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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A `` top kill '' method intended to stop the runaway flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico will likely be tried early next week , BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said Friday . In the procedure , thick , viscous fluid twice the density of water will be pumped at a high rate into the site of the leak to stop the flow so that it can then be sealed with cement , Suttles said . `` Our best estimate is probably Tuesday , '' he said , noting that the operation has never been tried in such deep water . The timing for the `` top kill '' effort appears to be slipping : BP Managing Director Bo Dudley said Thursday night that the company would try the procedure this weekend . Suttles offered no explanation for the discrepancy . `` We 're working very , very hard with BP on the timeline for the ` top kill , ' '' said U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen , national incident commander . `` That 's the ultimate near-term solution . '' Obama announces oil spill commission . BP is working to assemble `` a massive amount of equipment '' at the site , Suttles said , including three deep-water rigs , drilling rigs , sub-sea support vessels and up to 16 robotic submarines . `` These operations are quite complex , and we wo n't start the job until all the equipment has been staged and all the equipment is in place , '' he said . But no one expects the effort to solve all the problems associated with the spill . `` We will not rest , even if they secure the flow , even if this ` top kill ' is completed successfully next week , '' Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said . `` We have a long row to hoe '' to ensure that the damage that has already occurred is mitigated . Landry expressed disappointment Friday over BP 's efforts to clean up oil on the shores of Terrebonne Parish , Louisiana . Though boom and skimmers had been staged there , `` the folks were hesitating in deploying that , '' she said . Asked to what degree it will be possible to clean oil from the marshes , Allen said that oil in the marshes is `` the worst-case scenario for us to deal with in terms of recovery . '' That 's because mechanical cleanup can do more harm than good , he said . `` In some cases , burning may be an acceptable solution , '' he said . Any such decision would be made on the scene in consultation with representatives of the state and the parishes involved , he said . But officials had unqualified praise for the weather , which has been cooperating fully in recent days , leaving the seas dead calm . `` These are ideal conditions for skimming , '' Landry said , noting that the percentage skimmed has risen to at least 50 percent from the typical 10 percent . Sub-sea dispersants are also being used , she said , `` so we 're not seeing a lot of oil coming to the surface . '' On Thursday , the Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to find a less toxic chemical to break up the oil than the one it has been using , Corexit 9500 . The chemical has been rated more toxic and less effective than many others on the list of 18 EPA-approved dispersants , according to testimony at a congressional hearing Wednesday . BP has found no immediate replacement candidate , Suttles said . `` Our analysis that we submitted to EPA last night said there were no other dispersants we could identify that were available and less toxic , '' he said . BP was to meet later Friday with the EPA to discuss alternatives , he said . As the continuing spill enters its second month , debate and concern have focused on just how much oil is spewing from the broken riser a mile below the surface . A federal technical team comprising scientists from the federal government and academia has been charged with estimating the flow rate based on video and other data . The estimate will be peer-reviewed and `` given rigorous oversight by the federal government and academia , '' Landry said . That estimate is likely to be complete `` sometime next week , '' she said . BP has estimated the flow at 5,000 barrels per day , but independent estimates have exceeded that by many times , and Suttles acknowledged Friday that the company 's estimate contains `` a huge amount of uncertainty . '' The 5,000-barrel figure translates into 210,000 gallons per day . That 's 8,750 gallons per hour , 145.8 gallons per minute and 2.4 gallons per second . Suttles said he flew over the region Friday morning and saw no oil close to the coasts of Alabama , Mississippi or Florida . But oil has shown up in seven locations on shore so far , with no new sightings in the past day , according to Suttles . He said cleanup activities were going on in each location . Other efforts to stanch the leak continue . Drilling of the first of two relief wells has reached 8,950 feet , said Lars Herbst , regional director for the Gulf of Mexico of the Minerals Management Service , and work on the other has begun . U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon , D-Louisiana , concerned about people who are working to clean up the spill , has asked the White House to set up temporary health care centers along the Gulf Coast to serve volunteers and workers . Melancon envisions such clinics as providing `` medical checkups to people who have come in contact with the oil and assist -LSB- ing -RSB- in monitoring the health effects of the oil leak on south Louisianians . '' He sent the request Wednesday to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius . There was no immediate response from the agency . Track the Gulf oil spill . `` Many residents and volunteers are being exposed to hazardous materials on a daily basis , and some will have to travel hours to get treatment at the nearest health care facility . It is imperative that temporary health care clinics be established to provide basic health care services in this geographic area , '' he said . He has also asked Sebelius to `` appoint a health care coordinator to oversee and streamline the health care response . '' Melancon emphasized that BP should be responsible for such health care services in his state . The energy giant was operating the oil rig that exploded and sank in April , triggering the spill . iReport : Track the spill , share stories . The spill began with an April 20 explosion and fire that sank the drill rig Deepwater Horizon two days later . Eleven workers were lost with the rig , which was owned by drilling contractor Transocean and hired by BP . The resulting slick now threatens the coastal marshes of southeastern Louisiana , where brown , syrupy oil made it past protective booms and into the wetlands near the mouth of the Mississippi River on Wednesday . CNN 's Ed Henry , Ed Lavandera , Marylynn Ryan and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report . | BP to try pumping fluid into well to stop Gulf oil leak . Burning marshes hit by oil may be an option , Coast Guard says . Congressman calls for temporary centers on Gulf Coast to address health worries . Estimate of amount of oil pumping into Gulf grows . | [[600, 706], [2212, 2251], [4905, 4970], [5003, 5097], [5697, 5825]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- From victims of gunshot wounds and domestic violence to common road injuries , Trinite Hospital in Port-au-Prince , Haiti is inundated with trauma cases daily . A mother and child in the recovery room of Trinite Hospital in Port-au-Prince , Haiti . The stream of patients arriving at the free clinic run by international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres is virtually uninterrupted . Some arrive in police ambulance or via the Haitian Red Cross ; others are dropped off in wheelbarrows , according to Brian Phillip Moller , head of the 60-bed trauma center . Gunfire no longer fills the nights the way it did when he was last in Haiti in 2006 , but the workload for aid workers has n't diminished . Instead hospitals like Trinite are dealing with trauma cases the public health system is incapable of handling , Moller tells CNN . While the security situation in Haiti has improved during the last two years , the public health system remains in disarray , according to Medecins Sans Frontieres -LRB- MSF -RRB- , also known as Doctors Without Borders . The organization , which offers free care at three clinics in Port-au-Prince , says basic health services are practically non-existent in the capital city , the result of a public health system marred by mismanagement , strikes and shortages of medical personnel and supplies . `` The Haitian system is at breakpoint , '' says Moller . The private health care sector has developed in recent years , but most in poverty-stricken Haiti can not afford to pay the fees charged for services . MSF is urging the international community to increase pressure on Haiti to improve its health system . The call comes as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon , Haiti 's Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis and representatives of donor countries are set to meet in Washington Tuesday to discuss international assistance for the country . With the public health system underfunded and understaffed , patients often have nowhere to turn but to free clinics . An obstetrics hospital run by MSF in Port-au-Prince manages 40 percent of the childbirth-related emergencies among poor women in the city . At Trinite , doctors treated nearly 18,000 trauma cases last year . The hospital 's bed occupation rates are at 100 percent and at times staff have no choice but to refer patients to public health facilities that they know are inadequate . See photos of the health crisis in Haiti '' MSF France , which runs the Trinite trauma center , plans to withdraw from Port-au-Prince next year , which could make the situation for Haiti 's poorest even more dire . Urban conflict has subsided , reducing the need for a war surgery hospital , Moller says . About one-third of the cases at the hospital are related to road vehicle accidents . The group 's mission is to provide urgent care to crisis-hit areas , he says , not cope with everyday trauma . Although the security crisis has abated , violence , is still very much a part of life in Haiti 's capital city and poses a major health care challenge . One in five cases admitted to the Trinite are violence related . `` Access to adequate health care is a basic human right and it is definitely not being met here in Haiti . The issue needs to be addressed very quickly . People are dying needlessly and will continue to unless this issue is addressed , '' Moller says . | Medecins Sans Frontieres says public health system in Haiti failing patients . Free clinics offered by the aid organization being overwhelmed . Many in poverty-stricken nation lack access to basic health care . Public health system is underfunded and understaffed , group says . | [[851, 888], [930, 974], [930, 954], [977, 1030], [1073, 1149], [1152, 1266], [268, 318], [1073, 1149], [1152, 1266], [851, 888], [930, 974], [930, 954], [977, 1030], [1898, 1934]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rep. Edward Markey on Monday challenged the assertion by oil giant BP 's chief executive that no underwater oil plumes have formed because of the Gulf of Mexico spill . In a letter to BP , Markey , D-Massachusetts , said scientific evidence showed such plumes have formed and he asked for BP CEO Tony Hayward to provide evidence to back up Hayward 's claim Sunday that the spilled oil had gone to the surface . On Sunday , Markey , who heads the House Energy and Environment subcommittee , had accused BP of issuing false statements about the oil spill . `` BP in this instance means ` Blind to Plumes , ' '' Markey said in a statement Monday . There was no immediate response from BP . Markey 's letter to BP said `` the confirmation of the presence of large quantities of oil sub-surface could help to inform clean-up and response efforts , and it is vital that there is unfettered access to all relevant data or analysis . '' The letter noted that University of South Florida researchers recently reported finding a 22-mile-long plume of dispersed oil . In a separate letter Monday to BP , Markey called for complete transparency regarding video feeds of the company 's underwater operations . BP is launching a new effort to cut an opening to the leaking equipment so that a containment dome can be lowered on it . `` There can not be any delay or gaps in our understanding of this situation , given that thousands of barrels of oil are spewing forth each day into the Gulf , with catastrophic long-term consequences , '' said Markey 's letter to BP America head Lamar McKay , later adding : `` BP should not be controlling the view the American public has of this disaster in our ocean . '' | Rep. Edward Markey calls for BP to prove claim of no underwater oil plumes . Markey also says BP must provide more information on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill . Markey is head of the House Energy and Environment subcommittee . BP CEO Tony Hayward said Sunday all the spilled oil was rising to the surface . | [[119, 198], [306, 393], [453, 459], [466, 517], [0, 26], [59, 118], [394, 440]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the massive oil spill spreading through the Gulf of Mexico . Holder said the investigation , which began `` some weeks ago , '' would be comprehensive and aggressive . He promised that the federal officials will prosecute anyone who broke the law . `` We have begun both a criminal as well as a civil investigation as is our obligation under the law , '' Holder said . `` We have what we think is a sufficient case to have begun a criminal investigation . '' Holder emphasized that the investigation will cover all aspects of the oil spill , including the deaths of 11 workers in the April 20 explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon rig that started the leak . He refused to name any potential targets of the investigation , saying , `` I do n't want to unnecessarily cast aspersions . '' However , Holder said `` nothing is off the table '' in the probe , and he cited false statements as one of several potential targets of criminal charges . `` This disaster is nothing less than a tragedy , '' Holder said . `` As our review expands in the days ahead , we will be meticulous , we will be comprehensive , and we will be aggressive . We will not rest until justice is done . '' Holder stressed that `` anyone found responsible for this spill -LRB- must be -RRB- held accountable . That means enforcing the appropriate civil -- and if warranted , criminal -- authorities to the full extent of the law . '' Among other things , Holder said Justice Department lawyers are examining possible violations of the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 . He also said prosecutors are looking into potential violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty and Endangered Species Acts , which provide penalties for injury and death to wildlife . BP responded in a statement that it `` will cooperate with any inquiry the Department of Justice will undertake , just as we are doing in response to the other inquires that are already ongoing . '' Holder made the announcement during a visit to the Gulf to survey the BP oil spill and meet with state attorneys general and federal prosecutors from Louisiana , Alabama and Mississippi , according to the Justice Department . Last month , a group of senators -- including Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Boxer , D-California -- sent Holder a letter expressing concerns `` about the truthfulness and accuracy of statements submitted by BP to the government in its initial exploration plan for the site . '' They asked the attorney general to investigate possible criminal and civil wrongdoing . In a reply to that letter last week , a Justice Department official refused to say whether a criminal investigation had begun . `` The Department of Justice will take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that those responsible for this tragic series of events are held fully accountable , '' Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch wrote . Holder said last month the Justice Department would `` ensure that BP is held liable . '' Boxer issued a statement Monday praising the criminal probe . `` In preparation for the Environment Committee 's hearings on the oil spill , it became clear that BP 's assurances that they could respond effectively to a serious spill at this site were totally at odds with reality , '' Boxer said in the statement . `` What is happening in the Gulf -- eleven people dead , and an entire ecosystem and the jobs that depend on it at risk -- justifies a thorough criminal investigation . '' CNN 's Scott Bronstein and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report . | NEW : Attorney General Eric Holder says enough evidence existed to start a criminal investigation . NEW : Senator lauds criminal investigation launched by Department of Justice . DOJ looking into potential violations of Clean Water Act , Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and other laws . Holder visits Gulf Coast on Tuesday to survey BP oil spill . | [[0, 15], [53, 153], [0, 15], [53, 153], [3135, 3196], [3148, 3196], [0, 15], [53, 153], [1543, 1561], [1564, 1695], [1696, 1698], [1704, 1815], [2608, 2695], [2619, 2695], [2076, 2131], [2123, 2158]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If criminal suspects fail to invoke their right to remain silent , they have waived that right , a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday . The high court upheld the murder conviction of a man who did not verbally assert his right to remain silent during his police interrogation . In a 5-4 ruling , the court said a suspect must explicitly tell officers he or she is asserting that right , known as Miranda rights . The famous constitutional `` right to remain silent '' and the `` right to talk to a lawyer before answering any questions '' are among the well-known warnings all criminal suspects must be given upon arrest . The conservative court has generally been supportive in recent years , when police challenges to Miranda rights have been raised . `` A suspect who has received and understood the Miranda warnings , and has not invoked his Miranda rights , waives the right to remain silent by making an uncoerced statement to police , '' said Justice Anthony Kennedy , writing for the court . Van Chester Thompkins was convicted of a January 10 , 2000 , murder outside a shopping mall in Southfield , Michigan . He fled the scene , but was as arrested about a year later in Ohio . Local police began what turned out to be a three-hour interrogation , with Thompkins at first forced to read aloud part of a copy of `` constitutional rights '' derived from the original Miranda case that went before the Supreme Court in 1966 . The five rights included the warning `` anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law , '' and `` the right to decide at any time before or during questioning to use your right to remain silent . '' Thompkins refused to sign the form and there was strong disagreement over whether he verbally confirmed he understood them . He remained mostly silent during questioning , but later implicated himself in the shooting . He was later convicted of first-degree murder and other offenses . The court majority sided with the police 's version of the events . `` Thompkins did not say that he wanted to remain silent or that he did not want to talk to police , '' Kennedy concluded . `` Had he made either of these simple , unambiguous statements , he would have invoked his ` right to cut off questioning . ' Here he did neither , so he did not invoke his right to remain silent . '' Kennedy 's views were supported by Chief Justice John Roberts , along with Justices Antonin Scalia , Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito . A federal appeals court in Cincinnati agreed with Thompkins his confession should be thrown out , but the high court reversed that decision . In a sharp dissent , Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court 's ruling a `` major retreat '' from protections against self-incrimination guaranteed by the original Miranda ruling . `` Criminal suspects must now unambiguously invoke their right to remain silent -- which counterintuitively requires them to speak , '' she said . `` At the same time , suspects will be legally presumed to have waived their rights even if they have given no clear expression of their intent to do so . Those results , in my view , find no basis in Miranda or our subsequent cases and are inconsistent with the fair-trial principles on which those precedents are grounded . '' Sotomayor said the Thompkins ruling `` turns Miranda upside down . '' Justices John Paul Stevens , Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer backed her conclusions . Thompkins had implicated himself after police asked if he believed in God . After replying yes , officers then asked , `` Do you pray to God to forgive you for shooting that boy down ? '' asking about victim Samuel Morris . The court transcript said Thompkins replied `` Yes , '' and turned away , but later refused to make a written confession . The case is Berghuis v. Thompkins -LRB- 08-1470 -RRB- . | Court : Suspects who do n't explicitly invoke right to remain silent have waived it . Upholds murder conviction in Michigan case . In sharp dissent , Sotomayor says ruling is a ` major retreat ' from self-incrimination protections . | [[33, 94], [97, 124], [214, 219], [224, 308], [788, 797], [857, 891], [2314, 2360], [2824, 2903], [3060, 3114], [167, 219], [2642, 2660], [2663, 2779]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What if carbon dioxide were as black as oil ? When your house is on fire , you may not be in the mood to hear about an impending cancer epidemic that threatens your neighborhood , so I hesitate to bring up this topic . I have spent my scientific career studying oil spills , including the ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people in the initial rig blast and is causing epic environmental damage , havoc to lives and livelihoods , political tumult , huge economic losses and an incessant media drumbeat . But while we have readily and rightfully committed ourselves to understanding the cause of the spill , its effects and how to help restore the affected Gulf Coast region , we still ca n't seem to come to grips with a much more dangerous , far-reaching pollutant that is changing the fundamental chemistry of our entire planet : carbon dioxide . Why the difference in concern ? Is it as simple as out of sight , out of mind ? We can see oil discoloring the ocean , blackening coastlines and covering wildlife , but carbon dioxide is colorless and odorless . We do n't see it , and there 's no video or sound bites , so it 's easier to deny . CNN and other media outlets do not stream figures about carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere . But it has been spewing steadily and increasingly for decades throughout our planet from power plants , factories and our cars and homes . Since 1960 , the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has risen from 310 to 390 parts per million . Our eyes are riveted to watching the black trail of oil soiling Gulf waters and coastlines . If carbon dioxide were black , we could actually see our atmosphere darkening with carbon dioxide , creating a heat-trapping blanket that is raising global air and ocean temperatures and threatening to dramatically rearrange our climate . Would we care more if we could see the higher concentrations of carbon dioxide being absorbed into our oceans , making seawater more acidic , endangering coral reefs and marine life and threatening to fundamentally disrupt ocean ecosystems and food webs ? Perhaps we ignore carbon dioxide because it 's hard for us to think long-term and connect the dots . The consequences of oil spills are immediate ; the causes and effects are obvious . Not so with carbon dioxide ; its consequences are incremental , insidious and irreversible for centuries to millennia . People do n't easily understand how a small sea level rise can result in bigger storm surges and coastal damage , or how slight changes in ocean temperatures can change global rainfall patterns , leading to droughts and floods with catastrophic economic and societal consequences . Even if we acknowledge the problem , there 's still the hurdle of doing something about it . It 's almost the same as asking , `` If smokers could see their damaged lungs , would they quit more easily ? '' Just the way some people blame that problem on tobacco companies for manufacturing the product , it is easier to target blame for oil spills on oil companies . But smokers choose to use cigarettes and often get addicted ; similarly all of us who have been afforded the luxuries provided by cheap fossil fuels ca n't easily make difficult adjustments to wean ourselves away from them . -LRB- That does n't excuse tobacco companies for marketing cigarettes without revealing their dangers or oil companies taking drilling risks without being prepared for the consequences . -RRB- . The Gulf of Mexico spill is a reminder that oil does n't come cheap . We will pay an enormous price in cleanup costs , economic losses and environmental and social damage . We do n't factor in those costs when we fill our gas tanks . And we do n't make the connection that gasoline , once burned , turns into its chemical sibling , carbon dioxide , whose effects on our environment will globally dwarf the catastrophe happening in the Gulf . Few people imagined a catastrophe on such a scale , but we now see it 's possible and we are suffering the consequences . Our seemingly invulnerable planet is fragile , too . We ignore that at our peril . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christopher Reddy . | Christopher Reddy says oil spill is having devastating effect on the environment . He says the spill 's effects are so visible that the public quickly grasps the harm . Reddy says the public ca n't come to grips with a greater threat , carbon dioxide . If carbon dioxide were black , people might see the damage it 's causing . | [[238, 239], [398, 436], [716, 718], [737, 805]] |
-LRB- CNET -RRB- -- Google 's Chrome browser continued to carve away share of worldwide browser usage from rivals in May , new statistics show . Chrome rose 0.3 percentage points to 7.1 percent of share , said Net Applications , which monitors browser usage on a network of Web sites . The statistics reflect activity , not the number of people using a browser , as people load up about 160 million pages each month on sites Net Applications monitors . Because Web usage is increasing , the absolute number of people using a browser can increase even as its fractional share of usage drops . The share losses came from Microsoft 's Internet Explorer , which dropped 0.3 percent to 59.7 percent , and Mozilla 's Firefox , which dropped 0.2 percentage points to 24.4 percent . Fourth-place Safari from Apple rose 0.1 percentage points to 4.8 percent , and Opera rose 0.1 percentage points to 2.4 percent . The browser market has become hotly competitive with new features being built in to support new Web standards . Even Microsoft , long considered a technology laggard even as its browser dominated , is back in the game with aggresive work developing IE9 . Microsoft has been trying to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6 , introduced in 2001 and now considered outmoded , slow , and insecure . Even though IE lost share overall , Microsoft can point to progress in upgrading : The various versions of IE8 accounted for 28.9 percent of usage . Meanwhile , another analytics firm , StatCounter , reported IE6 use had dropped below 5 percent in the United States and Europe and to 9.8 percent worldwide . `` At these levels , Web developers now have valid justification not to support IE6 in the future , '' StatCounter Chief Executive Aodhan Cullen said in a statement . The company collected its data from 15 billion page views of Web pages in May . Net Applications also released statistics for iPad use , showing gradual gains since the Apple tablet 's release . With the iPad now for sale internationally , usage peaked May 29 with 0.17 percent . Net Applications ' data shows the iPad is relatively popular on the weekend . Use generally is lowest as a fraction of browsing on Monday , climbs gradually as the weekdays progress , than roughly doubles on the weekend days . The company also tracked mobile-phone browsing usage . Java ME , a mobile phone version of the technology from Sun Microsystems and now owned by Oracle , took the top spot with 40 percent of usage share . Next in line was iPhone OS with 32.8 percent , Symbian at 14 percent , Android at 6.2 percent , and BlackBerry at 3.6 percent . © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. . All rights reserved . CNET , CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. . Used by permission . | Chrome rose 0.3 percentage points to 7.1 percent of worldwide browser usage . Statistics reflect activity , not the number of people using a browser . Microsoft has been trying to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6 . | [[145, 202], [286, 317], [1159, 1224]] |
Orlando , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An autopsy report released Wednesday confirmed that a SeaWorld trainer killed after a 12,000-pound killer whale pulled her underwater died of drowning and traumatic injuries to her body , including her spine , ribs and head . Dawn Brancheau , 40 , was working with a whale named Tilikum in knee-deep water at SeaWorld in Orlando on February 24 when the animal grabbed her by the ponytail and pulled her underwater in front of shocked onlookers at the park 's Shamu Stadium . The autopsy report by the Orange County , Florida , medical examiner 's office says Brancheau 's spinal cord was severed , and she sustained fractures to her jawbone , ribs and to a cervical vertebra , in addition to the drowning . Rescuers were not immediately able to reach Brancheau because of the `` whale 's aggressive nature , '' the county sheriff 's office said . SeaWorld staff members recovered Brancheau after Tilikum was coaxed into a smaller pool and lifted out of the water by a large platform on the bottom of the smaller tank , authorities said . Video shows Tilikum performing before attack . A source at SeaWorld told CNN in February that after seizing her , the whale dove deep underwater . Brancheau 's body was recovered about 40 minutes later . Tilikum has been linked to two other deaths . He and two other whales were involved in the drowning of a trainer at a Victoria , British Columbia , marine park in 1991 . The trainer fell into the whale tank at the Sea Land Marine Park Victoria and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched . In 1999 , Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld , the apparent victim of a whale 's `` horseplay , '' authorities said then . The Orange County Sheriff 's Office said the man apparently hid in the park until after it closed , then climbed into the tank . Because of Tilikum 's history , as well as his size , trainers did not get into the water with him and specific procedures were in place for working with him , SeaWorld officials have said . Two days after Brancheau 's death , the head of SeaWorld said Tilikum `` is a wonderful animal '' and `` will remain an active and contributing member of the team despite what happened . '' `` He 's a very special animal that requires special handling , '' said Jim Achison , president of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment . `` Obviously , the procedures that we 've had in place are something we 're revisiting at this point . '' Tilikum 's size and weight -- 12,000 pounds , compared with 6,000 to 9,000 pounds for the facility 's other killer whales -- were one reason separate procedures were in place for him at the Orlando facility . | NEW : Whale 's aggressive nature prevented rescuers from immediately reaching trainer . Autopsy : Dawn Brancheau suffered fractures to jawbone , ribs and a cervical vertebra . Brancheau was working with a whale at SeaWorld when whale pulled her underwater . Whale had been linked to two other deaths since 1991 . | [[744, 842], [0, 7], [10, 33], [37, 107], [0, 7], [10, 33], [64, 262], [639, 677], [0, 7], [10, 33], [64, 262], [263, 277], [285, 309], [386, 396], [429, 511], [1279, 1324]] |
-LRB- WIRED -RRB- -- Barnes & Noble 's Kindle competitor may have been the worst-kept secret since balloon boy 's disastrous appearance on CNN last week . Barnes & Noble has unveiled an e-reader called `` Nook , '' which will sell for $ 260 in November . But the advance hype does n't seem to have hurt the launch of the Nook , an impressive-looking $ 260 device that will go head-to-head with Amazon.com 's Kindle , currently the most successful product in a small but growing market for e-book readers . Basic details of the Nook were published by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday following leaked images that appeared on Gizmodo last week . And Barnes & Noble leaked product details hours before reporters filed into Pier 60 in Manhattan for the announcement on Tuesday afternoon . `` Simply following the leader is not in our DNA , '' said Barnes & Noble president William Lynch . Indeed , Barnes & Noble 's $ 260 Nook device differs from the Kindle in a number of ways . Most notably , it shares : A feature called LendMe lets users borrow certain books -LRB- depending on the publisher 's wishes -RRB- , the same way readers have traditionally traded paper books . The Nook 's color touchscreen allows you to navigate titles and enter search terms using a virtual keyboard that goes dark once you 're reading . The Nook will be available for pre-order starting Tuesday night for $ 260 at Nook.com , and will ship in November . It has a 6-inch , `` paper-like , '' 16-level grayscale display that supports up to five fonts and various font sizes . It can read a user 's PDFs , as well as the 1 million-plus books , magazines and newspapers available in Barnes & Noble 's eBook store . The device connects to the Barnes & Noble eBook store using a free 3G AT&T connection , but lacks a web browser `` because those are clumsy '' on eReaders , Lynch says . It includes support for the ePub eBook format , FictionWise and PDF , as well as RSS feeds from the internet . However , you ca n't subscribe to any old RSS feed . Instead , Barnes & Noble selects certain feeds to convert to ePub , then sends them out each morning for a fee that varies by publisher . Like Amazon 's Kindle , Barnes & Noble 's Nook lets you highlight and annotate content . But Nook 's battery life is 10 days , while the Kindle keeps you reading for 14 -- even though at 11.2 ounces the Nook weighs an ounce more . Unlike the Kindle , the Nook has a Wi-Fi radio that customers will be able to use at Barnes & Noble 's more than 700 physical locations and 600 college stores in 50 states . The current version does not allow connection to Wi-Fi networks outside the stores , but will allow Nook owners to digitally flip through books while they 're in a Barnes & Noble store and read free content . The Nook runs Android OS , which Lynch said `` works really well for navigating on this small device . '' However , at this point , third-party developers can not develop apps for the device , and no version of the reader for generic Android devices is available . The device packs enough memory to hold up to 1,500 books -LRB- 2 GB -RRB- , with a microSD slot that lets you add up to 16 GB more . In addition to e-books in the three formats mentioned above , the device supports a user 's pictures and MP3s -LRB- it includes a speaker and headphone jack , but there 's no text-to-speech engine -RRB- . Another nice touch : The virtual bookmark feature called Reading Now lets you pick up where you left off on the Nook or on more than 100 other devices with support for Barnes & Noble 's eBook store . Perhaps the biggest difference between the Nook and the Kindle is cosmetic . The Nook , with color icons , a wide selection of designer cases and color-customizable back panel , looks like a fashionista compared to the more bookish Kindle . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com . | Barnes & Noble unviles an e-reader called `` Nook , '' which ships in November . The reader will cost $ 260 , which is comparable to Amazon 's Kindle . The Kindle has been the dominant e-reader , but `` Nook '' has some new features . Nook lets friends to `` lend '' e-books to each other ; and features color navigation . | [[155, 209], [1319, 1327], [1405, 1434], [212, 214], [221, 254], [328, 341], [342, 414], [328, 362], [368, 414], [1350, 1404], [1173, 1280]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australia is asking an international court to weigh in on Japan 's whale-hunting practices , officials said Tuesday . Japanese officials say their hunts are permitted under rules prohibit commercial whaling but allow whaling for scientific reasons . But Australian officials said they 've filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice in The Hague , Netherlands , to stop Japan from exploiting the research loophole . `` We believe that it 's possible to do all the research that you need to do and understand everything that you need to ... and you do n't have to kill them to do it , '' Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett told CNN Tuesday . Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hidenobu Sobashima said Tuesday that Japan 's whaling , which has killed up to 1,000 whales in Antarctic waters annually , is authorized . `` Japan 's research whaling is a legal activity , '' he said , noting that the country would continue to explain its perspective in international court . The move toward legal action is `` regrettable , '' Sobashima said , when international whale-hunting rules are still being negotiated . The International Whaling Commission is scheduled to evaluate existing whaling rules at its annual meeting in June . But Garrett said diplomatic negotiations over the issues have not produced results . He stressed that taking the case to court does not mean that the relationship between Australia and Japan -- strong allies and trading partners -- has soured . `` We think we can disagree about one thing and continue to have close relationships across a range of other issues , '' he said . Japan 's whaling has drawn sharp criticism from environmental advocacy groups , who claim it involves the cruel slaughter of whales so that meat can be sold in markets and restaurants . Japan 's fisheries agency has said that it wants `` sustainable whaling '' and also advocates conservation . `` Clearly , the acceptance of other cultures ' dietary practices and the promotion of cultural diversity is as important as saving endangered species and the promotion of biological diversity , '' the agency 's website says . `` If the consumption of whale meat does not endanger whale species , those who find the practice unacceptable for themselves should not try to impose their view on others . '' Australia 's lawsuit comes as an anti-whaling activist was facing charges including assault and trespassing in a Japanese court . Prosecutors allege that Peter Bethune , an environmental activist from New Zealand , threw butyric acid at a whaling ship , jumped aboard and attempted to make a citizen 's arrest of the captain . Bethune has pleaded guilty to all charges accept assault . He testified Monday that he did not intend to hurt anyone . A verdict is expected later this month . CNN 's Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report . | NEW : Australian official says research possible without killing whales . Australia has filed suit with international court over Japan 's whaling practices . Japan says decision to head to court `` regrettable '' International moratorium allows hunting whales for scientific reasons . | [[447, 612], [19, 109], [273, 446], [1013, 1059], [137, 268]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pilots were warned of potential danger at least eight times in about 30 seconds before a Polish jet crashed in Russia in April , killing President Lech Kaczynski and about 100 others . A transcript that the Polish government released Tuesday shows that an automated warning system sounded the alarm several times before the Tupolev-154 crashed in western Russia . `` Pull up . Pull up , '' a warning system advised pilots . `` Terrain ahead . Terrain ahead . '' The April 10 crash killed Kaczynski , his wife , top Polish military officials , the head of Poland 's national bank and other dignitaries . The president had been traveling with a Polish delegation to Russia for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn . Some 20,000 Polish officers were executed there during World War II . | Transcript shows pilots warned of danger several times in seconds before crash . April 10 crash killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and about 100 others . Delegation headed to Russia for 70th anniversary of massacre of Polish prisoners of war in World War II . | [[19, 98], [204, 382], [272, 382], [106, 145], [0, 15], [148, 203], [481, 559], [622, 783]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Boys may soon be able to get Gardasil , the vaccine given to girls and young women to prevent infection by four types of human papillomavirus . Gardasil , a vaccine against human papillomavirus , would be given to boys exactly as it is to girls . A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the vaccine be made available to boys and young men aged 9 to 26 for protection against genital warts caused by HPV . The vaccine protects against four types of HPV , and two of those are believed to be responsible for 70 percent of cervical and anal cancers , and HPV-associated penile and throat-and-neck cancers . The other two cause 90 percent of genital warts cases , researchers say . At Wednesday 's advisory committee meeting , pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. , maker of Gardasil , presented data from three clinical trials that the company claims supports broadening the distribution of the vaccine to include males . The trials included more than 5,400 boys and men from six continents and 23 countries . According to Anna Giuliano , an independent scientist at Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa , Florida , and the trials ' principal investigator , `` The data clearly demonstrates that there was a benefit to men in receiving Gardasil . Overall , we saw a 90 percent reduction in disease -- genital warts and pre-cancerous lesions -- caused by HPV in men and an 89 percent reduction in genital warts incidence . `` Essentially , we have a really fantastic opportunity to extend the benefit of the vaccine to men , '' Giuliano said . `` This is a sexually transmitted infection ; if we can reduce infection and related diseases in men , we have the potential to have a much broader public health impact by reducing the overall burden of infection and disease in the community at large . '' Giuliano said there were no serious adverse events related to the vaccine . There were some minor side effects such as pain at the injection site and low-grade fever . The vaccine would be administered in boys and young men exactly as it 's been given to girls and young women : three doses over a period of six months . Merck spokeswoman Pam Eisele said the cost will be $ 130 per dose . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , about 20 million Americans are infected with HPV . There are 6.2 million new infections each year . The CDC says that at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women get an HPV infection at some time in their life . The American Social Health Association says HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus and puts that number at 75 percent or more . The CDC says that although HPV is very common in both sexes , most men wo n't develop symptoms or serious health problems , and there is no test to detect the virus in men . The only approved HPV test on the market is for women , for use in cervical-cancer screening . The advisory committee also voted that Cervarix , a new HPV vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline , appeared to be safe and effective for girls and young women 10 to 25 years of age . Cervarix has been approved in Europe . `` This is an important step in cancer prevention for the millions of girls and young women at risk for cervical cancer , '' said Barbara Howe , vice president and director of North American vaccine development for GlaxoSmithKline . `` If approved , Cervarix will provide protection against cervical cancer , a devastating disease that is responsible for thousands of deaths in U.S. women each year . '' Still , the panel recommended that Glaxo do more studies that would monitor miscarriages and other problems reported by patients . In a final review , both applications will be considered by the FDA , which usually -- but not always -- follows the recommendations of its advisory committees . | Committee says shots could prevent genital warts in males 9 to 26 . Vaccine 's maker claims studies show 90 percent less HPV-caused disease . HPV common in both sexes , CDC says , but men develop fewer problems . Committee also favors Cervarix , new vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline . | [[277, 462], [1317, 1400], [2248, 2307], [2670, 2843], [2939, 2961], [2967, 3116]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A judge ordered mediation Thursday for all parties wanting access to videos showing the death of a SeaWorld trainer , court documents say . Florida Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Kirkwood last week granted a temporary injunction against release of the footage , which was captured on February 24 at SeaWorld in Orlando , Florida . It was not immediately clear for how long the injunction would last . Trainer Dawn Brancheau , 40 , was interacting with an orca named Tilikum when it grabbed her ponytail and pulled her underwater in front of shocked onlookers at Shamu Stadium . She died of multiple traumatic injuries and drowning , authorities said . Jon Mills , the attorney for Brancheau 's family , argued that their right to privacy outweighs other concerns . `` The potential harm to this family is incredibly severe , '' Mills said . `` There is no constitutional right to voyeurism and there is a constitutional right to privacy , and the court is being asked to balance those . '' Coverage from CNN affiliate WKMG . Court mediation will weigh privacy concerns against the public 's right to know under Florida law . One potential agreement during mediation could allow the parties in the case to view the videos , but not have copies of them , a court document says . Interested parties have until April 5 to request to join the mediation . No date has been set for the mediation . The Orlando Sentinel , The Tampa Tribune , The Lakeland Ledger and WFLA-TV have filed in the case . Parts of last month 's incident were captured on two cameras at the park -- one that shows a view from underwater and another from the park 's Sky Tower , according to the family 's complaint . `` The underwater view does not show Mrs. Brancheau until after she had entered the water . The overhead camera was not aimed at the scene until after the incident had begun , '' the complaint says . `` Significantly , neither camera shows what occurred in the moments prior to and including Mrs. Brancheau being pulled into the water and offer no insight into the cause of this tragic event . '' Brancheau 's family filed the complaint against the Orange County Sheriff Office and District Nine Medical Examiner 's Office , which possess the footage . SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has joined the lawsuit filed by Brancheau 's family . `` This is a video of someone 's death , '' Mills said last week . `` There 's nothing you can learn from the video other than what a tragic , horrible , traumatic attack it was . '' An attorney for the sheriff 's office has said it does not take a position about any video release , but it needs to keep copies so that its case file is complete . | Trainer Dawn Brancheau 's death was caught on tape at SeaWorld Orlando . A temporary injunction against release of the footage was granted last week . Brancheau 's family has sued to keep the tape from ever going public . | [[88, 134], [262, 278], [285, 335], [159, 276], [2297, 2339]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The pilot of a small Cessna 172 aircraft reported stolen from a Canadian flight school has been captured , authorities said . The pilot was flying a plane similar to this one -- a Cessna 172 -- before he landed in Missouri . The pilot reportedly stole a small Cessna 172 aircraft from a Canadian flight school , flew hundreds of miles across the Midwest , landed on a dirt road in Missouri late Monday and took off on foot , federal officials said . Federal , state and local authorities launched a manhunt for the pilot , who was identified by the FBI as Adam Leon , 31 , a native of Turkey who became a Canadian citizen last year , according to FBI spokesman Richard Kolko . He was formerly known as Yavuz Berke , though officials did not indicate a reason for the name change . He was taken into custody at an Ellsinore grocery story after a brief manhunt , according to Missouri state police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . A federal law enforcement source said the pilot parked the plane under what appeared to be a bridge or culvert , apparently in an attempt to hide it . The plane had been intercepted and tracked by U.S. military aircraft as it flew from Canada into U.S. airspace and meandered southward for several hours before landing , a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said . It landed in the town of Ellsinore , population 360 , in southern Missouri , a dispatcher with the Carter County Sheriff 's Office said . A spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command -LRB- NORAD -RRB- said the pilot flew `` erratically '' over the course of the afternoon , at time reaching 14,000 feet in altitude , then dropping as low as 3,000 feet . The Cessna departed the school in Ontario at about 3 p.m. ET and flew over Lake Superior less than half an hour later , according to NORAD officials . F-16 fighter jets intercepted the pilot near Michigan 's upper peninsula border with Wisconsin at 4:43 p.m. , and tracked the Cessna until its safe landing . The NORAD spokesman , Mike Kucharek , said military pilots who intercepted the Cessna had tried repeatedly to get the pilot 's attention and at one point , the pilot appeared to acknowledge that he saw the other aircraft . `` He looked at them , '' Kucharek said . But the pilot had not communicated with NORAD or the Federal Aviation Administration , Kucharek added later in the evening . At 9:20 p.m. , the pilot was believed to have had roughly 30 minutes of fuel left , Kucharek said . `` We do n't want to suppose the motive of the individual , '' Kucharek told CNN 's `` Anderson Cooper 360 '' after the landing . `` But it certainly made a day for the professional pilots that were flying these missions and a very serious situation from a NORAD perspective . '' Officials allowed the pilot `` to play his hand '' because they '' -LSB- did n't -RSB- want to provoke the situation , '' Kucharek said . A federal law enforcement official told CNN the pilot is a naturalized Canadian citizen , but declined to give his name or country of origin . The source said the pilot was a flight school student for a `` brief '' period and only clocked a few hours of flight time . Canadian officials have received some information that the pilot is `` not a happy individual , '' the official said . The Cessna departed at about 3 p.m. ET and flew over Lake Superior less than half an hour later , according to NORAD officials . F-16 fighter jets intercepted the pilot near Michigan 's upper peninsula border with Wisconsin at 4:43 p.m. , and have tracked the Cessna since . Earlier in the evening , the Wisconsin National Guard deployed two F-16s of its own in an attempt to get the pilot to establish communications with FAA air traffic controllers . The state capitol in Madison , Wisconsin , was evacuated for less than an hour as a precaution . FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the plane was reportedly stolen from a flight school in Thunder Bay , Canada , and the pilot had been identified as a student at the flight school . Both Lt. Cmdr. Gary Ross of NORAD and Brown of the FAA said the 14,000-feet altitude is above the level at which the FAA requires use of oxygen . Brown said it was not clear whether the Cessna had supplemental oxygen on board . Ross says the plane is a long-range version of a Cessna 172 . It was fully fueled , giving it about seven hours of flying time . Ross said if NORAD officials believe the aircraft poses a threat , `` we take seriously any intent to harm any of our citizens or critical infrastructure . '' He added that `` all options are on the table although we continue to move towards a resolution that does n't call for -LSB- lethal force -RSB- . '' CNN 's Jeanne Meserve , Adam Levine and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report . | NEW : FBI identifies pilot as Adam Leon of Turkey , who is now a Canadian citizen . NEW : Pilot , formerly known as Yavuz Berke , captured after landing plane , fleeing . Cessna aircraft was reported stolen from Canadian flight school . F-16 fighter jets intercepted plane , but pilot did n't respond . | [[537, 552], [557, 600], [603, 621], [626, 661], [2925, 3012], [707, 722], [729, 743], [707, 709], [714, 743], [0, 26], [71, 116], [43, 70], [80, 116], [255, 339], [3862, 4043], [3895, 3973], [1859, 1966], [1859, 1876], [1973, 2016], [3441, 3548], [3612, 3684]] |
MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The mother of a Spanish man who died from the human form of mad cow disease has also died from the illness , Spain 's Ministry of Health said Wednesday . Spain has taken steps to avoid mad cow disease , and there is no danger from eating meat , officials said . It is believed to be the first case in the world where two members of the same family have died from mad cow disease , said Juan Jose Badiola , director of Spain 's national research center for mad cow disease . `` It 's noteworthy that there 's a double case in the same family , '' Badiola said . Until now , Badiola added , clinical evidence that he 's seen from the United Kingdom and France -- which have had the most deaths due to the human form of mad cow disease -- have not recorded two cases in a single family . The mother , in her early 60s , died last month . The government confirmed Wednesday that it was because of mad cow disease but did not , by custom , make her name public . Her son , 41 , died in February from the same disease , Badiola said . The latest confirmed case makes a total of four deaths in Spain from mad cow disease since 2005 . Three of these cases in Spain were in the same northern province , Leon , which is another unusual aspect that will be studied , Badiola said . Ten years can pass between eating contaminated tissue and the appearance of the human form of the disease , called variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease , health officials say . The health ministry said there is no danger from eating meat in Spain , because of existing controls . The steps to avoid the disease , taken after the first cases of mad cow disease appeared in the United Kingdom , included isolating infected animals and prohibiting cattle feed of animal origin or with animal proteins , the ministry said . `` The appearance of these sporadic cases is within the predictions that were made at the European level more than eight years ago , '' the ministry statement said . Badiola said that it 's likely the mother and son contracted the disease before stricter controls against mad cow disease began in 2001 in Spain . The pair had similar eating habits , Badiola said , which included eating animal organs , such as kidneys and livers , and they may also have eaten animal brains . Researchers will try to determine whether the mother and son shared a genetic structure that might have been more prone to contracting the illness , Badiola said . The family 's home was in a village near the provincial capital of Leon , 333 kilometers -LRB- 206 miles -RRB- northwest of Madrid . The other case in that province was of a woman , 50 , who was a local government worker in the provincial capital . She died in December from mad cow disease . The first confirmed death from mad cow disease in Spain was in 2005 , when a young woman died near Madrid . In addition to the cases in Spain , as of June the following numbers of cases of human mad cow disease had been reported : 167 in the United Kingdom ; 23 in France ; four in Ireland ; three in the United States ; two each in Netherlands and Portugal ; and one each in Canada , Italy , Japan and Saudi Arabia . Two of the three U.S. cases , two of the four cases in Ireland and the single cases in Canada and Japan were people probably exposed to the mad cow agent while residing in the United Kingdom , officials have said . One of the 23 French cases may also have been infected in the United Kingdom . | Expert : First case where two members of same family died from mad cow disease . The mother and son had similar eating habits and may have eaten animal brains . There have been four deaths in Spain from mad cow disease since 2005 . | [[335, 412], [351, 381], [415, 437], [533, 574], [577, 594], [2135, 2169], [2258, 2298], [1063, 1160]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Foreign governments should urgently accept Haitian orphans on humanitarian grounds following this week 's devastating earthquake , an orphanage director in Haiti and adoptive parents said Friday . Emergency visas and passports could help push through adoptions that were stalled after the quake , and would open up beds for children who lost their parents in the disaster , said Dixie Bickel , director of God 's Littlest Angels orphanage just outside Port-au-Prince . Paperwork for adoptions that were under way when the earthquake hit Tuesday night may now be buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings and lost , said Bickel , whose orphanage cares for 152 children , including 84 babies . The government officials who deal with adoption cases may be missing , hurt , or otherwise focused on the disaster , which means the adoptions wo n't go through , she said . `` I would like to see the international community come up with a plan for the children that have been adopted by European , Canadian , and American citizens of how these children can go to their adoptive parents ' countries , either under refugee status or emergency status of some sort , '' Bickel told CNN . God 's Littlest Angels is considered one of Haiti 's larger orphanages . Parents who have adopted children through the orphanage are also pressing their governments for emergency action . `` The orphans need to be granted refugee status and allowed to come home to their adoptive parents , '' said Allison Garwood of Los Angeles , California , who adopted a boy from GLA and brought him home last year . `` The U.S. needs to not only allow but demand that children be sent to their adoptive families right away . '' British citizen Chris Skelton , who arrived in Haiti hours before the earthquake hit to sign paperwork as part of the adoption process , wrote a public letter urging foreign help . `` I can not express the sheer magnitude of the plight that the children of this country have faced , one which will now spiral downwards further with devastating results , '' Skelton wrote in the letter . `` The situation is dire -- there will be many more children in need of help , and GLA and other orphanages can not cope with the increased need . '' The foreign ministries of Britain , Belgium , and France said they could not immediately respond , but Luxembourg 's Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the issue . `` The Luxembourg authorities are informed of the situation of Miss Bickel and the children at the orphanage God 's Littlest Angels , and our authorities are in touch with the Red Cross and the local authorities to solve the issue , '' spokesman Robert Steinmetz told CNN . Bickel said her request is only for those children who have been adopted but who are still in Haiti as their cases go through a lengthy government approval process which can take anywhere from six months to two years . The children 's paperwork may have been in the pipeline but after the quake , the status is now unclear , Bickel said . `` Some of my papers were in the Palace of Justice -- that building is no longer there , '' she said . `` Some of my paperwork was in the Ministry of the Interior -- I do n't know if that building is there . I had passports being printed -LRB- for the children -RRB- . I do n't know if the paperwork is still there . '' Bickel said her lawyer told her the country 's top adoptions official , Judge Rock Cadet , was killed when the courthouse collapsed . As long as the adopted children can make it out of the country , Bickel said , the orphanage can ensure the children 's paperwork is completed in Haiti . If the children ca n't leave the country , it will mean orphanages like Bickel 's must turn away any children newly orphaned by the earthquake , she said . `` It leaves me with children in my care who are going to sit here for an additional five , six months at least , '' she said . `` It 's going to prevent me from taking in any children that were affected by this disaster . My beds are full . I ca n't take any children in , not unless I put them on the floor or I put two or three children to a bed . '' | Orphanage head urges governments to accept Haitian children for adoption . Paperwork for many adoptions in process lost in quake , officials say . | [[19, 101], [262, 279], [285, 313], [488, 511], [636, 712]] |
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fifty-six government employees -- including a police officer , a felony court clerk , two corrections officers and 27 school bus drivers and attendants -- were arrested in a scam that used health insurance information to fraudulently obtain prescriptions for the painkiller OxyContin , authorities said Wednesday . Arrested as `` recruiters '' in the alleged OxyContin scam , are , clockwise : Janice Currington ; Dwonvalyn Johnson ; Barbara Miller Benaby ; Guyton Wynell ; Marcella Pierce ; and Wanda McNeal . Sixty-two people were arrested in total and all face charges including racketeering , conspiracy to commit racketeering and grand theft , according to the Miami-Dade state attorney 's office . Authorities estimate 130 medically unnecessary prescriptions for OxyContin -- more than 12,000 tablets -- were presented to pharmacies . The drugs have an estimated street value of $ 400,000 , prosecutors said . OxyContin is a popular painkiller , delivering an instant `` high '' when it is crushed or dissolved and ingested . The scam began in January 2003 , when six `` recruiters '' enlisted a group of people , most of them employees of local government , to participate in the ring , according to prosecutors . Those employees provided their health insurance identification information , and with that information they obtained unnecessary prescriptions for OxyContin from another codefendant , who was a physician , authorities said . The defendants filled those prescriptions at pharmacies and sold the pills for cash to another codefendant , authorities said . In addition , prosecutors said , the defendants submitted claims to their insurance companies for reimbursement for the OxyContin prescriptions . `` There can never be an excuse for helping put dangerous drugs onto our streets , '' said Katherine Fernandez Rundle , Miami-Dade state attorney . `` When public employees are a part of the problem and when public medical benefits are used to make the scheme work , these are shameful events . They are also crimes . '' Among those arrested , according to authorities , were : . • 17 Miami-Dade County Public Schools bus drivers . • 10 Miami-Dade County Public Schools bus attendants . • Six city of Miami Department of Solid Waste employees . • Five Miami-Dade County Public Schools security officers . • Three Miami-Dade County Public Schools custodians . • Two Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation corrections officers . • Two Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher assistants . • Two Miami-Dade County Transit bus drivers . • One city of Hialeah police officer . • One city of Miami crane operator . • One Miami-Dade County Circuit Court felony clerk . • One Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center driver . • One Miami-Dade County Human Services data entry specialist . • One Miami-Dade County Human Services employee -LRB- other -RRB- . • One Miami-Dade County General Services Administration employee . • One Department of Children and Families employee . • One former employee of Family Christian Services . | Total of 62 arrested , including police officer , felony court clerk , corrections officers . Officials : Recruiters enlisted mostly Miami-Dade government workers in drug ring . Authorities : Health insurance information used to get OxyContin prescriptions . More than 12,000 tablets were obtained , with a street value of $ 400,000 . | [[41, 95], [8, 31], [121, 213], [546, 629], [2076, 2096], [2126, 2130], [207, 213], [219, 318], [822, 875], [876, 929]] |
ALPHARETTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Latin music pulses from the stereo as 40 women jump , shimmy and sway to the beat . Zumba is the most popular exercise class at one suburban Atlanta YMCA . It 's not a dance club . This is a regular morning exercise class at the YMCA in Alpharetta , Georgia . It 's called Zumba . Part dance , part aerobics , Zumba is an hourlong routine that works almost every muscle in the body . `` It is dance fitness , '' explained Stephanie Maxim , one of two class instructors . `` We teach them moves that you can see on ` Dancing with the Stars ' : salsa , mambo , cha-cha , and we put it into a group fitness format . '' `` It 's not like a workout , '' explained Diane Walterstiel , 55 , of Alpharetta . `` Before I come , I 'm tense , but when I leave , I could kiss the world . '' Nearly a year after being introduced at the YMCA in suburban Atlanta , Zumba is the most popular exercise offering at the facility . Alberto Perlman , co-founder and CEO of Zumba Fitness in Hollywood , Florida , was n't surprised when the concept took off not just in the United States but around the world . `` We turned exercise into a party , '' Perlman declared . `` Zumba broke some of the rules of fitness . We used music in the original form instead of using step counts . '' Perlman , whose background is in marketing , teamed up with Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto `` Beto '' Perez in Miami in 2001 . `` One day , Beto forgot his aerobics tapes , so he played his salsa and meringue songs during class in their original form , '' Perlman said . `` People went crazy . They did n't feel like they were in a class with a drill sergeant . '' Perlman said Perez decided to call the exercise Zumba , after the Colombian slang word meaning to buzz like a bee or move fast . Zumba is now a brand name . Since 2003 , Perlman 's group has trained 20,000 instructors around the world and sold more than 3 million DVDs on the Internet and through infomercials , he said . Heather Bleakman teamed up with Maxim to teach the Georgia YMCA session . She called the class a form of therapy . `` We see women change , '' she said . `` We see their faces light up . '' Bleakman stood at the front of the room and offered a high-impact version of Zumba for those who could keep up while Maxim focused on a slower low-impact routine . Maxim warned participants at the beginning of class to modify the exercise to fit their needs . She added that wearing proper footwear is one of the best ways to guard against injury . `` In Zumba , we do a lot of pivoting , so you 've got to have a shoe that has more of a flat base so you can move , or you 'll feel the torque in the knee , '' Maxim cautioned . Lilieth Burke , 48 , of Alpharetta started attending Zumba classes a year ago and kept coming back because she appreciated `` the simple composition of dance moves . '' Unlike other exercise workouts she 's tried , `` Zumba is not a punishment , '' she said . Burke summed up the benefits : `` I feel fit , I sleep better , I feel better , I feel younger , and I feel I can live another 48 years . '' | Set to original-form music , Zumba classes combine dancing and aerobics . Since 2003 , more than 20,000 instructors have been trained worldwide . Zumba adherents rave about its physical and psychological benefits . | [[1233, 1267], [1836, 1846], [1849, 1913]] |
STONE MOUNTAIN , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rosa Foster sat down at the kitchen table with a plate of fried chicken and a salad . Before taking a bite of food , she bowed her head and prompted her grandchildren to say the blessing . Rosa Foster is a single parent raising four grandchildren under age 19 . Foster , 54 , of Stone Mountain , Georgia , does n't just see the kids on weekends and holidays . They live with her full time . Foster is one of 2.5 million grandparents around the United States who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren . In Foster 's case , she 's a single parent , raising four grandkids under age 19 . `` It has not been a picnic all the time , '' Foster said . `` It 's been hard . '' Hard may be an understatement , according to Nadine Kaslow , chief psychologist for Grady Health System in Atlanta , Georgia . `` There are many challenges for grandparents taking on grandchildren , '' Kaslow said . `` Many grandparents are older when they take on grandchildren , so you may not have the energy you had as a parent in your 20s and 30s to be running around after toddlers . '' Foster did n't have a choice . She said she was awarded custody of her daughter 's 2-year old son , Rakim , in 1991 . That was 17 years ago . She 's since taken in his twin sisters , Rosea and Ronea , now 17 , and 12-year-old Raquel . `` Some days I became a little sad and depressed and I would cry through baby feedings , but I still knew I had to keep the babies together . They did n't have anybody else , '' Foster recalled . The unexpected demands of caring for grandchildren full time may have health consequences , Kaslow said . `` You often see people having aches and pains or headaches or stomach aches , '' she said . `` It can be associated with more serious physical problems like elevated blood pressure or things that put you at risk for heart disease or stroke . '' Health Minute : More on grandparent stress '' Foster remembered sleeping only one or two hours a night while she worked two jobs trying to pay the bills . Kaslow said it is common for grandparents to feel the stress of financial demands when they 're a parent the second time around . `` Oftentimes you 're at a place in your life where you 're ready to take care of yourself , have more fun , plan for your own retirement , '' Kaslow noted . `` Monies you were trying to save for your own future , you are now having to spend on your grandchildren . '' She suggested that grandparents set priorities when it comes to their own career and work . While resources may be limited , she recommended trying to find financial help from state agencies , religious groups or other relatives . For those who may feel overwhelmed , she added , `` You do n't need to be the sole caregiver . It 's really important for you to reach out to other people in your support network , your immediate family , to get their assistance . '' She also stressed the need for grandparents to take good care of themselves . Find time to exercise and eat a healthy diet . `` I recommend if you can , get someone to baby-sit the kids once a week or every other week , '' she said . `` You really need time alone . '' Does Foster ever get time for herself ? She chuckled , explaining that she has put her own life on hold for 17 years . But , she added , `` I would n't have it any other way . '' Foster has some serious advice for other grandparents who may be in a similar position : `` Make sure you 're up for the challenge , because if you 're not , you 're going to break some kids ' hearts . If those kids are torn up a second time , they 're really going to be destroyed . '' | 2.5 million grandparents in the U.S. are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren . Grandparents feel stress from financial demands as parents for the second time . Expert : Grandparents should find time to exercise and eat a healthy diet . | [[435, 501], [484, 501], [506, 558], [2057, 2138], [2086, 2186], [2921, 2924], [2930, 2998], [2999, 3045], [3025, 3045]] |
Canandaigua , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Can you say that again ? You put a bullet through the wall in your house ? '' Angela Price begins this evening at work like any , listening to troubled veterans in need of a sympathetic ear or immediate help . She reaches for a pen and paper . She 's a trained responder for the Veterans Affairs Department 's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the upstate New York town of Canandaigua . She asks a series of questions : `` Where 's the gun at now ? ... OK , so the gun is nowhere near you ? ... OK , I 'm glad that you 're safe , '' she says , somewhat relieved but still concerned about the caller . Price is one of some 20 responders , counselors , social workers and health tech assistants staffing 15 phone lines and three chat lines at the center at any given time . She talks with the caller for 45 minutes . He shot a bullet into the wall of his house and then went for a drive . She is able to coax him to pull over , calm him down , and arrange for follow-up care . Most of the callers want information regarding mental health and other medical services available to them provided at their local VA hospitals . But for others , the call they 're making is a last resort . Each year , more than 30,000 people kill themselves , 20 percent of them veterans , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . That 's 18 veteran suicides a day . Every call presents another opportunity for the hot line responders to try to prevent another tragedy . The crisis center , staffed around the clock seven days a week , opened in July 2007 , largely borne from widespread criticism that the department was not responding adequately to veterans in crisis . Janet Kemp , the Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coordinator , says the phones have n't stopped ringing since the hot line 's inception . `` It 's about being able to provide them with immediate assistance , immediate resources , appointments . It assures that we 're not going to let them drop through the cracks after they hang up the phone , '' Kemp says . Before the VA suicide prevention program began , that was n't always the case . Jim and Marianne Schulze told CNN in early 2007 that their son Jonathan , an Iraq combat veteran , killed himself in January of that year , after being told he was No. 26 on a waiting list to get checked into a VA hospital . The Schulzes said their son had been suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder for nearly two years . He died with an extension cord wrapped around his neck , a picture of his daughter by his side , they said . Six months later , the VA Suicide Prevention Lifeline opened . To date , the crisis center has received almost 250,000 calls . `` The health techs assist the counselors in getting the person the services they need at the time , '' Kemp says . `` If they need emergency services or information , the health techs can pick that up , and find the person who can help them in their local area , and make those connections . '' If necessary , the center arranges an emergency rescue , or in less dire circumstances , a wellness checkup at the caller 's home . The center also follows up the next day , according to Kemp . The 2010 hot line budget is more than $ 15 million , including staffing , phone and contract costs and more than $ 4 million for public messaging campaigns , according to the VA. . The center 's newest feature is a chat line for those who prefer computer-oriented communication , especially young vets such as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan . `` Since that 's been open , we 've talked to several thousand people over the chat and have been able to facilitate some rescues through that service . '' Chat counselor Rich Barham recalls an incident while chatting with a Navy vet who barricaded himself in his house , with two children asleep upstairs , as he suffered flashbacks from Iraq . Barham sent help . `` When the police broke in , I heard he had a gun , and I was hoping bad things were n't going to happen to him , '' Barham says . `` We were able to get his wife on the phone , and he was taken to the hospital and she was able to come home to take care of the kids . '' Hot line responder Christopher Maginn is in the Army Reserves , and he just returned from serving in Afghanistan . `` For me , it 's kind of hitting two birds with one stone , because I get to work with guys that have worn the uniform , and I still wear the uniform today , so , it 's always meant a lot to me to work here , '' says Maginn . Many callers are recent Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who struggle with reintegration , he said . Often , they 're too proud to pick up a phone and ask for help . The main goal is `` to listen to them , and to validate what they 're going through , and provide them services , '' he said . Kemp says it 's all in an important day 's work . `` I feel lots of times it 's their last hope , their last chance , and if we can provide that little bit of hope , and get them to realize that they called and there are options , '' says Kemp . `` It 's an amazing feeling . '' The phone number for the hot line is 800-273-TALK -LRB- 8255 -RRB- . The chat line is at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org . | Many hot line callers are young vets of Iraq , Afghanistan wars struggling with reintegration . Some call for info on medical , mental health services ; others call as a last resort . Center emerged from criticism that VA not properly responding to vets in crisis . Hot line 's number is 800-273-8255 ; chat line available at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ . | [[3537, 3542], [3547, 3579], [4559, 4612], [4592, 4612], [4617, 4644], [1026, 1131], [1175, 1185], [1188, 1231], [1518, 1535], [1605, 1718], [3408, 3461], [5128, 5196], [5197, 5252]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar have confirmed Dick Advocaat as their new head coach until the end of the season . AZ sought permission from the Belgian FA -LRB- KBVB -RRB- over the possibility of their national-team coach joining them for the rest of the campaign after sacking Ronald Koeman on Saturday . A statement posted on the club 's official Web site said : `` AZ and Dick Advocaat reached agreement on Tuesday on a contract for him to be head coach until the end of the current season . `` The 62-year-old will combine the role with the job of Belgium coach and will be on the bench against PSV on Saturday . '' The Alkmaar club won the Eredivisie under Louis van Gaal last season but have struggled this term and currently find themselves in seventh place , 19 points behind leaders FC Twente . The former Netherlands , PSV Eindhoven and Rangers coach has already set out his goal for the season . `` We need to get European football at AZ , '' Advocaat told AZ TV . `` If we do not get that , then I have done something wrong . '' AZ face Standard Liege in Belgium in their final Champions League Group Group H game on Wednesday . | Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar have confirmed Dick Advocaat as their new head coach . Advocaat will replace Ronald Koeman who was sacked by the club last weekend . The 62-year-old Dutchman will combine his duties with those as Belgian national coach . | [[0, 15], [19, 128], [211, 320], [510, 580]] |
Palo Alto , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If our nation wants to reduce global warming , air pollution and energy instability , we should invest only in the best energy options . Nuclear energy is n't one of them . Every dollar spent on nuclear is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place , because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand . In the November issue of Scientific American , my colleague Mark DeLucchi of the University of California-Davis and I laid out a plan to power the world with nothing but wind , water and sun . After considering the best available technologies , we decided that a combination of wind , concentrated solar , geothermal , photovoltaics , tidal , wave and hydroelectric energy could more than meet all the planet 's energy needs , particularly if all the world 's vehicles could be run on electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells . We rejected nuclear for several reasons . First , it 's not carbon-free , no matter what the advocates tell you . Vast amounts of fossil fuels must be burned to mine , transport and enrich uranium and to build the nuclear plant . And all that dirty power will be released during the 10 to 19 years that it takes to plan and build a nuclear plant . -LRB- A wind farm typically takes two to five years . -RRB- . Stewart Brand says now is the time for nuclear power . The on-the-ground footprint of nuclear power , through its plants and uranium mines , is about 1,000 times larger than it is for wind . Wind turbines are merely poles in the ground -- with lots of space between them that can be farmed , ranched or left open -- or poles in the ocean . Geothermal energy also has a much smaller footprint than nuclear ; solar only slightly more . But while geothermal , solar and wind are safe , nuclear is not . For nuclear to meet all the world 's energy needs today -- 12.5 terawatts -LRB- 1 terawatt = 1 trillion watts -RRB- -- more than 17,000 nuclear plants would be needed . Even if nuclear were only 5 percent of the solution , most countries would have nuclear plants . What 's worse , the nuclear industry wants to reprocess waste to obtain more energy from increasingly scarce uranium . But this only produces more weapons-grade uranium and plutonium . A global push toward nuclear energy would mean that uranium enrichment -- and efforts at nuclear weapons development -- would certainly grow throughout the world . . Nuclear proponents argue that not enough clean renewables exist to power the world . However , part of our work at Stanford University has been to map world renewable energy resources . Enough wind and solar exist in high-wind and sunny locations over land to power the world for all purposes multiple times over . There is no shortage . Nuclear proponents also argue that nuclear energy production is constant , unlike fickle winds and sunshine . But worldwide , nuclear plants are down 15 percent of the time , and when a plant goes down , so does a large fraction of the grid . Connecting wind farms over large areas through transmission lines smoothes power supply . Combining geothermal with wind -LRB- whose power potential often peaks at night -RRB- and solar -LRB- which peaks by day -RRB- , and using hydroelectricity to fill in gaps , would almost always match demand . Converting to electric vehicles and using smart charging practices would also help to match supply with demand . So would storing energy -LRB- with concentrated solar -RRB- and giving people incentives to reduce demand . It is not rocket science to match power demand . It merely requires thinking out of the box . Finally , the costs of land-based wind , geothermal and hydroelectricity are competitive with conventional new sources of electricity ; costs of solar and wind over the ocean are higher but declining . Costs of nuclear have historically been underestimated . In sum , if we invest in nuclear versus true renewables , you can bet that the glaciers and polar ice caps will keep melting while we wait , and wait , for the nuclear age to arrive . We will also guarantee a riskier future for us all . There is no need for nuclear . The world can be powered by wind , water and sun alone . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Z. Jacobson . | Every dollar spent on nuclear power is one less spent on renewable energy , says Mark Jacobson . He says nuclear power plants take a very long time to build . He says mining , transport , enriching of uranium and building plants require fossil fuels . Widespread nuclear plants raise risk of spreading nuclear weapons , he writes . | [[215, 315], [1099, 1214], [1099, 1127], [1186, 1214]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Only one-quarter of Americans think the federal stimulus plan has helped the middle class , while a majority say it has helped bankers and investors , according to a new national poll . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning indicates that 25 percent of the public thinks the stimulus has benefited the middle class . One-third of the people questioned think the stimulus has helped low-income Americans , with just over four in 10 saying the plan has benefited business executives . A majority , 54 percent , think the stimulus has helped bankers and investors . `` Opinions on the economic stimulus bill are colored by the perception that it has helped fat cats , but not ordinary Americans , '' said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` It 's possible that the belief that the stimulus bill helped bankers and CEOs is due to the public confusing the stimulus bill with the various bailout bills that were passed at roughly the same time last year . '' The survey also indicates that one-quarter think the stimulus has helped people in their own community , with three in 10 saying it has hurt people in their community and 45 percent saying the plan has had no effect . According to a CNN poll released Sunday , 56 percent of the public opposes the stimulus , with 42 percent supportive of the plan . Last March , just weeks after President Obama signed the stimulus bill into law , a CNN survey indicated that 54 percent supported the program , with 44 percent opposed . The program , formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , attempts to stimulate the country 's economy by increasing federal spending and cutting taxes , at a total cost to the government of $ 862 billion . No Republicans in the House of Representatives and only three in the Senate voted for the bill . The stimulus was initially thought to have a price tag of $ 787 billion , but the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday increased its forecast for how much the stimulus will add to the nation 's deficit , raising its estimate by $ 75 billion . The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted January 8-10 , with 1,021 adult Americans questioned by telephone . The survey 's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points . CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report . | Poll : 25 percent of the public thinks stimulus has benefited the middle class . Poll : 54 percent say stimulus has helped bankers , investors . Congressional Budget Office : Stimulus will cost $ 75 billion more than expected . | [[0, 20], [30, 119], [216, 260], [279, 371], [128, 215], [538, 548], [564, 617], [1943, 2068], [1943, 1974], [2071, 2109]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The recent ruling of a federal appeals court requiring the family of fallen hero Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder to pay the legal expenses of Fred Phelps and his misguided followers at Westboro Baptist Church is unconscionable . Like Matthew 's father , Albert , I am all too familiar with the hardships associated with losing a son in combat , having lost my son Justin in 2004 . It is a tragedy that the thanks given the Snyder family in return for the life of their son is a court order to repay the legal expenses of the hate group that protested at his funeral with signs such as `` thank God for dead soldiers . '' Beyond simply insulting though , this decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is a slap in the face for every Gold Star family that has lost a loved one in combat . It also represents an egregious misuse of the judicial system ; one that sets a dangerous precedent for how the memory of our fallen heroes will be treated . The Supreme Court should immediately move forward with this case and stand up for those who have stood in the face of danger for all Americans . The legal maneuvers that brought Albert Snyder and his family to this point are enough to make any American shake his or her head in disgust . After Snyder lost his life in 2006 , Fred Phelps and his followers showed up at his funeral to spread their message of hate . Mind you , they did n't know Matthew , and thus had no understanding of the enormous sense of loss his family was feeling ; they simply decided that the Snyder family 's vulnerability presented an easy platform for their own agenda . To his credit , Albert Snyder sued the group and won an $ 11 million judgment against them . However , that award was reduced to $ 5 million on one appeal and overturned altogether this week by the appeals court . In fact , not only did the court overturn the original ruling , but it decided to add to the pain and suffering of the Snyder family by imposing more than $ 16,000 of court fees . Perhaps the judges had forgotten that without the sacrifices of brave soldiers and their families , the American judicial system would have been a long-distant memory . Beyond the inherent injustice of the court 's decision is the message it sends to the thousands of families around the country that have received a tightly wrapped flag and heard the words , `` On behalf of a grateful nation ... '' When the Snyder family sued to protect the common decency we should provide to all grieving families , their efforts were met with court orders to pay the legal bills of those who caused their family so much needless pain . Surely , this is not the kind of thing that Lance Cpl. Snyder or my son , Justin , gave their lives to protect . Has our nation learned nothing from our treatment of returning Vietnam veterans ? What would have been the reaction to Fred Phelps and his repugnant actions during World War II ? Our veterans and the families of those who did n't return deserve better than this . Looking ahead , as engagements in Afghanistan draw on and our soldiers answer the call to defend freedom around the world , this case could have a dangerous effect on morale and willingness to serve . It is time for the Supreme Court to take up this case , not only for families like Albert Snyder but for the families who will bear the ultimate price of freedom in the future . The justices should strike down the ruling of the Virginia court that brushed aside the sacrifice of Lance Cpl. Snyder and restore common sense and basic decency to the way we honor our fallen heroes . Snyder fought on behalf of all of us , and now his father fights on his behalf . I can only hope that the Supreme Court will restore some measure of justice and dignity to a family so richly deserving of the best the United State has to offer . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Ellsworth . | Father of a dead Marine was ordered to pay court costs to protesters who picketed funeral . John Ellsworth , whose son also died in the Marines , says ruling was unconscionable . He says soldiers and families make great sacrifices to protect the nation . Ellsworth urges the U.S. Supreme Court to restore justice and dignity to the family . | [[40, 99], [111, 184], [415, 548], [1892, 2003], [2536, 2541], [2549, 2580], [3668, 3831], [3684, 3767]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs this week rebuffed the suggestion that Apple will revolutionize TV in the same way it has reshaped the music industry , mobile phones and tablet computers . But Jobs is bluffing : The time is right for Apple for tackle the TV , and the company 's re-entry into that market is a no-brainer . Just a `` hobby '' `` Smarter people than us will figure this out '' was Jobs ' deflective response to a question about Apple 's TV aspirations at the D8 Conference on Tuesday . Subsidized business models essentially give customers a set-top box for free , Jobs argued ; why would they pay for another ? He explained that the lack of a national cable operator , not to mention the lack of standards around TV , has led to Balkanization , or the breakup into smaller units : `` It 's a fundamental go-to-market problem . '' `` Apple TV is a hobby , '' he added in reference to the company 's neglected set-top box offering . Jobs ' denials . The deflection is latest in a long line of half-truths from Jobs . It 's a smart tactic that allows the company to lower market expectations and fool competitors . In 2003 , Jobs said of Apple 's rumored entry into the cell phone business : `` We did n't think we 'd do well in the cell phone business . What we 've done instead is , we 've written what we think is some of the best software in the world to start syncing information between devices . '' Four years later , the iPhone reshaped the smartphone market . In the same interview , Jobs proclaimed , `` There are no plans to make a tablet . It turns out people want keyboards . We look at the tablet , and we think it is going to fail . '' This week , Apple announced that more than 2 million iPads have been sold since the touchscreen device was released in April . Jobs is remarkably consistent in his misdirection . Two years previous to the launch of the $ 499 iPad , he claimed : `` We do n't know how to make a $ 500 computer that 's not a piece of junk . Our DNA will not let us do that . '' Prior to adding video support to the iPod , he professed : `` I 'm not convinced people want to watch movies on a tiny little screen . '' Before the launch of Apple 's iBook store : `` It does n't matter how good or bad the product is ; the fact is that people do n't read anymore . '' Jobs ' denial of a new service is by no means evidence against its existence ; the contrary , in fact . The TV opportunity . The Internet-connected TV is an idea that 's finally ripe for consumer adoption . Or more precisely : the TV as a platform . Apple 's iTunes is an obvious starting point to turn the TV into an entertainment hub ; it brings your purchased music , TV shows and movies to the big screen . But Apple TV , the company 's first foray into the television business , boasted this exact integration and failed to take the world by storm . What has changed ? The glaring opportunity is for Apple to bring the App Store to TV . With access to millions of applications -- including games -- on a big screen , the television would finally become engaging . The blockbuster launch of the iPad has proved that a screen , once connected to an endless supply of content and applications through iTunes and the App Store , becomes infinitely more powerful . The TV is simply a larger screen . Competitive pressure . This opportunity has n't been lost on Google . Its upcoming Google TV product will run its mobile Android OS . The reason is simple : Thanks to Android , Google TVs will benefit from the app ecosystem Google already built for mobile phones . Google 's strategy also points to a solution to the `` set-top box problem '' : While Google will offer a separate box , the company has additionally partnered with Sony to have the software pre-installed in some TVs . Such a union is less likely in Apple 's case , however : Apple has always preferred to create its own hardware . And while Jobs denies that consumers want another box in their living rooms , I 'd wager that rumors of a $ 99 set-top box running the iPhone OS are indeed accurate . Beating Balkanization . The cable operator issue is trickier , but similar Balkanization in the phone space proved no barrier to Apple 's iPhone ambitions . The same will be true here . Apple may name multiple cable companies as partners or simply sidestep the problem ; bringing Apple 's app ecosystem to the biggest screen in the house is a compelling proposition on its own . And yet ... Jobs doth protest too much . The Apple CEO explained the cable cartel in such labored terms that he must surely be in the process of untangling that thorny issue . So my bet is that Apple will indeed strike deals with cable companies to produce a comprehensive offering for TV watchers . Apple TV : a matter of time . Will Apple take another shot at television ? It 's inevitable . The Internet-enabled TV is coming , and Apple is perfectly positioned to join the fray . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved . | Internet-connected TV is idea that 's finally ripe for consumer adoption . In past , Steve Jobs has denied that Apple was planning to enter the cell phone or tablet markets . His deflections are smart tactic that allows company to fool competitors . | [[2459, 2540], [4875, 4883], [4884, 4894], [1153, 1160], [1163, 1227], [1507, 1528], [1531, 1546], [1549, 1589], [1056, 1152], [1062, 1076], [1082, 1152]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Staten Island Ferry lost power and hit a pier Wednesday at full speed , resulting in one serious injury and nine minor injuries , a Coast Guard spokesman said . The New York Fire Department estimates that 750 to 800 passengers were aboard the Staten Island Ferry . Coast Guard boats were on the scene , the St. George Terminal on the north shore of Staten Island . The Coast Guard spokesman compared the ferry 's loss of power as it neared the pier to a car losing its brakes . The hard landing occurred at 7:10 p.m. , according to the Coast Guard . The New York Fire Department estimated that 750 to 800 passengers were aboard . The impact did not send any passengers overboard , the spokesman said . Emergency responders were transferring the injured to Staten Island 's Richmond University Medical Center . Representatives for the Staten Island Ferry did not respond to calls for comment . | Ferry loses power and hits a pier at full speed , Coast Guard says . 1 person injured seriously , 9 others hurt . Accident happens at St. George Terminal on north shore of Staten Island . Impact did not send any passengers overboard , spokesman says . | [[0, 24], [65, 99], [508, 524], [549, 579], [0, 24], [102, 157], [660, 708], [711, 731]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Actor Gary Coleman , who had suffered from a brain hemorrhage from an accident in his home Wednesday , died Friday in a Utah hospital , a hospital spokeswoman said . Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated at 12:05 p.m. -LRB- 2:05 p.m. ET -RRB- , Janet Frank said . Coleman 's wife , Shannon Price , issued a short statement Friday afternoon saying details of how the former child actor died will be made public later . `` Now that Gary has passed , we know he will be missed because of all the love and support shown in the past couple of days , '' Coleman 's spokesman , John Alcantar , said in a written statement . `` Gary is now at peace and his memory will be kept in the hearts of those who were entertained by him throughout the years . '' Coleman , 42 , was rushed by ambulance to a hospital after the accident in his Santaquin , Utah , home Wednesday , Frank had said in a statement released earlier Friday . Later Wednesday night he was taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- where he had been listed in critical condition , she said . While Coleman appeared `` lucid and conscious '' Thursday morning , his condition worsened by the afternoon , leaving him unconscious and on life support , she said . Coleman is best known as the wisecracking youngster Arnold on TV 's `` Diff ` rent Strokes '' from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s . `` There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman , '' said TV legend Norman Lear , who produced the show . `` He was the inspiration behind his show 's title . '' | NEW : Coleman 's brain hemorrhage was caused by an accident at home . Actor Gary Coleman taken off life support , dies at 42 . He is best known for his role as Arnold on `` Diff ` rent Strokes '' | [[16, 39], [44, 109], [1314, 1389]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The twin brother of the man allegedly responsible for one of the worst massacres in recent British history was among 12 people killed before the gunman took his own life , police said Thursday . The series of drive-by shootings in northern England also left 11 people wounded . David Bird , the 52-year-old twin brother of alleged shooter Derrick Bird , was found dead at his home in the English village of Lamplugh , police said . David Bird , they noted , was the father of three daughters . Early Wednesday evening , British authorities identified four other victims . Garry John Purdham , 31 , was found dead in a field on the roadside next to a pub . Darren Paul Rewcastle , 43 , was a local taxi driver . Cyclist Michael James Pike , 64 , was shot dead in the road . Jamie Michael Dennis Clark , 23 , was found dead in his car . Earlier , authorities named three other people killed in the shootings : 60-year-old solicitor Kevin Commons , who was found in his driveway ; 57-year-old Susan Hughes , a mother of two ; and 66-year-old Jane Elizabeth Robinson . The UK 's head of state , Queen Elizabeth II , issued condolences , saying she was `` deeply shocked '' by what happened . `` In asking you to pass my deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the families of all those who were killed or injured , and to the injured themselves , I am sure I share in the grief and horror of the whole country , '' the queen said . Police also released a map tracing the route that suspect Derrick Bird , 52 , is believed to have traveled on his rampage through the region on Wednesday . Were you there ? Send your pics , video . The route begins near the village of Lamplugh and winds through Cumbria , taking in the seaside towns of Whitehaven and Seascale before ending up farther inland near Boot , in the Lake District . Police lifted the cordons at most of the 30 separate crime scenes , but Derrick Bird 's house in Rowrah , near Frizington , remained one of those roped off , they said . Forensic experts were examining two weapons seized by police , a shotgun and a .22 rifle fitted with a telescopic sight . Police said Bird was a licensed firearms holder for 20 years and they were investigating whether the license covers the seized firearms . Gun laws tightened after massacres . `` The focus of the 100-strong squad of detectives investigating the incident is firmly on finding out why someone would want to take so many lives in such a short space of time , '' Cumbria Police said in a statement . `` Officers and staff are conducting forensic evidential searches and tests across the area at each location . '' `` What happened -LSB- on Wednesday -RSB- was unthinkable and is without doubt the most horrific incident I have seen in my 25 year long policing career , '' said Cumbria Chief Constable Craig Mackey . `` We now need to work together as a county to recover as we look to the future . '' Police finished searching the known and possible routes Bird could have used -- an area covering 150 kilometers -LRB- 93 miles -RRB- -- and said as a result they were not expecting to find any more victims . Of the wounded , eight remained in hospitals Thursday , with four in stable and four in `` comfortable '' condition , police said . Local Detective Chief Superintendent Iain Goulding released a statement identifying Derrick Bird as a self-employed taxi driver who had lived in Rowrah since 1993 . Goulding noted that Bird drove a silver Citroen Picasso , which was used during Wednesday 's shooting spree . Meanwhile , a taxi driver shot in the back during Wednesday 's killing spree has described how he watched Bird shoot dead another driver , Darren Rewcastle , at point blank range . `` He turned up and shouted ` Darren ' before walking up to him and taking his face off . I saw it . He just shot him , '' Reed , a former soldier , told the Liverpool Echo . Wounded taxi driver ` watched friend shot in face ' Peter Leder , who described himself as a friend of Bird 's , told CNN he spoke to Bird on Tuesday night and Bird told him , `` You wo n't see me again . '' Leder said Bird drove his taxi in Whitehaven for more than 20 years and described him as `` an outgoing , well-known guy , who everyone liked . '' Bird was close to his mother , who is ill in a local nursing home , Leder said . He said his friend enjoyed scuba diving , went on several diving trips abroad and practiced regularly at the Whitehaven swimming baths . Leder said he knew Bird had guns but said he was not violent . `` I ca n't shed any light on it , '' Leder said . '' ... He was a decent guy , and I 'm sorry for what 's happened . '' CNN 's David Wilkinson and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report . | NEW : Police identify four more victims of Cumbria shootings . Police name name twin brother of alleged killer as one of the victims . Police tracing map taken by suspect Derrick Bird . Cordons lifted at most crime scenes . | [[530, 553], [556, 607], [1463, 1469], [1475, 1507], [1484, 1533], [1857, 1922]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The driver of a slain Catholic bishop in southern Turkey has been apprehended in the killing , the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday . The victim was identified by the Vatican as Luigi Padovese , the apostolic vicar of Anatolia . He was assaulted Thursday in his house in Iskenderun in Hatay province , the Vatican said . `` We were dismayed to hear that Bishop Prof. Luigi Padovese lost his life as a result of being stabbed by his driver today in Iskenderun , Hatay , '' the ministry said , saying the death is `` a human , religious and academic loss . '' `` This attack on a man of religion , whatever its reason might be , has received significant public condemnation . We have learned that the suspect , who has psychological problems and is currently being treated , was apprehended with the murder weapon . Detailed information will be shared with the public when the ongoing judicial investigation is concluded . `` This murder has led to deep sorrow for everyone . Hoping that the deceased will rest in peace , we extend our most sincere condolences to his family , to our citizens of Christian belief and the entire Catholic community , '' the ministry said . Church officials expressed `` shock and sorrow '' over the death of Padovese , who was also the president of the Turkey Bishops Conference . `` I can only express an immense pain over this violent act that has taken us by surprise , '' Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said . `` The tragedy of this event shows the difficulty that the Christian community endures in the Middle East region . '' Roman Catholics in Turkey `` occasionally have been subjected to violent societal attacks , '' according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom , a U.S. government agency . The group 's latest report cites the February 2006 shooting death of `` an Italian Catholic priest '' in Trabzon by a boy `` angered over the caricatures of the Muslim prophet in Danish newspapers . '' A 16-year-old boy was charged with murder and sentenced to jail in the act , which drew condemnations from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other government officials . In July 2009 , a `` mentally disturbed young man '' killed Gregor Kerkeling , a Catholic German businessman in what has been described as an anti-Christian hate crime . The suspect confessed . | NEW : Slain Catholic bishop 's driver captured in stabbing death , Turkish ministry says . Apostolic vicar of Anatolia killed . Vatican : Tragedy shows `` difficulty '' of Christians in Middle East . U.S. agency : Catholics `` occasionally subjected '' to attacks . | [[0, 15], [33, 56], [327, 345], [1481, 1595], [1599, 1688]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Colleges are n't getting any cheaper , but federal student loans are . Students who graduate with college loan debt can use a repayment plan that will give lower monthly payments . Millions of borrowers will get a better deal on their student loans based on federal rules that went into effect Wednesday . Lower interest rates and loan forgiveness in some cases are some of the rules that will make borrowing cheaper for many students . Also among the rules : an income-based repayment program that considers income and family size . The program allows borrowers to set their monthly loan payment at 15 percent of their annual adjusted gross income . Under the traditional 10-year plan , a borrower who graduated with $ 25,000 in student loan debt and whose income is $ 30,000 a year would pay $ 288 a month at an interest rate of 6.8 percent , according to the the Department of Education 's Web site . Now , the student could opt for payments of $ 172 a month spread over a longer time . Borrowers can apply the plan to their remaining loan amount as of Wednesday . Single borrowers who earn less than $ 16,245 -- the poverty level -- would not be required to make any payments on their federal loans as long as their income remained that low . Payments would be significantly lower under the income-based plan , but loans would take longer than the standard 10 years to repay . That could increase overall interest costs for borrowers . Proponents argue that for some it is well worth the tradeoff by making lower-paying jobs more appealing . `` Just imagine all those people that went to college and had expectations of a good job market and now it 's not so hot , '' said Deputy Undersecretary Bob Shireman of the U.S. Department of Education . `` This provides a kind of safety net , helps give them some assurance that they 'll be OK , and that they 'll even be OK if they go into lower paying jobs . '' For students who eyed public service as a career but thought the salary underwhelming , a loan forgiveness option for public sector workers might inspire some . Borrowers who work for 10 years in a public service job , such as public school education or the military , will have the remainder of their federal loans forgiven after that decade ends . Graduates must pay monthly loan bills during those 10 years and can use the income-based plan to lock in lower payments . The government counts work from October 2 , 2007 onward , Shireman said . Thus , the earliest a borrower can have loans forgiven is October 2 , 2017 . Also providing relief to borrowers are a lowered interest rate , increase in Pell Grants for current students and a reduced loan origination fee . The government cut the interest rate from 6 percent to 5.6 percent . Payouts of Pell Grants , which allow students to borrow less , increased by $ 619 to $ 5,350 for the 2009-2010 school year . Loan origination fees decreased from 2 percent to 1.5 percent and will fall to 1 percent next July , Shireman said . Congressional Democrats pushed the income-based plan , public service program and decrease in loan interest rates , all signed into law by former President George W. Bush under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act . President Obama 's stimulus bill supported the increase in Pell Grants . Last year , the government gave out about $ 80 billion in student loans to more than 7 million students . CNN 's Khadijah Rentas and Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report . | Changes include lower interest rates , income-based repayment program . Borrowers who take public sector jobs can have part of loan forgiven . Bush administration law includes Pell Grant increases from Obama . | [[336, 413], [490, 499], [500, 563], [490, 523], [529, 563], [2291, 2300], [2345, 2412], [2569, 2710], [3022, 3135], [1941, 1953], [2029, 2101], [2102, 2256]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Staring down a smoking homemade bomb and dismantling it is dangerous enough . Doing it with news cameras rolling on a busy Saturday night in the middle of Times Square is something Det. Patrick LaScala of the New York Police Department swears never entered his mind . Until the following day . `` You 're home the next day , and you 're really thinking about it . Then , you start to put the pieces together and you think , ` Wow , ' '' LaScala said in an exclusive interview . LaScala was manipulating the police robot that laid the groundwork for one of his partners , Det. Raymond Clair . `` This was the first time that I went down on a vehicle , and I saw clocks and wires and gas and propane . I identified it as a bomb , and I had to look twice , '' Clair said . After 13 years as a bomb tech , that night was the one Clair says he 'll remember the most . Clair and LaScala are part of New York 's elite bomb squad , a unit whose size is a closely guarded secret . CNN was given special access to the unit in order to find out what a more typical day can be like . During one recent 16-hour shift , I watched the same five-man team who worked the bungled bomb plot in Times Square check their equipment , catch up on paperwork and make sure Dan-O , their explosives-sniffing dog , was raring to go . The K-9 is named for a member of the squad who died in the 9/11 attacks when one of the twin towers collapsed . On a busy side street outside their Manhattan offices , neighbors watched them go through their paces with the robot . `` We think they 're great , '' one man said . Another passerby snapped a picture of the robot with her cell phone . `` Is that the robot that checks out bombs ? '' she asked . It was . But robots , as sophisticated as they are , can only do so much . They 're capable of blowing out windows , blasting a suspicious package to bits , photographing an object from several angles and sending those images to investigators . The squad does n't want to publicize more specific details . Still , a human touch often ca n't be avoided . With help , bomb techs first crawl into an 85-pound protective suit that covers their bodies from head to toe . The feet nearly look like those of a platypus , the material is stiff and hot , and the chest plate is heavy . A helmet is cinched on around the neck , and an air hose keeps outside air flowing into the mask . Put on gloves , and it 's hard to imagine that anyone in such bulky gear could maneuver and dismantle possible bomb components . But that 's what they 're trained to do . `` The more you do , and the more you get involved , the better you 'll get when it 's the real thing , '' Clair said . Det. Greg Abbate also was there for the `` real thing '' in Times Square . He said his training kicked in . `` There 's a strong bond between us . We go to a job , there 's very little talk . Everyone knows what they have to do , '' he said . Despite the immense dangers associated with the work , whenever the unit checks out a suspicious package , bomb technicians jockey for the opportunity to suit up . `` We actually have arguments over who 's taking the job , '' added Abbate . When CNN traveled with them on a call , it was Abbate 's turn to wear the gear . The bomb squad was called to check out a backpack found in a park near a police headquarters checkpoint . The team sped to the scene with sirens screaming . Other units ringed the perimeter . X-rays were taken . Abbate moved in . This time , he determined that this time , there was nothing to it . Sgt. John Ryan said it 's necessary to assume the worst until the team moves in . `` Everything is a bomb until we say it 's not a bomb , '' said Ryan . The days are long , but the men say they feel `` blessed '' to be part of the bomb squad . They laugh when people suggest they must be a little crazy to do such a dangerous job . `` It 's an honor , '' LaScala said . And it never gets old . `` At the end of the day , it 's just one day down and a lot more to go , '' said Det. Mike Garcia . CNN producers Julian Cummings and Ross Levitt contributed to this report . | CNN visits the bomb squad that handled the recent Times Square incident . Det. Greg Abbate : `` There 's a very strong bond between us '' Despite the dangers , squad members eager to be the one to suit up when a call comes in . | [[1100, 1131], [1134, 1281], [2819, 2856]] |
Seoul , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- North Korea reacted to a South Korean anti-submarine exercise early Thursday by saying it would meet `` confrontation with confrontation '' and war with `` all-out war , '' according to North Korean state-run media . `` Now that the puppet group challenged the DPRK -LSB- North Korea -RSB- formally and blatantly , the DPRK will react to confrontation with confrontation , and to a war with an all-out war , '' according the KCNA news agency . The news agency referred to South Korean leaders as a `` group of traitors '' and said they would experience `` unheard of disastrous consequences '' if they misunderstand North Korea 's will . The response comes amid high tensions on the Korean peninsula , after Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the sinking in March of a South Korean warship . An official South Korean report has accused the communist North of firing a torpedo at the ship , killing 46 sailors . Explainer : Why are the two Koreas so hostile ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , visiting Seoul on Wednesday , called the sinking `` an unacceptable provocation by North Korea '' and said the international community should respond . Also Thursday , the general staff of North Korea 's military -- the Korean People 's Army , or KPA -- said it was enacting new measures to deal with any `` all-out confrontation . '' The steps would `` retract all measures for providing military guarantees for the North-South cooperation and exchange , and the promise of a physical strike . `` The KPA will make a prompt physical strike at the intrusion into the extension of the Military Demarcation Line under our side 's control in the West Sea of Korea , '' the army said , according to the KCNA news agency . | South Korean anti-submarine exercise prompts angry response . North `` will react to confrontation with confrontation , '' news agency says . North Korea calls South Korean leaders a `` group of traitors '' Response comes amid high tensions , after Seoul blamed Pyongyang for sinking warship . | [[0, 5], [39, 115], [352, 409], [447, 482], [483, 560], [677, 738], [747, 822], [823, 918]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If director Ron Howard hopes religious controversy will help sell tickets to `` Angels & Demons '' the way it boosted his `` Da Vinci Code , '' the Catholic Church is not playing along with his script . Tom Hanks reprises his role as professor Robert Langdon in `` Angels & Demons . '' Howard , who premiered the follow-up in Rome , Italy , this week , said there was `` residual antagonism from ` The Da Vinci Code , ' '' but Vatican officials ignored the movie by not responding to suggestions that the church was offended . The first movie based on Dan Brown 's mega-selling novels earned $ 750 million worldwide in 2006 . `` The Da Vinci Code '' was intensely criticized by Catholics , especially those from the Opus Dei organization , a small but influential group within the Catholic Church whose members felt that they were vilified in the story . An Opus Dei priest who teaches history and literature at Holy Cross University in Rome said that `` Angels & Demons '' has `` simply not been an issue '' among those in the Vatican and that any controversy is a product of the movie 's marketing machine . Watch Howard make his statements '' `` To be honest , I do n't think that anyone at the Vatican is paying much attention to the premier of the ` Angels & Demons , ' '' Father John Wauck said . `` I was just talking with some people yesterday , I know friends of mine working in the Vatican , and they were surprised to learn that the movie was premiering in Rome . They had no idea . '' `` I think the church 's attitude has been , from the beginning , ` hands off , ' '' Wauck said . `` Especially , I think , after what happened with ` The Da Vinci Code . ' '' The new movie is not as offensive , Wauck said . `` In ` The Da Vinci Code , ' there were serious issues , such as who Jesus Christ was or the nature of church in the course of history , but none of them is taken in ` Angels & Demons . ' It 's simply , you know , a thriller , '' he said . The movie may even help Rome by promoting tourism there , which is `` not a bad thing , '' Wauck said . But Howard suggested to CNN 's Neil Curry that controversy has carried over to the sequel . `` I think there 's some residual antagonism from ` The Da Vinci Code , ' '' Howard said . Stirring people up with controversy is `` something that appeals to me , '' he said . `` Part of the entertainment value is that people are going to go in there and have something to talk about or think about afterward , '' he said . Howard said he tried to reach out to the Catholic Church . `` We 've even invited certain groups , members of the church , for example , to see early rough cuts , because I wanted to share it with them and know what they thought , and I felt they 'd find it not as offensive as they 'd imagine , '' he said . `` Everyone 's declined to do that . '' Howard himself downplayed reports that Rome and Vatican officials hampered production by refusing permission to film in certain locations . `` Probably a little more has been made of that , '' he said . `` While I do n't want to reveal how we took people on the ` Angels & Demons ' tour and on the adventure , someday I might , maybe on the DVD or something , do a little better breakdown of how we got the shots we needed , '' he said . Producers did resort to some `` low-budget street photography where you just pull up in a car , getting out of a van , clearing a little space and shooting a shot , '' Howard said . This controversy , Wauck said , was also cooked up by the film 's marketing department . `` As a general rule , no commercial films are filmed in churches in Rome , and no exception was made for ` Angels & Demons , ' '' Wauck said . The film , which like `` The Da Vinci Code '' stars Tom Hanks as symbolism professor Robert Langdon , takes the audience inside the Conclave , where cardinals meet secretly to choose a new pope . `` One thing that was important to me and to all of us was to be as authentic as we possibly could be about what Conclave was like , that period when they 're trying to elect the pope , '' Howard said . `` It 's a complete mystery . Outsiders are not allowed in . They stop rolling even their own Vatican archival footage when they lock the cardinals into the Sistine Chapel . '' Set designers used old paintings and photos to recreate the scene , he said . `` I wanted to represent for the audience that with as much detail as I did going to the moon with ` Apollo 13 , ' '' he said , referring to his 1995 movie about the aborted space mission . `` Angels & Demons '' is the second of Brown 's Langdon novels Howard has turned into a film . `` There are so many reasons to do it , and when I really looked at ` Angels & Demons ' and realized that it was going to feel different , '' he said . `` It was going to sound different . It was going to be paced in a completely different way because this is a real bona fide thriller . This is Langdon in jeopardy . There 's a ticking bomb . You know , it 's a murder mystery . '' Howard said he will wait to decide whether he will make a movie based on Brown 's third Langdon novel . `` While I have n't read Dan 's next installment of the Robert Langdon adventures , I 'm dying to , '' he said . `` I 'll also look to see how audiences respond to ` Angels & Demons . ' They 're going to tell us a lot . '' `` Angels & Demons '' opens in U.S. theaters May 15 . CNN 's Neil Curry and Hada Messia contributed to this report . | `` Angels & Demons , '' new Ron Howard film , based on Dan Brown novel . Brown 's `` Da Vinci Code '' was controversial book made into controversial film . Howard believes Vatican holds grudge ; priest says Church barely aware of `` Angels '' | [[4588, 4643], [1183, 1289]] |
-LRB- CNET -RRB- -- When Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg recently announced a `` Like '' button that publishers could place on their Web pages , he predicted it would make the Web smarter and `` more social . '' What Zuckerberg did n't point out is that widespread use of the Like button allows Facebook to track people as they switch from CNN.com to Yelp.com to ESPN.com , all of which are sites that have said they will implement the feature . Even if someone is not a Facebook user or is not logged in , Facebook 's social plugins collect the address of the Web page being visited and the Internet address of the visitor as soon as the page is loaded -- clicking on the Like button is not required . If enough sites participate , that permits Facebook to assemble a vast amount of data about Internet users ' browsing habits . `` If you put a Like button on your site , you 're potentially selling out your users ' privacy even if they never press that button , '' says Nicole Ozer , an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California . `` It 's another example of why user control needs to be the default in Facebook . '' In the last few months , scrutiny of the privacy practices of the Internet 's second most popular Web site has reached an all-time high , with politicians threatening probes and privacy activists calling for formal investigations . In response to the outcry , Zuckerberg convened a press conference last week at Facebook 's Palo Alto , California , headquarters , where he pledged to make privacy `` simpler . '' For its part , Facebook told CNET on Tuesday that the information about who viewed what pages with a Like button is anonymized after three months and is not shared with or sold to third parties . A representative acknowledged , however , that the current privacy description of Facebook 's social plugins `` is not as clear as it could be , and we 'll fix that . '' Facebook 's FAQ says : `` No data is shared about you when you see a social plugin on an external website . '' No mention of this data-sharing appears under the `` Information from other websites '' section of the company 's general privacy policy . Publishers like `` Like '' Almost as soon as Zuckerberg had finished describing the Like buttons at the F8 developer conference in April , they became a hit with Web publishers hoping for a traffic boost . Wired 's Webmonkey.com published a tutorial , a WordPress adaptation appeared , and Foursquare quickly incorporated the concept too . Facebook itself confirmed that after only a week , `` more than 50,000 sites across the Web have implemented '' social plugins . SearchEngineLand.com said Like buttons are `` recommended '' for virtually all Web sites ; one blogging how-to guide reported that `` small , blue Like buttons are now multiplying across the Web faster than you can say ` pandemic . ' '' Marc Rotenberg , director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center , said that if his group had been aware of how the Like button was implemented , it would have raised this topic in a request for a Federal Trade Commission investigation of Facebook 's privacy practices . -LRB- The statement sent to the FTC says , in part , that social plugins `` violate user expectations and reveal user information without the user 's consent . '' -RRB- . `` The recent Facebook changes are too complex and too subtle for most users to meaningfully evaluate , '' Rotenberg said . `` And it 's not obvious that the recent announcement from Facebook has addressed all of these problems . '' On the other hand , some of the Like button 's features can work only if Facebook receives the user ID and URL of the Web page being visited . That allows a custom bit of Javascript code to customize the Like button . Social plugins `` work the same basic way all widgets across the Internet do , '' said Barry Schnitt , a Facebook spokesman . `` The URL of the Web page the user is viewing must be sent to Facebook for Facebook to know where to render the personalized content . '' Schnitt said Facebook does not correlate pages viewed with advertising , so someone who spends a lot of time reading articles about German sports cars on caranddriver.com will not receive Porsche 911 or Mercedes C63 AMG ads on Facebook.com . `` Of course , if the user actively ` likes ' that page , then it is added to their profile and they might see a related ad on Facebook , '' he said . `` We use the information to help improve the service , '' Schnitt said . `` We need to see how many people see a certain Like button to know what the click-through ratio for that button is , for example . If something has a really low rate , maybe something is wrong with the site , the implementation , or our product . If it is really high , maybe something fishy is going on . '' The way Facebook has implemented its Like button resembles an advertising network : Code on Facebook 's systems is executed whenever someone loads a page on , say , Mashable.com , one of the Web sites that quickly adopted the button . And advertising networks have come under significant regulatory scrutiny before , in part because they have the ability to create dossiers on what Internet users are doing across thousands or millions of different Web sites . Ozer , the ACLU attorney , said she would caution sites to be careful before adopting Like buttons : `` If an organization puts a Like button on their site , they 're potentially telling Facebook about everyone who visits their Web site , every time that person visits their Web site . '' How it works . Facebook wants publishers to insert an iframe or JavaScript in the HTML for their Web pages . As soon as the page is loaded , the code invokes a PHP script at Facebook.com that records information including the URL for the Web page , your IP address , and your Facebook ID -LRB- if you 're authenticated -RRB- . If a publisher uses Facebook 's Javascript API , the simpler option , here 's what the embedded Like button for CNET.com would look like : <fb:like href="cnet.com" font="tahoma"> </fb:like> . © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. . All rights reserved . CNET , CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. . Used by permission . | Like button allows Facebook to track people as they switch websites . Facebook 's social plugins collect the address of the Web page being visited . More than 50,000 sites across the Web have implemented social plugins . | [[221, 236], [255, 380], [516, 578], [563, 596], [3622, 3675], [3663, 3691], [5733, 5745], [5751, 5846], [2502, 2510], [2518, 2630]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer made clear Tuesday she 's not worried about a potential legal challenge from the Obama administration over her state 's controversial immigration law . `` We 'll meet you in court , '' Brewer told CNN ' when asked how she would respond if President Barack Obama 's Department of Justice decided to challenge the law . `` I have a pretty good record of winning in court . '' The American Civil Liberties Union is currently leading a court challenge . Attorney General Eric Holder , who met with a delegation of police chiefs from Arizona and elsewhere this week to discuss the law , has yet to indicate whether the federal government would file a legal challenge . Obama , who has called the law `` misguided , '' will meet with Brewer at the White House on Thursday , a White House official told CNN . It will be the first one-on-one meeting between the two since Brewer approved the law in April . The new immigration law , implemented last month , allows police officers to check the residency status of anyone who is being investigated for a crime or possible legal infraction if there is reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal resident . Critics , including Holder , have said the law will promote racial profiling . But Brewer said Tuesday the law does not target an individual 's specific race . She also made clear driver 's licenses are not sufficient to prove citizenship . `` It would n't matter if you are Latino or Hispanic or Norwegian , '' she said . `` If you did n't have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion , he would ask and verify your citizenship . I mean , that 's the way that it is . That 's what the federal law says . And that 's what the law in Arizona says . '' Brewer strongly defended the law , saying she would not suspend it even if Obama sharply increased the number of U.S. troops at the Mexican border . iReport : Share your view on the Arizona law . The Arizona governor also said the White House has not adequately communicated with her about Obama 's recently announced plan to dispatch 1,200 National Guard troops to the border . `` I 'm sitting here with no good information . It would be very helpful , I might say , if somebody would give me something in writing telling me what they 're sending to Arizona , how will it be distributed ? '' she said . CNN 's Alex Mooney and Ed Henry contributed to this report . | Arizona governor to meet Thursday with President Barack Obama . Gov. Jan Brewer defends her state 's controversial immigration law . Brewer says she 'll ask Obama to tighten border security . | [[762, 819], [1783, 1815]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chile 's Supreme Court has ruled that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori can be extradited to Peru on five corruption and two human rights abuse charges . Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has denied all allegations , calling them politically motivated . Alberto Chaigneau , a court judge , made the announcement about the order on Chilean TV on Friday . Gabriel Zaliasnek , Fujimori 's defense attorney , later said that the `` decision of the Supreme Court should be respected and will be respected . '' It is not known when the extradition will take place . But the wheels for extradition were set in motion a couple of months ago . A Chilean prosecutor in June recommended that Fujimori be extradited to Peru to face the charges . He was then placed under house arrest in his home in the suburbs of the Chilean capital , Santiago while awaiting a Supreme Court ruling . Before moving to Chile , Fujimori had fled Peru for Japan , where he holds dual citizenship , as his decade-long presidency neared its end in 2000 . Japan refused to honor Peru 's request to return him for trial , saying its nationals should be subject to Japanese law and pointing out the two countries have no extradition treaty . He attempted to resign from the presidency by fax from Japan , but Peru 's congress refused to accept it , instead declaring him morally unfit to govern . He arrived in Chile in 2005 , in what some saw as a possible attempt to return to Peru and seek office there in 2006 . He was under house arrest for six months in Chile , but authorities lifted the restriction last year on the condition he not leave the country . Peru has alleged Fujimori ordered death-squad killings and participated in various acts of government corruption . He has denied all the allegations , calling them politically motivated . E-mail to a friend . | Ex-Peru leader must be extradited to face human rights charges at home . Fujimori accused of ordering death squad killings , corruption . Fujimori has denied allegations , saying they 're politically motivated . | [[0, 15], [19, 181], [672, 770], [713, 770], [1662, 1716], [1662, 1666], [1679, 1687], [1721, 1776], [182, 251], [182, 224], [254, 290], [1777, 1810], [1777, 1779], [1813, 1849]] |
RIVERVIEW , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama ignored explicit warnings to stay well off the coast of Somalia before his capture by pirates in 2009 , according to 16 of its 19 crew members . `` It 's almost like he wanted to be captured , '' the ship 's chief engineer , Mike Perry , told CNN in an interview to air on tonight 's `` AC360 . '' Capt. Richard Phillips spent four days as a hostage after the attempted seizure of the Maersk Alabama . After his rescue by U.S. Navy SEAL commandos , Phillips was lauded as a hero , and the publisher of his new book promoted him as a sea captain who risked his life by offering himself as a hostage `` in exchange for the safety of the crew . '' The 16 crew members have been far less public about the events , even as Phillips toured the country this spring to promote his book , `` A Captain 's Duty . '' But now they are telling a different version of what took place in the waters off the Somali coast in early April 2009 . Perry , a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy , was the chief engineer aboard the Alabama as it sailed from Oman , in the Persian Gulf , to Mombasa , Kenya , with a cargo of relief supplies . He told CNN Correspondent Drew Griffin that Phillips ' decision `` certainly warrants an investigation . '' `` I just want an investigation , for this to be looked at properly before that man winds up going back to sea on another ship and endangering somebody , '' Perry said . Perry said he sailed on the Alabama after the pirate incident and retrieved e-mail warnings -- seven in all -- that urged the Alabama and other ships in the area to stay clear of the Somali coast and sail 600 miles away if necessary to avoid pirate attacks . Another former crew member , third engineer John Cronan , told CNN that Phillips `` was advised to change course by competent deck officers and he overruled them . '' `` Stay on course , make our ETA , stay on the same course , '' Cronan quoted Phillips as saying . For his part , Phillips said his preparations went beyond the industry standard for safety . He said the crew 's version of events is linked to a suit filed against the Danish shipping line Maersk , which owns the Alabama . So far , six former crew members , not including Perry , have filed suit , claiming the company `` knowingly sent their employees into pirate-infested waters , rather than taking safer routes . '' `` We live in a litigious society , '' Phillips said . `` So I ca n't really talk about what their complaint is . Their complaint is with the company , so it 's not my place . '' Maersk has no comment on the lawsuit , the company told CNN . According to the U.S. Navy 's 5th Fleet , the Alabama was attacked about 380 miles off the Somali coast . Most of the e-mail warnings were sent by a private maritime security agency called Securewest International and were directed at all ships in the area , though one was specifically sent to Phillips . Each e-mail was based on information from British and U.S. naval authorities and urged the Alabama to stay clear of the shipping lanes where Phillips was heading . `` Vessels should consider maintaining a distance of more than 600 nautical miles from the Somali coastline , '' one of the Securewest messages advised . Phillips acknowledged the existence of those e-mails , but said he could not respond to the accusations because of the lawsuit . Another crew member , Abu Tahir Mohammed Reza -- who goes by the initials `` ATM '' -- told CNN that he was on the Alabama 's bridge when the Somali pirates began their attack . He said he spotted the pirates about three miles behind and to the right of the container ship and said Phillips `` laughed at me '' and `` ignored me completely '' when he reported the fast ship attack . Phillips disputed that account , saying he did not ignore any first warnings . `` I 'm not someone who laughs a lot . Ask my crew , do I laugh a lot and tell jokes ? I think the majority will say no , '' he said . Phillips conceded , however , that in his book that he erred in identifying Reza as a Pakistani -- the sailor is from Bangladesh -- and that he was also wrong in writing that Reza gained U.S. citizenship via a lottery . And he said the real heroes are the Navy SEALs and his crew , whom he says stayed calm , followed orders and instincts and prevented a tragedy . `` They did a wonderful job , '' he said . `` It 's in the book . Everywhere I speak , I say what a great job they did . '' As for the widely repeated notion that he gave himself up to the Somali pirates in exchange for the safety of his crew , Captain Phillips told CNN `` the media got everything wrong . '' `` I did n't give myself up , '' he said . `` I was already a hostage by then . '' He added , `` I think you 're forgetting they had guns . '' Sailors aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge killed three of the four pirates who held Phillips and captured the fourth , Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse . Muse pleaded guilty last week to charges he hijacked the Alabama and kidnapped the captain , and he faces a maximum sentence of almost 34 years behind bars . The crew members who allege Phillips ignored warnings about Somali pirate attacks have created a Facebook page , `` Alabama Shipmates . '' Perry said none initially wanted to go public with their assertions , but decided to do so as a group after the publication of Phillips ' book in April . `` We vowed we were gon na take it to our graves , '' he told CNN . `` We were n't going to say anything . Then we hear this PR stuff coming out about giving himself up and he 's still hostage , and the whole crew is like , ` What ? ' '' Perry told CNN the crew had heard numerous international radio broadcasts declaring Phillips had exchanged himself for the safety of the crew . When told that many of his crew feel slighted by him , Phillips said , `` There 's not much I can say . '' `` The media made everything out to be me , '' he said . `` But that 's the media . When I came home , I really did n't go and put myself in front of the media . A lot of my crew did . I did n't . '' Watch Anderson Cooper 360 ° weeknights 10pm ET . For the latest from AC360 ° click here . | Captain of Maersk Alabama ignored warnings , 16 of 19 crew members say . Capt. Richard Phillips became hero after pirate capture , rescue in April 2009 . Chief engineer retrieved e-mails warning ships to stay well off Somalia . Phillips says crew 's claims are tied to a lawsuit against Maersk shipping line . | [[12, 35], [192, 232], [1741, 1767], [1799, 1904], [5143, 5253], [490, 534], [537, 566], [1482, 1573], [1586, 1589], [1598, 1701], [2975, 2986], [3056, 3109], [3139, 3246], [2100, 2157], [2151, 2203], [3293, 3301], [3352, 3421]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Passenger David Martin knew the situation on Virgin America Flight 404 was unraveling Saturday when members of the flight crew began snapping at passengers . One incident stands out for him from Saturday 's flight , which spent more than four hours on the tarmac at New York 's Stewart Airport after being diverted from New York 's John F. Kennedy International Airport . Martin said he was rationing a limited number of cookies from first-class to mothers and children in coach when a passenger prone to outbursts asked him for a cookie . He was about to give her one when a flight attendant ordered her to sit down and told her she would not get a cookie . `` Everyone knew she was a very frantic woman , which is why no one said anything when she asked for the cookie . ... Everyone understood but the flight attendant , '' said Martin , CEO of the social networking site Kontain.com , who documented Saturday 's travails using visual updates via the iPhone app to his Kontain account . `` I went to her and said , you need to understand that speaking to passengers like this is not going to do any good . You need to exercise leadership and responsibility . '' Martin said the flight attendant dismissed his words , as did the pilot when he took his concerns to the cockpit . See Martin 's visual posts from flight on Kontain.com . Martin said the situation did not improve until the flight was finally canceled , 4 1/2 hours after it parked at Stewart and nearly 12 hours after it took off from Los Angeles International , during which time passengers say they endured shortages of food and water , crying babies , panic attacks and rising tensions . Severe storms and heavy winds paralyzed traffic entering and leaving JFK airport Saturday night , causing most flights to be diverted . `` Although we can not control the weather or the circumstances , we agreed that we needed to have done a better job with making our guests more comfortable in a difficult situation , '' Virgin America spokeswoman Abby Lunardini said in an e-mail . But if the delay had occurred a few weeks later , Virgin America might have faced more than $ 3 million in fines for staying on the tarmac for more than three hours . Under the rule , which takes effect April 29 , airlines could be fined up to $ 27,500 per passenger for tarmac delays lasting more than three hours . Passengers were offered two opportunities to leave the plane after it parked on the tarmac at Stewart , and 20 of the 126 passengers chose to do so , Lunardini said . Internal policy dictates that Virgin America will never hold guests longer than three hours without the ability to leave the aircraft , she said . `` Although guests were able to leave the aircraft during Flight 404 , if the ruling were in place we would have made the decision to cancel at the 2-hour mark instead of the 3 - to 4-hour mark , which is our current practice , '' Lunardini said . `` We are in full compliance with existing rules and are prepared to be in full compliance with the new ruling when it is issued . '' The Department of Transportation is investigating the Virgin America incident , said spokesman Bill Mosley . `` The whole thrust behind the rule is to prevent passengers from being subject to that , to the delays in the aircraft , '' Mosley said . American Airlines has joined JetBlue and Delta in requesting an exemption at JFK airport to the tarmac delay rule set , according to the Department of Transportation . The closure of a major runway at JFK prompted the exemption requests , which would only apply to that airport for the duration of construction on the runway . Even in situations when the flight can not operate , the rule would ensure that passengers are allowed to get off the plane and return to the terminal , Mosley said . American echoed the concerns of JetBlue and Delta in its JFK exemption request . `` Carriers , faced with increased operational difficulties as a result of constrained runway capacity just at the time the new tarmac delay rule goes into effect , and with the prospect of incurring $ 27,500 per passenger in fines , will inevitably cancel flights during challenging operational situations , '' the airline 's DOT request said . Martin said he supports the idea of fining airlines for delays as an incentive to ensure that other passengers do n't have to endure the same experience . `` I would like on my left to be the CEO of Virgin America and on my right , the CEO of JetBlue to vouch with me for this bill , '' he said . `` That 's the kind of leadership that 's required and demonstrates that these CEOs understand that passenger safety and customer service comes first . '' Martin and his seatmate , `` Dancing with the Stars '' judge Carrie Ann Inaba , used Twitter and Kontain , respectively , to issue updates on their ordeal . `` Was stuck on a plane for five hours on a Tarmac . They ran out of food , a woman was escorted off by police and I 'm grateful to new friends , '' Inaba tweeted at 11:14 p.m. , after the flight was officially canceled and remaining passengers were led off the plane . Read Inaba 's Tweets . Martin posted intermittent updates to Kontain.com using his iPhone app while the flight was in progress . `` Tensions rising big time as we are grounded and passengers are trying to get off , '' he said in one post accompanied by a photo of passengers lining up in front of the cockpit to deplane . `` Virgin crew losing control of passengers . Police now onboard here , '' he said in a later post . On Sunday night , Martin says he received a phone call from Virgin America CEO David Cush telling him that he 'd seen his posts and expressing apologies . Martin attributed his use of social media to convey the severity of the situation as a factor in Virgin America 's decision to refund passengers the cost of the airfare plus a $ 100 credit . `` You ca n't just write in a complaint or call customer service anymore ... social media , it 's the only weapon , '' he said . `` Airlines need to be more terrified of that than the actual bill , because they 're going to have to compensate passengers anyway each time they get held up on the tarmac , but they 're also going to lose passengers because their brand will be destroyed every time a passenger uses social media . '' | Five-hour flight lasts more than 10 after severe weather diverts it . Situation on Virgin America 404 turned ugly when crew lashed out , passenger says . Virgin America apologizes , says passengers were able to deplane . Effective April 29 , airlines have to pay fines for tarmac delays of more than 3 hours . | [[214, 232], [241, 342], [1675, 1743], [1675, 1704], [1773, 1810], [4854, 4903], [0, 15], [19, 89], [0, 15], [90, 176], [2703, 2709], [2720, 2759], [2233, 2241], [2250, 2271], [2227, 2241], [2272, 2344], [2331, 2376]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When opposition rugby teams line up against the New Zealand All Blacks , there 's a common game plan : Get Carter . New Zealand rugby player Dan Carter is on course to be the country 's top points scorer . Playing as number 10 in the fly half position , Carter is the All Blacks ' creative talisman and the one player that can catch the eye with his skill and control a match with his reading of the game . He made his debut for the All Blacks in 2003 at just 21-years-old , but really burst onto the international scene in 2005 during the British Lions tour of New Zealand . It led his opposite number , English fly-half Jonny Wilkinson , who won the World Cup with England in 2003 , to call Carter the most complete player in that position , combining great natural talent with an excellent work ethic . As well as the accolades from journalists and fellow players he also picked up the International Rugby Board 's Player of the year award in 2005 . Growing up around Christchurch on New Zealand 's south island , he 's been an integral member of the Crusaders team since 2002 and helped to make them the most successful team in the Super 14 competition , the southern hemisphere 's top club league . Having been courted by numerous British club sides for years , he 's now taking the opportunity to play on pastures new , but with French club Perpignan . He 'll be in the Catalan city for six months , and regardless of how well he does on the field , he 'll set new records by becoming the best paid player in club rugby . He 's set to earn an estimated $ 50,000 per game , which in a sport that lags far behind football or American sports in terms of finance is big money . Find out what he thinks about playing his club rugby abroad for the first time , his view on the All Blacks and what it 's like to be a rugby-playing pin-up on Talk Asia this week . | New Zealand rugby player made international debut as a 21-year-old . All Blacks second highest points scorer in test rugby . Recently signed to play for French club team Perpignan . | [[426, 470]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- There 's a post-9 / 11 atmosphere in Kingston , Jamaica , local residents say , after a failed police assault on the stronghold of a suspected drug kingpin wanted by the United States . `` The daytime really is n't a problem , but the night can be . Your rights are reduced after 6 p.m. . The police can stop you for virtually any reason . It 's a similar situation to after the September 11 , 2001 , terror attacks in the United States , '' one Kingston florist told CNN . `` I would n't say I 'm afraid , '' said the woman , who asked that neither she nor her shop be named . But , she said , `` You do n't know exactly what is happening . '' `` You are more cautious because you know what 's going on , but it 's not like you ca n't come out of your home . ... It 's not like you ca n't go out , but it could be more of a hassle if you do , '' she said . Police moved earlier this week to arrest Christopher `` Dudus '' Coke , a suspected drug lord . They were met with violence that has left at least 29 people dead , including police , a soldier and many civilians . The government said Wednesday that more than 500 people were in custody . Some people , however , were attempting to get back to business on Wednesday . `` I think by now most people have started to get over the initial shock , '' iReporter Jason Alliman told CNN in an e-mail . `` Most schools are in session , exams are still being held , businesses have started to reopen . People are still a little tense about the whole situation , but I think that 's due more to uncertainty about what will happen next than -LSB- the -RSB- actual threat of violence . '' But the florist believes the violence could go on for weeks . `` That 's unnerving because everything 's being drawn to a standstill . Business was already bad before this because of the recession . Now it 's come to a standstill , '' she told CNN by phone from Kingston . The florist said she thinks the government could have moved sooner against Coke , possibly avoiding the situation it now finds itself in . `` The government 's trying to fix the problem , but it did n't have to reach this point . They could have dealt with this earlier , '' she said . At the moment , the violence seems mostly to have passed , but many people still do not dare to go out , they said . One resident of nearby Port Royal said by telephone that people are staying out of Kingston -- even failing to show up for work or school -- because they do not want to get caught in violence . `` I ca n't venture to town . I have business that I need to take care of , '' said the man , adding that there are no banks in Port Royal . The man said that at the restaurant where he works , business is down `` 99 percent for the past four days , '' since the violence began . People can get essentials in Port Royal , but many go into Kingston to shop , he said , declining to give his name . At St. Andrews High School for Girls in Kingston , a spokeswoman said the school was open , but that most teachers and students had not showed up . Alliman , who lives in Red Hills , St. Andrew , outside the city , wrote that he went out to give blood Tuesday , and `` even well into the evening when I was returning home , I was n't overly anxious about being on Red Hills Road , where a lot of shooting had been taking place only a couple days ago . '' Some restaurants on the road were still open as he was driving past about 6:30 or 7 p.m. , he said . Alliman on Monday submitted an iReport photo taken from his balcony showing smoke rising from a fire in Kingston . He said he had n't left home on Wednesday , but `` at the very least I have n't heard any more gunshots from here . '' Violet Dias , an American citizen from New York , said Tuesday she was locked down in her home in Kingston 's Tivoli Gardens neighborhood because of the violence . `` They shot up the front of my house , '' she said . Police had taken her nephew and grandson for questioning , she said . `` We did not have any -LSB- electricity -RSB- yesterday , but it came back . We have no food , '' she said . `` We ca n't get anything to eat . '' Dias , an amputee and an asthmatic , is due to return to the United States on June 14 , she said . The manager of a food distribution company said his business was weathering the upheaval and that things were `` getting back to normal . '' `` Right now it 's pretty calm ... But people -- especially yesterday -- mostly were cautious and taking the necessary precautions , '' he said by phone , asking that his name not be used . He said there 's been a `` mixed response '' to the government 's handling of the situation . But , he said , most people `` want the security forces to do what they have to do . '' | Situation similar to after 9/11 attacks on U.S. one Kingston resident says . `` You do n't know what 's happening , '' local woman says . People unable to get to banks , shops , for fear of violence . Situation calming , but residents still taking precautions . | [[359, 417], [603, 611], [614, 660], [863, 876], [2197, 2210], [3913, 3926], [4093, 4106], [4398, 4417], [4424, 4454], [4458, 4489]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain 's Prince Andrew on Wednesday defended comments he made suggesting the United States might have been better off had its leaders learned from the British experience with colonialism before invading Iraq . Prince Andrew says he has accepted that his comments could be interpreted as controversial . `` The fact is that we have learned , sometimes at our expense , in the years when we were a colonial power , '' he told CNN . `` So there may or may not have been things and ideas that were of valid use to what was going on at that particular time . '' The 47-year-old prince , in Atlanta on a 10-day U.S. tour to promote British business , said the two countries are closely allied . `` We 've been allies , for goodness ' sake , for how long ? '' he said . Watch him discuss his new role '' `` We are now working very much more closely together than we have over the centuries , apart from when we were very , very close during the second World War . '' The Duke of York cited U.S.-British anti-terrorism efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan as an area where the two countries are working together to promote stability and change . The New York Times last week quoted the prince as saying there are `` occasions when people in the U.K. would wish that those in responsible positions in the U.S. might listen and learn from our experiences . '' He added , `` If you are looking at colonialism , if you are looking at operations on an international scale , if you are looking at understanding each other 's culture , understanding how to operate in a military insurgency campaign -- we have been through them all . '' The problems faced by U.S. war planners in Iraq have bred `` healthy skepticism '' toward what comes out of Washington , he told the newspaper . In his CNN interview Wednesday , Andrew said he did not consider those comments controversial when he made them , but has since accepted how they could be interpreted that way . Still , the Falklands War veteran who served 22 years in the Royal Navy added , `` You have to take the bashes with the good bits , and I 've got a thick skin . '' Asked whether he believes the situation in Iraq is improving , Andrew said he could not answer what he described as `` almost a university Ph.D. question . '' `` I do n't think I can possibly predict those sorts of ways that governments work to each other , '' he said . `` I 'm only a small cog in a very , very large machine . '' The main purpose of his visit is to promote business investment in Britain , he said . Of the approximately 1,000 investment projects that were begun last year in Britain , more than half came from the United States , resulting in the addition of more than 32,000 jobs , he said . `` Now I realize that what keeps us all going is international commerce , it 's global trade , '' he said . `` In some cases , politics keeps a lot of people thinking , but what actually makes the world go round is the commerce that goes on . '' E-mail to a friend . | Prince told newspaper that U.S. leaders `` might learn from our experiences '' He says he did not consider those comments controversial when he made them . Prince Andrew : `` I 've got a thick skin '' He says Britain and the U.S. are working much closer together than in the past . | [[0, 7], [10, 33], [75, 248], [1252, 1380], [1777, 1800], [1801, 1831], [1834, 1912], [2115, 2139], [596, 618], [684, 727], [836, 849], [858, 889], [836, 841], [846, 889]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Heavy rains and hurricane-force winds that surpassed 70 miles per hour in places toppled trees , left more than half a million people without power , and suspended travel throughout much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region Saturday night . Four inches of rain fell in parts of the region , and the National Weather Service extended storm and flood warnings for much of the area into Sunday . `` This storm is such a slow mover that it 's not going to pull out probably until Monday , '' said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras . `` There 's another whole day to get through with heavy rain and strong winds . '' Some areas will see an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain by Sunday , Jeras said , though winds are expected to die down to a maximum of 30 miles an hour . Power outages darkened much of New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania and Connecticut . New Jersey 's PSE&G electric company said 136,000 customers were without power Saturday night , while Long Island Power Authority said close to 190,000 customers lacked electricity . `` The ground is so wet from all the snow we 've had this winter , it 's helping the trees to topple over , as well as our utility poles , '' said Long Island Power Authority president and CEO Kevin Law . `` The conditions are still too terrible to get crews out there . '' Law said that some customers will likely go without power until early next week . Con Edison reported 97,000 customers without power in New York City and Westchester County , while other electric companies in the region reported tens of thousands more were in the dark . Amtrak suspended trains between New York and Philadelphia because of issues with overhead wires and power outages . About 10 Amtrak trains were affected . New Jersey Transit stopped train service for the majority of its system , including the Northeast Corridor , North Jersey Coastline , Raritan Valley , and Atlantic City Rail lines . A New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said many trees have fallen on overhead wires . Boston 's Logan International Airport diverted flights due to weather and there were reports of major delays at airports throughout the Northeast . Across the region , trees and utility poles crashed onto houses and cars . Part of a crane collapsed at a construction site in Atlantic City , New Jersey . The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls . | Four inches of rain and winds topping 70 mph recorded in parts of the Northeast . Storm and flood warnings extended into Sunday for much of the area . Slow-moving storm wo n't pass `` probably until Monday , '' CNN meteorologist says . Outages darken much of New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania and Connecticut . | [[35, 56], [62, 99], [0, 56], [100, 113], [264, 311], [552, 574], [579, 628], [318, 415], [416, 450], [456, 458], [462, 505], [786, 871]] |
Editor 's note : The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE , an independent media company and website based in Brooklyn , New York . VBS.TV is VICE 's broadband television network . The reports , which are produced solely by VICE , reflect a very transparent approach to journalism , where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process . We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers . Brooklyn , New York -LRB- VBS.TV -RRB- -- In 2008 , the world cast its eyes on Beijing , the sprawling Chinese metropolis that was set to play host to the Summer Olympics . At VBS.TV , we caught wind of another story that soon had our full attention . As Chinese officials were taking unprecedented and often controversial measures to sanitize the notoriously foul Beijing air , much of the rest of the country was still covered in a thick blanket of noxious smog . According to a World Bank survey at the time , 16 of the world 's 20 most-polluted cities were in China . At the top of that list is the city of Linfen , a coal-mining and manufacturing hub in the heart of Shanxi Province . Within weeks , we assembled a film crew and went off to the landlocked province in northern China to find out more . After touching down in Beijing and making a quick visit to the Olympic countdown clock , we set out to visit the single most polluted place on Earth , hoping to place the dubious ranking into a human context . Despite the Chinese government 's promise of a marathon-friendly city , the Beijing air at the time was still plenty oppressive . But nothing could have prepared us for the dystopian scenario we encountered during our week in Linfen and the surrounding area . See the rest of Toxic Linfen at VBS.TV . Before the trip , I had researched thousands of images of the pollution that plagues Linfen and Shanxi province , but to see it in person is , quite simply , devastating . The sun sets before it is supposed to , disappearing into a curtain of smog above the true horizon . Residents scavenge the roadside for coal that falls from the seemingly endless cavalcade of coal trucks , gathering it with bare hands . Schoolchildren play against the nonstop backdrop of billowing exhaust . Many of the elderly have trouble speaking between gasps of widespread emphysema . Residents of Linfen are aware of the growing threat the polluted air and water pose , and some of them have left the city . Most , however , have no choice but to stay . The infamy of a No. 1 ranking in the news media eventually motivated China to focus more attention on cleaning up Linfen , but unfortunately , the scene of overwhelming pollution is still rampant in many parts of the country . As easy as it is to criticize China 's bold industrial development , our visit was also a clear reminder of the same pattern of manufacturing and consumption that has occurred elsewhere since the dawn of the Industrial Age . In China , it just happens to be on a much grander scale and on the back of a globalized economy that has rendered China into an assembly line for the world . The most compelling research I came across to this end are recently published studies showing particulate matter from China 's factories and mines reaching across the Pacific Ocean to North America 's West Coast . China obviously has some cleaning up to do , and more importantly , some major strategizing to achieve a sustainable economy . Our futures are inextricably linked . Back in New York City , the coal mines of Shanxi Province feel worlds away , but as oil now gushes ceaselessly into our own backyard , we should pay even more attention to Linfen if we do n't want it to be a glimpse into our own future . | The city of Linfen has a permanent toxic smog hovering over the city . Air quality there is the equivalent of smoking three packs of cigarettes a day . Linfen produces and consumes large amount of coal . | [[1968, 2068], [1968, 1990], [2008, 2068]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Injuries continue to strike down the planet 's top football players ahead of this month 's World Cup in South Africa , with Dutch star Arjen Robben 's participation in doubt and key Nigeria midfielder Jon Obi Mikel forced to withdraw . Robben , whose inspired form this season took German club Bayern Munich to the final of the Champions League , has not joined his teammates in flying to Africa after suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday . He scored two goals after coming on as a second-half substitute in a 6-1 friendly romp over Hungary in Amsterdam , but needs a scan on Sunday after hurting himself trying to execute a fancy backheel pass . `` I would rather lose this match and have Arjen stay fit , '' Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk said on Dutch Web site www.vi.nl . `` He felt a sharp pain . That does not bode well . But I do not lose hope . '' Robben had returned to action after missing Tuesday 's 4-1 international friendly rout over Ghana in Rotterdam on Tuesday . Earlier on Saturday , Nigeria officials reported that Mikel has decided he has not recovered sufficiently from knee surgery , meaning he joins teammates Michael Ballack -LRB- Germany -RRB- , Michael Essien -LRB- Ghana -RRB- and Jose Bosingwa -LRB- Portugal -RRB- from his English club Chelsea in missing the tournament . The 23-year-old Mikel missed the end of Chelsea 's season , which culminated in a league and cup double . `` We have dropped Mikel from the World Cup squad after he told the team he did not want to put his career at risk as his knee injury has yet to fully heal after a recent surgery , '' Nigeria team official Emmanuel Attah said in quotes carried by the Chelsea Web site . Another Chelsea player , Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba , may also be sidelined for the month-long event after suffering an elbow injury against Japan on Friday . He had a `` successful '' operation in Switzerland on Saturday , according to Ivory Coast officials , but they could not yet say if he would be fit to take part . Mikel followed England captain Rio Ferdinand in being denied a chance to play on soccer 's biggest stage , with the defender suffering a knee injury on Friday . He has been replaced in the 23-man squad by Tottenham defender Michael Dawson , with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard taking over as skipper and Chelsea 's Frank Lampard named as his deputy by coach Fabio Capello . World champions Italy also have an injury problem , with key midfielder Andrea Pirlo suffering a calf injury against Mexico on Thursday . The 31-year-old has been ruled out of Saturday night 's final friendly against Switzerland , and is battling to be fit for the Azzurri 's Group F opener game against Paraguay on June 14 . Marcello Lippi 's team came from behind to draw 1-1 , with striker Fabio Quagliarella 's 15th-minute goal canceling out Gokhan Inler 's opener . Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel also suffered an injury blow on Saturday when he had to go off in the 16th minute of the 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica after damaging his ankle . The center-back , who plays for English club Liverpool , had previously played only once since breaking a bone in his foot in February . He is expected to be fit for the World Cup after resting his injury . In Saturday 's other friendlies , the United States beat fellow qualifiers Australia 3-1 with two goals from Edson Buddle and another from fellow forward Herculez Gomez , who came on as a substitute . The 29-year-old Buddle , starting in place of the injured Jozi Altidore , netted his first goals for his country as he continued the form that has him at the top of the Major League Soccer goalscoring charts this season . Midfielder Tim Cahill leveled for Australia in the 19th minute . Hosts South Africa notched another morale-boosting win by beating fellow qualifiers Denmark 1-0 in Atteridgeville , as striker Katlego Mphela netted his fourth goal in three matches in the 76th minute . Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira 's team will kick off the tournament against Mexico in Johannesburg 's new Soccer City stadium on Friday . Ghana won 1-0 against Latvia in England with a late goal from substitute striker Quincy Owusu-Abeyie . Ghana gave a full debut to Germany under-21 international midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng , whose half-brother Jerome is joining English club Manchester City from Hamburg on a five-year contract from July 1 . The duo , who have a Ghanaian father , could play against each other in South Africa when Germany face the Black Stars in their final Group D match on June 23 . Serbia beat fellow finalists Cameroon 4-3 , with six goals coming in the first half . Striker Pierre Webo put the Africans 2-1 up after 20 minutes before Dejan Stankovic leveled five minutes later . Nenad Milijas scored a penalty and Marko Pantelic scored in successive minutes just before halftime , while Eric Choupo-Moting reduced the deficit on 67 . Algeria beat the United Arab Emirates 1-0 with a second-half penalty from Karim Ziani , ending a run of four successive defeats . Honduras slumped to a 3-0 defeat by Romania , who did not qualify for the finals . | Dutch star Arjen Robben in doubt for World Cup after suffering hamstring injury . Key midfielder Jon Obi Mikel withdraws from Nigeria squad due to knee problem . Ivory Coast still waiting to find out if injured star striker Didier Drogba can take part . Chelsea player has `` successful '' operation on fractured elbow on Saturday . | [[19, 200], [255, 261], [366, 463], [197, 254], [1870, 1932]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Emmy-winning `` Golden Girls '' actress Rue McClanahan died of a stroke in a New York hospital early Thursday , her manager said . She was 76 . McClanahan , who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage last Monday , was surrounded by family when she died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital , according to manager Barbara Lawrence . The actress ' career began on the New York stage in the 1950s , but her long television career was first boosted when producer Norman Lear cast McClanahan in his hit CBS series `` All in the Family '' in 1971 . She appeared in Lear 's `` Maude '' a year later . Her most memorable TV role was as Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on `` The Golden Girls , '' which ran from 1985 through 1992 . McClanahan won an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy in 1987 . Betty White is the last surviving member of the four `` Golden Girls '' stars . `` Rue was a close and dear friend , '' White said Thursday . `` I treasured our relationship . It hurts more than I even thought it would , if that 's possible . '' Estelle Getty passed away in 2008 , and Bea Arthur died last year . McClanahan requested that no funeral be held for her , but memorial services will be announced for later this summer in New York and Los Angeles , California , Lawrence said . Fans can pay their respects online , a family statement said . `` Please join us in celebrating Rue 's amazing life '' by visiting a memorial page established for her on Facebook , the family said . McClanahan 's last comedic TV role was in an episode of Tyler Perry 's `` Meet the Browns , '' taped in 2009 . She carried the Devereaux character to three other TV series , including `` The Golden Palace , '' `` Empty Nest '' and `` Nurses . '' She was married six times and had one child . Her son , Mark Bish , was born in 1958 during a brief first marriage . Her present marriage to Morrow Wilson , starting in 1997 , was her longest . Her book `` My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away '' was published in 2007 . McClanahan was born in Healdton , Oklahoma , on February 21 , 1934 , to parents with Scottish and native American heritage . CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report . | `` Rue was a close and dear friend , '' co-star Betty White says . Rue McClanahan 's family at hospital with star when she died . McClanahan won an Emmy in 1987 . White is last surviving `` Golden Girls '' star . | [[888, 922], [172, 182], [225, 306], [741, 807], [808, 887], [823, 887]] |
-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- On Sunday , Skype 2.0 was launched for the iPhone 3G , bringing a long-sought feature to the table : making calls over 3G . By now , 5 million users have downloaded the application from the iTunes Store , showing just how important this feature is to users . Unfortunately , the new feature was accompanied by an unpleasant announcement ; after August 2010 , Skype will start charging a monthly fee for the 3G calling feature on top of whatever fee you 're already paying your mobile operator for data transfer . Skype promises the fee will be reasonable . `` We 're not going to want to price ourselves out of the market . I ca n't ignore the fact that consumers -LRB- currently -RRB- use us for free , '' said Russ Shaw , Skype 's general manager for mobile . Still , one can not help but wonder how the users will react when faced with a double fee for mobile VoIP calls . How do you feel about it ? Will you continue using Skype over 3G after the fee is introduced ? © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved . | On Sunday , Skype 2.0 was launched for the iPhone 3G . After August 2010 , Skype will start charging a monthly fee for the 3G calling . The fee is in addition to what you 're paying your mobile operator for data transfer . | [[36, 76], [125, 147], [363, 468], [473, 536]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bea Arthur , the actress best known for her roles as television 's `` Maude '' and the sardonic Dorothy on `` The Golden Girls , '' has died of cancer , a family spokesman said Saturday . Bea Arthur , right , with `` Golden Girls '' co-star Rue McClanahan in June 2008 . She was 86 . Spokesman Dan Watt said that Arthur died Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles , her family by her side . She is survived by her sons Matthew and Daniel and grandchildren Kyra and Violet , he said . No funeral services are currently planned , Watt said , adding that the family asked that donations be made to either the Art Attack Foundation or PETA in lieu of flowers . Arthur 's opinionated Maude first appeared on Norman Lear 's `` All in the Family '' as Edith Bunker 's cousin , and was so popular that Lear created a spin-off series . In the '70s , `` Maude '' was ahead of the social curve , tackling hot topics not usually mentioned on situation comedies -- pornography , race relations and , in an episode titled `` Maude 's Dilemma , '' abortion . That episode spawned demonstrations and generated hate mail for Arthur -- when Maude and husband Walter -LRB- Bill Macy -RRB- decided on that episode they were too old to raise a child . But many saw Maude as an enduring icon for women 's liberation -- a big deal for the shy , Jewish girl born Bernice Frankel in New York City . During the Depression , Arthur 's family left the Big Apple and opened a clothing store in Cambridge , Maryland . By the time she was 12 , Arthur was nearly 5 feet , 10 inches tall , and self-conscious about her height . But she masked her insecurity with comedy and eventually returned to New York to study acting . Along the way , she had a short-lived marriage she never spoke about , but she kept the last name -- Arthur . The young Bea Arthur earned a living singing and doing stage work on Broadway and off-Broadway . Critics delighted in her haughty , serpent-tongued deliveries . Her first television appearance came in 1951 in a long-forgotten series called `` Once Upon a Tune , '' but she quickly made a name for herself with appearances on `` Studio One , '' `` Kraft Television Theatre '' and `` The Sid Caesar Show . '' Arthur drew attention in `` Threepenny Opera '' on Broadway with Lotte Lenya , but she really turned heads in 1964 originating the role of Yente the Matchmaker in `` Fiddler on the Roof . '' In 1966 , Arthur won a Tony Award for the caustic Vera Charles in the play `` Mame , '' playing opposite Angela Lansbury in the title role . Eight years later , she reprised the role in the film version opposite Lucille Ball , but by then she was already well-established as Maude . Arthur left `` Maude '' in 1978 , making television and some film appearances afterward . She starred in a short-lived series , `` Amanda 's , '' in 1983 and then joined the cast of `` The Golden Girls '' in 1985 with Betty White , Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty . Her role as Dorothy Zbornak gave Arthur her other major television success as one of four older women living together in Florida . -LRB- Getty played Arthur 's mother -RRB- . The role earned Arthur a second Emmy -- the first was for `` Maude . '' Arthur left the show after Dorothy remarried at the end of the 1991-92 season . White , McClanahan and Getty continued for another season on the show , renamed `` The Golden Palace , '' but the show lasted only one season without Arthur . Arthur entered semi-retirement after the show ended in 1992 , returning to television in sporadic guest appearances and appearing at several celebrity roasts . In the early part of this decade , Arthur appeared in several one-woman shows . Her last stage appearance was in 2006 . Her last television appearance was on `` The View '' in 2007 . | Actress Bea Arthur dies of cancer at age 86 , spokesman says . `` Maude , '' `` Golden Girls '' star was at home with family in Los Angeles . Arthur is survived by two sons and grandchildren . | [[146, 169], [172, 206], [290, 302], [303, 414], [415, 495]] |
Muscat , Oman -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cyclone Phet weakened as it churned along coastal Oman Friday , dumping up to 25 centimeters -LRB- 10 inches -RRB- of rain on the region . Phet , once a powerful Category 4 storm , has been downgraded to Category 1 with winds of about 140 km/hr -LRB- 86 mph -RRB- , according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Yet Phet brought massive flooding to Muscat and whipped the capital with winds gusting above 200 km/hr -LRB- 125 mph -RRB- at the height of the storm . The storm is forecast to reenter the Arabian Sea late Friday or early Saturday before making a projected landfall near Karachi , Pakistan , Sunday . In Pakistan , authorities dispatched Navy helicopters to alert fishermen near Karachi and parts of Balochistan to the expected arrival of Cyclone Phet and to urge them to return to shore , the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported Thursday . Navy units were on high alert should they be needed in the aftermath of the cyclone . Fourteen families marooned Thursday by high tides were evacuated by helicopter to higher ground , said Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Nauman Bashir . Civilians along Pakistan 's coast will receive priority in the relief effort , dubbed `` Operation Madad , '' should it be needed , he said . The Pakistan navy secured its ships near the threatened areas , Deputy Chief of Naval Staff -LRB- Operations -RRB- Vice Adm. Abass Raza told reporters in Islamabad . `` All the assets of Pakistan navy are safe and necessary precautionary measures have been taken to ensure their safety in case cyclone Phet hits the coastal areas of country , '' he said . | Phet dumps heavy rain along coast of Oman . Once powerful storm weakens . Phet is forecast to hit Pakistan Sunday . | [[0, 6], [9, 29], [33, 94], [499, 508], [578, 647]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He was known as the Wizard of Westwood , the architect of a dynasty at UCLA that will never be equaled . But John Wooden leaves behind a legacy much larger than victories on a basketball court . Wooden died Friday of natural causes at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center . He was 99 . His 100th birthday would have been October 14 . Wooden 's children , Nan and Jim Wooden , issued a statement asking that donations be made in his name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or another charity of choice . `` He has been , and always will be , the guiding light for our family . The love , guidance and support he has given us will never be forgotten , '' the said . `` Our peace of mind at this time is knowing that he has gone to be with our mother , whom he has continued to love and cherish . '' Wooden had been admitted to the hosptial on May 26 . Funeral services will be private , but the family said there would be a public memorial at a later date , with a reception for former players and coaches . `` There will never be another John Wooden , '' said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero . `` While this is a huge loss for the Bruin family , Coach Wooden 's influence reaches far beyond Westwood . Coach was a tremendously significant figure . `` This loss will be felt by individuals from all parts of society . He was not only the greatest coach in the history of any sport but he was an exceptional individual that transcended the sporting world . His enduring legacy as a role model is one we should all strive to emulate . '' `` This is a sad day at UCLA , '' said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block . `` Coach Wooden 's legacy transcends athletics ; what he did was produce leaders . '' Wooden was born on a farm in Martinsville , Indiana , in 1910 and learned to play basketball on an iron hoop that his father had forged and attached to the barn . He went to college at Purdue , winning All-America honors three times and leading the Boilermakers to the 1932 national collegiate championship . After marrying his high school sweetheart and life-long love Nell following his graduation , Wooden coached at the high school level and at Indiana State before being hired by UCLA in 1948 . His coaching methods , like his upbringing , seemed like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting : Simple , yet elegant . `` If there 's anything you could point out where I was a little different , it was the fact that i never mentioned winning , '' he once said . In 27 years at UCLA , his Bruins won an unprecedented 10 national championships in 12 years , including seven straight from 1967 to 1973 . UCLA also captured 19 conference titles and set an NCAA record with 88 consecutive wins over four seasons , but Wooden was more proud of his players accomplishments off the court . `` I think that 's the factor from which i have received the greatest satisfaction and pleasure . The fact that practically all of my players did get their degrees and practically all of them have done well in whatever their chosen profession might be , '' he said . Wooden retired from UCLA in 1975 , following his 10th national championship but would occasionally take in a Bruins game from the stands . Former Cal coach Pete Newell once said , `` John was a better coach at 55 than he was at 50 . He was a better coach at 60 than at 55 . He 's a true example of a man who learned from day one to day last . '' Wooden is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player -- one of only two men to attain that honor -- and many of the men he coached went on to stellar careers as well . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -LRB- then Lew Alcindor -RRB- , Gail Goodrich and Bill Walton all landed in the Basketball Hall of Fame beside their college coach , while others played in the NBA or even returned to UCLA later in Wooden 's footsteps . But Wooden 's legacy extended beyond his basketball expertise -- he coached leadership . He frequently recited what he termed his father 's `` two sets of three '' -- `` never lie , never cheat , never steal '' and `` do n't whine , do n't complain , do n't make excuses . '' And his well-known `` Pyramid of Success , '' begun in the 1930s , has been the system behind the success of many . `` His ` Pyramid of Success ' hangs in my office to remind me every day of what it takes to be an effective leader , '' Block said . `` He was truly a legend in his own time , and he will be a legend for generations to come . '' Wooden himself called the pyramid `` the only truly original thing I have ever done . '' The base of his five-level pyramid is made up of industriousness , friendship , loyalty , cooperation and enthusiasm . The next levels up are self-control , alertness , initiative and intentness , then condition , skill and team spirit followed by and poise and confidence . At the pinnacle is competitive greatness , which he defined as performing at top ability when that is required -- `` each day . '' `` Success is peace of mind , which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable , '' Wooden once said in explaining the pyramid . | NEW : UCLA AD : `` There will never be another John Wooden '' NEW : Wooden 's `` Pyramid of Success '' guided daily living . Wooden 's UCLA teams won 7 straight national titles from 1967 to 1973 . Teams won 88 consecutive games over four seasons . Coach retired in 1975 after 10th national championship . | [[1032, 1074], [1077, 1126], [2492, 2511], [2514, 2524], [2586, 2601], [2631, 2635], [2675, 2736], [3079, 3111], [3079, 3085], [3114, 3154]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tuesday 's Supreme Court decision in Berghuis v. Thompkins -- holding that , after being informed of their rights , suspects must explicitly tell police that they want to stay silent to invoke their Miranda protections -- indeed turns Miranda `` upside down , '' as one dissenting justice put it . Its potential consequences are as predictable as night following day : Police will interrogate criminal suspects who do not explicitly invoke their rights -- often , those will be suspects who are unsophisticated , poorly educated or mentally ill -- for hours on end . This will lead , just as inevitably , to more coerced -- and therefore unreliable -- confessions . And this will result in wrongful incarceration and diminish our collective security . This is the very phenomenon that Miranda aimed to eliminate . To be sure , the ruling is a setback for the protections designed to ensure an effective criminal justice system -LRB- Miranda requires police officers to inform suspects of the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney -RRB- . But there is one silver lining in Berghuis ' cloud : The ruling demonstrates that the Supreme Court is not shy about curtailing Miranda protections , even without prodding from Congress . Hence the ruling should derail Congress ' recent calls to enact an unnecessary , likely overbroad and possibly unconstitutional statute further restricting Miranda 's requirements . The issue arose when Attorney General Eric Holder , among others , called on lawmakers to step in and limit Miranda by expanding the `` public safety exception . '' That exception allows law enforcement officials to interrogate suspected terrorists for a limited time before advising them of their Miranda rights -- if the officers are `` reasonably prompted by a concern for public safety . '' But this call for codifying has always been somewhat baffling , as it is so clearly not needed . Expanding of the public safety exception legislatively may score political points for lawmakers or government officials bent on appearing tough on terrorism , but such action would not improve the efficacy of our counterterrorism policy . In fact , the public safety exception in its current form has proved extremely effective in allowing law enforcement the necessary flexibility in questioning terror suspects . After two recent attempted terror attacks , both the `` underwear bomber '' suspect , Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , and `` Times Square bomber '' suspect Faisal Shahzad were questioned under the public safety exception . They both reportedly provided interrogators with valuable intelligence during that time and continued to do so even after being advised of their rights . As the attorney general himself observed , `` the giving of Miranda warnings has not stopped these terror suspects from talking to us . They have continued to talk even though we have given them a Miranda warning . '' Legislation on the public safety exception is also risky . While courts consider the issues that come to them on a case-by-case basis , deciding what the law requires in the context of a particular set of circumstances , Congress must act in the abstract , imagining a variety of situations that might occur and attempting to draft a law able to address each of them . Thus any congressional attempt to define the scope of the public safety exception , especially in a political environment dominated by a sense that the next terrorist attempt might occur at any moment , is likely to overreach . Moreover , we know from the 2000 case Dickerson v. United States , which struck down a law aimed at limiting the scope of Miranda , that the Supreme Court will draw the line on curtailing Miranda 's protections . Thus any statute passed now to expand or codify the exception runs the risk of judicial invalidation . The result would be that any convictions secured through confessions elicited under the invalidated law would be reversed . Today 's decision , however , removes any doubt about whether Congress should take action . It should not . Without Congress ever introducing a bill or taking a single vote , the Supreme Court just expanded significantly law enforcement officials ' ability to interrogate at length all criminal suspects , terrorists or otherwise , even after they have been properly Mirandized . Until suspected terrorists unambiguously assert their desire to remain silent , government officials may continue to interrogate them for hours or even days , using any statement they make against them in subsequent prosecution . Moreover , this decision sends a strong signal : While it might look with hostility on congressional attempts to rein in the scope of the Miranda rule , the Supreme Court itself is willing to interpret narrowly the protections that Miranda affords criminal defendants . And it is willing to reach relatively far to do so . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Emily Berman . | Emily Berman says Supreme Court ruling easing up on Miranda protections is setback . But , she says , it should cause Congress to back off on legislating Miranda changes . Congress stepping in on Miranda risks political overreach , court challenges , she says . Berman : Court has shown it 's willing to make own narrow interpretation on Miranda . | [[855, 898], [1268, 1322], [1292, 1403], [1942, 2061], [3763, 3774], [3799, 3860], [4869, 4871], [4883, 4917], [1133, 1267], [4748, 4765], [4773, 4821], [4748, 4765], [4784, 4864]] |
-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- It seems that yet another member of the animal kingdom has taken a liking to the iPad -- dolphins . Cats love it and dogs are n't so sure , but apparently a bottlenose dolphin named Merlin is now an iPad enthusiast . Researcher Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin is working on using the Apple tablet device as a language interface for marine mammals . `` We think that once the dolphins get the hang of the touch screen , we can let them choose from a wide assortment of symbols to represent objects , actions and even emotions , '' Kassewitz said of the project . `` Merlin is quite curious , like most dolphins , and he showed complete willingness to examine the iPad . '' The young two-year-old Merlin -LRB- not the first two-year-old to enjoy the device ! -RRB- is reportedly able to use his snout to touch photos of objects on the iPad 's touchscreen after being shown their real-world counterparts . `` This is an easy task for a dolphin , but it is a necessary building block towards our goal of a complete language interface between humans and dolphins , '' said Kassewitz . What do you think of the latest member of kingdom Animalia becoming a fan of the iPad ? Do you think he 'll be upset by AT&T 's new data plan pricing ? © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved . | A bottlenose dolphin named Merlin is now an iPad enthusiast . A researcher is working on using the tablet as a language interface for marine mammals . Merlin reportedly uses his snout to touch photos of objects on the iPad . | [[168, 240], [241, 371], [241, 282], [294, 371], [168, 240], [780, 785], [805, 875], [812, 925]] |
-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- The AP Stylebook has released its new social media guidelines , including the official change from `` Web site '' to `` website '' -LRB- a move first reported back in April -RRB- and 41 other definitions , use cases and rules that journalists should follow . Among the more interesting changes -- at least from a grammar and style standpoint -- are separating out `` smart phone '' as two words , hyphenating `` e-reader , '' and allowing fan , friend and follow to be used both as nouns and verbs . Beyond that , the AP has also defined a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting and instant messaging . While most of them should be fairly well-known to regular web and mobile phone users -LRB- ROFL , BRB and G2G are among the definitions -RRB- one actually was new to me : POS . According to the AP , this stands for `` parent over shoulder '' -LRB- I 've used POS to refer to something else occasionally , but I digress -RRB- , and is used by `` teens and children to indicate , in an IM conversation , that a parent is approaching . '' Elsewhere , other terms making the cut include `` trending , '' `` retweet '' and `` unfriend '' -LRB- `` defriend '' is also acceptable , though the AP concludes it 's less common -RRB- . Finally , the AP also offers some basic rules of thumb for how social media should and should n't be used by journalists , with a focus on making sure they continue to confirm sources and information they find on blogs , tweets and other forms of social media . The full 2010 AP Stylebook , which includes the new social media guidelines , was released today and is available on the AP 's Web site . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved . | The AP has also defined a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting . According to the AP POS stands for `` parent over shoulder '' The full 2010 AP Stylebook was released Wednesday . | [[538, 582], [574, 582], [588, 640], [818, 837], [1528, 1554], [1563, 1603], [1528, 1554], [1606, 1624], [1528, 1554], [1629, 1665]] |
-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- Ever think that Google 's homepage was just a little too sparse ? If all of that white space bothers you , your prayers have been answered : Now you can customize your background on Google.com . You can now choose any photo or image from your hard drive or your Picasa Web Albums to enhance your search experience . A new link on the bottom left-hand corner of Google.com will soon appear for all users that will give them the ability to change their search background . The rollout begins with the U.S. over the next few days , with international users to follow . The announcement , written by Google VP of Search Products Marissa Mayer , does n't go into much detail as to why Google decided to add this feature . Personalization is n't something new -- iGoogle , Gmail and other Google products offer this type of feature already . However , the search giant has been working diligently to reduce clutter on the homepage . The new feature immediately reminds us of Bing , Microsoft 's upstart search engine . Every day it has a different photo on its homepage , and it has proven to be a popular feature . Will you be customizing your Google homepage ? Is this a smart move by the company ? Let us know in the comments . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved . | A link will soon appear on Google.com allowing users to change their search background . You can choose any photo or image from your hard drive or your Picasa Web Albums . The new feature immediately reminds us of Bing , Microsoft 's upstart search engine . | [[165, 218], [340, 405], [413, 426], [340, 395], [401, 426], [413, 426], [432, 494], [219, 230], [238, 339], [219, 339], [951, 997]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The leading edge of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was still several miles off the beaches of the Florida Panhandle on Thursday morning , but the slick was already hitting the area 's wallets . `` The phones just basically stopped ringing in the past couple of weeks for new bookings this summer , '' said Laura Lee , a spokeswoman for the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau . Florida 's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spotted oil sheen about six miles off Navarre Beach , east of Pensacola , on Thursday morning , according to the state Division of Emergency Management . Any oil that hits shore is likely to have been weathered into balls or mats of tar , or mixed with seawater in a pudding-like `` mousse , '' the agency reported . As of late Thursday morning , no oil or tar balls had washed up , said Buck Lee , executive director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority in Pensacola Beach . Lee , who is not related to Laura Lee , said the area had just had a `` super '' Memorial Day weekend -- but now , `` We 're just waiting anxiously to see what happens , '' he added . Laura Lee said a wave of hotel cancellations hit the island in late April , after the sinking of the offshore drill rig Deepwater Horizon uncapped an undersea oil well off Louisiana . Those tapered off soon afterward , she said -- `` But this week , there 's been another wave of cancellations , '' Laura Lee said . Hotels have responded to the threat by easing cancellation policies . `` Some had guarantees that they would get their money back if there was oil , '' she said . Families weigh Gulf Coast vacations . In addition , charter fishing -- another big business in the area -- has been hurt . Some skippers have gone to work for oil company BP , which has hired boats to help lay protective booms and skim oil off the surface of the Gulf . Tourism pumped about $ 1.2 billion into the Escambia County economy in 2009 , employing roughly 20,000 people and bringing about 3.5 million overnight visitors a year , according to tourism officials . Early July brings two of its biggest annual events -- the Independence Day holiday and the following weekend 's Pensacola Beach air show , which features the locally based Navy aerobatic team , the Blue Angels . Faced with those concerns , the locals are trying to harness the power of technology and social media to offset the threat . `` We 're encouraging our visitors who are currently here to post their vacation pictures on Facebook , and a lot of them have done that just so that visitors can see with their own eyes the oil has n't hit , '' Laura Lee said . And Buck Lee said the island authority hopes to put cameras on the beach and video streaming on the internet within about two weeks , `` so they can see for themselves whether there 's oil on the beach or not . '' `` And there may be , '' he said . `` But we 've got to get them the facts . '' | Tourism pumped about $ 1.2 billion into Pensacola , Florida-area economy last year . Oil spill still several miles offshore , but impact on tourism has already hit . Tourism official says `` another wave of cancellations '' this week . Hotels easing cancellation policies , asking current guests to post clean-beach photos on Internet . | [[409, 513], [1120, 1193], [1370, 1413], [1436, 1505], [1436, 1442], [1472, 1505], [2411, 2509]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ted Haggard , the former megachurch pastor and former National Association of Evangelicals chief whose career was undone by a gay prostitution and drugs scandal in 2006 , plans to start a new church . Standing in front of his barn , Haggard and his family announced Wednesday that they are starting a church in Colorado Springs , Colorado , called Saint James . The church , which will not be affiliated with any denomination , will have its first gathering Sunday at the Haggard home . `` All are welcome . Whether you 're a Democrat , a Republican , gay , straight , bi - -LSB- sexual -RSB- , tall , short , addict , recovering addict . ... I believe Jesus ' arms are open to all , '' he said . In 2006 , Haggard acknowledged having received a massage from a Denver , Colorado , man who said that the prominent pastor had paid him for sex over three years . Haggard also admitted he had bought methamphetamine but said he threw it away . Those statements led the Board of Overseers at New Life Church to fire Haggard as senior pastor . The church 's independent investigative board said he was guilty of `` sexually immoral conduct . '' After the allegations were made public , Haggard resigned as president of the influential National Association of Evangelicals , an umbrella group representing more than 45,000 churches with 30 million members . As part of his severance package with New Life Church , Haggard was barred from speaking publicly for a year . After that time elapsed , he made various media appearances , including starring in a documentary on HBO about his life . Sunday 's service will mark his first return to the ministry in a full-time capacity . `` This is an emotional morning for me , '' he told reporters . Flanked by his wife Gayle and their children and grandchildren , he said the family members had prayed long and hard before deciding to start another church . `` While many believe I am not qualified , nor will I ever be because of what we 've been through , I may be qualified to help other people in need , '' Haggard said . `` I do n't expect to have another megachurch . I 'll be so pleased if a handful of people join with us . Something is better than nothing , and helping one is better than helping none . '' In response to a question , Haggard said he had no plans to perform gay marriages at the new church ; that the only marriages he will perform will be between a man and a woman . `` Those are the marriages we 'll do in our church , '' he said . `` As for society , that 's a different story . '' His wife said she backed the move . `` I was not willing to let the scandal be the last chapter in our lives , '' Gayle Haggard told reporters . In a statement , New Life Church said it `` will always be grateful for the many years of dedicated leadership from Ted and Gayle Haggard and we wish their family only the best . '' | Ted Haggard 's career as a pastor went south after a sex and drugs scandal in 2006 . Haggard admitted to the sex allegations , but said he tossed the drugs . He also stepped aside as pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church . First service to be Sunday at his house ; `` I do n't expect to have another megachurch , '' he says . | [[94, 187], [879, 886], [901, 903], [935, 958], [381, 444], [447, 505], [2084, 2128]] |
Port-au-Prince , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ronide Baduel keeps a broken teacup tucked away for safekeeping . One day , she will look at it , maybe even smile , and recall how life 's rhythms shifted with the earth in January . She was unlike many of her Haitian compatriots who were barely squeaking by . She had everything : an education , a decent job as a nurse , a three-bedroom home she rented with her teenage son , who was in school . But when the massive earthquake struck , Baduel 's house collapsed . For the first time in her life , she had nothing . She ran through the streets clutching the hand of her injured son , following the crowd to Champs de Mars , a large plaza near the heavily damaged presidential palace . She spent the first night sitting on a low concrete wall . In the morning light , she saw the panicked look in the faces of thousands of people and she thought the worst . `` Life was done , '' she said . `` There was going to be no tomorrow . '' She was well-off . But a natural disaster had plunged her to the depths of poverty . Earthquakes are not discriminating . Nor are the makeshift camps that sprouted all over the capital . When CNN first met Baduel , just two weeks after the quake , she was sleeping on dirt , under a few sheets of plastic . She had managed to buy a black faux patent leather handbag in which she kept a few personal items : Shampoo . Soap . A change of clothes . And two wallet-size photos of herself and her son that she rescued from the rubble of her house . There was nothing else in her tent . `` It was as though I had gone to hell , '' she said . Baduel did not know how to live in squalor . It was not as though she had come from Cite Soleil , Port-au-Prince 's biggest slum , where many people , even before the earthquake , slept under tarps or on the streets . `` It was harder for middle-class people like me , '' she said . `` It 's more difficult for those who had something before . I spent my money on my house , and the rest I saved for the future . '' Robbed of her privacy , she struggled to attain some kind of dignity . When the private hospital where she worked , the Clinique de la Sante , reopened , she made sure to bathe there in the morning and then again before leaving for the night . There , she did not have to wash in public . Days turned to weeks . Mornings , afternoons , nights -- they were all the same in the tent city . Nothing to do but endure . Baduel watched the people around her . They were survivors . They lived among flies and filth , but they fed their children and cleaned their tents . They made the most of what they had left : their lives . She understood then that there was a God . And that she , too , had to give thanks that she was not crushed in the rubble and that her son 's injury was not life-threatening . She understood that life was not done . At the end of March , after more than two months in the tent city , Baduel moved to her sister 's flat when it was deemed safe . There , Baduel began to feel halfway back to having a proper existence . She has the use of a kitchen , a bathroom . When the city 's flickering electricity is on , she can even watch a bit of television . She sleeps in a netted tent set up behind a locked gate in the front yard . It zips up tightly . Inside are fresh white linens . In late April , when CNN caught up with her again , she could manage a smile , but anxiety still defined her face . She did n't know yet how she would regain her life . In Haiti , she says , there is no such thing as insurance . No one will pay her a cent for the estimated $ 20,000 loss in personal property . She understands why impoverished people in the camps do not want to leave . There , at least , they have access to food , water and basic goods distributed by aid agencies . The wealthy fled the country or are able to sustain themselves otherwise . But for those in the middle , the struggle is particularly hard , Baduel says . Last November , her ex-husband died unexpectedly . He used to help pay expenses for her son . To make matters worse , even private hospitals in Port-au-Prince are suffering because people are flocking to public ones for free service . Baduel 's monthly income , about $ 600 before the quake because she worked two jobs , has dipped to about $ 87 , and rents are sky-high because of the demand for housing . But she will never return to a tent and tarp encampment . `` Not me , '' she says with defiance . `` Never . '' She despised every moment at Champs de Mars but appreciates the way the experience changed her perspective on life . `` I probably spent too much money on making myself and my surroundings beautiful , '' she says . She wants to say something else , but the words never leave her lips . She hates that her future is so uncertain . If nothing else , she will leave her job and the city in which she was raised and go to live with her father in the town of Jeremie in western Haiti . She has already sent her son to live with another sister in Fontamara , away from central Port-au-Prince . She also sent the broken teacup there . For now , she does n't need to look at it . She does n't need any reminders . | After the January Haiti quake , Ronide Baduel had nothing for the first time in her life . She was educated and well-off , but a natural disaster plunged her to the depths of poverty . For a while , she stayed in Port-au-Prince 's biggest slum with her son . `` It 's more difficult for those who had something before , '' she says . | [[510, 540], [543, 560], [977, 995], [996, 1061], [1672, 1741], [921, 934], [1599, 1612], [1882, 1895], [1897, 1929], [1924, 1929], [1934, 1956], [4691, 4704]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The notoriously private Janet Jackson opened up about her brother 's death on `` The Oprah Winfrey Show '' Friday , admitting that the family knew he had a problem . `` People think we were in denial but we were n't . We tried intervention several times . He was very much in denial -- he did n't think he had a problem . '' When the news first broke that Michael was ill , Jackson said she first heard about it from an assistant while she was home in New York . The last time she saw her brother was about a month before , she said , at a party she had thrown for their parents . `` He was thin then , and we knew that he had a problem ; we all did , '' she said . His death , she told Winfrey , is `` hard to believe still to this day . There is n't a day that goes by that I do n't think about it -- that all of us in the family do n't think about it -- every single day . '' Her brother 's passing happened right as Janet Jackson had started production on Tyler Perry 's new film , `` Why Did I Get Married Too ? '' and the emotional turmoil she was in comes through in the film , Winfrey said . `` It was very therapeutic , '' Jackson said of her role . Tyler Perry , she added , was by her side the entire time , asking her how she wanted to be treated on set , making sure no one had access to images of Jackson crying in character -LRB- lest a tabloid run them as evidence of what Jackson was going through at the time -RRB- , and even changing the ending of the movie , which opens nationwide Friday , for her . `` I changed the ending because at first she was going to speak at the funeral , and the things that she was going to say , it was too eerie , '' Perry , who also was on the show , told Winfrey . `` She did n't want to change it , but I did . '' Veering from the topic of his movie , Perry told Winfrey he felt the need to reiterate how hard the Jackson family worked to try to save their brother . `` I 'm sorry , but I want people to know this , '' Perry said . `` I want people to know how much they tried . They really , really tried -- the entire family . I want the whole world to know how much they tried . '' The family was worried , Jackson said , and did several interventions . At one of them , Jackson said she became so overwhelmed , `` seeing him and knowing that there was an issue that he was in denial about , '' she had to leave the room . `` A lot of the relationships I 've been in , they 've had issues with addiction . It 's difficult when you see it . -LSB- I -RSB- recognize it so quickly because I 've dealt with it in past relationships . '' For Jackson , it 's difficult to even look at pictures of Michael as an adult or listen to his music ; the only images she can stand to view are those of the pair as children . `` When we were kids , we had so much fun together , '' she said . `` We used to spend every day , all day , together . I have a beautiful picture in my home of he and I when we were just babies . It takes me to that place , even when he was still here , that I missed , that we would talk about . That -LSB- picture -RSB- I can look at . '' The emotional turmoil Jackson was dealing with , both in her role in Perry 's movie as well as personally , began to affect her physically as well : Jackson said she 's definitely an emotional eater . `` When I 'm feeling down , I do turn to food , '' she told Winfrey . Her struggle with her weight has even led Jackson to write a book about it , to answer those persistent questions everyone always has about her weight . `` Instead of writing about nutrition , I decided to go into my childhood , where I 've always had issues with my weight , '' Jackson said , adding that the book would touch on issues like self-confidence as well . | Janet Jackson opens up about her new movie and life after her brother 's death . Jackson said her role in Tyler Perry 's `` Why Did I Get Married Too ? '' was very therapeutic . Jackson said she thinks about Michael 's death every day . She added that the family knew he had a problem , and tried to intervene . | [[0, 15], [57, 93], [1148, 1177], [0, 15], [57, 93], [758, 818], [0, 15], [135, 184], [237, 274], [626, 655], [2051, 2055], [2065, 2077], [2081, 2100], [2246, 2253], [2305, 2336]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A cop killer and child molester who has been on the U.S. Marshals Service 's 15 most-wanted fugitive list for nearly four years was captured early Wednesday , authorities said . Paul Clouston , 73 , was taken into custody at a men 's group home in Merced , California , said Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Connolly . Agents with the fugitive task force `` observed a man resembling Clouston seated in a chair and reading a newspaper , '' said the Marshals Service in a statement . `` He provided a false name three times before he said , ` I 'm Paul Clouston and I 'm tired of running , ' '' Connolly told CNN . `` We always say we go after the worst of the worst , and it does n't get much worse than this type of predator , '' Connolly added . `` We 're happy he 's off the streets . '' Connolly said a viewer tip to the TV program `` America 's Most Wanted '' led agents to the killer . Clouston murdered a police detective in Buena Park , California , in 1972 . He was convicted a year later . After serving 10 years in prison for the slaying , Clouston was released in 1982 . In 1991 , he was indicted on 17 counts of sexually abusing children in the Williamsburg , Virginia , area , according to the U.S. Marshals Service . Clouston pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent back to prison . He was paroled in 2005 but was placed on the fugitive list after he failed to register as a convicted sexual offender in Virginia . `` The capture of Paul Clouston is a testament to the effectiveness of our 15 most wanted list and the partnerships we maintain with other law enforcement agencies , '' said John F. Clark , director of the U.S. Marshals Service in a statement . `` It also speaks volumes to the value of someone doing the right thing and reporting a suspicious individual . '' | Fugitive Paul Clouston , 73 , taken into custody at men 's group home in California . Clouston convicted , served time for killing police detective . Clouston became fugitive when he failed to register as convicted sex offender . Viewer tip to TV 's `` America 's Most Wanted '' led agents to Clouston , official says . | [[197, 210], [213, 273], [904, 954], [970, 979], [1313, 1315], [1331, 1444], [803, 847]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Americans are in a war that pits the politically correct against Christmas carolers , some say . They say it 's a battle that plays out in the halls of Congress , retail stores and public schools across the country , and it 's one that 's been raging for years . Republican Rep. Henry Brown of South Carolina introduced a resolution this month asking that the House express support for the use of Christmas symbols and traditions and frown on any attempt to ban references to the holiday . `` Each year , I could see a diminishing value of the spiritual part of Christmas , '' Brown said . `` It would seem like another group would go from the Christmas spirit to the holiday spirit . '' `` What I 'm afraid of -- if we do n't bring some kind of closure to this continuous change , then in 20 years it will almost be completely different from what we see today ... and so we would lose the whole emphasis of what the very early beginnings of Christmas was all about . '' So far , the resolution has one Democrat and 72 Republicans as co-sponsors . The House has n't taken it up , but the chamber adopted similar resolutions in the past . Barry Lynn , an ordained minister and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State , is n't keen on the prospect of congressional action . `` Resolutions like this come up because there is this bizarre view by some members of Congress that there is a war on Christmas and that they have to be the generals in some responding army , '' he said . `` My advice to the lawmakers would be promote any religion you have through your private acts , and do n't try to ` help ' the baby Jesus by passing a resolution on his behalf . It is arrogant and ridiculous at the same time , '' Lynn said . Christmas is in no danger of being ignored , Lynn said , noting that signs of the holiday emerge as soon as Halloween passes . `` You would literally have to be living in a very deep cave not to understand that there is a religious holiday called Christmas that is soon to come , '' he said . In his view , some people feel a `` false sense of some kind of attack on Christmas '' if a school holds a winter concert instead of a Christmas concert , or if retailers declare `` Happy Holidays '' instead of `` Merry Christmas . '' Time.com : Brief history of the war on Christmas . In California , Tea Party activist Merry Hyatt is trying to get support for a ballot initiative that would require that public schools give their students an opportunity to hear Christmas songs . -LRB- Parents could opt out for their children -RRB- . Lynn said the move violates the principles of church-state separation . `` It 's not being anti-Christmas to recognize that most Christmas carols are really hymns , and a hymn is a prayer set to music . '' Mathew Staver , law school dean at Liberty University , a Virginia college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell , said , however , that some schools and businesses are going too far to `` censor '' Christmas because they do n't know the laws . Staver founded the Liberty Counsel , a nonprofit litigation group dedicated to advancing religious freedom and conservative values . The counsel provides free legal advice and defense for government entities to ensure religious viewpoints on Christmas are not censored . One example Staver cited began in Oregon , where an elementary school principal replaced Christmas trees with snowmen and banned all religious symbols , saying Santa Claus fell into the category . Liberty Counsel sent the principal a letter telling her the law does n't require her to `` secularize '' the holiday . The counsel also pointed out that by banning religious symbols for a holiday with secular components , she risked violating the Constitution by not being `` viewpoint neutral , '' Staver said . Parents were upset as well . The principal eventually changed course and restored the tree and jolly St. Nick . Staver keeps a `` Naughty & Nice '' list that shows which retailers include references to Christmas in their advertising and which do not . When he started the list five years ago , both sides were about even , but this year the `` nice '' list is longer . `` It 's better this year than it was in 2005 , but I think it 's better this year because we and others have made a point to make sure that Christmas is not forgotten , '' he said . Peter Sprigg , a senior fellow for policy studies with the Family Research Council , which promotes Christian values , said the `` pro-Christmas side '' has made progress in recent years . In some circles , he said , `` Political correctness is preventing people from even sayings ` Merry Christmas . ' '' He said it 's important to defend the right of people to celebrate the holiday and noted that December 25 is a federal holiday the government recognizes as Christmas . `` If we want to be concerned about the fact that we are a multicultural nation , then the solution is to allow everyone the freedom to celebrate what they want rather than stifling the celebration of the majority because it might be offensive to the minority , '' Sprigg said . In Washington , Republicans have taken up the war on Christmas as their own battle . `` Republicans and conservatives have definitely gained a lot of political points by pointing out some of the silliest and more extreme examples of political correctness , '' said Tom Smith , director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center . But Republicans also should worry about pushing it too far , he added , because the American people believe in `` good liberal thoughts '' like `` diversity and different people all being treated the same . '' It 's OK to attack political correctness , he said , but the GOP must be careful not to come off as `` anti-minority or against diversity . '' The attack can backfire as well if voters think their representative is more committed to protecting Christmas than protecting jobs or economic stability , Smith said . For Staver , the campaign to save Christmas continues , and it 's one he will never abandon . `` What happens this year is not necessarily an indication of what will happen next year , so I think each Christmas has to stand on its own and I think each one is worth fighting for , '' he said . `` I think we are winning a lot of the battles in the war on Christmas , but I do n't think the war is done , and I do n't think it ever will be . '' | There 's a resolution in the House to frown on attempts to ban references to Christmas . Others say signs of the holiday are everywhere in public space ; `` war '' over Christmas is not real . Some go too far to `` censor '' Christmas because they do n't know the laws , Mathew Staver says . Attacking political correctness is a balancing act , survey research expert says . | [[282, 473], [462, 465], [474, 508], [2810, 2852], [2926, 2930], [2933, 2940], [2943, 3019], [2948, 3009], [3020, 3055]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 32-year-old Puerto Rican recruiter for a cosmetology school in Chicago , Illinois , accused federal immigration authorities on Thursday of throwing him in jail over the weekend as a result of racial profiling . `` I was just profiled , '' Eduardo Caraballo told CNN in a telephone interview . The incident began on May 18 , when police showed up at the building housing the school in the suburban Chicago town of Berwyn . The school is owned by his mother . The building includes a storage area where police found a car that Caraballo said he was storing for a friend -- but which turned out to have been stolen . After 48 hours in police custody , Caraballo was interviewed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent , he said . `` She did not believe I was Puerto Rican because of the way I look and the way I talk , '' he said . `` I guess I have a Mexican accent . '' On May 20 , he was taken to the Cook County Correctional Center . Authorities there told his mother , Patricia Caraballo , that she could not bail him out because immigration had a hold on him , he said . His mother , who is Mexican , then took her son 's birth certificate to immigration authorities , her son said . But immigration officials asked the younger Caraballo to describe his life in Puerto Rico , a U.S. commonwealth ; scrutinized the papers brought by his mother ; and came away unpersuaded . `` Last time I was in Puerto Rico , I was 18 years old , '' Caraballo said . `` I do n't really like Puerto Rico -- or Mexico . I like Chicago . I was raised here . '' Finally , on Monday , an ICE supervisor allowed him to leave . `` If it was that simple , why could n't they do it Friday ? '' Caraballo asked . The Rev. Walter L. Coleman , of Lincoln United Methodist Church in Chicago , has taken up Caraballo 's cause . `` This was based on a clear case of racial profiling and a clear distrust that would not have been extended to a Caucasian or somebody who was Anglo-American , '' Coleman told reporters Thursday . `` We have an integral connection between racial profiling and discrimination and the prosecution of our broken racial laws , '' he added . `` It 's everywhere in this country and it 's going to intensify . '' Chris Bergin , a lawyer for Familia Latina Unida Ministries and Centro Sin Fronteras , said he was considering taking legal action against the government on behalf of Caraballo . That is an example of what we 're facing as we see a broken immigration system that is aimed really at Latinos and aimed at intimidation and aimed at persecution and aimed at discrimination and ultimately aimed at disempowering the entire community in this country , '' Bergin said . In a statement , ICE said it `` places ` detainers ' or holds on individuals whom we have reason to believe are in the U.S. in violation of law . Based upon the evidence initially available on this individual , ICE agents placed a detainer on him . However , after ICE confirmed the individual 's identity as a U.S. citizen , we immediately canceled the detainer . `` This individual was held in local law enforcement custody over the weekend on an ICE detainer based on initially available information that he was an alien subject to deportation . ICE took custody of him on Monday morning and released him within one hour , after his identity was verified , and the ICE detainer was canceled . '' But that explanation did n't placate Bergin . `` They 're supposed to be the experts in this and they did n't act like experts , '' he said . `` When it comes to Latinos , what has happened is they have flipped the coin on its head : The burden of proof now is on them to prove that they are legal , that they are citizens . ... That is not what America is about . '' And ICE 's defense raised eyebrows from Jacqueline Stevens , professor of political science at Northwestern University in Evanston , Illinois , outside Chicago . `` Their defense is only valid if someone is foreign-born , '' she said . `` It 's not a valid defense if someone is asserting that they 're born in the United States . That 's basically kidnapping and false imprisonment . '' But such incidents are not unusual , said Stevens , who went through the files of an immigration and refugee rights project and found that 82 cases -- 1 percent of the total -- involved U.S. citizens , most of whom had been held for one to three months . That would translate to 4,000 of the 400,000 people detained last year by ICE , Stevens said . She also tracked 30 cases since 2003 where ICE went a step further and deported U.S. citizens , she said . In one case , it took a man wrongfully deported to Jamaica a decade to put together the paperwork to return to the United States , she said . | Puerto Rican detained over the weekend on ICE orders . `` This was based on a clear case of racial profiling , '' his defender says . ICE : `` We immediately canceled the detainer '' Lawyer : `` This is not what America is about '' | [[964, 997], [1021, 1090], [2911, 2948], [1829, 1903], [2959, 3023], [3026, 3064], [3364, 3395], [3728, 3763]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Perez Hilton is a celebrity blogger who dishes out the latest Hollywood gossip , but there 's something about his personal life you may not know . Latino gays say they face a double dose of discrimination . Hilton is a Latino pioneer . He is one of the first Latino public figures in the U.S. to be openly gay . While Latinos have broken ground on the U.S. Supreme Court , in Hollywood and in professional sports , gay Latinos in the nation 's public arena remain largely invisible . Hilton says deep-seated homophobia within the Latino community has forced many gay Latinos to go underground , but attitudes are shifting . `` At the beginning , when I came out to my mom , she reacted with a sigh and said , ` You 're my son and I have to love you , ' '' Hilton says . `` But now she says , ` You 're the best son in the world , and we need to find you a man . ' '' Some gay Latino leaders are starting to share Hilton 's optimism . The Latino community has long had a reputation for being notoriously homophobic . But some surprising developments within the Latino world -- in the United States and abroad -- suggest that may be changing , gay scholars and activists say . ` Walls are starting to crumble ' `` A lot of walls are starting to crumble , '' says Charlie Vazquez , a New York-based author whose fiction has appeared in books such as `` Best Gay Love Stories : NYC . '' `` We 're at a crossroads , '' he says . `` A new generation of better-educated Latinos is coming of age . '' Gay Latino activists point to several signs of this transformation : . El Diario La Prensa , one of the oldest and largest Spanish-language newspapers in the U.S. , recently endorsed the rights of same-sex couples to marry . Within the past three years , lawmakers in countries as diverse as Uruguay , Colombia and Mexico have passed laws granting rights and protections to gays and lesbians . Christian Chavez , lead singer of the popular pop Mexican band RBD , recently announced that he was gay . `` He was n't rejected by any of his band mates or fans , '' Hilton says of Chavez . `` That 's a huge step for gay visibility in the Latino media world . '' And far away from the stage , even some of the most vulnerable gay Latinos -- ordinary students in public high schools -- are finding more support , one group says . While many gay Latino students still face physical and verbal harassment from classmates and teachers , more are becoming bolder about affirming their sexual identity , a recent survey found . A 2007 survey conducted by the Gay , Lesbian and Straight Education Network discovered that at schools where a Gay Student Alliance club existed , 59 percent of gay Latino students participated in the club , says Elizabeth Diaz , a senior researcher at the network . The survey defined gay youths as those who were lesbian , gay , bisexual or transgender . The network also says that since 1999 , at least 4,000 Gay Student Alliances have formed groups at public and private schools in the United States . `` While harassment in schools for Latino gay students remained high , we also know that these students have more support than in past generations , '' Diaz says . At least one Latina scholar is now even questioning a fundamental assumption about homophobia in the Latino community . Lourdes Torres , president of Amigas Latinas , a lesbian and bisexual support group , says the notion that Latino people are more homophobic and its men more macho is not only false , but tinged with racism . Men from all sorts of ethnic groups have long acted in a patriarchal manner , but only Latino men have the term `` machismo '' attached to their behavior , she says . `` People tend to think that somehow , we 're more repressed and living in the Dark Ages , '' says Torres , a professor at DePaul University in Chicago , Illinois . `` They forget that just as things are changing in the U.S. , they 're also changing in Latin America , '' she says . The walls that still stand . Yet Torres and others also say that being gay and Latino presents special challenges . Like other gay people of color , Latino gays face a double bind : discrimination from mainstream culture and from their own community , Torres says . This double bind presents an obstacle to Latinos who consider coming out , Torres says . Their challenge : risking rejection from their family when they need their family as a refuge from racism , she says . `` The family is the unit that provides the support and the one place that people can feel free and protected , '' Torres says . `` It becomes doubly difficult for people to come out . '' Those who take that risk may pay a price . Emanuel Xavier , a gay poet and spoken word artist , says he almost destroyed himself because he could n't find acceptance within the Latino community . The New York-based poet says he grew up knowing that his sexual identity infuriated other Latinos . He once saw kids pelt a gay Latino hairdresser with stones . He routinely heard Roman Catholic priests condemn homosexuals . His own mother called him names when she discovered he was gay , says Xavier , editor of `` Mariposas : A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry . '' Xavier says he was so filled with self-loathing that he once sold drugs and engaged in risky sexual behavior . `` I became all those things society expected me to become , '' he says . `` I thought that was the only thing I could be . '' Xavier says he decided to ditch his reckless lifestyle and become a poet . He reconciled with his mother and took on a new mission . He wanted to show others that one could be Latino , gay and proud . `` Fortunately , I walked away unscathed , '' he says of his earlier days . `` I thought that God had given me a second chance , and I felt like I had to do something with that . '' Gay Latinos like Xavier who decide to become activists , though , may run into an unexpected problem . How do you organize a community that is so fragmented ? People often talk about the Latino community in the U.S. as if it is one community . Yet Latino leaders often point out that there is not one Latino community in the U.S. , but many . A U.S. citizen from Guatemala , for example , may not appreciate being called a Mexican . Politics , food , history -- they all differ among various Latino groups in the U.S. Andres Duque , a gay Latino activist and journalist , says those differences can make it difficult to mobilize support for Latino gay issues . `` It 's difficult to get united around a single issue , '' says Duque , whose blogging name is `` Blabbeando . '' `` When people are trying to form a Latino voice , it 's difficult because you have different cultures with different visions and goals , '' Duque says . For now , Hilton , the Hollywood blogger , may seem like a coalition of one -- a Latino public figure who is proud of being gay . But he says he does n't feel isolated . `` I really do n't think I 'm alone , '' he says . `` I do n't feel alone . '' He says that gay Latinos who decide to stop living undercover will become more commonplace in the future . `` It 's tough -- I 'm not saying it 's not there , '' Hilton says of homophobia in the Latino community . `` But as time goes on , it will change . '' | Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton talks about coming out . Openly gay Latino public figures like Hilton are rare . Gay Latinos say they face discrimination in and outside their community . Gay activist : `` I thought that God had given me a second chance '' | [[166, 225], [182, 225], [503, 565], [515, 611], [3035, 3103], [4007, 4028], [4034, 4093], [7171, 7225], [5730, 5777]] |
TOKYO , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Yoshiko Sato would love to give her only son a brother or a sister . But money struggles and Japan 's cost of living have pushed the mother to wait . Japanese mother Yoshiko Sato says the proposal `` would help us with a second child . '' A proposal to pay parents about $ 3,400 a year per child has got her thinking seriously about expanding her family . The cash for kids plan is the brainchild of the country 's new ruling Democratic Party of Japan , which came into power during the elections this week . The proposal has garnered supporters and critics . `` It would help us with a second child , '' Sato said . The proposal would pay families the money every year until the child reached high school . It is an effort to boost Japan 's birthrate , which is one of the lowest in the world and is a major drag on the country 's economy . It is compounded by Japan 's rapidly aging population . About a quarter of the country 's population is older than 65 , according to government figures . By 2050 , that number is expected to reach 40 percent . Watch as some parents ponder procreation '' Nevertheless , the money for babies proposal has its critics . Economist Yuri Okina said she wonders where Japan 's government is going to come up with the money to fund it . The plan is not an instant fix , she said . What 's needed , Okina said , is a way for women to remain in the work force after having children instead of being forced out because of lack of child care . `` We have to make it normal in Japan for a woman to raise a child and have a career , '' Okina said . Critics also have said the plan would not fix a significant problem for working families -- the lack of day care centers . About 40,000 children are on waiting lists for day care , according to government figures . These facilities ' scarcity is problematic for mothers such as Hiromi Espineli . `` Going back to work would be tough , '' she said , `` since there are so few day care centers . '' | New ruling party proposes to pay parents about $ 3,400 a year per child . Democratic Party of Japan came to power this week in elections . Plan is an effort to boost Japan 's birthrate , one of the world 's lowest . Critics say plan would n't fix problem of too few day care centers . | [[272, 311], [272, 388], [389, 484], [389, 484], [479, 484], [493, 541], [747, 749], [757, 784], [1144, 1191], [1610, 1617], [1623, 1698], [1945, 1956], [1959, 2003]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a time of voter anger at unsustainable government spending and Washington hypocrisy , here 's a story that should get your blood up . Last week , the House of Representatives considered eliminating a nearly half-billion dollar earmark that was snuck into a defense authorization bill . But members of both parties voted to keep the corporate pork in the bill -- despite a supposed moratorium on earmarks and despite that the Pentagon has repeatedly said it does n't want the money . Only in Washington would bureaucracy be force-fed a project it does n't want or need . But so far , we have n't seen this contempt for taxpayer dollars make its way to protest signs or talk radio driven talking points . That 's because President Obama opposes the earmark and the Republican congressional leadership voted for it . This does n't fit neatly into the hyperpartisan narrative of screaming about socialism -- in which Republicans bewail overspending by Democrats -- but it 's a perfect illustration of how deep the dysfunction is in Washington . At issue is the alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter platform , a corporate subsidized boondoggle that has cost taxpayers $ 1.2 billion in earmarks since 2004 . It is estimated to cost at least $ 2.9 billion more until its completion . Defenders argue that paying GE and Rolls Royce to develop a second engine for Air Force fighters will stimulate competition in the defense industry and bring down costs in the long run while protecting jobs in the short run . Critics point out that crony capitalism ca n't create a true free market in the defense industry -- it 's the equivalent of diet hucksters who claim you can eat yourself fitter . This is about money : pork barrel politics hiding under the noble banner of national defense . Here 's how the sordid story unfolded : . An anonymous earmark was added to the defense authorization bill , requesting $ 485 million in new funds for the alternate engine program , despite a much-ballyhooed moratorium on earmarks going to for-profit entities -LRB- agreed to by Democrats -RRB- , and a total ban on earmark requests agreed to by Republicans for fiscal year 2011 . In reaction , a small bipartisan group of members of Congress -- led by Democrat Chellie Pingree of Maine and Republican Tom Rooney of Florida , joined by Democrat John Larson of Connecticut and Republican Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia -- proposed an amendment to strip the bill of the ugly anonymous earmark . Their principled stand went down to defeat by a vote of 193 to 231 . It 's no surprise that in a recession , the congressional representatives of Ohio and Indiana would vote to keep the earmark subsidy in the bill , including the normally stalwart fiscal conservative Mike Pence of Indiana . Those states are benefiting most from the development of the engines in terms of jobs on the ground . What 's more surprising is why so many of their colleagues would climb on this pork-barrel bandwagon , including the Republican congressional leadership led by John Boehner and Eric Cantor , who are trying to build the midterm election campaign around a promise to restore fiscal discipline . That selling job that should be even tougher since a majority of Democrats voted to kill the alternate engine and a majority of Republicans voted to keep it going . `` This was the first big earmark test for 2010 , and Congress failed , '' said Thomas A. Schatz , the President of Citizens Against Government Waste , which has been a steadfast critic of the alternate engine and recently released a detailed report on the subject . `` Neither party comes out looking good , but Republicans in particular missed a golden opportunity to show that they are really serious about getting government spending under control . '' The next chance to stop the half-billion dollar alternate engine earmark is the Senate , when it takes up the defense authorization bill later this month . But even success there from genuine fiscal conservatives such as John McCain could be undone when the bill goes to conference -- it 's the Washington way . The final stop would be a presidential veto , which President Obama has promised , under advice from Defense Secretary Gates . A half century ago , Republican President Eisenhower warned about the influence of the military-industrial complex . The former five-star general crusaded against government waste , especially in the military , because he knew that a figure with lesser credibility could be attacked as being `` soft on communism '' for proposing responsible cuts from the Pentagon budget during the Cold War . We are at war today on two fronts , even as we face down a fiscal crisis and escalating deficits and debt . We owe it to our troops to see that every dollar allocated to the military is spent where they need it , not where congressional appropriators want it . And if fiscal conservative protesters can not marshal their energy to oppose this half-billion dollar boondoggle , then it is not just Congress ' hypocrisy they should be angry at -- it is their own . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John P. Avlon . | House defeated a bid to kill a defense spending project that Pentagon says it does n't need . John Avlon says GOP critics of government spending voted for half-billion dollar project . He says this was a clear-cut case of a way to cut the budget deficit . Avlon asks how GOP can run on platform of cutting spending while supporting this project . | [[452, 513]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gov. David Paterson had no intention of appointing Caroline Kennedy to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton , a source close to the New York governor told CNN Thursday . Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for Hillary Clinton 's Senate seat . The source told CNN that Paterson did not think Kennedy was `` ready for prime time , '' citing her efforts , at times awkward , to try to win the appointment . `` She clearly has no policy experience and could n't handle the pressure , '' said the source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation . `` Why would he pick her given how badly she handled herself in recent weeks ? '' Kennedy , 51 , cited personal reasons for her decision not to continue pursuing the Senate seat . She informed the media at midnight , as Wednesday turned to Thursday . Paterson is charged with naming a replacement for Clinton , who resigned her seat to become the secretary of state in President Obama 's administration . Paterson will appoint someone to hold the seat until a new election is held in 2010 . A Kennedy ally , though , denied Kennedy had any indication Paterson was leaning against choosing her to fill out Clinton 's term . And another Kennedy confidante said Kennedy allies are getting frustrated about what they perceive as the governor 's insiders slighting her . Paterson , who is expected to name his choice Friday , has been coy about who he will pick to replace Clinton . Kennedy had been very public in expressing her interest in the seat by meeting with state and community leaders throughout the state . Her uncle , Sen. Edward Kennedy , D-Massachusetts , was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday following Obama 's swearing-in ceremony . But an aide to Caroline Kennedy indicated Sen. Kennedy 's health was not the reason she decided to withdraw . By early Thursday afternoon , there was still confusion over how and why Kennedy withdrew her name from consideration . The source close to the governor told CNN that Kennedy initially called Paterson in the afternoon to tell him that `` she was feeling unsure about her candidacy '' and `` asked him for 24 hours to think about it . '' A Kennedy aide said that during the call with the governor , it was Paterson who told her to take more time to think about her decision . Later Wednesday evening , the governor started getting phone calls from the media saying they heard she had withdrawn . At around 11 p.m. ET , the source close to the governor said Kennedy called Paterson and `` said she was issuing a statement saying she was in the race . '' One hour later , the source said Kennedy issued a statement withdrawing from the race . Paterson 's office finally addressed the matter late Thursday afternoon in a prepared statement . `` Last night Caroline Kennedy informed the governor that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for an appointment to the United States Senate for personal reasons , '' Paterson 's office said . `` This decision was hers alone . '' Paterson 's office acknowledged the Wednesday afternoon conversation between the governor and Kennedy , but did not divulge what was said . `` Out of respect for her decision making process , the governor 's Office did not respond to any inquiries in order to allow her time to deliberate , '' Paterson 's office said in the statement . `` The governor considers Caroline a friend and knows she will continue to serve New York well inside or outside of government . We wish her well in all her future endeavors . '' Paterson 's office also noted that he is `` now entering the final phase of his selection process . '' Kennedy was widely considered the front-runner to replace Clinton , who won the New York Senate seat in 2000 , and almost all of the buzz about a replacement centered around her . But as the weeks dragged on , polling showed her popularity among New Yorkers dwindling . A poll earlier this month suggested New Yorkers preferred Attorney General Andrew Cuomo , son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo , to Kennedy , with 31 percent of respondents favoring Cuomo and 24 percent preferring Kennedy . However , `` celebrity magazines and cocktail party chatter do n't build support for senators , '' Democratic national committeeman and CNN contributor Robert Zimmerman said Thursday . Zimmerman was one of the first New York Democrats to say Kennedy would n't get the Senate seat and that Paterson would n't bow to pressure . Her handlers `` did n't demonstrate they had a real plan of action , '' he said Thursday . `` The disorganized way she dropped out was reflective of the very disorganized campaign she pursued in seeking the Senate seat , '' he added . New York Reps. Carolyn Maloney , Kirsten Gillibrand and Steve Israel have also been mentioned as possible replacements for Clinton . All three drew single-digit support in the January poll . Paterson 's office also said the governor had not obtained any information during the selection process that might prompt a candidate to withdraw . There has been much speculation as to why Kennedy , a member of Obama 's vice presidential search committee , withdrew her name . Despite the governor 's public statement , a source close to Paterson told CNN that Kennedy did have potentially embarrassing issues including problems with her taxes and with her nanny . People who move in New York political circles were buzzing Thursday about the endless finger pointing between people loyal to Paterson and those loyal to Kennedy . Contacted by CNN to address the allegations of problems with taxes and a nanny , Kennedy 's spokesman Stefan Friedman said in a prepared statement : `` Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the United States Senate for personal reasons . Any statements to the contrary are false . The governor set up a fair and deliberative selection process . This kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved . '' | NEW : Source says Gov. Paterson did not think Kennedy was `` ready for prime time '' NEW : Kennedy had potential issues involving her taxes and her nanny , source says . NEW : Kennedy ally denies Kennedy knew Paterson was leaning away from her . Kennedy cites `` personal reasons '' for pulling out of contention . | [[296, 379], [5264, 5408], [5573, 5651], [1131, 1145], [1157, 1232], [1164, 1262], [200, 295], [722, 729], [737, 776], [2847, 3006], [5723, 5830]] |
New Delhi , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A humble pigeon has just flown into a herd of pouncing cats ! The white-colored bird had to spend time at an Indian police station along the country 's sensitive border with Pakistan as speculation grew it could be a spy on a mission from the neighboring nation . Officers say the pigeon was captured by residents of a border town in Punjab state 's Amritsar district . They found it `` peculiar '' , said district police chief Gurmeet Singh Chohan . A Pakistani address stamped on its wings worried residents last week who then brought the bird to the police . `` It was kept at the police station for a day and now we have handed it over to wildlife -LRB- authorities -RRB- , '' Chohan said . He denied news reports that the pigeon was `` detained '' and became subject of a probe . `` In an era of spy planes and satellites , the Amritsar -LRB- rural -RRB- police have detained a white pigeon that could have been -- the police claim -- used as a Pakistani spy , '' wrote the Hindustan Times in a page-one story Saturday . But Chohan claimed the spy theory was only `` speculation '' on the part of local residents and that authorities did not endorse it . He also accused the media of misreporting the police role in connection with the captured bird , which he insisted was just fed by the officers . The Indian Express newspaper carried a picture showing a man holding the pigeon in his palm in front of a lock-up . But Chohan downplayed the photograph as a shot staged by camera crews . Pigeon-racing is a common rural sport in the Punjab region divided between India and Pakistan , he said . Kite-flying is another common passion . `` On many occasions in the past , kites from across the border too have come in , '' Chohan said . India and Pakistan have fought three wars , two over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir , since the partition of the Asian subcontinent in 1947 . Both nuclear-armed nations are in a fresh bid to mend their ties strained after the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants . In April , Indian and Pakistani prime ministers met at Thimphu , Bhutan in what was seen as a thaw in the troubled relations between their countries . At a news conference in New Delhi last week , Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh noted that both countries needed to build trust for better relations . `` The trust deficit is the biggest problem and unless we tackle the trust deficit , we can not move to substantive negotiations , '' Singh remarked . '' ... At Thimphu , -LRB- Pakistan -RRB- Prime Minister -LRB- Yousaf Raza -RRB- Gilani and I have agreed that trust deficit is a major problem blocking progress in the direction of moving forward ... , '' he said . | Residents bring bird to police . Suspicion is raised that it might be spying for Pakistan . Had Pakistani address stamped on its wings . Bird handed over to wildlife authorities . | [[561, 598], [223, 300], [957, 973], [977, 1000], [488, 528]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama plans to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the new director of national intelligence , a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to CNN Friday . Clapper , now a top Pentagon intelligence official , would replace Dennis Blair , who resigned at the end of last month . The announcement will be made Saturday at the White House , the official said . If confirmed , Clapper will become the nation 's fourth DNI in the last five years . The position was created after the September 2001 terrorist attacks to oversee the 16 agencies of the U.S. intelligence community . Clapper , who retired from the Air Force in 1995 after a 32-year career , served as head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from September 2001 to June 2006 . He has served as the under secretary of defense for intelligence since April 2007 . Some political observers have indicated that Clapper 's prospects for confirmation on Capitol Hill , however , are questionable . California Sen. Dianne Feinstein , the Democratic head of the Senate Intelligence Committe , recently said the `` best thing for the U.S. intelligence community is to have someone with a civilian background in charge . '' The ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committe , Missouri Sen. Kit Bond , said he has reservations about Clapper . `` I believe he is too focused on the Defense Department issues and he has tried to block out efforts to give more authority to the DNI , '' Bond said . Bond 's counterpart on the House side , Rep. Pete Hoekstra , R-Michigan , also said he believes Clapper is the wrong person , because he is `` not forthcoming , open or transparent '' with Congress . Blair , a retired admiral , was pressured to resign as DNI because of differences with the White House over the scope of his role and turf wars with CIA Director Leon Panetta and other members of the intelligence community . One source familiar with Blair 's situation said that from the very beginning , `` the White House did not have the same view -LRB- as Blair -RRB- of what the DNI should be . '' That might be the crux of the problem . The law that created the position of DNI after the 9/11 terrorist attacks is too `` ambiguous , '' said Lee Hamiliton , a former congressman who pushed Congress for intelligence reform . Hamilton , the co-chairman of the 9/11 Commission , recently told a congressional hearing that `` the role of the DNI is not clear ... and as long as you have the ambiguity , you 're going to have these agencies fighting for jurisdiction and power . '' The DNI needs to be empowered with the budget and personnel authorities to lead the community , otherwise , the director is merely a coordinator , Hamilton said . Some question whether it is possible to change the law , considering the difficulty Congress had in getting the original agreement . Bond said Congress must act to give the DNI clear budget authority and chain of command within the intelligence community . Feinstein has called on the president to define the DNI role and then work with Congress to make it law . Hamilton said a fix is needed now , that it ca n't wait for the longer-term legislative correction . Hoekstra says changing the law is not the answer . `` If you have great people working together , even in a mediocre structure , they can make things happen . More strengths and authorities in the law does n't guarantee success , '' he said . There does seem to be widespread agreement on one needed component : presidential action in support of the DNI . Hamilton said the `` burden is on the president now to clarify who is in charge of the intelligence community -- where the final authority lies on the budget , personnel and other matters . '' Rep. Bennie Thompson , the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee , recently wrote a letter to Obama urging him `` to remove obstacles which may have formed a stumbling block for others who held the DNI position . '' John Brennan , the president 's chief counterterrorism adviser in the White House , recently said the administration is trying to ensure the intelligence community is `` integrated well and orchestrated well '' by the DNI . `` We want to make sure the DNI 's role is clear and is able to optimize the contributions that the intelligence community makes on a daily basis , '' Brennan said . CNN 's Barbara Starr and Pam Benson contributed to this report . | Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be nominated for intelligence post . If confirmed , Clapper would replace Dennis Blair , who resigned last month . Clapper is currently a top Pentagon intelligence official . | [[86, 152], [212, 219], [254, 291], [279, 291], [298, 333]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The latest prediction for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season agrees with three previous ones , forecasting a season that will be at least a bit milder than last year 's . Last year 's most destructive hurricane , Ike , tossed boats onto the shore in Bayton , Texas , in September . AccuWeather is the most recent organization to release its outlook , predicting Wednesday that the season , which runs from June 1 to November 30 , will bring 13 named storms and eight hurricanes . In 2008 , there were 16 named storms and eight hurricanes , five of which were major -- that is , classified as Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of storm intensity -- with winds of 111 mph or higher . The three previous forecasts were released in December by Colorado State University -LRB- 14 named storms , seven hurricanes -RRB- , WSI Corp. -LRB- 13 named storms , seven hurricanes -RRB- and Weather Research Center -LRB- seven named storms , four hurricanes -RRB- . Storms acquire a name when they are designated tropical storms , with sustained maximum winds of at least 39 mph . Though they foresee fewer storms than last year , all the forecasts except the one from the Weather Research Center would translate into an above-average season . According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , a `` normal '' Atlantic season has 11 named storms , six hurricanes and two major hurricanes . NOAA wo n't release its predictions until closer to the start of the season . And the forecasts already made are likely to be updated as June draws near . AccuWeather projected that four of the hurricanes in 2009 will hit the U.S. East Coast or Gulf Coast , and one of those will be a Category 3 . Joe Bastardi , AccuWeather 's chief long-range forecaster , wrote on the company 's Web site that this year 's `` storms may be more likely to form in the Atlantic Basin closer to the coast , and the possibility of a major hurricane making landfall in the U.S. can not be ruled out . '' WSI , on its Web site , said its predictions for 2009 stemmed from the expected continuation of `` warmer-than-normal Atlantic Ocean temperature anomalies into next summer and fall , and the likelihood of a favorable or neutral wind shear environment associated with the lack of an El Niño event . '' El Niño is a fluctuation in the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific that can impact global weather . Last year was considered the fourth busiest Atlantic hurricane year since 1944 . The National Climatic Data Center said 2008 was `` the only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the north Atlantic . '' The most destructive was Hurricane Ike , which wiped out neighborhoods in parts of Texas . Even a week later , its remnants were still having an impact on the Great Lakes region . Two other hurricanes made landfall in the United States last year -- Dolly and Gustav . Neither was a major hurricane at the time it came ashore . | AccuWeather forecast joins three others predicting milder hurricane season . Latest forecast : 13 named storms , 8 hurricanes in 2009 Atlantic season . Predictions likely to be tweaked closer to the season , June 1 to November 30 . Last year was fourth busiest Atlantic hurricane season since 1944 . | [[0, 15], [80, 111], [0, 15], [114, 189], [391, 406], [449, 498], [396, 406], [415, 446], [1415, 1492], [1493, 1569], [1497, 1523], [1535, 1569], [2414, 2494]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chalk another record to the United Arab Emirates ' collection . The Capital Gate building in the desert kingdom 's capital , Abu Dhabi , has been certified by Guinness World Records as the `` World 's Furthest Leaning Man-made Tower . '' How far does it lean ? Nearly five times farther than the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy . The 35-story Abu Dhabi building has an 18-degree slope , compared with four degrees for the freestanding bell tower . But unlike the tower in Pisa , the Capital Gate building has been deliberately engineered to slant . The floor plates are stacked vertically up to the 12th floor , after which they are staggered over each other by between 300 mm to 1,400 mm -- giving the tower its lean , the owners said . `` It is a signature building which speaks to the foresight of the emirate , '' said Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon al Nahyan , the chairman of the building 's owner , Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company . The mixed-use building will be ready for occupancy at the end of the year . It is featured in a new National Geographic documentary , called `` Megastructures . '' In January , Dubai -- one of seven emirates that make up the UAE -- unveiled the world 's tallest skyscraper : the $ 1.5 billion , 160-story Burj Khalifa , which has a height of more than 800 meters -LRB- 2,625 ft -RRB- . | Capital Gate building leans nearly five times farther than Leaning Tower of Pisa . It is deliberately engineered to lean . UAE also home to world 's tallest skyscraper . | [[470, 494], [497, 566], [1124, 1134], [1137, 1142], [1192, 1232]] |
Lima , Peru -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- -- A judge has extended the investigation into murder suspect Joran van der Sloot , accused of killing a Peruvian woman , for another week , a spokeswoman for Peru 's Interior Ministry said Sunday . Van der Sloot , a Dutch citizen , will remain jailed at the investigations building of Peru 's national police where he spent the night , Rut Cardenas said . Cardenas said a judge has given investigators another week to gather information about the killing of the woman last week . Carlos Neyra , an official with the Peruvian National Police criminal investigation division , said van der Sloot , the sole suspect named in the case , has not been formally charged . Neyra added that van der Sloot now has a lawyer . The Netherlands Embassy says it is working with local authorities in the case , but it is not paying for a defense attorney . The Embassy has told Peruvian authorities that it is not comfortable with the way van der Sloot has been presented to the media , Neyra said . The Peruvian interior minister is asking authorities not to talk about the case without his authorization . Van der Sloot arrived Saturday at the Lima police headquarters . Handcuffed and wearing a protective vest , he was escorted through a news conference held by Peruvian authorities as photographers snapped photo after photo . The body of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez was found Wednesday in a Lima hotel room registered to van der Sloot , who was twice arrested and released in connection with the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba . Peruvian authorities have released a video from May 30 where the suspect is seen entering the hotel at 5:16 a.m. local time accompanied by Flores . Moments later , he is seen entering a hotel room with Flores . More than three hours later , van der Sloot is seen exiting the hotel alone . A hotel worker is also seen in the video speaking to van der Sloot as he is leaving the hotel , Peru Interior Ministry spokesman Carlos Gonzalo said . When investigators questioned the worker , he told them that van der Sloot told him `` do n't bother my girl , '' according to Gonzalo . Van der Sloot indicated to the hotel worker that he would be returning to the room , Gonzalo said . Surveillance video from a casino -- also recorded on May 30 -- shows Flores and van der Sloot playing cards at the same table , he said . The woman won about 5,000 soles -LRB- about $ 1,755 -RRB- , though it was not found in the room or the victim 's car , Gonzalo said . Flores ' body was badly beaten and investigators believe a tennis racquet in the room was used in the killing , Gonzalo said . He said `` they found bloodied clothes with '' van der Sloot and that investigators are testing them , as well as the tennis racquet , for DNA . The hotel workers became suspicious after no one else left the room , and eventually a foul smell came from it , Gonzalo said . It was n't immediately clear how much time lapsed between the conversation on video and workers noticing the smell . Chilean authorities delivered van der Sloot to their Peruvian counterparts on Friday in the border town of Santa Rosa , where he was greeted by hecklers and dozens of media personnel jostling for position to get a better picture of him . Paperwork showed that van der Sloot entered Chile the same day Flores ' body was found , Chilean police told CNN . He was captured in Chile on Thursday and transported to the border to be expelled , said Macarena Lopez , a spokeswoman for Interpol . Holloway was on a high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba , where van der Sloot lived with his family , in 2005 when she disappeared . Van der Sloot was arrested twice in connection with the case but released both times . He denied any involvement and has not been charged . Van der Sloot also faces an arrest warrant on charges of extortion and wire fraud in Alabama , U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance said Thursday . The charges are unrelated to the killing of the Peruvian woman and deal with an attempt to sell details about Holloway for $ 250,000 , Vance said . CNN 's Mayra Cuevas and Rafael Romo contributed to this report . | Joran Van der Sloot will be detained for another 7 days while investigation continues . Netherlands Embassy says it is working with local authorities . Victim beaten by tennis racquet , authorities say . Van der Sloot facing charges of killing a Peruvian woman . | [[34, 112], [388, 511], [402, 511], [747, 824], [2600, 2652], [7, 27], [115, 150]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In some ways , a catastrophe of this magnitude could not have happened in a worse place . Or at a worse time of year . We 're hearing a lot about the economic dislocation of thousands of Gulf fishers and their families -- and rightly so . But the oil disaster is a much larger calamity than the Gulf itself . It 's not just a regional disaster . It has hemispheric implications . The Gulf is a large region , but its natural importance is even more outsized , disproportionate to its area . The Gulf is the hourglass pinch-point for millions of migrating creatures that funnel into , breed in , migrate through and then fan out of it to populate an enormous area of the continents and coasts . Anything that affects living things inside the Gulf affects living things far outside it . Certain animals that normally inhabit the open Atlantic travel to the Gulf to breed . Two such species , both endangered , breed nowhere else . The world 's most endangered sea turtle , the Kemp 's ridley turtle , ranges throughout the west Atlantic as far north as New England . But it breeds only in the Gulf . Many are now heading there to lay their eggs on remote beaches . Turtles are showing up on beaches debilitated by oil . Oil kills sea turtles by both ingestion and direct toxicity , and by stressing and suppressing their immune systems . Adults are vulnerable , but hatchlings will have an even harder time . Atlantic bluefin tuna -- the most high-priced ocean fish in the world -- have declined by about 90 percent since the 1960s due to overfishing . Their west Atlantic population ranges the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada and far out to sea , but the Gulf of Mexico is the giant fish 's only known breeding area . Spring is their breeding season . According to a web tool that puts the slick over your home region , the vast area of surface oil is now bigger than Massachusetts , Connecticut and Long Island combined . It overlaps the tracked movements of breeding bluefin tuna . Consequently , their eggs and larvae are presumably being bathed in a toxic soup of oil and dispersant . Dispersant , which is toxic by itself , also makes the petroleum more toxic . Instead of remaining concentrated at the surface , dispersed oil pollutes the entire water column . Instead of evaporating , the toxic components remain in the water . And because it 's dissolved , it passes more easily across gills and into digestive systems . Planktonic animals become disoriented or die . Meanwhile , of course , mats of oil are washing ashore . No amount of boom will protect waterbirds like pelicans , gulls and terns , because diving into the water for fish is how they eat . In the Gulf in May , with the oil gushing , were loons , gannets , various kinds of herons and terns . Also there were black skimmers that had spent the winter there but would soon leave to migrate north and , depending on species , breed all along the coast from the southern states to as far north as the Maritimes , and lakes across much of Canada . Some of the longest-distance migrants on Earth are various sandpipers , plovers and other shorebirds , many of which winter as far south as Patagonia and breed as far north as the high arctic . Perhaps a million cross the Gulf in May , and when they reach the U.S. coastline , they must stop to rest and feed . Problems with habitat and food supply have reduced many of their populations 50 to 80 percent in the past 20 years . And now this . When oil was just starting to smudge some of the birds on beaches now thick with it , I saw sanderlings , ruddy turnstones , black-bellied plovers and other such northbound birds . Even among those that do not get heavily oiled , many will not make it . The birds ' energy budgets operate on thin margins of food intake against exhaustive expenditure in long-distance flight . They will not bear the additional cost of feathers sticking and functioning inefficiently , and many such birds will drop out on their way north . Migrating peregrine falcons traveling north from South American wintering areas , destined for nesting areas as far as Greenland , are also crossing the Gulf 's marshes . Preferentially picking off birds whose flight seems compromised , falcons will be getting disproportional doses of oil . All these birds can live decades and take years to mature , so adult birds killed by oil this year will mean populations reduced for years to come . This is a calamity not just in space but in time as well . Some animals may be rescued . Less possible to cleanse is the anguish on the faces and in the hearts of fishing families . Oil companies can drill , and they can buy votes in Congress , but apparently they ca n't do much else . Now that the reckoning is here , it becomes a little easier to see that we fool ourselves with the apparent cheapness of subsidized oil and that a healthy environment is priceless beyond reckoning . Why do we fail to know this always , in our bones ? The Gulf is not a thing unto itself . Neither is the oil eruption . We are all Gulf victims now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carl Safina . | Gulf is huge area that is crucial for migrating species , says Carl Safina . Because many breed in or travel through Gulf , impact of oil spill will be spread out , he says . Safina : Endangered species such as Kemp 's ridley turtle breed only in Gulf . He says , `` a healthy environment is priceless beyond reckoning '' | [[510, 583], [804, 819], [825, 889], [365, 398], [510, 583], [552, 642], [713, 803], [804, 819], [825, 889], [804, 824], [870, 889], [1117, 1181], [1117, 1121], [1126, 1181], [4006, 4079], [4137, 4176], [804, 819], [825, 889], [1088, 1116]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Barack Obama returned to Louisiana Friday -- the president 's second trip to the Gulf region in two weeks as the administration continued its efforts to contain the BP oil spill and stay on top of what has now become a major political issue . Among other things , Obama was scheduled to visit to Louisiana 's Grand Isle and meet with local business leaders directly impacted by the spill . Shortly after arriving , he huddled with U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen -- the federal government 's response manager -- and both state and local elected officials . Included in the list of officials meeting the president : Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal , Alabama Gov. Bob Reilly , Florida Gov. Charlie Crist , Louisiana Sen. David Vitter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu . Obama 's latest visit came as BP finally started to siphon oil from the ruptured undersea well . BP is currently preparing to shut four vents on top of a containment cap from which oil has been escaping into the ocean . Closing the vents would greatly reduce the amount of oozing crude . No one , however , can say with certainty whether BP 's latest effort to contain and recover the oil will succeed . Obama refused to provide details about attempts to seal off the well , but said `` it does appear that the cap at least for now is holding . '' He quickly added , however , that it 's `` way too early to be optimistic . '' Officials should know more about the success or failure of the effort in next 24 to 48 hours , he said . `` I 'm long out of the prediction business on this , '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One en route to Louisiana . `` Everyone is hopeful that this works . '' The president later stressed BP 's `` moral and legal obligations '' to the Gulf region , promising that federal officials will be watching BP to ensure the company is n't `` lawyering up . '' Obama noted that BP is spending millions of dollars on television ads designed to improve the company 's image , as well as distributing billions in sharehold dividends . I do not want BP `` nickel and diming folks '' in the Gulf , he said . Obama , who previously said he is `` furious at -LRB- the -RRB- entire situation , '' has been criticized by some political observers for failing to show enough empathy and emotional involvement in the response to the spill . Fifty-one percent of adult Americans disapproved of Obama 's handling of the spill in a May 21-23 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll , while 46 percent approved . Obama told CNN 's Larry King Thursday that `` I 'd love to spend my time venting and yelling at people -LRB- about the situation in the Gulf -RRB- , but that 's not the job I was hired to do . My job is to solve this problem . '' Democratic strategist James Carville told CNN Friday he does n't worry that Obama `` does n't emote that well or something like that . '' But the president , he said , `` is a man of formidable intelligence . He has a ton of power , and I think what we want to do is feel that power ... and let people feel the wrath -LRB- and know -RRB- that he 's standing up '' for them . Crist expressed some sympathy for Obama . Crist acknowledged Friday the situation in the Gulf is `` emotional , '' but asserted that the president is `` trying to do the best job he can . '' `` You 've got to keep a cool head in order to win a hot game , '' he said . `` You 've got to keep your wits about you to lead with honor . '' Daily Beast political columnist John Avlon said Friday that while part of Obama 's `` narrative '' is that `` he 's cool , '' the president needs to show he 's `` feeling the pain of the problem on the ground . We 're a quick fix culture -LRB- and -RRB- we have a vivid problem unfolding in the Gulf . That 's starting to affect -LRB- the -RRB- perception of this administration in the larger sense . '' The BP well erupted after an explosion and fire on the leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20 that killed 11 people . The rig sank two days later , leaving up to 19,000 barrels -LRB- 798,000 gallons -RRB- of oil pouring into the Gulf daily , according to federal estimates . BP , rig owner Transocean and oilfield services contractor Halliburton have all pointed fingers at each other for the disaster . | NEW : Obama says officials should have a good idea in 24-48 hours if efforts to stop the leak are succeeding . NEW : Obama emphasized BP 's moral and legal obligations to Gulf residents . Obama met with the governors of Louisiana , Alabama , and Florida , among others . Obama returned to the Gulf region Friday to discuss the oil spill with local business and political leaders . | [[1435, 1527], [1738, 1806], [30, 81], [283, 301], [304, 396], [430, 452], [455, 497], [557, 597]] |
Venice , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On day 46 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill , BP began to siphon oil from the ruptured undersea well to the surface , where it was flowing onto the awaiting drill ship Discover Enterprise . As the recovery process started Friday , BP said it would shut four vents on top of a containment cap from which oil was still escaping into the ocean . The company hoped that closing the vents would greatly reduce the amount of gushing crude , though there was still enormous uncertainty about the ultimate success of BP 's latest effort to contain and recover the oil . U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen , the federal government 's response manager , said estimates of how much oil is being captured or whether any leaks develop will be determined later Friday . President Obama , who said he was `` furious at this entire situation , '' arrived in Louisiana on Friday afternoon to get another firsthand look at the environmental damage and speak with political and business leaders . Obama did not provide details about attempts to seal the well , but said `` it does appear that the cap -- at least for now -- is holding . '' He quickly added , however , that it is `` way too early to be optimistic . '' Officials should know more about the success or failure of the effort in next 24 to 48 hours , he said . Researchers at the University of South Florida have completed laboratory tests confirming that the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico has collected into more than one oil plume beneath the surface . The plumes are as wide as 6 miles , though their lengths are unclear , researchers said . In the past , BP has denied that such large amounts of oil , which can choke fish and harm their eggs , have formed into underwater plumes . However , on Tuesday , BP Managing Director Bob Dudley said , `` The science of the plumes hanging in the water does n't feel right . What happens is dispersant breaks the drops down into small drops and they move around and break down . '' Last month , Dudley told NPR that the plumes likely would not remain . `` Oil by nature , in its own specific gravity , is n't going to stay in a plume like that , '' he said . `` It should rise to the surface , and then we 'll be able to attack the spill in that way . '' The university , which recently discovered a second oil plume in the Gulf , concluded that microscopic oil droplets are forming deepwater oil plumes . `` These hydrocarbons are from depth and not associated with sinking , degraded oil , but associated with the source of the Deep Horizon well head , '' said David Hollander , a professor of chemical oceanography at USF . On Thursday , Allen acknowledged `` some anecdotal reports from research vessels from universities that have found dense plumes or what they believe to be plumes under the water . '' `` We 're in the process of taking samples and trying to figure out what they are , '' he said . `` They 're denser than the water , but we 're not sure whether it 's oil or not . '' The cost of the federal response effort to the spill totaled $ 93 million as of June 1 , according to a Friday letter from Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Allen to congressional leadership . They are requesting Congress approve a proposed provision that would make available up to an additional $ 100 million to the Coast Guard . The Obama administration has also sent a $ 69 million bill to BP for the government 's efforts to help deal with the spill . The bill accounts for 75 percent of what BP owes to date , and the company has until July 1 to pay the full amount , an administration official said . Oil that has already affected Louisiana , Mississippi and Alabama is drifting steadily toward Florida . A new trajectory from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued Friday forecast oil onshore as far east as Destin , Florida , by Saturday afternoon . Tar balls , tar patties and sheen were confirmed 10 miles from the Escambia County shoreline , and the primary oil plume , according to NOAA , was 30 miles from Pensacola , Florida . Escambia County Commission Chairman Grover Robinson , whose district covers Pensacola , said he found tar balls the size of silver dollars and smaller while walking on the beach Friday morning . He added that BP did n't send cleanup crews until hours later in the afternoon . However , he said there was nothing unusual about the water , and that the beach remained open to tourists . `` You ca n't help but be passionate about Florida , '' Gov. Charlie Crist said Friday about the state 's natural beauty and the importance of tourism . What was needed now , he said , was strong leadership to get through the crisis . `` You 've got to keep a cool head in order to win a hot game , '' he said . BP remained optimistic but again warned that the containment cap had been positioned on a ruptured well head a mile below the ocean 's surface . In a statement , the British oil giant said that the system 's ability to contain oil or its continued operation `` can not be assured . '' On Thursday night , BP completed a complex underwater maneuver . After mixed success with cutting off a damaged pipe , BP positioned a cap over the ruptured well head , though the company was uncertain whether the cap 's seal would be snug enough to prevent oil from leaking out . Even so , Doug Suttles , BP 's chief operating officer , was hopeful . `` I think it should work , '' he said . Undersea images Friday showed a great deal of oil still spewing from the well . Allen said the vents in the cap were designed to let oil escape to prevent cold water from entering and forming icy hydrates that could block the flow to the surface . Only when the vents are closed will BP be able to determine whether the seal on the cap is snug enough to keep massive amounts of oil from gushing into the ocean . BP 's progress was received with tempered applause . `` The placement of the containment cap is another positive development in BP 's most recent attempt to contain the leak . However , it will be some time before we can confirm that this method will work , '' said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Tony Russell . `` Even if successful , this is only a temporary and partial fix , and we must continue our aggressive response . '' The well may not be completely sealed off until at least until August , when BP hopes to finish drilling two relief wells . `` Our task is to contain the oil , ultimately to eliminate the leaking well and , most importantly , to clean up the oil , defend the shoreline and restore the shoreline where the oil comes ashore , so we return it to the original state , '' said Tony Hayward , BP 's chief executive officer . Hayward appears this week in television ads launched as part of a national campaign to restore the British oil company 's tarnished reputation . In them , Hayward apologizes and promises to `` make this right . '' However , state and local leaders said they are fed up with the way BP has approached the response . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said he told Obama Friday that `` BP still has n't given the state a dime '' to pay for its efforts in cleanup . `` We are moving forward with or without BP . '' He also blasted the company for not quickly compensating those who are out of work because of the spill . `` Our people deserve to be fully compensated for their losses , '' Jindal said . `` Instead of BP shelling out $ 50 million on an ad campaign that promises to do good work in responding to this spill , BP should just focus on actually doing a good job and spend the $ 50 million on assistance to our people , our industries and our communities that are suffering as a result of this ongoing spill . '' A BP spokesman would n't put a price on the ad campaign , but said `` not a cent is being diverted from the oil spill response . '' Protests against the oil company that sprouted this week are set to continue in several cities through the weekend . And anger continued to fester in coastal communities . Hayward said Friday that the company will establish a separate division to manage its response to the crisis . BP has said that it has spent $ 1 billion so far but that it was too early to predict the ultimate financial blow . `` We 've got considerable firepower to deal with the costs , '' said Chief Financial Officer Byron Grote , referring to $ 5 billion in available cash , $ 5 billion in bank credit lines and an additional $ 5 billion in standby credit facilities . The BP well erupted after an explosion and fire on the leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20 that killed 11 people . The rig sank two days later , leaving up to 19,000 barrels -LRB- 798,000 gallons -RRB- of oil pouring into the Gulf daily , according to federal estimates . BP , rig owner Transocean and oilfield services contractor Halliburton have all pointed fingers at one another for the disaster . A crew of scientists who just returned from an eight-day mission researching the underwater oil impact of the spill has found life forms near the breached well head , officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday . The researchers aboard the 224-foot Gordon Gunter found `` ample evidence of a lot of zooplankton , '' said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco . `` It 's not a dead zone . There 's still a lot of life there . '' Zooplankton are organisms that drift through bodies of water , and many of them are not visible to the naked eye . The question , she said , is how much of an impact the oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster will ultimately have . The researchers took underwater samples from within 3 nautical miles -LRB- 3.45 miles -RRB- of the well head . The scientist are trying to determine how much oil is out there , in what concentrations and where it came from , Lubchenco said , adding that they `` ca n't assume all the oil that is out there is from the Deepwater Horizon -- some of it may be from other sources . '' | Researchers confirm existence of oil plumes beneath the surface . Cost of federal response effort to the spill totals $ 93 million as of June 1 . President arrives in Louisiana on Friday to see spreading oil slick firsthand . Estimates of how much oil is being captured expected to be determined later Friday . | [[1339, 1538], [1401, 1538], [3022, 3108], [3022, 3074], [3111, 3232], [862, 1011], [598, 630], [678, 789]] |
Santiago , Chile -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Joran van der Sloot , the suspect in a young woman 's slaying this week in Peru and previously considered a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba , was captured Thursday in Santiago , Chile , authorities said . Van der Sloot is the main suspect in this week 's slaying of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez , who was found Wednesday in a Lima , Peru , hotel room registered to the Dutch man . Chilean police told CNN that paperwork showed that van der Sloot entered Chile on Wednesday . Peruvian Interior Minister Octavio Salazar Miranda said Thursday that Peru has made arrangements with Interpol to extradite van der Sloot . | Extradition to Peru arranged , interior minister says . Joran van der Sloot entered Chile on Wednesday , Chile says . Woman 's body found Wednesday in his hotel room , police say . Van der Sloot previously a suspect in Alabama teen 's disappearance . | [[566, 679], [631, 705], [472, 565], [501, 565], [350, 387], [392, 441], [11, 32], [120, 223]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tsunami warnings were canceled for all countries Sunday , a day after a deadly 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile , forecasters said . However , the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in its cancellation alert it was only advising governments , and `` only national and local government agencies have the authority to make decisions regarding the official state of alert in their area and any actions to be taken in response . '' Despite the cancellation , Japan remained cautious . The nation 's meteorological agency opted to downgrade the warning without eliminating it entirely . Its prior alert of `` major tsunami '' was changed to `` tsunami . '' The quake struck Chile early Saturday , killing at least 300 people and prompting tsunami warnings and advisories along the Pacific . Chilean officials are expected to announce an updated death toll later Sunday . Full coverage of Chile quake . Japan experienced waves along its coast Sunday afternoon . It was the last nation a tsunami was expected to reach , according to the alert . No injuries were reported , but Japanese authorities advised tens of thousands of evacuees from coastal areas not to return home yet . The first tsunami -- a 4-inch wave -- hit the Pacific island of Minami Torishima , according to the Japanese meteorological agency . A few waves later , the tallest one yet at about 4 feet hit the Kuji Port in Iwate , the meteorological agency said . The northern part of the main island could be hit by a tsunami at least 9 feet high . Are you there ? Share your photos , video with CNN . Sunday 's alert was Japan 's first major tsunami warning in more than 15 years , the agency reported . In 1960 , a tsunami spawned by Chile 's 1960 earthquake killed 140 people in Japan . In the U.S. state of Hawaii , the cancellation occurred nearly two hours after the first waves came ashore . Coast Guard crews said they had found no significant damage to ports or waterways as a result of the tsunami . But the tsunami center said some coastal areas may see small sea-level changes or unusual currents for the next few hours . The cancellation `` does not mean it is now safe to resume normal activities or re-enter evacuated shoreline areas , '' the tsunami center said . It said that county civil defense agencies and local police departments would make those determinations . `` There was no assessment of any damage in any county , which is quite remarkable , '' said Gov. Linda Lingle . `` It 's just a wonderful day that nothing happened and no one was hurt or injured . '' Check out the world 's biggest earthquakes since 1900 . In Chile , tsunami waves came ashore along the coast shortly after the earthquake , U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Victor Sardina said . The largest was 9 feet near the quake 's epicenter , Sardina said . On the island of Juan Fernandez -- 400 miles -LRB- 643 km -RRB- off Chile 's coast -- a large wave killed six people , Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza said . At least 11 people are missing . Navigational buoys in Ventura County , California , got minor damage as a result of a 2-foot surge and waves , according to the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center . CNN 's Kyung Lah contributed to this report . | Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancels alert for all nations . Tallest wave to hit Japan measures 4 feet . Initial tsunami waves from Chilean quake reach Japan . First wave strikes Minami Torishima . | [[19, 74], [167, 232], [1331, 1332], [1351, 1413], [677, 686], [717, 810], [922, 980], [1198, 1215], [1236, 1278], [1449, 1534], [1691, 1698], [1701, 1775], [1198, 1215], [1236, 1278]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Calling him one of America 's `` most experienced and most respected intelligence professionals , '' President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the new director of national intelligence . `` He possesses a quality that I value in all my advisers , a willingness to tell leaders what we need to know , even if it 's not what we want to hear , '' said Obama . He made the announcement in the Rose Garden with Clapper on Saturday . Clapper , who retired from the Air Force in 1995 after a 32-year career , served as head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from September 2001 to June 2006 . Clapper , now a top Pentagon intelligence official , would replace Dennis Blair , who resigned at the end of last month . Obama said he 'll be looking for Clapper `` to ensure that we have the most capable and efficient intelligence community possible . '' If confirmed , Clapper will become the nation 's fourth DNI in the last five years . The position was created after the September 2001 terrorist attacks to oversee the 16 agencies of the U.S. intelligence community . Obama said he 's indicated to other Senate leaders that the confirmation should be carried out `` swiftly . '' `` The Senate has voted to confirm Jim for senior positions on four separate occasions , and each time it has done so overwhelmingly , '' he said . `` This nomination ca n't fall victim to the usual Washington politics . '' Some political observers have indicated that Clapper 's prospects for confirmation on Capitol Hill , however , are questionable . Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California , recently said the `` best thing for the U.S. intelligence community is to have someone with a civilian background in charge . '' Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Kit Bond , R-Missouri , said he has reservations about Clapper . `` I believe he is too focused on the Defense Department issues and he has tried to block out efforts to give more authority to the DNI , '' Bond argued . Bond 's counterpart on the House side , Rep. Pete Hoekstra , R-Michigan , also said he believes Clapper is the wrong person , because he is `` not forthcoming , open or transparent '' with Congress . But Obama said : `` Jim also understands the importance of working with our partners in Congress . As he has said , not merely to appear when summoned , to keep Congress informed and seek members ' consent . '' Blair , a retired admiral , was pressured to resign as DNI because of differences with the White House over the scope of his role and turf wars with CIA Director Leon Panetta and other members of the intelligence community . One source familiar with Blair 's situation said that from the very beginning , `` the White House did not have the same view -LRB- as Blair -RRB- of what the DNI should be . '' Panetta , in a statement Saturday , said , `` Few people have more intelligence experience than Jim Clapper . The men and women of the CIA look forward to working closely with him in his new role to strengthen America 's national security . '' CNN 's Pam Benson contributed to this report . | Obama taps Air Force Lt. Gen James Clapper as new DNI . Clapper now a top Pentagon intelligence official . If confirmed , he 'll be nation 's fourth DNI in last five years . Obama wants swift confirmation . | [[126, 181], [182, 250], [182, 250], [935, 1004], [1188, 1244]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Funeral plans for Gary Coleman are `` pending '' more than a week after his death , but his parents have dropped their bid to have the actor 's body returned to Chicago for burial , the man named as executor of his estate said Saturday . Coleman 's ex-wife Shannon Price had previously announced a weekend service for Coleman , who died over a week ago after a fall at his Utah home . Price `` has absolutely no rights or authority , with regard to the disposition of Gary 's remains , services , estate management , '' said Dion Mial , Coleman longtime friend and former manager . `` Plans for any services are pending , at this time , '' Mial said . Coleman 's will , which has been reviewed by his parents and their lawyer , named Mial to oversee his estate , Mial and a spokesman for his parents said . `` I am humbled by Gary 's confidence in me and by his fearless friendship , '' Mial said in a statement sent to CNN Saturday . `` My life is transformed , because of his distinct presence in it . '' Sue and Willie Coleman made the decision to drop their efforts after reviewing copies of Coleman 's will and other trust documents provided by attorneys in Utah , where Coleman lived with his former wife , Shannon Price , until his death last week . `` From the start , Mr. and Mrs. Coleman 's intention has been to see that Gary 's wishes be honored and that his affairs be taken care of properly , '' attorney Frederick Jackson said in a statement . `` They wanted to do things the right way , and they urge those still involved to do the same . The Colemans ask that everyone please treat Gary with respect and kindness . They feel it is time for him to find peace and let his spirit go . '' Coleman 's relationship with his parents was strained since he successfully sued them 20 years ago for $ 1 million , claiming they squandered his earnings as a child actor . Mial became Coleman 's manager when he fired his parents . Mial was a close companion of Coleman when he was a child actor on `` Diff ` rent Strokes . '' `` Not only am I saying goodbye to a friend , but I 'm saying goodbye to my brother , '' Mial said . `` I will not allow my selfish grief to eclipse the unspeakable joy that Gary brought to me and to my family for the last 32 years . I 'm as equally and passionately committed to honor his memory , as I was always so committed to his destiny in life . '' The body of the 42-year-old actor , who died last Friday of a brain hemorrhage in a Provo , Utah , hospital , is now at Lake Hill Mortuary in Sandy , Utah . The legal department at the mortuary 's parent company -- Memorial Mortuaries -- told CNN it has control of Coleman 's remains until legal documents are presented showing who has authority over them . Coleman and Price divorced in 2008 , but they were living together in Santaquin , Utah , when he suffered the fall , which proved fatal . Price , 24 , had the legal authority to authorize his doctor to disconnect his life support , the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo said . `` Mr. Coleman had completed an Advanced Health Care Directive that granted Shannon Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf if he was unable to do so , '' said the hospital statement , which Price authorized . The document was in effect when the decision to remove Coleman from life support was made last Friday , the hospital said . `` An Advanced Health Care Directive remains in effect regardless of a patient 's marital status , unless modified by the patient , '' the hospital statement said . Coleman suffered a brain hemorrhage after he fell at his home on Wednesday , May 26 . He died two days later , after he was removed from life support , a hospital spokeswoman said . While he appeared `` lucid and conscious '' Thursday morning , his condition worsened by the afternoon , leaving him unconscious and on life support , she said . Coleman is best known as the wisecracking youngster Arnold on TV 's `` Diff ` rent Strokes '' from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s . `` There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman , '' said TV legend Norman Lear , who produced the show . `` He was the inspiration behind his show 's title . '' CNN 's Brittany Kaplan and Jack Hannah contributed to this report . | Executor says ex-wife has no authority on Coleman matters . Coleman funeral plans `` pending '' Coleman parents drop bid for son 's remains . Sue and Willie Coleman reviewed Coleman 's will before making decision . Coleman 's remains currently at Sandy , Utah , mortuary . | [[55, 100], [601, 638], [641, 653], [103, 187], [671, 686], [689, 744], [1026, 1156], [2405, 2438], [2515, 2552]] |
Pensacola , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As oil drifted onto beaches as far east as the Florida Panhandle , a BP official said Saturday the company was pleased with its operation to funnel crude up from the ruptured undersea well to a drilling ship a mile above on the Gulf of Mexico . BP Senior Vice President Bob Fryar said the company funneled about 250,000 gallons of oil in the first 24 hours from a containment cap installed on the well to a drilling ship on the ocean surface . `` That operation has gone extremely well , '' Fryar said at an Alabama news conference . `` We are very pleased . '' That 's about 31 percent of the 798,000 gallons of crude federal authorities estimate is gushing into the sea every day . The company 's progress was not enough to temper the frustration seething among residents along the coastline . Tony Kennon , the mayor of Orange Beach , Alabama , confronted Fryar at the afternoon news conference for not acting promptly when reports of tar balls washing ashore surfaced . Visibly upset , Kennon said local officials have been asking to meet with BP officials for over a month , but their requests went unanswered . `` If you sensed our frustration , you would have been here a lot sooner , '' Kennon told Fryar . `` People in Orange Beach are starving to death now because they ca n't get out to catch the fish . '' BP engineers are hoping to increase the amount being funneled to the drilling ship but have to be careful about the pressure within the cap that was placed on the well head a few days ago , said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen , the federal government 's response manager . Allen told reporters at a briefing Saturday that BP plans to shut valves in the cap -- which are allowing oil to escape -- once the pressure is eased . The ultimate capacity of the operation is 630,000 captured gallons a day , still shy of the amount spewing . Earlier , coastal residents had anxiously awaited news of BP 's progress as elevated southerly winds pushed the perimeter of the spilled oil to shorelines as far east as the Florida Panhandle . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that scattered tar balls and light sheen would impact beaches as far east as Bay County , home to popular destinations in Panama City . Florida beaches remained open Saturday but the number of beachgoers was down . Sun and surf were interrupted by sticky brown globs of oil washing up on the sugary sand and workers with blue rubber gloves and plastic bags trying to keep the beach clean . Florida Gov. Charlie Crist walked the beach accompanied by `` Margaritaville '' singer Jimmy Buffet , who is building a hotel on the Pensacola shoreline . `` I saw some tar balls , '' Crist said . `` It 's terrible when you see something like that . It breaks your heart . '' Florida Sen. George LeMieux , a Republican , demanded that BP donate $ 1 billion for a cleanup fund for the five Gulf states and said that President Obama `` needs to push them to do that . '' `` I want to see this president more engaged here on the ground , working through problems , '' LeMieux said . The oil slick has already threatened ecologically sensitive lands along the Gulf Coast . Images of oil-drenched pelicans were all over the internet , prompting even more public anger toward BP . Obama sought in his weekly address Saturday to ease fear along the Gulf Coast by reaffirming his commitment to clean up the worst oil spill in U.S. history . `` It 's brutally unfair . It 's wrong , '' Obama said in the address , recorded a day earlier in Grand Isle , Louisiana . `` And what I told these men and women -- and what I have said since the beginning of this disaster -- is that I 'm going to stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are made whole . '' It appeared that BP was making progress after capping the breached well head , Obama said , but he said the federal government was `` prepared for the worst . '' He cited a series of statistics that illuminated the `` largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country . '' They are as follows : . • 17,500 National Guard troops authorized for deployment . • 20,000 people currently working to protect water and coastlines . • 1,900 vessels are in the Gulf assisting in the cleanup . • 4.3 million feet of boom deployed with another 2.9 million feet of boom available , enough to stretch 1,300 miles . • 17 staging areas across Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , and Florida to rapidly defend sensitive shorelines . Meanwhile , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Saturday reopened an area of the Gulf to fishing . After reviewing images and data , the agency reopened more than 13,000 square miles west of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas . At the same time , it closed 2,275-square miles off the Florida Panhandle , extending the northern boundary just east of the western edge of Choctawhatchee Bay . That means that 32 percent of the Gulf still remains off-limits for fishing . The BP well erupted after an explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20 . Eleven people on board died and the BP-leased rig sank two days later , leaving up to 19,000 barrels -LRB- 798,000 gallons -RRB- of oil pouring into the Gulf daily , according to federal estimates . BP has struggled to contain the gushing oil , trying myriad methods to plug the well and divert the crude . Thursday was the first time the British oil giant was able to report progress , when it successfully lowered a containment cap on the ruptured well . Even if the funneling procedure is able to contain most of the oil , the solution is temporary , Allen said . The gushing well can only be killed after BP completes drilling of two relief wells . Allen said the first relief well is about 7,000 feet below the ocean floor . BP will have to go down to between 16,000 and 18,000 feet to be able to intercept the breached well . The long-term threat , Allen said , will not go away until a relief well is completed . BP has said the earliest that will be done is August . | NEW : BP official `` pleased '' with containment progress . NEW : Alabama mayor confronts BP official . BP collects 250,000 gallons of oil in first 24 hours of funneling . BP hopes to increase that amount as pressure in cap eases . | [[106, 176], [573, 597], [284, 418], [1357, 1403], [1750, 1778]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Valentino Rossi 's hopes of retaining his MotoGP title were shattered on Saturday when the nine-time world champion motorcyclist suffered a horrific crash in a practice session for his home race in Italy . The 31-year-old could be out for months after fracturing a shin bone in his leg when he was thrown from his Yamaha in the second session ahead of qualifying at Mugello . He had an operation on Saturday afternoon , the official MotoGP Web site reported , after being flown to Careggi Hospital in Florence and then moved to the orthopedic trauma center . `` It 's an injury more serious than we thought , because it 's an exposed fracture with the bone protruding from the skin , '' Doctor Claudio Macchiagodena of the sport 's traveling medics Clinica Mobile told motogp.com . `` We have reduced the fracture , which fortunately has not affected any blood vessels or nerves . It is serious . '' Doctor Roberto Buzzi , who performed the operation , said Rossi would be ruled out for at least two months . The rider , known as `` The Doctor '' among other nicknames , could miss eight races , starting with Sunday 's Italian Grand Prix -- which he has won nine times . `` The surgery had good results , '' Buzzi told motogp.com . `` The alignment was good and the bone is now stable . `` The wound remains open , as is usual in these cases , and it will be stitched in the next few days with another short surgery . We are confident that Valentino will be able to leave the hospital in a week to 10 days , able to put weight on the leg with the aid of crutches . `` It is difficult to say how long the post surgery rehabilitation will take . But I think that we can reasonably think of six weeks of partial weight-bearing with crutches , after which Valentino needs to be re-evaluated . '' Rossi has not missed a race since his debut in the 125cc class in Malaysia in 1996 , but his record run of 230 successive GP starts will now end . He is second overall in the world championship standings this season , nine points behind Jorge Lorenzo of Spain , who will start Sunday 's race second on the grid behind compatriot Dani Pedrosa . Australia 's former world champion Casey Stoner qualified third ahead of Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden , whose veteran fellow American Colin Edwards was fifth on a Monster Yamaha Tech 3 . Pedrosa is fourth overall , 30 points behind Lorenzo , as he seeks his first win of 2010 . Lorenzo is seeking his third successive victory in what is the fourth race of the season . `` I want to say how sad I am for Valentino . I know how bad it is to be injured , especially at your home race , and it looks very painful for him , '' the 23 year-old told motogp.com . `` I hope he recovers quickly because the championship will not be the same without him . '' | MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi to have operation after fracturing his leg . Italian thrown off his bike during practice session ahead of home race in Mugello . He will miss a race for the first time since his debut in the 125cc class in 1996 . Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo qualifies second on grid behind Dani Pedrosa . | [[265, 312], [0, 15], [74, 224], [305, 394], [2063, 2073], [2078, 2155]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As many as 200 foreign fighters affiliated with al Qaeda may now be hiding in southern Somalia , according to the latest assessments by the U.S. military and intelligence community . Two U.S. military officials confirmed the estimate to CNN , emphasizing it is only an estimate because of the lack of direct intelligence information from the ground . It comes as a senior U.S. official separately confirmed to CNN that updated plans have been put into place for U.S. special operations forces to conduct operations against al Qaeda personnel in Somalia , if targets can be identified and located . All three officials declined to be identified because the information involves intelligence matters . The United States believes the foreign fighters include Afghans , Iraqis , Pakistanis , Saudis , and Yemenis as well as nationals from several African countries , the officials said . It is believed many of these fighters have been part of the longstanding pipeline of fighters that operated in Afghanistan and Iraq and has now been diverted to Somalia , they said . The estimate of 200 fighters does not include an unknown number of ethnic Somalis who are believed to have traveled to Somalia from Europe , the United States and other African countries , they said . In assessing the threat posed by the presence of foreign fighters , one of the U.S. military officials said the most dangerous are perhaps as many as two dozen `` subject matter experts '' from Afghanistan , Pakistan , Iraq , and Saudi Arabia who are teaching bomb-making and other small arms tactics in camps across southern Somalia . The balance of the foreign fighters is believed to be operating with the Al-Shabaab organization , an al Qaeda affiliate group in Somalia that is fighting the government and African Union peacekeepers in an effort to take control of the country . One official said Somalia is now `` the ultimate safe haven . '' The official added that the United States must operate on the assumption that the core group of foreign fighters are training others to conduct attacks against western targets in East Africa , as well as training individuals to attack targets in the United States . `` They have goals beyond the Somalia border , '' one official said . The United States has observed a number of ad hoc training camps in southern Somalia , the officials said . Generally , they operate for no more than three months before fighters move to other locations because they know they are likely to be observed by U.S. intelligence satellites or reconnaissance drones flying overhead , officials said . Fighters are using existing areas like old army camps , buildings , and even cemeteries to disguise the real purpose of their activities , the officials said . The top al Qaeda operative still being sought in Somalia is Fazul Abdullah Mohammed , long wanted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . He is believed to be moving between the remote border regions of Somalia and Kenya , the officials said . In September 2009 , U.S. commandos killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in a helicopter attack on his vehicle convoy after hunting him for years . Nabhan was seen as perhaps a key leader of al Qaeda operations in East Africa and , according to U.S. officials , it is not clear who , if anyone , has taken his place . | U.S. officials say as many as 200 foreign fighters may be in Somalia . Plans in place for U.S. Special Forces to attack al Qaeda in Somalia . Ethnic Somalis from Europe also believed to be operating there . Somalia is now ` ultimate safe haven ' for fighters , U.S. official says . | [[429, 432], [438, 511], [481, 571], [1150, 1167], [1172, 1224], [1870, 1931], [1888, 1902], [1906, 1931]] |
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Dozens of companies use acronyms or initials in their names , but how well do you know what the abbreviated letters mean ? Let 's take a look at the etymologies behind a few abbreviated company names . 1 . CVS . Sorry , drugstore fans , there are n't three fat cat pharmacists with these initials running around out there . When the pharmacy chain was founded in Lowell , Massachusetts , in 1963 , it was known as `` Consumer Value Stores . '' Over time the name became abbreviated to simply CVS . 2 . K-Mart . Longtime five-and-dime mogul Sebastian S. Kresge opened his first larger store in Garden City , Michigan , in 1962 . The store was named K-Mart after him . -LRB- Kresge had earned the right to have a store named for him ; he opened up his new venture at the tender age of 94 . -RRB- . 3 . IKEA . The Swedish furniture giant and noted charity takes its name from founder Ingvar Kamprad 's initials conjoined with a the first initial of the farm where Kamprad grew up , Elmtaryd , and the parish he calls home , Agunnaryd . 4 . DHL . In the late 1960s , Larry Hillblom was a broke student at the University of California , Berkeley 's law school , so to pick up a bit of extra cash , he would make courier runs from San Francisco . After he finished law school , he decided the courier business was the real racket for him , so he recruited his pals Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn to help him with the runs . Although they started out making their delivery trips in a single Plymouth Duster , the company quickly took off , and they named it after their respective last initials . Mental Floss : Mojave Desert 's airplane graveyard . 5 . AT&T . No surprises here . The telecom giant sprang to life in 1885 as American Telephone and Telegraph , although it 's now legally known as just AT&T . 6 . JBL . The speaker company is named after its founder , James Bullough Lansing . But if Lansing had kept his original name , the company might have been called Martini Speakers . Lansing was born James Martini in 1902 , but when he was 25 , he changed his name to James Lansing at the suggestion of the woman who would become his wife . -LRB- The martini was already a popular cocktail at the time , and several of Lansing 's brothers had also changed their name by shortening it to Martin . -RRB- . 7 . 3M . The conglomerate behind Post-It Notes gets its name from its roots as a company that mined stone to make grinding wheels . Since it was located in Two Harbors , Minnesota , the company was known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing , which was later shortened to 3M . 8 . BVD . The stalwart men 's underwear maker was originally founded by a group of New Yorkers named Bradley , Voorhees , and Day to make women 's bustles . Eventually the trio branched out into knitted union suits for men , and their wares became so popular that `` BVDs '' has become a generic term for any underwear . 9 . H&M . The beloved clothing store began in Sweden in 1947 . Founder Erling Persson was only selling women 's duds , so he called the store Hennes -- Swedish for `` hers . '' Twenty-one years later , he bought up a hunting supplier called Mauritz Widforss . After the acquisition , Persson branched out into men 's clothing and began calling the store Hennes and Mauritz , which eventually became shortened to H&M . 10 . A&W Root Beer . Roy Allen opened his first root beer stand in Lodi , California , in the summer of 1919 , and quickly began expanding to the surrounding areas . Within a year he had partnered with Frank Wright , and the pair christened their flagship product `` A&W Root Beer . '' 11 . GEICO . The adorable gecko 's employer is more formally known as the Government Employees Insurance Company . Although GEICO has always been a private , standalone company , its name reflects its original purpose : Leo Goodwin founded the company in 1936 to sell insurance directly to employees of the federal government . Mental Floss : 15 companies that originally sold something else . 12 . YKK . The initials you see on darn near every zipper you own stand for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikigaisha , which translates into `` Yoshida Manufacturing Corporation . '' The company is named after Tadao Yoshida , who started the zipper concern in Tokyo in 1934 . 13 . P.F. Chang 's . If you go looking for Mr. P.F. Chang , you 'll be in for a long search . The Asian dining chain 's name is actually a composite of the founding restaurateur Paul Fleming 's initials and a simplification of founding chef Philip Chiang 's last name . 14 . BJ 's Wholesale Club . The bulk retailer is named after Beverly Jean Weich , whose father , Mervyn , helped found the chain as a spinoff from discount retailer Zayre in 1983 . Mental Floss : 10 snack foods originally sold as medicines . 15 . ING Group . The banking giant 's name is an abbreviation of Internationale Nederlanden Groep , or `` International Netherlands Group , '' a nod to the company 's dutch origins and headquarters . The company 's heavy use of the color orange in its buildings and promotion is also a shoutout to the Netherlands ; orange is the color of the Dutch royal family dating all the way back to William of Orange . 16 . H&R Block . Brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founding the tax preparation firm in Kansas City in 1955 . Their only problem was their last name . The brothers worried that people would mispronounce their surname as `` blotch , '' hardly a term you want associated with your tax return . They decided to sidestep this problem by spelling the company 's name `` Block '' instead , so that nobody would miss the solid hard `` k '' sound . | Ever wonder about the stories behind names like CVS or H&M or IKEA ? Pharmacy chain CVS started out as `` Consumer Value Stores '' IKEA takes first 2 letters from founder 's name , second 2 letters from locations . H&M comes from first letters of women 's store and hunting supplier . | [[352, 413], [416, 468], [835, 846], [867, 982]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When I won the reality show competition `` Survivor : Africa '' in 2001 , I never dreamed that an obscure African flower would provide the drug that later helped me survive cancer . But that 's the way my life has unfolded . One day I was battling opponents for a million dollars , the next I was battling lymphoma for my life . I could n't have won either fight without having nature on my side . Now I 'm working hard to protect natural areas that will provide the source of future drugs that could save millions of lives . On the show we were expected to live off the land . I learned very early that survival would mean figuring out how to work with , rather than against , nature . We used thorny acacia plants to keep predators away from our camp . We drank from the same watering hole as elephants and giraffes , learning the best times to drink and how to stay out of their way . Nature was a good teacher . I won $ 1 million and the confidence that I could survive just about any challenge . In 2009 , I was diagnosed with Hodgkin 's lymphoma , and it turned out that the confidence I gained on `` Survivor '' proved even more valuable than the million dollars . But not even the trials of the show could have prepared me for the greatest struggle of my life . Chemotherapy drugs wracked my body for months . But as they worked I found some comfort when I learned that one of them was derived from an African flower , the rosy periwinkle . The drug born of this flower , vincristine , was part of the regimen that saved my life . My cancer is now in remission and once again I owe my survival to working with nature . My case is not an isolated one . It turns out that dozens of plants in nature manufacture anti-cancer agents as chemical defenses . Scientists figured this out years ago , and 80 percent of all anti-cancer drugs possess an active ingredient from the natural world . This promise extends to other diseases as well , with half the new drugs created in the past 25 years derived from nature . According to a recent study , natural drugs and related products are used to treat 87 percent of all known diseases , including cancer , heart disease , diabetes and HIV . Yet this pharmaceutical pipeline is in danger . Researchers unraveled the biochemistry of the snakeroot plant to improve the treatment of hypertension , but the plant is now threatened by deforestation in Indonesia . Scientists derived a compound for treating severe chronic pain from a cone snail found in Pacific coral reefs , though its habitat is now threatened by destructive fishing practices and marine pollution . The first antiviral medication approved for the treatment of HIV/AIDS came from a marine sponge , yet marine habitats around the world are threatened by pollution , overfishing and climate change . Given the accelerating destruction of rainforests , reefs and other natural habitats around the world , we must take action today -- as there 's no telling how many useful undiscovered natural compounds we could lose for tomorrow . Right now , there 's a bipartisan bill in Congress , the Global Conservation Act of 2010 , that seeks to address extinction and natural resource depletion worldwide by laying out a strategy for helping other countries protect millions of square miles of natural habitat . President Obama must put his weight behind this bill and the Congress must pass it soon . According to the World Conservation Union , more than 16,000 species , plant and animal alike , are in danger of extinction , largely because of human activities . Indeed , scientists warn that two-thirds of the planet 's 10 million species could face extinction by the end of the century . Time is not on our side . I won `` Survivor : Africa , '' and I 've won my battle against cancer . But in each case , I did n't do it alone . I had the most unlikely of partners : a small watering hole and , later , a flower . I do n't know what I 'll need from nature next or where the newest nature-based medicines will come from , but I 'm not willing to risk losing any of them . The rosy periwinkle saved my life . Who knows what could save yours ? | Winner of TV 's `` Survivor : Africa '' beat cancer with chemo from African plant . Ethan Zohn 's brush with death spurred him to save natural habitats . Zohn urges Congress to pass bill that outlines strategy to protect natural habitats . | [[109, 200], [417, 463]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The bodies of four men kidnapped from a wedding in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico , have been found in the bed of a pickup truck in the city , municipal police said Tuesday . The men , kidnapped Friday , included the groom , Rafael Morales ; his brother , Jaime Morales ; and their uncle , Guadalupe Morales , municipal police spokesman Jacinto Seguro said . The fourth person 's name has not been released . All the bodies showed signs of torture , Seguro said . The bodies were found Monday afternoon and were identified on Tuesday , he said . `` It 's very sad , but , well ... that seems to be the situation , '' he added . The FBI has information that Rafael Morales was a U.S. citizen from La Mesa , New Mexico , and others may be as well , said Special Agent Andrea Simmons of the El Paso , Texas , FBI office . The FBI offered assistance this weekend to local and federal police in Mexico , Simmons said , but neither has requested anything so far . The men were kidnapped after gunmen stormed into the church in the middle of the wedding ceremony on Friday , Chihuahua State Attorney General 's Office spokesman Carlos Gonzalez said Saturday . A fifth man was fatally shot in the incident , Gonzalez said . `` It 's unclear if this was gang - or drug-related , '' he said . Ciudad Juarez , Chihuahua , is the most violent city in Mexico , with more than 2,600 drug-related deaths in 2009 . At least 870 people have been killed in the city this year , according to local reports . According to a report released in April by the Mexican government , Chihuahua is the Mexican state hardest hit by drug violence , with 6,757 people killed since the end of 2006 . CNN 's Devon Sayers contributed to this report . | Dead include the groom , who was a U.S. citizen , FBI says . Four bodies showed signs of torture , police say . A fifth man was fatally shot in the incident at Saturday wedding . | [[186, 193], [215, 250], [639, 740], [420, 458], [1164, 1187], [1193, 1208], [1164, 1175], [1188, 1208]] |
Havana , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thousands packed Havana 's Revolution Square on Saturday for International Workers ' Day , drawing hordes of Cuban demonstrators , spectators , and trade unionists from around the world -- including the United States and the United Kingdom . `` I 've never seen anything like it , '' said Brian Hattsberger , a British labor unionist in attendance , wiping the sweat from his brow with his red labor hat . `` It 's just amazing . '' For years , since Cuba 's bearded revolutionaries toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista over half a century ago , residents have gathered in Havana on May 1 to listen to hours-long speeches from their former president , Fidel Castro . The elder Castro made his last showing in 2006 before stepping down because of illness , at first temporarily and then permanently , leaving the reins to his younger brother , Raul . Since then , neither Castro has made a major speech on May Day . This year was no different . In a carefully choreographed show of force , thousands took to the streets , carrying placards with the faces of Che Guevara , Fidel Castro and Raul Castro , and waving Cuban flags as they sang and sweated beneath the hot Caribbean sun . `` I am marching for Cuba and for the Cuban revolution , '' said one Cuban marcher as she passed through the square . Cuba had billed this year 's march as a rebuke to international criticism from Europe and Washington over human rights issues recently bubbling up in the Communist nation . In February , dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo , who was jailed in 2003 during a crackdown on political opposition , died after a hunger strike that lasted for more than 80 days . He began the strike to demand better prison conditions . In an unprecedented government statement , Raul Castro said he `` lamented the death of Cuban prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo , who died after leading a hunger strike . '' He blamed the United States for the death , but did not explain why . `` Tortured people do not exist , '' Castro added . Recently , an opposition group that calls itself the `` Ladies in White '' -- made up of relatives of dissidents jailed in the 2003 crackdown -- has met recurring resistance from large groups of pro-government demonstrators , who surround the women and drown out their chants of `` Freedom '' with such phrases as `` This street belongs to Fidel . '' The women on occasion are detained briefly by police before being driven back to their homes . Saturday marked the second International Workers ' Day since U.S. President Obama took office . At the time of his election , Obama elicited a sense among many Cubans that they might finally see an end to the economic trade embargo that has been in place since the administration of President John F. Kennedy . While Obama eased restrictions on small-ticket items such as family travel and telecommunications , and sent high-ranking envoys to Havana to foster fresh migration talks , broader discussions now appear at a standstill following a storm of criticism over Zapata 's death and increasingly routine counter-demonstrations in support of the government that overpower the handful of weekly protests . Saturday 's May Day march began around 8 a.m. and lasted roughly two hours without incident . | Thousands of Cuban demonstrators , trade unionists gather from around world . `` I am marching for Cuba and for the Cuban revolution , '' one Cuban marcher says . Cuba had billed march as rebuke to international criticism over human rights . | [[9, 29], [124, 212], [975, 1017], [1020, 1049], [1216, 1267], [1270, 1330], [1331, 1377]] |
Tokyo , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune testified in a trial Monday that he had no intention of hurting anyone when he protested Japan 's whale hunt . The New Zealand activist from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , standing trial in Tokyo District Court , said that he believed bottles of butyric acid he threw at the Shonan Maru 2 whaling ship were non-toxic and would not harm anyone . Bethune faces five charges , including assault against whalers and trespassing into a whaling vessel . He pleaded guilty last week to all charges but assault . If convicted , Bethune faces a maximum of 15 years behind bars . At Monday 's hearing he tearfully described the January collision between the Shonan Maru 2 and the Sea Shepherd 's multi-million-dollar speedboat , the Ady Gil . The crash sunk the Ady Gil , which Bethune captained . Weeks later , Bethune jumped aboard the Shonan Maru 2 and attempted to make a citizen 's arrest of the captain . He was arrested and brought back to Japan to face criminal charges . In court last week , Bethune admitted to all the charges , except for assault . `` I admit that I boarded the Shonan Maru , but I believe that I have good reason to do so , '' he said . `` I admit that I fired the butyric acid , but there were additional circumstances that we will discuss in court . '' Prosecutors say the butyric acid burned two crew members of the Japanese whaling fleet , but Sea Shepherd calls it a harmless , albeit rancid , liquid . Butyric acid is found in rancid butter and vomit . Bethune 's case is the first time a Sea Shepherd activist has been tried in a Japanese criminal court in the group 's long-running battle with Japan 's whalers in the icy waters of the Antarctic . Japan annually hunts whales in the Antarctic , despite a worldwide moratorium on whaling , under the loophole that a country may legally do so if its purpose is scientific research . Sea Shepherd has claimed the science argument is a sham , noting that the whale meat then gets sold in Japanese markets and served in restaurants . A verdict is expected June 10 . CNN 's Yoko Wakatsuki and Junko Ogura contributed to this report . | Anti-whaling activist facing charges of assault , trespassing . Peter Bethune says he did not intend to harm anyone . Bethune admits he threw butyric acid at Japanese whaling ship . Activists were protesting Japan 's whale-hunting practices . | [[423, 525], [423, 430], [452, 469], [0, 5], [8, 179], [1237, 1274]] |
New Delhi , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Investigators were searching for bodies in a mangled wreck Saturday , a day after two trains crashed and killed at least 98 people in eastern India , officials said . Maoist rebels are suspected of causing the crash by removing the fasteners securing the tracks , police said . Authorities identified some suspects , but had not yet made any arrests , said Bhupinder Singh , police chief in West Bengal state . He said `` quite a few '' people were involved . At least 115 passengers were injured when 13 cars of the Mumbai-bound Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Express derailed , capsized on a parallel track and were slammed by a cargo train , authorities said . More than a dozen bodies may still be trapped inside the wreckage , said N.S. Nigam , West Midnapore district magistrate . Singh told reporters Friday that officers had found Maoist posters claiming responsibility for the attack . `` It appears to be a case of sabotage where a portion of the railway track was removed . Whether explosives were used is not yet clear , '' Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in a statement Friday . Manoj Verma , the district police superintendent , said Friday that investigators were looking into the possibility that `` fishplates , '' which secure rail joints , were missing from the track . The role of Maoists `` can not be ruled out , '' Verma said . India regards Maoists as its gravest internal security threat . More than 70 officers were killed in a suspected Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh state last month in what was seen as one of the most daring attacks by the left-wing guerrillas on Indian security forces . The insurgents , on the other hand , have claimed since the 1960s to be fighting for the dispossessed . In February , Chidambaram said that more than 900 people , including almost 600 civilians , were killed in Maoist-related incidents in 2009 . About 200 suspected rebels were also slain as forces moved into areas under insurgent control , he said . | At least 98 people killed after passenger train jumps track and slams into freight train . Police say suspects removed rail fasteners from tracks to cause crash . Police have identified several Maoist rebel suspects , but have not made any arrests . Home minister calls wreck `` sabotage '' | [[0, 9], [142, 184], [204, 298], [315, 351], [315, 326], [358, 369], [375, 386], [315, 326], [366, 386], [931, 966], [948, 954], [958, 966], [973, 1017]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A tsunami warning was canceled Friday for Vanuatu , the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean when the threat from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had passed . The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued the warning early Friday when the quake struck near the island of Vanuatu , saying that an earthquake of that size `` has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours . '' There were no reports of serious damage or injuries . The earthquake was 20 kilometers -LRB- 12.4 miles -RRB- deep , according to the U.S. Geological Survey . Its epicenter was 215 kilometers -LRB- 135 miles -RRB- from Luganville , Vanuatu . It struck at 4:14 a.m. Friday -LRB- 1:14 p.m. Thursday ET -RRB- , the USGS said . The USGS initially classified the quake as a 7.6 - magnitude , but later downgraded it . | Warning canceled for Vanuatu , Solomon Islands and New Caledonia . Warning was issued after 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit near island of Vanuatu . There were no reports of serious damage or injuries from the quake . | [[0, 9], [19, 68], [191, 306], [492, 545]] |
Tokyo , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Toyota returned to profits for the fiscal year ending in March , despite the continuing economic downturn and a series of recalls that rattled consumer confidence in the United States , the Japanese automaker said Tuesday . Toyota reported an annual profit of 209 billion yen -LRB- $ 2.2 billion -RRB- over the last year , the company said at a news conference . That figure compares to a loss of 437 billion yen for fiscal year 2008 . This is `` still in a tough storm , but we are starting to see some sun on the horizon , '' Toyota President Akio Toyoda said , noting the challenge his company has faced in the wake of a continuing economic downturn and the recall of some 10 million of its cars . Net revenues for the fiscal year decreased of 7.7 percent compared to 2009 , while operating revenue for the year recovered from a loss of 461 billion yen to a profit of 147.5 billion yen , the company announced . Cost-cutting measures helped make Toyota profitable . Vehicle sales for the fiscal year totaled 7.24 million units , a decrease of 330,000 units from the preceding fiscal year , Toyota said . Sales were up by 218,00 vehicles in Japan and another 74,000 units across the rest of Asia . The story was different in the United States and Europe , where sales fell by 114,000 and 204,000 units . Toyota cars and trucks have been the subject of at least three separate major recalls in the past year . One was for the `` sticky pedal '' situation in which gas pedals , as they age , begin to stick in a partially depressed position . Another was for gas pedals that can stick on some floor mats , and a third was for braking problems on Toyota Prius hybrid cars . In April , Toyota indicated to the U.S. government it would pay a $ 16.4 million fine -- the largest ever against an automaker -- for failing to notify the Department of Transportation of the `` sticky pedal '' defect for at least four months . Despite the problems , Toyota announced in late April that production soared more than 80 percent in March compared to year-ago levels . Toyota Tuesday predicted sales growth across the board for 2011 , pinning its hopes on green cars and the emerging markets like India and China . | Toyota reports $ 2.2 billion profit for fiscal year 2009 that ended on March 31 , 2010 . Operating revenue recovers from 2008 losses to profit in 2009 , Japanese carmaker says . 2009 sales were up across Asia and Japan , but down in both North America and Europe . Carmaker has been the subject of at least three separate major recalls in the past year . | [[257, 353], [219, 256], [817, 888], [1233, 1288], [106, 162], [1339, 1443]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Soccer superstar David Beckham will spearhead England 's presentation of the country 's official bid document for the 2018 World Cup hosting rights . Beckham , who will miss this year 's tournament in South Africa due to injury , will lead the English Football Association delegation to world governing body FIFA 's Swiss headquarters on Friday . FIFA will make a decision on December 2 as to which country will be the 2018 host and also for the 2022 event . England , who have also asked to be considered for 2022 if unsuccessful for 2018 , will be up against the United States , Russia , Australia and joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands , and Portugal and Spain . With Europe likely to win the 2018 event , Japan , Qatar and South Korea are bidding for only 2022 hosting rights . Beckham will be able to play a more active role in England 's bid due to the ruptured Achilles he suffered while on loan at Italian club AC Milan , which has also ruled him out of the Los Angeles Galaxy 's Major League Soccer season . He has already contributed to the campaign , taking part in an expo for bidding nations last December . `` It 's fantastic news that David 's schedule has enabled him to present and head our bid in Zurich , '' Football Association and bid chairman David Triesman told the FA Web site on Monday . `` It is entirely appropriate that he does so as our bid is about football and the passion for it in our country . Nobody represents that better than David . He is a fantastic footballer and a global role model . '' England 's bid book will feature proposals for stadiums , training venues , base camps and fan parks . The FA said about 16 stadiums are required with minimum capacities of between 40,000 for group matches and 80,000 for the opening match and final . FIFA has strict requirements for accommodation , transport , IT , medical services , broadcasting , safety and security , ticketing , hospitality and commercial rights . | David Beckham will head England 's presentation bid for the the 2018 World Cup . Soccer superstar will lead delegation to FIFA 's Zurich headquarters on Friday . World governing body will make decision on hosting rights for 2018 on December 2 . Beckham is ruled out of this year 's World Cup in South Africa due to injury . | [[0, 15], [36, 168], [169, 176], [240, 365], [366, 405], [169, 178], [183, 246]] |
Want to avoid a heart attack or stroke ? In addition to well-known risk factors like diet and exercise , you may want to keep an eye on your vitamin D levels too . Small amounts of vitamin D is available in food , such as fish , cod liver oil , and fortified milk and juice . Low levels of the `` sunshine vitamin '' -- so nicknamed because we get most of our vitamin D from sunlight -- may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease , according to a report published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology . About 30 to 50 pecent of American children and adults do n't get enough vitamin D , says coauthor James O'Keefe , M.D. , cardiologist and director of preventative cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute , in Kansas City , Missouri . `` Society has been slow to respond to the pleas of vitamin D experts for years , '' O'Keefe says . `` People say , ` Well , I go outside , ' but the truth is we just are n't outside enough -- or when we are , we 're using sunscreen or wearing protective clothing . '' Small amounts of vitamin D can be consumed through food , such as fish , cod liver oil , and fortified milk and juice . But to achieve the daily 1,000 to 2,000 international units -LRB- IUs -RRB- that most people need , a dietary supplement is almost always necessary , according to the report . Oral doses of up to 2,000 IUs a day are considered safe and are available over the counter . Watch more on vitamin D recommendations for children '' People with vitamin D levels below 15 nanograms per milliliter -LRB- deficiency is defined as less than 20 ng/ml -RRB- are twice as likely to have a heart attack , stroke , or other cardiovascular event within the next five years as those with higher levels , according to the Framingham Heart Study , a large , ongoing study of heart risk factors . Because the Framingham Heart Study is not a randomized controlled trial , it 's still not clear if vitamin D is the real reason for the link -LRB- the vitamin 's levels could drop in unhealthy people for other reasons -RRB- , or if taking a supplement would lower the risk . However , experts agree that a connection is likely . Vitamin D appears to regulate insulin production in the pancreas , and a deficiency could raise diabetes risk . Low levels of vitamin D can also raise blood pressure and increase inflammation in the arteries , `` a recipe for disaster , '' says O'Keefe . `` These are the fundamental disturbances that predispose us to blood clots , strokes , and cardiac deaths , '' he says . Susan Harris , D.Sc. , an epidemiologist in the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston , Massachusetts , agrees that there 's little harm in assuming that vitamin D may help the heart . `` It looks like vitamin D is important in very basic physiological functions like appropriate immune responses and inflammation , which play a role in cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses , '' she says . Health.com : How the financial crisis could break your heart , literally . While placebo-controlled studies are still needed to define vitamin D 's real relationship with heart disease , `` it is such a safe and possibly preventive treatment , there 's not really any reason to wait until that research is conducted , '' she adds . O'Keefe and his colleagues at the University of Alabama , the Mayo Clinic , and the vitamin D laboratory at Boston University recommend that people with cardiovascular disease or related risk factors -- such as smoking , obesity , diabetes , or a family history -- have their vitamin D levels checked by a doctor . Health.com : 7 Causes of High Cholesterol . To restore normal vitamin D levels , deficient at-risk patients should be supplemented with 50,000 IUs of prescription vitamin D2 or D3 -LRB- vitamin D comes in two forms -RRB- once a week for 8 to 12 weeks , according to the report 's authors . They should then maintain these levels with either 50,000 units every two weeks , 1,000 to 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 every day , or approximately 10 minutes of sunlight a day between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Health.com : Vitamin Guidelines : Easy Ways to Double Your D . Harris agrees with most of these recommendations , although she warns that sun exposure in the northern United States during the months of November through April tends to be an inadequate source of vitamin D . The bottom line , says O'Keefe , is that adequate vitamin D levels are a necessity for overall health -- and they probably improve heart functioning as well . `` Deficiency really wreaks havoc on long-term health , '' he says . `` And so even though -LSB- the cardiovascular benefit -RSB- is still theoretical , we have a mandate to normalize levels in heart patients -- and really in all patients -- just for the good it will do the rest of their system . '' Health.com : How I survived a heart attack at 43 . O'Keefe is an unpaid consultant for CardioTabs , a supplement maker , and the group practice where he works uses the supplement company 's funds for marketing and patient education . Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Health - CLICK HERE ! Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Study : Low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease . About 30 to 50 pecent of Americans do n't get enough vitamin D says study author . Sun in northern U.S. may not generate enough vitamin D during winter months . More studies needed to pinpoint role of vitamin D and cardiovascular health . | [[276, 316], [375, 383], [387, 434], [276, 316], [437, 458], [276, 316], [437, 458], [531, 612], [531, 584], [615, 739], [4235, 4384], [3044, 3147]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Noah Baumbach is emerging as an emotionally acute , not to say eviscerating , observer of the middle-class intelligentsia , the kind of people who write letters to `` The New York Times '' and might plausibly pop up in a Woody Allen movie . Unlike the Woodman , Baumbach does n't show his face on screen , but his films are no less personal for that : `` The Squid and the Whale '' was a sometimes wincingly autobiographical account of two boys torn between their divorcing parents , and he 's not one to deflect an insight with a wisecrack . The cracks just cut deeper . I 've rarely experienced an audience recoil from a character as passionately as they did to Nicole Kidman 's toxically self-absorbed writer in `` Margot at the Wedding '' -LRB- maybe her best performance , incidentally -RRB- . These are comedies in the sense that the characters are painfully ridiculous -- and all too recognizably real -- but Baumbach sure does n't make it easy for himself , or us . Roger Greenberg -LRB- Ben Stiller -RRB- is another neurotic narcissist , a middle-aged loner who comes back to Los Angeles to house-sit while his brother enjoys a long vacation in the Far East . Greenberg -LRB- only his brother calls him Roger -RRB- can feed the family dog , but the truth is that he desperately needs to regroup and recharge after a spell in a mental hospital . He has one friend , Ivan -LRB- Rhys Ifans -RRB- , who still has time for him and a wider circle of former friends who do n't . We soon learn that Greenberg used to front a band , but it fell apart after he turned down a recording deal , and he 's been in New York ever since , under-achieving on a permanent basis . `` I 'm trying to do nothing for a while , '' is how he explains himself to anyone who will listen . Stiller finds a note of defiance in this pathetic rationalization -LRB- along with his powerlessness , Greenberg has developed an angry streak -RRB- , but it 's clear to almost everyone how lost he really is . He 's living in the past , fantasizing about his old girlfriend -LRB- a deftly ironic cameo by Baumbach 's wife , Jennifer Jason Leigh -RRB- and scarcely able to look after himself , let alone his brother 's dog . It 's hard to believe this hunched misanthrope grew up in sunny California -- he can barely doggy-paddle and always dresses for rain -- but Stiller knows him inside out . He shows us someone trapped in his own disappointment , flailing and failing . Then there 's Florence -LRB- Greta Gerwig -RRB- , his brother 's personal assistant/nanny , a wannabe singer who defaults to doormat status in almost any social exchange . Greenberg throws himself on her with an awkward mixture of condescension and vulnerability , and their fumbling relationship -- physical but scarcely intimate -- serves as a kind of love story , or at least the unspoken promise of one . It 's crucial to Baumbach 's strategy that Gerwig -LRB- a mainstay of the new millennial American independent scene -RRB- is ordinarily beautiful , not movie-star knockout . Florence is self-conscious and unsure of herself , which is why she 'll drive Greenberg around -LRB- he does n't drive -RRB- even after he 's walked out on her twice . Uneventful -LRB- the dog gets sick , and , uh , that 's about it -RRB- , `` Greenberg '' resembles the kind of films Gerwig has been making -LRB- `` LOL , '' `` Baghead '' -RRB- , but on a bigger budget and with one of Hollywood 's most accomplished cinematographers on board -LRB- Harris Savides , whose credits include `` Zodiac '' and `` Milk '' -RRB- . That is , it coalesces around tentative , half-formed ideas about how to be a person in the world . `` Greenberg '' shows that young people are n't the only ones wondering what they 're to make of themselves and whether it 's already too late . Its best sequence , the climax , is an impromptu house party in which Greenberg finds himself pontificating , stoned , before a bemused audience half his age -- and at long last manages to accept himself . It 's a small victory but worth savoring . | Director Noah Baumbach is best known for `` The Squid and the Whale '' Ben Stiller 's character is neurotic narcissist who returns to Los Angeles to house-sit . Film involves ideas of what it is to be a person in the world . | [[1066, 1085], [1090, 1128]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If Dennis Hopper attends the dedication of his star on Hollywood 's Walk of Fame Friday , it may be the last time his fans see the actor alive . Hopper is dying of prostate cancer , according to documents filed in his divorce case this week . Hopper 's acting career has spanned almost six decades . In the '50s he had roles in several TV shows and films , including `` Rebel Without a Cause '' -LRB- 1955 -RRB- and `` Giant '' -LRB- 1956 -RRB- . He became a Hollywood sensation for `` Easy Rider , '' the 1969 film he directed and co-wrote in which he played a dissolute , countercultural biker . He was twice nominated for Oscars . Hopper , 73 , is undergoing radical chemotherapy for advanced , metastasized prostate cancer , his doctor said . He is too weak and ill to be questioned by lawyers in the divorce , but attending Friday 's ceremony `` is a positive experience in every way , '' his doctor 's sworn statement said . Hopper 's lawyer has not confirmed if the actor will attend the ceremony in front of the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard , but his doctor is recommending it . `` I believe the ceremony honoring his career may be something which he will actually enjoy in the company of his daughter , who he hopes will attend with him , '' Dr. David Argus said . Dennis and Victoria Hopper married 14 years ago and they have a 6-year-old daughter , Galen . They separated in January when he filed for divorce , claiming the stress of their relationship was threatening his life as he battled cancer . `` The presence of his estranged wife is hampering Mr. Hopper 's present cancer care as she introduces significant additional stress into his life , '' Argus said . `` The less Mr. Hopper has to do with his estranged wife at this time , the more likely he is to have his life extended . '' Hopper 's lawyer , Joseph Mannis , argued that Victoria Hopper , knowing he was `` extremely ill and fragile , repeatedly engaged in conduct which appears to have been calculated to subject -LSB- Hopper -RSB- to severe emotional distress . '' This distress `` subjected -LSB- Hopper -RSB- to a significant risk of causing his premature death , '' Mannis wrote . The divorce case is set for an April 5 hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court , but lawyers for Victoria Hopper are trying to force Dennis Hopper to take part in a deposition . His lawyer and doctor told the judge it could kill him . `` Compelling Mr. Hopper to participate in a deposition where he is being asked questions he is compelled to respond to under oath regarding his wife and/or his daughter could actually threaten his ability to survive his current health crisis , '' Argus wrote . Hopper , who weighs `` a little over 100 pounds , '' is `` extremely weak and extremely ill , and he tires very quickly , '' he said . Emily Davis , Hopper 's personal assistant , said in a sworn statement that Hopper is `` only able to have brief conversations at times when his nurses permit him to have such conversations and then only for very short periods of time . '' `` He is not able to concentrate and he tires quickly , '' Davis said . The court filing also contends that Hopper 's finances have dwindled with his illness . An affidavit from his accountant said the cost of his cancer treatments exceed his income , which is $ 58,000 in annual residual payments from his TV and movie roles . His last acting job was last year when he completed the television series `` Crash . '' | Hopper is dying of prostate cancer , say documents in divorce case . He is too ill to testify , but doctor recommends he appear at star ceremony . Hopper is to receive a star on Hollywood Boulevard on Friday . | [[189, 223], [239, 286], [1110, 1141], [47, 131]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nevada sheriff 's deputies descended Thursday on Wayne Newton 's 38-acre ranch with movers in tow to carry out a debt-collection action , but were rebuffed , officials told CNN . The deputies from the department 's civil process service were turned away from the property and returned to the Clark County Courthouse in Las Vegas . The entertainer known as `` Mr. Las Vegas '' was facing debt collection of more than $ 455,000 from a breached contract with a man identified in court documents as Monty Ward . Thursday 's action by the deputies was Ward 's attempt to use the legal options available to him to collect on the judgment , an attorney connected to the case told CNN . The judgment is dated January 27 . Because Ward had not been paid , he was taking other steps to collect , the attorney said . Ward 's is not the only civil action related to finances that Newton faces . Bruton Smith sued Newton this year in an attempt to get repayment on a $ 3.35 million loan . Newton 's home , which he had put up as collateral , could be at risk , court records show . CNN 's Brittany Kaplan , Karan Olson and Tom Laabs contributed to this report . | Deputies from Nevada 's sheriff 's department 's civil process service were turned away . Newton faces debt collection of more than $ 455,000 from a breached contract . The judgment was dated January 27 . | [[198, 290], [350, 480], [698, 732]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was supposed to be a celebration -- sun , fun and relaxation on a tropical island for recent graduates savoring the heady taste of approaching adulthood . But instead , the trip to Aruba by a group of Birmingham , Alabama , high school seniors ended in tragedy , as one of their members , 18-year-old Natalee Holloway , never returned home . Questions surrounding her fate are unanswered five years later . Now , Joran van der Sloot , the youth twice arrested and released in Holloway 's disappearance -- seen by many as a privileged playboy who has displayed no remorse or concern over her whereabouts -- has been named a suspect in the stabbing death of a woman in Peru , allegations that hint at a chilling pattern . Holloway was last seen in the early hours of May 30 , 2005 , leaving an Oranjestad , Aruba , nightclub with van der Sloot and two other men , brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe . She was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham . Holloway failed to show up for her flight home the following day , and her packed bags were found in her hotel room . Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes were arrested and released in 2005 in connection with the case , then arrested a second time in 2007 after Aruba 's then-chief prosecutor Hans Mos said he had received new evidence in the case . Van der Sloot , then attending college in the Netherlands , was brought back to Aruba . But judges ruled the new evidence -- which included an Internet chat the same day Holloway disappeared with one of the three youths writing that she was dead -- was not enough to keep them in custody . In the years since Holloway vanished , van der Sloot has consistently denied any involvement in her disappearance , police said . `` He 's just totally , totally dragged us all through hell , '' Holloway 's anguished mother , Beth Twitty , has said . In 2008 , a videotape surfaced on Dutch television . In it , van der Sloot tells a man he thought was a friend he had sex with Holloway on the beach after leaving the nightclub , then she `` started shaking '' and lose consciousness . He said he panicked when he could not rescuscitate her and called a friend who had a boat . The two put Holloway in the boat , van der Sloot said , and he went home . The friend told him the next day that he had carried the body out and dumped it into the ocean . `` I do n't lose a minute of sleep over it , '' van der Sloot said . He later claimed the account was a lie , saying he told the man what he wanted to hear . A court ruled there was not enough evidence to re-arrest him . Aruba chief prosecutor Peter Blanken said the story was `` unbelievable and not true . '' But it 's been van der Sloot 's cavalier attitude toward the case that has fueled criticism , as well as conflicting statements he 's made . He told Fox News in a 2008 interview he sold Holloway to human traffickers for $ 10,000 , then in a taped interview denied it . At the time his name first surfaced in the Holloway investigation , suspicion swirled around his parents , particularly his father , an Aruban lawyer training to be a judge . Paul van der Sloot was briefly taken into custody in 2005 on suspicion of involvement in the Holloway case . Authorities said he told his son that police had no case without a body . He was released after three days of questioning . Holloway 's parents , however , have said they met with Paul van der Sloot and continue to believe he had the answers to questions regarding their daughter . `` I remember the day I met with Paul at the prison , '' Dave Holloway has said . `` And the thing that stuck out in my mind was I asked him all the questions , why he hid from the news media . And the last question that I had was , was he involved , and he said no . He said , ` Dave , I can understand your position , but you 've got to understand mine . Joran 's my son and I 'll do everything I can to protect him . ' And I believe it . '' Van der Sloot 's mother , Anita , has said her son told her he was on the beach with Holloway but left her there because she wanted to stay . She has maintained her son 's innocence . -LRB- MORE -RRB- . | Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in 2005 on Aruba . Joran van der Sloot arrested twice , never charged . Critics see youth as privileged playboy . Has told conflicting stories in Holloway case . | [[457, 460], [467, 481], [498, 523], [527, 563], [2860, 2895]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Barack Obama met Wednesday with U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno to get a first-hand account of conditions in Iraq from the top commander for the country . A White House spokesman said Odierno `` provided a positive assessment '' of security conditions and the transfer of responsibilities to Iraqi security forces ahead of completing the planned withdrawal of most U.S. troops by the end of August . In addition , Obama and Odierno discussed the recent certification of election results by Iraq 's Federal Supreme Court and efforts to form an inclusive Iraqi government , according to White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton . Odierno is responsible for determining the pace of withdrawal of American forces from Iraq , but the Obama administration has said the deadline for bringing home all but 50,000 troops by the end of August remains on schedule despite the recent spike in violence there . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Saturday found that 64 percent of Americans favor the president 's plan to keep the 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the summer , with 35 percent opposed . But the national poll indicated that support for the planned removal could drop significantly if Iraq can not solve its current problems in coming months . With the ongoing reduction of troops in Iraq , the U.S. now has more troops in Afghanistan than Iraq for the first time since 2003 . | NEW : President meets with commander to discuss planned troop withdrawal from Iraq . NEW : General reportedly gives `` positive assessment '' of security conditions on ground . Administration says withdrawal on schedule . Poll finds 64 percent favor president 's plan to keep 50,000 troops till end of August . | [[190, 434], [219, 434], [839, 893], [939, 1055], [1034, 1119]] |
-LRB- The Frisky -RRB- -- I took a day off to head upstate with some friends for a relaxing weekend in the country . Plaid shirts were worn , showers were abstained from , and copious amounts of pork , wine , and other stuff were ingested . A great time was had by all , especially when my girlfriends took the time to put their heads together to come up with a `` back-up plan '' for yours truly . First , let 's just talk about what , exactly , a back-up plan is . Should life not go as ideally intended -- in career , love , etc. -- many people have a PLAN B. My career as an editor for a mega popular lady site goes belly up ? My back-up plan is to freelance full-time from Costa Rica . Romantic back-up plans have become fodder for many movies , including one which just hit theaters this weekend , aptly titled `` The Back-up Plan , '' starring Jennifer Lopez . In the film , which I am assured is terrible , Lopez conceives twins via artificial insemination -LRB- her `` back-up plan '' -RRB- `` only to meet the man of her dreams the very same day . '' Oh no ! The Frisky : Is Minnie Driver secretly married ? According to Hollywood , back-up plans rarely go as planned . In `` My Best Friend 's Wedding , '' Julia Roberts ' character 's back-up plan is to marry her lifelong male best friend if they 're both single at 30 . And , of course , just before the clock strikes midnight on the day of her 30th birthday , aforementioned guy best friend announces he is engaged and Roberts ' character , of course , realizes she loved him all along . The Frisky : Why women on dating sites do n't respond to men . I had a half-hearted back-up plan like this in college . I told myself that if `` things did n't go as planned '' in my love life by , uh , 30-something -LRB- which seemed dreadfully old at the time -RRB- , I would just get together with this guy friend of mine named Miguel . Nothing romantic or sexual had ever happened between us , save this one drunken almost-kiss , and I do n't think I included him in the back-up plan-making decision process . He was just rad and cute and we liked the same things . Last week I reconnected with him -- perhaps my subconscious mind was trying to find out whether this `` back-up plan '' needed its own back-up plan -- and as it turns out he 's got some girlfriend he hopes to marry , so good for him . The Frisky : Sneak peek at the new `` Bachelorette '' So , back to my new back-up plan , or rather the back-up plan people-who-shall-remain-nameless have concocted for me . I woke up from a nap -LRB- one of many , as napping is what we do for fun in the country -RRB- to hear a couple of my girlfriends whispering . `` Why have n't they ever dated ? '' F. asked . `` I do n't know , I do n't think either of them has ever thought about it , '' T. concluded in a hushed tone . Noticing me sitting there staring at them , T. said in a more normal tone of voice , `` We were just talking about how you and D. could be really good together . I think if you 're both single in five years , you should get together ! '' OK , then . They gave me a long list of reasons why this would be awesome and were very proud of themselves . I nodded and smiled and rolled my eyes and then went back to sleep . The Frisky : Here 's what it costs to date a celebrity . In fairness , it is not an appalling idea . D. is a perfectly awesome dude . We have been friends for a long time . I 'm sure he will make a wonderful boyfriend/husband/baby daddy to someone someday , just as I will make a wonderful girlfriend/wife/baby momma to someone someday . And all joking aside , I know my friends mean well , even if selfishly they love us both and thus would be over the moon if we loved each other like that , because then everyone would be happy and wearing plaid and eating pork together . In truth , there are certain things I really want in life -- a gratifying career -LRB- check ! -RRB- , someone to love romantically who loves me back equally and just as fiercely -LRB- foot-tapping -RRB- , and , eventually , kids . I 've already explained which qualities I really desire in a man -LRB- though a few are hardly necessities -RRB- , but what if that man does n't come along ? We do n't always get everything we want in life . Which is why I have a back-up plan of my own . I 'm just not sharing what it is . TM & © 2010 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | Jennifer Lopez 's new movie is about a Plan B that sort of backfires . Columnist 's own Plan B man turned out to have a different plan of his own . Writer 's friends plot behind her back to match her with another guy . | [[839, 867], [4279, 4312], [1180, 1211], [1214, 1300], [2456, 2529]] |
-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- My orthopedic surgeon took a few Pringle-like bone shards out of my knee this summer . I made a good recovery , and at our knee-review appointment I asked him if I could go back to playing tennis . `` Well , '' he said , `` that depends on whether you have your mother 's knees or your father 's knees . '' My father played doubles until he was 80 ; my mother suffered so from arthritis and stenosis that she spent her last years shuffling with a walker . I peered at my legs . The general shape was my mother 's , but I did n't know to whom my knee joints really belonged . `` You 'll find out , '' the doc said cheerfully . This is what it comes to , in middle age . What do you have that you 're stuck with and what do you have that may prove useful and how much room to grow and change and mitigate will you give yourself ? When I was around 10 , I had an ongoing fantasy of my grown-up life . I lived in a white farmhouse on a hill . Every room was filled with books , and my beautiful English sheepdog , Sydney , lay on the living room window seat . There was no drooling and no shedding . There was also no visible or audible husband , although I had a couple of cute , nearly silent babies . The house was immaculate , and no one did any housework . In real life , my parents also had a lot of books , and the resemblance ended there . Forty years later , I have a nice house -- not as pretty as the one I imagined because I had not , at 10 , figured on mortgages , recessions , and the cost of college tuitions -- and no dog , and no wish for a dog . The children are still cute , even beautiful , and grown and rarely silent , and my husband is visible and talkative and not at all what I expected . So , what now ? Just as I once saw a life that was as close to Not-My-Parents as possible , I see a future in which my parents ' habits and strengths and weaknesses poke up determinedly like weeds through the sidewalk of the next ten years . Oprah.com : The one thing every parent wants . I hope I wind up with my father 's cheerful , if impenetrable , view of himself . My father thought , until the day he died , that the way he was , was just fine . Unable to read the newspaper 's small print and memory failing ? My father declared that as many people got older , they became less interested in world affairs , and he was one of those people . He found it harder to walk around and harder to hear , so he improved his relationship with Bev , his aide at the assisted living facility , and decided he was tired of the dining room hubbub . He said -- and he knew -- that he had been a lucky and successful man who made his life as he wished it to be and refused to feel diminished by the losses of old age . I 'd like that staunch satisfaction , for me . I would not like his inability to sustain relationships -- for the relationship gene , I turn to my mother . My mother had friends from the third grade . When she was maybe 70 , we were walking up Madison Avenue and a man about her age hailed us from across the street . `` Dellie Cohen ! James Madison High ! '' She did n't really remember him , but he remembered her . They caught up . `` Everyone loved your mother , '' he said . `` They still do . '' -LRB- `` Ma , '' I said later , `` you were the rock star of James Madison High ! '' She smiled . -RRB- . My mother had weekly conversations with at least six friends . She went on vacations and all-girl getaways about twice a year . She wrote long , fond letters to her grandchildren , bought things that I did n't need and foisted them on me regularly , and kept up with everyone who mattered to her -- in a meaningful way -- for 80 years . I would like that for me , too . Neither of my parents complained about their physical health or other problems , and I am hoping to copy that as well . But there are other ancestral traits I have to watch out for , and I can sometimes feel their ivy twining around me . All my aunts , and my mother , began dyeing their hair as soon as it had more than a sprinkle of gray , and I do , too . But I check in with my daughters , regularly , to make sure that I have not followed in the suddenly-ash-blonde delusion that my mother was so fond of . Most important , my parents were not , for much of their marriage , happy with each other . Even when I was 10 , and even with their dance trophies , I could see that . Their troubles led me to a too-early marriage and a painful divorce , but they have also led me to a very happy marriage -- and a couples therapist on retainer . Oprah.com : 5 ways to make anyone like you . The past is one of our clearest indicators of the future . Everything I saw in my parents -- the good and the bad -- has given me something . I am cursed with my mother 's arthritis but blessed with my father 's stamina ; his toughness , her kindness . So , ten years from now : no tennis and no whining . Still working , still loving my friends and family . Still dancing -LRB- thanks , Daddy , for teaching me the cha-cha -RRB- . By Amy Bloom from O , The Oprah Magazine © 2010 . Amy Bloom 's most recent book is `` Where the God of Love Hangs Out '' -LRB- Random House -RRB- , a collection of short stories . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2010 Harpo Productions , Inc. . All Rights Reserved . | Author : As a child , she saw a life that was as close to `` Not-My-Parents '' as possible . Now at middle age , Amy Bloom wants the good partns of both her parents . She wants her father 's cheerful view of himself that he kept until the day he died . Also wants her mother 's ability to sustain close , long-term relationships . | [[1759, 1824], [2024, 2105], [2031, 2067], [2106, 2123], [2126, 2147], [2106, 2115], [2126, 2139], [2172, 2187]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The design of America 's embassies overseas might seem at best a mere question of bricks and mortar or a relatively arcane issue in a time of big challenges . But as we wage a global battle for hearts and minds , embassies can send a powerful message to people everywhere about what America stands for . As the first impression many foreign people have of the United States , embassies can be another force in our arsenal to convey who we really are , to bring allies closer to us , and , yes , even to make us safer . Unfortunately , many of our embassies are not sending the right message . Our diplomats are engaged in heroic and difficult work every day . But too often , their buildings -- cold concrete at a forbidding distance , hidden away from city life , with little regard for the local surroundings -- undermine our diplomats ' message and even their mission . We need to think creatively about how we can create embassies that protect our diplomats but also project our values . For decades , we hired world-class architects to design buildings that inspired people , conveyed our spirit of openness and represented the best of our country . Tragically , that same symbolic power also attracted the attention of our enemies . From the Iranian hostage crisis to the African embassy bombings , embassies have been a frequent and deadly target . Our initial response to the dangers our diplomats faced was to hunker down . Diplomats were shunted from urban settings and city centers , where our diplomatic partners reside , and placed in distant suburban locations -- often far from any government ministries or agencies . Speeding up embassy construction and updating facilities to protect our diplomats against terrorist attacks was sorely needed . Under Secretary of State Colin Powell 's leadership , the department embarked on a construction program that has led to the completion of 71 new facilities and moved over 20,000 people to safer and more secure buildings since 2001 . Although this effort significantly improved the safety of our diplomats , unique architectural wonders built to last were replaced by a standardized `` embassy in a box . '' They are uniform in appearance and quickly assembled fortresses designed to meet security specifications in one of four sizes -- small , medium , large and extra-large , epitomized by our supersized embassy in Baghdad . Congress , too , got into the act , putting speed and cost ahead of our support for the kinds of iconic embassies we built during the Cold War . This contributed to a system where embassy projects are evaluated first and foremost for cost efficiency , with design and location relegated to the status of afterthought . Such designs and locations are sometimes necessary , but our Foreign Service officers will be the first to tell you that they make it much more difficult to reach deep into societies to conduct real diplomacy . Let us be clear : Our diplomats risk their lives daily . Their security will always come first . But because diplomats are already taking such risks , we want to empower them to achieve their mission . If the job of diplomats is to reach out to people , promote U.S. values , obtain and share information , and help advance our diplomatic agenda , then we have to build embassies that neither compromise our diplomats ' safety nor their work . Many are coming to realize that justifiable concerns over security swung the pendulum too far . Recently , the State Department announced the construction of a new embassy in London , England , after a highly publicized international architectural competition . Unlike less welcoming U.S. Embassy designs in places like Accra , Ghana , and Tbilisi , Georgia , London 's facility will feature transparent glass encasing , cutting edge environmentally sustainable design and a central location immediately across the river from Westminster and the U.K. Parliament . Unfortunately , this innovative approach remains the exception , not the rule . We need to recalibrate our approach globally and reconnect our embassy construction with the core mission of diplomacy . The Embassy Design and Security Act is an important first step in a different direction . It establishes a design excellence program at the State Department to instill new thinking , and a design advisory board to provide recommendations on how to integrate the most modern security requirements with a new generation of bolder , more innovative , energy-efficient and sustainable high performance embassies . The bill also directs the State Department to ensure new embassies adhere to the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability . We ask countries to transform the way they use energy ; our overseas construction represents an important sign of our good faith and a chance to lead by example . Above all , the legislation represents an explicit political commitment to an essential truth : Inevitably , our embassies and consulates project our values . They should be public expressions of openness , innovation and boldness . Every day , our enemies try to sell the world a distorted vision of an unwelcoming America indifferent to the concerns of people everywhere . Our embassies need to help our diplomats to tell the world the truth . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors . | Authors : U.S. embassies are America 's face in another country and reflect our values . They say distant concrete boxes with no regard for surroundings do n't win hearts and minds . Authors : Enemies sell the world a distorted vision of an unwelcoming , indifferent U.S. They write : Security a must , but buildings must reflect innovation , welcome . | [[892, 894], [990, 1010], [4969, 5018], [683, 692], [695, 829], [833, 891], [5093, 5102], [5105, 5234], [5019, 5092]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What is it about Christmas music that enters our very souls , calms us and even gets us to do things that are right for humanity ? This music even has the ability to make us like our old Aunt Emily . If there were a marketing campaign for Christmas , it would be the most successful campaign ever devised . Paintings of angels protecting sheep or a masterly rendition of the manger scene certainly evoke emotion . Then there 's a good Christmas story . In 1843 , Charles Dickens gave us `` A Christmas Carol . '' This literary gift had the power to make us actually give a farthing or two to the needy . However , it is music and song that has no rival in the ability to stir raw emotions . It does n't matter what your religious persuasion is . Most people can recite and hum the Christmas carols they 've heard repeatedly since childhood . Among the most familiar are the pop songs : `` Santa Claus is Coming To Town , '' which the Four Seasons , Bruce Springsteen and Bing Crosby all performed ; Gene Autry 's `` Here Comes Santa Claus '' ; Elvis Presley 's `` Blue Christmas '' ; and Brenda Lee 's `` Rockin ' Around the Christmas Tree . '' Then there 's one that the marketers made sure really goes for the heart -- `` I 'll Be Home for Christmas '' -- and the line , `` if only in my dreams . '' I forgot how lonely and depressed I was until I heard that song . The `` home for Christmas '' notion originates during World War I , when U.S. soldiers expected a quick victory , thinking they 'd be back in the United States in time for the holidays . That was not the case , and the song was a huge hit decades later -- in 1943 . Speaking of hits , there 's `` White Christmas '' -- more than 500 different recordings were made of this song ; which was originally written for the movie `` Holiday Inn . '' These songs conjure up old family photos of relatives here and long gone . We say , `` Oh my , look here 's an old tintype of Aunt Emily -- she was so kind and generous . '' -LRB- Even if we never really liked her -- but then , it 's Christmas . -RRB- . Next up are the seasonal songs that really have little or nothing to do with the holiday . Once again , those marketers have honed their skills at pulling our sentimental heartstrings . Dean Martin singing `` Let It Snow ! Let it Snow ! Let it Snow ! '' Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark doing `` Baby , it 's Cold Outside . '' -LRB- This song of trying to entice a young lady to stay was written for the film `` Neptune 's Daughter , '' with Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban . -RRB- . Judy Garland singing `` Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas '' in the 1944 film `` Meet Me In St. Louis '' and dozens more all have great images , and are all seasonal . Did you know that `` Jingle Bells '' was originally titled `` One Horse Open Sleigh '' and was written in the late 1850s by James Pierpont , to be performed during a Thanksgiving service at his Unitarian church in Savannah , Georgia ? The congregation enjoyed it so much that it was repeated during Christmas services , and `` Jingle Bells '' took off from there . Of course , Christmas is children . There are the novelty songs written for kids -- like the one about the most famous reindeer of all , Rudolph . He came prancing into our lives when we were young with his shiny red nose and never left the roof . Then there are Jimmy Boyd 's `` All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth '' , The Singing Dogs version of `` Jingle Bells '' and Homer and Jethro 's `` Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer . '' Songs only a kid could like . But my favorite has to be Lou Monte 's `` Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey . '' And how about `` I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas , '' by Gayla Peevey ? Somebody please explain why anybody would buy that song . So here 's the question : What is this all about ? The emotional and often wonderful snapshots of our lives , past and present , all wrapped up for Christmas . Have we been duped into loving this holiday ? Absolutely not . I realized a while ago that indeed we all need a little Christmas . The security of home , family and friends is essential . So this marketing campaign that started with our first footsteps is fine -- we need it . Is there a Santa Claus ? Have I been a good boy ? Or , as Nat King Cole famously asked : Do reindeer really know how to fly ? Yes , of course , to all those questions . Would n't it have been nice if those marketing guys figured out a way to make those 12 days of Christmas last for the other 353 days of the year ? So deck the halls and please stop leaving Santa those fattening chocolate chip cookies -- he 's gained a lot of weight during the past 200-plus years . And I say unto ye -- Fa la la la la , la la la la . Happy holidays , cousins . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bruce Morrow . | Bruce Morrow says nothing stirs emotions as powerfully as Christmas songs do . He points out the various tunes : Classic carols , religious music , silly songs for kids . `` Cousin Brucie '' points out that many seasonal tunes have nothing to do with the holidays . Morrow says magic of the holiday lies in the security of home , family , friends . | [[3142, 3240], [2083, 2087], [2091, 2173], [4091, 4147]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- American missiles were used in an attack that killed 55 people , including 41 civilians , in southern Yemen , Amnesty International said Monday . The human rights organization released what it said were photographs of a U.S.-manufactured cruise missile used in the December attack in the community of al-Ma ` jalah , and said authorities must be held accountable . `` Based on the evidence provided by these photographs , the U.S. government must disclose what role it played in the al Ma ` jalah attack , and all governments involved must show what steps they took to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries , '' said Philip Luther , deputy director of the organization 's Middle East and North Africa program . Asked about the report , Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said , `` I would refer you to the Yemeni government for any information on operations against al Qaeda in their country . That said , the Yemen government should be commended for dealing with the al Qaeda threat in their nation . Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatens the stability of the region and poses an increasing threat to Yemenis and Americans . We strongly support actions against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and cooperate closely with Yemen and other countries on counterterrorism initiatives . '' The government of Yemen has not yet been reached for comment . Yemeni government officials had said the December 17 , 2009 , attack in southern Yemen targeted an al Qaeda training camp , according to Amnesty International . The attack killed 55 people , including 14 alleged members of the terrorist group , the organization said . Civilians killed included 14 women and 21 children , Amnesty International said . Amnesty International said the photos were provided to the organization by a confidential source . It said the organization had spent months checking their contents with specialists , but teams from Amnesty International had not yet been able to visit the site to verify the images . In December , senior U.S. officials told CNN U.S. special operations forces and intelligence agencies , and their Yemeni counterparts , were working to identify potential al Qaeda targets in Yemen . This was part of a new classified agreement with the Yemeni government that the two countries will work together and that the United States will remain publicly silent on its role in providing intelligence and weapons to conduct strikes , the officials said . Officially the United States has not said it conducted previous airstrikes in Yemen , but officials have privately said the Yemeni military could not have carried out the strikes on its own . Washington began eyeing the impoverished desert nation as a possible new haven for al Qaeda as early as 2001 , after the invasion of Afghanistan triggered by the group 's attacks on New York and Washington . It 's the ancestral homeland of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden , whose followers bombed the destroyer USS Cole in a Yemeni port a year before the 9/11 attacks . In December the country became the target of more scrutiny after U.S. officials said the suspect in the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit had trained at a camp in Yemen . | Amnesty International says U.S.-made cruise missiles used in attack . Attack killed 55 people , including 41 civilians , organization says . Pentagon wo n't comment but pleased with Yemen 's fight against al Qaeda . Yemeni officials have said al Qaeda camp was target . | [[0, 15], [19, 59], [165, 271], [237, 333], [1498, 1534], [1696, 1724], [50, 59], [65, 106], [129, 164], [1498, 1534], [1535, 1616], [1619, 1642], [1696, 1724], [913, 922], [925, 1020], [1374, 1460], [1436, 1495]] |
Hong Kong , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The global stock sell-off that began Friday on the back of worse than expected U.S. unemployment data rolled into Asia trade on Monday morning , as stocks opened sharply lower . The euro continued its downward slide . It was trading at $ 1.19 on Monday morning after falling below $ 1.20 for the first time in four years on Friday . Traders consider the $ 1.20 mark a key technical level for the euro . `` It 's a pretty big line in the sand , and you do n't want to cross it , '' Phil Streible , a senior market strategist with futures broker Lind-Waldock , told CNNMoney . Monday 's stock sell-off was led by the Nikkei 225 , which was down more than 4 percent near the end of morning trading on Monday . The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong , the Kospi Composite index in Seoul and the S&P / ASX200 in Sydney were all down more than 2.5 percent in morning trading . Markets plummeted on Friday after a monthly U.S. jobs report said employers added 431,000 jobs in May , below the expected increase of 500,000 . Euro jitters continued with fresh concerns that Hungary will join the growing list of European countries saddled by debt . The markets were spooked after Peter Szijjarto , a spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban , was quoted by news agencies as saying Hungary 's economy was in a grave situation and that a default was possible . | Asia markets opened sharply lower Monday morning . Continues sell-off that began on Wall Street on Friday . Euro was trading at $ 1.19 Monday morning . Comes amid U.S. jobs data and worries about Hungary . | [[185, 214], [612, 662], [648, 662], [671, 743], [744, 766], [779, 798], [818, 901], [37, 62], [68, 101], [185, 214], [255, 369]] |
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