text:
[Map of the territories of Ukraine designated as under occupation]

TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF UKRAINE (Ukrainian: _Тимчасово окупована територія України_) were defined as such in Ukrainian law following the Russian military intervention that resulted in Ukrainian control over the Crimean peninsula and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions being lost. The situation regarding the Crimean peninsula is more complex since Russia annexed the territory in March 2014 and now administers it as two federal subjects - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. Ukraine continues to claim Crimea as an integral part of its territory, supported by most foreign governments and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262.[1] While Russia and other UN member states recognize Crimea as part of the Russian Federation, or have expressed support for the 2014 Crimean referendum. In 2015 the Ukrainian parliament officially set 20 February 2014 as the date of “the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia.”[2]

The uncontrolled portions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are abbreviated from Ukrainian as “ORDLO” predominantly in the Ukrainian media[3] (certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, ). The term first appeared in the Law of Ukraine №1680-VII (Oct 2014).[4]

The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs is the Ukrainian government ministry that oversees the government policy towards the regions.[5] Currently, the government considers 7% of Ukraine's territory to be under occupation.[6] The United Nations General Assembly resolution A/73/L.47, adopted on December 17, 2018, designated Crimea as under “temporary occupation”.[7]

[Approximate location of Pryazovia] The Ukrainian army has noted, and is concerned about, the deployment of the thermonuclear-capable 3M-54 Kalibr cruise missiles onto Russian naval and coast guard vessels operating in the Sea of Azov, which is adjacent to the TOUTU. As a result, the Ukraine’s two main Pryazovian seaports, Mariupol and Berdyansk suffer from an increase in insecurity.[8]

Two sea ports on the Sea of Azov, Temryuk and Taganrog, have allegedly been used to disguise the provenance of anthracite coal and LNG from the TOUTU.[9]

[Location of the North Crimean Canal] The North Crimean Canal, which used to supply water from mainland Ukraine to Crimea, was shut off due to the conflict. Pavlo Zhebrivsky asserts that the strategy of Russia is designed to pressure Ukraine into re-opening the water pipeline.[10]

Background

In response to Russian military intervention, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted government laws (with further updates and extensions) to qualify Autonomous Republic of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as temporarily occupied and uncontrolled territories:

1. Autonomous Republic of Crimea:

-   Law of Ukraine № 1207-VII (15 April 2014) “Citizens' rights and freedom assurance, and legal regulations on temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” (Ukrainian: _Закон України «Про забезпечення прав і свобод громадян та правовий режим на тимчасово окупованій території України»_).[11]

2. Separate raions of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts:

-   Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Order (Ukrainian: _Розпорядження Кабінету Міністрів України_) № 1085-р (7 November 2014) “A list of settlements on territory temporarily uncontrolled by government authorities, and list of landmarks located at contact line” (Ukrainian: _Про затвердження переліку населених пунктів, на території яких органи державної влади тимчасово не здійснюють свої повноваження, та переліку населених пунктів, що розташовані на лінії зіткнення_).[12]
-   Law of Ukraine № 254-19-VIII (17 March 2015) “On recognition of separate raions, cities, towns and villages in Donetsk and Luhansk regions as temporarily occupied territories” (Ukrainian: _«Про визнання окремих районів, міст, селищ і сіл Донецької та Луганської областей тимчасово окупованими територіями»_).[13]

International reactions

On 20 April 2016 Ukraine officially established government Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons ().[14] Current minister is Vadym Chernysh, appointed on 14 April 2016.[15]

In March 2014, in a vote at the United Nations, most of international community (except Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe)[16] did not recognize the annexation of the Crimea by Russia.[17] (See United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262.)

A further resolution was passed by the United Nations in December 2016 regarding “human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol”, which recognised these as part of Ukraine.[18]

Another resolution was passed by the United Nations in December 2017, also regarding “human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol”, which recognised these as part of Ukraine.[19]

In April 2018 PACE's emergency assembly recognized occupied regions of Ukraine as “territories under effective control by the Russian Federation”[20][21]. Chairman of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, MP Volodymyr Aryev mentioned that recognition of the fact that part of the occupied Donbas is under Russia’s control is so important for Ukraine. The responsibility for all the crimes committed in the uncontrolled territories is removed from Ukraine. Russia becomes responsible," Aryev wrote on Facebook [22].

The United Nations General Assembly resolution A/73/L.47, adopted on December 17, 2018, wrote:

List of temporarily occupied regions and settlements

Since start of Russian military intervention, Government of Ukraine is issuing (as extension to government order № 1085-р and law № 254-VIII) up-to-date List of temporarily occupied regions and settlements (Ukrainian: _Перелік населених пунктів, на території яких органи державної влади тимчасово не здійснюють свої повноваження_) and List of landmarks bordering with Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (Ukrainian: _Перелік населених пунктів, що розташовані на лінії зіткнення в зоні антитерористичної операції_). As of 7 February2018, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued 4 updates of order № 1085-р and law № 254-VIII:

1. Addendum № 128-р as of (18 February 2015) [23]

2. Addendum № 428-р as of (5 May 2015) [24]

3. Addendum № 1276-р as of (2 December 2015) [25]

4. Addendum № 79-р as of (7 February 2018) [26]

Some settlements' names are result of 2016 Decommunization in Ukraine (Ukrainian: _:uk:Декомунізація в Україні_)[27][28]

Table below is based on extension as of 07 Feb 2018. Since 2015 borders of some districts were changed.

  In English                                                        In Ukrainian
  ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  Autonomous Republic of Crimea (entire region)                     Автономна Республіка Крим (увесь регіон)
  Sevastopol                                                        Севастополь
  Donetsk region                                                    Донецька область
  Cities of regional importance and nearby settlements:             Міста обласного значення і прилеглі населені пункти:
  Donetsk                                                           Донецьк
  Horlivka                                                          Горлівка
  Debaltseve                                                        Дебальцеве
  Dokuchaievsk                                                      Докучаєвськ
  Yenakiieve                                                        Єнакієве
  Zhdanivka                                                         Жданівка
  Khrestivka (before 2016 - Kirovske)                               Хрестівка (до 2016 - Кіровське)
  Makiivka                                                          Макіївка
  Snizhne                                                           Сніжне
  Chystiakove (before 2016 - Torez)                                 Чистякове (до 2016 - Торез)
  Khartsyzk                                                         Харцизьк
  Shakhtarsk                                                        Шахтарськ
  Yasynuvata                                                        Ясинувата
  Amvrosiivka district (all settlements)                            Амвросіївський район (усі населені пункти)
  Bakhmut (before 2016 - Artemivsk) district:                       Бахмутський (до 2016 - Артемівський) район:
  Bulavynske                                                        Булавинське
  Vuhlehirsk                                                        Вуглегірськ
  Oleksandrivske                                                    Олександрівське
  Olenivka                                                          Оленівка
  Vesela Dolyna                                                     Весела Долина
  Danylove                                                          Данилове
  Illinka                                                           Іллінка
  Kamianka                                                          Кам’янка
  Ridkodub                                                          Рідкодуб
  Bulavyne                                                          Булавине
  Hrozne                                                            Грозне
  Kaiutyne                                                          Каютине
  Vozdvyzhenka (before 2016 - Krasnyi Pakhar)                       Воздвиженка (до 2016 - Красний Пахар)
  Stupakove (before 2016 - Krasnyi Pakhar)                          Ступакове (до 2016 - Красний Пахар)
  Savelivka                                                         Савелівка
  Debaltsivske (before 2016 - Komuna)                               Дебальцівське (до 2016 - Комуна)
  Kalynivka                                                         Калинівка
  Lohvynove                                                         Логвинове
  Novohryhorivka                                                    Новогригорівка
  Nyzhnie Lozove                                                    Нижнє Лозове
  Sanzharivka                                                       Санжарівка
  Olkhovatka                                                        Ольховатка
  Pryberezhne                                                       Прибережне
  Dolomitne                                                         Доломітне
  Travneve                                                          Травневе
  Lozove                                                            Лозове
  Volnovakha district:                                              Волноваський район:
  Andriivka                                                         Андріївка
  Dolia                                                             Доля
  Liubivka                                                          Любівка
  Malynove                                                          Малинове
  Molodizhne                                                        Молодіжне
  Novomykolaivka                                                    Новомиколаївка
  Nova Olenivka                                                     Нова Оленівка
  Petrivske                                                         Петрівське
  Chervone                                                          Червоне
  Pikuzy                                                            Пікузи
  Mariinka district:                                                Мар’їнський район:
  Kreminets                                                         Кремінець
  Luhanske                                                          Луганське
  Oleksandrivka                                                     Олександрівка
  Staromykhailivka                                                  Старомихайлівка
  Syhnalne                                                          Сигнальне
  Novoazovsk district (all settlements)                             Новоазовський район (усі населені пункти)
  Starobesheve district (all settlements)                           Старобешівський район (усі населені пункти)
  Boikivske (before 2016 - Telmanove) district (all)                Бойківський (до 2016 - Тельманівський) район (увесь)
  Shakhtarsk district (all settlements)                             Шахтарський район (усі населені пункти)
  Yasynuvata district:                                              Ясинуватський район:
  Vesele                                                            Веселе
  Bétmanove (before 2016 - Krasnyi Partyzan)                        Бе́тманове (до 2016 - Красний Партизан)
  Mineralne                                                         Мінеральне
  Spartak                                                           Спартак
  Yakovlivka                                                        Яковлівка
  Kruta Balka                                                       Крута Балка
  Kashtanove                                                        Каштанове
  Lozove                                                            Лозове
  Vasylivka                                                         Василівка
  Luhansk region                                                    Луганська область
  Cities of regional importance and nearby settlements:             Міста обласного значення і прилеглі населені пункти:
  Luhansk                                                           Луганськ
  Alchevsk                                                          Алчевськ
  Antratsyt                                                         Антрацит
  Brianka                                                           Брянка
  Holubivka (before - Kirovsk)                                      Голубівка (до 2016 - Кіровськ)
  Khrustalnyi (before 2016 - Krasnyi Luch)                          Хрустальний (до 2016 - Красний Луч)
  Sorokyne (before 2016 - Krasnodon)                                Сорокине (до 2016 - Краснодон)
  Pervomaisk (known as Oleksandrivka)                               Первомайськ (відоме як Олександрівка)
  Rovenky                                                           Ровеньки
  Dovzhansk (before 2016 - Sverdlovsk)                              Довжанськ (до 2016 - Свердловськ)
  Kadiivka (before 2016 - Stakhanov)                                Кадіївка (до 2016 - Стаханов)
  Antratsyt district (all settlements)                              Антрацитівський район (усі населені пункти)
  Sorokyne (before 2016 - Krasnodon) district (all settlements)     Сорокинський (до 2016 - Краснодонський) район (усі населені пункти)
  Lutuhyne district (all settlements)                               Лутугинський район (усі населені пункти)
  Novoaidar district:                                               Новоайдарський район:
  Sokilnyky                                                         Сокільники
  Perevalsk district (all settlements)                              Перевальський район (усі населені пункти)
  Popasna district:                                                 Попаснянський район:
  Berezivske                                                        Березівське
  Holubivske                                                        Голубівське
  Zholobok                                                          Жолобок
  Kalynove                                                          Калинове
  Kalynove-Borshchuvate                                             Калинове-Борщувате
  Kruhlyk                                                           Круглик
  Molodizhne                                                        Молодіжне
  Mius                                                              Міус
  Novooleksandrivka                                                 Новоолександрівка
  Chornukhyne                                                       Чорнухине
  Zolote (except Zolote-1,2,3,4)                                    Золоте (крім Золотого-1, 2, 3, 4)
  Dovzhánsk (before 2016 - Sverdlovsk) district (all settlements)   Довжанський (до 2016 - Свердловський) район (усі населені пункти)
  Slovianoserbsk district (all settlements)                         Слов’яносербський район (усі населені пункти)
  Stanytsia Luhanska district:                                      Станично-Луганський район:
  Burchak-Mykhailivka                                               Бурчак-Михайлівка
  Lobacheve                                                         Лобачеве
  Mykolaivka                                                        Миколаївка
  Sukhodil                                                          Суходіл

Table below is based on extension as of 02 Dec 2015.

  In English (Англійською)                                          In Ukrainian (Українською)
  ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  Autonomous Republic of Crimea (entire region)                     Автономна Республіка Крим (увесь регіон)
  Sevastopol                                                        Севастополь
  Donetsk region                                                    Донецька область
  Cities of regional importance and nearby settlements:             Міста обласного значення і прилеглі населені пункти:
  Donetsk                                                           Донецьк
  Horlivka                                                          Горлівка
  Debaltseve                                                        Дебальцеве
  Dokuchaievsk                                                      Докучаєвськ
  Yenakiieve                                                        Єнакієве
  Zhdanivka                                                         Жданівка
  Khrestivka (before 2016 - Kirovske)                               Хрестівка (до 2016 - Кіровське)
  Makiivka                                                          Макіївка
  Snizhne                                                           Сніжне
  Torez                                                             Торез
  Khartsyzk                                                         Харцизьк
  Shakhtarsk                                                        Шахтарськ
  Yasynuvata                                                        Ясинувата
  Amvrosiivka Raion (all settlements)                               Амвросіївський район (усі населені пункти)
  Bakhmut (before 2016 - Artemivsk) district:                       Бахмутський (до 2016 - Артемівський) район:
  Bulavynske                                                        Булавинське
  Vuhlehirsk                                                        Вуглегірськ
  Oleksandrivske                                                    Олександрівське
  Olenivka                                                          Оленівка
  Vesela Dolyna                                                     Весела Долина
  Danylove                                                          Данилове
  Illinka                                                           Іллінка
  Kamianka                                                          Кам’янка
  Ridkodub                                                          Рідкодуб
  Bulavyne                                                          Булавине
  Hrozne                                                            Грозне
  Kaiutyne                                                          Каютине
  Vozdvyzhenka (before 2016 - Krasnyi Pakhar)                       Воздвиженка (до 2016 - Красний Пахар)
  Stupakove (before 2016 - Krasnyi Pakhar)                          Ступакове (до 2016 - Красний Пахар)
  Savelivka                                                         Савелівка
  Debaltsivske (before 2016 - Komuna)                               Дебальцівське (до 2016 - Комуна)
  Kalynivka                                                         Калинівка
  Lohvynove                                                         Логвинове
  Novohryhorivka                                                    Новогригорівка
  Nyzhnie Lozove                                                    Нижнє Лозове
  Sanzharivka                                                       Санжарівка
  Olkhovatka                                                        Ольховатка
  Pryberezhne                                                       Прибережне
  Volnovakha Raion:                                                 Волноваський район:
  Andriivka                                                         Андріївка
  Dolia                                                             Доля
  Liubivka                                                          Любівка
  Malynove                                                          Малинове
  Molodizhne                                                        Молодіжне
  Novomykolaivka                                                    Новомиколаївка
  Olenivka                                                          Оленівка
  Petrivske                                                         Петрівське
  Chervone                                                          Червоне
  Marinka Raion:                                                    Мар’їнський район:
  Kreminets                                                         Кремінець
  Luhanske                                                          Луганське
  Oleksandrivka                                                     Олександрівка
  Staromykhailivka                                                  Старомихайлівка
  Syhnalne                                                          Сигнальне
  Novoazovsk Raion:                                                 Новоазовський район:
  Khreshchatytske (before 2016 - Krasnoarmiiske)                    Хрещатицьке (до 2016 - Красноармійське)
  Novoazovsk                                                        Новоазовськ
  Huselshchykove                                                    Гусельщикове
  Kozlivka                                                          Козлівка
  Samsonove                                                         Самсонове
  Siedove (known as Kryva Kosa)                                     Сєдове (відоме як Крива Коса)
  Obryv                                                             Обрив
  Bezimenne                                                         Безіменне
  Vedenske                                                          Веденське
  Kachkarske                                                        Качкарське
  Mytkovo-Kachkari                                                  Митьково-Качкарі
  Roza                                                              Роза
  Kozatske                                                          Козацьке
  Porokhnia                                                         Порохня
  Shevchenko                                                        Шевченко
  Kulykove                                                          Куликове
  Verkhnoshyrokivske (before 2016 - Oktiabr)                        Верхньошироківське (до 2016 - Октябр)
  Prymorske                                                         Приморське
  Naberezhne                                                        Набережне
  Pervomaiske                                                       Первомайське
  Sosnivske                                                         Соснівське
  Ukrainske                                                         Українське
  Hrechani Pody (before 2016 - Rozy Liuksemburh)                    Гречані Поди (до 2016 - Рози Люксембург)
  Vesele                                                            Веселе
  Kuznetsi                                                          Кузнеці
  Markyne                                                           Маркине
  Patriotychne                                                      Патріотичне
  Kholodne                                                          Холодне
  Samiilove                                                         Самійлове
  Vaniushkyne                                                       Ванюшкине
  Klynkyne                                                          Клинкине
  Kovske                                                            Ковське
  Shcherbak                                                         Щербак
  Sakhanka                                                          Саханка
  Azov (before 2016 - Dzerzhynske)                                  Азов (до 2016 - Дзержинське)
  Uzhivka (before 2016 - Leninske)                                  Ужівка (до 2016 - Ленінське)
  Khomutove                                                         Хомутове
  Bessarabka                                                        Бессарабка
  Vitava                                                            Вітава
  Siedovo-Vasylivka                                                 Сєдово-Василівка
  Starobesheve Raion (all settlements)                              Старобешівський район (усі населені пункти)
  Boikivskii (before 2016 - Telmanove) district:                    Бойківський (до 2016 - Тельманівський) район:
  Bohdanivka                                                        Богданівка
  Vershynivka                                                       Вершинівка
  Volia                                                             Воля
  Hrekovo-Oleksandrivka                                             Греково-Олександрівка
  Hryhorivka                                                        Григорівка
  Dersove                                                           Дерсове
  Zaporozhets                                                       Запорожець
  Zelenyi Hai                                                       Зелений Гай
  Zernove                                                           Зернове
  Zori                                                              Зорі
  Ivanivka                                                          Іванівка
  Bilokrynýchne (before 2016 - Kalinine)                            Білокрини́чне (до 2016 - Калініне)
  Kaplany                                                           Каплани
  Konkove                                                           Конькове
  Kotliarevske                                                      Котляревське
  Maiórove (before 2016 - Krasnyi Oktiabr)                          Майо́рове (до 2016 - Красний Октябр)
  Kuznetsovo-Mykhailivka                                            Кузнецово-Михайлівка
  Lukove                                                            Лукове
  Mykolaivka                                                        Миколаївка
  Mykhailivka                                                       Михайлівка
  Michurine                                                         Мічуріне
  Nova Marivka                                                      Нова Мар’ївка
  Novooleksandrivka                                                 Новоолександрівка
  Oleksándrivske (before 2016 - Oktiabrske)                         Олекса́ндрівське (до 2016 - Октябрське)
  Chyrylianske (before 2016 - Oktiabrske)                           Чирилянське (до 2016 - Октябрське)
  Pervomaiske                                                       Первомайське
  Petrivske                                                         Петрівське
  Lavrýnove (before 2016 - Radianske)                               Лаври́нове (до 2016 - Радянське)
  Rozivka                                                           Розівка
  Sadky                                                             Садки
  Samsonove                                                         Самсонове
  Svobodne                                                          Свободне
  Tavrycheske                                                       Тавричеське
  Boikivske (before 2016 - Telmanove)                               Бойківське (до 2016 - Тельманове)
  Ternivka                                                          Тернівка
  Cherevkivske                                                      Черевківське
  Chumak                                                            Чумак
  Shevchenko                                                        Шевченко
  Shakhtarsk Raion (all settlements)                                Шахтарський район (усі населені пункти)
  Yasynuvata Raion:                                                 Ясинуватський район:
  Vesele                                                            Веселе
  Bétmanove (before 2016 - Krasnyi Partyzan)                        Бе́тманове (до 2016 - Красний Партизан)
  Mineralne                                                         Мінеральне
  Spartak                                                           Спартак
  Yakovlivka                                                        Яковлівка
  Kruta Balka                                                       Крута Балка
  Kashtanove                                                        Каштанове
  Lozove                                                            Лозове
  Luhansk region                                                    Луганська область
  Cities of regional importance and nearby settlements:             Міста обласного значення і прилеглі населені пункти:
  Luhansk                                                           Луганськ
  Alchevsk                                                          Алчевськ
  Antratsyt                                                         Антрацит
  Brianka                                                           Брянка
  Holubivka (before - Kirovsk)                                      Голубівка (до 2016 - Кіровськ)
  Khrustalnyi (before 2016 - Krasnyi Luch)                          Хрустальний (до 2016 - Красний Луч)
  Sorokyne (before 2016 - Krasnodon)                                Сорокине (до 2016 - Краснодон)
  Pervomaisk (known as Oleksandrivka)                               Первомайськ (відоме як Олександрівка)
  Rovenky                                                           Ровеньки
  Dovzhansk (before 2016 - Sverdlovsk)                              Довжанськ (до 2016 - Свердловськ)
  Kadiivka (before 2016 - Stakhanov)                                Кадіївка (до 2016 - Стаханов)
  Antratsyt district (all settlements)                              Антрацитівський район (усі населені пункти)
  Sorokyne (before 2016 - Krasnodon) district (all settlements)     Сорокинський (до 2016 - Краснодонський) район (усі населені пункти)
  Lutuhyne district (all settlements)                               Лутугинський район (усі населені пункти)
  Novoaidar district:                                               Новоайдарський район:
  Sokilnyky                                                         Сокільники
  Perevalsk district (all settlements)                              Перевальський район (усі населені пункти)
  Popasna district:                                                 Попаснянський район:
  Berezivske                                                        Березівське
  Holubivske                                                        Голубівське
  Zholobok                                                          Жолобок
  Kalynove                                                          Калинове
  Kalynove-Borshchuvate                                             Калинове-Борщувате
  Kruhlyk                                                           Круглик
  Molodizhne                                                        Молодіжне
  Mius                                                              Міус
  Novooleksandrivka                                                 Новоолександрівка
  Chornukhyne                                                       Чорнухине
  Dovzhánsk (before 2016 - Sverdlovsk) district (all settlements)   Довжанський (до 2016 - Свердловський) район (усі населені пункти)
  Slovianoserbsk district (all settlements)                         Слов’яносербський район (усі населені пункти)
  Stanytsia Luhanska district:                                      Станично-Луганський район:
  Burchak-Mykhailivka                                               Бурчак-Михайлівка
  Lobacheve                                                         Лобачеве
  Mykolaivka                                                        Миколаївка

[1]

[2]  “Nasha” Poklonsky promises to the “Berkut” fighters to punish the participants of the Maidan, Segodnya (20 March 2016)

[3]

[4]

[5]  The Cabinet decided to create the Ministry of temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, Ukrayinska Pravda (20 April 2016)

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11] http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1207-VII

[12]

[13] http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/254-VIII

[14]

[15] New Cabinet formed in Ukraine, UNIAN (14 April 2016)
Week’s balance: PM Groysman, Rada’s sabotage, and disappointing IMF forecast, UNIAN (18 April 2016)

[16]

[17]  Alternative URL

[18]

[19]  Alternative URL (pdf)

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

title: Temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

question: What areas of Ukrainian territory does Russia have control over?

answer: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.

question: What is the official date that the Ukrainian Parliament has declared the operation began?

answer: 20 February 2014.

question: What has the Ukrainian army noted in the Sea of Azov?

answer: 3M-54 Kalibr thermonuclear capable cruise missiles.

question: Which countries in the international community do not recognize Ukraine's right to the territory Russia stole?

answer: Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about measures taken by the Ukrainian parliament to declare territory taken by Russia since the annexation of Crimea to be "temporarily occupied" territory. This maintains Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial claim to the region while recognizing that Russia has effective control over these regions.


split: train

text:
DE RÉNIALME (also spelled DE RENIALME) was a prominent noble Belgian and Venetian family originally from Antwerp in modern Belgium. Several family members were wealthy merchants in Antwerp and Venice during the 16th century and later.[1][2]

The family includes the noted art dealer Johannes de Renialme, a principal dealer of Rembrandt's paintings and who also bought the first known painting by Vermeer.[3]

[1] Jean Charles Joseph de Vegiano, _Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas_, p. 428, 1760

[2] _Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du Comté de Bourgogne_, pp. 512–514, 1865

[3] John Michael Montias, _Art at Auction in 17th Century Amsterdam_, p. 130, 2002

title: Rénialme

question: Which city was the De Renialme family from?

answer: Antwerp.

question: What did wealthy family members do for a living in the 16th century?

answer: They were merchants.

question: Which artist is Johannes de Renialme a principal dealer of?

answer: Rembrandt's paintings.

question: Who bought the first known painting by Vermeer?

answer: JOhannes de Renialme.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The de Renialme family, original from Antwerp, was a prominent noble Belgian and Venetian family who amassed their wealth through their merchant business in the 16th century and after then. Johannes de Renialme is a principal dealer of Rembrandt's paintings and also bought the first known Vermeer painting.


text:
It was March of 2000, probably a few years earlier than Aaron Taylor anticipated retiring when he entered the NFL in 1994, but at that point, the pain in his surgically repaired knees was in that medical purgatory where it was far too agonizing to continue playing offensive line but they were fortunately still functional enough for him to lead a normal life.

So while a six-season NFL career wasn't exactly what he drew up on the chalkboard, Taylor outwardly was in a pretty glorious place in retirement, all things considered. The former college All-American and first-round pick in the 1994 draft had been prudent with his money and invested wisely. He had no debt, no wife, no kids, a Super Bowl ring he'd earned with the Green Bay Packers, a degree from the University of Notre Dame and a house in Southern California.

The world was his oyster, and all in all, retired life for Aaron Taylor was pretty goddamn perfect, right? Well, for a while, perhaps, yes.

"At first, retiring for me was a huge relief because I was in so much physical pain, I was glad it was over," recalled Taylor. "And the first couple months of retirement are actually fun because you're missing OTAs [organized team activities] and minicamp, and you feel like you're playing hooky. But that euphoria doesn't last long."

Eventually, NFL training camp rolled around in 2000, and for the first time in his adult life, Taylor had nowhere to be and nothing to do. It was scary as hell, and Taylor soon found himself in a dark place that, sadly, a majority of NFL players experience to some degree after retiring from the game — an empty daily existence fraught with depression and identity issues whose figurative seeds are sowed, unbeknownst to the players, the moment they enter the National Football League.

"From the time we arrive in the NFL, we are handed a schedule and a game plan for everything," Taylor explains. "We are totally programmed, and all we're asked to do is go execute. It's the ironic beauty of football — it's a vocation that allows us to excel without thinking too much. The problem is that it's all-consuming, so when it's over, you're left literally wondering, 'Who am I without the game of football? What is my purpose here?'"

With a pending billion-dollar lawsuit against the league (not to mention a 2015 feature film, _Concussion_) that is centered on brain disease and head trauma in former NFL players, the average football-watching fan is likely more aware of the pain endured by retired football players than he was, say, five or ten years ago. However, the misery Taylor and countless other players have undergone is a little more latent and harder to detect from the outside than the physical injuries, in part because of the intangible nature of emotional discord, and in part because NFL players have always been conditioned to subdue emotion and never show vulnerability, which works fine on the football field but horrifically in real life.

"From the time we were drafted, coaches demanded that we have on our 'game face' and show no emotion," said Taylor. "If we're being honest, the only thing the NFL truly values is a player not being a pussy. So as a result, we suffer in silence, and unfortunately we continue to suffer in silence once we're out of the game. We do that until we hit rock bottom."

For retired NFL players, rock bottom can mean bankruptcy, divorce, chemical dependency or some combination of the three. A 2009 study found that 78 percent of retired NFL players experience one or more of these hardships within two seasons of retiring.

Taylor was one player in that 78 percent, having drunk himself silly through the first year and a half of his post-career identity crisis before eventually seeking help, going through the 12-step process and getting sober practically two years to the day after he retired from the NFL. "I was an ax-swinging motherfucker when I was in the league, man," said Taylor. "So finding the humility to admit I needed help was the hardest part for me."

Like Taylor, former Patriots linebacker and current Houston talk show host Ted Johnson retired from the game with championship hardware (three Super Bowl rings in all) and universal respect, both of which made him a tremendously popular player in a sports-crazed town. Unfortunately, a decade of using his head as his prime weapon for tackling — Johnson was known around the league as "Cement Head Ted" — left him with countless concussions, which led to his retiring prior to the 2005 season.

Physically, Johnson was ready for retirement, but emotionally, as with many players before him, life in the real world was a daunting prospect. "You go from having seemingly every minute accounted for in your day to having nothing to do," Johnson said. "It's hard to explain, but you leave the game and there's almost a level of shame in trying to acclimate yourself to everyday life. It feels like you no longer have a purpose."

Johnson's difficulties post-career were exacerbated by not only his concussions but also his courageous decision to go public in a 2007 New York Times interview in which he revealed that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick forced him to practice with concussions in 2002. The backlash from that interview left Johnson ostracized in the Boston area and contributed to chemical dependency issues that sent him to rehab on multiple occasions.

While some players are able to dodge the trappings of post-retirement financial, marital or chemical problems, some degree of depression is nearly unavoidable, and whether they like it or not, players will end up executing the five Kubler-Ross stages of grief for the end of their careers the same way they executed a play-action pass downfield.

"I don't care what anybody says, no player is prepared for the void you feel after retiring from football," contends former Houston Texans wide receiver David Anderson. "I've never taken crack, but I would imagine the high you get is like the high we got from competing in the NFL."

Anderson retired in 2011 after six seasons in the league. A seventh-round draft choice in 2006 out of Colorado State, Anderson was able to overcome his relatively diminutive size, carve out a decent living and leave the game relatively healthy. "I never needed any surgeries," he said. "Just a few concussions, that was it."

While he still enjoys watching the game of football, Anderson has no desire even to toss a football around as a form of activity. "I've played thousands of pickup basketball games and soccer games since I retired," said Anderson. "I've played maybe 45 minutes of football, tops. I can't do it. It's not the same. It's depressing."

*****

The degree to which players are able to adjust to life after football, or at the very least quell some of the despair that comes from the void created by retirement, seems to be proportional to the support groups and resources available to them. Former Houston Texans center Chris Myers retired last year after being released in March 2015, concluding a ten-year career that saw him make several million dollars along the way. Married with a family of four, Myers has enough distractions at home to at least keep him busy, even if he experiences the same aftereffects that take some guys into a much darker place.

"The first thing you notice is the emptiness," Myers said. "There was a structure to every single day, and not having that anymore, there's a sense of loss. The bad thing is, without football, guys can wind up dealing with their families the same way they dealt with football, and that type of aggressiveness doesn't work at home. The transition to being outside of the football life can be really difficult."

Myers deals with the change by almost subconsciously reinserting some version of football structure into his life on a daily basis. "Certain guys don't like the monotony of football, but you live it and you still live it afterwards," he said. "I still wake up early every morning at the same time I did when I was in the league.

"For ten years, I knew what I was supposed to do every day, and now, well…"

Perhaps the biggest contributor to the post-football career trauma experienced by former NFL players is the asymmetrical nature of their life experience and career timelines compared with those of regular, everyday folk. Most people experience the competition of establishing themselves in some long-term career path in their twenties and early thirties and then achieve their biggest fiscal earnings in their forties and fifties or later.

Conversely, football players are the exact opposite. They do a massive chunk of their earning before they even turn 25 or 26 (that immaturity being a major reason why there are so many bankruptcies, by the way), and find themselves at their "real-world" starting line in their early thirties, competing in a race where the system they experienced in the NFL can impede their ability to hit the ground running, if they ever get running at all.

On top of that, Detroit Lions safety James Ihedigbo, a nine-year veteran who is nearing his retirement years, maintains that an unhealthy view of wealth exists around the league. "Guys are taught from their rookie year moving forward that they're supposed to take the money they make in the NFL and make it last a lifetime," said Ihedigbo. "That creates a foolish sense of security and a stagnant mind-set that I think contributes to guys' not knowing what to do once they're out of football."

Myers goes as far as to say that there are numerous players who lack even basic financial literacy. "I've seen guys who have filed taxes for two or three years and not known what a W-2 is," Myers claimed. "I've seen guys who don't even bother to put money in the league's 401(k), which matches two dollars for every one dollar up to $10,000. There are guys actually forgoing a free 20 grand every year!"

If more coaches and management viewed NFL players as actual people rather than chess pieces, some of the post-career adjustment problems might be mitigated somewhat; however, the league is a cold business. Players are employees, no more, no less. In a 2015 Newsday survey, 85 percent of 763 former NFL players polled said they did not believe the NFL adequately prepared them for life after football.

"While we're playing, the league doesn't -really educate players at all on finances and life after football," claims Ihedigbo. "The league cares about the league and making money. They don't care about life after football. They want you to abide by the rules, carry yourself accordingly, and once you're done, it's 'best of luck.' No different than any other business, really. It's up to the individual to be accountable."

So in a league in which 80 percent of retired players wind up financially or emotionally destitute within two years of leaving the game, and virtually 100 percent of retired players are dealing with various kinds of physical ailments, how does this transition phase, with all its metaphorical potholes and land mines, get fixed? Because it has to get fixed, right?

Well, since the implementation of the new collective bargaining agreement in 2011, and even more so since he took over as president of the NFL Players Association in 2014, former Houston Texan and more recently Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Eric Winston has been focused on this very thing — the seamless transition of retired NFL players from the league to society.

"In 2011, during the work stoppage, that was one of the big things," claimed Winston. "We knew that we had a lot of guys who were out of the game, and they're at Point A, and they know what Point B looks like, but they don't know how to get to Point B, and we needed to find a way to get them there."

The solution was the NFLPA's creation of The Trust, which is described on its website as "a set of resources, programs, and services designed to provide former players with the support, skills, and tools to help ensure success off the field and in life after football." Its creation was a revolutionary step for a league and a union that had watched previous generations of battered players pretty much fend for themselves to find a post-football career and, in turn, a reason to wake up every day.

The Trust claims to offer a "total wellness program." In other words, it operates not only to assess, monitor and aid in the physical health of retired players, but also to assist those same players in getting started on post-football careers, with programs designed to help in everything from generating a résumé to networking with companies and business leaders in a player's city of residence.

Winston says The Trust executes a player-centric process that focuses first on the physical well-being of the player and then on his professional well-being. "One of the first things we do is help them get their paperwork filed for workmen's comp and line of duty, and start getting them healthy," outlines Winston. "Guys are broken and they need fixing, so we say let's get 'the person' right first.

"From there, The Trust asks them what they want to do," Winston continued. "We can have them take an aptitude test, we can create connections in cities that allow networking, help them get their degree with tuition assistance, help build their resume." Anderson is one example of a player who has taken advantage of the tuition assistance, having had nearly 80 percent of his tuition paid for by The Trust and the NFL in receiving his graduate degree from the University of Southern California. Today, Anderson works for a sports analytics start-up company called Second Spectrum.

All the services The Trust provides are free of charge to players who have two or more years of credited service in the league. On paper, this is a huge benefit for former players, and acceptance of it is growing by the day. "It's not an easy process, but we have 1,700 enrollees. The big thing is word of mouth and getting guys to buy into it," said Winston.

As someone who himself is nearing retirement sometime in the next few years, Winston is sensitive to the need for former players to have a purpose in life, and he knows that the plight and depression of those leaving the game are generated by everything from the game's aggressive culture to the semantics of the word "retirement."

"I've thought for a long time that the worst thing we do is use the word 'retirement' when talking about football players because it implies some sort of finality when it comes to actually working," Winston said. "It's like that word implies that guys are done working, and it's time to hit the beach and live the good life. It's a dangerous word. I prefer to call them 'former' players, not 'retired' players."

While the long hours and soul-crushing grind of the NFL are a big reason players leave the game inadequately programmed for the real world, Winston theorizes that it can be those very things that make a former NFL player attractive to a company or organization.

"Even the most well-adjusted guys struggle, and it's strange: The longer they play football, the less qualified guys feel they are to do anything else," said Winston. "Guys don't realize, though, how unique it is that they've worked 12- to 15-hour days constantly for years, and how that stacks up when they're working with regular people. Football players bring something unique to the table."

Convincing and communicating to NFL players that their workplace, with its average career of a little more than three years and an average annual salary of $2 million, can somehow actually facilitate normalcy after they retire is a massive but necessary step. As much as we all enjoy our fantasy football drafts and our Sundays in the fall, it's pretty eye-opening that the transition of the average NFL player to regular society probably best mirrors the transition of paroled prisoner Red in Shawshank Redemption, in which the character actually wishes he could go back to prison because he misses its mindless routine and draconian structure.

On a related note, in that aforementioned Newsday survey from 2015, 61 percent of former players said they found it difficult to adjust to daily life after their NFL careers, and 89 percent said that, despite the medical and emotional difficulties they were experiencing as a result of football, they would do it all over again.

When it comes to explaining the transition to life after football, Aaron Taylor prefers an analogy in which he sees every NFL player driving toward a cliff, and that cliff is retirement from the NFL. "We are all going to drive off that cliff, but some will do it with more velocity," Taylor explains. "That velocity is generated by money, by resources. Guys like Drew Bledsoe, with their health and tens of millions of dollars in the bank, will go off the cliff at a high speed, fly far and land softly. Other guys, with less money, less resources, less velocity, they'll plummet straight down and land hard.

"Most guys in the league land hard," Taylor conceded.

While the removal of structure and interpersonal camaraderie with the other players is a huge reason retired players tumble emotionally, Taylor believes the biggest reason is that, unlike with other jobs, when players are fired from football, they are fired from the industry permanently. "Think about it. If you're a banker or a chef or nearly any other occupation, and you get fired, there's always another bank or restaurant or whatever," said Taylor. "But there's only one National Football League, and when you're asked to leave, it's forever. It's hard to put into words how frightening that is for guys."

*****

Communication is a huge key to substantive change in the quality of the lives of former NFL players, specifically players' doing away with the macho notion that they keep depression and anxiety to themselves. One of the flash points in the awareness of brain trauma and depression in former players was the 2012 suicide of Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau, whose friends claim to this day that they didn't see any outward signs that he was ready to take his own life.

The fact is that the tougher a guy appears to be, the less those around him think he needs help. Seau obviously needed help in the worst way possible. "Junior Seau embodied an otherworldly level of toughness," said Taylor, who was a teammate of Seau's in San Diego. "I knew he had issues; I took him to A.A. meetings with me. His death really shook people up."

If there can be a positive pulled from the fire of a tragedy like Seau's death, though, it is indeed the resulting attention to the plight of bruised and battered retired players, and that the tide seems to have turned for them in their fight for resources and help after their careers.

There is most assuredly still more work to do. On the NFL Players Association side of things, Myers believes more communication with players during their athletic careers on post-player planning is a necessity. "We need to come up with any program we can to communicate to guys and make them knowledgeable about finances and life after football while they're playing," said Myers. "I've even thought about a program that communicates this to guys before they get into the league."

Even with the enhanced post-career preparation programs available to players, there will always be a degree of trial and error when it comes to guys' identifying their optimal career paths. Anderson flirted with a radio career before settling upon graduate school and his current employer (although he jokes that he would still rather just "roller-blade all day in a Speedo and spend the rest of [his] money"). Upon sobriety, Taylor backpacked through Europe for a couple of months as an active way to figure out his purpose in life. He thought it would be as a teacher, until ABC called to hire him as a college football analyst in 2002, a position that he now holds with CBS.

Myers is moving his family to Philadelphia later this year, into a brand-new dream home that ten years in the NFL allowed him to build. He is still adjusting to life after football and for now appears to have taken a liking to coaching, specifically training NFL draft prospects, but he's still figuring things out. Winston might come back for another year with the Bengals, but either way, his tenure as president of the NFLPA has given him a crash course in finding that post-NFL purpose.

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"It's allowed me a glimpse at the future while I'm still playing," Winston said. "I've learned a ton about running a business. Understanding, learning, it's been out of sight."

The NFL has never been more popular and more lucrative than it is at this very moment. Every financial metric says the game is healthier than it's ever been. It would stand to reason that the most important employees, the ones who truly are the product, would have a chance for similar health after they're done playing, so there don't need to be any more Junior Seaus and so that the 78 percent of retired players who are bankrupt, divorced or chemically dependent within two years dwindles to a much smaller number.

There is an old, morbid saying that football players die twice — once when they retire and again when they actually die. It encapsulates the abyss of despair players have tumbled into for decades upon retirement.
Going forward, Winston would like to see that metaphor turned completely on its head, and tell every retired player: "You climbed the mountain one time; you can do it again."

_Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays. Also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast or email him at sean.pendergast@cbsradio.com._

question: How can the switch to retirement life be made easier for the players?

answer: It may be implied that some level of therapy would be required to make the shift to a retirement life easier for the players.

question: What are the different feelings a player experiences after leaving the field for good?

answer: The first feeling they experience may be the feeling of emptiness since they suddenly have nothing to do when they previously dedicated all their time to the sport. Sometimes the prolonged feeling of emptiness may also lead to depression and identity issues.

question: Have any steps been taken to help the players off-field?

answer: Yes, the NFLPA created a trust that helped the players to gain success in life post-football. The trust had resources, programs, and services that supported the players.

question: What has been done to bring this issue to light?

answer: According to the passage, back in 2015, a movie named Concussion was released, the movie was centered on brain disease and trauma in former NFL players.


text:
[phase2_update_lowres]

This a low res version. Select the link below phase2_update png to get the full sized image.

All the areas I remember best in Damascus have been stitched together. But the map lacks any physical and intellectual context. The image is also scaleless. What were the places to me, what are they now – do all of them still exist? Most still exist, but this map cannot just be about my life (even though the city and I had a very intimate relationship – probably my most intimate relationship thus far – it has to mean something to others whether or not I may know them). But I will continue working on this map until it starts acquiring some use, and I know I want it to be useful . It wants to be useful, but at this point it can only be useful as proof that I am still working on it.

The personal spaces are ordinary but the interstitial ones are contested today.

What can be moreover told is that the city was – as shown – working for me as two nodes. On one end was “the city” as a built form containing my home, my grandparents’ homes, my school, the workplace where I interned, and of course the interstitial spaces. At the other end was the airport. I didn’t experience it as often as the rest of the city, but the route to was extremely important. It also meant I got as close as ever to the places we could see in the distance from our balcony. All of this will (eventually) be indicated.

I recently ordered three books – The Angel of History by Svetlana Boym, On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness by Jacques Derrida, and The Past is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal. I hope that reading them will also inform the drawing.

[collageofdamascus_try4]This is what I have achieved thus far on my detailed memory map. It has been taking some time because the overall image needs to be stitched from small high-resolution satellite imagery of the city. Those areas in red can be zoomed into for closer inspection (assuming, if need be). A low resolution gray-scaled image of the city is included to give some context. The map needs to be expanded eastwards to include Old Damascus (where I briefly worked in 2009). Moreover, I need to refine the treatment to follow a more coherent and systematic logic.

[Progress on Map of Memory of Damascus]

[collage of damascus and new york]

Attached is a photoshopped satellite photograph of Damascus (I never did get to see the city from that altitude, unfortunately) MEANT TO SHOW THE APPROXIMATE SIZE OF THE CITY. I OVERLAYED A LAYER OF RED ON ALL THE BUILT ELEMENTS. NEXT TO THE FIRST IMAGE OF THE CITY EMPHASIZING ONLY THOSE AREAS THAT I REMEMBER (HEREAFTER CALLED THE ‘RED ZONE’).  I have also applied the same two treatments to an image of New York City purely for comparison purposes. I have only been to New York city twice but most would probably be able to identify it in plan without ever having visited or researched it.

There are no parameters in identifying the boundaries of the red zone – but if anyone asks me about Damascus, it is the routes (from our home to my school, my grandmother’s house, and various other places that I often frequented) undertaken within that confined area that first come to mind. I do not really know how much – on average – a citizen remembers his/her city in terms of area – but I am assuming what I do remember of Damascus is below that average. WHAT I REMEMBER AMOUNTS TO LESS THAN 1.5 KILOMETERS SQUARED – HALF OF THE SIZE OF CENTRAL PARK IN NEW YORK CITY.

But I wouldn’t call myself a prisoner (not in the self-conscious sense at least) because I never desired to venture further – ‘further’ was best seen from our balcony at sunrise or sunset. If I did ever venture beyond the identified red zone, it was for a special occasion (anything from a wedding or going with my father to the maintenance shop for his car) or it was to leave the city or the country entirely. My family usually had to go to the airport at 4 AM ( most flights left at 6 to 8 AM for some legal restriction that I never understood very well) so that journey and that city were cloaked in black. When returning to the city, most flights landed in the evening as well – but the city at that time was lit. Even the poorest areas (e.g Jaramanah) seemed beautiful from afar – but not even at those times did we venture closer. This is not to say that I lived in the wealthiest section of the city – but whenever there were spaces of poverty, they were usually physically or psychologically cloaked (in beautiful lights, in darkness, or behind large housing blocks).

However within that area which I remember are many sites of interest that could become opportunities for intervention in the future. They comprise my architectural bias and hence any possible intent (if it even matters) : they will be identified in a more detailed image of the ‘red zone’ later on. This post is just a graphic introduction, so I will not write much more.

“How to begin again? HOW TO BE HAPPY, TO INVENT OURSELVES, SHEDDING THE INERTIA OF THE PAST? How to experience life and life alone, ‘that dark, driving, insatiable power that lusts after itself?’ These were the questions that bothered the moderns. Happiness, and not merely a longing for it, meant forgetfulness and a new perception of time.” – Svetlana Boym in the Future of Nostalgia

I was recently exposed to Sevtlana Boym’s “Future of Nostalgia” through a course entitled Structure of [Middle Eastern?] Cities (the class was partially devoted to defining what the Middle East actually is, geographically, culturally, figuratively, etc.) taught by Professor Ipek Tureli. I was particularly imbued by this excerpt from the chapter entitled “The Angel of History: Nostalgia and Modernity”. I, like many others, have become nostalgic: I was raised in Syria, but I left to pursue a degree in architecture at a university in Canada. But I learned that I loved ‘Syria’ (I was never very patriotic) the day I left – an unappreciative tourist in my own country. But that is very telling of the schizophrenic state within which Syria existed for at least its last two decades. It was a dictatorship, a closeted world of a naive elite that neglected a downtrodden majority which – to this day – pays a bitter, undeserved price. Hence, in all fairness to the majority that I hid from, THE SYRIA I LEFT NEVER EXISTED beyond what it was to me and my closest friends and family. Though I am unsure of the exact connection – accepting that has encouraged me to start a blog to  map the architecture of that isolated nostalgia. That nostalgia is not just a longing for the past  that may never have existed, but a desire for a future that – as of now – cannot exist.

I – hopefully – will be posting regularly. Ideally, my posts will consist of maps, diagrams, and photo-collages, that relate to architectural interventions that can provide substance to ‘that’ nostalgia.

question: What does the text say about "Future of Nostalgia"?

answer: "Future of Nostalgia" is a book by Svetlana Boym that the author read in a course called Structure of Cities. It's safe to say the book has something to do with the structure of cities. The author enjoyed an excerpt from the book called "The Angel of History: Nostalgia and Modernity", and seemed to relate to it.

question: What does the text say about Syria?

answer: The author was raised in Syria before going to Canada to get their university degree. There they realized they loved Syria, but that they were an unappreciative tourist in their own country. They describe Syria as having been a schizophrenic state with a dictatorship and a closeted world of elite people who neglected the downtrodden majority for the last two decades. The narrator believes they were one of those elite people, and that the Syria they left never really existed. This nostalgia they feel for Syria inspires them to start a blog to map the architecture of isolated nostalgia.

question: Summarize everything relating to the author's family.

answer: The narrator talks about how they were raised in Syria with their family. They were a part of the naïve elite, despite not being the wealthiest, in Syria who neglected a downtrodden majority. They and their family never really left the area they lived unless it was for a special occasion like going to a wedding or going with their father to a car maintenance shop.

question: What does the text say about Los Angeles?


text:
Have your first look at Wärtsilä RT-flex96C, the world’s largest and most powerful diesel engine in the world today.

[worlds-largest-diesel-7]

Yes, isn’t it awe inspiring and amazing? Manufactured by a Finnish company known as Wärtsilä, this engine is capable of producing 80080 KW power, enough to charge an entire suburban town. The magnificent engine weighs an astounding 23,000 tons. It is a two-stroke turbo charges low speed engine.

Are you wondering where exactly will this huge intimidating machine be used? For a long time now, shipping has proved to be the most efficient form of trade. Just for your information, these massive trading ships weigh thousands of tons and go at decent speeds of more than 35 knots. To provide such huge engine power, the engine has to be robust. The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C will provide all that power and more. The engine has been put into use in September 2006 at Emma Mærsk.

[2]

The huge engine has 14 built-in cylinders that consume about 6.5 ounces of diesel in one cycle. Each cylinder is capable of producing about 5700 kW of energy. The design is similar to the RTA96C engine however, the traditional camshaft, hydraulic actuators and pumps have been replaced by the all new state-of-the-art rail technology. The engine speed varies from 22-102 rpm.

[3263_03]

The efficient Wärtsilä RT-flex96C can consume 170 g/kWh and has bore of 960 mm. It is also environment friendly and does not release excessive amounts of harmful GHG emissions. The engine is highly efficient and is considered the largest reciprocating engine in the world.

The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C is undoubtedly a wonder of modern engineering. The huge machine is capable of powering any size of ships and its 14 built-in cylinders cater for huge amount of power demands. The remarkable engine is 44 feet tall and 90 feet long.

[image006]

The ships that transport goods from China to the U.S. are usually Huge. And when we say huge, we are talking about ships weighing 180,000 tons each and 1300 feet or more in length. A lowly, measly turbo engine cannot even move these gigantic ships. The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C diesel engine produces 109,000 horsepower of energy that runs such ships. Currently, there are about 25 of these huge engines out there in our oceans and 86 more are coming soon. The improved fuel economy, longer life spans and better engine performance ensure bright future prospects for the huge Wärtsilä RT-flex96C engine.

[images]

question: What is the name of the company that manufactured the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C?

answer: It is made by Wärtsilä.

question: How much power output is the diesel engine, Wärtsilä RT-flex96C, has?

answer: It is capable of producing 80,080kW, enough to charge an entire suburban town.

question: How is the engine mostly used?

answer: It is mostly used to power big trading ships that import and export goods over long distances.

question: What are the main specifications of the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C?

answer: It has 14 built-in cylinders, each capable of producing about 5700kW of energy.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
Wärtsilä RT-flex96C is a powerful engine made by a Finnish company. It is capable of producing 80,080kW, enough to charge an entire suburban town. However, it is mainly used by large ships that travel long distances.

According to technical specifications, the engine has 14 built-in cylinders, each capable of producing about 5700kW of energy.


text:
The webOS operating system – developed by Palm, acquired by HP, licensed to LG Electronics, and sold to Qualcomm – now has an official open-source version optimised for the Raspberry Pi.

The new OS has been launched by LG but is an independent project, with its own website and name: webOS Open Source Edition, or webOS OSE for short.

According to the webOS OSE website:

  webOS is a web-centric and usability-focused software platform for smart devices. The operating system has constantly evolved, passing through its journey from Palm to HP, and most recently to LG Electronics. Now, we are releasing webOS as an open source project, named webOS Open Source Edition (OSE).

Open source webOS for Raspberry Pi

The initial offering is fairly basic, with only a few apps built in. However, you can develop your own apps using IoTivity and iotivity-node.

Despite the v1.0 release number, even getting webOS onto your Raspberry Pi is tricky. You need to be running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64‑bit to compile the source code, for example, as no pre-built image has been issued.

This is despite the Raspberry Pi 3B being the only recommended system for webOS OSE. Helpfully, forum user Vipeax is hosting a webOS pre-built image for download. Also, visit webosose.org for details of webOS OSE, and how to contribute.

question: What is webOS OSE?

answer: webOS Open Source Edition, an open source operating system optimised for the Raspberry Pi.

question: Does the OS have many apps built for it?

answer: No, but you can build your own.

question: What OS do you need on raspberry pi to compile the code?

answer: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64‑bit.

question: Who owns webOS OSE?

answer: Originally Palm, then HP, then LG Electronics, and now Qualcomm.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: A new open source operating system for the Raspberry Pi has been released. Originally developed by Palm, acquired by HP, Licensed to LG, and finally sold to Qualcomm, webOS now sports it's webOS Open Source Edition. webOS OSE for short, it is a web-centric, usability focused software platform. Though there aren't many apps for it, it offers the tools needed to make your own. You must be running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64‑bit as there isn't an image pre compiled yet.


text:
(This is a work in progress but I wanted to get some feedback on what people think might be good additions to the story and even whether or not to try and finish it XD)

"I am known by many names but my first was Judas...

After betraying that wretch "Jesus", his father cursed me by casting Legion into my soul. I was destined to roam these lands wreaking havoc by breeding new monsters. I couldn't stand the pain of Legion so I attempted suicide to no avail, doing so only strengthened Legion's control over me, imbuing me with new even more menacing and rotten powers. Each time I attempt to end all this madness, Legion grows ever so much stronger, forcing me to spawn creatures even more vile than the last just to stay "in control". We were the first...HE was the source!...The original evil. I try my best to keep them at bay, but Legion shall not be halted in their mission, God's mission, to rot every soul on this forsaken planet. I am the one thing holding Legion back from swallowing this whole pitiful universe down his foul gullet. Call me what you will, evil, devil, Satan...but I am your true savior, for I bear the worst of all, I am the container of the most vile, wretched evil the world has ever known. If not for me you would all be sentenced to a life in the nether reaches of Hell!"

As the Old One said this he let out a gut wrenching wail and fell to his knees. Then, as if nothing had happened, he rose again looking even more menacing than before.

"We thank you kindly young mortals, I am finally free from our prison. As a token of my gratitude, your souls shall be the last we devour! Farewell...we have a plane to catch."

And with that he burst into smoke and flew off into the night.

"Ahahahaha!..."

As the old one's laughter faded, Cameron and Zane could do nothing but stare in shock. They had just unleashed the most nefarious evil that ever existed, and set it out on it's quest to destroy all in it's path. Screams of children, the echoes of death, the endless darkness that was to come; all of this flooded into their minds.

"Zane...what have we done?"

"...I think we just started the Apocalypse, Cam. Dad's not gonna be happy about this..."

As Zane utters this a dark figure speaks to Cameron and Zane. "Looks like you boys need a little help..."

"And just who is offering?", says Zane.

The figure steps forward as the shadows flow off her body. "Name's Kasdeja, but you boys can call me Kassie."

"Ha! Look miss that's a nice offer but we wouldn't want you to get hurt, so we'll deal with this ourselves" (Zane)

Then the woman's feminine curves morph into a grotesque skeletal figure holding a giant blood-drenched scythe. "Do I look the part now?", Kassie says this in her true voice which sends ripples of terror through both Cameron and Zane's souls.

"Zane, I think we might want to hear her out.." (Cam)

Kassie suddenly returns to her human form, "Yea Zane, you really should listen to me...or I could just reap your soul now and save you all the trouble of living", Kassie says this in a very girlish voice making light of the situation and seeming almost human again.
"Now, to start business...we need you two boys to.."

"And just who is we?" Zane interrupts.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce my brothers..you know you guys need to stop hiding it's not nice to sneak up on people" As she says this three figures appear behind Cameron and Zane seemingly out of thin air. "Let me introduce you to my brothers, Arkas (the man on the left bows), Azazel (the man on the right bows), and last but certainly not least, Sh..."

"Orion" (the man in the back says this interrupting Kassie and glaring at her scornfully)

"Yes, Orion...the fallen prince. Cameron, Zane, we are what your people refer to as the horsemen" (Kassie)

"As in the four horsemen?" (Cameron)

"Yep, in the flesh...well mostly" (Arkas says this as a piece of flesh falls from his arm) "Still working on the whole human form thing..."

"Arkas, I truly doubt you'll ever get the hang of that" (Azazel) "At any rate, Arkas here is known for begin the bringer of famine and pestilence, myself I am the embodiment of rage and war, you've already found out Kassie here is the reaper, death itself; and lastly there's Orion, and he...well I'll let him tell you who he is"

"I am the lord of conquest and the leader of this little band of misfits" (Orion)

"So exactly what are you guys?" (Zane)

"We are the last of the nephilim, the spawn of angels and humans...the perfect race if you will." (Orion)

"The last? So what happened to the rest of your kind?" (Cameron)

"We killed them..." (Kassie)

"Why would you slaughter all of your kind? Did you want to make yourselves extinct?!?!" (Zane)

"We were...given the opportunity to stop that from happenning, which is the only reason any of us are still alive" (Azazel)

"The council tasked us with stopping the ancient war between Heaven and Hell; in exchange for clearing the battlefield of our bretheren, we were given the power to end the war and uphold the treaty that was to be put in place. (Orion)

"So what was this treaty all about then?" (Cam)

"In a nut shell...it prevented the armies of Heaven and Hell from destroying all life in their conquests for reign over this plane." (Kassie)

"And you mean to tell me that the armies of Heaven and Hell just agreed to stop fighting like two little kids being scolded?" (Zane)

"There was no discussion, the edicts of the Council rule over all...they had  no choice but to obey." (Orion)

"And just who in the flying fuck is this "Council", must not be very important if we've never ran across them" (Zane)

"Mind your tongue mortal, the Council may find you crucial to our cause but I am not above slaying you for your blatant disrespect for those who stand beween you and certain obliteration!" (Orion)

"Calm down Mister sensitive, ignore him Zane he couldn't hurt you if he wanted to." (Arkas)

"At any rate, the Council is our government if you will, they set the laws for this plane and we enforce them. This treaty is one of these such laws, and it assures that war shall not be declared on Earth until the mortals are evolved enough to defend themselves." (Kassie)

"So, how does the Council know when we are ready for such a war?" (Cam)

"This is where your problem lies, the Council set up 14 seals which were to prevent the apocalypse from beginning, however, only half of these seals need to be broken for the treaty to be nullified.."

"Let me guess, we are only one seal away from needing to kiss our collective ass goodbye.." (Zane)

"Oh come now Zane, you act as if you life is always a cliché. Not a single seal has been broken....well, that was true until you let the genie out of his bottle" (As Kassie says this she playfully gestures toward the empty coffin just feet from Cam and Zane)

title: "The Old One" - A Supernatural/Mythos based story

question: Summarize a plot surprise in the story.

answer: A plot surprise in the story occurs when Zane and Cameron see how Kasdeja comes out of her body as a grotesque skeletal figure. She also introduces her three brothers and they tell Zane and Cameron how they are known to be the four horsemen. They also describe themselves as the last of the race.


text:
   At 2:00am I had to go to the bathroom so I got out of bed. The bathroom light was already on and standing inside was my brother, casting a dreary brown gaze into the mirror, razorblade in hand, slicing off chunks of long bristly hairs from under his chin. Earlier in the night, during dinner, Mom and Dad had appraised his unkempt look.

   “You’re not helping your chances.” Dad said.

   “Why do you keep it?” Mom asked. My brother hadn’t shaved since he moved back in. Striding past him across the hall and down the stairs I could hear the fragile knocking of rain atop the roof and against the windows. Before I stepped into the downstairs bathroom I flicked on the floodlight out back to take a look. It must have been coming down for a while because I could see two small puddles that had pooled themselves in a little depression on the far side of our yard. In their reflections I caught glimpses of the woods that lay past our home. The leaves were gone now. It was getting cold. All there was to see were barren brown branches and ashen tree trunks. Those puddles looked so trapped and dreary all wadded-down in that little depression.

   “Don’t worry little puddles, It’s not gunna rain forever. Things’ll dry up.” After I finished in the bathroom I walked back up the stairs and past my brother again. This time he had his beard trimmed down and there was shaving cream over his face and around his lips and he was making short choppy strokes at his cheeks with a disposable razor. I stopped in the doorway for only a moment. I wasn't used to him again. His petrified self-stare: a pillar of salt.

   By morning the rain had stopped and as my parents and I were leaving for work we could hear my brother in his bedroom getting ready for his interview.

   “Did you shave?” Dad asked.

   “Yeah.” My parents smiled at each other.

   “Good luck!” Mom wished as she stepped out with Dad. I reached for my keys from the counter and my brother came out of his room. He had cuff-linked his wrists, had a tie wrapped around his neck, and was sporting a terribly fuzzy mustache that crawled over his lip. I gave him a smirk as I grabbed my keys and he lilted his eyebrows at me like he used to do when we were younger, before he moved away. He almost looked happy. I walked out to my car and as I pulled away I wondered if those sad little puddles had any chance to escape, before they froze.

title: Puddles

question: How do the puddles look like to the narrator?

answer: The narrator finds the puddles look trapped and dreary in a little depression.

question: Why do the narrator's parents want the narrator's brother to shave?

answer: Because he looks unkempt.

question: Why does the narrator go to the downstairs bathroom?

answer: Because the narrator's brother is in the upstairs bathroom.

question: Where did the narrator's brother come back from?

answer: It is not stated.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator gets out the bed, goes to the bathroom and sees their brother shaving. Then the author goes to the downstairs bathroom and hears the rain is falling. They look outside and see two puddles that had pooled themselves in a little depression on the far side of their yard. The narrator finds the puddles look trapped and dreary. Tomorrow morning, the narrator walks out to their car and as they pull away, they wonder if those sad little puddles had any chance to escape before they froze.


text:
"Let me ask you guys a question. I want to hear someone describe their passion for philosophy - what is it that drives you towards this stuff? Is it some shortcoming in your upbringing, a childhood problem that caused you to ask questions before your mind could handle the gravity of them? Maybe it's the literary aspect. You've already given up the idea that you could write something meaningful, so it's now a fascination with the great minds and their various works? Or perhaps you're genuinely ambitious and expect to contribute? Your belief in your genius is still in tact, your mind capable of ideas eye-opening and profound enough to be worth the time of future generations? I need to know that passion is real. Show me, let me feel it."

The room was silent. Professor Stewart was wise enough to remain silent as well, his lips curled in anticipation. Who would respond to this speech?

The task was no easy one. A communication to a person who articulated this question, in this tone of voice, required meeting him on the same level. The response must be from someone who is also awake; any other reply would only communicate that the question hadn't been heard. What's required for participation in a college classroom is a grasp of the English language; what's required for participation in this discussion is a grasp of human emotion.

title: The philosophy student

question: Which Professor asks this question?

answer: Professor Stewart, probably a professor in the philosophy department.

question: How does the class position themselves after the communication?

answer: The room is silent. Professor Stewart is was wise enough to also remain silent.

question: Explain the three different groups of students as seen by the Professor.

answer:
1. Shortcoming in your upbringing or childhood problem that led you to ask questions before your mind could handle the gravity of them.
2. The literary aspect where you are fascinated with the great minds and their great works.
3. You believe your genius is still intact.

question: How do the students let the Professor know that their passion is real?

answer: It is clear that the response must come from someone who is also awake and that grasps human emotion. The professor must be met on the same level.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Professor Stewart poses a soul-searching question to his philosophy class. In which of three groups of students do you fall (Childhood problems; Literary interest; Creative genius) and can you convince me of your passion for the subject? The room is silent, the professor allows the silence. It is clear that this challenge demands to be met on the same level, fully awake and with a good grasp of human emotions.


text:
SOLKAN ( or ; , or _Salcano_) is a settlement in the Municipality of Nova Gorica in the Gorizia region of western Slovenia, at the border with Italy. Although it forms a single urban area with the city of Nova Gorica today, it has maintained the status of a separate urban settlement due to its history and the strong local identity of its residents.[1]

History

[The Solkan Bridge, destroyed during the Battles of the Isonzo in 1916 and rebuilt in 1927] Solkan was first mentioned in 1001, in the same document as the neighbouring town of Gorizia (now in Italy), which was then still a village. During the rule of the Counts of Gorizia in the Middle Ages, Gorizia developed into an important urban settlement, while Solkan maintained its predominantly rural character. Contrary to Gorizia, in which the Friulian and later Venetian language prevailed over Slovene by the end of the 16th century, Solkan has remained an essentially Slovene-speaking village.

In the 18th century, the incorporation of Solkan into the urban area of Gorizia slowly began, as many local noble families built their residences in it. In the second half of the 19th century, it developed into an important center of the furnishing industry. The expansion of nearby Gorizia was transforming Solkan into a suburb.

According to the last Austrian census of 1910, Solkan had 3075 inhabitants, of whom 90.3% were Slovenes; the rest was mostly composed of German speakers (5.2%) and few Italian- and Friulian-speaking families.[2]

During World War I, the village was almost completely destroyed in the Battles of the Isonzo. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy, together with all the County of Gorizia and Gradisca. Its predominantly Slovene population suffered under the policies of Fascist Italianization from the 1920s to 1940s. In 1925, it was abolished as a separate municipality and merged with Gorizia. Nevertheless, Solkan remained a separate settlement because of the hindered urban expansion of Gorizia after the annexation to Italy. During World War II, it became one of the major centers of Partisan resistance in the Julian March.

[Solkan after World War II] In 1947, Solkan was annexed to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, while Gorizia remained in Italy, thus cutting off the secular connection of the two settlements. The same year, the construction of a new town of Nova Gorica began in the area previously occupied by vineyards and fields mostly belonging to the rural area of Solkan. In 1952, the City of Nova Gorica was created and Solkan was incorporated into it. Since then, it has gradually merged with the modern town of Nova Gorica, although it has been since 1988 an autonomous settlement and has a pronounced local identity.

Language, ethnicity and culture

[The Soča River near Solkan] Solkan has been a largely Slovene settlement. It has however also had different ethnic and linguistic minorities. Since the Middle Ages, many Friulians have lived in Solkan, but they have been now mostly assimilated. Italians lived here mostly between the late 19th and early 20th century, but after 1947 they mostly fled to Italy or assimilated to the Slovene majority. Immigrants from other regions of former Yugoslavia started settling in Solkan from early 1970s. Today, Slovenes represent around 90% of the population, the remaining 10% are mostly Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians, together with smaller numbers of Italians and Albanians.

According to the census of 1991, 91% of the population spoke Slovene as their first language. Serbo-Croatian came second with a little less than 8%. The native inhabitants of Solkan speak a variant of the Karst dialect of Slovene. The Solkan variant of the dialect served as the basis for the development of the urban dialect of Nova Gorica, which emerged with the second generation of settlers of the town. The Solkan dialect has become well known throughout Slovenia since the early 1990s because the singer-songwriter Iztok Mlakar uses it in the lyrics of his songs.

The culture of Solkan has been strongly influenced by the contacts with neighbouring Italian region of Friuli. The influence can be felt in the local cuisine, language, customs and traditions.

Its most prominent landmark is the Solkan Bridge, built between 1904 and 1905. It is a bridge over the Soča on the Jesenice-to-Nova Gorica railway. It is 220 m long with a central arch spanning 85 m, making it the longest stone arch spanning a river and the longest stone-arch railway bridge in the world.[3]

People

[Solkan. House where the philosopher and mountaineer Klement Jug was born.]

People who were born or lived in Solkan include:

-   Jure Franko, skier
-   Ivo Hvalica, politician (Slovenian Democratic Party)
-   Klement Jug, philosopher and mountaineer
-   Boris Kalin, sculptor
-   Zdenko Kalin, sculptor
-   Milan Klemenčič, Slovene puppeteer
-   Andrej Komel Sočebran, officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army and creator of Slovenian military terminology
-   Branko Marušič, historian
-   Fedja Marušič, kayak champion
-   Franc Marušič, physician
-   Franc Lanko Marušič, linguist
-   Ivan Janez Marušič, landscape architect
-   Tomaž Marušič, politician (Slovenian People's Party), Minister of Justice (1997–2000)
-   Anton Mihelič, neurophysiologist, dean of the Charles University in Prague
-   Dušan Pirjevec Ahac, literary historian and philosopher
-   Marko Anton Plenčič, pioneer of modern microbiology
-   Josip Srebrnič, theologian, bishop of Krk
-   Jože Srebrnič, politician, communist leader, member of the Italian Parliament
-   Boštjan Vuga, architect
-   Lucijan Vuga, mechanic engineer and innovator, author
-   Danilo Zavrtanik, scientist and president of the University of Nova Gorica

[1] Nova Gorica municipal site

[2] http://www.sistory.si/publikacije/prenos/?urn=SISTORY:ID:836

[3] Slovenian Tourist Board site

title: Solkan

question: What does the text say about Solkan prior to WWI?

answer: Solkan was first mentioned in 1001, in the same document as neighboring Gorizia, which was then a village. During the rule of the Counts of Gorizia in the Middle Ages, Solkan retained its rural character while Gorizia became more urban. Contrary to Gorizia, Solkan remained an essentially Slovene-speaking village. In the 18th century, Solkan began to be incorporated into Gorizia, and in the 19th century, it developed into an important center of the furnishing industry. As Gorizia expanded, Solkan began to transform into a suburb. The last Austrian census of 1910 indicated that Solkan had 3075 inhabitants, of whom more than 90% were Slovenes.

question: What does the text say about the languages spoken in Solkan?

answer: In 1910, an Austrian census shows that that just over 90% of the town spoke Slovene, about 5% spoke German, and some spoke Italian or Friulian. The 1991 census found that 91% of the population spoke Slovene as their first language, and 8% spoke Serbo-Croatian. The native inhabitants speak a variant of the Karst dialect of Slovene, which also served as the basis for the urban dialect of Nova Gorica. The Solkan dialect has become well known in Slovenia since the early 1990s because of the singer-songwriter Iztok Mlakar.

question: What does the text say about Solkan since the 2000s?


text:
Imagine growing up, no mother, no father, no community. There is only one language and it's universal. On earth it's just you, the sun, moon & stars. You're now in your 20's and know how to till the land and reap the benefits of your work. You enjoy your work and adore your pet dog.

You travel the land out of freedom and spontaneity. You admire the starry sky and there's no greater feeling than waking up in nature. You are always at ease and find joy in everything you do. At a moments time you see something and it frightens you. In awe but yet frightened, you were looking at something you never thought imaginable. An altered form of your clay self, for behold... woman.

title: Imagine.

question: What does the author want the audience to imagine?

answer: The author wants the audience to imagine the wonders of being a woman.

question: What imagery in this text creates happiness?

answer: "You are always at ease and find joy in everything you do."

question: How does the author intend for the text to feel?

answer: The author intends for the text to feel as though its encouraging and empowering to be a woman.

question: How does the author want you to imagine to be on earth?

answer: The author wants you to imagine being on earth when there is only you, the sun, and moon and stars.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This poem describes powerful and happy imagery to empower and embrace being a woman.


text:
“THE DEATH OF A GOVERNMENT CLERK” () is a short story by Anton Chekhov published originally the _Oskolki_ magazine's 2 July, No. 27 issue, subtitled “The Incident” (Случай) and signed A. Chekhonte (А. Чехонте). "Received the “Fragments of Moscow Life” and “The Death of the Government Clerk. Both are delicious”, Nikolai Leykin, the _Oskolki_{{'}}s editor, informed the author by a 29 June letter. It was included (without the subtitle) into Chekhov's 1886 collection _Motley Stories_ (Пёстрые рассказы) published in Saint Petersburg and featured unchanged in its 2–14 editions (1891–1899).[1]

Plot

Ivan Chervyakov, a petty government official, while in the theatre, sneezes right upon the head of a man sitting in front of him, who happens to be General Brizzhalov, a high-ranking government official. He spends the evening and the next day fawning before his sneeze victim trying to extract forgiveness, but what he succeeds instead is only bringing out a fit of rage in him. Shocked, Chervyakov returns home to lie there and die, due to the sheer stress of having endured such horror.

[1] Yezhova, I., Shub, E. Commentaries to Cмерть чиновника. The Works by A.P. Chekhov in 12 volumes. Khudozhestvennaya Literatura. Moscow, 1960. Vol. 2, p. 550

title: The Death of a Government Clerk

question: Who is Anton Chekhov?

answer: He wrote the short story, The Death of a Government Clerk.

question: What publication was 'The Death of a Government Clerk' originally published?

answer: Oskolki magazine's issue No. 27.

question: Where was the 'The Death of a Government Clerk' included?

answer: Chekhov's 1886 collection "Motley Stories" published in Saint Petersburg and featured unchanged in its 2–14 editions (1891–1899).

question: What is the plot of The Death of a Government Clerk?

answer: Petty government official Ivan Chervyakov sneezes on the head of a man sitting in front of him while in the theatre. The man happens to be General Brizzhalov, a high-ranking government official. Chervyakov spends the evening and the next day trying to extract forgiveness, but he gets nothing but rage out of the general. Shocked, Chervyakov goes home to lie there and die out of sheer stress.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The Death of a Government Clerk is a short story by Anton Chekhov originally published in Oskolki magazine's issue No. 27 and included in Chekhov's 1986 collection, Motley Stories. The story follows Ivan Chervyakov, a petty government official who sneezes on the head of General Brizzhalov, a high-ranking government official, while in the theatre. Chervyakov spends the evening and the next day trying to apologize but gets the general's rage instead. Shocked, Chervyakov goes home to die out of sheer stress.