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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Of course the TV series Miami Vice seems dated now , but it 's not just because Don Johnson 's white Armani suits and slip-on shoes belong to a mercifully bygone era . The fact is , Miami is no longer the same city as the one portrayed in the 1980s cop show . Party time in Little Havana . The expansive sandy beaches are still there , as is the surfeit of sunshine , the hint of the exotic and the hordes of sun-hungry tourists who have flocked to this holiday hotspot for the last 80 years . But Miami has shed much of its unwanted baggage from the 80s and has grown beyond a resort town into something more substantial . Still barely 100 years old , Miami was a tourist destination almost from its inception . The offshore sandbar called Miami Beach was quickly recognized as having all the ingredients of a world-class holiday resort and the hotel-building spree that took place in the 1920s and 30s has left Miami Beach with hundreds of stunning Art Deco structures that give the area its distinctive look . By the 1980s , as well as being the destination of choice for holiday makers , retirees and ` snowbirds ' -LRB- Canadians and northern Americans wintering in Florida -RRB- , Miami had attracted an uninvited guest -- the ` cocaine cowboy . ' Miami 's proximity to South America made it a key point of entry for Colombian cocaine smugglers and the city became a battleground for ruthless drug barons intent on grabbing their piece of the American Dream . The mid 80s was the Miami Vice era , when the city 's reputation for glamour and hedonism came with a side order of carjackings and gangland shootouts . But by the mid 90s , Miami had largely driven the cocaine cowboys out of town and hoteliers like Ian Schrager began converting some of those Art Deco classics into sophisticated boutique hotels fit for the international jet set . The guns may have gone but the glitz was never far away . Now that Miami 's been to rehab and come out cleaned up and healthy , it turns out there 's more to the city than glitzy nightclubs and the surgically enhanced bodies of the beautiful people . Miami has acquired a reputation as the new kid on the block in the modern art scene , a reputation that was cemented when the world 's most prestigious modern art fair , Art Basel , arrived in the city in 2002 . Just like the snowbirds , Art Basel returns to Miami each winter and the Wynwood neighborhood has now become a bona fide art district , with exclusive galleries showcasing cutting-edge art all year round . Nearby , the Design District is full of studios and workshops producing contemporary furniture and art . Then there 's the fact that Miami is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world , with some 60 % of the population born outside the U.S. . The food , music , culture and language of Latin America have all become part of modern Miami , giving the city a cultural heritage that belies its youth . But do n't think Miami 's reinvention as a cultural destination has done anything to dent it 's appetite for the good times . When it comes to partying , there 's not many places that can keep up with Miami , and even fewer that can do it with as much style . In truth , there 's still a touch of the old Vice about Miami , and who knows , with the 80s revival , we may not have seen the last of those white suits . | Miami has shed its 80s reputation for carjackings and ` cocaine cowboys ' Wynwood and the Design District are up-and-coming arts neighborhoods . The language and culture of Latin America are part of modern Miami . Miami still attracts the international jet set and is a party city like no other . | [[513, 573], [2400, 2464], [2787, 2880], [2787, 2843], [2883, 2942], [425, 447], [452, 512]] |
HARARE , Zimbabwe -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some of Zimbabwe 's children are `` wasting away '' as political turmoil and economic crisis have caused a severe food shortage , according to a report from Save the Children . Children sleep in rough conditions on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa . The number of acute child malnutrition cases has risen by almost two-thirds in the past year , the report from the UK-based agency said in its appeal to world donors for help . `` There is no excuse for failing to provide this food , '' program director Lynn Walker said . `` The innocent people of Zimbabwe should not be made to suffer for a political situation that is out of their control . '' Five million Zimbabweans -- out of a population of about 12 million -- are in need of food aid now , the report said . The group is appealing for 18,000 tons of food for next month . `` We have already been forced to reduce the rations of emergency food we are delivering because there is n't enough to go around , '' the report said . `` If , as we fear , the food aid pipeline into Zimbabwe begins to fail in the new year the millions of people who rely on emergency food aid will suffer . '' Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain 28 years ago . There is an acute shortage of all essentials such as cash , fuel , medical drugs , electricity and food . President Robert Mugabe blames the crisis on the sanctions imposed on him and his cronies by the West for allegedly disregarding human rights . But Mugabe 's critics attribute the crisis to his economic policies . As the economy has faltered for almost a decade now , a cholera epidemic is raging , fueled by the collapse of health , sanitation and water services in Zimbabwe . The epidemic has claimed more than 1,100 lives and infected more than 20,000 people since its outbreak in August . Health experts have warned that the water-borne disease could infect more than 60,000 unless its spread is halted . The political crisis rose to a boil in this year when the opposition party claimed that it won the presidential election , but Mugabe 's government refused to recognize the result . Instead , the race was thrown to a runoff , which was boycotted by the opposition . Mugabe signed an agreement with the opposition in September to form a unity government , but a bitter dispute over the division of cabinet seats has prevented its formation . Inflation is so severe that the government was forced to print $ 10 billion currency notes last week , with each expected to buy just 20 loaves of bread . | Some Zimbabwean children `` wasting away '' amid food shortage , aid group says . Severe malnutrition cases rise two-thirds in year , Save the Children warns . Almost half of 12 million Zimbabweans need food aid now , report says . Country facing worst economic , humanitarian crisis since independence in 1980 . | [[9, 27], [167, 198], [299, 391], [696, 763], [767, 794], [1191, 1309]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If your neighbor mentions their green roof you might think they have a moss problem . Maybe they are simply referring to the color . But you 're unlikely to think that they have just had a mini ecosystem installed . Majora Carter says green roofs can help alleviate the problems caused by storm water . Simply put , green roofs are gardens on your roof . They come in all shapes and sizes and range from a simple layer of turf to bite-sized hanging gardens of Babylon . But green roofs are not just aesthetic . They have important environmental benefits : they absorb storm water , reduce noise pollution , absorb heat -LRB- thus lessening the urban heat-island effect -RRB- and add an extra layer of insulation to buildings . That 's why they are increasingly being used on new builds as the construction industry looks to make use of greener technologies . . The concept of a green roof goes back centuries : The turf roofed dwellings of the Vikings are early examples , but the modern green roof we know today was developed in Germany 50 years ago . Since then , they have become increasingly popular , yet the industry still struggles against skeptics , who believe green roofs to be expensive and liable to leaking . The exception to the rule has been Germany , where the industry is now annually worth $ 77 million . Even by the end of the 1990s , 50 million square meters of German roofs , the equivalent of 10 percent of flat roofs , were recorded to be green . The industry is not faring so well in other parts of the world . While the UK has seen a steady increase in interest since the 1960s , a lack of input from the industry and policy-makers has left Britain far behind Germany 's booming market . In North America , green roofs have taken even longer to catch on . Green Roofs for Healthy Cities , a Canadian non-profit industry association , conducted a survey in 2005 which indicated that only 233,000 square meters of green roofs existed in North America . But this was up 80 percent from the previous year , and the market continues to grow . Majora Carter , who set up Sustainable South Bronx to help lift the area out of poverty by creating green-collar jobs , is frustrated by this difference between the European and American industries . `` In Germany they are down to $ 20 per square meter , which is way cheaper than a regular roof here , '' she told CNN . `` There are mandates over there because of the storm water they retain , '' she continued , `` Which is a huge drain on their resources , as it is on ours . What we are trying to do is champion the policies behind storm water . '' Storm water is a growing problem in cities . The lack of permeable surfaces are loading drainage systems and increasing the risk of flooding . It 's green roofs ' ability to retain high levels of precipitation that are seen as way to control and slow the water run-off . The mandates Carter refers to are part of Germany 's Green Area and Biotope Area Federal Law . They are not a legal requirement , but through incentives set up at a city level , the mandates have helped to encourage cheaper prices . Dusty Gedge , co-founder of Livingroof.org , a UK Web site promoting the green roof industry , believes it is the government 's responsibility to help the industry grow . `` We need government bodies to accept certain civil engineering benefits , such as storm water amelioration , like the Germans , Austrians and Swiss do , '' he told CNN . `` This will encourage uptake . '' In many countries , the green roof industry is vulnerable to non-acceptance and a lack of understanding . Gedge says , `` There are problems with the construction industry viewing vegetation as a problem and not a benefit . '' Green roofs also struggle against better-known technologies such as solar panels , but Gedge points out , `` Solar panels can work better on green roofs than on gray roofs . '' Despite this lack of support , the green roof industry is growing . In London alone , there are approximately 1 million square meters of green roofs planned , with about 200,000 square meters already installed . And as climate change stays in the headlines , the popularity of green roofs is growing . According to Gedge , `` Over the last eight years , green roofs -LSB- in the UK -RSB- have gone from being a very marginal approach to a mainstream approach . Cities such as London and Sheffield are now asking for them as part of planning applications . '' But Gedge also believes that support from local government , as opposed to a centrally driven policy , is key to the industry 's growth . `` In Switzerland , green roofs are federal law , but again this is interpreted at a cantonal and city level , '' he told CNN . `` This is a much better approach than driven by the center . '' Managing the industry through federal laws offers a general framework which can then be interpreted as needed . In an industry that varies from project to project , this flexibility is a valuable asset . So the green roof industry continues to grow -- but there 's a feeling that government support could be better . With a little more encouragement , what once was an eccentric way to roof your home could soon become the universal standard , turning our cities into lush , green metropolises . But then , it 's not easy being green . ... . Would you put a green roof on your home ? Do green roofs really help the environment -- or are they an expensive indulgence ? Share your views in the Sound Off box below . | Green roofs date back to before the time of the Vikings . Not just aesthetic , they help fight against climate change , especially in cities . Germany 's green roof market is the biggest , making up 10 percent of all flat roofs . Supporters say government support is need to spur growth elsewhere . | [[897, 944], [947, 1006], [510, 546], [547, 589], [4501, 4506], [4512, 4634]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The apocalyptic tales of nature 's impending demise are as well worn as they are numerous . Dr. Joseph Adelegan has pioneered new energy sources , including using cow waste to create cooking gas . But while our leaders wrangle over quotas for greenhouse emissions over banquets at lavish summits , there are remarkable individuals who are doing their small bit to prevent our planet from peril . Take Nigerian civil engineer , Dr Joseph Adelegan for instance . He firmly believes that the world 's future fuel demands can be met through renewable energy . And he is using increasingly innovative methods to achieve these results . Three years ago Adelegan won plaudits for his `` Cows to Kilowatts '' project , which used effluents and waste products from abattoirs to produce cooking gas . The project was a winner of the prestigious 2005 Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development -LRB- SEED -RRB- International Awards . It is still going strong and being used to provide cooking fuel for nearly 6000 homes in Ibadan , southern Nigeria . Adelegan tells CNN there are now plans to roll it out across most of Africa , including Zimbabwe , Kenya and Egypt . This time he 's back with another groundbreaking idea to use waste from the cassava plant , a staple food of Nigeria , to generate electricity . His project `` Power to the Poor : Off-Grid Lighting from Cassava Waste in Nigeria , '' was awarded a $ 250,000 grant in May from the World Bank after being named one of the best projects in Africa . According to Adelegan , Nigeria produces over 20 percent of the world 's output of cassava , it is a $ 5 billion industry and provides the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food . However , waste from cassava refining is a major public health problem in Nigeria , causing water pollution and emitting noxious greenhouse gases . Through innovative biogas technology , zero emission bioreactors at specially constructed plants treat the cassava waste and produce biogas which drives microturbines for low cost , safe and reliable off-grid efficient lighting to thousands of rural homes . Using this method , Adelegan says he hopes to generate 200kw daily , which will provide basic electricity for more than 2000 households initially . He told CNN : `` There will be four lighting points in their homes . We 're thinking in terms of basic lighting , they will be able to use their TV , cassette player , that sort of thing , but it will not be able to power a refrigerator . `` These people currently rely on kerosene lamps that are very bad for emissions and pollution . We also plan to provide them with low wattage lamps that use just 5kw to bring down usage . '' Through his not-for-profit organization -- Global Network for Environment and Economic Development Research -RRB- -- Adelegan has achieved the impressive feat of galvanizing the notoriously bureaucratic Nigerian government into action . He told CNN that the governor of Kwara State , in northern Nigeria has donated a plot of land for the launch of the project , scheduled to start next month . The scheme will cost $ 310,000 and will become profitable in little over three years , Adelegan says . `` This can never replace fossil fuels because of the huge demand we have for them , but we can help to reduce greenhouse emissions by creating alternative sources of energy , '' he said . The Ice Man Cometh . In the furthest reaches of northern India , glaciers once stretched far down the mountains , now they are all but gone as global warming takes its devastating toll . Hardworking but impoverished farmers in the Ladakh region have watched as their sole source of fresh water slowly melts away . But one man is taking matters into his own hands . Enter Chewang Norphel , a softly-spoken but sprightly 72-year-old has created artificial glaciers and managed to generate water and greenery in this barren landscape . Perched high up in the remote cold deserts of the Himalayas , Norphel has mastered the art of harvesting water by using just a few hundred meters of iron pipes and stone embankments . `` Fifty to sixty years ago , we used to have huge glaciers here , the retired civil engineer , told CNN . `` They have been reduced now because of global warming and now they are on high peaks . '' The idea of the ` artificial glacier ' was born after he noticed that taps were left running in winter to stop the water from freezing in the pipes . The water then flowed into the drains surrounding the taps and froze . `` And it then occurred to me : ` why not try and make artificial glaciers in the winter ? ' So that local farmers get a real headstart when they need it most , '' Norphel says . The result was a device which traps the waters which melt down the high mountains by turning them into chunks of ice . The largest artificial glacier Norphel has built so far is near the village of Phuktsey . About 1,000 feet -LRB- 300 meters -RRB- long , 150 feet -LRB- 45 meters -RRB- wide , and four feet -LRB- 1 meter -RRB- deep , it supplies irrigation water to the entire village of around 700 people . For Norphel , there are several advantages of an artificial glacier over a natural one . Firstly , it is closer to the village and at a comparatively lower altitude . Natural glaciers , on the other hand , are located way up in the mountains and they melt slowly in summer , releasing water to the villages quite late . Now engineers from other mountainous regions in India and Afghanistan have visited to learn his methods . One artificial glacier costs just $ 7,000 , compared to $ 34,000 for a dam . Only local materials are needed , and the villagers themselves can build and maintain them . For his efforts , Norphel has been awarded the Far Eastern Economic Review 's 1999 Gold Asian Innovation Award , twelve years after he created the first one . However , he is frustrated at the lack of investment and funding to help modernize the design . `` The funding is not sufficient , '' he said . `` We are getting very little amounts and we need a lot more . I hope to get more as this year I want to make two or three more glaciers , with a new design to improve the efficiency . '' In 1996 , one year after he had retired , Norphel joined the Leh Nutrition Project , a non-governmental organization , as project manager for watershed development . `` Watershed development is the only solution for Ladakh 's rural economy . Otherwise , you will have rural folk flocking the city in search of jobs . And there are not many to go around , '' he says . Do you have other examples of how people are using innovative ways to create renewable energy sources ? Share your views and experiences in our sound-off box below . | Individuals around the world are devising innovative ways to save the planet . Joseph Adelegan has created fuels using cow waste and cassava plant . Chewang Norphel is known as the `` Ice Man '' after creating artificial glaciers . | [[237, 246], [334, 431], [128, 208], [128, 147], [183, 232], [724, 744], [753, 826], [3783, 3804], [3823, 3880]] |
BLACKSBURG , Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Erin Sheehan is one of the almost 28,000 students making the bittersweet return to the Virginia Tech campus for fall classes , a journey she was afforded only because of some quick thinking in April . Students return to the Virginia Tech campus Monday for the first day of fall classes . When Seung-Hui Cho stormed into Sheehan 's German class that horrifying Monday morning -- firing off indiscriminate rounds of gunfire that killed the German teacher and four of Sheehan 's classmates -- Sheehan hit the deck and played dead . `` He went around the room shooting everyone , '' she said . Cho 's April 16 rampage through Norris Hall left 29 students and faculty dead . The mentally disturbed Cho also killed two others and himself in the mass shooting , the worst in modern U.S. history . Though she is heading back to class , Sheehan is admittedly still shaken . Four months after the tragedy , Sheehan is haunted by memories of the massacre , and she still jumps when she hears a loud noise in her Virginia Tech dorm room . Regardless , she is prepared to move on . `` When classes started again in the spring I did n't come back , '' Sheehan said . `` It was just too hard to do then , but now I 'm ready . '' The campus was buzzing over the weekend . Parents and students crowded the sidewalks , toting boxes and furniture into the dorms , including West Ambler Johnston , where the first two victims were killed . Norris Hall , meanwhile , has been refurbished and will no longer host classes . Virginia Tech has discreetly beefed up security since the tragedy . Locks that operate from the inside have been placed on classroom doors . Dormitory entrances are secured 24 hours a day . Students can sign up for emergency text messages from the university . Despite the precautions , not everything has gone as smoothly as planned . On the eve of the students ' return to classes , 23 people fell ill from a carbon monoxide leak in an apartment building near campus . Five Virginia Tech students were hospitalized , police and hospital officials said . Blacksburg Police said a valve on a water heater that was malfunctioning is believed to be the cause of the incident . Police said the valve was stuck in the open position , causing a constant burn-off of fuel and creating carbon monoxide that was not ventilating . Kirsten Halik and Kristin Julia , both 19 , were upgraded from critical to serious condition Monday and Elizabeth Burgin , Carolyn Dorman , and Nichole Howarth , all 19 -- are conscious and alert , according to hospital officials . Burgin , Dorman , and Howarth were upgraded from serious to good condition , hospital officials said , after they received treatment in a hyperbaric chamber on Sunday and Monday . The chamber pushes pressurized oxygen into the tissues and blood . Meanwhile , the university dedicated a permanent memorial to the victims and their families -- a semicircle of 32 engraved stones bearing each victim 's name . One student said she wanted to attend the ceremony until she woke up at the Collegiate Suites apartment building feeling nauseous , The Washington Post reported . Spirits are high , however , said professor Nikki Giovanni , and students and faculty are ready to move past the tragedy . Watch Giovanni applaud the university 's new security measures '' `` The Hokies ' spirit is alive and well . I think that we 're very excited that classes are starting -- that we 're moving into a new year , '' she said . Perhaps indicative of that resilience is the size of the incoming freshman class . According to a university news release , the university accepted deposits from 5,215 freshmen this year . That is more than its enrollment target of 5,000 and about 30 more deposits than the university received from incoming freshmen last year , the news release said . `` Virginia Tech took a big hit , but I think that we have embraced each other . We have been embraced on this planet , '' Giovanni said , explaining that the Virginia Tech community has received greetings `` from every country on Earth and it 's been a wonderful thing . '' Students concur they are ready for the new school year . Playing Frisbee with friends at a drill field near the newly christened memorial , Aaron Friedman said the summer break was a welcome reprieve , but he was ready to return to Blacksburg . `` It was good to get away . Being back with everybody at home really helped , '' Friedman said . Fellow sophomore Mike Giancola said he , too , is ready to move on , even if he is still disturbed by memories of the shootings . `` I still think about it every day , but I 'm ready to get my life going . '' Sheehan echoes the sentiment of Giovanni and her fellow students but noted that she made some changes in her life , and she still battles post-traumatic stress symptoms every day . `` Even being in my new dorm , when I hear a loud noise or something unexpected , I 'll peer out through the little hole in my door to make sure everything is OK , '' she said . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Reggie Aqui , Brianna Keilar , and Gary Nurenberg contributed to this report . | Student says she avoided being shot during massacre by playing dead . No classes will be held in Norris Hall , where 29 of the victims were killed . Professor : `` I think that we 're very excited that classes are starting '' Carbon monoxide leak leaves 23 sick but some students getting better . | [[329, 384], [531, 538], [556, 569], [631, 710], [1461, 1472], [1512, 1541], [3398, 3494], [1878, 1924], [1927, 2012]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In November we step inside the world of design as show host Becky Anderson searches for the Spirit of Architecture . The `` Gherkin '' designed by Norman Foster is one of the most familiar features on London 's skyline . In late October , Barcelona hosts the World Architecture Festival during which the great and good will attempt to choose the best building in the world . CNN will get exclusive access to the event , the nominations , and the jury which includes some of the world 's greatest architects . The program will start with an explanation of Barcelona 's unique architectural heritage . It will then feature short pieces on six of the architects and the buildings that have been nominated for awards . These profiles have been filmed in Mumbai , Tokyo , Pretoria , Munich , London and Maryland . The program will also feature interviews with some of the world 's leading architects including Lord Norman Foster , Zaha Hadid and Wolf D Prix . Foster is the founder of the London-based Foster and Partners architecture company which has recently won a competition to build Virgin Galactic 's New Mexico Spaceport Authority Building for space tourism . In September 2007 , Foster was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture , for his efforts on the Petronas University of Technology , Bandar Seri Iskandar , Malaysia . Hadid meanwhile has won numerous international architecture awards and is currently involved in the construction of a 17,500-seat aquatics centre for London -- one of the venues being built for the 2012 Olympics . Finally , the Austrian-born Prix , who founded top company Coop Himmelb -LRB- l -RRB- au is a legend of the architecture world . Prix has scooped many of the top international architectural awards over the last quarter century , and today continues his active involvement in the world of design . Once we have taken you through the festival highlights , at the end of the program the best building in the world will be chosen and we will interview the winning architect . | November 's show comes from the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona . Interviewees include Norman Foster , Zaha Hadid and Wolf D Prix . The best building in the world will be chosen at the end of the show . | [[257, 272], [275, 410], [845, 990], [899, 908], [912, 959], [962, 972], [257, 272], [275, 410], [1880, 1934], [1937, 1947], [1963, 2008]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As the lights went down in the theater the low murmur built to a thunderous ovation as the odd-looking man in the crumpled suit and bowler hat took to the stage . Tom Waits in Paris on the European leg of his tour . The excitement that greeted the eccentric American singer songwriter Tom Waits ' appearance in Edinburgh last month may come as a surprise to the many , who have never heard of him . The 58-year-old has stayed for most of his four-decade career on the edge of the music mainstream . This is despite a showering of critical acclaim and a host of high-profile fans including the movie star Scarlett Johansson , who recently recorded an album of Waits covers . Waits ' position on the periphery of pop music -LRB- he admits that the 60s scene largely passed him by -RRB- , may be because he belongs to a bigger historical tradition -- that of the singer-storyteller that has its origin in folk music . His music comes from a different place from most artists . A laconic , bar room philosopher with a wry sense of humor , Waits is an avowed fan of the Beat generation writer Jack Kerouac and the author and poet Charles Bukowski . Many of his songs are stories containing a cast of characters from America 's underbelly : the drunks and disenfranchised , the lost souls hiding out from life in seedy night spots . It is the same world that Kerouac chronicled in his writings , including his most famous work `` On the Road , '' which describes a journey across America in the late fifties . Waits , who is notoriously interview-shy , acknowledged his debt to the author in a promotional interview to accompany the release of his 1974 album `` The Heart of Saturday Night . '' He said the record was a search for the `` center of Saturday night , '' a quest he said that Kerouac himself had `` relentlessly chased from one end of this country to the other , and I 've attempted to scoop up a few diamonds of this magic that I see . '' Waits ' place in the folk tradition is something he has acknowledged , consciously or otherwise , in his music . In 1990 , he wrote the music and lyrics for `` The Black Rider : The Casting of the Magic Bullets , '' a theatrical collaboration with the American writer William Burroughs based on a German folktale . Like all great writers , Waits is a conscientious observer of people and their strange foibles . Born in Pomona , CA . he moved to Los Angeles in the late sixties to pursue his music career , finding work as a doorman at an LA nightspot . It was at this time that he honed his skills as a storyteller , eavesdropping on the lives of others . `` I was picking up people 's conversations in all-night coffee shops - ambulance drivers , cabdrivers , street sweepers , '' he said in an interview with The New Yorker . `` I did research there as an evening curator , and I started writing gingerly . I thought at some point I 'd like to forge it all into something meaningful , and give it dignity . '' The results of this labor are songs like `` Frank 's Wild Years , '' a hilarious and sinister tale of a man -- Frank -- trapped in suburbia with a wife and pet dog that has a skin disease . The song is spoken in a lounge room style over a soft jazz accompaniment , and like much of Waits ' work it drips irony : `` They had a thoroughly modern kitchen / Self-cleaning oven -LRB- the whole bit -RRB- / Frank drove a little sedan / They were so happy . '' In a 1983 promotional interview published by his then record company Island , Waits credits a short story by Bukowski with giving him some of the inspiration for the song . `` Bukowski had a story that essentially was saying that it 's the little things that drive men mad , '' Waits said . `` It 's not World War II . It 's the broken shoe lace when there is no time left that sends men completely out of their minds . `` I think there is a little bit of Frank in everybody . '' In the song , Frank eventually runs amok , setting fire to the family home and blazing a trail up the Hollywood freeway because , as Waits quips in the pay-off `` he never could stand that dog . '' This taste for the absurd carried into his recent live show with the set for the `` Glitter and Doom '' tour decked in a bizarre array of old speaker cones . Waits took to the stage dressed in a Chaplinesque suit , delivering his set from a slightly raised platform that gave up a cloud of dust each time he bashed his feet into it . In spite of the entreaties from the crowd he kept quiet between songs at first . Eventually after a few numbers he broke his silence . `` This is a lopsided love song , '' he rasped , introducing the next track . `` By that I mean the person doing it is lopsided , not the song itself . '' Lopsided or not , it 's an authentic voice we could surely do with hearing more from . | Singer songwriter Tom Waits has won critical acclaim for his music . His strange tales of the seedy side of America have attracted a cult following . The actress Scarlett Johansson is a fan and recorded a recent tribute album . Waits counts U.S. writers Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski as influences . | [[535, 648], [1180, 1268], [535, 648], [601, 658], [625, 658], [665, 700], [1071, 1160]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The discovery of HIV , a breakthrough in the treatment of bipolar disorder , the advent of the contraceptive pill ... CNN looks at some of the scientific discoveries that changed the world . HIV was isolated by scientists in 1983 and named in 1986 by an international committee . THE DISCOVERY OF HIV / AIDS . Originally called slimmer 's disease , as sufferers lost a lot of weight , the first recorded case of HIV occurred in the Congo in 1977 . After several infections , a Danish doctor died of pneumonia , which normally does n't break through the body 's immune system . The components of her disease had not yet been placed together , indicating that this was a new form of illness . Other cases spread in following years around Africa and in homosexual men in New York and San Francisco . By 1980 , 55 American men had been diagnosed with the disease . Research began in Europe , the U.S. and Africa to ascertain what this new disease could be . The Centers for Disease Control found that the disease was caused by a virus being passed around by bodily fluids such as semen or blood . In 1981 it published its findings , saying the disease attacked T-cells , which help the body fight infection . By 1983 the disease was isolated by teams of American and French researchers . In 1986 an international committee decided the virus should be called human immunodeficiency virus -LRB- HIV -RRB- . Education campaigns were unrolled around the world , advising people to avoid risky sexual behavior or sharing needles . By June 1990 , 139,765 people had the disease , with a 60 per cent mortality rate . The progress of the disease slowed down in the West with education campaigns and the development of protease inhibitors , which provided sufferers with almost complete remission . But in Africa , the spread and treatment of HIV remains a global concern . THE DISCOVERY OF LITHIUM TO TREAT MOOD DISORDERS . Australian psychiatrist John Frederick Joseph Cade once said , `` I believe the brain , like any other organ , can get sick and it can also heal . '' He made huge gains in healing the brain through his work with sufferers of bipolar disorder by discovering that lithium salts -- a naturally occurring chemical - could be used to treat the illness . Previously , electro-convulsive therapy and lobotomies had been the major treatments for bipolar disorder . After having been a prisoner of war in World War II , Dr. Cade served as the head of the Bundoora Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne Australia . It was at an unused kitchen in Bundoora where he conducted crude experiments that led to the discovery of lithium as a treatment of bipolar disorder . After trials on humans , Dr. Cade speculated that bipolar disorder was a `` lithium deficiency disease '' and that a dose of lithium had a calming effect . Dr. Cade published findings in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1949 entitled `` Lithium salts in the treatment of psychotic excitement . '' He died in 1980 . Lithium is still used successfully in the treatment of mental illness to this day . THE DISCOVERY OF BACTERIA . Dutchman Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was known as the `` father of micro-biology . '' He drew scientific attention to the many bacteria that he discovered . His research was helped by the different types of microscopes that he developed over his lifetime . From his powerful lenses he was able to ascertain many different types of lifeforms too small for the human eye to see . It was by observing the build-up of plaque on teeth that the Dutch scientist discovered what we now know to be bacteria . His initial observations on bacteria make for amusing reading . On September 17 , 1683 , Leeuwenhoek wrote to the Royal Society about the plaque between his own teeth , `` a little white matter , which is as thick as if ` twere batter . '' He then observed two women and two old men who had never cleaned their teeth in their lives . Looking at these samples with his microscope , Leeuwenhoek wrote of `` an unbelievably great company of living animalcules , a-swimming more nimbly than any I had ever seen up to this time . The biggest sort ... bent their body into curves in going forwards ... Moreover , the other animalcules were in such enormous numbers , that all the water ... seemed to be alive . '' He also observed algae on water surfaces and the furry coating on human and animal tongues during illness , bringing his theories to the attention of the Royal Society . Most bacteria are harmless , although some bacterial diseases are fatal : tuberculosis kills about 2 million people a year . Bacteria are important in the production of cheese and yogurt , in processing wastewater and in manufacturing antibiotics . THE CONTRACEPTIVE PILL . The oral contraceptive commonly known as `` the pill '' was invented during the 1950s in Shrewsbury , Massachusetts . It contains hormone-like substances , usually estrogen and progestin , that enter the blood stream and disrupt the production of ova and ovulation , with the aim of preventing pregnancy . It originated after an unexpected discovery made in a jungle in Mexico in the 1930s . While Professor Russell Marker was experimenting with plant steroids , he discovered a chemical process that transformed these steroids into the female sex hormone , progesterone . Researchers in the late 1940s began to explore the possibility of an inexpensive oral contraceptive . Chemist Gregory Pincus tested a derivative from Marker 's findings on 1,308 volunteers in Puerto Rico in 1958 and Searle Pharmaceuticals applied for US Food and Drug Administration approval to market the drug . The pill came on to the market in the U.S. in 1960 and is still widely used today . E-mail to a friend . | HIV was isolated in 1983 and can be controlled with protease inhibitors . Psychiatrist John Cade pioneered lithium as a treatment for bipolar disorder . Dutchman Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria as a build-up on teeth . Professor Russell Marker 's experiments with plant steroids led to the Pill . | [[210, 248], [1224, 1302], [2564, 2572], [2579, 2683], [3545, 3609], [5154, 5222], [5225, 5317]] |
Remember the days when a washing machine lasted for decades ? If it broke down it could be fixed . But now it seems it is cheaper to discard our broken products and buy new ones . The side effects of our throwaway society are ever-larger waste mountains festering with toxic chemicals and the depletion of natural resources such as rare metals . Europe produced 8.3 to 9.1 millions tons of waste from electrical projects in 2005 . Product makers are responding by designing goods that have a reduced carbon footprint at their point of manufacture , but leading thinkers in the field of sustainable design believe that a radical re-think in the way we consume products is required if we want to halt the growing mountain of toxic waste piling up on the world 's rubbish dumps . Figures recently announced by the U.N. University suggest the production of electronic and electrical products is running neck-and-neck with their disposal : An estimated 10.3 million tons of electronic products were put on the market in the European Union in 2005 , while 8.3 to 9.1 million tons of waste from electrical products found their way into Europe 's rubbish bins . Electronic and electrical products account for four percent of Europe 's waste and the rate is growing at three times the speed of any other form of waste . What is sustainable design ? Sustainable design is a reaction to the global environmental crisis . It aims to produce products , buildings and services , which have a low impact on climate change and the depletion of the world 's resources . In industrial design this includes the use of recycled and recyclable materials ; reducing pollution through cutting down the need for transportation , such as by using locally-sourced materials ; making products which can be taken apart once they are discarded so that their parts that can be used again ; and designing goods which use as little energy as possible while they are being made . While many companies are beginning to think of ways in which they can reduce their environmental impact during the manufacture of their products , many sustainable design experts believe that these measures are not enough to reduce the damage the constant manufacture of products is doing to the world 's eco-system . A change in culture . `` Daily life is becoming increasingly mediated by electronic artifacts , '' says Jonathan Chapman , editor of Designers , Visionaries and Other Stories , a book which seeks to bring together new thinking on sustainable design . `` These products are great but it seems that as their popularity grows , their impermanence grows with it . '' Chapman believes that true sustainability can only be achieved if we moderate our inclination to strive for the newest product , and he argues that the onus is on designers to initiate a shift away from a disposable culture . He proposes a model for consumer behavior based on a service economy -- that products are designed to last longer and to be fixed when they break ; brands can make their profits by providing the services to ensure that this can be done . `` It 's quite conceivable to make objects that do n't necessarily make a profit at the point-of-sale but that , because their life-spans are extended and are punctuated with service and upgrade options , can generate turnover over long periods of time that is greater than making a small profit and having to remanufacture , '' he explains . He believes that consumers would be prepared to pay more for their electronic goods if they knew they would last longer . It is an economic model that would make most manufacturers choke , but it is an unfounded fear , says economist Andrew Charlton , author of Ozonomics : Inside the Myth of Australia 's Economic Superheroes . `` The key thing to remember is that human desires know no bounds -- we are never satiated , '' he says . `` If we replace an expensive disposable product with a permanent one , that just frees up income to spend on other things . `` Ballpoint pens last longer than quills , tarred roads last longer than cobblestones -- and the economy moves on . Every time we satisfy one demand , another one comes along to take its place . '' `` A quarter-inch hole '' But it 's not enough to expect consumers to sign up to a longer-life model just because it is ` green ' , says Steve Bishop , head of sustainability at design firm IDEO . Consumers concerned with the sustainability of the products they buy still only make up a small fraction of the market and designers must incorporate energy-saving measures into mainstream thinking , with sustainability as a by-product . Marketing a product as environmentally friendly is `` really addressing a niche market , '' he argues . `` It 's putting the responsibility on people and it 's effectively guilting people into buying these things . It should n't be about guilt or sacrifice . It should be about connecting to people 's values and what really matters to them . '' Often what really matters to people is saving money . He cites as an example of sustainability-achieved-by-stealth some research IDEO made into the effectiveness of hybrid electric cars . They found that the single feature of the cars that maximized their energy-efficiency was not the variable transmission , the regenerative brakes or the electric motor but a small widget on the dashboard that measures fuel consumption and tells you when you are driving the car most efficiently . `` It 's not so much that they are trying to be green as much as they are trying to get high score , '' Bishop concludes . Sustainability must understand and adapt to human behavior , not vice versa , is his verdict . `` People do n't want a quarter-inch drill . They want a quarter-inch hole , '' Theodore Levitt , former marketing professor at Harvard Business School and author of Marketing Myopia , used to tell his students . Apple 's iTunes software , a service which allows music fans to download audio files directly onto their computers , is an example of Levitt 's analogy in action . While its main aim was to make listening to music easier , it has inadvertently become a sustainable design model by canceling the need for the compact disc . People still get their end-product -- listening to music -- but without the waste and unnecessary energy consumption that goes into manufacturing a physical item on which to store it . His point is that businesses will have to shift their goal posts and might even have to change the mentality that says that producing more products is the only way to make money . Making a real impact . Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important to the public and manufacturers may have to combine ` green ' production techniques with a dramatic change in how consumers relate to the products they buy . `` The real impact happens when you integrate both those things - when you look at the scientific basis and reduce the energy footprint during production but you also look at the psychological and emotional factors during use , '' says Chapman . `` When you start to integrate like that , that 's when you start to achieve sustainable design . '' E-mail to a friend . | Europeans find it cheaper to throw away rather than fix electrical products . Electrical products are Europe 's fastest growing form of waste . Durable products reduce energy needed to manufacture new ones . Sustainable design products have low carbon footprints and use little energy . | [[103, 179], [1154, 1310], [431, 445], [461, 546], [431, 445], [461, 546], [1864, 1918]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In an age of unromance , of Internet dating , of gut reaction cynicism -- I love hearing a story about how Lenny Ann Low of Sydney met her fiancé Alan of Glasgow . Lenny Ann Low made sure every week to do something scary that would in some way alter her future . `` Tell the story again ! '' I would beg her in the manner of a child wanting to be read her favorite fairytale , never tiring of the narrative , always smiling with delight at the ending . Lenny met Alan when she was in Edinburgh at the annual comedy festival . She was lining up for a hot tuna melt and a latte at a station café with 9 minutes to catch a train back to London . She stood at the back of the long queue thinking , probably , of anything but love -- when she locked eyes with the young man behind the steaming coffee machine -- the man who in a few short minutes would be making her latte , than in an even shorter minute later would be consigned to the distant memories of coffee makers past . But when their eyes locked from over the Gaggia machine down the snaking queue , Lenny felt an unmistakable current . Could this be love ? And if so -- what could be done in the nine minutes she had left in the country ? Lenny knew exactly what to do as she had formulated a plan that she had been following for some years . Called Future Friday it was a game she played with herself each week . In order to gain more confidence and `` get out of a rut '' she decided that by Friday each week she would do something scary that would in some way alter her future . Minutes ticked up . She moved up the queue . She ordered her tuna melt . She took her coffee and sat in the train . Six minutes until it pulled out bound for London . She thought of Future Friday . She wrote her email address on a piece of paper , leapt off the train , raced back to the café , barged through the queue and gave Alan her address . `` Email me ! '' she told the stranger as she thrust the paper in his hand and bounded back to catch her train . He did email when she was on a plane halfway to Australia . They emailed for a while , then eventually he came out to Sydney . They got on with the business of falling in love and next month they will marry . Unlike other pundits with a self-help plan , Lenny 's not promising hers will deliver riches , fame or love . What she does say however is that if you follow it , you will have a lot of adventures and take all sorts of risks that will enrich your life in many ways . Lenny explains how it works : `` Future Friday is so simple it 's embarrassing . By Friday at the end of every week you must do something that is good for your future that is a risk or something scary . '' For Lenny , `` it could be something like getting pap smear , making a dental appointment or telling someone that you fancy them or ring someone out of the blue and asking them if they 've got a job . I 've done all those things . '' Feeling like she was stagnating inspired Lenny to develop the scheme . `` Being in a bit of a dead-end job made me want to do this - I thought I needed a trigger . It also lets you off the hook -- you can say I 've done my Future Friday now -- I do n't have to do anything else for the rest of the week . '' Lenny isolated particular areas of her life that she had neglected . `` I put off making a dental appointment for five or six years . I put off telling men they were nice . I put off my pap smear all my life . '' The list of things to do each week for Future Friday then became `` a combination of exciting thrills and horrible must dos . '' Lenny made sure she told all her friends about Future Friday so she could get extra support during the difficult weeks . `` You 'd get praise . I 'd tell various people about it . You 'd move enormous blocks . I really was quite down and just the little sense of doing stuff helped enormously . '' Memorable Future Fridays included doing a stand-up comedy gig , flying in a jetfighter , and of course -- meeting Alan . Lenny started doing Future Friday in 1996 to boost her confidence and expand her world , but she had no idea how it would change her world . She was also contacted by a number of people `` friends of friends , strangers '' who had heard about Future Friday and started practicing it themselves . She recommends starting your own Future Friday if you are also `` swimming around and drowning in a lot of stuff . `` It 's a good way to anchor yourself . Now I have formed a habit of getting on with things now -- today I had to get the celebrant form done and I just did it . '' Every time you tick off a Future Friday item Lenny says to give yourself a pat on the back . `` It 's about the power of affirmation and realizing you 're not a failure -- and its small and it does n't cost anything . You can take delightful risks . '' Lenny 's Future Friday Tips : . • Pick a couple of basic but difficult issues in your life -- a niggle . Make the appointment or ring about a job and you are on your way . • Go and see that man at the pub who you thought was cute . Do n't be shy . `` I told a number of men I liked them and they did n't always feel the same way , but at least I did n't die wondering . '' • I did n't keep a diary but it 's a great idea to keep track of your progress . • Tell other people and they can get inspired and also support you in your Future Friday . E-mail to a friend . | Lenny Ann Low created Future Friday to gain more confidence . She must take one risk that is good for her future by each Friday . Lenny has done stand-up comedy , flew a jetfighter , and met her fiancé Alan . | [[4003, 4089], [2575, 2660], [93, 182], [3882, 3995], [3978, 3984], [3988, 4002]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pirates have hijacked two European-owned chemical tankers off the coast of Somalia in the past 24 hours , the European Union Maritime Security Center said Thursday . The 23,000-ton Norwegian-owned and Bahamian-registered M/V Bow-Asir was captured 250 miles east of the southern Somali city Kismayo on Thursday morning , the security center said in a release . The M/V Nipayia , a 9,000-ton Greek-owned and Panamanian-registered vessel with 19 crew members , was attacked approximately 450 miles east of Kismayo on Wednesday afternoon , the security center said . Officials have issued an alert site notifying all vessels in the area to be aware of the increase in pirate activity . | Pirates hijack two European-owned chemical tankers off the coast of Somalia . 23,000-ton Norwegian-owned M/V Bow-Asir captured . M/V Nipayia , a 9,000-ton Greek-owned vessel also seized . | [[16, 122], [185, 336], [399, 414], [415, 420]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The commander in chief 's priority is preventing another terrorist attack in the United States , President Bush told CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' Tuesday . President Bush and first lady Laura Bush sit down with CNN 's Larry King Live on Tuesday . `` The most important job I have had -- and the most important job the next president is going to have -- is to protect the American people from another attack , '' Bush said . Accompanied by first lady Laura Bush and engaging in a wide-ranging conversation with King , Bush also said that his administration has been involved in stopping specific threats against the United States since the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks . `` We 've learned a lot of information about al Qaeda that we did n't know before , '' Bush said of intelligence activities during his tenure as president . `` We 've stopped some specific threats -- we 're decimating -LSB- al Qaeda 's -RSB- leadership . '' He did not offer specifics , but he did offer a self-assessment of his leadership in national security post-9 / 11 . Watch Bush talk about the aftermath of 9/11 '' `` I told the American people I would n't tire and I would n't falter , and I have n't , '' the outgoing president said . Bush brushed off the low opinion-ratings and declining polls that have marked his waning presidency by saying , `` Look , opinion polls are nothing but a shot of yesterday 's news . '' `` Opinion polls are n't going to be high when the economy is in the tank , '' he added . `` People are n't happy with the economy . Neither am I . But you ca n't make decisions based on popularity polls . '' Bush took that train of thought on to another topic , Iraq . `` If the military thinks you 're making decisions based on the Gallup poll , they 're not going to follow a commander in chief , '' he said . Asked about inaccurate intelligence reports on alleged weapons of mass destruction that led up to the war in Iraq , Bush refused to criticize the CIA , saying only that he was `` disappointed . '' On Iraq , he maintained that actions taken by his administration were correct . `` I do n't think Iraq was wrong , '' Bush said in response to a question from King . `` What I was worried about , -LRB- was -RRB- Iraq going to fail -- not Iraq was wrong , '' he said . `` And the surge has worked and a young democracy in the heart of the Middle East has taken hold . There 's more work to be done . But al Qaeda has been denied the base in which they wanted to operate. : . When discussing the nation 's economic slump , Bush cautioned his successor `` not to become an economic forecaster once he gets to be president . '' King and Bush discussed President-elect Barack Obama 's predictions for a bad year ahead for the U.S. economy and King asked Bush , `` That 's not a good idea to say ? '' `` I do n't think so . I think he can say it 's going to be a tough period , but to predict what the economy is going to do ... it is going to be bad . How bad ? How long ? '' Bush responded . `` What he ought to be saying -- and I know he feels this way -- is he 's going to take the steps he thinks are necessary to get us back on the road to recovery and we will recover . '' Bush said he is looking forward to the inaugurationTuesday , describing it as `` a historic moment for the country . '' Asked by King if he liked Obama , Bush replied , `` I do . I do like him . You 'd like him , too . '' But Laura Bush said she took some of Obama 's critiques of her husband personally . `` Were you angry at it ? '' King asked . `` Yes , sort of . George did n't really even know about it because he did n't really watch it that much , '' Laura Bush said , laughing . Watch Laura Bush express her disapproval '' `` So what 's new ? '' Bush piped in . `` When you make big decisions and tough calls , you 're going to get criticized . '' `` During the course of this presidency , I 've been disappointed at times by the silly name-calling that goes on in Washington -- it 's really not necessary , '' Bush said . `` I 've done my best , though , to make sure I did n't bring the presidency down to that level . '' On other topics : . • Bush said he favors closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , but only `` under the right circumstances . `` The problem is , you 've got a bunch of cold-blooded killers down there that if they ever get out they 're going to come and kill Americans , and I 'd hate to be the person that made that decision . '' • Asked by King , `` Are we ever going to find -LRB- Osama -RRB- bin Laden , Bush replied , `` Yes , of course , absolutely . We 've got a lot of people out there looking for him , a lot of assets . You ca n't run forever . • As to whether the United States had ever come close to capturing bin Laden , Bush said , `` I do n't know -- I ca n't answer that . I really do n't know . I 'm not trying to hide anything . '' | `` Most important job ... is to protect the American people , '' Bush tells CNN 's Larry King . Bush agrees rocky times are ahead , but cautions Obama against making predictions . Outgoing president says Obama should talk more about getting on `` road to recovery '' | [[127, 175], [321, 362], [383, 436], [321, 362], [372, 379], [386, 436], [2524, 2568], [2571, 2639], [2586, 2599], [2603, 2644], [1222, 1254]] |
NAIROBI , Kenya -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Officials found 13 bodies in the rubble of a scorched supermarket in downtown Nairobi Friday and are investigating a tip that security guards locked people in the burning building , a police spokesman said . Members of the public helped to fight the fire which left at least 47 people missing . The blaze started on Wednesday afternoon in the Nakumatt supermarket . The Standard Newspaper reported harrowing tales of families trying to find their missing loved ones , at times making the job of firefighters more difficult . So many people crowded the scene that police on foot and on horseback periodically chased them away . Riot police with tear gas and batons stood nervously around the edge of the scene -- where a barricade has been erected . Joseph Mwangi waited among the crowd , hoping for news of his cousin Daniel . On Wednesday , Mwangi sent 16-year-old Daniel Njoge with 6,000 shillings -LRB- about $ 75 -RRB- to the market . `` He was coming to shop for school , '' said Mwangi , a waiter at a nearby restaurant . `` I sent him to the store to get stationery supplies . '' `` On Wednesday night , I got so worried . Now I think he is just in there , '' Mwangi said , pointing at the burned-out store . `` The response was not good , '' he said . `` A person who fights a fire must go into the building , but they just stayed outside . '' Mwangi registered with the Kenya Red Cross on the scene , as scores of others did , and now he waits . Justin Mule , who works at the Stanley Bookstore across the road from the supermarket , described the start of the fire to CNN : `` I saw smoke coming up from the building on Wednesday afternoon . In a few minutes , there were explosions . I saw some guys jumping from the burning roof . Soon after the fire , I saw the store security guards closing the doors because they feared looting . The doors were locked . That was a mistake . They should n't have locked the doors . '' Other witness corroborated his account . Police launched a criminal investigation to look into that allegation , said Eric Kiraithe , a police spokesman . Employees of the supermarket refused to comment on the allegations . The fire has angered Kenyans for what they perceive is a lack of disaster preparedness . Local newspaper editorials slammed the government 's response to the tragedy . `` Disaster preparedness is still a challenge , and the operation was hampered by the Nairobi city layout , '' said Kenya Red Cross spokesman Titus Mung ` ou said . Emergency numbers failed to work and water ran out during attempts to put out the fire , he said . According to local news reports , the fire ignited Wednesday afternoon during a busy hour in the 24-hour supermarket . Hundreds of people crowded around the scene and tourists peered through their hotel windows as firefighters , security guards and civilians struggled to get the fire under control . Periodic explosions rocked the city and debris fell around the building . The crowd cheered each incoming fire truck , and water had to be brought to the scene from a nearby soccer stadium . | Rescuers find 13 bodies in scorched rubble of Kenyan supermarket . Massive fire engulfed the building in downtown Nairobi on Wednesday . Incident angers Kenyans for what they perceive is a lack of disaster preparedness . | [[35, 127], [330, 400], [2192, 2280], [2230, 2280]] |
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr and photojournalist Peter Morris traveled to southern Afghanistan with Gen. James Conway , commandant of the Marine Corps . CNN 's Barbara Starr is on assignment in Afghanistan , where she says Marines are living in very tough terrain . HELMAND PROVINCE , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Our travels in Afghanistan continue . I feel like the title of this posting should be `` why I had to get power-washed in Afghanistan '' or `` the body armor is only heavy until they start shooting at you . '' OK , now I will explain . CNN photojournalist Peter Morris and I just wrapped up spending several days in southern Afghanistan with Gen. James Conway , commandant of the Marine Corps , touring the combat zone . The Marines are living in some of the toughest terrain there is . It is remote and often raining . That means dust turns to mud , and you find yourself covered in it from head to toe . Stinky , cold , wet , oozy mucky mud . The good news is , everybody stinks , so you lose any sense of self-consciousness about it . But you do dream of getting power-washed . So , yes , after a few days a shower was , shall we say , more than essential . For the Marines , however , it is a seven-month tour of duty in mud in the winter and dust in the summer . It seems very grim , especially when compounded by the fact that the Marines are wearing heavy body armor all the time . Ask them if it 's heavy to wear , the typical answer goes something like , `` It 's only heavy to wear until the bad guys start shooting at you . Then it 's OK . '' The young Marines know exactly how tough the fight they are facing in the coming weeks and months will likely be . Several of them told me security had gotten considerably worse in recent days . Their bases were being repeatedly shelled by insurgents , several roadside bombs had gone off , and local Afghan police had died at the hands of suicide attacks . Senior commanders usually have a more cheery outlook , but here in southern Afghanistan , everyone is cautious . Almost everyone is a veteran of Iraq and learned the tough lesson there about not declaring victory too soon . Even Conway , who commanded U.S. forces in Fallujah , picks his words very carefully . He tells me he believes that everyone must be ready for a spike in U.S. casualties as the Marines begin to move into the region in greater numbers this spring . All of this was rattling around in my head when I saw the Marines riding around in what they call `` a 7-ton truck . '' As the name suggests , it 's huge and has some armor plating on the sides . But what it does n't make clear is that the truck is open in the back and sides . The Marines insist it is a safe way to transport troops . For years now , the Army has used fully armored vehicles only in the combat zone . The Marines have a somewhat different view . They believe heavy armor is n't everything ; sometimes being able to get around on the battlefield faster is better . But then again , when someone starts shooting at you , I think you want all the armor you can get . Next stop , Iraq . Yeah , there is still a war there , too . | With all the mud in southern Afghanistan , everyone stinks , Barbara Starr says . Marines also wear heavy body armor all the time , adding to the discomfort . Armor is only heavy `` until the bad guys start shooting at you , '' Marines say . Marines often travel in `` 7-ton truck '' that 's open in the back and sides . | [[1296, 1314], [1317, 1416], [471, 534], [1492, 1538], [1526, 1562], [3016, 3046], [2466, 2528], [2648, 2689]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain is prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan , the head of the British Army said in an interview published Friday . Britain currently has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan . Richard Dannatt , the chief of the general staff , did not say how many troops he would be prepared to deploy . Britain currently has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan . Dannatt told The Times newspaper that elements of the 12th Mechanized Brigade had been `` earmarked for Afghanistan . '' He said there are no plans to send the whole brigade of 4,000 troops . `` If we 're asked for more and we say we can , it 's not going to be 4,000 -- it 's going to be something in between '' that and the current troop level , Dannatt told the Times . The Ministry of Defense confirmed his remark . British defense sources told The Times that a rise of 1,700 to 2,000 was `` the uppermost ceiling . '' U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a new strategy for Afghanistan on Friday that includes sending another 4,000 troops to the country with hundreds of civilian specialists , senior administration officials told CNN . The troops -- which are in addition to the 17,000 that the president announced earlier would be sent to Afghanistan -- will be charged with training and building the Afghan Army and police force . The plans include doubling the Army 's ranks to 135,000 and the police force to 80,000 by 2011 , the officials said . Military officials told CNN earlier that the Afghan government had requested the additional troops . | Britain is ready to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan , army chief says . Richard Dannatt told the Times up to 2,000 more could be sent . Army waiting for formal request by U.S. government , he says . | [[36, 43], [56, 90], [726, 750]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Oscar Reynoso owed his bosses $ 300,000 , and he was running out of time . One anti-drug operation in Atlanta netted $ 10.6 million , 108 kilos of cocaine , 17 pounds of meth and 32 weapons . Gunmen snatched Reynoso and locked him in the basement of a home to try to settle the drug debt . He was chained to a wall of the basement by his hands and ankles , gagged and beaten . His captors , members of a powerful Mexican drug cartel , held Reynoso for ransom , chained in the sweltering , dirty basement for six days without food . Reynoso 's ordeal could 've been a scene from the drug war in Mexico . But it played out recently in suburban Atlanta , Georgia . U.S. federal agents are fighting to keep that kind of violence from gripping Atlanta , as the city known for Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines has become a major distribution hub for Mexican drug cartels . In fiscal year 2008 , authorities confiscated about $ 70 million in drug-related cash in Atlanta , more than anywhere else in the United States , the Drug Enforcement Administration says . This fiscal year , Atlanta continues to outpace all other U.S. regions in such seizures , with $ 30 million confiscated so far . Next are Los Angeles , California , with about $ 19 million , and Chicago , Illinois , with $ 18 million . `` There is definitely a center of this type of drug activity here , and we are working to make sure the violence does not spill out to the general public , '' Atlanta U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said . Atlanta has become a stopping point for truckloads of Mexican cocaine , heroin , marijuana and methamphetamine , agents say . The drugs are held in stash houses before being distributed up the East Coast . `` The money comes down here also to money managers in Atlanta , who get the books in order before it is sent out , '' said Rodney Benson , Atlanta 's chief of the DEA . Agents attribute the growth in drug trafficking to Atlanta 's location , proximity to other major cities and access to major highways . Authorities also point to the growth of the Hispanic population in Atlanta , which allows practitioners of the Mexican drug trade to blend in among hard-working , law-abiding Hispanics . No place is that more evident than in Gwinnett County , a community about 20 miles north of Atlanta . Gwinnett 's Hispanic population rocketed from 8,470 in 1990 to 63,727 in 2000 , according to the U.S. Census . By 2010 , 20 percent of the county 's projected population of 700,000 is expected to be Hispanic . `` In Gwinnett County , the drug dealers are able to hide in plain sight , '' county District Attorney Danny Porter said . `` To combat this , we have to be much more coordinated between my office , the police department and the federal authorities . The presence of the organizations is a dilemma enough that we have to develop new tactics . '' Federal agents say arrests and drug-related violence in Atlanta have been linked to the two most powerful Mexican organizations : the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels . A battle over drug routes has been blamed for the recent surge in violence in Mexican border towns , bloodshed that has included hundreds of deaths . The fear is that the battle will extend deeper into the United States , causing more to suffer a fate similar to Reynoso 's ordeal in the Gwinnett County basement . Lucky for Reynoso , federal agents had a wiretap on his captors ' phones . Agents stormed the home just as it appeared that the debt would not be paid and Reynoso would be killed . `` There is no doubt in my mind that we saved his life that day , '' said the DEA 's Benson . One case resolved , as cartels thrive in Atlanta . | City outpaces all others in the United States in drug-related cash seizures . $ 30 million has been confiscated in Atlanta this fiscal year . Location , proximity to other cities and highways cited in trafficking growth . Drug dealers `` hide in plain sight '' in suburban Gwinnett County . | [[1090, 1106], [1109, 1177], [1185, 1218], [1905, 2040], [2564, 2612]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden assured Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday that the incoming Obama administration will continue to support Pakistan 's efforts to strengthen democracy and combat terrorism , according to Pakistan 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Vice President-elect Joe Biden meets Pakistani officials in Islamabad , Pakistan , on Friday . Biden told Zardari that the new U.S. administration would also help Pakistan `` meet its socio-economic requirements and capacity building , '' the ministry said in a written statement . The vice president-elect `` assured the Pakistani leadership '' of the United States ' `` continued assistance to Pakistan , '' the statement said . No additional details were provided . Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina , accompanied Biden on the trip . Biden `` described Pakistan as an incredibly valued U.S. ally and said that the U.S. recognized Pakistan 's important contribution and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism , '' the ministry said . Zardari , who took office in September , said `` Pakistan needed the support and understanding of the international community in this effort , '' according to the statement . Pakistan 's government is waging a bloody battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants in its tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan . The United States has provided Pakistan with billions of dollars in aid for those counterterrorism activities . Last year , the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a bill authorizing $ 7.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years . The measure is sponsored by committee chairman Biden and the ranking Republican on the panel , Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana . It would provide money for developments such as schools , roads and medical clinics , and it conditions security aid on State Department certification that Pakistan is making efforts against the Taliban and al Qaeda . The bill has not come before the full Senate . Biden also said he was hopeful that India and Pakistan could resolve their conflicts , according the ministry . `` The U.S. vice president-elect expressed the hope that both Pakistan and India will be able to overcome the current tensions and would resolve their differences peacefully , '' the ministry 's statement said . November 's attacks in Mumbai , India , fueled tensions between Pakistan and India , longtime rivals that have fought three wars since independence and conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998 . India has said Islamic militants trained in Pakistan were behind the three-day siege of India 's financial capital . Pakistani officials have promised to cooperate with the investigation but have insisted that India show it the evidence supporting its case . On Wednesday , Pakistan 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the sole surviving suspect in the Mumbai attacks , which killed more than 160 people , is a Pakistani national , state-run media reported . | NEW : Vice President-elect Joe Biden hopes Pakistan , India overcome tensions . Biden and Sen. Lindsay Graham meet in Islamabad . Biden assures Pakistani president of support against terrorism . Pakistan is one of main focus points in war to defeat the Taliban . | [[2024, 2029], [2035, 2108], [2136, 2309], [786, 805], [827, 858], [12, 214], [599, 688]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Just weeks before a Continental Connection commuter plane crashed near Buffalo , another airline had reminded its pilots about safety issues with instrument approaches at the airport . Only a few pieces of the Continental Connection Dash 8 turboprop were recognizable after the crash . However , a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said it was extremely unlikely the February 12 crash and the warning were related . Instrument approaches are those in which pilots use cockpit displays to line up their aircraft with the runway when visibility is low . The alert , initially issued by Southwest Airlines and reissued Wednesday by the airline 's pilot association , warned there was a `` potentially significant hazard '' concerning the instrument landing system 's glide slope guidance signal for runway 23 . The airline advised , `` Pilots who are preparing to configure and land have the potential to experience abrupt pitch up , slow airspeed , and approach to stall if conditions present themselves in a certain manner . '' Southwest Airlines spokesperson Linda Rutherford said an earthen dam at the end of the runway was interfering with the signal being sent to inbound flights . Rutherford would not confirm if any of Southwest 's recent flights into Buffalo experienced problems on approach . `` We often put out alerts on obstructions to a navigation aid , '' Rutherford told CNN . She also pointed out , though landing on the same runway , Southwest Airlines flights approach runway 23 from the north , turning right , while the Colgan Air flight that crashed was approaching from the south turning left . Rutherford called that distinction important . View a Google Earth image of runway 23 '' The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN the agency was `` aware '' of the Southwest Airlines alert , but would not comment further . The issue is caused by a geographic feature at the airport , a valley , `` something we ca n't do anything about , '' said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown . She said the `` altitude reading makes it look like you 're a lot higher than you are , because there is a valley there . '' The feature has been noted on FAA charts for years , she said . `` As far as we can tell , there is no way this had any role in the accident , '' Brown told CNN . `` It 's not a navigation aid that would have applied to the approach . '' The alert from Southwest Airlines advises pilots that the problem could cause the planes navigational system to interpret data `` in such a way as to result in a nose-up pitch and loss of airspeed . '' Flight data recorders obtained by the NTSB of the crashed Colgan air Flight 3407 show during its approach to runway 23 , the twin turbo prop Dash-8 pitched up 31 degrees before going into a stall due to lack of airspeed . Southwest Airlines Pilot Association told its pilots the `` issue is being addressed on several levels in an attempt to address procedures , facilities , and communication regarding this matter . '' The alert advises any pilots experience trouble to contact the association 's safety office . | NEW : FAA spokeswoman says it does n't appear issue was related to crash . Warning concerned runway 23 , the same one the crashed plane was lined up to use . Airline advised possibility of `` abrupt pitch up , slow airspeed , and approach to stall '' Southwest Airlines spokeswoman said earthen dam was interfering with signals . | [[315, 464], [601, 655], [713, 840], [857, 876], [880, 1072], [857, 888], [929, 1072], [2559, 2610], [2735, 2835], [1076, 1169], [1130, 1201], [2412, 2520]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Violence and drug-trafficking have become such a major threat to Latin America that the presidents of Colombia , Mexico , Guatemala and Panama will sit around a table Friday in Panama to discuss what they can do about it . Cartridges and weapons seized from gangsters and drug-traffickers at the Military Headquarter in Mexico City . Their summit comes at a particularly troubled time for these governments , especially Mexico , which tallied a record number of drug-related killings last year . Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich characterized the battle in Mexico among drug cartels and with government authorities as a `` civil war '' on a news program this week . But Mexico is not alone . Colombia has been fighting drug cartels for decades . Panama has been a center of money-laundering for dug cartels and other organized crime groups for many years . And Guatemala has seen its share of slayings and bloodshed . `` It 's a recognition that there is a shared problem and that they ca n't solve that problem independent of each other , '' said Robert Pastor , a professor of international relations at American University in Washington who served as a national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s . Jennifer McCoy , the director of The Americas Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta , says it is `` encouraging '' that presidents Felipe Calderon of Mexico , Alvaro Uribe of Colombia , Alvaro Colom of Guatemala and Martin Torrijos of Panama not only recognize the problem but want to meet to see what they can do about it . `` The issue of security is vital in these countries and in Latin America , '' McCoy said . It 's not just a threat for Latin America , a recent report from the U.S. military says . The violence in Mexico and elsewhere south of the border could spill over to the United States , says the report , issued in November by the U.S. Joint Forces Command . `` The growing assault by the drug cartels and their thugs on the Mexican government over the past several years reminds one that an unstable Mexico could represent a homeland security problem of immense proportions to the United States , '' says the report , `` Joint Operating Environment 2008 . '' That instability could threaten the United States ' underbelly along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico . `` Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone , '' the report says . Mexican Secretary of Governance Fernando Gomez Mont rejected that notion in an interview with CNN this week , saying it is `` inadmissible '' that the United States would have to intervene . Pastor , who was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994 to become U.S. ambassador to Panama , believes the United States should be more involved now . `` The United States is a major part of the problem , '' he said . `` The dollars are coming from the United States . The demand is coming from the United States . The arms are coming from the United States . '' Pastor pointed out that there are 7,600 gun shops in the United States within 100 miles of the Mexican border . `` We ought to have a clear recognition that that we are part of their problem , and they ca n't solve it without us , '' he said . Panamanian Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro indicated at a news conference this week that other nations also need to be more involved . He did n't mention the United States but it was clear whom he was talking about . The summit leaders will ask nations that have high drug consumption to do their part to reduce that demand , the Spanish news agency EFE quoted Lewis as saying . Mexican President Calderon met with President-elect Barack Obama in Washington this week and security was a prime subject of their discussions . `` Both countries share a long border , '' said Peter Hakim , president of the Inter-American Dialogue . `` They are terribly worried about the violence from organized crime in Mexico and slipover into the U.S. '' Hakim met with Calderon at a private dinner hosted by the Mexican president Sunday night . After his meeting with Obama on Monday , Calderon stressed the level to which the two nations are intertwined when it comes to security . `` The more secure Mexico is , the more secure the United States will be , '' the Mexican president said , first in Spanish and then in English , to make sure no one missed the point . Obama is likely receptive to that message , said Michael Shifter , a vice president at the Inter-American Dialogue . `` I think Obama is going to understand that Mexico is very important to the United States , '' Shifter told CNN last week . `` This is n't an issue that he has focused a lot of attention on up until now . But he 's going to understand that if Mexico really deteriorates or if the violence spills over into the border states , this is a war that he really has to deal with . '' Drug-fueled violence reached record levels in Mexico last year , with around 5,400 slayings , more than double the 2,477 reported in 2007 , Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said last month . The situation is so dire in Mexico that the Joint Forces Command report says , `` In terms of worst-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world , two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse : Pakistan and Mexico . '' The report goes on to say that the `` Mexican possibility may seem less likely , but the government , its politicians , police , and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and pressure by criminal gangs and drug cartels . How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state . '' | Presidents of Colombia , Mexico , Guatemala , Panama to meet Friday in Panama . They will discuss ways of countering growing violence and drug-trafficking . Drug-fueled violence reached record levels in Mexico last year , with 5,400 slayings . Instability caused by crime in Mexico could threaten U.S. which shares a border . | [[103, 241], [103, 241], [428, 445], [454, 514], [4944, 5006], [1758, 1852], [1927, 2163], [2228, 2332], [2333, 2464]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Iraq war has strained U.S. forces to the point where they could not fight another large-scale war , according to a survey of military officers . U.S. troops patrol Haifa Street in Baghdad last week . Of those surveyed , 88 percent believe the demands of the Iraq war have `` stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin . '' On the other hand , 56 percent of the officers disagree that the war has `` broken '' the military . Eighty percent of officers believe it is unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at present . Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security on Tuesday issued the U.S. Military Index , a survey of 3,400 present and former U.S. military officers . `` We asked the officers whether they thought the U.S. military was stronger or weaker than it was five years ago , '' said Michael Boyer , who helped write the report . `` Sixty percent said the U.S. military is weaker than it was five years ago , '' Boyer told reporters . The report found that officers `` see a military apparatus severely strained by the grinding demands of war . '' More than half of the officers responding cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , and the `` pace of troop deployments '' needed for those conflicts , the survey said . The report comes a few weeks before the five-year anniversary of the Iraq war , where a troop `` surge '' is winding down by summer . The U.S. military is proposing a pause in troop reductions for a period of review before any more decisions on withdrawals . The officers have `` an overwhelmingly negative view '' of many of the early decisions shaping the Iraq war , but most believe the present U.S. counterinsurgency strategy and troop increases are good omens for success in Iraq . A majority of officers in the Iraq war say some policy decisions have `` hindered the prospects for success there . '' `` These include shortening the time units spend at home between deployments and accepting more recruits who do not meet the military 's standards . Even the military 's ability to care for some of its own -- mentally wounded soldiers and veterans -- was judged by most officers to be substandard , '' the survey found . At the same time , 64 percent of the officers believe morale in the military remains high . Nearly three-quarters of the officers believe civilian leaders set `` unreasonable goals for the military in post-Saddam Iraq . '' `` They believe more troops were needed on the ground at the start of the fighting . They believe disbanding the Iraqi military was a mistake , '' the survey said . However , nearly nine of 10 think the surge and Gen. David Petraeus ' counterinsurgency strategy are `` raising the U.S. military 's chance for success there . '' The officers believe `` that either China or Iran , not the United States , is emerging as the strategic victor '' in the Iraq war . `` The United States has been preoccupied away from Asia , '' said Kurt Campbell , the head of the group that conducted the survey . China 's rising influence worldwide predates the war but is part of a `` great game under way in Asia for influence , for relationships , '' Campbell said . The U.S. focus on Iraq `` sends a message to our friends and others that maybe we 're not as focused on the drama that 's playing out there , '' he said . Iran has gained from the war because of the removal of Iraq `` as a strategic counterweight , '' the report said . The survey portrayed Iran , the Taiwan Strait -LRB- where tensions have flared between China and Taiwan -RRB- , Syria and North Korea as four potential hot spots and sought opinions of how prepared the U.S. is `` to successfully fight a major combat operation there . '' Officers were asked to judge the preparedness of the U.S. on a scale of one to 10 , with 10 meaning `` fully prepared '' and one indicating `` unable to execute . '' Iran was rated 4.5 , the Taiwan Strait -LRB- where there have been tensions between China and Taiwan -RRB- 4.9 , Syria 5.1 , and North Korea 4.7 . The officers ranked the Navy and Air Force readiness the highest at 6.8 and 6.6 , respectively . The Army and Marines , which have assumed the `` bulk of the burden in Iraq and Afghanistan , '' ranked 4.7 and 5.7 , respectively . Other results of the survey : . | Eighty percent of officers : It 's unreasonable to expect U.S. to wage another major war . Officers have `` overwhelmingly negative view '' of early decisions shaping Iraq war . Fifty-six percent of officers disagree that the Iraq war has `` broken '' the military . Results based on survey of 3,400 present and former U.S. military officers . | [[460, 567], [1584, 1670], [1651, 1691], [1812, 1927], [2140, 2209], [359, 376], [379, 459], [87, 91], [134, 178]] |
SRINAGAR , Indian-controlled Kashmir -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anti-election demonstrators threw stones at two polling stations and clashed with Indian security forces Sunday as voters stood in long lines in Indian-controlled Kashmir to cast ballots in the second stage of state elections . An Indian Border Security Forces soldier watches as voters in Indian-controlled Kashmir wait to vote Sunday . The protesters yelled pro-independence and anti-poll slogans and threw stones at polling stations in two villages in the Ganderbal constituency , police said . Police used batons to restore order , but no one was injured , police said . People demonstrated in two other villages , Duderhama and Beehama in Ganderbal constituency -- one of six constituencies voting Sunday in the second of seven stages in the state assembly elections . The elections began after months of violent protests by anti-Indian groups , fearful state elections will firm up Indian control of the Muslim majority Himalayan state , and by Indian nationalists , fearful that separatist groups will gain control . Kashmir , divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both , has been wracked by an 18-year bloody separatist campaign that authorities say has left at least 43,000 dead . Sunday 's protests came a day after Indian paramilitary forces , according to authorities , gunned down two youths , one of them a high school student apparently taking part in an anti-India demonstration . Police Saturday fired on protesters in the town of Baramulla , killing 10th-grader Manzoor Ahmad Kumar , a senior police officer told CNN . Hundreds of protesters followed Kumar 's body into the `` Old Town '' area of Baramulla , where demonstrators clashed with police . Protesters threw stones at a candidate 's escort vehicles , the office said . Indian authorities deployed heavy paramilitary and police reinforcements to maintain order . Six protesters were injured in the fighting , police said . A police official said paramilitary forces in the Baramulla 's Old Town area Saturday , shot and killed a second youth , Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh . Elsewhere Sunday , voting continued without incident . In Kangan constituency , voting picked up in the late morning and afternoon , and there and in Ganderbal , voters -- including many women -- lined up to cast their votes . Indian poll officials said the turnout was about 65 percent of eligible voters . Heavy security was also deployed in Srinagar , the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir . Indian paramilitary troopers carried automatic weapons and blocked roads with barricades and coils of razor wire there and in other towns . The first phase of elections was held November 17 and the third will be held November 30 . | Anti-election demonstrators , Indian security forces clash during state elections . Police say they used batons to restore order , and no one was injured . Authorities : Protests come a day after Indian paramilitary forces killed two youths . Voting was second stage of seven-stage election in Indian-controlled Kashmir . | [[11, 52], [125, 283], [1258, 1320], [1701, 1736], [554, 589], [596, 614], [1258, 1320], [1258, 1276], [1323, 1347], [1258, 1264], [1350, 1372], [11, 52], [125, 283], [2488, 2494], [2495, 2517]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama is expected to approve a proposal to withdraw most combat troops from Iraq within 19 months , Pentagon officials told CNN Wednesday . U.S. soldiers stand guard outside a mosque during a prisoner release Sunday in Baghdad , Iraq . The decision will be announced at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on Friday , according to one senior administration official . Although the White House has made no announcement yet , `` That 's the way the wind is blowing , '' a Pentagon official said . A White House spokesman said the president has made no final decisions about Iraq policy . Obama 's campaign pledge was to withdraw combat troops within 16 months . But shortly after taking office , he asked Pentagon and military commanders for an analysis of other time frames . The Pentagon sent Obama options for withdrawals at 16 , 19 , and 23 months . It is expected that the final plan will call for the majority of combat forces to be withdrawn , and keep as many as 50,000 in Iraq to serve mainly as military trainers or advisers . U.S. military officials said even those residual forces could find themselves in combat . For the last two months , the U.S. Central Command has been assessing how equipment and personnel will be withdrawn from Iraq , according to a U.S. military official . Watch what Obama said Tuesday night about Iraq '' The official did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of discussing withdrawal details before the president 's announcement . However , he said the U.S. military is looking at exit routes through Jordan and Kuwait . The military is trying to determine what equipment might be returned to the United States ; transferred to the Iraqi or Jordanian government ; sent to Afghanistan ; or simply discarded . | NEW : Decision to be announced Friday at Camp Lejeune , official says . Obama to approve 19-month time frame , military sources say . During campaign , Obama pledged to get troops out within 16 months . Pentagon said to be looking at exit routes through Jordan , Kuwait . | [[276, 350], [30, 79], [30, 45], [58, 137], [621, 694], [621, 645], [650, 694], [1525, 1604]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iraq 's main political parties Sunday reached a deal designed to allow non-U.S. foreign troops to stay in the country past the end of the year , when a United Nations resolution authorizing their presence expires . Iraqi and British soldiers during an Iraqi army training session in Basra last week . The deal would set a deadline of July 31 , 2009 , for all non-U.S. foreign troops to withdraw , according to Abdul Hadi al-Hassani , a lawmaker with the main Shiite parliamentary bloc , who spoke to Iraqi state television on Sunday . The agreement awaits approval by Iraq 's Parliament , which is expected to vote on the measure on Monday , several Iraqi lawmakers said . The emergency negotiations came after lawmakers Saturday rejected a similar proposal that would have been law . Sunday 's proposal , by contrast , was drafted as a resolution that would empower the Cabinet to authorize international troop presence without requiring Parliament to pass a law . Washington and Baghdad have already worked out a separate agreement that will keep U.S. troops in Iraq but tighten restrictions on them . Countries other than the United States that have troops in Iraq could be left with no legal cover for their presence there if Baghdad does not act swiftly . Iraq 's Cabinet had approved a draft law authorizing non-U.S. foreign troops Tuesday , the first step in passing legislation , but it fell at the next hurdle -- Parliament . That left lawmakers scrambling Sunday for a way to give foreign troops legal cover quickly . Lawmakers expect Sunday 's agreement to cut through the problem , because a resolution can be passed in a single day , while it takes at least a week to pass a law . British government lawyers , meanwhile , are studying `` all possible options '' to legally extend the presence of British troops in Iraq beyond New Year 's Day in case Iraq 's Parliament rejects the new compromise . Britain has the second-largest contingent of foreign troops in Iraq -- about 4,100 -- after the United States , which has about 142,500 . All other countries combined have only several hundred troops in the country . Britain and Iraq announced last week that British troops would begin leaving Iraq in May 2009 , while a `` handful '' of British military personnel would remain after that date to continue naval training for Iraqi sailors , primarily to protect oil platforms . The United States reached a security agreement with Iraq in November . That deal , which was ratified by the Iraqi Parliament , calls for American troops to leave Iraqi cities by June 2009 , and to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011 . Beginning New Year 's Day , U.S. commanders will have to get prior Iraqi government approval for any operations . American military personnel who commit crimes while not on duty or who commit grave crimes while on duty would be subject to Iraqi legal jurisdiction under the new agreement . The U.S. security agreement does not govern the presence of troops from other coalition countries . The Parliament 's rejection of the Cabinet 's proposed law allowing foreign forces to remain in Iraq after January 1 came after heated arguments that lasted for days . The session became so contentious that Parliament 's speaker threatened to resign , lawmakers said . Some political blocs , notably the Sadrists , oppose any extension of the presence of foreign troops in Iraq . That group , headed by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr -- an anti-Western cleric -- is demanding an immediate withdrawal of foreign forces . CNN 's Jill Dougherty and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report . | NEW : Deal would permit non-U.S. troops to stay into 2009 . NEW : Agreement would set July 31 withdrawal deadline for those troops . U.K. examining options in case Iraqi Parliament does n't OK deal . Sadrists oppose any extension of the presence of foreign troops in Iraq . | [[0, 7], [10, 30], [72, 176], [335, 382], [1728, 1754], [1769, 1808]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid a visit to Baghdad on Friday to congratulate its citizens for last weekend 's `` remarkable '' Iraq-led provincial elections , a process he said `` augurs well for the transition process and the solidifying of Iraq 's national reconciliation . '' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon , left , meets Friday in Baghdad with Iraq President Jalal Talabani . On a tour that also has taken him to Pakistan and Afghanistan , Ban met with Iraqi leaders and appeared at a news conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki , whose allies won big in nine of the 14 provinces where the local elections were held . `` I have been following the electoral process closely from the early days of the parliamentary debate over the elections law last summer to the final stages of adjudication of the complaints and yesterday evening 's release of the provisional results , '' Ban said at the news conference , according to prepared remarks issued by the United Nations . `` It will be some days before final results are known , but current indications are that the elections have been successfully carried out . '' Ban last visited Iraq in 2007 . In March of that year , he got a taste of the violence that often rocks the Iraqi capital . An explosion rattled Baghdad 's International Zone , where he was holding a televised news conference with al-Maliki . Apparently used to such blasts , al-Maliki remained stoic , while Ban briefly ducked before regaining his composure and continuing . Now , he said , he 's `` very much impressed to have witnessed myself the great success and progress the Iraqi government and people have made under the leadership of Prime Minister Maliki , and I congratulate you , '' he said , emphasizing the improvements in security . The secretary-general praised the turnout of millions of voters in `` an environment free of violence , '' a development he called a `` remarkable achievement '' in a strife-torn nation . `` Iraq has come a long way in taking their own affairs in hand , this being the first Iraqi-led and Iraqi-owned electoral process . It is a tribute to the growing effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces , and testifies to the increasing stability in the country , '' he said . Ban praised Iraqi election officials , the local U.N. office and its special representative , Staffan de Mistura , and election workers . Voters in 14 of 18 provinces turned out last weekend to elect provincial councils . The nation 's three Kurdish provinces will hold elections in May , and voting in Tameem province has been suspended because of political disputes in Kirkuk . `` This marks an important event , these being the first polls to affect the day-to-day lives of Iraqi voters , '' Ban said . `` In fact , these elections are about real power , in the sense that local leaders are nominated to be accountable for the delivery of basic services . '' The United Nations helped Iraq with logistics in its election process and plans to help in this year 's parliamentary elections and to deal with sticky disputes , such as the status of Kirkuk and disputes over some internal boundaries . Al-Maliki thanked the United Nations for the supportive role it played . He noted that the provincial elections `` changed the political map '' of Iraq , but he said the elections were successful for all Iraqis . He said he was proud people voted for blocs based on political goals and not along sectarian and ethnic lines . Ban also met with the three members of the presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani , Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report . | U.N. secretary-general visits Iraq , lauds `` remarkable '' elections there . Ban Ki-Moon last visited Iraq in 2007 , when violence was still raging . Voters in 14 of 18 provinces turned out last weekend to cast ballots . Iraq prime minister thanks United Nations for assistance , support . | [[10, 30], [49, 154], [103, 198], [321, 355], [365, 388], [1926, 1939], [1943, 2006], [1171, 1202], [2426, 2509], [3187, 3247]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Most people like gossip . Come on ! You do too . Do n't you glance every once in a while at US Weekly , In Touch , Page Six ? And how about that Spitzer scandal -- even I ca n't get enough of that one . A freshman talks about how cruel postings on the Juicy Campus web site have tainted her college experience . But what happens when the gossip is about you or your boyfriend or your kid ? And what if it 's there on the Internet , for the entire world to see on a Web site called Juicy Campus ? That 's what happened to Jane Smith -LRB- her name has been changed to protect her privacy -RRB- , a college freshman I spoke with recently . She said she learned from a friend that her name had been posted on the Web site and people were anonymously posting not so nice things about her . Things like she was promiscuous , `` ugly , '' `` overrated , '' `` racist . '' Things she says are not true . Her post has received over a thousand page views -- in non-techie speak , everyone is reading and writing about her . She even got a request for a `` hook up '' from a guy hundreds of miles away at another college . She told me that when she read the posts , she felt like she had been kicked in the stomach . She called her parents in the middle of the night crying . She has lost weight , has trouble sleeping , and has become suspicious of those around her . She told me that it has ruined her freshman year -- and will likely taint her entire college experience . Watch how campus poison pens inflict pain '' So what is Juicy Campus and who is behind it ? Juicy Campus is a Web site , founded on August 1 , 2007 , which claims to have `` the simple mission of enabling online anonymous free speech on college campuses . '' The site allows and encourages posters to anonymously post uncensored gossip and rumors -- the juicier the better -- about others . There is a separate section on the site for each college or university , over 60 campuses at last count . Some recent posts discuss the breasts of a professor , sluttiest girls and sexiest guys on campus . Some posts even contain racist , sexist and anti-Semitic remarks . Juicy , huh ? It was founded by a Duke alum , a former frat house president who has gone to lengths to keep his identity secret . We tried to reach him for comment . He did n't return our calls or e-mails . Instead , we received this not-so-juicy statement from a publicist : . `` While there has been much attention given to the critics ... Thousands of students from across the country have written in to request that their campus be added . '' Come on ! Why is he hiding ? Jane ca n't even sue him . In fact , there is little she can do . Juicy Campus and similar Web sites are protected under Communications Decency Act of 1996 . The Act aims to shield Web publishers from liability for libelous comments posted by third parties . The section states `` no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider . '' Juicy Campus is one of those sites that openly hides behind its immunity . The site 's Frequently Asked Questions page states : `` There is no way for someone using the site to find out who you are . And we at Juicy Campus are not keeping track of who you are or what you post . In fact , we prefer not to know who you are . We like to think that famous people like Justin Timberlake and Beyonce are using our site . We love them ... '' But what about those cowards , I mean posters , who like to call people names behind the wizard 's curtain of protection provided by the Communications Decency Act ? The First Amendment certainly protects free speech , even unpopular speech . Opinions are protected . The truth is protected . But lies are not . To successfully sue the posters , Jane would have to show that they made false and defamatory statements about her -LRB- racist and slutty would qualify , I think -RRB- published them to a third party -LRB- I read them -RRB- and that her reputation was damaged -LRB- check -RRB- . In fact , most jurisdictions also recognize `` per se '' defamation , where the allegations are presumed to cause damage to the plaintiff , such as attacks on a person 's professional character or standing ; allegations that an unmarried person is unchaste ; a person is infected with a sexually transmitted disease or has committed a crime of `` moral turpitude . '' Should Jane sue the pants off the posters ? How would she find them ? When you file a civil lawsuit against even an anonymous individual , a judge can issue a subpoena . Juicy Campus says it will respond to any `` lawful subpoena . '' A subpoena could reveal a poster 's IP address . But in the end , it really is sooooo high school . Actually , it 's more grade school . So Juicy Campus posters , come out , come out wherever you are . Or Jane , file a lawsuit and find them . E-mail to a friend . | College gossip site Juicy Campus allows anonymous posting . Some of the postings are gossipy , others are cruel . Opinions are protected under the law , lies are not . Legal action may be difficult unless site cooperates in identifying posters . | [[1752, 1767], [1783, 1854], [1752, 1760], [1772, 1839], [231, 339], [751, 813], [3767, 3775], [3780, 3791], [3767, 3791], [3821, 3835]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Utah is the nation 's fastest growing state , increasing 2.5 percent from July 2007 to July 2008 , according to new population estimates from the Census Bureau . Barack Obama greets one of the newest members of the U.S. population this year on the campaign trail . The main reason for Utah 's growth is a `` natural increase '' -- births minus deaths -- said Census Bureau demographer Greg Harper . `` Utah has a strong rate of natural increase and domestic migration , where more people move into the state and -LSB- are -RSB- not moving out , '' he said . `` Second is Arizona , '' Harper said . `` It grew by 2.3 percent , and the increase is due to domestic migration , meaning more people are moving into the state than moving out . Also , it 's a natural increase , more people were born there than died . '' Arizona is followed by Texas , North Carolina and Colorado , each with a 2.0 percent growth rate . Texas added more people than any other state -- about 500,000 -- making it the third-fastest growing state . Because it has a larger population size , its percentage growth was less than Utah . `` Nevada was last year 's fastest-growing state , but it fell to eighth , '' said Harper . `` Overall , that state had been among the four fastest-growing states each of the past 23 years . '' Only two states lost population : Michigan and Rhode Island , losing 0.5 and 0.2 percent respectively . Overall , Northeastern states are not growing as fast as other parts of the country , but they have been on the increase since 2005 . The South added the most people during the period , 1.4 million . But Western states , with a 1.4 percent increase , saw the fastest growth rate . One state that has reversed its course of growth is Florida . A few years ago more than 250,000 people per year were moving there . But for 2007-2008 , the state 's 0.7 percent increase was below the nation 's 0.9 percent overall increase . According to the estimates , the United States had a net gain of just over 2.7 million people from July 2007 to July 2008 . | Utah population grows 2.5 percent by `` natural increase , '' Census Bureau says . Texas adds more people than any other state -- about 500,000 . Two states lose population : Michigan and Rhode Island . Figures are Census estimates for growth from July 2007 to July 2008 . | [[0, 15], [65, 115], [0, 15], [118, 180], [284, 369], [933, 977], [1321, 1352], [1355, 1380], [1383, 1409]] |
HONG KONG , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Like that other famous environmentalist , Thomas Friedman began his talk at the Asia Society in Hong Kong on December 16 with a simple PowerPoint slide . But that 's where the similarities between Al Gore and The New York Times columnist end . Thomas L. Friedman has taken on a green hue with his latest book , `` Hot , Flat and Crowded '' . Unlike Gore , Friedman is a distinctly different shade of green , a deeply pragmatic green that believes economic forces can usher in a revolution in environmental policy . He argues that systemic change simply requires showing the world that it needs green technology and letting pure economics do the rest . As a journalist , Friedman makes no claims to having scientific expertise in climate change . He is approaching it from a philosophical standpoint . Green capital . Friedman 's new book `` Hot , Flat and Crowded '' is not a major departure from his previous books . Whether he 's discussing globalization or green industry , he is writing from his deep-seated belief in the markets . He is an unabashed capitalist . For Friedman , the system works but it 's not immune to bad decision-making . Green industry like globalization will come of age if given the right market environment . His faith in capitalism is equal to that in green technology -- for him , these are two things that are clearly reconcilable . So how do we do this ? America as the bastion for innovation , Friedman argues , should play a big role . In fact , he confesses it really is n't a book about the environment and energy , its a book about America . For Friedman , America is slipping down the ranks of hegemonic power and climate change is its big chance to reposition itself as a global leader . The environment is merely an allegory for how the U.S. will achieve this revival . As an extension of that argument , all countries need to do the same . Right now , no country has really taken the lead in environmental technology , so what we have at the moment is an all out race to the top . Indeed Friedman 's book was written before the financial meltdown but recent events have furthered his argument that environmental technology is the solution of all solutions . It 's a sentiment I also came across at the recent Clinton Global Initiative meeting . Green Dream Team . Friedman seemed cautiously optimistic about Obama 's ability to lead the green revolution . Given the disarray of many of America 's financial institutions , it 's unclear whether this new green message will get through . A glimmer of hope however is Obama 's newly appointed energy secretary Steven Chu . There 's been extensive chatter about him on environmental blogs in recent days with the media calling Chu the head of Obama 's `` Green Dream Team . '' Friedman made a ringing endorsement of Chu as did many in the audience that day . Steven Chu , Nobel Laureate and the head of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory , is seen as a promising choice for many environmentalists , one perhaps that proves Obama 's intention to fulfill a key campaign promise on energy policy . Chu himself underwent an interesting move from physics to environmental technology . He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 but left the world of Quantum Physics to study the science of global warming . As head of Berkeley National Lab , he led projects to the tune of $ 650 million channeling much of it towards green technology to develop advanced biofuels and solar power . Watch a video of Steven Chu from Berkeley University . Changing light bulbs and leaders . The audience listening to Friedman that day was clearly appreciative of his no-nonsense approach to the green issue . As Friedman puts it , `` it 's not about changing light bulbs , it 's about changing leaders . '' He confessed to having attended too many Earth Day concerts in the past and that no matter how many celebrities you get to show up or how you offset the event , it wo n't be enough to set off this green revolution . So as I sat there wondering whether the fish the guests had been eating for lunch was sustainable , for Friedman , it did n't really matter . For his revolution , he had bigger fish to fry . | Journalist and author of `` Hot , Flat and Crowded '' spoke at Hong Kong event . Pragmatic approach to environmentalism also a means to transform U.S. economy . For Friedman , innovation in energy technology is solution of all solutions . | [[445, 469], [475, 551], [783, 837]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iraq 's government has authorized Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to submit to Washington amendments to a draft security agreement with the United States , an Iraqi government spokesman said Tuesday . Students protest the status-of-forces agreement Tuesday at Baghdad 's Mustansiriya University . Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government approved several amendments that were `` necessary , essential and appropriate '' to the draft status-of-forces agreement , which would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after the United Nations mandate on their presence expires at the end of this year . `` The Iraqi government authorizes the prime minister to bring up these amendments to the U.S. side in order to reach a draft agreement that will preserve the fundamental principles and the sovereignty of Iraq and its high interests , '' al-Dabbagh said . It is unclear when al-Maliki will submit the changes to the draft document . U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently said that there was `` great reluctance '' to make any more changes to the agreement . However , senior U.S. officials -- speaking under the condition of anonymity -- are not ruling out possibly renegotiating parts of the deal with Iraq if the country 's parliament does not approve it . The most vocal opponent of the draft security deal in Iraq has been the political party of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr , which opposes any U.S. military presence in Iraq . U.S. military helicopters Tuesday flew over Baghdad 's Mustansiriya University , where hundreds of students took part in a demonstration organized by the Sadr movement against the status-of-forces deal . `` We are against this agreement between the Iraqi government and between the American government because it is against Iraqi sovereignty , '' said law student Ahmed Fadhil Abbas , one of the demonstrators . Fellow demonstrator and law student Hisham Mohammed said the students plan to organize a sit-in and a strike across universities in Iraq to protest the agreement . The draft status-of-forces agreement , according to a copy obtained by CNN , calls for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraqi cities and villages by July 30 , 2009 , and out of the country entirely by December 31 , 2011 . The agreement allows for an earlier withdrawal or an extension of the U.S. forces ' stay in Iraq , by agreement of both parties . It also allows the Iraqi government to ask `` the United States government to leave certain forces for training and for support purposes for the Iraqi forces . '' Legal jurisdiction over U.S. forces in Iraq has been a sticking point in the negotiation , with the U.S. side preferring that its troops and contractors remain immune from Iraqi law . Baghdad had sought the power to arrest and try Americans accused of crimes not related to official military operations , plus jurisdiction over troops and contractors who commit major crimes in the course of their duties . Under the draft agreement , U.S. forces or contractors who commit `` major and premeditated murders '' while off duty and outside U.S. facilities would fall under Iraqi jurisdiction , according to the copy obtained by CNN . All other crimes -- and murders committed inside U.S. facilities or by on-duty forces -- would fall under American jurisdiction , the agreement says . | Official calls changes `` necessary , essential and appropriate '' to the draft agreement . Status-of-forces pact would set terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after U.N. mandate ends . U.S. has shown `` great reluctance '' to change pact but has n't ruled out renegotiations . Hundreds of students protest status-of-forces deal Tuesday at university in Baghdad . | [[349, 491], [472, 493], [500, 628], [962, 1093], [1017, 1049], [1104, 1125], [1174, 1243], [233, 328], [1564, 1613], [1598, 1680]] |
DUBAI , United Arab Emirates -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A huge man-made island shaped like a date palm tree opened Thursday off the coast of Dubai with a celebrity-studded gala and a three-day party . The island officially opens with a spectacular fireworks display . The Palm Jumeirah increased Dubai 's shoreline by 100 percent after work started on it in 2001 . It features resort hotels , homes , luxury shopping and entertainment . Though the entire island officially opened Thursday , parts of it already opened weeks ago -- including the Atlantis , The Palm , a sister to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas . The Atlantis played host to the opening celebration Thursday night . Stars including Oprah Winfrey , Michael Jordan , Robert De Niro , Janet Jackson and the Duchess of York were in attendance . Pop star Kylie Minogue performed at the party . Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra started what was billed as the world 's largest-ever fireworks display , with more than 100,000 pyrotechnic devices . When work on the island began , a team of Dutch engineers were employed to create the Palm by using a technique called rainbowing -- a vessel dredging sand from the seabed and spraying and piling it onto the desired area and into the requested shape . | The Palm Jumeirah man-made island officially opens off Dubai . The island of luxury shops , hotels , entertainment doubled Dubai coastline . Robert De Niro , Janet Jackson and the Duchess of York at opening party . | [[436, 480], [260, 356], [357, 428], [677, 801]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Now that Caylee Anthony 's remains have been identified , the search for the Florida toddler turns into a prosecution of her mother . Casey Anthony , 22 , is accused of killing her daughter . Investigators say her alibi did n't check out . Although Orange County , Florida , Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia said Friday she could not determine how Caylee died , she concluded the death was a homicide . The child 's mother , Casey Anthony , 22 , faces charges including murder in the disappearance and death of Caylee , who was 2 when she vanished last summer . The remains were found last week in woods about a half-mile from Anthony 's parents ' house and identified through DNA testing . See where Caylee 's skeleton was found '' On Saturday , investigators finished 10 days of sifting through the crime scene and served a warrant at the Anthony house for a third search for evidence , said Capt. Angelo Nieves of the Orange County sheriff 's department . Cindy and George Anthony , the child 's grandparents , were present for the search . The mother 's defense team had claimed since her October indictment that the child might still be alive , even claiming witnesses spotted Caylee since her disappearance . The finding of the body `` has really cut the legs out of the defense , '' Stacey Honowitz , an assistant Florida state 's attorney , said Friday night on CNN 's `` Larry King Live . '' Watch experts size up the legal case '' The lack of a cause of death and the absence of any soft tissue on the toddler 's skeletal remains poses a challenge for prosecutors , forensic expert Lawrence Kobilinsky , a defense consultant for Casey Anthony , told Larry King . `` If you do n't have a cause of death , is n't it possible that it might have been an accident ? '' Kobilinsky said . A murder conviction would require proof the victim was killed intentionally . Legal experts say duct tape reportedly found on the body could convince a judge or jury that Caylee 's death was not an accident . Perhaps of greater significance , though , is Casey Anthony 's behavior since -- and even before -- her child went missing . According to earlier reports , Caylee was the result of an unintended pregnancy , and Anthony made an attempt to give her up after birth . She referred to Caylee as `` the little snot head '' and continued to maintain an active social life . Follow a timeline of the case '' When Caylee went missing , Anthony did not tell her family for a month . It was the child 's grandmother who called police . Anthony told conflicting stories at the beginning of the investigation , including a tale that Caylee was with a nanny . The name and address turned out to be bogus . As police searched for Caylee , they say Anthony 's active social life continued -- including one memorable evening dancing at an Orlando bar that was hosting `` Hot Body Contest . '' Investigators said they found the scent of decomposing flesh and a trace of chloroform , a powerful knockout agent , in the trunk of a car Anthony drove at the time . Anthony 's family offered various explanations , including a rotting pizza and a dead squirrel . Watch a tribute to the little girl '' On the Anthonys ' home computer , police found there had been searches for chloroform , missing children and `` neck-breaking , '' although Garavaglia said Friday that she did not find evidence of trauma to the bones . `` The prosecution is going to have a great deal of circumstantial evidence , and this is a physical evidence case , '' Kobilinsky said . `` This is not a question about credibility , although obviously a jury looks at credibility and contradictions , but the physical evidence will either include her or exclude Casey . It 's an uphill battle for the defense . '' Nevertheless , forensic expert Kathy Reichs , who also is working with Anthony 's defense team , sees an opening . `` Given that there 's no evidence as to the cause of death , ... you could have an accidental death and a mother that panics , '' she told King . `` There are alternative explanations . '' Perhaps not enough to save Anthony , said famed defense attorney Mark Geragos , who is not associated with the case . `` The defense will try to focus , I 'm sure , on all of the forensic evidence and whatever else they can do , '' he told King . `` But they 're always going to be up against it with the ` She did n't act right ' evidence , and that 's the hardest thing to combat in this case . '' Prosecutors do n't need to show what killed Caylee , Geragos said . The defense needs to overcome Casey Anthony 's statements and behavior . `` Somebody is going to have to give an explanation at some point as to when she last saw the child , who she gave the child to , '' he said . `` And until that is done , I do n't care what they put together , it 's not going to carry any weight . '' | Casey Anthony 's defense team has big challenge , experts say . Lack of cause of death , physical evidence could hinder prosecution . Mother 's partying , other behavior do n't help her defense . Officials have identified remains of Florida toddler who vanished last summer . | [[3737, 3777], [1459, 1629], [3896, 4009], [2283, 2385], [2283, 2286], [2340, 2385], [2743, 2852], [4554, 4626], [23, 74], [529, 535], [542, 579]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A yellow smiley-face badge , smeared with blood , has become the trademark for `` Watchmen , '' the most critically revered of all comic books -- but it could also represent its troubled journey from page to big screen . `` Watchmen '' opens with the unexplained murder of The Comedian -LRB- Jeffrey Dean Morgan -RRB- . Note smiley badge . The subject of fervent debate in the geekosphere for more than two decades , `` Watchmen '' finally rolls out in the U.S. and other territories from the first week of March onward . But it 's not as well known to wider audiences , who may puzzle at all this heat about a superhero movie with no A-list star attached . Instead , they may simply ask : `` Watch-what ? '' `` Watchmen , '' created by the UK comic-book team of writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons , surfaced in 1986 as a monthly 12-issue series published by DC Comics -LRB- part of Time Warner , which owns CNN parent company Turner Broadcasting -RRB- . Are you looking forward to `` Watchmen ? '' Or think it 's just hype ? It was a defining year for the medium : aside from `` Watchmen , '' '86 also saw Pulitzer-prize winning holocaust drama `` Maus , '' from The New Yorker contributor Art Spielgeman ; and Frank Miller 's hyperviolent Batman reworking `` The Dark Knight Returns . '' `` Watchmen , '' which takes place in 1985 , is set in a parallel world where America never lost Vietnam , Russia is about to invade Afghanistan and Richard Nixon still holds power -LRB- Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were murdered -RRB- . Meanwhile a superhero team -- only one of whom has special powers -- reforms after a fellow operative is mysteriously slain . But what lifts `` Watchmen '' above its superhero peers is a complex , multi-layered narrative and depth of characterization that ensured it was the only comic book to make Time 's 100 best novels since 1923 . A dark , downbeat work with a heady 11th-hour twist , it puts as much store on subsidiary characters like a newspaper seller as its does blue-skinned man-god Dr. Manhattan . Its influence can be traced to current small-screen favorites like `` Heroes '' and `` Lost . '' Watch `` Watchmen '' trailer . '' Perfect fodder , one might think , for the multiplex -- but `` Watchmen '' has been lodged in Development Hell for the best part of two decades . At various times Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vin Diesel were mooted to play Manhattan ; Mickey Rourke and Ed Norton were suggested for right-wing vigilante Rorschach . Directors set to shoot have included Terry Gilliam , Darren Aronofsky , Paul Greengrass and David Hayter -LRB- whose script has been retained for much of the final film -RRB- . Several planned shoots failed to materialize due to studio fears about the budget -LRB- locations include Antarctica and Mars as well as New York -RRB- and how the ending might be perceived in a post-9 / 11 world . But film-makers such as Gilliam and Guillermo del Toro also believed that the complex material would be better treated as a TV mini-series . As the latter , the `` Pan 's Labyrinth '' filmmaker , told IGN : `` I just could n't get my head around ` Watchmen ' being two or three hours long . '' Whoever made `` Watchmen '' would also do so without Moore 's blessing . Still resident in his hometown of Northampton , central England , Moore cuts an imposing figure . At least six-and-a-half feet tall , with chest-length beard and hair , talon-like rings on his fingers and the skull of a centuries-old Buddhist monk in his study , he resembles Doctor Who as reimagined by Edgar Allan Poe . -LRB- In person he 's gracious and affable , as this writer will attest from a few years back . -RRB- . Moore has had a mixed relationship with both the mainstream comic-book industry -LRB- which he accuses of over-commercialization and exploiting creators ' rights -RRB- and Hollywood . The comic-book series `` From Hell , '' in which Moore uses the Jack the Ripper killings as a precursor to 20th-century violence , runs to about 500 pages , including 40-plus pages of footnotes . On film it became a melodramatic pad around Victorian London , gamely carried by a pre - `` Pirates '' Johnny Depp . Two other Moore adaptations also failed to translate . Stephen Norrington 's `` The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen '' -LRB- 2003 -RRB- was widely derided and the subject of a court case into which Moore was dragged ; by the time of James McTeigue 's better judged `` V For Vendetta '' -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , Moore had asked his name be taken off any movie adaptations and refused to take royalties . Enter Zack Snyder . In 2004 , Snyder came to the attention of mainstream cinemagoers with his well-regarded remake of George A. Romero 's zombie flick `` Dawn of The Dead . '' Following the $ 450m-plus taken worldwide by Snyder 's `` 300 '' -LRB- 2006 -RRB- -- a hyper-stylized take on Frank Miller 's ancient Greek suicide-mission -- it was announced that `` Watchmen '' would be his next project with Warner Bros. . Paramount , which abandoned plans for the movie in 2005 , took international rights . The $ 150-million feature went into production in Vancouver in mid-2007 , wrapping in early 2008 , and with a cast including Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley . Snyder has retained `` Watchmen 's '' 1980s setting and also recruited original artist Gibbons -- who still retains friendship with Moore -- to advise on production design . Mindful that a narrative so complex could never work as a movie , Snyder has jettisoned several parallel subplots , which will surface as DVD extras and in director 's cuts . Word is that the ending has also been changed . But wary of over-tweaking , Snyder told Entertainment Weekly last year : `` You ca n't make it into something else , you really ca n't . It 's not ` Fantastic Four , ' it 's got to be hard R -LSB- cinema rating -RSB- , it 's got to challenge everyone 's ideas . '' Meanwhile Moore , who sometimes mentions that he worships a Roman snake-god , hinted in the LA Times that he had cursed the feature . `` I can tell you that I will also be spitting venom all over it for months to come , '' he added . So was it Moore who saw `` Watchmen '' end up in the courts for a case that risked scuppering its release ? Last year Twentieth Century Fox claimed it still retained rights through an earlier deal with producer Lawrence Gordon in the 1980s ; Warners Bros. disagreed but a judge decided there was a case to answer . A settlement was eventually thrashed out last month , only weeks ahead of release . And so `` Watchmen '' ticks toward early March and a rollout in spring , the now-traditional season for edgier comic-book adaptations like `` 300 '' and `` Sin City . '' Trailers and early footage have drawn praise , with several scenes playing like detailed frames from the original artwork . But key will be whether Snyder can match `` Watchmen 's '' dramatic beats against its green-screen chicanery for more than two hours -LRB- the Internet Movie Database lists the running time at 163 minutes -RRB- . After all , successfully mixing pyrotechnics and narrative is how the most satisfying genre features of recent years -- such as Peter Jackson 's `` Lord Of The Rings '' trilogy and Christopher Nolan 's `` The Dark Knight '' -- have found artistic , as well as commercial , favor . Should Snyder pull it off then will he earn the gratitude of fan boys everywhere , as well as no small thanks from a fair few movie executives . What Alan Moore might think is another issue . ` Watchmen ' is released in the UK on 6 March . | Comic-book movie , directed by Zack Snyder , took two decades to reach cinemas . Directors Terry Gilliam , Darren Aronofsky , Paul Greengrass , previously attached . Source material regarded by many as the best comic-book ever written . Co-creator Alan Moore has objected to the idea of story being made into movie . | [[2527, 2637]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ted Turner appeared Tuesday on CNN , the network he founded , to talk about last week 's election results , his business ventures , and his relationship with ex-wife Jane Fonda . CNN founder Ted Turner tells the network he 's `` encouraged '' by the results of last week 's election . Turner is promoting a new autobiography , `` Call Me Ted '' -LRB- Warner Books -RRB- , which documents his life , loves , successes and failures . Probably best known for his 1980 launch of CNN , the first 24-hour all-news cable network , Turner has also made news as a philanthropist and supporter of the United Nations . He won the America 's Cup of yachting in 1977 , and owned the Atlanta Braves when they won the World Series in 1995 . Turner discussed the book on CNN 's `` American Morning . '' The following is an edited transcript . CNN : Let me ask you first of all , before we get involved in the actual book and the story of your life : What do you make of the results of this presidential election ? Ted Turner : Well , I 'm encouraged . I think we needed change that we can believe in . Watch Turner talk about his relationship with ex-wife Jane Fonda '' CNN : Is -LSB- President-elect Barack Obama -RSB- the guy to pull this economy ? Turner : Well , I do n't know . I mean , our country in my lifetime has never been in this shape before . So we 'll have to see . I think we are really heading into uncharted territory . But I think the main problem is , I hope he does n't get blamed if things get tough -- because I think they are going to . CNN : -LSB- Obama -RSB- seems to be talking about a lot more government involvement in the business community going forward , more government money for an auto industry bailout , another economic stimulus package . As a person who pulled -LSB- himself -RSB- up in the business community from his bootstraps , is that the way to do it , with more government involvement ? Turner : Well , I do n't think so . It was a struggle financing CNN , but I did it without ever asking the government for a nickel . In fact , I gave the government $ 32 million when they were a little short and could n't pay the dues to the U.N. CNN : A lot of people in this economic community losing an awful lot of money , something you know something about . Turner : I 've lost a lot , too . We all have . CNN : You lost $ 7 billion when the dot-com bubble burst after the Time Warner-AOL merger . How did you not see the dot-com bubble bursting ? How did you not see that that was all built on air ? Turner : Maybe I did , but I was on a board of directors and a founder , and I was concerned about the AOL merger , but we did n't know that the books were cooked . We did n't do enough due diligence . CNN : Was that the worst business decision of your life ? Turner : Oh yeah . Absolutely . CNN : If you could go back and do it again , would you have just completely called the whole thing off ? Turner : Well , I could n't have . At the time , there was so much momentum to do the deal , everybody was for it -- all of Wall Street and the management of both companies . And I would n't -- we could have stopped it if we had known of the accounting irregularities . But we did n't know . So there was no way to stop it . CNN : At about the same time , you were hemorrhaging money at the rate of about $ 10 million a day over the course of more than two years , your marriage to Jane Fonda broke up . And many people close to you were concerned -- because your father , who passed off his billboard business to you , committed suicide -- that you may follow him down that road . Turner : I would n't do that to my children and grandchildren . CNN : But they were concerned about it . Turner : Well , they might have been concerned about it , but there was no reason to be . CNN : You went through counseling , though , to try to come back . What was that road like ? Turner : What , counseling ? I 've been in all kinds of counseling . I believe in doctors . Where I really spent the time was in couples and marriage counseling . It helped some . I was married for 10 years one time and 18 another . CNN : ... Jane Fonda has said , and said in the `` 60 Minutes '' interview that aired over the weekend , that she still loves you . Is there -- . Turner : She did n't say that . CNN : Well , she says that she would be at your side in a blue minute . Turner : If I needed her . CNN : I would assume that somebody would n't do that unless they love you . Turner : It was nice of her to do . CNN : Any chance for a reconciliation ? Turner : I do n't think so , but you never know . CNN : What would it take ? Turner : I do n't know . More than a television interview . CNN : Have you thought about picking up the phone ? Turner : No . I talk to her all the time . ... CNN : She said that -- this is a quote from the interview -- she said , `` It 's impossible to really be with Ted the way he needs someone to be with him and have any kind of life of your own . '' Are you tough to live with ? Turner : I travel a lot . I 'm on the move . CNN : You do n't like to be alone ? Turner : No . CNN : Why are you on the move so much ? Turner : I do n't know . I just got in the habit of it because that 's how you get a lot done . Going from here to Philadelphia , and from Philadelphia to Atlanta , and Atlanta to Chicago , and Chicago to Los Angeles . When you are promoting a book , you really move . CNN : I know you 've got to move around a lot . But some people have observed that when you are chased by demons , you have to move around a lot to stay out in front of them . Turner : Well , I 'm not chased by demons . I feel pretty good . CNN : Why would people say that ? Turner : I do n't know . That I 'm chased by demons ? I do n't know . They do n't know . The only person who knows about demons is me . CNN : It 's been a while since you have been involved with CNN . When you look -- . Turner : No , I 'm involved every day , because I watch it just about every day . CNN : Involved in terms of the business aspect . Turner : That 's OK , but viewers have got a lot of rights , too . ... -LSB- If -RSB- you do n't have viewers , you do n't have a business . CNN : ... When you come here and see how it 's grown up , you see the international aspect of it , you see that on Election Night , CNN -- Wolf Blitzer , Anderson Cooper , Campbell Brown , John King -- . Turner : They did a good job . CNN : They beat the networks . What do you think what you see that ? Turner : I think it 's great . CNN : This is the little entity that you started out of nothing . Turner : It 's not so little . And it was n't when we merged with Time Warner , either . Was the world 's most important network . CNN : So what 's next for you , if anything , at 70 years old ? Turner : Well , I 'm still promoting the book . It just came out two days ago . So that 's a lot of work . CNN : ... -LSB- The book describes your -RSB- getting stuck on a sandbar , getting caught in a storm , almost dying off the coast of Cape Hatteras . ... How did you go from being a sailor that got stuck on the reef and almost died to somebody who managed to win the America 's Cup on the Courageous ? . Turner : Well , the same way in baseball , -LSB- the Atlanta Braves -RSB- set a record for consecutive last-place finishes in divisional play in baseball . First four years , we finished last , four years in a row . But I stuck with it and after 18 years , we won the World Series . And that 's what I did with sailing . CNN : Just stick to it ? Turner : Yeah . -LSB- I -RSB- stuck to it . And I was n't losing -- I was just learning how to win . | Ted Turner says he 's `` encouraged '' by election of Barack Obama as president . The CNN founder expects tough economic times ahead . Turner : Reconciliation with ex-wife Jane Fonda unlikely , `` but you never know '' Time Warner did n't do enough `` due diligence '' before merging with AOL , Turner says . | [[198, 303], [227, 303], [1037, 1054], [1508, 1524], [1528, 1563], [2707, 2743]] |
Editor 's note : In our Behind the Scenes series , CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . The U.S. Interior Department is considering changing regulations on guns in national parks . CHANTILLY , Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I 'm at the Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly , Virginia , the biggest gun store in northern Virginia . I 'm looking at a holster on the hip of Arsenal 's John Summer in which a black .22 - caliber pistol sits snugly . I did n't notice it before because Summer is wearing a large plaid shirt , not tucked in , covering his navy blue polo shirt . But he sweeps the big shirt back and tells me , `` I 've been to 7-Eleven , Starbucks -- you can go to Applebee 's and have dinner . '' `` With a gun ? '' I ask . `` With a gun , '' he says with a nod . Summer has a permit to carry a concealed weapon , so he can go to dinner with a gun whenever he wants . He can also wear his gun openly almost any place in Virginia . That 's the law . The next place he may be able to take his loaded , concealed weapon is to a national park . That 's because the U.S. Interior Department is considering a proposal from 51 U.S. senators to change its regulations on guns in national parks . As the law stands , a person can take a gun -- unloaded -- into a national park , but it must be packed away or rendered temporarily inoperable . The country 's 391 national parks , recreation areas , monuments and scenic trails are operated under a single set of regulations by the U.S. Interior Department . The proposed change would have the parks adopt the gun laws of the state in which they are located . This means a person would be able to take a loaded , concealed weapon into a national park if he or she holds a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon in a given state and as long as they would be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in that state 's parks . Summer tells me that 's a good idea . In some national parks out west `` you could flat out dead sprint for an hour and never see another human being -- except maybe a drug dealer , '' he says , `` in which case he 's probably got a gun . '' Gregory Hylinski , a gun owner from Connecticut visiting a friend , tells me there 's another reason for guns in national parks : `` It 's important for people to be able to protect themselves at all times and in all places even from wild animal attacks . '' When Maureen Finnerty hears warning like that she gives an exasperated shrug . Finnerty and I are walking down a path in the woods not far from her house . She worked for 31 years with the National Park Service , including six years as Associate Director of Park Operations in Washington . `` Right now parks are very safe , they 're very safe places to take your family , '' she tells me . `` Our crime statistics are very , very low and you put loaded weapons in people 's hands and there 's a tremendous possibility that there will be increased violence . '' Finnerty knows the National Park Service statistics by heart . The latest data , from 2006 , shows 272,623,980 people visited the parks that year . There were 11 cases of homicide or manslaughter , 61 robberies and 35 rapes or attempted rapes . `` Now , could something happen ? Of course it could happen , but the chances are extremely , extremely remote , '' she says . Finnerty is a member of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees , which includes a number of former directors . The group is actively lobbying against the change , insisting the current regulations are working . The proposed change , their Web site says , `` could significantly increase the danger to visitors in national parks . '' It would put wildlife at risk , they claim , and make poaching easier . But Wayne LaPierre , head of the National Rifle Association , tells me many states allow residents with permits to carry guns in state parks -- why not the federal government ? `` They -LRB- the states -RRB- have changed their firearms laws within the last 15 years to allow good people to protect themselves from bad people and this simply puts federal law in compliance with that change in terms of state law . '' Finnerty sees another reason behind the proposal : `` I think this is an attempt by the policy people in the -LSB- Bush -RSB- administration , '' she says , `` to take care of one of their very important constituencies , the National Rifle Association . '' A half-hour drive and I am at Great Falls National Park . The water far below at Mather Gorge is white with foam . Half of this park is in Virginia , where gun laws allow people with permits to carry concealed weapons ; half is in Maryland , where they do not . If the regulations are changed , the National Park Service says they will put up signs and run educational outreach to explain the law . I strike up a conversation with photographer Maria Stenzel . She 's watching the gray heron . `` We have too many weapons already , '' she tells me . `` We have too much violence all over the country and we do n't need to allow them in new places . '' Graduate student Nathanael Snow , watching the Potomac River roar downstream , says , `` For me , I feel safer if I know that people who are qualified and proficient in handling a weapon have it on them because the bad guys are going to have guns on them anyway . '' The public has until the end of June to comment on the proposed change . The Interior Department then will decide . | A new proposal would change regulations on guns in national parks . It would allow the parks to adopt the same gun laws as the state they are in . Now the parks operate under U.S. Department of the Interior regulations . Proponents say guns would increase safety , opponents say the opposite is true . | [[155, 247], [1569, 1641], [1405, 1568]] |
PRETORIA , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The United States no longer supports a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe 's President Robert Mugabe and the country 's main opposition because a viable unity government is not possible with Mugabe in power , a top U.S. diplomat said Sunday . Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe , in a speech to supporters Saturday , refused calls to step down . The statement from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer follows recent calls from President Bush and other world leaders for Mugabe to abandon power amid a growing cholera epidemic that the United Nations says has killed more than 1,000 people in recent months . Frazer visited southern Africa to articulate the change in U.S. policy toward Mugabe at the request of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice . She made the comments Sunday during a roundtable discussion with journalists in Pretoria , South Africa , before her expected return to the United States later in the day . She called for a new vote in Zimbabwe . `` Fresh elections are necessary but not possible under the current environment , '' Frazer told reporters . Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election , during which no candidate won enough votes to avoid a runoff , according to the government . After opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from a June runoff , saying Mugabe 's supporters had waged a campaign of violence against opposition supporters , Tsvangirai and Mugabe reached a power-sharing agreement that has yet to be implemented . The political impasse has aggravated the country 's humanitarian and economic crisis , including a cholera outbreak that began in August . Frazer said that during her trip , she consulted with the leaders of Zimbabwe 's neighbors who are stuck between their concerns about Mugabe 's grip on power and their support of the power-sharing agreement , which they still think is the best way to deal with the crisis without creating a backlash . Frazer said she believes it could be weeks before African leaders put pressure on Mugabe to step down , which she said could be achieved by simply telling him with one voice that he should go . She said the U.N. Security Council will deal with the issue of Zimbabwe next month . This time , she said , South Africa will not be able to block resolutions calling for more sanctions because South Africa will no longer hold a seat on the council in 2009 . Watch what options the international community has in Zimbabwe . `` The South African government will be held responsible for what is happening in Zimbabwe because they are the country with the most influence in Zimbabwe than any other in the world , '' Frazer said . The Security Council 's recent failure to impose sanctions on Mugabe 's regime drew scoffs from the 84-year-old Mugabe , who has accused Britain -- Zimbabwe 's former colonizer -- of trying to take over the country to get its resources . Tsvangirai said Friday that his party will withdraw from efforts to form a unity government unless 42 party members who have been kidnapped are either released or brought to court to face formal charges by New Year 's Day . Mugabe 's ZANU-PF party and the Movement for Democratic Change , led by Tsvangirai , have failed to implement the September 15 power-sharing deal because they can not agree on who should control key ministries . Under the deal , brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki , Mugabe would remain president while Tsvangirai would become Zimbabwe 's prime minister . There had been hope that a unity government would reverse Mugabe 's policies , which are widely blamed for the country 's economic crisis . Mugabe blames economic sanctions imposed by Western nations for Zimbabwe 's economic collapse . Zimbabwe , once the breadbasket of Africa , is now a net importer of food and facing acute shortages of most essentials such as fuel , electricity and medical drugs . Its inflation rate -- the highest in the world -- is officially at 231 million percent . Last week , Zimbabwe 's central bank introduced a $ 10 billion note worth less than 20 U.S. dollars . Mugabe has repeatedly refused calls from Western leaders to step down , most recently telling his supporters late Saturday that he would not follow the U.S. president to his `` political death . '' `` They now want to topple the Mugabe government . Mugabe must go because Bush is going , '' he said in his address Saturday to his party 's 10th annual conference outside Zimbabwe 's capital , Harare . `` Zimbabweans will refuse that one of their sons must accompany Bush to his political death , '' Mugabe said . `` Is it a ritual now that Bush with his political death must be accompanied by some African from Zimbabwe , and that African must be the leader himself , and that leader is Mugabe ? '' Mugabe did not mention the cholera epidemic , which his government has said is under control despite the United Nations ' assessment that half the country 's population may be at risk . There are more than 20,000 suspected cases of the water-borne disease in Zimbabwe , and the U.N. said it fears that number will triple by the time the rainy season ends in April . In addition to Bush , the leaders of Britain , France and several African countries have called on Mugabe to abandon power and let a national unity government take over to help prevent the cholera epidemic from spilling across Zimbabwe 's borders . | U.S. diplomat : Zimbabwe power-share deal ca n't work with President Robert Mugabe . Power-share deal is stalled because of dispute over control of ministries . Zimbabwe faces cholera epidemic , economic crisis . Mugabe has resisted international calls for him to step down . | [[253, 286], [3336, 3401], [574, 682], [1566, 1681], [287, 319], [322, 347], [359, 387], [4159, 4228]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Churches can stop a shooter or anyone else intent on harming church members with the proper security measures in place , an expert on protecting places of worship said Monday . Police say the attacker walked into First Baptist Church of Maryville , Illinois , on Sunday and began firing . `` A church is not helpless when they have a plan , and properly trained security , '' said Jeff Hawkins , the executive director of the Christian Security Network . First Baptist Church in Maryville , Illinois , had a security plan in place when a gunman walked into services Sunday morning and killed Pastor Fred Winters , said Tim Lawson , another pastor at the church . Lawson told CNN he was not prepared to disclose details of his church 's security plan on Monday . But Maryville police Chief Rich Schardam said Winters was keenly aware of the security issues , had sought out police advice and had identified police and medical personnel in the congregation who could help in an emergency . `` They did have plans on what to do , '' Schardam said Monday . Schardam said neither of the men who subdued the gunman had a law enforcement background . `` Those parishioners were just real-life heroes , '' Pastor Lawson said . See how gunman killed Illinois pastor '' Schardam said the suspect in Sunday 's shooting , 27-year-old Terry J. Sedlacek , had no known relationship to the church or Winters , and random attacks are impossible to anticipate . Hawkins called the Illinois killing `` tragic , '' but he said in the year or so since the Christian Security Network has been actively training churches , numerous other tragedies have been averted . `` These incidents are n't going to make the news , '' said Hawkins . `` But they are happening everywhere , big city or small town . '' Hundreds of church leaders have told him about all kinds of attacks they have recently faced , from arsons and burglaries to assaults on members and church leaders . In the first two months of 2009 , churches have described more than 140 acts of violence to the Network , he said . In one incident , congregants noticed a person dressed inappropriately for the weather and acting odd . The man was taken outside and questioned . Under his coat , he had two machetes strapped to his back . `` He said that he had been hearing the devil speaking to him , telling him to cut the pastor 's head off , '' Hawkins said . `` There was no struggle , and everything was calm . The man was removed . '' Hawkins combined his professional security background with his experience working in a Christian ministry in founding Christian Security Network last year , not long after a gunman killed two people and wounded seven in a Knoxville , Tennessee , church . The shooter attacked children who were performing a musical in front of the congregation . Violent crime in churches is not tracked , Hawkins said . `` The church is really behind in secular world in terms of planning , '' he said . Browse a U.S. map of other recent church shootings '' It 's essential that a church must balance having a security presence while still keeping a house of worship open to everyone , he said . `` Some churches choose armed guards , some have a much more subtle security presence where you would n't even know it 's there . '' A church should have five security plans in place to deal with evacuation , long-term shelter , medical emergencies , lost or missing children and violent confrontations , he said . `` Every church is different so you need something that is going to work for that particular church 's culture and size , '' he said . `` And I think now , especially after September 11 , people want to feel secure . They want to know if they bring their family somewhere , it 's going to be a safe environment . `` Everyone should approach this realistically and not say , ` This could n't happen here in church , ' because we see it happen all the time . '' Dale Annis , founder of Church Security Services , a consulting company that advises houses of worship on security strategies , told CNN in November that his business has been growing for five years . `` You have to take some of the incentive yourself . I do n't think you walk down dark alleys in bad parts of town and say ` God will protect me , ' '' said Annis , who is also in charge of security at his parish , the Olive Drive Church in Bakersfield , California . In states where laws allow people to carry concealed weapons , volunteers have become a cost-effective means of providing security , Annis said . A bill that would have allowed concealed weapons in Arkansas churches failed to get out of a state Senate committee last month . Highview Baptist Church in Louisville , Kentucky , has a volunteer security force consisting of at least one armed guard during any given worship service . `` We realized that , as the largest Baptist church in Kentucky , we 'd be a little naive to think something would never happen to us , '' Highview Pastor Randy Record , who is also a police officer , told CNN last year . `` We 're catching up in an era of terrorism and a church is no different . '' CNN 's Ashley Fantz , Emanuella Grinberg and Brad Lendon contributed to this report . | NEW : Slain pastor discussed security plans with police , chief says . NEW : Attack on Illinois pastor appeared to be random , police chief says . Pastor gunned down at Illinois church on Sunday . Numerous tragedies averted by security planning , one expert says . | [[785, 905], [555, 563], [604, 630], [1238, 1275], [1545, 1664]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two Supreme Court justices on opposite sides of the ideological aisle exchanged tough words Monday over the fate of a Florida murderer who has been on death row for 32 years . Siding with the court 's majority , Justice Clarence Thomas described brutal details of a Florida slaying . The high court has refused to hear the appeal of William Thompson , who had plead guilty twice in the March 1976 kidnapping and torture-murder of a woman . His case and subsequent appeals have been litigated since , but a new execution date has not been set . A key part of his request to be spared lethal injection is that three decades as a capital inmate constitutes cruel and unusual punishment . `` Our experience during the past three decades has demonstrated that delays in state-sponsored killings are inescapable and that executing defendants after such is unacceptably cruel , '' said Justice John Paul Stevens , who disagreed with the court 's decision to allow the execution to proceed . He was supported by Justice Stephen Breyer in his objection to the court 's ruling on Monday in the case , Thompson v. McNeil -LRB- 08-7369 -RRB- . But Justice Clarence Thomas took issue with his colleagues ' conclusions . `` It is the crime and not the punishment imposed by the jury or the delay in execution that was ` unacceptably cruel , ' '' he responded . Thomas took time in his concurrence to detail the graphic crime that led to the conviction of Thompson and his co-defendant . The men had held Sally Ivester and another woman in a motel room and were demanding money from the victim 's families . Ivester had promised she could raise hundreds of dollars but was only able to secure $ 25 . That enraged the men who savagely beat the woman with a belt , chair leg and nightstick , causing internal injuries . She was also burned with cigarettes . The other woman witnessed the murder and said she feared for her life if she tried to leave . Thompson and his co-defendant both pleaded guilty but the state 's high court initially tossed out Thompson 's sentence . The man 's lawyer had told the defendant if he accepted responsibility for the crime , he would not get the death penalty , a crucial mistake . Thompson later pleaded guilty a second time and again received a capital sentence . Then he began a series of appeals , claiming ineffective counsel , trial errors , limited mental capacity and a dysfunctional childhood . All those factors were ultimately rejected by state and federal courts . Stevens noted that during a third penalty hearing , five members of a state advisory jury recommended against lethal injection , but the court again imposed death . The circumstances of his current imprisonment , said Stevens , no longer justify such a sentence . `` As he awaits execution , petitioner has endured especially severe conditions of confinement , '' said Stevens , `` spending up to 23 hours per day in isolation in a 6 - by 9-foot cell . Two death warrants have been signed against him and stayed only shortly before he was scheduled to die . The dehumanizing effects of such treatment are undeniable . '' But Thomas said all such inmates are subjected to a `` restricted confinement '' because of the security risks they pose . And the prisoner had only himself to blame for his prolonged imprisonment on death row . Quoting his conclusions from a similar 1999 capital case , Thomas said , `` I remain unaware of any support in the American constitutional tradition of this Court 's precedence for the proposition that a defendant can avail himself of the panoply of appellate and collateral procedures and then complain when his execution is delayed . '' Thomas has long backed the right of states to impose death sentences . Stevens , who as a newly seated justice cast a key 1976 vote upholding the death penalty , has since grown increasingly frustrated with how it its carried out . Last April , he declared his open opposition to it . `` I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes , '' he wrote . `` A penalty with such negligible returns to the state -LRB- is -RRB- patently excessive and cruel and unusual punishment violative of the Eighth Amendment . '' The 88-year-old justice was supported by three of his more liberal colleagues . But Stevens also said he would respect court precedents in favor of capital punishment . | Florida killer says 32 years on death row is cruel and unusual punishment . William Thompson faces execution for 1976 torture killing . Justice Clarence Thomas cites details of brutal crime . Court rejects Thompson 's appeal . | [[143, 164], [169, 205], [574, 599], [630, 714], [242, 313], [1377, 1440], [1377, 1383], [1413, 1502], [314, 379]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Seven states and two organizations have sued the Bush administration in an attempt to block a federal regulation that would further protect health care workers who refuse to perform abortions or other medical procedures because of religious or moral reasons . A rule protecting the rights of health care providers who refuse to participate in certain procedures is under fire . Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of his state , California , Illinois , Massachusetts , New Jersey , Oregon and Rhode Island . Blumenthal said the regulation would put women 's health care at risk and would undercut state contraception laws . `` On its way out , the Bush administration has left a ticking legal time bomb set to explode literally the day of the inaugural and blow apart vital constitutional rights and women 's health care , '' Blumenthal said in a statement . `` Women 's health may be endangered -- needlessly and unlawfully -- if this rule is allowed to stand . '' He said the regulation `` intentionally shrouds '' abortion in `` new and unnecessary ambiguity , '' encouraging individuals to define it and to `` deny virtually all forms of contraceptions , even emergency contraception to rape victims . '' The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and American Civil Liberties Union , which was acting on behalf of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association , also filed separate suits Thursday . The Department of Health and Human Services said the regulation would allow the federal government to withhold federal funds for state and local governments , health plans and health care facilities that do not follow existing federal laws that ban discrimination against doctors and other health workers who refuse to participate in procedures such as sterilizations or abortions or to make referrals for such procedures . `` We have not had an opportunity to review the lawsuits and we will respond to the court on any pending litigation , '' department spokeswoman Rebecca Ayers said in an e-mail . `` The department followed appropriate procedures to put the regulation in place and the regulation is fully supported by law . '' The department promulgated the rule last month . `` Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience , '' Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement then . `` This rule protects the right of medical providers to care for their patients in accord with their conscience . '' The department has said that it believes the public and health care providers are unaware of the federal anti-discrimination laws . `` Many health care providers routinely face pressure to change their medical practice -- often in direct opposition to their personal convictions , '' said the department 's assistant secretary of health , Adm. Joxel Garcia , in a statement in December . `` During my practice as an OB-GYN , I witnessed this firsthand . Health care providers should n't have to check their consciences at the hospital door . Fortunately , Congress enacted several laws to that end , but too many are unaware these protections exist . '' | Connecticut attorney general : Regulation would put women 's health care at risk . Rule further protects health workers who refuse procedures on moral grounds . Department of Health and Human Services promulgated the rule last month . HHS : Rule protects workers ' right to care for patients in accord with their conscience . | [[574, 689], [590, 643], [925, 964], [102, 178], [111, 131], [137, 278], [2492, 2605], [2222, 2270], [111, 131], [137, 278], [2492, 2605], [2527, 2605]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- First it was the airlines , now it 's the turn of hotels to take the budget concept into the mainstream . Demand is surging for cheaper hotel rooms , not just from thrifty tourists but also from business travelers in search of value . And budget brands are responding to the demand with ambitious expansion plans . Not just for backpackers : easyGroup opened its first budget hotel in 2005 targeting short-stay tourists . Other brands are improving the . service to woo business travelers . According to recent research from market analyst Mintel , the UK budget hotel market increased by 38 percent between 2002 and 2006 , to reach # 1 billion . This growth was three times that of the overall UK hotel market . And while top-end establishments prepare for a decline as consumer spending falls , budget hotels are determined they are recession resilient . Research from Melvin Gold Consulting for Travelodge last year predicted the budget sector will grow by a further 10 percent in the next five years . By 2027 it will account for over a quarter of the total supply of hotels in the UK with almost 850,000 rooms . In the U.S. , budget hotels already account for 33 percent of the supply and 24 percent in France , says the report . Premier Inn , the 500-strong UK budget chain -LRB- that added 2,500 rooms to its portfolio last year and plans to add another 3,500 this year -RRB- is now taking the budget model further afield . In March the chain , owned by Whitbread , will unveil a hotel in Dubai and it is currently scouring India for sites . The boom in budget hotels has been greatest in China . Here both businessmen and tourists , foreign and domestic , are relishing the arrival of rooms that cost less than $ 50 a night . There are nearly 100 economic hotel chain brands in China , over 1,000 budget hotels with over 100,000 rooms . Brands are both local and from overseas including Accor 's Ibis and Wyndham Hotel Group 's Super 8 . More budget rooms are likely to emerge this year in the build-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August . Home Inns , the largest budget hotel chain in mainland China , has built 400 hotels in just five years . They plan to grow this to more than 1,000 hotels in three to four years in cities across China as well as further afield in Asia . In Europe , Richard Cope , senior travel analyst at Mintel said the arrival of boutique and lifestyle brands such as The Big Sleep , the Hoxton Hotel and base2stay raised the game of the sector by providing an affordable but luxurious alternative . New capsule hotels such as Yotel and nitenite also helped boost the market , he added . The increased interest from business travelers in value from hotels has been a further boost . According to a recent study by TRI/BDRC business travelers spent 1.5 million nights in budget hotels in the UK in 2006 , up from 0.93 million in 2000 and only 0.38 million in 1994 . In the U.S. , 74 percent of travel managers that responded to a Runzheimer International survey last year said their business travelers now frequently use economy-type hotels . And although first-class properties continue to be used most often , economy-type hotel use is up 31 percent from the previous four years . Electronics firm , Royal Philips Electronics spends about $ 134 million globally on hotels every year . Currently three per cent of this is with budget chains , including Accor 's Ibis and Holiday Inn Express . This may sound small , says Roman Asboth , Philips ' senior sourcing specialist for hotels , but it adds up to an impressive $ 3.7 million every year . And that figure is rising , he adds . Travelers choosing the budget option , says Asboth , are not just from lower down the organizational ranks . Managers and even executives conscious of cost are also making the switch . As Asboth says , it all comes down to a perception of value . `` Travelers come back from a trip to New York having paid more than $ 300 for a lousy room that has n't been renovated in ages and they do n't see the worth . But they come back from a Holiday Inn Express , which is brand new , and they are more than happy . '' Phillips is also making increased use of serviced guest apartments -- particularly in countries such as India -- that offer the same level of quality as a four or five star property for a budget price . Sally Rademaker , travel sourcing manager , sub-Saharan Africa at Ericsson says while budget may not be an option in Africa , where they pay a premium for security at top end hotels , the communications firm is considering budget options in Europe and the United States where quality is better . `` Of course business travelers would prefer to stay in a five or four star hotel given the choice , '' she acknowledges . `` But if the reasons given are good enough , and we choose somewhere where the standard is acceptable and it is in a good location , then they accept it . '' Gerard Tempest , marketing director at Premier Inn believes budget hotels offer a genuine alternative to mid-market hotels with the same convenience and quality but at better value . `` Every guest bedroom gets refurbished every 24 months which is extremely frequent compared to the wider hotel industry , '' says Tempest . Premier Inn is also refurbishing rooms to a higher quality than some mid-market chains , he says . Following the acquisition of a chain of mid-market hotels last year , they invested a further $ 10 million to meet their `` budget '' standards . All desks and chairs in rooms are ergonomically designed , desks are cleared of clutter and Wifi is available in every hotel . Some Premier Inns also feature meeting space for business travelers as well as branches of Costa Coffee also owned by parent company Whitbread . `` Business customers are responding well to these and using them as meeting places , '' says Tempest . So with recession looming could this be the end of Egyptian sheets and luxury saunas for business travelers ? Perhaps not , but in cities where rates continue to increase even for poorest quality rooms , the budget option may not be as bad as all that . E-mail to a friend . | Growth of budget hotels has been three times that of overall hotel market . Demand is strong among tourists and business travelers in Europe U.S. and China . Boutique budget brands have helped raise the profile of the economical option . | [[125, 232], [666, 731], [125, 232], [1623, 1680], [1683, 1717]] |
CHONGQING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anna He is like a lot of kids about to turn 10 . She plays with her brother , fights with her sister , practices piano , hates vegetables and is adapting to her new life -- adapting , because even though she 's Chinese , this little girl seems far from happy about living in China . Anna He , 9 , finds it hard to adjust to life after she was returned to her biological parents , Jack and Casey He . `` I always hate staying in China , '' she says . `` It 's one of the worst places I have ever been . When I first went to the big city , there was so -LSB- much -RSB- pollution and so -LSB- it -RSB- always makes me feel bad . I also do n't like the smell . '' Her new life in China began after the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled last year that Anna should be returned to her biological parents , Jack and Casey He , known in China as He Shaoqiang and Qin Luo respectively . The decision ended a six-year custody battle . Anna was born prematurely while her parents were in Memphis , Tennessee , on temporary work visas . Unable to cope financially , they decided to give her up temporarily until they were able to get back on their feet . That 's when Jerry and Louise Baker stepped in and agreed to take temporary custody of Anna , when she was 4 weeks old . The Bakers said they made a verbal agreement with the Hes to take care of Anna until she was 18 . But the Hes dispute that . They wanted their daughter back soon after her first birthday and eventually went to court to have their parental rights restored . After a bitter legal battle , the Hes finally prevailed and Anna was returned to her parents . Anna was given a six-month transition period to adjust to her biological family before the Hes left the United States . Now back in China , Anna is still finding it hard to adjust . Her biological parents have separated since returning to their homeland . Casey He relocated her family from Changsha , China , to Chongqing -- a sprawling mega-city on the banks of the Yangtze River with a population of 32 million . Like most of China 's big cities , it 's heavily polluted . During the winter , the sun rarely breaks through the heavy brown smog . Jack He says the marriage is over . Casey He appears shaken when asked about her husband and why she packed up and left , with Anna and her younger brother and sister -- Andy , 8 , and Avita , 6 . `` A lot of things were not what I intended and not what I had hoped , '' said Casey He . She said she would talk about why she left `` one day when the kids are bigger . '' Jack He says the couple disagreed over how they should raise their children . He has limited contact with his family ; Anna has seen him only once in the past two months but says she does n't miss him . Asked why , she said , `` I do n't know . It 's just a feeling in me . '' Now a single mother , Casey has enrolled all three children in a boarding school during the week . A tough decision , she says , but necessary -- especially for Anna , who was a straight-A student in the U.S. but now struggles because she ca n't speak Chinese . `` I know American people say I am bad , I take the kids to school , this is not good . But in China , the Chinese people do n't think so . They study very hard , '' Casey He said . She lives with her children in a small , two-bedroom apartment ; it 's clean and sparsely furnished . Casey bought a new piano for Anna and Avita , who are both taking lessons . The apartment and school are both paid for by Casey He 's brother , a wealthy businessman . Life is difficult , she says , but she has no doubt that despite Anna 's struggle to fit in , the little girl is still better off with her in China rather than living in Memphis with the Bakers . `` In China one single mother take three kids -- for me , it is very hard . But I love my kids , mother 's love from my heart , '' said Casey He . `` I can take care of the kids . Give them better life . '' Since her parents split , Anna has re-established regular contact with the Bakers , who call every Saturday . But after more than a year with her biological family , Anna is still unsure of where she would rather be -- with her mom or the Bakers . `` I can not pick anyone . I would die if I would pick one , '' she said . | Anna He was taken in by Tennessee couple during her parents ' financial hardship . In 2007 , Tennessee Supreme Court ruled she should return to biological parents . Parents Jack and Casey He separated ; Anna still adjusting to life with mom , siblings . `` I can not pick anyone , '' says 9-year-old Anna about her 2 sets of parents . | [[1176, 1267], [732, 830], [776, 850], [1614, 1648], [1789, 1793], [1797, 1830], [1831, 1904], [4214, 4237]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a dramatic reversal , the Florida state attorney 's office announced Monday it will seek the death penalty against Casey Anthony , the 23-year-old woman charged in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee . Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of her daughter Caylee , 2 , Trial is set for October . The state had previously said it would not ask for the death sentence for Anthony . The development could have a major impact on how the case plays out at trial , including whether defense attorney Jose Baez can stay on the case . Baez has not been certified by the court to defend capital punishment cases . Prosecutors announced their change in strategy in a letter of intent . Read the letter of intent -LRB- pdf -RRB- . Meanwhile , Anthony 's defense filed a motion on Friday with Orange County Circuit Court , seeking more phone records from a dozen people involved in the case . The motion asks for any and all records for `` phone calls , text messages , P2P communications , Internet usage , WAP usage , and cell tower pings . '' The defense wants records from the defendant 's parents , George and Cindy Anthony ; her former fiancé , Jesse Grund ; her brother , Lee Anthony ; a friend , Amy Huizenga ; and Roy Kronk , the meter reader who found Caylee 's remains in December of last year . Kronk had called authorities as early as last August to report he had seen a suspicious bag in the area . Other names on the list include several former boyfriends , two private investigators , a volunteer searcher and Richard Cain , an Orange County Sheriff 's deputy . Cain was fired after an internal investigation found he failed to respond to repeated calls from Kronk about the suspicious bag . Cain has refused to leave the job and is awaiting an appeal . `` Various cell phone service providers are in possession of certain items which are material to the preparation of the defense in this cause , '' the motion says , adding , '' the items sought by this application can not be obtained through normal discovery . '' The motion says the release of these records could lead to admissible evidence in Anthony 's trial , which is set to begin in October . Anthony is charged with first-degree murder of Caylee , whose remains were found in woods near her grandparents ' home in Orlando . | Florida 's turnaround could have a major impact on how the case plays out . Casey Anthony 's defense filed motion for more phone records from a dozen people . Motion asks for all `` phone calls , text messages '' of those associated with case . | [[28, 50], [53, 159], [446, 592], [786, 795], [798, 874], [798, 816], [877, 923], [909, 946], [798, 816], [877, 923], [947, 1096]] |
CNN -- When Maria Rubeo closed her arm , she felt something `` very big -- like a lemon . '' Although Hispanic women have a lower incidence rate for breast cancer , they often get the diagnosis at later stages . Her doctor said the lump in her breast was nothing , so Rubeo , who did n't have health insurance , did n't seek a second opinion . With two jobs and two kids , she was busy and did n't go to the doctor 's office for another year . During her next visit , with a different doctor , Rubeo learned she had breast cancer -- and the tumor had been there for a while . Her story may not be particularly rare . Research suggests that breast cancer may be harder to treat in Hispanic women because they wait longer to receive care . Women in the fastest-growing minority group in the United States face issues such as language and cultural barriers , lifestyle choices and lack of insurance that could affect their health and medical care , according to research released Wednesday at the Science of Cancer Health Disparities Conference . Like Rubeo , about half of women in a study of 230 Mexican-American breast cancer patients in Arizona and Texas noticed changes in their breasts , but waited more than a month to seek medical attention , according to research presented at the conference hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research . `` We asked what the reasons were , '' said Rachel Zenuk , a graduate student at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health , who spoke about the study . `` A third cited they did n't have insurance or were unable to afford medical care . Or they thought it was not important to report the medical finding to a professional . '' Other factors included fear of the results and difficulty scheduling an appointment , she said . More than a decade after her mastectomy , Rubeo urges Hispanic women in the San Francisco , California , Bay area not to wait after seeing changes in their breasts . `` I explain : Take time for you to see the doctor , '' she said . '' -LSB- Some women -RSB- do n't have insurance , do n't speak English , it 's very difficult . '' Hispanics are the largest U.S. minority group , constituting 14 percent of the nation 's total population . While Hispanic women have a lower incidence rate for breast cancer than whites , blacks and Asians , they have a less favorable prognosis because of delayed treatment . `` They 're not getting more breast cancer than other women , but they 're less likely to survive as long , '' said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez , a member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 's National Health Advisory Council and chairwoman of the Komen Foundation National Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council . `` The reason is they 're diagnosed at a later stage of the cancer . '' `` We 're seeing them at later stages , so the cancer is more advanced . Their five-year survival rates are lower than non-Hispanic whites , '' Ramirez said . Data also showed that about two-thirds of breast cancer cases in the 230 Mexican-American women were found through self-detection , which suggests that the women were not receiving routine mammogram or exams . Rubeo said that when she first noticed the lump , she `` had no time for me to take care of myself . Only work , work , running , no time to eat . Sometimes you forget yourself , so there 's time for everybody and not enough for yourself . '' At the Latina Breast Cancer Agency in San Francisco , she tells other women how she did n't take care of herself while working two jobs , 16 hours a day . `` I explain to the ladies my experience . Sometimes they cry and say it 's true , '' Rubeo said . She now runs support groups for breast cancer patients , talking about health screenings , accompanying women to the hospital and helping them with paperwork . Aside from the pressures of being a busy , working mother , there are language and cultural barriers for Latina women . `` For women we work with , our focus is breast health , '' said Olivia Fé , founder and executive director of the Latina Breast Cancer Agency . `` Within Latino culture , within family , the husband does n't want the wife to see a male doctor . ... That is a big deal . '' The group partnered with public hospitals in San Francisco and San Mateo counties and made sure the medical staff who work with Hispanic breast cancer patients are female and speak Spanish . Hispanic women do n't take advantage of the free breast health screenings , because there 's a lack of awareness , Fé said . Many women speak only Spanish , so prevention messages in English do n't get through . Research showed that the women with more education and exposure to English-language media , such as television and radio , were more likely to have had a mammogram . Ramirez said there are now public service announcements in Spanish that target Hispanic women of all ages , so the younger ones will know the importance of family history and the older ones will become informed about the importance of mammograms . The Komen Foundation funds local efforts to increase enrollment of Hispanic women in clinical trials , provide medical interpretive and transportation services , and have Spanish peer support for 24-hour breast cancer hotlines . Lifestyle choices have an important role in breast cancer development , said Esther John , a research scientist and epidemiologist at the Northern California Cancer Center . One study that examined 2,533 Hispanic women found that the women born in foreign countries had 50 percent less risk of developing breast cancer than women born in the United States . This San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer Study compared the known breast cancer risks such as obesity , use of hormones , alcohol consumption , fat intake and lack of physical activity between the two groups and found women born in the United States had greater risk . `` The pattern suggests that when Hispanic women move to the U.S. , there are important changes from the traditional lifestyle to the Americanized lifestyle , '' John said . `` There are lifestyle factors that increase risks of breast cancer . '' | Hispanic women learn of breast cancer at later stages , research shows . Language , cultural barriers and lack of insurance may impede medical care . Other factors include fear of results and difficulty scheduling an appointment . | [[165, 211], [1248, 1269], [2736, 2804], [2753, 2804], [883, 895], [901, 943], [738, 895], [946, 1030], [1543, 1624], [3894, 3953], [1715, 1798]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil Tiger rebels Sunday , warning instead that government troops intended to continue a new offensive until the group surrenders , a senior government official said . Tamil demonstrators call for a cease-fire in Sri Lanka during a rally Saturday in Paris , France . `` The government is firm that -LRB- the rebels -RRB- lay down their arms and surrender . We do not recognize this so-called offer , '' said Lakshman Hulugalle , director of Sri Lanka 's Media Center for National Security . The proposed cease-fire came six days after the Sri Lankan army launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam -LRB- LTTE -RRB- in the country 's northern area . Government troops made significant advances into rebel-held territory on Friday and Saturday , according to Sri Lankan Army sources . A government-imposed deadline for the Tigers to surrender passed last Tuesday . Tens of thousands of displaced civilians currently remain wedged in a dwindling swath of territory controlled by the Tigers along the country 's northeastern coast . Government troops say they have rescued 39,000 civilians trapped in the area , but a U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a wave of `` fresh displacement '' has now exceeded 100,000 individuals . `` In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the U.N. , EU , the governments of the USA , India and others , the -LRB- LTTE -RRB- has announced an unilateral cease-fire . All of LTTE 's offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect , '' the rebel leaders said in a written statement issued earlier Sunday . `` We welcome the attempts by the U.N. and its agencies to assist the civilian population and are ready to engage and cooperate with them to address the humanitarian needs of the population . ... We are in full agreement that the humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by declaration of an immediate cease-fire . '' The Tiger leadership asked the international community to `` pressure the Sri Lankan government to reciprocate '' on the cease-fire offer . The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in Sri Lanka 's northeast since 1983 . As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began , and the group has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries , including the United States and the European Union . | Government says it will continue offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels . Rebels control a dwindling swath of north Sri Lanka . U.N. agency says 100,000 refugees have fled fighting . | [[129, 210], [1059, 1135], [1219, 1331]] |
CHICAGO , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich vowed Friday to fight federal corruption charges and stay on the job , despite calls for his resignation amid allegations that he attempted to sell President-elect Barack Obama 's former Senate seat . Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich spoke to reporters at a news conference Friday but did not take questions . `` I will fight , I will fight , I will fight until I take my last breath . I have done nothing wrong , '' Blagojevich said in a brief news conference in Chicago . `` I 'm not going to quit a job that people have hired me to do . '' The spirited comments were the first public statements from the second-term governor about the allegations since his arrest December 9 on federal corruption charges . Federal prosecutors have accused the governor of trying to sell Obama 's former Senate seat . Prosecutors also allege the governor and his former chief of staff , John Harris , tried to have Chicago Tribune editorial board members fired by leveraging state assistance to the parent company of the newspaper , the Tribune Co. , in its sale of Wrigley Field . Blagojevich said he was `` dying '' to show his innocence , but maintained he would reserve his comments for an appropriate forum . `` I 'm not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing , and that is talk about this case in 30-second sound bites on ` Meet the Press ' or on the TV news , '' he said . `` I have on my side the most powerful ally there is , and it is the truth . '' Watch Blagojevich speak at the news conference '' Quoting Rudyard Kipling 's poem , `` If , '' Blagojevich called on the public to be patient and reserve judgment until the facts unfold in criminal proceedings . `` If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you ; if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you , but make allowance for their doubting , too ; if you can wait and not be tired by waiting ; or being lied about , do n't deal in lies ; or being hated , do n't give way to hating , '' he said . Blagojevich did not take questions from reporters . Earlier Friday , his attorney , Ed Genson , said he did not feel it was prudent for the governor to answer questions now . Genson has said that the governor did nothing wrong and that evidence obtained through wiretaps in Blagojevich 's office and home was `` illegally obtained . '' The 76-page criminal complaint against Blagojevich includes snippets of intercepted phone calls involving the governor 's alleged efforts to benefit from the Senate vacancy . After Blagojevich 's statement , Genson 's co-counsel , Sam Adam Jr. , told reporters that the U.S. attorney 's office has not provided them with information related to the criminal complaint . `` We 've been asking for the documents . We 've been asking for the tapes . We 've been asking for the witnesses , we 're asking for a witness list . We have not gotten that , '' he said . Blagojevich 's arrest has thrown Illinois politics into chaos . Many of the state 's political leaders -- including Obama -- have called on the governor to resign . Harris , who was also arrested on federal corruption charges , resigned days after his arrest . Watch Illinois lawmakers discuss impeachment '' Members of an Illinois House of Representatives panel met Wednesday to continue discussions about whether there is a basis to impeach Blagojevich . | Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he is not guilty of criminal wrongdoing . Blagojevich says he has the truth on his side , vows to stay on the job . Governor accused of trying to sell President-elect Obama 's Senate seat . Blagojevich 's lawyer says evidence was illegally obtained . | [[0, 7], [10, 146], [205, 278], [785, 878], [818, 878], [2538, 2606], [2271, 2428]] |
Editor 's note : Hank Sheinkopf , a CNN contributor , is a longtime political consultant who was a member of the media team for President Bill Clinton 's 1996 re-election campaign . Sheinkopf was a media consultant for Eliot Spitzer 's campaign for New York attorney general in 1998 and has represented candidates around the country and the world . He represented Rep. Steve Israel , a Democrat whose name has been mentioned for the New York senate seat , in 2000 , but has n't had a business relationship with him since . Sheinkopf , who also represents corporate clients , does not represent any of the other politicians whose names have been mentioned for the Senate seat . For a rival view , read here . Hank Sheinkopf says Caroline Kennedy has n't earned the nod for a Senate seat from New York . NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Judging by the screaming newspaper headlines and the steamy ecstasy of the gossip columns , people from other worlds might presume that it has already come to pass : that a woman who happens to be named Caroline Kennedy was pole-vaulted above the crowd and sent with magic wand and golden slippers to the U.S. Senate from New York , in the hope of saving the Empire State and bringing goodness to all its inhabitants . After all , why should n't she be sent to the Senate ? Her unique experience of writing a book or two , smiling well , appearing from time to time -- but not too often -- at city mayoral news conferences announcing help for those who attend New York City public schools -- and , well , just being a Kennedy -- should suffice . Her social standing alone , some might argue , would give her the advantage of all advantages . A Kennedy . Camelot . Ah ! The greatness of it all ? Not . The man who has to make the decision whether or not New York is to be so vaunted in representation is Gov. David Paterson , the former lieutenant governor who had the fortune of replacing morally triangulated Gov. Eliot Spitzer after Spitzer 's resignation in the face of a publicly humiliating sex scandal . Paterson will have to face the voters in 2010 . So will his pick to fill the seat that will be left vacant after Hillary Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state in early 2009 . The governor 's poll numbers suggest that voters like him . Paterson has taken a tack much unexpected by challenging all to tighten belts , cut spending , pay more fees to the state and get rid of waste after Wall Street 's collapse and the subsequent free fall in tax collections from the financial services business . Paterson could have a tough time . Voters do n't like losing money , they hate losing services , and all the earnest explanations about fighting the good fight together wo n't put better food on the table or pay the bills . He needs someone who can help him win , and he needs someone who can win . He and the senator he chooses will both face the voters together . With that in mind , is Caroline Kennedy the correct choice ? On the issues of the day , Kennedy has been mighty silent . Financial cretins stealing for fun , profit and because they can ? Not a word . The wars ? Syllable-less . Millions of humans evaporated in Africa 's inner madness ? Quiet and silent . The auto bailout ? Nada . The printing of a trillion soon-to-be inflated dollars that will further sap our savings ? On such matters , Kennedy remains absolutely silent . What about the destruction of the economy of western New York ? Does she know that there is a deeply pained world beyond the Westchester County border just a bit north of New York City that benefited little from some fairy-tale place called Camelot and less from well-orchestrated and timed public relations campaigns afforded only by the rich ? Why should Caroline Kennedy be named a U.S. senator ? Is it because merit no longer matters ? Surely , Kennedy offers the dazzle of an unmistakable surname and the kind of celebrity appeal that seems to follow members of the New York social elite . But for the white ethnics who gave their vote to Democrats on the promise of fairness and merit , Kennedy 's star quality may not suffice . The simple fact is that if the governor passes on other options -- candidates , many of whom serve in Congress and have earned their right to represent New York -- then he does so at his own risk . In 1964 , Robert Kennedy wanted then-Sen . Kenneth Keating 's job so badly that he ran for office . President Lyndon Johnson 's landslide victory in New York helped Kennedy win the election , but not before the challenger ran a campaign that made its appeal to voters and proved worthy . His niece has done neither . If Kennedy wants to be New York 's junior senator , she should stand in line and run for office in 2010 . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Hank Sheinkopf . | Hank Sheinkopf : Some treating Caroline Kennedy 's Senate bid as a done deal . He says Kennedy has n't been vocal on many of the key issues we face . Sheinkopf : What qualifies Kennedy to be given priority for the vacant seat ? He says Gov. Paterson has to worry about facing voters in 2010 . | [[2967, 3026], [3329, 3344], [3347, 3382], [2040, 2087], [2040, 2048], [2059, 2087], [2540, 2574], [4685, 4688], [4714, 4738]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Polish court has ordered the detention of a man accused of holding his daughter captive for six years and repeatedly raping her , ultimately fathering two children with her . The accusations recall the case of Josef Fritzl , who kept his daughter captive for 24 years and fathered seven children . The man , whose name was not released , was arrested Monday , Polish national police said in a statement . The court on Tuesday ordered him jailed for three months pending a trial . The charges against him were not immediately known . Police said they arrested the man at the train station in Siedlce , a town between Warsaw and the border with Belarus . Police said they believed he was trying to escape abroad . The investigation began last week when the man 's 21-year-old daughter approached police in Siemiatycze , in eastern Poland , accompanied by her mother , police said . The daughter spent several hours talking with a policewoman , detailing her alleged ordeal over the past six years , police said . She described living through a `` hell '' that involved rape , beatings , and being kept as a slave , police said . In 2005 , the woman said , she gave birth to a boy at a hospital in Wroclaw , in southwestern Poland , police said . Two years later , in 2007 , she gave birth to a boy at a hospital in Siemiatycze , in eastern Poland , also near the border with Belarus , police said . Both times , the woman told police , she left the baby in the hospital , a common practice in Poland when the mother wants to give her children up for adoption , police said . Police did not say how the daughter managed to escape her alleged ordeal or whether the mother was aware of what had gone on . Police themselves acknowledged many facts were still unclear . `` There are still a lot of questions to which answers have to be found , '' the statement from the national police said . The case has drawn comparisons to the shocking incest case in Austria in which Josef Fritzl is accused of holding his daughter captive in an underground network of tiny rooms for 24 years . Fritzl repeatedly raped his daughter , Elisabeth , and fathered seven children with her , six of whom survived . All of the children were born in captivity . That case became public when Elisabeth 's oldest child , 19-year-old Kerstin , became ill and fell unconscious in April . Elisabeth persuaded her father to let her bring Kerstin to a hospital , where staff grew suspicious and called police , who opened an investigation and uncovered the abuse . Kerstin and her family are now recovering and slowly adapting to modern life , Austrian authorities have said . CNN 's Diana Magnay in Berlin and Antonia Mortensen in London contributed to this report . | Daughter accuses Polish man of holding her captive 6 years , fathering 2 sons . Police detained 45-year-old man in eastern city of Siedlce . Officers to conduct tests on boys to determine if the man is their father . Recalls case of Austria 's Josef Fritzl , accused of holding daughter for 24 years . | [[0, 15], [151, 195], [901, 913], [963, 1015], [196, 243], [231, 243], [250, 288], [1907, 1976], [1969, 1976], [1986, 2088]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After a long apprenticeship , it 's been an astonishingly fast rise for R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan . Jazmine Sullivan is up for five Grammys next month , including best new artist . Before she was in her teens , Sullivan sang on `` It 's Showtime at the Apollo . '' At 13 , she met Stevie Wonder . Soon she was performing regularly at the jam sessions called Black Lily in her hometown of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . She went to that city 's performing arts high school and was signed to a contract by Jive Records , where she was paired with producers such as Timbaland and Cool & Dre . It did n't work out -- then . But soon , Sullivan signed with Clive Davis ' J Records , and suddenly she was everywhere . Her debut single , `` Need U Bad , '' hit No. 1 on Billboard 's R&B / Hip-Hop chart , and her album `` Fearless '' hit the Top 10 on Billboard 's album chart . Now she 's up for five Grammys on February 8 , including best R&B performance -LRB- for `` Bust Your Windows '' -RRB- and best new artist . CNN 's KJ Matthews talked with Sullivan about her inspirations , who she 's bringing to the Grammys and the mysterious person behind `` Bust Your Windows . '' The following is an edited version of that interview . CNN : How would you describe your sound ? Jazmine Sullivan : I ca n't really describe it ; that 's the whole thing . Once you hear the CD , you 'll hear that one sound does n't sound like the next . You know , I 've been influenced by so many different styles and different genres of music that I felt like that should be represented on my first album , so when you get it , you get a taste of gospel , jazz , R&B , hip-hop , reggae , pop ... everything is on there , there 's something for everybody to enjoy . I did n't want to exclude anybody from the album . CNN : Let me ask you this : When you saw or heard the other nominees in the best new artist category who happen to be a little bit more well-known , was it intimidating ? I mean , you got the Jonas Brothers , Katy Perry , Adele ... Sullivan : Yeah , the Jonas Brothers , specifically . I did n't even know they were new artists because they are so huge , so , you know , so after , when my name was called after theirs , I thought , `` Wow , they 're new artists , too ? '' I got a little scared , I tell you that . But I 'm just so honored to be mentioned to be in the same categories with such wonderful artists , so I 'm looking forward to February and the Grammys and just being in that atmosphere . CNN : I was looking at your background , and I did n't know that you 're a protegee of Missy Elliott . I was thinking to myself , you would think that you would do rap , but you 're this big voice , this soulful voice . You might not equate that with Missy . Sullivan : Yeah , and a lot of people do n't know that Missy Elliott ... grew up in the church , and she 's really into vocalists . When I met her , was I was about 13 or 14 , -LSB- and -RSB- she was ecstatic about me . When nobody else was there to support me , Missy was there , so she 's a good friend of mine , and I 'm happy to have her by my side . She 's definitely taught me a lot of things . CNN : So everybody wants to know , the guy behind `` Bust Your Windows '' -- is there one ? Sullivan : We wo n't talk about that on camera -- that 's an off-camera conversation -- but it 's definitely a song that relates to a lot of women especially . You know , even if they really have n't busted windows out of anybody 's car , they have wanted to . A lot of women have been through that , so I 'm glad that my music is touching those people . CNN : `` Need U Bad '' is rising as well . What 's the thought process behind that one ? Sullivan : `` Need U Bad '' ... a lot of men actually pointed out to me that women do n't come out and admit that they made mistakes and say that they actually need the male , so I think that was kind of cool . I have n't thought of it like that when I was writing it . So , you know , it 's a song for the fellas , saying that we appreciate them and we need you as much as you need us . But on the flip side , I do a song like `` Bust Your Windows , '' so on the album you have a lot of different perceptions and everything . CNN : How old are you ? You look like you 're 10 . Sullivan : I 'm 21 years old . CNN : Success that early , that 's sometimes tough for people . Sullivan : Well , I 've been in this industry for a very long time . I started out when I was 12 ; I got signed when I was 16 , so it was n't an overnight success story at all . I put a lot of hard work into it , and this is just a byproduct of all of that . CNN : It 's great that you write your own music too , because a lot of people do n't do that . You have a lot more creative control . Sullivan : Most definitely , and I 've dealt with not having that control when I was younger and I was signed . I was n't writing at all , and so I 've been through all of that . So now to be in a position where I write my music , and I have that control -- it feels so much better . CNN : All right , the big question : Grammy night . What are you wearing ? Who are you bringing ? What are you going to be doing ? Sullivan : I 'm bringing my mother . She 's been my rock and my support ever since I was a baby . She was my first huge fan , that what she is . I do n't know what I 'm wearing . I 'm trying not to think about that . I want to perform . Hopefully I can get on stage and I can show everybody who I am and what I 'm about . But I have n't thought about the dress or the shoes or the hair or anything about that . CNN : You 're just trying to enjoy the moment . Sullivan : Enjoy , yes . | R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan is up for five awards next month . Sullivan 's hits include `` Need U Bad '' and `` Bust Your Windows '' Singer is a protegee of Missy Elliott 's . | [[146, 226], [2583, 2640]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- There are few cities in the world blessed with a more beautiful setting than Seattle . It is surrounded by rugged green wilderness ; to the west the Olympic Mountains , to the east the volcanoes and glaciers of the Cascade Range , and all around the brisk waters of the Northwest . The Space Needle dominates the Seattle skyline . Over the years , Seattle has inspired a number of nicknames . It 's not hard to understand why some refer to it as `` Rain City , '' but visit when the sun is shining , when lakes Union and Washington are sparkling under a blue sky and majestic Mount Rainier is visible in the distance , and you 'll realize that `` Emerald City '' is the most appropriate of its monikers . Seattle started out as a logging town , grew as a stop-off point for gold prospectors at the end of the 19th century , and earned another nickname , `` Jet City '' , when plane manufacturer Boeing rose to prominence in the 1950s and 60s . At the height of its powers , Boeing employed some 100,000 locals and the Jet City remained a solidly working-class town until the 80s , when local startup Microsoft started making a name for itself . As Microsoft grew into the behemoth it is today , other tech firms such as Amazon.com and Nintendo were drawn to the city , bringing with them a wave of young , educated and affluent workers . Seattle began to shake off its blue-collar roots and in recent years its cultural credentials have been boosted by the addition of the Olympic Sculpture Park and a showpiece public library , while the acclaimed Seattle Symphony , Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet have all moved into impressive new buildings in the last decade . Some resent Seattle 's gentrification , bemoaning the near-gridlocked traffic and arguing that the city 's most interesting neighborhoods have lost their individuality to the property developers . But if you spend some time in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill or Fremont , the self-proclaimed `` Center of the Universe , '' you 'll find there 's still plenty of the native free spirit in evidence . It was that free spirit that gave birth to Grunge , the post-punk guitar noise that came out of the city in the early 90s , when local bands Soundgarden , Pearl Jam and Nirvana became international stars . Now Grunge is just a memory , but in popular culture it remains as much of a symbol of the city as the Space Needle , the persistent drizzle and the excellent , ubiquitous , coffee shops . Despite its rapid growth , Seattle has kept its trees and parks and many areas maintain an almost suburban feel . The city and its residents are laidback and liberal , and that famous free spirit is as at home in the great outdoors as in Seattle 's boho neighborhoods . As a modern , civilized outpost among outstanding natural spectacle , the place once known as the `` Queen City of the Northwest '' still reigns supreme . | Seattle has been known as `` Jet City , '' `` Rain City , '' and `` The Emerald City '' It has a great location , surrounded by mountains , lakes and fantastic scenery . The city boasts a symphony orchestra , and ballet and opera companies . | [[350, 364], [367, 411], [524, 608], [1554, 1687]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than just the quintessential Seattle shopping experience , Pike Place Market is a tourist attraction in its own right . This historic farmers market is the place to pick up all manner of fresh local produce , as well as handmade crafts , jewelry , antiques and paintings . Keep your camera handy to snap the colorful floral displays and the fishmongers tossing whole salmon to each other . Flying fish at Pike Place Market . If Pike Place whets your appetite for fresh produce , check out the Ballard Sunday Farmers Market -LRB- 5330 Ballard Avenue , Sundays -RRB- for delicious farm-fresh goodies . Another great Sunday market is the weekly Fremont Flea Market -LRB- 400 N 34th Street -RRB- , a cornucopia of used , vintage and antique goods . For the avid antiques hunter the underground Pioneer Square Antiques Mall -LRB- 602 First Avenue -RRB- has more than 60 stalls . If you prefer big brand names you 'll want to head downtown , where you 'll find the likes of Banana Republic -LRB- 500 Pike Street -RRB- and a colossal Nike Town -LRB- 1500 6th Avenue -RRB- . Downtown is also home to Macy 's -LRB- 1601 Third Avenue -RRB- , still known to locals as `` The Bon '' from its former incarnation as Bon Marché . Macy 's can be good for a bargain , but the city 's best department store is the flagship Nordstrom -LRB- 500 Pine Street -RRB- , famed for it exemplary customer service . For something more cutting edge , Capitol Hill and Belltown are full of funky boutiques and vintage clothing stores . Crossroads Trading Company -LRB- 325 Broadway Avenue E and 4300 University Way -RRB- is a good option for second-hand threads , while sneaker freaks will find that Gems -LRB- 615 Western Avenue -RRB- is a treasure trove of fancy footwear . Bibliophiles will love Seattle for its numerous independent books stores . Set aside a couple of hours to visit the Elliot Bay Book Company -LRB- 101 South Main Street -RRB- , a vast space crammed full of new and used books . It boasts an excellent selection of titles about the region , a pleasant café and readings or signings almost every night . University Bookstore -LRB- 4326 University Way -RRB- has a huge selection , while Fremont Place Books -LRB- 621 N 35th Street -RRB- is a cozy little place with an interesting range of titles . If you 're planning an expedition into the beautiful wilderness around Seattle , you can get kitted out at the flagship REI -LRB- 222 Yale Avenue N -RRB- . There 's everything you 'll need for hiking , biking , rock climbing and skiing , and you can even hire stuff , so you wo n't have to drag it all back home with you . Bamboozle your friends by getting them an eccentric souvenir from Archie McPhee -LRB- 2428 NW Market Street -RRB- . Of course , eccentric is a relative term , but squirrel underpants -LRB- which , apparently , are also suitable for hamsters , frogs and gerbils -RRB- and inflatable fruitcakes should qualify as eccentric by most standards . If you plan to visit this bazaar of the bizarre you should note that Archie 's is set to move to the corner of North 45th Street and Stone Way North , in Wallingford , some time next year . Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop | . ... . Do you agree with our Seattle picks ? Send us your comments and suggestions in the `` Sound Off '' box below and we 'll print the best . | You have to visit Pike Place Market , a fantastic , historic farmers market . Downtown is the place for chain stores ; Capitol Hill is great for boutiques . Seattle is full of independent bookshops -- Elliot Bay Bookstore is the best . Archie McPhee is a bizarre store where you can buy some quirky souvenirs . | [[144, 296], [901, 957], [1445, 1528], [1769, 1843], [2635, 2728], [2635, 2750]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For years , retired Air Force Col. John Leech has had no desire to return to the Pentagon . Retired Col. John Leech narrowly escaped death at the Pentagon on September 11 , 2001 . Leech narrowly escaped death September 11 , 2001 , when a hijacked American Airlines jetliner hit the building . He will attend Thursday 's dedication of the Pentagon memorial honoring the 184 people killed in the terror attack . In an earlier visit to the memorial , Leech left a note for his friend Navy Capt. Jack Punches : `` Thanks Jack for serving and dying for our nation . '' Leech could barely contain his sadness recently as he watched a Department of Defense videotape showing the burned interior of the area in the building where he was that fateful morning . `` Wow . My God . ... It makes you weak in the knees to see these pictures , '' Leech said . Leech , 54 , recently took CNN into an office not far from the conference room where he was that morning . He has avoided touring the building since the attack but finally decided he was ready to `` re-engage '' with the past . In 2001 , Leech was working as a Defense Department liaison officer to the White House Drug Policy office . He worked primarily out of the White House but attended meetings at the Pentagon every Tuesday and Thursday morning . Watch as he returns to the crash site '' As he walked the now-renovated halls where he spent the morning of September 11 , he recalled the horror of the day . The shock , he said , was indescribable . `` It hit with such force . I had never experienced anything like it in my life . It rattled you right down to the bone , '' Leech said . Flight 77 slammed into the west wall of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. ET . Among the 184 people killed in the building and on the plane were a 3-year-old girl and a 71-year-old retired Navy captain , the youngest and oldest victims , who were both passengers on Flight 77 . A closer look at the new Pentagon memorial '' Several people were killed or severely burned not far from where Leech took cover . He remembers people screaming , `` bloodcurdling screams . '' `` I was so lucky . ... It was almost like we were in a protective cocoon , '' Leech recalled . `` I mean , I inhaled a lot of jet fuel vapors , and I got dusted up , but that was the extent of my injuries . '' The married father of a 26-year-old woman remembers snaking his way outside the burning building , where in a stupor he noticed a comb that appeared to belong to a small child . `` A little girl 's comb that was untouched . It was not scorched ; it did n't have smut on it , '' Leech remembered . `` It was a pristine red comb sitting off the side , and next to it was a tattered suitcase , and I can remember looking at that and thinking , who did that belong to ? What little girl did that belong to ? '' Leech served 28 years in the military and now works for the Department of Homeland Security but hopes to return one day to the Defense Department . Seven years after that horrible day , Leech visited the chapel at the new Pentagon Memorial , a two-acre park , which opens to the public Thursday . It was built at the spot where Flight 77 plowed into the Pentagon and will be open 24 hours a day , seven days a week . Thumbing through a condolence book in the chapel , he found the friend whom he was with that day , Navy Capt. Jack Punches . He wrote , `` Thanks Jack for serving and dying for our nation -- John Leech . '' `` I 've avoided ... anything to do with 9/11 , so it feels good to be here , '' he said . `` I mean , a lot happened that day . A lot of good people died . A lot of very good people . '' CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre contributed to this story . | Retired Col. John Leech narrowly escaped death on September 11 , 2001 . Pentagon survivor recalls shock , terror of that terrible morning . Fleeing for safety , he saw a little girl 's red comb untouched near a tattered suitcase . Watch 9/11 memorials in New York and Washington on CNN.com Live . | [[122, 129], [135, 209], [210, 258], [1370, 1406], [1452, 1487], [2458, 2518], [2522, 2543], [2549, 2564], [2695, 2729], [2648, 2688]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With U.S. gasoline prices setting records , opponents of the war in Iraq have raised a new complaint this week : The budget windfall that skyrocketing oil prices has given Baghdad . Iraqi employees attend the opening ceremony of a new oil refinery plant in Najaf , Iraq , on March 15 . Crude oil futures topped $ 112 a barrel in Wednesday 's intraday trading in New York -- up from about $ 35 a barrel before the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Though Iraq 's oil exports have yet to top prewar levels , the price rise has meant a $ 6.4 billion surplus for the Iraqi government , according to the Pentagon 's last quarterly report on the war . With the five-year-old war 's cost to U.S. taxpayers estimated at more than $ 600 billion , the Iraqi windfall provoked sharp questions from Congress during two days of testimony by the top U.S. officials in Iraq , Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker . `` This nation 's facing record deficits , and the Iraqis have translated their oil revenues into budget surpluses rather than effective services , '' Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri , the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee , said Wednesday . `` Under these circumstances and with a strategic risk to our nation and our military readiness , we and the American people must ask : Why should we stay in Iraq in large numbers ? '' Rep. Dana Rohrabacher , R-California , proposed the Iraqi government pay the cost of stationing U.S. troops in its country under any future agreement between Washington and Baghdad -- and said he would introduce legislation to require that . `` The United States government and the people of the United States have paid an awful price , '' Rohrabacher said . `` It 's time for the Iraqis to pay that price for their own protection . '' Crocker said Iraq has allocated $ 13 billion for reconstruction projects in 2008 and plans to add another $ 5 billion this summer . The U.S. focus will shift to improving Iraq 's economy at the local level and expanding its export capacity , he said . `` The era of U.S.-funded major infrastructure projects is over . We are seeking to ensure that our assistance , in partnership with the Iraqis , leverages Iraq 's own resources , '' he said . Five years after Baghdad fell to a U.S.-led army , many Iraqis still lack basic services such as water , sewer connections and electricity . Nevertheless , Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the government is `` doing its best '' to spend money to improve the country . `` I think the government has a responsibility , definitely , to care for its people , to provide services and to use the oil money for reconstruction and development , '' Zebari said . The United States has committed about $ 45 billion to Iraq 's reconstruction since the March 2003 invasion , according to a report last month from the Government Accountability Office . The agency , the investigative arm of Congress , concluded that Iraq 's oil revenues could top $ 100 billion in 2007 and 2008 . When President Bush announced he was dispatching almost 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq in January 2007 , he told Americans that Iraqis would spend $ 10 billion on reconstruction projects and pass a law allocating the country 's oil wealth as steps toward a political settlement of the war . The GAO , however , found Iraq had spent only 7 percent of that budget by November 2007 , and the proposed oil law has stalled in the country 's fractious parliament . Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh blamed the ongoing insurgency and the `` socialist command economy '' left behind by ousted dictator Saddam Hussein for the slow pace of reconstruction . `` At the time we were trying to reform it , open up the system , when we are faced with the terrible challenge of al Qaeda and this tornado of terrorism afflicting the society day in , day out , '' Saleh said . `` People should not be too judgmental . '' But Sen. Claire McCaskill , D-Missouri , said Tuesday the issue is `` a burr in the saddle of the American people '' -- particularly since Bush administration officials told Congress before the invasion that Iraq could finance its own reconstruction with oil revenues . Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina -- a Republican opponent of the war -- pointed out the United States `` is borrowing money from foreign governments to pay our bills '' while oil and gas prices have more than doubled . `` The issue is that we in this Congress are going to be cutting programs to help our elderly with health care , '' he said Wednesday . `` The American people want to know that the Iraqi government understands that we do not have treasure and blood to go on and on and on . '' E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Jill Dougherty in Baghdad contributed to this report . | Pentagon : Rising oil prices result in a $ 6.4 billion surplus for the Iraqi government . The Iraq war 's cost to U.S. taxpayers is estimated at more than $ 600 billion . Lawmaker proposes Iraq should pay the cost of stationing U.S. troops . Ambassador : `` The era of U.S.-funded major infrastructure projects is over '' | [[143, 211], [524, 599], [704, 755], [1379, 1400], [1418, 1559], [2067, 2132]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities arrested two high school students in suburban Atlanta on Thursday after they were warned that one of the students planned to `` do harm '' at the school with a weapon , police said . Several schools in Woodstock , Gerogia , were on lockdown after authorities found a gun in a bathroom ceiling . Sgt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff 's Office said Woodstock Middle School , Woodstock High School and Etowah High School were put on lockdown -- meaning no one could enter or leave the buildings -- after authorities learned of the threat . Police arrested Forrest Busby , 17 , at Woodstock High School and found a revolver he is said to have brought to school and hid in the bathroom ceiling , authorities said . A subsequent search of Busby 's home turned up an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Mini-14 assault rifle , as well as 200 rounds of ammunition , Baker said in a statement . Six marijuana plants were discovered in the student 's closet . A 15-year-old student was also arrested in connection with the incident , the statement said . Baker said another student is being interviewed by authorities but has not been charged in the case . Busby has been charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds , carrying a concealed weapon and manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance , among other counts . He 's being held without bail at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center , the sheriff 's statement said . The 15-year-old has been charged as an accomplice on various weapons violations and is being held at the Paulding Youth Detention Center . The lockdown orders for the schools were lifted after the weapons were recovered , Baker said . Woodstock is about 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta . | Teen planned to `` do harm '' at school outside Atlanta , Georgia , tipster said . Police find gun in bathroom ceiling , arrest 17 - and 15-year-old . Other weapons , marijuana found at teen 's home . | [[121, 215], [232, 260], [273, 343], [595, 601], [661, 746], [1005, 1076]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mumia Abu-Jamal sits on Pennsylvania 's death row , perhaps the most recognized of the 228 condemned inmates at the Greene Correctional Facility , an hour south of Pittsburgh . Former radio host and convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal during a 1994 interview . Abu-Jamal , inmate AM8335 , awaits three milestones . His new book , `` Jailhouse Lawyers , '' will be released next month . He 's also awaiting a pair of Supreme Court decisions , which could come in the next two weeks . The former Black Panther was sentenced to die for gunning down a Philadelphia police officer 28 years ago . The high court will decide whether he deserves a new hearing to determine whether his execution should go forward . The state is appealing a federal appeals court ruling on the sentencing question that went in Abu-Jamal 's favor last year . The case has attracted international attention . Abu-Jamal 's lawyers filed a separate appeal claiming that racism led to his 1982 conviction . That petition is scheduled for consideration by the Supreme Court on April 3 . If either case is accepted by the justices for review , oral arguments would be held in the fall . The former radio reporter and cab driver has been a divisive figure , with many prominent supporters arguing that racism pervaded his trial . Others counter that Abu-Jamal is using his skin color to escape responsibility for his actions . They say he has divided the community for years with his provocative writing and activism . He was convicted for the December 9 , 1981 , murder of officer Daniel Faulkner , 25 , in Philadelphia . Faulkner had pulled over Abu-Jamal 's brother in a late-night traffic stop . Witnesses said Abu-Jamal , who was nearby , ran over and shot the police officer in the back and in the head . Abu-Jamal , once known as Wesley Cook , was also wounded in the confrontation and later admitted to the killing , according to other witnesses ' testimony . Abu-Jamal is black , and the police officer was white . Incarcerated for nearly three decades , Abu-Jamal has been an active critic of the criminal justice system . On a Web site created by friends to promote his release , the prisoner-turned-author writes about his fight . `` This is the story of law learned , not in the ivory towers of multi-billion dollar endowed universities but in the bowels of the slave-ship , in the hidden , dank dungeons of America . '' His chief defense attorney , Robert Bryan , has filed appeals asking for a new criminal trial . `` The central issue in this case is racism in jury selection , '' he wrote to supporters last month . `` We are in an epic struggle in which his life hangs in the balance . What occurs now in the Supreme Court will determine whether Mumia will have a new jury trial or die at the hands of the executioner , '' Bryan said . Ten whites and two blacks made up the original jury panel that sentenced him to death . A three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals kept the murder conviction in place a year ago but ordered a new capital sentencing hearing . `` The jury instructions and the verdict form created a reasonable likelihood that the jury believed it was precluded from finding a mitigating circumstance that had not been unanimously agreed upon , '' Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica wrote in the 77-page opinion . The federal appeals court ultimately concluded that the jury was improperly instructed on how to weigh `` mitigating factors '' offered by the defense that might have kept Abu-Jamal off death row . Pennsylvania law at the time said jurors did not have to unanimously agree on a mitigating circumstance , such as the fact that Abu-Jamal had no prior criminal record . Months before that ruling , oral arguments on the issue were contentious . Faulkner 's widow and Abu-Jamal 's brother attended , and demonstrations on both sides were held outside the courtroom in downtown Philadelphia . If the Supreme Court refuses now to intervene on the sentencing issue , the city 's prosecutor would have to decide within six months whether to conduct a new death penalty sentencing hearing or allow Abu-Jamal to spend the rest of his life in state prison . Many prominent groups and individuals , including singer Harry Belafonte , the NAACP and the European Parliament , are cited on his Web site as supporters . Prosecutors have insisted that Abu-Jamal pay the price for his crimes and have aggressively resisted efforts to take him off death row for Faulkner 's murder . `` This assassination has been made a circus by those people in the world and this city who believe falsely that Mumia Abu-Jamal is some kind of a folk hero , '' Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said last year , when the federal appeals court upheld the conviction . `` He is nothing short of an assassin . '' The city has honored the fallen police officer with a street designation and a commemorative plaque placed at the spot where he was shot and killed . The officer 's widow , Maureen Faulkner , wrote a book two years ago about her husband and the case : `` Murdered by Mumia : A Life Sentence of Loss , Pain and Injustice . '' She writes that she was trying to `` definitively lay out the case against Mumia Abu-Jamal and those who 've elevated him to the status of political prisoner . '' | Mumia Abu-Jamal 's case has become an international cause . He has two appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court . Racism responsible for his conviction , death sentence , appeal says . Abu-Jamal convicted in 1981 killing of Philadelphia police officer . | [[863, 911], [417, 470], [912, 1006], [939, 1006], [1260, 1326], [2527, 2588], [514, 621], [514, 538], [553, 598]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Senate Wednesday approved a bill to put new rules in place for intelligence agency eavesdropping on suspected terrorists . Communication technologies like mobile phones have made the 1978 FISA bill out of date , supporters say . The bill also effectively protects telephone companies from being sued for cooperating with a government surveillance program launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington . The White House pushed hard for the provision , with a threat to veto the bill if it did not contain protection for phone companies . The vote was 69-28 , with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois voting in favor . Republican candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona was not present for the vote . President Bush said Wednesday afternoon he will sign the bill , calling it `` vital '' and `` long overdue . '' Watch Bush praise the new FISA bill '' The bill , formally known as the FISA Amendments Act , updates the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act . It will : . Opponents argued that the provision creating a judicial review of cases against the telecommunication companies is a sham . The bill essentially grants immunity to the telecommunication companies , the opponents said , because all of the telephone carriers received government certifications saying their participation in the program was legal . Obama was criticized for backing away from his early opposition to the bill by liberal bloggers and individuals commenting on his campaign Web site . Before voting for the bill , Obama voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Christopher Dodd , D-Connecticut , that would have stripped the language granting immunity to telecommunications companies . Civil liberties groups have vowed to fight the legislation in court . `` This fight is not over . We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law , '' Jameel Jaffer , director of the ACLU National Security Project , said in a statement issued minutes after the Senate approved the bill . `` The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans ' international telephone and e-mail communications . It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment . '' President Bush acknowledged in 2005 that he ordered the secretive National Security Agency to intercept communications between U.S. residents and people overseas suspected of having ties to terrorism . The administration says the program was authorized when Congress approved military action against al Qaeda after the 2001 attacks . CNN 's Pam Benson contributed to this report . | Bill updates Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 . Senate passes measure by a vote of 69-28 ; Bush says he will sign the bill . Bill updates eavesdropping rules to take into account technology changes . Civil liberties groups vows to fight bill in court . | [[932, 940], [987, 1043], [30, 156], [593, 611], [781, 842], [2004, 2067], [30, 156], [1751, 1820], [1849, 1925]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Roughly etched onto Brian 's arm is a swastika tattoo . Brian 's sinister-looking tattoo is etched into his skin . The 11-year-old says his 10-year-old friend Temashi spent two days `` scratching '' the image onto his skin with a match stick . It only hurt a little bit , said Brian , one of thousands of Zimbabwean children who have fled their ravaged homeland for what they hope will be a better life in South Africa . For Brian and his friend , the symbol of the swastika does not represent the horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust . Instead , they say the ominous jagged lines on their arms mean `` Germans never surrender . '' It is a twisted interpretation that , however misguided , gives strength to Brian , marking him as a `` man '' and `` someone who does not surrender , '' he said quietly in a soft voice . Watch the boys explain what the tattoos mean to them '' Brian and his young compatriots from Zimbabwe are on their own in a new country . Charities such as Save the Children and UNICEF classify them as `` unaccompanied minors , '' but those words do not begin to describe their situation . They endure unimaginable hardships traveling to South Africa by themselves or with small groups of friends . They hitch rides on trucks , trains and taxis . Brian and his friends told CNN that when they got to the South African border at Beitbridge authorities let them walk through without passports or other documents . They then made their way to the border town of Musina , where boys beg on the streets or work on farms , and girls seem to disappear into South African society . UNICEF representative Shantha Bloemen said many Zimbabwean girls either turn to prostitution or work as domestic servants . Nearly all of the children -- some younger than 10 -- leave Zimbabwe because they hope their life will be better in South Africa . They said hunger , non-functioning schools and poverty were the reasons they left . Many are orphans , while some have parents , but they all dislike Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe 's regime -- a government that has left them with no choice but to abandon their homes and join the exodus south . A quarter of Zimbabwe 's population has fled the country , mostly to neighboring South Africa , Botswana and Mozambique , humanitarian groups said . The United Nations and Save the Children , which has an office based in Musina , report there has been a troubling increase in the number of children under 18 years old who are making the risky journey south from their homes in Zimbabwe to South Africa in search of work and food . Social workers from Save the Children and UNICEF told CNN that in June , 175 Zimbabwean children came over the border illegally and alone . In November , 1,016 kids made the same perilous journey . The boys older than 16 hang around Musina , sleeping on the sidewalk by a sports stadium along with older homeless men . Their days are spent waiting in line , jostling alongside hundreds of Zimbabwean adults , trying to apply for political asylum at a makeshift center opened by South African authorities . A South African official who processes asylum applications says it is common for youngsters to lie about their age so they can get the papers to stay in the country legally . Many , though , can not get the necessary papers because they do not carry documentation or have adults who can vouch for who they are and where they come from . So , they wander the streets , begging for money . The younger ones like Brian are picked up by police and housed in a safe place until authorities and aid agencies can figure out what to do with them . While they wait for a future that never seems to arrive , boys like Brian and Temashi -- a legacy of Mugabe 's regime -- struggle to survive in the world they now find themselves in . | 25 percent of Zimbabwe 's population has fled the nation , humanitarian groups say . In November , 1,016 kids traveled to South Africa , social workers say . Most children say they leave due to hunger , poverty , non-functioning schools . Boys work in South African farms , beg on streets ; girls become prostitutes , maids . | [[2167, 2223], [2289, 2315], [321, 343], [348, 439], [2738, 2749], [2752, 2795], [1867, 1921], [1886, 1950], [1497, 1503], [1512, 1552], [1612, 1735]] |
CAMP ARIFJAN , Kuwait -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq with bombs believed linked to Iran -- known as explosively formed penetrators -LRB- EFPs -RRB- -- have risen sharply in January after several months of decline , according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq . Explosively formed penetrators are more sophisticated and deadlier than typical improvised explosive devices . Iraqi and U.S. officials indicated just a month ago that Iran was using its influence to improve security in Iraq by restraining cross-border weapons flow and militia activity . The U.S. military had said in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down . Gen. David Petraeus disclosed the reversal to reporters after a meeting with President Bush who was visiting troops in Kuwait . `` In this year , EFPs have gone up , actually , over the last 10 days by a factor of two or three , and frankly we 're trying to determine why that might be , '' Petraeus said . Petraeus did not say how many American troops have been killed or wounded by EFPs in recent days . The U.S. military announced nine troop deaths from bombings in the first 11 days of January , but the death announcements did not specify if EFPs were involved . EFPs are more sophisticated and deadlier than the typical improvised explosive devices -LRB- IED -RRB- used by insurgents as roadside bombs to attack convoys and foot patrols until last year . EFPs use components manufactured in Iran and militants are trained in Iran to use them , the U.S. military has said . President Bush , in remarks to reporters in Kuwait , said : `` Iran must stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces , and kidnap and kill Iraqi officials . '' The Bush administration and the military have long maintained that Iranian agents , particularly the Quds Force of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- have been arming and training Iraqi insurgents . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Emily Schultz contributed to this report . | U.S. military says January increase in bombs believed linked to Iran . Devices are known as EFPs -LRB- explosively formed penetrators -RRB- . Gen. Petraeus : EFPs increased by a factor of two or three over last 10 days . Bush administration , military say Iran arming , training Iraqi insurgents . | [[0, 12], [15, 37], [82, 111], [166, 236], [1515, 1543], [107, 111], [115, 171], [811, 828], [396, 481], [1515, 1543], [1742, 1950], [1809, 1898], [1902, 1950]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Since the early days of pop music , the music industry has been searching for the secret formula to writing a successful song -- for that special alchemy that separates a Grammy-winner from a dud . For a period in the 1970s and 80s , the self-styled King of Pop Michael Jackson seemed to have stumbled upon it , but somewhere along the line he , too , seems to have misplaced it . Hit Song Science claims to be able to predict whether a song will be a pop hit . But now a piece of software claims it can compute whether a song has chart-topping potential , and a number of record companies and musicians are using Hit Song Science -LRB- HSS -RRB- to gauge whether they have a hit on their hands . The software , developed by Barcelona-based Music Intelligence Solutions , works by breaking down more than 60 elements of a song , including melody , harmony , tempo , pitch , octave , beat , rhythm , fullness of sound , noise , brilliance and chord progression , and compares it against a database of over 3.5 million past commercial hits . The program organizes songs into clusters with similar-sounding equivalents and then rates the song on a scale of one to ten , with a score of 7.3 being deemed likely to do well in the music charts . Curiously , clusters of songs do not necessarily contain songs that sound the same to the human ear , but from a mathematical perspective they share similarities . HSS analyzed music from Norah Jones ' first album before she broke through and the program 's algorithms placed her in a cluster with Linkin Park , Aerosmith and JayZ . If you have ever wondered why you sometimes find yourself humming along to some smooth jazz on the radio when you consider yourself a strict thrash metal fan only , then perhaps HSS has discovered the scientific answer . Besides Norah Jones , the program also predicted success for Mika , while `` Turn Your Car Around , '' a song penned by Ben Novak , a singer-songwriter from New Zealand , was rated as a potential hit by HSS , who recommended it to Sony Music in the UK . It eventually ended up as a vehicle for ex-Blue band member Lee Ryan and scored a respectable UK chart position of 16 in 2005 . Record producer Carlos Quintero , director of Orixe and Jamm Records in Spain , believes that the software has a high accuracy rate . `` I was very skeptical when I was told about it for the first time , '' he says . `` I thought it was science fiction . `` But when we choose a tune for an artist and we like it and feel it will be a hit , the surprise is that 85 percent of the time the tracks we have chosen get a positive analysis from the software . '' The emergence of hit prediction programs such as this -- New York-based Platinum Blue Music Intelligence provides a similar service -- raises concerns that the creative element of writing music would be eroded by breaking it down into mathematical algorithms . But Quintero claims the program in no way writes a song , it simply tells you whether it has the potential to be a hit . He says he mainly uses the software to tweak and refine songs so that he can maximize his chances of scoring a high chart position . `` There was a particular case where we had to revise the song as at first it was n't completely right . Using the software , we managed to make it work , '' he explains . `` The problem with the software is that it can only indicate whether a song is suitable or not . It 's up to the producer , the technical team and the artist to make it suitable in the first place . '' Quintero has since become a member of Music Intelligence Solutions ' advisory board , so he is bound to have a positive take on the service . Jimena Llosa , General Manager EMEA of Music Intelligence Solutions , claims the company has thirty to forty clients in the record industry in Europe and the U.S. , but she says she can not reveal who they are , citing privacy issues . CNN attempted to contact several record companies in London , but A&R departments claimed they had not heard of the service , suggesting either a certain coyness to admit using it or that it is not as widely used as Music Intelligence claims . The software can also be used as a way of recommending new music to audiences . In Spain , cellular phone company Orange is using the technology in its New Talents enterprise . Listeners can enter in their favorite songs and the program will suggest songs they might enjoy according to its cluster system . Óscar Sainz is one musician who has profited from this new way of connecting musicians with an audience . A national tennis monitor by profession , he struggled to make an impact in the music industry despite the best efforts of Pablo Pinilla , one of Spain 's most successful music producers . But since the Orange initiative his career has taken off and he is now selling well through Orange and touring the country . `` A machine or at least mathematical or scientific formulas that could analyze the parameters that a song needs to be a hit ? The truth is I doubted it at first , '' he says . `` My first instinct was it must be a con . `` Do n't ask me what parameters they use , or formulas , or machines they use , because I do n't know . But it works . '' But the software has its skeptics . Jim Elliot , writer and producer of Kylie Minogue 's new single `` 2 Hearts '' is unconvinced about the accuracy of the program . He entered tracks from her new Album `` X '' and they were , unsurprisingly , rated as potential hits . But he also entered a little-known , unreleased , song by 70s band Gong that included cows mooing , and it was also rated as a potential chart-topper . He thinks that the program negates the unpredictability of human behavior . `` The fact is that it 's the human errors introduced in the music-making process that are always the most interesting , '' he says . `` Who would have thought Lily Allen would do so well ? I doubt anyone would have predicted that . `` It 's so hard to categorize music . There 's a real danger of doing that . If you are writing and producing music you can try to fit it to certain formulas but it 's so abstract that it has to be free -- and then something good will happen . '' With just one fifth of their musicians making a profit for today 's record companies , executives are always searching for new ways to narrow the risk margin . Hit Song Science may become a useful string in their bow in the elusive art of predicting a hit . Otherwise they will have to keep relying on tried and tested -- and more human -- methods , such as gut instinct . E-mail to a friend . | Barcelona company claims its software can tell if a song will be a pop hit . Hit Song Science analyzes song 's melody , harmony , tempo , beat . Software can not write hits , just predict whether they will find success . Company says A&R departments are using it to tweak tracks for the top . | [[400, 480], [400, 416], [424, 480], [489, 573], [716, 788], [985, 1058], [716, 788], [791, 978], [400, 480], [400, 416], [424, 480], [489, 573], [3043, 3104], [3035, 3037], [3084, 3167]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did n't do than by the ones you did do . So throw off the bowlines . Sail away from the safe harbor . Catch the trade winds in your sails . Explore . Dream . Discover . '' -- Mark Twain . Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner , whose expeditions have inspired others to seek adventure . Adventure comes to those who seek it . Some are born with an adventurous streak , an insatiable curiosity that can only be quelled through discovery , while others seek out adventures as a means of conquering the demons within : fear , boredom , stagnation , a sort of dry rot of the soul . We see adventurous people as being somehow different from ourselves : stronger , braver , tougher , fitter . They are versions of our best selves : the doers in life , the fearless , those who go over the mountain and come back to tell us what 's on the other side . While we may think the true adventurers are a species apart , we are all adventurers at heart -- yet sometimes the urge is stifled by modern life . The lust for adventure is planted in childhood . How many of us sat enthralled under the blankets as our parents read us the adventures of the Famous Five , `` Treasure Island , '' `` Where the Wild Things Are , '' `` The Swiss Family Robinson , '' `` Tarzan '' and `` Peter Pan '' ? Children weaned on such stories may be forgiven for assuming adulthood is one long adventure that swings wildly between jungles , swamps , deserted islands and alpine heights . Yet modern life is increasingly sedentary and safety-conscious . The desire for comfort and convenience ameliorates our contradictory urge to explore . A few have it thrust upon them : stranded in an inhospitable place , lost in a jungle or called up for combat -- and they find themselves dropped in an adventure that they may not have chosen ; but for the main part , adventure comes to those who seek it . Dr. James Thompson , a senior lecturer in psychology at University College London , says seeking adventure is more common `` amongst people who are extroverted , who are outgoing , who are sociable , because one of the things they need -- apart from the excitement of people -- is excitement generally . '' But if you think adventure is something that only happens to other people ; that you are too unfit to climb a mountain , too scared to sail across the open sea , too nervous to travel through a country where you ca n't speak the language ; perhaps you should rethink . After all , having an adventure could be good for you . Psychologists have linked adventure-seeking with a range of positive qualities . Adventure can : . Following the stories of this age 's greatest adventurers such as polar explorer Douglas Mawson , Everest climber Edmund Hillary and mountaineer Reinhold Messner , we are encouraged not just to follow their paths up mountains or along rock faces -- they also inspire us to take more risks , to seize more from each day . Who could fail to be inspired after watching CNN interview the world 's greatest living mountaineer , Reinhold Messner ? In 1980 , Messner was the first person to ascend Mount Everest alone without supplementary oxygen . Later , he crossed Antarctica on skis . He tells CNN anchor Becky Anderson : `` I 'm a normal person , a totally normal person , and I was really lucky in my life to have to have the opportunity to follow my dreams . So in the beginning I was a rock climber , and all my enthusiasm , my energy and my willpower went into rock climbing . '' Many young people are naturally adventurous -- throwing their energy and enthusiasm behind sport , hobbies and travel . Witness the explosion of school leavers taking gap years -LRB- a year off in between school and university or the workforce -RRB- , with the destinations becoming more and more exotic and activities accompanying the travel designed to expand their mind as well as their horizons . But later in life , we can wake up and find our lives leeched of adventure . We may be loaded down with a mortgage , kids or a demanding job . Adventure then becomes something we prefer to read about rather than live . We fall into the trap of the armchair traveler and become transfixed by all the journeys we did n't make . Instead of setting out on our own expeditions , we read Joe Simpson 's account of his near-death mountaineering experiences in `` Touching the Void . '' Or we follow Sebastian Junger 's account of wild sea adventures in `` The Perfect Storm . '' But while we are great armchair adventurers , a craving for the real thing can stir in us when we feel the need to change and shake things up . Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure . A survey released by the Adventure Travel Trade Association in March 2007 said today 's typical adventure traveler was `` female and fortyish . '' `` Women make up the majority of adventure travelers -LRB- 52 percent -RRB- worldwide , with the most common destination being South America , '' said the trade association . The survey of travelers from 35 countries also found that people aged 41 to 60 are the highest participating age group in adventure travel . A survey by YouGov in the UK has identified a new subset of British -- the Nifty Fifties . They 've had the responsible jobs and raised their children -- and now they want adventure . Tesco Life Insurance has noticed : `` They 've decided to take the five star version of the student gap year , encompassing all of the adventure with none of the discomforts . Neither burgeoning waistlines nor graying hair is going to hold them back . '' Some older people are inspired to seek adventure by their children 's gap year experiences . Others just want to spend their kids ' inheritances . In a survey of older people carried out by Tesco Life Insurance they compiled the Nifty Fifty wish list . Adventure is a common component to their aspirations , the most popular of which are noted below : . Tony Wheeler , one of the founders of guidebook giant `` Lonely Planet , '' is now an aging baby-boomer , yet he still pops up in Iran , a place that has recently dominated headlines the world over for all the wrong reasons . In a recent piece in UK newspaper The Observer , he also recommends holidays in North Korea , Iraq and Afghanistan . Messner now is 63 years old and although he no longer has the strength of his youth , he is still setting himself challenges . `` So my challenge today is this one -LRB- setting up a museum -RRB- , I will finish this one and afterwards I will invent a new challenge and it will be not on Everest and not in Antarctica it will be probably in a mental dimension because mentally we can go very far also in later years , '' he told CNN . But the yearning for adventure can strike at all ages . Dave Wroe , 33 , and Penny Bradfield , 28 , both gave up exciting jobs in the Australian media to travel . They are spending April and May in Iran and have already braved trekking in the Amazon , train travel across India , diving in Syria and traveling in Columbia . `` I see adventure as going beyond something you feel comfortable with . If you are uncomfortable going to the end of your street and you go beyond this , then you are being adventurous , '' said Wroe . Wroe has a point . You do n't have to emulate the deeds of Messner to be an adventurer . The spirit of adventure can infiltrate all areas of your life . You can infuse life 's `` ordinariness '' with an adventure : cooking a meal that you may not have tried before , walking to work on a different route , striking up conversation with someone at the office whom you perceive to be intimidating . Successfully pushing your natural boundaries can lead to increased confidence . `` The general things which determine whether you start being adventurous is your personality and your youth . But once you start noticing that you have been able to overcome a challenge , it becomes a reward in its own right , '' said Dr. Thompson . For Messner , adventure now takes place on the ground , with establishing a climbing museum and being elected a member of the European Parliament . Speaking to CNN with the mighty mountains behind him , there was a restless but playful look in his eyes . He said he was n't the type to sit around , drink beer and collect his pension in his old age . Adventure is so much a part of his life , it seems , that it is an urge that can only be extinguished by death . And so while the strength in his body diminishes , the adventures will take place in his mind . Messner is an extraordinary man , and while most of us would struggle to climb Everest with or without oxygen , we can still emulate his spirit of adventure in our daily lives . | Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner has inspired others to seek adventure . Psychologist Dr. James Thompson says adventurers tend to be more extroverted . Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure . Insurers say `` Nifty Fifties '' are seeking adventures once the kids have left home . | [[285, 321], [324, 382], [2939, 2943], [2949, 2978], [5372, 5397], [1959, 1977], [2043, 2098], [4689, 4750], [4751, 4894], [4830, 4894], [5073, 5114], [5120, 5213], [5372, 5397], [5653, 5745], [5653, 5670], [5684, 5745]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Russian naval ship rescued a Dutch container vessel under attack by suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden , the head of the International Maritime Bureau said Wednesday . The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Sirius Star was recently released by pirates off Somalia . Two or three pirate speedboats were chasing the Dutch ship , with the goal of boarding it , when the Russians intervened , said Capt. Pottengal Mukundan , director of the International Maritime Bureau in London . He said the pirates fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the Dutch ship , but no injuries were reported . The incident occurred about midday Tuesday . The Russians chased one of the speedboats but the pirates got away , Mukundan said . He said he did not know where the Dutch ship was headed . `` It is important that the naval vessels continue to respond robustly to these pirates , '' he said . Watch how attacks peaked in 2008 '' Hijackings off the coast of East Africa have become a growing international concern , prompting a number of foreign navies to patrol the Gulf of Aden and neighboring coastal areas . The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea . About 20,000 oil tankers , freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route near Somalia each year . Most of the attacks are blamed on pirates based in largely lawless Somalia , a country racked by poverty and conflict . Watch CNN 's exclusive interview with a pirate . According to the United Nations , there were 115 reported pirate attacks off the Somali coast in 2008 , including 46 successful hijackings . Read blog on how CNN contacted a pirate . The troubling rise in Somali piracy has led the United Nations to step up efforts to tackle the crime . The first U.N. group to address piracy met Wednesday in New York . Mark Kimmitt , U.S. assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs chaired the `` contact group '' of two dozen nations and five multi-national organizations . He said the group was formed to `` establish a counter-piracy coordination mechanism , '' and the members believe more can be done to halt piracy . Still , Kimmitt noted that less than one percent of manifests off the Somali coast are attacked by pirates and only 50 percent of those have crew and passengers taken hostage . The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution in December expanding counter-piracy measures off the Horn of Africa , including a stipulation that allows national and regional military forces to chase pirates onshore in Somalia when in `` hot pursuit . '' | NEW : First United Nations group to address piracy meets in New York . Two or three speedboats were chasing the Dutch container ship , IMB says . IMB : The pirates fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the Dutch ship . Hijackings off East Africa have led international navies to patrol the Gulf of Aden . | [[1773, 1811], [1773, 1839], [307, 365], [520, 593], [955, 1038], [955, 994], [1041, 1136]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. Navy released nine of the 16 suspected pirates it was holding on a ship for the last few weeks , according to defense officials . The U.S. Navy apprehends suspected pirates February 12 in the Gulf of Arden . The pirates were released because the Navy did not have enough evidence to hand them over to Kenya for prosecution in court , in accordance with a recent agreement between the United States and Kenya , the officials explained . The nine were brought into Somali waters and then handed over to the Puntland coast guard . Puntland is the self-proclaimed Somali state that includes the point of the horn of Africa . The suspected pirates were detained by the Navy after the captain of the Indian-flagged ship Premdivya broadcast a distress call to all ships in the area that it had come under attack by a small boat . The Navy saw a small boat meeting the description given by the Premdivya , and the occupants were detained and moved to the nearby USS Vella Gulf , where they were held . | Navy did n't have evidence to hand suspected pirates to Kenya for prosecution . Nine people were brought into Somali waters , handed to coast guard . Suspected pirates were detained after a captain broadcast a distress call . Captain said he was under attack by pirates in small boat . | [[247, 446], [30, 85], [475, 515], [475, 483], [520, 566], [169, 246], [660, 762], [729, 813], [805, 813], [822, 861]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Attackers in a Taliban-controlled area of Pakistan shot and tried to behead a Pakistani journalist on Wednesday , according to his employer GEO TV . Mosa Khankhel was reporting for GEO TV when he was killed . The slain correspondent , Mosa Khankhel , had been covering the recent peace deal between the Pakistani government and Taliban militants in Swat Valley when he was killed , GEO TV managing director Azhar Abbas said . `` He is the first martyr of this peace deal , '' Abbas said , adding that he believes it is unlikely the deal will end the campaign of violence that has centered in Swat . Khankhel was traveling in a caravan with Sufi Mohammed , who was leading the peace deal negotiations for the Taliban , when he went missing , Abbas said . His body was found about an hour later . He had been shot three times and his killers had attempted to cut off his head . Abbas called on Pakistan 's government to fully investigate the killing of Khankhel , who was the network 's correspondent based in North West Frontier Province as part of GEO TV 's Peshawar bureau . His death comes a day after Pakistan 's government recognized the Taliban 's interpretation of sharia , or Islamic law , in the entire Malakand Division , which includes Swat and its surrounding district . Watch questions raised by Khankhel 's death '' The agreement marked a major concession by Pakistan in its attempt to hold off Taliban militants who have terrorized the region with beheadings , kidnappings , death threats , and the destruction of girls ' schools . The regional government in the Swat valley struck the deal to allow sharia law , in return the Taliban agreed to a 10-day cease fire . The Taliban control of Swat -- which is about 100 miles northwest of Islamabad -- is the deepest advance by militants into Pakistan 's settled areas , which are located outside its federally administered tribal region along the border with Afghanistan . The peace deal is the latest attempt by Pakistan 's civilian government -- which took power last year -- to achieve peace through diplomacy in areas where Taliban and al Qaeda leaders are believed to have free rein . But analysts as well as critics within the establishment have warned that Pakistan 's previous dealings with the Taliban have only given the fundamentalist Islamic militia time to regroup and gain more ground . Khadim Hussain , a professor Bahria University in Islamabad who studies Pakistani politics , said the government has set the stage for two contradictory , parallel states in North West Frontier Province . `` If you leave them like that and you give ... a semblance of peace in a particular area , what does that mean ? '' Hussain said . `` It means you 're capitulating . It means you 're surrendering the state to them . It means your submitting the state authority to them because they are running a parallel state . '' He said the government 's decision amounts to a marriage of convenience made under duress . Swat has been overrun by forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah 's banned hardline Islamic group , Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi -LRB- TNSM -RRB- which has allied itself with Taliban fighters . TNSM was once led by Sufi Mohammed , Fazlullah 's father-in-law , who is leading the latest negotiations . Sufi Mohammed was released from jail last year by Pakistani authorities after he agreed to cooperate with the government . He was jailed in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan . Fazlullah took over TNSM during Sufi Mohammed 's jail stint and vowed to continue his fight to impose fundamentalist Islamic law in the region . Last May , Pakistan 's government announced it reached a peace deal with militants in Swat Valley . In the months that have followed , the Taliban have seized control of the region and carried out a violent campaign against government officials , including local politicians . The head of the secular Awami National Party -- which represents the region -- was forced to flee to Islamabad amid death threats from the Taliban . Pakistan is under enormous pressure to control the militants within its borders , blamed for launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting militants . The United States -- using unmanned drones -- has carried out several airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected militant targets , including one on Monday that killed at least 15 people , Pakistani sources said . Such airstrikes , which sometimes result in civilian casualties , have aggravated tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan . Pakistan 's military operation in the region is unpopular among Pakistanis , but efforts to deal diplomatically with militants have not worked in the past . Pakistan 's previous leader , Gen. Pervez Musharraf , reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and Taliban a stronger foothold in the region . CNN 's Stan Grant contributed to this report . | Journalist for Pakistan 's GEO TV killed in Taliban-area of the country . GEO says Mosa Khankhel was shot and his attackers tried to behead him . Khankhel was traveling with Taliban lead negotiator when he went missing . Incident happened in Swat where Pakistan-Taliban agreed to allow sharia law . | [[189, 248], [12, 36], [100, 151], [864, 915], [675, 695], [700, 755]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hundreds of militants , believed to be foreign fighters , launched attacks on various military check posts in Pakistan 's border with Afghanistan Saturday night and early Sunday morning , military officials said . A Pakistan soldier on patrol last fall against militants on the border of the Mohmand agency district . The ensuing fighting left 40 militants and six Pakistan soldiers dead , said military spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas . `` This is one of the largest attacks we have seen , '' Abbas said . The attacks occurred at checkposts and military camps in the Mohmand agency , part of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas where U.S. and Pakistani officials have reported a presence of militants . Abbas said the fighters crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan , and used rocket launchers and machine guns in their attacks . They have since been repelled , he said . Pakistan and Afghanistan share a porous 1,500-mile border . In recent months , Afghan officials have blamed militants operating from havens in the lawless tribal regions of Pakistan of sneaking into their country and attacking security personnel . Pakistan has repeatedly denied involvement and bristled at the accusation , saying that Afghan lawmakers were making allegations without proof . Abbas ' Sunday comments reverse those allegations , with Pakistan now blaming militants from Afghanistan attacking inside its soil . | Attacks occurred at checkposts and military camps in the Mohmand agency . 40 militants , six Pakistani soldiers killed in fighting , Pakistan says . Militants crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan , official says . | [[12, 36], [98, 168], [542, 617], [358, 427], [751, 813], [980, 996], [999, 1167], [1370, 1445]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kyrgyzstan 's president signed a bill Friday to close an air base that the U.S. military uses as a route for troops and supplies heading into Afghanistan , the president announced on his Web site . Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan serves as a U.S. supply route for troops and supplies into Afghanistan . The news came as two other central Asian nations -- Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- reportedly agreed to let U.S. cargo pass through their countries on the way to Afghanistan . Such deals , if confirmed , could help fill the void left by the closing of the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan . The Kyrgyz order became effective on Friday when President Kurmanbek Bakiyev reportedly signed legislation that the parliament in Bishkek backed on Thursday , the Pentagon said . Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry on Friday officially notified the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek that a 180-day withdrawal process is under way . Embassy spokeswoman Michelle Yerkin told CNN the United States hopes to retain the base . Officials in Washington and Bishkek signed a deal three years ago allowing the United States to renew the arrangement annually through July 2011 . `` We do remain in contact with the government of Kyrgyzstan , '' Yerkin said . `` The Manas Air Base continues to operate under existing agreements , as per the coalition 's efforts in Afghanistan . '' U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday the United States will continue to work with Kyrgyzstan on keeping the base open . Watch why Kyrgyzstan wants to close the base '' `` I continue to believe that this is not a closed issue and that there remains the potential at least to reopen this issue with the Kyrgyz and perhaps reach a new agreement , '' Gates said at a NATO meeting in Krakow , Poland . `` If we are unable to do that on reasonable terms then , as I have suggested , we are developing alternative methods to get resupply and people into Afghanistan . '' The Manas Air Base outside Bishkek is the only U.S. base in Central Asia and is a major resupply hub for the war in Afghanistan . Its closing could deal a significant blow to the U.S. military effort there , especially following President Barack Obama 's announcement of additional troops to halt a resurgence of the country 's former Taliban rulers . The United States pays $ 17.4 million a year to use Manas , a major logistical and refueling center that supports troops in Afghanistan , the Pentagon said . About 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo reportedly move through Manas monthly , it said . The air base currently employs more than 1,000 servicemen , 95 percent of whom are Americans , Russia 's Interfax news agency reported . `` This is an important facility , it has been an important facility , but it 's not irreplaceable and , if necessary , we will find other options , '' Whitman said . How far is Manas from Afghanistan ? View our map '' Tajikistan and Uzbekistan , two other Central Asian nations that border Afghanistan , have agreed to allow U.S. cargo to be transported to Afghanistan through their countries , the Russian news agency Interfax reported Friday . The agency said Rear Adm. Mark Harnitchek , U.S. transportation command director for strategy , policy , programs and logistics , held a meeting with Tajik Foreign Minister Kharokhon Zarifi , after which he said he had also secured Uzbekistan 's consent . A Tajik government statement said only that the two sides discussed the issue , but a spokesman for the Tajik foreign ministry told CNN that `` practically all issues '' to allow U.S. cargo transit through the country have been resolved . If confirmed , success would still depend on how much access the United States would have to those countries for flights and cargo , and even then , it may not totally replace the capacity lost in Kyrgyzstan . U.S. General David Petraeus , who oversees the war in Afghanistan , was in Uzbekistan this week for talks on Afghanistan and other regional issues . A Pentagon spokesman told CNN that his discussions included the regional supply network into Afghanistan . The U.S. military leased a base in Uzbekistan after the September 11 , 2001 , attacks on the United States . But after Uzbek troops were accused of killing at least 150 people during a demonstration in 2005 , the autocratic government of President Islam Karimov came under criticism from Washington and severed most of its military ties with the United States . | Tajikistan , Uzbekistan may allow U.S. military supplies heading to Afhanistan . Kyrgyzstan president completes next step towards closure of U.S. base . The U.S. says it 's still working with the country to keep the operation open . The Manas base is used to transport key supplies and troops into Afghanistan . | [[2929, 2954], [2957, 2980], [3001, 3103], [1396, 1526], [1437, 1526], [0, 15], [19, 29], [43, 147], [50, 172], [217, 318], [1971, 2005], [2048, 2100], [2383, 2422], [2428, 2458]] |
SEOUL , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun signed an eight-point peace agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Thursday at a summit in Pyongyang , North Korea . The leaders pledged to work toward forging a permanent peace treaty between their nations , which ended the 1950-1953 war with a cease-fire . The Koreas have remained technically at war for 54 years . The armistice was signed July 27 , 1953 . `` South and North Korea agree on -LSB- the -RSB- need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace , '' the fourth point of the agreement says . In addition , the two sides will push `` for a declaration of the ending of the Korean War in cooperation with neighboring nations . '' `` If there is nuclear disarmament , and if the peace treaty moves forward , I believe that the Cold War era will end and there will really be reunification and peace between the two countries , '' Roh said in a speech to government officials that was nationally televised on his return home . `` Any conflicting issues , we said we would talk about it . And we said that we would work together , '' Roh said . `` I do n't think there will be problems in the future . '' U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the agreement `` a major step forward to enhance inter-Korean cooperation as well as peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia . '' `` The United Nations stands ready to provide assistance as may be required , in cooperation with the international community , '' Ban said in a statement issued by his office . Roh admitted that after arriving in the North Korean capital and meeting Kim , he was so worried that he could n't sleep that night . `` I can say simply -LSB- that -RSB- we were able to communicate . Things went better , '' said Roh . On Tuesday , Roh became the first South Korean leader to walk across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone between the two countries . His predecessor , Kim Dae-jung , flew to Pyongyang for the first Korean leader summit in 2000 . Roh said one of the most important aspects of the talks was an agreement to designate a joint fishing area and economic zone along the disputed western sea border , where there were bloody naval clashes in 1999 and 2002 . `` We believe the north-south summit went a step further and confirmed what is happening in the six-nation talks , '' Roh said . The United States , North Korea , China , Japan , Russia and South Korea are involved in nuclear agreements made earlier in the year that will lead to the disabling of North Korea 's nuclear facilities . On Wednesday , Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said that a U.S. team , including technical experts , will head to North Korea next week , after the communist country agreed to begin the process . The experts will make it difficult to restart a nuclear program by sealing North Korea 's main nuclear facility and removing certain components that would not be easy to replace . The goal in the next phase , Hill said , is complete dismantlement , but that could take up to five years . The reconciliation pact also calls for North and South Korean leaders to meet often for discussions on `` pending issues . '' That pact stipulates that there will be a meeting between Korean prime ministers in Seoul in November . Military ministers for the two Koreas will meet in Pyongyang on Friday . Among the long list of agreements made during the summit are expanded economic cooperation and a proposed exchange of video letters between families separated by the divided Korean peninsula . Roh and Kim opened formal talks Wednesday at the first summit between the divided countries in seven years . Hundreds of North Koreans cheered Roh 's arrival at the April 25 Hall of Culture in downtown Pyongyang on Tuesday , waving large spikes of KimJongilia , the brilliant pink flower named for North Korea 's reclusive leader . The two leaders shook hands during a short opening ceremony . The meeting with Kim Jong Il , announced in early August , was initially scheduled for the end of that month but was postponed after massive flooding in Pyongyang . The Koreas summit also comes in the final months of Roh 's scandal-ridden term , and some analysts suspect the South Korean leader is hoping the Pyongyang meeting will boost his sagging approval ratings and help position his party in the upcoming elections against the conservative opposition . The 2000 summit , part of Kim Dae-jung 's policy of engagement with North Korea , paved the way for his Nobel Peace Prize awarded that same year . But South Korean investigators later revealed that Kim Dae-jung paid hundreds of millions of dollars to secure the meeting , the first between Stalinist North Korea and capitalist South Korea . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-ae contributed to this report . | North , South Korea agree on need to `` establish permanent peace '' Pact calls for North , South Korean leaders to meet often on `` pending issues '' Also discussed was an exchange of video letters between separated families . Military ministers for the two Koreas will meet in Pyongyang on Friday . | [[203, 292], [449, 485], [486, 495], [534, 559], [3111, 3134], [3140, 3233], [3414, 3447], [3471, 3562], [3341, 3413]] |
SEOUL , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- From TVs to handsets , LG Electronics is on a mission -- to become a top three player in the global electronics industry . Yong Nam , CEO of LG Electronics . Leading the campaign is CEO Yong Nam who took on the top job in January . CNN 's Andrew Stevens met him at the LG headquarters in Seoul , where he showed off the latest Viewty camera phone . While Nam hopes this gadget will boost market share , he 's also on a bigger quest to shake up the South Korean company 's corporate culture . Yong Nam : I try to empower , rather than make decisions . I think frontline people that know customers better can make better decisions . I just try to keep pushing authority downwards instead of upwards . Andrew Stevens : You have been 30 years , more or less , with LG Electronics , what are the most important business lessons you have learnt during that time ? Yong Nam : Earlier in my career I was deeply engaged in selling of electronic products in the U.S. market , where I was able to put myself in customers ' shoes rather than manufactures ' shoes . And that was a great experience for me to understand the frontline and customers . And secondly I spent more than 10 years in the chairman 's office , so that gave me a great opportunity to learn top management perspective , as well as problem solving capabilities . Andrew Stevens : You 've pledged to make LG Electronics a more inspirational place to work . Now with 82,000 employees what do you mean by that and how do you do it ? Yong Nam : In a very hierarchical , bureaucratic and big company culture and working environment , people try to hide issues and problems instead of raising and solving them . I try to get people engaged -- I call it waste elimination activities . If it is solved it can turn into a treasure , so there are so many treasures in the process of doing every day work among our people , and I try to encourage them to be engaged in finding out that waste . Andrew Stevens : Obviously you are a fluent English speaker , how important is it for a business leader to have a second language , to have those language skills ? Yong Nam : Just Korean talent itself is not sufficient enough , so I have to attract a best in class global talent into our organization , so that they can feel comfortable working in this environment . This means that English has to be a common language in our company going forward . So me speaking English is very , very important to encourage people to speak out with bad English instead of good Korean . E-mail to a friend . | CNN 's Andrew Stevens talks to CEO of LG Electronics , Yong Nam . He became CEO in January , 2007 , has been with the company since 1976 . Nam believes speaking English is very important in the company . | [[271, 332], [205, 270]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Barack Obama 's election as president of the United States wo n't see a change in American relations with the Taliban , a senior Taliban leader in Pakistan says . A Taliban leader says Barack Obama 's election will bring little change . `` For us , the change of America 's president -- we do n't have any good faith in him , '' said Muslim Khan , a grizzled Taliban spokesman who is one of the most wanted men in Pakistan , in a rare interview with CNN . `` If he does anything good , it will be for himself . '' With an assault rifle on his lap , Khan answered 10 written questions , sharing his view on a range of topics from slavery to Obama 's middle name -- Hussein . He spoke in the remote Swat Valley of northwestern Pakistan , the site of frequent and fierce clashes between Pakistani troops and Taliban and al Qaeda militants . There was no opportunity for follow-up questions . Khan said Obama 's election may change conditions for black Americans . `` The black one knows how much the black people are discriminated against in America and Europe and other countries , '' he said . `` For America 's black people , it could be that there will be a change . That era is coming . '' He said he doubted Obama 's victory would lead to changes in relations between the United States and the Taliban . Watch the Taliban spokesman on Barack Obama '' U.S. forces dislodged the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan shortly after the September 11 , 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington . America and its allies have battled the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan ever since , with fighting spreading across the border into Pakistan . `` American should take its army out of the country , '' Khan said . `` They are considered terrorists . '' Obama has minced no words in describing how he would administer U.S. policy toward the Islamic extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan . When he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in August , Obama pledged to `` finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban . '' And the president-elect included a blunt warning in remarks on the evening of his election victory : `` To those who would tear the world down , '' he said , `` we will defeat you . '' Khan noted that Obama 's middle name was fairly common in the Muslim world , referring to him at times as `` Hussein Barack Obama . '' `` If he behaves in the way of a real Hussein , then he has become our brother , '' he said . `` If Barack Obama pursues the same policies as Bush and behaves like Bush ... then he can not be Hussein . He can only be Obama . '' | Taliban leader : We have no faith in Barack Obama . Taliban not expecting change in relationship with U.S. Obama has committed himself to defeating the Taliban and al Qaeda . | [[203, 276], [327, 363], [1347, 1393], [12, 36], [99, 157], [1232, 1346], [1240, 1346], [1926, 1991], [1994, 2065]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people and injured 70 -- many of them women -- during a Shia pilgrimage in northwestern Baghdad Sunday , Iraqi officials told CNN . Pilgrims , pictured above , have gathered to celebrate the Shia holy period of Ashura . The dead included at least 16 Iranians who had come to mark the Shia holy period of Ashura , which commemorates a central event in the history of the movement . At least 32 Iranians were among the wounded . The other casualties were Iraqi , an Interior Ministry official said . The bomber was a woman wearing an abaya , a robe-like dress , said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta , military spokesman for Fardh al-Qanoon , an interagency domestic security body . She seems to have been targeting women , Atta and an interior ministry source said . The Interior Ministry official declined to be identified . The attack appears to be the single deadliest suicide bombing in Iraq since a bomber killed 47 people in Kirkuk in December 11 . It took place in Baghdad 's Kadhimiya neighborhood , not far from the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim holy shrine . Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are expected in Baghdad and the southern Iraqi city of Karbala for Ashura , which falls on January 7 this year . Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein , the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad . He was killed in battle in Karbala in 680 , one of the events that helped create the schism between Sunnis and Shiites , the two main Muslim religious movements . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq in Baghdad contributed to this report . | Suicide bomber kills at least 40 people and injures 70 in Baghdad . Dead included many Iranians who were marking Shia holy period of Ashura . The bomber was a woman wearing an abaya , a robe-like dress , official says . | [[10, 30], [34, 76], [10, 30], [81, 107], [202, 210], [222, 289], [290, 328], [308, 328], [333, 380], [568, 607]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A string of bombings around Iraq 's capital has killed eight people , including three Iraqi soldiers who died when their weapons truck was hit , and wounded at least 32 , the country 's Interior Ministry said . Blood stains the ground following the explosion of an IED on Kahramana Square in Baghdad on January 12 . The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the Yarmouk district of western Baghdad about 10:15 a.m. -LRB- 0715 GMT -RRB- on Monday . The blast also set off small arms ammunition loaded on the truck . Four civilians were wounded in the attack . Separately , three civilians died when a car bomb went off outside a bakery in the eastern district of New Baghdad , followed shortly by another car bomb . Ten people were wounded , an Interior Ministry official told CNN . In central Baghdad , two civilians died in roadside bomb attacks -- one near Kahramana Square and the other targeting a police patrol in the Sheikh-Omar commercial area . A total of seven people , including three police officers , were wounded in those incidents . Two other roadside bombs went off near police patrols in neighborhoods on opposite sides of the city -- the Ghazaliya neighborhood in western Baghdad and the Zayuna district on the city 's east side . There were no fatalities in either attack , but 11 people -- including one police officer in Ghazaliya and three in Zayuna -- were wounded . The attacks came as U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Monday met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad . Biden -- who had been the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- has been on a foreign visit that included stops in Pakistan and Afghanistan . Barack Obama , the incoming U.S. president , is planning to shift the military focus in the region to fighting militants in Afghanistan , while withdrawing all but a residual force of troops from Iraq . The U.S. military said two of its troops died as a result of non-combat-related injuries on Sunday . One soldier died in northern Iraq and a U.S. Marine in western Iraq . Five U.S. troops have died in Iraq this month , and 4,225 since the war started . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report . | The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in western Baghdad on Monday . Separately , three civilians died when a car bomb went off in the city 's east . Attacks came as U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden met with Iraq 's president . U.S. military says two troops have died as a result of non-combat-related injuries . | [[114, 134], [139, 176], [258, 349], [350, 486], [2009, 2078], [598, 608], [611, 712], [1428, 1493], [1448, 1546], [1908, 2008], [1931, 2008]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Although President-elect Barack Obama will become the next commander-in-chief in just two weeks , several key issues remain to be resolved regarding the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq and the buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan . A U.S. soldier patrols in a village north of Kabul , Afghanistan , last month . A closed-door meeting Monday at the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. David Petraeus -- who is in charge of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- ended with no consensus on troop plans for either country , several top U.S. military officials told CNN . The officials , who did not want to be identified because the meeting was private , all offered CNN similar accounts of the discussions . In addition , a review of the Afghanistan war strategy being conducted by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen is also incomplete and has not been approved by the Joint Chiefs . That review , according to one official , will not be finished until the Obama administration is in office . The Monday meeting was polite , one official said , but also interesting and intense . A second official described the discussion as lively and said it ranged further than originally anticipated . The session was held in the `` tank , '' a secure meeting room inside the Pentagon reserved for some of the most sensitive and classified conversations by top officials . It was called to discuss yet again how the drawdown of troops in Iraq could be scheduled so that more troops could be sent to Afghanistan -- an issue that the chiefs have struggled to resolve for months . According to the officials , a 10-page plan from the U.S. Central Command calls for a very gradual drawdown between now and the end of 2011 , when all U.S. troops are supposed to be out of Iraq under the terms of a recent agreement between the two countries . But Petraeus and other top U.S. commanders in Iraq are reluctant to agree to any specific drawdowns of units more than six months ahead of time because of the uncertain security situation and the upcoming elections in Iraq , according to a second official . `` The real debate is over the timing and risk of drawing down troops in Iraq , '' the second official said . That decision is considered a vital first step . Military officials have long said the Pentagon needs to have some assurance of drawdowns over the next year in order to free up enough troops to send more units to Afghanistan , where commanders are asking for up to 30,000 additional troops . The Marine Corps is continuing to press its position that several thousand Marines could be withdrawn from Iraq in the coming months , with their replacements going to Afghanistan instead . The current calculation is that the full complement of troops for Afghanistan could not be completely sent until sometime next year or in 2011 . Some commanders in Afghanistan say that 's too late , given the deteriorating security situation there . Once in office , Obama is expected to ask commanders to develop a plan for a 16-month drawdown , as he promised during his campaign for the White House . It 's not clear if the Joint Chiefs and Petraeus will recommend that there is unacceptable risk in the quicker drawdown option . The second official also emphasized that even though Washington and Baghdad have agreed that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq by 2011 , there is a general private understanding by both sides that some U.S. troops could remain there or in neighboring Kuwait to provide help in key areas such as training , securing borders and providing airlift capabilities . Obama has also said he wants a residual force to remain in Iraq . | Joint Chiefs of Staff , Gen. David Petraeus hold closed-door meeting . Officials say meeting ended with no consensus on troop plans . Discussions deal with pulling troops out of Iraq , beefing up forces in Afghanistan . Obama , once in office , is expected to ask for plan on Iraq troop drawdown . | [[343, 442], [499, 556], [343, 442], [499, 556], [128, 146], [154, 262], [1413, 1504], [1452, 1553], [1452, 1553], [2978, 2992], [2995, 3072]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The heady days of New York epitomized by Wall Street excess and rampant wealth may seem a far-flung memory , but the city still retains its buzz , its high-octane spirit that is the essence of its magical personality as a place where anything can happen . The original 24 hour city , but still the best ? You can turn a trip to NYC into anything you want it to be . New York remains firmly in first place as the world 's 24 hour city , with nearly anything accessible at any hour . There is a frustratingly vast number of sights to see , places to eat , shopping , partying and serious cultural gems dotted throughout the place . So many films , books , television shows and musicians have personified New York that it 's hard not to feel you already know it before you arrive . While many of those stereotypes ring true , entering the city -- whether the first or twentieth time -- with an open mind will make each visit seem an adventure . At first , the glittering , noisy and even rude aspect of the city may send timid visitors running . Look below the surface and you may see more than just shimmering skyscrapers and neatly manicured inhabitants but a multifarious bunch of people somehow co-existing astonishing well within the city 's grid structure . Despite their sometimes alarming candor , New Yorkers are as much a part of the city 's entertainment as catching a Broadway show . A starting point for 24 hours in the city should begin with breakfast or brunch New York style : eggs -LRB- however you 'd like -RRB- and some good strong coffee to charge you up for the day . Almost every corner of Manhattan has a local diner , otherwise head downtown to breakfast stalwarts Bubby 's or Kitchenette in Tribeca , or more recent favorite New French in the West Village . Continue south to Lower Manhattan , with an excursion on the free , 25-minute -LRB- each way -RRB- Staten Island ferry . The views of downtown , the Statue of Liberty , and Ellis Island give a closer glimpse of what it must have been like to arrive in the city as an immigrant in days past . Next head up to lively Chinatown to shop and bargain for knock-off designer handbags and various tat around Canal Street . If feeling peckish , have dim sum at New Green Bo Restaurant , known for its no-frills decor and delicious dumplings . Or continue on to Nolita -LRB- via Little Italy -RRB- to lunch at cool , low-key Café Gitane , or in SoHo at the beautiful French restaurant Balthazar -LRB- often a hangout of celebs -RRB- . Shoppers will want to save time for the boutiques of Nolita and the higher-end designer shops in SoHo . If strolling is your thing , do n't miss the opportunity to wander the leafy , village-like streets of the West Village . Loads of tiny boutiques -LRB- many of which have gone high-end in years past -RRB- , inviting sidewalk cafes and the general laid-back style of the place seem the perfect antidote to otherwise hectic areas of town . Art enthusiasts should head straight to West Chelsea next , where there are enough galleries to spend several days . The Chelsea Gallery District is home to New York 's contemporary art scene and sits over near the Hudson River , spanning several streets going north . Outdoor lovers will also be enticed to the West Chelsea neighborhood as the New York High Line is opening in June 2009 . The former elevated railroad has been converted into a park including floating ponds , sundecks and lookout spots over the Hudson River and Manhattan . One of the city 's most exciting recent projects , the public park will span 22 blocks -LRB- once it 's all open in 2010 -RRB- , a huge accomplishment after many locals fought for years to turn it into green space . After a rest in the park , take in Midtown for its neck-wrenching skyscrapers . Admire the Chrysler Building , the city 's homage to art deco , and gape up at the city 's tallest building , the Empire State Building . Stop in Grand Central Terminal , taking note of its Beaux Arts beauty and its constellation-inspired ceiling , where you may have time to sneak a drink in the tucked away , wood-paneled Campbell Apartment bar . Then admire the nineteen buildings comprising Rockefeller Center , before glimpsing at St. Patrick 's Cathedral across the street . -LRB- Shoppers beware : the temptations of Fifth Avenue shops and department stores may pull you off schedule here -RRB- . If your feet can still keep up the pace , stroll up to Central Park , for a glimpse of New Yorkers oasis of green . A variety of activities in the park will amuse you , from sporty rollerbladers dancing around to the peaceful Conservatory Gardens where you can rest . Cultural buffs should head up the park 's east side to the Metropolitan Museum of Art . It could easily command several hours if not days , but if short on time choose one section . All nearby , the Frick Collection , Guggenheim Museum and Whitney Museum are each possible on their own in an hour or two . Time for a tea or coffee break ? Visit the pretty Viennese Café Sabarsky inside the Neue Galerie , or stop in for a chi-chi cocktail at the Carlyle Hotel nearby . For a classic New York dining experience in an elegant setting , end the perfect New York day at Gramercy Tavern before retiring to a nearby bar for a nightcap . Otherwise , if a Broadway show is on the agenda , visit Times Square by night , taking in the dazzling lights and mayhem of New York 's entertainment district . For cheap theater tickets , visit either the TKTS booth in Times Square at 47th Street and Broadway , or call ahead to the selected theater to see if last-minute `` rush '' tickets are available . Another option , head downtown to hear some jazz in Greenwich Village at the Village Vanguard or the Blue Note , or take in some drinks in one of many of New York 's watering holes . A few favorites include Simone Martini Bar in the East Village , Sunita in the Lower East Side or Epistrophy in Nolita . | The original 24-hour city has plenty of offer for first - or tenth-time visitors . Fuel up for the day with a typical NYC breakfast and head to lower Manhattan . Mid-town sights and shopping can provide plenty to delight and distract . It remains an international city where you can make your own adventures . | [[1412, 1506], [1605, 1798], [1658, 1739], [1799, 1832], [4285, 4306], [4309, 4399]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The family of a woman who faces charges of killing an 8-year-old playmate of her daughter 's said Sunday the accusations are `` completely out of character . '' The Tracy , California , family offered their prayers to the victim 's family . Melissa Huckaby was charged with kidnapping and murder in the death of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu . `` We are deeply saddened by the loss of this beautiful girl , '' said a man who would not give his name , identifying himself only as a relative of suspect Melissa Huckaby , 28 . He was referring to Sandra Cantu , who was last seen alive March 27 in the mobile home park where she lived with her family -- the same mobile home park where Huckaby lives with her own 5-year-old daughter . The two children were close friends and played together frequently , Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said . Sandra 's body was found Monday , stuffed into a suitcase and submerged in a pond at a dairy farm . Huckaby was arrested late Friday after she was questioned by police . She faces kidnapping and murder charges in Sandra 's death . Watch police discuss the arrest '' Sheneman told reporters Saturday he `` could n't begin to theorize '' a motive . Family members went to visit Huckaby in jail Sunday , but were told they could not see her , the relative told reporters . `` We do know that the information we 've been given regarding the charges against Melissa Huckaby are completely out of character for her , '' he said . Relatives are in `` absolute shock '' at Huckaby 's arrest , he said . Huckaby is the granddaughter of Clifford Lane Lawless , pastor of Clover Road Baptist Church near the mobile home park , and she taught Sunday school at the church , police have said . The church was searched as part of the investigation into Sandra 's disappearance and death . Lawless was at the press conference , but declined to speak . `` We are distressed at the possibility that such a tragedy might have happened in a place of worship , '' the relative said Sunday , adding that the family asks the press and the community to `` understand the church 's desire to continue their worship and ministry outreach . '' Watch neighbors remember slain girl '' The church `` is a community of loving people , '' he said . `` They love God . They love their community and they have ministered to the people of this community for many , many years . '' Huckaby 's family expressed appreciation for the support and prayers received from other churches . Although it has been difficult , the church has `` done everything that we can to be cooperative '' with the investigation , the man said . The family thanked law enforcement for what the man said was `` gracious treatment . '' `` Our prayers are with Sandra 's family and the community for God 's comfort and mercy as we work through the process of healing for such a tragic event , '' the man said . `` We trust in God 's peace . '' The church was planning to hold Easter services at noon Sunday , he said . `` We 're very shocked , '' said a woman , who also identified herself only as a family member . `` It 's very out of character for Melissa . We love her dearly . '' She described Huckaby as `` a fantastic mother , very loving . ... This is a very difficult time for us and it 's very difficult to express to you right now how we 're feeling . '' Huckaby 's relatives know no more on the investigation than what has been reported by the media , the relatives said , and were not told why police were searching the church . `` The only reason why our family is making it through this at all is because of our faith in God and because of his mercy , '' the woman said . Asked whether she believes Huckaby is innocent , she declined comment . In a Friday interview with the Tracy Press newspaper , Huckaby acknowledged owning the black rolling suitcase in which Sandra 's body was found , but said she reported it missing the day before the child 's body was found . She said the suitcase disappeared at about the same time Sandra did . Sheneman told reporters Saturday that `` inconsistencies '' between that interview and statements Huckaby had made to police were one reason police asked to re-interview her Friday night . He would not say whether police believe Sandra 's death was planned . Police said earlier Saturday that they believe Sandra was already dead by the time she was reported missing . The day Sandra was last seen , she came home from school , kissed her mother and left to play with a friend who lives nearby . A short time later , she left to go to another friend 's home , a family spokeswoman has said . Huckaby told the Tracy Press that Sandra came by her home to see if she could play with Huckaby 's daughter , but Huckaby would not let her daughter play because she wanted her daughter to pick up her toys . Sandra left for another friend 's house , Huckaby told the newspaper . The girl was last seen wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings . Police later used that clothing description to identify her body . | Relatives are in `` absolute shock '' at arrest of Melissa Huckaby , they say . Huckaby faces murder charges in death of Sandra Cantu , 8 , her daughter 's friend . Police sergeant says he `` could n't begin to theorize '' about a motive . Sandra disappeared March 27 after going out to play ; body found Monday . | [[1477, 1535], [3012, 3031], [33, 40], [45, 123], [33, 40], [59, 139], [260, 356], [1023, 1083], [1119, 1199], [1152, 1199], [853, 886]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pam Biggers , a 52-year-old woman from Hueytown , Alabama , disappeared while on a business trip to the Florida Panhandle . Pam Biggers disappeared while on a business trip to the Florida Panhandle in January 2008 . She drove to the La Quinta Inn at Panama City Beach on January 27 , 2008 , a Sunday . She checked in and talked with her husband over the phone about 5:30 p.m. . She told him she was going out to eat with a colleague who was staying across the hall . After an early dinner , the two women returned to their rooms about 7 p.m. , police said . And then Pamela Biggers simply disappeared . `` It 's completely baffling , '' said her husband , Don Biggers . `` All of her belongings , clothes , purse , cell phone , were left in her room . '' Biggers ' bed did not look slept in , police said , but it appeared that she had been reading in bed . Her open book and glasses were on the bedside table , and the pillows were propped up against the headboard . She had not changed into her pajamas , and her hotel room key and car keys were in the room . There was no sign of struggle , police said . Watch Rupa 's report on this baffling cold case '' Biggers ' family believes that she left the hotel and either lost her way or became the victim of foul play . `` We think she may have initially wandered off on her own , '' Don Biggers said . `` She had some episodes ... complaining of voices in her head and paranoia . '' She 'd been on medication but had decided to stop taking it , he added . Biggers said he was concerned about his wife 's health and urged her to not go on the business trip . Police searched for Biggers for weeks . Her family brought in Texas Equusearch , a specialized search and rescue operation . The group conducted ground and air searches and used cadaver dogs but was unable to find any clues . The hotel did not have surveillance cameras , so it is not known when Biggers left or whether she was alone . Hotel staffers did not recall seeing Biggers leave . She had driven to Florida in the family car , which was in the hotel parking lot . According to her family , Biggers had never wandered off before , nor had she suffered from memory loss . She had just learned that her son , Jacob , was to be dispatched for a tour of duty in the military to Afghanistan and may have been stressed about that , her husband said . Police and the Biggers family are asking the public for help . Anyone who has seen Pam Biggers or has more information leading to the person or people responsible for her disappearance is asked to call the Bay County Sheriff 's Office tip line at 850-747-4700 . A $ 20,000 reward is offered . Biggers was last seen wearing a white sweater , black pants with white pinstripes , a wedding band and an aquamarine ring . She is a white female who stands 5 ' 8 '' tall , weighs 135 pounds and has green eyes and gray hair . | Pamela Biggers was last seen in Panama City , Florida , on January 27 , 2008 . The 52-year-old from Huey , Alabama , was on a business trip . She talked to husband on phone , went to dinner with colleague before vanishing . Know something ? Call 850-747-4700 . A $ 20,000 reward is offered . | [[152, 243], [152, 243], [330, 333], [349, 405], [406, 460], [444, 460], [465, 494], [2451, 2474], [2555, 2649], [2650, 2680]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Law enforcement officials in southern California searched urgently Wednesday for a 3-year-old boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint during a weekend home invasion . Briant Rodriguez , 3 , was taken by armed men during a home invasion in San Bernardino , Caifornia , police say . Two men broke into a house in the San Bernardino area on Sunday and tied up the boy , Briant Rodriguez , his mother and other siblings . They ransacked the house and fled with the boy , authorities said . One of the children freed himself and untied the rest of the family , CNN affiliate KTLA reported . The boy 's father was at work at the time , KTLA said . An Amber Alert was issued late Sunday . Sheriff 's deputies in San Bernardino County released composite sketches of the suspects during a news conference on Tuesday . Watch how the boy was taken at gunpoint '' Sheriff 's officials said they placed the boy 's picture on billboards along the U.S.-Mexican border and have followed up on half of 80 or so leads from the Amber Alert tip-line . Federal , state and local authorities are working the investigation , which is sparing no expense , Sgt. Doug Hubbard . said . `` Every type of known technology is working on this case , '' he added . Officials said the kidnappers have not contacted authorities or the parents . At the news conference , the boy 's mother , Maria Millan , held her son 's T-shirt and begged that he be released . `` My son , my son , my pretty son , '' she said . Millan said she told the kidnappers `` I do n't owe you a thing '' and has said she did n't know the men . There has been speculation that the boy 's abduction was a case of mistaken identity or carried out by people involved with organized crime . Authorities say they have found no motive in the case , and they are not ruling out any possibility . They said the parents are not suspects . Hubbard , the sheriff 's department 's lead investigator in the case , said `` the family obviously has been very distraught . '' `` Every second that goes by for us is critical , '' Hubbard said of the round-the-clock and robust investigation . He also added that in his 20-year career he has never experienced a case where a home-invasion robbery resulted in a kidnapping . Briant is described in the Amber Alert as a Hispanic male who was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with blue sleeves and blue-striped shorts with two different colors of blue . The boy 's hair is longer than shoulder length . Both suspected kidnappers are Hispanic males -- one 5-feet , 5 inches tall , between the ages of 18 and 20 with a thin build , unknown hair and eye color , last seen wearing a black baseball hat , blue jeans and green T-shirt . The other is 5-foot-10 , around age 24 with a thin build , black boots , a black shirt and a bandanna . | Police say the boy 's abductors have n't contacted his family . Briant Rodriguez taken during home invasion in San Bernardino , California . Authorities have posted billboards along U.S.-Mexico border . | [[1246, 1323], [1261, 1323], [96, 116], [121, 179], [180, 196], [199, 266], [865, 1044], [891, 965]] |
CHICAGO , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The woman who received the first-ever near-total face transplant in the United States told her doctor she has regained her self-confidence , said Dr. Maria Siemionow , head of plastic surgery research at the Cleveland Clinic and leader of the transplant team . This illustration represents the transformation of a patient who underwent a near-total face transplant in December . The patient , who prefers to be anonymous , is finally able to breathe through her nose , smell , eat solid foods and drink out of a cup , Siemionow told participants of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago over the weekend . The complex surgery , a 22-hour procedure , took place in December at the Cleveland Clinic . The patient received her new face in one graft from a donor cadaver . `` I believe this procedure is justified because you need a face to face the world , '' Siemionow said . Watch an animation of the face transplant '' The patient had previously `` suffered severe facial trauma , '' the Cleveland Clinic said . She had no nose , right eye or upper jaw before the procedure , and could not smell or eat normally . People would call her names on the street , Siemionow said . The surgery gave the patient a nose with nasal lining , as well as a palate . This , combined with the olfactory receptors in the brain , gave the patient the ability to smell , Siemionow said . Social reincorporation is as important as the face transplant itself , Siemionow said . At this point , the patient does n't want to face the `` common world , '' but she is facing her family , the surgeon said . The patient said she is happy because when she puts her hands on her face , she feels a nose , Siemionow said . She can also taste a hamburger and pizza , and drink coffee from a cup , the `` things we take for granted every day , '' Siemionow said . The patient also received lower eyelids , upper lip , skin , muscles , bone , hard palate , arteries , veins and nerves . As for the aesthetics of the new face , Siemionow suggested that restoring function was more important . `` At this point , no one is really looking at beautification , '' she said . Siemionow , who has been working on face transplant research for 20 years , received approval from the Institutional Review Board in 2004 to conduct a full facial transplant . Only patients who had already exhausted all possible options for conventional repair were considered for the transplant , Siemionow said . Currently , cancer patients are not candidates for face transplants because transplant recipients must take immunosuppression drugs for life so that the body does not reject the donated tissue , Siemionow said . In the future , however , lifelong immunosuppression may not be required , she said . While burn damage is normally patched with pieces of excess skin from a person 's own body , this does not work if the whole face needs to be covered -- the skin of the entire back is less than half of what would be needed to cover the full face and scalp , Siemionow said . Previously , three facial transplants had been completed -- two in France and one in China . The Chinese recipient , Li Guoxing , died in July of unknown causes , Guo Shuzhong , a doctor involved in the case , confirmed to CNN . One of the French face transplant recipients was a man who had a genetic disorder that created large tumors on his face . The other French patient had been bitten by a dog . The Chinese patient had been attacked by a bear . European news media recently reported that a surgeon in Spain received approval for another face transplant , which would be the fifth in the world . Researchers are also making headway into treatments for disorders that give rise to facial abnormalities , experts say . They are identifying genes that become mutated and cause the skull and facial features to become distorted . `` We 're moving into the arena where we can do medical treatment , '' Dr. Ethylin Jabs , professor of developmental and regenerative biology at Mount Sinai Medical School , said at the conference . One example is Treacher Collins syndrome , a condition found in one in every 50,000 births , which affects the development of bones and other tissues in the face . Scientists have determined that the gene TCOF1 is involved in the disorder , and research is ongoing into the precise function of this protein . By looking at the genetic underpinnings of disorders that lead to facial deformities , scientists can also understand what accounts for the normal differences in face and skull types . `` These are going to be some of the genes that cause some of that variation , '' Jabs said . | Face transplant recipient can now eat solid foods , smell , breathe out of nose . The patient received her new face in one graft from a donor cadaver in December . Skin on surface of a person 's back is not large enough to cover a face and scalp . Doctor : Social reincorporation is as important as the face transplant itself . | [[417, 458], [461, 553], [1342, 1346], [1402, 1439], [350, 359], [364, 416], [695, 714], [739, 787], [788, 834], [2934, 3096], [1459, 1520]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This week , Giyen Kim , 34 , reached a personal milestone : She has lost 10 pounds since the beginning of the year . Giyen Kim , 34 , has lost 10 pounds since January 1 . She said she feels like it will be easier to lose more weight . This progress feels slow , she said , in comparison with her previous weight loss attempts , which consisted of crash dieting . But she found that those diets were n't sustainable . This time , she 's looking to find a lifestyle she can keep . CNN asked viewers to talk about their New Year 's resolutions on iReport.com and upload photos and videos during their journeys of change . Kim , who lives in Seattle , Washington , is one participant who frequently updates the iReport community with video updates on her progress . iReport.com : Watch Giyen talk about losing weight . Reaching this 10-pound milestone , from 190 to 180 pounds , makes her feel as if it will be easier to lose more weight , she said . `` You feel definitely more motivated when you actually quantify it in a number that feels good , '' she said . Visit CNNhealth , your connection for better living . She does n't feel physically different , but she does notice a change from previous pictures of herself , she said . Her original goal for the year was to get closer to her pre-pregnancy weight of 120 pounds . Kim has had a hard time exercising recently because her uncle , 90 , passed away , and the grieving process has been difficult . But she plans to resume working out soon and wants to take classes at her gym . She also eats one vegan meal every day . Kim felt frustrated earlier this month because her progress felt slow , losing a pound a week . Read about her weight loss journey . Often , the initial weight loss will seem the easiest , and then the loss slows somewhat over time , said Tara Gidus , dietician for the Orlando Magic NBA team and owner of Tara Gidus Nutrition Consulting in Orlando , Florida . Exercise is key in speeding things up when you 've reached a plateau , she said . It 's important to find a physical activity that you enjoy doing and to vary the exercise routine -- for example , raising the incline on a treadmill to step up the intensity , she said . Gidus usually recommends losing about 2 pounds a week , or about 5 to 8 pounds a month . At that rate , someone like Kim could lose 50 pounds in six months , she said . A pace faster than that -- such as 10 pounds per month -- would be hard to keep up , Gidus said . People with on weight-loss journeys should have encouragement from friends , family or people in support groups or online communities , she said . Kim certainly has people supporting her in the virtual world : A video she posted a few weeks ago after she 'd lost 4 pounds had more than a dozen motivational comments from others on iReport.com . Watch her video . Her next goal is to lose 15 more pounds -- for a total of 25 -- by her birthday , March 24 , and reward herself with a digital single-lens reflex camera , which professional photographers use . `` That 's basically 2 pounds a week , plus 3 more , '' she said . `` It 's ambitious , but I really want that camera . '' | Giyen Kim , 34 , has lost 10 pounds since January 1 . Reaching this milestone makes losing more weight look easier , she said . Dietitian : Often , speed of weight loss slows down over time . Share your journey to change with iReport.com . | [[77, 135], [136, 145], [148, 189], [190, 253], [199, 253], [900, 952], [1785, 1823], [498, 637], [508, 637]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Eighteen people , including two soldiers , were killed Saturday in a gunbattle between the Mexican army and organized-crime suspects in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco , the Mexican Ministry of Defense said Sunday . Mexican soldiers hold rifles Saturday during a clash with organized-crime suspects in Acapulco . The incident began about 7 p.m. , when the soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco `` to exploit information obtained through an anonymous tip , '' the ministry said in a statement . The soldiers were met by gunfire , it said . Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout . Two soldiers and 16 gunmen were killed , and nine soldiers were wounded , the statement said . The gunmen were not identified , but the statement called them `` members of organized crime . '' Authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons , 13 small-caliber weapons , two grenade launchers , 13 fragmentation grenades , 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition , 180 charges and eight vehicles , the ministry said . CNN 's Arthur Brice and CNN en Español 's Luisa Calad contributed to this report . | Mexican soldiers , organized-crime suspects fight in Acapulco , authorities say . Two soldiers , 16 `` members of organized crime '' killed ; nine other soldiers wounded . Five people arrested in connection with shootout ; authorities seize weapons . Soldiers were investigating anonymous tip , says Mexican Defense Ministry . | [[0, 15], [51, 190], [239, 335], [239, 246], [292, 335], [0, 15], [37, 59], [0, 15], [51, 190], [698, 724], [785, 842], [593, 652], [193, 238]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The mayor of New Orleans , Louisiana , has been quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus , his office said Sunday . New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin flew to China as part of an economic development trip , his office said . Mayor Ray Nagin , who traveled to China on an economic development trip , flew on a plane that carried a passenger being treated for symptoms suspected to be from the virus , commonly known as the swine flu virus , the mayor 's office said in a statement . Nagin , his wife and a member of his security detail have been quarantined in Shanghai , China , though all three are symptom free , the statement said . `` The mayor is being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials , '' the statement said . Ceeon Quiett , the mayor 's director of communications , told CNN that Nagin had been sitting beside a passenger who `` exhibited the symptoms of H1N1 , '' but Nagin showed no signs of illness . `` We have talked with him and he is in good spirits , '' Quiett said , adding that there was no indication how long the quarantine would last . While not confirming identities , the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention said three Americans are being quarantined in a hotel called the Jinjiang Inn in the Nanhui district of Shanghai . | Passenger on Mayor Ray Nagin 's plane has possible H1N1 symptoms . Nagin 's office : Nagin , his wife and an associate are symptom-free but quarantined . Nagin was on economic development trip in China . Mayor is `` being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials , '' his office says . | [[341, 348], [354, 400], [869, 880], [888, 923], [524, 610], [620, 646], [928, 962], [157, 238], [259, 274], [281, 330], [132, 156], [241, 258], [474, 515], [670, 741]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A fire that claimed the lives of 44 children at a day-care center in Hermosillo , Mexico , started Friday in an air-conditioning unit in an adjacent warehouse , the attorney general of Sonora said Monday . Maria Jesus Coronado Padilla mourns her daughter , Paulette Daniela Coronado Padilla , 2 , on Sunday . Investigators have not determined whether the fire was caused by an overheated motor or deficiencies in its installation , said Abel Murrieta Gutierrez , according to the state-run news agency Notimex . However it started , there 's no doubt it moved toward papers in bookshelves on the wall shared with the building housing ABC Day Care , where 141 children and day-care workers were , he said . The two buildings also shared a roof , which contained a false bottom made of polyurethane , which overheated , emitting highly toxic fumes , he said . He blamed all 44 of the deaths on the fumes . The general director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security vowed investigators will pursue the case wherever the evidence takes them . Daniel Karam Toumeh had said Sunday that the building had passed an inspection on May 26 . `` Here , I want to be very emphatic , in the sense that in Social Security we do n't cover for anyone , do n't defend anyone , we are the most interested in finding out what it was that happened , '' he said . As of Monday morning , 20 children ages 1-5 were hospitalized in Hermosillo , and 13 had been taken to other hospitals , including three to Sacramento Shriners Hospital in California , where pediatric burn treatment is a specialty . Watch parents gather at the site of the fire '' Hermosillo , the capital of the state of Sonora , is about 200 miles -LRB- 320 kilometers -RRB- south of the U.S. border in northwestern Mexico . On a radio show , a firefighter said Monday that many of the children were napping at the time of the fire and died in their sleep . Jose Jesus Diaz , the first firefighter to enter the day-care center , told Radio Los Cheros that he arrived to find some people ramming the building with their vehicles in an effort to reach the children . Inside , Diaz said , he saw children in sleeping positions on the floor . `` They never knew what happened , '' Diaz told the radio station . The scene was one of people crying , calling out names and running with babies , he said . `` There 's an image that I will carry for the rest of my life : a shirtless man walking outside holding a young boy , yelling ` fireman , fireman , save my son , ' but the boy was already dead , '' Diaz said . Watch a town in deep shock '' Of the 20 children hospitalized in Hermosillo , 12 were in serious condition . The children taken to Children 's Hospital in Sacramento are a 2-year-old boy in serious condition with burns over 20 percent of his body , a 3-year-old boy in critical condition with burns over 50 percent of his body , and a 3-year-old girl in critical condition with burns over 80 percent of her body , a hospital spokeswoman said . CNN 's Mariano Castillo in Atlanta and CNN en Español 's Rey Rodriguez in Hermosillo contributed to this story . | Deadly fire at Mexican day-care center began at nearby warehouse , state official says . 44 children killed in blaze ; 30-plus kids hospitalized , some in serious condition . Official : Fire started with air conditioner ; warehouse , day care shared wall . Firefighter found children in sleeping positions : `` They never knew what happened '' | [[19, 25], [31, 98], [19, 25], [31, 98], [2655, 2685], [2686, 2742], [2747, 2823], [0, 15], [110, 152], [611, 665], [1793, 1808], [1811, 1899], [2133, 2139], [2142, 2151], [2154, 2206], [2210, 2239]] |
CAMP VICTORY , Iraq -- Stephen Colbert left no doubt about his solidarity with American troops when he taped the first of four Comedy Central shows he 'll produce in Iraq this week . Stephen Colbert high-fives a serviceman after submitting to a military-style haircut in Iraq on Sunday . Colbert , wearing a business suit made of the same camouflaged material used for soldiers ' desert uniforms , submitted to a regulation military haircut as hundreds of U.S. troops cheered wildly Sunday . The comedian , who satirizes conservative TV pundits on his `` Colbert Report , '' began his `` Operation Iraqi Stephen : Going Commando '' USO tour Sunday in the Baghdad headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq . `` It must be nice in Iraq , because some of you keep coming back again and again , '' Colbert said , joking about the multiple tours many troops have had in Iraq since the 2003 invasion . Some troops had accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to earn them a free ticket to Afghanistan , he joked . Colbert told his guest , Gen. Ray Odierno , he felt `` a little intimidated '' by him , not because he was he top U.S. commander in Iraq , but because it felt like he was `` interviewing Shrek . '' Odierno is an imposing bald figure at 6-feet , 5-inches tall . Odierno said the military is `` not yet ready to declare victory '' in Iraq and that there was a little more work to be done for long-term stability . `` I , Stephen Colbert , by the power invested in me by basic cable , officially declare we won the Iraq war , '' Colbert said , as his audience broke out into applause . The interview was interrupted when President Obama appeared on large television screens . The commander-in-chief told his general it was time to `` cut that man 's hair . '' With white electric hair clippers in his hand , Odierno stood up and began shaving Colbert 's trademark thick dark hair . The troops stood and cheered as a female member of Colbert 's staff finished the job . After the haircut , Colbert ran through the audience , high-fiving the troops as he showed off his new military look . One Army major said that `` shaving of the hair is an amazing show of support '' that was `` very touching . '' Former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain also made a pre-taped appearance on the show , jokingly reminding the troops to `` take time to clean your muskets . '' Lt. Col. Debra Shoemaker , a native of Colbert 's hometown of Charleston , South Carolina , said the show was a `` nice break '' from the monotony of service in Iraq . USO Senior Vice President John Hanson said the shows are an important diversion for the troops . Colbert 's USO tour is unusual because it 's the first time a show taped in a combat zone has been edited and aired so quickly . The Sunday show will be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night . | Stephen Colbert tapes first of four shows he 'll produce in Iraq this week . Comedian tells guest , the imposing Gen. Ray Odierno , it 's like `` interviewing Shrek '' At President Obama 's taped orders , Odierno cuts Colbert 's hair to wild cheering . Sunday show to be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night . | [[15, 141], [100, 182], [1172, 1215], [1164, 1174], [1185, 1215], [444, 491], [2788, 2866]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gunmen killed three police officers in Acapulco , Mexico , early Monday morning in attacks on two police stations , the state news agency Notimex reported . Suspected gang members are handcuffed after a gunbattle in Acapulco , Mexico , on Saturday . The attacks came two days after a ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead , including two soldiers . Mexican soldiers , in trucks and helicopters kept watch over the resort town Monday . Along with swine flu fears , the uptick in violence threatens the tourist economy of Acapulco and other popular resort areas . Witnesses told police that just before 6 a.m. , gunmen armed with AK-47s stepped out of two luxury vehicles , walked toward the police station in the Ciudad Renacimiento neighborhood and began shooting . Acapulco officers Gilberto Reducindo Salazar and Arturo Tonala Aguilar were killed in that incident , according to Notimex . Shortly afterward , at a second local police station , attackers fatally wounded officer Andres Guzman Casiano , Notimex said . A fourth officer was injured . The Guerrero attorney general 's office said the attacks could have been conducted by the same people , as there was a 30-minute gap between them , the state agency reported . It was unknown whether the attacks were connected with Saturday 's shootout , which started when soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco on an anonymous tip . They were met by gunfire , according to a statement from Mexico 's Ministry of Defense . Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout . Sixteen gunmen and two soldiers were killed , and nine soldiers were wounded , the statement said . After that incident , authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons , 13 small-caliber weapons , two grenade launchers , 13 fragmentation grenades , 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition , 180 charges and eight vehicles , the ministry said . | Attacks came 2 days after ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead . 2 soldiers , 16 suspected gang members killed ; 9 soldiers wounded Saturday . Five people arrested in connection with shootout ; authorities seize weapons . Mexican soldiers , in trucks and helicopters kept watch over Acapulco on Monday . | [[269, 329], [301, 329], [335, 381], [301, 329], [335, 381], [1646, 1672], [176, 268], [1536, 1595], [1696, 1715], [1718, 1918], [382, 398], [401, 467]] |
AURORA , Colorado -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Atlanta lawyer with tuberculosis who caused an international health scare after traveling to Europe and back underwent surgery Tuesday to remove the diseased portion of one of his lungs . TB patient Andrew Speaker set off an international health scare when he traveled to Europe for his wedding in May . Andrew Speaker , 31 , had the roughly two-hour operation to remove the upper lobe of his right lung at the University of Colorado Hospital . He 's been under treatment at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver since the end of May . CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta , who observed the surgery for about an hour , explained that the unusual procedure consisted of inserting a video camera in a tube in one small incision in the right side of Speaker 's chest , and putting instruments through another incision . When the infected portion of the lung was cut out , it was placed inside a bag while still inside the attorney 's chest cavity and the bag was sealed inside a tube before being removed . The main reason for sealing the infected tissue was to prevent it from re-infecting Speaker as it was removed , Gupta said after the operation . Doctors also wanted to make sure they did n't `` release any of that tuberculosis bacteria into the operating room , into the rest of the hospital , '' Gupta said before the surgery on CNN 's `` American Morning . '' Watch Andrew Speaker discuss his reasons for having surgery with CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta '' Doctors said the operation went well and there was not much bleeding , Gupta said . The portion of the lung that was removed showed the effects of the disease , Gupta said . `` A regular lung is very pink with a smooth , glistening surface , '' he said . `` This had a lot of bumps on it , and the areas that were diseased were very dark with white nodules . '' Speaker will most likely recover at the University of Colorado Hospital for another couple of days , and will return to National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver to finish his antibiotic course . He will still have to continue taking the medications prescribed by his doctors to fight the tuberculosis until cultures taken from him are negative for tuberculosis bacteria for eight weeks . At that point , he will be considered non-infectious , but he will still be monitored by health care professionals . Speaker said it was his decision to have the surgery , which is just one of his treatment options . `` With the amount of treatment I 'm going to be on , the doctors said if you go ahead and have this surgery , you do n't have to worry 10 years from now , or 20 years from now , or 30 years from now if it 's ever going to come back , so it 's worth the peace of mind to me , '' the attorney said . Speaker was originally found to have an extremely drug resistant strain -LRB- XDR-TB -RRB- of the respiratory disease earlier this year , but on July 3 doctors said he had multi-drug resistant tuberculosis -LRB- MDR-TB -RRB- , which is treatable with less toxic drugs . Speaker and his fiancee had gone to Europe on May 12 for their wedding in Greece , despite warnings from the Fulton County Health Department in Georgia that he should not fly because he risked infecting fellow passengers . Since then , eight people who shared a flight with Speaker have filed a lawsuit against him , seeking $ 1.3 million in damages . Rosalind Yee -- an attorney for the plaintiffs who said her clients include a ninth person related to one of the passengers but who was not on the flight -- said all eight passengers have undergone TB tests since they returned home . One of them , a 72-year-old man , tested positive for TB on a skin test , though it was not clear that Speaker was the source . The man 's X-rays were normal , she said , and he is awaiting results of further tests . In the past year , there have been about 124 cases of MDR-TB in the United States . About half of those patients have elected to undergo the surgery to remove the diseased portion of their lungs , Gupta said . E-mail to a friend . | NEW : Doctors remove TB-infected lung tissue from Andrew Speaker . He said decided to have surgery so he wo n't have to worry about TB in future . Speaker sparked health scare after flying with disease . Eight people on flight with Andrew Speaker sue him for $ 1.3 million . | [[168, 228], [61, 73], [78, 140], [229, 344], [3275, 3285], [3288, 3366], [3275, 3285], [3288, 3333], [3369, 3403]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A U.S. company is offering a rare chance to holiday on a mega-yacht once used by a Hollywood star and her husband -- and thanks to the recession it 's actually affordable . The 100-foot Katania normally would attract an additional $ 49,500 charter fee for a week 's use . The 100-foot Katania was chartered by Hollywood star Hilary Swank and her husband , Chad Lowe . Seattle , Washington-based mega-yacht rental business CEO Expeditions usually charges around $ 100,000 a week to charter their 100-plus-foot yachts , but they have introduced a deal waiving the charter fees -- meaning guests will only need to pay for the running of the vessel . The move to make such vessels more affordable comes as the recession continues to put pressure on the luxury holiday and mega-yacht industries . Although the costs of crew and luxury food are n't extremely cheap , it is expected this move will open up the recession-strained market to many more potential holiday-makers . The Katania now costs less than $ 3,000 per day . Normally it would attract an additional $ 49,500 charter fee for a week 's use . At the $ 2,950-per-day special rate , four people can stay on the Katania -- but with the maximum six on board -LRB- $ 450 extra per person -RRB- the cost per person is a slightly better $ 642 . The price includes full crew , premium wines , gourmet food prepared by a private chef , amenities such as kayaks , hot tub , fishing/crabbing/shrimping equipment , and even a 30-foot whaler for guest use . According to the company , Swank said of her charter holiday : `` We had an absolutely enchanted time aboard the Katania . A more beautiful yacht does not exist . '' There is one small catch with the deal -- the boat is based in the San Juan islands off the coast of Washington and British Columbia , and any cruises to other destinations will attract an additional charge to cover fuel costs . The company 's owner , Bruce Milne , released a statement saying the deal was largely a result of the impact of the recession . `` Travel is down , agents and brokers need deals , so rather than just a few full-price charters , we decided to stay busy , put more people to work , and help island tourism by doing charters at cost . `` Since we started chartering 10 years ago , we have been looking for a chance to provide our ` Expeditions to the Extraordinary ' in the San Juan Islands at a price any luxury traveler can afford -- this recession provides that opportunity , '' he said . Tim Wiltshire , director and sales broker at international yacht company Burgess Yachts , said the charter market is n't a complete disaster , so he was surprised to see such a discount . `` I would n't have expected to see that , '' he said . `` We are seeing discounts on average of about 25 percent . Although some people are trying interesting gimmicks to inspire new business . '' Wiltshire said CEO Expedition 's fleet is n't among the biggest or most luxurious on the market , and this deal appears to be clever marketing stunt . His opinion is that other larger vessels still warrant their greater price tags . | U.S. mega-yacht charter company waives massive $ 50,000 charter fees . The impact of the recession is reason given for the discounted deal . A yacht chartered by Hilary Swank can now be rented for less than $ 3,000 a day . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [36, 103], [1933, 1953], [1970, 2060], [1005, 1054]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Matt Aldridge would have trouble contemplating life without the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville , South Carolina . Maddie Aldridge has received extensive care at South Carolina 's Shriners Hospital , including leg amputation . Aldridge , 28 , and his 21-month-old daughter , Maddie , were born without shinbones . Both had their legs amputated at Shriners near their first birthdays . Like all care given to youths admitted to any of North America 's 22 Shriners Hospitals , their surgeries and follow-up treatments were free to them . Aldridge estimates the care he received through his teens in the Shriners ' system -- which admits children irrespective of their parents ' income -- cost hundreds of thousands of dollars , approaching the lifetime limits of some insurance policies . Now , he and his wife , Renee , take Maddie to Greenville -- about a 90-minute drive from their South Carolina home -- at least every six weeks , partly for treatment of a hip condition . Without Shriners ' cover-all-costs policy , the family would be in serious trouble , said Aldridge , who works at a Wal-Mart cell phone connection center . Renee is a stay-at-home mother , and the family does n't have private medical insurance . `` If it were n't for Shriners , we 'd be financially devastated , '' Matt Aldridge said . `` With just the care Maddie has received already , we probably would be bankrupt . '' For the Aldridges and many other families , accessing care from Shriners may get a lot more difficult . The system 's board says it may ask the fraternity 's membership in July for authority to close six hospitals -- including the one in Greenville -- largely because the endowment fund that supports the hospitals dropped from $ 8.5 billion to $ 5.2 billion over the last year as the stock market plummeted . The others that could close are in Erie , Pennsylvania ; Shreveport , Louisiana ; Spokane , Washington ; Springfield , Massachusetts ; and Galveston , Texas . The Galveston hospital 's operations have been suspended since Hurricane Ike flooded it last year . See map of where all 22 Shriners hospitals are '' Deflated investments are n't the only reason the fund has dropped . The hospitals normally operate with donations and the fund 's interest , but the system 's $ 856 million 2009 budget is outpacing both , causing the hospitals to take about $ 1 million per day from the fund , said Ralph Semb , president and CEO of Shriners Hospitals . Other proposals from the system 's board would close just one hospital or none , but slash spending systemwide . Leaders also are exploring other options , such as partnering with non-Shriners hospitals . But one way or another , the system must cut spending by about 30 percent to survive , Semb said . `` If we do nothing , every hospital would have to cut 25 to 30 percent from their budgets , which in effect would shut about six of them anyway , because they could n't give the services they 've been giving , '' Semb said . Still , the hospitals ca n't close without consent of the fraternity 's membership . Two-thirds of the roughly 1,400 representatives at the group 's July 6-8 Imperial Council Session in San Antonio , Texas , would have to vote for it . Learn about the Shriners fraternity '' History shows that might be difficult . Members , some of whom transport children to hospitals themselves , killed a 2003 proposal to close the hospital in Minneapolis , Minnesota , after a similar market downturn . `` I do n't think it will happen . I do n't think it should happen , '' said Carl V. Nielsen , a 40-year Shriner and a board member for the Minneapolis hospital , which is not on the current possible-closure list . `` That would leave large areas of the country without a Shriners hospital , and the cost of transportation of the patients back and forth -LSB- to the remaining hospitals -RSB- would be too great . '' Shriners Hospitals , which deals with certain specialties up to age 18 , have treated hundreds of thousands of children free of charge since the first facility opened in Shreveport in 1922 . Most offer orthopedic care . Four , including the Galveston hospital , care for children who are burned . One of those facilities , in Sacramento , California , is treating a few children burned in Friday 's day care center fire in northern Mexico . The Greenville hospital , which generally draws children from six states , gets about 900 inpatients and about 1,100 outpatient visits yearly , according to Rod Brown , the chairman of that hospital 's board of governors . Since news of the possible closures broke , many -- including some Shriners and people who 've used the hospitals -- have spoken out in hopes of keeping the facilities open . Hundreds have turned out for rallies in some of the cities . Several `` save Shriners Hospital '' pages on Facebook call on readers to support fundraisers . Families who lose a nearby Shriners hospital -- even those who have insurance -- would be in trouble , said Nielsen , an Iowa resident , retired attorney and former state legislator . `` Say you 've got a series of operations to do on the child , and it 's going to cost $ 100,000 . Even with the good insurance policies , the families still have to pay 20 percent on that , and that 's more money than most have stashed away , '' he said . The Aldridges have more surgeries in their future . In addition to being born without her shinbones , Maddie has only eight fingers . She will need operations to make her hands more efficient . Watch how hospital 's closure would affect the Aldridges '' If the Greenville facility were to close , the family would think about moving to Kentucky , where the next nearest Shriners hospital is . Or , they would stay and drive eight hours to the Kentucky facility . Option No. 1 would take the lifelong South Carolina residents from friends and relatives . The other would mean more missed days at work and school for the family , which also includes Maddie 's 3-year-old sister . In any event , the family says it wo n't consider taking Maddie out of the Shriners system . Matt Aldridge , who took up competitive power-lifting thanks in part to encouragement from Shriners staff and competed in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Greece , said the system gives top-notch care . `` Not only is it a financial thing , but it 's also quality of care , '' said Aldridge , who became a Shriner himself in part because of the care he received . `` Shriners doctors are considered to be the foremost experts in what they treat . '' Semb said some of the six hospitals -- which he said were chosen because they were relatively underutilized -- could stay open if they strike a partnership with non-Shriners facilities . In such a deal , Shriners doctors would perform major surgery at the partner hospital , and the partner would bill the patients ' insurance if they have it . Follow-up care would be done at the Shriners facility , still free of charge . Nielsen and other Shriners are proposing an alternative for the July meeting : Let Shriners hospitals themselves accept insurance or Medicaid from the families who have it , but cover the co-pays and deductibles . Semb said the idea has some merit , but he cautioned that to accept insurance and Medicaid , the hospitals would subject themselves to more federal oversight and possibly curtail their ability to treat patients as they see fit . Meanwhile , Renee Aldridge is circulating petitions against the closures and intends to deliver them to the San Antonio meeting . Wide swaths of the country should n't be deprived of the expertise and the free treatment that Shriners doctors give , she said . `` Some may be able to go to another place , but a lot of doctors wo n't put the time and care in that Shriners does , '' she said . | Hospitals ' leaders seek savings after endowment fund shrinks in stock market . One solution could be closing six of 22 hospitals . Fraternity representatives would have to approve closures in July meeting . South Carolina family : We 'd be devastated without Shriners ' free , expert care . | [[1699, 1717], [1723, 1840], [1535, 1679], [2863, 2881], [2890, 2928], [2938, 2978], [1535, 1679], [19, 113]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A nervous calm settled over northwest Peru on Monday night , three days after clashes between indigenous citizens and national police left more than 30 dead and 50 wounded . Alberto Pizango , a leader of the protesters , says his followers did not kill police officers . A 3 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew seemed to be holding , and both sides in the bloody episode said they wanted dialogue , not bullets . `` The situation is much more tranquil , '' foreign minister Jose Andres Garcia Belaunde told CNN . `` There 's the possibility of entering into a dialogue . '' The violence started Friday when national police attacked a roadblock near the city of Bagua in the Amazonian part of northwestern Peru . About 2,500 indigenous people had blocked the main road to protest measures the government has taken to sell land to energy companies and other businesses . Indians native to the area say that it is their land even though they do n't have formal property titles . When it was over , many lay dead and wounded . How many -- and what happened -- depends on who 's telling the story . Belaunde said 24 police were killed and nine Amazonian natives lost their lives . He said he did not know the number of wounded . Amnesty International , however , said more than 30 demonstrators and 22 police have been killed since Friday . The Web sites for RPP radio and El Comercio newspaper said at least 33 people died , including 22 police . More than 50 people have been injured , various reports said . Indian rights advocates put the number of dead and missing as much higher , with some groups saying more than 100 were killed or are missing . The Amazon Watch advocacy group accused the government of ditching bodies in rivers and the jungle to suppress the death count . `` There seems to be a concerted government effort to cover up the number of indigenous deaths , '' said Gregor MacLennan , Peru program coordinator for Amazon Watch . Belaunde emphatically denied the accusation . `` That is a lie , '' he said . `` Part of the great lies that have been told about Bagua -- that a massacre occurred , but more police than indigenous were killed . If this is true , let the family members come forth and tell us this happened . '' Amazon Watch and indigenous supporters say the police -- some in helicopters -- opened fire indiscriminately and without provocation on the roadblock about 450 miles -LRB- 730 kilometers -RRB- north of Lima , the capital . `` Police began in the morning by firing tear gas , '' MacLennan told CNN . `` When people did not move and were standing strong , they began firing shots . '' Belaunde said the helicopters fired tear gas and police were fired upon , too . `` The police did not want to use their arms , '' he said , noting that many of the dead officers were killed with weapons protesters had taken from authorities . Ten police were killed after they were taken hostage when they arrived to help other officers and were surrounded by protesters , Belaunde said . More than 70 suspects have been arrested , Belaunde said . MacLennan placed the count at 150 and said 900 others are in hiding . `` Eight to 10 police officers had their throat slit , '' Belaunde said . `` Somebody must be held accountable for that , do n't you think ? '' MacLennan agreed that if `` indigenous people tortured and killed police , they should be brought to justice . '' Authorities had been searching for Alberto Pizango , leader of the indigenous rights group behind the Bagua demonstrations , but he sought refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy in Lima , Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon said Monday night . Officials said Monday they will remove a roadblock within the next two days in the main highway between the cities of Yurimaguas and Tarapoto . Yurimaguas officials met with indigenous leaders Monday to negotiate dismantling the roadblock , the state-run Andina news agency said . The roadblocks have been hurting Peru 's economy , since export shipments of oil and other resources have not been able to get through . Peruvian President Alan Garcia vowed to put down the demonstrations , some of which have been going on since early April . `` We will not give in to violence or blackmail , '' he said in a speech Sunday . Garcia blamed unnamed foreign governments for influencing the indigenous uprising . Belaunde pointed to Venezuela and Bolivia , which have held demonstrations in favor of indigenous rights . `` They are badly informed , accusing the government of Peru of genocide , '' he said . He called statements by high-level Venezuelan and Bolivian officials `` an act of intervention into Peru 's internal affairs . '' Regardless of the cause , analysts agree this is the worst violence in Peru since the brutal Marxist Shining Path guerrilla insurgency died down in the 1990s . `` That 's a lot of violence , '' said Peter Hakim , president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue policy group . `` There 's no question the government is in a very difficult period . '' Bernard Aronson , who was U.S. President George H.W. Bush 's assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs from 1989 to 1993 , sees a danger that the violence could escalate . `` When there are that many people in a clash , that 's very bad regardless of the specifics , '' he said . `` That 's worrisome . ... It obviously raises fears and concerns that you could have some kind of rekindling of violence . '' The crux of the issue concerns Peru 's economy and how the indigenous population fit in a 21st-century world . `` Garcia has committed to rapid growth , rapid development , '' Hakim said . That means Garcia has opened up vast parts of undeveloped land to companies that want to extract natural resources . The indigenous populations feel they are being displaced and are pushing back . `` This is very different from what happened with the Shining Path because these are indigenous people . They are not political people , '' MacLennan said . `` All they are asking for is their rights . '' | More than 30 people have died , 50 have been injured since Friday , reports say . Indigenous people protest government plan to sell land to energy companies . Peruvian President Alan Garcia vows to put down the demonstrations . | [[97, 192], [978, 994], [997, 1024], [1226, 1247], [1260, 1337], [1338, 1444], [1400, 1420], [1445, 1482], [4059, 4126]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British police Wednesday arrested 12 people in a counterterrorism operation , and locations were being searched , authorities said . A Scotland Yard official 's papers show details of the raid , which have been obscured in this photo . Arrests were carried out in a series of raids in northwest England , police said . Participating agencies included Merseyside Police , Greater Manchester Police and the Lancashire Constabulary , according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police . The men arrested were involved in a `` very serious '' plot closely associated with al Qaeda and escaped al Qaeda operative Rashid Rauf , whom British intelligence have linked to the 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners , according to a security source with knowledge of the investigation . The new plot was not believed to be targeting national infrastructure , such as rail lines , airports or utilities , nor was it clear if the plot was to involved bombs or an assault involving gunmen , the source said . Details , the source said , were speculative at this point in the investigation . The source also said authorities do n't believe the targets would have been in the north of England , where the arrests took place , and that at least some of those arrested were Pakistanis in the United Kingdom on student visas . Several hundred officers were involved in the raids , according to a later Greater Manchester Police statement . The men arrested range in age from a youth in his mid - to late teens to a 41-year-old , the statement said . No further information was available , police said . `` Today 's action is part of an ongoing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received , '' said Steve Ashley , chief superintendent of Merseyside police . `` We understand that this kind of police activity can cause concerns to people living in nearby communities . The extra patrols , cordons and measures we have in place have been implemented to make sure we are doing everything we can to reassure the public and maintain public safety . '' Home Secretary Jacqui Smith , in a written statement , congratulated police for the `` successful anti-terrorism operation which has resulted in 12 arrests at a number of locations . '' She said the actions were an operational decision by police and Security Services , but she and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were kept apprised . Police rushed to make the arrests after press photographers on Tuesday snapped images of the U.K. 's chief terrorism officer as he got out of a car at the prime minister 's residence , according to the security source . Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was carrying a document containing the names of those to be arrested , the source said , and the photographers were able to easily read the names when they enlarged the photographs . But , the source said , the arrests would probably have taken place Thursday , and preparations for the arrests were the reason for Quick 's visit to see Brown . `` Tonight , the focus is the ongoing operation . That 's my priority , '' Smith said . Scotland Yard issued a statement regarding the incident . `` Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it . He has apologized to the commissioner and the colleagues . '' CNN 's Andrew Carey and Laura Perez-Maestro contributed to this report . | NEW : Men involved in plot associated with escaped al Qaeda operative , source says . NEW : Some of those arrested were Pakistanis in the U.K. on student visas . NEW : U.K. 's chief terrorism officer apologizes for pictures of him with documents . Police from Merseyside , Greater Manchester , Lancashire Constabulary involved . | [[1009, 1026], [1251, 1298], [338, 447]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` American Idol '' runner-up Adam Lambert confirmed publicly what he assumed everyone already knew : He is gay . Adam Lambert talks about his sexuality and his `` Idol '' experience in the new Rolling Stone . `` I do n't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I am gay , '' Lambert told Rolling Stone magazine . He said he is `` proud of my sexuality '' and never sought to hide it during the `` Idol '' competition . `` I embrace it , '' he said . `` It 's just another part of me . '' Still , he stayed silent when , in March , a picture of him , dressed in drag and kissing an ex-boyfriend , emerged online . Lambert told Rolling Stone he was worried coming out would `` be so sensationalized that it would overshadow what I was there to do , which was sing . '' The photo was taken on one of the three or four times he 's dressed in drag , Lambert said , `` but ` sucking my boy 's face ? Yes , that I will own . ' '' He took down all of the pictures on his Facebook and MySpace pages before the `` Idol '' season , but he forgot about another Web site profile that included the drag photo , he said . Watch Lambert pose with a snake for the cover '' With the competition over , Lambert 's public confirmation of his homosexuality is in preparation for the `` American Idol '' national tour , which starts next month . He said he wanted to avoid `` the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bulls -- t. '' `` I find it very important to be in control of this situation , '' he said . `` I feel like everyone has an opinion of me , and I want a chance to say , ` Well , do you want to hear how I really feel about all this ? ' '' Aiken , the runner-up on `` Idol 's '' second season , dodged questions about his sexuality until coming out in People magazine last year . Lambert said his coming out is not a political statement . `` I 'm trying to be a singer , not a civil rights leader , '' he said . The Rolling Stone article revealed some `` bi-curious '' ambiguity for Lambert , whose tall , dark and handsome looks appealed to the female audience . `` I loved it this season when girls went crazy for me , '' he said . `` As far as I 'm concerned , it 's all hot . '' He said he is `` kind of interested '' in girls . Lambert made another revelation to Rolling Stone that might not be expected . His decision to audition for `` American Idol '' came after a week at Burning Man -- an annual festival held in a Nevada desert -- where he experimented with `` certain funguses . '' `` I had a psychedelic experience where I looked up at the clouds and went , ` Oh ! ' '' he said . `` I realized that we all have our own power , and that whatever I wanted to do , I had to make happen . '' And what he wanted to do was be on `` American Idol , '' he said . `` I knew it was my only shot to be taken seriously in the recording industry , because it 's fast and broad . '' | Adam Lambert subject of cover story in Rolling Stone ; says he is gay . Lambert said he never sought to hide sexuality , but did n't want it sensationalized . Decision to try out for `` American Idol '' came after psychedelic experience . | [[372, 477], [372, 374], [418, 477], [672, 755]] |
BERLIN , Germany -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Madame Tussauds says it will repair the wax figure of Adolf Hitler beheaded by a visitor over the weekend and return it to its Berlin exhibition space as soon as possible . A wax likeness of Adolf Hitler sits in Berlin 's Madame Tussaud 's wax museum before Saturday 's attack . German police said that a 41-year-old man entered the exhibit shortly after the museum doors opened Saturday and `` made for the Hitler figure , '' scuffling with a guard and the manager before tearing the head off the life-size statue . A police spokesman confirmed to CNN that the man was a former policeman , having spent three years in police training between 1984 and 1987 . He did not finish that police training , for personal reasons . The man was released from police custody late afternoon on Saturday . Watch a museum official describe the attack '' Despite the incident , Madame Tussauds officials said they will show the waxwork of Adolf Hitler in the exhibition again . In a statement the Museum said : `` Madame Tussauds is non-political and makes no comment or value-judgement either on the persons who are exhibited in the Museum or on what they have done during their lifetime . `` Figures are chosen for their popularity or for their influence on the path of history -- for better or for worse . Adolf Hitler stands for a decisive part of Berlin 's history , which can not be denied . '' Saturday was the opening day of the Berlin branch of the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum . The presence of the waxwork , which depicted the Nazi dictator sitting at his desk in his bunker shortly before he committed suicide in 1945 , in the new museum led to criticism in German media over recent weeks . But the museum 's defenders argued Hitler 's role in German history must not be ignored . Hitler was shown with a sullen expression , his head slightly down , and one hand on the desk . Berlin is the eighth wax museum for London-based Madame Tussauds , known for its lifelike waxworks depicting famous people including celebrities , politicians , sports stars , artists , and scientists . Famous Germans included in the exhibits are Chancellor Angela Merkel , scientist Albert Einstein , composer Johann Sebastian Bach , and tennis champion Boris Becker . CNN 's Diana Magnay contributed to this report . | Hitler waxwork damaged by a man in Berlin 's Madame Tussauds to be repaired . Museum : `` Hitler stands for decisive part of Berlin 's history , which can not be denied '' 41-year-old said he wanted to protest the figure being included among exhibits . Police said man being investigated for causing damages and injury to a guard . | [[0, 6], [9, 102], [209, 314], [1336, 1390], [1370, 1390], [1399, 1418], [1419, 1421], [1733, 1796], [1764, 1818]] |
Editor 's note : Ted Epperly , M.D. , a family physician in Boise , Idaho , is president of the American Academy of Family Physicians , which represents more than 93,000 physicians and medical students nationwide . He spent 21 years in the U.S. Army , including service as a family physician , chief of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital emergency room during Desert Storm and Desert Shield , and deputy commander of an Army medical center . Ted Epperly says recruiting more primary care doctors would improve access to quality health care . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Clayton Christensen , Jason Hwang and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan are right about one thing in their CNN commentary titled `` We do n't need more doctors . '' America 's health care system is broken . It requires significant reform if patients are to have access to convenient , affordable and -- most importantly -- high-quality care that results in good outcomes . But they have missed a central point . We need more primary care physicians now and we will need even more in the future as the baby boom generation ages . If Americans are to see meaningful health care reform , they must have a primary care doctor to whom they can turn for everyday problems : annual physicals and preventive care , diagnosis and treatment for common illness , and diagnosis and treatment of complex , chronic conditions , referral to subspecialists , and coordination of care provided by a team of professionals . Our current system has a serious and growing shortage of these primary care physicians . Today , only 30 percent of physicians provide primary care and 70 percent subspecialize in a single organ system or disease . We need a system in which patients get the right kind of care at the right time in the right place by the right type of provider . They need health services that provide not just convenient hours for minor health problems , but also medical expertise that ensures consistent , ongoing care ; accurate diagnoses of symptoms ; coordination with pharmacists , other specialists and allied health professionals such as physical therapists ; consistent follow-up ; and convenience . All at an affordable cost . Several health reform proposals set forth by President Obama and Congress would move federal policy in that direction . How ? They incorporate convenience , efficiency , continuity of care and access to a system that relies on the patient-centered medical home -- a concept in which physicians coordinate care with a team of health professionals , offer evening and weekend office hours , and use electronic communication with patients and members of the health care team . But this concept wo n't be fulfilled unless we have health reform that increases the number of primary care physicians . Right now , America has a current and worsening shortage of primary medical care . Christensen , Hwang and Vijayaraghavan contend that increasing the number of physicians also leads to `` greater intensity of care , but not better health outcomes . '' But their argument leaves out a major caveat . Although a greater number of subspecialists does increase the intensity , number and cost of services , research by Barbara Starfield at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health consistently demonstrates the opposite occurs in communities with more primary care physicians , particularly family physicians . Starfield concludes that an increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 population resulted in a reduction of 34.6 deaths per 100,000 population at the state level . Katherine Baicker , professor of health economics at Harvard School of Public Health , and Amitabh Chandra at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government confirm these findings . Their research shows that increasing the number of primary care physicians results in a significant increase in the quality of health care and a reduction of cost to patients . However , increasing the number of subspecialists was associated with higher costs and poorer quality . At issue , then , is not the total number of physicians , but the number of family physicians and their primary care colleagues . Demographics , an aging population and resulting increased demand for services will require a significant increase in the number of these physicians . Given the long-term process required to train primary care physicians , we will continue to struggle with a shortage of primary care physicians , and that shortage will affect patients ' access to care . Family physicians now are working to fill some of those gaps , according to a 2008 survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians . The survey found 42 percent of respondents offer extended office hours and 29 percent provide open access or same-day scheduling . Moreover , 36 percent offer Web-based health information , 32 percent -LRB- up from 10 percent two years ago -RRB- prescribe medications by e-mail , and 21 percent -LRB- up from 18 percent two years ago -RRB- offer e-mail interactions . In short , despite the financial disincentives and other barriers in the current system , family physicians are working to meet patients ' needs for convenience and access . They are improving this convenience and access with the help of nurses and nurse practitioners , who are excellent sources of care when patients have a known set of conditions and diagnoses that are amenable to treatment protocols . Likewise , walk-in clinics can fill the access gap when patients have an acute problem that requires a treatment that can be spelled out by an accepted protocol . However , even these clinics rely on an adequate number of primary care physicians . Most walk-in clinic staff realize that convenience should not trump quality or continuity , and most will refer patients to a primary care physician for follow-up and ongoing care . Again , without an adequate number of primary care physicians , these patients will have only partial access to the care they need . Family physicians and other primary care providers are part of the solution , not part of the problem . It is important at this critical time of restructuring the health care system to understand clearly what we are trying to accomplish . What we are building is a high-quality , accessible health care system that increases patient satisfaction and health care outcomes while we decrease cost and ethnic disparities . This is what a primary-care based health system will deliver . This is why President Obama and Congress aim to rebuild the U.S. health care system around primary care . This is why we need more primary care physicians . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dr. Ted Epperly . | Dr. Ted Epperly : America needs more primary care doctors to expand access . He says studies show primary care doctors improve health-care outcomes . Epperly : Doctors are seeking to make services more easily available . | [[439, 538], [456, 538], [959, 999], [6575, 6625], [6587, 6625], [3746, 3922], [5017, 5025], [5107, 5190]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Scottish woman who became an Internet singing sensation after her performance on a British talent show said Friday she does n't want fame to change her . Susan Boyle at home with her piano . Susan Boyle , 47 , has said she 's still the same humble girl next door despite her knockout singing on `` Britain 's Got Talent . '' She shocked and inspired the audience , judges , and Web watchers with her rendition of `` I Dreamed a Dream '' from the musical `` Les Misérables '' in the first round of the show . `` I would n't want to change myself too much because that would really make things a bit false , '' she told CNN 's `` American Morning '' on Friday . `` I want to receive people as the real me , a real person . '' Boyle 's appearance belied her talent , but in the end it was the very reason she won over the audience . There is speculation TV producers might give Boyle a makeover for the rest of the show , but she refused to say whether she 'd accept one . iReport.com : Have you been judged on looks ? `` I ca n't make a comment on that , '' she said . Watch Boyle sing a new song for CNN 's Larry King '' A clip of Boyle 's performance on the talent show had more than 15 million views on YouTube by Friday , and the world 's media have beaten a path to her door in Blackburn , Scotland . Watch Boyle 's singing wow the world '' While she said she 's the same person -- the shy girl who has never been kissed -- it 's clear that Boyle 's life already is changing . In her home are heaps of fan mail and cards from well-wishers . Throngs of fans have been shrieking at her doorstep begging for her autograph . Boyle said she 's still in shock and overwhelmed by her overnight stardom . Watch how Boyle sees herself '' `` I 'm gobsmacked , absolutely gobsmacked , '' she told CNN on Friday morning . During an earlier interview with CNN 's Atika Shubert , Boyle expressed amazement at people 's reaction to her -- `` the way everyone seems to have embraced me , the way they seem to have apparently fallen in love with me , '' she said . Watch young fans flock to Boyle 's home '' The singer acknowledged she noticed the initial sniggers when she got onstage for her performance on `` Britain 's Got Talent . '' But she said she did n't let it get to her . If nothing else , it fueled her motivation . `` I just thought mentally , I 'll show them , so I did , '' she said . `` If people are cynical , you try and win them ` round and it worked . It must have been a miracle , but it worked . '' Boyle still has a long way to go -- having just gotten through to the second round of `` Britain 's Got Talent '' after judge Simon Cowell described her first performance as `` extraordinary . '' If she can make her way through the show 's final rounds , she will get to sing for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Show . Boyle has promised to be on her best behavior if she gets that far . `` Whatever comes my way , I am ready . It would be lovely to sing for the queen . There would be less of the carry-on from me and more of the singing . `` She is a very regal lady , very nice , so I would be nice , too , and just get up there and give it a bit of wellie -LSB- try -RSB- , '' Boyle told the show 's Web site . Boyle began singing in school productions at 12 . She had private lessons and won local competitions , but a professional career never took hold partly because of circumstances at home . Boyle said she cared for her aging parents , both of whom have died . Thoughts of her mother led Boyle to apply to be on the talent show , she said . `` She was my inspiration , and she was the driving force behind my application , '' Boyle told CNN . `` I felt it was a tribute to her . She was a wonderful lady . '' Watch Boyle say , `` It must have been a miracle '' '' Boyle said she was trying to take her newfound fame in stride . `` It 's a challenge . Life is a challenge sometimes , but this is different . And I like to test myself . `` If it all gets too much and they lock me up , I want a great big straitjacket with spots on it -- a pink one ... and a big zip on the back so I can escape . '' Cowell reportedly is trying to piece together a record deal for Boyle , an unemployed charity worker who lives with her cat , Pebbles . But Boyle said she 's not focusing on any of that yet -- she still spends her time concentrating on the current competition . | NEW : YouTube sensation credits late mother for inspiration to perform . Susan Boyle wowed audience , judges on `` Britain 's Got Talent '' Boyle says , `` I would n't want to change myself too much '' Unexpected star grabs spotlight with more than 15 million Web views . | [[19, 37], [42, 120], [348, 351], [364, 437], [0, 15], [126, 176], [534, 626], [1143, 1187], [1193, 1244]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Members of the Screen Actors Guild overwhelmingly voted to approve a new two-year contract with studios and producers , the union announced Tuesday . Alan Rosenberg , national president of SAG , calls the terms of the contract `` devastatingly unsatisfactory . '' `` This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises and puts SAG in a strong position for the future , '' said David White , the group 's interim national executive director . The union endorsed the package 78 percent to 22 percent . The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers hailed the vote , after a two-year-long negotiating process . `` The ratification vote by SAG members is good news for the entertainment industry , '' the alliance 's Web site said . `` We look forward to working with SAG members ... to emerge from today 's significant economic challenges with a strong and growing business . '' The actors had been working without a contract for nearly a year and the new contract did not immediately clear away the bad feelings . `` The membership has spoken and has decided to work under the terms of this contract that many of us , who have been involved in these negotiations from the beginning , believe to be devastatingly unsatisfactory , '' said Alan Rosenberg , the Screen Actors Guild national president . `` I call upon all SAG members to begin to ready themselves for the battle ahead . '' Before the agreement , the two sides had been at odds mainly over the amount actors should be paid when their movies or TV shows are distributed on discs or through new media , such as mobile phones and the Internet . The talks were tumultuous for Hollywood 's biggest actors union . During the drawn-out process , SAG fired its executive director and named a new chief negotiator amid a bitter division among the actors over the question of calling a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers . | Screen Actors Guild endorses package with studios and producers 78 % to 22 % . Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers hails the vote . SAG National President Alan Rosenberg thinks union settled for bad deal . Main sticking point had been how actors get paid in new-media distributions . | [[0, 11], [14, 40], [79, 161], [510, 567], [568, 639], [642, 685], [1484, 1487], [1527, 1678]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fewer Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year , but those who are taking to the roads and skies may still face congestion . Travelers gather their luggage before checking in for a flight at San Francisco International Airport Tuesday . About 41 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home around the holiday , according to AAA auto club . That figure is down 1.4 percent from last year , meaning 600,000 fewer travelers . The dip represents the first decline in travelers since 2002 . `` I think with the economy going downward , people are holding off on traveling , '' AAA spokeswoman Christie Hyde said , noting that the largest drop this Thanksgiving is in flying . The Air Transport Association of American is projecting a 10 percent decrease in the number of air passengers flying over a 12-day period around the holiday , but airline capacity cuts prompted by record-high fuel prices over the summer mean planes will remain crowded . Travel in the skies appeared to be off to a good start Wednesday afternoon . Only a few major airports were experiencing delays by mid-afternoon , and most delays were well under an hour . The ATA expects planes to be close to 90 percent full , on average , on the busiest travel days . `` You 'll see plenty of people on airplanes that are full , '' ATA spokesman David Castelveter said . He urges air travelers to arrive at the airport early , be prepared to go through security checkpoints and travel light , as space in overhead compartments and underneath seats will be limited . iReport : Share your travel experiences . Ball State University student Katie Dorsey , 21 , planned to fly out of Indianapolis ' new airport for the first time . She usually makes the trip to Orlando , Florida , to visit her father a couple times a year . `` I know they have more TSA checkpoint lanes , so it should be faster getting through security , but I 'm not sure as far as lines , '' Dorsey said of the new airport . `` I 'm going to try to get there at least two hours before my flight this time . '' Last week the TSA expanded its family lane program to every security checkpoint . Families , individuals who are unfamiliar with security procedures , travelers with special needs and those carrying medically necessary liquids in amounts exceeding the TSA 's allowances can use these lanes to get through security at their own pace . Dorsey planned to check a bag on her AirTran flight because her travel dates dodge the carrier 's fee for a first checked bag , going into effect December 5 . Many major carriers have instituted fees on passengers ' first checked bags , with higher fees for additional bags . In addition to mounting airline fees , Thanksgiving holiday travelers are paying on average 8 percent more for tickets this year , according to AAA 's Leisure Travel Index . iReporter Bart Wible , 28 , could n't afford to pay the fares he found to fly from West Palm Beach , Florida , with his son and fiancee to visit family in Indiana . He looked for tickets online four or five times a week for several months , but the lowest fare he could find was $ 348 per ticket . Wible said he drives to Indiana when he has time to make the 16 1/2 - hour trip . `` Lately , it 's turned into a trip that I have to drive . Even whenever gas prices were at almost $ 4 a gallon , I had to drive it , because it 's still less expensive than flying when you look at three people traveling , '' Wible said . Driving is n't an option for the long weekend , he said , even with average gas prices dipping below $ 1.90 a gallon . Wible wo n't be among the 33.2 million Americans AAA expects to travel by car this year . The projected number of holiday drivers is down 1.2 percent from last year 's 33.6 million drivers . AAA expects to assist five million stranded motorists during the holiday season . AAA 's Hyde urges motorists to get their vehicles checked out before hitting the road . `` Even though people might be trying to tighten their purse strings right now , it 's not the time to let your maintenance lapse on your car , especially if you live in a cold-weather environment , '' Hyde said . Have your antifreeze checked , check your windshield cleaning fluid , replace your wiper blades and monitor your tire pressure , she advised . As with any travel , the weather will be a big factor in how smoothly drivers are able to get to their destinations . To ease congestion in the sky that may be compounded by weather , President Bush has authorized the use of military airspace for Thanksgiving `` express lanes . '' Corridors along the East Coast , in the Midwest , the Southwest and the West Coast will be opened to commercial airliners . `` Every little bit helps , no question about that , '' said the ATA 's Castelveter . `` When we run into congestion in the airspace , having those extra lanes is a benefit . It 's not a solution to delays . It 's one of a number of solutions to reducing delays . '' | 41 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving . A slight dip in the number of travelers is the first decline since 2002 . The largest predicted decline is among air travelers . | [[275, 360], [3826, 3885], [475, 537], [621, 658], [668, 722], [621, 653], [661, 722], [723, 832]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The United States will allow Americans to send mobile phones to relatives in Cuba under a change in policy that President Bush announced Wednesday . President Bush announces the U.S. policy allowing cell phones to Cuba at the White House on Wednesday . Bush said he is making the change since President Raúl Castro `` is allowing Cubans to own mobile phones for the first time . '' `` If he is serious about his so-called reforms , he will allow these phones to reach the Cuban people , '' Bush said . Bush urged the Cuban government to loosen restrictions further , saying if Cubans can be allowed to own mobile phones , `` they should be trusted to speak freely in public . '' They should be allowed to watch uncensored movies and have free access to the Internet , he said . And he called for the government to implement major free-market reforms . Relations between the United States and Cuba remain tense nearly 50 years after Fidel Castro overthrew the pro-American government in Havana . The United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba for decades . Cuban officials on Monday accused the top U.S. diplomat in Havana of delivering money from private anti-Castro groups in Florida to dissidents in Cuba . U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that `` the U.S. government has programs to provide humanitarian assistance to people that are essentially forgotten by the Cuban government and that we ... do not stand in the way of private groups doing that as well . '' As to how that is done , he said , `` I 'm not aware of the mechanics ; I do n't steep myself in these things . '' Fidel Castro , beset with health problems , handed day-to-day governing power over to Raúl , his younger brother , earlier this year . After being elected president in February , Raúl Castro announced that Cubans who can afford them could buy cell phones and DVD players and stay in hotels previously reserved for foreign tourists -- overturning bans from the Fidel era . The goods and services remain out of reach for most people on the island , where $ 120 cell phones plus $ 10.80 calling cards cost about six times the average monthly salary . Bush said Wednesday it is `` the height of hypocrisy to claim credit to allow Cubans to purchase appliances that virtually none of them can afford . '' Though the price may put mobile phones out of the reach of most Cubans , they are affordable for many of those who have access to U.S. dollars -- typically either sent from relatives abroad or earned internally by tourist workers . Bush on Wednesday marked what the White House called a Day of Solidarity with the Cuban People , which the president said he hopes will be an annual event . | President Bush : Cubans also `` should be trusted to speak freely in public '' Bush calls for Cuba to implement major free-market reforms . U.S. has maintained an embargo against Cuba for decades . New leader Raúl Castro allowing Cubans to buy cell phones , DVD players . | [[653, 705], [808, 881], [826, 881], [1025, 1095], [283, 387], [323, 408], [1774, 1815], [1818, 1969]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Manchester United have accepted a world-record $ 130 million offer for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid . Ronaldo is set to smash the world record transfer fee if he agrees to move to Real Madrid . The English champions have given the big-spending Spanish giants permission to talk to the World Player of the Year , according to the official United Web site . United said on Thursday that the Portugal winger had again expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford , and the club now expect the deal to be concluded by June 30 . Madrid confirmed on the club 's Web site that it hoped to seal an agreement with Ronaldo `` in the coming days . '' Real , who have fallen behind bitter rivals Barcelona , have swooped to follow up the $ 92 million signing of Brazil star Kaka from AC Milan earlier this week . What 's your view ? Tell us what you think about Ronaldo joining Real . Real also held the previous record when they paid $ 77 million -LRB- now worth $ 108 million -RRB- for Zinedine Zidane in 2001 . The club 's president Florentino Perez said after the Kaka deal was concluded that he would do `` everything possible '' to sign the 24-year-old Ronaldo , as he sought to build a new empire that would match his first stint at the Bernabeu . The 20 most wanted players in the world . United held off Real 's advances last summer , with manager Alex Ferguson traveling to the Portugal camp during the Euro 2008 finals to hold crisis talks with Ronaldo . The player committed himself to another season in Manchester , but was affected by injuries early on and -- despite a sizzling end to the campaign -- was unable to help United retain the UEFA Champions League title , losing to Barcelona in last month 's final . Perez is seeking to rebuild a team which finished second in the Primera Liga last season , nine points behind Barcelona , and again failed to progress past the first knockout stage of Europe 's premier club competition . He failed in his first bid for the presidency in 1995 , but won the 2000 elections on a promise to sign Luis Figo from Barca . Perez duly brought in the Portuguese forward and followed it up with a series of budget-busting transfers , including that of Zidane and David Beckham , as he created a team dubbed the `` Galacticos . '' United have been linked with moves to sign Bayern Munich 's France star Franck Ribery and Wigan 's Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia as Ferguson seeks to replace Ronaldo . Check out the latest transfer rumors and gossip . Perez has also expressed an interest in bringing Ribery to Spain from Germany . Ronaldo moved to Old Trafford in August 2003 in a $ 20 million transfer from Sporting Lisbon just days after scoring against United in a pre-season friendly . He made his first senior outing for the national side that November and helped Manchester United win the FA Cup in May before suffering heartache as Portugal lost to underdogs Greece in the final of Euro 2004 on home soil . In November 2005 , he agreed a two-year extension to his contract until 2010 . He was vilified in England in the summer of 2006 after his antics helped get United clubmate Wayne Rooney sent off as Portugal progressed to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Germany . After the tournament , Ronaldo revealed that he would like to leave United , but at the end of the 2006-07 season the forward agreed a new five-year contract . Watch CNN on why Ronaldo moved '' The next campaign he beat George Best 's 40-year-old club record for goals scored by a winger in a single season , with 33 in the Premier League and 42 overall . Ronaldo suffered an ankle injury as Portugal lost 3-2 to Germany in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 , and told Portuguese newspaper Publico he would remain with United `` for at least another year '' . In December he was named Europe 's top player , then the next month he escaped uninjured after writing off his Ferrari sports car when crashing into a roadside barrier under a tunnel near Manchester Airport on his way to training . Read about it here . Ronaldo was named FIFA World Player of the Year on January 12 and went on to held United retain the Premier League title , but the club failed to become the first to retain the Champions League since its inception in 1992 . | Real Madrid given permission to talk with Cristiano Ronaldo after record offer . Spanish club offer a world-record $ 130 million for Manchester United winger . The World Player of the Year is expected to conclude his transfer by June 30 . Real have been seeking to sign the Portugal international for the last two years . | [[219, 334], [0, 15], [19, 126], [489, 546]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One of Africa 's most successful footballers , Nwankwo Kanu , has had a glittering career on the pitch . The 6 ft 5 in Nigerian footballer has used his sizable stature in the game to help many others . Winning a gold medal with Nigeria in the 1996 Olympic Games he has also won the European Cup with Ajax ; the English Premier League Title and FA Cup with Arsenal in 2002 , and in 2008 scored the winning goal for Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final . But off the pitch , Kanu has worked just as hard to improve the lives of others . He set up the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000 that raises money to help children with hearth defects . It 's an issue that Kanu is particularly connected to . In 1995 , when he was already a double-European Cup finalist , Kanu was told by a doctor for Inter Milan , the club he had just signed for , that he a faulty value in his heart . He was told he could never play football again . However he spent 14 months rehabilitating and then moved to Arsenal in England and arguably had the most successful years of his career . Now nearing the end of his career , Kanu has set up another foundation . Founded in 2008 , The Kanu Football Foundation aims to help advise young African footballer who can face all sorts of pressures when trying to become a professional football and avoid being exploited . | Nigerian footballer is European Cup and English Premier League winner . Age 19 , told he could never play football again after hole was found in his heart . A UNICEF ambassador has also set up two charitable foundations . | [[281, 323], [884, 932], [896, 932], [1107, 1143]] |
FAIRBURN , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a south Atlanta neighborhood lined with palatial homes and manicured lots , the Hicks family was living out its American dream . Breylan and Terese Hicks play with their sons Bryce , 3 , and Jordan , 2 . But like many Americans , that dream was interrupted when they almost lost their home to foreclosure . Terese , a firefighter , and her husband Breylan , a police sergeant , had always dreamed about owning a spacious house in the suburbs . When they began their search , the young family was living in a south Atlanta neighborhood . They grew concerned and decided to move when crime in the area started to pick up . Although they did n't think they could afford their ` dream home , ' they started searching in an affluent area just south of the airport and across the street from the 190-room estate owned by famed heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield . `` I 've always been looking in this subdivision , but never thought we could afford a home here , '' Terese Hicks said . After discussing their financials with a mortgage broker , the family was presented with a deal and payments they could afford . The interest-only , adjustable rate loan sounded good at the time . And since they were not first-time homebuyers , they thought they knew what they were getting into . Terese Hicks figured they could always refinance before the interest rates were adjusted . Soon , the family settled in their seven-bedroom , five-bathroom plantation-style home with a pool . It all seemed like a dream come true , until the couple learned the interest rate on their loan would readjust in just six months , making the loan a short three-year ARM . The mother of two , who handles the family 's finances , had wrongly assumed that their loan was a five-year ARM . The news could n't have come at a worse time . Breylan was unable to work because of a serious back injury , and the family 's income took a hit . They were also paying mortgages on vacant rental properties when they could n't find tenants because of the housing crisis . To make matters worse , Terese Hicks , a city employee , had to take a 10-percent pay cut in her salary , and the family was burdened with a mountain of medical bills for numerous surgeries their 6-month-old son Jordan underwent to treat a birth-related medical condition . Struggling to pay the new adjusted mortgage , Terese Hicks appealed to their mortgage company , Homecomings which is owned by GMAC , for help . `` They said there was nothing they could do about the rate readjusting , so I said let 's weather the storm and see what we can do , '' she said . She continued to make regular payments for all of their mortgages in order to maintain their good credit . But within a year , they were in the eye of the storm and their savings dropped to around $ 75 . Desperate , the Hickses asked their mortgage company again for help . But they were told there was nothing they could do because they were current on all their payments . The Hickses decided they had no other choice but to `` play the game '' and stop paying their mortgage , even if it meant damaging their hard-earned credit . Homecomings acknowledges that the guidelines for modification at that time made little sense , but they were caught in the middle of a `` symptomatic '' relationship between working with third-party investors and homeowners . `` In order for us to have been able to modify the loan we needed to get permission on the investor on whose behalf we are servicing the loan , '' said Jeanine Bruin of GMAC . `` It 's a balancing act , what 's in the best interest of the customer and the investor . '' At the time of the Hickses request for a loan modification , investors backing the loans required some proof of financial difficulty . Things have changed since then , including new government concessions geared towards helping homeowners , explained Bruin . `` The proof was in the pudding , '' said Bruin , `` You had to be late in your payment to prove hardship . '' The Hicks family 's story is one that Marcia Griffin , founder of HomeFree-USA , has heard all too often . `` We advise homebuyers not to talk to a realtor or lender before we can meet with them for a Mortgage Profile Meeting , '' said Griffin . `` Within 30 minutes the client will know if they can fly , run , walk or crawl . '' HomeFree-USA is a nonprofit organization devoted to homeownership development and financial empowerment . It 's one of several national nonprofit organizations that offer mortgage assistance and home ownership counseling . The Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America and the National Urban League offer community advocacy programs geared toward counseling lower - and middle-income families who are purchasing or refinancing their homes . With offices in Washington and Atlanta , HomeFree-USA 's clientele is mostly minority borrowers . During the recent housing crisis , Griffin says people of color have become `` easy prey '' because they often do n't know the right questions to ask about subprime and ARM loans . Some may find her no-nonsense attitude a bit difficult to swallow . `` You can not buy a house without any money , and you can not buy a house with poor credit , '' cautioned Griffin . As an African-American , Griffin believes she 's the right messenger to help financially empower the African-American community . Griffin believes families like the Hicks could have qualified for a better , less risky loan and should have been better informed about the terms of their loan . If the Hicks family had known sooner about HomeFree-USA 's program they might have been able to save their good credit rating and a lot of aggravation . It was only after receiving notice that their home was going up for auction that Terese Hicks learned about HomeFree-USA . She contacted the Atlanta office and within a few days there was a resolution . The Hicks family learned that they qualified for President Obama 's new homeownership assistance program . The program offered institutionalized loan modifications for people who could prove they were suffering economic hardship . With a low interest rate locked in for the next five years , the family was able to keep the home and pay an affordable monthly mortgage . Griffin hopes other homebuyers can learn from the Hickses ' situation and seek out an advocate early in the process of refinancing or modifying a loan -- before they are caught in a financial storm . `` People do n't know where to go and who to talk to , '' says Griffin . `` They are suffering in silence . '' | The Hicks family purchased a `` dream home '' just south of Atlanta , Georgia . The couple struggled to pay the interest-only mortgage after it adjusted . They suffered a series of financial blows from health issues to loss of income . HomeFree-USA consulted with their lender to avoid foreclosure . | [[2346, 2389], [1913, 1946], [6088, 6094], [6099, 6150]] |
Editor 's note : Fawaz A. Gerges holds the Christian A. Johnson Chair in Middle Eastern Studies and International Affairs at Sarah Lawrence College . His most recent book is `` The Far Enemy : Why Jihad Went Global . '' This is the first of two pieces by Gerges on the Iranian election . Fawaz Gerges says Iran 's president is vulnerable on the economy and broken promises of women 's rights . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In Iran , as in every country , all politics is local . While there exist few substantive differences among leading presidential contenders over foreign and nuclear policy , there are divisions over the economy . With uncertain and declining oil revenues and a global financial crisis , Iran has fallen on hard times . The nation suffers from high inflation and an unemployment rate that tops 30 percent -LRB- according to unofficial figures -RRB- -- one of the highest in the region , despite the country 's huge oil exports . Public discontent over the faltering economy has seen President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad become increasingly unpopular . His reformist and conservative opponents alike have criticized him publicly for spending too much time agitating the U.S. and Israel and not enough trying to fix the crumbling economy . Regardless of which candidate wins on June 12 or in a potential runoff , he will inherit a grave economic crisis and a restive population . Dealing with foreign affairs is likely to be some way down his list of priorities . At his first press conference after announcing his presidential candidacy , Hossein Mousavi , Ahmadinejad 's main opponent , pledged to increase freedoms for Iranians and curb controversial restrictions that require women to cover their hair in public . `` Can a security patrol save our youths ? '' Mousavi said of the increase in the moral police operations to prevent women from allowing their hair to show in public . `` Or can they be saved by the words of a grandfather who talks to his granddaughter ? '' he asked rhetorically . The patrols began after Ahmadinejad became president , though his government denies responsibility ; many women claim that his administration has institutionalized discrimination against them . Criticizing the president 's rhetoric and the strictures he has imposed on daily life and public discourse , Mousavi , who appeals to the youth vote and women , said social controls are the domain of the people , not the government -- a radical departure from the dominant orthodoxy of the ruling mullahs . Mousavi frames his reforms as an affirmation of Iran 's constitution , which he says has been `` violated and undermined '' by Ahmadinejad . The reason for his rhetoric is that women and young voters could tip the balance of power in his favor . Half of the 46 million eligible voters are women . In 1997 , more than 60 percent of the votes that brought former President Mohammad Khatami to power were cast by women , and in 2000 women voters were instrumental in giving reformists a sweeping majority in the parliament . Promising greater individual freedoms to Iran 's young people was instrumental in the two landslide victories by Khatami in 1997 and 2001 . Ironically , during the 2005 presidential election , candidate Ahmadinejad said he would loosen state control over people 's personal affairs . Trying to garner support among women and young voters , in one of his pre-election television interviews he questioned the role of the morality police : `` Let our children arrange their hair any way they wish . It does not concern you and me . ... The government should fix the economy of the nation and improve its atmosphere . ... People have variegated tastes . '' His broken promises to women voters could cost him the presidency on June 12 . A reformist woman and a former member of parliament said in a newspaper article that the president 's days are numbered : `` The women 's movement in Iran is gaining momentum and these elections may be the first step towards Ahmadinejad -LSB- being -RSB- forced out . '' Indeed , women have become critical players in Iran 's electoral map . More women activists are making their voices and demands heard and have formed coalitions to defeat the incumbent . Almost 600 women have registered for the forthcoming 290-seat Majlis -LRB- parliamentary -RRB- election , which will be crucial in determining the future of the ultra-conservatives who broadly back Ahmadinejad . There are currently only two women in secondary Cabinet positions and 11 in parliament , but these numbers seem certain to rise . It is no wonder then that leading reformist contenders have appealed to women by pledging to give them a greater say in the political and social order . Mehdi Karroubi , a former parliament speaker , said he has always supported women 's rights and that if elected , he would appoint a female minister to his Cabinet : `` Having a female minister will make no major changes , but it will be a major step toward removing the obstacles to the active participation of women in Iran 's politics . '' So although this month 's presidential election is unlikely to cause a rupture internationally , either for better or worse , the result could have a critical impact on the domestic arena in Iran , particularly in terms of the empowerment of women . As such , the election will provide a glimpse of how far Iran has evolved and how far it has to travel . Regardless of who emerges victorious , neither Iran 's foreign policy nor its geostrategic posture will dramatically change . Although the president is the human face and representative of the Islamic-based regime in Tehran , he is not the top executive decision-maker or commander-in-chief . He does not make decisions of war and peace . Rather , his authority lies in the domestic arena , particularly in managing the economy and framing the moral debate , and communicating Iran 's message -LRB- s -RRB- to the world . iReport.com : Human chain in support of Mousavi . The most powerful and influential man in today 's Iran is the unelected Supreme Leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , assisted by a National Security Council that includes dozens of political leaders . Together they are responsible for constructing the country 's regional and foreign policies , including the nuclear portfolio and relations with Western powers . They set the broad parameters of Iranian foreign policy and strategy , leaving the president with a limited ability to maneuver in determining the country 's international relations . Nevertheless , the president 's personality and discourse play an important role in Iran 's foreign relations , either heightening tensions with the world or presenting a more accommodating stance -- as clearly shown by the contrasting styles of President Ahmadinejad and his predecessor Mohammad Khatami . While Ahmadinejad 's aggressive rhetoric has caused a further rupture with Western states , Khatami 's stress on civilizational dialogue and co-existence was warmly welcomed in European capitals and many U.S. circles . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Fawaz Gerges . | Fawaz Gerges : Iranian election likely to turn on local issues , not foreign policy . Iran 's economy in trouble due to lower oil prices , inflation , joblessness , he says . Women think Ahmadinejad has broken his promises to them , Gerges says . Gerges : Women and young people have been key factors in past votes . | [[5178, 5303], [626, 630], [645, 697], [698, 731], [732, 795], [1314, 1382], [288, 393], [3679, 3757], [2287, 2303], [2320, 2355], [2681, 2749], [4029, 4099]] |
JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI visited Jerusalem 's holiest sites Tuesday , touring areas sacred to Muslims , Jews and Christians and stressing the common threads of the three faiths . Pope Benedict XVI prays at the Old City 's Western Wall , also known as the Wailing Wall . After visiting the Dome of the Rock , an Islamic shrine , the pontiff prayed at the Old City 's Western Wall . Also known as the Wailing Wall , it was once part of Judaism 's Second Temple , which was destroyed . Later , the pope was scheduled to celebrate Mass at Gethsemane , the site where the Bible says Jesus prayed to God for guidance the night before his crucifixion . `` The Dome of the Rock draws our hearts and minds to reflect upon the mystery of creation and the faith of Abraham . Here the paths of the world 's three great monotheistic religions meet , reminding us what they share in common , '' the pope said at the Islamic shrine after a meeting with the grand mufti of Jerusalem , the city 's top Muslim religious leader . `` Each believes in one God , creator and ruler of all . Each recognizes Abraham as a forefather , a man of faith upon whom God bestowed a special blessing , '' the pontiff said . Muslims believe that the Dome of the Rock is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven , while Jews believe that it is where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac . A short distance away in the Old City is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher , believed to be located on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried . The visit took place under extremely tight security . Security personnel with machine guns could be seen across the Temple Mount . | Visits Dome of the Rock , an Islamic shrine , before meeting city 's top Muslim leader . In Islam Dome of the Rock is where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven . Pope : `` Here the paths of the world 's three great monotheistic religions meet '' Visit takes place under extremely tight security . | [[29, 81], [900, 988], [1264, 1303], [786, 856], [869, 897], [1530, 1583]] |
MYRTLE BEACH , South Carolina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After earning a reputation as a killer in Haiti , Tropical Storm Hanna amounted to little more than a windy rainstorm along the Atlantic Coast on Saturday . Water almost covers the dock at the Marine Corps Air Station marina near the New River in North Carolina . No states have `` expressed any damage that they could n't handle , '' said Glenn Cannon , the Federal Emergency Management Agency 's assistant administrator for disaster operations . He said there were some concerns about flooding near rivers and in low-lying areas . `` We 're monitoring Hanna , but it seems to be a heavy rain event , '' he said . According to the Associated Press , Hanna did cause one death in a traffic accident on Interstate 95 in Maryland . Many people in Huntington , Virginia , about 8 miles northwest of Virginia Beach , voluntarily evacuated Saturday afternoon because of concerns about flooding , Fairfax County public information officer Merni Fitzgerald said . The area , which has flooded in the past , was receiving heavy rain , she said . She could not provide an exact number of people who had evacuated . The storm drenched the Carolinas and Virginia with heavy rain pushed by 55-mph winds as it zipped northward near 30 mph -LRB- 48 kph -RRB- , the National Hurricane Center reported at 11 p.m. ET Saturday . At that hour , the center of the storm was 90 miles -LRB- 145 kilometers -RRB- west-southwest of Long Island , New York , and about 135 miles -LRB- 220 kilometers -RRB- southwest of Providence , Rhode Island . Hanna would travel the coast all the way up to Canada 's Maritime Provinces by Sunday night , forecasters said . Hanna came ashore at 3:20 a.m. ET near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line . It caused a surge of 1 to 2 feet of water along the shore and was expected to deliver 4 to 6 inches of rain , with some areas getting more . Flooding , wind damage and power outages were minor across the Carolinas , according to emergency officials . View a map of Hanna 's projected path '' `` It 's actually going fairly well , with some reports of minor flooding , '' said South Carolina Emergency Management spokesman Derrec Becker . About 10,000 South Carolina homes were without power Saturday morning , mostly in the Myrtle Beach area , Becker said . He also said 444 South Carolina residents were staying in 15 shelters . In North Carolina , nearly 12,000 homes had no electricity , mostly in the counties near where Hanna came in , said State Emergency Management spokesman Mark Van Sciver . See what impact Hanna had on Wrightsville Beach , North Carolina '' No deaths were reported , flooding was limited , and no highways were closed , Van Sciver said . Nearly 1,500 residents sought refuge Saturday in 49 emergency shelters in North Carolina , Van Sciver said . The storm snarled some travel plans . It triggered delays for arrivals to Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania and departures from Newark International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York , the Federal Aviation Administration said . Delays at JFK airport averaged about four hours , the FAA said . Hanna 's eye made landfall near Little River Inlet at the South Carolina-North Carolina line , according to CNN meteorologists . Watch wind whip a South Carolina beach '' Pounding waves flattened some sand dunes on the beaches at Oak Island , North Carolina , just east of the storm 's landfall . The island 's Ocean Crest pier , rebuilt after Hurricane Floyd destroyed it nine years ago , held up under Hanna , but the American flag flying above it was in tatters and barely attached to its pole by sunrise . By Saturday afternoon , the hurricane center had discontinued a tropical storm warning southward from Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . A tropical storm warning covered much of the East Coast from Cape Hatteras to Merrimack River , Massachusetts , about 31 miles north of Boston . The warning included all of Chesapeake Bay , Washington , New York Harbor and Long Island Sound , as well as popular vacation islands Martha 's Vineyard , Block Island and Nantucket . The warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours . iReport.com : Are you getting soaked ? Hanna caused severe flooding and killed at least 137 as it lingered for several days over and just off the coast of Haiti . U.N. relief supplies started arriving in the beleaguered country Friday , even as Hurricane Ike threatens to do even more damage . Ike will pass near or over the Turks and Caicos Islands , just north of Haiti , and the southeastern Bahamas in the next day , the hurricane center said . Ike 's impact on the United States is less certain , but it could brush South Florida and hit the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane next week . iReport.com : `` There 's now a pond in my car '' | Residents in Huntington , Virginia , voluntarily evacuating because of flooding . FEMA says no states have requested help with damage from storm . Little damage reported from storm in U.S. after at least 137 deaths in Haiti . 4 to 6 inches of rain expected all along Atlantic Coast . | [[779, 815], [862, 937], [1128, 1134], [1139, 1154], [49, 96], [99, 205], [4317, 4322], [4350, 4440], [1769, 1771], [1831, 1876]] |
BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Chinese women 's gymnastics team did not use underage competitors during this year 's Summer Olympic Games in Beijing , the International Gymnastics Federation said Wednesday . Widespread reports claimed that gold medal winner He Kexin was only 14 years old . The federation said it has concluded its inquiry into the matter after it confirmed the gymnasts ' ages through official documents that the Chinese Gymnasts Association provided . The documents included passports , identity cards and household registers . However , the organization intends to further investigate the ages of two gymnasts , Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun , who participated in the 2000 summer games in Sydney , Australia . The federation said it did not consider the explanations and evidence that Chinese authorities provided in regard to those athletes as satisfactory . The International Olympic Committee had asked gymnastics officials to clarify the situation after numerous commentators , bloggers and others questioned whether about half the members of China 's team were old enough to compete . Watch tiny gymnasts work out '' Athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place . In women 's gymnastics , younger girls can have an advantage over older competitors on account of their often smaller , lighter and more agile bodies . The Chinese women 's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Beijing games , and five members won individual medals . One of the challenges came from a blogger known as `` Stryde Hax . '' The blogger claimed to have uncovered proof that Chinese gymnast He Kexin is only 14 . In Internet searches , `` Stryde Hax '' allegedly uncovered Web pages showing lists complied by China 's General Administration of Sport that show a 1994 date of birth for He . CNN was not been able to independently verify the information , but snapshots of the Web pages appeared to back up the claim . Other bloggers joined the search and reported similar results . The New York Times conducted its own investigation , producing similar results that seem to implicate He and two other members of the team . The Times uncovered a 2006 biography on He that lists her birthday as January 1 , 1994 . The International Gymnastics Federation , however , has said that those gymnasts were eligible and that the ages on their passports were correct . Chinese gymnastics coaches also defended their team . `` Asians have different figures than people from the West , so that 's what caused their suspicion , '' said Huang Yubin , head coach of the men 's and women 's teams , referring to media inquiries . `` They should n't be suspicious . '' | Athletes met age requirements , international commission concludes . Some writers , others suspected girls were younger than rules allowed . Chinese team won gold medal in Summer Olympics at Beijing . Passports , identity cards , household records examined . | [[1007, 1114], [479, 554]] |
PARIS , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Pablo Picasso sketchbook with 33 pencil drawings disappeared from a locked glass case in a museum in Paris overnight , the French Ministry of Culture announced Tuesday . The sketchbook was discovered missing from the Picasso Museum in Paris overnight . The police were immediately alerted , as was a special unit that combats the trade in stolen cultural artifacts . The sketchbook has a red varnished cover with the word `` Album '' inscribed on it in gold lettering , and measures 16 centimeters by 24 centimeters -LRB- 6 inches by 9 inches -RRB- . Picasso used the sketchbook between 1917 and 1924 when he was in his late 30s and early 40s . The period was extraordinarily eventful for the artist , including collaborations and tours with the Ballets Russes , his marriage to Olga Khokhlova , a dancer from the company , and the birth of his son Paul . Picasso was shifting from the famous Cubist style he helped create to his neo-Classical phase during the years covered by the sketchbook , according a biography on his official Web site . CNN 's Niki Cook contributed to this report . | Sketchbook of Pablo Picasso drawings missing from Paris museum , officials say . Special unit that combats the trade in stolen cultural artifacts was notified . The artist used the sketchbook between 1917 and 1924 . Description : Red varnished cover with `` Album '' inscription , 6-by-9 inches . | [[206, 288], [206, 220], [236, 288], [289, 299], [305, 324], [327, 348], [289, 299], [330, 402], [587, 680], [993, 1028], [403, 457], [461, 503], [403, 417], [510, 578]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a new anti-Israel , anti-U.S. video , an American al Qaeda member makes reference to his Jewish ancestry for the first time in an official al Qaeda message . Adam Yahiye Gadahn , also known as Azzam the American , is seen in an earlier al Qaeda video . In the video , Adam Yahiye Gadahn , also known as Azzam the American , discusses his roots as he castigates U.S. policies and deplores Israel 's offensive in Gaza that started in late December 2008 and continued into January . `` Let me here tell you something about myself and my biography , in which there is a benefit and a lesson , '' Gadahn says , as he elicits support from his fellow Muslims for `` our weapons , funds and Jihad against the Jews and their allies everywhere . '' `` Your speaker has Jews in his ancestry , the last of whom was his grandfather , '' he says . Growing up in rural California , Gadahn embraced Islam in the mid-1990s , moved to Pakistan and has appeared in al Qaeda videos before . He was indicted in the United States in 2006 on charges of treason and material support to al Qaeda , according to the FBI . Gadahn is on the FBI 's Most Wanted List , with a reward of up to $ 1 million leading to his capture . FBI records show Gadahn 's date of birth as September 1 , 1978 . The video -- in which Gadahn speaks Arabic , with English subtitles -- surfaced on Saturday . This account is based on an English transcript provided by As-Sahab Media , the media production company used by al Qaeda . Gadahn 's Jewish ancestry has been reported in the news media . But terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield says it is the first time Gadahn acknowledged his Jewish ancestry in an official al Qaeda message . Gadahn says his grandfather was a `` Zionist '' and `` a zealous supporter of the usurper entity , and a prominent member of a number of Zionist hate organizations . '' `` He used to repeat to me what he claimed are the virtues of this entity and encouraged me to visit it , specifically the city of Tel Aviv , where relatives of ours live , '' says Gadahn , referring to Israel . He says his grandfather gave him a book by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called `` A Place Among the Nations '' -- in which the `` rabid Zionist '' sets out `` feeble arguments and unmasked lies to justify the Jews ' rape of Muslim Palestine . '' But Gadahn says that despite his youth at the time , he did n't heed his grandfather 's words . `` How can a person with an ounce of self-respect possibly stand in the ranks of criminals and killers who have no morals , no mercy , no humanity and indeed , no honor ? '' he says in reference to Zionists and Israel . `` Is n't it shameful enough for a person to carry the citizenship of America , the symbol of oppression and tyranny and advocate of terror in the world ? '' Mansfield thinks the video may have been made between late April and mid-May , before President Obama 's speech in Cairo , Egypt , addressing U.S. relations with Muslims . Gadahn notes Obama 's inauguration , Netanyahu 's election in February , and Obama 's speech in Turkey in April . Specifically mentioning the Gaza offensive and citing other hot spots such as Iraq , Afghanistan , Chechnya and Somalia , where the `` Zio-Crusader alliance '' is fighting his `` brothers , '' he says `` this open-faced aggression '' comes as Obama has risen to power . He scorns Obama 's statements in his inaugural address and in Turkey that America is n't and wo n't be at war with Islam , and `` other deceptive , false and sugarcoated words of endearment and respect . '' He says Obama 's language is similar to words Netanyahu uttered in the Knesset in 1996 . Gadahn also backs the idea of targeting `` Zio-Crusader '' interests anywhere in the world , not just `` within Palestine . '' | Californian convert to Islam castigates U.S. , Israel in al Qaeda video . Adam Yahiye Gadahn says grandfather was a member of `` Zionist hate organizations '' Gadahn criticizes Obama 's `` deceptive , false and sugarcoated words '' Speaker refers to his American citizenship as `` shameful '' | [[275, 287], [290, 308], [346, 437], [2048, 2050], [2065, 2086], [2616, 2661], [1706, 1871], [3376, 3430]] |
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