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[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- To offset carbon dioxide, a Japanese airline is asking its passengers to go to the toilet before boarding. All Nippon Airways is asking passengers to use the restroom before flying to reduce weight. The unusual request by All Nippon Airways (ANA) is part of its \"e-Flight\" promotional program to reduce the amount of carbon expelled on 38 domestic routes and its twice daily international flights to Singapore. \"Asking passengers to go to the toilet (before boarding) is just a small part of the program,\" said spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka, which includes using recycled paper cups and plastic bottles instead of glass. \"We are making these items lighter -- and making the passengers lighter, a little bit,\" Tezuka said. The airline estimates that if 50 percent of passengers relieved themselves before boarding, it would reduce carbon dioxide by 4.2 tons a month. Flights will also show educational films on the environment. The month-long trial program, which began October 1, will be evaluated and may be extended if successful, Tezuka said. In true Japanese fashion, the encouragement to eliminate is more suggested than explicit. This is what is announced before boarding the flights: \"This flight is a so-called 'eFlight.' The idea behind the operation is to think about the Earth in the sky above. Fuel reduction by lightening the weight of the aircraft will lead to restrain the carbon dioxide emission, which is one of the causes of global warming. Thank you for your understanding.\" So no mother-like admonishments to use the toilet before leaving? \"No, it's more subtle than that,\" Tezuka said. People are also encouraged to pack lighter for the flights, although no additional weight restrictions apply. The program comes as the airline industry in Japan is struggling. The nation's largest carrier, Japan Airlines, is seeking a government bailout and forecasts $700 million in losses this year. This week, ANA's stock price hit a 52-week low in trading Wednesday." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All Nippon Airways is asking passengers to go to toilet before flights .\nAirline estimates that four tons of carbon dioxide a month would be reduced .\nComes as Japanese airlines are struggling in the weak economy ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Didier Drogba is backing his Ivory Coast team to make history by becoming the first African country to reach the final of the World Cup next year. Drogba is contemplating a big challenge by the Ivory Coast in South Africa. The Chelsea striker scored the decisive goal as the Elephants sealed their place in South Africa with a 1-1 draw against Malawi on Saturday, but he is now looking ahead to the finals with relish. \"It is going to be a challenge,\" the 31-year-old told reporters. \"To make it to the final will not be easy because there are great teams like Brazil and Germany who have won the World Cup for many years. \"But my teammates and I want to make history and want to change the way the world sees African football. Can an African team win the World Cup next year ? \"I hope that we'll be the team that is going to go to the final and win the competition.\" Ivory Coast have joined Ghana as definite qualifiers from Africa, with three other places up for grabs in the final round of matches in November. Drogba is one of several stars in the Ivorian squad with Champions League experience, including Barcelona's Yaya Toure who is anxious to erase memories of their failure to qualify from the group stages in the 2006 finals in Germany. \"At the last World Cup we played really well in Germany, but we were unlucky because we were in a very tough group with Argentina and Holland and so went out in the first round,\" he said. \"But I think with this kind of experience, it will be possible at South Africa 2010 to do much better. Perhaps we can make the quarterfinals and then semifinals, this is something we can achieve.\" Coach Vahid Halilhodzic is also upbeat after seeing his side fight back from a goal down against Malawi to top African Group E. \"We are very proud to participate in the World Cup for the second consecutive time and this time it is going to be better,\" he added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Didier Drogba targets World Cup glory with African powerhouses Ivory Coast .\nDrogba scored crucial goal as Ivory Coast clinched qualification for South Africa .\nIvory Coast exited in group stages at the World Cup finals in Germany in 2006 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong and 2007 champion Alberto Contador will head a strong Astana team for next month's Tour de France. Armstrong (left) will be backed by a strong Astana squad in Tour de France. Armstrong is bidding for an unprecedented eighth victory in cycling's most prestigious race while his teammate Contador will start as favorite for the yellow jersey. The Kazakh-backed squad will have strong support riders with Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zulbedia also named in the tea, . Kloeden and Leipheimer have both been podium finishers in the Tour de France while the team is packed full of good performers for the key mountain stages. The remaining three riders to make up the squad of nine will be picked from Jani Brajkovic, Chris Horner, Benjamin Noval, Dmitriy Muravyev, Sergio Paulinho, Gregory Rast and Tomas Vaitkus. \"The complete 2009 Tour roster will be chosen based on the strongest team from both a sportive and team-spirit criteria,\" Astana's team chief Johan Bruyneel told Press Association Sport. Astana have also settled doubts over outstanding debts run up by the team which left their participation in the Tour in doubt with the Kazakh government putting up guarantees that riders would be paid. The team is returning to the Tour after a two-year absence, having been barred from the 2008 because of doping misdemeanors by former squad members. It left Contador to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour of Spain and he will be bidding for a second Tour triumph when racing gets underway in Monaco on July 4. Armstrong returned to the peloton earlier this year after a three-year absence and finished 12th in the Giro d'Italia, his preparation hampered by breaking his collarbone at a minor stage race in Spain in March. In other Tour de France news, organizers have barred former world champion Tom Boonen from competing in this year's race. The Belgian, who won Parix-Roubaix for the third time this year, tested positive for cocaine in April. His Quick Step team said on Friday that they would consider legal action to challenge the decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lance Armstrong is named in a strong Astana squad for the Tour de France .\nArmstrong will be bidding for an eighth victory in cycling's most famous race .\n2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador will start as the race favorite .\nBelgian rider Tom Boonen not welcome on the Tour after positive for cocaine ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- When she was about 8, Frida Sepulveda developed dark folds of skin around her neck. It's a well-known warning sign of type 2 diabetes. Blanca Sepulveda, right, was \"devastated\" when her daughter Frida began showing signs of type 2 diabetes. Frida's mother, Blanca Sepulveda, who has watched other family members struggle with diabetes and obesity, was \"devastated\" to see her daughter experience similar health problems. Now at age 11, Frida is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs around 180 pounds, her mother said. Despite a high body weight for her age and height, Frida does not seem to have additional symptoms of diabetes -- or any other major health concerns -- but her parents are trying to reverse the weight problem Frida has had since infancy. The San Diego, California, family is among a disproportionately high number of Latino-American families with overweight and obese children. According to the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, 16.6 percent of Latino high school students were obese and 18.1 percent were overweight. The corresponding national averages for high school students were 13.3 percent obese and 15.8 percent overweight. It's an epidemic that shocked and saddened Lorena Garcia, a chef who appears on Univision and Telemundo. \"I travel all over the country to the major Hispanic festivals and I realized that 90 to 95 percent of the kids that I saw at the festivals were overweight,\" said Garcia, who established the Big Chef Little Chef program to teach Latino youth healthy cooking and eating habits. Watch Garcia interact with her fans » . The problem is caused by a wide range of cultural, social, economic, environmental and possibly genetic factors. Experts agree it is an uphill battle to solve. \"You can't just try to change someone's behavior necessarily without trying to change their environment,\" said Dr. Michael Goran, director of the University of Southern California's Childhood Obesity Research Center. How can childhood obesity be reduced? Blanca Sepulveda, 38, believes her own upbringing in Mexico before coming to the United States in junior high school ultimately contributed to her daughter's weight problem. \"The way I was raised ... you don't [leave] the dinner table until you're done with all your food. That's instilled in you,\" Sepulveda said. Back in Mexico, she said, the food was healthier and fresher, and she didn't drink soda. But she still applied that mentality to her own children, who were born and raised in the United States, where sugar-laden and fattening foods are widely available. The Sepulveda family's story is similar to that of other immigrants who are healthier than their American-born children: Those born outside the United States are less likely to be obese than native-born children, said Luisa Franzini, Ph.D., of the University of Texas School of Public Health. Despite the trends, more study is necessary to determine whether American acculturation is entirely to blame for poor diets among Latinos, an expert says. Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, a nutrition and public health professor with the University of Connecticut, wrote in the June 2009 issue of Journal of the American Diabetic Association that adaptation to U.S. society may explain, to some degree, \"deterioration of dietary quality\" and the risks of diabetes and other chronic diseases. However, he wrote, it's still not completely clear. Healthy food harder to come by . Economic factors play a major role for many Latinos in their weight struggles. Angelica Delgado is trying to overcome the obstacle with the Healthy Latino Families initiative, a culturally tailored nutrition and exercise program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the Community Research Supervisor for the United Community Center, Delgado is trying to get healthy school lunches in the Bruce-Guadalupe Community School, with which she's working on Healthy Latino Families. About 80 percent of Bruce Guadalupe's student body, which is 97 percent Latino, come from low-income households and therefore are eligible for reduced-price or free lunch. Without money coming in to support the lunch program, it's difficult to fund better quality food and equipment to ensure that it's freshly cooked, Delgado said. For now, she hopes the fun, bilingual setting of Healthy Latino Families will teach children to make smart food choices. The lack of availability of inexpensive, fresh, healthy food is a common for low-income populations in general, Franzini said. Research suggests that more affluent neighborhoods have a higher availability of healthy food, she said, adding that the cost of healthy food is lower in more advantaged communities. The community factor . Exercise also poses tricky problems for Latino children struggling with weight, as many live in disadvantaged areas may make it tough for them to play outside or walk to school. From a physical point of view -- in terms of sidewalks and litter -- those areas tend to be in worse shape than an average neighborhood, Franzini said. But her research also suggests that the social component of a neighborhood affects children's physical activity levels. \"It's not sufficient to just clean up the neighborhood -- pick up the trash and build sidewalks,\" said Franzini, whose study on the impact of neighborhoods' social characteristics was published earlier this year in the American Journal of Public Health. \"It also needs to be a neighborhood where people feel safe and they feel that they can go out and walk and run and exercise and do whatever they want to do.\" To that end, Franzini's research indicates that those Latinos living in tight-knit communities often get more exercise than those in more mixed neighborhoods. \"Having a neighborhood which is more connected, where people feel safe -- I think it's all a matter of feeling empowered in a way. And so those who feel that they have this stronger neighborhood from a social point of view, they are also more likely to be physically active,\" Franzini said. Finding solutions . Researchers and community advocates are attempting to combat the Latino youth obesity problem. But the multitude of factors makes the issue a moving target and results of interventions are mixed. For example, about a year after a previous phase of Healthy Latino Families in Milwaukee wrapped up, children reportedly ate better and watched less television per day. Delgado said they are awaiting results from the current program, but she has seen some success already. USC's Goran worked with Latino teenagers over 16 weeks to improve their diets, promoting fiber-rich tortillas and altering recipes of aqua fresca so it would have less sugar. But at the end of the four months, he saw \"no significant improvement in the outcomes.\" \"We have to do those studies over longer time periods than we have previously done to kind of give these things a chance to work and kick in,\" Goran said. \"We're ... taking it one step at a time.\" And Frida's mom, Blanca Sepulveda, said she is focusing on modifying her own behavior to help her entire family. \"It's a retraining of the mind,\" Sepulveda said. \"It gets hard because you have to be an example.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A disproportionately high number of Latino-American families struggle with obesity .\nPrograms designed specifically for Latino children have had mixed results .\nEconomic factors play a major role for many Latinos in their weight struggles .\nExercise, and whether or not children feel safe to play, is another factor ." } ]

[ { "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 U.S. professor claims he has identified the parts of the brain that help to make someone a good leader. Pierre Balthazard is using EEG to find out what parts of the brain are involved in leadership. Pierre Balthazard, an associate professor at the Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, also says he can use neuroscientific techniques to help people improve the skills that play a part in leadership. Balthazard uses electroencephalography (EEG) to produce a \"brain map\" of his subjects. By attaching electrodes to their heads, he says he can measure electrical activity generated by neurons in their brain. Much of his work has focused on calibrating the EEG data with standard psychometric tests, and now Balthazard says that just by looking at someone's brain map he can predict their capacity for certain traits linked to leadership. \"From someone's brain map I can tell if someone would rank high, medium or low on a psychometric assessment of their transformational leadership, and just that is an earth-shattering finding,\" he told CNN. He has been working with the U.S. military to produce a model that will allow them to scan soldiers' brains for complexity. The idea is that more complex brains produce better situational awareness and adaptive thinking -- essential skills for the modern soldier, who must be able to transition from front-line combat to nation building. He refers to traits like complexity and transformational leadership as antecedents to leadership itself. But for Balthazard, the ability to assess these skills is only half the story. What really excites him is the possibility of brain training and improving leadership skills. \"If you could only assess and not develop then it's only an exercise in social engineering, and that's of no interest to me,\" he said. Balthazard explained that brains can be trained using positive and negative reinforcement, in the same way that disorders like ADD are treated. A subject is wired to software programmed to recognize \"correct\" functioning of a specific part of the brain. If the brain isn't performing correctly, there is a negative reinforcement, such as a noise emitted from a speaker at an unpleasant frequency. \"The brain is amazing at adjusting so it doesn't get the negative feedback,\" he told CNN. But others think it may prove difficult to develop something as intangible as leadership. Dr Bob Kentridge, a member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit at Durham University, in England, told CNN, \"Even if you find differences in the brains of people with different leadership abilities, it's very difficult to say if that difference is just related to leadership. \"It could be due to all sorts of things that might be fairly tangentially related to leadership.\" \"Leadership is such a fuzzy quality that it's hard to say conclusively what you are changing,\" Kentridge added. \"You might change things that contribute to leadership, for example people might learn to stay calmer in conflict situations, but is that the same as saying you're improving the leadership center of your brain?\" So, what's inside the brain of a born leader? Interestingly, intelligence is not a requirement. \"There's zero correlation between IQ and leadership,\" Balthazard told CNN. \"Emotion control has a lot to do with leadership. People who lead very well tend to have a much more coherent brain on the emotional, right side, and more differentiated brain on the more rational, left side, that can assess more different options.\" Balthazard says that although he has identified brain profiles for antecedents to leadership, he stresses that before he can produce a set of exercises designed to improve leadership itself, he must develop a \"leadership norm\" -- a standard for what makes a good leader. He has currently analyzed the brains of between 200 and 225 subjects, including bankers and military leaders, and says he must test twice that amount before he has his \"norm.\" But he said plenty of people are already going to neurotherapists to train their brain for skills linked to leadership, such as decision-making, cognition, and memory retrieval, and Balthazard says he'll soon be able to use neuotherapy techniques to develop leadership itself. \"At some point in the next 18 months we'll have a seminal paper out that says we've done this. We're not there yet but I've seen it in the lab.\" If that happens, budding CEOs might be queuing up at neurotherapists to plug themselves in and turn themselves into the business brains of the future." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Researcher says he can spot a good leader just by scanning their brain .\nPierre Balthazard is a business professor who uses neuroscientific methods .\nThere is no correlation between intelligence and leadership, he says .\nHe hopes to improve people's leadership by working on brain function ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- A new lawsuit alleges that convicted swindler Bernie Madoff financed a cocaine-fueled work environment and a \"culture of sexual deviance,\" and he diverted money to his London, England, office when he believed federal authorities were closing in at home. A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York's State Supreme Court, was brought on behalf of former investors and seeks unspecified punitive damages and compensation. Beyond that, it offers a look at what the plaintiffs' attorneys say was once Madoff's multimillion-dollar empire and what is now his world in a federal prison in North Carolina. Among the allegations in the 264-page lawsuit are that during the mid-1970s, Madoff began sending employees to buy drugs for company use. The complaint alleges that some employees and investors were aware of the drug purchases, and that BMIS [Bernard Madoff Investment Services] was known by insiders as the \"North Pole\" in reference to the excessive amount of cocaine use in the work place. Attorneys Joseph Cochett and Nancy Fineman filed the complaint based on an investigation, including a four-hour interview with Madoff in prison in July, that they conducted for former investors. They also allege that major financial institutions, including KPMG, the Bank of New York and JP Morgan Chase, were aware that Madoff was transferring stolen funds to his London office for personal purchases. According to the complaint, Madoff transferred funds to London to buy extravagant personal items. \"In 2006 Madoff thought the end was near because the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission] investigated. He realized he had to change things up so his focus shifted to London,\" Fineman said. \"We know that KPMG were the auditors for the London branch and that money was used to buy yachts and Bentleys, they are supposed to look at related-party transactions. KPMG should have noticed these as a red flag.\" Officials of KPMG and the Bank of New York did not immediately respond to calls from CNN Wednesday evening for comment on the lawsuit. JP Morgan Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said, \"We do not comment on pending litigation.\" The alleged illicit behavior outlined in the complaint did not stop at drug use and extravagant spending. Company parties consisted of topless entertainers, and some employees had affairs in places such as Madoff's own office, the lawsuit says. Madoff was fond of escorts and masseuses, and used money stolen from investors to pay them, according to the complaint. Madoff was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors. He pleaded guilty in March to 11 counts, including fraud, money laundering and perjury, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person, totaling billions in losses to investors. Before Madoff, 71, was transferred to Federal Butner Correctional Complex outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, he lived a life of luxury. The lawsuit states that he had multimillion dollar residences in Manhattan, Montauk on New York's Long Island; Palm Beach, Florida; and Cap d'Antibe, France. The complaint includes details of Madoff's drastically different life now in prison. He lives in a cell where he sleeps on the bottom bunk while up top sleeps his 21-year-old cellmate, who is serving time for drug crimes, according to the lawsuit. Madoff's recreational activities consist of walking around the prison track at night, and eating pizza cooked by a convicted child molester, the lawsuit says. Madoff now spends his time with infamous inmates, the lawsuit says, including Carmine Persico, a former organized-crime former boss, and Jonathan Pollard, a convicted spy for Israel. Many of his fellow inmates are in prison for drug and sex crimes, according to the lawsuit. Going after large financial institutions that allegedly allowed Madoff's scheme to flourish is the goal of Fineman and her associates. \"Our goal of meeting with Madoff during the investigation is to get as much money back from responsible parties and that's why lawsuits are filed and why lawyers do what they do,\" Fineman said. \"Even now, 10 months later, the pain in the victims' voices is still evident. I still hear it when I talk to people who were being defrauded for so long.\" According to the complaint, Fineman and Cochett are seeking punitive and compensatory damages for their clients with \"an amount to be determined at trial, including interest thereon.\" Fineman said that during the prison interview with Madoff, \"He said he was apologetic, but he didn't seem apologetic.\" \"I forgot I was in prison, he was talking to us as if we were in a restaurant -- he has quite an ego, you could see why people would be drawn to him,\" Fineman said. \"He told us things that were self-serving to him,\" she said. \"But he told me he knew he would die in prison.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lawsuit seeks punitive damages, compensation on behalf of former investors .\nStarting in '70s, Madoff sent employees to buy drugs for company use, suit alleges .\nLawsuit: Madoff used money stolen from investors to pay for escorts and masseuses .\nMadoff now eating prison pizza cooked by a convicted child molester, lawsuit says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's Note: In an exclusive series this week on \"Campbell Brown,\" the FBI has unveiled three additions to its list of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. The FBI says Semion Mogilevich has been involved in arms trafficking, prostitution, extortion and murder for hire. NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Semion Mogilevich may be the most powerful man you've never heard of. The FBI says Mogilevich, a Russian mobster, has been involved in arms trafficking, prostitution, extortion and murder for hire. \"He has access to so much, including funding, including other criminal organizations, that he can, with a telephone call and order, affect the global economy,\" said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Peter Kowenhoven. Mogilevich's alleged brutality, financial savvy and international influence have earned him a slot on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, though he has lived and operated from Moscow, Russia, for years. Watch CNN report on Mogilevich » . \"He's a big man. He's a very powerful man,\" FBI Special Agent Mike Dixon said. \"I think more powerful than a John Gotti would be, because he has the ability to influence nations. Gotti never reached that stature.\" He is accused of swindling Canadian and U.S. investors out of $150 million in a complex international financial scheme. It centered on a firm called YBM, which purportedly made magnets at a factory in Hungary. Authorities say the scheme involved preparing bogus financial books and records, lying to Securities and Exchange Commission officials, offering bribes to accountants and inflating stock values of YBM, which was headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania. In a raid in 1998, FBI agents found a treasure trove of documents -- purchase orders, invoices, shipping orders, even technical drawings -- everything a legitimate business would produce. But there was one thing missing. \"There were no magnets,\" Dixon said. It was all a sham, investigators say. \"In essence, what his companies were doing was moving money through bank accounts in Budapest and countries throughout the world and reporting these to the investment community as purchases of raw materials and sales of magnets,\" Dixon said. And because the company was publicly traded, anyone owning the stock would have made a lot of money. \"And of course Mogilevich controlled large, large blocks of stock from the outset, and he made a substantial amount of money in this process,\" Dixon said. Investors lost millions into the pockets of Mogilevich and his associates. He and his associates were indicted in 2003 on 45 counts of racketeering, securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Russian authorities arrested him last year on tax fraud charges, but because the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, he remained beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. He is now free on bail. The FBI believes Mogilevich moved on after YBM and began manipulating international energy markets, giving him a large influence on other nations. Dixon noted that Mogilevich had control or influence over companies involved in natural gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine. Authorities say Mogilevich, who has an economics degree from Ukraine, is known for his ruthless nature but also for his business acumen, which led to his nickname \"the Brainy Don.\" \"He has a very sophisticated, well-educated, loyal group of associates that he works with,\" Dixon said. \"He hires top-notch consultants, attorneys, risk management firms to assist him and protect him in his criminal ventures.\" Louise Shelley, an organized crime expert from George Mason University, says Mogilevich is a new kind of criminal. \"The major criminal organizations in Russia have not only tapped into people with economics degrees,\" Shelley said. \"They've tapped into people with PHDs in finance and statistics who assist them.\" The FBI hopes Mogilevich will eventually travel to a country that has an extradition treaty with the U.S. But, in case he doesn't, his wanted poster will be distributed all over Russia." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Semion Mogilevich accused of taking U.S., Canadian investors for $150 million .\nFBI believes he moved on to manipulating international energy markets .\nFBI: Mogilevich's business degree, large influence on nations make him dangerous .\nAlleged Russian mobster known for his ruthlessness, power, business acumen ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how an international flight into Atlanta's major airport landed on a taxiway instead of a runway early Monday. The pilots of the plane that landed at the Atlanta airport have been relieved from flying duties pending probes. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Delta Flight 60, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, was cleared to land about 6:05 a.m. Monday on Runway 27R but landed instead on Taxiway M, which runs parallel to the runway. The flight had 194 passengers and crew aboard, according to CNN affiliate WXIA. No other aircraft were on the taxiway, and there was no damage to either the taxiway or the plane, a Boeing 767, Bergen said. A runway or taxiway collision, particularly with one plane preparing to take off and carrying a full fuel load, would be catastrophic. Bergen said she isn't sure whether or when other aircraft have ever landed on the taxiway at Hartsfield. Both Runway 27R and Taxiway M are 11,890 feet long, Bergen said, but the runway is marked with white lights while the taxiway is marked with blue lights. Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline is cooperating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigation, as well as conducting an internal investigation. The pilots of the flight have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations, Black said. Bergen and Black said a medical emergency was reported on the plane, but neither offered any details. The incursion came just two weeks after the FAA announced that serious runway incursions were down 50 percent from the year that ended September 30, 2008, over the year ending on the same date this year. The FAA said there were 12 serious incursions in 2009 and 25 in 2008. Only two of the serious incursions involved commercial airliners in 2009, compared with nine in 2008. The FAA defines a serious incursion as one in which a collision is narrowly avoided, or there was a significant potential for collision that resulted in the need to take quick corrective action." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Plane landed on taxiway instead of runway Monday morning, FAA says .\nNo other plane was on the taxiway; aircraft wasn't damaged .\nThe taxiway is parallel to a runway, but they're marked differently ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The best way to get tongues wagging is to say nothing at all, and it's a skill Rihanna has down to a science. Rihanna apparently revealed the release date for her new album over Twitter. The Barbadian songstress arrived a bit late to the Twitter party when she -- or her people -- created a \"rihanna\" tag yesterday and sent out a single, sparse tweet: \"The Wait Is Ova. Nov. 23 09.\" Whether that's the name of a new single, the beginning of a viral marketing campaign -- or both -- is unknown, but a representative for Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly that though the date \"looks accurate\" for her album release, \"The Wait Is Ova\" is not the album title. The only other object fans can mine for clues about the singer's upcoming release is the logo, a metallic nail fashioned into a crudely shaped \"R\" that has swarmed the Internet. The new record would be her fourth since her debut at 17. In the four years since, she's evolved from an unknown, breezy pop singer to a sonically and fashionably more distinct persona. One can only expect that her latest effort would continue to show that growth. Yet there are extra layers of anticipation surrounding the unnamed work: Not only is this Rihanna's follow-up to \"Good Girl Gone Bad,\" the album that made her an international superstar, it's also the first time she is piping up as a solo artist since the infamous fight with her ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, in February. Those who've worked with the star on the record have said to expect something with more ferocity. \"Expect an edgier, almost angrier Rihanna on this one,\" Ne-Yo told E! Online. \"Rihanna says some things on this album that you've never heard her say before.\" But, said Mariel Concepcion, associate editor for Billboard.com, that statement shouldn't be taken too literally. \"She has changed a bit, but I think she's simply grown. Fans are expecting her to reveal some details, but I think she's going to subliminally let it be known that 'Yes, [Chris] hurt me, but I'm moving forward with life.' This issue was such a serious issue, it calls for more than putting out an angry song about it.\" Tracey Johnson, who said she's been a fan of the singer since the beginning, has high expectations for the upcoming release, but not because she expects to hear about Rihanna's personal life. \"[Some fans] feel like it would be good for her to represent abused women in some sort of way and say something, but in my perspective, she doesn't owe us anything,\" Johnson said. \"She's always been pretty private about the relationship, and she's never opened a lot in her music anyway.\" If Rihanna maintains her silence, Johnson said, it will be \"kind of a hit back at the critics who said she disappeared after not becoming the spokesperson for domestic abuse. She's saying this is what you should be paying attention to: I'm a fashion icon, and I make great music.\" Johnson, co-founder and editor of celebrity Web site NeonLimelight.com, has paid close attention to Rihanna's reported studio time over the past few months, but said he didn't expect to see the album appear so soon -- and with a tweet, no less. \"I'm definitely expecting more for this album,\" she said. \"Rihanna has a platform now that she didn't have before 'Good Girl Gone Bad.' She's gone a step forward with each album, and I think it's going to be a little more of what we heard on 'Good Girl Gone Bad,' but to the next level.\" That's a prediction that Concepcion agrees with, considering that the people who have been pulled in on this album resemble the team who worked on \"Good Girl\": Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo and Tricky Stewart, who was behind the single \"Umbrella\" that launched Rihanna to a new level of pop stardom. Devin Lazerine, editor of Rap-Up.com, said Stewart isn't trying to top the success of \"Umbrella,\" but rather create a sound that would live up to its success. \"Just from hearing 'Run This Town' we can see the direction she's heading in,\" Lazerine said. \"It's going to be darker and more edgy. She was actually going to put that song on this album, and then Jay-Z heard it and they traded songs.\" Still, Lazerine said, \"dark\" and \"edgy\" don't always equal \"personal.\" \"She's all about the music and the sound -- I think we're going to get something that embodies her fashion sense,\" he said. \"I don't think there's going to be much about the Chris Brown situation; I don't even think her fans expect that. They just want something that pushes the boundaries.\" Rihanna's former other half, Chris Brown, has been busying in the studio as well. The singer, who was sentenced to five years' probation and more than 1,400 hours of community service in August, released the single \"I Can Transform Ya\" with Swizz Beatz and Lil Wayne a few weeks ago, but it's not the only one circulating the Internet. \"So Cold,\" a ballad with lyrics that sound suspiciously autobiographical, was leaked onto the Internet yesterday, as Brown's Twitter page confirms. Nonetheless, the artist does plan to keep it on the upcoming album \"Graffiti,\" which has an undetermined release date." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cryptic tweet from Rihanna appears to reveal new album release date .\nAlbum would be the first since fight with Chris Brown in February .\nColleagues expect \"edgier\" Rihanna on the album .\nFan: \"She doesn't owe us anything\" about personal life ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Embattled Sen. Larry Craig accused police after his June arrest of trying to entrap him, but CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says he puts little faith in such a defense. A police mug shot of Sen. Larry Craig after he was arrested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in June. In a police recording released Thursday, the Idaho Republican denied that he was trying to engage in lewd behavior in a men's bathroom at a Minnesota airport. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. \"You shouldn't be out to entrap people,\" Craig said on the tape. The arresting officer denied Craig's accusation of entrapment. Listen to police interview Craig » . CNN.com asked Toobin about how an entrapment defense might work in court. CNN.com: What's the legal definition of entrapment? TOOBIN: The key concept with entrapment is the idea of predisposition. A person is entrapped if they are lured into committing a crime that they are not otherwise predisposed to commit. Basically an entrapment defense shifts the burden of proof to the prosecution to prove that the defendant was not predisposed to commit the crime. The question is, did the police entice you to do something that you didn't want to do in the first place? And the important point to raise about entrapment defenses is that they're rarely successful. And most juries tend to think that if you commit a crime, you did it of your own volition. CNN.com: What tactics do police employ to protect their sting operations from the entrapment defense? TOOBIN: Well, what they often do, which was not done here, is use tape recordings or video so the jury can see how anxious the defendant was to commit the crime. Tape and video is the best refutation of an entrapment defense. I think Craig had the possibility of raising an entrapment defense in this case. Now, I don't know if it would have been successful. What you have to remember about that tape is the officer's report says that Craig did a heck of a lot more than just pick up a piece of paper in the stall. Watch how fellow Republicans are pressuring Craig to quit » . He rubbed his hand along the side of the stall, and he lingered outside and looked through the crack and rubbed his fingers together. I mean there were a whole series of signals. And the jury might very well have believed the officer rather than Craig. I don't mean to suggest that entrapment defense would have necessarily been successful, but it was not an implausible defense given the facts. The whole issue is moot because he pled. I don't take seriously his protestations of entrapment because he pled guilty. You know, he's not innocent until proven guilty. He's guilty. He's an intelligent, sophisticated man with access to lawyers, and he actually told the authorities that he'd consulted a lawyer. He had weeks to reflect on whether to plead guilty. It would have been one thing if the day of the offense, he signed a paper pleading guilty. He could have made the argument that he just panicked on the day of the offense. But there were weeks between the offense and the guilty plea. CNN.com: Is there any way that Craig could use entrapment as a defense to improve his case -- to work backward legally toward vindication? TOOBIN: Out of the question. No way. E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You shouldn't be out to entrap people,\" Sen. Larry Craig told arresting officer .\nEntrapment defense possible, but juries don't often believe it, says CNN analyst .\nIdaho Republican pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after arrest in men's room ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A few seconds could have made all the difference in the fate of a family who spent three days lost in the snowy California woods, according to the helicopter pilot who found them. Josh and Lexi Dominguez exit a helicopter Wednesday, shortly after being found. The father of the family, Frederick Dominguez, came running out of the culvert where they had sought shelter when family members heard the sound of the California Highway Patrol helicopter Wednesday afternoon. \"Had he not been moving, we would not have seen him, because the tree line was very dense and he came climbing out of the culvert,\" helicopter pilot Steve Ward told CNN on Thursday. \"We were just very lucky.\" Dominguez had arranged branches to spell the word \"help\" near the culvert, but rescuers didn't see that until they were turning the helicopter around after spotting Dominguez. The helicopter was on its way out of the area at that point, trying to get ahead of bad weather. \"The small window of opportunity we had to find them, it was nothing short of a miracle,\" paramedic David White, who was riding with Ward, told CNN on Thursday. Watch White and Ward describe the rescue » . Dominguez and his three children had been lost in the snow since Sunday, when they set out to cut down a Christmas tree. They sought shelter first in a lean-to they made of branches, then in the culvert under a road. See family's photos of their ordeal » . Dominguez said his daughter Lexi, 14, was the first to hear the helicopter overhead. He said he ran though several feet of snow barefooted to wave it down. \"When they turned around, man, I was just praising God and saying, 'Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord,' because I knew we had made it,\" he said. Thursday, Lexi was hospitalized after complaining that her feet hurt. Trying to protect their cold, wet feet from frostbite was an ongoing problem while the four were lost in the forest. Through their three-day ordeal, the oldest son, Chris, 18, tried to keep his younger brother and sister optimistic. \"I didn't want them to really lose hope,\" he told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night, hours after the family was rescued. \"Whenever they would freak out, I would just be like, it's all right. We're going to make it through this. This is nothing. Like, we have already been here a couple of days. What's a couple more days?\" Watch the family talk about their \"scary\" ordeal » . But it was hard to stay hopeful lost in rugged terrain, in heavy snow, with no food and few warm clothes. \"I just remember walking and walking and being like, we're not going to make it,\" said Lexi. \"They can't even see us through all this fog. And I just -- there was just a couple of times where I was really, really scared.\" \"I didn't think we were going to make it,\" said Josh, 12. They removed their sodden socks in an effort to stay warm and dry while they waited for rescue, according to the rescuers who found them. They warmed their feet inside each other's shirts to help stave off frostbite. \"You just go to survival mode,\" Frederick Dominguez said. \"Every parent would do that. You would do anything, sacrifice yourself, because these are your kids.\" Watch mother as she finds out family is safe » . While the family huddled in the culvert, Lexi led them in impromptu singalongs. \"Someone would say, sing this song, and I would be like, OK,\" she recalled. \"We would all help her, too,\" her brother Josh added. Chris told CNN one of the things he would remember most about the experience was \"Lexi in there, in the tunnel, singing her heart out.\" The four were reported missing Monday night by Dominguez's former wife and the children's mother, Lisa Sams, according to police in Paradise, California, a town of 27,000 people north of Sacramento. Although police found the family's car, it offered no clues as to where they might have gone. The remote area is beyond the reach of cell phones, authorities have said. More than 80 searchers scoured the woods Wednesday until the four were found about 1 p.m. White said the family was found north of where ground crews were searching. All four appeared to be in good condition as they were brought by chopper to the command post and taken to ambulances. After an emotional reunion with her mother Wednesday night, Lexi felt pain, said Brian Clarke, her mother's fiancee. \"She woke up in the middle of the night and her feet were hurting her really bad, so I carried her out to the van and Lisa took her to the hospital,\" he told CNN. \"She just kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.' I told her she didn't have to be sorry, we just wanted her to get better.\" Her brothers have not complained of health problems that require hospitalization, he said. However, doctors asked the other three family members to come in for checkups, said Barbara Mejia, the girlfriend of Frederick Dominguez. Lexi was at Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California, on Thursday, her father said. \"I'm glad I'm home. Praise God,\" Dominguez told reporters after exiting a chopper at the search command post. \"It was awful.\" Asked how he survived, he replied, \"Jesus Christ.\" Butte County Search and Rescue dispatcher Madde Watts said, \"They had angels with them, for sure.\" Mayor Alan White said he and many others in and around Paradise have cut Christmas trees in the same place where the family vanished. When winter weather sours there, he said, people in the woods can get lost quickly. \"If you're 50 feet from your car, you might not be able to find it,\" he said. \"We weren't prepared at all,\" Chris said. \"We just thought we were going to go up to the mountains, get our tree and go back home. It didn't turn out that way.\" E-mail to a friend ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Doctors ask family to return to hospital for precautionary checkups .\nLexi Dominguez hospitalized after complaining her feet hurt .\nFamily sought shelter from snow in culvert, warmed each other's frostbitten feet .\nFrederick Dominguez and his 3 children set out Sunday to cut Christmas tree ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate passed groundbreaking legislation Thursday that would make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. President Obama has said the country must make significant changes to ensure equal rights. The expanded federal hate crimes law now goes to President Obama's desk. Obama has pledged to sign the measure, which was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill. President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure. The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teenager who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998, and James Byrd Jr., an African-American man dragged to death in Texas the same year. \"Knowing that the president will sign it, unlike his predecessor, has made all the hard work this year to pass it worthwhile,\" said Judy Shepard, board president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation named for her son. \"Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families.\" Several religious groups have expressed concern that a hate-crimes law could be used to criminalize conservative speech relating to subjects such as abortion or homosexuality. Attorney General Eric Holder has asserted that any federal hate-crimes law would be used only to prosecute violent acts based on bias, as opposed to the prosecution of speech based on controversial racial or religious beliefs. Holder called Thursday's 68-29 Senate vote to approve the defense spending bill that included the hate crimes measure \"a milestone in helping protect Americans from the most heinous bias-motivated violence.\" Watch survivor of attack discuss legislation » . \"The passage of this legislation will give the Justice Department and our state and local law enforcement partners the tools we need to deter and prosecute these acts of violence,\" he said in a statement. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called the measure \"our nation's first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.\" \"Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence,\" Solmonese said in a statement. \"We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country.\" This month, Obama told the Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest gay rights group, that the nation still needs to make significant changes to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians. \"Despite the progress we've made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open,\" he said during his address at the dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. \"This fight continues now, and I'm here with the simple message: I'm here with you in that fight.\" Among other things, Obama has called for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, the \"don't ask, don't tell\" policy. He also has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act. The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage, for federal purposes, as a legal union between a man and a woman. It allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. The Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act would extend family benefits now available to heterosexual federal employees to gay and lesbian federal workers. More than 77,000 hate-crime incidents were reported by the FBI between 1998 and 2007, or \"nearly one hate crime for every hour of every day over the span of a decade,\" Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee in June. The FBI, Holder added, reported 7,624 hate-crime incidents in 2007, the most current year with complete data." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Senate approves bill expanding hate crimes law .\nMeasure would make it a crime to assault person because of sexual orientation .\nReligious groups fear law could criminalize conservative speech .\nAttorney general says it will be used only to prosecute violence ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- During the current economic crisis, high-flying women have been overlooked for promotion, according to a study out Tuesday. At the upper level of management, business is still dominated by men. The study, by U.S. nonprofit research group Catalyst, surveyed 873 MBA alumni who graduated between 1996 and 2007, asking how their careers had fared between November 2007 and June 2009. The results showed that overall, male and female MBAs have proved resilient to the recession and have fared equally well in the U.S., Canada and Asia, with 31 percent of surveyed women reporting that they had been promoted during that time period, compared to 36 percent of men. However in Europe, just 26 per cent of women were promoted, compared with 44 percent of men, according to the study published in the Harvard Business Review. According to the Harvard Business Review, of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies only two per cent of the CEOs are women, and only 15 per cent of the seats on their boards of directors are held by women. Professor Susan Vinnicombe is the director of the Center for International Women Business Leaders at Cranfield University School of Management in England. She told CNN that while it isn't clear why the figures for Europe in particular show such a gender discrepancy, it reflects discrimination faced by women business leaders in general. Read more business related features . \"There is a whole stream of research of male and female MBAs that systematically shows the more senior they get the bigger the disparities in salaries and promotion,\" she said. \"Immediately after the MBA -- at the mid level -- women do quite well, but as they progress upwards the disparities emerge and get wider. That's not just for MBAs, it's the function of men and women in the workforce in general.\" When it comes to the top tier, women worldwide were much more likely than men to lose their jobs, with 19 percent of female senior executives losing their jobs, compared with six per cent of men. Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden, General Manager of Catalyst Europe told CNN that the discrepancy is probably not the result of the current economic malaise. \"These figures reflect what has been a challenge in Europe for a number years,\" she said. \"The talent pipeline in Europe is clearly not as robust for women. This study indicates that by and large this is not directly related to the economic crisis, but it may have magnified the discrepancy.\" Haller-Jorden cites European corporate culture, perpetuation of gender-based stereotypes, exclusion of women from informal networks and a lack of role models as reasons behind the discrepancy. Cranfield University produces what it calls the \"Female FTSE Index,\" showing the percentage of female directors in Britain's top 100 companies. Vinnicombe says that in the last 10 years the number of female directors has hardly improved, increasing from seven per cent to just 11 percent. Vinnicombe adds that she has found anecdotal evidence that a number of senior women in the British banking sector have chosen to leave their jobs, rather than work in a \"high pressure, highly controlling\" work environment brought about by the economic crisis. The Catalyst study also shows that many MBAs aren't letting the economic crisis get in the way of career advancement. Overall, 34 percent of respondents had received a promotion and 35 percent made a lateral move. \"The data almost indicates business as usual, in highly unusual times for business,\" Haller-Jorden told CNN. The common perception might be that given the current economic uncertainty, employees would choose to play it safe rather than chance their luck in a volatile job market, but the study found that MBAs have been willing to risk career moves, with 20 percent of respondents changing jobs, 14 percent relocating and four percent starting their own business. Haller-Jorden said that MBAs represent \"high-potential employees\" who tend to be entrepreneurial and show a high level of initiative. She added that these individuals tend to be opportunistic when it comes to their careers, seeking out new developmental opportunities, exploring lateral moves, looking at options around relocating, and choosing other employment opportunities to make sure they aren't negatively impacted by recession. \"The results are sobering for a corporate sector which may have assumed that people would be grateful to have a job and wouldn't necessarily be exploring other options,\" she said. \"For companies to rest on their laurels and assume they don't need to worry about retention is a mistake.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Study: High-flying women are missing out on promotion .\nDiscrepancy in female promotions may have been magnified by recession .\nElsewhere, male and female MBAs proving resistant to the economic crisis .\n\"High-potential employees\" willing to change roles, despite harsh job market ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- At least 30 people died and 70 were wounded in shelling on a marketplace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Thursday, according to journalists and emergency services. Members of Islamist militia Al-Shaabab patrol Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier this month. A local journalist called the rocket fire on Bakara market \"unprecedented.\" \"This was the most brutal shelling,\" according to an ambulance service representative who said they had picked up 61 wounded, but expect the number to climb. Other victims were being brought to hospitals by family and friends. The source of the shelling could not immediately be determined. Journalists saw shell fire coming from AMISOM -- the African Union Mission in Somalia -- strongholds in a fortified district of the capital and from near the airport. AMISOM is the only force in the area believed to have the firepower capable of such an intense attack. However, AMISOM denied any involvement in the incident. The African Union has a 3,400-member peacekeeping force in Somalia, made up of troops from Burundi and Uganda. It operates under a U.N. mandate to support Somalia's transitional federal government. The peacekeeping force is charged with protecting key government and strategic installations in Mogadishu, including the port, airport and presidential palace. It is the de facto military force of the weak, transitional Somali government. African Union forces have been battling an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia in Somalia called Al-Shaabab. The United States is supporting the Somali government's fight against the insurgents, including providing weapons to government forces. Al-Shaabab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The United States is concerned that Somalia's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency, as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power in early 2007. Ethiopia invaded Somalia with the support of Somalia's weak transitional government. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "30 people killed after shelling in Somali capital Mogadishu according to reports .\nJournalists report shell fire coming from African Union Mission in Somalia stronghold .\nMilitary force AMISOM has denied any involvement in the incident ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department on Thursday announced 300 additional arrests in a four-year operation that it says produced nearly 1,200 arrests and seizures totaling 11.7 tons of illegal drugs. Authorities look through seized property after a drug raid at a house near Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the wrap-up of Project Coronado, which resulted in arrests in 15 states in the past two days. Holder said the operation targeted the distribution network of a major Mexican drug trafficking organization known as La Familia. About 3,000 federal agents participated in the investigation and raids, officials said. \"This unprecedented, coordinated U.S. law enforcement action -- the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel -- has dealt a significant blow to La Familia's supply chain of illegal drugs, weapons and cash flowing between Mexico and the United States,\" Holder said in a news conference. Watch Holder announce the arrests » . Michele Leonhart, acting chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said the cartel was known for specializing in the trafficking of methamphetamine and for its brutal violence, including beheadings. Authorities said the arrests made Wednesday and Thursday occurred in California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Dozens of arrests occurred in the Dallas, Texas, area where agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives filed charges against cartel members believed to have illegally purchased and shipped high-powered firearms to the cartel, which was based in the Mexican state of Michoacan. U.S. officials vowed to indict cartel leaders and extradite them to the United States. One leader, Servando Gomez-Martinez, was indicted in New York on Thursday. He remains at large, and is presumed to be in Mexico. A senior law enforcement official involved in the operation, who asked not to be identified, said he was certain the latest crackdown on La Familia would affect the methamphetamine market in the United States for months. \"It'll make a difference not only because of how hard we hit 'em, but where we hit 'em,\" the official said. Another official said during the course of the investigation that labs run by La Familia had been discovered in Atlanta, Georgia, and San Jose, California. To date, Project Coronado has led to 1,186 arrests in 44 months. During that time, agents seized $32.8 million in U.S. currency, and about 1,225 kilograms (2,700 pounds) of methamphetamine, 2,000 kilograms (4,409 pounds) of cocaine, 13 kilograms (29 pounds) of heroin and more than 8 tons (7,200 kilograms) of marijuana." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In past two days, Project Coronado resulted in arrests in 15 states .\nOfficials: 4-year operation produced nearly 1,200 arrests, 11.7 tons of drugs seized .\nAG says operation targeted La Familia, a top Mexican drug trafficking group .\nLaw enforcement official: Crackdown will affect methamphetamine market in U.S." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a teenage girl who mysteriously turned up in Manhattan two weeks ago, claiming to have no memory of her family, her home -- or even her own name. The teen has recalled an excerpt from the fantasy novel \"Fool's Fate\" by Robin Hobb. \"I just want to know who I am,\" the girl says in a statement released by the New York City Administration for Children's Services. The teen, who is being referred to as Jane Doe, continues, \"I want to know who I am and what happened to me.\" The Caucasian young woman, described by New York ACS as \"very soft-spoken,\" is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, light-skinned, with short, straight, cropped blond hair and blue eyes. Doctors are estimating her age to be between 14 and 17. ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly appealed to the public in a statement, \"asking anyone who may know this young woman to help us locate her family as quickly as possible, so we can safely reunite her with those who love her.\" The girl was found in midtown Manhattan around 12:30 a.m. October 9 outside the Covenant House youth shelter, although the organization tells CNN that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility. According to its Web site, with nearly 7,000 youths seeking shelter per year, \"Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.\" A security guard for the shelter noticed the girl walking around on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department. Police officers interviewed the young woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. The NYPD said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered. Children's Services said the girl recently wrote down the name \"Amber\" and has responded to it on one occasion, but she has no idea whether it is her true name. On another occasion she is said to have recalled certain words, which turned out to be an excerpt from the fantasy novel \"Fool's Fate\" by Robin Hobb. The girl is also apparently writing a fantasy story of her own that features a heroine named Rian, \"who's been raised by the commander of the guard post on the edge of a fantasy kingdom,\" says the young woman. The girl has a 2- to 4-inch scar on her lower left back and had a black, handwritten birthday message on her arm, addressed to a name of Japanese origin, when she was found, police said Friday. Judging from poor dental hygiene, said Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, she appears to have been living on the streets for some time. \"This case has been going on since October 9,\" Zimmerman said. \"Today is the 23rd, and we're vey concerned. It's been a very long time now. That's a long time frame to not identify somebody. Especially someone who we believe is a juvenile. Usually juveniles we get a lot of inquiries about.\" While the girl is confused and her story remains vague, Mattingly said, \"she is safe with us, and we are doing all we can to help her, but she needs to find her family.\" She is apparently reviewing materials for a high school GED exam, saying that she is able to do the math but has no recollection of studying the history and science portions. However, according to the Children's Services statement, the young woman \"can easily retain the information.\" New York City Administration for Children's Services and police are asking anyone with information about the young woman or her family to contact the NYPD Missing Persons Squad at 212-694-7781 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I just want to know who I am,\" girl says, according to children's services agency .\nShe's described as 5', 6\" tall, \"very soft-spoken\"; doctors say she's 14 to 17 years old .\nGirl was found in midtown Manhattan early October 9 outside youth shelter .\nAgency says girl recently wrote down the name \"Amber\" and has responded to it ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The Vatican said Tuesday it has worked out a way for groups of Anglicans who are dissatisfied with their faith to join the Catholic Church. The Vatican says more Anglicans have expressed an interest in joining the Catholic Church. The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said. The move comes some 450 years after King Henry VIII broke from Rome and created the Church of England, forerunner of the Anglican Communion. The parishes would be led by former Anglican clergy -- including those who are married -- who would be ordained as Catholic priests, said the Rev. James Massa, ecumenical director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. \"This sets up a process for whole groups of Anglicans -- clergy and laity -- to enter in to the Catholic Church while retaining their forms of worship and other Anglican traditions,\" Massa said. The number of Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church has increased in recent years as the Anglican Church has welcomed the ordination of women and openly gay clergy and blessed homosexual partnerships, said Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Their talks with the Vatican recently began speeding up, Vatican officials said, leading to Tuesday's announcement. \"The Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion,\" Levada said. Levada said \"hundreds\" of Anglicans around the world have expressed their desire to join the Catholic Church. Among them are 50 Anglican bishops, said Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia of the Congregation for Divine Worship. While married Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic priests, the same does not apply to married Anglican bishops, Levada said. \"We've been praying for this unity for 40 years and we've not anticipated it happening now,\" Di Noia said. \"The Holy Spirit is at work here.\" One interested group is the Traditional Anglican Communion, an association of churches that is separate from the Anglican Communion and has hundreds of thousands of members worldwide. The TAC in 2007 petitioned the Vatican for unity with the Catholic Church with the stipulation that the group retain its Anglican rites. The TAC's primate, Archbishop John Hepworth of Australia, said in a statement Tuesday that the Vatican's announcement \"more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition two years ago.\" That is because the Vatican's move involves not only the TAC but other Anglican groups that want to unite with the Catholic Church, said the Right Rev. Daren K. Williams, bishop ordinary of the western diocese of the Anglican Church of America, which is part of the TAC. The Vatican has yet to release all details of the offer, and the TAC's leaders will meet and discuss how to respond when it does, Williams said. But Williams said he believes much of TAC will respond favorably. Williams, who also is rector of All Saints Anglican Church in Fountain Valley, California, said his parishioners have generally been \"very warmly receiving\" Tuesday's announcement. \"It is encouraging for them to know their worship experience wouldn't be turned upside down by the Roman Catholic Church,\" Williams said. \"The person in the pew should see very little difference in the way we pray. We might be asked to pray aloud for any pope who happens to be in office, in addition to praying for our primate. \"Really, there'd be very little other difference.\" The parishes retaining the Anglican rites would answer not to Catholic bishops but to regional or nationwide \"personal ordinariates\" who would report to the pope, Massa said. Those officials often will be former Anglican clergy, Vatican officials said. The Church of England said the move ends a \"period of uncertainty\" for Anglican groups who wanted more unity with the Catholic Church. Both groups have a \"substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality\" and will continue to hold official dialogues, the archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster said in a joint statement. \"Those Anglicans who have approached the Holy See have made clear their desire for full, visible unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church,\" Levada said. \"At the same time, they have told us of the importance of their Anglican traditions of spirituality and worship for their faith journey.\" Preserving Anglican traditions, such as mass rites, adds to the diversity of the Catholic Church, he said. \"The unity of the church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows,\" he said. \"Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: 'There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.' \" CNN's Hada Messia and Jason Hanna contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Vatican opens door to disillusioned Anglicans wanting to join Catholic Church .\nMarried priests and bishops to be allowed to \"enter into full visible communion\"\nVatican says \"hundreds\" of Anglicans have expressed interest in joining .\nAnglicans can retain their rites while recognizing the pope as their leader ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's eldest son and a top official in his media empire, says his father was \"always there for me.\" Pier Silvio Berlusconi, vice president of the Mediaset group, in Cologno Monzese, Italy in March, 2009. Berlusconi, 40, is vice chairman of Mediaset SpA, the Italian commercial television network founded by his father and now owned by the Berlusconi family through the holding company, Fininvest. He's held several positions at the company since joining in 1992, at the age of 23, following a serious motorcycle accident. He started in the marketing department of Publitalia, the company's advertising group. Four years later, he was appointed director of scheduling and program coordination for Mediaset's three channels. In an interview with CNN's Hada Messia, the younger Berlusconi says his father, Italy's longest-serving prime minister, was \"always a very present father\" even though there were periods he saw him more and times he saw him less. Watch more on the private life of Silvio Berlusconi » . \"He was always a busy man,\" Pier Silvio Berlusconi says of his 73-year-old father, who besides being the Italian head of government, is also a billionaire media entrepreneur, real estate and insurance tycoon, bank proprietor, sports team owner and song-writer. \"I never felt like something, or even more the father figure, was missing,\" he said. The younger Berlusconi, the prime minister's second child, says he grew up in a \"totally normal family ... at least until my father began to go into work in politics. It was a normal family, a healthy family.\" Asked what makes a normal Italian family, the younger Berlusconi replied: \"A normal Italian family is where certain values are always very present. Some of these values are connected to being a family. Being closer to each other and respecting certain traditions, being there for one another.\" Pier Silvio and Marina Berlusconi, the prime minister's oldest child and also a top official in his media empire, the billionaire entrepreneur's children with first wife, Carla Elvira Dall'Oglio. The couple divorced in 1985 and Berlusconi went on to marry actress Veronica Lario, with whom he had three more children. In May of this year, Lario announced she was filing for divorce after the Italian press reported the prime minister attended the birthday party of an 18-year-old Neapolitan model. Asked what he learned from his father, Pier Silvio Berlusconi said that as a young boy, his father taught him normal father-son things like \"how to swim\" and play tennis. The most important thing he taught him in life though, he told CNN, was \"respect for other people. I am impressed by how much respect he always has for the other person.\" The younger Berlusconi said he got into his father's business by accident in 1992 after suffering a terrible motorbike accident. \"I had a very bad motorbike accident when I was 20 years old,\" Pier Silvio Berlusconi told CNN. \"I couldn't walk for one year. After that, I decided I wanted to do something more than just being in college.\" He then joined Mediaset, which was not listed on the stock market at the time. Berlusconi says when his father decided to go into politics in 1994 -- something the elder Berlusconi says he did to stop the advance of the Left in Italy -- \"he totally disappeared.\" \"In Mediaset, in our company, he was very very present and operative before and he stopped being here. He stopped existing basically,\" Berlusconi said. \"From there on, my job was a continuous revolution and I started looking into things I never thought I would have. In three or four years, I found myself completely into the veins of the company and having important responsibility.\" He said his father \"never even knew exactly what I was doing or what my work was. I know this can sound strange, but it is the way things went.\" Pier Silvio Berlusconi says he has no plans to follow his father into the political arena, however, saying politics is not something you can learn. \"You have it or you don't have it,\" he said. Asked to describe his flamboyant father in a few words, Pier Silvio Berlusconi replied: \"Positive energy.\" \"He's like a battery,\" he said, \"full of energy always, always positive, towards people, towards things he has to do, towards problems which he always tries to do everything he can to resolve.\" \"He is really unique in as far as how much passion and devotion he puts into what he does,\" his son told CNN. \"He did a lot as a businessman and now as a politician.\" Asked about the passion his dad feels for his sports team, Italian soccer team AC Milan, Pier Silvio Berlusconi said: \"When my father went into Milan, the passion became a really big passion.\" \"We had many many happy times connected to Milan,\" Pier Silvio Berlusconi said, \"so it is not only a passion that has to do with a sport. \"For me, it is part of my family and what my father has done.\" CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Berlusconi's eldest son says he grew up in a \"totally normal family\"\nSays the most important thing father taught him was respect for others .\nDescribes his dad as like \"a battery,\" always moving forward, always positive .\nSays father disappeared from media empire after going into politics in 1994 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- An Oscar-winning songwriter was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting women whom he would fly in to New York under the impression they were auditioning for movie roles, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Tuesday. Songwriter Joe Brooks is best known for writing \"You Light Up My Life\" and directing the movie. Joseph Brooks, 71, faces multiple charges including rape, criminal sexual act, sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, grand larceny and criminal mischief. The charges involve 11 women, authorities said. Brooks won the Oscar for best original song for the 1977 song, \"You Light Up My Life.\" He also directed the movie, which is about a director who has a one-night stand with an actress. \"I'm flabbergasted,\" said actress Melanie Mayron, who starred in \"You Light Up My Life.\" Mayron said she did not stay in contact with Brooks over the years but described him as a \"lovely man.\" In the indictment, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau alleges that Brooks would fly women in from California, Florida and Oregon for private auditions. He would serve the women one or two glasses of wine, said Lisa Friel, assistant district attorney. The women described feelings that suggest a date-rape drug was used, she said, but added that toxicology results were unclear. Shawni Lucier, Brooks' personal assistant, was also charged with criminal facilitation in connection with arranging some of the encounters. Brooks pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. Bail was set at $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash. The suspect agreed to the terms and left the courthouse. He is set to return Thursday morning and meet the bail agreement, said Jeffery C. Hoffman, his lawyer. Hoffman said some of the women who made the accusations were trying out for a role in a screenplay Brooks wrote. None of the girls was chosen for the part and may feel \"upset about that fact,\" the lawyer said. Hoffman said he is looking forward to proving his client's innocence. \"All I can say is, my client is anxious to clear his name of these false charges,\" he added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You Light Up My Life\" songwriter Joseph Brooks indicted .\nManhattan D.A.'s office charged Brooks with rape, sexual abuse, other counts .\nBrooks won Oscar for 1977 No. 1 song ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate. A pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment at Serenity Place for her painkiller addiction. As different as they are, they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies. They are swallowed by the same shameful past. They don't know if they can be good mothers. They don't know if they can be clean mothers. They're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both. On this summer day, Ashley Hendrix, 24, is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the Phoenix Center's Serenity Place. This is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail. South Carolina's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children. Across the country, local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use, but the cases are often rejected by the courts. And judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts. In recent years, Missouri and North Dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment. Illegal substances -- marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed Hendrix for more than a decade. \"To this day, I still cry about it, \" she said, \"that if anything does come out wrong with my baby, I know that my drug use is the reason why. Since 1989, at least 126 women in South Carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies, according to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying. During the same period, only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined. \"Word on the street\" in South Carolina, says Stephen Donaldson, program manager of a drug-treatment facility in Charleston County, \"is if you use during pregnancy, you're being prosecuted or you're losing your baby.\" Over the last 15 years, that message has driven many women to Serenity Place, a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers. Here, the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but Serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers. They want the women to know there are second chances, and there is hope. \"I'm grateful everyday for being here and I'm grateful to have my baby with me,\" says a freckled Kim Clark, 28, who gave birth to her son Jaelyn at the center. \"I've been using drugs since I was 11 years old. I didn't know any other life. And I've learned a lot about myself. I've been taught things here.\" She graduated in August, has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son. Some women arrive here voluntarily. Others were sent by the state's Department of Social Services. Others made a plea bargain with the courts, allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison. \"My biggest fear was the [health of the] baby, but right behind that was that 'I'm going to go to jail',\" says Sandria Doremus, one of Hendrix' classmates at Serenity. Afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction, she delayed getting prenatal care. \"I should have gone in a lot sooner,\" she admits. Doremus, 37, arrived at Serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials, as required by law. She has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face. She cuddled her 8-month-old son, Matthew, when CNN visited the center in July. Born with heroin in his system, Matthew was placed on methadone. Today, he is healthy, but studies show drug-exposed babies can face developmental delays and learning disabilities in later years. Watch the women of Serenity Place share their story » . In 1997, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that a fetus in the third trimester was viable and charges of child abuse, neglect and murder could apply to the mother. Some treatment providers and advocacy experts say this ruling opened the door for prosecutors to charge pregnant women. \"These are addicts who become pregnant,\" says Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. \"They aren't women who chose to use drugs after becoming pregnant.\" 'If I didn't have pills, I felt like I had nothing' Hendrix's drug addiction started long before her pregnancy. She was born into a world of drugs. She says her mother was an addict, her father a violent alcoholic who once held a shotgun to her grandmother's head. Hendrix's grandparents rescued her at age 3 by taking her into their home in rural Union, South Carolina. She has fond memories of her grandfather, but one morning, shortly after her 12th birthday, Hendrix watched her 54-year-old grandfather die from a heart attack. The innocent girl started experimenting with drugs, partly because she couldn't cope with her feelings, she says, but mostly to fit in. By the time she turned 18, marijuana use gave way to cocaine and methamphetamine. Then she discovered prescription painkillers: Lower tabs. OxyContin. Percocet. \"It wasn't even about being high anymore. It was just being able to cope with everyday life,\" Hendrix says. \"If I didn't have the pills, I felt like I had nothing.\" Hendrix could no longer leave bed without the painkillers. Her routine consisted of melting OxyContin pills with water, placing the mixture into a syringe and shooting up, even during her pregnancy. By April of this year, she was six months pregnant and on probation for stealing jewelry to feed her drug habit. She took herself to Serenity Place. Tucked alongside empty factories in a once-thriving textile district, the center looks more like a college dormitory inside than a sterile treatment center. Homemade posters, photo collages and cards congratulating the women for giving birth are strewn along the hallways. There is a communal kitchen and colorful playgrounds. Research shows women who remain with their children during treatment have better chances of defeating their addictions. But a national study in 2005 found that only 3 percent of treatment centers had programs tailored specifically to pregnant women. About 14 percent of treatment centers accepted pregnant or postpartum women. The women at Serenity Place follow a rigid schedule that includes therapy, parenting classes and chores. They aren't allowed phone calls or the freedom to surf the Internet without permission. Security cameras guard all exits. The structure can be particularly hard for addicts who grew up in dysfunctional households with few rules. Women spend on average six months in treatment. If a woman violates the rules, she can be removed from the program. On some occasions, women have walked out of the center, leaving their newborns behind. Why prosecute? Why should addicted women be given a chance at motherhood? What about the welfare of the children? These are the questions asked by South Carolina prosecutors, known as solicitors general. Several solicitors general contacted by CNN declined to comment on how many such cases they have prosecuted, but they say that charging pregnant women has become less common in the state. Bob Ariail, solicitor of Greenville, says his district's policy is a far cry from the 1990s, when then-South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon, an anti-abortion advocate, publicly declared he would aggressively crack down on pregnant mothers accused of substance abuse. Condon often referred to a fetus as his \"fellow South Carolinian.\" Despite several phone calls by CNN, Condon, who is now a private lawyer in South Carolina, could not be reached for comment. In his two decades as a Democratic state representative, Joe Neal of Columbia, South Carolina, has pushed for more drug treatment funding, an effort he says has little chance in these tough economic times. \"Drug treatment?\" says Neal. \"South Carolina's response to addiction has been incarceration not treatment.\" But Wanda McMichael, manager of women's services at Serenity Place, knows treatment can be beneficial. She guides women like Hendrix and the others through that process. Some who graduated from the program when it began in 1993 still remain clean. \"What's the other alternative if they don't come here?\" says McMichael. \"It's prison. That costs more than treatment, but a lot of people don't know that. If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die.\" A healthy baby, a new hope . Most of the women at Serenity Place say they were little girls the first time they used drugs, some as young as 8. Many could not recall what sobriety felt like until they came to the center. Hendrix says her own mother was 15 when she gave birth to her and then abandoned her. \"She was real pretty. Blond hair, pale skin like me,\" Hendrix says. \"I have her nose and lips. She just didn't respect herself.\" Hendrix doesn't want to be like her mother. Her son, who was born July 24, is healthy. In August, Hendrix left Serenity for an intensive outpatient treatment program, and she and her baby live with her grandmother in Union. Of the 16 women enrolled in Serenity in July, half have graduated, program directors say. Six continue receiving treatment and two have left the center. Three women are on a waiting list to get in, including one who is pregnant. Hendrix hopes to get her GED and enroll in the University of South Carolina to study psychology next year. \"I am happy today,\" she says, \"and that's something I haven't felt in a long time. \"My grandmother. My baby. They make me happy. But you know, it's not about them, jail or none of that anymore. That all changed. I am doing this for me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Serenity Place in South Carolina caters treatment programs to pregnant addicts .\nSouth Carolina has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester .\nA pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment earlier this year for her addiction .\n\"If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die,\" a counselor says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dixon, Illinois (CNN) -- William Heirens, the \"Lipstick Killer,\" is believed to be the longest-serving inmate in the United States. He turns 81 on November 15. Diabetes has ravaged his body, but his mind is sharp. \"Bill's never allowed himself to be institutionalized,\" said Dolores Kennedy, his long-time friend and advocate. \"He's kept himself focused on the positives.\" The days are spent mostly watching television and reading magazines. Using a wheelchair and sharing a cell with a roommate in the health unit of Dixon Correctional Center, he still yearns for a chance at freedom. It is something he has not tasted since 1946. Heirens has been locked behind bars and walls for 63 years, making inmate C06103 the longest-serving prisoner in Illinois history, state officials say. According to Steven Drizin, the legal director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University, Heirens \"has served longer than anyone in the U.S. that I can find.\" He was put away a year after the end of World War II. It is a dubious record, but fitting for the man dubbed the Lipstick Killer, whose crime spree remains among the most infamous in the history of Chicago, the city of Capone and Leopold and Loeb. The scar-faced gangster and the thrill-kill pair are long gone. Heirens, however, has not slipped into the past. He lives in the present and hopes for a future outside prison. Supporters have championed his cause, convinced that he is innocent, or arguing that he has been rehabilitated, a model inmate who has served his sentence. \"Pray for my release,\" he wrote in a letter dated October 11. \"There is no reason to keep this man behind bars,\" said Drizin. \"He meets all the criteria for parole.\" While Drizin, who has represented Heirens since 2001, and others passionately plead for his release and prepare to re-petition the state parole board that has consistently refused to free Heirens, others are convinced he is a manipulative murderer. \"He was the bogeyman,\" said Betty Finn of the man convicted of strangling her sister. \"I don't think you need to feel sorry for him. He chose his life and he chose his actions.\" Josephine Ross was the first victim. The 43-year-old was found stabbed to death in her apartment. She was killed on June 5, 1945. In December, police discovered the body of Frances Brown in her bathroom. She was stabbed through the neck and shot in the head. The killer left a message on the wall. It said, \"for heavens sake catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself.\" It was scrawled in red lipstick. The press seized on the detail. The headlines would soon scream of the Lipstick Killer. Four weeks later, an intruder used a ladder to enter the second-floor window of Suzanne Degnan's bedroom. The killer approached the sleeping 6-year-old girl and abducted her. \"I was old enough to know everything that happened and remember the looks on my parents' faces,\" Finn said of the crime against her younger sister. \"Can you imagine as a child to have this happen? Can you imagine going to bed at night and all of a sudden your sister is not in her bed?\" There would be a ransom note demanding $20,000. But there would also be the horrific discovery of Suzanne's severed head in a sewer. Other body parts were found within days. Chicago was gripped in fear. Scores of people were questioned, but the investigation dragged on for months without a break. One, however, came in June, when two police officers confronted a burglar near the Degnan home. The young thief was a 17-year-old student at the University of Chicago. His name was William Heirens, and police soon became convinced he was the killer. Drizin said Heirens was subjected to days of brutal interrogation. He also was beaten and given sodium pentothal to make him tell the truth, Drizin said. He underwent a spinal tap, another extreme measure to compel him to talk. Prosecutors said his handwriting matched that of the words scribbled in lipstick at the scene of the Brown killing. The FBI determined that a fingerprint lifted from the Degnan ransom note matched Heirens. That gave the state's attorney two powerful pieces of evidence against Heirens. But a confession would seal his fate. On August 7, 1946, Heirens supplied it, describing how he killed Degnan, Brown and Ross. He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder. In exchange for the plea, Heirens was spared the death penalty and given three consecutive life sentences. Heirens has distinguished himself in prison. He was the first inmate in Illinois to receive a college degree. \"He helped redesign the library system in the department of corrections,\" said Drizin, who also commended Heirens for becoming a \"first-rate jailhouse lawyer.\" Drizin said Heirens has been eligible for parole nearly every year since the 1970s. The Center on Wrongful Convictions mounted a clemency campaign for Heirens on the grounds that he has served longer than required, and that the evidence used to convict him was unreliable. \"Smoke and mirrors\" was how Drizin described it. Kennedy, who wrote a book that attempts to prove Heirens is innocent, said a political component is keeping him in prison. \"It's a very political case,\" she said. \"Authorities have made statements that he would never get out. I think the courts managed to look the other way and the [parole] board didn't want to take the heat.\" John Russick, senior curator for the Chicago History Museum, said the story of William Heirens is complicated. \"This is not a largely understood case,\" Russick said. \"People know the term Lipstick Killer, and that there was a sensational crime, but I don't think it's talked about in detail.\" He added, \"I feel like it defies logic, and that's what's troubling about it. When you look closely at the nature of these kinds [of confessions] and when you know how these confessions were acquired, there's enough there to -- at the very least -- to make you feel very unsure.\" Frank Czagany, who met Heirens when both were working in the machine shop at U.S. Steel in 1944, remembers his friend as being \"very quiet, not wild.\" \"He wouldn't say crap if he had a mouthful of it,\" Czagany said. Finn calls the efforts supporting Heirens misguided. \"I'm not a vindictive person, I'm not doing this out of anger. It's fear,\" she said. \"There is no evidence that says he's the least bit innocent. How can every single court be wrong?\" Finn, who attended Heirens' most recent parole hearing, in July, said he is not innocent by any stretch of the imagination. \"Keep him locked in jail,\" she said. Kennedy said she and others are looking for a suitable placement in a nursing home for Heirens. She said she believes there is some indication that if an acceptable facility is located, he may have a chance to spend his final days a free man. \"He looks for any glimmer of hope,\" said Kennedy. \"He still wants to be out.\" Drizin said that time has come. \"This is a case where I have serious doubts about his guilt,\" he said. \"But it's a case where there is no question in my mind that the circus-like atmosphere that pervaded his arrest and his prosecution resulted in a trial proceeding for Bill and a guilty plea that was fundamentally unfair.\" \"They probably have good hearts and are dedicated,\" Finn said of Heirens' believers. \"He is not innocent by any stretch, no matter how they twist it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "William Heirens may be the longest-serving prison innate in the United States .\nHe has been behind bars for 63 years .\nAt 81, Heirens is diabetic and uses a wheelchair .\nHe says his 1946 confession to the \"Lipstick Murders\" was coerced ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(OPRAH.com) -- Don't confuse Katey Sagal for Peg Bundy -- it's a common mistake. Katey Sagal says being a mother has been her greatest teacher -- for all her roles. While her infamous alter ego was uneducated, Katey is thoughtful and well-spoken; Peg's fashion is time-warped (hello, bouffant!), Katey's is earthy; for every ounce of laziness in Peg's body, Katey has a multitasking one to match. It may have taken years for the actress to shake her TV counterpart, but watch Katey as fierce matriarch Gemma Morrow on FX's motorcycle drama \"Sons of Anarchy\" (which was released on DVD Tuesday), and you'll start to wonder, \"Peg who?\" Rachel Bertsche: You're known for playing three very different mothers -- \"Married with Children's\" Peg Bundy, Kate from \"8 Simple Rules\" and now Gemma. Plus, you have three kids of your own, two teenagers and a 2 1/2-year-old. Given all that on- and off-screen mothering experience, is there any universal quality that you would say all moms have? Katey Sagal: Being a mother has been my greatest teacher and also the most self-sacrificing thing I've ever done. I've never loved anybody the way I love my children. It's an experience I was surprised by. You have your boyfriend, your husband, your friends, but it's a different thing. It's deeper, and it's a fantastic -- and risky -- commitment to love that deeply. I think the characters I've played all have that quality, even Peg Bundy. She was devoted and loyal to her children in her own wacky way. But Gemma is intensely dedicated to her family and would do anything to protect her son and her extended family, which is the club. In my personal life, I don't know that I would go to the lengths for my kids that Gemma does, but close. Bertsche: You were Peg Bundy before you were actually a mom. Once you had your first child, id having firsthand experience change the way you played her? Sagal: Well, I've always been a maternal type, but yes, everything was different once I had kids. Your whole perspective on the world changes -- I love how I wasn't so self-obsessed anymore! I can't say my characterizations of Peggy necessarily changed much. I just understood more what I was doing. Bertsche: You mentioned your husband, Kurt Sutter, who is also the creator of your show. What's it like to mix family with business? Sagal: Most of the time it's super great. There are moments when it's not, of course, but most of the time it's nice because we actually get to see each other. His job is intense, so he doesn't get a day like I have today where he can stay home from work. When I'm there, we can sometimes have lunch together, stuff like that. The hard part gets to be like \"OK, maybe we should talk about something else.\" It becomes the constant topic of conversation, the show and the kids, and we have to make a conscious effort to say, \"Let's not talk about it tonight.\" Bertsche: People used to say that women of \"a certain age\" -- over 40 -- couldn't find any roles in Hollywood. That's certainly not true anymore, especially on cable, and you might be playing one of the toughest women out there. Why do think that has changed? Sagal: I don't know why it's changed, but I'm really grateful it has. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we're all living longer and suddenly it's okay to get older. Maybe there's a broader audience for these characters. The stories you can tell about older women are deeper. Plus, cable has opened up enormous possibilities. In feature films, you're still lucky if you're not the girlfriend or the wife. But I just read yesterday that Dianne Keaton is going to be on television now, she's doing a series with HBO, so TV is where our stories are being told. Bertsche: Gemma's a pretty controversial character. How do you feel about her? Sagal: I really like her. I like that she's flawed but she doesn't think that she is. She's survived a lot, and people like that tend to live in a lot of denial. She knows how to get through life in her way, and she doesn't question it. It's just, \"This is how it is.\" For instance, I don't think Gemma's ever been to therapy. She's not that girl. What you see is what you get. Bertsche: What's on tap for her this season? Sagal: Something very dark happens. The club is going to go through some turmoil -- when you live an outlaw lifestyle, that's the risk you take. As my husband says, this season is all about loyalties. Henry Rollins and Adam Arkin are on the show this year, and they ... well, I don't want to say too much, but they're not really good guys. Bertsche: I promised a co-worker I'd ask you about \"Lost.\" She's dying to know if your character, Helen, is really dead. Even though we saw the grave, she doesn't believe it's the full story. Got anything on that? Sagal: I was just reading an article this morning at the gym about how they were going to bring back people who were dead on \"Lost,\" and they didn't mention me! Nobody tells me anything. I'm always thinking that Helen should come back and show up on the island, but as of today, no one's sent me a plane ticket to Hawaii. So I don't think it's going to happen, but I don't know. They're very close to the chest with all that stuff. Oprah.com: Get up close with all the hottest celebrities! 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": "Katey Sagal's series about cyclists, \"Sons of Anarchy,\" is out on DVD .\nSagal says being a mother has given her insight into her major roles .\nShe hears rumors about \"Lost,\" but nobody's told her anything personally ." } ]

[ { "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) -- A train collision in northern India killed at least 13 people early Wednesday. Indian Railway Protection Force personnel look at a damaged carriage after the collision Wednesday. The death toll remained uncertain. Railway officials said 13 people were killed and 15 injured in the crash. But the top administrative official of Mathura, where the collision occurred, put the number of dead at 21, with about as many injured. The Goa Express slammed into the stationary Mewar Express apparently because the driver overshot a signal to stop, said Anant Swaroop, spokesman for India's northern railway. Indian Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered an inquiry into the crash, according to CNN's sister station in India, CNN-IBN. The Goa Express, bound for New Delhi from the western coastal state of Goa, was running on the same track as the Mewar, which shuttles between New Delhi and Udaipur, in western Rajasthan state. Both trains have stops in Mathura, about 90 miles south of New Delhi. Rescuers had to cut trapped passengers from a wrecked car of the Mewar Express. The car had a special compartment for women, disabled passengers, cargo and train guards, said Aditya Verma, a senior police official in Mathura. Bannerjee said victims' relatives would receive compensation of about $10,000, according to CNN-IBN. Several other trains that go through the Mathura station had to be diverted. Trains are the most widely used mode of transportation for national travel in India. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh in New Delhi contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Railway officials say 13 people killed, 15 injured after trains collided .\nNEW: Mathura official, where the collision occurred, put the number of dead at 21 .\nGoa Express, apparently on the same track, hit Mewar about 5:30 a.m.\nRailway spokesman: Trains collided apparently because driver overshot stop signal ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "New York (CNN) -- Authorities have identified a teenager believed to be suffering from amnesia who was found on the streets of New York two weeks ago. Police say a CNN viewer in Maryland identified the young woman, who mysteriously turned up in Manhattan two weeks ago, claiming to have no memory of her family, her home or even her own name. The 18 year old whose name is not yet being released, is in the process of being reunited with her family. They are from Washington state and are on their way to New York, New York Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said on Saturday. A photo of the woman, who has been referred to as Jane Doe, was circulated by police and aired on CNN this week. The viewer in Maryland was familiar with her situation and knew she had been missing from her family earlier this month. The girl was found in Midtown Manhattan around 12:30 a.m. October 9 outside the Covenant House youth shelter, although the organization said that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility. \"I just want to know who I am,\" the girl said in a statement from the New York City Administration for Children's Services. \"I want to know who I am and what happened to me.\" According to its Web site, \"Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.\" Nearly 7,000 youths reportedly seek shelter there per year. A security guard for the shelter noticed the girl walking on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department. Police officers interviewed the young woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. The police said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered. The children's services agency said the girl recently wrote down the name \"Amber\" and has responded to it on one occasion, but she has no idea whether it is her true name. On another occasion she is said to have recalled certain words, which turned out to be an excerpt from the fantasy novel \"Fool's Fate\" by Robin Hobb. The girl also is apparently writing a fantasy story of her own that features a heroine named Rian, \"who's been raised by the commander of the guard post on the edge of a fantasy kingdom,\" the young woman said. Judging from her poor dental hygiene, said Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, she appeared to have been living on the streets for some time. Evan Buxbaum, Susan Candiotti and Vanessa Juarez contributed to the report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: New York Police say the 18-year-old is being reunited with family in Washington state .\nNEW: CNN viewer in Maryland identified the young woman, police say .\nShe was found October 9 outside Manhattan youth shelter .\nAgency says girl wrote down \"Amber\" and responded to name ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "New York (CNN) -- For Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne and Michael Bearden, \"It\" is a bittersweet feeling. The three men expected to be spending their time this summer and fall working on Michael Jackson's concert engagement at London's O2 Arena, which was scheduled to begin in July. Instead, they are talking about Jackson's last days and the new movie about that time, \"This Is It.\" In an interview, they described \"This Is It,\" the movie that they've made from rehearsal and backstage footage of Jackson, shot just before he died June 25. The film, which has been dominating advance ticket sale outlets, opens wide on Wednesday. The full movie wasn't screened for critics, with only 12 minutes of footage available to the media before the interviews. But as director Ortega describes it, the film tries to blend backstage footage with the performance to give an inside glimpse of those last days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The scenes show the superstar working on his dance moves, figuring out choreography, practicing on stage and running the show. From the clips, there's no question that Jackson was in charge. His physicality is vibrant: At one point, he dances with a troupe of top-notch hoofers and keeps up with all of them. There's no indication of the infirmities that would ultimately take his life. All three men -- Payne was the show's choreographer and Bearden its music supervisor -- stressed how they wanted this movie to represent the Jackson they knew. \"It was an honor project,\" Bearden said. According to Ortega, the film is for the fans. He said he was inundated with e-mails from fans wanting to know just what Jackson had planned for the concerts he would never give. Above all, they said they were concerned about Jackson's three children. They said that they wanted to make a film that his kids -- Prince Michael, Paris and \"Blanket\" -- would be able to see in years to come that would make them proud of their father. Though the men acknowledged a heavy responsibility, there were light moments during the interviews. Payne and Bearden both smiled as they talked about working for the King of Pop and how he'd try to tell people what he wanted. \"I know you mean well, but ...,\" Jackson would say as he corrected colleagues, they recalled. But all of them talked about he emotional toll that making this film has taken on them. There were \"a lot of tissue moments on this film,\" Bearden said. Watch a former Jackson guitarist reflect on his career . Ortega added that he didn't know whether he could handle the emotional stress involved in making this movie so quickly. Ultimately, according to Ortega, the movie proved to be cathartic. \"I thought I'd collapse,\" Ortega said. \"I thought I'll never get through it, it's too hard, it's too soon, but in fact it was healing and helpful.\" He hopes Jackson's fans will feel the same way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This Is It,\" Michael Jackson concert film, is dominating advance ticket sales .\nFilm was tough to make, musician's colleagues say .\nProduction was for the fans but especially for Jackson's children .\n\"American Morning\" looks at the value of Michael Jackson's estate Monday 6 a.m. ET ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(The Frisky) -- I once told my mother about a girl I had a crush on. At the time, I think I was about 16, and I had so much acne that if I fell asleep at a library, when I woke up, a blind guy would be trying to read my face. \"Just go for her,\" my mother said. \"It's not that simple,\" I said, while filling out my order form for 25 crates of Noxzema. \"She's got a boyfriend.\" \"Well, don't do anything differently. Act like she doesn't. That's how I got your father.\" She then walked out of the room, leaving my pasty teenage complexion an extra shade of white as I actually contemplated my mother dating. I've since related this story as an example of how hitting on someone with a significant other isn't always a terrible thing. Hey, if they're not married or serious, go for it. However, if you're considering trying to get a guy who has a girlfriend, there are a few things you should know. The Frisky: The Top 5 online dating do's and don'ts for guys . First, I'll admit guys will hit on anything. I once observed one of my friends hitting on a street sign. Granted, he was drunk, but it did not matter to him that he was hitting on an inanimate object, or that the street sign was a little out of his league. Men do have standards, but when they're single, they'll hit on a woman with a boyfriend. They'll hit on nuns. Very occasionally, they'll hit on nuns with boyfriends. I'm not going to defame my own kind, but women can be better at subtlety, and you should use this to your advantage. The Frisky: Is cheating worse when you're married? I'm a big anti-cheating guy, so if a woman hit on me while I had a girlfriend, I'd be flattered. If she offered to go home with me or tried to kiss me or something like that, milk would shoot out of my nose and I'd run for the hills. (I have an odd fight-or-flight mechanism.) Subtlety is your friend. We'll pick up on the signals. If a guy is interested, wait for him to honorably break up with his girlfriend before the two of you start dating. Frankly, this is just good manners. The Frisky: To tell or not to tell on a cheater? It should go without saying that it's bad form to hit on a guy while his girlfriend is actually there, or even if she's in the same town. Men have a well-honed sense of panic that kicks in when someone's hitting on them while their girlfriends are in the same ZIP code. We know that women can read us, so unless you're hitting on a really shady guy, you'll scare him off as he runs home to call his girl and tell the story of the Evil Homewrecking Woman. The Frisky: Can couples get past infidelity? One last thing: If you do snag a guy away from his girlfriend, be wary. The good news is that, despite the popular perception, most of us men tend to be loyal once we're in a committed relationship. But know that if it happened once, it can happen again. TM & © 2009 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Writer: Some guys will hit on anything -- even inanimate objects .\nWriter: Hitting on a man when his girlfriend is nearby could make you \"Evil Homewrecking Woman\"\nIf you snag him away from someone, be wary: It could happen again, writer says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- An infant falls to his death from a second-story window while his parents are making love. The mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is consumed with grief and guilt. She's hospitalized and sedated for days and weeks before her husband (Willem Dafoe), a therapist, insists she return home. He gets rid of all her medications. He will be her partner and her grief counselor, and he will see her through this, if only she will place her trust in him. Not a good idea for either of them, as it turns out. Halloween is nearly upon us, but \"Antichrist\" is a mighty strange kind of horror movie, a wrenching psychodrama for two-thirds of its running time before collapsing into a steaming heap of deranged sadism and supernatural symbolism in the outrageous third act. The movie's peculiarity can be accounted for in three words: Lars von Trier. The Danish provocateur twice won prestigious honors at the Cannes Film Festival (with \"Breaking the Waves\" and \"Dancer in the Dark\") and re-energized European art cinema in the 1990s with the Dogme movement's so-called \"Vows of Chastity.\" It's not often that an art-house director takes up the implements to make a horror film, and for a while, \"Antichrist\" compels with its anguished intensity and audacious stylistic choices, not least the severity that keeps the focus exclusively on this man and woman, neither of whom is named. The prologue -- the child's death -- is a luxurious, slow-motion rhapsody of explicit sex, black-and-white photography and baroque music, commingling with the infant's almost ersatz tragedy and finding perfunctory counterpoint in banal close-ups of the family's washer-dryer. (There may be a deliberate echo here of the famous sex scene in Nicolas Roeg's \"Don't Look Now,\" a far more keenly calibrated examination of grief succumbing to the supernatural.) Dafoe and Gainsbourg are riveting as the ill-matched couple. He's an implacable rationalist, urging her to confront her fears and venture into the darkest recesses of her psyche. She's not sure he's ready to share that torment with her. Their bitter, sometimes sourly funny back-and-forth fleetingly echoes the railing, pugnacious and remorseful men and women we find again and again in Strindberg and Bergman. Of course, when those great Scandinavian dramatists wanted to shock us with the ferocity of the battle of the sexes and show a married couple going at it tooth and nail, their only weapons were words. Mindful that he's up against \"Hostel,\" \"Saw\" and the like, Herr von Trier ups the ante considerably. Hiking to a log cabin in the mountains to uncover the apex of his wife's fears (it could be anywhere, but let's imagine we're in the neighborhood of Burkittsville), the doctor's little experiment in exposure therapy ends in crushed genitals and, uh, worse. Much worse. It's safe to say von Trier knows this climax is over the top: \"Chaos reigns!\" announces a fox, in perfect English, just as the movie goes off the deep end. Chaos reigns all right, and Gainsbourg's traumatized mom is transformed nonsensically into a raving psycho witch-bitch. This director has often been accused of misogyny for the punishments that befall his heroines -- spuriously, in my opinion. But this time the boot is on the other foot, and for once the charge seems to stick; no matter that the first half of the movie suggests Dafoe's smug therapist is due for a comeuppance. Apparently someone had a seizure when the movie showed at the New York Film Festival recently. When I caught up with it at the Vancouver International Film Festival two weeks ago, the screening was punctuated with the single loudest shriek I've ever heard in the theatre -- that would have been when Gainsbourg gets out the scissors for a spot of ad hoc auto-surgery. There also was a very vociferous walk-out: a gentleman who fairly barked \"You get what you pay for, folks\" as he made for the exit a full 20 minutes before the end. That unhappy camper had a point. Either von Trier is barking up the wrong tree, or he's pandering to the basest instincts of an audience that's seen it all before and still demands more, more, more. Beautifully shot by Anthony Dod Mantle and acted with raw conviction, \"Antichrist\" is a calamitous atrocity from a major filmmaker, nothing more and nothing less. If you don't believe me, go ask the talking fox. \"Antichrist\" is not rated and runs 104 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's review, click here." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Antichrist\" has met with vitriolic reaction at film festivals .\nLars von Trier film stars Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourgh as troubled couple .\nHorror goes from moody to over-the-top and graphic .\nTo CNN.com's Tom Charity, the film is a \"calamitous atrocity\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Miami, Florida (CNN) -- From the custom-made, hand-beaded white dress to silver-studded high-heeled shoes, diamond jewelry and tiara, Jenny Ferro is preparing for a day she's dreamed about since she was 3 years old. \"I'm really excited,\" says Jenny, eagerly nodding her head. \"Really, really, a lot!\" She isn't getting married. The 15-year-old is preparing for her quinceañera, a coming-of-age ritual in Latin culture, marking a young girl's entrance into womanhood. The centuries-old tradition began as a ceremony to introduce girls to society on their 15th birthday and signified that they were ready for marriage. Today, many quinceañeras have become much more elaborate. Jenny and her mother, Marlene Ferro, have worked out every detail of the party well in advance, from the rehearsal to the reception to the flower girl and the music. The theme of the party is bedazzled. First, there is the dress, which Marlene had designed specially for her daughter. It cost about $800. Then there are the shoes, high-heeled and silver to match the dress. During the party, the high heels will be ceremoniously slipped onto her feet to replace her flat shoes -- a symbolic transition of her journey from childhood to womanhood. \"It makes her look like a princess,\" gushes Marlene Ferro. Quinceañeras are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. One reason for their popularity is a greater acceptance of Latin culture in America, according to Michele Salcedo, author of \"Quinceañera!\" a comprehensive guide to the celebration. \"The 15th birthday, culturally, is a milestone. It doesn't have to be celebrated with a party at all, but it is generally marked by something quite special,\" Salcedo says. Experts believe the quinceañera is rooted in Mayan, Aztec and European traditions. Today, many coming-of-age ceremonies resemble lavish \"Sweet 16\" celebrations. Beyond the elaborate apparel, food and festivities, modern quinceañeras often feature a court of 15 people, typically consisting of family and friends. As the event continues to grow in popularity, the makeup of the court has also changed. \"It has gone beyond Latinos, so that a lot of Latino girls will have not only family members in court but they will reach out to non-Latino friends,\" says Salcedo. \"So it's a way of reaching out and extending social ties and bringing people in who might not otherwise have an opportunity to know a Latino family and to know the culture.\" Family plays the largest role in the quinceañera, leading up to and during the party. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and godparents can spend years preparing a night to remember for the young girl. The tradition is just as important to the family as it is to the young woman. The large, extravagant celebrations often symbolize a family's hard work and success. How has America changed Latinos? Marlene Ferro, who emigrated from Cuba as a child with her parents, says Jenny's quinceañera was a gift to both of them. The 43-year-old, single mother of three, saved for years and estimates that she spent at least $20,000 on her daughter's quinceañera. \"I was able to accomplish something that I had been looking forward to for 15 years,\" says Marlene Ferro. The parties can be as big and expensive as a family can imagine and costs can escalate into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Salcedo. She recommends that families manage expectations before the party planning even begins. iReporter Alexis Fernandez's quinceañera was a big event in Alaska . \"Sometimes people go way overboard and [spend] much more on the celebration than they can afford and that's the downside of the quinceañera,\" says Salcedo. \"Because when it's done right it can be a beautiful family celebration and a celebration of a milestone that a young girl goes through.\" Quinceañeras have changed over the years. Even though her tiara was taller than her daughter's, Marlene says her quinceañera was simple. It was a small gathering at her sister's apartment with family and friends. She wore borrowed jewelry from a family member, had a homemade cake and danced with her father. Marlene Ferro's 15th birthday present was a telephone in her bedroom. \"I didn't have a big quince party. I chose to have a small party with my friends,\" she remembers. \"My dress was really easy ... I didn't have an option. It was this one or that one. Now, we give our kids the option.\" iReporter Diamond Ramirez's mother, grandmother never had quinceañeras . There's a spiritual element to these celebrations as well, says Salcedo. The church plays a role in helping to prepare teenage girls for this transition to womanhood. Ceremonies and classes before the coming-of-age celebration teach the young women that with adulthood come certain responsibilities, both physical and spiritual. \"When it's done in the spirit that it probably should be, the girl has certain responsibilities and by the end of the process, she's met them and she has showed her mother that she can, in fact, be responsible and she does acquire ... a bit more maturity then she [had] before,\" says Salcedo. As the celebrations become more popular in the United States, they also offer an opportunity for more Americans to participate. \"It's a way to push back a lot of the negativity that a lot of Latinos feel is directed at Latinos,\" says Salcedo. \"It is a way for people who have recently arrived, or maybe not so recently arrived, to say 'I have done well here' ... I'm throwing this party for my daughter and I'm inviting all of you to partake of my generosity so that you can see exactly how well we've done.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Quinceañeras, or 15th birthday celebrations, mark a girl's transition to womanhood .\nJenny Ferro, 15, has been preparing for her celebration since she was 3 years old .\nMarlene Ferro estimates she spent $20,000 on her daughter's quinceañera .\nExpert: The elaborate parties are a way for Latinos to say 'I have done well here'" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It has been 20 years since best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell began work on her first novel in the series chronicling the cases of forensic analyst Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Now, both have found celebrity. Cornwell's latest novel, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" places her enduring heroine in a role the author knows all too well, a pop culture celebrity sought-after for her expertise. In an interview with CNN.com, Cornwell discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie \"White Chicks.\" CNN: The title of your new book, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" has many meanings. Can you tell me about some of them? Cornwell: On the one hand, it's a very direct reference to the fact she's the chief forensic analyst for CNN in this book. But while she's doing the on-air spots, they decide they want her to have her own show and that's what they call it, \"The Scarpetta Factor,\" which is a reference to a cliché that's beginning to float around, that there's one element that she can add that will solve the case like she's Sherlock Holmes. This becomes very upsetting to her, first of all, because it's a cliché and the scientist in her doesn't think she has a special factor, she's a scientist. It begins to pose problems for her because even some colleagues and friends start to wonder if she's begun to believe her own legend and make mistakes. With her years of experience and high level of visibility and exceptional grasp of the criminal world, she would be asked to be on major shows. When someone like Michael Jackson dies or Caylee Anthony disappears, that's the obvious thing that would happen. People would say, I wonder what Scarpetta has to say. I'm trying to put her in the world we live in. CNN: Why did you choose CNN? Cornwell: It would make perfect sense that she would sit on the set with Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blizter and be asked relevant questions from a hard news angle. It's one [network] she would go on and there's lots she wouldn't go on. CNN: How have things changed since you published your first novel? Cornwell: When I was shopping my first book around, it was rejected by the major publishing houses and that was because a lot of people didn't think morgues and labs were interesting, and that's a huge statement about how things have changed. I remember one time, I called my literary agent at that time, and I said I was in a toxicology lab, and she said, I hate talking to you because you're always in these awful places. Forensic science was not viewed as cool, as it is today. CNN: Are there any on-air personalities we might recognize in \"The Scarpetta Factor?\" Cornwell: When she is up at CNN for a scene when she's on a fictitious show, she walks past posters of Nancy Grace and Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer because she's up on that floor, so I do make real references to people, but the characters, the producers, none are real and they're not based on anybody I met or know. CNN: How much of yourself do you see in Kay Scarpetta? Over the years, have you grown into her or has she grown into you? Cornwell: Only insofar as we have the same values and sensibilities and perhaps the same approach to solving cases. I'm imposing the way my mind works in terms of connecting the dots, but beyond that, there are huge differences between us. She's a standalone character. I would feel very self-conscious and bored if she was a projection of me. I have certain things in common with all my characters. Like Marino, I can be a slob and sometimes say stupid things and rush to judgment. CNN: You're known for doing a lot of research on the ground to give your stories depth and realism. Where did your research for \"The Scarpetta Factor\" take you? Cornwell: I've certainly been in the CNN studios so that's helpful. When I was there over in the last year, I made a mental note of everything I saw while walking around so I could create the studio in the novel. I also spent lot of time with the NYPD, their bomb squad, their emergency unit, the Real Time Crime Center, so I could describe the amazing way computers are used to transmit data to police responding to a call. I spent time at the NYPD crime lab, the New York Medical Examiner's office, so I can show Scarpetta actually working there. The scene in the elevator in the beginning and the way people ID loved ones is based on what happens. Even the technology of the electronic nose, the mechanical sniffer that takes the place of cadaver dogs, is based on things I've seen. My research also included looking into the methods and means criminals are using, like TracFones, spoofcards and the different ways to disguise IP addresses. CNN: How has the CSI factor affected your research for your books? Cornwell: I think people are so inundated with this sort of detail that I don't want to make the story just about forensics. The people and their relationships are the heart of my books, the forensics are something they wear like an old pair of shoes. I'll always show you the latest and greatest forensic science and technology, but I can't show it all, so it's very important that I make things interesting in different ways. In the early to mid-'90s, up to the late '90s when I was coming out with new books, I was the only show in town and all of the sudden now they're everywhere, and I don't have any problem with that because I don't own forensics or forensic pathology. CNN: In your opinion, what has been the greatest change in forensic science since Scarpetta started out? Cornwell: DNA has changed our lives forever, just like the Internet has changed our lives, there's no going back to pre-DNA or pre-Internet. I would say both of those. The Internet has dramatically changed everything because it's creating a whole new wave of crimes that our laws and the courts don't know how to deal with. DNA analysis and the ultra-sensitivity of it: When you're dealing with some types of DNA, you only need three or four human cells to get a DNA profile, which is something that can't even see with the naked eye, so that helps investigators but it also creates a whole other set of problems. They're saying there will be a point when you can get DNA just from someone walking in the room, and you can see the problems if you have 20 people walk into a room and only one did something bad. Defense lawyers are going to have a field day with that. CNN: What do you want people to take away from this novel? I'd like them to take away an idea of how someone like Scarpetta deals with being in the same world you and I wake up to. Now she has a BlackBerry and she has to deal with it, which poses as many problems as it offers benefits. I want people to feel happy ending the book. We need to feel good right now, there's a lot to feel bad about and that's something I decided with the last book, I didn't want people to be depressed when they finished it. I used to write very dark books but we lived in happier times. Now, the goal is to scare you, lead you into suspense but when you finish, I want you to feel happy. CNN: What current cases in the news fascinate you? How much attention do you pay to crime and justice news? Cornwell: I'm fascinated by the Michael Jackson situation and the people who disappear and get abducted, all of it fascinates me in terms of the psychology involved and what science might tell us. I'm always frustrated because I love to know what's behind the scenes. I've been following Michael Jackson because it seems so unnecessary, an example of people who should've said no and not taken it upon themselves to solve a problem. I've also been interested in the case in Italy with the American on trial for murder. That is intriguing from a forensic standpoint because I think all of us would like to know more about the evidence and what's there to piece together that could tell us what happened. I'm afraid that because of how much time has passed and how the case was handled that a lot of the answers are gone and the kind of evidence that was collected could have been handled differently, . CNN: What do you like to watch? Cornwell: I don't watch crime dramas. I don't want to subconsciously get ideas from their shows. I try to keep my mind blank, and keep the influence of my own research, so I don't tend to watch crime dramas or crime movies. I rarely read crime novels because my work is so steeped in nonfiction, so I try to keep my mind free of those ideas. What I watch is the nonfiction, documentary type things, shows that depict real crimes that happened. I like the History Channel and I will watch reruns of \"The Sopranos\" until I'm 90 years old. I like comedy, stuff that's mindless. I don't watch stuff that scares me or makes me sad. There's enough of that in real life. CNN: What's the last movie you saw? Cornwell: The last movie I saw was a rerun of \"White Chicks.\" How's that to people who think I have this very esoteric repertoire? I think it's a hilarious movie. ... Will Ferrell, I love his stuff, Ben Stiller, I really enjoy comedy, especially stuff that's kind of warmhearted in its own way. I don't like stuff that's really scary. I've seen so much stuff that's real. Blood is always real to me. If they ever make a real movie of Scarpetta, I may not be able to watch it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Author Patricia Cornwell talks about Kay Scarpetta, fame and forensics .\nIn latest book, Scarpetta is CNN's chief forensic analyst .\nCornwell says she works hard to keep up with scientific advances .\nShe says she doesn't watch crime shows or scary movies ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Greenville, South Carolina (CNN) -- Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate. As different as they are, they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies. They are swallowed by the same shameful past. They don't know if they can be good mothers. They don't know if they can be clean mothers. They're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both. On this summer day, Ashley Hendrix, 24, is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the Phoenix Center's Serenity Place. This is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail. South Carolina's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children. Across the country, local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use, but the cases are often rejected by the courts. And judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts. In recent years, Missouri and North Dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment. Illegal substances -- marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed Hendrix for more than a decade. \"To this day, I still cry about it, \" she said, \"that if anything does come out wrong with my baby, I know that my drug use is the reason why. Since 1989, at least 126 women in South Carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies, according to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying. During the same period, only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined. \"Word on the street\" in South Carolina, says Stephen Donaldson, program manager of a drug-treatment facility in Charleston County, \"is if you use during pregnancy, you're being prosecuted or you're losing your baby.\" Over the last 15 years, that message has driven many women to Serenity Place, a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers. Here, the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but Serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers. They want the women to know there are second chances, and there is hope. \"I'm grateful everyday for being here and I'm grateful to have my baby with me,\" says a freckled Kim Clark, 28, who gave birth to her son Jaelyn at the center. \"I've been using drugs since I was 11 years old. I didn't know any other life. And I've learned a lot about myself. I've been taught things here.\" She graduated in August, has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son. Some women arrive here voluntarily. Others were sent by the state's Department of Social Services. Others made a plea bargain with the courts, allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison. \"My biggest fear was the [health of the] baby, but right behind that was that 'I'm going to go to jail',\" says Sandria Doremus, one of Hendrix' classmates at Serenity. Afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction, she delayed getting prenatal care. \"I should have gone in a lot sooner,\" she admits. Doremus, 37, arrived at Serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials, as required by law. She has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face. She cuddled her 8-month-old son, Matthew, when CNN visited the center in July. Born with heroin in his system, Matthew was placed on methadone. Today, he is healthy, but studies show drug-exposed babies can face developmental delays and learning disabilities in later years. Watch the women of Serenity Place share their story » . In 1997, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that a fetus in the third trimester was viable and charges of child abuse, neglect and murder could apply to the mother. Some treatment providers and advocacy experts say this ruling opened the door for prosecutors to charge pregnant women. \"These are addicts who become pregnant,\" says Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. \"They aren't women who chose to use drugs after becoming pregnant.\" 'If I didn't have pills, I felt like I had nothing' Hendrix's drug addiction started long before her pregnancy. She was born into a world of drugs. She says her mother was an addict, her father a violent alcoholic who once held a shotgun to her grandmother's head. Hendrix's grandparents rescued her at age 3 by taking her into their home in rural Union, South Carolina. She has fond memories of her grandfather, but one morning, shortly after her 12th birthday, Hendrix watched her 54-year-old grandfather die from a heart attack. The innocent girl started experimenting with drugs, partly because she couldn't cope with her feelings, she says, but mostly to fit in. By the time she turned 18, marijuana use gave way to cocaine and methamphetamine. Then she discovered prescription painkillers: Lortab. OxyContin. Percocet. \"It wasn't even about being high anymore. It was just being able to cope with everyday life,\" Hendrix says. \"If I didn't have the pills, I felt like I had nothing.\" Hendrix could no longer leave bed without the painkillers. Her routine consisted of melting OxyContin pills with water, placing the mixture into a syringe and shooting up, even during her pregnancy. By April of this year, she was six months pregnant and on probation for stealing jewelry to feed her drug habit. She took herself to Serenity Place. Tucked alongside empty factories in a once-thriving textile district, the center looks more like a college dormitory inside than a sterile treatment center. Homemade posters, photo collages and cards congratulating the women for giving birth are strewn along the hallways. There is a communal kitchen and colorful playgrounds. Research shows women who remain with their children during treatment have better chances of defeating their addictions. But a national study in 2005 found that only 3 percent of treatment centers had programs tailored specifically to pregnant women. About 14 percent of treatment centers accepted pregnant or postpartum women. The women at Serenity Place follow a rigid schedule that includes therapy, parenting classes and chores. They aren't allowed phone calls or the freedom to surf the Internet without permission. Security cameras guard all exits. The structure can be particularly hard for addicts who grew up in dysfunctional households with few rules. Women spend on average six months in treatment. If a woman violates the rules, she can be removed from the program. On some occasions, women have walked out of the center, leaving their newborns behind. Why prosecute? Why should addicted women be given a chance at motherhood? What about the welfare of the children? These are the questions asked by South Carolina prosecutors, known as solicitors general. Several solicitors general contacted by CNN declined to comment on how many such cases they have prosecuted, but they say that charging pregnant women has become less common in the state. Bob Ariail, solicitor of Greenville, says his district's policy is a far cry from the 1990s, when then-South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon, an anti-abortion advocate, publicly declared he would aggressively crack down on pregnant mothers accused of substance abuse. Condon often referred to a fetus as his \"fellow South Carolinian.\" Despite several phone calls by CNN, Condon, who is now a private lawyer in South Carolina, could not be reached for comment. In his two decades as a Democratic state representative, Joe Neal of Columbia, South Carolina, has pushed for more drug treatment funding, an effort he says has little chance in these tough economic times. \"Drug treatment?\" says Neal. \"South Carolina's response to addiction has been incarceration not treatment.\" But Wanda McMichael, manager of women's services at Serenity Place, knows treatment can be beneficial. She guides women like Hendrix and the others through that process. Some who graduated from the program when it began in 1993 still remain clean. \"What's the other alternative if they don't come here?\" says McMichael. \"It's prison. That costs more than treatment, but a lot of people don't know that. If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die.\" A healthy baby, a new hope . Most of the women at Serenity Place say they were little girls the first time they used drugs, some as young as 8. Many could not recall what sobriety felt like until they came to the center. Hendrix says her own mother was 15 when she gave birth to her and then abandoned her. \"She was real pretty. Blond hair, pale skin like me,\" Hendrix says. \"I have her nose and lips. She just didn't respect herself.\" Hendrix doesn't want to be like her mother. Her son, who was born July 24, is healthy. In August, Hendrix left Serenity for an intensive outpatient treatment program, and she and her baby live with her grandmother in Union. Of the 16 women enrolled in Serenity in July, half have graduated, program directors say. Six continue receiving treatment and two have left the center. Three women are on a waiting list to get in, including one who is pregnant. Hendrix hopes to get her GED and enroll in the University of South Carolina to study psychology next year. \"I am happy today,\" she says, \"and that's something I haven't felt in a long time. \"My grandmother. My baby. They make me happy. But you know, it's not about them, jail or none of that anymore. That all changed. I am doing this for me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Serenity Place in South Carolina caters treatment programs to pregnant addicts .\nSouth Carolina has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester .\nA pregnant Ashley Hendrix sought treatment earlier this year for her addiction .\n\"If these women don't get this treatment, they are going to die,\" a counselor says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- \"Keep the government's hands off my Medicare.\" Those words -- quoted by so many TV talking heads -- never seem actually to have been spoken by anyone. It's like that poodle in the microwave story: Everybody has a neighbor who heard it from his cousin. The town hallers were angry, but they were not crazy, and they were not stupid. They knew perfectly well that Medicare is provided by the government. They also knew that their government is proposing to change Medicare in ways they do not like. The health care reform plans backed by President Obama would cut hundreds of billions out of the the growth of Medicare spending over the next 10 years. More ominous for seniors than the dollar figure is the plan behind the number. The president wants to reduce spending on Medicare Advantage, the privately run plans that offer seniors a better deal than conventional Medicare. Over the longer term, the president aspires to shift Medicare patients to teams of health care providers paid by the year, instead of individual doctors charging fees for each particular service -- rather than by the particular medical service they perform. Meet new CNN contributor David Frum . The changes the president has in mind won't kill Grandma. But they will change medicine in ways Grandma may find uncomfortable. Ten years from now, Grandma probably won't have a personal doctor. Her Medicare will cover less -- and cost more. Medicare was under pressure even before the election of Obama. The gap between the future revenues and future obligations of Medicare and Social Security is estimated by the Social Security trustees at some $45 trillion. How much is that? Adjusting for inflation, it's the cost of fighting World War II -- 10 times. Medicare is the single biggest spending commitment of the United States. As Obama stacks enormous new health care spending commitments atop the old, Medicare's already bleak future grows dimmer still. Who wins as Medicare loses? The short answer is: the uninsured. The president will use the money squeezed from Medicare to extend some form of coverage to the 35 million to 40 million people estimated to lack health insurance. And who are these people? About one-quarter of them are foreign-born. Recent immigrants to the United States -- unlike the immigrations who arrived between World War II and 1970 -- have tended to be very low-skilled. Their labor is just not worth enough to their employers to support the high cost of an American health insurance plan: $13,000 a year, on average, for a family of four. So here's how the world looks to a Medicare enrollee: . Over the opposition of some 80 percent of the American people, your government allowed millions of poor newcomers to enter the country, many of them illegally. (Over the past 10 years, half of all immigrants to the United States have arrived illegally.) These people cut the lawns of your more affluent neighbors, tended their babies, cleared their tables after their restaurant meals. If you were not so affluent, they reduced your wages and crowded your schools, highways and hospital emergency rooms. Now you are being told that your old age will be made less comfortable to accommodate them. Unsurprisingly, you don't like it. The debate about immigration and health care has centered on whether immigrants who are here illegally might qualify for coverage under the Democrats' reforms. Theoretically, they will not be eligible, but since Democrats have so far voted against enforcement measures, some illegal immigrants will no doubt slip through. But the debate over illegal immigrants is a proxy for something larger and more unsettling to older Americans. The problem is not illegal immigration, it is all low-skilled immigration, legal and illegal. By importing tens of millions of people who earn too little to pay for their own health insurance, we have made this supremely difficult social problem radically more difficult than it ever needed to be. With \"Obamacare,\" the bill for four decades of permissive immigration has at last come due. Since the 1930s, the United States has run two different kinds of government social programs. One kind of program is sustained by contributions from the very same people who will benefit from the program in future: Social Security, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation. These programs have never been controversial. The other kind of program taxes some for the benefit of others: Medicaid, social housing, the old welfare programs for the poor. These programs have always been intensely resented. Medicare was the first kind of program: social insurance. Obama's public option will be the second kind of program: income transfer. That's the explanation for the resistance the president is encountering. And it's the emotion that explains the actual quote -- not the bogus quote -- we heard from so many town hall protesters this summer: \"Fix old. No new.\" The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Town hallers know government wants to change Medicare in ways they don't like, Frum says .\nHe says changes won't kill Grandma, but Medicare will cover less and cost more .\nChanges will benefit the uninsured, some of whom can't pay for insurance, he says .\nFrum: Resistance to Obama's plan comes because it will be an income transfer program ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A bear on ice skates attacked two people during rehearsals at a circus in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing one of them, Kyrgyz officials said Friday. In the incident, which happened Thursday, the 5-year-old animal killed the circus administrator, Dmitry Potapov, and mauled an animal trainer, who was attempting to rescue him. \"The incident occurred during a rehearsal by the Russian state circus company troupe which was performing in Bishkek with the program, Bears on Ice,\" Ministry of Culture and Information director Kurmangazy Isanayev told reporters. It is unclear what caused the bear to attack Potapov, 25, nearly severing one of his legs while dragging him across the ice by his neck. Medical personnel were unable to save Potapov, who died at the scene. The 29-year-old circus trainer Yevgeny Popov, who attempted to rescue Potapov, was also severely injured, according to doctors. \"The victim has sustained serious injuries - deep scalp lacerations, bruising of the brain, lacerations on his body. His condition is considered critical,\" Dr. Gulnara Tashibekova told reporters on Russian state television. After the incident, the circus was cordoned off by police and emergency service workers. Experts have been brought in to examine the bear, which was shot and died at the scene. Russia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks such as riding motorcycles, ice skating, and playing hockey. Fatal attacks are unusual." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ice skating bear kills man during rehearsals at Russian circus .\nBear dragged circus administrator Dmitry Potapov across the ice by his neck .\nRussian state circus company troupe were preparing for \"Bears on ice\"\nRussia has a long-standing tradition of training bears to perform tricks ." } ]

[ { "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 30 Iraqi children riding in a bus were among the 160 people killed in Sunday's twin car bombings in Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said Monday. At least 540 people were wounded in Sunday's attacks, the deadliest in the capital in more than two years, the ministry said. One of the bombs exploded outside Baghdad's governorate building, the other outside the Justice Ministry. The bombs detonated in quick succession about 10:30 a.m., officials said. The children were packed in a mini bus that was outside the Justice Ministry building, a ministry official said. The vehicle carrying the explosives that detonated outside the ministry building was a stolen white pick-up from Falluja, Baghdad Gov. Salah Abdul Razzaq told CNN during his inspection of the bomb site. Images from the time of the attack showed the truck, linked to the Department of Water, pull up to the side of the building and blow up, he said. Plumes of smoke billowed from the sites as victims fled, some with blood streaming down their faces. The streets were strewn with debris, including charred cars and chunks of concrete. Some government buildings and others in the area were heavily damaged. Among the wounded were three American security contractors, the U.S. Embassy said, declining to provide further details. The area struck is close to the heavily guarded \"Green Zone,\" which houses the embassy. The blasts sparked questions about Iraq's security and national elections planned for January. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who visited the scene shortly after the explosions, said holding the elections as scheduled would send a strong message to the attackers. \"The cowardly attack ... should not affect the determination of the Iraqi people from continuing their battle against the deposed regime and the gangs of criminal Baath party, and the terrorist al Qaeda organization,'\" al-Maliki said in a written statement. U.S. President Barack Obama called the attacks an attempt to derail progress in Iraq, and pledged to work closely with the country as it prepares for elections. Obama spoke with the prime minister and President Jalal Talabani to express his condolences and reiterate U.S. support. In August, more than 100 people were killed in a series of bombings that led to tightened security in Baghdad. Blast walls were installed across the city and checkpoints were added. Two years earlier, three truck bombings killed hundreds in Qahtaniya, in northern Iraq. Sunday's attacks were the deadliest on Iraqi civilians since those blasts in August 2007. A day before Sunday's explosions, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, visited Iraq for the first time. During her trip, she made a condolence stop at the Foreign Ministry, one of six sites attacked in August. Iraqis are supposed to go to the polls January 16, but parliament has not passed key election legislation, putting the balloting in limbo. The president, prime minister and other top officials are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the elections law and security concerns. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Mohammed Jamjoom, and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Death toll in Baghdad double bombing rises to 160 .\nBombs exploded outside government buildings in Baghdad .\nObama condemns bombings, pledges U.S. support for Iraq election ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A key investor with convicted swindler Bernie Madoff drowned in his swimming pool Sunday afternoon, police said. Jeffry Picower, 67, was found unconscious in his pool at his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Palm Beach police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said they are investigating his death using \"standard operating procedure in any drowning.\" Picower invested with Madoff, who was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors. Madoff pleaded guilty in March to 11 counts, including fraud, money laundering and perjury, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person, totaling billions in losses to investors. Picower's Picower Foundation of Palm Beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of Madoff losses, CNN Money reported. Picower's 2007 tax return valued its portfolio at $955 million. But there were also suggestions that Picower benefited from Madoff's swindle. Citing an unnamed source, Fortune magazine said in April that Frank DiPascali, the chief lieutenant in Madoff's secretive investment business, was \"prepared to testify that he manipulated phony returns on behalf of some key Madoff investors,\" including Picower. Picower also allegedly \"extracted billions of dollars from Madoff's fund before it collapsed,\" according to Forbes magazine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jeffry Picower, 67, found unconscious in his pool in his Palm Beach, Florida .\nPicower invested with Madoff, who was convicted in Ponzi scheme .\nHis foundation announced it was shutting down early this year because of Madoff losses ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Benjamin Todd Jealous is the new president and CEO of the NAACP. Benjamin Jealous says the 100-year-old NAACP has an ambitious agenda for civil and human rights. (CNN) -- Thursday the U.S. Senate passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and for legalized segregation. It arrived more than a hundred years late, but better late than never. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to pass a similar resolution, and when they do, the bipartisan resolution will acknowledge our nation's need to take a historic leap out of the shameful past of racial discrimination and toward a future that promises all citizens full access to the legal protections laid out in the U.S. Constitution. But we must go beyond the civil rights guaranteed in the Constitution and advocate for the human rights that will assure that America's promise is realized for all. While our Constitution mandates equality, for example, there is no constitutional guarantee for an education, let alone a good education. The fight for good schools is a struggle for our human rights. Some have opined that there is no longer a need for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and that we as a society are post-racial because of the election of our first black president. But we cannot be post-racial until we are post-racism. The case of Troy Davis, an African American man set for execution who we believe was wrongly convicted, is an exemplar of the disparities that still rock our nation (see IAMTROY.com). Davis was convicted of killing a police officer and has spent 18 years on death row. There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime and seven of the nine witnesses recanted or contradicted their testimony. His case has sparked an outcry from both proponents and opponents of the death penalty including former FBI director William Sessions and conservative presidential candidate Bob Barr. Yet our laws don't allow him a new trial to reexamine the evidence that points to his innocence. African-Americans are disproportionately represented on death row. Of the 3,500 people on death row, about 42 percent are black, and virtually all are poor. Studies underscore that it is race and class, more than guilt, that determines whether a defendant, once convicted, is sentenced to death. The statistics paint an ongoing portrait of inequality. Unemployment for African-Americans remains twice that of whites and studies show there is no scientific rationale -- neither education nor experience -- that explains the gap. In some American cities, 50 percent of school-aged black men drop out of school and as much as 50 percent of young black men are unemployed. Now, as we prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP in New York from July 11-16 (NAACP.org), we recognize that despite our many accomplishments, we have a long path ahead to right the inequity that still racks our nation. Prompted by the riots in Abraham Lincoln's hometown of Springfield, Illinois, where a mob of whites containing many of the town's \"best citizens,\" raged for two days, killed and wounded scores of African-Americans, and drove thousands from the city, a multiracial group of intellectuals, journalists and activists gathered in a small New York apartment to launch the NAACP and fight lynching's and mob violence. History has shown the efficacy of our tried and true approach: dreaming bold dreams, breaking them down into incremental steps and ultimately achieving big victories. And our triumphs strengthen the fabric of democracy in America. When, after a multidecade-long struggle, we ended the cruel practice of lynching, not only African-Americans benefited but also Catholics, who were, after black people, the likeliest targets of lynchings in the South. Similarly, our lawsuit against 15 banks for steering African-Americans into the predatory loans that have devastated neighborhoods today would force transparency and accountability that would benefit all Americans. The election of President Obama is the result of a decades-long fight for political inclusion. His victory may have come as a bolt from the blue for some, but at the NAACP, we know that our century of hard work helped pave the way for the junior senator from Illinois, a black man, to win the White House. If our unofficial motto, \"registration, mobilization, education,\" sounds familiar, it is because that deceptively simple formula informed the successful election campaign of Obama. The NAACP has always been about the present and the future, and we choose to focus on solutions, rather than just bemoan the hard work to be done: This doesn't indicate denial, or ineffectiveness, we simply prefer action over rhetoric. Now, we see Lincoln's radical determination to extend the rights of the Constitution to all American citizens as the NAACP's guiding light. We don't often hear the words \"radical\" and \"NAACP\" in the same sentence but I like the proximity: . We've kicked off our next hundred years with actions that might have been perceived as \"radical\" at our founding a century ago -- from ending the death penalty in New Mexico to successfully passing anti-racial profiling legislation in Missouri and other states. Being radical is not new for me. I was born out of resistance to Jim Crow when my mom and dad married despite their union being illegal in many states. My dad, Fred, was disowned for marrying a black woman and was used to being the only white guy thrown out of the diner for trying to integrate the lunch counter. My mom, Ann, was an early activist in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. My generation, was told the civil rights battles had largely been won -- \"Go forth young man and make money, enjoy your life and be successful\" -- but we woke up to find ourselves the most murdered and incarcerated generation in history. So I chose to be an activist, starting at 14 with voter registration drives. I was later kicked out of Columbia University for protesting -- ultimately graduating and becoming a Rhodes scholar. During that forced hiatus, I journeyed south where I learned firsthand about the tenacity and pain of southern racism and poverty. I already knew well its northern urban counterpart. I also learned that we could win -- which filled me with a sense of hope for the nation and confidence in our ability to impact the world. Our many victories and the election of our first black president fuels my optimism over the bright future of the civil and human rights movement. It is spiced with a dash of pride, too. Thanks, in part to the work of the NAACP, my 3-year-old daughter and her girlfriends will grow up in an America where the idea of a woman president -- or a black man, or an Asian woman, or a Latino man -- isn't likely to be \"radical\" at all. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Benjamin Todd Jealous." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Benjamin Jealous: NAACP formed in response to lynchings and race riots .\nHe says organization still has a \"radical\" agenda after 100 years .\nJealous: We must move beyond civil rights to human rights .\nHe says organization is fighting inequities in education and criminal justice ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Authorities have charged two teenagers and an adult in connection with the beating of a 76-year-old African-American man early Tuesday in Baltimore, Maryland, in an incident police say had a racial connection. From left, Emmanuel Miller, 16, and Zachary Watson, 17 are charged as adults in the alleged beating. Emmanuel Miller, 16, and Zachary Watson, 17 are charged as adults, police said. They and Calvin Lockner, 28, face numerous charges in the alleged beating of James Privott, including attempted murder, assault and harassing a person because of race or religion, according to court documents. Lockner is a white supremacist with the nickname \"Hitler,\" Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Gugliemi told CNN. Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld told reporters some of Lockner's tattoos seem to indicate his affiliation with racist groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood, according to audio comments posted on the Web site of CNN affiliate WBAL. There is no evidence the teenagers were affiliated with any white supremacist groups, Gugliemi said, but the two knew Lockner. Police responding to a report of an armed carjacking about 3:25 a.m. Tuesday found Privott with a head injury, according to probable cause statements accompanying charges, filed in the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City. Privott told police he was loading his Chevy Tahoe after fishing in the nearby Patapsco River when three or four white males approached him and began to kick and punch him, knocking him to the ground while using racial epithets, according to the statements. One of the men struck him with a baseball bat, Privott said. While he was on the ground, the men stole his wallet, which contained $19, as well as the keys to his vehicle, he told police. The men left in the Tahoe, the statements said. Privott was taken to a hospital and later was transferred to the University of Maryland Hospital's shock trauma center because of his head injuries. Doctors told police he had a possible fractured eye orbital bone and had sustained serious head trauma, according to the court documents. Privott remained in critical condition, but was making progress, a Baltimore police spokeswoman said Thursday . \"What has happened is an unfortunate thing,\" Privott's wife, Ethel, told WBAL. \"I think we're living in a prison world because we can't -- we're not safe here. We go and try to have clean fun and this is what happens.\" The Chevy Tahoe's tracking system helped police locate the vehicle, which eventually crashed and overturned, the court documents said. An anonymous witness led officers to Lockner after seeing him running from the accident scene. As he was being arrested, Lockner told police, \"I'm sorry for what I did,\" according to the probable cause statements. Lockner told police he was involved in the beating, but said another man -- later identified by police as Watson -- was the one who assaulted Privott and took his wallet. Both Miller and Watson, however, told police it was Lockner who assaulted Privott, according to the court documents. Watson claimed Lockner used a sledgehammer and Miller used a bat. Both youth said Lockner forced them into the Tahoe after the assault, according to the statements. Watson said the three then smoked marijuana, police said. Bealefeld told reporters that while authorities have received conflicting information from the three, \"I think the consensus is that Mr. Lockner played a leading role in a lot of this.\" Miller said, according to the probable cause statements, that he, Lockner and Watson were at Fort Armistead Park near the river when they saw Privott and a woman fishing. Miller said the three asked the man and woman if they had any water or cigarettes, but they said no. Lockner grew angry at their refusal, Miller told police, and used a racial epithet as they were walking away, the documents said. Miller said the three waited for the woman with Privott to leave and then Lockner assaulted him, hitting him about 10 times, according to the probable cause statements. Ethel Privott told WBAL the two enjoy fishing near the park and have been doing so for more than a decade. \"It's usually a party,\" she said, but the two had stayed late on Tuesday. \"A lot of seniors go down there. It's a nice secluded area, and we have fun. Until this,\" she said. A preliminary hearing for all three suspects is set for September 18." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "James Privott, 76, says white males kicked, punched him, used racial epithets .\nSuspect Calvin Lockner is white supremacist with the nickname \"Hitler,\" police say .\nTwo teen suspects charged as adults .\nPrivott in critical condition but making progress ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Mental Floss) -- Have you ever been watching television and thought, \"Wow, this soap opera is so good it could cause the downfall of a corrupt communist regime,\" or even, \"I bet one day this show is going to send the first woman into space\"? Well, maybe you're not giving the boob tube enough credit. Popular television shows have influenced politics in the United States and around the world. While others are busy blaming television for all of society's downfalls, we think it's time someone stood up for ye olde idiot box. After all, these 10 television shows didn't just entertain, they helped convince the world to get with the program. 1. \"DALLAS\" The Show that Overthrew a Dictator . (Well, kind of.) \"Dallas\" was one of the most popular TV shows in history -- and nowhere was it more talked about than in Nicolae Ceausescu's communist Romania. How did the soap opera get past Romanian censors? With help from \"Dallas\" leading man, J.R. Ewing, of course. Because J.R. was portrayed as a despicable oil baron, Ceausescu's government presumably decided the show must be anti-capitalist. Whatever the reasoning, \"Dallas\" became a runaway hit when it arrived in Romania in 1979. A series about wealthy, beautiful people (evil or not) was an inspiration to Romania's poor and dejected masses. Eventually, the government decided such Western television was a bad influence, and \"Dallas\" was taken off the air in 1981. But by then, it was too late. The fantasies of Western life lived on in the imaginations of Romanians, and in 1989, Ceausescu was overthrown during a public uprising. Not incidentally, the actor who played J.R., Larry Hagman, visited Romania some years later and was treated as a hero. In an interview following the experience, Hagman said, \"People from Bucharest came up to me in the street with tears in their eyes saying, 'J.R. saved our country.' \" 2. \"SEE IT NOW\" The Show that Ended McCarthyism . If you know your 1950s history (or if you saw the movie \"Good Night, and Good Luck\"), you know the impact crusading journalist Edward R. Murrow had on American politics. His vehicle for galvanizing change? The current affairs show, \"See It Now,\" which premiered in 1951. Well known as a World War II radio correspondent, Murrow wasn't a fan of television initially. He wanted to go beyond the talking-head discussions and newsreels that filled most nightly news shows at the time. So when he finally decided to move forward with \"See It Now,\" he did so on his own terms. The show's debut episode featured television's first live coast-to-coast transmission, which included a split-screen of the Brooklyn Bridge on one side and the Golden Gate on the other. Murrow also broke new ground by airing a day in the lives of Korean War soldiers. Of course, the show's most influential role was in exposing Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist fear campaign and opening Americans' eyes to the many lives and careers it was ruining. Thanks in part to fallout from Murrow's broadcast on March 9, 1954, the U.S. Senate reprimanded McCarthy for abusing his power, and McCarthyism came to an abrupt end. Murrow wasn't afraid to take on rogue senators, and later, he proved he wasn't scared to take on Big Tobacco, either. Two episodes of \"See It Now\" explored the link between cigarettes and cancer -- a brave move, considering television depended heavily on tobacco sponsorships at the time. But perhaps Murrow had a personal interest in the story. A three-pack-a-day smoker who regularly appeared on camera with a cigarette in hand, Murrow died of lung cancer in 1965. 3. \"GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER\" The Show that Turned Ronald Reagan into a Republican . In the early 1950s, film actor Ronald Reagan was at a low point in his career. So when Taft Schreiber, of the Music Corporation of America, got him a gig as the host of the anthology series \"General Electric Theater,\" Reagan jumped at the opportunity. For $125,000 a year and part-ownership of the program, he not only hosted the show, but also toured America as a \"goodwill ambassador\" for the electricity giant, giving speeches to plant employees and acting as its public spokesperson. By the time \"General Electric Theater\" was cancelled in 1962, Reagan was a new man. Turns out, all those years defending free enterprise for one of the nation's biggest multinational companies had transformed Reagan into one of America's leading conservative speakers. Although the actor had long been a Democrat, the Republican Schreiber convinced Reagan to change political parties. Four years later, the newly Republican Reagan was elected governor of California, and the rest is presidential history. 4. \"CATHY COME HOME\" The Drama that Transformed the Welfare State . Directed by Ken Loach (who later became one of Britain's most respected filmmakers), the drama \"Cathy Come Home\" was a poignant episode of the BBC-1 anthology series The Wednesday Play. It told the tragic story of Cathy Ward, a young wife and mother who becomes the victim of Britain's welfare state. Going from working-class struggle to dire poverty, Cathy's journey begins when her husband loses his job following an accident and becomes unable to support the family. In a painful spiral toward destitution, Cathy suffers through various states of homelessness, separates from her husband, and eventually, has her children forcibly taken away from her by government council workers. A truly horrifying story, its impact was compounded by the fact that \"Cathy Come Home\" was filmed in such a realistic style that some viewers thought it was a documentary. And although the Conservative Party government claimed the movie was \"full of blunders,\" Labour Party politician Anthony Greenwood said the show should be \"compulsory viewing once a month for the next five years.\" British audiences agreed, and \"Cathy Come Home\" was aired again shortly after. The ensuing public outrage helped bring major changes to British welfare law. Other nations followed suit, with similar reforms and charities. 5. \"THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR\" The Show that Swung an Election . \"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour\" was many things. It was the first network TV show to make fun of the Establishment, support America's counterculture, and have enough nerve to put blacklisted singers (such as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger) back on the air. Ironically, however, the show's major achievement might have been making Richard Nixon president. As a gag, show star Pat Paulsen ran for office during the 1968 presidential election. \"I'm consistently vague on the issues,\" announced Paulsen on national television, \"and I'm continuing to make promises that I'll be unable to fulfill.\" Regardless of his humorous motives, Paulsen seemed to have a \"Ralph Nader Effect,\" stealing 200,000 votes from the Democrats and helping to swing one of the closest elections in history. Thanks to Paulsen's efforts, Nixon narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey. \"Hubert Humphrey told me I cost him the election,\" recalled Paulsen, \"and he wasn't smiling when he said it.\" E-mail to a friend . For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Dallas\" gave poor Romanians a view of a better life .\nJ.R. Ewing actor Larry Hagman greeted as hero in the country .\nHubert Humphrey blamed comic for election loss ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Steve Perry is the founder and principal of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, and author of \"Man Up!: Nobody is Coming to Save Us,\" which offers solutions to problems in the black community. Steve Perry says a question from a parent started his journey to creating a top-performing school. HARTFORD, Connecticut (CNN) -- \"Why do only rich kids get good schools?\" I was the founder and director of a part-time out-of-school college preparatory program. The questioner was a parent; herself a victim of a dulled urban education. The statement was more of an indictment than question, and I had no answer. \"Well, why can't this program be a school,\" she offered. The program sent 100 percent of our graduates to college. We served poor students who were the first generation in their families to attend college. We provided college preparation through a six-week summer program, after-school tutoring and in-school academic advising. That single mother's question came at the end of the summer program. This was always a tough time. As the kids said goodbye to their friends and the program's high expectations, we all looked at the school year with great trepidation. We knew that the students were returning to failed schools with very low expectations -- and results to match. Like that mom, I too wondered why wealth and whiteness are too often linked to quality education. Her question connected to a discussion that I'd been having with some colleagues during the summer program. All of the teachers in that program worked in failed urban schools. Many had tried to reform traditional urban schools. They'd started formal and informal programs, identified groups of kids and connected to parents. Each had had some success with some kids, but the conditions that led to the need to do something went unchanged. The question was raised at the end of our 2002 summer program. My first instinct was to begin down the path of opening an all-male minority charter school. In Connecticut, charter schools are publicly funded and privately run, with no teachers' unions, no school board influence and no centralized curriculum. These were the pluses. There was only one minus: There was no money. The charter idea was dead as soon as it began. I assembled an all -black team. My plan was to put black educators together, and we would show 'em. Brothers and sisters were gonna open a successful charter school. Black educators serving black kids. This was my first major mistake. Talent and commitment have no color. Kids don't care what color their teachers are, and I shouldn't have either. After almost a year of stops and starts with a team that was not effectively assembled, I realized that I failed in my judgment because I did not keep my eye on the goal, which was to build a school that sent kids to college regardless of their hue or economic status. I have never made that mistake again. I doubled back and went into the schools and found the teachers who stayed the latest and arrived the earliest. I looked for the most ambitious teachers who had a reputation of being the most talented, and we started a second team. I am a social worker. I knew that I could run an organization, but wasn't sure about developing curriculum. When I created Team 2, my first pick was the best teacher I could find. Rich Beganski is the perfect complement, or opposite, of who I am. He's meticulous and lives and breathes curriculum. He is an operations genius. He was a longtime assistant coach who never wanted to be coach. I've never been an assistant and don't want to be one. Our team was composed of a white guy, a Latina, a black woman and a black man bound by a single commitment: to send kids to college. In 2003-04, Connecticut was settling a desegregation case. A component of the agreement was to open eight magnet schools in Hartford in two years. Magnet schools are publicly funded and publicly run theme-based schools, complete with unions and subordinate to the local school board. The part-time college preparatory program was hosted in a community college. The college's president was an impulsive visionary. On a Friday afternoon elevator ride from the 10th to the seventh floor, he said, \"Steve, we're gonna start a high school, you should run it.\" I told him I would and got off on the seventh floor. First thing that following Monday, I was in his office with the dead charter school application. Over the next few months, we tweaked it until it became a magnet application. With the help of some of the program's parents, we submitted it to Hartford's mayor, superintendent, and then the board. The process was anything but smooth. The district could not conceptualize what Capital Prep would become. A year-round college-preparatory uniform school for grades six to 12 was the absolute antithesis of the district's offerings. Hartford was either the worst or second-worst school system in Connecticut, with a high dropout rate and three failed traditional high schools. At first, Capital Prep was a poorly received idea. It became real, in large part, because of the state's settlement and our team's determination to answer the question. After receiving school board and state approval in December 2004, we were expected to open for August 2005. The problem was that while we had a \"team,\" Capital Prep didn't have a single employee. Since we were becoming Hartford Board of Education employees, we all had to apply for our jobs. My hire was relatively painless. Beganski, the team's operations genius, was turned away as an \"internal\" candidate. After two years of working 30 hours a week to turn an idea into a reality, he became our first central office/union casualty. I promised to resign if he wasn't hired. Finally, the district relented and gave him the job that he had designed. This was to become an ongoing theme in the school's first few years: ridiculous actions focused on maintaining the failed status quo. We worked through the summer with the rest of the team. The district stumbled and stalled until, with less than two weeks before our first day of school, Capital Prep only had two staff members: Beganski and me. We were not allowed to hire a single teacher. Even though we had had a team that had worked for years researching and designing the school for no money, we were told that none of them could be hired because union rules dictated who and when we could hire. This meant that our last employee for year one was hired 14 hours before the first day of school. In the years that have followed, the struggles with the union and central office's narrow, regressive policies have tested our commitment to answer that mother's simple question. The complexity of the answer is rooted in Capital Prep's relationship to the failed policies of the once highly centralized district and educators' union. In recent years, a new superintendent has come on board -- the third in our first three years. His approach has been absolutely aligned with what we need to exist. He leaves us alone as long as we get results. He can't shield us from the unions, but he has supported our creativity and commitment to our kids. He lets me run the school, and our teachers teach what works. That's all we've ever sought. Answering the question of \"why only the rich kids get good schools\" has set our team on an odyssey. Seven years later, we have an answer that we are proud of. Rich kids are not the only kids who have good schools, because Capital Prep's 80 percent black/Latino, 60 percent poor students attend one of America's top high schools, according to US News & World Report. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Steve Perry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Steve Perry: A parent asked why only rich kids get good schools .\nHe says question started process of building a quality school .\nPerry says his team fought bureaucracy, union to try something new .\nHe says his school is highly rated and sends all graduates to college ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Meet Bailey. She's a registered therapy dog, but you won't find her in hospitals or nursing homes. Instead, Bailey makes weekly visits to libraries and schools. She sits quietly or snuggles up to kids as they read her a book. And no, she's not napping, and the kids don't have treats in their pockets. She's actually helping these children learn to read. It sounds implausible. After all, dogs can't read. How could they possibly help someone learn a skill that they themselves can't grasp? But it's a growing trend, and it seems to be working. The philosophy is simple. Children who are just learning to read often feel judged or intimidated by classmates and adults. But reading to a dog isn't so scary. It won't judge, it won't get impatient, it won't laugh or correct if the child makes a mistake. In a nutshell, dogs are simply excellent listeners. And for shy kids or slow readers, that can make all the difference. Kathy Klotz is executive director of Intermountain Therapy Animals, which runs a nationwide program called R.E.A.D. -- Reading Education Assistance Dogs. She says there's another benefit of reading to the dogs that she didn't anticipate: confidence. \"A factor that we never planned for, that turned out to be really important, is that the child feels like they're letting the dog understand the story,\" she says. \"They get to be the teacher, the storyteller, the one who knows more than the dog for a change. ...They just blossom when they get to be the one who knows more than the dog.\" The children know they're not actually teaching the dog, of course, but the for the kids, the idea that they know more than the dog and can share their knowledge is a powerful one. And now that volunteers are aware of that aspect, Klotz says they actively foster the idea of the child as the teacher. \"One of the things you do in the program is you always speak for the dog,\" says Klotz. \"Like if [the child] doesn't know a word, the dog doesn't know the word either. And then they're not alone, and they can look it up in the dictionary together.\" Bailey and her owner, Jim Wilmoth, participate in weekly reading sessions at local libraries in West Virginia with kids who are generally between 6 and 12 years old. They're part of the \"Sit. Stay. Read.\" program, which is similar to R.E.A.D. Programs like these have popped up in nearly every state to help improve literacy rates in the United States. \"The kids come in and read stories to Bailey and other therapy dogs for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time,\" says Wilmoth, who was interviewed by iReporter Jennifer Sias at the West Virginia Book Festival. \"It encourages them to practice their reading skills ... and it's a good way to involve families with the library system.\" And the dogs really do pay attention, according to Lisa Saroyan. Her pomeranian, Minnie, has been a reading therapy dog for about a year in Fresno, California, as part of Therapy Dogs International's \"Tail Waggin' Tutors\" program. Minnie, who weighs in at only five pounds, sits calmly but alertly on a table for an hour at a time as children take turns reading to her. \"She really does sit there and stare at them,\" says Saroyan. \"And sometimes as they're turning the pages, she follows the page with her nose, and the kids just light up. She just knows what she's supposed to do.\" See Minnie in action . And then, of course, there are the proven physiological benefits of interacting with dogs. According to the researchers at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, blood pressure drops and the heart rate slows when a person is petting a dog. The National Institutes of Health confirms what any dog owner knows: Dogs have been found to reduce stress. Each of these factors helps calm children and makes them feel less nervous or intimidated about reading. For older children and teens, the dog can be a supportive friend and provide an outlet from stress and peer pressure. Klotz says her organization has had particular success with kids in detention programs. \"A comment we always get in our detention program is that animals make kids respond so genuinely,\" she explains. \"They get away from peer pressure and towards a genuine enjoyment [of reading]. ... They love it.\" It's hard to measure scientifically the success of the program and others like it. Because they're volunteer-based, and because each state uses different methods to measure reading level, doing a nationwide study would be difficult. However, Klotz says it's possible to see results in individual schools by comparing the reading improvement of kids who participate in the program with kids who don't. She says it's typical for the kids who read to dogs for just 20 minutes a week to improve their reading skills by a couple of grade levels in one school year. She's even seen as much improvement as four grade levels in a year. And Klotz thinks that reading comprehension is just the beginning of how these dogs help kids. \"It's not just reading scores,\" she says. \"They start to speak up in class, and volunteer, and finish homework. They don't want to miss school when they're going to read to the dog, so it improves attendance. It kind of just flows over onto everything.\" R.E.A.D. staff and volunteers know people are skeptical about the program's results at first, but Klotz says anyone who's spent time with a dog will understand. \"It sounds a little kooky when people first hear the idea,\" she admits. \"But if they know dogs at all, and the way people relate to dogs, it quickly starts to make sense. But you don't quite ever grasp how really lovely it is until you see it happen and you see the kids light up and you see how excited they are. You see all these changes in them that they just weren't able to make.\" And therapy dog owners say the pups love the program as much as the kids. \"They kind of benefit each other,\" says Saroyan. \"[Minnie] just craves that human attention, and [the kids] really benefit from her just sitting there and listening.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Therapy dogs in libraries can help kids become more comfortable with reading .\nIt's less intimidating for a child to read to a dog than a parent or classmate .\nSpending time with a dog also helps physiologically reduce effects of stress .\nDogs in libraries and schools are a small but growing trend across the U.S." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Washington (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of two Northwest Airlines pilots Tuesday in an extraordinary letter in which the agency chastised the pair, saying they endangered the public by flying an hour and half without contacting controllers \"while you were on a frolic of your own.\" The letter to Northwest Captain Timothy B. Cheney and First Officer Richard I. Cole puts the total time the pilots maintained radio silence at 91 minutes -- 13 minutes longer than originally defined by federal investigators. The letter said the pilots were \"extremely reckless.\" \"Not only did you not comply with ... [air traffic controller] instructions, you did not even monitor the aircraft's air-ground radios,\" the letter said. \"You were disengaged and impervious to the serious threat to your own safety, as well as the safety of people for whom you are responsible. This is a total dereliction and disregard for your duties.\" The letter provides new details about the flight. Cheney, 53, and Cole, 54, were piloting Flight 188 from San Diego, California, to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in Minnesota on Wednesday when air traffic controllers lost radio contact with the Airbus A320 over the Denver, Colorado, area. Instead of beginning to descend as planned about 22 minutes before its scheduled arrival, the plane continued flying at its cruise altitude of 35,000 feet and passed over the Minnesota airport. At 8:14 p.m. CT -- 36 minutes after the plane was to begin its descent and 14 minutes after its scheduled arrival -- the pilots contacted controllers, the FAA said. One of the pilots radioed: \"We got distracted and we've overflown MSP [Minneapolis-St. Paul airport]. We are overhead EAU [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] and would like to make a 180 and to [make] an arrival from over EAU.\" Cheney and Cole told federal investigators that they \"lost track of time\" while working on personal laptop computers, the National Transportation Safety Board said. They became aware of their plane's position only after a flight attendant asked about the landing time, according to the NTSB. The FAA said the revocations cite several violations of regulations, including failure to comply with air traffic control and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly. The pilots have 10 days to appeal the revocations, which are effective immediately, to the NTSB, the FAA said. Flight 188 carried 144 passengers, the two pilots and three flight attendants. Cheney was hired in 1985 and has more than 20,000 hours of flight time, while Cole was hired in 1997 and has about 11,000 hours of flight time, according to an NTSB report released Monday. Neither pilot reported having had an accident, incident or violation, neither had any ongoing medical conditions, and neither said he was tired, the report said. They each had had a 19-hour layover in San Diego; neither said he had slept or argued during the flight, but both said \"there was a distraction\" in the cockpit, according to the report. The pilots said there was \"a concentrated period of discussion where they did not monitor the airplane or calls\" from air traffic control, though both said they heard conversation on the radio, the report said. Neither pilot said he noticed messages sent by company dispatchers, the report added. It said the men were talking about a new monthly crew flight scheduling system that was put into place in the wake of Northwest's merger with Delta Air Lines. \"Each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure,\" the report said. \"The first officer, who was more familiar with the procedure, was providing instruction to the captain.\" After landing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, both voluntarily underwent alcohol breath tests, which proved negative, the report said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Pilots were \"extremely reckless,\" \"on a frolic,\" FAA says .\nNEW: Radio silence lasted 91 minutes, longer than initially believed, FAA says .\nPair involved in overflight of Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in Minnesota last week .\nNTSB: Pilots were on laptops, discussing scheduling system, lost track of time ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Three men who kidnapped and tortured a man over a drug debt were sentenced Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia, to decades in prison, in a case tied to Mexican drug cartels. Federal authorities point to the 2008 case as evidence that Atlanta has become a major distribution hub for powerful Mexican drug groups such as the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels. Victor Abiles Gomez, 20, Omar Mendoza-Villegas, 19, and Gerardo Solorio Reyes, 23, were sentenced to more than 20 years each in the kidnapping and beating of Oscar Reynoso in a suburban Atlanta home, federal authorities said. Gomez and Mendoza-Villegas were sentenced to 24 years in federal prison; Reyes was sentenced to 26 years. The three gagged the victim and left him chained to a mattress in an unfinished basement for six days because of a $300,000 drug debt, authorities said. The three are illegal immigrants from Mexico and had ties to powerful drug cartels there, authorities said. \"This case demonstrates the danger inherent in the illegal business of drug-dealing,\" said Atlanta U.S. Attorney David Nahmias. \"Fortunately, this violent episode did not spill over to innocent members of our community.\" In fiscal 2008, authorities confiscated about $70 million in drug-related cash in Atlanta, more than anywhere else in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration has said. Atlanta has become a stopping point for truckloads of Mexican cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine, agents say. The drugs are held in stash houses before being distributed on the East Coast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "3 men linked to cartels kidnapped and tortured man over drug debt, authorities say .\nVictim was found gagged, chained in basement in Atlanta suburb .\nThe three convicted kidnappers got sentences of 20+ years in federal prison .\nAtlanta is stopping point for Mexican drug cartel shipments, authorities say ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The militants behind Wednesday's deadly strike on a Pakistani marketplace that killed at least 90 people -- most of them women -- are \"on the losing side of history,\" U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a joint news conference with her Pakistani counterpart. \"If the people behind the attacks were so sure of their beliefs let them join the political process, let them come forth to the people and make their case that they don't want girls to go to school, that they want women to be kept back, that they believe they have all the answers,\" Clinton said in response to the car bombing in Peshawar. \"They know they are on the losing side of history but they are determined to take as many lives with them as their movement is finally exposed for the nihilistic, empty effort that it is.\" Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also condemned the deadly attack, offering his condolences to the victims and their families and directly addressing the attackers. \"We will not buckle, we will fight you because we want stability and peace in Pakistan,\" Qureshi said. \"You are on the run and we know that. We defeated you in Swat and Malakand. You think by attacking innocent people and lives you will shake our determination? No, sir, you will not.\" The blast at the Meena Bazaar killed at least 90 people, most of them women, and injured more than 200 others, according to North West Frontier Province's information minister. The market is a labyrinth of shops popular with women in the Peepal Mandi section of the city. The attack is the deadliest ever carried out in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. Clinton arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday for a series of meetings with top Pakistani officials. Talking with reporters en route to the country, Clinton said she wants to \"turn the page\" on what has been, in the past few years, \"primarily a security-anti-terrorist agenda.\" \"We hold that to be extremely important, and it remains a very high priority,\" she said. \"But we also recognize that it is imperative that we broaden our engagement with Pakistan.\" Clinton said there have been \"a lot of misconceptions\" about American intentions. \"We have a relationship that we want to strengthen, but we don't want it to be lopsided. We don't want it to be just about security and just about our anti-terrorist agenda,\" she said. \"It is unfortunate that there are those who question our motives, who perhaps are skeptical that we are going to commit to a long-term relationship, and I want to try to clear the air up on that while I am in the country,\" she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Clinton condemns bombing of Peshawar market which killed at least 90 people Wednesday .\nOf militants who carried out the attacks, she said: \"They are on the losing side of history\"\nThe U.S. Secretary of State is in Pakistan to shore up strained relations .\nClinton said relationship is about more than security and anti-terror campaign ." } ]

[ { "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 Danish auteur Lars von Trier presented his gothic thriller, \"Antichrist\" at Cannes Film Festival last month, it was greeted with cat-calls, jeers and, at times, disbelieving laughter. Danish auteur Lars von Trier has been making films that shock, provoke and impress for over 40 years. Filmmakers are expected to give audiences a hard time at Cannes and the two-hander starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a couple grieving the loss of a child is no exception. But it was the level of pornographic sex and visceral brutality that outraged some and astonished many. Von Trier was labeled a woman-hater for the wince-inducingly horrific final scene in which female lead Charlotte Gainsbourg takes a pair of rusty scissors to her genitals and performs a DIY clitoridectomy right to camera. An Ecumenical Jury that normally hands out a prize at Cannes celebrating spiritual values felt moved to award \"Antichrist\" an \"anti-prize\" for being \"the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world.\" \"Lars von Trier, we get it,\" wrote film critic Wendy Ide in UK paper The Times. \"You really, really don't like women.\" Misogyny couldn't be further from the truth, according to Von Trier, who says he sees himself up there on the screen: \"I mostly see myself as the female character,\" the 53-year-old director told CNN in Cannes. Do you think that Lars von Trier is a woman-hater? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . The director says that he shot the film as a form of therapy after recovering from a serious mental illness. Indeed, a few years ago, it was questionable whether von Trier, who is famously multi-phobic, would be able to make another film. In the winter of 2006, he fell victim to depression and checked into hospital, the aftermath of which left him \"like a blank sheet of paper,\" he told Danish paper Politiken at the time. Today, if not fully recovered -- the most terrifying thing he can think of is still \"myself\" -- he is able to function once more and is receiving cognitive behavioral therapy to help him face up to his psychological issues. Despite, or perhaps because of, what he describes as his \"sensitive\" nature, von Trier is one of today's great contemporary European auteurs, considered responsible for spearheading a revival in the fortunes of Scandinavian filmmaking. \"I think that if you are, shall we say, sensitive, then there is a good side and a bad side about it,\" said von Trier. \"The good side is that you can sometimes achieve something creatively. But, of course, it always also allows some of these negative thoughts in.\" Watch Lars von Trier talking to CNN's The Screening Room about \"Antichrist\" » . He has been nominated for the top prize at Cannes, the Palme D'Or, a staggering eight times, winning once in 2000 for the harrowing operatic tragedy, \"Dancer in the Dark,\" starring Icelandic musician, Bjork, who also took home the Best Actress prize that year. It is rumored Bjork became so unhinged filming \"Dancer in the Dark\" she ate her own cardigan. Von Trier claimed each morning she would say \"Mr von Trier, I despise you,\" and spit at him. In pictures: The wierd world of Lars von Trier » . Von Trier has a reputation for being tough on his actors. His friend and long-time collaborator, actor Stellan Skarsgard describes von Trier as \"not uncomplex.\" \"I was scared,\" admitted Gainsbourg who won Best Actress at Cannes for her performance. \"I had heard stories about him as a director ... maybe he's cruel and vicious.\" But she now describes him as her \"guide\" and \"the greatest director I've ever worked with.\" Fueled by his unconventional approach and upbringing, the mythology surrounding von Trier looms large over everything he touches. Brought up in Copenhagen by bohemian parents who were committed nudists, he suffers from crippling bouts of agoraphobia; and, most famously, a fear of flying. Each visit to Cannes involves a five-day road trip from Denmark to the French Riviera by camper van. He has an undeniable egotistical streak: this year at Cannes, he declared, \"I am the best filmmaker in the world,\" and in 1991, when displeased that Cannes jury president Roman Polanski had only awarded \"Europa\" the runner-up Grand Prix prize, he called him a \"dwarf.\" He also seems to actively court controversy: 1998 Palme D'Or contender \"Dogme #2: The Idiots\" grabbed headlines for being the first commercial film to show non-simulated sex on screen, and for von Trier's typically eccentric claim that the best way to prepare actors for sex scenes is to direct in the nude. But, von Trier says, he has always taken a deeply personal approach to the experimental, often dark and challenging works that he creates. He says he finds it difficult to know how to satisfy the needs of others with his films and so works only for himself. \"I feel very strongly for satisfying, maybe not my own needs, but my own idea of the film and the images that come from within,\" he told CNN. \"If I didn't follow my instinct, then I can't work.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pornographic sex and visceral violence in \"Antichrist\" shocked early audiences .\nVon Trier was accused of misogyny but claims to identify with the female character .\n\"Antichrist\" stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe as a bereaved couple .\nVon Trier's \"The Idiots\" (1998) was first mainstream film to show non-simulated sex ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "CANNES, France (CNN) -- The line-up at this year's Cannes Film Festival is a cineaste's dream. There are high expectations for Jane Campion's \"Bright Star,\" a drama about 19th-century poet John Keats. Packed with big name auteurs (Pedro Almodovar, Ken Loach, Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino, and Park Chan-wook among others) and intriguing propositions, the competition for the coveted Palme d'Or is sure to be fierce. While there may be a dearth of surprises in the line-up, the world's shiniest cinema event has certainly proved that in these tough economic times it can still cherry pick the best of what's out there. But what among the dizzying array of celluloid magic has caught the eye of industry insiders and professionals? The Screening Room asked a blogger, a critic and a film buyer attending the festival what films they will be watching out for at this year's event. THE CRITIC . Name: Jonathan Romney . Credentials: Film critic for British newspaper The Independent on Sunday . Cannes experience: 17 years . It's heavily loaded with big names and the strange thing is that this year there are very few surprises in there. Last year there was Italian Matteo Garrone's \"Gomorrah\" (which won the Grand Prize) and Israeli Ari Folman's animation \"Waltz with Bashir,\" films that nobody knew anything about in competition. The one that people are either really looking forward to or dreading is \"Enter the Void,\" Gaspar Noe's new film. Noe gave everybody a rough time in 2002 with \"Irreversible,\" a violent, confrontational rape-revenge drama. The thing about him is once he's got you in the cinema you're not going to get out. This one has been made in Japan and is the story of someone looking at the events leading up to their own death. In particular, I'll be looking at Jane Campion's film, \"Bright Star,\" starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. It's based on the three-year romance between 19th-century poet Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by his death at the age of 25. She hasn't delivered for quite a while. Her last few films were at best patchy and at worst disappointing. She's shown skill at her version of costume dramas in the past with films like \"The Piano,\" which won the Palme d'Or in 1994. Five-times Palme d'Or nominated German[-born] Michael Haneke's \"The White Ribbon\" is another film people are talking about. It is set in 1914 and is apparently about the emergence of Nazism. I imagine it will be fairly austere and confrontational. I also imagine it will be very good. He has never made a film that doesn't really engage or impress on some level. There's also Danish Cannes stalwart Lars von Trier's film \"Antichrist,\" starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg about a grieving couple who retreat to a small cabin in the forest to mourn following the death of their child. There has been some controversy over why he is making what looks like a conventional Hollywood horror. It almost certainly won't be that. I suspect it will be philosophical. A lot of these filmmakers are not entertainers. They like to give their audiences a hard time. One of the keynotes of this year is going to be confrontation. THE BLOGGER . Name: Karina Longworth . Credentials: Co-founder of Cinematical film blog and editor of Spout blog . Cannes experience: two years . In the Directors' Fortnight section I'm really excited about \"Go Get Some Rosemary,\" which is directed by these two young American brothers, Joshua and Benny Safdie. Their style is reminiscent of the French New Wave -- but with this sense of humor and willingness to experiment in real locations, and use the people that are walking by as accidental characters. They're sometimes lumped together with the young American \"Mumblecore\" scene but their films are really different. They've got a really interesting sense of style. Another film I'm really excited about is a documentary by French Oscar-winner Michel Gondry. The English title is \"The Thorn in the Heart,\" and it is about his aunt. Because it is in the Special Screening section and it's not in competition, it won't get the full red carpet treatment. But while the international press is looking the other way, if it's really good it could stand out from the crowd. Of course I'm excited to see a Quentin Tarantino movie, but my experience of being at Cannes is that going to see one of those giant films ends up taking all day long. I try to go and see films that I might not ever be able to see again. The film I'm most excited about seeing is Lars von Trier's \"Antichrist.\" It looks sort of \"Rosemary's Baby\"-ish and it is a return to working in English with American-known actors. I'm also looking forward to Jane Campion's new film. THE BUYER . Name: Robert Walak . Credentials: Senior vice-president, Acquisitions Worldwide, Momentum Pictures . Cannes experience: seven years . Sometimes a film is going to \"pop\" where you least expect it, and it's often not the film with established directors. It's quite difficult to find those -- the ones that create industry buzz, the ones that the critics suddenly go for, but also when you finally do get around to releasing it in your territory that the film actually crosses over and becomes an art house hit. I've already read the scripts for a lot of the films in competition -- you really want to get all of the information and do your homework. This year there's buzz about a film by an Iranian director, Bahman Qobadi, called \"No One Knows Persian Cats,\" which is being sold by innovative production company Wild Bunch. Qobadi has served as a juror on the Cannes jury before and took home a Golden Camera award in 2000 for \"A Time for Drunken Horses,\" a drama about young Iranian Kurds. I'm also looking forward to \"Antichrist.\" It's going to be interesting to see what von Triers' take on a horror movie is going to be. The script was off the wall and I want to see how he brings it all together. The Ken Loach film \"Looking for Eric,\" which stars ex-footballer Eric Cantona, is meant to be fantastic. It's already sold in the UK but the script was wonderful and I think it's going to be a very distinctive, different film for Loach. Feel-good is a very overused term, but people are going to be looking for more feel-good films now anyway." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From Quentin Tarantino to Ken Loach, Cannes is packed with big names .\nCritic Jonathan Romney's looking forward to Jane Campion's \"Bright Star\"\nBlogger Karina Longworth can't wait for Lars von Trier's \"Antichrist\"\nBuyer Robert Walak says people will be looking for \"more feel-good films\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- A new video and a photo of ailing Communist leader Fidel Castro surfaced on Sunday, revealing a healthier-looking man than in previous photos. A man in Havana, Cuba, reads a newspaper on Sunday featuring a picture of a healthy-looking Fidel Castro. State-run Cubavision aired video of Castro during its Sunday news broadcast, saying the footage was taken Saturday when the former president met with Venezuelan law students. It was the first video of Castro broadcast in at least a year. The photo -- the second in 10 days -- published in Cuba's state-run youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, shows Castro, 83, meeting with Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on Friday. The photo shows a well-groomed Castro wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and standing face-to-face with Correa. The meeting involved discussions of economic matters and medical checkups, according to the state-run newspaper. Another photo of the former Cuban president was released on August 13 by Pastors For Peace, a U.S.-based advocacy group that recently traveled to the island nation and is pushing for an end to the near half-century-old U.S. trade embargo. Castro, who came to power in 1959, underwent abdominal surgery in 2006. The Cuban leader ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul, last year, but has retained leadership of the Communist Party, the only legal political party in Cuba. CNN's David Ariosto contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: The video of Castro is the first broadcast in at least a year .\nNew photo shows fit-looking Castro meeting with Ecuadorian president .\nReport: Castro and Correa met over economic matters and medical checkups .\nHe ceded Cuba's presidency to his brother in 2008 but is still Communist Party chief ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Loretta Chaisson Lewis, 28, was the first to die. She was reported missing on May 17, 2005. Three days later, fishermen found her body floating in a canal off Highway 26 in Jennings, Louisiana. Victims, clockwise: Laconia Brown, 23, Whitnei Dubois, 26, Brittney Gary, 17 and Necole Guillory, 26. Her father, Thomas Lewis, recently posted a plea on a Web site established in September by the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office to draw attention to the killing of his daughter and the deaths of seven other women in the area. Police say the slayings may be linked. \"We love and miss her,\" the father's message said. \"She was a loving mother, wife and daughter. If you have any information about her death, please let someone know.\" There have been eight killings in four years in a small town that averages one homicide a year. The victims' bodies were dumped on the outskirts of Jennings -- population 10,546 -- west of Lafayette, Louisiana. Townspeople are perplexed. They're asking themselves, \"Is there a serial killer among us?\" That seems likely, authorities say. \"Based on an analysis of the investigation thus far, we believe the homicides may be linked to a common offender,\" Sheriff Ricky Edwards said in a recent news release. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 30 and had similar lifestyles. They were drug abusers who in some cases resorted to prostitution, \"trading sex for drugs,\" Edwards said. The throats of two of the victims were slit and the others died \"from some sort of asphyxiation, according to the coroner's office,\" he said. The bodies of all but two of the victims were either nude or partially nude, the sheriff said, but the coroner's office has not determined whether any were sexually assaulted. One month after Lewis' death, the body of Ernestine Patterson, 30, was found in a drainage canal. Two young women were killed in 2007, Kristen Lopez, 21, and Whitnei Dubois, 26. Mike Dubois, Whitnei's brother, criticized the slow pace of the investigation. \"How can there not be anything?\" he asked. \"I want justice, not just for my family, but for the families of all the girls. We live in fear that someone else is going to get killed.\" But Edwards said his department and investigators from the neighboring parishes of Acadia and Calcasieu, the state attorney general's office, the Louisiana State Police and the FBI are doing everything they can. \"This investigation is intense,\" he said. \"We are following up on all leads. I assure you that we are working tirelessly to solve these murders.\" In 2008, the bodies of three women were found: Laconia \"Muggy\" Brown, 23; Brittney Gary, the youngest victim at age 17; and Crystal Shay Zeno, 24. Zeno's mother, Sarah Benoit, posted this message on the Sheriff Department's Web site: . \"How beautiful you are. Your smile is forever a reminder of how special you are. It has almost been a year, but it seems like yesterday that you were taken from us. If anyone has any information on my daughter's death, please come forward. Without closure, not knowing who could have done this is very frightening. I pray every day that God will give the task force what they need to solve these cases.\" In the most recent case, the body of Necole Guillory, 26, was found in Acadia Parish, off Interstate 10, in August. Edwards believes this represented a change in the killer's modus operandi. The bodies of all the previous victims were left on the side of smaller, rural roads. \"It's likely whoever's responsible changed behavior because of increased attention in the public and the media,\" he said. Investigators think the offender has significant ties to Jefferson Davis Parish and is known to its residents, because he has demonstrated a strong familiarity with the area, Edwards said. Of the victims, the sheriff said, \"All of these young ladies had substance abuse problems and would go anywhere to fulfill their addictions.\" But he said he stopped referring to their \"high-risk lifestyle\" after the family of one of the victims expressed outrage and accused his department of not caring about the women. \"Jennings and Jefferson Davis Parish is hurting and grieving the deaths of eight women since 2005,\" the sheriff said. \"The investigative team continues to pray for Loretta, Ernestine, Kristen, Whitnei, [Laconia] 'Muggy,' [Crystal] Shay, Brittney, and Necole and your families.\" He encouraged anyone with information to visit the site, www.jeffdaviscrimes.net, or contact the task force at 337-824-6662. In the meantime, the families continue to wait for news. Benoit, Zeno's mother, has distributed more than 1,200 fliers in the community urging everyone to attend an October 17 prayer vigil at Lake Arthur. \"It's called Community United in Prayer,\" she said. \"Everyone is invited to pray for the victims and their families. It's a healing for our community.\" \"We try to shoulder each other up,\" said Dubois, Whitnei's brother. \"It's not the time to be quiet. It's time to say 'enough is enough.' \"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eight women have been slain in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, since 2005 .\nPolice believe a serial killer may be at work .\nSheriff Ricky Edwards launched a Web site on the case last month ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- For astronaut Jose Hernandez, his first space flight, scheduled to be aboard the space shuttle Discovery, marks a remarkable journey from the farm fields of California to the skies. Astronaut Jose Hernandez is an American-born son of immigrants from Michoacan, Mexico. Hernandez, an American-born son of immigrants from Michoacan, Mexico, is getting plenty of attention at home and abroad for his journey from working the fields to operating some of the most advanced mechanics on the space shuttle. Mexican President Felipe Calderon called the 47-year-old astronaut over the weekend to congratulate him. A transcript of the entire conversation was promptly posted online by the Mexican government. Hernandez is also reaching out to fans through Twitter, where he posts updates under the name \"@Astro--Jose.\" \"I come from a very humble family and what I would call a typical migrant farm working family,\" Hernandez said in a NASA interview. As a child, Hernandez's family split their time between Mexico and California, where they worked as migrant farm workers. During the school year his parents emphasized his education, but on the weekends Hernandez would help the family, he said in the interview, posted on the NASA Web site. Growing up in Stockton, California, it was Hernandez's job as the youngest child to hold up the rabbit ear antennas on the family's television set in order to get the best reception while everyone watched the Apollo missions. \"Now I kid around with my family saying that, you know, it was through osmosis that I became an astronaut because I was closest to the whole situation,\" Hernandez told NASA. The real catalyst for his dream to become an astronaut, however, came when Franklin Chang-Diaz, became the first Latin American astronaut in 1981. \"There was a lot of parallels and that's when I challenged myself. I said, \"Hey, if Franklin can do it, why can't I do it?\" Hernandez said in the interview. Hernandez earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering, and before joining NASA worked on a number of high-tech projects, including an X-ray laser to be deployed in space, a digital mammography system and the disposal of excess nuclear material in Russia, his official biography states. According to NASA, there are nine Hispanics currently in the astronaut program, and 13 total in the program's history. Astronaut Danny Olivas, also of Mexican descent, will also fly on Discovery's upcoming 13-day mission. The scheduled launch of Discovery on Tuesday was scrubbed twice, once because of weather and then hours later because of of mechanical issues involving a drain valve. NASA did not announce a new launch schedule." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Astronaut Jose Hernandez is an American-born son of Mexican immigrants .\nJose Hernandez scheduled to be aboard the space shuttle Discovery .\n\"I come from ... a typical migrant farm working family,\" Hernandez said .\nMexican President called the 47-year-old astronaut to congratulate him ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- We are losing in Afghanistan, on two fronts. The most important center of gravity of the conflict -- as the Taliban well recognizes -- is the American public. And now, most Americans are opposed to the war. For years, Afghanistan was \"the forgotten war,\" and when Americans started paying attention again -- roughly around the time of President Obama's inauguration -- what they saw was not a pretty sight: a corrupt Afghan government, a world-class drug trade, a resurgent Taliban and steadily rising U.S. casualties. Many surely thought: Didn't we win this war eight years ago? Americans, of course, hate seeing the deaths of fellow citizens in combat, but even more they hate to see those deaths in the service of a war they believe they are either not winning or maybe even losing, which is one of the reasons why they largely turned against the Iraq war in 2006. Within a couple of years, Iraq came back from the brink and started to turn around, after which the war there became largely a nonissue for most Americans. Similarly, the American public would be more likely to tolerate the losses of blood and treasure in Afghanistan if they saw real progress being made there. And right now, they don't. The second front we're losing is the Afghans themselves, who are the United States' center of gravity in the Afghan war. Eight years into this conflict, America and its NATO allies -- who are still looked on favorably by a majority of Afghans -- are not providing large swaths of the Afghan population with the most basic public good, which is security. It's time to table fancy counterinsurgency doctrines about \"connecting the Afghan people to the government\" -- Afghans have never had, and don't expect much, in the way of services from their government, and it's time now to focus on something much more basic: security. The last government to provide Afghans with real security was ... the Taliban. When they ruled the country before 9/11, security came at a tremendous price: a brutal, theocratic regime that bankrupted the country and was a pariah on the world stage. But in the context of Afghan history, the Taliban bringing security was decisively important, since what had immediately preceded their iron rule was a nightmarish civil war during which you could be robbed or killed at will by gangs of roving ethnic and tribal militias. It is has been a staple of Western political theory since the mid-17th century, when Hobbes wrote \"Leviathan,\" that if the state does not provide security to its people, life will be \"nasty, brutish and short.\" Hobbes wrote \"Leviathan\" in the shadow of the English Civil War, deriving from that bloody conflict the idea that the most important political good the state can deliver is security. The United States relearned this lesson in Iraq with some success starting in 2007. But the U.S. seems to have developed instant amnesia about this issue in Afghanistan, where around 40 percent of the country was controlled by the Taliban or was at high risk for attacks by insurgents, according to a private assessment prepared by the Afghan military in April, which was obtained by CNN. A glaring symbol of the collapse of security in the country is the 300-mile Kabul-to-Kandahar highway, economically and politically the most important road in the country, which is now too dangerous to drive on. Who will then provide security? The Afghan army is relatively small and generally ineffective. The police are worse. The plans to ramp up the size and efficacy of those forces are, of course, a key part of the American exit strategy from the country. But that training mission is going to take years. Nor are NATO allies going to add significantly more troops. Indeed, a number of NATO countries are already heading to the exits. That means that it now falls to the United States to do the heavy lifting in Afghanistan, and if Obama is serious about securing the country and rolling back the Taliban, he really doesn't have much choice but to put significant numbers of more troops on the ground. That way, he can start winning the war: win back the American public, roll back the Taliban -- who have melded ideologically and tactically with al Qaeda -- and provide real security to the Afghan people. Such a ramp-up will have an additional benefit. In the larger war on al Qaeda and its allies, the center of gravity is the Pakistani public, military and government because it is in Pakistan where al Qaeda and its Taliban allies are headquartered. And in one of the most important strategic shifts since 9/11, the Pakistani military and government are now getting serious about wiping out large elements of the Taliban and allied groups on their territory and, most importantly, are doing it with the support of their population. No longer are Pakistani military operations against militants in Swat and Waziristan seen by Pakistanis as \"America's war\": they are now seen as being in the vital interests of the Pakistani state because the Pakistani Taliban and other jihadist groups have made major strategic errors since early 2009, including marching close to Islamabad, attacking Pakistan's equivalent of the Pentagon and killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers and policemen. This new development is vitally important. Over the years, U.S. military commanders have often talked about hammer and anvil operations in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan that would bring an American hammer down on the militants based along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, who would then in turn be caught on a Pakistani anvil. In reality, the American hammer was never large and the Pakistani anvil was never strong. But the ongoing Pakistani military incursion into Waziristan, which was preceded by months of \"softening up\" operations with air strikes and artillery as well as a ramped-up American drone program aimed at al Qaeda and Taliban leaders there, is today setting the conditions for a real anvil. The hammer must now be applied. Armed groups don't sue for peace when they believe they might have the upper hand, and right now, the Taliban feel that they are winning the war -- or at least not losing it, which for most insurgencies amounts to the same thing. If there is to be some kind of political reconciliation with elements of the Taliban, that will only come once they truly believe they have no prospect of military success. At the same time, key roads, cities and towns in Afghanistan must also be secured. Without providing that security, as Hobbes wrote three and half centuries ago, governments of any kind will fail at their most basic task. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Bergen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Peter Bergen: Most Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan .\nHe says U.S., Afghan government don't provide basic security .\nHobbes said life in nations without security is \"nasty, brutish and short\"\nBergen: Obama has to add troops if he is serious about repelling Taliban ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There are no immediate plans to commit more U.S. troops to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, President Obama said Wednesday. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, and President Obama meet in Washington on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama said he would consult with U.S. allies before determining a strategy in Afghanistan after last month's elections there. \"I'm going to take a very deliberate process in making those decisions,\" Obama said. \"There is no immediate decision pending on resources, because one of the things that I'm absolutely clear about is you have to get the strategy right and then make a determination about resources.\" The United States has about 62,000 U.S. troops in the country, and NATO allies -- including Canada -- have another 35,000. The Pentagon is planning to add 6,000 troops by the end of the year. There have been indications that Obama soon could be asked to commit even more American troops. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has signaled he would like to gauge the impact of the 6,000-troop increase before considering whether to send more. Support in the United States for the war in Afghanistan has dipped to an all-time low. Just 39 percent of Americans favor the war, while 58 percent oppose it, according to a national CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday. Recent polling suggests that the increasing violence and slow pace of progress are also taking a toll on support for the war in Canada. Obama thanked Harper for his country's commitment to Afghanistan, where more than 2,800 Canadian troops and dozens of civilians are stationed. \"They have fought; they have had staying power; they have absorbed losses that we all grieve for,\" he said. Watch Obama and Harper meet » . Most of the Canadian forces are based in the southern Kandahar province, home to some of the worst violence and instability. At least 130 Canadian troops have been killed in the war. Last year, after a national debate, the Canadian government extended the mission -- which was to end this February -- until the end of 2011. Harper said Wednesday that \"Canada is not leaving Afghanistan\" but is \"transitioning from a predominately military mission to a mission that will be a civilian humanitarian mission after 2011.\" The two leaders also discussed economic issues, issuing a joint statement after their meeting saying in part that \"open trade and investment are essential for competitiveness and sustainable growth in North America and globally.\" Obama acknowledged that the \"Buy American\" clause in the economic stimulus package has been a \"source of irritation\" between Canada and the United States and is something Harper has repeatedly brought to his attention. The clause is a provision in the $787 billion stimulus package enacted in February that states only American goods can be used in stimulus projects. But it stipulates that the measure would not override existing U.S. trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Harper said Canada's concerns about the clause are \"important irritants ... but relatively small\" when compared with the overall U.S.-Canadian trade relationship." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "U.S. already planning to send 6,000 more troops to Afghanistan this year .\nNo immediate plans for deployment beyond that, Obama says .\nRemarks follow meeting with PM of Canada, which has 2,800 troops in Afghanistan .\nPolling shows support for Afghanistan war dropping in both U.S. and Canada ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: President Lyndon B. Johnson secured passage of Medicare, the Voting Rights Act and other milestone legislation. Tom Johnson, who served as one of LBJ's White House press secretaries, is former chief executive of CNN News Group and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times. He is an associate member of the board of visitors of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Tom Johnson says President Lyndon Johnson would have used every tool to get Congress to pass a health care bill. (CNN) -- LBJ would: . Have a list of every member of Congress on his desk. He would be on the telephone with members (and their key staffers) constantly: \"Your president really needs your vote on this bill.\" He would have a list of every special request every member wanted -- from White House tours to appointments to federal jobs and commissions. He would make a phone call or have a personal visit with every member -- individually or in a group. Charts, graphs, coffee. They would get the \"Johnson Treatment\" as nobody else could give it. He would have a willingness to horse-trade with every member. He would keep a list of people who support each member financially. A call to each to tell them to get the vote of that representative. He would have Billy Graham calling Baptists, Cardinal Cushing calling Catholics, Dr. Martin Luther King calling blacks, Henry Gonzales calling Hispanics, Henry Ford and David Rockefeller calling Republicans. He would get Jack Valenti to call the Pope if it would help. He would have speeches written for members for the Congressional Record and hometown newspapers. He would use up White House liquor having nightcaps with the leaders and key members of BOTH parties. Each of them would take home cufflinks, watches, signed photos, and perhaps even a pledge to come raise money for their next election. He would be sending gifts to children and grandchildren of members. He would walk around the South Lawn with reporters telling them why this was important to their own families. He would send every aide in the White House to see every member of the House and Senate. He would send me to see Sen. Richard Russell and Rep. Carl Vinson because I am a Georgian. He would call media executives Kay Graham, Frank Stanton, Robert Kintner, and the heads of every network. He would go to pray at six different churches. He would do newspaper, radio and TV interviews -- especially with Merriman Smith, Hugh Sidey, Sid Davis, Forrest Boyd, Ray Scherer, Helen Thomas, Marianne Means, Walter Cronkite, Phil Potter, Bob Novak. He would threaten, cajole, flirt, flatter, hug -- and get the health care bill passed. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tom Johnson." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tom Johnson: Lyndon Johnson would use many tools to get action in Congress .\nHe would have used staff, intermediaries to pressure legislators .\nHe would have gained support by granting lawmakers' special requests .\nHe would have used every device to get the health care bill passed ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's Note: Al Vivian is president & CEO of BASIC Diversity, Inc., a 35-year-old consultancy that specializes in diminishing cross-cultural biases that has worked with clients such as Coca-Cola, Ford, Kroger, McDonald's, the National Security Agency and CNN. He is also an adviser to the United States Army for diversity and cultural affairs. Al Vivian says Eric Holder was right to urge Americans to confront diversity issues now. FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (CNN) -- Privilege can be a dangerous thing. It releases you from the task of thinking about things that others must. I am an African-American male and I am privileged. Not on race; but on gender, education, religion, income and many other areas. As a man, my authority and intellect are not second-guessed. As a Christian, my moral code is not questioned, nor am I subject to post-September 11 profiling. I have privilege in these areas, and I realize that this privilege creates blind spots. An advantage to any group creates a corresponding disadvantage to all others . Recently Attorney General Eric Holder made some statements concerning America's need to confront its racial history, and the need for Americans to engage in cross-racial dialogue. Holder's comments offended some and motivated others, not uncommon when dealing with the touchy issue of race. On confronting our history he said: . \"To get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul. ... in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. \" Concerning cross-racial dialogue he opined: \"If we are to make progress in this area, we must ... have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.\" In a recent interview, President Obama responded by saying, America has made \"enormous progress, and we shouldn't lose sight of that ... I think it's fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language.\" The president went on to say, \"I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out here.\" They were both right; but they were addressing two different things. Obama was talking about fixing the economy to ease racial tensions. Holder was talking about overcoming our fears to dialogue and confronting racial privilege so that we can eliminate inequities that cause the racial tensions. Additionally, Holder was not saying that progress had not been made. He was saying that there is much yet to be done in order to fully engage and leverage the abilities of all of the nation's human capital. Elaborating on history, we must acknowledge that whites have been the benefactors of centuries of history that included half-truths that socially affirmed them to the detriment of all others. Addressing this privilege will take extreme courage, for there will be many loud dissenting voices. For example, there has never been a discussion in America about whether we should or should not celebrate a White History Month. That would be an irrelevant waste of time, because white history has been the basis of practically all that we have been taught. Being able to sit in a classroom and open history books that positively portray a plethora of people that resemble you has been, and continues to be, the exclusive historical privilege of whites. This privilege psychologically and economically benefits every member at every level of the advantaged category so profoundly that its members never have to question their place in society. And that place is on top: the expected and accepted norm. If you are white, consider how different life might be for you now if you had grown up from meager beginnings, while simultaneously being denigrated by a society that had denied equal access to you, your parents and every member of your race during every prior generation. This is the history of black America that Holder is saying we must understand to truly know the heart of America. History is history, and these are the facts. When we choose to exclude vital portions of history, we are no longer teaching history; we're teaching ideology. And if you're a person of color, you're excluded. The classroom experience for those who are not white tends to fit the following quote by poet Adrienne Rich: \"When someone with the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world -- and you are not in it -- there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing.\" It's impossible to grasp the true significance of any groups' contributions when they are taken out of context, and told as a separate story during some isolated month. It's like reading a great novel and leaving out chapters. What's missing is what the late Paul Harvey would have called \"the rest of the story.\" George Washington Carver, a black man, had many breakthrough inventions utilizing the peanut. His contributions could sound insignificant until put into context. The south, as a region, made its money through agriculture, primarily cotton. Poor crop management practices eventually damaged the soil throughout the south until it was almost impossible to successfully grow cotton anywhere in the region. The south needed a new cash crop -- then came the peanut. George Washington Carver revitalized the agricultural south; thus the financial south. He saved the south. But because we tell his story out of context, no one understands the significance of his contributions. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, which was a tremendous invention. However its paper filament was only operable for short periods of time, until a black man named Lewis Latimer contributed his invention, the carbon filament, to the project, making possible the widespread use of electric light. Had there been no Latimer, there would not have been a successful Edison. But most history books have no mention of Latimer. Textbooks currently teach that our great nation became a democracy in 1776. Great nation, strong republic, yes! Democracy, no. The very foundation upon which democracy was built demanded that the political leadership be selected for the people, by a vote of the people. To deny this right to millions of our citizenry for no legitimate reason was to abort democracy before it was born. The uncomfortable and blunt truth is, the United States did not legitimately become a democracy until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it law that no citizen could be denied the right to vote based on their race. Until we as Americans change course, grow a spine, teach true history that is inclusive of all races and replace these fallacies and half-truths with reputably documented facts, our citizenry will continue to be relegated to racially segmented ideology instead of history. We are a great democracy, and thus ready for honest dialogue. The time is now, and this discussion must go beyond black and white. It must be inclusive of Arabs, Asians, Latinos and others. It must also go both ways. People of color cannot only talk. We must also listen. All parties must be willing to be critiqued as well as offer criticism. As Holder said, this will be uncomfortable, but \"this way we can hasten the day when we would truly become one America.\" It's unusual when someone who is out of the norm makes his or her way into the seat of privilege, because those with whom you now share this privilege do not expect you to speak for those who do not. Welcome to your seat Mr. Holder, it fits you well. And thank you for not taking the coward's route. By the way, mission accomplished. We're talking. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Al Vivian." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Al Vivian: Privilege creates blind spots that conceal the harm they do .\nHe says whites have had a longstanding racial privilege in the U.S.\nVivian: History has largely been written from perspective of white Americans .\nHolder was right to make his \"nation of cowards\" speech and urge dialogue ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- \"You break it, you buy it...\" Clark Howard says shoppers may save money if they keep their hands off the merchandise. \"Look, but don't touch...\" \"Keep your hands to yourself...\" Three tired platitudes you might hear in the world of retail that all suggest a direct connection between the power of touch and the act of buying something. Now a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms what many have long believed, when you touch something in a store, you feel a sense of ownership and you're more likely to overpay for that item. That's why retailers like Apple always encourage you to play with the merchandise. First and foremost, the Journal of Consumer Research study presents a real caveat emptor for your wallet during a recession. And second, it confirms that I have the reading habits of a really dull guy! Hear a few interesting tips for saving money at the grocery store » . The warning for you is that if you don't want to spend money, don't go out and handle the merchandise. Whenever I shop at Costco Wholesale, I never get a cart. I only buy what I can carry in my two arms. Once my arms are full, I'm not constantly picking up new items along the way to the register. You'd be surprised how you can cut down on your bill using this simple trick. But there's a further caution in the study. Even window shopping or browsing online can prove dangerous for your budget. The study's authors talk about the power of visualization. They suggest that if e-tailers can get you to picture yourself owning something -- even if you really can't afford it -- they have a better chance of converting you into an online sale. The question of why people spend money in ways that don't make sense is one that's addressed by behavioral economics. It's a field of study that used to be discredited in serious academic circles. But now it's proving to be an important discipline as people look for new ways to save more and spend less. A 2008 study in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that about 1 in 16 Americans -- that's some 6 percent of us -- have compulsive spending habits. This kind of behavior leads to a momentary rush of adrenaline, but afterward comes the financial hangover. Christa, my radio show's executive producer, has done a lot in her life to take control of her wayward spending habits. She believes that if you're always buying new clothes, for example, you disrespect the things you already have in your closet. When the shopping bug bites you, try paying attention to the stuff you've already acquired in your life. Speaking of closets, I once owned a house built in 1937. The master bedroom's sole closet was all of 2 x 1.5 feet in dimension! During those Great Depression years, that was big enough for a middle-class husband and wife. Today, a closet of that size would never work. Some people have so much clothing that they can go for months without wearing the same thing. So the best way to tackle compulsive spending is with shock therapy -- you've got to ban yourself from stores! Let's say you're prone to go on a shopping binge when you feel blue. You've got to make sure you don't even get into the car to go to the store or the mall. Go for a walk or go to the park if it's a nice day. If you have a conditioned response that's bad for you, you've got to work to change it. And the next time you're tempted to pick something up while shopping, remember the study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Or if that's too pointy-headed for you, just start humming the refrain from that old song by the Georgia Satellites: \"Don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Research says if you touch an item in a store, you are more likely to overpay for it .\nPeople form emotional attachments with merchandise .\nTo save money, identify and avoid your emotional shopping habits .\nFind many more money-saving tips at CNN.com/ClarkHoward ." } ]

[ { "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 world has lost almost one-fifth of its coral reefs according a new report released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Coral reefs could be wiped out in 30-40 years according to a new report. Compiled by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, the report has brought together the work of researchers from 15 countries with data stretching back 20 years. It's not just climate change -- which raises ocean temperatures and increases seawater acidification -- which is damaging reefs. In some parts of the world overfishing, pollution and invasive species are proving equally harmful. Scientists are warning that reef destruction will have alarming consequences for around 500 million people who rely on coral reefs for their livelihood. Left unchecked, remaining reefs could be completely wiped out by 2050, the report says. Professor Olof Linden from the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden, told CNN: \"We see a great and imminent threat of more reefs being lost.\" Speaking from the U.N. Climate Conference in Poznan, Poland, Professor Linden said that the 19 percent figure is an average. \"For many developing countries like Sri Lanka and countries in East Africa the percentage of damage is much worse. Sometimes three times as high in some places,\" he said. \"In these areas we have local effects like dynamite fishing and other destructive fishing techniques combined the threat of coral mining, unmanaged tourism and all kinds of pollution from agriculture.\" But overall the biggest threat to reef survival is climate change. \"The most destructive climate event to impact the coral reefs so far,\" said Linden, \"was the 1998 El Nino which caused major coral bleaching and disrupted ecosystems all over the planet.\" iReport.com: What little things are you doing to save the planet? Scientists say reefs have recovered somewhat from those bleaching events. But the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, coupled with coral disease and human effects, have slowed their recuperation. Coral reefs not only provide an income and food for those who live near them, but are also effective natural barriers against storm surges. Despite the report's pessimism, researchers see some encouraging signs. Forty-five percent of the world's reefs are currently in good health and the hope remains that damaged reefs can recover and adjust to the changing conditions. \"We must focus on helping corals to adapt to climate change and on diverting people away from destructive practices such as overfishing,\" Linden said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The world has lost almost one fifth of its coral reefs, according a new report .\nClimate change, overfishing and coral mining all are contributing to destruction .\nIn some parts of Indian Ocean up to 60 percent of reef life has died ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Clark Howard, the Atlanta, Georgia-based host of a nationally syndicated radio show, is host of a television show designed to help viewers save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off during these tough economic times. The show airs at noon and 4 p.m. ET Saturdays and Sundays on HLN. Clark Howard says it's smart to cut back and save, but sometimes being cheap doesn't pay. ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Over the last several years, we as Americans became \"negative net savers\" -- a fancy term used by pointy-headed economists to say that we spent more money than we made. In fact, our savings rate was at negative 2.7 percent as recently as four years ago. Now, however, the trend seems to be reversing. We actually saved five percent out of every dollar of disposable income in January, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Wow, a whole nickel out of every dollar. Thomas Jefferson would be proud! Sure, it's not the \"dime on a dollar\" rule of thumb for savings that I rave about, but it's a start. Watch Clark talk with an amazing saver » . The truly noteworthy thing here is how we're saving this much-heralded five percent. Where exactly are we cutting back to satisfy our newfound hunger for pinching nickels? The BEA's numbers show that vehicles and fuel expenses account for nearly two-thirds of the savings. That category alone has seen a $115.2 billion decline compared with January 2008 numbers. Americans are riding their vehicles until the wheels fall off. The second largest category where we've cut back on is eating out, which is down $55.7 billion from last January. After that, we're also trimming the budget on clothing, jewelry, alcohol and more. In most recessions, the sales of alcohol do very well as people try to drown their worries in a bottle. I'm not so sure that behavior itself has changed, but this time around, people are trading down in their drink of choice. For example, fancy wine drinkers may be switching to Trader Joe's lines of Charles Shaw wines (a.k.a. Two Buck Chuck, for their $1.99-$3.49 per bottle price). Beer drinkers, meanwhile, are skipping expensive and exotic microbrews in favor of cheaper choices. Of course, there are other ways to save a nickel without having to trade down or go without. Many people are simply becoming \"do-it-yourselfers.\" This trend has also been called insourcing -- when you do something yourself instead of paying someone else to do it. Some marketers have seized on insourcing to great effect. For example, Target recently ran an ad campaign that aimed to reinvent the store's image for these new, leaner times. Consider this: The ailing retailer has always positioned itself as an affordable splurge over the years. But suddenly, any kind of splurge is seen as irrelevant in today's economy and Target's sales are suffering. So their recent ad campaign was all about the \"new.\" A circular I saw showed the \"new\" room service (store brand orange juice and cereal served at home); the \"new\" personal trainer (using home exercise equipment instead of paying for a gym membership); and the \"new\" restaurant (eating at home) -- all things that can be pricey, but are now being repositioned on the cheap in an effort to boost sales. Insourcing is making direct inroads into the home too -- quite literally. The Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal recently reported on \"closet boutiques\" where women are now opening up their homes and closets to strangers in order to sell unwanted designer clothes. Closet boutiques are typically advertised on Craigslist. There were 715,000 postings in February -- more than double the amount last year at that time. For buyers, a closet boutique offers the opportunity to pick up designer threads at a tiny fraction of their new cost. But a word of caution for sellers: You'll almost certainly have some questionable characters coming into your home. Store away all your valuables, and make sure you have enough eyeballs on hand to ensure that people don't wander around your home with sticky fingers. In other DIY (do-it-yourself) moments, The Washington Post recently reported that sales of sewing kits at Wal-Mart are up 30 percent in just the last few months. People are mending their own clothes instead of paying a tailor or seamstress to do the same. And let's not even mention all the botched dye jobs that hairdressers are having to work with from women (and some men) who tried to take matters into their own hands. Sometimes, it doesn't pay to be cheap!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Americans are saving five percent out of every dollar .\nVehicles and fuel expenses account for nearly two-thirds of the savings .\nMore people trying \"do-it-yourself\" projects like sewing, hair dying .\nClark says, sometimes it doesn't pay to be cheap ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- American tennis legend Andre Agassi has admitted using crystal methamphetamine a year before he won the French Open in 1998, and that he lied to the sport's governing bodies in the same period about a positive drugs test to avoid a ban. The 39-year-old, who is only one of six men in history to have completed a career grand slam of winning titles at all four majors, confessed in his autobiography that he took the highly addictive narcotic in 1997 while suffering poor form and to quell worries about his upcoming marriage to actress Brooke Shields. The eight-time grand slam champion revealed in his book how he felt when he first took the substance -- possession of which carries a maximum five-year jail sentence in the United States. \"Slim [Agassi's assistant] dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed. \"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful -- and I've never felt such energy,\" Agassi recounted in an excerpt of his book that has been serialized by British newspaper The Times. Following his use of crystal meth, the former world number one pulled out of the French Open and admitted he did not practice for Wimbledon a month later. Later in the year an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doctor confirmed to Agassi -- who is currently married to former number one women's tennis player Steffi Graf -- that his use of recreational drugs had shown up in a positive dope test and that he faced a three-month suspension. The tennis great revealed how he lied in a bid to retain his reputation: \"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. \"It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth. I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. \"I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it,\" Agassi added. Following the letter from Agassi the ATP dropped the case, allowing the American to regain a form that would see him go on to win the French Open in 1998 and the U.S. Open in 1999 before retiring in 2006. The ATP have yet to comment following the revelations." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Andre Agassi has admitted that he used crystal methamphetamine .\nThe American used the drug in a year before winning the French Open in 1998 .\nThe former world number one lied to the ATP to cover up a positive dope test .\nAgassi is one of only four men to complete a career grand slam ." } ]

[ { "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 Kurdish bloc in the Iraqi parliament intends to boycott the vote on a proposed election law if the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is banned from voting in next year's national elections, two Kurdish lawmakers said. A vote may be held Thursday on a proposal that would govern the elections, now set for January 16, legislators Mahmoud Othman and Abdul Bari al-Zebari said on Wednesday. Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, was excluded from provincial elections last January. Kurds displaced under Saddam Hussein's rule settled on land they say is rightfully theirs. However, Arab and Turkmen residents claim many more Kurds have moved into Kirkuk than were displaced, and that allowing them to vote would create an unfair advantage. Without the Kurdish lawmakers there will be no quorum, thereby blocking the vote, Sunni lawmaker Salim al-Jabouri, a member of the small Sunni political bloc, the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, told CNN. Before conducting balloting next year, Iraq needs an election law that lays out basic rules. If one is not adopted, the government may have to either reschedule the election or rely on the law used in the 2005 national elections, officials say. Lawmakers failed to reach agreement on the issue a week ago. The other contentious election issue is that of open lists versus closed lists on ballots. Open lists would name candidates and their parties; closed lists would name only parties. Existing law, used in the 2005 election, mandates a closed list. President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other political leaders -- members of the Political Council for National Security -- reached a tentative agreement on the draft bill Tuesday evening. Talabani's office released no details on the content. The constitutional deadline for the elections is January 31. The election commission needs at least 90 days after passage of the law to carry out elections, which U.S. and Iraqi government officials call a vital step in Iraqi efforts to solidify a democratic system in the post-Saddam Hussein era. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A boycott would lead to no quorum, blocking a vote, Sunni lawmaker says .\nKirkuk was excluded from provincial elections last January .\nThe issue of open lists versus closed lists on ballots is also contentious ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Leonard Pitts Jr., a columnist for The Miami Herald, won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and is the author of a new novel, \"Before I Forget\" and \"Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood.\" Leonard Pitts says we know what it takes to improve the performance of African-American students. (CNN) -- Back in 1972, on an episode of \"All in the Family,\" Gloria posed the following riddle to Archie and Meathead. Father and son go driving. There's an accident. The father is killed instantly, the son is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The surgeon walks in, takes one look at the patient and says, \"I can't operate on this boy. He's my son.\" The answer to the apparent paradox eluded Archie, Meathead and the guys down at Kelsey's bar for the balance of the half hour. They floated theories involving stepfathers, sons-in-law, priests, adoptions and returns from the dead. All of which Archie apparently found more believable than the true answer which was, of course, that the surgeon was the boy's mother. \"If that's the answer,\" he spouted, \"that's the dumbest riddle I ever hoid!\" Thirty-seven years later it is, perhaps, difficult to appreciate why this riddle ever was a riddle, how so apparent an answer could have stymied Archie, Meathead and, I would wager, the vast majority of the viewing audience. The riddle speaks volumes not just about how the world has changed in four decades, but also about how unconscious expectations can blind us to the obvious. In 1972, one expected a man when one heard the word \"surgeon.\" Much as, in 2009, one expects a white kid when one hears the word \"scholar.\" People will deny this, will say all the right and politic things. But the disclaimers will be as thin and transparent as Saran Wrap. Black, white and otherwise, we are all socialized by the same forces and all carry, by and large, the same unconscious assumptions. One of which is that a certain level of achievement is black and another is white. This is what you are hearing when a black kid speaks standard English and another black kid chides him for \"talking white.\" This is what George W. Bush was alluding to when he decried \"the soft bigotry of low expectations.\" And this is what we need to address forthrightly if we ever hope to close the so-called achievement gap that looms between black kids and white ones. In 2007 and 2008, I traveled the country for a series of columns called \"What Works,\" aimed at profiling programs that addressed that gap. I traveled between big programs and small ones, from the Harlem Children's Zone, which encompasses 90 square blocks of holistic education, family counseling, medical care and tutoring in New York City, to the Freedom Project in Sunflower County, Mississippi, which offers field trips, martial arts and academic enrichment in a rural county where the median income is $25,000 a year and the teen pregnancy rate is said to be 25 percent. I toured Self Enhancement Inc. in Portland, Oregon, a KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) School in Gaston, North Carolina, the East Lake Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, and many others. In all these places, I saw black kids -- well-spoken, clean-cut and noon-sun bright -- making a lie out of other peoples' expectations. Over the course of 13 months, common themes began to emerge whenever I would ask why kids such as these were doing such wondrous work in these places and substandard work elsewhere. We have more power to fire bad teachers and reward good ones, they said. We require parental involvement. We have a longer school day and a longer school year. We mentor children that need it. We counsel children and families that need it. We are invested in them and make sure they know it. Most of all, they spoke of the simple power of expectation: making it a conscious point to look for greatness in black kids in whom people had not thought to look for it before. What I came to understand in those interviews is that we already know the secret to improving academic performance for African-American children. What is missing is the will to do so. And that, I think, is because where they are concerned, we have other expectations. I asked Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, how he justifies asking for money to uplift poor kids in Harlem. His response struck me: \"Someone's yelling at me because I'm spending $3,500 a year on `Alfred.' 'Alfred' is 8. OK, Alfred turns 18. No one thinks anything about locking him up for 10 years at $60,000 a year.\" But then, we expect Alfred to be locked up, don't we? Expect it so blithely that we will not challenge the expectation even when it works against our own economic self-interest. Canada, after all, presents a rather stark choice: invest a smaller amount early and produce a citizen who pays taxes and contributes to the system or pay a much larger amount later for the upkeep of a citizen who consumes tax monies and contributes nothing. That we consistently choose the latter says something about how we assess the educability, the salvageability, of African-American kids. Thirteen months of interviewing young scholars left me more impatient than ever with a culture that writes off black kids because they are black kids. Somewhere between the 13-year-old in rural Mississippi who wants to go to Harvard and the second-graders in Harlem studying Vincent Van Gogh, I ceased being surprised and started being angry that what I saw was still the exception and not the rule. Everywhere I went, there were black kids excelling. And at some point, you say to yourself: well, of course. What did you expect? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Leonard Pitts Jr." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Leonard Pitts Jr.: Unconscious expectations can blind us to the obvious .\nHe says many people expect black students to perform more poorly .\nPrograms have demonstrated that investing in children's education pays off .\nPitts: We already know secret to improve performance, but do we have will to do it?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- American tennis legend Andre Agassi has admitted using crystal methamphetamine a year before he won the French Open in 1998, and that he lied to the sport's governing bodies in the same period about a positive drugs test to avoid a ban. The 39-year-old, who is only one of six men in history to have completed a career grand slam of winning titles at all four majors, confessed in his autobiography that he took the highly addictive narcotic in 1997 while suffering poor form and to quell worries about his upcoming marriage to actress Brooke Shields. The eight-time grand slam champion revealed in his book how he felt when he first took the substance -- possession of which carries a maximum five-year jail sentence in the United States. \"Slim [Agassi's assistant] dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed. \"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful -- and I've never felt such energy,\" Agassi recounted in an excerpt of his book that has been serialized by British newspaper The Times. Following his use of crystal meth, the former world number one pulled out of the French Open and admitted he did not practice for Wimbledon a month later. Later in the year an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doctor confirmed to Agassi -- who is currently married to former number one women's tennis player Steffi Graf -- that his use of recreational drugs had shown up in a positive dope test and that he faced a three-month suspension. The tennis great revealed how he lied in a bid to retain his reputation: \"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. \"It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth. I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. \"I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it,\" Agassi added. Following the letter from Agassi the ATP dropped the case, allowing the American to regain a form that would see him go on to win the French Open in 1998 and the U.S. Open in 1999 before retiring in 2006. The ATP have yet to comment following the revelations." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Andre Agassi has admitted that he used crystal methamphetamine .\nThe American used the drug in a year before winning the French Open in 1998 .\nThe former world number one lied to the ATP to cover up a positive dope test .\nAgassi is one of only four men to complete a career grand slam ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Her identity revealed, a blogger who posted rants about model Liskula Cohen said she was the real victim in the case and plans to sue Google for violating her privacy. Rosemary Port says she plans to sue Google for not doing enough to protect her identity. Rosemary Port and her lawyer said Monday that they will file a $15 million lawsuit against the search engine giant for not doing enough to protect her identity. \"I not only feel my client was wronged, but I feel now it sets precedent that anyone with money and power can get the identity of anyone that decides to be an anonymous blogger,\" said Salvator Strazzullo, Port's lawyer. A New York Supreme Court judge ordered Google to reveal Port's identity after Cohen sued the company to acquire information about the anonymous blogger. Watch model explain her persistence » . \"I wanted it gone,\" Cohen said. \"I didn't want it to be there for the rest of my life. And I knew the only way for it to be gone was to call my lawyer.\" In August 2008, Port, a user of Google-owned Blogger.com, created \"Skanks in NYC.\" The site assailed Cohen, 37, a cover girl who has appeared in Vogue and other fashion magazines. The blog featured photos of Cohen accompanied by derogatory terms. The judge rejected Port's argument that blogs on the Internet \"serve as a modern-day forum for conveying personal opinions\" and should not be regarded as fact. Cohen's attorney, Steve Wagner, said he couldn't believe Port's nerve in suing Google. \"Her being a victim here? I have trouble understanding that in its entirety,\" he said. Legal experts said Port is not likely to win her case. Jeffrey Toobin, CNN's senior legal analyst, said Google was complying with a court order and that disclosing Port's name cannot be viewed as violating her rights. \"Google never promises anyone absolute anonymity,\" Toobin said. \"There are all sorts of circumstances when Google cooperates with law enforcement.\" Blogger.com requires only a valid e-mail address to register for a blog. After the court demanded Port's identity, Google handed over her e-mail address to Cohen's lawyers so they could track her down. In response to CNN's request for an interview, Google issued a statement: . \"Google does comply with valid legal processes, such as court orders and subpoenas, and these same processes apply to all law-abiding companies. At the same time, we have a legal team whose job is to scrutinize these requests and make sure they meet not only the letter but the spirit of the law.\" Online activists have closely followed the model blogger's case. Nick Thompson of Wired magazine said the case will force people to recognize that the blogosphere, however anonymous, is not above the law. On the other hand, it could deter some bloggers who fear the cloak of anonymity could be lifted at any moment. \"There will be people who won't publish things that maybe they should publish or that would be good for society,\" Thompson said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rosemary Port created \"Skanks in NYC,\" a site that assailed cover girl Liskula Cohen .\nJudge ordered Google to reveal Port's identity after it was sued by Cohen .\nLegal experts said Port is not likely to win her case ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- David Bartal is a journalist who grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Sweden after marrying a Swedish woman. He has lived in Stockholm for more than 20 years and writes the blog \"Cool Stockholm,\" which looks at the hottest trends in the Swedish capital. Blogger David Bartal describes Stockholm as \"progressive, quite tolerant, somewhat reserved and beautiful.\" CNN: What is your favorite thing about Stockholm? David Bartal: Nature is close and accessible. Even if you live in the middle of the city you can get to a forest in a short time, but you still have that big-city feeling. CNN: Swedes have a reputation as being cold or hard to get to know -- is that fair? DB: I wouldn't say they're cold, but they are shy. People aren't especially keen to talk to strangers -- they can do quite nicely without them. People are a bit more reserved than in the U.S., which may not be a bad thing, but if you take the initiative they may be delighted to get to know you and become good friends. And no people are entirely homogenous. There are lots of extrovert, crazy Swedes -- and many of them are my friends. Watch ABBA songwriter Bjorn Ulvaeus take CNN on a tour of Stockholm » . CNN: What is Stockholm like in the winter? DB: Between December and March the winter can get a bit long. It's not the cold as much as the dark -- it can make people glum. In the winter, the sun sets at four o'clock, but in summer you get incredibly long, beautiful days. It's one of the most beautiful cities on earth and it's fun to be here in the summertime. CNN: What do Stockholmers like to do in the summer? DB: In the summertime many will go to their country houses, they want to get out of the city. If they have a boat they want to be on the boat. In early August there are crayfish parties. People get together in groups and put on conical hats and paper napkins and eat crayfish, drink hard liquor and sing drinking songs. I've become quite assimilated, but not assimilated enough for crayfish parties! Foreigners just shake their heads in wonder. See photos of Bjorn Ulvaeus in Stockholm » . CNN: What areas are good for nightlife? DB: There are two options: Stureplan has glitzy clubs and fancy restaurants. Party people might typically start their evening at the \"little bar\" at Riche, which has good DJs and attracts an arty crowd, then shift to Berns at midnight for flirting and dancing, and if they know the doorman or are feeling lucky, party in the early hours at celebrity hot-spot Spy Bar. There's also an area on the south side, mainly up on Mosebacke. It's funkier, a little more bohemian and a little more mellow, with clubs and music venues. You have to trudge up a steep cobble-stone street to get to the top of Mosebacke, but it's worth the climb. The view of the city at night is amazing and there are some cool nightspots. One of them is Kägelbanan (which means bowling hall). I danced my socks off not long ago there to some high-energy Turkish pop. What makes Stockholm special to you? Tell us in the SoundOff box below . CNN: Sweden is known for its design -- are Stockholmers a fashionable bunch? DB: They are fashion conscious -- people follow trends quite slavishly. This season men are wearing red pants and women are wearing gladiator sandals -- it's almost mandatory. CNN: What are the latest trends in the city? DB: There's a lot of variety in coffee shops that didn't exist previously. There are imitation New York coffee shops, but there is also some innovation. Ljunggren Cafe, on the south side of town, is very designed. It has low, gray couches spread over a large area creating a very social environment; it's great for people watching. Also, when it comes to coffee shops I recommend Vete-katten at Kungsgatan 55. It's authentic and retro, furnished like your great-aunt's parlor. They make a delicious open-faced shrimp sandwich and awesome pastries. CNN: If Stockholm were a person, what would he or she be like? DB: Progressive, quite tolerant, somewhat reserved, and beautiful." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Culture-vulture David Bartal has lived in Stockholm for more than 20 years .\nNature is close by but Stockholm still maintains a big-city feeling, he says .\nPeople may be a bit shy, but there are also \"lots of extrovert, crazy Swedes\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "San Francisco, California (CNN) -- Repair work on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will continue nonstop into the weekend and the bridge may reopen Monday, but officials were making no promises Friday. \"Commuters are going to need to check back with us over the weekend,\" said Bart Ney, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. \"We're going to do everything we can to get the bridge open for the Monday morning commute, but safety is the priority for us right now.\" Repair work has not stopped since it began Tuesday night when two steel rods and a steel crossbeam plummeted from the bridge, landing on the roadway and forcing the span's closure. The same section had been the site of repairs over Labor Day weekend, when crews fixed a crack. On Friday, workers were grinding the areas where there was the potential for steel-on-steel connection, Ney said. \"We want them to be very smooth.\" The rods' alignment has not been completed to the point where workers could begin stressing them, he said. Once that work is complete, a third-party group will look at how the system handles vibrations, he said, adding, \"There is still a lot of work to be done.\" Transportation officials had said Thursday night that repairs of the bridge, which carried about 280,000 vehicles per day, would be complete by late Friday morning, but Ney said contractors were still working on custom-fitting steel for the structure. Crews worked Friday to replace four steel rods. One of those had failed and caused the problems, Dale Bonner, California's secretary of business, transportation and housing told reporters Thursday. Engineers also will make sure the rods are centered and will strengthen the welds to ensure stability, Bonner said. Vibrations in the rods, affected by strong winds, caused the break, officials said. In the wake of the bridge's closing, commuters flocked to the Bay Area's rail system. On Thursday, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) said, the system carried the most passengers ever, breaking a record set the day before. About 442,000 people took BART, 24 percent more than on an average Thursday, the agency said in a news release." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: \"We're going to do everything we can to get the bridge open\" Monday .\nPieces of steel from bridge fell onto roadway on Tuesday, forcing closure .\n73-year-old bridge spans San Francisco Bay, carries about 280,000 vehicles daily .\nBART has been swamped with riders since Bay Bridge closed ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A search has been launched for a 50-year-old convicted rapist and suspect in the killings of six people whose bodies were found in and around a house in Cleveland, Ohio, police said Friday. The incident began unfolding a month ago, when a woman accused Anthony Sowell of rape and felonious assault, Cleveland Police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho told CNN. \"Once we were able to get the cooperation of the victim, we secured an arrest warrant for Mr. Sowell and subsequently a search warrant for his premises,\" Stacho said. On Thursday, detectives from the department's sex-crimes unit and members of its SWAT team went to Sowell's home to execute the warrant and to arrest the suspect, but he was nowhere to be found, Stacho said. What they did find were the badly decomposed remains of two bodies on the third floor of the house, which is owned by an elderly relative of Sowell who did not live there, Stacho said. A subsequent search on Thursday revealed what appeared to be a freshly dug grave under the stairs in the basement, he said. On Friday, investigators returned to the house, dug up the grave and found a third body, he said. A further search of the house and property found two more bodies in a crawl space and a sixth body was found in a shallow grave outside the home, Stacho said. Read local coverage on CNN affiliate WJW . None of the bodies has been identified, and the genders of only two -- those found on the third floor -- have been determined, he said. Both were female. \"He apparently is a serial rapist,\" Stacho said about Sowell, who he said makes his living as a \"scrapper.\" \"He walks around and picks up scrap metal and takes it to junk yards to make a few pennies.\" Sowell was convicted for a 1989 rape for which he was imprisoned from 1990 to 2005, Stacho said. Authorities plan to continue their search of the house on Saturday." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Search launched for a convicted rapist, 50; he's suspect in six slayings .\nBodies of six people found in and around a house in Cleveland, Ohio .\nNone of the bodies has been identified; search of house to continue Saturday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "SRINAGAR, Indian-administered Kashmir (CNN) -- The state's governor gave his support to the embattled chief minister, who had tendered his resignation after an allegation that he was involved in a sex scam dating back to 2006. Omar Abdullah denies any link to a prostitution ring, saying he has stepped down to clear his name. The allegation was leveled Tuesday against Omar Abdullah, 38, by a senior leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, on the floor of the state assembly. Omar's swift resignation plunged the state into a constitutional crisis that appeared to end Thursday when the New Delhi-appointed governor, N. N. Vohra, issued a communique asking Omar to \"continue in office as (Vohra) had got the allegation investigated through the Indian home ministry.\" The governor said that, \"based on the information supplied to him by the union home ministry, there is no basis for Omar Abdullah seeking to resign.\" Vohra urged the chief minister to \"most vigorously devote himself to discharging responsibilities of chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.\" The opposition party dismissed the governor's communique, saying, \"It has the potential of bringing the highest constitutional authority of the state also into controversy as the communique doesn't make mention about the chief minister's resignation.\" A relaxed Omar told journalists Thursday evening that he had \"full confidence\" in his innocence. Omar had delivered his resignation to the state governor after opposition member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh accused him, during a session of the state legislative assembly, of being connected to a prostitution scandal. Muzaffar served as deputy chief minister in the previous government, when several top pro-India officials were arrested on charges that they had misused their authority to force girls and women into a prostitution ring in Kashmir. Omar denied involvement but said he could not \"continue in the office following the allegation\" and would not serve again until he was cleared of the charges. Omar entered office in January after elections in late 2008 that saw the highest voter turnout in the region in nearly 20 years, since the eruption of a secessionist insurgency. Voters went to the polls in large numbers, despite a separatist call for a boycott of the voting. Most recently, the chief minister has been working to defuse tensions that are still running high after the arrest of four police officers in the probe of the alleged rape and murder of two young Muslim women in May. Two people have died and many have been wounded in clashes between Muslim protesters and Indian security forces stemming from the case. The arrests included the former police chief of south Kashmir's Shopian district and three of his subordinates, who are accused of \"destruction of evidence\" and \"dereliction of duty\" in connection with the deaths, which occurred in the town of Shopian. Kashmir has been in the throes of a bloody secessionist campaign for nearly two decades during which, 43,000 people have been killed, according to official figures. Various rights groups and non-governmental organizations in Kashmir, however, contend that the number killed during the last two decades is twice the official figure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New Delhi-appointed governor Vohra asks Omar to \"continue in office\"\nOmar says he had \"full confidence\" in his innocence .\nKashmir has seen two decades of violence in which 43,000 people have been killed ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new policy sets guidelines for how long U.S. border officials can hold computers and downloaded information seized at checkpoints, and with whom they can share that information. New rules announced Thursday specify border searches to be conducted \"as expeditiously as possible.\" The policy, announced Thursday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, continues to give border officials the authority to search files in travelers' laptop computers, mobile phones, Blackberrys and similar devices with or without suspicion that a crime has occurred. That is in keeping with long-standing court rulings that say the federal government's powers of search and seizure are greatest at the border to protect the country. But the new policy also attempts to address complaints from travelers that border officials are needlessly perusing confidential information, downloading it and keeping devices and information indefinitely without any explanation. The policy gives travelers the right to be \"present in the room\" during searches, although they are \"not necessarily ... permitted to witness the search itself.\" It says searches should be conducted \"as expeditiously as possible.\" And Customs and Border Protection officers should keep devices no longer than five days unless there are \"extenuating circumstances.\" Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the investigative branch of the Homeland Security Department, can keep devices up to 30 days. It also requires border officers to document searches and conduct them in the presence of a supervisor. And it says they should take steps to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of information and share it only with federal agencies \"that have mechanisms in place to protect\" the data. Border officers have long had to deal with issues pitting privacy versus security. But with the proliferation of laptop computers, travelers increasingly are traveling with sensitive information, including confidential legal documents, medical records, credit card and bank information and trade secrets. \"Keeping Americans safe in an increasingly digital world depends on our ability to lawfully screen materials entering the United States,\" Napolitano said in a written statement. \"The new directives ... strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders.\" The American Civil Liberties Union said the new rules are a \"welcome first step,\" but said they do not go far enough. \"There are two key aspects of this new policy worth applauding -- the limitations on the time that electronic devices can be held by customs officers and requirements that information from electronic devices only be retained if there is probable cause that a crime has been committed,\" said ACLU attorney Christopher Calabrese. \"These procedural safeguards recognize that the old system was invasive and harmed many innocent travelers.\" \"But unless and until the government requires agents to have individualized suspicion before reviewing such sensitive information as medical records, legal papers and financial information, even the most elaborate procedural safeguards will be insufficient,\" he said. The ACLU this week filed suit seeking records about the Customs and Border Protection's policy of searching travelers' laptops. The Homeland Security Department's statement said its new policies \"enhance transparency, accountability and oversight of electronic media searches at U.S. ports of entry.\" \"Searches of electronic media ... are vital to detecting information that poses serious harm to the United States, including terrorist plans, or constitutes criminal activity -- such as possession of child pornography and trademark or copyright infringement,\" the statement said. The department said it searches electronic media \"on a small percentage of international travelers.\" The border protection agency said that between October 1, 2008, and August 11, it conducted about 1,000 laptop searches while processing more than 221 million travelers at U.S. ports of entry. Just 46 searches were in depth, it said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New policy attempts to address travelers' complaints about privacy at borders .\nTravelers given right to be \"present in room,\" but not necessarily view searches .\nHomeland Security: New rules \"enhance transparency, accountability\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: Marian Salzman is chief marketing officer and a partner at Porter Novelli Worldwide and is co-author of \"The Future of Men\" and \"Next Now.\" She was named among the \"top five trendspotters\" by VNU in 2004 and has been credited with popularizing the term \"metrosexuality.\" She blogs at www.pnintelligentdialogue.com. See Salzman on American Morning and CNN.com Live Monday, December 29. Marian Salzman says \"cuspers\" are staking out a separate identity from the baby boomer generation. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Rarely has there been a year when so many things went out of style in such a short time: not just investment bankers, gas-guzzling vehicles, corporate jets, conspicuous consumption and political polarization, but also a whole generation. After strutting and tub-thumping and preening their way across the high ground of politics, media, culture and finance for 30 years, baby boomers have gone from top dogs to scapegoats in barely a year. As baby boomers lose their authority and appeal, generational power is shifting one notch down: to cuspers (born roughly 1954-1965), who arrived in style in 2008 with their first truly major figure, Barack Obama (born 1961). George W. Bush, born in 1946 at the start of the postwar baby boom for which his generation is named, will leave office with the lowest approval ratings since Richard Nixon was president. As Thomas Friedman has written, Bush epitomizes what's now seen as \"The Greediest Generation.\" Who's to blame for the economy going into serious decline? The short and easy answer is greedy boomers. This is the generation that knew better than their cautious, fuddy-duddy parents, the generation that protested, that had ideals and marched to the beat of defiant music: \"Street Fighting Man,\" \"We Want the World and We Want It Now,\" \"Hope I Die Before I Get Old.\" It's the generation that pursued pleasure, proclaimed \"I can have it all\" and refused to grow old -- \"50 is the new 30,\" etc. And now, after years of taking credit for changing the world, baby boomers are taking the rap for the reversal of fortune that's shaking the world. Whatever history may decide, today's commentators and pundits of all ages have decided that boomers, the dominant cohort in many developed countries, are guilty. And whether they're really to blame, what counts is that they look like they are. Their profile fits. Like a big-name Hollywood director who's lived on the edge too long, caused one too many scandals and made one too many turkeys, suddenly the boomers are the generation no one wants to be associated with. Cuspers, the age cohort that have been living in the shadow of the boomers, now have even more reasons to stake out their own separate identity and values. It's taken a long time for this rising demographic to be recognized as a distinct generation in its own right. They've been called \"late boomers\" because they missed the formative boomer experiences of the '60s, such as civil rights and anti-war protests. They've been called tweeners or cuspers because they straddle the divide between Boomers and Gen X. American social commentator Jonathan Pontell has worked hard to establish their identity as Generation Jones. There's still debate about whether cuspers are even a generation apart from boomers and where the generational boundaries lie. But those arguments miss the key point, which is that Americans want change. In Obama, they see the hopeful prospect of a new generation taking over. And in these dark days, they're hoping against hope that his generation can usher in new, better values to guide the nation. His victory has been portrayed as the end of Vietnam War politics and the 1960s \"culture wars.\" About half those Obama named to major posts in the new administration are also cuspers including the proposed energy czar, education secretary, treasury secretary and U.N. ambassador. Cuspers may have another poster child if Caroline Kennedy, born in 1957, is named to the New York Senate seat that Hillary Clinton is expected to vacate. Obama himself has made clear he thinks in terms of generational difference. He has spoken of carrying on the work of the \"Moses generation\" -- the Martin Luther King Jr. generation -- whose successors he has referred to as the \"Joshua generation.\" His activists rallied under the banner of Generation Obama, and his campaign's ability to mobilize the youth vote proved decisive in his victory. Whether we call them cuspers, Generation Jones or Generation Obama, there are enigmas and paradoxes within this generation and its fans. They respond to Biblical imagery, but they're not dogmatic in their faith. They value traditional notions of family but see men and women as equals in parenting. They go back to older American values -- civility, community, responsibility -- yet keenly embrace technology and use the Internet naturally. In fact, embracing digital technology is one of the telling dividers between boomers and cuspers. It's no coincidence that leading-edge Cuspers such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Tim-Berners Lee, all born in 1955, helped create the digital universe cuspers and younger generations now inhabit as a matter of course. It's also telling that Gates and wife, Melinda, another cusper, are the parents of philanthro-capitalism. For marketers and brand specialists, cuspers are a fast-emerging challenger brand that's fascinating to watch as it defines itself and attracts fans. Brand attributes once seen as disadvantages -- living in the shadow of boomers, a lack of major formative experiences, no \"heroic\" narrative -- have turned out to be advantages as the boomer brand loses its sheen. The cusper brand can define itself by what it's not: greedy, selfish, confrontational, hung up on past battles. The cusper generation is as much an ideal as it is a demographic group, and that appeal extends well beyond the birth years that define it. Watch out for tweets (messages on the Twitter platform) that proclaim \"Ich bin ein cusper.\" The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Marian Salzman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Marian Salzman: For 30 years, baby boomers dominated politics, culture .\nShe says they've earned the title of the \"greediest generation\"\nSalzman says next generation of \"cuspers\" is taking over with Obama .\nThe cuspers are different and unlikely to repeat boomers' mistakes, she says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Somalia's president escaped an opportunistic attack by Islamic militants Wednesday as deadly fighting erupted in the center of Mogadishu, officials said. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was returning from a trip to Yemen when insurgents began firing mortars, resulted in a clash with African Union peacekeepers, the president's director of communications told CNN. \"The Islamic insurgents were just guessing the arrival of the president so they started firing mortars, just to send a kind of their regular violent message that they are around,\" said Abdulkadir Barnamij. The heaviest of the fighting was centered on Maka Al Mukarama, which links the airport to the presidential palace but it is heavily guarded by forces from the African Union Mission in Somalia. Meanwhile Ali Muse, head of an emergency group in the city, confirmed to CNN that three people died and 16 others were wounded in the fighting. \"The casualty (number) is small because people deserted the streets soon after the fighting started,\" said Ali Muse. -- Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "President's office: Islamist insurgents, African Union peacekeepers exchanged fire .\nFighting left at least five dead, according to Shabelle Media network .\nThe heaviest of the fighting centered on area linking airport to the presidential palace ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A former Alabama judge accused of checking male inmates out of jail and forcing them to engage in sexual activity was found not guilty Monday on charges of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy and assault, his lawyer said. Attorney Robert Clark said former Judge Herman Thomas was found not guilty on several charges and the judge in the case granted a directed verdict of acquittal on all the other counts. The Mobile County district attorney did not immediately return CNN calls for comment. Thomas, 48, denied wrongdoing. Clark said on October 20 that the judge was trying to mentor the inmates and did not assault them. The judge does not deny bringing the inmates into his office, Clark said last week. \"He was mentoring them. He was trying to get them to do right, to be productive citizens.\" Thomas cried after the verdicts were read, Clark said Monday. \"He hugged me and he hugged his wife. And he had a courtroom full of supporters. It all worked out in the end,\" the attorney said. One of the alleged victims testified October 19 that he doesn't know why his semen was found on the carpet of a small room used as an office by Thomas, according to The Mobile Press-Register newspaper. But he did say Thomas spanked him with a belt on several occasions, the newspaper reported, and that the paddlings took place inside a jury room, in the small office and at a Mobile, Alabama, fraternity house. Another man testified that after he was charged with kidnapping and robbery in 2002, Thomas visited him in jail and urged the man to let Thomas decide the case instead of a jury, according to the Press-Register. Thomas convicted him of lesser charges, he testified, and sentenced him to a 90-day boot camp. He said Thomas also beat him with a belt on his bare buttocks about a dozen times at the courthouse, the newspaper reported. Neither man was identified. \"All of them [the alleged victims] were given preferential treatment at some point,\" Nicki Patterson, chief assistant district attorney for Mobile County, said earlier this month. \"And ultimately, when some of them refused to continue participating [in the activities], they were given what I would view as excessive sentences. But certainly while the inmates were involved with the activities we allege, the state would say, it was extremely lenient sentences.\" Clark said his client's next hurdle is the Alabama State Bar. \"They suspended him back in March because he got indicted. And we're fighting to give him his law license back,\" he said. CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ex-Judge Herman Thomas acquitted of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy, assault .\nJudge says he brought inmates to his office to mentor them .\nLawyer: \"He was trying to get them to do right, to be productive citizens\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Authorities have decided to call off a search-and-rescue mission for nine people who may have plunged into the Pacific Ocean off southern California after a Coast Guard C-130 plane and a Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter collided Thursday night. \"I've reached the conclusion that hope is no longer viable,\" Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph Castillo said Sunday. \"We no longer believe there is any chance somebody could still be alive.\" California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered his condolences to family members of the missing Sunday. \"Together, we send our thoughts and prayers to their families and friends,\" Schwarzenegger said in a statement. \"Our hearts are with them during this difficult time.\" Searchers had scoured the ocean for 60 hours without finding any sign of survivors. They reported Saturday that the search had covered 644 square miles. The Navy, Marine Corps and Customs Border Protection helped in the search. The Coast Guard weighed the exhaustive nature of the search, the wreckage, the nature of the collision, the temperature of the water and the time elapsed. A Coast Guard captain said Friday that survivability could be up to 20 hours. On Saturday night, relatives of the missing were briefed about the decision to call off the rescue effort. The order was to go into effect as soon as the planes involved in Sunday morning's dawn search returned about 9 a.m. Coast Guard pilots had been searching for a missing person in the water. That person was \"reported to have gotten in a dinghy and attempted to row to Catalina [Island],\" Coast Guard Capt. Thomas Farris said Friday. \"We were searching in that area because of the drift that would have naturally occurred after that event.\" The collision occurred about 7 p.m. Thursday, when the Coast Guard plane with a seven-person crew collided with a Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter carrying two people. A pilot not involved in the incident reported seeing a fireball about 7:10 p.m. Thursday near the crash site. The two Marine pilots were conducting routine training about 15 miles off San Clemente Island when their helicopter collided with the U.S. Coast Guard plane. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar identified them as Maj. Samuel Leigh and 1st Lt. Thomas Claiborne, both with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469. The Coast Guard's seven missing personnel were stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, California, where their aircraft was based. Castillo has said that an investigation was beginning with the Marine Corps. A large debris field has been located, and pieces have been collected, the Coast Guard spokesman said. The Coast Guard identified its seven missing personnel as Lt. Cmdr. Che J. Barnes of Capay, California, aircraft commander; Lt. Adam W. Bryant of Crewe, Virginia, co-pilot; Chief Petty Officer John F. Seidman of Stockton, California, flight engineer; Petty Officer 2nd Class Carl P. Grigonis of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, navigator; Petty Officer 2nd Class Monica L. Beacham of Decaturville, Tennessee, radio operator; Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason S. Moletzsky of Norristown, Pennsylvania, air crew; and Petty Officer 3rd Class Danny R. Kreder II of Elm Mott, Texas, drop master. The Coast Guard announced that a memorial service for personnel missing in the collision will be at 11 a.m. PT Friday at the Coast Guard station in Sacramento." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Spokesman: Search halted because \"hope is no longer viable\"\nCoast Guard plane and Marine Corps helicopter collided Thursday .\nCoast Guard craft had been on search for missing boater ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Sen. Ted Kennedy would have had a \"very, very difficult\" time politically surviving the drowning death of a young woman if it happened in the era of blogs, talk radio and 24-hour news cycles, experts said. Sen. Ted Kennedy hit the airwaves to say it was \"indefensible\" he didn't immediately report the accident. Mary Jo Kopechne, 28, drowned after Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile off a bridge following a regatta party in July 1969. The incident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, helped dash the youngest Kennedy brother's chances at the Oval Office in 1972 and 1980. Massachusetts was more forgiving than the rest of the nation, however, backing Kennedy by a 3-to-2 margin in his 1970 bid to keep his Senate seat. That his brothers, John and Robert, had been assassinated in recent years may have been a factor, experts said. Watch Kennedy attend brother Robert's funeral » . \"Great expectations and great tragedy has always been the storyline of the Kennedys,\" said Christopher Arterton, dean of George Washington University's graduate school of political management. \"The people of Massachusetts were prepared to forgive a lot of transgressions.\" Kennedy vanished to the family compound for days after the incident, huddling with advisers before emerging the following week to plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. A judge suspended his two-month jail sentence. Critics saw the plea as an attempt to stifle details that would have emerged during a trial. In a display of the senator's legendary oratory, he delivered a nationally televised explanation and apology, saying it was \"indefensible\" that he hadn't called police until the day after the accident. See how Chappaquiddick fit into Kennedy's legacy » . \"If at any time, the citizens of Massachusetts should lack confidence in their senator's character or his ability, with or without justification, he could not in my opinion adequately perform his duty and should not continue in office,\" Kennedy said. Jim Baughman, author of \"The Republic of Mass Culture: Journalism, Filmmaking, and Broadcasting in America since 1941,\" said he recalls Kennedy's address being \"less an explanation to the country than to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.\" The nation's response was tepid. According to a Time-Harris poll in August 1969, about 44 percent of respondents said Kennedy failed \"to tell the real truth,\" 51 percent said his explanation was inadequate and 77 percent said he was wrong not to report the accident immediately. However, 58 percent of respondents said \"he has suffered, been punished and should be given the benefit of the doubt.\" Watch a timeline of Kennedy's tragedies, triumphs » . \"I think the national repercussions would have been more severe [today],\" Baughman said. In 1969, the national media were dominated by three TV networks and a handful of magazines and newspapers. New media and talk radio would be a \"much more ferocious force\" today, he said. Media reports from the time indicate few mysteries were solved by Kennedy's address. Then-Edgartown Police Chief Jim Arena was often lambasted for his handling of the case. He said Thursday he would handle it no differently today except that he would charge Kennedy with vehicular homicide, a charge that did not exist in 1969. \"I will always contend that what happened that night was an accident. What happened afterward has never been completely explained,\" said Arena, who is now 79. In his national address, Kennedy said he was driving Kopechne to a ferry landing because she was tired. He denied \"widely circulated suspicions of immoral conduct\" and also refuted reports that he was \"driving under the influence of liquor.\" Watch Kennedy's explanation » . Kennedy said his unfamiliarity with the bridge, which had no guardrails and met the road at an awkward angle, caused him to drive off the side and into Poucha Pond. \"The car overturned in a deep pond and immediately filled with water,\" Kennedy said. \"Water entered my lungs and I actually felt the sensation of drowning, but somehow I struggled to the surface alive.\" Kopechne did not. Kennedy said he dived back into the water several times, \"but succeeded only in increasing my state of utter exhaustion and alarm.\" Conceding he did not seek a telephone, Kennedy said he returned to the party and summoned a cousin and friend to the scene. They, too, failed in saving Kopechne, he said. \"All kinds of scrambled thoughts -- all of them confused, some of them irrational, many of them which I cannot recall, and some of which I would not have seriously entertained under normal circumstances -- went through my mind during this period,\" he said. He asked to be taken to the ferry slip, he said, where he jumped into the water, swam the 500-foot channel back to Edgartown, returned to his hotel room and collapsed. It wasn't until morning that he called police, and then, only after he called legal adviser Burke Marshall, he said. The media clamored with questions: Why had Kopechne left her purse and room key at the cottage and told no one she was going home? How did Kennedy get lost on a one-turn trip to the ferry? Was the ferry operating when Kennedy and Kopechne left? \"The larger anger about it was the 10-hour lag [in reporting the accident], that he was more concerned about his reputation than this young woman's life,\" Baughman said. \"He didn't take enough time to blame himself and take responsibility.\" Today, Baughman said, Kennedy could still survive a Chappaquiddick -- largely because of the Kennedys' clout and because Massachusetts is so enamored with the family -- but it would be tougher with the Slate.coms and Drudge Reports of the world hounding him. George Washington University's Arterton concurs that, like Jesse Helms' North Carolina or Strom Thurmond's South Carolina, Massachusetts would likely forgive one of its favorite sons today. If Kennedy survived his first re-election, as he did in 1970, he likely would have prevailed in later ones, though it would have been \"very, very difficult to remain in office,\" Arterton said. He also doubts Kennedy would have been able to isolate himself with advisers for days without making a statement. Watch a newsreel of Kennedy's early years » . \"In the cable news era, that would not have been possible,\" he said, explaining that blogs and other new media would have prodded the networks and newspapers. \"There would have been much more effort to dig into that story nationally.\" At the least, Baughman said, \"you'd have maybe a more diverse conversation about Kennedy's culpability and judgment.\" Then-Chief Arena remembers the intense criticism of his investigation from his own counterparts. Diver John Farrar, who pulled Kopechne from the car, told media outlets she may have lived had Kennedy called police immediately, and George Killen, a detective-lieutenant with the State Police, alleged at the time that Kennedy \"killed that girl the same as if he put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.\" Kennedy's explanation was a \"weak defense,\" Arena acknowledges, but he insists there was no evidence of negligence to facilitate manslaughter charges. Arena said the Kennedys never pressured him during the investigation. He also never obfuscated details to benefit Kennedy -- in part, because of a paternal adage he has always held dear. \"When you tell the truth, you don't have to worry about what you said the first time,\" he said. \"The charge I came up with was the only one I thought we could prove. ... I did what I could, and I'll stick by it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Media \"more ferocious\" today, wouldn't have left questions unanswered, expert says .\nEx-police chief says he would have charged Kennedy with vehicular homicide today .\nChappaquiddick incident credited with ending Ted Kennedy's presidential hopes .\nChief: \"What happened afterward has never been completely explained\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "New York (CNN) -- Two people have died and 28 people have fallen ill with matching strains of E. coli after an outbreak in ground beef, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Sixteen of those people are in hospitals and three have developed kidney failure as a result of the contamination, the CDC said late Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that Fairbank Farms in Ashville, New York, was recalling more than half a million pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli, a potentially deadly species of bacteria. The products subject to recall were sent to retailers including Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster and Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers, and Giant Food Stores. The exact products affected are listed on the USDA's Web site. The recall was for distribution centers in eight states, but Fairbank Farms said some retailers may have sent the affected beef to other states. Each package is printed with \"EST. 492\" inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the nutrition label. They were packaged on September 15 and 16 and may have been labeled at the retail stores with a sell-by date from September 19 through 28, the USDA said. Consumers should ask at their point of purchase if the products they have purchased are subject to recall, the USDA said. E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service advised consumers to safely prepare raw meat products, whether they are fresh or frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature, the FSIS said. Of the 28 people infected with E. coli from the outbreak, eight are in Massachusetts; four each are in Connecticut and New Hampshire; two each are in Maine, Pennsylvania and South Dakota; and one each is in California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Vermont, according to the CDC." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two people have died after becoming infected with E. coli in this outbreak .\nE. coli is a bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, kidney failure .\nUse a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of beef ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Travel + Leisure) -- Portland, Oregon, doesn't lack for fashionable boutique hotels, but to the west, along the Pacific Ocean, the options have tended to be as primal as the shoreline. Recently, however, a group of properties has sprung up on the northern coast, aiming to seduce 21st-century travelers with designs steeped in post-World War II Modernism. The Cannery Pier Hotel was built on the site of a fish-packing facility on the Columbia River. Each stop on this easy three-night itinerary provides a stylish Oregon beach getaway -- along with postcard-worthy water views. Day 1: Portland to Astoria . Follow the Columbia River Highway (U.S. 30) as it meanders along the waterway that led Lewis and Clark to the sea. (For more shore-hugging river views, cross the Oregon Way Bridge, just west of Rainier, and drive on Washington's Ocean Beach Highway -- but be sure to return to Route 30 by crossing back over at Cathlamet.) Make your way to Astoria, the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies (founded in 1811), a revitalized former fishing town with Victorian architecture and a restored 1913 riverfront trolley. Take in the town -- and the mouth of the Columbia River -- from the 125-foot Astoria Column, and for a dramatic close-up of the Astoria Bridge, which connects Oregon and Washington, check in to the Cannery Pier Hotel (doubles from $299). Built on the site of a fish-packing facility on a pier that extends 600 feet into the river, the four-year-old hotel embraces a Pacific Northwest version of loft architecture, with exposed steel beams in the atrium-style lobby and hardwood floors in the 46 balconied rooms. The best place to eat is just a short stroll down the pier at the Bridgewater Bistro (dinner for two $75; 503/ 325-6777). The restaurant offers exceptional views of the river and bridge, a tasting room for the Oregon Coast's Flying Dutchman Winery, and a small-plates menu featuring watermelon-and-feta salad and a savory cheesecake with Dungeness crab. Day 2: Astoria to Arch Cape . The Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. 26) crosses Youngs Bay and snakes southward almost to Arch Cape, set in the lush green terrain of Oswald West State Park. It's a 30-mile trip that passes through the monied enclave of Gearhart, as well as Seaside, one of the first beach resorts in Oregon. Travel + Leisure: 45 best new hotels of 2009 . Be sure to explore the Cannon Beach art colony, comprising 19 galleries and crafts studios; then hit the sand to behold Haystack Rock, a 235-foot-tall basalt formation that's the third-largest such ocean monolith in the world. You might also want to scope out a spot for dinner in Cannon Beach -- locals love the French-Italian dishes such as pesto-and-prawn pasta at Newmans at 988 (dinner for two $110, 503/ 436-1151) -- or stock up on Oregon wine and Tillamook cheese before heading to Arch Cape, a tiny residential community with no restaurants. It is here that Bruce Bessey transformed an old beach house into the Ocean Point Inn & Spa (doubles from $275). The three handsome suites, with mod furnishings, are perfect for curling up in when the rain lashes the wild surf. In fair weather, guests mingle on the oceanfront deck to watch gray whales or gaze at the stars. In the morning, a hearty breakfast with fresh pastries provides fortification for beachcombing. Nestled between two state parks, the inn offers direct access to a nearly deserted Pacific stretch with sand dollar-filled tide pools. Day 3: Arch Cape to Lincoln City . Lincoln City is a straight 79-mile shot down the 101, past open stretches of sand with more clumps of beach grass than sunbathers. Along the way: Laneda Avenue, in Manzanita, is a charming shopping strip; the Picnic Basket (503/ 355-8500), in Rockaway Beach, has 97 flavors of salt-water taffy; Garibaldi Marina (503/ 322-3312) will hook you up for crab hunting and clam digging; and the Hawk Creek Café (503/ 392-3838), in Neskowin, serves fresh seafood and a popular wood-fired pizza. Tillamook is the home of the famous cheddar, as well as ice creams made from local berries. Past Lincoln City, in Newport, is a worthwhile detour: the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, dating from 1871. The beachfront at Lincoln City is stacked with condo-by-the-sea complexes which makes the recent renovation of the 141-room Surftides (doubles from $134) that much more welcome. Under the new management of the owners of the hip Farmer's Daughter hotel, in Los Angeles, the Surftides -- first opened in 1936 -- is now decorated with cork bulletin-board walls and jazzy striped daybeds. The balconied guest rooms reference Midcentury Modern design with sleek built-ins and bold orange accents. You'd swear you were sleeping in an urban boutique hotel, except the roar outside your door is waves, not traffic. Planning a beach getaway? Don't miss Travel + Leisure's guide to Affordable Beach Resorts. Copyright 2009 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A handful of fashionable hotels have opened along Oregon's northern coast .\nThe Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria sits on a pier in the Columbia River .\nOcean Point Inn & Spa in Arch Cape is housed in a renovated beach house ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "BELLEVUE, Nebraska (CNN) -- If LeRoy Carhart's abortion clinic had a terror alert scale, it would be at Code Red this weekend. Anti-abortion protesters plan demonstrations this weekend outside Dr. LeRoy Carhart's clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. \"I feel safer on an airplane than I do in my clinic,\" Carhart said, sitting at his desk in his windowless office in Bellevue, Nebraska. \"You try to think about every way an attack could happen. You try to do all you can to prevent it, but obviously Dr. [George] Tiller thought he was safe in church.\" It's been nearly three months since Tiller, one of the world's most well-known doctors performing abortions, was shot in the head at point-blank range on May 31 as services began at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. Anti-abortion groups, led by Operation Rescue, plan to launch protests outside Carhart's clinic this weekend in Bellevue, just south of Omaha. They will be the first major anti-abortion protests since the Tiller killing. The demonstrations are set to culminate Saturday with so-called Truth Trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside Carhart's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods. Protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media. His group scaled down plans to protest at Carhart's facility Friday when it learned women's rights groups, including the National Organization for Women, would be there. Operation Rescue will hold a rally at a church instead Friday. \"Operation Rescue has said Dr. Carhart is the next target ...,\" said Katherine Spillar, executive vice president with the Feminist Majority Foundation. \"We fear that these kinds of activities can eventually erupt in violence, and I urge the community to make sure violence doesn't happen.\" Abortion rights supporters were predominant in the 50 to 75 people gathered outside the clinic Friday morning. \"Welcome, welcome, this clinic stays open,\" some shouted when cars pulled into the clinic's driveway. Newman said earlier, \"I'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up. I'm very confident about our side. They're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs.\" He said he abhorred the killing of Tiller. \"Shooting someone in the head in a church,\" he said, \"is not a pro-life act. Sorry, it doesn't qualify.\" Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old anti-abortion activist, is charged in Tiller's killing. He has pleaded not guilty. Newman said he wants Carhart shut down -- through legal means. He said he was confident his organization would have shut down Tiller this summer through a legal battle. \"I vehemently disagreed with what Mr. Tiller did, as well as all abortionists for what they do. But they're still human beings, and they deserve due process,\" Newman said. Tiller was one of about a dozen U.S. doctors who performed late-term abortions. In the wake of his death, his family decided to close his clinic permanently. Carhart was a close friend and understudy of Tiller's. He performed abortions at Tiller's clinic for a week every month, including late-term procedures. Carhart has vowed to open an office in Kansas and said he'll keep doing abortions as long as he's healthy. He said he's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades. About 400 of those were after 24 weeks, he said. Staring across the room at a poster of Tiller, he said, \"I don't want his death to be in vain. He spent his whole life trying to ensure better health care for women.\" Carhart was performing an abortion in his clinic when Tiller was killed that Sunday morning. He learned of the news by phone from Tiller's head nurse. \"That's when she told me that George had been shot in church and that he was dead.\" Carhart is unlike many abortion doctors. He's doesn't parse his words about his profession. The outside of his office has the name of his clinic in bold letters: Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska. He said he takes pride in the term abortionist. \"I do abortions, and that is what I do,\" he said. On Friday, Carhart teared up when talking about the abortion rights supporters outside his clinic. \"It's unbelievable,\" he said of the support. Mark Gietzen, the driver of a truck for Operation Rescue, beamed with pride ahead of the protests. He stood outside his truck in Wichita adorned with a poster showing the dismembered hand of a fetus on a quarter. Across the top of the van, it reads, \"Abortion is an ObamaNation.com.\" He said he knew Tiller \"quite well\" from the vantage point of a peaceful common enemy over the years and said the killing was a setback for \"pro-lifers.\" He's only had one encounter with Carhart -- when the doctor drove his car by protesters and \"quacked like a duck.\" Carhart acknowledges he might've done that. Gietzen's message to Carhart: \"Please respect the life of the babies. Stop the killing, stop committing such a horrible act for money.\" Newman, the head of Operation Rescue, said he'll keep praying Carhart \"turns back to the healing arts and not taking babies' lives.\" Carhart remains unmoved. \"When they're ready to accept our position, then we'll sit down. We say choice is right. If you don't want to have an abortion, don't have one.\" Here in America's heartland, a battle is being waged and both sides are entrenched. There is no middle ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Abortion rights supporters dominant outside clinic on Friday .\nFirst major abortion protests set since killing of Dr. George Tiller in May .\nDr. LeRoy Carhart of Nebraska was understudy of Tiller's .\nCarhart says he takes pride in the term abortionist ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Last year's world champion Lewis Hamilton has claimed pole position for Sunday's inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while his successor as Formula One's top driver, Jenson Button, qualified fifth. Hamilton will be looking to end a disappointing year for McLaren with victory in the season finale at the new Yas Marina circuit, but even with a win can do no better than hold onto his fifth overall placing in F1's first day-night event. The 24-year-old will start a race from the front of the grid for the 17th time in his career, and the fourth in the last seven races, after setting the fastest time in all three sessions. He clocked a best lap of one minute 40.948 seconds as the sun set on Saturday evening to head off the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Vettel, whose bid to prevent Button clinching the world title ended last time out in Brazil, timed 1:41.615 while Webber recorded 1:41.726. \"The car is the best it has been all year. It was a smooth lap, and it just kept getting better and better,\" Hamilton told reporters. \"The place is just stunning. They all said it would be a great event, but it's mind-blowing. It's a great place to come to, a great country. The weather has been great and the people are so respectful and so welcoming. I hope we can put on a great show tomorrow.\" Button's bid to ensure the first all-British front row since 1995 came to nothing as he was out-qualified by teammate Rubens Barrichello for the 10th time this season. The Brazilian is expected to be making his final race outing for world champions Brawn, who are expected to sign Nico Rosberg from Williams. The German, who announced during the week that he will be leaving the British team, qualified ninth as Toyota's Jarno Trulli and BMW Sauber duo Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld took sixth, seventh and eighth places. Kimi Raikkonen, who will be making his final race appearance for Ferrari, finished outside the top-10 for only the third time this season, and will start in 11th behind Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi. Heikki Kovalainen's chances of keeping his drive with McLaren took a blow as he finished 15th after suffering gearbox problems. The Finn, fastest in Friday's practice sessions, was just ahead of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who along with Renault teammate Romain Grosjean failed to make it beyond the opening 20-minute session. Alonso, at least, can look forward to joining Ferrari as Raikkonen's replacement, but Frenchman Grosjean faces an uncertain future as he has failed to take his chance since taking over from the sacked Nelson Piquet Jr. Former world champions Ferrari will prop up the grid as veteran Giancarlo Fisichella again struggled ahead of what could be the final race of his career as he will be the team's reserve driver next year when the injured Felipe Massa returns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Last year's world champion Lewis Hamilton claims pole position for inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix .\nHis successor Jenson Button qualifies fifth behind Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello .\nRed Bull duo Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber second and third for F1's first day-night race .\nButton has an unassailable lead going into the final race of the 2009 season ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress, to reduce pressure on his burned body. He is covered with bandages; a ventilator breathes for Michael Brewer because he can't do it for himself. He's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again. Sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns. \"People are writing horror stories ... but people just can't imagine the kind of sickness we're talking about,\" said Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami. \"I've been to movies like everyone else, and Hollywood hasn't even thought of something like this,\" Namias said. Brewer is heavily sedated, and the ventilator does not allow him to speak. His open wounds are covered by bandages, which are changed daily. It's a four-hour process. He has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began October 12, when police say five teenage friends, including a 13-year-old, doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire. The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father's bicycle. Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $40 for a video game. According to police, witnesses said the teens called Brewer \"a snitch\" as they used a lighter to set him ablaze. Namias explained how Brewer's organs are not functioning the way they should be, but that is expected at this early stage of recovery. \"He's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation. We are breathing for him. His contribution to the breathing is trivial,\" Namias said. Namias also explained that in burn cases, words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly. \"When you say he's doing OK, in this situation it means he's alive and responding to treatments,\" Namias said. \"We're still dealing with the respiratory failure. We're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive.\" On Monday, the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in Broward County, Florida. State prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case. Formal charges are expected later this month. For now, all five teens are being held in custody. Four of the boys, all 15 years old, could be charged as adults. The 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under Florida law only if Brewer dies. Michael Brewer's parents, Valerie and Michael Brewer Sr., issued a written statement through the hospital last week. They are not granting interviews. \"The recovery process will be baby steps, but eventually he will be whole again,\" they wrote. But their son's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee. \"There's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn,\" Namias said. \"Surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do. This is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [operating room], and say everything's going to be OK,\" he added. \"We never give up, and we never predict it. ... Our expectation is survival.\" Across the hospital floor in the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, six other people's lives also are at stake: all victims of various accidents, all with burns similar to Michael Brewer's. They, too, are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have. \"It's understandable that people can be burned in accidents,\" Namias said. \"But this was no accident. This didn't have to happen at all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Police say teens doused Michael Brewer, 15, with rubbing alcohol and set him ablaze .\nAttack came after Brewer reported that one boy had stolen his father's bicycle .\n65 percent of Brewer's body is covered in second-, third-degree burns .\nTeen suspects appeared before judges Monday in Florida ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- It seems the world of the golf cart is changing if certain industry manufacturers are to be believed. By shedding their normal surroundings, improving their dowdy image and hitting the streets -- \"pimped up\" carts may increasingly be seen away from the course. Celebrities have been queuing up to jump on the buggy-wagon. The most recent purchase was by pop star Cheryl Cole, who bought husband and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole a \"Mini-Hummer\" buggy as a gift, spending $8,000 customizing the cart with gold-plated hub caps, Swarovski crystals and a trunk for his golf clubs. Dominik Jackson, owner of Mini-Hummer says demand for the vehicles has rocketed since 2006: \"It started as a glorified golf buggy, but since adapting the look we've had demand from all over Europe and even from royal families in the Middle East.\" The carts are already on the roads in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the company are planning to launch a new fully enclosed Mini-Hummer in London next year. While Europe is catching up with the trend, there has been a big market for \"pimped\" golf carts in the United States for some time. \"I'd say about 99% of our sales these days are for individual use,\" says Randy Hopper, owner of Sick 'N' Twisted Designs, one of the largest bespoke golf cart manufacturers in California. \"We build customized golf carts to the specific requirements of the customer - we pretty much do everything.\" And this really means everything. Modern carts are now built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes - street, lifted, off-road and even Limo carts. Sick 'N' Twisted customer Dave Johnson is having his golf cart pimped and modified to match the color of his boat: \"It's going to be burgundy with 12-inch wheels, full sound system and air-bags that adjust the height of the cart.\" Dave insists that in his neighborhood, golf carts are more of an everyday than a luxury item: \"They're practical, affordable and it's nice to cruise around and see your neighbors.\" So is this a case of keeping up with the Joneses? \"There's no official competition on our street, but people take notice of things like that. It's definitely seen as a status symbol.\" While the golf cart remains a staple on the fairways, the souped-up street version is no longer just par for the course." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Adapted golf carts are growing in popularity across Europe .\n99% of sales are for individual use in the USA .\nModern carts built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players .\n'Pimped' golf carts are seen as status symbol ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Turn back time, more than 90 years, to a cold case that won't gather dust. It's a classic whodunit, starting with the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl and ending in a lynching. It was grist for a prosecutor's political aspirations, a case that was appealed all the way to the country's highest court and a story hotly debated in the national press. At the center of it all was Leo Frank, a northern Jew who'd moved to Atlanta to supervise the National Pencil Company factory. When the body of Mary Phagan, a white child laborer, was found in the basement, law enforcement homed in on Frank. He was tried and convicted, based on what most historians say was the perjured testimony of a black man, and sentenced to death. But when the governor commuted his sentence in 1915, about 25 men abducted Frank, 31, from the state prison and hung him from a tree in Marietta, Georgia. Considered one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century, the Frank case seemed to press every hot-button issue of the time: North vs. South, black vs. white, Jew vs. Christian, industrial vs. agrarian. In the years since, it has inspired numerous books and films, TV programs, plays, musicals and songs. It has fueled legal discussions, spawned a traveling exhibition and driven public forums. Who murdered Mary Phagan? What forces were behind the lynching of Frank? Why should we still care? Answers to these questions, or theories, keep coming. \"Leo Frank was not a good ole Southern boy. He was different and not ashamed of being different,\" said Ben Loeterman, whose new documentary, \"The People v. Leo Frank,\" will air Monday on PBS. \"The test of us as a society is not necessarily how we treat the best among us but how we treat the most questionable.\" Mixed in with ongoing analysis of the Phagan-Frank story are the descendants of those involved, people who learned of their connections differently and carry these legacies forward in unique ways. The accused . \"The story goes that no one in my family talked about it,\" said Cathee Smithline, a 62-year-old great-niece of Frank. Frank was the one who handed Mary Phagan her check when she stopped by the factory on April 26, 1913, Confederate Memorial Day. The night watchman, Newt Lee, would find the body and call police early the next day. Smithline, of Wyckoff, New Jersey, was 16 when she first heard about the case. Her mother sat her down, told her a story about what a man in the South had been through, said it was based on her uncle and handed over a book: \"A Little Girl is Dead.\" It turns out Smithline's mother got the news in her teens, too, when her boyfriend turned to her after seeing \"They Won't Forget,\" a 1937 Hollywood film. \"You know that's about your uncle,\" he said. She'd grown up hearing Uncle Leo died of pneumonia, and after asking family about it, the truth was revealed, followed by the words, \"We will never talk about this again,\" Smithline said. \"I think it was a family embarrassment,\" she said. \"My grandmother [who died when Smithline was 1] was very close to her brother. It cannot be easy to tell someone your brother was lynched and why.\" The first victim . Mary Phagan Kean was 13 when the story hit her. She was in a South Carolina classroom, and her name stopped short a teacher taking attendance. \"Mary Phagan, you say?\" she recalled the teacher asking, peering up from his list. He wanted to know if she was related to a girl with that name who died in 1913. Confidently, she told him she wasn't. But the boys on the playground taunted her anyway, telling her she was reincarnated from a dead girl. Traumatized, she asked her father about her name. \"He turned whiter than white,\" she remembered. Mary Phagan had been her grandfather's little sister. He only wept when asked about her. When Mary Phagan Kean's family moved back to Marietta, questions about that name never stopped. \"I went on a campaign,\" said Kean, 55, who sought out every article and piece of information she could find. \"I did that for years and years and years.\" The consensus of historians is that the Frank case was a miscarriage of justice. Crime scene evidence was destroyed, they say. A bloody hand print was not analyzed. Transcripts from the trial vanished. Frank's conviction was based largely on the testimony of a janitor, Jim Conley, who most came to see as Phagan's killer. He'd written notes found with the body, but said they were dictated to him. The prosecutor, Hugh Dorsey, used race in his argument, saying a black man couldn't be smart enough to come up with such stories. Witnesses would come forward to say Conley was seen carrying the body and washing out a bloody shirt. Conley's own attorney, William Smith, came to believe in Frank's innocence, scrawling a note to that effect on his death bed nearly 35 years later. Conley, who appeared in the press for petty crimes over the years, eventually disappeared. Dorsey, the prosecutor, had political aspirations riding on this win. \"A conviction of just another black guy wasn't going to do anything for his career,\" said Sandy Berman, the archivist at The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta who created the traveling exhibit, \"Seeking Justice: The Leo Frank Case Revisited.\" Two years after Frank's lynching, Dorsey was elected governor of Georgia. But the story was interpreted differently by Kean, who wrote \"The Murder of Little Mary Phagan,\" and stands by this conclusion: \"Leo Frank was guilty as sin. He was a sexual pervert.\" Kean often visits her namesake's grave in Marietta. She's not the only one. She says she's struck by the teddy bears people leave there. The governor . Elizabeth Slaton Wallace couldn't be prouder of her heritage. At 81, she's the great-niece of the late Georgia Gov. John M. Slaton, the man who commuted Frank's death sentence to a life sentence, believing Frank's innocence would be proved and, in doing so, ruined his political career. The Georgia National Guard was called out to protect the governor after his decision prompted a rabble-rousing newspaper publisher to call for the lynching of both Frank and Slaton. Frank had been moved to the state prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, where an inmate slashed his throat. He survived, but weeks later about two dozen Marietta men came into the prison, with no resistance from officials, and abducted Frank in the dark of night. By dawn, he was hanging from a tree in Marietta. Photographs of his dangling body and the crowds who gathered there adorned souvenir postcards. \"Leo Frank was a Jew and a Yankee Jew at that. He was railroaded. Uncle Jack knew that,\" said Wallace, who lives in Atlanta. She can't explain why the story persists to this day. But throughout her life she's witnessed the kindness of the Jewish community, especially toward her father, who was named for the late governor. \"The Jewish community could never do enough for my father,\" said Wallace, who recalled being in a Jewish-owned store with her parents in the 1980s. \"They could have given us the shop.\" As grateful as they were to Slaton, Frank's lynching left Georgia's small Jewish community frightened. Many left the state; those who stayed kept a low profile. For decades, they only spoke of Frank in hushed tones. The lynching party . The lynching of a white man can hardly be compared to what happened in the black community in the South. But this case, the only lynching of a Jew on American soil, was the culmination of a state-sponsored conspiracy, historians say. While Georgia Jews remained quiet, so did those who were involved in Frank's killing, said Steve Oney of Los Angeles, California, who wrote the authoritative book \"And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank.\" It would be about 80 years before members of the lynching party were publicly, and not just secretly, known. \"They were not liquored-up yahoos,\" said Oney, a journalist, editor and Atlanta native who spent 17 years researching his book. \"These were smart, deliberate people -- from good, prominent families.\" They included a former governor, a former mayor, a U.S. senator's son, a judge, lawyers, a state legislator and business owners. One of the 25 or so men was Cicero Dobbs, the grandfather-in-law of Roy Barnes, a Georgia lawyer and politician who is a former governor himself and will be running again in 2010. Barnes and his wife, Marie, never knew Dobbs, who owned a taxi company in Marietta and likely provided transportation to the prison where Frank was held. Oney broke the news about the family connection to them. \"Marie's parents didn't know. It was never mentioned,\" Barnes said. \"On death beds, people confessed. It was just that powerful.\" Barnes, who is featured in the new documentary, said it's important to keep the story alive and learn from it. \"It's a terrible blot on our history,\" he said. \"How we keep it from happening again is to never forget.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mary Phagan's murder in 1913 spawned an Atlanta trial that's still talked about today .\nLeo Frank was convicted, later lynched by mob of respected community leaders .\nCase hit hot buttons: North vs. South; Jew vs. Christian; black vs. white .\nStory continues through new books, films and descendants from all sides ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Investigators discovered four more bodies Tuesday at the Cleveland, Ohio, home of a convicted rapist -- making a total of 10 since last week, Police Chief Michael McGrath said Tuesday. Authorities on Tuesday charged Anthony Sowell with five counts of aggravated murder after unearthing the bodies of women at his home last week, police said. Sowell, 50, also was charged with rape, felonious assault and kidnapping, police said. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday morning. Police arrested Sowell on Saturday, two days after discovering the decomposing bodies of five females inside his home and another woman's body outside the house. Earlier Tuesday, a source close to the investigation had told CNN that a seventh body had been found in the home. The source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, did not reveal the gender of the seventh body found at Sowell's home. The source did not say exactly where the body was found at the residence. Authorities found the first two bodies last week while trying to serve an arrest and search warrant on Sowell related to a sexual assault investigation, and an intensive search began. Sowell was not home at the time; officers found him after a tipster told them of his whereabouts. The decomposing bodies of the first six women, all of whom were African-American, could have been lying where they were found for \"weeks, if not months or years,\" Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller III told CNN on Saturday. All six deaths were ruled homicides, Lt. Thomas Stacho of the Cleveland Police Department said Monday, with five of the deaths due to strangulation. About a month ago, a woman accused Sowell of rape and felonious assault, Stacho noted last week. Investigators obtained the warrants that set off the search after the \"cooperation of the victim,\" he said. Officers serving the warrants Thursday discovered the badly decomposed remains of two bodies on the third floor of the house, he added. A subsequent search revealed what appeared to be a freshly dug grave under the stairs in the basement. On Friday, investigators returned to the house, dug up the grave and found a third body, Stacho said. A further search of the house and property found two more bodies in a crawl space and a sixth body in a shallow grave outside the home. Five different burial methods were used on the victims, and the bodies were in varying states of decomposition, said Miller, which made it difficult to determine the ages of the victims. Stacho said Sowell makes his living as a \"scrapper.\" \"He walks around and picks up scrap metal and takes it to junk yards to make a few pennies,\" he said. Sowell was convicted of a 1989 rape and was imprisoned from 1990 to 2005, Stacho said. CNN's Karan Olson contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: Four more bodies unearthed on Tuesday, Cleveland police chief says .\nTotal of bodies found at home of Anthony Sowell is up to 10 .\nSowell, 50, has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder .\nBodies could have been there for \"weeks, if not months or years,\" coroner says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- They were there for the view -- spectators awed by a vista of massive waves smashing against the rocky shore. A U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat reaches a man swept out to sea Sunday at Acadia National Park in Maine. But then one wave struck violently, sweeping three people into the churning ocean, one of them a 7-year-old girl. What spectator Mary Ellen Martel saw next were bodies bobbing along in the frothy waters. And in a heartbeat, a day of spectacular surf turned tragic. Watch a dramatic rescue at sea » . Thousands of people flocked to the jagged shoreline of Maine's Acadia National Park on Sunday as Hurricane Bill weakened offshore on its trajectory north and delivered dramatic waves to the New England seaboard. \"People were clapping and laughing when the wind would bring the spray over. It was a very festive atmosphere,\" Martel told CNN in a telephone interview. \"It was a warm, sunny day, and everyone was just enjoying the show that Mother Nature was offering, but not everybody knows to stay away from the edge -- or way away from the edge.\" A section of the shore is known as Thunder Hole, a popular tourist attraction where waves crashing against the shore mimic the sound of thunder. But Sunday, conditions were such that even the walkway to Thunder Hole was closed for the safety of spectators. On a rock cliff about 20 feet above the sea, a wave struck about 11:50 a.m., pushing water onto the ankles of some of the people standing on \"top of what we think would be a safe area,\" Acadia Chief Ranger Stuart West told CNN. People started to turn back, to get farther away from the edge, and then a second, monstrous wave hit them. The unrelenting sea dragged in seven onlookers, forcing four to claw their way back to shore but sweeping three others out into the chilly waters. Two were rescued, but 7-year-old Clio Axlerod of New York perished, West said. Watch preparations for the storm » . Martel, a resident of Maine's Southwest Harbor for more than 35 years and a frequent park visitor, had come there with her husband, and she said she feels \"pretty certain\" she had been on the same ledge as the three victims swept out to sea. Martel had stood far enough back that the first wave did not affect her much, but when she saw the second coming, she turned her back to protect the camera she used to photograph the surf. She was doused from her shoulders down, she said. She said she knew then she had to get back to the road that led to the area. \"When I looked [back], everybody was scrambling to get off the ledge,\" she said. Her husband, a volunteer firefighter, ran back to offer his help and overheard a woman say that her husband and daughter were swept away from the spot where the Martels and maybe 30 others had been, she said. U.S. Coast Guard rescuers arrived about 20 minutes after the first call and had the tough task of finding the three drifting in the rough seas. \"Of course, trying to locate a head in frothy, agitated water like it was is a very difficult operation,\" West said. \"But the rangers on the shore could still spot them.\" Martel saw bobbing buoys out in the distance, but not until she used a zoom lens on her camera could she tell the buoys from the bodies, she said. At 12:52 p.m., the Coast Guard picked up Simone Pelletier, 12, of Belfast, Maine, and Peter Axlerod, 55, Clio's father. The 7-year-old was found at 3:32 p.m., West said in a statement. Petty Officer Dayton Trubee of the Coast Guard said he was not present during the rescue effort, but heard from his colleagues what happened when they grabbed Peter Axlerod out of the sea's grip. \"They told me when they pulled them on board he was exhausted,\" Trubee said. \"He really didn't have any idea what happened to his daughter. He was totally worn out from just struggling.\" Six others at Acadia suffered broken bones and cuts from the effects of the intense waves, West said. Park officials had warned visitors of the dangers of the surf, West said, but he was not sure whether those seven pulled out by the massive wave got the warning. West said that people ask why rangers didn't just close off the park's shoreline. \"The reality is we have so many miles of boundary that if we close up one section people just go to the other section,\" he said. Instead they concentrate rangers in the areas they know people want to visit, he said. But nature can't be managed. The second wave has been reported by some as a rogue wave, because it was unexpected and \"monstrous,\" said Chief Christopher Wheeler of the Coast Guard's field office for Northern New England. Martel said she did not initially think the waves would be an injurious, \"imminent\" threat. \"It's kind of like a false sense of security, and then out of nowhere comes this monstrous wave that's like, holy moly,\" Wheeler said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People flock to Maine seashore to watch waves stirred up by Hurricane Bill .\nEnormous wave takes spectators by surprise, sweeps three out to sea .\nTwo are rescued from pounding surf, but 7-year-old girl dies ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Washington (CNN) -- Nearly all healthy pregnant women who receive a single dose of the H1N1 flu vaccine will be protected from that flu, according to just-released clinical trial data. In a news conference Monday at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said out of about 100 pregnant women who participated in trial studies, over 90 percent showed a robust immune response to a single 15-microgram dose of the H1N1 vaccine. And at this point, there have been no reported side effects, Fauci said. Fauci stressed that these results should be reassuring for already-vaccinated pregnant women and this is \"vital information for those who have not yet been vaccinated.\" He added that \"pregnant women have tolerated the vaccine well, and no safety concerns have arisen.\" Pregnant women are considered to be among the highest at risk for serious complications of this new flu strain. Since H1N1, also known as swine flu, first emerged in April, 28 pregnant women reportedly have died from complications of this flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite health officials repeatedly saying the H1N1 vaccine is safe, questions about it persist. To reassure those who question the safety of the vaccine, Dr. Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Program Office, noted that a new independent panel has been formed to review data from all sources on the safety of the vaccine. The group will monitor all sources reporting problems with the vaccine. \"The vast amount of adverse events have been minor,\" said Gellin. He said there has been one reported death linked to the vaccine, but further investigation showed that the person died from the actual H1N1 flu, not the vaccine. Gellin said the panel was designed to keep an eye on any possible negative consequences and report them immediately. According to Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, who also attended the news conference, 30 million doses of the vaccine are available for states to order. She explained that that does not mean 30 million shots are available to the public at this point. The vaccines need to be ordered by each state and distributed before they make it to doctor's offices and clinics. Schuchat reassured the public that more vaccines would be made available within the next few weeks, as demand for shots continues to rise. Fauci also noted further studies on children -- youngsters between the ages of 6 months to 35 months, and children from the age of 3 years to 9 years -- found they responded much better to two 15-microgram doses of the vaccine, than one single dose. For children 9 and older, a single 15-microgram dose gave young people a robust immune reaction that should protect them against the virus. When asked how this H1N1 virus differed from the seasonal flu, Schuchat said they were at opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to high-risk patients. \"With seasonal flu,\" said Schuchat, \"Ninety percent of the deaths every year are in people over the age of 65.\" She noted, \"But with H1N1, 90 percent of the deaths, thus far, have been in people under the age of 65.\" And she added, \"half of those are under the age of 25 years, in young people. So those are the people we want to get our message to. Children, pregnant women, young people should be getting vaccinated.\" Fauci agreed saying, \"You need to look at the risk ... Right now, the risk of becoming seriously ill, even dying from this virus, outweighs the risk of something happening to you if you take the vaccine. It's really that simple.\" CNN's Miriam Falco contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Over 90% of women in study showed robust response to one 15-microgram dose .\nDr. Anthony Fauci: Vaccine is safe and effective in pregnant women .\nYoung people and pregnant women have shown to be vulnerable to H1N1 flu .\nChildren 9 and younger have responded better to two doses of the vaccine ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Tuesday's off-year election might not have the high stakes of the 2008 presidential election, but there are several significant races worth watching: . • Virginia governor: McDonnell is projected winner . CNN has projected that Republican Bob McDonnell will be elected Virginia governor. The 55-year-old former state attorney general will be the first Republican to win the state's highest office in 12 years. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, McDonnell was leading Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds 59 percent to 41 percent. The race was seen as an early referendum on voters' attitudes toward President Obama and his policies and an opportunity for Republicans to turn back recent Democratic gains. More on Virginia gubernatorial race . • New Jersey governor: GOP's Christie is winner, CNN projects . Republican challenger Chris Christie will defeat New Jersey Gov. John Corzine, CNN has projected. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Christie was leading Corzine, a Democrat, 49 percent to 45 percent. Chris Daggett, an independent candidate, had 6 percent. Corzine, who was seeking a second term, trailed Christie during the summer, but recent polls showed them in a dead heat. As Election Day approached, some thought growing support for the moderate Daggett might siphon votes from Christie. More on New Jersey gubernatorial race . • New York mayor: Bloomberg to win third term, CNN projects . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will win a third term despite a tough challenge from Democrat Bill Thompson, CNN has projected. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg led Thompson 51 percent to 46 percent. Bloomberg's apparent victory comes after he changed the city's constitution to lift a two-term limit. Bloomberg, an independent candidate, had led Thompson, the city comptroller, by double digits in most pre-election surveys. Bloomberg has outspent his rival in TV ads, $33 million to $2.66 million. • Boston, Massachusetts, mayor: Menino wins, Globe says . Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has won a record fifth term, the Boston Globe reported. CNN is not making a projection in the race. With all precincts reporting, Menino led City Councilman Michael Flaherty 57 percent to 42 percent, according to the Globe. In Menino's previous races, he either won overwhelmingly or he ran unopposed. Boston.com: Menino wins fifth term . • Maine same-sex marriage vote: Early results are close . Early results on a measure that would reject a law allowing same-sex marriage were tight, according to the Bangor (Maine) Daily News. With 70 percent of precincts reporting, nearly 52 percent of voters chose to reject the law, with more than 48 percent voting to retain it, according to the Daily News. When Gov. John Baldacci signed the legislation on May 6, he did so knowing there was a possibility that voters could overturn it. In September, opposition groups delivered the necessary signatures to get a vote. Maine would be sixth state to allow same-sex marriage if voters uphold the legislation. iReport.com: Same-sex marriage proponents work to get out the vote . • Medical marijuana in Maine: 'Yes' has lead . Early results seemed to favor the passage of a referendum that would expand the use of medical marijuana in Maine. With 70 percent of precincts reporting, 59 percent of voters chose \"yes\" in the referendum, according to the Bangor (Maine) Daily News. Voters in Maine, one of 14 states to allow the use of medical marijuana, were asked to decide whether to expand the list of conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana and make it easier to expand the list further in the future. It also would create state-licensed dispensaries. Portland Press Herald: Turnout may surpass 50 percent, official says . • New York's 23rd Congressional District . Why it matters: A conservative backlash against a moderate Republican candidate propelled this race into national headlines as proof of an ongoing family feud between the far right and moderates for control of the party. What's the story?: Local Republican leaders picked Dede Scozzafava because of her appeal to centrist Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. But it sparked a conservative revolt, and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman outpolled Scozzafava, forcing her to withdraw. Scozzafava has since endorsed Democrat Bill Owens. New York district bares fight for GOP's soul . iReport.com: Interviews with supporters of Owens, Hoffman . • Civil unions in Washington state . Why it matters: Washington decides whether to edge closer to same-sex marriage. What's the story?: Earlier this year, what is called Washington's \"everything but marriage\" bill was signed into law and gave registered domestic partners additional state-granted rights currently given only to married couples. In a vote similar to Maine's, Washington will decide whether to overturn the legislation. Share election day images from your town . • Atlanta, Georgia, mayor . Why it matters: Thirty-five years of African-American control of the mayor's office could end in Georgia's capital city. What's the story?: White City Councilwoman Mary Norwood is the front-runner in this nonpartisan race between her and chief competitors City Council President Lisa Borders and former state lawmaker Kasim Reed. Incumbent Shirley Franklin, limited to two terms, recently said she is voting for Reed. Watch how Atlanta's mayor isn't backing the front-runner . Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Coverage of mayoral race . • Houston, Texas, mayor . Why it matters: The nation's fourth-largest city could elect its first openly gay mayor. What's the story?: City Controller Annise Parker, who has been elected six times to citywide posts, has an even chance of winning, according to polls. Among her competitors are City Councilman Peter Brown and City Attorney Gene Locke. Watch how a Texas candidate could make history . KHOU: Voter turnout appears light Tuesday . Houston Chronicle: Scouting report on mayoral race . CNN's Paul Steinhauser, Emily Sherman, Ed Hornick, Robert Yoon and John Helton contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "GOP's Chris Christie will win New Jersey governorship, CNN projects .\nNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg turns back tough challenge .\nCNN projects Republican McDonnell wins Virginia governor's race .\nHouston voters could elect Texas city's first openly gay mayor ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(The Frisky) -- Like the David Letterman Debacle wasn't bad enough, now we have the story of Steve Phillips, the ESPN analyst, who had an affair with a 22-year-old coworker. Unfortunately for the 46-year-old sports dude and married father of four, his latest dalliance (and apparently there've been others before her) turned bunny boiler when he broke it off with her. Brooke Hundley, the jilted junior, allegedly went ballistic; repeatedly emailing and calling Phillips' long-suffering wife, tricking their 16-year-old son into an online flirtation, and then finally showing up at the family home, scaring the crap out of everyone. Lucky for Hundley, the Phillips's declined to press charges, but her reputation, both professionally and personally, is shot. (His too. He's since been fired from ESPN and has entered a treatment facility.) Obviously, being some cad's side action is always a sucker's game, but if you're going to do it, do it right. The Frisky: If he's not on the market, shop elsewhere! Choose carefully . It's bad enough that you're \"dating\" a married guy, but when you start sleeping with someone who's in a position of authority over you, you're screwing yourself twice. Every good grade will be chalked up to your romance with the professor and every promotion, credited to time served on your back. Don't kid yourself that nobody in your class or office knows, because people aren't blind and you're not that slick. Don't go home with him . Maybe he's too cheap to pay for a hotel room, could be he secretly wants to get caught . . . then again, maybe he's just a sociopath, but I can't even tell you how many times I've heard about a marriage dude bringing his girlfriend back to the house he shares with his wife and kids -- usually when everyone's out of town, but not always. Letterman even took his mistress on vacation with his family! Whatever his motivation, resist. You're already hurting this woman by having sex with her husband; at least have the decency to stay out of the bed they share. The Frisky: Can couples get past infidelity? Accept that you're No. 2 . Married guys will tell you a lot of things in their quest to bed you. That they haven't slept with their [insert bitchy descriptor here] wives for [insert insanely long period of time here] and that they're only staying together for the [kids/finances/etc.]. You need to know going in that you will always come second. (Or third. Or fourth.) Sure, you might get expensive gifts, but you'll also be spending nearly every holiday by your lonesome, you'll never meet his friends, and plans will be canceled on a moment's notice if something more important (i.e., anything) comes up. The Frisky: How to handle being the other woman . You're not his first . . . When an acquaintance of mine started an affair with a married coworker, she was furious when I suggested this might not be the first time he'd strayed during his very long marriage. She screamed that I was a cynic and that their love was a special flower they alone shared. (On the conference room floor.) Okay, she didn't use the term \"special flower,\" but that was the gist. A week later I got an embarrassed call back reporting that, contrary to what he'd told her, he'd been straying since his wedding day. A cheat and a liar -- who would've guessed?! The Frisky: 10 ways to punish a cheater . ...And probably won't be his last . Most guys don't leave their wives for the women they're seeing on the side. Yes, I know -- your grand passion is \"different.\" Snort. But what if he actually does splinter the family into bits and make a (semi) honest woman out of you? According to the Web site, \"Beyond Affairs,\" only 3 percent of men marry their affair partner and out of those, only 3 percent of those marriages last. And why would they? You're committing to a relationship that was built on lies and deceit. On second thought, maybe you want to rethink this whole \"other woman\" thing. The Frisky: How do you define cheating? TM & © 2009 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Woman rarely come out ahead after having affair with married men, columnist says .\nESPN fired Steve Phillips and Brooke Hundley's reputation is shot after affair .\nWriter says women should realize men rarely cheat just once .\nQuotes Web site saying 3 percent of cheaters wed, 3 percent of those marriages survive ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A U.S. serviceman was among six victims of an early morning shooting at a Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, strip club Wednesday, officials said. Unidentified gunmen entered the Amadeus club in the border city across from El Paso, Texas, just after midnight and fatally shot six men, Chihuahua state attorney general's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval said. An additional person was injured, he said. Two of the victims were identified as employees of the strip club, a waiter and a security guard, the spokesman said. Another was identified as an American citizen and member of the U.S. Air Force, Sandoval said. A statement from Holloman Air Force Base, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, confirmed that the airman was based there, and identified him as Staff Sgt. David Booher, 26. The gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims, Sandoval said. \"Everything indicates that these people were looking for these men,\" he said. Investigators recovered more than 30 shells from the scene. Because of drug-related violence, particularly in border cities, Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military. At Fort Bliss in El Paso, for instance, a memorandum prohibits its soldiers from traveling into the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located. More than 2,000 killings have been recorded in Juarez this year. CNN's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario, Mike Mount, Dave Alsup and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Air Force Staff Sgt. David Booher shot with 5 others in Ciudad Juarez .\nGunmen appeared to have targeted the victims, Mexican spokesman says .\nJuarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military because of drug violence ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "FREDERICK, Maryland (CNN) -- Andrew Stein, 10, and his brother, Nathan, 7, are having a typical end-of-summer vacation: hanging out at the pool, visiting their grandparents and waiting for the beginning of school. Nathan Stein, 7, said getting some shots was worth it to help other kids. But this week they're doing something most of their classmates will never do. The Stein brothers will be testing the new vaccine to prevent swine flu. Because the younger population, from 6 months to 24 years, is at high risk of developing complications from the H1N1 virus, the National Institutes of Health is conducting a clinical trial specifically to make sure the vaccine is safe for children. Vaccine developers hope to get the doses out by mid-October, before the flu season really shifts into high gear. Although both boys dislike needles, they are willing to make the sacrifice. \"One boy that I knew at our school died from a type of the flu,\" said Andrew, frowning. \"So I wanted to prevent that as much as I could.\" The boys, who live in the suburbs between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, got their first inoculations at the vaccine satellite office in Frederick, Maryland. The trial is being conducted by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, one of 11 institutions across the country holding pediatric trials. Researchers will test the boys' blood, have them keep journals and make sure they have no severe reactions after each vaccine. The pediatric studies are divided into two groups within the United States. Half the sites will be comparing reactions between the H1N1 shot and the seasonal influenza vaccines on kids; the others will be looking at the effectiveness of a two-dose vaccine. The Steins are enrolled in the dosage trial. The data are crucial for developing a safe vaccine, said Dr. Karen Kotloff, who heads both the pediatric and adult trials at Maryland. \"The purpose of the studies we are doing is to try to collect information that will help to inform policymakers about the best way to give the pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine,\" she said. \"Whether we need one or two doses and what strength we need.\" Before they received their shots, both boys, along with their parents, Christy and Eric Stein, got an explanation of the procedure and were warned about possible complications. Nancy Wymer, who coordinates the study, says the boys will receive two inoculations over six weeks and will continue to check in periodically over the following six months. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the H1N1 clinical trial » . Neither brother gave more than a grimace as he rolled up his sleeve and took a shot for science. Andrew Stein said it was no big deal. \"It was in and out, in a couple of seconds.\" Why would parents have their children be part of such a trial? Most say to help other children. Christy Stein was involved in a pediatric trial for the swine flu vaccine in 1976 and understands what her sons are going through. But she also believes it's good for the country's public health. \"I trust the people who are running the study,\" she said. \"And I'm not concerned about it at all.\" The studies are based on other influenza trials in the past. Many parents have already volunteered their children but openings still exist. Children 6 months to 35 months are needed, Kotloff said. \"Like with any shot, children may have a sore arm. Your arm can be red...There might be some fever or achiness, but the symptoms go away in a couple of days. \"There can be allergic reactions, mostly rashes, but in some rare circumstances there can be severe allergic reactions,\" she added. \"Each volunteer is informed about these possibilities, so it's up to the parents to make that choice.\" The 11 main sites across the U.S, in nine states, are currently recruiting children for the vaccine trials. The two-dose vaccine tests are being conducted at the University of Maryland Baltimore; Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri; Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Washington; and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. And the trial comparing H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines is at Hope Clinic, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; St. Louis University in Missouri; the University of Iowa in Iowa City; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas; and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Each location has a Web site to sign up if more children are needed. Andrew and Nathan are doing fine. They will keep a diary on how they feel and what, if any, reactions they have. Each was rewarded with a $40 gift card for his trouble. And even after being stuck with a couple of needles, Nathan Stein says it was worth it. \"Not just for the gift card,\" he said, \"but for being able to help other kids.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "National Institutes of Health has specific H1N1 vaccine trials for children .\nPeople 6 months to 24 years at high risk of developing H1N1 complications .\nStudies compare H1N1 and seasonal shots, look at dosage .\nDoctor: Data gathered will be crucial for proving vaccine safe for kids ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Former England forward and Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards has been banned from coaching for three years for his part in masterminding a fake blood injury to one of his players. Tom Williams spitting fake blood from his mouth in a match between Harlequins and Leinster. The 46-year-old was hit with disciplinary action after a hearing by an independent European Rugby Cup (ERC) panel found he had \"organized the fabrication of a blood injury\" on wing Tom Williams during a European Cup quarterfinal match against Leinster. With his side trailing by one point Williams, under instructions from Richards, faked a cut in his mouth with a capsule of fake blood, thereby allowing goal-kicker Nick Evans to return to the field of play. The plan may have worked if Williams had not winked to the oncoming player as he left the pitch, an action that infuriated their opponents Leinster. The ERC confirmed in a statement on their official Web site that Richards had acknowledged his role as the orchestrator of the plan that has since been dubbed \"bloodgate,\" and the subsequent cover up of the injury. Watch journalists discuss club's 'shame' » . Richards was initially cleared of improper conduct by a hearing in July in which Williams was given a 12-month ban, but the verdict was challenged by ERC disciplinary officer Roger O'Connor. Further evidence came to light in an appeal made by Williams before an admission of guilt by Dean Richards, who recently resigned from his position with Harlequins, prompted the ban. The ERC appeal committee chairman Rod McKenzie said details of four other incidents of Harlequins faking injuries had been passed to the relevant authorities. Williams's ban was reduced to four months and the fine imposed on Harlequins has been increased from $340,000 to $425,000 -- the club still awaits to hear whether they will be expelled from this season's European Cup. The physiotherapist for the London-based club, Steph Brennan, has also been banned for two-years. Richards had not decided whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but reacted to his ban by telling reporters: \"I'm surprised. Three years is a long time but I'll reflect on it overnight. \"I took full responsibility for it. It was a farcical situation, it really was. It didn't pan out particularly well on the day. Everybody looked at it and thought, 'That's unreal', which is what I thought on the touchline as well. \"But I had to hold my hands up,\" Richards added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ex-England rugby player Dean Richards is hit with three-year coaching ban .\nRichards admitted orchestrating a fake blood injury to one of his players .\nThe 46-year-old also admitted a subsequent cover up of the operation .\nWing Tom Williams had 12-month ban reduced to four on appeal ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Mental Floss) -- Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out covert items at fast food chains around the country. Be warned, this mission includes very real dangers such as hardening arteries and skyrocketing cholesterol. We've compiled a list to get you started. 1. If you're at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don't worry -- there's a tiny option for you. It's the Short size, and they don't advertise it. It's like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you're scrounging for change and don't have enough for a tall (not that that has ever happened to me). 2. It's a good thing we don't have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-based smoothies. Because it's considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn't officially list these on their in-store menus, but the Web site Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company's headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, and Now and Later. 3. This one might be my favorite. At Fatburger, you can order a Hypocrite -- a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon. 4. Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination -- they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos. Some stores are testing out quesadillas as a regular menu item, however, so maybe someday soon you won't need a super-secret handshake to order one. Mental Floss: 7 food promotions gone horribly wrong . 5. If you're at Wendy's and you're really hungry -- like, three-patties-just-won't-cut-it hungry -- go ahead and order the Grand Slam, which is four patties stacked on a bun. This option is only available at select Wendy's, and it's also known as the Meat Cube. 6. Several places, including McDonald's and In-N-Out, will serve you the Neapolitan milkshake. It's just what it sounds like -- chocolate, vanilla and strawberry shakes layered in a cup. 7. In-N-Out Burger's \"secret menu\" isn't so secret these days -- in fact, they've posted it on their Web site. But in case you're not in the habit of surfing fast food Web sites, here's the skinny on their rather un-skinny items: ordering something \"Animal Style\" at In-N-Out means you're going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it's sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. Mental Floss: Why is it called \"Thousand Island\" dressing? \"Protein Style\" is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you're ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. According to photos posted at SuperSizedMeals.com, one gluttonous patron requested and received a 100x100 at a Las Vegas store a few years ago. One item not listed on the Web site secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun. 8. Feeling a little health-conscious at Popeye's? If you are, you really should have gone somewhere else. But there's a little hope for you -- ordering \"naked chicken\" will get you breading-free poultry. The word is that this is on the menu at some Popeye's, but not all of them, although it is an option at all of them. 9. Like Chipotle, Taco Bell will make you just about anything within reason as long as they have the ingredients for it. Since most of the food at Taco Bell is made out of the same basic items, that means you can probably ask for most discontinued items and get them. One \"secret,\" though, is that they have a not-advertised green chili sauce at most locations, and apparently it's excellent. 10. Some Subways will still make you the popular pizza sub from the 1990s. Once the chain decided to make their focus healthy eating, the pizza sub disappeared from the menu in most places (the word is that Canadian and Mexican Subways still offer them on a regular basis). But if you ask, lots of places will still make it for you. Be warned, though -- Jared would not approve of the nine slices of pepperoni and copious amounts of cheese slathered in marinara sauce. Mental Floss: Brief history of dubious dieting . For more mental_floss articles, visit MENTALFLOSS.COM . For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some fast food outlets have not-on-menu items you can get if you ask for them .\nFatburger's Hypocrite is bacon-topped veggie burger; Popeye's offers naked chicken .\nSome Subways will still make the popular pizza sub from the 1990s .\nWendy's offers the Meat Cube; McDonald's has a Neapolitan milkshake ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- Among the entertainers who have donated their energies to the USO in recent years are Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Scarlett Johansson, Kid Rock, Queensryche, Toby Keith, Lewis Black and Robin Williams. Stephen Colbert's trip to Iraq, facilitated by the USO, was six months in the planning. But when the USO conducts a public opinion survey asking people who they think of when the military service organization is mentioned, one name always comes up. \"The first thing out of their mouths is 'Bob Hope,' \" said Mark Phillips, the USO's vice president for communications, with an audible shrug. \"And if they're not part of the military, the list stops there.\" As the country celebrates Independence Day and pays tribute to the men and women who serve in its armed forces, the USO is trying to change that mindset. The organization, which was founded in 1941 to bring comfort and entertainment to America's men and women in uniform, has been focusing its support on American troops stationed around the world, particularly those in the military theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan, said Phillips. As part of that initiative, it's paying a great deal of attention to the troops' desires, whether they be for high technology -- the USO recently brought video game/HDTV entertainment centers and satellite-based telephone systems to some areas -- or a diversity of entertainers, including rappers and NFL players. The Colbert trip was a meeting of the minds between the Comedy Central star and the military, said Rachel Tischler, the USO's vice president for entertainment operations. The \"Colbert Report\" host, who has attested to his interest in Iraq in such venues as Newsweek magazine (he was a guest editor last month), expressed interest in going, a request that made its way up the chain of command to Gen. David Petraeus, the former leader of coalition forces in Iraq. Petraeus liked the idea, said Tischler, and the principals were put in touch with the USO. Colbert's excursion, which the comedian called \"Operation Iraqi Stephen,\" was unusual for the USO, she added. \"We try to keep our footprint small,\" she said, noting that the organization is reliant on the military to feed and house its guests. In \"Colbert's\" case, the footprint was considerably larger: Colbert's staff and several USO employees -- not to mention 150 volunteers. The trip required six months of planning. But the broadcasts went well, with Colbert paying tribute to the military and the USO's volunteers (as well as his own staff) on the \"Report.\" He also put in a plug for USO donations: \"The USO does more than bring my show to Baghdad,\" Colbert said on the show. \"They also deliver much-needed care packages to the troops.\" (Whereupon, in a care-package primer, Colbert and Tom Hanks filled a box with shaving gel, Tang and a demolished ice sculpture.) The group remains greatly dependent on the kindness of strangers, said Phillips. \"We're primarily a volunteer organization,\" he said, noting the USO has fewer than 400 paid employees and 25,000 volunteers. Though the USO does receive a small congressional appropriation -- $20 million in 2008 -- much of its funding comes from individuals, corporations and in the form of in-kind services. Jamie Masada, the owner of Los Angeles' Laugh Factory comedy club, said the organization is close to his heart. He followed a tour of Laugh Factory comedians with an invitation to service members to visit his club. \"What we try to do is give the soldiers -- the people that are out there putting their lives on the line for our country ... we try to say, one day if you come to Los Angeles, if you want to be a comedian, our door is open to you. We want you to send us some material, some jokes,\" he said. At a recent USO fundraiser, five service members were given the opportunity to compete for the title of \"funniest service member.\" The group was given advice from several notable comedians, including Tom Dreesen and Paul Rodriguez, and the winner received cash, gift certificates and a performance at the club, complete with name on the marquee. A number of performers return again and again. Toby Keith has gone on at least seven USO tours; \"He insists on going to the smallest, most remote places,\" said Phillips. Actor Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band are also frequent participants. \"There aren't enough words to describe just how grateful I am to our nation's troops,\" said Keith in a press release before this year's tour. \"I've participated in several USO tours over the years and I've seen firsthand their sacrifice. And I will not stop doing all I can to show my support and lift their spirits.\" Many entertainers shy away from publicity, particularly on the home front. \"We have celebrities come to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed ... and they almost always insist we don't talk about [the visits],\" said Tischler. At its core, Phillips said, the USO remains dedicated to the needs of U.S. service members. \"Service members in Iraq and Afghanistan are frequently at small, remote bases,\" said Phillips. \"There's little in the way of creature comforts. Those are the things we try to deliver.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "USO often brings thoughts of Bob Hope, but organization well beyond that .\nGroup offers technology, entertainment to troops overseas .\nUSO played key role in arranging \"Colbert Report\" from Iraq ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A global commodities trading company says it is considering a settlement to legal claims that it is responsible for the deaths of 15 people and thousands of illnesses after 500 tons of toxic waste were dumped in the African nation of Ivory Coast. Signs such as this were still up in \"toxic zones\" around Abidjan, Ivory Coast, a year after the waste dumping. The Dutch company Trafigura said studies by 20 experts it has hired conclude that the chemicals did not harm anyone. \"In view of that expert evidence, and the fact that claims are not being made in this litigation for deaths, miscarriages, still births, birth defects and other serious injuries, the parties are exploring the possibility of compromising the claims which have been made,\" Trafigura said in a release Wednesday. \"A global settlement is being considered by the parties and it currently appears that this settlement is likely to be acceptable to most, if not all, of the claimants.\" A United Nations report also released Wednesday said Trafigura did cause death and injury when the cargo ship Probo Koala dumped 500 tons of toxic waste belonging to the company at sites around Abidjan, the West African nation's largest city. The incident happened in August 2006. \"According to official estimates, 15 people died, 69 people were hospitalized and over 100,000 others, complaining of nausea and vomiting after inhaling fumes, sought medical treatment after the incident,\" said the report by Okechukwu Ibeanu, an unpaid investigator for the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. \"We still don't know -- and we may never know -- the full effect of the dumping. But there seems to be strong prima facie evidence that the reported deaths and adverse health consequences are related to the dumping of the waste.\" Ibeanu, who visited Ivory Coast and the Netherlands during his investigation, urged all parties to take steps \"to address possible long-term human health and environmental effects of the incident.\" According to a U.N. statement, Ibeanu said last month that the areas where the toxic waste was dumped still have not been decontaminated and continue to threaten residents' health. Many people, he said, are still reporting headaches, skin lesions, digestive difficulties and nose, throat and lung problems. Trafigura noted in its release Wednesday that it initiated a plan two years ago that would compensate, without any admission of liability, any claimants who could demonstrate any injury caused by exposure to the waste, which the company calls \"slops.\" \"The company has always maintained that the Probo Koala's slops could not possibly have caused deaths and serious or long-term injuries,\" Trafigura said. \"Independent expert witnesses firmly support Trafigura in this stance.\" Trafigura also maintains it \"sought to comply with all relevant regulations and procedures concerning the offloading of the Probo Koala's slops in Abidjan.\" The company denies that the ship went to Ivory Coast solely to dump the toxic waste. \"Trafigura has consistently stated that the Probo Koala was returning from a routine commercial voyage to deliver a gasoline cargo in Lagos, Nigeria, when it stopped in Abidjan,\" the company statement said. \"Consequently, any suggestion that the vessel was sent to West Africa solely for the purpose of offloading its slops is entirely inaccurate.\" As one of the largest independent companies trading commodities, Trafigura has 1,900 employees in 42 nations, the company's Web site says. \"We handle every element involved in the sourcing and trading of crude oil, petroleum products, renewable energies, metals, metal ores and concentrates for industrial consumers.\" the company says. Ivory Coast, a former French colony with a population of 20 million, is also known as Cote d'Ivoire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dutch firm Trafigura: Toxic dumping didn't harm anyone, according to experts .\nU.N. report: Fifteen people died, 69 were hospitalized, and thousands were treated .\nToxic waste areas still have not been decontaminated, U.N. statement says ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- At least 14 people were dead and four missing in the Philippines a day after Typhoon Mirinae roared through the heart of the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Sunday. Mirinae was the fourth typhoon to affect the archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in a month. It quickly dissipated after Saturday's landfall, becoming a tropical storm. Mirinae was forecast to weaken further before hitting Vietnam on Monday, forecasters said. The hardest hit areas were the Southern Luzon and Bicol regions, the Philippines News Agency reported. Civil Defense administrator Glenn Rabonza said more than 13,000 people were affected by the storm. The storm brought at least 85 millimeters (3.3 inches) of rain to Manila. The city of Daet, on the eastern coast, received 149 millimeters (5.8 inches) of rain, and Virac, which sits on an island that juts into the Pacific, received 72 millimeters (2.8 inches) of rain. The first of the four typhoons to threaten the Philippines happened in late September, when Ketsana drenched the island nation with its heaviest rainfall in 40 years. Eighty percent of Manila flooded and more than 420 people died. Are you there? Share photos, video of the weather . Flooding from Ketsana has lasted well into October and tens of thousands of people are still in evacuation centers, according to the disaster coordinating council. Typhoon Parma made landfall on October 3 in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon, the largest of the Philippine islands. It destroyed 55,000 houses and killed more than 430 people. Last week, a third typhoon, Lupit, narrowly missed making landfall, but brought lots of rain to the Philippines." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Typhoon Mirinae leaves at least 14 dead, four missing .\nMirinae is latest in rash of storms to hit region .\nForecasters say weakened storm will hit Vietnam on Monday ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- A Republican Party that struggled in the wake of recent Democratic landslides sprang back to life Tuesday with wins in hotly contested races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, according to CNN projections. In Virginia, 55-year-old former state attorney general Bob McDonnell will be the first Republican to win the state's highest office in twelve years, CNN projects. Republicans will win races for Virginia's lieutenant governor and attorney general as well. In New Jersey, former federal prosecutor Chris Christie will oust first-term Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, CNN projects. Christie will be the first Republican to win the top office in heavily Democratic New Jersey in 12 years. Corzine will be the first New Jersey governor to lose a re-election bid since 1993, when then-Gov. Jim Florio, a Democrat, lost to GOP challenger Christie Todd Whitman. The two gubernatorial contests have been deemed by some analysts as the first major referendum on President Obama's administration. Republicans leaders, demoralized after landslide defeats in 2006 and 2008, have been hoping to capitalize on wins in Virginia and New Jersey to help fuel a nationwide Republican resurgence. They were buoyed by a huge swing of independent voters to the Republican column. Democrats sought to minimize the defeats. Since 1989, it was noted, the party winning the White House has always gone on to lose the gubernatorial races in both states the following year. CNN also projects that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be re-elected to a third term. The billionaire mayor is believed to have spent well over $100 million of his own money in his quest for a third term -- shattering the record for personal spending in any American campaign. Democrat Bill Owens has won a vacant U.S. House seat in upstate New York, CNN projects. The contest to fill the seat sparked a vicious internal fight between GOP conservatives and moderates. The struggle has been viewed as a proxy for a national struggle between activists arguing the GOP slipped by betraying conservative values and officials warning a rightward move would further alienate an increasingly independent-minded electorate. The split could result in the election of a new Democratic congressman from a region that has backed Republican congressional candidates since 1872. Voters in nearby Maine -- not generally noted for their hard-edged, ideological politics -- tackled an emotional hot-button issue as voters decided whether to overturn a recently enacted law legalizing same-sex marriage. Results on the measure were not immediately expected, however. Washington state voters are choosing whether to uphold a law granting same-sex domestic partners the same rights as heterosexual married couples. Results on either measure were not immediately available, however. The fight for control of New York's City Hall is one of 380 mayoral races across the country, including contests in Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. It was the two races for governor, however, that appeared to attract the most interest at the White House. Obama personally campaigned for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in both states. A plurality of voters in both states cited the economy as their top concern, according to exit polls. Majorities in both states said Obama's job performance was not a factor in their vote. In Virginia, McDonnell beat Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds, a state senator from the rural western part of the state, by 21 points among critical independent voters. Last year, in contrast, Obama edged out GOP presidential nominee John McCain by one point among Virginia independents. African-Americans, as expected, voted overwhelmingly for the 51-year-old Deeds. Their total share of the vote, however, dropped from 20 percent from last year -- when Obama topped the ballot -- to 16 percent. McDonnell benefited from a Virginia electorate that, according to the exit poll, was slightly more conservative Tuesday than it was in 2008. Conservatives were also more unified in their support for McDonnell than they were for former GOP presidential nominee John McCain. McDonnell himself is a staunch conservative, but stressed bipartisan solutions to problems relating to job growth and transportation. Deeds sought to peel social moderates and political independents away from McDonnell in part by highlighting McDonnell's graduate school thesis, in which the Republican was critical of homosexuals and women in the workplace. The attacks appeared to backfire on Deeds. Almost two of every three voters said Deeds attacked McDonnell unfairly; those voters broke for McDonnell by a 21-point margin. McDonnell's expected victory is in keeping with Virginia's tradition of backing candidates from the party that most recently lost the White House. Republican George Allen was elected in 1993, one year after Bill Clinton won the presidency. Democrat Mark Warner won in 2001, a year after George W. Bush's first presidential victory. In 2008, Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry an increasingly diverse Virginia in more than four decades. Fewer than one in five voters on Tuesday, however, said their vote was meant to express support for the president. Almost one in four said their vote was meant to express opposition to Obama. Further north in New Jersey, Corzine had pulled even in the final surveys before Election Day with the help of a virtual 2-to-1 spending advantage. Many analysts believed independent candidate Chris Daggett, a socially moderate former Republican, was also be digging into Christie's support. Obama, who carried New Jersey by almost 16 points in 2008, campaigned for Corzine three times, most recently this past Sunday. The president's help, however, was not enough to save Corzine, who was saddled with burden of seeking reelection in the midst of a steep economic downturn. Almost one-third of New Jersey voters cited the economy as their top concern in early exit polls, with another 25 percent citing the state's high property taxes. One in five voters said their top concern was the state's ongoing struggle with corruption. Independent voters broke even more heavily for Christie in New Jersey than for McDonnell in Virginia. Corzine was able to keep the race close, however, due to New Jersey's political landscape. New Jersey voters were both more Democratic and more liberal than Virginia voters. Last year, the president also managed to carry New York's sprawling 23rd congressional district, a traditional GOP stronghold running along the Canadian border from Lake Champlain to Lake Ontario. The area has sent Republican representatives to Congress since Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant occupied the White House. But this year it was the scene of a GOP civil war. The district's U.S. House seat opened up a few months ago after nine-term Republican Rep. John McHugh stepped down to become secretary of the Army. Local Republican leaders picked state assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as their nominee to replace McHugh because they felt her moderate views would appeal to centrist Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. The decision, however, sparked a revolt among conservatives angry with what they saw as Scozzafava's liberal views on same-sex marriage, abortion and fiscal matters such as the president's $787 billion economic stimulus plan. They backed Doug Hoffman, an accountant, ran on the state's Conservative Party line. Scozzafava suspended her campaign Saturday after her poll numbers plummeted following a flood of support and contributions to Hoffman from leading conservative politicians and organizations. Republican leaders were fractured by the choice. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich backed Scozzafava. Gingrich's one-time deputy, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, backed Hoffman. After dropping out, Scozzafava endorsed Democratic nominee Bill Owens. She campaigned for him on Monday. CNN's Peter Hamby and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: CNN projects that Chris Christie will unseat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine .\nNEW: CNN projects Republican Bob McDonnell will win Virginia governorship .\nNEW: CNN projects New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg re-elected to a third term .\nCNN TV: Instant results, analysis from the Best Political Team, 8 p.m. ET ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(CNN) -- The Scottish Rugby Union has appointed Andy Robinson, formerly coach of bitter rivals England, as the new national team boss. Andy Robinson will be seeking to revive the fortunes of Scotland's struggling rugby side. The 45-year-old won eight caps as a flanker for England, and was assistant coach in Clive Woodward's 2003 World Cup-winning set-up before taking over for an ill-fated reign himself in 2004, winning just nine of 22 matches. Robinson returned to top-class coaching with Celtic League team Edinburgh in 2007, and has sufficiently impressed Scottish officials in the 20 months since then to win favor as the replacement for Frank Hadden. He had been part of Hadden's backroom staff, and had already been chosen to coach Scotland A this summer. Hadden resigned on April 2 after Scotland again struggled in the Six Nations, finishing second from bottom with just one win from five outings. Robinson was delighted to be given the chance to return to the international stage. \"With the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011, I believe we have a crop of players who can really challenge the world's best, and preparation for that starts now,\" he told the SRU Web site. \"I'm looking forward to leading Scotland A into the IRB Nations Cup in Romania next week and thereafter preparing for our Autumn Tests at Murrayfield against Fiji, Australia and Argentina.\" Robinson is believed to have headed off the likes of South Africa's World Cup-winning coach Jake White and former Australia boss Eddie Jones for the job. Former Scotland captain and British and Irish Lion Gordon Bulloch was part of the interview panel that determined the appointment. \"Andy was the outstanding candidate from a quite exceptional shortlist which underlines the allure of coaching the Scotland team,\" he told the SRU's Web site. \"I know from having had the privilege of his coaching and guidance on Lions tours that he is passionate about his rugby, is a skilled communicator and has values and an ethos which are absolutely at one with developing a winning Scotland team.\" Scottish Rugby chief executive Gordon McKie said he was confident Robinson would prove to be successful. \"Andy has proved himself at every level of the game and we are thrilled that he will now be leading the Scotland team as we look towards the challenges of the next three years, including the 2011 World Cup,\" McKie said. \"He has been part of the Scottish Rugby family for the past two years and has brought success both to Edinburgh Rugby, with their highest ever Magners League finish in successive seasons, and has also guided the Scotland A team to notable successes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Andy Robinson appointed new coach of Scotland's national rugby team .\nRobinson replaces Frank Hadden, who resigned in April after poor results .\nThe 45-year-old has played for and coached England's national side .\nHe rebuilt his career with Edinburgh after being sacked by England ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. With money a bit tight these days, many people searching for jobs would like a salary of $80,000 a year. (CareerBuilder.com) -- Let's be honest: Sometimes you don't care about the job -- you just care about the salary. But it's awfully hard to look for a job that fits both your salary requirements and your skill set. Not to mention that we always tell you that your work and career should be something you love. Ideally, money is just an added benefit. That being said, we're also realists. We know that times are tough and at this point, some people just need to get paid. We went to the Bureau of Labor Statistics to look at the latest (May 2008) salary information for the United States and found 30 occupations pay in the $80,000 range based on national averages. 1. Administrative law judges, adjudicators and hearing officers Do this: Conduct hearings to rule on government-related claims; determine penalties and liability; and help to craft settlements. Get paid: $80,870 . 2. Biomedical engineers Do this: Design and develop devices and procedures to help solve health-related problems. Projects might include information systems, artificial organs or artificial limbs. Get paid: $81,120 . 3. Chiropractors Do this: Diagnose and treat musculoskeletal conditions of the spinal column to prevent disease and alleviate imbalance, pain and pressure believed to be caused by interference with nervous system. Get paid: $81,340 . 4. Atmospheric, earth, marine and space sciences teachers, post-secondary Do this: Teach courses and research topics in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics. Get paid: $81,470 . 5. Agents and business managers of artists, performers and athletes Do this: Represent and promote their client's business while handling business matters and contract negotiations. Get paid: $81,550 . 6. Materials scientists Do this: Study the chemical composition of various materials and figure out ways to develop new materials and improve existing ones; also determine ways to use materials in products. Get paid: $81,600 . 7. Physician assistants Do this: Perform health-care services and provide treatment plans under a physician's supervision. Get paid: $81,610 . 8. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists Do this: Research and investigate human diseases and how to improve human health. Get paid: $81,870 . 9. Physics teachers, post-secondary Do this: Teach courses and research topics pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Get paid: $81,880 . 10. Atmospheric and space scientists Do this: Study the effects the atmosphere has on the environment, most commonly through weather forecasting. Get paid: $82,080 . 11. Management analysts Do this: Figure out best practices of management by conducting studies and procedures to help companies figure out how to operate more effectively. Get paid: $82,920 . 12. Producers and directors Do this: Produce or direct, and make all creative decisions for stage, television, radio, video or motion picture productions. Get paid: $83,030 . 13. Biological science teachers, post-secondary Do this: Teach courses and research topics in biological sciences. Get paid: $83,270 . 14. Materials engineers Do this: Develop new uses for recognized materials, and develop new machinery and processes to make materials for use in specialized products. Get paid: $84,200 . 15. Transportation, storage and distribution managers Do this: Oversee transportation, storage or distribution activities in accordance with governmental policies and regulations. Get paid: $84,520 . 16. Financial analysts Do this: Assess the financial situations of an individual or organization. Get paid: $84,780 . 17. Electrical engineers Do this: Design, develop and test the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment. Get paid: $85,350 . 18. Education administrators, elementary and secondary school Do this: Oversee all activities of public or private elementary or secondary schools. Get paid: $86,060 . 19. Industrial-organizational psychologists Do this: Work with companies to solve problems within the company. You may help with policy planning; employee screening, training and development; and organizational development and analysis. Get paid: $86,460 . 20. Computer software engineers, applications Do this: Build computer applications software and code; ensure that all software projects adhere to a company's technology and business standards. Get paid: $87,900 . 21. Economics teachers, post-secondary Do this: Teach courses and research topics in economics. Get paid: $88,330 . 22. Biochemists and biophysicists Do this: Study the chemical composition and physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. Get paid: $88,450 . 23. Art directors Do this: Create design concepts and presentation in artwork, layout design and copywriting for visual communications media. Get paid: $88,510 . 24. Electronics engineers, except computer Do this: Design, develop and test a wide range of electronic equipment, from CD players to global positioning systems. Get paid: $88,670 . 25. Medical and health services managers Do this: Supervise medical and health services in hospitals, clinics and similar organizations. Get paid: $88,750 . 26. Chemical engineers Do this: Design chemical plant equipment and create processes for manufacturing chemicals and products. Get paid: $88,760 . 27. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers Do this: Study the composition, structure and other physical aspects of the Earth. Get paid: $89,300 . 28. Veterinarians Do this: Provide health care for family pets, livestock and zoo animals. Provide check-ups, treat diseases and advise caretakers on how to best raise their animals. Get paid: $89,450 . 29. Construction managers Do this:Oversee all activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities and systems. Get paid: $89,770 . 30. Sales engineers Do this: Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a bachelor's degree in engineering. Get paid: $89,770 . Jobs by Salary, a new salary tool from CBSalary.com, allows you to search for jobs by salary based on where you live or work in the United States . Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008 report lists dozens of jobs paying at least $80,000 .\nPhysics and post-secondary biology teachers can earn as much as $81,880 .\nSales engineers get paid the most on the list, at $89,770 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan electoral officials Monday declared incumbent President Hamid Karzai the winner of another term in office, after canceling this weekend's second round of voting. U.S. President Barack Obama called Monday for a \"new chapter\" of improved governance in Afghanistan now that Karzai's re-election as president is complete. Observers say Karzai's real test will be whether he can form a government that is seen as legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people and the international community. Afghanistan's Independent Electoral Commission announced Karzai's victory Monday after it canceled Saturday's presidential runoff because of the withdrawal of candidate Abdullah Abdullah. A runoff could have been held with just one candidate, but commission president Azizullah Lodin said electoral officials decided to cancel the second round of voting for several reasons, including security and money. The decision was made just a couple of hours before the announcement, according to commission deputy Zakria Barakzai. Afghans went to the polls on August 20, in a vote marred by widespread fraud. Karzai had initially claimed victory, but two months after the vote, a U.N.-backed panel of election monitors threw out nearly a third of his votes, citing fraud. That left Karzai short of a majority, and he eventually agreed to the runoff. Abdullah had called for the resignations of top election officials and politicians to avert electoral fraud in the runoff. He argued that the commissioners, who are hired by Karzai, cannot be impartial. But that request was not met, Abdullah said Sunday, and he did not believe a transparent election was possible. \"I want this to be an example for the future so that no one again tries to use fraud to abuse the rights of the Afghan people,\" Abdullah told reporters. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kabul on Monday hours before the commission's announcement. He issued a statement welcoming the decision, congratulating Karzai, and restating the U.N.'s commitment to supporting the new government. \"This has been a difficult election process for Afghanistan and lessons must be learned,\" Ban said in the statement. \"Afghanistan now faces significant challenges and the new president must move swiftly to form a government that is able to command the support of both the Afghan people and the international community.\" On Monday, Ban met with both Karzai and Abdullah, as well as U.N. officials, including Kai Eide, head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement Monday welcoming the commission's decision and congratulating Karzai. In Washington, President Barack Obama told reporters in the White House that he had congratulated Karzai in a telephone conversation. \"Although the process was messy, I'm pleased to say that the final outcome was determined in accordance with Afghan law,\" Obama said. He said he told Karzai \"that this has to be a point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption, joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces so that the Afghan people can provide for their own security.\" Obama added that Karzai assured him he understands the importance of the moment, \"but as I indicated to him, the proof is not going to be in words, it's going to be in deeds.\" Despite the resolved election issue, Gibbs refused to put a firm timetable on when Obama would announce whether he would increase troop levels Afghanistan. Instead, Gibbs repeated past language that the decision would be made within weeks. \"Now begin the hard conversations about ensuring credibility and ensuring improving governance, addressing corruption\" in Afghanistan, Gibbs said. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican defeated by Obama in last year's presidential race, said Monday that Karzai's re-election should encourage Obama to fulfill Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for up to 40,000 more troops. \"The most urgent priority now is to support our Afghan partners in reversing what General McChrystal has rightly called the 'deteriorating' security situation,\" McCain said in a statement. \"This requires a properly-resourced counterinsurgency strategy, and I urge President Obama to provide our civilian and military leaders with the resources they need to succeed.\" The cancellation of the runoff \"puts the election issue behind us,\" but Karzai has yet to achieve a true victory, according to the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad. \"Now the key issue is how the Afghan people will react to this, what kind of government will President Karzai put together, and how the international community will react,\" Khalilzad said on CNN's \"American Morning.\" \"We're in a new stage now in Afghanistan.\" Khalilzad had predicted last week that Abdullah would quit the race, in an interview for CNN's \"Amanpour.\" \"First, he doesn't have much money left,\" he said in the interview, which aired Sunday. \"Second, I think that he thinks that given the situation, he's likely to lose, and maybe he'll get less votes than he did in the first round, so that would be embarrassing.\" Speaking to CNN following his withdrawal, Abdullah said his decision does not mean he has given up public life. \"I will be available to serve this country,\" he said. \"At this stage, I am in consultation with my followers, with my supporters and a movement for change will be there and I will lead that movement. There is no doubt about it.\" Karzai served as acting president following the U.S. ouster of Taliban rulers in 2001, then secured a victory in the 2004 elections. He begins his second term in office amid a resurgence of the Taliban. The militants claimed responsibility for a Wednesday attack that killed five United Nations workers -- two of whom were helping with the vote. Nine others were wounded in the attack, on a guest house in Kabul. In response, the United Nations ordered nonessential personnel out of the country. International troop levels increased this year to provide security for the Afghan election in August. Attacks against U.S. and NATO forces have also spiked: 59 American troops died in Afghanistan in October, the highest U.S. monthly toll since the war began eight years ago. CNN's Jonathan Wald in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "NEW: President Obama called for \"new chapter\" of improved governance in Afghanistan .\nKarzai made president following withdrawal of opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah .\nAbdullah withdrew Sunday, saying he believed the second round would be as fraudulent .\nHamid Karzai has been president of Afghanistan since December 2004 ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(Budget Travel) -- It's all the rage to criticize the airlines. But we found some smart, practical initiatives that point the way to a better future. This test design for Personal Rapid Transit is part of plans for driverless pods to replace airport shuttles. Driverless pods at airports . Someday, driverless pods may be zipping passengers between an airport and its parking lots. Fully automated, pods are more convenient than shuttle buses driven by humans. Currently, 18 pods are being tested at London Heathrow's Terminal 5. They let you board when you want to, rather than wait for a bus on a fixed schedule. Punch in your destination, such as a parking lot, on a touch screen. Then leave the driving to the machine, which glides on rails at speeds of 25 mph. A bonus perk: The pods are battery powered, so they don't spew out environmentally destructive exhaust. Improved design of coach seats . Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways has reinvented the economy-class seat: As the seat reclines, the bottom slides forward, but the back stays in place. So the passenger sitting behind doesn't have to endure a seat hovering inches from his or her chin. The new seats are especially welcome on long-distance hauls -- which happen to be routes Cathay Pacific flies regularly. American Airlines is among the other carriers reportedly interested in installing similar, slide-forward seats. In-cabin mood lighting . Poor cabin lighting on a long flight may worsen jet lag. For instance, exposure to bright light at an hour when you are ordinarily asleep can confuse your body's internal clock. But smart cabin lighting may actually help your body adjust to a new time zone -- and beat back jet lag. Virgin America has an in-cabin lighting system that subtly shifts through 12 shades of violet, including a welcoming, bright blue-purple during the day, a softer violet hue after dusk, and a deep, calming near-black on red-eyes when it's time to sleep. Elsewhere in the world, Air Canada, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways offer mood lighting on many long-haul flights. Luggage check before you get to the airport . Schlepping your bags isn't fun. It's also not necessary -- at least not in the many capital cities where you can drop checked luggage at bus or train stations and forget about it until you land at your destination. Many passengers can check bags at London's Paddington station (for Heathrow flights), Vienna's Wien Mitte station, Moscow's Kievsky Station, and Hong Kong Station. In the U.S., the best advance luggage-check option is at Walt Disney World: Guests staying at Disney lodging can check bags at their hotel before hopping on the free Magical Express ride to the Orlando airport. Paperless boarding passes Boarding passes printed on flimsy paper seem almost as outdated as paper airline tickets. Now, cell phone check-in is allowed at many airports, such as Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles's LAX. Punch in your phone number at check-in and a bar code appears on your phone via e-mail or text message. Security officers and gate agents scan your phone's screen, making for an entirely paperless process. Some airlines, including American, Continental, and Delta (plus its sister unit, Northwest), plan to adopt the new technology at every airport gate nationwide. More power --sockets -- for the people . Sometimes it's the simple things that count. Virgin America not only became the first airline to offer Wi-Fi on every flight, but it did so in an especially sensible way, with standard sockets (no adapter necessary) at every seat on the plane. Because while Wi-Fi is nice (even when there's a fee for it), it's even nicer to know that you won't run out of juice in the middle of a flight. Sockets obviously work with portable DVD players and cell phone chargers, too. Replacements for outmoded radar-tracking systems . Radar is outdated. Locating a plane's position can take up to half a minute, a long time when planes are traveling at speeds over 500 mph. To play it safe and avoid accidents, planes fly extremely far apart from each other. They also fly routes that zigzag rather than go straight. The reason? Aircraft need to remain within signal range of radar beacons, which are irregularly spaced around the country. To shave flight times -- and improve safety -- the FAA is rolling out NextGen, a GPS-based air traffic control system that provides real-time plane locations to pilots and air traffic controllers. Using GPS technology (already in trial use by Alaska Airlines), planes will be able to fly straighter, more efficient routes while maintaining a safe distance from other aircraft. But we may have to wait until 2025 to see this technology adopted nationwide. Sigh. Easier upgrades . With most airlines, upgrading is an esoteric process that may involve loyalty program points, elite status, or just dumb luck. But when you check in at the airport for a Spirit Airlines flight, the kiosk presents a simpler formula. The screen may inform you that one of Spirit's Big Front Seats (the carrier's version of business class) is available for as little as $35 extra. The roomy seats are often dispensed on a first-come, first-served basis close to departure time. Depending on how you're feeling that day, you may very well decide that an upgrade to a more comfortable seat is money well spent. Copyright 2009. Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "18 driverless pods are being tested at London Heathrow's Terminal 5 .\nVirgin America has in-cabin lighting that subtly shifts throughout the day .\nA GPS-based air traffic control system is in trial use by Alaska Airlines ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thanks to the flu, a broken ankle, a staph infection, and bronchitis, plus several school cancellations, my three children were at home -- hurting, vomiting, coughing, or tracking muddy water into our house -- all but seven days last February. (Shall I pause to let the horror of that number sink in? All but seven.) I'm normally an efficient, organized person who thrives on plans and checklists, but by the end of that month, I'd accomplished almost nothing beyond reading aloud the entire fifth book of Harry Potter. I felt so anxious that I was on the verge of hyperventilation. Originally a form of self-defense, the ancient Chinese art of tai chi promotes serenity through gentle movement. \"You need to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine yourself surrounded by an egg of light,\" a Buddhist friend said. But when I closed my eyes and took a breath, I was surrounded by used tissues and dirty laundry. Obviously, I was in need of some inner peace. Studies have shown that learning to still the mind, if only for a few minutes, can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, limit stress hormones, and enhance immune function. But traditional forms of meditation don't work for me. If I sit still and close my eyes, I fall asleep or think about my to-do list. So, I gave myself a new task: Find an activity that calms my mind without giving my weary body a chance to nod off. Does such a thing exist? Health.com: Making time for me . Tai chi . This ancient Chinese practice -- believed to offer all the health benefits of silent meditation while giving you something to do with your hands and feet -- seemed like an obvious place to start for an antsy, toe-tapping sort like me. The thing is, I have a poor sense of balance and tai chi often requires standing on one foot. To avoid the not-so-peaceful experience of looking like a dork in front of a group of total strangers, I opted for a DVD, with only the tiniest hope of success. I surprised myself. The quiet music and the calm voice of the middle-aged woman demonstrating the moves were so reassuring that I forgot I looked like an idiot. The effort it took to follow along in what resembles the slow-motion version of a beautiful dance was literally mesmerizing. If I didn't feel peaceful, exactly, at least I was filled with quiet concentration, the kind that banishes all thoughts of picky eaters, mortgage payments, and unreliable co-workers. I emerged from the first lesson feeling refreshed and rested. Health.com: A new prescription for happiness . Knitting . I have friends who are passionate about knitting. Don't they know that it's possible to buy an immediately wearable sweater for less than the cost of the yarn it takes to knit one? Nonetheless, stressed-out 21st-century workingwomen are returning in droves to the craft. It made no sense to me ... until I tried it, that is. Knitting, it turns out, is the perfect example of active stillness. In fact, 20 minutes of knitting can lower your heart rate and blood pressure -- the same physical response triggered by yoga, Tai Chi, or meditation. Some hospitals have even begun to offer knitting courses for stress release. The secret seems to lie in the soothing combination of rhythm and repetition. By the end of my first lesson, I'd become proficient enough that my hands could make the motions almost automatically. The sound of the needles had a metronomic quality, a calming pace that automatically slowed my thoughts. And the feel of the wool sliding through my fingers was almost like a caress. Health.com: Boost your mood with color . Walking in the woods . I'd read somewhere that exposure to nature can boost a person's general well-being and sense of calm -- and I certainly needed a dose of that. So I headed to some nearby woods where the redbuds and crab apples were in full bloom. Birds called piercingly, squirrels quarreled, and high branches clattered together in the wind. In other words, nothing about the forest was still or quiet or remotely peaceful, but somehow it made me feel peaceful. I stopped thinking about my family and work deadlines and all that laundry. In fact, I stopped thinking altogether. Back at my car, I checked the clock and was shocked to learn that more than an hour had passed. Now, I can't realistically give up an hour every day to nature. But studies have shown that even small doses of nature can be healing, so I've tried a few smaller-scale nature interactions, as well. I started a small aquarium, planted a windowsill bean garden, and hung a bird feeder where I can see it from my desk. Health.com: Make time to play . OK, so the fish aren't as interesting as I'd hoped for: Watching them swim aimlessly in their small tank, in constant motion but getting absolutely nowhere, hits a little too close to home for me. But the sight of tiny leaves unfurling on the bean vines and the scent of soil filling the room when I water them have been surprisingly gratifying. As for the bird feeder? It's the best minidose of nature I've found so far. All spring I watched goldfinches and cardinals courting right outside my window. Watching them hop from branch to branch as they get their fill and move out of the way for others to feed may not be meditation, per se, but it's something similar -- a reminder that the world can offer peace and stillness, even in the midst of mayhem. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 ." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Stilling your mind can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, limit stress hormones .\nIf traditional meditation leaves you sleepy, try mind-calming activities .\nTai chi believed to offer benefits of silent meditation but with movement .\n20 minutes of knitting can lower your heart rate and blood pressure ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "New York (CNN) -- Outside a Manhattan mosque where the imam preaches against terrorism, the brothers of the \"Revolution Muslim\" are spreading a different message. Protected by the Constitution of the country they detest, radical Muslim converts like Yousef al-Khattab and Younes Abdullah Mohammed preach that the killing of U.S. troops overseas is justified. In their thinking, so were the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States -- and so are attacks on almost any American. \"Americans will always be a target -- and a legitimate target -- until America changes its nature in the international arena,\" Mohammed said in an interview to air on tonight's \"AC 360.\" Al-Khattab and Mohammed consider al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden their model. \"I love him like I can't begin to tell you, because he doesn't seem to have done anything wrong from the sharia,\" al-Khattab said, referring to Islamic law. \"If you're asking me if I love him as a Muslim, I love him more than I love myself.\" They hand out fliers outside the gleaming 96th Street mosque, where up to 4,000 people visit every day. Inside the sleek, modernistic house of worship, Imam Shamsi Ali preaches against the violence that now sweeps many Muslim countries. \"What we try to do is reminding our people about the real Islam,\" Ali said. \"We tell them what the real Islam is all about. Islam is about peace. Islam is about moderation. Islam is about friendship. Islam is opposed to any kind of hatred against anybody.\" Law enforcement sources have told CNN the men walk right up to the line of protection under the First Amendment, but their message is not going unnoticed. Al-Khattab handed CNN Correspondent Drew Griffin a business card from an FBI agent who he says is keeping tabs on him. The agent would not comment without clearance from his superiors, except to say, \"Obviously, if they gave you my card, you know we are watching them.\" The mosque has called police on Al-Khattab and Mohammed several times, and passers-by occasionally engage them in heated debates. Ali told CNN that ordinary Muslims are \"disgusted with their behavior.\" But they insist they don't fight themselves, and don't incite others to do so. Al-Khattab calls President Obama \"a murderer, a tyrant, a scumbag,\" and says he wouldn't \"shed a tear\" if Obama were killed. But he added, \"Would I incite his murder? That's not what I teach.\" Mohammed calls himself an American \"by default\" who identifies with Muslims. Al-Khattab, a Jew who lived in Israel before converting to Islam, says he \"would like to see a mushroom cloud\" over the Jewish state -- \"but before that, I'd like to see the people guided, and I'd like them to go back to their original countries where they're from.\" But federal agents are not only watching them, they're watching some of those who are listening. Neil Bryant Vinas, a young New Yorker who has pleaded guilty to plotting to attack trains on the Long Island Rail Road, met with al-Khattab. Al-Khattab said Vinas and \"some brothers\" traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and had dinner with him. Al-Khattab said they considered him something of a hero because he left Israel and converted to Islam. Al-Khattab also claims friendships with Tarek Mehanna, now under indictment in Boston, Massachusetts, on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and Daniel Maldonado, who pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Texas to receiving military training from Islamic militants in Somalia. Mohammed says he and his fellow radicals are \"commanded to terrorize the disbelievers ... making them fearful so that they will think twice before they go rape your mother or kill your brother or go onto your land and try to steal your resources.\" \"We are defending innocent women that are bombed every day, innocent children that are bombed every day,\" he said. But asked whether those who take their fliers should take up arms against Americans, he said, \"We certainly have never said that.\" CNN's Paul Cruickshank contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Radical Muslim converts defend violence against the U.S. outside a New York mosque .\nInside the mosque, an imam preaches against terrorism .\nAuthorities say the language walks \"right up to the line\" of free speech protection .\nSee the full investigation on \"AC 360\" tonight, 10 ET ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Diane Sawyer will take over nightly news anchor duties for ABC when Charlie Gibson retires from \"World News\" at the end of this year, a network spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer worked together on \"Good Morning America.\" Sawyer, 63, will be the second woman to be the solo host of an evening newscast for an American broadcast TV network. Sawyer will take the chair in January, ABC's Jeffrey Schneider said. Gibson, 66, and Sawyer worked together for years on ABC's morning show -- \"Good Morning America\" -- before Gibson was promoted over Sawyer to anchor ABC's \"World News\" in May 2006. Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff co-anchored the newscast before Gibson. That duo came to an end after Woodruff was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Maria Brennan, president of the Washington-based American Women in Radio and Television organization, called the announcement a \"watershed moment\" and said Sawyer was the \"obvious choice\" to take over ABC's anchor chair. Asked about the significance of two out of three network nightly news anchors being women -- the other being CBS' Katie Couric -- Brennan said, \"It comes with some excitement and some glee for groups like ours, who have worked for years to ensure that women have parity with their male counterparts.\" \"When we get to a point in time when we don't even notice the gender, we can really celebrate,\" Brennan said. Sawyer worked for President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, first in his White House press office and later helping him write his memoirs after his resignation. After a stint with CBS News -- including five years as a \"60 Minutes\" correspondent -- Sawyer joined ABC News in 1989. She worked on news magazines for ABC -- including \"Primetime Live\" and \"20/20\" -- before being assigned to co-host \"Good Morning America\" with Gibson in 1999. CNN's Albert Lewintinn contributed to this report." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson retiring at end of the year .\nDiane Sawyer will take over \"World News\" beginning in January .\nThe pair worked together for years on \"Good Morning America\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- No running water, no electricity, no fuel and little food. Pakistanis displaced by fighting demand government assistance during a protest Sunday in Karachi. International Red Cross officials are \"gravely concerned\" about the stark situation in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where a monthlong offensive against the Taliban has displaced more than 2 million civilians. Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in the Swat Valley this weekend for the first time since the onset of violence there. The organization evacuated more than a dozen people in need of urgent medical care and called for an immediate humanitarian response. \"The people of Swat need greater humanitarian protection and assistance immediately,\" Pascal Cuttat, head of the organization's delegation in Pakistan, said Sunday. \"The ICRC will do its utmost to meet those needs without delay. Given what we have already seen on the ground, we are mobilizing additional resources, but safe and unimpeded access to the area remains essential for our teams to deliver.\" Those who have left their homes tell of the whole valley being turned into a battlefield as citizens flee on foot, many of them with no shoes. Some fall ill from sun and heat exposure, particularly infants and those already weak and sick. According to the most recent United Nations numbers, about 2.4 million Pakistanis registered as displaced persons since May 2. Currently, the clashes are concentrated near Mingora, the valley's largest city. \"People have been blocked for weeks,\" said Daniel O'Malley, who led the ICRC team. \"There is no running water, no electricity, and food is scarce. There is no fuel left for generators and most medical facilities in the district are no longer functioning. Phone lines are down, so people have been cut off from the outside world and are anxious for contact with relatives who fled the area.\" The Red Cross team visited Khwazakhela hospital, one of the few medical facilities left in Swat Valley, to deliver supplies and found a small group of hospital staff members struggling to work without water, electricity or supplies, O'Malley said. \"They simply cannot cope with the influx of patients,\" he said. The team evacuated 14 patients. Meanwhile, one soldier was killed in a roadside bombing, and security forces killed two militants in the Swat Valley over the last 24 hours, the Pakistani military said on Sunday. The military said an unknown number of slain militants were found in a training facility destroyed by security forces in Shangla district, and a government girls' school at Baiderra was torched by militants. The Pakistani military said on Saturday its security forces have taken back the city of Mingora from the Taliban, calling it a significant victory in its offensive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Residents of Pakistan's Swat Valley need help immediately, Red Cross official says .\nU.N.: Offensive against the Taliban has displaced more than 2.4 million people .\nRed Cross: Food scarce; hospital struggling to operate without running water .\nResidents say people fleeing valley are falling ill from heat exposure ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "FORT HOOD, Texas (CNN) -- The first people who came across Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the psychiatrist suspected of Thursday's murderous rampage, told tales Friday of quick, calm efforts in the face of danger. By the time it was over -- in less than five minutes, base commander Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said -- 13 people were dead and 38, including Hasan, were wounded. Mark Todd was one of two civilian police sergeants credited with helping take down Hasan. He and partner Kimberly Munley pulled up outside the building where the shooting was occurring at the same time, and Todd saw the shooter standing outside -- about 15 yards away. He appeared calm. \"As soon as we got there, it was game on, and then that's when it escalated, and we did what we had to do,\" he told CNN's \"Anderson Cooper.\" \"I yelled at him, 'Stop! Drop the weapon!' And that's when he raised his weapon and fired a couple of shots at me.\" Todd said he and Munley both took cover and as Hasan walked around one side of the building, he went around the other. \"That's when I saw him again. I told him to drop his weapon and he fired a couple more rounds. He fell, I went up and secured his weapon.\" As soon as his weapon had been taken away, medics appeared, Todd said. \"It was like instantaneous,\" he said. \"We started life-saving measures to keep him alive as well.\" Specialist Francisco de la Serna, a medic, was among those who treated the wounded, including Munley, shot in both thighs and a wrist, and the suspect. \"When the first gunshots started, you know, it was complete chaos,\" he told CNN's \"Larry King Live.\" \"Just everyone outside the building started scattering. They just all ran behind anything that would stop a bullet -- cars, trash cans, trees, anything.\" De la Serna said he came upon Munley, who was already being helped by others. \"I made a tourniquet, put it around her thigh and put it down until the bleeding stopped, but she'd already lost a lot of blood,\" he said. \"She was fading in and out of consciousness.\" He then turned his attention to Hasan, asking him where he had been shot. \"I couldn't get him to answer,\" de la Serna said. \"He looked really calm, really pale.\" Army reservist Sgt. Jeannette Juroff also stepped in to help the wounded, but first she and some co-workers took refuge in a bathroom. Juroff told CNN's \"Campbell Brown\" that she was taking her lunch break when she overheard fellow soldiers saying they heard shooting. At first, that didn't alarm her. \"This is Fort Hood, shooting goes on,\" she said. But when a major told her to call 911, she tried to do so, but couldn't get through, she said. Soon, it became apparent that the threat was real. \"I was walking down the hall and wondering what I would tell 911 and then a lot of my coworkers come in and they said, 'Just get in the bathroom.'\" They took refuge there for about a minute, \"but it felt like it took forever,\" she said. \"It was so quiet, but then we heard just loud screams and stomps, a lot of chaos going on.\" Unwilling to stay cooped up in the tiny room as an unknown danger lurked outside, they opened the door and ran out, she said. Ahead of them she saw the building exit and the conference center where the shooting was taking place. Then, her cell phone rang -- it was one of her captains calling to talk about administrative matters. \"I just said, 'Shut up, I need to talk to you. Call 911.' He called 911,\" she said. By now, she had figured out what to say. \"I said, 'We're coming under attack. There's somebody shooting at the SRP,\" she said, using soldier shorthand for \"soldier readiness program.\" \"As I'm talking to him, I'm seeing a soldier who's wounded and there's two soldiers holding his leg up, a medic and others helping,\" she said. Share thoughts on Fort Hood shooting, memories of victims . The soldier they were working on appeared in shock, his lips a pasty white, so Barbour said she tried to calm him down. \"I just went in there and said, 'Hey kid, whatcha doing?'\" she recalled. The two talked about pool, about their weekend plans \"and, little by little, he started to look good.\" Authorities said Friday that the 18-year-old wounded soldier was going to recover. All around them, medics were working at high speed, she said. \"They were just completely doing everything they were told to do, every soldier was helping everybody out, every civilian that worked there.\" In one area, a \"nearly naked\" soldier -- his pants torn -- was using his hands to put pressure over a wound to keep the blood from pouring out, she said. \"He was staying calm and everybody else was doing the same,\" she said. \"It was really awesome.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "First responders credited with stopping Maj. Nidal Hasan, saving his life .\nOfficer praised for disabling Hasan shot in legs, wrist .\nWitness: \"Every soldier was helping everybody out, every civilian that worked there\"\nThirteen people died, 38 others wounded in shooting ." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "You are a summarization AI. Provide a succinct and relevant summary of the provided text." }, { "from": "human", "value": "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Famed for keeping people slim, healthy and living longer, the Mediterranean diet has followers all over the world. Cultural treat? Moves are underway to get the Mediterranean diet on UNESCO's world heritage list. However, the diet is being increasingly shunned by people who live in the Med as the convenience of fast food gains popularity. The renowned low-fat, high-fiber diet has \"decayed into a moribund state\" in its traditional regions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). So sharp is the decline that governments from the region are scrambling to protect their traditional fare from becoming an \"endangered\" species. Populations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Spain and Italy, tend to eat these foods, and governments there have joined forces to apply for their diet to be placed on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Heritage list. Those lobbying for UNESCO protection have argued that its inclusion would ''fend off the watered-down clones assailing its integrity worldwide in this age of killer fast food.'' The UNESCO list is famous for including historic and cultural sites but in recent years the UN body has opened its register to include ''intangible heritage,\" such as endangered languages or vanishing traditions. \"The Mediterranean diet is a heritage that should be protected and shared,\" Paolo de Castro, a former Italian Agriculture minister, said earlier this year. \"Science has long recognized the unusual health properties of the diet, which has strengthened and accompanied the common cultural identity of Mediterranean countries,\" he said, according to Italian news agency ANSA. \"The diet is an integral part of the historical and cultural identity of the Mediterranean, and an opportunity for growth for the countries in the area.\" Originally considered the diet of the poor, who didn't have much money to buy meat, the \"Mediterranean diet\" is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals, whole grains, fish and olive oil. Numerous studies have associated it with long life-spans and low rates of cancer, heart disease and other ailments. See a comparison of the old and new diets in Mediterranean countries » . However, some fear that it has become supplanted by supermarket ready-made foods and fast food as people have become more cash-rich and time-poor. \"The European diet has become too fat, too salty and too sweet,\" senior FAO economist Josef Schmidhuber concluded in the group's report on the European Union diet. The FAO's 2008 report ranks Spain as the country with the biggest leap in fat consumption in Europe -- from 25 percent of the diet 40 years ago to 40 percent now. EU and Mediterranean countries with the worst dietary changes are Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta, where calorie intake has increased by 30 percent in the last few decades. Three-quarters of the population of Greece is overweight or obese, while in Spain and Italy the number is more than 50 percent. In the U.S., 66 percent of the population fits into this category. Alarmed by the growing health problems associated with obesity, Spain's Health Ministry has launched a series of initiatives to combat obesity. In 2007, it ordered fast-food chain Burger King to remove ads for its Big King XXL, which contains 1,000 calories, and which were aimed at teenagers and young people. A 2001 report by Foodservice Intelligence, a London-based market research firm, found that traditional-style restaurants in Italy and Spain were outnumbered two-to-one by their fast-food counterparts. UNESCO will decide whether to include the Mediterranean diet in its Heritage list late next year. Until then, Spain and other countries in the region undoubtedly will hope they can retain their reputation as a rewarding destination for the gourmet traveler." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mediterranean diet has declined into a \"moribund state\" according to the U.N.\nFat consumption has increased markedly in Mediterranean countries .\nItaly, Spain, Greece and Morocco want Med diet to gain UNESCO status ." } ]

[ { "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 ." } ]