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[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday will launch three days of hearings into the circumstances surrounding the US Airways Flight 1549 emergency landing on New York's Hudson River. In January, passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 had to be rescued out of the Hudson River after a bird strike. Looking into several issues from the January 15 incident -- from migratory birds to why a rear door opened after the landing -- the NTSB panel will hear testimony from key witnesses, including Capt. Chesley \"Sully\" Sullenberger, the pilot; and Billy Campbell, the only passenger scheduled to testify. On Monday, the NTSB corrected remarks made by board member Robert Sumwalt, who was quoted by The Associated Press as saying Campbell was being called to contradict statements made by flight attendant Doreen Welsh, who has said a panicked passenger opened the rear door. The NTSB said Sumwalt, who will lead the three days of hearings, was mistaken and that Campbell's written statement does not suggest Welsh opened the rear door. NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said the board asked Campbell to testify because he had the most detailed statement of those people in the cabin at the time of the crash. \"Safety Board investigators interviewed 145 passengers, each of whom provided their own perspective on what happened,\" the NTSB said Monday night. \"Some of the passenger reports conflicted with the accounts of other passengers, including accounts of how the rear door was opened.\" \"What was consistently reported by those inside the plane was that the water entered the aft section of the cabin immediately while everyone was still seated,\" the statement said, adding that the NTSB will focus on how the water gushing \"affected the ability of the passengers and the crew to evacuate the aircraft since two of the four slide-rafts were in the rear of the plane, on each of the rear doors, and they could not be used.\" Sullenberger was the pilot in command during the flight, which lost power in both engines after hitting a flock of Canada geese. Bird detection, and standards for engines to handle bird strikes, are among subjects to be covered in the hearing. Other topics include pilot training for ditching and forced landings on water, and cabin-safety training, emergency procedures and equipment. CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hearing will cover several topics, including why rear door opened after landing .\nUS Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River on January 15 .\nPlane lost power in both engines after hitting a flock of Canada geese ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Inspired by images of Iranians taking to the streets to support the opposition presidential candidate, Michelle May decided to head to Tehran. Michelle May, an American and Irish national, was detained and forced to leave Iran. \"I just felt a real need to be there with my friends, and I just wanted to be a part of what could possibly be history,\" May told CNN's \"American Morning\" on Wednesday. \"So I made arrangements at the last minute.\" May, who is an American and Irish national, used her Irish passport to travel to Tehran just days before the street demonstrations turned violent as Iranian authorities cracked down on those protesting the results of the June 12 election. \"I had been there two times before, and I feel very connected to the country and the people there,\" she said. \"I have a lot of friends.\" Her third visit took a terrifying turn Saturday shortly after she checked for the latest news at an Internet cafe in Tehran. \"This young man befriended me. I was trying to download CNN to find out -- this was the day after the ayatollah gave his prayer on Friday,\" May said. Afterward, the man helped her hail a taxi outside the cafe to meet one of her friends for lunch, she said. \"About half an hour into that ride, the next thing I know, there are two motorbikes on either side of my taxi,\" she said. \"He's on the back of one of them, and three big Basij guys are on the other, and they pull me over. I knew what was happening.\" The Basij, Iran's feared volunteer paramilitary group, has cracked down on the thousands of protesters in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election. \"I was terrified, and I immediately started screaming, saying no, no, no,\" May said. The young man climbed into the taxi and told her to go with him and the three other men. \"So I stood up to get out of the taxi, but then I thought I'll make a scene on the street, maybe they'll leave me alone,\" she said. \"However, that didn't work. I think because everyone's just terrified of the Basij right now.\" She was forced into a car and held for more than an hour. Her captors accused her of spying, and after much back-and-forth they drove by a police station where about 50 Iranian police were hanging out. \"I actually trust the police there so I banged on the window, and the guy next to me, the one who spoke English, said, 'OK, we'll stop.' \"They brought me into the police station where I was questioned there. And I had a pretty good idea at that time that everything was going to be OK because they really had nothing on me,\" May said. \"I'm not a terrorist; I'm not a spy. So they really had nothing to go on.\" She was told to leave the country, and she headed for Dubai where she spoke to CNN. May said she admires the bravery of the Iranians protesting in Tehran. \"I don't even know how they're doing it, because honestly everyone I know there is just scared,\" she said. \"They know that they're risking their lives, but they are so fed up that they're willing to do that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Michelle May, an American and Irish national, had been to Iran before .\nBasij picked up May after she looked at news at an Internet cafe .\nMay: 'I immediately started screaming, saying no, no, no'" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WESTERPLATTE, Poland (CNN) -- On a sand swept stretch of Afghanistan, a high-ranking Polish general put his country's mission there into perspective. The repurcussions of World War II lasted decades for Poland. He explained to a NATO delegation that Polish troops remind Afghan locals of two things about the mission: They are not Soviets and they know how difficult it is to live under foreign occupation. It is hard to ignore the incomparable price Poland paid during World War II. It was attacked by Germany, invaded by the Soviets, and became home to the notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. After six brutal years, Poles were the victors in war but losers in peace, living for four decades under Soviet repression. Many here will tell you they still have not come to terms with their fate after the war. Seven decades after the start of World War II, the conflict still defines Polish identity and history. September 1, 2009 in Westerplatte, Poland turned out to be a blue sky day even as dignitaries and notably the leaders of Poland, Russia and Germany turned out to remember the dark horrors that so changed their histories. The leaders laid wreaths to honor the 'Defenders of Westerplatte', the men who died in the battle that started it all. It was here at this strategic port on the Baltic Sea, Danzig, now Gdansk, that Nazi Germany's surprise attack on Poland triggered six years of bloodletting, a savage Holocaust and the death of more than 50 million people. The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, called it a war against humanity itself. Tusk also answered critics who felt his country and the world should now move on from World War II. He warned that if anniversaries are not marked and ceremonies not planned, there may be nothing to shield us from the brutality of future wars. But still today the events of the last 70 years have left their mark and fueled some modern day controversies. Send us your war stories . Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tried to appeal directly to the people of Poland in an open letter. He reminded them that at least 27 million Russians died in the conflict but also warned against equating the Soviet Union's role in World War II with the menace of Hitler's Nazism. \"..exploiting memory, anatomizing history and seeking pretexts for mutual complaints and resentment causes a lot of harm. \" wrote Putin. He backed that up with public comments saying, \"If we talk about an objective assessment of history, we should understand that it had no one color. It was varied and there were huge number of mistakes committed by many sides. All these actions, in one way or another, created conditions for the beginning of a large-scale aggression by Nazi Germany.\" Putin was at the heart of a tug-of-war over the war. Some Poles say Stalin was as evil and complicit as Hitler during the war. Russians say that callously overlooks the sacrifice of Russians in defeating Nazism and liberating Europe. In fact, it took German Chancellor Angela Merkel to put their achievement in perspective. She said that a unified, peaceful Europe was a blessing and indeed a miracle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Poland helped win the war but lost the peace .\nIt was invaded by Germany but put under Soviet influence after the war .\n70 years from the start of WWII, the war still defines Polish identity and history .\nPolish military says its history helps its work in Afghanistan ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A north Georgia pastor was shot to death by police when he struck an officer with his car after he was seen in a vehicle with a drug suspect, authorities told CNN. Authorities say they found nothing illegal in Jonathan Ayers' car after he was slain during a drug sting. Jonathan Ayers, pastor at Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia, Georgia, died after the incident Tuesday afternoon in the nearby town of Toccoa, Georgia, police said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into the shooting. An undercover drug task force team had set up an operation at a local business, and had a woman under surveillance -- someone they had bought drugs from on two previous occasions, GBI spokesman John Bankhead told CNN Thursday. The officers saw the woman in a car with Ayers and saw what they believed was a drug transaction, Bankhead said. They followed the car as Ayers dropped the woman off at a gas station. The undercover officers wanted to question Ayers about what they had just seen, he said. \"They approached the vehicle. They were in plain clothes. They identified themselves as police officers, which civilian witnesses say happened. They also had badges around their necks.\" Ayers put the car in reverse and backed up, striking an officer, Bankhead said. According to Bankhead, Ayers then put the car into drive, and another officer fired into the car, hitting Ayers, because he thought his life was in danger. \"The subject kept going and drove off,\" Bankhead said. \"And later he ran off the road. He was taken a local hospital, went into surgery and died an hour later.\" The incident was caught on the gas station's surveillance camera. Watch surveillance video of Ayers' car hitting officer » . Police later determined what they had seen was not a drug transaction, but \"other circumstances were involved, and that's part of the investigation,\" Bankhead said. The woman who was in the car with Ayers was taken into custody and faces drug charges, Bankhead said. Stephens County sheriff Randy Shirley has placed both officers involved in the incident on paid administrative leave, he said. The officer that was struck by the car was treated and released at a local hospital. No drugs and nothing else illegal was found in Ayers' car, Bankhead said, \"even though what occurred would make any undercover officer working drugs think that was a possibility. I can't get into that, but that's what we're looking at.\" Shirley told CNN the drug task force unit comprises three Georgia counties -- Stephens, Habersham and Rabun. Ayers' sister did not return a call from CNN Thursday. Ayers maintained a blog, in which he wrote that he had three loves in life: \"Jesus Christ, my wife Abby, and the Church.\" Toccoa is about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta. CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Authorities say Jonathan Ayers was in car with drug suspect .\nWhen police approached car, they claim Ayers struck officer with vehicle .\nAnother officer shot Ayers; both officers placed on paid administrative leave .\nNothing illegal found in Ayers' vehicle, authorities say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "GDANSK, Poland (CNN) -- At least 20 world leaders gathered Tuesday in Poland to commemorate the start of World War II 70 years ago -- a conflict in which 6 million Poles died. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (right) chats with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Poland on Tuesday. Germany's pre-dawn invasion began when the battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the Westerplatte military base in Gdansk harbor on September 1, 1939. The attack set off a chain of events that eventually embroiled all of the world's major powers in the war. Polish World War II veteran Romuald Bardzynski, said: \"I was a soldier on the front, a corporal in the cavalry. On September 16 I was injured. We were fighting against the Germans but I was shot by the Soviets. I was wounded three times. \"But the worst thing for me is the land in eastern Poland which was occupied by the Soviets ... and to this day we cannot come to terms with it. \"The Russians took half of Poland, and after the Polish fighting on all the world war fronts it turns out that after the war Poland was 77 sq km smaller! This was a great loss for us.\" Eugeniusz Cydzik, another Polish veteran, added: \"We have to talk about what happened ... to make sure it doesn't happen again. \"The young generations, like the boy scouts for example, are continuing the memory of those who perished. We take them to the sites of the battles. We even found munitions from the 1914 [war].\" WWII lasted until September 2, 1945 when Germany's ally Japan signed an unconditional surrender. Leaders from many of the warring nations were in Gdansk on Tuesday for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cemetery of Defenders at Westerplatte, with commemoration speeches to take place in front of the Westerplatte memorial. Among those attending were German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin -- leaders of the two nations that once held power over Poland. Merkel said on Tuesday that her country unleashed \"endless suffering\" by starting the war, but also recalled the fate of ethnic Germans expelled at the end of the conflict. Watch as Poland marks start of WWII » . \"Germany attacked Poland, Germany started World War II. We caused unending suffering in the world. Sixty million dead ... was the result,\" Merkel said on German television, according to Agence-France Presse. Send us your World War II stories . \"But the expulsion of well over 12 million people from areas of the former Germany and present-day Poland is of course an injustice. This must also be recognized,\" she said. Poland first came under German influence at the start of the war, but was later dominated for about 40 years by the Russian-led Soviet Union as the Cold War between East and West settled in after World War II. A dwindling group of veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, was also due to attend. Later on Tuesday, many of the world's leading classical musicians, playing together as the World Orchestra for Peace, performed a concert in Krakow to mark the 70th anniversary. Watch highlights of the performance » ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "About 20 world leaders gathered in Poland to mark the start of World War II .\nAttack set off chain of events that embroiled all of the world's major powers .\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian PM Vladimir Putin at event .\nMerkel says her country unleashed \"endless suffering\" by starting war ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Phillip Garrido had a story to tell -- about how God helped him overcome the evil inside him. Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, was arraigned in California on Friday. The campus at the University of California at Berkeley was his pulpit, and he hoped his neighbors and customers of his printing business would become his flock. He wanted to share his story with anyone who would listen, including law enforcement. Just days before he was arrested and an 18-year-old kidnap mystery was solved, Garrido walked into an FBI office in San Francisco, California, with a stack of documents. The purported writings were a two-part manifesto. First he discussed the \"Origin of schizophrenia revealed.\" Some who know him say Garrido spoke of having schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. In the second part of the documents, Garrido detailed his struggle with sexual urges, in writings he titled \"Stepping into the light.\" In the documents, obtained by CNN, Garrido confessed his past aggressive sexual impulses, but said he is no longer that man. Listen to Garrido speak of \"heartwarming\" story » . Garrido and his wife were charged last week with crimes relating to the abduction of 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991 and her captivity in a hidden shed-and-tent compound in the couple's backyard in Antioch, California. They pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment. See photos of Dugard's living conditions » . After his arrest, Garrido said documents he gave to the FBI would be key, that they would help people understand who he really was. He told a local television reporter the documents would show a \"heartwarming story,\" one that helped him \"completely\" turn his life around. KCRA: Read transcript of Garrido's interview after his arrest . The documents provide a glimpse into the mind of a man who said he thinks he has a God-given gift. The power to control minds with sound was his salvation, he said, and would help others before they committed violence. He wrote that he wanted to share his story to provide \"solid hope for everyone who suffers from the many forms of aggressive sexual behavior as well as other problematic behaviors.\" Garrido spoke of his sexual urges during his trial in 1977, when he was convicted of abducting and raping a 25-year-old casino worker in a mini-warehouse. He spent 11 years in jail for those crimes. He testified about his sexual fantasies, which included masturbating while reading magazines, watching movies, and in restaurants or bathrooms. In his writings, he detailed how hard it was for him to control himself. Garrido wrote that he realized he couldn't control his impulses and they were plaguing the ones he loved. \"Certain behaviors cause a great deal of pain in myself and those who are victimized by those behaviors, especially our family and my wife,\" he wrote. That pain made him try to change from the predator he had become, he wrote. He said he began forcing himself to look at attractive women, but would not allow himself to act. \"See how beautiful she is to look at,\" he would tell himself. In time, Garrido wrote, he began to stop physically acting on his feelings. As time went on, Garrido wrote, he kept those sexual compulsions at bay, beginning with controlling masturbation, which he said in the past had often taken place in public. He wrote that he became free and able to experience sexual enjoyment for the first time with his wife, though it was unclear whether he was referring to Nancy, his legal wife, or to Dugard, the mother of two of his children. He claimed he realized how wrong he had been in the past. \"I realized I never needed to act or do the things I used to believe was so great and stimulating,\" Garrido wrote, referring to what he called \"one of the most powerful freedoms imaginable.\" \"I began to weep telling her 'I am so sorry for the things I did in the past,' \" Garrido wrote about his wife, adding that he experienced a feeling of remorse he never had before. That feeling of salvation was something Garrido believed was a gift. He said he thought it meant it was up to him to help other sexual predators turn their lives around. \"It will begin to open a new pathway for us all. God willing, I will be teaching this and other skills Christ is providing for me in the prisons throughout the U.S. as well as overseas,\" he wrote." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suspect Phillip Garrido gave FBI documents just days before he was arrested .\nSuspect says in documents he used mind control to stop predatory impulses .\nGarrido in document: \"I realized I never needed to act or do the things I used to\"\nGarrido, wife Nancy, arrested for kidnapping girl in 1991, keeping her in shed ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- North Korea's state-run news agency said Thursday that the country has sent a letter to the United Nations announcing that \"reprocessing of spent fuel rods is at its final phase and extracted plutonium is being weaponized.\" The Yongbyon nuclear facility, home of North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea can also now enter the final stage of uranium enrichment, it said in the letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council, according to state-run KCNA. When enriched to a high degree, uranium can be used as weapons-grade material. Plutonium can be used in atomic bombs. Despite stating in the letter that they \"totally reject\" a Security Council resolution in June that demanded that the country no longer pursue nuclear weapons, the North Koreans said they are \"prepared for both dialogue and sanctions,\" KCNA reported. The government also warned, \"If some permanent members of the UNSC wish to put sanctions first before dialogue, we would respond with bolstering our nuclear deterrence first before we meet them in a dialogue,\" according to KCNA. The news comes on the heels of the Obama administration's latest attempt to restart stalled nuclear negotiations with the reclusive state. In the coming days, U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth and the director of the State Department's Office of Korean Affairs, Sung Kim, will meet with officials representing China, Japan, South Korea and Russia -- all countries partnering with the United States in talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea quit the talks in April after the U.N. Security Council censured Pyongyang for a long-range rocket test that month. In the letter Thursday, Pyongyang stated that it \"never objected to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and of the world itself. What we objected to is the structure of the six way talks which had been used to violate outrageously the DPRK's sovereignty and its right to peaceful development.\" Tensions had eased somewhat in recent weeks on the Korean peninsula, giving hope to the resumption of nuclear talks with the North. In August, North and South Korea agreed to resume cross-border tourism, ease border controls and facilitate cross-border family reunions, signaling a warming in relations that had been tense for most of the year. Cross-border traffic between North and South Korea returned to normal Tuesday, after eight months of restrictions by the North. Recent meetings between Korean officials are in stark contrast to the tense public statements the nations made about each other earlier this year. Tensions between the two were heightened in July when North Korea launched seven short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan. The launches came after North Korea conducted a nuclear test on May 25 and threatened the United States and South Korean ships near its territorial waters. The two Koreas have officially remained in conflict since the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, which ended in a truce, but no formal peace treaty was signed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "North's media reports N. Korea reprocessing of spent fuel rods in final phase .\nWhen enriched to a high degree, uranium can be used as weapons-grade material .\nState-run news agency reports country had informed the United Nations by letter .\nLetter says N. Korea rejects U.N. demand it stop pursuing nuclear weapons ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (CNN) -- Hurricane Jimena weakened to a Category 3 storm Tuesday afternoon, but remained dangerous as it bore down on the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas in its path. Jimena bears down Tuesday evening on Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas in its path. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erika formed in the Atlantic on Tuesday, east of the northern Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. Jimena's maximum wind speed dropped from 125 mph to 120 mph (195 kph), according to the U.S. National Weather Service's 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) update. \"A gradual weakening is forecast during the next 24 to 48 hours,\" the weather service said. \"However, Jimena could be near major hurricane strength when it makes landfall.\" The storm's center is forecast to come ashore on Thursday morning, but the weather service warned that \"because it will be moving parallel to the coastline, any slight change in direction could have a huge impact in the location and timing of landfall.\" Mexico's government extended a hurricane warning for most of the southern half of the Baja peninsula -- from Punta Abreojos on the peninsula's west coast to Mulege on its east coast, according to the National Weather Service. See the storm's projected path » . A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 24 hours and people should quickly prepare \"to protect life and property.\" \"A dangerous storm surge along with battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California Peninsula,\" NWS said. On its current track, Jimena's center will approach the peninsula's southern portion later on Tuesday and central Baja California peninsula by Thursday, the weather service said. In addition to damaging winds, the storm could bring as much as 15 inches of rain, forecasters said. Jimena -- the 10th named storm of the Pacific season -- was centered about 85 miles (135 km) west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, according to the weather service. It was traveling north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). On Tuesday, the skies in Cabo San Lucas were overcast and gusts of wind began to pick up. There were good waves for surfing, but popular beaches were devoid of tourists. Red flags warned people to stay out of the water, in case they needed any reminding. The day before, airlines offered extra flights to leave the area. Lionel Alvarez, who runs a resort hotel called \"Las Ventanas al Pariaso\" in the town of San Jose del Cabo, found a silver lining to the coming storm. \"The wind is refreshing a little bit because of the high temperatures we've gone through in the past few days,\" he said. But Alvarez, like other locals, had work to do in preparation of Jimena. \"We protect the property by dismantling all that could be dangerous, fly or can be broken,\" he said. Authorities had asked about 10,000 people to evacuate the area, but many had decided to wait out the storm. Cuauhtemoc Morgan, a local resident of Los Cabos who sent videos to to CNN's iReport, said residents had protected every home in his neighborhood, fortifying windows with masking tape. Lines at supermarkets were long with worried residents preparing for the storms, Morgan said. See iReport videos . Authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless, he added. The Pacific isn't the only place seeing action. As of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, tropical storm watches were issued for the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy by the governments of France, the Netherlands Antilles, and Antigua and Barbuda, according to the hurricane center. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are possible within 36 hours. See Erika's projected path » . Interests in the northern Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico should monitor Erika's progress, forecasters advised. Erika's center was about 390 miles (625 km) east of the northern Leeward Islands, the hurricane center said. Its maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph (80 kph), with higher gusts. While Erika meandered Tuesday afternoon, it was expected to start moving west-northwest at about 9 mph during the night. \"Some slow strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days,\" forecasters said. Tropical-storm force winds extended outward up to 105 miles (170 km) from Erika's center. The storm was moving west-northwest at near 9 mph (15 kph), and was expected to continue doing so for the next couple of days, the hurricane center said. Tracking maps put the storm east of the Bahamas by Sunday. On the forecast track, Erika should remain northeast of the Leeward Islands, forecasters said. CNN's Betty Nguyen and CNN Radio's Matt Cherry and Ninette Sosa contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hurricane Jimena downgraded to Category 3, hurricane center says .\nJimena's maximum winds fall to 120 mph, but storm could strengthen .\nHurricane warning covers most of the southern half of the Baja Peninsula .\nTropical Storm Erika forms in eastern Atlantic, National Hurricane Center says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A NATO airstrike on a pair of hijacked fuel trucks early Friday in northern Afghanistan killed at least 90 people -- a mix of Taliban militants and civilians, NATO and provincial officials said. A victim of an ISAF airstrike on a hijacked oil tanker is carried into the Kunduz hospital on Friday. Capt. Elizabeth Mathias of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, also known as ISAF, said the military believed there were no civilians near the trucks at the time of the attack. NATO learned afterward that was not the case. \"Based on what we know, there were civilians there,\" Mathias said. Local Afghan officials were quoted as saying in some news reports that nearly half the people killed in the airstrike were civilians who rushed the fuel trucks. Mathias declined to confirm those numbers. Investigators are trying to determine who was at the site and whether a mistake was made, Mathias said. She said a local NATO team is already in Kunduz province conducting an investigation with Afghan forces and another team from the central office is on its way. Watch more about the airstrikes » . \"Because of the prevalence of reports of civilian casualties, we don't want to be seen as ignoring the situation,\" Mathias said. \"We don't want to wait. If something happened, we want to apologize.\" Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is following the investigation, his public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis, said in an e-mail. \"He takes the possible loss of any innocent life seriously, and while he will not rush to judgment on the facts, he is following the investigation very closely,\" Sholtis said. Brigadier General Eric Tremblay released a statement that said, \"ISAF will do whatever is necessary to help the community, including medical assistance and evacuation as requested. ISAF regrets any unnecessary loss of human life, and is deeply concerned for the suffering that this action may have caused to our Afghan friends.\" See images of the strike aftermath » . Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was \"deeply saddened\" by the deaths and reiterated that no civilians should be killed or injured in anti-terrorist military operations. Sholtis said McChrystal \"has been in touch with President Karzai and leadership of the major ministries on the incident.\" Karzai's office issued a statement saying he had ordered a delegation to the area to investigate the incident and report back to him as soon as possible. The delegation includes representatives of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, National Directorate of Security, and the Provincial Administrative Department, according to the statement. A spokesman for the provincial governor, Mahboobullah Sayeedi, said more than 90 people were killed. The fuel trucks were hijacked late Thursday in Kunduz province and were spotted several hours later on the banks of the Kunduz River, ISAF said. The hijacked vehicles became stuck in the Chardara area of the Ali Abaad district while trying to cross the river, according to Sayeedi. Militants had commandeered the trucks, which were carrying fuel for NATO forces, he said. People tried to empty fuel from the tankers when they couldn't go any farther. With the trucks stuck on the riverbank, the German commander of the NATO forces called in the airstrike around 2:30 a.m., the German military said. No German soldiers or planes were involved in the airstrike, but a German patrol made it to the site about 10 hours after the attack and came under small-arms fire, the German military said. The patrol continued its investigation Friday afternoon. CNN's Chris Lawrence, Ingrid Formanek and Wahid Mayar contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Top U.S. commander in country is following the investigation, an aide says .\nDeath toll from NATO airstrike on oil tankers in northern part of country exceeds 90 .\nLocal Afghan officials quoted as saying many civilians were killed in the attack .\nTarget of attack was two fuel trucks that had been hijacked by militants ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "PARIS, France (CNN) -- The French trader accused of a multi-billion-dollar fraud at banking giant Societe Generale will go on trial next year, a lawyer for the bank said Tuesday. Kerviel faces up to five years in prison if convicted of fraud charges. Jerome Kerviel will face charges including forgery, breach of trust, and introducing fraudulent data into the bank's data system, Societe Generale lawyer Jean Veil told CNN. He faces a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €375,000 euros ($538,000), Veil said. The bank also will ask that Kerviel reimburse them for almost 5 billion euros ($7.1 billion), \"which probably he will not pay,\" Veil said. The trial is expected to start in the first half of 2010, perhaps in May or June, Veil said. It will take place at the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris, he said. Kerviel, who is now free on bail, was arrested last year after Societe Generale unveiled trading losses of more than $7.2 billion. The bank attributed the losses to fraud by Kerviel, who traded European index futures for the bank. Kerviel is the only one charged in the case. His assistant, Thomas Mougard, was cleared of charges Monday, Veil said. Societe Generale believes Kerviel alone was responsible for the losses, which the bank announced in January 2008. Kerviel maintains he was not acting alone, Veil said. \"The decision of the (court) confirms 100 percent the complaint of the bank, and that Kerviel was alone when he organized this massive fraud and that he was acting completely out of his (own accord),\" Veil told CNN." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jerome Kerviel faces charges including forgery, breach of trust, false data entry .\nAccused trader faces penalty of up to five years in jail, $538,000 fine .\nSociete Generale also to ask Kerviel to pay back almost 5 billion euros ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A California woman who turned up alive 18 years after being kidnapped at age 11 is reconnecting with her family after nearly two decades apart, her aunt said Thursday. Tina Dugard speaks to the media Thursday about how her niece Jaycee is reconnecting with her family. Police said Thursday that the man charged with abducting and raping Jaycee Lee Dugard had been accused of raping a 14-year-old in 1972, but those charges were dropped for unknown reasons. \"I think there's a good chance of that, yes,\" Antioch Police Lt. Leonard Orman said when asked whether he believed that other victims would be found. Dugard is spending time in \"a secluded place, reconnecting\" with her mother and younger sister, said Jaycee's aunt, Tina Dugard, who spent time with them. The two children born to her during her captivity are \"clever, articulate, curious girls,\" she said. \"This is a joyful time for my family,\" she said. \"Jaycee remembers all of us.\" Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped in 1991 from a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California, and discovered last week. Authorities say a couple kidnapped her and raised her in a compound of tents and outbuildings in the backyard of their Antioch, California, home for 18 years. Nancy and Phillip Garrido have been charged with a total of 29 felonies, including the rape and kidnapping of Dugard, who police say gave birth to two daughters fathered by Garrido during her captivity. The Garridos have pleaded not guilty. Philip Garrido is a registered sex offender. Tina Dugard appeared in Los Angeles on Thursday to read a statement on behalf of her family. Watch Jaycee's aunt speak to the media » . \"Jaycee is a remarkable young woman who has raised two beautiful daughters,\" she said. \"They are clever, articulate, curious girls who have a bright future ahead of them.\" The girls are 11 and 15. \"Although they have no formal education, they are certainly educated,\" she said. \"Jaycee did a truly amazing job with the limited resources and education that she herself had, and we are so proud of her.\" Tina Dugard said Jaycee's mother's smile is \"as wide as the sea.\" \"Her oldest daughter is finally home,\" she said. Dugard, now 29, is enjoying catching up on the years missed with her family, Tina Dugard said. \"She is especially enjoying getting to know her little sister, who was just a baby when Jaycee was taken,\" she said. \"Not only have we laughed and cried together, but we've spent time sitting quietly, taking pleasure in each other's company.\" The Dugard family statement thanked the law enforcement and social agencies involved in reconnecting them. \"Their support and professionalism have been invaluable,\" it said. A trust fund has been established for donations to help Dugard, the aunt said. \"It has come to my family's attention that there may be unauthorized solicitation of funds to support Jaycee and the family,\" she said. The family released three photos of a young Dugard. One was taken at her grandmother's home when she was 3. A second showed her dressed as a punk rocker the Halloween before her abduction. Tina Dugard said she snapped the third photo at the 1991 Rose Bowl Parade when she asked her niece to \"make a face for me, and she did.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Police say suspect accused of raping 14-year-old in 1972 .\nJaycee Dugard \"reconnecting\" with family, her aunt says .\nDugard has raised two \"clever, articulate, curious\" daughters .\nTrust fund has been established for Jaycee Dugard ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Who's the greatest driver of all-time? Michael Schumacher? Maybe Alain Prost? Ayrton Senna perhaps? In an exclusive interview with CNN, three-time Formula One world champion, Jackie Stewart had no hesitation in naming his choice for the greatest driver of all-time. Three-time F1 champion, Jackie Stewart back in his heyday. \"My hero, and the man I most respected and probably still do is Juan Manuel Fangio.\" Stewart told CNN. It's not misty-eyed nostalgia for a bygone era that persuades \"The Flying Scot,\" as Stewart became known. And it wasn't just Fangio's tally of world titles that convinced Stewart; it is the manner in which the Argentine legend saw off his rivals. Who do you think is the greatest? \"Fangio won five world championships almost in a different car every year. He had the dignity, the style and the ability,\" Stewart explained. What's more, as Stewart points out, Fangio didn't start racing in Formula One until he was 39-years-old, and whether driving a Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati or Mercedes, he kept on winning races. Though Fangio was the greatest, Stewart rated fellow countryman Jim Clark as the best driver he raced against. \"His batting average was very good and he didn't race in too many grands prix.\" Clark -- who was tragically killed racing at Hockenheim in 1968 -- won 25 of his 73 Formula One races. Stewart's record is comparable, winning 27 from 100 starts. It's this win to race ratio that really separates the good from the great Stewart believes. \"I'm on record as saying winning is not enough, it's easy to win. Most people win. To be successful, like a Fangio or a Jim Clark is more difficult.\" See our photo gallery of Formula One's greatest drivers » . As much as Stewart admires seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, he's finds it hard to put the German in the same league as Fangio or Clark. \"Not to take anything away from him [Schumacher], but his car was so dominant and his team had so much in terms of money and resources,\" Stewart said. \"Although he has won more, his batting average isn't as good -- from starts to wins -- as Fangio or Clark.\" Stewart, who retired from Formula One in 1973, is a great admirer of the current crop of drivers and he singled out Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel as potential legends of the future. But they have a long way to match Stewart's record of three Drivers' Championships, let alone Fangio or Schumacher. Do you agree with Jackie Stewart? Or do you think that Michael Schumacher is the greatest? Have we missed anyone you think deserves special mention? Use the Sound Off box to have you say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "F1 legend Jackie Stewart tells CNN who he thinks is the sport's greatest driver .\nWin to race ratio is determining factor of greatness according to Stewart .\nSchumacher? Senna? Have your say on who you think the best F1 driver ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CIANJUR, Indonesia (CNN) -- More than a day after a major earthquake jolted Indonesia's Java Island, killing at least 57 people, there is still no word from remote villages along the coast, a relief worker told CNN Thursday. Soldiers try to dig out the body of a victim buried by a landslide caused by the earthquake. \"This earthquake has injured hundreds of people and (destroyed or damaged) thousands of houses,\" World Vision's Katarina Hardono said. \"We worry that the number can be easily more because in many places, actually the coastal areas, we still (haven't gotten) any news.\" Rescuers are still searching for dozens of people feared trapped in a quake-triggered landslide in Cianjur in West Java. They pulled several bodies from the rubble Thursday bringing the death toll from the quake to 57. \"The death count has been thankfully low, but we have to remember that tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed and children and adults are urgently in need of relief items,\" said Hardono, who spoke to CNN from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Rainfall Thursday hampered the rescue efforts in Cianjur, where the landslide buried at least 11 homes where 32 people live, local officials said. Watch description of the evacuation after the quake hit » . Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Cianjur, and vowed to free up nearly $500,000 (5 billion rupiahs) for emergency response efforts, according to the state-run Antara news agency. He said there was no need for foreign assistance just yet. \"Until now the Indonesian government is still able to handle it by itself using existing national resources,\" he said, according to Antara. Rescuers in Cianjur used their hands and rudimentary tools to try to pry away the rocks, some that were bigger than cars. No heavy machinery could be brought in to help in the rescue effort because many roads in the area were blocked. The 7.0-magnitude temblor jolted the island on Wednesday shortly before 3 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET). More than 400 people were injured. Watch how buildings swayed during quake » . The temblor rocked high-rise buildings in Jakarta, prompting a mass evacuation in the capital's central business district. iReport.com: Swimming pool shakes during quake . \"I was on the 13th floor of our office building, and you know we could feel the building (shake) from left to right,\" said CNN's Andy Saputra. \"We all ran to the fire escape and escaped from there.\" Indonesia is no stranger to major earthquakes. It is located on the \"Ring of Fire,\" an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2004, an earthquake measuring at least 9.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering a major tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes -- ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 -- struck off the western coast of Sumatra. At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed. CNN Radio's Chris Chandler contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: At least 57 killed, another 400 injured, says disaster agency .\nTsunami watch quickly expires, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says .\nOlder buildings damaged in Tasikmalaya in Indonesian island of Java, witness says .\nSeries of quakes hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island three weeks ago ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A former \"Manson family\" member who stabbed actress Sharon Tate to death more than 40 years ago and is now terminally ill faces her 13th parole hearing on Wednesday. Susan Atkins, shown here after her indictment in the Manson murders, has a parole hearing Wednesday. Susan Atkins, 61, has terminal brain cancer. As of earlier this year, she was paralyzed over 85 percent of her body and could not sit up in bed or be moved into a wheelchair, according to a Web site maintained by her husband and attorney, James Whitehouse. However, despite her declining health and an impressive prison record, Whitehouse wrote, \"there is still a very real chance the Parole Board will nonetheless insist her release would be a danger to society.\" The hearing will be held at the Central California Women's Facility at Chowchilla, California, said Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Atkins was moved to the Chowchilla facility from the California Institution for Women at Frontera last year because of her illness. Watch Linda Kasabian describe the murders » . \"Last we heard, she is expected to attend,\" Thornton said Tuesday of Atkins. The proceeding is scheduled to be held in a hearing room, but depending on Atkins' condition, it could be held at her bedside, Thornton said. The panel is expected to render its decision following the hearing after deliberating behind closed doors, she said. Atkins -- California's longest-serving female inmate -- has been denied parole 12 times previously, Thornton said. She was 21 when she and other followers of Charles Manson participated in a two-night rampage that left seven people dead and terrorized the city of Los Angeles in August 1969. She and the others -- Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles \"Tex\" Watson -- were initially sentenced to death in the slayings of five people, including Tate, and two additional deaths the following night. Their sentences were automatically commuted to life in prison when the Supreme Court struck down the nation's death penalty laws in 1972. By her own admission, Atkins held Tate down as she pleaded for mercy, and stabbed the actress, who was eight months pregnant, 16 times. In a 1993 parole board hearing, Atkins said Tate \"asked me to let her baby live. ... I told her I didn't have any mercy on her.\" After killing Tate, according to historical accounts of the murders, Atkins scrawled the word \"pig\" in blood on the door of the home Tate shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski. Polanski was not home at the time, but three of Tate's houseguests were also slain by the killers, as was a teenager who was visiting the home's caretaker in his nearby cottage. If the panel decides to grant Atkins parole -- called a \"tentative suitability finding\" -- the decision is subject to a 120-day review process by the California Board of Parole Hearings, Thornton said. If it still stands, the matter then goes to the governor's office. The governor's options include allowing the decision to stand, actively approving it, modifying it or reversing it, according to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Web site. However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has previously opposed Atkins' request for compassionate release -- a request made by terminally ill patients wishing to be released before death. The Board of Parole Hearings unanimously denied that request in July 2008. It was also opposed by Debra Tate, Sharon Tate's sister. If parole is not granted, another hearing will be set in three, five, seven, 10 or 15 years, at the discretion of the panel, Thornton said. Atkins has been described as a model prisoner who has accepted responsibility for her role in the slayings and now shuns Manson. But Debra Tate told CNN in an e-mail in March she does not believe any Manson family member convicted of murder should ever be set free, saying the slayings were \"so vicious, so inhumane, so depraved, that there is no turning back.\" \"The 'Manson Family' murderers are sociopaths, and from that, they can never be rehabilitated,\" Debra Tate said. \"They should all stay right where they are -- in prison -- until they die. There will never be true justice for my sister Sharon and the other victims of the 'Manson Family.' Keeping the murderers in prison is the least we, as a society who values justice, can do.\" In a manuscript posted on her Web site, Atkins, who was known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz, wrote that \"this is the past I have to live with, and I have to live with it every day.\" \"Unlike the reader, or the people who seem to think Charles Manson was cool, I can't think about it for an hour or so and then go on with my life. Just like the families and friends of the victims, this is with me every day. I have to wake up every day with this and no matter what I do for the rest of my life and no matter how much I give back to the community I will never be able to replace what my crime took away. And that's not 'neat,' and that's not 'cool.'\" Atkins' brain cancer was diagnosed in March 2008, Whitehouse wrote on his Web site. On May 15, doctors predicted she would live less than six months. But she passed that deadline, he wrote, and celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary on December 7." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Susan Atkins has admitted she stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death .\nShe has been denied parole on 12 previous occasions .\nAtkins has terminal brain cancer and just months to live .\nShe was denied compassionate release in July 2008 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Mental Floss) -- News outlets reported this week that legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite never amended his will to include Joanna Simon, who had been his girlfriend for the last four years of his life. Cronkite's daughter said the newsman never planned to leave Simon, a former opera singer and older sister of Carly Simon, any sort of inheritance, but either way, wills are back in the news. Leona Helmsley left her dog Trouble $12 million dollars in her will. What better time to look at some of the most bizarre codicils ever written? 1. Leona Helmsley . The notoriously egomaniacal hotelier famously left $12 million to her Maltese, Trouble, while entirely cutting two of her grandchildren out of her will (for \"reasons which are known to them\"). Her other two grandchildren didn't get off the hook entirely; their inheritances were contingent upon their regularly making visits to their father's grave, where they would have to sign a registration book to prove they had shown up. 2. Carlotta Liebenstein . Don't think Trouble Helmsley is the richest pooch on the block. When Liebenstein, a German countess, died in 1991, she left her entire $80-million estate to her dog, Gunther. 3. Jeremy Bentham . The 18th-and-19th-century social philosopher left the world a rather odd bequest in his will: his preserved, clothed body. No one's quite sure what Bentham was getting at with this \"gift,\" but since his 1832 death his clothed skeleton -- topped with a wax model of Bentham's head -- has been preserved in a wood-and-glass cabinet known as the Auto-Icon. It now resides at University College London and is occasionally moved so Bentham can \"attend\" meetings. Bentham didn't want for the Auto-Icon to feature a wax head; he actually carried around the glass eyes he wanted used in his preserved face for years before his death. However, the preservation process distorted his face, so the wax replica had to stand in. For many years Bentham's real head sat between his feet in the Auto-Icon, but it was such a target for pranksters that it eventually had to be locked away. Mental Floss: 10 things your body can do after you die . 4. Sandra West . West, a California socialite and oil heiress, died when she was just 37 years old and requested that she be buried \"in my lace nightgown ... in my Ferrari, with the seat slanted comfortably.\" Her family buried West in her powder-blue 1964 Ferrari 330 America, then covered the car with cement to deter car thieves. Good call: nice examples of that year's 330 America can now sell for well over $300,000. 5. Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara . The Portuguese aristocrat was a childless bachelor, so he divvied up his estate by picking 70 names at random from the Lisbon phone book in 1988. When he died 13 years later, his attorneys notified the unsuspecting beneficiaries that they stood to inherit their benefactor's cash, his home, and his car. 6. Charles Millar . The Canadian attorney died a childless bachelor, but he left $568,106 to the mother who gave birth to the most children in Toronto in the 10 years following his 1928 death. This bequest prompted what Canadians called \"the Baby Derby\" as mothers raced to win the fortune. Finally, in 1938 four winners split the prize after giving birth to nine babies apiece. Mental Floss: Names you probably shouldn't give your kid . 7. Heinrich Heine . The German poet left his entire fortune to his wife, but with one catch: she had to remarry \"because then there will be at least one man to regret my death.\" 8. S. Sanborn . Sanborn, a 19th-century New England hatter, left a rather macabre bequest to a friend -- a pair of drums made from Sanborn's skin. The friend received further instructions to go to Bunker Hill each June 17th and play \"Yankee Doodle Dandy\" on the drums. 9. T.M. Zink . Zink, an Iowa lawyer who died in 1930, must have had some pretty bad experiences with women. When he died he left his daughter a measly five bucks, and his wife got nothing. He stipulated that the rest of his $100,000 estate be put in a trust for 75 years, then used to create the Zink Womanless Library. The library would have no feminine decorations, no books or magazine articles by female authors, and was required to have \"No Women Admitted\" carved into the stone over the entrance. 10. Robert Louis Stevenson . When the celebrated author died, he left his friend Annie H. Ide his birthday. Ide had previously complained to Stevenson about the inconvenience of being born on Christmas, so the writer left her November 13th as a new birthday provided she take care of it with \"moderation and humanity... the said birthday not being so young as it once was.\" 11. Henry Budd . It's not clear how he originally made 200,000 pounds, but when Henry Budd died in 1862, he left his substantial fortune to his two sons on the condition that neither sullied his lip with a mustache. 12. Mark Gruenwald . When longtime comic book writer and editor Mark Gruenwald died in 1996, fans of the Marvel Comics icon probably thought they'd seen the last of the former Captain America writer. Gruenwald had other ideas, though. He requested that his ashes be mixed into the ink used to print the first trade paperback anthology of Squadron Supreme, another one of his landmark creations. Mental Floss: 5 comic superheroes who made real-world difference . For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People have put some very bizarre stipulations in their wills .\nSocialite buried \"in lace nightgown ... in my Ferrari, with seat slanted comfortably\"\nTwo very rich women left millions to their dogs .\nComic book writer had his ashes mixed with ink for anthology .\nIowa lawyer left money for library banning all female writers and visitors ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A judge has ordered mediation in the case of a teen girl who says her family threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. Rifqa Bary, 17, ran away from her family in Columbus, Ohio, in July. She claims her father threatened to kill her. The 17-year-old girl, Rifqa Bary, ran away from her family in Columbus, Ohio, in July and took refuge in the home of the Rev. Blake Lorenz with the Global Revolution Church in Orlando, Florida. Bary's parents want her back home. At a court hearing Thursday in Orlando, the girl's parents denied all the allegations against them. Also at the hearing, Judge Daniel Dawson of the Orange County Juvenile Court ordered the girl and her parents to seek the mediation within 30 days. The judge had previously ruled that the girl will remain in Florida foster care until the allegations are resolved. The parents, Mohamed and Aysha Bary, could not attend the hearing in person but listened through a telephone conference as their lawyer spoke for them. They denied they ever threatened to kill their daughter because she converted to Christianity. Mohamed Bary told CNN he believes a lot of false information has been circulated about the case. \"We wouldn't do her harm,\" the father said, adding that he knew his daughter was involved with Christian organizations. \"I have no problem with her practicing any faith,\" he said. But Bary conceded he would have preferred that his daughter practice the Muslim faith first. The teen had heard of pastor Lorenz and his church through a prayer group on Facebook. The girl's parents reported her missing to Columbus police, who found her two weeks later in Florida through cell phone records. The teenager, in a sworn affidavit, claims her father, 47, was pressured by the mosque the family attends in Ohio to \"deal with the situation.\" In the court filing, Rifqa Bary stated her father said, \"If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!\" The teenager claims her father added, \"I will kill you!\" Watch the teen talk about her fears » . Also at Thursday's hearing, the judge sealed a report on the girl from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and issued a gag order for attorneys in the case. At one point during the hearing, the girl's court-appointed guardian, Krista Bartholomew, told the court: \"This is not a holy war but a case about a broken family.\" Outside the courthouse after the hearing, a Muslim activist and several Christian activists exchanged words over the case. Watch the heated exchanges » . Another hearing is scheduled for September 29 if the family is not able to resolve the conflict through mediation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teenager claims father threatened to kill her because she converted to Christianity .\nParents of teen have denied all allegations against them .\nRifqa Bary, 17, ran away from Ohio home; took refuge in home of Christian pastor .\nJudge orders teen and her family to seek mediation within 30 days ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Ivan Watson is CNN's correspondent based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bamiyan Valley is a visually and archaeologically stunning part of Afghanistan. The region hopes to build its tourism industry. (CNN) -- Thursday is \"Chinese night\" at the Hotel Silk Road in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province. Hungry guests sip cans of Coke and nonalcoholic beer and pick at a buffet that includes General Tsao's chicken, egg drop soup and slices of sweet green melon grown in nearby fields. When a vegetarian diner arrives, the hotel's Japanese owner, Hiromi Yasui, runs back to the kitchen to whip up a dish of spinach, garlic and steamed rice. \"This is the most clean kitchen in Bamiyan,\" she boasts in heavily accented English, as she directs her staff of Afghan assistants in fluent Dari. Yasui proudly points to an electric dishwasher, perhaps the only one of its kind in this battle-scarred Afghan province. The Hotel Silk Road has been open for less than two years. The green concrete walls of this compound jar somewhat with the brown, mud brick architecture of Bamiyan Valley. But the hotel is probably the largest foreign private investment in Bamiyan's fledgling tourism industry since the overthrow of the Taliban eight years ago. See photos of the Bamiyan Province » . Aid workers say tourism is one of the greatest economic hopes for reviving this isolated, yet visually -- and archaeologically -- stunning part of Afghanistan, a region that has seen little infrastructure development over the last eight years, even though Bamiyan is one of the safest parts of the country. Tour the Bamiyan Valley's caves » . \"The natural resources and cultural resources here are probably the single best place for economic development to happen, around revitalizing the tourism industry here,\" says Bob Thelen, the representative for the Aga Khan Development Network in Bamiyan. The nonprofit organization has been working with the government of New Zealand to distribute $1.2 million over a three-year period to develop eco-tourism as an industry in Bamiyan. Bamiyan first attracted widespread international attention in 2001, when Taliban militants spent weeks blowing up two giant statues of Buddha. For more than 1,500 years, these colossal figures -- one was 53 meters (174 feet) high, the other 35 meters (115 feet) -- stood like sentries overlooking this alpine valley. Today, the massive caves where the Buddhas once stood are huge, empty pockets carved into cliffs that dominate the countryside. Despite the loss of these archaeological treasures, the cave network of monasteries that honeycomb the cliffs, as well as Bamiyan's breathtaking mountains and alpine lakes, continue to attract a trickle of both Afghan and foreign tourists. Hotel Silk Road owner Yasui spotted Bamiyan's potential when she first traveled here as a photojournalist in 1996. \"Before the war, this was a touristic place,\" she says. \"More than 7,000 cars a day visited here.\" In the '60s and '70s, Afghanistan was a Central Asian stop on the Hippie Trail, a destination favored by hash-smoking Western visitors driving Volkswagen vans. But the Soviet invasion of 1979 plunged the country into a decades-long spiral of conflict. Bamiyan became the site of horrific massacres during the civil war of the 1990s and the subsequent rise of the Taliban. The Taliban's overthrow in 2001 seemed to open the door to new opportunity. In 2002, with the help of her Afghan husband and a Japanese investor who fronted hundreds of thousands of dollars, Yasui purchased a plot of land next to a bend in the river that runs through the valley. The couple then spent the next five years building their hotel. \"I like Afghanistan, I like Bamiyan,\" Yasui explains. \"[But in the past,] I didn't want to stay more than three days, because there was no shower, no place to sleep.\" Yasui's hotel opened in 2007. Rooms cost $100 a night, pricing them far out of the range of most Afghans. Guests must remove their shoes at the entrance and wear slippers, in accordance with Yasui's strict standards of hygiene. \"The furniture has all been imported from Pakistan,\" Yasui said. \"I bought the water glasses from the PX [American military supermarket] in Kabul.\" Yasui is not the only hotelier in Bamiyan. In 2003, an Afghan businessman named Raziq got a jump-start on the local tourism industry, when he and several partners rented a house on a plateau offering a spectacular view of the Buddha cliffs. The building had been housing American special forces soldiers. Raziq and his partners rechristened it the Roof of Bamiyan Hotel. Raziq, an ethnic Hazara who learned American-accented English catering to foreigners on Kabul's touristic Chicken Street, says he got his inspiration to open a hotel after he saw female Western backpackers paying to sleep on the floor of a grimy tea shop in Bamiyan's dusty bazaar. Over the last year, the Afghan government declared Bamiyan's Band-i-Amir lake, which sits 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) above sea level, the country's first national park. The New Zealand-funded eco-tourism project, in conjunction with the Aga Khan Foundation, also recently trained 22 young male and female Afghans to be professional tour guides. The three-month course included \"the relevant topics for this area, geology, archaeology, history, hospitality, English, communication skills,\" said Thelen, of the Aga Khan Development Network. One of these guides is former Roof of Bamiyan employee Jawad Wafa. Though only 23 years old, this ambitious young Afghan plans to launch a tourism and logistics company, complete with a fleet of rental vehicles and guides. \"The first thing we need to have more tourists in Bamiyan, we need security and peace. The second one is roads,\" Wafa says. Eight years after the overthrow of the Taliban, the entire province of Bamiyan has barely 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) of paved roads. Travel here from Kabul requires at least seven hours driving on a bone-jarring dirt track. But even this isolated oasis is feeling the threat of the mounting violence spreading across the country. \"Every time there is a bomb in Kabul, visitors cancel reservations,\" says Raziq, operator of the Roof of Bamiyan Hotel. And in recent months, troops from New Zealand have documented a spike in insurgent attacks, mostly along Bamiyan's border with Baghlan province, a region where Taliban insurgents have grown increasingly active. \"As much as on the one hand you can promote Bamiyan and other pockets throughout Afghanistan as secure and peaceful, there's always the very real threat of violence,\" Thelen said. Tour operators saw a dramatic drop in foreign visitors this summer, due to the uncertainty and violence surrounding the August 20 presidential elections. In fact, the handful of people seen touring the remains of the Buddha statues last week were mostly American aid workers. They were sent by their organizations from less secure parts of Afghanistan, to take temporary shelter within the mountain walls of Bamiyan Valley." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bamiyan is one of the safest parts of Afghanistan .\nSince the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, hotels have opened in the region .\nColossal Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban once towered over the valley .\nStunning terrain and a cave network of monasteries draw tourists ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BRUNSWICK, Georgia (CNN) -- Guy Heinze Jr., the son of one of the victims of last week's killings of eight people in a southeast Georgia mobile home, has been arrested on eight counts of first degree murder, police said Friday. Guy Heinze Jr. faces eight first degree murder charges related to a shooting at a Georgia mobile home. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant Friday evening for Heinze, 22, just hours after he had been freed from jail on charges of tampering with evidence and making false statements to a police officer, Glynn County, Georgia, Police Chief Matt Doering said. \"I can assure you that this person is responsible,\" Doering said at a news conference Friday evening. The bodies were discovered last Saturday at New Hope Plantation mobile home park, north of the Atlantic coastal city of Brunswick. Seven died in the mobile home, and the eighth died Sunday at a hospital. Doering refused to reveal how the victims were killed or the suspected motive. A 3-year-old who was injured struggles on life support at a Savannah hospital, her grandmother said. Heinze, who is unemployed, told police he was not home when the killings occurred. Watch sheriff describe attack as \"the most heinous crime we've ever had in the community\" » . According to the earlier arrest warrant, Heinze provided \"investigators with false and misleading information about his whereabouts and involvement in the circumstances leading up to him calling 911 to report the deaths of his family members.\" The arrest warrant also said he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car. A man identified as Heinze reported the slayings. He told an emergency dispatcher when he called Saturday, \"I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death.\" Listen to the 911 call » . Seven of the eight victims will be buried Saturday, as a 3-year-old who was injured struggles to survive at a Savannah hospital. The toddler's grieving grandmother, Diane Isenhower, who lost four of her children in the rampage, said the child is on life support. Police said seven of the victims died in the mobile home, and the eighth died Sunday at a hospital. The funeral for Joseph L. West, 30, is to be held at mid-month. For the other seven, viewing was scheduled for Friday night, and a funeral is to be held Saturday afternoon at Youngs Island Church in Eulonia, Georgia. West was the boyfriend of Chrissy Toler, 22, who died along with her father, Russell D. Toler Sr., 44, and three siblings: Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; and Russell D. Toler Jr., 20. Michael Toler had Down syndrome. Russell Toler Sr. and Isenhower were divorced. Also killed were Guy Heinze Sr., 45 and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49, police said. Clint Rowe, whose wife is Isenhower's sister, said the family was having trouble coping with the losses and noted that police, too, were affected. \"They're the ones who walked in on that, so you know it wears on the police as well,\" he said. Referring to Isenhower, he added, \"It has been a long week for her. She's lost all of her family, so naturally it would be.\" \"They're just as nice as they could be,\" Rowe said of the victims. \"Friendly folks. Down-to-earth folks.\" Watch Rowe talk about the killings » . Russell Toler Sr., who worked at a nearby factory, was a generous man who allowed relatives facing financial and health problems to live with him. There were 10 people in the mobile home, and their combined salaries were low, Rowe said. Among them was Toler's sister, Falagan, who was in a wheelchair. Police have not said how the victims died, although autopsies were completed Monday. The bodies were discovered Saturday at New Hope Plantation mobile home park, north of the Atlantic coastal city of Brunswick. Police have released few details of the crime scene. Doering acknowledged that there is fear in the community but said that releasing details of the slayings won't allay it. \"We, too, have that same fear. We're the ones that have to get out there and try to make people feel better as best that we can,\" he said. CNN's Sean Calebs contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Warrant lists eight counts of first degree murder for Guy Heinze Jr.\nHeinze told police he was not home when the killings occurred .\n3-year-old injured in last week's attack at Georgia mobile home is on life support .\nFuneral for seven victims will be held about Saturday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Children with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities should be among the first to be vaccinated against H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Thursday. CDC: The H1N1 virus is spreading in the United States, particularly in the Southeast. And high-risk children under 18 years of age should be rushed to a doctor at the first sign of the virus, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director. In addition, doctors should be aware that some otherwise healthy children with bacterial infections may be more susceptible to the flu, he told reporters during a conference call. Frieden said the vaccine should be available by mid-October, and will be free at public hospitals and other sites. All schoolchildren should be vaccinated, he said. \"We also are recommending that all people with underlying conditions get vaccinated -- people who have asthma, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, neuromuscular conditions, neurological conditions that increase their risk factors and women who are pregnant,\" Frieden added. As of August 22, there had been 556 deaths in the United States associated with the H1N1 virus, and 42 of those deaths were children under the age of 18. The figures were published August 28 on the CDC Web site. Thursday, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report focused on the pediatric cases -- 36 that were counted among the 477 flu-related deaths up to August 8. Watch more on what the CDC had to say about H1N1 influenza » . Seven of the children who died were younger than 5 years old, the report said, and 24 had underlying disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, or one or more high-risk medical conditions. Frieden said the H1N1 virus -- which he said never really went away, judging by the cases reported this summer -- is spreading in the United States, particularly in the Southeast. \"The good news is that so far, everything that we've seen, both in this country and abroad, shows that the virus has not changed to become more deadly. That means that although it may affect lots of people, most people will not be severely ill,\" he said. He noted, however, that both H1N1 and the seasonal flu are unpredictable. Because of this, health professionals have to be ready to change their protocols based on any new information. On Wednesday, the CDC said there were six suspected cases among its approximately 7,000 employees at the Atlanta, Georgia, headquarters. Frieden referenced findings by federal agencies who were asked to study the impact of H1N1 in the Southern Hemisphere. They examined data from Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and Uruguay, since they more closely resemble U.S. demographics and economic development. \"All countries report that after mid-July, disease activity in most parts of the country decreased. This indicates that the duration of the current influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere, in which the 2009 H1N1 virus is the predominate strain, may be similar in length to an average seasonal influenza season,\" according to the Flu.gov Web site. Earlier Thursday, the Institute of Medicine released a report recommending a major step up in protection for health workers dealing with patients suspected or confirmed to have H1N1 influenza. The institute, in recommendations requested by the CDC, said loose paper masks are inadequate because workers can still breathe in the virus. Instead, health workers should switch to a specific type of mask -- N95 respirators -- that form an airtight seal around the nose and mouth. CNN's Mariam Falco contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CDC: Children with medical issues should be among the first to get H1N1 vaccine .\nHead of CDC predicts the vaccine should be available by mid-October .\nAs of August 22, 42 of the 556 U.S. deaths linked to H1N1 virus were in kids ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The airline operating an Airbus A310-300 jet that crashed in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday with 153 people aboard was being monitored by EU authorities, according to France's transport minister. An Airbus 310 like the one pictured crashed while on the way to the capital of Comoros. Dominique Bussereau told French television that inspectors in his country had also noted several faults on the doomed Yemenia Airways plane, Agence France-Presse reported. \"The company was not on the blacklist (of airlines banned from European airspace) but was being subjected to closer inspection by us and was due to soon be heard by the security committee of the European Union,\" Bussereau said. The Airbus A310 was inspected in France in 2007 by the French civil aviation authority and \"a certain number of faults had been noted.\" \"The plane had not since then reappeared in our country,\" he added. However, Chris Yates, an aviation analyst for Jane's Information Group, said he suspected weather and/or airport failings were a greater factor in the crash than a technical fault. Recent plane crashes » . \"It's more than likely to be a weather-related incident. Having said that, you cannot rule out a maintenance issue,\" Yates told CNN. Yemenia Air had used the jet since 1999, on about 17,300 flights, Airbus officials said. The company said it would assist in investigating the crash. \"We are extremely saddened and our thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones affected by this accident,\" Airbus spokeswoman Maggie Bergsma told CNN. \"We are giving our maximum support and assistance to the authorities and the airline.\" \"This includes a team of Airbus experts that will go on site and our crisis center has been open since early this morning, where our specialists work in direct contact with the airline and the authorities,\" Bergsma added. \"The task now is to gather as much information as possible, including retrieval of the black boxes, to help us understand what happened. This will need time and patience.\" It is the second crash involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation. In the wake of the Air France crash on June 1, United States accident investigators have been probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s. One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN's Saad Abedine and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "EU concerned about airline operating jet that crashed in Indian Ocean .\nJet was carrying more than 150 people to island of Comoros from Yemen .\nFrench officials noted faults with Airbus A310 when they inspected it in 2007 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- A man who allegedly set off a small bomb at a Starbucks coffee shop was arrested after he made the mistake of bragging about his exploit to friends, police said Wednesday. An NYPD officer stands guard outside a Starbucks where a bomb went off on Memorial Day. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters that Kyle Shaw, 17, was arrested Tuesday night at his Manhattan apartment after a police investigation revealed that he bragged to his friends about planting the explosive outside an Upper East Side Starbucks on May 25. Shaw allegedly told his friends prior to the explosion that \"Project Mayhem\" was about to begin, Kelly said, and that they should watch the news on Memorial Day. Shaw was a fan of the movie \"Fight Club\" and imitated Brad Pitt's character from the film, the police commissioner said -- although he apparently failed to adhere to Pitt's famous line in the film: \"The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.\" The movie, released in 1999, also includes a scene in which a Starbucks is destroyed. Kelly said there is no evidence at this time to suggest that Shaw was behind other recent small explosions in the city, such as the bombings at the Times Square Army recruiting center and the Mexican consulate. Shaw made the small explosive out of a plastic bottle, firework powder, a metal cap and electrical tape, Kelly said. The blast, at 3:30 a.m. on Memorial Day, damaged a nearby bench and shattered the store's windows, the commissioner said. No one was injured in the explosion, but the bomb was powerful enough to have caused serious injuries if anyone had been nearby, Kelly said. Shaw has been charged with arson, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal mischief, he added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police: Suspect, 17, wanted to launch \"Project Mayhem\" with bomb .\nSuspect is fan of Brad Pitt film \"Fight Club'\nMemorial Day blast damaged a bench outside a Manhattan Starbucks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Perhaps, now the candidates will play nice. For all their insistence on how unlike they are from one another, the three U.S. presidential candidates share some noteworthy family connections, the New England Historic Genealogical Society has found. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who has made his opposition to the Iraq war a linchpin of his campaign, is distantly related not only to President George W. Bush but also to another wartime leader -- former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Because of his shared ancestry with President Bush, Obama is also indirectly related to his rival on the Republican side, Sen. John McCain. McCain, it turns out, is a sixth cousin of First Lady Laura Bush. Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is related to beatnik author Jack Kerouac, Canadian Prime Minster Pierre Trudeau and Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles of England. Clinton also shares ancestors with Grammy Award-winning singers Celine Dion and Madonna. The senator won a Best Spoken Word Grammy for the audio version of her book, \"It Takes a Village.\" Rival Obama also snagged one in the same category for his book \"The Audacity of Hope.\" Conservatives who sometimes accuse Democrats of being in bed with liberal Hollywood elites may have been handed one more round of ammunition by the Society's findings. Clinton, the Society said, is related to Angelina Jolie. And Obama is related to Jolie's boyfriend Brad Pitt. Watch a report on the candidates' family trees and other news » . The New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, says it is the oldest such organization in the country. Members spent three years tracing the lineage of the candidates. Among its other findings: . McCain, the Vietnam War veteran who spent five years as a prisoner of war, descends from a long line of kings: Scottish King William the Lion, English King Edward I and French King Louis VII. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, is \"related to millions of contemporary Americans - perhaps even a significant percentage of the population,\" the researchers said. He is cousins with six U.S presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman and Gerald Ford. He is also linked to American artist Georgia O'Keefe, the Duchess of Windsor and two men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Most surprisingly, Obama -- the man who could become America's first African-American president -- is linked by ancestry to Robert E. Lee, who commanded the armies of the Southern slave-holding states during the American civil war. Bedfellows, it turns out, make for strange politics. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New England Historic Genealogical Society studies candidates' ancestry .\nHillary Clinton is related to Angelina Jolie, Jack Kerouac and Madonna .\nBarack Obama is related to Brad Pitt; John McCain shares a link to Laura Bush ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday called the U.S. president inexperienced, compared him unfavorably to President George W. Bush and suggested he apologize for \"interfering in Iran's affairs.\" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at President Obama on Thursday. \"Do you think that this kind of behavior is going to solve any of your problems? It will only make people think you are someone like Bush,\" the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. \"You are at the beginning of your way and you are gaining experience, and we do not wish the scandals of the Bush era to be repeated during your term of office,\" the Iranian leader said. President Obama, who has been in office for five months, has been treading a careful line on Iran, which has seen two weeks of street demonstrations following a disputed presidential election there. Watch how U.S.-Iran relations got to this point . Pro-government security forces have cracked down on the protests, with officials saying 17 people have died. Unofficial reports suggest the number is much higher. Official results gave Ahmadinejad a 2-to-1 victory over his nearest rival, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Moussavi. Moussavi says the results were rigged. Obama has said Iranians must be free to demonstrate peacefully, and his administration Wednesday withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats around the world to attend U.S. embassy Fourth of July parties. The extension of invitations last month was seen as a cautious outreach to Iran, which has not had diplomatic relations with Washington for 30 years. Obama wrote secretly to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before the election, Iranian sources confirmed Wednesday. See photos from post-election violence » . Obama said Tuesday that Iran's government must justify itself not in the eyes of the United States, but in the opinion of its own people. \"A sizable percentage of the Iranian people themselves ... consider this election illegitimate,\" he said at a White House news conference. \"It is not too late for the Iranian government to recognize that there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and prosperity,\" he said. \"We hope they take it.\" Timeline of election violence » . Ahmadinejad said Thursday that even 5- and 6-year-olds would not allow insults to the Iranian nation, telling Obama: \"We hope that you will avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and somehow express your regret so that the Iranian nation can become aware of your regret. If there is real change, the Iranian nation will welcome it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ahmadinejad: \"We do not wish the scandals of the Bush era to be repeated\"\nIran has been in gripped in post-election violence for two weeks .\nObama has said that Iranians must be permitted to demonstrate peacefully .\nU.S. president secretly wrote to Iran's supreme leader before the election ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Rudy Ruiz founded RedBrownandBlue.com, a site featuring multicultural political commentary, hosts a nationally syndicated Spanish-language radio show; and wrote a guide to success for immigrants (\"¡Adelante!\" published by Random House). He is co-founder and president of Interlex, an advocacy marketing agency based in San Antonio, Texas. Rudy Ruiz says people hold on to their views despite the evidence for fear of being labeled a flip-flopper. SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CNN) -- As people shout over each other and tune out diverging views in town hall meetings, the health care debate is proving to be symptomatic of a major ailment threatening our nation: . A contagious culture of closed-mindedness threatens to suffocate our progress as a society. Why has it become so difficult to even consider changing our minds about important issues? Here's my diagnosis. Increasingly, the willingness to change one's position on political issues has been misread as a mark of weakness rather than a product of attentive listening and careful deliberation. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, the successful branding of John Kerry as a flip-flopper doomed his bid. Fear of \"flip-flopper syndrome\" is apparently catching like the flu, because today politicians are not alone in their determination to adhere to partisan positions despite the changing needs of our nation. Nearly everyone's so reluctant to appear wishy-washy that they stand firm even when the evidence is against their views. Three factors exacerbate this paralysis by lack of analysis: labels, lifestyles and listening. First, the labels ascribed to many potential policy tools render sensible options taboo, loading what could be rational, economic or social measures with moral baggage. This narrows our choices, hemming in policy makers. Any proposal including the words \"government-run\" elicits cries of \"socialism\" and \"communism.\" Any argument invoking the words \"God\" or \"moral\" sparks accusations of \"right-wing extremism,\" \"fascism,\" or \"Bible-thumping.\" Instead of listening to each other's ideas, we spot the warning label and run the other way. Second, our lifestyles favor knee-jerk reactions. The way we think, work and live in the Digital Age demands we quickly categorize information without investing time into rich interaction, research and understanding. We're hesitant to ask questions because we don't have time to listen to the long, complicated answers that might follow. And we lack the time to fact-check competing claims. In our haste, it's easier to echo our party's position than drill down, questioning whether party leaders are motivated by our best interests or the best interests of their biggest contributors. Third, we tend to listen only to like-minded opinions as media fragmentation encourages us to filter out varying perspectives. If you're a liberal, you avoid FOX News. If you're a conservative you revile MSNBC. The dynamic is even more pronounced online, where a niche media source can be found for any outlook. This silences the opportunity for meaningful dialogue and deliberation that might lead to reformulating positions, forging sustainable compromises, and developing consensus crucial to moving our nation forward on complex issues. So how can we overcome this challenge, starting with the health care debate? How do we open our minds to the possibility that we could actually learn from somebody else? Here's my prescription. For starters, we should eschew the notion that changing our minds is a character flaw. To the contrary, experts believe it's a manifestation of higher intelligence. Renowned psychologist Stuart Sutherland wrote in \"Irrationality,\" his seminal 1992 book: \"The willingness to change one's mind in the light of new evidence is a sign of rationality not weakness.\" To further free our minds, we should aggressively treat the three Ls: . Let's lose the labels: from \"flip-flopper\" to \"commie,\" from \"fear-monger\" to \"right-wing nut job.\" Trash the diatribe; mull the ideas. Let's engage in some constructive lifestyle management, slowing down to ponder -- and make independent decisions -- as enlightened people. We cannot allow the technological evolution to rob us of the intellectual strides of the American Revolution. We must value the art of listening, reflection, comparative analysis, and civil discourse if we're to make the most of our democracy. In the process, we should signal to leaders that we're willing to expand our horizons beyond party lines. Maybe they'll get in front of our parade, collaborating for a change. Let's request a second opinion and listen to each other. Switch channels. Visit different Web sites. Read a newspaper, while we can still find one. How about stepping into a town hall with an open mind, prepared to converse with people hailing from diverse circumstances? A range of perspectives enriches our viewpoint, empowering us to craft nuanced responses to complex situations. Ultimately, we must stop thinking that the only thing to think is what we've thought all along. As we learn more about multifaceted matters, our positions should evolve accordingly. Let's accept that it's OK to change your minds. In the end, opening our minds can only enhance the prognosis for our most cherished patient: America. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rudy Ruiz." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rudy Ruiz: It's become unfashionable to have an open mind about issues .\nHe says labels like \"socialism\" and \"fascism\" obscure the real choices .\nHe says it's a sign of rationality to be open to the evidence .\nRuiz: Let's listen to each other and take into consideration wider range of viewpoints ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Saudi Arabian man was arrested after bragging about his sex life on television, local media reported. Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared last week on a show on Lebanese channel LBC, where he went into \"graphic details about his sexual conquests,\" according to Arab News, an English daily. A segment of the show \"Red Line\" posted on YouTube shows the 32-year-old talking about sex and foreplay. He also discusses losing his virginity to a neighbor while he was 14. In deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, pre-marital sex is illegal and unrelated men and women are not allowed to mingle. A government official told the newspaper that discussing sex in public is a punishable offense that may affect anyone involved in the broadcast. \"It is wrong to host people on television to speak publicly about vice and issues against our religion,\" said Ahmad Qasim Al-Ghamdi, director of Mecca's branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also known as the religious police. \"The program presents anomalies and deviancy in society that are unacceptable and immoral, and should be punished according to Shariah.\" About 100 people have filed a complaint against Abdul Jawad, alleging among other things, that he violated a principle of Shariah law by \"publicizing his sinful behavior,\" the daily said. It is unclear what punishment, if any, Abdul Jawad faces. CNN has been unable to reach Abdul Jawad or the Saudi Ministry of Justice for comment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared last week on a show on Lebanese channel .\nHe gives \"graphic details about his sexual conquests,\" reports Arab News .\nIn deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, pre-marital sex is illegal .\nAbout 100 people have filed a complaint against Abdul Jawad; punishment not clear ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Photographer Terry O'Neill is famous for his iconic images Hollywood stars in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the 1970s hottest actresses, Faye Dunaway photographed by Terry O'Neill in 1976. He made his name capturing the era's A-listers including Audrey Hepburn, Orson Welles and Brigitte Bardot in a uniquely relaxed and natural way. Always polite and professional in his approach, his informal and spontaneous style captured the spirit of the times. Rising stars, including rock bands The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, did not want the wooden, pre-fabricated images typical of the 1950s. As a result O'Neill became much in demand and his star began to rise alongside that of his subjects. During the 1980s Terry became the photographer of choice for Hollywood, and his commissions from the time are nothing short of a catalogue of global superstardom. Terry's success continued into the 1990s and with 65 pictures held by London's National Portrait Gallery, he is today revered as one the great British photographers. Born in the east end of London in 1938, he began his photographic career working for an airline at Heathrow Airport as part of their photographic unit. Terry O'Neill's images will be on exhibition through Getty Images Gallery in a pop-up gallery at Westfield, London from 7th July until 3rd August." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "O'Neill began his career at The Daily Sketch a picture paper in the 1960s .\nPhotographed Hollywood icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Paul Newman .\nA collection of O'Neill's prints are on show at the National Portrait Gallery in London ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- TV pitchman Billy Mays' death appeared to be from heart disease, not a bump to the head, according to the Hillsborough County medical examiner. OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays apparently died from heart disease, according to the medical examiner. The final cause of death will not be known until after toxicology results are available, Dr. Vernard Adams said at a Monday news conference. Mays, 50, was pronounced dead at his home near Tampa Sunday morning, after his wife Deborah found him unresponsive, Tampa police said. The autopsy conducted Monday morning revealed Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, Adams said. \"It's not uncommon to have a sudden death with this kind of disease,\" Adams said. Watch medical examiner discuss Mays' autopsy » . \"Billy would be overwhelmed to see that his life touched so many people in a positive way,\" Deborah Mays said in a statement Monday. \"While it provides some closure to learn that heart disease took Billy from us, it certainly doesn't ease the enormous void that his death has created in our lives,\" she said. Billy Mays had told a friend before he went to sleep Saturday he was not feeling well. \"He said he was groggy, he wasn't feeling that great. He wanted to get some sleep,\" Todd Schnitt said. Watch friends remember Billy Mays » . Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia that had a hard landing Saturday at Tampa International Airport after the front tire of the plane blew out. After the flight, Mays told a Tampa TV station, \"All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.\" Watch Mays talk about hard landing » . Mays, with his booming voice, was famous for fronting products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo in TV commercials. iReport.com: Mays imitator meets the real thing . No evidence of exterior or interior head trauma was found during Mays' autopsy, Adams said. The Discovery Channel -- which airs \"Pitchmen\" co-hosted by Mays -- issued a statement saying, \"It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night. Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend.\" CNN's John Zarrella, Vivian Kuo and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Heart disease took Billy from us,\" wife says in statement .\nSudden death not unusual in heart disease cases, coroner says .\nBilly Mays, 50, is best known for his ads in which he shouts the attributes of OxiClean .\nThe pitchman was pronounced dead Sunday morning, authorities said ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Congestion in Zimbabwe's prisons is set to ease a bit after President Robert Mugabe acceded to pleas by prison authorities to pardon more than 1,500 prisoners. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has agreed to pardon 1,500 prisoners because of congestion. Mugabe granted the amnesty last month, but the Zimbabwe Prison Service is still identifying 1,544 prisoners to release. Zimbabwe's prisons are congested because the crime rate has escalated due to the country's economic collapse, prison officials have said. A senior justice ministry official told journalists Wednesday that Mugabe's clemency would benefit all convicted female prisoners and juveniles, but excludes criminals facing serious charges including rape or any sexual offenses, carjacking, conspiracy, armed robbery, murder and stock theft. \"As a short-term relief option to try and contain some of these challenges seriously and negatively impacting on the effective and efficient administration of prisons, a proposal to have a general amnesty was granted to inmates,\" said David Mangota, the Justice Ministry permanent secretary, of Mugabe's decision. The country's 42 prisons have a capacity for 13,000 inmates but are currently holding 17,000. As a result, the Prison Service has not been able to supply adequate rations to inmates. In April, a documentary showed half-naked, skeletal prisoners wasting away from hunger and diseases in some facilities. Prison officials said they are also strapped for cash, causing \"challenges\" in fulfilling basic needs for inmates, which include food, clothing and bedding, toiletries and transport, among others. One of the country's largest detention facilities, Khami Prison, has had its water cut off because the Prison Service hasn't paid its water bills, lawyers complained Wednesday. Sources said those bills now total more that U.S. $230,000. \"Offenders incarcerated should be treated humanely and with dignity in matters of health care, personal hygiene, sanitary, ablution requirements and general living conditions,\" said Josphat Tshuma, president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe. Khami Prison is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare and holds more than 2,000 inmates. The water disconnection raises the possibility that diseases such as cholera could break out, the Law Society said. Last year, a number of prisoners died due to various diseases related to lack of water, hunger and inhuman and unhygienic conditions, the group charged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Zimbabwe President agrees to pardon over 1,500 prisoners to ease congestion .\nZimbabwe's 42 prisons have capacity for 13,000 inmates but currently hold 17,000 .\nAdequate rations not available to all prisoners and some have become emaciated ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Muslim teenager from Ohio says her father threatened to kill her because she converted to Christianity. Rifqa Bary claims her father wants her dead after she converted to Christianity. Rifqa Bary, 17, ran away from her family in Columbus, Ohio, in July and took refuge in the central Florida home of the Rev. Blake Lorenz with the Global Revolution Church in Orlando. The teen heard of the pastor and his church through a prayer group on Facebook. The girl's parents reported her missing to Columbus police, who found her two weeks later in Florida through cell phone records. The teenager, in a sworn affidavit, claims her father, Mohamed Bary, 47, was pressured by the mosque the family attends in Ohio to \"deal with the situation.\" In the court filing, Rifqa Bary stated her father said, \"If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!\" The teenager claims her father added, \"I will kill you!\" Mohamed Bary told CNN a lot of false information has been given and \"we wouldn't do her harm.\" He knew his daughter was involved with Christian organizations. \"I have no problem with her practicing any faith,\" he said, but Bary admitted he would have preferred his daughter to practice the Muslim faith first. Although Mohamed Bary said he did not expect his daughter to run away, Rifqa Bary was placed in foster care by an Orlando judge in August while the Florida Department of Children and Family investigated the threat allegations against the parents. In a court filing Monday, John Stemberger, Rifqa Bary's attorney and president of the Christian advocacy organization Florida Family Policy Council, accused the parents' Ohio mosque of having ties to terrorism and radical Islam. The Noor Islamic Cultural Center has denied the allegations. Stemberger told CNN he agreed with his client that she would be killed by radical Muslims if she is returned to Ohio. \"She is a person who is ripe for apostate killing or mercy killing. I'm not going to let my client slip away in the night by going back,\" said Stemberger. Roger Weeden, the mother's attorney in Florida, said the filing had no credible evidence but instead was meant \"just to inflame the community and the court.\" Weeden said he believes the teen's attorney is trying to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. The teen's attorney said his client has endured a history of abuse from her family. Stemberger said the young girl was forced to wear the Muslim headscarf called a hijab and was punched in the face by her father for being ashamed while wearing it. Stemberger is asking the court to keep Rifqa Bary in the custody of the state of Florida until she turns 18 in a year. Mohamed Bary, who is not a United States citizen, said he can't believe all the false allegations and the bad image caused by the situation. \"We are not bad people,\" Bary said. \"We are not like that, we are normal.\" The mother's attorney said the teenager was a normal girl, a cheerleader in Ohio, and what Muslim extremist would allow his daughter be a cheerleader? At a court hearing scheduled for Thursday in Orlando, the parents will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations against them. Their attorney said the parents will deny all allegations. After the court hearing, the judge may force all the parties involved into mediation, followed by an adjudication hearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teen convert says she ran away from Muslim father after he allegedly threatened her .\nRifqa Bary's attorney says his client would be killed if she is returned to Ohio .\nMohammed Bary calls allegations false, says Rifqa can practice any faith she wants .\nHearing on case is scheduled for Thursday in Florida ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It's a blog where people post, and make fun of, pictures of out-of-shape, poorly dressed and otherwise awkward people shopping at Wal-Mart. The \"People of Walmart\" blog features photos taken by users at the mega-chain. And, in less than a month, with no marketing to speak of, it's become the toast of the Internet. \"People of Wal-Mart,\" a gag started by two 20-something brothers and their buddy to share crazy pictures with their friends, has gone viral. Promoted largely on sites like Digg and Funny or Die -- and linked ad nauseam on Facebook and Twitter -- the site picked up enough traffic to crash its servers on Wednesday. \"I'm still baffled -- I really am,\" said Andrew Kipple, 23, one of the creators of the site, who said his team was frantically working Wednesday to add enough server space to handle the surge in traffic. Photos on the site, sent in by viewers all over the United States, frequently feature overweight people wearing tight clothes, bizarre hairstyles (with versions of the short-in-front, long-in-back \"mullet\" leading the pack) and fashion crimes ranging from furry leg warmers to miniskirts that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. There's a guy enjoying a can of beer outside a Wal-Mart, a guy dressed as Captain America and another guy with a goat. Yes, a live goat. Andrew and his brother Adam, 25, said they thought of the site after a visit to a South Carolina Wal-Mart where they saw a woman they believed to be a stripper, wearing an obscene T-shirt and leading a toddler in a harness. Around the next corner was a man with a beard reminiscent of the rock band ZZ Top. \"It's kind of like the light bulb went off,\" Andrew said. \"We get the e-mails already from people who are like, 'Why didn't I think of this?' We just happened to be fortunate enough to have the ability to actually follow through on it.\" Their site was keeping up when it was getting about 500,000 views a day, but got swamped by a new spike in traffic late last week. The brothers, along with partner Luke Wherry, 23, say response has been largely positive -- with only a handful of complaints out of every 100 e-mails they get. A post on the group's Facebook page Thursday morning said they had gotten more than 1.2 million page views on Wednesday, even though the site was down for much of the day. The site was getting two or three photo submissions a day until last week they said -- when all of a sudden hundreds of e-mails, most with pictures, started rolling in. But not everyone appreciates the humor -- saying the site goes out of its way to mock poor and rural patrons of the store, reinforcing stereotypes along the way. \"American culture likes to single out people who appear to be different,\" said Tim Marema, vice president of the Whitesburg, Kentucky-based Center for Rural Strategies. \"Whether it's a joke or not, all depends on which side of the camera you're on.\" Furthering stereotypes can strengthen the rifts between rural, urban and suburban residents and, in the worst-case scenario, can affect the way some people are treated by government and industry, he said. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer with more than 4,200 U.S. stores and over $400 billion in annual sales, may be more prominent in rural areas, Marema said, but to use that to stereotype its shoppers doesn't make sense. \"The reality is that everybody shops at Wal-Mart,\" he said. \"If you want to find the guy in the golf shirt and khakis, he's there too.\" A spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. declined to comment for this story. The brothers say they don't mean for their site to be mean-spirited, and that they have standards for which photos they use. Andrew Kipple said they don't include pictures of people with physical disabilities or apparent mental disabilities and won't run a picture of a person simply because they are overweight. \"We're not going to go out and say we're not making fun of anybody or we're the nicest guys in the world. But I think you have to draw a line somewhere when you have a site like this,\" he said. \"If you have a mental handicap -- that's not funny. If you have lost a leg and you're on a crutch or in a wheelchair, some people may laugh at that, but we don't find it funny.\" He denied complaints that the photos -- many of which attract a string of snarky comments from readers -- single out people because they are poor or unattractive. \"If you make a bad decision on what you're going to be out in public wearing, that's what we're looking for,\" he said. \"If you're 400 pounds, you shouldn't be wearing nothing but a pink tube top. Even if you shop at Goodwill, wherever you go, the shirts they sell have sleeves and they have your size.\" Adam Kipple, who works as a Web designer for a marketing firm, said he and his brother are frequent Wal-Mart shoppers themselves and that, in a way, their site could be boon to the shopping chain. \"People [who send e-mails wanting to take pictures] say, 'I haven't been to Wal-Mart in years, but now I have a reason to go,' \" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"People of Wal-Mart\" blog went viral last week .\nSite features photos of unusual haircuts, fashion at the stores .\nCritics say site reinforces stereotypes, misrepresents Wal-Mart shoppers .\nSite's creators say they have standards, won't mock everyone ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The son of Gabon's former president was declared the winner of the country's presidential elections on Thursday, sparking violent protests in some parts of the West African nation. Two men walk by tyres set on fire by opposition supporters in Libreville, Gabon. Voters went to the polls Sunday to elect a successor to President Omar Bongo, who died in June after more than four decades in office. Bongo, 73, was Africa's longest-serving ruler. In a live announcement Thursday on Gabonese television, Interior Minister Jean Francois Ndongou said Ali Bongo received 41.73 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, with former interior minister Andre Mba Obame getting 25.88 percent and main opposition leader Pierre Mamboundou winning 25.22 percent. Opposition supporters protested the results outside the French consulate in the oil-rich city of Port-Gentil, on the country's coast. A fire broke out at the consulate during the demonstrations, a French official told CNN. The official did not want his name to be used. Some people were seriously injured in the blaze, the official said. In his first address to the nation shortly after the results were announced, Ali Bongo, 50, promised to work to improve living conditions for all Gabonese by a redistribution of the country's riches, according to Gabonese media reports. The country has multiple lucrative natural resources, including oil, timber, minerals and gems. Before the results were made public, all three candidates had previously claimed victory, with the opposition candidates denouncing what they said was fraud in the election and vote-counting. Security forces patrolled the streets in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, where violence broke out in some quarters when the results were released, according to French media reports. Libreville was deserted because residents had fled to villages for fear of post-election violence, Andriankoto Ratozamanana told CNN by phone from the capital. \"The citizens won't accept if Ali Bongo wins, because that will mean the government stole the vote,\" Ratozamanana said. \"They want change. They don't want Bongo, because he is his dad's son.\" The younger Bongo, a former defense minister, was one of 23 politicians originally in the ballot. Several candidates pulled out a few days before the vote to support the opposition, said Archippe Yepmou, a media activist. The elder Bongo took power in 1967, seven years after the country's independence from France. He imposed one-party rule a year after succeeding the country's first president, who died in office. He allowed multiparty elections after a new constitution in 1991, but his party retained its grip on the government despite that. The nation of about 1.5 million has a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, according to the CIA World Factbook. Despite its wealth, which also comes from timber exports, a large percentage of its population lives in poverty because of poor financial management and a huge gap between the rich and the poor. CNN's Alanne Orjoux and Umaro Djau contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ali Bongo, son of Gabon's former president declared the winner of election .\nOpposition supporters protest outside the French consulate in city of Port-Gentil .\nVoters went to the polls on Sunday to elect successor to President Omar Bongo ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Below is an excerpt from Nancy Grace's new novel \"The Eleventh Victim.\" published by Hyperion. Nancy anchors \"Nancy Grace\" on HLN nightly at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET. HLN's Nancy Grace makes her fiction debut with \"The Eleventh Victim.\" A little something. What was it? Something...some detail was wrong. . He couldn't just leave the body lying there like that. There was something missing. It was biting at him. He'd tried to go, walking back to his car in the dark twice now, but the nagging in his brain wouldn't let him leave until she was absolutely perfect. He looked at her lying there in the moonlight. Her dead body was absolutely stunning. Before, when she had been alive, sitting in the passenger seat of his car, talking and talking about her life and herself and her journey from Anniston, Alabama, to Atlanta to break into acting, he thought his head would blow up like a bomb. She just wouldn't shut up. What did she think it was...a date? She was a hooker. He spotted her climbing the steep steps out of the MARTA subway station downtown. She got straight into his car with a big smile when he offered her a ride. Once inside, driving, he kept looking away from the road, stealing glances at her neck. Something about it drew him. Maybe the shape, the curve -- or maybe it was the soft hollow spot at the bottom. It was the only thing about her he could stomach. Watch Nancy talk about her new novel » . He lowered the automatic windows so her conversation would fly out into the night and he wouldn't have to hear it. Her teeth and lips revolted him. The shiny pink lip gloss she was wearing had thickened in spots across her lips and some had smeared onto her front teeth. Looking over at her as she talked, Cruise thought it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. Back to the task at hand. What was it? It was maddening...he couldn't bring himself to leave until everything was just right...perfect, in fact. Every detail mattered. Like a delicate soufflé or performing his specialty, decorating with boiling-hot spun sugar, perfection was achieved only by acute attention to detail. There, in the dark of the clearing, it hit him. Turning, he walked to his car and reached through the open window into the glove compartment and got it. The baker's twine. It was his favorite brand --it was actually the only twine he would ever consider using -- just shipped in from France. He had posed her on her back. The four bright-red puncture marks torn into her mid-back didn't bother him at all. In fact, the dark red against the white skin created a vivid contrast that was somehow pleasing to him. Walking back to her body, which he had spread carefully on a bed of soft grass to more suitably frame her pale limbs in a night lit only by the moon, he paused again. He needed the perfect spot. He couldn't rush this or he wouldn't sleep all night. The wrist? Like a bracelet? No. She was wearing a tacky, gold-tone watch. That would ruin the whole thing for him. And he couldn't bring himself to actually touch the timepiece she wore there on her right wrist. It looked cheap; he was sure the gold-tone finish was turning dark at the edges of the band. The neck? No. It was much too close to the lip gloss. The gloss had a faint, fruity odor, foul as gasoline fumes to Cruise, and that alone made him want to retch. It would totally destroy the twine's effect. Sometime during their \"date,\" fresh, damp dirt and a little grass had smeared horizontally across her mouth and worked its way up into her nose. He left it there. That was a beautiful and poetic touch of nature, but the lip gloss...disgusting. As he stood there at the foot of her body, staring into her face, her own eyes stared away from him and straight up into the sky, her lips still slightly parted just as they had been in life...just as they had been at the zenith, that incredibly beautiful and intimate moment when she exhaled her last breath into the night. And as he relived that moment, it came to him in an epiphany. He decided...the left ring finger. Perfect. He squatted down and gently picked up her left hand. The wrist was still limp. He tied a single, perfect bow around her ring finger just before rigor set in...before the body went stiff and cold and hard. He placed the hand back gently across her stomach. Backing away a few feet to take in the whole picture, finally, he could relax. Every detail was exquisite. Finally, he could get some sleep. The bow was perfectly symmetrical, and there, in the moonlight, it was just gorgeous. Almost like a wedding band. From THE ELEVENTH VICTIM by Nancy Grace. Copyright © 2009 Toto Holdings, LLC. To be published in August 2009 by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The Eleventh Victim\" is about an Atlanta assistant DA whose fiance is murdered .\nThe novel's heroine, Hailey Dean, relocates to New York for a fresh start .\nShe becomes a therapist whose patients begin dying -- they are murdered .\nThe murders are similar to 11 Atlanta killings and Hailey must solve the case ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Somalis forced to flee war and drought are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at home and in neighboring countries, including in Kenya and Ethiopia, an aid agency said Thursday. Somali refugees in Kenya queue to find out about a move to a displacement camp. Somalia has seen a rise in fighting between government forces and the Islamic militant group Al-Shabab, which wants to implement a stricter form of Sharia law or Islamic religious law. The clashes have left scores dead in recent months. The country in the Horn of Africa is also going through the worst drought in 10 years, international agency Oxfam said. \"Somalis flee one of the world's most brutal conflicts and a desperate drought, only to end up in unimaginable conditions in camps that are barely fit for humans,\" said Robbert Van den Berg, a spokesman for Oxfam International in the Horn of Africa. \"Hundreds of thousands of children are affected, and the world is abandoning the next generation of Somalis when they most need our help. Why does it seem like you matter less in this world if you are from Somalia?\" The international community has failed the refugees, who have little access to basic services such as water and medicine, Oxfam said. About 8,000 Somali refugees flock into the Dadaab camp in northern Kenya every month, the aid agency said. The camp, which has facilities for about 90,000, has 280,000 refugees who have no access to basic necessities, including clean water, Oxfam said. \"The Kenyan government has repeatedly promised to provide more land to ease the overcrowding, but has so far failed to do so,\" Van den Berg said. \"More pressure from the international community is needed to make it happen.\" Kenyan officials decried the criticism. \"It is wrong to say we are not doing anything,\" said Francis Mwaka, a federal communications official. \"The Kenya government is aware of the problem and is working on a solution.\" Several government departments that deal with refugee issues are planning to meet next week, Mwaka said. \"During this meeting, they will discuss the possibility of having another camp for refugees in the country or relocating some of the ones in Dadaab to another camp,\" he said. Mwaka confirmed Oxfam's report that the Dadaab camp was built to host 90,000 refugees. In Ethiopia, the Bokolmayo camp has about 10,000 people. At least 1,000 people arrive there every month, but the facilities are not adequate enough to handle the influx, Oxfam said. Meanwhile, in Somalia, insecurity has hindered international aid agencies from reaching the 485,000 people who have fled the capital, Mogadishu, to nearby Afgooye, Oxfam said. The displaced are getting help from Somalis, who do not have enough resources, it added. \"In all three locations -- Afgooye, Dadaab and Bokolmayo -- the services being provided to vulnerable and desperate people are far below international standards,\" Van den Berg said. About 1.4 million people have been displaced in Somalia and 500,000 more have fled to countries in the region, according to Oxfam. The transitional government has been mired in chaos since 1991 when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and sparked brutal clan infighting. Government officials have struggled to establish authority amid challenges by Islamist groups that have seized control of some cities." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Somali refugees living in unsanitary conditions at home and in neighboring countries .\nClashes between government forces and Islamic militant group has killed hundreds .\nSomalia also suffering from worst drought in ten years, according to Oxfam .\nThe Bokolmayo camp in Ethiopia is home to about 10,000 refugees ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Mental Floss) -- Students, we know you may not be all that ecstatic about seeing your teachers -- and the homework they assign -- as the school year starts up. Pay attention in class, though; you never know what hidden talents your teachers might have. Just look at all of these famous former teachers: . After teaching and performing music, Gene Simmons is now starring in his own reality show, \"Family Jewels.\" Gene Simmons: The tongue-flicking bassist of Kiss taught sixth grade in Harlem before he became the world's most famous bass-playing demon. Simmons later revealed in interviews that his superiors canned him for replacing the works of Shakespeare with Spiderman comics, which he thought the students were more likely to actually read. Alexander Graham Bell: The telephone pioneer got his start teaching Visible Speech at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes. He developed a bond with a student named Mabel Hubbard, and when she was 19 the two married. Sting: Before he became a star with The Police, Sting taught English, music, and soccer at St. Catherine's Convent School. Sting later said of working at a convent school, \"I was the only man on the faculty. In fact, I was the only teacher not in a habit.\" Mental Floss: How 10 celebrities picked their stage names . Robert Frost: Like King, Frost worked as a teacher to supplement the income from his fledgling literary career. Frost worked as both a farmer and teacher at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. His students called him \"the Hen Man\" because the poet was afraid of chickens, and Frost allegedly had trouble remembering to milk the school's cows on time. Lyndon Johnson: The future president got his start as a principal at the Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas. He later finished his teaching degree and landed gigs teaching public speaking at Pearsall High School in Pearsall Texas and Sam Houston High in Houston. The debate team he coached at Sam Houston lost the Texas state championship by a single point; Johnson supposedly had to vomit backstage before he could bring himself to congratulate the winners. Art Garfunkel: We can't speak for Paul Simon, but at least half of Simon and Garfunkel was really, really good at math. Garfunkel nearly earned a doctorate in the subject and was teaching math at the Litchfield Preparatory School in Connecticut when \"Bridge Over Troubled Water\" soared to the top of the charts. John Adams: The second president of the United States spent a few years working as a schoolteacher in Worcester, Massachusetts. Teaching didn't suit Adams, who thought his students were nothing more than a \"large number of little runtlings, just capable of lisping A, B, C, and troubling the master.\" He eventually gave up the job to go to law school. Mr. T: It was hard for Chicago students to be fools when it came to gym class in the mid-1970s. You'd pay attention if Mr. T told you to do jumping jacks, wouldn't you? Sylvester Stallone: Did you know you were watching a matchup of tough-guy teachers when Stallone and Mr. T battled in \"Rocky III?\" When Sly was attending the American College in Switzerland during the 1960s, he worked as a gym teacher to earn extra spending money. Mental Floss: Sly Stallone pudding and other unique celebrity products . J.K. Rowling: The Harry Potter author worked as an English teacher in Portugal as she plotted out the early adventures of her young wizards. Andy Griffith: Before he was a sheriff, before he was Matlock, Andy Griffith was a teacher. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Griffith taught English at Goldsboro High School. Billy Crystal: The comedian worked as a junior high substitute teacher on Long Island while he waited for his career to take off. Among the classes he subbed for: girls' gym, which must have been a great source of material. Kris Kristofferson: The country star was a Rhodes Scholar who studied literature at Oxford before joining the Army and rising to the rank of captain. Towards the end of his tour of duty, Kristofferson took a job as an English teacher at West Point, but he decided against the professorship at the last minute. Instead of heading to New York, he resigned his commission and moved to Nashville in 1965. Stephen King: Although he initially had to work in an industrial laundry after his college graduation, the horror master eventually found a teaching job that paid a cool $6400 a year at the Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. King wrote \"Salem's Lot\" while living in a trailer and working this job during the day. Mental Floss: Mojave Desert's airplane graveyard . Sir William Golding: The author's experiences as a teacher helped inform the novel that made his career. He once allowed a class of boys to debate with complete freedom, and the classroom quickly devolved into such disorder that it inspired Golding to write \"Lord of the Flies.\" For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some people who became famous, tried their hand at teaching first .\nPresident Lyndon Johnson taught public speaking, coached debate team .\nArt Garfunkel was teaching math when \"Bridge Over Troubled Water\" became a hit .\nAuthors Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and singer Sting all taught English ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Toyota must start again, \"from the bottom up,\" new president Akio Toyoda said Thursday. New Toyota boss Akio Toyoda says he will cut his salary by 30 percent. Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, the grandson of Toyota Motors' founder said the company will focus on tailoring its product lines to customer demand in each region. Toward that end, Toyoda named an executive vice president to head each region. The company was not wrong to expand its business earlier this decade, Toyoda said, but he acknowledged that it might have overextended. Moving forward, the company's focus will be on products, rather than profits, he said. Taking responsibility for the company's $4.4 billion net loss in the most recent fiscal year, Toyoda said he would cut his salary by 30 percent. There are no current plans to close factories, a company executive said. Analysts say Toyoda must drastically cut costs, but he offered no hints as to how or even whether that would be done at his first news conference as president. The company board formally approved Toyoda, 53, for the job on Tuesday. He has been with Toyota for 24 years. His grandfather slightly altered the family name when christening the company \"Toyota,\" which has eight brush strokes in Japanese -- a fortuitous number." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Akio Toyoda is the grandson of company founder Kiichiro Toyoda .\nToyoda has been with the firm 24 years, says will cut his salary by 30 percent.\nAnalysts say Toyoda must drastically cut costs -- he offers no hints as to how ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has shown throughout her career that when it comes to voting, it's her principles and constituents that guide her, not her party. Sen. Olympia Snowe has received overwhelming support from her constituents in past elections. Those principles, analysts note, are guiding her to find a compromise on health care reform currently stalemated in Congress. Jennifer Duffy, who follows the Senate for the Cook Political Report, said Snowe's independent streak is \"not new behavior for her.\" \"I think they [Republicans] also realize that the only reason that the state of Maine has two Republican senators at all is the fact that they are very independent-minded and they vote their state,\" she said, referring to Snowe and Sen. Susan Collins. In fact, some estimates place Snowe as having voted with her party only 57 percent of the time in the current Congress. While her moderate views are at odds with GOP opposition to several of President Obama's economic plans this year, the senator's constituents seem to agree with her. In 2006, she won re-election with 74 percent of the vote, compared to her Democratic opponent's 21 percent. In 2000, Snowe received 69 percent of the vote. In an interview with National Public Radio in 2006, she said that while her views are moderate, Maine, like other New England states, has been \"naturally independent\" \"Oftentimes, I tell my leadership, don't blame me, it's just where I grew up,\" she said at the time. Snowe, 59, was elected to Congress in 1978 at age 31, and served Maine's 2nd District for 16 years. She ran for Senate in 1994 and won, \"becoming the first woman in American history to serve in both houses of the state legislature and both houses of Congress,\" her Senate Web site notes. Her political career began in 1973 after her husband, Maine Rep. Peter Snowe, was killed in a car accident and she was elected to fill his seat. After two years in the state Senate, she won the U.S. House seat held by William Cohen when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1978. Snowe was elected to the Senate with 60 percent of the vote during the Republican revolution of 1994, filling the seat of longtime Democratic Sen. George Mitchell, who retired. She married then-Maine Gov. John McKernan in 1989. In 2006, Time Magazine named her one of the top 10 U.S. senators, calling her \"the caretaker.\" \"Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in Washington,\" the article read. \"But while Snowe is a major player on national issues, she is also known as one of the most effective advocates for her constituents.\" Duffy said that if Snowe and Collins started voting with the Republican leadership all the time, \"They would probably both lose re-election.\" Part of the so-called \"Gang of Six\" on the Senate Finance Committee, which includes three Democrats and three Republicans, she has been actively negotiating with the White House. The White House said that Sens. Chuck Grassley and Mike Enzi, the other two Republicans in the Gang of Six, have backed away from negotiations, although Enzi released a statement that said he is still willing to talk. Snowe said it's important to work with the other party despite criticism. \"I think sometimes, yes, I'd find myself in that position, you know, with fewer and fewer ... people who are willing to reach across the political aisle and to create what I ... call the sensible center,\" she told NPR last week. \"I mean, that's where the majority of Americans are. And I try to sort of build those ... bridges.\" Part of that bridge building was seen with her votes for the president's $787 billion economic stimulus package in February. For the past months, Snowe has been pushing the idea of a safety net plan, or \"trigger,\" for a public health care option as part of a key compromise. A source familiar with her negotiations with Obama said that's one of the things they're talking about. Watch more on the health care debate » . The idea would give insurance companies a defined period to make changes in order to help cover more people and drive down long-term costs. But if those changes failed to occur within the defined period, a trigger would provide for creating a public option to force change on the insurance companies. \"This option would be available from day one in any state where -- after market and insurance reforms are implemented -- affordable, competitive plans still do not exist,\" she said in a press release. Her main concerns so far have been the high cost of health care proposals. \"What we have to do is develop a plan that's going to be available to people on an affordable basis, and, secondly, containing costs both for the American consumer and the American taxpayer,\" Snowe said in the NPR interview last week. Cost has been a major part of her bipartisan efforts in the Senate. \"Given the gravity of our economic circumstances, I am pleased that our bipartisan negotiations have yielded a consensus solution that will create jobs, assist the displaced and invest in our economy,\" she said at the time about the stimulus plan. She added that it is not a \"matter of labeling something as spending or as tax relief; it's finding and including in this package the vital provisions necessary for jump-starting our economy.\" CNN's Dana Bash, Ed Henry and Mark Preston contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sen. Olympia Snowe is one of two GOP senators from Maine .\nSnowe has said she is guided by principles and constituents, not her party .\nAnalyst: Snowe's independent streak is \"not new behavior for her\"\nIn 2006, Time magazine named her one of the top 10 U.S. senators ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Seventy days after his sudden death, Michael Jackson will be interred in what may or may not be his final resting place Thursday evening. A private funeral for Michael Jackson will be held Thursday in Glendale, California, his family says. Only his family and closest friends will attend the private burial starting at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) inside the ornate Great Mausoleum on the grounds of Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California. They'll then drive to an Italian restaurant eight miles away in Pasadena, California for \"a time of celebration,\" the nine-page engraved invitation said. The first page inside the invitation holds a quote from \"Dancing the Dream,\" a book of essays and poems published by Jackson in 1992: . \"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.\" Gallery: Invitation for Jackson's service » . The news media -- which have closely covered every aspect of Jackson's death -- will be kept at a distance, with their cameras no closer than the cemetery's main gate. The family will provide a limited video feed that will only show mourners arriving. Little is known about the planned ceremony, though CNN has confirmed that singer Gladys Knight -- a longtime friend to Jackson -- will perform. Her song has not been disclosed. The massive mausoleum, which is normally open to tourists, was closed Wednesday as preparations were completed for the funeral. A security guard blocking its entrance said it would reopen to the public on Friday. Fans of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities buried on the grounds have flocked to Forest Lawn-Glendale for decades, but Jackson may outdraw them all. It is unclear how close tourists will be allowed to Jackson's resting place. Security guards -- aided by cameras -- keep a constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture. The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum, which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy, \"has been called the \"New World's Westminster Abbey\" by Time Magazine. Visitors will see \"exact replicas of Michelangelo's greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta\" and \"Leonardo da Vinci's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world's largest paintings,\" the Web site says. Jackson's burial has been delayed by division among Jackson family members, though it was matriarch Katherine Jackson who would make the final decision, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN. He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home, north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California. That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted. The mystery of where Michael Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death. After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours following his June 25 death, it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy. It was only later disclosed that Jackson's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena. Again, speculation about Jackson's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena. Though the family has not publicly confirmed where the body was taken, most reports placed it back at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family's decision. Though Thursday's interment may settle one Michael Jackson mystery, a more serious one remains. The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson's death a homicide. A summary of the coroner's report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer's death. Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Michael Jackson burial to begin at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET)\nJackson's burial has been delayed by division among Jackson family members .\nCoroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson's death a homicide .\nNo one has been charged in the pop singer's death ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- When David Whitney traveled to Pakistan to shoot his film about a man forced to flee Afghanistan after falling foul of the Taliban he didn't expect fiction to turn into reality. A still from \"Kandahar Break.\" Production of the film was halted after the crew were fired upon by suspected Taliban militia. But that's exactly what happened three weeks into shooting political thriller \"Kandahar Break\" in late 2008. Gunmen attacked the first-time director and his crew near the Afghan border. Four Pakistani crew members were shot and wounded in the incident and the entire crew was forced to flee the region. Pakistani authorities later told Whitney that the gunmen were affiliated with the Taliban and were in fact targeting the Western members of the team. \"I was very upset. It was terrifying to know that somebody was trying to attack us, trying to shoot us,\" Whitney told CNN. With the help of local security forces the team was immediately evacuated to Islamabad and put on a flight out of the country in 24 hours. Whitney had only managed to film three-quarters of the script and the film's future lay in the balance. \"When I heard that the crew members who had been shot were going to be fine I started to think like the businessman and the producer,\" says Whitney. \"I thought, 'How are we going to finish this film? We're not just going to give up.' And to a man everybody involved agreed to finish it.\" After six months spent organizing financial backing, the original cast and crew flew to Tunisia to complete the movie and has been attracting interest from distributors. Despite the danger caused by shooting so close to the actual conflict zone, Whitney says he would shoot in the region again if he had the chance. \"Every place you point a camera there's a great shot. You don't have to go very far to find fantastic authentic Afghan architecture and beautiful landscapes. \"All the people are in the same sort of authentic costumes, so you don't have the problem of trying to find authenticity -- it's all around you.\" Whitney hopes the authenticity will help \"Kandahar Break\" enjoy the same level of success as Kathryn Bigelow's \"The Hurt Locker\" -- the first film about the Iraq war to make a profit at the U.S. box office. Bigelow's thriller tells the story of an elite army EOD bomb squad who battle insurgents and each other, as they disarm a innumerable roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad. Bigelow shot \"The Hurt Locker\" in Jordan, as close as she could get to the actual conflict zone. She also made use of local actors. The film is based on screenwriter Mark Boal's first-hand experiences gathered whilst embedded with a bomb unit in Iraq. \"Because it was based on real life, we wanted to keep it as realistic as possible and keep it accurate,\" Bigelow told CNN. \"I mean this is a conflict that's still on-going so we felt responsible to the troops still there and the situation on the ground.\" The cast faced grueling shooting conditions: Temperatures ranged between 115 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit (46 and 49 degrees Celsius). It was even hotter in the authentic bomb suit worn by Jeremy Brenner, who plays Staff Sergeant James. The suit weighed 60 pounds. \"You really can't explain the heat and the weight of the suit,\" Brenner told CNN. \"That certainly helped the realism of it all. There were a few moments I felt like ... I've been as close as I could've come to war without actually being in the military. \"The heat was real, the dust was real, the costumes and everything was so real that the tension [was already there],\" Anthony Mackie who plays Sergeant JT Sanborn told CNN. \"Kathryn would come to us before every scene and say, 'Remember at any moment you can die.' And we kept that in mind throughout all the scenes.\" While \"The Hurt Locker,\" has made over $11 million in the U.S., previous movies dealing with conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have struggled to make money. Observers have attributed this to \"war fatigue\" suffered by audiences due to an abundance of war-stories in the media. Bigelow and Whitney are confident that cinema audiences have a thirst for knowledge about volatile regions like Iraq and Afghanistan that goes beyond what is reported on the news. \"I think the conflict [in Iraq] has been somewhat abstract for the general public, certainly speaking for myself,\" Bigelow told CNN. \"The film provides kind of a window, a lens onto what this particular conflict might be like, and gives it some specificity.\" David Whitney hopes \"Kandahar Break\" can have a similar effect. \"Afghanistan is at the moment quite central to global security. I think it's good that people are looking at Afghanistan, questioning it, asking all sorts of questions. If my film can play any part in that, any small part, then I'm pleased.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Four Pakistani crew members shot during filming of \"Kandahar Break\"\nDespite difficulties, director David Whitney says it was a great film location .\nStar of \"The Hurt Locker\" says filming was similar to being in the military ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's memorial service will take place Tuesday morning in the Staples Center, the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown Los Angeles where Jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died, according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family. Michael Jackson was rehearsing at Los Angeles' Staples Center. His memorial will now be there. No other details about the service, set to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, have been revealed. Thursday, CNN learned the family trust created by Jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother, his children and a list of charities, according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust. Katherine Jackson's 40 percent share would go to Michael Jackson's three children after her death, the source said. The children -- ages 7, 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will, the source said. Jackson's will did not specify where he wished to be buried. Many of his fans had hoped they'd get a chance to pay last respects at Neverland Ranch, which Jackson purchased in 1987, filled with animals and amusement rides, and named after the fictional world in J.M. Barrie's \"Peter Pan.\" Planning had been under way for a motorcade to carry Jackson's body from Los Angeles to the ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, which state and local officials suggested would be difficult and costly. A public viewing at the ranch on Friday also had been under consideration, law enforcement sources said. Gregory Son, a 31-year-old musician, was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to Jackson. \"I think he was a modern-day prophet,\" Son said outside Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. \"We kind of lost our father.\" DEA joins investigation . On Wednesday night, a federal law enforcement official said Wednesday night that the Drug Enforcement Administration had joined Jackson's death investigation, once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon's passing. Two law enforcement officials separately confirmed the DEA probe, saying agents would look at various doctors involved with Jackson, their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply. Neither official wanted to be identified because they could not comment publicly on the matter. Officially, a DEA spokeswoman referred questions to the Los Angeles, California, police department -- which would not confirm the involvement. \"We routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the Federal Controlled Substance Act,\" said Sarah Pullen of the DEA. \"However, at this time, we have nothing further to comment about the death of Michael Jackson.\" Speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since Jackson died on June 25 at his rented estate in Holmby Hills. The cause of his death, at age 50, was pending toxicology results. On Wednesday, police released a car belonging to Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray. They had impounded the vehicle Friday, saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications. Police did not say whether they found anything. Murray's lawyers issued a statement, asking the public to reserve judgment about the cause of death until the coroner's tests are complete. \"Based on our agreement with Los Angeles investigators, we are waiting on real information to come from viable sources like the Los Angeles medical examiner's office about the death of Michael Jackson,\" the statement said. \"We will not be responding to rumors and innuendo.\" The comments were in reaction to a claim by a nutritionist who said Jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for the powerful sedative, Propofol, despite knowing its harmful effects. \"I told him this medication is not safe,\" said Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse. \"He said, 'I just want to get some sleep. You don't understand. I just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep.' \" Will nominates Jackson's mother as kids' guardian . Meanwhile, details of Jackson's will -- written on July 7, 2002 -- showed that the singer estimated his estate to be worth at least $500 million. In it, he nominated his mother, Katherine Jackson, as the guardian of his three children. If his 79-year-old mother is not living, \"I nominate Diana Ross as guardian,\" Jackson stated. Singer Ross, 65, is a lifelong friend of Jackson's. The will said Jackson \"intentionally omitted\" his former wife and the mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe. It will be up to a court to decide who gets custody of the children, ages 7, 11 and 12. Rowe has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the Jacksons for custody. The two men whom the will named as executors immediately filed a request to take control of the estate. One is John Branca, who represented Jackson from 1980 until 2006 and was hired again before the singer's death. He helped acquire Jackson's music catalog, which is worth millions. The other is music industry executive John McClain, a longtime Jackson friend who has worked with him and his sister Janet. The men said in their filing in Los Angeles Superior Court that control of the estate would allow them to tend to Jackson's numerous outstanding debts, legal cases and business obligations. Judge Mitchell Beckloff held an emergency hearing Wednesday morning and decided there was no urgency to replace Katherine Jackson -- whom he appointed temporary administrator earlier this week. Another hearing has been set for Monday. -- CNN's Drew Griffin, Kathleen Johnston, Michael Carey, Paul Vercammen, Carol Cratty and Kara Finnstrom contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Michael Jackson trust includes mother, children, charities .\nMichael Jackson memorial to be Tuesday at L.A.'s Staples Center .\nThe Drug Enforcement Administration has joined Jackson's death investigation .\nSpeculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since Jackson died ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is asking Mexican federal authorities not to pull military units out of the region for at least another six months. A Mexican soldier controls traffic at the Mexico-U.S. border customs post in Ciudad Juarez on August 16. A decision on whether to withdraw the troops is expected before September 15. The troops were sent to the city across from El Paso, Texas, in the spring of 2008 to help quell violence involving warring drug cartels. An additional surge of troops was sent this spring. That surge appeared to work at first, cutting the homicide rate in Juarez drastically. But murders in the city spiked over the summer. Figures provided by the city show that in August. more than 300 people were killed, the deadliest month so far this year. In July, 260 died and in June, 220. Those numbers were in stark contrast to 16 homicides in March, 42 in April and 60 in May. The mayor, Jose Reyes Ferriz, attributed the summer spike in violence to wars between cartels over the control of street drug-sale points. The cartels are hiring mostly youths to handle retail drug sales, he said, and that has resulted in most of the murder victims being between the ages of 14 and 25. The mayor said Juarez is not ready for the army's full withdrawal, even though he is aware the troops' presence was meant to be a temporary solution to give the city time to get rid of corrupt police officers, hire new ones and train its new force. \"We have accomplished the part that has to do with strengthening the police, but the city is in a very difficult situation. We are asking part of the army to stay and help us,\" Reyes Ferriz said. In September, 750 newly graduated police cadets are expected to join Ciudad Juarez Police Department, and another 400 in October, bringing the force to a total of about 3,000 officers. According to figures provided by the military, more than 6,000 soldiers are serving in Joint Operation Chihuahua in Juarez, of which 3,600 have been assigned to narco-traffic operations. The rest have been assigned to traffic duties and street patrols. The operation's spokesman, Enrique Torres, said the military is \"evaluating the security situation\" in the city and will be \"implementing a gradual withdrawal.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz would like federal army troops to stay six more months .\nTroops were sent to Ciudad Juarez to quell drug-fueled murders .\nMurders down in spring, but spike in summer; more than 300 killed in August .\nDecision on whether to withdraw the troops is expected before September 15 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Accusing local media in the Orlando, Florida, area of a \"barrage\" of coverage, Casey Anthony's lead defense attorney asked Monday to have her death-penalty case moved from Orlando to Miami, Florida. Casey Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. \"The overwhelming majority of the media's coverage of this case has been negative for the defendant,\" says a defense motion filed in Orange County Circuit Court. Anthony, 23, is scheduled to go on trial on a first-degree murder charge in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. \"The effects of the inflammatory and negative aspect of the media coverage in this case is best witnessed in the violent and harassing protests which have dogged the defendant and her family for many months now,\" the motion says. Signed by Anthony's lead lawyer, Jose Baez, the motion says moving the trial far enough away from local media will \"not end the coverage,\" which Baez said has produced thousands of articles and TV news reports, but will \"have a chilling effect\" on coverage. Peter Odom, a defense attorney appearing Monday on HLN's Nancy Grace to provide analysis of the case, said, \"All the defense has to show is that there's been extensive media coverage. That's a cinch.\" \"Secondly, that it will be impossible for them to find a fair jury pool,\" he added, referring to the Orlando area. Baez cited a number of reasons in his request to the judge to move the case to south Florida, where he says it has been covered far less and there is a \"large and diverse jury pool.\" Local media in the Orlando area, he argued, have affected Anthony's chances of getting a fair trial not only in Orange County but in much of Central Florida. If the judge rejects his request to move the trial to Miami, Baez said Broward County, about a 45-minute drive north of Miami, is a second choice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Attorney cites negative TV, media coverage in request for venue change .\nLawyer asked for trial to be moved from Orlando, Florida, to Miami, Florida .\nLawyer says media coverage means Casey Anthony won't get a fair trial .\nCasey Anthony facing death penalty trial for daughter's murder ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Iran's parliament on Thursday approved the Cabinet nominations of a suspected terrorist and the first woman minister in the Islamic republic's 30-year history. Iran's first woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi. She will head the health ministry. Lawmakers approved the nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post. He is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and one of six former and current Iranian officials sought by Interpol for the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago. Of those Cabinet choices approved by parliament, Vahidi won the highest number of votes. Argentina's Foreign Ministry has deplored the nomination of Vahidi, who is accused of working with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants in carrying out the 1994 attack. Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi was approved as the nation's health minister. She is the first female minister since the Islamic republic was founded. Iranian lawmakers gave their votes of confidence to 18 of the 21 nominees proposed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who entered a second term of office after a disputed presidential election. Two of those who failed to get the required majority votes enabling them to start work officially were female nominees: Sousan Keshavarz for the education ministry and Fatemeh Ajorlou for welfare and social security. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets for more than two weeks to protest the June 12 election results, calling them fraudulent after Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner. More than 1,000 people were arrested in a government crackdown, and Iran said at least 30 people were killed in post-election violence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Islamic Republic appoints its first ever woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi .\nLawmakers also approve nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post .\nVahidi, a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a suspected terrorist ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Turkish television show is offering contestants what it claims is the \"biggest prize ever\" -- the chance for atheists to convert to one of the world's major religions. The TV show offers converts to Islam the chance to visit Mecca. The show, called \"Tovbekarlar Yarisiyor,\" or \"Penitents Compete,\" features a Muslim imam, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Buddhist monk attempting to persuade 10 atheists of the merits of their religion, according to CNN Turk. If they succeed, the contestants are rewarded with a pilgrimage to one of their chosen faith's most sacred sites -- Mecca for Muslims, Jerusalem for converts to Judaism, a trip to Tibet for Buddhists and the chance to visit Ephesus and the Vatican for Christians. Ahmet Ozdemir, deputy director of Turkish channel Kanal T, which will air the show from September, said the program aimed to \"turn disbelievers on to God.\" \"People are free to believe anything they want. Our program does not have a say,\" he said, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Contestants will be judged by a panel of eight theologians and religious experts prior to going on the show to make sure their lack of faith is genuine. But the show has been condemned by Turkish religious leaders. The head of the country's supreme council of religious affairs, Hamza Aktan, told CNN Turk that it was \"disrespectful\" to place different faiths in competition with each other and accused Kanal T of using religion to boost ratings. \"To do such a thing for the sake of ratings, not only with Islam but with all religions is disrespectful,\" said Aktan. \"Religion should not be the subject of this type of program.\" Although Turkey has a predominantly Muslim population and culture, religion is a sensitive subject because of the country's staunchly secular constitution which outlaws most displays of faith in public life. Last year the Islamist-influenced government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clashed with the country's constitutional court when judges overturned the efforts of Erdogan's AK Party to lift a ban on female students wearing headscarves at public universities. Aylin Yazan at CNN Turk contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Turkish TV show features imam, Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi, Buddhist monk .\nReligious leaders attempt to persuade atheists to \"convert\" to their faith .\nShow has prompted criticism from religious groups who say it is \"disrespectful\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- One FAA safety inspector was killed and another injured Tuesday when a helicopter they were on crashed into an apparently unoccupied house in Jackson, Mississippi, authorities said. The Robinson R44 helicopter that crashed is similar to the one pictured here. The Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into the duplex-style house about half a mile east of Hawkins Field airport, according to Kathleen Bergen of the Federal Aviation Administration. The two people on the aircraft were from the agency's Flight Standards District Office in Jackson, Bergen said. Names of the two were not released. Both victims were taken to the Mississippi Medical Center where one of them died shortly after arriving, according to medical center spokesman Jack Masurak. Lee Vance, Jackson assistant police chief, said the rear roof of the house sustained most of the damage from the crash, and no one answered the door when emergency personnel arrived, leading him to believe the house was unoccupied at the time. The helicopter, which was registered to a local company and operated out of the airport, was demolished in the crash, authorities said. No further details about the crash were available." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both victims taken to Mississippi Medical Center where one died, say officials .\nRear of house sustained most of the damage from the crash, say police .\nHelicopter registered to a local company, demolished in crash, authorities said ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The attorney for a man whose wife's wrong-way accident killed eight people on New York's Taconic Parkway in July says he will ask authorities to exhume her body to prove she wasn't drinking at the time of the accident. On CNN's \"Larry King Live\" Tuesday night, Daniel Schuler said his wife, Diane, was not an alcoholic. Dominic Barbera, attorney for Daniel Schuler, told CNN's \"Larry King Live\" he believes Diane Schuler may have suffered stroke-like symptoms and that a fire after the accident could have turned blood sugar into alcohol. \"I read from the medical autopsy report that there was charring of the body because there was a fire,\" Barbera said. \"And I found -- my doctors found numerous cases where you can actually have sugar in the blood turn into alcohol.\" Barbera said Schuler may have had a Transient Ischemic Attack, which produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Watch why husband believes wife wasn't drunk » . The Westchester County medical examiner's office found that Schuler, 36, had a blood alcohol level of .19 percent -- more than twice the legal limit -- and had marijuana in her system when she drove a minivan the wrong way on the parkway and ran head-on into an SUV. Three adults in the SUV were killed in the July 26 crash, as were Schuler and four children she was carrying in the minivan -- her daughter and three nieces. A fifth child, Schuler's son, survived. A spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, Donna Green, said that the office stands \"by the findings of the medical examiner's report.\" But Daniel Schuler said he believed the report was wrong. \"I know the truth, what happened, with my wife,\" he said. \"She is not an alcoholic and doesn't drink. She is an outstanding mother.\" Barbera and Schuler said they wanted to have the body exhumed for further examinations to prove that the accident was not caused by a drunken driver. Attorneys for the family of Daniel Luongo, 73, one of the victims in the SUV, rejected the Schuler family's contention. \"The scientific evidence indicates that Diane Schuler was intoxicated and under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash,\" they said in a statement. \"Any claims denying her responsibility for this tragedy are wholly unsubstantiated, and the Luongo family finds these claims appalling, offensive and hurtful. They have lost a loved one to a senseless tragedy, and these claims do nothing but add insult to injury.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Husband wants to prove wife wasn't drinking at time of fatal New York collision .\nEight killed on Taconic Parkway in July as Diane Schuler drove wrong way .\nAttorney says Schuler may have had stroke-like symptoms .\nFire after accident could have turned Schuler's blood sugar into alcohol, attorney says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Two people were killed and three others were in critical condition Saturday when a truck carrying fireworks on North Carolina's Outer Banks exploded, officials said. Smoke from the explosion of a truck carrying fireworks rises over Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, Saturday. Jamie Tunnell, Hyde County spokeswoman, said the fireworks were to be used for the annual Fourth of July show on Ocracoke Island, and the five people were members of the crew setting up the display. The truck exploded at the Ocracoke Island docks. One person was killed at the scene, while another died at a hospital from injuries sustained in the blast, Tunnell said. Emergency crews and firefighters arrived. Tunnell said two volunteer firefighters were being treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion. Joseph Chestnut, 16, was working at the Ride the Wind kayak-rental stand in Ocracoke when he heard the explosion across the harbor. He thought a home under construction had collapsed, he told CNN's iReport. iReport.com: Smoke rises from explosion site . \"I saw all these fireworks blowing up,\" he said. \"They were low, and I knew that something was wrong.\" Watch images from the scene » . \"It was just really scary. There's never been an accident like that before that I've seen here,\" Chestnut added. The Hatteras Island ferry service was temporarily suspended, but had reopened by midday, and Highway 12 was clear, she said. The island, which is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, can be reached only by ferry, private boat or plane. The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were going to investigate on Saturday, she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two killed, three critically injured when truck carrying fireworks exploded .\nThe five were to set up Fourth of July show on Ocracoke Island in Outer Banks .\nTruck blew up at the Ocracoke Island docks .\nHatteras Island ferry service suspended; reopened midday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A judge Wednesday approved Katherine Jackson's request that Michael Jackson's estate get the bill for the cost of this week's burial of her son. A private funeral for Michael Jackson, here in 2002, will be held Thursday in Glendale, California, his family says. More than two months after his death, the pop singer will be interred in a private ceremony Thursday evening at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, the Jackson family said. A short hearing was held Wednesday morning before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff to consider Katherine Jackson's petition. The special administrators of his estate -- in control of the purse strings until the will is probated -- did not object to the Jackson family's request. The cost of the burial is a secret -- kept under court seal by Beckloff's order -- but it is believed to include paying Glendale police to handle traffic and security around the cemetery. The ceremony, which will be closed to the public and news media, is set for 7 p.m. at the cemetery's Holly Terrace in the Great Mausoleum, a family spokesman said. On July 7, Jackson's family and friends gathered at Forest Lawn's Hollywood Hills cemetery for a short service just before a public tribute to the singer in downtown Los Angeles. There has been widespread speculation about the whereabouts of Jackson's body. It has remained a closely guarded secret. The pop star's siblings and parents have been divided over where to bury him, several family members have said. Older brother Jermaine Jackson has said he wanted the singer to be buried at his former Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, while others have objected. The burial comes less than a week after the Los Angeles County coroner made public his conclusion that Jackson's June 25 death was a homicide. The coroner ruled that the anesthetic drug propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the death. Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation into the singer's death. No one has been charged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Michael Jackson will be interred in private cermony Thursday night, family says .\nCost of burial in Glendale, California, cemetery kept under court seal by judge's order .\nJudge approves family's request for Jackson's estate to pay for funeral .\nPublic tribute to pop singer held July 7 in Los Angeles; he died June 25 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(AOL Autos) -- Since there have been cars, people have chosen their rides based on what their cars say about them. AOL Autos put a list of cars before automotive industry experts to capture their take on several popular cars. Drivers of the dependable Camry know what's important in life, says expert. Our panel consisted of Stephanie Brinley, senior manager at Auto Pacific; James Bell, editor and publisher of IntelliChoice and Jim Markwalder, veteran automotive consultant from Detroit. Rest assured, these experts did not pull any punches. Toyota Prius: Green no matter its color . Brinley looked through the company's vast data on the Toyota Prius . \"Buying a Prius shows the world that you love the environment and hate using fuel,\" said Brinley. \"Compared to the overall industry, Prius buyers are more often women, have fewer kids and more often have college educations.\" Bell adds, \"New Prius buyers want to be part of the 'green' club.\" \"Prius drivers like the video-game challenge of continuously trying to best your own fuel economy achievements,\" said Brinley. Markwalder opines: \"There's a good chance that if you come upon a line of slow moving traffic, a Prius driver will be at the front of the line, self-righteously driving under the speed limit on his or her way to save the world.\" We're just quoting here, folks. Chevrolet Corvette: Performer for the mid-life crisis . The Chevy Corvette \"seems to be more often a reward car. Its buyers are older than the industry average, with 88 percent born before 1946, according to Auto Pacific data. Only 11 percent of Corvette owners are in Gen Y or Gen X.\" Bell adds: \"Sadly, the usual stereotype of the Corvette buyer as a 57-year old male deep in a mid-life crisis is proven.\" Better car than its image suggests . Bell sees another side to the Corvette. \"It is the absolute greatest performance bargain on the planet,\" said Bell. \"It's an affordable giant-killer.\" Markwalder adds, \"There have been 1.5 million Corvettes produced since 1953, and while plenty of old guys drive them, they are an engineering marvel that will run 180 mph or return 30+ mpg highway fuel economy.\" Toyota Camry: A major transportation appliance . \"I think the Camry gets a bad rap for being the 'microwave oven' of the car industry,\" said Bell. \"It's boring, reliable, efficient, and common. But to many drivers, these words are exactly all they are looking for, making the Camry their own personal rock star. A Toyota Camry in the driveway tells everyone that you know what is important in life, and it's not your car.\" Dodge Challenger: The transcendent pony car . The Dodge Challenger looks more like its original than the 2010 Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro. According to Brinley, the Challenger appeals to Baby Boomers who like styling and power. But almost 30 percent of Challenger buyers are Gen X or Gen Y. Surprisingly, this beats out the Prius, a more forward-looking vehicle; only 18-percent of its buyers are Gen X or Y. Auto Pacific's data shows that the Dodge Challenger is winning buyers too young to remember the original 1970-74 Challenger. \"All ages stop and stare at this car,\" said Bell. \"Especially when it's in Hemi Orange, from old-skool Hot Rodders to the Import Tuner crowd.\" This wide appeal makes pegging the Challenger owner more challenging. Ford F-150: Working man's truck . According to Auto Pacific data, the driver of a Ford F-150 work truck (a plain, regular-cab model), is an employed man. Markwalder confirms with this: \"Basic Ford trucks, like the XLT, make a good tool for the guy who works hard for an honest living.\" Bell adds, \"We'll see fewer non-work trucks because using them for commuting has lost its shine.\" Mercedes-Benz R-Class: A marketing mystery . \"With 2008 sales of only 7700 vehicles, we don't have enough information about buyers to provide a strong picture of why somebody drives an R-Class,\" said Brinley. \"The more expensive GL-Class and ML-Class SUVs each sold three times as many.\" Markwalder states, \"The R-Class has always been a contradiction, looking like a minivan but not delivering on functionality.\" Bell quips, \"My experience tells me that its few buyers are attracted to its three-pointed star (badge appeal) or the large discounts because the R-Class hasn't sold well.\" The R-class, a \"tweener\" that is somewhat minivan, somewhat wagon and somewhat crossover, has few rivals. Only the Ford Flex and the new Toyota Venza seem to come close. Experts' first thoughts . Bell on Chrysler Sebring Convertible: \"I hope it's a rental.\" Brinley adds, \"It's an old person's cars, with only four-percent of its buyers from Gen Y.\" Bell on the Honda Insight: \"They're members of the Prius Alternative Club for Honda lovers.\" Markwalder on Smart ForTwo: \"Experimenters with a sense of humor who would rather sprint away from a light than hold up traffic.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The model of car you drive may be telling people all about you .\nPrius drivers: College educated, want to be part of the \"green club\"\nCorvette: An \"affordable giant-killer\" for men in midlife crisis .\nSmart ForTwo: \"Experimenters with a sense of humor\" who sprint away from stops ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Comedy is hard; dying is easy. Any stand-up will tell you that. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen play comedians in \"Funny People.\" Let's have a hand, then, for Judd Apatow. Hollywood's most successful contemporary comedy producer isn't resting on his laurels but continues to push toward risky subject matter: male sexual insecurity in \"The 40-Year-Old Virgin,\" unwanted pregnancy in \"Knocked Up\" -- and now the big C. No, not cancer -- though Adam Sandler's superstar comedian George Simmons is stricken with an appropriately eccentric form of leukemia. No, this latest film's true subject is Celebrity and the funny things it does to people. Apatow's most personal (and also most self-indulgent) film, \"Funny People,\" shuffles between three competitive Angelino roommates scrambling to grasp a rung on the showbiz ladder (Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman), Simmons' multimillion-dollar Malibu mansion and the L.A. comedy clubs that sometimes bridge the gap between anonymity and fame. Apatow and Sandler know these worlds well enough. The movie begins, in fact, with old home video footage of young Adam goofing off, making prank phone calls while his roommate Judd sniggers behind the camera. It's one of the few times we see Sandler really having fun and cutting loose. This is mostly a restrained, subdued and admirably unsentimental performance. It feels natural that Simmons -- faced with his dire prognosis -- should return to the comedy circuit to wrestle with his imminent extinction before a roomful of strangers, even as he decides to keep his condition a secret from everyone around him. It's actually not so hard in his case because he doesn't have any real friends, only \"showbiz friends.\" The exception is Ira Wright (Rogen), a struggling young comic who lucks into a job as his hero's joke writer slash personal assistant. Simmons is by turns demanding, generous, friendly and abusive, and Ira couldn't be happier. The cross-currents are intriguing: He's getting his first taste of the high life, just as George is trying to savor his last days by reliving his first steps on the circuit. True to form, Apatow negotiates the perilous terrain of existential doubt with his fall-back weapon of choice, the penis joke. Some of these are choice (Ira's real last name is \"Wiener,\" pronounced \"Whiner\"), but many, many more feel flabby and redundant. There's even an Andy Dick joke, in the form of Andy Dick himself -- one of several celebrity cameos, the oddest of which is surely Eminem, wondering aloud if George wouldn't be better off dead. We must be approaching the 80-minute mark by then, about the time many comedies start wrapping things up. But it's a question that doesn't seem to have occurred to Simmons or the filmmakers before, and it spurs Apatow on to develop another hour of additional material in which George, miraculously recovered, pursues the love of his life (Leslie Mann), Ira in tow, without much consideration for her two daughters or her husband (Eric Bana). It's as if the movie bred its own sequel. There's plenty of funny stuff here. Bana has a ball as the obtuse Aussie, but despite all the blue jokes, this is a more modulated, pensive effort than Apatow's previous hits. He's improved, a little, as a director (perhaps the credit belongs to cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who ensures that for once it doesn't all look like a sitcom), but Apatow is still in dire need of a good editor. His instincts are generous. He wants to give us the six-course meal, and to go around the table, give everybody the chance to tell us a funny story. As a result \"Funny People\" is consistently entertaining but also rather grueling -- as if we're watching two or three different movies at the same time. At least one of these -- the tribulations of the young roomies -- we've seen before, and amusing as these guys are, they properly belong in the deleted scenes category. But Apatow isn't one to kill his babies, that's for sure. He's more likely to write them an additional scene or three. (Mann is Mrs. Apatow, and their two daughters also figure large.) Still, if you're not averse to too much of a good-ish thing, and can stomach another of those terminal Hollywood illnesses that leaves the patient with no discernible ill-effects, \"Funny People\" is a fairly shrewd and nonjudgmental dissection of how celebrity skews and contaminates even the most intimate relationships. The rich and famous aren't the only narcissists in this game, it seems. We're all a bit funny that way. \"Funny People\" is rated R and runs 146 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's take, click here." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Funny People\" has some funny -- and insightful -- stuff to say about comics .\nJudd Apatow film stars Adam Sandler as ailing comedian .\nMovie's main drawback is it's too long, but material makes up for it, says Tom Charity ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BRUNSWICK, Georgia (CNN) -- Seven of eight people killed last week in a southeast Georgia mobile home were laid to rest Saturday. The caskets were laid side by side for graveside ceremonies Saturday in Eulonia, Georgia. The funerals at Youngs Island Church in Eulonia, Georgia, were held for Chrissy Toler, 22; Russell D. Toler Sr., 44; Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; Russell D. Toler Jr., 20; Guy Heinze Sr., 45; and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49. The funeral for the eighth victim, Joseph L. West, 30, is to be held at mid-month. Police have arrested Guy Heinze Jr., the son of Guy Heinze Sr., on eight counts of first-degree murder. Seven caskets for the seven victims stood side by side for the burial under sunny skies at a nearby cemetery. More than 200 mourners attended the funeral, including William Heinze, father of one of the victims and grandfather of the man accused of the killings. \"I've never seen so much love and support at a funeral,\" William Heinze told CNN affiliate WJXT. William Heinze also said he doubted that his grandson, Guy Heinze Jr., was responsible for the killings. \"We want to know what really happened,\" he said. \"The police may think they know what happened, but we want to really know the truth.\" Investigators obtained an arrest warrant Friday evening for Guy Heinze Jr., 22, just hours after he had been freed from jail on charges of tampering with evidence and making false statements to a police officer, Police Chief Matt Doering of Glynn County, Georgia said Friday. \"I can assure you that this person is responsible,\" Doering said at a news conference Friday evening. The bodies were discovered a week ago at New Hope Plantation mobile home park, north of the Atlantic coastal city of Brunswick. Seven died in the mobile home, and the eighth died a day later at a hospital. The chief refused to reveal how the victims were killed or the suspected motive. A 3-year-old who was injured was on life support at a Savannah hospital, her grandmother said. A man identified as Guy Heinze Jr. reported the slayings. He told an emergency dispatcher when he called last Saturday, \"I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death.\" Watch report on funerals and arrest from CNN's Sean Callebs » . According to the first arrest warrant, Heinz provided \"investigators with false and misleading information about his whereabouts and involvement in the circumstances leading up to him calling 911 to report the deaths of his family members.\" The arrest warrant also said he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car. The killings have made people in the southeastern Georgia city of more than 16,000 uneasy, a waitress at a restaurant said. \"There's still a lot of concern that that many deaths at one time can not have been done by one person,\" Lucinda Bennett, a waitress at the 4th of May Cafe, said. \"There is still a little bit of nervousness in the area over whether they have got everyone that was involved with it.\" Linda Davis, who works at a barbershop in the city, said everyone is puzzled over the slayings. \"You don't go in and kill eight people and nobody hears screams or shots or anything like that with trailers that close together,\" she said. CNN's Sean Callebs and Lee Garen contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "7 of 8 people killed last week in a mobile home were laid to rest Saturday .\nOther victim will be buried mid-month, and an injured 3-year-old is on life support .\nGuy Heinze Jr., the son of one of the victims, is charged with murder .\nKillings have left people in the city of 16,000 uneasy and incredulous ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The ocean water around Chatham, Massachusetts, is playing host to some unwelcome guests this holiday weekend: sharks. Only 41 unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the U.S. since 2008. At least one large shark sighting was confirmed Friday by Greg Skomal, shark expert for the state's Division of Marine Fisheries. That sighting occurred off the eastern shore of Monomoy Island, a National Wildlife Refuge off the southern elbow of Cape Cod, according to Lisa Capone, Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs press secretary. The species, though not confirmed, was \"most likely\" a great white shark, she said. The sighting came a day after Skomal reported as many as five large sharks were seen near the island, about a mile or more away from Chatham's Lighthouse Beach, a public swimming area. Capone said Skomal was searching the area of the island Friday afternoon, though weather conditions were \"not ideal,\" with fog and wind. Meanwhile, officials were advising residents and visitors to be cautious while visiting the beaches this weekend. \"It is the eve of the last holiday weekend of summer, and we want to make sure folks on the Cape are aware,\" Capone said. Chatham's Harbor Master's office issued a public notice after the sightings Thursday, saying the waters surrounding Chatham are \"now a year-round home to a few thousand seals.\" Seals are a main source of food for large sharks, and as recently as August 28, a large shark was seen feeding on the body of a seal near Chatham's waters, the notice said. It advised people to avoid swimming near seals. A statement issued Friday by Chatham town officials said \"beaches will be closed immediately\" if a shark is sighted. Paul Zuest, general manager of the Chatham Bars Inn, said he and his staff also have been instructing their guests to be cautious. The hotel, about two miles away from where the sharks were spotted, has posted signs providing information on the sightings. George H. Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, said that on average, sharks have killed four people annually worldwide for the past several years. \"The chances of us as individuals entering the sea and not coming back as a result of a shark attack are slim to none when you consider the millions upon millions of people that go into the sea each year,\" he said. The museum's shark attack file lists 41 unprovoked shark attacks in U.S. waters in 2008, with one fatality, in California. Most of the attacks, 32, occurred in Florida. Massachussetts has recorded only four shark attacks since 1670, two of which have been fatal. The last fatal shark attack in Massachussetts occurred in 1936." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shark expert confirms at least one large shark sighting Friday .\nSpecies unconfirmed, but \"most likely\" was a great white, expert says .\nAs many as five large sharks were seen on Thursday near Monomoy Island .\nExpert: On average, sharks kill about four people per year, worldwide ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LAWRENCE, Kansas (CNN) -- It started with a sore throat. Then her chest was burning. Arielle Spiridigliozzi is one of 350 students who have contracted H1N1 at the University of Kansas. University of Kansas freshman Arielle Spiridigliozzi said she thought her symptoms were signs of allergies, or maybe even a sinus infection. It couldn't be H1N1, she thought. But it was. \"I mean, I'd never, ever guessed that coming into freshman year I would get the friggin' swine flu,\" Spiridigliozzi said. Now she accessorizes her royal blue T-shirt with a mask. A stuffy nose, body aches, fever and coughing make up the litany of symptoms, Spiridigliozzi, 18, and her roommate, Kaitlyn Perry, 18, said they have suffered. For more than a day, the girls have been stuck in their suite, on what they call \"lockdown.\" Watch more about life on \"lockdown\" » . University officials have asked the girls to stay in their dorm suite to limit exposure to other students. The school provides door-to-door delivery from the campus dining hall, giving the girls one less reason to have to leave their immediate four walls. Spiridigliozzi has abided by the the university's request, worried that she could infect another. But she doesn't understand how she ended up in this situation in the first place. \"We took all the necessary precautions. Like, we really did. It wasn't like I was licking the handlebars of the bus or anything,\" she said. \"I was hand sanitizing. I was being very careful. I don't know how this happened.\" But she only has to look to her roommates for an answer, as illness has rapidly made its way through her suite. When Perry became ill it struck her suddenly. While shopping, she came down with a fever and started feeling like she didn't have the strength to stand, she said. Perry's flu hasn't been confirmed as an H1N1 strain, but a third roommate, the first to get sick, they said, was diagnosed with H1N1. Then a fourth roommate got sick, illustrative of a spreading flu pattern the girls said is obvious from the empty seats in classes. The university estimates about 340 students, or 1 percent of the student body, have flu they suspect is H1N1, said Patricia Denning, medical chief of staff at Watkins Health Center. The number of cases could be higher if students were not seeking care from campus doctors and nurses, she added. She said she has not heard of any students being hospitalized because of the flu. Vaccines are unlikely to help much this year, because supplies are not expected until late October and require about five weeks from the first inoculation -- two are required -- before they become effective. So, to make life easier for the sick, the school's medical center has distributed what it calls a \"flu kit,\" which includes a mask and a home-care instruction sheet, Denning said. The tip sheet borrows from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's information on H1N1. It says to drink lots of fluids, eat three small meals a day and get plenty of rest, Denning said. \"And so it just goes through simple common-sense things that we all know we need to do that sometimes, when mothers and dads aren't around to remind them, this will help remind them,\" she said. Spiridigliozzi and Perry will get to wander outdoors again once their fevers have dissipated for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medications, they said. They are eager to get back to their normal lives. Spiridigliozzi is tired of the soup and Jell-O, and Perry looks forward to playing Frisbee again. \"So boring\" is how Spiridigliozzi described their isolation. With all this free time, at least the freshmen -- on campus for only two weeks -- aren't falling too far behind in their school work. \"I got all my homework done,\" Perry said. \"Yeah, I've gotten all my homework done for the next two weeks, probably,\" added Spiridigliozzi. CNN's John Bonifield contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Spread of H1N1 among roommates illustrates how quickly virus jumps around .\n\"It wasn't like I was licking the handlebars of the bus,\" freshman says .\nGirls quarantined in room, doing homework, until fever dissipates for 24 hours .\nThe University of Kansas estimates about 1 percent of student body has H1N1 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Expanded testing across India in the past three years shows a 2,000 percent jump in the number of HIV cases among children, the country's health minister announced Wednesday. An HIV-positive Indian child at a government treatment center. More than 14,000 children get free care. In November 2006, health authorities counted 2,253 children in India with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Ghulam Nabi Azad told parliament. The number went up to a \"cumulative total\" of 52,973 in May this year, he said. The huge increase in the number of confirmed cases may be due to the expanded testing for the virus. India, home to more than a billion people, currently has 217 facilities for HIV/AIDS treatment and 5,155 counseling and testing centers. The minister insisted that overall, HIV prevalence had decreased in India from 0.45 percent in 2002 to 0.34 percent in 2007. At present, 758,698 HIV-positive patients are being treated under the country's AIDS control program, Azad said. More than 232,908 AIDS patients, including 14,474 children, are receiving free treatment at the designated facilities, he added. Authorities say mother-to-child transmission is a major source of infection among children. Last year, 19,986 pregnant women among more than 4 million tested were found to be HIV-positive, said Azad. Of them, 10,179 received treatment to prevent transmission to their babies." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Expanded testing across India shows 2,000 percent jump in child HIV cases .\nIncrease in confirmed cases may be due to the expanded testing .\nNumber up from 2,253 in 2006 to 52,973, according to statistics ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq awarded a lucrative oil contract to BP and China National Petroleum Corp., government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Wednesday, while rejecting other companies' offers for other oil fields. BP and China National Petroleum Corporation have won a lucrative oil contract in Iraq. The joint BP-CNPC bid was for the al-Rumeila oil field, one of the largest in the world. The energy companies are expected to increase production at the oil field by 50 percent, to 285,000 barrels a day, for a service charge of $2 for each additional barrel produced, al-Dabbagh said in a statement. The Iraqi government rejected bids for five other oil fields and a natural gas field because the bidders did not agree to the service charge set by the Ministry of Oil, he said. The Ministry of Oil rejected the idea that the failure to award more than one contract made the much-anticipated auction a flop. Iraq did not say how much the BP-CNPC bid was worth. It runs for 20 years. Oil Minister Hussein Shahrastani chaired the government-sponsored auction for the oil and natural gas field contracts Tuesday, after a day's delay due to a sandstorm. Much of the auction was broadcast live on state television, which Ministry of Oil spokesman Assem Jihad told CNN was a sign of the transparency of the process. He said the government was satisfied with the auction, even though only one contract was awarded, because the contract was for Iraq's largest oil field. Iraq plans to open bidding this year on 10 more oil fields and one natural gas field, all of which are undeveloped, Jihad said. The companies whose bids were rejected Tuesday have been given time to review their offers, he said. Iraq has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 115 billion barrels -- tying Iran for second place, behind Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels, according to estimates from the Energy Information Administration in the United States. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Iraq awards lucrative oil contract to BP, China National Petroleum Corporation .\nThe joint BP-CNPC bid was for the giant al-Rumeila oil field .\nEnergy companies expected to increase production at the field by 50 percent ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Mr. Ravenblade, Mr. Xtreme, Dark Guardian and hundreds of others. Some with elaborate costumes, others with haphazardly stitched outfits, they are appearing on city streets worldwide watching over the populace like Superman watched over Metropolis and Batman over Gotham City. Geist patrols the Rochester, Minnesota, area, with a group of like-minded and similarly dressed colleagues. As people become disillusioned from financial woes and a downtrodden economy and look to put new purpose in their lives, everyday folks are taking on new personas to perform community service, help the homeless and even fight crime. \"The movement is growing,\" said Ben Goldman, a real-life superhero historian. Goldman, along with Chaim \"Life\" Lazaros and David \"Civitron\" Civitarese, runs the New York-based Web site Superheroes Anonymous as part of an initiative dedicated to organizing and making alliances with superhero groups. According to Goldman, who goes by the moniker Cameraman because of his prowess in documenting the movement, economic troubles are spawning real life superheroes. \"A lot of them have gone through a sort of existential crisis and have had to discover who they are,\" Goldman said. People are starting to put value in what they can do rather than what they have, he said. \"They realize that money is fleeting, it's in fact imaginary.\" Estimates from the few groups that keep tabs put the worldwide total of real-life superheroes between 250 and 300. Goldman said the numbers were around 200 just last summer. Mr. Ravenblade, laid off after a stint with a huge computer technology corporation, found inspiration for his new avocation a few years ago from an early morning incident in Walla Walla, Washington. \"I literally stepped into a woman's attempted rape/mugging,\" Mr. Ravenblade said. While details were lost in the fog of the fight, he remembers this much: \"I did what I could,\" he said, adding that he stopped the crime and broke no laws. \"And I realized after doing what I did, that people don't really look after people.\" Public response to real-life superheroes has been mixed, according to Mr. Xtreme, who founded the Xtreme Justice League in San Diego, California. \"Sometimes it's been really positive with people saying, 'Woohoo, the superheroes are here,' and then the usual barrage, saying 'Oh, these guys are losers.' Other times people will look kind of freaked out, and then sometimes people just don't know what to think about us.\" Like Peter Parker kept his Spider-Man identity from his editor boss, Mr. Extreme and Mr. Ravenblade have asked CNN editors to keep their identities secret. The current superhero movement started a few years ago on MySpace, as people interested in comics and cool caped crusaders joined forces, Goldman said. It goes beyond the Guardian Angel citizen patrols of the early 1980s, as the real-life superheroes of today apply themselves to a broadly defined ethos of simply doing good works. Watch Crimson Fist help the homeless in Atlanta » . Chris Pollak, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, can attest to the appeal. \"A lot more people are either following it or wanting to go out and do it,\" Pollack, who goes by the name Dark Guardian, said. By \"do it,\" he means patrol the harrowing streets late at night. \"A lot of kids say they're real-life superheroes [on MySpace],\" Mr. Ravenblade said. \"But what are you doing? Being in front of a computer is not helping anybody.\" Comic book legend Stan Lee, the brain behind heroes such as Spider-Man and the X-Men, said in his comic books doing good -- and availing one's self -- was indeed the calling card for superheroes. \"If somebody is committing a crime, if somebody is hurting some innocent person, that's when the superhero has to take over.\" See a photo gallery of some real-life superheroes » . \"I think it's a good thing that people are eager enough to want to help their community. They think to do it is to emulate the superheroes,\" Lee said. \"Now if they had said they had super powers [that would be another thing].\" Without super powers, real life superheroes confess to a mere-mortal workload, including helping the homeless, handing out fliers in high-crime areas and patrolling areas known for drug-dealing. Mr. Ravenblade said he and some of his superfriends would soon be trying to organize a Walk for Babies fundraiser in Portland, Oregon. \"We work with charities that help children,\" he said. \"We think a lot of crimes happen because of people who didn't get a lot of love when they were younger. We do what we can to help that there.\" \"Homeless outreach is the main thing I like to do,\" said Chaim \"Life\" Lazaros, of Superheroes Anonymous. \"We give out food, water, vitamins, toothbrushes. A lot of homeless people in my area know me, and they tell us about what they need. One homeless guy said 'I need a couple pair of clean underwear.'\" For Christmas, Lazaros said his group raised $700 in gifts and brought them to kids at St. Mary's Children's Hospital in New York. \"They were so excited to see real-life superheroes,\" Lazaros said. iReport.com: Searching for Cincinnati's caped crusader . Many of the real-life superheroes even initiate citizen's arrests, but what's legal varies by state. And in North Carolina citizen's arrests are illegal. Real-life superheroes who grab a suspected villain may find themselves under a specter of trouble. \"Not a good idea,\" said Katy Parker, legal director for the ACLU of North Carolina. \"Seeing as how there's no citizen's arrest statute [in the state], people who do this are running a serious risk of getting arrested for kidnapping, and being liable for false imprisonment.\" \"Vigilantism is never a good thing,\" said Bernard Gonzales, public information officer for the Chula Vista, California, Police Department. He's had some interactions with real-life superheroes. \"The very best thing a private citizen can do is be a good witness.\" Mr. Ravenblade said he's just that. \"If you're a real-life superhero you follow the law. If you catch somebody you can't just tie them up and leave them for the cops, that's for the comics. You have to wait for the cops and give them a statement,\" Mr. Ravenblade said. iReport.com: Cincinnati superhero speaks . While citizens helping out in the community is encouraged, Gonzales said the costumes can go. \"Where these people are out in public, and there's children around and everything, and these people are not revealing their identities, it's not a safe thing.\" But the costumes go with the gig, right down to the do-it-yourself approach to good deeds, including, apparently, recycling. \"The costume I have is simple,\" said Mr. Xtreme. \"I made it myself. I had a graphic designer design it for me and just took it down to the swap meet and had somebody imprint it on for me.\" \"The mask,\" an old bullfighter's piece, \"I got from Tijuana.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The movement is growing,\" said Ben Goldman, of Superheroes Anonymous .\nDisillusioned with crime and recession, more people creating super personas .\nMany say they are simply bringing attention to crime and doing good works ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A young Iranian woman named Neda is gunned down in one of the most iconic images of the last week. Another walks down the street, defiantly showing off her hair and body in a revealing dress. And still another woman says she's not scared of paramilitary forces -- no matter how many times she gets beaten. Women have taken to the streets of Tehran. \"This shows the new face of Iran,\" one expert says. \"When they want to hit me, I say hit. I have been hit so many times and this time it doesn't matter. I just want to help my brothers and sisters,\" says the 19-year-old woman whose identity is being withheld by CNN for her safety. Amid the clashes and chaos, there has been a recurring scene on the streets of Tehran: Women, in their scarves and traditional clothing, at the heart of the struggle. Some are seen collecting rocks for ammunition against security forces, while video showed one woman trying to protect a fallen pro-government militiaman wounded in the government crackdown. At Shiraz University, riot police clubbed women dressed in black robes. \"Don't beat them, you bastards,\" one man yells. When security forces come to attack, the 19-year-old woman protester says she looks them in the eye and asks: \"Why do you kill your brother? Why do you hit your mother, your sisters?\" \"We all tell them, if you're Iranian, you shouldn't do that to your people, to your own country's people,\" she told CNN by phone. Watch woman stand up in defiance to power » . But it's the woman known as Neda who has become the symbol of women on the front line that has galvanized opponents of the Iranian regime. In a widely circulated video, Neda is seen in the middle of protests over the weekend. She is shot and drops to the ground. Blood runs from the side of her mouth as a few people, including her music professor traveling with her, press on her chest and shout her name. One pleads, \"Do not be afraid.\" The camera closes in on her face as her eyes roll back and are still. Karim Sadjadpour, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the image of Neda and other women at the protests showed the difference from the 1979 revolution. \"The iconic pictures from the revolution 30 years ago were bearded men. This shows the new face of Iran -- the young women who are the vanguards of Iran.\" See images of protests » . Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, agreed that Neda was becoming a symbol for all the women who have become involved in the turmoil that has followed the disputed election. \"She will become the image of this brutality and the role -- the truly significant role -- that women have played in fighting this regime. I think that women are the unsung heroes of the last few years. They are the ones who began chipping away the absolute authority of the mullahs.\" The protests haven't just been confined to Iran's everyday women. The daughter of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was arrested over the weekend while taking part in a protest. She was later released. In addition, Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir Hossein Moussavi, whose apparent defeat in Iran's presidential election has sparked the unprecedented demonstrations, campaigned for her husband, an unusual step in politics in Iran. Her public support of his candidacy underscored his professed support for women's rights. Learn more about the timeline of events » . And in another act of defiance, apparently from after the election, a woman who appears to be in her 20s or 30s walks down a street in Tehran, showing off her body in a revealing dress and displaying her long, curly hair. In Iran, women are forbidden to show their hair, and they must keep their bodies covered. \"Lady, is it a revolution already?\" one female driver says as she passes by. The 19-year-old demonstrator, who spoke by phone with CNN, says women are out in the streets in much larger numbers than men. She provided CNN with images of paramilitary forces on Saturday confronting protests, just before she was beaten. She says she was beaten again during protests Monday. \"The women are all together and they say, 'We're going to stay here.' There are so more [women] than men,\" she said, referring to the number of women protesters. \"Until now, the women didn't have a chance to express themselves, to say that we are important in our country's future. But now, they can play an important role in our freedom. It's a good chance for us.\" Is she optimistic? \"I'm absolutely optimistic, because history has taught me that all the revolutions start like this,\" she said. \"Every revolution has violence and some people die, but nothing stays like this forever.\" CNN's Ivan Watson and Wayne Drash contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recurring theme of Iranian protests: Women defiantly standing up against authority .\n19-year-old woman says, \"When they want to hit me, I say hit.\"\nA young woman named Neda has become the rallying cry of protesters .\n\"This shows the new face of Iran -- the young women who are the vanguards of Iran\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- More than 100 police officers and others were searching Friday in a southeastern Louisiana parish for a murder suspect who escaped from jail with three other inmates, a law enforcement official said. Timothy Murray, 29, who is charged with murder, remains at large, authorities in Louisiana say. Searchers are still focusing inside St. Tammany Parish, on the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, 30 miles north of New Orleans, said Capt. George Bonnett of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. At large is Timothy Murray, 29, who is charged with murder, Bonnett said. Authorities believe Murray may have been injured during the escape, but Bonnett wouldn't elaborate. The inmates escaped about 9 p.m. Thursday from the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington, Bonnett said. As many as 250 sheriff's deputies, Covington police officers, Louisiana State police and corrections officials were involved in the search overnight, using dogs, two helicopters and thermal-imaging equipment loaned from Livingston Parish, Bonnett said. The other three men were found about 1:30 a.m. Friday in a wooded area about a mile from the jail, he said. Three of the inmates were awaiting trial; one already had been convicted, Bonnett said. The captured inmates were Gary Slaydon, 27; Eric Buras, 30, and Jason Gainey, 27. Slaydon is charged with attempted murder. Buras is a murder suspect and Gainey has been convicted of murder, Bonnett said. He said the escape was not discovered until a resident and Covington police reported seeing what appeared to be inmates in jail uniforms walking down a street. About the time those calls came in, jailers were doing a routine head count and found the four men missing, Bonnett said. He said the means of escape was under investigation, but it has been determined that their escape wasn't due to human error. He repeated what St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said early Friday: \"Four inmates were able to defeat the structure of the maximum security area of our jail.\" Deputies have canvassed neighborhoods, going door to door to warn residents that an inmate is still at large." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Four inmates escape from jail in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana .\nThree found in area near jail north of New Orleans, official says .\nMan charged with murder remains at large, official says .\nDeputies canvassing neighborhoods in hunt for escapee ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Searchers have recovered the bodies of three people who were aboard a Yemenia Airways jet that crashed off the coast of Comoros in the Indian Ocean, a spokesman for Yemen's Civil Aviation department said Tuesday. A man hugs a relative of one of the victims at an airport in Marseille in southern France. Capt. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Qadir also told reporters that a child who was reported found alive was a 5-year-old boy. He did not give further details of the child's condition. \"The French said that (Wednesday) they will send more French units to the accident location in order to retrieve the bodies and possibly that they may be able to locate people who are still alive,\" he said. The Airbus 310 went down early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members on a flight that originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Qadir said the jet took off from Sanaa shortly before 10 p.m. Monday and vanished from radar when it was about 16 miles from Comoros' capital, Moroni. Searchers have not located the plane's data recorders, Qadir said, and investigators were not speculating on the cause of the crash. \"The weather conditions were indeed very troubling and the winds were very strong, reaching 61 kilometers per hour (38 mph),\" he said. \"That's one thing. The other thing was that the sea was very rough when the plane approached landing at Moroni airport.\" But French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau noted that several years ago France banned the plane, a A310-300, because of safety concerns. \"People are talking about poor weather conditions, but for the moment, we are unsure,\" Bussereau said. \"It seems the plane may have attempted an approach, put on the gas, and attempted another approach, which then failed. For the moment, we must be careful because none of this information is verified.\" Qadir said it was too early to blame the aircraft for the crash. \"This plane is just like any other plane,\" he said. \"It can have a malfunction, but we don't know what really happened before the investigation is over. And then we can determine if there is a technical issue, bad weather or anything else that may have led to the crash.\" It was the second crash involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation. Recent plane crashes » . Former pilot and aviation analyst John Cox said there were no similarities between the two incidents. \"These are two dramatically different airplanes flown by two different airlines,\" Cox told CNN's \"American Morning.\" \"The accidents happened at two different regimes of flight. And Airbus has hundreds of millions of hours flying safely. I don't believe that ... we can draw any conclusions because the manufacturer was the same in these two very different types of accidents.\" At first, Comoros officials said there were no signs of survivors among the dead bodies floating in the choppy waters. But then rescuers found the child. Watch as airline describes child's rescue » . Cox said it reminded him of the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight 255 in Detroit, Michigan, in which only a 4-year-old girl survived while 156 others died. \"This has come up before, and it's where the toddler was seated (during the impact) that allowed them to survive,\" he said. \"It's a miracle and I'm glad ... the toddler is safe. I'm just saddened for the loss of everybody else,\" he added. The Yemeni crash occurred as the plane approached the Hahaya airport in Moroni. The plane tried to land, then U-turned before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said. Officials did not know why the plane could not land, he said. Flight 626 was expected to be a four-and-a-half-hour flight. The airline has three regular flights a week to Moroni, off the east coast of Africa, about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) south of Yemen. The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m., Nadhoim said. There was no indication of foul play behind the crash, the official in Yemen said. Yemenia Air had used the jet since 1999 on about 17,300 flights, Airbus officials said. The company said it would assist in investigating the crash. \"The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident,\" the company said in a statement. In the wake of the Air France crash on June 1, United States accident investigators have been probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s. One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May, and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN's Saad Abedine and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Three bodies found; French sending team to help search and rescue .\nA 5-year-old boy recovered alive from Yemeni jet crash in Indian Ocean .\nJet was carrying more than 150 people to island of Comoros from Yemen .\nCrash occurs as plane tries to land at airport, official says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- When the highly anticipated movie \"X-Men Origins: Wolverine\" opened Friday in theaters, many fans had already seen it. The pirating and distribution of \"Wolverine,\" starring Hugh Jackman, is being investigated by the FBI. The online leak of a pirated, unfinished version of the 20th Century Fox film a month ago sent federal authorities springing into action and stoked a heated conversation within the entertainment industry about digital piracy. Piracy of upcoming films is not new, but the theft of \"Wolverine\" is especially troubling for an industry concerned with a stalled economy and the financial bottom line. It's rare for high-quality copies of a big-budget blockbuster to appear on the Internet more than a month before the film's release, experts say. Within a week of \"Wolverine's\" March 31 leak, more than a million people had downloaded the movie, according to TorrentFreak, a blog devoted to the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol. Watch intrepid reporter look for answers » . \"Unfortunately, the recent leak of the Fox film 'Wolverine' provided a stark backdrop to the impact that digital piracy has on the large investments that producers make in creating state-of-the-art films,\" said Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who oversaw a congressional hearing on piracy after the leak. \"During our hearing in Los Angeles, director Steven Soderbergh said that in 2007, the entertainment industry generated a trade surplus of $13.6 billion,\" Berman added. \"Imagine what those numbers would be if we could rein in piracy.\" Bootleg, or illegally copied, movies have long been a thorn to the film industry. In 2003, a version of Universal's \"The Hulk\" appeared on the Internet two weeks before the film opened. A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to the theft. And in 2005, a pirated print of \"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith\" was uploaded to the Web within hours of the movie's release. But where Hollywood's biggest headache used to be murky, muffled copies of films taken by someone who snuck a camcorder into a theater, today's pirates are getting more sophisticated and gaining access to better-quality goods. Greg Sandoval, who covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News, said that in the digital age, thieves can gain access to near-perfect advance copies of films on DVD that have greater potential to undermine a movie's box-office prospects. And even studios' attempts at safeguarding their products against piracy, such as by encoding DVDs with digital watermarks that allow authorities to trace individual copies, aren't enough, Sandoval said. He said tech-savvy thieves have figured out how to strip such watermarks from DVDs. \"When you're talking about digital content ... it's impossible to lock it down completely\" from theft, Sandoval said. \"These hackers are very creative. Sometimes, they're one step ahead of the security experts.\" 20th Century Fox issued a statement vowing to prosecute the \"Wolverine\" thief \"to the fullest extent of the law.\" The FBI is investigating, but as of Thursday, no arrests had been made. Darcy Antonellis, president of technical operations for Warner Bros. (which is owned by the parent company of CNN), said the growth of technology has aided the pirates. \"Digital piracy has continued to increase with greater access to [files] and improved broadband services,\" said Antonellis, who helps oversee Warner Bros.' anti-piracy efforts. \"As broadband services increase their capacity to support legitimate services, they also enable increased illegal file-sharing. Technologies have evolved to encumber such distribution but must compete with the strength of viral or super distribution of content.\" The bad guys aren't the only ones keeping up with the technology. Keith Bolcar, special agent in charge of the FBI's cyber division in Los Angeles, said agents and their partners as \"doing everything we can to keep up with the learning curve of technology, hopefully just as fast as our criminal subjects.\" The FBI meets routinely with studio representatives to share intelligence, to discuss strategy and to detect and fix vulnerabilities in security measures, he said. \"While I can't discuss investigative techniques, we employ a myriad of sophisticated methods to solve these crimes,\" said Bolcar, whose office is investigating the \"Wolverine\" leak. \"Our investigators receive extensive training and are technologically savvy.\" Hollywood also faces the challenge of protecting digital files that pass through so many hands while in production and post-production. Antonellis said Warner Bros. works diligently to safeguard its properties. \"Each project, for us, is unique, with its own unique set of challenges,\" she said. \"Whether there are 50 or 500 people involved in the process, we try to focus on ownership/responsibility of our assets throughout the entire production through to distribution process.\" John Malcolm, director of worldwide anti-piracy operations for the Motion Picture Association of America, said digital piracy can take many forms, including peer-to-peer file sharing and streaming. Malcolm said the association is conducting a lot of outreach to universities and Internet service providers to help them address piracy that occurs over their systems. The issue is global, Malcolm said, as evidenced by pending litigation in France that would shut down Internet accounts of illegal downloaders. The association is in litigation against an Australian service provider, iiNet, to try to establish the legal parameters of its responsibility in policing its system, Malcolm said. \"In some cases, we are making great progress with ISP, and in some cases, it's a little bit tougher going,\" Malcolm said. \"After all, it's their broadband that's being eaten up, and it slows down their systems.\" Berman, D-California, said advances in technologies that enable filtering and other anti-theft tools will help curb piracy. So will creating more sites where viewers can legitimately access movies, shows and music, such as Hulu and the recently announced Vevo, a partnership between Universal Music and YouTube. \"Given how pirated materials often damage computers with viruses, spyware and other problems, consumers will continue to embrace the innovative, legitimate sites that are becoming more and more available,\" Berman said. Malcolm agrees. He said there are more than 350 sites that legitimately distribute digital content. If a person is a true movie lover, they will want to respect the art, the artists and the countless people behind the scenes who make the magic happen, Malcolm said. \"I hear periodically, 'Well, Tom Cruise has enough money' or 'Tom Hanks has enough money,' \" Malcolm said. \"I would say to movie lovers, stick around and watch all of the credits. When you see hundreds of names scrolling across the screen, those are the people whose talents contributed to making that movie, and they need to make a living.\" CNN.com's Brandon Griggs contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pirated version of \"Wolverine\" distributed online weeks before movie's debut .\nIndustry employs technology like digital watermarks to hinder thieves .\nPending French legislation would shut down Internet accounts of downloaders .\nMPAA exec says fans should consider the livelihood of those who make films ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Military hardware that can be used in nuclear devices and ground fighting can be easily purchased In the United States and shipped overseas, a government investigation revealed Thursday. This inclinometer, which can be . used in homemade bombs, was easily bought and shipped overseas. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) watchdog agency set up fake companies to obtain military and dual use items -- which have both military and commercial use -- in the United States and ship them overseas, according to a report made public at a House subcommittee hearing. The domestic purchases allow buyers to avoid U.S. restrictions on sales to foreign entities, it noted. Items purchased in the bogus transactions included parts for making nuclear devices and guiding missiles that could carry nuclear warheads, as well as night-vision devices, body armor and other hardware for ground combat, said the report provided to the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. \"There appears to be a gigantic loophole within our laws that makes it easy for our enemies to get hold of our superior military technology and use it against us,\" said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michigan. Gregory Kutz, a GAO managing director who led the 13-month investigation, said it found \"sensitive dual-use and military technology can be easily and legally purchased from manufacturers and distributors within the United States and illegally exported without detection.\" He stressed that no laws were broken by any of the companies that sold items to the undercover GAO operation, and that the magnitude of trying to check all overseas travelers and shipments made it impossible to halt illegal export of the items under current law. Committee members said the lack of regulation or export controls made the situation particularly troubling. \"The scandal here may be what is legal, not what is illegal,\" said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon. However, he warned against excessive regulations that could stifle necessary commerce in items used by law enforcement, medical and other industries. Kutz held up some of the items purchased by undercover investigators, including a small device that looked like a spark plug called a triggered spark gap. The item has medical applications and can also be used to detonate a nuclear weapon, he said. Kutz also displayed a small device called a gyro chip that can be used to steer guided missiles. Other items on display in the committee room included some used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that target U.S. soldiers in Iraq, as well as sophisticated body armor and night-vision devices. Undercover investigators complied with all required checks in purchasing the equipment, Kutz said, including the submission of end-user agreements that forbid exporting the equipment or using it in any nuclear, biological and missile weapons. Such documents amount to an \"honor system\" pledge, rather than any enforcement mechanism, he said. The only further checks involved are confirming the validity of credit cards and the existence of Web sites, Kutz said. Most of the transactions took place by e-mail and telephone calls. \"The kind of front company we used and the kind of scheme we used is the kind being used by terrorist organizations today,\" Kutz said. \"This was not a hypothetical situation; this is being done.\" The investigation shipped some of the dual-use items to \"a country that is a known trans-shipment point for terrorist governments and foreign governments attempting to acquire sensitive technology,\" Kutz said. He declined to name the country, but said it was in southeast Asia and that the shipments were simple packages labeled documents and sent by regular mail. \"As GAO proves, a cardboard box and the U.S. Postal Service is all it takes to move dual-use items out of the country,\" said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts. One of those duped by the investigation -- Nicholas Fitton, a technology dealer in Georgia -- told the committee he complied with all required checks in selling an F-16 engine computer to what he thought was a legitimate U.S. buyer. Asked by Stupak why anyone other than the military would need such a device, Fitton said his customers often are museums, collectors and film companies seeking authentic items. Fitton said existing regulations were counter-productive, with seemingly harmless items associated with military gear more tightly controlled than the dual-use items of the investigation. At the same time, he said, making the system too restrictive would harm the competitive ability of U.S. manufacturers. Export laws in the United States have remained virtually unchanged since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Anne-Marie Lasowski of the GAO told the committee. She called for a \"holistic\" approach involving all agencies charged with security and commerce for an issue involving billions of dollars in exports." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Watchdog agency GAO buys military hardware, ships it overseas with ease .\nLawmaker: \"Gigantic loophole\" allows enemies to get U.S. technology .\nHardware that can be used in nuclear devices and ground fighting purchased .\n\"The scandal here may be what is legal, not what is illegal,\" representative says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- George Harrison's closest friends and family gathered in Hollywood on Tuesday to dedicate the late Beatle's star on the Walk of Fame. From left, musicians Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Paul McCartney join Harrison's relatives for dedication of his star. \"There's someone here from every important stage of George's life and career,\" Harrison's widow, Olivia, said. Harrison, who was 58 when he died of cancer in 2001, becomes the second Beatle with a Hollywood star. John Lennon was the first. The new star is next to the iconic Hollywood headquarters of Capitol Records, the distributor of much of Harrison's music for the past five decades. Tuesday's ceremony coincided with the Capitol/EMI announcement that it will release Harrison's first solo greatest hits collection -- \"Let it Roll: Songs by George Harrison\" -- on June 16. Actor Tom Hanks said the world changed for him in January 1964 when he heard his first Beatles song. \"That's when we escaped the doldrums and moved on to a brighter, better, more joyful future,\" Hanks said. Superstar musicians Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh and Jeff Lynne attended the star's dedication, but they did not address the crowd. Scores of Harrison fans showed up for the event, with some traveling from as far as Liverpool, England. \"We all have deep feelings for George, because he was such a deep-feeling person,\" Olivia Harrison said. \"He was a beautiful, mystical man, living in a material world,\" she said. \"He was funny as the day is long and just as perplexing.\" His son, Dhani, 30, joked about his father's star. \"It's good, it's lovely and it's nice and shiny and I'm glad it's not outside of Frederick's of Hollywood,\" he said. Harrison was just 15 when schoolmate Paul McCartney asked him to join his and John Lennon's band, the Quarrymen. The band evolved into the Beatles and the rest is history. Harrison played lead guitar and sang for the Beatles. Songs penned by Harrison included \"Taxman,\" \"While My Guitar Gently Weeps,\" \"Something\" and \"Here Comes the Sun.\" Harrison was a pioneer of what has since become a tradition of rock stars supporting charitable causes with their music. In 1971, he helped organize the star-studded \"Concert for Bangladesh\" at New York's Madison Square Garden. In addition to his post-Beatles solo career, Harrison played with several groups -- most notably the Traveling Wilburys, alongside Petty, Lynne, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Harrison's star next to Hollywood headquarters of Capitol Records .\nHarrison, who died of cancer in 2001, is second Beatle with star after John Lennon .\nSome fans travel from as far as Liverpool, England for dedication of Harrison's star .\nHarrison penned many Beatles songs before launching successful solo career ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- An internationally known Catholic priest who was shown in photographs last week embracing a bathing-suit-clad woman on a Florida beach has admitted they had a two-year affair. The Rev. Alberto Cutie was removed from his duties after pictures showed him bare-chested with a woman. The Rev. Alberto Cutie -- sometimes called \"Father Oprah\" because of the advice he gave on Spanish-language media -- said Monday on CBS' \"Early Show\" that he is in love with the woman and is considering his options: Whether to break up with her or leave the priesthood and marry her. The woman, who has not been publicly identified, wants to get married, Cutie said. The priest was removed from his duties last week at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida, and on the Radio Paz and Radio Peace networks. \"I take full responsibility for what I did, and I know it's wrong,\" he said Monday. The photos of the Cuban-American priest, also known as \"Padre Alberto,\" appeared on the cover of last week's TV Notas magazine and on eight inside pages. The cover says in Spanish: \"Good God! Padre Alberto. First photos of a priest 'in flagrante' with his lover.\" Other media outlets throughout Latin America, including the official Notimex news agency in Mexico, picked up the story, and it became an Internet sensation. Cutie has millions of followers in the Spanish-speaking world. In a message posted on the Miami, Florida, archdiocese Web page last week, Archbishop John C. Favalora apologized to parishioners and radio listeners for what he called a \"scandal.\" \"Father Cutie made a promise of celibacy and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God,\" Favalora said. \"Father Cutie's actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest.\" Cutie expressed his regret in an online statement last week and again Monday on the CBS program. \"I deeply apologize to the Catholic community and especially to my bishop and to my brother priests who are faithful and who are committed to celibacy,\" Cutie said. The priest said he believes in celibacy but thinks it should be optional. He said he had never had a sexual relationship with anyone other than the woman since leaving the seminary 15 years ago. Watch Father Cutie question the celibacy requirement » . \"I don't support the breaking of the celibacy promise,\" Cutie said. \"I understand fully that this is wrong. \"I don't want to be the anti-celibacy priest. I think that's unfortunate,\" he said. \"I think it's a debate that's going on in our society, and now I've become kind of a poster boy for it. But I don't want to be that. I believe that celibacy is good, and that it's a good commitment to God. This is something I've struggled with. And something that I never expected to become a public debate.\" He also talked about the woman, saying they have been friends for a long time and the attraction was there from early on, but it was not acted on until a couple of years ago. They have \"both struggled\" with the relationship, he said. \"She's also a woman of faith,\" Cutie said. \"She's also somebody who cares about the priesthood, who cares about these things. So it hasn't been easy. And those who have helped me through this process know it hasn't been easy. Obviously, you know, through the photos, it looked like a frivolous thing on the beach, you know, and that's not what it is. It's something deeper than that.\" Cutie was the first Catholic priest to host a daily talk show on a major secular television network, his information on the LinkedIn online professional network says. In addition to his TV and radio appearances, he has written newspaper advice columns and a self-help book, \"Real Life, Real Love.\" Before being removed, he was president and general director of Pax Catholic Communications, home of Radio Paz and Radio Peace in Miami." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Catholic priest was removed from duties in Miami archdiocese .\nThe Rev. Alberto Cutie says he is in love with the woman, considering his options .\nHe and the woman \"both struggled\" with the relationship, he said." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Philadelphia-area day care center said Thursday that members of a private swim club made racist comments about the center's children, and the club then canceled their swimming privileges. Some kids from the Creative Steps Day Care center say club members made racial remarks. The Creative Steps Day Care children -- ages kindergarten through seventh grade -- went to the Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, on June 29. The day center's director, Alethea Wright, had contracted to use the club once a week. During their first visit, some children said they heard club members asking why African-American children were there. One of the boys told the Philadelphia Inquirer that a woman at the club said she feared the children \"might do something\" to her child. Days later, the day care center's $1,950 check was returned without explanation, Wright said. The stepfather of one of the children was filing a complaint against the club with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the panel's chairman, Stephen Glassman, said Thursday. Watch one of the children say what he heard at the swim club » . The commission is investigating the allegations, spokeswoman Shannon Powers said, and will attempt to resolve the conflict out of court. \"Protests and public outcry won't do much to help these families, but the Human Relations Commission can determine the facts and hold people accountable for any illegal acts of discrimination,\" State NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesire, who serves as a commission member, said in a press release. Sen. Arlen Specter's office said the Pennsylvania Democrat has sent a letter to the Valley Swim Club president asking him to reinstate the contract with Creative Steps, saying, \"I think that you would agree that there is no place for racism in America today.\" On its Web site, the Valley Club disputed the allegations of racism. \"We had originally agreed to invite the camps to use our facility, knowing full well that the children from the camps were from multi-ethnic backgrounds,\" the statement said. \"Unfortunately, we quickly learned that we underestimated the capacity of our facilities and realized that we could not accommodate the number of children from these camps. All funds were returned to the camps and we will re-evaluate the issue at a later date to determine whether it can be feasible in the future.\" CNN attempted to speak with club President John Duesler on Thursday. He said he had no comment and asked CNN to leave the club property. But Duesler told two Philadelphia television stations that the children had changed \"the complexion\" and \"atmosphere\" of the club. A small group of protesters gathered in front of the club Thursday and said they think Duesler's statements prove that the club's action was racially motivated. \"I was hoping it wouldn't be something that was so blatantly apparent. I was hoping that it was overcrowding,\" one protester said. \"When I read the statement by the club president, it made it blatant.\" Jim Flynn, who said he was one of the club members who made a complaint against the children, said it was not racially motivated. \"There were a lot of children in the pool and not enough lifeguards,\" he said. \"As general members, we were not told that they were coming. If we knew, we could decide to not come when the pool was crowded or come anyway. We could have had an option.\" He said two other day-care centers, neither of which included minority children, had previously been similarly disinvited. A private Philadelphia boarding school said Thursday that it plans to help the day care center. \"We thought it was appalling what happened,\" said Girard College Admissions Director Tamara Leclair. She is meeting with the director of Creative Steps to sign a contract allowing the children to use Girard's facilities this summer, as early as Monday. \"We've had a wonderful response. I even received an e-mail from a woman in Florida telling us we did the right thing. \"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Club says facility could not accommodate the number of children .\nStepdad filing complaint with state Human Relations Commission .\nDay care center made deal to use private club's pool .\nKids say members made racist comments; center's check is returned ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- A 16-year-old Hong Kong boy makes two phone calls for delivery: One for pizza, the other for the drug ketamine. Two teenage girls are found semi-conscious in a car park after overdosing on ketamine. A 13-year-old boy joins a gang and is given free ketamine. Glass capsules containing ketamine, which has become the drug of choice for Hong Kong's youth. These are anecdotes told to CNN by police, a family doctor and a former gang member. Ketamine has become the drug of choice among young people, as the number of people under 21 taking drugs has surged 57 percent in the last four years in Hong Kong, said Commissioner for Narcotics, Sally Wong. \"We started off with a very small number of young people taking drugs. We are now more worried about the trend,\" Wong said. \"We don't want a runaway trend; that's why we are stepping up action.\" Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, can put users in a dazed stupor for about two hours, doctors said. Long-term use of ketamine can impair cognitive function and damage internal organs. Watch Pauline Chiou's report on ketamine sweeping Hong Kong » . An oversupply of the drug in Hong Kong and the fact that it is cheaper than other narcotics makes ketamine popular with young people, said Superintendent Wilson Fok of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau. One gram of ketamine sells on the street here for $13 and is enough to be shared with two other people, while cocaine, for example, sells for $103 a gram, Fok said. The drug is legal for medical use, but it is trafficked into Hong Kong from other parts of Asia, such as India and mainland China, and sold on the streets illegally, Fok said. Police have recently stepped up their efforts to crack down on drug use at clubs and bars in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, a city in mainland China just across the border. Nearly 120 alleged drug users from Hong Kong, mostly under the age of 30, were arrested at entertainment venues in Shenzhen in July and held for 15 days in sweeps that made headlines for days here. However, narcotics police said entertainment venues are not the only places they find drug abuse. \"Forty percent of young people abuse drugs in public toilets and playgrounds. That's what our recent data from last year shows,\" Fok said. \"They want to find some other places to take drugs.\" The problem has gotten so bad that authorities have decided to do something never done here before: random school drug tests. Beginning in September, some two dozen schools will conduct tests, as part of a trial program. Officials say the drug screening will most likely be in the form of urine tests, though they are still working out the details. Ketamine can be detected in urine for at least three days, doctors said. Watch a doctor explain how the test works » . Dr. Cheng Chi Man, a family practice doctor, runs a seminar that trains doctors to detect the signs of drug abuse in young patients: drowsiness, skin problems, frequent urination (ketamine can affect bladder function) and frequent sick leave. \"When we were 10 years old, we were still in primary school watching TV and eating candy. But they are now taking drugs.\" Alman Chan, principal of Hong Kong's only drug rehab school for youth, the privately-run Christian Zheng Sheng School, said he has watched as drug use has grown. See photos of the rehab school in remote Hong Kong » . \"Just look at our school development. I was here 14 years ago. At that time, I was the only teacher. I had 18 kids. I only had one student who was 15,\" he said. \"But now, I have one third -- about 40 of them -- who are 15 years old or younger. That shows you the number of students getting into drugs is bigger and also getting younger and younger.\" There were a few reasons why children were getting involved with drugs, such as troubled homes and difficulties at school, he said. \"People are more concerned about material things and they are getting lost,\" he added. Hong Kong Police have arrested children as young as age 13 for drug offenses, according to Commissioner for Narcotics, Sally Wong. Police last week reportedly busted a network that allegedly recruited teenagers to sell illegal drugs-- mainly to students. One of those arrested -- a 14-year-old school dropout -- was found with 28 grams of ketamine, according to the South China Morning Post. But ketamine abuse is not limited to young people. It is the second-most popular drug among all age groups in Hong Kong, Superintendent Wilson Fok of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau said. Many young drug abusers end up in Alman Chan's drug rehab school for youth, which is located in a remote part of Lantau Island west of Hong Kong. CNN visited the campus, which is home to 99 boys and 24 girls. The closest road is a three-hour hike through the woods. Chan calls the school \"the last stop before jail\" for drug abusers. That was the case for Tai Ming Hung's son Keith, a former gang member. She learned he was using ketamine when he ended up in the hospital after taking the drug a few years ago. \"I was in denial. I just didn't believe it was true. When I first heard about it, we all didn't know how to react, because we hadn't heard of those drugs before,\" she said. \"I didn't really understand why we have these harmful drugs in the world. And I was so afraid that it would kill my son.\" 18-year-old Keith, who said he began using ketamine at the age of 13 when he joined a gang, has recovered and is now living at Chan's school. \"I have a feeling that he's really growing up, he keeps improving,\" his mother said. The school's curriculum involves regular school subjects and chores. The goal is for each student to finish their court probation and either sit for the university exam or continue on to a vocational school. Many of the students have become interested in video editing and photography. There is a video lab on campus and the students showed CNN some video projects they have done. Other students run a pizza parlor and tea shop on a neighboring island. The average stay at the school is three years and students are encouraged to plan for life after rehab. \"We have vocational training. We help them get some marketable skills; therefore, they may get a job or continue training afterward,\" Chan said. \"I believe everyone deserves a second chance.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police: Ketamine is the top drug of choice among young people in Hong Kong .\nDrug use among those under 21 has jumped 57 percent in the last four years .\nPolice stepping up crackdowns, say parks and public toilets hot spots for drug use .\nHong Kong has one drug rehab center for youth, located on a remote former pig farm ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "STOCKHOLM, Sweden (CNN) -- Bjorn Ulvaeus was one half of the songwriting genius behind Swedish pop legend ABBA. After the band split up in 1982 Ulvaeus turned his talents to writing musicals, including \"Mamma Mia,\" now a blockbuster movie. Bjorn Ulvaeus on the ABBA phenomenon: \"I'm amazed how this could happen. I'm just grateful and humble.\" He took My City_My Life on a tour of his home town of Stockholm and talked about his past and future as pop royalty. CNN: What is the secret of ABBA's success? Bjorn Ulvaeus: I think the secret behind the fact that our songs are still around and that ABBA became so big is a lot of factors together. But one of them was definitely that we put so much effort into song writing. We hardly ever toured, we just wrote and wrote and produced the records over a period of seven or eight years. So it's the songs, plus I think the two girls, the voices -- the blend was unique and very special. CNN: Where did get the inspiration for your songs? BU: Well mostly in song writing my experience is that there isn't so much inspiration as hard work. You sit there for hours, days and weeks with a guitar and piano until something good comes. But the urge to write is something you have to have. A conviction, an ambition to write and never stop until you think, \"This is the best I can do.\" Watch Bjorn Ulvaeus take CNN on a tour of Stockholm » . CNN: What drives you? BU: In my career the push has always been to take another step, to try something new. That means that after ABBA, when we split up in 1982, we were onto writing a musical [\"Chess\"] because we hadn't done that before. CNN: How do you feel about working in the theater? BU: Every time I sit in the audience and watch a show that I have been involved with, it is such an amazing feeling to see all those people around me, knowing they are actually watching and enjoying something I have written. That is such a feeling of pure joy that never goes away and that's why I guess I'm so attracted to work in the theater. CNN: How did \"Mamma Mia! The Movie\" come about? BU: When you have a big hit on the West End and on Broadway with a musical, as we had with \"Mamma Mia,\" there is always the question, \"when are you going to do the movie?\" Some people say you shouldn't do it until the actual stage musical is on its last legs, but I don't think that matters. We had been on Broadway for seven or eight years and eight or nine in the West End and we thought now is the time to make that movie. CNN: How has Stockholm changed over the years? BU: A city like Stockholm, being so dynamic and following trends, develops all the time. It's gradually changing but you can hardly see that. It is changing in a very healthy way that cities should change. CNN: How would you describe Stockholm in a few words? BU: Stockholm is unique in the world in that it's built on, I think, 14 islands. There are so many bridges and it doesn't have any high-rise buildings to speak of. It's quite spread out and open and airy with lots of parks. See photos of Bjorn Ulvaeus in Stockholm » . CNN: Let's talk about the cultural scene in Stockholm. BU: There is a very vibrant cultural scene in Stockholm. There are lots of places where there are concerts and there are loads of museums and theaters. There is everything really, and eventually there is going to be an ABBA museum as well. CNN: When will that happen? BU: I don't know -- I like to be arm's length when it comes to a museum about oneself. Other people should do that. CNN: That's quite a Swedish trait... BU: A lot of Swedes are quite modest and unassuming. I think that's actually the closest you can get to a national trait, if there is one. CNN: How does it feel that people from different generations are still enjoying ABBA songs? BU: In a way I'm kind of a bystander looking at this phenomenon that is ABBA, which is still around, and that I thought would be finished in 1981 and forgotten. I'm amazed how this could happen and I don't know why it happened. I'm just grateful and humble. I just sit back and enjoy. CNN: What would you like your legacy to be? BU: I would like for my children to feel that what I left behind was something that I did whole heartedly and with honesty, and something that was the best I could do and hopefully that they too can enjoy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bjorn Ulvaeus is half of the songwriting pair behind Swedish pop legend ABBA .\nHe lives in Stockholm, which he describes as being \"dynamic\" and trendy .\nUlvaeus thought ABBA would be forgotten and is \"amazed\" by its popularity .\nAn ABBA museum is being planned for Stockholm ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A diary reported to have come from a top Colombian guerrilla leader killed last year says key officials in Ecuador accepted money from the rebels and had connections with Mexican drug gangs. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, has been at war with the government for decades. The money was meant to finance Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's 2006 election campaign, Marxist rebel Raul Reyes is said to have written in a diary allegedly obtained after his death. Ecuador denies the allegations and has asked the Organization of American States to investigate. \"The president of the republic did not know anything about this and never sent any emissary to finance his electoral campaign,\" Interior Minister Gustavo Jalkh said at a news conference Wednesday. Ecuadorian officials released excerpts from the diary Thursday. Wednesday's revelation was the second instance in two weeks tying Correa to donations from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Last week, Colombian media broadcast a 2008 video in which guerrilla leader Victor Julio Suarez Rojas, widely known as Mono Jojoy, said the rebels donated money to Correa's campaign. The guerrilla group also had conversations with Correa's emissaries and has reached \"some accords, according to documents that we have,\" Suarez said in the videotape. Correa denied those allegations, asking the nation's civil service commission to investigate. FARC issued a statement Tuesday denying that the rebels have \"given money to any electoral campaign of any neighboring country.\" The guerrillas accused the United States and Colombia of manipulating the Suarez video to make Correa look bad. FARC has been at war with the Colombian government for more than 45 years. In the latest allegations, Reyes, FARC's second-in-command until his death in March 2008, identifies the Ecuadorians who had contacts with the rebels as former head of security Gustavo Larrea, former under secretary for governing Ignacio Chauvin, retired Col. Jorge Brito and dentist Luis Ayala. \"Larrea, Brito and Dr. Ayala, I am sure, move among the Mexican drug cartels and, in order to have free reign, collaborate with the CIA,\" Reyes wrote, according to the state-run Notimex news agency in Mexico. \"For them, I am the true loot, and turning me over would be their major deal.\" Ecuadorian Interior Minister Jalkh and Foreign Minister Fander Falconi declined Wednesday to confirm the diary's authenticity, attributing to it \"neither truth nor falseness.\" Instead, they said they turned it over to the Organization of American States so that the hemispheric body can verify its authenticity. Ecuadorian officials also turned a copy over to the nation's attorney general. The 20-page diary goes from July 2007 to February 23, 2008, seven days before a Colombian bombing attack killed Reyes at his camp inside the Ecuadorian border. In addition to Reyes, the attack killed 24 people, including four Mexicans and an Ecuadorian. As a result, Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Colombia in March 2008. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of the leftist Correa, also strongly objected to the attack and sent tanks to his country's border with Colombia in March 2008. On Tuesday, Chavez froze relations with Colombia and recalled Venezuela's ambassador after Colombia revealed that the FARC had gotten hold of shoulder-launched anti-tank grenades that Sweden sold to Venezuela 20 years ago. Reyes' diary portrays a rebel leader who feels trapped and betrayed. \"No matter how much Nacho [Ignacio] Chauvin insists, as well as correspondence from Larrea, I don't see any convenience in staying at the Angostura camp that I occupied as a result of Col. Brito,\" Reyes wrote. \"I know that Larrea is behind all this.\" Writing about the Angostura camp on the border with Colombia, Reyes said, \"This place is a trap. They have me tied up here under the pretext that I should receive the international delegations. All this stuff is very false.\" He goes on to doubt the people who come to see him at the jungle base. \"The revolutionaries who visit me, save for a few people, only want money and deals. I ask myself, how many of them are infiltrators who work as double agents? I feel the presence of double agents in Correa's intimate group, without a doubt.\" Giving money to Correa was a waste, Reyes wrote. \"Trusting Correa was suicide,\" the diary said. \"All the contributions of money for Correa's campaign weren't worth a damn.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "FARC leader reportedly wrote about donating to Rafael Correa's 2006 campaign .\n\"Trusting Correa was suicide,\" Raul Reyes allegedly wrote before death last year .\nEcuador denies allegations, asks the Organization of American States to investigate .\nFARC denies giving money \"to any electoral campaign of any neighboring country\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It takes seven minutes to execute a death row inmate, according to the state of Texas. Mike Graczyk poses outside the Texas death chamber prior to an execution in January. At that rate, Mike Graczyk has spent about 40 hours of his life watching men -- and a few women -- die. Graczyk, a correspondent for The Associated Press, is believed to hold a macabre record. He's almost certainly watched more executions than anyone else in the United States. \"I can't possibly imagine there's been someone present at more than Mike,\" said Michelle Lyons, the spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which uses lethal injection at its execution chamber in Huntsville. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, no state has executed more inmates than Texas. And no one has witnessed more of them than Graczyk. He's on the witness list for 315 of the state's 439 executions -- more than any other reporter, prison employee or chaplain -- and no records were kept for another 80. Interactive map: See how Texas compares with other states » . In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't want to know. \"In one circle, I was perceived as putting notches on my gun belt,\" the 59-year-old reporter said. \"I didn't like that.\" Prison regulations in Texas require The Associated Press to be given one of the five designated media witness passes for each execution. Graczyk works in the AP's Houston bureau -- it's closest to the state's execution chamber in Huntsville. Since the early 1980s, he's made the hourlong drive north almost every time an inmate has faced the needle. The first was March 13, 1984, for the execution of James \"Cowboy\" Autry, convicted of shooting a female store clerk between the eyes with a .38-caliber revolver while arguing over a six-pack of beer. She died, along with a former Catholic priest that Autry killed at the crime scene. \"The first time definitely leaves an impression on you,\" Graczyk said. There are others that stand out along the way. Graczyk remembers Bob Black, convicted of killing his wife and trying to collect the insurance money. \"I walked into the death house, and he was strapped to the table and he said, 'Hey Mike, how are you doing?' It threw me for a loop.\" Graczyk said it's normal for him to know the name of the condemned and not uncommon for the reverse to be true. There have been others who greeted Graczyk by name with a needle in their arm. Once, while waiting to be let into the death house, a prisoner phoned him in the media holding area. It was the inmate whose execution Graczyk was about to witness. \"He said, 'I just wanted to call and make sure you were OK.' I was flabbergasted.\" Over the years, the inmate's name has slipped from Graczyk's memory, but not the unexpected phone conversation. \"I don't think he had any family to call,\" he said. There was Ponchai Wilkerson, who once nearly escaped from death row and, years later, coughed up a handcuff key as he lay dying from his injection. There was the \"Candy Man,\" Ronald Clark O'Bryan -- convicted of poisoning his child's Halloween candy with cyanide -- and the gauntlet of college students wearing Halloween masks who showed up to cheer. And Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the 1800s. He remembers a network correspondent crying after her death -- and another blow-drying his hair. Of the entire death chamber ritual, Graczyk said, it's the final statements that stick in his mind. Some have been confessions. Others were denials. Poetry. Prayers. Bible verses. Curses. Emotions ranging from defiance to resignation. There was Jonathan Nobles, an electrician who stabbed two people to death. He sang \"Silent Night.\" \"Ever since then, I think of him on Christmas or Christmas Eve when I'm in church,\" Graczyk said. \"That's the kind of thing that haunts you.\" The person who may come closest to Graczyk's status also felt things that haunted him. Don Reid, a writer for the AP and, before that, a Texas newspaper, witnessed 189 executions in the 1960s, when Texas still strapped inmates to \"Old Sparky,\" the nickname for the state's electric chair. The experience changed Reid, who died in 1981, from a supporter of the death penalty to an opponent. He wrote a book, \"Have a Seat, Please,\" chronicling that transformation. Graczyk said he doesn't worry about the mental toll of watching so many deaths. His bosses with the AP have offered counseling. He's declined. \"To see someone go to sleep -- not to sound insensitive -- but the carnage at the murder scene is harder than what you see in the death house in Huntsville,\" he said. Over a 25-year career, Graczyk said, the executions have only been a small portion of his work. He finds balance in those other stories. As a journalist, Graczyk never answers the question when friends ask his own views on the death penalty. \"I'm not sure I really know,\" he said. But as long as Texas keeps executing people, Graczyk said, it's important that he keep showing up. The next execution in Huntsville was scheduled for Thursday before the condemned, convicted murderer Kenneth Mosley, was granted a reprieve until September. If the execution goes ahead then, Graczyk plans to make the drive. \"I would hate for the state of Texas to take someone's life and no one be there,\" he said. CNN's Doug Gross contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Texas reporter has covered executions in Texas since the early 1980s .\nGraczyk stopped counting, didn't want \"notches on my gun belt\"\nInmates waiting to die have greeted him by name, called to check up on him .\nHe says he doesn't worry about the mental toll and has declined counseling ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNET) -- At a hacker conference no one is safe. Demographic of Defcon conference for hackers is older, wiser and employed. When I first went to Defcon in 1995, the halls were mobbed with teenagers and attendees seemed more concerned with freeing Kevin Mitnick and seeing strippers than hacking each others' computers. Jump forward to Defcon 17 this year, which was held over the weekend in Las Vegas, things certainly have changed. The attendees are older and wiser and employed, most of the feds aren't in stealth mode, and even the most savvy of hackers is justifiably paranoid. \"Welcome to the hacker world,\" said Defcon founder Jeff Moss. The evolving demographic of Defcon attendees shows that the hacker community, like all of us, is aging. But it's also a reflection of how the threat landscape has changed. Web site defacements have given way to much more serious risks like financial fraud and unaddressed critical infrastructure weaknesses. It's a cornucopia of phishing e-mails, cross-site scripting attacks that poke holes in trusted Web sites, and criminals harvesting credit card numbers and selling them on the underground equivalent of eBay with guarantees of service and support. Defcon and Black Hat, the pricier and more corporate sister confab held the two days preceding Defcon ($120 for Defcon registration versus $1,395 to $2,095 for phased registration at Black Hat), offer a forum for researchers to share information about vulnerabilities they find in software, hardware and systems. Targeted this year were everything from the iPhone and surveillance video feeds to e-parking meters and security underlying the Domain Name System. Vendors and users weren't the only ones who need worry. Attendees had plenty to fear and security experts themselves weren't spared. On July 27, Web sites belonging to a handful of security researchers and groups were hacked and passwords, private e-mails, IM chats, and potentially sensitive documents were exposed on the vandalized site of security golden boy Dan Kaminsky. (Mitnick, whose jailing in the '90s for computer crimes made him a cause celebre at \"Free Kevin\" benefits at Defcon at the time, was among those attacked.) There were more widespread threats at the shows, too. Anyone using the Wi-Fi networks at the events had better be careful lest they get their password sniffed and posted on the Wall of Sheep. Then there was the USB thumb drive that was passed around among attendees of Black Hat that was found to be infected with the Conficker virus. Reporters who aren't nearly as geeky as the sources they interview are always easy prey. One reporter was concerned about being hacked via the local area network in the press room after a rare Blue Screen of Death crashed his laptop. Last year, three French men were expelled for sniffing the press room LAN at Black Hat. They said they had obtained eWeek's and CNET's passwords but failed to prove the CNET allegation. This year, three South Koreans registered as press were ejected for asking questions that led organizers to believe were on an intelligence-gathering mission instead of merely reporting, according to the IDG News Service. I had a panic of my own at Defcon this year. I was connected to the Internet using an EVDO wireless card and a virtual private network and was startled a short while later when a Web page opened up out of the blue and I noticed the VPN was disconnected. Granted it looked like a legitimate page for my wireless carrier, but not wanting to take any chances I immediately logged off. (See \"Defcon: What to leave at home and other do's and don'ts\" for tips on how to best protect yourself.) Unfortunately, I had neglected to disable the Wi-Fi on the laptop. Because Windows XP event logging is lacking, it's not clear whether someone may have spoofed the name of a wireless network the laptop is configured to automatically connect to. Time to call the help desk. At least I didn't use any automatic teller machines at the hotel. Defcon organizers confirmed on Monday that a fake ATM was discovered in a lobby of the Riviera Hotel where the event was held, right near the hotel security office. The ruse was up after someone looked through the camera hole using a flashlight and saw a PC inside. Meanwhile, Chris Paget, a security expert who works at Google, reported on Twitter that he lost $200 from a compromised ATM at the Rio Hotel over the weekend. There are multiple Diebold ATMs with the skimmers inside at the Rio casino, he tweeted, later adding: \"Secret Service just called back. They're taking it seriously, reading between the lines it seem(s) like there's more going on here.\" There is no evidence that the fake Riviera ATM was planted by anyone at Defcon, and in all likelihood the hacked Rio ATM was not associated with the hacker show. Heightening the paranoia at Defcon was the report from event organizers on Saturday that there was a confirmed Trojan on the CD the conference hands out to all attendees. The report turned out to be false. Also arousing suspicion were the Defcon badges, which featured a built-in microphone, LED, digital signal processor, and custom circuit boards designed to be hacked as part of a contest. I prudently popped the battery out of my badge after discussing the microphone capability with another journalist. Some attendees chose not to wear the badges at all, even without the battery, tucking them in satchels and digging them out every time they needed to display them. As it does every year, Defcon also had its share of stupid attendee tricks--one arrest reportedly for carrying a concealed weapon and another for bungee jumping off the hotel roof. But those are par for the course when you mix booze and rebellious youth trying to out-impress each other. It was the other stuff--the hacking and viruses and sniffing--that made me and others at the show jumpy. Security guru Bruce Schneier, however, brushed it off as the mere cost of doing business. \"This is the way hackers play,\" he said. \"This is the experimental battlefield. It's not bad; it is just what it is. Defcon has an important place in computer security.\" © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Defcon is a forum to share info on vulnerabilities in software and hardware .\nAttendees worried about using Wi-Fi for fear of passwords being stolen .\nFake ATM was spotted in hotel with a PC inside it .\nThumb drive with virus was passed around at conference ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday on suspicion of choking and restraining MTV reality show star Tila Tequila, police said. Shawne Merriman is accused of restraining reality TV star Tila Tequlia as she tried to leave his home, police say. However, Merriman's attorney denied the allegations, saying more than a dozen other people were at Merriman's house in suburban San Diego, California, at the time of the incident and \"witness after witness after witness will back up his story 100 percent.\" Authorities responded to a disturbance call about 3:45 a.m. Sunday from a woman who said she had been choked and restrained by a male, the sheriff's department of San Diego County, California, said in a statement. When police arrived, \"the reporting party identified herself as Tila Nguyen, aka Tila Tequila, and her alleged assailant as Shawne Merriman,\" the statement said. \"Nguyen told deputies she had been choked and physically restrained by Merriman when she attempted to leave his residence,\" the statement said. Watch Merriman's side of the story » . Nguyen signed a citizen's arrest at the scene, and Merriman was taken into custody on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment, according to the statement. Deputies didn't see any physical injuries on Nguyen, but she asked to be transported to a local hospital, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said. Nguyen's condition was not immediately known. Merriman's attorney, Todd Macaluso, told reporters that Nguyen was \"extremely intoxicated and inebriated\" and that the player tried to make arrangements for her to leave the house. \"At no time did Mr. Merriman assault her. At no time did Mr. Merriman keep her against her will,\" Macaluso said. \"His intentions were nothing but good. ... We're very confident that this matter will be resolved without any charges being filed whatsoever.\" Caldwell said alcohol \"was involved\" on Nguyen's part. Caldwell didn't elaborate. Merriman was released from jail late Sunday morning. Caldwell said she didn't know whether Merriman was released on bail or on his own recognizance. The district attorney's office will determine whether criminal charges will be pursued, Caldwell said. As Tila Tequila, Nguyen starred on the MTV reality shows \"A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila\" in 2007 and \"A Shot at Love 2 With Tila Tequila\" in 2008. On her Twitter account, Nguyen did not mention the incident but tweeted about going to meet Merriman on Saturday. In a statement posted on the Chargers' Web site Sunday, team General Manager A.J. Smith said it is \"disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman.\" \"We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course,\" Smith said. Merriman, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is entering his fifth year with the Chargers and the NFL. He recorded at least 10 sacks in each of his first three seasons, but he was limited to one game last season because of a knee injury that required surgery. The Chargers begin their 2009 NFL regular-season campaign on September 14 in Oakland, California, for a game against the Raiders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Merriman's attorney says NFL player didn't assault Tila Tequila .\nPolice: Tila \"Tequila\" Nguyen alleges NFL's Shawne Merriman choked her .\nIncident allegedly happened as she tried to leave Merriman's home, police say .\nNguyen starred in MTV's \"A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from a flash flood in Indonesia's capital grew to 98 people on Sunday as rescuers widened their search for more than 130 other people in the aftermath. Members of a search and rescue team look for bodies near Jakarta. The nation's health ministry said 62 women, 31 men and three students had been killed. Of those, 12 bodies remained unidentified, ministry spokesman Rustam Pakaya said. Another 13 people were missing. The search for the missing will be called off Sunday night, he said. The flood started Friday morning after heavy rains caused waters to smash through a dam and rush into Jakarta. The breach unleashed a torrent of water that plowed into hundreds of homes in what some survivors described as a suburban \"tsunami.\" About 1,500 volunteers -- mostly students from two flooded universities in Jakarta -- are assisting in the search and rescue effort, said Mardjito, a social affairs ministry official who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name. He said rescuers started using heavy machinery to lift debris. Still, the death toll is expected to rise. At least 50 people were injured and nearly 1,500 have been displaced. Mardjito said a camp for survivors so far has adequate supplies as members of political parties continue to send food, blankets, flashlights and other items amid a major election year. Sleeping residents were taken by surprise by the powerful flash flood as it crashed through the crowded Cirendeu district near Jakarta early Friday. Watch scenes of the flood devastation » . Drenched and shivering survivors were taking refuge on the rooftops of their homes as rescuers in rubber boats were struggling to reach them, said social affairs ministry official Mardjito. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, currently on the campaign trail ahead of the elections later this year, has said he had ordered senior ministers to visit the scene of the disaster. \"On behalf of the government, I express my condolences to the families of the dead victims and may their souls be accepted by God almighty,\" he said, according to the official Antara news agency. The rain obliterated a 255-meter-long section of the dam, releasing a wall of water from a 20-hectare lake that some survivors said reminded them of the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004. \"They said they had heard loud rumbling sounds like during a powerful earthquake. They later found out that the sounds came from the water rushing out from the dam's lake,\" according to Antara. Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in and around Jakarta, a low-lying city on the northern coast of Java island, where poor infrastructure often results in polluted canals and rivers overflowing their banks and spilling into thousands of homes. In 2007, 38 people were killed and 430,000 forced from their homes when storm water 3 meters deep in some places swamped 75 percent of the capital, which is home to about 9 million people. With poor sanitation and a hot and humid climate, the risk of water-borne diseases is usually a major concern following floods in the city, where mosquito-transmitted malaria is also a threat. CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At least 98 dead, many more missing, from flash floods in Jakarta .\nFlood began after heavy rains caused waters to smash through a dam .\nSurvivors say rumbling of waters sounded like an earthquake .\nRescuers are having difficulties reaching people because of mud ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A whistle-blower who helped shed light on misconduct among the ranks of contractors working as guards for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan is back home in England sooner than he expected after he resigned in the fallout of the scandal. \"It was just downright stupid,\" Terry Pearson says of guard misconduct in Afghanistan. Terry Pearson, who worked as an operations manager for contractor R.A. International at Camp Sullivan in Afghanistan, said he witnessed mistreatment among the guards employed by ArmorGroup North America, who were housed at the camp. \"It was just downright stupid, some of the things they were doing,\" Pearson told CNN. \"And insensitive.\" Allegations surfaced last week that contractor ArmorGroup allowed mistreatment, sexual activity and intimidation within the ranks of private guards hired to protect the embassy in Kabul. The company and U.S. officials are investigating. Wackenhut Services Inc., the corporate parent of ArmorGroup, said in an e-mail it is \"fully cooperating\" in the investigation. Fourteen guards were fired and the entire management team for ArmorGroup in Kabul was to be replaced, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said. The actions of the embassy guards went beyond pranks or laughs, he said. \"When you start encouraging people to drink alcohol running off someone's body parts,\" Pearson said, pausing for a moment, \"a bit over the top.\" Watch Pearson describe guards' \"insensitive\" conduct » . He took his grievance to his superiors as well as those of ArmorGroup. The answer he received was, \"'they're just letting off steam,' and I think that's the way they looked at some of the incidents that happened,\" Pearson said. Pearson said he was looking for a change of behavior, not for mass firings. But at Camp Sullivan, he was made to feel that he had done something wrong and he resigned. Pearson said he reconsidered the resignation almost immediately after he submitted it, but it was too late. \"Although we are now aware of the alleged events at Camp Sullivan ... the employee's resignation was not associated with this matter,\" R.A. International said in a statement. The scandal came to light last week when the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and briefed reporters on its findings, which it said were based on e-mails and interviews with more than a dozen guards who have worked at the U.S. compound in Kabul. Speaking with CNN at his hometown of Liverpool, England, Pearson said that given a chance to go back, he would have taken the same stance. \"Dignity at work and respect at work is more important than having a job yourself,\" he said. CNN's Paula Newton contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Terry Pearson is back in England after allegedly witnessing guard misconduct .\nPearson resigned from R.A. International at Camp Sullivan in Afghanistan .\n14 guards were fired after allegations of abuse, sexual activity and intimidation .\nArmorGroup and U.S. officials are investigating ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- John Travolta, still in mourning over the death of his teenage son earlier this year, issued a rare public statement urging fans to see his latest movie, \"The Taking of Pelham 123,\" which he filmed last year. John Travolta stars as a villainous ex-inmate in \"The Taking of Pelham 123,\" which opens in theaters Friday. \"I promise, you won't be disappointed,\" said Travolta, who plays a deranged ex-inmate who takes hostages on a New York subway. Travolta did not join co-star Denzel Washington in the promotional tour for the movie -- which hits theaters Friday -- because he said his family needed \"additional time to reconcile our loss.\" His son Jett, 16, was found unconscious on January 2 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, local police said. Washington, who plays a subway train dispatcher forced to face down Travolta's character, said he talked to the actor about three weeks ago. \"Needless to say, he's struggling,\" Washington said in an interview last week. Travolta's statement, which can be read on his official Web site, said Washington, director Tony Scott and the producers \"stepped up without hesitation to help promote this wonderful film, and their unselfish efforts have allowed my family the additional time to reconcile our loss.\" Making the movie was \"a labor of love,\" Travolta said. \"Tony gave me the freedom to define, and then to become, the ultimate evil mastermind,\" he said. \"This role as an actor gave me the chance to dispense with all moral and ethical limitations, and explore just how bad this character could really be. I believe you will like the result.\" Much of the movie is a dialogue between Washington and Travolta's character over a two-way radio. Many of the action shots were filmed in New York subway tunnels." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "John Travolta releases statement on his Web site about \"The Taking of Pelham 123\"\nTravolta, still mourning son's death, praised colleagues for \"unselfish efforts\"\nTravolta's son Jett died in January during family vacation ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former State Department employee and his wife, who are accused of spying for Cuba for nearly 30 years, will remain in jail as they await trial, a judge ruled Wednesday. An artist's sketch shows Walter Kendall Myers, 72, and his wife, Gwendolyn Myers, 71, in court Wednesday. Walter Kendall Myers, 72, and his wife, Gwendolyn Myers, 71, are charged with conspiracy to act as illegal agents of the Cuban government, wire fraud and providing classified information to Havana, according to court documents. U.S. Magistrate John Facciola ordered the couple Wednesday held without bail after a prosecutor said they posed a flight risk. Investigators found a calendar showing that the couple planned to sail to the Caribbean in November, federal prosecutor Michael Harvey told the court. The two have the financial means to obtain false documents and flee to Cuba with their sailboat or through Mexico or Canada, he said. \"They are unworthy of this court's trust,\" Harvey added. The couple was quiet and expressionless during the proceedings Wednesday. Kendall Myers sat with his arms folded across his chest, while his wife sat with her arms at her side. They stared straight ahead, and did not appear to acknowledge anyone in the courtroom. A defense attorney urged the court to allow them to remain in their home, where they could visit with their children. \"You could disable the sailboat, freeze their funds and require ankle bracelets,\" Thomas Green said. The judge allowed the couple to meet briefly with their son after the court proceedings, but turned down the request to allow them to go home. He said he was concerned that the two would go to the Cuban Interests Section or the embassy of a country that has diplomatic relations with Cuba. Such a move would put them beyond the reach of federal law enforcement agencies. The State Department has not described what information the Myerses may have passed to their Cuban handlers, but said more information would come out after a full assessment. A senior State Department official said Kendall Myers was an \"upper-level civil service employee\" at the Bureau of Intelligence and Research who \"had come up in the ranks.\" U.S. officials did not discuss the Myerses' motives for their alleged work for the Cuban government. Conviction on the wire fraud charge would carry a sentence of up to 20 years; illegally acting as an agent of a foreign government would carry a sentence of up to 10 years; and the conspiracy charge would carry a sentence of up to five years. Myers retired from the State Department on October 31, 2007. He had viewed more than 200 classified reports on Cuba in his final months, even though he was an analyst on European issues at the time, court documents say. The couple has been held without bail since pleading not guilty Friday. A future trial date has not been scheduled. CNN's Carol Cratty contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Judge rules that husband, wife will remain in jail as they await trial .\nNEW: He cites concern about pair fleeing beyond reach of U.S. law enforcement .\nThey're charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, providing classified data to Havana .\nState Department hasn't said what data the pair may have passed to Cuban handlers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- A legislative candidate was killed, along with his wife and two children, bringing campaigns for statewide offices in the southeastern state of Tabasco to a halt, the state-run news agency Notimex reported. PRI candidate Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon was killed, along with his wife and their two sons. The bodies of Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon, his wife and two young sons were found inside their home in the capital of Villahermosa on Saturday. According to local reports, Fuentes' wife was shot in the head, and the boys, ages 10 and 13, had been asphyxiated. Less clear was the candidate's fate. Some reports said that his body had signs of torture and had a wound on his neck, which may have been from a gunshot. As of Sunday, authorities had not released a motive for the crime, though speculation of a drug cartel hit or a robbery circulated in Tabasco. Fuentes' party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, immediately announced a campaign moratorium for all of its candidates for the state's October 18 elections. Other political parties followed suit. \"The PRI cannot go out at this moment and ask citizens for their vote when it finds itself with a broken heart because of the homicide of its candidate,\" Tabasco PRI director Adrian Hernandez Balboa said, according to Notimex. In response, the Tabasco state government offered all political candidates protection during their campaigns if they requested it, a statement from the office of Gov. Andres Granier Melo said. Mexican President Felipe Calderon called Granier to offer his condolences and show his support for the investigation, the statement said. The weekend slaying was not the first time an entire family has been killed in Tabasco. In February, a Tabasco police official who had arrested a drug trafficker a week earlier was killed together with his mother, wife, children and nieces and nephews. His brother, also a state police officer, was wounded, as were two others. The day before Fuentes and his family were killed, unknown gunmen fatally shot two state police officers in Villahermosa and injured two others." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bodies of Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon, wife and 2 sons found inside their home .\nDiscovery brings campaigns for statewide offices in state of Tabasco to halt .\nFuentes' wife shot in head; their sons, 10 and 13, had been asphyxiated .\nOfficials release no motive for slayings; speculation centers on drug cartel or robbery ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A Bangkok Airways plane crashed at an airport at a resort island in Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring 37 people Tuesday, aviation officials said. Rescue workers inspect the Bangkok Airways plane at Samui airport on Thailand's Ko Samui. The plane carrying 68 people and four crew members skidded and then crashed after landing at Koh Samui airport, officials with the civil aviation department said. The ATR-72 turboprop had taken off from the town of Krabi on the west coast Thailand for its trip to the resort island of Koh Samui. Air traffic control warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed, aviation officials said. Seven people were seriously injured and emergency officials were working to free the plane's co-pilot who was trapped in the plane, officials said. CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Officials: Plane skidded and then crashed after landing at Koh Samui airport .\nBangkok Airways ATR-72 turboprop carrying 68 people, four crew members .\nAir traffic control warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Florida man arrested with his wife on anabolic steroid possession charges claimed to have sold steroids to professional hockey and baseball players in the District of Columbia, but the National Hockey League and Washington Capitals said Wednesday they doubted the allegation. Richard Thomas and his wife, Sandra, were arrested Tuesday night at their home in Lakeland, Florida. Richard Thomas, 35, told officers he sold the steroids to unidentified players on the NHL's Capitals and the Washington Nationals of baseball's National League, said Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County, Florida. \"Richard Thomas told us that he sold steroids to ballplayers on those teams,\" Judd said after the arrests late Tuesday night. \"Now, is that one ballplayer to two ballplayers? We don't know.\" NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league would investigate the claim, but added that the Washington Capitals \"have no knowledge of any aspect of this allegation.\" \"Capitals players were subjected to no-notice testing five separate times over the past two seasons pursuant to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and there was no indication of any improper conduct or wrongdoing,\" Daly said in a statement issued Wednesday. A separate statement by Capitals president Dick Patrick said the team had \"no reason to believe there is any merit to this story,\" but would fully cooperate with the NHL's investigation. MLB.com, the Web site of Major League Baseball, reported Wednesday that the league would look into the allegation involving the Washington Nationals. The report posted on the Web site of the Washington Nationals quoted Nationals president Stan Kasten as saying the team knew nothing about the steroids claim, and that the league was handling it. Thomas and his wife, Sandra, 49, were arrested Tuesday night at their home in Lakeland, Florida, on 21 counts of possession of anabolic steroids, importation of anabolic steroids and maintaining a residence for drug sales, Judd said. He said the couple has been charged with 10 counts of steroid possession with intent to distribute, 10 counts of importing the drugs and one count of maintaining a residence for drug sales. According to Judd, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Philadelphia received information that the Florida couple would be receiving a shipment of steroids. Judd's office then obtained a search warrant for the Lakeland home, where officers found steroids from points outside the United States, including Iran, he said. The arrest report says Richard Thomas told officers he was \"the biggest steroids dealer in central Florida.\" Bond for Richard and Sandra Thomas was set at $215,000 each, said Carrie Eleazer, spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, and Sandra Thomas was released on bail Wednesday afternoon. The two are scheduled to make an initial court appearance Thursday. CNN's John Couwels contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Couple arrested in central Florida on anabolic steroid possession charges .\nClaim they sold steroids to professional athletes in District of Columbia, sheriff says .\nRichard Thomas says he sold steroids to pro baseball, hockey players, sheriff says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Bone-dry conditions in an area that has not seen a major fire in more than 60 years pushed a Southern California wildfire from 45,000 acres to more than 100,000 acres in a matter of hours Monday, fire officials said. A charred fire truck sits at the bottom of a hill Monday near Acton, California. Two firefighters died in the vehicle. The Station fire, burning in Angeles National Forest north of Los Angeles, has forced thousands of evacuations and threatened thousands of structures -- including major communications installations on Mount Wilson, said Mike Dietrich, the U.S. Forest Service's incident commander. \"This is a very difficult firefight,\" Dietrich said. \"This is a very angry fire that we're fighting right now. Until we can get a change in weather conditions, I'm not overly optimist.\" Weather forecasts show little change in conditions for the next four to five days. The fire, which has sent plumes of thick smoke spiraling as much as 20,000 feet into the air, is creating its own wind patterns, making it unpredictable, officials said. See images of the wildfire » . \"This fire is headed just about anywhere it wants to right now,\" said Dietrich, who earlier said the blaze had \"a mind of its own.\" Fire officials said Monday they had issued evacuation notices for residents of the 10,000 homes under threat. Nearly 100 homes were added to the notices Monday afternoon. But six people in the evacuation area had refused repeated requests to leave, said Commander David Fender, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's incident commander. \"There's six individuals, they're up there, they've been asked to leave three times,\" Fender said. \"They refuse to leave. That's their choice.\" Earlier reports indicated the six were trapped at their Gold Canyon ranch and firefighters were unable to reach them, but Fender said he had no indication that was true. \"They've all shared that they do not want to leave,\" he said. The fire claimed the lives of two firefighters Sunday. Capt. Tedmund Hall, 47, and Specialist Arnaldo Quinones, 35, were killed when their vehicle went down a steep, 700-foot embankment, Dietrich said. Hall was with the department for 26 years and Quinones for eight years. Watch a fire official give details on the \"tragic\" accident » . Dietrich said the blaze had destroyed two communications arrays in the area but had not flared up on Mount Wilson, home to 20 television and radio transmission towers, fire and police communications equipment and the Mount Wilson Observatory. That area is under a critical threat and a strike team is in position to protect the observatory. But, Dietrich stressed, \"My No. 1 priority is our firefighters' safety.\" \"If they have to abandon the position, there's no facility that is worth a human life,\" he said. Despite the difficulties, Dietrich told reporters that firefighting teams \"will not rest until it's out.\" And Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Bryant noted that \"there have been hundreds of homes saved by firefighters in this effort.\" The Station fire was the largest of eight blazes burning across the state on Monday, officials said. Watch iReporters' footage of the wildfire » . Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday his administration is \"working around the clock to ensure that our brave men and women working on the fires' front lines have the resources needed to respond and beat back these fires as quickly as possible. \"We have the toughest and best-trained firefighters in the world fighting to protect public safety and property,\" Schwarzenegger said. \"I am confident in the state's response as these fires continue to burn throughout California.\" The governor on Monday toured damage left in the wake of the 49 Fire in Placer County, in northern California. As of Monday, the fire had burned 275 acres and was 50 percent contained. On Sunday, the governor expressed his condolences for the loss of the firefighters in the Station fire. Learn more about areas under threat » . The Station fire started Wednesday and had destroyed 18 structures by Sunday. At least 10,000 homes, 500 businesses and 2,000 other structures are threatened by the fire, which exploded in size over the weekend, fueled by low humidity and high temperatures. Evacuations have been ordered for an unspecified number of residents. One of them was Elsa Aguirre, 57, who left her ranch home in Altadena, California, early Saturday. She, her husband and her cat were at a Red Cross shelter in a high school on Monday. Aguirre brought a box of mementos with her, including her mother's tea set from Argentina. \"The challenge is going to be going back to reality because I've been looking at the fire and the mountains from where I am,\" she said. \"The mountains look pretty spooky right now without any vegetation. ... I'm just taking it one day at a time.\" Watch homeowners discuss fears » . Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday as a result of the Station fire. The governor also declared a state of emergency in Monterey County, where one blaze, called the Gloria fire, has burned about 6,500 acres, and another, called the Bryson fire, has charred more than 3,000 acres, according to the Forest Service. On Sunday, Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Placer County, his office said. Three people suffered burns while in the Big Tujunga Canyon recreational area, where three homes were destroyed by the Station fire, said Bruce Quintelier, fire information officer for the Forest Service. In addition, two to three dozen recreational cabins were destroyed, said Randi Jorgensen, another Forest Service information officer. The fire is also threatening communication towers on Mount Disappointment, Quintelier said. CNN's Rob Marciano, Chad Myers, John Torigoe and Stephanie Chen contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Fire creates own wind patterns, making it unpredictable, officials say .\nFast-growing wildfire nearly doubles to 164-square-mile conflagration .\nTwo firefighters killed battling blaze when vehicle went down steep embankment .\nSix people refuse to evacuate their Gold Canyon ranch ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Valentino Rossi is one of only a handful of champions in the modern era whose popularity has transcended their sport. As the Italian maestro closes in on an eighth world title, CNN charts the rise of the charismatic king of two wheels. Valentino Rossi celebrates his 102nd victory at the Brno Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Born in Urbano, Italy in 1979, Valentino Rossi's achievements in the sport are nothing short of extraordinary. Eight world titles, 102 wins and over 150 podium finishes have already made him the most successful rider of all time. Rossi began racing karts as a ten-year-old, before moving to two wheels in 1992. Four years later in his first Grand Prix season he won -- aged seventeen -- at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic in the 125cc World Championship. The following year he clocked up a record 321 points in winning his first 125cc World Championship title. 1998 was meant to be a learning year on the more powerful 250cc bikes, but Rossi finished second overall before going on to take the title the following season. His progress in the 500cc class in 2000 and 2001 followed an identical trajectory to that in Rossi's two seasons racing 250cc bikes. In 2002, he was crowned MotoGP champion in his first season, finishing 140 points clear of his nearest rival, one-time fight opponent and fellow countryman Max Biaggi. Click here to view Rossi's career highlights » . Three more MotoGP titles -- including two for his new team Yamaha -- followed in succession. But when it seemed as if he was going to dominate MotoGP for the rest of the decade, Rossi experienced the first real blip in his career, crashing out of the final race of the 2006 season in Valencia. In the process, Rossi handed his rival -- American Nicky Hayden -- the title. A year later Rossi finished third. A poor season by his standards was compounded by the split from his long-term girlfriend Arianna Matteuzzi, a fall out with his manager Gibo Badioli and the Italian government chasing him for eye-watering amounts of unpaid taxes -- Rossi eventually coughed up an estimated $42 million. Rossi returned to winning ways in 2008 notching up his fifth world title and is on course for a sixth this year. He is affectionately known as \"The Doctor\" by his fans on account of his clinical overtaking maneuvers out on the track, but it's his wit and easy charm off it that have also helped propel him into the super league of sport's rich list. Rossi is famous for a succession of colorful and often playful helmet motifs which he rotates almost as much as his hairstyle underneath. His post race celebrations have taken in all manner of bizarre antics including chicken costumes -- he gave a lift to a man wearing one -- blow-up dolls and porta loos -- he visited one on a victory lap at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez this year. His skills on two wheels haven't gone unnoticed by the bosses at Ferrari's Formula One team. Rossi first tested a Ferrari in 2004 and he revealed this week that he spoke with Ferrari about the possibility of him replacing Luca Badoer in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 13. But Rossi told Ferrari that he would prefer to concentrate on this year's MotoGP. With five rounds to go, Rossi is where he likes to be. In front. With 25 points separating him from his young rival and Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, few would back against the great man relinquishing his title come the season's end." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Italian legend is closing in on a ninth world title in 2009 and sixth MotoGP crown .\n\"The Doctor\" is the greatest ever rider in MotoGP with 102 victories to date .\nFamed for his post-race antics, Rossi visited a portable loo on a victory lap this year ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In a field largely still in its infancy, scientists are making headway toward using stem cells to treat heart ailments. The FDA regulates which adult stem cell techniques are allowed to go into clinical trials. The major focus of stem cell research in cardiology is promoting regeneration of the heart or preventing scar formation, said Jeffrey Karp, who runs a stem cell biology lab at Harvard University. One study reporting successful results in humans involves harvesting patients' own stem cells, purifying them, and injecting them directly into the heart muscle. The stem cells have a surface marker called CD34, which means they are capable of growing new blood vessels. The study, sponsored by Baxter Inc., is the largest adult stem cell study for heart disease in the U.S., said Dr. Douglas Losordo, cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, who is leading the trial. The researchers will present their one-year findings from Phase II of the trial in September, Losordo said. \"It's important to point out that this is a use of a patient's own body's repair capabilities,\" Losordo said. If everything goes well, it's conceivable this treatment could be widely available in a little over four years, he said. The target patient population, consisting of end-stage cardiac patients who have tried all other available therapies, is about 300,000 to 900,000 people, he said. So far, researchers have not found side effects from this method, Losordo said. However, because it is an invasive surgical procedure in which stem cells are delivered through a catheter, there is a risk of perforation of about 1 percent, he said. There is also a small risk of blood clotting from the drug, GCSF, which mobilizes stem cells. Injecting stem cells into the heart muscle carries the risk of arrhythmia, said Techung Lee, associate professor of biochemistry at the State University New York at Buffalo. But Losordo said this risk is theoretical in his trial, and is believed to be very low with CD34 cells in general. Lee and colleagues are working on a less-invasive technique. In a study in mice, they injected stem cells from bone marrow into skeletal muscles of limbs. They found that the stem cells produced growth factors that traveled to the heart, in addition to stimulating the muscle itself to make growth factors that also improved cardiac function. The challenge for translating this method to humans would be that, while each mouse needed only a few million stem cells, each human patient would need close to a billion stem cells for the therapy -- which would be far too expensive and logistically difficult. \"This is a problem that's been experienced by everyone in the field,\" Lee said. He estimates that his method could be available clinically in five years, after researchers find ways to reduce the required number of cells by a factor of 10 or even 100. Another therapeutic possibility is giving a patient an IV of stem cells, which would come from a stem cell bank or a company. The challenge is that the cells may not have the right homing receptors to land in the heart, Karp said. Karp's group is working on an approach to chemically modify the surface of cells to enhance their targeting to specific sites. Results from animal models have shown promising results for targeting sites of inflammation, he said. \"Essentially we know the ZIP code of vessels within a certain tissue, we can program the address on the surface of the cell,\" he said. Lee's and Karp's teams use adult mesenchymal stem cells, which may develop into connective tissue, lymphatic tissue, and blood vessels. These stem cells are largely interchangeable between patients and don't require matching, as organ transplants do. However, as more becomes known about the relatively new field of stem cell therapy, a more specific matching system may be required, said Dr. Joon Lee, cardiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Some stem cell therapies for the heart are being tested in human clinical trials. Osiris Therapeutics Inc. is enrolling patients in a phase II trial for Prochymal, which contains mesenchymal stem cells. The company intends to use this drug, which gets injected into the vein, to repair heart damage in patients who have just experienced their first heart attack. More than 90 percent of research on using stem cells to repair the human heart involves adult stem cells, Lee said. That means the controversy about using stem cells derived from human embryos is largely absent from this line of research. For developing treatments that involve transplanting stem cells from adults, there is no ethical concern about the use of embryos, Lee said. Embryonic stem cells are advantageous in research because they can be grown more easily than adult stem cells in a culture, and are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into any of the various cell types of the body, according to the National Institutes of Health. But it is not yet known whether tissues derived from embryonic stem cells would cause transplant rejection, whereas this does not seem to be a problem with adult stem cells. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates which adult stem cell techniques are allowed to go into clinical trials and sets the requirements for more routine use. Whether the FDA will become more or less lenient in these respects is unclear, Lee said. It's not unfathomable that within the next two to five years, some FDA-approved stem cell treatments will be available for cardiovascular disease, Lee said. Karp has a longer view -- five to 10 years before stem cell treatments become widely available for heart problems, he said. The biology of stem cell treatments for the heart is not well understood, said Dr. Ronald Crystal, chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. One of the challenges is that once a stem cell gets put into a person's body, no one can get it out, Crystal said. This is the opposite of other kinds of medications -- for instance, a person may get sick from taking too many aspirin, but eventually the drug leaves the system. Not so with stem cells, he said. Crystal expressed general caution about the future of stem cell research, which is still experimental, for heart patients. \"This is a good idea, but patients and families should not expect immediate results,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most stem cell research targeted at the heart uses adult stem cells .\nThe FDA regulates adult stem cell techniques that are allowed to go into clinical trials .\nUnlike organ transplants, adult stem cells generally can be given to any patient .\nTherapies be available in a little over four years, although some say five to 10 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- A wicked opportunity is brewing at Wookey Hole Caves in western England. Aspiring witches audition for the job Tuesday at Wookey Hole Caves in England. Applicants are flocking to the town of Wells in Somerset Tuesday in the hopes of being selected as the caves' new resident witch. With the promise of £50,000 ($82,000) per year, and a spacious cave to boot, more than 2,000 candidates are stashing their wart remover and grabbing their broomsticks to persuade a panel of judges to choose them. The winner will portray the notorious witch that is said to have haunted the caves in the Dark Ages. The witch lived in the cave with goats until an abbot threw holy water on her, turning her to stone, legend says. Locals say her frozen figure can still be seen in the caves today. Legend has it that the witch cursed crops, caused disease and soured milk in the area, audition organizers say. Today, the caves at Wookey Hole are part of a tourist attraction with rides, a circus, theme parks and restaurants. The company that runs it, Wookey Hole Ltd., pays the witch's salary on a year-long contract. The would-be witches have one minute to perform for the panel Tuesday, employing their best cackle and whatever props they can carry, organizers say. The position won't necessarily go to a woman; male and transgender witches are also invited to apply. Applicants are told they must, however, be knowledgeable in the history of witchcraft, be willing to travel, sleep overnight in caves, and cannot be allergic to cats. Organizers say they've had applications from men, women and 230 mothers-in-law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wookey Hole Caves in western England looking to hire a witch .\nRole promises $82,000 per year salary and a spacious cave .\nApplicants must be knowledgeable in the history of witchcraft ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Members of the nation's oldest black sorority have accused the organization's president of using her sorority credit card for personal items and its board of directors of spending too much on her. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority President Barbara McKinzie denies the claims in the lawsuit against her. The suit alleges that the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's board of directors signed off on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on President Barbara McKinzie and commissioned an expensive wax figure of her. McKinzie denied the allegations, saying they are \"without merit.\" The most \"outlandish representation\" in the lawsuit, she said, is the allegation that the sorority spent $900,000 on a wax figure of her. Two wax figures -- one of McKinzie and one of the sorority's first president, the late Nellie Quander -- were purchased by the hostess chapters of the sorority's centennial convention last year, not the national AKA organization, for a total of $45,000, McKinzie said. The lawsuit says the sorority's board of directors approved the use of $900,000 for the wax likeness of McKinzie ahead of the centennial celebration. Edward W. Gray Jr., an attorney representing the plaintiffs, acknowledged that the sorority disputes the lawsuit's account of the statue's price tag. However, he said, \"we have no way of knowing what the actual number was. We hope that it was as little as they say.\" He added that $45,000 is still a large amount of money, although, \"certainly, it's a lot better than $900,000.\" He called the alleged conduct \"shocking and bordering on illegal.\" The wax figures are to appear in the National Great Blacks in Wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland, according to AKA. The museum said they are on a traveling exhibit. The lawsuit, filed last month in a Washington superior court, also accuses McKinzie of using her sorority credit card for \"designer clothing, lingerie, jewelry, gifts and other excessive and inappropriate expenses of a personal nature.\" It demands that the sorority fire McKinzie and the board of directors and that the alleged damages be repaid. The lawsuit says that by using her credit card for personal purchases, as well as for \"properly reimbursed expenditures,\" McKinzie amassed American Express points, which she then redeemed for a 46-inch television and gym equipment. It also says that the sorority's board of directors had agreed on compensation for McKinzie without the approval of the sorority's policy-making body. The compensation, it says, included a $4,000-a-month stipend that McKinzie is to receive for four years after she leaves office. The board of directors also voted to buy a $1 million life insurance policy for McKinzie, a purchase that was also not approved by the policy-making body, the lawsuit says. McKinzie denied the accusations. \"Allegations about personal use of AKA funds are false and unsupported by the organization's audited books,\" she said. The \"malicious allegations leveled against AKA by former leaders are based on mischaracterizations and fabrications not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service.\" The lawsuit also blames McKinzie and Betty James, the executive director for the organization's corporate office, for financial decisions they made for the sorority. The sorority's claimed deductions on its federal tax returns in 2006 and 2007 were \"unreasonably large and inappropriate, thus exposing the sorority to potential IRS claims and obligations,\" the suit says. Furthermore, the sorority's policy-making body has not approved McKinzie's investment philosophy, which \"has caused the shifting of several million dollars of the sorority and foundation funds from cash and cash equivalents to stock and bond investments.\" McKinzie said in her statement that under her leadership, \"accounting and budgetary practices have been tightened, erasing past IRS liabilities and cost overruns.\" In addition to McKinzie, James and the sorority, the lawsuit names other members of the board of directors and the AKA Educational Advancement Foundation Inc. as defendants. AKA was founded in 1908 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. CNN's Taylor Gandossy contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alpha Kappa Alpha members say board OK'd $900,000 for wax figure of president .\nShe is accused of using sorority credit card for \"inappropriate expenses\"\nPresident of U.S.'s oldest black sorority denies \"malicious allegations\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A 15-year-old South Carolina girl who was shot earlier this week by a man authorities say fits the description of a serial killer has died, police said Saturday. Police say the suspect may be driving a light gray or champagne tan 1991-94 two-door Ford Explorer. Abby Tyler died at 11:25 a.m. Saturday at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, said Chief Rick Turner of the Gaffney Police Department. Her father, Stephen Tyler, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting Thursday in the family-run furniture and appliance store, Tyler Home Center, in Gaffney. On Friday, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office released a second sketch of a man believed to have fatally shot five people in less than a week. \"Let me say that under the FBI's definition of a serial killer, yes, we have a serial killer,\" Sheriff Bill Blanton said in Gaffney, a town in the county of about 54,000 residents 50 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. He would not detail what has led investigators to conclude the shootings are linked or how they received the description of the suspect that has led to the two sketches. In addition, he said he did not know whether the shooter knew his victims or whether he may have chosen them at random. Watch locals gather to pray for victims and killer » . Police said he may be driving a light gray or champagne tan 1991-94 two-door Ford Explorer. The first shooting happened Saturday, when peach farmer Kline W. Cash, 63, was found dead by his wife in their home, said Leigh Caldwell, a victims services coordinator for the sheriff's office. Blanton said Cash's home may have been robbed. On Wednesday, the bound and shot bodies of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her 50-year-old daughter, Gena Linder Parker, were found in the mother's home, where she lived alone. \"We're still trying to determine if anything's missing from there,\" Blanton said. Leave has been canceled for all members of the Police Department and the Sheriff's Department, said their respective chiefs, who urged residents to take precautions. Watch how fear has gripped the town » . About 100 investigators from North and South Carolina were working the case, Blanton said. \"I think our community has a right to be concerned,\" he said. \"We're concerned. We're dealing with a man that's killed four people.\" He urged residents to check on relatives, especially those who live alone. \"We're asking the people in our community to be vigilant, to report anything.\" But he cautioned against taking that too far. \"Our concern is that people are going to start shooting at shadows,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Man fatally shoots 5 people in less than a week near Gaffney, South Carolina .\n\"Under the FBI's definition of a serial killer, yes, we have a serial killer,\" sheriff says .\n100 investigators from North and South Carolina working the case .\nPeople urged to check on relatives, especially those who live alone ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on a North Korean company that the United Nations said is linked to the country's nuclear weapons program. News comes on day U.S. State Department Envoy Philip Goldberg met with U.N. sanctions committee. A U.S. Treasury Department statement said Korea Hyoksin Trading Corporation is owned or controlled by Korea Ryonbong General Corporation, which has been designated by the United Nations as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. The order freezes any U.S. assets of Hyoksin and prohibits any Americans from dealing with it, the statement said. It notes that a sanctions committee set up by the U.N. Security Council recently cited Hyoksin for involvement in development of weapons of mass destruction. The announcement came as the U.S. coordinator for implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea met Thursday with the Security Council sanctions committee. The envoy, Philip Goldberg, said the talks showed \"strong commitment\" by all nations to enforcing Security Council Resolution 1874, which authorized sanctions against North Korea's weapons program. \"What I found in that room and in my dealings with other governments ... is unity of view,\" Goldberg said, specifically mentioning China, which is North Korea's longtime supporter. \"Commitment to implementation is strong and unified,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S.: Hyoksin linked to corporation associated with weapons of mass destruction .\nOrder freezes Hyoksin's U.S. assets, prohibits Americans from dealing with company .\nU.N. recently cited Hyoksin for involvement in weapons of mass destruction ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Grammy-winning rapper Coolio was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to a spokeswoman for the airport. Coolio's \"Gangsta's Paradise\" was used in the movie \"Dangerous Minds.\" Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was taken to the Van Nuys Division station for booking, the spokeswoman said. A source at the airport's public relations division confirmed the arrest but declined to be named. Coolio is best known for his 1995 hip-hop hit \"Gangsta's Paradise.\" Efforts to reach his publicist were unsuccessful." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Grammy winner held at Los Angeles International Airport .\nHe is accused of possessing illegal drugs, paraphernalia .\nHis best-known hit is \"Gangsta's Paradise\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Two monorail trains at Walt Disney World collided early Sunday, killing a 21-year-old driver. A 2 a.m. ET monorail crash at Disney World killed one person, a park spokesman said. A witness said one of the trains rammed into the back of a stationary train about 2 a.m. at the resort's Ticket and Transport Center. There were eight people on board at the time, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. A second employee was taken to a hospital to be checked; the six guests -- members of a single family -- were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and released. Disney World officials said none of the seven was injured. Authorities identified the driver as Austin Wuennenberg, a senior at Stetson University studying computer science. \"It's a terrible day for us,\" said Mike Griffin, Disney's vice president for public affairs. \"Our hearts go out to Austin and his family.\" A statement from Wuennenberg's family said, \"He always enjoyed his work at Disney, and especially enoyed his work as a monorail pilot. He has many great friends who he has positively influenced; everyone will truly miss this dynamic young man.\" The theme park is working with county authorities and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the investigation. \"The safety of our cast and our guests is legendary and it's our top priority,\" Griffin said. Disney World calls its employees \"cast members.\" The monorail was shut after the accident, Griffin said. Images from the scene showed the front car of a train badly damaged where it hit the other train at a station." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Driver identified as Austin Wuennenberg, 21 .\nEight people were aboard, including family of six .\nCrash occurred about 2 a.m. at Ticket and Transport Center .\nWitness says one monorail train rammed into a stationary train ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man who his attorney says was the youngest prisoner sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention center -- captured in Pakistan at 14 -- was ordered freed by a federal judge Wednesday. A guard keeps watch from a tower at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The judge ruled Mohammad el-Gharani was not an enemy combatant and directed the military \"to take all necessary and appropriate diplomatic steps to facilitate the release\" of el-Gharani from the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. El-Gharani, now 21, was among the first terrorism suspects and enemy fighters sent to the U.S. military prison camp. His arrival in 2002 came after he was seized by Pakistanis at a mosque and transferred to the U.S.-led coalition. He has been in custody since. El-Gharani's lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court, demanding the government justify its continued detention or release him. Details of his case have not been widely released, but his lawyer said he was accused of working with al Qaeda 10 years ago, at age 11. The court ruling also alleges el-Gharani, a citizen of Chad, was an al Qaeda courier and participated in the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001 in Afghanistan. But U.S. District Judge Richard Leon noted serious questions were raised about another detainee who implicated el-Gharani. Leon said that given the \"substantial and troubling uncertainties regarding petitioner's conduct and whereabouts prior to his detention by Pakistani forces, the [U.S.] government has failed to establish a preponderance of the evidence\" that el-Gharani was an al Qaeda agent. The judge gave no timetable on when the suspect -- also called Yousef -- must be freed. Under U.S. and international policy, he could not be sent to a country where he might face torture or severe physical mistreatment. The Bush administration has said it has had difficulties finding countries willing to take many Guantanamo prisoners awaiting release. El-Gharani's lawyers have alleged mistreatment by his captors, including cigarette burns and verbal abuse. Court records allege he was a native of Saudi Arabia who left that country around 2001 and moved to Pakistan. He denied that he was fleeing the fighting in Afghanistan when he was captured across the border in Pakistan. Another Guantanamo detainee, Canadian Omar Khadr, was 14 or 15 when he was captured six years ago. Military prosecutors formally charged him in April 2007 with killing Sgt. Christopher James Speer, a U.S. soldier whose reconnaissance patrol was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2002. The American died nearly two weeks later. Khadr and el-Gharani remain among the youngest of Guantanamo's approximately 250 prisoners. The civil case is el-Gharani v. Bush (05-429)." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mohammad el-Gharani, now 21, not an enemy combatant, U.S. judge rules .\nEl-Gharani was 14 when he was captured in Pakistan, detained at U.S. base in Cuba .\nJudge notes questions raised about a detainee who implicated el-Gharani .\nEl-Gharani was accused of being al Qaeda courier, Tora Bora battle participant ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Yemenia Airways is canceling all its flights between Yemen and the Comoros Islands after this week's crash on the same route, the airline said Saturday. Bahia Bakari holds her father's hand as she lies on a stretcher in a plane after landing in France. One more flight between Sanaa and Moroni is scheduled for Sunday, but all flights on the route are canceled after that, Yemenia said. A Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 went down early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Comoros' capital, Moroni. One person, 13-year-old French girl Bahia Basari, survived for hours in the Indian Ocean clinging to the debris of the downed plane. She arrived home in France on Thursday, where she was reunited with her father. Watch teen survivor from crash » . She is the only known survivor from the crash, which killed her mother. The Airbus 310 plane tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said. The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar. French and U.S. divers are helping to search for debris and bodies. The French military has detected a rescue beacon, but rescue workers say the wreckage is difficult to reach in deep waters. The plane's data recorders have yet to be found, said Capt. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Qadir, a spokesman for Yemen's civil aviation department." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teenage girl only person to survive plane crash off Comoros islands .\nFrench, U.S. divers are helping to search for debris and bodies from the plane .\nThe plane's data recorders have yet to be found, Yemeni authorities say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Brazilian military said late Friday it is calling off the search for bodies of passengers and crew from the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic earlier this month. Wreckage from Flight 447 spotted by search teams in the Atlantic last week. It was unlikely that any more bodies would be found, the military said. So far, search teams have found 51 of the 228 people who died when Air France Flight 447 plunged into the sea June 1, according to the military. They have also found more than 600 parts and structural components of the plane, along with luggage, the military said. The bodies were handed to Brazilian authorities for identification while the debris and luggage were given to French aviation investigators, the military said. In the 26 days of the search operation, the Brazilian air force used 12 planes along with aircraft from France, the United States and Spain, the military said. The Brazilian navy used 11 ships. Ships remain in the search area hundreds of miles northeast of Brazil in an effort to find the flight data recorders, the Brazilian military said. Last week investigators said they were running out of time to find the recorders which could prove crucial to working out what caused the disaster. Officials remain in the dark about what caused the airliner to plunge into the sea off the coast of Brazil. The wreckage is believed to be about 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) deep, amid underwater mountains and mixed in with tons of sea trash. A French submarine and other vessels are searching for black boxes by attempting to trace their locator beacons, which send out acoustic pulses, or \"pings,\" to searchers. The U.S. Navy has contributed two high-tech acoustic devices -- known as towed pinger locators -- which have been attached to French tug boats and can search to a maximum depth of 20,000ft (6,100 meters). The firm which makes the recorders, Honeywell Aerospace, has told CNN it has a 100 percent recovery record from air accidents. Honeywell said it was hard to estimate how much battery life the locator beacon on the recorders had, as it depended on the conditions, but it is typically around 30 days. One recorder taped radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot's voices and engine noises. Sounds of interest could be engine noise, stall warnings, landing gear extension and retraction, and other clicks and pops. From these sounds engine revs per minute, system failures, speed and the time at which certain events occurred could often be determined, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. CNN's Claudia Dominguez in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Brazilian military: Unlikely that any more bodies would be found .\nSearch teams have found 51 of the 228 people who died .\nPlane wreckage believed to be on Atlantic seabed, around 4,500 meters deep .\nInvestigators still trying to find flight data recorders for crucial information ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The parent company of a security contractor said Thursday it is \"fully cooperating\" in the investigation of allegations that the contractor allowed mistreatment, sexual activity and intimidation within the ranks of private guards hired to protect the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. A spokeswoman for a watchdog group says hazing at a camp for security guards went \"well beyond partying.\" The allegations came to light earlier this week when the watchdog group Project On Government Oversight sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and briefed reporters on its findings, which it said were based on e-mails and interviews with more than a dozen guards who have worked at the U.S. compound in Kabul. The company, ArmorGroup, North America, has a security contract with the State Department to provide services through July 2010. Wackenhut Services Inc., the corporate parent of ArmorGroup, e-mailed a statement on Thursday in response to questions about ArmorGroup's private guards in Kabul. \"Our contract with the Department of State requires us to refer all questions to the Department of State, director of public affairs. We are fully cooperating with the DOS in the investigation of the recent incidents referred to in the letter from\" Project On Government Oversight, said the statement, sent by Wackenhut Services spokeswoman Susan Pitcher. On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy said it was taking the allegations very seriously. \"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and security of all Embassy personnel -- Americans and Afghan -- and respect for the cultural and religious values of all Afghans,\" the embassy said. \"We have taken immediate steps to review all local guard force policies and procedures and have taken all possible measures to ensure our security is sound.\" The watchdog group said it began receiving whistleblower-style e-mails two weeks ago, some with graphic images and videos, that are said to document problems taking place at a nonmilitary camp for the guards near the U.S. diplomatic compound in Kabul. \"This is well beyond partying,\" Danielle Brian, executive director of Project On Government Oversight, told reporters earlier this week after showing a video of a man with a bare backside and another man apparently drinking a liquid that had been poured down the man's lower back. She said that ranking supervisors were \"facilitating this kind of deviant hazing and humiliation, and requiring people to do things that made them feel really disgusted.\" In the letter Project On Government Oversight sent to Clinton, Brian wrote that the problems are \"posing a significant threat to the security of the embassy and its personnel.\" Among the recommendations from the group: immediate military supervision of the private security guards, a review of whether the contract should be revoked and consideration as to whether government forces should replace private security in a combat zone. CNN's Charley Keyes contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ArmorGroup's private guards accused of mistreatment, sexual activity, intimidation .\nArmorGroup contracts to protect the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan .\nWatchdog group reports problems at nonmilitary camp for the embassy guards .\nWackenhut says it is \"fully cooperating\" with embassy investigation ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho has admitted he was left angered by the decision to sell Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona, although the Inter Milan coach reveals he is delighted to welcome Samuel Eto'o to the San Siro. Jose Mourinho believes Inter Milan have done good business in selling Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona. Inter are on the verge of completing a deal which will see them receive 45 million euros ($64m) plus Eto'o for Ibrahimovic after both players agreed terms with their prospective clubs. Mourinho knows it will be a blow to lose last year's leading goalscorer in Serie A but, speaking about the deal for the first time, admitted it is a fantastic bit of business. \"I was a bit angry because no coach is happy to lose Ibrahimovic,\" the Portuguese told Sky Italia. \"But no one is not happy to have Eto'o -- we have lost a top player but we have taken another one. If I talk as a coach and a man on the pitch, I say that I don't want to lose this player. If I talk as a manager, I say that Inter have done great business,\" added Mourinho. Mourinho feels Ibrahimovic will adapt to life at the Nou Camp in no time but insists he would not make a similar move. \"He had this dream and wanted to go,\" added the Nerazzurri coach. \"He told me he would miss me and I told him exactly the same thing. He's going to a club in which I worked for four years, Barcelona are an extraordinary club and he will be happy. \"I didn't give him any advice but I spoke to him a few days before the final decision. I told him that if he wins the Champions League with Barcelona he won't be doing anything extraordinary, seeing as they have won it twice in three years. I like doing something extraordinary, not what's normal.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jose Mourinho angered by the decision to sell Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona .\nHowever, Inter Milan coach happy to welcome Samuel Eto'o to the Italian club .\nInter Milan to receive 45 million euros ($64m) plus Eto'o for Swede Ibrahimovic ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "STOCKHOLM, Sweden (CNN) -- Bjorn Ulvaeus was one half of the songwriting genius behind Swedish pop legend ABBA. After the band split up in 1982 Ulvaeus turned his talents to writing musicals, including \"Mamma Mia,\" now a blockbuster movie. Bjorn Ulvaeus on the ABBA phenomenon: \"I'm amazed how this could happen. I'm just grateful and humble.\" He took My City_My Life on a tour of his home town of Stockholm and talked about his past and future as pop royalty. CNN: What is the secret of ABBA's success? Bjorn Ulvaeus: I think the secret behind the fact that our songs are still around and that ABBA became so big is a lot of factors together. But one of them was definitely that we put so much effort into song writing. We hardly ever toured, we just wrote and wrote and produced the records over a period of seven or eight years. So it's the songs, plus I think the two girls, the voices -- the blend was unique and very special. CNN: Where did get the inspiration for your songs? BU: Well mostly in song writing my experience is that there isn't so much inspiration as hard work. You sit there for hours, days and weeks with a guitar and piano until something good comes. But the urge to write is something you have to have. A conviction, an ambition to write and never stop until you think, \"This is the best I can do.\" Watch Bjorn Ulvaeus take CNN on a tour of Stockholm » . CNN: What drives you? BU: In my career the push has always been to take another step, to try something new. That means that after ABBA, when we split up in 1982, we were onto writing a musical [\"Chess\"] because we hadn't done that before. CNN: How do you feel about working in the theater? BU: Every time I sit in the audience and watch a show that I have been involved with, it is such an amazing feeling to see all those people around me, knowing they are actually watching and enjoying something I have written. That is such a feeling of pure joy that never goes away and that's why I guess I'm so attracted to work in the theater. CNN: How did \"Mamma Mia! The Movie\" come about? BU: When you have a big hit on the West End and on Broadway with a musical, as we had with \"Mamma Mia,\" there is always the question, \"when are you going to do the movie?\" Some people say you shouldn't do it until the actual stage musical is on its last legs, but I don't think that matters. We had been on Broadway for seven or eight years and eight or nine in the West End and we thought now is the time to make that movie. CNN: How has Stockholm changed over the years? BU: A city like Stockholm, being so dynamic and following trends, develops all the time. It's gradually changing but you can hardly see that. It is changing in a very healthy way that cities should change. CNN: How would you describe Stockholm in a few words? BU: Stockholm is unique in the world in that it's built on, I think, 14 islands. There are so many bridges and it doesn't have any high-rise buildings to speak of. It's quite spread out and open and airy with lots of parks. See photos of Bjorn Ulvaeus in Stockholm » . CNN: Let's talk about the cultural scene in Stockholm. BU: There is a very vibrant cultural scene in Stockholm. There are lots of places where there are concerts and there are loads of museums and theaters. There is everything really, and eventually there is going to be an ABBA museum as well. CNN: When will that happen? BU: I don't know -- I like to be arm's length when it comes to a museum about oneself. Other people should do that. CNN: That's quite a Swedish trait... BU: A lot of Swedes are quite modest and unassuming. I think that's actually the closest you can get to a national trait, if there is one. CNN: How does it feel that people from different generations are still enjoying ABBA songs? BU: In a way I'm kind of a bystander looking at this phenomenon that is ABBA, which is still around, and that I thought would be finished in 1981 and forgotten. I'm amazed how this could happen and I don't know why it happened. I'm just grateful and humble. I just sit back and enjoy. CNN: What would you like your legacy to be? BU: I would like for my children to feel that what I left behind was something that I did whole heartedly and with honesty, and something that was the best I could do and hopefully that they too can enjoy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bjorn Ulvaeus is half of the songwriting pair behind Swedish pop legend ABBA .\nHe lives in Stockholm, which he describes as being \"dynamic\" and trendy .\nUlvaeus thought ABBA would be forgotten and is \"amazed\" by its popularity .\nAn ABBA museum is being planned for Stockholm ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday called on the state bar to overlook a technical error and allow a paralyzed law school graduate to take the bar exam next week. Arnold Schwarzenegger says a technical error shouldn't stop the law school graduate from taking the bar exam. \"It is outrageous that someone who has overcome so much in life is penalized by a bureaucratic error that prevents her from taking the bar exam next week,\" the governor said in a statement. \"Government should work for the people, not against them, and I'm calling on the state bar to allow Sara Granda to take next week's test. Sara is a fighter, and I am with her all the way.\" The state bar's Web site never processed Granda's application for Tuesday's test because California's Department of Rehabilitation paid her $600 fee with a check, according to the Sacramento Bee. The Web site requires a credit card number, but Granda said she was assured by a state bar representative that she was properly registered with the check, the newspaper reported. Granda, 29, a University of California-Davis Law School graduate, has petitioned the California Supreme Court to allow her to take Tuesday's test. She said she was \"surprised\" to hear about Schwarzenegger's statement in her defense. \"I'm not used to a lot of attention,\" she told CNN television affiliate KCRA. She said she went to the governor's office last week, \"but they wouldn't let me in.\" \"So I knew there was no way that the governor was going to get involved,\" she said. Granda was paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident in 1997, when she was 17. The accident happened a month before she was to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, on a full scholarship, according to the Sacramento Bee. Granda, who has been studying 11 hours a day for the bar exam with the help of assistants, said she wants the state of California to resolve the matter because it spent about $100,000 for her education. \"I worked very, very hard for every cent,\" she told KCRA. \"So for everything to come together in the end and for it to just kind of fall through on such a minor, minor detail.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bar's Web site didn't process Sara Granda's payment to take bar exam .\nGranda, 29, was paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident in 1997 .\nShe was 17 at that time, and about to go to college in California .\nSchwarzenegger: \"Outrageous\" that she's being \"penalized for a bureaucratic error\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, has agreed not to challenge the singer's mother for custody of the children, according to a joint statement from lawyers for Rowe and Katherine Jackson. Debbie Rowe will not pursue custody of the children she bore with Michael Jackson, a lawyer says. The agreement does not involve any financial payments to Rowe \"apart from the continuation of spousal support payments\" that Michael Jackson personally agreed to make to Rowe after their divorce, the lawyers said. Rowe will get visitation rights with the children and the \"timing, frequency and manner of visits shall be implemented according to the best interests of the children, as determined by a child psychologist selected jointly, and paid jointly,\" by Jackson and Rowe, the announcement said. Rowe never publicly said if she would fight Jackson's 79-year-old mother for custody of her son and daughter -- ages 11 and 12 -- and a court hearing concerning custody was delayed several times this month while lawyers for the two talked. Jackson's youngest child, 7, was carried by a surrogate mother, whose name has not yet been released. Katherine Jackson gained temporary guardianship of the three children soon after his death last month. Learn about other notable custody cases » . The agreement must be approved by the judge. A custody hearing is set for Monday before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff. Beckloff will also hear arguments Monday about Jackson's estate and who will control it. Katherine Jackson is asking the court for more involvement in the estate's business. Watch what may have happened in Jackson's final hours » . Jackson family lawyer Londell McMillan said the family was pleased the custody matter was \"resolved and was handled in a caring, thoughtful and courteous manner by the parties and their representatives.\" \"We were all united in our goals to do what is best for Michael's wonderful children, and both Mrs. Jackson and Debbie Rowe were on the exact same page,\" McMillan said. \"Accordingly, although important issues had to be resolved, this was no legal contest but rather simply a process (of) doing the right thing for the right reasons.\" Rowe's lawyer, Eric George, said the women and their lawyers \"engaged in a dignified discussion that resulted in a dignified outcome.\" \"The sole consideration between the parties was the best interests of the children,\" George said. \"I'm proud to have worked with such professionals who represented Ms. Jackson, and I am particularly proud of Deborah for her integrity and selflessness.\" Efforts to resolve who will control Jackson's estate have not been so amicable. Earlier this month, Beckloff granted temporary control to the executors named in his 2002 will: John Branca, Jackson's longtime personal attorney, and John McClain, a music industry executive and longtime friend. McMillan, in a statement issued Wednesday, said Katherine Jackson was not disputing the will. But, he said, she wanted the judge to order the executors to disclose information about what he said was \"a suspicious circle of relationships\" involving them. He said the executors \"have either denied Mrs. Jackson access to critical information or insisted on ... onerous and unreasonable restrictions\" to information about deals they are making on behalf of the estate. McMillan, in an interview with CBS Thursday, estimated the Jackson estate was worth $2 billion, while the executors have estimated in court that its value is around $500 million. The will placed all assets into a family trust benefiting his mother, his three children and unnamed charities. Jackson's children have been living with their paternal grandmother at her Encino, California, home since their father's death on June 25. \"They read the news on the Web and the reports,\" McMillan said. \"I really tried to push the media to be responsible in how they try to handle this matter because there are three precious children involved.\" The oldest child -- Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., more commonly known as Prince Michael -- was born in February 1997. A daughter -- Paris Michael Katherine Jackson -- was born the next year. Details of how the children were conceived -- and who was the biological father -- have been closely guarded amid much public speculation. The couple divorced in 1999 with Rowe giving Jackson full custody while she got an $8.5 million settlement, according to court documents. Jackson later agreed to additional support. Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001, but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children. A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated, opening the door to a possible custody battle. CNN's Randi Kaye, Kay Jones and Allison Blakely contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Debbie Rowe, Katherine Jackson make custody agreement .\nRowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two kids, will have visitation rights .\nKatherine Jackson is the children's guardian .\nHearing is set for Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Budget Travel) -- Just a two-hour detour from Paris, the Loire was once a playground to Renaissance royals. Now its vaunted châteaux are attracting enterprising young couples and artists who have remade them into captivating -- and surprisingly affordable -- inns. Surrounded by 10-foot-high limestone walls, Le Clos d'Amboise offers an unexpected sanctuary in the town of Amboise. CHINON . Hôtel Diderot . \"If you've never eaten a brioche with fresh Ste. Maure goat cheese, honey and walnuts for breakfast, then you haven't been to the Loire,\" says Laurent Dutheil, who is justifiably proud of the simple breakfasts he serves at his 23-room hotel in the western corner of the valley. Dutheil also produces dozens of fragrant artisanal jams such as apple-lavender and quince-cinnamon. (Sadly, they aren't for sale, but you can buy Dutheil's recipe book, \"Jam in the Cupboard.\") The traditional foods fit well with the hotel's venerable atmosphere: Diderot is housed in a sprawling 15th-century home that the Chinon-born Dutheil, along with his two sisters, Martine and Francoise, bought and renovated six years ago. Budget Travel: See the hotels . Dutheil tackled structural issues, taking care to keep the exposed oak beams and original stone walls intact, while his sisters refurbished the rooms with cheerful striped wallpaper, toile bedding, and 19th-century armoires they scavenged on trips to Paris. The largest room, which sleeps four, has double windows with views of a courtyard. In the distance lie vineyards full of the red Chinon grapes much loved by 16th-century novelist and satirist François Rabelais. 4 rue de Buffon, 011-33/2-47-93-18-87, hoteldiderot.com, rooms from $72. THÉSÉE . Le Moulin de la Renne . A tunnel of towering fir trees leads to the entrance of this converted 19th-century mill in Thésée, on the banks of the Cher River. Guests are greeted by an enormous Bernese mountain dog named Alpha and his equally friendly owners, Véronique and Christophe Villanfin. There are 13 guest rooms, decorated with items such as embroidered quilts and framed puzzles of boats assembled by jigsaw fanatic Véronique. Jazz enthusiasts, the Villanfins host occasional concerts featuring local groups, including Les Bras'Coeurs, a quartet that performs Georges Brassens standards. The soirees are held in the restaurant, known locally for its coq au vin: rooster stewed in cabernet bottled at Le Chai des Varennes winery next door. 11 route de Vierzon, 011-33/2-54-71-41-56, moulindelarenne.com, closed Jan. 10--Feb. 10 and 10 days in Nov., rooms from $76, entrées from $15.75. CIVRAY-DE-TOURAINE . Château de l'Isle . The Château de l'Isle is quiet to the core -- unless you count the chorus of quacks coming from the duck pond on the 35-acre grounds. The 18th-century manor house had been abandoned for 10 years when Denis Gandon bought it in 1986 and transformed the place into a 12-room hotel. Still, the château somehow feels like a private home: A portrait of Gandon's grandfather hangs over a 100-year-old antique table in the dining area, and an amiable Jack Russell terrier entertains guests with endless rounds of fetch. The stylish bedrooms have exposed wood beams and beds draped with coverlets in shades of crimson and marigold. Budget Travel: See the hotels . In the summer, breakfast is served in an expansive glassed-in terrace overlooking the garden. A nearby potager (or kitchen garden) supplies produce for some of chef Fabrice Cherioux's breakfast treats, such as a zesty tomato confiture. 1 rue de l'Ecluse, 011-33/2-47-23-63-60, chateau-de-lisle.com, rooms from $69, breakfast $13. CHENONCEAUX . La Roseraie . This 18-room hotel in Chenonceaux was a must-stay on the itineraries of political notables after World War II, when the Allies were trying to figure out how to piece Europe back together. Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt all, at one time or another, laid their heads at La Roseraie. (A letter from Roosevelt still hangs in the breakfast room.) In 2000, Sophie and Laurent Fiorito acquired the property and completed a top-to-bottom renovation. There is no such thing as a standard room here -- tiny singles have just enough space for a twin bed, while one suite fits a family of five. The decor is equally varied. One room has a Louis Philippe-style dresser and a crystal chandelier; another shows off a modern pink-checkered sofa. The hotel's best asset is its proximity (a five-minute walk) to Château de Chenonceau, which Henri II gave to his beloved mistress, Diane de Poitiers; the massive 16th-century building hovers over the River Cher. 7 rue du Docteur Bretonneau, 011-33/2-47-23-90-09, hotel-chenonceau.com, closed Nov.--Jan. and Mar., rooms from $85. AMBOISE . Le Clos d'Amboise . Surrounded by 10-foot-high limestone walls, in the heart of the old market center of Amboise, this 17-room mansion inn offers an unexpected sanctuary from the town's bustling, narrow streets. The bedrooms come equipped with decorative elements such as mahogany four-poster beds and original fireplaces, while the common room features wood floors modeled after those at the Palace of Versailles. Most of the rooms overlook the hotel's private park, landscaped with 100-year-old magnolias and a pine tree that survived the French Revolution. A pool by the rose garden is perfect for a cool dip after relaxing in the wood sauna, housed in a former stable. Just a 10-minute stroll from the hotel stands the riverside castle that belonged to King François I -- part medieval fortress, part Renaissance royal house. The king became famously enthralled by Leonardo da Vinci during a 1515 excursion to Italy, and he set up the painter in a gabled redbrick château (now a museum), just down the road from his castle. 27 rue Rabelais, 011-33/2-47-30-10-20, leclosamboise.com, closed Dec.--Jan., rooms from $98. LIMERAY . Auberge de Launay . Between the two of them, François and Hélène Thévard have honed their hospitality skills at some of the world's most well-respected hotels, including Le Meurice in Paris and the Savoy in London. After years helping manage other people's properties, the couple -- with their two small kids, Emma and Alexandre -- packed up their Paris apartment and bought an unassuming farmhouse in the secluded hamlet of Limeray to convert to a 15-room inn. \"I grew up in the region, so when we made the decision to open our own place, I knew that I had to come back to the Loire,\" says François. In keeping with the spare design of the house, the decor at the Auberge is simple -- bedrooms are outfitted with neutral suede sofas, blond-wood floors and minimalist photographs of daisies and landscapes. The duo oversees the daily lunch and dinner service at the on-site restaurant, which serves local specialties such as butter-poached Loire eel and chicken with mustard cream. The house dessert, a salted-caramel fruit tart, is baked with apples picked in the hotel's orchard. Le Haut Chantier, 011-33/2-47-30-16-82, aubergedelaunay.com, closed Dec. 15--Jan. 15, rooms from $72, two-course dinner from $26. ONZAIN . Château des Tertres . This mansion in the heart of the Loire once belonged to the mother of novelist Marguerite Duras (who mentions the château in her famous work \"The Lover\"). Later, in the 1960s, its marble hallways were filled with students from a nearby engineering school, which used the building as a dorm. In 1992, another curious owner took over management of the 14-room château: Bernard Valois, an artist who kept the mansion's 19th-century detailing (high ceilings, gilded mirrors) but added contemporary design flourishes, such as a photograph of a mysterious pair of eyes in the foyer. Last year, Valois and his wife, Christine, redecorated a former gatekeeper's house as a contemporary four-room cottage with knockoff Jackson Pollock paintings and sculptures that resemble enormous eggs. \"My husband likes to turn things that seem ordinary into the extraordinary,\" Christine says. \"He designed a 'Sputnik' bidet that has Japanese robots stationed around the tank.\" Valois also tends a 12-acre garden of roses and clematises, where guests can find a shed stocked with complimentary bikes for exploring the area's 186 miles of riding paths. 11 rue de Meuves, 011-33/2-54-20-83-88, chateau-tertres.com, closed Oct. 19-Apr. 1, rooms from $94. CHITENAY . Auberge du Centre . When Gilles Martinet's grandmother found herself widowed at the end of World War I, she started selling milk and eggs to make ends meet. One thing led to another, and her home eventually became a guesthouse and restaurant specializing in French country fare, like chicken sautéed in fresh cider. Three generations later, Martinet is now proprietor and chef of this inn, which has 26 brightly decorated rooms in shades of sage and rose, as well as a flower-filled garden terrace out back. He has kept the breakfast area much the way his grandmother designed it, with rustic stone walls, an ample fireplace and simple country furnishings. There are bicycles available to rent ($14.50 per day) for excursions to the Château de Cheverny, about five miles away. 34 Grande Rue, 011-33/2-54-70-42-11, auberge-du-centre.com, closed Feb., rooms from $78, entrées from $17. Loire Basics . A two-hour drive southwest of Paris, the Loire Valley is known for its earthy cabernet franc wines and hundreds of majestic castles. It's impossible to see them all (a visit to one château can take half a day), so it's wise to focus on the worthy ones: Chenonceau, the graceful riverine palace that once belonged to Henri II (chenonceau.com, $13); Chambord, which has a double-helix staircase inspired by the designs of Leonardo da Vinci (chambord.org, $12.50); and Cheverny, renowned for its flamboyant, gilded interiors (chateau-cheverny.com, $9.75). Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hotel Diderot in Chinon is housed in a sprawling 15th-century home .\nThe 18-room La Roseraie is a five-minute walk from Château de Chenonceau .\nAuberge du Centre in Chitenay has 26 brightly decorated rooms ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's Geek Pride Week in Atlanta as thousands of fans take over four downtown hotels for Dragon*Con, an annual celebration of science fiction, fantasy, comics and gaming. Karen Lee and husband Dillan dressed like comic book characters for Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. Where else -- OK, other than San Francisco or New Orleans -- are city streets shut down for a ragtag parade of zombies, superheroes, robots, Klingons and Middle Earth dwellers? Where else can comic book collectors rub shoulders with movie stars, vampires, alternate-history speculators and Harry Potter look-alikes, all while taking part in a lively game of Godzilla Bingo? The whole thing is a bit of a shock to college football fans in town for the season-opening game between Alabama and Virginia Tech, one of whom called it a \"freak show.\" But those aliens grow on you after a while. \"At first I thought it was really strange,\" Hokies fan Emily Nardone of Ashburn, Virginia, said. \"But now I see everybody's having so much fun. And I enjoy looking at the freaks.\" One Dragon*Con \"freak\" getting a lot of looks was Karen Lee of Cullman, Alabama. She was dressed a dramatic, cleavage-baring winged costume inspired by \"Dawn\" comic book artist Joseph Michael Linsner. Lee made the costume by hand at home. \"My living room is completely demolished,\" she said. Her husband, Dillan, made up as the Batman character Two-Face, said he could attest to the condition of the living room. Lee is entered in a Dawn look-alike contest with a top prize of $1,000. \"The theory behind the concept of Dawn is just paying homage to women of all shapes and sizes,\" she said. \"She can be blonde, brunette or redhead. So basically, it's just inviting women to get up there and do their interpretation of what they think beauty in women is.\" iReport.com: Share your pics and videos from Dragon*Con . Fashion augmented with gadgetry is what drew Pendleton, South Carolina, librarians Gypsey Teague and Marla Roberson to a Dragon*Con workshop on Steampunk costuming. Steampunk is sci-fi set in a Victorian aesthetic. Think pearl-handled, brass-barreled ray guns. The movies \"League of Extraordinary Gentlemen\" and \"Wild Wild West\" are examples of the genre. \"Anything your imagination can come up with, you can do,\" Roberson said as she marveled at a vendor's shoes that had little copper boilers and compasses on them. But it seems there's a certain element of snobbery in Steampunk. A crew of Steampunk pirates entered the room, decked out in their tricorn hats and eye patches. Teague was not impressed. \"Where's your molecular destabilizer?\" she sniffed. Out in the hallway, Steampunk time travelers Candace and Kane Bacon were just arriving. They're new to the game, but Kane had a copper staff with dials on top and a big metal backpack with dials and knobs strapped to his back. A large brass key dangled from the sash around Candace's waist, and she carried a basket of dinosaur eggs they'd found. \"Some of it we had just [lying] around the house, antique stuff,\" Candace said. \"Other parts we got from Lowe's. The backpack is made from radio parts; my dad is in the radio business, and he got some old radio parts for us. And yard sale gadgets.\" She said she was a Steampunker before she knew what Steampunking was. Watch the Dragon*Con parade » . \"I'd always liked Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, that type of stuff,\" she said. \"I decorated my living room in antiques and like, old compasses, and I didn't realize that that was Steampunk until we actually got here\" to last year's Dragon*Con, she said. The Johnson City, Tennessee, couple chose to forego the hotels and stay with a friend just outside Atlanta and ride MARTA, the public rail system, in to the convention. MARTA's central Five Points station was peopled Saturday morning with anime heroines, a wizardess with green lipstick and an incongruous ladybug who appeared to be about 8 years old -- all mingling with football fans, a few of whom were in pretty outlandish getups themselves. Watch Dragon*Con attendees in full regalia » . There were no incidents, however, as intergalactic military police were on hand everywhere to maintain order. Back at the Marriott Marquis, thousands of attendees snaked through lobbies on several levels. Among them was Melinda Ellington, an international affairs student at Georgia Tech. She carried an orange and yellow parasol and wore a green jumpsuit as the spaceship mechanic Kaylee from the short-lived Joss Whedon TV series \"Firefly.\" \"You meet anyone who likes 'Firefly,' it's weird because we immediately become like family,\" she said on the hotel's mezzanine. \"A very large, creepy, incestuous family, but family nonetheless.\" In the lobby below her, a 20-piece brass band blasted a set of Henry Mancini show tunes while thousands of attendees filed past. They needed to keep moving, lest anyone be late for the Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow Recruiting Session and Bake Sale." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Convention celebrates science fiction, fantasy, comics and games .\nCollege football fans caught unawares by Atlanta, Georgia, \"freak show\"\nSteampunk aficionado sneers at pirates' lack of molecular destabilizer ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Latino immigrants living in Suffolk County, New York, have been living in an environment of intolerance and attacks against them, a report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center said. The atmosphere of intolerance is stoked in part by anti-immigrant groups, an indifferent police department, and county leaders themselves, according to the report. The law center, which researches and keeps tabs on hate groups, became interested in the Long Island county after the November 8, 2008, murder of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant in Patchogue, New York. Prosecutors allege that the killers were a group of teenagers who targeted Latinos as part of a sport they called \"beaner-hopping.\" After four months of research in Suffolk County that included interviews with more than 70 Latino immigrants, 30 local religious leaders and other community leaders, the law center said it found a pattern of ethnic intolerance going back 10 years. Low-level harassment of Latinos in Suffolk County is common, the report said. \"They are regularly taunted, spit upon and pelted with apples, full soda cans, beer bottles and other projectiles,\" the report said. Latino residents riding bikes have been run off the road and others have been beaten with baseball bats or shot at with BB guns, the report said. \"Our feeling is that what we found is really the tip of a very ugly iceberg,\" Mark Potok, who edited the report, said at a news conference Wednesday. \"We were told stories that are absolutely hair-raising.\" The findings point to a disturbing larger trend, the report said. The situation in Suffolk \"is a microcosm of a problem facing the entire United States, where FBI statistics suggest a 40 percent rise in anti-Latino hate crimes between 2003 and 2007,\" the report said. Tuesday night in Patchogue, the same city where Lucero was killed, a church frequented by Latinos was vandalized with anti-Mexican graffiti, Potok said. The climate of fear in Suffolk County was created in part by anti-immigration voices that found sympathetic ears in the area, according to the report. Anti-immigrant groups, such as the now-defunct Sachem Quality of Life, \"heavily influenced the tone for public discourse on immigration in the area,\" the report said. This stance was adopted by county leaders themselves, the law center said. In August 2001, county legislator Michael D'Andre said that if his community were \"attacked\" by Latino day laborers, \"we'll be up in arms; we'll be out with baseball bats.\" In March 2007, another county legislator, Elie Mystal, said of Latino day laborers looking for work, \"If I'm living in a neighborhood and people are gathering like that, I would load my gun and start shooting, period.\" Both men later apologized for their remarks, according to news reports. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who was also criticized in the report for employing measures seen as anti-immigrant, responded to the report Wednesday with a list of facts he says were distorted or taken out of context by the law center. For instance, a statement in the report that raids evicted day laborers from their homes in Suffolk County was distorted, Levy's office said. The action in question affected a condemned house where 60 people were living in hazardous conditions, the statement said. The law center's contention that Levy tried to downplay the significance of the Lucero murder was a misrepresentation of a comment the executive made to a reporter, the statement said. The law center report also said Latinos who had suffered harassment and crimes against them seldom reported them to police because they seemed indifferent. \"Many said police did not take their reports of attacks seriously, often blaming the victim instead,\" the report said. The law center recommended that police receive training to take hate-motivated crimes more seriously, and that area leaders avoid language that could be conducive to inciting violence against immigrants." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New York county studied by Southern Poverty Law Center after slaying .\nEcuadorian immigrant was killed in '08 in what prosecutors call a race crime .\nLatinos \"regularly taunted, spit upon and pelted\" with objects, report says .\n\"What we found is really the tip of a very ugly iceberg,\" law center spokesman says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A motorized parachute crashed into a crowd at a Labor Day festival in Hooper, Utah, injuring at least six people, including children, authorities said. Spectators scatter as a motorized parachute plummets Monday in Hooper, Utah. The parachute was operated by a man and his son who were on the aircraft, but neither was injured when it dropped to the ground amid spectators. Scores of people had gathered Monday for what was to have been a candy drop from the motorized parachute, according to Lt. Lonnie Eskelson of the Weber County, Utah, Sheriff's Department. Video from the incident showed the small craft in the air, approaching the crowd, when it quickly lost altitude and came down as spectators ran for safety. Spectator Damon Martin said the crowd was waiting for the scheduled candy drop when the wind picked up. Watch vehicle slam into crowd » . The motorized parachute \"gets just over the field, they start dropping the candy and all of a sudden he starts to descend real quick. He guns it to get it back up and goes straight down into the crowd,\" said Martin, who shot video of the incident. The crowd parted \"like the Red Sea, but they just couldn't move fast enough,\" he said. Six people were taken to area hospitals, including two sisters, 4 and 5 years old, authorities said. The 5-year-old was being treated Monday night at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a leg fracture, Eskelson said, while her sister was treated and released. A 3-year-old also was being treated at the center Monday night. The other injured spectators were treated and released, Eskelson said. CNN's Amanda O'Donnell contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Crowd gathers at Labor Day festival in Hooper, Utah, awaiting candy drop .\nMan and his son operating motorized parachute lose control of aircraft .\nThey descend rapidly toward crowd, which parts \"like the Red Sea\"\nOperators of parachute not hurt; 6 on ground, including children, are injured ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader blamed enemies and outsiders on Monday for the turmoil that followed last month's presidential elections, according to an Iranian news agency. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the West on Monday of meddling in Iran's affairs. To a gathering in Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Western governments of having \"clearly meddled in the internal affairs of Iran\" and the American and European media of depicting Iranians \"as rioters,\" according to Fars News Agency. He warned that meddling from presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers would hurt those nations' relations with Iran, according to Fars. He said Iranians would see through the \"lies\" of Western governments and \"know that your objective is to create doubt amongst them and propagate hate against the system of the Islamic Republic.\" While \"disappointment and sorrow\" from voters when their candidate lost the June 12 election was \"natural,\" Khamenei said, he condemned involvement by \"outsiders\" in the civil unrest that gripped the country after the balloting. Government results showed that incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad won in a landslide over his nearest rival, Mir Hossein Moussavi. Widespread street protests followed, during which at least 20 demonstrators died and more than 1,000 were arrested, according to Iranian state-run media. The numbers of casualties and arrests could not be independently verified by CNN because the Iranian government has banned international journalists. The crackdown on the media followed widespread dissemination of video of the mass protests. Khamenei described American and European media coverage of the protests as \"disrespectful to the people of Iran.\" Despite any internal differences, Iranians would come together against their \"enemy,\" he said, referring to outsiders. \"When it comes to confronting the enemy, even with various differences and viewpoints, [Iranians] will become united and be as one punch against them,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ayatollah says West \"clearly meddled in the internal affairs of Iran\"\nDisappointment in lost election \"natural,\" but outsiders stoked civil unrest, he says .\nSupreme leader referring to media coverage of protests after presidential election .\nNumber of protesters killed, injured unknown because of Iranian media crackdown ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NORCROSS, Georgia (CNN) -- Beneath seven flat-screen TVs and one large pulldown screen, members of the Racquet Club of the South gathered Monday to watch and celebrate one of their own. Members of the Racquet Club of the South erupt when Melanie Oudin beats Nadia Petrova. Melanie Oudin, 17, of Marietta, Georgia, has taken the tennis world by storm at the U.S. Open. The 70th-ranked female has upset some of the sport's biggest female stars, including Russian aces Elena Dementieva (No. 4 seed) and Maria Sharapova (No. 29 seed, who has been ranked No. 1 worldwide in the past). And on Monday, she beat 13th seed Nadia Petrova in three sets. Her latest win makes her the youngest American to make the quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999. \"It's still so surreal,\" said Anne Keeton, player liaison at the club, before the match started. \"She sort of wins no matter what happens. She's there going for it and not giving up.\" At this suburban club, co-owned and co-directed by Oudin's longtime coach, Brian de Villiers, articles about the local tennis phenom dot the walls. In the Grill, on a Bud Light message board above drink specials, are the words \"Congratulations Melanie!\" And a photo of her mixed in with other young players is posted near a downstairs fitness room. Blending in with others and not retreating to \"a Melanie court\" is part of what makes her special, Keeton said. When there was a flood on some indoor courts this year, she was down there squeegeeing with everyone else. \"She so lovely and so accessible,\" Keeton said. \"It couldn't happen to a nicer kid.\" The restaurant buzzed as tables filled with more than 80 onlookers who were courtside in spirit. They feasted on a spread laid out to mark the special occasion as the match started. Watch friends, family cheer Oudin on » . When Petrova took the upper hand, and the first set, fans erupted into applause with each of Oudin's hard-earned points and offered encouragement like \"There we go!\" When she pumped her fist in celebration, they did the same. And when a play didn't go her way, they groaned in unison. Her skills were apparent from an early age, said Turhan Berne of Norcross, a coach and tournament director who's known Oudin since she was 9. He watched her rake in wins, beating older kids and snagging No. 1 junior rankings in the country and world. \"But you know when I knew she was going to be something?\" he said. \"She would play with anybody her coach had her hit with. ... She always gave back. She's very grounded. Her parents and coach did a great job not letting her fame and success change her into a different person.\" As Oudin came back for the second set, the crowd held its collective breath. With every point she earned, they hooted, hollered and exchanged high-fives. They booed when they saw Petrova losing her cool, banging her racquet against the net after losing a big point. \"C'mon, Melanie!\" people screamed as the tiebreaker began in the second set. When Oudin took that set, they rose to their feet, screamed, did happy dances and shared hugs. \"It's awesome,\" said Kathleen Brady of Norcross. \"We are so glad her opponent double-faults.\" \"Bless her heart,\" Lisa Wells chimed in with a laugh, offering the Southern tagline to downplay any insult. Earlier in the day, John Sklare joked that the young pro learned something from him. Over the winter, the Alpharetta psychologist often played on the indoor court beside her. \"I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good -- and that's what we're all finding out now,\" he said. He spoke about what a \"great kid\" Oudin is but then added that what he likes best about her is how quiet she is on the court. Sklare, a former writer for Atlanta Tennis magazine, said he called Sharapova \"Screamapova.\" Oudin, on the other hand, is \"like a stealth fighter,\" he said. \"She's quiet, but you know she's there.\" Her overall attitude is as inspiring as her play, said Jeannette Latimer of Decatur, Georgia, whose 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey, has been playing for five years. \"She shows the kids not to get upset on the court,\" Latimer said. \"She's always so positive. If the kids learn nothing else from her, it's her mental toughness.\" But Kelsey has been more intent on studying Oudin's moves on the court. \"I think she has a nice top-spin forehand,\" Kelsey said. \"I think it's better than mine.\" With Oudin up 5-2 in the third set, anticipation hung in the air. \"Both of them are pressing each other, but to see the 70 [ranked player] outplaying 13, that takes heart,\" Ernie Jensen of Woodstock said. Going into the match point, some rose to their feet. Together, the hordes clapped, carrying Oudin to the win. When she took the match, earning her first quarterfinal seat in a Grand Slam, the room exploded. They stood by and watched, smiling widely and some wiping away tears as Oudin gave her victory speech. \"It's like something so big happening to all of us all at once,\" said Jennifer Silverberg of Alpharetta. \"Watching her, it's like watching your own little girl. ... My heart's still going crazy.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Melanie Oudin, 17, moves into quarterfinals with latest win .\nOudin caused hubbub when she beat former No. 1 Maria Sharapova on Saturday .\nOudin honed her skills at the Racquet Club of the South in Georgia .\nFellow members are as impressed by positive attitude as by her talent ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: The following story, based on testimony in Phillip Garrido's trial for a 1976 kidnapping, contains some sexually explicit material. Phillip Garrido is show in an early mug shot taken in connection with the 1976 rape and abduction case. (CNN) -- Fifteen years before the girl was held captive in the shed, there was the woman in the warehouse -- and at least one other woman who escaped capture. Phillip Garrido, who with his wife is charged in the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard, had been convicted of kidnapping before. When he stalked, kidnapped and raped Katie Callaway Hall on November 22, 1976, he fulfilled an overpowering sexual fantasy that he had methodically planned for weeks, according to court records obtained by CNN. He told police it was his second kidnapping attempt of the day. Those facts came to light in Garrido's 1977 trial, in which he was convicted and sentenced to 50 years for kidnapping and rape. In her testimony, Hall said Garrido asked for a ride in her car, then bound and handcuffed her before taking her to a small warehouse in Reno, Nevada, where he repeatedly raped her for 5½ hours. It was not an act of impulse. \"He told me he had been renting it [the small warehouse] for a couple weeks, preparing it,\" Hall testified. Watch how Garrido prepared for and explained the kidnapping » . It is CNN policy to withhold the identity of alleged victims of sexual assault. But in this case, Hall recounted her ordeal last week in an interview on CNN's \"Larry King Live,\" saying it changed her life forever. \"I had to tell everyone I met what had happened to me -- because I didn't feel like myself. It was as if I had to explain why I wasn't 'normal,' \" she said. Watch Hall describe her ordeal » . She was not his first victim that day. The trial transcript reveals that Garrido told authorities that one hour before Hall's kidnapping, he tried to kidnap another woman, who wrestled away and escaped. And, police in Antioch disclosed last week that Garrido was charged with raping a 14-year-old in 1972, but the charges were dropped because the victim refused to testify. Watch details of the 1972 case » . In the case involving Hall, CNN reviewed the 1977 trial documents, which include Garrido's psychiatric evaluation and the testimony of Hall and Garrido. The documents reveal a pattern of behavior that Garrido is accused of repeating in the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard, who was recently found after being kept in a shed for 18 years. The 32-year-old documents also detail Garrido's self-described struggle with drugs and his efforts to control his sexual obsessions. Can sex offenders be cured? » . Garrido and his wife, Nancy, have pleaded not guilty to charges involving Dugard's abduction, but police say he admitted kidnapping her in his initial interview. Police say Garrido and his wife kidnapped Dugard outside her home in South Lake Tahoe, California, and took her to an elaborate compound hidden in the backyard of their Antioch, California, home more than 160 miles away. Tucked behind overgrown trees and a fence were tents, outbuildings and a soundproof shed where Dugard lived with the two daughters she had with her captor. Out of sight . Garrido took great pains to make sure nobody could find the camp, not even the parole officer who visited twice a month at times, police said. Hall, too, was taken directly to a carefully prepped small warehouse after her kidnapping. As they drove from South Lake Tahoe, California, where she was abducted, to Reno, she tried to persuade Garrido to rape her in the bushes. \"I asked him, couldn't we just pull over and get it over with,\" she testified. But Garrido was determined. \"You might as well get that our of your mind; you are going with me, you have got no choice,\" Hall testified Garrido told her, according to court transcripts. \"I have it all planned.\" He had set up the mini-warehouse in Reno exactly as he wanted, and worked to ensure nobody would inquire about it. He asked a man who lived in a storage unit 30 feet away to call him should any unknown vehicles show up. The mini-warehouse was meticulously furnished. On the other side of an unassuming metal, garage-style door, the walls were covered in long, heavy rugs hanging from the ceiling. Thick opaque plastic sheets were scattered throughout, creating a maze-like atmosphere that prohibited anyone from seeing all the way through, Hall testified. Staging the attacks . In the back, Garrido created a space set up like a stage. At the center was a mattress covered with an old, red satin, hole-ridden sheet and a fur blanket, Hall testified. Illuminating the bed were red, yellow and blue stage lights, with a stack of pornographic magazines and a projector alongside it. His intent, a prosecution psychologist said, couldn't have been clearer based on the methodical planning. From the moment she got to the mini-warehouse, Hall said it was clear to her Garrido was a man on a mission. \"He knew what he was doing,\" she testified. \"[He] knew exactly how he was going to do it.\" She testified that it was there that he raped her for 5½ hours. As he drank wine and she smoked a small bit of hashish, Hall said she kept track of the time by listening to a radio, which regularly announced the time. Hall didn't know that she wasn't originally part of the plan, although Garrido alluded to the fact he hadn't targeted her, saying it wasn't intentional that she was taken. \"Could have been anybody,\" Hall recalled him saying, adding he told her it was her fault because she was attractive. He didn't say that his original plan had gone awry one hour earlier. Victim managed to escape . Despite his planning, there was one thing Garrido hadn't accounted for -- that one of his intended victims would fight back. One hour before Hall was kidnapped in her own vehicle, Garrido asked a different woman in South Lake Tahoe, California, for a ride. Like Hall, she obliged. But when he tried to handcuff her, he only secured one hand. \"She jumped out of the vehicle, struggling with him,\" prosecutors told the judge during a private conversation during the trial. When he unlocked the one handcuff, she escaped by jumping out of the moving car and running up the street. That kidnapping attempt came to light in a conversation between the prosecutor, defense attorney and judge in the case, according to the trial transcript. Despite prosecutors' wishes, the details of the first kidnapping attempt were kept from the jury, after a judge ruled they weren't necessary to prove Garrido's intent to kidnap. The court documents also discussed Garrido's use of marijuana, cocaine and LSD, which Garrido said was so heavy it fueled his sexual desires and sometimes pushed him to a point he could no longer control them. He said he responded to the urges by masturbating in drive-in movie theaters, restaurants, bathrooms, bars and while watching partially clothed or naked women in their homes. An interest in young girls . Though police have recently said they never expected Garrido would have kidnapped someone as young as Dugard based on his record, Garrido's own words during his trial showed young girls did grab his attention. Watch how Garrido slipped through the cracks » . He admitted masturbating in his car while watching small girls outside their school. Sometimes, he said, he would open the car door, get out and pull down his pants. His own explanation of his sexual fantasies hinted at an obsession with sexual bondage and captivity. \"There has been a type of bondage pictures,\" he said, when asked if certain images heightened his arousal. \"Women in handcuffs, chained.\" On the night he took Hall captive and bound her with a leather strap in her car, he said he took four hits of LSD, a drug that he said he used daily for at least four years, sometimes taking up to 10 hits at a time. He said when he used the drug it acted as a sexual stimulant. \"I had this fantasy that was driving me to do this inside of me,\" Garrido testified. \"Something that was making me want to do it without -- no way to stop.\" Garrido said the urges would strike and continue to build until he was \"overcome\" with sexual cravings. Hall was curious, too, even during her kidnapping, what would make Garrido do this to her. So she asked him. \"He said that he didn't get off on pain,\" Hall recalled during her testimony. \"It was just a fantasy he had to live out.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Trial transcripts show Phillip Garrido tried to kidnap woman before Katie Hall in 1976 .\nGarrido methodically prepared places to bring kidnapped Hall .\nKidnap suspect spoke in trial about his drug-fueled, uncontrollable sexual urges .\n\"You are going with me, you have got no choice,\" Hall recalls Garrido saying ." } ]