Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- This Christmas, don't feel pressured to attend yet another holiday party. If you'd rather stay in and enjoy a relaxing day in front of the television, you do have options. For the Christmas-lover, ABC Family will be running a marathon of holiday films, from The Santa Clause to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. But if you're not as excited about more holiday cheer, there are other options, such as a Doctor Who marathon or an evening spent with Duck Dynasty.

We've rounded up your marathon options below:

*Note: Final time is when final episode begins; all in ET

ABC Family Christmas movies (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

Doctor Who (BBC, 8 a.m. -- 5 p.m.) followed by Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor at 6 p.m., and additional specials Doctor Who: Farewell to Matt Smith at 8 p.m. and Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor at 9 p.m. And if you miss them the first time around, the specials will air again immediately after The Time of the Doctor ends.

Hawaii Life (HGTV, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

Nightmare Next Door (ID, 2 a.m. to noon)

Man v. Food Nation (Travel, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) followed by Man v. Food (1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

Undercover Boss (TLC, Noon to next day)

Holmes Inspection (DIY, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.) followed by Holmes Makes It Right (Noon to next day)

A Christmas Carol on repeat starting at 12:05 p.m. (FXM)

Duck Dynasty (A&E, 6 p.m. through next day)

A Christmas Story on repeat starting on Christmas Eve and running until 6 p.m. Christmas Day (TBS)

"Oy! To The World: A Mel Brooks Christmas Marathon" in which Brooks hosts a marathon of his most acclaimed films, from The Producers to Robin Hood: Men in Tights. (Sundance, starting at 6 a.m.)

"A Very Quentin X-mas" marathon will feature Quentin Tarantino's films, such as Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.(ENCORE, starting at 11:30 a.m.)

See the original story at EW.com

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© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Response: You can get your holiday cheer watching television. Choose from Christmas classics like 'A Christmas Story". Or a full day of 'Duck Dynasty' and other favorite TV shows.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Getting ahead in your career is not just about being successful; it's about being noticed.

So how do you stand out to be hired by potential employers? How do you stand out for a promotion to a superior? How do you stand out as loyal to the people you are leading? It's simple: do the things that others aren't willing to do.

Whether you're a leader, a team member, or a candidate, success comes from having the discipline to do the things that you know you should be doing, even when you don't feel like doing them. When you practice this kind of self discipline regularly, you'll naturally stand out from the pack -- because most people avoid the hard stuff. It's just easier to put it off.

But the truth is that what feels easy now creates problems down the line. And what feels hard now -- doing the stuff you don't feel like -- makes everything easier in the long-term. Self discipline doesn't have to be hard -- you just have to change the way you think about it.

Read more: Ambition could make you reach, but not happy

Successful people have mastered the art of self discipline. I've spent the last 10 years studying and coaching some of the most successful people in business, figuring out what makes them different. They're not smarter or more talented than the average person -- they just consistently do what others aren't willing to do by keeping three principles in mind:

Do it scared. Fear is one of the biggest saboteurs of our goals, because it inhibits action. The next time you feel yourself putting something off because you're afraid -- of uncertainty or failure -- just "do it scared."

I once heard a true story of a woman who was trapped in a burning building on the 80th floor. She was terrified of heights and enclosed spaces, and when the fire alarm went off, she refused to follow her colleagues into the stairwell to evacuate to safety.

The firemen did a sweep of the building and found her hiding under her desk, waiting to die. She was screaming "I'm scared, I'm scared!" as the firemen insisted she walk down the stairwell. Until one fireman said: "that's OK, just do it scared." He repeated it all the way down the 80 flights of stairs, until he brought her to safety.

We've all faced these moments in our careers -- when you know what has to be done, but your fear holds you back. In order to stand out, you must develop the habit of acting in the face of fear. It's fine to be scared -- do it scared. It's fine to be unsure -- do it unsure. It's fine to be uncomfortable -- do it uncomfortable. Just do something.

This is the attitude of the most disciplined and successful people on the planet. They might be scared, but they do it anyways. And by just doing something, you create movement and momentum that will lead to progress and results.

Read more: Realize your potential, 'dare to be different'

Habits, not results. Perfectionism is one of the most common reasons people procrastinate, and we've all done it at some point.

The best way to overcome this impulse is to put your self esteem into stellar work habits instead of results. It can take a while to see the fruits of your labor -- whether you're spearheading a new initiative, trying to launch a business, or planning a second act career. To keep yourself motivated, take pride in sticking to your work habits, rather than looking for immediate results. In time, success will follow.

Remember the big picture. The pursuit of any goal will inevitably face a number of obstacles. The difference between those who stand out in the careers and those who blend in lies in what you do when you reach these critical turning points. Do you hesitate and turn back? Or do you press forward? When you feel frustrated, depressed, or disappointed, don't give up -- just get some perspective.

I have a mental reminder that helps me push past these hurdles. I hold my pen up to my eye and stare directly down the barrel. Then, I pull it away and look at it in its entirety. It's a quick way to remind myself to look at my life in the same way.

Stop fixating on the here and now, and think about the big picture. Today's challenges may not make sense, but you must have faith that over the long-term, they will be nothing more than blips on the radar screen. Having this perspective and faith will help you press forward at the moments when others turn back.

Contrary to popular belief, people who have reached the highest levels in their careers aren't necessarily better educated, more talented or better connected. Neither are they simply more motivated or harder workers. Rather, successful people have realized that getting to the top means that they first have to do the things that they don't want to do related to their goals.

It's not about enjoying self discipline -- it's about adopting a few new ways of thinking that simply make discipline easier to endure. And when you develop the habit of doing things that others won't do, you're putting yourself on the fast track to the route to the top.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rory Vaden.

Response: Successful people consistently do the things that others aren't willing to do, says Rory Vaden. If you feel yourself putting something off because you're afraid, do it anyway, he says. Vaden argues that we must stop fixating on the here and now, and think about the big picture.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill Thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer, who died 10 weeks ago.

Thursday's service for singer Michael Jackson began 90 minutes past the announced start time.

Jackson's burial may lay to rest some of the mystery and controversy that erupted with his sudden death on June 25.

His large family was divided over where the superstar's final resting place should be, but matriarch Katherine Jackson settled on a crypt inside the well-guarded and ornate Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.

Thursday's service began 90 minutes past the announced start time, leaving dozens of celebrities -- including Elizabeth Taylor -- waiting in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the Jackson clan to arrive.  Gallery: Invitation for Jackson's service »

It began with Jackson's five brothers -- each wearing a single sequined glove -- carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses, along with green topiaries.

His three children, led by daughter, Paris, 11, placed a crown atop their father's coffin, which a family spokesman said it was "to signify the final resting place of the King of Pop."

Jackson's children, parents and siblings took their seats in the front row, while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them.

After an opening prayer by Pastor Lucius Smith, soul music legend Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

Clifton Davis sang "Never Can Say Goodbye," a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5 -- the group that featured a young Michael and his brothers.

What was said by Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, and others who took the lectern is not publicly known, because the family barred news cameras from the ceremony. A family statement issued afterward said close friends and family, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, spoke "spontaneously to celebrate Michael's life."

News helicopters hovering above captured video from a distance, but without sound.  Watch media cover Jackson funeral »

Lisa Marie Presley, one of Jackson's former wives and the daughter of Elvis, attended the service, according to the family statement. It did not mention Debbie Rowe, Jackson's second wife and the mother of his two oldest children.

Macaulay Culkin, the "Home Alone" actor who spent time with Jackson during his Neverland Ranch days, was there with his girlfriend, actress Mila Kunis.

Actors Corey Feldman and Chris Tucker were also seen arriving for the service.

Motown founder Berry Gordy, who gave Jackson and his brothers their first big record deal, and Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson's "Thriller" album, were there. Music producer Teddy Riley, who helped with Jackson's 1991 "Dangerous" album, attended.

The guest list included TV executive Suzanne de Passe, who produced a miniseries about Jackson's family, and Kenny Ortega,  who was producing Jackson's comeback show.

Thomas Mesereau, the lawyer who successfully defended Jackson in a child molestation trial, sat just behind the Jackson family.

When the hour-long service ended, his brothers lifted Jackson's casket for a final time to carry him inside the Great Mausoleum, where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. PT (12:43 a.m. ET Friday).

The family statement said it was "his final resting place."

The family and friends then drove to an Italian restaurant eight miles away, in Pasadena, California, for "a time of celebration."

The massive mausoleum, the final resting place for Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities, is normally open to tourists, though the public is denied close access to crypts. Security guards, aided by cameras, keep constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture.

The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum, which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy, "has been called the 'New World's Westminster Abbey' by Time Magazine."

Visitors will see "exact replicas of Michelangelo's greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta" and "Leonardo da Vinci's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world's largest paintings," the Web site says.

Jackson's burial was delayed by division among family members, though Katherine Jackson would make the final decision, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN.

He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home, north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California.

That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted.

The mystery of where Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death.

After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours after his June 25 death, it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy.

It was only later disclosed that Jackson's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena.

Again, speculation about Jackson's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena. It was only recently confirmed that it was taken back to the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family's decision.

Though Thursday's interment may settle one Jackson mystery, a more serious one remains. The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson's death a homicide. A summary of the coroner's report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer's death.

Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged.

Response: Jackson's three kids, led by daughter, Paris, placed a crown atop their father's coffin. Clifton Davis sang "Never Can Say Goodbye," a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5. Guests included Elizabeth Taylor, Lisa Marie Presley and Macaulay Culkin.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Who doesn't like getting those retail discounts or free gift coupons from their favorite stores?

But did you know there were strings attached, invisible eyes tracking your every consumer move? And there's little you can do to stop it.

We want to do something about that.

Businesses have long sought to attract and retain customers by recording and analyzing your shopping and lifestyle habits. To do so, they often rely on "data brokers" -- companies that collect and share our personal information and label us based on what they learn. And they do this mostly without our knowledge.

That fashionable handbag you found on sale? They know about it. That great deal you got on the BBQ grill from the hardware store? They're tracking that too. And that box of Cheerios? They already assumed you were going to buy that before you even entered the store.

The data broker industry has been booming in recent years, due to new technologies that enable the collection of massive quantities of our personal information. Because of the sheer volume of data we leave in our wake when we shop, browse the web, order a magazine, or post to social media sites, we are largely giving them all this valuable information.

Data brokers scoop up the digital breadcrumbs we leave as we shop in stores and online, and apply "big data" analytical tools to predict where we're going, what we'll buy, and what we'll do -- sometimes even before we know ourselves what we'll buy next.

There's no question that the personal information that data brokers sell to retailers, financial firms, hotels, airlines and other businesses can provide benefits to consumers and our growing digital economy. It can help direct goods and services that are tailored to our interests and assisting businesses to combat fraud by verifying consumers' identities.

They also take this information and use it to lump us into various, shorthand categories like "Affluent Baby Boomer" and "Bible Lifestyle."

But if a data broker categorizes you as an "Urban Scrambler," meaning a low-income minority, are you more likely to receive an offer for a payday loan than a credit card?

What are the implications of being labeled as "financially challenged?" Will it mean you are cut off from being offered the same goods and services, at the same prices, as your neighbors?

Do you want a company to know that you have diabetes, high cholesterol, or another medical condition as long as it is willing to pay the going rate for health data?

Most Americans don't even know that data brokers exist, let alone that they collect and trade a staggering amount of our personal data. Brokers operate invisibly, buying and selling data about us without interacting directly with us. Too few offer easy ways for us to access our information or opt-out of their system of data collection.

The Federal Trade Commission, a bipartisan agency that works to protect consumers, is seeking to shed light on this largely unknown industry. The FTC has just released a detailed study of nine data brokers.

We found that data brokers collect billions of pieces of data on nearly every American consumer, often merging online and offline information. Data brokers are also making potentially sensitive inferences about consumers -- about their health, financial status, and ethnic backgrounds. And consumers have little if any window into this process, let alone meaningful control or choice about how their data is shared among businesses.

This week, the FTC has called on Congress to improve the transparency of the data broker industry, and to provide consumers more control over their personal information. We also recommend that Congress require data brokers to create a centralized website, among other measures, so that consumers can access their own data and opt out of data collection and retention.

I also believe data brokers should be required to take reasonable steps to ensure consumer information is not used for unlawful purposes, such as to illegally discriminate.

We need better transparency into how data brokers collect and use our personal information to help ensure that we not go down a path that leads to unfair exclusion, but rather one that widens opportunities for all consumers.

Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

Response: FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez warns consumers about invisible data brokers. Transactions quietly surrender a gold mine of data, from where you live to what you like. FTC wants Congress to improve the transparency of data broker industry. It also wants brokers to create central website so consumers can see their own data, opt out.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- For the second time in six months, Henrique Capriles Radonski will be in an electoral fight for the presidency of Venezuela.

His opponent is different this time, but the stakes may be even higher: What course will the South American country chart after the death of Hugo Chavez?

In October, Capriles proved to be the strongest challenger the opposition ever fielded against Chavez, yet he still he lost to the charismatic leader by double-digits. But Chavez's battle with cancer kept him from being sworn in, and he died March 5.

On Sunday, Capriles will be in a contest against Nicolas Maduro, the interim president and the man Chavez picked as his successor.

Q&A: Venezuela's presidential election

At age 40, he has been a mayor, a parliament leader, and a governor of a major state who has been given a second chance to win the presidency.

"I am seeking to win the confidence of all Venezuelans," Capriles said recently. "I want a united country. I want Venezuelans to join together (and) work together with a single goal."

The most important issue, he says, is to tackle poverty.

Generous social programs are a foundation of the government that Chavez headed, and Capriles has that he will not do away with them. But he has promised to end the large subsidies that Venezuela provides to Chavez allies.

An attorney, Capriles was elected to parliament in 1998, when Venezuela had a bicameral legislature.

He was just 25 years old at the time, but he quickly advanced to become the president of the Chamber of Deputies and then president of the entire Parliament.

But the bicameral legislature was dissolved in 1999.

The following year, Capriles was elected mayor of Baruta, which is located in the state of Miranda and is a suburb in the Caracas metropolitan area.

He became mayor with more than 60% of the vote.

In 2002, he become involved in violent anti-government demonstrations outside the Cuban Embassy and spent four months in jail. He was eventually released and cleared of any wrongdoing.

He then was re-elected mayor with almost 80% approval in 2004.

In 2008, he ran for governor of Miranda state and won.

Capriles' grandparents were Polish Holocaust survivors, but he is a practicing Catholic, according to the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Response: Henrique Capriles Radonski is running for president for the second time in six months. Hugo Chavez defeated him in October. After Chavez's death, Capriles was tapped once again to represent the opposition.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN)Bill Cosby made things uncomfortable Sunday night on "Celebrity Apprentice."

The beleaguered star isn't a contestant this season on the NBC reality show, which pits teams of celebs against each other for business-related tasks, but his name became embroiled in the season premiere's storyline.

On Sunday NBC aired the first episode, which was filmed before rape and sexual assault allegations began mounting against Cosby. One of the competitors, Keshia Knight Pulliam, is famous for playing beloved youngest daughter Rudy Huxtable on "The Cosby Show."

The actress served as project manager for her all-female team in which the women were trying to raise money for her charity Kamp Kizzy, which seeks to empower girls.

After her team failed to fare as well as they could have in the challenge, they faced a grilling in the boardroom from host Donald Trump. "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member Kenya Moore told Trump her teammate declined to reach out to former co-star Cosby for a donation.

"I have not talked to Bill Cosby on the phone in I don't know how long," Knight Pulliam said emotionally. "So for me to pick up the phone, having not talked to you for five years, except for when we run into each other for a Cosby event, I feel that's not my place to do."

Her explanation was unacceptable to Trump, who said, "I really believe, if you'd called that gentleman he would've helped you, even if you hadn't spoken to him in years. Because you were an amazing team with one of the most successful shows ever. So I think it would've been a very good call to make for charity."

Trump "fired" her from the show. While not directly commenting on her ousting from the series, the actress did tweet: "Ohhh the deception of editing... Smh!!"

For his part, Trump tweeted to his followers after that: "This show was taped just before the terrible Bill Cosby revelations came to light. She still should have asked him for money-goes to charity."

Response: Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy on the 'Cosby' show, starred in 'Celebrity Apprentice'. Knight Pulliam was ousted after she failed to contact Cosby for help with a charity fund-raising drive. Host Donald Trump tweeted that the incident happened before rape allegations against Cosby boiled over.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Hong Kong (CNN) -- As the attention of the rugby world is drawn to Hong Kong this weekend for the Rugby Sevens, corporations are looking to capitalize on a sport that soon will become an Olympic event.

Two dozen teams will pound the pitch, put in flying tackles and perhaps lose teeth in an effort to claim the 2012 championship trophy.

For the New Zealand Sevens team, it's time to defend last year's victory. For spectators, it's a chance to run up a credit card bill on beer and bizarre costumes. But for HSBC, this year's tournament marks its return to the stands as a sponsor after a 17-year hiatus.

"There's more to sports than just the players on the field -- there's the financial funding," said DJ Forbes, the captain of the New Zealand Sevens. "If a sponsorship deal is held in high esteem, potential sponsors are going be sure the money they invest is put in the right places."

But is the right place the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens? HSBC thinks so. Even as the bank is cutting tens of thousands of jobs worldwide, HSBC is investing in rugby ahead of the sport's inclusion in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

"Rugby has changed enormously. The HK Sevens is a very popular tournament but was much more standalone than it is now," said Giles Morgan, HSBC Group head of Sponsorship and Events. "That and its upcoming inclusion in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro have made the game much more international and much broader. "

But while HSBC has ramped up its sponsorship investment in Hong Kong, the "world's local bank" is winding down some of its Asian retail operations -- notably in Japan and Thailand, while cutting 30,000 workers worldwide by the end of next year. All of this is a cost-cutting plan as laid out by HSBC's Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver to save some $3.5 billion.

Morgan quickly defends HSBC's sponsorship as a calculated strategy. "We very much regard our sponsorship as a business -- with business objectives," he said. "This is not about a fun investment. We are targeting key demographics and key geographies.

"It made sense for HSBC to come back," he added. "We didn't know rugby was going to grow the way it did."

And it has grown. From the Hong Kong Sevens first tournament in 1976 that featured just nine teams, it now invites 24 teams spanning every continent except for Antarctica. It now pulls in profits for Hong Kong on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Morgan declined to comment on how much HSBC actually invests in sponsoring this year's Hong Kong Sevens but he says the bank aims for a three-to-one return on sponsorship investment.

But it is rare for any company to know its rate of return on investment, according to one Hong Kong advertising firm. Not only that, companies may pay a prestige premium that comes with being a title sponsor for high-profile sporting events because there are so few of them. In American football there's only one Superbowl. In international football, there's only one World Cup. In Hong Kong, there's only one Rugby Sevens Championship.

So why invest in the Sevens then? For HSBC, it helps target specific clients in markets like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore --hub cities the bank is targeting for growth, even as it streamlines elsewhere, Morgan said. "With strong expat communities you'll be looking at strong growth."

HSBC is sharing title sponsorship of the Rugby Sevens with Cathay Pacific, whose global hub is Hong Kong.

"We're looking for sponsorships that really help build Hong Kong and help bring people in to make the city a tourist destination," says Camilla Taylor, Cathay Pacific's Marketing Manager-Events. "We target a lot of different groups, including average rugby fans around the world. We're trying to promote the Sevens to a wider audience."

Cathay has been investing in the Hong Kong Sevens for much of the last 35 years. Aside from a seven-year break from 1997 to 2004 in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, the territory's flagship air carrier will likely not fly away as a Sevens sponsor soon, Taylor said.

While HSBC, Cathay Pacific and other sponsors refuse to divulge their investment or returns, Hong Kong gladly throws its books wide open.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board says last year's Rugby Sevens drew in more than 21,000 spectators from overseas. The average Sevens spectator from abroad spent $1,650 over the course of six days. In total, Hong Kong raked in more than $289 million in direct economic benefit.

Companies are counting that as thousands descend on the city, more spectators may notice that DHL ad on the Jumbotron in Hong Kong's Central bar district, notice the Cathay Pacific billboard streak by on a Citybus, or notice that red-and-white HSBC banner flutter in the Sevens stadium breeze.

Response: Despite cuttings tens of thousands of jobs, HSBC returns to sponsor the Rugby Sevens. Profile of rugby growing with the sports inclusion in the 2016 Summer Olympic Gamers. HSBC says it expects a 3-to-1 rate of return for its sponsorship investment. Analyst: Returns for companies on sports sponsorship are "notoriously iffy".


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:New Delhi (CNN) -- Here's the best way to understand the new India in 30 seconds. Watch this commercial—or better yet, if you don't understand Hindi, read on.

A smarmy-looking politician addresses a rural gathering, promising to give the people access to water. His speech is interrupted by a boyish young man, a villager, who pulls out his smartphone and plays a YouTube video for all to see: it's the same politician, making the same promises at the last election, years ago.

"I might be from the village," cries out the young man, "but don't think you can fool me!" The commercial—marketing an Indian mobile service provider—cuts to its familiar Hindi jingle, loosely translated as "no making fools of us anymore, no making fools of us."

The story struck me because it weaves together some important trends and forces in India as the nation undertakes the biggest elections in world history.

The first trend is the immense proliferation of Internet-enabled smartphones. In most Western countries, people have discovered the Internet and grown with it in stages: from painfully slow dial-up connections, to broadband, to Wi-Fi, to 4G mobile Internet.

India's story has been very different. Until recently only a small elite—about a tenth of the population—could access the Internet, mostly through PCs. Even today, there are only 57 million broadband  subscribers in the country, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI.

By comparison, there are about 900 million mobile subscribers—a recent boom. Many of these mobile users are buying cheap smartphones and data packages to access the Internet. The offshoot is the opposite of what happens in the West: Hundreds of millions of Indians have never used a PC—and likely never will—but they can now begin to access the Internet on their phones. The Internet is aspirational in India; it's the new motorbike or washing machine.

The second trend is the rise of rural India. Again, according to TRAI, 40% of mobile subscribers are now in villages and small towns. Even with the recent boom, rural subscriptions are still growing at more than twice the rate of urban ones.

These rural subscribers, as the commercial shows, often don't speak English. But there's no longer a great shame in being unable to speak the language of their colonial masters; instead, there's a new pride and confidence in India's many regional dialects and languages. There's new rural money, and a yearning to be stakeholders in their futures and to fight for more accountable government.

The third trend is India's youth bulge. More than 100 million voters in India's elections are first-timers who turned 18 in the last five years. Half of all Indians are under age 30; the average age in India is 28.

Many of these young, brash Indians have cast off the fatalism of their forefathers. Growing up in an India of fast growth and development, they have more confidence in their culture, identity and language. Put that together with trends No. 1 and No. 2, and the result is amplified. For the first time in India's history, a majority of Indians are connected and engaged. They know about the skeletons in every politician's closet—and that information is power.

Some suggest that these trends mean India's elections will be fought and decided on social media.

Politicians have taken their cue, rushing to every platform available: Twitter, Facebook and Google Hangouts. The numbers seem staggering at first. Facebook says Narendra Modi, the front-runner to be India's next prime minister, is the second most "liked" politician in the world (13 million likes), after U.S. President Barack Obama (40 million likes).

According to Twitter, there has been a 600% increase in political Tweets from India in the last year. Since January the two biggest parties, the BJP and the Congress, have grown their Twitter followings by 55% and 351% respectively.

India's Internet and Mobile Association says a strong social media campaign could swing up to 4% of votes.

Commentators have cited that data to brand India's elections the country's first-ever "social media election."

For now, I'm skeptical. Some of the outreach attempts have been amateur at best: As Vox.com pointed out, the BJP's Twitter handle last week auto-tweeted anyone who mentioned the party on Twitter, including me and hundreds of others. In any case, the number of actual social media users represents a tiny percentage of the Indian electorate. Facebook says it has 100 million users in India: it sounds like a lot but it accounts for less than a tenth of Indians.

One reason for this -- apart from limits to Internet access -- could be that Twitter and Facebook remain English language services, relatable to a small subset of Indians.

Unlike China, which has a Chinese-language microblogging service called Sina Weibo, with hundreds of millions of users, India for now has no such indigenous, umbrella platform.

Why? India is no monolith. There are dozens of languages, and an equal number of different Indias. Despite India's growth and increased connectivity, which suggests a more unified nation, the country may actually be becoming more regional-focused, with more pride in local languages, trends and politicians. This is also why I think it's far too early to call India's elections for any one politician or party. The three trends of mobile reach, the rural rise and the youth bulge are each combustible forces bubbling in a cauldron of uncertainty.

Indians may want accountability and change, but it's too soon to tell which way that will manifest itself. It remains unclear whether Indians will vote for their regional interests, or cast their ballot thinking about a macro national picture.

Watch India's elections very closely. They're immensely consequential—for India, and the world. But placing too much importance on social media chatter could be misleading. Calling these elections too early could be embarrassing, too. It is, as the ad-jingle goes, a fool's errand.

Response: A commercial shows India voter catching a politician recycling old, unfulfilled promises. Ravi Agrawal: The power of mobile technology is helping shape India's elections. He says other key trends include the new prominence of rural areas and of young voters. Agrawal: It's a mistake to try to predict the outcome based on these trends.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:On canvas, Vladimir Putin appears stern, Tony Blair looks relaxed and Junichiro Koizumi smiles broadly.

Through paint and brushstroke, former President George W. Bush says he has found not only a rewarding hobby but a unique way to express himself and his impressions of 30 presidents, prime ministers and other world leaders during his time in office.

These never-before-seen portraits, which were done by looking at photographs, will go on public display Saturday at his presidential library in Dallas.

The exhibit is titled "The Art of Leadership: A President's Personal Diplomacy." It will also include photographs and artifacts of his interactions with these leaders.

"I think they're going to be (like), 'Wow, George Bush is a painter,"' Bush told NBC's "Today" show in an interview on Friday. "I'm sure when they heard I was painting, (they said), 'Wow, I look forward to seeing a stick figure he painted of me.'"

One work he is most proud of is that of his father, former President George H.W. Bush.

"I painted a gentle soul," he said.

The Bush Presidential Center is using these paintings to help broaden the image of Bush and is hoping to show "what it takes to be a personal diplomat," said Margaret Spellings, president of the center, emphasizing one-on-one relationships with his fellow heads of state were very important to him.

Most of the world leaders portrayed have not seen the art yet.

George W. Bush to unveil paintings

The rebirth of cool

For newer generations the artwork, and the buzz around them, will show a new side of Bush.

The 43rd President has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity, a bump aided partly by his work trying to save the lives of Africans who have AIDS and efforts to help veterans, including helping them to find jobs.

Forty-nine percent viewed him favorably while 46% saw him unfavorably according to a poll last June from Gallup.

When Bush left office in 2009, only 40% of Americans held a favorable opinion of him, a number which sunk to 35% in March of that year before beginning a slow climb out from under water.

He's also earned nods from such publications as BuzzFeed and Vanity Fair that noted his counterculture hipness in painting outside of the art establishment  and taking selfies.

Though the former President has opened a new chapter of his life with painting, there were reminders of the controversies surrounding his presidency. Just this week, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to seek declassification of its report on the secret prisons and interrogation techniques used by his administration on terror suspects after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Bush also has refused to publicly discuss politics.

In a video accompanying the exhibit, he said of the Dalai Lama: "I painted him as sweetly as I could."

For Blair, the former British Prime Minister and one of the leaders he spent the most time with, Bush said he painted "with a lot of affection" and was trying to convey "a passionate person and a reliable person."

After reading an essay about Winston Churchill's art hobby, Bush took up painting two years ago.

"I gave it a whirl," he said in the video.

He hopes the paintings help convey his feelings and friendships to these leaders. He told NBC this will help "make sure the last chapters of my life are full."

Opinion: Bush paints, but is he any good?

"I want to get better"

Bush said he still has a lot to learn with this hobby.

"I am not a great artist," he told his daughter Jenna Bush Hager, who is a "Today" show correspondent, in the NBC interview.  "I paint a lot. I want to get better."

He has his share of critics.

New York Magazine Art critic Jerry Salz said of some of Bush's previous  artwork "no natural giftsâ€”except the desire to do this."

Bush's family said he is very disciplined and dedicated to his work and will often spend hours in his new studio with music playing. Family and friends said he is very excited about his work.

"He talks enthusiastically about it," Spellings said. Bush "utterly loves it."

Bush uses various photos to see facial expressions, clothing and other attributes that he then uses to craft his paintings.

He started off doing some smaller things like animals. Then an art professor at a local university suggested he try doing world leaders because he was good at capturing details.

He was initially reluctant to share his work publicly.

However, his paintings first came to light after a hacker last year obtained private Bush family emails, which included photos of some of his work.

Some of the other paintings featured dogs. But other paintings were self-portraits of him in the shower and the bathtub while he was looking in a mirror.

"It's an invasion of one's privacy. And yeah, I was annoyed," Bush told NBC. "And nor do I want my paintings to get out. And I found it very interesting the first painting that came out was the one I painted of myself in the bathtub. I did so because I wanted to kind of shock my instructor."

Bush on painting: 'I see colors differently'

Response: George W. Bush's paintings will go on public display Saturday at his presidential library. The never-before-seen paintings are of 30 world leaders; Bush worked from photographs. Bush has enjoyed a boost in popularity since he left office aided by charitable works, painting. Bump in the polls comes against a backdrop of criticism over his administration's torture tactics.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored all four goals in Sweden's 4-2 win over England -- but his final shot was something special.

His audacious overhead volley from 30 yards was labeled on social networking sites as the greatest ever soccer goal.

What do you think? Share your views on Ibrahimovic's wonder goal.

Response: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores a 30-yard overhead kick. Ibrahimovic scored all four goals for Sweden.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Andriy Shevchenko has returned to pro sports.

But not in football -- and not to the standard of success he has been used to.

The former European player of the year is competing in his first professional golf tournament as part of the Kharkov Superior Cup in his native Ukraine, but struggled to a 12-over-par 84 in Thursday's opening round.

"It's a completely different game when you are under pressure, but I really enjoyed it still and so happy to be at this tournament, even if my scoring didn't go so good. It's a great experience for me," Shevchenko told the European Tour website.

His playing partner, Frenchman Victor Riu, was the first-round leader in the second-tier Challenge Tour event after a sharply contrasting course-record 64.

"I am not a big fan of football so I didn't really know much about Andriy but it was great to play with him. There were a lot of people watching," the 28-year-old said.

"He was great. Every time I holed a putt he shook my hand or gave me a high five. He was really pushing me on to play better and cheering me when I made birdies so that was a really big help for me.

"I did put it up on Facebook that I was playing with him and it got a lot of responses, so I knew it was a big deal!

Shevchenko, who enjoyed most of his success with Italian club AC Milan, retired from football a year ago after Ukraine co-hosted the European Championships and has since dabbled in politics.

He entered this tournament as one of several amateurs in the 130-strong field, having initially taken up golf to help ease the pressure of playing elite football.

"I come on to a golf course and turn off my phone and just walk the course and hit some balls. It's one of the reasons why I started to play," he said Wednesday.

"I just found this great game where you have to be focused and balanced and that's why I like it. I like that mental balance."

Shevchenko did manage one birdie, but he carded a double bogey and dropped shots at 11 other holes at the Superior Golf and Spa Resort course, which is part of a luxury seven-star facility.

"To play with Victor and see him shoot a course record and play fantastic golf, I learned so much about the game from the two guys," he said.

Shevchenko isn't the only athlete to try his hand at pro golf following a successful career in another sport.

Former tennis No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov became Russia's national champion in 2011 -- he is also in the field this weekend in Ukraine -- and eight-time grand slam tennis winner Ivan Lendl contested the Czech Open back in 1996.

After Lendl struck an 11-over-par 82 in the first round, he was quoted as saying by the Chicago Tribune that it was "five times worse than playing in a Wimbledon final."

Although similarly unlikely to make the halfway cut, and therefore miss out on the weekend action, Shevchenko is nonetheless proud to be participating in his country's first major golf tournament.

"It's the first event for me and also in Ukraine so it's big for golf here," he said. "I love golf and I'm so happy that golf is starting to pick up in Ukraine and the people are starting to invest money long term."

Response: Andriy Shevchenko makes his professional golf debut in his native Ukraine. The 36-year-old cards 84 but his playing partner leads after shooting 64. Shevchenko retired from football after last year's European Championships. The Kharkov Superior Cup is the first major professional golf event to be held in Ukraine.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Martian rock N165, it's your time to shine, or glow, or whatever occurs when a hard substance gets zapped by a laser beam.

From about 10 feet away, the Mars rover Curiosity's ChemCam was to take aim Saturday night at the hapless three-inch rock.

"We are going to hit it with 14 millijoules of energy 30 times in 10 seconds," Roger Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory told reporters.

A millijoule is 1/1000th of a joule, which is way too complicated to explain here. Suffice to say, it should get the job done.

India to launch Mars orbiter in 2013

ChemCam, short for Chemistry and Camera, will analyze the resulting glowing, ionized gas in an effort to identify chemical elements in the rock.

Scientists say it will be the first time such a powerful laser has been used on another planet. The laser works in conjunction with a telescope.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Friday that Curiosity's first driving destination will be Glenelg, about 1,300 feet from the rover's landing site.

"We had a bunch of strong contenders. It is the kind of dilemma planetary scientists dream of, but you can only go one place for the first drilling for a rock sample on Mars," said project scientist John Grotzinger. "That first drilling will be a huge moment in the history of Mars exploration."

The mobile science lab touched down on Mars early on August 6 and has been beaming back images of the surface of Gale Crater ever since.

The rover's primary target is Mount Sharp, a peak about 8 kilometers (5 miles) away. But moving about a football field a day, with lengthy stops, it could take nearly a year to reach the slopes at the base of the mountain.

Complete coverage of Mars

Mars 'Mohawk Guy' inspires Obama

Response: Rover's ChemCam was to zap small Martian rock on Saturday night. It will analyze ionized gas to identify chemical elements. Curiosity landed in Gale Crater on August 6; scientists have been checking its systems.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Mexico heads the list of the world's most overweight industrialized nations. Fat chance you say? Exactly.

Nearly a third of Mexican adults are obese, a recent United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization report says, topping even the United States, which comes in a close second at 31.8%.

The United States has long been a fixture atop the chubby list.

The culprit? High-calorie, low-cost, processed foods and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as Mexican incomes rise and more people move into metropolitan areas.

The danger, according to the World Health Organization, is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, degenerative joint diseases and some cancers.

The obesity epidemic is a double whammy for Mexican children, who can be both malnourished and overweight.

"They are exposed to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, energy-dense ... foods, which tend to be lower in cost but also lower in nutrient quality," the World Health Organization reports.

It's a growing problem -- and not just for Mexico. Since 1980, obesity rates worldwide have doubled.

In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults were overweight and 500 million were obese.

The solution is simple but not always easy to accomplish, especially as nutritional options are limited in many parts of the world.

The WHO recommends:

-- Limiting your intake of fats and sugars
-- Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts
-- Engaging in regular physical activity: 60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes per week for adults

CNN's Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report

Response: Nearly 33% of Mexicans are obese, a United Nations report says. That's the highest level of the world's industrialized nations. Cheap, high-calorie food and lack of exercise are to blame, experts say.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Earlier this month, an AeroMexico plane made an important flight from Mexico City to Madrid. The flight wasn't notable for who was inside the cabin, but for what was inside the fuel tank: it was the world's first transatlantic commercial flight using biofuel.

The engines on that flight were powered by a fuel mixture that was 30% biofuel from the jatropha plant, and the trip followed a pair of Mexican domestic commercial flights by Interjet that used the same formula.

Mexico is known for its oil production, but it could be its less obvious flats of arid and marginal land that will be the future of Mexico's energy resources. The country has quietly positioned itself to become a potential leader in biofuel production as scientists develop a second generation of fuels derived from sources that don't compete for arable land or with food.

Jatropha-based biofuels are being increasingly used in Mexico, and agave -- the plant from which tequila is made -- is being studied as a new source for ethanol. But some observers warn that Mexico's cumbersome land laws make it too hard to purchase the land needed for cultivation at competitive prices.

Some biofuels, such as ethanol derived from corn and sugar, can indirectly raise the prices of staple foods in many places, along with raising ethical issues, said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, director of Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA), the Mexican government agency that oversaw the biofuel flights.

So in 2007, Mexico, along with 14 other member countries of the International Civil Aviation Organization, committed to developing new strategies for second-generation biofuels that would not affect food production.

"We returned to Mexico with a mission," Lopez told CNN.

Lopez's agency teamed up with the state of Chiapas, where Gov. Juan Sabines had already made a name for himself pushing his state toward alternative fuels. Chiapas began cultivating jatropha, whose seeds contain oil that can be extracted and converted into biofuel. The state already uses a jatropha biofuel mix on its buses and trucks, and President Felipe Calderon was on hand in November of last year to inaugurate a biodiesal plant there.

ASA partnered with American company UOP, which refined the Chiapas jatropha into jet fuel.

When the standards for biofuel use in commercial flights was approved July 1, Mexico was ready to make the domestic Interjet and international AeroMexico flights a possibility.

The goal of ASA, which provides almost 100% of the jet fuel in Mexico, is to commercialize and distribute biofuels, Lopez said.

"We've been working on this project as part of a global effort to combat climate change," he said.

By 2015, the goal is to have 1% of all jet fuel in Mexico be biofuel, and by 2020, 15%, he said.

"This is a huge goal," Lopez said. "One percent doesn't sound like a lot, but it equals more than 40 million liters (10.6 million gallons)."

Mexico has several things in its favor to become a leader in biofuels, he said. It has plenty of land not being used for food, it has a high demand for energy, and it is located next door to the energy-hungry United States.

"Mexico has made the very important first step to be in a very priviledged place," Lopez said.

Halfway across the world, researchers at Oxford recently published a study extolling the benefits that ethanol derived from agave.

Agave can grow in arid land, and produces less than half of the carbon dioxide emissions produced by corn-based ethanol, Oliver Inderwildi, one of the study's authors, told CNN.

Sugar-based ethanol produces even less emissions, but it needs arable land for cultivation.

"We need every space we can get, every arable land, for food," Inderwildi said. "We think agave may be one part of the solution."

For their study, the researchers did a life-cycle analysis for the production of ethanol based on a hypothetical plant in Jalisco, Mexico, where 90% of tequila is produced.

Potentially, agave plantations could boost local economies and create jobs, Inderwildi said.

Mexico, the native home of agave plants, stands to benefit if such an ethanol industry takes off. Food prices would be spared, but would drinkers have to pay more for their margaritas and tequila shots?

The tequila business is very small compared to the fuel business, and is also more expensive than fuel ethanol, so Inderwildi predicts that alcohol prices would remain stable.

And unlike tequila, which requires the harvesting of the agave stem only, ethanol production would also require harvesting the leaves of the plant.

"Our study backs up that this is a good idea from an environmental perspective," he said.

The catch, for now, is that neither jatropha or agave biofuel production is cost-effective. But technological advances and oil prices make such alternatives more desirable.

When that tipping point comes, Mexico will be ready, the experts said.

But James Row, CEO of Houston-based Producers Energy and part owner of a Mexican-based biodiesel company, told CNN that Mexico is still far from being an ideal place to produce biofuels.

"Mexico is absolutely a perfect country for biodiesel, especially if it can be domestically grown," he said, but the country's ejido system -- collectively-held land in rural areas -- creates hurdles for private investment. The result is difficulty in finding continuous large areas of rural land that can be negotiated for use for cultivation, or high prices that make it cost prohibitive.

Without land reform, issues with land availability will continue, and Mexico will fall a decade or more behind other countries in the biofuels sector, Row said.

The demand is there, the land is there, but there is no way to get it, he said.

"Now is the time for Mexico to get its act together for biofuels," he said.

Response: Mexico has quietly positioned itself as a potential biofuels leader. It oversaw the first transatlantic commercial flight using biofuel. The agave plant also has potential for the country. Without land reform, private investment in sector is tough.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The world's tropical forests are disappearing, and one reason is simple economics: People, companies and governments earn more by logging, mining or farming places such as the Amazon jungle than by conserving them.

Global climate change treaty, scheduled for completion in December, is designed to protect tropical forests.

Efforts to halt rain forest destruction date back decades, but they so far have failed to tackle the issue on a scale commensurate with the challenge.

Now there may be a remedy, and the reason is climate change. Increased awareness of the threat from global warming has prompted unprecedented international focus on how to combat it, as well as new appreciation for the vital role of tropical forests in the climate change equation.

On Tuesday, world leaders gather at the United Nations for a special climate change summit, intended to build momentum for a new global climate change treaty being negotiated by almost 200 countries. The new treaty is scheduled to be completed in December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

If eventually enacted, the treaty will include a revolutionary but little-known provision intended to protect remaining tropical forests.

Known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries, or REDD, the provision is based on the knowledge that destroying tropical forests contributes to global warming.

Rain forests absorb and store huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Burning or clearing the forests returns that stored CO2 to the atmosphere, where it can trap heat and gradually increase temperatures.

Every year, tropical forests equal to an area the size of England are destroyed, contributing about 20 percent of total annual greenhouse gas emissions -- more than all the world's cars, trucks and airplanes combined.

The idea of the proposed provision is to make the stored carbon dioxide in the forests a commodity that can be bought and sold on the global market.

Polluters in the developing world would be able to offset their emissions by buying credits for stored forest carbon dioxide. The money from those purchases would go to developing world governments, international organizations, local communities and others involved in forest protection programs.

For the first time, tropical forests would be worth money for simply existing. That could create an economic incentive to protect tropical forests, which also have biological value as the planet's richest storehouses of land species and spiritual worth as pristine natural landscapes.

To longtime defenders of tropical forests, the proposal represents the final stage of a long and halting journey from the fringes of the environmental movement toward the mainstream of international policy.

"Done properly, this is our No. 1 hope," said Randall Hayes, who founded the Rainforest Action Network in 1985 with the goal of halting tropical deforestation. "Other strategies have been heroic but insufficient."

The system would let nations and industries that are the biggest greenhouse-gas emitters buy carbon credits in tropical forests in South and Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and other equatorial regions. At the same time, investors could speculate on the price of carbon dioxide through credit trading. Private and public funds could invest in projects that protect forests to generate credits.

Final details of the plan remain uncertain, such as how forest carbon credits would be verified and how the money paid for them would be handled and distributed.

For developing countries, the idea represents a potential new revenue source. President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana, a leading proponent of the plan, has made trading carbon credits a central element of his Low-Carbon Development Strategy.

The strategy "is more about development than about the environment and it will help us to accelerate infrastructural development and fill the budget gap," Jagdeo said in an August 29 speech.

The World Bank and partners have set up funds to help developing countries prepare for REDD and finance forest-protection initiatives. However, both funds are not fully capitalized, pending the successful conclusion of negotiations on the new global climate change treaty.

"Right now everybody is in a wait-and-see mode," said Benoit Bosquet, the World Bank's lead carbon finance specialist. "Everybody seems interested, but the level of activity is still humble."

Conservationists cite the environmental benefits of saving tropical forests, which provide essential resources and services -- such as fresh water, food, flood control and many others -- on which more than a billion people depend. Now, they say, conserving forests also can contribute to sustainable development, benefiting both nature and people.

Yet several steps remain before the tropical-forest provision becomes reality on a large scale.

First, the U.N.-led negotiations must agree on a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol -- the world's first global climate change agreement, which expires in 2012.

The Kyoto treaty created a global carbon market -- but only the carbon storage of newly planted or replanted forests is eligible for credits. REDD also would protect standing forests, to prevent the absorbed carbon dioxide stocks from being released back into the atmosphere.

Whether a new treaty will be completed in December is unclear. Negotiators have yet to set consensus targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and major disputes remain between industrialized powers such as the United States and emerging and developing economies including China and Brazil.

The draft under negotiation includes REDD, but negotiations continue on how broad the policy would be.

Advocates of a limited scope for REDD say areas with no history of deforestation should be excluded because protecting them won't reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

In response, conservationists and developing nations warn against leaving out nations and regions -- including Jagdeo's Guyana, parts of Indonesia and Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and others -- that still have much of their tropical forest intact.

They argue that halting deforestation in only some countries would cause the loggers, palm oil developers and other drivers of forest destruction to move to previously untargeted areas.

"If REDD mechanisms exclude any significant group of countries, REDD will fail," Jagdeo told U.N. negotiators in December.

Critics, including some environmental groups, question how such a vast and complex system can be successfully implemented.

A Greenpeace report issued in March said including REDD credits in carbon markets would create a glut and drastically cut the price of carbon, resulting in industrial polluters buying cheap credits for offsets instead of reducing their emissions.

The report also warned of reduced investments in renewable energy technologies due to the lack of an incentive from the cheaper carbon credits.

Others question whether REDD will be another scheme generated by industrialized nations to exploit resources of the developing world, and in particular, the indigenous forest peoples.

Jagdeo, the president of Guyana, has said such critics should recognize the opportunity that a new climate change treaty could present. If it includes sufficiently robust commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he argues, that would create a strong demand for carbon credits.

The deforestation provision of a climate change treaty could help stem deforestation while providing "badly needed capital flows to some of the poorest countries in the world," he said.

Yet even the idea's most ardent supporters recognize that it could take years for a global-scale program to become effective.

While local projects exist in rain forest countries such as Madagascar, it would take time and money to expand them.

"If there is a deal in Copenhagen and if there is a signaling by industrialized nations that, yes, they will make money available, then you will see developing countries scaling up their readiness," said the World Bank's Bosquet. "They will see that this is now real and it's the time to react."

Response: World leaders gather at the United Nations for special climate change summit. Treaty based on finding that destroying tropical forests adds to global warming. With proposed provision, stored carbon dioxide in forests could be bought and sold. Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation provision has critics.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Efforts to rescue a research crew aboard a ship stuck in ice off Antarctica stalled Thursday after sea ice conditions made a key element of the rescue plan risky, Australian maritime officials said.

The rescue plan called for a helicopter to ferry the passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy to a Chinese vessel, where they would then board a barge to take them to an Australian icebreaker, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a written statement.

But the shifting ice conditions prevented the barge from being able to reach the Chinese vessel, the statement said.

"Alternative measures to complete the rescue operation are now being investigated by AMSA and the ships involved," the statement said.

The news is the latest chapter in a saga that began Christmas Eve after the Russian-flagged MV Akademik Shokalskiy got stuck in 10 feet of ice.

Even if the rescue begins Friday, it will still be weeks before the research team will make it to Hobart, Australia, John Young of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

"Mid-January is our best guess," Young told reporters on a conference call.

The rescue plan called for the helicopter, which can transport 12 people each trip, to ferry the ship's 52 passengers -- who include the research team and journalists -- to the Chinese icebreaker called the Snow Dragon, or Xue Long, the maritime agency said. The 22 Russian crew members of the Akademik Shokalskiy will stay aboard, it said.

The passengers are then to be transported by barge from the Chinese ship to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.

That's because the Chinese helicopter can't land on the Australian icebreaker because of load restrictions, and ice conditions make it unsafe to land it next to the ship, AMSA said.

"The preferred option is to wait for conditions that will allow the rescue to be completed in a single operation to reduce unnecessary risk," the maritime agency said.

The master of the Akademik Shokalskiy has decided to keep the crew members on board until the pack ice eventually breaks up and allows the ship to move again, Young said. The vessel has enough supplies to keep the crew going for "a very long time," he said.

Failed rescues

The planned helicopter rescue follows a failed attempt by the Chinese icebreaker, which made it six nautical miles from the trapped vessel before being stopped by the ice.

That was followed by an effort by the Australian icebreaker, which was forced Monday to suspend efforts to reach the expedition because of bad weather. The Aurora Australis got within 10 nautical miles of the ship before it turned back.

Over the weekend, an effort by the French icebreaker Astrolabe was called off by the maritime agency.

In preparation for the helicopter rescue, members of the research team as well as the crew of the Akademik Shokalskiy marked a makeshift helipad on the ice where the helicopter can land.

Video clips posted online by the research team showed people, with arms locked, walking to tamp down the snow.

"As we understand, the helipad was suitable yesterday and will be suitable today," AMSA's Richard Wallace said.

Once the passengers are safely aboard the Aurora Australis, the ship will complete a resupply mission to Casey Station, an Australian base in Antarctica, before making its way to Hobart, the maritime agency said.

Viral sensations

The exploits of the research crew have gone viral, thanks in large part to Twitter and YouTube posts by those aboard the stranded vessel.

Chris Turney, an Australian professor of climate change at the University of New South Wales, has tweeted photos of the stranded ship, the crew and penguins, who he said -- according to one post on Twitter -- "to check out what's going on."

"The group on this ship is incredibly collegiate," said Alok Jha, a science correspondent for The Guardian newspaper, told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. "There are a lot of skills and things people are sharing with each other."

Turney has said there are regular briefings on the status of rescue attempts, and in the meantime, people are doing what they can to keep busy. That includes yoga and Spanish classes, Jha and Turney said.

The group even managed to ring in 2014 with good cheer.

"We're the A, A, E who have traveled far, having fun doing science in Antarctica!" a dozen or so of them sang in a video posted on YouTube. "Lots of snow and lots of ice, lots of penguins, which are very, very nice!

"Really good food and company, but a bloody great shame we are still stuck here! Ice cold, cha cha cha! Ice cold, cha cha cha!"

Spirits strong among passengers on ship stuck in Antarctic ice

CNN's Radina Gigova and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.

Response: NEW: Ice conditions have stalled a helicopter rescue, officials say. NEW: Alternative rescue measures are being considered, maritime officials say. NEW: "The preferred option is to wait for conditions that will allow the rescue," they say. Efforts by Australian and Chinese icebreakers to get to the crew have failed.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Feasting on turkey aside, brace yourself for that other Thanksgiving ritual: joining a nationwide mad dash to make it to a family gathering and back in a journey that can exasperate even the most seasoned traveler.

If you're flying for the holiday, expect lots of company and few airfare deals.

"The airlines have eliminated tens of thousands of seats due to consolidation and just plain old capacity cuts and (they're) using smaller planes," said George Hobica, president of Airfarewatchdog.com. "So there are going to be fewer seats."

It's also a bit trickier to book flights for Thanksgiving than Christmas because so many travelers want to fly in such a small window of time: four days versus two weeks for many people who save vacation time for the big holiday in December.

The sputtering economy isn't keeping Americans from making the annual trek for Thanksgiving, said Melissa Klurman, contributing editor for Travelocity.

Those who will be flying over the holiday will pay $376 on average for a domestic ticket, or about 4% more than at the same time last year, according to Travelocity.

Here are five tips to make your journey a smoother one.

1. Book your tickets now

Last-minute sales aren't likely for one of the most popular times of the year to fly and seat maps are filling up quickly.

"Don't delay: Prices are not going to go down between now and Thanksgiving," Klurman said.

"Not only do you have a better chance of getting lower airfare, but also (better) seats. You can book your seat when you book your airfare. So if you don't want to be in the middle of the last row -- the early bird gets the window seat in that case."

If you're flying with someone for Thanksgiving, the chances of sitting together on the plane are also higher if you book early, Hobica said.

2. Look into alternate airports

Sometimes, it pays to look into flying in and out of airports that may be less convenient than your closest option. So you may find a cheaper flight out of Allentown, Pennsylvania, than Philadelphia, for example, Hobica said.

Be especially flexible if you're in a major city like New York, where there are several airports in the area, Klurman said. Travelocity allows fliers to search alternate airports when they're pricing itineraries.

3. Consider flying on Thanksgiving Day

Travelers who choose to fly out on the Monday before Thanksgiving and fly back on the Sunday after will pay on average $213 more than travelers who fly on Thanksgiving Day and come back the next day, Travelocity calculated.

Flying on the holiday also means much less crowded airports and planes.

"Have your turkey and then come back on Friday," Hobica advised.

Lest you think it's impossible to do, Hobica assured that plenty of travelers have successfully gone this route, "especially if they don't like their family or if they're sleeping on the sofa and the sleeping arrangements aren't comfortable," he said with tongue in cheek.

In general, avoid a Sunday return, Travelocity advised. If you are flying on Thanksgiving Day, try to take the first flight out to make sure you make it to dinner.

4. Give yourself plenty of time

Connecting flights are often cheaper, but with the possibility of winter weather causing delays or cancellations over Thanksgiving, you risk a missed connection, Hobica said. He suggests travelers fly nonstop whenever possible, but if you do choose a multistop itinerary, allow lots of time to catch your next flight.

If you miss a connection, Travelocity warns that with planes booked solid, it could be a while before your airline is able to book you on another flight.

5. Consider paying some extra fees to make the trip more comfortable

Hobica frequently flies JetBlue and he always pays a fee for seats with extra legroom, an option that comes with access to expedited security lanes and early boarding.

The choices vary by airlines, but several, including American and United, let you board early for a fee, thus helping you avoid the epic struggle for overhead bin space. It may be worth paying this extra charge during peak travel times, like Thanksgiving, to make the journey saner, Hobica said.

Another, more expensive option is to splurge for an airport lounge day pass, which can cost $30-$50.

"If you only fly once a year, sometimes the day passes are worthwhile, especially if your flight is delayed," Hobica said.

"They have free drinks in most of the lounges, snacks and shorter lines if you have to rebook your flight. ... It just makes the whole experience a bit more pleasant when you treat yourself well and get the perks."

Response: Book your Thanksgiving flights as soon as possible for best fares and seats. Travelocity: Average domestic ticket will cost $376, or about 4% more than last Thanksgiving. Consider flying on Thanksgiving Day and try to avoid a Sunday return. Some extra fees may be worth paying to make the trip more comfortable.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Tokyo (CNN) -- Nissan has started scanning vehicles made in Japan for traces of radioactive material, a company official said Friday.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to implement all appropriate measures to reassure the public that all products from our company remain within globally accepted safety standards and until we are confident that any risk of contamination is completely removed," said Simon Sproule, corporate vice president of marketing for Nissan Motor Company.

Sproule said the monitoring began this week.

Sources inside the company said there is virtually no risk of contamination from a car and no potential health risk to customers, but testing began because of public concern.

Production at several Nissan facilities remains suspended after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake damaged plants and equipment on March 11, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Response: A company official says the measures aim to "reassure the public". The monitoring for radioactive material started this week. Some Nissan production remains suspended.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Three British guards jumped overboard and were rescued from the water after battling in vain to prevent pirates hijacking a chemical tanker off the coast of Somalia.

Three British security guards board a helicopter to be transferred to a Royal Navy vessel.

The Liberian-flagged Biscaglia came under "sustained and heavy attack" early Friday morning, Nick Davis, Director of Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions (APMSS), said in a statement.

The three APMSS-employed security guards -- all former British servicemen -- mounted "sustained non-lethal resistance" but were unable to stop the attackers seizing control of the ship, Davis said.

The trio were airlifted to safety by a German naval helicopter and flown to a French frigate after the vessel summoned assistance from coalition warships. They were later transferred to a British Royal Navy ship. All three were unhurt, Davis said.

"I have spoken with my team leader on the phone and he informs me that the level of violence was significant and forced them reluctantly to leave the vessel after every effort was made to ensure the safety of the ships crew," Davis said.

Pirates continued to shoot at the three in the water, Davis said. "The hijacked vessel with pirates in control then attempted to run them down."

The Biscaglia is managed by Singapore-based Ishima and owned by Winged Foot Shipping in the Marshall Islands and was crewed by 25 Indians and two Bangladeshis who are believed to be still onboard.

The vessel is believed to be on its way to an anchorage in Puntland, northeastern Somalia, Davis said. iReport.com: Share your view from 'Inside Africa'

Also Friday, pirates released the Greek ship MV Centauri, which was hijacked in September off the coast of Somalia, according to Andrew Mwangura, the head of the Kenya Seafarers Association.

There was no immediate information about the 25 crew members on board the ship when it was taken.

A multinational naval force including vessels from the U.S., NATO member states, Russia and India has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters seas near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.

Around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year.

So far this year, pirates have attacked almost 100 vessels off the coast of Somalia coast and successfully hijacked nearly 40, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center.

The most high-profile hijacking so far came earlier this month, when pirates seized a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of oil and a crew of 25, although that attack occurred outside the pirates' normal operational range, 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya. Pirates are still holding the ship.

Another vessel held since September is the Ukrainian MV Farina, which was carrying a cargo of weapons and tanks and a crew of 22.

In an interview provided to CNN this week, a pirate leader claimed attacks on shipping would continue as long as life in Somalia remained desperate.

"The pirates are living between life and death," said the pirate leader, identified by only one name, Boyah. "Who can stop them? Americans and British all put together cannot do anything."

The interview was conducted in August by journalists working for the Somali news organization, Garowe.

Response: 3 security guards battle pirates, jump overboard as tanker hijacked off Somalia. British trio were rescued from water by German naval helicopter. Liberian-flagged Biscaglia also carrying 25 Indians, 2 Bangladeshis. Pirates release Greek ship MV Centauri, held since September.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On their son's last night as president, a melancholy former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, made an impromptu visit to the White House's press briefing room and told reporters how much they'll miss the building.

Ex-President George H.W. Bush says he'll miss coming and going from the White House.

"We will miss coming and going, but it's time to move on," said the former president, who was a frequent visitor during his son's two terms in office.

"The Bushes are going to a happy life."

When a reporter suggested that perhaps one of their other sons, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will take the White House someday, the former president smiled.

"Maybe Jeb will do something. I'd like to see him try," the former president said.

Barbara Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to 1993, said the hardest part of the night was saying goodbye to the White House residence staff a second time.

"In tears twice," she said, her eyes red.

She added that she and her husband are looking forward to attending Tuesday's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Very exciting day," she said.

In addition to the inauguration, the former first couple was to attend a final dinner at the White House with current President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and the first couple's two daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

As the former first couple left the briefing room, some reporters and photographers spontaneously started clapping out of respect.  Your view of history

The ex-president, who was using a long walking stick to get around, quipped, "You didn't clap when I was president, what the hell is going on?"

Response: Former president, wife visit White House on son's last night as president. George H.W. Bush smiles when reporter suggests other son could run. Barbara Bush reflects on saying goodbye to White House staff for second time. Former first couple attending inauguration of Barack Obama.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(EW.com) -- Today, Major League Baseball will celebrate its annual Jackie Robinson Day, and all players and umpires will wear jerseys with the number 42, which Robinson, the first African-American player in the MLB, made famous. Don't be surprised if the execs at Warner Bros. join in on the fun. The studio did have a grand slam weekend, after all.

Warner Bros.' new baseball drama 42 topped the box office with $27.3 million — far ahead of recent baseball titles like Moneyball ($19.5 million debut) and Trouble with the Curve ($12.2 million). In fact, 42 scored the best ever debut for a baseball film, surpassing The Benchwarmers' $19.7 million bow. 42 also became the latest release to earn a rare "A+" CinemaScore grade, signifying exemplary word-of-mouth among ticket-buyers. Former "A+" releases include The Help, Tangled, The Blind Side, Titanic, and A Few Good Men.

42, which was produced by Legendary Pictures for $40 million, stars newcomer Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson, as well as Harrison Ford as MLB exec Branch Rickey. The film played exceedingly well with older moviegoers (59 percent of audience members were above the age of 35) and African-American crowds (all ten of 42′s top theaters were in urban markets). According to Warner Bros., a surprisingly high 52 percent of the opening weekend crowd was female.

If history is any indication, 42 will keep running around the bases for a long time to come. Like fellow "A+" films The Help and The Blind Side, which also deal with racial issues, 42 should earn a terrific multiplier and finish well above $100 million. Warner Bros. says it plans on expanding the film from its already-wide 3,002 theater count next weekend.

EW: '42' movie review

In second place, Scary Movie 5 hit more of a bunt than a home run during its opening frame. The spoof sequel nabbed an unremarkable $15.2 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period from 3,402 theaters, a low-point for the 13-year-old franchise. Part of the reason for Scary Movie 5's sub-par performance may have to do with the fact that it arrived in theaters a full seven years after Scary Movie 4, which earned $40.2 million in its opening weekend in 2006. That's quite a long break for a youth-targeting franchise like Scary Movie.

The film stars High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale, as well as tabloid-magnets Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen in supporting roles. (Hey, at least this did better than Lohan's last starring effort!) Those casting stunts weren't enough to drum up interest in the wretchedly-reviewed sequel, though. Scary Movie 5, which Weinstein/Dimension spent $20 million to produce, drew less interest than similar horror spoof A Haunted House, which scared up an $18.1 million opening in January — against a $1.5 million budget no less! Audiences issued Scary Movie 5 a "C-" CinemaScore grade.

Fox's hit animated family film The Croods dropped by a slightly larger-than-expected 36 percent in its fourth weekend to $13.2 million. The $135 million caveman comedy has now earned $142.5 million domestically, and may finish its run with about $180 million. Overseas, The Croods has earned an additional $207 million, making it a big winner for Fox Animation.

EW: 'Scary Movie 5' review

G.I. Joe: Retaliation dipped 48 percent to $10.8 million this weekend, bringing its total to $102.4 million after three weekends. While the film is running behind its predecessor domestically and won't match G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra's $150.2 million total, it's making up ground overseas, where it has earned $168.3 million — ahead of Cobra's $152.3 million international finish. Paramount, MGM, and Skydance spent $130 million on the sequel.

Rounding out the Top 5 was last weekend's champ, Evil Dead, which plummeted 63 percent to $9.5 million. Due to Evil Dead's built-in cult audience, much of which came to the theater on opening day, a large drop was expected. After ten days, the $17 million production from Sony's TriStar, Film District, and Ghost House Productions, has earned $41.5 million and may finish with about $55 million overall.

1. 42 -- $27.3 million

2. Scary Movie 5 -- $15.2 million

3. The Croods -- $13.2 million

4. G.I. Joe: Retaliation -- $10.8 million

5. Evil Dead -- $9.5 million

In limited release, the Ryan Gosling/Bradley Cooper drama The Place Beyond the Pines successfully expanded into 514 theaters, where it grossed $4.1 million, good for a strong $7,937 location average. Danny Boyle's latest, Trance, wasn't as fortunate. The film moved from four to 438 theaters this weekend, but could only manage a $925,000 frame, yielding a weak $2,112 average. Expect the former film to continue its expansion, while the latter may have trouble convincing tehater owners to take it on board.

Internationally, the Tom Cruise thriller Oblivion had a terrific debut with $61.1 million from 52 territories, 48 of which it won. Oblivion's strongest markets included Russia ($8.6 million), the U.K. and Ireland ($7.9 million), and France ($3.9 million). The Universal sci-fi adventure opened in the same range as Oz The Great and Powerful, which conjured a $69.9 million international bow and has now grossed $251.6 million overseas. The film opens stateside next weekend.

See the original story at EW.com.

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Response: '"42" about the life of ballplayer Jackie Robinson won the weekend box office. "Scary Movie 5" came in second place. Internationally, the Tom Cruise film "Oblivion" did well.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:Washington (CNN) -- No decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the September 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower Manhattan, White House officials said Sunday.

Last week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four accomplices at a New York City courthouse.

David Axelrod, the senior adviser to President Obama, and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that Obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission, as permitted for some terrorism suspects.

However, Axelrod and Gibbs acknowledged that Obama and the Justice Department were considering moving the trial from New York City.

"We've made no decisions on that yet," Axelrod said on the NBC program "Meet the Press." Gibbs, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," also said the location of the trial was under discussion, but he expressed certainty that Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, "is going to meet justice and he's going to meet his maker."

Gibbs and Axelrod criticized Republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court, saying no one complained when the previous administration of Republican President George W. Bush put terrorism suspects such as "shoe bomber" Richard Reid on trial in U.S. criminal courts.

"Now we have a Democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests," Axelrod said. "What has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions?"

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told the CNN program that the Bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on U.S. soil. Instead, trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility where they currently are held, McConnell said.

Obama intends to shut down the Guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the United States to stand trial or face indefinite detention, or to third countries. McConnell said Sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it.

"'I think that will be done on a bipartisan basis," McConnell said of congressional opposition, adding that "whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing."

White House officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try Mohammed and the others will come from the Justice Department.

New York police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around Lower Manhattan. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city, not just "the core area of Manhattan."

Bloomberg initially supported the move, saying "it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the World Trade Center site where so many New Yorkers were murdered."

However, Bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency's proposals to relocate the trial, saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere, perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security.

"It's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people," Bloomberg said.

On Thursday, several New York Democratic politicians urged the Obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown Manhattan.

Julie Menin, chairwoman of a city community advisory agency, proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the Southern District of New York: Governors Island, Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the Bureau of Prisons jail complex at FCI Otisville. The latter three are in Orange County, New York, less than an hour from New York City, county executive Edward Diana told CNN.

Diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in New York, and definitely not in Orange County, which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks, he said.

"I've contacted my legal department and I'll tell you I'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here, even if it means closing down our roads," Diana said. "I'll sue the federal government if need be."

Diana said he'd be worried about the safety of Orange County residents if the trial comes there. Diana, who shot down an offer from Newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse, said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts.

But Newburgh Mayor Nick Valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his "very poor, very urban" city. Newburgh's new $22 million courthouse is safe and has "every security you could want," Valentine said.

An alternate proposal at the West Point location has not been fully reviewed. A West Point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial, which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Dean Boyd said the Justice Department "can safely prosecute this case in the Southern District of New York while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible, consistent with security needs."

New York Gov. David Paterson will meet with the U.S. Marshal Service on Monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state, Paterson spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein told CNN.

CNN's Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt contributed to this report.

Response: NEW: Orange County, New York, leader: Don't move trial here. Officials: President, Justice Department considering moving 9/11 trial from New York City. New York mayor concerned about costs and disruption of holding the trial in city. New York police: Cost to the city would be more than $200 million per year.


Prompt:
Explain the text in one sentence.
 Text:(CNN) -- Explorer Dennis Schmitt found an island nearly two years ago near Greenland.

Fishermen pass by Greenland's Ilulissat fjord in this September 2004 picture.

Such a discovery would usually elicit curiosity, even wonder perhaps, but it evoked mixed feelings for the explorer.

The island was once thought to be a peninsula attached to Greenland by an ice shelf or a glacier. But such a large amount of ice melted, it revealed the distinct island.

"I very quickly realized two things," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper during a visit to the island earlier this year. "One [was] that this was going to be significant because it was going to be an example of climate change."

"The other thing was that it meant it was really happening. It wasn't a joke. It wasn't just statistics. It was really happening."

He calls his discovery Warming Island.

Many climatologists and scientists say arctic ice melt and other changes in the Earth's climate are the result of an increase in the world's temperature, a trend widely called global warming.

Many global warming experts say the phenomenon, if unchecked, is capable of altering the world's climate and geography. In the worst-case scenario, experts say oceans could rise to overwhelming and catastrophic levels, flooding cities and altering seashores.

Other scientists and observers, a minority compared to those who believe the warming trend is something ominous, say it is simply the latest shift in the cyclical patterns of a planet's life.

Most of the scientific community believes that some warming is occurring across the globe and through some layers of the atmosphere. But why it is occurring and what that means for the future is scientifically and politically contentious.

The Earth's temperature averages about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (about 16 degrees Celsius).

The average surface temperature has warmed one degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) during the last century, according to the National Research Council.

The temperatures were relatively unchanged from 1880 to 1910, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They rose till about 1945, cooled until about 1975 and have risen steadily to present day.

There are several possible reasons for the warming, scientists say.

A change in the Earth's orbit or the intensity of the sun's radiation could change, triggering warming or cooling.

The reason most cited -- by scientists and scientific organizations -- for the current warming trend is an increase in the concentrations of greenhouse gases, which are in the atmosphere naturally and help keep the planet's temperature at a comfortable level.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, for instance, has increased by 35 percent since the dawn of the industrial age, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, commonly referred to as the IPCC.

The presence of methane is now 151 percent above pre-industrial levels, but the rate of increase has slowed in recent decades, according to the EPA. Meanwhile, nitrous oxide increased by about 18 percent during the past 200 years.

Many scientists and experts who have studied global warming believe the increase is primarily the result of human activities, like the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from vehicles and the clearing of forests.

"For the last 30 years, there's no way there's anything natural that can explain it," Stephen Schneider, a professor of environmental studies at Stanford University in California, said.

"A vast bulk of the knowledgeable and honest community ... will say the science is settled and humans are at least a majority of the reason behind the warming," he added.

Many scientific organizations share Schneider's view, ranging from the national academies of the countries that comprise the G8 to the National Research Council, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union.

But there are those who do not share his view, and among the skeptics is Richard Lindzen, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"We've suddenly taken to reading tea leaves," he said. "When we saw cooling from 1940 to 1970, we were proclaiming global cooling. Since then, there's been a few tenths of global warming, so we're proclaiming global warming."

He believes the current warming trend is the result of natural variability, where a planet goes through phases of warming and cooling and the human contribution to it is minimal.

"The Earth is always getting colder and warmer," he said. "It's always changing. In fact, this is true of any fluid-covered planet."

Asked about glacial melt, which many observers point to as evidence of global warming, Lindzen said the way glaciers change and move are phenomena largely unexplained.

"We don't know why, but it's perfectly clear that glaciers change even though the temperature is cooling at the place that they've occurred," he said. "What we're doing is cherry picking any event that occurs and then saying that's occurring due to global warming."

Yet, for Schneider, it is a cause for concern and alarm. "We're already in serious melt, nobody can explain it. The models don't predict it," he said. "We don't know what's going on up there. All we know is that we could be triggering something really nasty."

The greatest point of contention is the possible implications for future political and economic policies for the world's nations.

The IPCC in February 2007 projected that if carbon dioxide levels doubled relative to pre-industrial levels, temperatures could rise between 3.6 to 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius) by 2100.

The lower end of the range could cause more intense hurricanes, droughts, wildfires and flooding, Schneider said. The higher end could lead to the catastrophes commonly associated with the visions of Hollywood filmmakers.

Uncertainties, however, plague such forecasts, which are based on computer simulations and models. The models contemplate factors associated with how the atmosphere, oceans and continents interact, all natural elements that have unpredictability intrinsic to them.

"Exactly how much it's going to warm up, we don't know," Schneider said. "That it's going to warm up? I'd bet anything on that." E-mail to a friend

Response: Earth has warmed one degree in past 100 years. Majority of scientists say greenhouse gases are causing temperatures to rise. Some critics say planets often in periods of warming or cooling.