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FMD4200 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: No, Walmart is not cancelling the donations you make at the checkout. Claim summaries: A social media meme mischaracterized business tax practices.
contextual information: In late June 2021, social media users shared a meme misinforming viewers that Walmart and other large businesses were taking customers' point-of-sale charitable donations and writing them off on their taxes. Readers have been asking Snopes about this meme since at least August 2020. The meme addresses a phenomenon called "checkout charity," in which many large businesses ask customers to donate a small amount to a charitable cause upon checkout: according to What happens to the money you donate at the cash register? This is where you round up your bill to give to a charity designated by the retailer, and the donation amount appears on your receipt. The store serves only as a collection agent for your gift. Assuming the business is following the law, it will not include your donation as part of its business receipts, or income, nor will it claim the charitable gift as an expense. In other words, your gift has zero impact on the stores income taxes. Keep in mind that the store chooses the receiving charity, so make sure it is one you can support. As a customer, the donation will appear on your receipt and you can claim it as a charitable deduction when you file your income tax return. But you probably wont. A whopping nine out of ten customers don't write those donations off, even with a receipt, according to the Tax Policy Center, which estimates only 9% of households claim deductions for charitable donations. according to The Tampa Bay Times reported that the practice is gaining in popularity because both charities and businesses benefit from it: reported "Checkout charity, as it's sometimes called, has become big business for nonprofits and retailers. Charities love it because it raises money from the masses at little cost. Companies love it because it makes them look caring and generous, even if it comes on the backs of customers." | 0 | [
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FMD4201 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: U.S. President Donald Trump will attend a summit of leaders of NATO nations on May 25 in Brussels, the White House said on Tuesday. Trump’s visit will give him an opportunity to press his case for why many NATO allies need to boost defense spending to help spread the cost of the security umbrella. Trump has made key European allies nervous with his demands that they increase defense spending and his talk of establishing an alliance with Russia to counter Islamic State militants. “The president looks forward to meeting with his NATO counterparts to reaffirm our strong commitment to NATO, and to discuss issues critical to the alliance, especially allied responsibility-sharing and NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism,†a White House statement said. Trump will welcome NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House on April 12 to discuss “how to strengthen the alliance to cope with challenges to national and international security,†the statement said. | 1 | [
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FMD4202 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Bush on Ribs Claim summaries: Does a transcript record President Bush's remarks to reporters at a New Mexico restaurant?
contextual information: Claim: Transcript records President Bush's remarks to reporters at a New Mexico restaurant. Example: [whitehouse.gov, 2004] Remarks by the President to the Press PoolNothin' Fancy CafeRoswell, New Mexico 11:25 A.M. MST THE PRESIDENT: I need some ribs. Q Mr. President, how are you? THE PRESIDENT: I'm hungry and I'm going to order some ribs. Q What would you like? THE PRESIDENT: Whatever you think I'd like. Q Sir, on homeland security, critics would say you simply haven't spent enough to keep the country secure. THE PRESIDENT: My job is to secure the homeland and that's exactly what we're going to do. But I'm here to take somebody's order. That would be you, Stretch what would you like? Put some of your high-priced money right here to try to help the local economy. You get paid a lot of money, you ought to be buying some food here. It's part of how the economy grows. You've got plenty of money in your pocket, and when you spend it, it drives the economy forward. So what would you like to eat? Q Right behind you, whatever you order. THE PRESIDENT: I'm ordering ribs. David, do you need a rib? Q But Mr. President THE PRESIDENT: Stretch, thank you, this is not a press conference. This is my chance to help this lady put some money in her pocket. Let me explain how the economy works. When you spend money to buy food it helps this lady's business. It makes it more likely somebody is going to find work. So instead of asking questions, answer mine: are you going to buy some food? Q Yes. THE PRESIDENT: Okay, good. What would you like? Q Ribs. THE PRESIDENT: Ribs? Good. Let's order up some ribs. Q What do you think of the democratic field, sir? THE PRESIDENT: See, his job is to ask questions, he thinks my job is to answer every question he asks. I'm here to help this restaurant by buying some food. Terry, would you like something? Q An answer. Q Can we buy some questions? THE PRESIDENT: Obviously these people they make a lot of money and they're not going to spend much. I'm not saying they're overpaid, they're just not spending any money. Q Do you think it's all going to come down to national security, sir, this election? THE PRESIDENT: One of the things David does, he asks a lot of questions, and they're good, generally. END 11:29 A.M. MST Origins: This transcript, archived at the White House web site, certainly reads as one of the more unusual Presidential press conferences in recent memory. But much of the oddness stems from the fact that the transcript provides no context for the remarks contained therein; a little background helps to make it more understandable. White House After delivering his State of the Union address on 20 January 2004, President Bush undertook a two-day, three-state swing through Ohio, Arizona, and New Mexico. The morning of 22 January found the President in Roswell, New Mexico, where he delivered a 40-plus minute speech at the town's Convention and Civic Center in front of 1,800 cadets from the New Mexico Military Institute, law enforcement officers studying at the International Law Enforcement Academy's graduate center and the Federal Law Enforcement Training center, and local residents. The President wrapped up his speech a bit before 11:30 AM, and he then surprised many Roswell residents by sending his motorcade to the Nuthin' Special Cafe on Main Street described as "a local eatery known more for its 50-cent beer than its food" for lunch. After entering the restaurant and shaking some hands, the President decided to give the local economy a boost by strolling behind the counter and cajoling members of the traveling press into ordering some food. A couple of White House correspondents, David Gregory of NBC (referred to in the transcript as "Stretch") and Terry Moran of ABC, tried to turn the occasion into an impromptu press conference, but President Bush held firm, stating in no uncertain terms that he was there to take food orders, not to answer questions from the press. According to cafe owner Armando Aceves, the President ordered pork ribs and buttermilk pie and autographed a menu. However, Jim Lakely of the Washington Times, a designated pool reporter for the Roswell trip, noted that the President was unsuccessful in convincing the reporters in question to purchase any ribs themselves. Once President Bush and his entourage were back on-board Air Force One with their take-out orders, someone from the White House staff sent some ribs back to the press corps. There wasn't enough to go around, though. A letter writer to the Albuquerque Journal later noted that President Bush did not leave a tip when he departed. But, as that newspaper reported, the Nuthin' Fancy Cafe staff still ended up with a larger payment than they were expecting: "But you don't expect a tip from take-out," said Beverly Patterson, one of the servers who helped with the president's order of ribs, corn bread, butter and honey. "And how many other people can say they had the pleasure and honor of having the president visit their place?" adds Patterson, who has worked at the cafe for three years. Bush paid for the order with $30 in cash. Patterson says the president called later from Air Force One and said, "You didn't charge me enough, and I'm going to send more money." But Edward Zavala, Nuthin' Fancy's manager, says he told the president they didn't want any more money. "We were willing to give him the meal free, but the president wanted to pay," Zavala adds. "We didn't care for the money. This was a once-in-a-lifetime deal." Last updated: 19 August 2007 Sources: Coleman, Michael. "From These Ribs ." Albuquerque Journal. 24 January 2004 (p. A8). Hoffman, Leslie. "Bush Touts Policies, Focuses on War on Terrorism During Roswell Visit." The Associated Press. 22 January 2004. Moskos, Harry. "Mr. Bush Paid Bill in Cash." Albuquerque Journal.. 8 February 2004 (p. C1). | 1 | [
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FMD4203 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Japan said on Friday it would send one of its two big helicopter carriers, the largest warship in its fleet, along with two escorts to join three U.S. aircraft carriers for exercises in waters close to the Korean peninsula. The Japanese ships Ise, Inazuma and Makinami will sail with the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on Sunday, Japan s Maritime Self Defence Force said in a press release. It is the first time three American carriers have trained together in a decade. The show of force comes as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with regional leaders at an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Vietnam. Trump is on a 12-day tour of Asia and has already made stops in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. His administration has demanded that North Korea halt ballistic missile and nuclear tests. The naval exercise will be a potent reminder to Pyongyang of the U.S. ability to rapidly mobilize military force. The 100,000-ton U.S. carriers carry a combined force of around 200 aircraft including F-18 strike fighters. | 1 | [
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FMD4204 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: On Friday, Donald Trump canceled a rally in Chicago because he was embarrassed that seemingly more people showed up to protest him than to stroke his ego. The night had already been bloody, with an event in St. Louis, Missouri almost becoming a total race war earlier in the evening. In Chicago, Trump has not even arrived when the incredibly white attendees began attacking, hurling insults at, and geerally being complete racist d*ckbags to black people and anyone else who dissented just like Trump taught them to (after all, he says he will pay their legal fees if they brutalize a black man in his name).The Donald says he was forced to cancel his rally because he didn t want anyone to get hurt though he was perfectly willing to call into Fox News to whine about how somehow his First Amendment rights had been stripped away by protesters, once again proving that not a single Republican anywhere understands the First Amendment. According to the billionaire 2016 hopeful, the blame for violence at his rallies lies with two entities: the protesters his fans attack, and Barack Obama.Shortly after, Rachel Maddow took a moment out of her show to absolutely and utterly destroy any claim Trump could make that he doesn t want violence at his rallies, that he just wants people to be safe as he claims. It s becoming more intense at Donald Trump rallies, Maddow said after playing a clip of the numerous beatings we have seen at his campaign events throughout recent history: There have been instances in the past where he has encouraged or at least praised the idea of violent actions by his supporters, when he s spoken wistfully about how great it would be to beat people up at his rallies, or he s told people that he would pay their legal fees if they beat up a protester on his behalf. But this sort of bloodlust, this kind of half-tongue-in-cheek-mostly-serious call for a tougher America where there are more beatings, and where anti-Trump protesters should fear for their lives as he heads into these tinderbox cities today and tonight, I just want you to watch how that part of candidate Donald Trump s rhetoric has escalated. Maddow rolled numerous clips of Trump calling for his violent, racist, and poorly educated fans to harm others with date stamps included. In other words, she left Trump in a completely indefensible position, not that it matters to him or his followers. If you want to see the deliberate act that created what happened tonight in Chicago, watch where it came from, she said, noting that all the calls for violence culminated into the Chicago incident. And it really is something like we have never seen in mainstream American politics before, Maddow told viewers, recalling that she used to see these events unfold at white supremacist rallies in the 1980 s. The difference, of course, is that it is now happening in mainstream Republican politics at events hosted by their frontrunner. Anybody who tells you that there s no connection between the behavior of the mob at these events and the behavior of the man leading the mob at these events is not paying attention to what he s saying at the podium, she said after the clips rolled. but the most damning clip she rolled was of Trump in St. Louis earlier that evening when he complained that part of the problem is no body wants to hurt each other anymore. That s right he complained that there was not enough violence at his events to put protesters in their place. There used to be consequences, he whined just before St. Louis erupted into violence. These people are bringing us down, he whined. These are the people that are destroying our country. That s the way Donald Trump has been talking about protesters at his events. That s the way he has been directing his supporters at events. That was today, Maddow said after the damning St. Louis footage rolled. If you want to know what led up to Chicago tonight that was Donald Trump s display of leadership and calming the waters. Then she dropped the bomb: American presidential politics isn t like this for anyone else. American presidential politics did not get this way on its own. This is the workd of an American presidential candidate who deliberately made this happen. And the Republican party is about to nominate him for President. Watch Maddow tear Trump a new orifice below:Featured image via screengrab | 0 | [
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FMD4205 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Astronaut Chris Hadfield Test the Effects of Marijuana in Space? Claim summaries: A photograph shows astronaut Chris Hadfield holding what looks like a bag of marijuana aboard the International Space Station.
contextual information: An image purportedly showing NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield holding a bag of marijuana aboard the International Space Station (ISS) was posted by the "Pictures in History" Facebook page in November 2018, along with a caption stating that the astronaut was testing the effects of the drug in space: Facebook Although followers might expect to see genuine historical images being posted by a social media page named "Pictures in History," that account frequently shares manipulated or miscaptioned images. In this case, an image of Hadfield holding a bag of Easter Eggs was doctored in order to make it appear as if the astronaut were showing off a pouch of marijuana frequently shares manipulated miscaptioned The genuine image was originally posted to Hadfield's Twitter account on Easter in 2013: posted Not only is the image of Chris Hadfield holding a bag of marijuana fake, but it's unlikely that any similar (but genuine) photographs of astronauts with drug paraphernalia exist, as NASA has been a drug-free workplace since at least the mid-1980s. drug-free workplace Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has also warned against drug use aboard the International Space Station, arguing that it could be deadly for astronauts to get stoned in space: warned "The problem is, in space now, many things will kill you. So, if you do anything to alter your understanding of what is reality, that's not in the interest of your health. If you want to get high in space, lock yourself in your cabin, and don't come out. 'Cause you could break stuff inadvertently." Koren, Marina. "Reefer Madness at NASA."
The Atlantic. 21 November 2018. Specktor, Brandon. "Neil deGrasse Tyson Reminds Us Why Smoking Weed in Space Is a Bad Idea."
Live Science. 17 September 2018. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD4206 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in an ambush by Islamic State militants in the northern province of Zawzjan, a provincial official said on Saturday. Mohammad Reza Ghafori, a spokesman for the Zawzjan provincial governor, said that the police officers were ambushed Friday as they left a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed. Militants linked to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, have been active in Afghanistan’s eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that around 38 militants, including 23 Islamic State fighters, were killed in separate operations conducted by Afghan security forces in the eastern and southern regions of the country over the past two days. Eight other militants were wounded and six were arrested in the operations, which were conducted in districts across the Nangarhar and Helmand provinces, the statement added. In Laghman Province, in the east, two students were killed when a mortar shell struck a school classroom, a news release from the Education Ministry said. The statement said that five other students were wounded inside the classroom in Mihterlam, the province’s capital. There were unconfirmed reports that the mortar was fired by Afghan security forces and missed its target and hit the school. The report could not immediately be verified by provincial or government officials. | 1 | [
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FMD4207 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Barack Obama‘s budget for next year, released Monday, is filled with ideas, programs and proposals with prospects for adoption by the new Republican-controlled Congress that range from dismal to zero.
It may seem illogical to direct hopes for agreement toward one of the most far-reaching and politically fraught proposals on the president’s wish list, but, in fact, there are two big forces that can pry open the door to at least a serious bipartisan discussion on corporate tax reform this year. The first is inversions and the second is infrastructure. | 1 | [
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FMD4208 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: A key operative in a Democratic scheme to send agitators to cause unrest at Donald Trump’s rallies has visited the White House 342 times since 2009, White House records show.
Robert Creamer, who acted as a middle man between the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee and “protesters†who tried — and succeeded — to provoke violence at Trump rallies met with President Obama during 47 of those 342 visits, according to White House records. Creamer’s last visit was in June 2016.
Creamer, whose White House visits were first pointed out by conservative blog Weasel Zippers, is stepping back from his role within the Clinton campaign. (RELATED: Second O’Keefe Video Shows Dem Operative Boasting About Voter Fraud)
Hidden camera video from activist James O’Keefe showed Creamer bragging that his role within the Clinton campaign was to oversee the work of Americans United for Change, a non-profit organization that sent activists to Trump rallies. (RELATED: Activist Who Took Credit For Violent Chicago Protests Was On Hillary’s Payroll)
Scott Foval, the national field director for Americans United for Change, explained how the scheme works.
“The [Clinton] campaign pays DNC, DNC pays Democracy Partners, Democracy Partners pays the Foval Group, The Foval Group goes and executes the shit,†Foval told an undercover journalist.
One example of the “shitâ€Â Foval executes was an instance in which a 69-year-old woman garnered headlines after claiming to be assaulted at a Trump rally.
“She was one of our activists,†Foval said.
Creamer’s job was to “manage†the work carried out by Foval.
“And the Democratic Party apparatus and the people from the campaign, the Clinton campaign and my role with the campaign, is to manage all that,†Creamer told an undercover journalist.
“Wherever Trump and Pence are gonna be we have events,†he said. | 1 | [
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FMD4209 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Russian navy honors Cuban independence leader and Soviet soldiers October 28, 2016 TASS cuba , navy The patrol ship Yaroslav Mudry. Source: Mil.ru
Russian sailors from the Baltic Fleet’s Yaroslav Mudry frigate and the Lena tanker paid tribute to Cuba’s national hero, Jose Marti, and to Soviet soldiers, the Baltic Fleet’s spokesman Roman Martov told TASS.
"In the port of Havana, the Baltic Fleet sailors laid wreaths at monuments dedicated to Cuba’s independence leader, Jose Marti, and to Soviet soldiers," Martov said, noting it was the first call of Russia’s Baltic Fleet warships at the port of Cuba’s capital in the post-Soviet era.
During the visit, the group’s commanders held talks with defense officials from the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces’ external relations department, commanders of the Revolutionary Navy and representatives of Havana’s Mayor’s Office. The sailors also visited the city’s historic district and museums. In the meantime, the Yaroslav Mudry frigate hosted tours onboard the ship for Havana’s local residents and tourists.
The Yaroslav Mudry set sail on a lengthy voyage from the Russian city of Baltiysk on June 1, in line with the Russian Navy’s combat training plan. | 0 | [
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FMD4210 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Are retailers employing 'vanishing ink' on receipts as a strategy to deter returns? Claim summaries: A long-circulating rumor claims retailers use "disappearing ink" to inhibit the return of merchandise or use of warranties.
contextual information: The holiday shopping season often spurs rumors that retailers use "disappearing ink" on receipts, making it difficult for consumers to use paid-for warranties or return unserviceable merchandise. Some rumors were more broad, involving anecdotal concerns about "disappearing ink" receipts, addressing retailers: I know you are in business to make money. I know that fraudulent returns cut into your profit margin, so you feel the need to tighten up your return policies. I am totally on board with that. BUT, could you please then stop using disappearing ink on your receipts? I just had my baby shower, and EVERY SINGLE gift receipt from your store was so faded, it was barely legible. Then, you tried to give me a hard time because your computers couldn't read the receipts, therefore making my duplicates off the registry unreturnable (but improper registry maintenance is a whole other issue.) To sum up. You require receipts? Then print legible receipts. Thank you. Others were more specific, claiming very clear timeframes30 to 45 daysand practices governed the legibility of receipt ink. Iterations of that sort asserted companies deliberately sought out to ensure that no receipts past a certain point could be used, presumably rendered void when the ink "disappeared" by design: PLEASE READ: Learned something new tonight...I guess you guys need to be made aware of (if you don't already know)...I was informed this evening after making a purchase with an extended warranty from Wal-Mart that I needed to go home and make a photo copy of the receipt and file with the warranty card. I curiously asked why and the lady told me that Wal-Mart now uses disappearing ink. My jaw dropped. So this means after 30 -45 days moving forward, you will no longer have a legible receipt from Wal-Mart for returns or warranty usage or credit card issues. Heads up guys ! This will be a problem for many ! I understand the reason they gave for this action, but it sure makes for a difficult life for the honest folks in this world. Don't forget to take a picture of your receipts. Disappearing ink is one big snowjob, so be ready for the storm.... 30 days and presto-change o. Although the rumor was rife on Facebook, instances of it far antedated the social network. Forum posts as far back as 2003 referenced the phenomenon. 2003 However, many retailers's return policies stipulate that receipts are not the sole manner in which consumers can prove a purchase. Walmart maintains: maintains Walmart will accept a non-receipted return or exchange provided it meets the following conditions: The refund verification process accepts the return.The government issued ID must not be altered and is accepted by Walmart. To return or exchange items without a receipt, you are required to present a valid government issued photo ID. Information from the customer ID will be stored in a secured database of returns activity that Walmart uses to authorize returns. At Lowe's the policy reads, in part: the policy reads, in part In most instances, your receipt can be retrieved by using the original credit card, checking account number, MyLowe's card or by your phone number. For returns without a valid receipt, in-store credit may be issued for the items current selling price. Lost or stolen gift cards can only be replaced for the remaining balance by presenting the original receipt. Similarly, CVS notes "returns or exchanges are subject to a third-party verification process," suggesting physical paper receipts were not the sole manner in which proof of purchase was retained by the consumer or retailer. The web site CreditCards.com surveyed major retailers and reported that in addition to protections offered by issuers such as American Express and Mastercard, receipts were rarely the only recourse: notes surveyed Our survey of 12 large retailers policies regarding returning items without a receipt shows most allow it within limits. Although a staunch no receipt, no return policy is rare, it does still happen, and there can be individual store quirks that make the return process difficult to predict. Store policies tend to be tiered, with full refunds reserved for those who meet the gold standard: They return the entire item, in its original packaging, quickly, with a receipt. The further you vary from the gold standard, the less you get back. Credit card holders may find that using their cards provides an added avenue to a refund, since some retailers will look up a credit card transaction and let you use that as proof of purchase for a return. As to how youll get your money back, its typical for stores to return it in the same way it was tendered. So if you used a credit card, expect to get the money back in the form of a credit on your cards statement. Retailers' policies stipulating for other verification measures undermined the implication receipt degradation was a deliberate action to discourage store returns. As for why receipts tended to fade (at least under certain conditions), papermaker Panda Paper Roll explained that the effect was a cost-saving measure for different reasons: explained Receipts are typically printed on thermal paper, a chemically coated paper that produces text and image when heat is applied to its surface. Since this kind of paper is susceptible to heat and UV light, extended exposure to these elements will ultimately cause gradual fading. If you are in the mood for experimenting, place a receipt that you dont need under a hot iron for about 10 seconds. The heat from the iron will change the color of paper to black. Oil and humidity are also factors to blame. Now if youre wondering why the use of thermal paper is so widespread despite this massive disadvantage, its because they are very low cost and the equipment used to print it is low maintenance, since it doesnt need ink or ribbon cartridges. That claim was echoed in a since-deleted 2014 WFLA story about "disappearing ink" receipts: story If you keep paper receipts, this could happen to you, too. That's because more retailers are using thermal paper. Heat and light fades the ink. Although it was clearly true that many receipts faded over time, the claim involving "disappearing ink" was a misnomer. Retailers' well-known reliance on thermal paper due to its cost efficient nature led to the generation of fragile receipts, particularly those exposed to heat or light. The phenomenon was real, but the cause was often misinterpreted by concerned consumers. Early iterations of the rumor also antedated the rise of online retail giants, e-receipts, smartphones with storage capabilities, and other technological advances that served effectively as a "receipt" for consumers. Behnken, Shannon. "Sales Receipts Have Ink That Fades, Making Returns Harder."
WFLA. 23 June 2014. Cabrera, Kristen. "Major Retailers' 2016 Return And Receipt Policies."
CreditCards.com. 22 December 2016. Walmart Help Center. "No Receipt Returns In Stores Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. Lowe's Service Desk. "Returns and Refunds Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. CVS.com. "Returns Policy."
Accessed 14 December 2017. Panda Paper Roll Company. "Thermal Paper: Why It Fades And How To Restore It."
Accessed 14 December 2017. | 0 | [
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FMD4211 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: CLEVELAND—You could be forgiven for wanting to pop a valium at the end of Donald Trump’s acceptance speech last night. The Republican nominee painted a stark picture of a Hobbesian America that is nasty, brutish and short.
Trump essentially used the most important speech of his campaign – and perhaps political career – to yell fire in a crowded theatre. He warned that we are in “a moment of crisis†and made the case that these desperate times call for desperate measures.
While the message seem tailored to the same disaffected and angry working-class voters who fueled his primary victories, he clearly wanted to convince a national audience that things are so bad right now that they should swallow whatever doubts they have to take a chance on him.
“Beginning on January 20th of 2017, safety will be restored,†he declared.
Trump is the crisis candidate. If voters feel safe, confident and hopeful in November, his team knows he will lose. To win, he does not just need to convince Americans that the country is on the wrong track – they already believe this – but that we are in the midst of an existential crisis.
“The attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities, threaten our very way of life,†he said, repeatedly touting himself as “the law and order candidate.â€
He spoke of a violent crime wave, murderous illegal immigrants “roaming free,†innocent children “sacrificed on the altar of open borders,†and an America “shocked to its core.†He described the current environment as “more dangerous … than, frankly, I have ever seen and anybody in this room has ever watched or seen.â€
Then he suggested that elites are covering up how bad things have gotten. “I will tell you the plain facts that have been edited out of your nightly news and your morning newspaper,†he declared.
Trump also spoke of “growing threats from outside†the country. “After fifteen years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before,†he said. “This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.â€
The newly-minted nominee grasped for the mantle of change agent without offering many specifics. “A change in leadership is required to produce a change in outcomes,†he said.
-- Clocking in at 76 minutes, it was the longest acceptance speech at any major party convention since 1972 – drawing comparisons to Fidel Castro. Yet Trump never tried to be uplifting or inspiring.
When he’s not reading from a teleprompter, he can be charming and magnetic. He can also be somewhat self-deprecating, which supporters find ingratiating. But he did not try to be in this setting.
“In a remarkable departure from past GOP conventions, Trump made no mention of God, religion or his faith,†Philip Rucker and David Fahrenthold note.
-- “ Making America Afraid Again†is how David Maraniss sums up the week.
-- The Post’s Editorial Board calls Trump “the candidate of the apocalypseâ€: “No doubt, for many of his listeners, his words expressed a deeply felt emotional reality. There is real fear in the land; real pain. But it will take real leadership, not the wishful, demagogic brand Mr. Trump embodied Thursday night, to address this.â€
-- Many of the claims don’t hold up under scrutiny. Our in-house Fact Checkers challenge the accuracy of 25 different assertions Trump made last night. “The dark portrait of America … is a compendium of doomsday stats that fall apart upon close scrutiny,†Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Lee write. “Numbers are taken out of context, data is manipulated, and sometimes the facts are wrong. When facts are inconveniently positive — such as rising incomes and an unemployment rate under 5 percent — Trump simply declines to mention them. He describes an exceedingly violent nation, flooded with murders, when in reality, the violent-crime rate has been cut in half since the crack cocaine epidemic hit its peak in 1991.â€Â (Max Ehrenfreund has more on why Trump’s crime stats were cherry picked and misleading; read an annotated version of the full transcript here.)
“If reality does not conform to what Trump needs reality to be to support his case, he will invent a new reality,†E.J. Dionne writes.
-- An array of key Republican thought leaders expressed angst and alarm about the tenor of Trump’s speech. Here’s a sampling of the reaction:
A conservative blogger in the Never Trump camp:
The editor-in-chief of the conservative Richochet.com:
A GOP pollster who specializes in outreach to young people:
The conservative columnist at the NYT:
The mainstream media was also taken aback by the gloom—
The Financial Times’s U.S. columnist:
A culture reporter for the New York Times:
-- Trump really does want to be the New Nixon.
As promised earlier this week, his speech heavily drew on and echoed Richard Nixon’s acceptance speech at the 1968 convention.
“I am your voice,†Trump said, saying that he will fight tirelessly for millions who have been “forgotten."
Like Nixon, Trump is clearly motivated by profound grievance and a yearning to be shown respect by elites who have never taken him seriously. He bragged at both the beginning and the end of his speech about how many votes he received in the primaries and how he proved the pundits wrong. "Oh, we love defeating those people, don’t we?†he asked the crowd. “I am with you. I will fight for you. And I will win for you.â€
“I wonder what my dad would think of my tremendous success,†Trump said late in the speech. But he did not sketch out autobiographical details that could have made him more relatable. In Nixon’s 1968 RNC speech, for instance, he spoke poignantly about being a poor boy in California listening to the train go by at night and dreaming of a better future. We got nothing like that from Trump, perhaps because the billionaire does not have those kinds of stories to tell…
-- A textbook cult of personality: Trump did, however, present himself as a white knight who is singularly capable of restoring order.
“Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it,†he insisted.
“I have a message to every last person threatening the peace on our streets and the safety of our police,†he said at another point. “When I take the oath of office next year, I will restore law and order to our country. Believe me. Believe me.â€
Wonkblog’s Jim Tankersley compares the text of Trump’s speech last night to Reagan’s speech at the GOP convention in Detroit in 1980: “Most strikingly, Reagan warned voters to place their faith in free people, not powerful leaders. ‘'Trust me' government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what's best for us,’ he said. ‘My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs -- in the people.’â€
In this vein, Post opinion blogger Alexandra Petri describes the final night of Trump’s convention as a “creepy, fascist infomercialâ€: “Donald Trump is selling America a miracle juicer. The juicer is Donald Trump. It is orange and it will never let you down. If you order now, Donald Trump will send you another one free.â€
-- More broadly, Trump clearly believes in his heart that government is the solution to our problems. This is, of course, should be anathema to intellectually honest movement conservatives and is totally at odds with 36 years of orthodoxy.
The political editor at BuzzFeed, who previously wrote for the conservative Free Beacon:
-- Trump rejected other core tents of modern conservatism, as well. “Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo,†he said.
-- But Trump now owns the Republican Party – at least until November. The audience cheered and applauded for a lot of lines that conservatives in the not distant past would have booed a Democrat for saying. He sounded protectionist and isolationist themes. Sure, not everyone was applauding. And perhaps some in the audience didn’t understand what exactly he was referring to. But the crowd was with him.
-- Trump’s alarmism makes it imperative for Democrats to offer a counter-narrative next week.
Most Democrats are still far too dismissive of Trump’s chances. They discount him at their own peril. Just ask Jeb, wherever he’s hiding out this week.
Remember Bill Clinton’s speech at the Charlotte convention in 2012? He effectively laid out the case that the economy had improved dramatically compared to what Obama had inherited when he took office in Jan. 2009.
Obama himself speaks next week in Philadelphia, and you can bet he’ll try to rebut the picture that Trump painted of the economy and the country.
-- It’s all over but the SHOUTING. My ears are still ringing a little bit after Trump basically yelled his entire speech. A lot of male pundits have taken heat for saying Clinton shouts when she talks; these guys ought to call out Trump for doing so last night.
A ton of online buzz was about the yelling—
-- To his credit, Trump again showed he can be self-disciplined when he wants to be – for a night. Normally he ad-libs in response to a chanting crowd, but he mostly kept chugging along and sticking to the script. As the crowd chanted “lock her up†– a mantra of this convention – Trump didn’t take the bait. “Let’s defeat her in November,†he replied.
A few minute later, a protestor to his left disrupted his speech and held up a sign that said “Build bridges, not walls.†Trump stood patiently, if a little perturbed looking, as the crowd drowned her out with chants of “USA.†At a normal rally, he’d rile up the audience into a frenzy by yelling, “Get ‘em out of here!†But last night, he took a dramatic pause before bellowing, “How great are our police?†The crowd loved it.
-- Looking to the next 100 days, many Republican experts believe Trump did little to expand his appeal beyond the base. “It may be that this speech was so unusual–relentlessly negative and high decibel–that it will punch through more the analysts realize,†National Review Editor Rich Lowry writes. “But it’s hard to believe it’s going to widen his appeal. He didn’t even seem interested in trying to show voters that he has more range than he is shown over the last year. This was a Trump rally dressed up with fancy trappings and a ballon drop afterwards. Surely, Trump’s attitude is that this approach got him this far so why change? And that is the gamble of his entire campaign.â€
The former communications director for the NRSC:
-- A coming out party for the GOP:
Another notable moments from last night that will be remembered was when billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel told the convention, “I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American.†It was the first declaration of its kind, and most of the delegates stood and cheered.
Then, in his speech, Trump referred to the massacre of “49 wonderful Americans†at a gay nightclub in Orlando and promised to “protect our LGBTQ citizens.†The crowd cheered.
Trump paused. “As a Republican, I have to say, it is so nice to hear you cheering,†he said.
What a sea change. The official party platform, ratified earlier this week, continues to oppose gay marriage. But the times, they are a changin’.
Even the running-mate Trump picked to appeal to social conservatives got in on it:
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
WE MAY FIND OUT HILLARY'S V.P. CHOICE THIS AFTERNOON, even though she is not expected to formally announce her choice until tomorrow:
-- The headline in The New York Times is “Tim Kaine Seems Likely for Hillary.†The Wall Street Journal says “Kaine Seen as Clinton’s VP Pick.†The AP’s Ken Thomas and Matthew Barakat write that “Kaine, 58, has been a favorite … since the start.â€
-- The timing: Kaine has a series of fundraisers scheduled in Massachusetts on Friday and Saturday. “If the Virginia senator cancels, that’s a strong indication he’s been picked,†the Boston Globe’s Annie Linskey reports. “Kaine’s first fundraiser is set for noon Friday at the University of Massachusetts Club in Boston. On Saturday Kaine is scheduled to be on Nantucket at the Chanticleer Garden for a 5:30 pm reception."
“Text messages could go out from the campaign announcing the pick as soon as Friday after an event she’s holding here in Orlando,†Linskey adds. “Clinton is appearing at the site of the Pulse nightclub shooting this morning, making it unlikely that a selection would be announced before then.â€
-- Elizabeth Warren does not think it’s her: "I think if it was me, I'd know it by now," the Massachusetts senator told Stephen Colbert last night.
-- Some Democrats caution against discounting Tom Vilsack, per John Wagner and Anne Gearan.
-- There’s a push among some lefties to prevent HRC from picking Kaine or Vilsack. They grumble that the Virginian is too close to the financial services industry and the Ag secretary is too close to “corporate agri-business.â€
-- Kaine signed a bipartisan letter just this Monday urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to “carefully tailor its rulemaking†regarding community banks and credit unions so as not to ‘unduly burden’ these institutions with regulations aimed at commercial banks, Anne Gearan reports. “At issue are compliance rules under Dodd-Frank.†Kaine also signed a second letter on behalf of regional banks seeking relief from liquidity reporting requirements. Critics say both requests help banks of many sizes avoid oversight.
-- Kaine brushed the criticisms aside: “People are going to say whatever they want, but I’m strongly for the regulation of the financial industry,†he told reporters in Northern Virginia. “If you spend a lot of time over regulating credit unions and community banks, you are basically letting a lot of the big guys off easily.â€
-- Kaine also said he’s undecided on TPP and still open to voting for it. “I see much in it to like,†he told The Intercept, calling the deal an “upgrade†of labor standards, environmental standards and intellectual property protections. But he also voiced concerns about the “dispute resolution mechanisms.â€
-- Teasing reporters, Clinton tweeted pictures of Cory Booker from her official account:
THE OLYMPICS ARE SHAPING UP TO BE A DEBACLE:
-- Waterways surrounding Rio’s Olympic Park are so sewage-infested and filthy that they “bubble with sulfur and methane gases,†while dead fish float atop the surface. There are public health concerns for athletes and visitors. (Dom Phillips)
-- Ten people suspected of planning terrorist attacks during the games were arrested. Members of the gang had declared loyalty to ISIS and were in negotiations to buy an assault rifle over the internet. (Dom Phillips)
-- Researchers found traces of Zika occurring in the common “Culex†species of mosquito in Brazil, a potentially alarming discovery that could portend wider transmission of the virus. (Dom Phillips)
-- Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan both publicly disagreed with Trump for saying the U.S. would not necessarily come to the aid of a NATO ally if it is invaded by Russia. The Senate Majority leader called NATO “the most successful military alliance in the history of the world†in a Facebook chat with The New York Times. “The speaker believes the U.S. should defend our NATO allies,†a Ryan spokeswoman said. “My hope is that if Donald is elected president, we can convince him to change his mind on it,†said Marco Rubio. “I’m 100 percent certain how Russian President (Vladimir) Putin feels,†said Lindsey Graham. “He’s a very happy man.†(AP)
-- “The ‘alt right’ finds a home inside the Republican convention,†by David Weigel: Geert Wilders strolled toward Quicken Loans Arena, drawing the usual amount of double takes. “‘He heads the Freedom Party in the Netherlands,’ [Rep. Steve King] explained to a delegate who was wondering about the fuss. … In another year the far-right Wilders would not have made it past the perimeter. He has proposed moratoriums on new Muslim immigration to his country and a similar halt on mosque construction. But the rise and nomination of [Trump] had inspired Wilders — and expanded his American fan base. He was just one of many people who might have been labeled extremists, and whose views are rejected by the old elite of the Republican Party, but who attended the convention and related events with a sense that their politics were finally winning.â€
Many members of “racially conscious†and anti-immigrant alt-right movement came to Cleveland to celebrate Trump’s hostile takeover of the GOP. "They held meetings, co-hosted parties and happily met the news media. Richard Spencer, the president of the National Policy Institute, held a cheeky sign encouraging journalists to “interview a ‘racist.’â€
-- As Ted Cruz continued to dig in on his refusal to endorse Trump, the nominee said the crowd booing the Texas senator is evidence that the GOP has coalesced behind him. From Sean Sullivan and Philip Rucker: Addressing donors at a closed-door lunch, Trump said that he, Reince Priebus and campaign chairman Paul Manafort knew what they were doing when they let Cruz speak. "I am not going to call him Lyin' Ted anymore, but he did sign the pledge and it was pretty definitive. He isn't a team player,†Trump said, people in the room told Sean Sullivan and Phil Rucker report. “At the Thursday lunch, Trump also called criticized Jeb Bush and John Kasich, who skipped the convention and are not backing Trump. ‘If I got beaten as bad as Kasich got beaten by me I wouldn’t support him either,’ Trump said of Kasich … Trump praised Marco Rubio and Rick Perry, who voiced support for Trump during their convention remarks. Rubio delivered brief remarks in a pre-recorded video and did not attend. Trump also took a dig at Mitt Romney.â€
-- Cruz manager Jeff Roe, responding to Chris Christie criticism of his boss’s speech, said the New Jersey governor "turned over his political testicles long ago." (The Chris Stigall Show)
-- Donald Trump Jr. said they can win without Cruz’s endorsement: “We knew what was coming. We let him do it. We were the bigger men,†he told NBC.
-- Trump ally Roger Stone suggested that The Donald could back a primary challenger to the Texas senator when he’s up for reelection in 2018. (Huffington Post)
-- A lip reader told “Inside Edition†that, as Cruz walked off stage, Trump can be seen on video asking his daughter, “Do you think I made a mistake?â€
-- Ross Douthat praises Cruz in his NYT column: “The future is (unknown) — but you can make sure that when the history of the present year is written, your place won’t be with those timid and temporizing souls who surrendered both their party and their dignity to Trump. That’s what Cruz earned himself last night: not a better chance at the presidency, but a profile in political courage that will be remembered no matter what happens to his political ambitions henceforth. And it’s yet another irony of this most ironic year that it would be the most overtly Machiavellian of Republican politicians who would keep his honor, and pass a test that so many politicians of more conspicuous high-mindedness have failed.â€
-- Though Mike Pence’s Cleveland introduction speech was overshadowed by Cruz, many conservatives were nonetheless impressed -- and see him as a tame, straight-laced figure to help balance Trump. Support for the Indiana governor has grown since Trump's prolonged and awkward roll-out of his running-mate.
-- “Pence’s role: Be to the GOP what Trump cannot,†by Ed O'Keefe: “Indiana Republican Craig Dunn said that his state’s governor ... ‘is going to be a firefighter’ — extinguishing political blazes caused by Trump. Pence is widely expected to carry out the key duty of defending Trump among Republicans still skeptical of his candidacy. He is likely to be called on to clarify Trump’s ever-shifting views on policy ... In the coming weeks, Pence plans to play an active role as one of the main conduits between the Trump operation and the GOP donor class."
-- Trump settles on a preferred Super PAC. There have been half a dozen entities jockeying to be the main pro-Trump vehicle, which has confused donors and hampered fundraising, Matea Gold reports. There’s also been confusion since the nominee spent the primary season trashing Super PACs. “Trump and his running mate have both expressed willingness to headline fundraisers for Rebuilding America Now, according to Ken McKay, the group's chief strategist (formerly Chris Christie’s campaign manager). Such appearances are permitted by the Federal Election Commission, as long as the candidates do not solicit more than $5,000. Pence offered an explicit statement of support for the group that was shared during a presentation to several dozen donors at the Ritz-Carlton Wednesday.†The group aims to raise $100 million.
-- The Trump campaign said it raised $3.5 million in a 24-hour period that included Pence’s acceptance speech. While impressive, that’s still less than half the $6.4 million Bernie Sanders raised in a 24-hour period after winning the New Hampshire Democratic primary, Matea notes.
--  Bloomberg got ahold of the guest lists for six of the suites in Cleveland: “Some names were predictable, like Sheldon Adelson … Others are more surprising, like Todd Ricketts, whose family spent millions of dollars bankrolling an anti-Trump campaign during the Republican primary. Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team, attended the convention as an Illinois delegate and was invited to a suite because of his longtime support for the party, despite not having contributed to Trump … Two other prominent anti-Trump donors, Paul Singer of New York and Richard Uihlein of Wisconsin, were also represented. While Singer skipped the convention, his staffers were in town and made the guest list of a suite for convention donors.†See the six-page list here.
-- “FEC Dems trolling for violations at GOP convention t-shirt stands,†from the Washington Examiner: “Democrats on the Federal Election Commission are trolling through the Republican National Convention looking for violations of elections laws, even at the t-shirt stands. Commissioners Ann Ravel and Ellen Weintraub are here looking into what vendors are offering and if they are following the rules. They are paying attention to groups also looking for violators at the convention. Weintraub even took a picture, posted on Twitter, of one vendor's stand and wrote, ‘We're on it — RNC vendors appear to be compliant!’ She was reacting to a tweet from a staffer for the Sunshine Foundation who is also here searching for violations big and small.â€
-- Trump’s Muslim ban continues to evolve: “We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism,†he said, “until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place.†He did not specify what that means. Hasn’t France been “compromised by terrorism,†for instance? But the line played well with the crowd.
— ZIGNAL VISUAL: Zignal Labs tracked more than 6.4 million cross-media mentions of the Republican convention. On social media, at least, Melania Trump's plagiarism was the hottest story of the convention. That was followed by Cruz's snub of the nominee. Thursday tied Tuesday for most convention-related mentions, at 1.7 million.
Among the "undercard" speakers, Peter Theil received the most online reaction:
Here's some of how Clinton's campaign responded:
Ivanka Trump, the candidate’s oldest daughter, tried to present her dad as a champion for working moms. “I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat,†the 34-year-old said. “More than party affiliation, I vote based on what I believe is right for my family and my country.â€
Oh boy -- this gif of Trump touching his daughter awkwardly... (click to watch):
-- In case you were wondering,  Sanders plans on being "a unifying force" in Philadelphia. A spokesman said he has “no plans†to channel Cruz and snub Clinton. “He’s not Ted Cruz, in so many ways,†said Michael Briggs. He'll host a pre-Philadelphia meeting with many of the 1,900 delegates representing him to talk about what "he’s accomplished in the past year and where we go from here," per John Wagner.
Here's video of the Code Pink protester who made it into the arena (click to watch):
In response to online chatter that she made a Nazi salute while speaking at the convention, Laura Ingraham posted this:
The RNC's chief strategist agreed -- live on television -- with a congressman that Cruz is an "a--hole":
Neocons are falling away from the GOP because of Trump and his comments about NATO:
Estonia's president, whose country's very survival Trump threatened with his flip comment, responded as well:
Another scene from Cleveland, via the Washington Examiner:
Outside of Cleveland, Michele Bachmann posted this about Black Lives Matter:
On the campaign trail: Clinton is in Orlando and Tampa, Fla.
At the White House: Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, followed by a joint press conference.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate and House are out.
NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:
-- Expect SCALDING hot temps to usher us into the weekend, per the Capital Weather Gang’s Friday morning forecast. “Ready to rumble in the heat dome? Mid-to-upper 90s for afternoon high temperatures feel closer to 100+ (even by lunch hour!) thanks to nearly-oppressive dew points near 70 degrees. Any early clouds dissipate quickly, but we could have another batch of clouds during the afternoon give us some natural shade at times. Isolated thunderstorms, especially north of town, can’t be ruled out completely.â€
-- The Nationals lost to the Dodgers 6-3.
-- A transit union is suing Metro on behalf of Seyoum Haile, a Metro mechanic who was fired after last year’s deadly L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident. Union officials are seeking reinstatement for Haile, saying his actions should have only resulted in a temporary suspension. (Martine Powers)
-- George Washington University said it is bringing in outside counsel to assist in investigating allegations against men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan, after players complained about “verbal and emotional abuse†and player mistreatment by the six-year-coach. (Des Bieler)
-- A 68-year-old man was pumping gas in Southeast D.C. yesterday morning when a robber walked up and shot him. Then he hopped into his car and sped off in broad daylight. Police are calling it “senseless murder.†(LaVendrick Smith and Lynh Bui)
Michelle Obama did carpool karaoke with James Corden and Missy Elliott:
The Saturday Night Live cast put together a bunch of sketches from the convention:
Go inside the convention in 360 degrees with The Post's video team:
In this pro-Clinton video, a Trump impersonator tweets instead of picking up the red phone:
"Young Turks" host Cenk Uygur went off on Alex Jones after Jones crashed his livestream at the convention:
Watch video footage of the moments before an unarmed therapist Charles Kinsey was shot by North Miami police:
Kinsey spoke about the shooting from the hospital:
This six-year-old stole the show at the convention with her rendition of "America the Beautiful": | 1 | [
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FMD4212 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: What Happened, Quietly, on January 1, 2015? Claim summaries: This claim about taxes quietly imposed as part of the Affordable Care Act has been circulating for years.
contextual information: An item about a collection of U.S. tax increases which were supposedly enacted as of 1 January 2016 due to the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as "Obamacare") was circulated widely at the beginning of 2016, but it was merely an updated version of identical claims circulated in previous years that set 2014 or 2015 as the imposition date for those tax increases: Although the tax increases listed in this item did come to pass, they took effect at the beginning of 2013 (not 2014 or 2015 or 2016), were completely unrelated to the Affordable Care Act, applied only to very high-income earners, and have been overstated in this list. These tax hikes were enacted through the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, a compromise bill pushed through Congress as a partial resolution to the then-looming "fiscal cliff" crisis. Under the provisions of that bill: American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 fiscal cliff The top marginal federal income tax rate increased from 35% to 39.6% The top marginal tax rate on long-term capital gains increased from 15% to 20% (not 28%). The top marginal tax rate on dividends increased from 15% to 20% (not 39.6%). Estate taxes increased from 35% of an estate's value in excess of $5,120,000 (in 2012) to 40% of the value above $5,340,000 (in 2014). It's important to note that the increase in marginal tax rates for federal income tax, capital gains, and dividends affected only those persons with taxable incomes over a $400,000 (single)/$450,000 (married) threshold. It's also important to note that the previous estate tax rate of 0% was a special rule that applied only to the estates of persons who died in 2010 (the estate tax has since been increased to 35% for those who died in 2011 and 40% for those who died in 2012 and thereafter), and even today an estate tax filing is required only for estates with gross assets in excess of $5 million (indexed for inflation). estate tax The tax rate for dividends has also not increased from 15% to 39.6%: it appears someone has confused qualified dividends with nonqualified dividends. Qualified dividend earnings are tax-free for those in the 10% and 15% brackets, taxed at a 15% rate for those in the 25% up to 35% tax brackets, and taxed at a 20% rate for higher income taxpayers whose income surpasses the 35% tax bracket. Nonqualified dividends only are taxed as ordinary income. (Theoretically, a taxpayer with nonqualified dividend earnings who reached the top marginal federal income tax rate would be paying 39.6% tax on those earnings, but that's a condition that only applies to persons earning over several hundred thousand dollars per year.) dividends The list's reference to an "income payroll tax" increase from 37.4% to 52.2% is something of a mystery, as this is not a standard term for any type of government income- or payroll-related tax. The only adjustment to payroll-related taxes resulting from the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was that a two-year old cut to payroll taxes which had previously reduced the rate from 6.2% to 4.2% for 2011 and 2012 was not extended. Additionally, this item's coda claiming that "not one Republican voted to do these taxes" is completely false. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 passed Congress by a margin of 89-8 in the Senate with 40 Republican votes in favor, and a margin of 257-167 in the House with 85 Republican votes in favor. (The original claim undoubtedly refers to the House or Representatives' voting in 2010 to pass the health-care reform bill without a single Republican vote in favor, but that association is moot because, as noted, the tax increases listed above had nothing to do with that bill.) 89-8 257-167 health-care reform bill | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD4213 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Mongolia s parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat, its website said late on Thursday, after his ruling Mongolian People s Party (MPP) was defeated in a July presidential election. No prime minister of Mongolia, a thinly populated and mineral-rich country sandwiched between Russia and China, has completed a four-year term since 2004. Of 73 members of parliament attending the vote, 42 were in favor of Erdenebat s removal. The outgoing prime minister noted that the country had seen 13 governments in the last 25 years. The resignation of a government in a democratic parliament is a normal occurrence, but it can be harmful if a good thing goes beyond its norms, Erdenebat said in a statement on parliament s website. A former Soviet satellite, Mongolia transitioned to a parliamentary democracy in 1990. I believe that dismissing government is a mistake that hinders the development of the country, rather than a positive mechanism of accountability, Erdenebat said. The MPP gained power in mid-2016 in elections in which it won 65 of parliament s 76 seats. It is expected to hold a party congress to choose new leadership, said Dale Choi, an analyst and head of Altan Bumba Financial Group in Ulaanbaatar. I don t think it means instability for the government, he said. I think it means internal party politics. It s clearing the party s decks after a monumental, unexpected presidential loss. Last month, some 30 members of the parliament, or State Ikh Khural, signed a petition calling for Erdenebat s resignation in the aftermath of the presidential vote, which was won by populist former martial arts star and businessman Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party. The defeat was seen as a rejection of the MPP government s austerity policies and a reaction to allegations of corruption. In Mongolia s parliamentary democracy, the prime minister is the leader of the government, and the president has limited powers including the ability to veto legislation and to propose laws to parliament. Higher coal prices this year have helped the resource-dependent economy gain momentum. But earlier this year, a slump in foreign investment and declining commodity prices forced Mongolia to agree to a $5.5 billion economic bailout led by the International Monetary Fund, to relieve fiscal strains and try to restore investor confidence. | 1 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4214 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did President Trump Strong Arm Qatar Into Bailing Out Jared Kushner? Claim summaries: The president's son-in-law reportedly owes a $1 billion-plus mortgage on a building he purchased on Fifth Avenue in 2007.
contextual information: In October 2018, social media users shared a meme posted by the liberal Facebook page Occupy Democrats reporting a series of events involving Gulf states were the result of President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner "using American foreign policy to enrich themselves": Although the sequence of events referenced in the meme is described accurately according to reputable news reports, the motives, connections, and causality the meme ascribes to those events have not been proved. It is true that Jared Kushner, who is married to President Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, was in need of over a billion dollars to cover the mortgage on 666 Fifth Avenue, a 41-story Manhattan building he purchased for $1.8 billion in 2007, as the New Yorker reported on 2 March 2018: reported Kushner Companies co-owns 666 Fifth Avenue with another developer, Vornado Realty. In 2007, at Jared Kushners urging, the company paid $1.8 billion for the building -- at the time, the highest price ever paid for a New York office tower. The property occupies a prime spot between Fifty-second and Fifty-third streets, but it was built in 1957 and needed extensive upgrades. It still has many vacancies, and the $1.2 billion mortgage, which reportedly has ballooned to almost $1.5 billion, is due in February, 2019. Right now, it is not entirely clear whether Kushner Companies is in a position to repay or refinance the loan. The company hoped to knock the building down and put up another, twice as tall and far more luxurious, in its place, Bloomberg reported. It sought funds from investors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, South Korea, Israel and France. No investors were announced for the plan, described by many as prohibitively expensive. That same day, The Intercept reported that in April 2017, Kushner's father Charles, who runs the family's real estate firm Kushner Companies, had made a direct appeal for financing to Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sharif Al Emadi, which was followed shortly afterwards by the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar: reported The 30-minute meeting, according to two sources in the financial industry who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the potential transaction, included aides to both parties, and was held at a suite at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. A follow-up meeting was held the next day in a glass-walled conference room at the Kushner property itself, though Al Emadi did not attend the second gathering in person. The failure to broker the deal would be followed only a month later by a Middle Eastern diplomatic row in which Jared Kushner provided critical support to Qatars neighbors. Led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a group of Middle Eastern countries, with Kushners backing, led a diplomatic assault that culminated in a blockade of Qatar. Kushner, according to reports at the time, subsequently undermined efforts by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to bring an end to the standoff. Middle Eastern diplomatic row subsequently undermined In May 2017, Qatar's Gulf neighbors commenced a blockade of that country, and within days President Trump tweeted his support of the blockage despite the fact that Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, a key U.S. military installation: commenced tweeted During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 June 6, 2017 In May 2018, the New York Times reported that the Kushner family was close to reaching a bailout deal for 666 Fifth Avenue with a company possessing Qatari government ties: reported Charles Kushner, head of the Kushner Companies, is in advanced talks with Brookfield Asset Management over a partnership to take control of the 41-story aluminum-clad tower in Midtown Manhattan, 666 Fifth Avenue, according to two real estate executives who have been briefed on the pending deal but were not authorized to discuss it. Brookfield is a publicly traded company, and its real estate arm, Brookfield Property Partners, is partly owned by the Qatari government, through the Qatar Investment Authority. And, the Trump administration around that time reversed course with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telling the Saudis in April 2018 that it was time to end the blockade against Qatar. telling It's likely the meme gained momentum on social media in October 2018 due to scrutiny over Kushner and Trump's relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in light of the gruesome murder of Jamal Kashoggi. scrutiny Kashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for the Washington Post, went missing on 2 October 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul seeking documents he needed to get married. According to reports citing Turkish government and U.S. intelligence sources, the Virginia resident never left the consulate, where he was ambushed by Saudi agents, tortured and murdered, and his body dismembered. ambushed Trump has resisted calls by U.S. lawmakers to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the journalist's apparent death, comparing global condemnation of the Gulf kingdom to accusations of sexual misconduct leveled against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Trump told the Associated Press: "Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned." calls told Cassidy, John. "Jared Kushners Conflicts of Interest Reach a Crisis Point."
The New Yorker. 2 March 2018. Swisher, Clayton and Ryan Grim. "Jared Kushner's Real Estate Firm Sought Money Directly from Qatar Government Weeks Before Blockade."
The Intercept. 2 March 2018. Bagli, Charles V. and Jesse Drucker. "Kushners Near Deal with Qatar-Linked Company for Troubled Tower."
The New York Times. 17 May 2018. Kirkpatrick, David D. and Carlotta Gall. "Audio Offers Gruesome Details of Jamal Khashoggi Killing, Turkish Official Says."
The New York Times. 17 October 2018. | 2 | [
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FMD4215 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Jesus Statue 'Miraculously' Opens Eyes Claim summaries: A viral video showing a statue of Jesus Christ in a Mexican church 'miraculously' opening and closing its eyes also shows signs of tampering.
contextual information: A viral video purporting to show a statue of Jesus Christ in Mexico miraculously opening and closing its eyes captured a fair amount of international media attention in early August 2016. "SPOOKY footage has emerged of a statue of Jesus appearing to open its eyes, with many believers claiming the spectacle is a miracle," UK tabloid The Sun reported on 10 August. The coverage continued: reported Investigators have scoured over the vision which appears to show the figure quickly open its eyes at a church in Mexico. Social media users were quick to comment on the clip filmed in the Chapel of Saltillo, saying it was merely an optical illusion or Photoshop job. What a coincidence that there was someone there to record it, one person wrote. Paranormal investigator Ivan Escamilla of the web site Adimensional, where the video was first posted, was undaunted by the skeptical reaction, claiming the video had been examined "for weeks" by more than 20 specialists, including priests, who "found no proof it had been doctored," the Mirror reported. According to the Argentinian newspaper El Ancasti, officials of the Diocese of Saltillo, who were the first to receive the video, declined to even view it, much less issue a statement about its authenticity. Adimensional reported El Ancasti As an exercise in documenting paranormal activity, there is frankly very little to recommend the footage. It's dark, blurry, shaky and low-resolution. As has been pointed out, the serendipitous timing of the video is suspicious. One does see the statue apparently open and close its eyes, but the sequence is more apt to bring to mind the cheesy special effects in a low-budget horror film than the impression that a miracle has occurred. The most striking thing is how thoroughly creepy and terrifying Jesus Christ's eyes look when they're open. If it is a miracle, it's a very odd miracle indeed. The best clue to the fact that the video was doctored is the fact that alterations in other areas of the image occur at precisely the same moments the eyes open and close. For example, here, in sequence, are three frames showing the statue's eyes wide open, in the process of closing, and completely closed. Observe the changes in the shadows around the eyes and not to be indelicate, but this is a giveaway the change in the shape of Jesus' right nipple: If the only thing happening in these relatively stable frames were the closing of the statue's eyes, no other changes ought to be visible. But changes are visible, especially when the footage is viewed at slow speed or frame-by-frame. For a much better demonstration of this than we can provide here, please give your attention to the video below uploaded by the Australian Phenomena YouTube channel. It seems the maker of this video, a UFO researcher named Dylan, had no trouble whatsoever finding the evidence of fakery that 20 previous experts (and priests) failed to detect. video | 0 | [
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FMD4216 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Written by John Pilger Saturday October 29, 2016 American journalist Edward Bernays is often described as the man who invented modern propaganda. The nephew of Sigmund Freud, the pioneer of psychoanalysis, it was Bernays who coined the term “public relations” as a euphemism for spin and its deceptions. In 1929, as a publicist for the cigarette industry, Bernays persuaded feminists to promote cigarettes for women by smoking in the New York Easter Parade – behavior then considered outlandish. One feminist, Ruth Booth, declared, “Women! Light another torch of freedom! Fight another sex taboo!” Bernays’s influence extended far beyond advertising. His greatest success was his role in convincing the American public to join the slaughter of the First World War. The secret, he said, was “engineering the consent” of people in order to “control and regiment [them] according to our will without their knowing about it.” He described this as “the true ruling power in our society” and called it an “invisible government.” Today, the invisible government has never been more powerful and less understood. In my career as a journalist and filmmaker, I have never known propaganda to insinuate our lives and as it does now and to go unchallenged. Tale of Two Cities Imagine two cities. Both are under siege by the forces of the government of that country. Both cities are occupied by fanatics, who commit terrible atrocities, such as beheading people. But there is a vital difference. In one siege, the government soldiers are described as liberators by Western reporters embedded with them, who enthusiastically report their battles and air strikes. There are front-page pictures of these heroic soldiers giving a V-sign for victory. There is scant mention of civilian casualties. In the second city – in another country nearby – almost exactly the same is happening. Government forces are laying siege to a city controlled by the same breed of fanatics. The difference is that these fanatics are supported, supplied and armed by “us” – by the United States and Britain. They even have a media center that is funded by Britain and America. Another difference is that the government soldiers laying siege to this city are the “bad guys,” condemned for assaulting and bombing the city – which is exactly what the good soldiers do in the first city. Confusing? Not really. Such is the basic double standard that is the essence of propaganda. I am referring, of course, to the current siege of the city of Mosul by the government forces of Iraq, who are backed by the United States and Britain, and to the siege of Aleppo by the government forces of Syria, backed by Russia. One is good; the other is bad. Behind the Fanatics What is seldom reported is that both cities would not be occupied by fanatics and ravaged by war if Britain and the United States had not invaded Iraq in 2003. That criminal enterprise was launched on lies strikingly similar to the propaganda that now distorts our understanding of the civil war in Syria. Without this drumbeat of propaganda dressed up as news, the monstrous ISIS and Al Qaeda and the Nusra Front and the rest of the jihadist gang might not exist, and the people of Syria might not be fighting for their lives today. Some may remember in 2003 a succession of BBC reporters turning to the camera and telling us that British Prime Minister Tony Blair was “vindicated” for what turned out to be the crime of the century, the invasion of Iraq. The US television networks produced the same validation for George W. Bush. Fox News brought on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to effuse over then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s fabrications. The same year, soon after the invasion, I filmed an interview in Washington with Charles Lewis, the renowned American investigative journalist. I asked him, “What would have happened if the freest media in the world had seriously challenged what turned out to be crude propaganda?” He replied that if journalists had done their job, “there is a very, very good chance we would not have gone to war in Iraq.” It was a shocking statement, and one supported by other famous journalists to whom I put the same question — Dan Rather of CBS, David Rose of the Observer, and journalists and producers in the BBC, who wished to remain anonymous. In other words, had journalists done their job, had they challenged and investigated the propaganda instead of amplifying it, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children would be alive today, and there would be no ISIS and no siege of Aleppo or Mosul. There would have been no atrocity on the London Underground on July 7, 2005. There would have been no flight of millions of refugees; there would be no miserable camps. When the terrorist atrocity happened in Paris last November, President Francoise Hollande immediately sent planes to bomb Syria – and more terrorism followed, predictably, the product of Hollande’s bombast about France being “at war” and “showing no mercy.” That state violence and jihadist violence feed off each other is the truth that no national leader has the courage to speak. “When the truth is replaced by silence,” said the Soviet dissident Yevtushenko, “the silence is a lie.” Punishing Independence The attack on Iraq, the attack on Libya, the attack on Syria happened because the leader in each of these countries was not a puppet of the West. The human rights record of a Saddam or a Gaddafi was irrelevant. They did not obey orders and surrender control of their country. The same fate awaited Slobodan Milosevic once he had refused to sign an “agreement” that demanded the occupation of Serbia and its conversion to a market economy. His people were bombed, and he was prosecuted in The Hague. Independence of this kind is intolerable. As WikLeaks has revealed, it was only when the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in 2009 rejected an oil pipeline, running through his country from Qatar to Europe, that he was attacked. From that moment, the CIA planned to destroy the government of Syria with jihadist fanatics – the same fanatics currently holding the people of Mosul and eastern Aleppo hostage. Why is this not news? The former British Foreign Office official Carne Ross, who was responsible for operating sanctions against Iraq, told me: “We would feed journalists factoids of sanitized intelligence, or we would freeze them out. That is how it worked.” The West’s medieval client, Saudi Arabia – to which the US and Britain sell billions of dollars’ worth of arms – is at present destroying Yemen, a country so poor that in the best of times, half the children are malnourished. Look on YouTube and you will see the kind of massive bombs – “our” bombs – that the Saudis use against dirt-poor villages, and against weddings, and funerals. The explosions look like small atomic bombs. The bomb aimers in Saudi Arabia work side-by-side with British officers. This fact is not on the evening news. Refined Messengers Propaganda is most effective when our consent is engineered by those with a fine education – Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia – and with careers on the BBC, the Guardian, the New York Times, the Washington Post. These organizations are known as the “liberal media.” They present themselves as enlightened, progressive tribunes of the moral zeitgeist. They are anti-racist, pro-feminist and pro-LGBT. And they love war. While they speak up for feminism, they support rapacious wars that deny the rights of countless women, including the right to life. In 2011, Libya, then a modern state, was destroyed on the pretext that Muammar Gaddafi was about to commit genocide on his own people. That was the incessant news; and there was no evidence. It was a lie. In fact, Britain, Europe and the United States wanted what they like to call “regime change” in Libya, the biggest oil producer in Africa. Gaddafi’s influence in the continent and, above all, his independence were intolerable. So Gaddafi was murdered with a knife in his rear by fanatics, backed by America, Britain and France. Hillary Clinton cheered his gruesome death for the camera, declaring, “We came, we saw, he died!” The destruction of Libya was a media triumph. As the war drums were beaten, Jonathan Freedland wrote in the Guardian: “Though the risks are very real, the case for intervention remains strong.” Intervention – what a polite, benign, Guardian word, whose real meaning, for Libya, was death and destruction. According to its own records, NATO launched 9,700 “strike sorties” against Libya, of which more than a third were aimed at civilian targets. They included missiles with uranium warheads. Look at the photographs of the rubble of Misurata and Sirte, and the mass graves identified by the Red Cross. The Unicef report on the children killed says, “most [of them] under the age of ten.” As a direct consequence, Sirte became a capital of ISIS. Ukraine is another media triumph. Respectable liberal newspapers such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, and mainstream broadcasters such as the BBC, NBC, CBS, CNN have played a critical role in conditioning their viewers to accept a new and dangerous Cold War. All have misrepresented events in Ukraine as a malign act by Russia when, in fact, the coup in Ukraine in 2014 was the work of the United States, aided by Germany and NATO. Inversion of Reality This inversion of reality is so pervasive that Washington’s military intimidation of Russia is not news; it is suppressed behind a smear-and-scare campaign of the kind I grew up with during the first Cold War. Once again, the Russkies are coming to get us, led by another Stalin, whom The Economist depicts as the devil. The suppression of the truth about Ukraine is one of the most complete news blackouts I can remember. The fascists who engineered the coup in Kiev are the same breed that backed the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Of all the scares about the rise of fascist anti-Semitism in Europe, no leader ever mentions the fascists in Ukraine – except Vladimir Putin, but he does not count. Many in the Western media have worked hard to present the ethnic Russian-speaking population of Ukraine as outsiders in their own country, as agents of Moscow, almost never as Ukrainians seeking a federation within Ukraine and as Ukrainian citizens resisting a foreign-orchestrated coup against their elected government. There is almost the joie d’esprit of a class reunion of warmongers. The drum-beaters of the Washington Post inciting war with Russia are the very same editorial writers who published the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Excerpt reprinted with permission from RT . Selling ‘Regime Change’ Wars to the Masses Related | 0 | [
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FMD4217 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Has the Legal Drinking Age Been Raised to 23? Claim summaries: The legal drinking age has not been raised to 23.
contextual information: On 9 December 2015, a message claiming that the legal drinking age would be raised to 23 in February 2016 started circulating on Facebook: While the above-displayed Facebook message may appear atfirst glance as if it came from the news network CNN, that is not the case. This Facebook message was created by a prank website that creates links which resemble real news stories. However, when a user clicks on the link they are redirected to apage that informs them that the story was fake: Users are then prompted to share the joke with their friendson Facebook. Similar pranks have previously circulated on the internet, briefly convincing Facebook users that Taco Bell was closingandthat PepsiCo was discontinuing Mountain Dew. closing discontinuing [article-meta] | 0 | [
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FMD4218 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Imagine if scientists discovered that an asteroid was hurtling toward Los Angeles. The possibility has existed on the pages of Hollywood scripts. But in what may be a case of life imitating art, NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies engaged last month in a planetary protection exercise to consider the potentially devastating consequences of a asteroid hitting the Earth. The simulation projected a blast wave by an asteroid strike in 2020 that could level structures across 30 miles, require a mass evacuation of the Los Angeles area and cause tens of thousands of casualties. In 1998, the movie “Armageddon†dramatized an even greater fictional threat. In that blockbuster, a ragtag crew was sent on a mission to drill into an asteroid and set off a nuclear bomb to avert a global catastrophe. As the character Harry Stamper, portrayed by Bruce Willis, summed up to his crewmates: “The United States government just asked us to save the world. †Don’t expect the need for such Hollywood heroics in real life, however. An asteroid that could cause such damage has no significant chance of striking Earth within the next century, Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. said in an email. The center relies on several telescopes, such as the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona, to track potentially hazardous asteroids and comets. These objects, which are leftover matter from the formation of planets, can come dangerously close to Earth or cross its trajectory. The center lists 659 asteroids that have some probability of striking the planet, “but none pose a significant threat over the next century, either because the probabilities are extraordinarily small, or the asteroids themselves are extremely small,†Mr. Chodas said. “Nevertheless, we must continue searching for asteroids in case there is one that is heading our way,†he added. That’s where the planetary protection exercise, conducted on Oct. 25 in El Segundo, Calif. comes in. The simulation that projected a strike in 2020 involved representatives from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, the Air Force and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. While a warning of four years may seem like a lot of time, it would probably not be enough to deflect an asteroid of the size and orbit outlined in the simulation, Mr. Chodas said. “Engineers think the simplest way to deflect an asteroid is to build a large spacecraft and simply ram it into the asteroid†years before it is predicted to hit Earth, he said. It could take up to two years to build such a “kinetic impactor†spacecraft and another year or more to reach the asteroid, so in the case of this simulation, an evacuation, not a “deflection mission,†was necessary. For the organizers of Asteroid Day, a global movement that seeks to protect the world from dangerous asteroids, such planning is not out of this world. The group, which maintains that one million asteroids have the potential to strike Earth but that only 1 percent of them have been discovered, was set on Monday to release a letter signed by planetary scientists supporting missions to increase knowledge of asteroids. The group promotes the “100x Declaration,†which calls for increasing the rate of asteroid discoveries to 100, 000 per year in the next 10 years. “The more we learn about asteroid impacts, the clearer it became that the human race has been living on borrowed time,†Brian May, an astrophysicist and a founder and lead guitarist for the rock group Queen, said on the group’s website. Asteroid Day is observed each year on June 30, the anniversary of what is believed to be the largest explosion in human history: an asteroid strike in Tunguska, Siberia, in 1908. An asteroid, believed to be less than 100 feet in diameter, exploded at the altitude of an airliner and flattened tens of millions of trees across 800 square miles. Researchers estimated the explosion was as powerful as a hydrogen bomb and several hundred times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. While there were no official reports of human casualties, hundreds of reindeer were reduced to charred carcasses in the explosion, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported. In more recent times, an asteroid exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in 2013, shattering windows for miles and injuring more than 1, 000 people. Scientists have suggested that the Earth is vulnerable to many more space rocks. In research published in 2013 by the journal Nature, they estimated that such strikes could occur as often as every decade or two instead of an average of once every 100 to 200 years as previously thought. Predictions of a catastrophic crash by a celestial object surface with some regularity. In September 2015, the last eclipse of the year fueled imaginative speculation on the internet that a giant asteroid would hit Earth. In a statement debunking the idea, NASA noted that similar forecasts were made in January and March of that year that two asteroids were on dangerous paths toward Earth. The agency noted that the asteroids flew by Earth “without incident — just as NASA said they would. †| 1 | [
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FMD4219 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Lowe's Email Scam Promises Portable Air Conditioners Claim summaries: We advise readers never to click links in these kinds of emails, since they often lead to phishing attempts.
contextual information: In July 2022, during a heat wave across the U.S. and other countries, we reviewed an email that claimed Lowe's Home Improvement was giving away free air conditioners in a sweepstakes. In reality, there was no giveaway, and the email was a scam. Scammers were pretending to be Lowe's in an apparent phishing attempt to get people's personal information, such as credit and debit card numbers. the U.S. other countries scam phishing The scam email read, "CONGRATULATIONS! You are the lucky online winner of a brand new [Lowe's] Sweepstakes BTU Portable Air Conditioner entry!" Lowe's We advise readers to never click links or call phone numbers that appear in these kinds of scam emails. The links will lead to phishing attempts, and the phone calls will connect you with scammers who likely will try to lure sensitive data from you. advise readers scam Scam emails often contain obvious grammatical errors. Also, the "from" email address in scam emails can look unofficial, another sign of something suspicious going on. For example, instead of an official email address ending with "@lowes.com," the sender may have something like, "[email protected]." This would not be a legitimate email address for Lowe's. The U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB) has published a number of articles about the dangers of phishing. In one of its advisories, the agency detailed how these kinds of scams work: one of its advisories Phishing scams tend to follow a pattern. The victim receives an email, phone call or text message (called smishing or SMS phishing). The message urges the target to click a link, share information, call a phone number, or download an attachment which likely contains malware. In the case of an email or text, the link frequently leads to a form, which prompts the target to enter personal information. Think twice before downloading anything from the internet, especially if its an attachment from an anonymous sender. Scammers will hide malware in an attachment and once downloaded, it can wreak havoc on your personal device or steal your personal information. If you're online at home, the scammer may also steal the IP address and then proceed to connect to any other device connected to your home wifi. The BBB also has tips on how to avoid falling victim to these kinds of scams: If something sounds suspicious, call the company directly or checking the company website directly. Dont click on links in an unexpected email type the URL for the company into the browser or do a web search to find the right website. Dont click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender. This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer. Question generic emails. Scammers cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Always be wary of unsolicited messages that don't contain your name, last digits of your account number or other personalizing information. BBB Tip: Phishing Scams Can Come in Text Messages, Prize Offers. 1 Mar. 2022, https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams. Kirka, Danica, and Jill Lawless. UK Breaks Its Record for Highest Temperature As Heat Builds. Snopes.com via The Associated Press, 19 July 2022, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/07/19/uk-breaks-its-record-for-highest-temperature-as-heat-builds/. McLaughlin, Tim, and Brendan OBrien. Record-Breaking U.S. Heat Wave Bakes Americans. Reuters, 20 July 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/coast-coast-us-heat-wave-threatens-tighten-its-grip-2022-07-20/. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD4220 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the European Union s 27 remaining nations were all united in their stance on Brexit behind the bloc s negotiator Michel Barnier in talks on Britain s withdrawal. This European Council will be marked by a message of unity, Macron told reporters on arrival at an EU summit in Brussels. Unity in the Brexit discussions because we are all united on how things stand, the interests we have and our ambitions, behind one negotiator. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD4221 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Email
After 12 hours of effort to hash out an agreement to cut oil production that can be presented formally to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (flag shown) in November, 14 oil ministers meeting in Vienna over the weekend gave birth to — a goose egg. Without an agreement, the November 30 gathering is likely to be irrelevant, just as the cartel itself is becoming.
Every cartel eventually blows up due to members unwilling to abide by agreements, cheating, creating side agreements, and in general seeking their own self interests. So it is with OPEC. At the Vienna meeting, Iran complained that it is really producing more than reported, while Iraq wanted a dispensation similar to Iran’s (which has allowed the country to expand its production back to pre-sanction levels), claiming that it has a war to fight and needs the revenues.
Venezuela, the UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Kuwait are each facing their own special problems — Venezuela in particular. President Nicolás Maduro made a personal trip to Vienna (some said in order to get away from the increasing unrest back home) to press the point: He needs more money to cover the increasing deficits his socialist policies are costing his government.
At the end of the day, several things were clear: First, there was no agreement, nor is one likely. If OPEC countries can’t agree, how could any non-OPEC oil producers (such as Russia) be persuaded to go along with any agreement to cut production to raise prices?
Second, any production cut (if there is one) would likely be borne primarily by OPEC’s largest producer, Saudi Arabia, which just completed its first (and perhaps last?) global bond offering for $18 billion initiated to slow the liquidation of its foreign reserves. Last year it liquidated nearly $100 billion of those reserves while playing the increasingly unsuccessful and costly game of chicken with U.S. producers.
In addition, U.S. energy producers are already announcing new capital expenditures while bringing on rigs that were temporarily idled during the downturn. Nick Cunningham, writing for OilPrice.com, noted another problem facing OPEC: In January there were 5,576 DUCs — drilled but uncompleted wells — just waiting for the right conditions for them to be completed. Since then more than 500 of them have been brought online, profitably, with most of the rest, according to observers, likely to be completed by the second quarter of 2017 — barely five months from now. What OPEC ultimately is facing is the vast and increasing disparity between what it costs them to bring a barrel of oil to the surface, and what it costs for American producers to complete a DUC. Since most of the up-front costs have already been expended, the marginal cost to bring a DUC well online is way below the current price of $50 a barrel. The math is persuasive, and U.S. oil producers are reacting accordingly.
In other words, OPEC is engaged in a game that it initiated and which it is now discovering that it cannot win and cannot quit. In the process, OPEC is becoming increasingly irrelevant while U.S. producers are pushing ahead, continuing to turn America into a country that is not only self-sufficient for its own energy needs but is also increasingly supplying the world.
The OPEC bickering is likely to intensify as the reality sinks in that the cartel has painted itself into a corner. Venezuela is facing existential questions, while most of the others are on an unsustainable path of decreasing revenues to fund socialist welfare programs that were never affordable and are now strangling the governments.
It’s likely that those revenues will continue to fall despite what OPEC may do (or more likely, not do) in November. Investors and producers are expecting oil prices to fall sharply, as measured by their “short” positions in the futures markets. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were more than 540,000 short positions (taken by those expecting oil prices to fall) as of October 11 — the most in nearly 10 years. Image: OPEC flag
An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . | 0 | [
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FMD4222 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Seventy-seven of the top 300 cities with the highest poverty rate nationwide are in California.
contextual information: When asked to list his top three priorities for California at a recent forum, Democratic candidate for governorAntonio Villaraigosaresponded: I think weve got to start with the economy, the economy, the economy. The former mayor of Los Angeles acknowledged strong economic growth in some places, but made it clear that not all of California is growing together. Villaraigosa went on to make an eye-opening claim about how many California cities rank among the poorest in the nation. Seventy-seven of the top 300 cities with the highest poverty rate are in our state, Villaraigosa said at theforum, hosted on June 6, 2017 in San Francisco by the Public Policy Institute of California. Villaraigosa makes his claim at about the 6:45 minute mark in this video by the Public Policy Institute of California. We know the state has struggled mightily with poverty. As an example, we ratedTruea claim by Republican Assembly Leader Chad Mayes in January that California has the highest poverty rate in the nation when comparing states and considering cost-of-living. At 20.6 percent, Californias poverty rate in 2015 was well above the national average of 15.1 percent, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report called theSupplemental Poverty Measure. Floridas 19 percent poverty rate ranked second. For a two-adult, two-child family in California, the poverty threshold was an average of $30,000, depending on the region in the state, according to a2014 analysisby Public Policy Institute of California. With this in mind, we decided to fact-check Villaraigosas assertion that California is also home to one-quarter of the nations poorest cities. Governors race Villaraigosa is amongseveral prominent Democratscompeting to succeed Jerry Brown as governor. Others include California TreasurerJohn Chiang; Delaine Eastin, the states former superintendent for public instruction; andGavin Newsom, the states current lieutenant governor. Republican candidates include John Cox, a venture capitalist from San Diego County and Rosie Grier, a former professional football player. PolitiFact California is fact-checking claims in this race. See our Tracking The Truth governors race fact-checkshere. Tracking the Truth: Hear a claim you want fact-checked? Email us at[email protected], tweet us@CAPolitiFactor contact us onFacebook. Our research Villaraigosas spokeswoman said his poverty claim draws on a 2015 report by the National Resource Network calledHidden in Plain Sight: Why California's Economically Challenged Cities Matter. The network was created by the Obama Administration to develop innovative solutions to American cities to help them address their toughest economic challenges. Its study listed 77 economically challenged cities in California, ranging from big metros such as Los Angeles, Sacramento and Oakland to small ones like Lodi, Delano and Watsonville. It defines economically challenged as having at least one of the following characteristics: -- More than 9 percent of residents remained unemployed as of 2013 -- More than 20 percent of adults are living in poverty -- Population decline between 2000 and 2010 reached 5 percent Nationwide, it found nearly 300 such cities. Californias count equals about one-quarter of those. We wondered, however, whether cities listed as economically challenged (due at least partly to a 2013 jobless rate) could also be considered as currently having the highest poverty rate, as Villaraigosa described them this week. Had Villaraigosa stretched the truth or perhaps conflated two separate descriptions of economic hardship? Staff at the National Resource Network, including the studys lead author, did not immediately return requests for comment. Experts weigh in Ann Stevens director of the Center for Poverty Research and a professor of economics at the University of California at Davis, reviewed the study and Villaraigosas claim at our request His statement is not accurate in terms of the poverty rate, Stevens told us. Thats because the study labeled many of these cities as economically challenged because of their 2013 jobless rate, which is different than the poverty rate in 2013 or the poverty rate on average today. We found nearly half of the 77 cities described as economically challenged qualified for that label not because their poverty rate was above 20 percent, but because of their high jobless rate in 2013. In fact, the poverty level for at least some of these cities was closer to or below the national average. At that time, many cities in California were still struggling with high unemployment due to the Great Recession, Stevens added. But thats a temporary measure of economic hardship, not a permanent one. Caroline Danielson, who researches poverty at the Public Policy Institute of California, said many of those cities are no longer struggling with unemployment. Los Angeles, for example, now has a jobless rate of 3.9 percent down from 9.7 percent in 2013, she said. Danielson said theres no comparable ranking of every American city, large and small, by poverty rate. If there was, she said: I dont believe that California would be quite so overrepresented as we found in this report. Thats not to say that California has no high poverty cities. Along with pointing to the study, Villaraigosas spokeswoman said the candidate would still consider the 77 cities in the study to be among those nationally with the highest poverty rate - certainly well above the average - and that is what makes them economically challenged. Thats not the same as Villaraigosas original statement that all 77 rank nationally among cities with the highest poverty rate. Our ruling Candidate for California governor Antonio Villaraigosa recently claimed: Seventy-seven of the top 300 cities with the highest poverty rate are in our state. He relied on a study that grouped 77 economically challenged cities in California among nearly 300 such cities in the nation. But it used data from four years ago, when many cities were still recovering from the Great Recession. Villaraigosa made it sound as if these cities are still experiencing the same level of hardship. Also, experts on poverty said the economically challenged label isnt the same as Villaraigosas description of these cities as among the poorest in the nation. Nearly half the cities on the studys list qualified for that label not because of their poverty level. Many, in fact, had poverty rates below the state average. Instead, they qualified because they had a high unemployment rate in 2013. The jobless rate in many of those cities has improved considerably since then. Villaraigosa touched on a real problem in California: Poverty remains widespread and entrenched. But he mischaracterized the results of a study and painted a darker picture of economic hardship in California than the facts bear out. We rate Villaraigosas claim False. FALSEThe statement is not accurate. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 0 | [
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FMD4223 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives on Tuesday debated a bill to halt debt payments, while a government official fired back at creditors who suggested the U.S. territory was shirking efforts to hold restructuring talks. Burdened by a $70 billion debt load it says it cannot pay and a 45 percent poverty rate that has led to a steady exodus of its American citizens to the mainland, Puerto Rico faces economic collapse without a solution that either changes laws and/or involves an agreement with creditors. The next key date is May 1 when the Government Development Bank, the island’s primary fiscal agent, is due to pay creditors $422 million. The island’s Senate passed an emergency bill early on Tuesday that would alter GDB’s structure, as well as allow Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla to declare a moratorium on any debt payment he deems necessary. The House was expected to vote on the bill on Tuesday. A group of Puerto Rico’s general obligation bondholders criticized the bill. “It is no coincidence that the governor has abruptly sought overnight adoption of debt moratorium legislation at the very moment large general obligation bondholders were arriving on the island to pursue a consensual restructuring,†the creditors said in a statement on Tuesday. That group, holding about $5 billion debt, then released a proposed restructuring plan that would defer principal repayments and offer new debt, a plan they say would save Puerto Rico from default. GDB President Melba Acosta disputed the notion that officials were blowing off creditors, saying Puerto Rico held meetings with creditors in March, presenting updated restructuring proposals. “We have not received an actionable, binding financing commitment from anyone, and we have received no offers that would lead Puerto Rico towards a stable and prosperous economy for years to come,†Acosta said in a statement to Reuters. “We sincerely hope that the ‘proposals’ that the advisers to our GO holders speak of are not a public relations stunt that attempts to mislead the public and distract leaders in Congress from the real work at hand,†she added. GDB is also holding consensual restructuring talks with its own creditors. Legislative efforts in the U.S. Congress to fix Puerto Rico’s debt problem are not likely to come to fruition before the GDB’s May 1 debt payment. On Monday, some GDB creditors sued to try to prevent a run on the bank as negotiations play out, asking a court to bar the GDB from paying certain creditors and preventing depositors from withdrawing money. A source close to the matter told Reuters some government agencies were planning to open new accounts at other banks, but denied those agencies were removing money from the GDB. | 1 | [
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FMD4224 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Officers in Georgia Kill Over 250 People? Claim summaries: The humor in a parody post on Facebook was lost on many who don't watch a popular zombie-themed television series.
contextual information: On 24 December 2015, the following meme was published to the Facebook group "MCM [Movie Comic Media] EXPO GROUP." It held that two police officers from Georgia were responsible for a multitude of crimes, including the deaths of more than 250 civilians: THIS IS HUGE!!!! Why isn't the mainstream media covering this? These two officers in Georgia have killed over 250 people in the line of duty. The officer on the left, Shane Walsh, has killed 41 people in the line of duty, before being killed in cold blood on a cold fall night by his very own partner and best friend on the right, Rick Grimes, back in late 2011. This was due to a custody dispute and argument over who was the better father and lover to Rick's wife, Lori Grimes, who slept with Deputy Walsh several times and was believed to be pregnant with Deputy Walsh's child as well. If that's not bad enough, Deputy Grimes is still allowed to keep his position as a Georgia full-time deputy sheriff and holds custody over his son Carl and his recently deceased wife Lori and Shane Walsh's child Judith. Rick is an unstable father and has killed over 200 people in the line of duty. It's time to speak up and against people like this. While the post, and its accompanying image, were recognizable to many social media users in the United States as a description of the zombie-themed television and graphic novel seriesThe Walking Dead, its appearance in a European group led to some confusion among users unfamiliar with the show. The post was shared tens of thousands of times, and comments included the following: Demented and evil America. Where murderers in the police and other forces are decorated. And celebrated by US government and politicians. I swear the guy on the right is from love actually x As a matter of fact, Andrew Lincoln, the British actor who plays one ofmain characters in The Walking Dead, did indeed have a role in the movieLove Actually. role While most viewers appeared to have shared the post as a joke,manywere genuinely concerned about the two murderous cops and their increasing body count in a fictional, post-apocalyptic Georgia. | 0 | [
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FMD4225 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The city of Chicago asked a federal judge on Monday to bar President Donald Trump’s Justice Department from denying public-safety grants to so-called sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with a federal immigration crackdown. The nation’s third-largest city sued U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in August. The lawsuit was filed after Sessions announced the Justice Department would bar cities from getting certain grants unless they allowed immigration authorities unlimited access to local jails and provided 48 hours’ notice before releasing anyone wanted for immigration violations. Trump has made tougher immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his campaign and presidency, including vowing to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. The federal government has also sought to crack down on sanctuary cities. On Monday, Chicago attorney Ron Safer argued in U.S. District Court for a preliminary injunction that would apply nationwide while the court challenge proceeds. Safer argued that Sessions lacked authority to attach conditions that would force Chicago to choose between funding for crime-fighting equipment and programs, and adopting an unconstitutional policy that would shatter trust with immigrant communities needed to solve crimes. “This is a tremendously dangerous precedent to set,†Safer said, arguing that it could be applied to other grant programs to pressure cities to alter other local policies. Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler countered that the program was voluntary and tha funding amounted to less than 1 percent of Chicago’s public safety budget. The government had the authority to attach such conditions, and cited the previous administration attaching requirements that the money not be spent on military-style weapons, he said. “The courts have routinely recognized that the government can put conditions on spending to achieve things that they couldn’t otherwise directly achieve,†he said. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber did not say when he would rule but told both sides they would hear from him soon. During oral arguments, Leinenweber said there were conflicting statistics on whether such policies help or hurt crime. He asked questions about the Justice Department’s authority to set such conditions as well as the city’s larger stance on illegal immigration. “You don’t disagree that the United States should prevent illegal immigration, do you?†he asked. Safer acknowledged that the city did not support the practice of people coming to the United States without permission. The Trump administration has requested $380 million in funding next year for grants for police equipment and programs to hundreds of cities. Chicago and nearby suburbs have applied for $2.2 million this year. | 1 | [
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FMD4226 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Vietnamese government restricted access to Facebook Inc inside Vietnam for several days this week as part of a broader crackdown on human rights and political dissidents during a visit by President Barack Obama, two activist organizations said on Thursday. Officials of Access Now, a digital rights organization, and Viet Tan, a Vietnamese pro-democracy group, said the social media site was restricted and at times blocked inside Vietnam from Sunday to Wednesday, citing reports from people inside the country on Twitter and to Access Now’s digital security help service. The move coincides with a trend toward restrictions on Facebook in countries including China, Uganda and Turkey during politically sensitive times as the 1.6 billion-person social network grows more powerful. Obama’s three-day visit to Vietnam ended on Wednesday. Obama largely focused on normalizing relations with Vietnam. But he also promoted human rights and chided Vietnam about restrictions on political freedoms after critics of its communist-run government were prevented from meeting him. The Facebook shutdown was part of a stepped-up campaign by the Vietnamese government to limit use of the social network for political protests, activists said in phone interviews. Facebook was blocked several times earlier this month as street protests erupted over an environmental disaster that resulted in mass fish deaths, the two groups said. The social media site was also unavailable inside Vietnam ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday as pro-democracy activists called for a boycott, members of the two groups said. Facebook declined to comment. Vietnamese government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment submitted via a government website. Uganda’s government blocked Facebook and Twitter Inc in February during presidential elections. In March, after a deadly bombing in Turkey, an Ankara court ordered a ban on access to Facebook and Twitter. And during the 2011 Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, social networks were repeatedly shut down. Facebook is often shut down in Vietnam during politically sensitive times, Angelina Huynh, advocacy director for Viet Tan, which has members around the world, including in Vietnam, said in a phone interview. “People were using Facebook to call for protests. They did not want people to take to the streets,†Huynh said. | 1 | [
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FMD4227 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Britain has an “incredibly strong and enduring†relationship with the United States and will build on it when Donald Trump takes office as president, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday. Trump said on Twitter that “many people†would like to see Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as British ambassador to Washington, a break with usual diplomatic protocol and an appeal that was quickly dismissed by British officials. “We have an excellent ambassador to the United States and he will continue in his work,†the spokesman told reporters, pointing out the ambassador only took office this year and normally the job is held for at least four years. “We appoint our ambassadors,†he added. | 1 | [
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FMD4228 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: For Trump supporters, the only way to fend off critics of the amateur president is to lash out at the free press. There is no one who shamelessly sucks up to the former reality show star more than Sean Hannity. CNN s Jim Acosta has been questioning the blackout of the media at the White House lately. Most press briefings are now off-camera. Hannity, who works for the fake news network Fox News, responded by calling CNN fake news. He then called Acosta arrogant, combative and whiny. According to Hannity, Acosta is looking for ways to damage the President as if Trump needs any help. CNN s White House darling is really starting to become unhinged, Hannity said..@seanhannity Rips 'Unhinged' Jim @Acosta: 'He's Looking for Ways to Damage the President'https://t.co/BRq528lL9H Fox News (@FoxNews) June 28, 2017Acosta responded on Wednesday by mocking Sean Hannity s attacks on him, tweeting that the Fox News host needs a hug. Alternate headline: @seanhannity needs a hug. #hannityunhugged, Acosta tweeted.Alternate headline: @seanhannity needs a hug. #hannityunhugged https://t.co/84ZvxkEBiG Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 28, 2017Acosta s tweet went viral.Yeah Jim, if you can stop asking questions and do some real journalism by sitting in a studio and screaming all day. That would be great. ;) Steve Mullis (@stevemullis) June 28, 2017Why is it that Sean Hannity can continuously come up with bogus stories and it's glossed over? CNN takes responsibility and it's a scandal? Brendan Steakelum (@steakelum) June 28, 2017He doesn't deserve a hug, but a kick in the balls would be great? CA Cramer (@CurtCramer1) June 28, 2017@seanhannity needs much more than a hug. Maybe start with a brain. Greg Martin (@jgregorymartin) June 28, 2017That pathetic headline and tweet from the biased @FoxNews makes me love you even more Jim!!! Keep fighting the good fight! Brian (@BrianSMcDonald) June 28, 2017Keep rocking Jim!! Tanja (@bambula) June 28, 2017You're doing something right Jim if a loser like Hannity is talking about you! William Smith (@WilliamCSmithbr) June 28, 2017Since ur his #1 topic today, it means ur doing ur job well! Keep prying and keep getting under their skin Jim. Make America Honest Again! American (@RealAmericanets) June 28, 2017You're my hero, @Acosta. I love this era where journalists give no fucks and the stoicism of the past dies. Give em hell. #hannityunhugged Dena P (@Holdensmama) June 28, 2017We all remember Mustard-gate. Barack Obama just took office and the big story at Fox News was that he used mustard on his hamburger. That was a story the network covered for nearly a week. Sean Hannity seemed to suggest that Obama is an elitist for using mustard.coming from a man who was unhinged when President O asked for Dijon mustard. Gerry (@geminiLAca) June 28, 2017Sean Hannity peddled the Seth Rich story AFTER his own company retracted it. CNN fired its employees for their mess up. Chris (@yeschrisyes) June 28, 2017Jim-keep up the great work Fox/Hannity/Trump are showing just how much you are getting to them with your dogged, dedicated reporting-thx!! Kati Angelini (@ktmoorestown) June 28, 2017??? Jim, you're the best! Jennifer Newell (@WriterJen) June 28, 2017Jim, You're the best! Keep at it! DianeW (@BellaLuna468) June 28, 2017It s odd that Hannity supports WikiLeaks, an entity who supposedly believes in the transparency of governments, yet the idea of a transparent Trump administration rattles him to the core. The Russia probe is not being reported accurately on Fox News and the network has begun losing its key demographics. Breitbart.com has fallen from 45th place to 281st place in news site traffic ratings as the right-wing site ignores Trump s massive scandals. Hannity, a conspiracy theorist, is using CNN to bash the press. Three journalists resigned and an inaccurate story was retracted. Meanwhile, Sean Hannity pushed the baseless Seth Rich murder conspiracy theory. That prompted advertisers to flee from his show. So, it s kind of cute that Hannity calls other outlets fake news. Photo by Jennifer S. Altman/Contour by Getty Images. | 0 | [
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FMD4229 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: In retaliation for losing the North Carolina governor s race, Republicans are quickly moving to strip all power from the executive branch.Democratic candidate Roy Cooper won a hard fought gubernatorial campaign against cry-baby Pat McCrory, who refused to concede defeat and challenged the election results in every possible way.So now Republicans are responding by trying to turn the governorship into a powerless position in one of the most baldfaced power grabs this nation has ever witnessed.Republicans are literally using the floods and hurricane damage as cover to convene a special session of the legislature to pass bills designed to give themselves more power while taking power away from the governor s office simply because the new governor will be a Democrat.One bill would merge the ethics and elections boards into one body and would change the overall makeup of the combined board so that Republicans control the whole thing. Current law gives Democrats the majority because Cooper is going to be governor.Another bill would eliminate 80 percent of the governor s staff, from 1,500 employees to only 300, which would make Cooper s job excruciatingly difficult.Furthermore, Republicans are trying to pass a bill requiring state Senate approval for Cooper s cabinet picks, which means the state of North Carolina will likely be denied leadership in various state agencies because Republicans will more than likely refuse to approve of anyone Cooper picks.Republicans are literally trying to cripple Cooper s administration before he even takes office. But that s not all.Republicans also introduced a bill that would prevent the state Supreme Court from reviewing cases for years by requiring cases to go through the state Court of Appeals first. Democrats gained the majority on the Supreme Court in November while Republicans have the majority on the Appeals Court. So, it s pretty clear what Republicans are doing. Instead of a court-packing bill, it appears we got a court-denial bill, Southern Coalition for Social Justice director Anita Earls told The Charlotte Observer. This proposal seems to delay Supreme Court review of cases, including those involving citizens constitutional rights. Unconstitutional laws could be in effect for years before the state Supreme Court would finally get the case and rule. Republicans are also trying to take cabinet positions away by turning them into independent agencies whose leaders would be appointed by the lieutenant governor, who happens to be a Republican.In short, North Carolina Republicans are screwing over the people and the state because they can t handle losing an election. They are pathetic losers who should be forced out of office before they do any more damage.North Carolina pastor William Barber is reporting that Republicans have introduced 15 bills in all targeting the power of the governor and he is organizing protests against the GOP power grab. This is extremism gone amuck, Barber told Joy Reid on Wednesday night. These folks are not even Republicans. They re on some other world. I mean, my great-grandfather was a Republican. They are just power hungry. Here s the video via YouTube:The people of North Carolina should be outraged by what Republicans are doing. They voted for Roy Cooper as their governor but Republicans are trying to sabotage him to prevent him from doing the job the voters elected him to do. Republicans are acting like petulant children because they lost the governor s race. If Democrats did this, they would be throwing a temper tantrum.Featured Image: Wikimedia | 0 | [
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FMD4230 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: HOUSTON — They still talk about the Saturday night here 27 years ago when Donald J. Trump partied with former President Richard M. Nixon. Dressed in tuxedos, they sang “Happy Birthday†to Texas royalty — former Gov. John B. Connally and his wife, Nellie, whose birthdays were a few days apart — as Nixon played the tune on a white baby grand piano. They dined at Tony’s, the “21†Club of Houston, and Nixon was so fond of the cannelloni pasta that he asked the owner, Tony Vallone, to write the recipe for him on a yellow legal pad. And when it was all over, Mr. Trump flew Nixon back to New York on his 727 private jet. It happened one weekend in March 1989. It was one of Nixon’s first public appearances since the Watergate scandal had forced him to resign in 1974. And it was one of Mr. Trump’s first presidential experiences, as he socialized with and had the ear of a former president for two days in Houston at a gala event, an impromptu at Tony’s, a Sunday brunch the next day at a River Oaks mansion and later aboard his plane. “I think you can see a core of Trump in this,†said Barry Silverman, a Houston advertising and marketing consultant who helped coordinate the gala and was a longtime friend of the Connallys. “He obviously had a road map a lot bigger than any of us ever thought about. †Mr. Silverman and Mr. Vallone said they did not know what, specifically, Mr. Trump and Nixon had talked about at the gala or at Tony’s. But the time they spent together that weekend most likely fed Mr. Trump’s fascination with and admiration of Nixon. During the campaign, Mr. Trump borrowed phrases from him, used his speech at the 1968 Republican convention as a template for his own convention address, and spoke glowingly of Nixon in interviews. The Connallys helped bring the fallen president and the future together. They had met Mr. Trump a few months earlier at a wedding in New York in December 1988, and Mr. Connally had been a close friend of Nixon’s, serving as his Treasury secretary. Nixon was already familiar with Mr. Trump. The former president had written an unsolicited letter to Mr. Trump in 1987, informing him that Nixon’s wife, Pat, had predicted “that whenever you decide to run for office you will be a winner!†Mr. Connally invited Mr. Trump and his wife, Ivana, to Houston as special guests at “A Night for Nellie,†an event to honor Mrs. Connally at the Westin Galleria hotel on March 11, 1989. Houston was just coming out of the 1980s oil bust. Tens of thousands of workers had lost their jobs and homes. Banks had failed. Mr. Connally filed for bankruptcy in 1987, and he and his wife were forced to auction their belongings to help repay creditors in 1988. Then Mrs. Connally learned she had breast cancer. “A Night for Nellie†raised more than $300, 000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, but it also sought to lift Mrs. Connally’s spirits — and Houston’s. Barbara Walters was there, along with the airline executive Frank Lorenzo and the elite of Houston society, including Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. an oilman, and his wife, Lynn, who hosted Nixon, Mr. Trump and others at their mansion the next day. In the hotel ballroom, Mr. Trump introduced Nixon and sat at the head table with him. Mr. Connally had assembled the seating chart for the table himself. His wife was seated with Mr. Trump on one side of her and Nixon on the other. Mr. Trump, the event’s honorary chairman, seemed to be enjoying himself. He was 42 years old, and his book “Trump: The Art of the Deal,†which had been published in November 1987, had enjoyed a position on The New York Times’s list for nearly a year. “Donald Trump would have made a sensational Texan,†Ms. Walters told the audience, according to The Austin . Mr. Connally decided late in the evening to keep the party going for some of the V. I. P.s at Tony’s. Mr. Vallone had about a to clear a third of the restaurant and put on an elaborate buffet. He has wined and dined a host of celebrities and presidents at his restaurant, including Frank Sinatra, Princess Margaret, Andy Warhol and former President Bill Clinton. But he said that night in 1989 was the most memorable. “There was tremendous enthusiasm and electricity in the air,†Mr. Vallone said. “Trump had a commanding presence. People say he’s pompous, but he was not pompous. He was very approachable. He’ll talk to the waiters. After that, I went out and bought six or eight of his books and gave them away as gifts, I was so impressed with Trump. †At Tony’s, Mr. Trump suggested he was taking a business interest in Houston. “Every time I’m in a particular city that I like, and Houston happens to be a city that I like very much, I do look,†he told an ABC affiliate, as he stood in the restaurant. Nixon stayed there until 1 a. m. The party continued well after. “Dom Pérignon was flowing like ginger ale,†Mr. Silverman said, “and it went on until 3 in the morning. †The next day, the Trumps, the Connallys and Nixon were among 36 guests at a brunch at the Wyatts’ mansion. They ate beef Wellington and sipped Champagne with dessert. Ms. Wyatt, one of Houston’s most prominent socialites and philanthropists, asked Nixon to speak about world affairs, and Nixon stood, gave a brief speech and then took questions. Asked if Mr. Trump had asked a question, Ms. Wyatt replied: “I’m sure he did. Everybody did. I was so proud of my guests because they asked such intelligent questions. I don’t have any stupid friends. †| 1 | [
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FMD4231 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: It s no secret that President Obama has a quick wit and a great sense of humor. Both were on full display on Thursday s edition of Jimmy Fallon s The Tonight Show, and the target of said wit and humor was GOP presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump. First, Fallon asked Obama his opinion on how the GOP felt about Trump being their nominee, and he said that the Democrats are happy about it, for sure. Then on a more serious note, the president went on to say: The truth is, actually I am worried about the Republican Party. I know that sounds you know what it sounds like.The main role I m going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job. This is not reality TV. Then the mockery resumed, this time aimed at the astoundingly stupid Republicans sitting in Congress who have made Trump their standard bearer. Obama said: Thank you, Congress, for spending eight years wishing you could replace me with a Republican. Or, to put it another way, how do you like me now? After that, the president reminded America just how much he has managed to do, how far he has pushed America in all the right directions, despite constant GOP obstruction during the entire tenure of his presidency: I m proud of the many progressive steps our country has taken in recent years, both socially and environmentally. The United States has been a leader in developing clean energy to ensure the health of our planet for future generations. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, an additional 20 million Americans now have access to quality health care, and same-sex couples across the country now have a constitutional right to marry. In short, climate change is real, health care is affordable and love is love. After that, the president got serious again for a second, and reminded us all what is at stake should Donald Trump take the White House: The American people face an important decision this fall. The entire world is watching, and they look to us for stability and leadership. I know some of the candidates have been critical of my foreign policy. I don t want to name any names, but I believe it is of the utmost importance to work alongside other world leaders. That s why I signed the Iran nuclear deal. That s why we reopened diplomatic ties with Cuba. And that s why I negotiated the new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. That is when Jimmy Fallon asked President Obama his feelings on TPP, and the Commander-in-Chief did not mince words: Yeah, you know me. Look, Jimmy, the TPP allows American businesses to sell their products both at home and abroad. The more we sell abroad, the more higher paying jobs we have here at home. It s that simple. After that, things got funny again as the segment drew to a close, where Fallon asked what Obama thought of the Trump media circus. The president took a real shot at the GOP s incessant racist attacks against him, and, of course, Trump s own racism, when asked if he had been tuning in: No, but I have been watching my new favorite show, Orange Is Not The New Black. Once again, President Obama shows himself to be a warm, down to earth, classy and adorably hilarious human being, despite being near the end of what is arguably the most difficult presidency in the history of America. He is right about Trump, and he is right to endorse Hillary Clinton in an effort to stop Trump. Most of all, though, he has not allowed anything that has been slung his way to make him lose his humanity and his sense of humor.Well done, Mr. President! We re sure gonna miss you.Watch the video below, via Raw Story:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 | [
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FMD4232 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is the NRA a Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organization? Claim summaries: A Facebook meme gets the basic facts right about the gun lobby's status as a social welfare organization.
contextual information: The February 2018 shooting deaths of seventeen people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and a subsequent, charged town hall meeting about gun safety with some of the mass shooting's survivors and their families have put the National Rifle Association under intense scrutiny for its opposition to gun control. Against this background, many were surprised to discover that the NRA, despite being well known for its political lobbying and ties to the gun industry, is, in fact, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. On February 22, 2018, the "Really American" Facebook page posted a meme that showed President Donald Trump holding a replica flintlock rifle, along with the message: "The NRA has non-profit, tax-exempt status." Even though it has transformed from an organization for gun owners to one for gun manufacturers, it donates millions of dollars to politicians to ensure they vote the "right way." Corruption in action. The National Rifle Association is indeed a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. To be specific, it has 501(c)(4) status, meaning it is regarded as a "social welfare organization" by the Internal Revenue Service. To operate exclusively to promote social welfare, an organization must primarily further the common good and general welfare of the community (such as by bringing about civic betterment and social improvements). A 501(c)(4) organization like the NRA is allowed to engage in political lobbying and advocacy, but this cannot be its main activity, and it must be related to the group's primary mission and the issue upon which its tax exemption is based, according to the IRS. Social welfare organizations may also get involved in political campaigns and elections, provided their involvement is related to the group's mission and does not constitute their primary activity. Critics of the NRA have claimed that the organization's tax exemption should be revoked because, roughly speaking, the NRA spends less time and money providing a genuine service to the public at large than it does on political lobbying, and because the NRA's activities benefit the private gun industry. In its 2015 tax return, the NRA described its mission as "firearms safety education and training and advocacy on behalf of safe and responsible gun owners." In April 2016, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence published a report on this very issue, labeling the NRA "a tax-exempt organization loaded with private interest." The authors, attorney Alexandra O'Neill and financial analyst Daniel O'Neill, wrote: "...The majority of the NRA's lobbying, education, training, and publication activities operate to benefit a private interest: the firearms and ammunition industry. As a result, under the cases and rulings interpreting section 501(c)(4), the NRA does not primarily serve the community interest and should not qualify as a tax-exempt social welfare organization. Instead, the NRA should operate as a political lobbying organization to be accountable for its key interests: the firearms and ammunition industry." A spokesperson for the NRA rejected this, telling us in an email that the group's legislative lobbying was "textbook social welfare activity," and that any benefits that accrued to gun manufacturers from the NRA's activities were "incidental." The assertion that the NRA is not operated for tax-exempt purposes is false because legislative lobbying to protect the Second Amendment freedoms of Americans is social welfare activity. The defense of civil rights secured by law is textbook social welfare activity, regardless of the size and extent of such activity. It was established in case law, the spokesperson argued, that "occasional" private financial benefits resulting incidentally from a nonprofit group's activities are allowed: Just as newspapers and other information sources incidentally benefit from the ACLU's advocacy about the First Amendment, gun manufacturers incidentally benefit from the NRA's advocacy about the Second. | 1 | [
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FMD4233 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: CUMANÃ, Venezuela — With delivery trucks under constant attack, the nation’s food is now transported under armed guard. Soldiers stand watch over bakeries. The police fire rubber bullets at desperate mobs storming grocery stores, pharmacies and butcher shops. A girl was shot to death as street gangs fought over food. Venezuela is convulsing from hunger. Hundreds of people here in the city of Cumaná, home to one of the region’s independence heroes, marched on a supermarket in recent days, screaming for food. They forced open a large metal gate and poured inside. They snatched water, flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, potatoes, anything they could find, leaving behind only broken freezers and overturned shelves. And they showed that even in a country with the largest oil reserves in the world, it is possible for people to riot because there is not enough food. In the last two weeks alone, more than 50 food riots, protests and mass looting have erupted around the country. Scores of businesses have been stripped bare or destroyed. At least five people have been killed. This is precisely the Venezuela its leaders vowed to prevent. In one of the nation’s worst moments, riots spread from Caracas, the capital, in 1989, leaving hundreds dead at the hands of security forces. Known as the “Caracazo,†or the “Caracas clash,†they were set off by low oil prices, cuts in subsidies and a population that was suddenly impoverished. The event seared the memory of a future president, Hugo Chávez, who said the country’s inability to provide for its people, and the state’s repression of the uprising, were the reasons Venezuela needed a socialist revolution. Now his successors find themselves in a similar bind — or maybe even worse. The nation is anxiously searching for ways to feed itself. The economic collapse of recent years has left it unable to produce enough food on its own or import what it needs from abroad. Cities have been militarized under an emergency decree from President Nicolás Maduro, the man Mr. Chávez picked to carry on with his revolution before he died three years ago. “If there is no food, there will be more riots,†said Raibelis Henriquez, 19, who waited all day for bread in Cumaná, where at least 22 businesses were attacked in a single day last week. But while the riots and clashes punctuate the country with alarm, it is the hunger that remains the constant source of unease. A staggering 87 percent of Venezuelans say they do not have money to buy enough food, the most recent assessment of living standards by Simón BolÃvar University found. About 72 percent of monthly wages are being spent just to buy food, according to the Center for Documentation and Social Analysis, a research group associated with the Venezuelan Teachers Federation. In April, it found that a family would need the equivalent of 16 salaries to properly feed itself. Ask people in this city when they last ate a meal, and many will respond that it was not today. Among them are Leidy Cordova, 37, and her five children — Abran, Deliannys, Eliannys, Milianny and Javier Luis — ages 1 to 11. On Thursday evening, the entire family had not eaten since lunchtime the day before, when Ms. Cordova made a soup by boiling chicken skin and fat that she had found for a cheap price at the butcher. “My kids tell me they’re hungry,†Ms. Cordova said as her family looked on. “And all I can say to them is to grin and bear it. †Other families have to choose who eats. Lucila Fonseca, 69, has lymphatic cancer, and her daughter, Vanessa Furtado, has a brain tumor. Despite also being ill, Ms. Furtado gives up the little food she has on many days so her mother does not skip meals. “I used to be very fat, but no longer,†the daughter said. “We are dying as we live. †Her mother added, “We are now living on Maduro’s diet: no food, no nothing. †Economists say years of economic mismanagement — worsened by low prices for oil, the nation’s main source of revenue — have shattered the food supply. Sugar fields in the country’s agricultural center lie fallow for lack of fertilizers. Unused machinery rots in shuttered factories. Staples like corn and rice, once exported, now must be imported and arrive in amounts that do not meet the need. In response, Mr. Maduro has tightened his grip over the food supply. Using emergency decrees he signed this year, the president put most food distribution in the hands of a group of citizen brigades loyal to leftists, a measure critics say is reminiscent of food rationing in Cuba. “They’re saying, in other words, you get food if you’re my friend, if you’re my sympathizer,†said Roberto the director of the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a human rights group. It was all a new reality for Gabriel Márquez, 24, who grew up in the boom years when Venezuela was rich and empty shelves were unimaginable. He stood in front of the destroyed supermarket where the mob had arrived at Cumaná, an endless expanse of smashed bottles, boxes and scattered shelves. A few people, including a policeman, were searching the wreckage for leftovers to take. “During Carnival, we used to throw eggs at each other just to have some fun,†he said. “Now an egg is like gold. †Down the coastal road in a small fishing town called Boca de Uchire, hundreds gathered on a bridge this month to protest because the food deliveries were not arriving. Residents demanded to meet the mayor, but when he did not come they sacked a Chinese bodega. Residents hacked open the door with pickaxes and pillaged the shop, venting their anger at a global power that has lent billions of dollars to prop up Venezuela in recent years. “The Chinese won’t sell to us,†said a taxi driver who watched the crowd haul away all that was inside. “So we burn their stores instead. †Mr. Maduro, who is fighting a push for a referendum to recall him this year over the country’s declines, said it was the political opposition that was behind the attacks on the stores. “They paid a group of criminals, brought them in trucks,†he said on Saturday on television, promising compensation to those who lost property. At the same time, the government also blames an “economic war†for the shortages. It accuses wealthy business owners of hoarding food and charging exorbitant prices, creating artificial shortages to profit from the country’s misery. It has left shop owners feeling under siege, particularly those who do not have Spanish names. “Look how we are working today,†said Maria Basmagi, whose family immigrated from Syria a generation ago, pointing to the metal grate pulled over the window of her shoe store. Her shop was on the commercial boulevard in Barcelona, another coastal town racked by unrest last week. At 11 a. m. the day before, someone screamed that there was an attack on a kitchen nearby. Every shop on Ms. Basmagi’s street closed down in fear. Other shops stay open, like the bakery in Cumaná where a line of 100 people snaked around a corner. Each person was allowed to buy about a pound of bread. Robert Astudillo, a father of two, was not sure there would be any left once his turn came. He said he still had corn flour to make arepas, a Venezuelan staple, for his children. They had not eaten meat in months. “We make the arepas small,†he said. In the refrigerator of Araselis Rodriguez and Nestor Daniel Reina, the parents of four small children, there was not even corn flour — just a few limes and some bottles of water. The family had eaten bread for breakfast and soup for lunch made from fish that Mr. Reina had managed to catch. The family had nothing for dinner. It has not always been clear what provokes the riots. Is it hunger alone? Or is it some larger anger that has built up in a country that has crumbled? Inés RodrÃguez was not sure. She remembered calling out to the crowd of people who had come to sack her restaurant on Tuesday night, offering them all the chicken and rice the restaurant had if they would only leave the furniture and cash register behind. They balked at the offer and simply pushed her aside, Ms. RodrÃguez said. “It is the meeting of hunger and crime now,†she said. As she spoke, three trucks with armed patrols drove by, each emblazoned with photos of Mr. Chávez and Mr. Maduro. The trucks were carrying food. “Finally they come here,†Ms. RodrÃguez said. “And look what it took to get them. It took this riot to get us something to eat. †| 1 | [
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FMD4234 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote!
contextual information: President Donald Trump and his team found several positives to tout from the newest round of employment numbers. On Jan. 5, the day the new numbers were released, presidential daughter and White House official Ivanka Trumptweeted, The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8 percent, the lowest ever recorded. We are working hard to bring this rate down even further. The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8 percent, the lowest ever recorded. We are working hard to bring this rate down even further. @WhiteHouseCEAhttps://t.co/LyNYIQ4D8s The president himself echoed the talking point in his owntweetJan. 8: African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote!#NeverForget@foxandfriends How accurate is the presidents tweet? Hes right on the numbers but leaves out economic gains for those groups under Democratic control. Unemployment rates In December 2017, African-American unemployment fell to 6.8 percent. Thats a record low since the statistic was first calculated in 1972. The previous record low was 7 percent in April 2000 and September 2017. The Hispanic unemployment also dropped by a full percentage point, from 5.9 percent in December 2016 to 4.9 percent in December 2017. As the president said, this is close to the data points all-time low, which was 4.8 percent in October and November 2017. Did Democrats do nothing for black and Hispanic unemployment? The tweet would have been accurate if Trump had stopped after the numbers. But his dig on the Democrats marred his talking point. The unemployment rate for both groups declined dramatically on President Barack Obamas watch. Black unemployment peaked at 16.6 percent in April 2010, when Obama was president. It then fell by more than half to 7.8 percent by the time Obama left office in January 2017. Hispanic unemployment, meanwhile, peaked at 13 percent in August 2009, then fell to 5.9 percent at the end of Obamas term in January 2017 -- also a drop of more than half. We should note that presidents dont deserve either full credit or full blame for the unemployment rate on their watch. The president is not all-powerful on economic matters; broader factors, from the business cycle to changes in technology to demographic shifts, play major roles. The White House did not reply to an inquiry for this article. Our ruling Trump tweeted, African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! Hes right about the low unemployment rates for both blacks and Hispanics today. But his slam that the Democrats did nothing in this regard is an exaggeration. Under Obama, the unemployment rate for both groups fell by more than half. We rate his statement Mostly True. | 1 | [
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FMD4235 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Most Bavarians have negative attitude toward Muslims in Germany – poll 18:42 Get short URL © Michaela Rehle / Reuters More than four in five people in the German state of Bavaria have a negative attitude toward Muslims, a new study has found, also reporting that refugees, the long-term unemployed and Roma community are generally perceived negatively.
More than half of the population of Bavaria demonstrated either “moderate” or “strong” antipathy towards Muslims living in Germany, a study conducted by the Social Studies Institute of the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich said . It also reported that another 34 percent of Bavarians said they had “slight” dislike for followers of Islam. Read more Merkel suggests Christmas carols, flute-playing in face of ‘Islam concerns’
Only 11 percent of respondents said they had no bad feelings about Muslims living in Germany, the research published on Monday added.
The study was based on a comprehensive survey that examined people’s attitudes towards eight different “distinct” groups of society – Muslims, refugees, Jews, Roma, foreigners in general, as well as people of a different race, homosexuals and the long-term unemployed.
It featured from three to 10 questions that varied depending on each group in focus and that were presented in the form of statements that the respondents had to agree or disagree with.
The study particularly featured such statements as: “There are too many Muslims in Germany,”“Foreigners/refugees endanger my financial situation/personal way of living,” and “Many long-time unemployed people systematically shy away from work.”
The research was conducted between April and June 2016 and relied on surveying people from more than 1,700 households across Bavaria.
Of all the groups in question, Muslims were the only one that stirred up “strong” negative feelings among more than 20 percent of the Bavarian population, while in all other cases it never exceeded 10 percent, and was between 3 and 6 percent on average.
However, Muslims were not the only group that was perceived mostly negatively by Bavarians. The second most negatively perceived group was actually the long-time unemployed, as more than 80 percent of Bavarians had at least “slightly” negative attitude towards them, although only 4 percent had a “strong” animosity towards this section of society. Read more Syrian refugee in Germany with 4 wives, 22 kids sparks social media fuss over welfare
Refugees and the Roma (gypsy) community were also among the groups that were viewed least favourably, as only 27 percent of Bavarians had no negative feelings towards each of these groups. Ten percent of Bavarians said they had a “strong” negative attitude towards Roma – the second highest figure among all the groups in focus.
In the case of refugees, about a third of Bavarians held either “moderate” or “strong” antipathy towards them.
At the same time, the study showed that people of Bavaria have no negative attitude towards foreigners living in Germany in general as 56 percent of respondents said they had no bad feelings towards foreigners and only 10 percent of those questioned demonstrated “moderate” or “high” level of animosity towards them.
Bavarians were also almost equally tolerant towards gay people as 54 percent of respondents showed no antipathy towards them. They were also even less prone to what the study called “classic racism” that consists in viewing white people more positively than the people of other races. About three quarters of respondents showed no signs of racism at all, while only about 10 percent of them had “moderate” or “strong” racist views.
The study also showed that men are more prone to various forms of negative attitude towards the distinct groups in focus than women as well as that people having higher level of education tend to be more tolerant and less prejudged towards all these groups. Read more Merkel ally promotes ‘German Islam’ as means to integrate refugees into liberal EU society
The research also stressed people that have a strong national identity or have low level of trust to the political institutions are also inclined to have a negative attitude towards the distinct groups mentioned in the study.
However, the results of the study provoked significant concerns among social scientists, activists and even some churchmen. “In general, there is already a clear negative attitude [towards various distinct groups],” Christian Ganser, a social scientist from the LMU, told German media, adding that “group-focused hostility is a widespread phenomenon in Bavaria.”
The present social developments that concern negative attitudes towards various groups of society do not fit into the classic conception of right wing extremism, Miriam Heigl, an expert from the Center for Democracy of Munich, told dpa news agency.
Animosity towards distinct groups is no more a phenomenon linked only to some fringe extremist groups, Ganser, who is a co-author of the study, stressed, adding that it is now “a phenomenon [related to] the average people.”
“To harbor a pejorative attitude towards others out of fear to lose own identity is no Christian way,” Martin Schneider, a member of the Catholic township council of Munich, told German KNA news agency, commenting on the results of the study. He added that “those, who ostracize outsiders, go against Jesus” Christ.
At the same time, the issue is not limited to Bavaria, as sentiments similar to those presented in the study are common across the whole of Germany, Ralf Melzer, who works for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, told dpa. Read more Massive PEGIDA rally in Dresden marks 2 years of anti-immigrant movement (VIDEO)
On October 22, two days before the study was published, German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested that any Germans concerned about Islam should combat the perceived Islamization of Germany with flute-playing and Christmas carols.
“I know there are concerns about Islam,” she said at a congress of her party, the Christian Democratic Union, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while calling on people to rely on their Christian values and traditions to tackle this challenge.
On October 3, the German finance minister and close Merkel ally, Wolfgang Schaeuble, called for the creation of “German Islam” that would combine traditional Islamic norms with the principles of tolerance and European liberalism to help integrate millions of refugees from the Middle East into European and particularly German society.
Meanwhile, the anti-Muslim and anti-migrant sentiments in Germany are on the rise as the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gains strong support at the expense of Merkel’s Christian Democrats.
German ‘anti-Islamization’ movement Pegida (which stands for ‘Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West’) staged a massive rally in Dresden on October 16 to mark the group’s second anniversary. The event drew thousands of supporters who demonstrated against the chancellor’s refugee policy. | 0 | [
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FMD4236 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Was March 2020 the First March Since 2002 Without a US School Shooting? Claim summaries: The definition of a "school shooting" varies depending on whom you ask.
contextual information: Snopes is still fighting an infodemic of rumors and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and you can help. Find out what we've learned and how to inoculate yourself against COVID-19 misinformation. Read the latest fact checks about the vaccines. Submit any questionable rumors and advice you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease.
To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, state leaders across the U.S. ordered widespread school closures in March 2020. In the weeks that followed, millions of students spent their days at home instead of in classrooms. Some teachers and staff moved lessons online, and administrators locked the doors to school buildings so the general public could not enter. The closures were among the most dramatic steps taken by state leaders to combat the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 58,300 people globally as of this writing in mid-April 2020. About 56.6 million students registered for elementary or secondary school classes in the U.S. at the start of the 2019-20 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
While a disruption to students' learning, the shutdowns in America may have provided an unintended benefit beyond limiting people's exposure to the virus. On April 13, 2020, a journalist tweeted to his approximately 49,600 followers: "Last month was the first March without a school shooting in the United States since 2002." The reporter, Robert Klemko, quickly gained popularity on Twitter among Americans who believe federal and state leaders should enact stricter gun laws, including former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "It shouldn't have taken a pandemic to make this possible," her Twitter account wrote in a retweet of Klemko's post.
Meanwhile, Facebook users shared screenshots of Klemko's tweet, and one Instagram account for a website that brands itself as a fact-checking service on that platform posted a photograph of a law enforcement officer monitoring students boarding a school bus with Klemko's claim as overlay text. Among media sites, CBS News published a story stating the assertion as fact.
"My teens said this is the first time they have relaxed. No need to be hyper-vigilant of every unusual sound; they can just focus on schoolwork," one person tweeted. "Both grew up with regular Active Shooter Drills since kindergarten."
The claim about school shootings since 2002 is twofold: It asserts that no school shootings occurred in the U.S. in March 2020 and that every March between 2003 and 2019 documented at least one such incident. However, because agencies across government and the news media do not share a consistent way of tracking and defining school shootings, the truth of both assertions depends on whom you ask. The U.S. Secret Service and FBI, for example, provide an explanation of factors that contribute to school shootings but do not keep a running list of all on-campus gun crimes. Academics and school officials often rely on news media reports for their research, though journalists may not cover every shooting.
The nation's biggest gun rights group, the National Rifle Association, does not publish a running tally of shootings in schools, yet it has convened researchers to compile recommendations on how to avoid such incidents, like other organizations. Meanwhile, a leading opponent of the NRA, the lobbyist group Everytown for Gun Safety, has tracked all "incidents of gunfire" in K-12 schools and colleges, including suicides, shootings in which no one suffered injuries, and cases where the victims or gunmen may not have any connection to the school since 2013.
Those prominent advocacy groups aside, the least partisan and most comprehensive source of school shooting data appears to be the "K-12 School Shooting Database" sponsored by the U.S. Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Updated daily by emergency management researchers, the database records "each and every instance in which a gun is brandished, fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time of day, or day of the week," according to its stated methodology. Its website summarizes the tricky situation of analyzing school shooting data as follows: Without a common methodology for data collection, individual data sources are limited in both validity and utility. Furthermore, there is no consensus on what actually defines a school shooting. Based on the differences among all available reporting platforms, there is currently no single source for objective and accessible data from which school administrators, law enforcement, and public officials can draw to inform their decisions.
With that as background, administrators of the CHDS-sponsored K-12 database documented eight incidents fitting its definition of a "school shooting" in March 2020. Local news media reports affirm those findings. The incidents include:
Regarding the claim that March 2020 was the first March without a school shooting since 2002, the data is more murky. The CHDS-sponsored database lists at least one incident in U.S. K-12 schools in March of every year from 2003 through 2009 and every year from 2011 through 2020, but none in 2010. Supporting that finding, tallies of K-12 school shootings by the for-profit National School Safety and Security Services consulting firm and the advocacy group the National School Safety Center do not show a March 2010 incident.
However, those sources only consider shootings on U.S. elementary, middle, and high school properties. If you expand the scope of research to also include shootings on college campuses, Ohio State University documented a deadly shooting on March 9, 2010. According to the New York Times' coverage of the incident, officials said a custodian of the school shot and killed a co-worker before killing himself in a maintenance building. Another person was wounded in the gunfire.
We reached out to Washington Post reporter Klemko, the author of the viral claim, to understand where he got his numbers. He said he did include cases involving post-secondary institutions, rather than only focusing on K-12 schools. But unlike other datasets, he said he only considered shootings in which students, teachers, or staff were the targets of the gunfire or the perpetrators. In other words, he said he did not consider cases where people trespassed on school property and opened fire at others who aren't part of the school community. He also did not consider cases in which persons (no matter their affiliation with the school) accidentally discharged a gun or shootings on school properties outside of school hours or on weekends. "I used shootings on school property, K-12, vocational schools, colleges, and universities, where students or staff were intentionally shot at, or doing the shooting," he wrote in an email. "Where government and private data were inconclusive, news reports filled the gaps."
Looking at the comprehensive standards by which the CHDS-sponsored database documents shootings, he said "it's a mistake" to consider the database's definition of a "school shooting" as the most fair. "Few Americans would agree, for example, that an incident where a safety officer accidentally fires a gun in an office, injuring no one, constitutes a school shooting," he said. "Likewise, few would agree that adults trespassing on school grounds and exchanging gunfire when school is not in session and no children are present is a school shooting."
In sum, given the absence of a universal definition of "school shooting" in the U.S., and given that a government database and news media reports show at least eight shootings did occur on school properties in March 2020, we rate this claim as "false." | 0 | [
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FMD4237 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Does This Photograph Show a Dog Burned While Rescuing Its Family? Claim summaries: What happens when a social media prank achieves its intended results.
contextual information: In December 2015, a picture purportedly showing a dog that had been badly burned while rescuing a family from a fire started circulating on social media: circulating This image does not capture a dog who was badly burned while rescuing its family from a fire (or injured through any other means). The photograph shows a dog with a piece of ham on its face. While this may seem obvious to some viewers, several people liked and shared the above-displayed Facebook post as if it were a genuine item. Stephen Roseman, the Facebook user who posted the infamous image, admitted that the story was fake in the comment section below his post: People, people this isn't even my dog, I found this picture on fascistbook, stole it, and decided to use it in a prank to fool these religitards So I did, and low and behold idiots left and right fall for it, and those that didn't, seem to think they have a superior intelligence or something, for pointing out the obvious Keep in mind, I never told a single soul to like this, that is their choice, I don't give a f*ck either way. The image, in other words, was initially shared specifically to poke fun at both the people who tend to share "1 like = 1 prayer" messages on social media sites, and at the people who would subsequently point out that it was a joke. | 0 | [
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FMD4238 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Seattle financial worker Harrison Karlewicz had been considering joining an environmental activist group for a while. The day after Donald Trump won the White House, he signed up. “That was a big push for me, kind of a wakeup call,†the 25-year-old said, after joining 350 Seattle, a group that stages mass protests against fossil fuel use. “I thought, ‘I don’t feel involved. I want to get out there.’†During his campaign, Trump said global warming was a hoax and called for the Environmental Protection Agency to be gutted. He promised to “cancel†the Paris climate agreement between the United States and nearly 200 other countries to slow climate change, and he pledged to revive the coal industry. Karlewicz represents what environmental activists say is the silver lining of Trump’s electoral victory: Environmentally minded people angered by the outcome are rallying to their cause. At 350 Seattle, people packed a volunteer drop-in meeting after news of Trump’s confirmed win, said organizer Emily Johnston. The group blocked a rail line in Washington state that transports oil to Shell and Tesoro refineries earlier this year.     “This was surprising to me, because I personally was so shaken that I felt practically paralyzed, and I know many other people did, too,†Johnston said. “The fact that many others responded by immediately engaging is incredibly heartening.†Jay O’Hara, a Vermont-based climate-change activist with the Climate Disobedience Center and a mastermind behind a coal shipment blockade in 2013 that spurred more radical fossil fuel activism, said Trump’s win represents an opportunity for environmentalists to focus on a clear enemy. “In some ways, it can almost be seen as a relief,†he said of Trump’s win. “We are going to have a real fight here, or maybe an actual argument.†Johnston, of 350 Seattle, who camped for a week at North Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux reservation to protest pipeline construction, said that protesters would continue to take advantage of the vulnerability of energy infrastructure. “All these pipelines, all these tankers, all these trains have to go through thousands of miles†and could be potential protest targets, she said. Some of the well established national environmental organizations that helped draft the Obama administration’s environmental initiatives, like the Clean Power Plan to curb carbon dioxide emissions, will be shifting to a defensive posture under Trump’s leadership. “We’ll be in the Congress, in the courts, in the boardrooms and in the streets,†said Gene Karpinski, president of the Washington-based League of Conservation Voters, which backed Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and spent over $45 million to support candidates in the 2016 elections. Karpinski said he expected legal action to prevent Trump from following through on his agenda. Trump has appointed Myron Ebell, a known climate skeptic, to guide the reshaping of the EPA, and Trump energy adviser Kevin Cramer, a U.S. representative from North Dakota, said Trump is likely to target the Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States rules during his first 100 days in office. Dan Farber, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, said the best that advocates for climate change action could hope for from courts is to “play successful defense against an anti-environmental onslaught†from the new administration.    “It’s a fairly grim situation,†he added. Several groups also said they would put a greater focus on state-level environmental initiatives to sidestep Trump’s administration. The Sierra Club, which is headquartered in California, said it would push ahead with its Beyond Coal campaign, which has led to the retirement of hundreds of coal plants since it was launched more than a decade ago. The campaign mobilizes local activists and lawyers to push utilities and state regulators to shutter older plants and replace them with renewable energy. “Clearly, we are going to have to fight and resist the worst impulses of the next administration,†said Michael Brune, Sierra Club’s executive director. “But we are also mindful that despite all odds, we were able to make great progress during the Bush administration and we hope to do it again.†| 1 | [
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FMD4239 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The U.S. unemployment rate has been massaged, its been doctored.
contextual information: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who plans to say this spring if hell again seek the Republican presidential nomination, questioned the validity of federal unemployment statistics as he otherwise extolled the boom in his home state, according to a reporter in attendance. In a tweet, Dave Weigel of Bloomberg Politics quoted Perry saying during a Jan. 26, 2015, breakfast event with Jewish voters in Des Moines that the official unemployment rate is unreliable: Its been massaged, its been doctored, Weigel quoted Perry saying. By phone, Weigel told us Perry made his remark while celebrating his states economy and did not take reporter questions. At our request, Weigel later emailed us his fuller transcript showing Perry said: We've got the lowest participation rate since the late 1970s when Jimmy Carter was president. I'm talking about participation in the work force. That's of really great concern for me. Perry continued: I mean, who is it standing up for these people that I call the uncounted? They've lost hope that they can even get a job, so they're not even counted. When you look at the unemployment rate today, that's not the true unemployment rate, it's been massaged, it's been doctored, Perry said. The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.6 percentin December 2014, down from as much as 10 percent in 2009, Democrat Barack Obamas first year as president.The Texas jobless ratewas 4.6 percent, the states lowest since May 2008. Indeed, on Jan. 15, 2015, in his last speech to Texas legislators as governor, Perrysaluted the statesjob gains, also noting the Texas jobless rate was significantly below the national average. So we were curious what he meant about the rate being doctored and asked Perry aides to elaborate--without success. Jobless rate an imperfect indicator Nationally, the persistence of discouraged workers and declining workforce participation often come up as criticisms of the jobless rate. Perrys mention of the official jobless rate leaving out discouraged workers was accurate. After Obamas latest State of the Union address, PolitiFact rated Mostly True the Democratic leaders declaration the unemployment rate was the lowest it had been since before the financial crisis that blew up around the time of his 2008 election. Still, that fact check noted Obama was citing the most basic version of the unemployment rate,which draws on regular surveys of households that originated in 1940. Another version of the rate, known as U-6, tries to capture a broader picture of labor-market weaknesses by accounting for people who are unemployed plus people working part-time who would rather have full-time work -- and people who have stopped looking for work but would begin to look again if labor-market conditions improved. By rolling in these additional factors, the U-6 rate tends to track the official unemployment rate but is usually a few points higher. And as it happens, the U-6 rate -- unlike the official unemployment rate -- hasnt returned to its pre-financial-crisis level. The national December 2014 U-6 rate was 11.2 percent, higher than the 11 percent rate in September 2008. This gets us to Perrys mention of labor force participation, which gauges the number of people in the labor force compared to the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. The labor force shrinks whenever someone retires, voluntarily gives up working (such as when they become a full-time parent or go back to school full-time) or because they simply give up on finding a job. Historically, workforce participation was down in the national recession at the end of Carters tenure and through the start of Ronald Reagans presidency,PolitiFact noted in 2012. More recently, the labor force participation rate has markedly decreased since 2008. In September 2008, it stood at 66 percent; it was nearly 63 percent as of December 2014, the most recent month of available data. So, the participation rate is lately at its lowest point since the late 1970s, which also was a time when fewer women had jobs outside the home. This decrease has partly been influenced by the aging of the workforce (as in Baby Boomer retirements). No signs of doctoring These wrinkles noted, is there evidence the jobless rate has been massaged and doctored, as Perry put it? We found none. In November 2013, after a manipulation charge bubbled up involving the Philadelphia region, the U.S. Census Bureau -- which conducts the Current Population Survey that gathers information from households later converted by the government to the unemployment rate --posted a statementsaying: We have no reason to believe that there was a systematic manipulation of the data described in media reports. As a statistical agency, the Census Bureau is very conscientious about our responsibility to produce accurate Current Population Survey data for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and all other surveys we conduct. The bureau referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Commerces Office of the Inspector General, whichsaid in May 2014 it had found no evidenceunemployment data had been manipulated in the months leading up to the November 2012 national election. That report also recommended some bureau reforms. None of several experts responding to our inquiries said the unemployment rate has been massaged or doctored. Among them,Andrew Biggsof the American Enterprise Institute told us the fact the regular jobless rate doesnt reflect discouraged job-seekers or part-timers wishing for full-time jobs isnt a deliberate government misrepresentation. Still, Biggs emailed, it means the unemployment rate doesnt deliver an accurate picture of the labor markets health. If labor force participation were the same today as prior to the recession, I believe the unemployment rate would be around 8.3%. So the idea that the labor market is really healthy today just isnt that true, he said. In 2013, economists told PolitiFact it would be extremely difficult to alter the unemployment rate. William Shobe, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at the University of Virginia, said its important to remember there are many measures of unemployment, including privately produced surveys. And they all agree, within the margins of error, Shobe said. The immediate conclusion that you can draw from that is that no rogue interviewer or group of rogue interviewers have managed to budge the unemployment far (or at all, mind you) from the value it would have had otherwise. Shobe added that any effort to fudge the national numbers would require the participation of interviewers across the country. Otherwise you would see only a localized move which would wash out as noise in the national stats, he said. Shobe, reached afresh for this story, said he was unaware of developments that would support the former governors claim. The whole idea that you could get a group of these statisticians to lie about these survey results theyre collecting and have that stick, thats just crazy, Shobe said.These are career civil servants. Their incentives are to get the best possible numbers. Shobe suggested we query University of Wisconsin economistMenzie Chinnwho told us by email that he considers such critiques of the rate to be specious; Chinn pointed us to his October 2012blog posttaking to task a similar statement by business executive Jack Welch. Asked to assess Perrys comment in full, Chinn said: Its true that had the labor force participation rate not declined, and we used the number of employed actually observed to calculate a rate, then mechanically the unemployment rate would have to be higher. Regardless, he said, its not so that government statisticians changed the procedure for calculations in order to change the reported unemployment number which Chinn said is how he would define doctored. By phone,Tara Sinclair, a George Washington University economist, said nothing notable has occurred to demonstrate the unemployment rate has been doctored or massaged, though in August 2014, Princeton University economistAlan Kruegerand others wrotea paperpointing out fewer people are responding to the survey that feeds the rate. ANew York Timescolumnist, David Leonhardt,summarizedthe upshot as being a seeming increase in the number of people who once would have qualified as officially unemployed and today are considered out of the labor force, neither working nor looking for work. Sinclair speculated by email that Perrys reference to discouraged workers being left out of the rate means hed prefer to see the rate calculated with the workers counted. But the words massaged and doctored, Sinclair said, each carries a charge, implying the rate is nefariously manipulated. We have no evidence of that, Sinclair said. Our ruling Addressing Iowans, Perry said the official U.S. jobless rate has been doctored, its been massaged. Theres legitimate debate about what statistic best measures the state of the workforce and even agreement that the widely quoted unemployment rate (which Perry stressed as meaningful about a week before this Iowa stop) doesnt provide the fullest picture of the labor force. But that's a far cry from showing the government is massaging or doctoring numbers, which implies organized underhanded wrongdoing. Perry may yet elaborate. We find this claim factually unsupported and ridiculous. Pants on Fire! PANTS ON FIRE The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim. Click here formoreon the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. | 0 | [
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FMD4240 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Trump administration will continue to pay subsidies for low-income Americans receiving healthcare coverage under Obamacare, but no decisions have been made about future funding, a White House official said on Wednesday. “While we agreed to go ahead and make the ... payments for now, we haven’t made a final decision about future commitments,†the official said. | 1 | [
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FMD4241 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: In this our quadrennial season of financial hope, we might wish that the major presidential candidates would reckon with one of the large and looming numbers in our lives. Maybe this particular pair of multimillionaires hears the parents and grandparents who are confounded by college price tags that seem to start at six figures. But the candidates’ plans don’t hold out much cause for hope. Hillary Clinton wants to make tuition for state universities free for families with less than $125, 000 in income, but her plan would require the financial help of states that may not want to chip in. Donald Trump has mentioned refinancing student loans and forcing universities to spend more from their endowments to help students. His website, however, has no formal proposals. Perhaps the debate moderators will demand more details. So what we need right now is one college savings, paying and borrowing plan to rule them all. The best one I know of — the one that visibly reduces anxiety in the faces of people I preach it to — comes from Kevin McKinley, a financial adviser in Eau Claire, Wis. And you can sum it up in about 30 words: Save a quarter of the cost over a child’s first 18 years. Pay another quarter out of current income over the next four years. Borrow the rest, split among the family. Let’s break them down in order, for a family who has its sights on a state university and doesn’t qualify for any grants or scholarships that they would not have to repay. SAVE A QUARTER Let’s say you think an undergraduate degree from a state university will cost $160, 000 in 18 years, including room and board. A quarter of that, per the McKinley plan, is $40, 000. To save that much, you’d need to put aside about $115 each month for 18 years if it earns a 5 percent annual return. Where might it earn that kind of return? In one of those 529 college savings plans that your state probably offers, perhaps in a mutual fund with a mix of stocks and bonds that gets less aggressive as your child gets closer to 18. The website savingforcollege. com is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about 529 plans. And where is that $115 supposed to come from? In his 2002 book, “Make Your Kid a Millionaire,†Mr. McKinley suggested looking at the things on your credit or debit card statement and asking yourself this: Would I rather help my kid go to college or would I prefer to keep buying or doing those things on my bill that add up to the number I need to save each month? Harsh? He doesn’t think so. “I don’t judge what people choose to spend money on,†he said. “But most people with kids going to college wish they could go back and change what they spent, because a lot of it was on things that didn’t have any value in the long run. †SPEND A QUARTER This step is harder. For parents sending a child to a college right now that costs $100, 000 total, they’ll need to find a bit over $500 a month to hit the number, $25, 000, that equals a quarter of the total cost. So rice and beans instead of eating out. No more vacations, or much cheaper ones. If that’s not enough or you already made those changes years ago, a side job may be in order. Doing that, too? Don’t forget that your child is capable of earning $6, 000 annually by working full time in the summer and part time during the school year. If your child earns that much, you’re not responsible for this portion. Are there generous grandparents in the mix? This would be a good time for them to step in if they haven’t already or weren’t sure if they would be able to help until they had their own financial affairs sorted out. THE BORROWING Back when he wrote his book, Mr. McKinley said that he considered debt a last resort. These days, he’s changed his tune. “You’d like to pay cash for your house, too, but it’s just not realistic,†he said. First, student loans. Though the terminology and process is (wildly, needlessly) complex, the advice is simple for anyone wanting to borrow $25, 000: Take out federal student loans from the government, not private ones that come from a bank or similar institution. The advantage of federal loans is that if your child doesn’t earn much after graduation, you can enroll in a program where you’ll be eligible for lower payments. Then, parent borrowing. Mr. McKinley notes that we’re at a rare economic moment where three things are happening at once: Home values are rising nicely in many parts of the country, interest rates are low and lenders are a bit looser than they were in the recent past. For people with children in college now, that means that borrowing money against your home may be a good way to come up with your $25, 000 chunk. Mr. McKinley is bearish on the future of student loans and expects them to become generally less available over time. So he suggested a more aggressive way for the parents of younger children to pay for a quarter of college: Draw on home equity now while you can, put the money in certificates of deposit and treat your (often ) interest payments on the loan like an insurance policy, where you’re paying a “premium†just to be sure you’ll have access to the capital. After all, as we saw in 2009, banks that are loose now with home equity loans can change their minds in a heartbeat. If you do not own a home, or drawing on home equity seems too risky or needlessly expensive (or you’re worried about how that money might affect any financial aid that you end up qualifying for) the federal government offers loans to parents, too. THE MANY CAVEATS Plenty of people don’t make enough money to save anything for college, let alone save $500 a month while their child is in school. Others could have saved but didn’t and are panicking now that the first tuition bill is close at hand. If you’re in that situation, please read the two guides I wrote in 2014 for people in that spot. The McKinley plan is linear. Your financial life probably won’t be, pockmarked as most of our lives are with unpaid parental leave or illness or unemployment or inopportune stock market declines or a bunch of these things all at once. But the plan is also flexible. You could borrow a bit more or save a bit more or consider a gap year between high school and college to put away additional funds. If there is more than one child, these numbers could double, and if private colleges are under consideration, they may double again or more. But at private colleges especially, paying tuition for two children at once will increase your chances of qualifying for financial aid (the kind you get after filling out the federal aid form and sometimes other application forms). Moreover, many colleges (private ones, in particular) offer a different kind of help, merit aid, to good students, even if their families don’t qualify for aid. That can easily lop five figures off costs each year per student, even if it doesn’t bring the private college price down to the level of a flagship state university. Which brings us to a couple of other challenges. How do you know when it’s worth paying a whole lot more for one school than another? Mr. McKinley is facing this question right now with his daughter, Ellie, a high school senior with an interest in web design. She was eyeing the Rhode Island School of Design or the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but she can study the same things at the University of for less than a third of the retail cost. The family is leaning hard toward the cheaper option. “If you’re the kind of kid who can get into the more expensive school, then you’ll usually have the talent and moxie to succeed even without their education,†Mr. McKinley said. There is also the bizarre unpredictability of the process. The rack rates are high, and while many people get discounts based on need or merit, you have no way of knowing which, if any, you might qualify for many years from now. You’ll probably get the answers some spring day in the future and then have a few weeks, at most, to make what may be among the biggest and most consequential financial decisions of your life. So good luck with that. But don’t let the absurdity of what the system has become paralyze you into doing nothing. “You don’t have to come up with a quarter of a million dollars for your kid,†Mr. McKinley said. “Do what you can now, and just keep building off of it. †| 1 | [
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FMD4242 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released new videos depicting the danger of guns in children s hands in response to the National Rifle Association s (NRA) and the corporate gun industry s disgusting marketing of guns to children. The videos depict Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan as victims of gun violence.Watch videos here:Peter Pan[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoAuvmRH2Yk] Alice in Wonderland[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDrQlHx7GK4]A report by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) Start Them Young How the Firearms Industry and Gun Lobby Are Targeting Your Children, documents how the gun industry and the gun lobby markets guns to children. The comprehensive 54 page report lists the many slick approaches marketers use to make guns attractive to children despite the lethal consequences which include mass murder, suicides, fatal unintentional shootings, and mass murder. The marketing approaches of guns include: The promotion of 22 caliber assault rifles that often incorporate plastic in their design (leading to less recoil and lighter weight). The result, according to Shooting Sports Retailer, is guns that bring the coolness and fun of the tactical rifle to kids and less serious shooters. Marketing guns in child-friendly colors, including: pink rifles and pistols intended for girls and women from a wide range of manufacturers; Smith & Wesson 22 caliber AR-15 style assault rifles in Pink Platinum, Purple Platinum, and Harvest Moon Orange; and youth rifles from Savage Arms that come in crayon-box colors that include red, yellow, orange, and blue. In the search for a gun-based reality video game to compete with the appeal of actual video games, the industry has embraced 3-Gun competition, described by one gun writer as being as close to a real-life first person shooter video game as you ll get without joining the military. The NRA, which is considered the most powerful lobby group in Washington along with other groups that promote violent activities like Israel s AIPAC, has a leash on Washington GOP politicians despite the fact that its promotion and profiteering off of guns has made America one of the most dangerous countries on the planet.The Brady Campaign, named after James Brady, who was permanently disabled after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is a non-profit organization that has advocated for gun control for decades. Featured image via video screenshot. | 0 | [
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FMD4243 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Was Barack Obama the First Ex-President to 'Publicly Speak Against' His Successor? Claim summaries: Is there truly anything that has never been done before in U.S. politics?
contextual information: In the lead-up to the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, an old meme re-emerged on social media which claimed that former president Barack Obama had displayed an unprecedented level of partisanship and opportunism in his criticisms of President Donald Trump, in that Obama was "the first ex president to publicly speak against a successor" re-emerged social media The meme was actually an edited form of an earlier version which first emerged on social media in 2017. The original included only the phrase "First Ex President to Publicly Speak Against a Successor": 2017 The claim, that no ex-president before Barack Obama ever publicly criticized his immediate successor is false. There is ample historical evidence of ex-presidents doing just that. Here are a few instances: Barack Obama The 44th president offered what were widely perceived as thinly-veiled criticisms of President Donald Trump when he spoke in Johannesburg, South Africa, in July 2018, railing against what he called "strongman politics," whereby "those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning." He also criticized "far-right parties" with a platform of "protectionism and closed borders" as well as "barely-hidden racial nationalism." perceived Speaking at the University of Illinois in September, Obama criticized Trump by name, saying he was a "symptom, not a cause" of an effort by powerful elites to engender fear and division in the face of social change and progress: Obama had declined to openly attack Trump for the first 18 months of his presidency, following what, in his University of Illinois speech, he called the "wise American tradition of ex-presidents gracefully exiting the political stage." Obama said he had changed his mind because, in his view, the 2018 mid-term elections represented "one of those pivotal moments when every one of us, as citizens of the United States, need to determine just who it is that we are, just what it is that we stand for." speech Bill Clinton In July 2007, the 42nd president took aim at the administration of his successor, George W. Bush, in its handling of the Iraq war, telling Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer "There is no military victory here" and criticizing Bush for attempting to filibuster Congressional efforts to bring about a withdrawal of troops: took aim efforts George H.W. Bush Although George H.W. Bush had a general policy of not speaking publicly against his successor, the 41st president did just that more than once while campaigning for Republican candidates during the 1994 mid-term elections. The Daily Oklahoman newspaper reported that Bush Sr. had offered a stinging counter-attack against Clinton during a visit to the state capital on 4 November 1994: reported Saying he was breaking his policy against criticizing President Clinton, former President George Bush said Friday in Oklahoma City he was tired of his Democratic successor criticizing Republicans ... Bush told the crowd ... that Clinton was stumping about blaming Republicans in Congress "for his demise or things that weren't going right." "He blames us and he is wrong. I'm so tired of it," Bush told about 5,000 noisy GOP supporters at Oklahoma Christian University of Sciences and Arts. "I think America is a little tired of it." During a Republican rally in Omaha, Nebraska, the same week, Bush attacked Clinton for having "the nerve" to blame the GOP for "his own failures," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazettereported: reported Former President George Bush broke a self-imposed silence yesterday and attacked President Clinton for taking credit for the U.S. economic recovery. Bush has been stumping for Republican candidates in the Mid-west this week. "He has the nerve to blame Republicans for his own failures and the shortcomings of the Democratic Congress," the former president told a crowd of about 1,500 people in Omaha. In 1999, during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton's impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives, Bush even appeared to accuse his successor of behaving in a way which demonstrated a lack of respect for the U.S. presidency, as the Associated Press reported: reported Former President Bush thinks Bill Clinton lacks respect for the presidency, but Bush predicts the country will bounce back after Clinton's impeachment trial ends. "I have tried to stay out of all the Washington mess," Bush said Saturday at the end of a keynote address to the Safari Club International's 27th annual hunters' convention. "But I must confess I have been deeply concerned by what appears to be a lack of respect for the office I was so very proud to hold." Jimmy Carter The 39th president more than once criticized Ronald Reagan, the man who defeated him in the 1980 presidential campaign, firmly defending his own record and offering relatively barbed comments about his successor. In September 1982, Carter responded to Reagan's earlier criticisms of the Democrat's legacy, accusing his rival of failing to "accept his responsibilities as president," the New York Times reported: New York Times Former President Jimmy Carter, responding to criticism from President Reagan, said tonight that while his Administration made mistakes, "we did not spend four years blaming our mistakes on our predecessors" ... Mr. Carter accused Mr. Reagan of not accepting his responsibilities. The former President said that after his defeat in 1980, he resolved to pledge Mr. Reagan "my help, my support when he was ready to accept the awesome responsibilities of the Presidency." "My offer still stands," Mr. Carter said at a Democratic National Committee fund-raising dinner. "When he is ready to accept those responsibilities, I'll be there to help him." At a press conference two months later, Carter continued that theme, saying Reagan's efforts to deflect criticism onto him were "irresponsible and ill-advised" and that his Republican successor had made "radical" and unwelcome changes to U.S. foreign policy, United Press International reported: reported Jimmy Carter criticized President Reagan for making 'radical' changes in U.S. foreign and domestic policy, and said Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin is responsible in part for failure of the Camp David accords. In a wide-ranging news conference, Carter also twitted Reagan for trying to lay the blame for the nation's problems on the previous administration. 'There is always the temptation for an incumbent politician to blame all his mistakes on his predecessor. Most are willing to withstand the temptation. Mr. Reagan, apparently, is not,' Carter said. 'The public sees through that and the results of the (midterm) election proves I'm right' ... Speaking typically with a soft voice but strong words, Carter said: "Most of the quite radical departures in foreign, domestic and economic policy have not been good for the country. We have an unprecedented number of people unemployed; bankruptcies are the highest in years; farm income is at the lowest level ever; the deficits have never been so high, and so forth" ... "It's true President Reagan inherited some serious problems from my administration. I inherited some from President Ford. But to try to forego blame and say all these problems are my predecessor's fault is patently irresponsible and ill-advised," he said. Carter called Reagan's nuclear policies 'ill-advised.' Gerald Ford Just as Carter publicly took aim at the man who replaced him in the White House, he was also the subject of repeated and sometimes very strong criticism by Republican Gerald Ford, whom Carter had defeated in the 1976 election. In April 1977, less than three months after Carter succeeded him, Ford ridiculed the Democrat's economic policies in a widely-syndicated interview with the Washington Post: interview "Mr. Carter's anti-inflation program came in like a lion," Ford said. "It's going out like a mouse" ... The former president, looking relaxed, voiced his criticism of Carter in a brief interview following a speech to a Republican group here [in Los Angeles, California.] Over the next three years, Ford also took aim at Carter's handling of negotiations over the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), his handling of the economic crisis, and in the summer of 1980 he launched a devastating attack on his successor's legacy at a Republican event in Indianapolis, as the Associated Press reported: negotiations crisis reported "The Carter economic policies have been a catastrophe. They've been disasters. We handed them the economy on a silver platter," Ford said, arguing that the rate of inflation was less than 5 percent when he left office and that unemployment was going down. "The president blew it." Ford predicted that Carter will go into the November election with a national unemployment rate of 9 percent, double-digit inflation and double-digit interest rates. "He'll be defending the worst economic policy of any president since the Depression of 1932. That's bad. And he's responsible." Conclusion The examples highlighted above are far from exhaustive but serve to illustrate that Barack Obama's recent criticisms of President Donald Trump are far from unique or unprecedented and, especially when compared to the pronouncements of Gerald Ford, could even be argued to have been relatively tame. As such, the claim in the 2017 meme which re-emerged in November 2018, that Obama is "the first ex-president to publicly speak against a successor" is false. Wintour, Patrick. "Obama Criticises 'Strongman Politics' in Coded Attack on Trump."
The Guardian. 17 July 2018. Reuters. "Bill Clinton Criticizes Bush on Iraq."
19 July 2007. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay and Jeff Zeleny. "Clash Over Iraq Becomes Bitter Between Bush and Congress."
The New York Times. 12 July 2007. Zizzo, David. "Bush Criticizes Clinton During Stop in City."
The Daily Oklahoman. 5 November 1994. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Bush Criticizes Clinton."
5 November 1994. Associated Press. "Bush Criticizes Clinton, But Says Scandal Will Fade."
The Atlanta Constitution 25 January 1999. Clymer, Adam. "Carter Says Reagan Has Failed to Accept His Responsibilities."
The New York Times. 1 October 1982. Pippert, Wesley G. "Jimmy Carter Criticized President Reagan Wednesday for Making 'Radical'..."
United Press International. 10 November 1982. Cannon, Lou. "Ford Criticizes Carter Economics."
The Tampa Bay Times. 17 April 1977. Associated Press. "Ford Criticizes Carter's Policy."
The [Uniontown] Evening Standard. 8 April 1977. Associated Press. "Ford Criticizes Carter's Economic Policies."
The [Staunton] News Leader. 11 October 1979. Carrol, Jan. "Former President Ford Criticizes Carter for 'Flip-Flopping' Policies."
The [Lousiville] Courier-Journal. 27 June 1980. | 0 | [
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FMD4244 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Thursday he had a “friendly and constructive†discussion with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Berlin and they agreed to work together to promote sustainable global growth and prosperity. “We found a good basis†to work together, Schaeuble said at a joint news conference with Mnuchin but added that they would not solve all of their problems at an upcoming meeting of G20 finance ministers. | 1 | [
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FMD4245 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Have Sixty Holistic Doctors Died Suspicious Deaths In the Past Year? Claim summaries: This claim, inelegantly formulated on an alternative health website, is remarkable for both its incoherence and its lack of substantiating evidence.
contextual information: On 19 June 2015, a controversial doctor named Jeffrey Bradstreet was found dead in a river by a local fisherman from what the local sheriff's office later determined was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. Bradstreet was an outspoken proponent of the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism, as well as a practitioner of and an evangelist for a fringe remedy derived from human blood known as GcMAF (illegally advertised as a cure for everything from cancer to autism). practitioner evangelist GcMAF His death came just days after his Georgia clinic was raided by the federal agents looking for GcMAF or other unlicensed medical treatments. On the day he was found, a Swiss clinic associated with a company that Bradstreet had frequently promoted and which used GcMAF, was raided after five patients died (though it is not clear if those five patients died from GcMAF or some other cause). raided associated His family, not convinced in the official conclusion that his death was a suicide, hired a private investigator to look for indications of foul play, which provided fodder for internet conspiracy theorists -- many suggested he had been murdered by someone working for the pharmaceutical, medical, and regulatory establishments. hired Erin Elizabeth, the founder of Health Nut News, has taken this sentiment and run with it, arguing that Bradstreets death was not only suspicious, but far from an isolated incident. Her post on Bradstreet provided a gateway into what would become the central focus of her work over the next year and a half -- unraveling the mystery around what she claims are the suspicious deaths of over 60 doctors of holistic medicine. Her post claims Her efforts have caught the attention of countless other conspiracy-minded web sites, including Natural News and Alex Jones InfoWars. Aspects of the narrative are allegedly being developed into a movie, and on 30 April 2017, Elizabeth was featured on an episode of Investigation Discovery Channels Scene of the Crime, with Tony Harris that focused on Bradstreet's death. Natural News InfoWars allegedly on an episode Elizabeth first wrote about Bradstreets death on 23 June 2015, in a post implying (but not demonstrating) there was more to the story than met the eye, and citing Bradstreet's family and friends' doubt over the official cause of death as proof. Building off of the success of that article, Elizabeth has expanded what she calls her unintentional series to include over 50 posts on Health Nut News. wrote Frequent breaking headlines and Elizabeths repeatedly stated fears for the safety of partner, Joseph Mercola, a prominent holistic doctor with an extensive web site, have added a sense of urgency. Her posts, often devoid of details that provide any tangible link between events, almost invariably tie the deaths if not directly, then by not-at-all-subtle innuendo, to the conspiracy narrative created in the Bradstreet story. stated This-bait-and-switch started right away. For example, in her report on the case of chiropractor Bruce Hedendal on 1 July 2015, who was found dead in his car, reportedly of natural causes, she implies (but never expands on) a link to Bradstreet: Bruce Hedendal The second doctor is Dr. Bruce Hedendal, DC, PhD of Boca Roton, Fl. who died suddenly on Fathers Day, leaving behind a beautiful family. Sources tell me that he was found dead in his car; there had been no accident and it wasnt running. He had exercised earlier at an event, but we dont want to speculate as the authorities have yet to rule on his cause of death. [...] Both Dr Hedendal and Dr. Bradstreet had dealt with run ins with the feds in the past. In fact, Dr. Bradstreets office was just raided by the FDA days before he died. In this post, we critically and systematically examine each person that Elizabeth has included in her series to see if suggestions of linked causes or outright conspiracy hold up. In doing so, we demonstrate that Elizabeths series fails to a) coherently articulate the conspiracy, b) consistently utilize the same list of victims, or c) demonstrate any connection between the victims whatsoever. What Is the Conspiracy? Elizabeth, who repeatedly stresses that she has no proof of a connection between any of these cases, generally suggests that there have been a large and underreported number of holistic doctors whose deaths were suspicious or unexplained. In its early iterations in the summer of 2015, the claims suggested a local Florida connection (Bradstreet had moved from Florida to Georgia), as she wrote in the 21 July 2015 post: post Yet another doctor was just found murdered inside his home here on the East Coast of Florida. This makes six doctors to be found dead in the last month, from this region of the country alone. Four out of the six were found dead here in Florida. As the series progressed, however, the geographic and chronologic window widened, with later reports coming from numerous states across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the Caribbean island of Grenada, and the United Kingdom. Chronologically, the series has expanded retroactively to include incidents that predate Bradstreets death, going back as early as the summer of 2014. incidents summer of 2014 Other aspects of the story that have been broadened with its telling and retelling are the defining characteristics of the alleged victims of the conspiracy. In some cases, the doctors that Elizabeth includes have no connection to holistic medicine whatsoever (despite her headlines), and in other cases the link to holistic medicine is extremely tenuous and based on observations such as liked Facebook pages, veganism, or an openness to preventive medicine. Elizabeth herself does not offer any suggestions or explications for motive, but strongly suggests the link lies within their alternative approach to medicine, as she does in her most recent recap of the series: recap Some of the biggest skeptics, those who rolled their eyes at the first few deaths, are now wondering if there isnt a connection. There have been theories, from GcMAF to CBD oil, but I dont think all doctors used both of these treatments. Im not convinced either is the smoking gun, but might hold part of the answer. There are several unsolved murders here (and some alleged suicides, most still under investigation), and I sincerely hope they get to the bottom of this as again, we knew several of these amazing doctors personally. The dubious (and unsubstantiated) shared connections of GcMAF and CBD oil -- a non-psychoactive component of cannabis used primarily for pain management -- among these doctors is about as close to a motive as you will find on Health Nut News. Still, it has been enough fodder for others to attach their own pet theories tosome conspiracy peddlers focus on GcMAF despite the fact that almost none of the other doctors were involved in it, while others tie the conspiracy more generally to the heavy-handed interference of the federal government. peddlers Who Are the Victims? Elizabeth claims that well over 60 victims, who are mostly holistic doctors have died suspiciously. She has not published a definitive list, but when she recaps the growing list of departed doctors, she posts a photo montage of the alleged victims faces. Without a clear tally from Elizabeth, we took it upon ourselves to generate a list of the doctors whose deaths she has said were suspicious. The task proved complex because many of her reports come with the caveat that they are not part of the official series but are nonetheless included in her photo montage. Elizabeth told us via email that this inconsistency stems from advice she got from a reporter: After talking to a seasoned reporter in NY, I decided he was correct I couldn't pick and choose who to put into this series so I included all of them and usually wrote about right after their deaths were announced. Our list includes 61 doctors (provided for your own fact-checking pleasure on this Google spreadsheet) and is derived from Elizabeths posts, reverse image searches of the collage of victims faces, and discussions with Elizabeth herself. 56 of the doctors on our list come from her collage (which includes two duplicate faces). Elizabeth sent us links to an additional five posts about deaths that she has not yet included in the photo montage. Google spreadsheet As we will show below, of these now 61 doctors, all but five can easily be excluded from any conspiracy attacking alternative medical practice. The remaining five cases, while perhaps not without some intrigue, are far from sufficient proof of of any large scale conspiracy against alternative health practitioners. Elizabeth Herself Has Already Excluded 14 of the 61 Cases As Elizabeths conspiracy claims have expanded, she has taken to posting about deaths that even she admits are not part of her list of dead holistic doctors. Yet, she includes these doctors in her photo montage and has posted about questions surrounding their deaths on Health Nut News. questions These fourteen doctors include five chiropractors who died in car accidents (Chris Coffman, David Knotts, Thomas Eynon, William Snow and Janelle A. Bottorff) introduced with this caveat: five chiropractors this caveat Im not including these officially in my holistic series of doctors who have been found dead or murdered, but have had more than one of their patients write me saying that they would like me to do a story on them. Elizabeth also wrote a post about four doctors (none of whom practiced any form of alternative medicine) killed in accidents (Christopher Spradley, Robert Grossman, Anthony Keene and Dick Versendaal) that come with this caveat: this caveat I dont think these four in accidents were probably foul play. I just included them as a few asked me to. These doctors werent holistic (that I know of- I havent researched) I guess the lesson is that wearing a helmet, even when simply riding a bicycle, doesnt necessarily protect you. It also shows how quickly our lives can be taken away from us or those around us so treasure every moment with your loved ones. Another six posts about individual doctors deaths come with disclaimers or updates admitting that their deaths were not mysterious. Despite that admission, Elizabeth continues to include their faces on her dead doctor collage. These doctors, only three of whom practiced alternative medicine, are Jamie Zimmerman, Nabil El Sanadi, Lorraine Hurley, Kenneth Rich, and Alan Clarke. Jamie Zimmerman Nabil El Sanadi Lorraine Hurley Kenneth Rich Alan Clarke Seven of the Remaining 47 Cases Can Also Be Excluded as Accidents We found another seven cases that are clear and incontrovertible accidents -- though Elizabeth has not admitted as much. This includes John Louis Lombardozzi, a chiropractor killed in a motorcycle accident (listed as suspicious because he was an experienced rider); Wade Shipman, an osteopath who died in a bike accident; John A. Harsch, a holistic doctor killed in a car accident; Thomas Bruff, an occupational medicine doctor who died in a plane crash; Mark Buller, a bioterrorism expert who died after being struck by a car; and surgeon Anita Kurmann, who was killed in a bike accident. Finally, Linnea Veinotte, a researcher who had a teaching post at St. Georges University in Grenada, was killed in a hit-and-run for which the perpetrator later turned himself in. motorcycle accident because osteopath plane crash struck by a car killed in a bike accident researcher turned himself in Fourteen of the Remaining 40 Cases Are Murders Unrelated to a Medical Conspiracy Fourteen of the doctors in Elizabeths series were murdered. Although each case is disturbing, in all but one the likely perpetrator has been identified -- and in the remaining case, the victim was a retiree who clearly posed no threat to the medical establishment. One of the cases Elizabeth most often refers to in hers series is that of Teresa Sievers. Dr. Sievers was involved in holistic medicine and her murder was complex and mysterious enough to be featured on the CBS program 48 hours. However, the investigation ultimately ended in the arrest of her husband on the suspicion that he paid a man to kill her for a life insurance payout. The case is still working its way through the courts. Teresa Sievers featured Another notable case involved the brutal and premeditated killing of a Southern California doctor who combined conventional and holistic medicine, Weidong "Henry" Han. Dr. Han, along with his wife and five year old daughter, were killed by a former business partner for financial gain, as reported by the Associated Press: Weidong "Henry" Han reported A California man was charged Tuesday with murder in the slaughter of the family of a Chinese herbalist, including his 5-year-old daughter, in a crime authorities say might have been caused by a business dispute. Pierre Haobsh, 26, of Oceanside was charged with murder with special circumstances that he used a handgun, killed for financial gain and committed multiple killings. Santa Barbara County prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty. [...] A loaded gun and property belonging to one of the victims was found inside the car where Haobsh was arrested, Sheriff Bob Brown said last week. As horrific as this event was, the likely perpetrator in this case was known to the victim, making it unlikely to be part of a larger conspiracy. The same can be said about these deaths included in the Health Nut News series: murdered who believed her husband neighbor former employee ex-employee murder-suicide over complaints Three more doctors were murdered in three random acts of violence that, despite involving assailants unknown to the victims, involved either a perpetrator who is now in custody, or a victim not plausibly related to any medical or regulatory conspiracy: turned himself robbery gone wrong unknown assailant Ten of the Remaining 26 Cases Involve People With No Tie to Holistic Medicine In many instances, Elizabeth includes individuals in her series who have no documentable tie to holistic medicine. Among the most tenuous connections to holistic medicine is the case of Cheryl Deboar, who was employed in a non-research role at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and had a degree in chemistry. employed Also notable is the inclusion of Jeffrey Whiteside, a pulmonary/critical care doctor who, despite a complex and potentially mismanaged investigation that ultimately concluded that his death was a suicide, did not practice or have ties to any form of alternative medicine. Elizabeth uses the problems in the investigation to generate suspicion but fails to make any link to a larger narrative about the threat she thinks alternative medical practitioners are facing. potentially mismanaged a suicide generate suspicion Other tenuous connections included in this category: connection clinical cancer researcher connection chief of anesthesiology no proffered tie connection junior doctor strike excessive sweating integrative medicine two weeks connects clear suicide 11 of the Remaining 16 Cases Cannot Plausibly Be Considered Suspicious In ten of the remaining cases, the cause of death is known and generally accepted. This includes the death of Alfredo "Dr. Sebi" Bowman, an alternative health guru and traditional healer who died in an Honduran jail where he was being held on money laundering charges. Bowman was an important figure in the alternative health world, but conditions in Honduran prisons are notoriously harsh, crowded, and unsanitary, making it unsurprising that an 82 year-old with pneumonia did not survive his detention there. died in an Honduran jail notoriously Similarly, 56 year-old anesthesiologist and libertarian presidential candidate Mark Feldman, who was anti-vaccine, died in a motel where he was found by an unidentified woman. Authorities determined that his death was caused by a heart attack. heart attack In other cases, Elizabeth barely makes an attempt to draw the deaths of these individuals into a larger narrative, as with chiropractor Armon Burt the victim of a heart attack whose inclusion in the series stems from Elizabeths barely-articulated hunches that minor details surrounding his death are strange: details Dr. Armon Bert, who was reported missing by his family, was found in his car in the parking lot of a Kirkwood Lowes store (St Louis suburb), the apparent victim of a heart attack (how do they clock his death at exactly 10:04 AM if they found him in the car?). The remaining cases here are those in which Elizabeth challenges the reader to prove a negative that there is not evidence that it wasnt suspicious without providing any tangible evidence that there is cause to doubt the official cause of death: obituary clearly states died of a heart attack learned about found dead took his life Finally, Rod Floyd, a professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic, whose suicide Elizabeth casts doubt on by saying that she heard things but is unable to elaborate on them as even [she] doesnt know all the details. There is no verifiable evidence of foul play in his death. unable Five Cases Involving Holistic Doctors Remain After eliminating the above 55 doctors from the official unintended series, we are left with only five cases involving individuals who practiced some form of alternative medicine and whose death could arguably (though this is a stretch) look suspicious. This includes the death of Jeffrey Bradstreet (discussed earlier), the incident that spawned this whole series in the first place. Elizabeth includes another indisputably prominent figure in the alternative medicine scene, Mitchell Gaynor, in her series. As with Bradstreet, Gaynors death was ruled a suicide, which Elizabeth questions for spurious reasons. She argues that Gaynor, who supplemented his traditional treatment with natural remedies, wouldnt have committed suicide because he had recently beat the flu and survived a car accident: argues Im confused because his close friend and patient (also a doctor) told me that they were told he had walked away from a car accident, but then days later he was found in the woods at his country home in Upstate New York. Im also confused because posts on his personal Facebook page (which you might only be able to see if you are friends with him or have mutual friends) had colleagues saying that they were so sorry he missed the conference he was supposed to attend last weekend because allegedly he said he had the intestinal flu. So, lets say the information we were given was true. Lets say he survived a car accident (we dont know the details yet) and walked away from it, then he gets the intestinal flu (apparently survives that too) and then kills himself (allegedly in the woods at his country home, according to a patient and friend)? We are unsure what these details have to do with his state of mind, but it should be noted that surviving both the flu and a car accident are not necessarily indicators of mental health. The other notable figure is Nick Gonzalez, an oncologist who practiced controversial and unproven alternative cancer treatments. Gonzalez died at age 67 of cardiac-related issues. His death sparked its own conspiracy theories and memes, as he once joked that pharmaceutical companies might target him for his work, as Vitality Magazine reported: reported The keynote speaker at this years Whole Life Expo is Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez of New York, one of a small number of doctors whose success in treating cancer exceeds that of mainstream oncology by a wide margin. His work thereby puts the lie to pharmaceutical propaganda that fuels a cancer industry bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars while fooling millions of desperate and bewildered patients. Ive been told drug companies know about my work but hope I get hit by a bus, Dr. Gonzalez observes wryly. The two remaining cases included here involve people who had connections to holistic medicine, but were far from national figures in the movement and could barely be considered primary targets for a hit job: found in his car disputed his patients These five cases, and perhaps even some suicides mentioned above, form a kind of Rorschach Test if you are looking for evidence of a plot against alternative medical practitioners, you will likely be drawn to them. However, recognizing that nearly every story included in Elizabeths unintended series is demonstrably unrelated to each other means that any conspiracy made must be crafted from the deaths of three prominent doctors -- plus two doctors who, despite having experience with alternative medicine, were not national figures or a plausible threat to any medical establishment. A Collection of Unrelated Tragedies As we reported in the earliest debunking of this conspiracy theory, between 6,500 and 8,200 doctors can be expected to die each year in the United States alone. These five deaths over the span of a year and a half, from a statistical standpoint, are not abnormal. Further, outside of vaguely defined philosophical beliefs, there is absolutely no connection between any of them. reported In fact, amongst the whole series, the only true defining similarity between all the cases described on Health Nut News is that Elizabeth promises to keep people updated on their developments if they join her email list. Because the claim of over 60 dead doctors cannot be demonstrated even by Elizabeth herself, and because nearly all of the cases she uses can be easily excluded from a larger conspiracy, we rate the claim as false. There is no conspiracy afoot. Instead, there are simply 61 individual tragedies that have been inelegantly strung together by an alternative health website whose not-so-subtle innuendo has subsequently echoed through the darkest and most paranoid corners of the internet -- and which has begun to leak into mainstream media outlets as well. Carpender, Heather. "Body Located in Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock Identified."
WHNS-TV [Greenville, SC].. 23 Jun 2015. Cave, Rachel. "Grenada Man Accused in Death of Linnea Veinotte May Not Go to Trial Until 2017."
CBC News. 4 August 2016. Czebiniak, Madasyn. "Doctor, 64, Found Dead in Her Home in Sharon."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 13 August 2015. Debbie, Samantha. "Doctors Murdered After Discovering Cancer Enzymes in Vaccines."
Natural News. 19 September 2016. Gills, Wendy, and Sarah-Joyce Battersy. "Murder Charge Upgraded to First-Degree in Ryerson Prof Stabbing."
The Star. 7 January 2016. Grant, Megan. "Jin Qing Huang Found Fit to Stand Trial on Murder Charge in Death of Tiejun Huang."
CBC News. 26 August 2016. Helling, Steve. "Georgia Woman on Vacation in Grenada Killed on Beach by Sword-Wielding Man."
People. 26 January 2016. Smith, Jim. "Man Wanted in Vicious Plymouth Murder of Quincy College Professor."
WBZ-TV [Boston]. 7 May 2015. Sparks, John. "Arrest Made in Death of Dr. Ronald Schwartz of Jupiter."
WPTV [Palm Beach, FL]. 5 January 2016. Parker, Micaela. "Hearing Reveals Details in Case of Woman Charged with Killing Boss."
[Utica] Observer-Dispatch. 28 September 2016. Miller, Michael, E. "The Mysterious Death of a Doctor Who Peddled Autism Cures to Thousands."
The Washington Post. 26 July 2015. Moriarty, Erin. "Eleven Hundred Miles to Murder."
CBS News. 18 February 2017. Mott, Kristen. "Beachwood Doctor Died from Natural Causes."
Cleveland Jewish News. 19 August 2016. Neely, Chanda. "Cleveland Clinic Doc Who Sought Libertarian Party Presidential Bid Found Dead in Brook Park Motel."
Cleveland.com. 23 June 2016. Pologod. "Dr. Sebi Dies in Police Custody in Honduras."
The Source. 8 August 2016. Salinger, Tobias. "Georgia Boxer 'Terrible Thomas' Charged in Death of His Wife Weeks After Allegedly Assaulting Her: Reports."
[New York] Daily News. 21 July 2015 Sarich, Christina. "Another Alternative Health Doctor Killed, Found in Makeshift Grave."
InfoWars. 28 December 2015. Sott, Geraldine. "Doctor Who Was Found Dead in Old Buckenham Had Taken Drugs Which Could Be in Levels Considered Lethal."
Eastern Daily Press. 9 February 2017. Walsh, Paul. "Autopsy: Alcohol a Factor in Fatal Fall of HCMC Doctor Found Along I-94."
[Minneapolis] Star Tribune. 7 January 2016. Texas Chiropractic Association. "Longview Chiropractor Dies in Wreck; Children Injured."
1 June 2014 Erie Times-News. "Dr. John Louis Lombardozzi."
1 June 2016 KOTV [Tulsa]. "Prominent Tulsa Physician Kills Himself."
30 October 2015 KENS-TV [San Antonio]. "DPS: Body Found in Kendall Co. Identified as Missing Boerne Doctor."
6 April 2016. KABC-TV. "Is Dr. Sievers' Homicide Tied to Other Doctors' Deaths?"
6 July 2015. stopthethyroidmadness.com. "Lyme Sucks!! In Loving Memory of Paige Adams, FNP, B-C."
2 February 2016. The News and Observer. "Life Stories: Raleighs Baron Holt Known as a Faithful Healer."
12 July 2016 BBC News. "Junior Doctors' Row: The Dispute Explained"
6 April 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Famous Autism Researcher and Doctor, Jeff Bradstreet, MD, Died of Alleged Self Inflicted Gunshot Wound to Chest and Found in a River."
Health Nut News. 23 June 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "3rd Alternative, Prominent Doctor From Florida Found Dead in 2 Weeks."
Health Nut News. 1 July 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "2 More Doctors Go Missing, After 3 Found Dead in 2 Weeks"
Health Nut News. 5 July 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "Breaking: 4th Doctor (DO) Found Dead, Gunshot Wound to Head."
Health Nut News. 14 July 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "5th Holistic Doctor (age 33) Died in Florida Making 5 Dead and 5 More Missing."
Health Nut News. 14 July 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic and Fit Dentist, 41, Found Dead of Massive Heart Attack While Jogging."
Health Nut News. 21 July 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "5 Chiropractors Die in Accidents in Recent Months, 3 Single Car."
Health Nut News. 1 August 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "Fit Vegan Cardiologist Dies in Freak Accident, Florida MD Dies While Jogging Saturday & More,"
Health Nut News. 3 August 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "10th Doctor (Osteopath) Found Slain in Her Home."
Health Nut News. 14 August Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic MD Nick Gonzalez, Who Died Suddenly, Said Hed Heard Big Pharma Hoped Hed Get Hit by a Bus."
Health Nut News. 21 August 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "NY Times Announces 11th Holistic Doctors Death as Suicide?"
Health Nut News. 18 September 2015. Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic New York MD Hit & Killed by Intoxicated Driver in Long Island"
Health Nut News. 11 October 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "Twelfth Holistic Doctor Found Dead, Alleged Suicide"
Health Nut News. 11 October 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "Thirteenth Holistic Doctor (MD, PhD) Dies Allegedly Jumped from 20th floor."
Health Nut News. 30 October 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "2 Doctors Walking Home, Both Found Dead, One Stabbed to Death in "Safe Neighborhood."
Health Nut News. 19 December 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "Canadian Doctor Killed, Body Found in Makeshift Grave"
Health Nut News. 23 December 2015 Elizabeth, Erin. "Florida Doctor & Broward Health Chief & President, Found Dead from Alleged Suicide"
Health Nut News. 24 January 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic MD & Anesthetist Attacked on Beach by Man w/Sword."
Health Nut News. 26 January 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Local Florida Holistic Doctor (& Our Friend) Found Dead, He Was Healthy & Hearty.
Health Nut News. 26 January 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Dr Bradstreets Colleague (& My Friend/Neighbor) Found Dead in Florida."
Health Nut News. 1 February 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Top Leading Cancer Scientist Found Dead in Tree in Fetish Body Suit."
Health Nut News. 14 February 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Researcher at Famous Cancer Center Found in Woods Ruled Suicide, But No One Buying It."
Health Nut News. 14 February 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "NBC: Marshall Investigator Has 100% Confirmation Doctors Death Was a Set-Up."
Health Nut News. 27 February 2016. Elizabeth, Erin. "34 Year Old Doctor/Cancer Researcher Found Dead in Field."
Health Nut News. 19 March 2016. Elizabeth, Erin. "ABC: Holistic Doctor & Family Killed in Horrific Triple Murder at Santa Barbara Estate."
Health Nut News. 25 March 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Another Holistic Doctor Killed"
Health Nut News. 7 April 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Another Doctor, 25 y/o, Mysteriously Found Dead in Body of Water No Witnesses."
Health Nut News. 2 May 2016. Elizabeth, Erin. "Alternative & Holistic MD, John Hicks, Has Died"
Health Nut News. 3 May 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic Doctor/Professor Found Stabbed to Death in Her Home."
Health Nut News. 11 May 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic Doctor Found Dead After Missing for Weeks"
Health Nut News. 13 May 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. Yet Another Doctor Found Dead in Plane Crash"
Health Nut News. 18 May 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Prominent NY Holistic Doctor Found Dead of Alleged Suicide"
Health Nut News. 11 June 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "NBC: NY Holistic Doctor Thought to Have Died Naturally Was Poisoned"
Health Nut News. 14 February 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Murder Suicide: Gunman Kills Holistic Doctor, Then Himself"
Health Nut News. 15 June 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Another Holistic Doctor (MD) Murdered at His Clinic, 2 Doctors in 2 Days"
Health Nut News. 17 June 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "32 y/o Holistic Doctor Dies of Apparent Heart Attack at Her Home"
Health Nut News. 23 June 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic Doctor Found Dead in Parking Lot Before Seminar"
Health Nut News. 5 July 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Breaking: Renowned Holistic Doctor Found Stabbed to Death in Her Palo Alto Home."
Health Nut News. 17 July 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "MD Found Murdered Inside Florida Home Today."
Health Nut News. 21 July 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic Doctor and Inventor Killed in Accident"
Health Nut News. 25 July 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "The Truth of Holistic Celebrity Dr Sebis Death."
Health Nut News. 6 August 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic MD Killed in What Appears to Be a Tragic Accident (RIP)"
Health Nut News. 5 October 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Holistic Doctor Death Series: Over 60 Dead in Just Over a Year"
Health Nut News. 12 March 2016. Elizabeth, Erin. "Breaking: Outspoken Holistic Doctor Allegedly Commits Suicide on Mothers Day"
Health Nut News. 13 May 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Breaking: Another Holistic Florida MD Found Dead."
Health Nut News. 24 November 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "ABC: Holistic Doctor Found Dead in His Natural Health Clinic, Police Investigate as Homicide."
Health Nut News. 4 March 2017 Elizabeth, Erin. "Another Holistic Doctor Shot in His Clinic, Dies Hours Later."
Health Nut News. 17 March 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Famous MD Jumps Off George Washington Bridge to His Death in NYC."
Health Nut News. 13 February 2016 Elizabeth, Erin. "Doctor Killed on Riverview Drive Was Slu Professor, Expert on Bioterrorism."
Health Nut News. 24 February 2016 YourCaring. "Support for Kristina and Lucas in Loving Memory of Jyrki." Coral Springs Funeral Home. "Obituary for Laura Elizabeth Skellchock." Christensen, Doreen. "Never Let Them See You Sweat: 4 Ways to Plug Up That Damp Domain Under Arms."
Sun Sentinel. 2 July 2012 Draaisma, Muriel. "Chiropractor Slain in Burlington Had 'Biggest Smile in the Room."
CBC News. 25 March 2015 Associated Press. "Widower Accused of Killing Naturopathic Doctor After Wifes Cancer Death."
10 March 2017 Annese, John. "ABC News Doctor's Ex-husband Dies in Jump from George Washington Bridge."
[New York] Daily News. 13 February 2017 Saint Louis University. "Mark Buller, Ph.D.: 1949-2017."
February 2017 Correction [26 March 2018]: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Jessica Colker as Jessica Corker. | 0 | [
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FMD4246 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Tweet Home » Gold » Gold News » Regret Ever Buying Gold and Silver? AGXIIK Has A Few Words To Share With You…
If you bought silver at $35 and now regret buying silver because the dollar-based price dropped 50%, I have a few words to share with you…
Submitted By AGXIIK:
Some people on these boards debate the wisdom of buying precious metals and PM stocks and tend to blame the messenger if the prices change or sentiment goes against that purchase.
I can understand that entirely because on the surface, when Doc or others, including myself as the #2 precious metals pimp on these boards, along with the 20 other sites offering the same advice and products, urged and continue to urge in strongest terms the wisdom of buying gold and silver, plus stocking up on preps such as are offered here as well (I don’t hear anyone busting Doc’s balls for selling ammo, survival food, medicines and water filters) there will be a number of people who question that wisdom.
If you bought silver at $35 and now regret buying silver because the dollar-based price dropped 50% I have a few words to share with you.
If you made that choice for the right reason and see the price drop by 50%, you will be rewarded in other ways. Time is on our side, even for the older of us who don’t have the luxury of decades to wait. Some certainty that you have real money in your safe comes to mind. The price might not be on your side right now but 6,000 years of history is.
You might be rewarded by silver going to $50 an ounce although that might be the low end of the price spectrum when silver reached its apogee.
If you made that choice in the hopes that the $35 silver goes to $100 or even $200, as I did in the early stages of my purchases, then hopes for riches were far from realized. Now we can see why that was not the best decision by a very wide margin. Precious metal prices can make the strongest of us question our thinking and maybe shed a tear or two over our decision.
If you didn’t stay the course because you thought you were lied to the precious metals dealers, couldn’t stand the financial pressure of going ‘all in’ or no longer can fight the evil bastards, that cast of characters ( you know who they are) who’ve taken over the majority of the markets and rig the prices on an hourly basis, I can completely understand that capitulation. The stock market has kicked the living crap out of me more than a few times.
I’ve had more moments of doubt that I made the right decision that I can count as I watch others making fortunes investing in this and that, harvesting paper profits in investments that are destined for the dust bin. But I’ve never regretted or repudiated my decision to buy precious metals.
My strategies have changed a bit now given that I know more about these markets. That’s been a very slow process, partly because it’s been very difficult to shed 55 years of living in a far different paradigm than this one and partly because I am very hard headed SOB and hate to admit I jumped on the band wagon early on and at much higher prices. Fortunately I’ve received good counsel from some really smart people, those who have a much broader perspective than me. EdB, Eric, Sovereign Economist, Pat Fields (RIP) to mention a few. And if I forgot your name I didnt forget your wisdom.
My wife and I have lived in the miasmic stink of the Obama paradigm for 8 years. This latest chapter of a decades-old scheisse show seems like it’s lasted a lifetime but it is coming to an end. The last 8 years and decisions made by us are still sound in light of the latest news. Today, with the horror show we watch on a minute by minute basis, these decisions are becoming even more sound. We live in a world beset by uncertainty. The ability to move quickly and wisely instead of reactively is vital to our well being. Having a strong financial base is critical to buffer ourselves against uncertainty. Precious metals form part of that base.
For thousands of years we peasants have lived by a credo of self reliance. We know, on an instinctive basis, that the powers that be are always willing and able to take what we have by hook or crook. That psychopathic 1% has always been with us. This time is no different. The forces arrayed against us rely on the same time-tested means to harm us. We used to counter them with revolutions, migrations and holding real money in a hole in the dirt floor of out hut.
Unbacked paper currency, debt, central banks out of control, total corruption in the political and banking worlds, moral depravity, intentionally spread of fear and despair, pitting us against them, divisive politics and an overarching world girdling power that controls everything from afar are nothing new. What is new is the world wide awakening of the masses. We peasants, serfs, Ordinary Joes and Janes who see we are being serious screwed with by the powers that be are mad as hell and we’re not going to take it any more. Good News. We finally know their names today. To know their names is to give names AND faces to our enemies, the enemies of the people; names and faces of those who would oppress us.
This time around the situation is even more grave because the people who would have us are legion, with fangs bared and hands reaching out to take what for we have worked our entire lives. The tipping point of us vs them is coming to a head. But they are still human and vulnerable. The bleed like the rest of us. They can be killed, just the rest of us. More good news. There are 10,000 of us to 1 of them.
As Ballinger notes, the real crises in several dozens of countries worldwide is pressing against the people. We see it in real time, see the terror of the people as their lives are being systematically destroyed by forces so dark and evil that I have trouble even imagining there are people like this living the world, united to take We, the People down to hell with them. They have faces and we see them in real time.
I’ve studied, thought, wrote, proselytized and yes, pimped precious metals and preps, awareness and means to counter the threats we see arrayed against us, even to the point that it makes me look like some loon on a Hyde Park soap box. Soap box or note, I’m still fully convinced of the wisdom of those choices, putting my money and time where my mouth is. It’s taken thousands of hours out of my life to do this; time that I could have easily spent elsewhere. I made a decision years ago to be a voice that would not be idle or quiet. If I can turn a bit of the tide and change even a mere 100 minds then it’s been worth every minute of time spent.
Like Doc, Tyler, Eric Dubin and hundreds of others, I believe we are facing an existential threat, partly of our own making because we allowed some really bad actors to move on us, and partly due to things we are barely aware of. I’m not Biblical in that respect, leaving those avenues to others more schooled in religious matters.
The fact that we now see the fangs and claws of those who would have us, it’s impossible to put that cork of unawareness and lack of knowing back in the bottle and just hope for the best. The best we can do is be self aware, prepared and knowledgeable that these are uncertain times filled with financial mistakes, monetary hurricanes and political earthquakes. Some are of our own making because we elect fools and psychos to high office. Some are made by those who don’t care who they harm they do so long as we are forced to pick up the tab. Picking up the tax used to be voluntary. Now it’s written into law. We get to make good on everything that’s been done wrong by the 1% and their political allies. They f*** up and we get to pay.
Ayn Rand spoke of this and many things in her book Atlas Shrugged but more than that, we have dozens of tomes and hundreds of authors telling us that things are not what they seem. The old paradigms no longer hold. Knowing this it’s best to have some assets that comprises a good fallback position if the worst should befall us.
This entry was posted in Finance News , Gold News , Silver News and tagged AGXIIK , Dollar collapse , economic collapse , Gold , hyperinflation , inflation , silver . Bookmark the permalink . Post navigation | 0 | [
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FMD4247 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: By wmw_admin on October 31, 2016 Sanchez Manning — Daily Mail Oct 29, 2016
The BBC has been accused of acting recklessly after targeting children as young as six with a programme about a schoolboy who takes sex-change drugs.
Parents are angry that the show, available on the CBBC website, features a transgender storyline inappropriate for their children.
And concerned campaigners said it could ‘sow the seeds of confusion’ in young minds. The programme, Just A Girl, depicts an 11-year-old’s struggle to get hormones that stunt puberty, making it easier to have sex-change surgery in the future.
One mother, writing on the Mumsnet website, said her daughter had become worried after seeing the video. She said her girl, who likes wearing boys’ clothes and playing football, had ‘asked me, anxiously, if that means she was a boy’.
Tory MP Peter Bone said: ‘It beggars belief that the BBC is making this programme freely available to children as young as six. I entirely share the anger of parents who just want to let children be children.
‘It is completely inappropriate for such material to be on the CBBC website and I shall be writing to BBC bosses to demand they take it down as soon as possible.’
Former Culture Secretary Maria Miller voiced her concerns over the BBC tackling the subject in ‘an age-appropriate way’, saying such issues should be raised ‘where children can have support from parents’.
And Tory MP Julian Brazier said: ‘This programme is very disappointing and inappropriate. Children are very impressionable and this is going to confuse and worry them.’
Family campaigner Norman Wells said: ‘It is irresponsible of the BBC to introduce impressionable children as young as six to the idea that they can choose to be something other than their biological sex.’
Just A Girl is the fictional video diary of a child who calls herself ‘Amy’ and dresses as a girl. It is hosted on the CBBC website, aimed at children aged between six and 12.
In the half-hour programme, Amy – played by an actress – reveals she was born a boy called Ben but has already started using puberty-halting drugs.
Such hypothalamic blockers provoked a furore two years ago when The Mail on Sunday revealed an NHS clinic was willing to give them to children as young as nine.
Critics cited research claiming that most teenagers confused about their gender never go through with surgery, with many realising they are gay. The BBC row comes amid growing controversy over gender issues, fuelled by a number of high-profile cases. In one, a Christian couple were threatened with having their 14-year-old daughter taken away because they oppose her plans to become a boy.
In another, a seven-year-old boy was ordered to be removed from his mother’s care as ‘she was raising him as female’, causing him ‘a great deal of emotional harm’.
In Just A Girl, Amy says: ‘When I was born, Mum said Dad was so pleased that he had a boy to take to the football. But Mum knew I was different. She realised early on that I was born in the wrong body.’
She adds: ‘My Mum supported me when I did a PowerPoint presentation to my class about transitioning and that I wasn’t going to come to school in boys’ clothes any more, but girls’ clothes. I wasn’t Ben, I was Amy.’
Later Amy is shown telling a friend, Josh – a boy who wants to be recognised as a girl – that she is on hormone blockers, saying it took ‘ages’ to get them after ‘loads of tests and talks at the clinic’. ‘Once they realised I was trans for real, [I] got them,’ she says. In another entry, Amy tells viewers she has developed a crush on a boy called Liam, but confides: ‘Liam thinks I’m just a girl, but I’m not. I’m trans. And what’s he going to say if he finds out? Stop being my friend? Why? I’m still me, aren’t I?’
Child psychotherapist Dr Dilys Daws said the programme could confuse children. She said that, while it was natural for youngsters to wonder what it would be like to be the opposite sex, the BBC was irresponsible to feature the ‘extreme’ step of gender change for six-year-olds because they were too young to grapple with such issues.
The programme generated hundreds of comments on Mumsnet.
One mother, who said her seven-year-old had watched the show, asked: ‘Am I being unreasonable to think this is an inappropriate topic for a young age group?’
Another replied: ‘Don’t think this is remotely suitable for a seven-year-old. To start suggesting that children can be transgender when they’re far too young to actually have a gender is reckless and damaging. A small boy who is told that he can become a girl may take this as meaning that sex changes are possible, that sometime in the future he’ll wake up with a girl’s body.’
Another user added: ‘I don’t think hormone therapy should be normalised any more than 12-year-olds drinking or doing recreational drugs should be normalised.’
Other critics slammed the BBC. Mr Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘The more we promote the idea that a boy can be born into a girl’s body and a girl can be born into a boy’s body, and that drugs and surgery can put things right, the more children will become utterly confused. Respecting and preserving a child’s birth sex should be seen as a child protection issue.’
But some parents on Mumsnet were more positive. One wrote: ‘I don’t believe there is “too young” for stuff like this. The earlier you teach your children that everyone is different and that nobody is “normal” the better.’
Dr Polly Carmichael, a clinical psychologist specialising in transgender children, said: ‘Raising awareness of these issues is the best way to challenge stigma and discrimination associated with identity issues. Programmes like Just A Girl can contribute to a healthy and informed public discussion.’
The BBC said: ‘Just A Girl is about a fictional transgender character trying to make sense of the world, deal with bullying and work out how to keep her friends, which are universal themes that many children relate to, and which has had a positive response from our audience.
‘CBBC aims to reflect true life, providing content that mirrors the lives of as many UK children as possible.’ | 0 | [
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FMD4248 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Innovative Carburiser of Miracles Claim summaries: A miraculous car that gets 200 miles to the gallon is sold by mistake then reclaimed by the factory and is never seen again.
contextual information: Claim: A miraculous car that gets 200 miles to the gallon is sold by mistake, then reclaimed by the factory and is never seen again. Examples: [Collected via e-mail, 1999] A retiring General Motors employee, after many years of service, receives a car as a retirement gift (as well as a nice pension, etc.). He is given permission to select a car from the lot at the factory. He chooses a Chevrolet Caprice, a large luxury car. After receiving it, he is satisfied with his choice. After all, who wouldn't enjoy driving around in a roomy, comfortable car? After driving it for a while, he notices something quite odd: a car like this usually consumes a substantial amount of fuel, but the gas gauge hardly moves at all. After a few weeks, he becomes suspicious. Things like this don't happen. Being the company man he is, he returns it to the factory. Explaining this to the service technician must have caused some strange looks, but they took it in anyway. After he got his car back, he noticed it got the typical gas mileage of a comparable car. Could this car have had some secret "modifications" that allowed him to drive for weeks on the same tank of gas? Detroit's automakers have purportedly seized, or rather bought out, patents for items that improve gasoline mileage, like the 100 mpg carburetor. Maybe the R&D department at GM put this theory into practice, and this was an example. [Collected via e-mail, 1997] A couple journeys from Western Canada to Detroit to buy a new car and presumably save on shipping costs while enjoying a vacation in the States at the same time. Driving back to the prairies, they find, to their astonishment, that the gas gauge is not moving down to "empty," even though they've been driving for hours. Arriving home, thousands of miles away from Detroit, they have only refilled the tank once or twice. A few days after returning, the husband looks out at his driveway in the morning to find two mysterious men tinkering with his car (the hood is up). Running out, they race off; he checks under the hood, finds nothing amiss, and concludes it's just vandals or would-be thieves whom he was fortunate to apprehend before any damage was done. However, when they drive the car, they find their gas mileage is now normal. Variations: The miraculous car legend ends one of four ways: Mysterious men appear and tinker with the engine, rendering the car no different than any other. The car is reclaimed by the factory. If the owner afterwards gets the same car back (sometimes it's replaced outright with another vehicle), it now gets ordinary gas mileage. No-nonsense business types show up to make a fabulous offer for the car, which is accepted. The owner wakes up one morning to find the car vanished without a trace. Origins: The legend of the miracle high-mileage automobile has been around longer than most of our readers, with a version set in Philadelphia having appeared in a 1948 newspaper. Even at that time, the story proved unverifiable, with the article's writer identifying it as such and passing it along only as an example of a current rumor sweeping through the community. Since that early sighting of more than half a century ago, the legend has gone on to enthrall audience after audience, as each couple of years sees it pop up anew. Its origins are as strange as the story itself. Between 1928 and 1935, Charles Nelson Pogue, an inventor from Canada, applied for numerous patents for what he claimed was a new type of carburetor that supposedly completely vaporized gasoline before introducing it to the cylinders, thereby extracting a great deal more energy from the fuel. According to the Pogue patent description, fuel was introduced into the engine in this vaporous "dry" state rather than in the normal droplet-laden "wet" state, thus combining more readily with air and making it burn with far greater efficiency. Better combustion, combined with raising the engine's operating temperature from 160°F to 180°F, was said to be responsible for vastly improved fuel economy. So much for the techno-talk. The Pogue carburetor was touted as getting 200+ miles to the gallon. Glowing reports about this miracle of ingenuity making a 1,879-mile trip on 14.5 gallons appeared in the May 1936 issue of Canadian Automotive Trade magazine, reports which Pogue later denied. A manager of a Winnipeg auto dealership claimed he had driven a Pogue-equipped car 217 miles on a gallon of gasoline. A different dealer principal claimed to have driven 26 miles on a pint of fuel. The story snowballed onward from those breathless testimonials as one rumor quickly followed on the heels of another. Thieves were reputed to have broken into Pogue's shop and made off with three of his carburetors. There was talk of armed guards and wolfhounds guarding the shop and the now-famous inventor. Wealthy backers (from Winnipeg or Toronto, depending on whom you heard the story from) were rumored to be bankrolling Pogue, but the arrangements mysteriously fell through. Ford of Canada was said to have bought the invention outright. All in all, it was a very exciting time. Alas, one can get by on mere smoke and mirrors for only so long. Those with enough sense to not be deafened by the hyperbole were not long kept at bay with tales of wolfhounds, thieves, and mysterious briefcase-toting moneymen. They wanted to see the carburetor. That, of course, was never permitted. No one reputable was allowed to see the mechanical miracle in action, let alone have a chance to measure its results. After the initial excitement over Pogue's 1936 announcement had faded, more serious types began to openly doubt that the carburetor would work as described. In the December 1936 issue of Automotive Industries magazine, its engineering editor, P.M. Heldt, said of a sketch of the Pogue carburetor: "The sketch fails to show any features hitherto unknown in carburetor practice and absolutely gives no warrant for crediting the remarkable results claimed." Other journalists began to voice similar opinions. In response to calls to put up or shut up, Pogue's miracle carburetor was heard of no more. Faced with the choice of believing someone had made claims his invention couldn't later live up to or that a monied bad guy had bought up a technology to forever keep it off the market, at least some chose to believe the suppression theory. That the carburetor never made it to the public, they said, was proof enough of its existence. Those 1930s news stories breathlessly trumpeting Pogue's miracle of technology form the basis of the economical carburetor legend now before us. As gas prices fluctuate, our dependence on fossil fuels is driven home time and again. Who wouldn't long for a miracle of engineering that would free us from the tyranny of the gas pump? And thus the groundwork for belief is laid. As sometimes happens in the world of urban legends, the desire for something to be true transforms a rumor into certainty that this very thing is fact. Over the years, our legend about a 200 mpg car has bobbed to the surface in community after community, been debunked in numerous respected publications, and bobbed right back up in the wake of those debunkings. The need to believe in this wondrous technology and the evil car manufacturers who are deliberately withholding it from the market appears too strong to combat. A bit of rational thought should be all that's needed to lay this legend to rest. Why would the car manufacturers care at all about keeping such a technological advance away from consumers? Unlike the petroleum companies, they have no vested interest in how much fuel a car uses. An automaker's self-interest is best served by getting the newest irresistible technology to the consumer before his competitors do. If any one of them possessed the secret of the 200 mpg car, he would have rushed it into production, hoping to beat his competitors to the punch. Those who are tempted to believe the Evil Government is responsible for keeping this miracle out of our hands should reflect for a moment on the current state of world politics. The government of the United States would like nothing better than to throw off the yoke of dependence upon foreign oil. A miraculous carburetor would grant that freedom, allowing Americans to continue to enjoy current levels of use without the need to go hat in hand to OPEC or even those dastardly Canadians. The domestic supply would be more than enough. Though rarely is this tale told about anything other than a gas-miserly carburetor, this version describes a miraculous lightbulb: It was around 1920, shortly after he had married, when the old man originally purchased the light bulb from a small store in town. It appeared to be a normal light bulb. However, when after sixty years it was still going strong, he decided to write to the manufacturers and tell them of this remarkable phenomenon. By return, a reply came from the company indicating that they were very interested in the bulb and would like to send someone to see it. Eventually, one of the directors of the firm called and, instead of just showing interest, offered to buy it for $1,000. The old man, of course, refused, as the light bulb had given him good service. However, his curiosity was certainly aroused—why so much money for his light bulb? The director could provide no plausible explanation as to why they were willing to offer so much for the bulb, so the old man decided to explore this mystery further. With the help of a solicitor friend, he did a little investigating and discovered that in the 1920s, this particular light bulb manufacturer had bought and tested the patent for an everlasting bulb. Only a few of these bulbs were made, and the company, finding the invention worked, destroyed the bulbs and suppressed the idea—after all, it would have put them out of business. Unknown to the company, one of the lights had accidentally become mixed up with a batch of ordinary bulbs, and this was the light bulb that had lit the old man's kitchen for the past sixty years. (Sometimes lore collides with reality: A long-lived light bulb has been burning since 1901 and currently lights a fire station in Livermore, California.) light bulb Barbara "gasoline allied" Mikkelson Origins: The legend about the need to suppress the steam-driven carburetor that can produce 200 mpg to protect the oil industry surfaces in an episode of the TV series Spoils of Babylon ("The Foundling: The War Within; original air date 9 January 2014). Last updated: 26 June 2014 The Mexican Pet Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981. ISBN 0-393-95169-3 (pp. 175-178). The Vanishing Hitchhiker Dale, Rodney. The Tumour in the Whale. London: Duckworth, 1978. ISBN 0-7156-1314-6 (pp. 114-115). The Tumour in the Whale Dorson, Richard. American Folklore. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1959 (p. 253). American Folklore Ellis, William and Alan E. Mays. "Art Linkletter and the Contemporary Legend." FOAFTale News. June 1994 (pp. 1-10). Morgan, Hal and Kerry Tucker. Rumor! New York: Penguin Books, 1984. ISBN 0-14-007036-2 (pp. 123-125). Rumor! Smith, Paul. The Book of Nasty Legends. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983. ISBN 0-00-636856-5 (pp. 9, 67). The Book of Nasty Legends Vance, Bill. "Was Winnipeg Inventor Victim of Oil Barons?" The Toronto Star. 17 April 1993 (p. H2). The Complete and Totally Book of Urban Legends Holt, David and Bill Mooney. Spiders in the Hairdo. Little Rock: August House, 1999. ISBN 0-87483-525-9 (pp. 85, 106). Spiders in the Hairdo The Big Book of Urban Legends. New York: Paradox Press, 1994. ISBN 1-56389-165-4 (p. 22). The Big Book of Urban Legends | 0 | [
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FMD4249 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Planned Parenthood is bidding farewell to a president and his administration that have provided the organization with support and new streams of funding. [Thank you for standing with Planned Parenthood, Mr. President. #ObamaFarewell pic. twitter. — Planned Parenthood (@PPIAction) January 11, 2017, In 2013, Barack Obama was the first sitting president to deliver an address to the nation’s largest abortion chain. At its annual gala, Obama praised the group’s century of service to women and condemned those who “try to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag. †“You’ve also got a president who is going to be right there with you, fighting every step of the way,†the president said. “Thank you. God bless you. †. @POTUS: Thank you for your eight years of support for Planned Parenthood and reproductive freedom! #ObamaFarewell #IStandWithPP â¤ðŸ‘ — Planned Parenthood (@PPact) January 11, 2017, Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, has enjoyed significant access to the White House during the Obama presidency. CNSNews. com reported that, as of July of 2015, Richards had already made 39 visits to the White House since 2009, when she first was a guest on Obama’s inauguration day. We didn’t do it all, but we accomplished so much. Thank you, @POTUS @FLOTUS. It’s been the honor of a lifetime. #ObamaFarewell pic. twitter. — Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) January 11, 2017, Thank you @FLOTUS. For everything. â¤ï¸ pic. twitter. — Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) January 6, 2017, Going to miss @JoeBiden almost as much as @BarackObama pic. twitter. — Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) January 11, 2017, Obama’s deputies in the Department of Health and Human Services allowed Planned Parenthood to serve as “navigators†to assist in signing individuals up for Obamacare, the president’s signature legislation. The abortion business received more than $1 million in the form of grants even as the group was embroiled in a scandal alleging its practice of harvesting the body parts of babies aborted in its clinics and selling them for a profit. As the “baby parts†scandal erupted, the Obama administration came to Planned Parenthood’s defense by threatening states that passed laws that eliminated the group’s taxpayer funding and redirected it to other federally qualified health care centers that do not perform abortions. In October of 2016, Obama celebrated Planned Parenthood’s centennial anniversary with a wish, “Here’s to another #100YearsStrongâ€: For a century, Planned Parenthood has made it possible for women to determine their own lives. Here’s to another #100YearsStrong. — President Obama (@POTUS) October 16, 2016, The “nonprofit†abortion chain’s IRS form 990 for 2014 shows that Richards’ salary and compensation jumped to $957, 952, double the salary she made just three years prior, in 2011, when her reported income was $420, 153. Despite a significant increase in Richards’ pay, Planned Parenthood’s annual reports show a consistent decline in legitimate health care services, such as pap smears and sexually transmitted disease treatment. Its 2014 tax return also shows that Planned Parenthood’s 12 highest paid employees all earn salaries amounting to almost half a billion dollars. Planned Parenthood receives over a half billion dollars annually in taxpayer funding — as well as some $186 million in private and corporate donations — and performs over 300, 000 abortions per year. On we’ll start the fight for our future with #IDEFY Live on FB. What will you defy in 2017? — Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) January 16, 2017, | 1 | [
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FMD4250 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: BREAKING BOMBSHELL! All of the major political parties in France were targeted by Obama s CIA with both human and electronic spies for the 7 months leading up to their 2012 Presidential election.In a document released by WikiLeaks today, the parties targeted and the goal of the operation are outlined in detail.RELEASE: CIA espionage orders for the last French presidential electionhttps://t.co/ARd8alUjMS #CIAFrance pic.twitter.com/15Q5ojw4L4 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 16, 2017Via WikiLeaks:Specific tasking concerning his party included obtaining the Strategic Election Plans of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP); schisms or alliances developing in the UMP elite; private UMP reactions to Sarkozy s campaign strategies; discussions within the UMP on any perceived vulnerabilities to maintaining power after the election; efforts to change the party s ideological mission; and discussions about Sarkozy s support for the UMP and the value he places on the continuation of the party s dominance .The targets specifically named in the document are: the French Socialist Party (PS), the National Front (FN) and Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), current President Francois Hollande, then President Nicolas Sarkozy, current round one presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen, and former presidential candidates Martine Aubry and Dominique Strauss-Khan.The CIA required that it s agents specifically discover Sarkozy s private opinions on other candidates along with how he worked with his personal advisors.The CIA seemed to have two prevailing goals according to WikiLeaks: What policies do they promote to help boost France s economic growth prospects, and what are their opinions on the German model of export-led growth. This resonates with a U.S. economic espionage order from the same year which required someone obtaining every prospective French export contract or deal valued at $200m or more.This travesty is another example of how our intelligence community ran amok during the Obama administration. | 0 | [
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FMD4251 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Alternative phrasing: Boeing's new aircraft model, the 797 Claim summaries: Viral image dating from 2006 purports to show a new Boeing "797" blended-wing airliner.
contextual information: Although Boeing may someday introduce a commercial airliner designated with the number 797, and although the company's Phantom Works (advanced research and development) unit may have researched the potential of blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft design for military applications, Boeing is not currently developing a blended-wing aircraft for commercial use, nor does the image displayed below represent any aircraft (or prototype thereof) designed or produced by that company: Phantom Works researched BWB Boeing to take on Airbus with (1000 seat) giant 797 Blended Wing plane Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape the Air travel industry for the next 100 years. The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Centre.The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the 747s 211 feet,and is designed to fit within the newly created terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide.The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked up 159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers. Boeing decide to kill its 747X stretched super jumbo in 2003 after little interest was shown by airline companies, but has continued to develop the ultimate Airbus crusher 797 for years at its Phantom Works research facility in Long Beach, Calif. The Airbus A380 has been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated $13 billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge advantage now that Airbus has committed to the older style tubular aircraft for decades to come. There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbuss $13 billion dollar investment look pretty shaky. High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, It reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the air frame which adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach .88 or 654 mph (+-1046km/h) cruising speed another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380s 570 mph (912 km/h)The exact date for introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy. This image is a conceptual picture from a Popular Science article about the future of aviation (one which proved so popular that it was made available for purchase in poster form) and has been circulated since at least early 1996 in fictitious articles proclaiming it to be Boeing's response to competition from the Airbus A380 in the commercial airliner business. articles A Boeing company blog produced by Randy Baseler, former vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, tackled this subject back in November 2006: tackled From Boulder, Colorado, Walter brings up a topic we frequently get questioned about: the "blended wing" concept. Earlier this year an image of a blended wing "797" made the rounds of the Internet, and got speculation swirling that Boeing has this in the works. Is there any truth to the emails showing a blended wing 1,000-passenger concept that is dubbed a Boeing 797? Makes sense that the airline industry would head this direction some day, but it just sounds too good to be true! Yes, too good to be true, indeed, Walter. Someone was having a bit of fun with PhotoShop perhaps. Boeing is not planning to build a 1,000 passenger commercial airplane dubbed the "797," based on the blended wing body (BWB) concept or any other futuristic concept. It's certainly not in our commercial market forecast, which goes out for 20 years. We think the commercial airplane market favors point-to-point routes, and we're developing the 787 as the perfect match to help meet that demand. Glen, from Warrington, Pennsylvania brings up the same subject: Is there a blended wing in the works? Are there floor plans of it? No, not for a commercial airplane. But having said that, I should point out that Boeing Phantom Works, the company's advanced research and development group, tells me it is conducting research on the BWB concept with NASA and the U.S. Air Force. They're working to better understand what they describe as the BWB's "fundamental edge-of-the-envelope flight dynamics" and structural characteristics. The Air Force is interested in the BWB concept for its potential as a flexible, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft. As part of the research, Phantom Works has built a scale model for wind-tunnel testing of the concept's low-speed flying characteristics. There also are plans to flight-test the scale model next year. In 2017, Boeing released a teaser image at the Paris Air Show hyping a medium-range, "middle-market airplane" under development that industry observers unofficially christened "Boeing 797," but that was neither the real name of the aircraft nor did the visualization include a blended-wing design. image Baseler, Randy. "Air Mail."
Randy's Journal. 1 November 2006. Ostrower, Jon. "World Gets First Peek at Boeing '797.'"
CNN Money. 20 June 2017. Boeing. "Boeing to Begin Ground Testing of X-48B Blended Wing Body Concept."
27 October 2006. NewTechSpy. "Boeing to Take on Airbus with (1,000 Seat) Giant 797 Blended Wing Plane."
24 April 2006. | 0 | [
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FMD4252 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Does Finland's Kummakivi Rock Weigh 500,000 Kg, and Is It 11K Years Old? Claim summaries: According to Finnish folklore, giants and trolls left behind the massive balancing rock, but geologists explain the science behind it.
contextual information: For years, people have marveled at the sight of a massive rock resting on a smaller rock in Kummakivi, Ruokolahti, Finland. In 2022, several Reddit accounts posted a picture of this rock, known as Kummakivi Balancing Rock. Some of these posts, including this one from February 2023, claimed that the Kummakivi rock weighs 500,000 kg (1.1 million pounds) and "has been balancing on top of another rock for 11,000 years." several Reddit accounts this one (Image Via r/Damnthatsinteresting/Reddit) Such claims about so-called "precariously balanced rocks" (PBRs) are not new, though. Various social media accounts and several online portals have discussed different aspects of the Kummakivi rock. Some articlesrefer to Finnish folklore attributing the rock's position "to giants or trolls who are said to dwell in rocky landscapes and throw boulders around." social media several online portals refer to Finnish folklore Science, however, explains in less fanciful terms how one rock comes to rest on another. Precariously balanced rocks "form as blocks preserved on cliffs, or when softer rocks erode and leave the harder rocks behind," noted an October 2020 article from Imperial College London. "They can also form when landslides or retreating glaciers deposit them in strange positions." article According to the aforementioned social media and online portals, the estimated age of the rock varies between 8,000 and 12,000 years. Saimaa Geoparkin Finland, which was awarded Global Geopark status by UNICEF in 2021, stated that the rock is 11,500 years old and approximately 7 meters (about 23 feet) long. Saimaa Geopark (According to UNESCO, "Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development." The designation is considered similar to UNESCO World Heritage sites.) UNESCO While some social media posts and online sources claim that the weight of Kummakivi rock is 500,000 kg (approximately 1.1 million pounds), we could not verify this information. As noted above, Kummakivi is not the only rock in such a peculiar situation. There are other examples of PBRs in different places. Photos of such PBRs can be found on several websites, like this one about the Balanced Rock in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Additionally, in 2017, the Lonely Planet travel guide published an article about the "10 nerve-racking rocks." Similarly, in October 2013, the BBC featured a photo of a PBR in Brittany, France, sent by a reader under the headline "Your pictures: Resting." one "10 nerve-racking rocks." featured In addition to being tourist attractions, these PBRs have drawn the interest of researchers, including those at Imperial College London. They suggested that such rocks could help in forecasting earthquakes. "By tapping into ancient geological data locked within Californian PBRs, Imperial College London researchers have broken ground on a new technique to boost the precision of hazard estimates for large earthquakes by up to 49 per cent," noted thearticle from October 2020 on the university's website. article Considering that reputable sources report the age of the Kummakivi rock to be around 11,000 years but we were unable to verify the estimated weight of the rock, we rate the claim as "Mixture." "A Rock like No Other the Kummakivi of Ruokolahti." FINLAND, NATURALLY, 20 Aug. 2017, https://finlandnaturally.com/mustsee/a-rock-like-no-other/. "Earthquake Forecasting Clues Unearthed in Strange Precariously Balanced Rocks | Imperial News | Imperial College London." Imperial News, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/205493/earthquake-forecasting-clues-unearthed-strange-precariously/. https://plus.google.com/+UNESCO. "UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp)." UNESCO, 25 Feb. 2019, https://en.unesco.org/global-geoparks. Ilya. "The Mysterious Kummakivi Balancing Rock: A Natural Wonder Explained." Unusual Places, 11 May 2013, https://unusualplaces.org/kummakivi/. Imbler, Sabrina. "Why Scientists Fall for Precariously Balanced Rocks." Atlas Obscura, 9 Jan. 2020, http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/precariously-balanced-rocks. "Kummakivi Balancing Rock." Atlas Obscura, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kummakivi-balancing-rock. Accessed 16 May 2023. Kummakivi, Balancing Rock, Seems to Defy the Laws of Physics. https://www.geologyin.com/2022/11/kummakivi-balancing-rock-seems-to-defy.html. Accessed 16 May 2023. "Kummakivi Erratic Boulder." Saimaa Geopark, 5 July 2022, https://saimaageopark.fi/en/kummakivi-erratic-boulder/. Secret Marvels: Top 10 Nerve-Racking Rocks - Lonely Planet. 22 Mar. 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230322040417/https:/www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/secret-marvels-top-10-nerve-racking-rocks. "Your Pictures: Resting." BBC News, 23 Oct. 2013. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-24621801. | 2 | [
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] | 2 |
FMD4253 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The Pentagon was creating a list of Iraqis who had worked alongside U.S. troops, which will be passed to agencies implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting entry for people from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries, a spokesman said on Monday. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, said that over the weekend the White House had “provided the opportunity†to submit names. “There are a number of people in Iraq who have worked for us in a partnership role, whether fighting alongside us or working as translators, often doing so at great peril to themselves,†Davis told reporters. “We are ensuring that those who have demonstrated their commitment tangibly to fight alongside us and support us, that those names are known in whatever process there is going forward,†he added. It was unclear when the list would be complete and how many names it would include. Trump’s order suspending travel, which he signed on Friday, sparked anger in Iraq, where more than 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed to help Iraqi and regional Kurdish forces in the war against the Islamic State militant group. Iraq asked the United States on Monday to reconsider the travel ban on its citizens, taking a more diplomatic line than the Iraqi parliament, which demanded the government retaliate. The Iraqi parliament called on the government to impose “similar treatment†on U.S. nationals. | 1 | [
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FMD4254 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Here's something interesting from The Unz Review... Recipient Name Recipient Email =>
The American electorate’s preference for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders has established two facts. One is that the majority of the American people do not believe the media presstitutes. The other is that only the “progressives” and “liberals” who inhabit the Atlantic Northeast and Pacific West coasts believe the presstitutes.
Trump’s election to the presidency has confirmed these holier-than-thou souls in their strongly held belief that America is a white trash racist country. They have told us this all day long today.
From these people and from the presstitutes we hear that white supremacy elected Trump. This is their propaganda, the intention of which is to discredit a Trump administration before it is inaugerated. Funny how white supremacy elected black Obama twice previously.
Truthout has lost it completely. John Knefel declares “The David Dukes of the World Prevail.”
Kelly Hayes declares “White Supremacy Elected Donald Trump.”
William Rivers Pitt declares “We have elected a fascist that Mussolini would have recognized on sight.”
Hillary carried only a handful of states, the states that comprise the One Percent’s stomping grounds. Yet Amy Goodman of Democracy Now sees meaning in political writer John Nichols claim that as Hillary carried New York and California, she won the popular vote and should be in the White House. I remember a few days ago George Soros saying that Trump would win the popular vote, but that the electoral vote would go to Hillary, thus ridding the oligarchs of Trump.
Earth Justice promises to hold Trump accountable. Trump who promises to end the threat of nuclear war with Russia and China, thereby doing more to save animal and human life than the entirety of the Democratic Party and environmental organizations, is going to be held accountable by an organization that allegedly is beyond politics and is dedicated to preserving animals from destruction.
The ACLU, of which I am a member, has also put “on notice” the president-elect who has said he will save us from nuclear war. Faced with this idiocy from the ACLU, I will not renew my membership.
Feminists tell us that we are “grieving, scared, and in shock,” and that “it is critical that we stand together and support each other.”
Jeremy Ben-Ami of the J Street Jewish Community tells us that it is “an incredibly sad and difficult day. For tens of millions of Americans who share a core belief in tolerance, decency and social justice, the election results are a severe shock. In this challenging moment, we turn to one another for comfort and community. During this election, J Street made unequivocally clear our conviction that Donald Trump is not fit to be president of the United States.”
Van Jones, a CNN commentator, said that Trump’s election is a nightmare, “a deeply painful moment,” a “whitelash” against minorities. While he bemoaned the pain inflicted upon poor little presstitute Van Jones, he didn’t mind insulting the American electorate and the President-elect of the United States. After all, Van Jones sees that as his racist prerogative.
And so, the holier-than-thou crowd prefers Hillary, despite her unambigious position that she would maximize conflict with Russia and China, provoke direct military conflict between the US and Russia by imposing a no-fly zone in Syria, attack Iran and other of Israel’s targets, further enrich her Wall Street handlers by privatizing Social Security, and prevent any dissent from the lowly people class of her high-handed ways. If William Rivers Pitt sees Trump as a Mussolini fascist, Trump is too mild for Pitt. He prefers Hillary, a Hitler to the third power.
The progressives have totally discredited themselves just as the presstitutes have done. Their need for a bogyman to nourish their hysteria indicates serious psychological disturbance. They actually prefer the risk of Armageddon to peace among nuclear powers. As their 501(c)3s live off corporate contributions, they prefer globalist corporate profits to jobs for ordinary Americans.
These are the people who think of themselves as our instructors and our betters.
If only Trump could exile the lot of them. They are anti-American to the core. (Reprinted from PaulCraigRoberts.org by permission of author or representative) | 0 | [
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FMD4255 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: by Dr. Mercola
A new federal report revealed that the majority of U.S. adults (more than 54 percent) had some type of musculoskeletal pain disorder such as back, joint or neck pain in 2012 (the latest year for which statistics are available). [1]
Its prevalence is indicative of the significant price Americans pay for pain — it’s a leading cause of disability and major contributor to health care expenses and disability compensation.
Also revealing, people suffering from pain were significantly more likely to have used a complementary health approach compared to people without pain — nearly 42 percent versus 24 percent, respectively.
The reason wasn’t addressed by the study, but time and again, conventional medicine fails to relieve many people’s pain.
Congressional testimony from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) stated that Americans consume 80 percent of the pain pills in the world, [2] and in a survey of more than 2,000 pain patients in the U.S., most said they were taking a dangerously addictive opioid pain medication. [3]
Research suggests, however, that these drugs work for only about three months, after which changes in your brain may lead to increased feelings of pain along with added emotional upset, including feelings of hopelessness and desperation. [4]
Many pain sufferers have tried virtually every treatment that conventional medicine has to offer — medications, injections, surgery and more — only to find that their pain hasn’t gotten better and they may be struggling with treatment-induced side effects as well (one of the worst of which is opioid addiction ).
At that point (and for many far sooner), it’s only natural that you would begin to seek other options, which brings many people to holistic, complementary or “alternative” health care options for relief. Science-Backed Natural Pain Relief Options
A recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings evaluated several complementary approaches for pain relief. [5] The options that follow have been scientifically proven to help with relief, according to the report.
Acupuncture
One of the most common uses for acupuncture is in treating chronic pain. One analysis of the most robust studies available concluded that acupuncture has a clear effect in reducing chronic pain, more so than standard pain treatment. [6]
Study participants receiving acupuncture reported an average 50 percent reduction in pain, compared to a 28 percent pain reduction for standard pain treatment without acupuncture. It’s likely that acupuncture works via a variety of mechanisms.
In 2010, for instance, it was found that acupuncture activates pain-suppressing receptors and increases the concentration of the neurotransmitter adenosine in local tissues [7] (adenosine slows down your brain’s activity and induces sleepiness).
Massage Therapy
A systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the journal Pain Medicine, included 60 high-quality and seven low-quality studies that looked into the use of massage for various types of pain, including muscle and bone pain, headaches, deep internal pain, fibromyalgia pain and spinal cord pain. [8]
The review revealed that massage therapy relieves pain better than getting no treatment at all.
Relaxation Techniques
Breathing exercises, guided imagery, meditation and other relaxation techniques may provide relief, especially from pain from tension headaches and migraines.
Research by an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Herbert Benson, found that people who practice relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation long-term have more disease-fighting genes switched “on” and active, including genes that protect against pain and rheumatoid arthritis. [9]
Exercise
Among people who had experienced back pain , those who exercised had a 25 percent to 40 percent lower risk of having another episode within a year than those who did no exercise. [10]
Strength exercises, aerobics, flexibility training and stretching were all beneficial in lowering the risk of back pain.
Motor control exercises (MCE), which help to improve coordination of muscles that support your spine,11 may also help. One systematic review found MCE led to reductions in pain and disability and improvements in perceived quality of life compared with minimal intervention. [12]
Yoga , which is particularly useful for promoting flexibility and core muscles, has also been proven to be beneficial if you suffer from back pain.
People suffering from low back pain who took one yoga class a week had greater improvements in function than those receiving medicine or physical therapy. [13] The Yoga Journal has an online page demonstrating specific poses that may be helpful. [14]
Medical Marijuana
There are cannabinoid receptors in your brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, immune system and more. Both the therapeutic and psychoactive properties of marijuana occur when a cannabinoid activates a cannabinoid receptor.
Research is still ongoing on just how extensive their impact is on our health, but to date it’s known that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth and immune function. [15]
Some of the strongest research to date is focused on marijuana for pain relief. In one study, just three puffs of marijuana a day for five days helped those with chronic nerve pain to relieve pain and sleep better. [16]
Also revealing, in states where medical marijuana is legal, overdose deaths from opioids like morphine, oxycodone and heroin decreased by an average of 20 percent after one year, 25 percent after two years and 33 percent by years five and six. [17] Turmeric for Pain Relief
Turmeric was once most known for being a flavorful and colorful addition to curry, but in the scientific world, turmeric has earned a reputation for being a multi-faceted healer. Turmeric contains curcumin, which has notable anti-inflammatory properties.
It can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been implicated in inflammation.
A 2006 study found that a turmeric extract composed of curcuminoids (curcumin is the most investigated curcuminoid) blocked inflammatory pathways, effectively preventing the launch of a protein that triggers swelling and pain. [18]
Turmeric has been found to significantly improve post-operative pain and fatigue, [19] and in a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added only 200 milligrams (mg) of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility.
Time magazine even published the story of one doctor who marveled at one of his older hip patient’s lack of pain and remarkably swift recovery from surgery. The patient took turmeric regularly, and the results so impressed the physician that he began taking the supplement himself. [20] Essential Oils for Pain Relief
Essential oils are concentrated, aromatic plant extracts that have been used for thousands of years for emotional, cosmetic, medical and even spiritual purposes. One of their most popular uses is also for relief of chronic and acute pain.
There are a number of ways to use essential oils , including via aromatherapy. Lavender aromatherapy, for instance, has been shown to lessen pain following needle insertion [21] while green apple scent significantly relieves migraine pain . Other essential oils noted for pain relief, including relief from joint pain, include: [22] Lavender | 0 | [
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FMD4256 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Does China Own DreamWorks? Claim summaries: A factless Facebook post urged people to "Fact Check This!", so...
contextual information: In February 2021, a meme circulated on Facebook claiming that "Communist China" owned DreamWorks: Since the meme urged people to "FACT CHECK THIS!", we did, and it appears that these claims are made up out of whole cloth. DreamWorks Animation LLC is an American animation studio best known for making movies such as "Shrek" and "How to Train Your Dragon." It started as a division of the movie production company DreamWorks Pictures founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. In 2016, the company was acquired by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast Corporation, in a deal worth about $3.8 billion. founded in 1994 Variety reported at the time: reported NBCUniversal has set a deal to buy DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion in cash, giving the Comcast-owned media conglomerate added heft in its effort to compete with rivals like Disney, Time Warner and Viacom, all of which cater more directly to kid-and family audiences. [...] "DreamWorks will help us grow our film, television, theme parks and consumer products businesses for years to come, said NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke. We are fortunate to have Illumination founder Chris Meledandri to help guide the growth of the DreamWorks Animation business in the future. NBCUniversal and Comcast are both American companies. We're not entirely sure where the claim that "China owns DreamWorks" originated, but it might be based on some confusion over the animation company Pearl Studios, which was formerly known as Oriental DreamWorks. While these companies do have a connection, they are two separate entities. Oriental DreamWorks was started as a joint Chinese-American venture in 2012 between Chinese investment companies and DreamWorks Animation. When Comcast acquired DreamWorks in 2016, they noted that DreamWorks Animation owned a 45% stake in Oriental Dreamworks: acquired DWA is also the majority owner of AwesomenessTV, a leading video destination for Generation Z and Millennial audiences, and also owns 45% of Oriental DreamWorks, a world-class animation studio in China that produces family entertainment for both Chinese and global audiences. Two years after this deal in 2018, the Chinese investment firm CMC Capital Partners took full ownership of Oriental DreamWorks and relaunched it as Pearl Studio. Deadline reported: reported A consortium led by Li Ruigangs CMC Capital Partners has taken full ownership of Shanghai-based animation studio Oriental DreamWorks, relaunching it as Pearl Studio. Universal, which inherited 45% of the joint venture when parent Comcast acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016, had been looking to offload its interests. Financial terms were not disclosed. The newly-christened studio will be led by CEO Frank Zhu and Chief Creative Officer Peilin Chou. The senior executive team also includes Head of Studio Dagan Potter, Head of Ancillary Business PC Xu and Head of Operation Cindy Zhou. Oriental DreamWorks, which launched in 2012, is the studio behind Kung Fu Panda 3 which was the first official U.S.-China animated co-production and one of the highest-grossing animated films ever when it released in the Middle Kingdom in 2016. In September last year, the studio unveiled a slate of key development projects. A Chinese investment firm (not the Chinese government) owns an animation studio called Pearl Studio that originated as a Chinese-American joint venture called Oriental DreamWorks. In no way can this be construed as the Chinese Communist Party's owning the American company DreamWorks. | 0 | [
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] | 0 |
FMD4257 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Because of the 2011 debt ceiling fight, the stock market lost 2,000 points.
contextual information: If the nation hits the debt ceiling later this month without it being raised by Congress, economists predict a wide spread of economic harm: higher interest rates, lower economic growth and plunging consumer confidence in the United States and overseas. One particularly high-profile sign of economic distress would be a plummeting Dow Jones Industrial Average. During anappearanceon ABCsThis Week With George Stephanopoulos, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., cited that scenario as one of the reasons why Congress should take action soon. Stephanopoulos asked Schumer whether both sides were posturing and playing with fire on the debt ceiling, which is the legal limit to how much debt the government can shoulder. Schumer said, You don't negotiate over something like the debt ceiling because -- at which point Stephanopoulos interjected, Other presidents have done it. Schumer responded, No. The one time that it was really done in this kind of way, (when it wasnt just) a deadline and you had to decide (on) abortion or something else, was in 2011. We went right up to the deadline. The stock market lost 2,000 points, $18 billion was lost by the American people. We wondered whether Schumer was right about the stock market losing 2,000 points. So we looked at historical data for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the most popular measure of the stock market. On July 21, 2011, the Dowreached12,724 -- its high point in the months immediately preceding the debt ceiling fight. For the next 10 days, Congress squabbled over raising the debt ceiling. Then, between July 31 and Aug. 2, the White House and congressional leaders reached and implemented a deal that became known as the Budget Control Act of 2011. By Aug. 2, when the crisis was effectively over, the Dow stood at 11,866, a drop of 858 points. Thats less than the 2,000 points Schumer cited. However, the Dow continued to tumble for another two months, due in large part to repercussions of the debt ceiling debate, particularly the downgrading of the United States credit rating byStandard & Poorson Aug. 5. By Oct. 3, the Dow had bottomed out at 10,655 -- a decline of 2,069 points from its pre-debt ceiling peak, and its lowest level in about a year. So if you include the aftershocks of the debt ceiling fight, Schumer is correct that the Dow fell by 2,000 points. (You can see the decline as a line charthere.) That said, its also worth noting that the recovery was almost as quick as the decline. It took only until Jan. 25, 2012 -- about three and a half months after the low point -- for all of the pre-debt ceiling losses to be recouped. By Jan. 25, the Dow hit 12,758. And as Schumer was speaking onThis Week, the most recent Dow close was 15,072 -- an 18 percent increase over the pre-debt ceiling high, which had been about two years and three months earlier. Matt House, a spokesman for Schumer, said the Dows subsequent recovery is irrelevant. Of course (the Dow) came back, but that is of little comfort to anyone who was at or nearing retirement during those several months, he said. With 10,000 baby boomers retiring a day, that drop is incredibly important, and not to be trivialized.... And this is all from a default that didnt happen. Still, we think its important to note that the 2,000 points the Dow lost didnt stay off for years, or even permanently, as some viewers might assume. Our rating Schumer said that because of the 2011 debt ceiling fight, the stock market lost 2,000 points. If you count the aftermath of the deal that avoided a debt ceiling breach, which included a historic downgrade of the United States creditworthiness rating, then Schumer is right that the Dow fell by 2,000 points. Still, Schumer makes it sound as if the drop happened right away. Actually, it dropped at the time of fight and continued to drop for another two months after the United States' credit rating was downgraded. We rate Schumers claim Mostly True. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD4258 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Says Mitt Romney is using a million of his presidential campaign dollars to finance his Utah Senate race.
contextual information: A Democratic candidate for Utahs U.S. Senate seat claimed Republican opponent Mitt Romney is using $1 million of leftover donations to his unsuccessful presidential run to finance his Senate bid. The former Governor of Massachusetts is taking yet another short cut to the Utah Senate Seat, Nickie Titus, campaign manager for Democrat Jenny Wilson, said in apress release. Mitt certainly does things his way moves to Utah from California (and) uses a million of his presidential campaign dollars to finance his Utah senate race. It turns out Wilsons campaign is right: Romney is using $1 million from his failed presidential bid to fuel his Senate campaign. Experts told us this is common in politics, though the practice has come under criticism. Romneys failure to reach the White House in 2008 and 2012 is not without a silver lining. It elevated Romneys public stature, gave him staying power in Republican politics and left him with a substantial and flexible bankroll. Campaign finance rules have long allowed a candidate to hold on to surplus campaign funds indefinitely, said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at the group Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group. Under the Federal Election Campaign Act and Federal Election Commission rules, candidates can also make unlimited transfers of funds between campaigns, Holman said. It happens all the time, said Michael J. Malbin, the executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, a campaign finance policy think tank. House members take their bankrolls to run for the Senate, senators to run for president. As long as the money was raised for a federal office under federal contribution limits, it's okay. Holman argued just because the practice is widespread doesnt mean its fair. He said the policy can create an uneven playing field and permits candidates to use funds in a way thats contrary to donors intentions. A donor may have supported Romneys presidential campaign against the Democratic nominee, but not support Romneys new campaign for Senate in the primary or general election, Holman said. Yet, under the law, Romney has the authority to use those donors funds without getting their approval. At the beginning of 2018,Romney for President, Inc., the nonprofit organization that supported Romneys failed 2012 presidential bid, had roughly $1.3 million cash on hand. On Feb. 5, the organization transferred $1 million to Romney for Utah, Inc., according to anFEC filing. To the chagrin of Romneys opponents, the transfer from Romneys presidential campaign to his Senate run comprises donations made mostly by non-Utah residents, according to theSalt Lake Tribune. The $1 million is indicative of what were seeing from Mitt Romney. Hes bringing in national money to make this a national-profile race, Wilson told theTribune. Im a Utahn running for Utahns. The April 15, 2018, FEC filing, which covered the first three months of the year, shows the organization also made smaller disbursements for consulting work, email services and bank fees. At the end of the reporting period, Romney for President, Inc., had $222,755 cash on hand. Wilsons campaign said Romney is using a million of his presidential campaign dollars to finance his Utah senate race. The nonprofit organization that collected money for Romneys 2012 campaign transferred $1 million to Romneys bid for Utahs Senate seat. We rate this True. | 1 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4259 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: SEATTLE — Part of Jillian Boshart’s life plays out in tidy, ordered lines of JavaScript computer code, and part in a flamboyant whirl of corsets and crinoline. She’s a tech student by day, an enthusiastic burlesque artist and producer by night. “ †and “†she calls those different guises. “My mother got stage fright for me,†she said on a recent night while talking about her childhood performances and dreams. She looked like a 1940s starlet in a tight black sequined dress, a red rose pinned into her red hair. “I like to be prepared,†she said. “I like to be in control. †At age 31, she seems to be. This year she won a coveted spot here at a nonprofit tech school for women, whose recent graduates have found jobs with starting salaries averaging more than $90, 000 a year. Seattle, where she came after college in Utah to study musical theater, is booming with culture and youthful energy. But again and again, life has taught Ms. Boshart, and others in her generation, that control can be elusive. In the crash of the early 2000s, her family lost the college savings they had been putting aside for her. Her father, a nurse, was laid off after 35 years on the job. Her sister and lost their house during the Great Recession. And very little in the world around Ms. Boshart has led her to feel a sense of comfort and ease: not the soaring costs of living in Seattle, not the whirlwind roar of reinvention in the tech world, certainly not the barbed clamor of national politics. Even for someone who seems to have drawn one of her generation’s winning hands, it feels like a daunting time to be coming of age in America. “I don’t just expect things to unfold, or think, ‘Well, now I’ve got it made,’ because there’s always a turn just ahead of you and you don’t know what’s around that corner,†she said. On the 10th floor of a downtown office building here on a rainy morning in June, a software development instructor stood in a darkened classroom, the images and words from a screen projection branding his white shirt with the fractured language of computer code. In the classroom, at Ada Developers Academy, the tech school Ms. Boshart attends, were a former motorcycle a former college counselor, a waitress, a teacher — all women, most in their 20s and 30s, and all there to change careers. It was the day after the mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla. where the victims, as no one needed reminding, were about the same age as everyone in the room. The students at Ada — Adies, as they affectionately call one other — are in many ways representative of Seattle’s churning, anxious arc of growth and change. The 61 women who have graduated since the school’s founding in 2013 have been drawn here from across the nation and several other countries. Tuition is free for applicants who pass the rigorous admissions process, with costs underwritten by Seattle tech giants like Amazon. Of the 13 most populous counties in the nation, King County in the Seattle metro area is second only to Brooklyn in the highest percentage of residents age 25 to 34, part of the biggest demographic wave since the baby boom, according to census data. And Seattle is luring those millennials from all over, with King ranking second among big counties in the percentage of people who moved here within the past year from another state. But even in a place of alluring opportunity, the Adies, like Ms. Boshart, mirror their generation’s anxieties. Many are terrified of debt and deeply worried about their economic future. Student loan burdens sharply increased nationally during the recession, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, more than tripling to $1 trillion from 2004 to 2012. Unemployment for people under 25 is more than twice the national rate, which has made many of those loans harder to pay off. Millennials have postponed marriage and decisions about where to live and what careers to pursue, the Federal Reserve study said, far longer than previous generations, often out of economic necessity. Hailey Willis, for example, was accepted to Ada and arrived here last year from Chicago with six months of savings to her name. In Seattle, markedly more expensive, the money was gone in 90 days. Asked about her financial future, Ms. Willis, 31, said she saw no chance that anything like Social Security would be there for her or anyone her age. Elsa Moluf, 26, an Ada graduate, said the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, still resonated when she thought about personal safety — a feeling compounded recently by a shooting on a Seattle street in broad daylight only a few feet from her. “In the era of terrorism, I think about stuff like, ‘If I go to this crowded festival, what are the chances,’ †she said. Baby boomers, to whom millennials are often compared — if only by the force of their numbers — also reached adulthood amid tumult and angst, during the Vietnam War and the struggle for civil rights. But people now in their 20s and 30s say that the 1960s were different, that there seemed to be a clearer goal then — to end racial segregation, poverty or the war. The economy seemed better and the nation’s future more assured. Now, from niche anxieties like genetically modified crops to defining ones like climate change, questions feel and unprecedented: Is the food we eat still food? How do you get your head around a threat to the entire planet? Contradictions and paradoxes, millennials say, come with the territory. Ms. Boshart, for example, would love to own a house someday. But at the same time, debt to her feels perilous. “I don’t want to be beholden to any bank, ever,†she said with quiet vehemence. She counts the months until the tech job she hopes to get after Ada can help pay off the $22, 000 student debt she has left. And then there are presidential politics, with one candidate, Donald J. Trump, who scares her to death and another, Hillary Clinton, whom she admires but is sometimes hesitant to praise too loudly in an area where most people she knew supported Senator Bernie Sanders. She sees politics through a feminist lens and believes that women’s rights would be undermined by a Trump presidency and a Supreme Court. And even though recent polls and surveys show Sanders supporters largely rallying to Mrs. Clinton, it is not enough to create any sense of security, Ms. Boshart said, that an October surprise of hacked data or a hidden pool of misogyny and rage do not still lie in wait. “There are just so many things you can be anxious about — it’s an anxious time,†she said. “My biggest fear is that America hates women more than they hate Donald Trump. †Riley Spicer, 26, said she cannot help buying food on sale and socking it away. She arrived in Seattle last year from rural Oregon to start classes at Ada, and she and her boyfriend, Jakob Lundy, 27, a fireman, have planted a garden and started a beehive to harvest honey. “I had the radishes today in my salad at work,†Ms. Spicer said on a recent evening, as she carefully exposed the leaves to reveal bulbs. “When I go to the store and I get three bags of mushrooms, they’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ I’m stuffing mushrooms and freezing them — doesn’t everyone do that?†Ms. Spicer, who studied philosophy and the history of science at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. has had jobs as a barista, a taxi dispatcher and a deli worker. She has $72, 000 of student debt and has never been paid an annual wage, she said, of more than $17, 000. Based on the track record of Ada graduates, she could soon be making five times as much. So on one level, she and Mr. Lundy — young, in love and employed or soon to be — might look as if they are living the American dream. But neither one is buying it. “I look out there and it just seems completely hopeless to me,†she said as their mutt, Cordelia, wandered through their apartment. “The political system seems so overwhelmingly broken that I have no idea what to do about it. †Her views are echoed in national polls, where young people are consistently, deeply downbeat about the future and the political system. A recent poll of people 18 to 29 years old by Harvard’s Institute of Politics found nearly half agreed with the statement that “politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing. †More than said the country is “on the wrong track,†and a majority rejected both capitalism and socialism as models for the future. The poll, of 3, 183 American citizens, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2. 4 percentage points. Mr. Lundy rejects the political system entirely and has voted mostly for candidates, if only as a statement of opposition to the choice of a Republican or a Democrat. He is not sure what he will do this year. “I don’t want to support the false dichotomy,†he said. He said he liked Mr. Sanders partly because a Sanders insurgency “would be best at reforming the party, or tearing it apart from the inside. †He also applauded Mr. Trump’s antics, which Mr. Lundy believes will shatter the Republican Party, too. Either way, he added, a is coming. “Things are going to have to burn before they get better,†he said. Technology is the sea that millennials swim in — a kind of second nature, especially to Adies. But many of them feel a deep ambivalence. Tech, they say, means military drones, loss of privacy and cyberbullying. Social media, the new town square, often feels more like a combat zone than a place to share ideas. Tech companies are driving up rent in places like Seattle, forcing out people, even while creating excellent jobs that Adies are likely to get. “The tech industry is a huge part of the problem,†said Jessica Weeber, 31, who is studying at Ada alongside Ms. Boshart. “As people get paid more and work in tech jobs, rents and housing go up and gentrification happens,†she said. “I don’t know how to solve it. †But tech is also an unquestionably powerful tool. “Tech gives us the power to change — that’s why I’m here,†said Mindy Carson, 31, an Ada student and strong supporter of Mr. Sanders. She wants to start a nonprofit after graduation, using technology to work on social justice issues. “We don’t have to take what they’re saying on TV for face value, we don’t have to take limited information for face value, because we see the truth, we are connected,†she added. Ms. Boshart used technology in a recent burlesque performance, including a recorded appearance by the astronomer Carl Sagan, to make a point about humanity’s intertwined role with science. She walked on stage wearing a glamorous evening gown, opera gloves, and a corset underneath with 160 LED lights and a tiny computer to run them. Mr. Sagan’s voice came on, talking about the cosmos. As her clothing came off, she said, “I became more and more human. And that was kind of the point: We are artifice to the world, what we present, but as we get deeper and deeper into the human element we are atoms and star dust. †Ms. Boshart gravitated to burlesque, she said, partly to make such statements. But after her mother died last summer, things became more profound and personal. The women of the Seattle Burlesque Society showed up at the apartment she shares with her fiancé. They brought food. They cleaned. They carved out a quiet corner for grieving and meditation. They became, in their embrace, her sisters. Like many people in her generation, Ms. Boshart does not expect to find those connections in political parties. She no longer goes to church. The workplace doesn’t seem to offer much hope either. “My dad was laid off after 35 years, and that was supposed to be his community, right? That was supposed to be the group of people that understood,†she said before a recent Monday night performance that she was producing at a brewpub north of downtown. “He worked for years and years for you and he’s just out? It was appalling to me. ’’ What should be tossed out, or clung to, is the question of the moment, she said. And for her, a big part of her answer lies in the proud and quirky universe of burlesque, her anchor of belonging in a world that can feel fragmented and frayed. As she got up from the table for a final chat with the cast, music pounded out as performers — various ages and body types in heavy eye shadow and feathered boas — got ready to go on. They hugged, and she cautioned them about a low table with sharp corners that would be hard to see in the dark. One small peril avoided, it was time for . | 1 | [
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FMD4260 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did President Trump benefit financially from the U.S. missile strike on Syria? Claim summaries: Online reports claimed that President Trump owns stock in Raytheon and thereby profited from a U.S. Tomahawk missile strike on a Syrian airbase in April 2017.
contextual information: On 7 April 2017 multiple web sites reported that President Trump owned stock in defense contractor Raytheon (RTN), thereby standing to personally profit from a U.S. military action strike he ordered that had launched some 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian air base the previous day. (Those missiles have an estimated replacement cost of $60 million.) profit replacement cost The headline in one of the more prominent articles of that nature held that "Trump owns stock in the Tomahawk missiles he used in Syria," although the body of the article only averred that Trump had once owned stock in Raytheon: headline In other words Trump just set a bunch of Tomahawk missiles on fire which, according to a recent Defense Department report, may have been worth as much as $93.8 million in total. Why would he do this? Well, he does own shares of stock in the company that makes the Tomahawks. Tomahawk missiles are manufactured by Raytheon Inc., and according to [a] report from Business Insider, Donald Trump owned stock in Raytheon up through at least the start of the presidential election cycle. There is no record that he subsequently sold that stock. Cited at least two links away from that article was a 15 July 2015 Federal Election Committee (FEC) document disclosing then-candidate Donald Trump's financial holdings prior to his election. Page 37 of that 2015 disclosure report listed Raytheon as one of Trump's assorted smaller holdings in 2015: two document Line 23 of that July 2015 form also disclosed that that portion of Donald Trump's portfolio had a value of between $1,001 and $15,000 and brought him $201 or less in income: Newer FEC disclosure forms for President Trump are available, including a similar May 2016 report: The 2016 Raytheon holding was reported as being within the same value range previously stated (i.e., between $1,001 and $15,000), but the listed income derived from it was slightly higher ($1,001 to $2,500): If the stated holdings are accurate, it doesn't appear that President Trump stood to directly gain much, in anything (especially relative to his extant wealth), from Raytheon's market gain following the Syrian attack. According to MarketWatch, several other defense stocks also experienced modest bumps in their value immediately after the event: value Raytheon RTN, +0.25% the maker of the Tomahawk missiles that were used in the attack, was last up 0.8%, after jumping more than 3% in the premarket to lead S&P 500 gainers. Another defense stock, Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT, +0.28% rose 0.9%. L3 Technologies Inc. LLL, +1.78% gained 1.4% and Harris Corp. HRS, +0.62% was up 0.9%. General Dynamics Corp. was up 0.8% and Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC, +0.90% was up 0.7%. A critical long-form piece published by the Atlantic examined President Trump's putative financial conflicts of interest in depth but did not mention Raytheon. examined Rumors that Donald Trump stood to profit off Raytheon stock due to the Syrian missile strike of 7 April 2017 were not the first of their kind. In November 2016, then-President Elect Trump was rumored to be profiting off Energy Transfer Partners's (ETP) Dakota Access Pipeline (completion of which he green-lighted as president), and in December 2016 he was said to hold stock in Carrier (with whom he had just negotiated a pre-inaugural deal). Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks asserted the President Elect sold off his minor stakes in ETP in mid-2016, and Trump's 2016 Personal Financial Disclosure did not include a listing for stock in United Technologies (Carrier's parent corporation). Dakota Access Pipeline Carrier asserted The White House has not responded to our request for comment on President Trump's defense stock holdings. Linnane, Ciara. "Tomahawk Maker Raytheon, Defense Stocks Retreat from Highs Fueled by Syrian Strike."
MarketWatch. 7 April 2017. Mufson, Steven. "Trump Dumped His Stock in the Dakota Access Pipeline Owner Over the Summer."
The Washington Post. 23 November 2016. Murphy, Olive. "Trump Caught Profiting from Missiles Used in Syria Stock Price Skyrockets."
Bipartisan Report. 7 April 2017. Palmer, Bill. "Donald Trump Owns Stock in the Tomahawk Missiles He Used in Syria."
Palmer Report. 7 April 2017. Terrarosa, Tom. "How Raytheon Really Stands to Gain from U.S. Missile Attack."
TheStreet. 7 April 2017. Venook, Jeremy. "Donald Trumps Conflicts of Interest: A Crib Sheet."
The Atlantic. 7 April 2017. Walker, Hunter and Myles Udland. "Here's What's In Donald Trump's Stock Portfolio."
Business Insider. 22 July 2015. Walker, Hunter. "Donald Trump Personal Financial Disclosure Report."
Scribd. 22 July 2015 (page 37). The Dallas Morning News. "Donald Trump Form 278E Disclosure 2016."
14 June 2016 (page 37). | 2 | [
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FMD4261 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The left shouldn t be offended by Graham s decision to do his banking elsewhere since they re all about defending choice Franklin Graham is calling on Christians to boycott corporations that feature same-sex relationships in their commercials. And he says he ll do his part by moving all the bank accounts for his two ministries out of Wells Fargo because of its ad featuring a lesbian couple. This is one way we as Christians can speak out we have the power of choice, Graham wrote on Facebook over the weekend. Let s just stop doing business with those who promote sin and stand against Almighty God s laws and His standards. Maybe if enough of us do this, it will get their attention. Reached Monday, a spokesperson for Wells Fargo said the bank has proudly supported the LGBT community for a long time a commitment echoed by the ad. At Wells Fargo, serving every customer is core to our vision and values, said Christina Kolbjornsen. Diversity and inclusion are foundational to who we are as a company. Our advertising content reflects our company s values and represents the diversity of the communities we serve. Wells Fargo, based in San Francisco, has its largest employee base in the Charlotte area.During an interview Monday, Graham the CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte and Samaritan s Purse in Boone said he was not targeting companies that hire or serve gay and lesbian customers. There s lots of businesses out there that do business with gay people, he said. That s fine. He wants Christians to stop giving their money to businesses, such as Wells Fargo and Tiffany jewelers, that use shareholders advertising dollars to promote homosexuality. It s promoting a godless lifestyle. A bank should be promoting the best interest rates they re going to give me and what they can do for me as a business. But they should not be trying to get into a moral debate and take sides. Graham specifically objected to a Wells Fargo TV and online ad that features a lesbian couple learning sign language for their adopted daughter. Hello, beautiful, the couple in the ad tell the little girl in sign language. We re going to be your new mommies. Stirring up conservativesGroups representing gays and lesbians charged that Graham was trying to stir up conservative Christians in anticipation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could legalize same-sex marriage nationally.Graham is on the quickly losing side of moral history, said Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC, a statewide LGBT rights group based in Raleigh. The business community knows these ads are good for business and good for making North Carolina a welcoming state. They are only going to increase, not decrease. Graham said in Monday s interview with the Observer that a decision has been made about which bank will get the accounts the BGEA and Samaritan s Purse are moving from Wells Fargo. Based on their own reports, the accounts could total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.Asked whether he would identify the chosen bank, Graham said: Not today because I haven t talked to that bank and I m not sure they want to be part of your story. Charlotte-based Bank of America has not yet made commercials featuring same-sex couples, but it has run same-sex ads in programs for some events as well as in LGBT publications. Would that be enough for Graham to rule out Bank of America for the accounts leaving Wells Fargo? I m not going to answer that question, Graham said.Bank of America spokeswoman Anne Pace declined to comment Monday.For now, Graham said, the closing of the Wells Fargo accounts is in the works. To close these accounts, it may take 30 days. The BGEA, started by Graham s famous evangelist father, spreads the Gospel via worldwide crusades and Charlotte s Billy Graham Library. In 2014, it received contributions and other income totaling $107.7 million, according to the BGEA s most recent ministry report.Samaritan s Purse, a Christian charity that helps people cope with natural disasters, had contributions and grants in 2013 the most recent report available that totaled $460 million.Tough questions for banksBanks would usually line up for those kinds of deposits. But Ken Thomas, a Miami-based independent bank consultant and economist, said the bank that receives Graham s bank accounts will have to answer some tough questions. The bank that takes this account will be in a higher visibility position because you re going to ask them, What do you think of that ad? And they will face some potential reputation risk. Banks, Thomas said, don t like controversy, and they don t like reputation risk. Whichever bank receives these accounts will have to combat the perception that they stand counter to the ideals of Wells Fargo. To take your money out of one of the best-run banks in America, and for another bank to accept an account that came out of Wells Fargo, some people might ask questions like, Does your bank not agree with Wells Fargo? Thomas said.Corporate America has increasingly come to the defense of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Governors and legislatures in Republican-leaning states such as Indiana and Arkansas retreated this year from legislation that would have permitted people to decline services to gays and lesbians for religious reasons. The reason: corporations in those states opposed the measures as discriminatory against the LGBT community.In North Carolina, a similar bill went nowhere after it was opposed by GOP Gov. Pat McCrory and legislative leaders in Raleigh.Leaders of Charlotte s big banks played a visible role going back to the late 1990s on issues involving sexual orientation.Ed Crutchfield s First Union, now part of Wells Fargo, and Hugh McColl s NationsBank, now Bank of America, amended their policies to state that no employee will be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. At that time, many other large companies in the area didn t use such specific language.Also, in the 1998 merger of NationsBank and San Francisco s BankAmerica, which had domestic partner benefits, the combined lender agreed to extend the benefits to NationsBank s employees.Graham said in the Observer interview that he plans to compile and publicize a list of companies that feature same-sex couples in their advertising. I want people to know, he said.In his Facebook post, Graham singled out another company Tiffany & Co., which sells jewelry for advertising wedding rings for gay couples. There are plenty of other jewelry stores, Graham wrote.Two others that have featured same-sex couples in their ads: Cheerios and Allstate.Impact unknownIt s too early to determine whether Graham s call for a boycott will have much impact.As of Monday afternoon, more than 93,000 people had approved of Graham s Facebook message by clicking Like. More than 41,000 people had shared his message with their own Facebook friends.But Graham s call to fight the moral decay that is being crammed down our throats by big business also brought negative reactions on Facebook. In my opinion, moral decay is using the pulpit to spread bigotry and hate, wrote one Facebook commenter, who then alluded to Jesus teachings in the New Testament. Perhaps you should take some time and chip away at that block of wood sticking out of your own eye. On Twitter, where Graham also announced that we re moving all the @BGEA bank accounts from @WellsFargo to another bank, he got some supportive tweets. Via: Charlotte Observer | 0 | [
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FMD4262 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: “Who are you?†I asked my daughter, curious how the concept of identity applied to a girl living in “Brexit†London. She looked at me as if I were crazy. “I am Mali,†she said. “Mali Agnes Grace,†giving her full name. What else, I pressed her. She thought hard. “Ein Mensch,†she said. A human. Then: “A mammal. †We at The New York Times recently asked women around the world to tell us about their decision to keep or change their names when they married. We heard from more than 16, 000 readers — many of whom talked about how their names defined them. In a year that has challenged some building blocks of who I am, it got me thinking about my own family. The name my daughter carries with such easy pride in many ways tells the story of Europe’s transformation from warring Continent to postnational laboratory of peace in which multiple identities, at least for some of us, have been happily layered. Mali is a Welsh name, a tribute to my husband’s visceral Welshness. He grew up in Cardiff, the capital of Wales went to a school and still frets over every rugby game with England as if it were 1282 all over again and his plucky little nation was fighting subjugation by the English crown. Agnes is a name carried by several women in my German family, not least my paternal grandmother. One of her brothers was killed during a bombing mission to England in World War I, but she welcomed two English into her family after World War II. Grace is the family name handed down on my husband’s paternal English side of the family. His grandfather, a decorated officer of the British Empire, was captured by the Germans in 1940 — as his grandmother swiftly pointed out to me the first time we met. “Do you know Laufen?†she asked. “My husband was a prisoner of war there. †It was one of the rare moments in my life when I was acutely aware of being German. But things have changed. On June 24, I woke up to the news that Britain, my current home, is leaving the European Union. Ever since, my German identity has stopped being an afterthought. I belong to that lucky generation of Western Europeans who did not experience war and were barely touched by the Cold War. I was a child when the Berlin Wall fell, and I came of age in the 1990s, that brief vacation from history before Sept. 11. My generation studied, dated, lived and worked across borders, taking for granted the peace our grandparents had fought for and our parents had harnessed and amplified. My mother marched for abortion rights in the 1970s, and my father was a leader in the 1968 student movement in Berlin that forced open the taboos about Germany’s Nazi past. War is not an abstract concept to him. To this day, the firecrackers on New Year’s Eve remind him of the bombs falling on Hamburg when he was 5 years old. When he reads about Aleppo, his eyes well up. The big debates of my youth centered on the market economy. Nationalism, nativism, fundamentalism and identity — these were concepts that belonged in the 20th century. Or so I thought. Will they now define my children’s future? What will their names and their passports mean to them when they grow up? When we named our children we opted for my husband’s surname, Grace. It had a nice ring to it, we thought. One European name was enough, and so, surely, was one European passport. All three children are British citizens. But as 2016 winds down, given Britain’s decision to quit the European Union, I am applying for their German passports. When I married, I kept my own surname. I was 32 and had been a journalist for eight years. My name was my personal and professional identity. But when I traveled alone with my children, having a different last name from them sometimes raised questions. I eventually added my husband’s last name to my passport, although I do not use it in everyday life. I now find myself wishing that I had given my children my last name as well. A double surname would have been unwieldy, but it would have been European instead of just British — and it would have signaled a connection to me. I come from a line of strong women. This, too, is something that has been on my mind this year: Did I let them down by not giving my children my own name? My paternal grandmother, who came from a family of Swabian aristocrats in southwestern Germany, studied medicine just as German women won the right to vote. But when she married my grandfather she had to give up her career, her noble title — and her name. My mother studied engineering in the 1960s. She was the first in her family to go to university and the only woman in her class. For a time, she cut her hair short and called herself “Max. †Being one of the boys, as she put it, kept the sexist jokes at bay. When she married my father, she paid five Deutschmarks for permission to hold a double name — with his name first. By the time I got married, in France in 2007, keeping my own name was the default setting on the paperwork. My daughters do not seem to think too much about their gender. One says she wants to become a doctor. The other one a firefighter. So far being female is not a factor in their aspirations. My older daughter, Elena, who is 7 and has been learning about world religions, recently came home from school and announced that she was Muslim. She took off her shoes, got to her knees and pressed her forehead to the kitchen floor (facing south, but no matter). This is how you pray, she explained. (Her sister, Mali, was so impressed that she promptly told the extended family. Asked whether he was Muslim, too, her Welsh cousin replied: “No. I’m vegetarian. â€) Six months after the Brexit vote, my children’s world remains effortlessly inclusive. We are all mammals. I speak German to them, their father Welsh. Ask them where they are from and they will tell you “Brixton,†our bustling colorful neighborhood in south London. Their friends’ parents are Portuguese, Indian, Catalan, Ethiopian, Nigerian and occasionally even English. But the mood in Britain is changing. And in subtle ways it is changing even at our school, which is in a part of London that overwhelmingly voted to remain in the European Union. This year, an email from the head teacher went around, asking parents to refrain from discussing Brexit in the yard. Passions were running high among some parents. The children, though, are mostly unaware of how the world is turning upside down around them. When my husband explained that many Britons wanted to leave Europe, our older daughter was baffled. “Where do they want to go?†she asked. “Africa?†| 1 | [
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FMD4263 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Donald Trump, after nearly a month in power, has yet to unveil major legislation or publicly endorse bills from others, getting Republicans off to a slow start on the sweeping reforms they promised on the campaign trail. As Trump and Republicans ricochet from crisis to crisis, lawmakers have lowered expectations for legislative action in 2017 on tax reform, health care, financial regulation, jobs and infrastructure, with some urging more White House guidance. Trump has spelled out few specifics on such issues in his more than two dozen executive orders, proclamations and memoranda. A temporary ban on U.S. entry by refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries was blocked in court. Ambitious campaign promises by Trump helped the Republicans make a clean sweep of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives in November’s national elections. Movement on legislation could come soon now that the Senate has confirmed nine of Trump’s Cabinet nominees and is poised to approve others soon, despite delays by Democrats. But concern is mounting among some Republicans and moderate Democrats who had hoped for more at this stage. On taxes, for instance, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Reuters, “What I’d like to see the administration do is lead on this issue.†The White House needs to “either come out with their own tax cut plan or weigh in pretty quickly,†he said, “I’m getting unnerved that there’s lack of coordination.†Last week, Trump promised a “phenomenal†tax plan within weeks but offered no details. Nor has he firmly endorsed or opposed tax reform proposals being debated in Congress. At a party retreat last month, lawmakers warmed to remarks by Trump that seemed to show support for a House Republican “border adjustment†tax to encourage exports and discourage imports. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement saying Congress and Trump were “on the same page.†But the enthusiasm was short-lived. The White House later said border adjustment was only one option. After a week, Ryan said tax reform legislation would not appear until mid-2017. Democratic Representative Jim Himes, who has talked about working with Republicans, said in an interview that promises of “day one†action have rung hollow. “Instead, we are torn apart by poorly drafted executive orders, tweets, Russian ties to the White House,†he said. At a press conference on Thursday, Trump said he would submit an “initial plan†on health care in March and tackle tax reform after that. He said, “Tax reform’s going to happen fairly quickly. We’re doing Obamacare. We’re in the final stages.†Trump’s legislative record lags some, but not all, recent presidents. Democrat Barack Obama laid out an economic stimulus plan days after his January 2009 swearing in and signed it into law less than a month later. Republican George W. Bush sent a tax cut proposal to Congress less than three weeks after taking office in January 2001. It was enacted four months later. Democrat Bill Clinton fulfilled a central campaign promise in his first weeks in office when he enacted a family-leave bill on Feb. 5, 1993. Republican George H.W. Bush accomplished little of note in his first 100 days, while his predecessor Republican Ronald Reagan sent dozens of detailed budget cut plans to Congress less than a month after his 1981 swearing in. In an Oct. 22 campaign speech, Trump vowed to work with Congress to introduce “broader legislative measures†in the first 100 days of his administration to reform the tax code, repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, boost job creation, curb job offshoring, spend $1 trillion on infrastructure and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In his first 27 days, Trump has not yet offered any legislation to advance these goals. Investors have not been deterred. The Dow Jones industrial average has surged roughly 12 percent since he was elected. “Right now there is a lot of hope in the market, but so far I haven’t seen Trump show that he knows how to manage policy or have much of a plan,†said Thyra Zerhusen, co-chief investment officer of Fairpointe Capital in Chicago. ‘PROCEEDING WELL’ | 1 | [
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FMD4264 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Israel s mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat said on Tuesday that moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the holy city can take two minutes . Senior U.S. officials have said President Donald Trump is likely on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he is expected to order his aides to begin planning such a move immediately. The officials said, however, that no final decisions have been made as an outcry grew across the Middle East and among world powers against any unilateral U.S. decision on Jerusalem. Barkat said the United States would only have to convert one of its existing assets in the city, such as its consulate located in West Jerusalem. They just take the symbol of the consulate and switch it to the embassy symbol | 1 | [
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FMD4265 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Sara Carter has been right on everything she s reported on with the Mueller investigation. She s a gem of a reporter who does the hard work that so many other journalists just don t. She tells why she believes the FBI will have a major shake-up soon there are 27 leakers that the IG is looking at! Yes, 27 leakers!Sara Carter: We re going to see parts of that report before December (end of the month). We re going to see other parts of his report coming out after January. And they re looking at Peter Strzok. They re looking at Comey. They re looking at 27 leakers. It would not surprise me if there was a shake-up at the FBI and a housecleaning.Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch is another incredible researcher and stubborn investigator. Thank goodness for all of the FOIA requests and lawsuits he s filed to force information to come out of the FBI and DOJ. His latest discovery is an explosive email that exposes anti-Trump Mueller operatives:THANK GOODNESS FOR JUDICIAL WATCH! They pushed for emails from the DOJ and got a treasure trove of incriminating evidence of anti-Trump bias. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said it best when he said the email is an astonishing and disturbing find A top prosecutor who is now a deputy for Special Counsel Robert Mueller s Russia probe praised then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates (see more on Yates below) after she was fired in January by President Trump for refusing to defend his controversial travel ban.The email, obtained by Judicial Watch through a federal lawsuit, shows that on the night of Jan. 30, Andrew Weissmann wrote to Yates under the subject line, I am so proud. He continued, And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects. The disclosure follows confirmation that another Mueller investigator, FBI official Peter Strzok, was fired over the summer after allegedly sending anti-Trump texts to an FBI lawyer with whom he was romantically involved.His alleged actions revived concerns about the objectivity of the FBI probes of both Hillary Clinton s email setup and Russia election meddling.Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called the new Weissmann document an astonishing and disturbing find. Andrew Weisman, a key prosecutor on Robert Mueller s team, praised Obama DOJ holdover Sally Yates after she lawlessly thwarted President Trump, he said in a statement. How much more evidence do we need that the Mueller operation has been irredeemably compromised by anti-Trump partisans? CATHERINE HERRIDGE:DOJ POLITICAL HACK SALLY YATES YOU RE FIRED! The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States. This order was approved as to form and legality by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel.Ms. Yates is an Obama Administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration.It is time to get serious about protecting our country. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals travelling from seven dangerous places is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country.Tonight, President Trump relieved Ms. Yates of her duties and subsequently named Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to serve as Acting Attorney General until Senator Jeff Sessions is finally confirmed by the Senate, where he is being wrongly held up by Democrat senators for strictly political reasons. I am honored to serve President Trump in this role until Senator Sessions is confirmed. I will defend and enforce the laws of our country to ensure that our people and our nation are protected, said Dana Boente, Acting Attorney General. | 0 | [
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FMD4266 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: The head of a private investment firm came one step closer to leading the Federal Reserve’s regulatory efforts Wednesday, a key post as President Donald Trump endeavors to trim regulations to boost economic growth. The U.S. Senate voted 62-33 to limit debate on Randal Quarles’ nomination to join the Fed’s Board of Governors, guaranteeing opponents could not delay his confirmation. Quarles is eventually expected to fill the role of vice chair for supervision at the Fed, making him the top official at the central bank in charge of regulatory issues. The Senate will vote to name Quarles formally to that post at a later date, after he has joined the Fed board. Quarles is a prominent investor and former Treasury Department official. Trump nominated him in July. Analysts said the appointment of Quarles and the October departure of Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer, who had spoken out against weakening Wall Street regulations, could accelerate Trump’s deregulation agenda, potentially saving banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) billions of dollars. | 1 | [
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FMD4267 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Trump Say 'Laziness Is a Trait in Blacks; No Black President Again Any Time Soon'? Claim summaries: A meme created the impression that Donald Trump claimed that there wouldn't be a black president again any time soon because 'laziness is a trait in blacks.'
contextual information: An Internet meme circulating in August 2016 paired two racially charged statements previously attributed separately to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. While neither attribution was new, the conjunction of the two statements created the impression that Trump must have opined at some point that no black person would be President of the United States again any time soon because "laziness is a trait in blacks." There is a public record of Donald Trump having stated, more or less, that no black person would be president again any time soon because of the poor performance of his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama. When called upon to explain the statement in a 2 August 2015 interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC News' This Week, Trump offered: "Well, I think he's been a very poor president. I think he has done a very poor job as president. We have $18 trillion right now in debt and going up rapidly." Karl then asked, "But what did you mean?" Trump continued, "Wait a minute. The world is... we don't have victories anymore. China is killing us on trade. Mexico's killing us at the border and also killing us on trade. Mexico's doing unbelievably against us in trade. You look at what's going on with Japan. You look at what's going on with Vietnam. You look at Saudi Arabia, which makes $1 billion a day, and we defend them. We get nothing." Karl responded, "I understand your critique. But why do you say that means we won't see another black president for generations?" Trump replied, "Because I think that he has set a very poor standard. I think that he has set a very low bar, and I think it's a shame for the African American people. And by the way, he has done nothing for African Americans. You look at what's gone on with their income levels. You look at what's gone on with their youth. I thought that he would be a great cheerleader for this country. I thought he'd do a fabulous job for the African American citizens of this country." A source attributing the statement "Laziness is a trait in blacks" to Donald Trump dates back to the early 1990s. It should be noted, however, that this source was a book written by a disgruntled former employee of Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, John R. O'Donnell, and neither the statement nor the sentiment behind it has been corroborated elsewhere. As one might expect, O'Donnell's account, Trumped!, paints an unflattering portrait of its subject overall but offers this anecdote specifically as evidence of Trump's low opinion of the African Americans in his employ: "What do you think of him?" Donald asked. I said I was familiar with his abilities, and he had shortcomings. "To be honest, I don't think he's the best we can have," I said. "I'd like to see him either come up to speed, where he can help me a lot more, or maybe there's something else he can do." Instantly, Donald was enthused. "Yeah, I never liked the guy. I don't think he knows what the fuck he's doing. My accountants up in New York are always complaining about him. He's not responsive. And isn't it funny, I've got black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. Those are the kind of people I want counting my money. Nobody else." I couldn't believe I was hearing this. But Donald went on, "Besides that, I've got to tell you something else. I think that the guy is lazy. And it's probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. It's not anything they can control.... Don't you agree?" He looked at me square in the eye and waited for my reply. "Donald, you really shouldn't say things like that to me or anybody else," I said. "That is not the kind of image you want to project. We shouldn't even be having this conversation, even if it's the way you feel." "Yeah, you're right," he said. "If anybody ever heard me say that... holy shit... I'd be in a lot of trouble. But I have to tell you, that's the way I feel." Although Trump didn't deny any of O'Donnell's specific allegations in a subsequent (1997) Playboy magazine interview—"The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true," Trump said at the time—he vehemently denied O'Donnell's account of the conversation when asked about it during a 24 October 1999 interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press: "I never said it. I don't even know... I hardly know this guy. He was running one of my casinos for a short period of time. He was fired; we fired him because he wasn't doing a very good job. He wrote this nasty book. He made up stuff. This is like Jon Lovitz on 'Saturday Night Live,' the liar. 'I went to Harvard. Yeah, I went to Harvard.' This guy, I hardly know him. He made up this quote. I've heard the quote before, and it's nonsense." Russert pressed, "You've never said anything like that?" Trump replied, "I've never said anything like it, ever." As the Washington Post noted, it is, at best, a secondhand quote from a private conversation, written down years after the fact, and should be viewed "with some skepticism." | 2 | [
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FMD4268 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: American liberals are now living a nightmare they never imagined would come true: a Donald Trump presidency. Not only did Trump win, but he did so after pollsters and pundits forecasted a solid landslide victory in Hillary Clinton’s favor.
In their mind, this was not supposed to happen. The glass ceiling should have broken and their cups should have been overflowing in celebration. Instead, many are dumbfounded, unable to comprehend how things could have gone so wrong. As the hours crawled by, Clinton voters took to social media and consoled one another—“it’s still too early…she can still take Michigan…this can’t happen…” And yet, despite the prophecies of the foremost data pundits, here we are: a Trump presidency, and Republicans in control of both the House and Senate.
This demonstrable failure on the part of the Democratic Party will not be a cause for reevaluation but will be passed on to third party voters, who have long served as their proverbial whipping boy. The corpse of Ralph Nader’s 2000 campaign is still unearthed every election season to serve as bogeyman, after all.
Early on, Clinton warmed to right wing ideologues while maligning those on the left pushing for more authentic and progressive policies. Her surrogates boasted of a more efficient platform, mocking her leftist detractors as half-witted and starry-eyed.
The reinvention of Clinton as a cool and relatable pop culture icon who was still “your abuela” was a wasted effort; her campaign was a theater of pretentious absurdity that alienated those forced to straddle the intersections of race, gender, and poverty, who will face a multitude of struggles whether or not the glass ceiling shattered around them.
Clinton, and those ensnared in the sputtering limelight of her campaign, turned some the most consequential issues—from universal healthcare and police brutality to the prison industrial complex and a living wage—into detached and immaterial concerns.
This staggering loss to a candidate portrayed as both a balmy object of ridicule and a calamitous threat to numerous communities should serve as a moment of clarity, but if things are to remain guided by the reactionary sentiment we’ve seen expressed so often, then the next few years will push us further towards the edge of the cliff.
There should be no exoneration of the Democratic Party, whose funeral knell should have rung decades ago. The bourgeois liberals who have long enjoyed spreading political fan-fiction instead of mobilizing, who have denounced even the most benign criticism of Clinton as being untimely and lending credence to right wing populism, are frantic. Yet, they still take up spaces across the media landscape that they do not deserve. It is time we make them irrelevant.
As liberals apply for Canadian citizenship and drown their sorrows in bottles of maple syrup, the rest of us must organize. There is no retreating. Mourn if you must, but come hell or high water, we must mobilize.
The post The Left Must Mobilize In The Face Of A Trump Victory appeared first on Shadowproof . | 0 | [
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FMD4269 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Canada provides financial assistance to polygamist immigrants in the form of 'start-up money'. Claim summaries: An anti-immigrant image makes a host of false accusations about benefits available to Muslim refugees in Canada.
contextual information: In January 2017, an image macro circulated via Facebook targeting Muslim refugees in Canada by misstating the nature of several benefits available to them. The misleading nature of the macro begins with the suggestion that a smiling gentleman depicted in the image actually entered Canada with "two wives and six children," even though this photograph has been used by various "funny pictures" websites for several years. The "two wives" claim appears to play off reports of Muslim male immigrants secretly practicing polygamy, even though the practice of having more than one spouse at a time is illegal in Canada. The Supreme Court of British Columbia upheld that law in a November 2011 ruling involving a non-Muslim polygamous sect. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a federal agency that assists both immigrants and refugees, that law is taken into account during the immigration process. The agency stated: "Polygamy is illegal in Canada, and therefore multiple marriages are not recognized under Canada's immigration laws." This means that a permanent resident or Canadian citizen can only immigrate with one spouse after having dissolved other marriages to convert their polygamous marriage to a monogamous one. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has advised the United Nations Refugee Agency that individuals in a polygamous marriage should not be referred for resettlement to Canada. Additionally, IRCC officers assess privately sponsored refugee cases against Canada's immigration laws, including monogamous marriage requirements. Therefore, individuals practicing polygamy would be inadmissible to Canada. The reference to "privately sponsored refugees" concerns a separate program, though Syrian and Iraqi refugees are currently exempt from having to show documentation recognizing them as such. Regarding the claim of a "government-owned townhouse" and "a three-bedroom government-owned apartment," the agency stated: "The government does not own apartments or townhouses which are then given to resettled refugees." Immigration officials also provided examples of regional average payments for refugees and their families distributed through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), which can be seen below: The agency explained: "Resettlement support normally includes a one-time start-up payment to assist the refugees in establishing a household in Canada, as well as monthly income support to help them get through their first year in Canada." Monthly support is provided to cover the costs of food and incidentals, shelter, and transportation. This amount varies depending on family size and is guided by the prevailing provincial social assistance rates in the province where the refugee(s) reside. Income support for most resettled refugees is provided for their first year in Canada by the federal government, private sponsors, or a mix of both. When income support ends, it is common for some refugees in need to transition to provincial or territorial social assistance support. The program also provides referrals to agencies in the country's various provinces that can help them acclimate after emigrating. According to the agency, among other things, these service provider organizations help newcomers find and retain employment, including referrals to assess foreign credentials. They also offer free language assessment and training to help newcomers contribute to the economy. Support services, including child care, transportation assistance, translation, interpretation, crisis counseling, and provisions for disabilities, are offered across the Settlement program to enable access to direct settlement services. The reference to immigrants being given "health cards" is a possible allusion to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides "limited, temporary coverage of health-care benefits" to refugees until they qualify for the country's public healthcare system, which is administered through provincial and territorial governments and not funded by the federal government. Immigration officials noted that as of April 1, 2016, IFHP beneficiaries are also eligible for urgent dental care (meaning "conditions involving pain, infection, or trauma") and limited vision care. As noted above, the benefits payments distributed to refugees do cover the cost of buying food, but the macro's statement regarding "access to a halal-only food bank" misleadingly presents that as another government service. In reality, those services are often operated by private organizations such as the Canadian Muslim Women's Institute (CMWI). We were unable to get in touch with CMWI for more information prior to publication, but the group's president, Yasmin Ali, explained the circumstances facing many of the people they help in a September 2016 interview: "When [refugees] come here, yes, they are given help by the government, but they have to start afresh. They are given some basic furniture, but they have to buy every single thing to equip themselves in a home, from a broom to pots and pans to sheets to every single thing, so the money doesn't stretch very far. With the kids going to school and needing clothing and school supplies, the extra food that they can get through Winnipeg Harvest is a good help to free up some money so they can actually access other necessities, pay other bills, and get other things that they need." The macro closes by stating that "voicing your opinion" could open people up to hate speech charges. In reality, the country's anti-hate laws do not address just general "opinions," but hate speech: Under section 318, everyone who advocates or promotes genocide is guilty of an offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment. The term genocide is defined to mean killing members of an identifiable group or deliberately inflicting on an identifiable group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction. Section 318(4) of the Criminal Code defines an identifiable group as any section of the public distinguished by colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. No prosecution under this provision can be undertaken without the consent of the provincial Attorney General. Under section 319(1) of the Criminal Code, everyone who, by communicating statements in a public place, incites hatred against any identifiable group where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace is guilty of an indictable offence punishable by up to two years imprisonment or of a summary conviction offence. Section 319(2) makes it an offence to communicate, except in private conversation, statements that willfully promote hatred against an identifiable group. Section 319(7) defines communicating to include communicating by telephone, broadcasting, or other audible or visible means. Public place is defined to include any place to which the public has access as of right or by invitation, express or implied. Statements include words spoken or written or recorded electronically, electromagnetically, or otherwise, and also include gestures, signs, or other visible representations. IRCC also provided the following statement: "The ongoing conflict in Syria has triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. The Government of Canada remains committed to upholding its humanitarian tradition to resettle refugees and offer protection to those in need. Canada has a long and proud tradition of providing protection to those who need it the most by providing refuge to the world's most vulnerable people and has welcomed generations of newcomers who have helped us build our society, culture, and economy in long-lasting and enduring ways. Immigration from all streams provides significant benefits to Canada and to the immigrants who have come here to build their new lives. When we come together to welcome and integrate newcomers, it strengthens our communities and contributes to our country's success—it helps build our society, culture, and economy in long-lasting and enduring ways." The agency also noted that, according to preliminary findings, 53 percent of privately-sponsored adult refugees living outside of Quebec by March 1, 2016, had already found employment. IRCC stated that the employment rate for adult refugees taking part in government assistance programs outside of the same province was around 10 percent, which it attributed to "substantially lower language skills." | 0 | [
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FMD4270 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Who is responsible for the rise in the debt? Claim summaries: A chart from 2011 compared changes in the U.S. national debt over the last several presidencies.
contextual information: Debt is typically a major campaign issue in elections, from the municipal level all the way up to the office of the President of the United States. Candidates tout their accomplishments in balancing budgets or reducing government debt as examples of fiscal prudence while pointing to increased debts during their opponents' administrations as indicators of profligate and wasteful spending of taxpayers' money. The chart reproduced above, which was posted to the Flickr account of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, attempts to reverse conventional political stereotypes by portraying recent Republican presidents as responsible for significant increases in the national debt, while showing recent Democratic presidents as responsible for much lower increases in the level of debt. As a first step in evaluating this chart, we must determine the applicable definition of "debt." In general, the term "public debt" (or "debt held by the public") refers to money borrowed by the government through the issuance and sale of securities, government bonds, and bills. It includes federal debt held by all investors outside of the federal government, including individuals, corporations, state or local governments, the Federal Reserve banking system, and foreign governments. Another form of debt is "intragovernmental debt" (or "debt held by government accounts"), which refers to money that the government has borrowed from itself, such as when the U.S. government invests money from federal savings programs like Medicare and the Social Security trust fund by purchasing its own treasury securities. A variety of names have been applied to the total of these two forms of debt, including "gross federal debt," "total public debt," and "national debt." Although this chart is labeled as presenting a "percent increase in public debt," it actually uses figures corresponding to the total described as "gross federal debt" above (i.e., a combination of debt held by the public and debt held by government accounts, rather than just the former). We checked the numbers in this chart by using (for pre-1993 years) the U.S. Treasury's Monthly Statement of the Public Debt (MSPD), noting the total debt reported as of January 31 of each relevant year, and (for 1993 onwards) the Treasury's The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It application, noting the total debt reported as of Inauguration Day of each relevant year. From these records, we gleaned the following information: Ronald Reagan: Took office January 1981. Total debt: $848 billion. Left office January 1989. Total debt: $2,698 billion. Percent change in total debt: +218%. George H.W. Bush: Took office January 1989. Total debt: $2,698 billion. Left office January 20, 1993. Total debt: $4,188 billion. Percent change in total debt: +55%. Bill Clinton: Took office January 20, 1993. Total debt: $4,188 billion. Left office January 20, 2001. Total debt: $5,728 billion. Percent change in total debt: +37%. George W. Bush: Took office January 20, 2001. Total debt: $5,728 billion. Left office January 20, 2009. Total debt: $10,627 billion. Percent change in total debt: +86%. Barack Obama: Took office January 20, 2009. Total debt: $10,627 billion. Total debt (as of the end of April 2011): $14,288 billion. Percent change in total debt: +34%. As far as raw numbers go, the chart is reasonably accurate (although our calculations produced a somewhat higher debt increase for Ronald Reagan than reported). That said, we must consider how valuable these numbers are; whether by themselves they present a reasonable comparative measure of presidential fiscal responsibility. In that regard, one could find several aspects to take issue with: the chart isn't a true comparison of equals, as it includes three presidents who served two full terms (Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush), a president who served one term (George H.W. Bush), and a president who served half a term (Obama). Obviously, the longer a president holds office, the greater the opportunity for him to influence the debt, and certainly (barring a radical change in current circumstances) the increase reported for Barack Obama would be considerably higher by the time he left office. All presidents come into office with policies and budgets that were put into place by their predecessors in the White House and Congress, and they all pass the same along to their successors when they leave office. Therefore, determining how much of the change in debt that occurs during a given president's administration is actually the result of his actions (rather than the consequence of factors over which he had little or no influence) would require a much more complex analysis than the one presented here. Which is the best measure of debt for this purpose: public debt, intragovernmental debt, or a combination of the two? As noted in the General Accounting Office's FAQ on Federal Debt, they represent rather different concepts: Debt held by the public approximates current federal demand on credit markets. It represents a burden on today's economy, and the interest paid on this debt represents a burden on current taxpayers. Federal borrowing from the public absorbs resources available for private investment and may put upward pressure on interest rates. Further, debt held by the public is the accumulation of what the federal government borrowed in the past and is reported as a liability on the balance sheet of the government's consolidated financial statements. In contrast, debt held by government accounts (intragovernmental debt) and the interest on it represent a claim on future resources. This debt performs largely an internal accounting function. Special federal securities credited to government accounts (primarily trust funds) represent the cumulative surpluses of these accounts that have been lent to the general fund. These transactions net out on the government's consolidated financial statements. Debt issued to government accounts does not affect today's economy and does not currently compete with the private sector for available funds in the credit market. Are plain percentage changes in the national debt level a useful figure, or do they need to be placed in context to have relevance? Some would argue, for example, that the Debt-to-GDP ratio is a better measure of economic health relative to the national debt than raw debt figures alone, and a chart that tracked the change in that ratio over the last several presidencies would paint a significantly different picture of debt levels than the one displayed above. All in all, this is a case of relatively accurate information that is of marginal value due to a lack of proper comparative context. | 1 | [
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] | 1 |
FMD4271 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Stalin Pluck a Live Chicken as a Lesson to His Followers? Claim summaries: A common tale expresses the thought that a dictator can do anything he wants to "the people," so long as the people believe he is the source of their survival.
contextual information: A common item of interest on social media is a rather gruesome anecdote attributed to Soviet leader Josef Stalin, which describes him purportedly plucking a live chicken in order to demonstrate "how easy it is to govern stupid people": We found no sources for this anecdote that were contemporaneous with Stalin's life (he died in 1953), nor from the next few decades afterwards. The earliest recountings of it seem to date from the early 1990s or late 1980s, which is consistent with the following excerpt from a 1988 New Yorker article that attributes it to the mid-1980s writings of anti-Stalinist Soviet/Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov: With the new Party line established, editors around the country unleashed an extraordinary torrent of articles damning Stalin. A novelist named Chingiz Aitmatov wrote one of the most powerful. Aitmatov has a distinguished history as an anti-Stalinist. In the early nineteen-eighties, when discipline of all kinds was lax, he managed to get past the censors a novel called "The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years," which in elliptical, allegorical ways, attacked the Stalinist legacy, and sold five million copies. Now Aitmatov was free to use language as blunt as he liked. He began with an anecdote: Stalin called together his closest comrades-in-arms. "I understand you're wondering how I govern the people so that every last one of them ... thinks of me as a living god. Now I'll teach you the right attitude toward the people." And he ordered a chicken brought in. He plucked it live, in front of them all, down to the last feather, down to the red flesh, until only the comb was left on its head. "And now watch," he said, and let the chicken go. It could have gone off where it wished, but it went nowhere. It was too hot in the sun and too cold in the shade. The poor bird could only press itself against Stalin's boots. And then he tossed it a crumb of grain, and the bird followed him wherever he went. Otherwise, it would have fallen over from hunger. "That," he told his pupils, "is how you govern our people." Aitmatov appears to be the source of this tale, but as noted in the above New Yorker article and a 2008 Reuters obituary for Aitmatov, he wrote in "elliptical, allegorical ways," and his works "often interwove popular myths and folktales to create allegorical themes populated with down-to-earth characters." Aitmatov acknowledged that of himself as well, writing in the introduction to his novel "The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years": obituary As in previous works, here I also draw on legends and myths handed down to us from former generations; together with these, for the first time in my writing career I also use fantasy to form part of the story. But, for me, neither is an end in itself, simply a method of expressing thoughts, a means of identifying and interpreting realities. Given that Aitmatov is the apparent source for this anecdote, that it did not first appear until some 30 years after Stalin's death, and that Aitmatov was known for his use of allegory, most likely the tale is not a literal account of something Stalin did, but rather an illustrative sketch that Aitmatov either invented himself or heard elsewhere and subsequently attributed to Stalin. We therefore rate this claim "Legend." Cullen, Robert. "Letter from Moscow."
The New Yorker. 17 October 1988 (p. 100). Aitmatov, Chingiz. The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years.
Indiana University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-253-20482-8. Reuters. "Kyrgyz Writer, Perestroika Ally Aitmatov Dies."
10 June 2008. | 1 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4272 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did a Banned Federal Study Show That Refugees Bring in More in Government Revenues Than They Cost? Claim summaries: A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study compared the tax revenues generated by refugees to the overall cost of resettlement.
contextual information: One of the arguments made by the Trump administration for lowering the cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States is that the costs of refugee resettlement outweigh its benefits. lowering Estimates vary on the total annual cost of processing and resettling refugees in the U.S., but a rough breakdown by the National Conference of State Legislatures put the total expenditures for accepting approximately 70,000 refugees in 2014 at $582 million.These cost estimates rarely attempt to take into account any economic benefits refugees might provide to the countries that take them in. According to a Facebook meme making the rounds since mid-2018, just such an analysis was undertaken by the Trump administration, but the results were suppressed because they undercut the official position:A recently leaked federal study found that refugees to America brought in $63 billion in government revenues than they cost in the last 10 years. Trump chief policy adviser Stephen Miller banned the release of the study, because it contradicts his claim that refugees are too costly. Pass it on!A leaked document fitting that description was indeed published by the New York Times in September 2017. It was an early draft of a report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing, at the president's request, the estimated long-term costs of the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Times noted that:The internal study, which was completed in late July but never publicly released, found that refugees contributed an estimated $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government between 2005 and 2014 through the payment of federal, state and local taxes. Overall, this report estimated that the net fiscal impact of refugees was positive over the 10-year period, at $63 billion.All in all, the report said, the net fiscal impact of refugees over the 10-year period was positive, not negative, to the tune of $63 billion at all levels of government:The study concluded that refugees on average had a net fiscal impact "comparable" to that of the general population:The per capita annual net fiscal benefit was $2,205 for refugees and $1,848 for the general U.S. population, a difference not likely to be significant given margins of error and other limitations of this study. Expenditures for the general U.S. population were on average higher than expenditures for refugees, while revenues were more comparable.However, none of this information was contained in the final report delivered to the President, the Times reported, noting that some of the refugee program's proponents believed the results of the study were "suppressed" internally. Administration officials characterized those results as illegitimate:This leak was delivered by someone with an ideological agenda, not someone looking at hard data, said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman. The actual report pursuant to the presidential memorandum shows that refugees with few skills coming from war-torn countries take more government benefits from the Department of Health and Human Services than the average population, and are not a net benefit to the U.S. economy.John Graham, the acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the health department, said: We do not comment on allegedly leaked documents and that no report had been finalized. He noted that Mr. Trumps memorandum seeks an analysis related to the cost of refugee programs. Therefore, the only analysis in the scope of H.H.S.s response to the memo would be on refugee-related expenditures from data within H.H.S. programs.The three-page report the agency ultimately submitted, dated Sept. 5, does just that, using government data to compare the costs of refugees to Americans and making no mention of revenues contributed by refugees.The Times also said that according to White House sources, Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is reputed to be the chief architect of the administration's immigration policies, "personally intervened" to ensure that only the costs of admitting refugees, and not the fiscal benefits thereof, were enumerated in the final report. (According to the New Yorker, the White House denied that Miller was involved in producing the report.)The Facebook meme is largely accurate, then, although it somewhat mischaracterizes what became of the original draft report. It wasn't "banned" from release, in that it doesn't appear the report was ever intended to be made public. It was allegedly suppressed, however, in that it never reached President Trump's desk, and all discussion of the fiscal benefits of admitting refugees into the United States was excised from the final document. Estimates vary on the total annual cost of processing and resettling refugees in the U.S., but a rough breakdown by the National Conference of State Legislatures put the total expenditures for accepting approximately 70,000 refugees in 2014 at $582 million. breakdown These cost estimates rarely attempt to take into account any economic benefits refugees might provide to the countries that take them in. According to a Facebook meme making the rounds since mid-2018, just such an analysis was undertaken by the Trump administration, but the results were suppressed because they undercut the official position: A recently leaked federal study found that refugees to America brought in $63 billion in government revenues than they cost in the last 10 years. Trump chief policy adviser Stephen Miller banned the release of the study, because it contradicts his claim that refugees are too costly. Pass it on! A leaked document fitting that description was indeed published by the New York Times in September 2017. It was an early draft of a report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing, at the president's request, the estimated long-term costs of the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Times noted that: document The internal study, which was completed in late July but never publicly released, found that refugees contributed an estimated $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government between 2005 and 2014 through the payment of federal, state and local taxes. Overall, this report estimated that the net fiscal impact of refugees was positive over the 10-year period, at $63 billion. All in all, the report said, the net fiscal impact of refugees over the 10-year period was positive, not negative, to the tune of $63 billion at all levels of government: The study concluded that refugees on average had a net fiscal impact "comparable" to that of the general population: The per capita annual net fiscal benefit was $2,205 for refugees and $1,848 for the general U.S. population, a difference not likely to be significant given margins of error and other limitations of this study. Expenditures for the general U.S. population were on average higher than expenditures for refugees, while revenues were more comparable. However, none of this information was contained in the final report delivered to the President, the Times reported, noting that some of the refugee program's proponents believed the results of the study were "suppressed" internally. Administration officials characterized those results as illegitimate: This leak was delivered by someone with an ideological agenda, not someone looking at hard data, said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman. The actual report pursuant to the presidential memorandum shows that refugees with few skills coming from war-torn countries take more government benefits from the Department of Health and Human Services than the average population, and are not a net benefit to the U.S. economy. John Graham, the acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the health department, said: We do not comment on allegedly leaked documents and that no report had been finalized. He noted that Mr. Trumps memorandum seeks an analysis related to the cost of refugee programs. Therefore, the only analysis in the scope of H.H.S.s response to the memo would be on refugee-related expenditures from data within H.H.S. programs. The three-page report the agency ultimately submitted, dated Sept. 5, does just that, using government data to compare the costs of refugees to Americans and making no mention of revenues contributed by refugees. The Times also said that according to White House sources, Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is reputed to be the chief architect of the administration's immigration policies, "personally intervened" to ensure that only the costs of admitting refugees, and not the fiscal benefits thereof, were enumerated in the final report. (According to the New Yorker, the White House denied that Miller was involved in producing the report.) denied The Facebook meme is largely accurate, then, although it somewhat mischaracterizes what became of the original draft report. It wasn't "banned" from release, in that it doesn't appear the report was ever intended to be made public. It was allegedly suppressed, however, in that it never reached President Trump's desk, and all discussion of the fiscal benefits of admitting refugees into the United States was excised from the final document. Blitzer, Jonathan. "How Stephen Miller Single-Handedly Got the U.S. to Accept Fewer Refugees."
The New Yorker. 13 October 2017. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld. "Trump to Cap Refugees Allowed into U.S. at 30,000, a Record Low."
The New York Times. 17 September 2018. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld and Somini Sengupta. "Trump Administration Rejects Study Showing Positive Impact of Refugees."
The New York Times. 18 September 2017. Phillips, Amber. "Here's How Much the United States Spends on Refugees."
The Washington Post. 20 November 2015. The New York Times. "Rejected Report Shows Revenue Brought in by Refugees."
19 September 2017. | 1 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4273 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: On Sunday, while Floridians braced themselves for Tropical Storm Colin, a gunman decided to Second Amendment two innocent people to death in Cape Coral. According to authorities, the first shooting occurred at about 5:45 p.m. when a gunman killed a motorcyclist at a busy intersection. The suspect then drove to a Circle K gas station where he shot two people, killing one of them. Shortly after the second shooting, police spotted the murderer s car, stopped it and confronted him. The police say that the suspect violently resist[ed] officers and he was killed after firing at officers. Two people were found with gunshot wounds in his car, but police have not determined if they were shot by officers or the gunman.Basically, Sunday was another violent day in America. Of course, the biggest pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association, spoke out right away and condemned the shootings. They demanded to know who this shooter was and how he got a gun. They spoke out against Florida s lax laws that allow nearly everyone to buy a weapon. They demanded action and said they want to stop this from happening ever again because dammit! this is America and people should be able to drive down the road or buy a candy bar without being gunned down.Just kidding. The NRA did no such thing; instead, they responded with silence. As usual.Two innocent people are dead and the biggest gun group in the country completely ignored it. They pretended that it didn t even happen because they don t give a shit about the lives and safety of the citizens they claim to protect. They do not care that a man was riding his motorcycle on a Sunday evening and never made it home thanks to some gun nut. They do not care about the two people in the Circle K who were shot and the one who passed away from their injuries. They do not care about the thousands of other mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and CHILDREN who are killed every single year in this country.Instead of issuing a statement of remorse and sympathy to the loved ones of the victims, the NRA used their time to attack Hillary Clinton and journalist Katie Couric on Twitter.Oh look: @HillaryClinton won t say if the #2A guarantees an individual right https://t.co/n84mk7pJjm NRA (@NRA) June 6, 2016 There s still time to sign up, but the clock is ticking! https://t.co/CUDLrWHQ1N#firekatie#UndertheGunpic.twitter.com/Fp7mcvfugq NRA (@NRA) June 6, 2016That was more important than acknowledging the loss of life in Florida and it speaks volumes about their real priorities. The NRA doesn t care about us, they care about their rhetoric.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD4274 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Republicans say Social Security’s support for people with disabilities will be 'broke' next year; the Obama budget suggests the system needs only a patch. But both sides agree: Something must be done by 2016.
Why are Americans more open to torture than other nations?
Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont (l.) talks as committee chairman Sen. Michael Enzi (R) of Wyoming listens during a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington earlier this month
In the wake of Republican victories in the election last fall, pundits warned that Congress would be at loggerheads with President Obama on a number of budget issues in 2015, including over highway funding and the Department of Homeland Security.
Not high on the list of hot topics: Social Security.
Yet the vaunted social insurance system is suddenly a hot part of the fiscal debate in Washington – and it's not waiting for 2016 elections. The new Obama budget proposes a patch to the program’s support for people with disabilities, but Republicans say the system needs an overhaul, not a Band-Aid.
How urgent an issue is this? Specifically, how real is the financial trouble for the disability program?
The two sides are far apart on their characterizations, but they agree that something needs to be done, and a good case can be made that the reality is between the extremes.
Many Democrats and liberals say, in effect, that Social Security’s Disability Insurance program is in trouble only if Republicans refuse to rubber stamp Mr. Obama’s fix.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont, the top member of the Democratic caucus on the Senate Budget Committee, accused Republicans of trying “to manufacture a crisis where none exists.â€
On the Republican side, Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, who chairs that panel, says that “by December of next year, the program will be broke.â€
What's new is that after years of talk about Social Security's solvency and the need to reform it (or not), Congress has come to its first definitive fork in the road on the issue. Perhaps the problem isn’t as dire as Republicans say it is, but Obama also might not have a slam-dunk case for his patch.
A good many economists agree with the Republican view that reforms are needed to keep the system solvent – and the sooner they’re enacted, the better it will be for the nation’s fiscal health.
Here are key facts behind the rhetoric:
These facts suggest that Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah had a valid point when he argued this week on the Senate floor that “having a joint trust fund exhaustion as a target doesn’t solve any fundamental financial problem facing ... Social Security.â€
At the same time, Democrats have a point when they note that rebalancing the tax revenues between the two trust funds has been done by Congress many times in the past.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget notes that Congress has reallocated tax receipts between these two funds in the past, but generally accompanied by reforms to Social Security.
House Republicans are seeking to block any such reallocation, unless it’s accompanied by reforms to shore up Social Security so promised benefits can be paid beyond 2033.
The Social Security trustees said in their 2014 annual report that although Congress may consider another rebalancing, such a move "might serve to delay DI reforms and much needed financial corrections for OASDI as a whole."
Regardless of whether the tax flows are rebalanced, the two programs may call for differing reforms to bolster their solvency.
In the old-age program, possible fixes include asking high-earning Americans to shoulder bigger tax burdens, modestly raising the retirement age, and adjusting the inflation index used for benefits (so that annual cost-of-living increases aren’t so big).
On the disability side, changes might include expanding incentives for people to work rather than rely on DI benefits. “Increasing employment among individuals with disabilities could improve their economic well-being and increase their autonomy while also reducing the fiscal strains on Social Security,†Stanford University economist Mark Duggan argued at a Senate hearing this week.
The disability program has grown markedly in recent years. By 2012 it was accounting for 18 percent of all Social Security benefits, up from 10 percent in 1970, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Much of the expansion stemmed from demographics, as an aging population included more people developing disabilities in their later work years, a 2013 CBO analysis concluded. But it also found the growth in the program to be related to 1984 legislation that loosened the definition of conditions qualifying as disabilities, and in fluctuations in the economy – such as the long jobs drought following the 2008 financial crisis.
“The DI rolls have barely grown for the last two years,†notes Kathy Ruffing of the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
That slowdown coincides with an easing of demographic pressures on the program, as the baby boomers retire, as well as the improving economy. | 1 | [
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"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4275 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Were 30 Marines Just Killed in a Helicopter Crash? Claim summaries: A years-old news story recirculated in the wake of another deadly helicopter crash.
contextual information: On Jan. 26, 2020, a helicopter crash in California killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers. As the world reacted to this tragic news, some social media users noted that the outpouring of grief might be slightly misplaced because, they claimed, 30 Marines had also "just" died in a helicopter crash: helicopter crash These social media users were referring to a genuine news story. However, they were mistaken that the helicopter crash that killed 30 Marines and a sailor had occurred "yesterday" or recently in January 2020. That incident actually took place in 2005, in Iraq. Here's a screenshot of the Navy news release about the 2005 helicopter crash: Navy news release Readers may have noticed that this news release was published on Jan. 26, 2005. As the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant happened on the 15th anniversary of the crash that killed 30 Marines, it's easy to see how some people may have misread this date. Moreover, it seems that some news publications published recent stories that didn't clearly state that the military helicopter crash occurred 15 years ago. While the headline for News-Gazette in the screenshot below refers to a "day in history" piece, for example, the headlines from KWKT and KTUU presented the incident as a recent development. KWKT and KTUU have since deleted their stories, and we were unable to find any archived versions of these pages. To sum up: On Jan. 26, 2005, 30 Marines and a sailor were killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq. Fifteen years later, this story recirculated on social media in the wake of another fatal helicopter crash. The text of the original Navy news release appears below: original Navy news release Thirty Marines and one Sailor from the 1st Marine Division and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of the I Marine Expeditionary Force died Jan. 26 when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed near Ar Rutbah in the Al Anbar Province while conducting security and stabilization operations. All Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen of the I Marine Expeditionary Force mourn the tragic loss of our brothers in arms. A recovery team is at the crash site, and the cause of the crash is currently under investigation. The names of the deceased are being withheld pending next of kin notification. "While we mourn the loss of these heroes, we will honor their sacrifice by continuing our mission to bring democracy to the people of Iraq," said Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force. "To the families of these brave men, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to you at this most difficult of times." US Navy. "30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash."
26 January 2005. Chappell, Bill. "What We Know: The Helicopter Crash That Killed Kobe Bryant And 8 Others."
NPR. 27 January 2020. | 2 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 2 |
FMD4276 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Nordstrom Gift Card Survey Scam Claim summaries: A slicker-than-average Facebook coupon scam is circulating, baiting users with the promise of a $200 Nordstrom gift card.
contextual information: In early February 2016, social media users began sharing various versions of the above link, claiming that the retailer Nordstrom was offering a $200 gift card to Facebook users who "referred three friends" to the promotion. The embedded links pointed to a URL that was typically some variation of nordstrom.egiftcards.co, which was not hosted on the official Nordstrom website. Users who attempted to complete the steps and claim the Nordstrom gift card were directed to a well-designed (but still illegitimate) page with the following instructions: "To Celebrate Valentine's Day, Get a Nordstrom $200 Gift Card! Simply Invite 3 Friends to Get Your Gift Card After 3 Friends Click Your Link. Get Your Gift Card Instantly!" The landing page in question didn't resemble other popular Facebook coupon scams. However, it did display a rapidly decreasing number of "available gift cards," suggesting users should comply urgently or miss out. Coupon and gift card scams appear frequently on Facebook; Kohl's, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, Best Buy, Macy's, Olive Garden, Publix, Target, Wegmans, and Walmart were among the popular retailers impersonated by scammers seeking personal information from social media users. On 3 February 2016, a Nordstrom representative responded to our inquiry about the circulating gift card scam: "You're correct, this is a fraudulent promotion as it is not affiliated with Nordstrom, and we are not sponsoring any giveaways of gift cards. We recommend not clicking the link or entering any personal information. Our team is actively working to make customers aware of the situation and apologize for any confusion." A July 2014 Better Business Bureau article advised social media users on how to avoid survey and coupon scams: "Don't believe what you see. It's easy to steal the colors, logos, and header of an established organization. Scammers can also make links look like they lead to legitimate websites and emails appear to come from a different sender. Legitimate businesses do not ask for credit card numbers or banking information on customer surveys. If they do ask for personal information, like an address or email, be sure there's a link to their privacy policy. When in doubt, do a quick web search. If the survey is a scam, you may find alerts or complaints from other consumers. The organization's real website may have further information. Watch out for a reward that's too good to be true. If the survey is real, you may be entered in a drawing to win a gift card or receive a small discount off your next purchase. Few businesses can afford to give away $50 gift cards for completing a few questions." | 0 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 0 |
FMD4277 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The Roommate's Death Claim summaries: Coed who remains in dorms over holidays discovers her roommate has been murdered.
contextual information: Claim: Two roommates remain at their deserted college dormitory over a holiday break. One of the girls goes out on a date that evening, and the other one turns in and goes to bed before her roommate returns. Later that night the sleeping girl is awakened by gurgling and scratching noises coming from outside the hallway door. Frightened, she locks the door and cowers inside the room until morning. When the girl finally opens the door and ventures outside, she discovers the bloody corpse of her roommate in the hallway. The murdered girl's throat had been slit, and she had bled to death in the hallway while clawing at the door. LEGEND Example: [Brunvand, 1965] These two girls in Corbin had stayed late over Christmas vacation. One of them had to wait for a later train, and the other wanted to go to a fraternity party given that night of vacation. The dorm assistant was in her room sacked out. They waited and waited for the intercom, and then they heard this knocking and knocking outside in front of the dorm. So the girl thought it was her date and she went down. But she didn't come back and she didn't come back. So real late that night this other girl heard a scratching and gasping down the hall. She couldn't lock the door, so she locked herself in the closet. In the morning she let herself out and her roommate had had her throat cut, and if the other girl had opened to door earlier, she would have been saved. Variations: The reason why the girls stay alone in the dormitory varies (e.g., they live too far away to go home). The frightened roommate sometimes hides in the closet (and hears the scratching noises coming from outside the closet door). In some variations the dead girl's fingernails are described as having been ground down to bloody stumps. The frightened roommate's hair turns white overnight from shock in some versions. Origins: Like several similar adolescent horror stories (e.g., The Hook, The Boyfriend's Death), this story first appeared in the early 1960s. As with the Campus Halloween Murders legend, this tale may have originated with what Bronner describes as "the mistrust of the security of institutional life especially for students away from the haven of home and the setting of many campuses in isolated arcadias ." As colleges eased the restrictions of dormitory life and took a much less active role in their students' personal lives, students came to see campuses as "more open but less protected" places, sites "potentially open to dangerous strangers." turns white The Hook The Boyfriend's Death Campus Halloween Murders Last updated: 30 June 2011 Piled Higher and Deeper Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981. ISBN 0-393-95169-3 (pp. 57-62). The Vanishing Hitchhiker Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Mexican Pet. New York: W. W. Norton, 1986. ISBN 0-393-30542-2 (pp. 202-204). The Mexican Pet Coffin, Tristam Potter and Hennig Cohen. Folklore: From the Working Folk of America. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1973 ISBN 0-385-03874-7 (pp. 28-29). de Vos, Gail. Tales, Rumors and Gossip. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 1996. ISBN 1-56308-190-3 (pp. 318-319). Tales, Rumors and Gossip Emrich, Duncan. Folklore on the American Land. Boston: Little, Brown, 1972 (p. 335). The Big Book of Urban Legends | 1 | [
"0",
"1",
"2"
] | 1 |
FMD4278 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: The United States has experienced 40 straight months of unemployment at 8 percent or higher.
contextual information: When the governmentsjobs reportfor May offered a bleak picture of the economy, with employers adding just 69,000 jobs in May, U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, and other lawmakers expressed their frustrations, often in very partisan terms.The report said the unemployment rate edged up slightly to 8.2 percent, from 8.1 percent in April, and Black issued a press release that among other things said the prospects for unemployed or underemployed Americans finding full-time work are not very good after 40 straight months of unemployment at 8 percent or higher.We know the unemployment has remained stubbornly high, but has it really been at 8 percent or higher for 40 straight months?For the purposes of this ruling, we're only going to look closely at the statistics Black cited and stay out of the political blame game. Suffice to say, its not hard to find Republicans blaming Democratic policies and Democrats blaming Republican obstruction for the inability to move the economy closer to full employment.We called Blacks office and asked them to back up the claim. Her spokeswoman, Allison Huff, pointed us to achartcompiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is the gold standard for unemployment statistics.According to the bureau, the last time unemployment was below 8 percent was in January 2009, when it was 7.8 percent -- it then spiked quickly to 8.3 percent in February of 2009 and to 9.4 percent by May before topping out at 10.0 percent in October of 2009. It dropped gradually from there, and the May report listing unemployment at 8.2 percent marked the 40th consecutive month it has been at 8 percent or higher.As dismal as that may be, its not the record.The rate of unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, making the past three years the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported in astudyin February 2012.In the Great Depression era, unemployment topped 15 percent annually for six straight years, from 1931 to 1936, and never fell below 8.7 percent over 12 years, according toestimatesadopted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In four consecutive years, unemployment exceeded 20 percent a year.Our colleagues at PolitiFact National cited those figures when they rated asFalsea claim by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, who said, We have unemployment that rivals the Great Depression.There is a qualifier, though. The Depression-era unemployment data counted those age 14 and up, not 16 and up (the standard that began in 1948). In addition, monthly unemployment statistics were not kept until 1948 as well. Thus, all statistics during the Great Depression were on an annual basis.Our rulingRep. Black did not go as far as some other Republicans and claim that unemployment is as bad as during the Great Depression. She merely said it has been at 8 percent or higher for 40 straight months. Based upon the governments own data, we rate her statement as True. | 1 | [
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"1",
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FMD4279 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Islamic State supporters are celebrating the recent terrorist attack on London, England, distributing propaganda images via their social media channels calling for “no compromise. â€[The propaganda image depicts the silhouette of a man with a knife against the backdrop of a burning Tower Bridge (Tower Bridge, located close to London Bridge, is often confused with the latter — ISIS’s propagandists appear to have made the same mistake). Islamic Nashir News Telegram channels have just distributed a poster celebrating #London attack with a set of hashtags to tweet pic. twitter. — Michael S. Smith II (@MichaelSSmithII) June 4, 2017, The picture also shows a white van, similar to the one that was used by terrorists to run down civilians in London Saturday. The image was shared on channels on the Telegram messaging app. A recent post in the channel featured a clip from the Islamic State calling on Muslims to stage terrorist attacks during Ramadan, the “month of conquest and jihad. †Nashir Telegram channels reposted compilation of messages posted at start of Ramadan, featuring clip of Adnani’ 2016 Ramadan address #London pic. twitter. — Michael S. Smith II (@MichaelSSmithII) June 4, 2017, social media accounts also distributed material calling for copycat attacks using trucks, knives, and handguns. 3) Earlier today, pro #ISIS channel urged to kill civilians: â€Run over them by vehicles†image of truck, gunknife https: . pic. twitter. — Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) June 3, 2017, Other Islamic State supporters were seen celebrating, mainly on Telegram, the messaging app currently favoured by jihadis. “We’re coming for you from Iraq,†said one, while another boasted, “the wolves have awakened. †6) #ISIS channels continue to celebrate #LondonAttack asâ€the black days we’ve promisedâ€,the wolves have awakenedâ€responding to ISIS calls pic. twitter. — Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) June 4, 2017, Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, has responded to the attack on London by calling for more internet regulation, criticizing internet providers for allowing “safe spaces†for Islamist radicals. This approach has been criticized by civil liberties campaigners, who call May’s proposal a “poor, very political response†that could “push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe. †You can follow Allum Bokhari on Twitter and add him on Facebook. Email tips and suggestions to abokhari@breitbart. com. | 1 | [
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FMD4280 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Colombia s leftist FARC rebel group is introducing its political party at a conference that began on Sunday, a major step in its transition into a civilian organization after more than 50 years of war and its first chance to announce policy to skeptical voters. The six-day meeting in Bogota of FARC members, who have handed in more than 8,000 weapons to the United Nations during their demobilization, is expected to conclude on Friday with a platform that the party will campaign on in elections next year. Under its 2016 peace deal with the government to end its part in a war that has killed more than 220,000 people, the majority of fighters in the group formally known as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were granted amnesty and allowed to participate in politics. Whether the rebels will get backing from Colombians, many of whom revile them, remains to be seen. The FARC s often old-fashioned Marxist rhetoric strikes many as a throwback to their 1964 founding, but proposals for reforms to complicated property laws may get traction with rural voters who struggle as subsistence farmers. The peace accord, rejected by a less than 1 percent margin in a referendum before being modified and enacted, awards the FARC s party 10 automatic seats in Congress through 2026, but the group may campaign for others. In a sight that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, FARC delegates arrived by bus to the center of the capital, escorted by police on motorcycles. From this event on, we will transform into a new, exclusively political group that will carry out its activity by legal means, FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, who is known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, told hundreds of attendees at the event center in Bogota. We have in front of us many challenges and many difficulties, Londono said. Nothing is easy in politics. Rural improvements will remain a focus for the party, he added. Many delegates wore conference t-shirts with the slogan A new party for a new country and carried branded tote bags. A painting featuring images of Cuban revolutionary leaders Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara, deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Jesus Christ was on display. The party will initially be called the Revolutionary Alternative Force of Colombia, preserving the FARC initials in Spanish. Both legislative and presidential elections will take place in 2018. It is not yet clear in which races the FARC will run candidates. I think the FARC will try for a regional consolidation, using the presence and influence they have in certain provinces, said Catalina Jimenez, politics professor at Externado University. At a national level, they need a large amount of votes they still don t have. The FARC is open to coalitions, the group said this week. Fractured by infighting, leftist parties have long struggled in conservative-leaning Colombia, despite some success in winning urban positions. Widespread corruption scandals will probably be a top issue for the crowded field of 2018 presidential candidates. Campaigns are also likely to focus on proposals to improve the daily lives of Colombians, many of whom say they desperately need better security, public education and healthcare. The FARC says the government of President Juan Manuel Santos, which gives a certain amount of regulated funding to each party, should help carry the costs of the conference, given the rebels have handed over their assets as reparations for victims of the war. But while the peace deal is the cornerstone of Santos legacy, the government has raised doubts about the veracity of the rebels $324 million asset list. The government said this week that it was forming a commission to verify that the FARC had included all profits it may have earned from extortion, ransoms and drug trafficking, and the group must play by the same rules as any other party. | 1 | [
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FMD4281 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Is Stacey Abrams responsible for a debt exceeding $50,000 in overdue taxes? Claim summaries: A graphic criticizing the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate was not inaccurate, but neither was it a "gotcha" moment.
contextual information: A graphic circulated online about 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams owing a large sum in back taxes was technically accurate, but it omitted several key details in an attempt to frame her as irresponsible or dishonest. The meme showed a photograph of Abrams along with a caption reading, "This is Stacy [sic] Abrams, the Democrat on the ticket for Georgia governor. She owes the IRS $50,000 in back taxes." Abrams publicly revealed that she owed a $54,000 debt to the Internal Revenue Service when she released her personal financial disclosure documents in March 2018. However, although she is in debt, she is not delinquent in her taxes, as documents show she is on a payment plan after deferring payments for the tax years 2015 and 2016. The candidate elaborated on her situation in an op-ed published by Fortune magazine on April 24, 2018, stating that even though she earned $95,000 a year at her first job after graduating college, the cost of her education left her with more than $100,000 in debt before she had to take on additional financial responsibilities. She wrote, "I'd love to say that was the end of my financial troubles, but life had other plans. In 2006, my youngest brother and his girlfriend had a child they could not care for due to their drug addictions. Instead, my parents took custody when my niece was five days old. Underpaid, raising an infant, and battling their own illnesses, my parents' bills piled up. I took on much of the financial responsibility to support them, and even today I remain their main source of financial support. Paying the bills for two households has taken its toll. Nearly twenty years after graduating, I am still paying down student loans and am on a payment plan to settle my debt to the IRS. I have made money mistakes, but I have never ignored my responsibilities; I will meet my obligations—however slowly but surely." Abrams' opponent in the 2018 gubernatorial race (which she lost), Republican Brian Kemp, was reportedly also in heavy debt. He was sued by an investment company in June 2018 after allegedly failing to repay a $500,000 loan he guaranteed for an agricultural company in which he invested, Hart AgStrong LLC. Kemp has claimed that he is not responsible for paying the loan, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in September 2018 that, according to court documents, Kemp also promised to cover around $10 million in other loans for the company. | 1 | [
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FMD4282 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: - Advertisement -
Here's the thing:Today, October 27, 2016, I, like many of you, watched live feeds of the events going down at Standing Rock.I am at a loss to define my feelings. Anger, outrage, pity, fear
...One phrase kept going through my mind, like a mantra- This is not my America. This is not my America. This is not my America. protests at DAPL License DMCA
And then in counter-point was the thought- But it is. But it is. But it is.Over one hundred heavily armed cops in riot gear, supported by military assault vehicles and helicopters forced peaceful, prayerful water protectors from their own land, ceded to them in the Treaty of 1851. The police are nothing more than a mercenary army protecting the interests of the owners of the DAPL. There was the wail of sound cannons aimed at the protectors, there was tear gas. There were rubber bullets being fired into the crowd.And in my mind- This is not my America (But it is) This is not my America (But it is) This is not my America (But it is) This is about water. There's no political ideology here. We cannot live without water. Decisions are being made that effect the future, and the lives of our children and our grandchildren.This effects all of us. It's not just happening "out there" in the Dakotas or in Iowa or in Texas or in New Mexico. It's everywhere. For god sake, there are already over 2.5 million miles pipeline already installed in the continental United States. Just the other day, mere miles from where I live a Sunoco pipeline leaked over 55,000 gallons of gasoline into the Susquehanna River, endangering the water for over 6 million people down river. Where I live, in northeastern Pennsylvania, there are fracking wells all over the place. And an average of 2.8 million of gallons of clean water were filled with known poisons and toxins and pumped under pressure into the aquifer beneath my feet. There are places within miles of where I live that people can set fire to their water.It's too late for anyone to avoid the destruction, here where I live. We have to deal with the aftermath. The after the fact poisoning of our water and the inevitable leaks and the illnesses and the pockets of strange cancers. This is a shameful day, for all of us. I am sick, in heart, mind and spirit, but I have hope.The battle hasn't even started. Now is when decisions must be made. Hard decisions that will impact on our own sense of comfort and will demand that we risk that comfort, or lose the future. To do nothing is to accept that our children,and our grandchildren will have no clean water to drink, no clean air to breathe, no clean land to live on.This is not overstating the things. It is not alarmist. It is the simplest of truths. - Advertisement - | 0 | [
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FMD4283 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: 2016 presidential campaign by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
An architect of regime-change, coups, no-fly zones, rule of the rich and mass incarceration is about to become Commander-in-Chief, yet the bulk of what passes for the Left is “engaged in a 1930s-style ‘united front’ against a ‘fascism’ that was never a threat in 21 st century America.” Donald Trump, the orange menace, didn’t have a chance of becoming president. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is a 21 st century fascist and threat to life on Earth. Fighting Ghost Fascists While Aiding Real Ones by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
“Trump’s anti-“free trade” stance and opposition to regime change and military confrontation with Russia and China drove most of the Republican-allied section of the ruling class straight into Hillary Clinton’s imperial Big Tent.”
Hillary Clinton’s impending -- and totally predictable -- landslide victory on November 8 will prove only that there never was any danger of a “fascist” white nationalist takeover of the U.S. executive branch of government in 2016. That was always a red (or “orange”) herring, a phony “barbarians at the gate” threat that -- as Wikileaks documents confirmed -- John Podesta and Hillary’s other handlers fervently hoped would convey “lesser evil” status to their manifestly unpopular candidate.
There was nothing particularly devious or out of the ordinary in the Hillary camp’s favoring Donald Trump or, alternatively, Ted Cruz. It is standard Democratic Party practice to position themselves just to the left of the Republicans. In a duopoly electoral system, victory lies in where the cake is cut. By hugging close to the GOP’s flanks, national Democratic candidates can lay claim to a “center-left” spectrum of political space that encompasses a clear majority of U.S. public opinion on most issues. By this calculus, Democrats are supposed to win, unless they are tripped up on the closely related issues of race (failure to “stand up” to the Blacks) and foreign policy (failure to “stand up” to whoever is the designated foreign enemy).
Race is the trickiest part of the equation, since white supremacy is embedded in the American political conversation, hiding just beneath the surface of most discourse on social and economic policy.
“His overt racism probably weakened his appeal to whites.”
Trump thought he could win by combining an overt white racist appeal with an anti-corporate message that laid the blame on Wall Street for (white) American job losses and falling living standards. He also calculated -- correctly, it turns out -- that in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown, many white Americans were more upset about their own economic and social status than they were angry at Russians; that they wanted regime change at home more than abroad.
Both of Trump’s central policies backfired, dooming his campaign. His overt racism probably weakened his appeal to whites, who have given majorities to national Republicans since 1968 but whose self-image is that they are not, as individuals, racist. (Certainly, white women found further reason to reject his candidacy.) Much more spectacularly, Trump’s anti-“free trade” stance and opposition to regime change and military confrontation with Russia and China drove most of the Republican-allied section of the ruling class straight into Hillary Clinton’s imperial Big Tent.
At the national level, the duopoly system, as we had known it, virtually ceased to exist – a fact dramatically driven home by the near-universal corporate media rejection of Donald Trump, the candidacy they had done so much to create. The near-collapse of the duopoly system was the great fracture of the 2016 election, a potential historic opening to a far wider space of progressive political struggle, including on the moribund electoral level. With the ruling class gathered in one Big Tent, and the overt racists occupying the imploded shell of the GOP, the system itself was in disarray. What was once two vibrant parties of the ruling class, with a virtual monopoly on the totality of the electorate, had become one ruling class party plus a hollowed-out husk, at least temporarily occupied by white nationalists under the leadership of a narcissistic and incoherent billionaire, yet without enough funds to mount a competitive general election campaign.
“The near-collapse of the duopoly system was the great fracture of the 2016 election.”
In these pages, we had been saying since last year that Donald Trump could not win; that Bernie Sanders’ fate would be sealed in the southern primaries; and that, although ruling class money would insure Clinton an election by landslide, it could not buy her legitimacy among a significant section of the Democratic “base,” who would now be pushed to the latrine area of her Big Tent. As we wrote on May 18 of this year:
“Outsized fear of Trump is hysteria. These days, the ‘brown shirts’ wear blue. Hillary is the candidate of Wall Street, War and Austerity – not Trump, the racist America Firster. And, he can’t win, anyway – not with tens of millions of ‘moderate’ Republicans and most of the party’s funders rushing into Hillary’s welcoming embrace.”
But sadly, hysteria does reign in most of the “left” precincts of America. Those who did not hesitate to kick Hillary when she appeared to be “down” -- in those heady days when they imagined it was possible she could lose to Sanders -- are terrified to kick her when she is “up” and primed to take the helm of the hyper-power. They are engaged in a 1930s-style “united front” against a “fascism” that was never a threat in 21 st century America, where a different kind of dictatorship of the rich (but also a fascism) has made brown-shirts (and Klansmen) utterly superfluous. These trembling leftists refuse to oppose the modern manifestation of fascism, which is now firmly entrenched in power with Hillary as its champion, in favor of a crusade against an “orange” menace that did not have a ghost of a chance of seizing national power. They have made themselves perfectly irrelevant and useless -- except, of course, to the fascists-in-charge. BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at [email protected] . | 0 | [
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FMD4284 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: on November 13, 2016 3:09 pm ·
As predicted, Donald Trump’s victory on Election Day has emboldened racist conservatives to start harassing and attacking minorities.
And it’s even happening in the deep blue state of California, where a woman spotted a sign hanging on the side of a building in the town of Pittsburg and snapped a photo of it.
Twitter user James Thompson posted the image of the sign on the social media platform after his sister sent it to him. This picture was taken in Pittsburgh California. My sister texted this to me 10 minutes ago.Our democracy is being tested even in California pic.twitter.com/gDLKw54Lox
— James Thompson (@JETBallin) November 13, 2016
The sign clearly promotes lynching to prevent African-Americans from getting equal rights.
“You can hang a n****r from a tree / Equal rights he will never see!” it says.
The FBI has been notified and local police have filed a lawsuit in an effort to force the owners of the sign to remove it.
In the wake of Trump’s surprising and depressing victory there has been a rise in the number of racist incidents in this country. In fact, there have been 139 reports of people being bullied by Trump supporters since the election night results.
These incidents include the harassment of a Muslim teacher by a student in Georgia, and students designating water fountains “white” or “colored” at a Florida high school.
Frankly, there are so many incidents that it’s difficult to list them all. You can find a somewhat comprehensive tally here .
This is what Trump’s America looks like and it’s scary. And this has all happend in the course of a few days as Melania Trump continues to tell the media that her focus will be on ending bullying. What exactly does she mean by that? Is she going to call out all bullying, including the racist bullying being perpetrated by her husband’s own supporters? Or is she going to ignore those incidents and merely whine about people who criticize her husband. Because right now, she isn’t even First Lady yet and her “effort” has failed miserably. And she only has her husband to blame. | 0 | [
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FMD4285 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: posted by Eddie “Beer adds longevity and strengthens bones, whereas milk causes obesity, diabetes, and cancer.” – PETA Yes! You read it right. And this is not a hoax. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has approved in Madison, America’s Dairy Land that Beer is indeed healthier than milk. PETA is leaving no stone unturned in its campaign to promote ‘Beer over Milk.’ It’s noteworthy that, PETA is targeting youth and teenagers to become part of this campaign. It might be aiming at to save the animals, but the facts which PETA has shared about beer over milk are quite interesting. You might be thinking how come beer becomes healthier? Well, that’s one great story, my friend, and with the proofs which cannot be challenged. Last time when ‘beer’ took over food was in the 1930’s. The Great Depression got 100,000 people unemployed only in New York City, and the only thing which forced people to come out on the streets for something was the ‘paid jobs.’ And jobs were rare, and morale was low. In this time of struggle, the one thing which drove the masses to the streets of NY City was Beer . The reason behind the march was the government’s move to impose a tax on beer. At that time around early 1932, showman Jimmy Walker led the beer for taxation March, which became famous as “We Want Beer.” Since then, many researchers are working to make beer a household drink… And it seems like they’ve succeeded in making it one of the most commonly served drinks around the world. Today, if you’ll go to any bar and ask for a beer, you’d never have to hear a ‘No’ in the answer. Many ‘ Branded Beers ‘ are serving the purpose. Alcohol in moderation is good for your health. There’s nothing wrong with the consumption of alcohol if done in moderation. But there’s no sense in having dairy products that can harm your health. Moreover, it’s the animals who suffer most. Watch the one-minute video that we’ve for you in the climax of this story. Here’s how beer can help you. Consumption of dairy products is a matter of serious health issues like diabetes, obesity, excess-mucus, heart disease, etc. On the other hand, beer is known for saving bones from brittle, and according to Harvard Medical School, more than 100 prospective studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol can not only lower the risk of heart attack, but it can also prevent you from gallstones and Type 2 diabetes. Thanks to PETA for highlighting the research. It’s official: Beer is better than milk. A lot of social organizations and activists have accused PETA of promoting beer over milk and also for encouraging the younger generation to opt for it. In reply, PETA answered: we also recommend juices, soy, and mineral water, then why to create hype over beer? PETA organization added on their website: “Had we used soda instead of beer, there would have been no media interest in the campaign, of course. PETA urges everyone, beer-drinkers included, to drink responsibly. Where milk is concerned, there’s no such thing!” So, when’s your plan to go on a date with Beer? Drink beer, but drink responsibly.” Let me tell you one thing clearly; there’s nothing bad about beer if you know when to stop. Alcohol consumption is considered a bad habit and has been banned it in certain states as people consume it in excess which eventually leads to broken marital relationships, and domestic altercation. Beer is accepted worldwide, and the matter of concern is: how responsibly we consume it. So, let’s conclude it here and when you go out next time with your friends, drink beer sha. Source: | 0 | [
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FMD4286 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: An officer at a Cleveland school has come under fire after he posted a status on Facebook that called the mother of slain Tamir Rice a stupid b*tch and made vile, insensitive remarks about young police brutality victims.Rice, a 12-year-old from Cleveland, was shot and killed last year by police officer Timothy Loehmann, who saw him playing with a toy gun and shot the boy dead before investigating the situation fully. Last week, Loehmann was let off the hook and cleared of the charges filed against him. Two days after this announcement, Cleveland Metropolitan School District officer Matt Cicero decided to voice his opinion on Rice s case over social media. The page is no longer available, but fortunately the screenshots are. He wrote: Tamir rices momma just want money. Lets make the proper changes raise your kids not to play with fake guns stupid bitch. All this media because the are notgetting what they want Again pleeeeze anyone who does not like what I post ..unfriendly me or block me your not worth my time. Matt CiceroThis disturbing meme was also found on his Facebook page:Matt CiceroMany people came to the innocent victim s defense, saying that Rice hadn t deserved to die just because he was playing with a toy. Cicero couldn t be reasoned out of his ignorant mindset. He responded to his critics: You pull out a gun you get shot. I don t have time to ask questions and coddle kids that wave guns around. Matt CiceroIn the past, Cicero had patrolled the school district where Rice went to school, and it s horrifying to think that someone with this attitude would be trusted enough to protect children. Cicero has been placed on administrative leave since this incident has gotten attention, however many including Cleveland City Councilman Jeff Johnson think Cicero should be flat-out fired. Addressing Cicero s comments, Johnson said: It s disrespectful to women, it s disrespectful to African-Americans. The fact that he s so insensitive and he s placing the blame of Tamir s death on Tamir, for me that s enough for him to be not working with children in the Cleveland school system. Cleveland Metropolitan School District spokeswoman Roseann Canfora called Cicero s comments insensitive at best. In a statement, she wrote: While we respect every employee s right to freedom of speech, with those rights comes a responsibility to do so in ways that are appropriate and sensitive to others, particularly to the people we serve. You can watch the report below, via NewsNet5:Featured image via screenshot | 0 | [
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FMD4287 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: 'Can You Hear Me?' Scam Warning Claim summaries: Dozens of news outlets reported on a purported scam wherein fraudsters supposedly falsify charges by randomly calling people and asking 'Can you hear me?'
contextual information: In late January 2017, news outlets across the United States reported on a purported "can you hear me?" telephone scam. According to thosereports, the scam begins with an unsolicited phone call to the putative mark. After the caller makes contact they ask the recipient "Can you hear me?" to elicit a response of "yes," and a potential onslaught of unauthorized charges ensues. On 26 January 2017, CBS News reported the workings of the scam thusly: reported Virginia police are now warning about the scheme, which also sparked warnings by Pennsylvania authorities late last year. The "can you hear me" con is actually a variation on earlier scams aimed at getting the victim to say the word "yes" in a phone conversation. That affirmative response is recorded by the fraudster and used to authorize unwanted charges on a phone or utility bill or on a purloined credit card. "You say 'yes,' it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something," said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. "I know that people think it's impolite to hang up, but it's a good strategy." But how can you get charged if you don't provide a payment method? The con artist already has your phone number, and many phone providers pass through third-party charges. At first glance, the warning sounded reasonably valid: major news outlets covered it, and a Better Business Bureau satellite office reported the scam as well. But a closer examination revealed some questionable elements. Primarily, we haven't yet been able to identify any scenario under which a scammer could authorize charges in another person's name simply by possessing a voice recording of that person saying "yes," without also already possessing a good deal of personal and account information for that person, and without being able to reproduce any other form of verbal response from that person. Moreover, even if such a scenario existed, it's hard to imagine why scammers would need to utilize an actual audio recording of the victim's repeating the word "yes" rather than simply providing that response themselves. As far as we know, phone companies, utilities, and credit card issuers don't maintain databases of voice recordings of their customers and use them to perform real-time audio matching to verify identities during customer service calls. In all the news reports we found, interviewees merely reported having been asked the common question ("Can you hear me?") but did not aver that they themselves had fallen prey to scammers: merely reported Lori Goodwin, who lives in Tampa, has been getting about three of these calls every week for the last several months. "If you hear someone say 'I can't hear you' or 'Can you hear me,' the first reaction you have is to say 'Yes,'" she said. "It's almost instinctual, so that's what they're looking for." Goodwin said she's always just hung up the phone, but she didn't realize until recently how dangerous those calls can be. When Mary Kuczborski of Clinton Township answers her phone, she doesn't expect to be hit with questions. But that's what happened Thursday evening. "When it came on it was a gentleman, nice voice, and he says, 'can you hear me?,'" Kuczborski said. Mary was the latest intended victim of a nationwide scam. Asking 'can you hear me?' is aimed at getting the victim to say 'yes.' The response is recorded by the scammer and then used to authorize unwanted charges on phone or utility bills or credit cards. Consumer protection experts say it may be rude, but if you get a 'can you hear me' call, the right response is to just hang up. Mary was a little more colorful. "Now, what do you want? And it went click," she said. BBB of Western Pennsylvania warned of the scam on 18 October 2016 but described no specific instances of individuals being scammed. That BBB satellite referenced the organization's nationwide Scam Tracker, but all related entries we found there were submittedby people already aware of news reports about the purported scam: warned of Scam Tracker A CBS News report on the purported "Can you hear me?" had prompted police warnings in 2016, but yet again we found no indication that anyone who had actually been scammed out of money by saying "yes" to a caller had stepped forward. (It's not uncommon for police departments to spread dubious crime warnings on a "better safe than sorry" basis, such as one about a $100 bill carjacking ploy.) carjacking The "Can you hear me?" scam for now seems to be more a suggestion of a hypothetical crime scheme than a real one that is actually robbing victims of money. In messages we left with the BBB, the FTC, and the Consumer Federation of America, we asked a question absent from all the news reports we've encountered about this scam: "Are there any documented cases of people being victimized in this manner?" We have not yet received any affirmative response to those queries. Jackson, Curtis. "Nationwide 'Can You Hear Me' Phone Scam Targets Michigan Residents." WXYZ. 26 January 2017. Kristof, Kathy. "Beware New 'Can You Hear Me' Scam." CBS News. 26 January 2017. Trimble, Grady. "'Can You Hear Me?' Phone Scam Reaches Tampa." WTSP. 26 January 2017. Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania. "BBB Scam Alert: Can You Hear Me?" 18 October 2016. Better Business Bureau. "Scam Tracker." Accessed 27 January 2017. | 2 | [
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FMD4288 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Norway’s Labour party will look at introducing a third gender category if they are voted to power in the general election due to take place later this year. [And it’s only a matter of time before the other parties get behind the idea now that Labour’s draft programme for says Norway “should consider introducing a third gender category†according to a member of the programme committee. “People who define themselves as neither male nor female would have the opportunity of being legally recorded as a third gender†Mani Hussaini, who also leads the Workers Youth League, told NRK. “For example in a person’s passport it would say they were not male or female but instead belong in a third gender category. “I believe all people should have the opportunity to live out their identity and then have to adapt the laws to reality and not vice versa,†he explained. Asserting that there’s a “broad mood†in favour of the proposal, Hussaini told the public broadcaster he’s confident that other parties will back the option for Norwegians to legally ‘become’ a third gender. “I feel that [people who claim to be neither male nor female are] a movement. When the country’s largest party backs [creating a third gender option] I expect we’ll see all the other parties following suit. †Health spokesman for Centre, part of the coalition which governed Norway until 2013, said her party isn’t ready to support the creation of another gender category. Kjersti Toppe told NRK: “It is an issue, but to amend the law to introduce a third gender would affect us all. It’s a proposal that Centre are nowhere near ready to consider. †Left party politician Kjetil Kjenseth said it’s “only a matter of time†before a third gender is written into law, asserting that “support is high among younger representatives of several partiesâ€. Proposed by the Left party, but supported by just the Greens and the Socialist Left Party, Norway’s parliament overwhelmingly voted against the introduction of a third gender category last April. Explaining his support for the policy, Kjenseth told NRK: “[The introduction of a third gender] doesn’t mean much for the rest of us, but would greatly benefit those who don’t find their gender expressed in the categories of male and female. “This applies not only to transgender people but also a great number of heterosexuals who have alternating gender expression. †| 1 | [
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FMD4289 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Far-left trade unionists marched through cities across France on Thursday in a second day of protest against President Emmanuel Macron s overhaul of a labor code long cherished by workers, although their numbers were lower than a week earlier. In Paris, protesters lit flares and carried banners reading Withdraw All Decrees , a call for Macron to drop the measures, which will give companies more power to set working conditions. The protests challenge the president s ability to push through reforms that are being closely watched in European capitals Berlin in particular. But they are also a test of union strength at a time their influence appears on the decline. The head of the CGT union spearheading the street protests said public anger was mounting and warned workers the corporate bosses would triumph if trade unions failed to pull together. When the union movement and workers are divided, it is generally speaking the corporate bosses who win, CGT chief Philippe Martinez said. The moderate CFDT union, France s biggest, and the leftist Force Ouvriere (FO) have expressed disappointment with Macron, who was elected in May pledging reforms to reboot the economy and cut unemployment, but refused to join the CGT protests. Some 132,000 people took part in protests across France on Thursday, the Interior Ministry estimated, down from 223,000 at similar rallies last week. Police said the number of protesters in Paris was a third lower, at about 16,000 protesters, though the CGT put the turnout at 55,000. Macron says he will not bow to street pressure. The centrist government is due to enact the labor reforms on Friday before embarking on other, potentially more explosive changes. Those include a revamping of France s employment insurance and pension systems. Macron angered workers and leftist opponents when he recently said he would not cede ground to slackers . Rivals were swift to paint the president as a champion of the wealthy and big business. He wants to rally behind him influential people, rich people, those that have and consider the rest of us to be a confused mass of savages, Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party, told reporters before joining the protest in Paris. The ability of the unions to shut down swathes of the economy and force ministers to respond is not what it was. Strikes have become less frequent, less disruptive and less successful. Companies in France lost 81 days to strikes per 1,000 workers in 2014, compared with more than 300 days in the late 1990s and over a thousand days in the late 1980s. While the fight against labor reform may be lost, unions plan more protests against the 39-year-old leader s reform drive. Truck drivers will strike on Monday before a rally by pensioners on Sept. 28. Civil servants will take to the streets on Oct. 10. Melenchon will lead his party s own protest on Sept. 23. Macron, whose popularity has fallen sharply since the election, says he has a mandate to re-shape the economy. The next weeks will be critical to determine how much political capital Macron will lose during the protests, said London-based think-tank Eurointelligence. | 1 | [
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FMD4290 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Mr. T Death Hoax Claim summaries: A false rumor reported that 'A-Team' actor Mr. T passed away in May 2016.
contextual information: In May 2016, a message reporting that actor Mr. T (the stage name of Laurence Tureaud), best known for his portrayal of B.A. Baracus on the 1980s television series The A-Team, had passed away was widely circulated on Facebook: Wow.. I was shocked...R. I. P. Mr. T You were an inspiration to everyone. Show respect and share to let people know. Like if you liked Mr. T ?? However, no news outlets have reported on the action star's alleged passing, and reports of his death are belied by the fact that Mr. T is still active on his social media accounts and recently made an appearance at a Fairfield Hotel event. accounts event Fake Facebook obituaries for non-dead celebrities are an example of "like farming," a popular social media scheme aimed at getting more likes, shares, and comments: like farming Facebook's algorithms in particular emphasize popular content, and therefore gathering "likes" and "shares" receives a high premium. Sometimes, it's just an annoyance maybe that kid really does want a hundred thousand "likes" so that a Victoria's Secret model will go to a school dance with him, so he's inundating people with appeals (although that's doubtful at best) but more often, the intent is scammy. Like-farmers will gather clicks, which denote popularity, then scrub the original content and replace it with something else (usually a scammy ad of some sort) to bypass Facebook constraints. Facebook has moved to quash this behavior by adjusting their algorithms, but of course, some scammers' efforts always get by the online gatekeepers. efforts Although Mr. T did not pass away in May 2016, one factor that may have contributed to the spread of this death hoax is that the actor celebrated his64th birthday on 21 May 2016. birthday | 0 | [
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FMD4291 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: President Barack Obama’s proposed rules to stop U.S. companies from reincorporating abroad, if only on paper, to avoid U.S. income taxes appear to overstep legal authority, a top Republican lawmaker said on Friday. Representative Kevin Brady said his staff is scrutinizing the rules, which were unveiled last week by the U.S. Treasury Department. Legal experts have offered mixed views on the viability of any court challenge. The new rules, intended to discourage tax “inversions,†led to the collapse of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc’s $160 billion acquisition of Ireland’s Allergan Plc. “We recognize there is broad discretion in some areas of that tax code,†Brady, a Texas Republican and chairman of the tax-writing House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, said in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “But it certainly appears that Treasury overstepped its authority, especially in effect, taking legislative proposals that haven’t passed this Congress or any other Congress and essentially making it law through regulation.†Brady gave no indication of what his committee might do. It was unclear what action, if any, the Republican-controlled Congress would take against the inversion rules in an election year marked by voter anger over taxes and international trade. “I share the concern about inversions. Everyone does. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to tackle them,†Brady said. An inversion is a tax-driven deal in which a U.S. company acquires a smaller, foreign business and adopts its tax domicile to reduce the combined company’s overall tax burden. The deals most often involve reincorporating in Ireland or Britain. Though inversions have been going since the 1980s, a new wave has been under way for about five years. The Pfizer-Allergan deal would have been the biggest inversion of all time. There is bipartisan agreement on the need for comprehensive tax reform to address inversions, but the deeply divided Congress is unlikely to tackle this until 2017, especially with elections coming in November, analysts said. In the interim, the Obama administration has tightened inversion rules in limited areas, drawing Republican criticism. “The administration’s strategy won’t solve the fundamental problem and likely will make it worse,†Brady said. | 1 | [
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FMD4292 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did Maroon 5 Donate Their Super Bowl Halftime Show Earnings to Charity? Claim summaries: A charitable donation didn't spare the band from criticism for accommodating the NFL.
contextual information: On 3 February 2019, Super Bowl Sunday, the viral news and entertainment site LADbible.com reported that the pop music band and Super Bowl LIII halftime act Maroon 5 had donated their "entire $500,000 Super Bowl fee" to a children's charity: reported Although it's true that Maroon 5 partnered with their label Interscope Records and the National Football League (NFL) in making a $500,000 donation to the children's charity Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the money didn't come out of the band's performance fee. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy clarified in an email that Super Bowl halftime acts don't receive performance fees. McCarthy referred us to a statement from Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine provided to People magazine that said: "Playing the Super Bowl has been a dream of our band for a long time. We thank the NFL for the opportunity and also to them, along with Interscope Records, for making this donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, which will have a major impact for children across the country." People Maroon 5 followed the lead of rapper Travis Scott, who only agreed to perform at the Super Bowl after the NFL vowed to make a $500,000 donation to Dream Corps, a social justice-oriented non-profit founded by Van Jones in 2015. non-profit The large donations to charitable organizations were the result of the mounting pressure the NFL was facing over what critics called the "blacklisting" by the league of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, Kaepernick began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games in protest over police violence against black Americans. As his protest spread and was adopted by other players in the league, so did the backlash. In reference to players' kneeling before games, President Donald Trump in September 2017 stated: Wouldnt you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! Hes fired. Hes fired! stated Kaepernick hasn't played since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 and has filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing team owners of colluding in not signing him. grievance As a result of the controversy, the NFL had trouble securing halftime acts for Super Bowl LIII, with A-list entertainers such as Rihanna, Cardi B, Jay-Z, and Pink declining to perform in solidarity with Kaepernick. In an interview with the Associated Press, rapper Cardi B said, I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But theres a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him. Associated Press Maroon 5's act of charity didn't save them from harsh criticism for crossing "the ideological or intellectual picket line," as Kaepernick's attorney Mark Geragos put it in an interview with ABC News. "In fact, if anything, its a cop-out when you start talking about, 'Im not a politician Im just doing the music.' Most of the musicians who have any kind of consciousness whatsoever understand what's going on here." ABC News Tracy, Brianne. "Maroon 5 and the NFL Announce $500,000 Charity Donation Ahead of Super Bowl Halftime Show."
People. 31 January 2019. Ruggieri, Melissa. "Super Bowl 53: Travis Scotts Halftime Inclusion Comes Wwth Charitable Contribution from NFL."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 14 January 2019. Landrum, Jonathan Jr. "Cardi B Declined Super Bowl Halftime with Mixed Feelings.'"
Associated Press. 1 February 2019. Allen, Karma et al. "Maroon 5's Adam Levine Addresses 'Controversy' Surrounding Super Bowl Halftime Show, Teases Performance."
ABC News. 1 February 2019. Langone, Alix. "Here's How Much Maroon 5 Is Getting Paid to Perform at the 2019 Super Bowl."
Yahoo Finance. 3 February 2019. Bieler, Des. " Colin Kaepernick Thanks Rihanna for Her Super Bowl Boycott."
The Washington Post. 5 February 2019. | 2 | [
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FMD4293 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: geoengineeringwatch.org
Global climate engineering programs are mathematically the single greatest assault against nature ever launched by the human race. Incredibly, the majority of global populations still remain oblivious to the ongoing blatant climate engineering atrocities occurring overhead day after day. This willful blindness of the masses is largely due to the total betrayal of the truth by the vast majority of the science community and all of mainstream media , both of whom are heavily invested in covering up the crimes of their paymasters. How badly damaged is our once thriving biosphere? We are past the point of no return in regard to the once thriving planet we have known. Below is a quote from a powerful and moving recent article by Dr. Glen Barry which accurately outlines the reality we collectively face.
Miraculous nature is being murdered. Everywhere we look inequitable over-consumption is devastating the natural ecosystems that sustain a living Earth. Together we yield to ecological truth – personally embracing a global ecology ethic, and demanding others do so as well – or we all needlessly die at each others’ throats as the global ecological system collapses and being ends.
A primary sign of biosphere collapse is clearly evident by the rapidly imploding cryosphere. Arctic sea ice continues to advance further into record low levels . Though official agencies like NASA will never admit to the ongoing climate engineering crimes, they are beginning to acknowledge that the excessive cloud cover over the Arctic in recent years (solar radiation management) is exacerbating the overall warming , not mitigating it. Other studies also confirm the overall planetary warming is being fueled by "contrails" (which are in reality solar radiation management sprayed particulate trails ). The 30 second video below fully illustrates the shocking loss of Arctic sea ice.
Not only is the Arctic sea ice at a record low level, but now the ice on the opposite end of the Earth, Antarctica, is also rapidly retreating to record low levels as well. This is a fact that the US corporate media is not covering. The 2 minute video below elaborates on the rapidly accelerating loss of Antarctic sea ice.
Antarctic sea ice extent has been the last vestige of denial for those who still desperately cling to the "global warming is a hoax" fossil fuel industry false narrative. To dogmatically cling to this false narrative is also to toe the line for the power structure, big oil, and the climate engineers . The poles are not the only part of the cryosphere that is imploding, the Himalayan glaciers are disappearing at blinding speed. The 8 minute video below is a recent update from the Himalayas.
Our planet is already free-falling into a runaway warming scenario , global climate engineering is further fueling this scenario. The graph below illustrates the rapid increase of warmer days being recorded on our planet.
Global climate engineering programs not only worsening the overall warming of the biosphere, but also destroying the ozone layer , derailing the hydrological cycle , and contaminating the entire planet due to the highly toxic heavy metal and chemical fallout .
Where do we go from here? How can we stand against the power structure that currently controls the fate of the world in which we live? The single greatest leap we could collectively make in the right direction is by fully exposing the climate engineering issue to the masses. If we can expose the geoengineering assault, populations around the globe would unite in a common cause. If we can expose it, we can stop it. Those, that are still clinging to the insanely false "global warming is a hoax" narrative, are doing great harm to credibility of the overall anti-geoengineering community, and thus to the cause itself. The planet is accelerating into total meltdown. Climate engineering is making an already horrific anthropogenic warming scenario far worse overall. Those who truly claim to be committed to the fight to stop climate engineering have an obligation to objectively examine frontline facts and film footage . Sadly, even some major "independent" news sites are pushing the "global warming is a hoax" false narrative . Pushing this patently false narrative is exactly what climate engineering/industrial complex wants, and is extremely harmful to the cause of exposing and halting the ongoing weather warfare assault. Why? If we are to have any chance of stopping the climate engineering insanity, if we are to have any chance of convincing the climate science community to start telling the truth about the climate engineering assault, the anti-climate engineering community must stand on frontline facts and not on ridiculously false ideological dogma. Investigate, and make your voice heard , time is not on our side.
May be freely reprinted, so long as the text is unaltered, all hyperlinks are left intact, and credit for the article is prominently given to geoengineeringwatch.org and the article’s author with a hyperlink back to the original story. 6 Responses to Climate Engineering And Cryosphere Collapse jim stewart October 27, 2016 at 4:18 pm
"Sadly, even some major 'independent' news sites are pushing the 'global warming is a hoax' false narrative." Indeed, shame on Infowars, considering they should know better. But then, so much hyperbolic & elipitical rhetoric is geared to sell to what folks wish to believe, rather than what truthseekers pursue to be savvy and shrewd. | 0 | [
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FMD4294 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: shorty BY MIKE WHITNEY “Nation state as a fundamental unit of man’s organized life has ceased to be the principal creative force: International banks and multinational corporations are acting and planning in terms that are far in advance of the political concepts of the nation-state.” — Zbigniew Brzezinski, “Between Two Ages: The Technetronic Era”, 1971 “I’m going to continue to push for a no-fly zone and safe havens within Syria….not only to help protect the Syrians and prevent the constant outflow of refugees, but to gain some leverage on both the Syrian government and the Russians.” — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Third Presidential Debate W hy is Hillary Clinton so eager to intensify US involvement in Syria when US interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have all gone so terribly wrong? The answer to this question is simple. It’s because Clinton doesn’t think that these interventions went wrong. And neither do any of the other members of the US foreign policy establishment. (aka–The Borg). In fact, in their eyes these wars have been a rousing success. Sure, a few have been critical of the public relations backlash from the nonexistent WMD in Iraq, (or the logistical errors, like disbanding the Iraqi Army) but–for the most part– the foreign policy establishment is satisfied with its efforts to destabilize the region and remove leaders that refuse to follow Washington’s diktats. This is hard for ordinary people to understand. They can’t grasp why elite powerbrokers would want to transform functioning, stable countries into uninhabitable wastelands overrun by armed extremists, sectarian death squads and foreign-born terrorists. Nor can they understand what has been gained by Washington’s 15 year-long rampage across the Middle East and Central Asia that has turned a vast swathe of strategic territory into a terrorist breeding grounds? What is the purpose of all this? First, we have to acknowledge that the decimation and de facto balkanization of these countries is part of a plan. If it wasn’t part of a plan, than the decision-makers would change the policy. But they haven’t changed the policy. The policy is the same. The fact that the US is using foreign-born jihadists to pursue regime change in Syria as opposed to US troops in Iraq, is not a fundamental change in the policy. The ultimate goal is still the decimation of the state and the elimination of the existing government. This same rule applies to Libya and Afghanistan both of which have been plunged into chaos by Washington’s actions. But why? What is gained by destroying these countries and generating so much suffering and death? Here’s what I think: I think Washington is involved in a grand project to remake the world in a way that better meets the needs of its elite constituents, the international banks and multinational corporations. Brzezinski not only refers to this in the opening quote, he also explains what is taking place: The nation-state is being jettisoned as the foundation upon which the global order rests. Instead, Washington is erasing borders, liquidating states, and removing strong, secular leaders that can mount resistance to its machinations in order to impose an entirely new model on the region, a new world order. The people who run these elite institutions want to create an interconnected-global free trade zone overseen by the proconsuls of Big Capital, in other words, a global Eurozone that precludes the required state institutions (like a centralized treasury, mutual debt, federal transfers) that would allow the borderless entity to function properly. Deep state powerbrokers who set policy behind the smokescreen of our bought-and-paid-for congress think that one world government is an achievable goal provided they control the world’s energy supplies, the world’s reserve currency and become the dominant player in this century’s most populous and prosperous region, Asia. This is essentially what Hillary’s “pivot” to Asia is all about. The basic problem with Washington’s NWO plan is that a growing number of powerful countries are still attached to the old world order and are now prepared to defend it. This is what’s really going on in Syria, the improbable alliance of Russia, Syria, Iran and Hezbollah have stopped the US military juggernaut dead in its tracks. The unstoppable force has hit the immovable object and the immovable object has prevailed…so far. Naturally, the foreign policy establishment is upset about these new developments, and for good reason. The US has run the world for quite a while now, so the rolling back of US policy in Syria is as much a surprise as it is a threat. The Russian Airforce deployed to Syria a full year ago in September, but only recently has Washington shown that it’s prepared to respond by increasing its support of its jihadists agents on the ground and by mounting an attack on ISIS in the eastern part of the country, Raqqa. But the real escalation is expected to take place when Hillary Clinton becomes president in 2017. That’s when the US will directly engage Russia militarily, assuming that their tit-for-tat encounters will be contained within Syria’s borders. It’s a risky plan, but it’s the next logical step in this bloody fiasco. Neither party wants a nuclear war, but Washington believes that doing nothing is tantamount to backing down, therefore, Hillary and her neocon advisors can be counted on to up the ante. “No-fly zone”, anyone? The assumption is that eventually, and with enough pressure, Putin will throw in the towel. But this is another miscalculation. Putin is not in Syria because he wants to be nor is he there because he values his friendship with Syrian President Bashar al Assad. That’s not it at all. Putin is in Syria because he has no choice. Russia’s national security is at stake. If Washington’s strategy of deploying terrorists to topple Assad succeeds, then the same ploy will be attempted in Iran and Russia. Putin knows this, just like he knows that the scourge of foreign-backed terrorism can decimate entire regions like Chechnya. He knows that it’s better for him to kill these extremists in Aleppo than it will be in Moscow. So he can’t back down, that’s not an option. But, by the same token, he can compromise, in other words, his goals and the goals of Assad do not perfectly coincide. For example, he could very well make territorial concessions to the US for the sake of peace that Assad might not support. But why would he do that? Why wouldn’t he continue to fight until every inch of Syria’s sovereign territory is recovered? Because it’s not in Russia’s national interest to do so, that’s why. Putin has never tried to conceal the fact that he’s in Syria to protect Russia’s national security. That’s his main objective. But he’s not an idealist, he’s a pragmatist who’ll do whatever he has to to end the war ASAP. That means compromise. This doesn’t matter to the Washington warlords….yet. But it will eventually. Eventually there will be an accommodation of some sort. No one is going to get everything they want, that much is certain. For example, it’s impossible to imagine that Putin would launch a war on Turkey to recover the territory that Turkish troops now occupy in N Syria. In fact, Putin may have already conceded as much to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in their recent meetings. But that doesn’t mean that Putin doesn’t have his red lines. He does. Aleppo is a red line. Turkish troops will not be allowed to enter Aleppo. The western corridor, the industrial and population centers are all red lines. On these, there will be no compromise. Putin will help Assad remain in power and keep the country largely intact. But will Turkey control sections in the north, and will the US control sections in the east? Probably. This will have to be worked out in negotiations, but its unlikely that the country’s borders will be the same as they were before the war broke out. Putin will undoubtedly settle for a halfloaf provided the fighting ends and security is restored. In any event, he’s not going to hang around until the last dog is hung. Unfortunately, we’re a long way from any settlement in Syria, mainly because Washington is nowhere near accepting the fact that its project to rule the world has been derailed. That’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it? The bigshots who run the country are still in denial. It hasn’t sunk in yet that the war is lost and that their nutty jihadist-militia plan has failed. It’s going to take a long time before Washington gets the message that the world is no longer its oyster. The sooner they figure it out, the better it’ll be for everyone. NOTE: ALL IMAGE CAPTIONS, PULL QUOTES AND COMMENTARY BY THE EDITORS, NOT THE AUTHORS PLEASE COMMENT AND DEBATE DIRECTLY ON OUR FACEBOOK GROUP CLICK HERE ABOUT THE AUTHOR MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition . He can be reached at [email protected] . Note to Commenters Due to severe hacking attacks in the recent past that brought our site down for up to 11 days with considerable loss of circulation, we exercise extreme caution in the comments we publish, as the comment box has been one of the main arteries to inject malicious code. Because of that comments may not appear immediately, but rest assured that if you are a legitimate commenter your opinion will be published within 24 hours. If your comment fails to appear, and you wish to reach us directly, send us a mail at: [email protected]
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What will it take to bring America to live according to its own propaganda? =SUBSCRIBE TODAY! NOTHING TO LOSE, EVERYTHING TO GAIN.= free • safe • invaluable If you appreciate our articles, do the right thing and let us know by subscribing. It’s free and it implies no obligation to you— ever. We just want to have a way to reach our most loyal readers on important occasions when their input is necessary. In return you get our email newsletter compiling the best of The Greanville Post several times a week. | 0 | [
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FMD4295 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Iran is using the billions in cash resources provided under the landmark nuclear deal to engage in an unprecedented military buildup meant to transform the Islamic Republic s fighting force into an offensive juggernaut, according to a largely unreported announcement by Iranian military leaders that has sparked concern among U.S. national security insiders and sources on Capitol Hill.The shocking truth behind the US-Iran nuclear deal, as WSJ reports, is that John Kerry and the Obama Administration airlifted $1.7bn of cash in compromise payments (read bribe) to Tehran to ensure the release of 4 captured sailors coincidentally the same weekend as the signing of the nuclear deal.Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, according to these officials. The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, they said.Of course, senior U.S. officials denied any link between the payment and the prisoner exchange. They say the way the various strands came together simultaneously was coincidental, not the result of any quid pro quo. Zero HedgeIt now appears that Obama s chickens are coming home to roost Iranian officials announced late last month that Iran s defense budget had increased by 145 percent under President Hassan Rouhani and that the military is moving forward with a massive restructuring effort aimed at making it a forward moving force, according to regional reports.Iranian leaders have stated since the Iran deal was enacted that they are using the massive amounts of cash released under the agreement to fund the purchase of new military equipment and other armaments. Iran also has pursued multi-million dollar arms deals with Russia since economic sanctions were nixed as part of the deal.Leading members of Congress and U.S. officials working on the Iran portfolio suspect that at least a portion of the Obama administration s $1.7 billion cash payment to Iran has been used to fund and support terrorists in the Middle East.The latest disclosure about Iran s military buildup is further fueling concerns that U.S. cash assets returned to the country which were released with no strings attached by the Obama administration are helping Iran pursue a more aggressive military stance against U.S. forces in the region. President Obama flat-out caved in to Iran when he handed them the disastrous nuclear deal and $1.7 billion in cash payments that could assist Iran s military, Rep. Sean Duffy (R., Wis.), an opponent of the nuclear deal, told the Washington Free Beacon. So it s no surprise that the world s lead sponsor of terrorism would feel emboldened to become more aggressive in the region and flex its military muscle. Iranian Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari announced the military buildup during Iran s annual Army Day. While the announcement did not grab many headlines in the Western media, national security insiders have been discussing the announcement for weeks, according to conversations with multiple sources.Iran s goal is to turn its army into an offensive force, a major shift from its historic role as a support agent for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC, Iran s extremely well funded primary fighting force.For entire story: Washington Free Beacon | 0 | [
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FMD4296 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: There s something wildly entertaining about conservative infighting, especially when the person on the receiving end is Ann Coulter. She s not only racist, she s unapologetically racist, so clearly her choice for president is Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.As some say, the Republican Party may not be racist, but most racists are Republican. This was proved more so now than ever, and calling Coulter out on her anti-immigration/pro-Trump stance is GOP strategist Liz Mair.It all happened on MSNBC s Hardball where host Chris Matthews invited the two women on to discuss their viewpoints. After several minutes of meaningless banter, Coulter eventually settled on saying: It s all about immigration. It doesn t really matter what a Republican s position is on saving Social Security or how they re going to reform Medicare. Americans are being outvoted by foreigners, and Americans have been begging their own party to shut it down, to stop this endless immigration for decades now. As well as insisting that Donald Trump is the first one to actually take America s side on immigration. That s why he is sweeping the polls. Mair jumped in and shut her down, saying: I think that that s a patently ludicrous notion. Most of the time, when we ve been looking at amnesty fights, they ve actually been shut down by a set of groups that are funded by population-control enthusiast liberal who is actually involved with zero-population growth and the Sierra Club. That s who s actually shut it down. It s not actually in any way advancing the economic interests of the American people. Free-market economists actually agree with that. Mair even goes so far as to call Trump a liberal. However, Trump is more of a I m gonna say what makes me popular kind of guy, and since his racism is working, he s run with it, or rather, on it. When Mair brought up that Coulter used to support Romney, Coulter bit back: My ideal ticket is Trump/Romney. That s what I m really hoping for. That s a dynamite combination. She s not wrong, that ticket certainly would be explosive for the United States, but not in a good way. Mair, however decided to continue tearing Coulter apart, saying: That is the proof right there that you are in no way conservative and no way interested in conservative policy. It s true. Coulter seems to only be concerned with being as racist as possible, and Trump fits the bill for that. Her love of Romney likely stems from the 47% remarks that were blatantly racist in his attack against President Obama and his supporters. And while conservative politics aren t always that blatantly racist, they aren t exactly inconspicuous either. Mair seems to believe that Trump supporters are just liberals who just happen to hate Mexicans. Here s the thing BOTH women are wrong about pretty much everything.So, while it was a pleasure to see Coulter get torn apart by a fellow conservative, Mair needs to realize that Coulter is pretty much the exact epitome of modern-day conservatism and conservative policy in the new GOP. Video/Featured image: YouTube | 0 | [
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FMD4297 | Task: Please determine whether the claim is 0. False, 1. True, or 2. Not Enough Information (NEI) based on contextual information, and provide an appropriate explanation.
The answer need to use the following format:
Prediction: [0. False, 1. True, or 2. NEI]
Explanation: [Explain why the above prediction was made]
Claim: Did a Trump Campaign Ad Use a Photo from Ukraine of Protesters Hitting Police? Claim summaries: The United States is not the only country that has seen violent clashes between police and protesters.
contextual information: In July 2020, an advertisement for U.S. President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign started appearing on Trump's official Facebook page showing a comparison of two images entitled "Public Safety" and "Chaos and Violence." The "Public Safety" image showed Trump surrounded presumably by various members of law enforcement, while the "Chaos and Violence" image supposedly showed protesters beating up an American police officer: started appearing Shortly after this ad started running, media outlets such as the BBC noticed that the image on the right was not taken in 2020, and that it didn't show an incident from the United States. This image was actually taken in 2014, and shows a clash between police and protesters in Ukraine. BBC The BBC reported: A post by Donald Trump's official Facebook account purports to show violence in the US but is in fact of an event in another country. The advert shows one image of Mr Trump in a calm setting talking to police officers beside another of a security official being surrounded by protesters, saying: "Public safety vs chaos and violence". However, the image is a photo from a pro-democracy protest in Ukraine in 2014. This photograph was taken by photographer Mstyslav Chernov in February 2014 during a protest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The image is available via Wikipedia under a "Creative Commons" license. The terms for this photograph state that it is free to use as long as the photographer is given proper credit. But the advertisement on Trump's Facebook page offered no mention of the photographer. Wikipedia Creative Commons Here's an uncropped version of Chernov's photograph: Chernov confirmed to Business Insider that the Trump ad did indeed use his photograph from Ukraine in 2014. Chernov went on to say that the only way to combat this sort of deception is through "education and media literacy." Business Insider Chernov said: "Photography has always been used to manipulate public opinion. And with the rise of social media and the rise of populism, this is happening even more," he said. "The only way to combat this is through education and media literacy. When people learn to independently distinguish truth from lies, then the number of manipulations will decrease." Giles, Christopher. "Facebook: Trump Posts Misleading Ad Using Ukraine Photo."
BBC. 22 July 2020. Jankowicz, Mia. "A New Trump Campaign Ad Depicting a Police Officer Being Attacked by Protesters is Actually a 2014 Photo of Pro-Democracy Protests in Ukraine."
Business Insider. 22 July 2020. | 1 | [
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FMD4298 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Russia — Standing ankle deep in mud in a swampy grassland more than 4, 000 miles from his home, Yuri A. Bugaev surveyed a wasteland that the Russian government is offering to pioneers under its own version of the 1862 Homestead Act in the United States. “This is not really what I had in mind,†said Mr. Bugaev, who had traveled across seven time zones from St. Petersburg, Russia, to scout the possibilities for settlers in the country’s sparsely populated Far East, a territory roughly the size of the United States. The nine Far Eastern regions targeted for settlement in the government’s land giveaway, which began on June 1, encompass more than a third of Russia but are home to only 6. 1 million people. This is just 4 percent of the country’s population and compares with the 110 million Chinese living across the border in the three provinces that make up Manchuria. Mr. Bugaev is a dedicated, if largely sedentary, Cossack, a fraternity of Slavic warriors, freebooters and rebels. A romantic throwback to earlier generations of Cossacks who settled and secured the borders of the Russian empire, he sees getting his Cossack brethren and other Russians to move out east as the only way to keep mostly empty Russian lands safe from China. For years, he said, he had dreamed of Russia embracing, or rather the pioneer spirit, and he was delighted by the Kremlin’s backing of a program meant to reassert the country’s manifest destiny as a power. All the same, he conceded that not many Russians living in the European side of Russia, who dream of a house in London or Paris, not a shack in a swamp near China, share his zeal for a new life in wild eastern regions that many associate with labor camps and convicts. “Most people these days don’t want an adventure,†he said. The Russian government, however, is intent on proving otherwise and on giving some substance to a command by President Vladimir V. Putin in 2013 that the development of Siberia and the Far East must be “our national priority for the entire 21st century. †How to get people to settle in the Far East is a question that has preoccupied and confounded Russian rulers since the establishment of a Russian naval base on the Pacific Ocean at Okhotsk in the 17th century. Cossacks, convicts and desperate peasants have often been the only takers. In Communist times, labor camps, heavy investment in remote industrial sites and the construction of a second railroad across Siberia and the Far East revived the eastward flow of people. But this ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and residents began to drift away. A population of more than eight million dwindled by about two million. Russia’s Ministry for the Development of the Far East, the agency managing this latest development gambit, cited a survey it commissioned, saying that 20 percent of Russians would be ready to move east if given free land. Younger Russians, the ministry said, were even more enthusiastic, with more than 50 percent expressing an interest in heading east to take advantage of the offer — one free hectare, about two and a half acres, a person. But as often happens in Russia, grandiose hopes and plans have run far ahead of the reality on the ground, where bureaucrats, appalling weather and immense distances conspire to smother the Kremlin’s ambitions. “It is all pie in the sky,†said Vladimir V. Mishchenko, the head of the Khankaisky district, one of nine pilot areas chosen by Moscow to test the free land program. He complained that the whole thing had been dreamed up by people in Moscow who had no understanding of the Far East but needed to show the Kremlin that they were doing something. For the moment, the free land is restricted to small areas, like the Khankaisky area around an isolated settlement north of Vladivostok, and is open only to Russians already living in the Far East. Starting in February, however, all Russian citizens can apply, and Mr. Bugaev wants to make sure he is ready to “help save Russia. †At the start of his scouting mission, after a flight to Vladivostok from Moscow, he found his hotel packed with Chinese, mostly tourists. Donning his Cossack fur hat, he declared his mission even more urgent than he had thought. He set off the next day for to inspect the land on offer, driving for hours in torrential rain through sodden taiga and mostly empty villages. Undaunted, he said he thought there were enough hardy souls ready to join his organization, the Far Eastern Hectare Social Movement, a private outfit set up in St. Petersburg to drum up interest in the free land program and to organize new settlements. Its website explains that it is possible to be a pioneer without even leaving home, at least to start with. People can simply apply for free land and pool what they get so a larger plot can be developed by a few adventurous souls. If this works, those who contribute land but stay behind in St. Petersburg can move east later, after most of the hard work is done. “Virtually nobody wants to come out here right now,†Mr. Bugaev conceded, complaining that the available plots — about 12, 000 square yards a person — cannot possibly support sustainable agriculture or any other business venture. (American pioneers got more than 60 times that amount — 160 acres — under the Homestead Act.) The Russian plan has been derided as a dreamy patriotic stunt cooked up by Kremlin image makers or a scam that will end up enriching officials, who have the right to take back the land after five years if they decide development targets have not been met. The Kremlin, however, has thrown its weight behind the program, set in motion this summer with a blitz of publicity on state news media presenting the Far East as an El Dorado of opportunity, and the start of a government website that allows citizens to view plots of land and make online applications. The official website went down as soon as it was unveiled, a mishap that Aleksei A. Navalny, the renowned anticorruption campaigner, said was probably a deliberate malfunction engineered by officials so they could grab the best land for themselves. Mr. Navalny, in a report last month, noted that coveted plots on the shore of a picturesque lake outside had been snapped up by the time the website started working again. Yan P. Ovodenko, a local official, denied that the lakeside plots had all been taken. A more serious blow to Mr. Bugaev’s hopes was delivered by Mr. Mishchenko, the district head. While the area might look empty, he explained, nearly all the land is already owned or at least claimed by somebody. And even if Mr. Bugaev were to get allotted land, developing it would require cooperation from 22 different government agencies responsible for enforcing a thicket of rules and regulations. “The water code, you have to abide by it town planning code, you have to abide by it land code, you have to abide by it border area rules, you have to abide by them prescriptions of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, you have to abide by them forest regulation, you have to abide by it,†the district chief said. Of the 460 people who have applied since June 1, Mr. Mishchenko said, 390 have been rejected outright because they failed to provide the necessary information. In all, only four people, all from Vladivostok, have thus far secured plots. “For any meaningful agriculture, you need 5, 000 hectares to start off,†Mr. Mishchenko said. “And those lands don’t exist. They’ve been snapped up a long time ago. †Undeterred by his initial finding in Khankaisky district, Mr. Bugaev pressed on. A Cossack leader in the regional administration in Vladivostok, Oleg Melnikov, assured him that the land giveaway was on track and faced no serious problems. A local company involved in agriculture also liked Mr. Bugaev’s plans for an updated version of collective farming and urged him to focus on trying to find people in St. Petersburg ready to apply for plots of land. “I think this will all work out,†Mr. Bugaev said, warily eyeing Chinese tourists crowded in the lobby of his Vladivostok hotel. “This is not just for adventure but to save Russia. †| 1 | [
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FMD4299 | Task: Please determine whether the text is 0. Fake or 1. True. Answer directly without explanations. Text: Chart Of The Day: Shrinking Core Capital Goods Orders Signals Recession | 0 | [
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