yes. the industry is controlling your thoughts the great books of the 20th century. present a hoax is. free to move manufacturing ignorance stores may 3rd on t.w. . this is data 1000000000 years and these are our top stories. the post later on some 3 chief faces the charges that could see her bad from holding office she is accused of breaking a colonial era official secrets law every supporters burned copies of mammals military inspired constitution in protest 2 months after the army seized power the un special envoy is warning of a possible civil war and says i love bath could be imminent.

u.s. president joe biden has convened his 1st cabinet meeting at the white house biden nine's to promote his new 2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan the senate confirmed his full cabinet last week biden has described it as the most diverse in u.s. history. the police have clashed with a large crowd gathered in a brussels pocket after a fight concert was announced as an april fool's day prank thousands of young people defied the ban on large gatherings as in fiction numbers in belgium search police say 22 people were arrested. this is day to the news from berlin you can follow us on twitter and facebook or you can go to our website to be found at the dot com. when joe biden became us president to he told his country and the world that

america is back and now biden wants to put his money where his mouth is tax money $2.00 trillion dollars biden is proposing an unprecedented infrastructure plan that does more than repair roads and bridges think green energy social engineering tonight the world's leading superpower holding on to that title by investing in a major make over of itself and the rest of the world to golf in berlin this is the day. that triggers around the edge and. it's a once in a generation investment roughly 2 trillion dollars in the near future can't relate can't relate to the mid or infrastructure is crumbling you know there's a lot of water currents in the world think reason why they're going to win this

democracy can't reach consensus in the sense of competition between american china and the rest of the world isn't all that 50 years people would look back and say this was a move in the mirror because. the future. also coming up they are 5 greek islands known as europe's hotspots but it's not what you might think tonight the camps where refugees seeking asylum in europe often end up a legal limbo a horror of humanity. we're living on common all of us without documents but i've had my asylum interview already but i haven't had anything since it's a sad face we face is this. to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and to all of you around the world welcome we begin the day with the. revitalization retrofitting and reprogramming of the united states of

america this week president biden unveiled a massive infrastructure plan that could define his presidency and redefine the american experience in the 21st century biden wants 2 trillion dollars to modernize america's infrastructure he says it will create millions of jobs provide broadband internet for everyone incentives for electric cars and renewable energy and programs to bridge the huge social gaps that have been revealed by the pandemic republicans called the proposal a trojan horse for progressive policies but biden's plan is already being compared to f.d.r.'s new deal or president lyndon johnson's great society this plan if passed will reach far beyond america's borders it could help thrust america's allies into the 21st century in terms of technology and it could ensure a sizable lead for the u.s. against china infrastructure is more than roads and bridges in america it is also

about geopolitics and power. road builders in the u.s. will soon have plenty of work to do infrastructure in the world's largest economy is in poor condition across the board pete roads power or water to me and many key industries have long since moved abroad. with his 2 trillion dollars package u.s. president joe biden wants to give the entire country a make over like i'm proposing a plan for the nation that rewards work not just rewards well. the bills of fare a condom to give everybody a chance as you can see and it's going to create the strongest most resilient innovative economy in the world. his administration plans on modernizing 32000 kilometers of road while repairing thousands of bridges half a 1000000 new charging stations will be built to accommodate the ever growing

number of electric vehicles biden also wants to bring industries such as chip production back to the united states today computer chips are still mostly produced in asia. the whole project is expected to take 8 years to complete some of the funding will come from a corporate tax hike from 21 to 28 percent biden supporters say the program will create millions of well paid jobs and strengthen america's ability to compete with china oh yes but republicans in congress are already voicing opposition especially towards the corporate tax increase you know it's biden's predecessor slashed the rates by 14 percentage points to their current level. and to put this american infrastructure plan into a global context i'm joined tonight by boris foreman he's a professor of politics at bard college here in berlin boars it's good to see you

again 1st things 1st let's talk about money do we know help president biden plans to finance this $2.00 trillion dollars project. what he said in his speech about the infrastructure plan is that he's planning to pay for it in the long run and that means he's going to text corporations and rich people which is quite the opposite of what what donald trump to the a couple of years ago so this is the plan and this is what he has been telling us so far but we haven't seen any more concrete figures what do you think of comparisons with president roosevelt's new deal or president johnson's great society mean the new deal helped pull america out of the depression the great society attack poverty and even reduced infant mortality is this plan that grand. well i think it is in terms of numbers and i think it even goes way back before

franklin to roosevelt i mean if we think of abraham lincoln and the rainbow infrastructure we think even of the canal infrastructure there's many examples in american history starting with xander hamilton really and henry clay if where there was heavy investment in infrastructure and we tend to forget this because we oftentimes emphasize how much of a liberal market economy how much of illicit affair system the u.s. is but there is a distinct tradition and i think biden really resonates with this kind of tradition yeah i want to take a listen to how president biden framed his infrastructure plan yesterday when he presented it in pittsburgh take a listen. truly believe room history is going to look back on this time. as a fundamental choice. between democracies not talkers. you know there's a lot of autocrats in the world think the reason why they're going to win is

democracy can't reach consensus and do. what tucker says to. that's a competition between america and china the rest of the world is all about. boris is this infrastructure plan is it also part of america's answer to the china challenge in this 21st century. absolutely i think it is and i think the framing is very interesting and it's also very reminiscent of earlier moments in history with the west in order to muster the political will really needed some kind of an opponent so it's quite interesting if you think of the railroad system it's the civil war if you think of the cold war it's the inter interstate highway system everything that's in the i pad and the i phone all the technology comes out of the cold war so these kinds of investments have existed before and they need some kind of an opposition so so i find it quite striking that that by this framing it in

this would be if this cements the bipolar rivalry between the u.s. and china what does it mean then for europe i mean what do americans allies stand to gain from that. well i think there is a new type of thinking about what the state is supposed to do for economies to work even in germany there's been a discussion in the last 2 or 3 years about industrial policy and picking winners. and lots of cod who is a very famous economist who is i think one of the leading voices in this debate and i think there is the assumption that markets fail and states are not just to their to fix them they need to provide certain goods for democracies to thrive and if these public goods don't exist there are other regime types which i would say aren't as desirable as a democracy yeah i mean that's a good point and it also sounds like the answer to ronald reagan who said that government was the problem and here you have president biden it sounds like he's

saying government is the solution let me for we run out of time let me ask you about the pandemic factor would it be in your opinion do you think this large yes 2 trillion dollars do you think it would have been put on paper had there not been a pandemic well the earlier package that we've seen is definitely a response to that now however if we look at the campaign of biden's he has always made clear that he was well he was trying to do or 2 to implement a green new deal without calling it a green new deal and i think it's caught some people by surprise by hold how progressive he actually is. right course john. i was going to call you boris johnson boris boris foreman bark khalid's thank you it's good to talk to you to thank you have a have a good weekend. you too. well the 2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan was high on the agenda today when president biden convened his entire cabinet for the

1st time at the white house 10 weeks since his inauguration by now has basically the entire cabinet all the proof by the u.s. senate and all in place to carry out the business of the executive branch presidents always have a cabinet but no president has ever assembled a cabinet as diverse and representative of all americans as the one that met today i want you to take a listen to by his pledge and some of his nominees taking their oath of office by naresh cabinet it will be a historic cabinet that looks like america. i think for hope i can remind our viewers what i think happened i michael reagan that taps into the best of america that opens doors to something i swear it's only right. that i live for and the constitution of the united states the constitution of the united center field help me so help me god and includes the full range of talents we have in this

nation and that is what happened today at the white house to talk about that i'm joined now by our washington bureau chief good evening to you it is when i compared the photos of today's cabinet meeting with the cabinet of former president donald trump i mean the difference is striking biden has presented a diverse cabinet with a lot of firsts including the 1st native american tell us about that. right this is the 1st time in history right that the cabinet really reflects the diversity of this country of immigrants however there were people living in the united states before immigrants from europe took over and indeed these were native americans therefore the role of the former new mexico congresswoman deb holland cond be overestimated brand the member of the lagoon up is the 1st native american cabinet member ever and in her role as interior secretary hollande

will be in charge of the federal government's relationship with native american land native activists have complained for you is that the gov the federal government has tarnished by building pipelines and causing destruction all that was out there in put so they hope now that was holland they finally have an advocate in the white house that will protect them from future abuse and there is also a cabinet member used to be called mayor pete he is the 1st openly gay cabinet member. right the only 39 year old former. mayor and 2020 presidential candidate pete. it's biden's transportation secretary and we just have heard about his huge huge

trillion dollar infrastructural build so he will play a major a crucial role in biden cabinet and if he is able to pass this very ambitious bill he might be actually the 1st. president of the united states it is possible that is true and tell us about the other 1st in this new cabinet briefly if you could. yeah so this is. former fed chair janet yellen she is the 1st woman treasury secretary also though i'd also sin is a name we should remember he is the 1st african american defense secretary and he will be taking care of the middle east writes our washington bureau chief in this poll with the latest on this very diverse history making cabinet at the white house today thank you.

europe and those who would like to call it home for years the european union has faced criticism over its treatment of migrants critics usually point to greece where thousands of asylum seekers are housed often in inhumane conditions 5 greek islands near the turkish coast have become known as hotspots where refugees live in overcrowded unsanitary conditions more than a 3rd are children mostly without access to education the e.u. says turkey should take them as part of a deal reached with 5 years ago but some say that deal is a human rights disaster. sunder and florian schmidt report on the situation on the island of. a prominent guest at the e.u.'s most notorious migration hotspots well if you commit a human son to it muffled when he cam in a guarded convoy earlier this week journalists were given

a rare opportunity to visit the nicer parts of the overcrowded facility scenes of women exercising in the spring so in starkly contrast these pictures from last winter when residents had to hold on to their tents. we need djoko from the democratic republic of congo he tells us he has been here for 16 months. we are living like animals without documents but i've had my asylum interview already but i haven't heard anything since this is a sad fate we face. more than 13000 people are stuck in these hot spots in the north of gene islands as part of a system designed to help greece cope with high numbers of her regular arrivals as part of the e.u.'s 20 $6000.00 migration deal with turkey greek authorities with the e.u. support have to examine whether each person arriving here has a right to asylum those whose claims are rejected must return to turkey and there's long as asylum seekers don't have an answer they can't leave the islands critics

claim this model is simply not working because it creates a situation of deep injustice because people are kept in some cases for many years in the home. and as we've seen the conditions are appalling they're really not effective and if we look at the coats of auditor's report for instance they show that they're extremely expensive and not serving the original purposes of rapid decision on cases instead of setting up appropriate infrastructure to deal with asylum cases in a swift manner 5 years on from when the deal was signed authorities are operating in emergency mode even you commissioner your own agrees this system has to change i don't want to have. to have proper reception facilities but people should not stay for long and then have a better. location system we need to europeanize migration issue and to stand by each other and not leave any member state or alone.

the e.u. commission has proposed a new approach to asylum under which asylum applications would be processed within days at the blocks external borders but critics fear this might. the 2 a situation similar to what proceeding today hotspots home over again. we're joining me now is the architect of that $26.00 t.d. you turkey deal mr jerrold canalis he is the founding chairman of the european stability initiative think tank which focuses on the e.u. foreign policy mr kelso it's good to have you on the program next week the top officials head to turkey for talks with president richard you're paired a one on migration and trade what will they do with the plan that you drafted are they going to revamp it or are they going to kill it well and an important respect this plan or the statement that was reached 5 years ago

has broken down already what a year ago or the last has refused to take anybody from the greek islands the european union has not put on the table any similar package of assistance for the 3 it s 3 and a half 1000000 syrian refugees in turkey so the key commitments made 5 years ago and no longer there and the result is actually been of us we've seen very few arrivals but we've seen a breakdown of the rule of law with pushbacks in the aegean sea and people being kept on these islands without any prospect of ever being returned for it's really no reason at all so what we have at the moment and that it is very much to be hoped that you understand it can be reached between the european union enter gate building on what the 1st choice yes and correcting what will mr because i mean i want to be clear about these you're saying that turkey is not doing what it has

promised to do but you're also saying that the european union is also not paying turkey the money that it promised is that correct. no the european union promised at least 6000000000 to be committed in 4 years that happens and that the european union did not put on the table another offer for the next few years although the number of refugees in turkey keeps growing and turkey has agreed to take people back from the greek islands who did so for 4 years it was the fault of their side and system of greece with the european union supporting it that we didn't have we get decisions khaki that said what a year ago day it side of the deal was off as well so at the moment we have no agreement and what we're seeing now which is the breakdown of the rule of law is actually the world without an agreement if we don't reach one this is how it will look for the next months years which is basically the end of the refugee convention

i'd like for you to take a listen to what the e.u. commission president underlie and have said about this take a listen we will further engage with turkey on issues such as migration financing high level dialogues and modernizing the customs union if turkey does not move forward construction constructively if it returns to unilateral actions a provocation we would suspend these cooperation measures start so there you have virtually from the line saying if turkey doesn't do this we will not do that is that the right approach to have when e.u. officials go to turkey. well there is such low trust at the moment between brussels that i'm corrupt on both sides that in the end it will be a transactional negotiations what do you offer what do you want but the point is that it is also will reach an outcome that is good for both sides the question for

european union is is it going to put on the table something that is meaningful to turkey don't forget turkey has 3 and a half 1000000 syrian refugees 3 times more than the whole european union so far european union to want to help for all in a humane way irregular migration it is obvious that there needs to be support not just for the refugees in turkey already but also for another 3000000 at least internally displaced in syria close to the turkish border we're currently being supported in humanitarian way through turkey so i guess the question is what will the european union put on the table at the same time techie has an interest in a new agreement because due to the breaking down of their green meant it's not that more people reach europe it's just that the european union is being more brutal pushing people back at their land than just the border so check in at the moment is actually losing most economists to council workers what is going to happen and what

needs to happen then you're it sounds like you're saying that the european union needs to put down a lot of money on the table to convince turkey to treat syrian refugee use humanely is that what that's what you're saying right. well tekkie has 3 and a half 1000000 refugees already 7 and a 1000 children refugee children going to schools one what 8000000 receiving social support funded by the european union this needs to continue it's in the interest of the refugees of turkey and of the e.u. the humanitarian conditions in a title of economic crisis at the demi off these refugees does not in syria rate but you're saying if you say anything more money the right the rich are saying europe needs to pay more money. because the 6000000000 promised in march 2016 had already all be dedicated to projects so the question really is is there

a serious commitment by the european union to the lodges group of refugees in any country in the world at the moment and it's in the mutual interest it's also morally the right thing but it sounds like what you're saying for the for the europeans this is about how much money they're willing to spend what do you think this is then for turkey what does turkey see these syrian refugees as just a bargaining chip in order to milk the european union for as much money as possible is that what's going on here. well if you have 3 and a half 1000000 refugees and the number is increasing every year by a 100000 simply threw us so i hopped a 1000000 in 5 years then i don't think the language of milking you is appropriate i mean techie knows and we should all hope that it remains a way that these people will not be able to return to syria any time soon seriousness droit they are still fighting in arts of the country in the loft areas

and i'm easy ceasefire many of the displaced in syria are not returning ida so these 1000000 of its of people will stay in turkey for the foreseeable future there is an economic crisis there is a pandemic there is a collapse of tourism it is in their mutual interest to help them it's not just this that is interesting that he wants other things and so there will need to be negotiations so that an agreement as 5 years ago has reached a place that implemented fairly and efficiently for mispronounce when they meet and when the news comes out from that meeting please come back on the show we'd like to talk with you again and we'd like to get your assessment of what they do decide in turkey mr gerald can else we appreciate your time in your insights tonight thank you thank you. well the day is almost done but the conversation in continues online you're find us on twitter either d.w. news or you can follow me at brant goff t.v. and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll

leave you tonight with some images that reflect the turmoil deep under the surface of our planet mount etna on the italian island of sicily has been erupting for weeks now and scientists say the volcano shows no sign of going quiet anytime soon take a look. at

. one continent 700000000 people. all with their own personal stories. we explore every day life. what europeans feel and what they hope for. is next on d w. welcome to the city of this. instead

of the permanent traffic jam. instead of concrete. pillars instead of air pollution. new concepts for the mega-cities tomorrow. made in germany. in 60 minutes don't you. where all. the kids are good. many. take on the world eat out. all this is the recall of the stories that matter to you. the change

could be from me. we are yours actually on fire. hello everyone and welcome to focus on europe we're going to start today with a new development in a story about europe's most tragic maritime disaster since world war 2 the. sinking of a large ferry in the baltic sea in northern europe that caused the deaths of over 850 people the m.s.s. stonie out was on its way from estonia to sweden in september of 1994 when it sank

in the middle of the night only a few people were rescued the commission that investigated the incident suspected that the ship's bowel hatch had broken away during a storm but there are doubts about that official report with family members and some survivors repeatedly calling for new research into the disaster recently a swedish documentary filmmaker answered their call hendrik efforts and went to the site of the accident and lowered an underwater camera all the way down to the wreckage and there he found something unexpected. in september 2019 journalist henrik efforts and his team center very take salmon the wreck of the m.s. the study out on the floor of the boat taxi he captured these images of an enormous hole ripped in the hollow for me tis long. it's completely dented in.

my view coleman and steve as we navigated along the starboard side we were stunned . you know the damage was so extensive. we couldn't fit it all in one shot from the most it just kept going and going out of exhibit. i'll never forget the sight of the. hendrick was researching for his for the coming of commensurately one after speaking with survivors the next he concluded the home must have been created by some outside force perhaps by a collision the case behind the sinking of the ferry a stone here he said deserved to be reinvestigated from us we're up to the one thing the ship started listing sooner than the investigating committee had presumed . there is a considerable 14 minute discrepancy because most of them and witnesses also saw water under the car dark before them so it was leaking in from somewhere from.

the m.s.s. stoniest sign on september 28th 1994 on its way from tallinn to stockholm when the water 1st entered the ship the passengers were all asleep. only a few survived and were rescued from that icy cold baltic sea 852 lives were lost that night the mystery surrounding the estonia's fate remains unresolved to this day. official records claim the bow hatch came off causing boards to rush into the card deck and sink the ferry victim to listen but in the documentary witnesses say they saw something else the war planes the moment. they are known to them i saw something white. it was several meters large. or 100 or so and i could see it moving from left to right so that's why the waves went crashing over

it or. last a year on this and lost his daughter in the disaster he now hopes investigations will be reopened. the. document ever since the documentary was released if the come hopeful most of it and a more careful investigation might look into what really transpired. how could something so terrible even happen for the for. the who we still don't know and we don't believe the investigators report for one second and threw in the poor folks the sunken ship lies in international waters and nearly all bordering countries have prohibited dives to let the desert hold to rest in peace but not germany so hendrik efforts and he used the german ships to reach the sunken hull and film what he discovered death. of a shark or scum of the all of we scan the ship from

a distance it resolves them we never went inside the ship them. we placed great importance on ethical conduct and don't feel we've committed any crimes or to his 50 each has now indeed closed the case to be reopened sweden finland and the stoniest have declared it dive his plan this summer then they could finally shed light on the most serious single maritime incident in history of post-war europe. henrik everett's and has also had to defend his research in court but the good news is that those efforts appear to have paid off as estonia is now planning to contribute $3000000.00 euros to the renewed investigation of the incident on to france now where the government coffers are a bit light at the moment to make ends meet it has recently started to quote unquote sell the family silver in this case state on to real estate which includes some pretty spectacular castles and even monasteries now that doesn't mean you can

just buy the palace of versailles yet but other culturally and historically valuable properties around it are up for grabs. the world famous palace on for size is a glorious example of france's cultural heritage built in the 17th century it was the principal residence of louis the 14th known as the sun king. located on a nearby street this lesser known building served as the office of france's minister of culture though as part of the 1st side complex the french state simply sold it off in a play you know they stuck a for sale sign on it and added a cell phone number anybody could call i can you know that it's as if they were making an ordinary sale. but they were selling off one of the king's public office buildings that. day but you want your preserve ration is surely in the cause is

outrage that france is cultural heritage is being snapped up by investors during louis the 14th day this bill the inverse sun i even housed the mona lisa yet the new buyer turned its former picture gallery into dulled apartment this conversion he says has completely destroyed the build his character you know they put in new floors and shut the space up into separate rooms marring the overall impression they're not well off held it up in our eyes it's truly a scandal. and it's no isolated case either across france the state is engaging in real estate agents to sell away its historical buildings as it lacks the funds to maintain them itself. this former prefect sure has changed hands as has this old hospital such sales brought some 500000000 euros to the state's coffers in 2019. regional and local governments are also dispose you know their agricultural

airlines the former shot used to come on here mona street belonged to the city of paris which used it as a sanatorium mill was being auctioned off for 3000000 euros to an investor from bordeaux the man who brokered the deal thinks the state did the right thing not throwing money is tight and loans are expensive. to the function of the buildings are news and have no political significance it's easier to sell them off than he used to be. to facilitate sales many public entities are putting old buildings up for auction online though it's not enough just to place the highest bid buyers must also declare what they intend to do with the buildings since the corona pandemic emptied the public purse business for auction houses like these has been booming only doctor and we're experiencing strong growth and expect to sell even more real estate in the coming months only more to. play julia like

cause has no problem with buildings that have no historical value being sold off but he says the state shouldn't part with treasures like this honey lodge in the woods of st clue but despite his warnings force manager is now seeking a buyer as the lodge is in desperate need of repair also but you want they should hold on to the pavilion and make it accessible to the public. it's a perfect destination for people taking walks in the forest that. you could open up a restaurant here all that they can shoot film us through more. still some residents offer aside. don't seem too concerned who the bill has belonged to as long as they're in good shape but more wishful so i think it's ok to sell the buildings i don't know if the government has enough money to maintain mt hood but one in which you give it off wish the buildings full of parts and seen the

quality of the renovations by private firms i say let them do it but if it were to affect the wing of the paddock suppress i itself i'd be why rate surely cause thinks it's better to lease the buildings this one for a side is being turned into a luxury hotel with a restaurant run by star chef a lot too cause that's it it's a good solution you. know we won't have access to it for a few generations in their lives but in 99 years the state will get its building back on board in good shape it won't happen on nov and the renovations would been paid for by a private company but if they did i would know what i did to get back home. and that's important because france's historic buildings aren't just a financial burden they're valuable pieces of cultural heritage that need to be preserved for future generations here in europe the skiing and snowboarding

season is just about over but for most ski resorts it never actually began the coronavirus pandemic meant that on the alpine slopes like in the southern part of germany the operators endured a winter season that was an absolute financial disaster on ahead luck runs a cabin in the mountains which means she still has bills and employees that she has to pay she's doing her best to find a solution but isn't sure if it will actually work. guests at the town in her to enjoy a splendid view of garmisch park in care and in winter when the weather is nice the place is normally packed but this winter is anything but normal that's why i feel pretty hopeless and don't think things will get better any time soon. ana is trying to get by offering food and drinks to go. you know we still have to pay our running expenses power bills insurance policies cash systems after months in lockdown

she's tentatively reopening for the 1st time with just a couple of dishes after all she has to keep her cook busy somehow now that she can only hope some guests will find their way up the mountain and get so i'm scared we're not going to make it so i'm worried what's to become of us and how we will manage if things don't start picking up against. conrad a ginsburg in all of us store faces the same fears. he bought brand new skew equipment to sell and rent out so. this year has been tough. he says this all this season we spent about $210000.00 euros on inventory alone that's not counting the money we spent on renovation or construction or anything else and each day the season does a start it becomes less and less likely that we will be able to sell the items we may end up with a complete loss. over lost their. conrad

a ginsburg has been running the ski school for 25 years normally it can keep up to $180.00 seasonal workers busy at a time how are things now during the pandemic shift. it's tough thing so there's a lot at stake what can i say. even long we've been working all our lives please turn it off turn it off please we have even seen or heard from for years we'll see if we ever receive financial assistance from the state for now we're just getting by on chipping away at our pension funds very heavily must see is the only way for us to pay our bills.

and if there isn't. a ton in her the 1st day welcoming back hikers is coming to an end. on ahead is taking stock slot business was slow we had some of this it is but fewer than expected we might just have broken even at least she can pay the kirk on a made a childhood dream come true when she opens town in her. but now her money is running out. the 1st ball the government tape promised hasn't arrived we're anxious for that to be distributed so we can hold on to our employees. otherwise they risk losing their jobs. conrad akins baca now faces a grave task before the pandemic he was planning a new rental center nearby. the work there is nearly finished but today he has bad

news for the workers. through the 50 schools who are there the next big hurdle there we have to find a way to pay you what you finish your work we have to but we haven't earned a thing since april 2020. months ago. conrad would be happy to offer skiing classes to keep learning money. just like other professions in germany . frankly we don't understand hairdressers for example or in close contact with their clients but you're not allowed to give one to one outdoor lessons that's difficult to accept. normally conrad and his instructors would be teaching hundreds of children cross country skiing.