Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- An ice jam on the Yukon River in Alaska sparked flooding in the city of Galena, where some 300 people have been evacuated, authorities said.

Most of the people who left their homes were being housed in either Ruby or Fairbanks, said Kerry Seifert, operations section chief at the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Some are at shelters, while others were with friends and relatives.

"We expect the flooding to become worse before the waters start to recede," said Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, who surveyed the damage this week.

"Ensuring the safety of those impacted by the flooding remains my top priority."

According to Seifert, the cause of the jam was a late break up of ice.

Colder temperatures meant there was no melting until a rapid warming put lots of water in the river basin.

A wall of ice got hung up at a steep curve in the river near Galena, he said.

Water appeared to be beginning to move around the sides of the ice Wednesday, Seifert said, which could be good news for people living in Galena.

When the jam breaks, however, downriver communities of Koyukuk and Nulato may be at risk.

Alaska volcano "fountains" with fire, spreads expansive ash cloud

Response: A wall of ice got hung up at a steep curve in the Yukon River. Some 300 people are evacuated. "We expect the flooding to become worse before the waters start to recede," governor says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:LONDON, England (CNN) -- A visit to the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers.

Visiting the Eiffel Tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists.

But some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit, according to a survey of British tourists.

And those questioned didn't think too highly of their own country's best-known landmarks either, with Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain also turning people cold.

Travel expert Felice Hardy explained why many tourists, often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places, are left with a feeling of anti-climax.

"It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world," she said. "But many of them are overcrowded and disappointing.

"Pick carefully and don't always go for the obvious. Natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made, and can be wonderfully free of tourists."

The Eiffel Tower -- described by Hardy as "frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced" -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight.

Britain's biggest letdown was Stonehenge, a sacred Druid sight in the rural south of England, which was dismissed as "an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field" by Hardy.

The Diana fountain resembled "a colorless wet skateboard park" while as far as Big Ben was concerned: "Once you've seen it, you'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else."

Three of America's most famous sights -- New York's Times Square and Statue of Liberty plus The White House in Washington also made the list of shame.

But the 1,267 adults questioned by Virgin Travel Insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world, with the Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan topping the list.

Other unmissables included the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge. Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was voted Britain's top tourist sight.

TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING GLOBAL SIGHTS

1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris; 2. The Louvre, Paris; 3. Times Square, New York; 4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona; 5. Statue of Liberty, New York; 6. Spanish Steps, Rome; 7. The White House, Washington DC; 8. The Pyramids, Egypt; 9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin; 10.The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING UK SIGHTS

1. Stonehenge; 2. Angel of the North. Gateshead; 3. Blackpool Tower; 4. Land's End, Cornwall; 5. Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London; 6. The London Eye; 7. Brighton Pier; 8. Buckingham Palace; 9. White Cliffs of Dover; 10. Big Ben.

TOP TEN BEST GLOBAL SIGHTS

1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan; 2. The Grand Canal, Venice; 3. The Masai Mara, Kenya; 4. Sydney Harbour Bridge; 5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan; 6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia; 7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey; 8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia; 9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia; 10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland.

TOP TEN BEST UK SIGHTS

1. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland; 2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim; 3. The Royal Crescent, Bath; 4. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, south London; 5. The Backs, Cambridge; 6. Holkham Bay, Norfolk; 7. Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset; 8. Tate St Ives gallery, Cornwall; 9. Isle of Skye, Scotland; 10. The Eden Project, Cornwall  E-mail to a friend

Response: Some of most iconic global tourist attractions are most disappointing to visit. The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids on the list. The Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan voted the best place to visit.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday he appreciated U.S. President Barack Obama's friendly gestures at last weekend's Summit of the Americas, but said they don't change his view of the United States as an imperialist nation.

Hugo Chavez had handshakes and smiles for President Obama at the Summit of the Americas last weekend.

Chavez's fiery diatribes against the United States have included referring to former President George W. Bush as the devil.

He was photographed with Obama at least twice at the summit -- once when Obama shook hands with him and other leaders, and again when he approached Obama to give him a book.

"The hand[shake], yes. And the smile, yes -- one time and a second time and a third time and a fourth time," Chavez said during a televised address. "But nobody should be mistaken. The empire is there, alive and kicking."

The book Chavez presented to Obama as cameras rolled is titled "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent." The book chronicles Europe's and the United States' role in "the effects and causes of capitalist underdevelopment in Latin America," according to one reviewer.

As he has in the past, Chavez noted Obama's historic role as the first black U.S. president.

"I hope Obama, for the dignity of his race, may be the last president of an imperialist United States," he said.

Response: Venezuelan president in TV interview: [U.S.] "empire is there, alive and kicking". Friendly exchanges with Obama didn't change his view of U.S., Chavez says. Chavez: "I hope Obama ... may be the last president of an imperialist United States".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Call David X. Cohen a nerd all you like, but never call him a geek. To the co-creator of "Futurama," the term "nerd" is a compliment.

"I feel like with 'nerd culture,' [it sounds like] the nerds have triumphed," he said. 'Geek' has a negative connotation. I'd rather be called a nerd. I love being called a nerd."

Back in 2003, this particular nerd couldn't believe it was all over for "Futurama."

"When we were canceled by Fox, we thought that was it," Cohen recalled. "We really didn't have any expectations at the time. It was really emotional because we spent four years locked in a dark room working on the show. I went on with my life and wrote a couple of pilots."

As the years went by, the network Adult Swim (a Time Warner property, along with CNN) started airing reruns of "Futurama" along with "Family Guy."

"Family Guy's" ratings and DVD sales convinced Fox to give it a second chance, and the rest is history. "Futurama's" ratings were similarly high, and once "Family Guy" started putting feature-length episodes on DVD, a light bulb went off in Cohen's head.

" 'Family Guy' blazed the trail with direct-to-DVD movies and got back on the air," he said. "We called Fox and told them every six months that, hey, 'Futurama' is even more fitting for direct-to-DVD."

Finally, in 2007, fans had their "Futurama" back, in not one, but four direct-to-DVD movies. As a result of those sales, Comedy Central is starting a new season of the show on Thursday night.

The first order of business: wrapping up what happened at the end of the last movie, when Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the crew were sucked into a wormhole.

"Our first episode is 'Rebirth,' which is metaphorical but a surprisingly literal term -- our crew members are going to suffer some serious physical harm," Cohen explained. "Not for the squeamish, necessarily, but we will see the rebirth process as science has it in the year 3000."

The most exciting new thing about this season of "Futurama," according to Cohen, is that it's, well, new. "I want to reassure our fans that this will be the real classic 'Futurama' back to its original form. They supported us, and we want to repay them."

For fans who are probably wondering what happened between Fry and Leela, last seen kissing before that climactic trip, Cohen said their questions will be answered, all in good time: "We're going to be dealing with the surprising sci-fi consequences of that relationship."

Former Vice President Al Gore will also provide his voice, once again, just in time for the holidays.

"The holiday special's going to focus on the future versions of Christmas, Kwanzaa and 'Robanukah,' which Bender made up to get off of work. Gore will make his record-breaking fourth guest appearance," Cohen said. "We will have the classic pairing of Gore and Coolio, making his third appearance, playing Kwanzaa-bot."

"Futurama" also has a big milestone to celebrate, thanks to that Comedy Central pickup: "We will have our 100th episode with Mark Mothersbaugh and Devo. Leela leads the mutant people who live under the sewers in an uprising against the surface people."

iReporters love Futurama

So what kind of brain power does it take to write a show with so many jokes revolving around nerdy topics?

"My master's degree [in physics and theoretical computer science] puts me in the middle of the pack -- we have had three science PhDs in our writers room, so no one is impressed with my master's degree," Cohen joked.

"We do sneak in a high-level math or physics equation, and we know few people get them, but they are hidden in the background, and we'll reward a few viewers and hopefully make them lifelong 'Futurama' fans."

One example of such nerdy humor will actually come to the forefront in the near future.

"Our tenth episode of the new season is written by Dr. Ken Keeler, and it involves the characters switching minds, and it becomes very complicated due to the nature of this to work our way back to the original body, and requires solving a mathematical problem," Cohen explained. "Ken actually proved a theorem critical to resolving the episode. We're going to present a 'Futurama' theorem."

Cracking jokes and breaking new scientific ground at the same time? Fans of "Futurama," nerdy or otherwise, wouldn't want it any other way.

Response: Seven years after being canceled by Fox, "Futurama" is back -- on Comedy Central. Co-creator David X. Cohen: "[Fans] supported us and we want to repay them". Cliffhanger from the end of the direct-to-DVD movies will be resolved. Former Vice President Al Gore plays himself for the fourth time.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Serena Williams has revealed she is not in love with playing tennis, despite an impressive straight sets victory on her return to action at the Brisbane International tournament.

Playing in her first match since losing the U.S. Open final to Samantha Stosur in September, Williams brushed aside South African Chanelle Scheepers 6-2 6-3 with consummate ease.

The 30-year-old American, who is seeded fourth in Brisbane, fired down seven aces in a 68-minute victory -- but later told reporters that she will cut back her schedule even further in 2012.

Clijsters returns with convincing victory

"I just want to be able to do other things that I'm doing and expand on that. I think that helps keep my motivation up," said the 13-time grand slam winner.

"I don't love tennis today but I'm here. I can't live without it -- there's a difference between not loving something and not being able to live without it.

"It's not that I've fallen out of love with it. I've actually never liked sports and I never understood how I became an athlete," Williams continued.

"I don't like working out, I don't like anything physical. If it involves sitting down or shopping, I'm excellent at it."

In other matches, top seed and local favorite Stosur beat Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-2 6-3 and is on course to face Williams again in the semifinals.

Second seed Andrea Petkovic of Germany defeated Israeli Shahar Peer 7-6 1-6 6-3, while former world number one Ana Ivanovic saw off Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-3 and now faces Kim Clijsters.

Response: Serena Williams reveals she does not love tennis after Brisbane victory. Williams is impressive in straight sets win over South African Chanelle Scheepers. Top seed and local favorite Samantha Stosur also cruises through to second round.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- NASA said Wednesday that it is collaborating with recording artist Mary J. Blige to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers by studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- collectively known as STEM.

A public service announcement featuring shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin and Blige will begin running this week on NASA TV and on the agency's website.

The campaign is part of NASA's Summer of Innovation program, which also is working with Blige's Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, the space agency said.

The NASA program, part of the president's Educate to Innovate Campaign, started this summer with the aim of engaging middle school students in science-related activities during the summer break.

Working with Blige's foundation provides "a rare opportunity" for it to reach "communities not always readily accessible to us," Melvin said in a news release.

"Mary's presence can help NASA make the STEM message more appealing to these communities and increase the pipeline of underrepresented students going into these disciplines," he said.

High school participants in Blige's foundation are working with the NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy project at York College of the City University of New York, the space agency said.

In addition to being prepared to deliver NASA content to middle school students this summer, they will have the opportunity to support the NASA academy's fall academic session as student aides for grades one through nine, it said.

Response: NASA collaborating with recording artist Mary J. Blige. A public service announcement begins running this week on NASA TV. The collaboration encourages women to reach for the stars.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:NEW YORK (CNN) -- They've been called "bromances": those buddy films and TV shows, such as the movies "Pineapple Express" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," that feature non-sexual but deep friendships between two or more males.

Jason Segel and Paul Rudd star in "I Love You, Man," which opens Friday.

The forthcoming "I Love You, Man," which opens Friday, appears to fit the bill.

In the film, Paul Rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends. Enter Jason Segel as Sydney Fife, whom Rudd's character, Peter Klaven, pursues on several "man-dates" that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée (Rashida Jones).

But don't call the film a "bromance" in the presence of Rudd and Segel.

"We hate that word," Segel told CNN.

"It was not part of the lexicon while we were filming," added Rudd.

Still, both actors have plenty of experience in the, uh, guy-pal genre. Rudd has been in several comedies written, directed or produced by Judd Apatow, considered one of the leaders of the "bromance" trend with his softer, more openly emotional male characters. Segel has also been in Apatow projects -- including last year's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- and he stars in the TV series "How I Met Your Mother," which finds plenty of humor in male bonding.

Segel observes that what helps the films work is the discomfort of two men trying to talk about their emotions while hoping to maintain a dispassionate, hard-edged, prototypically manly façade. And he knows he's good at bringing out that discomfort in his co-stars.

"Judd Apatow told me that my special skill was that I am able to maintain my likability while getting incredibly close to the creepy line, and that's what I should try to cultivate," he said.

"That's what he does," Rudd noted. "He just holds [the moment] a little too long."

"It's the fraction of a second too long that makes people uncomfortable," Segel added.

In "I Love You, Man," Segel's character is rougher and looser than his characters in "Sarah Marshall" and "How I Met Your Mother." He welcomed the change.

"It was a real treat for me, to be honest for a minute, to play this character, because I've played sort of a puppy dog guy in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' and on ['Mother'] I play a husband, you know, a loving husband," he said. "So to get to play a character who is a bit more of a man of mystery was very exciting for me."

In real life, claims Segel, he even has a man cave.

"It's filled with puppets," he said. "And I keep wondering why I don't have a girlfriend. I'm like, 'hey, this is my house; come check it out. This is where I keep my 40 puppets.' ... I think that I have a reputation for being weird because of that."

But he quickly turns serious and maintains that "I Love You, Man" does have a message to go along with its comedy.

"I think we both had something to learn from each other," he said. "Paul's character had to learn that it's all right to take a little distance from your significant other and have some dude friends and someone to vent to about things you can't necessarily talk about with your girl."

"Sometimes buddies hold a mirror up to the way you behave in ways that relationships with the opposite sex don't," Rudd said.

"Yeah, and my character had to learn that maybe it's time to grow up a little bit," Segel added.

So, this "bromance" thing, allowing a few feelings to show. Perhaps it's not so bad after all?

Rudd says that the idea has its upside, despite its name. And he's glad it's been successful.

"That's us in a nutshell, not macho, not tough," he said. "I think that we've all been kind of drawn to real stories, you know, characters that hopefully people can relate to and what's funny about just certain insecurites and just certain things in life.

"They could easily be dramatic," he pointed out. "Just less fart jokes."

Response: "I Love You, Man" stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel as two men trying friendship. Neither Rudd nor Segel likes the term "bromance". Comedy makes some serious points about friendship, Segel says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Since Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, first conquered Mount Everest in 1953, thousands of trekkers have tried to follow their footsteps.

According to the Nepalese Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, more than 3,500 have successfully climbed the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) mountain, the world's highest. More than a tenth of that number scaled the summit last year alone.

But with the mountaineers' lofty dreams come a price: a trail of trash that now threatens the peak's environment.

A group of 15 artists in Nepal are turning that trash into art. Under a project called "Mt. Everest 8848 Art Project I" created last year, they have collected 1.5 tons of garbage brought down by climbers from the mountain, including remains of a helicopter that had crashed into the slopes during the 1970s.

"With this collaboration we aimed to raise awareness about pollution at Everest," explained Kripa Rana Shahi, director of Da Mind Tree, the organization that initiated the project.

Working tediously for a month, the artists transformed oxygen cylinders, cans, glass bottles and discarded trekking tools into 74 pieces of art and held their first of many exhibitions for interested buyers in November 2012.

Geographer reaches Mount Everest summit amidst tragedy

"Many of the artworks reflect mountain life and mountaineering experiences," says artist Sushma Shakya. "It was interesting what we came up with, and how this trash could turn into something beautiful."

"The visitors are amazed by the artwork, and we've received encouraging feedback. We hope our creations will help inspire actions against pollution at the Everest," Nara Bahadur BK, another artist, said.

The exhibitions have attracted more than 3,800 visitors, with the pieces priced from $17 to $2,400.

Nineteen pieces have been sold so far, and part of the proceeds will be given to Everest Summiteers Association, which has collaborated with the project. The association was the first to initiate a cleanup trip to Mt. Everest in 2005 and has continued its efforts to make the mountain pollution free.

"Each expedition to Everest is required to take a garbage deposit and bring their waste back," Diwas Pokhrel, the group's general secretary, said. "But this system has not been strictly implemented."

In last two years, the association has collected over 10 tons of garbage from the Everest, but it estimates that another 10 tons are still littering the slopes.

According to the association, biodegradable garbage is separated from the collection and turned into compost at Namche Bazaar, the major stop point before the base camp. But much of the garbage comprises non-degradable items such as oxygen cylinders, tin cans, and plastic and glass bottles. These are airlifted to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

Turning trash into art is one way of managing waste. Da Mind Tree says it will continue working on similar projects. "We hope our creative works of art will inspire and encourage people to keep the mountains clean," Shahi said.

Is Mount Everest like a 'morgue'?

Response: A group of 15 artists in Nepal turn trash collected from Mount Everest into art. The project aims to raise awareness about pollution at Everest. 1.5 tons of garbage have been turned into 74 pieces of artwork. The pieces are on sale, priced from $17 to $2,400.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Are technology companies ailing?

Hewlett-Packard certainly is. The venerable behemoth announced it will implement a restructuring that includes eliminating 27,000 jobs. HP tried to bring itself around by replacing its CEO last year. That didn't quite do the trick, so now it's resorting to the good old-fashioned mass layoff.

One suspects that HP is a little too venerable. It was the first "Stanford spinoff," fittingly reflected in the presence of Hewlett Hall and Packard Hall in the engineering corner of the Stanford campus. Yet HP hasn't stayed ahead of the innovation curve, failing for instance to adapt well to the tablet craze.

This could be the end of an era.

Consider two Stanford neighbors of Hewlett and Packard Halls -- Gates Hall and the Huang Center. Bill Gates' company may be losing the innovation war, too. It's getting pummeled by the tablets as well, and just this week Google's Chrome Web browser overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer in popularity. By contrast, the Huang Center was funded by Jen-Hsun Huang, whose firm NVIDIA has been revolutionizing the supercomputer field.

But won't those laid-off HP engineers be snapped up by the booming tech sector? Many will not.

The tech job market is excellent for younger workers, but many of those who are laid off and over 35 will find the market less welcoming. They're perceived as too expensive. The HP layoff will consist disproportionately of older workers. Indeed, jettisoning the veterans is often the hidden agenda in mass layoffs. It's no coincidence that many of the U.S. core engineering openings at HP have titles like Recent Graduate, Intern and Post Doc, all aimed at the younger crowd.

The difficulties of older techies have been investigated statistically in studies at American University and the National Research Council, but a very public human face was placed on this recently in an online town hall meeting with President Obama.

The wife of electrical engineer Darin Wedel explained to the president that her husband has never found a permanent job after being laid off by the electronics giant Texas Instruments. Granted, family issues restricted him to the Dallas area, but if the hype regarding a seller's market for engineers were true, Wedel should have been able to find something in that region, which sadly has not been the case.

A former student of mine was a star at HP for 10 years or so, acquiring patents and promotions. Yet he, too, got caught up in a huge layoff, and could find engineering work only sporadically afterward. Ultimately he left the field.

Those who survive this round of HP layoffs will likely find themselves being asked to not only do their own jobs, but also those of the departed. Engineers are exempt employees, hence no overtime pay, and HP will accrue a net reduction in labor costs.

Another tried and true fix for a sick firm (and for the well ones) is to ship work abroad. A few years ago, HP executive Ann Livermore made it plain: "A basic business tenet is that things go to the areas where there is the best cost of production." HP's jobs Web page shows that 48 of the 113 open core engineering positions are outside the United States.

Unlike Livermore's explicit position on cheap labor, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina said that HP offshores work because the American educational system doesn't develop good math skills in its students. That claim is a red herring. HP workers, including those being discarded, are among the best in the business, and were whizzes in math when they were in school. Many of our technology leaders, from Hewlett to Huang, are products of the American school system.

The offshored operations often require U.S.-based workers to make periodic site visits. Survivors of the HP layoffs who always wanted to visit Singapore may now get their chance -- monthly.

To her credit, HP's current CEO, Meg Whitman, conceded that layoffs "adversely impact people's lives." But she insisted that the action is necessary. Probably so, but the message here is that engineers, like many others, will have to get used to a life of layoffs in a globalized economy.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Norman Matloff.

Response: Hewlett-Packard announced it will eliminate 27,000 jobs. Norman Matloff: Many laid-off HP employees will not have an easy time finding jobs. He says tech job market is great for young workers, but not for older, experienced workers. Matloff: Engineers, like everyone else, need to adjust to the realities of a global economy.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:London (CNN) -- Members of the royal family, UK government and dignitaries gathered Tuesday in Westminster Abbey for a service to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

The queen was accompanied to the service by her husband, Prince Philip, as well as her son Prince Charles and her grandchildren, among them Princes William and Harry.

William's pregnant wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was also present. She is expecting their first child in July, just over two years after they were married at the abbey.

Prime Minister David Cameron gave a reading as the service began amid pomp and ceremony.

The queen acceded to the throne in 1952, but her formal coronation took place on June 2, 1953.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in his reading paid tribute to the queen's "60 years of commitment" and service since she was crowned.

The Bishop of London, the Right Rev. Richard Chartres, also hailed the queen's "affectionate service" to her people in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and "the strength and inspiration she fosters" there.

The music and choral works performed at Tuesday's service reflected the choice of music for the coronation 60 years ago.

After the service, the queen and Philip stepped out into brilliant sunshine amid the tolling of bells, climbing into a glass-topped limousine for the return journey to Buckingham Palace.

Diamond Jubilee celebrations were held last year to mark the queen's 60 years on the throne.

There have been 38 coronations at Westminster Abbey since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066.

A special "coronation chair" ordered built by Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307, has been used for almost every coronation since the 14th century.

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised, allowing her British subjects to watch the entire ceremony.

OPINION: Why Queen Elizabeth won't step down

Response: Members of the royal family join a service to celebrate 60 years since the coronation. The queen acceded to the throne in 1952, but her formal coronation took place in 1953. Prince William and his pregnant wife Catherine are among the guests.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- The theater was packed as Garth Brooks shared stories about why he decided to officially step out of retirement after nine years.

Garth Brooks played two secret concerts in Vegas earlier this summer. Now he's signed on for an engagement.

Camera crews and journalists filled the front section. Executives flanked the sides. And then smack dab in the middle of the audience was a row of chefs, enthusiastically applauding in their toques and kitchen whites.

Yes, the media was buzzing about the much-anticipated announcement, but hotel employees at the Wynn Encore in Las Vegas were equally excited -- maybe even more so, because of the part they played in persuading the country music superstar to enter into a five-year weekend residency at the establishment beginning December 11.

This summer, as the media threw itself head-first into the death of Michael Jackson, the Oklahoma native quietly took the stage at the 1,500-seat Encore Theater in two hush-hush shows attended by hotel workers. One was an intimate acoustic performance; the other a concert with his full band.

He sang. He charmed. He won over staffers who never thought they'd be caught dead tapping their toes to country music. And that, ladies and gentleman, exemplifies the uncanny ability of Garth Brooks to connect with human beings, and explains why he -- not Michael Jackson -- is the best-selling solo artist of all time in any genre. (You can look it up.)

"I think my gift truly is I'm an average guy. What I like, an average guy likes. It's that simple. The music that I love, I find that most guys around me love, too," he told CNN in his dressing room after Thursday's news conference in Las Vegas.

There's a big old-fashioned star on the door that says "Garth Brooks." It suits him. Even though he's pushed boundaries and rewritten rules in the music industry, he's still an old-fashioned guy with old-fashioned values -- work hard, stay humble and family first. It's the latter that led to his decision to hang up his mic and his Stetson in 2000.

"We were retiring because I gotta get back to Oklahoma and raise my girls. Sandy and I were getting a divorce at the time, so I couldn't expect her to do my job for me any longer," he said. "We told the people that's what I'm going to do, and the people -- 99 percent of them -- said, 'Go. Go do what you gotta do. We'll be here when you get back,' and we'll see if they are."  Watch Brooks talk about new course »

Brooks' three daughters -- Taylor, August and Allie -- are now 17, 15 and 13. When he retired, he famously stated that he wanted to be able to drive his kids to school every day. His new Friday-through-Sunday gig will allow him to keep his pledge of seeing them off to class until they head to college.

Of course, the commute from his farm in Owasso, Oklahoma, to Vegas will be made a little faster with his new private jet -- an 11-seat Challenger, courtesy of Steve Wynn, the billionaire CEO of Wynn Hotels.

"I don't know anything about jets," Brooks downplayed with a shrug. "It's got a cool interior, cool paint job, I don't know. But it gets me here (to Vegas), and it gets me home to see my girls. And so in that case, it's fabulous."

"He's been happy being at home, attending every soccer game and knowing what his kids like to eat for breakfast," said singer Trisha Yearwood, whom he married in 2005. "We both came from a family where our parents were there every single day, and so we don't know any other way."

On most weekends, Yearwood will be making the two-hour trip to Sin City -- and every now and again, she'll make an appearance with her husband on stage.

"It's a 'Beauty and the Beast' thing, you know?" said Brooks. "I can start a song in one octave and end it up in three keys, not knowing that I've changed. She's precision -- perfect with feeling -- and that's impressive to anybody you bring out."

From time to time, Brooks will bring out special guests, but for the most part, it's a one-man show -- just him, an acoustic guitar and a bunch of great songs and intimate stories.

And, of course, there's the audience.

"As long as my gift is here, as long as I open my mouth and it works," he said, "then I think my job is to keep doing it, you know?"

Response: Garth Brooks coming out of retirement to play special Las Vegas engagement. Brooks describes himself as "an average guy". To go back and forth from Oklahoma to Vegas, he's been given a jet. Wife Trisha Yearwood: She and Brooks like being at home for kids.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:February 13, 2015

A breakthrough in Belarus, a verdict in Italy, and an expected veto in the U.S. all headline CNN Student News this Friday. We're breaking down how vaccines work, and we're exploring five facts about Valentine's Day. And we'll take you to a lived-in landmark whose appearance is deceiving. Teachers, please note that CNN Student News will be off the air next Monday for the Presidents Day holiday.

On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call.

TRANSCRIPT

Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program.

Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published.

WEEKLY NEWSQUIZ

Click here for a printable version of the Weekly Newsquiz (PDF).

1. In what war-torn country would you find Sergei Prokofiev International Airport, which has been destroyed during a year of conflict?

2. What member of the British royal family was the nation's longest-serving monarch until this year, when Queen Elizabeth II takes the title?

3. A member of the U.S. Navy recently photographed the bow of the USS John C. Stennis as it sailed through what atmospheric phenomenon?

4. What U.S. city, according to its mayor, has already spent its $18 million annual budget for snow removal?

5. For what U.S. president was the teddy bear named?

6. A recent study took more than 3,000 samples to map the microgenomics of what city's subway system?

7. If approved, President Obama's request for congressional authorization of military force against ISIS carries a time limit of how many years?

8. When Jackie Robinson West was stripped of its title, Mountain Ridge from Las Vegas was named champion of what sports event?

9. If the U.S. Congress wants to override a presidential veto, a vote to do so is required by what fraction of the House and Senate?

10. In what country is Minsk, where international representatives agreed to support a ceasefire in Ukraine?

CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show.

ROLL CALL

For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call!

Thank you for using CNN Student News!

Response: This page includes the show Transcript. Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary. At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call..


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Duncan, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Justin Boyles lay in bed, exhausted and depressed. His 385-pound body sank into the mattress with each breath he took. I have diabetes, he thought in disbelief.

His 6-year-old daughter, Autumn, crawled on top of the king-sized comforter and stared at him with bright blue eyes.

"Daddy, will you get up and play?"

"No, baby, I'm tired."

She sat back to think. Her mom had tried to explain why Justin was so sad, but Autumn didn't really understand diabetes or its dangerous implications.

"Daddy, are you ever going to be healthy enough to ride a bike with me?"

The question broke Justin's heart. Tears started to roll down his face. "Yes, very soon. I promise," he said.

"Do you pinky promise?" she asked, holding out her tiny finger.

Justin looped his last digit around hers and made the decision to change his life.

All kinds of excuses

Shanon and Justin Boyles were high school sweethearts. The first time they hung out at 16, Justin took Shanon to church. He was smart, polite and made her laugh -- three qualities that helped Shanon overlook his size.

"As long as I can remember, I've been overweight," Justin says. "I remember as a child coming home after school and having a stack of cookies and a giant glass of milk every day."

In high school Justin weighed close to 250 pounds; he was considered obese even at 6 feet 1. As an adult he lived on fast food and spent most of his nights as a security guard sitting down. He'd eat dinner at work -- frozen burritos, burgers and fries -- then stop off at Taco Bell on the way home for the advertised fourth meal.

"I was really kind of in my own little hole, and I didn't want to get out or do anything," he says.

Shanon became worried. Any time their extended family tried to get together for a birthday party or holiday, Justin refused to go.

"He would have all kinds of excuses," she says. "He was really depressed. He was down on himself real bad."

Most concerning was his lack of time with Autumn, who got upset when her father wouldn't play outside.

"She loves him. He's her hero," Shanon says. "I [knew] why he was feeling that way... but there was nothing I could do about it."

Small steps for a big change

Since his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes in March -- and his pinky promise to Autumn -- Justin has lost more than 65 pounds. He walks around his neighborhood whenever he can and makes sure to do the little things like taking the stairs and returning his shopping cart. The family is also eating better with more vegetables, leaner meats and less sugar. For example, at dinner Justin usually eats a spinach leaf salad with tuna or baked chicken with broccoli. Shanon joins in; she's lost 20 pounds in less than six months on the new diet.

The family recently took a trip to the Oklahoma State Fair and walked around all day, something they never would have done last year.

"I no longer lay in bed thinking that my weight is just too much to overcome," Justin says. "I enjoy being out with family and friends and having a good time."

He only weighs in once a month to avoid becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale. He hopes to get down to 200 pounds, a weight at which his doctor said he would probably be able to go off his medications.

"I just want him to be healthy and happy. I don't care what weight he's at," Shanon says.

The couple raised more than $7,500 for the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes" in Oklahoma City on September 14. Their team wore matching black T-shirts with a new slogan: "Do you pinky promise?"

On his website Justin has included a section where he asks readers to make their own promises -- to themselves or to their family -- to get healthy.

"[Autumn] taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to," he says. "It doesn't take a big giant step.It takes doing a little something."

Justin still has a long way to go in his weight loss journey. But rest assured that he'll keep going -- you just don't break a pinky promise, especially one made to your little girl.

Got a weight loss story to share? Submit it on iReport.com

Response: Justin Boyles learned he had type 2 diabetes in March 2011. Since making a promise to his daughter, Boyles has lost more than 65 pounds. Boyles raised $7,500 for the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Washington (CNN) -- In a critical indication of growing U.S. military involvement in the civil war in Syria, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the deployment of more American troops to Jordan.

Hagel announced the deployment, which was first reported on CNN, in a statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

He said the troops will work alongside Jordanian forces to "improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios."

The troops, which will number up to 200, are from the headquarters of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Defense Department officials told CNN.

The deployment "creates an additional capability" beyond what has been there, one official said, and will give the United States the ability to "potentially form a joint task force for military operations, if ordered."

The new deployment will include communications and intelligence specialists who will assist the Jordanians and "be ready for military action" if President Barack Obama were to order it, the official said.

There have been several dozen American troops, mainly special forces, in Jordan for the past year assisting the Jordanians.

But that group has been very ad hoc, the official said. This new deployment makes the U.S. military presence more official and is the first formalized ongoing presence of an American military unit in the Kingdom in recent years.

This comes as the Pentagon has recently reviewed military options for Syria although Obama has not ordered any to be put into action.

Hagel cautioned lawmakers about the difficulties surrounding any direct U.S. military action in Syria.

"It could embroil the United States in a significant, lengthy, and uncertain military commitment," he said.

He called military intervention "an option, but an option of last resort."

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said the United States could send troops to Syria if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell to rebels, if needed, to secure the country's chemical weapons cache.

But when asked if he was confident the United States could secure them, Dempsey said, "Not as I sit here today simply because they have been moving it, and the number of sites is quite numerous."

Response: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel orders up to 200 troops to Jordan. The deployment creates additional capability, potential to form task force if ordered. Troops to include communications and intelligence specialists who will help Jordanians. U.S. has reviewed military options for Syria although President Obama has not ordered any action.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Amir Khan is a rare thing in sport: A world champion boxer who still lives with his parents and a prominent Muslim who is not afraid to address the image of Islam today.

Khan tasted international boxing success when he was just 17, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Now 23, he holds the WBA World Light Welterweight title, defended against Pauli Malignaggi in New York in May.

But bright lights and big cities haven't distracted the boy from Bolton, an unassuming town in northwest England. He still lives, and for the most part, trains, in his hometown.

"I'm so close with my family ... my Dad never missed an amateur fight or a professional fight, my uncle's the same, they've always been with me that's why I have so much respect for them," Khan told CNN.

Khan spoke to CNN's Revealed team after his big fight in New York, about his life as a sportsman, British Muslim and role model.

CNN: Why do you love boxing?

Amir Khan: It feels like home, even when I step in the ring. As soon as I walk into any gym in the world I feel at home. I know everything, I know what to do. It just feels so comfortable. I can do what I want there. It feels even more comfortable than walking into my own house and my own bedroom. That's how much I love boxing.

I like to entertain when I'm in the boxing ring; I like to show speed, power and explosiveness. It's an art, people need to see [it as] that, not as a violent sport, and when I go into the ring to hurt someone it's because they're trying to hurt me. That's the only reason I hit them back.

CNN: Do you enter a different zone as the fight approaches?

AK: I totally enter a different zone. It's like when I'm in the gym I'm 100 percent there ... it's like autopilot, I'm just doing it, man, my body's just making me do whatever. Time starts going slower approaching the fight, maybe four days before the fight, time just stops.

CNN: Do you think people look for a race issue when you fight?

AK: Being a Muslim and being a Pakistani a lot of people are going to bring that issue up. I'm flying the flag for Britain and Pakistan, I'm proud to be British and British Pakistani, and I think there's a lot of people, Muslim people, just like me. So, when you do get a lot of people [talking about] terrorism and stuff like that, it's only a very small percentage. There's a bigger picture out there and I want people to follow my footsteps and do what I'm doing.

CNN: How does your faith help you?

AK: My faith keeps me humble and keeps my feet on the ground. I pray and I do things privately. It gives me strength when I go in the ring. I know I'm not on my own, I've got God on my side as well, God's helping me, God's going to give me that inner strength to go in there and win the fight. Boxing in the ring is a lonely place, it's just you and your opponent, no one else, so you know spiritually when you have that help it makes a massive difference. It gives you so much confidence.

CNN: Do you sometimes just want to be a boxer without the image?

AK: At times I used to think to myself, I've got a lot of pressure on me, but I'm happy with it. People see me as a Pakistani Muslim British fighter. I'm fine with that and being a role model.

CNN: What does it mean to you to be seen as a role model?

AK: It's nice, I think I'm probably the only Asian Muslim role model in Britain, there's no other Muslim, Pakistani, Indian or whatever role model in the country ... that does put pressure on you but I'm only doing what I love to do. I'm a boxer, I'm a normal guy, I'm never going to change no matter how big I get.

I'm never going to be big-headed and I hate those who are. I never look down on anyone and I'll always speak to people, I've got time for my fans ... even if I have to go out of my way to do it, I'll take a picture, and I've been doing that and maybe that's the reason that God gives me so much -- and has given me so much -- success.

CNN: Where would you be if it weren't for boxing?

AK: I've got a lot of friends who were in school with me and they've taken the wrong path and I think I would've taken the wrong path with them. I would've definitely gone the wrong path or maybe still be with my parents. With the respect I have for them, they would've kept me on the right path, but I wouldn't be anywhere like where I am now.

Response: Amir Khan is a British boxer and WBA World Light Welterweight champion. Khan beat American boxer Pauli Malignaggi in first fight in the U.S. in May. Born and raised in Bolton, a town in northwest England; still lives with family. Devout Muslim, he is proud of his family heritage and status as role model.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Already packing 110 mph winds, a hurricane churning in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico is forecast to get even stronger -- though, as of now, it poses no direct threat to those onshore.

Hurricane Emilia may "become a major hurricane" -- or a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds in excess of 111 mph -- "later today or tonight," the National Hurricane Center reported in its 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) advisory.

At that time, the eye of the storm was about 680 miles (1,095 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Baja California in western Mexico. It was progressing west-northwest at 15 mph, a rate of movement that is expected to slow slightly "over the next couple of days," according to the Miami-based weather agency.

No coastal watches or warnings have been issued because of Emilia, and the hurricane center did not indicate if it is expected to hit or even approach land.

As is, steady tropical storm force winds of 39 mph or stronger extend out up to 125 miles from the hurricane's eye. Hurricane winds of 74 mph and more are blowing within 35 miles of the storm's center.

Past 12 months warmest recorded in United States

Emilia isn't the only hurricane spinning in the eastern Pacific.

The other is Hurricane Daniel, which had sustained winds of 75 mph as of 2 p.m. But that storm was even farther from land -- its eye situated about 1,450 miles west-southwest of Baja California's southern tip and 1,635 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii -- and likewise hadn't prompted any coastal watches or warnings.

Daniel weakened over the course of the day Monday and was expected to lose even more potency over the next two days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Response: Hurricane Emilia has 110 mph sustained winds, having gotten stronger on Monday. It may "become a major hurricane" later in the day, the National Hurricane Center says. Centered 680 miles south of Baja California's southern tip, it's moving west-northwest. Hurricane Daniel is also in the eastern Pacific, but it's not posing any threat to land.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)  -- Those who were in AC Milan's San Siro stadium Saturday night for the Italian club's Serie A clash with Fiorentina say the atmosphere felt like a long "good bye."

Kaka waves to supporters during Milan's match with Fiorentina on Saturday.

As Kaka entered the pitch he took a long look around and then beat his fist on his chest -- a gesture commonly used by footballers to display their loyalty to supporters. Was he saying Milan will always be in his heart? Or was he simply giving everyone a heartfelt "saludo"?

Kaka, Milan's Brazilian superstar and a former world footballer of the year, is reported to be the subject of a $150 million bid from super-rich English club Manchester City that would smash football's transfer word record.

Milan's supporters are on Kaka's side, because they believe it is club officials who want to sell him. Silvio Berlusconi, no longer the club's president but the man in charge when it comes to make major decisions, said this week that it was difficult to ask someone who earns 10 million euros a year to turn down an offer of 15 million euros, adding "It's a difficult offer to refuse."

Berlusconi is counting his own money. Italy's prime minister is also the country's richest man and he remains businessman at heart. He purchased Kaka in 2003 for $7.5 million (roughly 8 million euros at the time). Selling him on would generate a massive profit on his investment -- in cash and paid up front.

Privately, most Milan supporters would probably agree with Berlusconi's reasoning. After all, when so much money is at stake, your head as much as your heart must decide, and the ball at this point is with Kaka rather than club officials.

Still supporters displayed a mix of anger and sarcasm on Saturday evening. "Hands off Kaka" read one banner, while another said: "I thought the devil could not sell its soul, but I was wrong," referring to Milan's devil's head logo.

"Berlusconi, Interista" read another one, referring to Inter, the city's other top team and AC Milan's archrivals.

In a choreographed protest 30 minutes into Saturday's match, hundreds of supporters occupying a section of the central stand waved 50-euro notes towards AC Milan President Adriano Galliani, sitting just above them.

Galliani didn't react, but perhaps thought to himself that the money wasn't even enough to pay Kaka's wages for a day.

The 26-year-old will reportedly earn around $500,000 a week at Manchester City. Likewise, the 5,000 supporters who signed a petition to keep the Brazilian star in Milan would have to pay $100 a week each to match the offer.

A single banner criticized the player. "I belong to money" it read, referring to the "I belong to Jesus" t-shirt Kaka has displayed occasionally after scoring a goal. The banner stayed up only a few minutes but then mysteriously disappeared. Even on this emotional evening at the San Siro there was no room for criticism of the fans' Brazilian hero.

At the end of the game Kaka's teammates hugged him and he waved again towards the supporters. Was he saying goodbye to them -- or to a $150 million move to Manchester?

Response: Milan fans express anger over Kaka's rumored $150M move to Manchester City. Fans wave banknotes at club officials, display "Hands off Kaka" banners. Brazilian waved to fans, beat chest with fist, at start and end of match. Milan have admitted 26-year-old could leave club in a world record deal.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is receiving bids to build a five-story complex for the Israeli Air Force, or IAF, near Tel Aviv.

The facility, mysteriously dubbed "site 911," will be built under the auspices of the Foreign Military Sales program and is expected to cost the U.S. between $25 million and $100 million, according to a solicitation for bids posted on a U.S. government website.

Only U.S. construction firms are able to bid on this contract, and the deadline for proposals is December 3, according to the notice. The notice, first reported on by The Washington Post, includes structural plans that show the first three underground floors are roughly 41,000 square feet and will include classrooms on Level 1, an auditorium on Level 3 and shock-resistant doors throughout.

The architectural plans, drawn up by prominent Israeli firm Ada Karmi-Melamede Architects, pays close attention to the aesthetics of the design as well as the functional parameters outlined in the solicitation. For example, three picnic tables are planned for the exterior.

Atypical to most Corps of Engineers contracts, the contractor hired will be required to supply mezuzahs, which it describes as parchment inscribed with Torah verses, "for each door or opening exclusive of toilets or shower rooms." Generally, mezuzahs are placed in a case and attached to a door frame as a sign of the Jewish faith.

The construction site, on an established Israeli Air Force base, will be guarded by "an Israeli citizen who served in the IAF" and will be separated from military installations with a solid 6-foot fence. Despite the precautions taken around the base, construction workers will be subject to stringent security regulations. Non-Israeli employees are required to arrive on and exit from the site "in a group only"; "the fenced area shall have one gate only for both entering and exiting the site"; and during work hours, employees are prohibited from leaving the base.

The notice also states that the employment of non-Israeli citizens is forbidden, except those from "the U.S., Canada, Western Europe countries, Poland, Moldavia, Thailand, Philippines, Venezuela, Romania and China." It specifies that the employment of Palestinians is strictly prohibited. In addition, it says, "the Contracting Officer retains all rights to refuse or inhibit employment of any employee."

Site 911 appears to be one of the largest facilities built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains three offices in Israel and has been credited with building a variety of facilities for the Israel Defense Forces over the last few years, including underground hangars for Israeli fighter-bombers and command centers. The purpose of Site 911 remains unclear.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Israel Defense Forces did not respond to requests from CNN for comment.

Response: The facility, called "site 911," is expected to cost the U.S. $25 million to $100 million. Only U.S. construction firms can bid on the contract; the deadline for proposals is Monday. The purpose of the site, on an air force base near Tel Aviv, is unclear. Construction workers will be subject to stringent security regulations.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Former first lady Barbara Bush was discharged from Houston Methodist Hospital on Saturday, a family spokesman said.

"I cannot thank the doctors and nurses at Houston Methodist enough for making sure I got the best treatment and got back to George and our dogs as quickly as possible," Bush said.

She was released after six days of treatment for pneumonia, a family statement said.

Bush, 88, is the wife of the 41st U.S. president, George H.W. Bush, and the mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush. President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton sent their best wishes to Mrs. Bush for a full recovery.

In her role as first lady, she championed the cause of literacy. She formed the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in 1989.  That was the same year that she made public that she had been diagnosed in 1988 with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disease that commonly affects the thyroid.

In 2010, she was hospitalized for what doctors at the time described as a recurrence of Graves' disease. She underwent heart surgery in 2009 after doctors found hardening in one part of her aorta. In 2008, she was hospitalized after suffering abdominal pain. She underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer.

Response: She had been treated for pneumonia at a Houston hospital. Bush is the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush. In her role as first lady, she championed the cause of literacy.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- In this case, BFF could stand for "Bigtime Famous Friends."

The first lady turns 50 on Friday, and it's being reported that she will be serenaded by singer Beyonce for the occasion. The White House is not commenting on whether the singer will be in attendance for Michelle Obama's birthday party, but it's well known that the pair are friends.

The superstar performed the Etta James classic "At Last" at President Obama's first inaugural ball and teamed up with Michelle Obama for her initiative to get children more active. Who can forget FLOTUS dancing to Beyonce's "Move Your Body" exercise theme? Even their spouses are friends. Rapper Jay Z changed the lyrics to his rap song to say "I've got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one" during an Obama fundraiser.

In July, the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha attended a Beyonce concert in Chicago. The singer even once wrote an open letter of admiration: "Michelle, thank you so much for every single thing that you do for us. I am proud to have my daughter grow up in a world where she has people like you to look up to."

Michelle Obama responded, "@Beyonce Thank you for the beautiful letter and for being a role model who kids everywhere can look up to. --mo"

Awwwww!

Their friendship has not been without controversy, however.

Some Christian mothers were reportedly upset over FLOTUS teaming up with Beyonce because of the singer's "booty shaking" and revealing outfits. Writing for the Daily Beast, journalist Allison Samuels noted that there was "the unfortunate conundrum posed for Mrs. Obama."

"When BeyoncÃ© goes into the studio to record an album for her millions of fans, she's not thinking about her friendship with the first lady; she's thinking about what's hot, what's edgy, and what will sell to the masses," Samuels wrote. "That surely must have been her mindset when she recorded the controversial lyrics single "bow down b**ches" for her new album earlier this year."

Demetria L. Lucas from the Root wrote, "This love fest has gone too far for my liking. I'm no one (and neither are you) to police the first lady's musical tastes, but this continued public endorsement of Houston's Finest rubs me the wrong way. I am not a Bey hater, but I am an observant onlooker."

Powerful friends can attract powerful opinions.

Response: First lady Michelle Obama and singer Beyonce are friends. Beyonce may appear at Obama's 50th birthday party. Not everyone is happy about their relationship.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Six members of the Newtown Strong team who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday are OK, according to a Facebook post from the group.

"Members of the Newtown Strong team which ran in today's marathon are safe. All runners completed the race before the explosions happened," the post said.

The runners ran the 26.2-mile event to honor the 26 people who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. The Newtown Patch reported there were six runners from the town in the race, including Laura Nowacki, whose daughter survived the shooting.

Marathon organizers held a 26-second moment of silence before the race to honor the first graders and educators who were killed by Adam Lanza and dedicated the final mile to the victims.

The Newtown Strong Fund is a scholarship fund for the siblings and relatives of the victims of the school massacre.

Lanza also killed his mother, Nancy, at the family's home.

Response: Runners ran the 26.2-mile race to honor 26 victims killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. Newtown Strong's Facebook post says all of them are safe. The group raises money for siblings of those killed in December.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- In a headline that calls out for attention -- "A Gender Reversal on Career Aspirations" -- the Pew Research Center reports that two-thirds of young women now say "being successful in a high-paying career or profession" is one of the most important goals in their lives.

While it may not be surprising that these women express more ambition than their mothers and grandmothers, it is surprising when they also display more ambition than their male peers. Is this a sign, then, that we are witnessing "a gender reversal"? Or does it represent a kind of denial -- on the part of young women and men -- about the obstacles they will ultimately face at the workplace and in life?

In the same poll, marriage and parenthood remain important life goals for all young adults, with 86% of women and 82% of men listing marriage as "very important" or "one of the most important things" in life. Children are even more desired, with 95% of young women and 90% of young men placing "being a good parent" in these same categories.

Yet young people's actions, at least when it comes to family commitments, appear at odds with these stated aspirations.

Young people are not only postponing marriage, they are also far more likely than earlier generations to believe it is better to stay single than to enter or stay in a dissatisfying relationship. Moreover, while young women see marriage as desirable, they do not believe it is essential to their own happiness or to becoming a parent.

The gap between young women's high aspirations -- for relationships and parenthood along with paid work -- and their increasing tendency to remain "on their own" suggest that they are hardly naive.

On the contrary, their career goals represent a realistic and cool-eyed assessment of how best to secure their own well-being, along with the well-being of any children they bear. In a world where women know they are likely to shoulder the responsibilities of supporting a family, often on their own, it is more dangerous to scale back ambitions than to give in to the obstacles they know they will likely encounter.

Focusing on self-development at the workplace does not, however, mean jettisoning hopes for a rich family life. When I interviewed young people about their experiences and outlooks, I found that women and men alike overwhelmingly say they want to combine committed work with a satisfying lifelong partnership between equals. They are also rightly skeptical about their chances of achieving this high standard.

Women are particularly aware of how hard it is to sustain a relationship, especially in the context of persistent work-family conflicts and rising financial uncertainty. An egalitarian partnership may be the ideal, but most young women see self-reliance through paid work as essential to their survival, offering the option to choose the right relationship, maintain a measure of autonomy within it and go it alone if nothing better comes along.

So what about young men?

Men's prospects have dimmed in finding the kind of stable jobs and careers their fathers and grandfathers took for granted. With the uncertainties of the new economy, where few jobs offer lifetime security, men's scaled back aspirations are as understandable as women's rising goals. Men, too, are caught on the horns of a dilemma, torn between the difficulty of establishing a steady career and strong pressures to define their worth by the size of the paycheck.

As women's career aspirations rise and men's tumble, this declining gender gap should serve as a wake-up call. Younger generations want to combine the personal pursuit of challenging, well-rewarded paid work with the pleasures and responsibilities of a committed family life. In fact, earlier Pew surveys found 73% of Americans believe that women's employment has been a "change for the better," while 62% say that sharing the responsibilities of paid work and rearing children is "more satisfying than a more traditional marriage."

But as long as careers require unfettered, constant devotion and caretaking remains undervalued, privatized and penalized, the goal of striking their desired balance between paid work and the rest of life will remain illusive for young women and men alike.

The answer is to stop worrying about a gender reversal and focus instead on the institutional and cultural changes -- such as flexible careers and supports for caretakers of all stripes -- that will make genuine equality possible. It is past time to finish the gender revolution that began with women's march into the workplace.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kathleen Gerson.

Response: Pew poll reports that young women have higher earning aspirations than young men. Kathleen Gerson: Young people's actions appear at odds with what they say. Since traditional gender roles are eroding, young women value careers, says Gerson. She says new generation wants work life balance, but there are many challenges.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)The misuse of outer protective garments may have led to the exposure of a potentially deadly strain of bacteria at the Tulane National Primate Research Center near New Orleans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

An employee at the center has tested positive for the bacterium, which is kept at the facility. The employee is not sick, and Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman, said the bacteria probably aren't a threat to the general population.

Inspectors from the CDC and the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the misuse of outer garments "could have led to the bacteria clinging to inner garments and getting carried out of the select agent lab where research was being conducted with the bacteria on mice," a news release said.

"Additionally, CDC and APHIS inspectors determined that Tulane primate center staff frequently entered the select agent lab without appropriate protective clothing, which would increase the risk of bringing the bacteria out of the lab or becoming infected themselves."

The bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, was being tested on mice in a biosafety level 3 lab at the Covington, Louisiana campus. It can cause can cause melioidosis, also known as Whitmore's disease.

All research with the agent at the facility was suspended on February 11 and will remain suspended until it can be shown that there are no more risks and that proper procedures are being followed, the CDC said.

The CDC says the primate facility can resume that research when Tulane officials show inspectors that:

• Entity-wide procedures exist to ensure animals accidentally exposed in the future are managed appropriately;

• All personal protective equipment procedures are thoroughly reviewed and revised appropriately to lessen the risk of future breaches;

• All Tulane primate center personnel are trained on any new or revised protective clothing procedures; and

• Improved entry and exit procedures to the outside enclosures housing non-human primates are in place to stop any further transmission among the animals."

The CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture say they have completed their investigation, which began in November when two monkeys were diagnosed with Whitmore's disease. Six others had antibodies indicating exposure to the bacterium.

According to the CDC, "the bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil. It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source." It is not transmitted between humans or animals, "and the risk of acquiring melioidosis is low," the CDC said.

Melioidosis "is predominately a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread," according to the CDC website.

Response: The error "could have led to the bacteria clinging to inner garments and getting carried out" of a lab, inspectors say. Also, "staff frequently entered the select agent lab without appropriate protective clothing". The CDC says the bacteria probably aren't a threat to the general population.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- The world has a new alliance to save vanishing frogs, toads and salamanders.

A frog swims in a pond in Munich, Germany, in June.

A coalition of organizations established the Amphibian Survival Alliance this month to conserve species threatened by deadly fungus, habitat loss, pollution, pesticides and climate change. The scientists said amphibians are the world's most threatened group of animals.

Though they thrived on Earth for more than 360 million years, one in three of the 6,000 recognized amphibian species are now at risk of extinction and as many as 122 species have gone extinct since 1980, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's amphibian specialist group.

"The world's amphibians are facing an uphill battle for survival," said James Collins of Arizona State University, co-chairman of the group.

He said the new alliance, formed at the Amphibian Mini Summit at the Zoological Society of London, will focus efforts on the biggest threat to amphibians: infectious disease and habitat destruction. The group includes amphibian specialists working in the wild as well as those in zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens worldwide.

"Amphibians have so much to offer humans," said amphibian specialist Simon Stuart. "Many have an arsenal of compounds stored in their skin that have the potential to address a multitude of human diseases."

But as amphibians die out, so do opportunities to develop new medicines, he said. The southern gastric brooding frog, for instance, could have led to the development of a treatment for human peptic ulcers had it not gone extinct, Stuart said.

"We simply cannot afford to let this current amphibian extinction crisis go unchecked," he said.

Andrew Blaustein, who began documenting amphibian declines two decades ago, said the loss of species was part of an overall biodiversity crisis.

"Amphibians seem to have been hit the hardest of all vertebrate species," said Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University. "The long-term ecological repercussions of their decline could be profound, and we have to do something about it."

Response: Amphibian Survival Alliance aims to save threatened frogs, toads, salamanders. One in three of 6,000 recognized amphibian species  at risk of extinction, group says. 122 amphibian species have gone extinct since 1980, group says. Amphibian species could help in development of medicines, scientist says.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Washington (CNN) -- The House Ways and Means Committee is the oldest, and arguably the most powerful, in Congress with members responsible for writing the nation's tax laws.

But a CNN investigation of all 39 Democrats and Republicans on the committee found that at least eight members have faced tax problems of their own.

For example, New York Rep. Tom Reed has been late paying his property taxes at least 46 times since 2005. And he racked up more than $6,200 in penalties and interest on more than $100,000 in taxes, according to county records.

On a stunning lake house in New York's Finger Lakes region and a home in Corning, Reed missed a combined 16 tax payments over nine years.

On three other buildings in Corning and another in Bath Village, Reed had a total of 20 late payments over eight years.

And on a mobile home park and two other commercial properties, Reed was late on his taxes 10 times since 2007, according to county records.

So what happened?

"You know it's just like a lot of people, these are things that just happen and they were paid within the allotted time," Reed told CNN.

But unlike a lot of people, Reed is charged with writing the nation's tax laws.

Asked if he should be helping to write laws he has trouble following, the Republican lawmaker said, "Well, I mean these are real property tax bills, which is different than what the Ways and Means does with income tax bills. And I mean we're paying them, we paid them within the allotted time and that's it."

Reed likened the late tax payments to missing a utility bill, saying that while he was late -- and paid penalties because of it -- the taxes never went unpaid.

Steve Ellis of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense said that "lots of Americans run afoul of tax laws, but you'd think the people who are actually writing it wouldn't get this wrong."

But they do.

Take Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Renacci, for instance.

He fought state tax officials for years, refusing to pay nearly $1.4 million in back income taxes, interest and penalties.

Renacci declined several interview requests, but a spokeswoman issued a statement.

Renacci was "appealing an attempt by the new tax commissioner to impose a unilateral and retroactive tax on Ohio taxpayers. In a 3-2 split decision, the state Supreme Court ruled that the commissioner had the authority to impose the retroactive tax. At that time, while he strongly disagreed with decision to levy taxes retroactively, Jim Renacci paid the assessment in full, including interest and penalties," the statement said.

But the Ohio tax commissioner categorized Renacci's battle differently, writing in his final determination that his fellow Republican "failed to act in good faith."

Another Ohioan, Rep. Pat Tiberi, was criticized for not paying employment taxes on his campaign workers. Instead of hiring employees for the 2008 and 2010 campaigns, he hired consultants as independent contractors -- and avoided the payroll taxes.

The Republican said he followed IRS rules.

"We have a tax lawyer. That's part of the reason why campaigns are so expensive because we have a CPA who does our filing," he said. "We have tax lawyers that are on call to make sure that we follow the letter of the law."

But Ellis called the lawmakers' tax problems "outrageous."

"Nobody wants to feel like a chump when they're paying their taxes and if they see that their lawmakers, the ones who actually write the tax laws, aren't paying their bills, it's going to make them wonder why they're paying theirs," Ellis said.

Some of the transgressions were relatively minor.

For instance, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan had to pay a $59 fine after understating his income. And Indiana Republican Rep. Todd Young paid $1,500 in tax penalties after a mortgage escrow mix up.

"I accept full responsibility for past late payments, and have paid all taxes and fees I owed. I regret the errors and offer no excuses," Young told CNN in a statement. "Since then, I have taken corrective action to ensure this doesn't occur again."

Tennessee Republican Rep. Diane Black's situation was a bit more complicated.

A property that she and her husband own racked up almost $4,000 in penalties and interest after her husband's business paid the bill late. A spokesman explained that the company did not receive the tax notice, but paid the bill the day that company officials learned it was overdue.

Florida Republican Vern Buchanan's run-ins with the IRS make him the frontrunner for most expensive tax problem, costing him $2.5 million.

Buchanan fought the IRS contention that he owed an additional $1 million in taxes. In 2002, after years of fighting, he paid $1.2 million in taxes -- the amount he insisted he owed -- plus another $1.3 million in penalties and interest he racked up during the fight.

Finally, there's New York Democrat Charles Rangel. He lost his chairmanship of the committee in 2010 and was censured in part for his failure to pay taxes on rental income from his swank villa in the Dominican Republic.

Yet years later, both Rangel and Buchanan still sit on the committee.

How Washington spends your taxes

CNN's Scott Bronstein and Curt Devine contributed to this report.

Watch The Lead with Jake Tapper weekdays at 4pm ET. For the latest on The Lead with Jake Tapper click here.

Response: Eight of the 39 members of House Ways and Means have had tax issues of their own. Committee is responsible for writing the country's tax laws. Issues range from a $59 late payment to a $2.5 million tax bill. Some of the issues with congressional lawmakers involve state and local taxes.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(EW.com) -- Distracted by the easy money of Halloween slasher films, Hollywood has long ignored the more fun-spirited side of the modern, billion-dollar Carnivalesque holiday.

But it's the perfect setting for the brand of teen comedies that made John Hughes and Chris Columbus famous. That's clearly the idea behind "Fun Size," which tells the story of a smart and responsible high-school senior (Nickelodeon's Victoria Justice) whose All Hallow's Eve turns into a disastrous adventure in babysitting.

She wants to go to the cool dress-up party â€” her idea of a great costume is Ruth Bader Ginsberg â€” with her shallow bff (Jane Levy). But when her pathetic widowed mother (Chelsea Handler) pawns her devilish little brother on her so she can party like a teenager herself, chaos and coincidences ensue. She loses the kid at a neighborhood haunted house and has to track him down him before mom gets home.

You'd hope that "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz, directing for the first time, would have a better feel for such matter, but "Fun Size" blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre. (Who wants to be a poor poor-man's version of "Can't Hardly Wait"?) There is no attempt to reinvent, and what might have been a half-decent homage is undermined by numbing comic failure.

'Vampire Diaries': Like Elena as a vamp?

At least Levy delivers her lines with some snap, and even though she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep, she still has fun with it, which is greatly appreciated. Handler, on the other hand, looks literally pained, and fans of the talented comedian will wonder why she's already taking thankless mom roles after films like Bridesmaids proved a market for brassy female-driven comedies.

Axl Rose brings gifts to 'Kimmel' crowd

This movie has no courage and little brains, and is salvaged, if at all, only by its heart. There remains a huge market for a great Halloween teen comedy, but "Fun Size" is the disappointing apple that your crazy-haired neighbor gives you instead of candy. Feel free to dump this one in the bushes. D+

See the original article at EW.com.

Response: "Fun Size" is about a high school senior whose Halloween turns into an adventure in babysitting. "Fun Size" blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre. Levy delivers her lines with some snap; she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Sometimes, it pays to read between the lines.

At least that may be the message --and, more accurately, the hope -- of workers at the National Weather Service office in Anchorage, Alaska.

The message can be found in an official forecast put out at 5 a.m. (9 a.m. ET) that seems, at first glance, routine with its discussion of air pressure, wind speeds and weather systems.

But if you line up the first letters of each word from top-to-bottom in the forecast, under the heading "Analysis and Upper levels," there's something else there: P-L-E-A-S-E-P-A-Y-U-S.

That breaks down into three simple words: Please pay us.

Meteorologists at the service's Anchorage office declined Friday afternoon to comment on the possibly cryptic wording, saying they can only speak about weather-related matters. It was not immediately clear who exactly put out the forecast or whether a message was intentionally tucked into it.

Still, it's no secret that National Weather Service employees -- like other federal government employees -- aren't getting paid as long as the government is shut down. That began Tuesday and there has been no indication that it will end anytime soon, with Democrats and Republicans holding firm on their positions that the other is to blame and that they won't budge.

Up to 800,000 federal workers are at risk of furlough, meaning they won't report to work until the sides agree on a spending plan that President Barack Obama signs into law.

Other federal employees are still working, because what they do is considered essential by the government. That includes many at the National Weather Service.

Whenever the shutdown ends, these government workers should get back-pay. But there's no telling when that will happen, meaning they could work for days, weeks or months before they take home a paycheck.

CNN's Kevin Wang contributed to this report.

Response: A National Weather Service's Anchorage office forecast may have a subliminal message. The first letters of one section line up to spell out "please pay us". Meteorologists decline to comment on the message. Weather Service employees are working but not getting paid due to government shutdown.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- An entire nation stopped Sunday. Four million people sat watching on their television, hearts palpitating with every movement. It was time.

Another 40,000 packed into Schladming with just one hope.

Amidst the roars, step forward Marcel Hirscher, the 23-year-old with the weight of all Austria on his shoulders.

For two weeks the Austrian public had watched and waited for Hirscher to deliver that moment of magic, that performance which would go down in folklore.

On Sunday, faced with his last chance of chance of glory, the home favorite delivered, sealing victory in the men's slalom to spark scenes of wild celebration.

The 23-year-old came home in an aggregate of 1min 51.03 seconds, 0.42 seconds ahead of Germany's Felix Neureuther, with fellow Austrian and former two-time world champion Mario Matt, claiming bronze at 0.65 seconds.

"It was very difficult," Hirscher told reporters. "It was fierce. What can I say, it's great.

"The atmosphere was sensational, it was great. But I was so focused and just tried not to make a mess. It was anything but easy."

Hirscher said the lead up to the slalom had been "the toughest week in my life so far".

"The whole country was watching me, especially for the slalom. Around four million people were watching on television in Austria and 40,000 are here live in the stadium. If I'd straddled, oh my god, they're going to kill me!

"It's definitely good to be the world champion here in my home country."

With the cowbells greeting his victorious arrival at the finish line, Hirscher soaked up the adulation in front of an adoring crowd.

But while Hirscher was left to reflect on his victory, U.S. star Ted Ligety's bid to win a fourth gold at the championships was ended following an uncharacteristic error.

Ligety, who had won gold in the Super-G, super-combined and giant slalom, was the first man to achieve such a feat since Claude Killy in 1968.

But his failure around a gate and the sight of his skis breaking free, ended Ligety's attempt to make history.

While Ligety failed, Germany's Neureuther had no such problems, claiming silver.

"I really tried not to make the same mistakes I've done in the past in big events," he told reporters.

"I didn't have an ideal run. Marcel did it really great again today."

Bronze medalist Matt added: "I trusted in myself to do it and I couldn't do anything but go full out.

"But you can't race senselessly. I'm very happy with the bronze medal, you have to be happy when you see how tight the field is in slalom."

Response: Marcel Hirscher won the men's slalom at the World Championships Sunday. Hirscher is the only Austrian to win individual gold at Schladming over the past fortnight. Germany's Felix Neureuther took silver with Austria's Mario Matt claiming bronze. U.S. star Ted Ligety fails in his bid to win four gold medals following disappointing run.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Call it a meteorological mystery: Forecasters warned that there would be at least six Atlantic hurricanes this season, but so far we've seen only one.

It's the first year in recent memory that every major hurricane forecast has busted after pointing to "above normal activity."

We are passing the season's halfway point. Normally, the Atlantic would see its first hurricane by August 10, and a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) by September 4.

But this year is not normal.

2013's first hurricane -- Humberto -- was a month late. It was so behind schedule it nearly set a record for tardiness.

Although the number of 2013 Atlantic storms is above average -- at nine so far -- the intensity of those storms hasn't matched the forecasts. Humberto -- a Category 1 with winds under 95 mph -- ranked nowhere close to a major hurricane when it spun out harmlessly in the mid-Atlantic.

What's going on here? Climate change? El Niño? Something else?

Experts don't have a full understanding, but three things are getting the blame:

--In the eastern Atlantic, where hurricanes are often born, African desert air is drying the moisture that hurricanes need to form.

--In the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, fast horizontal winds have been cutting off the tops of potential hurricanes, sapping their power.

--Experts speculate that dry air from Brazil's drought may be another factor.

Chad Myers explains this strange hurricane season

Respected veteran hurricane scientist Bill Gray of Colorado State University has pretty much given up for this year.

His research group predicted eight hurricanes this season.  "The forecast up to now is a bust," says Gray. "The second half of the season will be more active," he predicts, with as many as five more hurricanes. Even with the most sophisticated prediction techniques, Gray says, "there's still 40 or 50% of variations in tropical storm and hurricane activity that we can't explain."

Poking fun at his government rivals, Gray jokes about "reports of a suicide watch" among the meteorologists who worked on this year's National Weather Service forecast. Nonetheless, the feds are standing firm.

Unlike Gray, they're not ready to cry uncle.

"Our forecast remains the same," weather service spokesman Chris Vaccaro said. "We're sticking by it."

The NWS -- last May -- initially forecast 13 to 20 "named storms," including seven to 11 hurricanes. Then in August, it dialed down that initial forecast to predict 13 to 19 named storms, including six to nine hurricanes.

So far, including Humberto, we've seen nine named storms. From the weather service's perspective, that statistic shows its forecast remains valid.

"In some ways we're ahead of schedule," says Vaccaro. "And in late September and October there's plenty of time for the number of tropical storms and hurricanes to climb." According to the weather service forecast, at least four more tropical storms or hurricanes will form in the next 11 weeks. That's 77 days, or one storm forming every 19 days.

It would be a mistake to believe that the second half of any hurricane season would resemble the first half, says Vaccaro, who stresses that we're not experiencing a "lull." "Historically speaking, June and July and the first part of August are typically fairly quiet," he says. September, he warns, is the time when storms can start to get get serious.

Some key examples:

-Hurricane Gloria hit the eastern United States in September 1985.

-In 1938 a disastrous hurricane tore up parts of the northeast, also during the month of September.

-In 1998 one of the deadliest storms on record, Hurricane Mitch, raked the Caribbean and Central America after forming in late October.

-Hurricane Sandy, which altered so many lives last year when it slammed into much of the Eastern Seaboard, didn't appear until October.

-Although Andrew devastated South Florida in late August, it was the first hurricane of 1992, a season that overall turned out to be below normal.

-In 2002, Gustav, the first hurricane of the season, didn't occur until September. Weeks later in early October, Hurricane Lili made a destructive landfall along the Louisiana coast.

There's also always the possibility of a freak storm after the season ends, says Vaccaro. "Nature sometimes throws us a curve ball as it has in the past when we've seen storms develop in the month of December."

How likely is it that the weather service forecast will pan out? In this crazy year, it's anybody's guess.

Hurricane watchers point out that there are more signs that something may be amiss:

--The Accumulated Cyclone Energy index -- a rating system that compares the intensity of storm seasons -- would normally be around 55 for the Atlantic. It's now a paltry 16. Globally the rating is a stunning 255, roughly half of what we should see this time of year.

--When an ocean basin kicks up a fuss on one part of the globe, usually another ocean basin is quiet. Nature tends to balance itself that way. This year, according to the ratings, storm activity in all the world's ocean basins is below normal. This adds even more to the mystery.

--This year there is no El Niño, which would keep the season quiet, or La Niña, which would fuel a more active season. Atlantic surface temperatures continue to be above normal, which also would help stir up storms.

--Climate change? As you might expect, opinions differ. Some researchers say global warming from the buildup of CO2 carbon gas pollution in the atmosphere will lead to more frequent and more powerful hurricanes. Some studies support that hypothesis, while others are less convinced. Although scientists are 95% sure that CO2 is warming the globe, they're not certain about how that affects hurricanes. "There are mixed signals," says Vaccaro. "So the jury's still out and research is ongoing."

Related: Silent hurricane season fuels debate over global warming

At the National Hurricane Center in Miami, they're comparing this year to "a slow first half of a slow football game," says hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

"It really doesn't matter how many storms form out there," Feltgen says. "If one gets to you, it's a bad year."

The news media isn't making too much of this strange season, he says.

But he warns, don't be fooled by it. Be prepared.

The mystery has grabbed the attention of Gray and other scientists, who are looking forward to analyzing all the data. Who knows? We may learn a few things.

"We'll figure it out," says Gray. "Let's see what the rest of the season brings."

CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers and producer Sean Morris contributed to this report.

Response: Number of 2013 Atlantic storms is above average, but intensity hasn't matched forecasts. Halfway into season, Atlantic has only seen one hurricane -- a weak one named Humberto. Weather service stands by forecast for 13 "named storms," including 6 hurricanes. Experts were surprised by hurricane-killing dry African air and high Gulf winds.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:MARTINSBURG, West Virginia (CNN) -- Hardly a day that goes by that you won't find Tracey Wygal working out at the gym.

Tracey Wygal weighed 295 pounds before starting a "clean diet," keeping a food journal and exercising.

The 30-year-old middle-school teacher does cardio exercise, strength trains and follows what she calls a "clean diet."

That's quite a change for a woman who tipped the scales eight years ago at 295 pounds.

Wygal first started gaining weight in her early teens. A fast-food diet and little to no exercise helped her pack on the pounds, and her weight ballooned to over 200 pounds.

"It was my first year out of college, and that number, along with being diagnosed as morbidly obese, was very frightening," remembers Wygal. "I went to several doctors, trying to get them to prescribe a weight-loss pill."

But none of her doctors would give her the quick fix she was looking for. Instead, a physician handed her a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet and told her to start moving.

At first, Wygal was shocked and refused to begin a diet that she thought was too restrictive. Even though her weight was rapidly approaching 300 pounds, she believed she had a pretty good diet and an active lifestyle.

As her weight crept up, Wygal grew more frustrated, and eventually she decided it was time to gain control of her life.

She started by keeping track of her daily calorie intake in a food diary and soon realized that her eating was worse than she thought.  Watch more from Tracey Wygal on her weight loss success. »

"I was amazed by how many calories I was eating," Wygal said. "The food diary showed me that I really needed to get my food intake under control and helped me maintain my diet realistically."

She also started exercising.

At first, Wygal says, she was too embarrassed to go to a gym, so she bought an elliptical machine and started working out 15 minutes a day in her apartment.

"It was all I could do at first. I didn't give up, though," she said. "Gradually, my endurance improved. After losing about 30 pounds, I decided to join a small gym."

Several months later, Wygal was ready to take the next step. She hired a trainer and began a short strength-training program.

That's when something clicked.

Instead of feeling intimidated, Wygal started to love her workouts and the physical changes taking shape with her body. Ready to take the next step, she joined a larger gym, began researching different workouts and got into weight training.

Over the next three years, she lost 120 pounds and dropped seven dress sizes. Wygal, who's 5 feet 10 inches tall, says the fear of gaining weight motivates her to stick to her diet and exercise regimen because she never wants to look like she did at 295 pounds.

Now comfortable with her weight, which she says fluctuates between 170 and 180 pounds, Wygal works out at least five to six days a week. She says the key to losing weight and keeping it off is being honest about what you eat, writing it down and staying consistent. She wants people to know they can do it, but there are no quick fixes or easy outs -- just hard work.

"It won't happen overnight," Wygal advises. "Know that it will take time but it is worth it in the end."

iReport.com: Have you lost weight? Send your story, photos and video

CNN Medical News producer Matt Sloane contributed to this report.

Response: Teacher Tracey Wygal was morbidly obese when she weighed 295 pounds. A doctor prescribed a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet and exercise. Wygal started eating clean, keeping a food diary and working out at home. Eventually she joined a gym, hired a personal trainer and lost 120 pounds.