TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
PROBLEM: (CNN) -- Travel warnings from the U.S. Department of State didn't stop Faith Hentschel, 65, from venturing to Iran this May to visit the rustic sites in ancient Persepolis and the colorful bazaars in Tehran. A photo of Khaju Bridge in Isfahan, Iran, taken by an American traveler. "I had no idea what to expect," said Hentschel, who spent two weeks in Iran after booking the trip through a private tour operator and applying for a visa. "I was stunned with the friendliness of all the Iranian people. That alone makes me want to go back." Iran is still a relatively rare destination for Americans, creating a niche market for only a handful of tour operators across the nation that organize group trips for travelers once or twice a year. And with news of the arrest of three American backpackers, along with the June election riots and government crackdown, Iran may be an even harder sell, some travel companies said. "It really depends on the political climate and the perception of Iran," said Mike McDonnell, who operates the site BestIranTravel.com in San Francisco, California. The site books trips for non-Iranian travelers interested in visiting. His site saw a decline in booking travel to Iran this summer. "It's already really hard to get to Iran in the first place." Officials at the U.S. Department of State say travel warnings have been implemented on Iran since the hostage crisis in 1979, when militants captured 52 American diplomats and staff. The Americans were held for 444 days. Since then, the two countries have had no diplomatic relations. U.S. passports are valid for travel to Iran and visas are required to enter the country, according to the State Department Web site. Going with an organized tour group is the easiest way to attain a visa. Travelers who do visit Iran run the risk of being denied entry, U.S. officials say. In some cases, Iranian officials have prevented American citizens, academics, scientists and journalists from leaving the country, and even detained, interrogated and imprisoned some on unknown or various charges, the Web site said. "It's made well-known that the destination [Iran] could be perilous for American citizens," said Darby Holladay, spokesman at the State Department. Last week, three Americans were detained after crossing into northern Iran during a hiking trip. The two men and one woman, said to be seasoned travelers, began their trip in Turkey and went into Iraq before crossing the unmarked border into Iran. The U.S. State Department and the Australian and British government warn against traveling into the border zones. "Obviously, we are concerned," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday to reporters. "We want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible." Mudhafer Mohammed, owner of the Miwan Hotel, told CNN that the hikers said they had come to the area because they heard it was safe. Mohammed said he tried to discourage them from going to Ahmed Awa, a popular tourist destination in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq. "I told them, 'Don't go there because it is unsafe for you because you're American and Ahmed Awa is very close to the Iranian border,' " Mohammed told CNN. It is unclear whether the three wandered into Iran accidentally or intentionally entered the country. Pauline Frommer, creator of the Pauline Frommer's Travel Guides, said it's  safer when visiting countries in conflict to use travel companies and tour operators that rely on local accommodations and guides. She warned against staying in big hotel chains, which have been targets in recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia and India. "When it's an iffy destination, it's always a good idea to try and travel under the radar," she said. "You don't want to be a target." Despite worries about safety, demand for visiting Iran has grown in recent years. Last May, travel writer Rick Steves shot a 10-day video of his visit to Iran in a one-hour special that launched on PBS. The project cleared up misconceptions about Iran and sparked Americans' interest in traveling there, travel experts said. At Geographic Expeditions, a luxury travel company that organizes trips to Iran, the number of participants doubled from 25 in 2007 to 50 in 2008. Spiekermann Travel Service, Inc., one of the oldest travel agencies that specializes in Iranian travel, has booked more than 350 tours to the country since it began operating there in 1995. "My path is known," said Ihab Zaki, owner of Spiekermann, which is based in Michigan. He said he began offering tours after he visited the country himself and was awed by its history and art. "We send all our paperwork to local governments and they know we are coming. I don't let my people roam around in the middle of nowhere. It's very safe." But the recent uncertainty in Iran has caused interest to wane. Spiekermann's bi-annual trips to Iran, limited to 14 travelers, usually sell out. But only four have signed up for the fall trip. Far Horizons Archaeological & Cultural Trips, Inc. in San Anselmo, California planned a second trip to Iran for October after their first trip in May sold out. But owner Mary Dell Lucas said the trip maybe be canceled because travelers are withdrawing. "What's happening most recently is scaring people," she said. "Those three Americans made a mistake, but with us, it's very different. We are taking a group, and we are invited." Lucas' firm and other tour companies say they take precautions.  Participants are required to abide by Iranian law, which means women must dress conservatively and cover their heads with scarves. A professor and a local guide, who are familiar with the country, accompany the American travelers. Barbara Bailey, a 73-year-old from rural Ohio, went on a two-week vacation to Iran last April with a tour group. Her favorite part of the trip was talking to the Iranian women at the local restaurants. "I went because nobody has really been before, and I know they have a wonderful history," Bailey said. "If you can get past the government, the people there are great." If travelers can't afford to spend between $6,000 and $10,000 on organized excursions of  two or three weeks and decide to backpack, they still need to follow the rules, said Jon Dorn, editor in chief of Backpackers Magazine. "If you're going to a place that's not like America, then do your homework on what's appropriate," said Dorn. Backpackers Magazine, an online and print publication specializing in backpacking, hiking and travel, reaches 2.5 million readers in the U.S. Dave Stevenson, who oversees the Web site www.travel-security-and-safety.com, said hikers should be equipped with GPS systems, satellite or cell phones and maps when traveling in border areas, especially in conflict zones. They should also notify relatives back home where they are hiking abroad. "The world is a big place," Stevenson said, "And there are always plenty of places to hike that aren't dangerous or war zones." CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report.

SOLUTION: Three American hikers were detained last week by Iranian officials .
A handful of tour operators provide tours for Americans to visit Iran .
A U.S. passport is valid in Iran; visitors need a visa .
Travel warnings for Iran have been in place since the 1979 hostage crisis .

PROBLEM: (CNN) -- Last year we published a list of quintessential Americana experiences. You can find it here. They weren't necessarily the most patriotic, obvious or agreeable choices. NASCAR, bourbon, state fairs, Vegas, what's not to love? Apparently, plenty. There was scandal. There was outrage. There was name calling. Because we're gluttons for punishment -- or maybe just because we think we actually can please all of the people all of the time -- we're back for round two. Here's our Volume II of the most authentically American experiences this country has to offer. 1. Seaside boardwalks . Boardwalks have been enhancing beachside amusement since long before the Drifters' released their classic "Under the Boardwalk" in 1964. The first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City in 1870, when a railroad conductor was asked to find a way to prevent sand from filling shorefront hotel entryways. The innovation remains America's favorite wooden path, showing up everywhere from Monopoly, which was inspired by "America's Favorite Playground," to the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire," which takes place in Prohibition-era Atlantic City. Of course, you don't have to travel to Jersey to experience the joy of a lumber-pathed stroll; there are more than 60 boardwalks split between America's coasts. Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, includes roller coasters, carnival attractions, Nathan's Famous hot dogs and other slices of Americana. Out West, the Venice Boardwalk in California offers bodybuilders, artists, trinket sellers, magicians and boutique shops a place to be seen. 2. Pueblos and powwows . One of the most inspiring American experiences is witnessing the culture of the first Americans come alive in a spectacle of swirling, pulsing color. Every April, approximately 3,000 Native American dancers and singers from roughly 700 tribes come together in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to compete and celebrate their heritage. The teams blend traditional style with modern, innovative techniques, so the result is more than just living history, it's the evolution of a culture that most Americans think has all but died away. In the same area are many pueblo sites that provide tours of cave dwellings and indigenous architecture. Perhaps the most memorable is Taos Pueblo, 2Â½ hours northwest of Albuquerque. This village of adobe buildings has been continually occupied by Native Americans for more than a thousand years. Taos Pueblo, 120 Veterans Highway, Taos, New Mexico; open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed for about 10 weeks in late winter and early spring; $10 for adults; 575-758-1028 . Gathering of Nations, University of New Mexico Arena, Avenida Cesar Chavez, Albuquerque, New Mexico; 505-836-2810 . 3. Wrigley Field, Chicago . Forget national pastime -- to some Americans, baseball is a national religion. Wrigley Field in Chicago, regardless of denomination, is their Vatican. Boston's Fenway Park has two years on Wrigley (the former was built in 1912), but Fenway has had more significant updates. Like a giant video display installed in 2000, and extra seats and luxury boxes that have been added time and time again. By contrast, Wrigley has remained fairly true to its roots. It's a classic jewel box design -- green seats, open roof, exposed steel, brick, stone -- with ball-swallowing ivy-covered walls. There's truly no better place to watch a game if you want a direct link to nearly a century of baseball history. If you're in Chicago during the off-season, no worries. The park provides 90-minute tours year-round. Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St., Chicago; tours $24 for individuals; 773-388-8270 . 4. College football, anywhere (though Alabama ain't bad) Let's not kid ourselves. Football is the true national sport of the 21st century. While it doesn't get much more American than the Super Bowl, we'd argue that the most enjoyable, purest way to experience the unique American-branded mixture of militant strategics, refined athleticism, brute force and exploitation of young labor is at a college football game. Best to get there early enough to tailgate. Bonding with strangers, drinking and grilling beforehand is 72.4% of the experience. Pretty much any stadium will do, but a game experience doesn't get much better than at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the reigning national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. (Yes, we know, the barbecue is spicier and the cheerleaders are hotter at your team's stadium, but we had to draw the line somewhere and "national champs" earns you the top spot on lists like this.) Bryant-Denny Stadium, 920 Paul W. Bryant Dr., Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 5. Kentucky Derby . There's one more sporting event we have to include on the list. Sure, other countries have their horse races. But those competitions weren't founded by the grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Also, those races don't have a traditional drink made of bourbon (mint julep), nor do they encourage everyone to dress like a flamboyant Southern aristocrat. We're talking bow ties, seersucker, bold pastels and spectacular hats that put British royal wedding attendees to shame. Churchill Downs, 700 Central Ave., Louisville, Kentucky.; May 3-4, 2013; single day general admission $25-40; 502-636-4400 . 6. Burning Man . The first Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969 was one of the most pivotal moments in American cultural history. Five-hundred-thousand people came together to celebrate drugs, weirdness, creativity, individualism, beauty and sticking it to the Man. What's the direct descendant of Woodstock? Before you say Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza or any other trendy music festival -- each of which is run by the Man -- let us stop you. The world's largest festival of artistic expression is Burning Man. The weeklong event held every year in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada is difficult to describe. As the website puts it, describing Burning Man is "like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind." Essentially 50,000 creative spirits gather in one of the most desolate areas in the continental United States to wear bizarre clothes, make art, do drugs, experience a new form of communal living, have a hell of a lot of fun and let their freak flags fly. Burning Man; August 26-September 2, 2013; 415-863-5263 . 7. Soul food . It's difficult to pin down the most American of foods. Almost every candidate has roots in other countries, but, of course, that's what makes them American. Soul food makes the top of the list because it's delicious, unapologetically artery-clogging and it brings us face to face with our turbulent past. African-American slaves on Southern plantations were often given scraps and leftovers to eat, and had to make do with whatever vegetables they could grow nearby and with little care, as so much time was spent working. From these restrictions arose some of the finest recipes in American cuisine. There are thousands of spectacular soul food restaurants -- many of the best are in the South -- but Sylvia's in New York is maybe the most well known. Sylvia's, 328 Lenox Ave., New York; 212-996-0660 . 8. Juke joints . While we're in the region, one of America's great art forms, Blues music, grew up in the juke joints of the South. Jukes arose after emancipation, taking the form of shacks and private houses where African-Americans gathered to listen to and play music, gamble and dance. A few classic juke joints still remain, some along Highway 61, aka the Blues Highway, which stretches from New Orleans to the town of Wyoming, Minnesota, an American experience in and of itself. Po' Monkey's, opened in 1963 outside Merigold, Mississippi, is considered one of the last remaining original jukes. It's only open Thursdays, and it's not easy to get to, but the music and crowd make it worth the trip. Po' Monkey's; Po Monkey Road, Merigold, Mississippi; 662-843-2712 . 9. Outdoor Christmas light displays . Sure, other countries have Christmas lights (or fairy lights, in the UK), but no one else takes it quite as seriously as Americans. The lighting of the approximately 80-foot tall Norwood spruce at Rockefeller Center in New York is practically a national event. But the greatest displays of holiday spirit can be seen in more rural areas. Take Magical Night of Lights in Lake Lanier, Georgia, which consists of seven miles and millions of lights, or the six-mile long Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights in Wheeling, West Virginia. Magical Night of Lights, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, Georgia; 770-945-8787 . Winter Festival of Lights, 465 Lodge Dr., Wheeling, West Virginia; November 8, 2013-January 5, 2014; Sunday through Thursday until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.; 800-624-6988 . 10. Megachurches . Americans know how to make praising Jesus memorable. Just look at Gospel music and tent revivals. In modern times you needn't look much further than Gospel brunches (wash away your sins from the night before with spiritual songs and mimosas) and megachurches. Those giant boxes of worship are where thousands of Christians gather not simply to pray and praise, but in many cases to eat, shop and work out. The United States has more than 1,300 of them, and more than 50 draw a weekly attendance between 10,000 and 45,000. The mega-ist of American megachurches is Lakewood Church in Houston, led by senior pastor Joel Osteen. Every week his message is broadcast to 7 million viewers in more than 100 countries. Lakewood Church; 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston; 713-635-4151 .

SOLUTION: Pueblos and powwows in New Mexico highlight Native American culture .
Baseball, football and the Derby made the cut -- yes, we love sports .
What would the country be without soul food?
We tried to resist including Burning Man, but failed .

PROBLEM: Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Perhaps no one better understands what the family of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is going through like the widow and children of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. "I mean, my heart is totally with the congresswoman," says daughter Sara Taseer. What do an American lawmaker from Arizona and a Pakistani governor have in common? Both outspoken elected officials were gunned down in broad daylight, within days of each other. Taseer died; Giffords clings to life. Separated by half a world, they are united by similar crimes. Taseer was assassinated by his own security guard last week in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. He was coming out of a popular market when the guard, Mumtaz Qadri, opened fire and shot him 27 times. Governor's accused killer makes unscheduled court appearance . Taseer had been an outspoken critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which make it a crime to insult Islam or the Prophet Mohammad. He argued that in a country that's 98% Muslim, these laws are used to discriminate against minorites. That's dangerous talk in a nation increasingly swayed by a more conservative brand of Islam, and several clerics targeted Taseer as a blasphemer himself. Qadri confessed in court Monday that he killed Taseer because of his support to change the blasphemy laws. And that, Taseer's family says, is where his shooting diverges from Giffords'. Sara Taseer says, "The difference is in Pakistan, this is not a message just to my father or my family. This is a message to all liberal and progressive people to keep quiet, and scare and intimidate them." She says Giffords' shooting was an isolated incident, which has no chance of gaining popular support in the United States. "The impact is different. And the fear among the people. I'm sure in Arizona the general public is not feeling threatened, or not fearing that they can voice their views or openly condemn it. We are in a totally different situation. People who support us can lose their own lives." Shooting rampage suspect to make first court appearance . Another difference: even Giffords' political opponents publicly and forcefully condemned the man who shot her. The Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner went on TV to say, "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve." But in Pakistan, even Taseer's supporters have been mostly silent: perhaps calling his loss a tragedy, but stopping short of criticizing the man who killed him. "It's because they fear for their lives," says Taseer's son Shehryar. "There's also been a warning issued [by clerics] against anyone who has any further vigils, and anyone who takes up the case of the governor and his family, their offices will be burned and their person killed." Shehryar says that was the real tragedy of his father's shooting: it's forcing liberals to stay quiet and hide. "I think they'll be hunted. Without a doubt in my mind I believe that." Taseer's shooter has been hailed as a hero by many conservative Muslims in Pakistan. He has been cheered, and showered with rose petals on his way into court. "That's ...it makes me sick. It makes me sick to my stomach," says Taseer's youngest daughter Shehrbano. "Some people genuinely believe this was 'the right thing' to have been done. That's the most scary and upsetting aspect of it. It's disgusting." Shehrbano graduated from college in Massachusetts, and now works as a journalist in Pakistan. She reserves some of her strongest criticism for Pakistan's legal system. "There were over 200 lawyers who went and put garlands and rose petals around my father's assassin's neck. And these men are the so-called vanguards of justice." Shehrbano has little to no faith that the Anti-Terrorism Court where Mumtaz Qadri is being tried will produce a fair result. "They have a sorry record of convictions. The investigation teams, they don't hand in enough evidence. The lawyers are scared. The judges are bribed. People are terrified of taking a stand." Now his family is looking back at the life of Salmaan Taseer, a businessman and governor of one of the most-populated provinces in the world. His widow Amna says, "When I started my marriage, he was arrested and put in a Lahore fort for four months. It was a very difficult period, but we made it through that. And it's kind of ended in such a dramatic way also. But on top of it all I say one thing: that he was a great father and even better husband." The family says privately, they've received thousands of messages, letters and visits to console them. Shehrbano says a Christian woman approached her after the assassination. "She told me 'Your father was all we had.'" They're also looking ahead, to what legacy Taseer leaves for the future. His daughter Shehrbano says, "I hope his passing doesn't mean that the room for debate is over. I believe there's room in the public sphere for moderates, for liberals. I really hope that this doesn't mean that debate in Pakistan is over." His son Shehryar says he refuses to back down from the causes his father stood for. "It's not a Taseer trait. Taseers are fighters. He believed in Pakistan too much to ever back down. In fact his last tweet was 'Even if I'm the last one standing, I'd still support it.'" And daughter Sara says, "He had a liberal and progressive and secular vision. And he ...this country needed him. This country needed people like him. The region needed people like him. The world, I think, needs people like him."

SOLUTION:
Taseer and Giffords were both gunned down .
Taseer died while Giffords clings to life .
Daughter says father's killing was message to liberals to keep quiet .