Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)Well, the Senate says climate change isn't a hoax.

Phew.

But are we causing it?

Oh no-no-no, says half the Senate. Forty-nine senators (full list here) voted on Wednesday against an amendment that said climate change is happening and, crucially, that it's actually-for-real caused by human emissions.

That's something scientists are pretty darn sure about, and have been for more than a decade.

These votes -- particularly the not-a-hoax vote -- have been heralded by some in environmental circles, including Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, as a sign of progress, like a "coming out" party of sorts.

At least the senators are going on record, the argument goes. At least, in a 98-to-1 vote, they said, in public, that climate change is not a hoax.

I'm not so sure.

True, there would be value in knowing where every senator stands on climate change. Americans -- 61% of whom say climate change is real and 40% of whom know it's caused by people, according to to a 2014 Pew survey -- have a right to know where their elected officials fall on this and many other important policy issues.

But -- and this is an important "but" -- that's not what we learned on Wednesday. We learned that 98 senators say climate change is happening -- without blaming humans for it. Among them is Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, who is perhaps Washington's most vocal climate denier.

He continued that streak this week.

"Climate is changing, and climate has always changed, and always will, there's archaeological evidence of that, there's biblical evidence of that," Inhofe said on the Senate floor, according to Bloomberg News and others.

"The hoax is that there are some people that are so arrogant to think that they are so powerful that they can change climate. Man can't change climate."

Helpful, huh?

We also know that 49 senators voted against the amendment saying climate change is, in fact, caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases. That could seem like a win for the left, at least an effort to pin down senators who don't buy the science saying humans do contribute. But among the no votes was Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who said her reason for voting no simply was the word "significantly," according to The Hill. (The amendment said "human activity significantly contributes" to the warming climate.)

That's an artful dodge.

And it means neither vote offers true clarity.

These votes are more witch hunt than substance.

The political left seems to want to embarrass the right for denying the facts of climate change. The right, as Elana Schor of Politico smartly noted, played this brilliantly, appearing to take a the-Earth's-not-flat stance on this, while actually ceding next-to-nothing.

Meanwhile, the people we actually need to be listening to on this issue are not the politicians. They're the climate scientists, who have been saying for years that the climate is changing, that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the driving cause, and that we need to act urgently to cut emissions. I hate doom-and-gloom climate politics as much as the next guy, but that's the reality. And here's the other part of it: There's time to act.

Congress should debate how to respond to climate change, not its very existence.

The other voices that need to be heard in this debate are those of ordinary people, all over the world, who already are seeing their lives and livelihoods disturbed by warming temperatures and changing oceans.

I met some of them last year at a 300,000-person climate rally in New York.

They're people like Bren Smith, this oyster farmer in Connecticut.

And Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, a young mom from the Marshall Islands, in the Pacific, whose nation may be sunk by rising sea levels.

"I am fearful," she told me, "but for the most part, I'm optimistic."

Congress could take note, and so should we.

We should listen to their stories. Listen to the science. Debate the solutions.

And skip the rest.

It's mostly hot air.

Response: John Sutter: Senate's climate vote is mostly hot air. Politicians should be debating solutions, he writes.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- IN FOCUS: Dubai revisited

The global downturn of 2008 put the brakes on Dubai's rapidly expanding property sector, precipitating a $25 billion restructuring of the Gulf Emirate's debts. With the financial markets again teetering on the edge of disaster, MME investigates how Dubai is reshaping its ownership laws to protect the housing industry from a second crisis.

IN FOCUS: The road to statehood

The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will head to the United Nations in September to request official recognition of a Palestinian state. MME analyzes the complexities of preparing an economy for the burdens of nationhood.

FACETIME: Reem Acra, fashion designer

Reem Acra is one of the hottest names in the Lebanese fashion industry. MME visits the designers new flagship store in Beirut to find why she thinks the Middle East is such an untapped market for chic and style.

Marketplace Middle East airs weekly at the following times (GMT):   Fridays: 0845, 1645,  Saturdays: 0615,  Sundays: 0515, 1745,  Mondays: 0045

Response: MME looks at the property laws insulating Dubai's housing sector. What does it take to prepare an economy for statehood? MME investigates. Leading Lebanese designer, Reem Acra talks fashion.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNET) -- Coming from a company known more for its plasma HDTVs, the Panasonic TC-32LX85 is a pleasant surprise in the 32-inch LCD category.

Attractively designed and well appointed with generous connectivity, it is also a good performer overall, although by no means perfect. I was particularly impressed with the set's color accuracy, which is something I really don't expect from entry-level displays.

Compared with the competition, the LC-32LX85 represents a compelling value in small LCD screens when you consider its performance characteristics.

Design

Basic in its design, but simultaneously elegant-looking, the TC-35LX85 has a glossy black finish, with a 3-inch-wide bezel surrounding the screen on all sides. It is a small and unobtrusive television that will fit into just about any decor nicely. Side panel AV inputs are neatly tucked away behind the right side of the screen.

The remote control is identical to Panasonic's current plasma line of HDTVs, with an excellent ergonomic design. It is on the large side, but slender enough to fit in the hand comfortably. Unfortunately, the remote is not backlit. The internal menu graphical user interface is also quite simple and intuitive to use and navigate.

Features

The Panasonic TC-32LCX85's offers a fairly comprehensive feature package for an entry-level 32-inch LCD TV. Its native resolution is 1366x768, or around 720p, whereas many higher-end models have a 1080p native resolution.

At this screen size, however, the benefits of 1080p resolution are nearly impossible to discern with moving video, whether standard- or high-definition. If you plan on regularly using your 32-inch LCD TV as a computer monitor, however, you might want to consider a 1080p model.

Picture adjustment options are OK, but not as extensive as found on the Samsung LN32A450 or LG32LG30 for example. Preset picture modes include Cinema, Game, Custom, Vivid, and Standard. Custom can be adjusted independently per input while the others can be tweaked as well and apply to every input.

Selectable color temperatures include Warm, Normal, and Cool. The Backlight feature may be the most important in terms of optimizing the panel's picture, as it helps it achieve reasonably deep black levels when lowered from its factory setting.

Some dubious picture-adjusting features include Color Management and AI Picture, both of which should be shut off for optimum performance. AI is an auto-contrast feature that raises and lowers the light output of the panel depending on ambient room lighting. This ultimately makes black and white level a moving target, and both of these parameters really should remain constant.

In the Advanced menu there are two varieties of noise reduction, called Video NR and MPEG NR, and for high-quality sources both should be turned-off. Black Level should be set to Light for full shadow detail, although intuitively I would think Dark would be correct. (Panasonic always had Lighter and Darker settings that were intuitively correct at 7.5 and 0 IRE respectively in their DVD players. Strangely, for their TVs, it is backward.)

Connection options are generous enough on the Panasonic, although unlike most other small-screen flat-panel sets it lacks a VGA-style PC input. The rear panel does have two HDMI inputs, one component video input, one AV input with a choice of either composite or S-Video, and one RF input.

One set of analog audio outputs, and one digital optical audio output for routing sound to an external AV receiver are also on tap. Side panel inputs include one HDMI, and one set of AV inputs with composite video only, and an SD Card slot on the right side of the panel for viewing your digital photos. We'd like to see a headphone jack on the side as well, but no dice.

Performance

The Panasonic LC-32LX85 is one of the better performers at its size in the entry-level, 720p-resolution LCD category. Color accuracy and black level performance are its main strengths, while color decoding and standard-definition processing are not.

I didn't have to make too many adjustments during the user menu calibration to get the little TV looking its best. Since there are no custom color temperature controls in the user menu, I simply chose the best picture mode (Custom) and color temperature preset (Warm) and then tweaked the remainder of the basic picture controls.

Afterward I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the grayscale; you can click here to access my full picture settings. For my comparison I looked at the Panasonic alongside the Sony KDL-32M4000, the Westinghouse VK-40F580D and the Vizio VP322, two LCDs and a 32-inch plasma respectively.

Black level: Blacks are reasonably good for an inexpensive LCD flat-panel TV, and deeper than either the Sony or the Vizio, although not quite as deep as the Westinghouse. The Panasonic also delivers the blacker-than-black video signals that many more expensive displays cannot, which helps lead to improved shadow detail.

Chapter two of "X-Men: The Last Stand" showed off the LC-32LX85's compelling blacks very nicely. This high-contrast scene takes place at night, with bright explosions going off to provide a good look at an HDTV's shadow detail capability. There was plenty of fine detail in the background dark areas of the picture. The black areas of the picture were deep, rich, and inky, and the scene was relatively free of low-level noise.

Color accuracy: As you can see from the Geek Box, grayscale tracking in the Warm color temperature preset was impressive, and the primary colors of red, green, and blue also measured reasonably close to the HDTV standard, which is unusual even in some expensive flat-panel displays.

Color decoding does push red a bit though, so we had to desaturate the color somewhat and remove some of the picture's punch. Colors still appeared vibrant, however, and skin tones looked quite natural. Chapter four of the awesome transfer of "I, Robot" proved an excellent scene to show off the Panasonic's contrast ratio--good blacks and whites creating a snappy picture--as well as its accurate color reproduction.

Video processing: Unlike most modern HDTVs the LC-32LX85 doesn't accept 1080p sources, so my evaluation had to be with all HD sources set to 1080i. The set lacks an aspect ratio that provides for zero overscan, which would be a bigger issue if it were a 1080p resolution panel, but really isn't a big deal the panel has only a 720p resolution. The video processing does roll off the high-frequency video somewhat, a common flaw with many flat-panel sets on the market today.

Uniformity: White-field uniformity was reasonably good on this panel, and that is saying something for an LCD. As you may know LCD display technologies, whether flat panel or projection, suffer from poor white-field uniformity. As a result you may see red and blue splotches in scenes that are primarily white like the ice in a hockey game or a movie like "Ice Age." This Panasonic, while not perfect, was better than most in this performance test.

Standard-definition: The Panasonic is a mediocre performer with standard-def material. It didn't resolve every line of horizontal resolution according to the charts on the HQV disc, and as a result some images appeared a bit softer than normal.

It did a below-average job of smoothing out jaggies on rotating diagonal lines, and there were a good number of such artifacts in a waving American flag. The set's noise reduction, on the other hand, was very good at cleaning up moving motes in low-quality images of skies and sunsets, and the set engaged 2:3 pull-down detection quickly and effectively.

PC: Absent a VGA-style PC input I attempted to test the Panasonic's capability to handle digital signals from a PC via its HDMI jack. The best resolution the video card allowed was 1,280x768, which is short of the set's native resolution, and there was enough overscan that important areas of the screen, including the Windows taskbar, were obscured. People who want a PC display should probably choose another set.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission.

Response: As a 32-inch LCD TV, the Panasonic TC-32LX85 is a good overall performer. It's one of the better models at its size in the entry-level, 720p-resolution  category. Model delivers surprisingly impressive HD picture quality for a small-screen LCD. But standard-def images look softer than normal.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Greece and Italy may seem like obvious choices for the discerning traveler because of their ancient attractions, spectacular cuisine and laid-back culture.

Yet even those popular spots have corners yet to be discovered by the traveling masses. That's why Lonely Planet has named them to its 2014 Best in Europe list.

Ten European destinations with interesting food, architecture and history were chosen by the travel publisher's writers and editors to encourage travelers to explore someplace new on the continent. Picks include island settings, picturesque villages in the countryside and an excellent beer town.

"We're pointing out places that would be fun for tourists to discover," says Noirin Hegarty, Lonely Planet's managing destination editor. "This list was about introducing and reintroducing places."

Think they picked the right spots? Click through the gallery to find out.

29 beach photos that'll make you drool

Nature's most spectacular shows

World's top 25 amusement parks

Response: These European spots are worth a visit in 2014. Greece and Italy offer more than the obvious to the European explorer. It's Vikings for Denmark and the city of beer in the Czech Republic.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Words have been a part of Marjorie Liu's life as far back as she could remember.

She would  devour children's  books sitting in her mother's lap, dreaming up adventures of her own she wanted to share.

But the New York Times bestselling author never thought her passion for writing could earn her a living, so she set her sights on a career in law, spending years diligently poring over law books to pass the bar.

"I was going to be a lawyer and I had studied hard," Liu says, "but then it suddenly occurred to me in a very deep, profound way that I didn't want to keep practicing law for the rest of my life," she adds.

Follow the dream

Liu was struck with the impulse to fulfill her dream of writing a novel, and brushing off concerns from those around her, she closed herself off in her apartment for a month to write.

She worked feverishly for 14 hours a day, producing her first novel --  a paranormal magic thriller called "Tiger Eye". Her leap of faith paid off, and the book  was bought by a publishing house and  turned into a four-sequel contract. Nine years after her debut, the 35 year-old is a celebrated writer with 17 novels to her name and myriad of literary awards.

"I had my dreams, and even though everyone told me that they weren't practical, I knew in my heart that this is what I had to do. Even if it ended up being a failure, I had to make the attempt," she says.

Expanding the portfolio

Apart from traditional novels, Liu also found her calling in comic books. She has written issues for Marvel Comics' "Dark Wolverine" and "Astonishing X-Men" series, for which she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the LGBT community last year.

Liu also teaches comic book writing at MIT, even though she only became familiar with the genre at college after stumbling across it in a local bookstore. "I didn't know how to write comics, I had to teach myself," she says, "I had never been a comic book person before really because I had no access to them. Once I had access I thought that these are just another avenue for telling stories and delving into the imagination" she adds.

In spite of managing to turn her passion into her job, Liu doesn't regret the years she spent toiling away at law school: "There was no guarantee that this would work out. I don't want to give people the wrong advice to follow their dreams no matter what because it's not fun to be a starving artist.

"But on the other hand,  life is short and if you are burning with a passion to do something then do it. Work hard, study hard at it and don't give up," she says.

Response: Marjorie Liu is a New York Times bestselling author. However she is also a qualified lawyer who changed her career after college. She has written for Marvel Comics.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Carlos Tevez may have escaped the clutches of the Premier League by joining Italian giant Juventus -- but the long arm of the law could yet bring the striker back to English shores.

Tevez, who completed his $13 million move from Manchester City to the Serie A champion Thursday, has yet to complete his community service in England according to sources close to the case.

The Argentina international avoided jail last March after pleading guilty to the charge of driving while disqualified and accepted the punishment of 250 hours of community service and a $1,500 fine.

While the exact number of hours owed by Tevez has not been made public, he must complete his punishment within the 12 months of it being handed out.

Community service punishments in the United Kingdom range from 40 hours to 300 -- with a minimum of seven hours per week being served.

A Probation Service spokesperson told CNN: "We do not comment on individuals.

"Offenders must serve the sentences handed down to them by the courts. Anyone who fails to do so will have action taken against them."

CNN also contacted BCL Burton Copeland, the firm which represented Tevez at his trial, but it refused to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Tevez revealed his delight Thursday at being handed the iconic number 10 shirt following the completion of his move to Turin.

Tevez will follow in the footsteps of Bianconeri legends Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio and most recently, Alessandro Del Piero.

"I'm absolutely aware of the great effort Juventus Football Club has made to bring me here," he told reporters.

"I feel the responsibility of wearing this number and I am aware of the great responsibility of representing Juventus and playing for the club. This number is certainly a great challenge.

"Top players have worn it before and I was number 10 with Boca (Juniors) before, and (Diego) Maradona played in it too, so the great responsibility is now that I'm going to play in this great club. So certainly the greatest challenge is to do my best.

"Obviously I didn't want to forget Del Piero, who was the last player to wear number 10. He is a person and player that I greatly respect and who certainly represents an emblem and symbol of esteem.

"It is a great pleasure and honor to wear this jersey with his number."

Tevez's move to Italy brings an eventful seven-year spell in England where he played for West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City.

He endured a turbulent time at City after being exiled for six months by former manager Roberto Mancini following his refusal to warm up during a Champions League clash at Bayern Munich in 2011.

Mancini's departure at the end of last season failed to persuade Tevez from seeking pastures new -- although he denies that he turned down a move to AC Milan following claims by the club's vice-president Adriano Galliani.

"I want to be very clear and honest," he said. "I've only talked to Galliani a couple of times in my life," said Tevez.

"The last time was last year when there was an intention to bring me to AC Milan but I don't know why he has said such a thing.

"Today I'm here and that's what matters, I'm very happy to be here."

Isco

Elsewhere, new Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti completed his first signing since taking over from Jose Mourinho with the acquisition of Spain under-21 and Malaga star Isco.

Isco was a stand out star for the Spain under-21 team which retained the European Championship in Israel, scoring three goals following a stunning season with Malaga.

"Real Madrid incorporates a new project with one of the best Spanish football players," the club said in a statement.

"Francisco Roman Alarcon - Isco - plays at the Bernabeu for the next five seasons."

The 21-year-old midfielder scored 12 goals in 45 appearances last season and made his full international debut against Uruguay last February.

"Imagination and speed are some of the qualities that define this midfielder... a recent champion with Spain at Euro Under-21 and at age 21 already capped by the senior team," Madrid's statement added.

"[He is] a player with enviable technical quality, chutzpah and imagination."

Response: Carlos Tevez has completed his $13million move to Juventus from Manchester City. Tevez has signed a three-year deal with the Serie A champion. Real Madrid has confirmed the signing of Spain under-21 and Malaga star Isco. Midfielder has signed a five-year deal and becomes Carlo Ancelotti's first signing.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:New York (CNN) -- Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro's gastronomical gifts were of little help when his 32-foot Boston Whaler got lost in heavy fog in New York Harbor.

"People were scared," Valastro told CNN of the harrowing journey Friday night with his wife, another couple and nine young children. "I didn't know which way to look -- left, right. I couldn't even see in front of me."

Both New York fire and police department units located and safely towed Valastro's boat to Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey, NYPD Sgt. Carlos Nieves said. The vessel typically docks at Liberty Landing, which sits on the other side of the Hudson River from New York City and not far from the Statue of Liberty.

Police said authorities received an emergency call about 9:30 p.m.: A boat was stranded and its captain disoriented just south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The vessel was lost in thick fog in Ambrose Channel, a busy shipping channel that put it in danger of colliding with large commercial ships, police said. Valastro said they were lost about 20 minutes before he called for help.

The ordeal started about 8:30 p.m. after Valastro and his friends had dinner in Highlands, New Jersey, and were taking the boat back home.

"I can't see the city," said Valastro, who had owned a boat for about six years. "I'm thinking it's dark... We wind up going into this deep, deep fog where you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. We started to get really scared."

At one point, Valastro said, a bigger vessel about 30 feet away was headed straight for his boat.

"I saw him but I don't think he saw us," he recalled. "We had to get out of the way... I turned quick. It got really, really scary. I said,' You know, it's time to call for help."

The boat moved slowly in the dense fog, he said. The children cried. Some were seasick and vomited overboard.

"My wife was flipping," he said. "I couldn't pick a worse bunch of people to be on the boat stuck in the fog with. All the kids were under 10 years old ... then my wife and my friend's wife and my friend... After we got rescued, we started joking and having some fun. But it was no joke. "

Nieves said police inspected the boat and found no alcohol on board or equipment violations. Valastro showed no signs of impairment, police said.

Valastro said a fire department vessel responded about 10 minutes after his distress call, followed later by a police boat.

"I want to bake them a cake," he said. "I want to do something good for them. They didn't even realize who I was until the end. It was all business. I'm not the kind of guy to say, 'I'm the Cake Boss. The Cake Boss in distress. May Day."

Valastro, who starred on the hit TLC show "Cake Boss," now appears in the competition series "Next Great Baker" on Tuesdays. A fourth-generation baker, he runs Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey.

After Friday's odyssey, the Cake Boss tweeted: "Next time we go out at night need to check the forecast #mywifewantstokillme".

2 tread water for 14 hours off Florida coast until chance rescue

Response: Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro, his wife and friends were rescued after his boat was stranded. New York fire and police department units located and towed Valastro's boat to safety. At one point, Valastro said, a bigger vessel about 30 feet away was headed straight for his boat. Valastro: "I couldn't even see in front of me".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- "Refugees are the most vulnerable people on Earth. They are fighting to survive." -- Angelina Jolie, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador

Children play in floodwater at a Pakistan refugee camp after floods displaced residents in August 2008.

The world's population at the end of last year included 42 million displaced people, 80 percent of them in developing nations, according to a report this week by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Many of these refugees are living in minimal standards for shelter and are exposed daily to the harshest elements of weather, the report says.

For example, in Pakistan, some 300,000 refugees are living outdoors, in tents or similar structures, said Michael Kocher, vice president of international programs for the International Rescue Committee.

That part of the world has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past couple of months. First, extreme heat plagued Pakistan, with temperatures in May and June soaring past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). The heat is escalating the discomfort for many.

"People are living in cramped situations, often unsanitary situations, and it's very hot," Kocher said. "In many places, there is not enough clean water or adequate sanitation. Heat exacerbates that problem."

As World Refugee Day approaches -- it falls on Saturday this year -- the forecast calls for even more dramatic weather changes in the coming weeks. In Southeast Asia, long stretches of scorching temperatures are usually the prelude to the rainy, or monsoon, season.  Watch Angelina Jolie talk to CNN's Anderson Cooper about the world's refugee problem »

The term "monsoon" refers to a seasonal reversal of wind that typically occurs in late June or early July. For countries like Pakistan and India, this change brings daily, nonstop downpours.

The change in the weather is essential for local crops, according to John Fasullo, project scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"The Southeast Asian monsoon is the key source for regional agriculture," he told CNN. "It provides the majority of the moisture to support food needs for one-half  the world's population. ... It also brings a beneficial cooling of the temperatures."

The problem is, monsoon rains can also cause devastating floods. Fasullo says the threat for flooding can be "continual from late June through early September."

In Pakistan, for example, where agencies have witnessed a large increase in displaced people over the past year, the monsoon of 2008 was particularly intense.

If 2009 brings similar floods to the country, there will be a new threat for refugees exposed to the storms: mud.  Watch how the monsoon is affecting refugees »

"The camps are quite threadbare," Kocher said. "Tents are held to the ground by rope. It's hard to keep people dry. The ground gets muddy, which can lead to dirty water and bad sanitation facilities."

Vulnerability to nature's dangerous elements is not only a concern for people displaced in Pakistan. Refugees in Afghanistan are subject to brutal winters, while in Iraq, scorching heat and sandstorms are common challenges for those without sufficient shelter.

Of World Refugee Day, actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie says, "Please do not forget them, and remember them on this day."

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions:

• How can I help world refugees that are exposed to the monsoon season and other weather dangers?

Go to CNN.com/ImpactYour World. There, you will find links to charities that help refugees and others in need.

• Does the monsoon season affect the weather in the United States?

Southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico see heavy rain during the North American monsoon season, which runs from June 15 through September 30. This time of year, the wind shifts, tapping into moisture from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico, and producing strong thunderstorms that bring the majority of the region's annual rainfall.

Response: As World Refugee Day approaches, monsoons could compound refugees' troubles. World contains 42 million displaced people -- 80 percent in developing nations. In Pakistan, the 2008 monsoon season brought rains that flooded refugee camps. UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie: "Please do not forget them".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Moscow (CNN) -- A cargo train derailed Tuesday and crashed into a passenger train near Moscow, killing several passengers and wounding dozens, officials said.

The Russian Healthcare Ministry reported that six people died in the crash. State-run news agency ITAR-Tass said nine were killed, according to the Moldovan Ministry of Transport.

Of the 45 people injured in the crash, 18 were taken to hospitals, and five are in critical condition, ITAR-Tass reported.

The accident took place near Naro-Fominsk, southwest of Moscow, the Emergency Ministry told CNN.

Thirteen cars of the freight train derailed and crashed into a passenger train traveling from Moscow to Chisinau, "eventually overturning three of the train's cars with people inside," ITAR-Tass reported.

Rail traffic in and out of Moscow's southwest was suspended, the report said.

A total of 394 tickets were purchased for the passenger train, the Interior Ministry said.

Oil tank cars derail, burn in Virginia

Response: NEW: There are conflicting reports of the death toll. A cargo train derailed and crashed into a passenger train. The accident occurred southwest of Moscow.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:At one point in the 2012 presidential campaign, each of Mitt Romney's tweets had to be approved by nearly two dozen aides in the lead-up to the Republican's loss to President Barack Obama, a new study says.

The figure is included in a University of North Carolina study published Friday. The study cites Caitlin Checkett, Romney's digital integration director, who says that each post -- on Twitter, Facebook, the campaign's blog or elsewhere -- had to be approved by an ever-growing roster of the campaign's operatives.

"Towards the end of the campaign that was 22 individuals who had to approve it. ... The digital team unfortunately did not have the opportunity to think of things on their own and post them. ... The downfall of that of course is as fast as we are moving it can take a little bit of time to get that approval to happen," she says.

Romney's digital director, Zac Moffatt, concurred, saying the campaign had "the best tweets ever written by 17 people ... it was the best they all could agree on every single time."

That enough Romney aides to play a football game had to approve each tweet underscores major differences in approaches between Obama's digitally-savvy campaign and the clunkier operations it defeated -- including Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary and Romney in 2012.

The study's author is Daniel Kreiss, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina who researches political communication.

He wrote that "in contrast to the Obama campaign, Romney's digital team had to go through an extensive vetting process for all of its public communications, meaning that the temporal workflow of the campaign did not match the speed of social media."

Kreiss wrote that the Romney campaign's digital team felt undermined by its lack of autonomy. By the campaign's conclusion, he wrote, Romney staffers were repackaging press releases for use on social media because they knew that language had already been green-lighted.

Response: A new study says each Mitt Romney tweet had to be approved by 22 campaign staffers. The study cites Caitlin Checkett, Romney's digital integration director. The study highlights the different approaches by the Romney and Obama campaigns in 2012.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Unseeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai produced one of the shocks of the year on Sunday by defeating favorite Venus Williams in straight sets to win the final of the Madrid Open.

The 23-year-old Rezai -- who had only claimed WTA Tour titles at Strasbourg and Bali prior to Madrid -- continued her remarkable week with a 6-2 7-5 victory, adding Williams' scalp to her earlier surprise victories over former world number one's Junstine Henin and Jelena Jankovic.

Williams, who returns to No.2 in the world behind younger sister Serena on Monday, lost the opening set in just 27 minutes and then failed to take advantage of a 4-1 lead in the second set.

"I just cannot believe this," world number 24 Rezai -- who must now enter calculations for the French Open -- told reporters.

"Venus played very well and I've always respected her as a player and a champion. I just tried my best today and it worked well for me."

Williams, who was looking to secure her 44th career title, only converted two of her 13 break points in the match -- a statistic that contributed greatly to her defeat.

Response: Unseeded Aravane Rezai claims victory in the Madrid Open final on Sunday. Rezai secures a stunning straight sets win over favorite Venus Williams. The success gives the 23-year-old Frenchwoman just the third title of her career.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- A U.S. Navy submarine and a Navy amphibious ship that collided Friday in the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran have arrived in Bahrain to be assessed for damage, the Navy said.

The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans are shown in Navy photos.

The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans arrived Saturday in Mina Salman pier to "to further assess and evaluate the damage that resulted from their collision at sea," the service said in a written statement.

Fifteen sailors were slightly hurt aboard the Hartford in the collision, which occurred early Friday morning.

On Friday, Navy officials in Washington told CNN that there was significant damage to the sail, or tower-like structure on the topside of the submarine. On Saturday, the Navy said there was no damage to the submarine's propulsion unit.

No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans. The ship's fuel tank ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said in the Saturday statement.

"Aerial searches of the area where the fuel spill occurred were conducted yesterday, and revealed no indication of any remaining fuel on the ocean's surface," the Navy said. "The quick dissipation of the fuel is likely due to the type of fuel, and various environmental factors to include air and water temperatures, winds and seas."

When the collision occurred, both vessels were headed to ports in the Persian Gulf to stock up on provisions and allow for some recreation, Navy spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said Friday.

Christensen said there were about 200 sailors in the sub and 1,000 sailors and Marines aboard the ship.

The Strait of Hormuz is located between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, linking the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is heavily used by oil tankers.

Both vessels are on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility, and conduct Maritime Security Operations.

Response: Vessels in Bahrain "to further assess and evaluate the damage," says Navy. USS Hartford, USS New Orleans collided near Arabian Peninsula. 15 sailors on Hartford slightly injured. Fuel tank on New Orleans ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of fuel.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Storms battering the southern United States put 32 million people from West Virginia to Florida at risk of facing severe weather Tuesday, CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons reported.

By 7 p.m. ET, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had more than 500 delays, according to flightaware.com.

The storms are already blamed for two deaths, the first October tornado fatalities in the United States since 2009, CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri reported. Both took place Monday -- one in Alabama and another in Arkansas.

Earlier Tuesday, part of the Atlanta area faced a tornado warning.

Several inches of rain were pounding large swaths of the Southeast. There were nearly 1,000 lightning strikes in a one-hour period Tuesday morning, Javaheri said.

The weather pattern has the Northeast in its sights as well. Some areas could see 3 inches of rain. The expansive storms stretch from Mobile, Alabama, up to Ontario, Canada, Javaheri said.

The National Weather Service says there's a chance of severe thunderstorms in parts of eight states, from the Florida Panhandle north to West Virginia.

And while there is a threat of tornadoes, "widespread wind damage may be more prevalent," CNN meteorologist Alexandra Steele said. "Within some of these storms, the winds may gust to 60 to 70 miles per hour."

Deaths blamed on weather

A 75-year-old woman in Dora, Alabama, died when a large oak tree fell on her mobile home Monday afternoon, police said.

"She was sitting on her daybed in the trailer and the tree fell directly on top of her," said Dora Police Chief John Duchock.

Kenneth Watts, a volunteer with the Yerkwood Fire Department, lived nearby and tried to rescue the woman, identified as Shirley Hicks.

"I tried everything I could to get her out, but there was a tree on top of her," he tearfully told CNN affiliate WBMA. "She was like a grandmother to me."

Her husband was taken to a hospital with head injuries. He's expected to make a full recovery, WBMA reported.

Dora is about 25 miles northwest of Birmingham.

Early Monday, a man was killed and three members of his family were injured when storms swept through Little River County in western Arkansas, according Sheriff Gary Gregory, who said the house they were in was leveled.

Charles Edward Whithem, 33, was found dead in the debris near Ashdown, about 18 miles northwest of Texarkana, Gregory said.

"It's hard to even look at (the home)," Whithem's uncle Freddie Harrington told affiliate KTHV. "It's sad. I think of all the good times we had."

The system also flipped cars and destroyed several other buildings in the county.

Response: NEW: Atlanta's airport, world's busiest, has more than 500 delays by 7 p.m. ET. Wind damage may be more prevalent than tornadoes, with gusts up to 70 mph. An expansive storm system stretches from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Ontario. Monday marked the first October U.S. deaths from tornadoes since 2009.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Former 100 meter world record holder Asafa Powell has pulled out of the world championships in Daegu, which are set to get under way on Saturday.

Jamaica's Powell, who took 100m bronze at the last championships in Berlin two years ago, was expected to be one of the main challengers to his compatriot and reigning champion Usain Bolt.

The 28-year-old is the fastest man in the world this year, a 9.78 second run in Lausanne, but a statement from his management company confirmed he will be absent from the biennial event with a groin injury.

"Asafa Powell has officially withdrawn from the 100m event in Daegu citing a continued groin strain," read the statement. "Powell suffered a groin strain in Budapest on July 30 and has had recurring tightness and pain ever since.

"After Budapest, Asafa missed eight days of training before he could attempt to sprint again. When he returned to the track he was able to sprint but it caused the groin to flare up.

Despite missing out on the individual event, Powell could be part of the Jamaican 4 x 100m relay squad which claimed gold in Berlin and also at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

"He has received all sorts of treatments over the past two weeks in the hope of being prepared to run the 100m here in Daegu," continued the statement.

"Asafa is very disappointed to say the least. He was really hoping to be able to run in what was going to be one of the most anticipated races of the championships. He is still optimistic to be able to run the relay."

His absence and that of leading American Tyson Gay would appear to leave the way clear for Bolt to retain his title, but the world record holder told gathered reporters Thursday that was short of his very best form after battling back from injuries that curtailed his 2010 season.

"I wouldn't say it's 100 percent but I'm happy with where it is and I'm going out there to do my best," he said.

"This for me is a comeback season from injury. I have been working really hard this season to get back in tip-top shape." Bolt added,

Meanwhile, former Olympic gold medallists Sebastian Coe and Sergey Bubka have been elected as vice-presidents of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Five men were in the running for four positions, with Qatari Dahlan Al-Hamad and Robert Hersh of the U.S. the other two people voted in.

A second vote was required to decide the four successful candidates after a malfunction in the electronic voting system caused the body's president Lamine Diack to order a revote.

Initially, former Ukrainian pole-vaulter and gold medallist at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul Bubka missed out on election to Canadian Abby Hoffman. Bubka was voted in via a manual vote following the system error.

Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner over 1500m, dismissed suggestions of foul play and insisted it was purely a glitch which caused the re-vote.

"We would have preferred the technology to work better but it has failed us and we had to go back to a manual vote," Coe told British newspaper The Guardian. "There was just a technical glitch -- there is nothing else involved and we have to live with it.

"These things do happen. I instinctively thought it looked a bit of a rogue result [but] I'm no great believer in conspiracy theories. Clearly something wasn't working."

Senegalese chief Diack was re-elected as president unopposed, with a majority of 169 to 29 after a second ballot.

Response: Asafa Powell pulls out of 100m at world championships through injury. Powell was set to be main challenger to ddefendingchampion Usain Bolt. Bolt rules out breaking his own world 100m record at championships. Sebastan Coe and Sergey Bubka win influential positions in IAAF.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:A Louisiana family is fighting to protect its beloved pit bull from a "vicious dogs" ordinance.

Joanna Armand started an online petition to protect pit bull Zeus from an uncertain fate. The petition, which asks the village of Moreauville to reverse a "vicious dog" ban against pit bulls and rottweilers, has drawn nearly 40,000 signatures.

Zeus is far from a vicious dog, Armand told CNN. He provides love and support for her children, especially daughter O'Hara, who suffers from severe neck problems and uses a Halo brace and a wheelchair.

"If anything ever happened to him, I would just shut down," O'Hara told KALB.

Zeus acts as a sort of therapy dog for O'Hara, Armand told CNN. He sleeps by O'Hara's side every night; if O'Hara wakes up with seizures, he rouses her mother.

The family has asked local officials to consider the special circumstances, only to be told there's nothing they can do, Armand told CNN.

The village of Moreauville passed an ordinance in October banning pit bulls and rottweilers as of December 1.

Owners of the animals received a letter saying that pets found within the corporate limits of Moreauville after that date will be "impounded and transported to a veterinary clinic for further disposition," according to a letter posted on the family's Facebook page.

The mayor and alderman of Moreauville did not respond to CNN's repeated requests for comment. Alderman Penn Lemoine told KALB that the ordinance was created to placate residents in the small village.

"We had several residents that were complaining about not being able to walk along the neighborhoods because these dogs were basically running along town," Lemoine said, according to KALB.

Moreauville is not the first to pass a ordinance restricting the ownership of pit bulls, rottweilers or other so-called "vicious dogs." But the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends breed neutral laws "that focus, not on breed, but on people's responsibility for their dogs' behavior, including measures that hold owners of all breeds accountable for properly housing, supervising and controlling their dogs."

The White House also signaled its opposition to breed-specific legislation in 2013, saying "research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources." Several states have passed legislation banning local governments from introducing breed-specific laws or ordinances.

Besides, pit bulls are not a breed of dog. Several breeds of dogs, mainly the Bull Terrier, the Bull dog and the American Staffordshire Terrier are commonly referred to as "pit bulls." These dogs descended from an English bull-baiting dog bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head, according to the ASPCA. They were later bred with terriers to produce a more agile, athletic type dog.

"It is likely that that the vast majority of pit bull type dogs in our communities today are the result of random breeding -- two dogs being mated without  regard to the behavioral traits being passed on to their offspring. The result of random breeding is a population of dogs with a wide range of behavioral predispositions. For this reason it is important to evaluate and treat each dog, no matter its breed, as an individual."

Response: Family starts petition asking village to reverse ban against pit bulls and rottweilers. Family fears Zeus will be taken from them pursuant to village's "vicious dogs" ordnance. Zeus provides children with love and support, they say.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:He is skilled at the "throw-down," a move that gets you on a skateboard at near full speed.

He's also smooth at grinding the rail and can do a perfect a mini-ramp jump -- a leap off an incline that gets you and your wheels airborne.

M.J. Rahimi has mastered some of the world's most popular skateboarding tricks.

But the one skill that's fast making Rahimi a recognized name is crafting skateboards inside his basement in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

The country has been quietly but steadily putting itself on the map in the world of action skateboarding.

"I'm very happy I'm making skateboards," Rahimi said. "My biggest dream is to make a skateboard and have a professional skate on it."

Rahimi says his first homemade board shattered into pieces but he kept at it when the sport started picking up popularity several years ago. Demand for affordable equipment picked up too.

He starts by gluing together thin layers of maple wood, then presses them into sloped boards, and carves and sands them into shape.

"When I first started, my dad said it will never work, but now he supports me," he says.

Rahimi reveals his plan is to create an affordable brand. He hopes to sell his boards at the growing number of skate shops in the Islamic Republic where trendy teenagers shop for the latest gear.

According to skate store owner Ali Reza Ansari, business is brisk. "We are doing our best to improve skateboarding here," Ansari said. "We have really good skaters here (in Tehran)."

Ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the leadership here in Iran has been wary of the spread and influence of western culture.

Rock and roll music, for example, is banned. So is dancing in public. But when it comes to skateboarding not only does the government seem OK with it, in many ways they're actually supporting it.

The government has authorized six skate parks in the capital Tehran alone as well as others in Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and even the holy city of Qom.

Perfect arenas for Iran's growing skateboard community to gather and show off their gnarly kick-flips and 360 spins.

In the future some may even ride Rahimi's boards -- a product that takes pride in being made in a basement in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Response: M.J. Rahimi is an Iranian entrepreneur who has taken to making skateboards in his basement. Skateboarding is growing in popularity in Iran. Iranian government has authorized building of skateboard parks in six cities.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Ten years after "The Nanny Diaries" became a bestseller, authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have released back-to-back new books. A lot has changed in the publishing industry, not to mention in the authors' personal lives, between the bookends of their careers thus far.

"Over You" is a young adult novel about a teenager who helps friends cope with breakups, while struggling to move on from her own heartbreak. And "Between You and Me" depicts a famous singer's public self-destruction, in a story reminiscent of recent real-life celebrity dramas.

It's been a busy decade for McLaughlin and Kraus, both 38. "The Nanny Diaries," their satirical novel about a young woman who looks after the offspring of spoiled Manhattan parents, sold four million copies. It spawned a sequel ("The Nanny Returns") and a feature film. McLaughlin and Kraus also wrote "Citizen Girl," "Dedication," and their young adult debut, "The Real Real," in addition to various short stories.

But their prolific writing career isn't their only priority these days. The two former nannies recently became mothers: McLaughlin's son, Theo, and Kraus's daughter, Sophie, are both 2 years old. The authors live in New York City, where I went to high school with Kraus. The new mothers talked to CNN over the phone about their transition from writers, to working moms, who are also adapting to a shift in the literary landscape. The following is an edited transcript.

CNN: How has becoming mothers impacted your writing?

Kraus: We're definitely more efficient than we've ever been before, because we have to be. We no longer have those sweet spot, post-sugar crash, 5 to 8 p.m. hours to make up whatever we haven't gotten done during the day. We have a hard clock-out because we have to be at pickup. We have to do the parts of the day that we love: dinner, bath time and bedtime. And sometimes we get back to work after our kids go to bed, but we're usually really brain-fried by then, in a way that we didn't used to be.

McLaughlin: We're a lot less precious about getting to work. We're not getting that perfect cup of tea, and waiting until the morning light is just so, and finding just the right inspiration. It's butt in the chair, when you get the kids settled, and you just go. The upside of that for our writing creatively is that you're in a constant state of thinking about the novel. Your brain is constantly firing on problem solving. Are the characters working? All those hard questions that you have to put the material through are ever-present now.

CNN: Would you say that becoming mothers around the same time brought you closer together as a writing team?

Kraus: Definitely. I can't imagine what it would have been like if it had been one of us years apart from the other. Because I think you can't appreciate how tired you are, or how much willpower you have to harness on some days to focus, until you've done it. It really is like nothing else. And I think that we have a lot of compassion for each other. We understand what it is when the other has been up all night with their children, if someone has the flu or something. I think it's impossible if you haven't had kids yet to really get that.

McLaughlin: Becoming a parent is such an extreme change in your life. I think it's invaluable to your sanity to have somebody who understands it and is going through it with you. Just on an individual level, regardless of the work, on a personal level, it's priceless to have that support from somebody who gets it. You don't have to explain yourself in that way. It's just really comforting.

CNN: You have two new books out, in different genres. Has motherhood helped you to write something that you wouldn't have been able to before?

Kraus: It's funny. We look back at books that we've finished with a different lens than we have before. Specifically, we talked a lot about "The Nanny Diaries" in the last couple of years because when we were nannies, we couldn't really understand why so much derision and scorn was thrown the way of not just us, but our colleagues. And now that we're parents, and we're so dependent on having fantastic caregivers, so that we can step away and do things that we need to do, we're even more mind-boggled by it than we were before. We are so appreciative of the women who come in and make our kids' days awesome. And we love that our kids love these women. We appreciate the affection that these women give our children, and the structure, and the education and the discipline. And it means the world to us.

CNN: Did you ever consider not coming back to work after your children were born, or was it agreed that you definitely would?

Kraus: Speaking for myself, I was counting the days until my daughter was old enough to start daycare. They have a 3-month-(old) policy. I love doing both. And I am so grateful that I have a career that I am deeply committed to and that brings me so much joy. And it makes me a happy person, which I think makes me a happy mom. I am so psyched when I get to pickup at 5:30. And I try to make those hours with her as fun as possible because I've had a good day. Even the tough days are good days. And I am grateful to have both in my life.

McLaughlin: I agree to all of that and I think, additionally, it was interesting for me to discover the moments I've had of: 'I should just be doing this; I should just be parenting' have not come ever from not wanting to be working or a lack of passion to be working. It comes from moments where there aren't enough hours in the day. It's wishing I had more time to do both. I feel really blessed to be able to go to work every day. I have no question that it makes me a better parent. It fulfills me so much that I am able to be so much more present with my son.

CNN: Do your kids play together?

Kraus: Not as often as we would like!

McLaughlin: But when they do, they are quite enchanted with each other.

Kraus: It was so cute. They kissed each other on the lips goodbye at Christmas. It was painfully cute.

CNN: You're collaborating with Teen Vogue and EstÃ©e Lauder on "breakup to beautiful" makeovers at Nordstrom stores. Did you approach them? Or did they come to you?

Kraus: This was Emma's brainchild.

McLaughlin: We reached out. The landscape of publishing is rapidly shifting. It's a very unstable time for an author. I think we've been doing a lot of thinking about how we can continue to be out there when we've lost so much marketing via foot traffic of brick and mortar stores, and the consolidation of retailers. That was so much of how novelists depended upon connecting with readers. So we have been doing a lot of thinking outside of the box about how to do that.

McLaughlin and Kraus are signing copies of "Over You" at EstÃ©e Lauder counters in various Nordstrom stores through December 1.

Response: It's been 10 years since Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus wrote "The Nanny Diaries". Co-authors recently released back-to-back books, one a young adult novel, "Over You". The pair, who typically write together, both gave birth to their first children two years ago. Changing lives have meant their writing methods, points of view have changed as well.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Janelle Monae is a girl from another planet, and she's invading your world.

Janelle Monae creates "cool, futuristic soul with a real '80s quality," says a DJ.

Sightings of the singer-songwriter will include this week's "American Idol" finale, the Hollywood Bowl and concert stages across America this summer and TV's Sci Fi Channel this fall.

Monae insists that her real identity is Cindi Mayweather, an android traveling through space and time to escape destruction ordered because she fell in love with a human, a fatal infraction of robots' rules.

Along the way, she's making music that moves into the future while drawing from decades past.

"It is cool, futuristic soul with a real '80s quality," said Garth Trinidad, a disc jockey at Los Angeles, California, radio station KCRW.

Trinidad spotted Monae three years ago, and he's been watching her like an astronomer tracking the approach of a distant comet destined to light Earth's sky.

"I believe she's going to be a household name in the next year or two," said Trinidad, a self-described "champion of the underdog" who is credited with giving Jill Scott and Gnarls Barkley early radio airplay.

Monae -- the human -- is a striking combination of voice, style, imagination and fearlessness that defies conventional description, making it easier to buy into the fantasy of Mayweather the android.

When her song "Many Moons" was nominated for a Grammy in December, it was in the urban/alternative category.

If Monae is an android from the future, her musical programming included the past.

Trinidad compared her "very fluid, very pleasing" voice to Donna Summer, circa 1976.

At a Los Angeles show this month, she mixed 20th-century classics with her own futuristic songs. Monae delivered a sweet version of Nat King Cole's "Smile" while standing atop a barstool. Senior citizens danced the "Twist" when her band broke out into the Beatles' 1964 hit "I Saw Her Standing There."

She loves timeless music, Monae said after her show.

"We look to a lot of people whose bodies are dead and gone, but their spirit is still with us," Monae said.

Her choreography borrows from James Brown, Michael Jackson and Devo, with dance moves from the future.

Monae -- or Mayweather -- thinks she can fly.

She jumped head-first into the audience, "crowd surfing" the unlikely mosh pit in UCLA's Royce Hall. Search Monae's name on YouTube and you'll see her jumping into swimming pools to end her shows. She climbed a tree in New York -- after her swim.

Unlike some performers, her talent matches Monae's onstage antics, Trinidad said.

"It's one thing for her to perform a certain way, but she backs with it up with talent," he said.

Monae's android-on-the-run theme, reminiscent of the 1982 movie "Blade Runner," reminds Trinidad "of all the great albums from the past that had a story and concept attached."

"She was just kind of like bored with everything else going on, and she wanted to transcend it and tell a story," he said.

Monae said she is not following a formula, that she is "being led by my maker."

"I'm very similar to a terminal," she said.

Monae will inevitably capture the world's attention because she is "outshining a lot of what's happening in the mainstream," Trinidad said.

That time may be near.

Sean "Diddy" Combs signed her to his Bad Boy Records, giving her music distribution.

Coca-Cola hired Monae to sing on its "Open Happiness" ad campaign. It airs on this week's "American Idol" finale.

Her tour stops next month include at least six shows in the northeastern United States, opening for Gwen Stefani's reunited rock group No Doubt.

Monae then plays the Hollywood Bowl with the legendary jazz singer Etta James.

She plays herself in two episodes of the Sci Fi Channel's "Stargate Universe" this fall.

Response: Janelle Monae popping up on commercial, on tour, on TV. Singer has alter ego: Cindi Mayweather, futuristic android on the run. Observers praise talent: "I believe she's going to be a household name," says DJ.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Juan Roman Riquelme scored twice as Argentina beat Bolivia 3-0 to notch a third successive victory in the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup on Saturday.

Juan Roman Riquelme celebrates after scoring his first goal in Argentina's win against Bolivia.

The midfielder followed up his brace of spectacular free-kicks in the opening 2-0 victory against Chile to help put his country five points clear of second-placed Brazil, who play Peru in Lima on Sunday.

Riquelme again shrugged off his lack of club action with Villarreal, where he has fallen out with the Spanish side's management, to net twice in the second spell after Sergio Aguero gave the home side a first-half lead.

The 19-year-old scored his first goal at international level five minutes before the interval after starting in a three-man attack with Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi.

He headed home after Martin Demichelis nodded a cross from Manchester United striker Tevez back across goal.

Riquelme added the second 11 minutes after the break with a dipping free-kick which beat Carlos Arias from 25 yards, having been superbly denied by the keeper's one-handed effort shortly beforehand.

And he finished off the scoring in the 73rd minute with a cool sidefoot finish after being set up by Messi to cap off a match in which captain Javier Zanetti made a record-breaking 116th appearance for Argentina.

Argentina next travel to Colombia on Tuesday, when winless Bolivia have an away clash with Venezuela.

In other South American qualifiers, Colombia beat Venezuela 1-0, and Paraguay routed Ecuador 5-1.

Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez, a Colombian, quit after his team's loss saying: "I have taken the irrevocable decision to resign."  E-mail to a friend

Response: Argentina beat Bolivia 3-0 in South American qualifier for 2010 World Cup. Juan Roman Riquelme nets twice as Argentina win third successive match. Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez quits after 5-1 loss against Paraguay.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Even when Chelsea held a nine-point lead over Manchester City atop English football's Premier League, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho always maintained his team wasn't the favorite.

He is being proved right -- with Saturday not helping the Blues.

Chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened Crystal Palace and hours later saw Manchester City gain a point thanks to a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. It might have been worse for Chelsea, since City led 1-0.

"I think it is now impossible to win the title," Mourinho told Sky Sports before the Manchester City game. "We depend too much on other results."

Chelsea still leads the standings by a point over Liverpool and two over City but City has two games in hand and Liverpool will go top if it earns a point Sunday at home against Tottenham.

Manchester City, fresh off a convincing victory in the Manchester derby, took a deserved lead in London in the 18th minute when David Silva was the quickest to react after Edin Dzeko's left-footed shot struck the post.

Arsenal appeared listless, perhaps the result of losing 6-0 at Chelsea last week and then dropping more points against Swansea.

But the Gunners were a different side in the second half, leveling through defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini in the 53rd. And Arsenal almost took the lead, Joe Hart stopping Lukas Podolski with City creaking.

In the end City seemed happy to take a point judging by manager Manuel Pellegrini's substitutions.

"We played better in the first half," Pellegrini told Sky Sports.

Although Chelsea tallied more than 20 shots, only two were on goal and none managed to beat keeper Julian Speroni. Speroni twice thwarted Chelsea's offensive star, Eden Hazard.

John Terry, so solid for Chelsea this season, gave Palace a valuable three points with an own goal in the 52nd minute.

Mourinho didn't blame Terry and in fact praised his four main defenders as a whole. However, he added: "You have other players who are fantastic in some matches and disappear in other matches."

Manchester United has struggled in its first season under David Moyes but there were boos when a banner flew above Old Trafford calling for the Scot's departure.

Wayne Rooney -- a week after his wonder goal from the halfway mark against West Ham -- scored twice in United's 4-1 lunchtime win over Aston Villa. Rooney was substituted in the second half, days ahead of United's Champions League quarterfinal against title holder Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere, English trio Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana shone for Southampton again in a 4-0 home win against Newcastle; and relegation contenders West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City played to a 3-3 draw after both scored deep in injury time.

Stoke and Swansea further eased their relegation worries by defeating Hull 1-0 and Norwich 3-0, respectively.

Response: Chelsea suffers a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened Crystal Palace. Manchester City gains a point by tying Arsenal 1-1 in the late kickoff. Chelsea leads Liverpool by a point and City by two atop the table. Liverpool will go top of the Premier League with a draw Sunday.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- Following the World Health Organization's announcement that radio frequency emissions from cell phones may increase the risk of some kinds of brain cancer, what do you need to know about the radiation coming from your phone?

How can you protect yourself? And should RF emission information be listed on cell phone packaging, and in stores?

First things first: The WHO study did not say "cell phones cause brain cancer."

Rather, there is some evidence indicating a possible connection -- and while not conclusive, it warrants further study.

Consequently, WHO has now categorized radio frequency electromagnetic fields as a "group 2B" possible human carcinogen. Here's how Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, explained it in his detailed analysis of the WHO announcement:

"Group 2B means that there is some evidence for a risk but it's not that convincing. This group ends up being a bit of a catch-all category, and includes everything from carpentry to chloroform."

Dr. Gupta: Cell phones, brain tumors

So it's worth being aware of this classification -- just as you should be mindful of your intake of coffee, another group 2B carcinogen. But this announcement is not a reason to panic.

Would labels help?

San Francisco has been wrestling with whether to require cell phones to be labeled for their RF emissions.

Last year, the city tried to mandate cell phone radiation labeling in stores, originally to take effect February 2011. But according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "implementation was delayed until May 1, then June 15. There now is no proposed start date."

The city backtracked on this partly out of concern over a lawsuit filed by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association -- but also because officials didn't know how to ensure the accuracy of the labels.

Scientists aren't sure what's the most realistic, intuitive way to communicate cell phone RF emissions to consumers.

Specific absorption rate, a measure of the rate of RF energy that your body absorbs from the phone, is the most commonly cited benchmark. For a phone to be certified by the FCC and sold in the U.S., for example, its maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6 watts per kilogram.

But Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at University of California, Berkeley, told the Chronicle that "specific absorption rate isn't a very useful measure because it's the peak reading on a variety of tests conducted on cell phones to measure their radiation, but doesn't indicate the average amount of radiation a user would generally be exposed to."

He likened it to a car's gas mileage being reported only based on driving it up a steep hill. Such a measurement could actually make a car shopper avoid a hybrid because it doesn't perform well on hills, even though it would generally consume less gas.

CNET recently updated its guide to cell phone radiation levels, which ranks phones according to SAR.

Cell phones and radiation: The 10 highest- and lowest-emitting models

What cell phone users can do

If you are concerned that cell phones might increase your cancer risk, probably the best way to put the WHO announcement to good use is to minimize how much you hold your cell phone next to your head.

More tips on minimizing cell phone radiation

Your best bet is to use a headset that physically plugs in to your phone, such as earbuds with a microphone attached. Unlike Bluetooth headsets, this entails no additional RF exposure near your head -- although it may take a moment to connect your headset to your phone.

While the WHO examined only the possible risk of brain cancer, you can further reduce your cell phone RF exposure by placing your phone a few inches away from your body while using it -- such as in a purse or on the table.

Or whenever possible, talk via your phone's speaker function, or send a text message instead of placing a call.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amy Gahran.

Response: WHO classifies radio frequency electromagnetic fields as a "group 2B" possible carcinogen. Group is catch-all category, and includes everything from carpentry to chloroform. Scientists aren't sure how to communicate cell phone RF emissions to consumers. Specific absorption rate is the most commonly cited benchmark.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The budget battles continue to rage. Every time the Congress and the president reach another resolution over taxes and spending -- the new fiscal cliff -- another round of fighting begins.

At best, the government manages to operate based on continuing resolutions, temporary stopgap measures that indicate the budget process is dysfunctional. At worst, the federal government shuts down -- as it might this week -- or Congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling in a few more weeks. The impact of these fights could be horrendous for the economy.

Few dispute that our budget process is broken. But the nation is so buried in the weeds, trying to scramble out of each specific budget battle, that there is hardly time to step back and understand what dynamics are driving this process.

Partisan strategy is one of the main culprits. Polarization has made almost every issue more contentious on Capitol Hill. But in recent years, Republicans in particular have taken the initiative to use the budget as a way to handcuff Democratic presidents.

The strategy has deep roots. In 1966 and 1967, conservative Southern Democrats and Midwestern Republicans focused attention on the rising deficits to force President Lyndon Johnson to accept deep spending cuts and bring his opportunities for enacting more legislation to an end.

In 1995 and 1996, Republicans shut down the federal government with their push for spending cuts. Even after the backlash helped President Bill Clinton regain his political standing, which had plummeted after the 1994 election, the GOP continued to insist on spending cuts through the remainder of Clinton's term, leaving him little opportunity to do much more than to try and curtail their demands.

Since 2010, a growing number of Republicans have been willing to use aggressive techniques to force President Barack Obama's hand on this issue. They have demonstrated that they would be fine with shutting down the government and they have threatened to not raise the debt ceiling -- which would send the country into default.

To be sure there have been moments when Democrats have challenged Republican presidents as well. The difference is they have usually done so symbolically to make a statement about Republican policies, whereas the new generation of Republicans appears willing to follow through on the threat.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, New York Republican Peter King lambasted his colleagues, calling Sen. Ted Cruz's recent tactics, "a form of governmental terrorism."

Another reason the budgeting process is becoming ever more brutal is because, historically, once legislators break the barrier of using a certain tactic, the practice can become normalized.

The best example is the filibuster. There was a time when members of the Senate were reluctant to use the filibuster frequently. They reserved it for high-profile issues, like civil rights, believing that ordinarily a majority should be sufficient to pass legislation.

But since the 1970s, the filibuster has become a routine weapon in partisan combat. Senators have been willing to threaten or use the filibuster more frequently, and to do so on rather mundane issues. The result has been that the Senate became a chamber where a supermajority is required on most issues.

We're seeing a similar dynamic with the budget. Whereas threatening a government shutdown was once seen as a highly dramatic act, in the current environment there are many legislators who seem to view it as a legitimate part of congressional debate.

While there was a time when legislators warned that they would not vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling only when they knew that Congress was going to raise the debt ceiling, now more legislators are open to following through on the threat that the debt limit increase won't pass. Each time that they do it, the threat becomes more familiar, and more accepted by some.

Finally, the budget wars are fueled by the 24-hour news media, with outlets on cable television and the Internet that are constantly in search of dramatic stories to win attention. The budget war offers great fodder. The possibility of a fiscal cliff offers political junkies a bit of the kind of thrill that "Breaking Bad" fans have felt every time Walter White extricates himself from another bind.

As a result, legislators such as Cruz, who gained considerable attention over the past few weeks for his dramatic stand against Obamacare, are making a name for themselves and staying in the headlines. The budget process might not be good for the nation, but it is certainly a great way for a politician to receive attention.

At some point there will be pressure to reform the process. The latest round of budget battles led a larger number of Republicans, like Sen. John McCain, to be openly critical of their colleagues and call for a very different approach. As Representative King, an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, explained, "I still think we should try to repeal the bill. But you repeal it the same way you passed it. You get bills through both houses of Congress, and you get the president to sign it."

Budget reform is possible. For instance, there has been some discussion about the possibility of repealing the need for a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling.

There have been several moments in U.S. history, such as in 1921 and 1974, when Congress overhauled the entire budget process. It might be time to start that debate again.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.

Response: Julian Zelizer: Budget battles reoccur regularly, and each time seems worse. Republicans have used the weapon of a shutdown to cripple Democratic presidents, he says. Zelizer: When a tactic such as threatening to veto debt limit increase is used, it becomes the new normal. He says some in GOP are outraged, and now is a good time to talk about reforming budget process.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Washington (CNN) -- Congress set off for a two-week recess Friday, flying out of Washington under a dark cloud: the "Do-nothing" label. But that term is too easy. If you take a closer look, it turns out the better fit may be the "wasted-time" Congress.

The terms "do-nothing" and "Congress" may be so cemented together that the phrase no longer tells us much. At the moment, it may sound redundant.

In 2013, Congress spent more time at the office but got less done with it than at any time in recent history.

How much got done?

Let's start there. There are many measures of congressional activity, but one has sparked the "do-nothing" label: Bills passed.

• Bills passed 2013: 64

• Where does that place?: That is the lowest amount in modern history.

• What about recent years?: 148 ('12), 90 ('11), 258 ('10) and 125 ('09). The lowest figure during President George W. Bush's term was 136, double the amount passed this year.

Lawmakers pass more blame than bills

Wait, bills passed does not mean "good" bills passed. This is true. And it is a key argument for Republicans especially.

"It's not how many bills you pass," Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, told CNN, "It's how many you stop. A lot of them are bad."

This is what we're getting at here by bucking the "do-nothing" label. It does not capture the extent of the problem in Congress.

6 reasons why 2013 was a bad year for Obama

How else can you measure the mess on Capitol Hill?

By the hundreds of hours it took Congress to get so little done.

Days in session? We could look at the days in session, which were officially more than 150 for both the House and Senate. That is average for the Senate and way above average for the House.

But those figures can be misleading: They include "pro-forma" sessions when the House and Senate are not really in Washington.

Instead, consider time in session

• Senate time in session: More than 1,098 hours.

• House time in session: More than 786 hours. .

• Relatively: That's higher than average for the Senate over the past 30 years. And lower than average for the House.

Senate clears key nominations, leaves town for Christmas

And there were issues that both parties pledged to address, but left unresolved in that work time. To name a few:

• Jobs, long-term unemployment

• Immigration

• Energy policy

In other words, Congress spent hundreds of hours in Washington -- far more than average for the Senate -- and still was not able to address most of the biggest issues of the day.

"It's a lot of wasted time," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, told CNN, her frustrated tone at odds with her bright holiday red sweater. " Ridiculous... It's exhausting... It's been getting worse and worse every year. Exponentially. There are so many issues we could be dealing with, and we're so discouraged."

This is perhaps the greatest area of bipartisan agreement: Congress is in Washington, but doing less.

"I think we've been working less, to be honest with you," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said as he left the last Senate vote of the year.

When asked about the increased hours in the Senate, he was quick to respond, "The number of hours doing nothing? Yes, absolutely."

There is a pervasive sense of frustration mixed with no clear path toward a better, more able Congress.

"I think a majority of the members are trying... and hope that getting back to where the Congress does its job is just right around the next corner," said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, who previously served as the Republican whip in the House. He lowered is voice. "And we keep turning that corner and finding out we're not there yet. And that's frustrating."

It is a combination of doing relatively little, but taking an enormous amount of time doing it.

"A lot of wasted time to me," Boxer repeated.

Obama says 2013 wasn't his worst year

Response: Congress spent more time in office this year but got less done. Some Republicans argue that it's number of bad bills stopped that shows effectiveness. "It's been getting worse and worse every year," veteran Democrat says. Long-time Republican says, "I think we've been working less".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets -- flying off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman -- crashed Monday night in the Persian Gulf, U.S. Navy officials said.

The aircrafts' three aviators were recovered safely after they ejected from the jets -- a single-seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F.

The U.S. Navy did not immediately know the cause of the F/A-18 crash.

There is no indication of hostile fire action, the officials said.

The incident is not related to Sunday's confrontation between three U.S. Navy warships and five Iranian boats, Navy officials said. E-mail to a friend

Response: All three aviators recovered safely after ejecting from aircraft; crash cause unknown. No indication of hostile fire; not related to Iranian confrontation Sunday. F-18 Super Hornets are attached to aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Decked out in voluminous Victorian-style dresses, complete with horn-shaped headgear, the Herero ladies of Namibia have held on tight to a piece of 19th century history.

For over a century these women have fiercely protected their dress as a crucial part of their cultural identity.

Their style of dressing was influenced by the wives of German missionaries and colonialists who first came to the country in the early 1900s.

The long dresses are heavy and reflect the style of the Victorian period with numerous petticoats worn to add fullness to their skirts. They are hand-sewn by the women who add their own personal style and flair.

Blogger Mwalimushi Kamati-Chinkoti of My Beautiful Namibia website says wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman's place in the society.

She wrote on her website: "These outfits are regarded as proper dress for traditional married women. By wearing the long dress, a newly-married woman shows her in-laws that she is willing to take up the responsibilities of a Herero home and will raise her children to respect their heritage and their father's family."

"The Herero women's long dress has become a symbol of Herero tradition for Herero, tourists, scholars and other Namibians," she added.

It is a view echoed by Lutz Marten, a linguist at London's School of Oriental and African studies with a specialism in the Herero tribe. He explains that the style of dress has become an important part of the Herero women's identity.

iReport: send in your photos from Namibia

"It reflects a strong sense of history and the memory of national rebuilding after the [Herero-German] 1904 war," he said.

"It also provides a sense of cultural identity in general, in the historical context and in the context of modern-day Namibia," he added.

The colorful dresses are topped off with an elaborate headgear made of a matching fabric.

According to Tim Henshall, a British tour operator who has visited the region for nearly two decades and gotten to know some of the women, the headdress is "built to represent the horns of the cattle, which are so important to the Himba and Herero communities."

"The Germans in Namibia brought people in to work for them so they took the local communities and gave them work in their houses and on their land," said Henshall, who runs Kamili Safaris.

"Instead of the Herero being topless and barely covered, which would offend the modest attitudes of Victorians at the time, they wanted them to be covered up," he added. Henshall added that the women showed no sign of being bothered by wearing the outfits, even in Namibia's tropical climate.

The Herero and Himba people are a pastoral, cattle-breeding tribe who migrated to Namibia several centuries ago.

The traditional Herero live in the north of the country in the Kunene region and the Damaraland area.

Around 150 years ago, the two groups split and Herero settled in towns and villages while the Himba continued with a nomadic lifestyle.

The Herero women take enormous pride in their outfits and have also developed a sideline in making and selling dolls wearing exact replicas of the dresses to tourists.

Quiz: what do you know about Namibia?

Marten says that keeping the memory of the Herero-German war alive is very important and that there is an annual festival in August to commemorate this. He adds that the Herero genocide in 1904 killed almost 75% of the population, and the event is a key moment in Herero identity.

"This is in part assimilation to European culture, and also in part appropriation, a coming-to-terms with, and overcoming of history and the colonial experience," he said.

This article was originally published on November 3, 2011 for 'Inside Africa'.

CNN's Eye On series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy

Response: Many Herero women in Namibia wear traditional Victorian-style costume. The style of clothing was brought to the country by German colonialists over 100 years ago. The hats worn by Herero women represent the horns of cattle. The style of dress continues to be passed down through generations.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- As air crash investigators pick over the wreckage of flight QV301 -- the Lao Airlines plane that crashed in bad weather on Tuesday with 50 people on board -- concerns over air safety are growing as the number of flights in South East Asia increases.

A steep rise in air traffic in countries like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia -- fueled by a boom in tourism -- means domestic air regulators are having to contend with creaking infrastructure and a lack of experience in maintaining internationally recognized standards.

Laos has a patchy record on air safety, logging 30 fatal air accidents since the 1950s according to the Aviation Safety Network, though data shows things have started to improve in the past decade.

The story in other emerging markets in South East Asia tells a similar story.

Both the U.S. State Department and Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued travel warnings directly related to the aviation industry in Myanmar -- also known as Burma -- following an incident in 2012, when an Air Bagan plane carrying more than 60 passengers crashed on Christmas Day.

The State Department has warned travelers to keep in mind Myanmar's sometimes shadowy record regarding its civil aviation report card.

"The safety records of Burma's domestic airlines are not open to the public, nor is public information available concerning the Burma government's oversight of domestic airlines," it says on its website.

But Myanmar aims to change that by setting its sights on the release of a national civil aviation policy to prepare for the traffic boom that threatens to overwhelm its inadequate air transport infrastructure.

Government forecasts predict annual visitors to rise to six million in 2017 from its current 1.5 million annually, and its fast growing airline industry has received applications from four airlines owned by Burmese nationals, adding to the seven domestic carriers currently.

Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with ratings agency Standard and Poor's, said standards differed dramatically across the South East Asian region.

"It varies from country to country and airline to airline. In first world countries, Singapore Hong Kong and Malaysia, there are few concerns about the safety of aviation because they've had a long track record," Yusof told CNN.

"But then you have developing markets in Indonesia and Indochina -- and Myanmar is another country which is up and coming -- where it's really up to the operators to keep abreast with different maintenance and training requirements.

"Increasingly with the growth of low-cost airlines in the region, there will be issues surrounding safety especially in countries that are well known for safety."

He said infrastructure in Myanmar would be under strain if it didn't keep pace with the growth of the market. Overcrowding is already an issue in Myanmar where of the 600,000 people who visited Myanmar by air last year, 500,000 arrived in Yangon, its former capital. according to industry reports.

In August this year, Myanmar's Department of Civil Aviation announced plans to improve and expand Yangon International Airport and Mandalay International Airport, as well to develop the new Hanthawaddy International Airport 50 miles (80 km) north of Yangon.

"The equipment and facilities in Myanmar are quite old and with the rise of tourism they really need to get up to speed and get foreign experts to come in and help develop that market as quickly as they can," Yusof said.

"We are not seeing that happen as swiftly as we'd like to."

He said Indonesia was the real emerging market in the South East Asian aviation industry, but it also needed to catch up with respect to infrastructure requirements.

"The growth of discount carriers in Indonesia is phenomenal -- they are actually driving the market in the whole region but investment in infrastructure and airports and technology is not keeping pace with the growth of aviation economics in that country.

"The story is the same all over Indochina excluding Thailand, of course. In places like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, they need to do more than simply open the doors to tourism.

"Safety is fundamental if you want a functioning aviation industry."

Response: Concerns grow over safety amid South East Asia budget carrier boom. Newcomers to the market such as Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar have creaking infrastructure. Myanmar is attempting to catch up with an exponential growth in its tourism numbers. Analysts say Indonesia is leading the region in the budget carrier boom.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(Mashable) -- Rovio Entertainment, known for its intense focus on one mega-successful game title, "Angry Birds," is looking to diversify with another new mobile game called "Amazing Alex."

The title is a rebranding of "Casey's Contraptions," which Rovio bought from developers Noel Llopis and Miguel A. Friginal earlier this month. Rovio CEO Mikael Hed told Finnish TV station Yle that the latest game "has an educational element and centers on the main character Alex, a curious young boy who loves to build things." The title is expected to be released within the next two months.

"Casey's Contraptions" is another physics-based game along the lines of "Angry Birds." The game features Rube Goldberg-type contraptions that are made from items like balloons, soccer balls, scissors and buckets.

Rovio announced the billionth download of "Angry Birds" last week. The company, which released the game in 2009, offers four different versions of the game -- "Angry Birds Space" is the latest. In addition, Rovio is working on a movie, TV show and theme park based on the property.

What do you think? Can Rovio be known for something beyond "Angry Birds"? Sound off in the comments.

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Response: Rovio Entertainment has bought "Casey's Contraptions" and is rebranding it as "Amazing Alex.". "Casey's Contraptions" is another physics-based game along the lines of "Angry Birds". The game features Rube Goldberg-type contraptions that are made from items like balloons.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:West Pokot, Kenya (CNN) -- More than 13 years after his parents drowned in a flash flood, David Kakuko is at the Moruny River, building a bridge that might have prevented their deaths.

The hanging footbridge will provide safe passage over the Moruny, a frequently flooded waterway in West Pokot, Kenya.

"Before the bridge, there [were] so many people, so many who lost their lives," said Kakuko, 32. "I know, because I have no parents. I have no parents, because this river took them."

Kakuko is working alongside other local residents and Harmon Parker, a master mason who has been building bridges through Kenya's mountainous terrain since 1997.

Parker, a Lexington, Kentucky, native who came to Kenya in 1989, has seen firsthand how flash floods -- and the threat of predators such as crocodiles and hippos -- can make rivers impassable in isolated communities.

"I've worked all over Kenya," said Parker, 54. "And every community [has] a story of ... loved ones lost."

When Parker arrived in Kenya as a young missionary, he befriended Jay Hindson, a fellow development worker who introduced him to a bridge build in 1996. The experience changed the course of his life.

"It was a plea from the community," Parker recalled. "I saw that building a bridge could change lives and transform communities."

Parker has been building bridges ever since, and in 2003 he founded the nonprofit organization Bridging the Gap. The organization oversees the building of bridges that not only save lives but connect isolated villagers to resources that can improve their way of life.

"When it floods, people really suffer not being able to get to the clinic or the market or to their school," Parker said. "Like every people, they have dreams. They want to prosper."

Since 1997, Parker has helped build 45 bridges in Kenya. He estimates they've affected tens of thousands of lives, but he insists his work is not about the numbers.

"I have built many bridges in very remote areas for the 'few and the needy' that a larger organization may not consider," he said. "Knowing this bridge will probably save at least one life is what makes me tick. ... I build bridges because I want to save lives, lives that I will never know about."

Parker's hanging footbridges are simple in design, with an average length of 120 feet and an average cost of about $6,000. They are built using basic materials and local tools so villagers can maintain them and make repairs when needed.

There is high demand for Parker's help. But because of limited financing, he is able to organize only five or six projects a year.

To determine which projects he takes on, Parker visits the village that initiated the request. To qualify for a bridge, the river in question must be considered a peril to cross. It also has to inhibit access to education, health care or commerce.

Parker also requires that the community demonstrate a willingness and ability to participate in the construction of the bridge, whether it's by gathering sand, making gravel or digging foundations.

It's "so they can take pride in their bridge, so that they feel they played a big role in it and that they have ownership," Parker said.

Kakuko has no problem with making that commitment.

"It is good for us, because this is our bridge," he said. "It is not for the men who gave it to us. It is ours. So people should guard and watch over it like it is their own."

Although the bridges are sponsored by donors, villagers are also expected to provide some form of financial contribution.

"I don't know how many goats I have in this region. But they always give me a goat," Parker said. "I was even offered a young wife in a real rural area. And I had to refuse that."

Parker's work requires that he spend weeks, even months at a time away from his wife and home in Nairobi. And over the past 15 years, he's been robbed at gunpoint, plagued by parasites and afflicted with grave illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever. But he doesn't see his role as sacrificial.

"I feel I'm blessed ... privileged to do what I'm doing," he said. "A bridge is a beautiful metaphor for many things. There are bridges of hope, bridges of peace, bridges of life. To me, bridges are beautiful."

Want to get involved? Check out the Bridging the Gap website at www.bridgingthegapafrica.org and see how to help.

Response: Harmon Parker's nonprofit group helps Kenyans build footbridges over perilous rivers. The bridges not only save lives; they connect people to schools, markets and health care. Parker came to Kenya in 1989 as a young missionary with masonry skills. Because of limited financing, he is able to organize only five or six bridge projects a year.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:The company was founded in 1968 by Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore, two of the original brains behind one of the major players in early computer chip development, Fairchild Semiconductors.

Intel launched its first microprocessor, the 4004, in November 1971, and it was followed by the 8008 and the 8080, which was used in one of the world's first personal computers.

The 4004, Intel's breakthrough invention, powered the Busicom calculator and paved the way for embedding intelligence in inanimate objects as well as the personal computer

Today the company is still at the forefront in the development of computer chips and microprocessors offering cutting edge chipsets, processors and motherboards.

In 2007 Intel's total revenue was more than $38 billion, with an operating revenue of $8.2 billion and a net income of $7 billion.

The company employs 86,300 people at more than 50 locations across the world, including the Intel Headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

Intel particularly supports Achieve's Mathematics Achievement Partnership (MAP), a unique collaboration among states that will create a new assessment and teaching and learning strategies to assist U.S. 8th-graders in mastering the challenging foundations of algebra and geometry to the level routinely taught in the highest performing countries. E-mail to a friend

Response: Intel was formed in 1968 by founders of Fairchild Semiconductors. It's first microprocessor, the 4004 was launched in 1971. In 2007 Intel's total revenue was more than $38 billion.