Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

Example Input: Ho Ho No: School bans Santa from winter concert. A Massachusetts school that advertises itself as an "inclusive community" banned Santa Claus from its annual Christmas concert in the hometown of Harvard University after someone complained . "I am writing to you today to inform you of a change in our concert series this winter," wrote Principal Jennifer Ford in a letter to parents of the Peabody School in Cambridge . "Our first through fourth grade concert as well as our kindergarten concert will not include a visit from Santa Claus this year." The principal did not explain why Santa was banned from the December 12 concert . Could local environmentalists have taken issue with his carbon footprint? Did animal rights activists complain about the welfare of Prancer and Vixen? Did the milk and cookies violate the school's "Let's Move" food rules? It's hard to know for sure -- but I'm going to take a wild guess and say they probably thought Santa was the "Reason for the Season." CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CONSERVATIVE CONVERSATION . Moms and dads around Cambridge, Mass  say the principal's ban is naughty, not nice and some are ready to jingle somebody's bells . "I come from a city that celebrates diversity and tolerance," parent Robert Thompson told Fox & Friends . "At its base this decision reeks of intolerance." Instead ,  Jolly Old Saint Nick has been relegated to a family sing-along on the day before Christmas Eve . Thompson said as if they are saying Santa is not "good enough for the main show." The school was afraid even that even the presence of Old St  Nick overly sensitive residents . "I am sensitive to the fact that you may not want your child involved in this event," Ford wrote in a letter obtained by the Boston Globe . "If you prefer that your child spend time with me that afternoon , please let me know . I will be in the library, playing games and reading books with the children." How's that for an unadulterated does of liberal lunacy? It's enough to curdle your egg nog . Jeffrey Young is the superintendent of this calamitous mess of public education . He told the Globe he doesn't understand why Santa needs to visit the Peabody School . "There's no anti-Santa sentiment," he told the newspaper . "It's just that there's no pro-Santa sentiment either... Santa's not on the top of my list" . I'd be willing to bet a pound of fruitcake the superintendent is at the top of Santa's list . Mr  Thompson said the school celebrates all sorts of cultures - so why not his? "They are telling me mine is not acceptable," he said . Of course ,  this is the hometown of Harvard University - so it's fair to say they have a disproportionate number of certifiable citizens . This is the same town that in 2007 stopped a Boy Scout troop from collecting care packages for American soldiers . They scouts were accused of making a political statement . And how can we forget about the city's war on carbonation? The mayor wanted to ban any bottled soft drinks larger than 16 ounces . They also wanted to decide how much popcorn citizens could pop and how many milkshakes citizens could slurp . And if you need further proof that Cambridge is to the left of Vladimir Putin , consider this item from the 2006 edition of The Harvard Crimson . A member of the Cambridge Public Schools Committee compared a law mandating the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to a "post 9/11 ultra-patriotism push." School committee member Luc Schuster told the newspaper that "pledging blind allegiance" to the United States stifles the intellectual capacity of children." You just can't argue with that kind of ignorance, folks . Sounds to me like they've been smoking too much mistletoe . As they say back home in Tennessee- the cheese has done slid off the cracker . Ho, ho, ho, America!
Example Output: A Massachusetts school that advertises itself as an "inclusive community" banned Santa Claus from its annual Christmas concert in the hometown of Harvard University after someone complained "Our first through fourth grade concert as well as our kindergarten concert will not include a visit from Santa Claus this year."

Example Input: Russia's next acquisition. It is no secret that Russia views the South Caucasus as being in its natural sphere of influence . In light of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and on the back of Moscow's recent treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgians have legitimate reasons to believe that Russian activity in their country will only increase in 2015 . Consequently ,  many are keeping a close eye on the Georgian province of Samtskhe-Javakheti- a majority ethnically Armenian region located just three hours' drive from the nation's capital city of Tbilisi . Causing instability in Samtskhe-Javakheti would achieve two goals for Moscow . First ,  it would further dismember the territorial integrity of Georgia . The Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are already under Russian occupation . By some accounts they are closer than ever to being annexed by Moscow . An independent Samtskhe-Javakheti, or one under Russian influence, would divide Georgia down the middle . Armenian separatism in Samtskhe-Javakheti might not be as vocal as it was only a few years ago ; but there is still a fear that Moscow could easily reenergise separatist movements in the region . Secondly, and more importantly for Russia, bringing the region under Moscow's influence would make a land corridor between Russia and Armenia, via South Ossetia, one step closer . This is important because Russia maintains a sizeable military presence in Armenia . The bulk of the Russian force is based in the city of Gyumri and consists of approximately 5,000 soldiers and dozens of fighter planes and attack helicopters . Russia has long had the difficult challenge of supplying these forces , especially since Georgia and Turkey refuse transit rights . This has left a reliance on Iran , which for obvious reasons, is not ideal for Russia . It is not only for Russia that Samtskhe-Javakheti is strategically important, but also for Europe . The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline, carrying oil and gas respectively from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, passes through the province . As the possibility of more Central Asian oil and gas finding its way to Europe becomes likely , these pipelines bypassing Russia will become a vital part of Europe's energy security . In addition ,  the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, which is due to open later this year, passes through Samtskhe-Javakheti . It is expected that this rail line will eventually transport 3 million passengers and over 15 million tons of freight each year . There is a perfect storm brewing in the region and if Russia wanted to exploit the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti it could not ask for better timing than now . First is the fact that many Javakheti Armenians have Russian sympathies . Until its closure in 2007, the Russian military base there was the single biggest source of employment . It has also been reportedthat Moscow is issuing Russian passports to ethnic Armenians living in the region . This in itself is telling ; Russia issued passports to Abkhazians and South Ossetians just before its 2008 invasion of Georgia and also issued passports to Crimeans ahead of the annexation of Crimea last year . But Russia is only part of the problem . Many of the grievances Javakheti Armenians have are a result of poor policy making by the central government in Tbilisi . Many Javakheti Armenians feel that their culture and language are discriminated against . There has been a decrease in the quality of education among the Javakheti Armenian population . The bilingual education program of teaching in both Georgian and Armenian has been described as a "total failure" because there are not enough qualified teachers with proficiency in both languages . Unemployment is high in Samtskhe-Javakheti and future economic prospects in the region look bleak . Many Javakheti Armenians travel to Russia or Armenia for work . Economy strained . Thanks to the drop in the value of the Russian ruble - almost one-third of its value in the past year  - remittances have also decreased . The unusually harsh winter in the region is placing a further strain on economic activity . Then there is the issue of citizenship and immigration . Many Javakheti Armenians do not have Georgian citizenship . Instead ,  many hold Armenian passports because finding seasonal work in Armenia and Russia is easier this way . Until recently, Armenian citizens were allowed to live and work inside Georgia without any special authorisation as long as they crossed the border back into Armenia at least once a year . Last September this changed . Now Javakheti Armenians without Georgian citizenship can only stay in Georgia for three months at a time . Longer term residency permits are costly . These policies breed animosity and form a perfect storm that could easily be exploited by Russia . It does not have to be this way . Sensible policies can be pursued by Tbilisi to address the legitimate grievances of the Javakheti Armenians . The West can make it clear to Russia that further meddling in Georgia's domestic affairs could lead to additional sanctions . The last thing the South Caucasus needs is another sectarian conflict .
Example Output: It is no secret that Russia views the South Caucasus as being in its natural sphere of influence In light of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and on the back of Moscow's recent treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgians have legitimate reasons to believe that Russian activity in their country will only increase in 2015

Example Input: Philippines-China standoff: David vs Goliath? In recent years, the South China Sea has (once again) transformed into a theatre of competition among rival claimant states . Outmatched and outgunned by China, the Philippines has sought to resolve the disputes by resorting to legal arbitration, hoping that international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), will serve as an amicable basis for settling maritime conflicts . But China has unequivocally rejected the arbitration process as an infringement on its national sovereignty and territorial integrity , recently releasing a position paper that details its rationale for opposing any third- party intervention in the disputes . The South China Sea represents a potential flashpoint with global ramifications . Connecting one of the most dynamic economies of the 21st century, the waters facilitate more than $5 trillion in annual trade . Crucially, the bulk of the energy imports of industrial powerhouses such as Japan and South Korea pass through the South China Sea . The very economic survival and energy security of major Asian economies is anchored by unimpeded access to international waters such as the South China Sea . Almost everyone has an interest in the peaceful settlement of the disputes . But it is far from certain whether the Philippines' legal manoeuvre will contribute to the de-escalation of maritime tensions . China has vehemently rejected the entire arbitration process, accusing the Philippines of stirring trouble and jeopardising historically stable bilateral ties . Technically, the maritime disputes involve six rival claimant states: China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan . The bitterest disputes, however, involve China, on one hand, and the Philippines and Vietnam, on the other . Fortunately, the latest wave of maritime spats hasn't yet sparked a full-scale military confrontation . The last bloody standoff was in the latter decades of the Cold War , when China tried to wrest control of the Paracel (1974) and the Spratly (1988) islands from the South Vietnamese and (united) Vietnam forces, respectively . But amid a flurry of nationalist bombast, backed up by wide-ranging - civilian and military - construction activities as well as paramilitary patrols across disputed areas, there are growing concerns over accidental clashes and unintended escalation in the high seas . In short ,  freedom of navigation (FoN) - a pillar of commerce and trade - in the South China Sea could be in peril . Given the significance of the South China Sea to regional trade and security, non-claimant states such as the US, Japan, and Indonesia have also been drawn into the territorial disputes . Washington is bound by treaty obligations to defend Asian allies such as the Philippines, against external aggression . As some commentators would put it , the maritime rivalries resemble a three-dimensional chess game, threatening strategic, economic, and political interests in the region, with ever-growing number of players injecting additional layers of complexity and risk to the problem . While all actors have contributed to the escalation of tensions in the area , the consensus among independent experts is that China's sweeping claims, particularly its notorious "nine-dashed line" doctrine, has served as a major stumbling block in resolving the territorial disputes . China's claims are simultaneously expansive and ambiguous . The "nine-dashed line" covers almost the entirety of the South China Sea, even overlapping with Indonesia's waters , but Beijing has not clarified its precise coordinates . It isn't clear whether China is claiming the land features and their surrounding territorial waters, or treating the entire area as an internal lake . China has evoked"historical rights" and"inherent and indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea , which, most experts believe, has little basis in modern international law . Despite signing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which discourages claimant states from unilaterally altering the status quo , China has stepped up its construction activities and paramilitary patrols across disputed waters . In terms of size and capabilities, China dwarfs all its neighbours combined . The regional geopolitical landscape is highly lopsided . Eager to maintain stable ties with Beijing, Washington has consistently refused to take sides in the disputes , limiting its concern to FoN in the South China Sea . Against the backdrop of deteriorating regional security, leading to a brief and perilous standoff between Filipino and Chinese forces over the Scarborough Shoal (220 km off the coast of the Philippines, and 900km away from the nearest Chinese coastline) . In mid-2012, Manila decided to take China to the special Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague . As a signatory to the UNCLOS, China has (under Article 298) rejected compulsory arbitration over maritime disputes , but the tribunal has the power to determine whether it can exercise jurisdiction over the case and judge the merits of the Philippines' complaint against China . The Philippines aim is to pressure China to clarify its claims as well as determine the nature of contested features in the South China Sea , specifically whether they can generate their own independent territorial waters . In the end, the Philippines might end up with a pyrrhic victory . In the absence of any tangible compliance-enforcement mechanism, China can reject any unfavourable judicial outcome; launch a media campaign to delegitimise the arbitration proceedings; contemplate sanctions and other forms of diplomatic counter-manoeuvres to isolate the Philippines; and project toughness (to its domestic hyper-nationalist audience) by stepping up its activities in the area . Ultimately, the best solution may lie in direct engagement, confidence- building measures, and sustained bilateral negotiations rather than compulsory arbitration . Both Manila and Beijing will have to devise a diplomatic strategy outside the courts of law .
Example Output:
Outmatched and outgunned by China, the Philippines has sought to resolve the disputes by resorting to legal arbitration, hoping that international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), will serve as an amicable basis for settling maritime conflicts