TASK DEFINITION: Given a document and an entity the task is to select the author's sentiment towards the entity. Sentiments can be Positive, Neutral and Negative. Select Positive if the article expresses a positive view towards the given entity or praises its quality or skills. Select Neutral if the document expresses no clear view towards the entity or has equal amounts of positive and negative statements or expressing some fact/quote by someone else. Select Negative if the article expresses a negative view towards like harsh remarks, criticizing entities action/decision etc. Note that URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].
PROBLEM: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Alan Robinson ? Alan Robinson  62   started  his  final marathon Sunday morning.
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 The marathon  started at 7:30 a.m. in Chicago and  Robinson  was at the 18-mile mark around 10:45 p.m. when a friend finally convinced him to stop.
Per WGNTV   Robinson  recently survived prostate cancer and lives with a serious heart condition.
It is not certain yet if  Robinson  will finish the 26.2-mile race on Monday.

SOLUTION: Positive

PROBLEM: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Chris Christie Trump ? Donald Trump and  Chris Christie  campaign in 2016. (Photo: John Minchillo  AP)
I recall  Chris Christie’s  first interview with our editorial board after he won the 2009 election. We asked what had changed in his life now that he was governor of New Jersey.
More:  Chris Christie  polishes  his  Trump brand as the swamp beckons
More:  Chris Christie  on the beach: New Jersey had a bad day  why should he suffer?
The governor’s fight against opioid abuse won him national praise. But the standing ovation really should go to the Christie who pushed for drug courts  treatment over incarceration and the near elimination of cash bail. No other governor could have done so much to right the scales of justice for minorities and low-income defendants. None of this is sexy to voters in national primaries  which makes these initiatives so much more important in judging all that was  Christie . He was capable of being a great leader.
Then came Superstorm Sandy— the event that made  Christie  a national figure even as it pretty much set in motion everything that destroyed him. It fed his ego. The national attention he received in his blue fleece telling someone to get off the beach  the bombast that was akin to a happy King Lear  not howling at the wind  but pushing the wind back. He seemed invincible.
After Sandy  Christie was a rising Republican star. Everything he did was now seen through a rosy prism. He was the Republican governor of a blue state getting things done. To be clear: New Jersey is neither blue nor red. It’s madras. Tom Kean  Christie Whitman — Republicans had won statewide before. New Jersey wanted a reformer in 2009 and  Christie  seemed to fit that bill.
The most telling moment from  Christie’s  final State of the State address this month was a sentence he ad-libbed. The prepared text read: “We ran to be a Governor who did not just mark time. We ran to win and to be a Governor of consequence.” What  Christie  said during the speech was  “I ran to win. I always ran to win. I ran to be a governor of consequence.”
That’s it in a nutshell. The fatal flaw. A chief executive consumed with winning who would assemble a team consumed with his winning. It explains more than anything how Bridgegate could come to pass  how a smart  politically savvy man like  Christie  could put so many of the wrong people in high-profile jobs. Did he know before the George Washington Bridge lane closures  during the lane closures or shortly after the lane closures that created a massive four-day traffic jam? At this point it matters less than that he always knew too many people on his team were capable of being punitive  petty and destructive in the cause of  Christie  winning.
 Christie  tried to minimize the scandal.  He  wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on a whitewash report prepared by high-priced lawyers.  He  bled NJ Transit dry.
 He  bullied.  He  baited. And just as Sandy had made  him  a star  Bridgegate made  him  a pariah. Not all at once. But by the time  he  left New Jersey to raise money for Republican governors across the nation and then to openly pursue the presidency   he  was already failing in New Jersey.
I once was as close to a Christie cheerleader as  he  could find in the New Jersey media. There was a time when I believed  he  was the real deal.  He  was funny  well informed and enjoyed a vigorous debate on issues — at least off the record.
The brilliance of  Christie  remains somewhere inside him  but he was not the greatest natural politician I will ever see. The greatest natural politician would never forget that he was entirely dependent on the charity of others — voters.  Christie  once told a young man at a town hall who asked how to get into politics that you first have to ask people for their votes. He said a candidate had to recognize that voters could choose anyone they wanted  that receiving a vote was a gift.
The governor forgot that lesson or  as his ratings tanked  decided it no longer mattered. He became more important than anything. It was not about New Jersey winning  but  Christie  winning.
Voters elected  Christie  to serve until Jan. 16  2018  but he checked out on Election Day 2013.

SOLUTION: Neutral

PROBLEM: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Carles Puigdemont ? Catalan regional police officers walk through a street covered with ballots for the banned independence referendum thrown by people outside People ' s Party ( PP ) regional headquarters during a protest in Barcelona   Spain   October 3   2017 . REUTERS / Jon Nazca MADRID ( Reuters ) - Leaders of Spain ’ s industrialised northeastern region of Catalonia said the regional population had voted for independence in a ballot on Sunday that the central government said was illegal and non - representative . With 95 percent of the vote counted   authorities said the “ Yes ” vote stood at 90 . 1 percent   albeit with a turnout of just a little over 40 percent - 2 . 26 million out of 5 . 34 million registered voters . On Tuesday   Barcelona metro stations were closed   pickets blocked main roads and civil servants walked out in response to a strike called by pro - independence groups . The stand - off could now take three different paths . TENSIONS ESCALATE  Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont  continues with  his  pledge to declare unilateral independence   likely prompting the central government to trigger Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution   which would strip the region of  its  autonomous status and put  it  under direct Madrid rule . If Article 155 is triggered   the next step would be snap elections in Catalonia . Pro - independence parties only hold the majority in the regional parliament with the help of the far - left group CUP   and polls   before Sunday ’ s ballot   suggest these groups could lose their hold on power if a new election was called . However   after events on Sunday   when police swung truncheons and fired rubber bullets in the direction of mostly peaceful demonstrators to shut down the referendum   pro - independence parties may again win the election . Such a result would raise doubts surrounding Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ’ s ability to govern . Students   wrapped with Esteladas ( Catalan separatist flags )  walk through a street as they arrive to attend a protest two days after the banned independence referendum in Barcelona   Spain   October 3   2017 . REUTERS / Jon Nazca Rajoy ’ s immediate opposition in the national parliament lacks the numbers to force him out through a no - confidence vote   but without cross - party support on Catalonia   he may be forced to call a snap national election himself . Rajoy was voted in as a minority leader twice in last year ’ s two elections and a fractious parliament suggests a snap election may prompt a similar result . TALKS Students hold Catalan separatist flags during a demonstration two days after the banned independence referendum in Barcelona   Spain October 3   2017 . REUTERS / Enrique Calvo If the Catalan parliament gives up the push for independence   Rajoy may sit down with  Puigdemont  to hammer out a new deal for the region including a better tax deal and greater fiscal autonomy . Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro and Economy Minister Luis de Guindos have suggested this may be a possibility if the independence drive is completely abandoned .  Puigdemont  has yet to make a unilateral declaration of independence   instead calling for a period of reflection   leaving the door open for such a scenario . However   after the violent scenes on Sunday and continued protests on Tuesday via a partial strike across the region   the Catalan leader may be keen to keep face and avoid being seen bowing down to Madrid . COURTS If the Catalans do not go ahead with a declaration of independence but also fail to sit down for talks with Rajoy as the two party ’ s positions diverge beyond a possible compromise   Madrid may refer the matter to the constitutional courts . Legal and financial action against Catalan leaders is likely to fuel animosity and could prompt further protests   pushing leaders on both sides into difficult positions .

SOLUTION:
Neutral