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.

Ex Input:
(CNN) -- Cindy Goodman was having dinner with a group of girlfriends one night when the conversation took a surprising turn. Summer at the beach may seem like fun, but more Americans are afraid to take time off. Goodman asked her friends where they planned to go this year for their summer vacation. Nowhere, they answered. They were afraid to take time off because they didn't want to risk losing their jobs, she says. "It's going to be an interesting summer," says Goodman, a Miami Herald business columnist. "The people who still have a job are really feeling overwhelmed and overworked. They're afraid to take vacations, but at the same time, they need them more than ever." The bad economy isn't just depleting bank accounts. It's cutting into people's vacation time. Americans typically take time off and kick back during the summer. This year may be different. People are worried that a temporary vacation could lead to permanent time off, Goodman says. "I don't think anyone is going to be fired for taking two weeks off, but they might think that they'll think of another way of doing my job without me," says Goodman, who wrote about people's vacation fears for her blog at http://worklifebalancingact.blogspot.com. How to take time off without guilt . Americans had a difficult time taking vacations even before the economy slumped. Numerous articles and studies draw the same conclusions: Americans don't know how to pry themselves away from the workplace. This year, Expedia.com, the travel reservation company, conducted a survey that compared Americans' vacation habits with their counterparts in other countries. The survey said about 34 percent of Americans don't take all the vacation time they earn each year. In contrast, 22 percent of French citizens and 24 percent of Germans don't take all the vacation allotted to them. Japanese workers are the least interested in using all of their vacation days, according to the Expedia survey. About 92 percent of Japanese workers do not take all of their vacation days. Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of "The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World," says even when Americans manage to take vacations, they still don't completely leave their office, because of technology. "You can take a BlackBerry on vacation and still have a conversation with clients anywhere else in the world," Hohlbaum says. "It's wonderful for innovation, but not so great for leisure." But workers who don't take vacation hurt themselves and their companies, Hohlbaum says. Overworked employees get sick more often and place themselves at risk for long-term illnesses such as heart disease. Companies suffer because their employees are too tired or ill to be productive, she said. Workplaces are full of exhausted employees who have already checked out in their cubicles, Hohlbaum says. "If people are overworked, they're surfing the Internet," she says. "They're not contributing to the bottom line." Hohlbaum says she talked to a computer technician who found a way to take more time off but be more productive. He started a walking group for his colleagues during lunch hour. He and his colleagues were transformed. "It was an amazing experience," Hohlbaum says. "They bonded. It helped people relax and when they got back to work, they were much more productive." She suggests that other workers follow his example. Explain the upside of the idea to the boss: The company benefits from well-rested workers because they're more productive. Set performance goals with your boss to prove taking time off will allow you to thrive and will result in greater productivity, she says. Some workers, however, find that their biggest skeptic may be internal; they don't know how to take it easy anymore, Hohlbaum says. "If you're so used to being purposeful, make leisure time your purpose," Hohlbaum says. Alternative ideas . Goodman, the Miami Herald columnist, offers some of her own tips for taking time off. If you're too afraid to ask for an extended vacation, plan four-day weekends or time off around holidays. Goodman says she's going to take a four-day vacation around the Fourth of July. But there was a time when she traditionally took two-week vacations during the summer. "I have the same kind of fear that everyone else has, '' Goodman says. "I want to take time off, but I don't want to miss too much work time. I want to keep my column in the paper every week."

Ex Output:
People fear that vacationing in recession could lead to permanent time off .
Blogger says stressed-out workers need vacations more than ever .
Poll: 35 percent of Americans don't take all the vacation they receive in a year .
Expert advises how to explain to your boss why you should have a vacation .


Ex Input:
New York (CNN) -- Keep your kids away from these Santas! Bar-goers dressed in Christmas-themed costumes descended upon hundreds of cities worldwide Saturday for the annual bar crawl known as Santacon. In New York, thousands took to the streets dressed as elves, Santas and holiday-themed characters, as they have since 1997. In recent years, the debauchery of some of its participants has become too much -- even for some who take part in it. "It was just terrible, they were throwing up in the streets. It was really just disgusting. I just put a red suit on and have a good time," Sandy Bachom, who participated in the event last year, told CNN afilliate WABC. "I think New Yorkers generally are extremely tolerant of visitors, but when they come in such droves, and then combine that with public intoxication, it has a negative impact in our neighborhoods," state Sen. Brad Hoylman said to WABC. Despite the controversy, city officials are supporting the event. "It's what makes New York New York," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said at a press conference Friday. "There has been some rowdy activity by a small handful of people." However, NYPD officers were handing out fliers stressing that they would stop revelers who publicly consume alcohol. Santacon NYC is vowing to clean up its act. "Santacon has had growing pains," the event's organizers said in a press release on the NYC SantaCcon website. "With a little elbow-grease from the elves, a little patience from the community, and just a pinch of holiday magic, Santacon can spread joy." Santacon.info, a website that attempts to keep up with SantaCons wherever they are -- and assist organizers in publicizing them -- maintains a list that on Saturday showed 146 locations where events will be taking place this weekend and next, from Helena, Montana, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Ex Output:
NYC Santacon hits the streets of the Big Apple on Saturday .
The debauchery of the event in recent years has soured some .
Police commissioner downplays the complaints, blaming only a "handful" of revelers .
The annual event is one of hundreds that take place in cities all over the world .


Ex Input:
A federal judge struck down Oregon's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage Monday. "Because Oregon's marriage laws discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without a rational relationship to any legitimate government interest, the laws violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," U.S. District Judge Michael McShane said in his ruling. Oregon voters passed Measure 36 in 2004, which amended the state's Constitution to define marriage as between one man and a woman. In February, the state's attorney general said she would not defend the ban in court because it would not stand up to a federal constitutional challenge. "My decision will not be the final word on this subject, but on this issue of marriage I am struck more by our similarities than our differences. I believe that if we can look for a moment past gender and sexuality, we can see in these plaintiffs nothing more or less than our own families, families who we would expect our Constitution to protect, if not exalt, in equal measure," McShane said. "With discernment we see not shadows lurking in closets or the stereotypes of what was once believed; rather, we see families committed to the common purpose of love, devotion, and service to the greater community." Same-sex couples camped out in lawn chairs outside a government building in Oregon's largest county while waiting for the news, then cheered as word of the judge's decision spread. Multnomah County began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples minutes later, the county said in a statement. Ben West, one of the plaintiffs who challenged Oregon's constitutional ban, stood beside his fiance and his son as he told CNN affiliate KGW that he was thrilled by the news. "We're excited. It's surreal. We're part of history. Our family is recognized, I mean, I'm tingling. It's amazing," he said. "It means that my son's family is just as legitimate as the one next door, and that he can grow up proud." At a news conference shortly after the judge's ruling, activists and attorneys who challenged the amendment celebrated the news. "Love won today," said Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign. Ten years ago, Rouse said, the first same-sex marriages in the United States were celebrated in Massachusetts. And 45 years ago marked another historic moment, he said. "Same-sex couples were arrested and sent to jail for dancing together at establishments like the Stonewall Inn," he said. "Today, 45 years later, in 18 states and now including Oregon and the District of Columbia, same-sex couples are dancing together at their own weddings, and they have wedding rings, not handcuffs. History in Oregon. Congratulations." Meanwhile, the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, said it had filed a motion with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals asking judges to block McShane's ruling. "This case is an ugly example of inappropriate cooperation between the Attorney General and the gay marriage lobby, both of whom want to redefine marriage in contravention of the overwhelming decision of the people to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brian Brown, the organization's president, said in a statement. "The people of Oregon are entitled to a defense of their decision on marriage rather than being abandoned in court." Same-sex marriage now allowed in 18 states . The Oregon ruling continues a near-unbroken string of state and federal court victories nationwide in the past year for supporters of same-sex marriage. Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage within their borders: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Just over a decade ago, there were none. Earlier this month, judges in Arkansas and Idaho ruled that same-sex marriage bans in those states were unconstitutional. Both decisions are being appealed. This month also marks the two-year anniversary of President Barack Obama voicing his public support for the first time of same-sex marriage, citing his own "evolution" on the issue. "At a certain point, I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," Obama said at the time. Groups supporting same-sex marriage applauded the Oregon ruling. "The importance of Judge McShane's decision cannot be overemphasized," said David Fidanque, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon. "Our federal Constitution does not allow any state -- or its voters -- to deny same-sex couples equal protection under the law simply because of who they are and who they love. This type of discrimination is wrong, and it's also unconstitutional." But court battles over the matter are far from over. About 70 cases dealing with same-sex marriage are now making their way through U.S. courts. Separate federal appeals courts in recent weeks heard challenges to same-sex marriage bans in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia. Similar appeals will be heard on current bans in Nevada, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. Federal judge orders Utah to recognize same-sex marriages . Also Monday, a federal judge said Utah must recognize the marriages of more than 1,200 same-sex couples who obtained marriage licenses earlier this year after a court struck down that state's same-sex marriage ban. The U.S. Supreme Court days later issued a stay preventing any more same-sex marriages, but that action left those who got married in the interim in legal limbo. The judge's ruling Monday says Utah must give those couples "all the protections, benefits, and responsibilities given to all marriages under Utah law." While some details of the Oregon and Utah cases are similar, there's a key difference. In Utah, the state is appealing a judge's decision to overturn its voter-approved ban of same-sex marriage.  Gov. Gary Herbert slammed what he said was a decision by an "activist federal judge." In Oregon, officials are taking the opposite tack, praising the judge's ruling overturning their state's same-sex marriage ban. "Now, finally, all Oregonians will have the opportunity to make a legal commitment to the person they love. Every person and every family in Oregon deserves that chance," Gov. John Kitzhaber said in a statement. "Today is a win for love, for families, and for freedom."

Ex Output:

Plaintiff: "It means that my son's family is just as legitimate as the one next door"
Judge: Oregon's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional .
Activist after the ruling: "Love won today"
Opponents of same-sex marriage say Oregon abandoned citizens in court .