text:
Harold's Chicken opening Cedar Rapids, Iowa City stores

[Harold's Chicken Shack coming to Cedar Rapids (and Iowa City). Photo via the Harold's Iowa Facebook page.]
Harold’s Chicken Shack coming to Cedar Rapids (and Iowa City). Photo via the Harold’s Iowa Facebook page.

[Ford]

A 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain will open its first Iowa stores next month in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

Harold’s Chicken, founded in 1951 by Harold Pierce, plans to open a store at 316 E. Burlington St. in Iowa City in mid-September.

Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold’s Chicken Iowa, a sister company of Harold’s Chicken, said a store at 200 First Ave. NE in Cedar Rapids, the former location of Milio’s in the Roosevelt hotel, will open in late September.

Seals, 37, who moved to Iowa from Chicago 21 years ago, now lives in North Liberty. He said he was born on 39th Street in Chicago, where Harold’s Chicken was founded by Pierce and his wife, Hilda, as a small operation.

Seals said Pierce saw the need for a restaurant chain on Chicago’s South Side at a time when other fast-food chains avoided predominantly Black neighborhoods. When Seals was looking for a new business to invest in, he was impressed by the history of Harold’s Chicken.

“It’s a business started by a black entrepreneur, targeted to a black audience,” Seals said. “I wanted to throw my support behind that idea.”

Seals said renovations are progressing on the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City locations. The Iowa City restaurant will open ahead of the Cedar Rapids location. Kristen Pierce — Seals’s business partner, Harold’s Chicken CEO and daughter of the founder — will prepare chicken for customers and train employees.

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“She will bring Harold Pierce’s recipe with her,” Seals noted. “The company has 45 stores, all in Illinois and most of them in the Chicago area. It has never allowed franchising of Harold’s Chicken.”

Seals said more than 500 people have applied to work at the Iowa City store. He said former Chicagoans have been known to drive back to the city to buy Harold’s Chicken.

[Ford]

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question: When was Harold's Chicken founded and how long have they been in business?

answer: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and has been in business for over 65 years.

text: It should be added that it had been in business over 65 years at the time of the article.

refinement: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and has been in business for over 65 years at the time of the article.

text: "A 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain" corroborates that the business had been running for 65 years.

answer: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and has been in business for 65 years.

text: It should be added that it had been in business over 65 years at the time of the article.

refinement: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and had been in business for 65 years at the time of the article.

text: "A 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain" corroborates that the business had been running for 65 years.

answer: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and has been in business for 65 years.

text: It should be added that it had been in business over 65 years at the time of the article.

refinement: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and had been in business for 65 years at the time of this article.

text: "A 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain" corroborates that the business had been running for 65 years.

answer: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1956 and is 65 years at the time of this article.

text: The chain was founded in 1951.

refinement: Harold's Chicken was founded in 1951 and is 65 years at the time of this article.

text: "A 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain" corroborates that the business had been running for 65 years.

question: Who is the founder of Harold's Chicken?

answer: Harold Pierce.

answer: Harold Pierce is the founder of Harold's Chicken.

answer: Harold Pierce

answer: Harold Pierce

question: Where was Harold's Chicken founded?

answer: Chicago

answer: Harold's Chicken was founded in Chicago.

answer: Chicago.

answer: Chicago, Illinois

question: Who is Gerald Seals?

answer: Gerald Seals is the CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, a sister company of Harold's Chicken.

answer: He's the business partner of Harold's daughter, Kristen Pierce, and the CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa.

text: "Kristen Pierce — Seals’s business partner, Harold’s Chicken CEO and daughter of the founder," corroborates the first half of the sentence.

answer: Gerald Seals is the CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, a sister company of Harold's Chicken. He moved to Iowa from Chicago and plans to open stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

answer: Gerald Seals is the CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Harold's Chicken Shack, a 65-year-old Chicago-based fried chicken restaurant chain, is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in September. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, says that the restaurants will feature the chain's famous recipe, and that hundreds of people have already applied to work at the stores.

text: Add "at the time of this article" because the restaurant may not currently be 65 years old.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack, a 65-year-old Chicago-based fried chicken restaurant chain, is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in September. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, says that the restaurants will feature the chain's famous recipe, and that hundreds of people have already applied to work at the stores.

text: The summary should be in past tense.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack, a 65-year-old Chicago-based fried chicken restaurant chain, was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in September. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, said that the restaurants will feature the chain's famous recipe, and that hundreds of people have already applied to work at the stores.

text: Mention the omitted information that the chain had always been Illinois and Chicago based.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack, a 65-year-old Chicago-based fried chicken restaurant chain, was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in September. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, said that the restaurants will feature the chain's famous recipe, and that hundreds of people have already applied to work at the stores. The chain was founded in Chicago and had 45 stores, all in Illinois and most of them in the Chicago area.

text: There are only three sentences now instead of five.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack, a 65-year-old Chicago-based fried chicken restaurant chain, was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in September. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, said that the restaurants will feature the chain's famous recipe, and that hundreds of people have already applied to work at the stores. The chain was founded in Chicago and had 45 stores, all in Illinois and most of them in the Chicago area.

answer: Chicago's famous fast-food chain, Harold's Chicken, is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold Pierce and his wife founded Harold's Chicken in 1956 when other fast-food chains avoided Chicago's predominantly black South Side neighborhoods. Harold's Chicken grew from a small operation to 45 stores, mostly in the Chicago area. The stores in Iowa will be known as Harold's Chicken Iowa, according to CEO Gerald Seals, and will be the stores outside of Illinois. Seals' business partner is Kristen Pierce, Harold's daughter.

text: It's false that Harold's Chicken was founded in 1956. It was founded in 1951.

refinement: Chicago's famous fast-food chain, Harold's Chicken, is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold Pierce and his wife founded Harold's Chicken in 1951 when other fast-food chains avoided Chicago's predominantly black South Side neighborhoods. Harold's Chicken grew from a small operation to 45 stores, mostly in the Chicago area. The stores in Iowa will be known as Harold's Chicken Iowa, according to CEO Gerald Seals, and will be the stores outside of Illinois. Seals' business partner is Kristen Pierce, Harold's daughter.

text: Add "first" before "stores outside of".

refinement: Chicago's famous fast-food chain, Harold's Chicken, is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold Pierce and his wife founded Harold's Chicken in 1951 when other fast-food chains avoided Chicago's predominantly black South Side neighborhoods. Harold's Chicken grew from a small operation to 45 stores, mostly in the Chicago area. The stores in Iowa will be known as Harold's Chicken Iowa, according to CEO Gerald Seals, and will be the first stores outside of Illinois. Seals' business partner is Kristen Pierce, Harold's daughter.

text: This summary should be in past tense and use "at the time of this article".

refinement: At the time of this article, Chicago's famous fast-food chain, Harold's Chicken, was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold Pierce and his wife founded Harold's Chicken in 1951 when other fast-food chains avoided Chicago's predominantly black South Side neighborhoods. Harold's Chicken grew from a small operation to 45 stores, mostly in the Chicago area. The stores in Iowa were to be known as Harold's Chicken Iowa, according to CEO Gerald Seals, and were to be the first stores outside of Illinois. Seals' business partner is Kristen Pierce, Harold's daughter.

answer: Harold's Chicken Shack is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The stores will open in late September and mid-September respectively.

text: This is only two sentences instead of five.

refinement: Harold's Chicken Shack is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The stores will open in late September and mid-September respectively.

text: This summary should be in past tense and include "at the time of this article".

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The stores was to open in late September and mid-September respectively.

text: The history of Harold's is missing.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold's was founded in 1951 by Harold Pierce in Chicago. It had 45 stores in Illinois, with most of them in the Chicago area. The stores was to open in late September and mid-September respectively.

text: It's omitted that Seals is the CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, and that he says they'll be using Pierce's recipe.

refinement: At the time of this article, Harold's Chicken Shack was opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Harold's was founded in 1951 by Harold Pierce in Chicago. It had 45 stores in Illinois, with most of them in the Chicago area. Gerald Seal, CEO of Harold's Chicken, said that they would be bringing Pierce's recipe to Iowa. The stores was to open in late September and mid-September respectively.

answer: Harold's Chicken is a 65-year-old Chicago fried chicken restaurant chain that is opening its first Iowa stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The chain was founded by Harold Pierce in 1951. Gerald Seals, CEO of Harold's Chicken Iowa, a sister company of Harold's Chicken, says the chain has 45 stores, all in Illinois and most of them in the Chicago area. Seals says the company has never allowed franchising of Harold's Chicken. Seals says more than 500 people have applied to work at the Iowa City store.


split: train

text:
A day after announcing November 26 as the date for the general election, the Prime Minister kicked off his campaign today by strutting his stuff on the catwalk.

The reluctant model wore the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit, which will be donned by helpers during the tournament later this year.

John Key said he enjoyed getting in touch with his "metrosexual side", but doesn't plan to give up politics for modelling just yet.

Which is just as well – after witnessing Mr Key's walk, _New Zealand's Next Top Model_ host ColinMathura-Jeffree tweeted, "I wouldn't begin to know where to fix that mincing strut."

Here's a small taste of what Mr Key had to offer - click here for the full clip.

[]

3 News

source: newshub archive

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question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What country does the Prime Minister govern in?

answer: That information can't be found.

text: It seems to be New Zealand, based on the mention of New Zealand's Next Top Model.

answer: New Zealand.

text: The mention of "New Zealand's Next Top Model" suggests this story pertains to New Zealand.

answer: It seems John Key is the prime minister of New Zealand.

text: The mention of "New Zealand's Next Top Model" suggests this story pertains to New Zealand.

answer: New Zealand

text: The mention of "New Zealand's Next Top Model" suggests this story pertains to New Zealand.

answer: He is the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

text: The mention of "New Zealand's Next Top Model" suggests this story pertains to New Zealand.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the main topic in this document?

answer: The general elections in January in New Zealand

text: The general elections are merely the backdrop--the main focus, rather, appears to be the catwalk.

refinement: The prime minister of New Zealand kicking off his campaign by performing a catwalk wearing the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: The main topic of this document is John Key's modelling of the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteer outfit.

answer: The main topic of this document is Mr Key's campaign kick-off.

text: The answer does not get into specifics about how he kicks off the campaign.

refinement: The main topic of this document is Mr Key's campaign kick-off, which consisted of him performing a catwalk wearing the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: Prime Minister John Key walks a catwalk wearing the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: The document covers Norway's Prime Minister strutting his stuff in a new campaign, a reluctant model.

text: Phrasing is confusing.

refinement: The document covers Norway's Prime Minister strutting his stuff to kick off his a new campaign, a reluctant model.

text: "A reluctant model" is not a necessary detail to mention.

refinement: The document covers Norway's Prime Minister strutting his stuff to kick off his a new campaign.

text: Does not mention that he is wearing the volunteer outfit.

refinement: The document covers Norway's Prime Minister strutting his stuff while wearing the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit to kick off his a new campaign.

text: The Prime Minister of if New Zealand, not Norway.

refinement: The document covers New Zealand's Prime Minister strutting his stuff while wearing the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit to kick off his a new campaign.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Why did the Prime Minister walk a catwalk?

answer: It was just a fashion show and he was modeling the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

text: The statement that this occurred at a fashion show is unattested.

refinement: He was modeling the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

text: Does not mention that this was a method of kicking off his campaign.

refinement: He was modeling the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit. He did this as a way of kicking off his campaign for the general election.

answer: The Prime Minister walked the catwalk in order to promote the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

text: Doesn't mention the secondary motive of kicking off his reelection campaign.

refinement: The Prime Minister walked the catwalk in order to promote the upcoming Rugby World Cup and to kick off his campaign for the general election.

answer: To help raise awareness of the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

text: Doesn't mention that this was also done in support of his election campaign.

refinement: To help raise awareness of the upcoming Rugby World Cup and to kick off his campaign for the general election.

answer: The Prime Minister walked a catwalk to promote the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteer's outfit.

text: Doesn't mention that this was also done in support of his election campaign.

refinement: The Prime Minister walked a catwalk to promote the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteer's outfit and to kick off his campaign for the general election.

answer: It's not clear exactly why he walked a catwalk, but he was debuting the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

text: One purpose seems to be kickstarting his campaign.

refinement: He was debuting the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit and kicking off his campaign for the general election.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the Prime Minister's political leaning?

answer: This information is not mentioned in the document.

answer: Unclear.

answer: The Prime Minister is a conservative.

text: Unattested,

answer: That information can't be found in the document.

answer: The Prime Minister is a conservative.

text: Unattested.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The document describes when Prime Minister John Key walked a catwalk wearing the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

text: Could mention which country Key is Prime Minister of.

refinement: The document describes when New ZealandPrime Minister John Key walked a catwalk wearing the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: Prime Minister John Key starts his campaign by strutting on the catwalk to raise money for rugby officials.

text: Could mention which country Key is Prime Minister of.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key starts his campaign by strutting on the catwalk to raise money for rugby officials.

text: There is no evidence that this was done to raise money.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key starts his campaign by strutting on the catwalk.

text: Should mention what John Key was wearing.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key starts his campaign by strutting on the catwalk wearing the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: The Prime Minister of New Zealand strutted his stuff on the catwalk today to kick off his campaign.

text: Should mention what he was wearing.

refinement: The Prime Minister of New Zealand strutted his stuff on the catwalk today wearing the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit to kick off his campaign.

answer: According to reports, Prime Minister John Key strutted his stuff on the catwalk to kick off his election campaign. The reluctant model wore the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit and was derided on Twitter.

text: Could mention which country Key is Prime Minister of.

refinement: According to reports, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key strutted his stuff on the catwalk to kick off his election campaign. The reluctant model wore the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit and was derided on Twitter.

text: There isn't evidence that he was derided on Twitter.

refinement: According to reports, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key strutted his stuff on the catwalk to kick off his election campaign. The reluctant model wore the new-season Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

answer: Prime Minister John Key modeled a new design.

text: Could mention which country Key is Prime Minister of.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key modeled a new design.

text: Could be more specific about what the design was.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key modeled a new design for the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit.

text: Does not mention the relevance to his campaign.

refinement: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key modeled a new design for the Rugby World Cup volunteers' outfit as a way of kicking off his campaign for the general election.


text:
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Once you purchase the domain we will push it into an account for you at our registrar, NameBright.com, we will then send you an email with your NameBright username and password. In most cases access to the domain will be available within one to two hours of purchase, however access to domains purchased after business hours will be available within the next business day.

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If you wish the domain ownership information to be private, add WhoIs Privacy Protection to your domain. This hides your personal information from the general public.

To add privacy protection to your domain, do so within your registrar account. NameBright offers WhoIs Privacy Protection for free for the first year, and then for a small fee for subsequent years.

Whois information is not updated immediately. It typically takes several hours for Whois data to update, and different registrars are faster than others. Usually your Whois information will be fully updated within two days.

It's easy to think a domain name and a website are the same. While they are related, they are very different things.

• A domain name is like the address of your home. It just tells people where to go to find you.
• Websites are the code and content that you provide.
• A web host is a service that provides technology, allowing your website to be seen on the Internet.

[]

question: What does the domain cost?

answer: $3095.04 paid in monthly increments of $128.96 over 24 months.

answer: $128.96 per month for 24 months.

answer: The domain costs $128.96.

text: It's $128.96 per month for 24 months

refinement: The domain costs $128.96 per month for 24 months.

answer: The domain costs anywhere from $128.96 to $399.96 depending on the length of the payment plan.

text: "$399.96" is not mentioned anywhere in the input

text: The total cost is "24 monthly payments of $128.96"

refinement: The domain costs $128.96 per month for 24 months.

question: Isn't that expensive?

answer: The domain name is $128.96 per month for 24 months.

text: This is an accurate restatement of the price, but it doesn't answer the question; the question however is subjective

refinement: The question is subjective, but the domain name is $128.96 per month for 24 months.

answer: No, a domain name is relatively inexpensive. A website, on the other hand, can be quite expensive to create and maintain.

text: This is a subjective response not supported by the article

text: Provide a response

answer: According to the page it's a good deal.

text: I'd note that the question is subjective, and say that the page presents it as a good deal

refinement: The question is subjective, but the page presents it as a good deal.

answer: No, it's not expensive.

text: This is a subjective response not supported by the article

text: Provide a response

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A domain name is like the address of your home. It just tells people where to go to find you. Websites are the code and content that you provide. A web host is a service that provides technology, allowing your website to be seen on the Internet.

text: The response does not reflect the overall purpose or content of the page

text: Provide a response

refinement: The article is an offer to sell the domain vgains.com for 24 monthly payments of $128.96.

answer: This is an advertisement for a domain name.

answer: Landing page for the domain name vgains.com with an FAQ regarding the purchase of the domain from HugeDomains.

answer: A domain name is the address of your website, while the website itself is made up of code and content. A web host is needed to make your website visible on the internet.

text: The response does not reflect the overall purpose or content of the page

text: Provide a response

refinement: The article is an offer to sell the domain vgains.com for 24 monthly payments of $128.96.


text:
[si-JulAug2014.jpg] I’ve a brief new article in the new Skeptical Inquirer (July/August 2014) regarding Casey Luskin’s botched attack on the second episode of Cosmos. Here it follows - your comments are welcomed.

Fox TV’s Seth McFarlane has joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series of decades ago. The new series is a splendid blend of homage to Sagan’s original one with dazzling new graphics–and new discoveries.

The second episode of the series, first broadcast March 16, 2014, covered evolution and natural selection. (Link) As expected, creationists were furious. The main promoter of “intelligent design,” Seattle’s Discovery Institute, has run several anti-_Cosmos_blogs on its Evolution News and Views (ENV) website.

In their zeal to attack Tyson and the _Cosmos_series, however, the Discovery Institute has created a stunning example of the straw man logical fallacy. This fallacy is so named because it involves attacking one’s opponent not by an honest dissection of his or her actual views but by attacking a caricature, a distorted _mis_representation of those views. The Discovery Institute’s attack on the evolution episode of _Cosmos_was a particularly egregious example of this fallacy–a straw man for the ages, as it were.

The Institute’s Casey Luskin dashed off a post on the morning after the second episode aired. The post was titled “_Cosmos_ Episode 2: ‘Mindless Evolution’ Has All the Answers–If You Don’t Think About It Too Deeply” (Link). Luskin quotes Tyson’s comment comparing artificial to natural selection and proceeds to argue that Tyson believes that evolution can produce _anything_:

  _Cosmos_ Episode 2 structures its argument much as Charles Darwin did in the Origin of Species. The opening scenes discuss how human breeders artificially selected many different dog breeds from wolf-like ancestors, including many popular breeds that “were created in only the last few centuries.” The argument is simple–and it’s the same one Darwin made: “If artificial selection can work such profound changes in only 10 to 15 thousand years, what can natural selection do operating over billions of years?” THE ANSWER, I RECALL TYSON SAYING, IS MOST “ANYTHING”[emphasis added]. Just as he did in Episode 1, Tyson has overstated his case. The great evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr explains precisely why Tyson is wrong: “Some enthusiasts have claimed that natural selection can do ANYTHING. THIS IS NOT TRUE [emphasis in original]. Even though ‘natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation even the slightest,’ as Darwin (1859:84) has stated, it is nevertheless evident that there are definite limits to the effectiveness of selection”. . . .

If Tyson had indeed said that natural selection can do _anything_, Luskin would have been entirely correct to point out that the claim has been thoroughly refuted by mainstream biologists such as Mayr. The problem is that Tyson said nothing of the sort. Here’s what Tyson _really_said about what “natural selection can do operating over billions of years”:

  The answer is: all the beauty and diversity of life.

In other words, Tyson was saying that selection plus mutation explains the stunning diversity of life on our planet–warts and all. He _never_said that natural selection can do _anything_, and later in the episode he gave a great example of how selection plus mutation is strongly _limited_by historic contingency. In a lengthy segment on the evolution of complex structures such as eyes, about thirty minutes later in the episode, Tyson points out that eyes evolved under water and that fish have exquisite vision. This allows them to focus on things right in front of their faces and in dim light, unlike land animals (including humans). Because of refraction, however, our wet eyes distort light from the dry air, and we’ve never quite recovered from losing our ideal aquatic vision. As Tyson said:

  When we left the water, why didn’t nature just “start over again,” and evolve us a new set of eyes that were optimal for seeing in the air? Nature doesn’t work that way. Evolution reshapes existing structures over generations, adapting them with small changes. _It can’t just go back to the drawing board and start from scratch_.

Of course, that’s not even remotely like Luskin’s ludicrous accusation that Tyson thinks natural selection over time can do “most anything.” The same morning it appeared, someone persuaded Luskin to correct the words he’d put into Tyson’s mouth, but Luskin added new verbiage just after that to further his still-false claim that Tyson actually _does_believe that natural selection can do “most anything.” The revised comment by Luskin now reads

  THE ANSWER, TYSON TELLS US, IS “ALL THE BEAUTY AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE.” IN OTHER WORDS, TYSON WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT NATURAL SELECTION PROVIDES ALL THE ANSWERS FOR EVERYTHING SINCE LIFE AROSE [emphasis added]. Just as he did in Episode 1, Tyson has overstated his case. . . .

In both versions of his post (pre- and post-correction), Luskin vigorously repeated his colossal straw man argument: “TYSON’S MAIN ARGUMENT THAT SELECTION AND MUTATION CAN EVOLVE ANYTHING [emphasis added] focuses on the evolution of the eye. Here, he attacks intelligent design by name. . . .”

In addition to a spectacular example of the straw man fallacy, the affair provides insight into the dangers of pseudoscience. If only Luskin had decided to simply watch the show and give Tyson a chance to explain the case for evolution, he would never have made such a serious error. Instead, Luskin had no time for actual comprehension of what was being said; he was far too busy looking for talking points on which to condemn Tyson, _Cosmos_, and evolution. Luskin was so busy constructing his hit piece he wasn’t even aware that Tyson was vigorously agreeing with Mayr: evolution can’t do just _anything_. It’s a perfect illustration of the mindset of a pseudo scientist.

Dave Thomas, a physicist and mathematician, is president of New Mexicans for Science and Reason and a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is currently a scientist/programmer at IRIS/PASSCAL in Socorro, New Mexico, and also teaches classes in physics, psychology, and critical thinking at New Mexico Tech. He is a recipient of the National Center for Science Education’s Friend of Darwin Award.

question: Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?

answer: Neil deGrasse Tyson is the astrophysicist who is hosting the new _Cosmos_ series on Fox TV.

text: "astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series" is evidence that Tyson is an astrophysicist brought onto the Cosmos series.

text: empty response.

refinement: Neil deGrasse Tyson is the astrophysicist who is joining hosting the new Cosmos series on Fox TV.

answer: He is an astrophysicist and the host of the new Cosmos series.

text: "joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series" is evidence that Tyson is an an astrophysicist and the host for the new Cosmos.

answer: An astrophysicist.

text: If fails to mention that Tyson is also now hosting the new Cosmos series.

refinement: An astrophysicist and host of the new Cosmos series.

text: "joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson" is evidence that Tyson is an astrophysicist.

question: Who has joined the "Cosmos" series?

answer: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ann Druyan, and Seth McFarlane have all joined forces to create the "Cosmos" series.

text: "Seth McFarlane has joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series" is evidence that McFarlane, Tyson and Druyan have joined the new Cosmos series.

answer: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ann Druyan, and Seth McFarlane

text: "Seth McFarlane has joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series" is evidence that McFarlane, Tyson and Druyan have joined the new Cosmos series.

answer: Seth McFarlane.

text: The answer is missing the two others who have also joined the series.

refinement: Seth McFarlane, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan

answer: Seth McFarlane.

text: The answer is missing the two others who have also joined the series.

refinement: Seth McFarlane, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan

question: How does Cosmos' second episode structure its argument?

answer: Much as Darwin did in the "Origin of the Species".

text: "Episode 2 structures its argument much as Charles Darwin did in the Origin of Species" is evidence that episode 2 structures its argument much as Charles Darwin did in the "Origin of Series".

answer: The second episode of Cosmos argues that natural selection and mutation explain the diversity of life on Earth.

text: It misses to mention that the second episode structures its argument much as Charles Darwin did in the Origin of Species.

refinement: The second episode of Cosmos structures its argument much as Charles Darwin did in the Origin of Species.

answer: The opening scenes discuss how human breeders artificially selected many different dog breeds from wolf-like ancestors, including many popular breeds that "were created in only the last few centuries." The argument is simple - and it's the same one Darwin made: "If artificial selection can work such profound changes in only 10 to 15 thousand years, what can natural selection do operating over billions of years?"

text: "The opening scenes discuss how human breeders artificially selected many different dog breeds from wolf-like ancestors, including many popular breeds that “were created in only the last few centuries.” The argument is simple–and it’s the same one Darwin made: “If artificial selection can work such profound changes in only 10 to 15 thousand years, what can natural selection do operating over billions of years?" is evidence how the second episode of Cosmos structures its argument.

answer: The second episode of the series, first broadcast March 16, 2014, covered evolution and natural selection. The argument is simple–and it’s the same one Darwin made: “If artificial selection can work such profound changes in only 10 to 15 thousand years, what can natural selection do operating over billions of years?”

text: "The argument is simple–and it’s the same one Darwin made: 'If artificial selection can work such profound changes in only 10 to 15 thousand years, what can natural selection do operating over billions of years?'" is evidence of how the argument is structured in the second episode of Cosmos.

question: What does Tyson believe explains the diversity of life on earth?

answer: Natural selection combined with mutation.

text: "Tyson was saying that selection plus mutation explains the stunning diversity of life on our planet" is evidence of what Tyson believes explains life's diversity.

answer: Tyson believes that natural selection and mutation explain the diversity of life on earth.

text: "Tyson was saying that selection plus mutation explains the stunning diversity of life on our planet" is evidence of what Tyson believes explains life's diversity.

answer: Natural selection.

text: Misses mentioning that mutation along with natural selection is what Tyson believes explains life's diversity.

answer: According to the passage, Tyson believes that natural selection is responsible for the diversity of life on earth.

text: Misses mentioning that mutation along with natural selection is what Tyson believes explains life's diversity.

refinement: According to the passage, Tyson believes that natural selection plus mutation is responsible for the diversity of life on earth.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the straw man fallacy and how it is used by the Discovery Institute in their attack on the second episode of the new Cosmos series.

text: Misses to give a more in-depth summary, explaining Tyson's involvement in Cosmos.

refinement: Seth McFarlane has joined with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s widow and collaborator, to continue Sagan’s marvelous _Cosmos_series of decades ago. On the second episode, they talk about natural selection and mutations, commencing with Darwinism. Tyson believes that natural selection combined with mutation results in the immense diversity of life on earth.

answer: On his show, Cosmos, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson convenes with other personalities and scientists to discuss how things come to be in the natural and unnatural world. On the second episode, they talk about natural selection and mutations, commencing with Darwinism. Tyson believes that natural selection combined with mutation results in the immense diversity of life on earth. Casey Luskin, a guest (?) on the show, thinks that Tyson is saying natural selection over time can do almost anything. The author of this article thinks that Luskin relies on pseudoscience for his "straw man" arguments.

text: The natural world is discussed, however the unnatural world is not discussed.

refinement: On his show, Cosmos, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson convenes with other personalities and scientists to discuss how things come to be in the natural world. On the second episode, they talk about natural selection and mutations, commencing with Darwinism. Tyson believes that natural selection combined with mutation results in the immense diversity of life on earth. Casey Luskin, a guest (?) on the show, thinks that Tyson is saying natural selection over time can do almost anything. The author of this article thinks that Luskin relies on pseudoscience for his "straw man" arguments.

text: Luskin was not a guest on the show, but instead published a post criticizing the second episode.

refinement: On his show, Cosmos, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson convenes with other personalities and scientists to discuss how things come to be in the natural world. On the second episode, they talk about natural selection and mutations, commencing with Darwinism. Tyson believes that natural selection combined with mutation results in the immense diversity of life on earth. Casey Luskin publishes a post as he thinks that Tyson is saying natural selection over time can do almost anything. The author of this article thinks that Luskin relies on pseudoscience for his "straw man" arguments.

answer:
Cosmos is a new series on Fox TV. It is a continuation of the original series that was made decades ago. The second episode of the new series covers evolution and natural selection. Creationists were furious. The main promoter of "intelligent design," Seattle's Discovery Institute, has run several anti-Cosmos blogs on its Evolution News and Views (ENV) website.

The Discovery Institute's Casey Luskin dashed off a post on the morning after the second episode aired. The post was titled "Cosmos Episode 2: 'Mindless Evolution' Has All the Answers–If You Don't Think About It Too Deeply." Luskin quotes Tyson's comment comparing artificial to natural selection and proceeds to argue that Tyson believes that evolution can produce anything.

Luskin's argument is a perfect example of the straw man fallacy. Tyson never said that natural selection can do anything. He said that natural selection can do all the beauty and diversity of life.

text: "Luskin quotes Tyson’s comment comparing artificial to natural selection and proceeds to argue that Tyson believes that evolution can produce _anything" is evidence that suggests Luskin's criticism on Cosmos' second episode.

answer: The author discusses a flawed attack on the second episode of the new Cosmos series by the Discovery Institute, which was based on a straw man argument. The author points out that the Discovery Institute's argument was based on a misrepresentation of what Tyson said, and that this is a perfect example of the dangers of pseudoscience.

text: Misses to give a more in-depth summary, explaining Tyson's involvement in Cosmos.

refinement: The author discusses a flawed attack on the second episode of the new Cosmos series by the Discovery Institute, which was based on a straw man argument. The author points out that the Discovery Institute's argument was based on a misrepresentation of what Tyson said, and that this is a perfect example of the dangers of pseudoscience.

text: "a spectacular example of the straw man fallacy, the affair provides insight into the dangers of pseudoscience. If only Luskin had decided to simply watch the show and give Tyson a chance to explain the case for evolution" is evidence of the attack on the second episode of Cosmos.


text:
It’s midnight and there’s something in the air that tells me that there are better ways.

There’s nothing wrong with large doses of Xanax and weed toppled with large quantities of alcohol.

But there are better ways.

Find God.

Sure, find God and find better avenues to avoid life.

Incidentally, those avenues are much better: God, government, and things like gluten-free diets. That’s what you want to shoot for if you want to be safe about staying alive.

I discourage drugs like I discourage things like joining book clubs and having a good sound investment in a company that may pay out in droves because of how well they can clean your teeth.

My point to the young people is avoid the drugs. Avoid the cigarettes and coffee and ugly fillers of bacon and hamburger. Think of life like a pure root that needs to be forested with clean bills of health and natural solutions that don’t seem too presumptuous: you do not want to seem ugly in your showmanship.

Get some exercise. Lift some weight and show the masses you are the boss of your body. Get real with yourself.

Or just twist in the wind with some good old fashion book reading and avoiding humans personally.

Hell, get a cabin in the mountains and forget about people altogether.

Make sense of sentences that no longer make sense.

Tell your boss that he or she is the grandest illusion of parenting that you have come across and then quit.

Just don’t go into a stupor.

Plan ahead. Think of the children. If you don’t plan on having children, think of the ones you see on TV. Think about what they will think about when you’re cats to the wind on ugly pharmaceuticals that turn all your rational thought into rhymes from a deranged children’s book.

Think about farming. Think about buying a bike. Think about composting. Think about things that will probably make your horrible life a little more breathable.

Think about things that will make God say “Eh, maybe.”

Because you are not going to impress the heavens; in fact you will probably annoy them.

Get real. Get real with God. God enjoys good honesty and if you are all full of weed and liquor, you should let him know and why you are cursing him this way to Topeka.

Because God lives in Topeka and he barely stomachs chemical abuse problems.

It’s like murder, rape, and then people with drug habits. Those are things God really gets mad about. Also, double parking.

Be warned.

Surprisingly, he has a place in his heart for fat people that ride scooters down the frozen food aisle looking for top quality carbo hits. God is mysterious.

The bottom line is God forgives.

Bum deaths all concluding in cancer. Ugly keyboards all used up in tribal dictations of exact performance. Things that cannot be seen but only shown. Slow red dawns that come cascading through the bottom line. Like bullets shot through paragraphs. Oh, quickly, these aftermaths. Trip a wire three times and you come up with zilich. Bottom dwellers come up like cancer and sink suffocating cancer into tumor'd lungs. We had some times, and they were fun. Twiced diseased. Fool me once, call me a fool, fool me twice and body parts...all over the room.

Enter the Dragon: bargains. Bargains. Please exit left. The bargains all over the place. Cheese at half cost. Bread and sundry items at prices we cannot keep. The owner of the store has been up in the office with a shotgun just waiting for the last the last bargain that will force him to kill himself.

Enter the Dragon: God in pixels. Just this item of information that poses as God and gives forgiveness and he's all over the ads on your internets. He is a false god.

False gods continue to plague the masses and sell cheap broadband.

Lick around the corner. There's a coroner. Something dead and sick sticks its tongue out in non-verbal rebellion.

And God waits.

Waits like a blimp.

Meanwhile,

While we mean well.

Something troubled out on the outskirts.

Termed employees pull up skirts.

Following bombs and diplomacy.

God looks down

In dormancy.

title: [hm] What God Wants

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the main message that this story is trying to send?

answer: The main message that this story is trying to send is to avoid drugs and instead live a healthy lifestyle.

text: It's omitted that the narrator is urging the reader to find God as a part of finding better avenues to avoid life.

refinement: The main message that this story is trying to send is to avoid drugs and instead live a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, the message is also to seek God while doing searching for better alternatives to avoiding life.

answer: The main message of this story is that there are better ways to get high than filling your body with various drugs, a clear reference to narcotics or possibly recreational drugs in general (including alcohol and nicotine). It may be argued that they are focused on better practices or means toward that end. For example, it's suggested to be healthier instead of just eating junk food laced with addictive fillers and artificial flavors. The text recommends getting in shape instead of being lazy riding a scooter or being fat, but like all things worth doing, such a practice is an investment for your future, which is another reason to give it a try.

text: This entire answer is off base and needs to be omitted. The majority of its contents are an inaccurate description of s in statements in the text.

text: Blank response

refinement: The main message that this story is trying to send is to avoid drugs and find better, healthier avenues to avoiding life. Additionally, the message is also to seek God while doing so.

answer: The main message that this story is trying to send is that drugs will not impress God and that you should avoid them.

text: This isn't quite the message of the story. It's about finding better avenues than drugs and alcohol to avoid life, and finding God.

text: Blank response

refinement: The main message that this story is trying to send is to avoid bad habits like drugs and alcohol, and find better, healthier avenues to avoiding life. Additionally, the message is also to seek God while doing so.

answer: The main message of this story is that as we age we need to prioritize our actions as well as stay in shape by making healthy food choices as well as exercising. The author also seems to be claiming that there is God and that he threatens us when we are not obeying the rules that he set in place.

text: This isn't quite the message of the story. It's not about exercising specifically, or a threat from God.

text: Blank response.

refinement: The main message that this story is trying to send is to avoid drugs and find better, healthier avenues to avoiding life. Additionally, the message is also to seek God while doing so.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Is the narrator trying to use the belief of God to his own advantage for his rebellious behavior?

answer: No

text: It's not clear if that information is the text, so "no" isn't really able to be proved.

answer: No answer

answer: No, we don't see anything that could qualify this assumption.

answer: That information can't be found explicitly in the text.

answer: It is not clear.


text:
ULRICH HOMMEL is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD) and, as one of the EPAS directors, is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System (EPAS). He is also a professor of finance and the director of the Strategic Finance Institute at the EBS Business School (EBS) based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Academic qualifications

Hommel earned a Ph.D. in economics from The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1994 and successfully completed his habilitation in business administration at the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management in 2002.

Professional career

After completing his doctoral studies, Hommel joined the faculty of the WHU as an assistant professor of finance in 1994. He joined the faculty of the EBS Business School (formerly called European Business School International University Schloss Reichartshausen) in 2000 and was appointed full professor of finance in 2002.

Hommel served as academic dean of the EBS from 2000 to 2002 and was subsequently the rector of the EBS as well as the managing director of the EBS gGmbH between 2003 and 2006.

He was appointed associate director of quality services at EFMD in 2007 and, as one of the EPAS Directors, has assumed joint responsibility for EPAS, the EFMD Programme Accreditation System.

Hommel has published widely in the areas of real options analysis, corporate risk management, corporate restructuring, family business financing as well as venture capital financing. In the past, he has held visiting appointments at Bordeaux École de Management, Krannert School of Management of Purdue University and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business of The University of Michigan.

Accreditation-related publications

-   “Blurring the Edges (On the Mixing of Non-Degree and For-Degree Education in Business Schools)”, Global Focus, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2009, pp. 28–31.
-   “EPAS after Scale-Up”, in: _Global Focus_, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Supplement), 2009, pp. 3–4.
-   “No Quality without Rigour”, in: _Global Focus_, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008, pp. 40–42.
-   “Reaching Out Globally – How One Association Reaped the Benefits of a Multi-Faceted Accreditation Programme”, in: _ESAE Headquarters Magazine_, November, 2008, pp. 24–25.
-   “Reaching Out Globally”, in: _Global Focus_, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2007, pp. 28–31.

Selected other publications

-   “Family Ownership and International Investment Decisions: Influence of Country Risk and Experience”, in: _Journal of Business Economics_, Supplementary Issue No. 2, 2009, pp. 31–61 (co-author).
-   “Human Capital and the Internationalisation of Venture Capital Firms”, in: _The International Entrepreneurship & Management Journal_, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2007, pp. 109–125 (co-author).
-   “Venture Capitalists' Decision to Syndicate?”, in: _Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice_, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2006, pp. 131–153 (co-author).
-   “_Risk Management: Challenge and Opportunity_”, 2nd edition, Berlin et al.: Springer, 2005 (co-editor).
-   “Contracting, Monitoring and Exiting Venture Investments in Transitioning Economies: A Comparative Analysis of Eastern European and German Markets”, in: _Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance_, Vol. 6, No. 4, 2004, pp. 257–282 (co-author).
-   “Venture Capital Investors, Capital Markets, Valuation and Information: US, Europe and Asia”, in: _Journal of International Entrepreneurship_, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2004, pp. 305–326 (co-author).
-   “25 Years Real Options Approach to Investment Valuation: Review and Assessment”, in: _Journal of Business Economics_, Supplementary Issue No. 3, 2004, pp. 1–53 (co-author).
-   “Financing the German Mittelstand”, in: _EIB Papers_, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2003, pp. 52–90 (co-author).
-   “Financial and Operative Hedging of Currency Risk”, in: _Global Finance Journal_, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2003, pp. 1–14.

title: Ulrich Hommel

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Who is Ulrich Hommel?

answer: Ulrich Hommel is an associate director of quality services at the EFMD and a professor of finance at the EBS Business School.

answer: Ulrich Hommel is n associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD).

text: 'n' should read 'an'.

refinement: Ulrich Hommel is n associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD).

answer: Hommel is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Developmentand one of the EPAS directors responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System.

answer: Ulrich Hommel is an associate director for quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and EPAS director responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System. He is also a professor of finance and the director of the Strategic Finance Institute at the EBS Business School based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

answer: An associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development and, as one of EPAS directors, is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Where is he based?

answer: He is based at the EBS Business School based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

answer: Wiesbaden.

answer: Wiesbaden, Germany

answer: Hommel is based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

answer: Wiesbaden, Germany.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Where is Wiesbaden?

answer: Wiesbaden is a city in Germany.

answer: Germany.

answer: Germany.

answer: That information can’t be found.

text: Incorrect. It is in Germany, as stated in the text.

answer: The EBS Business School is based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

text: The answer is for a different question and requires an edit in order to fit.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Where did Hommel earn his Ph.D.?

answer: The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

answer: The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

answer: The Ph.D. was earned at The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).

answer: Hommel earned his Ph.D. from The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).

answer: Hommel earned his Ph.D. in economics from The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: ULRICH HOMMEL is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development and an integral part of EPAS, the EFMD Programme Accreditation System. As a professor of finance, he is also an accomplished author in the areas of real options analysis, corporate risk management, and venture capital financing.

answer: ULRICH HOMMEL is an experienced educator and researcher in the fields of finance and management. At EFMD he is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System (EPAS). Hommel has published a number of contribution on topics ranging from family business financing to venture capital investments.

text: 'number of contribution' should read 'number of contributions'

refinement: ULRICH HOMMEL is an experienced educator and researcher in the fields of finance and management. At EFMD he is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System (EPAS). Hommel has published a number of contributions on topics ranging from family business financing to venture capital investments.

answer: n associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD) and one of the EPAS directors. He is also a professor of finance and the director of the Strategic Finance Institute at the EBS Business School in Wiesbaden, Germany. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

text: 'n associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD) and one of the EPAS directors.' should read 'Ulrich Hommel is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD) and one of the EPAS directors...'.

refinement: n associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development(EFMD) and one of the EPAS directors. He is also a professor of finance and the director of the Strategic Finance Institute at the EBS Business School in Wiesbaden, Germany. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

answer: Ulrich Hommel is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and, as one of the EPAS directors, is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System (EPAS). Hommel is also a professor of finance who has published widely and has held a visiting appointments at various institutions. Harommel has published a large portion of his work.

text: 'Harommel has published a large portion of his work.' should read 'Hommel has published a large portion of his work.'

refinement: Ulrich Hommel is an associate director of quality services at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and, as one of the EPAS directors, is responsible for the EFMD Programme Accreditation System (EPAS). Hommel is also a professor of finance who has published widely and has held a visiting appointments at various institutions. Hommel has published a large portion of his work.

answer:
Ulrich Homme is an associate director of quality services at EFMD and Epas Director and has held visiting appointments at Bordeaux École de Management, Krannert School of Management of Purdue University and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business of The University of Michigan. He also works at the EBS Business School as a professor of finance.

Alongside his education and teaching commitments, Homme has a substantial publication record and serves as co-author, editor or co-editor on many of the joint publications on topics such as family business financing, real options analysis, financing of the German mittelstand, international investment decision and others.

text: 'Ulrich Hommel...' is misspelt throughout the answer.

refinement:
Ulrich Hommel is an associate director of quality services at EFMD and Epas Director and has held visiting appointments at Bordeaux École de Management, Krannert School of Management of Purdue University and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business of The University of Michigan. He also works at the EBS Business School as a professor of finance.

Alongside his education and teaching commitments, Hommel has a substantial publication record and serves as co-author, editor or co-editor on many of the joint publications on topics such as family business financing, real options analysis, financing of the German mittelstand, international investment decision and others.


text:
Residential energy is saved and vulnerable gain skills through behaviour change project.

With a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK coming from the residential sector, there’s a need to find new ways to help households reduce energy use. While some of this is related to building condition and type, much is related to the way people use energy. In the last two years we have been working to tackle this issue in Wiltshire homes, and meanwhile provide a social benefit.

Here’s how to reach more than 20,000 subscribers that are interested in green economy content

The project, Achieve, began life in Frankfurt five years ago to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. In Germany if you’re unemployed the state covers your energy bills, so an idea was born to tackle both issues at once. Achieve trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers – often their peers – in their homes, resulting in saved energy, changed behaviours and meanwhile helping people reintegrate into the job market.

At Severn Wye Energy Agency, an independent charity and not-for-profit that promotes sustainable energy, we spotted the potential and with European funding partnered with Wiltshire Council to run a series of training programmes. The programmes provide advice to residents struggling to pay energy bills and, meanwhile, the local unemployed to gain valuable new skills. To date we’ve trained seven advisers, helped more than 200 families and, as a consortium, reached over 1,700 homes in France, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Germany.

Gary Hardman of Trowbridge, who first became interested in Achieve through his local Job Centre Plus in the summer of 2012 has now undertaken more than 100 visits, and said: “I had never thought of working in this area, but I’m finding it really exciting and I have already found loads of ways to save in my own home.”

Achieve involves two free home visits. During the first, the trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted. This could include: the use of tungsten or halogen lighting, appliances routinely left on standby, or draughty doors and windows. The adviser then assesses which of a number of simple energy-saving devices may offer the greatest benefits for the household based on their current energy tariffs, and critically what this will mean for them in financial terms. On the second visit, the adviser installs the most appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings – including the time the original investment will take to be repaid to the household.

Key to the design of Achieve was that we did not want to rely completely on the ability of people to make long-term changes to their behaviour in order to make savings. Rather, we wanted to show people some small savings that they could make by installing simple devices. Through this, people are educated about the cost of specific appliances and will motivate others to go further with their own behaviour change.

One particular device that has proved successful in the savings reached and in its acceptance by clients is the retrofitting of halogen down lighters with LED equivalents. Having limited funding, we were usually only able to install one or two bulbs – an array typically has between three and five bulbs, and some households have more than 10 50-watt bulbs. This gave the client the opportunity to test the technology and to consider the return on further investment. During return visits we were pleasantly surprised to find a number of clients, despite their limited budget, had invested in further LEDs.

We also focused on highlighting the cost of appliances on standby, such as obsolete and unused video-players costing over £30 a year. While the savings are quite modest for individual modern appliances cumulatively they can soon add up. Where funding prevented us from installing a device, we were still able to translate the energy use into monetary terms for the resident, and it is this translation that we believe is key. Combined with educational material and remote support, we caught resident’s interest and have seen them take further energy-saving steps themselves.

In some cases the project has been able to go further and help households to access funding toward heating and insulation measures. One client in Melksham commented: “Top service. Thanks to your report, our housing association funded our switch from Economy 7 storage heaters to full gas central heating, making savings of about £45 a week.”

Climate change discussions and calls to reduce emissions will only go so far, and with so many people. But innovative projects like Achieve demonstrate how behaviour change can be achieved through tailored advice and a focus on the bottom line.

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question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about carbon dioxide levels in London?

answer: No answer

answer: The text doesn't say anything about carbon dioxide levels in London.

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: The text doesn't mention carbon dioxide levels in London.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about the Achieve project?

answer: The Achieve project is a project intended to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the residential sector. It achieves this by training unemployed individuals and helping them to provide a social service for their community. The project spotlights on simple alternative energy saving devices that would save clients money and cut down on their carbon footprint.

text: The focus of Achieve spans beyond reducing emissions.

refinement: The Achieve project is a project intended to address both high fuel costs and rising unemployment. It achieves this by training unemployed individuals and helping them to provide a social service for their community. The project spotlights on simple alternative energy saving devices that would save clients money and cut down on their carbon footprint.

answer: Achieve is a project that helps households reduce energy use by training and supporting the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers in their homes. The project started in Germany, where the state covers the energy bills of the unemployed. The project has then expanded to other countries in Europe.

text: The answer could mention how Achieve works.

refinement: Achieve is a project that helps households reduce energy use by training and supporting the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers in their homes. The project started in Germany, where the state covers the energy bills of the unemployed. The project has then expanded to other countries in Europe. Achieve involves two home visits: one to assess the home for areas where energy is being wasted, and one to install appropriate energy-saving devices.

answer: Achieve began life in Frankfurt five years ago to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. In Germany if you're unemployed the state covers your energy bills, so an idea was born to tackle both issues at once. Achieve trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers in their homes, resulting in saved energy, changed behaviors, and meanwhile helping people reintegrate into the job market.

answer: The Achieve project is a project intended to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the residential sector. It achieves this by training unemployed individuals and helping them to provide a social service for their community.

answer: The Achieve beginning life in Frankfurt, where the unemployed have their energy bills covered by the state, to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The program trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers – often their peers – in their homes. The project achieved what it set out to do as it succeeded in helping households pay energy bills and improve energy efficiency to reduce emissions.

text: The phrasing is very difficult to comprehend.

refinement: The Achieve project began life in Frankfurt, where the unemployed have their energy bills covered by the state. Its purpose is to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The program trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers – often their peers – in their homes. The project achieved what it set out to do as it succeeded in helping households pay energy bills and improve energy efficiency to reduce emissions.

text: The answer could mention the home visits.

refinement: The Achieve project began life in Frankfurt, where the unemployed have their energy bills covered by the state. Its purpose is to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The program trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers – often their peers – in their homes. The project achieved what it set out to do as it succeeded in helping households pay energy bills and improve energy efficiency to reduce emissions. It involves two home visits: one to assess the home for areas where energy is being wasted and one to install the appropriate energy-saving devices.

answer: The Achieve beginning life in Frankfurt, where the unemployed have their energy bills covered by the state, to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The program trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers – often their peers – in their homes. The project achieved what it set out to do as it succeeded in helping households pay energy bills and improve energy efficiency, addressing behaviour and in turn environmental goals.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about the Achieve process?

answer: Achieve involves two free home visits. During the first, the trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted. This could include: the use of tungsten or halogen lighting, appliances routinely left on standby, or draughty doors and windows. The adviser then assesses which of a number of simple energy-saving devices may offer the greatest benefits for the household based on their current energy tariffs, and critically what this will mean for them in financial terms. On the second visit, the adviser installs the most appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings – including the time the original investment will take to be repaid to the household.

answer: Achieve is a project that trains and supports unemployed people to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers. The project aims to reduce energy use and save money for vulnerable families. The project uses two free home visits. The first visit assesses homes and looks for areas where energy is being wasted. The second visit installs the appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings.

answer: Achieve is another way to solve the issue of household energy mismanagement by deploying advisers who know how to conserve that energy, who in some cases are unemployed, and to offer training for people about how to save on energy costs as well.

text: The process should include the two home visits.

refinement: Achieve is another way to solve the issue of household energy mismanagement by deploying advisers who know how to conserve that energy, who in some cases are unemployed, and to offer training for people about how to save on energy costs as well. The Achieve process involves two free home visits. During the first, trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted. The second visits involves installing the most appropriate energy-saving devices and presenting a report outlining their findings.

answer: Achieve is another way to solve the issue of household energy mismanagement by deploying advisers who know how to conserve that energy. There are two free home visits. During the first, the trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted. This could include: the use of tungsten or halogen lighting, appliances routinely left on standby, or draughty doors and windows. The adviser then assesses which of a number of simple energy-saving devices may offer the greatest benefits for the household based on their current energy tariffs, and critically what this will mean for them in financial terms. On the second visit, the adviser installs the most appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings – including the time the original investment will take to be repaid to the household. The project has been able to help households access funding toward heating and insulation measures as well in some cases.

text: First and last lines are not needed.

refinement: There are two free home visits. During the first, the trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted. This could include: the use of tungsten or halogen lighting, appliances routinely left on standby, or draughty doors and windows. The adviser then assesses which of a number of simple energy-saving devices may offer the greatest benefits for the household based on their current energy tariffs, and critically what this will mean for them in financial terms. On the second visit, the adviser installs the most appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings – including the time the original investment will take to be repaid to the household.

answer: Achieve works by training unemployed people to install energy saving devices in the homes of customers. This also helps unemployed people during a difficult time by providing them work. The customer is introduced to new practical ways of saving energy. During the first home visit, manuals are described and used in order to let the customer know how much they can save. When additional devices have been made available the initial energy savings can be translated into savings. The toolbox created for this program for the advisory service consists of a six-page manual featuring CV and motivational overview, an audit checklist and an installing technician's guide.

text: The line about the six-page manual is unattested.

refinement: Achieve works by training unemployed people to install energy saving devices in the homes of customers. This also helps unemployed people during a difficult time by providing them work. The customer is introduced to new practical ways of saving energy. During the first home visit, manuals are described and used in order to let the customer know how much they can save. When additional devices have been made available the initial energy savings can be translated into savings.

text: The home visits can be more clearly described.

refinement: Achieve works by training unemployed people to install energy saving devices in the homes of customers. This also helps unemployed people during a difficult time by providing them work. The customer is introduced to new practical ways of saving energy. There are two home visits: one where trained advisers assess the home including bills and areas where energy is being wasted, and one where they install the most appropriate energy-saving devices and present a report outlining their findings.

answer: Achieve works by training unemployed people to install energy saving devices in the homes of customers. This also helps unemployed people during a difficult time by providing them work. The customer is introduced to new practical ways of saving energy. During the first home visit, manuals are described and used in order to let the customer know how much they can save.  Because the customer is able to test out new devices, costs are broken down for the customer. When additional devices have been made available the initial energy savings can be translated into savings. The toolbox created for this program for the advisory service consists of a six-page manual featuring CV and motivational overview, an audit checklist and an installing technician's guide.

answer: Achieve is a project that trains and supports unemployed people to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers. The project aims to reduce energy use and save money for vulnerable families. The project uses two free home visits. The first visit assesses homes and looks for areas where energy is being wasted. The second visit installs the appropriate devices and presents a report outlining their findings. The project also focuses on highlighting the cost of appliances on standby.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about changing behavior?

answer: The Achieve project installs simple energy-saving devices in the home at no cost. The focus is not on the benefits of the simple devices but on ways in which someone can earn a return on the money spent on the energy-saving devices. Passing energy-awareness and conservation techniques person to person is also an important focus of Achieve. The project talks about appliances, videos, and alternative ways to acquire energy before discussing the cost of investments and return on investment, which gives people a better glimpse of their larger, annual financial picture. The devices vary, ranging from bulbs to switches.

text: The answer does not touch on behavioural change.

text: The answer should mention Achieve's attitude to behavioural change.

refinement: Achieve helps consumers change their behaviours, although it does not completely rely on the ability of people to make long-term behavioural changes in order to make savings. Rather, they are educated about the costs of appliances and thus motivated to go further with behavioural change.

text: The answer should mention how Achieve believes behavioural change can happen.

refinement: Achieve helps consumers change their behaviours, although it does not completely rely on the ability of people to make long-term behavioural changes in order to make savings. Rather, they are educated about the costs of appliances and thus motivated to go further with behavioural change. The idea is that behaviour change can be achieved through tailored advice and a focus on the bottom line.

answer: The text discusses a project called Achieve, which began in Frankfurt five years ago to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The project involves two free home visits. During these home visits, advisers assess the home, which often leads to recommendation of simple energy-saving devices. The devices are installed and results are presented, with training and remote support included in the program that aims to increase knowledge of the opportunity to vastly lower energy bills by making changes in their own home. The text explains how behavior change can be achieved through tailored advice and a focus on the bottom line, with concluding comments on the good work the program has done.

text: All but the last line is irrelevant.

refinement: The text explains how behavior change can be achieved through tailored advice and a focus on the bottom line, with concluding comments on the good work the program has done.

answer: The Achieve project installs simple energy-saving devices in the home at no cost. The focus is not on the benefits of the simple devices but on ways in which someone can earn a return on the money spent on the energy-saving devices. Passing energy-awareness and conservation techniques person to person is also an important focus of Achieve. The project talks about appliances, videos, and alternative ways to acquire energy before discussing the cost of investments and return on investment, which  gives people a better glimpse of their larger, annual financial picture.

answer: The Achieve project's goal is to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment in Germany. The project trains and supports unemployed people to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers - their peers - in their homes. The project helps people reintegrate into the job market.

answer: The Achieve project's goal is to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment in Germany. The project trains and supports unemployed people to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers - their peers - in their homes. The project helps people reintegrate into the job market by changing their behavior.

answer: The Achieve project trains and supports the unemployed to provide energy advice directly to vulnerable consumers. The project helps people reintegrate into the job market. The project helps people make small savings by installing simple devices. This helps people become educated about the cost of specific appliances and motivates them to go further with their own behavior change.

answer: The text discusses a project called Achieve, which began in Frankfurt five years ago to address the combined issues of high fuel costs and rising unemployment. The project involves two free home visits. During these home visits, advisers assess the home, which often leads to recommendation of simple energy-saving devices. The devices are installed and results are presented, with training and remote support included in the program that aims to increase knowledge of the opportunity to vastly lower energy bills by making changes in their own home. The text explains how behavior change can be achieved through tailored advice and a focus on the bottom line.