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POLAR RESEARCH AND POLICY INITIATIVE, commonly known as PRPI or THE POLAR CONNECTION, is an independent, international foreign policy think-tank dedicated primarily to the Arctic, Nordic, Baltic and Antarctic regions, as well as energy and environment issues. PRPI is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and has an international presence across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific, notably through the geographic distribution of its Fellows, Advisors and Affiliates.[1] PRPI operates principally in the international arena and is committed to supporting sustainable regional development through multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral and multi-national dialogue and cooperation.[2] It is credited with championing the extension and adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development - in particular, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or Global Goals for Sustainable Development) - in the Arctic context.[3]

History

Background

In 2015-16, the Arctic Council marked its 20th anniversary; the Arctic Economic Council opened its secretariat in Tromso and adopted its foundational documents; and the Parties to the Antarctic Treaty within the Antarctic Treaty System celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty that set aside Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”.[4][5][6] Within the United Kingdom itself, the Polar Regions continued to elicit considerable interest, with the ongoing commemoration of the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 2014-2017[7][8][9] and the online poll by the Natural Environment Research Council for a name for the newly commissioned Royal Research Ship that saw Boaty McBoatface emerge as the most popular suggestion before it was named RRS Sir David Attenborough.[10][11][12] December 2015 also witnessed the historic Paris Agreement reached by 195 government delegations at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.[13]

Founding

POLAR RESEARCH AND POLICY INITIATIVE was founded by Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes and Mr Christophe Milhères in 2015-2016 as the UK's first policy think-tank dedicated primarily to the Arctic and the Antarctic.[14] It was incorporated in England and Wales in September 2015, six months after their return from Greenland, and launched in February 2016 at a private reception held at the Travellers Club in London, with Aleqa Hammond, the former Prime Minister of Greenland, and Andrew Rosindell, Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford and Founder and former Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Polar Regions, as speakers.[15][16][17] Among the attendees were Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General; Captain Ashok Mahapatra, Director of the Maritime Safety Division of the International Maritime Organization; Stefan Asmundssen, President of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission; Donald Lamont, Chairman of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and former Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and Jock Wishart, polar explorer.[18][19] Its web portal POLAR CONNECTION was launched thereafter in July 2016.[20]

Current Status

The mission of PRPI, as stated on its website, is "to:

-   raise the profile and understanding of the Polar Regions in the UK and across the Commonwealth;
-   support polar researchers and polar research institutions in maximising the visibility, impact and reach of their research;
-   increase and sustain the scholarly, cultural, political and commercial engagement of the UK and relevant Commonwealth member states with the Polar Regions (especially the Arctic Council member states);
-   help address some of the toughest political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing polar peoples and places;
-   facilitate greater bilateral trade and investment between Arctic states and Commonwealth member states."[21]

Over the past two years, its focus has gradually expanded: while PRPI had a very clear UK and Commonwealth of Nations focus at the start, this has expanded to include, over the first six months, the United States and, after the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (popularly known as Brexit), the rest of Europe.[22] Currently, it positions itself as a UK-based international think-tank that operates principally in the international arena. Furthermore, at the time of its inception, PRPI engaged with different geographic constituencies through four engagement forums, dealing with the Asia Pacific, European Union, Small Island Developing States and World Ocean respectively.[23] Following the 2016 Arctic Circle Assembly, it also introduced a new BRICS engagement forum.[24]

Activities

Since its inception, PRPI's most defining features have been the provision of research, analysis and commentary; high-level engagement with policymakers, industry leaders, academics and Indigenous representatives; ongoing dialogue with national governments and multilateral fora; and active participation at national and international conferences. It has also aligned its principal activities with the key priorities of the incumbent Chairs of the Arctic Council: the United States, 2015-2017, on “improving economic and living conditions in Arctic communities”;[25] and Finland, 2017-2019, in “exploring[ing] how the Agenda 2030 framework [2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development] can be used in Arctic cooperation for the benefit of humans and nature”.[26]

Research, Analysis and Commentary

PRPI publishes its research and provides analysis and commentary both via its digital platform POLAR CONNECTION (www.polarconnection.org) and through partner platforms such as ARCTIC TODAY and other national and international media outlets. PRPI Fellows also make their research available through monographs, book chapters in edited volumes and research papers in journals. Its research interests are reflected in its organisational structure, which features three divisions: theme-specific units; industry-specific units; and stakeholder engagement forums.[27]

Theme-specific Units

PRPI has six theme-specific units:

-   Natural Environment[28]
-   Marine Environment[29]
-   Built Environment[30]
-   Indigenous Peoples[31]
-   Arts, Culture and Heritage[32]
-   Geopolitics and Security[33]

Industry-specific Units

PRPI has six industry-specific units:

-   Energy[34]
-   Mining[35]
-   Shipping[36]
-   Fisheries[37]
-   Tourism[38]
-   Information and communications technology[39]

Engagement Forums

PRPI engages with different geopolitical constituencies through five engagement forums:[40]

-   Asia Pacific[41]
-   European Union[42]
-   Small Island Developing States[43]
-   World Ocean[44]
-   BRICS[45]

Stakeholder Engagement

PRPI positions itself as the nexus between stakeholders in policy, industry, academia, civil society and the media, and it provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation between different stakeholders. It does so in a variety of ways:

Parliamentary Evidence, Policy Briefs and Industry Briefs

PRPI has regularly provided written and oral evidence to relevant UK Parliamentary inquiries, such as:

-   UK House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, 'Leaving the EU: Negotiating Priorities for Energy and Climate Change Policy Inquiry';[46][47]
-   UK House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, 'Scotland and the High North Inquiry';[48][49][50][51][52][53]
-   UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, 'Closing the STEM Skills Gap Inquiry';[54][55]
-   UK House of Commons International Trade Committee, 'UK Trade Options Beyond 2019 Inquiry'.[56][57][58][59][60][61]

PRPI also provides policy briefs and industry briefs, when requested, to policymakers and industry leaders.

Missions and Delegations

PRPI also sends missions or delegations to brief national governments and intergovernmental bodies about various Arctic, Nordic and Antarctic issues or the ongoing work of PRPI. In September 2016, its founder, Dr Dwayne Menezes, represented PRPI at the United Nations General Assembly and was invited to attend the UN Paris Climate Change Agreement Ratification Ceremony in New York City as a Civil Society Observer. In its early years, PRPI delegations were also received by the Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat in Buenos Aires; the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York; the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House, the United States Department of State, the International Monetary Fund and the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C.; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) in Canberra; Global Affairs Canada, Senate of Canada and Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; the Prime Minister's Office (Finland) and Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland) in Helsinki; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark) in Copenhagen; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iceland) in Reykjavik; among others.

Conferences

With respect to conferences, PRPI has sent delegations to, or convened policy dialogues at, the Arctic Circle Assemblies organised by Arctic Circle (organization) in Reykjavik in October 2015, October 2016 and October 2017; the Arctic Circle Forums hosted by the same organisation in Edinburgh in November 2017 and Tórshavn in May 2018; the Arctic Encounter Symposia held in the margins of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015 and in Seattle in April 2018; the Arctic Spirit Conference hosted in Rovaniemi in November 2017; the Ramboll Arctic Roundtable in Portland, Maine in December 2016; the NERC Arctic Science Conference convened in Sheffield in September 2015 and Antarctic Science Conference in Norfolk in July 2016; the Antarctica 100 Annual Meeting at the Royal Geographical Society in London in November 2015; the Arctic Future Symposium hosted by the International Polar Foundation in Brussels in November 2015; and the Arctic Science Summit Week and Arctic Observing Summit held in Fairbanks in April 2016 and Davos in June 2018.[62][63]

Policy Dialogues

Annually, PRPI hosts 50-60 events around the world, ranging from lectures, panel discussions, roundtable discussions, workshops, conferences, policy breakfasts and dinners, and receptions for visiting dignitaries.

High-Level Dialogues on SDGs in the Arctic

PRPI has been widely credited for ensuring the Sustainable Development Goals remain high on the policy agenda of Arctic Council member and observer governments, and for bringing about a re-articulation of the global Arctic discourse along the lines of the 17 Global Goals. It is particularly known for its high-level, multi-stakeholder dialogues on SDGs in the Arctic, which have been convened thus far at the Arctic Circle Assembly at Harpa (concert hall) in Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 2017;[64][65] Lapland University of Applied Sciences in Rovaniemi, Finland, in November 2017;[66][67] Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, in December 2017;[68][69][70] Australian Institute of International Affairs in Canberra, Australia, in January 2018;[71][72] Palace of Westminster in London, United Kingdom, in February 2018;[73][74] Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, United States, in March 2018;[75][76][77] Arctic Encounter Symposium in Seattle, United States, in April 2018;[78][79][80] University of Tromsø in Tromsø, Norway, in April 2018;[81][82][83][84][85] Arctic Circle Forum in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, in May 2018;[86][87] and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India, in June 2018.

Dialogues on Arctic Border Governance

In June 2017, PRPI co-hosted a workshop on 'Regional Security in the North: Emerging Themes and Challenges' in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, in collaboration with Trent University, Yukon College, Royal Military College of Canada, St. Jerome's University, the Consulate General of the United States in Toronto, Borders in Globalization and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.[88] At the workshop, David Johnny, former chief of the White River First Nation, highlighted the challenges posed by borders to indigenous communities, such as the Upper Tanana peoples, whose villages and dwellings were near the boundary or even straddled the line.[89] Likewise, Dr Dalee Sambo Dorough, professor at University of Alaska Anchorage and former chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, discussed the difficulties faced by American and Canadian Inuit.

Two months later, in August 2017, PRPI, along with University College London (UCL), Trent University and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, convened a follow-up interdisciplinary panel discussion on 'Arctic Borders Governance' at UCL in London, with Prof. Heather Nicol, Dr Ilan Kelman and Dr Dwayne Menezes as speakers.[90] The discussion focused on the implications of borders on indigenous peoples in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions - particularly the Inuit in United States, Canada, Greenland and Russia; the Aleuts in Russia and the United States; the Gwich'in people in Canada and the United States; and the Sami people in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. These discussions also formed the basis of the paper on 'Canada, Indigenous Peoples and Northern Borders' that Menezes published in The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs in October 2017.[91]

In December 2017, on behalf of PRPI and Trent University, Menezes and Nicol chaired a panel discussion on Arctic borders at the Erasmus+ - and SSHRC- funded Borders in Globalization 2nd International Conference held at the Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with Canadian Senator Charlie Watt, historian P. Whitney Lackenbauer, lawyer Robin Campbell and Université de Montréal professor Suzanne Lalonde as speakers.[92]

Dialogues on Arctic Transportation

In June 2016, PRPI Fellow and UCL Researcher Domagoj Baresic presented his research at the International Conference on 'Maritime Actors and Climate Change: Incentives and Strategies for Voluntary Action' organised by the Transatlantic Maritime Emissions Research Network (TRAMEREN), a joint research venture between the Center for Enterprise Liability, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen and the Frank Guarini Center, School of Law, New York University, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.[93] Acknowledging the challenges involved with developing a comprehensive international legal framework for controlling maritime greenhouse gas emissions, the conference examined some of the innovative, yet decentralised, approaches for incentivising maritime emissions controls, paying attention to the fragmented legal architecture governing the sector.

Following the adoption and implementation of a prohibition on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil (HFO) by ships operating in the Antarctic, the Clean Arctic Alliance (CAA) has campaigned to establish similar environmental protection measures in the Arctic. In November 2017, PRPI joined forces with CAA in its efforts to introduce a HFO ban in the Arctic and co-hosted a panel discussion on 'Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) Use in Arctic Shipping: Risks, Alternatives and Legal Options for a Phase-Out' at the 10th Polar Law Symposium in Rovaniemi, Finland, with support from the European Climate Foundation.[94] At the event, PRPI became a signatory to the Arctic Commitment. In January 2018, PRPI also published a report by Dr Sian Prior of CAA and Liana James of the Clean Air Task Force about the progress made at the International Maritime Organization on a phase-out of the use of HFO as marine fuel in the Arctic, wherein they also laid out some of the measures which could be implemented to mitigate the risks associated with HFO use and the legal options available to ban HFO use in the Arctic altogether.[95] Baresic also discussed his ongoing research on 'Sustainability Transitions in Arctic Maritime Transport' at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik in October 2017 and the Arctic Circle Forum in Edinburgh in November 2017.[96][97]

Alongside fuel use in Arctic shipping, the development of support infrastructure for safe, secure, effective and efficient Arctic transport has also been a research and policy priority for PRPI. In July 2017, PRPI organised a keynote lecture by PRPI Fisheries Head and University of Southern Denmark Professor Dr Brooks Kaiser on 'Arctic Ports: Local Community Development Issues' at Korea Polar Research Institute KOPRI in Incheon, South Korea.[98] In November 2017, Baresic and Menezes also presented about Arctic maritime and coastal infrastructure at the 11th Arctic Shipping Summit in London.[99][100][101] A number of subsequent PRPI 'SDGs in the Arctic' dialogues, such as those in Seattle and Tórshavn, also focused on Arctic transportation, with high-level speakers drawn from the Arctic Council, Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland), Alaska Airlines, Maine Port Authority, Maine Department of Transportation, United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Centers of Excellence and the Danish Folketing.[102] PRPI has also provided analysis and commentary on Arctic shipping to publications in the maritime domain.[103]

Dialogues on Arctic Sealing

In October 2017, PRPI and the Embassy of Canada in Iceland hosted a screening of the 2016 Canadian feature-length documentary film Angry Inuk at the 2017 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, followed by a Q&A session with the Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril. Canada's Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett, Canadian Ambassador to Iceland Dr Anne-Tamara Lorre and PRPI Director Dr Dwayne Menezes offered addresses, while Penny Goodman of Scott Polar Research Institute moderated the discussion with Arnaquq-Baril.[104][105] The film presented a defence of the Inuit seal hunt in the face of the EU Ban on Seal Products. The film also set the stage for a panel discussion on 'Arctic Sealing: Threat or Blue Prospect?' convened the next day by the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated in which Arnaquq-Baril and Menezes both sat on the panel. The panel also included NAMMCO General Secretary Genevieve Desportes, Makivik Corporation Vice-President Adamie Alaku, Aaja Chemnitz Larsen and Nordic Council senior adviser Geir Oddsson, among others.[106][107][108][109][110]

Dialogues on British, Canadian and American Arctic Engagement

In April 2017, PRPI Director Menezes visited Rovaniemi, Finland, where he highlighted the opportunities for trade and investment between the UK and the eight Arctic Council member states at Northern STARS, the annual international seminar of Lapin AMK - Lapland University of Applied Sciences.[111][112][113] In October 2017, PRPI hosted a discussion on the same topic at the 2017 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland.[114]

Likewise, early in July 2017, in order to mark the 150th anniversary of Canada, PRPI convened a special 'Canada 150' lecture and reception with Canadian historian Ken Coates of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan, at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.[115] Later that year, in October 2017, PRPI hosted two keynote lectures by Tony Penikett, former Premier of Yukon, on 'Indigenous Chiefs, Regional Legislators, and Nation States: Who Rules the Arctic?' in the UK, the first with University College London (UCL) in London and the second with the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh.[116] In November 2017, PRPI and the Department of Political Science at University of Western Ontario (UWO or Western University) convened two keynote lectures by Elizabeth Riddell Dixon in London, Ontario, Canada, the first on 'Ice Camps and Icebreakers: The Challenges of Mapping the Arctic Seabed' at London Public Library and the second on 'Sovereignty and Canada's Arctic Extended Continental Shelf' at UWO.[117][118]

In January 2018, PRPI hosted a keynote lecture by American publisher and philanthropist Alice Rogoff on 'The US and its Emerging Arctic Interest' at UCL in London, UK.[119]

Other Dialogues

In 2016, PRPI Geopolitics and Security Fellow Barbora Padrtova was part of a research team that supported the preparation of an Arctic Analysis Research Report at the behest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic). She discussed her work in this regard at the 2016 General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research held at Charles University in Prague in July 2016, the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Polar Research Institute in Vienna in November 2016 and an Expert Seminar on 'The Arctic: Emerging Importance of the Region for the Czech Republic' held at the Institute of International Relations Prague in Prague in January 2017.[120][121][122]

In July 2017, PRPI convened a keynote lecture by PRPI Fisheries Fellow Brooks Kaiser on 'A Case for the Commons: The Snow Crab in the Barents' at Korea Polar Research Institute KOPRI in Incheon, South Korea.[123] In September 2017, PRPI Fellow Nic Craig presented on the 'Implications of Brexit on UK - Arctic Interconnection and the Continued Need for Cooperation' at the 2017 Arctic Energy Summit in Helsinki, Finland.[124][125]

In October 2017, PRPI joined University College London in hosting a keynote lecture by Timo Koivurova of Arctic Centre, University of Lapland on 'How Finland, as Chair of the Arctic Council, aims to improve Arctic Governance' at UCL in London, UK.[126][127][128]

In April 2018, PRPI Fellow Nic Craig presented on the issue of black carbon in the Arctic and policy and business opportunities to address these issues at North by North Festival in Anchorage, Alaska.

Governance

Managing Director

Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes

Advisory Board

UK Advisory Board

The members of the PRPI UK Advisory Board include:[129]

-   Gloria Hooper, Baroness Hooper, Member of the House of Lords
-   Richard Balfe, Member of the House of Lords
-   Andrew Rosindell, Member of Parliament for Romford (UK Parliament constituency)
-   Angela Smith, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
-   Angus MacNeil, Member of Parliament for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)
-   Helen Goodman, Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland (UK Parliament constituency)
-   Admiral Sir James Perowne KBE, Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle; former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
-   Rear Admiral Nick Lambert, former UK National Hydrographer, United Kingdom Hydrographic Office; Chairman of the Committee of the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute
-   Donald Lamont, Chairman of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust; former Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; former Chief Executive of Wilton Park
-   Philippa Foster Back CBE, Chairman of the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee; Chairman of the South Georgia Heritage Trust
-   Professor Gisele Arruda, Oxford Brookes University
-   Dr Ilan Kelman, University College London
-   Dale Templar, Executive Producer, Human Planet (BBC One/Discovery Channel/BBC Worldwide)

International Advisory Board

The members of the PRPI International Advisory Board include:[130]

-   Aleqa Hammond, former Prime Minister of Greenland
-   Tero Vauraste, CEO of Arctia (company) and Vice-Chair of Arctic Economic Council
-   Asmundur Gudjonsson, Director, The Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA), Nordic Council
-   Inuuteq Holm Olsen, Minister Plenipotentiary for Greenland, Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C.
-   Alice Rogoff, Owner and Publisher, Arctic Today
-   Mead Treadwell, former President, Pt Capital; former Lieutenantt Governor of Alaska
-   Craig Fleener, Arctic Policy Adviser to Bill Walker, Governor of Alaska; former Chair, Gwich'in Council International
-   Reggie Joule, former Mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska and Member of the President of the United States State, Local and Tribal Leaders' Taskforce on Climate Preparedness and Resilience
-   Rajendra K. Pachauri, former Chairperson, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
-   Professor Lawrence Susskind, Director, MIT Science Impact Collaborative; Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Founder, Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School
-   Professor Oran Young, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara
-   Professor Timo Koivurova, Director, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
-   Professor Lassi Heininen, Professor, University of Lapland; Chairman, Steering Committee, Northern Research Forum, University of the Arctic
-   Professor Julia Jabour, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
-   Professor Rachael Lorna Johnstone, Professor, University of Akureyri
-   Professor Maria Ackren, Head, Department of Social Sciences University of Greenland
-   Embla Eir Oddsdottir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
-   Terzah Tippin Poe, Lecturer, Harvard University
-   Nils Arne Johnsen, Founder and Principal, Haleyg AS; former International Arctic Director, Ramboll
-   Richard Brosseau, Director - Public Affairs and Community Relations, Stolt LNGaz; former Senior Special Adviser, Premier of Quebec
-   Linda V. Priebe, Partner, Culhane Meadows PLLC; Vice-President, Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board; former Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Official, White House Offices under three US Presidential Administrations
-   Stéphanie & Jérémie Gicquel, lawyers, polar explorers

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[101] http://www.oilandgasdrill.com/event/11th-arctic-shipping-summit/

[102]

[103] http://seanews.co.uk/arctic-shipping-an-overview-by-dr-dwayne-ryan-menezes-director-polar-research-policy-initiative/

[104] http://polarconnection.org/event/angry-inuk/

[105] http://www.arcticcircle.org/assemblies/2015/breakout-sessions/session/angry-inuk-film-screening-and-qa-with-director-alethea-arnaquq-baril

[106] http://www.arcticcircle.org/assemblies/2015/breakout-sessions/session/arctic-sealing-threat-or-blue-prospect

[107] https://nammco.no/topics/events/arctic-sealing-threat-or-blue-prospect/

[108] https://nammco.no/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/short-report-ac-bos-2017.pdf

[109] https://nammco.no/topics/november-24-2017-report-from-arctic-sealing-threat-or-blue-prospect/

[110] https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/opinion/which-is-more-blue-arctic-sealing-or-the-eu-seal-ban/

[111] http://polarconnection.org/event/northern-starts-seminar/

[112] http://www.innobarentslab.org/blog/2017/04/10/northern-stars-2017-an-international-students-success-story/

[113] https://blogi.eoppimispalvelut.fi/blogabwinterschool/2017/04/20/northern-stars-seminar-creative-entrepreneurship-in-the-arctic-5-4-2017/

[114] http://polarconnection.org/event/uk-arctic-nordic/

[115] http://polarconnection.org/event/canada-150/

[116] http://polarconnection.org/event/tony-penikett-london/

[117] http://polarconnection.org/event/elizabeth-arctic-seabed-mapping/

[118] http://polarconnection.org/event/sovereignty-canada-arctic/

[119] http://polarconnection.org/event/alice-rogoff-arctic/

[120] http://polarconnection.org/event/ecprs-2016-general-conference/

[121] http://polarconnection.org/event/austrian-polar-research-institute-apri-annual-meeting/

[122] http://polarconnection.org/event/arctic-emerging-importance-region-czech-republic/

[123]

[124] http://polarconnection.org/event/arctic-energy-summit-2017/

[125] http://arcticenergysummit.com/story/Nic_Craig

[126] http://polarconnection.org/event/finland-timo-koivurova/

[127] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-governance/ggi-events/finland-arctic-governance

[128]

[129]

[130]

title: Polar Research and Policy Initiative

question: Where is the Polar Research and Policy Initiative headquartered?

answer: In London, UK.

question: When was the Arctic Council founded?

answer: In 1995.

question: What is PRPI's mission=

answer: To raise the profile and understanding of the Polar Regions, to support polar research, to increase and sustain the scholarly, cultural, political, and commercial engagement with the Polar Regions, to help address some of the political, economic, and environmental challenges facing polar peoples and places, and to facilitate greater bilateral trade and investment between Arctic states and Commonwealth member states.

question: How many theme-specific units does the PRPI have?

answer: Six.

question: List the PRPI's industry-specific units.

answer: Energy, mining, shipping, fisheries, tourism, information and communications technology.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text is about the Polar Research and Policy Initiative, a think-tank dedicated primarily to the Arctic and the Antarctic.


split: train

text:
A suspect entered the Church of Scientology library in downtown St. Paul Tuesday night, splashed presumed accelerants on some books and set them ablaze, according to police.

The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured. Police spokesman Steve Linders said the suspect, a man who had attended the church until administrators removed him for being “disorderly and threatening to assault members,” remains at-large.

“The investigation’s continuing, and we’re trying to locate the suspect,” Linders said.

The man is not suspected in any other vandalism against the church, he said.

The fire, which authorities are labeling as arson, occurred about 9:30 p.m. at 505 Wabasha St. N.

According to police: A female church member was sitting at a desk in the second-floor bookstore when she saw the suspect enter. The woman asked him if he needed any help, but he did not respond.

“He then removed a jug from his backpack and splashed an unknown liquid on some books,” Linders said.

The woman told police she saw flames and smoke, and ran to retrieve a fire extinguisher as other members called 911. The suspect fled.

The fire was quickly extinguished. It’s unclear how much damage the fire caused, Linders said.

The suspect is known to the church, and had attended it for a few months until the church removed him for his behavior, Linders said.

He had previously taken a wheelchair that did not belong to him and “was rolling around the building,” had been arrested in a drug case in Hennepin County and was trespassed from church property on March 16, Linders said.

In a statement, church officials said damage was limited to the bookstore, and credited the quick action from staff members to prevent the fire from spreading.

Twitter: @ChaoStrib

More From Local

question: What did the man do once he entered the church?

answer: According to the police, he splashed presumed accelerants on some books and set them ablaze.

question: Did the Church know the man?

answer: Yes.

question: Were any people injured in the incidents?

answer: No

question: Has the police caught the man?

answer: No

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about a man that entered the Church of Scientology, splashed accelerants on some books, and set them on fire. The man was known to the church and has been removed from it because of his disorderly behavior. Fortunately, the damage was minimal due to the quick action from staff members.


text:
It was in Birmingham, in 1887, that William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa, originally conceived of a football league, with regular home-and-away fixtures. The competition began the following year and for all but six of the subsequent seasons England’s biggest regional city has been represented at the top table.

Next season, however, despite Aston Villa’s corpse twitching into life under Rémi Garde, Second City is likely to mean second class in the national game. Birmingham City could uphold the place’s status, as they have done for half the dozen seasons Villa have previously been out of the top flight, but despite making progress under Gary Rowett the odds are against them. In all probability the largest local authority in Europe, with a population exceeding a million, will not have an elite football club.

This is not to forget West Bromwich Albion, who host Villa today in the latest edition of a league derby first played 127 years ago this week (Villa won 2-0). The Hawthorns has a Birmingham postcode, lies within the motorways that encircle the city, and part of one stand is said to straddle the municipal border, but the ground is in Sandwell and Albion draw the bulk of their support from the Black Country rather than the city.

There were once three leading clubs in Birmingham: Aston Villa, Small Heath and Birmingham St George’s. The latter reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1889, losing narrowly to the Double-winning Invincibles of Preston North End, and were two votes short of replacing Notts County in the Football League at the end of its inaugural season. So near, but so far. St George’s were soon eclipsed by Small Heath who joined the league in 1892, became Birmingham in 1905, and appended “City” in 1943.

A smart marketing move, perhaps, but Villa have usually been the bigger club and always been a grand one. No one visiting Villa Park could fail to be impressed by its majesty, especially the exterior with the Trinity Road Stand exuding history. But, as the photographs adorning the interior reveal, Villa’s heyday was shot in sepia. Six of seven titles, and five of seven FA Cups, were won before the First World War.

Birmingham was a proud, powerful city then, reformed under Joe Chamberlain (both clubs were founded while he was mayor) and prospering. The city flourished well into the 1960s and, though Villa marked time, the Blues rode the post-Second World War economic success of “motor city”. In 1956 they achieved their highest league place (sixth) and reached the FA Cup final. This was followed by playing in two European finals and winning the new Football League Cup.

Villa regained their superiority, lifting the title in 1981 and enjoying Continental glory a year later when Peter Withe’s goal won the European Cup. That, though, was an outlier. Five seasons later Villa were relegated. They quickly returned and there have been good times since, but Villa have never qualified for the Champions League and the last of their five League Cups was 20 years ago. The club were in the FA Cup final as recently as May, but that now seems a freakish event – they were brushed aside by Arsenal and the man who steered them there, Tim Sherwood, was fired within six months.

Birmingham City, meanwhile, dropped into the third tier before being stabilised by David and Ralph Gold and David Sullivan. But they sold up seven years ago to Carson Yeung, who was subsequently jailed, in his native Hong Kong, for money-laundering. The club has since been in embroiled in ownership wrangles and prior to Rowett’s arrival in October 2014 was heading back down. Nor have Albion, across the border, been much better, yo-yoing between the divisions, potless since 1968.

The clubs’ struggles reflect those of the region. The decline of the motor industry hit the West Midlands hard. Birmingham’s unemployment is more than twice the United Kingdom average and much worse than in other regional cities. Reflecting this economic climate, both clubs have kept admission charges (starting at £23 at Villa, £15 at Birmingham) towards the lower end of their respective divisions’ pricing.

In politics, as in football, failure forces change. The city council was castigated in the Kerslake Report 13 months ago for lavishing money on showpiece projects while failing at basic services such as rubbish collection. That led to new leadership. John Clancy, a Stockport fan by birth, Villa by adoption after 25 years in the city, is the council’s Garde with a brief to resist Manchester’s rise rather better than the city’s football clubs have done.

Clancy is acutely aware of the importance to the city of a successful football club or two. He told The Independent: “They bring tourists to the city, they are big employers, they promote the city internationally.”

Chinese investors, he said, were particularly aware of the connection. Co-incidentally, Trillion Trophies Asia, who are engaged in prolonged takeover negotiations for Birmingham City FC, are China-based.

Clancy wants to provide free school meals throughout the city and has named Villa as one of the agencies who could help fund the private-public initiative. Were they to go down that would, he conceded, be more problematic but he had “not given up yet” and believed Villa would survive.

It will be tough. Villa have taken four points from the last two games but remain 10 points from safety. “This is a crisis,” said the new chairman, Steve Hollis, yesterday. Birmingham’s chances of replacing them dipped when they had to sell Demarai Gray to Leicester City for a cut-price £3.7m.

McGregor’s Football League was formed entirely from the Midlands and north but football’s economic power, like the country’s, has long been moving south. This is unhealthy, for the nation and its national game. Manchester is resisting with the success of United, and latterly City, playing a part. A Second City revival would be just as welcome, but for now it seems the council cannot expect its football institutions to lead the way.

question: How did the first football league in England start?

answer: A director of Aston Villa in 1887 thought of the concept of a football league with home and away games in the city of Birmingham.

question: What are the football teams operating in Birmingham?

answer: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion.

question: Why has the success of the football clubs in Birmingham faded away?

answer: The author remarks about the economic decline with the decline of the motor industry. Birmingham City's latest troubles stemmed from them being bought by Carson Yeung, who was jailed for money laundering in Hong Kong. The club was in ownership shambles. Albion's latest success was in 1968. Aston Villa, as of the time of the article's writing, was struggling to avoid relegation.

question: Why does John Clancy want thriving football clubs in Birmingham?

answer: He says successful football clubs bring tourist into the city and promote it internationally. They are also big employers.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The concept of a football league was first formed in Birmingham in 1887. While the three professional clubs, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion, found success in their past, they remain without trophies for decades. The leader of the city council, John Clancy, wants them to succeed since they promote the city internationally, bring in tourists and employ a lot of people.


text:
I awake. The red LEDs of my alarm clock next to me glow dimly in the dark. 2:30. I had gotten not but an hour of sleep, but still I know I will not be able to return to it. Ah, sleep, the mindless slumber that has eluded me for years. Ever since *you* left.

I turn the dial on the knob next to my bed. The lamp glows, illuminating the room. I get out of my bed and walk to my front room. I consider putting on music, but decide that the rain outside is enough. Rain is my favorite weather. It rained when we lived in Seattle, do you remember that?

On my table lies a folded note I once had written long ago to you. The paper, now soft from age and wear, seems out-of-place in this kind of world. I open it and read it for what seems like the thousandth time in the last few days. I walk outside. The rain softly lands on my clothes. I'm reminded of the old poem I wrote back in high school, sitting in my English class.

    Swish, sway, flux and flow
    Why this happened I don't know
    The man is dead this much is true
    His body hangs, his life is through

    A cotton rope would form a noose
    Not too tight, not too loose
    His life had flashed before his eyes
    Ending in a suicide

    Pitter-patter, says the rain
    Everybody feels the blame
    For a while, the grief is shared
    But in the end nobody cared

I remembered about how I used to be angry all the time. Angry at my family for some dumb reason. Angry at the world for being the harsh reality that it is. Angry at myself for not quite fitting into the world, the way everyone else does, even the odd little boys and girls who spend their nights alone.

As I walk down my street, a stoplight flickers on. I think I see your before realizing that it was just a fence post. I thought I saw you, but perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

What would I do if we met again? If I could see you once more? *I* certainly don't know. I wouldn't like you to see the way I live my life nowadays, half-drunk and wearing last year's clothes, thinking last year's thoughts.

I think about what I used to live for. I realize that my biggest reason to live was for people who needed me, people who were like you. I guess I let you down then. That's why you left. It turns out that no matter how much I wish I could, I couldn't take responsibility for your happiness.

I think if I could do it over, I would have gone with you. Or maybe a few days later. There's no point now. No point to anything.

We had grown around each other, and when you had left, I collapsed.

title: An ode to suicide

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Who is the narrator addressing?

answer: Someone we can infer to be a close friend who is either deceased or has moved somewhere far away

question: Where does the story take place?

answer: The narrator's dwelling, and the streets of a rainy city

question: In what time period is the story set?

answer: Close to the present, since the narrator has an LED alarm clock

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator wakes up at 2:30 AM, having only gotten an hour of sleep. They leave their house, feel the rain on their clothes, and recall a poem they wrote in high school about a man who commits suicide. The narrator walks down their street and feels there is no point to anything since someone they used to live for is gone.


text:
Jeffrey Goldberg revisits an earlier bad argument he made about the likelihood of war with Iran under Romney:

  Romney, on the other hand, isn’t the warmonger the Obama camp makes him out to be.

Goldberg’s evidence for this claim is that Romney _hasn’t ruled out_ a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue, which is hardly any evidence at all. By the standard Goldberg is using, George W. Bush wasn’t a warmonger, either. After all, Bush went through the motions of going before the U.N., and claimed not to want war in 2002-03, but we know that all of that was meaningless. Romney’s demand that Iran halt all enrichment is a non-starter in Tehran. Among other things, giving in to that demand would be very unpopular in Iran. There is no reason to expect that Romney would be able to deliver a diplomatic solution when he is setting conditions for an agreement that the Iranian government won’t and likely can’t accept.

When supporters of preventive war claim to be interested in a diplomatic solution, what they typically mean is that they are willing to go through the motions in order to claim that diplomacy has been tried and wasn’t successful. Not only does Romney have a lower threshold for military action against Iran, but his idea of a diplomatic solution is an unrealistic one that is virtually guaranteed to fail. When someone makes excessive demands of another state that the other state cannot realistically accept without suffering an enormous political backlash at home and international humiliation, that person is not actually interested in a diplomatic solution. At best, he doesn’t understand that his demands are making war more likely, and at worst he is looking for a pretext for confrontation and conflict.

Reza Marashi made the obvious but important point earlier this month:

  For over a decade, the GOP has made it clear that it does not want a negotiated peace with Iran.

When Romney says that he favors a diplomatic solution, what he means is that he prefers an outcome in which Iran yields to all U.S. demands. That isn’t going to happen. Romney’s interest in diplomacy has always seemed perfunctory, and he has typically characterized any and all attempts at diplomatic engagement as appeasement, so it’s very hard to take seriously the idea that he would take the necessary political risks that pursuing a diplomatic solution requires. He gives the public no reason to believe that he would be able to reach a negotiated deal with the Iranian regime. Indeed, his party is filled with people who assume that such a deal isn’t possible and probably wouldn’t be desirable even if it were.

about the author

[]

Daniel Larison is a senior editor at _TAC_, where he also keeps a solo blog. He has been published in the _New York Times Book Review_, _Dallas Morning News_, _World Politics Review_, _Politico Magazine_, _Orthodox Life_, Front Porch Republic, The American Scene, and Culture11, and was a columnist for _The Week_. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, and resides in Lancaster, PA. Follow him on Twitter.

question: What is the main subject of the article?

answer: Whether Mitt Romney and the Republican party seek war with Iran

question: Approximately when was the article written?

answer: Since the article discusses Mitt Romney and Obama, it was likely written just before the 2012 election

question: How does the author feel about Mitt Romney?

answer: The author feels that Romney wants Iran to yield to all U.S. demands, and barring that, he wants war with Iran

question: How does the author feel about George W. Bush?

answer: They feel that he was a warmonger

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author argues that Mitt Romney is only interested in diplomacy if Iran will yield to all U.S. demands, and that if Mitt Romney is elected, war will be likely.


text:
[Monument to the fallen soldiers of the Kingdom of Hannover following the Battle of Lagensalza, photographed by Christian Bregazzi on 27 June 1868.] [Landscape by Christian Bregazzi from a hilltop during the Battle of Langensalza, 1866. Cabinet card format, numbered “21”]

CHRISTIAN BREGAZZI (full name: _Christian Gottfried Bregazzi_; 1 June 1839 – 1885) was a German photographer as well as the name of an early 20th-century publishing house for postcards.[1]

Life

Christian Gottfried Bregazzi was born in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. He was the son of an Italian painter, Giovanni Maria Alioso Bregazzi, and Johanna Dorothea Becherer. Christian married Luise Burghardt and they had three sons: Eduard, Otto and Ferdinand. In 1860 he opened a photographic studio in Bad Langensalza, which after his death was continued by his son Ferdinand under the old name, _C. Bregazzi_.[2]

Bregazzi first began working in the Carte de visite (CdV) style. He became nationally known through his handwritten, consecutively numbered landscape photographs of the nearby locations of the Battle of Lagensalza in 1866. Later his photographs were sold in the larger cabinet card format and carried a blind stamp with the details of the artist.[3]

Legacy

Christian's brother Edward became a photographer in the neighboring town of Mühlhausen. His sister Cecilia Bregazzi (1825–1903) met the artist Ferdinand Tellgmann and they married in 1842. In 1891 the C. Bregazzi studio was taken over by Court photographer Franz Tellgmann, son of Ferdinand Tellgmann. The Bregazzis operated at the highest level and Christian's descendants formed a famous photographic dynasty in Thuringia and Hesse.[4]

[1] Todesjahr nach Peter Ernst: _Erster tödlicher Autounfall in Langensalza vor 111 Jahren_ retrieved 23 Jan 2015

[2]

[3] Reiner Schmalzl: _Kostbare Raritäten aus Langensalza aufgetaucht_, Thüringer Allgemeine, 7 Jun 2014; online retrieved 23 Jan 2015

[4] Manfred Lippert: _Das Druckerei- und Verlagswesen in (Bad) Langensalza 1680–2010. Ein historischer Überblick_, 1. Auflage, Bad Langensalza: Rockstuhl, 2010, ; p259-260

title: Christian Bregazzi

question: Who was Christian Bregazzi?

answer: He was a German photographer and the name of an early 20th century publishing house for postcards. He died in 1885.

question: Where is Christian Bregazzi from?

answer: He is from Germany and was born in Mulhausen.

question: What is Christian Bregazzi's legacy?

answer: Christian's descendants formed a famous photographic dynasty in Thuringia and Hesse.

question: What is Christian Bregazzi most known for?

answer: He was nationally known for his handwritten, consecutively numbered landscape photographs of the nearby locations of the battle of Lagensalza in 1866.

question: Who are Christian Bregazzi's relatives?

answer: His noted relatives are his brother Edward and sister Cecilia.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses the life and legacy of German photographer Christian Bregazzi, who lived from 1839-1885. He was most known for his landscape photographs of the nearby locations of the battle of Lagensalza in 1866. He was also the name of an early 20th-century publishing house for postcards.


text:
GLOBAL LEADERS POSED FOR PHOTOS ON SATURDAY AT THE G20 WITH THEIR WIVES.

ALL of the leaders wore the G20 pin except for one.
CAN YOU SPOT HIM?

THAT’S RIGHT!
President Donald Trump put the G20 pin in a drawer and wore his US flag pin.

#MAGA 2017

  While every other leader wears a #G20 pin… My President wears the US Flag Pin! #BOOM #MAGA #G20HAM17 #USA #Trump #Hamburg #America pic.twitter.com/r5n6u2yoC1

  — Country Boy 🇺🇸 (@RareGuy4Cures) July 7, 2017

TRENDING: Crowd Erupts in Cheers as Giuliani Tells AZ State Lawmakers: "Your Political Career is Worth Losing if You Can Save the Right to Vote in America" (VIDEO)

question: Who didn't wear their G20 pin?

answer: Donald Trump

question: Is the author of the tweet supportive of Donalt Trump?

answer: Yes.

question: What year was this tweet written in?

answer: 2017

question: What nationality is the author?

answer: American

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: In this tweet, someone provides a caption to a photograph (not present) where the US President does not wear his G20 pin, in contrast to other world leaders at the summit. The author seems enthusiastically supportive of this move. They also share a number of political hashtags.


text:
We’ve now arrived at a problem. Namely:

-   Many organizational leaders have a hard time aligning strategy (the big picture) with execution (the day-to-day tasks that people work on)
-   Many organizations are organized silo-by-silo, instead of as a cohesive whole

The intersection point of these two problems creates challenges for social media management. Let’s review a few of the main issues that arise here, and offer some strategies for dealing with them.

THE ROLE OF MARKETING

Depending on what type of company you are and what type of product/service you sell, marketing can be a massive factor in your company — or it can be barely existent. Slack, a collaboration tool, got to a $1 billion valuation in 2 years without a standard marketing team. The first challenge for many organizations is simply determining what, exactly, the role of the marketing team is. Marketing is usually where social media management resides (although that can also vary), so having an understanding of what marketing does — and how that’s measured — is important.

_A way to address this:_ At its most basic level, marketing is a support function for sales. It provides content and context to help sales do their job. This definition can vary by industry, yes, but some of the most successful teams take the goals of marketing and the goals of sales and align them. That way, the top decision-makers on each side have a major incentive to work together, create cross-functional teams, and beyond. If sales and marketing are judged by totally different measures, it’s very hard to do effective marketing.

THE ALIGNMENT OF CORPORATE GOALS WITH MARKETING GOALS

This ties back to the above. Oftentimes, a CEO will tell a CMO something like “Your job is to protect the brand” or “Manage the brand.” That is an all-encompassing definition that can mean 50+ things to 50+ managers. If you look at the chart above, you see the issue. The strategy of an organization — its path to its goals — is typically set at higher levels. But even in startups with 10 employees, there are more people around than just the highest levels. Some people need to come in and do the actual work that pushes towards the strategy. This is where alignment is crucial. If people are working on tasks day-to-day that _don’t_ align with the strategy, then what is the point of those tasks?

Here’s a case in point on social media: oftentimes, the ‘strategy’ around it will be something like ‘Drive business growth’ or ‘Develop new customers.’ But then someone who works on social media management will spend all day scheduling random tweets or saving images into a folder. The strategy part is _not_ aligned with the execution part, and that lets social media happen in a vacuum. Customers and potential fans won’t respond well to that, because they’ll receive a disjointed experience on social compared to other ways they interact with your brand.

_A way to address this:_ Come up with three goals for social media within the context of broader marketing goals. For each goal, have a way to measure it. For example, a goal might be ‘Acquiring new customers’ and the measurement might be ‘100 new visits a month to the website from a social channel.’ That’s a modest goal, yes, but it’s a place to start. If social media has three goals tied to marketing’s goals, which are in turn tied to the company’s goals, you’re on the right track.

PRIORITY MANAGEMENT

Aligning goals — social to marketing to company overall — helps a lot with priority management. In that context, your social media manager can come in on a random Wednesday morning and understand “These two things are what I need to tackle first, because they are important to the team and the business.” Without priority management, any manager in the company can essentially go to your social media manager and claim they have an urgent project which needs attention right this second. (This often happens to social media managers, as other people don’t completely understand the role and need someone to help them with something.) Priorities come from understanding goals and knowing what you’re being measured on. Without that link, work — and especially newer work, which social media is at most companies — can become confusing.

_A way to address this:_ The social media manager should meet with his/her direct boss every two weeks (24x/year, give or take). They should run down goals, ideas, projects, timelines, and deliverables. They should work to prioritize those for the next two weeks, and then the boss should encourage check-ins if anything gets confusing or priorities shift. This helps keep social media on track in terms of real priorities, and not just tasks.

What other ideas have you seen work for aligning corporate goals with marketing goals, or helping social media managers to prioritize their workload better?

_[social media strategist]Ted Bauer is a freelance writer, editor, and marketer based in Fort Worth, Texas. He’s originally from New York City but has lived in many different U.S. cities. He’s worked for companies as diverse as ESPN, PBS, the Houston Independent School District, and McKesson. He blogs daily at_ _The Context of Things._

question: Summarize what the text states about the role of marketing.

answer: The text discusses how marketing can be a massive factor in your company or it could be barely existent. This depends on the type of company you have and the type of product/service being sold. One of the initial challenges in marketing is determining the role of the marketing team. Marketing is also considered a support function for sales and can help make the goals of marketing and sales align.

question: Summarize an important plan described to have corporate goals align with marketing goals.

answer: In the text, it is said to have social media management come up with three goals within the broader context of marketing goals. Each goal has to have a way to measure it. The text also states that if social media has three goals tied to its marketing goals, which are tied to the company's goals, then the marketing is on track.

question: How well do the pointers about management in the text help to bring stronger social media managers?


text:
Long ago, there was a beautiful winter day, the sun shone bright
and sparkling white snow lay undisturbed across the ground, silencing the
world which it covered. It was on this day that I decided to take a long
walk in the woods outside of the hustle and bustle of the city.
	As  I walked in the woods, I came upon an elder tree who had
lived a great many years and whose bark harbored a great number of
 wounds. I brushed the thick, gleaming snow off of the tree’s tangled
 roots, which spread far and deep in all directions. Unto the roots I
 sat, and the tree accepted me as a friend upon its lap, though he
 knew not who I was or of what nature my intentions were. Naught
else in this world would have ever accepted me so quickly and
 graciously, let alone trusted me so easily.
	For many hours there I sat, nurtured and nestled deep in the
ancient and deep-reaching roots. In my time sat comfortably upon the
 tree I asked in a hushed tone what the tree had seen and felt in his
 many years, seated forever upon the land where he stood. The tree
 answered in words of silence, and by it I was taught to listen with my
 eyes, not my ears.
	‘I have been built upon.’ said he with the rotting plank in his branches;
 with the scars in his skin he said ‘I have been wounded.’; ‘I have been
shelter for many lives.’ he said with the hole in his trunk and the abandoned
 birds-nest in his uppermost branch. He spoke very little, yet told very much.
	‘I have travelled far,’ I said in reply. ‘I have been very many places,
yet I fear I have seen less than you have, though you are rooted in this
 singular area. I have found little happiness to no avail, and I am plagued
 by my solitude which hangs over my head as a metal weight. I am not so
 wise as you are, my time is short on this planet and I, who has been born
 before you, is fated to die before you. I fear whether the choices I make
 in my life will be ill choices.’ I said, despair was shown so heavily in my voice.
	The tree listened well, and said nothing.
	‘I have no one on this earth who listens so well as you, tree.’
	The tree said naught, though I waited in vain for many hours.
	No advice was given to me that day, the tree never responded,
 but it held me tightly in its roots and I felt warm inside, despite the
 cold weather. The tree accepted me blindly, as nothing else would,
 or possibly ever will, it had done enough for me. Perhaps this tree
 had helped others, such as it had helped me; it had taken me in my pity.
	I walked to the woods that day with only the intention of feeling the
 cold air nip at my exposed skin; I left the woods that day enlightened,
 inspired by the kindness and unconditional love which the tree so openly
 gave out. I was changed, by something so simple as the comfort of a tree.
Love can be found in the simplest things, I learned that day, and we are
 never alone so long as we choose to see the life around us.

title: The Elder Tree

question: Who is speaking to the narrator?

answer: The elder tree is speaking through the marks it has accumulated over the years.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The narrator isn't named, but they are someone seeking solace.

question: What are the main events of the story?

answer: The narrator goes for a walk in the woods outside the city and contemplates the life of the tree they are sitting in. They feel heard and appreciated by the tree, and leave enlightened.

question: Who are the main characters?

answer: The unnamed narrator and the tree.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator goes for a walk in the woods outside the city and contemplates the life of the tree they are sitting in. They feel heard and appreciated by the tree, and leave enlightened.


text:
EDWARD CONYERS (baptised 14 February 1693 – 23 April 1742) was an English barrister and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1725 and 1741.[1]

Early life

Conyers was the second son of John Conyers, MP of Walthamstow, Essex, and his wife Mary Lee, daughter and heiress of George Lee of Stoke St. Milborough, Shropshire. Conyers had 15 siblings.[2] His uncle was Sir Gerard Conyers, Lord Mayor of London. He matriculated at Corpus Christi, Oxford on 22 July 1710.[3] In 1787, he was admitted at the Middle Temple.[4] He married the Hon. Matilda Fermor, daughter of William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster before 1717.[5]

Career

After his father's death, Conyers was returned in his place as Member of Parliament for East Grinstead at a by-election on 6 April 1725. He did not stand at the 1727 British general election, but was returned unopposed at the 1734 British general election. He was one of Members who voted against the Westminster bridge bill in 1736, and voted with the Opposition on the place bill in 1740. He did not stand in 1741.[6]

Later life and legacy

Conyers purchased the Copt Hall estate in 1739. He died on 23 April 1742 leaving six children, including a son and three daughters. His son John Conyers, was also an MP,[7] and built the current Georgian mansion at Copt Hall, beginning in 1748.[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Edward Conyers

question: Who were Edward Conyers's parents?

answer: Edward Conyers's father was John Conyers, MP of Walthamstow, Essex, and his mother was Mary Lee, daughter and heiress of George Lee of Stoke St. Milborough, Shropshire.

question: Who was Edward Conyers's son?

answer: John Conyers, also an MP, was Edward Conyers's son. John built the current Georgian mansion at Copt Hall.

question: What is the Westminster bridge bill in 1736?

answer: It is not explained what it is but it is stated that Edward Conyers voted against it.

question: When Edward Conyers was born?

answer: It is not stated when he was born but it is said that he was baptized on 14 February 1693.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Edward Conyers was an English barrister and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1725 and 1741. He was one of the Member of Parliament who voted against the Westminster bridge bill in 1736 and voted with the Opposition on the place bill in 1740. He purchased the Copt Hall estate in 1739.


text:
The 23RD ARMY was a Field Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army.

Formed in May 1941 in Karelia, it fought in the Continuation War against Finland in the Karelian Isthmus, defending the northwestern approaches to Leningrad during World War II. After Finland withdrew from World War II in September 1944, the army remained on the Finnish border. It continued to garrison the Karelian Isthmus postwar and was disbanded in 1948.

World War II

It was formed in May 1941 in the Leningrad Military District for the defence of the southernmost part of the Soviet Union's border with Finland, north and northeast of Vyborg. The 7th Army was located on its right flank.

The Army initially included the 19th and 50th Rifle Corps, the 10th Mechanized Corps (which included the 21st Tank Division, the 24th Tank Division and the 198th Mechanised Division), the 27th Vyborg Fortified Region, the 28th Keksgolm Fortified Region, plus artillery and other units.

On 24 June the Army was included in the Northern Front. At the beginning of 10 July Mechanised Corps was removed from the Army. From 31 July to the end of August when facing Finnish offensive, it was unable to stop the Finns reconquering the Karelian Isthmus, and thus the Army fell back to the old border line and occupied positions in the 22nd Karelian Fortified Region. During the campaign, the army (more specifically the 43rd Rifle Division) was decisively defeat at the Battle of Porlampi.

Due to a reorganization, the army was transferred to the Leningrad Front on 24 August. The 23rd Army had suffered enormous losses in battles against Finns in July–August 1941. When Finnish army halted offense by command of field marshal Mannerheim on 1 September, the army consisted of only 80 000–90 000 men and had lost huge amounts of heavy weapons and material to the Finns. If Finns hadn't halted attack and continued moving towards Leningrad, the 23rd Army probably would have had to withdraw to the city of Leningrad.

From 1942 until June 1944 the Army defended North Western approaches to Leningrad. During June 1944 the Army, including the 97th, 98th and 115th Rifle Corps, and the 17th Izyaslavsky Fortified Region and other units, participated in the Vyborg offensive operation (10 June 1944 – 15 July 1944). In this operation, the 23rd Army followed the breakthrough of the 21st Army in this operation, cleared the southern bank of the Vuoksi river and crossed the river in the Battle of Vuosalmi. After the termination of combat with Finland the Army formations were brought out to the state border against Finland, where they were located to the end of the war.

On 1 May 1945, operating under the Leningrad Front, the army consisted of the 97th Rifle Corps (177th, 178th, 224th Rifle Divisions), the 9th, 16th, 17th Fortified Regions, the 47th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade, the 8th Guards and 21st Gun Artillery Regiments, the 94th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, the 174th Mortar Regiment, the 24th Guards Rocket Artillery Regiment, the 1469th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 71st, 168th, 177th, and 618th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalions, the 14th Separate Armored Train Battalion, the 172nd Separate Engineer Battalion, and the 67th Separate Minesweeper Engineer Battalion.

Postwar

On 9 July 1945, the Leningrad Front became the Leningrad Military District. In the postwar period, the army initially included the 14th and 30th Guards Rifle Corps. The latter had relocated to Vyborg on 10 June after being transferred from the 10th Guards Army, and included the 45th, 63rd, and 64th Guards Rifle Divisions. In August, the 14th Guards Rifle Corps was transferred to the Kharkov Military District. By 1 October, along with the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, the army included the 9th, 16th, 17th, and 22nd Fortified Regions. The fortified regions had become the 1st and 22nd Machine Gun Artillery Brigades by 1 August 1946. In April 1948, the 23rd Army's headquarters was disbanded, and its units became directly subordinate to the district headquarters.

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 23rd Army:

-   Lieutenant-General Pyotr Pshennikov (25 May – 6 August 1941);
-   Lieutenant-General M.N. Gerasimov (6 August – 8 September 1941);
-   Major-General A. I. Cherepanov (9 September 1941 – 3 July 1944; promoted Lieutenant General in September 1943);
-   Lieutenant-General Vasily Shvetsov (3 July 1944 – April 1948)

Notes

title: 23rd Army (Soviet Union)

question: What does the text say about winning the war?

question: What does the text say about the 23rd army and World War II?

answer: The 23rd Army was formed in May 1941 in the Leningrad Military District for the defence of the southernmost part of the Soviet Union's border with Finland, north and northeast of Vyborg. The 7th Army was located on its right flank. On June 24, the army was included in the Northern Front. Due to a reorganization, the army was transferred to the Leningrad Front on August 24. From 1942 until June 1944 the Army defended North-Western approaches to Leningrad.

question: What does the text say about the 23rd army?

answer: The 23rd Army was a Field Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army. It was formed in May 1941 in Karelia, it fought in the Continuation War against Finland, defending Leningrad during World War II.

question: What does the text say about the army?


text:
DANIEL AARON (August 4, 1912 – April 30, 2016) was an American writer and academic who helped found the Library of America.[1]

Education

Daniel Baruch Aaron, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, was born in 1912.[2] Aaron received a BA from the University of Michigan, and later went on to do graduate studies at Harvard University.[3] In 1937, Aaron became the first to graduate with a degree in “American Civilization” from Harvard University.[4]

Career

Writing

Aaron published his first scholarly paper in 1935, “Melville and the Missionaries.” He wrote studies on the American Renaissance, the Civil War, and American progressive writers. His last work was an autobiography, _The Americanist_ (2007).[5] He edited the diaries of American poet Arthur Crew Inman (1895–1963): some 17 million words from 1919 to 1963.[6] He wrote a number of articles for the _New York Review of Books_.[7]

Teaching

Aaron taught at Smith College for three decades and at Harvard (1971-1983). He was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of English and American Literature Emeritus at Harvard.[8] His son, Jonathan Aaron, is an accomplished poet who holds a doctorate from Yale University and teaches writing at Emerson College in Boston, MA.

Publishing

In 1979,[9] he helped found the Library of America, where he served as president to 1985 and board member and remained an emeritus board member.[10][11]

Recognition

Aaron was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973[12] and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977.[13]

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Harvard University in 2007.[14]

In 2010, he was a National Humanities Medalist,[15][16][17] whose citation reads:

  Daniel Aaron: Literary scholar for his contributions to American literature and culture. As the founding president of the Library of America, he helped preserve our nation’s heritage by publishing America’s most significant writing in authoritative editions.[18][19]

Selected works

Writing

-   _Commonplace Book-1934-2012_ (Pressed Wafer 2015)[20]
-   _Scrap Book_ (Pressed Wafer 2014)
-   _The Americanist_ (2007).[21]
-   _American Notes: Selected Essays_ (1994).

-   _Cincinnati, Queen City of the West: 1819-1838_ (1992)[22]
-   _The Unwritten War: American Writers and the Civil War_ (1973)[23]
-   _America in Crisis: Fourteen Crucial Episodes in American History_ (1971)[24]
-   _Writers on the Left: Episodes in American Literary Communism_ (1961,

 1974 and 1992[25])

-   _Men of Good Hope_ (1951)[26]

Editing

-   Arthur Crew Inman, _From a Darkened Room: The Inman Diary_, ed. Daniel Aaron (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996)
-   Arthur Crew Inman, _The Inman Diary: A Public and Private Confession_ (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985)
-   Paul Elmer More, _Shelburne Essays on American Literature_, ed. Daniel Aaron (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963)

[1] Cromie, William J., Ken Gewertz, Corydon Ireland, and Alvin Powell. “Honorary degrees awarded at Commencement’s Morning Exercises,” _Harvard Gazette_. June 7, 2007.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/06/honorary-degree-recipients-and-citations-2007/

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21] Dirda, Michael “From scholar Daniel Aaron, the long view of civilization,” _The Washington Post_ May 6, 2007.

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

title: Daniel Aaron

question: Summarize Daniel Aaron's activities during the 1970s.

answer: Daniel Aaron taught at Harvard beginning in 1971, where he was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of English and American Literature Emeritus. In 1979, he helped found the Library of America. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973 and a members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977. In 1971, he published America in Crisis: Fourteen Crucial Episodes in American History. He published The Unwritten War: American Writers and the Civil War in 1973.

question: Summarize everything relating to academic institutions.

answer: Aaron received a BA from the University of Michigan and did his graduate studies at Harvard University. He was the first to graduate from the latter with a degree in American Civilization. He taught at Smith College for three decades and at Harvard from 1971-1983, where he was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of English and American Literature Emeritus. His son holds a doctorate from Yale University and teaches at Emerson College in Boston.

question: What does the article say about Daniel Aaron's personal life?


text:
The 1912 NCAA BASEBALL SEASON, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1912. Play largely consisted of regional matchups, some organized by conferences, and ended in June. No national championship event was held until 1947.[1]

New programs

-   Florida recorded its first official season in 1912, although evidence for a team in at least one prior year also exists.[2]

Conference winners

This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1912 season.

  Conference        Regular Season Winner
  ----------------- -----------------------
  Big Nine
  Missouri Valley
  SIAA              Vanderbilt

Award winners

All-Southern team

[1]

[2]

title: 1912 NCAA baseball season

question: What does the NCAA stand for?

answer: The National Collegiate Athletic Association.

question: When was the first season recorded?

answer: 1912.

question: What season was it?

answer: Spring.

question: When was the first national championship held?

answer: 1947.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, held its first official season in the spring of 1912 in Florida. However, the first national championship event was held until 1947.


text:
*Briiiing! Briiiiiing! Briiii--*
"Hello?", he said from the other end of the phone.
"Hi, Dave. It's Sarah," she said, without expression.
"Hey babe, good to hear from you. I wanted to call, but I've got no long distance minutes and you still haven't told me where I can send you a letter. I've missed you so much, University isn't what I thought it'd be."
"Yeah... I know what you mean. That's kind of what I wanted to talk about."
"Uh oh, I know that voice. What's wrong, babe?"
"Dave, I'm sorry, I really am," her voice cracked and she took a deep breath. "It's just, well, I thought I could do it Dave. I really did. We're only 3 hours away, but now that I'm here that seems like miles and miles..." Her voice trailed off and he could hear a sniffling noise in the receiver.
"Babe, it's fine, we knew it would be hard to stay together going into this. It'll be fine, no use getting worked up. My dad lives in St. Catherine's, remember? I'll be heading up to visit him anyways, we'll see each other lots. I love you babe, I miss you, too."
"Dave, that's not it. I'm really sorry, Dave. But... But I met somebody. In St. Catherine's."
"Oh." Dave's face went pale. He didn't know what to say, so he just let her drone on about how hard long distance relationships were and how he was bound to meet somebody in one of his classes or in his residence.
"I'm really sorry, Dave. They're not a student here, but I think something might actually start between us. I didn't want to do this over the phone, and nothing has happened yet, but I promised myself I would... I would break things off with you before anything did."
Dave could hear a muffled voice through the receiver. His heart sank. "He's there with you now, isn't he?"
"Yes, Dave. That's why I had to call, see? I had to contact you before anythi--"
*"Sarah, are you nearly finished in there?"*
Even though he hadn't heard it in nearly 3 months, Dave recognized the rumbling voice and he froze. "Dad?!"
"I'm sorry Dave, I've got to go."
"But Sarah! Wait! What is going on! Dad! How could yo--"
*Click.*

title: First attempt at flash fiction: Long Distance Relationship

question: Why hasn't Dave seen Sarah for a while?

answer: He's away at school.

question: How far apart are they?

answer: Three hours apart.

question: Why does Sarah really want to break up?

answer: She has met someone else.

question: What is shocking about the conclusion to this conversation?

answer: Sarah is dating Dave's father.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Dave finally talks to his recently long-distance girlfriend, Sarah, when she calls him. She's trying to break up with him, and initially he chalks that up to the distance, scrambling to assure her they'll see each other more frequently. Sarah interjects to say there's someone else. As she explains, a voice Dave recognizes can be heard in the background: his father. Sarah is dating his father. As Dave questions her, Sarah hangs up.


text:
[]

West Liberty University – Wheeling, WV – Dec. 7th, 2019

The National Club Football Association is excited

to announce that the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game presented by Phenom Elite will be returning to the West Family Stadium on the campus of West Liberty University for the 4th straight year. The winners of the NCFA Playoff Games will advance to the National Championship Bowl Game, which is set to take place Saturday, December 7th at 1pm EST. The winner will take home the crown as the 2019 NCFA National Champion.

[]

West Family Stadium on the campus of West Liberty University will again play host to the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game. Learn More

[]

NCFA is excited to release the 2019 NCFA National Championship Logo

[]

The Wheeling-Ohio County CVB is proud to once again be a sponsor of the 2019 NCFA National Championship. Click here to learn all that Ohio County has to offer our out of town guests. Learn More

[]

Phenom Elite is a proud sponsor of the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game. Learn More

[]

The Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Triadelphia - Wheeling is proud to serve as the official host hotel of the 2019 NCFA Championship. Fans can click her for the special group rate.

[]

Check out all the pics from the 2019 NCFA National Title Game presented by Phenom Elite. Learn More

[] [] [] [] [] []

-

    -   The National Club Football Association believes in rewarding both on the field AND …

    -   With winning their first National Championship in program history, it comes as no …

    -   The 2019 NCFA National Championship Game Statistics and Game Recap are available to download …

    -   After a beautiful afternoon at West Family Stadium in Wheeling, WV, The Ohio …

    -   As we anxiously await the 2019 NCFA National Championship Game, The Ohio State …

    -   Conference Championship weekend yielded one upset, with #5 Oakland taking down #4 Loyola …

Attendance and Travel Information

VISIT WHEELING
For more information about Wheeling and the surrounding area and attractions, check out the official tourism site of Visit Wheeling WV.

AIRPORT
If your trip to the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game requires you to fly, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is just an hour from West Liberty University.  Visit FlyPittsburgh.com for more details.

RENTING VEHICLES
Whether needing vans to get your team to the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game or simply picking up a car at the Pittsburgh airport, consider booking with Avis, an official sponsor of the NCFA.  Be sure to use code D712300 when booking to get a discounted rate as well as having the under 25 fee waived.

HOST HOTEL – ECONO LODGE INN & SUITES – TRIADELPHIA
Econo Lodge Inn & Suites has partnered with the NCFA to serve as the host hotel for the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game.  Not only will participating teams get exclusive pricing during their stay, fans traveling to Wheeling can also secure discounted prices so they can stay near their favorite team.  The hotel offers a complimentary hot breakfast,  free WiFi, Pool Tables, a full service lounge, and is located just 5 minutes from some of the best shopping and eateries in the tri state area.

DIRECTIONS
Plug these addresses into your GPS to help you navigate around Wheeling during your visit to the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game:

-   _Host Hotel_ – Econo Lodge Inn & Suites – 87 Jenkins Lane Triadelphia, WV 26059
-   _Venue_ – West Family Stadium – West Liberty University – 101 Faculty Dr West Liberty, WV 26074
-   _Hospital_ – Wheeling Hospital – 1 Medical Park Wheeling, WV 26003

TICKETS
Tickets to the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game are available only at the West Family Stadium Ticket Office the day of the game.  NO PRESALE.  Prices are $10 for Adults, $7 for Students, $5 for children 12 and under, and West Liberty University Students/Faculty get in free with ID. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are accepted.

GAME DAY PROGRAM
Stay tuned on how to Download a copy of the Official NCFA Game Day Program for FREE HERE.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
While in Wheeling, enjoying the NCFA National Championship, consider some of our recommendations of where to go for good food and good fun.

-   _Shopping_
-   _Dining_
-   _Attractions_

Continue to check back, more information will be added as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing you in Wheeling!

Follow Live!

During the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game, fans not in attendance will have the opportunity to listen to a live play by play broadcast of the game over the internet as well as real time statistical game tracker.

Follow the LIVE SIMULCAST of the NCFA National Championship Bowl Game presented by PHENOM ELITE on the CollClubSports Radio Network.  This years broadcast will again feature the talents of Ryan Norris (play by play) and new comer Joe Shaffer (commentary). This is the first time EVER that the NCFA National Championship Game will feature a live video stream!  Pregame show starts at 30 minutes before kickoff. WATCH HERE!

View the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game Stats HERE!

question: When was the article written?

answer: Dec. 7th, 2019.

question: Who is presenting the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game?

answer: Phenom Elite.

question: What stadium is the game at?

answer: West Family Stadium.

question: Where is the West Family Stadium?

answer: The Campus of Liberty West University.

question: How many years has the game been held there?

answer: 4 years.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is an announcement by the National Club Football Association for the 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game.


text:
[This was written five years ago as part of my GCSE English coursework when I was fifteen, so excuse the melodrama.  Feel free to tell me what you think!  My writing style will have no doubt changed since then, so don't think of this as a good example of what I can or can't do.  It's just a self-indulgent little story.]

Jens Silbermann; Traditional Austrian Metalwork.  That’s what the sign on my stall said, and that’s what everyone called me.

“Herr Silbermann!  Guten Morgen!” echoed the voices of Someones I vaguely remembered.  I knew their faces, at least.  I waved back to each one of them.  You rarely got to learn names around here, only faces and voices.   In fact, I think that I was one of the only ones in the entire Christmas market who had a more elaborate sign than just ‘Cakes’ or ‘Candles’.  By appearing to run a more serious business, one which would continue all year round rather than seasonally, I was looked up to by many of the other stallholders.  They could tell that this was my main source of income, and that afforded me respect.  They knew that I stuck it out all year, wherever business went, whatever the weather.

To my constant chagrin, at Christmastime, the business went where it was snowing, where alcohol is consumed to stay awake, and where, if inadequately dressed, one could get frostbitten by looking out of the window.  Why couldn’t we celebrate Christmas in summer?  It’d save us a great number of pains; the ache in my back only one of them.  Insanity comes in many forms, but none so worrying, nay, bewildering, as that of the Christmas shopper.  Working at this stall felt a damn sight like feeding animals, albeit slightly deranged animals with a permanent ‘It looked like fun in the brochure’ frown on their faces.

As it did every year, the towering buildings of the Dresden Old Town loomed over us, their tall and narrow windows threatening to eat us if we looked too closely.  I’d always thought of them with disdain.  After World War Two, most of the original architecture, such as the grand FrauenKirche (The Church of Our Lady) and the Zwinger were left as smouldering ruins.  Since then, massive reconstruction had taken place, restoring the FrauenKirche and others to their former (If not slightly tackier) glory.  One would not have to study the history of Dresden too closely to find out that the New Town was in fact, older than most of the Old Town.

Excavation still went on, to find the foundations of old buildings left under the cobbles of the Old town.  All they were doing was putting off the inevitable; that all the cities would become concrete and metal, places where rainwater would have to flow for miles before it could be absorbed by the earth.  I suppose that some people would prefer to cling to the past, what they used to know, rather than kneel at the feet of change.  Feet that could crush you.

And so, as I worried about feet, and why numbness had already reached mine this early in the day, I looked around to see if I had any potential customers.  Luckily, none happened to be around, six in the morning being a little early for most.  Thank goodness.  God forbid that I’d actually have to socialise yet, I thought, noting how grumpy I was feeling.

To my dismay, another ‘Silbermann’ was setting up on the opposite side of the square, but he didn’t need a sign for people to know his name.  ‘Silber’ meaning silver, and ‘mann’ meaning, well, man, the silver-painted living statue seemed more genuine than me.

He soon noticed that I was paying him attention, and swapped his regal pose for one more comical, in which he was pointing at me in melodramatic horror.  I was curious as to why he was already putting on a show, there being no children or other passers-by to laugh at him.  He’s probably just practising, I surmised, but I changed my mind as I watched his expression change from stricken, to woeful, to that of frozen hysterics.  He was mocking me, and I was quickly becoming unappreciative of his antics.  I told myself that I didn’t have time for his act; that I could ignore him until he got bored.  I focused myself on my work, and managed to attract two customers within the next couple of hours; none bought anything, but I felt a better man for getting on with work, rather than indulging this joker.

I was soon to find the small flaw with that plan.  He didn’t get bored.  My ignoring him only seemed to encourage the madness that this silver man was made of.  Never had I felt the urge to throw something heavy and sharp so greatly.  Luckily for him, I valued the things on my stall too much to use them in offence.  Even luckier, I’d have been arrested for wearing knuckledusters in a place like this.  This being Germany, I suspect a man would be arrested for even contemplating anything the same size, shape, or colour as a set of knuckledusters.  So, I decided, as what little sun we could see rose higher over the marketplace, to sort this matter out personally, man-to-man.  Fist-to-face if needs be.

It took longer than I had anticipated in reaching him; my anger reached its peak before I got there, and fizzled out as I faced him.  His silver doublet, and long, white-blonde hair made him look not feminine, as one would expect, but more statuesque, unreal.  All desire for conflict had left me, and all I could do was clench my fists at my sides, shame shadowing me, enveloping the both of us as if the high flats next to us were blocking out the sun.

title: Silbermann: Traditional Austrian Foolery

question: What does the story say about the Silver Man living statue actually being a robot?

question: What does the text say about the setting of the story?

answer: The story takes place in Dresden, Germany, in a place called "Dresden Old Town". World War Two just concluded, and most of the original architecture of Dresden such as the grand Frauenkirche (The Church of Our Lady) and the Zwinger were left as smoldering ruins. Massive reconstruction of the area had taken place, restoring the old buildings to their former glory.

question: What does the story say about Jens Silbermann?

answer: Jens Silbermann is a traditional Austrian metalworker. Metalworking is his main source of income and he has a stall in the square that is open all year round. Running a serious business that isn't dictated by the seasons afforded Jens respect and made other stallholders look up to him. He wonders why Christmas can't be celebrated in the summer when it's not freezing.

question: What does the story say about Silbermann's reaction to the Silver Man living statue that was mocking him?

answer: At first, Silbermann was curious why the man was already putting on a show that early (6 AM) because there were no kids or passersby to laugh at him. He thought the Silver Man living statue was just practicing his act. Silbermann's mind changed, however, when he realized that the Silver Man was mocking him and was quickly becoming unappreciative of the living statue's antics. He decided to be the better man and focus on his work, ignoring the Silver Man completely until he gets bored. Silbermann's plan backfires and encourages more madness from the Silver Man. The living statue's antics make Silbermann so angry, he wants to hurt the other man.