BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Short story debate

1 Year ago In the plains below the mountains. "But father, you promised you would take me hunting." My daughter Alitea said to me as I was about to walk out of the door. "I know dear, perhaps Marcus can take you. King Rufius demands that we assemble today. Next time, I promise." I kissed her on the forehead. "Mark! Take your little sister hunting please and be careful!" "Yes sir!" my son yelled from his loft. I walked out of the door that day unaware that I would never see my family again. I ventured on up the mountain towards the Kings fortress. I was one of his greatest warriors. I had slayed many beasts singlehandedly, even dragons. When I had reached the fortress everyone else was already there. I hail from a small village on the base of the mountain so I am always late. The king was going to make an announcement. "My comrades! Today we take action!" the king shouted and everyone grew with a viscous roar, all of these men had a thirst for blood. "The peasants at the base of the mountain refuse to turn in their share of this years crop!" My heart sunk at his words. "As you all know, all of the villages on the mountain distribute an equal amount of crops to feed you fine men when you are away from home and in battle, and they think because they had a bad year that they get to keep all of their share to feed the villagers!" The whole crowd roared with angry chants and words. "So if they will not give us their crops, we will give them blood!" The whole crowd roared again. I sprinted down the mountain as fast as I could to warn the others...
Short story debate

Good job TW! Nice cliff hanger too :P I guess this doesn't require a title, since I don't have one.... Anyway, so here's my story! ------------ "Please, my little Jay, don't go! Please don't leave me! Just pretend that you have fallen ill, or that you have injured yourself working in the fields, but please stay with my for our first Valentine together!" Bethany begged her beloved. "I want to stay, Beth darling, do you think I want to leave you so soon after our marriage? Of course I would give anything to stay with you, I truly would, but when the army calls, I must heed their every bidding. That is one of the conditions of this cruel, cruel government. And you know this. It was a deal that we made when we moved here, when we were still hopeful for a bright future. There is truly nothing I can do." Jonathan replied. Bethany sat down hard on the loveseat, overcome by grief already at his departure soon to come. Jonathan sat down gently beside her, at loss for ways to comfort his beautiful devastated wife. "My precious Jay, I--" "I know," he replied, "I love you too." Beth sighed, a comfortable yet gloomy silence falling on them. She stood up suddenly, and pulled away from Jonathan's muscular arms and strong hands cupping her face. "Go, love. Go, but be safe. Then when they are done with you, come back home to me. Come back home where you belong. Come back with.... come back with my heart intact please.... I don't know what I would do if you come back in a casket.... And Jay? Know that--" "I love you," they murmured simultaneously. Bethany's mouth twitched slightly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. They hugged one last time, and the lovers walked out the front door into the stables. There, a beautiful midnight black mare waited patiently, tail swishing with ease. Ebonique nudged Beth with her nose, almost reassuring her that it would all be okay. Beth gently kissed her neck, weaving her hands through Ebonique's thick mane. "I'll go prepare the food you will need for your trip, you just take care of grabbing sufficient clothing and a blanket for Ebby, okay? And remember to gather enough hay for my beauty, and ration it just enough every night, and--" "Don't worry your pretty head, my darling Beth. I know what to do; it is not like I have not left before," Jonathan laughed, drawing Beth in closer to himself. She leaned into his embrace, but they both knew she wasn't fooling either of them. Her heart wasn't in it, and they both knew she would stress herself out worrying about him day and night. "Prepare today, leave tomorrow morning?" Bethany begged. "Tomorrow morning at the latest, or I will be penalized," Jonathan conceded. Bethany left Jonathan to gather all his equipment by himself as she went back into the house under the guise of preparing food. She sat down on a stool in the dining room, one hand on her stomach. How would she tell him? How *could* she tell him? He was leaving, with little chance of coming back. She couldn't tell him unless she wanted him to die. He had to fight in the battle with his whole head, not one part in the fight and one part worrying about her.... or their new baby.
Short story debate

Now to the voters we ask you to vote on who's s story you like best based on creativity and such. So I suppose I shall start. I saw the life drain from his eyes, but not before he looked up at me with a look of sorrow. Why? Why does he look towards me with sorrow? I was the one to end his life, I was the one that defeated him and robbed him of his breath. He choked on his blood one last time before he went limp. I closed his eyes and continued on towards my destination. Many men have been hunting me down ever since I killed the man they called Rufius, the King of the Mountains. Rufius had raided my village with his men just for the mere fun of it. He slaughtered all in his path and took all of the woman and children as slaves. Yet. .. no one did anything to stop him because he provides most of the known world with coal and gold coins. I stood up to him. Yes, me, and who am I you ask? Well, I am Vego Kelinice, but most people refer to me as the Dragon Tamer. TBC. .. .
"assault weapons" should NOT be banned

I completely agree with your points about the limited practicality of assault weapons. In fact, they are actually inaccurate, easily visible and bulky. According to a 2005 Gallup poll ( http://tinyurl.com... ), Americans use guns mainly for protection, target shooting and hunting. None of these activities actually require assault weapons. Less than two percent of America's gun stock could be unambiguously classified as assault weapons. Now, given this very limited practicality, why even INVOLVE the risk? It's interesting, you bring up the AR-15. The AR-15, a semi-automatic rifle loosely based on the military M-16. The AR-15, a weapon that according to the FBI Handbook on gun regulations, will "fire automatically merely by the manipulation of the selector or the removal of the disconnector." The AR-15, a weapon that is capable of carrying a 100- round drum magazine and of shooting between 50 and 60 bullets per minute. "Why should we ban the most popular sporting rifles in America from mentally sane law abiding citizens," you say. Have you heard of a man named James Holmes? I'm guessing you have, but nevertheless, James Eagan Holmes is the admitted perpetrator of a mass shooting that killed twelve people at a Century movie theater in Aurora ( http://tinyurl.com... ). Now, Holmes just happened to use a LEGALLY purchased .223 caliber semi-automatic assault weapon. This weapon is commonly known as the AR-15, which you call the "best rifles for for home defence." James Holmes' shooting in Aurora lasted for less than a minute and a half. Twenty-five police officers had arrived at the scene within two minutes. Within six minutes, over 200 officers swarmed the theater. Amidst all this, Holmes used "America's most popular sporting rifle" to kill twelve people and injure fifty-eight others. Moreover, this is despite the fact that his AR-15 jammed in the middle of the shooting. We're actually lucky more people weren't killed. As of now, Holmes has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. I recall Pro saying something about "mentally sane law abiding citizens." And, by the way, insanity as opposed to temporary insanity means that he is a long term sufferer of a mental disease. Which probably means that he legally purchased his AR-15 and his Glock 22 Pistol while allegedly suffering from this mental disease. It's scary how easy it is to become a legal gun owner. This concludes my statement for round 2.
"assault weapons" should NOT be banned

Now your definition of an "assault weapon" really doesn't make much sense. You can get "high capacity" magazines for almost any gun. Obviously you don't know how firearms work. A magazine manufacturer could make a thousand magazine for any gun he wants. but if "assault weapons" are so dangerous, why is it that they make up less than 2% of gun homicides, the 2 worst mass shootings in the entire WORLD were not committed by them (which dismisses the argument that they have the ability to kill more people) and in the past TEN YEARS, less than 70 people have been killed by "assault weapons" in mass shootings? It just makes no sense. Not to mention, 90% of law enforcement officers say they do NOT support a ban on them and an "assault weapons" ban would have NO POSITIVE EFFECT. AR 15s are sporting/home defense rifles. They are NOT assault rifles. (FYI, AR stands for Armalite rifle) Nothing special about them. Tell me something. Why should "assault weapons" be banned if less than 300 people are killed a year by them (75% being criminals since most murder victims are criminals) but alcohol shouldn't be banned when 10,000 people are killed a year by drunk drivers? "Assault Weapons are NOT used primarily or even secondarily for self-defense" something you should be aware of is that tactical professionals say AR 15 rifles are the best rifles for home defense due to the fact they are compact and conformable. So I mentioned before about alcohol. Why should we ban the most popular sporting rifles in America (which make up less than 300 deaths per year) from mentally sane law abiding citizens, but not ban alcohol when there is over 10,000 drunk driving deaths per year.
"assault weapons" should NOT be banned

First of all, for the purpose of this debate, I think it is important to actually define "assault weapons." The term, despite the several controversies surrounding it, is generally used politically and legally to describe semi-automatic firearms with a high number of detachable magazines and possibly one or two safety features. They share, according to the Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), several cosmetic features with their fully automatic counterparts. Now, to ban assault weapons as per the way I have defined it would be to ban altogether shotguns, rifles and most types of pistols and handguns. This leaves a small portion of the latter, which I feel can be removed as well once the illegal sale of guns has been cut down. As this debate progresses, I seek to establish certain facts that will make the job of the voters easier. These include: A) Assault Weapons are NOT used primarily or even secondarily for self-defence B) Assault weapons being legalised for self defence can lead to a society that is brutal, chaotic and vigilante in nature C) The legalisation of assault weapons has an adverse impact on homicide rates I look forward to an open and healthy debate, with each voter acting fairly and impartially.
There is no evidence to believe that Jesus Christ never existed

There is an overwhelming amount of indications that Jesus was a real man. Jesus was merely a teacher whose beliefs and ideals proceeded to affect the world dramatically. The existence of Jesus has been critically proved. It"s not a question of rather he was the "messiah" or expressed grandiose ambitions of being the son of the mighty creator, it"s an influence of his presence, and the written verification of this man. It is not only Christians who recognize Jesus to be a real man; Jews even though they do not claim Jesus as their messiah, still recognize him to be the real man he was. Secondly, there have been other prophets or rather exhibitors of ideals who existence is as real as Jesus Christ. The prophet Muhammad, a man who laid claim to have spoken to the real creator; brought the middle east from bands of tribes to a group of people led by the caliphate created after the death of Muhammad. Even scholars such as Confucius, who spread ideals that became known as Confucianism became no more unreal than he truly was. No matter if you"re Christian man or an inquisitive scholar, one cannot deny the existence of Jesus Christ. With all modern technology and critical analysis done on this matter most modern scholars confirm that Jesus existed.
There is no evidence to believe that Jesus Christ never existed

PreambleThere is no reason to believe that the Jesus Christ of the Bible, virgin-born, miracle-worker, itinerant preacher and political & religious agitator, killed and resurrected and became a deity every existed. Evidence 1: No Historical RecordThe strongest evidence is that there is no actual indepedent corroborating evidence that such a man ever existed nor of his miraculous deeds. For a man of such great acts, some affecting thousands (e.g. the feeding of the 5,000, the rising of the dead) it is surprising that no record would remain of such deeds - none first-hand and certainly none second hand, especially considering there are many detailed records that exist of that time.For the purposes of this debate, references to a 'historical Jesus' are invalid. Firstly, because we are discusing the existence of the religious figure and secondly because the term makes no sense.Evidence 2: Jesus Christ is a religious inventionThe only actual references we have are those found in the Bible, in particular the four Gospels. This Jesus Christ is a deity that performed miracles on this planet, a sort of avatar of the actual God - wholly God but also wholly human in that he was limited in his powers. His mission was to not only resolve the Jewish religion as a returning Messiah but also as a message to the rest of humanity that should they follow his Path, they too would have access to the Jewish deity on their death.All this is, of course religious invention, with no bearing or evidence other than what a group of people, who call themselves Christians, choose to accept on faith is true. The Bible is replete with references to Jesus being a deity and having great powers - supernatural claims common for their time and largely unseen since: without evidence these events happened, one must conclude these are wholly religious inventions to impress believers.Evidence 3: Jesus Christ only exists for Christians Being a religious invention then, jesus Christ has to compete in the market-place of religious ideas and here his existence (and all the contingent claims that make Jesus, the Christ) is also disputed.Beginning with Judaism, the original religious Jesus is the Messiah of, it's progenitor, there is enormous dispute as to whether he truly was that Messiah. Therefore, by definition Jesus Christ - the Messiash - does not exist according to Judaism. He was a fraud.Then we have the cousin religion, Islam, who only accepts Jesus as a prophet and not the deity that claimed by Christians.Within Christianity, the thousands of different denominations and cults should put at rest that there is any single definitive way to even worship - thus proving that religious claims are not even internally self-supporting and therefore unreliable historical documents to begin with.Conclusion With no historical record, where there should have been, it is impossible to conclude that Jesus Christ existed other than in the minds of Christians.
There is no evidence to believe that Jesus Christ never existed

As stated before, whether Jesus was pictured as a man with mystical powers is not specifically the question of the debate. Your argument has been revolved around this however this is not what the question is asking. I am no follower of religion, however men with much more means to find truth in such things have done so. rather depicted the man he was seen as in the bible, their are many other forms of documentation referencing to Jesus Christ. For instance the Jews (as previously stated) evaluated him to be a real man however not their Messiah. The Enlightened one from the stories of Buddha was in fact a real man. BY others claiming him to be the "enlightened one" does not take away from the fact that he existed, same for Muhammad of the Koran, and the philosopher Confucius. The fact that a man is claimed to be a title does not change the fact of his existence. If you were to actually research this topic throughly with suitable sites and written text you would see the truth of the facts.
There is no evidence to believe that Jesus Christ never existed

The statement which we are reviewing is asking if Jesus christ ever existed not that he was a the man the bible states him to be. That was merely your choice of argument in which to justify your statement. Jesus Christ was a real man and evidence has proved this. Rather a divine diety or mortal man he was real none the less as the question inquires. You state him to not be the deity Christians claim him as. however it's a matter of his existence to which we are arguing not anyone mans ability.
Anarchy is a disease

Quotation Marks "Quotation marks set off material that represents quoted or spoken language." http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu... Plagiarism "the process of copying another person's idea or written work and claiming it as original." http://www.bing.com... I appropriately put quotation marks around the quote, thereby denoting that it is not my own. I have made it clear that I am not 'claiming it as original.' I look forward to an actual argument next round.
Islam

i think that you will find that yes, in in its most basic and bare form, Islam is a pretty awful religion. But then again, so is pretty much every other religion, as they were written thousands of years ago, yes they are bound to have backwards views to what we have today. But that does not mean that these people practice every single thing in that book, just as the fact that almost all christians dont practice, "You may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you" Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT, or "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." (1 Timothy 2:12). just because it is in the bible does not mean that people still do those things if they are a christian. Just in the same way that just because people follow Islam, does not mean that they follow or practice those things anymore. so yes, in the beginning, yes Islam used to be a barbaric and backwards practice, just as many other religions of their day where, however just like many other religions, they have morphed to fit in today society. such as the Muslims who protested against the terrorism in britian. 1. this shows that Muslims can and will show support victims of terror. i once again repeat, if all 2 billion of the Islamic people cannot co-exist with other cultures, we would all be Muslims at this point. .1. http://www.mirror.co.uk...
Islam

Islam is not a religion of peace! Explain to me why orthodox Jews and Devout Christians are not perpetrating these horrendous crimes/terror? Islam is anti-homosexual and generally a very misogynist country. They stone you if you leave the "religion", are homosexual, commit adultery, or are a woman that commits minor crimes(crime is an exaggeration). Woman are FORCED to conceal their bodys all day even during times of scorching hot weather. It is miserable. All though you might claim that only a select few of people are "terrorists" within the religion, and perpetrate terror, that is false. The Islamic folks that are not willing to blow themselves up are still regressive and barbaric. They still believe in these archaic ideoligys that I reffered to above and try recede society in a quiter and less obvious way. Check out (thereligionofpeace.com) or.https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com... - derived straight from the Quran itself! Yes, Islam is an ideoligy not really a religion. I never said that it was a country if you want to re-read my first argument. As you said, there are some great muslim people. I mean obviously! I do not hate Muslims, I hate the Ideoligy of Islam. Throughout these Arab country's almost all Muslims passionately believe in Sharia laws. Which is downgrading towards woman and social minorities. Like homosexuals. Peaceful religion"??? NO WAY" Fact: in the 1400 year history of islam, muslims have murdered over 270 million people. Fact: Since 911, muslims have committed over 23 thousand deadly terror attacks around the world. Fact: Islam can not and will not peacefully co exist with any other religion on earth. Never. They are intolerant of other religions Fact: Where are all those so called "peaceful" muslims when the terror attacks occur? Why do they not stand publicly against the attacks as a religious group? The reason is that It goes against their Quran.
Islam

Islam being a religion of peace is very tough to nail down. however the point of view you seem to be taking on this one is that the entirety of the religion is bad, is laughable. my first point to make is that Islam is not a country, and more an ideal, or idea. second of all, i have lived in Saudi Arabia ( a very Islamic country) for two years. during that time, i lived in dharan, and to say that " The Islamic folks that are not willing to blow themselves up are still regressive and barbaric" is completely wrong. they are human beings, just like us, and i can assure you, they are not regressive or barbaric. yes, its not a great place to live, yes women do have to wear abayas, that is a bad thing about their religion, but every religion will have its faults and backwards conventions. To explain to you why devout Christians are not committing these crimes/terrors, is because they have. look no further than the KKK who tried to implement their "devout christian values", upon society, Just like ISIS is doing at the moment. So yes, while some parts of Islam is rather backwards, to say that the entire 2 billion population of them is trying to convert us all to Islam and bring down society is, in my opinion, wrong.
Islam

Islam is not a religion of peace! Explain to me why orthodox Jews and Devout Christians are not perpetrating these horrendous crimes/terror? Islam is anti-homosexual and generally a very misogynist country. They stone you if you leave the "religion", are homosexual, commit adultery, or are a woman that commits minor crimes(crime is an exaggeration). Woman are FORCED to conceal their bodys all day even during times of scorching hot weather. It is miserable. All though you might claim that only a select few of people are "terrorists" within the religion, and perpetrate terror, that is false. The Islamic folks that are not willing to blow themselves up are still regressive and barbaric. They still believe in these archaic ideoligys that I reffered to above and try recede society in a quiter and less obvious way. Check out (thereligionofpeace.com) or. https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com...; - derived straight from the Quran itself!
Examination is the best way to test academic excellence among studemts

I'll resolve my opponent has nothing to say. Finally, for examination to be the best, compared to every other means, the advantages stupendously outweigh the disadvantages. And this criteria is surely exhibited, My opponent mentioned that sharing Ideas and observing students could help test their knowledge based on knowledge acquired from books. that's impossible but I wouldn't claim my opponent is myopic since his definition of academic excellence is undefined and keeps hitting towards intelligence. Both things are different. Resolved, Examination is the best way to test academic excellence among students Thank you.