Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Airline passengers are already able to check in to flights, download boarding passes, select a seat on the go and keep an eye on the upgrades list thanks to recent evolutions in smartphone technology, and the options just keep growing.

A global industrywide Airline IT Trends Survey shows that more than 90% of the airlines surveyed are increasing their investment in mobile capabilities to ease the hassles of getting through the airport and improve the in-flight experience. And the airlines are likely to find a way to generate revenue, too.

So what's a flier to expect from airline apps on the horizon? In the not-too-distant future, you'll probably be able to rent a car, pay bag fees and use augmented reality to find the nearest airport bar through your airline's smartphone app.

Delta Air Lines is putting emphasis on improving mobile functionality. While some airline apps allow travelers to make flight reservations (a feature that Delta has not introduced but promises is coming), the world's largest carrier is one of the few airlines that gives customers the ability to adjust travel itineraries from their mobile device.

Delayed Delta passengers who miss a connection now can immediately rebook a different flight and download a new boarding pass, all while in the air.

The airline has some new app plans up its sleeve as well. Delta declines to give a release date for the feature, but it is close to unveiling a new tool where travelers can track checked baggage from their mobile devices, according to Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec. (They can already do so on the airline's website.)

The airline eventually could offer other services on its mobile app that are already listed on its website, such as the ability to search for hotel and car rental reservations, Skrbec said.

GuestLogix, a company that creates onboard merchandising technology, is already trying to integrate these services into an airline app with the launch of its OnTouch Mobile Concierge platform, which it pitched to major airlines this week, a company official said. The mobile app does not just offer access to itinerary details, but it also functions as a one-stop shop for airline passengers to make in-air purchases related to their trip, such as in-flight refreshments and arrangements for ground transportation, dining and entertainment in the destination city.

GuestLogix says it is in talks with most major North American carriers about implementing the OnTouch Mobile Concierge, which would likely be offered by airlines as a separate app from the ticketing-based ones that exist.

"We are providing airlines with the opportunity to offer their passengers a streamlined experience," said Brett Proud, GuestLogix's executive vice president of new markets and products. "Disparity within the mobile channel is a huge issue despite the fact that consumers are increasingly expecting cross-platform integration and a consistent experience. The fully integrated mobile platform that we have built allows travelers to check in to flights and hotels, view travel information and updates, and receive offers from multiple airline carriers, hotels and other services -- all at one time, and in one place."

The hope is the OnTouch Mobile Concierge will also allow airlines to generate new revenue streams by capitalizing for the first time on destination-related purchases.

But integrating outside products and services into airline apps is not the only way that airlines hope to customize the passenger experience while increasing revenue. According to Delta's Skrbec, the demand is likely there for airlines eventually to offer add-ons such as standby upgrades and the ability to pay for extra checked baggage through mobile applications, but industry research suggests that offering those types of mobile transactions won't happen overnight.

According to a report released this year by Amadeus, a company that develops technology for the travel industry, ancillary services -- from premium seating to in-flight meals -- are unlikely to be sold on airlines' mobile platforms on a widespread level for another year or two.

So more add-ons and products will be available, but is help on the way for slogging through the airport?

American, United and Continental airlines currently offer airport maps in their mobile apps, with Delta soon to join them. But the maps are generally useful only in locating gates; they don't offer detailed information on where to find food and shopping locations.

Augmented reality technology may come to the rescue here. It allows users to point the camera on their smartphone at their surroundings and receive corresponding information about their current location, such as which restaurants and stores are nearby. Amadeus's report estimates it will take three to five years for most airlines to find a way to integrate augmented reality into an airline app.

Airlines might take some cues from a new app released by Denmark's Copenhagen Airport this year, which became the world's first application to use augmented reality indoors successfully -- according to SITA, the app's developer. The app allows travelers at the airport to access not just gate information but also details on surrounding shops and services, saving them time while trying to catch a flight.

Even when it comes to selling fares through mobile clients, a service that 85% of airlines in the Airline IT Trends Survey either offer or plan to offer by 2014, there is room for improvement. Currently, airline apps only offer tickets with their specific carrier, and mobile customers can't take advantage of the flexibility offered by airline alliances.

"Airline alliances, the Star Alliance in particular, haven't really kept pace with mobile developments," said Dennis Schaal, the North America editor of the travel tech site Tnooz.com. "Granted, creating a mobile app that brings in dozens of airlines would be no easy task, but there should be some kind of booking capability at this juncture."

The Star Alliance has two mobile apps available for download: one that offers airport information in addition to the ability to search and track flights, and another that is a fare finder for flights on the alliance's airlines. The Star Alliance includes airlines such as United, Continental, Air Canada and US Airways -- which does not currently offer a mobile app.

But those airlines that fail to take the full leap into the mobile world will quickly find themselves in the minority. Apps might not replace websites as the primary place where people purchase airline reservations, especially with new airline initiatives to integrate ticket-purchasing apps into social-media sites such as Facebook.

However, they're beginning to offer a level of customer service and convenience that has never before been possible in the industry, and perhaps could even transform the experience of traveling enough to create a new barometer on which airline brands will be judged in the future.

Response: Airlines are increasing their investment in mobile capabilities. Ancillary services are likely to be incorporated into the mobile menu. Delta's app provides the ability to adjust travel plans from mobile devices.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:"Made in America" is a phrase rarely seen in the apparel industry. And while many clothing companies rely on retailers to distribute their products, one apparel company is steering clear of store fronts and selling their American-made clothing direct to consumers. Smart Business meets Bayard Winthrop, founder of San Francisco-based American Giant.

CNN: American Giant has no stores or marketing campaigns, and is sold strictly online. How do you compete with other manufacturers?

Bayard Winthrop: One of the big, dirty secrets in the apparel industry is that so much of the cost of what we pay for in our shirts and our pants is chewed up in distribution costs and big traditional marketing budgets. We're entering into a time where consumers are caring less and less about the corner store, the mall store and big traditional marketing budgets.

What American Giant is trying to do is not invest in those things and invest much more in the things that matter to customers and putting a lot of money into materials and into craftsmanship and into American-made products, so it really is looking at trying to be a part of this whole new wave of e-commerce.

CNN: More than 97% of apparel sold in the US Is made in other countries, and eight out of 10 shoes bought in the US are made in China. Why is this?

BW: One of the great misconceptions about the cost of American-made manufacturing versus the cost of manufacturing overseas is that I can pay a worker overseas something less than what I could pay an American worker.  And that's true.

But what's lost in that very blunt analysis is if you think about what it takes to manufacture well overseas, there's a lot of distance, a lot of language barriers, a lot of time differentials, a lot of quality controlling that you're doing online or on the phone that you're not doing in person.  If you actually monetize all of those things, I think that the difference between manufacturing overseas and manufacturing domestic is actually a lot less than most people think.

CNN: What benefits do you see by having your entire manufacture-base in the US?

BW: By having our supply chain domestic it means that we can very easily be in very close contact with the people that are growing our cotton, spinning our yarn and making our garments.

CNN: What are the challenges of having an online-only store?

BW: One thing that traditional retail does pretty well is having a whole bunch of stores out there, which gets the word out easier. It's a vehicle to get the brand messaging out there.

We rely on word of mouth. We rely on selling a sweat shirt to somebody that thinks it's of such high quality and we're standing for something that matters to them that they in turn will talk about it and become a fan and be loyal.

We fundamentally believe that at the end of the day, it comes down to the product, and if you build a great product, customers are going to say: 'I'm gonna pick up the banner and talk about the brand and talk about the business.'

Response: Manufacturers American Giant produce all of their clothing in the United States. Founder Bayard Winthrop believes that having an American-based manufacturing force is key to product quality. American Giant shuns traditional marketing campaigns for an online store.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Professed "Jersey girl" Christeena Hockin-Minopetros began collecting sea glass from the New Jersey shore when she was 5. She recalls that when she was younger, before the glass became scarce, you could walk home with a bucketful after a day at the beach.

Now, 10 months after Hurricane Sandy hammered the Atlantic coastline, the Florida resident says she's shocked by how many of the frosty relics she found while walking along Sea Bright Beach back home this summer.

"It's everywhere," Hockin-Minopetros said, explaining how she found two large bags of sea glass in a variety of hues: brown, white, blue, milky green and a "gorgeous" red piece she can't take her eyes off.

We can thank Sandy for the finds, said coastal geologist Cheryl Hapke.

"This is an epic summer for a collection of beach glass," she said.

Sea glass, or beach glass, begins essentially as garbage -- broken glass dumped into fresh or salt water. Over time, waves, water and sand smooth its sharp edges. It's the smaller pieces of sea glass that usually get brought onto shore for people to pick up, Hapke said.

It's well-known that hurricanes erode seashores and hamper tourism, but, according to Hapke, a storm like Sandy -- which boasted record-high waves in late October -- can filter larger, coarse materials from the seabed and wash them onto the shoreline.

That's good news for beach-side businesses that sell their finds.

As Sandy swallowed beaches and deterred patrons, businesses in southern New Jersey's Cape May Point suffered, said resident Jeanette Bartolomeo. Her son-in-law's Sunset Beach Gift Shops, where Bartolomeo works as the jewelry manager, were among the few fortunate.

Never mind the sea glass; Bartolomeo's eye is drawn to the "Cape May Diamonds" -- clear quartz pebbles that, when polished, resemble real diamonds -- and Sunset Beach Gift Shops are known for their collection.

The pure quartz pebbles, which break off from pockets of quartz crystal in the upper reaches of the Delaware River, have always been in abundance, but bigger pieces churn up after a storm.

That's why Hurricane Sandy and the February nor'easter were "a blessing," Bartolomeo said.

"Thank God they keep coming in," she said.

Though Sandy didn't damage Cape May as much as other parts of New Jersey, many residents and visitors assumed beaches and shops there were closed, so Cape May tourism suffered and business was slower than usual, Bartolomeo said.

"We had people calling, 'Are you open now?' " she said. "But we were never closed."

Gov. Chris Christie's administration announced last week that every public boardwalk and beach along the New Jersey shore is now open, after 10 months of renovations and "beach replenishing."

Bartolomeo said she's already seen an increase in tourists this summer at Sunset Beach, where visitors can be found scouring the beach for the quarter-size "diamonds" washing up on the shore.

Despite the good news for many businesses, Hockin-Minopetros is concerned that beach replenishing -- by which sand from other areas is used to revitalize an eroded beach -- might affect the abundance of sea glass, much like she worries construction and spiking insurance rates along the coast could affect the shoreline's pristine quaintness.

"I'm afraid New Jersey's shoreline will be one big McMansion, and that saddens me deeply," she said.

In addition to the sea glass she collects to craft into jewelry, which she sells, Hockin-Minopetros also keeps a personal collection of about 500 "really fantastic" pieces, most of which she collected while living in Greece.

But her best piece is one she picked up in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, she said.

The heavy, 8-inch-long, clear glass is actually a deck prism, which sailors used in the upper deck of a ship to illuminate the ship's passageways below deck. It's one she won't be selling, she said.

"I only keep the real unusual," she said.

Response: Sea glass, scarce before Hurricane Sandy, makes resurgence in New Jersey. In southern part of state, Cape May "diamonds" from Delaware River wash up. Governor says all beaches, boardwalks open after 10 months of repair.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:If that isn't a wave out there on the horizon, it is, at the moment anyway, a big, Republican-leaning ripple.

Consider this:

-- A new CNN/ORC poll shows President Barack Obama's standing on terrorism issues is in sharp decline just as voter concerns about ISIS is climbing.

-- In that same poll, released Monday, more and more Americans see the country as heading in the wrong direction -- always one of the most telling indicators of the electorate's mood.

-- Recent days also have brought a handful of polls in key Senate races that suggest Republican advantages in Kentucky, Arkansas and Alaska and only a narrow Democratic lead in Colorado. Odds of a GOP takeover of the Senate are looking up eight weeks to Election Day.

CNN poll: Key Arkansas Senate race a dead heat

CNN poll: McConnell holds slim edge in Kentucky

"It's much better to be a Republican candidate than a Democratic candidate, at least at the moment," says veteran GOP pollster Whit Ayres. "Yes, the Republican brand sucks, but it is the President's image that dominates midterm elections, not that of our party."

If nothing else, the next few days are going to reinvigorate the debate over what constitutes a wave. Smart operatives in both parties for weeks now have shied away from that word -- mostly because there are fewer competitive House districts now than in past cycles.

So, even if the GOP has a great Election Night, it is unrealistic to believe there could be a 30-seat gain in the House, as the Democrats enjoyed in 2006. Or a 60-seat pickup like the tea party wave in 2010. This cycle, GOP strategists say a great night would be adding 15-18 seats to the Republican majority; Democrats are hoping to keep their losses in single digits.

Congress to-do list: Avoid shutdown, go campaigning

But the improving Senate climate for Republicans has reignited "wave" talk.

"I am now expecting a substantial Republican Senate wave in November, with a net gain of at least seven seats," the veteran prognosticator Stuart Rothenberg wrote Monday.

Ayres is waiting for a bit more evidence.

"I don't see any evidence of a wave like we had in '06 or '08," says Ayres. "But a few more polls like the one you cite could get me to change my mind."

In the CNN poll numbers, the encouraging news for the President is that he and the public are largely in sync about how muscular to be in responding to ISIS.  A clear majority opposes American combat boots on the ground, but 50% support using other military force, up from 34% a year ago.

Challenges to predicting the November election results

But there is this damning finding: 67% say Obama does not have a clear plan for dealing with ISIS. Plus, only 37% approve of how he is handling ISIS, and just 41% approve of his handling of the broader terrorism issue.

Perhaps the President can change those bad reviews with his speech to the nation later this week. Even so, his job approval rating is stagnant at 43%, and the percentage of Americans who think things are going badly in the country stands at 55%, up from 50% in April.

Again, eight weeks is a long time. And Democrats insist they will again surprise us with superior voter outreach and turnout.

But for now, the numbers are compelling: A weak President and a worried electorate are the trademark ingredients of a wave. Or a really big ripple.

Response: Poll numbers indicate a sizable advantage for GOP in this year's midterms. Obama's approval numbers are low; more people think U.S. is heading in wrong direction. A new CNN poll shows voter concerns about ISIS are rising.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Editor's note: Laura Gómez is professor of law and American studies at the University of New Mexico. Gómez, who has a Ph.D. in sociology and a law degree from Stanford University, is the author of "Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race."

Laura Gómez says Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina" comment has been taken out of context.

(CNN) -- It is likely that Judge Sotomayor will face some questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week about her 2001 "wise Latina" remark.

In a speech at a Berkeley conference on Hispanic judges, Sotomayor said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Her comment has been lampooned on the cover of the National Review, where cartoonists apparently could not quite fathom a wise Latina judge, choosing to portray Sotomayor as a Buddha with Asian features. It has caused Rush Limbaugh and others to label her a "racist," and it has caused even liberals to bristle.

I was a speaker at the conference Sotomayor's speech kicked off, and I would like to put her comment in context.

Entitled "Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation," the conference brought together -- for the first time, to my knowledge -- judges, lawyers, scholars and law students to consider the state of Latinos in the judiciary.

By 2050, Hispanics will be 30 percent of the U.S. population, and yet the number of Latino judges remains tiny. The number of female Hispanic judges is even smaller; Sotomayor is one of two Hispanic women among federal appellate judges, and there are not much more than that among the hundreds of federal district judges.

Part of the impetus for the conference was to signal the potential crisis for our courts in the 21st century if we do not get more Latino lawyers interested in becoming judges and more appointed to the bench.

In this context, I did not find Sotomayor's comment controversial. As I look at the speech eight years later, I'm struck by how measured and careful she was in making the claim.

First, the sentence I have quoted here followed Sotomayor's acknowledgement that there is no universal definition of "wise."

Second, she presented the statement as aspirational by using the phrase "I would hope"; she was talking as much about the ideal of diversity as its reality.

Third, she specified that she was talking not about all Latinas and all white men but about ideal types; she invoked a "wise" Hispanic woman who has had a particular set of life experiences and white male judges who have not "lived that life" (suggesting that some white males could, in fact, bring a similar empathy and/or life experience to the bench).

Fourth, she went out of her way to say that she thought this would be the case "more often than not," rather than all the time.

Finally, in the next sentence of her speech, Sotomayor went on to specify that she was addressing the dynamics of an appellate court with multiple judges (such as the three-judge and en banc panels on which she sits as an appeals court judge and the Supreme Court), rather than talking about a trial court context in which a single judge presides.

She was referencing the group dynamics on a U.S. Supreme Court of nine justices who converse publicly during oral arguments and privately during conferences over cases. In these settings, who a judge is, in all the ways that matter, undoubtedly affects his or her own thinking about cases as well as that of the other justices.

Does anyone that doubt that Justice Thurgood Marshall's identity as an African-American male or his experience as a civil rights lawyer shaped his judicial philosophy and influence his fellow justices some of the time? Most watchers of the Supreme Court have similarly concluded that Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have had a great impact on their colleagues in cases of particular interest to women, such as abortion and sex discrimination.

Ultimately, whether, holding other things constant, women of color make "better" judges than white men is an empirical question that we are unable to answer definitively any time soon, given the small numbers of minority judges.

That inquiry itself begs the question of quality explicit in Judge Sotomayor's comment: What makes one judge better than another? Better for whom? Some political scientists have argued that the appropriate measure is essentially political: Is the judge better for those who elected the president who nominated the Supreme Court justice?

At the end of the day, a judge's race and gender may have less impact on how she decides a particular case than how the larger public perceives the court on which she sits. In a society in which African-Americans and Hispanics, in particular, report high rates of dissatisfaction and lack of faith in the courts and other criminal justice institutions, the racial and gender makeup of the judiciary has greater relevance.

Of 111 Supreme Court justices, all but four have been white men. It's past time the nation's highest court looked more like the nation.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Laura Gómez.

Response: Laura Gómez: Critics of Sotomayor take her remarks out of context. She says judge carefully hedged comment about "wise Latina" judge. Gómez: Key merit of diversity on court is public view of judges' legitimacy.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- "LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean" holds fast to the pirate code with great humor and animation, appeal for all ages and massive replayability after the main story mode is complete.

The latest LEGO block video game (Disney Interactive Studios, Traveller's Tales) recounts the first three movies in the popular series and also includes the yet-to-be-released fourth film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

The new movie is scheduled to debut on May 20 -- 10 days after the video game -- so you have been appropriately warned about spoilers. Each movie is broken down into five gaming levels.

This outing follows the typical LEGO game style with straight platform action involving sword fights, cannons and collecting "studs" -- single-connection LEGO blocks. Items can be smashed into smaller LEGO block components, and then collected for points or re-formed into another item that can be used in the game.

Players can use up to eight different characters on each level during story mode, but that can lead to a crowded screen. There were a few times when I couldn't see what item needed to be collected or got pushed off a narrow ledge because the five characters who were traveling with me all wanted to be in the same spot.

Matt Ellison, associate producer at Traveller's Tales Games, said 70 characters can be unlocked and bought throughout the entire game. Each character has a special ability that makes it unique from others, including Captain Jack Sparrow (portrayed in the films by Johnny Depp).

"Jack's compass is really different from anything else we've done (with LEGOs)," Ellison said. "It will point to things Jack can find and also helps point to things to solve puzzles in the game."

Ellison said the settings are as iconic as they could be and the team tried to put the LEGO spin on the movies. Since the films' characters are so well known, he said the team wanted to make sure to include little details to help players relate to each character.

For example, Captain Barbossa is often seen with an apple in his hand. And Jack's running style -- arms straight out, waving frantically -- is humorously well represented.

"A lot of time went into making sure we got Jack's running right, his character right," Ellison said.

The game play is all about exploring the vast scenes in each level. Puzzle clues and treasure are all over the place, waiting to be discovered.

"Eight collectibles in each level and 10 ships in a bottle can be found," Ellison said. "There is something always hidden to get."

While the story mode only took me about nine hours, I barely collected 40% of all the items that could be found.

Using Jack's compass helps discover the missing booty, but there are also sign postings to help players find key elements in the level. Since the scenes are so big, it would be easy to get lost or frustrated without those helpers.

Said Ellison: "The exploration game play ties into the ideology of 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' Plus we wanted to make a distinctive change of pace between the levels, so you are treasure hunting in one level, and then fighting foes in the next."

Even on ship levels, players will need to go up into the rigging or down into the ship's belly to find all they need to find. Ellison said each scene has to be solvable for all ages, and the game teaches you what to do and where to look as it goes along.

There are lengthy story-developing "cut scenes" and cinematics between the levels. The humor from the movies really shines in LEGO form, which uses its blocky medium to put interesting spins on the tale.

"The humor appeals to all ages. We took the iconic movie settings and twisted them slightly to make them funnier. Plus we took the same slapstick humor from the films and just made more of it."

As I said, the fourth movie is also included, so I was worried about spoiling my future enjoyment. Ellison smiled when asked about it but assured me that no details about the story line would be ruined.

"We will have some of the same locations but none of the dialogue (LEGO characters do not speak, only grunt). We do have some of the action from the movie, but it shouldn't ruin the film for anyone," he said.

If you remain concerned, then wait until after the movie comes out before playing the fourth level.

The one drawback to the game was the two-player co-op play. As in other LEGO video games, two people in the same room can drop in and out as separate characters and solve all the puzzles.

Unlike previous LEGO games, which forced the two characters to stay in the same screenshot, "LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean" actually splits the screen as the characters walk away from each other.

However, the split in the split screen moved around in relation to where the characters were on the level. As the characters got closer to each other, the scene slowly changed back to a single screen. It was difficult to focus on what my character was doing or where it was in the split-screen action.

My co-op player and I found it confusing and, at times, frustrating to figure out where we needed to go or what we needed to do unless we were on the same screen.

There was never a time where a puzzle needed to be solved in split-screen mode. After a while, it just gave me a headache. While I often lamented being kept in the same screen in previous LEGO co-op versions, the split-screen action as presented is not the solution I was looking for.

Once each level is completed in story mode, free play mode is unlocked, allowing you to use any of the characters you have available to solve puzzles that couldn't be previously figured out.

Those characters will also get you into previously unavailable areas. Finding all the collectibles and solving all the brain teasers will keep play going for many hours after the story mode is complete.

The game is also available for the Nintendo 3DS, but there are only 16 levels, and you can use only one character during each level. Ellison said the 3DS version is tailored to the single-player experience and everything can be solved by one character.

"LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean" is a fun spin on the blockbuster (pun intended) movies. It ramps up the humor from the films and offers plenty of action for players. Exploration is the key.

Overall, the game is lots of fun despite some playability glitches.

And following the adventures of Jack Sparrow ... I mean, Captain Jack Sparrow ... is worthy of any would-be pirate.

"LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean" is now available in the U.S. and, as of Friday, in Europe. It will be released May 19 in Australia.

It is available on the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and PSP. It is rated E10+ due to cartoon violence and comic mischief. This review was done playing on the Xbox 360 in story mode, co-op mode and free play.

Response: Game has great humor and animation, appeal for all ages, and massive replayability. Each "Pirates" movie is broken down into five gaming levels. One drawback to the game is the two player co-op play.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- It is a boarding pass unlike any other. It's a memory of a day that nearly was his last on earth.

US Airways passenger Barry Leonard now has the other half of his boarding pass from the fateful flight.

When a FedEx package arrived at Barry Leonard's home recently, he had no idea it contained items from his flight that ended up in the Hudson River.

Leonard was seated at the front of US Airways Flight 1549, and when pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger amazingly landed the plane in the river, Leonard left everything he had behind and dove into the frigid water.

He thought all he had left from that January day were the clothes he had on, including a pair of jeans he still wears.

But recently the package with most of his left-behind belongings showed up at his Charlotte, North Carolina, home.

"Everything from the Wall Street Journal of that day to my W-2 form that I didn't even realize was in this package," he says. "You know my briefcase that I'd had for decades, it was all of those things."  Watch as Leonard brings out the items recovered from the water »

As he showed CNN the contents he discovered another item -- a memorable slip of paper.

"This is actually the other part of my boarding pass from January 15. As you can see here January 15, flight 1549 and my seat number 1C," he says.

To help return personal items to its passengers, US Airways hired Global-BMS, a Texas-based company that recovers and restores items from large disasters.

Global-BMS sorted through nearly 30,000 items from the flight, cleaning them in a slow, tedious process that often involved freeze-drying items to preserve them while they waited to be processed.

"Passengers' emotional ties to their possessions because of a traumatic incident like this, it's highly emotional. So we just want to make it available," Mark Rocco, a senior vice president of Global-BMS, tells CNN.

Some of the items that were returned to the 150 travelers were unusable after being submerged, especially electronic items like headphones and music players.

But for a lot of folks, personal effects show a little damage but are still good.

Vicki Barnhardt tried on her running shoes, and though they were a little tight at first, she wears them now when she goes jogging in Huntersville, North Carolina.

She tells CNN that she evacuated the plane only with her cellphone, leaving behind her purse,  her wallet, driver's license, some flash drives and other items.

She got most of her possessions from the plane back -- a coat, a pair of gloves and her cash are still missing -- and the items in the boxes seem in pretty good shape.

The flash drives still work, though you can see some "corrosion" on them. She also got back a three-ring binder, and all her notes are still readable.

Maryann Bruce found her diamonds in the parcel that was returned to her in Cornelius, North Carolina. It brought back memories of the landing in the river and made her thankful to be alive.

"I just focused on wow, you know, I got all this stuff back," she says.

"I can't believe I got all this stuff back, and I'm here to get the stuff back, versus the alternative where they would've been giving it to my loved ones. I didn't relive the anguish; I relived the 'Wow, I'm here to get it.' "

Response: US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River on January 15. Passengers scrambled to save their lives, leaving behind personal belongings. Texas company has recovered, restored and returned most of the 30,000 items. Some items, like one woman's four flash drives, are still in good shape.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The Miami Heat went cold after 27 consecutive winning games and failed to match the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' winning streak of 33. The Heat joins many others in and out of sports that have come oh-so-close to the record books.

Here are a few examples:

- The New England Patriots fell painfully short of being the second NFL team to ever go through a whole season without losing. The Pats were just two minutes away from winning the Super Bowl in 2008 when New York Giants pulled a miraculous comeback. If the Pats won that game, they would have joined the 1972 Dolphins as the only NFL teams to have a perfect season.

- Tiger Woods won seven consecutive PGA Tour events from July 2006 to January 2007. He botched a chance to win an eighth event when he missed a short birdie putt that would have clinched a victory in the third round of a match play tournament. Byron Nelson won 11 straight Tour tournaments in 1945.

-This year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average went on a winning streak over 10 consecutive trading sessions, which ended on March 15 when the Dow fell roughly 25 points or 0.2%. It came close to the longest win streak on record of 13 trading sessions in 1987.

- Pete Rose had a 44-game hit streak in 1978 that ended against the Atlanta Braves and reliever Gene Garber. After the game, Rose, still 12 games away from Joe DiMaggio's major-league record, fumed that Garber didn't throw fastballs to strike him out. Garber got him out with a slow changeup.

-The New York Mets' R.A. Dickey took a run in 2012 at Orel Hershiser's record (set in 1988) of 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Dickey threw 44.2 consecutive scoreless innings from May 22 to June 24 last year.

-The Detroit Lions made a run during the 2008-2009 season at the record for most consecutive games lost. They lost 19, finishing second behind the 1976-1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who lost 26 consecutive games in a row.

- Speaking of infamous records, the Charlotte Bobcats came within three games of tying the NBA record of most losses in a row. The embattled team lost 23 straight games at the end of the 2011-12 season. They began the 2012-13 season with a victory over the Indiana Pacers, leaving them three losses short of the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Response: The Heat won 27 games in a row. The team from Miami lost this week to Chicago. The Heat were vying to beat Los Angeles Lakers' unbroken winning streak of 33.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Black Friday bargain hunters, do you ever get the feeling that you're being sucked in somewhere against your control, rapidly descending to a dark, cold place?

It could be that feeling after you snatch the last Xbox away from a 9-year-old. Or it could be a black hole.

Shoppers may have Black Friday, but NASA scientists have something that's arguably better: Black Hole Friday.

NASA spent the day tweeting facts about black holes, including a handful of Black Friday-themed jokes.

If humor isn't your thing, the agency also tweeted out a black hole-themed game.

The space agency sent out over a dozen tweets and retweets on black holes.

The "2-for-1 deal" was a hit, garnering over 1,000 retweets.

NASA defines a black hole as "a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out," where "the gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space."

The space agency also posted some fun and less-known facts about black holes: For example, some scientists believe that the smallest black holes are the size of a single atom.

Response: NASA has some fun with Black Friday on its Twitter account. Jokes, facts and a black hole-themed game were the order of the day.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)Beyonce's army of fans call themselves the BeyHive, and at any perceived insult to Queen Bey, they swarm.

Photos posted on the fan site The Beyonce World led fans Wednesday to sting the website for representing her in a less than "flawless" light.

The pics appear to show unretouched, close-ups of the singer's face complete with the blemishes of a mortal human.

Web sleuths have put two and two together to speculate that the images were taken for a 2013 makeup ad campaign. Beyonce is a spokesmodel for L'Oreal.

After outcry from fans, The Beyonce World pulled the photos and posted a statement:

"Due to the disdain of the BeyHive, we have removed the photos. We don't want to cause any drama, nor do we wish to start fan wars. Some of the things we have seen posted were just horrible, and we don't want any parts of it. We were just posting the photos to share the fact that our queen is naturally beautiful, at the same time she is just a regular woman."

Defamer and Complex grabbed the images before they were removed from the site, and the web is abuzz with reaction.

A message to Beyonce's representative was not immediately answered.

Cindy Crawford lingerie image stirs debate over what 'real women' look like

Response: What appear to be unretouched photos of Beyonce are posted online. Fans objected to the singer being shown with facial flaws.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:MIAMI, Florida (CNN)  -- Miami rapper Brisco lost $40,000 in jewelry and his luxury SUV when armed robbers stormed the barber shop where he was getting a trim, but the artist says the hold up may help his creativity.

Security camera video showed Brisco, whose real name is British Mitchell,  sitting in a barber chair when four armed men rush into the Miami, Florida, business, fire a few shots and order everyone, including the rapper, to the floor.

"He went to a barber shop to get his hair cut," Miami Police Officer Jeffery Giordano told Miami TV station WSVN. "They took a little bit more off the top than expected."

Brisco's gold watch, bracelet, chain and pendant were taken from him, along with the keys to his Range Rover. The vehicle was later recovered, Giordano said.

"For a rapper to have his bling stolen, they might as well stolen that man's heart," Giordano said.

Brisco, known for his songs about ghetto street life, said he was still alive and looking at the bright side.

"I'll get bigger jewelry and still go hard," Brisco said. "It's great material for my next album."

Music fans also know Brisco by his other nickname, the Opa Locka Goon, a reference to his south Florida hometown.

The armed robbery took place July 29 in Miami's Model City neighborhood.

Response: Security video shows Brisco getting a trim when four armed men rush in. Gold watch, bracelet, chain, pendant, Range Rover were stolen. "It's great material for my next album," rapper says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- The U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search for as many as 79 Haitians missing after a boat capsized near the Turks and Caicos Islands, a spokeswoman said early Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted this crowded boat last week and repatriated its occupants to Haiti.

The vessel overturned Monday with about 200 onboard, said Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Authorities rescued 113 passengers and found nine bodies, Johnson said.

A nurse at a hospital in the Turks and Caicos said about 70 people were taken there, including four who had died.

Five people were admitted to the hospital, and the others had minor injuries, the nurse said.

The boat's occupants were migrants from Haiti, according to the Coast Guard. The overcrowded vessel was thought to have set sail from the Haitian port of Cap Haitien, the Turks and Caicos  Sun newspaper reported.

The Coast Guard contributed one boat -- a 210-foot cutter Valiant -- and three aircraft to the search, Johnson said.  Watch Coast Guard rescue Haitians after boat capsizes »

Turks and Caicos authorities were using small boats, she said.

The British territory is about 550 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.

Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Response: U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search for as many as 79 Haitians. Vessel overturned Monday near Turks and Caicos Islands with about 200 onboard. Overcrowded vessel thought to have set sail from the Haitian port of Cap Haitien.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The search will continue until at least Friday night for 16 people missing since Thursday morning when a helicopter carrying them to an offshore oil platform ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland, Canadian officials said.

A helicopter made an emergency crash landing off Newfoundland en route to Hibernia oil field on Thursday.

One survivor, identified as Robert Decker, was found and taken to a hospital, but efforts to find more survivors had proven fruitless, said Maj. Denis McGuire of the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The body of one person, who has not been identified publicly, also was pulled from the water. There were 18 people aboard the helicopter when it went down, about 30 nautical miles from St. John's.

"All we've got is the debris field," McGuire said. "There are no indications of any [more] survivors, but the search will continue."

The water is 400 feet deep at the site where the helicopter hit the water, he said.

Helicopters and ships were scouring the debris field Thursday evening, and search-and-rescue technicians were planning to use night-vision goggles and flares overnight.

The debris filled a six-mile area, said Jeri Grychowski of the Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax.

Officials became aware that the helicopter was having problems shortly after 9:10 a.m., when the pilot declared a mayday, McGuire said.

"They declared their mayday and then they hit the water or landed in the water approximately eight minutes later," he said.

About 25 minutes later, a helicopter arrived and discovered the survivor, the body, the overturned helicopter and two empty life rafts, he said.

Those aboard should have have been wearing survival suits that would have kept them dry and were equipped with lights and personal locator beacons, but the suits have not helped searchers.

"We have not received any signals whatsoever," McGuire said.

The suits theoretically would allow wearers to survive 24 hours in the freezing waters -- or until about 9 a.m. Friday -- but the search effort was to continue well beyond that.

"We will continue to search until there's absolutely no chance that any survivors will be located," he said. "Until last light [Friday]."

At that time, based on water temperature and the size of the search area, officials will decide whether to continue the effort, he said.

Early in the day, high winds and seas hampered the search, but by late afternoon, the weather had improved, though seas were still about 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) and winds were at about 40 knots (46 mph).

The survivor was taken to the Health Sciences Center in St. John's, Newfoundland.

The helicopter had been heading to the Hibernia offshore oil platform when it went down in what Grychowski called a controlled emergency crash landing.

The pilot reported some technical malfunctions before the crash and radioed that he was turning the chopper around, said Rick Burt of Cougar Helicopters -- the operator of the S-92 Sikorsky copter.

Response: NEW: Search to continue "until there's absolutely no chance" of locating survivors. NEW: People aboard chopper should be wearing survival suits, locator beacons. One survivor in hospital, one man found dead, 16 still missing. 18 aboard were oil workers; copter ditched into waters off Newfoundland.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The central business district of Bangkok dodged severe flooding Saturday afternoon, but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide.

A dreaded tide on Saturday spurred residents' fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the Chao Phraya River and its many canals.

Bangkok's outer suburbs were already submerged, but the central city has been largely spared the misery Thailand has been suffering for months in the nation's worst flooding since 1942.

In the east and the north of the city, water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods.

But the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats.

Massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through Bangkok, as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction.

"The challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the Gulf of Thailand," a Red Cross bulletin said.

Bangkok's Chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a Saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate, with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered work crews Friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage, according to the MCOT news agency. But the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps, the Bangkok Post reported.

Health concerns were rising with the water.

Bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within, the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials. The government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater.

"We were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters, and every day we see children playing in the water, bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground," said Annie Bodmer-Roy, spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Save the Children.

As floodwater entered homes, some Bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave.

Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city.

"Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded," said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company, which was shut after it also was flooded. "The water level is 2 meters (six feet) high and smells very bad," she said.

The Bangkok Post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs, and would pick up residents of the capital on Saturday and take them out of Bangkok. As of Saturday, an estimated 1 million of the city's 12 million residents had left.

Another Bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house, which has been flooded for five days, and would not leave.

Panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital, residents said.

And the worst might not yet be over.

Another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters (13 feet) high -- is forecast for Sunday morning.

Officials urged tourists to steer clear of Bangkok, while noting that many of the other tourist spots, such as Phuket, remained dry and open for business.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health had transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the MCOT news agency reported.

The remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by Sunday, it said, citing Permanent-Secretary for Health Paichit Varachit.

Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that, after months of flooding, 107,101 Thais have been diagnosed with stress, 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide. In all, 1,356 people were under observation by health officials, the minister said, according to MCOT.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday, recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas. It noted that most tourist destinations, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai, were unaffected.

U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next.

The floods, caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers, have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people,

Are you there? Share photos, video but stay safe

The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede from some areas.

The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge in them.

Overall damage from the floods could exceed $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry said.

CNN's Sara Sidner, Kocha Olarn, Ivan Cabrera, Moni Basu, Aliza Kassim and Elizabeth Yuan contributed to this report.

Response: Some areas outside of central Bangkok are covered in waist-deep water. The flooding in Thailand is the worst since 1942 and has killed 373 people. Thailand is dealing with massive runoff from monsoon rains compounded by high tides. Another high tide of about 4 meters (13 feet) is forecast for Sunday morning.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:ADELAIDE, Australia -- World record-breaking wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has announced he will retire from cricket at the end of the Australian summer.

Adam Gilchrist takes a spectacular catch off Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the third Test against India.

The 36-year-old chose Australia Day to make his decision public, coming at the end of the third day of the fourth and final Test against India in Adelaide.

Gilchrist said he would retire from Tests at the end of the current match, and then hang up his gloves in one-day internationals after the upcoming tri-series with Sri Lanka and India.

"It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Tests and one-day internationals," he said in a statement on Saturday. "I've come to the decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me.

"My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling.

"I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will, of paramount importance, include much more time with my family."

Gilchrist broke the world record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in Tests with 414 on Friday, overtaking South Africa's Mark Boucher in his 96th outing in the five-day game.

Boucher, by comparison, played in 109 Tests.

Gilchrist took over the gloves from Ian Healy -- third on the list with 395 dismissals from 119 Tests -- in November 1999, and went on to establish himself both as a wicketkeeper and as a batsman of brutal hitting capabilities.

He has scored 5,556 runs to date, at an average of 47.89, with a highest score of 204 not out and having made 17 centuries.

He has been similarly prolific in 277 one-dayers, scoring 9,297 runs at an average of 36 and reaching three figures 15 times.

Gilchrist's revelation came as Australia put themselves in a strong position to win the series against the touring Indians, reaching 322-3 at stumps.

Captain Ricky Ponting, whose team lead 2-1, was unbeaten on 79 after adding an unbroken 81 for the fourth wicket with Michael Clarke (37).

Resuming the day on 62-0 in reply to India's imposing first innings of 526, Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques took their opening stand to 159.

Jaques was the first to fall, bowled by India captain Anil Kumble for a patient 60 off 159 deliveries.

Hayden, on his return after missing the defeat in Perth due to a hamstring injury, reached his 30th Test century before being bowled by 19-year-old seamer Ishant Sharma for 103 off 200 balls.

Ponting, who came in at first drop, added another 55 with Mike Hussey before the left-hander was also castled by fast bowler Irfan Pathan for 22 to leave the home side teetering a little at 241-3.

But Ponting, who has struggled for form so far in the series, ground out his 40th half-century in Tests and Clarke provided able support to take Australia through to the close of play with no further loss of wickets. E-mail to a friend

Response: NEW: Adam Gilchrist to retire from cricket at end of this Australian summer. The wicketkeeper set new world record of 414 Test dismissals on Friday. He has played 96 Tests for Australia and 277 one-day internationals. Australia reached 322-3 on third day of final Test against India, Gilchrist's last.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)A murder weapon isn't the only thing missing as prosecutors try to convince jurors that former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez orchestrated the  execution of Odin Lloyd.

The shoes prosecutors say Hernandez was wearing at the industrial park where Lloyd was killed also have seemingly vanished into thin air.

"The shoes and footprints caused by the shoes (are) a big deal," says CNN legal analyst Paul Callan, a former homicide prosecutor.

A big deal because connecting an athletic shoe impression found near Lloyd's body to Hernandez could help prove he directly participated in Lloyd's death.

Lloyd, 27, was shot once in the back and six times in the front in June 2013 -- the final two bullets fired as he lay face up, according to the medical examiner. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty.

Aaron Hernandez's downward spiral

The sneakers prosecutors believe Hernandez wore the night of Lloyd's death were within the grasp of investigators who visited the ex-football star's home, but it appears no one knew it at the time.

Investigators photographed a pair of Nike Air Jordan XI Retro Low brand sneakers during one of their first searches of Hernandez's home, according to court papers, but did not take them in as evidence.

When Lloyd's body was discovered, crime scene investigators singled out one of two footwear impressions early on because one didn't match the "lugged sole" shoes of police, nor the shoes of first responders or civilian witnesses who found Lloyd's body, according to court documents.

When police began executing search warrants for weapons and clothing at Hernandez's home on June 18 and June 22, 2013, they also were looking for shoes that could match that print in the dirt, according to court files and testimony.

So far, jurors have not been told that somehow three other sets of sneakers neatly lined up side by side along a bedroom wall in the basement were overlooked, and "appeared to be in good condition," according to an affidavit. The basement is where Hernandez's man cave is located and is complete with bar, a screening room, a pool table with a New England Patriot's logo, and a trophy room.

That affidavit dated November 14, 2014, says that after studying images and home security video and having "consulted with Nike," investigators believe those three pairs of shoes are "believed to be produced by Nike and Creative Recreation." They are the white and black Air Jordan XI Retros, the red Creative Recreation Cesario low tops; and the brown Nike Air Jordan winterized spike sneakers allegedly worn by Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz, respectively.

Wallace and Ortiz are also charged with the murder of Lloyd. They have pleaded not guilty and are going to be tried separately.

Wallace and Ortiz are seen on home security video entering the house and going into the basement after getting out of a car minutes after Lloyd was fatally shot in a nearby industrial park. Prosecutors say the cable connecting the basement security camera, labeled "man cave," was unplugged after the three men went downstairs.

Authorities say the "outsole pattern," of the Air Jordan XI Retro Low's allegedly worn by Hernandez is "similar to and consistent with the unidentified shoe impression... in close proximity to the body of Odin Lloyd," according to the affidavit. It also states the XI Retro Lows became available for public sale only three weeks before Lloyd's murder.

Yet, it wasn't until almost a year and a half later, when investigators were making final trial preparations last November, that they "noted" the three pairs of shoes in photographs and realized they could still be at Hernandez's home, a search warrant affidavit states.

In court papers, investigators said the sneakers appear to match shoe prints found at the scene where Lloyd was fatally shot.

In order to look again, police asked a court to approve another search warrant. The application also points out home surveillance video showing Wallace and Ortiz leaving the home after the shooting -- wearing sandals.

Trying to make the case for another search, investigators also quote a jailhouse phone call dated December 25, 2013, between Hernandez and his fiancee Shayanna Jenkins.

Hernandez told Jenkins, "You still got my, my clothes at the house and s—?"

Jenkins responded,"I really don't understand. I mean, where do you think your clothes are?...Your clothes are exactly where they're supposed to be.....I mean, you've only been gone for what, six months?"

"Yeah," Hernandez said.

"You act like you're gonna be gone for like, 20 years," Jenkins replied.

But when police searched the home again on November 24, they didn't find the shoes.

Details about the missing Nike sneakers have not yet come up at trial. How might it play with the jury?

"Jurors will wonder why didn't investigators seize the shoes at the same time they seized many other pieces of evidence from Hernandez's home," says University of New Hampshire law professor Michael McCann, who's closely monitoring the trial.

"If jurors determine investigators and prosecutors simply made a mistake in not seizing the shoes, it could damage the jurors' confidence in the case. It's possible prosecutors could try to mollify this concern by noting that rules of evidence and pretrial discovery limit the types of evidence they can be taken from a person's home."

Response: Shoes prosecutors say Hernandez wore on night of Lloyd's death are missing. Hernandez is on trial for murder of Lloyd and has pleaded not guilty. Linking shoes to impressions at crime scene would help prosecution with its case.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Los Angeles (CNN) -- The lawsuit against Porsche related to the fiery crash that killed actor Paul Walker suffered a setback in court, but a lawyer says it will go on.

Roger Rodas' widow is suing that carmaker's North American branch, claiming negligence and a poor design of the high-powered Porsche Carrera GT caused the crash last November.

U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez dismissed four of the five grounds for the lawsuit, finding that the complaint did not include enough specifics. Rodas can revive the arguments by amending her lawsuit, Gutierrez said in an order filed in federal court Monday.

"He only granted a partial dismissal with leave to amend, which we will," Rodas lawyer Mark Geragos told CNN Tuesday.

Kristine Rodas filed the suit against Porsche Cars North America in May, citing negligence as the cause of death of her husband and the 40-year-old "Fast and the Furious" star on November 30 in Santa Clarita, California. She also alleged product liability and wrongful death.

The only allegation that was not dismissed was the "strict liability claim" regarding the lack of a crash cage and racing fuel cell for the high-performance car.

The Rodas lawsuit contends that a "properly functioning crash cage" would have prevented the deaths by preventing "intrusion into the passenger compartment," damage to the fuel tank, and the splitting of the vehicle in half.

Read the judge's full decision here

Roger Rodas, 38 at the time of his death, spent his competitive racing career driving Porsche cars. According to the court documents, he and Walker first met on the race track when Rodas was driving a Porsche owned by the actor. A few years later the two men formed the racing team Always Evolving Racing, where they were both drivers.

"Although Mr. Rodas had a passion for cars, Mr. Rodas was first and foremost dedicated to his family, his wife, Kristine, and their two young children," the complaint states.

The court documents filed by Kristine Rodas describe the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that her husband was driving as a an "ultra-high-performance-super-sports car for the road," that goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 205 miles per hour. The complaint argues that such a high-powered sports car should have a higher standard of crash protection, and that a mechanical malfunction forced Rodas to veer off the road.

Geragos also hired investigators to evaluate wreckage at the scene, who determined that Rodas was driving 55 mph before the vehicle went out of control. This contradicts the Los Angeles County coroner's report that car was speeding at more than 100 mph, and the investigations by the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Office and California Highway Patrol that focused on speed.

Porsche pointed to the discrepancy.

"As you know, the crash was subject of a very detailed investigation by the authorities, both the California Highway Patrol and the L.A. County Sheriff's Office," said Bernd Harling, Head of Public Relations for Porsche Cars North America. "The reports showed that driving at a high speed in a negligent manner caused the crash. Both concluded that there was no mechanical defect of the vehicle involved."

"Their investigation disproves in the allegations in the lawsuit," he said.

CNN's Jane Caffrey and Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

Response: A federal judge dismissed most of the lawsuit claims, but it can be refiled. The lawyer for the Rodas family says the lawsuit will go on. The widow of Roger Rodas accuses Porches of negligence and poor car design. Rodas was driving the Porsche when it crashed killing him and Paul Walker.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Four Nigerian farmers and the environmental group Friends of the Earth took oil giant Shell to court Thursday in the Netherlands to demand a proper cleanup and compensation for pollution in the Niger Delta.

The farmers want the Anglo-Dutch multinational to "clean up the oil pollution in their fields and fishponds" and make sure their pipelines are maintained and kept secure to prevent leaks in the future.

The civil case has been filed against the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), and its international headquarters in the Netherlands, Royal Dutch Shell.

Read more: Ice floe forces Shell to call off Arctic drilling

Based on "years of oil pollution in three villages in the Niger Delta," it could have "major legal consequences internationally," the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth, known locally as Milieudefensie, said in a statement ahead of the first hearing.

The three villages concerned are Goi, hit by a spill in 2004, Oruma, affected by a spill a year later, and Ikot Ada Udo, hit by various spills in 2007, according to Friends of the Earth.

Shell argues that it has cleaned up the spills to the satisfaction of the Nigerian authorities, and has no case to answer.

But Friends of the Earth says that oil pollution has had a devastating and continuing impact on vegetation, water supplies and local fishing ponds.

The campaign group says this is the first time a Dutch company has been brought before a court in the Netherlands over environmental damage caused abroad.

"It is also the first time that the headquarters of a multinational concern on the European continent has been summoned to appear in court for environmental or human rights violations in a developing country," it said.

Shell insists it is "committed to cleaning up all spills from its facilities" and blames saboteurs who steal oil from its pipelines for much of the environmental damage.

Read more: Could it finally be springtime for Nigeria?

"The real tragedy of the Niger Delta is the widespread and continual criminal activity, including sabotage, theft and illegal refining, that causes the vast majority of oil spills," Shell spokesman Jonathan French said in a statement Thursday.

"It is this criminality which all organizations with an interest in Nigeria's future should focus their efforts on highlighting and addressing."

French said that Shell had cleaned up three leaks at three locations, from 2004 to 2007, which were caused by sabotage. Under Nigerian law, oil companies are not liable to pay compensation for damage caused by sabotage spills, he said.

The court is expected to hear from both sides in the case Thursday and will probably deliver a verdict late this year or early in 2013, Friends of the Earth said.

"Hopefully, the legal route that Milieudefensie has chosen will ensure not only that four people in the Niger Delta have a better life but also increase the opportunity for thousands of their fellow citizens and millions of people worldwide who now often are without rights against powerful and sometimes unscrupulous multinationals," campaign coordinator Geert Ritsema said.

The argument over the impact of oil production in the Niger Delta, which includes the Ogoniland region, is a long-running one.

The world's third largest wetland, the Niger Delta is diverse and rich with mangroves and fish-rich waterways. But oil drilling has turned it into one of the most oil-polluted places on Earth, with more than 6,800 recorded oil spills, accounting for anywhere from 9 million to 13 million barrels of oil spilled, according to activist groups.

Read more: Chevron facing $18B judgment in Ecuador

Many residents make their livelihoods from fishing and depend on the polluted mangroves and creeks.

A report by the U.N. Environmental Program last year found that pollution from more than 50 years of oil operations in the Ogoniland region, by Shell and other companies, was more far-reaching than thought.

The assessment, commissioned by the Nigerian government and funded by Shell, concluded that restoration of the area could take up to 30 years, cost $1 billion and become the largest cleanup operation in history.

"Control and maintenance of oilfield infrastructure in Ogoniland has been and remains inadequate: the Shell Petroleum Development Company's own procedures have not been applied, creating public health and safety issues," the report found.

Shell has previously accepted responsibility for two oil spills in Ogoniland in 2008 and 2009.

CNN's Alexander Felton contributed to this report.

Response: The case was brought by four Nigerian farmers and the Dutch Friends of the Earth. They want compensation for damage caused by oil spills and a proper cleanup. Shell says it is "committed to cleaning up all spills from its facilities". The oil giant blames pipeline thieves and saboteurs for causing oil spills.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(EW.com) -- EW has confirmed that producers Mike Tollin ("Varsity Blues," "Coach Carter") and Glenn Rigberg ("Struck By Lightning") have obtained the rights to make a feature film biopic about Henry "Hank" Aaron, the baseball legend who broke Babe Ruth's decades-long career home-run record on April 8, 1974.

This project has instantly become one of the hottest sports movie projects in Hollywood.

Barry Levinson ("The Natural") is attached to direct, working with screenwriter Adam Mazer, who wrote Levinson's HBO biopic on Jack Kevorkian, "You Don't Know Jack," which Rigberg exec produced. Based on Howard Bryant's book "The Last Hero: The Life Story of Henry Aaron," the film will trace the two years from 1972 to 1974 during which Aaron chased, and bested, Babe Ruth's record -- an accomplishment that was met with both breathless media coverage as well as death threats.

Aaron, who has been reportedly reluctant in the past to agree to a film version of his life, will consult on the film. He first worked with Tollin on the latter's Oscar-nominated 1995 feature documentary, "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream," and the two have remained friends since. Tollin sits on the board of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, and tells EW he plans for proceeds from the film to be funneled back into the Foundation.

"This [film] is something we've toyed with and talk about all the time," Tollin says. "It's challenging for Henry, because in some ways, it was the darkest time of his life, even though it was the most triumphant in professional terms. But as we talked about it, I think he grew more comfortable with our approach to it and having it shine a light on where America was in those times, and how far we've progressed -- and maybe how far we still have to go."

Casting will not begin in earnest until the script is completed. The hope is to go into production next year, and release in 2014, in time for both the 40th anniversary of Aaron's record, and the man's 80th birthday.

See the full article at EW.com.

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Response: A biopic is being made about Henry "Hank" Aaron, the baseball legend. Aaron broke Babe Ruth's decades-long career home-run record on April 8, 1974. Aaron will consult on the film with producer Mike Tollin.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists, three of them American citizens, apparently detained in Iran this week, according to The Washington Post.

The newspaper reported Thursday that its Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, a U.S. citizen, and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, appeared to have been detained Tuesday evening.

Two freelance photojournalists, both American citizens, also have been detained, according to The Post. The paper said officials had not yet named the pair.

An Iranian official confirmed to CNN that Rezaian and Salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities. He did not say what they have been charged with.

The third journalist is a freelance photographer, the official said on condition of anonymity.

It's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held.

Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, the director general of the Tehran Province Justice Department, is quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency as saying a "Washington Post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations, the judiciary will provide details on the issue."

He did not specify on what grounds the correspondent, whom he did not name, was being held.

Iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities, Esmaili added, according to IRNA.

In a statement Thursday, Washington Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl said "we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of Jason, Yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them."

He described Rezaian as "an experienced, knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect."

'Dismal record'

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was alarmed by The Post's report and urged Iran to release the four journalists.

"We call on Iranian authorities to immediately explain why Jason Rezaian, Yeganeh Salehi, and two other journalists have been detained, and we call for their immediate release," said Sherif Mansour, its Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.

"Iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists. We hold the Iranian government responsible for the safety of these four."

The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York is following up on the case, spokesman Hamid Babaei said.

"We will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from Tehran," Babaei said.

According to The Washington Post, Rezaian, 38, holds American and Iranian citizenship. He has been the paper's Tehran correspondent since 2012.

His wife, an Iranian citizen who has applied for U.S. permanent residency, is a correspondent for the UAE-based newspaper the National, The Post said.

Members of Rezaian's family said they did not want to comment at this time, the paper added.

Thomas Erdbrink, Tehran bureau chief for The New York Times, said via Twitter, "I strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @jrezaian and his wife @YeganehSalehi, and two photographers, also friends."

Past detentions

Rallies are being held in Iran to mark Quds (Jerusalem) Day on what is the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the Palestinians. Several foreign journalists are in Tehran to cover the event, which includes an anti-Israel demonstration after the Friday prayers.

According to CPJ research, there are 35 journalists in prison in Iran.

The organization also highlights past instances in which Iran has detained international journalists, including the case of U.S. freelancer Roxana Saberi.

Journalist working for CNN detained in Ukraine

Jailed Al Jazeera journalists convicted in Egypt

Defying ban, Iranian women watch World Cup with men in public

Opinion: In Iran, happy gets you arrested

Response: Iranian official says Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi are among three journalists held. The Washington Post says four journalists have apparently been detained this week. They include Jason Rezaian, a U.S. citizen, and his wife, journalist Yeganeh Salehi. The others are two freelance photojournalists, the Post says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Most parents have felt the pain of having a missing child, if only for a few seconds.

They lose sight of their child at the park or at the grocery store or at the mall. Fortunately for most moms and dads, as soon as the knot forms in their stomach, they lock eyes with their kid.

But for the parents of the hundreds of thousands of children who go missing each year, that pain is much deeper; for some, there is never relief.

Working in the media, I've followed the cases that get national attention. I've watched the press conferences and the family statements.

Last week, however, I had the heart-wrenching experience of finding out what happens in between the media updates -- what it feels like when this is real life.

A sweet 14-year-old girl who babysat my son in the church nursery was missing.

She'd left home without her parents' permission to meet up with a boy she connected with online. That was on Monday. The boy said he never went to their rendezvous point, a park, and as of Thursday, the young girl still had not come home.

The days in between were grueling for those involved in the search. I cannot fathom the depth of emotion her parents experienced.

Hope in the search for missing children

Police never suspected foul play and thought the girl might have run away.

That scenario was both frustrating and encouraging. It was frustrating because the family did not think she intended to be gone long. She didn't bring anything with her. No phone, no keys, no money. It was encouraging because it was the best case scenario. Maybe she "just" ran away. Maybe she was fine -- angry, confused, and unaware of how loved she is -- but fine.

The conversations that unfolded were surreal. We talked to a detective about the possibility she was involved in sex trafficking or abducted or even worse. We had to avoid focusing on the "what ifs" in order to stay focused on the search.

When word got out, the community rallied around the missing teen and her family. We plastered the city with fliers and canvassed her last known whereabouts. People who had never met the family joined the search. Dozens of homeless people in the area helped out. As the story spread on social media, people around the world sent words of support.

Those of us on the ground did everything we could think of, all while having no idea what we were doing.

Three days after the girl went missing, I was helping plan a prayer vigil. We didn't know where to begin. There was no guide. We "guessed" the parents should speak first, before things got too emotional. But what should they say? How do we get the word out? How long should it go? We didn't know the answers to these questions.

The prayer vigil never happened. About an hour before it was to begin, the young girl was located. She had run away, and she was home now.

For the media, that's where the story ends. A quick update to tell local TV viewers everything is OK.

Opinion: Most missing persons cases don't have happy endings

For the friends assisting with the search, there was a huge sense of relief. There were hugs, tears, and then the exhaustion and gravity of the week hit. We laughed -- about how much trouble this girl is in, about how much wine we planned to drink.

After this experience, I'll never look at news of a missing child the same.

I will hold this experience close the next time an e-mail about a missing child crosses my inbox.

I will remember the reality behind the story.

Each missing child poster represents a family in heartache and a community at a loss.

Response: When a child goes missing, a community comes together. CNN editor Kristi Ramsay participated in search for missing girl. You have to ignore "what if" scenarios in order to stay focused, she says. Behind every missing child poster is a similar heartache.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:LONDON, England (CNN) -- Scientist and author Stephen Hawking is "very ill" and has been hospitalized, according to Cambridge University, where he is a professor.

Stephen Hawking in Pasadena, California, in March.

Cambridge University said the 67-year-old is "comfortable" and will stay overnight at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

Hawking, one of the world's most famous physicists, is also a cosmologist, astronomer, and mathematician.

Wheelchair-bound Hawking is perhaps most famous for "A Brief History of Time," which explored the origins of the universe in layman's terms. The book is considered a modern classic.

Hawking has Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS), which is usually fatal after three years. Hawking has survived for more than 40 years since his diagnosis.

On his Web site, Hawking has written about living with ALS. "I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many," he wrote.

He added: "I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope."

The disease has left him paralyzed -- he is able to move only a few fingers on one hand. Hawking is completely dependent on others or technology for virtually everything -- bathing, dressing, eating, even speech. He uses a speech synthesizer with an American accent.

Hawking has been married and divorced twice. In 2004, police completed an investigation into accusations by Hawking's daughter that his second wife was abusing him. Authorities said they found no proof.

His Web site says he has three children and one grandchild.

Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on what turned out to be an auspicious date: January 8, 1942 -- the 300th anniversary of the death of astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei.

A Cambridge University spokesman told CNN: "Professor Hawking is very ill and has been taken by ambulance to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge."

Professor Peter Haynes, head of the university's department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, said: "Professor Hawking is a remarkable colleague, we all hope he will be amongst us again soon."

At Cambridge, he holds the position of Lucasian Professor Mathematics -- the prestigious post held from 1669 to 1702 by Sir Isaac Newton.

Hawking has guest-starred, as himself, on Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Simpsons. He also said if he had the choice of meeting Newton or Marilyn Monroe, his choice would be Marilyn.

In October, CNN's Becky Anderson interviewed Hawking. The following are some quotes from that interview:

"Over the last twenty years, observations have to a large extent confirmed the picture I painted in 'A Brief History of Time.' The one major development that was not anticipated was the discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating now, rather than slowing down... We live in the most probable of all possible worlds."

CNN's Jennifer Pifer contributed to this report

Response: Physicist Stephen Hawking hospitalized Monday in "very ill" condition. 67-year-old suffers from degenerative condition known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Hawking is considered by many to be world's greatest living scientist.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Guinea equaled the record for a winning margin in an Africa Cup of Nations match on Saturday with a 6-1 over 10-man Botswana in Franceville.

Sadio Diallo opened the scoring in the 15th minute when he coverted a Abdoul Camara cross.

Dipsy Selolwane equalized for Botswana scoring at the second attempt from a penalty in the 23rd minute after Jerome Ramatlhakwana was brought down by Guinea goalkeeper Naby Yattara.

But parity didn't last long as Diallo scored his second four minutes later to put Guinea back in front.

Camara extended the lead in the 42nd minute and Ibrahima Traore made it 4-1 in first half injury time.

The Stuttgart winger scored from a free kick which saw Botswana substitute Patrick Motsepe sent off for a foul on Feindouno.

Guinea saw more chances come and go in the second half before Mamadou Bah made it 5-1 in the 84th minute with Naby Soumah completing the rout two minutes later.

In Group D's other match, Ghana beat Mali 2-0.

Asamoah Gyan opened the scoring from a free kick in the 63rd minute with Ayew doubling the Black Stars' lead 13 minutes later.

Saturday's results means the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists sit at the top of the group with six points from their two games while Guinea and Mali both have three points.

Although bottom-placed Botswana have no points they still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

All will be decided on Wednesday February 1 when Mali take on Botswana in Libreville and Ghana face Guinea in Franceville.

Response: Guinea keep Africa Cup of Nations hopes alive with 6-1 thrashing of Botswana. Ghana beat Mali 2-0 to maintain 100% record. All to play for in final round of matches with even pointless Botswana able to qualify for knockout stages.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- American golfer and world number six, Jim Furyk, was kicked out of the first FedEx Cup play-off on Wednesday after missing his tee-off time by oversleeping.

Furyk, 40, told the official website of PGA Tour that he set an alarm on his cell phone which ran out of power overnight and failed to wake him up.

"The hotel had power ... but somehow my phone died. I never use a backup because I just figure if the phone is charged, I'm good to go," Furyk said.

After waking five minutes before he was due to start playing, Furyk made a dash from his hotel to the course but failed to get to the 11th tee of The Barclays tournament in New Jersey in time.

Injury or family emergency are the only reasons that excuse a player's absence, consequently, Furyk will miss Thursday's planned round with countryman Steve Stricker and Ernie Els of South Africa.

"The rules are rules. No matter what tournament it was, I would be upset. But I'm more upset because it's this one," Furyk added.

It means Furyk misses an opportunity to cement his third-place playoff standing in the race to be crowned champion. According to the playoff scenarios he could see his position slide to 19th before the Deutsche Bank Championship next week in Boston.

One consolation to Furyk is that he already has enough points for the 30-man season-ending Tour Championship to be staged in Atlanta in September.

Slugger White, the Tour's vice president of rules and competition told the PGA Tour website: "It is unfortunate. Knowing Jim as I do and we all do, he handled it extremely professionally and put all of the blame on himself.

"He is a fan favorite and everybody likes him. He is a really good guy, but my hands are tied. I am sure he will recover quite nicely next week and jump right in there again."

Furyk is due to win his seventh Ryder Cup cap against Europe at Celtic Manor in October.

Response: American golfer and world number six, Jim Furyk, was kicked out of the first FedEx Cup play-off. 40-year-old missed his tee-off time by oversleeping. Furyk tells PGA Tour that he set an alarm on his cell phone which ran out of power overnight.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Los Angeles (CNN) -- The illness that derailed Miley Cyrus' U.S. tour in April has returned like a wrecking ball at the start of her European tour.

Cyrus' Friday and Saturday shows in Amsterdam and Antwerp have been rescheduled for June 20 and 22 because she suffered a setback in her battle against a "severe allergic reaction" to an antibiotic, her rep said.

The 21-year-old singer fell ill on April 15 and was kept in a Kansas City hospital for several days.  The remaining North American shows in her "Bangerz" tour were postponed until August.

"After a period of improvement, Cyrus' symptoms have returned and doctors will not permit her to travel," her representative told CNN Wednesday. "This type of extreme reaction can last up to 27 days and Cyrus must remain under doctors' care at this time."

Cyrus is still hoping to perform her "Bangerz" show at London's O2 Arena on May 6, the rep said.

She initially became ill in early April with a flu-like illness, which caused her to pull out of her Charlotte show. After being prescribed the antibiotic Cephalexin, her health woes grew when an allergic reaction to the drug left Cyrus hospitalized for more than a week, according to a statement from her representative earlier this month.

Cyrus used Twitter to express her sadness, posting a tweet of 132 crying emoticons Tuesday.

CNN's Breeanna Hare and Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

Response: Miley's weekend shows in Amsterdam and Antwerp are rescheduled in June. "After a period of improvement, Cyrus' symptoms have returned," rep says. Cyrus still hopes to perform her "Bangerz" show at London's O2 Arena May 6. Postponed North American shows are set for first two weeks in August.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The darling of the Russian crowd duly delivered Tuesday to regain her status as the leading women's pole vaulter in the world.

Yelena Isinbayeva shrugged off five years of disappointments in global competition to return to the top of the podium, roared on by partisan home support in the Luzhniki Stadium.

Not even Usain Bolt and his 100m heroics could capture the imagination as surely as Isinbayeva, the four-day old championships, marked by sparse attendances, finally springing fully to life.

The noise reached a fever pitch when the 31-year-old successfully cleared 4.89m while America's 2012 Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr and Cuban Yarisley Silva both failed at that height. Suhr claimed the silver at 4.82m on count back.

But all eyes were left on Isinbayeva, who made three unsuccessful attempts to break her own world record of 5.06m. It was her third world championship title in the discipline.

She had dominated the event with Olympic golds in Athens 2004 and the 2008 Games in Beijing, setting 28 world records indoor and outdoor.

Her golden run came to abrupt end at the 2009 World Championships and at Daegu two years ago she finished a lowly sixth.

Bronze behind Suhr in the London Games last year was also a disappointment, but she has now gained redemption on home soil.

"It was the best ever support," said Isinbayeva, who will now to take a break from the sport to have a baby, but is hoping to return for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

"I felt like I was at home, that everyone was behind me. I absorbed that and it resulted in a gold," she added.

The crowd were also treated to an array of competitive finals and a big shock as Grenada's Olympic champion Kirani James slumped to 400m defeat to LaShawn Merritt of the United States.

James could not match the power of Merritt and faded to seventh in the home straight as the 2008 Olympic champion crossed the line in a season's best 43.74 seconds.

Teammate Tony McQuay ran a fine 44.40 seconds for silver with Luquelin Santos of the Dominican Republic in third.

"It just didn't work out for me today," admitted the 20-year-old James, who was defending his title won in Daegu two years ago.

Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha was missing from the event he has made his own, breaking his own world record on the way to gold in London last year.

In his absence, Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia charged through to claim his country's first global crown at the two-lap event.

He eased past American Nicky Symmonds to win in one minute 43.31 seconds with Ayanleh Souleiman claiming bronze for Djibouti.

Ukraine's Ganna Melnichenko won the women's heptathlon after holding off a determined challenge from Canada's Brianne Theisen Eaton, who is the wife of newly-crowned world decathlon champion Ashton Eaton of the United States.

She needed to beat Melnichenko by a healthy margin in the closing 800m event, but could not pull ahead by the 4.69 seconds required and had to settle for silver.

Isinbayeva's gold was the second of the day for the hosts after Olympic champion Elena Lashmanova crossed the line first in the women's 20km walk.

Response: Yelena Isinbayeva wins women's pole vault at world championships. First global success for Russian since 2008 Olympics. LaShawn Merritt takes men's 400m gold with storming run. Aman breaks Ethiopian gold drought with 800m win.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Imagine an apple-cheeked telephone operator from the early 1900s happily plugging in wires to connect Person A to Person B. Now imagine a kajillion operators doing that at the same time.

That's kind of how the WWW works, linking up humans so that we're now a mere 4.74 degrees of separation away from any human on Earth (take that, Kevin Bacon!).

Much of that interaction is unintentional, the smashing of two particles that happen to sideswipe each other while commenting on the same YouTube video or clicking through Christian Mingle profiles. But sometimes we purposely reach out to join hands across the Internet.

And, as with every social interaction online, some people seriously foul up the digital outreach.

Here, some basic guidelines for polite e-introductions.

When e-mailing a complete stranger

Err on the side of formality, using "Dear (name)" over "Hey!" Explain exactly what you want out of an e-mail correspondence ("to tell you about my small business" or "to see if you'd be open to a brief informational interview" makes a lot more sense than "to network with you") and add a little flattery to sweeten the deal (i.e., why you found the target worth e-mailing).

Keep the whole thing to a paragraph or less and hope for the best. Should it go unanswered, you can just blame his or her overtaxed inbox.

When contacting someone you've met

Begin by reminding them of how you met with an identifying detail. If it was a networking event, for example, simply announcing, "It was great to meet you at the anachronistic Mardi Gras-themed mixer last week!" won't do the trick. You've got to add something like, "I really enjoyed chatting about the true definition of a beignet and your years at Company X."

When you know Person A and Person B and are introducing the two

Several times in life, you'll have to play the role of connector, answering a friend's plea to connect her to someone else in your circle. This is the kind of delicate social dance that used to need much instruction -- witness the flipping long chapter on doing it in real life within Emily Post's 1922 tome, "Etiquette."

When connecting, say, a nonprofit employee who's planning to ask your D-list celebrity friend to participate in a phone-a-thon, the most polite option is to privately contact the fading star first and ask if she'd mind if you linked them up. If you're confident that everyone involved will be happy with the connection, though, you can just go ahead and put them both on a "Bleeding Heart, meet Has-Been" type e-mail and then slip graciously into the background as they have their conversation.

Oh, and pay attention to which e-mail addresses you're giving out -- if you're connecting a job seeker with an employed friend for networking purposes, he'll probably prefer to be contacted via his work address, not his private one.

When asking your friend to introduce you to someone

After your benevolent contact has made the intro, take him off the reply-all chain (so he isn't trapped in the e-mail crossfire as you two discuss the cupcakes-for-kitten-spaying fundraiser you're planning), and separately write to her to say thanks. Then follow the immortal words of the Beatles and just let it be. Don't ask her to follow up with you if the D-lister doesn't respond, and don't blame her for a lack of response.

Again, we're all drowning in e-mails, LinkedIn messages, Facebook notes and other beeping and blooping messages. If that person can't help, just go back to the drawing board -- the one with a kajillion operators connecting humans at dizzying rates.

Response: As with every social interaction online, some people seriously foul up the digital outreach. Here are some basic guidelines for polite e-introductions. When e-mailing a stranger, err on the side of formality, using "Dear (name)" over "Hey!".