria after the man's wife and one of his daughters were killed in a missile attack on April 6, 2013.
His is one of 12 families featured by Humans of New York and cleared to resettle in the U.S.
"I learned today that I'm going to Troy, Michigan," the man told Humans of New York. "I know nothing about it. I just hope that it's safe and that it's a place where they respect science. I just want to get back to work. I want to be a person again. I don't want the world to think I'm over. I'm still here."
The story made rounds throughout the Internet and even garnered a response from President Barack Obama's official Facebook page:
As a husband and a father, I cannot even begin to imagine the loss you've endured. You and your family are an inspiration. I know that the great people of Michigan will embrace you with the compassion and support you deserve. Yes, you can still make a difference in the world, and we're proud that you'll pursue your dreams here. Welcome to your new home. You're part of what makes America great.
,Norton, known for his roles in movies like "Fight Club" and "Birdman," wrote in the description of his online fundraiser:
If we don't welcome people like this into our communities and empower his dream of making an impact with his life, then we're not the country we tell ourselves we are. Let's reject the 'anti-human' voices that tell us to fear refugees and show this man and his family what Americans are really made of. Let's show that a country built by the energy and dreams of immigrants still believes in brave people who come here with hope for better life.
(6/7) “I had no problems before the bombing. I think the cancer came from my sadness and my stress. It’s in my... Posted by Humans of New York on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 ||||| ISTANBUL — The grieving refugee who touched hearts as "The Scientist" on the Humans of New York blog only mustered a brief smile when told that a Hollywood star had helped raise $450,000 for him.
Hours before flying to Michigan to start a new life in the U.S. on Thursday, the cancer-stricken Syrian civil engineer glanced down.
"I didn't hear about it, but I want to thank him very much from the humanity perspective," he said after NBC News revealed the crowdfunding appeal. Oscar-nominated actor Edward Norton was moved to tears after reading the refugee's biography on the photography site last week and launched the fundraiser.
"There are people outside who need that money much more than me," The Scientist said, displaying the sort of compassion and humility that helped his story go viral.
The Scientist, who asked NBC News to refer to him as "Abu Ammar" to protect family in Syria, said his life was shattered by a bomb that killed his wife and daughter just under three years ago.
He was later diagnosed with stomach cancer, and has had to care for five remaining children.
They include a teenage son, who is still reeling after watching his mother die, and a daughter who carries inside of her shrapnel from the attack on April 6, 2013.
"When a bomb drops you don't know where it comes from," he said. "There is no question our lives changed after that ... 180 degrees. I am mentally tired, in overwhelming sadness."
“ As long as there are good people in the world … then we can stop this bloodshed”
On Thursday, Abu Ammar and four of his children flew to Troy, Michigan, as part of a United Nations refugee resettlement program.
For about two years, the family had been living close to destitution in Turkey. But the drive to succeed still lingers, Abu Ammar said.
"I've had ambitions since I was a child, and right now I'm still that same child with the same ambitions," he said. "But I still have a message — sometimes when I'm talking to myself I say, 'No, I'm not supposed to die. I need to live long enough to realize my message to humanity.'"
Abu Ammar's story on Humans of New York, a popular blog started in 2010 that spawned a bestselling book, prompted an outpouring of compassion. Even President Barack Obama contributed, calling Abu Ammar and his family an "inspirations" on HONY's Facebook page.
"Yes, you can still make a difference in the world, and we're proud that you'll pursue your dreams here." Obama wrote. "Welcome to your new home. You're part of what makes America great."
Last night President @BarackObama wrote a very sweet welcome note to the scientist in Tuesday's story. pic.twitter.com/ZGrn3gOdR7 — Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) December 10, 2015
Norton, who starred in "Birdman," "Fight Club" and "American History X," set out to help pay The Scientist's medical expenses.
"This man has suffered profound loss that would crush the spirit of many people and yet he still passionately wants a chance to contribute positively to the world," Norton wrote.
The resettlement of Syrian and Muslim refugees in the United States is controversial, especially in the aftermath of attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris and San Bernardino. Some politicians — notably GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump — have called for a ban on Muslims entering the country.
Abu Ammar told NBC News he didn't know anything about the debate over Muslims and immigration raging in the U.S. He also didn't have a solution to the war raging in his home country.
"I don't like to get into politics because I am a man of science, and I can separate science and politics completely," he said. "But as long as there are good people in the world, and everyone looks into his or her conscience, then we can stop this bloodshed."
Abu Ammar added: "No one benefits from people dying, and wars overall never benefit anybody — so let's hope God can help everyone and put out this fire." |||||
The answer to this example can be: A Syrian refugee whose moving story went viral earlier this month starts his new life in Troy, Michigan, on Thursday, NBC News reports. The refugee—who wants to keep his real name out of the media to protect family members still in Syria—is known as "The Scientist" on the blog Humans of New York, where he was first profiled. "I learned today that I’m going to Troy, Michigan," The Scientist told HONY. "I know nothing about it. I just hope that it’s safe and that it’s a place where they respect science." According to MLive, The Scientist left Syria in 2013 after a bomb killed his wife and one of his daughters. Since then, he's been diagnosed with stomach cancer and was barely scraping by in Turkey. Despite being "in overwhelming sadness," he and his surviving children are hoping for a new start in the US, he tells NBC. Thanks to his story—which even got the attention of President Obama—The Scientist will have some help to get that new start. NBC reports actor Edward Norton was moved to tears after reading The Scientist's story and started a crowdfunding page that has raised nearly $450,000. "I didn't hear about it, but I want to thank him very much from the humanity perspective," The Scientist says. "There are people outside who need that money much more than me." A Michigan college student was also inspired to help after hearing The Scientist would be moving to his hometown, according to USA Today. His fundraising page has raised more than $16,000. "I’d say out of all the cities in Michigan, Troy is the best place to raise a family, be a scientist, and we can’t wait to have him," Daniel Kang says.
Here is why: This is a good example. The output correctly summarizes the articles.
OK. solve this:
Two men died late Tuesday from injuries suffered when a huge tree branch fell while people watched fireworks outdoors at the Rock Island County Courthouse.
Daniel Ortiz Mendoza, 61, of Rock Island, was pronounced dead at the scene about 10:30 p.m., and Lawrence Anderson, 72, of Moline, was pronounced dead at 11:32 p.m. Tuesday, according to Rock Island County coroner Brian Gustafson.
Both died from “multiple traumatic crushing injuries” after the limb from the huge oak tree at the courthouse fell and struck them, said Gustafson, who performed autopsies on both men this morning in Ogle County in Oregon, Illinois.
Gustafson said his deputy arrived at the scene first, and Gustafson arrived later.
Also injured was a 21-year-old pregnant woman from East Moline, who was reported to be near full term, according to a news release from Rock Island Sheriff’s Office. She was taken to Unity Point where the baby was delivered and the baby and mother are both in good health.
Also at the scene was Dave and VanLandegen, of Rock Island, retired director of court services for Rock Island County. He and his wife, Cindy, always watch the fireworks from that area, he said.
VanLandegen heard “an ungodly sound … a crashing,” he said. “We were about 20 feet away. You could feel the wind when (the limb) came down.”
While his wife called 911, VanLandegen and several other people ran toward the downed limb.
“I saw this guy — the limb’s on him, and it’s too heavy for me,” he said. “A wonderful lady, she came over, too, and a bunch of other men were lifting that limb up.”
“I started wading into that tree,” VanLandegen said. “It was terrible trying to find people. It was dark. And you have all these leaves. I just ran to the tree, pushing limbs aside trying to see feet, or people.”
“It was everything I could do to hold that limb up. It was a monster.”
Then the limb started to split. A woman who said she either worked for or had worked for a tree service yelled to those holding the limb not to lift it any higher because it would split. “You could hear it cracking,” VanLandegen said.
The real hero, VanLandegen said, was a paramedic at the scene who was sitting in front of him.
“He came diving in and said, ‘I’m a paramedic.’ He’s underneath that limb while we were holding it up. That paramedic stayed right there with (one of the men).
The paramedic trusted the other people, including a woman and a teenage boy, to hold up the limb, VanLandegen said. “That man needs a citation or something.”
Rescuers crawled underneath the limb and pulled one man out, VanLandegen said.
Johnnie Woods of Rock Island was at the scene the night of the accident and returned this morning “to pray for the people who got hurt, the victims and the families,” she said.
“The fireworks hadn’t been going too long — beautiful display — and I heard a crackling in back of me and thought it was fireworks. And so I got up and tried to run. I was sitting over on the grass. Somebody knocked me over, I fell over on the sidewalk. Somebody else fell on top of me, I think.
“When I looked back, I saw that someone was under the (limb). I thought it was a tree, because it was so big. A lot of us tried to pull the tree off,” he said. “Of course, we couldn’t.”
On Sunday, loved ones and the curious drove slowly past the scene or left flowers at the site where the limb fell. The area is cordoned off with yellow tape.
The tree is believed to be about 100 years old, according to the sheriff’s news release. The tree branch circumference measured 8 feet, 2 inches at the base and was about 45 feet long. It fell about 25 feet to the ground. ||||| Two men are dead and five others were injured after a large tree branch fell on them during Fourth of July celebration fireworks, officials said.
Residents were gathered on the lawn of the Rock Island, Illinois courthouse Tuesday night to watch the fireworks for the Fourth of July when suddenly a branch from a tree estimated to be more than 100 years old on the courthouse lawn fell, Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos said.
The branch. measured to be more than 8 feet wide at its base and 45 feet long, fell about 25 feet to the ground, striking the spectators below, Bustos said.
KTRK
Daniel Mendoza Sr., 61, died at the scene and Lawrence Anderson, 72, was rushed to Unity Point Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased, the sheriff said.
Five other people were injured, one of them a pregnant woman, Bustos said. She was near full term at the time of the accident and was taken to Unity Point Hospital where she gave birth, according to the sheriff. Both mother and child are reported to be in good health, he said.
KTRK
The other four people injured were treated for cuts, bruises and suspected concussions and have since been released from the hospital, the sheriff said.
Authorities are still investigating why the branch fell.
"The tree, although old, was in good health as best you could tell from looking at it," Bustos said. ||||| Two people were killed and five others injured after a tree branch collapsed on them during a fireworks event in Rock Island, Ill.It happened suddenly Tuesday night at a celebration while dozens of people were sitting under a tree near the Rock Island County Courthouse. The Red, White and Boom fireworks show had started minutes before.The Rock Island Sheriff's Department said the branch fell without any warning, crushing families sitting underneath the tree.Many got away safely and others tried to lift up the giant branch to help those trapped beneath it.The tree branch fell about 25 feet to the ground from a 100-year-old oak tree. Some spectators who heard the sudden collapse thought it was part of the fireworks display.The branch had a circumference of just over eight feet at the base and was 45 feet long.The sheriff said Daniel Mendoza Sr., 61, of Rock Island was pronounced dead at the scene and Lawrence Anderson, 72, of Moline, was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.A pregnant 21-year-old woman was among the injured. She was transported to a hospital and gave birth to a baby. Both are in good health.Four other people were taken to hospitals and were treated and released.Investigators are looking into the cause of the incident, but said that weather does not seem to be a factor. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video
ROCK ISLAND, Illinois-- Katie Carter was one of five people injured when a tree branch fell onto a group of people watching fireworks Tuesday night at the Rock Island County Courthouse.
She was also nine months pregnant. She was rushed to Unity Point where her baby was delivered at 1 a.m. on Wednesday via emergency C-section.
Carter's family said she named her baby girl Kamaree Kathleen Lawrence Carter. The new mom included Lawrence in her daughter's name to honor Lawrence Anderson. He was one of two people who died when the tree branch fell to the ground.
The family said mom and baby are doing well now. |||||
Answer:
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Two men out celebrating the Fourth of July in Rock Island, Ill., didn't get to see it dawn. Daniel Mendoza, 61, and Lawrence Anderson, 72, died of "multiple traumatic crushing injuries" late Tuesday after a massive tree limb fell on the pair during a fireworks show at the local courthouse, reports the Quad-City Times. A witness who was standing 20 feet away from the 100-year-old oak tree described "an ungodly sound" amid the crackle of fireworks, followed by a rush of air as the limb came down, sending five others to hospitals, per WLS. Among them: 21-year-old Kathy Carter, who was nine months pregnant. She gave birth via emergency C-section early Wednesday, naming her daughter Kamaree Kathleen Lawrence in honor of Anderson, report WQAD and KWQC's Shelby Shepherd. Police say both mother and infant are in good health, while all other injured parties have been released from the hospital after treatment for cuts, bruises, and possible concussions, per ABC News. They're lucky. "It was everything I could do to hold that limb up. It was a monster," says the aforementioned witness, one of many bystanders who rushed to help the men trapped beneath. Indeed, police say the limb was 8 feet wide at its base, and more than 45 feet long. It fell about 25 feet.
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task1291_multi_news_summarization
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NIv2
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fs_opt
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train
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In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Q: [There was a video here]
What follows is the inaugural column of a person we are calling The Fox Mole—a long-standing, current employee of Fox News Channel who will be providing Gawker with regular dispatches from inside the organization.
I always intended to keep my mouth shut. The plan was simple: get hired, keep my head down and my views to myself, work for a few months, build my resume, then eventually hop to a new job that didn't make me cringe every morning when I looked in the mirror.
That was years ago. My cringe muscles have turned into crow's feet. The ten resumes a month I was sending out dwindled into five, then two, then one, then zero. No one wants me. I'm blacklisted.
I work at Fox News Channel.
The final straw for me came last year. Oddly, it wasn't anything on TV that turned me rogue, though plenty of things on our air had pushed me in that direction over the years. But what finally broke me was a story on The Fox Nation. If you're not a frequenter of Fox Nation (and if you're reading Gawker, it's a pretty safe bet you're not) I can describe it for you — it's like an unholy mashup of the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post and a Klan meeting. Word around the office is that the site was actually the brainchild of Bill O'Reilly's chief stalker (and Gawker pal) Jesse Watters.
The Nation aggregates news stories, gives them provocative headlines, and invites commenters to weigh in. The comments are fascinating actually, if you can detach yourself enough to view them as sort of the id of the conservative movement. Of course, if you can't detach yourself, then you're going to come away with a diminished view of human decency, because HOLY MOLY THESE PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE THE BLACK PRESIDENT. I'm not saying they dislike him BECAUSE he's black, but a lot of the comments, unprompted, mention the fact that he is black, so what would you say, Dr. Freud?
The Fox Nation moderators, realizing that they had a problem on their hands, did the absolute bare minimum, hiring one or two college kids to comb the comments for the most egregiously racist postings, and putting in automatic text filters that blocked various key words. Of course the intrepid commenters quickly found ways around these filters using letter substitutions and spacings, which is why many comments complain about our "n@gger president" and the "M u s l i m in the White House."
So the site has become the seedy underbelly of the Fox News online empire. It's surprising that we even have an online empire, considering that our fan base is mostly septuagenarian technophobes.
The post that broke the camel's back might be familiar to some of you, because it garnered a lot of attention and (well-deserved) ridicule when it hit last August. The item was aggregating several news sources that were reporting innocuously on President Obama's 50th birthday party, which was attended by the usual mix of White House staffers, DC politicos and Dem-friendly celebs. The Fox Nation, naturally, chose to illustrate the story with a photo montage of Obama, Charles Barkley, Chris Rock, and Jay Z, and the headline "Obama's Hip Hop BBQ Didn't Create Jobs."
The post neatly summed up everything that had been troubling me about my employer: Non sequitur, ad hominem attacks on the president; gleeful race baiting; a willful disregard for facts; and so on. It came close on the heels of the Common controversy, which exhibited a lot of the same ugly traits. (See also: terrorist fist jabs; Fox & Friends madrassa accusations; etc.)
The worst thing about the Hip Hop BBQ incident is that we didn't back away from it. Bill Shine, who is a rather important guy—sort of Roger Ailes' main hatchet man, and the go-between for Ailes and most of the top talent—bafflingly doubled down and defended it. The story still exists on the Fox Nation site, headline and photo montage intact, to this very day.
That was it for me. It wasn't that the one incident was so bad, in and of itself. But it was so galvanizing, and on top of so many other little incidents, that I guess it just finally pushed me over the edge.
So here I am. And I come bearing gifts. The video above is of Mitt Romney and Sean Hannity bantering before the taping of an interview for the "Hannity Vegas Forum" in February. Of note: Romney professes his and his wife Ann's well-known love of horseriding, praising the qualities of the "Austrian Warmbloods" that his wife rides—the are "dressage" horses, he notes—while maintaining his own preference for the "smoother gait" of his own "Missouri foxtrotter."
Now there's nothing wrong with Mitt and his wife loving horseback riding. But remember this video next time Romney attacks Obama for golfing. The inherent elitism and snootiness of golf is NOTHING compared to competitive horseback riding. And I think Mitt loses points with the GOP base for his correct pronunciation of dressage. To GOP-voter ears it sounds not only gay, but even worse, French.
Elsewhere in the video you will see the two men discussing the possibility that this very footage may one day be leaked, as they warn one another against primping too carefully. "You don't want to have John Edwards moment," Hannity says. "Did you see that?" Romney replies: "Oh, yeah I saw that. It's one thing to do it for a second. It's another thing to do it for an hour." (And it's quite another for Newt Gingrich's wife to groom him like a circus walrus.)
Later, Hannity's producers ask him to change his necktie mid-interview. Here's a little TV trick for you: The show was splitting the Q-and-A over two nights, and they wanted to make the second night look like a fresh, new encounter rather than a rehash from last night. So they made sure to change Hannity's tie lest eagle-eyed viewers spot the repeat. Romney, to his credit, refuses to play along. Offered a pink tie, he says, "I'm not going all Donald Trump today." That day, Trump had announced his endorsement of Romney. In the portion of the interview that was broadcast, Romney said he was grateful for Trump's support, and that "he is a man who'se created a lot of jobs, and he shares my concern about China."
"So why not just leave Fox News?" you might ask. Good question! I've asked myself that same thing many times. And I am leaving. Sooner rather than later, I'm guessing. But I can't just leave quietly, can I? Where's the fun in that? So I'm John McClane-ing this shit. I'm inside the building, crawling through the air vents, gathering intel, and passing it along to Carl Winslow.
(Note: Please don't misunderstand, and take my Die Hard metaphor as a threat of violence. Like most left-wingers I abhor actual violence, but am still hopelessly enthralled by the Hollywood machine that glorifies it. Also, that was a 20th Century Fox movie. Synergy!)
Watch this space for future dispatches from the Fox Mole. ||||| Most presidents have their hobbies. George W. Bush loved to clear brush on his Texas ranch, and to take long mountain bike rides. Bill Clinton played the saxophone. John Quincy Adams reportedly liked to skinny-dip in the Potomac River.
Barack Obama likes to play golf. And Republican challenger Mitt Romney doesn’t approve.
The Romney campaign on Wednesday launched a website, fortyfore.com, that takes a swing at Obama’s golf habit. The site says that Obama has played “1,584 holes since 2009″ — the equivalent of 88 rounds of golf as he nears the end of his third year in office. That would put Obama far short of House Speaker John Boehner, who reportedly works much harder on the links to maintain a single-digit handicap.
Romney’s fundraising site questions whether Obama should get “‘Fore’ More Years,” and invites Romney fans to donate $18 — or more — “to send President Obama on a permanent golfing vacation.”
“It’s time to have a president whose idea of being ‘hands on’ doesn’t mean getting a better grip on the golf club,” the website suggests.
Romney has been driving at Obama’s golfing habit all week. “He’s going off for 17 days for golf in the sun,” the candidate said during a teleconference with Iowa voters on Monday, about Obama’s upcoming trip to Hawaii.
Starting with William Howard Taft, 15 of the past 18 presidents have played golf. The most recent exception was Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Golf Digest reported in 2009 that the most capable presidential golfer was John F. Kennedy, followed by Dwight Eisenhower, who had a green installed outside the oval office, and Gerald Ford.
In terms of hobbies, Romney, a trim 64, is a keen runner. During his 2008 White House run a television ad entitled “Leadership” showed him jogging down a tree-lined road in shorts and sneakers. Romney and his energetic family hold a family triathlon — swimming, cycling and running — at their lakeshore vacation home in New Hampshire each summer.
Photo credit: fortyfore.com |||||
A: A new/old potential wealth gaffe from the mouth of Mitt Romney. The GOP candidate apparently gushed about his wife's much-deserved time off the campaign trail spent riding her "Austrian warmblood" horses (though he prefers his own "Missouri foxtrotter"); each costs as much as a pricey sports car. He made the latest revelation before a February interview on Fox—which aired shortly after his campaign slammed President Obama for wasting too much time golfing. He and Sean Hannity even guffaw about the footage of their pre-interview primping getting leaked. "You don't want to have a John Edwards moment," Hannity quips. The video nugget is likely the first of many to come from a Fox News "mole," now working for Gawker. The mole plans to keep his/her day job while tattling on his/her employer—and, apparently, news subjects. The mole hopes to leave Fox "sooner rather than later," he/she notes. "But I can't just leave quietly, can I? Where's the fun in that?" Click to see the video of Romney prepping for the Hannity interview.
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Q: So Mike Tyson's tattoo artist tried to stop the worldwide distribution of "The Hangover Part II," based on the premise that the filmmakers had stolen his Maori-inspired design and stuck it on Ed Helms' face. I guess that wasn't much of a legal case, which is too bad, because as it turns out the guy was accidentally trying to perform a public service. Maybe he should have tried the argument that the movie sucks so bad that if anyone, anywhere, thinks he had anything to do with it that amounts to defamation of character.
Since we're talking about meta-narratives that are way more interesting than this bad and stupid movie, I guess we were supposed to think that director Todd Phillips and stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Helms were being principled, woman-friendly men by kicking Mel Gibson out of "The Hangover Part II." That's nice and all, but at least Gibson, when he's being funny, is pretty damn funny. Speaking strictly from the perspective of someone who sat on my ass through this entire terrible movie, I'd gladly trade in the whole thing for five decent minutes of Mel.
Can I keep vamping for a while, and stave off the movie review? In France this would-be huge hit is known as "Very Bad Trip 2." (Those words, in English.) In Spanish-speaking countries, it's called "¿Que Paso Ayer? 2." In German, it's ... oh, all right. In English, it really should be called "Sex and the City 2: This Time It's for Guys." If you seriously need any more evidence that the raunchy bromance comedy genre has become a played-out shell of its former self, huffing the fumes of last night's stale beer (mixed with other unidentifiable fluids) in a back alley at dawn, the great burst of sour flatulence that is this overcooked sequel should provide it. Even as transparent attempts to recapture the so-called magic of a big hit go, this new voyage into manufactured outrageousness is especially shameless. Phillips and his co-writers, Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong, seem to have launched into this project with a misguided faith in their own brilliance, but nothing resembling an idea or a story.
"Hangover II" simply recycles the bachelor-party-gone-awry gags from the 2009 summer hit, in a new and supposedly grittier context where the cast seems ill at ease, with much less comic effect and a lot more homophobia and xenophobia. It's a dumb, ugly and, most of all, painfully unfunny movie, which can't quite decide between competing touristic impulses: Bangkok as a pervy, nasty sex-trade destination and the mysterious East as the home of a superior, contemplative spirituality. It's like "Eat, Pray, Love," only with hot ladyboys to turn you gay and a cigarette-smoking monkey to steal your heart.
Do you really want me to provide some whimsical effort at plot synopsis, when you and I could both be using these few seconds for something else: reading about a maid-molesting French socialist or mocking the idiotic behavior of 2012 Republican presidential "candidates" or staring out our office windows in a melancholy stupor? OK, fine, but I don't want any complaints about how boring it sounds. So the "wolf pack" from the first movie reconvenes at a luxury resort in Thailand, where doofus dentist Stu (Helms) is supposed to marry a hot Asian chick named Lauren (Jamie Chung) whose dad hates him. (I went south on this movie as soon I realized that Stu had ditched the charming Vegas hooker he married in "The Hangover.") Cooper plays the douchey, studly Phil, who acts like a jerk all the time, and Galifianakis of course is the socially inept, passive-aggressive Alan, invited along for unclear reasons, since nobody likes him at all.
There's no big bachelor party or anything, just a late-night Budweiser around the campfire. But next thing these losers know they're waking up a day or so later in a sleazy hotel room in Bangkok, accompanied by the aforementioned chain-smoking monkey in his Rolling Stones denim vest, a severed finger that seems to belong to Lauren's med-student kid brother (Mason Lee), and the sleeping nude personage of Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), the effeminate but kick-ass gangster from the first "Hangover." Actually, I was very, very glad to see Chow, because as much of a flaming stereotype as his character is, Jeong inhabits him with a ferocity that makes him by far the funniest and most real-seeming person in the movie.
Does that sound exactly like the first "Hangover," except with the wildlife made cuter and an exotic setting that's only going to produce dumb-ass cultural clichés, and no Mike Tyson? That's all correct except that Tyson shows up at the end to perform a rap version of "One Night in Bangkok," and you'll really wish he hadn't. Once again our heroes' missing hours are not entirely explained, but this time that decision feels sloppy and slapdash in a way it didn't quite in "The Hangover." Oh, there's a drug deal gone wrong and a low-grade American mobster played by Paul Giamatti and a Buddhist monk in a wheelchair. There's a fair amount of naked male peener, and of course there's the frat-boy-centric audience's greatest fear and/or desire: anal penetration. (I've seen at least four movies in the last year that resort to this as the ultimate squirm gag: The hero might take it from behind and like it!)
Now, in fairness I should add that I didn't think the first "Hangover" was all that great either, but it had several good laughs and a profane, open-hearted American cheerfulness about it that was hard to resist. "The Hangover Part II" trades that in for a B-grade thriller atmosphere that isn't quite convincing but manages to make all three of the central so-called buddies seem like creeps who don't actually like each other and can't relate to the world. Cooper and Galifianakis, in particular, are talented-ish actors who are stuck in really bad grooves and on the verge of typecasting themselves into oblivion, the former as a male-model jerkass irresistible to certain women (i.e., the shallow ones) and the latter as a pitiable misfit who's supposed to make us laugh uproariously at his Asperger-like behavioral problems and 1988 leisure-wear wardrobe.
I suspect there was half an impulse here -- or 20 percent of an impulse -- to take the "Hangover" characters and put them in a genuinely dark and dangerous situation. That might or might not have been interesting; it isn't that great of an idea, frankly, but it's something. Then the commercial necessity of giving a huge international audience a C-minus imitation of what they've already seen took over, and we got this shockingly inept retread instead. With "Hangover Part II," the worldwide downturn in dude comedy hits its nadir. Time to chillax and recharge, bros; check out the success of "Bridesmaids"; let the ladies have a little oxygen. We can only hope. ||||| The Hangover Part II (2011)
The funniest, most reckless moments in “The Hangover Part II,” the largely mirthless sequel to the 2009 hit “ The Hangover ,” take place in the final credits, when still images flash by detailing the latest misadventures of the story’s overgrown lost boys. The outrages, most of which are once again carefully elided in the actual movie, involve a slipped knife, a tribal tattoo and Thai bar girls performing specialized party tricks. The final credits are the time when viewers meander or flee from the theater or sit in stunned or ecstatic silence or chattering communion. Here the credits just emphasize how deeply square this flick is.
Like the first movie, the new one involves a groom — here, the formerly married Stu (Ed Helms) — who, on the eve of his own wedding, experiences various forbidden pleasures. In other words, he briefly escapes his mundane reality as a nice-guy dentist before settling down with a soon-to-be wife, Lauren (Jamie Chung). As before Stu’s companions are a pretty boy, Phil (Bradley Cooper), and an odd duck, Alan (Zach Galifianakis), whose straight-man-and-dummy dynamic works along the lines of an R-rated Abbott and Costello. Stu, by contrast, is the everyman who journeys into the dark night — now, the jammed streets and clubs of Bangkok — on his way to enlightenment, though more likely another sequel.
The director Todd Phillips, who wrote the new “Hangover” with Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong (the first was credited to Jon Lucas and Scott Moore), cleaves numbingly to the script of the previous movie. Stu, with Phil, Alan, another friend, Doug (Justin Bartha) and Stu’s teenage future brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee), shares drinks, toasting his fast-approaching nuptials. A few edits later, and he, Phil and Alan are groggily waking up in a wrecked hotel room, as they did in the first movie, only this time there’s a capuchin monkey on board instead of a baby. Shrieks and panic ensue as the friends try to figure out what happened, where Teddy is and how a human finger ended up without its hand.
If you superimposed a diagram that mapped out all the narrative beats, characters and jokes in “The Hangover Part II” over one for “The Hangover,” the two would align almost perfectly. Banking on the studio adage that there’s no success like a previous box office hit, Mr. Phillips and company dutifully recycle the first movie to increasingly diminishing ends that include the baby-now-monkey, the giggly, swishy gangster Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) and the obligatory, obliging anti-wives (i.e., whores). Paul Giamatti shows up, as do Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, the director Nick Cassavetes and assorted extras filling in for monks, gangsters, strippers, merchants and gawkers. There’s a car chase, and at one point the monkey takes a computer-generated smoke, doubtless to take its mind off the movie.
Mr. Phillips throws in one good visual joke in a flashback that reveals how Alan, an overgrown child of privilege, sees himself and his friends. Mr. Galifianakis is a naturally funny screen presence, and he gives Alan a strong current of menace, turning him into a combustible teddy bear whose naïveté ignites all the trouble and serves as its convenient excuse. A walking, toddling id, the guy can’t help it, and neither can the friends he accidentally on purpose drags into his mess. In “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II” grown men cast off the shackles of everyday existence, leaving behind girlfriends, wives, parents and jobs in order to play, feel, live, which is why these nominal comedies are better thought of as tragedies.
“The Hangover Part II” is rated R (Under 17 not admitted without accompanying parent or adult guardian). The film features knife and car violence, vulgar and sexist language, and female and she-male club performers.
The Hangover Part II Opens on Thursday nationwide.
Directed by Todd Phillips; written by Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong and Mr. Phillips, based on characters created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore; director of photography, Lawrence Sher; edited by Debra Neil-Fisher and Mike Sale; music by Christophe Beck; production design by Bill Brzeski; costumes by Louise Min- genbach; produced by Mr. Phillips and Dan Goldberg; released by Warner Brothers Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes.
WITH: Bradley Cooper (Phil), Ed Helms (Stu), Zach Galifianakis (Alan), Justin Bartha (Doug), Ken Jeong (Mr. Chow), Paul Giamatti (Kingsley), Mike Tyson (Himself), Jeffrey Tambor (Sid Garner), Mason Lee (Teddy), Jamie Chung (Lauren), Nick Cassavetes (Tattoo Joe), Sasha Barrese (Tracy) and Gillian Vigman (Stephanie).
||||| The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.) isn't so much a sequel to The Hangover as a slightly blurred copy. Directed, like the wildly successful first film, by Todd Phillips, it airlifts the original characters, premise, and story structure out of Vegas and plonks them down in Bangkok in near-identical form, save for a few instances of ante-upping.
Several years after their Vegas bachelor party turned into a 48-hour nightmare involving drug-laced drinks, a prostitute's missing baby, and near-fatal encounters with both Mike Tyson and his pet tiger, the four friends meet again in Thailand for the wedding of Stu (Ed Helms), a seemingly straight-laced dentist, to Lauren (Jamie Chung), a nice, pretty Thai girl. (I'd provide a more precise description of Lauren, but that's all the movie gives me to work with: She's Thai, pretty, and nice, or, as one of Stu's buddies put it, "an angel with a solid rack.")
Besides the bridegroom, Stu, the gang includes Phil (Bradley Cooper), a handsome family man with a taste for debauchery; Doug (Justin Bartha), a bland foil who hangs around waiting to take expository phone calls; and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), a socially underdeveloped weirdo who explains his living situation as follows: "I'm a stay-at-home son." Once again, Alan has been invited along only out of grudging politeness; the other guys are creeped out by his overeager insistence that their shared experience in Vegas has bonded them forever.
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The night before the wedding, for reasons that aren't revealed until much later, an innocent round of beers around a beachside fire leads to another rabbit hole of amnesia and poor decision-making. The boys wake up the next morning in a grimy Bangkok hotel room amid various clues to the previous evening's excesses: There's a clothed monkey, a severed finger in a bowl of melted ice, and a coked-up Asian gangster (Ken Jeong) who remembers them from Vegas. Worst of all, one of their cohort—the bride's naive 17-year-old brother Teddy (Mason Lee, son of the director Ang Lee) has gone missing.
The rest of the movie spirals chaotically yet formulaically into the depths of the Bangkok underworld. Tattoo parlors are visited, transsexual prostitutes consulted, Buddhist monks rescued from drunk tanks, all in the service of finding Teddy in time for the upcoming wedding. Individual lines here and there are funny (most of them Galifianakis'), and Ed Helms has perfected his outraged splutter, but this film never achieves the anarchic liftoff the first one did. I didn't love The Hangover—it fell apart a bit in the second half, and none of these performers thrills me to my bones—but even in its weaker moments, that film had more comic integrity than this blatant cash grab. The Hangover Part II's big taboo-breaking set piece (every summer comedy is required to have one now, by order of the Ministry of Tastelessness) comes when the boys meet a "ladyboy" sex worker who claims to have provided services to one of them. The degree of horror displayed by the men when s/he reveals a set of unambiguously male genitalia is more than a little off-putting. Our heroes have, at this point, faced with equanimity the prospect that a teenage boy may be hurt and irretrievably lost in the squalor of the Bangkok underworld. Is the fact that one of them may or may not have had consensual gay sex really the worst possible thing they can imagine?
In case it's not obvious, the R-rated Hangover Part II is not suitable for children (a fact ignored by a couple of morally challenged parents at the promotional screening I attended.) It's raunchy, violent, offensive to every conceivable interest group, and liberally laced with profanity and male nudity. The whole point of this franchise is to make even jaded adults laugh in shock at the outrageous behavior on display. This strategy works best in the final credit sequence, which, in another shameless lift from the original, reveals in a series of rediscovered snapshots what happened on that one wild night in Bangkok. That minute and a half of still photos packs in more dense, economical laughs than all the laborious gross-outs and chase sequences that came before. Maybe The Hangover Part III should consider restricting itself to the slide-show format.
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A: If the first Hangover was a wild party, the second is, well, the hangover. Critics are savaging the latest effort from Todd Phillips: Writing in Salon, Andrew O’Hehir smacks the film’s “mind-boggling awfulness.” It’s a “clumsy, homophobic, cliché-ridden, and terminally unfunny sequel” that “takes dude comedy to its Sex and the City 2 nadir.” The guy who tried (and failed) to stop the film with a lawsuit was “accidentally trying to perform a public service.”
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Q: No Reconciliation for Ryan and Tatum O'Neal
This summer, Ryan and Tatum O'Neal starred on a reality series for OWN that documented their attempts to work through years of estrangement and improve their relationship. It didn't work. "We only reconciled on the show," says Ryan. "Not in life."
Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals followed the father-daughter duo through therapy sessions, Tatum's birthday party and a trip to the Palm Springs Film Festival for a screening of their 1973 film Paper Moon.
But now, "we don't speak," Ryan adds. "In fact, we're further apart now than we were when we started the show. So thanks, Oprah, for all your help." An OWN spokesperson had no comment.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now! ||||| Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images; FilmMagic Inc/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Ryan O’Neal says he and daughter Tatum are more estranged than ever, and Oprah Winfrey is to blame.
“We only reconciled on the show, not in life,” the actor told TV Guide, referring to the eight part docu-series he and Tatum starred in on Winfrey’s newly-launched ”Oprah Winfrey Network” (OWN) earlier this summer.
“In fact we’re further apart now than when we started the show,” he said. “So thanks, Oprah, for all your help.”
Father and daughter, who appeared together in the 1973 film “Paper Moon,” for which the then-10-year-old Tatum won an Oscar, endured a 25-year estrangement, much of it displayed in the public eye.
“In one word, pride,” Ryan told “Good Morning America” in June of what drove him and his daughter apart. “I thought I had all the pride. It turned out, no, there’s someone with more than me.”
The duo began talking again after the death of his Ryan’s longtime girlfriend, actress Farrah Fawcett, in 2009, and agreed to star in the reality series for OWN that documented their attempts to work through the estrangement and improve their relationship.
“ Ryan & Tatum: The O’Neals ,” which premiered June 19, showed the pair in therapy sessions, celebrating Tatum’s birthday and traveling together to the Palm Springs Film Festival for a screening of Paper Moon.
“It was a way back when there weren’t many paths,” Ryan told “GMA” in June, of why he and Tatum turned to a reality show to repair their strained father-daughter bond.
It turns out the reality of those hopeful moments on the reality show were not so real, after all.
In clips from the show’s final episode in August, the two remain conflicted towards each other, even while agreeing to continue therapy.
Both Ryan and Tatum agreed on “GMA,” after filming for the show had wrapped, that their relationship remained “tenuous.”
“It’s a work in progress,” Tatum said on “GMA.” “Relationships are tricky.”
This is not the first time O’Neal has hit back against Oprah for her involvement, or lack thereof, in the show.
“I thought that was the thing – that Oprah would be there and use her magic on us,” he told xfinityTV in June. “I thought she’d bless us and that would help. We spent New Year’s Eve with her, and she was very encouraging. Then we never saw her again. And haven’t heard from her. When she finished her show, I supposed she’d come by and talk to us, but they said no, she’s going on holiday. So Tatum and I were left to deal with each other on our own.”
A spokesman for OWN had no comment.
Ryan O’Neal’s camp is now furiously backpedaling on the TV Guide quote.
“That is a very old statement that the magazine just published,” O’Neal’s spokesman, Arnold Robinson, told “GMA.” “They are of course still working on strengthening their relationship, which is an on-going process.”
Robinson also noted that Tatum O’Neal joined her father in court a few weeks ago to offer support as her half-brother, Redmond, Ryan’s son with Fawcett, faced another drug charge.
TV Guide responded to Robinson’s characterization of O’Neal’s quotes in a statement to ABC News.
“We interviewed Ryan O’Neal recently, and published his quotes shortly thereafter. We stand by our story,” Debra Birnbaum, the magazine’s editor-in-chief told ABC.
Whatever the truth, life is more complicated than reality TV. Perhaps there’s room for a sequel. |||||
A:
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Bad news: Turns out Oprah Winfrey is not always the magic antidote for what ails you, a lesson Ryan O’Neal learned the hard way: It seems that simply appearing in a reality show on her Oprah Winfrey Network did not manage to fix the long-troubled relationship between O'Neal and daughter Tatum. While the pair appeared to reconcile on the show, which premiered in June, they didn’t actually reconcile in real life—in fact, things are even worse now, O’Neal tells TV Guide, snarkily adding, “So thanks, Oprah, for all your help.” (O’Neal’s rep is backpedaling on the quote, calling it “very old.”) Ryan & Tatum: The O’Neals documented the pair’s attempts to mend their relationship, and featured them going to therapy, celebrating, and even traveling together. But back in June, O’Neal had already expressed his disappointment with the series—and Oprah, ABC News notes. He told xfinityTV, “I thought that was the thing—that Oprah would be there and use her magic on us. I thought she’d bless us and that would help. We spent New Year’s Eve with her, and she was very encouraging. Then we never saw her again. And haven’t heard from her. … So Tatum and I were left to deal with each other on our own.”
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Teacher:In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: Enlarge By Frank Masi, 20th Century Fox A tropical island stay is anything but paradise for June (Cameron Diaz) and Roy (Tom Cruise), who have narrowly escaped yet another attack. ABOUT THE MOVIE ABOUT THE MOVIE Knight and Day
* * * (out of four)
Stars: Tom Cruise , Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano, Viola Davis
Director: James Mangold
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout and brief strong language
Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Opens Wednesday nationwide Knight and Day is a light and breezy way to while away a couple of hours on a hot summer evening. TRAILER: Check out a bit of 'Knight & Day' FILM PIONEERS: 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' spawning 'Knight' is one example It's a quintessential movie hybrid: a romantic thriller with exciting high-speed chases, brisk comedy and exotic scenery. And, perhaps best of all, stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz make a surprisingly charming couple. The movie starts off strong during a daffy and dangerous airplane flight. Think Airplane! starring Jason Bourne. Though there were reshoots and a rumored eight screenwriters (Patrick O'Neill gets credit for the script), the film has a consistent wit and energy likely attributable to the steady directorial hand of James Mangold (Walk the Line). While a few too many action scenes feature Cruise running in his distinctive arm-pumping style — bringing to mind his similar racing around in the Mission: Impossible movies — the stunts and eye-popping maneuvers are deftly executed. How Cruise interacts with Diaz is the key to this action comedy. He plays Roy Miller, a special agent on the run. Diaz is June, the owner of a Boston garage and a good-natured cipher. She is sucked into boarding his flight after an encounter at the airport. When authorities warn that Roy is a dangerous fugitive, she doesn't know whom to believe. We feel her confusion because we're also unsure if Roy can be trusted. His kind deeds intensify our investment in his enigmatic, yet endearing, character. Cruise subtly captures Roy's longing for normalcy, while Diaz nails June's girl-next-door appeal. Roy is gentle with only two people among the dozens he encounters: June and Simon (Paul Dano), a young scientist/inventor. Watching Cruise and Diaz fend off stampeding bulls and elude bad guys as they zoom around the streets of Seville on a red motorcycle is a heap of fun. They have an easy banter amid almost non-stop action. The globe-trotting adventures of June and Roy, her surprisingly chivalrous knight, are engaging, even if the twists don't always make sense and the villains are cartoonish. And the story falters toward the end when the premise is stretched thin. But in a lackluster summer, Knight shines as an original that thankfully lacks 3-D projection, sequel connections or comic-book associations. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more |||||
Tom Cruise spends much of Knight and Day looking as if he's waiting for someone to pour casting mold over his head to make an action figure. When he's not flashing a blindingly fake grin, he's sporting a variation on the "Blue Steel'' look Ben Stiller perfected in Zoolander. Cruise's co-star, Cameron Diaz, fares better, because the movie requires her to shriek and wave her arms around a lot, which she's good at, and to walk around in a bikini or a yellow bridesmaid dress and black cowboy boots, a combo she really sells.
Too bad, though, that whenever characters stand still to talk, Knight and Day induces a fetal-curl stupor in the viewer. And the action scenes, which are intentionally preposterous and over the top and meant to be borderline comical, are just ridiculous. A motorcycle chase through the streets of Spain during the running of the bulls is a great idea. A motorcycle chase through the streets of Spain during the running of computer-generated bulls is not a great idea.
There is a sequence early on involving speeding trucks, vans, motorcycles and a tunnel that had the potential to be a mini-classic. Director James Mangold (Walk the Line) stages the action so things happen unexpectedly at the edge of the frame, startling you - except that most of it looks like a video game. When Diaz verbally references Grand Theft Auto, she's not kidding.
There are so many CG and green-screen effects in Knight and Day, the movie could almost pass for Sin City II. In one scene, Cruise and Diaz are driving in a car having a conversation, and the exteriors through the windows look so fake you wonder if Mangold wasn't paying homage to Hitchcock's love for rear projection. He's not, though.
The only thing Knight and Day pays homage to is Cruise's enormous ego, who apparently believes audiences would want to watch him in roles like this one. Cruise is playing a character who is essentially unplayable: Roy Miller, a super-super secret agent who makes 007 look like a playground sissy. Roy can outrun computer-generated jets. He can fly computer-generated planes, He can magically transport unconscious people from the middle of remote wheat fields into the safety of their bedrooms, and he can anticipate every move his opponents make, as if he had ESP. Roy, who may or may not be crazy, even appears to be immortal: In one scene, we see him riddled by bullets and falling into a river, and then he shows up a few scenes later, unscratched and unhurt, with no explanation as to how he survived.
I know Knight and Day is not intended to be the sort of movie in which logic plays much of a role. But the chemistry between Cruise and Diaz is nonexistent (there's a reason why Cameron Crowe cast them as bitter exes in Vanilla Sky). Cruise's considerable magnetism has utterly abandoned him - anybody could be playing Roy - and without any character to engage the viewer, the film becomes a long slog through slick, noisy emptiness.
And I mean noisy. In one scene, Diaz, who plays a gearhead who specializes in restoring old cars, is handed a machine-gun by Cruise so she can defend herself against baddies. Suddenly, without explanation, she starts shrieking, holding the trigger down and waving the weapon around like a marching baton, spraying bullets everywhere. Diaz can play a lot of roles, but screaming ninnies don't suit her. Neither does this movie.
Knight and Day (* out of ****) opens in South Florida on Wednesday June 23. ||||| Why is everyone giving Tom Cruise such a hard time? Can't we just forget about what happened on Oprah's couch? Is that asking too much? Is the movie business so flush with charismatic stars who can carry a picture that it can afford to eat its young? I don't think so.If you doubt Cruise's skills in the star department, "Knight and Day" should make you a believer. It's hardly a perfect film, not even close, but it is the most entertaining made-for-adults studio movie of the summer, and one of the reasons it works at all is the great skill and commitment Cruise brings to the starring role.A genial romantic thriller that very much wants to be in the mold of such Alfred Hitchcock entertainments as "North by Northwest" and "To Catch a Thief," or even Stanley Donen 's "Charade," "Knight and Day" is inevitably light on plausibility but, with Cameron Diaz Viola Davis and Paul Dano joining Cruise, it is strong in the acting department."Knight and Day" is also fortunate to have James Mangold in charge. As he demonstrated in "Walk the Line" and "3:10 to Yuma," Mangold is one of the few current directors who has an instinct for reasonably intelligent popular entertainment. His films don't end up on 10-best lists, but you walk out of them feeling you've gotten what you paid for, and that is an increasingly rare commodity.As those credits indicate, Mangold also works well with actors, and he and Cruise completely understand the old-fashioned movie star charm necessary to animate top-drawer secret agent Roy Miller, someone who does everything better when he's wearing sunglasses. Even the film's first shot, with everyone out of focus but Miller, underlines his position as "Knight and Day's" indispensable man.Patrick O'Neill's energetic script involves a classic movie MacGuffin, Hitchcock's famous name for the ultimately irrelevant plot element everyone on screen is after. Here it's the Zephyr, a tiny battery created by wacky Gyro Gearloose-type inventor Simon Feck (Dano) that is apparently "the first perpetual energy source since the sun."What "Knight and Day" is really about, however, is Miller's burgeoning relationship with June Havens (Diaz), beautiful but a bit scattered when our hero glimpses her in a Wichita , Kan., airport.Miller first views this blond in cowboy boots who restores old cars simply as a civilian he can use in his ongoing battles with the hordes who are after him. But before you can say "Boston! Salzburg! Seville!" the secret agent takes on 12 armed opponents in an elaborately choreographed battle on a 727 and the two of them are flying all over the world trying to escape not one but two sets of adversaries.Most pressing is the CIA , Miller's old outfit, whose ranks are under the impression that our man has gone rogue. The excellent Peter Sarsgaard makes for a wonderfully oily villain, reminiscent of the irreplaceable James Mason , and Viola Davis adds welcome dramatic heft as the CIA's director of counterespionage.Also in on the hunt is the foreign arms dealer no self-respecting thriller can afford to be without. In this case, he's the dread Spaniard Antonio Quintana (Jordi Mollà), a man with access to an unlimited supply of ruthless assassins.Diaz supplies her own kind of charisma as the innocent floundering in waters way over her head. She's a good counterweight to Cruise (both apparently did a lot of their own stunts) even though the script does have her panicking a lot and screaming things like, "Please stop shooting people.""Knight and Day" also features a ton of action, including a wild car and motorcycle chase through Seville's winding streets. Though it can seem at times as if the film is throwing too much at us too often (Hitchcock is dead and he's not coming back), it is, fittingly, Cruise who inevitably comes to the rescue.For Roy Miller is not only a peerless action machine; he is also an unflappable and unfailingly polite gentleman, always ready with a comforting remark or a compliment no matter how chaotic the situation. Cruise's charming facility with Miller's deadpan spy-side manner is this film's secret weapon, and yet another reason why we should put Oprah's couch in storage once and for all. |||||
Student:
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Lighthearted spy thriller Knight and Day is an entertaining, if not especially memorable, summer movie, say critics. How much you'll like it, they say, depends very much on how much you like Tom Cruise, who plays a crackpot CIA agent. Knight and Day "is hardly a perfect film, not even close, but it is the most entertaining made-for-adults studio movie of the summer, writes Kenneth Turan at the Los Angeles Times. "One of the reasons it works at all is the great skill and commitment Cruise brings to the starring role." Cruise and co-star Cameron Diaz make "a surprisingly charming couple," writes Claudia Puig at USA Today. "They have an easy banter amid almost non-stop action." Action scenes meant to be over-the-top are just ridiculous, complains Rene Rodriguez at the Miami Herald. "A motorcycle chase through the streets of Spain during the running of the bulls is a great idea. A motorcycle chase through the streets of Spain during the running of computer-generated bulls is not a great idea," he writes. Tom Cruise has become a lot more interesting since he jumped up and down on Oprah's couch, writes Ty Burr at the Boston Globe. Knight and Day is "a piece of high-octane summer piffle: stylish, funny, brainless without being too obnoxious about it, and Cruise is its manic animating principle."
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task1291_multi_news_summarization
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Teacher:In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: ANGELS FYI Tommy Hanson returns to Angels
Pitcher had been dealing with mental issues since the death of his stepbrother.
“I was having mental issues with the death of my younger brother,” said Hanson, 26, two years older than his deceased brother. “I was just trying to get through it. I didn’t know how to handle it.
The Angels were about to fly to Houston. They called him in for a private meeting and told him to stay home, and to take all the time he needed to get well.
Iannetta was not the only teammate to wonder.
Tommy Hanson spent six days away from the Angels — long enough, he thought, to mourn the death of his stepbrother. In his second start after rejoining the team, catcher Chris Iannetta called time out and walked to the mound.
“That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. I didn’t know how to cope with it.”
Hanson returned to the Angels’ clubhouse — and to a fair number of hugs — on Tuesday, after three weeks away from the team. He said he spent time in California, with his father and stepmother, working out at UC Irvine and Soka University, until reporting to the Angels’ Arizona training complex last week.
“Physically, I feel great,” he said. “I’m in great shape. I just had to deal with the issues going on in my head.”
Hanson wouldn’t discuss the specifics of how he dealt with those issues.
He said he expects to start Friday but said the final word would come from Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. Jerome Williams, whose turn in the rotation comes up Friday, said before the game that he had not been told of any change in his status.
Scioscia declined to say when Hanson would start but said Joe Blanton would remain in the rotation. Blanton took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs and seven hits in seven innings. He is 1-8 with a 5.98 earned-run average, and has given up the most hits and taken the most losses of any pitcher in the American League.
“Joe is hopefully turning the corner on his rough start,” Scioscia said. “He’s pitched a strong start for us the last couple outings. We’re going to need him as we move forward.”
Scioscia said after the game that Williams could help in the bullpen for the “next couple days” but would get one more start. It is unlikely the Angels would use a six-man rotation for more than one turn.
“Whatever role settles for Jerome, it will be an important one,” Scioscia said.
Williams has delivered four consecutive quality starts since rejoining the rotation. He is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA in five starts, with a 1.69 ERA in eight relief appearances.
In order to clear a roster spot to reinstate Hanson, the Angels put left-hander Sean Burnett on the disabled list because of a sore left elbow. Burnett, who previously missed 22 games because of irritation in his left arm, said X-rays were negative and doctors injected him with a lubricant in the hope of fighting inflammation.
“I’m kind of like the Tin Man,” Burnett said. “I was a little squeaky, so they lubed me up.”
Etc.
Outfielder Josh Hamilton was scratched from the lineup after reporting back stiffness during batting practice. Scioscia said he would be evaluated Wednesday. … The Angels plan to activate Jered Weaver on Wednesday.
bill.shaikin@latimes.com
Twitter: @BillShaikin ||||| Just One More Thing...
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Close ||||| "Devastated" was the simple and fitting response one of Hanson's closest friends provided as he attempted to deal with the grief early Tuesday morning. This seemed to be a common sentiment among the many who had the pleasure of knowing the big redheaded right-hander, who possessed a bushy beard and a kind heart.
Among those expressing their sorrow was Andrelton Simmons, who tweeted, "Very sad to hear about Tommy Hanson. Wish his family and close friends a lot of strength. He was a really nice dude. :/"
Very sad to hear about Tommy Hanson. Wish his family and close friends a lot of strength. He was a really nice dude. :/ — Andrelton Simmons (@Andrelton) November 10, 2015
Braves president John Schuerholz said in a statement on Tuesday the team was "incredibly saddened":
"He was a favorite in the clubhouse and with our staff and he will truly be missed by everyone in Braves Country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, family, former teammates and friends."
Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, now with the Padres, tweeted about Hanson on Tuesday: "Tommy Hanson was a great person, it hurts my heart to see him go so soon. My prayers and thoughts are with the Hanson family."
Tommy Hanson was a great person, it hurts my heart to see him go so soon. My prayers and thoughts are with the Hanson family. — Craig Kimbrel (@kimbrel46) November 10, 2015
Also taking to Twitter was Oakland's Josh Reddick, who wrote, "Thoughts and prayers to the family of Tommy Hanson. Great guy and competitor. RIP"
Thoughts and prayers to the family of Tommy Hanson. Great guy and competitor. RIP — Josh Reddick (@RealJoshReddick) November 10, 2015
Hanson established himself as baseball's top pitching prospect after he dominated as the 2008 MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He made his much-anticipated Major League debut the following June and ended his first month at the big league level by winning four consecutive starts, including two straight against the Yankees and Red Sox at Turner Field.
Hanson fans 14 ATL@HOU: Hanson fans 14 Astros en route to the win 6/12/11: Tommy Hanson fans 14 Astros in seven innings of work to earn the win for the Braves
After producing a 3.28 ERA over the 77 starts made during his first three Major League seasons, Hanson was hampered by a shoulder and back ailment that altered his career. The Braves traded him to the Angels after the 2012 season, and he did not pitch at the Major League level after making 15 appearances for the 2013 Angels.
He spent the past two seasons pitching in the White Sox and Giants organizations. Though he finished this past season with a 5.60 ERA in 11 appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, he went 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings in his last four starts.
Rosenthal on passing of Hanson Former Major Leaguer Tommy Hanson passes away at 29 Ken Rosenthal discusses the passing of former Braves and Angels pitcher Tommy Hanson at the age of 29
"The Giants are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Tommy Hanson," the Giants said in a statement. "Tommy was a great talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the many people who were lucky enough to know him. "
Hanson had a 49-35 record, 3.80 ERA and 648 strikeouts in his Major League career. ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Tommy Hanson suffered "catastrophic organ failure" and slipped into a coma. The former Atlanta Braves pitcher died with his old teammates by his side. WXIA-TV
Tommy Hanson, 29, last pitched in the majors in 2013 with the Angels. (Photo: Ben Margot, AP)
Tommy Hanson, the hard-throwing right-hander whose major league career was sidetracked by injury and personal loss, died Monday night after slipping into a coma in Atlanta, the Braves announced.
Hanson, 29, suffered "catastrophic organ failure" on Monday, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta, and had been hospitalized since early Sunday morning.
Hanson, a 6-6, 220-pounder known for his amiable personality, last pitched in the major leagues in 2013 with the Los Angeles Angels. He spent nearly a month away from the club that year as he coped with the sudden death of his stepbrother.
He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, when he won 11 games and posted a 2.89 earned-run average for the Atlanta Braves.
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of Tommy's tragic passing," said Braves president John Schuerholz in a statement released by the club. "He was a favorite in the clubhouse and with our staff and he will truly be missed by everyone in Braves Country.
My heart is broken today. Tommy Hanson was a great teammate, friend and pitcher. We all loved and pulled for him. We ALL will miss him. #RIP — Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) November 10, 2015
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, family, former teammates and friends."
Shoulder discomfort bothered him as recently as 2010, and limited him to just 22 starts in 2011.
While Hanson made 31 starts and won 13 games for the Braves in 2012, they traded him to the Los Angeles Angels that off-season for reliever Jordan Walden. When his stepbrother passed away that spring, Hanson took six days off from the team, made one start, and then realized he needed more time away to mourn.
He returned to the Angels three weeks later.
"I was having mental issues with the death of my younger brother,” Hanson, then 26, told reporters then. "I was just trying to get through it. I didn’t know how to handle it.
"That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. I didn’t know how to cope with it.”
He made 13 starts for the Angels in 2013, and made his final major league appearance, a relief outing, on Sept. 28.
Very sad to hear about Tommy Hanson. Wish his family and close friends a lot of strength. He was a really nice dude. :/ — Andrelton Simmons (@Andrelton) November 10, 2015
Hanson signed with the Texas Rangers in February 2014 only to be released a month later. In another attempt at a comeback, he signed with the Chicago White Sox in April 2014 and spent the season in the minors before an injury cut his season short. He was granted his free agency after the season.
In May, Hanson signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants and appeared for their Class A and AAA teams in San Jose and San Francisco.
In five major league seasons, four with the Braves, Hanson went 49-35 with a 3.80 ERA.
Contributing: Bob Nightengale
GALLERY: Tommy Hanson, 1986-2015 ||||| Family says Hanson is in a coma after being moved to Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital late Monday morning due to catastrophic organ failure.
Channel 2 Action News has learned former Altanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson, 29, has died.
Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein obtained the initial incident report from the Coweta County Sheriff's Office that listed Hanson had overdosed.
We've obtained Tommy Hanson initial incident report
Crime Incident listed as "Overdose"
Official cause will be known in toxicology report — Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) November 10, 2015
An official cause of death has yet to come from the coroner.
Klein broke the news Monday that Hanson was in a coma after being moved to Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital late Monday morning due to catastrophic organ failure.
Hanson was moved to Piedmont so doctors could run a variety of tests to determine why his organs failed.
Source told Klein that Hanson's problems started early Sunday morning and Hanson was then rushed to a nearby hospital after he started having trouble breathing.
Per MLB source, former #Braves pitcher
Tommy Hanson has passed away
He was 29 #RIPTH 🙏 — Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) November 10, 2015
John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves President released a statement on behalf of the entire Braves organization Tuesday:
“We are incredibly saddened to learn of Tommy's tragic passing. He was a favorite in the clubhouse and with our staff and he will truly be missed by everyone in Braves Country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, family, former teammates and friends.”
The 6-foot-6 redhead was known for his affable personality, and was one of the most popular Braves among teammates and fans during his years with the team. “Big Red” was 45-32 with a 3.61 ERA in 108 starts for the Braves, with at least 10 wins in each of his four seasons with them.
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a rookie in Hanson’s final season with the Braves, tweeted just before 1 a.m. Tuesday: “Very sad to hear about Tommy Hanson. Wish his family and close friends a lot of strength. He was a really nice dude.”
Hanson made his Braves debut in 2009. He had a 49-35 record and 3.80 ERA in 123 games (121 starts) over five major league seasons, the first four of those with the Braves. Shoulder problems and a concussion stalled his career, and he last pitched in the majors in 2013 with the Los Angeles Angels after being traded by the Braves in December 2012.
The Angels tweeted, “Send our thoughts for former (angels) starting pitcher Tommy Hanson at this time."
Born in Tulsa, Okla., Hanson was raised in California and graduated from Redlands East Valley High School in 2004. He was a 22nd-round draft pick by the Braves in 2005 out of Riverside (Calif.) Community College. |||||
Student:
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Tommy Hanson, the friendly pitcher known as "Big Red" whose MLB career was stalled by injuries and personal loss, died Monday night at the age of 29, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Hanson, who pitched four seasons for the Atlanta Braves and ended his major league stint with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013, started having breathing troubles on Sunday and fell into a coma at Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital on Monday after suffering "catastrophic organ failure," multiple sources tell WSB-TV. The 6-foot-6-inch 220-pounder, who was 49-35 with a 3.80 ERA over his career, had been scooped up by the Braves in the 22nd round of the 2005 draft and was eyed as a future star, ESPN notes. He went on to place third in votes in the National League's 2009 Rookie of the Year contest, per USA Today. But things went downhill from there. Hanson suffered injuries over the next few years, including his shoulder and a concussion, WSB notes. And the death of his stepbrother in 2013 sent him reeling: He took two separate breaks from the Angels to mourn, USA Today reports. "I was having mental issues with the death of my younger brother," he said at the time. "I didn't know how to handle it." He became a free agent later that year and tried to come back, first with the Texas Rangers (he was released after one month), then in the minors with the Chicago White Sox and the San Francisco Giants. The baseball world is filled with "shock and sadness," per MLB.com, especially his old Braves teammates. A team rep tells the site that some of Hanson's ex-colleagues were near him when he died, and the Braves tweeted a goodbye to him early Tuesday that simply said, "RIP, Tommy."
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task1291_multi_news_summarization
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In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Q: TheWashingtonPost Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘possible’ lost fresco (Photos)
A Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece may be hidden behind a fresco in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio, art historians say.
Da Vinci’s “The Battle of Anghiari” is said to be preserved on a wall behind Giorgio Vasari’s “The Battle of Marciano,” after chemical analysis of probes through the existing mural found paint also used in the “Mona Lisa.” However, the project is controversial — experts are critical of the damage to Vasari’s painting that will occur — and historians say their research is “not conclusive,” according to the BBC.
This photo shows an endoscope being thread into the Vasari wall to find signs of the lost Leonardo painting "The Battle of Anghiari" in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. (DAVE YODER/National Geographic - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Historian Maurizio Seracini of the University of California San Diego suspected that the work was hidden behind the Vasari wall because of a clue that the artist left: A soldier in Vasari’s work holding a small flag that said: “He who seeks, finds.”
A research team has drilled small holes in the Vasari work and encountered an air cavity. They believe that Vasari bricked a separate wall over the Da Vinci work because he was unwilling to paint directly over it for his own mural. A sample of the paint that came back on the probe was “was similar to black pigment found in brown glazes on Leonardo’s Mona Lisa and St. John the Baptist, identified in a recently published scientific paper by the Louvre, which analysed all the Da Vinci paintings in its collection,” the team said in the Guardian.
The painting that may be hiding behind the Vasari is an epic scene of a battle on horseback, painted in 1504. The Vasari fresco was painted in 1563. The Da Vinci painting had been admired and copied by the artist’s peers, including Peter Paul Rubens, whose drawing of the scene is in the collection of the Louvre.
A view of a banner showing the painting which might be hidden behind the Vasari wall on March 12, 2012, at its location in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio during a press conference. (DARIO THUBURN - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
This picture released by the National Geographic on March 12, 2012, shows the endoscope and sampling tool used to investigate the air gap behind the Vasari mural in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. (DAVE YODER/National Geographic - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
This picture, released by the National Geographic on March 12, 2012, shows a sampling tool about to be placed into the Vasari wall in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio to extract material for analysis. (DAVE YODER/National Geographic - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
National Geographic Fellow Maurizio Seracini, foreground, and his team viewing footage captured by the endoscope behind the Vasari wall at Palazzo Vecchio. (DAVE YODER/National Geographic - AFP/GETTY IMAGES) ||||| It sounds like the stuff of riveting mystery novels: A team of researchers has spent nearly 40 years searching for a long-lost painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, and may have located it beneath another work that was painted over it.
The research team, lead by University of California at San Diego professor Maurizio Seracini, announced today that it could be one step closer in its search to find Da Vinci's lost masterpiece "The Battle of Anghiari," which he began painting in 1505 but left unfinished when he left Florence in 1506.
Seracini's team, which is sponsored by the UCSD and The National Geographic Society, used probes to drill a few small holes in a fresco painted by Giorgio Vasari located in the Piazzo Vecchio's Hall of the 1500s.
They sampled the chemical content of the paint beneath a small gap behind Vasari's work. Their analysis showed that the chemical composition was similar to that in the paint that Da Vinci used when he painted the "Mona Lisa" and "St. John the Baptist," according to the Associated Press.
Get a look at the investigators at work. See photos by clicking here.
Seracini told reporters during a press conference today that the fragments of red, black and beige paint found beneath Vasari's work is consistent with the organic paint Da Vinci used on his frescoes.
"We have found these very special black pigments...and there are some traces of a red lacquer," he told Eurovision. "The red lacquer is not a pigment usually used on murals, because it would not last, and it is expansive. The red lacquer is used for oil painting. And this element matches with Leonardo's plan to paint his 'Battle of Anghiari' with oil technique."
"Although we are still in the preliminary stages of the research and there is still a lot of work to be done to solve this mystery, the evidence does suggest that we are searching in the right place," Seracini said.
Vasari's painting, "Battle Marciano in Val di Chiana," was painted in 1563 in Florence's Piazzo Vecchio when the Hall of the 1500s was being remodeled. Vasari painted several frescoes there and the Da Vinci masterpiece was thought to be destroyed, reported Eurovision.
But Seracini, when surveying the hall using laser and radar methods, discovered air gaps behind the fresco and suspected that Vasari built a wall in front of Da Vinci's unfinished masterpiece and painted it over with a fresco in order to preserve it.
Seracini also discovered a telling clue: Vasari included a soldier in the fresco who holds a flag that reads, "He who seeks, finds."
Seracini, who was featured in Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code," obtained permission from the city of Florence to drill holes into Vasari's painting, and also has the backing of renowned art restoration institute Opificio delle Pietre Dure. But a number of art historians and experts think his research is bogus.
Experts Challenge Search for Lost Da Vinci
Tomaso Montanari, a professor at the University of Naples Federico II, has spearheaded a petition signed by more than 100 art historians who oppose the process, including experts from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The National Gallery in London. Montanari told ABC News that Serafina's process is not transparent and is based on sensationalism rather than science. "It is just propaganda," he said.
Moreover, Montanari said that the paint beneath Vasari's fresco could be ornamental decoration, or paint used by other artists in Florence during the same time period. And because of Da Vinci's experimental painting technique, it's unlikely that "The Battle of Anghiari" would be preserved for so long.
Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi told reporters they may decide to remove parts of the Vasari work which were restored in the 19th and 20th centuries in order to look behind them.
"We are sure that the 'Battle of Anghiari' is behind" Vasari's work, he told the Associated Press. |||||
A:
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Indefatigable art experts believed they've discovered the location of a long-sought Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece hidden behind another painting in Florence. A California team searching for the masterpiece Battle of Anghiari are convinced it's painted on a wall of the Palazzo Vecchio—behind another painting by Giorgio Vasari. They sampled the chemical content of the red, black and beige paint beneath Vasari's fresco, and discovered it matched the paint used on the Mona Lisa and Da Vinci's St. John the Baptist, reports ABC News. An unusual red lacquer typically used for oil painting is also consistent with Da Vinci's plan to do his battle painting in oil, notes researcher Maurizio Seracini, a professor at UC-San Diego. Though much work remains to be done, "the evidence suggests we are searching in the right place," he said. Other experts are not so convinced, reports the Washington Post, and call Seracini's claims "propaganda," though the mayor of Florence is certain the painting is hidden behind Vasari's. Da Vinci began painting Battle on Anghiari in 1505, but stopped a year later when he left Florence. Vasari's Battle Marciano in Val di Chiana was painted in 1563 in the Palazzo Vecchio when the Hall of the 1500s was being remodeled. Da Vinci's painting was thought to be destroyed then. But Seracini discovered spaces behind Vasari's painting, and began to suspect that the Da Vinci was still on the real wall underneath a kind of false front made for the newer fresco. Vasari himself may have left a tantalizing clue. One of his painted soldiers holds a flag reading: "He who seeks, finds."
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task1291_multi_news_summarization
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You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Q: Statement: ୧୯୯୨ ମସିହାରେ <MASK>ଠାରେ ମିଳିତ ହୋଇ ଏକ ମୋର୍ଚ୍ଚା ଗଠନ କଲେ । ଏହାର ମୂଳ ଉଦ୍ଦେଶ୍ୟ ଥିଲା ସାନ୍ତାଳୀ ଭାଷାର ସରକାରୀ ସ୍ୱୀକୃତି ପାଇଁ ଦାବୀ ଜଣାଇବା । ବସ୍ତୁତଃ, ସାନ୍ତାଳୀ ସମ୍ପ୍ରଦାୟର ନବଜାଗରଣ ସୃଷ୍ଟି କରିବାରେ ସାନ୍ତାଳୀ ଭାଷା ପ୍ରମୁଖ ଭୂମିକା ତୁଲାଇଥିଲା । ବିଭିନ୍ନ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ, ରେଳରୋକ, ବିକ୍ଷୋଭ ଆଦି ସରକାରଙ୍କ ଉପରେ ଚାପ ପକାଇଥିଲା । ଶେଷରେ ଅଟଳ ବିହାରୀ ବାଜପେୟୀଙ୍କ ପ୍ରଧାନମନ୍ତ୍ରୀତ୍ୱ କାଳରେ ୨୦୦୩ମସିହା ଡିସେମ୍ବର ୨୨ ତାରିଖରେ ମୈଥିଳୀ, ବୋଡ଼ୋ, ଡୋଗ୍ରୀ ଓ ସାନ୍ତାଳୀ ଏପରି ୪ଟି ଭାଷାକୁ ଏକକାଳୀନ ସରକାରୀ ସ୍ୱୀକୃତି ମିଳିଥିଲା ।
Option A: ଆସାମ
Option B: ଝାଡ଼ଖଣ୍ଡ
Option C: ଝାଡ଼ଗ୍ରାମ
Option D: ପଶ୍ଚିମବଙ୍ଗ
A:
|
ଝାଡ଼ଗ୍ରାମ
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
Given the task definition and input, reply with output. You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: ପଞ୍ଚସଖାଙ୍କ ପରେ <MASK>ର ଚୈତନ୍ୟ ଦାସଙ୍କ ରଚନା ମଧ୍ୟ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସାହିତ୍ୟକୁ ଉନ୍ନତ କରିଛି । ଏହି କାଳରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାରେ ପ୍ରଥମ ଜୀବନୀ ଲେଖକ ଦିବାକର ଦାସଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ଲେଖାଯାଇଥିଲା । ଶ୍ରୀ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥଙ୍କ ପରମ ଭକ୍ତ ସାଲବେଗଙ୍କ ଭକ୍ତି ରଚନା ମଧ୍ୟ ଅଗ୍ରଗଣ୍ୟ ।
Option A: ଖଡ଼ିଆଳ
Option B: ଗଞ୍ଜାମ
Option C: ଗଜପତି
Option D: କଳାହାଣ୍ଡି
|
ଖଡ଼ିଆଳ
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then some input of the task.
You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: ୨୦୧୨ ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜାତିୟ ମହିଳା ଟ୍ୱେଣ୍ଟି୨୦ ବିଶ୍ୱକପ ଅକ୍ଟୋବର ୩ରେ ଖେଳାଯାଇଥିବା କଲମ୍ବୋ <MASK>ଠାରେ, ଶ୍ରୀଲଙ୍କା ବିରୁଦ୍ଧ ସୃଖଳାରେ ଏକତା ହ୍ୟାଟ୍ରିକ୍ ୱିକେଟ ନେଇଥିଲେ, ଯାହା ଫଳରେ ଶ୍ରୀଲଙ୍କା ମହିଳା କ୍ରିକେଟ ଦଳ ୨୦ ଓଭରରେ ୮ଟି ଉଇକେଟ ହରାଇ ମାତ୍ର ୧୦୦ ରନ କରିପାରିଥିଲା ଏବଂ ଭାରତ ମାତ୍ର ୧୪ ଓଭରରେ କେବଳ ଗୋଟିଏ ଉଇକେଟ ହରାଇ ଏହି ସୃଙ୍ଖଳାଟି ଜିତିପାରିଥିଲା।
Option A: ଶ୍ରୀଲଙ୍କା
Option B: ଜର୍ମାନ
Option C: ଭାରତ
Option D: ଉତ୍ତରାଖଣ୍ଡ
Output:
|
ଶ୍ରୀଲଙ୍କା
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 1
|
train
|
You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: ୧୯୨୧ ମସିହାରେ ମହାତ୍ମାଗାନ୍ଧିଙ୍କ ଡାକରାରେ ଅସହଯୋଗ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଥିଲା ଓ ଏହାର ଦମନ ସ୍ୱରୂପ ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ସରକାର ନାନାଦି ଅତ୍ୟାଚାର ସହ ନୂତନ ଟିକସ ମାନ ଲାଗୁ କରିଥିଲେ । ଏହି ସମୟରେ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ସଶସ୍ତ୍ର ଆଦିବାସୀ ବିଦ୍ରୋହ ଦେଖାଯାଇଥିଲା । କୋରାପୁଟ ଜିଲ୍ଲାର ଗୁଣୁପୁର ,ରାୟଗଡାରେ “ଗୁମ୍ମା ଗରବା ମେଳି” ବା “ଗାଇବା ପିଲା ମେଳି” ସଂଘଟିତ ହେଇଥଲା । ପାରଳାଖେମୁଣ୍ଡି ଅଞ୍ଚଳର ମୁଠାଦାର ମାନେ ସରକାରଙ୍କ ବିରୁଦ୍ଧରେ ମେଳି କରିଥିଲେ । କୋରପୁଟକୁ ଲାଗି <MASK> ( ବର୍ତମାନର ଛତିଶଗଡ଼ )ରେ “ବସ୍ତର ମେଳି” ନାମରେ ବିପ୍ଲବ ହେଇଥିଲା । ଏହି ସମୟରେ ଆନ୍ଧ୍ରପ୍ରଦେଶରେ ଆଲୁରୀ ସୀତାରାମ ରାଜୁଙ୍କ ନେତୃତ୍ୱରେ ରମ୍ଫା ଫିତୁରୀ ବା ମେଳି ଅନ୍ୟତମ ମୁଖ୍ୟ ଘଟଣା । ଏହି ମେଳି ଆଦିବାସୀମାନଙ୍କ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ବହୁଳ ଭାବରେ ବନ୍ଧୁକର ବ୍ୟବହାର ପ୍ରସାର କରିଥିଲା ।
Option A: ମଧ୍ୟପ୍ରଦେଶ
Option B: ବ୍ରହ୍ମପୁର
Option C: ଛତିଶଗଡ଼
Option D: ଆନ୍ଧ୍ରପ୍ରଦେଶ
ମଧ୍ୟପ୍ରଦେଶ
Statement: ପ୍ରିୟଙ୍କା ଚୋପ୍ରା (ଜନ୍ମ: ୧୮ ଜୁଲାଇ ୧୯୮୨), ଜଣେ ଭାରତୀୟ ଚଳଚ୍ଚିତ୍ର ଅଭିନେତ୍ରୀ, ଗାୟିକା, ଚଳଚ୍ଚିତ୍ର ପ୍ରଯୋଜିକା, ସମାଜ ସେବୀ ଏବଂ ମିସ୍ ୱାରଲ୍ଡ-୨୦୦୦ ବିଜୟୀନି । ସେ ଭାରତୀୟ ଚଳଚ୍ଚିତ୍ର ସହ ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜାତୀୟ ଚଳଚ୍ଚିତ୍ରରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଅଭିନୟ କରିଛନ୍ତି । ୨୦୧୬ ମସିହାରେ ଭାରତ ସରକାରଙ୍କ ତରଫରୁ ପ୍ରିୟଙ୍କାଙ୍କୁ <MASK> ସମ୍ମାନ ପ୍ରଦାନ କରାଯାଇଥିଲା ।
Option A: ପଦ୍ମଶ୍ରୀ
Option B: ଦିଲ୍ଲୀ
Option C: ବିହାର
Option D: ଝାଡ଼ଖଣ୍ଡ
ପଦ୍ମଶ୍ରୀ
Statement: ଅନେକ ଲୋକପ୍ରିୟ ସମ୍ବଲପୁରୀ ଗୀତ ସେ ରଚନା କରିଛନ୍ତି । ତେବେ ରଚିତ ରଙ୍ଗବତୀ ଗୀତ ଓଡ଼ିଶା ସମେତ ପଶ୍ଚିମ ବଙ୍ଗ, <MASK>, ଝାଡ଼ଖଣ୍ଡ, ଛତିଶଗଡ଼ ଓ ଆନ୍ଧ୍ର ପ୍ରଦେଶ ଓ ଭାରତର ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ଜନାଦୃତ ହୋଇଛି । ଜିତେନ୍ଦ୍ର ହରିପାଲ ଏବଂ କ୍ରୀଷ୍ଣା ପଟେଲ 'ରଙ୍ଗବତୀ' ଗୀତ ଗାଈ ପ୍ରସିଦ୍ଧ ହେଇଥିଲେ । ରଙ୍ଗବତୀ ଗୀତଟି ୨୦୦୭ ମସିହାରେ ଦିଲ୍ଲୀଠାରେ ସାଧାରଣତନ୍ତ୍ର ଦିବସ ପ୍ୟାରେଡ଼ର ଓଡ଼ିଶା ଝାଙ୍କିରେ ବଜାଯାଇଥିଲା ।
Option A: ବିହାର
Option B: ଝାଡ଼ଖଣ୍ଡ
Option C: ଛତିଶଗଡ଼
Option D: ପଦ୍ମଶ୍ରୀ
|
ବିହାର
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
Teacher:You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: Statement: ତାରିଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର ଓଡ଼ିଶାର କେନ୍ଦୁଝର ଜିଲ୍ଲାର <MASK>ରେ ଥିବା ଏକ ଠାକୁରାଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର । ଏଠାକାର ଅଧିଷ୍ଠାତ୍ରୀ ଦେବୀ ତାରିଣୀ । ପ୍ରବାଦରେ ଅଛି ଘଟଗାଁଠାରେ ଥିବା ମା ତାରିଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିରକୁ ୧୪୮୦ ମସିହାରେ କେନ୍ଦୁଝରର ତତ୍କାଳୀନ ରାଜା ଗୋବିନ୍ଦ ଭଞ୍ଜଦେଓ ନିର୍ମାଣ କରେଇଥିଲେ । ପୁରୀର ତତ୍କାଳୀନ ଗଜପତି ମହାରାଜାଙ୍କ ଆଦେଶକ୍ରମେ ମା ତାରିଣୀ ନୂଆ ମନ୍ଦିର ଘଟଗାଁଠାରେ ଶକ୍ତିପୀଠ ଭାବରେ ସ୍ଥାପିତ ହେଇପାରିଥିଲା । ମା ତାରିଣୀଙ୍କଠାରେ ମନାସିକ କାଲେ ତାହା ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ପୂରଣ ହୁଏ ବୋଲି ଭକ୍ତଙ୍କ ବିଶ୍ୱାସ ଥାଏ ।
Option A: କେନ୍ଦୁଝର
Option B: ଆନନ୍ଦପୁର
Option C: ଘଟଗାଁ
Option D: କାଞ୍ଚି
Student:
|
ଘଟଗାଁ
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
Q: You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: <MASK> ଓପନରେ ୮୬ ତମ ସିଡ୍ ଭାବେ ଖେଳ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରି ବହୁ ସିଡେଡ୍ ଖେଳାଳୀଙ୍କୁ ହରାଇ ସାଇନା ଚାମ୍ପିଆନ ହେବା ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜାତୀୟ ସ୍ତରରେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ପ୍ରତିଷ୍ଠିତ କରାଇଥିଲା। ପରେ ପରେ ସେ ବହୁ ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜାତୀୟ ସଫଳାତା ପାଇ ଭାରତକୁ ବିଶ୍ୱ ବ୍ୟାଡ଼ମିଟନର ଶକ୍ତିଭାବେ ସ୍ଥାପିତ କରିଥିଲେ। ୨୦୦୩ରୁ ୨୦୧୨ ମସିହା ମଧ୍ୟରେ ସାଇନା ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜତୀୟ ସ୍ତରରେ ୧୮ ସ୍ୱର୍ଣ୍ଣ ପଦକ ଜିତି ସାରିଛନ୍ତି। ୨୦୧୧ ଏହି ସଫଳ ତାରକା ବିଶ୍ୱ ମାନ୍ୟତାର ଦ୍ୱିତୀୟ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ଥିବା ଚୀନର ୱ୍ଆଙ୍ଗ ସିଜିଆନଙ୍କୁ ହରାଇ ସୁଇସ୍ ଓପନ ଟାଇଟଲ ବଜାଇ ରଖିଥିଲେ। ୨୦୧୨ ଜୁଲାଇ ମାସରେ ଥାଇଲାଣ୍ଡ ଓପନ ଗ୍ରାଣ୍ଡପିକ୍ସରେ ସ୍ୱର୍ଣ୍ଣ ପଦକ ଜିତି ସାରିଛନ୍ତି।ସେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଇଣ୍ଡୋନେସିଆ ସୁପର ସିରିଜରେ ତୃତୀୟ ଥର ଚାମ୍ପିଆନ ହେବାର ରେକର୍ଡ କରିଛନ୍ତି।ପ୍ରଥମ ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାବେ ସେ ଚାରିବର୍ଷ ତଳେ ବେଜିଂ ଅଲିମ୍ପିକର କ୍ୱାଟର ଫାଇନାଲକୁ ଯାଇଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସେମିଫାଇନାଲ ଖେଳି ପରିନଥିଲେ।
Option A: ଫିଲିପାଇନ୍ସ
Option B: ବେଜିଂ
Option C: ହରିଆଣା
Option D: ଇଂଲଣ୍ଡ
A:
|
ଫିଲିପାଇନ୍ସ
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
Definition: You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Input: Statement: ଯୁକ୍ତରାଷ୍ଟ୍ର ଆମେରିକାର ହନଲୁଲୁ ଚିଡ଼ିଆଘରେ, କ୍ଲିଭ୍ଲ୍ୟାଣ୍ଡ ମେଟ୍ରୋପାର୍କ ଜୁ, ଫୋର୍ଟ୍ ୱର୍ଥ୍ ଜୁ, ସାନ୍ ଡିଏଗୋ ଜୁ, ନ୍ୟାସନାଲ୍ ଜୁଓଲୋଜିକାଲ୍ ପାର୍କ୍, ସାନ୍ ଆଣ୍ଟୋନିଓ ଜୁ ଓ ସେଣ୍ଟ୍ ଅଗଷ୍ଟିନ୍ ଆଲିଗଟର୍ ଫାର୍ମରେ କିଛି ଥଣ୍ଟିଆ କୁମ୍ଭୀର ରଖାଯାଇଛି । <MASK>ର ଲାହୋର୍ ଚିଡ଼ିଆଖାନାରେ ଏକ ପ୍ରଜନନକ୍ଷମ କୁମ୍ଭୀର ଯୁଗଳ ରଖାଯାଇଛି । ଲକ୍ଷ୍ନୌ ନିକଟସ୍ଥ କୁକ୍ରେଲ୍ ସଂରକ୍ଷିତ ଜଙ୍ଗଲରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଥଣ୍ଟିଆ କୁମ୍ଭୀର ରହିଛନ୍ତି ।
Option A: ରାଜସ୍ଥାନ
Option B: ନେପାଳ
Option C: ଭାରତ
Option D: ପାକିସ୍ଥାନ
Output:
|
ପାକିସ୍ଥାନ
|
task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Instructions: You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Input: Statement: ଏହାଛଡ଼ା ଦପାନାହାକାଣି ମନ୍ଦିର, କାଉପୁରର ସୀତାକୁଣ୍ଡ, ମଠସାହିର ଦକ୍ଷିଣେଶ୍ୱର ମନ୍ଦିର, <MASK> ଥାନା ଅନ୍ତର୍ଗତ ପଢ଼ୁଆଁ ଗ୍ରାମରେ ଅଷ୍ଟଭୂଜା ଦୁର୍ଗାମଣ୍ଡପ, ବାସୁଦେବପୁରର ପ୍ରସନ୍ନଦେବ ଜୀଉ ମନ୍ଦିର, ରାଧାକୃଷ୍ଣ ମନ୍ଦିର ଚରମ୍ପାର ହନୁମାନ ସାହି, ଏରେଇଁ ଓ ସାହାପୁରସ୍ଥିତ ହନୁମାନ ମନ୍ଦିର, ଆଦି ଭଦ୍ରକ ଅଞ୍ଚଳର ଧର୍ମ ଭାବନାର ବାର୍ତ୍ତା ବାହକ।
Option A: ବୃନ୍ଦାବନ
Option B: ମନ୍ଦିର
Option C: ବାସୁଦେବପୁର
Option D: ବାଉଦପୁର
Output:
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ବାସୁଦେବପୁର
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task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 3
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train
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Q: You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: ରିନା ୨୦୦୪ ମସିହା ଅଲିମ୍ପିକରେ <MASK> ତରଫରୁ ଆର୍ଚେରୀରେ ଭାଗ ନେବା ପାଇଁ ଯୋଗ୍ୟତା ହାସଲ କରିଥିଲେ । . ସେ ସେଥିରେ ମହିଳା ସିଙ୍ଗଲ୍ସରେ ୪୩ ତମ ରେଙ୍କିଙ୍ଗ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ରହିଥିଲେ । ଏହି ପ୍ରତିଯୋଗୀତାରେ ସେ ବିଶ୍ୱର ନାମୀ ଆର୍ଚର ଜର୍ଜିଆର ଏସେବୁଆଙ୍କୁ ପରାସ୍ତ କରି ପ୍ରି-କ୍ୱାଟରଫାଇନାଲରେ ପ୍ରବେଶ କରିଥିଲେ । ସେଥିରେ ସେ ବିଶ୍ୱର ୬ ନମ୍ବର ରେଙ୍କର ଚୀନ ତାୟପେର ୟାନ ଶୁ ଚି ଙ୍କ ଠାରୁ ହାରି ଯାଇଥିଲେ ।
Option A: ଚୀନ
Option B: ଜର୍ଜିଆ
Option C: Syria
Option D: ଭାରତ
A:
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ଭାରତ
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task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
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NIv2
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zs_opt
| 7
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test
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You are given a statement written in Oriya. Choose the most logical word from the given 4 options which can be used to replace the <MASK> token in the statement. Output the word from the correct option .
Statement: ମହାମେଘବାହନ ଐର ଖାରବେଳ (IAST: Khārabeḷa) (୧୯୩ ଖ୍ରୀ.ପୂ. – ୧୭୦ ଖ୍ରୀ.ପୂ. ପରେ) କଳିଙ୍ଗର ଚେଦି ରାଜବଂଶର ଜଣେ ପରାକ୍ରମୀ ରାଜା ଥିଲେ । ଖାରବେଳଙ୍କ ସମ୍ପର୍କିତ ସବିଶେଷ ତଥ୍ୟ ଅଧୁନା <MASK>ସ୍ଥିତ ଉଦୟଗିରିରେ ଥିବା ହାତୀଗୁମ୍ଫା ଶିଳାଲେଖରୁ ମିଳିଥାଏ ।
Option A: ଉଦୟଗିରି
Option B: ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର
Option C: ସୁମାତ୍ରା
Option D: ଜାଭା
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ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର
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task951_wiki_cloze_or_multiple_choice_question_answering
|
NIv2
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zs_opt
| 0
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validation
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input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Hard Corps Movie plot: Phillip Sauvage (Jean-Claude van Damme) is a man who has been dealt a hard deck of cards in life. Having suffered under savage fighting conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Al-Qaida takes children as hostages and blows them to bits, Sauvage had to take some time off in the psych ward in a VA Hospital. Little does he know that this will come back to haunt him, but under the deception of a ruthless detective, Detective Teague (Ron Bottitta), who himself has some problems with cavorting with the wrong men.But Sauvage, in spite of his previous bouts with PTSD, which he experiences while first "guarding" the main hero of the film, philanthropist and boxer Wayne Barclay (Razaaq Adoti). While in a nightclub which Barclay goes to for entertainment, Sauvage experiences one of the symptoms of PTSD...flashbacks...to the drop of the pulsating lights and pounding music. But never one to let his illness get the most of him, Sauvage turns it all around and uses his weapon to protect Barclay when a load of drive-by shooters tries to take Barclay's life outside the nightclub.Sauvage attends a funeral with the boxing hero and his sister, Tamara Barclay (Vivica A. Fox), and it is at this point that the boxer and his sister ask Sauvage to work for them in protecting their lives. But Detective Teague interrupts the interview and takes Sauvage in via handcuffs for discharge of weapons in public without a permit. The Barclays can't believe the charges, but Wayne becomes a bit skeptical about Sauvage and his intentions when Detective Teague takes him in and explains that Sauvage was in a psych ward and massacred a bunch of kids. Wayne holds all of this in until everything breaks when he is supposed to meet with a politician and Sauvage spots a potential suspect in the crowd. Wayne calls Sauvage a schizo psycho who was locked up in a psych ward and this is the turning point when they decide to spar together. Not a friendly match, Sauvage is quite good with his fists. He asks Wayne who said this about him but Wayne does not yet... My question: Who was released from prison?
++++++++++
output: Not answerable
Please answer this: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Exam Movie plot: Eight candidates for a top job at a mysterious company are gathered in a windowless room with two rows of desks. They have passed previous requirements not mentioned in the film. They each choose a seat and upon each desk is a piece of paper which identifies them as, "Candidate 1", "Candidate 2", etc. The invigilator, (Colin Salmon), arrives and sets forth the rules for the test.Inside the room there will be no laws other than what the company permits, as such. The candidates cannot try to communicate with the invigilator himself nor the guard. They cannot spoil the paper and they cannot leave the room for any reason. If they break any of the rules, they will be disqualified. The test consists of answering one question. The invigilator asks the candidates whether they have any questions. He sets the clock at 80 minutes and leaves the room.Once alone, the candidates turn their paper over and find nothing is written on the back. They look at each other in confusion, and the candidate "Oriental" (Gemma Chan) starts writing "I believe I deserve..." The guard (Chris Carey) puts her out because she has written on her paper, spoiling it.A young white man, (Luke Mably) starts talking, stands up and convinces everyone to work together until they find what the question is. He also gives insulting names to the candidates according to their physical appearance, like Blonde, Deaf, White, Brown, Dark...At first, they try to read a hidden message in the papers by placing them in front of tubes of ultraviolet lights that horizontally surround the room. They then break the tubes so that the emergency lights come on. When they break the emergency tubes they find infrared light. None of this helps them to see anything on the paper. They further discover that if a candidate spoils another candidate's paper, neither of the two will be disqualified.They try spilling liquids over the paper. White urinates on his but finds nothing.White takes charge of the group as a de-facto leader. Brunette (Pollyanna McIntosh) discovers they can... My question: Who is hiding in the hallway with one foot inside the room?
++++++++
Answer: Blonde
input question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Bombay To Bangkok Movie plot: Director Nagesh Kukoonor and Shreyas Talpade team up for the third time in a row, after Iqbal and Dor with a breezing comedy "Bombay to Bangkok".The film has Shreyas playing Shankar, a Mumbai cook. In desperate need of money, Shankar steals from the local Don named Khan (Naseerudin Shah). Giving the Dons croonies a slip, he escapes his way into a team of Doctors heading for relief work to Bangkok but loses the all important money bag into the chaos. In Bangkok his world turns upside down at a bar where he bumps into lovely Jasmine (Lena) who is a volunteer and a part time massage. The hitch is she is all Thai and he cant converse with her at all. A ray of home comes his way the next day when Jasmine turns up desperately in need of a Doctor.Shankar posing as an Doctor alongwith the goofy Sardar buddy Rachinder, jumps into this whirlpool while Jasmine soon gets pulled into his bumbling adventures while running away from the Don and his henchmen. Hot on their trail are the Dons rapper son Jamal Khan (Vijay Maurya) and his henchmen who have landed in Bangkok to retrieve their money. Hop into the hilarious comedy of errors with Shankar as he discovers love and life in a rollicking ride from Bombay to Bangkok My question: Why can't Jasmine be converse with????
output answer:
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she only speaks Thai
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
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P3
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fs_opt
| 8
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train
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Please answer this: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Exotica Movie plot: Thomas (Don McKellar) goes through the customs check-in gate at an airport, surreptitiously watched by officials from behind a security mirror, as one guard talks about how to spot a smuggler. When Thomas arrives at his home we see he has large eggs taped to his stomach that he has brought in through customs undetected. As we move to Exotica, a dance club sporting a hot house theme where women dance for men, we are introduced to Francis (Bruce Greenwood) who comes to the club regularly to see his favorite dancer Christina (Mia Kirshner) perform her School Girl performance. They are watched by Eric (Elias Koteas) the club DJ who has a past history with Christina, and who also functions as bouncer when clients violate rules by touching the performers. An accountant by trade, Francis arrives at the pet shop of Thomas the next day to examine his accounting books, unaware that the smuggler has a rare exotic egg at his house that he is incubating. Later that night while attending an opera performance Thomas picks up a man who happens to be the customs officer who had watched him at the airport. Later when the customs officer steals the egg from Thomas, we learn that Francis is part of a larger investigation to see where Thomas has untaxed coming in to his business. The relationship of Eric and Christina is a love affair that has gone sour mainly because Eric made a deal with club owner Zoe (Arsine Khanjian) to allow her to have his child. As announcer for the performers Eric holds a particular bitterness connected with Christina that is apparent in the way he announces her special dance. Eric is jealous that Christina has broken up with him and he resents the attention that Francis gains from the young dancer, so he anonymously suggests that Francis touch Christina as she performs, an act that the two men know is prohibited. When Christina is dancing for Francis, he touches her stomach and Eric violently ejects him from the club. When Francis enlists the aid of Thomas and recovers a gun, he returns to Exotica to... My question: What does Francis discover in Thomas' financial records?
++++++++
Answer: Untaxed.
Please answer this: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Death Ship Movie plot: A mysterious black freighter steams at night, apparently deserted. Detecting a cruise ship close by, the ship alters course as ghostly voices shout in German, "Battle Stations! Enemy in sight!" The controls and wheel move my themselves.Aboard the cruise ship, the prickly Captain Ashland (George Kennedy) is making his final voyage, attended by his replacement, Captain Trevor Marshall (Richard Crenna), who has brought along his family. Outside, the freighter heads right for them, blasting its horn, and despite Ashland's best efforts, collides with the cruise ship, sinking it.The next morning, a handful of survivors, including Marshall, his wife Margaret (Sally Ann Howes), their children Robin and Ben, a young officer named Nick (Nick Mancuso), his love interest Lori (Victoria Burgoyne), the ship's stand up comic Jackie (Saul Rubinek), and a passenger, Mrs. Morgan (Kate Reid), are adrift on a large piece of wreckage. Ashland surfaces nearby, and is brought aboard barely conscious. Later, the survivors come upon the black freighter, unaware it is the ship which attacked them. Finding a boarding ladder slung from the stern, they climb aboard, but not before the ladder plunges into the sea as the officers try to climb it with the injured Ashland. When all are finally aboard, Jackie tries to rally the survivors with humor, but a cable seizes him by the ankle, and he is lifted and swung outboard by one of the ship's cranes, which lowers the thrashing comic into the water before cutting him loose, to be swept astern and lost.Shocked, the survivors explore the corridors of the empty, echoing vessel, finding only cobwebs and 1930s memorabilia. Hatches open and close by themselves and lights go on and off while a swinging block knocks out Nick, who is exploring above deck.Meanwhile, a delirious Ashland hears a disembodied voice speaking to him in German, telling him: "This ship has been waiting for you...It is your new ship....Your chance has come!" The others finally set up in a dusty bunk room, and break up to retrieve... My question: Were the Marshall's happy when the freighter sails away?
++++++++
Answer: Yes
Please answer this: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: I Bury the Living Movie plot: Title and credits run over a section of granite headstone. We pull back to reveal a cemetery and are shown text, "Science has learned that man possesses powers which go beyond the boundaries of the natural. This is the story of one confronted by such strange forces within himself." Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) and the caretaker, Andy McKee (Theodore Bikel) walk to the Immortal Hills Cemetary office building. Bob Kraft has taken over the chairmanship of the cemetery and is briefed on the routine by Andy. Bob notices a map on the wall of the cemetery. Andy explains that a black pin on a plot indicates someone buried and a white pin indicates a sold plot not yet occupied. Bob asks Andy, "McKee you've been on the job now forty years, right?" Andy replies, "Aye," in his Scottish accent. Bob informs him he is to be retired and assures him he will draw the same monthly paycheck. Bob asks Andy for a replacement recommendation. Andy walks over to the desk and pulls a gun. He tells Bob it is available in case of emergencies. A young couple drive up to the office. It is Stuart Drexel (and uncredited Glen Vernon) and his new bride Elizabeth (an uncredited Lynette Bernay). A provision in Stu's inheritance is that he buy a plot for him and his wife before he can draw part of his trust from the bank. Beth is not amused by the entire situation and lets her new husband know. They drive off and Bob goes back to the office. Upon his return, Andy greets him with a shot of liquor. He explains that the previous chairman left it to sooth customers needing fortification to get through the burial process of a loved one. Bob places two pins on plots in the Drexel area of the cemetery.In his Department Store office, Bob, his Uncle George Kraft (Howard Smith) and the outgoing chairman, Henry Trowbridge (an uncredited Russ Bender) go through the formal process of swearing in Bob Kraft as the new chairman. Bob is not happy with the "honor", claiming he is far too busy to take on the role. But Uncle George insists, explaining that it is a... My question: What color pins are filled, unoccupied graves marked with?
++++++++
Answer:
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White
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
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P3
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fs_opt
| 6
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train
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I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Tobruk Movie plot: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2012) JiÅÃ and Jan are two Czech soldiers, fighting alongside the Allied forces against the Italians during World War II in Tobruk, Libya. JiÅÃ Pospichal, 18 years old, signs up as a volunteer in the Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion. His naive ideas about heroism are rawly confronted with the hell of the African desert, complicated relationships in his unit and the ubiquitous threat of death. All this takes its cruel toll in the shape of his gradual loss of self-respect and courage. My question: Henry Portman and Cheryl, his daughter, were shot down while flying to what city?
The answer to this question is:
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Not answerable
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
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P3
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zs_noopt
| 7
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train
|
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Until They Sail Movie plot: The film opens in a Wellington courtroom, where testimony prompts Barbara Leslie (Jean Simmons) to flash back to the events that led to the trial. She and her sisters Anne (Joan Fontaine), Evelyn (Sandra Dee), and Delia (Piper Laurie) live in Christchurch, where most of the male residents, including their brother Kit and Barbara's new husband Mark, are preparing to leave for World War II duty. Delia announces her engagement to Phil Friskett (Wally Cassell), known as "Shiner", who is one of the city's few remaining bachelors, but word of Kit's death dampens the celebration. Repressed and judgmental spinster sister Anne disapproves of the upcoming nuptials, but Barbara defends Delia's decision. Within weeks of the marriage, the sisters come to resent Shiner's abuse and are happy to see him leave for active duty. Delia moves to Wellington to work for the Navy. When several hundred United States Marines are shipped to Christchurch following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the lonely local women are flattered by the attention they pay them. When Evelyn invites Capt. Richard Bates (Charles Drake) to dinner, he declines the offer, but not without attracting Anne's eye. Concerned about Delia, Anne sends Barbara to Wellington, where she discovers her sister is registered at the St. George Hotel under her maiden name. Shiner is now a prisoner of war, and Delia has become involved with an American lieutenant named Andy. She plans to divorce Shiner and emigrate to the United States. Andy introduces Barbara to his friend Jack Harding (Paul Newman), a Marine investigating the prospective New Zealand brides of American soldiers. Although Barbara intends to remain faithful to her husband, she finds herself attracted to Jack. Back in Christchurch, Anne is outraged by the lewd comments made by American servicemen in the lingerie shop where she works and writes a letter of complaint to the local paper. Following its publication, Richard is sent to the Leslie home to deliver a formal apology on behalf of the Marine Corps. Anne... My question: What kind of requests from US Marines does Jack investigate?
++++++++++
output: Barbara
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Odd Couple II Movie plot: 30 years later... Oscar has settled in Sarasota, Florida, where he reports on a weak minor league baseball team and plays cards with other senior citizens. His son notifies him from California that he's getting married in a few days, to the daughter of Felix Ungar.Oscar and Felix happily reunite at the Los Angeles airport, 17 years after living together in New York City, but having not seen each other since then. They rent a car and drive off together, promptly teasing each other about their annoying differences: Felix was always fastidious and clean, Oscar was always unkempt and casual.Oscar soon gets irritated with Felix for needing to stop to pee, and later needing to stop for food, and to take pills. Felix laments that his third wife left him a few years earlier.Within a couple hours of driving, the two lose the directions to the wedding, realizing that Felix's suitcase was left back at the car rental agency. Making matters worse, the empty rental car rolls down a hillside and explodes.Felix and Oscar set off on foot along the desert highway, and no other cars come by for hours. They finally get picked up by a Mexican farmer, who asks them to drive his truck to a nearby gas station. They are soon stopped and arrested by a phalanx of police who find many illegal immigrants in the back of the truck.The local sheriff deduces that the two are not criminals and lets them go. Felix calls relatives at the wedding site and learns that they are five hours off course, so he and Oscar decide to spend the night in their current town.Felix and Oscar go off to a local bar, where Oscar charms a couple ladies somewhat younger than they are, named Thelma and Holly, and Felix goes along. The two couples dance, until the ladies suddenly need to leave.The next morning, they get a ride with an older man who is heading to the town where the wedding is being held. Alas, he soon dies after driving the car very slowly for a few miles. Police show up and take Felix and Oscar back to town, where the same sheriff from before again... My question: Where do Felix and Oscar reunite?
++++++++++
output: Los Angeles airport
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Cadence Movie plot: This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Franklin Bean (Charlie Sheen) is shown in flashback with his father, a postal worker at his high school. His poor performance is attributed to a lack of discipline which a school officials assures the elder Bean can be fixed with a stint in the Army. Then, in present day, PFC Bean is attending his father's funeral before returning to his duty station in Germany. In his state of grief he gets drunk, punches an MP and breaks through a plate-glass window in a local bar. Bean's army lawyer secures a plea deal, struck by his attorney Captain Ramon Garcia (Abraham), in lieu of a court martial which involves him removing unauthorized tattoos from his hands (obtained during his drunken rampage), paying for a broken window and serving 90 days in the camp stockade. He is met at the gates by a decorated Korean War veteran Master Sergeant named Otis McKinney (Martin Sheen). McKinney explains that the stockade is fairly small and, as a result, he is in complete charge of the compound while being supported by two guards; Corporals Harold Lamar and Gerald Gessner.Bean finds a sympathetic ear in stockade guard Corporal Lamar after learning he is just as afraid of McKinney and only "serving his own time." Gessner is a somewhat spineless lackey to McKinney whom he clearly admires and respects. Bean is introduced to his fellow prisoners, all of them black and led by section leader Roosevelt Stokes (Fishburne). Stokes is serving an unspecified sentence for larceny and, despite his conviction, apparently retains his rank of Corporal. Bean resists McKinney by refusing to refer to him as sergeant and refusing most military customs and courtesies. The prisoner detail is regularly trucked to a nearby farm where they perform manual labor such as digging ditches and building fences. While there, Bean becomes obsessed with... My question: what is broken in the field?
++++++++++
output:
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windmill
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
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P3
|
fs_opt
| 5
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train
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Please answer the following question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: On the Other Hand, Death Movie plot: Private Investigator Donald Strachey is under the impression he is tailing an unfaithful housewife for evidence that she is cheating on her husband, but it turns out that the "housewife" is actually an undercover cop who promptly arrests him. After six hours of questioning the cop, Officer Gina Santer, and Detective 'Bub' Bailey let him go, but instruct him to turn over any information he obtains on the client that claimed Santer was his wife. Most of the info on file at Strachey Investigations about this mystery client is fake. Meanwhile, at the home of Dorothy 'Dot' Fisher and her partner Edith Strong, Dorothy chases out a vandal after he breaks into their home and spray paints homophobic graffiti on their wall. The next day, Andrew McWhirter, close friend of Fisher and Strongâand Timmy Callhan's former boyfriendâintroduce Donald and Timmy to the lesbian couple after a contentious school board meeting at which Dorothy, a guidance counselor at the school, is placed on paid leave due to objections from a homophobic parent whose gay son Derek has been counseled by Fisher. The two are invited by the middle-aged women and houseguest Andrew back to their home in Hollis, but the socialization is interrupted when the returning vandal throws a brick through the window. Strachey chases him back to his car, but the license plate is obscured by mud. The following day, Kenny gives Don pictures he obtained of the mysterious "client", and his e-mail address, the one piece of info he offered about himself that is at least a marginal lead. With no other pressing cases, Strachey returns to Hollis, investigating motives for the vandalism. Dorothy suspects the homophobic Joey Deems, who attends the school he works at, but his father Carl tells Donald that he believes the motive is more likely a resentful backlash against Fisher's decision not to sell her house to Millipond Realty, who wants to build a large mall along Moon Road, the street the Deems, Dot & Edith, and other residents, who all received offers on their... My question: Who does Donald accuse of being involved in shady dealings?
Answer:
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Andrew
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
zs_noopt
| 9
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train
|
Answer the following question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III Movie plot: This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The film begins with Leatherface bludgeoning a young woman, Gina, to death with a sledgehammer before beginning the process of cutting off her face in order to make it into a mask. Gina's sister, Sara watches from a nearby window. Leatherface hears Sara outside, and after she flees, he briefly checks outside before going back to work. Some time later, Michelle and her boyfriend Ryan, a couple that constantly argues, both traveling through Texas, pass through a security checkpoint near the excavation of a large number of butchered bodies, a cop approaches them and interrogates them, shortly after they leave and reach the Last Chance Gas Station. At the station, they meet a hitchhiking cowboy named Tex and the station's perverted owner Alfredo. Tex shows Ryan a route on the map that can get them to a town. A fight soon breaks out between Tex and Alfredo when Tex finds the latter spying on Michelle while she uses the station restroom. As Michelle and Ryan flee from the station in their car, they witness Alfredo apparently killing Tex with a shotgun. As night falls, Ryan and Michelle, having taken the route Tex recommended, become lost. As they begin to bicker, a large truck appears and the driver attacks them. Ryan pulls over when the unseen driver throws a dead coyote at their windshield. As Ryan changes the car's flat tire, Michelle hears a noise, and Leatherface ambushes the two of them. They climb into the car as Leatherface begins hacking at it with his chainsaw, before bumping Leatherface with the vehicle and driving off. After their escape from Leatherface, Michelle and Ryan - as well as another driver, a survivalist named Benny - crash when a bloodied Tex leaps in front of the car. As Benny tends to Michelle, Ryan explains the situation to him, showing him the damage which Leatherface has... My question: Who stopped Leatherface from murdering Michelle?
Answer:
|
Benny
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
zs_noopt
| 5
|
train
|
Q: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Hurt Locker Movie plot: Baghdad, in 2004, three soldiers of an Army bomb-disposal unit are investigating a report of an improvised explosive device (IED). They use a sophisticated robot drone to examine the device, which consists of several undetonated artillery shells wired together and hidden under plastic/fabric sheets. The unit, led by Sgt. Thompson, decides that they can detonate the IED using plastic explosives that they'll activate from a safe distance. Thompson also says that the explosion won't cause very much property damage and should result in no loss of life.A small cart is affixed to the back of the robot, which is then sent back into the blast zone. Before it can reach the IED, the trailer loses a wheel. Thompson dresses in a bulky bomb suit and walks down to the trailer. He picks it up and carries it to the IED, rigging it properly. As he walks back, his partners, Sgt. Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge, scan the immediate area for anyone they consider suspicious or who may be in the blast zone. When Thompson is about 25 meters from the bomb, but still in the kill zone, Eldridge notices a man running a butcher shop who is using a cellular phone. Eldridge yells to Sanborn and the specialist begins to run toward the man, ordering him to drop his phone. Sanborn tells Eldridge to shoot the man, who presses a sequence of numbers on the phone. The bomb detonates with Thompson still in the kill zone. The overpressure from the bomb kills Thompson despite the bomb suit; a large splash of blood hits the inside of the clear visor on his helmet.Thompson's body is packed into a coffin for shipment home, Sanborn supervises the procedure. He looks over Thompson's possessions for a few moments before the coffin is sealed. Back at the base, Eldridge is sitting in the rec room when the base psychologist, Lt. Col. Cambridge walks in and asks Eldridge how he's feeling (in the wake of Thompson's death). Eldridge is still clearly upset over the incident; he dry fires his rifle several times, suggesting that if he'd shot the man with the cell... My question: Who blames himself for the Colonel's death?
A: Eldridge
Question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Ghostbusters Movie plot: The film opens within the New York Public Library, where a librarian (Alice Drummond) is first gathering books, before heading downstairs to a remote and empty section. She places a book back on the shelf, not noticing that the books behind her are levitating across the aisle. Later, she passes the card catalogue shelves as they open behind her and suddenly begin to hurl their contents into the air. Frightened and screaming, she runs through the room before being stopped by an unseen ghost, which scares her terribly. This leads into the title card.After the opening title shot, the film continues in the Paranormal Studies Dept. of Columbia University, where Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) is conducting a test on ESP with a nerdy male student (Steven Tash) and an attractive female student (Jennifer Runyon). Venkman continually flirts and lies about her abilities, while enjoying administering electric shocks to the male student. Having finally had enough, the male student departs, and Venkman continues to flirt with the young woman. Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) enters, and frantically begins to tell Venkman about the sighting at the library, insisting they leave at once to check it out. Venkman makes a date with the student, and follows Stantz out.Upon arriving at the library, Venkman and Stantz meet up with Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and Venkman proceeds to ask a series of personal (and cynical) questions about her medical and social history, before the three head down to the area the ghost supposedly inhabits. While down there, the three men collect ectoplasmic residue, discover a tall "symmetrical stacking" of books from floor to ceiling, and narrowly escape a falling bookcase.Turning the same corner as the librarian, they see the ghost: a transparent form of an elderly lady (Ruth Oliver), reading a book. Having no idea what to do, Venkman begins to talk to the ghost as if it were a lady in a bar. She shushes him, before Stantz proclaims he knows what to do. They stealthily approach the ghost, before... My question: What do Dana and Louis transform into?
Answer: Terror Dogs
Question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Abyss Movie plot: Text appearing in red describes footage from the 1993 Special Edition of the film.The Montana, a U.S. Navy nuclear missile submarine, operating deep in the Cayman Trough in the Caribbean Sea, encounters an unidentified submerged object moving at high speed. The object passes very close to the submarine and the vessel loses power. Power is restored after a few moments, however the sub has drifted too close to the underwater canyon wall and collides with it, causing catastrophic damage. An officer is able to launch the sub's emergency beacon before the sub floods, drowning the entire crew.As Soviet ships and submarines head toward the area in an attempt to salvage the sub and its, and with a hurricane moving in, the Americans decide that the quickest way to mount a rescue is for a US Navy SEAL team to be inserted onto a privately owned experimental underwater oil drilling platform, which they will then use as their base of operations. The platform's designer and chief engineer, Dr. Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), is furious at the notion of her rig being commandeered for the mission. Her estranged husband, Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) is the foreman of the platform. However, Benthic Petroleum, the rig's financier, has already agreed to cooperate with the Navy and has promised the rig's crew substantial bonus pay. Lindsey herself travels down to the rig with the SEAL team to oversee the operation personally. After eight hours in a compression chamber, Lindsey and the SEAL team emerge; no one, however, sees that SEAL leader Lt. Hiram Coffey (Michael Biehn) has developed High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS) when he has a slight hand tremor. Lindsey and Bud promptly begin arguing with each other, revealing that they are a separated married couple. Bud becomes furious and throws his wedding band into a chemical toilet. He relents after a few moments and fishes it out, staining his hand blue with the toilet's sanitation fluid.The rig and SEAL teams prepare to investigate the submarine wreck. One... My question: How does Coffey die?
Answer:
|
Not answerable
|
duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Nightmare Before Christmas Movie plot: Pumpkin king Jack Skellington (speaking voice Chris Sarandon, singing Danny Elfman), an elegantly attenuated skeleton, has delivered another scary Halloween. But he receives the adulation of Halloweentown with no enthusiasm -- something is missing from Jack's life and he's tired of doing the same old Halloween thing year after year. The missing something might well be Sally (Catherine O'Hara), an animated rag doll who yearns for Jack, but he doesn't notice. (Sally was created by Halloweentown's evil scientist (William Hickey), who keeps her locked up except when she knocks him out by slipping deadly nightshade in his soup.)After pondering his ennui in a cemetery (disturbing Sally, who's replenishing her supply of deadly nightshade), Jack takes his ghostly dog Zero for a walk in the woods. They come upon a strange circle of trees, each with a door representing a holiday. Jack opens the Christmas door and they're sucked in, landing in Christmastown. Jack is curious about everything he sees there, but finds it all delightful and wants to be part of it.Back in Halloweentown Jack calls a town meeting, where he describes what he saw in Christmastown. His people don't seem very impressed, so to draw them in, he makes some elements of Christmas -- including "Sandy Claws" (Edward Ivory) -- sound scary. Then he announces that they're taking over Christmas and starts assigning jobs. The evil scientist must whip up some reindeer, Halloweentown's top trick-or-treaters are to kidnap Sandy Claws, and Sally's task is to make Jack a red Santa suit. She tries to tell him that co-opting Christmas is a terrible idea, but he's too wrapped up in his enthusiasm to listen.The three trick-or-treaters return triumphantly with the Easter Bunny; Jack sends them back and eventually they bring him Sandy Claws (who surprises Jack by having hands rather than claws). Jack directs the trick-or-treaters to take Sandy Claws away and make him comfortable, but they give him to Oogie Boogie (Ken Page) instead.Meanwhile, Sally has produced a red... My question: How many trees did Jack stumble across in the woods?
The answer to this question is:
|
N/ A
|
duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
zs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Draughtsman's Contract Movie plot: England, 1694. Mrs Herbert (Janet Suzman) and her daughter Mrs Talmann (Anne-Louise Lambert) try to persuade Mr Neville (Anthony Higgins), an artist, to make a series of drawings of Mr and Mrs Herbert's house and estate. Mr Neville finally agrees when Mrs Herbert offers, in addition to paying for each drawing and giving him room and board while he draws, to sleep with him. (Oddly, she makes this offer in the presence of her husband's agent, Mr Noyes (Neil Cunningham), who is drawing up the contract.) Mrs Herbert intends the drawings to be a gift to her obnoxious and estranged husband, who dotes on his property and who is conveniently planning to be away from home while the drawings are created.Mr Neville inconveniences the entire household with detailed and stringent requirements for his 12 drawings. For specified periods every day, the views he has chosen must be kept clear of carriages, animals, smoking chimneys, and people -- except for the one that requires Mr Talmann (Hugh Fraser) to stand still and wear the same clothes for several days running.The atmosphere of the film is chilly; there's little indication that any of the characters like one another, and many of them are fairly hostile. Starting over the issue of Mr Talmann's wardrobe, Mr Talmann and Mr Neville snipe at one another continuously. Mr and Mrs Talmann have a bitter confrontation. It's hard to tell what the exaggerated costumes are meant to contribute: comically tall headpieces for the women, and for the men, very long, curly wigs -- waist-length, in some cases -- which, along with full-skirted coats, make them look like Edwardian schoolgirls.Mrs Herbert is distressed by the sexual part of her agreement and tries to break the contract; Mr Neville refuses. Mrs Talmann makes her own bargain for sexual favors with Mr Neville (which doesn't affect her mother's). Later, we learn that Mr Talmann is impotent -- and also that Mr Herbert doesn't believe that women should own property, so the inheritance of the estate depends on Mrs Talmann producing... My question: Who tries to terminate the contract?
++++++++++
output: Mrs. Herbert
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Transit Movie plot: A group of American pilots from Alaska ferry Airacobra fighter planes across the ocean on Lend-lease. The orderly course of life is disrupted when it becomes clear that the American pilots are attractive and charming young women. The feelings of the Russian young men collide into barriers of culture and language resulting in a host of awkward, funny, and sometimes tragic situations. It is the story of Russians, Americans, and natives of the Far North. It is the story of man and woman in war. Love and death are squeezed between the hills as human fates are destroyed and born. My question: How many robbers are there?
++++++++++
output: Not answerable
input: Please answer the following: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: The Tournament Movie plot: A series of TV news reports are shown about acts of violence across the globe; gunfights, shootings, explosions, terrorist attacks, and other acts of murder, both small and larger scale. In some of these reports, the newscasters say that authorities are dismissing some of the random explosions as accidental. A voiceover by a man named Powers (Liam Cunningham) says that not everything is as it appears. Every seven years an extraordinary event takes place in an ordinary town, and every-day people won't see it or otherwise know about it... but it happens.Shirao, Brazil, seven years prior to the present. Blood drips off of a meat hook in a burning warehouse, and there is the distant sound of machine gun fire. Joshua Harlow (Ving Rhames) ducks for cover, finding his revolver empty. Off to one side, another man lies wounded, also out of ammunition. The wounded man asks Joshua, 'Don't let it be him.'Joshua checks a mobile device and sees a display with one dot in the center, and another dot rapidly approaching the centered one. Gene Walker (John Lynch), a long-haired man with an automatic rifle arrives on the scene, taunting Joshua and opening fire. He sprays the area with bullets, further wounding the wounded man. Joshua manages to hit a button that causes the meat hooks, some still with large slabs of meat on them, to begin moving, providing him some cover as he runs. A closed-circuit TV camera (CCTV) is shown in one corner of the ceiling as Joshua runs into another room; the armed man following. Walker calls Joshua a 'stain' on their 'profession' and invites him to see the only way to quit.Joshua sees a discarded shotgun near where Walker is standing. Creating a distraction, he runs, leaps and slides across the blood-slick floor as Walker hurries to load a new magazine into his rifle. Grabbing the shotgun and pressing it right up against Walker's nose and mouth, Joshua pulls the trigger and Walker's head is turned into a gory mess. On the mobile device, one of two adjacent dots on the display, disappears.Joshua... My question: Where the tournament has come?
++++++++++
output:
|
a strip club
|
duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
test
|
Q: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Live and Let Die Movie plot: Three British MI6 agents, including one "on loan" to the American government, are killed under mysterious circumstances within 24 hours while monitoring the operations of Dr. Kananga, the dictator of a small Caribbean island called San Monique. One is killed at a meeting of the United Nations. The second is stabbed on a street in New Orleans while observing a restaurant called Fillet of Soul; his body is secreted in the coffin of a passing funeral procession. The third agent is killed on the island of San Monique during a voodoo rites ceremony; the high priest uses a poisonous snake to kill the man.James Bond is ordered by his boss, M, to investigate the deaths and their connections to Kananga. He is sent to New York City, where the first agent was killed and where Kananga is currently visiting the UN. As soon as Bond arrives in New York City, his driver is killed while taking him to meet Felix Leiter of the CIA and Bond narrowly escapes a potentially fatal car wreck. The driver's killer leads Bond to Mr. Big, a gangster who runs the chain of Fillet of Soul restaurants throughout the United States. It is during his confrontation with Mr. Big that Bond first meets Solitaire, a beautiful virgin tarot expert who has the uncanny ability to see both the future and remote events in the present. Big orders his henchman to kill Bond, who manages to escape unscathed.Bond follows Kananga to San Monique, where he subsequently meets Rosie Carver, a CIA double agent, who is subsequently murdered after Bond suspects her of working for Kananga. Later he meets the boatman Quarrel, Jr. who takes him to the home of Solitaire. Using a stacked deck of tarot cards only showing "The Lovers", Bond seduces her. Solitaire, losing her virginity as a result of sleeping with Bond, loses her foresight abilities and is forced into cooperating with Bond to bring down Kananga. Bond escapes the island with Solitaire on Quarrel Jr's boat and heads for Louisiana. When they arrive, Bond escapes Kananga's men in a small craft airport. He meets... My question: Who rescues Solitaire from the voodoo sacrifice?
A: Bond
Question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: 12 Angry Men Movie plot: In a New York City courthouse, an eighteen-year-old boy from a slum is on trial for allegedly stabbing his father to death. Final closing arguments having been presented, a visibly bored judge instructs the jury to decide whether the boy is guilty of murder. If there is any reasonable doubt of his guilt they are to return a verdict of not guilty. The judge further informs them that a guilty verdict will be accompanied by a mandatory death sentence.The jury retires to a private room, where the jurors spend a short while getting acquainted before they begin deliberating. It is immediately apparent that the jurors have already decided that the boy is guilty, and that they plan to return their verdict without taking time for discussion with the sole exception of Juror 8 (Henry Fonda), who is the only "not guilty" vote in a preliminary tally. He explains that there is too much at stake for him to go along with the verdict without at least talking about it first. His vote annoys the other jurors, especially Juror 7 (Jack Warden), who has tickets to a baseball game that evening; and Juror 10 (Ed Begley Sr.), who believes that people from slum backgrounds are liars, wild, and dangerous.The rest of the film's focus is the jury's difficulty in reaching a unanimous verdict. While several of the jurors harbor personal prejudices, Juror 8 maintains that the evidence presented in the case is circumstantial, and that the boy deserves a fair deliberation. He calls into question the accuracy and reliability of the only two witnesses to the murder, the "rarity" of the murder weapon (a common switchblade, of which he has an identical copy), and the overall questionable circumstances. He further argues that he cannot in good conscience vote "guilty" when he feels there is reasonable doubt of the boy's guilt.Having argued several points and gotten no favorable response from the others, Juror 8 reluctantly agrees that he has only succeeded in hanging the jury. Instead, he requests another vote, this time by secret ballot. He... My question: What did Juror number eight have in his pocket
Answer: a knife
Question: I am a movie director and I just received the following movie plot. Could you help me answer this question? If not, let me know by writing "Not answerable". Plot title: Terror by Night Movie plot: An off-screen narrator tells of the deadly curse carried by the fabulous "Star of Rhodesia" diamond, then takes us to a London coffin-maker's, where Vivian Vedder (Renee Godfrey) arranges a special coffin for her late mother. She'll be taking it on the 7 PM train to Edinburgh. At Euston Station, Roland Carstairs (Geoffrey Steele) meets Holmes (Basil Rathbone), whom he has hired to guard his mother Lady Margaret (Mary Forbes), who has already boarded the train back home to Scotland. Actually, he's there to guard the Star of Rhodesia, which she has owned for many years, but was the object of an attempted theft when Lady Margaret wore it at a royal function. Holmes is certain the thieves will try again. Apparently, Scotland Yard agrees, as Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) is also taking the trip. The train begins to pull out, and Watson (Nigel Bruce) and his old army friend Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray) barely manage to board. They had bumped into each other, and forgotten the time as they reminisced. Carstairs brings Holmes to his compartment, where his mother is skeptical about the aid of a "policeman", but she lets Holmes examine the Star.While Holmes, Watson, Duncan-Bleek, and Lady Margaret are in the dining car, Carstairs falls onto the floor of his compartment. Lestrade hears the thud, but finds the door to the Carstairs compartment locked. Holmes arrives and has the attendant (Billy Bevan) open it. They find Carstairs dead and the box that had contained the Star empty. The body shows no wounds aside from a tiny spot of blood, but Holmes declares it's murder, since a thief arriving right after Carstairs died of natural causes is too improbable. Watson, unimpressed with Lestrade's plodding, decides to try questioning suspects himself. (Thus suspects are those who occupy compartments in the same car, as the attendant was at the door to the leading car, and the trailing car is the locked luggage van.) Watson gets nowhere at all in his attempt with cranky William Kilbane (Frederick Worlock), a professor of... My question: Who is the coffin built for?
Answer:
|
Miss Vedder's mother
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duorc_ParaphraseRC_movie_director
|
P3
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
validation
|
Instructions: Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Input: En 1951, il est décédé et a pris sa retraite en 1956.
Output:
|
Er starb 1951 und trat 1956 in den Ruhestand.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Q: Le complexe du World Trade Center de Trabzon est proche de l'aéroport de Trabzon.
A:
|
Der Komplex des World Trade Center Trabzon befindet sich in der Nähe des Flughafens Trabzon.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Example: La saison NBA 1975 - 76 était la 30e saison de la National Basketball Association.
Example solution: Die Saison 1975 - 76 der National Basketball Association war die 30. Saison der NBA.
Example explanation: This is a correct and accurate translation from French to German because the translated paraphrase retains the main message that between the years 1975-1976, the 30th NBA season occurred.
Problem: Les Mennonites amish d’origine suisse de Galice se sont installés près de Dubno en 1815.
|
Solution: Amische Mennoniten aus Galizien mit schweizerischem Ursprung siedelten sich 1815 in der Nähe von Dubno an.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
Teacher:Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: St John a épousé Elizabeth Crowley (fille d'Ambrose Crowley) de Greenwich le 6 mars 1725. Leurs enfants étaient:
Student:
|
Johannes heiratete Elizabeth Crowley (die Tochter von Ambrose Crowley) aus Greenwich am 6. März 1725. Ihre Kinder schlossen ein:
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
Definition: Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Input: La rivière Oraciu ou Orociu est un affluent de la rivière Pustnic en Roumanie.
Output:
|
Der Oraciu River oder Orociu River ist ein Nebenfluss des Pustnic River in Rumänien.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Example input: La saison NBA 1975 - 76 était la 30e saison de la National Basketball Association.
Example output: Die Saison 1975 - 76 der National Basketball Association war die 30. Saison der NBA.
Example explanation: This is a correct and accurate translation from French to German because the translated paraphrase retains the main message that between the years 1975-1976, the 30th NBA season occurred.
Q: C'est un sculpteur qui a créé plusieurs sculptures monumentales, dont la primée `` Sentinel ''.
A:
|
Er ist ein Bildhauer, der mehrere monumentale Skulpturen entworfen hat, darunter den preisgekrönten "Sentinel".
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
Problem:Hastings Ndlovu a été enterré avec Hector Pieterson au cimetière d'Avalon à Johannesburg.
Solution:
|
Hastings Ndlovu wurde zusammen mit Hector Pieterson auf dem Friedhof Avalon in Johannesburg begraben.
|
task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 8
|
train
|
Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
[Q]: Dans codice _ 4, le deuxième fichier est codice _ 8 et dans codice _ 5, le deuxième fichier est codice _ 10.
[A]: In Codice 4 befindet sich der zweite Dateicodice 8 und Codice 5 ist der zweite Dateicodice 10.
[Q]: Après son licenciement, il a quitté l'Allemagne pour le Nouveau-Mexique, puis pour Los Angeles, puis pour San Francisco.
[A]: Nach seiner Entlassung zog er von Deutschland nach New Mexico und dann nach Los Angeles und dann nach San Francisco.
[Q]: Le tsunami a été observé le long de la côte pacifique du Japon, de la péninsule d'Izu à Kyushu, et enregistré par les marées d'Hawaii à l'Alaska.
[A]:
|
Der Tsunami wurde entlang der Pazifikküste Japans von der Izu-Halbinsel bis nach Kyushu beobachtet und von Gezeitenmessgeräten von Hawaii nach Alaska erfasst.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
TASK DEFINITION: Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
PROBLEM: Sur les douze histoires incluses, six avaient déjà été publiées dans le premier recueil de l'auteur, "Evening News".
SOLUTION: Von den zwölf eingeschlossenen Geschichten wurden sechs zuvor in der ersten Sammlung des Autors, "The Evening News", veröffentlicht.
PROBLEM: Bien que cinq numéros de la série aient été imprimés, le projet a été achevé sans qu'aucun d'entre eux ne soit abandonné.
SOLUTION: Obwohl fünf Ausgaben der Serie gedruckt wurden, konnte das Projekt ohne Abbruch beendet werden.
PROBLEM: Les forces du Werder investissent Belfort et atteignent la ville le 3 novembre.
SOLUTION:
|
Werder's Truppen investierten Belfort und erreichten die Stadt am 3. November.
|
task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 8
|
test
|
Detailed Instructions: Given a sentence in French, provide an equivalent paraphrased translation in German that retains the same meaning both through the translation and the paraphrase.
See one example below:
Problem: La saison NBA 1975 - 76 était la 30e saison de la National Basketball Association.
Solution: Die Saison 1975 - 76 der National Basketball Association war die 30. Saison der NBA.
Explanation: This is a correct and accurate translation from French to German because the translated paraphrase retains the main message that between the years 1975-1976, the 30th NBA season occurred.
Problem: Tabda, également connue sous le nom de Tabto, est une ville de la région de Jubbada Hoose (Juba inférieur), au sud de la Somalie.
Solution:
|
Tabda, auch bekannt als Tabto, ist eine Stadt in der südlichen Jubbada Hoose (Lower Juba) Region in Somalia.
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task792_pawsx_french_german_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 4
|
validation
|
TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
PROBLEM: kzvudkevobusfdjyhfcnudmghzggaottmwmhmkcosin
SOLUTION: m
PROBLEM: pmtvhblbblvmdmhjvxjsmqfxoxrmhpqdibicbozhb
SOLUTION: b
PROBLEM: wmuldccdgdjbjikalbaewipuogkorkyhuhwtnhdfqgh
SOLUTION:
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d
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task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 8
|
train
|
In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
[Q]: tzrraklcaztmvloaykewzxzkxjnpnotqkjnbxxfuslup
[A]: k
[Q]: nxgekghukdfdajwycepmwmdvzbhznmdpugmomyupcunjpbmee
[A]: m
[Q]: hwvlewesuyvclzffpxvmgkxsiifqbzdiqybtfutlktgllsfe
[A]:
|
f
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
Teacher:In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: uyaavodyjrddlwjkosdqixerrosjegpaisxltkyrkeuuoqgfv
Student:
|
d
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
One example is below.
Q: mvwduljootadondrwbrledodqnmfqtxalvuxnfgft
A: d
Rationale: d is ocurring with maximum frequency of 5.
Q: ydnukcpcgbwyxoeuvgotjzlprehpdoqzsdekvcskjj
A:
|
c
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
Definition: In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Input: awsqtjxdxafxckkkvrrkovkiegzmixmydnpfarmgoxpwuuxoad
Output:
|
x
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Ex Input:
usnxshlksjfzwaggwgmnddpcpkfhwgarulcajpjyutxpdryf
Ex Output:
g
Ex Input:
qekbvmekevgdnulwgucivjkxaxoukcgscrveknjndhvl
Ex Output:
k
Ex Input:
jxouuboeumtrncfjlmgwcrbrxwszjeepdkcpfumdmvzm
Ex Output:
|
m
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 1
|
train
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then some input of the task.
In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
cycwycamltavkcbwmfiadcbdyriuplpkwijrtttnwtcmqm
Output:
|
c
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 1
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Q: zbtberqtvgywxqdchviofnmrcrvllplqcjtvdpqimamizapno
A:
|
q
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
Teacher:In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: qlruedmfnygremwsgtleltuhhbomsmwogagtehtlbdpvj
Student:
|
e
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 6
|
test
|
In this task, you are given a string with duplicate characters ocurring in the string. You need to return the character which is ocurring with the maximum frequency. In case of a tie, return the character with the least ascii value.
Let me give you an example: mvwduljootadondrwbrledodqnmfqtxalvuxnfgft
The answer to this example can be: d
Here is why: d is ocurring with maximum frequency of 5.
OK. solve this:
fbvtigigegppmeliewlnamhimlfsggygplrmyxja
Answer:
|
g
|
task1188_count_max_freq_char
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 8
|
validation
|
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Example: Context: I was told, in person over the phone, that my shoes were on their way. They have my money. I have no shoes.
Question: What may happen after the call?
Example solution: I will return the shoes and get back the money.
Example explanation: Excellent correct answer: as it presents a non-stereotypical solution involving "return".
Problem: Context: Wife and I just moved , and we had to go back to Comcast ( which sucked ) . We previously had what I guess is a regional cable provider ( Mediacom ) , and they provided a DVR with no questions asked . It was a standard part of the deal .
Question: What might be true of the DVR service from Comcast ?
|
Solution: Comcast must not provide the DVR as a part of a standard deal .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
Definition: Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Input: Context: Beth and I will be returning the same day albeit late , so we will be lying in bed late on Sunday . I am glad that I will have Monday to recover before returning to work . Today I got up in good time to do my weekly shop , but I was later than I had intended so I had to drive to my appointment of 9.30 in town . I made it with minutes to spare !.
Question: What will the narrator be doing after the weekend ?
Output:
|
They will relax on Monday .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Instructions: Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Input: Context: At last after a month waiting , i actually get to go to Kenyir Lake last week . Fishing trip ! Though i m just a rookie anyway , been fishing at small rivers and lakes . it is like a wish came true when one of my colleague asked me if i want to join the trip , and i agreed .
Question: What will happen with the narrator and fishing in the future ?
Output:
|
The narrator will go on future fishing trips .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
Teacher: Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? If you are still confused, see the following example:
Context: I was told, in person over the phone, that my shoes were on their way. They have my money. I have no shoes.
Question: What may happen after the call?
Solution: I will return the shoes and get back the money.
Reason: Excellent correct answer: as it presents a non-stereotypical solution involving "return".
Now, solve this instance: Context: I listen but do nt respond much . Being partial or having favorites can be very hurtful and damaging ! It usually is enough hurt to last a lifetime so I excuse myself from showing favorites completely . My mom was even in on the action today , she is adorable , I was blown away by her , I do nt think she has been feeling well , she said some really ugly , hateful things to me when she came in . Before any one had brought up politics or any other subject .
Question: What might happen after talking with your mom ?
Student:
|
Our relationship will be damaged.
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Teacher: Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? If you are still confused, see the following example:
Context: I was told, in person over the phone, that my shoes were on their way. They have my money. I have no shoes.
Question: What may happen after the call?
Solution: I will return the shoes and get back the money.
Reason: Excellent correct answer: as it presents a non-stereotypical solution involving "return".
Now, solve this instance: Context: As one can see on the frequent updates on this blog I do n't have much to say , now there 's this twitter thing , until recently I did n't understand it . Whenever I visit the site I see mostly pointless ( imo ) stuff like " preparing my pizza " , " eating my pizza " , " done with my pizza " . The other thing I see there are people telling me what errors in their applications they are currently fixing . I ca n't see why that 's interesting .
Question: What is the theme of the narrator 's blog ?
Student:
|
It is about cuisine .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Ex Input:
Context: I picked myself up , a bit shaken from the impact of my brain reverberating inside my skull . Embarrassed , I looked sheepishly around ; luckily , there were no witnesses . brushed myself off ; thankfully , my legs were uninjured .
Question: What is most likely to have happened to the OP ?
Ex Output:
Non - lethal motorcycle accident.
Ex Input:
Context: Yesterday , I decided to go out and spend my federal incentive check . What I really wanted was a new television , but I quickly discovered that any I liked were out of my price range by at least $ 100 . I decided instead to go the less fun , more practical route and I bought myself a combined printer / scanner / copier . The advantage of this -- beyond the obvious future advantages when it comes to school -- is that it works directly with my laptop , unlike my other scanner .
Question: How does the narrator get their income ?
Ex Output:
Through welfare .
Ex Input:
Context: After coming back from Worldcon , I decided to wait before making a long post about it , because I was sooo tired . Well , I ' m still tired a week later , so I might as well post . The roadtrip was a blast , as was the con . I had no idea Robert Silverberg was so hilarious ! I also got to see Connie Willis and Joe Haldeman for the first time , who were also quite amusing .
Question: What may have been your reason for waiting to post about Worldcon ?
Ex Output:
|
I was exhausted .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 1
|
train
|
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Q: Context: I happened to have just had a Subway footlong sandwich and a bag of Baked Lays , so I figured I would be okay . After one bottle , I was , so I temped fate and went for another . It got me drunk , but not to the point where I was woozy , wobbly , or slurring my speech . I did not even feel like I was going to give up my sandwich , but I knew well enough to pull back the reigns after that 2nd bottle .
Question: Why is the narrator stumbling around ?
A:
|
They are boozed up .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
--------
Question: Context: Another day full of accomplishments . I got a locker , signed up for direct deposit , got my associate discount card , and finished all my computer lessons due within the next six weeks . Oddly enough the lessons that mentioned HDTV and MP3 ' recommendations ' are missing .
Question: When will you know if you were not hired ?
Answer: I was already completed the hiring process .
Question: Context: The operation is a tonsillectomy , something that thousands of kids go through each year . Something which Heather had done as a kid . Still , it does rather drive a horse and cart through our holiday plans ; No North Wales and we had to cancel a much - looked - forward - to get - together with some fellow - bloggers planned for this evening .
Question: What happened to cause the cancellation of our holiday plans and get together with bloggers ?
Answer: Our child had a tonsillectomy .
Question: Context: Why had the people who had brought her here not brought the President as well ? Surely she would be much more useful if the universe truly was ending ? ) Stepping out into the garden , Leela sniffed the air . It was not fresh air .
Question: What does Leela most likely do as a job ?
Answer:
|
She is a superhero.
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then some input of the task.
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Context: With General Motors cancelling or delaying certain projects while moving up others , there has become a bit of a resource imbalance within the company . Designers once tasked to pickups and SUVs may be idled while those who work on small vehicles may be overtaxed . To counteract this situation , certain foreign market vehicles will be designed in places like Warren , Michigan . Given the tremendous communication and data sharing tools now available , certainly the task of sharing design work across continents is no longer an insurmountable task .
Question: What might have made sharing design work across continents no longer an insurmountable task ?
Output:
|
The availability of communication and data sharing tools made it no longer insurmountable .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 1
|
test
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then an example. Follow the example to solve a new instance of the task.
Craft one correct answer to the question given in input. To make it more interesting, try to use non-stereotypical language if possible. Make sure your correct answer is reasonably long, consistent with the context, and requires common sense (instead of explicit extraction from the context.) In your answer, use as few words as possible from the given context. Use a response that is uncommon/non-stereotypical, so that it is less predictable. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question.
Context: I was told, in person over the phone, that my shoes were on their way. They have my money. I have no shoes.
Question: What may happen after the call?
Solution: I will return the shoes and get back the money.
Why? Excellent correct answer: as it presents a non-stereotypical solution involving "return".
New input: Context: I sucked at tennis , seriously . I played like crap , and it made me so frustrated ! I ve been so stressed out , and when I ' m stressed I eat more . And if I eat more .
Question: What sport is the narrator poor at ?
Solution:
|
They are bad at court sports .
|
task024_cosmosqa_answer_generation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
validation
|
Given the task definition and input, reply with output. You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
To keep documents safer in case of flood, it's better to put them in a plastic box instead of a cardboard box.
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
Example input: The glass fell of a three-story building, so it broke into pieces.
Example output: True
Example explanation: Falling down from a considerable height causes glasses to break, so this is a true sentence.
Q: If you want to get Halloween candy on sale you should go one day after Halloween.
A:
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
Given the task definition and input, reply with output. You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
Mary wants to get something to eat quickly before the meeting in 10 minutes so she chooses to grab a fruit bowl rather than pasta from the cafeteria.
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
One example: The glass fell of a three-story building, so it broke into pieces.
Solution is here: True
Explanation: Falling down from a considerable height causes glasses to break, so this is a true sentence.
Now, solve this: John is going bald, so he uses more shampoo than Steve.
Solution:
|
False
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
instruction:
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
question:
Erica usually gets off work at 5 pm. She often sees the janitor that comes in for a night shift.
answer:
False
question:
There are 839 people in a club with a maximum occupancy of 850, 20 more just arrived, and now we've exceeded the limit by 9 clubgoers.
answer:
True
question:
Sarah usually stays up late on Friday nights, whereas her roommate Julie usually goes to bed at nine pm. Saturday morning Sarah sleeps in and Julie is up early.
answer:
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
See one example below:
Problem: The glass fell of a three-story building, so it broke into pieces.
Solution: True
Explanation: Falling down from a considerable height causes glasses to break, so this is a true sentence.
Problem: When the calculus teacher felt ill, the principal asked the physics teacher to fill in, not the art teacher.
Solution:
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
Q: You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
She had twenty dollars in her wallet for groceries, so she was relieved when the cashier told her the cost was thirty dollars.
A:
|
False
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
Even if the late fee is only 10 dollars, it is better to pay nothing in late fees than a ten-dollar late fee.
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
You will be given a definition of a task first, then an example. Follow the example to solve a new instance of the task.
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
The glass fell of a three-story building, so it broke into pieces.
Solution: True
Why? Falling down from a considerable height causes glasses to break, so this is a true sentence.
New input: 10 minutes of continuous rain has a higher chance of causing flooding than 10 days of continuous rain.
Solution:
|
False
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
test
|
You will be given a piece of text either about an everyday event, or a general statement. If the event seems a plausible event to you, or the general statement makes sense matches your commonsense, output 'True', otherwise output 'False'.
Q: James is a plumber and Rob is a piano teacher, so James' work is more likely to include unclogging toilets.
A:
|
True
|
task116_com2sense_commonsense_reasoning
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 4
|
validation
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
--------
Question: Quines entitats s’ocupaven originalment de prevenir la violació dels drets humans?
Answer: Which entities were originally concerned with preventing violation of human rights?
Question: Quin himne va escriure Luter després del martiri d’Esch i Voes?
Answer: What hymn did Luther write after the martyrdom of Esch and Voes?
Question: Quant ha canviat la temperatura mitjana global de l'aire superficial durant l'últim segle?
Answer:
|
What is the scenario called in which we don't change our greenhouse gas creation practices?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
Instructions: The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Input: Quina llei estableix el terme per jutjar els límits del salut mental que han de tenir les persones que vulguin seure al Parlament escocès?
Output:
|
Members of which organizations are disqualified from sitting in the SP as elected MSPs?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Input: Consider Input: Quin va ser el catalitzador que va fer créixer l’interès en els recursos renovables?
Output: What was the catalyst that created greater interest in renewable resources?
Input: Consider Input: Quin tipus d’element de calor s’utilitza sovint a les màquines de vapor de joguina?
Output: What type of heating element is often used in toy steam engines?
Input: Consider Input: On va situar Turabi els estudiants afins a les seves ideologies?
|
Output: How did Turabi build a strong economic base?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
train
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Quin és el secret del creixement econòmic?
What has been the main reason for the shift to the view that income inequality harms growth?
Quin altre nom rep la Ruta Estatal 168?
What route connects Fresno with the California Central Valley?
Quines cultures formaven part de l’administració Kublai?
|
How many rival princes were involved in assassinating Gegeen?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Let me give you an example: Quants punts va cedir la defensa dels Panthers?
The answer to this example can be: How many points did the Panthers defense surrender?
Here is why: This is a good English translation because it conveys the same meaning as the Catalan question.
OK. solve this:
Quin edifici va dissenyar Ludwig Mies van der Rohe?
Answer:
|
Who was assigned to design a second master plan?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 8
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Problem:Quin edifici va dissenyar Ludwig Mies van der Rohe?
Solution:
|
Who was assigned to design a second master plan?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 8
|
train
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Example input: Quants punts va cedir la defensa dels Panthers?
Example output: How many points did the Panthers defense surrender?
Example explanation: This is a good English translation because it conveys the same meaning as the Catalan question.
Q: Des d’on els agradaria als científics mesurar la radiància de la vegetació?
A:
|
From where would scientists like measure vegetation radiance?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
[EX Q]: Quina és la taxa de variació temporal de la càrrega elèctrica?
[EX A]: In what sense must you be observing the curvature of space-time?
[EX Q]: Qui va escriure el document en què es basava el gràfic "Reconstrucció de la temperatura de l'hemisferi nord mil·lenari"?
[EX A]: When was the paper published that the "Millennial Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction" graph was based on?
[EX Q]: Quantes milles quadrades de superfície tenia la zona afectada per la sequera del 2010?
[EX A]:
|
In what year did the Amazon experience a drought that may have been more extreme than in 2005?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 6
|
train
|
Instructions: The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Input: Quin nom va rebre l’obra de Gandhi?
Output:
|
What was the principle shown in The Mark of Anarchy?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 3
|
test
|
Teacher: The goal of this task is to translate questions in Catalan into English. The requirements of the translation is that: the text must be equivalent in meaning, the text must not be ambiguous, and the text must be written as a question
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? If you are still confused, see the following example:
Quants punts va cedir la defensa dels Panthers?
Solution: How many points did the Panthers defense surrender?
Reason: This is a good English translation because it conveys the same meaning as the Catalan question.
Now, solve this instance: Quin satèl·lit es va utilitzar quan es va introduir al mercat Sky Digital?
Student:
|
What satellite was used when Sky digital was launched?
|
task1676_xquad_ca_translation
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 2
|
validation
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Sentence: At least some FAA officials in Boston Center and the New England Region knew that a hijacker on board American 11 had said "we have some planes.".
Question: How long did they know the plane had been hijacked?
1 day.
Sentence: With this, it became impossible for me to stay upstairs, he said, pointing to the scars on his forearm.
Question: How long had he lived upstairs?
2 months.
Sentence: Dr. Safti is so busy saving lives that he can not personally care for Edwina , who has fallen ill .
Question: How long has Edwina been ill?
|
a month.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Example Input: Sentence: Sarah is dating the curator Michael Pierce , a single father who is away from the museum that night .
Question: How long has Sarah dated Michael?
Example Output: two weeks.
Example Input: Sentence: At Christie's, a folio of 21 prints from Alfred Stieglitz's "Equivalents" series sold for $396,000, a single-lot record.
Question: How long did it take for the prints to sell?
Example Output: 5 minute.
Example Input: Sentence: The state has been first to pass major public health initiatives that have spread throughout the country.
Question: How long did it take the health initiatives to pass?
Example Output:
|
a few months.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 3
|
train
|
Detailed Instructions: In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
See one example below:
Problem: Sentence: Jack played basketball after school, after which he was very tired.
Question: How long did Jack play basketball?
Solution: 1 hour.
Explanation: Typically we play basketball for a couple of hours. So any answer in that range is reasonable.
Problem: Sentence: The lack of a legal aid presence in Pomona prompted the bar association and court officials to start their own once-monthly family law clinic.
Question: How long did Pomona go without legal aid presence?
Solution:
|
for years.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 4
|
train
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
One example is below.
Q: Sentence: Jack played basketball after school, after which he was very tired.
Question: How long did Jack play basketball?
A: 1 hour.
Rationale: Typically we play basketball for a couple of hours. So any answer in that range is reasonable.
Q: Sentence: Chernow notes how the membership soon included many of Hamilton's friends and associates.
Question: How long did it take the membership to include Hamilton's friends and associates?
A:
|
it only took a few months.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 9
|
train
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Ex Input:
Sentence: Shelly went to every cage and looked each puppy in the eyes and talked to each one.
Question: How long did Shelly talk to the puppies?
Ex Output:
15 minutes.
Ex Input:
Sentence: He tried to halt the Dayaks' piracy and head-hunting while defending their more "morally acceptable" customs.
Question: How long does a typical act of piracy take?
Ex Output:
more than an hour.
Ex Input:
Sentence: The Serbian, who beat Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final, ended the dream run of Australian 18-year-old Bernard Tomic.
Question: How long did it take for the Serbian to beat Tsonga?
Ex Output:
|
3 hour.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 1
|
train
|
Q: In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Sentence: At Christie's, a folio of 21 prints from Alfred Stieglitz's "Equivalents" series sold for $396,000, a single-lot record.
Question: How long did it take for the prints to sell?
A:
|
5 minute.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 7
|
train
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Sentence: Mintie, her colleagues say, could have made a lot of money in private practice.
Question: How long has Mintie been making money?
|
a decade.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 0
|
train
|
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
[Q]: Sentence: The CIA now estimates that it cost al Qaeda about $30 million per year to sustain its activities before 9/11 and that this money was raised almost entirely through donations.
Question: How long did it take al Qaeda to raise $30 million?
[A]: a few years.
[Q]: Sentence: Dr. Safti is so busy saving lives that he can not personally care for Edwina , who has fallen ill .
Question: How long has Edwina been ill?
[A]: a month.
[Q]: Sentence: For example, buy local produce at a farmers market, like the one in Figure 2.20.
Question: How long does it take to get to the farmers market?
[A]:
|
10 minutes.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 5
|
train
|
instruction:
In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
question:
Sentence: Danny begins spending less and less time at home with his wife and children .
Question: How much time was he spending at home?
answer:
2 hours a day.
question:
Sentence: Several tenants blame other neighbors as perpetrators of the rift, however.
Question: How long has there been a rift between neighbors?
answer:
6 months.
question:
Sentence: On London's Stock Exchange, Reuters shares rose five pence to 913 pence ($14.43).
Question: How long is the stock exchange open?
answer:
|
it's open for 8 hours a day.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
fs_opt
| 9
|
test
|
Detailed Instructions: In this task, we ask you to write an answer to a question that involves “event duration", based on a given sentence. Here, event duration is defined as the understanding of how long events typically last. For example, “brushing teeth”, usually takes a few minutes. Note that a lot of the questions could have more than one correct answer. We only need a single most-likely answer. Please try to keep your "answer" as simple as possible. Concise and simple "answer" is preferred over those complex and verbose ones.
Q: Sentence: He claimed it was more important for Muslims to kill Americans than to kill other infidels.".
Question: How long did he make his claim?
A:
|
for more than a decade.
|
task004_mctaco_answer_generation_event_duration
|
NIv2
|
zs_opt
| 9
|
validation
|
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