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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": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At 33, Joe Sullivan is serving a life term without the possibility of parole in a Florida prison while confined to a wheelchair. Joe Sullivan, now 33, was convicted of burglary and rape when he was 13. He is serving a life sentence without parole. The crime for which he was convicted was brutal: burglary and the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Pensacola. The man's lawyers say the punishment was equally harsh, particularly for someone with Sullivan's circumstances. He was 13 at the time, and is one of only two people his age in the world, say his supporters, tried as an adult and sentenced to \"die in prison\" for a crime that wasn't a homicide. Now the Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether that sentence was cruel and unusual punishment for someone who was barely a teenager at the time of his crime. The justices are scheduled to announce Monday whether they will accept the case for review. If they do, oral arguments would be held in the fall. If the review is rejected, Sullivan would have few legal options remaining to reduce his sentence. His lawyers are also fighting to get him a new trial. Outside a death-penalty context, the high court has offered little recent guidance on how to treat the youngest of underage criminal defendants. The appellate record for rapists under age 15 is almost nonexistent, say legal experts consulted by CNN. Child legal advocates say many states lack adequate resources to handle young inmates given long sentences, including a lack of proper jailhouse counseling. Few studies have been conducted on the psychological effects on young defendants facing life in prison, said the Equal Justice Institute, which is representing Sullivan in the high court case. \"We have created a forgotten population with a lot of needs,\" said Bryan Stevenson, Sullivan's lawyer. The crime happened in 1989, when Sullivan later admitted he and two friends ransacked a home in West Pensacola. But he denied the prosecutor's claim he returned with a knife and sexually assaulted the elderly homeowner. An older co-defendant claimed Sullivan was the rapist. According to the trial record, the victim testified the assailant was a youngster with \"kinky hair and he was quite black and he was small.\" She could not recognize Sullivan by his facial features, but the defendant was made to repeat at trial what he allegedly told the woman: \"If you can't identify me, I may not have to kill you.\" The victim testified, \"It's been six months, it's hard, but it does sound similar.\" After a daylong trial, Escambia County circuit court Judge Nicholas Geeker sentenced Sullivan to life without parole. \"I am going to try to send him away for as long as I can, he is beyond help,\" the judge told the boy. \"The juvenile system has been utterly incapable of doing anything with Mr. Sullivan.\" Sullivan had a lengthy juvenile record, but continues to deny the attack. At the time, state prosecutor Larry Kaden, who retired last month, said, \"It was a brutal crime and he had an extensive record. This was a bad, bad crime.\" The Florida Attorney General's office told the high court that prosecutors should have the discretion they have long been given to decide how harshly young criminal should be prosecuted. Sexual battery remains a crime punishable by life imprisonment in Florida. A study by the Equal Justice Institute found eight prisoners serving life terms for crimes committed at 13, all in the United States. Besides Sullivan, Florida inmate Ian Manuel is in a similar situation. He was 13 when convicted of attempted murder and robbery in 1990 and will not get out of prison. The Justice Department reports no 13-year-old has been given life without parole for crime that wasn't a homicide in a decade. And while about a thousand people every year under 15 are arrested for rape, none have been given life without parole since Sullivan. Only a handful of states -- including Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Oregon -- prohibit sentencing minors to life without a chance for parole, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Equal Justice Institute says 19 states have laws allowing the possibility of life without parole for those under age 14. The high court in April 2008 refused to hear the case of a South Carolina boy who was 12 when he murdered his grandparents and was given a 30-year sentence, the maximum allowed under state law. Tried as an adult, Christopher Pittman's lawyers had argued the sentence was excessive, and that heavy doses of antidepressants the boy was taking at the time sent his mind spinning out off control. While disappointed, Pittman's attorney Michelle Deitch speculated the justices may \"have recognized the growing national trend against sentencing young children to harsh mandatory terms in prison, and wants to give state legislatures the opportunity to correct this problem before it rules again on the issue.\" Sullivan's attorneys hope the high court is ready to revisit the issue. The Supreme Court in 2005 banned the death penalty for underage killers. The justices in that case cited evolving \"national standards\" as a reason to ban such executions. \"When a juvenile commits a heinous crime, the state can exact a forfeiture of some of the most basic liberties,\" wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy at the time. \"But the state cannot extinguish his life and his potential to attain a mature understanding of his own humanity.\" Sullivan is in deteriorating health from multiple sclerosis and confined to \"close management\" for dangerous or trouble-prone inmates, say state corrections officials. His lawyers admit he has had more than a 100 incidents of fighting and threatening inmates and guards, and having contraband and weapons, but say Sullivan is the victim of bullying by other prisoners and is mentally disabled. \"It's important for the criminal justice system to recognize that inmates like Joe [Sullivan] are going to change, biologically, psychologically and emotionally as they grow up in prison,\" said Stevenson. \"We should not assume it is a change for the worse.\" Sullivan's appellate team places much of the blame on his original trial attorney, who presented no opening statement and only brief closing remarks. No DNA results were offered and the state destroyed the biological evidence in 1993. \"It was absolutely outrageous,\" said Stevenson. The trial lawyer was later suspended from practicing law. The thrust of their argument before the high court is not that Sullivan is innocent, nor that he seeks his freedom now, just that he deserves to someday make his case before the state parole board." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Convicted for a crime committed at 13, Joe Sullivan appeals to Supreme Court .\nHe is serving life without parole for burglary and the rape of a 72-year-old woman .\nDefense attorneys say punishment for Sullivan, now 33, was too harsh .\nThe Supreme Court is expected to decide Monday if it will hear the case ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Around 204,000 people have fled their homes in the Somali capital of Mogadishu as a result of a militant offensive against government forces, the U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday. Islamist fighters exchange gunfire with government forces in Mogadishu on July 3. The eight-week long push by Al-Shaabab and Hisb-ul-Islam militias has prompted what the agency calls \"the biggest exodus from the troubled Somali capital since the Ethiopian intervention in 2007.\" \"The escalating conflict in Mogadishu is having a devastating impact on the city's population causing enormous suffering and massive displacement,\" the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. The agency said its local partners in the capital reported that fighting over the past week \"has killed some 105 people and injured 382.\" \"Neighborhoods affected by the fighting include Kaaran, Shibis, Shangaani and Boondheere in North Mogadishu. These areas have hitherto been islands of peace, escaping much of the conflict and destruction. Many residents are fleeing their homes for the first time since the start of the Somali civil war in 1991,\" the agency said. The agency said the number of internally displaced people in Somalia amounts to more than 1.2 million people. There has been growing concern that Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last month, a U.S. State Department spokesman said the United States is providing weapons and ammunition to Somalia's transitional government as it fights al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants. CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said that the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives. \"Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa, like Somalia and Yemen, that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there,\" Panetta said earlier this month. Al-Shaabab, also known as the Mujahideen Youth Movement, was officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in March 2008. It is waging a war against Somalia's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eight-week long push by Al-Shaabab and Hisb-ul-Islam militias prompted exodus .\nU.N.: Conflict in Mogadishu having devastating impact on city's population .\nMore than 1.2 million people internally displaced in Somalia, U.N. estimates .\nMany fleeing their homes for first time since start of Somali civil war in 1991 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Mexican authorities on Saturday arrested four men in connection with last week's shooting death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in San Diego County, California, Mexico's state-run news agency Notimex reported. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was fatally shot Thursday night in California, U.S. authorities said. Mexican federal police identified the men as human smugglers, and said they were in the act of transporting 21 immigrants when they were detained in the northwest state of Baja California, Notimex said. At a news conference, federal police identified two of the suspects as brothers Jose Eugenio Quintero Ruiz, 49, and Jose Evodio Quintero Ruiz, 43. The other two arrestees were taxi drivers Antonio Badallares Zepeda, 57 and Jose Alfredo Camacho Penuela, 34, Notimex reported. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was shot and killed Thursday night while responding to a potential incursion into the United States in the Campo area in San Diego County, U.S. authorities said. The Mexican federal police did not offer specific evidence of the suspects' role in the killing, but said intelligence reports indicated the group was responsible for kidnappings, rapes and murders of several people who tried to cross to the United States, Notimex said. The men were wanted by American authorities, police said. Notimex said that during his interrogation, Jose Eugenio Quintero told investigators the shooter was Ernesto Parra Valenzuela, a man arrested the day before by local police in Tecate, Mexico. Rosas, who is survived by his wife and two young children, had been a border agent for three years. Rosas was the ninth Border Patrol agent to be killed while on duty since 2006, according to the agency's Web site. Two agents died in a vehicle wreck in 2006, and four died in 2007, including two who died in vehicle wrecks, a third who drowned and a fourth who suffered a heart attack while pursuing undocumented immigrants. Two agents died on duty last year, the Border Patrol said. One died in a single-vehicle wreck; another was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by a suspected smuggler, according to the agency's Web site." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mexican news agency: Four arrested in connection with U.S. agent's death .\nU.S. Border Patrol agent Robert Rosas gunned down Thursday in California .\nMexican police say suspects are smugglers of humans .\nNews agency: Suspect says fifth man -- arrested earlier -- was shooter ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau, the last two months have been a whirlwind. \"Full of the best moments and the scariest moments of my life,\" says the 24-year-old Olympic swimmer. Eric Shanteau said he felt angry when he found out he had testicular cancer. \"Getting to the Olympics was, has always been, my swimming dream since I was 8 or 9 years old. You know, right after I started swimming it was, 'I want to make an Olympic team. That's where I want to be'.\" In June, a week before the qualifying round of the Olympics he was told he had testicular cancer. \"My initial reaction was probably anger more than anything else,\" he says. \"I'm used to being in control of everything. I'm in control of how I train, how I race and then to all of a sudden have that control ripped away from me was tough.\" After weeks of tests to determine the \"stage\" or spread of the cancer, Shanteau's team of doctors cleared him to compete in the Beijing Olympics, which meant carefully monitoring his tumor but delaying treatment. Though putting off the surgery was controversial to some, Eric says it was an educated choice based on numerous doctor evaluations. \"I hope people understand that if I was in a different position with my test results, then I wouldn't have put off having surgery.\" Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports from Eric Shanteau's surgery » . He swam a personal best in the 200 meter breaststroke. He did not qualify for the finals. Cancer was a motivator, he says, because he knew it meant he could be facing his last competition. He put everything he had into that heat. \"Leave it all in the pool, and I don't look back and regret anything as far as how I raced.\" Once back from Beijing, Shanteau invited CNN to spend time with him the night before his surgery in Atlanta, Georgia. Though admittedly a little scared, he spent the evening relaxing with his family, cooking dinner, walking the dog. A source of inspiration, he says, were fans who shared their stories of beating cancer. \"They send me their story and it helps me to learn that people are going through the same thing I am all over the world,\" says Shanteau. \"They all affect me in a different way and it's been really encouraging to share in this experience with other people.\" Testicular cancer is diagnosed in about 1 in 300 men in their lifetime. It is the most common form of cancer for 15- to 34-year-olds. It is also one of the most curable if discovered early. Nearly 140,000 men in the United States are testicular cancer survivors. Shanteau says he experienced no symptoms of cancer and came across the tumor by chance. \"I've been in a Speedo half my life,\" he says. \"So I am really comfortable with my body. One day I just felt something that wasn't suppose to be there. I decided to go and get it checked out.\" He adds that although he had the \"greatest excuse in the world\" -- an Olympic dream -- to ignore the lump, he understood the importance of early detection. Shanteau's father Rick, is battling lung cancer and responding well to treatment. \"A lot of guys, if they hear a rattle in their car, they're at the mechanic the next day,\" he says. \"But if they feel something [physically] that they don't think should be there, it takes them a year to get to their doctor and that just is not smart. There's really no excuse, because it can save your life.\" Fast forward to Shanteau's recent operation at Emory University Hospital. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta was with Shanteau during the surgery and spoke with the lead surgeon, Dr. Jeff Carney, moments afterward. \"I think the operation went very well,\" Carney said. \"Eric's a very healthy young man, very thin, in excellent shape. That makes my job easy.\" Later that week, Shanteau's pathology results revealed that the operation removed the most of the cancer. \"The majority of it is gone.\" he tells CNN. \"There is a small chance it could come back but I shouldn't need chemotherapy at this point, so I am really optimistic.\" His treatment plan is to keep a close eye on his health for the next year with regular medical tests. \"Obviously, it would have been nice if the doctor said, 'You're completely in the clear,' but my results are exactly what the doctors expected.\" Eric says the cancer diagnosis gave him a different perspective on life. \"I appreciate life much more now,\" he says. \"I don't let myself get upset about the little nitpicky things anymore. Food even seems to taste better. It is really great.\" As for Shanteau's swimming career, he plans to compete in the 2009 World Swimming Championship in Rome, Italy. \"2012 [the next Olympics] is a push for me. Right now I'm just kind of taking it year by year and we'll see what happens.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau found out about his cancer in June .\nHe delayed treatment so he could compete in the games in Beijing .\nHe plans to compete in the 2009 World Swimming Championship in Rome .\nTesticular cancer is diagnosed in about 1 in 300 men in their lifetime ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Manchester United came a goal behind and shrugged off the early loss of Michael Owen to injury to beat German champions Wolfsburg 2-1 for their second victory in Champions League Group B. Giggis is congratulated by teammates after scoring his 150th goal for United. Owen, looking to impress watching England manager Fabio Capello, survived for just 20 minutes at Old Trafford before going off with a groin strain. His replacement Dimitar Berbatov proved highly effective but the enterprising visitors went ahead through a Edin Dzeko header in the 56th minute. Ryan Giggs equalized just three minutes later with his 150th goal for the Red Devils, his deflected shot finding its way home. The evergreen Giggs then set up Michael Carrick for the 76th minute winner as he curled home his shot from the edge of the penalty area. United manager Alex Ferguson paid his own compliment to the Welsh wizard as he reflected on a hard-fought home victory. \"He's unbelievable, all the infinitives, all the praise over the years, I don't know if you can add to it. He's a marvellous player.\" Ferguson also revealed that Owen would be out for between two to three weeks with his latest injury. The three points leave United top of the group with two wins from two games after their eighth victory in a row in all competitions. In the other Group B action on Wednesday, CSKA Moscow bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Wolfsburg in the first round of matches to see off Turkish champions Besiktas 2-1. Midfielders Alan Dzagoev and Milos Krasic scored for the hosts either side of half time, with Besiktas, beaten in their first two games, pulling a goal back thorugh Ismail Koybasi. In Group A, the heavyweight clash between Bayern Munich and Juventus ended in a goalless draw. Munich had several chances in their home Allianz Arena, but failed to convert them although they do top the group with four points. French champions Bordeaux are in second place on three points after a 1-0 home win over Israeli counterparts Maccabi Haifa. Having drawn with Juventus in their group opener, Laurent Blanc's men had wait until the 83rd minute for a vital breakthrough as Michael Ciani headed home from Gregory Sertic's corner. Juventus are third in the group after two draws, with Maccabi bottom after drawing blank." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Manchester United beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 in Champions League Group B .\nMichael Carrick scores winner after Ryan Giggs equalizes for Red Devils .\nBayern and Juventus draw 0-0 in Group A clash in Munich ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The civil warfare and social instability in Somalia have prompted the flight of more than 50,000 refugees to neighboring Kenya this year alone, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. The Dadaab refugee complex is the largest of its kind in the world. Somalis are arriving at an average rate of 6,400 a month, and their presence has placed pressure on northern Kenya's Dadaab refugee complex -- bursting at the seams with three times the population it was built to hold. There are more than 281,000 Somali refugees there, and the UNHCR fears that heavy rains in Kenya will lead to flooding at the complex and pose \"considerable health risks to the refugees.\" The International Organization of Migration has been working with the UNHCR, Kenyan authorities and non-governmental organizations to relocate refugees from Dadaab to the Kakuma camp in the northwestern part of the country. Somalia has been in turmoil for years. Clashes have raged between pro-government forces and rebel groups such as Al-Shabaab, the Islamist militia with ties to al Qaeda. And this fighting has prompted widespread displacement in the war-wracked nation. Al-Shabaab has been targeting the most prominent Western-linked entity in the capital, Mogadishu -- the African Union peacekeeping mission, the de facto military force of the weak, transitional Somali government. Fighting has forced about 250,000 Somalis out of their homes in Mogadishu since May and many of the displaced have sought refuge west of the capital in the Afgooye corridor, the U.N. agency said. Also, many Somalis have chosen to flee the country by traveling across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to Yemen or the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Many have drowned or have gone missing in their journey." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More than 50,000 Somali refugees have entered Kenya since the beginning of 2009 .\nRefugees are arriving at 6,400 every month placing strain on Kenya's Dadaab camp .\nFighting forced about 250,000 Somalis out of their homes in Mogadishu since May ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The earthquake in Sichuan, southwestern China, last May left around 69,000 people dead and 15 million people displaced. Now ecologists have assessed the earthquake's impact on biodiversity and the habitat for some of the last existing wild giant pandas. Giant pandas are more endangered than ever since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. According to the report published in \"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment\", 23 percent of the pandas' habitat in the study area was destroyed, and fragmentation of the remaining habitat could hinder panda reproduction. The Sichuan region is designated as a global hotspot for biodiversity, according to Conservation International. Home to more than 12,000 species of plants and 1,122 species of vertebrates, the area includes more than half of the habitat for the Earth's wild giant panda population, said study lead author Weihua Xu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. \"We estimate that above 60 percent of the wild giant panda population was affected to some extent by the earthquake,\" said Xu in the report. In an effort to develop conservation strategies for the panda's remaining habitat, Xu and his colleagues used satellite imagery to determine the pandas' habitat loss and fragmentation in the South Minshan region, which is adjacent to the earthquake's epicenter. Since forests are the main vegetation type used by the pandas, the authors compared forested areas in satellite images from September 2007, before the earthquake, to images after the earthquake and its aftershocks, in July 2008. The authors then combined results based on these satellite data with criteria that make forests suitable for pandas, including elevation, slope incline and presence of bamboo. Their analyses revealed that more than 354 square kilometers, or about 23 percent, of the pandas' habitat was converted to bare land. Of the remaining habitat, the researchers found that large habitat areas had been fragmented into smaller, disconnected patches, which Xu says can be just as harmful as habitat destruction. \"It is probable that habitat fragmentation has separated the giant panda population inhabiting this region, which could be as low as 35 individuals,\" said Xu. \"This kind of isolation increases their risk of extinction in the wild, due in part to a higher likelihood of inbreeding.\" Xu and his colleagues proposed a plan to encourage pandas to move between patches using specially protected corridors. They also recommend areas to be protected outside of nature reserves and that post-earthquake relocation of affected towns takes panda habitat into consideration. \"It is vital to the survival of this species that measures are taken to protect panda habitat outside nature reserves,\" said Xu. \"Giant pandas in this region are more vulnerable than ever to human disturbance, including post-earthquake reconstruction and tourism. When coupled with these increasing human activities, natural disasters create unprecedented challenges for biodiversity conservation.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New report on affect of 2008 Sichuan earthquake on wild giant panda population .\nReport: 23 percent of habitat has disappeared; 60 percent of giant pandas affected .\nEstimates that wild panda population in affected region could be as low as 35 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Flash floods and landslides triggered by a weekend tropical storm have killed at least 100 people in Vietnam, the country's news agency said Monday. Vietnamese villagers look at the rubble where 19 houses stood before a flash-flood ripped away the hamlet of Tung Chin in Lao Cai province. Forecasters fear additional casualties as more rain was expected Monday. The floods in the the country's northern mountain provinces damaged tens of thousands of homes, swept away thousands of cattle and submerged crops, the Vietnam News Agency said. More than two dozen people remained missing. Officials mobilized thousands of rescue workers to look for survivors and to carry relief to the areas hardest hit by the storm. Tropical Storm Kammuri struck the northern provinces on Friday. The southeast Asian country is prone to heavy rainfall during the May through September monsoon season. The resulting landslides and floods have killed hundreds in past years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Flash floods and landslides kill at least 100 people in Vietnam .\nDisasters triggered by tropical storm .\nForecasters fear additional casualties ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Investigators in Colorado say they have broken up a massive methamphetamine ring in the Denver area that distributed pounds of the dangerous drug every week and laundered the profits using collectible comic books. Aaron Castro and his brother were the leaders of the methamphetamine ring, authorities say. \"To launder the money you have to use something that is quick and convenient,\" Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said at a news conference Monday. \"And in this case, they used classic comic books.\" While arresting the alleged ringleaders, brothers Aaron and Alfonzo Castro, law enforcement officers seized about 100 boxes of first-edition collectible comic books. Investigators say one title alone is worth $3,500 and the total collection of comics is worth half a million dollars. \"It appeared they were working on a startup company for high-end comic books,\" said Don Quick, the district attorney in Adams County near Denver. Quick said the seized comic books included some first-edition Superman and Batman titles. The fragile, vintage comics were stored in plastic bags for protection. According to a grand jury indictment released Monday, the Castro brothers arranged for weekly, multiple-pound shipments of the meth from Phoenix, Arizona. The brothers then distributed the drugs to a network of runners that made deliveries to dealers around the Denver area. Suthers says Castro brothers sometimes used females \"as drug mules by having them hide methamphetamine inside their vaginal cavities.\" These women would then deliver the meth to a series of houses, and then lower-level dealers would distribute the drug. \"It's a tawdry piece of information, but it's a big part of what this group was doing,\" he said. These same runners also collected money from dealers and delivered it to the Castro brothers. Suthers said the drugs most likely were manufactured in Mexico, and each month's shipments had a street value of about $2 million. The indictment details 145 drug possession and distribution charges from October 2008 to earlier this month. The Castros and 39 other people are listed as defendants. The Castro brothers and their top runners are also charged with racketeering. Of the 41 defendants, 40 are in custody. The Castros are being held in the Adams County jail on $1 million bail each. It is unclear if they have attorneys." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Colorado authorities say ring distributed pounds of meth each week .\nDrug was believed to have been manufactured in Mexico .\nCollectible comic books were used to launder money, officials say .\nAuthorities seize comic books with value of half a million dollars ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Organization of American States suspended Honduras late Saturday because the nation's new leaders refused to reinstate ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya. Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya appears Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly. Zelaya was removed by the military on June 28 and flown to Costa Rica. Congressional leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as provisional president later that day. The OAS set a Saturday deadline for Honduras to return Zelaya to power or be suspended from the 35-nation hemispheric organization. Honduran officials told OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza on Friday that they would not allow Zelaya to return to power. Thousands of protesters demanding the return to power of ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya pushed through riot police at Tegucigalpa's airport and surrounded the terminal Saturday, but there were no reports of violence. The airport continued to operate, CNN Correspondent Karl Penhaul reported. Zelaya, a leftist who took office in 2006, says he will return to Honduras on Sunday. Micheletti has vowed to have Zelaya arrested if he returns. \"I am simply defending a system,\" Zelaya told the OAS delegates early Sunday, after the 33-0 vote to suspend Honduras. Among the delegates were two heads of state: Presidents Christina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay. \"I am here not only as president of the republic of Argentina, but also as part of a delegation who was the object of coups in Argentina,\" Fernandez said. Lugo also spoke in favor of restoring Zelaya and democracy to his nation. \"I come from Paraguay, a country that has had the long night of dictatorships,\" Lugo said. \"I come here with a pain, but also with a hope.\" Micheletti repeated in an interview with CNN en Español on Saturday night that a coup did not take place. What happened, he said, was a constitutional transfer of power authorized by the nation's congress. But Micheletti is swimming against world opinion. The U.N. General Assembly condemned the coup last week and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated. The European Union and other nations have recalled their ambassadors from Honduras, and the United States and the World Bank have suspended some aid. Honduran officials have said the Central American nation was prepared to withdraw from the OAS rather than reinstate Zelaya. \"If the Organization of American States doesn't deem Honduras worthy of membership of the Organization of American States, then Honduras would renounce with immediate effect the inter-American charter,\" said Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Lorena Alvarado. At the center of the dispute was a referendum Zelaya had vowed to carry out even after the country's supreme court and congress found it illegal. The nonbinding referendum could have led to the creation of a constitutional assembly to modify the country's charter to allow the president to run for re-election. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a Zelaya ally, won a similar referendum this year, and many Hondurans thought Zelaya was trying to maneuver a way to seek re-election in November. Zelaya has denied that was his intent. Zelaya narrowly won the presidency in 2005, with 49.8 percent of the vote to 46.1 percent for Porfirio \"Pepe\" Lobo. After 18 years of nearly uninterrupted military rule, Honduras returned to civilian control in 1981. Since then, the military has not seemed interested in holding power in the nation of more than 7 million people, about 70 percent of whom live in poverty. Military interventions were once common in Latin America, but civilian governments have held sway since the 1980s. Before Sunday, the only other barracks revolt this decade was an unsuccessful 2002 coup attempt against Chavez, when the military displaced him but backed down days later and allowed his reinstatement. CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Organization of American States suspend Honduras in wake of coup .\nThousands of supporters at airport for return of ousted president Jose Zelaya .\nOrganization of American States wants Zelaya restored to power .\nNewly installed president says Jose Zelaya will be arrested upon return ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- US Airways announced a $5 baggage fee increase Wednesday. A US Airways passenger's first checked bag will cost $20 if prepaid online. The fee for a passenger's first checked bag will rise from $15 to $20 if the fees are prepaid online. Online payment for a second checked bag will jump from $25 to $30. An additional $5 fee will be added for bags checked at the airport, bringing the fee for the first bag to $25 and the second to $35. The airline also will implement a $50 fee for the second checked bag on international flights -- $55 if paid at the airport. The first checked bag will continue to be free of charge. The changes will be applied to tickets purchased on Wednesday or later for travel on or after October 7. Also on Wednesday, Continental Airlines implemented a second checked bag fee of $50 for transatlantic flights. Travelers who pay in advance will be charged $45. Earlier this season American Airlines raised its fees for first and second checked bags on domestic flights to $20 and $30, respectively. Continental, Delta and United airlines charge $15 for the first checked bag if the fees are paid online, and $25 for the second bag. At the airport, these airlines charge $20 and $30 for the first and second bags." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fee for the first checked bag to rise from $15 to $20 if prepaid online .\nThe second checked bag will cost $30, US Airways says .\nAn additional $5 per bag will be charged for checking at the airport ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LEONE, American Samoa (CNN) -- Another earthquake struck Wednesday near the Samoan islands, an area already devastated by earthquake and tsunami damage which killed more than 130 people. A traditional Samoan fale is destroyed Wednesday in the devastated village of Leone. The 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred at 6:13 p.m. Wednesday evening (1:13 a.m. Thursday ET), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake's epicenter was 10 km (6 miles) deep in the Pacific Ocean about 121 miles (194 km) from the city of Apia, Samoa. The quake did not trigger a tsunami warning, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. It followed an 8.0-magnitude earthquake which hit the small cluster of Samoan islands early Tuesday triggering a tsunami. At least 139 people are confirmed dead as a consequence of Tuesday's quake and tsunami. They include 22 people killed in American Samoa, 110 in Samoa and seven in Tonga, according to officials on the islands. A huge emergency effort was continuing late Wednesday in the Samoan islands and officials warned that the death toll could rise as rescue workers start to reach outlying villages and discover new casualties. Watch the tsunami take over the street » . Survivors like Ropati Opa were trying to find ways to cope. The massive waves had destroyed his home, store and gas station in the village of Leone on the southwest coast of American Samoa. With tears in his eyes, he said \"I don't have a house. I don't have a car. I don't have money. I lost everything yesterday. But thank God I am alive.\" iReport.com: Witness describes tsunami hitting land . U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the disaster at an event Wednesday in Washington. \"To aid in the response,\" he said, \"I've declared this a major disaster to speed the deployment of resources and FEMA ... is working closely with emergency responders on the ground, and the Coast Guard is working to provide immediate help to those in need. \"We also stand ready to help our friends in neighboring Samoa and throughout the region, and we'll continue to monitor this situation closely as we keep the many people who have been touched by this tragedy in our thoughts and in our prayers,\" Obama said. Journalist Jeff DePonte contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Latest death toll from Tuesday's quake, tsunami stands at 139 .\nSecond quake -- magnitude 5.5 -- shook Samoan islands region Wednesday .\nQuake does not trigger a tsunami warning, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says .\nHuge rescue effort under way in Samoan islands amid fears death toll could rise ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(OPRAH.com) -- When I was a teen, I tried to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. My goal: Memorize its contents, be on TV game shows, win cash and prizes, run away from home, move to Manhattan and become a professional writer. Instead of focusing on getting Mr. Right, focus on finding Life Plan Right, says author. I got as far as Asparagus. To this day, I know a little about a lot of words beginning with \"A.\" Some favorites: ants, atoms, alchemy. Plus, Aristotle was a childhood crush, because I've always loved philosophy. When I finished reading his one-page encyclopedic write-up, I bought books about him. I'd been saving these dog-eared, underlined Aristotle books, as well as the \"A\" book of Britannica, all to be used in a novel, where I'd been planning to bless my protagonist with the quirky detail of knowing all things \"A.\" I recently rediscovered these Aristotle books when moving apartments. I flipped through and was surprised to discover Aristotle said a lot of the same things about love and happiness as modern psychologists. Only Aristotle obviously said it first, having been born at least 300 years B.C. Plus, Aristotle said it truly wisely. Indeed, much of what Aristotle said hit home big-time -- in particular about a sexy, smart, funny, rich, lying, cheating, don't-get-me-started Prince Harming I'd just broken up with. I could almost hear what Aristotle might say to me if we were to chat over souvlaki. 'Sold your soul to be with him' \"Mea bene, Karen,\" Aristotle would say. \"You know what your problem was with your ex? He was not your soul mate -- but your 'sold' mate -- because you sold your soul to be with him. Sure he was sexy, smart, rich, funny -- but alas, he was a liar and a cheat.\" \"You're an intellectual guy.\" I'd correct the regaled philosopher called the \"Mind of the Academy\" by Plato. \"I'm surprised you believe in something as namby-pamby metaphysical as a soul mate!\" Oprah.com: 10 rules to soul mate love . \"Absolutely!\" My fave Greek philosopher buddy Ari would respond emphatically. \"Actually, I sort of coined the concept of 'soul mate.' If there'd been a little TM trademark thingy back in the 300s B.C., I'd be a very rich man today. I firmly believe caretaking the soul is incredibly important for happiness. I describe a soul mate as a 'soul-nurturing mate.' Someone who nurtures your soul, thereby promoting insight and growth. I pushed folks to find soul mates because, in my opinion, real happiness only comes when you stimulate your core self -- and grow into your highest potential. Basically, the soul is the ultimate G-spot for happiness.\" Of course, I'm paraphrasing for my philosopher buddy. But if Aristotle were here, I know he'd agree with my verbal modernization. Plus, Ari would go on to describe how he views the world as offering three kinds of relationships, only one of which brings true happiness. 3 kinds of relationships . According to ancient philosopher Aristotle, there are three kinds of relationships, only one of which will bring you true happiness. Find out how your relationship measures up! 1. Relationships of pleasure . Partners who are about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. You share soulless, passionate sex and playful banter -- but they're about the body or ego. They never soul-nurture you with insight and growth, so they never bring real-deal happiness. Oprah.com: How to break your bad man habit . 2. Relationships of utility . Partners you spend time with in hopes of garnering status, power, money and beauty like the rich guy with a trophy girl. Again, this is about body or ego and doesn't bring true joy. 3. Relationships of shared virtue . Partners who challenge and inspire you to grow into your highest potential and nurture your soul. A good example is when Jack Nicholson's character in \"As Good As It Gets\" says, \"You make me want to be a better man.\" When you prioritize seeking a partner who supports you becoming your best self -- instead of crushing on \"superficial lures\"(hotness, funniness, smartness, success, etc.) -- you wind up with a soul mate/a Prince Charming/a definite keeper! With this in mind, if you want to be happy in love, you must take time to see past a guy's \"superficial lures\" and look inside his \"superinsidehimself.\" Unfortunately, those fumes of chemistry can often dizzy a gal into making stupid love choices. That's why it's important to remember: Hot, steamy chemistry eventually fades -- and what's always left beneath is a person's true soul. Yes, if you want to be happy, you must seek a good-hearted, ethical soul who brings you great growth -- not simply a hottie who brings great grope Oprah.com: The best things to do for your relationship . Confession time: Another superficially alluring quality I've been suckered in by is humor. I am Silly Putty in a friggin' funny man's hands. I once had a boyfriend who teased me that the secret to getting me into bed was to crack five good jokes in a night. He'd count down his jokes as the night progressed. Unfortunately, funniness is a mere decorative quality -- sometimes developed to avoid talking about real-life issues. Which is why in the past, after a few months of dating a friggin' funny guy, I've witnessed all that fabulous ha-ha-ha laughter often gives way to tears when the guy's true character -- true soul -- shows up as one that avoids honest communication, warm empathy and the desire for growth. Then, when I try to connect soul to soul -- heart to heart -- I am greeted by a gigantic, unmovable whoopee cushion wall. Basically, friggin' funny is only the tiniest tip of a person. Meanwhile, a person's soul is a person's foundation! For the record: Aristotle wasn't against finding someone friggin' funny or friggin' sexy or friggin' rich. He believed these pleasure-bringing qualities were good for stirring up passion, which humans need to be our fullest selves! But Aristotle recognized \"superficial lures\" and material goods were simply what he called \"means to the ends\" of happiness, not \"the final ends,\" which is always to grow into your most esteemed self. As Aristotle said: \"Men imagine the causes of happiness lie in external goods. That is as if they were to ascribe fine and beautiful lyre playing to the quality of the instrument rather than the skill of the player.\" Or as I like to say, \"It's just as easy to complain about a rich man as it is to complain about a poor man.\" Basically, it doesn't matter how rich a guy is if his behavior makes you twitchy and miserable. While on the subject of money, Aristotle was no fan of slackers either. He recognized that being or dating poor brought its share of problems. He even admitted the lack of a certain amount of wealth was as much an obstacle to happiness as deprivation of freedom. He gladly accepted that some wealth was needed to be happy -- just as exciting bodily pleasures were needed. But again, wealth and bodily pleasures were mere means to the ends of happiness -- these ultimate ends being to nourish your soul, so you can reach your most esteemed level of self. A big secret to happiness? Stop focusing on finding a Mr. Right! Start focusing on finding Life Plan Right. When a Mr. Potential Right comes along, you must ask yourself if this guy will lead you to Life Plan Right or Life Plan Wrong. As you get to know the guy, look to see if he: . 1. Offers you exciting growth as well as exciting grope . 2. Has developed good character -- so he'll be a positive influence on your character development. If the guy scores two for two, you're likely in Prince Charming territory. Oprah.com: What you could learn from dating 100 men . Adapted by Karen Salmansohn from her book, \"Prince Harming Syndrome.\" She is a best-selling author known for creating self-help for people who wouldn't be caught dead reading self-help. Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Author says ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's advice for dating still relevant.\n\"Soul is the ultimate G-spot for happiness,\" writer translates .\nSoul mate is someone who nurtures your soul, thereby promoting insight and growth .\nPleasure, utility and shared virtue are 3 types of relationships that bring happiness ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi government said Friday it has arrested members of a cell believed responsible for Wednesday's truck bombings in which more than 100 people were killed. Workers clear the site outside the ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs in Baghdad. Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for Baghdad Operations Command, appeared on Iraqi state television Friday night to announce the arrests, which he said were made within two hours of the bombings in the capital city. Those arrested include people believed to have planned and executed the attacks, Atta said. It was not immediately clear how many people were arrested. Initial investigations show a link between the cell and the ousted Baath regime of Saddam Hussein, Atta said. Authorities are also seeking people thought to have provided cell members with logistical support and identification, he said. Iraq Security Forces recovered a truck Friday with five tons of C-4 explosives in the Abu Ghraib area, on the western outskirts of Baghdad, Atta said Friday night. More than 500 people were wounded Wednesday in the six explosions in Baghdad. In one attack, a truck bomb exploded outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The blast blew through the front of the building, sending some vehicles flying and leaving others in mangled twists of metal in the area, which is just outside the restricted International Zone, also known as the Green Zone. Another truck bomb went off outside the Ministry of Finance building. Authorities said Thursday that 11 high-ranking security officials from the Iraqi army and police were detained for investigation. The Iraqi government in the past has made claims of arrests that did not hold up. In April, it said it had captured Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of al Qaeda in Iraq's umbrella group, the Islamic State of Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq denied it, and the capture was never confirmed by the U.S. military. The explosions made Wednesday the country's deadliest day since the United States pulled its combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns nearly two months ago and left security in the hands of the Iraqis. The U.S. military remains in a training and advisory capacity in those areas and continues to conduct combat operations outside cities and towns. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered increased security measures, including more checkpoints and more stringent vehicle searches across the capital, government officials said on Thursday. The Iraqi government has been trying to restore what it described as normalcy to the streets of the capital in recent weeks. Al-Maliki ordered his government to take down within 40 days the concrete blast walls that line Baghdad's streets and protected neighborhoods at the height of the war. Many Iraqis have criticized the move as premature." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wednesday bombings of Finance, Foreign Affairs ministries killed more than 100 .\nIraqi official says suspects were arrested two hours after attacks .\n11 high-ranking security officials from the Iraqi army and police detained, he says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Mental Floss) -- In his victory speech on Tuesday night, Barack Obama promised his daughters Sasha and Malia that they'd get to bring a new puppy with them to the White House in January. President Bush's dog Barney, left, plays in 2001 with Spot, the offspring of George H.W. Bush's dog Millie. It's a good thing Obama said \"Yes, we can\" to the girls' request to getting a dog; for all of his charm, ability, and oratorical flair, he could never be our nation's chief executive without a White House pet. Counting Obama, the country has had 44 Presidents, and only two of them -- Chester A. Arthur and Franklin Pierce -- left no record of having pets. Like Obama himself, the family pooch will have some big shoes to fill. Previous White House pets have set the bar pretty high. iReport.com: What pet would you want if you lived in the White House? Here are a few of our favorites: Watch Obama on \"mutts like me\" » . 1. Billy: Calvin Coolidge's pygmy hippopotamus . Calvin Coolidge may have been known for his reticence, but he showed little of his trademark reserve when it came to acquiring pets. After taking over the presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding, Coolidge assembled a menagerie that would rival most zoos' collections. He had six dogs, a bobcat, a goose, a donkey, a cat, two lion cubs, an antelope, and a wallaby. The main attraction in his personal zoo, though, was Billy, a pygmy hippopotamus. Watch new baby pygmy hippo » . Billy was born in Liberia, but was captured at a young age. He came into the possession of tire mogul Harvey Firestone, who gave Billy to President Coolidge as a gift, possibly because Firestone didn't want to feed the critter. (Even a pygmy hippo is still quite rotund; Billy was six feet long and weighed upwards of 600 pounds.) Coolidge donated Billy to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Because there were only a handful of pygmy hippos in the U.S. at the time, Billy quickly went to work as a stud, an endeavor at which he found some success. He sired 23 little hippos, and many of the pygmy hippos you see in American zoos today are his offspring. Mental Floss: 7 crafty zoo escapes . 2. The White House gators . Herbert Hoover wanted to put a chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, and ... a gator in the Oval Office? It's true. Hoover owned a slew of dogs, but those weren't his only pets. His second son, Allan Henry Hoover, owned a pair of gators that were occasionally allowed to wander around the White House grounds. Sound crazy? Blame John Quincy Adams for setting the precedent. The sixth president also had a pet gator. His was a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette; it lived in a bathroom in the East Room of the White House. According to some reports, he enjoyed using the gator to scare his guests. 3. Fala: FDR's traveling companion . What do you get the Depression-conquering president who has everything? A lapdog. In 1940 Franklin Roosevelt received a Scottish Terrier puppy named Big Boy as an early Christmas gift from a family friend. FDR immediately realized that Big Boy was no name for a presidential companion and rechristened the pooch Murray the Outlaw of Falahill, after a Scottish ancestor. For the sake of simplicity, though, he called his new pal Fala. After that, Fala became FDR's inseparable companion and traveled everywhere the President went. The dog \"gave\" $1 a day to the war effort, generosity that earned him the rank of honorary private in the Army. Each morning when FDR's breakfast tray came in, it included a bone for Fala. Fala also made a famous appearance in one of his master's speeches. When FDR was decrying personal attacks from his political opponents, he jokingly said that it was okay to mock him, but leave Fala alone. \"You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I had left him behind on the Aleutian Islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him -- at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or 20 million dollars -- his Scotch soul was furious. \"He has not been the same dog since!\" Fala stayed with FDR until the President's death in 1945 and lived in the care of Eleanor Roosevelt until his death in 1952. Mental Floss: 6 utterly loyal dogs . 4. Millie: Literary sensation . When George H.W. Bush took office in 1989, he brought his pet springer spaniel Millie to the White House. The bubbly canine won over the nation's heart so completely that she even collaborated with the First Lady on Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush. Millie brought further joy to the Bush family when she gave birth to a litter of six presidential puppies in 1989. Just as her master helped slip one of his boys into the White House, so did Millie: when George W. Bush moved into the Oval Office, so did his dog, Millie's son Spot Fetcher. 5. Barney, Miss Beazley & India: The current residents . Sadly, Spot Fetcher had to be put down in 2004, but the Bushes aren't pet-deprived now. They have a pair of Scottish Terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley, both of whom have websites and appear in White House-produced web videos. (Your tax dollars adorably at work!) The Bushes also have a black cat named India, who also goes by \"Willie.\" Watch Barney bite a reporter » . The name India rankled some citizens of the country of the same name to the point that many Indians supposedly named their dogs \"Bush.\" The name wasn't meant to be controversial, though; the Bushes merely named their cat after Ruben \"El Indio\" Sierra, who played for the Texas Rangers while George W. owned the team. Spot Fetcher was similarly named after former Rangers middle infielder Scott Fletcher. Other first pets of note: . Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection -- Benjamin Harrison's two opossums. Harrison's son Russell also had a pet goat named Old Whiskers. Pauline -- The last cow to live at the White House. She made milk for President Taft's consumption. Old Ike -- To save cash during World War I, Woodrow Wilson brought in a flock of sheep to take care of the White House's groundskeeping duties. Old Ike, a ram, supposedly chewed tobacco. Laddie Boy -- Warren G. Harding's beloved Airedale who had his own seat at Cabinet meetings and gave a 1921 \"interview\" with The Washington Post in which he talked about Prohibition and shortening the workday for guard dogs. Liberty -- Gerald Ford's golden retriever hung out in the Oval Office and could supposedly read a sign from Ford that she should go be affectionate to guests -- a cute and cuddly way to gracefully end the President's conversations. Socks and Buddy -- President Clinton's faithful cat and the chocolate lab he acquired while in office. Socks didn't like Buddy's youthful friendliness, so the two pets had to be kept separated at all times. The tensions were so bad that the family couldn't keep both pets at the end of Bill's second term, so Socks went to live with Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie. Gamecocks -- Ulysses S. Grant supposedly kept some gamecocks at the White House. Two tiger cubs -- Martin Van Buren received the cats as a gift from the Sultan of Oman. Congress supposedly made him give the gift to a zoo. Satan -- One of Abigail Adams' unfortunately named dogs. She called the other one Juno. Jonathan Edwards -- Theodore Roosevelt received this black bear cub as a gift from supporters in West Virginia who gave the bear the name, he wrote to a friend, \"partly because they thought they detected Calvinistic traits in the bear's character.\" Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, and Father O'Grady -- Teddy Roosevelt's kids also had these tremendously named guinea pigs. Josiah -- Roosevelt also had a pet badger, of course. Bonus trivia: Checkers . Nixon's dog was immortalized in the \"Checkers speech,\" which Nixon gave while facing allegations of illegal campaign contributions. He said the only gift he'd accepted was a cocker spaniel named Checkers for his daughters. Mental Floss: Why was the 'Checkers speech' so important? Checkers, however, was never the White House dog. This scandal bubbled up while Nixon was Eisenhower's running mate in the 1952 election, and Nixon gave the Checkers speech to convince Republicans to keep him on the ticket. Although the speech was a success and Nixon later made it to the White House, Checkers never got to be First Dog; he passed away in 1964. For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Barack Obama promised puppy for girls; past presidential pets have been strange .\nWhat the heck? First lady Abigail Adams had a dog named Satan .\nPresident Harding's dog gave \"interviews\" and had a seat at Cabinet meetings .\nOriginal name of FDR's dog: Big Boy; President Grant had fighting gamecocks ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Christina Aguilar sits in a converted storage room of a Las Vegas medical center, the best hope for underinsured cancer patients to get the treatment they need. Christina Aguilar, 28, is being treated for advanced-stage ovarian cancer in Nevada. Drip by drip, Aguilar, 28, watches as chemo enters her body to fight advanced-stage ovarian cancer. She is here because her insurance company wouldn't pay for her chemotherapy or her surgeries. \"I thought, 'Why am I getting insurance if it's not going to pay for the most important thing?' \" she says, recalling the day she learned her insurance wouldn't cover treatment. Getting chemo in an old storage space isn't the most ideal situation, but it's her only choice. Watch chemo in a closet » . Earlier this year, state budget cuts in Nevada resulted in the slashing of the outpatient cancer center at the University Medical Center's oncology clinic, forcing patients to find treatment on their own. \"We're supposed to be the safety net for patients, and yet obviously the safety net has holes in it,\" says Kathleen Silver, the CEO of University Medical Center. Oncologist Nick Spirtos found a solution. He persuaded his partners to take on the patients pro bono, converted a storage area in his office into a chemotherapy room and got Clark County to pay for the expensive chemo drugs. One treatment can cost upwards of $10,000. He's also sought more primitive ways to cover costs. He holds up a clear plastic box bearing the label \"Cash for Chemotherapy.\" Dollar bills and loose change jingle. There are 380 boxes placed throughout the county. \"It helps,\" says Spirtos, the director of the Women's Cancer Center of Nevada. \"If these boxes pay for one more patient's chemo, that's one lady who in the overall context wouldn't be able to have her treatment.\" With the nation debating health care reform, Spirtos says he does favor universal health care, but not without trepidation. Learn more about America's health care debate » . He says Medicaid reimburses doctors at a fraction of their costs, and he believes other government programs are poorly run. He wrote an open letter to President Obama and Congress earlier this month. \"[I] respectfully suggest that instead of rushing headlong into ill-thought out proposals, you and your staff along with Congress take some time and thoughtfully review the issues facing us and formulate a plan that might actually meet our needs,\" Spirtos said. But on this day, he's focused on his patients. Decked out in a blue doctor's gown, Spirtos makes the rounds to see the women at his clinic. Aguilar's ovaries were recently removed and she is getting her latest chemo regimen. She's reclined in a chair, a red blanket draped over her legs. She opens a laptop and flips through digital pictures of her mother, who died of lymphatic cancer 10 years ago. Aguilar says her cancer was detected almost by accident. She went in for a checkup and a small acorn-sized cyst was discovered. A month later, it was the size of a grapefruit. She broke down in tears just after her ovaries were removed. \"I started crying. I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm not going to be able to have kids,' \" she says. Aguilar was a cashier at Toys R Us, making $8.76 an hour. She had insurance through work, but it wouldn't cover her costs. Her salary made her inelgible for Medicaid. With the slashing of the county hospital's oncology unit, her bills were racking up and she had few options. Luckily, her doctor referred her to Spirtos. Spirtos says cases like hers are becoming all too common, especially in the down economy. He treats 75 to 85 women per month; about 20 percent are in a similar situation as Aguilar. \"If you're recently unemployed, you have no insurance benefits and you don't qualify for any of the public aids,\" he says. \"So amazingly, the people who've been working and supporting the system, the moment they're out of work they don't fit in any of the round holes -- they're square pegs.\" If Aguilar wasn't getting treatment from him, he says, \"Over time, her cancer would progress and she'd pass away.\" The doctor, who is bald, stops at her side. Aguilar rubs the doctor's golden dome. \"The great part about this is Christina's hair is going to grow back and mine won't,\" he says. The two laugh and smile. Outside the room, the doctor says he's doing all he can to make sure the women who come to him have the best treatment possible. \"I get to hug my patients, I get my head rubbed and I get an incredible amount of gratification,\" he says. He pauses. \"Getting a hug from one of these ladies is like my kids running up and saying, 'I love you.'\" He turns and walks down the hall. More patients await his help. CNN's Traci Tamura and Gregg Canes contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Nick Spirtos of Nevada treats cancer patients pro bono after state funds slashed .\nChristina Aguilar, 28, is getting treated for ovarian cancer .\nIf Aguilar went untreated, \"her cancer would progress and she'd pass away\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Fires in southern Greece that have razed dozens of villages and killed at least 44 people may have been deliberately set ahead of next month's national elections, the prime minister suggested Saturday. A fire burns in the Mesohoria area on Evia Island, northeast of Athens. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis declared a nationwide state of emergency Saturday night. He also turned to European Union allies, which have promised help. Emergency crews pulled charred bodies from homes and local media reported death tolls of up to 50 people. Scores are hospitalized with severe burns and respiratory problems, state-run television reported. Although the fires were concentrated in the southern Peloponnese region, heavy smoke billowing Saturday afternoon above Mount Hymettus, southeast of Athens, signaled a new fire. It was burning close to Athens International Airport, forcing officials to close a highway. In a nationally televised address, Karamanlis suggested the blazes might have been set by political extremists, disrupting political campaigning. \"So many fires sparked simultaneously in so many places is no coincidence,\" Karamanlis said, and vowed to punish those responsible. Many firefighters told CNN they are suspicious of the fire's source, given several witness reports that the blazes cropped up simultaneously along a 20-kilometer (12-mile) front of lush greenery in southern Greece. The prime minister described the situation as a \"battle that has to be won,\" and ordered all resources mobilized to fight the fires. He also announced that a fund has been set up for fire victims and their families, and an assessment of the disaster will be made. The most devastated area stretches for 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the western towns of the Zaharo, within the highlands of the western Peloponnese, to the southern tip of the peninsula, Mani. In the past 24 hours, hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, and planes loaded with water have been battling the infernos on a dozen fronts, authorities said. Yet, despite their efforts, officials said the flames had not been tamed. \"Our emergency services are overstretched and it is humanly impossible to battle this force of nature,\" a top fire official told CNN. An EU statement said 30 member countries had offered assistance. France on Saturday was slated to send two planes to help quell the fires, and Norway and Germany pledged to send aircraft as well. A sweltering heat wave in Greece has parched forests and scrubland. With intense winds fanning the flames, authorities call this the country's worst fire season on record. Since June, more than 3,000 fires have razed thousands of hectares of forests and scrubland across the country -- nearly triple last year's total -- according to officials. A mother, her child and at least seven other people died fleeing burning woods in the mountainous villages in western Peloponnese, near the town of Zaharo, according to a fire department official. Farther south, six people -- including two French tourists found by rescue crews in an embrace -- were killed in a forest fire that swept near their hotel in the town of Areopolis, located 190 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Athens. Greece's elections are set for September 16. The ruling party has called for a temporary suspension of political campaigning as a sign of respect to those who died in the flames, and flags on government buildings were flying Saturday at half staff. E-mail to a friend . Journalist Anthee Carassava contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Greek government declares a state of emergency for the entire country .\nNEW: Death toll revised to 44 for fires sweeping southern Greece .\nEuropean Union says 30 member countries have offered help ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Services for Sen. Edward Kennedy will be Saturday morning at a Boston church before his burial in Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, his office announced Wednesday. Sen. Ted Kennedy's funeral is scheduled for Saturday in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Mission Church. President Obama, who called Kennedy an \"extraordinary leader,\" will deliver a eulogy at the funeral, according to several sources. Kennedy died Tuesday night at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after being ill for 15 months with brain cancer. He was 77. Obama, on vacation at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, said Wednesday that Americans knew Kennedy's death was coming for some time, but have been \"awaiting it with no small amount of dread.\" \"The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives,\" Obama said. \"His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education's promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including myself.\" The \"extraordinary good that he did lives on,\" Obama said. Before the funeral, Kennedy's body will lie in repose Thursday afternoon and Friday in the Smith Center at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, said the source, who once worked closely with Kennedy's office. A memorial service will be held Friday evening at the Smith Center, the source said. Learn about Kennedy's funeral arrangements » . The funeral will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston's Mission Hill section. The church is commonly known as the Mission Church. It is a short distance away from the Kennedy library. Watch bloggers talk about Kennedy's life » . The burial will take place at 5 p.m. at Arlington, the senator's office said. Kennedy is eligible for burial at Arlington because of his congressional service and his tenure in the Army from 1951 to 1953. Army officials and members of Kennedy's staff met at the cemetery a few weeks ago to discuss a plan for the burial, an official said. The plan was then given to the family by staff members. The proposed grave site is 95 feet south of the grave of Sen. Robert Kennedy, the official said. Robert Kennedy's grave is, in turn, just steps away from the grave of their brother, President John F. Kennedy. The plot of land is currently covered with grass. At this point, U.S. military ceremonial units have not received orders for participating in a funeral, but military sources said a typical congressional funeral would include military personnel at the internment, a military team to carry the casket, a firing party for a gun salute and a bugler. Any arrangements will depend on the family's wishes. CNN's Barbara Starr, John King and Alec Miran contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President Obama calls Sen. Ted Kennedy an \"extraordinary leader\"\nMassachusetts service Saturday will precede burial in Arlington National Cemetery .\nFuneral will be at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston's Mission Hill section .\nBody will lie in repose Thursday and Friday at JFK presidential library ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- Software giant Microsoft apologized Wednesday for the apparent bad judgment that led to the head of a black model being swapped for that of a white model in an online advertisement. A black man in an online Microsoft ad was replaced with a white man, bottom, on the company's Polish Web site. The ad -- which showed three business people, one Asian, one white and one black -- was altered on Microsoft's Web site for Poland to place the head of a white man on a black man's body. \"We apologized, fixed the error and we are looking into how it happened,\" said Lou Gellos, a Microsoft spokesman. He said that because the company was still reviewing how the swap occurred he could not comment further. On Microsoft's official page on the social network site Twitter, a posting calls the swap \"a marketing mistake\" and offers \"sincere apologies.\" The episode drew widespread criticism on the Internet after Engadget, an influential tech blog, published news of the gaffe Tuesday. The business Web site CNET.com wrote that the change in models may have been made with the \"racially homogeneous\" Polish market in mind. CNET is a CNN.com content partner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Microsoft apologizes for a gaffe in an ad on its Polish Web site .\nAd was altered to replace a black businessman's head with that of a white man .\n\"We are looking into how it happened,\" says a Microsoft spokesman ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China, often criticized for its liberal use of the death penalty, will reduce the number of criminal executions it carries out, a top official said. Chinese police guard a group of prisoners outside a Beijing court on May 25, 2001, before their sentencing. \"As it is impossible for the country to abolish capital punishment under current realities and social security conditions, it is an important effort to strictly control the application of the penalty by judicial organs,\" Zhang Jun, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, said in an interview with Legal Daily, the state-run China Daily reported. \"Judicial departments should use the least number of death sentences as possible, and death penalties should not be given to those having a reason for not being executed,\" Zhang said. Legislation will be enacted to restrict the number of death sentences imposed and the court will tighten restrictions on the use of capital punishment, according to Zhang. The sentence of \"death penalty with reprieve\" will be used more often in courts, Zhang said, which could be commuted to life in prison. The term could later be shortened to 20 years and possibly reduced further for good behavior. China will retain the death sentence, according to Zhang, adding that it should be applied to \"an extremely small number\" of serious offenders. Human rights groups estimate 1,700 to 5,000 people were executed in China last year for crimes such as spying, corruption and drug trafficking. The official number of executions is a state secret. The death penalty remains an iconic form of punishment in China, where executions are used as a public warning. Sentencing is broadcast on national television. Two years ago, however, the Supreme Court was given the authority to review death penalty cases and, last year, 10 percent of death sentences were overturned. Criminals who've expressed remorse or agreed to compensate victims' families have had their sentences reduced. The death penalty will now be reserved for those who commit heinous crimes with \"grave social consequences,\" the government said. It's a step in the right direction, China analysts say. But they criticize the move as being too ambiguous and remain skeptical that it will lead to an actual reduction in executions. \"This is a small incremental step, but a step in the right direction,\" said Victor Gao, a director of the China National Association of International Studies. \"While other countries have abolished the death penalty because they think it is cruel and unusual punishment, China has decided it wants to keep the death penalty.\" Crimes with \"grave social consequences\" is a \"broad, catch-all concept which can be interpreted flexibly,\" Gao said. CNN's Emily Chang contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Government: Execution only for heinous crimes with \"grave social consequences\"\nHuman rights groups estimate 1,700-5,000 people were executed in China last year .\nSupreme Court overturned 10 percent of death sentences last year after review .\n\"This is a small incremental step, but a step in the right direction,\" Victor Gao 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) -- Carrie Prejean's lawyer gave Miss California USA executive director Keith Lewis what he said was a final warning to retract statements made about the former beauty queen or face a defamation lawsuit. The lawyer for former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, says the ousted beauty queen's good name is \"tarnished.\" Prejean, stripped of the Miss California USA title last week, \"suffered severe emotional distress\" and her reputation was harmed by Lewis, Charles LiMandri said in a letter sent Thursday to Lewis' lawyer. LiMandri's letter also accused Lewis, whom he referred to as a \"gay activist,\" of setting Prejean up to be fired because of her statements opposing same-sex marriage. When Prejean, 22, was dethroned, Lewis said it was for \"contract violations,\" including missed public appearances. He told CNN's Larry King last week that it wasn't one thing Prejean did, but \"many, many, many things.\" \"She came to us and said I'm not interested in your input; I'll make my own decision what I'm going to do,\" Lewis said. \"You know, when you have a contract, when you're working for someone, you have a responsibility to follow through on what that requirement is.\" Lewis told King it was clear \"she was not interested in upholding the title or the responsibilities.\" \"Carrie Prejean's good name has been tarnished by your client's false and defamatory accusations,\" the letter from her lawyer to Lewis' said. \"Please view this letter as a last opportunity for Mr. Lewis to retract the defamatory statements made against my client and to seek to restore her good name,\" LiMandri said. \"If he does not comply, I will have no alternative but to recommend that Ms. Prejean proceed to do so through litigation.\" In response to the letter, Lewis issued a statement that said: \"Mr. LiMandri obviously has never watched 'The Apprentice' if he believes that Mr. Trump could be so easily fooled. Facts are facts, and we stand by them.\" LiMandri denied any contract violations, saying it was a \"complete and utter pretext\" for her firing. The list Lewis gave to reporters of Prejean's missed appearances was \"an outright fraud,\" he said. Prejean \"did not refuse reasonable appearance requests\" that could \"be expected to promote and further the intended purposes of Miss California USA,\" he said. The beauty queen expected to be asked to attend \"Rotary conventions and avocado festivals,\" not events Lewis suggested, LiMandri said. \"She did not think it was appropriate for her to accept Mr. Lewis' invitation to attend a gay documentary in Hollywood promoting same-sex marriage,\" he said. \"It was not my client's job, as Miss California, simply to help your client promote his personal or business interests as a Hollywood agent and producer, or gay activist.\" He accused Lewis of trying to make commissions off Prejean's appearances. \"Your client was trying to wrongfully profit off of my client's participation as Miss California, in violation of her contract, by taking 20 percent of any appearance fee she would earn, such as at the Las Vegas jewelers convention she attended at his request,\" LiMandri's letter said. LiMandri cited a statement he said Lewis made during a May 15 conference call that \"clearly shows that your client was trying to 'set-up' our client for termination\" by relaying an offer to appear semi-nude in Playboy. Three people who worked for a public relations agency representing Prejean at the time heard it, he said. \"All three of those people distinctly remember Keith Lewis talking about sending Ms. Prejean an offer to do a Playboy photo shoot 'so when they take her title away, she doesn't sue me,' \" he said. LiMandri said Lewis -- and former co-executive director Shanna Moakler -- were \"bound and determined to get her fired, and they have now finally gotten their way.\" Miss USA pageant owner Donald Trump announced last month that Prejean could keep her title despite a controversy over topless photos, missed appearances and her statements against same-sex marriage. Trump reversed himself last week. \"I told Carrie she needed to get back to work and honor her contract with the Miss California USA organization, and I gave her the opportunity to do so,\" Trump said. \"Unfortunately, it just doesn't look like it is going to happen, and I offered Keith my full support in making this decision.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Pagaent director responds, \"Facts are facts, and we stand by them\"\nAttorney Charles LiMandri pens ultimatum to Miss California USA director's lawyer .\nCarrie Prejean's lawyer says dethronement caused \"severe emotional distress\"\n\"Please view this letter as a last opportunity\" to retract statements, LiMandri writes ." } ]

[ { "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) -- While authorities do not yet know what killed Michael Jackson, the possibility that anesthetics -- particularly the drug Diprivan -- might be involved continues to swell with each new revelation. Propofol induces a coma, not sleep, an anesthesiologist told CNN. On Friday, The Associated Press quoted an unnamed law enforcement source saying investigators found Diprivan in Jackson's Holmby Hills home. A nutritionist, Cherilyn Lee, said earlier in the week that Jackson pleaded for the drug despite being told of its harmful effects. Sources close to Jackson told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta that the singer, who suffered from a sleep disorder, traveled with an anesthesiologist who would \"take him down\" at night and \"bring him back up\" during a world tour in the mid-90s. The California State Attorney General's office has now said it is helping the Los Angeles Police Department in Jackson's death investigation. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is also looking into the role of drugs, two federal law enforcement sources said. The drug Diprivan, known by its generic name Propofol, is administered intravenously in operating rooms as a general anesthetic, the manufacturer AstraZeneca said Friday. \"It is neither indicated nor approved for use as a sleep aid,\" said spokesman Tony Jewell. The drug works as a depressant on one's central nervous system. \"It works on your brain,\" said Dr. Zeev Kain, the chair of the anesthesiology department at the University of California Irvine. \"It basically puts the entire brain to sleep.\" However, once the infusion is stopped, the patient wakes up almost immediately. \"So if you're going to do this, you'd have to have somebody right there giving you the medication and monitoring you continuously,\" Kain said. Dr. Hector Vila, chairman of the Ambulatory Surgery Committee for the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said he administers the drug during office procedures such as urology, dentistry and gynecology. It is also the most common anesthetic for colonoscopies, he said. Both doctors said that while they have heard of the drug being abused by health care professionals, who have ready access to it, they had not heard of it being used as a sleep aid medication. \"Propofol induces coma, it does not induce sleep,\" Kain said. \"I can put you in a coma for as many days as you want. And, in fact, in intensive care units who have patients who are on a ventilator, that's one of the drugs they use.\" Dr. Rakesh Marwah, of the anesthesiology department at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said the drug can lead to cardiac arrest without proper monitoring. \"Propofol slows down the heart rate and slows down the respiratory rate and slows down the vital functions of the body,\" he said. Not enough carbon dioxide exits the body; not enough oxygen enters. And the situation can cause the heart to abruptly stop. \"[It is] as dangerous as it comes,\" Kain said. \"You will die if you will give yourself, or if somebody will give you, Propofol and you're not in the proper medical hands.\" Los Angeles police have interviewed Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray, who apparently tried to revive the singer after he was found unconscious on June 25. They also impounded Murray's car, saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications. Police did not say whether they found anything. Through his lawyers, Murray has released several statements saying that he would not be commenting until the toxicology results into Jackson's death are released. The tests are due back in two to three weeks, the Los Angeles County coroner said Thursday. \"We are treating all unnamed sources as rumors. And, as we have stated before, we will not be responding to rumors or innuendo,\" Murray's lawyer, Matt Alford said Friday. \"We are awaiting the facts to come out and we will respond at that time. \" The anesthesiologist who accompanied Jackson during the HIStory tour in the mid-'90s also refused to comment, although he acknowledged Jackson suffered from a sleep disorder. \"I'm very upset. I'm distraught. Michael was a good person. I can't talk about it right now,\" Dr. Neil Ratner said outside his Woodstock, New York, home Thursday. \"It's really something I don't want to talk about right now. I lost a good friend.\" On Thursday, the California State Attorney General's Office said it will assist Los Angeles police in sifting through information in a state database that monitors controlled medication. The database, known as CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System), contains an estimated 86 million records that list all doctors who prescribe such medication, the amount, the date and the person who receives it. Authorities said the database was used in the investigation after the death of former model and reality TV show star Anna Nicole Smith. A day earlier, federal law enforcement sources said DEA agents would be looking at various doctors involved with Jackson, their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply. A number of people close to Jackson have expressed concern that medication could have contributed to the singer's death at age 50. In 2005, after he was cleared on charges of child molestation, Jackson spent a week at a center run by Dr. Deepak Chopra, a physician who focuses on spirituality and the mind-body connection. During that week, Jackson asked Chopra for a prescription for a narcotic, the doctor said. \"I said, 'What the heck do you want a narcotic prescription for?'\" Chopra said. \"And it suddenly dawned on me that he was probably taking these and that he had probably a number of doctors who were giving him these prescriptions, so I confronted him with that. At first, he denied it. Then, he said he was in a lot of pain.\" Brian Oxman, a former attorney for the Jackson family who was with the family in the hospital emergency room on June 25, also expressed concern about medications the pop star was taking. \"I talked to his family about it, I warned them -- I said that Michael is overmedicating and that I did not want to see this kind of a case develop,\" Oxman told CNN the next day. Earlier this week, the nutritionist Lee, a registered nurse, said Jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and asked her to find him some Diprivan. \"I told him this medication is not safe,\" Lee said. \"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.' \" Lee, however, said she did not know of any doctors who would have given Jackson the drug nor had she seen him use it. CNN's Danielle Dellorto and Elizabeth Landau in Atlanta, Georgia, and Drew Griffin in Los Angeles, California, contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Anesthesiologist: Diprivan \"as dangerous as it comes,\" without proper guidance .\nSources say Jackson traveled with an anesthesiologist during world tour in 1990s .\nDoctor would \"take him down\" at night and \"bring him back up,\" sources say .\nAssociated Press: Unnamed law enforcement source says Diprivan found in house ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Portuguese football coach Jose Mourinho caused outcry this week when he substituted Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari due to his low-energy levels -- which were a result of fasting. Muntari is a practicing Muslim who, like many of the same faith around the world, is currently not eating during the hours of daylight to mark the Ramadan holy period. The midfielder is not the only high-profile player who will be fasting, check out Fanzone's First XI of Islamic stars.." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jose Mourinho substituted Sulley Muntari because he had been low energy .\nThe Ghanaian midfielder is a Muslim and had been fasting during Ramadan .\nFrance international Franck Ribery is another high-profile Muslim ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Tribune Media Services) -- Ahh! Ohh! Spa time at the Hawks Cay Resort in Florida . I'm face down on a massage table looking through glass at fish swimming in the lagoon, as the Polynesian masseuse caresses me with bags of seaweed and creams made from ground pearls and deep-sea water. Polynesian music plays softly. Waves lap the shore. Can it get any better than this? We're at the Thalasso Spa at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort, which I'm told is the largest spa in French Polynesia, the first in the world to use water drawn from deep in the Pacific, which they tell us is extremely pure and rich in minerals. It's just an average mom-and-daughter afternoon together, or once in a lifetime, in this case. My friend, Pam Roza, her daughter, Orlee, my daughter, Mel, and their two friends, Margaret Bylsma and Lane Washburn -- all newly minted high school grads -- have taken an afternoon off from sailing on our chartered catamaran to enjoy a little spa action, followed by a real shower. The two dads have declined our invitation to join us and are snoozing by the pool at the resort. As if the massage isn't enough, we luxuriate in a walk-through pool that pummels our legs with jets of water. There are also treatments with deep-sea water showers, baths with deep-sea water and hydro massages, marine scrubs and mud treatments ... too bad we only have an afternoon! Of course, my mom never took me to a spa -- I don't think she's ever been to one herself -- but I've taken my wilderness-loving daughters to spas from the Caribbean to Colorado, from Arizona to Austria from the time they were young teens, and like others their age, they are perfectly at home getting facials and massages (as long as mom's paying). It turns out they've got plenty of company. According to the International Spa Association, 4 million teens have been to a spa. More than half of the hotel resort spas with memberships in ISA now have teen programs, and new ones that include younger children are opening all the time. An increasing number of resorts have dedicated spaces just for kids and teens -- from Scoops Kid Spas at the 10 Great Wolf Lodges around the country (choose your own sherbet scrub) to the Wild Hare Youth Spa at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort in Texas where you can create your own lip gloss. The teen spa area at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, designed with Pottery Barn PBTeen, offers young spa goers a chance to play video games or watch DVDs while they wait for their special acne facials, sports massages or skincare lessons. The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, meanwhile, advertises treatments suitable for several \"generations\" of your family, while the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort in Costa Rica has a family spa bungalow that a family can use for an entire day, scheduling alternating treatments with dips in the river. \"Teens we see are experienced spa-goers,\" said Pat Liberto, manager at the Cloister Spa at Sea Island, Georgia. \"The younger children who have older spa-goer siblings want to try something too.\" (You'll find junior spa programs in cities (Trump International Hotel in Chicago), at ski resorts (The Sundance Resort in Utah), in Florida (Hawks Cay Island Resort) and Hawaii (Grand Hyatt Kauai), in Williamsburg, Virginia (Kingsmill Resort and Spa), where birthday party spa camps are all the rage and even on Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise ships. And the Four Seasons Bora Bora, which is making a huge effort to attract the family market, is developing an entire teen program to add to their special treatments for honeymooning couples. This pampering won't necessarily break the bank either, since many \"treatments,\" especially for younger kids, are substantially discounted. The spa treatments at Orlando's Nick Hotel start at just $6. Solace Spa at Boyne Mountain Resort in Michigan now hosts Family Nights with mini treatments. Admission is just $5 and includes yoga, steam, sauna and mini-treatments for as little as $10. \"At the age of six, it's not often you get to be a princess for an evening and receive royal treatments,\" said Danielle Donovan, from Petoskey, Michigan, who took her daughter Libby. \"The special mommy/daughter time made Family Spa Night one of a kind!\" \"It's an affordable luxury,\" added Carmen Gillett, an attorney from Sarasota, Florida, who takes her 9-year-old daughter, Rosie, to Longboat Key Club and Resort where kids' treatments might include a junior escape massage (strawberry kiwi body icing?). \"She loves it,\" Gillett says, adding, it's a great way to share an experience and have a good time yourself! While the International Spa Association reports that spa goers are opting for fewer and shorter treatments, youth spa programs continue to flourish -- likely because of the reduced fees. For that reason, said Anne Monnier, who took her daughter Hanna to the spa at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, \"It was well worth the price. It made her feel like royalty. And just having some special mother/daughter time (no husband or son allowed) was special in itself.\" For tweens and teens, spa treatments aren't just about indulgence either; they can have a lasting impact. \"The teen facial made a difference. It also helps teach a young girl about taking care of her skin and about taking pride in her appearance,\" said Laura Patterson, who has been taking her daughter, Sara, to the Homestead's Kid Spa for years. Carmen Gillett jokes she didn't even know what a spa was until she was in college. \"I'm giving her everything I didn't have,\" she laughs. Serenity Shower, anyone? (For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.) Copyright 2009 EILEEN OGINTZ, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to the International Spa Association, 4 million teens have been to a spa .\nThe spa treatments at Orlando's Nick Hotel start at just $6 .\nSolace Spa at Boyne Mountain Resort in Michigan now hosts Family Nights ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Those most responsible for last year's post-election violence in Kenya may now be punished by the International Criminal Court, after Kenya missed a deadline to address the issue. A man runs past a market set on fire in post-election violence in Nakuru, Kenya, in January 2008. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the court, said in a statement Wednesday that his court will now step in to help Kenya address the post-election violence of early 2008. \"Kenya will be a world example on managing violence,\" he said. Kenya's coalition government promised action after more than 1,000 people were killed following a disputed election in December 2007. Hundreds of thousands were displaced amid the bloodshed. One of the chief promises was the formation of a tribunal to try the perpetrators of that violence. Now that Kenya has missed the deadline, Moreno-Ocampo announced a plan to address the issue. In the statement, he said the International Criminal Court would prosecute those most responsible, and other perpetrators would be subject to \"national accountability proceedings as defined by the Kenyan Parliament, such as a Special Tribunal.\" Kenya will also create \"other reforms and mechanisms such as the Justice, Truth and Reconciliation commission to shed light on the full history of past events and to suggest mechanisms to prevent such crimes in the future,\" the ICC statement said. During meetings with Moreno-Ocampo in July, a delegation from Kenya said that prosecuting those responsible for the violence was necessary to prevent similar acts ahead of the 2012 election. CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Violence in early 2008 killed more than 1,000, displaced hundreds of thousands .\nKenya promised to set up tribunal to try the perpetrators, but has missed deadline .\nInternational Criminal Court says it will prosecute those most responsible .\n\"Kenya will be a world example on managing violence,\" top court official says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Nebraska lawmakers, meeting in emergency session this week, are set to change a controversial safe-haven law by sharply limiting the age at which a child can be dropped off with local authorities. Thirty-five children have been dropped off at Nebraska hospitals since the law was enacted. The state Senate voted 41 to 6 Wednesday to scrap the current version of the law -- which has no age limitation -- and instead establish a strict 30-day age limit. State legislators have expressed concern that, if the law is not changed, Nebraska's social services system will be overwhelmed by older children delivered by parents from around the country who find they are unable to provide proper care. The legislature -- which has only one chamber, the Senate -- is expected to approve final passage of the revision this week before Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signs it on Friday. Nebraska's safe haven law was intended to allow parents to hand over an infant anonymously to a hospital without being prosecuted. Of the 35 children who have been dropped off at hospitals since the law went into effect in September, however, not one has been an infant, officials say. All but six have been older than 10, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. \"The abandonment of these children -- and the harm it is causing them -- is an immediate concern,\" said Jen Rae Hein, communications director for the governor. \"Some children have been begging their parents or guardians not to leave,\" said social worker Courtney Anderson. \"They may not really understand why they are being left at the hospital. But they know they are being left, and the parent or guardian might be fleeing.\" On Tuesday, a 15-year-old girl was left at a hospital in Hall County, located in the central part of the state. Last week, a 14-year-old boy and his 17-year-old sister were dropped off at an Omaha hospital; the girl ran away from the hospital. Earlier in the week, a father flew in from Miami, Florida, to leave his teenage son at a hospital, officials said. \"Please don't bring your teenager to Nebraska,\" Heineman told parents in an interview with CNN. \"Think of what you are saying. You are saying you no longer support them. You no longer love them.\" State Sen. Tom White said lawmakers have been caught off guard by the number of teenagers dropped off under the law. \"What you've seen is an extraordinary cry for help from people all across the country,\" he said. \"Nebraska can't afford to take care of all of them. Nebraska would like to be able to, but they know that we can't so we are going to have to change the law.\" Five of the 35 abandoned children were brought to Nebraska from out of state. Parents have traveled to Nebraska from Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Florida and Georgia. \"We didn't think [the law] would be used to the extent it [has been],\" state Sen. Brad Ashford said. \"We didn't anticipate children coming from other states.\" Tysheema Brown drove from Georgia to leave her teenage son at an Omaha hospital. \"Do not judge me as a parent. I love my son and my son knows that,\" Brown said. \"There is just no help. There hasn't been any help.\" Safe-haven laws allow distraught parents who fear their children are in imminent danger to drop them off at hospitals without being charged with abandonment. Nebraska was the last state in the country to pass such a law. But every other state included an age limit. There are 6,600 children in state custody in Nebraska, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The per capita rate is one of the highest in the country, said Todd Landry, director of the Division of Children and Family Services for the Department of Health and Human Services, . \"I think this has spurred some really healthy conversations about how do parents get the help that they need when they are struggling with some of these parenting issues,\" he said. \"And the message that we have been trying to get out is, 'Don't wait until it's a crisis. Reach out to your family and friends.' \" CNN's Ed Lavandera contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "State legislature meeting to set maximum age for drop-off, rule out older kids .\nSocial worker: \"Children have been begging their parents or guardians not to leave\"\nMom: \"Do not judge me as a parent. I love my son\"\nGovernor: \"Please don't bring your teenager to Nebraska\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Honduras' de facto president said Thursday that he is willing to resign and let ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya back into the country, as long as Zelaya gives up his quest for leadership. Ousted Honduras leader Jose Manuel Zelaya may be allowed to return to his country under certain conditions. The new proposal calls for the person next in line, as required by the constitution, to succeed de facto President Roberto Micheletti. Under terms of the proposal, Zelaya could return as a private citizen, but not be allowed to resume his post. Presidential elections held after both resigned would be monitored by international observers such as the Organization of American States and the European Union, according to the proposal. Zelaya did not immediately issue a response to the offer. Until now, Micheletti has made clear that Zelaya would be arrested if he returned. The offer comes two months after Zelaya was seized by the military in his pajamas and forced to leave the country. Micheletti has insisted that Zelaya was not overthrown and was replaced through constitutional means. The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya's plan to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution and allowed longer term limits. The country's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal. The Organization of American States sent a delegation to Honduras on Tuesday to promote the so-called San Jose Accord, which seeks an end to the political turmoil and the return of Zelaya to office. Micheletti's government declined to sign the agreement. On Thursday, the United States said it was considering cutting off all aid to Honduras. Washington froze its assistance to Honduras after Zelaya was removed from office and stopped issuing visas in the Central American country earlier this week. Further steps could choke off as much $200 million in additional aid dispensed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, funded by the U.S. government. The United Nations and the European Union also have said that they do not recognize Micheletti's provisional government." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Honduras interim leader agrees to step down if former president will not seek post .\nJose Manuel Zelaya was removed from office in June, sought to change constitution .\nU.S. considers cutting off aid to Central American country ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The lawyer for the woman who faces 40 lashes for wearing clothes that Sudan deemed indecent called the law \"degrading.\" Lubna al-Hussein was told she had trousers considered too tight and a blouse too transparent. \"They ought to stop it,\" Nabil Adib said on Thursday. \"It is quite unnecessary and degrading. It is harassment.\" Lubna Al Hussein -- who writes for a newspaper and, until recently, worked for the media department of the U.N. mission in Sudan -- was arrested, along with 18 other women on July 3. At the time of her arrest, she said, she was wearing pants, a blouse and a hijab or headscarf. Police accused Hussein of wearing trousers that were too tight and a blouse that was too sheer, she said. Watch more about the case » . A hearing on the case has been scheduled for Tuesday. Adib, the lawyer, seemed confident that the court would drop the case. The indecent clothing charge has only one punishment under Sudanese law -- 40 lashes in public, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. \"These things have their ups and downs,\" Adib said. \"These laws have generally relaxed as a matter of policy. But they are still sometimes enforced.\" The Arabic Network humans rights organization said the threat of flogging was retaliation for Hussein writing critically about the Sudanese regime. However, Adib does not think his client was targeted. \"There are round-ups that they do and it is indiscriminate,\" he said. \"I don't think she was targeted specifically. They attack public and private parties and groups. They are called 'morality police' and she was just a victim of a round-up.\" U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called flogging \"against the international human rights standards.\" He said he would take every effort to protect his staff member. However, Hussein resigned from her position with the United Nations to avoid the immunity she would have received, Adib said. Hussein said she will stand firm that she did nothing wrong. CNN's Umaro Djau, Talia Kayali and Tracy Doueiry contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lubna Al-Hussein, 18 others recently arrested for wearing indecent clothes .\nAl-Hussein was told her pants were too tight, her blouse too sheer .\nAl-Hussein faces 40 lashes in public ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- On the surface, the similarities are striking; they were both princesses born in the 1940s in a foreign land. Young and beautiful, the long-haired brunettes soon fell in love and followed their men to the United States where they built a reputation for steely determination and strength. Diane von Furstenberg's comic book image appears in the window at the London launch of her Wonder Woman collection. Thirty years later, in the 1970s, one was rewarded with her own fashion empire, the other, her own TV show. The only thing really separating them was the magic lasso. Oh, and the invisible plane, and maybe the bracelets that deflect bullets... Belgian-born New York designer Diane von Furstenberg has used Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, as inspiration for her latest collection, a brightly-colored clothing range that proves dressing like a cartoon character needn't involve teaming knee-high boots with hot pants. The influence of the American stars and stripes are evident in the collection, but in the star piece, a full-length dress, they blend together in muted tones, hinting only at their origin rather than screaming out superhero. The collection was launched in London last night, a day after Barack Obama stormed home as the next President of the United States. Diane von Furstenberg watched the election results from a London hotel room, having lodged an absentee vote from Asia. \"I think it's amazing -- I think we need him desperately,\" she said. In what could only be a gift from the marketing gods, images of the President-elect dressed as Superman started appearing on street corners in the U.S. in the lead-up to the election. Obama has insisted he's no superman, but do the images demonstrate that America is hoping and searching for a superhero? If not Superman, maybe Wonder Woman? \"It's not about a superhero,\" says Diane von Furstenberg. It's just because he's bright and he's willing to do the work. And he's young and he has energy, and that's it.\" Of all of America's superheroes -- and there are many -- Wonder Woman is seen as one of the most patriotic. She literally wears the stars and stripes. See images of Wonder Woman through the ages and the DVF collection » . She was created in 1941 during World War II by William Moulton Marston as a female alternative to the plethora of male action heroes who were saving the world in comic books of the day. He also invented the lie detector, the early version of Wonder Woman's \"Lasso of Truth.\" As the story goes, Wonder Woman was an Amazonian princess who left her home on Paradise Island to fight the \"Axis powers\" in the world of man. By day, she was Diana Prince who, with a quick spin, transformed into Wonder Woman, ready to destroy Nazi enemies, foil Japanese plots and expose international spy rings. In the early 1970s, she became a cover girl for feminism, appearing on the cover of the inaugural \"Ms.\" magazine. Fame followed on television when she was immortalized by actress Lynda Carter. After years of lying low, she starred in a popular exhibition \"Superheroes: Fantasy and Fashion\" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York earlier this year. Curator Andrew Bolton says, \"When designers look to Wonder Woman there are two things they seem to refer to -- her role as Amazon woman, this strong powerful Amazonian figure -- and her as a symbol of America, a symbol of democracy.\" In 2001, John Galliano for Christian Dior used Wonder Woman as inspiration for a rather risque ensemble which included a red and white striped jacket, starry gold bustier and tiny knickers. Bolton says the 9/11 attacks in 2001 sparked a resurgence in American patriotism that's been strengthened this week with the election of a man with a mandate for change. \"I think that the idea of patriotism has become much more potent, certainly in light of recent events,\" Bolton says. \"It's a celebration of a new regime, a new democratic regime.\" It's perfect timing perhaps for the launch of a fashion range that celebrates an all-American, albeit originally Amazonian, hero. For Diane, the Wonder Woman collection is more about empowering women than tapping into the zeitgeist: \"The message is that there's a wonder woman inside every one of us,\" she says. She's penned a limited edition comic book to go with the collection, \"The Adventures of Diva, Viva and Fifa,\" which is emblazoned with the message \"Be the Wonder Woman you can be.\" All proceeds from the sale of the comic books, and a portion of the sales of the collection, go to Vital Voices, a non-governmental organization that aspires to empower women in developing countries, to address human trafficking and to train future leaders. \"What Diane von Furstenberg has done for us, by the Wonder Woman book, by supporting us in the way she has done has raised the profile of Vital Voices,\" says Baroness Mary Goudie, one of the group's directors. \"And by her example, she's empowering young women and other women around the world.\" A bit like Wonder Woman, really." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wonder Woman inspired Diane von Furstenberg's latest fashion collection .\nThe 1940s comic book character is considered one of America's most patriotic .\nDiane Von Furstenberg: \"There's a Wonder Woman inside every one of us\"\nProceeds will go to Vital Voices, a group that empowers women worldwide ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage has pretty much got this acting thing down. After all, he started acting at the age of 15 and, well, he's got that Oscar. Nicolas Cage says that Academy Awards are \"not as important as children and making them happy.\" So he doesn't really need to deliver another gut-wrenching performance to demonstrate his chops. In fact, he can deviate from a traditional film and venture into animated territory. He's voiced animated characters in the past, but in Disney's new 3-D tale \"G-Force,\" Cage lends his voice to a mole. Speckles the star-nosed mole comes to life thanks to the film's impressive digital animation and Cage's voice. At first it's unclear that Cage is the voice behind Speckles, because he changes his sound for the critter, er, character. CNN talked to Cage about playing a mole, animated films and his taking walks in the forest. The following is an edited version of that interview: . CNN: What do you play in this film? Nicolas Cage: I'm playing Speckles, the mole, and he's an outsider. He's an iconoclast -- he doesn't fit in. He doesn't get into the fray with the \"G-Force,\" the other guinea pigs. But his IQ is off the charts, and he's a technological wizard. CNN: So, you're an Academy Award-winning actor, and you decided to play (this role). How did this come about? Cage: To me, nothing's more sacred than the magical world of children, and with everything that's going on in the world, it gets increasingly more challenging to keep our kids smiling -- people are losing their jobs, families are tense. So anything I can do to give families something to look forward to and to put a smile back on children's faces -- I'm gonna do. Disney has a great tradition of enchanting children and giving them something to behold. I mean, you mention Academy Awards -- I mean, that's not as important as children and making them happy. CNN: Tell me about your voice: Why did you decide to really change it when you read the script? Cage: Mel Blanc is a hero because of what he could do with his voice for all the Looney Tunes, the Warner Brothers cartoons, to be the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig. To me, he's a great actor. I mean, one of the great character actors, and I knew that if I was gonna be in this movie, I'd want to do something like that and transform my voice. CNN: So you're clearly comfortable playing a mole? Cage: I'm comfortable with the mole, yeah. I mean, yeah, he's different, he's got issues, you know? I don't want a perfect character, I want a character who has, as strange as it sounds, some humanity, some flaws, some needs. But to be fair, I'm not in a lot of this movie. This is Darwin's movie, um Sam Rockwell and Penelope Cruz's movie -- they're the stars. I'm only in it at the beginning and the end. CNN : You seem to be a big fan of animated films. Cage: I do enjoy animated movies. I really love anime and movies like \"Spirited Away\" and \"Howl's Moving Castle.\" I like movies where you feel like you're going into another world, and no matter how many times you watch it, you're gonna see something new in that world. That level of detail really inspires me. CNN: Is there less pressure doing an animated film and lending your voice to a character as opposed to a traditional film? Cage: Well, you don't have the pressure of the camera. And that's -- that's very liberating. And you don't have the pressure of other actors trying to remember their dialogue or not being in rhythm with you. The challenge though is, these movies take years to make, and I may not be in the same state of mind I was in a year ago or two years ago, and then they tend to pull you out of wherever you are and put you back in a box, and then try to get the voice out of you again, so that's the rub. CNN: Have you gotten pretty good at honing your skills when it comes to choosing roles, or is it always a risk? Cage: I mean it is always a gamble. You never know what's gonna happen with a movie. But I think it's more of a matter of, am I doing something that I believe in on any level? Like, am I going to entertain children, or am I going to make a movie that I can stand by because it means well on some level? That's becoming more and more a part of the criteria. CNN: How do you think you've changed as an actor throughout your career? Cage: I think I've become more relaxed. I don't feel the need to jump up and down and make a big noise to get people to pay attention to me. I don't need to um, you know, do punk rock gestures or eat a cockroach or do something weird to say I exist. I feel like I'm hearing a different kind of sound now. It's a much more subtle sound, but it's still a truthful sound, that I can express myself in, in roles that are much more relaxed and seasoned as opposed to boisterous and rock and roll. CNN: What's inspiring to you, in every day. Cage: Well, I find children inspiring. The way they look at the world. The magical world they live in, to me, is inspiring. I like -- I mean, I'm afraid I'm gonna answer your questions and sound like a complete nature addict here, but uh, I like nature, I enjoy going for walks, I like the ocean, I like the forest. CNN: Is that what you do when you're not working, that's important to you in your life? Cage: Yes. Yes, I like to go for walks in the forest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nicolas Cage voices character of Speckles the mole in \"G-Force\"\nDisney's \"G-Force\" opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, July 24 .\n\"I like movies where you feel like you're going into another world,\" Cage says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Australian cruiser met the disguised German vessel in the waters off western Australia two years after the two became enemies in World War II. The gun turret of the Sydney II was discovered with the rest of the vessel in March 2008. The Australian ship approached, trying to determine whether the vessel was friendly. It wasn't. What resulted was Australia's worst naval disaster: the sinking of the Australian ship and the loss of its entire crew of 645. The wreckage wasn't found until last year, leading to decades of conspiracy theories about what actually happened. On Wednesday a long-awaited report on the sinking of the Sydney II ended the mystery that began when it met its fate, November 19, 1941. Made to look like a cargo ship, the German vessel was in fact a military raider that fired on the Australians when they got close. The Sydney fired back and, in the end, both ships went down. More than 300 of the sailors on board the German vessel, the Kormoran, survived. But because they were the only witnesses to the disaster, some doubted their accounts, leading to various theories about the real fate of the Sydney. After the wrecks of both ships were located in March 2008, an Australian commission began an inquiry to formally close the book on the loss of the Sydney. The results confirm the accounts provided by the German sailors. They said the Sydney closed in on the Kormoran until it was parallel with the German ship, little more than 1,000 yards away. \"Sydney obviously thought the ship was friendly and was taken by surprise when, after she asked what she believed to be (a friendly ship) to give her secret call sign, the response was a number of salvos that destroyed Sydney's bridge and amidships superstructure and a torpedo strike that crippled the ship and her forward guns,\" the report said. The Sydney had given up its tactical advantage of speed and armaments by getting so close to an unknown vessel, the report said. While that may have been an error of judgment by the Australian captain, Joseph Burnett, the report accepted that other factors -- which may never be known -- influenced his decision. \"It can never be known what matters were, in fact, operating in Capt. Burnett's mind when he decided to take the Sydney to the position described. Nor can it be known what advice, if any, he sought from or was given by other officers on the bridge,\" the report says. \"What is known, however, is that, in trying to identify the sighted ship, Capt. Burnett was performing his duty as a commanding officer.\" The German ship inflicted \"enormous damage\" on the Sydney during a battle that is believed to have lasted about 35 minutes and left 70 percent of the Sydney's crew dead or incapacitated, said Cmdr. Jack Rush, the lawyer who presented the evidence gathered by investigators to a commission of inquiry led by a retired judge. It is likely that Burnett, the navigator, and all of the Sydney's senior officers were taken out on the first salvo, Rush said. A torpedo tore into the Sydney's bow, flooding the forward end of the ship, while the Kormoran fired an estimated 87 rounds from its 15-cm (5.9-inch) guns into the Australian cruiser. The Sydney limped away and sank sometime between 2 hours to 4 1/2 hours later, Rush said. During the battle, however, the Kormoran itself was hit by an Australian shell that damaged its engines and set the vessel ablaze. With hundreds of mines aboard, its captain ordered the crew to abandon ship, fearing the fire would set those off. Charges were set and the ship was scuttled. About 80 of the Kormoran's crew of nearly 400 were lost. A search began only five days after the battle, when the Sydney failed to return to port in Fremantle. And an 11-day delay by Australia's government in announcing the ship's loss fueled what a 1999 parliamentary report called \"a proliferation of theories\" about the fate of the crew -- that the ship was actually sunk by a Japanese submarine, that survivors were machine-gunned in the water or that the government hid bodies after they washed up on the beach. The commission thoroughly investigated all the theories and speculations surrounding the disaster and found no substance in any of them, said Terence Cole, president of the commission. Researchers found the Sydney's wreckage in the Indian Ocean, about 207 km (128 miles) off Australia's west coast. The commission was appointed in May 2008 and began its inquiry in January. \"For a long time our nation has struggled to understand how our greatest maritime disaster occurred. The unanswered questions have haunted the families of those brave sailors and airman that never came home,\" Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the chief of the Australian Defence Force, said in a written statement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finding: Sydney's captain, senior officers likely to have died in first salvo .\nSinking of Sydney II and loss of crew of 645 was Australia's worst naval disaster .\nGerman vessel, the Kormoran, was made to look like a cargo ship .\nBoth ships went down; more than 300 on Kormoran survived; wrecks found last year ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Explosions tore through two luxury hotels Friday morning in south Jakarta, Indonesia, killing at least eight people, a presidential spokesman said. Counter-terrorist police commandos secure the damaged Ritz-Carlton hotel in Jakarta on Friday after the blasts. The number of injured was in the 40s, said Dino Patti Djalal, spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. They were taken to area hospitals. Hours later, local television reported a car bombing in north Jakarta, but that report was immediately contradicted by various other media sources. Police sealed off the area around both hotel blasts, one in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the other at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, about 50 meters away. Djalal said the attacks were coordinated. Forensics experts are collecting evidence at the \"disturbing scene,\" Djalal said. He said he had few details about the blasts, which occurred about 7:45 a.m. (8:45 p.m. Thursday ET) on Friday, Islam's holy day. \"What I can say is one of the most damaged areas that we looked at, where the bodies were, was a lounge area in the Marriott near the lobby,\" he said. \"That seems to be the epicenter of the bomb.\" \"This is a blow to us, but I don't have any doubts that we will be able to uncover and find out the perpetrators,\" Djalal said. Police said the bomb at the Marriott likely came from the basement beneath the coffee shop on the ground floor, which would have been busy at breakfast time. In a Twitter post four hours after the blast, Marriott said: \"Police responded immediately, sealed off the area. Guests @ both hotels have been evacuated & have been moved to a secure location.\" At the Ritz, windows were blown out on the second floor, as though the blast occurred from inside a hotel restaurant that would also have been crowded with a breakfast crowd, said witness Greg Woolstencroft. Another witness counted four foreigners among the wounded, according to state-run Antara New Agency. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel was to have accommodated soccer players from Britain's Manchester United, who were expected to arrive in Jakarta on Sunday. Watch a report on suspects behind the blasts » . U.S. Embassy Press Attache Paul Belmont told CNN no U.S. casualties have been confirmed and that the embassy was monitoring the situation closely. The death toll may be higher than reported, said CNN contributor Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director of international operations. He said two U.S. businessmen were treated for minor injuries. \"There was a boom and the building shook, and then subsequently two more,\" said hotel guest Don Hammer, who was leaving his room in the Marriott when the blast occurred. \"The shocking part was entering the lobby, where the glass at the front of the hotel was all blown out and blood was spattered across the floor, but most people were leaving calmly.\" Woolstencroft had just walked past the hotels and had gone to his nearby apartment when he heard an explosion. \"I looked out my window and I saw a huge cloud of brownish smoke go up,\" he told CNN in a telephone interview. \"I grabbed my iPhone to go downstairs ... and then the second bomb went off at the Ritz-Carlton, so I then ran around to the Ritz-Carlton and I was able to find that there had been a massive bomb that went off in this ... restaurant area and the explosion had blown out both sides of the hotel. \"I found inside the body of what appears to be a suicide bomber, it looked like someone who had been a suicide bomber or someone who had been very, very close to the explosion. Watch an eyewitness report of the blasts » . \"I also noticed that there were a number of injured people being taken off to hospital, but I only noticed one dead person at this point and time, that's all I saw. There has been extensive damage to both buildings, and at this point and time of course all the authorities are blocking up all the area and starting an investigation.\" He added, \"It's obviously targeted establishments where there are Westerners and expats ... I can only assume it's something to try and send a message.\" The television executive said he had lived at the Ritz for a year before moving to his nearby apartment and had been impressed by the facility's security. \"I just don't know how someone could get in there with a bomb, given the level of security and screening that people have to go through,\" he said, citing armed guards at checkpoints and thorough searches of people, bags and vehicles. The Marriott was the site of a terrorist attack in August 2003 that killed 12 people. In that attack, an explosives-laden vehicle pulled into the motor lobby of the Marriott and exploded at the height of the lunch hour. Friday's attack \"was not nearly as bad,\" said John Aglionby, a reporter for the Financial Times who was at the site of both blasts. Former CNN producer John Towriss, who has spent many years in Jakarta, said the Marriott and Ritz often share employees and an underground passageway connects the two buildings that sit across the road from each other. Towriss said the Marriott has beefed up security since the 2003 attacks, making it impossible for people to drive up to the hotel in cars. Both hotels set up metal detectors and thick concrete barriers to prevent car bombers. \"I always thought I was safer at the Marriott because I thought it had already been bombed once,\" Towriss said. \"I thought that another hotel would be targeted.\" CNN's Andy Saputra in Jakarta and Miranda Leitsinger in Hong Kong. contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Death toll rises to eight, a presidential spokesman says .\nExplosions hit Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in Jakarta .\nAt the Ritz, second floor windows blown out, as though blast occurred from within .\nThe Marriott was the site of a terrorist attack in August 2003 that killed 12 people ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NASSAU, Bahamas (CNN) -- John Travolta testified Wednesday that would-be extortionists threatened to go the media with stories implying \"the death of my son was intentional and I was culpable somehow.\" John Travolta's son died of a seizure in January at the age of 16. Travolta testified for the second time in a case against paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater. The defendants are on trial, accused of plotting to extort $25 million from Travolta after 16-year-old Jett Travolta died from a seizure in the Bahamas in January. Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, entered the downtown Nassau courthouse Wednesday morning surrounded by security personnel. The actor took the stand appearing nervous, and he took a long, deep breath before beginning his testimony. Travolta told the court a longtime employee of his became upset after learning someone was demanding money of the actor in the wake of his son's death. The employee learned through the family attorney, Travolta said, that it was \"in regards to a paper I signed in the Bahamas.\" In earlier testimony, one of Travolta's lawyers, Allyson Maynard-Gibson, said Bridgewater approached her in the days after the January 2 death of Jett, saying she had a legal client who had a document Travolta might want. Bridgewater gave her copies of the papers, which included ambulance dispatch reports and a paper signed by Travolta releasing the ambulance company from legal liability, Maynard-Gibson testified. Watch In Session's Ashleigh Banfield discuss case » . The paramedic expected Travolta would pay millions to prevent publication of the documents because \"he would not want his name tarnished in media,\" Maynard-Gibson said. Bridgewater told Travolta's lawyer that her client believed the documents could suggest that Travolta was negligent by wanting to take his unresponsive son to his private jet for a flight to a Florida hospital, instead of going directly to a local hospital, she said. In testimony last week, Travolta said a nanny found Jett unresponsive at the home on the island of Grand Bahamas, where the family was spending their New Year's holiday. Travolta said he initially told the ambulance driver to rush them to an airport where his private jet was parked. Travolta, who is a pilot, said he wanted to fly his son to a West Palm Beach, Florida, hospital instead of driving him to one in Freeport. The paramedic, however, asked Travolta to sign a statement releasing the ambulance company from liability. \"I received a liability of release document. I signed it. I did not read it. Time was of the essence,\" Travolta testified last week. Travolta said that while he and his wife were riding in the ambulance with their son, they decided to divert to the hospital. At the hospital, Travolta was told his son \"wasn't alive,\" he said. On Wednesday, Travolta testified that he learned of a demand for $25 million or \"stories connected to that document would be sold to the press.\" \"The stories would imply the death of my son was intentional and I was culpable somehow,\" Travolta said. An attorney representing Bridgewater and Lightbourne asked Travolta if the defendants ever contacted or threatened him directly. Travolta said they did not, that he heard specifics about the situation through his attorneys. Travolta's testimony lasted only a short time. He was excused and is not expected to return to the witness stand. One of the actor's attorneys, Michael McDermott, took the witness stand Wednesday afternoon and began testimony about a videotaped meeting between him and one of the defendants. The video is expected to be played Thursday for the jury." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Travolta in court: Defendants used papers to imply negligence in extortion attempt .\nTravolta: I signed waiver while considering alternative to area hospital for son .\nDefendants thought consideration of alternative would imply negligence, lawyer says .\nTravolta says two attempted extortion after his son, Jett, died ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(People.com) -- While she does not know who donated the kidney that potentially saved her life, Natalie Cole is on the mend and \"really doing well,\" the Grammy-winning singer said at Thursday's Harold Pump Foundation Gala in Beverly Hills to honor Earvin \"Magic\" Johnson and Bill Russell. Natalie Cole had a kidney transplant in May. \"I'm just really, really thankful,\" she says. \"It's remarkable what a new kidney does to your life. I have no complaints. ... I'm pretty amazed. I have been working on my stamina.\" Cole, whose transplant surgery took place in May, says, \"I just went to the doctor today. He is thrilled. I'm just really, really thankful. I'm thankful to the doctors, I'm thankful to the family that donated the kidney.\" In terms of the support she received, the Los Angeles, California-based Cole, 59, says, \"My sisters who live in Florida, they came out, my son, oodles of friends. I got sick in New York, I wasn't at home. I didn't know how many good friends I had until this happened. It was beautiful. I had people come and see me every day in the hospital for 10 days.\" Having already announced a Hollywood Bowl comeback performance set for September 9, Cole says, \"I only wish for anyone to have to go through this, that they have a circle of friends like I did. I was very blessed.\" When it came to the medical procedure, she says, \"It is hard to find a match. A lot of people want to donate a kidney, but they're not in a position to because they have health issues of their own, and a lot of people need them. That's why the list is long and it takes a long time. \"My friend was on dialysis for six years before he got a new kidney. I was on dialysis for eight months. I'm almost not even the typical person who has kidney failure.\" Thankful as she is for the gift, Cole is prevented from knowing who donated the organ. \"I don't know who they are. I have not met them, it's all anonymous,\" Cole says. One thing she did know, however: the family specifically requested that the organ go to Cole. \"That's what was so awesome, their family basically requested that the kidney go to me,\" she says. \"We are not sure how they knew.\" Would she like to meet the donor? \"Absolutely, are you kidding? I would probably kiss them all over the place.\" Try 4 FREE PREVIEW Issues of PEOPLE, CLICK HERE NOW . Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole said she's doing well after kidney transplant .\nCole has a comeback performance scheduled for September 9 .\nShe doesn't know who donated the kidney, but knows the family requested she get it .\nCole would \"absolutely\" like to meet her donor ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In a race to beat the flu season, medical institutes across the United States will begin human trials for a new H1N1 flu vaccine starting in early August, the National Institutes of Health announced Wednesday. Concern about the H1N1 virus grew after it spread quickly around the globe earlier this year. In the hope of getting the vaccine to those who will need it most by October, the clinical trials will enroll as many as 1,000 adults and children at 10 centers nationwide, said officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the NIH, which will lead the effort. The trials will measure the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. The research is a first step toward U.S. health officials' goal of developing a safe and effective vaccine against H1N1, also known as swine flu, which has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization . The time frame for developing a vaccine is a tight one. \"It's going to be close,\" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. \"I believe it can be [ready by October] if things run smoothly. We hope they will, but you never can tell when you're dealing with biological phenomena like making vaccines and administering them.\" The announcement of the U.S. trials followed the announcement earlier this week, by an Australian company, CSL Ltd., of the first human trials of a swine flu vaccine. Concern about the H1N1 virus grew after it spread quickly around the globe earlier this year. \"This virus has the potential to cause significant illness with hospitalizations and deaths during the U.S. flu season this fall and winter,\" said Dr. Karen Kotloff, professor of pediatrics and lead investigator and researcher at Maryland's Center for Vaccine Development. \"Vaccines have always been a vital tool for controlling influenza. The results of these studies will help to guide the optimal use of the H1N1 vaccines in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.\" After careful screening, volunteers will be inoculated and then asked to keep a diary on how they feel. After eight days their blood will be checked and after 21 days they will receive another dose, followed again by diary logs and blood tests. Patients will be monitored two months for safety issues, followed by a four-month and six-month checkup. \"The purpose of these trials is always to make sure they are safe,\" Kotloff said. \"But even after six weeks, if things look good, we're pretty sure the vaccine will work.\" She noted the response to the vaccine may vary in different age groups. \"This is because young people have not seen a flu virus like this one before,\" she noted. \"Older adults might have some immunity to the new H1N1 virus as a result of being exposed to similar flu viruses in the past. As a result, older adults might need fewer doses or a lower strength of the vaccine than younger individuals.\" The vaccine at this point has been tested only in animals, where it has shown to be effective. Further trials will examine questions such as how the vaccine works in combination with the seasonal flu vaccine and whether including an adjutant, a substance that boosts the immune response to vaccines, can make it work better at lower doses. Other trial sites along with the University of Maryland Medical Center are Baylor College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Emory University, Saint Louis University, Seattle Group Health Cooperative, the University of Iowa, and Vanderbilt University. They will be joined by Children's Mercy Hospital and Duke University Medical Center. CNN's Valerie Willingham and Matt Cherry contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Human trials for H1N1 flu vaccine start August, says University of Maryland .\nConcern about H1N1 grew after it spread around the globe earlier this year .\nPatients will be monitored two months for safety issues, followed by checkups .\nVaccine so far tested only in animals, where it has shown to be effective ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Reigning hot dog-guzzling champ Joey Chestnut and nemesis Takeru Kobayashi of Japan attempted to psych each other out Thursday at the weigh-in for the 94th annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. Competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi take part in an official \"staredown.\" Chestnut and Kobayashi glared long and menacingly into each other's eyes in an official \"staredown.\" At last year's contest, 25-year-old Chestnut, a civil engineering student at San Jose State University, eked out a win over Kobayashi, 31, in a tiebreaker after both initially consumed 59 dogs apiece. It was Chestnut's second slim victory over Kobayashi in as many years. Kobayashi vowed he will avenge those two defeats on Saturday. He also said he no longer suffers from the \"jawthritis\" that some cited as the culprit for his 2007 defeat, which snapped his six-year winning streak at Coney Island. Chestnut, for his part, said he had no intention of ceding the coveted mustard yellow belt -- competitive eating's answer to golf's green jacket. He is setting his sights this year on 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Saturday's competition will be partially about redemption for Chestnut, too. In May, he suffered a stinging defeat to Kobayashi in a loss he said \"really set a fire underneath me\" and \"made me hungry for this contest.\" Chestnut revealed the extreme dietary regimen he is following in the days leading up to the contest. He said he is sticking to water to make sure he is \"empty\" when the mountain of hot dogs is placed in front of him. In addition to Chestnut, Kobayashi admitted to keeping a watchful eye on 32-year-old Tim \"Eater X\" Janus, whose signature painted face was described by Major League Eating impresario Richard Shea as an attempt to mask his \"inner torment.\" In a recent trial round, Janus downed a personal-best 55 hot dogs -- a weiner's throw from the 59 that Chestnut and Kobayashi wolfed down last year. As a lead-in to the main event, Major League Eating on Friday will hold a first-of-its-kind \"cross-species\" eating contest between three competitive eaters and three Asian elephants. MLE's Shea described it as the realization of one of his two lifelong dreams, the other being a scenario in which a dozen competitive eaters eat the entire contents of a convenience store. Twenty finalists will compete in the championship on Saturday. They were culled from 18 preliminary contests and comprise a Who's Who of the world of competitive eating. For people who stuff their faces with record-breaking quantities of food, many of the contestants at the weigh-in boasted surprisingly svelte physiques. Juliet Lee, a 44-year-old Maryland salon owner fresh off the feat of downing 13.23 pounds of cranberry sauce in 8 minutes, clocked in at a mere 105 pounds. Kobayashi, at 123 pounds, lifted his T-shirt to reveal the sort of chiseled abdomen one would expect at a bodybuilding competition. Others contestants were not quite as disconcertingly trim. Fearsome world matzo ball-eating champion Eric \"Badlands\" Booker tips the scales at 400 pounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reigning hot dog-guzzling champ Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi have staredown .\nLast year Chestnut won after a tiebreaker with Kobayashi .\nKobayashi vowed to avenge defeat from last year .\nChestnut: Kobayashi beat me in May contest and \"set a fire underneath me\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Many Google users probably didn't notice this month that they can now display their search tips in the Hawaiian language. Hawaiian is one of more than 125 \"interface languages\" now available on Google. Wedged between Hausa and Hebrew, Hawaiian is one of more than 125 \"interface languages\" now available on Google. The list also includes some humorous twists on English, including \"pirate,\" \"Klingon\" and \"Elmer Fudd.\" But for Hawaiian educators, the addition of Hawaiian is a small step toward legitimizing a language that is considered \"critically endangered\" by the United Nations. \"It's the capstone of a lot of work,\" said Keola Donaghy, an assistant professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. \"We've been doing this work for 18 years, simply trying to make it easier for people who speak Hawaiian to use these kinds of technologies.\" It marks the first native American language available through the \"Google in Your Language\" program. Getting started . It took Donaghy several years to get the project off the ground through the \"Google in Your Language\" program, which was launched by the California-based company not long after it was founded in 1998. \"The idea was to enable users worldwide to be able to access Google in the language of their choice, and if it wasn't available, to enable users to help make it so,\" Google spokesman Nate Tyler said. \"Why limit users to a set of dominant languages if they were willing to help make Google their own?\" The results of the search are still in English, although the user can select a preference for Web pages written in more than 40 other main languages. Google works with linguists like Donaghy who are interested in translating search instructions into their language. \"Volunteers sign up on their own to provide translation,\" Tyler explained. \"They simply sign themselves up, declare a language proficiency, and then start translating or reviewing the products that are available for volunteer translation. \"When the translations are completed, we make the product(s) available in that language. Recent other languages like this include Maori language.\" It was the Maori project, launched last year, that actually helped get Donaghy's initiative off the ground. Three years ago, Donaghy started e-mailing and calling Google about a Hawaiian language project, but he got no response. He put the project on hold until last year. \"When I heard the Maori version came out, I asked Google about it,\" Donaghy said. \"Apparently the original (language) coordinator had gone and as soon as a new coordinator was brought online, they set up the system.\" Donaghy began working on the massive translation project sometime late last year. \"It was whenever I could find an hour or two in between teaching or other duties,\" he said. \"It was a combination of personal and work time.\" He spent more than 100 hours translating the search terms that appear on the Google page into Hawaiian through the program. \"I did the actual translation from beginning to end, and then I consulted with my colleagues at the university who have worked on these projects in the past,\" Donaghy said. \"I wanted to be very consistent -- such as how you say 'Go to this menu and select this' -- or people may become confused.\" What's Hawaiian for 'browsing' the Web'? Some of the Hawaiian words for terms such as \"links\" or \"Web browser\" had already been established when Donaghy and others worked on translating the Netscape Navigator search engine in 1997. \"Over the years, we usually face the debate of do we want to 'Hawaiianize' an English word, or take an old Hawaiian word and give it a new meaning,\" he said. He explained some of the challenges in translating terms, such as \"browsing\" or \"surfing,\" into Hawaiian. \"People use the term 'surf the Internet' and they'll say 'he'e nalu' which is literally surfing the ocean out on a board,\" he explained. \"But we use 'kele,' which is what you do when you're steering a canoe. So we chose that as you're navigating the net.\" Donaghy finished the translation project in April, but there were issues with the code for the search engine that would not activate the Hawaiian language interface. The Hawaiian language interface actually launched on Apple's Safari browser first because Donaghy had worked with Apple to ensure that the language's diacritical marks and characters were available on the company's computers. \"Now, it comes with every computer that they ship,\" he said. See and hear phrases in Hawaiian » . Some Apple computer users who had selected Hawaiian as their primary language for other programs noticed a couple of weeks ago that Google's search terms started appearing in Hawaiian, too. \"People started calling me and asking, 'Did you hack into my computer? My Google is in Hawaiian,'\" Donaghy said. \"And that was the point I said, 'OK, word is getting out about this' and I put out a news release. I was afraid someone was going to start freaking out, 'Why is my computer in Hawaiian?'\" Important milestone for Hawaii's culture . The initiative is an important milestone for Hawaiian linguists and cultural educators who have pushed to have their native language taught in schools alongside English. It wasn't until the 1980s that the law banning the Hawaiian language from being taught in schools was overturned. The law was established in the late 19th century as a prerequisite to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory. Today, more and more Hawaiians are studying and majoring in Hawaiian language programs. There are Hawaiian language immersion programs in which English is taught as a second language. Mona Wood, a Hawaiian speaker and owner of a public relations firm in Honolulu, said there has been a kind of Hawaiian language \"renaissance\" in the state since the late 1970s. \"Even tourism has been learning and growing and realizing that our 'host culture' must be added to the visitor experience,\" Wood said. \"There are many more programs available at hotels and shopping malls that weren't there 20 years ago.\" Wood said that when she studied Hawaiian in college, it was under the foreign languages department. \"It has been so wonderful to see so many of our youth embrace the native culture and see the programs expand to the point where there is an entire Hawaiian Studies Department,\" she said. \"One can now get a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) and M.A. (Master of Arts) in Hawaiian language.\" Wood -- who owns Ikaika Communications, which represents local officials, local and national companies and celebrities including Duane \"Dog the Bounty Hunter\" Chapman -- said that when she was growing up, \"Our culture was dying in every way.\" \"Learning my roots came through my own curiosity -- choosing to take hula lessons when my mom wanted me to take piano,\" she said. \"Then I went to the Hawaiian High School, Kamehameha, and continued with some Hawaiian classes and joined a club at UH (University of Hawaii). \"Seeing Hawaiian knowledge becoming an asset over the years has been truly satisfying,\" she said. Donaghy hopes the Google initiative is another step toward giving Hawaiian \"the same status as English and other major European and Asian languages\" -- particularly in the fast-moving sector of technology. \"To me personally it's very important that we are giving the opportunity to have as many things in Hawaiian as in English,\" he said. \"So if we had not begun to address technology in the early 1990s, we would be telling people that this is a place where Hawaiian doesn't belong. You have to revert to English. \"We didn't want to send that kind of message so we've worked to make the language more accessible.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Google search terms now available in Hawaiian .\nKeola Donaghy spent 100 hours translating for \"Google in Your Language\" program .\nHawaiian is considered a \"critically endangered\" language by the U.N.\nIt is the only native American language available in Google search preferences ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Entertainment Weekly) -- \"Whip It!\" suggests what might have happened if Juno had gone to a high school as poky as Napoleon Dynamite's and decided that although her mother wanted her to be a beauty queen like Little Miss Sunshine, she'd rather just strap on roller skates. Ellen Page plays roller derby competitor Babe Ruthless in \"Whip It!\" Only here the petite, droll, feisty, Ellen Page-like heroine played by Ellen Page is named Bliss. And her idea of sass while chatting up a cute rocker (Landon Pigg) in this desexualized, slow-speed grrrl-power sports fantasy is \"I'm Bliss, but I could change that.\" Bliss does change her name, at least at the Roller Derby rink. She sneaks away from her square parents (Marcia Gay Harden as the U.S. Postal Service's least likely mail carrier and Daniel Stern as a nice schlub who likes beer) to roll with a sisterly Austin team who call themselves the Hurl Scouts. There, she dubs herself Babe Ruthless, making up in speed what she lacks in muscled aggression. She's heck on wheels, or so we are asked to believe: The rink footage is pretty un-whippy. Even Juliette Lewis, playing the film's designated bad girl and Bliss/Babe's nemesis on the rink, is more of a cute bee-yotch than a real threat. The movie is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut (she also plays fellow Hurl Scout Smashley Simpson), and it's clear she's more attuned to grrrlishness than real athletic power: Smashley is the first to scream ''Food fight!'' and the 34-year-old actress leads the charge in kidlike mayhem. EW Grade: C+ . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Whip It!\" marks Drew Barrymore's directorial debut .\nEllen Page plays woman who signs up for roller derby .\nFilm leans towards softness, which hurts impact of roller derby ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. authorities arrested six people Wednesday on suspicion of smuggling African elephant ivory worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, law enforcement officials said. Imports of African elephant ivory have been banned in the United States since 1976. The defendants arranged to have ivory from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Uganda shipped into the United States disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues, authorities said. \"The defendants plundered precious natural resources for personal profit,\" U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell and other officials said in a statement. \"Their illegal trade threatens the continued existence of an endangered species and will not be tolerated.\" Federal agents tracked at least eight shipments, including one worth an estimated $165,000. Federal agents used surveillance and shipping, phone and bank records to track the suspect shipments. Arrests were made in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security were involved in the law enforcement operation. One suspect told an undercover federal agent during a purchase that it was difficult to bring ivory into the United States, but easy to sell it at high prices, the government statement said. Two other suspects also are accused of paying a courier $15,000 to bring a shipment of ivory from Cameroon into the United States. The U.S. banned ivory imports in 1976, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora effectively outlawed trade in elephant tissue in 1989. Illegal trade in African elephant ivory is considered to be a major cause of the continuing decline of elephant populations in Africa. The defendants are expected to appear in court in New York on Wednesday. They face jail terms of up to 20 years if convicted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Six in four states face federal smuggling charges, U.S. attorney says .\nIvory reportedly disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues .\nElephant ivory trade illegal in U.S. since 1976, worldwide since 1989 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The modern and dysfunctional man, who struggles to find his footing in relationships, career and, in fact, the world, has in many ways been the bread and butter of best-selling British author Nick Hornby's career. Best-selling British author Nick Hornby releases his latest novel, \"Juliet, Naked.\" Best known for his novels \"High Fidelity\" and \"About a Boy,\" both of which were turned into movies (as was his memoir, \"Fever Pitch\"), Hornby's latest novel, \"Juliet, Naked,\" released in the United Kingdom on September 1, has just been released in the United States. It focuses on an American singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who still rests on the success he saw with one album in the 1980s, an obsessed English fan, Duncan, and his exasperated girlfriend, Annie. Hornby's love for music has inspired more than plotlines. It has fueled a partnership with the rock band Marah and other projects, which recently included penning the lyrics for Ben Folds' \"Levi Johnston's Blues.\" Meanwhile, Hornby is also the force behind the screenplay of the critically acclaimed film-festival darling, \"An Education,\" which will be released in New York and Los Angeles on October 9. CNN spoke with Hornby about how he develops the characters for his books, the challenges of writing in a woman's voice and his own prowess in relationships. CNN: Your newest novel, \"Juliet, Naked,\" seems to revisit the kind of character that anchored \"High Fidelity,\" the obsessive, somewhat dysfunctional music fan. What is it about this type that had you coming back, and how have the years changed this character? Hornby: Well, I conceived them as being different. Rob in \"High Fidelity,\" he wasn't the obsessive. It was the people around him. This one [Duncan] is one of three characters; he's the nerdy obsessive. ... The Internet's changed everything. There are no record stores to hang out in anymore. Ten or 15 years ago, he [Duncan] wouldn't have found anyone to talk to. And nobody's career [character Tucker Crowe's included] is allowed to die. Way back, obsessives had to admit other interests into their lives. These people don't have to really do anything like that. Watch the author talk about music, comedy and relationships » . CNN: Your books, and now your screenplay, are so rich in complicated and incredibly flawed characters who, in turn, have complicated and flawed relationships. How much of what they struggle with is autobiographical? Are there aspects to these characters that are reflections of you? Hornby: I think sometimes there are. I have three kids by two moms. Tucker has five kids by four women. But my experience is relatively ordinary. My relationships are fairly stable. A lot of this is trying to write comedy, and complicated relationships are funnier than straightforward ones. CNN: At times, for instance in your book \"How to Be Good,\" you've narrated as a woman. What are the challenges of taking on a woman's voice? Hornby: Anytime the narrator is someone who is not you, the challenge is equal. The challenge is to make people laugh. My last book, \"Slam,\" was for young adults, and I had to write as a 16-year-old boy. Of course, it makes me more nervous writing as a woman. I just made sure every woman I knew read the narrative as soon as I finished. But no woman speaks for all women. CNN: You've been open about having a son, now 16, who is autistic. How much, if at all, has that informed your writing when it comes to getting into the heads of kids and adolescents in, for example, \"About a Boy?\" Hornby: It hasn't. Not yet. The experience of fathering a child like that is so different, but I think you have to be very careful about how you use it and how it affects other people. CNN: Your screenplay for \"An Education,\" which is based on an autobiographical essay by British journalist Lynn Barber, was first recognized at the Sundance Film Festival in January and continues to get critical acclaim. How has this creative journey differed from the one you're used to traveling in the book publishing world? Hornby: The process is incredibly different. With movies, it always feels like such a long shot getting it made. With books, you write and talk about it with your editor. With movies, you need the money, the cast, the director -- I felt much more confused by the the movie-making process. CNN: But with movies, the insecurities you might have about your own work as an artist, as a writer, are helped by others. It's not all on you, right? Hornby: Yes. I can look at the film and take pride in other people's work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nick Hornby, author of \"High Fidelity\" and \"About a Boy\" releases new book Tuesday .\n\"Juliet, Naked,\" revisits the dysfunctional male, music fan kind of character .\nInternet has changed how the obsessive type lives and thrives, Hornby says .\n\"An Education,\" for which he wrote screenplay, gets critical acclaim, festival attention ." } ]

[ { "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) -- The two men running Michael Jackson's estate gained new powers and an extension of their authority until the end of the year in a court hearing Friday. An investigator's report said Michael Jackson's children are doing well with Katherine Jackson as their guardian. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff also accepted an investigator's report that said Jackson's three children are adjusting well under the guardianship of Katherine Jackson. \"It looks like the children are really doing wonderfully with their grandmother guardian,\" Beckloff said. Joe Jackson sat in the courtroom for the hearing on estate and custody matters. It was the first time Michael Jackson's father has attended the hearings since his son's June 25 death. John Branca and John McClain, named as executors of Jackson's 2002 will, have been handling the estate's business as temporary special administrators since July while the will probate process is completed. Branca was a longtime attorney for Michael Jackson, who was rehired by the pop star just a week before his death, according to estate lawyer Howard Weitzman. McClain is a former music industry executive who worked with Jackson for years. Katherine Jackson's challenge of Branca and McClain appears headed for a trial in December, unless an agreement is reached between them. Her lawyers have not publicly given their objections to the two men, but have suggested the trial would explore possible conflicts of interest that would prevent them from running the estate. Jackson's lawyers have also said a Jackson family member should be included as an executor. While Joe Jackson did not speak to reporters after the hearing, a Jackson family friend, Majestik Magnificent, talked about the special administrators. \"Why are they even here? Why are they even involved in this? This is a family affair,\" he said. Until now, the administrators had to ask for court approval for every agreement they made for the estate, including a deal for a movie that will hit theaters at the end of October. \"Things went well for the estate, because the estate can now continue to do it's business,\" Weitzman said after the hearing. Beckloff said that while the case is fascinating, his calendar is too full for him to be involved in all of the estate's business. With their new powers, the special administrators only have to notify the court and the Jacksons about deals. Michael Jackson's mother and three children, along with unnamed charities, are the beneficiaries of the estate, which is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. An odd moment came in the hearing when a woman who has previously filed a papers claiming to be the mother of Michael Jackson's youngest child, Prince Michael II, spoke up to remind the judge she was there. She says her name is Billie Jean Jackson. At the end of the hearing, Joe Jackson approached her, but she frowned at him and walked away. Majestik Magnificent later wondered aloud why reporters even give any attention to \"crazy\" people surrounding the case." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Judge extends Michael Jackson administrators' powers until the end of the year .\nAdministrators of estate don't need to have court approval for every decision .\nJoe Jackson attends court hearing for the first time since son's death ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- One of Iraq's top Shiite leaders died Wednesday after a lengthy battle with lung cancer, a senior official with his office told CNN. Iraqi Shiite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, seen in a 2007 photo, was an ally of both the U.S. and Iran. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who was born in 1950, died in Tehran, Iran, where he had been receiving treatment for more than two years, according to his adviser Haitham al-Husseini. Al-Hakim had recently suffered a medical setback, according to his party, which asked people to pray for him in a statement released on Sunday. His body will be sent to Iraq and he will be buried in his hometown of Najaf, one of the holiest cities for Shiite Muslims, al-Husseini said. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, issued a joint statement expressing sadness over al-Hakim's death and describing him as \"a national leader.\" \"Throughout his life, His Eminence demonstrated courage and fortitude, contributing to the building of a new Iraq,\" the statement said. \"We offer our sincere condolences to his family and colleagues.\" Watch how al-Hakim helped shape Iraq's future » . Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki also offered his condolences, saying al-Hakim was \"like an old brother.\" Al-Maliki credited him for being a \"strong supporter during the phase of fighting the ousted regime and a key figure in the process of building the new Iraq.\" \"His death at this critical stage that we are passing through is a great loss for Iraq,\" al-Maliki said in the statement. Al-Hakim ended his more than 20-year exile in Iran in 2003, when he returned to Iraq after U.S.-led forces toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his regime. \"It was very emotional for me to meet with my people after Saddam fell,\" al-Hakim said in a 2006 interview. \"I was longing to see them. My goal in this life is to serve those great people and I am very proud to be a part of them.\" Iraqi Shiites were suppressed under the Hussein regime, which favored the country's minority Sunni Muslims. Al-Hakim played a central role in shaping Iraq's future following his return. During his exile, which began in the early 1980s, al-Hakim commanded the Badr Brigades, the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. SCIRI -- a religious movement that opposed the Hussein regime -- was led by al-Hakim's brother until he was assassinated in August 2003. Al-Hakim himself was also the target of numerous assassination attempts. He took over as the head of SCIRI and began his ascent to power as the Badr Brigades became the bulk of the Iraqi security forces in Iraq's predominantly Shiite south. SCIRI changed its name to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq in 2007 to remove the word \"revolution,\" in an effort to reflect the current situation in Iraq. Al-Hakim had always propagated a message of peace, calling on Iraqis to stop taking part in the bitter sectarian conflict that followed the fall of Saddam Hussein. But despite his desire for a secular democracy in Iraq, he wanted a country that recognized the importance of religion, religious institutions and its authorities. Al-Hakim successfully harnessed the fervor generated from emotional religious rituals like Ashura and turned it into a powerful political platform. That ability led some to consider him Iraq's most powerful man. His political bloc won the most seats in the Iraqi parliament in 2005. And although al-Hakim never held a government position, he commanded respect from those who did. Government ministers would meet with him at his office, not theirs, and he was often seen in the company of former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad. And when talks on Iraq's constitution stalled, then-President George W. Bush called al-Hakim, not the Iraqi prime minister or president. Al-Hakim visited the United States three times during the Bush administration to address the situation in Iraq. But he remained artfully vague about Iran's influence in Iraq, saying its role was a positive one -- in direct contradiction to the U.S. government, which raised concerns about what it called Iran's \"meddling.\" He cited the two predominantly Shiite Muslim countries' shared border, historical and cultural relations, and emphasized the desire for strong ties. Al-Hakim's death comes at a time of violent political turmoil in Iraq. The power of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq party he leaves behind is just as uncertain as the nation he so proudly wanted to serve. Al-Hakim was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007, and was first treated in the United States, then later in Iran. When he returned to Iraq later that year, he told CNN that he felt good. But it was around that time that it became apparent he was grooming his son, Ammar al-Hakim, to take over as head of ISCI. It was once Iraq's most powerful Shiite political party, but ISCI lost much of its influence following elections in January, when politicians allied with al-Maliki won control of most of Iraq's provincial councils. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: U.S. officials, Iraqi PM offer condolences, praise for Abdul Aziz al-Hakim .\nAl-Hakim headed Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, helped shape Iraq's future .\nHe never held public office, but was one of Iraq's most powerful, respected leaders .\nAl-Hakim was in neighboring Iran being treated for lung cancer ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- After hours of back and forth between members, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America decided Friday evening to accept noncelibate clergy members and lay leaders who are in \"lifelong\" and \"monogamous\" same-sex relationships. Previous Evangelical Lutheran Church policy allows gay and lesbian clergy, lay people to serve only if celibate. One of the country's largest Protestant denominations, the Lutheran church approved four recommendations to its ministry's policies that underscore a new approach to homosexuality. While the recommendations passed at the weeklong Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, do not address recognizing same-sex marriage or civil unions, they do allow congregations to support same-sex relationships among their members and allow individuals in same-sex relationships to hold clergy positions. The previous policy of the 4.6-million member church allowed gay people to serve as members of professional rosters only if they were celibate. Some members argued prior to the vote that the change would fly in the face of religious teachings. \"Brothers and sisters, I ask you, before you dig yourselves deeper into this hole, if you are so absolutely certain that these behaviors are not sinful that you are willing to place yourselves and this church at the spiritual risk that comes from encouraging sin,\" said the Rev. Steven Frock of the Western Iowa Synod. Among those on the other side was Alan Wold of the Northern Illinois Synod. \"If according to some I am going to be in err for supporting this... Let me err on the side of mercy, grace, justice, and love of neighbor. Let me err on the side of gospel, which makes all things new.\" Many feared the emotional debate could tear at the unity of the church. So the members voted to re-order their resolutions -- moving to the top a resolution that the church \"commit itself to bear one another's burdens, love thy neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all.\" It passed with overwhelming support. Other religious denominations, including Episcopalians and Unitarians, have made moves to accept gay clergy, and Evangelical Lutherans would not be the first to accept those openly in same-sex relationships, said David Masci, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. But ELCA would be the largest to make such a move. The church is the third largest Protestant denomination, representing 2 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Forum. The battle Friday was the latest in what Masci said many \"socially moderate\" denominations, including those in Judaism, are grappling with: balancing the growing acceptance of same-sex relationships with traditional teachings. As some have moved toward accepting same-sex relationships, within those same denominations \"you see more conservative wings that are pushing back against it,\" said Masci. On hand for Friday's debate were hundreds of \"interested parties\" -- including some people who are not members of the church, said John Brooks, ELCA spokesman. When asked whether there had been protests or rallies on either side outside the convention site, he responded, \"Interestingly, no.\" In the convention hall, Brooks said, \"The debates haven't been rancorous or mean-spirited in any way. They've been quite civil. But people have been passionate with their feelings.\" The Rev. Terri Stagner-Collier of the Southeastern Synod said a vote in favor of the resolutions would cause members of her own family to leave the church. Her sister \"felt her church was being ripped away from her,\" Stagner-Collier said tearfully, adding, I urge you not to do this to all of those people in the pew and in my family.\" Sara Gross of the Oregon Synod said some \"dear members\" of the church will be lost if the resolution passes. But, she said, \"A vote to reject this recommendation sends a message to the world saying 'not all are welcome.'\" In a \"changing world,\" Gross argued, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America \"needs to be a voice that stands up and says 'yes.'\" CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Evangelical Lutheran Church to accept gay clergy in lifelong relationships .\nNew policy would allow them to serve if in monogamous relationships .\nPrevious policy allows gays, lesbians to serve as clergy, lay leaders if celibate ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- After actress Mackenzie Phillips spoke about her sexual relationship with her musician father, online and telephone calls to an anti-sexual assault hot line surged. Mackenzie Phillips told Larry King that incest survivors are \"incredibly underrepresented.\" Her interviews in the past few weeks brought a spotlight to an uncomfortable topic. Incest, a common but highly stigmatized form of sexual abuse, often leaves the victim ashamed, isolated and unable to tell others what's happening, because the perpetrator is someone related to him or her, mental health experts said. \"For any survivor of sexual trauma, it's challenging, and it takes a lot of courage to come forward,\" said Jennifer Wilson, director of the National Sexual Assault hot line. \"With incest survivors, it's particularly difficult, because not only is there social stigma pressuring them to stay quiet, but also there's pressure that's within the family to stay quiet.\" The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which calls itself the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization, said it had seen an 83 percent increase in activity on its online hot line and a 26 percent increase on its telephone hot line after Phillips' interview with Oprah Winfrey aired last week. \"Unfortunately, it's something we hear everyday in our hot line, so to have somebody speak aloud about it was empowering to a lot of victims and survivors who went through similar situations,\" Wilson said. Phillips spoke about the taboo nature of incest in her interview with CNN's Larry King. \"There's very little in this world that is taboo today, but this subject is still, like, shove it under the carpet, sweep it away, protect the abuser, deny the reality. ... You're just on your own,\" the former child star said. This makes it one of the most under-reported and least discussed crimes, experts said. A U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that of the 60,000 sexual assault cases reported in 12 states in 2000, about a quarter were perpetrated by family members. About half of the sexual assault cases with victims younger than 11 involved family members. At times, a victim may feel unable to tell other family members what's happening. And if he or she tells a relative, that family member may have \"a knee-jerk reaction,\" refusing to believe it. Relatives may try to protect the offender in order to keep the family together or to avoid the shame and stigma, Wilson said. This takes a devastating toll on a victim. \"Their sexual selves are damaged. Their emotional selves are damaged, because 'who do I trust?' \" said Debra Laino, a sex therapist and counselor. \" 'My father did this. My mother did this. Who can I trust if I can't trust my family?' \" Sometimes the reluctance to report the crime comes from the victim, because he or she doesn't want to see the family member in jail. Although Phillips called the sexual relationship with her famed father, John Phillips, \"wrong,\" she said, \"I don't want bad things to happen to him, but I also don't want bad things to happen to me as a result of this. And I was convinced to let it lie.\" Her father, a co-founder of the Mamas & the Papas, died in 2001. Father- or stepfather-daughter incest is the most common form, although it also occurs between mother and child, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime. A sexual assault victim could suffer physical effects of the crime such as sexually transmitted infections, genital trauma and urinary tract infections. They could also experience many mental health effects: social withdrawal, isolation, post-traumatic stress disorder and regressive behavior such as bedwetting and thumb sucking. Some become hypersexual and engage in destructive behaviors, experts said. Humans \"have an instinct for avoiding incest or inbreeding,\" said Debra Lieberman, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Miami (Florida) who researches incest. But alcohol, drugs and mental illness may disrupt that instinct. \"Under the heavy influence of cocaine or heroin or whatever else you're taking, your mental boundaries are skewed, essentially,\" Laino said. The offender's sexual frustrations could also contribute to inappropriate actions. \"It also depends on his other mating opportunities,\" Lieberman said. \"What is the quality of his current relationship with the female's mother? Is she around? What is the ability for the guy to attract other mates?\" The perpetrator, frustrated by the absence of suitable sexual partners, may turn to whomever is around -- even if it's kin. Recovery from incest can occur, but it often takes years. A victim of incest has to understand that it's not his or her fault and get professional help, Wilson said. \"It doesn't make you broken,\" Phillips said. \"It doesn't make it so that you can't go on and be -- once you deal with honestly and realistically what you've been through, it doesn't mean that you can't be counted on or you can't be well enough to be a part of the world.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Actress said she had sexual relationship with her father for years .\nExperts: Incest is one of the most under-reported and least discussed crimes .\nReal healing after incest is possible, Phillips says ." } ]

[ { "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 the economy gets tough, the tough come out fighting. For some businesses, that means bringing out a fighter brand -- a cut-price version of a flagship product, marketed under a new name, and intended to fight back against budget competitors. \"Jetstar\" is a fighter brand that worked, beating the competition and creating a lasting, money-making brand. When it's done right it can destroy cut-price competition, but done badly it can drive a business to the brink of bankruptcy. Mark Ritson, associate professor at Melbourne Business School, has written an article for the October issue of Harvard Business Review discussing the benefits and pitfalls of launching a fighter brand. He says that over the next six months a number of new fighter brands are likely to appear in response to the recession. \"Fighter brands are very unusual but they are becoming increasingly common,\" he told CNN. \"It's high risk and high reward, and when it works it can have astonishing results.\" Ritson gives the example of Intel, which launched its budget \"Celeron\" chip in the late 1990s to in response to AMD's low-priced chips, which were threatening Intel's premium \"Pentium\" brand. Read more business features With \"Celeron,\" Intel came up with a budget alternative to \"Pentium\" for the lower end of the market and cemented its position as market leader. But Intel's success is the exception rather than the rule. \"The majority of fighter brands not only haven't worked, but have gone on to do significant damage to the companies that launched them,\" said Ritson. General Motors' (GM) \"Saturn,\" United Airlines' \"Ted,\" and Kodak's \"Funtime\" film range are all high-profile fighter brands that failed. Despite the appeal of taking on the competition in a fist fight, launching a successful fighter brand is easier said than done. \"The problem is that fighter brands are almost always a knee-jerk reaction to a problem and are not always well thought out,\" Neil Saunders, consulting director with Verdict Research, told CNN. Ritson says one element in building a fighter brand is to avoid creating a low-price product that is so attractive that it steals customers who would otherwise be buying that company's premium-brand product. On the other hand, if the fighter brand is too expensive or too low quality, it won't put up much of a fight against the opposition it's designed to attack. Another complication is that even the biggest companies don't have the money and managerial time to distract themselves with a new brand at a time when they should be concentrating on their core products, and then there is the difficulty in operating at an unfamiliar low price level. \"The airline industry is a prime example, where people have launched fighter brands to combat the budget airlines and have been notoriously unsuccessful,\" said Saunders. \"If it's not your business model it's not easy to operate, and it's not usually these airlines' business model.\" United's \"Ted,\" and Delta Air Lines \"Song\" were launched to combat budget carriers, but they weren't up to the challenge. In fact, Ritson says those fighter brands contributed to United and Delta's bankruptcy. But with its budget \"Jetstar\" airline, Qantas managed to find the holy grail for fighter brands -- beating the competition and creating a lasting, money-making brand in its own right. So what was different about the Qantas model? \"One thing was that Qantas took a long, hard look at the numbers and decided if they could be profitable,\" said Ritson. \"One of the problems with fighter brands is that they are oriented towards destroying a competitor and because of that managers pay a lot less attention to the bottom line.\" He gives the example of GM's \"Saturn,\" a car designed to take on fuel-efficient, affordable Japanese cars. \"Saturn\" sold plenty of cars, at least at first, but its high operating costs meant it lost millions of dollars, playing a huge part in bankrupting GM. So given the huge risks involved, should companies even consider launching a fighter brand? \"Only do it if you can win and it fits with your existing proposition,\" says Saunders. Ritson cautions, \"The minute you add a new brand to your portfolio it's hundreds of thousands of hours of management time, and millions of dollars in development, advertising and distraction. \"Ask the question, 'do I need a fighter brand or is this a real seismic change in the market, which means I need to change my existing strategy with existing brands?' Otherwise you will lose five years and $50 million.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fighter brands are designed to fight back against low-priced competition .\nDone wrong, fighter brands can drive a company to the brink of bankruptcy .\nGM's \"Saturn\" is a fighter brand that failed, while Intel's \"Celeron\" succeeded .\nNew fighter brands are likely to be launched in response to the recession ." } ]

[ { "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 lot of people like Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen star in \"Funny People,\" the new film from Judd Apatow. The box office earnings for many of his films are testament to his drawing power. Sandler's biggest comedic blockbusters include \"Big Daddy,\" \"The Waterboy\" and \"The Longest Yard,\" each of which has earned well over $150 million domestically. He has seven other titles that have also passed the coveted $100 million mark. The thing all these films have in common is that they are all comedies. So, it's likely safe to assume there are more than a few Hollywood execs nervously biting their knuckles right now, wondering how Sandler's latest big-screen offering, the dark comedy \"Funny People\" -- written and directed by his longtime friend Judd Apatow (\"The 40-Year-Old Virgin\") -- will fare. Though hilarious at times, the film's overall story of a world-famous comedian's brush with a terminal illness is decidedly serious. Watch Apatow and Sandler react to a doctor with an accent » . Much of the movie's personality can be summarized in one scene in particular in which Sandler and co-star Seth Rogen are sitting in a doctor's office receiving very bad news that they somehow turn into laughter. Sandler and Rogen talked to CNN about what went into creating that scene." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Funny People\" stars Adam Sandler as comedian who gets bad health news .\nJudd Apatow-directed film balances comedy with dead seriousness .\nMany tough scenes are lightened by byplay of Sandler, co-stars ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- California legislators plan to keep trying to find consensus on a controversial proposal that would release at least 27,000 inmates from state prisons. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, and officials tour a prison last week in Chino after a riot there. The California Assembly on Monday delayed a possible vote on the plan. Lawmakers likely will take up the proposal Wednesday or Thursday, said Shannon Murphy, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. \"When we arrive at a responsible plan that can earn the support of the majority of the Assembly and make sense to the people of California, we will take that bill up on the Assembly floor,\" Bass, a Los Angeles Democrat, said in a statement. Bass said legislators continue to meet with each other and law enforcement authorities to try to craft a plan that increases public safety, improves the state corrections department and reduces costs. As part of the negotiations, a provision that would set up a 16-member sentencing commission -- which would put new sentencing guidelines in place by 2012 -- was stripped from the bill, Murphy said. But \"it's not as if we're giving up on that notion,\" she said. The sentencing commission is a priority for Bass, she said, but the speaker believes she will have more success if she introduces a separate bill to create it. A panel of three federal judges has ordered California to reduce its prison population by about 40,000 by mid-September. The judges acted on the grounds that overcrowded prisons violate inmates' constitutional rights. The state Senate voted 21-19 Friday to release several thousand inmates early. That vote came after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, assured senators the public would be protected from the most violent offenders. \"Of course, we want to keep violent criminals off our streets and out of our communities, and this reform package is a necessary step to do that because it concentrates our incarceration efforts on the violent criminals and ensures that nonviolent offenders have more contact with parole officers,\" Steinberg said Friday. All 15 Senate Republicans voted against the bill, arguing that it undermines public safety. Democrats control both houses of the California Legislature. \"California's prison system is in a state of crisis,\" Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said last week while touring the California Institution for Men in Chino. Some 250 inmates were injured this month at the facility in a riot that officials said was ignited by racial tension. Fifty-five inmates were taken to hospitals with serious injuries, including stab wounds and head trauma. Schwarzenegger said the riot was \"a terrible symptom of a much larger problem. ... Our prisons are overcrowded and endangering the staff and the inmates.\" The governor noted he had signed a budget that mandates $1.2 billion in cuts to the state corrections system. \"We must be measured and smart about how we go about and create those reductions,\" said Schwarzenegger, a Republican. \"We must find a way to cut costs and relieve overcrowding but without sacrificing public safety.\" Steinberg said the bill under debate would save the financially strapped state some $524.5 million. Coupled with budget revisions made in July, the savings would total the entire $1.2 billion, he said. Republicans said the bill would lead to the release of about 27,000 prisoners, while Democrats estimated it would reduce the prison population by 27,300 in the 2009-10 fiscal year and 37,000 during fiscal year 2010-11. But Steinberg said the measure also would reduce the ratio of parolees to parole officers to 45-to-1. Currently, one parole officer is responsible for about 70 parolees, many of whom commit new crimes and return to custody; the state has a 70 percent recidivism rate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "California Assembly delays vote on plan to release at least 27,000 inmates .\nProvision setting up sentencing panel stripped from bill, spokeswoman says .\nState Senate voted last week to release several thousand inmates early .\nJudges order state to reduce prison population by about 40,000 by mid-September ." } ]

[ { "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) -- The wounds of partition festered again this week in India, resulting in the banning of a book and the expulsion of a respected politician. Protesters burn an effigy of Jaswant Singh over his book; the former foreign minister was ousted from his party. The home state of the father of Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi, forbade the sale and circulation of a new book it says spews revisionist history about the birth of secular but predominantly Hindu India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Written by Jaswant Singh, a former federal minister and senior member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the book calls Mohammed Ali Jinnah, considered by Indians the architect of the partition, a great man who is wrongly demonized. Jinnah went on to become the first governor general of Pakistan. In \"Jinnah: India, Partition and Independence,\" Singh absolves the Pakistani leader as the man responsible for dividing the subcontinent, suggesting instead that it was another beloved independence leader, Sardar Patel, who played a major role. \"The book wrongfully portrays the fateful partition of our nation,\" the Gujarat state government said in a statement. \" Such a brainchild has no historic background at all. In the larger interest of society, the state government has decided to impose a ban on the book.\" The BJP accused Singh of deviating from the party's \"core ideology\". \"We always respect freedom of expression but can never compromise our ideology,\" Sidharth Nath Singh, a party spokesman, told CNN. \"You just can't eulogize Jinnah and accuse Sardar Patel instead.\" Singh, a widely respected politician known for his moderate views within the ranks of a conservative party, found it appalling that freedom of expression was threatened in the world's largest democracy. \"The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking,\" Singh told reporters. He defended his work and said he did not understand the objection to his writings about Patel, who, as India's first home minister, banned the Hindu revivalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the mother organization of the BJP, after the assassination of Gandhi in 1948. \"I don't know which part of the core belief I have demolished,\" Singh said. Nearly 350 years of British rule ended in 1947 when an agreement for independence was reached to give Muslims their own homeland. Indians think of Jinnah as the man who pushed a two-state notion based on religion as a prerequisite for freedom. In the days that followed, an estimated 1 million people died in a border-crossing exodus. Muslims fled from India into Pakistan while Hindus clamored to find new homes in India. The animosities fueled by that bloody birth -- including three wars fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir -- continue to haunt Indians, said journalist and author Tarun Tejpal. \"This flashpoint played out in public is a reminder of those wounds,\" Tejpal said of the book dispute. As a book of history written by a politician, it might have been inconsequential, Tejpal said. But as a book about the partition, it was incendiary. \"What happened 62 years ago continues to haunt us in a very bitter way,\" Tejpal said. \"We can't seem to leave our baggage in the past.\" This isn't the first time that Pakistan's founder has caused trouble for a Hindu nationalist. BJP President Lal Krishna Advani was forced to temporarily step down in 2005 for praising Jinnah's secularism during a trip to Pakistan. Political observers say the Singh controversy reflects a battle for the soul of the BJP, beleaguered by electoral defeats and vicious infighting. Many in India view the BJP as a divisive force attempting to gain power by exploiting Hindu-Muslim tensions. Advani was charged in the 1992 demolition of the 16th-century Babri mosque in the central Indian city of Ayodhya, though he was later acquitted in that case. Journalist K.G. Suresh, a longtime observer of conservative politics in India, said the BJP is struggling to figure out how to stay electable, whether to move right or stay closer to the center. \"Jaswant Singh's book is a manifestation of that clash,\" Suresh said. Singh's political climb is likely over, but what of younger Indians, now generations removed from those who remember independence? Tejpal for one, senses the wounds could keep reopening. And that, he said, \"doesn't bode well.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Home state of Mahatma Gandhi bans revisionist history of India-Pakistan partition .\nBook suggests independence leader Sardar Patel was the architect of the division .\nAnimosities over the partition continue to impact India and Pakistan ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A key House committee passed comprehensive health care reform legislation Friday, moving President Obama's domestic priority one step closer to congressional approval. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says House Democrats will return to their districts ready to defend the bill. The vote occurred as the House of Representatives adjourned for its August recess. The 31-28 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee came after several days of intense and often contentious negotiations between Democratic House leaders and an influential group of fiscal conservatives in the party. Three members of the Democrats' conservative Blue Dog caucus -- John Barrow of Georgia, Jim Matheson of Utah and Charlie Melancon of Louisiana -- voted against the bill, along with two other Democrats, Bart Stupak of Michigan and Rick Boucher of Virginia. The committee's bill will now be merged with two separate versions passed by other House panels before being considered by the full chamber in September. The prospects for health care reform in the full House, however, remain unclear. Democrats remain deeply divided, with a number of liberals expressing strong opposition to concessions made to the party's so-called Blue Dog conservatives on the Energy and Commerce Committee. The fate of health care reform also remains uncertain in the Senate, where the Finance Committee recently postponed its long-awaited vote on a bipartisan compromise plan until after the August recess. The coming fights in both chambers serve as a backdrop for what is expected to be a month of furious campaigning for and against the bill as members of Congress meet with constituents back home over the break. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that House Democrats will return to their districts with talking points and memos to help them rebut opponents running \"a shock and awe campaign ... to perpetuate the status quo.\" \"Facts mean nothing\" to insurance industry executives and others opposed to change, she said. \"Misrepresentation is the currency of their realm.\" Pelosi did not indicate, however, how Democratic divisions in the House might be overcome when Congress returns in the fall. On Thursday, 57 members of the House Progressive Caucus sent a letter to Pelosi and others complaining that the agreement with the Blue Dogs weakened language creating a government-funded health insurance option. \"Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, for a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates -- not negotiated rates -- is unacceptable,\" the letter said. The revised bill calls for the government-run public insurance option to be reimbursed on rates determined by negotiations with the insurance industry. The original version called for the same reimbursement rates as in the government's Medicare program for senior citizens. The progressive Democrats also argued that cuts to the bill's overall price would shortchange subsidies meant to help low- and moderate-income Americans buy health insurance. Some of those concerns were addressed Friday when the Energy and Commerce committee boosted funding for subsidies and added a provision empowering the federal government to directly negotiate prescription drug rates in the public plan. The agreement with the Blue Dogs, estimated to lower the cost of the House plan by $100 billion over a decade, would also exempt businesses with payrolls below $500,000 from having to provide health coverage to employees. \"We can compromise no more,\" warned Rep. Lynn Woolsey, co-chair of the 81-member Progressive Caucus. \"When leaders of the House meet ... to consider the three bills and produce a final one, we expect that it will retain a robust public option. If it doesn't, we will vote against it.\" Opposition from progressive Democrats and some conservative House Democrats who want additional cost cuts could defeat the bill. Pelosi admitted that she preferred the original bill, but noted that much of the new language matched a proposal supported by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, a longtime champion of health care reform who is revered by liberal Democrats. She also pointed out that the bill could change when the House and Senate negotiate a final measure in coming months. On the Senate side, key Republicans in the Finance Committee negotiations said Wednesday that they were unlikely to complete work on a compromise plan before the August break. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming said too many issues remained unresolved to sign on to a deal by the time the Senate breaks for its recess on August 7. On Thursday, Grassley said pressure from the White House and Democratic leaders to speed the process didn't help. \"It would be better for me to say that instead of saying there's no way we can cut a deal, there's no way we can get all the compromising that needs to be done by an artificial deadline of Friday of this week,\" Grassley said. \"So we're going to continue to work together this week and next week. But we're getting close.\" Democrats had hoped the Finance Committee could finish its work before the August break to show progress toward health legislation. CNN's Craig Broffman and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bill passes 31-28 in House Energy and Commerce Committee before recess .\nBill calls for public reimbursement rates to be negotiated with insurance industry .\nSome complain that concessions to conservative Blue Dogs weaken public option .\nBill will be merged with versions from two other panels before going to chamber ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009, beating out more than 80 other contestants during a pageant held Sunday night in Nassau, Bahamas. Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009 on Sunday night. The 18-year-old was crowned by another Venezuelan, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, marking the first time that two contestants from the same country have won the title in consecutive years. As Miss Universe, Fernandez will have the use of a New York City apartment for the year of her reign, and will receive living expenses. Other prizes include a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy; a vacation for two in the Bahamas; and a wardrobe, including evening wear, swimsuits and jewelry. The competition involves swimsuit, evening gown and interview phases, which a 12-member panel judged. Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De La Cruz, was named first runner-up and would assume Fernandez's duties if she couldn't complete her term." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Win marks first time 2 contestants from same country earn title in consecutive years .\nMore than 80 other contestants competed during the pageant .\nMiss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De La Cruz, was named first runner-up ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Investigators have heard a signal from the flight data recorders of the Yemenia Airways plane that crashed last week, they announced Sunday. Search parties continue their operation to locate the Yemenia Airbus A310 off the Comoros Islands Saturday. \"A signal was picked up from two acoustic transmitters from the plane's flight data recorders during a sea search to locate the data recorders this morning,\" the French air accident investigation agency, known as the BEA, said in a statement. Commonly known as \"black boxes,\" the data recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash. The Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 crashed into the Indian Ocean early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands. One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari, who lives in Marseille, escaped with cuts to her face and a fractured collarbone. Watch teen survivor from crash » . The teen's father, Kassim Bakari, told a French radio network that his wife and daughter were flying to Comoros to visit relatives. \"When I had her on the phone, I asked her what happened and she said, 'Daddy, I don't know what happened, but the plane fell into the water and I found myself in the water... surrounded by darkness. I could not see anyone,'\" Bakari told France Info. The head of the rescue team in the Comoros told French radio RTL that the teenager beat astonishing odds to survive. \"It is truly, truly, miraculous,\" Ibrahim Abdoulazeb said. \"The young girl can barely swim.\" Another rescuer told France's Europe 1 radio that the girl was spotted in the rough sea, among bodies and plane debris in darkness, about two hours after the crash. 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 soon after the accident. A French official said the nation had banned the plane after it failed an aviation inspection in 2007. \"Since this check-up, we have not seen the plane reappearing in France,\" said Dominique Bussereau, the transport minister. But Yemenia Airlines was not on the European Union's list of banned airlines, he added. Passengers on the flight included 66 French citizens, 54 Comorians, one Palestinian and one Canadian, according to Yemeni and French officials. The crew was made up of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Ethiopian, one Filipino and one Indonesian. The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Comoros Islands lie between east African and the island nation of Madagascar .\nData recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash .\nTeenage 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 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- It carries the nickname \"America's Finest City,\" and right now it appears San Diego is living up to the hype. Growing on the water: San Diego is becoming an increasingly popular super-yacht destination. Though the international financial crisis has precipitated economic woe across the United States, developments in San Diego's super-yacht industry don't appear to be slowing. Fifth Avenue Landing, a stylish new facility promising the ultimate docking experience for super-yachts up to 300 feet long, has just opened in city's downtown area. The marina, which is close to local attractions and top hotels, boasts 12 high-quality berths, each offering a concierge service. This impressive project is just the latest step in a significant development program for the west coast city, which is which is now beginning to compete with its northern neighbor, Los Angeles, as a destination for super-yacht owners. In 2005, Forbes rated San Diego as the fifth wealthiest city in the U.S. and in the years since, for the super-yacht industry particularly, the region has continued to develop rapidly. Today, the city is buzzing with super-yacht designers, builders, and brokers, and it now has plenty of facilities to accommodate the industry. There's also the annual \"YachtFest\" show, which will be going ahead in September this year and is expected to attract interest from super-yacht makers and owners around the world. Numerous marinas have sprung up amid the increasing interest in the city, with Kona Kai Marina, Shelter Island Marina, and The Wharf, among some of the most notable developments. Outside of the private super-yacht industry, San Diego is also home to the largest shipyard on the west coast of the U.S. -- General Dynamics' National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. Many cruise lines pass through the port and there are plans for a new cruise ship terminal to open in 2010. Much of the success in attracting super-yachts has been credited to the San Diego Super-yacht Association (SDSA) -- a collective of local super-yacht designers, builders, brokers and other interested parties that was formed in 2006. Super-yacht director of Marine Group Boat Works and founding member of the SDSA, Fred Larsson, told CNN that the key to San Diego's recent profile boost was realizing the economic needs of the industry. \"San Diego had the basic requirements of super-yachts covered already with the natural deep water harbor, year round superb weather, geographic location as the gateway to the Pacific and a wonderful youthful city. Then when you add the super-yacht facility upgrades it's a no brainer. San Diego has it all,\" he said. Larsson said the SDSA had been instrumental in developments as the combination of shipyards, marinas and suppliers working together means they have a good all-round knowledge of what super-yacht owners want when they come to port. The combination of major refit facility improvements, new marinas, marina expansions and an effective marketing campaign are behind the success, he added. Despite the international financial crisis, which threatens to hurt the super-yacht industry around the world, Larsson said that San Diego should not suffer too much as interest from owners is still growing. \"Due to the sheer size of the city and nearby cities there is so much for owners and crew to do here on their time off, the beaches are fabulous, Vegas is an hour away, there are 100 golf courses in and around San Diego. \"It's a metropolitan feel with small town charm. That's what makes us different,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A new super-yacht docking facility has recently opened in San Diego .\nThe city has its own super-yacht association, and annual show .\nSan Diego is becoming a rival to Los Angeles as a boating destination ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- Typhoon Parma crossed the northern tip of the already storm-battered Philippines Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, killing three people, according to local media. A NASA satellite image shows Typhoon Parma as it headed toward the Philippines on Friday. Parma made landfall Saturday afternoon in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon, the largest of the Philippine islands. Tens of thousands of people to fled their homes for safer shelter. Winds whipped the coastline and felled power lines in northernmost Cagayan Province. Debris littered the roads, making evacuations even more difficult. At 5 a.m. Sunday (5 p.m. Saturday ET), Parma, known locally as Typhoon Pepeng, had maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph) with gusts as high as 148 kilometers (92 mph) as the eye began to leave land, heading to the northeast, according to the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Parma avoided a direct hit on heavily populated Manila, but the real menace in the Philippines capital was not wind. It was water, and there was no escape from it. Parma was expected to dump as much as 8 to 20 inches of rain in areas still water-logged from last week's Typhoon Ketsana. That storm resulted in the heaviest rainfall in 40 years and at one point, 80 percent of Manila was submerged. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro appealed to Filipinos to remain in shelters even if they were in cities and towns not directly in Parma's path. He said he was worried about massive flooding and possible mudslides in mountainous regions. The government deployed 10,000 troops to help with rescue and relief operations as frightened Filipinos prepared for the worst. World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, was planning to launch relief operations Saturday evening in Isabela Province, one of the areas slammed by Parma. The group also plans assistance for nearby Cagayan province, whose capital, Tuguegarao, is being hit hard by Parma's strong winds. Arturo Fidelino, a telecommunications executive in Manila, described panicked people rushing to stock up on essential goods -- drinking water, canned food and electrical supplies. \"We had a traumatic experience when we had Ketsana,\" he said. \"We don't want that to happen again.\" President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo placed the country \"under the state of calamity.\" Macapagal-Arroyo said disaster-relief crews in vulnerable areas must be equipped with life-saving kits, boats, portable generators and trucks. Ketsana, which swallowed whole houses and buses over the weekend, killed 246 in the Philippines. It later strengthened into a typhoon. An additional 38 are missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people and forced the evacuation of 567,000. CNN's Eunice Yoon and Pamela Boykoff in Cabantuan City, and Josh Levs in Atlanta contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: 3 dead in Philippines from Typhoon Parma, local media report .\nStorm heads to sea after crossing northern Philippines .\nTens of thousands of Filipinos sought shelter in evacuation centers .\nThe biggest threat was rain in areas water-logged by Typhoon Ketsana ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking parents to immediately stop using a series of inflatable floats for babies in swimming pools, announcing a voluntary recall of about 4 million floats Thursday. The Squirtin' Tootin' Tugboat is among the floats covered by the recall. The items -- which inflate to seat babies and toddlers as they float on water -- are manufactured by Massachusetts-based Aqua Leisure Industries. The company has voluntarily recalled 14 models because the leg straps in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to slip into the water, posing a drowning risk, the commission said in a statement. There have been 31 reports of float seats tearing, though no injuries have been reported, the commission said. The floats were sold from December 2002 through June 2009 at retailers nationwide, including Target, Toys \"R\" Us, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Kmart, Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Bed, Bath & Beyond. The commission is asking consumers to stop using the floats and to send them back to the company. Aqua Leisure officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but the company's Web site has posted the commission's recall advisory. CNN's Gerri Willis contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Aqua Leisure Industries recalls 14 models .\nLeg straps can tear, allowing children to slip into the water .\nAgency says there have been 31 reports of seats tearing .\nFloats were sold nationwide at many chain retailers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CNN) -- Thousands of people celebrated Friday on crowded Copacabana beach as the announcement that Brazil had been chosen as the 2016 Olympics host played live over huge screens erected above the sand. Thousands packed Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro after the city learned it will host the Olympics. \"It was a fantastic victory. We beat the big cities. Passion talked louder,\" said one man as he danced to live samba music in front of the stage. Rio de Janeiro beat out Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid to become the first South American city to host the Games, something President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva made clear during his pitch to the International Olympic Committee. \"It is a time to address this imbalance,\" he told committee members making the selection in Copenhagen, Denmark. \"It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.\" Happiness was a big part of Rio's pitch after it was voted the happiest city in the world by Forbes magazine. On Friday, thousands of people piled onto the beach wearing green and yellow, many with the Brazilian flag painted on their faces. Exuberant Rio de Janeiro is first South American city to host Olympics » . \"I thought that more than to the people, we owe this victory to our President Lula,\" said a woman wearing little more than a bikini. Rio also won points with an ambitious budget and new venues like the Joao Havelange Stadium, which opened for the 2007 Pan American Games. Rio's jaw-dropping natural beauty helped the city pull ahead of the competition. \"Rio is full of all things quintessentially Brazilian: sun, sand, soccer, samba, sensuality,\" the editorial director of Fodor's Travel, Laura Kidder, wrote in an e-mail. \"In Rio, it's about taking each day as it comes and living life to the fullest.\" Erik Torkells, editor for TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community, also praised the city for its social scene before the selection was made. \"If the Olympic Committee wanted to be sure everyone had a good time, they'd go to Rio,\" Torkells said. The selection also had its critics in Brazil. \"I don't think it's appropriate considering what our country is going through,\" said Orlando Pinto, a social worker. \"We don't have good health services, education; we have transportation problems, housing problems, crime problems.\" Security and traffic remain enormous challenges to overcome in Rio de Janeiro. But it was all celebration on Friday as crowds continued to stream onto the beach after the announcement was made." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thousands celebrate Rio de Janeiro win at Copacabana beach .\n\"We owe this victory to our President Lula,\" woman at celebration says .\nRio de Janeiro offered ambitious budget and new venues .\nCity also emphasized that Olympics have never been held in South America ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Americans appear to actually thrive on adversity, according to a study published this week that reached the conclusion after researching the nation's biggest economic downturn. This sculpture at the FDR Memorial in Washington depicts men waiting in a Great Depression bread line. Life expectancy during the peak years of the Great Depression increased 6.2 years -- from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1933 -- according to University of Michigan researchers Jose A. Tapia Granados and Ana Diez Roux. The increase applied to men and women, whites and non-whites. The team crunched data from the federal government and concluded that \"population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the four years of the Great Depression, 1930-1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and non-whites.\" For most age groups, \"mortality tended to peak during years of strong economic expansion (such as 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1936-1937),\" they wrote in the \"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.\" \"The finding is strong and counterintuitive,\" said Tapia Granados, the lead author of the study. \"Most people assume that periods of high unemployment are harmful to health.\" The researchers used historical life expectancy and mortality data to examine the association between economic growth and population health from 1920 to 1940. Though population health improved during 1930-1933 and during the recessions of 1921 and 1938, mortality -- the death rate -- increased and life expectancy fell during times of economic expansion, such as 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1936-1937, they wrote. The researchers looked at mortality rates due to six causes of death that made up two-thirds of total mortality in the 1930s: cardiovascular and kidney diseases, cancer, influenza and pneumonia, tuberculosis, motor vehicle injuries and suicide. Only suicide went up during economic downturns, they said, citing the recession years 1921, 1932 and 1938, but suicides accounted for less than 2 percent of total deaths. Those years were marked by high unemployment; the nation experienced its highest unemployment rate of 22.9 percent in 1932, they wrote. Yet from 1920 to 1940, life expectancy increased 8.8 years. The authors speculated about possible explanations for why population health tends to improve during recessions but not expansions. \"During expansions, firms are very busy, and they typically demand a lot of effort from employees, who are required to work a lot of overtime, and to work at a fast pace,\" Tapia Granados said. \"This can create stress, which is associated with more drinking and smoking.\" In addition, new, inexperienced workers may be more likely to become injured; workers may sleep less and adopt less healthy eating habits, he said. Further, boom times may translate into more industrial pollution, which can take a toll on populations' health, he said. During recessions, with less work to do, employees may work slower, sleep longer and spend more time with family and friends, he said. With less money, they may spend less on alcohol and tobacco. The researchers pointed out that their work looked at the relationship between recessions and mortality on a macro level and was not predictive for any one person. The findings may apply to others, too. Tapia Granados, 53, whose work was self-funded, said he has carried out similar studies that looked at Japan, Spain and Sweden. \"In the three of them, it was the same,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Study: Life expectancy rose, mortality dropped during Great Depression .\nOpposite happened during surrounding times of economic expansion, study shows .\nStudy examined population health from 1920 to 1940 .\nSpeculation: In hard times, more sleep, less money for drinking and smoking ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Looking directly at the man who murdered his 9-year-old daughter, Mark Lunsford told John Evander Couey, \"I hope you hear her cry as you try to sleep at night.\" \"You will never hurt another child again,\" Lunsford said in testimony Tuesday in a Florida court hearing where a judge will decide whether to give Couey the death penalty. Jessica Lunsford, seen in an undated family photo, was 9 when she was abducted and killed. She disappeared in 2005 from her home in Homosassa, Florida. His eyes fixed on Couey, Lunsford continued, \"For 29 months, my daughter has heard me cry and begged God to stop the pain in my heart.\" Addressing Florida Circuit Court Judge Ric Howard, Lunsford pleaded for Couey to die for his crime. Then he turned back to the man who took his daughter. Watch Lunsford's emotional testimony » . \"I hope you see the tears at night when she asked you [if she could] go home. You will never hurt another child again.\" Lunsford spent much time talking about memories of Jesse Lunsford. \"I can remember when she was about 1 year old and would give me kisses and hugs and steal the raisins from my cereal,\" he said. \"From bumps to bruises, from Band-Aids to bicycles, she was a tomboy with her daddy and a very nice little lady for her grandmother.\" The hearing will continue Wednesday. Couey's attorneys are trying to convince Howard that Couey is mentally incompetent and should be spared the death penalty. \"That's a cop-out,\" Lunsford said Tuesday on Larry King Live. \"He is not retarded.\" The father said he wants Couey to die for his crime. King asked him if he would attend the execution by lethal injection. \"I'd hold the syringe if they'd let me,\" he answered. But a prosecution expert testified Tuesday that the convicted killer had an IQ of between 80 and 90, about low average. \"My opinion is that he is not mentally retarded,\" said Dr. Greg Pritchard, a clinical psychologist. Couey was convicted in March on charges of kidnapping, raping and murdering Jessica. The jury voted 10-2 to recommend the death penalty. In Florida, the vote does not have to be unanimous to recommend the death penalty. The judge is expected to sentence Couey next month. Jessica Lunsford disappeared in February 2005 from her home in Homosassa. Her body was found three weeks later in a shallow grave outside a mobile home about 100 yards from where she lived. Couey, a convicted sex offender, was staying nearby in a trailer with his half-sister. Couey kidnapped the girl from her bedroom and later, in a taped confession, admitted that he buried the child alive. \"I went out there one night and dug a hole and put her in it. Buried her,\" he said. She was found wrapped in garbage bags, holding a stuffed toy dolphin, her hands bound with stereo wire. Jessica died from asphyxiation after being sexually assaulted, according to a medical examiner's report. The judge ruled the confession was inadmissible in court because Couey had asked for a lawyer the day before he told police he committed the crime. Evidence at the trial included Jessica's fingerprints in a closet in Couey's trailer and DNA from Jessica's blood and Couey's semen on a mattress in his bedroom. Lunsford has led a push for stricter sex offender laws since his daughter's death. Then-Gov. Jeb Bush signed the Jessica Lunsford Act into Florida law. The 2005 legislation calls for prison sentences of 25 years to life for sex offenses against children under age 12, better registration of convicted sex offenders and a Global Positioning System notification mechanism to track down probation violators. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed similar legislation Monday. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mark Lunsford testifies at sentencing hearing for 9-year-old daughter's killer .\nJury recommended death for John Evander Couey .\nCouey was convicted of kidnapping, raping, killing Jessica Lunsford .\nCouey's attorney says he's mentally incompetent ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The number of people killed by a typhoon that slammed into Taiwan and China earlier this month continues to rise, Taiwan announced Thursday. Tsai Sung Yu holds photos of his mother, brother, sister-in-law and niece who were all killed in the mudslides. At least 543 people are now known to have died when Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan, the country's Central Emergency Operation Center said Thursday. At least 117 people are still missing, and at least 46 people were injured. Emergency services also reported that 60 human limbs had been found, separately from the number of dead and wounded. Kaohsiung county was the worst hit, with 472 dead, 72 missing and 13 hurt, one seriously, the emergency center said. Morakot dropped 102 inches of rain on Taiwan August 8 before it roared on to mainland China the next day. More than 1.4 million people in China were forced to relocate because of the storm and more than 6,000 homes were destroyed. At least six people were killed there, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said after the storm passed. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou apologized last week for the slow response to the typhoon. He said he plans sweeping changes to the country's rescue agencies and may punish some government officials. \"We will try our best to do a better job in the rescue work that has been criticized for being too slow,\" said Ma. \"There are things that we have to correct and we also will be responsible for whatever mistakes or neglect that government officials have made.\" Rescuers have struggled to locate many who were missing in remote mountainous areas of southern Taiwan. Ma also apologized a week earlier for failings of the rescue effort as he traveled around the typhoon-battered island. He said heavy rain grounded rescue helicopters in the first few days after the storm hit, delaying relief efforts. Ma said the storm destroyed buildings, homes, roads and farms, causing about NT$100 billion (U.S. $3 billion) in damage. CNN's Eileen Hsieh contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At least 543 people are now known to have died when Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan .\nAt least 117 people are still missing, and at least 46 people were injured .\nEmergency services have also found 60 human limbs .\nTaiwan President Ma Ying-jeou apologizes for the slow response to the typhoon ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- In an unusual step, NASA scientists interrupted testing of the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope to aim the orbiter's camera at Jupiter and capture an image of the planet's mysterious new scar. The revamped Hubble telescope captured these images of an impact scar near Jupiter's south pole. The resulting picture, taken Thursday, is the sharpest visible-light photo of the dark spot and Hubble's first science observation since astronauts repaired and upgraded it in May, NASA said. Earth-based telescopes have been trained on Jupiter since an amateur astronomer in Australia noticed the new mark, probably created when a small comet or asteroid plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere and disintegrated, early Monday. But in its rarified orbit 347 miles above the Earth, the Hubble has a better view of the gaseous planet. This week's event marks only the second time scientists have recorded debris colliding with Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun and the largest in our solar system. The appearance of the impact spot is changing day to day in the planet's cloud tops, making it a priority for scientists to document it quickly. Although the Hubble is not expected to resume full operations until late summer and its new camera is still being calibrated, NASA scientists decided the Jupiter event was too significant not to put the orbiting observatory back into action for a day. \"Because we believe this magnitude of impact is rare, we are very fortunate to see it with Hubble,\" said Amy Simon-Miller of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \"Details seen in the Hubble view shows a lumpiness to the debris plume caused by turbulence in Jupiter's atmosphere.\" Jupiter's colorful atmosphere is 86 percent hydrogen and 14 percent helium, with tiny amounts of methane, ammonia, phosphine, water, acetylene, ethane, germanium and carbon monoxide. The chemicals are responsible for producing the different colors of Jupiter's clouds. The object created a mark on Jupiter that has about same diameter as Earth, though the object itself was probably only 50 to 100 miles across, said Anthony Wesley, the astronomer who first noticed the scar. The mystery object was probably moving at speeds of about 50 to 100 kilometers (31 to 62 miles) per second when it struck near Jupiter's south pole, Wesley said. The new image of Jupiter was taken with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, which was installed by the astronauts aboard space shuttle Atlantis in May. Because it is still being calibrated, the camera's full power has yet to be seen, NASA said. The Hubble has been in orbit since 1990 and can capture images that telescopes on Earth can't, partly because it doesn't have to gaze through the planet's murky atmosphere. The unplanned Jupiter photo shoot will add delays to the recommissioning of Hubble, NASA said. But scientists are at a point in the telescope's reboot where they have enough flexibility to employ Hubble to look at the unexpected astronomical event, they said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Revamped Hubble telescope captured image of Jupiter's mysterious new scar .\nScar was created when comet or asteroid plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere .\nImage was taken by Hubble's new camera, which is still being calibrated .\nHubble is not expected to resume full operations until late summer ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- The body of a woman who authorities say was impaired by marijuana and alcohol when she caused a deadly head-on collision shows no signs of long-term alcohol use, according to an investigator hired by her family. Diane Schuler's minivan was heading the wrong direction as the wreck happened, police said. \"I have looked at the autopsy, and the pancreas, liver and esophagus were clear,\" Tom Ruskin, lead investigator and president of CMP Protective and Investigative Group, told CNN. \"I've never seen a case like this. No one has seen this woman drunk and we have interviewed over 50 people -- relatives, friends, colleagues and former employees from her company.\" The Westchester County medical examiner's office found that Diane 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 Taconic State Parkway and ran head-on into an SUV. Three adults in the SUV were killed in the July 26 crash, along with Schuler and four children in her minivan -- her daughter and three nieces. A fifth child, Schuler's son, survived and is in stable condition. Ruskin, a former officer in New York Police's narcotics division, said he is hesitant to fully accept the autopsy report. \"I'm not saying the autopsy is wrong or right. I don't know if she smoked pot weeks prior. Marijuana stays in your system for up to 30 days,\" he said. The medical examiner's office released a statement on August 6, saying it stands by its autopsy results, and reiterated that Sunday. Schuler's family expressed shock when the details were revealed, saying she had no history of substance use. \"There's no way she'd do this,\" Jay Schuler, Schuler's sister-in-law, said earlier this month. \"She was responsible.\" Tests revealed that Schuler had an additional six grams of alcohol in her stomach that had yet to be metabolized, according to Maj. William Carey of the New York State Police. A vodka bottle was also found in the vehicle after the crash. Ruskin is adamant that it is necessary to go back through the day of the crash. \"We are analyzing all of the data that we have to date. We have a staff that has consumed themselves with this case,\" he said. \"We are trying to determine what happened here.\" Schuler's husband, Daniel, \"would like to remind people that no matter what happened here he lost his wife, his daughter, his nieces and he also grieves for the Bastardi and Luongo families,\" Ruskin said, referring to the other crash victims. \"He talks about that constantly in my daily conversations with him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Autopsy shows no signs of heavy alcohol use, investigator for driver's family says .\nInvestigator says Diane Schuler not known as heavy drinker .\nSchuler, 7 others killed in head-on collision as she drove wrong way on parkway .\nSchuler had high levels of alcohol, marijuana in system during crash, officials say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- For someone who seems to go to great lengths to keep his private life away from prying eyes, late-night talk show host David Letterman has seen a great deal of his personal life become public. David Letterman has mined private events in his life for very public jokes on his show. Heart problems, a troubled stalker and a plot to kidnap his son have all landed Letterman in the news and provided fodder for jokes, including some of his own. The latest, an alleged extortion attempt involving his sexual dalliances (it's been dubbed \"sextortion\" by pundits), was handled very much the way Letterman fans might expect: with humor and a bit of storytelling. \"He told it as a story that you felt like you were living along with him, and so I think he immediately won your sympathy by telling it that way,\" said Hal Boedeker, TV critic for the Orlando Sentinel. \"He also took the seedy factor out of it with restraint by not saying too much and trying to protect the people he was involved with.\" Watch Letterman tell what happened » . Letterman revealed on his show Thursday night that he'd had sexual relations with members of his staff and that he had testified about those liaisons before a New York grand jury for a case involving the alleged attempted extortion. A CBS producer, Robert \"Joe\" Halderman, has been charged with first-degree attempted grand larceny; officials said he threatened to go public with the 62-year-old funnyman's dalliances unless Letterman paid $2 million. Halderman pleaded not guilty Friday. The revelation, which Letterman shared with the audience of the \"Late Show,\" seemed especially shocking given his reputation as the self-deprecating everyman. \"Letterman picked up on [that shock] and played on that,\" said Robert Thompson, a professor and founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. \"It was the weirdest 10 minutes of television I've seen in a long time, and yet I think I've concluded that it was brilliant.\" Watch \"Larry King Live\" guest host Jim Moret talk to panel about Letterman case » . Letterman has had plenty of experience dealing with awkward, and sometimes painful, episodes on television. Beginning in the 1980s, he was stalked by Margaret Ray, a woman with schizophrenia who often broke into his New Canaan, Connecticut, home, wrote him letters and once stole his Porsche. Letterman would sometimes joke about her -- without using her name -- on his show and told The New York Times that was because he joked about every public aspect of his life. Ray would refer to herself as \"Mrs. David Letterman\" and once watched the talk show host and his now-wife Regina Lasko from a hallway in their home as they lay in bed. Ray committed suicide in 1998; Letterman offered his condolences on-air to her family. Though Letterman was quoted as saying Ray's actions were usually more odd than frightening, a plot in 2005 to kidnap his then-toddler son proved to be more alarming. Kelly A. Frank, an ex-con who had done some work at Letterman's Deep Creek Ranch in Montana, was charged with planning to kidnap Letterman's son, Harry, and his nanny. Frank pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 10 years in jail. In 2007, he escaped and was later captured. Thompson said Letterman has shown that he is able to rise above his troubles, including emergency bypass surgery in 2000, with a healthy dose of comedy. This latest incident was no different, Thompson observed. \"The interesting thing is that he never went out of comic mode,\" Thompson said. \"His magnum opus was when he was the first late-night comedian to come back after September 11th ... and he did it brilliantly. All of the other comics who came on in the following weeks followed him exactly.\" He kept Thursday's tale so light, Thompson said, that many who may not have been aware of the news would have thought it was just another Letterman bit. \"I think he realized that we are so cynical and so disbelieving of this long string of people apologizing for stuff like this,\" Thompson said. \"We don't believe it anymore, and we think they are only doing it for public relations. But he didn't handle it that way, and he delivered it in such a way that it came across as light-hearted and sincere.\" Glenn Selig, founder of the Publicity Agency, said that from a crisis-management perspective, Letterman handled his most recent incident well. \"I think the fact that he put it out there in his own way, in his own terms with the timing that he wanted to do it, that was the best way to go,\" Selig said. \"He tried to interject some humor and self-deprecation into it, which I think takes the wind out of those who may have tried to knock him down, because he was already knocking himself down.\" And although more intimate, and embarrassing, details may be revealed as the case continues, critic Boedeker said he thinks Letterman, his show and his career will come out well. \"I think his fans are, for the most part, pretty forgiving,\" Boedeker said. \"He's always made fun of himself and his looks. It's not as if he has set himself up as some paragon of virtue, and I really don't think this will hurt him in the long run.\" A representative for Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, said, \"All the relationships David Letterman was referencing when discussing the matter on the 'Late Show' predated his marriage to Regina\" in March." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alleged plot against David Letterman isn't first time private woes made public .\nLetterman was once stalked and his young son targeted for kidnapping .\nMedia expert: Letterman handled reveal of alleged extortion brilliantly .\nTV critic says he believes that fans will be \"pretty forgiving\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It was still dark when Stan Brock began calling out numbers on his megaphone to admit a crowd of hundreds gathered at a Los Angeles sports arena Tuesday morning. A mobile health clinic offering free services has drawn thousands of people in Los Angeles in the last week. \"We opened the door at 5:30 and there were 600-odd people already gathered,\" he told CNN. Over the last week, thousands seeking free medical care have turned up at the mobile health care clinic set up by Remote Area Medical, a non-profit organization founded by Brock. Tuesday marks the final day of its eight-day operation in Los Angeles, which so far has resulted in the provision of at least $2 million in free health care services, according to Brock's early estimates. Remote Area Medical, better known as RAM, is a volunteer organization that brings free medical, dental and vision care to people around the world. See other groups that provide much-needed health services » . Since its launch in 1985, RAM has sent expeditions to developing corners of the world, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic and India. But in recent years, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based organization has faced increasing demand for its services in the U.S., including from large urban areas. \"We've had to cut back on services to needy places like Haiti because of overwhelming need in the U.S.,\" Brock told CNN. \"We have to take care of the home front first.\" On the final day of the Los Angeles operation, Brock said crowds were still gathering with the hope of receiving care. Patients have spent hours waiting in line in the past week for the chance to get free care. RAM has had to turn away some patients because it didn't have enough volunteers to provide treatment. It hasn't reached its target of treating 1,500 patients a day, but Brock still considers the operation a success. He said RAM has treated at least 4,557 people, and that doesn't include figures from the last two days of the operation, which aren't available yet, he said. Many patients have used more than one service, resulting in roughly 11,500 patient encounters. That includes the extraction of nearly 1,800 bad teeth and the production of 1,090 pairs of new eyeglasses. While limited access to health care is often associated with developing countries, it's a problem that faces patients around the world. That's become increasingly clear as America debates the future of health care. Los Angeles is by far the largest urban community RAM has served so far. The organization has been besieged for requests from a number of metro areas, including Detroit, Seattle, Miami and Atlanta, Brock said. The lack of accessible health care from an economic standpoint is a problem that has been going on for decades, Brock said. \"We could have come to Los Angeles 15 years ago and I guarantee there would have been just as big of a turnout of patients,\" he told CNN. Brock started RAM after spending 15 years in what used to be British Guiana -- now known as Guyana -- in South America. In that isolated area, it would take 26 days on foot to reach care, Brock recalled, and he wanted to find a way to bring medical care to such remote areas. RAM usually provides services in the Appalachia region of the U.S. where it's easier for volunteers to work, Brock said. Medical practitioners providing free care in Tennessee can be licensed in any state. Unfortunately, he said, other states don't have similar provisions, making it difficult for RAM to recruit enough local volunteers to be able to deal with the demand if they were to set up in areas like New York or Washington. Running the temporary clinic is practically a 24-hour operation. Brock's day starts at 4 a.m. and runs well into the night. But it's a rewarding experience for volunteers when they get to see how much their efforts have been appreciated, he said. \"When you see a patient who has had thousands of dollars of free dental care come out of a dental chair and they've got tears in their eyes and hug the dentist and dental assistant, it makes it all worthwhile.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pop-up clinic in Los Angeles has treated at least 4,500 patients in last week .\nNon-profit Remote Area Medical behind the mobile medical center .\nFounder Stan Brock says demand for free care not just limited to rural areas ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Sri Lankan court sentenced a journalist Monday to serve 20 years in prison for articles that criticized the military, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission. Tamil journalist J. S. Tissainayagam is led from court after being sentenced. \"The AHRC is not surprised by this judgment because at the very inception of this case, the AHRC pointed out that this is purely a political case,\" the commission said in a statement. J.S. Tissainayagam, the editor of a monthly magazine, was arrested in March 2008 for printing articles critical of the Sri Lankan military's treatment of civilians during the country's war on the Tamil Tiger rebel group, according to several human rights groups. The Tamil journalist was held without charge for several months, prompting outrage from human rights and press freedom organizations. He was later charged under the country's controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act. His case has drawn international attention to the plight of press freedom in Sri Lanka, which ended its decades-long war against the Tamil rebels earlier this year. The country's military has been accused of numerous atrocities against civilians during the final months of the 26-year conflict. Sri Lanka has denied the accusations, and routinely rejects calls by human rights groups for independent investigations into its campaign against the Tigers. U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned Tissainayagam in his May 1 statement on World Press Freedom Day: . \"In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed: from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritrea. Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like J.S. Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China.\" The Asian Human Rights Commission condemned Monday's sentence as \"the most glaring proof of the absence of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.\" It called on Sri Lanka and the international community \"to condemn the judgment and the sentence in Tissainayagam's case and to call for his unconditional release.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "J.S. Tissainayagam, editor of a monthly magazine, arrested in March 2008 .\nPrinting articles critical of Sri Lankan military's treatment of civilians during civil war .\nTamil journalist was held without charge for several months .\nCase drawn international attention to the plight of press freedom in Sri Lanka ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Dutch Court will decide the fate Friday of 13-year-old Laura Dekker, either making her a potential world-record-breaking sailor, or returning her to school. Laura Dekker will find out on Friday whether the Dutch Court will back her record attempt. Welfare services in the Netherlands have taken legal action to try to stop the teen from attempting to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world because they believe the voyage will be too dangerous. The Dutch Council for Child Protection has applied to the District Court in the city of Utrecht for Dekker to be made a ward of court so that her parents, who support her plans, temporarily lose the right to make decisions about her. Laura's father, Dick Dekker, has already had a request for her to miss two years of school turned down. However, CNN affiliate TVNZ reported that Laura, who was born off the coast of New Zealand and began sailing solo when she was 10, may attempt to obtain a Kiwi passport which would allow her to start her round the world trip from New Zealand shores instead. Laura's court battle comes as a 17-year-old English teen sailed into the record books Thursday as the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe to date. Mike Perham sailed into Lizard Point in Cornwall, the southernmost point in Britain, at 9:47 a.m. (4:47 a.m. ET) to mark the end of his 48,280-kilometer (30,000-mile), 282-day ocean journey. Perham set off on his round-the-world trip on November 18. He has been sailing his yacht, TotallyMoney.com, single-handedly, though a support team has been sailing next to him along the way. Perham told CNN how he battled 50-foot waves and 57 mph winds in the Southern Ocean between Australia and Antarctica. He said at one point, a \"freak wave\" picked up the boat and turned it on its side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Laura Dekker, 13, wants to become youngest person to sail solo around globe .\nDutch social workers say it is too dangerous and want to prevent her .\nDekker may apply for New Zealand passport to start bid there instead .\nComes as 17-year-old English teen breaks current record ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including \"Off the Wall,\" \"Thriller\" and \"Bad\" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed. Michael Jackson, shown in 2008, was one of the biggest pop stars in history. He was 50. He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center. Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon. Watch crowds gather at Jackson's hospital » . \"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color,\" the Rev. Al Sharpton said. \"To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by.\" Jackson's blazing rise to stardom -- and later fall from grace -- is among the most startling of show business tales. The son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from \"Off the Wall,\" including \"Rock With You\" and \"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.\" Watch Jackson perform at a 1988 concert » . In 1982, he released \"Thriller,\" an album that eventually produced seven hit singles. An appearance the next year on a Motown Records 25th-anniversary special cemented his status as the biggest star in the country. Timeline: The life of Michael Jackson » . For the rest of the 1980s, they came no bigger. \"Thriller's\" follow-up, 1987's \"Bad,\" sold almost as many copies. A new Jackson album -- a new Jackson appearance -- was a pop culture event. iReport: Share your memories of Michael Jackson . The pop music landscape was changing, however, opening up for rap, hip-hop and what came to be called \"alternative\" -- and Jackson was seen as out of step. His next release, 1991's \"Dangerous,\" debuted at No. 1 but \"only\" produced one top-ranking single -- \"Black or White\" -- and that song earned criticism for its inexplicably violent ending, in which Jackson was seen smashing car windows and clutching his crotch. And then \"Dangerous\" was knocked out of its No. 1 spot on the album charts by Nirvana's \"Nevermind,\" an occurrence noted for its symbolism by rock critics. After that, more attention was paid to Jackson's private life than his music career, which faltered. A 1995 two-CD greatest hits, \"HIStory,\" sold relatively poorly, given the huge expense of Jackson's recording contract: about 7 million copies, according to Recording Industry of America certifications. A 2001 album of new material, \"Invincible,\" did even worse. In 2005, he went to trial on child-molestation charges. He was acquitted. In July 2008, after three years away from the spotlight, Jackson announced a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena as his \"curtain call.\" Some of the shows, initially scheduled to begin in July, were eventually postponed until 2010. Watch the reaction to Jackson's passing . Rise to stardom . Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a Gary, Indiana, steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was 6, he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, and by the time he was 10, the group -- the Jackson 5 -- had been signed to Motown. Watch Michael Jackson's life in video . He made his first television appearance at age 11. Jackson, a natural performer, soon became the group's front man. Music critic Langdon Winner, reviewing the group's first album, \"Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,\" for Rolling Stone, praised Michael's versatile singing and added, \"Who is this 'Diana Ross,' anyway?\" The group's first four singles -- \"I Want You Back,\" \"ABC,\" \"The Love You Save\" and \"I'll Be There\" -- went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart, the first time any group had pulled off that feat. There was even a Jackson 5 cartoon series on ABC. Watch reaction from Motown Studios » . In 1972, he hit No. 1 as a solo artist with the song \"Ben.\" The group's popularity waned as the '70s continued, and Michael eventually went solo full time. He played the Scarecrow in the 1978 movie version of \"The Wiz,\" and released the album \"Off the Wall\" in 1979. Its success paved the way for \"Thriller,\" which eventually became the best-selling album in history, with 50 million copies sold worldwide. At that point, Michael Jackson became ubiquitous. Seven of \"Thriller's\" nine cuts were released as singles; all made the Top Ten. The then-new cable channel MTV, criticized for its almost exclusively white playlist, finally started playing Jackson's videos. They aired incessantly, including a 14-minute minimovie of the title cut. (\"Weird Al\" Yankovic cemented his own stardom by lampooning Jackson's song \"Beat It\" with a letter-perfect parody video.) On the Motown Records' 25th-anniversary special -- a May 1983 TV extravaganza with notable turns by the Temptations, the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson -- it was Michael Jackson who stopped the show. Already he was the most popular musician in America, riding high with \"Thriller.\" But something about his electrifying performance of \"Billie Jean,\" complete with the patented backward dance moves, boosted his stardom to a new level. Watch Jackson perform \"Thiller\" » . People copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look. Showbiz veterans such as Fred Astaire praised his chops. He posed for photos with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House. Paul McCartney teamed with him on three duets, two of which -- \"The Girl Is Mine\" and \"Say Say Say\" -- became top five hits. Jackson became a Pepsi spokesman, and when his hair caught fire while making a commercial, it was worldwide news. It all happened very fast -- within a couple years of the Motown special. But even at the time of the \"Motown 25\" moonwalk, fame was old hat to Michael Jackson. He hadn't even turned 25 himself, but he'd been a star for more than half his life. He was given the nickname the \"King of Pop\" -- a spin on Elvis Presley's status as \"the King of Rock 'n' Roll\" -- and few questioned the moniker. Relentless attention . But, as the showbiz saying has it, when you're on top of the world, there's nowhere to go but down. The relentless attention given Jackson started focusing as much on his eccentricities -- some real, some rumored -- as his music. As the Web site Allmusic.com notes, he was rumored to sleep in a hyperbaric chamber and to have purchased the bones of John Merrick, the \"Elephant Man.\" (Neither was true.) He did have a pet chimpanzee, Bubbles; underwent a series of increasingly drastic plastic surgeries; established an estate, Neverland, filled with zoo animals and amusement park rides; and managed to purchase the Beatles catalog from under Paul McCartney's nose, which displeased the ex-Beatle immensely. In 1990s and 2000s, Jackson found himself pasted across the media for his short-lived marriages, the first to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie; his 2002 claim that then Sony Records head Tommy Mottola was racist; his behavior and statements during a 2003 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir done for a documentary called \"Living With Michael Jackson;\" his changing physical appearance; and, above all, the accusations that he sexually molested young boys at Neverland. Watch report on legacy on Michael Jackson » . The first such accusation, in 1993, resulted in a settlement to the 13-year-old accuser (rumored to be as high as $20 million), though no criminal charges were filed, Allmusic.com notes. He also fell deeply in debt and was forced to sell some of his assets. Neverland was one of many holdings that went on the block. However, an auction of material from Neverland, scheduled for April, was called off and all items returned to Jackson. Interest in Jackson never faded, however, even if some of it was prurient. In 2008, when he announced 10 comeback shows in London, beginning in July 2009, the story made worldwide news. The number of concerts was later increased to 50. Seventy-five thousand tickets sold in four hours when they went on sale in March. However, when the shows were postponed until 2010, rumors swept the Internet that Jackson was not physically prepared and possibly suffering from skin cancer. Watch discussion of his tough life, brilliant career » . At the time, the president and CEO of AEG Live, Randy Phillips, said, \"He's as healthy as can be -- no health problems whatsoever.\" Jackson held open auditions for dancers in April in Los Angeles. He is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Michael Jackson suffers cardiac arrest at home in Los Angeles suburb .\nSinger was dominant in pop music for four decades with Jackson 5, solo .\nJackson had many No. 1s; his \"Thriller\" is one of the best-selling albums of all time ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- For the past decade, Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell has been moving the data from his brain onto computers -- where he knows it will be safe. Gordon Bell wearing a SenseCam, which automatically records photos throughout the day. Sure, you could say all of us do this to some extent. We save digital pictures from family events and keep tons of e-mail. But Bell, who is 75 years old, takes the idea of digital memory to a sci-fi-esque extreme. He carries around video equipment, cameras and audio recorders to capture his conversations, commutes, trips and experiences. Microsoft is working on a SenseCam that would hang around a person's neck and automatically capture every detail of life in photo form. Bell has given that a whirl. He also saves everything -- from restaurant receipts (he takes pictures of them) to correspondence, bills and medical records. He makes PDF files out of every Web page he views. In sum, this mountain of data -- more than 350 gigabytes worth, not including the streaming audio and video -- is a replica of Bell's biological memory. It's actually better, he says, because, if you back up your data in enough places, this digitized \"e-memory\" never forgets. It's like having a multimedia transcript of your life. By about 2020, he says, our entire life histories will be online and searchable. Location-aware smartphones and inexpensive digital memory storage in the \"cloud\" of the Internet make the transition possible and inevitable. No one will have to fret about storing the details of their lives in their heads anymore. We'll have computers for that. And this revolution will \"change what it means to be human,\" he writes. Bell, who, along with fellow researcher Jim Gemmell, is the author of a new book called \"Total Recall,\" talked with CNN about the advantages and drawbacks of recording one's life in painstaking digital detail. The following is an edited transcript. CNN: What have you learned about yourself through this process? That's been a really hard question to answer. ... The main driver of the recall turns out to be a [computer] screensaver or something where I go looking for [a digital memory] and I find something else. I guess it's the rich set of connections and people that I've been involved with. CNN: What do you use to record your memories? In a way, most of what happens during the day is sort of routine -- what you've done before. So I carry the SenseCam only when I think there's an episode or a sequence or a certain set of events that I want to capture and have automatically photographed. But I tend to always carry a camera with me. I live next to a fire station and I've got lots of photos of the hook and ladder coming out of the house. And I like food so I tend to photograph wonderfully presented food all the time. To me those are very pleasant memories. CNN: If we rely on computers instead of our brains, will humans become mentally sluggish? That's certainly one of the concerns. I tend to counter that theory. To me, I feel a lot freer. In a way I feel like I still remember all that stuff, but I generally remember that [the computer is] remembering something for me so I can find it. People have no memory of phone numbers now because of the cell phone -- their address book is in a cell phone. So I don't think they're getting any worse or any less facile about that. What an e-memory does, to me, is gives me a really wonderful free feeling. CNN: If we all record audio of our lives, do you think conversations will become stilted and fake? I think there will be a lot of court cases and lawyering around all of that. I'm personally less hung up about that. Certainly, people my age and Baby Boomers are. But the current X-Generation, [they think] this is pretty natural. CNN: Are you on Facebook and Twitter? Yeah, I'm on Facebook and Twitter and occasionally I will tweet something. Somehow my problem is that I don't think I have anything interesting to tweet about. CNN: Should all of our memories and observations be public? Absolutely not. Our own memories are our own private thing, and how much you choose to have on Facebook or blogs, that's your thing. CNN: What does your family think about your effort to record everything? Gradually, everybody is getting this idea. ... Think of it: You are a librarian for your life. Somebody has to be the family librarian. CNN: Are you worried about losing your memory? ... Forgetting is not a feature, it's a flaw. I don't think forgetting is an important feature of human memory. I think it's important to be able to remember things accurately. CNN: Are there any memories you deleted? No. When we were scanning stuff I had written a memo about a company, an unpleasant company -- probably the only company I was ever ashamed to be a part of. ... I put a note on that file that said, \"Don't ever scan or copy this!\" My assistant who was doing the scanning ran across this and said, \"What do you want me to do with this?\" And I said, \"Well, gee. This is my life.\" I said, \"It's OK, just go ahead.\" So it's all there. CNN: Do you think it's possible for people to turn away from new technologies? Or are advances like \"Total Recall\" inevitable? I think it's inevitable because so much content is being created. Virtually everything is coming in digitally -- everything from your photos to your videos to your music. ... I will love that day when the world is just bits. It's the ultimate in green, by the way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell argues we will soon have searchable memories .\nBell details his ideas in a new co-authored book called \"Total Recall\"\nBell has been recording almost every detail of his life digitally for a decade ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax figure of Michael Jackson on Thursday, showing the late entertainer in a pose from the concerts he had planned to hold this month. The new waxwork of Michael Jackson -- only Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed more times by Madame Tussauds. Sculptors at the wax museum started working on the figure four months ago. They had intended to display it this month, to coincide with the start of Jackson's \"This is It\" comeback tour in London. The new figure is modeled on a Jackson pose from the concert poster, the museum said. It shows him \"arms outstretched, pelvis thrusting and tip-toed, with his trademark trilby angled forward,\" the museum said. It is the 13th Jackson waxwork by Madame Tussauds, the museum said. Only Britain's Queen Elizabeth II -- who has been on the throne for almost 60 years -- has been portrayed more often. \"It is extremely unusual for a personality to have been portrayed so many times,\" said Madame Tussauds spokeswoman Liz Edwards. \"But Michael Jackson was totally unique and his iconic status made him one of the most popular stars here.\" The London museum has two other Jackson waxworks -- one in a pose from \"Thriller\" and another from his \"Dangerous\" album. The other 10 Jackson waxworks are in other Madame Tussauds museums around the world. The museum said it decided to proceed with the figure after Jackson's death last month \"as a tribute to one of the greatest musicians of all time and to celebrate his amazing 40-year career.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Waxwork is the 13th of Jackson unveiled by the London tourist attraction .\nModel had been commissioned before singer's death to coincide with London concerts .\nOnly Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed more often by the museum ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A controversial exhibition featuring preserved corpses having sex opened Thursday in Germany's capital. Gunther von Hagens' controversial \"Body Works\" shows have traveled throughout the world. Part of his traveling \"Body Works\" exhibition, \"The Cycle of Life,\" is showing at Berlin's Postbahnhof and features 200 human bodies at various life stages -- from conception to old age, including embryos and fetuses taken from historic anatomical collections. In one exhibit a male body is lying on his back with a woman sitting astride him with her back towards his head. Torsten Woehlert, spokesman for Berlin's Culture Ministry, told CNN that there has already been a number of complaints from the public in the press, though none have come to the ministry itself. He said: \"As it is not against the law, only against good taste, there is not much the government could do anyway.\" Conceived by Gunther von Hagens -- dubbed Dr. Death in Germany -- the exhibition displays the bodies with their muscles, nerves and tendons on show using a preservation technique he pioneered called plastination. This process involves replacing all body fluids and soluble fat with specially manufactured plastics. On his Web site, the anatomist describes the exhibition's purpose and goal \"to reveal and expose the anatomical structure of the human body and its function, in a unique lesson, and to teach us about the complexity of the human body, its anatomy, and the importance of leading a healthy way of life.\" What do you think? He added that the source of the exhibition is from donors -- people, who during their lifetime, declared their willingness, by informed consent, to display their bodies at the exhibition for the \"benefit of education, health and the awareness of the wide public to the different systems of the human body.\" When asked about the coupling of sex and death, von Hagens told Germany's Bild that \"death and sex are both taboo topics. I'm bringing them together. Death belongs to life.\" He added that \"without sex no life would exist.\" Von Hagens' work has divided opinion in the past, with critics often doubting his scientific motives and accusing him of shocking people to gain publicity. His public autopsy in 2002 for British broadcaster Channel 4 -- the first in the UK for 170 years -- received hundreds of complaints. The authorities also threatened to arrest him after declaring the procedure illegal. Von Hagens justified his actions as \"demystifying the post mortem examination,\" and likened the medical profession to \"medieval priests who would not allow ordinary people to read the Bible,\" The New Scientist reported." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cycle of Life features 200 human bodies at various life stages .\nOne exhibit shows male body lying on back with a female sitting astride him .\nVon Hagens: Exhibition to teach us about the complexity of the human body .\nVon Hagens performed first UK public autopsy in 170 years in 2002 for television ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- You had a close encounter with a 40-yard-wide asteroid this week, but the astronomer who first spotted the large rock said it's nothing to worry about. An asteroid (inside circle) passed within 38,000 miles of Earth on Monday. Asteroid 2009 DD45 on Monday passed within 38,000 miles of Earth, less than twice the height of the geostationary satellites we depend on for communications, according to Robert McNaught of the Australian National University. McNaught, who watches for asteroids with his telescope 250 miles northwest of Sydney, Australia, discovered the approaching rock last week. \"It's not something to worry about, but something to be aware of,\" he said. While a direct hit on Earth could be a devastating natural disaster, McNaught said keeping track of asteroids can make a hit \"potentially preventable.\" \"If discovered in advance and with enough lead time, there is the possibility of pushing it off course, if you have decades of advance warning,\" McNaught said. \"If you have only a few days, you can evacuate the area of impact, but there's not a great deal [else] you can do.\" In either case, he said, a global catastrophe as depicted in Hollywood movies such as \"Deep Impact\" is \"very, very unlikely.\" The 2009 DD45 asteroid circles the sun every 18 months, but its path will not threaten this planet at least for the next century, he said. The number of \"potentially harmful asteroids\" discovered each year has grown dramatically over the past decade as \"systematic programs\" to scan the skies have been put in place, McNaught said. Nearly 100 new ones have been found in each of the past several years, he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asteroid passes within 38,000 miles of Earth on Monday, an astronomer says .\nThe 40-yard-wide rock was nothing to be worried about, he says .\nAsteroid was spotted by Robert McNaught through his telescope in rural Australia ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- About 200 people have been arrested in a flare-up of anti-Christian violence in Gojra that left seven dead, a government minister said Monday. Christians in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday protest the slayings of seven Christians in weekend violence. Rana Sana Ullah, Punjab's provincial law minister, told CNN that the paramilitary Rangers force was helping police and maintaining law and order. Seven people were killed and 20 injured Saturday when Muslim demonstrators set fire to houses in a Christian enclave and fighting broke out, authorities said. Police said the Muslims were protesting an alleged desecration of pages in the Quran, the Muslim sacred text, at a Christian wedding. At a news conference in Islamabad carried on local TV, Shehbaz Bhatti, federal minister for minorities, said an investigation determined there was no desecration of the Quran in village 95 Gill near Gojra City, and the allegations were baseless. He also said the government will rebuild all the burned houses. Bhatti told CNN that four women, two men and a child, all Christians, were either shot to death or killed when their houses were burned. About 50 houses were burned down, and more than 100 were looted by the protesters, Bhatti said. The incident occurred in Gojra City, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Lahore. Kamran Michael, Punjab provincial minister for human rights and minority affairs, who is a Christian, told CNN after meeting with Pakistan's Christian leaders in Gojra that a consensus had been reached to observe three days of mourning, from Monday to Wednesday, for the attack on the Christians. On those three days, all schools, colleges, missions and educational institutions run by Christians will remain closed. Christian schools in Karachi, which were due to open for the new term Monday, remained closed. However, schools in most other areas of Pakistan are still on summer vacation. Michael also criticized Pakistan's \"law of offenses relating to religion,\" which has a penalty of life imprisonment for desecration of the Quran and even death for defiling the name of the prophet Mohammed. He called the law unjust and misused, and he strongly condemned it, demanding that it be amended because of its misuse against minorities. Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "7 killed, 20 hurt Saturday when Muslim protesters set fire to houses in Christian area .\nThey were protesting alleged desecration of Quran at a Christian wedding .\nFederal official says investigation determined there was no desecration of Quran .\nAbout 50 houses were burned down, more than 100 looted in violence ." } ]

[ { "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 an infamous CIA double agent who is himself accused of spying was released from jail Friday in Portland, Oregon, pending trial after a federal judge ruled he did not pose a flight risk. Nathaniel Nicholson, son of an infamous CIA double agent, faces his own spying charges. Judge Anna J. Brown ordered that Nathaniel Nicholson, 24, can be freed provided he stay with family, not leave Oregon without permission from authorities and wear a GPS monitoring device. Brown also ordered that he not have any contact with his father, the admitted spy Harold James \"Jim\" Nicholson. The elder Nicholson pleaded guilty in 1997 to spying for Russia and is the highest ranking CIA officer ever to be sentenced for espionage. While serving a 23-year prison sentence, prosecutors allege, Jim Nicholson, 58, restarted his career as a double agent and enlisted his son Nathaniel in his efforts to collect money owed to him by the Russian spy services and to sell more secrets. Both father and son were charged in January with acting as agents of a foreign government, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. They have pleaded not guilty. Court appointed lawyers representing the men did not return CNN's calls for comment . According to the indictment, Nathaniel Nicholson made trips to California, Mexico, Peru and Cyprus, where he met with Russian government representatives who gave him payments totaling over $35,000 in cash. At his father's request, Nathaniel Nicholson allegedly shared the money with his sister and grandparents. Nathaniel Nicholson had complained to his father that he and his sister were short of money to pay for college, prosecutors said. Jim Nicholson told his son that his alleged spying activities \"were 'risky' but not 'illegal,'\" the indictment said. According to court testimony, Nathaniel Nicholson, who is a former U.S. Army paratrooper, initially told authorities that he had traveled overseas to visit \"a battle buddy.\" The FBI agents informed Nicholson that lying to them was a federal crime and offered him a \"mulligan,\" or a chance to change his story, according to the agent's testimony. At that point, FBI special agent John Cooney testified, Nicholson became more \"forthcoming\" about his meetings with Russians. If convicted, Jim and Nathaniel Nicholson could face up to 20 years in jail." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nathaniel Nicholson, son of a CIA double agent, faces spying charges .\nA Portland, Oregon, judge releases him from jail, pending trial .\nHis father, Jim Nicholson, pleaded guilty in 1997 to spying for Russia .\nWhile in prison, father allegedly enlisted son to help continue spy services ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The AMC series \"Mad Men\" has been honored for its sharp writing, polished acting and engaging portrayal of life at a New York advertising agency in the early 1960s. \"Mad Men\" has gotten attention from fashion designers and clothing merchandisers. It has also been much noticed for something else: its fashion sense. The series, which features all the looks of that era -- thin-lapeled suits and skinny ties, crinoline-puffed dresses and pencil skirts, Peter Pan collars and subdued pinks and greens -- has attracted attention from fashion designers and clothing merchandisers. Banana Republic, which has placed \"Mad Men\"-inspired clothes in its window displays, is even offering a walk-on role for the winner of a contest. \"Mad Men,\" which returns for its third season Sunday, isn't the first Hollywood creation to influence fashion trends. For decades, movies and television shows have played a primary role in dictating people's fashion choices, whether they've been aware of it or not. Here are a few examples. 1. In the 1934 film \"It Happened One Night,\" star Clark Gable took off his shirt and showed his bare chest, instead of the standard white undershirt. For decades, an urban legend has maintained that undershirt sales dropped up to 75 percent, not to recover until World War II. Though the mythbusting site Snopes.com says the truth is uncertain, it's testimony to the legend's strength that we're still talking about it 75 years later. 2. The 1967 film \"Bonnie and Clyde,\" with its (somewhat idealized) Depression-era fashion, continues to inspire today's designers. Faye Dunaway's berets, scarves, trench coats, fitted cardigans and long pencil skirts were a hit at the time and remain so today. 3. \"Annie Hall\" boldly showed women that the masculine preppy look was attractive. Star Diane Keaton wore baggy pants, dress shirts, a vest and tie in the 1977 Woody Allen film. The film is said to have influenced a spike in tie sales for women. 4. \"Saturday Night Fever\" rejuvenated a fading disco craze in 1977 and told men it's OK to wear crotch-hugging pants, wide-open, chest-baring shirts and large medallion jewelry. John Travolta's white polyester suit -- later bought by film critic Gene Siskel at auction -- became a disco-era icon. 5. The 1983 film \"Flashdance\" made active wear -- like a ripped sweatshirt off one shoulder, tight leggings and leg warmers -- sexy for women in the early 1980s. Actor Jennifer Beals is said to have cut the collar off a sweatshirt that had shrunk in order to get it over her head, according to the Internet Movie Database. 6. The 1980s TV series \"Miami Vice,\" with its lightweight fabrics and pastel colors, proved a hit on television and in menswear departments. Star Don Johnson's signature look -- T-shirt, suit jacket, linen pants and shoes worn sockless -- could be seen all over the country. (He also popularized the unshaven, stubble-bearded look.) 7. \"Sex and the City\" trendsetter Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie, talked about her shoe addiction constantly during the HBO series, which ran from 1998 to 2004 and spawned a 2008 movie. Soon, stilettos -- paired with a thrown-together look -- became something the cool crowd of viewers would follow, along with brands such as Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo. 8. A game show starting a fashion trend? It happened with \"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,\" which featured host Regis Philbin sporting a monochromatic shirt-and-tie look. Later, he launched a line of shirts and ties in the Regis by Van Heusen collection." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mad Men\" has influenced fashion designers; looks filter into public view .\nMany movies, TV shows have had similar impact .\n\"Miami Vice,\" \"Sex and the City\" are among names on the list ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Concerns were growing Wednesday for a polar bear born last month at a German zoo after its twin died and was possibly eaten by its mother. One year ago Vera gave birth to Flocke, pictured here playing in her enclosure in April. The young polar bear died Monday, less than two weeks after it was born, Nuremberg Zoo said. The surviving twin was doing well, the zoo said, but added that it was concerned the mother may not be able to care for it properly. Zookeepers watching a video feed from the bears' enclosure said they had noticed the baby bear looking thinner and weaker. They saw the bears' mother, Vera, nudging the dead bear with her nose and observing it -- and as of Wednesday, they said, the dead bear was nowhere to be seen. \"It is very, very sad,\" said zoo director Dag Encke. \"it is unfortunately frequently the case that with twins, one of the animals doesn't survive.\" Zookeepers had kept their distance from Vera and her babies, watching them only on camera so as not to make the mother feel threatened. Polar bears are known to eat their young if they sense any danger or interference. \"We have to worry more about the surviving young animal and take care that the polar bear with her baby is not disturbed,\" Encke said. \"So far, Vera is caring for the surviving baby in an exemplary way.\" One year ago Vera gave birth to Flocke, who became an instant celebrity across Germany. Flocke's first birthday is Thursday." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "German zookeepers concerned for baby polar bear after its twin died .\nYoung polar bear died Monday, less than two weeks after it was born .\nBaby nowhere to be found in enclosure; mothers often eat young if sense danger ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- An additional 440,000 Honda vehicles are being added to a recall initially announced in November to repair a potential defect in airbag inflation systems, American Honda Motor Co. said Friday. The 2001 Honda Civic is among the vehicles covered by the recall. The recall involves driver-side airbags in certain 2001-02 Honda Accords, 2001 Civics and 2002-03 Acura TLs, the company said in a news release. The affected vehicles will require the replacement of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag inflator. \"In some vehicles, airbag inflators can produce over-pressurization of the driver's [front] airbag inflator mechanism during airbag deployment,\" the release said. \"If an affected inflator deploys, the increased internal pressure may cause the inflator casing to rupture. Metal fragments could pass through the cloth airbag cushion material, possibly causing an injury or fatality to vehicle occupants.\" Honda spokesman Chris Noughtan said the potential defect has resulted in six known injuries and one known death. The company will send a recall notice in the mail over the next few months, the release said. Owners may check their car's recall status by visiting the Honda \"Owner Link\" Web site at www.owners.honda.com/recalls or the Acura \"My Acura\" Web site at www.owners.acura.com/recalls. \"Only certain vehicles are affected, and concerned owners of 2001-2002 Accords, 2001 Civics and 2002-2003 Acura TLs are encouraged to wait to receive a recall notice in the mail before scheduling an appointment with their local dealer,\" the company said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "2001-02 Accords, 2001 Civics and 2002-03 Acura TLs included .\nAirbag inflators can produce over-pressurization, company says .\nAt least six injured, one killed by potential defect .\nOwners will receive recall notices in the mail ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 12 people have died in clashes between Iraqi police and members of an exiled Iranian opposition group at an Iraqi refugee camp, a group spokesman told CNN Friday. Iraqi police block entrances to Camp Ashraf in Diyala province on July 29. A police raid at Camp Ashraf in Diyala province Tuesday led to fighting with members of the group -- the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran. Along with the deaths, there have been reports of several hundred injuries. The PMOI was allied with Saddam Hussein in Iraq during the 1980s with a goal of toppling the Iranian regime. But since Hussein's overthrow in 2003, Iraq has established good relations with the Iranian government. Iran wants to see the camp shut down, and the Iraqi government has said it would close the facility after it got control of the camp from the United States this year. Residents in the camp are concerned about being forcibly turned over to Iran. People there said they would be willing to go back to Iran but only if there are assurances its members won't be mistreated. The PMOI official also said 35 people are missing, and there are fears that they were to be forcibly taken back to Iran. The fighting is over now, and Iraqi police have control of the entrances to the camp and its intersections and streets. It also has control of the camp's power station and water purification plant, the PMOI official said. Amnesty International, the human rights monitoring group, wants the Iraqi government \"to investigate the apparent excessive use of force by its security forces.\" The group said \"armed security forces used bulldozers to force their way into the camp\" and they \"used tear gas, water cannons and batons against unarmed residents who tried to stop them from entering the camp.\" The United States and Iran say the group is a terrorist organization. Amnesty International said in most cases the \"terrorist\" designation pinned on the PMOI by most entities -- such as the European Union and other governments -- has been shelved because the group \"no longer advocates or engages in armed opposition to the government of Iran.\" Meanwhile, at least 29 civilians died in Baghdad on Friday when roadside bombs exploded near four Shiite mosques, an Interior Ministry official said. Police believe the attacks were coordinated. The explosions, after Friday prayers had ended, appeared to target worshipers leaving the mosques. The deadliest bombing occurred in the Shaab neighborhood of northern Baghdad, where 21 people were killed and 35 were wounded. Two others exploded in southeastern Baghdad. Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in Jisr Diyala and one person was killed and seven others were wounded in Zafaraniya. Four people were wounded in the eastern neighborhood of Kamaliya neighborhood, and three people were wounded in the southwestern neighborhood of I'lam neighborhood. CNN's Yousif Bassil contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police raid at camp led to clashes with Iranian opposition group .\nPeople's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran allied with Saddam Hussein in 1980s .\nIran wants to see the camp shut down .\n27 dead after bombs exploded near four Shiite mosques in Baghdad ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- An infant girl delivered prematurely from her mother, who has the swine flu virus, has died, hospital officials said Monday. Aubrey Opdyke was put into a medically induced coma to give the baby as much oxygen as possible. Parker Christine Opdyke was delivered 14 weeks early by doctors at Wellington Regional Medical Center in Florida's Palm Beach County. Her mother, Aubrey Opdyke, was placed into a medically induced coma June 3 to help give the baby as much oxygen as possible. But doctors delivered Parker on Saturday after her mother suffered a collapsed lung last week. Aubrey Opdyke remains comatose and in critical condition in Wellington's intensive care unit. \"Despite heroic efforts on the part of physicians and nurses, we are sad to announce that baby Parker Christine Opdyke has expired,\" said a written statement from the hospital. No other details were available Monday. Attempts by CNN to reach the family were unsuccessful. Even under the best circumstances, delivering a child at 27 weeks is a very early birth, Dr. David Feld, a Palm Beach County obstetrician and gynecologist, told CNN affiliate WPEC. \"When you have an infectious case, I don't think you're going to see that lung maturity as quickly, and I think that is the issue,\" he said. But, he said, now that Aubrey Opdyke is no longer pregnant, she will be able to fight for her own life. Palm Beach County has had 247 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, but only one death. In late June, a 25-year-old pregnant woman died, but her baby survived. Pregnant women have long been a prime concern of health care officials regarding the flu virus, but are of particular concern during this outbreak of swine flu. Pregnant women have always been advised to get a flu shot because they are at greater risk because of the weakened immune system resulting from their pregnancy. But the H1N1 epidemic has seen new complications and challenges. \"We have seen, with this virus, worse complications and severe infections in pregnant women,\" said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. \"We're urging women who are pregnant who develop fever or respiratory symptoms to seek care promptly.\" The CDC said it is vitally important for pregnant women to recognize the signs and symptoms, like fever and cough, to get to their doctor quickly and to begin taking antiviral medicines early on. \"I know that many pregnant women don't want to take anything while they're pregnant,\" said Schuchat. \"This is a situation where you need to be more worried about your health and the baby's health.\" The CDC also recommends that pregnant women get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available, in addition to an annual flu shot. \"For people who are at high risk, like pregnant women, planning to receive both vaccines is probably the right way to go,\" Schuchat said. The CDC's advisory committee will meet later this month to make recommendations on at-risk groups who should receive the new vaccine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baby delivered 14 weeks prematurely from a mom battling swine flu has died .\nThe baby's mother, who has been placed in a coma, remains in critical condition .\nCDC sees \"worse complications, severe infections in pregnant women\" with this flu ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- Abayte Ahmed and her husband learned of their son's death in the most heinous fashion. A family acquaintance called and told them to click on an Internet site. There on the screen were photographs of their 20-year-old son -- the boy with the movie-star looks -- shot through the head thousands of miles away in Somalia. Jamal Bana died in Somalia. Several missing Somali-Americans are believed to have fought there. \"He must have been somewhat disillusioned and indoctrinated, because he didn't have any clue about Somalia at all,\" his mother said, fighting back tears and barely able to speak about her eldest son. Jamal Bana had been missing for months from his Minneapolis home. His family is still grappling with the circumstances surrounding his death in a land they had fled -- an African nation wracked by chaos and violence. The FBI said Bana's death is part of a sweeping federal investigation into a recruiting effort in the United States by a Somali terrorist group called Al-Shabaab, which has ties to al Qaeda. More than a dozen young men of Somali descent have disappeared from the Minneapolis area in recent months. At least three, including Bana, have ended up dead in Somalia, community leaders say. Watch the harrowing saga of Jamal Bana » . Bana was the kind of son a modest immigrant family pins its hopes on. He was the eldest of seven and studying engineering at local colleges. But last fall, his family said, he disappeared without any warning. A few days later, the phone rang. All that could be heard was a quick sentence. \"I'm in Somalia,\" his mother quoted him as saying. He then hung up. Communication from then on was scarce. In calls or text messages, the family said, Bana was guarded, as though someone was watching or listening to him. On July 11, the family received the call telling them to look on the Internet. Bana's father broke down in tears when he saw the photos. One image was a close-up of his son's face, a bullet wound on one side of his head. Another showed the body being carried through the streets of Mogadishu on a stretcher. His parents said they believe their son was brainwashed and recruited to fight in the civil war between Somalia's unstable transitional government and Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab remains entrenched in northeast Somalia and in sections south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after fighting that has uprooted more than 200,000 people since early May, according to the United Nations. The question immigrants in the United States want answered is: How have their youth ended up so far away? One of the missing youth, Shirwa Ahmed, 27, blew up himself and 29 others last fall in Somalia in what is believed to be the first suicide bombing carried out by a naturalized U.S. citizen. Ahmed had traveled from Minneapolis. The attack raised red flags throughout the U.S. intelligence community and sparked an investigation by the FBI. Just weeks ago, community activist Abdirizak Bihi lost his 17-year-old nephew, Burhan Hassan, in Somalia. Asked if his nephew had been kidnapped from Minneapolis, Bihi said, \"They kidnap them in the sense of mental kidnapping, not physically. But they play a male role of mentor.\" Bihi and community leader Omar Jamal said they hold one place at least loosely responsible: the Abubakar as-Saddique Islamic Center, the largest mosque in Minneapolis. \"All these kids missing, they all have one thing in common: They all participated in youth programs in that mosque,\" said Jamal. Jamal and Bihi said leaders of the mosque, at the very least, allowed people to come around their facility and recruit young men to fight in Somalia -- a charge the head imam denies. CNN was not allowed inside the mosque, but was granted an interview with the imam at a different location. \"This is the baseless accusation really,\" said Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Omar Ahmed. \"The mosque -- the mission of the mosque -- is to worship. And people come to worship and go. We don't have any control over what comes through everybody's mind or ideology.\" Sheikh Ahmed said at least two of the young men who died in Somalia did worship at his mosque. But he said no recruiters came around the mosque to pull them away, and said his mosque does not support Al-Shabaab. He added that he has encouraged local families to keep their young sons from going to Somalia. Federal authorities recently made their first arrests in the case, charging two Minnesota men, Salah Osman Ahmed and Abdifatah Yusuf Isse, with one count each of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure people overseas, according to the indictment. CNN could not reach Salah Osman Ahmed's attorney for comment. Published reports indicate he planned to plead not guilty. Isse has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with federal authorities, officials said. In court papers obtained by CNN, Isse's attorney said, \"Mr. Isse will not be the last defendant indicted.\" A local attorney involved in the case said at least seven Somali-Americans have been questioned by a grand jury. An FBI official said the bureau cannot rule out the possibility that some of the young men involved could be trained to carry out terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Meanwhile, CNN has learned more about how Shirwa Ahmed and Burhan Hassan made their way overseas. A travel agent in Minneapolis, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two men paid about $1,800 in cash for tickets to Nairobi, Kenya, or to Dubai, U.A.E. The travel agent said he thinks the two men then made their way to Mogadishu from those cities on a Somali carrier. For Bana's family, it's all too much to bear. Omar Boley is a close friend who grew up in the same tribe as Bana's family. He said Bana's mother is having difficulty coping with everything that has happened in recent months. \"She doesn't want to hear the story again,\" he said. \"She told me, 'Whenever I see someone talking about my son, I feel bad. I can't sleep. I feel sick. So this happened, nothing I can do. We pray for him.' That's what she said, and that's what I believe.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jamal Bana had been missing for months; family learns of his death via Internet .\nDeath is part of wider federal inquiry of terror recruiting by Somali group in U.S.\nImam of Minneapolis mosque says terror recruiters are not at his mosque .\nTwo men charged in U.S. with providing material support to terrorists ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Investigators on Tuesday released the identities of eight people who were killed in a mobile home in southeastern Georgia. Guy Heinze Jr. faces drug charges and is accused of evidence tampering and making false statements. A ninth person remains in critical condition, the Glynn County Police Department said. Police identified the victims as Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; Russell D. Toler Jr., 20; Chrissy Toler, 22; Joseph L. West, 30; Russell D. Toler Sr., 44; Guy Heinze Sr., 45; and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49. They were found dead Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia, about 300 miles southeast of Atlanta, on the Atlantic coast. Police said autopsies were completed Monday, but they did not offer any information about the findings. Authorities did not identify the hospitalized victim. A man who found the bodies called 911 Saturday to report in an anguished voice that he had arrived home to find \"my whole family's dead.\" Hear the frantic 911 call reporting the slayings » . \"I just got home,\" a man identified as Guy Heinze Jr., 22, tells the emergency dispatcher in the call, released Monday. \"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. \"I don't know what to do, man,\" an emotional Heinze tells the dispatcher. \"My dad, my mom, my uncle, my cousin. .... My dad, he's laying there dead. That was my dad.\" A neighbor placed the call and put Heinze on the phone as well as the mobile home park's maintenance man. The park manager also called 911, sobbing as she told dispatchers, \"Please hurry.\" Officers found seven people dead in the residence at the New Hope mobile home park. An eighth person died Sunday. Heinze was arrested Saturday night and faces charges of having a controlled substance and marijuana as well as evidence tampering and making false statements to a police officer, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said. According to an 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.\" No further details were available. The arrest warrant also said that he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car. He had Darvocet, a narcotic painkiller, and marijuana in a pill bottle in the center console of his car, according to the arrest warrant. Doering said Heinze has been cooperative. He stopped short of naming him a suspect in the deaths. \"We're still looking for anybody and everybody that may be related to this,\" he said Sunday. \"That naturally includes [Heinze]. Of course, we're looking at him.\" Heinze's attorney, Ron Harrison, said his client, who has a bail hearing Wednesday, denies any involvement in the killings. The arrest warrant, he said, alleges that his client took a shotgun from the house and hid it in his car. Asked how Heinze was doing, Harrison said, \"Not well. Not well at all. You come across this murder scene, you call 911, and then you end up in jail.\" Police have said they have \"no known suspects\" in the case. \"We are not looking for any known suspects,\" Doering said. \"That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us.\" The 911 call paints a picture of violent chaos. At one point, while the maintenance man, known only as Mike, talks to dispatchers, Heinze goes in the mobile home and reports that his cousin, identified as Michael, is breathing. The maintenance man said that Michael is a \"young man with Down syndrome.\" Heinze reports the youth's \"face is smashed in,\" he said. Heinze gets back on the phone to talk to a supervisor, repeating that Michael appears to be having trouble breathing and needs an ambulance. The dispatcher assures him help is on the way and tries to question him gently. \"People's beat,\" Heinze said. \"Everybody is dead.\" Asked what the mobile home looks like, he yells, \"It looks like a [expletive] murder scene.\" The dispatcher asks Heinze to try to question Michael, and Heinze asks him, \"Where do you hurt?\" There is no response. Doering said Sunday that police think at least one person not in custody may have information in the case. Police had been called to the home before, Doering said, but would not say why. He has been tight-lipped about many aspects of the case, refusing to say how the victims died. All nine victims lived in the mobile home, he said, and police do not believe any of them conducted the assault. He said police are making progress and have narrowed down the timeline for when the deaths occurred. CNN's Sean Callebs contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Warrant claims caller took shotgun from house .\nInvestigators release names of eight people found dead in mobile home .\nNinth person hospitalized in critical condition, police say .\nGlynn County, Georgia, police have been tight-lipped about case ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- The renewable energy sector has received a boost with the inauguration of the world's first commercial wave power project off the Portuguese coast. It is hoped that the Pelamis Wave Energy Converters will provide energy for 15,000 homes. Developed by a Scottish engineering company, Pelamis Wave Power Limited, the Pelamis Wave Energy Converters (PWEC) have been towed into position three miles off the coast of Agucadoura in north Portugal. The first phase of the project is using three PWEC to generate 2.25 megawatts of power at a cost of nine million euros. If successful, a second phase will see energy generation rise to 21 megawatts from a further 25 machines providing electricity for 15,000 Portuguese homes. The project is a joint venture between Pelamis Wave Power Limited, Babcock and Brown Ltd -- a global specialist asset manager, Energias de Portugal (EDP) and Portuguese energy group EFACEC. Named after the sea snake Pelamis, each machine measures 140 meters in length, is 3.5 meters wide and sits partially submerged in the sea. Babcock and Brown's Anthony Kennaway explained to CNN how the PWEC work. \"Effectively what you have is four long sections making up one machine. Between those sections are three small generating motors,\" he said. \"The four sections are all joined by hydraulic rams. As the waves run through the machine it pushes the rams in and out. The action of the rams going to and fro pushes hydraulic fluid into a high-pressure reservoir. That high-pressure reservoir then releases the fluid at a steady rate through a generating motor.\" This power is fed down to a cable on the sea bed which then links back to a sub-station on shore where it is converted into useable electricity. The PWEC are, of course, reliant on the weather. Depending on the wave resource, Pelamis predict that the machines will on average produce 25-40 percent of their full power output over the course of a year. When the full array of 25 machines are in place it is calculated that around 60,000 tons of CO2 will be displaced. If wave power was fully exploited, the British Wind Energy Association estimates that one-two billion tons of CO2 could be displaced every year. Ian Fells, emeritus professor of energy conversion at Newcastle University in England, gave this latest development in wave power a cautious welcome. \"It's extraordinarily difficult to design a machine that will cope with the extreme violence of waves. Some wave machines are under the surface all the time -- but they are not as well developed as yet. Pelamis lies in the surface and it remains to be seen how successful it will be,\" he told CNN. \"But good luck to them. We'll just have to see how it operates over time and how it copes with serious weather conditions.\" Professor Fells, a founding chairman of the New and Renewable Energy Center (NaREC) at Blyth, Northumberland, is convinced of the potential of wave power engineering but says it is still in its infancy. \"A few years ago when I was talking about a 500-kilowatt Wavegen machine, I was asked by a reporter how many of these we would need to replace the two nuclear power stations in Scotland, and the answer is 10,000. That puts things into perspective.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "World's first commercial wave power project is inaugurated off the Portuguese coast .\nThe semi-submerged machines will initially provide 2.25 megawatts of power .\nA second phase will produce 21 megawatts and displace 60,000 tons of CO2 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(REAL SIMPLE) -- If you were to ask my friends back in high school, they would probably say I was one of the lucky ones. I had a face most people at least considered attractive, maybe even beautiful. And for much of my life I had an hourglass figure. Asha Bandele wrote \"Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story,\" 'The Prisoner's Wife\" and \"Daughter.\" But as 40 approached and my figure, um, filled out, I would look in the mirror and no longer see myself as sexy. Then one night that changed. I was at a meeting in a small town with a group of young women who were reading from my most recent book, a memoir that discussed my history of depression and surviving abuse. After the gathering ended, one of the women approached me. She told me that while she was growing up, she had been told to shut up so often she just did it automatically. It felt good to hear someone give voice to how she felt inside, she said. We talked about all the things that kept us silent and shut down. She promised to speak out more from that day on. As she walked away, something came over me: I felt ignited, energized...yes, beautiful. Real Simple: 34 low-cost, make-you-smile ideas . And the more I thought about that woman and our conversation, the more I realized that it wasn't just those instances of bonding or appreciation at public readings that triggered my inner glow; it was my own solitary engagement with language. What makes you feel beautiful? Writing requires us to take the world on more slowly, to notice its harshness as well as its richness. Writing reduces the chaos in my mind. As the gospel song says, it orders my steps and makes me feel in control of myself and therefore appreciative of the world. Real Simple: Keep your mind and body in top condition . Women don't get enough credit for the amount of self we invest in our work. In the last year, watching some of the most talented women I know being laid off has been tough. Knowing that the work they loved -- whether in finance, real estate, or writing -- may be gone forever has been downright devastating, and their grief over this loss is boundless. \"I feel like nothing, like I just want to disappear,\" said one brilliant friend. \"Losing my job is like the worst breakup I've ever been through,\" said another. In the midst of this carnage, I've clung ever tighter to my work -- not so much to the money-making part of it, which ebbs and flows (mostly ebbs, lately), but to the basic joy I've always taken in words; that at least doesn't go anywhere. Real Simple: How to worry less . For so long I had measured my beauty (and, really, my worth) by my dress size. And, hey, I would love, I mean love, to be a size 6 again. Still, every time I give a lecture or teach a workshop and touch someone -- or write a page and reach a deeper part of myself -- I feel so useful and relevant. It translates to a more profound feeling of beauty than the rush I once got from someone admiring my breast size. I like superficial praise as much as the next person, but at 40 the love finally had to go deeper, didn't it? Get a FREE TRIAL issue of Real Simple - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Author notes how many women are emotionally devastated by job loss .\nAsha Bandele used to measure beauty, self worth by her dress size .\nNow she's realized her own solitary writing makes her feel beautiful .\nAnd says touching others through her words is a more profound beauty ." } ]

[ { "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 16 year-old Australian schoolgirl is hoping to achieve a sailing feat that is so tough it has brought many experienced men and women to the brink of death. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson of Australia plans to sail solo around the world . Jessica Watson, of Mooloolaba, Queensland, plans to set out on a solo round-the-world sailing mission in November -- and hopes to become the youngest person to ever sail non-stop around the world alone. But with the impending weeks of solitary confinement, freeze-dried foods, changing conditions and threat of injury, illness or death -- why would she want to do it? Watson told CNN her inspiration had come from fellow Australian Kay Cottee, who became the first woman to sail the globe alone, without stopping; and German-born Australian Jesse Martin, who still holds the record as the youngest person to do it. Martin achieved his feat in 1999 aged 18 (at the finish), and subsequently wrote a book titled \"Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit.\" \"I read Jesse's book and that was inspiring. If you had to put it down to one thing that encouraged me to do this that would be a good one,\" Watson said. Since deciding she wanted to take on what she describes as the \"Everest of the ocean\" about four years ago, Watson has been doing all she can to gain the best preparation for the adventure. She has already sailed \"mock solo\" across the Tasman Sea, which flows between Australia and New Zealand, at 15 and has been sailing since she was 8 years-old. \"I've been talking to people [who have done it] about it all, and I'll get in some good solo miles before I go,\" she said. Despite the experience she has gained, Watson admits there are some aspects of the journey that remain unknown. \"There are definitely things I'm nervous about -- like the big waves and gear failure. But, it's amazing the detail of preparation we can get and what you can do with technology. \"Though, there's no telling how you'll handle yourself when you're out there for eight months until you're actually out there.\" Watson's journey around the globe is part of what seems to be an increasingly popular trend among young sailors. Seventeen year-old Briton, Mike Perham is currently part-way through his attempt to sail the world solo for charity. Perham is at present stuck in Tasmania, Australia, with gear problems and faces the daunting task of sailing around Cape Horn during the winter season. Still, he has come a long way when many people had raised concerns about the voyage before he departed. On his daily blog, Perham writes about the challenges of being at sea alone, \"The first few days at sea are always the worst -- the lack of sleep leaves me feeling drained all the time but I know I just need to keep pushing on, knowing that I'll soon acclimatize and that things are going to get better and better.\" Another teenager -- 16 year-old Zac Sunderland, who is from California -- is also on a mission to become the youngest sailor to achieve the feat. Sunderland has also progressed from his departure point in California, through the Panama Canal, and into the Atlantic Ocean. For Perham, Sunderland and Watson it was the high level of communications technology at the teenagers disposal as they sail that has convinced their parents to allow them to attempt their journeys. Would you allow your teenage daughter or son to sail solo around the world? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . On Sunderland's Web site his father, Laurence, said, \"Although Zac is alone as he sails, he really has so much help. There will always be people who will disagree with our decision to let Zac go on this trip. It was his idea and it is his desire to continue.\" Watson said her parents had also been supportive from the outset. For the young sailor, the next big challenge is preparing the boat for departure and securing a final sponsor to help fund the journey. She said her life is primarily geared towards the challenge this year. \"It might take a little bit longer to finish school ... this puts everything else on hold.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson plans to sail solo around the world .\nWatson is inspired by Jesse Martin who is the youngest person to have done it .\nBriton Mike Perham, and Zac Sunderland of the U.S. are currently at sea ." } ]

[ { "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) -- Mexico has fired more than 700 customs agents and replaced them with better-trained and educated workers who officials hope will be less likely to give in to the temptation of bribery and other crimes. Cars cross the border into Mexico at the customs post in Tijuana on Monday. The new agents were trained by the army to detect the smuggling of weapons, drugs, pirated products and other items, which has increased in recent years due to corruption. But Mexican Department of Customs officials were quick to point out that the military is not taking over at the nation's 49 customs posts. \"They are not military,\" said Customs Chief Juan Jose Bravo. \"They are practically professional, most of them in outside commerce, in similar careers, who are qualified to work in customs matters.\" All the new agents underwent psychological exams, drug screenings and background checks, Mexican officials said. The new recruits are between the ages of 18 and 30; 65 percent are men and 35 percent are women. Authorities also want to improve the Customs Department's image. The department is part of the Federal Mexican Government Ministry of Commerce and Industrial Development. \"Of course, the outside perception held by many about officials, and particularly this group, was of high corruption,\" Bravo said. \"We did this, fundamentally, because we wanted to professionalize new training with a new plan.\" But some security experts believe that replacing the customs agents will not resolve the problem of corruption. \"It's been perfectly demonstrated that that changing people can be absolutely futile if the structures keep functioning the same way,\" said Ernesto Lopez Portillo, executive director of the Institute for Security and Democracy. \"Because the structures, the protocols, the systems are what allow people to comply with regulations.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More than 700 customs agents replaced with better-trained workers .\nNew recruits got psychological exams, drug tests, background checks, officials say .\nOfficials want to improve Customs Department's image, make it more professional .\nSome experts say the problem wasn't the old agents, but the system ." } ]

[ { "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 23-year-old British student has designed a \"super-green superyacht\" built using only sustainable materials and which produces virtually no carbon emissions. 600 square meters of solar panels and three giant \"wings\" mean \"Soliloquy\" can run on wind energy or solar power. \"Soliloquy's\" unique eco-luxury design allows the boat to run on two different sources of sustainable energy by incorporating 600 square meters of solar panels on the exterior of the boat and giant rigid \"wings\" that function like sails. Although the 58-meter boat has yet to be built, it would be able to run either on wind energy via the wings (known as \"rigid-wing solarsails\"), solar power supplied by the panels or a combination of the two. An equivalent-sized superyacht burns anywhere between 250 and 600 liters of marine diesel per hour, depending on speed and fuel efficiency, and emits three times that in CO2 emissions, according to British yachting carbon offset company, Yacht Carbon Offset. Some of the biggest SUVs on the road burn around 20 liters of fuel per hour. Both the panels and solarsails -- developed by Australian company Solar Sailor -- on the vessel can fold up or completely stretch out depending on which energy source is in use, changing the yacht's shape. \"I wanted to prove that eco-luxury no longer has to be an oxymoron and doesn't have to make a yacht more expensive,\" designer Alastair Callender, a life-long sailing fanatic, told CNN. See more images of super-yacht Soliloquy » . \"My generation is passionate about the planet and we've got to do all we can so that the earth can sustain us,\" he added. \"At the same time, however, I am also passionate about superyachts.\" Soliloquy is projected to cost approximately $60 to $65 million to build -- similar in cost to conventional superyachts of its size. Callender is currently in talks with potential owners to have the vessel built. The wider superyacht community is enthused about the potential of his design and he has also been invited to speak about his ever-evolving, eco-vessel in Abu Dhabi and Monaco. Callender was originally inspired by famed architect David Fishers' design for a \"constantly moving\" tower in Dubai. \"That's how the idea of an ever-evolving superyacht started -- with the three wings that can independently rotate through 360 degrees,\" Callender explained. Do you like the look of Soliloquy? Tell us in the Sound Off box below . Callender designed \"Soliloquy\" during his final year studying at Coventry University in England. He approached Solar Sailor, an Australian technology company for technical validation of his design. He also asked a local engineering company, Visioneering, to help construct an intricately detailed scale model. At first, some at Visioneering were taken aback by Callender's young age. \"But the idea was innovative and sometimes younger people can bring on board really fresh, new ideas,\" said Adrian Coppin of Visioneering. \"He also has a lot of experience in the yachting industry.\" Callender says his passion comes from a childhood spent in Portsmouth, England: \"I grew up near a harbor, 200 meters away from my sailing club.\" After school, Callender went to Greece for six months to teach sailing. He then worked with some of the big yacht design companies, including that of his mentor, Andrew Winch. He now feels confident that with a good business plan, his project will become reality. \"There are hundreds of extremely rich families who invest in green technology and until now have not wanted to buy yachts because they produce too many carbon emissions,\" he said. \"But with a yacht like Soliloquy, I think they may consider it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A 23-year-old British student has designed a super-green superyacht .\nIt runs on either solar power from panels or wind energy from giant \"wings\"\nYahct produces virtually no emissions and is made from sustainable materials .\nDesigner is now in talks with potential owners to have \"Soliloquy\" built ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Rev. Billy Graham, the 88-year-old legendary Christian evangelist, was hospitalized in North Carolina early Saturday for evaluation and treatment of intestinal bleeding. Evangelist Billy Graham speaks at the Billy Graham Library dedication on May 31, 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was admitted to the Mission Health and Hospitals in Asheville, North Carolina, near his home in Montreat, and is listed in fair condition, a hospital spokesman said in a written statement. \"Mr. Graham's physicians said the illness does not appear to be life-threatening, as Mr. Graham's condition had stabilized over the hours following admission and treatment. \"An upper endoscopy and a bleeding scan showed no areas of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. The physicians say the bleeding may have come from diverticuli, small pouches that can form in the lower intestine. These may become irritated and bleed. A diverticular bleed often begins suddenly and may stop on its own.\" Graham's wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Christian evangelist Graham, 88, in fair condition .\nAdmitted to Mission Health and Hospitals in Asheville, North Carolina .\nPhysicians say the bleeding may be diverticulitis ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Hong Kong is well suited to providing a quick hit of urban thrills and retail therapy, but time-pressed visitors can also get a glimpse of another side of the city away from the shopping malls and neon-lit streets. It's not hard to find things to do or places to go at any time of day or night. A trip to The Peak is a good point from which to begin the day. Home to some of Hong Kong's most expensive properties, it's also the place for an unbeatable view, smog and weather permitting. Catch a tram there from next to the tranquil Hong Kong Park -- where early risers practice their tai chi -- or take a cheap taxi ride, which can whisk you there in a few minutes. A clear morning will reveal the city's high-rise buildings and skyscrapers unfurled below, with Kowloon and the green and mountainous New Territories in the middle distance. The pay-to-enter Peak Tower will also give you a view of the southern side of Hong Kong Island and the South China Sea, although a short walk round Lugard Road is a more rewarding way to take in the city below and work up an appetite. Hong Kong is a restaurant city and dim sum, which refers to a variety of light dishes like dumplings, is a city staple that can be enjoyed at any time in this 24-hour city. It's most commonly taken as a mid-morning meal. Image gallery: Hong Kong highlights » . Head back down towards Hong Kong's Central district, center of the city's finance and banking industry that funded the striking skyscrapers. The Luk Yu Tea House on Stanley Street is an oak-paneled gem that retains its charm despite its popularity: it's a fine spot for tea and dim sum. For even more local flavor, pull up a plastic stool at a \"dai pai dong,\" or street restaurant, situated further along Stanley Street, for cheap, quick, tasty eats. If you're in the city on Sunday, Maxim's in Wan Chai is one of the few places where dim sum is still served by aging trolley dollies. Flag them down as they trundle past; point, eat and enjoy. You can't book a table but it's worth a visit for the atmosphere and harbor backdrop as much as the food. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places on the planet, but its bustling streets are easy to navigate, helped by the affordable and plentiful taxis and an efficient public transport system. The city's skinny trams are a throwback to a different era and worth jumping on for a short journey just to watch the city go by: consider it a good chance to digest lunch. While the city is generally unsentimental when it comes to preserving its old architecture, Sheung Wan, well within walking distance from Central, can give you a better feel of the city away from the shiny malls and new office buildings. From Queens Road, jump on the escalator (yes, escalator) all the way up to Caine Road and wind your way back down the hill. The Dr Sun Yat Sen Museum and some incense-burning temples are nestled among the evocative streets, where you'll also find galleries and independent shops. The area is subject to increasing gentrification, so stroll down Gage Street while you still can: its market will soon disappear as part of the area's redevelopment. Head towards the piers to catch the Star Ferry to Kowloon. Take one of the vintage green tugs -- as iconic as the city's skyscrapers -- from Central Pier to Tsim Sa Tsui (commonly referred to as TST) on the other side of the harbor. As shopping is more of a way of life than a pastime for many Hong Kongers, you'll find you're never far from luxury brand outlets. TST offers just as many consumer delights as anywhere in the city. Away from the air-conditioned glitz of TST's Harbour City shopping plaza, or the boutiques around Granville Terrace, the streets to the north of Yau Ma Tei have a more visceral feel where shopping is no less popular and goes on until late at night, especially at the bargain-paradise for watches and bags, the \"ladies night market\" on Tung Choi Street. Even if shopping isn't on the agenda it's a great place for people watching and getting a sense of the energy of the city. From the throng to a bit of flash: early evening cocktails at Felix or Aqua bar should revive any weary spirits. The swank factor here is high, but there are killer views. They are also great vantage points for the lights and laser show that illuminates the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island every night at 8pm. On the island side, Sevva's balcony is next to the HSBC building, where you can feel closer to the lights and laser action while enjoying some well-mixed cocktails. Horse racing, like shopping, is another Hong Kong passion and if you're in town on a Wednesday race night, losing a few dollars at Happy Valley racetrack is great entertainment, as well as a glimpse into the expat social scene. Finding a place to eat dinner is never a problem, but for a night on the town head to Central's Soho (here it means South of Hollywood Road). Lan Kwai Fong is the main honey-pot for the bar crowd, but there's better to be had around Peel Street, Staunton Street and -- for extra posing potential -- Wyndham Terrace, where the bars and restaurants stay open late, late enough at least until the clubs open their doors. What are your tips for getting the most out of the city? Use the Sound Off box below and have your say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Take a morning walk round the Peak for stunning views before diving into the city .\nSample some of the world's best dim sum and indulge in some retail therapy .\nCocktail bars with a view of Hong Kong Island should play some part in your evening .\nTell us about your favorite places in Hong Kong using the Sound Off box, below ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- Typhoon Parma crossed the northern tip of the already storm-battered Philippines over the weekend, triggering landslides that killed at least 12 people, local media reported Sunday. Residents paddle boats through the streets of Santa Cruz, south of Manila. At least three other deaths related to the storms were confirmed earlier. Among the latest victims were children ages 8 and 10, a local reporter who was at the scene of both landslides told CNN. The storm is expected to stall for at least three days north of Luzon -- the largest of the Philippine islands -- dumping more rain on the island nation still reeling from a typhoon last week, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. Heavy rains will remain, but wind will not be much of a factor, Cabrera said. At 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, Parma had maximum sustained winds of 120 kph ( 74 mph), Cabrera said. Aid agencies were in the area assisting survivors. \"There are many uprooted trees, as well as down power lines, making roads impassable in some areas,\" said Wilma Lacaden, a member of the World Vision organization, in a statement. \"Homes constructed of light materials were blown away. In many areas, there is no electricity, and rivers have overflowed, making some towns and villages inaccessible.\" World Vision staffers handed out food and candles to 200 families on Saturday night, and plan to assist another 350 families in nearby Zambales on Sunday, distributing relief packs of food and water, the statement said. Parma, known locally as Typhoon Pepeng, made landfall Saturday afternoon in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes for safer shelter. Winds whipped the coastline and felled power lines in northernmost Cagayan Province. Debris littered the roads, making evacuations more difficult. Read about the fate of a farming community in Cagayan . Parma avoided a direct hit on heavily populated Manila. In the capital city on Sunday, it was sunny, Manila resident Arturo Fidelino said in an e-mail to CNN, adding the last few days have been \"grueling\" for Filipinos. \"After those two horrendous typhoons ... we've got to start picking up the pieces and move on,\" he said. \"Easy for me to say and for those who were not worst hit by the devastation, but too difficult for those whose houses were wiped out, furniture destroyed and relatives and loved ones nowhere to be found.\" However, he said people have banded together to help one another, and it \"has made me realize that the 'bayanihan spirit' (part of Filipino culture where neighbors help each other) among Filipinos is still alive and kicking. All along I thought that it has just been part of our history and not part of this present times. I was mistaken.\" Fidelino wrote his 73-year-old mother had to be evacuated when her home flooded. The typhoon is expected to dump as much as 8 to 20 inches of rain in areas still water-logged from last week's Typhoon Ketsana. That storm resulted in the heaviest rainfall in 40 years and at one point, 80 percent of Manila was submerged. Ketsana, which swallowed whole houses and buses, killed 246 in the Philippines. An additional 38 are missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people. CNN's Eunice Yoon and Pamela Boykoff in Cabantuan City, and Josh Levs in Atlanta contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "15 dead in Philippines from Typhoon Parma, local media report .\nStorm heads to sea after crossing northern Philippines .\nTens of thousands of Filipinos sought shelter in evacuation centers .\nThe biggest threat was rain in areas water-logged by Typhoon Ketsana ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- More than 1 million babies born prematurely die each year before they are a month old, the March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births. A premature baby rests at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, in October 2007. The organization suggested the situation could worsen if the rate of premature births increases. Each year, 12.9 million infants -- or nearly 10 percent of the annual worldwide birth total -- are born before 37 weeks of development in the womb, the organization said. More than 85 percent of the premature births occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. \"Premature births are an enormous global problem that is exacting a huge toll emotionally, physically and financially on families, medical systems and economies,\" March of Dimes President Jennifer Howse said in a statement. \"In the United States alone, the annual cost of caring for preterm babies and their associated health problems tops $26 billion.\" The March of Dimes report, which used data collected by the World Health Organization, breaks down premature birth rates by continent. The highest premature birth rate is in Africa, where 11.9 percent of births each year are preterm, with more than 4 million premature deliveries annually. In populous Asia, although the preterm birth rate is lower at 9.1 percent, the number of premature births is higher, at nearly 7 million a year. While North America -- consisting of the United States and Canada in this report -- counts fewer than 500,000 premature births a year, its preterm birth rate is close to that of Africa, at 10.6 percent of all births, according to the report. The rate is the world's second highest. In the United States, the rate of preterm births has increased 36 percent in the past 25 years, with births between the 34th and 36th week of gestation accounting for the majority of the increase, the organization found. Much of the hike in preterm births is linked to more pregnancies after the age of 35 and the use of fertility treatments that can lead to multiple births. \"Wherever trend data are available, rates of preterm birth are increasing,\" the report said. Infants who survive premature birth face lifelong health risks, including the possible development of cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing loss, learning disabilities and other chronic conditions, according to the March of Dimes. \"Preterm birth is a global problem that needs greater attention by policymakers, researchers, health care providers, the media, donor organizations and other stakeholders,\" the report said. \"The marked disparities in preterm birth along racial/ethnic lines in many high-income countries and the concentration of preterm births in Africa and Asia also clearly indicate that addressing preterm birth is essential for reducing the pronounced inequities in neonatal health and for the world to achieve,\" it added. The March of Dimes, a nonprofit agency engaged in pregnancy and baby health research, said some premature births can be prevented by addressing risk factors in mothers, including diabetes, high blood pressure, nutrition, body weight and tobacco and alcohol use. Women who earlier gave birth to a preemie face a greater risk of having another. While doctors know some of the health and behavior factors in mothers that increase the risk of preterm births, doctors have yet to identify a reliable remedy to prevent early labor, said Christopher Howson, vice president for global programs of the March of Dimes. \"While much can be done right now to reduce death and disability from preterm birth even in low-resource settings, we need to know more about the underlying causes of premature birth in order to develop effective prevention strategies,\" Howson said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "March of Dimes: Nearly 10 percent of world's births are premature .\nMore than 85 percent of premature births are in developing parts of Africa, Asia .\nBut North America has world's second-highest premature birth rate .\nDoctors have yet to identify a reliable remedy to prevent early labor, group says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- When iReporter Carlos Ortega evacuated Galveston's West End last week, there was a road, a row of houses and about 150 feet of sand between his house and the water. Now the surf laps about 30 feet from his door. iReporter Carlos Ortega says there's \"not an inch that isn't damaged\" in his Galveston, Texas, neighborhood. Hurricane Ike devastated the Texas city over the weekend, and Gov. Rick Perry said it could be weeks before residents could return. \"There's substantial structural damage, obviously ... (no) electrical power,\" he said. \"It's going to be a while.\" Ortega, a professor at the University of Houston, and his partner walked about six miles down the beach on Sunday and said there's \"not an inch that isn't damaged.\" iReport.com: See Ortega's home before and after Ike . He said one beachfront house was knocked off its stilts and was lying on the ground like an amusement park funhouse. A dead cow washed in front of another home. \"It was pretty depressing and devastating to see how everything was just torn up,\" he said. \"People's lives and houses were just torn up.\" All but two of the houses on the \"front row,\" nearest the beach, in their Bermuda Beach subdivision were destroyed, he said. \"You wouldn't know there was a house there.\" \"The house across the street from us is completely gone, and there's no trace of it,\" he said. The first floor of their house is covered with 3 to 4 feet of sand and debris, including huge chunks of asphalt from the road that ran in front of the house. \"We don't keep anything of value down there,\" he said, because people expect to get high water occasionally. There were some windows out on the second level, but they did not have much water damage. Ortega said the storm washed a Jet Ski out of the garage and dumped it about five blocks away. iReport.com: Have you been home after Ike? Share your story . It still worked, Ortega said, but was stuck in the sand. Ortega rode out the storm at his house in Houston, which also suffered some damage. \"The expectation was that it was going to be like three years ago when the last storm (Rita) came through, and it was so much worse,\" he said. iReporter Matteu Erchull stayed on Galveston Island during the storm. \"I think everybody downplayed the severity of the storm, including myself,\" he said, adding that he didn't regret staying. iReport.com: Ike passes over Galveston iReporter . After the storm, he put on his fishing waders and helped rescue some of his neighbors. \"Some people literally hid in their attics. Right after the storm, you go into these areas, and they were just helpless,\" the former Eagle Scout said. \"They were just waiting.\" Nearly 2,000 people who did not evacuate have been rescued along the southeastern Texas coast, said Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Office of Homeland Security. On Sunday, a Galveston County sheriff's official said three bodies were pulled from storm wreckage in Port Bolivar, bringing to 10 the number of reported deaths in Texas linked to Ike. Erchull said he got through the storm OK, but most of his stuff was ruined. \"I lost everything. Water rose up to about 10 feet. Got into everything and flooded everything I had,\" he said. He said he tried to wash his clothes, but he just couldn't get the smell out. \"The smell was just this really musky moldy wet smell, it's really hard to explain. Imagine leaving your clothes accidentally in the washer for 10 days, it's just disgusting,\" he said. Erchull said there's no power on the island, and the National Guard was going door-to-door asking people to leave. He went to Dallas, where he was up all night telling his friends what had happened and what to expect when they get back. \"It's hard to tell people that there's not much to go back to,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Galveston residents may not be able to come home for weeks .\niReporter Carlos Ortega says beachfront houses are gone in his neighborhood .\niReporter Matteu Erchull rode out storm and lost everything .\nAre you cleaning up after Ike? Share photos, videos ." } ]

[ { "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) -- The nude body of a former swimsuit model found last weekend in Orange County was identified through her breast implants' serial number, two law enforcement sources said Friday. An arrest warrant has been issued for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, wanted in the death of Jasmine Fiore. An arrest warrant alleging murder was issued Thursday for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a reality TV contestant whom Jasmine Fiore, 28, married in March. CNN has not confirmed reports that the marriage was annulled. Fiore's body was found Saturday in a Dumpster behind an apartment complex in Buena Park, just outside Anaheim, California. Her teeth had been extracted and fingers removed in what police said was an apparent attempt to conceal her identity. Fiore lived in Los Angeles and was last seen alive Friday in San Diego at a poker game with Jenkins, a reality TV contestant. \"We believe he has crossed into Canada,\" U.S. Marshals Chief Inspector Thomas Hession told reporters. Prosecutors requested bail be set at $10 million. Reality contestant charged » . Jenkins is believed to be armed, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Thursday. \"There's a handgun missing from his apartment, which is the last place he was before he fled,\" he said. Jenkins matched the description of a man seen driving a boat Wednesday in Blaine Marina off northwest Washington, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said. Blaine, Washington, borders Canada. Authorities searched the area and found Jenkins' black SUV with an empty boat trailer at the Blaine Marina, police said. Jenkins reported Fiore missing Saturday night to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said. The body was identified Monday as Fiore. While the cause of death had not been confirmed, a preliminary coroner's report indicated she was strangled. According to court records in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jenkins was charged in June with battery for allegedly striking Fiore in the arm with his fist. In 2007, Jenkins pleaded guilty in Calgary, Alberta, to assault in a separate case. He was sentenced to 15 months probation, ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction and to stay away from the person involved, according to court records. Jenkins, who appeared on the VH1 show \"Megan Wants a Millionaire,\" is from Calgary. 51Minds, which produced \"Megan Wants a Millionaire,\" said Thursday in a written statement that it \"was not aware of Ryan Jenkins' record when it cast him.\" \"The company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows,\" it said. \"Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case. 51 Minds is investigating what went wrong and taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again.\" CNN's Paul Vercammen contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breast implants' serial number helps identify model's body, police say .\nBody of Jasmine Fiore, 28, found stuffed into a suitcase inside a Dumpster .\nHer teeth were extracted, fingers removed, making it harder to identify body .\nArrest warrant issued Thursday for Ryan Alexander Jenkins ." } ]

[ { "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) -- A \"dangerous\" Hurricane Jimena bore down Tuesday on the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas lying in its path. Meanwhile, a new tropical storm was forming in the Atlantic Ocean. A NOAA satellite image shows Hurricane Jimena off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, on Tuesday morning. Jimena's maximum wind speed dropped from 145 mph to 135 mph, but it still remained a Category 4 storm, according to the U.S. National Weather Service's 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) update. \"Some fluctuations in strength are likely today and gradual weakening is forecast on Wednesday,\" the weather service said. \"However, Jimena is expected to remain a major hurricane until landfall.\" Also on Tuesday, Tropical Storm Erika formed in the Atlantic, 390 miles east of the Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. Jimena's storm 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 Baja California -- from Punta Abreojos on the peninsula's west coast to Mulege on its east coast, according to the National Weather Service. 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 in its 11 a.m. PT report . 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 at 11 a.m. PT. 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 110 miles (175 km) south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, according to the weather service. It was traveling north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). People in his town of Los Cabos, at the very tip of the peninsula, were preparing for the storm and were getting a precursor as winds and rains began to pick up, said resident Cuauhtemoc Morgan on Monday. Morgan, 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. Authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless, he added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Tropical Storm Erika forms in eastern Atlantic, National Hurricane Center says .\nJimena's maximum winds fell to 135 mph, but storm is still a Category 4 .\nThe storm's center is forecast to come ashore on Thursday morning .\nHurricane warning covers most of the southern half of the Baja Peninsula ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The world will soon see an \"explosion\" of swine flu cases as the H1N1 virus spreads rapidly around the world, a top World Health Organization official said Friday. Spread of the H1N1 virus is entering an \"acceleration period,\" WHO official says. Spread of the virus is entering an \"acceleration period\" and it is certain that there will be more cases and more deaths, said Dr. Shin Young-soo, the organization's regional director for the Western Pacific. \"Most countries may see a doubling of cases every three to four days for two months until peak transmission is reached,\" he said at a symposium in Beijing, China. \"At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion in case numbers. I believe it is very likely that all countries will see community-level transmission by the end of the year.\" More than 1,490 people around the world have died from the virus since it emerged this spring, Shin said. Swine flu is the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. So far, it has caused mostly mild illness, but Shin warned \"the virus has a sting in its tail\" because it is very infectious and \"has the potential to cause more serious disease.\" Any widespread resistance to antiviral drugs, expected to be available this fall, could make the situation worse, he said. The virus so far has shown itself to be unpredictable, Shin said, so the public needs to be prepared. He called for accurate and timely public health messages and early treatment of severe cases. The public needs to comply with these health messages, and everyone needs to be able to recognize symptoms early and get timely medical care, he said. \"We will only be safe when we have applied these lessons in every country dealing with this virus,\" Shin said. \"We need to learn quickly since, as I believe, it appears that this pandemic will get worse before the situation gets better.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Spread of the virus is entering an \"acceleration period,\" official says .\nCountries may see a doubling of cases every three to four days, he says .\nMore than 1,490 people have died from the virus since last spring .\nH1N1 is the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Honey has been used to treat wounds since ancient times, but recent years have seen a surge of medical interest in the sticky stuff. Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties. Manuka honey has been the subject of particular interest, with the results of a study just published by Sydney University finding that it has powerful antibacterial properties, and is even effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Associate Professor Dee Carter, from Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences said: \"Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters. Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics.\" \"Most bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, and there is an urgent need for new ways to treat and control surface infections.\" She added: \"We don't quite know how these honeys prevent and kill infections, but a compound in them called methylglyoxal seems to interact with a number of other unknown compounds in honey to prevent infectious bacteria developing new strains that are resistant to it.\" Honey is a complex substance, containing up to 800 compounds and its complexity means it has been difficult to pinpoint exactly how it kills bacteria. Manuka is a type of honey that is made by bees pollinating the flowers of the Manuka bush, a member of the Leptospermum family that grows naturally in New Zealand. Now, an Australian company is claiming to have produced the world's most potent medical-grade antibacterial honey, made by bees pollinating the Australian jellybush, also a member of the Leptospermum family. Australia's Medi Bioactive Honey Company claims its Berringa antibacterial honey has twice the antibacterial content of normal manuka honey, and has launched the product in the UK. Dr Rose Cooper of the University of Wales Cardiff School of Health Sciences has researched honey's antibacterial action and has written a book called \"Honey in Modern Wounds Management.\" Cooper told CNN that there are many components in honey that contribute to its antibacterial nature. She says its high sugar content, low water content and low pH are all factors. Additionally, some honey produces hydrogen peroxide, which can kill bacteria. Since 2004, Britain's National Health Service has licensed the use of manuka-honey wound dressings and sterilized medical grade manuka-honey creams." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Research has shown that honey can have powerful antibacterial properties .\nManuka honey is made only by bees that pollinate the manuka plant .\nAn Australian company claims it has produced the world's most potent honey ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of Muslims gathered Friday on Capitol Hill for a day of prayer that organizers said was intended to inspire American Muslims and non-Muslims alike. People traveled from all over the United States to attend the Capitol Hill event, organizer Abdul Malik said. \"America is not perfect,\" Abdul Malik, an organizer of the event called Islam on Capitol Hill, told the crowd. \"But I will say something it took me my whole adult life to come to: America is not perfect, but I want to tell the truth: It is one of the best places in the world to live.\" Organizers had hoped that 50,000 people would show up for the Friday afternoon prayer session, which took place at the foot of the U.S. Capitol. There were also anti-Muslim protesters near the event. Earlier, Malik said, \"This is not a protest, it is a day of prayer, of devotion, hoping that we can work ... for the betterment of the world community.\" He added, \"We can come together and work together for the common good.\" He said that Muslims in the United States have a \"unique responsibility\" and that the event seeks to inspire Muslims and all Americans. \"America represents, still, a beacon of hope,\" he said. Malik said conversations about the event began only a few months ago. \"It's amazing,\" he said. \"The Web site has gotten more than 3 million hits already.\" Friday's event was focused on a 1 p.m. prayer, and a reception and banquet were planned afterward. Malik said attendees were traveling from all over the United States -- including Texas, Florida and Georgia -- as well as from other countries, such as Britain and Canada. \"The beautiful thing ... about this, is that we have a good representation of the uniqueness and beauty of what Islam stands for,\" he said. Besides the protesters, the event drew other criticism. Malik said he had received some \"very nasty e-mails.\" And one Christian leader warned of a strategy to \"Islamize\" American society. \"It is important for Christians to understand that Friday's Muslim prayer initiative is part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the church bells with the Athan [the Muslim call to prayer],\" the Rev. Canon Julian Dobbs, leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America's Church and Islam Project, said in a written statement. \"The time has come for the American public to call Islam to account,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Speaker calls U.S. \"one of the best places in the world to live\"\nPrayer event sought to inspire Muslims and all Americans, one organizer says .\nEvent drew protesters, criticism from Christian leader, \"very nasty e-mails\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BEIJING, China (CNN) -- What's in a name? Westerners are more accustomed to names that describe the ingredients and how they are cooked. Local dishes like \"Husband and wife's lung slice\" or \"Chicken without sexual life\" conjure lots of furrowed eyebrows on famished foreigners. So, with the Olympics a few short weeks away, China is giving its cuisine a linguistic makeover. It is proposing that restaurants change the names of exotic, but bizarrely named, delicacies to make them more delectable for the estimated 50,000 visitors arriving in August for the Summer Games. The appetizer \"Husband and wife's lung slice\" is taking on the more appetizing \"Beef and ox tripe in chili sauce.\" \"Chicken without sexual life\" has been transformed into \"Steamed pullet.\" The government has put down more than 2,000 proposed names in a 170-page book that it has offered to Beijing hotels, according to state media. \"Thanks to the pamphlet, we do not have to struggle to come up with the English translations of dishes any more, which is usually time consuming,\" a senior manager at the four-star Guangzhou Hotel in downtown Beijing told the Xinhua news agency. The Chinese say the names of their dishes focus more on appearance than taste or smell. But Westerners are more accustomed to names that describe the ingredients and how they are cooked -- such as pot roast. The government realizes local names are a matter of taste, but don't want them to get lost in translation. Hence, the spicy Sichuanese dish \"Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman\" has been bestowed the more palatable \"Mapo tofu.\" Not everyone is pleased. \"The process of standardizing a menu translation is a double-edged sword,\" wrote columnist Raymond Zhou in the China Daily newspaper. It \"removes the ambiguity and unintended humor\" and \"takes away the fun and the rich connotation. \"It turns a menu into the equivalent of plain rice, which has the necessary nutrients but is devoid of flavor.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Chicken without sexual life\" has been transformed into \"Steamed pullet\"\nThe Chinese say the dishes' names focus more on appearance than taste or smell .\nMore than 2,000 proposed names have been offered to Beijing hotels ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Two U.S. filmmakers were injured Saturday when their small plane crashed into a three-story residential building in downtown Nairobi. People gather around the wreckage of a plane that struck a building in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Saturday. Dan Parris, 25, and Rob Lehr, 26, both from St. Louis, Missouri, were shooting an independent documentary on poverty in Africa. Both men were hospitalized and expected to survive, according to David Peterka, who was part of the film crew, but was not aboard the plane. He said that all four aboard the plane were Americans. A flight engineer, whose name was not released, was critically injured and was in a coma, Peterka said. The pilot, whose name has not yet been released, was killed in the crash. The crew had been in the east African nation for four days and was shooting video of Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. The plane was headed to nearby Wilson Airport, where most light aircraft land in the Kenyan capital. \"The pilot had warned that he was going to hover and go slow,\" Peterka said. \"They were surprised when they went to about 50 feet off the ground --- and then they hit electrical lines and the plane flipped into the building.\" Just before the plane crashed, the listening devices went off and they could not communicate with the pilot, Peterka said. Peterka said Lehr, who was ejected because the doors were open for filming, ran back in to rescue the others. Parris crawled out and Lehr, with the help of bystanders, pulled the pilot and the engineer out as the plane burst into flames, Peterka said. \"Local residents were using water, dirt to put the fire out\" before the fire department arrived, Peterka said. \"Before the plane crashed, witnesses said it was flying unusually low,\" said Francis Mwaka, a Kenyan federal communications official. The four-seater plane was owned by African Inland Missions company. No one on the ground was injured, Mwaka said. The crash is under investigation. CNN's Ben Brumfield contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pilot killed, three passengers injured when plane crashes into building .\nTwo victims were U.S. filmmakers shooting documentary on African poverty .\nDan Parris, Rob Lehr were taken to hospital, expected to survive .\nWitnesses say plane was \"flying unusually low\" before crash ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos is in talks to leave Arsenal and join English Premier League rivals Everton, according to the Liverpool-based side. Philippe Senderos is seeking to leave Arsenal to keep his World Cup hopes alive. The 24-year-old has been out of favor with the London club for the past year or so, and spent last season on loan with Italy's AC Milan. The center-back made only 15 appearances in his injury-hit stint with the Rossoneri, and returned to Arsenal where he has a year left on his contract. Everton chairman Bill Kenwright confirmed that talks were underway, but said that no deal had been done despite an earlier claim by the Swiss Football Federation. \"We have been negotiating with Arsenal for the transfer of Philippe. Nothing has been concluded yet but talks are on going,\" Kenwright told Everton's official Web site on Tuesday. Everton face the possible departure of England defender Joleon Lescott, the subject of two bids from big-spending EPL rivals Manchester City. Transfer gossip: City to bid again for Lescott. Manager David Moyes has rejected both offers and is determined to keep the player, who has been ruled out of recent pre-season friendly action due to a hip injury picked up on the tour of the United States. Moyes needs cover for injured center-back Phil Jagielka, who is not expected to return to action until November. The Swiss Football Federation had said on its official Web site on Monday that Senderos had agreed to join Everton because he needed regular first-team action ahead of next year's World Cup finals in South Africa. Switzerland are level on points with Greece at the top of Group Two after six of 10 games, with the winner qualifying directly and the runner-up hoping to go into one of the four play-offs. Senderos joined Arsenal in the summer of 2003 from Swiss club Servette, and established himself in the first team alongside Kolo Toure when regular Sol Campbell was injured. However, he missed the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona due to his own injury, with England defender Campbell returning in his place to score the opening goal of the 2-1 reverse. Senderos missed the start of the 2006-07 season after suffering a shoulder problem at the World Cup finals, and subsequently struggled to break back into the Arsenal team. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has a wealth of central defensive resources despite selling Toure to City last month, having brought in Belgium international Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax in June. William Gallas, Johan Djourou, Mikael Silvestre and Alex Song are also competing for first-team places." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Philippe Senderos in talks to leave Arsenal and join English rivals Everton .\nSwitzerland defender wants regular first-team action ahead of 2010 World Cup .\nSenderos spent an injury-hit loan spell with Italy's AC Milan last season .\nThe 24-year-old joined Arsenal in 2003 from Swiss club Servette ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- After nearly 40 years of recorded increases, the number of immigrants living in the United States remained flat between 2007 and 2008, recent statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau show. The number of naturalized citizens in the U.S. increased, partly attributed to voter drives for the 2008 election. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the U.S. foreign-born population represented about 12.5 percent of the population in 2008, down from 12.6 percent in 2007. Taking into account the margin of error, it was possible that the immigrant population remained even. \"Between '07 and '08 there really wasn't that much of a change,\" said Elizabeth Grieco, chief of immigration statistics staff at the Census Bureau. But given the steep upward trend in the foreign-born population since 1970, no change is big news. The American Community Survey collects data from about 3 million addresses each year, and provides one of the most complete pictures of the population, according to the bureau. The survey doesn't give a reason for the leveling off, but experts pointed to the economic downturn and the resulting high unemployment as factors behind the shift. \"The recession has had a significant effect on immigrants' decisions on whether to come to the U.S.,\" said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Would-be unauthorized immigrants and legal temporary workers are mostly the ones who have decided to stay put in their home countries for now, Mittelstadt said. The largest declines in the foreign-born population were in states that were hardest hit by the recession, including California, Florida and Arizona. Mittelstadt noted, however, that those immigrants already in the United States appear to be staying. A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center concluded that emigration from Mexico, the largest source of immigrants to the United States, slowed at least 40 percent between mid-decade and 2008, based on national population surveys in the United States and Mexico, as well as Border Patrol apprehension figures. The Mexican-born population in the United States dropped by about 300,000 between 2007 and 2008, according to census data. The new Census statistics show that for the first time since the American Community Survey was fully implemented in 2005, the number of noncitizens decreased, Grieco said. There were about 21.6 million noncitizens in 2008, down from 21.9 million in 2007. The label noncitizens includes both legal residents and illegal immigrants. Along with the decline in the noncitizen population, however, there was a notable increase in the number of naturalized citizens, Grieco said. The number of individuals who are naturalized citizens increased to 43 percent of the foreign-born population in 2008 from 42.5 percent in 2007. The Census survey matches reports from the Department of Homeland Security on the rise of naturalization applications. \"Naturalizations grew at a record pace between 2006 and 2008, with a total of 2.4 million immigrants becoming new citizens in the United States,\" according to a DHS statement. A significant fee increase imposed in 2007 for naturalization applications and an awareness of citizenship brought on during voter registration drives for the 2008 election help explain the increase, Mittelstadt said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bureau official: \"Between '07 and '08 there really wasn't\" much immigration change .\nNotable increase in naturalized citizens, Census Bureau's Elizabeth Grieco says .\nMexican-born population in U.S. dropped by about 300,000 between 2007 and 2008 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- You know you've arrived at Bengies Drive-In Theatre when you first see the giant movie marquee, announcing the features showing that weekend. Each letter has to be placed and adjusted by hand, as it did when the theater first opened. Bengies Drive-In Theatre has been owned by the same family since it opened in 1956. \"As far as the operation of the drive-in goes, I'm kind of a die-hard. I try to make it run the way it did, to bring a little bit back of the '50s. ... the integrity and the innocence of that age,\" says Bengies owner D. Edward Vogel, who claims to have the largest outdoor movie screen in the country at 52 feet by 120 feet. Vogel has spent most of his life trying to maintain the feel and charm of the Baltimore, Maryland, drive-in movie theater that his family opened in 1956. Vogel wants moviegoers to have the same experience as he did when he went to his family's outdoor theater as a child, although he knows that people today have many more entertainment options. \"Sometimes I'm actually taken aback with the amount of children that are fascinated with this,\" says Vogel. \"Thinking of what their options are, with modern devices and videos and all that, that they are so taken aback . with what happens here.\" Vogel started learning, at age 9, the secrets of running a movie theater from his father, Jack Vogel. He has worked tirelessly since to maintain the theater as it was in its glory days. Vogel even operates the same machines that he did as a child; the projection room is filled with the original projectors, which Vogel cleans and cares for each night. And for each movie, threading the film is a complex process far removed from the simplicity of inserting a DVD into the player that we know today. Once threaded, the film spins around as each frame follows an intricate path from the tray, to the projector, until it is shown on the gigantic screen. Watch the drive-in come to life » . The scene immediately invokes a feeling of nostalgia, reminding us why they were called \"motion pictures\" way back when. Yet, Vogel is quick to tell you that keeping the 53-year-old business alive hasn't always been easy. At Bengies, each night is a double feature, so guests can see at least two movies for $8 a person. Vogel estimates that Bengies makes 60 percent of its revenue from ticket sales, and the rest comes from concession purchases. There's a strict \"no outside food\" policy, and he's open about the fact that the food sales help keep the business open. The waterfront property would be more profitable as condos, he says, and his father planned to build them before Vogel took over the theater in the 1980s. He was only able to avoid closing by cutting costs and staff. \"My parents had a union operator in the booth, they had a manager, they had a concessionaire. I am all of those things, so that has changed,\" Vogel says. Vogel even acts as the host. Known only as \"the voice\" to his audiences, he starts each night by using the theater's speaker system to welcome everyone to his venue. \"When you see the sun setting, and the shadow being cast on that screen, no matter what has happened during that day, good, bad or indifferent, I become a different person when I turn the microphone on.\" Besides the challenges of being a small business owner, Vogel's efforts to maintain the integrity of the movie-going experience is challenged by another intrusion of this modern world -- light pollution. Between car headlights and brightly lit businesses nearby, a once-dark sky is now polluted with obtrusive light. Bengies asks that drivers turn their headlights off when entering the grounds of the theater. But over the years, it has been the outside light from other businesses that bleeds into the surrounding sky, making the giant screen hard to see. For solutions to such predicaments, Vogel turns to the owners of other drive-in theaters that have managed to survive since the 1930s. He is an active member of a drive-in theater owners association and is working with other owners across the country to support each other. \"They would all have easier lives if they opened Laundromats in the right location, but they don't. They endeavor; there is a passion about it,\" Vogel says. It is a passion that his audience seems to appreciate. As the sun lowers in the sky and eventually sets behind the screen, the ticket booth is opened on a Sunday night in autumn. People make the trip to the last drive-in theater in the Baltimore area. They set up their chairs, and some sit in their classic cars to enjoy the show. It's an experience Vogel hopes to keep around for generations to come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bengies Drive-In Theatre hasn't changed much in its 53-year history .\nOwner says he's often surprised by children's fascination with drive-in .\nEach night features a double feature; admission is $8 a person .\nOnslaught of light pollution has been challenge to theater owner, moviegoers ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- She added smart to sexy as a Bond girl opposite Pierce Brosnan's 007, and proved her dramatic and action credentials in \"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,\" but for actress Michelle Yeoh, life and acting are both all about balance. Michelle Yeoh: \"There are reasons why you do movies. It's for the love of it.\" \"I think it's very boring for my audience, just to see me in the regular roles. I love my action films. And I think right now, I have a nice balance,\" she told CNN's Talk Asia. Poise and balance are something that Yeoh is naturally blessed with. Her childhood dream of becoming a professional ballerina was dashed when she sustained an injury while training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. However, she continued to study completing a degree in dance and a minor in drama, before serving as Miss Malaysia at the age of 21, which was more of an ambassadorial role for the country's tourism industry than bikini modeling. Making her film debut in an action movie in 1984, she made further appearances in Hong Kong action films doing her own stunts, until she married millionaire Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon in 1988 and put her career on hold. On giving up acting for the sake of her married life she said: \"At that time, it's very difficult to try and juggle a normal life, be where your husband is, try to start a family life, and filming months on end in another country. So I weighed my options. I am a person that believes, you have to give your all. There's no half measure in doing things. You do it well or at least you've got to give it your best shot.\" The couple divorced three years later and Yeoh resumed her film career in 1992 in the Jackie Chan smash-hit \"Police Story 3.\" While she continued to use her athleticism in her roles and do her own stunts, in the pursuit of playing good characters and that all-important balance, she credits the directors she has chosen to work with. \"I look at the scripts and you can understand where the story is going ... but it's a director with a vision that brings it to life,\" she said. \"There are reasons why you do movies. It's for the love of it or you're thinking of your paycheck. And you have to find your own balance.\" When it came to doing \"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,\" Ang Lee was the essential ingredient. \"I did it really because I adore Ang Lee. That's a true film maker, where they move you, they bring you to places where you can't imagine but want to be.\" But being an all-or-nothing person has taken its toll when it has come to the stunts she has performed. Yeoh tore her anterior cruciate ligament after the first sequence she performed for \"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,\" which meant that only the dramatic scenes in the film could be shot until she had recovered. Yeoh has turned her attention to producing as well as acting and found it a challenging experience. \"As an actor you would be judged on how your performance is and so that's where your focus is. It's a very selfish environment and that sense, because as you know, you can't make excuses afterwards. But as a producer, you have to make sure everyone is well protected and everyone is safe. And if anything goes wrong, it's all on your shoulders,\" she told CNN. The films she produced, 2002's \"The Touch\" and \"Sliver Hawk\" from 2004 were panned by critics, but she makes no excuses: \"That's the nature of the business. You should never take these things personally when it works or doesn't work.\" And when it comes to passing on what she's learned to young Asian actors, her advice is typically practical. \"For any Asian face, or any Asian girls that have dreams, aspirations or doing crossover work in Hollywood, you must have the language. These are your tools. And then afterwards, the right face, the right demeanor, and the right chemistry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Trained dancer turned to acting after injury at college .\nPerforms her own stunts and has pioneered stronger female roles in Asian films .\nInternational recognition came as a Bond girl and \"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Mexican authorities have arrested a reputed senior member of a major Tijuana-based drug cartel after a shootout, U.S. authorities confirmed Sunday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana, Mexico, residence Saturday, said Special Agent Eileen Zeidler of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in San Diego, California. She said federal authorities received a tip on the whereabouts of Arellano-Felix and provided the information to Mexican authorities. No other details were immediately available. Arellano-Felix was one of the last wanted members of the powerful and brutal trafficking organization bearing his family name, authorities say. His brother, reputed Mexican drug lord Javier Arellano-Felix, was captured by U.S. authorities in August 2006 off the shore of southern Baja California. The brothers were on the top of the DEA's Most Wanted List, carrying rewards of $5 million dollars for their capture. Officials say seven brothers and four sisters of the Arellano-Felix family inherited the Tijuana cartel from Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo in 1989 after his arrest for drug trafficking. Eduardo was the last remaining brother who had an active role in the cartel. Today, the notorious cartel is split into two factions -- one headed by Eduardo Garcia Simental and another headed by Eduardo Arellano-Felix's nephew, Fernando Sanchez Arellano. The two sides have engaged in brutal fighting, accounting for nearly all the violence in Tijuana, according to the DEA. More than 400 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Tijuana this year. While Eduardo Arellano-Felix was not the boss of the cartel, DEA officials said his nephew sought his advice on decisions. Zeidler said the arrest of Arellano-Felix was a significant step in potentially dismantling the cartel. \"You pull the foundation out of the house and the house is going to come down,\" she said. \"[Arellano-Felix] was the foundation.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana residence Saturday .\nHe was on the DEA's Most Wanted List .\nArrest could help dismantling the family's drug cartel, DEA agent says ." } ]