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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If there 's a blessing in the current swine flu epidemic , it 's how benign the illness seems to be outside the central disease cluster in Mexico . But history offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus . The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 sickened an estimated third of the world 's population . In each of the four major pandemics since 1889 , a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave , a few months later , of a much more virulent disease . This was true in 1889 , 1957 , 1968 and in the catastrophic flu outbreak of 1918 , which sickened an estimated third of the world 's population and killed , conservatively , 50 million people . Lone Simonsen , an epidemiologist at George Washington University , who has studied the course of prior pandemics in both the United States and her native Denmark , says , `` The good news from past pandemics , in several experiences , is that the majority of deaths have happened not in the first wave , but later . '' Based on this , Simonsen suggests there may be time to develop an effective vaccine before a second , more virulent strain , begins to circulate . As swine flu -- also known as the 2009 version of the H1N1 flu strain -- spreads , Simonsen and other health experts are diving into the history books for clues about how the outbreak might unfold -- and , more importantly , how it might be contained . In fact , the official Pandemic Influenza Operation Plan , or O-Plan , of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , is based in large part on a history lesson -- research organized by pediatrician and medical historian Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan . Markel was tapped by the CDC to study what worked and what did n't during the 1918 flu disaster . Markel and colleagues examined 43 cities and found that so-called nonpharmaceutical interventions -- steps such as isolating patients and school closings -- were remarkably successful in tamping down the outbreak . `` They do n't make the population immune , but they buy you time , either by preventing influenza from getting into the community or slowing down the spread , '' Markel said . Explainer : Flu facts '' Markel describes a dramatic example in the mining town of Gunnison , Colorado . In 1918 , town leaders built a veritable barricade , closing down the railroad station and blocking all roads into town . Four thousand townspeople lived on stockpiled supplies and food from hunting or fishing . For 3 1/2 months , while influenza raged in nearly every city in America , Gunnison saw not a single case of flu -- not until the spring , when roads were reopened and a handful of residents fell sick . Visit LIFE.com for photographs of the lethal flu pandemic of 1918 . Nonpharmaceutical interventions , or NPIs , also proved effective in big cities such as New York , according to Markel . In fact , the sooner cities moved to limit public gatherings or isolate patients , the less severe their experience tended to be -- as much as an eight - or ninefold difference in case and death rates , he says . Based on this guidance , the CDC preparedness plan devotes dozens of pages to potential NPIs , from voluntary isolation to reorganizing company work schedules to reduce the density of people sitting next to each other in the office or while riding trains and buses . If it seems odd to base medical strategy on 90-year-old newspapers , the approach is increasingly popular . `` There 's a big case for looking at history , '' says Simonsen . `` We call it archaeo-epidemiology . You go to libraries and places like that , dig around , collaborate with people like John Barry and try to quantify what really worked . '' Map : where the flu is today '' Barry is the author of `` The Great Influenza , '' perhaps the signature history of the devastating 1918 pandemic . He says the historical record shows that isolating patients worked to slow the spread of flu in 1918 , but that attempted quarantines -- preventing movement in and out of cities -- was `` worthless . '' While Barry supports the CDC 's general containment strategy , in the past he has publicly criticized Markel 's work . After Markel 's findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , Barry wrote a letter in response , saying it was n't swift action but rather an earlier wave of mild flu , acting like a vaccination , that was probably responsible for New York 's relatively low caseload . In the letter , he noted , `` New York City Health Commissioner Royal Copeland did tell reporters ... that he would isolate and quarantine cases , '' but based on his own articles in the New York Medical Journal , he `` apparently never imposed those measures . '' In response , Markel and CDC officials pointed to a decision by the New York Board of Health making influenza a reportable disease , and a 1918 JAMA article describing strict quarantine efforts in New York . Barry says both those sources rely on Copeland 's assertions , which he considers unreliable . It looks superficially like an academic feud , but in this field , different conclusions can suggest radically different approaches to quashing a pandemic . Nowhere is this more true than in research that builds computer models to predict the spread of outbreaks , based on previous ones . Markel , along with most analysts , says that in prior pandemics , the so-called R-naught number -- the number of new infections caused by each infected person -- has been approximately 2.0 . The current U.S. pandemic control strategy is based on computer simulations that assume a flu virus with an R-naught between 1.6 and 2.4 . Last year , however , Simonsen and Viggo Andreasen concluded that the true R-naught of the 1918 flu virus was probably somewhere between 3 and 4 . Since an epidemic grows exponentially -- each person sickens three others , each of whom infects three more , and so on -- this is a tremendous difference . `` It says it 's going to be harder than we thought '' to control a pandemic , Simonsen says . Barry agrees . `` I do think that some of these things , like isolating -LSB- sick people -RSB- , will take off some of the edge . We hope they 'll do more than that . But to think they 'll stop a pandemic , that is just not going to happen . '' Simonsen says control measures such as the steps taken by Mexico in recent days -- closing schools and restaurants , for example -- are still worth the effort . `` It does n't mean we should give up , because we do n't know the R-naught -LSB- for swine flu -RSB- . We do n't know how easily this spreads . '' But she adds , NPIs are at best a way to buy time . `` We just badly need a vaccine . That 's the most important thing . '' To date , the CDC has emphasized personal protective steps such as washing hands and using hand gels , as opposed to tightening border controls or issuing formal directives to close schools or limit public gatherings . Such steps have been left to state and local officials , who have responded in a variety of ways . One reason for the delay in stronger guidelines is that swine flu caught planners off guard ; they had anticipated being able to recognize a pandemic overseas , weeks or at least days before it hit the United States . At the same time , CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser said Thursday that it 's important to let officials tailor their response to local conditions . `` They can take the recommendations we 're providing and apply them locally . -LSB- By doing that -RSB- we hope to learn and see what are the most effective control strategies . '' Markel agrees that the best response depends on the particular situation . `` History is not predictive science . And the powers of public health officials -LSB- in 1918 -RSB- were much greater . Another difference is that people 's trust of doctors and government in 1918 was probably remarkably different ... . But what I have found , studying epidemics , is that good planning and good relationships between local state and federal authorities , goes a long way . '' | CDC 's national pandemic strategy rooted in lessons of past epidemics . In four past pandemics , mild spring outbreak was followed by virulent fall sickness . Expert : If its true this time , could allow time to develop effective vaccine . | [[1443, 1603], [5336, 5345], [5348, 5372], [342, 388], [391, 461], [1049, 1155]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They were taken before Marilyn Monroe became branded as the voluptuous blonde who oozed sex appeal in dozens of Hollywood films . A 24-year-old Marilyn Monroe poses for Life magazine in August 1950 . They were taken before rumors of an affair with President John F. Kennedy swirled and her mental breakdowns became public . They were taken before the beautiful actress 's mysterious overdose that resulted in her death at the age of 36 . In a collection discovered by Life.com last month , unpublished photographs of Monroe reveal a softer , more innocent 24-year-old budding starlet in a more peaceful time , before her fame peaked . Her flawless face bears a natural look with minimal makeup , unusual for the star , who was often glamorized in photo shoots with lipstick , designer dresses and expensive jewelry . Monday would have been Monroe 's 83rd birthday . In one photo , the young Monroe lies in bliss , reading on a park bench , which editors at Life.com believe was shot at Griffith Park in Los Angeles , California . In another , her face is serene as she is perched over a bridge barefoot . The shoot , which dates to 1950 , was conducted by Life photographer Ed Clark . It 's a side of Monroe that the American public has rarely seen . `` She has n't really exploded as a star , yet she was on the brink of something big , '' says Dawnie Walton , deputy editor at Life.com , a Web site harboring more than 7 million Life magazine photographs . The site was launched in March . `` I was amazed looking at her face . Although she looks very innocent , there is something very ... sexy . '' Last month , Walton stumbled upon the rare photographs while combing through the company 's digital photo archives . Apparently , no one at Life.com even knew they were ever taken . Upon investigating the photos , Walton says , she found there were few notes left on the negatives . She says the photos were probably taken for a cover shoot that was never used . Monroe appeared on her first Life magazine cover in 1952 . See some of the previously unpublished photos of Monroe '' `` It just got lost and stowed away , '' Walton said . `` It was just ... somewhere in a warehouse in New Jersey . '' At the time the photos were shot , Monroe had her first small breakout role as a mistress in `` The Asphalt Jungle . '' The star was better known as a model at the time , though she 'd had a handful of cameos in films . Photographer Ed Clark told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune a friend from 20th Century Fox alerted him that the studio had just signed `` a hot tomato . '' `` She was unknown then , so I was able to spend a lot of time shooting her , '' Clark said . `` We 'd go out to Griffith Park and she 'd read poetry . I sent several rolls to Life in New York , but they wired back , ` Who the hell is Marilyn Monroe ? ' '' Photographs later in the 1950s and early 1960s would display a much more confident and sexual Monroe -- images that would become iconic in popular culture . There is the famous photograph of a busty Monroe in a white halter dress , standing with her skirt blowing up in 1955 for her role in `` The Seven Year Itch . '' In 1962 , American photographer Bert Stern shot a tipsy , sometimes nude Monroe in a series of delicate shots that would be known as `` The Last Sitting . '' Monroe died about six weeks later , on August 5 , 1962 . Life.com staff members say there are 15 million photographs in the Life archive dating back to the late 1850s , even before Life officially began publishing in 1936 . Two years ago , the publication began slowly transferring the photographs into a digital archive . From time to time , unpublished photographs will be found that the company does n't know existed . Other times , the photographs may have been taken but never selected to be used for publication . Last March , to commemorate the 11th anniversary of Frank Sinatra 's death , Life.com released a series of unpublished photographs of the singer . In April , Life.com released newly recovered , never-before-seen photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. taken by a Life photographer on the day King was assassinated at a Memphis , Tennessee , hotel in 1968 . | Unpublished photos of Monroe shot by a Life photographer surfaced in May . The photos , taken in Los Angeles , California , show a more innocent Monroe . Life.com has over 7 million images , and lost images are occasionally recovered . The Monroe pictures were `` in a warehouse in New Jersey '' | [[460, 506], [457, 472], [509, 626], [1124, 1133], [1158, 1203], [2044, 2102], [3859, 3920], [3923, 3992], [457, 472], [509, 626], [1409, 1477], [3649, 3666], [3669, 3747]] |
ATHENS , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Over the railroad tracks , near Agriculture Drive on the University of Georgia campus , sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy , food production and even global climate change . Biochar 's high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water , nutrients , protect soil microbes . `` This machine right here is our baby , '' said UGA research engineer Brian Bibens , who is one of a handful of researchers around the world working on alternative ways to recycle carbon . Bibens ' specialty is `` biochar , '' a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste . The raw material can be any forest , agricultural or animal waste . Some examples are woodchips , corn husks , peanut shells , even chicken manure . Bibens feeds the waste -- called `` biomass '' -- into an octagonally shaped metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat , sometimes above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit , the organic matter is cooked through a thermochemical process called `` pyrolysis '' . In a few hours , organic trash is transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer . Gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators . Watch how biochar is made and why it 's important '' Biochar is considered by many scientists to be the `` black gold '' for agriculture . Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water , nutrients , protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground . Biochar helps clean the air two ways : by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful CO2 into the atmosphere , and by allowing plants to safely store CO2 they pull out of the air during photosynthesis . See more about how biochar works '' `` Soil acts as an enormous carbon pool , increasing this carbon pool could significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere , '' said Christoph Steiner , one of the leading research scientist studying biochar . `` It gives us a chance to produce carbon negative energy . '' Worldwide use of biochar could cut CO2 levels by 8 parts per million within 50 years , according to NASA scientist James Hansen . Global carbon levels in the air have been steadily increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980s , according to NOAA . Since 2000 , increases of 2 parts per million of CO2 have been common , according to NOAA . During the 1980s rates increased by 1.5 ppm per year . The process of making biochar can also lead to other valuable products . Some of the gases given off during the process can be converted to electricity , others can be condensed and converted to gasoline , and there are also some pharmaceutical applications for the by-products , said Danny Day President and CEO of Eprida , a private firm in Athens , Georgia currently exploring industry applications for the biochar process . Although scientists look to biochar to improve the future , its origin lies in the past . For centuries indigenous South Americans living in the Amazon Basin used a combination of charred animal waste and wood to make `` terra preta , '' which means black earth , in Portuguese . Thousands of years later , the terra preta soil remains fertile without need for any added fertilizer , experts say . `` These terra preta soils are older than 500 years and they are still black soil and very rich in carbon , '' said Steiner , a professor at the University of Georgia . Reducing the need for deforestation to create more cropland . By using biochar concepts , terra preta soils have been proven to remain fertile for thousands of years , preventing further harmful deforestation for agricultural purposes . But still more large-scale tests need to be conducted before biochar technology can be rolled out on a global scale . Day says biomass -- that otherwise would be thrown away -- could be developed into entirely new markets for biofuels , electricity , biomass extracts and pharmaceutical applications , in addition to biochar . `` We have 3 billion people out there who are at risk for climate change and they can be making money solving our global problem , '' said Day . Industries can now begin to look at farmers around the world and pay them for their agricultural wastes , said Day . `` They can become the new affluent . '' | ` Biochar ' may reduce greenhouse gases , produce clean energy , help farming . Organic waste can be turned into valuable , renewable resources . Ancient farming method could improve crop yields . Experts : Biochar could reduce harmful global CO2 levels . | [[1652, 1688], [2131, 2187], [1940, 2040], [2191, 2275], [3400, 3413]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man who landed a plane with the assistance of air traffic controllers after the pilot fell unconscious and died said Monday he was `` still in a daze of adrenaline . '' Doug White said he is certified to fly a single-engine plane , but had no idea how to fly the large turboprop . `` I 'm grateful , thankful to be alive , '' Doug White of Archibald , Louisiana , told CNN affiliate WINK . `` I 'm glad my family is safe , but let 's do n't lose sight of the fact that a man died , and I do n't want people to forget that . '' White , his wife and two daughters were flying from Marco Island , Florida , to Jackson , Mississippi , on Sunday after attending a funeral for White 's brother . White recalled watching and listening as the pilot , Joe Cabuk , conducted his `` climb checklist '' upon takeoff from Florida . After the checklist was complete , he said , Cabuk laid his book down . About a minute later , White told WINK , he looked at Cabuk , and `` he was just sitting there . He had his chin on his chest , looking down at his lap , but there 's nothing in his lap that he needed to be looking at . '' `` That 's when I kind of looked at him for a minute , probably two , three seconds , and I touched him on the shoulder . I said , ` Joe ! Joe ! , and that 's when his head rolled over to the side , and his eyes rolled back in his head , and his arm fell off the armrest ... and I knew if he was n't gone then , he was in deep distress , but we were in trouble . '' Listen to White describe seeing the pilot 's eyes roll back in his head '' The plane 's autopilot was on , and the plane was at about 5,000 feet and climbing , White said . Although he was a certified single-engine pilot and had about 130 flying hours , he had no idea how to fly the much larger Super King Air two-engine turboprop plane . `` The only thing I knew how to do up there was talk on the radio , '' White told WINK . `` I 've only been up there -LRB- in the cockpit -RRB- one other time . I made it a point to ask the pilot -- not Joe , but another one -- ` How do I talk on the radio ? ' and they showed me what button to push . '' He told his daughters , '' ` Y' all go back there , and I want you to pray hard . ' The wife kind of trembled and shook the whole time , and the youngest daughter , Bailey , cried and squalled , and the oldest daughter , Maggie , vomited and threw up three or four times . '' Although White sounded fairly calm , some tension is evident on recordings released by the Federal Aviation Administration as controllers at Fort Myers , Florida , attempted to talk him through landing at the airport there . At one point , a controller asked whether the autopilot is still on or whether White is flying the aircraft himself . `` Me and the good Lord are hand-flying this , '' White replied . He described his mindset as being one of `` focused fear . '' `` I had a 10,000-pound gorilla by the hand , and it was n't wanting to cooperate , '' White recounted to WINK . Asked about his mindset , White said , `` I lost it '' after landing . His emotion can be clearly heard on the recording as he told air traffic controllers in a shaky voice , `` We 're down , buddy . Thank you . '' Air traffic controllers at Miami Center helped White at first , talking him through disengaging the autopilot , turning the plane and beginning his descent . They then handed the plane over to air traffic control at Fort Myers ' Southwest Florida International Airport . Hear audiotape of emergency landing '' It was a Fort Myers controller who called Kari Sorenson of Danbury , Connecticut , for help in talking White down . A veteran pilot and flight instructor , Sorenson is intimately familiar with the plane White was flying . `` We started providing him with positions of controls , switches , how to configure the aircraft for landing , '' Sorenson told CNN affiliate WTNH in Connecticut . Sorenson said he was told that the plane was down and that the controller would call him back . But he said he spent a few tense moments because he did n't know `` if he was down in a positive or negative way . '' Sorenson credited the air traffic controllers for working as a team in helping White land . `` It was a team of people , and a good team at that , '' he said . `` The husbands and the wives of air traffic controllers have no idea what their spouses do for a living , '' White said . `` They have no idea , particularly in a busy airspace like Miami or Fort Myers ... they do n't make enough money for what they do , the service they provide . '' He said , `` when something good happens , -LRB- air traffic controllers -RRB- do n't get the high five and the ` attaboys . ' I 'm gon na give them the attaboy , and I 'm going to send them all notes . '' He said he would also send them restaurant gift certificates so they can take their friends or family out to dinner . But while he is grateful , White said , he is also saddened at Cabuk 's death . `` Joe Cabuk was a father , he was a husband , he was a grandpa , he was a pro at what he did , he was a Christian , he was a great guy and he loved to fly ... this is not all about me . Joe Cabuk died . '' The cause of Cabuk 's death has not been released . The Federal Aviation Administration has not given any of the involved air traffic controllers permission to speak about the incident . | Pilot Joe Cabuk went unconscious at the controls during a flight from Florida . `` I said , ` Joe ! Joe ! ' and that 's when his head rolled over to the side , '' Doug White says . White says , `` The only thing I knew how to do up there was talk on the radio '' Air traffic controllers helped White safely land plane carrying his wife and 2 daughters . | [[97, 123], [1257, 1263], [1268, 1277], [1286, 1331], [1859, 1906], [19, 24], [29, 90], [4132, 4223], [4150, 4223]] |
QUEENS , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For Victor Guevares , winning a bid at a raucous foreclosure auction two months ago was just the first step toward achieving his dream of home ownership . And after getting through several obstacles along the way , he finally moved his family into the two-story , three-bedroom house in Queens . Victor Guevares , second from right , bought a home at a raucous foreclosure auction two months ago . The auction process is n't as easy as it looks , Guevares said . `` If you 're going to an auction , do your research , '' he told CNN . CNN first met the Guevares family in March when he grabbed a home once worth $ 527,000 for less than half that price . Guevares had won an auction at USHomeAuction.com 's foreclosure sale in New York . Banks and other lenders were unloading foreclosed houses , and many were selling at 50 percent to 60 percent below their highest values . Foreclosures skyrocketed in March and the first quarter of 2009 to their highest levels on record as banks lifted moratoria on filings . Foreclosure filings -- which include default papers , auction sale notices and repossessions -- reached 803,489 in the first quarter , according to a recent report by RealtyTrac , an online marketer of foreclosed properties . Watch Victor Guevares give a quick tour of his new home '' That is a 24 percent jump over a year earlier and a 9 percent increase compared to the previous quarter . Of those first-quarter filings , 341,180 happened in March , a 17 percent increase from February and a 46 percent jump from March 2008 . Sitting with his stomach in knots on that March 8 afternoon , Guevares made the opening bid and kept pace until they passed $ 100,000 , then $ 200,000 . Looking shell-shocked , Guevares ended up with the winning bid : $ 230,000 . But he soon realized there was much more to it , after plunking down $ 7,000 in auction fees and another $ 5,000 required from every bidder . And still , he could n't immediately lock in a mortgage at the auction as he had hoped because records showed the home faced a possible code violation . `` I had a problem , '' Guevares said . An inspection cleared that hurdle , and closing day ended happily with Guevares holding the deed to his first house . But he was n't through yet . Guevares , a married father of two , wanted to have his family moved in by the end of May -- and had his work cut out , since the home was split into two apartments . He broke down a wall , opened up a staircase , put in new floors , repainted and created a sunroom . All that work brought his cost to roughly $ 280,000 -- about $ 20,000 less than the estimated value of the home , he said . Guevares spent the past 12 years renting and trying to save for his first home , and believes he came out ahead with the auction win . `` I got a great deal on the house . My mortgage is $ 300 less than what I paid in rent , '' he said . The backyard is filled with garbage bags filled with debris , but the family was able to move in last week . Guevares ' son , 8-year-old Devin , is reveling in his bright green room that has a window to peek out into his yard -- and the neighbor 's . `` They have a dog named Rocky , just the same as the dog we have , '' he said . Another perk : no more worrying about being quiet as he did at their apartment . `` I can just scream , '' said Devin . | Victor Guevares won bid at a raucous foreclosure auction two months ago . The auction process is n't as easy as it looks , Guevares says . Guevares spent 12 years renting as he saved for first home . `` My mortgage is $ 300 less than what I paid in rent , '' says Guevares . | [[9, 33], [59, 120], [333, 348], [371, 434], [691, 773], [1754, 1792], [435, 481], [484, 499], [2681, 2732], [2681, 2689], [2726, 2759], [484, 499], [2123, 2141], [2853, 2903]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Gregg Wenzel died six years ago in Ethiopia , the obituaries said he was a U.S. Foreign Service officer killed by a drunken driver on the streets of Addis Ababa . CIA Director Leon Panetta spoke Monday at a ceremony commemorating fallen CIA officers . Monday the public learned the State Department job was a cover for his real occupation : CIA spy . At a ceremony commemorating those who died in the line of duty , CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed Wenzel 's affiliation with the agency and noted Wenzel was a member of the first clandestine service class to graduate after the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks . `` He helped unite the class and kept its spirits high in the toughest moments , '' Panetta said . Wenzel left his job as an attorney to join the agency . He was 33 years old when the car he was riding in was hit by a drunken driver who to this day remains a fugitive . There are now 90 stars prominently displayed on the memorial wall in the spacious atrium of CIA headquarters , each commemorating an officer , like Wenzel , who died while serving the country . The 90th star was added recently , but as with most of the victims , the person 's name and nature of service will remain unknown to the public so as not to compromise secret operations . At the annual memorial service attended by hundreds of employees , retirees and family members , Panetta paid homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country . `` Their patriotism and leadership , courage and decency are models for all of us , '' said the director , adding , `` their work is our work now . And their spirit abides with us . '' Panetta also announced the beginning of a new tradition . Family members of the fallen officers will receive a replica of the star from the wall . The first star was given to the brothers of Douglas Mackiernan , the first CIA operations officer killed in the line of duty , shot to death in Tibet after fleeing China in 1950 . | Gregg Wenzel died six years ago in Ethiopia . Obituaries said he was a U.S. Foreign Service officer killed by a drunken driver . At ceremony for fallen CIA officers , CIA Director revealed Wenzel was a CIA spy . | [[30, 78], [81, 138], [30, 78], [81, 138], [108, 197], [837, 847], [859, 889], [198, 286], [240, 286], [389, 448], [386, 419], [451, 523], [386, 419], [451, 476], [528, 604]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least six people were killed Thursday when a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras , President Jose Manuel Zelaya told CNN en Español Thursday . Thursday 's quake leaves part of a bridge damaged over the Ulua River in El Progreso , Honduras . Another 17 people were injured , said Jose Reyes , a spokesman for COPECO , the Honduran government agency that responds to natural disasters . Two of the victims -- a 15-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl from Morazan -- died after a wall collapsed on them , Reyes said , adding that trauma was blamed for most of the fatalities . A 9-year-old boy died , and a heart attack proved fatal to a man from Tela , Honduras , the agency said . A woman suffered cardiac arrest . The 15-year-old boy 's brother suffered minor injuries , said Dilcia Fernandez , mayor of La Lima , where the boy died . La Lima is about 120 miles -LRB- 200 km -RRB- north of the capital , Tegucigalpa . Eighty homes were destroyed and another 175 damaged , including 16 schools , nine churches , eight public buildings , seven factories , three bridges , two hotels , a hospital , an airport and a potable water system , Reyes said . Watch how the quake damaged a bridge '' The 7.1-magnitude quake , which struck at 3:24 a.m. and was centered about 200 miles -LRB- 320 km -RRB- north of the capital , according to the U.S. Geological Survey . Half an hour later , a 4.8-magnitude aftershock hit about 155 miles -LRB- 250 km -RRB- north of Tegucigalpa . Zelaya said the June 2-3 meeting of the Organization of American States will be held as planned in nearby San Pedro Sula , where he said one building had been damaged by the quake . The earthquake was centered , according to the U.S. Geological Survey , 27 miles -LRB- 43 km -RRB- from Roatan , the largest of Honduras ' Bay Islands and a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling . The area -- known for its white-sand beaches , clear waters and rich ocean reef -- is popular among budget-conscious travelers . `` People were startled . They started walking , running , doing everything they could to get to higher ground about two miles away , '' said Ron Cummins , who owns a resort there . `` I have been on the island for 14 years , this is the worst I have seen . `` iReport.com : Did you feel the quake ? Share photos , video . Ressie Bodden Saphrey said she was sleeping when her house started shaking . `` There was dark everywhere , '' said Saphrey , who works at a hotel in Roatan . Dishes and bottles crashed to the floor , she said . She and her 19-year-old daughter packed their passports , medicine , bottled water , canned food and a flashlight in case they were told to evacuate . They stayed inside their concrete three-story house , though many people in Roatan wandered the streets in the darkness , she said . A television station in Honduras , Channel 8 , reported damage to several buildings . The Honduras disaster-response agency urged people to safeguard any important documents , and store food and water they could take in a hurry , according to Channel 8 . Carol Frazier , who was vacationing in Roatan , said the quake knocked out power in her condominium and spilled water from the swimming pool . `` Everything was moving . The TV fell on the ground , '' she said . `` The difficulty was we could n't even move . `` I really thought it was a tsunami or something . That was really our first concern , '' she said . `` We ran out . '' Ron Bobbette , who manages a hotel in West End Roatan , said power had been restored in most places and panic was subsiding . `` Everything is back to normal , '' Bobbette said . `` I just finished walking around the hotel and there is no visible structural damage . '' CNN 's Mark Bixler , Faith Karimi and Tom Watkins contributed to this report . | Eighty homes destroyed , another 175 damaged , official says . Original quake centered about 200 miles -LRB- 320 km -RRB- north of the capital , USGS says . Quake centered 27 miles -LRB- 43 km -RRB- from Roatan , popular scuba diving destination . | [[956, 1171], [1227, 1250], [1283, 1351], [1227, 1250], [1354, 1395], [1688, 1702], [1718, 1786]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police are investigating whether or what family issues might have prompted a California man to shoot six of his family members -- killing five -- before committing suicide . His wife was critically wounded . Authorities on Tuesday said Devan Kalathat , 42 , shot his family Sunday night at his Santa Clara townhouse , killing two adults and three children . Kalathat killed his 11-year-old son , Akhil Dev ; his 4-year-old daughter , Negha Dev ; his 35-year-old brother-in-law Ashok Appu Poothemkandi ; Poothemkandi 's 25-year-old wife , Suchitra Sivaraman ; and the couple 's 11-month-old daughter , Ahana . Kalathat 's 34-year-old wife , who was not identified , sustained multiple gunshot wounds and remains in critical condition , said Lt. Phil Cooke . `` Family dynamics and personal relationships may have played a factor , '' Cooke told reporters Tuesday . He said Kalathat was employed as an engineer and nothing indicated he was facing `` layoff or financial crisis . '' Investigators believe Kalathat used two .45 - caliber semi-automatic pistols , both of which he owned . Cooke said Kalathat bought one of the pistols in February and the other nearly two weeks ago -- roughly the same time his wife 's brother , Poothemkandi , arrived in California from India with Suchitra Sivaraman and Ahana . Cooke noted that Poothemkandi was an `` educated professional '' with plans to stay in the Bay Area to work on a project for a high-tech firm . Police were called after a neighbor noticed Kalathat 's wounded wife outside the home around 8:30 p.m. -LRB- 11:30 p.m. ET -RRB- , Cooke said . When police arrived , other victims were found around the kitchen and dining room in what Cooke described as `` a very gruesome scene . '' The family shooting comes just two months after a Los Angeles father who , after he and his wife were fired from their jobs , killed her and their five young children before turning the gun on himself . | Devan Kalathat , 42 , shot six of his family members before turning gun on himself . His wife , in critical condition , is the only survivor of the attack . Police : `` Family dynamics and personal relationships may have played a factor '' Police say man was not facing job loss or financial problems . | [[55, 145], [127, 145], [149, 192], [255, 269], [277, 334], [1880, 1956], [193, 226], [628, 656], [722, 751], [19, 110], [55, 145], [776, 846], [932, 995]] |
The U.N. Security Council and U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday called for both sides in Sri Lanka 's civil war to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid into the conflict zone , where tens of thousands are trapped . President Obama criticized the Tamil Tigers for using civilians as `` human shields . '' In a statement at the White House , Obama urged Sri Lankan government troops to halt the `` indiscriminate '' shelling of civilians trapped with the remnants of the country 's Tamil Tiger rebels and demanded the rebels stop using civilians as `` human shields . '' Security Council members issued a statement demanding `` that all parties respect their obligations under international humanitarian law . '' Though the rebels once controlled much of northeastern Sri Lanka , government troops have forced them from all but a small portion of the island since November . The remaining rebel force is pinned down on a narrow strip on the island 's northern coast , but more than 50,000 civilians are trapped there as well , the United Nations estimates . Anna Neistat , of the New York-based Human Rights Watch , told CNN that both sides in the conflict are guilty of `` egregious violations '' of humanitarian law . `` I think the government claims that they 're not using heavy weapons do not pass the laugh test any more , '' she said . `` Witnesses are telling us about the shelling . We also get photos of remnants of the shells that hit the areas . '' U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss told CNN on Monday that hundreds of civilians died during weekend fighting because the Sri Lankan army had put residents in the crossfire , and Obama and the Security Council urged the government to live up to its commitment to stop using heavy weapons . Neistat said at least 30 hospitals had been attacked in the conflict zone as well . Meanwhile , the Tigers -- who have been branded a terrorist organization by the United States , more than 30 other countries and the European Union -- are refusing to let the civilians who surround them evacuate , Neistat said . `` Witnesses are telling us that they were not allowed to leave , that those who tried to leave were shot at by the Tamil Tigers , '' she said . The group , formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , have fought for an independent state in Sri Lanka since 1983 . As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began , and nearly 200,000 people are now sheltering in camps across the country 's north . Obama called on the remaining rebels `` to lay down their arms and let civilians go . '' `` Their forced recruitment of civilians and their use of civilians as human shields is deplorable . These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out , '' he said . Obama also said government troops `` should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives '' in recent days . A Red Cross worker was killed Wednesday during shelling in the conflict zone in Sri Lanka -- the third aid worker killed in six weeks -- the International Committee of the Red Cross said . The fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers has intensified in the conflict area to the point that the Red Cross can not get food to that area or help the sick and wounded , said Sarasi Wijeratne , a Red Cross spokeswoman . `` Without urgent action , this humanitarian crisis could turn into a catastrophe , '' Obama said . `` Now 's the time , I believe , to put aside some of the political issues that are involved and to put the lives of the men and women and children who are innocently caught in the crossfire , to put them first . '' | NEW : Security Council demands all parties respect international humanitarian law . Obama criticizes the Tamil Tigers for using civilians as `` human shields '' He also calls on government to stop using heavy weapons , allow aid in . Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an independent state for ethnic Tamil minority . | [[584, 722], [616, 722], [230, 315], [257, 315], [355, 360], [518, 580], [319, 352], [355, 450], [2777, 2782], [2788, 2853], [2215, 2226], [2276, 2346]] |
KATHMANDU , Nepal -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An unopposed former Communist leader was elected Nepal 's new prime minister Saturday , ending nearly three weeks of political uncertainty . Madhav Kumar Nepal waves at his supporters at the country 's parliament in Kathmandu . Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal -LRB- Unified Marxist-Leninist -RRB- was the only person to serve as a candidate for the post after he received backing from more than 20 of the 25 parties in parliament . Nepal , 56 , is a former general secretary of the Communist Party , but had resigned after the party made a poor showing last year against another Communist movement . In that vote , the Communist Party of Nepal -LRB- Maoist -RRB- became the largest party , with 38 percent of the seats in the 601-member constituent assembly which also functions as parliament . Nepal had been general secretary since 1993 and served as the country 's deputy prime minister for nine months in 1995 . Pushpa Kamal Dahal , the Maoist chairman , resigned as prime minister May 4 after the president overturned the Cabinet 's decision to sack the army chief . Nepal became a republic last year . The new government has two important tasks before it : the writing of a new constitution within a year , and integration of 19,600 Maoist combatants into the security forces . Without the support of the former Maoist rebels , these tasks can not be achieved . The Maoists fought a 10-year insurgency aimed at abolishing the monarchy . | Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal was only candidate . Nepal , 56 , is a former general secretary of the Communist Party . Pushpa Kamal Dahal , the Maoist chairman , resigned as prime minister May 4 . Followed president 's decision to overturn Cabinet 's sacking of army chief . | [[265, 409], [357, 487], [488, 493], [501, 553], [972, 990], [1015, 1102], [972, 990], [1015, 1102], [1079, 1127]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- From supermarkets to the office supply store , it 's hard to miss those tiny bottles of 5-hour Energy . The makers of 5-Hour Energy call it a `` no-nonsense drink . '' `` It would be easier for me to tell you where we did n't sell them in the U.S. than list all the places we do , '' said Carl Sperber , spokesman for Living Essentials , the Detroit , Michigan-based manufacturer of 5-hour Energy shot . The small , shot-glass size bottles promise to provide energy and alertness without jitters to fatigued Americans . Unlike other popular energy drinks that market to college students , 5-Hour Energy 's audience is multitasking , working professionals . The market demand has skyrocketed since the product hit store shelves in 2004 . The company expects to move more than 350 million shots this year , Sperber said , up from 174 million in 2008 . `` This is a no-nonsense drink , '' Sperber said . `` It is not a fashion statement . It does n't have a cool name ; it is just a simple grab-and-go product to help busy adults when they ca n't afford a letdown . '' Each 2-ounce bottle contains zero grams of sugar , 4 calories and about the same amount of caffeine as a small coffee . It also contains about a dozen ingredients that are broken down into B vitamins -LRB- B3 , B6 , B9 , B12 -RRB- and what the manufacturer lists as an `` energy blend . '' But do n't expect superhuman results , one expert said . `` The B vitamins are given at extraordinarily high levels , and people need to know they are not some magic potion that 's going to immediately raise your energy level , '' said Dr. Brent Bauer , Mayo Clinic director of complementary and integrative medicine . `` There is no data that show that . '' The overall health impact of the shots ' energy blend is a little fuzzy , according to some experts , because little data has been collected about the effectiveness or safety of the natural compounds . The blend contains : citicoline , tyrosine , phenylalanine , taurine , malic acid , glucuronolactone and caffeine . Phenylalanine , taurine , tyrosine are all amino acids our bodies naturally produce . Malic acid is a natural chemical substance found in food . Glucuronolactone is a byproduct of glucose produced in the liver . Citicoline is a natural compound that produces a chemical in the brain . `` These energy shots have over a dozen ingredients all together , and consumers are ingesting them at very high doses but there is no research of how the ingredients react all together , '' Bauer said . `` It 's plausible if you put these 12 things together you will get a good result but it 's also possible for them to cause major interactions to medications , or have a negative impact on the liver or kidney . We just do n't know at this point . '' Watch Dr. Gupta talk about the the safety of 5-hour Energy '' Consumers of 5-hour Energy probably wo n't ever drink enough shots to reach toxic levels of the B vitamins , experts said , but side effects can occur . The maker notes on its Web site the potential `` niacin flush reaction '' from vitamin B3 . It would be noticeable but temporary , one expert said . `` If you have too much B3 it can cause tingling in your whole body . You will turn red , flush , but it would only last for about 30 minutes , '' said Jim White , spokesman for the American Dietetic Association . `` Research also shows high doses of vitamin B6 can cause nerve spasm , also temporary trouble with muscle coordination . '' 5-hour Energy 's spokesman says that his company does n't have safety data on the specific blend of ingredients in its product , but believes that side effects are `` rare . '' `` None of our ingredients are synthetic drugs , '' Sperber said . 5-hour Energy also advises consumers to check with their health care provider before taking the booster . Medical experts acknowledged that if taken modestly , the products are unlikely to have a negative impact on health . `` In moderation , it can give you energy . But the problem is people drink coffee , then take these energy shots , then down Red Bull , take Hydroxycut , and it is just too much in the body at one time , '' White said . The makers of 5-hour Energy agree . `` There is no law against stupidity and there is always that person out there that is going to push the envelope and consume too many of them or combine our product with others , but we ca n't really control that , '' Sperber said . | 5-Hour Energy promises energy , alertness without jitters to fatigued Americans . Each bottle contains caffeine , high doses of B vitamins , and `` energy blend '' Expert : No research of how the ingredients react together . | [[423, 538], [1325, 1371], [1433, 1490], [3369, 3380], [3386, 3416], [1414, 1431], [2460, 2522]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Entering his sixth year at Hogwarts , Harry Potter may not be able to see the finishing line , but he knows it 's coming . In `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , '' the trio of Harry , Ron and Hermione are on the trail of evil . In `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , '' the sixth film in the Potter series , he 's like a marathon runner who senses that he 's got this course beat : He 's still pacing himself , but there 's a definite spring in his step . Potter 's confidence seems to be a product of Daniel Radcliffe 's authority in the role as much as anything . He 's decided he 's the hero of the piece , and he 's happy with that ; Radcliffe plays him with such implacable conviction and such lightness , it 's becoming harder to worry about the character 's plight . He can be reckless and impatient , but by now he 's essentially untouchable . His chums may be prey to hormonal surges -- buckets of screen time is devoted to Ron 's love life and Hermione 's lack of same -- but our Harry stays focused . While Ron moons over his girlfriend , every night Potter takes a textbook to bed with him . Potter 101 : A guide to Harry Potter '' This battered book of potions comes with scarily insightful scribbles by a former student , the titular half-blood prince , giving Potter a distinct edge over his classmates and that increasingly conflicted bleached blond , Draco Malfoy . More important , it also gets him in good with this installment 's designated dodgy faculty member , Professor Horace Slughorn . We know the drill by now : Slughorn has special knowledge that Harry must prize out of him , while the teacher 's own leanings remain tantalizingly ambiguous . A special guest star in all but name , Jim Broadbent plays this mildewed academic with appropriately Dickensian panache and an undertow of sympathy -LRB- first spotted disguised as an armchair , the suspiciously solicitous Slughorn maintains at least one foot in the closet -RRB- . Adapted by Steve Kloves and directed -LRB- like Potter V , `` The Order of the Phoenix '' -RRB- by the efficient , self-effacing David Yates , `` Half-Blood Prince '' is as brisk and nimble as J.K. Rowling 's two-steps-forward , one-step-back narrative stratagems allow . It risks annoying some fans by axing one significant character and a potential action show-stopper , but it 's actually the overarching storyline that feels skimpy ; the movie is replete with lovely , inventive design details and idiosyncratic effects work , while Yates ' reluctance to pump up the bombast might be counted sweet relief after the latest bout of blockbusting overkill . iReport.com : `` Potter '' fans review the film . A trio of evenly spaced set-pieces do generate enough excitement to make this an iffy proposition for parents with younger kids ; in particular Dumbledore and Harry 's climactic cave expedition is an intense , nightmarish standout . But for all this series ' constitutional doom-and-gloom , what 's truly charming about the Harry Potter movies is the rare privilege of seeing Radcliffe , Rupert Grint -LRB- Ron -RRB- , Emma Watson -LRB- Hermione -RRB- and the others growing up before our eyes . Video gallery : See the stars now and then '' We 've now had eight formative years -- the first film came out in 2001 -- telescoped into 15 hours or so of tumultuous screen time , and anyone who 's stayed the course with them will feel a connection . iReport.com : Share your `` Potter '' review . Soon it will be time to let these kids go and find their own way in the Muggle world , but what rich , strange and wonderful home movies we 'll have to look back on . `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince '' is rated PG and runs 153 minutes . For Entertainment Weekly 's review , click here . | `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince '' is sixth film in Harry Potter series . New film another success , a great tribute to Daniel Radcliffe 's abilities . Film is rated PG , though not all of it is appropriate for young children . | [[3659, 3715]] |
-LRB- Budget Travel -RRB- -- We 've found 15 water parks in your own backyard . Before the dreaded `` are we there yet ? '' echoes from the back seat , you 'll be in the parking lot . At Splish Splash in Long Island , New York , the most popular offerings pitch you into darkness . Wilderness Territory Waterpark Resort at Wisconsin Dells Near Madison , Wisconsin -LRB- 55 miles -RRB- . The Wilderness Territory 's most popular ride is the Hurricane : Riders experience the eye of the storm as they rapidly descend through a four-story funnel . Flashes of lightning , rumbling thunder and drifting fog convey the sense of a full-blown natural disaster . Details : 511 E. Adams St. , Wisconsin Dells , Wisconsin , 800/867 -9453 , wildernessresort.com . Kids eat free with adult purchase . Other Wilderness locations : A new , 150-acre Wilderness resort in Sevierville , Tennessee . Other water parks in Wisconsin Dells : Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and Noah 's Ark. . Kalahari Resort , Sandusky , Ohio Near Toledo , Ohio -LRB- 60 miles -RRB- . Kalahari doubled the size of the park in December 2007 . The highlight is the Swahili Swirl . In a four-person inner tube , you 'll be ejected from a steep tube slide into a 60-foot-diameter bowl ; it 's a dizzying three times around before you 're sucked down the drain and dropped into a 50-foot-long landing pool . It 's like a really fun toilet bowl . To mellow out , relax under the 40,000-square-foot clear Texlon roof , which houses tropical plants and allows guests to catch sun year-round . Budget Travel : See the parks . Details : 7000 Kalahari Dr. , Sandusky , 877/525 -2427 , kalahariresort.com . Look for `` Beat the Clock '' lodging specials on the Web site . Other Kalahari locations : Wisconsin Dells , Wisconsin . And a new water-park resort is under development in Fredericksburg , Virginia . Geauga Lake 's Wildwater Kingdom , Geauga Lake , Ohio Near Cleveland , Ohio -LRB- 25 miles -RRB- . Older children and teens flock to the 60-foot-tall , 253-foot-long Liquid Lightning tornado slide . The ride launches you -- at speeds of up to 24 mph -- from a tube slide into a giant funnel , before spitting you into the calm waters of the finishing pool . Tamer settings include the Splash Landing family activity center , with waterslides , soaker hoses , bubbling geysers and a raining umbrella , and Coral Cove , an activity pool with three basketball hoops and huge climbable animals . Details : 1100 Squires Rd. , Aurora , Ohio , 330/562 -8303 , wildwaterfun.com . Aquatica by SeaWorld , Orlando , Florida Near Tampa , Florida -LRB- 85 miles -RRB- . The signature experience here is the Dolphin Plunge , 250 feet of clear underwater tubes that plunge riders into a lagoon populated by charismatic black-and-white Commerson 's dolphins . For a split second , you 'll feel as if you 're swimming with them . Aquatica 's attractions include something for everyone : 36 slides , six rivers and lagoons and more than 80,000 square feet of white-sand beaches . Details : 5800 Water Play Way , Orlando , 888/800 -5447 , aquaticabyseaworld.com . Daytona Lagoon , Daytona Beach , Florida Near Orlando , Florida -LRB- 55 miles -RRB- . Daytona Lagoon 's most hair-raising experience is Blackbeard 's Revenge . After you climb the 62-foot tower and mount an inner tube , you 'll take a 15 mph , six-story tumble down a twisting , pitch-black tunnel slide . Do n't miss the brand-new Kraken 's Conquest , either : It 's a four-lane , 55-foot-long ProRacer-series speed slide . Friends and families can challenge each other to high-speed , watery showdowns . Details : 601 Earl St. , Daytona Beach , 386/254 -5020 , daytonalagoon.com . The park offers a different special each day ; for example , every Thursday you can get unlimited use of miniature golf , the carousel , and the rock-climbing wall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $ 10 . Splash Island at Cypress Gardens , Winter Haven , Florida Near St. Petersburg , Florida -LRB- 74 miles -RRB- . At the interactive water-play area , the towering Tikki Head -- basically a massive , dressed-up bucket -- dumps more than 300 gallons of water over bathers every few minutes . The variety in the surrounding Cypress Gardens theme park is impressive , too , with a concert venue , picturesque gardens and numerous animal exhibits . Details : 6000 Cypress Gardens Blvd. , Winter Haven , 863/324 -2111 , cypressgardens.com/splashIsland . Water World , Denver , Colorado Near Boulder , Colorado -LRB- 30 miles -RRB- . The 67-acre Water World 's calling card is the Voyage to the Center of the Earth . Brave riders hop onto inner tubes and journey into the dark -- where they 're confronted by large , animatronic dinosaurs , including a 15-foot T. rex . If you 're scared of the dark , but not much else , the TurboRacer might be more your style : Jump headfirst onto toboggan mats and race your friends down four stories , eventually launching -- at more than 20 mph -- onto a straightaway to the finish line . Each rider 's time is recorded , so you can tell if you 're the fastest waterstud in Denver . Details : 1800 W. 89th Ave. , Federal Heights , Colorado , 303/427 -7873 , waterworldcolorado.com . Families can bring a picnic into the park ; parking is free . Gulf Islands Waterpark , Gulfport , Mississippi Near New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- 77 miles -RRB- . The most popular ride here is the Horn Island Blaster water roller coaster . The attraction ferries two riders at a time through more than 500 feet of twists and turns , including some thrilling uphill blasts at angles greater than 45 degrees . Families with young children might opt instead for the Ship Island Wreck , a slide for kids as young as 2 . Details : 13100 16th St. Gulfport , 866/485 -3386 , gulfislandswaterpark.com . Water Park of America , Bloomington , Minnesota Near Minneapolis/St . Paul , Minnesota -LRB- 13 miles -RRB- . Given that it 's adjacent to the gargantuan Mall of America , it 's no wonder that the Water Park of America is a year-round attraction . The highlight is its mile-long indoor Whitewater Family Raft Ride , which propels riders over a river suspended 10 stories above the cars and trucks zipping along Interstate 494 . Other standouts include an immense video arcade and the Trillium Spa -- the latter for those who would prefer to skip the action . Details : 1700 American Blvd. . E. , Bloomington , 952/698 -8888 , waterparkofamerica.com . The Radisson , which connects to the park , offers packages that include tickets . Splish Splash , Long Island , New York Near New York City -LRB- 73 miles -RRB- . The most popular offerings pitch you into darkness to up the thrill factor : Dragon 's Den , Barrier Reef , Hollywood Stunt Rider and the super popular Alien Invasion . The last ride begins by blasting your four-person raft down a steep slide before spinning it out of control and launching it into a dark pool . For raw intensity , try the Cliff Diver -- you 'll drop eight stories in three seconds . ` Nuff said . Details : 2549 Splish Splash Dr. , Calverton , N.Y. , 631/727 -3600 , splishsplashlongisland.com . Mountain Creek Waterpark , Vernon , New Jersey Near Trenton , New Jersey -LRB- 89 miles -RRB- . Vertigo , a fully enclosed water coaster , cannons riders around tight curves in total darkness . Passengers on the park 's signature ride , High Anxiety , drop four stories in the dark before entering into a funnel at breakneck speed . Details : 200 Rte . 94 , Vernon , N.J. , 973/864 -8444 , mountaincreekwaterpark.com . Season-pass benefits include two bring-a-friend-for-free days and free parking . Raging Waters , San Jose , California Near San Francisco , California -LRB- 50 miles -RRB- . The 23-acre Raging Waters includes the winding , 60-foot-long Blue Thunder/White Lightning tunnel slide , and the newest attention-grabber , Dragon 's Den , which catapults a two-person tube through darkness before a sudden , gut-wrenching drop into calmer waters . Details : 2333 S. White Rd. , San Jose , 408/238 -9900 , rwsplash.com . Other Raging Waters locations : San Dimas -LRB- near L.A. -RRB- and Sacramento , California , -LRB- season passes are good for all three parks -RRB- . Parks nearby : Another option in nearby Irvine , California , is Wild Rivers . Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe , Greensboro , North Carolina Near Raleigh , North Carolina -LRB- 78 miles -RRB- . Wet 'n Wild is well-known for its speed chutes like Daredevil Drop , with a hair-raising 76-foot plunge , and Double Barrel Blast , a ride which ends abruptly in midair -- launching you from a four-foot edge before you hit the pool . Contrary to its name , Wet 'n Wild also lets you skip the water altogether : The Skycoaster combines the thrills of bungee-jumping and hang gliding , allowing up to three people at a time to experience the sensation of flying without getting even a little soggy . Details : 3910 S. Holden Rd. , Greensboro , 336/852 -9721 , emeraldpointe.com . Wet 'n Wild offers various promotions throughout the summer , such as Home Educator 's Day -LRB- August 20 -RRB- . Splashtown Waterpark , San Antonio , Texas Near Austin , Texas -LRB- 80 miles -RRB- . The 20-acre Splashtown features more than 50 rides and attractions , from simple wave pools to true screamers , such as the five-story Hydras tube-slide tower and the aptly named Wedgie , a precipitous speed slide that tugs on your trunks like an 8th-grade bully as it fires you into the pool below . Details : 3600 N. I-35 , San Antonio , 210/227 -1400 , splashtownsa.com . Special events include magic shows and `` dive-in '' movie screenings . Parking is free . Parks nearby : Other area parks include Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels , Texas . If you find yourself in Dallas , Bahama Beach is an option . Six Flags White Water , Atlanta , Georgia Near Athens , Georgia -LRB- 73 miles -RRB- . The nine-story Cliffhanger is one of the world 's tallest free falls . It 's so high that just peeking over the top might be thrill enough . But the signature ride is the Tornado , an intense four-person inner-tube nosedive of greater than 50 vertical feet -- all while 5,000 gallons of water swirls around you . Details : 250 Cobb Pkwy N. , Marietta , Ga. , 770/948 -9290 , sixflags.com/whitewater . Other Six Flags locations : Six Flags has many Hurricane Harbor water parks adjacent to existing amusement parks ; locations include Gurnee/Chicago , Illinois ; Arlington , Texas ; Eureka , Missouri ; Jackson , New Jersey ; Valencia/Los Angeles , California ; Agawam , Massachusetts ; and Largo , Maryland . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel , Inc. , all rights reserved . Note : This story was accurate when it was published . Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip . | Kalahari Resort in Sandusky , Ohio , doubled the size of the park in 2007 . At Water World in Denver visitors can hop onto inner tubes and journey into the dark . The Cliff Diver at Splish Splash in Long Island will drop daredevils eight stories . | [[1046, 1102], [3264, 3321], [3324, 3364], [4593, 4652], [7878, 7922], [6963, 7008]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mexican police have arrested a `` highly dangerous '' U.S. citizen wanted on weapons charges , the Michoacan state attorney 's office said . Robert Hamlin Wainwright , 66 , was arrested in tMexico at the request of the U.S. Marshal 's Office . Robert Hamlin Wainwright , 66 , was arrested in the city of Zamora at the request of the U.S. Marshal 's Office in Tucson , Arizona , the Mexican authorities said . He faces deportation . A January 27 notice by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wainwright , who has a prior felony conviction , was being investigated by the Indiana Environmental Task Force when firearms and ammunition were found at his home and business . He was tried and found guilty of firearms violations and was awaiting sentencing when he fled to Mexico , the EPA said . Wainwright , a convicted child molester , also faces charges of discharging a pollutant into Indiana waters . Mexican officials also announced Tuesday the arrest last month of a Canadian citizen on child pornography charges . According to the federal Secretariat of Public Security , Arthur Leland Sayler operated 36 child pornography Web sites in the United States and Mexico . Officials said they confiscated 29 DVDs that could house about 4 million photographs , 25 disc drives , two flash cards , nine floppy disks , 96 CD-ROMS , mobile telephone SIM cards and two Web servers . | Robert Hamlin Wainwright , 66 , was wanted on weapons charges . Wainwright , a convicted child molester , also charged with polluting Indiana waters . Arthur Leland Sayler accused of operating 36 child pornography Web sites . Officials say they confiscated 29 DVDs that could hold 4 million photographs . | [[841, 851], [888, 950], [1125, 1219], [1220, 1423], [1235, 1259], [1252, 1259], [1265, 1423]] |
TEHRAN , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Iranian airliner that crashed Wednesday , killing all 168 passengers and crew , plunged into the ground and disintegrated on impact , according to a security official . Debris from the plane was littered around the crash site . Images of the crash site show a smoldering crater scattered with charred pieces of the plane and tattered passports . Ten members of the country 's youth judo team were aboard the Caspian Airlines plane , said several sources , including Iran 's Press TV . The government-backed network said the dead included eight athletes and two coaches . The plane `` disintegrated into pieces , '' said Col. Masood Jafari Nasab , security commander of Qazvin , the city nearest to the crash site in northwestern Iran . `` The aircraft all of a sudden fell out of the sky and exploded on impact , where you see the crater , '' a witness told Press TV from the crash site . Watch images of the crash site '' The plane 's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been found , state television reported late Wednesday . The crash was at least the fifth major airline accident in the world this year , following crashes of planes flown by Colgan Air , Turkish Airlines , Air France and Yemenia Airways . A US Airways pilot managed to land his plane safely on the Hudson river in New York City in January , with no major injuries , after the plane lost power . But aviation safety expert John Wiley said there is no reason to fear air travel in general , and no single airline or aircraft is particularly dangerous . The three most recent crashes -- in which a total of 548 people died -- involved different planes , flown by different airlines , in different stages of flight , he said . Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 -- a Russian-made Tupolev Tu-154M plane -- went down near the village of Jannatabad near Qazvin at 11:33 a.m. -LRB- 2:03 a.m. ET -RRB- Wednesday , Press TV reported . Conversations between the pilot and the ground were normal and did not indicate any technical problems , the network 's Web site reported , citing the managing director of Iran 's airport authority without naming him . Some witnesses say the plane caught fire before crashing , Press TV said . The plane descended very quickly , Wiley told CNN , but it may have been circling , trying to land , rather than plummeting to the ground . Qazvin Police Chief Hossein Behzadpour and Mohammad Reza Montazer Khorasan , the head of the disaster management center in Iran 's health ministry , both confirmed that all 168 people on board died , Press TV reported . The U.S. State Department , in a statement , extended its condolences to the victims . Department spokesman Ian Kelly said officials were working to determine whether any Americans were on board . Aviation analyst Kieran Daly told CNN that many aircraft operating in Iran are aging Tupolevs , some dating back to the 1970s . He described Tupolevs as `` workhorses of the old Soviet aviation system . '' But he said the Caspian Airlines fleet is based on a slightly newer design , dating to the late 1980s and early 1990s . Pictures from the scene were `` consistent with a high-speed impact , '' he said . But he added that there could be large debris not seen on television , and that could change his analysis . Watch Daly talk about the crash '' A team of investigators from the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee is flying to the crash scene to join the investigation , the agency said in a posting on its Web site . They will work alongside Iranian aviation authorities , the agency said . An agency official declined to comment further , saying the plane was operated by an Iranian company and nothing is known about it . A Tupolev representative told CNN the manufacturer will not comment until the aviation committee releases its report on the crash . The Tupolev 154 is essentially banned in the West because it does not comply with European noise and pollution regulations , but it has a safer-than-average accident record , Wiley said . Wednesday 's crash is the first on record for Caspian Airlines , which was founded in 1993 , he added . The Iranian newspaper Hamshahri reported that the plane was flying from Tehran and was headed to Yerevan , Armenia . The semi-official Mehr news agency listed the names of 153 passengers and 15 crew members . At least 42 of the names appeared to be Armenian , but it was not clear if they were from the former Soviet republic or if they were ethnically Armenian citizens of Iran . The plane crashed 16 minutes after takeoff , said the newspaper , quoting a spokesman from Iran 's civil aviation organization . See a map of the crash location '' That would have put the flight in one of the safest stages of travel , according to International Air Transport Association data . Only about 5 percent of accidents take place during the phase called en-route climb , 16 to 20 minutes into a flight , when a plane climbs to a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet . About half of accidents take place during landing . Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed his condolences to the victims ' families , as did the European Union . Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent his sympathies to the presidents of Iran and Armenia , the Kremlin said . Qazvin is the largest city in the province of Qazvin and is its capital , with an estimated population of 330,000 . It is about 90 miles -LRB- 145 kilometers -RRB- northwest of Tehran , the capital of Iran . The last crash in Iran involving a Tupolev plane occurred in 2006 , according to the Web site airdisaster.com . That crash occurred on an Iran Air Tour flight from the port city of Bandar Abbas ; it crashed and caught fire during landing , the Web site reported . Twenty-nine of the 147 people on board died in that crash . CNN 's Shirzad Bozorgmehr , Maxim Tkachenko in Moscow , Russia , and Ayesha Durgahee in London , England , contributed to this report . | State TV reports plane 's flight data recorder , cockpit voice recorder found . All 168 aboard believed to be dead in Iranian plane crash . Plane is thought to have crashed near the Iranian city of Qazvin . Qazvin is the largest city in the province of Qazvin . | [[959, 1035], [1924, 1943], [2578, 2597], [9, 29], [78, 113], [2527, 2575], [2547, 2575], [2578, 2583], [5765, 5824]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two tainted lots of a generic version of a drug reportedly taken by Michael Jackson have been recalled by the drug maker . However , no link has been established between the drug -- a powerful sedative and anesthetic called propofol -- and the singer 's death . `` I have no way of knowing anything related to this specific product -- if it might have played a role or not played a role , '' said Dr. Arjun Srinivasan , the chief investigator on the recall for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The agency is not involved in the investigation into Jackson 's death , he said . The CDC issued a health advisory Monday , saying two lots of a generic version of the drug had tested positive for endotoxin , a contaminant . The drug maker , Teva Pharmaceuticals , voluntarily recalled the lots . Srinivasan said the agency received 40 reports of patients around the country developing high fevers and muscle aches after being injected with the drug . `` All of the cases had high fevers , some muscle aches , headaches , but no issues with heart problems that we were told of , '' he said . Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest . The exact cause of death is pending toxicology results . All of the people who had taken propofol recovered ; only one was hospitalized and that patient was quickly discharged , he said . But , he added , `` at high doses , endotoxin can absolutely cause lowered blood pressure and much more serious reactions . '' `` It can cause decreases in blood pressure , which could precipitate problems with your heart . '' The manufacturer , Teva Pharmaceuticals , is working with the Food and Drug Administration to determine how the contamination occurred and is voluntarily recalling the affected lots , he said . A spokeswoman for Teva said about 57,000 vials were included in the recall of the drug , and said the company had been contacted by the Drug Enforcement Administration . `` I can say the DEA did contact us about a specific lot number , and that lot number is not from the two we are recalling , '' said spokeswoman Denise Bradley . She would not say whether the contact was related to the Jackson investigation . A DEA spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment . The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times , citing unidentified sources , have reported that police found the drug Diprivan , a brand-name version of propofol , among Jackson 's medicines . A source involved with the probe into Jackson 's death told CNN that investigators found numerous bottles of prescription drugs in his $ 100,000-a-month rented mansion in Holmby Hills , California . ProPublica , an online news organization , first reported a possible link between Jackson 's death and the drug recall on Tuesday . But an FDA spokeswoman denied there could have been a link . `` This is fever , chills , '' said Karen Riley . `` Does that sound like heart failure ? '' She said at least three companies make the generic version of the drug and only one of them -- AstraZeneca -- makes Diprivan , the brand-name version . `` We do n't know what was at Michael Jackson 's house , but I 'm guessing it was Diprivan because that 's what the reporting has been , '' Riley said . `` This -LSB- the propofol recall -RSB- was endotoxin in the drug . It would not cause heart failure . ... It 's unrelated . '' Authorities have said the cause of Jackson 's heart failure will not be determined officially until toxicology tests are complete . | NEW : DEA inquired about lot number not included in recall , spokesman says . CDC says two lots of Diprivan 's generic version tested positive for contaminant . 40 patients reported high fevers , muscle aches after taking generic version of drug . FDA disputes online reports that recall and Michael Jackson 's death could be related . | [[1771, 1793], [1864, 1940], [1944, 2004], [611, 618], [653, 701], [660, 735], [826, 943], [892, 980], [981, 1084], [2646, 2656], [2689, 2777], [2782, 2838]] |
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- From the moment Justice David Souter announced he 'd be stepping down , Washington has been gearing up for a confirmation fight . But as Senator Lindsey Graham -LRB- R-S.C . -RRB- told Judge Sonia Sotomayor yesterday , `` Unless you have a complete meltdown , you are going to get confirmed . '' Robert Bork is not the only nominee who did not make it to the Supreme Court . Let 's take a look back at eight nominees who did n't make it to the bench , at least on their first try . 1 . Robert Bork . In our time , the most famous rejected nominee is Robert H. Bork , a legal scholar and U.S. Court of Appeals judge with a long paper trail of conservative opinions . Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 , Bork could have tilted the Court decisively to the right . As a known quantity , he was an easy target for liberal opponents , who organized a campaign against him . He was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee after 12 days of hearings . Mental Floss : Washington 's struggle to find a chief justice . 2 . Alexander Wolcott . `` Oh degraded Country ! How humiliating to the friends of moral virtue -- of religion and of all that is dear to the lover of his Country ! '' the New-York Gazette Advertiser wailed in 1811 over President James Madison 's nomination of customs inspector Alexander Wolcott . Wolcott 's strong enforcement of the controversial embargoes against Great Britain and France cost him support in the Senate and in the press . The Senate turned him down by a 9-24 vote , the widest rejection in Supreme Court history . 3 . Roger Taney . Roger B. Taney -LRB- pronounced tawny -RRB- is largely remembered as the chief justice who handed down the Dred Scott decision in 1857 . With his sepulchral countenance , Taney is inextricably linked to the grim ruling that all blacks -- slaves as well as free -- were not and could never become citizens of the United States . But when President Andrew Jackson nominated him in 1835 as associate justice , opposition Whigs were still smarting from Taney 's removal of government deposits from the Second Bank of the United States while he was a recess-appointed Secretary of the Treasury . The Senate voted to indefinitely postpone the nomination . However , after Chief Justice John Marshall died in 1836 , Jackson sent Taney 's name up again . He was confirmed , this time as chief justice . 4 . Ebenezer Hoar . You might think the Senate just could n't stomach elevating to the highest court in the land a man with the name Ebenezer Hoar , but it seems the senators were offended by something other than aesthetics . As President Ulysses S. Grant 's attorney general , Hoar had insisted on rewarding merit rather than political loyalty , thus blocking a well-trod route for patronage . So when Grant nominated Hoar to the Court in 1869 , miffed Republican senators gave the virtuous Hoar thumbs down . Mental Floss : What was Marbury v. Madison ? Who were Roe and Wade ? 5 and 6 . Wheeler Hazard Peckham and William B. Hornblower . A senator has the right to reject a court nomination simply because the nominee is from the senator 's home state . Upon this invocation of `` senatorial courtesy '' rests the demise of Wheeler Hazard Peckham and William B. Hornblower . Both men were nominated by President Grover Cleveland . Both nominees were New Yorkers , and New York Sen. David Hill invoked senatorial courtesy to squelch their nominations in 1894 . -LRB- Peckham 's brother , Rufus Wheeler Peckham , became a justice in 1896 . -RRB- . 7 . Harriet Miers . Some nominees withdrew themselves from consideration before they could be rejected . Such was the case of Harriet Miers , whom President George W. Bush nominated in 2005 , but withdrew under criticism that she was unqualified . Mental Floss : Why there 's a Mohammed statue at the Supreme Court ? 8 . Douglas Ginsburg . Another withdrawal was that of Douglas Ginsburg -LRB- not related to current justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -RRB- , the conservative , former pot-smoking federal appellate judge who is a footnote in the Bork saga . After Bork was Borked , Reagan eyed the more moderate Anthony Kennedy for the seat . But Sen. Jesse Helms -LRB- R-N.C . -RRB- threatened a filibuster . So Reagan turned right again and proposed Ginsburg . But there was no getting around the revelation that Ginsburg had inhaled . Ginsburg withdrew himself from consideration , Reagan put forward Kennedy and the Senate , eager to move on , easily confirmed him . For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved . | A total of eight Supreme Court nominees have failed to get a seat on the high bench . Ebenezer Hoar got a thumbs down after blocking a well-trod route for patronage . Wheeler Peckham and William B. Hornblower rejected through home state courtesy . Newspaper claimed Alexander Wolcott 's nomination degraded the country . | [[324, 402], [430, 444], [449, 477], [2675, 2679], [2749, 2791], [3052, 3055], [3062, 3153], [3154, 3274], [3368, 3459]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Doctor James Braude leads a group medical practice in an elegant Atlanta , Georgia , office decorated with designer furnishings . It does n't look like a charity asking for handouts . But it is asking . Obama , pictured July 1 in Virginia , has been touring the states to promote his plan to voters . `` On some days we 've counted up to 30 patients a day who 've lost their jobs and their health insurance , '' Braude said . So Braude and his colleagues offer as much free care as they can afford . The doctors have also begun discreetly inviting paying patients to contribute to a fund , helping more people get care they have n't got the money for . `` We 're doctors . We 're addicted to helping people . And when we ca n't , we go through withdrawal . '' Millions of Americans have always gone without the kind of routine medical care that is seen as a basic right in many countries . The U.S. economic downturn -- meaning people lose health insurance when they lose their job -- and the election of President Barack Obama have coincided to increase both the need and the opportunity to address the plight of uninsured America . Obama 's ambition is to provide insurance for the estimated 50 million Americans without coverage . Watch why many in rural U.S. have concerns '' The insurance is expected to cover doctors , hospital care and prescription drugs . But just about every detail is still being negotiated so it 's not certain who would be covered , what they would be covered for or whether people who do n't want insurance would be forced to have it and pay for it . The plans that emerge could become the Obama administration 's most ambitious domestic program and potentially a big , early test of his presidency . American medical care needs attention . Even though nearly 50 million of its roughly 300 million people have no routine health care , the United States spends more going to the doctor than any other industrialized nation in the world . Fully one-sixth of the economy is devoted to it . Under the current hybrid system , the U.S. Government pays for health care for ex-military , the extremely poor and the elderly . But the vast majority of Americans have to pay for their own health care and most do it where they work ; many employers arrange health insurance and partly subsidize the premiums . The rapidly rising cost is crushing all kinds of businesses , from car companies to family farms . At the same time , hospitals and doctors say they are falling behind because the payments they receive from insurance companies are n't keeping up with their costs . `` Within a decade we will be spending one out of every five dollars we earn on health care , '' Obama said recently . `` In 30 years , it will be one out of every three . That is untenable , that is unacceptable , and I will not allow it as president of the United States . '' The politics : Deep disagreement . There is a lot of disagreement about what to do . Congress has the job of actually turning the push for change into a functioning government program . Democratic lawmakers do n't all support the president 's plan or agree on how to pay for it . Republicans are split in a different way . Some lawmakers are trying to influence the Democrats ' plans and others are proposing entirely different alternatives . `` If you look at their plan , it really is a big government-run plan that will take control of the delivery of health care in America , '' said Republican congressional leader John Boehner . His suggestion : `` Improve the current system so it works better . '' The most profound disagreement centers on whether Washington should create its own new health-insurance concern to compete with the private companies that provide insurance now . Obama and many Democrats favor it ; Republicans are dead set against it . Part of the problem is that insurance companies fear the government will put them out of business , by favoring or subsidizing its own scheme . The other part of the problem is more basic and ideological . The U.S. government already runs enormous health-insurance programs for the poor , the elderly and military veterans -- but many Americans see potentially mandatory government health-insurance as the foreign-born offspring of socialist states . The economics : More debt . Political opposition notwithstanding , the economics are going to be a problem too . Health care is a $ 2 trillion-dollar-a-year industry that would have to expand to cover millions of people who are now uninsured . The president has some ideas for new efficiencies but most estimates suggest the total cost of caring for Americans would rise dramatically . Washington is already carrying record debt and would have to find a way to pay for it . One assessment by the Congressional Budget Office of the Senate Democrat plan estimated it would cost more than $ 1 trillion over 10 years and only provide coverage for about 16 million Americans . There 's also the possibility that the impact of reform on many employers and virtually every wage-earner across the country will have a spillover effect on the economy as a whole , still lodged in recession . The health care industry : Undecided . Then there is the place where the politics and the economy overlap : the health care industry . Doctors alone have spent roughly two-thirds of a billion dollars lobbying lawmakers in the last 10 years , according to the independent Center for Responsive Politics . Add pharmaceutical companies and hospitals , nurses and other health care professionals and you get one of the most influential forces in U.S. politics . They successfully organized to defeat health care reform when the Clinton administration tried it 15 years ago . The industry benefits from one crucial thing : Americans like their doctors . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released July 1 found 54 percent of people worry that their health care costs would go up if the administration 's proposals get passed and only one in five thinks that his or her families would be better off under the Obama plan . With all that in mind , Atlanta 's Dr. Braude says he 's optimistic the reform can succeed . If not , he says , `` we go back to the same system and we have 50 million people without insurance , which means you are one brain tumor away from bankruptcy . '' | About 50 million Americans are without any health insurance . People losing jobs in the recession also lose health insurance . Government health provision care largely confined to veterans , elderly and poor . Extending government role is health care is politically hot potato . | [[1153, 1252], [1199, 1252], [1790, 1794], [1802, 1881], [909, 935], [939, 975], [2036, 2067], [2070, 2165], [4056, 4172]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama is not shy about showing off his jump shot on the basketball court , but on Tuesday night , it was his baseball skills that were put to the test . President Obama throws out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game onTuesday in St Louis , Missouri . Obama , clad in a Chicago White Sox jacket and blue jeans , threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis , Missouri . His low pitch barely reached home plate and the mitt of St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols . Obama became the fifth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star Game , but the first in 33 years . He is following in the footsteps of Franklin D. Roosevelt , John F. Kennedy , Richard Nixon , and Gerald Ford . Asked about plans to practice before the game , Obama said Tuesday , `` I want to loosen up my arm a little bit . '' `` The last time I threw a pitch was at the American League championship series , and I just wanted to keep it high , '' the president said of his opening pitch at the 2005 Chicago White Sox-Anaheim Angels game . Aiming high is a good strategy , says St. Louis Cardinals scout Matt Blood , but it takes more than on-point aim to make the perfect pitch . `` Throw it with some force , do n't lob it in there . Try to get a good downhill plane . Try to keep it in the strike zone , '' said Blood , who will be at the game Tuesday . HLN sports anchor Larry Smith , who has thrown out a few first pitches , says Obama has to be careful to `` not try to overpower it . '' `` There 's no speed gun on this . Just make it a nice solid throw to the catcher , '' Smith said . `` The one thing he does n't want to do is bounce it home . Mr. Obama is pretty athletic , so I think he 'll ace this . '' Overpowering it should n't be an issue for the president , who joked Tuesday that he 'd be surprised if his 2005 pitch exceeded 30 miles per hour . The president also needs to make sure he uses his whole arm , Blood said . `` You 'll see a lot of people throw kind of out front . Their elbow will start out front and they 'll never get their arm back behind their body , and wo n't get a full arm swing . It will be real short , and not very rhythmic , '' he said . Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton said Obama 's at the top of his game , and he can `` afford to take a few chances . '' `` He should toss it a little further to the left . The righties are down by 15 runs in the ninth , they 've got no team leadership . They 're fighting with each other in the opposing dugout , '' he joked . All kidding aside , Obama should `` just go with his instincts , like any good athlete , '' Bouton said . `` You do n't want to throw the ball into the ground or behind you , that 's for sure . '' Obama also does n't want to do what Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory did in his opening pitch for the Reds 2007 season . He missed home plate by 30 feet . Video of the Democratic mayor 's embarrassing throw has been viewed nearly 2 million times on YouTube . But the opening pitch is n't always a light-hearted moment . President Bush described his opening pitch at Yankees stadium during the 2001 World Series as `` the most nervous moment '' of his presidency so far . The game came less than two months after the September 11 terrorists attacks . Bush wore an FDNY jacket to pay tribute to the New York City Fire Department . He stepped onto the pitchers mound , and before a cheering crowd of nearly 60,000 , he threw a strike . The crowded erupted in chants of `` U-S-A , U-S-A . '' Before the game Tuesday night , Obama and all of the living former presidents will appear in a community service video . After the video is shown , Obama will take the field at Busch Stadium and greet the six St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Fame players . He then will throw his pitch to Cardinals ' all-star first baseman Albert Pujols . Major League Baseball said the president will wear a specially made glove for his appearance , with a script Obama 44 and an American flag on it . The glove will then be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown , New York . If Obama has butterflies about his pitch , Blood says the president should use the nervous energy to his advantage . `` For Obama , I 'm sure he 's dealt with much more pressure than throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game , but I would -- instead of seeing it as pressure -- I would think of it as an exciting opportunity and turn the nervousness into positive adrenaline , '' he said . CNN 's Steve Brusk contributed to this report . | President Obama throws opening pitch at All-Stars game Tuesday . Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory got lots of attention for his embarrassing throw . Obama should `` turn the nervousness into positive adrenaline , '' scout advises . | [[182, 272], [286, 291], [294, 343], [346, 438], [2937, 3040], [4179, 4252], [4420, 4421], [4471, 4516]] |
Editor 's note : Janet Tavakoli is president of Chicago-based Tavakoli Structured Finance and the author of `` Dear Mr. Buffett : What An Investor Learns 1,269 Miles From Wall Street '' -LRB- Wiley , 2009 -RRB- , a book about the causes of the global financial meltdown . Her company is a consulting firm for institutions and institutional investors on derivatives , the securitization of assets , and mergers and acquisitions . Her firm has done work for investment banks but not for Goldman Sachs ; she worked for the company in the 1980s . Janet Tavakoli says Goldman Sachs ' record profits were enabled by the taxpayer-funded bailout . CHICAGO , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc. announced record earnings Tuesday of $ 3.44 billion for the second quarter of 2009 . Goldman 's stock price leapt 77 percent for the first half of 2009 , and closed Tuesday at $ 149.66 a share . Without an ongoing series of front - and backdoor bailouts financed by U.S. taxpayers , most of Goldman 's record profits would not have been possible . In April 2009 , Goldman Sachs ' CEO , Lloyd Blankfein , who received record salary and bonus compensation of $ 68.5 million in 2007 , said that bonus decisions made before the credit crisis looked `` self-serving and greedy in hindsight . '' Now , they look self-serving and greedy with foresight . Goldman set aside $ 11.4 billion for employee compensation and benefits , up 33 percent from last year . That 's enough to pay each employee more than $ 390,000 , just for the first six months of this year . In June , Goldman bought back its preferred shares , repaying $ 10 billion it received from the government 's Troubled Asset Relief Program , or TARP , and setting it free of limits on executive compensation and dividends . But pay is not the key issue . U.S. taxpayers deserve a large cut of the profits , not the chump change -- less than a half-billion dollars -- they got from preferred shares in the company and the relatively small amount they could get from warrants in its stock . U.S. taxpayers should insist that a large part of Goldman 's revenues and profits belong to the American public . TARP money was just part of a series of bailouts and concessions that allowed Goldman to prosper at the expense of a flawed regulatory system . In March 2008 , Goldman , a primary dealer in Treasury securities , was among the beneficiaries of a massive backdoor bailout by the Federal Reserve Bank . At the time , Henry Paulson , former CEO of Goldman Sachs , was treasury secretary . In an unprecedented move , the Fed created a Term Securities Lending Facility , or TSLF , that allowed primary dealers like Goldman to give non-government-guaranteed `` triple-A '' rated assets to the Fed in exchange for loans . The trouble was that everyone knew the triple-A assets were not the safe securities they were advertised to be . Many were backed by mortgage loans that were failing at super speed . The bailout of American International Group , or AIG , ballooned from $ 85 billion in September 2008 to $ 182.5 billion . Of that money , $ 90 billion was funneled as collateral payments to banks that traded with AIG . American taxpayers may never see a dime of their bailout money again , but Goldman saw plenty . Goldman may be the largest indirect beneficiary of AIG 's bailout , receiving $ 12.9 billion in collateral , including securities lending transactions , from AIG after the government bailed out the insurance company . The key question is whether Goldman asked AIG to insure products that were as dodgy as the doomed deal from Goldman Sachs Alternative Mortgage Products exposed by Fortune 's Allan Sloan in his October 16 , 2007 , Loeb Award-winning article : `` Junk Mortgages Under the Microscope . '' If the federal government had not intervened and if AIG had gone into bankruptcy , Goldman probably would not have received its $ 12.9 billion from AIG . U.S. taxpayers and the American economy are owed some of the bailout money passed directly through AIG to Goldman . Wall Street firms also reaped trading windfalls when AIG needed to close out its derivative transactions . This was the most lucrative windfall business in the history of the derivatives markets . When AIG left money on the table , it was U.S. taxpayer money . Goldman Sachs was granted bank holding company status in the fall of 2008 . It already had the temporary ability to borrow from the Fed through the TSLF , which would have expired in January 2009 . Now it has permanent access to lending from the Fed . Goldman can now compete with the largest U.S. banks and borrow money at interest rates pushed as close to zero as possible by the Fed . Goldman gets a further benefit : favorable accounting rule changes . In addition , Goldman issued $ 30 billion of debt with a valuable government guarantee that remains outstanding . Meanwhile , the American public faces a rising unemployment rate , falling housing prices , rising unemployment , higher local taxes and a dismal economic outlook . Interested men with reputations and fortunes at stake rode roughshod over public interest . The American public is owed part of the profits Goldman was able to make because of the largesse of our Congress . Wall Street 's `` financial meth labs , '' including Goldman 's , massively pumped out bad bonds and credit derivatives that have melted down savings accounts , pension funds , the municipal bond market and the American economy . Risky assets , leverage and fraud led to acute distress in the global financial markets . The biggest crime on the American economy may go unpunished with no consequences to the perpetrators . The biggest crime was not predatory lending , but predatory securitizations , packages of loans that did not deserve the ratings or prices at the time they were sold . They ballooned what should have been a relatively small problem into a global crisis . Wall Street owes the American public for its key role in bringing the global economy -- and in particular , the U.S. economy -- to its knees . Goldman is not alone in owing the American public . It is not the worst of all of the Wall Street firms . But among all of Wall Street 's offenders , it is the most well-connected , and Goldman was the firm that cleaned up the most as the result of government bailouts . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Janet Tavakoli . | Tavakoli : Goldman Sachs reported record second-quarter profits . She says Goldman and Wall Street helped bring down the U.S. economy . Goldman reaped huge profit enabled by help it got in federal bailout , she says . Tavakoli : Taxpayers deserve a large share of what Goldman made . | [[640, 647], [650, 674], [678, 787], [543, 639], [563, 639], [5136, 5155], [5172, 5250], [6258, 6342], [543, 639], [1813, 1862], [2047, 2160], [2081, 2160], [5136, 5191]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After 40 years of appearing on the silver screen , actor Amitabh Bachchan is the elder statesman of Indian cinema and is possibly the most recognized man in India . The Big B : The patriarch of Indian cinema has appeared in over 180 films . Born to a famous Indian poet , Bachchan made his screen debut at the age of 27 and has gone on to star in over 180 films . As such an established star he has seen Indian film making change over the years , weathered changing audience tastes and the evolution of Bollywood cinema . `` I 'm actually very happy with our content . Even though we were ridiculed , and the West were very cynical about the way we made our films and the content that it contained , '' he told CNN . `` But that very aspect has now become its USP -LRB- unique selling point -RRB- almost , and people love to see that . I would not want to change that . I would expect that this is how and what our cinema is all about . '' If Indian films have gained a new found international interest , the way that Indian films are produced has also changed . From the industry 's alleged connection to organized crime to better production quality , Bachchan has worked within the system and at the sharp end of making movies . `` We have our own modes of working and how does one actually decipher that the person that you 're working with has some kind of an underground link ? You know , ' I am mafia ' does n't come written on somebody 's forehead . `` Whether he , you know , collects his money from wherever it is ... is really not our concern . We are interested the story , the concept , in our roles , the director who 's going to be making it , in the creative aspect . That 's it , '' he said . The role that propelled him to superstardom was of a working class hero standing up to oppression and injustice in the 1975 film `` Sholay '' . `` During the 1970s there was a feeling of great dissatisfaction in the youth that the establishment of the system is not doing enough to take care of their issues and problems . When one individual stood out and challenged the system and came out victorious he suddenly became a hero , '' he told CNN . `` I fortunately happened to be the actor that they chose to represent that kind of philosophy or thinking . And therefore I became a beneficiary . '' From being the `` angry young man '' of cinema in India he is now more commonly known as `` The Big B '' to the media and his millions of fans . But being such a public figure has never been a problem ; Bachchan writes a daily blog and believes that it 's in an actor 's make-up to thrive in public attention and that stars should be able to deal with praise as well as criticism . `` I think we all live to be recognized ... creativity would be useless if no one ever saw it or recognized it . We want our work to be known . `` I enjoy my blog greatly because I invite comment . Not all of them are complimentary , many of them are abusive , but I never moderate it because I think it 's important to know what the rest of the world actually thinks about you . '' Taking the good with the bad , Bachchan was recently criticized for reportedly being less than impressed by Danny Boyle 's Oscar-winning film , `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' But says Bachchan the unnecessary controversy was because of comments from readers on his blog had been mistakenly attributed to him . `` I was wrongly accused . I did get to see the film . I thought it was a very well made film , great story , '' he told CNN . If `` Slumdog Millionaire '' illustrates current interest in Indian films by the West , Indian movies have also developed in ways more familiar to Hollywood movies . `` Life has become a lot faster . We 've had to move with the times and adjust . If you were to analyze an indie film of the 1970s ... there would be far , far less editing cuts of , say , a film that was released in 2009 . That philosophy -LSB- from TV editing -RSB- , for some peculiar reason , has now translated into the minds of the audiences and they expect the same kind of treatment when they go out to see a movie , '' he told CNN . | Indian actor has been superstar of Bollywood cinema for 40 years . Known as ` The Big B ' ; became icon to millions after ` Sholay ' film of 1975 . Blogs regularly and seen great changes in attitudes to Indian film and its influence . Caused furore when mistakenly reported to have criticized ` Slumdog Millionaire ' | [[2383, 2471], [411, 463], [2530, 2558], [3123, 3144], [3156, 3233], [3123, 3131], [3136, 3233]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's been eight years since Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson and Rupert Grint first hopped on the Hogwarts Express , and the three have done little else since . Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have kept each other `` level-headed , '' said Radcliffe . Now that the ride will soon come to an end , the cast is trying to fathom a life without the Harry Potter films -- an understandable difficulty , considering that they 've grown up along with their characters . The other item showing its age is the storyline of the sixth installment , `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . '' Part humor and part horror with a healthy dose of hormones , `` Half-Blood Prince '' is clearly more attuned for an audience who , like the cast , are no longer in grade school . `` On the one hand , we have all this light romance and snogging , and on the other hand , people are getting killed , and bridges are being blown up , '' director David Yates said . Potter 101 : A guide to Harry Potter '' Heavy stuff , certainly , but it 's a challenge on par with the stars ' blossoming careers . Hear , see and read how the characters have grown '' One can only imagine that by now , the Potter series feels like home to Daniel Radcliffe , who landed the title role at 11 after playing supporting roles in the BBC 's `` David Copperfield '' and the 2001 film `` The Tailor of Panama . '' '' -LSB- Without it -RSB- , to be honest , I do n't know what I would 've done , '' said Radcliffe , who turns 20 on July 23 . `` I had ` Copperfield , ' but at that point I was n't even dreaming about -LSB- acting -RSB- being a career then . '' Since then , Radcliffe has grown into international stardom , reportedly earning $ 25 million per Potter film . Indeed , the actor has gotten raves away from the movie theater : In London and on Broadway , Radcliffe took on the role of Alan Strang , the mentally disturbed stable boy in Peter Shaffer 's `` Equus , '' which required him to strip naked in the play 's final scene . Radcliffe has also taken on roles in `` December Boys '' and the TV movie `` My Boy Jack , '' and he is eager to keep at it long after the Potter series wraps . So what about directing , then ? Only time will tell , Radcliffe said . `` For now , I want to keep acting , '' the actor said . `` I do n't think I know enough about the technical sides yet to even consider directing . It would be something that I 'm interested in , but it would be a long , long way off . '' As for Watson , when she 's not occupied with filming , she can be found in the pages of fashion magazines -- including the advertisements . Having landed covers for both Teen Vogue and the UK version of Elle within the past few months , it 's no wonder that the 19-year-old was chosen to be the face of Burberry 's autumn line . Going from tween wizard to fashion icon is quite a leap , but it 's one that appears to fit Watson well ; how many other Hogwarts students can count Karl Lagerfeld among their friends ? Like her co-star Rupert Grint -LRB- Ron -RRB- , Watson did n't have any acting experience when she auditioned for `` Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone '' at age 9 . She managed to beat out thousands of other girls for the role of Hermione , a part she 's said was `` life or death '' for her . Now that the series is close to its end , the actress is eager to try new things . `` I would 've told myself not to take it so seriously and to try to have as much fun as you can , '' Watson said she would 've advised her younger self . But similar to her Potter character , Hermione , Watson is eager to hit the books after the series concludes . The actress confirmed that she plans to start college in the United States this fall . For Grint , the future is a bit more unclear . `` I do n't know what I 'm going to be doing , really , '' the actor told the Los Angeles Times . `` I 'm going to miss it , I think , because I 've been doing this my whole life . '' Despite his start as an unknown -- Grint reportedly submitted hip-hop lyrics describing his character to snag the part of Ron Weasley -- he 's arguably been the most adventurous of his co-stars , having played opposite Paul Giamatti in the 2002 family comedy `` Thunderpants '' and starring in 2009 's sexually charged thriller `` Cherrybomb . '' His third film outside the Potter series will be the indie `` Wild Target , '' co-starring another British sensation , Emily Blunt . iReport.com : Share your reviews of the latest `` Potter '' Whatever their plans , all three have a few years to go before they hang up their magic wands ; the last installment of `` Harry Potter '' is being filmed in two parts , and the final film wo n't premiere until 2011 . And , Radcliffe said , they 've helped each other cope with fame over the years . He said that on the red carpet , '' -LSB- the fans are -RSB- cheering for a kind of person they see in newspapers and in interviews and in films , and that 's a different person to you . You have to keep that -- that persona -- and the person you actually are as separate as you possibly can , and then you will avoid becoming arrogant . '' Which is why it helps to have two people who know you well , on set and off . `` I think we 've all kept each other pretty level-headed over the years , '' Radcliffe said . CNN 's Doug Ganley and Neil Curry contributed to this story . | With `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , '' Potter film series almost done . Daniel Radcliffe plans to keep acting ; he 's gotten raves for stage work . Emma Watson is face of Burberry , planning to go to college . Rupert Grint plans to do more films . | [[2279, 2300], [2303, 2305], [3669, 3755]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's upbringing was shaped by two very different parents . An image of Michael Jackson and his parents was on the big screen during his funeral in Los Angeles . His mother , Katherine Jackson , has been portrayed by her children as the loving glue that bonded the family together , while her husband , Joe , was the harsh disciplinarian whose iron hand not only shaped one of the most successful musical families in the world , but also elicited enough fear in his superstar son that it sometimes made him ill . Now the couple of 60 years stands at the center of a custody drama surrounding their grandchildren . Michael Jackson 's will , filed in 2002 , designated his mother as caregiver for Prince Michael , 12 , Paris , 11 , and `` Blanket , '' 7 . It is the latest installment in the many trials that have tested the Jackson family , not least of which has been the unexpected loss of its most famous member . '' -LSB- Katherine 's -RSB- taking it real hard , '' Joe Jackson told ABC News about his wife 's coping with their son 's death . `` When you start talking about Michael , she starts crying . '' By many accounts , Katherine Jackson , 79 , shared a special bond with her second-youngest son . In a 1993 interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey , Michael Jackson spoke glowingly of the matriarch . `` My mother 's wonderful , '' he said . `` To me , she 's perfection . '' According to a biography posted by A&E Networks , Katherine Jackson was born Kattie B. Screws in 1930 in Barbour County , Alabama . Her family reportedly relocated to East Chicago , Indiana , when she was 4 , and her name was changed to Katherine Esther Scruse . A childhood bout with polio left her with a permanent limp . She was a teenager when she met Joe Jackson , an aspiring musician and a boxer whose first marriage dissolved . Katherine said it was love at first sight . `` I just had a feeling that he was going to be my husband , '' Katherine Jackson said in an interview shot last year by Xonger Global Entertainment Networks for a planned reality show about the family . The video was obtained by ABC News . `` The first time I saw him , I fell in love with him . '' Together , they raised 10 children in a modest Gary , Indiana , home , while Joe worked as a crane operator , according to the A&E biography . A devout Jehovah 's Witness , Katherine nurtured the children 's love of music by singing with them , made her sons ' costumes as their father booked local gigs , and served as the family 's backbone . `` As best as I could tell from both talking to -LSB- Michael -RSB- and my observations of the family throughout the years , Katherine was the one that had really unconditional love for Michael and was always there , was always supportive and was always comforting , '' said journalist and CNN contributor Bryan Monroe , who conducted the last major interview with Michael Jackson . `` It was the epitome of a mother 's love . '' Joe Jackson 's relationship with his famous son was a bit more complicated . Monroe said the hard taskmaster -- who Michael said sometimes held a belt in his hand as he and his brothers rehearsed -- evoked mixed emotions from the singer . `` In my interview with him , -LSB- Michael -RSB- spoke almost in the same breath of the fear he had of Joseph 's sternness ... and at the same time the respect he had for Joseph 's work ethics and his teachings , '' Monroe said . `` He said -LSB- Joseph -RSB- taught him and his brothers an awful lot about discipline and performance . '' According to the biography posted by A&E Networks , Joe Jackson was born in Arkansas in 1929 and pursued fame early on , first as a Golden Gloves contender and later as a member of The Falcons , a band he started in the mid-1950s . When he noticed musical talent in his brood , he formed the Jackson Brothers with his three oldest sons and served as their manager . The group later became The Jackson 5 , with young Michael serving as lead singer , and shot to superstardom . Psychotherapist Daniel Aferiat , who never treated any Jackson family members , said such an awesome responsibility for a young Michael Jackson could account for the conflicted emotions he expressed in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey . `` I just wish I could understand my father , '' he told her . `` If as a small child Michael Jackson was involved in making business decisions and had to have the burdens in some ways of the financial responsibility for the family , then it can turn around who 's the caretaker and who 's being taken care of , '' Aferiat said . Aferiat said children identify with their parents and learn how to operate in the world based on how they are treated by their parents . The drive for stardom and perfection that Joe Jackson reportedly instilled in his children would have long-lasting effects , Aferiat said . `` People are complicated , and while we all would like to think in more black-and-white terms -- someone 's good and someone 's bad -- -LSB- Michael Jackson -RSB- had a very complicated , very difficult and , what I would unequivocally say from what I 've heard in the news , a traumatic life , '' Aferiat said . `` If you are a child and you have to give up your childhood , it 's not like a pair of shoes that you just get to replace at a later time . You do n't get that back . '' By many accounts , Katherine Jackson tried to keep her children 's lives as normal as possible given their fame , even during their adulthood . Author Richard Hack co-wrote the 1995 book `` Jackson Family Values : Memories of Madness '' with Margaret Maldonado , the mother of two of Jermaine Jackson 's children . He said Katherine Jackson was `` like Mother Earth '' to her family . `` She kept everyone pretty well grounded because she did n't buy into all of the publicity and a lot of the glitz , '' said Hack , a noted biographer who has written 17 books . `` Mind you , she did drive around in a Rolls Royce , but she still knew how to make a meal . She would get into the kitchen and bring the family together . '' Back then , Hack said , most of the family lived together in the Encino compound . These days , Katherine still resides in California , while her husband reportedly has relocated to Las Vegas , Nevada . `` We 're not together all of the time , '' Katherine Jackson said in footage from the planned reality show . `` We stayed together for many , many years . '' `` But we see each other all the time , '' she added . `` I go to Vegas and he 'll come here . '' Their living arrangement could become an issue during a custody hearing . Katherine Jackson was granted temporary guardianship of the children by a judge several days after her son 's death . It is still unknown whether Debbie Rowe , the biological mother of two of the children , will seek custody . Watch opinions on who should get the kids '' While Katherine is the only parent seeking legal custody of Michael Jackson 's children , his father has been quoted by ABC News as saying he believes the two of them are ideally suited to take care of and raise the children `` to be strong Jacksons . '' Hack , the co-author of `` Jackson Family Values , '' said that in the past Joe Jackson 's children viewed him as the `` instigator and dictator '' who no longer managed their careers but still viewed himself as their voice . A bit of that behavior was on display last year when the elder Jackson returned to Gary , Indiana , and endorsed a planned family museum . The Post-Tribune newspaper reported that he did n't believe the city needed to gain his famous children 's approval to build the project . `` I 'm Joe Jackson , '' he was quoted as saying . `` I do n't need them to approve anything . '' But when it comes to Michael Jackson 's children , the court will have the final say . | Joseph and Katherine Jackson had different parenting styles , observers say . Katherine viewed as family backbone while Joe reportedly a harsh taskmaster . Author : Katherine Jackson `` kept everyone pretty well grounded '' Michael Jackson 's mother is seeking custody of his children . | [[0, 15], [19, 91], [321, 332], [341, 458], [2345, 2346], [2512, 2546], [3066, 3085], [3106, 3162], [5366, 5382], [5385, 5460]] |
-LRB- WIRED -RRB- -- In less than a week , Google announced an operating system to compete with Windows , while Microsoft announced that Office 10 will include free , online versions of its four most popular software programs -- a shot at Google 's suite of web-based office applications . The fight between Microsoft and Google is over who 'll be seen as the world 's most important tech company . And not more than a month and a half ago , Microsoft unveiled its new search engine Bing , which it hopes will steal market share from Google and finally make it real money online . From the news of it , it 's a full-blown tech battle , complete with behind-the-scenes machinations to sic government regulators on each other . It is , however , not a death match -- it 's more of an fight to see who will be the King of Technology , since both companies pull in their billions through completely different siphons and are unlikely to severely wound one another any time soon . Google pulled in $ 22 billion in revenue in 2008 , 97 percent of which came tiny text ads bought by the keyword and placed next to search results or on pages around the web . Google makes a negligible amount of money bundling its online apps for businesses , charging $ 50 a head annually -- but mostly it just gives its online text editor , email and spreadsheet programs away . By contrast , Microsoft sold $ 14.3 billion worth of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and other business applications over the last nine months , making a profit of $ 9.3 billion . It made a further $ 16 billion in revenue in 2008 through sales of its operating systems , which range from XP installations on netbooks , to Vista , to Windows Mobile to its server software . Google now plans its own range of operating systems , starting with Android , an open-source OS for small devices like smartphones , and Chrome OS , a browser-focused , open-source OS that will run on notebooks and desktops . Clearly top executives at each company look over at the others ' pots of gold and dream of ways to steal them , or at least make it harder for the other guy to make money . In fact , they even dislike each other enough to spend money to make the other one lose revenue -- take for example , Microsoft 's behind-the-scenes campaign to scuttle last year 's proposed Google-Yahoo advertising deal or its ongoing attempts to derail the Google Book Search settlement . But in reality , the competition is really about creating universes or ecosystems that it hopes consumers will want to live their technology lives inside . And it 's about ego -- a fight to be recognized as the world 's most important technology company . Microsoft would love for everyone in the world to be using its Internet Explorer browser to search through Bing to find a story from its MSN portal to email via Hotmail or Outlook to a friend . Add in a smartphone running Windows Mobile and an Xbox in the living room for the kids , and you have a Microsoft family . And though it is much joked about , Microsoft is the dominant platform for software developers of all types , whether they are making small business software , massive online role-playing games or photo-editing utilities . Google 's ecosystem looks different . It starts with a Google Chrome browser -LRB- oddly running only on Windows -RRB- with a default homepage set to Google News or a customized Google homepage . From there you might go to Gmail and then click on a Word document sent to you as an attachment which Google will quickly -- and safely -- open for you in its online word processor . But most importantly , Google wants you to search and travel around the web , hitting web pages that run Google-served ads and Google tracking cookies . You might think that Google is a really cool company to give away all this free technology , while never thinking about the persistent and silent data collection Google is undertaking to profile you in order to deliver you to advertisers for a premium . So how do the two stack up in four key areas of competition ? Browsers : Internet Explorer in all its variations still retains close to 70 percent of the market -LRB- depending on who is counting and how -RRB- . That dominance remains , even though Microsoft 's latest offering IE8 lags behind all the other major browsers in features and advanced web capabilities . Firefox , Opera , and Apple 's Safari have all driven browser innovation over the last five years , but most people have not been convinced to leave IE behind , despite other alternatives being safer and more advanced . Why does it matter ? Well , IE installations come with a default home page , do n't they ? Google 's Chrome browser , on the other hand , is a handsome , whiz-kid of a browser . It 's sleek and nimble , and it revolutionizes how tabs are handled . The address bar is the search box -LRB- Google as default , naturally -RRB- . Each website opened runs as its own browser instance and has very low permissions to read and write to files . The sandboxing of tabs means that if a single website hangs or crashes , the rest are unaffected . Meanwhile , lower permissions make it harder for a hacker to bust into your computer through your browser . Chrome also has less than 2 percent of the browser market share . Online Search : Google 's name now means search to most users . Google 's search engine means money to Google . In June , it delivered 78.5 percent of search results pages delivered to U.S. web users . In the first three months of 2009 , Google pulled in $ 5.2 billion in revenue , a majority of which came from AdWords , an auction-based service that triggers ads based on the keywords in a search query . Microsoft recently debuted Bing , a new search engine it hoped would fare well in comparison to Google . It 's got some fine innovations , and shows the company is thinking very hard about better ways to present information to users by finding ways to synthesize data , rather than just retrieving links . Still , despite these improvements , a $ 100 million ad campaign , and generous press coverage that treats Bing like an underdog , Bing gained only a point in June to get Microsoft 8.2 percent of all searches . Operating Systems : Microsoft has been making operating systems since 1979 and has spent 28 years perfecting MS-DOS and Windows NT , the frameworks that Windows have been built around . Microsoft is estimated to run on about 90 percent of all laptops and desktops in the world . By copying its competitors ' best features , leveraging questionable licensing arrangements and using its base of accustomed users to buy it time against innovators , Microsoft has held on to its lead in the OS market for almost 30 years . That 's despite challenges from Digital Research , Apple and IBM . Microsoft 's newest version , Windows 7 , will be available in the fall . Early reviews say the OS boots quickly and sleeps fast , and avoids much of the confusing interface decisions that have made many dislike Vista , the successor to Windows XP . Microsoft also dominates in the business world , where nearly every medium to large company standardizes around Microsoft Office . Microsoft is also at work on version 6 of its operating system for handheld devices , which it first launched in 2000 . Its OS advantages are immense . It has millions of users who know nothing else and who like Windows . There are millions who are attached to games or the thousands of desktop apps that are only available on Windows . Thousands of devices just plug in and work on its hardware . And familiarity with Microsoft software is a requirement for a huge number of office jobs . By contrast , Google first stepped into the OS game in 2007 when it announced its Android operating system for small devices . Google estimates that some 18 phone models will be running its system by the end of the year . Last week , Google announced , but did not show off , a new OS to compete with Windows , dubbing it Chrome OS . That name signifies that Google 's OS will be for the web and browser-based . It hopes to convince developers to write software that runs inside a browser , instead of on top of the OS as developers for Windows and Apples ' OS X do . It will also let web developers extend the power of their websites by expanding the capabilities of the browser , allowing websites to lean on the browser for storage and processing help . Advertising : Google is largely powered by its innovative auction-based text ads on its own site , but then expanded into serving ads on other people 's sites with the Adsense program . It bought the ad-serving and behavioral-profiling giant Doubleclick in 2007 for more than $ 3 billion , and has ventured into mobile , print , radio and television ads . Microsoft has struggled to replicate Google 's online advertising success . Despite owning MSN.com -- a portal that is second only to Yahoo as a destination -- Microsoft has not made money on the internet . To turbocharge its ad-delivery technology , it paid more than $ 6 billion in cash in 2007 for aQuantive , a full-service online advertising concern . Instead , Microsoft 's online ad business lost $ 1.2 billion in 2008 , double what it lost in 2007 . The company expects 2009 revenues to be higher than the $ 3.2 billion it took in last year , but has not said it would make a profit . Contrary to what some might have you believe , the benefits of the Google-Microsoft competition are immense . Microsoft had largely grown complacent until Google came along to shake up categories . Gmail 's massive online storage capability and fancy programming made Microsoft hustle to upgrade its popular , though not user-friendly , web e-mail service . Google Maps led to Microsoft 's Live Maps , which now bests Google 's efforts in some ways . Google has been winning the fight for the last few years , showing that it is still nimbler than the software giant from the Northwest . But the pendulum may be slowing , or even poised to swing the other way . With the innovations in Bing and the promise that Microsoft 's online Office offerings will be free and more fully featured than the Google equivalent , Microsoft is taking on Google where it matters for users : on the field of innovation . And that will make for an interesting race , no matter which horse you prefer to ride . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com . | The escalating Google vs. Micosoft battle is mostly over who 'll be King of Tech . Top execs at each company dream of ways to steal the others ' pots of gold . Chrome OS will compete with Windows , while Office 10 will include free online versions . Here 's how the two tech giants stack up in four key areas of competition . | [[290, 398], [290, 328], [337, 398], [779, 829], [2593, 2672], [1979, 2048], [112, 225], [60, 103], [7953, 7985], [10095, 10195], [4002, 4060]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. President George W. Bush told a global climate change conference Friday that the United States will do its part to improve the environment by taking on greenhouse gas emissions . U.S. President George W. Bush Friday tells a global climate change conference `` we take this issue seriously . '' `` We take this issue seriously , '' he said at the Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change , which the White House sponsored . In his address , Bush called on `` all the world 's largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions , including developed and developing nations , '' to come together and `` set a long-term goal for reducing '' greenhouse emissions . `` By setting this goal , we acknowledge there is a problem , and by setting this goal , we commit ourselves to doing something about it , '' he said . Watch Bush address the climate conference '' `` By next summer , we will convene a meeting of heads of state to finalize the goal and other elements of this approach , including a strong and transparent system for measuring our progress toward meeting the goal we set . ... Only by doing the necessary work this year will it be possible to reach a global consensus at the U.N. in 2009 . '' Bush said it will be up to each nation to `` design its own separate strategies for making progress toward achieving this long-term goal . '' He said new technology , such as clean coal technology and biofuels , could help reduce greenhouse gases . He also called for more use of nuclear , wind and solar power . `` It was said that we faced a choice between protecting the environment and producing enough energy . Today we know better , '' the president said . `` These challenges share a common solution : technology . '' `` We must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions , and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth or prevent nations from delivering greater prosperity for their people , '' he said . `` We know this can be done , '' Bush said . `` Last year , America grew our economy while also reducing greenhouse gases . '' If the preliminary numbers stand , it would make 2006 the first time in Bush 's presidency that greenhouse emissions dropped . In prepared remarks this week , Assistant Secretary of Energy Karen Harbert said , `` Preliminary data for 2006 suggests an absolute reduction in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions of 1.3 percent for that year despite economic growth of 2.9 percent . '' In previous years , the administration also has said its policies were reducing greenhouse emissions , but Department of Energy figures through 2005 show emission figures went up each year . The administration also said during those years it was reducing `` greenhouse emissions intensity , '' a term referring to the ratio between emissions and the size of the economy . The administration said the economy was growing at a faster rate than the emissions themselves . While the White House has taken heat for its environmental policies -- including from some Republicans such as Sen. John McCain -- Bush said at the conference Friday , `` By working together , we will set wise and effective policies . '' He added , `` I want to get the job done . We have identified a problem -- let 's go solve it together . '' Other nations have been critical of the Bush administration 's policy on climate change after the United States withdrew from the 1997 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change , known as the Kyoto Protocol . That protocol , which was signed by more than 150 countries , called on industrialized nations to cut greenhouse emissions in absolute terms . It did not make that demand of developing nations . The protocol expires in 2012 . Representatives of 16 countries , the United Nations and the European Union are attending this week 's two-day conference . The Bush administration has billed it as an initiative to develop a common approach to combat global warming following Kyoto 's collapse . At a Group of Eight conference in June , Bush pushed for a new framework on global gas emissions to counter the effects of global warming . Bush said he believes every nation should set its own goals . The president expressed concern that setting strict targets would damage the U.S. economy . Instead , he said , industries should enact voluntary measures . On Thursday , U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also told delegates to the global climate change conference that countries around the world must work together to combat climate change , much as they cooperate against terror and the spread of disease . `` No one nation , no matter how much power or political will it possesses , can succeed alone , '' she said . `` We all need partners , and we all need to work in concert . '' Rice said the United States takes climate change seriously , `` for we are both a major economy and a major emitter . '' In her address to the Major Economies Meeting , Rice said an integrated response , including `` environmental stewardship , economic growth , energy supply and security and development and the development and deployment of new clean energy technology , '' is the key to moving forward on the issue . E-mail to a friend . | NEW : `` We acknowledge there is a problem '' with gases , Bush says . Bush calls on nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions . `` U.S. will do its part , '' Bush tells international meeting . President proposes more use of clean coal technology , biofuels . | [[726, 759], [1767, 1834], [0, 15], [49, 135], [96, 202], [203, 314], [2020, 2034], [3103, 3137], [1384, 1451]] |
Editor 's Note : This is the third in a five-part series exploring Judge Sonia Sotomayor 's background and life with those who know her , and revealing the experiences that might shape her views as a Supreme Court justice if confirmed . Sotomayor won the Moses Taylor Pyne Prize , the highest honor given to an undergraduate at Princeton . PRINCETON , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sonia Sotomayor spent her first week at Princeton University obsessing over the sound of a cricket . Growing up in New York City , her only notion of this insect was Jiminy from `` Pinocchio . '' She tore her dorm room apart looking for the critter every night . Finally , her then-boyfriend and future husband visited and explained that the cricket was outside the room , where she had been holed up most of that week in 1972 . `` This was all new to me : we did n't have trees brushing up against windows in the South Bronx , '' Sotomayor recalled in a speech to the Princeton Women 's Network in 2002 . The freshman who was so taken aback by a cricket 's chirping now has a more public challenge : Senate hearings on whether to confirm her as a Supreme Court justice , potentially the first Latina to hold such a post . At one time , being different may have been difficult -- for it was n't just Princeton 's crickets that startled Sotomayor . The academics and the students on the leafy Gothic campus , with its ivy-covered dormitories and castle-like towers , also made her feel out of place . Sotomayor , who was on a full scholarship , started `` a little more on the shy side , '' said Sergio Sotolongo , who attended high school and Princeton with Sotomayor . `` She did mention that , as a freshman , she felt sometimes intimidated by others and did n't really raise her hand very much , '' said Sotolongo , now chairman and CEO of Student Funding Group in Liberty Corner , New Jersey . Watch classmates , professor remember Sotomayor '' As a first-year student , Sotomayor felt what she 's called a `` chasm '' between herself and her classmates . She really only knew the Bronx and Puerto Rico , while her classmates spoke of European vacations and skiing . She said in 1990 that she felt she was a `` product of affirmative action '' and questioned whether she would have been accepted into the Ivy League using `` traditional numbers '' from test scores alone . See how many of the Supreme Court justices went to Ivy League schools '' She would certainly have looked different to her classmates , with relatively few Latinos or minorities at Princeton during her college years . Even being a woman was different for Sotomayor 's class -- the college had opened its doors to women three years earlier , but male students were still superior in numbers and -LRB- in some cases -RRB- attitudes . Judith Perlman , who lived down the hall , explained : `` I 'd go to class and I would say things , and the professor would say , ` Oh , we usually express ourselves in a more gentlemanly fashion here . ' '' Perlman and Sotomayor shared `` girl talk '' but about what they wanted to do with their lives , not about things like fashion , which interested neither . Academically , Sotomayor also faced a gap . She would later graduate summa cum laude and be awarded the top undergraduate honor , the Moses Taylor Pyne Prize , but she stumbled that first year . Peter Winn , who taught Sotomayor and was her thesis adviser , said her early writing reflected the fact that her first language is Spanish . `` She could be very assertive and very articulate , but not initially , '' said Winn , now a professor at Tufts University . `` Sonia was someone who entered Princeton as a young woman with enormous potential , and one of the things that happened at Princeton was , she learned how to fulfill that potential , '' he said . Nancy Weiss Malkiel , now dean of the college , agreed with Winn , writing in an e-mail that Sotomayor came to Princeton `` with high intelligence and great ability , but without a very sophisticated grounding in the study of history . '' Malkiel , who taught history , said she worked with Sotomayor to develop the student 's skills in the spring of her first year . Sotomayor also worked independently , spending one summer reading classics that were new to her , including `` Alice in Wonderland , '' `` Huckleberry Finn , '' and `` Pride and Prejudice , '' to attune herself more to the cadences of English , she has said . Despite the challenges , the young woman encouraged her friend from the Bronx , Sotolongo , who is one year younger , to enroll in the fall of 1973 . `` In the end , clearly she was very happy to have gone to Princeton , '' Sotolongo said . And by the time Sotolongo began his freshman year , Sotomayor was showing off a new personality . `` She certainly opened up as she got her feet under her , '' said James Resnick , who also majored in history and is now a consultant at Keystone CompControl in Butler , Pennsylvania . With Charles Hey-Maestre , who was a year behind her , Sotomayor founded the student organization Accion Puertorriquena and by 1974 she was speaking out for the group in the Daily Princetonian student paper . The group helped to file a complaint with the Department of Health , Education and Welfare , alleging that Princeton showed a `` lack of commitment '' in recruiting Latino students and hiring Latino faculty and administrators . Hey-Maestre , now executive director of Puerto Rico Legal Services in San Juan , Puerto Rico , said Sotomayor `` has the ability also that if she 's feeling insecure about something , she manages it , and does n't project it . '' Latino affairs seemed to be an outlet for Sotomayor socially . Hey-Maestre said she was focused on her studies but went to some parties , especially Puerto Rican cultural celebrations . Otherwise , Hey-Maestre and Perlman remember , Sotomayor spent time with her off-campus boyfriend , Kevin Edward Noonan . They were later married , but divorced after seven years . Outside the university , Sotomayor volunteered at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital as an interpreter . She talked at length with Sotolongo , while he was working on a project at the Trenton police department , about why youth got involved in criminal activities and how the cycle of recidivism might start and stop . `` Those were issues she was very concerned about , and I think in whatever circles she could , made those feelings known and expressed them , '' Sotolongo said . See photos from Sotomayor 's life '' Sotomayor 's interest in Puerto Rican matters fed her as a history major . She wrote her undergraduate thesis on Luis Munoz Marin , the first governor of the island elected by popular vote . `` She was bending over backwards to be fair to points of view she did n't necessarily agree with , '' Winn said . The Sonia Sotomayor who went on to Yale Law School had matured , with classmates describing her as `` always willing to raise her hand , '' `` confident , '' `` outgoing , '' and `` one of the more outspoken people . '' Read more about her time at Yale . She may still have been the girl from the Bronx , but she did not try to use her experience of hardship as leverage , said Stephen Carter , a Yale classmate of Sotomayor and now a professor there . `` She would never sit around and say , ` Oh , well , I grew up in a housing project so I know , ' '' Carter said . `` She did n't feel her background gave her some kind of special trump . She wanted the argument to work . She would tell you why she thought something , and the ` why ' never had anything to do with where she came from . '' | Sonia Sotomayor arrived at Princeton in 1972 in fourth co-ed class . She read children 's classics to enhance her English writing skills . She launched a Puerto Rico action group and campaigned for Latinos . By the time she went to Yale , she was confident and outgoing , classmate recalls . | [[3908, 3935], [4183, 4192], [4221, 4257], [6825, 6844], [6849, 6875]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A few weeks ago , Tony Hoard , a 57-year-old manufacturing worker in Indiana , boarded a flight on Midwest Airlines to Las Vegas , Nevada , with his Australian Shepherd . The flight attendant smiled at the two and said , `` Welcome aboard . '' Midwest Airlines allows some of its canine customers to be seated in the cabin . Hoard has flown with Rory , his furry 40-pound companion , in coach more than 15 times on Midwest , the Wisconsin-based airline that boasts `` The Best Care in the Air . '' Each time they fly , Rory wears a harness and sits strapped into a seat . `` Rory gets the window seat , '' said Hoard , whose dog has won a series of Frisbee competitions . `` He likes to look out the window when the plane takes off and naps the rest of the way . '' Blame America 's pet obsession , but in recent years , more members of the airline industry are embracing dogs and cats on board . Midwest Airlines may be an extreme example , letting select dogs sit in the same seats as humans , but other airlines are relaxing their pet policies by letting smaller cats and dogs come into the cabin area . About a year ago , Midwest began allowing certain `` celebrity '' dogs that appear in canine competitions , shows or advertisements to sit in seats . `` They are just passengers with four legs instead of two , '' said Susan Kerwin , who oversees the pet program at Midwest Airlines . The pet travel frenzy has spurred the creation of an airline catering exclusively to pets . This month , Pet Airways , the nation 's first pet-only airline , will begin flying in five major cities , including New York and Los Angeles , California . It 's an alternative to shipping larger pets in the cargo area of a plane , where there have been pet injuries and even deaths . Chart : Compare some of the common airline fees . `` The owners can check a bag with them , '' explained Alyse Tognotti , a spokeswoman for Pet Airways . `` Or if they have a special blanket or toy , basically anything that will take stress out of traveling . '' On each Pet Airways flight , services include potty breaks and experienced animal handlers checking up on the animals every 15 minutes . Nervous parents can track their pets online . Southwest Airlines was the latest airline to join the pet-loving bandwagon in May , when it permitted small dogs and cats to travel in the cabin area . The pets must sit in an approved kennel that fits under the seat . `` I was n't going to fly Southwest Airlines , '' said Katie Chapman , 37 , of Louisville , Kentucky , who is mom to a friendly 18-pound Cairn Terrier that resembles Toto from `` The Wizard of Oz . '' Since the airline has changed its policy , she plans to take her puppy on a Southwest flight to California this fall . `` I 'm so glad now that she will be able to go with me . '' Each year , airlines transport hundreds of thousands of pets in the cargo and cabin areas . Continental reported moving 270,000 pets last year in cabin and cargo , more than triple the number moved before the airline 's pet program officially kicked off eight years ago . The Federal Aviation Administration does n't have restrictions on whether animals can be in the cabin area , but airlines must allow service dogs for the disabled on board . Only cats and dogs are allowed in the cabin areas on most airlines . In the cargo area , other pets like rabbits , birds and lizards can be stowed . The cost of flying your furry friend ranges from $ 75 to nearly $ 300 each leg . It 's a hefty price tag , but profit-bleeding airlines are happy to offer the option . Pets can even rack up frequent flier miles . After three flights with Midwest , the pet can earn a fourth flight free . Continental and JetBlue Airways ' programs credit the pet 's trip on the owner 's frequent flier account . But one airline is catering to allergy-ridden customers who do n't want pets in the cabin . Last year , Frontier Airlines banned pets from the cabin area because officials said pet allergies are common among their customers . Ann Kerns , a 63-year-old teacher in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , experienced continuous wheezing on a four-hour US Airways flight to Phoenix , Arizona . At the end of the flight , she was shocked to find that there had been a cat sitting under her seat . `` What would have happened if I went into an attack at 35,000 feet in the air ? '' she asked . In 2008 , the American College of Asthma , Allergy and Immunology wrote letters to Congress expressing concern about pets riding in the cabin area after some patients became ill from their flights . The letters did n't go very far , officials said . Airlines say they have had few allergy injuries on board . The airlines limit the number of pets in the cargo area to about five . The aircraft is disinfected and cleaned routinely , so dander and hairs are n't a problem , airline officials say . But not every traveler has had smooth experiences with pets on board . Terry Trippler , a travel expert , recalls an unpleasant incident years ago when a dog had diarrhea three rows in front of him . `` You could certainly smell it , '' he wrote in an e-mail . `` The only real way to solve the problem is no pets in the cabin . '' | Most airlines allow small pets to ride in crates in the cabin for a fee . Pet Airlines will fly to five cities , transporting pets only . Continental moved 270,000 pets in 2008 as part of its pet program . Allergist say pets flying in cabin is dangerous for some patients . | [[1077, 1125], [2323, 2385], [1410, 1501], [1502, 1512], [1515, 1526], [1568, 1643], [2926, 2995], [3855, 3879], [3884, 3915], [4520, 4601]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It appears that Kevin Bacon was one degree too close to Bernie Madoff . Kevin Bacon and his wife , Kyra Sedgwick , had investments with Bernie Madoff , Bacon 's publicist says . Bacon , the prolific actor , and his wife , fellow screen star Kyra Sedgwick , had investments with Madoff , the financial guru accused of swindling his clients out of $ 50 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme , Bacon 's publicist told CNN Tuesday . Publicist Allen Eichhorn did not say how much the couple lost , declining to address reports that the figure was in the millions . `` Let 's not speculate , '' he said . Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and a charity run by director Steven Speilberg mark some of the other Hollywood heavyweights allegedly bilked by Madoff , who remains in his Manhattan home on house arrest after posting $ 10 million bail . Bacon , whose credits include `` Mystic River , '' `` Footloose '' and the recent political biopic `` Frost/Nixon , '' has appeared in 64 movies or television programs since 1978 , according to the Internet Movie Database . It 's a career that spawned the parlor game `` Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon , '' in which players attempt to link any other actor to Bacon based on the massive number of co-stars with whom he has worked . Sedgwick stars in TNT 's `` The Closer , '' and has screen credits that include `` Singles '' and `` Born on the Fourth of July . '' TNT is a unit of Time Warner , CNN 's parent company . Madoff was charged earlier this month with securities fraud in a scandal that has shaken financial communities around the globe . He is accused of running the $ 50 billion Ponzi scheme from his investment advisory business -- a scam that could result in huge losses to financial firms , charities and individual investors worldwide . | Bernard Madoff is accused of operating a $ 50 billion Ponzi scheme . Actor Kevin Bacon and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer are among alleged victims . Madoff is a Wall Street adviser and former Nasdaq chairman . | [[1609, 1701]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to give the Treasury Department the power to ban future `` unreasonable and excessive '' compensation at companies receiving federal bailout money . The bill would give Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner greater say on executive compensation . The Pay for Performance Act of 2009 , which passed by a vote of 247-171 , would empower Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to define what constitutes reasonable compensation , as well as to ban bonuses not based on performance standards . Geithner 's guidelines would apply to companies receiving assistance from the government 's Troubled Asset Relief Program , or TARP . Democrats provided heavy support for the bill , with only eight from that party voting against the measure . Republicans , who are in the minority in the House , were mostly opposed , with only 10 crossing party lines to support it . Two weeks ago , the House passed legislation taxing individuals on any bonuses received in 2009 from companies getting $ 5 billion or more in money from the TARP . Bonuses for people with incomes over $ 250,000 would be taxed at a 90 percent rate , but the measure has failed to clear the Senate . Watch Rep. Barney Frank spar with CNN 's Lou Dobbs over bonus bill '' Public outrage followed the recent revelation that insurer AIG paid $ 165 million in bonuses even as it received at least $ 170 billion of taxpayer money in federal bailouts , plus an $ 85 billion loan from the Federal Reserve . | NEW : House passes Pay for Performance Act by 237-171 vote . Bill would allow Geithner to define what constitutes reasonable compensation . It would apply only to companies receiving federal bailout money . | [[328, 351], [360, 387], [224, 315], [316, 351], [384, 518], [180, 223], [556, 689], [594, 677]] |
-LRB- Budget Travel -RRB- -- Last October , more than 40 people followed signs depicting a skull and crossbones , with a knife and fork in place of the bones , to a secluded Bavarian-style hunting lodge 30 minutes north of St. Louis . An Entre dinner party was hosted in a Missouri hunting lodge . The attendees did n't have any idea where they were headed or what to expect . All they knew was that they were in for a five-course meal courtesy of John-Jack , an undercover chef who 'd invited each of them via a top-secret e-mail to the latest of what he calls his Entre dinner parties . Guests arrived to a bluegrass band jamming in a room decorated with deer antlers . As a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace , they dined on wild-elk medallions , home-cured bacon , grapefruit confit , and butternut squash ice cream -- and toasted their good fortune with pumpkin ale from nearby microbrewery Schlafly . Welcome to the world of underground supper clubs . Getting a reservation requires a little detective work , but once in , you may never go back to eating out the old-school way again . The idea behind these dinners is to let talented chefs work their whisks in an affordable , relaxed setting . And since they 're often operating out of their own kitchens , without a license to serve the public , these cooks have to keep the locales , and their own identities , under wraps . Budget Travel : The utterly random dinner party . `` The trend started in food-centric cities like San Francisco , but in the last year , groups have been popping up across the country , '' says Jenn Garbee , author of `` Secret Suppers , '' which spotlights some of the more than 80 clubs now up and running in the U.S. . One such is Guerrilla Cuisine , founded by an incognito cook in Charleston , South Carolina , who uses the alias Jimihatt and wears a ninja mask at his gatherings . As at many clubs , diners must submit their reservations weeks in advance on Jimihatt 's Web site and then wait for an e-mail with directions to the hush-hush locale . Based on his track record , you wo n't be disappointed : The bearded Jimihatt and his rotating crew of sous-chefs have served secret , Southern-style suppers -LRB- andouille sausage gumbo , Cajun smoked chicken , chocolate beignets -RRB- in galleries , wineries , even a grocery store . Budget Travel : Haute diners . Jimihatt now has a little friendly competition from an Atlanta cook named Lady Rogue . Her RogueApron shindigs each have a different theme . At a recent event , a Great Depression-style repast in Lang-Carson Park , guests stood in a soup line for pancetta minestrone with porcini mushrooms , and lemongrass-spiked corn broth . Then they divided into teams for an impromptu game of Wiffle ball . `` Our goal , '' Lady Rogue says , `` is to make dining more inclusive and to have strangers connect over food . What better way to meet people ? '' For those hoping to break bread with their own buddies , there 's 12B in Vancouver . To keep operations simple , its mastermind , Chef Todd , hosts the six-course dinners in his own apartment , hence the name . And unlike most supper clubs , 12B cooks only for groups of friends -LRB- up to 12 at a time -RRB- . Budget Travel : Pay-what-you-like restaurants . `` Even after working 16-hour days , I would sit at home and think , ` I 've got to find a way to feed more people , ' '' Chef Todd says . Money is n't the incentive . His minimum-donation fee of $ 50 just covers costs for a feast -LRB- stuffed artichoke hearts , five-mushroom ravioli , butter-poached scallops served with BBQ pulled pork -RRB- that would average twice as much in a restaurant . But as Chef Todd will attest , these clubs are less about saving and more about spending a night eating exceptionally well in the unlikeliest of places , whether a cozy lodge straight out of a fairy tale or a humble living room . Supper Clubs . Entre , St. Louis , Missouri , http://danssouslaterre.com/ , five-course meal from $ 45 , including a wine pairing with each course . Guerrilla Cuisine , Charleston , South Carolina , http://guerrillacuisine.com/ , six-course meal from $ 50 , BYOB . RogueApron , Atlanta , Georgia , http://rogueapron.wordpress.com/ , three-course meal $ 20 , including wine or beer pairings with each course . 12B , Vancouver , B.C. , [email protected], six-course meal from $ 50 , BYOB . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel , Inc. , all rights reserved . Note : This story was accurate when it was published . Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip . | Underground supper clubs started in food-centric cities like San Francisco . Now there are more than 80 clubs up and running in the U.S. Chefs operating out of their own kitchens without licenses to serve the public . They have to keep the locales , and their own identities , under wraps . | [[1448, 1507], [1212, 1272], [1315, 1351]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pig farmers threw rocks at police officers in Cairo , Egypt , on Sunday as health workers gathered the farmers ' herds for slaughter in what the government says is a precaution against the spread of swine flu , an interior ministry official told CNN . The Egyptian government required all pigs in the country be killed , citing a need to prevent the spread of swine flu . Brig. Gen. Hani Abdel-Latif said 50 to 60 protesters gathered in Cairo 's Manshiyet Naser slum because they were upset with the health ministry 's decision to slaughter all pigs in the country . But local media reported the number of farmers clashing with police on Sunday was in the hundreds . Experts have criticized the Egyptian government 's move , announced last week , to slaughter all pigs regardless of whether they are infected . There have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Egypt . And according to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , humans can not get the swine flu virus , known to scientists as the H1N1 virus , by eating pork . The CDC says human infection from pigs most likely occurs when people are in close proximity to sick animals , such as in pig barns . But Egyptian officials cite how avian flu still exists in the country because , they say , the government did not take sufficient protective measures when that disease was first discovered there in 2006 . Most Egyptian pig farmers are Coptic Christians , a group that makes up about 10 percent of the 80 million people in the mostly Muslim nation . Coptic Christians do not observe the Muslim ban on eating pork , and historically they have coexisted peacefully with the Muslim majority in Egypt . The farmers also work in the garbage industry and use their daily collections to feed their herds , which number about 300,000 animals in the country . With the government-mandated slaughter under way , Egypt 's Health Ministry declared Saturday that `` Egypt is free of the swine flu . '' Dr. Hamid Samaha , head of the country 's Public Institute for Veterinary Services , said that starting Sunday the government will compensate pig farmers by paying as much as $ 45 for a disease-free pig and about $ 5 for diseased ones . The health ministry told CNN its workers are freezing all the disease-free meat and plan to give it back to its owners once the ban on pigs is lifted . But according to Egypt 's state-run al-Akhbar newspaper , ministry sources said the country does not have enough facilities to store the frozen meat . Ministry spokesman Dr. Abdel-Rahman Shaheen said the government will open two new slaughterhouses in two provinces near Cairo , al-Alioubiya and al-Giza . Shaheen also announced Saturday that the ministry has enlisted 100 additional doctors and nurses to help in health quarantines at Cairo Airport , where travelers are being questioned if they have been to Mexico recently . And more are expected to be hired to help at Alexandra 's main seaport , where the government declared a state of emergency last week . CNN 's Housam Ahmed in Cairo contributed to this report . | Farmers in Cairo clash with police as health officials take pigs to slaughter . Egypt mandated slaughter of pigs in country over news of swine flu . There have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Egypt . | [[19, 70], [94, 151], [625, 663], [271, 327], [515, 585], [1857, 1867], [1868, 1886], [830, 888]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The news that one of America 's TV icons is suffering from cancer brought sadness . Learning the type of cancer she had made some squeamish . Farrah Fawcett , shown here in 2004 , learned she had cancer in 2006 . Former `` Charlie 's Angels '' actress Farrah Fawcett , 62 , was hospitalized this week . She received a diagnosis of anal cancer in 2006 . This type of cancer is less common than rectal and colon cancer , and the location of the tumor and risk factors make people squeamish about discussing it openly , doctors said . Colon cancer at one time also was not openly talked about , because of the body part and functions affected , but with the public awareness campaigns and celebrities advocating for screenings , it has been largely destigmatized . Anal cancer is less familiar . Fawcett has not publicly confirmed the specifics of her illness , but is working on a documentary , titled `` A Wing and a Prayer , '' about her health battle . Anal cancer affects more women and the illness is usually found in people who are in their early 60 's . The American Cancer Society estimates that 5,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year and about 680 people die from it annually . Meanwhile , colorectal cancer has 148,000 new cases and about 50,000 deaths each year . The numbers of anal cancer cases are rising , although experts have n't been able to pinpoint why . Cultural squeamishness about certain body areas could prevent early diagnosis and treatment of anal cancer , said Dr. Petr F. Hausner , an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore , Maryland . `` Patients in the United States hate to be examined in these areas , '' said Hausner , who trained in Czechoslovakia . `` They like to keep their private parts more private than in Europe . In the U.S. , the patients hate those exams and physicians hate to do them . The examination is incomplete . '' The cultural discomfort might be a minor factor , though . `` The bigger role is the virus , '' he said referring to the human papilloma virus , a key risk factor for anal cancer that also can cause cervical cancer . Getting vaccinated against HPV is a step in prevention , Hausner said . More than half of anal cancer patients experience bleeding as a symptom . Others have no symptoms or report common conditions , such as hemorrhoids , fissures , or warts . Symptoms also include itching or pain in that area , changes in the diameter of stool , abnormal discharge , swollen lymph nodes in the anal or groin areas , according to the American Cancer Society . `` The most common thing is people think it 's a hemorrhoid , '' said Dr. Cathy Eng , associate professor in the department of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center . Patients should consult with their physicians , she said . Anal pap smears are routine only for HIV-positive patients , who are at higher risk for this cancer . There are no anal cancer screening recommendations for non-HIV individuals , because it remains a rare disease , Hausner said . People whose immune system are suppressed , from HIV or drugs taken after organ transplants are at risk for anal cancer . Other risk factors include a sexual history with many partners , a medical history of human papilloma virus -LRB- HPV -RRB- , sexually transmitted diseases or gynecological cancers . People tend to view anal cancer negatively , because they associate the cancer with a few of its risk factors -- such as sexually transmitted diseases or anal sex , Eng said . `` It 's one of the risk factors , not the only risk factor , '' Eng said . `` It 's fair to say people are stigmatized , she said , primarily because of the disease 's association with that type of sex . When anal cancer is caught early , chemotherapy and radiation are highly effective . But if the cancer does n't respond to treatment and spreads to other areas of the body , the five-year survival rate plummets to 20 percent , Eng said . `` Anal cancer is unique , '' she said . `` The majority of time you can cure the patient , but if you have recurrent or residual disease , you could end up losing your sphincter . '' The sphincter are muscles that holds in urine and feces . If the sphincter is removed , the patient must have a special bag , called an ostomy pouch , that collects the waste . Anal cancer is `` much rarer than colon cancer , '' Hausner said . `` For 50 colon cancer patients , we see one anal cancer ... It 's a rare disease . It is becoming a little bit more frequent . I would say that people are not aware . '' | Risk factors for anal cancer include suppressed immune system , HPV , STDs . New cases of anal cancer number about 5,000 a year , with 680 deaths per year . Anal cancer it treatable , but becomes more difficult to treat if tumor spreads . | [[3427, 3433], [3439, 3458], [3472, 3589], [1078, 1219], [1121, 1196], [1180, 1219]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Another child has died from last week 's fire at a day care center in northwestern Mexico , bringing the death toll to 45 , the state-run Notimex news agency said . A crib and baby seats sit outside the scene of a deadly day care center fire in Mexico . The child died Friday in a hospital in the city of Guadalajara , Notimex said . The news agency did not provide any additional information . A fire raged through the ABC day care center on June 5 in the city of Hermosillo in Sonora state . Officials said an air-conditioning unit in a government-run warehouse in the same building as the day care center caused the blaze . In another development Friday , three officials from the Mexican Institute of Social Security were fired , Notimex reported . The social security institute oversaw the ABC day care facility . Earlier , the Institute of Social Security removed its Sonora director , Arturo Leyva Lizarraga . Leyva Lizarraga was `` separated '' from the agency Wednesday to `` facilitate the investigative process , '' according to Notimex . The same wording was used in announcing Friday 's firings . Earlier in the week , two other people who ran the center resigned from the government jobs they held . Also Friday , Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said officials had found safety irregularities at the day care center in 2005 , Notimex said . He declined to detail those irregularities but said authorities are investigating if anything was done about them . Any negligent officials will be punished once the investigation is completed , Medina said . | NEW : Three officials from supervisory agency dismissed . Death toll in Mexico day care center fire rises to 45 , officials say . Fire tore through building in Sonora state on June 5 . Fire started in air-conditioning unit in adjacent warehouse , officials say . | [[667, 696], [699, 771], [774, 781], [40, 129], [0, 11], [14, 30], [132, 161], [205, 293], [40, 129], [435, 533], [534, 624]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sonia Sotomayor strongly asserted her adherence to the law while dodging questions about her personal beliefs on the third day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee . Sonia Sotomayor answers questions from senators on Wednesday , the third day of her confirmation hearings . Asked repeatedly Wednesday by Republicans about her controversial statement that a `` wise Latina '' could reach a better decision than a white man , Sotomayor called it a poorly expressed but valid point about the value of differing perspectives in applying the law . Senators from both parties pressed her on her personal views on issues such as abortion , gun control and executive powers . But Sotomayor consistently answered she needed to know the specifics of a particular case , such as applicable state statutes and other facts . Sensing frustration over her responses , the federal appellate judge offered an explanation about how judges approach the law . `` What we do is different than the conversations citizens have about what they want the law to do , '' Sotomayor said Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma , who sought her views on the legality of some kinds of abortions and whether there was a fundamental right to possess firearms and self-defense . Judges look at the facts of a case and apply the law based on those facts , she said . `` It 's not that we make a broad policy choice and say this is what we want , '' Sotomayor continued . Watch Face Off : Should Sotomayor be confirmed ? '' Her performance rankled Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter , the former Republican committee chairman who changed parties last April . Specter repeatedly cut off Sotomayor 's responses Wednesday , saying she was not answering his questions . Later , in praising Sotomayor 's record as a judge , Specter said : `` I 'm not commenting about your answers , but your record is exemplary . '' `` You 'll be judged on your record more than your answers , '' he said . If approved by the committee and confirmed by the full Senate , the 55-year-old Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice , the third female justice and the 111th person to sit on the nation 's highest court . Watch Sotomayor being questioned '' Her dispassionate answers on a range of issues displayed a command of legal concepts that impressed even her harshest interrogators . Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas , appeared to rule out a filibuster attempt against the nomination by his minority party , telling Sotomayor that `` you will get that up-or-down vote on the Senate floor . '' Watch Cornyn quiz Sotomayor on abortion '' Democrats predicted she would be confirmed with support from members of both parties . Cornyn and other Republicans raised the `` wise Latina '' statement for a second straight day , asking whether it meant she had a gender , ethnic or racial bias . Sotomayor said the remark she made in several speeches was never intended to mean that one gender , ethnic or racial group was better than another . `` It is clear from the attention that my words have gotten and the manner in which it has been understood by some people that my words failed , '' Sotomayor said . `` They did n't work . '' iReport.com : Share your thoughts on the Sotomayor hearings . However , she defended the point she was trying to make , and said other Supreme Court justices including Sandra Day O'Connor and Samuel Alito had expressed similar thoughts . `` The message that the entire speech attempted to deliver , however , remains the message that I think Justice O'Connor meant , the message that higher nominees , including Justice Alito , meant when he said that he considers his Italian ancestry when deciding discrimination cases , '' said Sotomayor . See how Sotomayor compares with justices on the court '' O'Connor , the first woman Supreme Court justice , had said she believed a wise female judge and a wise male judge could reach the same conclusion . `` I do n't think Justice O'Connor meant that personal experiences compel results in any way , '' Sotomayor said . `` I think life experiences generally , whether it 's that I 'm a Latina or was a state prosecutor or have been a commercial litigator or been a trial judge and an appellate judge , that the mixture of all of those things , the amalgam of them help me to listen and understand . '' She repeated her statement from Tuesday that poor wording caused misunderstanding of what she meant to say , explaining that judges `` rely on the law to command the results in the case . '' `` So when one talks about life experiences , and even in the context of my speech , my message was different than I understand my words have been understood by some , '' Sotomayor continued . Cornyn pressed Sotomayor if she stood by her words from Tuesday 's testimony that her `` wise Latina '' statement was a failed rhetorical flourish using `` words that do n't make sense and that they 're a bad idea ? '' `` I stand by the words . It fell flat , '' Sotomayor responded . `` And I understand that some people have understood them in a way that I never intended . And I would hope that , in the text of the speech , that they would be understood . '' In one of Wednesday 's few sharp exchanges , Sotomayor rejected Alabama Sen. Jeff Session 's contention that she had pre-judged the issue of gun control . Learn more about Sotomayor 's past rulings '' Sessions , the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee , asked whether she would recuse herself from gun control cases because she ruled in the past that the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment does not apply to state gun control laws . `` I have not made up my mind . I did n't say that I did n't believe it was fundamental , '' Sotomayor shot back . She explained that the word `` fundamental '' in legal terms refers to whether a federal statute applies to the states . The ruling cited by Sessions referred to a prior case that made the determination , Sotomayor said , so she was following the precedent . Sotomayor previously said she recognizes an individual right to bear arms as recently identified by the Supreme Court in the ruling District of Columbia v. Heller . Also Wednesday , Sotomayor told how an episode of the television show `` Perry Mason '' influenced her to become a prosecutor . She cited an episode in which Perry Mason , after winning yet another case , consoles beleaguered prosecutor Hamilton Burger by noting it must be hard to expend such effort only to have charges dismissed . `` No , my job as a prosecutor is to do justice , and justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and an innocent man is not , '' she quoted the prosecutor as saying . `` That TV character said something that motivated my choices in life , '' Sotomayor said . | NEW : Sotomayor asserts adherence to law , dodges questions about personal views . GOP senator calls Sonia Sotomayor 's answers `` muddled , confusing '' Supreme Court nominee says `` wise Latina '' remark did n't mean one group is better . Sotomayor questioned by senators on third day of confirmation hearings . | [[30, 88], [0, 10], [95, 238], [1551, 1606], [2904, 3052], [0, 10], [95, 238], [239, 299], [2741, 2834]] |
PHOENIX , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jaime Andrade had just gotten out of the shower when the men came to snatch him . Jaime Andrade was kept in this closet for three days without food or water , police say . His wife , Araceli Valencia , was mopping the kitchen in their family home on a typical warm spring morning in Phoenix , Arizona , `` when she suddenly felt a hard object pointed to the back of her head and a voice in Spanish tell her not to move , '' according to a Phoenix , Arizona , police investigative report . `` I told you not to look at me ! '' Valencia heard one of the kidnappers bark as he struck Andrade across the head . Her four children bawling , Valencia was hustled into a bedroom where an armed man fondled her and threatened to rape her if she did n't tell him where Andrade hid his money , according to the report . After beating and binding Andrade , one of the kidnappers put a gun to Valencia 's head . His message : We 're taking your husband and SUV . We 'll be watching your house . If you call the cops , he 's a dead man . Andrade , his wife would later tell police , was a mechanic and freelance human smuggler , or coyote . Police say his 2006 kidnapping was evidence of a growing trend in Phoenix : drug and human traffickers abducting each other for ransoms or retribution . Watch why Phoenix is the hotspot '' The trend continues , as police investigated roughly a kidnapping a day in 2007 and 2008 and are on track to shatter those numbers this year . Police are stingy with details of fresh cases navigating the court system , but recently allowed CNN to review the files from Andrade 's kidnapping . For two and a half days after Andrade 's abduction , the kidnappers -- including a man whom Andrade later said had been a friend -- deprived their victim of food and water . Through the door of the closet where he was held , Andrade could hear the cries of other victims being tortured in the house , the report said . Meanwhile , Valencia had defied the kidnappers and called police , who listened to Andrade `` scream and howl in pain '' over the phone as the kidnappers tried to cut off his ear and a finger . The torture would continue until Valencia came up with the ransom , the kidnappers told her . Hear Andrade 's wife plead with the kidnappers '' They were true to their word . Andrade was pistol-whipped and beaten with a baseball bat and the butt of a rifle . The kidnappers tried to gouge out his eye and slashed open his left eyebrow . They burned his back as well -- presumably , police said , with a blowtorch found at the scene . Read how the next door neighbors knew nothing of this . The blindfolded Andrade `` could feel his pants and underwear being cut open by an unknown person , '' he told police . He was told to bend over and was beaten when he refused . `` Jaime felt his legs being forced apart and heard Aldo say he was going to get his money , '' the report said . The kidnappers then sodomized him with a broomstick , a pair of scissors and a wooden dowel used to hang clothes in a closet . Kidnappers creative with coercion . Ferocity is often a hallmark of the abductions taking place in this south Arizona city of 1.5 million that serves as a prime transshipment point for drugs and human cargo . Watch how the kidnappers choose their targets '' Phoenix police say they have yet to witness the level of violence -- the beheadings , the bodies shoved in drums -- that their counterparts are seeing in Mexico City or the border town of Juarez . `` It gets close sometimes , '' said Lt. Lauri Burgett , who heads the Home Invasion and Kidnapping Enforcement squad . Kidnappers will smash their victims ' fingers with bricks , snip their backs open with wire cutters , carve them up with knives or simply shoot them . `` We 've had them electrocuted . They set them in a tub with water and use kind of barbaric means and zap the tub . I think it was a battery hooked up , '' Burgett said . Two kidnappings last year resulted in murders , she added , but it 's not the norm . Phoenix police formed the HIKE squad in October after two years of unprecedented kidnapping numbers -- 357 in 2007 and 368 in 2008 -- gave the city the dubious distinction of being the nation 's kidnapping capital . Home invasions were not far behind : 317 in 2007 and 337 in 2008 . See kidnapping numbers since 1999 '' `` It 's all about the money . And there 's so much money to be made in this that you ca n't stop it , but you can try to reveal it , and then you can try to do something about it , '' Burgett said . The task force has made dozens of arrests , but as of March 31 , the city had 101 reported kidnappings . If the trend continues , Phoenix will record an increase in kidnapping for a fourth straight year . More frustrating is that the numbers represent only a third , maybe less , of the city 's kidnappings , said Sgt. Tommy Thompson , a police spokesman with 16 years of drug enforcement experience . Most kidnappings are n't reported , he said , because the victims are generally smugglers , drug dealers or illegal immigrants -- or some combination of the three . Other criminals targeted . The most common cases are criminal-on-criminal -- drug smugglers or coyotes snatching rivals or their loved ones . In some cases , a drug dealer may have lost a load or failed to make a payment , but there are also cases when kidnappers do it solely for the ransom , which can be between $ 30,000 and $ 250,000 , Thompson said . '' -LSB- The victims are -RSB- wearing the doper bling-bling , and they target them , '' he said . `` We 've had several cases where the ransom amount has been $ 1 million that the person has asked for . In addition to that , they often ask for drugs -- 100 pounds of marijuana , perhaps a pound or two of speed , a pound or two of cocaine or several ounces of heroin . '' Phoenix police have even arrested victims after rescuing them , Burgett said . Less frequent but still accounting for 78 kidnappings last year are cases in which coyotes hold their human cargo captive or steal another coyote 's patrons , known as pollos -LRB- Spanish for chickens -RRB- , Burgett said . Burgett said human trafficking is often linked to the drug trade because both industries require the same routes and subterfuge to ferry their wares into the country . See what other cities have a cartel presence . There are rarely `` true victims '' in Phoenix 's kidnappings , the lieutenant said . However , one criminal attorney who has represented at least 10 kidnappers in the last decade insists that the coyote business is `` uglier than the drug trade '' and that pollos are often killed or forced to do coyotes ' bidding when they ca n't come up with the ransoms . `` In the drug business , the people getting killed are in the business . They are not end users , not consumers , '' said Antonio Bustamente . `` In the coyote business , the people killed are really innocent . -LSB- First-time -RSB- illegal entry is a petty offense . '' Though many might debate the innocence of victims entangled in Phoenix 's border-related violence , police say there have been instances when the kidnappers snatched the wrong mark . Girl mistakenly snatched . On the evening of March 17 , 2008 , a 13-year-old girl and her friend were walking out of a home in the suburb of Avondale . They were planning to play basketball . The friend , according to a police investigative report , was the niece of a man named `` Chucky . '' Chucky and his cohorts , witnesses told police , had earlier stolen 55 pounds of marijuana and left several men tied up in a vacant house . Hours later , the investigative report said , armed men arrived at Chucky 's sister 's house in three vehicles , one a white Chevrolet Tahoe with blue-and-red strobes like the police use . The men wanted Chucky , their drugs or $ 24,000 . The 13-year-old said she did n't know Chucky . When she tried to walk away , `` one of them grabbed her by the neck , pointed a gun at her and forced her in the vehicle , '' the report said . Eventually , the men called the girl 's mother to demand ransom . A police officer took the phone and informed the men they had the wrong girl . She was released relatively unharmed in the suburb of Surprise . The case serves as a reminder that as police scramble to tamp the bloodshed before it reaches the levels proliferating south of the border , collateral damage is a reality . Watch how the kidnapping often occur in quiet neighborhoods '' The origins of the kidnappers -- 90 percent of whom hail from the Mexican state from which the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel takes its name -- also remind law enforcement that 150 miles south lies a country racked with a more extreme brand of violence . The tortured Andrade was fortunate that police were able to find him . On Andrade 's third day in captivity , an undercover officer posing as a loan shark convinced the kidnappers to lower their ransom from $ 50,000 to $ 10,000 and the title to the Ford Expedition they had stolen . When the kidnappers arrived at the drop point , a Safeway supermarket parking lot , police swarmed on their green Chevrolet Tahoe , the report said . One of the men , Luis Alberto Castro-Vega , then 23 , disclosed Andrade 's whereabouts after police promised not to charge him with kidnapping . Only Castro-Vega has been convicted of crimes associated with Andrade 's kidnapping : first-degree burglary , theft by extortion , armed robbery and three counts of aggravated assault . In September 2006 , a judge sentenced Castro-Vega to 54 years in prison . Thompson said he hopes the stiff sentence sends a message that Phoenix police expect the kidnappings and violence to end , regardless of the targets and the perpetrators . `` The problems that occur when it 's criminal versus criminal , that 's still violence on the streets of America , '' he said . `` If those people get in a gunbattle , those bullets have to go somewhere , and that could be a playground where kids are playing . That could be a neighbor 's house where a neighbor is inside sleeping that has nothing to do whatsoever with the illegal activity , but yet they become senseless victims of the violence . '' | Phoenix police investigated 368 kidnappings in 2008 , 357 in 2007 . Human smuggler was tortured for days because kidnappers suspected he had cash . Police say kidnappers cut , beat , shoot and electrocute victims to get their money . Men kidnapped innocent 13-year-old girl after neighbor stole marijuana , police say . | [[1353, 1372], [1375, 1458], [3104, 3150], [3801, 3827], [5365, 5429]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Robert Swan 's life reads like a boy 's own adventure tale with a modern eco-twist . Robert Swan was the first man to walk to both the North and South Poles . Inspired by the daring age of Antarctic exploration , Swan followed in the footsteps of his heroes ; the men who risked , and lost , their lives to reach the South Pole . At the age of 29 he embarked on an expedition to the South Pole that was unsupported -- a trek that required him to pull his own sleigh and that lacked medical support crews . By the time he was 33 he had become the first man to walk to both the North and South poles unsupported . But for Swan , the epic journeys to the Poles , and the sailing and overland adventures that have followed , unearthed more than just a spirit for adventure . He experienced firsthand the impact of humanity on the environment when under the hole in the ozone layer at the South Pole , the harsh ultraviolet rays from the sun burned his skin and permanently changed the color of his eyes . It firmed a desire to preserve the fragile natural world and to educate and inspire others , particularly the next generation of decision-makers to do the same . `` As the last unspoiled wilderness on Earth , Antarctica is currently protected by the treaty prohibiting drilling and mining until 2041 . Decisions made by today 's youth will impact our entire planet 's ecosystem and the future of life on earth , '' he says on 2041 . com . His polar icewalks gained international attention and in 1992 he was asked to speak at the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro , later gaining an OBE and being appointed Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO in recognition of his work . At the Earth Summit in Rio he committed to a `` global mission '' to remove 1,500 tons of waste from Antarctica . Swan and a team of young people from across the world were successful in cleaning up the Russian Antarctic base of Bellinghausen by 2000 , making it inhabitable for wildlife again . Foresight , planning and determination then are not alien to a man who spent five years sourcing the funding for his first Antarctic expedition , and Swan 's latest project is taking an even longer-term view . Swan founded his organization `` 2041 '' in 2003 in order to further his mission of action and education . Named after the year in which Antarctica 's protection against mineral exploitation ends , Swan regularly takes business people , teachers and students on expeditions to Antarctica to impress on those with the capacity to enact change that preservation of the environment is essential and achievable . Continuing the green mission on the continent by minimizing the human footprint in the region , his international teams have helped design and build the world 's first education station in Antarctica that is run solely on renewable energy . Add to the expeditions , ocean voyages on a boat with sails made from recycled plastic bottles , and it 's clear that the veteran polar explorer is a man who is doing all he can to protect and preserve the Antarctic . | Explorer Robert Swan runs expeditions to Antarctica to promote eco-awareness . Was the first man to walk to the North and South Poles . Works with people from business and education to create new generation of leaders . | [[104, 177], [120, 177], [525, 536], [544, 630]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- House Democrats unveiled their revised version of health care reform Tuesday , offering a proposal that includes a government-funded health insurance option , requires both individuals and employers to participate , and taxes the wealthy to help cover costs . President Obama has urged Congress to work quickly on creating a health care reform bill . Democratic House leaders said the measure , titled `` America 's Affordable Health Choices Act , '' met the requirements set by President Obama for health care reform by lowering costs to consumers and businesses , letting people keep their current plan if desired , and preventing denial of coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions . `` The House proposal will begin the process of fixing what 's broken about our health care system , reducing costs for all , building on what works , and covering an estimated 97 percent of all Americans , '' Obama said in a written statement . `` And by emphasizing prevention and wellness , it will also help improve the quality of health care for every American . '' Rep. Henry Waxman , D-California , said the bill is intended to repair a `` dysfunctional '' health care system that is draining the U.S. economy while leaving 46 million Americans without health insurance . `` We are going to accomplish what many people felt would n't happen in our lifetime , '' he said . But House Republicans slammed the Democrats ' bill and pledged to try to amend it as three House committees begin considering the legislation later this week . Rep. Roy Blunt , R-Missouri , said the bill `` without any question will kill jobs , will limit access to health care , will raise taxes and will lead to a government takeover of health care . '' Blunt said he will offer an amendment requiring all elected federal officials , including Obama and Vice President Joe Biden , to enroll in the new public insurance option . Republicans and some fiscally conservative Democrats also question the cost of health care reform . An earlier draft of the House Democrats ' bill carried a price tag of $ 1 trillion over 10 years . The Congressional Budget Office said the revised house bill also would cost $ 1 trillion . However , a senior Democratic House committee staffer said the CBO analysis only covered costs without factoring in cost-saving measures worth $ 500 billion over 10 years or the revenue from tax surcharges on wealthy Americans , estimated to raise more than $ 500 billion over a decade . According to the CBO , the bill would cover 97 percent of Americans by 2015 . The bill includes tax surcharges on Americans in the top 1.2 percent of income . It proposes a 5.4 percent surtax on couples earning more than $ 1 million , a 1.5 percent surtax on couples with income between $ 500,000 and $ 1 million , and a 1 percent surtax on joint incomes over $ 350,000 or individual income over $ 280,000 . Anticipating Republican complaints that the tax surcharges would harm small business owners who report their income as personal , Democratic sponsors said the measure would affect less than 5 percent of all small business owners . Specific provisions of the bill include : . -- A Health Insurance Exchange providing individuals and small business with choices for coverage , including a government-funded public option . -- No more coverage exclusion for pre-existing conditions . -- Affordability credits for low - and moderate-income individuals and families , available to those with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level , or $ 43,000 for individuals and $ 88,000 for a family of four . -- Limits on annual out-of-pocket spending . -- Expanded Medicaid coverage to individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level . -- Required participation by individuals , with a penalty of 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income for non-compliance . -- Requirement that businesses with payrolls exceeding $ 250,000 provide their employees with health coverage or contribute up to 8 percent of their payroll on their behalf . -- A series of measures intended to reduce costs of Medicaid , Medicare and other existing systems . A statement Tuesday from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups opposed some of the bill 's proposals , calling for market forces and employer autonomy instead of mandated participation by businesses . `` Exempting some micro-businesses will not prevent this provision from killing many jobs , '' the statement said . The House bill now goes to three committees for debate and revision before consideration by the full chamber . The Senate also is considering health reform measures that contain some of the House bill provisions . Obama has said he wants both chambers to pass their respective proposals before Congress goes on its August recess as part of a timetable to get a final bill to his desk by the end of the year . House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia argued that the current economic conditions mean Congress should take its time on a major overhaul of the health care system . `` There 's no need for us to be rushing into passing legislation before the end of this month at the potential cost of , really , millions of jobs , '' Cantor said Tuesday . A CNN-Opinion Research Corp. survey released July 1 found that a slim majority -- 51 percent -- support Obama 's health care plans , but most worry that their costs would go up , and only one in five think their families would be better off . CNN 's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this story . | It offers government-funded health insurance option and taxes wealthy . Leaders say it meets Obama 's requirements on health care reform . GOP , some fiscally conservative Democrats oppose components . | [[0, 26], [109, 243], [0, 20], [250, 289], [1885, 1931], [3196, 3338], [478, 593], [1932, 1984], [1990, 2031]] |
People with a gene variant that sharply increases the risk of Alzheimer 's disease in old age may show memory impairment earlier than thought -- sometimes well before their 60th birthday , according to new study in the New England Journal of Medicine . A variant of the APOE gene indicates whether a person has a greater risk of developing Alzheimer 's disease . Between 20 and 35 percent of Americans have one or two copies of this gene variant , inherited from one or both parents . People with one copy of the variant , called apolipoprotein E-e4 -LRB- APOE e4 -RRB- , have a 29 percent lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer 's disease , while people who do n't have it have a 9 percent risk . People with two copies of APOE e4 have an even higher Alzheimer 's risk , but it 's hard to define the exact percentage as only 2 percent of the population falls into this category . Despite the gene-related health problems , another study in the same issue of the journal suggests that people who learn they do have APOE e4 seem to handle the information pretty well . But the researchers excluded people with anxiety or depression , and they followed people for just a year . Therefore , the results do n't tell the whole story about what it would be like for most people to find out whether they carried the APOE e4 gene . Nevertheless , the findings are an important first step , said Dr. Kenneth Kosik , a professor of neuroscience at the University of California Santa Barbara and the codirector of UCSB 's Neuroscience Research Institute . `` I think it opens the door to ask the deeper questions , '' said Kosik , referring to the possible consequences for individuals and society if widespread APOE testing were introduced . -LRB- Kosik was not involved with either study . -RRB- . If people do find out they have the APOE e4 gene , Kosik added , the new memory study could make the news harder to bear . Dr. Richard J. Caselli , of the Mayo Clinic Arizona , in Scottsdale , and his colleagues followed 815 people ages 21 to 97 with normal mental function , including 317 who had at least one copy of the APOE e4 gene . On one test of a person 's ability to learn and remember -LRB- the Auditory-Verbal Learning Test -RRB- gene carriers showed declines in their scores beginning in their 50s . For people without the APOE e4 gene , this decline started in their 70s . `` We 're not talking anymore about a retired population ; we 're talking about people who will be in the midst of their career , '' Caselli said . He added that many would be in positions of responsibility in which they need to have all their wits about them -- and they may not . Health.com : Eat smarter in your 30s , 40s , and 50s . '' -LSB- The study -RSB- forces us to really think about the brave new world of genetics , '' and how this information might be used , Kosik said . Although there had been a `` clear line '' between having the APOE e4 gene but being dementia-free and having Alzheimer 's disease , that distinction is n't as clear anymore , he explained . For someone who discovers he or she has the APOE e4 gene , Caselli said , `` The only advice I have is , ` Do n't panic . ' '' Right now , APOE gene testing is only recommended for people with mild problems with mental function or dementia ; for people with no symptoms , it should only be done in a research setting , experts said . Nevertheless , labs have sprung up that will offer the `` worried well '' an APOE gene test for a fee . Having APOE testing without adequate medical , psychological , or genetic counseling is `` inappropriate , '' said Dr. Hyman Schipper , a professor of neurology and medicine at McGill University , and the director of the Centre for Neurotranslational Research at SMBD -- Jewish General Hospital , both in Montreal . In these situations , Schipper explained people may not interpret the results correctly , and could run the risk of psychological harm . For example , people who find out they carry the gene for Huntington 's disease -- which means they have a 100 percent chance of developing a devastating neurodegenerative condition if they live long enough -- do indeed experience anxiety , depression , and suicidal thoughts , Schipper noted . Health.com : Fight aging -- the real secrets to staying young . In the second study , Dr. Robert C. Green of the Boston University School of Medicine , and his colleagues in the REVEAL Study Group set out to look at whether something similar would happen to people who found out they carried the Alzheimer 's gene . They assigned 162 symptom-free people at random to a group who would receive their APOE genotyping results and a group who would not be told their results , and then checked their level of anxiety and depression -- as well as stress related to the gene test -- six weeks , six months , and one year after they got the news -LRB- or did n't -RRB- . All of the study participants had a parent with Alzheimer 's disease , but none of them had any signs of mental impairment or dementia . People who found out they did n't carry the gene variant were less stressed about the test than those who found out they did carry the gene . Green and his team also found that the higher a person scored on initial tests of anxiety and depression symptoms , the more likely he or she was to be anxious or depressed after finding out about the gene , although the researchers had excluded people with severe anxiety or depression from the study . However , there were no differences between the groups that were told the news and those who were not . The fact that people in the study agreed to be randomly assigned to get their APOE results suggests they `` are not representative of those who have a strong perceived need to know or need not to know , '' Rosalie A. Kane and Dr. Robert L. Kane of the University of Minnesota , in Minneapolis , wrote in an editorial published with the studies . The study also considered only the psychological impact of the news , they say . Some people might make major life decisions based on the news , such as deciding to hoard their money or spend it all . In addition , employers and health insurers are banned from discriminating against someone based on their genes , but companies offering long-term-care insurance , disability insurance , and life insurance are allowed to take this information into account . Health.com : How to get your way with body language . One major reason why learning APOE e4 status could be so stressful is that there 's no clear way to reduce Alzheimer 's risk . But there could be soon , some experts say . `` We do n't know yet how by doing interventions whether or not we can beat the APOE gene or at least diminish its effects , '' said Kosik . `` We do know that the likelihood of getting Alzheimer 's disease is very much affected by people 's exercise level , their blood pressure , their cholesterol levels , perhaps their diet , and the degree to which they engage in cognitive challenges . All of those things have data , some stronger than others , that you can have some effect on your likelihood of getting Alzheimer 's . '' But , Caselli points out that trying to encourage people to exercise in order to prevent heart disease , for example , has been far from successful , and getting people to be active to ward off Alzheimer 's may be equally difficult . Health.com : Heartburn or heart attack ? How to tell the difference . Maybe , however , the thought of losing our minds is a bit more motivating than the idea of heart disease . `` There is some recent evidence to suggest , in fact , that personal knowledge of APOE status and general AD risk profile may spur healthy midlife adults to adopt or modify behaviors that might protect against the disease , '' Schipper said . Health.com : 10 Risk factors for heart disease . Apolipoprotein is a cholesterol-carrying molecule , and the gene that makes the protein comes in three slightly different versions -- e2 , e3 , and e4 -LRB- there 's no e1 -RRB- . In addition to increasing the risk of Alzheimer 's disease , APOE e4 is also associated with a greater risk of heart disease . Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Having one copy of gene variant , APOE e4 , means 29 percent risk of Alzheimer 's . People with APOE e4 gene variant showed declines beginning in their 50s . APOE gene testing is only recommended for people with mild mental functions . | [[12, 26], [32, 93], [253, 362], [298, 362], [577, 638], [2074, 2077], [2082, 2125], [0, 26], [86, 144], [2126, 2160], [2229, 2274], [2262, 2299], [3177, 3186], [3189, 3289]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mauricio Funes , a member of a political party that waged guerrilla war against the government 17 years ago , claimed the presidency of El Salvador on Sunday night . FMLN 's Mauricio Funes shows his ballot before voting Sunday in Antiguo Cuscatlan , El Salvador . `` This is the happiest night of my life , '' Funes told a jubilant crowd at his election headquarters . `` It 's also the night of greatest hope for El Salvador . '' With 90.68 percent of the votes counted , the FMLN party 's Funes had 51.27 percent , while the ARENA party 's Rodrigo Avila had 48.73 percent , the country 's Supreme Electoral Tribunal said . The final tally will be certified within 48 hours , the electoral council 's Walter Araujo said in a nationally televised news conference . Funes ' victory ended a 20-year hold on the presidency by the right-leaning ARENA . `` Now the ARENA party passes into opposition , '' Funes said . `` ARENA ... can be assured that it will be listened to and respected . '' Although polls had indicated the race had tightened considerably in the past few weeks , most analysts had predicted that Funes would win . `` It 's a sign that there 's democracy in that country , which is something the United States tried to foster , '' said Bernard Aronson , who as President George H.W. Bush 's assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs from 1989-93 was heavily involved in ending El Salvador 's 12-year civil war . The FMLN , which is the Spanish acronym for the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front , was formed in late 1980 as an umbrella group for five leftist guerilla organizations fighting a U.S.-backed military dictatorship . The guerrillas and the government signed a peace pact in 1992 and the FMLN became a legitimate political party . By some estimates , 75,000 Salvadorans died during the war . The new president will find `` a country that still retains a lot of bitterness , a lot of division , '' said Peter Hakim , president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue policy institute . `` This country is completely divided , '' ARENA party official Adolfo Torres said on CNN affiliate TCS TV station Sunday night . The election , Hakim said , was `` an important test of how far El Salvador has come . '' The result also will be an important test of how far El Salvador will go . With an economy in deep trouble and neither party having enough seats to control the national Legislative Assembly , much will depend on the party that lost . `` Conflict occurs when one person wants to force a conflict , '' Hakim said . `` Compromise requires both sides . '' No one is certain how ARENA will handle the loss . `` That 's a big unknown , '' said Heather Berkman , a Latin America analyst with the consulting firm Eurasia Group . `` I still think they 'll play ball . They have an incentive to get along with the new administration . They certainly do n't want to be shut out of the process . '' Otto Reich , who served in high-level Latin American posts for Presidents Reagan , George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush , sees the possibility of a spirited fight from ARENA . `` If I had to guess , I 'd say ARENA will try to put democratic obstacles in the way of an FMLN consolidation of power , '' Reich said . Although ARENA , which are the Spanish initials for the Nationalist Republican Alliance , has come back from a 14-point deficit in some polls two months ago , Reich said winning a fifth consecutive term was `` swimming against the tide . '' `` People in El Salvador are weighing risks and opportunities , '' Reich said . `` They have an opportunity to replace a party with which they have gotten tired . '' Hakim also saw voter fatigue with ARENA , saying , `` One party has managed the country forever and ever . '' Many of the 2.4 million Salvadorans who voted weighed competing doubts . `` The uncertainty is that the FMLN has never been in power , '' Berkman said . But voters also asked themselves , she said , whether they were `` better off than they were five years ago , 10 years ago . '' Avila , she said , could not run on a message of change . Funes ' message of change and putting new people in power was more effective . Since the war ended , Salvadorans have mostly supported ARENA because of concerns over the FMLN 's left-wing agenda and the group 's guerrilla background . There also have been outside influences . `` The country has been afraid to vote for the left because of fears from Washington , '' Larry Birns , director of the nonprofit Council on Hemispheric Affairs , said recently . With the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States , Salvadorans may expect a different attitude from Washington . El Salvador , Colombia and Peru have been the United States ' closest allies in Latin America . Birns calls the three nations `` Washington 's street-corner guys . '' With an FMLN victory , El Salvador joins other Latin American countries that have elected leftist leaders in recent years -- Venezuela , Bolivia , Nicaragua , Argentina , Honduras , Guatemala , Ecuador and Brazil . But Berkman and others warn that the United States must not lump everyone together . `` People tend to look at the left in Latin America and oversimplify it , '' Berkman said . `` There 's the good left and the bad left . '' Or as Aronson put it , `` There 's leftists , and there 's leftists . '' Aronson sees two types of leftist governments in Latin America : `` institutional '' governments like Brazil 's that `` have made peace with the free market '' while still championing social programs , and populist , more-radical governments like Venezuela 's . Analysts are not sure what to make of Funes , a former freelance journalist for CNN en Español who is projecting a moderate image . `` The FMLN did something very clever , '' Reich said . `` They put somebody at the head of the party who is not a guerrilla , not a terrorist . '' Even the FMLN may not know what to expect from Funes . Berkman calls it `` an issue of uncertainty '' between the former journalist and the former guerrilla group . `` There 's a lot of unknowns about how the relationship between Funes and the FMLN will proceed , '' she said , adding that she will watch his Cabinet picks and whether he brings in people from other parties . Funes ' victory was a defining moment for the FMLN . `` It 's an important transformation , '' Hakim said . `` The ex-guerrillas have to make a decision : Are they going to try to bring about revolutionary , radical change or manage the whole country and have step-by-step reform ? '' Aronson sees it as `` a test of whether they will be pragmatic or ideological . '' The FMLN may not have a choice but to be pragmatic . The party holds 35 seats in the 84-member National Assembly . ARENA has 32 seats . Forty-three votes are needed to pass most legislation and some measures require `` supermajority '' approval of 56 votes . That means that , if ARENA and the FMLN can not agree on a measure , they have to look to one of the minor parties for support . The PCN , which is the National Conciliation Party , has 11 seats and could emerge as a power broker . Two others parties hold six seats . `` It is in the PCN 's interest to play ball as well , '' Berkman said . `` The PCN will act as a moderating force . '' Berkman also said the FMLN will likely take a moderate approach because the nation relies too much on outside investments and remittances from Salvadorans living abroad for the former guerrillas to adopt too much of a radical approach . But Hakim worries about something else . `` I think ARENA may be prepared for this -LSB- loss -RSB- , '' he said . `` I 'm concerned that the FMLN may not be prepared to govern . '' | NEW : FMLN 's Funes had 51.27 percent of the vote , with 84 percent of ballots counted . A Funes victory would end 20-year hold by the right-leaning ARENA . By some estimates , 75,000 Salvadorans died during the civil war . | [[784, 867], [846, 851], [852, 867], [1795, 1812], [1815, 1855]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A double amputee sprinter has won the right to be eligible to compete at this summer 's Olympic Games in Beijing after sport 's highest court backed his appeal against a ban imposed by athletics authorities . Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorious competed in two able-bodied athletics meetings in 2007 . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that South African Oscar Pistorius , who runs on prosthetic blades , is eligible to compete against able-bodied athletes . Pistorius , 21 , who lost both legs below the knees when he was a baby , runs on shock-absorbing carbon-fiber prosthetics that resemble bent skis -- earning him the nickname `` Blade Runner . '' Pistorius , a Paralympic Games champion and world record holder , had lobbied the International Association of Athletics Federations -LRB- IAAF -RRB- to allow him to compete at the Olympics this August , but after extensive tests the IAAF ruled in January that his J-shaped prosthetics qualify as technical aids , which are banned in IAAF-governed sports . The IAAF does allow athletes with prosthetics to compete in able-bodied sports , as long as the IAAF believes they do not give the athlete an unfair edge . But Friday 's ruling by the CAS in Lausanne , Switzerland , overturned that verdict . In a statement , it said that its panel had `` not been persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favor of a double-amputee '' using Pistorius ' blades . Appeals of court decisions are allowed , but on very limited grounds . But the CAS said it did not exclude the possibility that future scientific tests could be developed which might enable the IAAF to prove that the blades provided Pistorius with an advantage over able-bodied athletes . The South African won gold in the 200 meters , and bronze in the 100 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens . He holds the Paralympic world records in the 100 , 200 , and 400 meters . Since Athens , he has competed in two able-bodied races in which he finished second and last , respectively . Pistorius will have emphasized to the court the disadvantages he feels he has by running with prosthetics , CNN World Sport 's Don Riddell said . `` There are disadvantages when it 's windy , when it 's raining , -LRB- and -RRB- it takes him longer to get up to speed at the start , '' Riddell said . `` He will be hoping that they take everything into consideration and not just rule on how much spring his prosthetic limbs give him . '' In November , the IAAF carried out tests on Pistorius over two days at the German Sport University in Cologne to determine if his prosthetics , known as Cheetah limbs , could be considered a technical aid . A team of more than 10 scientists used high-speed cameras , special equipment to measure ground-reaction forces , and a three-dimensional scanner to record body mass . The scientists concluded Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy expenditure . Pistorius ' blades gave him an energy return nearly three times higher than the human ankle joint offers in maximum sprinting , they said . Riddell described Friday 's ruling in Pistorius ' favor as `` groundbreaking , '' and said it raised questions about the future of paralympic sports . `` What does this do to the future of the Paralympics if he 's allowed to run in the able-bodied Olympics ? Is he actually doing a disservice to other Paralympic athletes ? Does it cheapen the Paralympic Games ? '' Riddell asked . | Court of Arbitration for Sport backs double amputee sprinter in Olympic bid . IAAF had ruled that Oscar Pistorius ' prosthetic blades give him unfair advantage . South African , 21 , hopes to compete at this summer 's Beijing Olympics . Pistorius holds paralympic world records at 100 , 200 , and 400 meters . | [[0, 15], [19, 160], [138, 192], [368, 397], [404, 429], [0, 15], [19, 160], [1873, 1946]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Officials said a British Airways jet had to be evacuated Friday at a Phoenix , Arizona , airport after smoke was reported in the cabin . British Airways Flight 288 , headed to London 's Heathrow Airport , had departed the gate for the runway , but returned after passengers detected odors strong enough to cause alarm , said Capt. Shelly Jamison , spokeswoman of the Phoenix Fire Department . The Boeing 747-400 was next to the terminal when emergency chutes flew open for the 298 passengers to evacuate , officials said . About 100 firefighters and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to Phoenix 's Sky Harbor International Airport about 8 p.m. -LRB- 11 p.m. ET -RRB- , she said . Jamison said about 15 people suffered injuries , mainly cuts and bruises . She also said a person experiencing shoulder pain was taken to a local hospital . Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera , but could not determine a source of a fire , Jamison said . Jamison said the smoke may have been caused by electrical problems . The airlines ' engineering staff was examining the aircraft and the staff in Phoenix was assisting stranded passengers with hotel rooms , British Airways spokesman Richard Goodfellow said . | London-bound plane was evacuated Friday after smoke reported in cabin . Passengers , crew used emergency chutes to leave plane . Officials still trying to determine what caused smoke on plane . | [[19, 95], [116, 155], [156, 182], [185, 221], [412, 510], [456, 510], [525, 541], [116, 155]] |
HARARE , Zimbabwe -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Zimbabwe slashed 12 zeros from its currency as hyperinflation continued to erode its value , the country 's central bank announced Monday . Patrick Chinamasa , Zimbabwe 's acting finance minister , arrives last week at Parliament to present the '09 budget . `` Even in the face of current economic and political challenges confronting the economy , the Zimbabwe dollar ought to and must remain the nation 's currency , so as to safeguard our national identity and sovereignty . ... Our national currency is a fundamental economic pillar of our sovereignty , '' said Gideon Gono , governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe . `` Accordingly , therefore , this monetary policy statement unveils yet another necessary program of revaluing our local currency , through the removal of 12 zeros with immediate effect . '' The move means that 1 trillion in Zimbabwe dollars now will be equivalent to one Zimbabwe dollar . The old notes -- with the highest being 100 trillion dollars -- not enough to buy a loaf of bread -- will remain valid until June 30 , after which they will cease to be legal tender . One U.S. dollar is trading above 300 trillion Zimbabwe dollars . This third attempt to lop off zeros comes barely six months after the Zimbabwe government last adjusted its currency as it continues to lose value . World-record inflation estimated to be in the billions of percent -- but officially at 231 million percent as of July last year -- has quickly eroded the currency 's value again and again . The highest note on the new set is 500 Zimbabwe dollars . Many Zimbabwean traders have stopped accepting the local currency , preferring foreign currency due to the hyperinflationary environment . Last week , the country 's acting finance minister , Patrick Chinamasa , allowed the use of foreign currency by everyone else . Despite the use of foreign currency , the Zimbabwe dollars are in acute shortage , resulting in many people sleeping outside their banks hoping to get money the following day . Regarding the cash shortages , Gono blamed Germany for dropping a contract that helped the country print money . `` The country has suffered bouts of cash shortages , which have disadvantaged both the corporate and household sectors , '' he said . `` As a country , we have come to terms with this stubborn reality that we were put under economic sanctions by Germany , which unilaterally cut a 50-year-old contract to supply us with currency printing paper , machinery , spare parts and inks without notice in July last year . '' | One trillion in Zimbabwe dollars now will be equivalent to one Zimbabwe dollar . Zimbabwe 's inflation rate officially at 231 million percent as of last July . Many Zimbabwean traders have stopped accepting local currency . Acting finance minister recently allowed all Zimbabweans to use foreign currency . | [[851, 949], [871, 949], [1596, 1734], [1596, 1619], [1664, 1734], [1735, 1744], [1747, 1785], [1808, 1862]] |
Editor 's note : Kathleen Sebelius is secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration . Kathleen Sebelius says health care costs are a huge and growing burden on the economy . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Today in Washington , some politicians like to suggest that the many challenges we face as a nation mean we should n't tackle health care reform . Nothing could be further from the truth . With more and more of America 's families , businesses , and local , state and federal governments struggling with the crushing costs of health care , health care reform has never been more important . As President Obama has often said , you ca n't fix the economy without fixing health care . Unless we fix what is broken in our current system , everyone 's health care will be in jeopardy . Health care reform is not a luxury . It is a necessity . It 's important to look at the size of the problem we face and where we stand . Today , we have by far the most expensive health system in the world . We spend 50 percent more per person on health care than the average developed country , according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development . We spend more on health care than housing or food , the McKinsey Global Institute reported . Nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured , millions more are underinsured , and they are n't the only ones who are suffering . The high cost of care is hurting all of us . A recent study by Families USA estimates that insured families pay a hidden health tax of more than $ 1,000 every year . The hidden tax is the amount businesses and families with insurance have to pay in insurance premiums , taxes and donations to help cover the cost of treating uninsured Americans . Health insurance premiums for families that are covered through a job at a small business have increased 85 percent since 2000 , and more small businesses are thinking about dropping health insurance benefits . Nationwide , health care costs consume 18 percent of our gross domestic product . If we continue on our current path , health care costs will consume 34 percent of our GDP by 2040 , and the number of uninsured Americans will rise to 72 million , according to the Council of Economic Advisers . Even though we spend more than any other nation on health care , we are n't healthier . Only three developed countries have higher infant mortality rates . Our nation ranks 24th in life expectancy among developed countries . More than one-third of Americans are obese . These statistics are the signs of a system that is both unacceptable and unsustainable . They also show us the high cost of doing nothing . If we choose the status quo , more Americans will be uninsured , costs will continue to rise , and every American 's health care will be at risk . Inaction is not an option , and reform is long overdue . The Obama administration is working to enact reform that will reduce costs for families , businesses and government ; protect people 's choice of doctors , hospitals and health plans ; and assure affordable , quality health care for all Americans . We are guided by a simple principle : Protect what works about health care and fix what 's broken , and do it in a way that does not add to the deficit . The president has already introduced proposals that will provide $ 950 billion over 10 years in savings to finance health care reform . Much of these resources come from wringing waste out of the current system and aggressively prosecuting fraud and abuse . We will continue to work with Congress as it explores other financing options , and the president is open to ideas about how we finance health care reform . But we are not open to deficit spending . Health care reform will be paid for , and it will be deficit-neutral over 10 years . Working together , we can pass real health care reform that gives Americans the choices they deserve and the affordable , quality coverage they need . And we know they do not want us to wait . Too many people have suffered without basic medical care or paid too much for it . For years , the American people have called on Washington to meet this challenge . They have waited long enough . The time for reform is now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kathleen Sebelius . | Kathleen Sebelius : Health care represents growing burden on economy . She says that because of rising cost , existing system is unsustainable . She says U.S. pays more , but citizens are n't healthier than in other countries . | [[107, 194], [130, 194], [107, 115], [130, 147], [163, 194], [107, 194], [2542, 2550], [2556, 2596], [2303, 2325]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kids dig in the sand at the beach all the time , but the fun nearly turned fatal for an 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy this week . The 11-year-old was given CPR and revived before being taken to a local hospital . The boy was digging a tunnel with friends on a beach in Ocean City , Maryland , on Tuesday when part of it collapsed on top of him , authorities said . Lifeguards rushed to pull him out , but it first appeared that they were too late . The boy was not breathing , and he had no pulse , Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin told CNN on Wednesday . But rescue crews revived the boy by performing CPR , said Arbin , who was at the scene . There was a lot of emotion on the beach when the boy 's pulse came back , he said . `` He basically went from dead to life , '' Arbin said , adding that the boy 's mother called the rescue a `` miracle . '' As he was being rolled into an ambulance on a stretcher , the boy -- perhaps not realizing the trauma he had just survived -- complained to his mother that he had sand in his eyes , Arbin said . The child , whose family did not want to be identified , was initially taken to Atlantic General Hospital and later flown to the A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Delaware , he said . He 's recovering there and probably will be released later Wednesday , Arbin said . | Boy , 11 , was digging a tunnel with friends on a beach in Ocean City , Maryland . Lifeguards rushed to help ; boy had no pulse and was n't breathing . Beach Patrol captain : `` He basically went from dead to life '' Boy recovering in hospital , expected to be released later Wednesday . | [[231, 297], [383, 416], [467, 492], [499, 514], [748, 783], [1250, 1266], [1277, 1318]] |
ISTANBUL , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- There is a shiny addition among the Ottoman mosques and palaces that make up Istanbul 's stunning skyline : the metallic , mirrored dome of the new Sakirin Mosque , a Muslim place of worship built with a woman 's touch . When sun reflects off Sakirin Mosque 's dome , light can be seen across the Bosphorus Strait . For what may be the first time in history , women have been at the forefront of the construction of a mosque in Turkey . One of the project 's leaders is Zeynep Fadillioglu , an interior decorator who has designed restaurants , hotels and luxury homes from New Delhi , India , to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates , and London , England . She helped organize a team of traditional mosque artists specializing in Islamic calligraphy , along with craftsmen in glassworks , metal-casting and lighting who , like Fadillioglu , have built careers working in exclusively secular architecture and design . `` I want people to feel peaceful and be left with themselves as much as possible and yet have beautiful art and artistic symbolism around them , '' she said . Istanbul has a venerable tradition of mosque architecture , dating back centuries to when Ottoman sultans declared themselves caliph , or spiritual leader of the Muslim world . Watch Zeynep Fadilioglu show off her work and inspirations '' The shores of the Bosporus Strait are studded with 16th century masterpieces such as the Suleymaniye Mosque , built by the Ottoman Empire 's most famous architect , Mimar Sinan , and ornate , neo-Baroque jewels designed by the Armenian Balyan family in the 19th century . But Istanbul 's most senior Muslim cleric laments that mosque design suffered a decline after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of World War I. `` In the last 70 , 80 years , we have built mosques that are copies of Ottoman architecture , '' said Mustafa Cagrici , the mufti of Istanbul . `` This was n't a good development , because the copy can never be as good as the original . '' Fadillioglu and her team of artists are hoping to change that . Look at photos of the mosque '' The Sakirin Mosque was commissioned by a wealthy Turkish Arab family and built in one of Istanbul 's oldest cemeteries . The designers put a number of contemporary touches on the structure , giving it plate glass walls etched with gold-leaf verses from the Quran , framed by giant cast-iron grids . The mihrab -- the alcove that points worshippers in the direction of Mecca -- is made of asymmetrical ovals , similar to a design used by Fadillioglu to decorate a restaurant in London . And the chandelier is a multi-layered series of metal and plexiglass rings , carrying Quranic inscriptions and dripping with scores of delicate glass teardrops . `` The glass chandelier brings the high dome down to the people , '' Fadillioglu explained . `` So when they pray and kneel they do n't feel lost with the light and it shelters them . '' Many of the artists here never worked on a mosque before . `` It 's special that a woman 's hand is involved in this , '' said one of them , a male carpenter named Metin Cekeroglu . `` If you think about it , a home is made by woman . And if we think about this place as a home of God , we can also say women will make this place much better . '' Fadillioglu said one of her goals was to bring extra attention into the design of the women 's section of the mosque , an area that she says is often neglected by architects . According to Islamic tradition , worshippers are segregated by gender at mosques . `` I have seen mosques where women have been pushed to the worst part of stairs , cramped area . Sort of as if -LRB- they are -RRB- unwanted in the mosque , '' she said . `` That is not what Islam is about . ... Women are equal in Islam to men '' Five minutes ' drive from the Sakirin Mosque stands the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque , a 16th century structure built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in honor of his favorite daughter . Unfortunately , female worshippers do not get to enjoy its stunning stained glass windows the way the men do . They have to pray in a small women 's section , hidden behind a bank of chest-high shelves that store shoes . At the Sakirin Mosque , Fadillioglu said , she gave women praying on the balcony an unobstructed view of the dome , the ornate chandelier , and the area on the floor where the imam will lead prayers . `` I would like to come here to pray , '' said Elif Demir , an 18-year old art student with a funky , orange-dyed haircut who was working on the chandelier . `` This mosque is completely different because of the light that 's coming through the walls , through the glass . '' Fadillioglu 's role in the Sakirin Mosque is all the more surprising because she comes from a jet-set side of Turkish society not normally associated with Islam . `` It is unusual , '' she conceded , `` because first of all not many modern people have been commissioned to design a mosque . '' She spoke in a recent interview at Ulus 29 , the expensive Istanbul hilltop restaurant and bar that is owned by her husband . Amid the Ottoman - and Selcuk-inspired flourishes she has sprinkled around the restaurant are echoes of designs seen at the Sakirin Mosque . A glass chandelier made of hundreds of crystal tear drops hangs above the bar , similar in style to the mosque 's chandelier . Fadillioglu said being a night club owner does not prevent her from also being a Muslim . `` You might be surprised in Turkey to find some very modern-looking people being very religious at the same time , '' she said . Religion is a hot-button political issue in Turkey , a predominantly Muslim country with a strict secular system of government . For the past eight years a fierce power struggle has been under way between an urban secular elite and a rising new class of religiously conservative Turks from the Anatolian heartlands . Unlike the wives of Turkey 's Islamic-rooted president and prime minister , Fadillioglu does not wear the Islamic headscarf that is often seen as the symbol of this new class of Turks . Fadillioglu said politics have polarized society . `` In my childhood ... you did n't differentiate between who was religious , '' she explained . `` Whoever wants to worship or visit this mosque , its open , its ready for them . '' On May 8 , Turkey 's prime minister attended an inauguration ceremony for the Sakirin Mosque . Afterward , in an interview with CNN , the mufti of Istanbul called it the start of a new era of mosque design in Turkey . `` It is in Islamic tradition for women to commission mosques ... and now we have women who are building mosques as well , '' Cagrici said . `` God willing , I hope the world will see more of these beautiful mosques , touched by women 's hands . '' | For possibly first time in history , women take lead in building mosque in Turkey . One of leaders of project to build Sakirin Mosque is decorator Zeynep Fadillioglu . Sakirin Mosque was commissioned by wealthy Turkish Arab family . | [[353, 394], [395, 473], [474, 525], [2121, 2189]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He immortalized the `` smell of napalm in the morning '' in `` Apocalypse Now , '' but Robert Duvall 's first meeting with director Francis Ford Coppola was no indication of the fruitful relationship to come . Duvall starred in Francis Ford Coppola 's `` The Godfather , '' `` The Godfather : Part II '' and `` Apocalypse Now . '' It was 1969 and Coppola had parted ways with a lead character in indie film `` The Rain People . '' He was stuck and 38-year-old Duvall was drafted in at the last minute on the suggestion of a friend . Despite slapdash beginnings , their work together has produced some of Duvall 's greatest roles and many of Coppola 's most critically-acclaimed films . Duvall started working in theater in the 1950s before moving into film in the early 1960s with roles like Boo Radley in `` To Kill a Mockingbird . '' Things took off for him in 1970s when he starred in Coppola 's multiple award-winning movies `` The Godfather '' and `` The Godfather : Part II , '' But , it is his Oscar-nominated turn as indestructible , napalm-loving Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Coppola 's Vietnam war opus `` Apocalypse Now '' that remains one of Duvall 's most enduring roles . Duvall sits down with CNN 's Revealed and talks about , `` Apocalypse Now '' and his relationship with the master movie-maker . Revealed : Can you sum up the impact Coppola had on your life , your career ? RD : I would have had another career . He helped all our careers with `` The Godfather . '' It was a kind of catalyst for all the actors in one and two . It helped me . I kinda designed my own career . Revealed : What 's Coppola 's approach to directing ? RD : I think sometimes Francis works best amidst confusion and I mean that in a good way . He 'll come in and say , ` Let 's try something , ' and then you rehearse . Like any good director he sees what you bring . He realizes it 's got ta come from the actor . He 's open enough ... of course , he 'll give his opinion but he wants to see what you bring . Revealed : The problems Coppola encountered while shooting `` Apocalypse Now '' are legendary . What was it like working on that film ? RD : There are things I wo n't go into ! But it was pretty crazy . Sometimes we 'd get one shot in a day , if that . Everything was in disarray . The hurricane came in and ruined the sets , s ** t ! Then they had to build them again , and we were there nine or 10 months . Dennis Hopper all doped up , not doing it Francis ' way . Francis would do 45 takes , and then he said , ` Now , would you please do one my way , '' he 'd say to Dennis . Martin Sheen got the heart attack , and they did n't know what they would do if they lost Martin . Francis said it was like warfare . Watch Coppola and others talk about the making of `` Apocalypse Now '' '' Revealed : You say that people constantly come up to you in the street and say the line , ' I love the smell of napalm in the morning . ' RD : It is a pretty famous line . Everybody relates to that line . Scenes like that we had to get quickly because all that fire at the back of me was supposed to be the napalm . Sometimes when you work fast and under duress ... sometimes that 's the best stuff you can get . Revealed : How did your life change after `` Apocalypse Now , '' and the `` Godfather '' films came out ? RD : It was kind of a landmark . I said we 're in something pretty important here , as far as film goes and it was true , and I gained a lot of respect for Francis because I did n't know him that well on `` The Rain People . '' It 's Coppola 's vision . It could have been made by Disney as long as he was directing it . Which one of Coppola 's films would you put in a time capsule for future generations ? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . Revealed : What is it about Coppola that makes him such a great director ? RD : A guy like Coppola , you know , as a director , he wants to see what you bring , without dictating . He 's not a dictator . He has a definite vision , but he 's not going to get in there and say it has to be my way or the highway . He really wants to see what you bring . He 'll say , ` Come on guys quit fooling around we got ta make a movie ! ' You branch off into laughing and making jokes , but that 's good for the set and he knows that too . It 's his own gift and it 's his own way of working . Revealed : Coppola says now he wants to make small , intimate movies he has written himself . What 's your take on that ? RD : He 's a big spender . Now he 's making all the wine and everything else , he can go back to independent film . Why not ? He said `` The Conversation '' was his favorite film . It was certainly one of his best , I think . Why not go back to what he started out as ? In the 1970s it was as if the independent filmmaking community was within the establishment . Now it 's back outside the establishment starting to make the kind of films he started out doing . Revealed : Can you describe Francis in a few words ? RD : A talented maniac . No , no , not a maniac , but he 's a talented , driven guy . He 's a heavy hitter . | Actor Robert Duvall first worked with Francis Ford Coppola 40 years ago . He starred in Oscar-winners `` The Godfather , '' and `` The Godfather : Part II '' Immortalized `` I love the smell of napalm in the morning in `` Apocalypse Now '' Duvall on Coppola : `` A talented maniac . No , not a maniac , a talented , driven guy '' | [[116, 235], [246, 289], [36, 92], [2915, 2958], [5060, 5091]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The cause of a deadly Washington Metro subway crash last month remains a mystery , with one problem identified by investigators persisting even after engineers replaced a key part that was believed to be faulty , a top Metro official said Tuesday . Investigators are shown at the crash scene in Washington . Nine people were killed in the June 22 accident . At a congressional hearing , Jim Graham said Metro replaced a device that was `` fluttering , '' signaling the presence of a train one moment and not the next . `` You 'd think that that would remedy the issue , that ... we would have solved the problem , '' said Graham , chairman of Metro 's board of directors . `` In fact , the new device ... continued the same fluttering as the former device . '' `` We 're left with a very compelling mystery as to what is going on here , '' he said . The National Transportation Safety Board , which is leading the investigation , acknowledged that Metro 's system of detecting trains continues to have unexplained , intermittent failures . `` Sometimes it 's working ; sometimes it 's not , even with those changes , '' NTSB member Deborah Hersman told a House committee . `` We 've walked back the cable to see if there might be some cabling issues . There 's a lot of challenges here and we 're changing out some components and trying to identify what the problem is , '' she said . Metro has said it will operate the subway trains on manual control until officials have identified and fixed the problem with the automatic train system . Nine people were killed and scores were injured during the June 22 crash just north of the Red Line 's Fort Totten station . At Tuesday 's hearing , a passenger on one of the trains gave a dramatic description of the accident . Patrick Tuite of Kensington , Maryland , said he had just put down his newspaper and closed his eyes to relax when he heard a screeching sound , someone yelling and `` one of the loudest bangs I 've ever heard in my life . '' Tuite said in the impact , he hit the seat in front of him . When Tuite peered into the forward-most car , he saw extensive damage . The floor of the car had collapsed `` accordion-like , '' he said . `` We could hear the people at this point in the first car , '' he said . `` And it was pretty chaotic . They were screaming ; they were upset , '' he said . But the collision had jammed the doors between the cars , making it impossible to reach victims in the front car . It was n't until he got off the train that he realized the first car was thrust into the air , he said . Eleanor Holmes Norton , the District of Columbia 's Congressional delegate , chided the NTSB for making prohibitively costly safety recommendations while ignoring cheaper , common sense solutions , such as putting the newer , more robust rail cars at the front and back of trains . `` Over and over again , you said , ` Do the impossible , ' '' Norton , a Democrat , said , referring to NTSB recommendations that Metro replace older cars with sturdier new ones . `` Why did n't the transportation board at least recommend this rather low-tech , low-cost step ? '' Hersman said the NTSB 's role is to push for safety improvements . `` We do make recommendations , Ms. Norton , and we do n't have to pay for them , so we recognize that frustration , '' she said . `` But our charge is not to -LSB- consider costs -RSB- . Our charge is to recommend what we think is in the best interest of the safety community . We are the conscience and the compass of the transportation industry , and they -LSB- transportation providers and regulators -RSB- get to decide if and how they implement it , '' Hersman said . | Unexplained , intermittent failures persist despite repairs , Metro official says . Passenger recalls loud bang , `` accordion-like '' collapse of floor , screams . Delegate chides NTSB for making high-cost , `` impossible '' recommendations . 9 people killed , scores injured in June 22 crash near Red Line 's Fort Totten station . | [[118, 204], [144, 209], [243, 278], [880, 920], [960, 1069], [1695, 1716], [1719, 1797], [1798, 1805], [1844, 1846], [1883, 1990], [2157, 2209], [2603, 2624], [2680, 2884], [338, 387], [1570, 1593], [1598, 1694]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The body of a woman was found near her car Wednesday , the apparent victim of an ammonia leak from a nearby plant in Swansea , South Carolina , police said . The leak occurred at the Tanner Industries plant as a hose had been connected from a delivery trailer containing anhydrous ammonia -LRB- purified ammonia -RRB- to a storage tank in the facility , said David Binder , director of quality safety and regulatory affairs for Tanner Industries . `` During that operation , a hole burst in the hose , '' he said . `` That released ammonia gas . '' The leak from the plant , located about 24 miles south of Columbia , was reported to the Lexington County Sheriff 's Department shortly before 8 a.m. , said Maj. John Allard , a public information officer for the department . Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes at the plant , where they saw a large , light-colored , dense plume , and closed area roads to traffic , he said . The ammonia hovered first over U.S. 321 , then moved into a wooded area , blackening its foliage , Allard said . Public safety personnel searched the vicinity for any people or animals affected by the leak , and -- at 9:30 a.m. -- found the woman 's body next to her vehicle , which was parked on the side of U.S. 321 , he said . Officials were speculating that the woman had been driving north when she encountered the plume and tried to turn around , but her car stalled . She apparently got out of the vehicle and was overcome by the fumes , Allard said . An autopsy has been ordered . The woman 's name was not released pending notification of her family . Seven people were taken to Lexington County Medical Center in stable condition with respiratory problems , none of which was life-threatening , Allard said . Five were plant workers ; the other two were nearby residents . The road was reopened at 2 p.m. , after the plume had dissipated , he said . The U.S. Chemical Safety Board -- an independent agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents -- announced it is deploying an investigation team to the site of the ammonia release . Tanner 's Binder described the occurrence as `` tragic , '' adding that nothing similar had occurred in the plant 's more than 13 years of existence . `` This is just heart-wrenching , '' he said , adding that there were no immediate plans to reopen the plant . Ammonia , a strong irritant that affects the respiratory system , is used in a variety of industries , including the manufacture of fertilizers and in commercial refrigeration systems . CNN 's Anna Rhett Cobb contributed to this story . | Ammonia leak reported at Tanner Industries plant in Swansea , South Carolina . Public safety officials searching area found woman 's body by car . Officials speculate woman turned car around when she encountered plume . She may have gotten out of car , inhaled fumes , officials say . | [[0, 15], [19, 71], [1163, 1175], [1179, 1222], [1278, 1398], [1423, 1460]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It turns out going to the moon is a tough act to follow . Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 . For all their Buck Rogers , `` Right Stuff , '' history-making achievements , the question for many of the 12 astronauts who walked on the lunar surface starting four decades ago ultimately became `` one giant leap to where , exactly ? '' `` You have your peak experience at 38 or 39 , '' says space historian Andrew Chaiken , summing up their collective experience , `` and -LSB- they -RSB- have a hard time coming up with something to do for an encore . '' Apollo 11 lifted off from Cape Canaveral , Florida , on July 16 , 1969 . Four days later , the first two humans walked on the lunar surface ; 10 more Americans followed by the end of 1972 . In the 40 years since the Apollo program first took humans to the moon , the astronauts ' lives have taken diverse paths . Almost all had been military test pilots before joining NASA ; in later life , they found themselves ministers , politicians and conspiracy buffs . Some struggled with common issues : Many of their marriages fell apart and alcoholism affected at least one . In possibly the most extreme case of post-Apollo readjustment , Buzz Aldrin -- the second human being to set foot on the moon -- became a car salesman in Texas . `` Not very successfully , '' the 79-year old Aldrin quickly acknowledges . The Apollo 11 lunar module pilot 's post-flight battles against depression and alcoholism have been well-documented , most recently in his own memoir , `` Magnificent Desolation . '' As for a brief stint hawking Cadillacs in the late 1970s , Aldrin told CNN Radio , `` Most people who have received a degree of public recognition find themselves financially pretty well off . Does n't happen to be the case with astronauts . '' Others took more existential , even spiritual , approaches to dealing with their lunar experiences . Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot Jim Irwin left NASA and became a Baptist minister . Apollo 14 crewman Edgar Mitchell spent years investigating possible extraterrestrial life ; in April , he went public with claims of a government cover-up . Apollo 12 moonwalker Alan Bean , now 77 , has spent the intervening decades since his 1969 landing putting his impressions of the lunar experience on canvas . `` That 's How It Felt To Walk on the Moon '' is the title of one his paintings , which now fetch starting-prices of $ 20,000 . `` These paintings are the only paintings in history from anywhere else but this Earth , '' Bean told CNN . Not all the Apollo astronauts ' post-flight journeys have been so ethereal . America 's first man in space , Alan Shepard , who later walked on the moon in 1971 's Apollo 14 mission , became a millionaire businessman . Apollo 17 's Harrison Schmitt -- a geologist at the time , and the only scientist to make the lunar journey -- served a term as U.S. senator from New Mexico , but was defeated in a run for re-election in 1982 . Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins served as a top official at the Smithsonian Institution and its National Air and Space Museum . And the first man to leave footprints in the lunar dust , Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong -- aside from geologist Schmitt , the only other civilian in the collection of moonwalkers -- later sat on several corporate boards and the presidential commission that investigated the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster . Armstrong is also known for a series of disputes over autographs , which he long ago stopped signing because he discovered his signature was being sold for profit . He also sued Hallmark in 1994 for featuring his famous `` One small step '' quote in a space-themed Christmas ornament . News reports say the suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount . Armstrong 's haircuts also became famous . In 2005 , he threatened legal action after learning his longtime barber had sold a lock of his hair for $ 3,000 . All part of the territory , says Chaiken . His book `` Voices From the Moon '' is based upon interviews with the surviving Apollo astronauts , and he concludes there 's no `` lunar syndrome '' that 's sent the moonwalkers down paths odder than any dozen former colleagues in other lines of work . `` I think the whole subject of the effects of going to the moon is something that gets overstated , '' Chaiken says . If there is a common emotion among the astronauts , four decades after the Apollo achievement , it may be simple disappointment over space exploration -- or the lack of it . `` It 's all fallen apart , '' Aldrin says , talking about what may prove a half-century gap between American lunar landings . `` We have just taken the wrong pathway . '' Chaiken agrees this is a near-universal astronaut refrain . `` They really have never expected that it would be this long . That here we would be -- 40 years after the first moon landing -- still wondering when humans will return to the moon . I think they 're all frustrated by that . '' CNN 's John Zarrella contributed to this report . | A dozen men walked on the moon , and each later followed a different path . Historian says they have a `` hard time coming up with something to do for an encore '' Buzz Aldrin briefly worked as a car salesman in Texas . Neil Armstrong sued Hallmark over its use of his `` one small step '' quote . | [[259, 276], [281, 334], [805, 927], [537, 611], [1250, 1261], [1315, 1347], [3644, 3646], [3652, 3711], [3644, 3646], [3674, 3719]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Doctor James Braude leads a group medical practice in an elegant Atlanta , Georgia , office decorated with designer furnishings . It does n't look like a charity asking for handouts . But it is asking . Obama , pictured July 1 in Virginia , has been touring the states to promote his plan to voters . `` On some days we 've counted up to 30 patients a day who 've lost their jobs and their health insurance , '' Braude said . So Braude and his colleagues offer as much free care as they can afford . The doctors have also begun discreetly inviting paying patients to contribute to a fund , helping more people get care they have n't got the money for . `` We 're doctors . We 're addicted to helping people . And when we ca n't , we go through withdrawal . '' Millions of Americans have always gone without the kind of routine medical care that is seen as a basic right in many countries . The U.S. economic downturn -- meaning people lose health insurance when they lose their job -- and the election of President Barack Obama have coincided to increase both the need and the opportunity to address the plight of uninsured America . Obama 's ambition is to provide insurance for the estimated 50 million Americans without coverage . Watch why many in rural U.S. have concerns '' The insurance is expected to cover doctors , hospital care and prescription drugs . But just about every detail is still being negotiated so it 's not certain who would be covered , what they would be covered for or whether people who do n't want insurance would be forced to have it and pay for it . The plans that emerge could become the Obama administration 's most ambitious domestic program and potentially a big , early test of his presidency . American medical care needs attention . Even though nearly 50 million of its roughly 300 million people have no routine health care , the United States spends more going to the doctor than any other industrialized nation in the world . Fully one-sixth of the economy is devoted to it . Under the current hybrid system , the U.S. Government pays for health care for ex-military , the extremely poor and the elderly . But the vast majority of Americans have to pay for their own health care and most do it where they work ; many employers arrange health insurance and partly subsidize the premiums . The rapidly rising cost is crushing all kinds of businesses , from car companies to family farms . At the same time , hospitals and doctors say they are falling behind because the payments they receive from insurance companies are n't keeping up with their costs . `` Within a decade we will be spending one out of every five dollars we earn on health care , '' Obama said recently . `` In 30 years , it will be one out of every three . That is untenable , that is unacceptable , and I will not allow it as president of the United States . '' The politics : Deep disagreement . There is a lot of disagreement about what to do . Congress has the job of actually turning the push for change into a functioning government program . Democratic lawmakers do n't all support the president 's plan or agree on how to pay for it . Republicans are split in a different way . Some lawmakers are trying to influence the Democrats ' plans and others are proposing entirely different alternatives . `` If you look at their plan , it really is a big government-run plan that will take control of the delivery of health care in America , '' said Republican congressional leader John Boehner . His suggestion : `` Improve the current system so it works better . '' The most profound disagreement centers on whether Washington should create its own new health-insurance concern to compete with the private companies that provide insurance now . Obama and many Democrats favor it ; Republicans are dead set against it . Part of the problem is that insurance companies fear the government will put them out of business , by favoring or subsidizing its own scheme . The other part of the problem is more basic and ideological . The U.S. government already runs enormous health-insurance programs for the poor , the elderly and military veterans -- but many Americans see potentially mandatory government health-insurance as the foreign-born offspring of socialist states . The economics : More debt . Political opposition notwithstanding , the economics are going to be a problem too . Health care is a $ 2 trillion-dollar-a-year industry that would have to expand to cover millions of people who are now uninsured . The president has some ideas for new efficiencies but most estimates suggest the total cost of caring for Americans would rise dramatically . Washington is already carrying record debt and would have to find a way to pay for it . One assessment by the Congressional Budget Office of the Senate Democrat plan estimated it would cost more than $ 1 trillion over 10 years and only provide coverage for about 16 million Americans . There 's also the possibility that the impact of reform on many employers and virtually every wage-earner across the country will have a spillover effect on the economy as a whole , still lodged in recession . The health care industry : Undecided . Then there is the place where the politics and the economy overlap : the health care industry . Doctors alone have spent roughly two-thirds of a billion dollars lobbying lawmakers in the last 10 years , according to the independent Center for Responsive Politics . Add pharmaceutical companies and hospitals , nurses and other health care professionals and you get one of the most influential forces in U.S. politics . They successfully organized to defeat health care reform when the Clinton administration tried it 15 years ago . The industry benefits from one crucial thing : Americans like their doctors . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released July 1 found 54 percent of people worry that their health care costs would go up if the administration 's proposals get passed and only one in five thinks that his or her families would be better off under the Obama plan . With all that in mind , Atlanta 's Dr. Braude says he 's optimistic the reform can succeed . If not , he says , `` we go back to the same system and we have 50 million people without insurance , which means you are one brain tumor away from bankruptcy . '' | About 50 million Americans are without any health insurance . People losing jobs in the recession also lose health insurance . Government health provision care largely confined to veterans , elderly and poor . Extending government role is health care is politically hot potato . | [[1153, 1252], [1199, 1252], [1790, 1794], [1802, 1881], [909, 935], [939, 975], [2036, 2067], [2070, 2165], [4056, 4172]] |
JAKARTA , Indonesia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Indonesian military transport plane crashed into a residential area in East Java early Wednesday , killing 98 people , military officials said . Soldiers search for victims at the plane 's crash site in East Java Wednesday . The death toll might rise , because the Air Force said 112 people were thought to be aboard when the Hercules transport plane crashed about 6:30 a.m. . The crash destroyed four homes and killed two people who lived in at least one of the homes , said Suwardi , the village leader of Karas in East Java . The plane had a crew of 14 people and was carrying an additional 98 passengers , Major Gen. Suwarno said . Watch the latest on the crash '' At least 15 people from the flight had been rescued , according to Bambang Sulistyo , an Indonesian air force spokesman . Wahyu Nuryanto , a staff member at the Iswahyudi hospital in nearby Madiun , told local media that 19 people were brought to the hospital -- several with serious injuries , including multiple fractures . The 19 included air force personnel , family members of air force personnel , and civilians , Nuryanto said . Rescue crews Wednesday were evacuating the crash area where local media showed plumes of smoke billowing from a rice field and rescuers scrambling to move victims on makeshift stretchers . The crash comes a day after another Indonesian Hercules transport plane crashed on a runway after touching down early . No one was killed in that crash in Papua province . | NEW : Death toll climbs . At least 15 people from the flight rescued , says major general . The crash destroys four homes and kills two residents , says Karas village leader . Indonesian military transport plane crashed into residential area in East Java . | [[711, 762], [419, 449], [419, 428], [454, 510], [10, 35], [53, 138]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The death of a Canadian soldier in battle-scarred Afghanistan on Thursday brings this month 's toll of international military fatalities in the war to 47 , the highest monthly tally so far , a CNN count of official statistics shows . Lt. Col Thorneloe was one of 15 British troops killed in action in Afghanistan this month . The Canadian soldier was killed while he was conducting operations in the Panjwayi District in Kandahar province , the Canadian military said . The previous monthly record was 46 , a mark reached twice last year , in June and August . The growing death toll , which only accounts for the first half of July , comes amid an uptick in fighting across Afghanistan , where international forces and Afghan troops have been battling the Taliban . The push , called Operation Khanjar , targets militants in Helmand province , a Taliban stronghold and poppy-growing region . The forces are trying to gain and hold ground in the perilous region ahead of national elections this August . Some of the deaths resulted from nonhostile incidents such as accidents , but most have occurred during hostilities . According to a CNN count of figures from various governments , the U.S.-led coalition and NATO 's International Security Assistance Force , the deaths in July have included 23 Americans , 15 Britons , five Canadians , two Turks , an Italian and a NATO-led soldier whose nationality has not yet been disclosed . The news coincides with another grim milestone for the British military , which has seen the number of troops killed in Afghanistan surpass the death toll in the Iraq War . An especially bloody 10 days in Afghanistan 's Helmand province , the staging ground for several major recent offensives , claimed the lives of 15 British soldiers in July , putting the number of the country 's dead in Afghanistan at 184 , the Defense Ministry said . The British military has lost 179 soldiers in Iraq . The 15 deaths in July also put the British military on track to be the deadliest month yet for British troops supporting Operation Enduring Freedom . Britain 's deadliest month in Afghanistan so far has been September 2006 , when 19 died -- 14 in a single incident , the crash of a Royal Air Force plane near Kandahar . Since the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001 , 652 U.S. troops have died in hostile and nonhostile activities throughout the country . | Soldier 's death in Kandahar operations brings monthly international death toll to 47 . Previous monthly record for coalition forces was 46 in June and August 2008 . News comes as British death toll in Afghanistan surpasses number of dead in Iraq . Death toll grows amid intense fighting in Helmand province , a Taliban stronghold . | [[0, 15], [93, 172], [489, 523], [526, 556], [1584, 1624], [580, 602], [654, 705]] |
-LRB- AOL Autos -RRB- -- Chrysler and General Motors announced this week that they would shrink their dealer base in the U.S. Chrysler will close 789 dealers . General Motors announced the closing of 1,100 dealers . Chrysler will close 789 dealers , leaving them with approximately 2400 stores in the U.S. General Motors announced the closing of 1,100 dealers and hopes to be at a size of 3,600 dealers at the end of 2010 . While Chrysler dealers will be `` forced out '' by June 9 , GM is positioning for a smoother closing of its stores , with each shutting down when it runs out of inventory . Unlike Chrysler 's announcement , GM 's list of closing dealers will not be made public , leaving that decision to each dealer . What happens to my GM or Chrysler vehicle warranty ? Your warranty is valid through its term , regardless of where you bought your vehicle . In March , President Obama announced that the U.S. government would provide the backing for Chrysler and GM vehicle warranties under the `` Warrantee Commitment Program . '' Can I take my vehicle for service and warranty work to another -LRB- surviving -RRB- dealer ? Yes , but make sure it 's a certified dealer . If you 're going to take your Chrysler , Jeep or Dodge vehicle in for warranty work , you can do so at a closing dealership until June 9 . After that time , Chrysler will no longer pay those dealers for warranty work . GM vehicles will receive service and warranty work at closing dealers until they shut down . Will there be good deals on these vehicles ? The Chrysler dealerships to close will have about 44,000 units on hand , or roughly what Chrysler , Jeep and Dodge sell across the country every 2-3 weeks -LRB- using April 's sales numbers as a guide -RRB- . There will be deals , but be warned that if those 44,000 are n't sold before June 9 , Chrysler will work to redistribute them to other dealers . Whether the best deals will be had before or after June 9 is likely negligible ; if you 're interested in a Chrysler , Jeep or Dodge product , you will save a lot of money on a new purchase right now . One important factor to keep in mind is that approximately 10 % of those remaining units are 2008 vehicles . Be careful the car you 're looking at has n't been sitting on the lot inactive for too long ; cars actually do `` rot . '' GM 's dealer announcement is a different story , since the company is n't releasing the names of the closing dealers . Dealers who chose to disclose their shutdown may provide better deals . AOL Autos : Why do cars rot on the lot ? How many people and jobs are affected by closing dealers ? The impact on communities will be significant . Since dealers typically employ about 50 people and contract with a handful of suppliers -LRB- consider the business that sells paper or office furniture to each dealer -RRB- , there will be impact within the community . Some economists , however , believe that the impact will be less than expected , since dealers typically have a high turnover rate and technician jobs were in a short supply already . But , the related aspects of dealer closings are certain : think of the little league baseball teams and charities that receive funding from do-gooding dealers . Even real estate is affected ; car dealerships usually set the market for commercial real estate in smaller communities . When those go empty , the entire city feels the pain . AOL Autos : Pressure to buy American . Why were these dealers chosen ? Both Chrysler and GM have expressed interest to shrink their dealer base . Company officials cite various data points related to choosing these dealers , but the main one is performance . GM said that the average dealer of the 1,100 affected only sold 35 cars in all of 2008 . Chrysler cites similar numbers , with half their closing dealerships selling less than 100 . But , even after these reductions by Chrysler and GM , they still have more dealers than other manufacturers . Using April 2009 's sales data as a proxy , Toyota has approximately 95 dealers per 1 point of market share in the U.S. , while Chrysler has 256 and GM will have 172 -LRB- at the end of 2010 -RRB- . This means that , effectively , Toyota is able to sell more vehicles per dealership . AOL Autos : Fate of the GM brands . Can dealers do anything about this ? Typically , dealers would have protection under state franchise laws against such events . However , in Chrysler 's case , those franchise laws are not applicable since the company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy . Chrysler dealers can -LRB- and likely will -RRB- protest the process by which they were chosen -LRB- sales volume , number of brands in the store , the area in which the dealership operated -RRB- . But after June 9 , the selected Chrysler , Jeep and Dodge dealers will have to take down their signs . GM dealers will likely organize their own group , but details of that are unclear at this time . AOL Autos : Are extended warranties worth it ? Even after cuts , do the big three still have too many U.S. dealers ? Some companies need fewer dealers to sell the same amount of cars : . Chrysler LLC Number of dealers : 2411 Market share : 9.4 Dealers per 1 pt . market share : 256 . Ford Motor Co. . Number of dealers : 3723 Market share : 15.7 Dealers per 1 pt . market share : 237 . General Motors Number of dealers : 3600 Market share : 20.9 Dealers per 1 pt . market share : 172 AOL Autos : Six cars to save the big three . Honda Motor Co. . Number of dealers : 1304 Market share : 12.4 Dealers per 1 pt . market share : 105 . Toyota Motor Corp. . Number of dealers : 1470 Market share : 15.4 Dealers per 1 pt . market share : 95 . Market data shown reflective of April 2009 , courtesy of Autodata . Chrysler dealer total is effective June 9 ; GM dealer total is estimate for end of 2010 . | Chrysler and General Motors announce they will shrink dealer base in U.S. Chrysler dealers will be `` forced out '' by June 9 . Your warranty is valid through its term , no matter where you bought your car . You will save a lot of money on a new vehicle purchase right now . | [[0, 21], [25, 125], [3480, 3554], [3480, 3500], [3525, 3554], [424, 481], [484, 538], [779, 818], [2034, 2094]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- First lady Michelle Obama 's father is not buried in the Chicago-area cemetery where investigators say hundreds of graves have been dug up in a scheme to resell the burial plots , a spokeswoman said Tuesday . First lady Michelle Obama 's father is not buried in the Chicago-area cemetery where graves were disturbed . The announcement followed an earlier , mistaken statement by the first lady 's communications director , Camille Johnston . Johnston later said that Obama 's father , Fraser Robinson III , was buried in Lincoln Cemetery in suburban Alsip , Illinois , not the Burr Oak graveyard now at the center of a criminal investigation . `` There has been some confusion that has been cleared up , '' Johnston said . Robinson , who worked as a pump operator for the Chicago water department , died in 1991 after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis . Lincoln Cemetery is about 2 miles from Burr Oak . Four people face felony charges in the investigation surrounding Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip , Illinois . Authorities said last week that about 300 graves had been disturbed as part of the scheme , but that number is expected to rise . Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said his office has received more than 55,000 requests for information from families with loved ones buried in Burr Oak . But he said many of the cemetery 's records are in rusted cabinets filled with decaying file cards . `` Most of the file cards have rotted together , '' he said . `` They 're covered in mold , and they 've rotted together . '' In addition , some of the cemetery 's books are missing pages , and others are known to have been altered , `` So this has made it incredibly difficult for us to give accurate information , '' Dart said . His office asked a court Tuesday to appoint a receiver to manage the graveyard , which he said has been run by his office since last week . Among others buried in the 150-acre graveyard are civil rights martyr Emmett Till , blues pioneer Willie Dixon , jazz and blues singer Dinah Washington and several Negro League baseball players . Cemetery groundskeepers told investigators that Till 's grave was not among those disturbed , but the identities of other remains dug up have not been disclosed . Carolyn Towns , an office manager for the cemetery , and gravediggers Keith Nicks , Terrance Nicks and Maurice Daley have each been charged with dismembering a human body . The felony charge carries a sentence ranging from six to 30 years , authorities said . Authorities began investigating the cemetery about six weeks ago after receiving a call from its owners , who said they suspected `` financial irregularities '' regarding the business , Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart told CNN last week . He said the owners are not believed to be involved in the alleged scam . CNN correspondents Dan Lothian and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report . | NEW : Official corrects confusion , says Michelle Obama 's dad not buried at cemetery . Fraser Robinson III buried at Lincoln Cemetery , about two miles from Burr Oak . Four people face felony charges in an investigation regarding cemetery scheme . Authorities said last week about 300 graves had been disturbed . | [[239, 317], [674, 731], [472, 657], [890, 939], [940, 992], [83, 99], [115, 180], [109, 207], [292, 317], [324, 347], [1045, 1134]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Henry Allingham , the world 's oldest man and the oldest surviving British veteran from World War I , has died at the age of 113 , his care home said Saturday . Henry Allingham was a founding member of the modern Royal Air Force . Allingham died in his sleep at St. Dunstan 's care home in Ovingdean , England , the home said in a statement . Born on June 6 , 1896 , Allingham was active until his final days , having celebrated his 113th birthday last month on the HMS President with his family , the care home said . The Guinness Book of World Records Certified Allingham as the world 's oldest man last month , St. Dunstan 's said . Britain 's Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Gordon Brown both paid their respects to Allingham on Saturday . `` The queen was saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham . He was one of the unique generation who sacrificed so much for us all . Our thoughts are with his family at this time , '' Buckingham Palace said in a statement . `` I had the privilege of meeting Henry many times , '' said Brown . `` He was a tremendous character , one of the last representatives of a generation of tremendous characters . My thoughts are with his family as they mourn his passing but celebrate his life . '' Born in the East End of London during the reign of Queen Victoria , Allingham was brought up by his mother and grandparents . His father died when he was a baby . He joined the Royal Naval Air Service as an aircraft mechanic in 1915 after his mother died . Allingham was the last known survivor of the Battle of Jutland , considered the greatest battle of World War I . He was serving aboard the armed trawler HMT Kingfisher , which was sent to meet up with the British fleet as it fought the Germans off what is now mainland Denmark . The battle still holds the record for the most gun-armed battleships and battlecruisers engaged in a fight , according to Britain 's Ministry of Defence . In 1917 Allingham was sent to France to support the Royal Flying Corps . His job as a mechanic was to service the aircraft and recover parts from downed planes , but pilots would often ask their mechanics to fly with them , so Allingham would sit behind the pilot and drop bombs or operate the machine gun . Allingham served in Flanders until that November , when he moved to the aircraft depot at Dunkirk , France . He stayed there until the end of the war . Allingham was a founding member of today 's Royal Air Force , which was formed in 1918 when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps . He married his wife , Dorothy , in late 1918 and left the RAF a few months later , in April 1919 . But Allingham remained a reservist , and during World War II he was called on to find a solution to the German magnetic mines that were bottling up the English harbor of Harwich , on the Essex coast . Allingham and his team devised an effective system to neutralize the mines , after which every ship was fitted with a neutralizing device using the system . His dedication to the military and the memory of fallen troops never wavered . In his later years especially , Allingham was often seen at memorial events , even though he could no longer walk and had to be transported in a wheelchair . `` Henry was always determined to ensure that today 's generation does not forget the sacrifice of those who died on the Western Front , '' St. Dunstan 's said in a statement after his death . `` Until recently , he regularly visited schools and attended war-based events as an ambassador for his generation . '' Asked once at a memorial ceremony how he would like to be remembered , Allingham brushed off any thought of it , saying people should instead remember those who died in the wars . `` Remember them , not me , '' he said . He was made a chevalier in France 's Legion of Honor in 2003 and was promoted to officer earlier this year . In awarding him the honor this year , the French ambassador to Britain thanked Allingham on behalf of French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his part in protecting France during both World Wars . The Royal Navy celebrated Allingham 's birthday last month by throwing him a party aboard the HMS President . A birthday cake and card signed by the First Sea Lord was delivered by fast raiding craft of the Royal Marines , and he was given a decanter of Pussers Rum , his `` favorite tipple , '' on behalf of the Fleet Air Arm . Allingham 's wife , Dorothy , died in 1970 . Their two daughters both died in their 80s . He is survived by six grandchildren , 16 great-grandchildren , 21 great-great-grandchildren , and one great-great-great grandchild , all of whom live in the United States , the care home said . Since 2006 , Allingham had lived at St. Dunstan 's , a care home for blind ex-servicemen and - women on the southern English coast . He had lost his sight as a result of age-related macular degeneration . `` Everybody at St. Dunstan 's is saddened by Henry 's loss and our sympathy goes out to his family , '' said Robert Leader , chief executive at the care home . `` As well as possessing a great spirit of fun , he represented the last of a generation who gave a very great deal for us . Henry made many friends among the residents and staff at St Dunstan 's . He was a great character and will be missed . '' | Henry Allingham died in his sleep at a care home in Ovingdean , England . Queen Elizabeth , Prime Minister Gordon Brown pay respects to Allingham . Born in 1896 , Allingham was active until his final days . Guinness Book of World Records says Allingham was world 's oldest man . | [[267, 335], [672, 730], [736, 782], [379, 393], [403, 444]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The average American woman can live long enough to celebrate her 80th birthday , so if a woman is able to become pregnant using in vitro fertilization with a donor egg at 56 , she could still watch her child grow into an adult . But just because it 's possible , does that mean she should ? Some feel that having children after 45 is unfair because the parents might not live to see the kids become adults . The death of 69-year-old Maria del Carmen Bousada of Spain , who used in vitro fertilization with a donor egg to have twin boys at 66 , has the fertility treatment community bracing for a backlash . It could rival the fallout from octuplet mom Nadya Suleman -- and it seems to have already started . In a national online survey about fertility conducted in May by Johnson & Johnson 's Babycenter.com , 7 out of 10 moms who responded wanted tougher regulation laws for IVF treatments , and half of the 1,095 respondents thought it was bad for the children if a parent conceived past 45 . Fertility specialists understand those concerns , but they say it 's not that simple . Although it 's rare for anyone older than 55 to get the go-ahead for IVF , that guideline is peer-enforced rather than mandated , and decisions typically are made on a case-by-case basis . Georgia Dardick , an advertising executive in Boynton Beach , Florida , was one of those cases . Dardick tried to conceive via IVF six times and seriously considered adoption , but at 51 , she was n't ready to let go of her desire to have a baby . `` Fifty was the cutoff for my doctor , but they agreed to give us one more try , '' she said . She had her daughter in January . Dardick said she never planned to have a baby at 51 , but feels that she made the right decision , despite the judgments others may have . `` The word selfish has come into my mind . But for any parent , having a child is selfish . No matter what your age is , once you have that child , you owe that child everything . I live the best , healthiest life I can . '' Doctors say society 's views of aging needs to change . `` The 40 and 45-year-old of today is not the 40-year-old of the past ; the 50-year-old -LSB- today -RSB- is not the same of the past , '' said Dr. John Jain , a physician at the Santa Monica -LRB- California -RRB- Fertility Clinic who has treated age-related infertility for 15 years . `` They 're eating healthy . A woman who is 45 is barely halfway through -LSB- her -RSB- life . '' Healthy or not , having a child at that age can cause tremendous stress on the body . Candidates for IVF after 45 use either an egg donor or their own frozen embryos from a prior cycle and are screened for underlying medical problems , such as diabetes , obesity , hypertension or lung disease , said Dr. Charles Coddington of the Mayo Clinic 's reproductive endocrinology department in Rochester , Minnesota . Still , `` if somebody were in good health , it would be hard to say , ` you should n't have a baby , ' '' he said . `` One has to judge where they are , health-wise and financially . '' But if a woman who claims to be 55 is actually in her mid-60s -- as Bousada reportedly did -- what 's a doctor to do ? Not much , physicians say . Watch report on death of 69-year-old mother '' `` The truth may get dimmed to fit into the realm of a patient that may be acceptable . I do n't sit there and say , ` Go get your birth certificate . ' If someone 's coming in and they 're saying they 're 52 or 55 , I take it at face value , '' Coddington said , who does refer questionable cases to the fertility center 's ethics board . Even for those who choose to use it , the availability of this technology can be a double-edged sword . Dardick said she would n't change anything , but if she did have to do it all over again , she said she may have considered adoption earlier . `` In a way , there 's this hope always out there for you , and once you get into it , it 's harder to break away , '' she said . It 's the intense desire to have a biological child that Manhattan-based psychotherapist Joan Wingroad , who specializes in fertility issues for women 40 and older , has been treating for 20 years . `` I work with women who 've been very successful . They went to the right schools , got married and they feel that everything comes to you if you work hard . But then they realize pregnancy does n't happen that way , '' said Wingroad . She helps her clients find balance -- and limits -- by creating a plan : How long should they try IVF ? How long until they consider adoption or child-free living ? `` They need that . '' Wingroad said , `` because many times a doctor will say , ` Look , this is your money , this is your dream ; who am I to say that you ca n't do it anymore . ' '' While doctors do help women try to reach their dream , Jain said he is n't afraid to tell a patient `` no '' if they simply are n't healthy enough -- or are just too old . But , Jain said , it 's all based on his judgment as a trained physician . `` Ninety-five percent of us do a great job about regulating ourselves . I personally do n't want to see more regulation , because it becomes problematic , and it can be more costly . Someone who 's failed three cycles and -LSB- has already spent -RSB- $ 50,000 -- with the next cycle , will I be more aggressive ? Certainly , '' Jain said . `` But maybe there 's a middle ground , if the rule is that donor IVF will not be offered for women over 55 years of age . Regulations at the extremes might be useful . '' Even though Dardick plans on living her life as a new mom for quite some time , she said having a baby at her age is n't ideal . She and her husband are taking careful precautions by adjusting their financial planning to make sure their daughter will be financially secure . They 're also tightening bonds with extended family and friends , should anything happen to her or her husband -- a decision Bousada may have made as well , as her twin boys are now in the custody of a relative . Those , Dardick said , are the decisions one has to make when having a child later in life . '' `` People feel that it 's not fair to the child because you may not live long enough , '' Dardick said . But as someone who lost a father as a teenager , she knows `` there are no guarantees in life . '' | If a woman is in good health , she can conceive and give birth into her 50s . Most fertility centers stop treating after 55 , but there are n't any laws to enforce this . Doctors say tougher regulations would hinder their ability to treat patients . Florida woman was able to have her miracle baby at 51 . | [[5402, 5481]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A hearing to consider who will raise Michael Jackson 's three children has been delayed another week , while lawyers work to avoid a court battle over custody . Debbie Rowe said she married Michael Jackson to avoid the taboo of having childrien out of wedlock . The delay -- the third one this month -- was announced Friday afternoon by a Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesman . Debbie Rowe , Jackson 's ex-wife and mother of his two oldest children , has not publicly revealed whether she will challenge Katherine Jackson , his 79-year-old mother , for custody or visitation rights . Katherine Jackson gained temporary guardianship of her son 's children soon after his death last month . The two women have been working to `` privately and amicably resolve '' the matter since Jackson 's death , a Jackson family lawyer said . Rowe 's lawyer said this week that she was not asking the Jackson family for more money in exchange for dropping a possible custody challenge . A close friend of Rowe said she has been grieving Jackson 's death -- grief made more painful by paparazzi hounding her and media reports vilifying Rowe by depicting her as a heartless woman who would trade her kids for cash . `` Debbie 's a very caring , wonderful , warm person , '' said Marc Schaffel , who met first met Rowe when he worked for Jackson . `` She 's a very humble person . People , you know , do n't give her credit that she was a friend of Michael 's for over 30 years . '' Jackson and Rowe met when she was working as a nursing assistant in the Beverly Hills office of Jackson 's dermatologist , Dr. Arnold Klein . Rowe said in a 2003 interview , later obtained by ABC News , that she became closer to Jackson in 1996 when she consoled him after his brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley ended . `` He was upset because he really wanted to be a dad , '' Rowe said . `` I said , ` So , be a dad . ' He looked at me puzzled . That is when I looked at him and said . ` Let me do this . I want to do this . You have been so good to me . You are such a great friend . Please let me do this . You need to be a dad , and I want you to be . ' '' She told the interviewer they married in 1996 only to `` prevent some of the taboo of a child out of wedlock . '' While Schaffel would not say if their relationship was sexual , he said Rowe had `` a true , true love there for Michael . '' Their first child , Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. , was born in February 1997 . A daughter , Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson , was born the next year . Details of how the children were conceived and who was the biological father have been closely guarded amid much public speculation . The couple divorced in 1999 with Rowe giving Jackson full custody while she got a $ 8.5 million settlement , according to court documents . Jackson later agreed to additional support . Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001 , but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children . A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated , opening the door to a possible custody battle . Rowe claimed in the 2003 interview that she still had `` some influence '' over how Jackson raised the children , citing his practice of covering their faces in public as her idea . `` That was my request , not his , '' she said . `` I am the one who 's terrified . I am the one who 's seen the notes that someone 's going to take his children , '' she said . She said the children do n't call her `` mom '' because she did not want them to . `` It 's not that they 're not my children , but I had them because I wanted him to be a father , '' she said . Rowe , 50 , lives on a farm in Palmdale , California , about 60 miles north of Los Angeles , where she breeds horses and dogs . `` She spends time with all of her horses and her dogs , '' Schaffel said . `` If one of her horses is sick , Debbie will stay up all night long caring for them . She 'll sleep on the floor in the barn with a horse if he 's not well . `` Debbie does n't run out to all of the social events , '' he said . `` You do n't see her shopping on Rodeo Drive . She 's not hitting the hot spots . She 's not trying to be in the limelight . Debbie is just as happy at home in her very modest , humble , horse ranch . '' When Hollywood 's paparazzi surrounded her outside a restaurant near her ranch earlier this month , she showed flashes of anger and frustration . `` Are you ready to fight for your kids ? '' a photographer repeatedly shouted . `` Are you ready to get your butt kicked ? '' she replied , as she walked through the swarm . Schaffel said Rowe wants privacy and she 's `` just trying to go on with her life . '' `` She does n't react well with the paparazzi , '' he said . Rowe 's lawyers have stepped up their efforts to bolster her public image by firing off warning letters and demanding retractions when they see reports they think are wrong . One letter sent Tuesday demanded the New York Post retract its report that Rowe had agreed to drop her custody claims for $ 4 million . `` Ms. Rowe has not accepted -- and will not accept -- any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago , '' Eric George said in the letter . `` Among the several contenders for overzealous and inaccurate sensationalism , the New York Post has now seized top honors , '' George wrote to the paper . `` It would be easier to identify those few background facts that are accurate than to catalog the number of blatant falsehoods in your story . '' `` The Post stands by its story , '' New York Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan told CNN . Rowe also filed a lawsuit this week against a woman who claimed in a TV interview to have e-mails from Rowe saying she did n't really want to raise the children . The suit asked that Rowe be given any money paid to the woman for the interview . CNN 's Kay Jones contributed to this report . | Lawyers for Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe working to avoid court battle . Rowe 's friend says vilification in the press exacerbating grief over Jackson 's death . Jackson and Rowe met when she was a nursing assistant for his dermatologist . She told ABC in 2003 that she wanted to help Jackson become a dad . | [[153, 204], [1023, 1092], [1093, 1138], [1516, 1636], [1658, 1687], [1671, 1687], [1690, 1716], [3655, 3701], [5794, 5801], [5806, 5831]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Consumer advocate Clark Howard revealed to listeners of his radio show on Wednesday that he has prostate cancer . Radio show host Clark Howard says doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer in its early stages . Howard is one of the best-known consumer experts in the country . He has a nationally syndicated radio show and a new weekend show on CNN sister network HLN . He also has written several books on consumer issues , including two that made The New York Times best-sellers list . `` I just wanted to give it to you right form the horse 's mouth , what 's going on with me , '' Howard , 53 , told listeners Wednesday during this radio show . The cancer was detected recently in its early stages , he said . His doctors had monitored his health for about 2 1/2 years after a routine test came came back with unusual results . The test was a Prostate-Specific Antigen -LRB- PSA -RRB- test to measure antigen , substances that stimulate an immune response in the body . If PSA levels are up , the chances of prostate cancer rise , and Howard 's levels were such that his doctor gave him PSA tests every 90 days to monitor antigen levels . He also had biopsies to test for cancer . The fourth and most recent biopsy found a `` very , very small isolated pocket of cancer , '' Howard said . `` Prostate cancer caught early is not a walk in the park , but is not really that big a deal , '' Howard said . `` I just wanted to clear the air because rumors take on a life of their own . '' According to the American Cancer Society , one in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetimes , and one in 35 will die of the disease . Although its numbers are not yet complete for 2008 , the organization estimated that during that year , there were about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the United States and about 28,660 men died from the disease . Among famous men who have been treated for prostate cancer are former Secretary of State Colin Powell , former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole , former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and actor Robert De Niro . There are various options for treating prostate cancer , all with different approaches . The American Cancer Society recommends considering things such as age , other serious health problems , stage of the cancer and side effects of treatment when selecting a method of treatment . Howard said his main point in talking about his diagnosis was to increase awareness among men . `` Guys put themselves in danger by not going to the doctor , '' he said . He spoke to female listeners as well as the men . `` Be a nag . Get your guy in to see the doctor , especially if you 're 40 and up , '' he said . | The Atlanta-based consumer advocate makes announcement on radio show . `` I just wanted to give it to you right form the horse 's mouth , '' Howard says . Biopsy reveals `` small , isolated pocket of cancer '' in early stages , he says . The radio show host , best-selling author tells women to urge men to get check-ups . | [[0, 7], [10, 102], [621, 630], [638, 687], [530, 591], [1315, 1331], [1428, 1444], [151, 249], [185, 249], [688, 740], [1224, 1312], [2619, 2652]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When emergency crews scramble to a celebrity 's home and it turns out to be a false alarm , journalists do n't usually write about it . Cher made the most of a false alarm , offering admiration for emergency personnel who came to her house . When the celebrity is Cher and her publicist issues an entertaining response to a reporter 's call , some entertainment writers ca n't resist . The electronic call for help sounded at Cher 's Malibu , California , home at 11:16 a.m. Thursday , spurring a flurry of activity . Ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the singer 's residence , sending journalists to their address books for Cher 's contact information . Her publicist , Liz Rosenberg , quickly responded to CNN 's questions with this e-mailed explanation : . `` Just spoke to Cher who confirmed it was a false alarm but said she never saw so many cute firemen and paramedics in her life , '' said Rosenberg 's response . `` She added there was an especially gorgeous black-haired ambulance driver that she is really sorry she did n't get to meet . Maybe there 'll be another false alarm ... '' We will keep you updated . | Security crews at Cher 's house set off false alarm . Emergency vehicles zoomed over , though for naught . Cheeky comment from Cher 's publicist : `` Many cute firemen and paramedics '' | [[242, 261], [266, 285], [873, 934]] |
-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- Her name was Margaret . She had an answer for everything , even questions I did n't ask her . She dominated team meetings , nearly jumping out of her chair with `` Look at me ! '' -- type comments aimed directly at the boss . There are some tactics to help you survive team destroyers . The rest of us sitting there , jaws slack with amazement and disgust -- we were merely a load she had to carry on her back . His name was Mike , and he had n't done a full day 's work in years , but he sure knew how to draw us into his life of woe . One night at 10 p.m. , I found myself finishing his report on deadline . He could n't be there , he said , because his father was sick . By that point , I was n't even sure he had a father . But there I was , alone , frustrated , and exhausted , in a state of loathing for work so intense I wished I could ditch it all . Oprah.com : The truth about saying no at work . And that is exactly where a dysfunctional co-worker -- or as I call them , an `` un-teammate '' -- can put you . It 's a crying shame , because working alongside a good team player is one of life 's most fulfilling experiences . She makes work enjoyable ; she makes it feel like something bigger than a paycheck . Working with team destroyers , well , destroys all that . They slow work down ; they sap its fun , trust , and creativity . And in the process , they invariably undermine the candid and energized debate that characterizes any successful group . So why are n't they all sent packing ? In good organizations , most are -- eventually . But many team destroyers are like workplace Houdinis , escaping damage to their own careers while making everyone else look bad . These are the people you must survive . But how ? The answer depends on the type of un-teammate you 're dealing with . Generally speaking , there are five : Boss Haters , Stars , Sliders , Pity Parties , and Self-Promoters . Each species has its own way of poisoning the environment and its own antidote . The first thing you can do is start with the assumption that virtually every team destroyer is an unhappy person . No one tries to damage co-workers , a team , or an entire organization without being a bit emotionally damaged themselves . Oprah.com : 6 signs you 're in the wrong job . Boss haters , stars and sliders . Let 's start with the boss haters -- you know the type . Harry will tell you his disdain for authority is a reasonable reaction to the tyranny of incompetent bosses . Elizabeth will tell you she refuses to be oppressed by corporate lackeys . Other Boss Haters have personal issues behind their nitpicking resistance to every directive from above . I once met a manager who told me , `` For a long time , I hated all my bosses because my father was a cruel authoritarian -- I almost ruined my own career . Thank God I came to my senses . '' Such conversion experiences are rare , however . Most Boss Haters persist , using every kind of subterfuge from eye-rolling to outright belligerence , until management loses patience and ousts them . Some Boss Haters are hard to extricate because of union rules or special skills . If that 's your situation , your best approach as the peer of a Boss Hater is a freeze-out . Do n't belabor Harry 's resistance or try reasoning with Elizabeth . Simply isolate ; refuse to listen to their ongoing complaints . Once they 're cut off from the group , Boss Haters tend to lose their energy . Now for Stars . Make no mistake -- organizations could not survive without their results . Fortunately , many key players are Stars largely because they are the best kind of employee , inclusive and inspiring , but some Stars can develop into real bullies . My team at a consulting firm had to endure Chad , an articulate -LRB- and , yes , brilliant -RRB- economics major from M.I.T. whom our clients adored . -LRB- Like other people in this piece , his name has been changed . -RRB- Sensing he was untouchable , Chad would bulldoze his ideas through the team process and ridicule anyone who dared to disagree . Another group I worked with suffered through Gwen , a marketing `` guru '' who 'd been stolen away from another firm to bestow her genius on us . She passively disrupted our discussions by not participating , her silence sending the message `` This nonsense is beneath me . '' We did n't have much recourse . Few bosses want to hear nattering about a goose that 's laying golden eggs . Your best option in terms of self-preservation is to accept Stars for the good they do and ignore the bad . I 've seen only one other approach work , but it 's hard to recommend . This technique involves playing to a Star 's weakness -- the need for constant praise . As strange as it may seem , many Stars are deeply insecure and can not receive enough ego stroking from bosses . Co-workers can play the same game , thereby drawing a Star back into the team process . But do n't try this unless you really feel the love for your own Chad or Gwen ; a phony intervention wo n't work . Sliders are former Stars , resting on their laurels and undermining their teams with apathy . Their unspoken excuse is `` I 've proven my worth around here ; I do n't need to scramble anymore . '' Take John Smith , a crusty old newsman who had won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Vietnam . I met him when we were both assigned to the same investigative team 20 years ago . The young reporters , myself included , fairly trembled in John 's exalted presence , but within weeks , it became obvious to us that he had no interest in interviewing sources or late-night stakeouts . He preferred to sit around the office drinking coffee and telling war stories to his in-house fan club . Fast-forward to the end of the project : a front-page article under the byline -- you guessed it -- John Smith and the newspaper team . The editors knew John had done minimal work , but in the newspaper business , one way of keeping score is by the number of Pulitzer Prize winners on staff . My solution at the time was to moan and groan with my teammates about the injustice of it all . What a waste . Sliders will always live inside a protective bubble that no peer can pierce , because they deliver tangible value to an institution . Do n't bother griping ; instead , buck up and join the Slider 's fan club , respecting him for contributions you can only imagine making . With that mind-set , you might even be able to turn your Slider into a mentor . To this day , I remember what John Smith taught me about reporting -- when I finally dumped my pointless indignation and asked him . Oprah.com : 10 ways to love your job right now . Pity parties and self-promoters . Pity Parties are those un-teammates who have an excuse for every act of inaction . Their computer melted down . Their elderly aunt came to visit or , like Mike , their father is sick . The most expert Pity Parties concoct long-running sympathy stories : bad backs , bad marriages , bad childcare , and so on . I do n't want to sound harsh . Sometimes people really do need time off or special accommodations , but Pity Parties make an art form of wriggling out of responsibility , and you 're left wondering if you 're a heel for resenting them -- or a dupe for helping them . Your best strategy is to steer clear of Pity Parties and their appeals for help . You 'll need to steel yourself to say no as often as humanly possible , even if they promise you , `` This is the very last time . '' The line I ended up using with Mike was `` I 'm in a bind too . Did you ask Rory for help ? '' -LRB- Rory was our boss . -RRB- . That response did not put an immediate end to Mike 's ways ; he went looking for other enablers . Still , it sent the signal -- both to Mike and my co-workers -- that I would not cut side deals . When enough of us started saying no , he left us alone . The final form of dysfunctional coworker is the Self-Promoter , like `` Look at Me '' Margaret , who saw every team assignment as an opportunity for personal advancement . In their pursuit of fame and glory , Self-Promoters occasionally sabotage peers . I once had a co-worker who used staff meetings , with the boss in attendance , to vociferously attack every other writer 's work as `` hackneyed '' or , her favorite word , `` superficial . '' If we pushed back against her critiques , she accused us of being competitive with her . There was no way to win . Usually , that 's the case with Self-Promoters . They can drub you with their narcissistic `` logic '' -- they 're right ; you 're just defensive -- and wear you down with their egocentric career campaign . But they ca n't smite everyone forever . After a few promotions , the moment comes for every Self-Promoter when they need a favor or help , and there is no one left to ask . So keep your head down and wait . And most important , keep overdelivering , even if your local weasel tries to steal all the credit . Self-Promoters might get more praise than they deserve , but in any good organization , real team players ultimately get what they deserve : respect and admiration . If you have any doubt about that , you might ask Margaret . I stopped working with her years ago , but I recently heard that the company asked her to move on -- just when she thought she had achieved the position of vice president , the goal she 'd been gunning for . Colleagues tell me she interviewed for jobs for a year afterward , but with less than enthusiastic references , she could n't land one . She ended up going out on her own as a consultant , and I just learned she 's a tireless and admired mentor for young women in a leadership program in Boston . I do n't know what she tells them , but I can venture a guess : Do everything you can at work to be a great team player , and learn to survive -LRB- and thrive -RRB- around those who are not . By Suzy Welch from O , The Oprah Magazine © 2009 . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions , Inc. . All Rights Reserved . | There are five common dysfunctional co-workers you may encounter . Types : Boss Haters , Stars , Sliders , Pity Parties , and Self-Promoters . Refuse to listen to a Boss Hater ; steer clear of Pity Parties ; turn Slider into a mentor . Praise will draw Star back to team but only if you can say it conviction . | [[7880, 7951], [3159, 3171], [3184, 3248], [3318, 3324], [3335, 3381], [6430, 6488], [7282, 7363], [7282, 7300], [7304, 7363]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- July is on track to be the deadliest month yet for British troops supporting Operation Enduring Freedom . Air Chief Marshall Jock Stirrup says the sacrifices of British forces are worth it . So far , 15 British servicemen have died in Afghanistan this month , mostly in connection with Operation Panther 's Claw , the British-led offensive in Helmand province that is mirroring a similar operation by U.S. Marines in the same area . Britain 's deadliest month in Afghanistan so far has been September 2006 , when 19 died -- 14 in a single incident , the crash of a Royal Air Force plane near Kandahar . The sudden spike in British deaths has triggered an outcry in the United Kingdom over the mission there and whether it will be successful . `` Every casualty is sad , every casualty is deeply felt by us in the military . I mean , they are part of our military family . The losses , of course , are felt most by the real families of those involved and the bereavement is terrible , '' Air Chief Marshall Jock Stirrup , the chief of defense staff for Great Britain , told CNN in an exclusive interview . But earlier , he pointed out , at the same time the 15 British troops had been killed , at least 197 Taliban forces had been confirmed killed in fighting . Watch questions being asked about the sacrifices '' `` These casualties are pretty one-sided . Sad though our losses are , they are very small compared to the losses that the enemy is taking , '' he said in an interview at the British Embassy . Stirrup , whose position is equivalent to Adm. Michael Mullen , the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff , said the government wants people to know that the sacrifices are worth it . `` This is a military operation and on military operations , you engage in fighting . That 's why we have militaries and , sadly , you take casualties . The real issue is , first of all , are we getting something of sufficient strategic benefit to justify the price that our people are paying ? '' he said . `` Secondly , are we doing everything we can to ensure that we achieve that strategic benefit with the minimum possible number of casualties ? And those , I think , are the key arguments in which we have to engage . '' The British military has been criticized for using vehicles that can not withstand the blast of a roadside bomb . Stirrup told CNN that the British troops are conducting missions that forces them out of protective vehicles . `` You ca n't engage with the population of Helmand from inside several inches of steel . You have actually to get out on the ground , '' Stirrup said . `` Our people have to get out there , they have to engage with the population and close with the enemy and that , alas , exposes them to risks and sometimes those risks materialize . Have we got the right equipment ? Well , we have excellent equipment on the ground and our troops will tell you that . '' But Stirrup admits that while the United Kingdom is constantly updating the equipment sent to Afghanistan , the results are delayed . `` It takes time for industry to produce the new equipment . It 's ordered , it 's being delivered , but it 's delivered over time , so it 's always that gap , if you like , between identifying that change requirement and being able to deliver it on the ground , '' Stirrup said . He said there is one British serviceman who wo n't have to worry about the dangers of Afghanistan : Prince William . `` Prince William is second in line to the throne . That produces certain difficulties to his employment in a combat environment , '' he said . `` I 'm not going to say one way or the other what we will do for the future . What I will say is that he is training at the moment to be a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot , which is a tremendously demanding occupation . It 's professionally demanding . It also is at times pretty hazardous , and I think he is going to find that challenge enough and reward enough in the short term . '' The prince 's younger brother , Prince Harry , served in Afghanistan for about 10 weeks until news of his deployment was leaked by a U.S. Web site . He was then pulled out to keep his unit from being targeted specifically aimed at him . | 15 servicemen have died this month , compared with 19 in September 2006 . Most deaths attributed to Operation Panther 's Claw in Helmand province . Air Chief Marshall says numbers pale in comparison to 197 Taliban deaths . Sudden spike triggers outcry in UK , criticism of vehicles used in operations . | [[219, 276], [452, 524], [1212, 1279], [622, 719], [2241, 2300]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ramin Ostadhosseini needed to vent , and this gathering seemed the place to do it . Teens at Camp Ayandeh learn how to blend their parents ' history and culture with their contemporary lifestyles . `` I get Raymond , Roman and sometimes Ramen noodles , '' he told the circle , describing how non-Iranians butcher his name . This group felt his pain . Here , sprawled out on a manicured lawn at Emory University were dozens of youths attending a weeklong summer camp designed to generate discussion on what it means to be Iranian-American . Like many attending Camp Ayandeh -- or `` future '' in Farsi -- Ramin has parents who were born in Tehran and immigrated to the United States after the Iranian revolution in 1979 . Born in Baltimore , Maryland , six years after the revolution , Ramin grew up with two distinct and , at times conflicting , influences : the American side that met him at school and the Iranian one that greeted him at home . It 's a first-generation story as old as the United States . It 's so common that Ayandeh counselors said the camp was created three years ago to address both Iranian and American parts of a new generation of Iranian-American youth -- a community they define as being `` hyphenated . '' Watch campers learn how to accept their backgrounds '' `` We 're really becoming mindful of how we define things , '' said Natasha Sallahi , a first-time counselor and aspiring filmmaker . `` We realize that sometimes one word does n't cover it all . So we 're trying to create better definitions ... by putting two things -LSB- Iranian-American -RSB- together . '' Camp Ayandeh is sponsored annually by Iranian Alliances Across Borders , a largely volunteer organization funded by individual donors and PARSA , a California-based philanthropic organization . First established on Thompson Island off eastern Massachusetts , Ayandeh began its gradual migration south the second year -- setting up at a campgrounds near Fairfax , Virginia . Iranian-American teens from high schools across the nation now flock to the new Georgia address to learn about their heritage and ask questions that range from relationships and college admissions to sexual orientation and discrimination -- issues that can come with distinctly different social parameters than their parents were once accustomed to in Iran . Camp counselor Siavash Samei remembers such angst all too well . `` There was not a single person that I could look at and say , ` He is me , ' '' Samei said , describing an absence of elder Iranian-American role models . '' ` He is what I can do . He can snap and he can dance . And at the same time , he can talk English without an accent . ' '' After two years as a camper , Samei returned this summer as counselor to help answer many of the same questions that plagued him a few years earlier . The typical adolescent anxieties and struggles were mixed with another layer of cultural confusion . `` As a high school student , I had a horrible time , '' he said . `` One day I would come into school very dressed up thinking , ` I 'm looking Iranian . ' One day I would be wearing the baggy pants and dressed completely American . And I had no clue which one was right . '' According to the U.S. Census Bureau , nearly 400,000 Iranian-Americans live in the United States . The largest wave of Iranian immigrants came to the U.S. immediately following the ouster of the Shah of Iran and the Islamic-led revolution in 1979 . Nearly three decades later , a new generation of Iranian-American youths are struggling to define themselves in these `` hyphenated '' communities . Bobak Moazami , a 17-year-old kid from Manhattan 's Upper West Side , said he likes to think of himself equally as part of both communities . `` I eat American food for lunch , '' he said . `` Every day at school I have a grilled chicken sandwich . Then I come home and have chelo kabob or qormeh-sabzi . '' For many of these students , traditional Iranian dishes such as qormeh-sabzi -- a stew of herbs and beef or lamb -- are a part of a heritage that at one time could only be preserved by their families . But with campers rediscovering pride in their cultural heritage , these teens are learning how to blend their parents ' history and culture with their contemporary lifestyles . Put simply , why not appreciate the old-world beats of the tonbak alongside the edgy lyrics of Kanye West ? At Camp Ayandeh , games of `` vasati , '' or Iranian dodgeball , and Iranian dancing sessions are scheduled next to public speaking and college prep workshops . And the campers bring their bicultural experiences back home . `` I read about American literature in the morning -LSB- at school -RSB- , '' Moazami said . `` We talk about great English poets like Shakespeare and Lord Byron , and then I come home and experience another set of great -LSB- Iranian -RSB- poets such as Hafez and Saadi . '' Nava Behnam , a 17-year-old who 's attended the camp twice , has a story that started out slightly different from most of those at Ayandeh . Unlike many of the American-born campers , Behnam immigrated to the United States at 5 after being born in Tehran . She has experienced little in the way of Iranian culture and tradition outside her home in Rockville , Maryland . `` I was never really surrounded by it too much , '' she said . `` Or if I was , it was Persian gatherings with my parents where I 'd sit in the back and be bored and have nothing to do . '' Twelve years after arriving in the U.S. , Behnam is part of a loyal following that returns to Camp Ayandeh each year . `` I come here to find my roots and to come to terms with where I belong and where I come from , '' she said . After going to Camp Ayandeh , Behnam said she now has `` an appreciation for Persian culture and our customs , '' even though she still describes herself as `` just another teenage girl going to high school in America . '' | Camp Ayandeh helps Iranian-American youth come to terms with both cultures . Iranian Alliances Across Borders sponsors summer camp . Nearly 400,000 Iranian-Americans live in the U.S. , Census Bureau says . Teen at camp says she has learned `` an appreciation for Persian culture '' | [[121, 234], [1637, 1707], [3247, 3282], [3285, 3345], [5732, 5759], [5762, 5842]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The economic downturn may take its toll at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival , which opens Wednesday night . But as always , the show will go on . Eli Roth and Brad Pitt are men on a mission in Quentin Tarantino 's `` Inglourious Basterds . '' Studios are cutting back on parties and all the glitz that goes with them , according to news reports . Moreover , there will be fewer people around to cover Cannes , as news organizations around the world trim costs . -LRB- Several , in fact , have tightened up by eliminating their movie reviewers . -RRB- . Nevertheless , those who attend may see a bumper crop of good and intriguing films , Variety 's Jay Weissberg told Reuters . `` We 've all been hoping Cannes would pull something out of the bag to make us feel good again . On paper , they have . '' Leah Rozen , film critic for People magazine , said there are several promising contenders for the Palme d'Or , Cannes ' top prize , as well as a number of notable movies premiering out of competition . `` What Cannes really is , is an international festival , and you really see world cinema , '' she said . `` This year , there are 52 films that are going to be represented , of which 20 are in competition . '' See Rozen talk about some of this year 's promising works '' Two of the films in competition are American : Quentin Tarantino 's World War II movie , `` Inglourious Basterds , '' and Ang Lee 's `` Taking Woodstock , '' a tale about the 1969 music festival . Tarantino told The New York Times that he 's been hoping to do a war movie for years . `` You 've got to make a movie about something , and I 'm a film guy , so I think in terms of genres , '' he said . However , the maker of `` Pulp Fiction '' and `` Jackie Brown '' added , that does n't mean what he ends up with resembles what he started with : `` It 's simply the spark that starts the fire . '' `` Inglourious Basterds '' was inspired by a 1978 Italian film that starred Bo Svenson -LRB- `` Walking Tall , Part 2 '' -RRB- and football player-turned-actor Fred Williamson -LRB- `` Black Caesar '' -RRB- . Tarantino 's film , which he characterized to the Times as `` not a remake , '' stars Brad Pitt and Mike Myers . Cannes has been good to Tarantino ; he won the Palme d'Or for `` Pulp Fiction '' 15 years ago . Buzz has been high on `` Basterds '' since Tarantino announced the project several years ago . `` Taking Woodstock , '' the new film by `` Brokeback Mountain '' director Lee , is based on the book by Elliot Tiber , whose hotelier parents owned a musical festival permit in Bethel , New York , where Woodstock was held . The cast includes Liev Schreiber , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Emile Hirsch , Imelda Staunton and Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur , on whose farm the festival was finally held . Other films in competition include Lars von Trier 's `` Antichrist , '' Jane Campion 's `` Bright Star '' and Pedro Almodovar 's `` Broken Embraces . '' Gallery : Some of Cannes ' recent winners '' But this year 's Cannes festival is attracting plenty of attention for its out-of-competition films as well . The festival is opening with `` Up , '' the latest animated work from Pixar . `` That sort of breaks convention to open with what is , basically , a fancy cartoon , '' Rozen said . Also at Cannes will be Heath Ledger 's last film , `` The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus . '' The Oscar-winning `` Dark Knight '' actor died during the making of the Terry Gilliam film ; Gilliam managed to complete it by doing some rewriting and casting other actors -- including Jude Law , Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp -- to play Ledger 's part . Despite the interest in seeing Ledger , the film is still struggling to find a buyer , though Entertainment Weekly recently reported that a Los Angeles screening went over well . Cannes , which also functions as a huge film marketplace , may widen the net in attracting distributors . But much of the fun from Cannes comes from the films that emerge from nowhere . Recent winners of the Palme d'Or include 2000 's `` Dancer in the Dark , '' which established singer Bjork as an actress , and `` 4 Months , 3 Weeks and 2 Days , '' a Romanian film that ended up topping many critics ' lists in 2007 . `` One thing that always surprises me is that some of the films you have the lowest expectations for turn out to be terrific , and sometimes the bigger films turn out to be disappointments , '' Rozen said . | Quentin Tarantino 's new film , `` Inglourious Basterds , '' playing Cannes . Heath Ledger 's last film , `` The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus , '' also to be shown . Pixar 's `` Up '' to open famed French festival , which begins Wednesday . | [[3289, 3332], [62, 91], [100, 123], [3103, 3137]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince '' hit thousands of theater screens across the country at midnight Wednesday . Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter develop a romance in `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . '' Since then , fans have been buzzing about some of the film 's most impressive scenes -- including one called `` I killed Sirius Black . '' In the scene , Potter is confronted by Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange , who is creating mischief for both the boy wizard and his latest crush , Ginny Weasley . -LRB- Death Eaters are followers of the series villain , Voldemort . -RRB- . Exhilarating for some , but frustrating for others , this particular scene from the franchise 's sixth installment is a cinematic creation , as it never occurs in the J.K. Rowling novel . Watch the excitement of `` Potter 's '' scene '' That aside , it includes pyrotechnic explosions , blazing fires , a massive chase sequence and the use of dark arts -- the Harry Potter version of black magic . In this week 's `` The Scene , '' actors Daniel Radcliffe , who plays Harry Potter ; Bonnie Wright , who stars as Ginny Weasley ; and director David Yates comment on the action . | `` Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince '' came out Wednesday . Film has key scene involving Harry and Bellatrix Lestrange . Scene is not in J.K. Rowling 's book , but a cinematic creation . | [[669, 754], [760, 803]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Financial crisis-stricken Iceland formally applied for European Union membership on Friday , a day after lawmakers narrowly backed a government plan to take the island nation into the economic and political bloc . Icelandic PM Johanna Sigurdardottir pledged to take Iceland into the EU during April 's election campaign . A copy of the application was submitted to the Swedish government , which currently holds the EU 's rotating presidency , Iceland 's Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement . Iceland 's economy was devastated by the collapse of the island 's banking system last year , leading to the resignation of the country 's government . In elections in April , center left leader Johanna Sigurdardottir was elected prime minister after pledging to take Iceland into the EU . On Thursday , Iceland 's parliament , the Althing , voted in favor of the government plan by 33 votes to 28 with two abstentions . `` This is a historic day for Iceland , '' Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson said in a statement . `` As a European nation already deeply integrated into European structures ... we now look forward to taking the next logical step , in close cooperation with our European partners . '' Welcoming Iceland 's application , European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said : `` The decision of the Icelandic Parliament is a sign of the vitality of the European project and indicative of the hope that the European Union represents . Iceland is a European country with long and deep democratic roots . '' Iceland already benefits from a free trade arrangement with European Union member states , latterly as a participating member of the European Economic Area , which was established in 1994 , and formerly through a bilateral free trade agreement with the EEC , the EU 's predecessor . But Icelanders have traditionally been skeptical of the benefits of full EU membership , fearing that they would lose some of their independence as a small state within a larger political entity . At present three other states in southeastern Europe -- Croatia , FYR Macedonia and Turkey -- are candidate countries for EU membership . `` I am pleased that the EU 's enlargement agenda may soon extend to Europe 's north-western corner as well , with Iceland , a country with deep democratic traditions , in addition to our continued commitment to South East Europe , '' said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn . | Iceland applies for EU membership after lawmakers back government plan . Island 's economy was devastated by collapse of banking system last year . Iceland already enjoys free trade deal with EU member states . European Commission President hails Iceland 's `` long , deep democratic roots '' | [[0, 15], [19, 109], [124, 232], [820, 831], [834, 855], [872, 950], [530, 621], [530, 548], [624, 681], [1561, 1649], [1490, 1557]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is sinking billions of dollars into a new wind farm in Texas . It is likely to become the biggest in the world , producing enough power for the equivalent of 1.3 million homes . CNN 's Ali Velshi asked the oil legend why he thinks wind could be the answer to this country 's energy problems : . T. Boone Pickens explains his investment in a 4,000-megawatt wind farm to CNN 's Ali Velshi . Ali Velshi : Tell me about the wind . Now , you are buying , for a start , more than 600 wind turbines from General Electric . You 're going to put them on this big tract of land in Texas , and you 're going to generate a lot of electricity . What happens to that electricity ? Tell me where you think you 're going to make your money and how this is going to help the situation in America . T. Boone Pickens : Well , that 's the first step to a 4,000-megawatt wind farm . This is 1,000 megawatts . We start receiving those turbines in mid 2010 . We will have the total 4,000 megawatts finished by the end of 2015 . That power will go into a transmission line that will tie into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas system in the state of Texas , and it will be transmitted downstate . Watch why Pickens is willing to spend billions on wind '' Velshi : What 's your view of wind power ? It 's one of several things that we should be looking at in terms of powering our homes , electrical power ? We get most of it from coal and natural gas , and some from nuclear . Are you thinking it 's one of the formats of power we should be thinking about , or is this going to be bigger than we all thought ? Pickens : The Department of Energy came out with a study in April of '07 that said we could generate 20 percent of our electricity from wind . And the wind power is -- you know , it 's clean , it 's renewable . It 's -- you know , it 's everything you want . And it 's a stable supply of energy . It will be located in -LSB- the -RSB- central part of the United States , which will be the best from a safety standpoint to be located . You have a wind corridor that goes from Pampa , Texas , to the Canadian border . And it has -- the wind , it 's unbelievable that we have not done more with wind . Look at Germany and Spain . They have developed their wind way beyond what we have , and they do n't have as much wind as we do . It 's not unlike the French have done with their nuclear . They 're 80 percent power generated off of nuclear , we 're 20 percent . Velshi : I 'm fascinated by wind power . I love going by a field of these turbines . And I think they 're fascinating . You do n't happen to think they 're attractive , and you 're not really putting them on your land . You 're going to be using other people 's land to put these things on . Pickens : That 's right . And it 's very clear , these are my neighbors . And they want them . It generates income for them . A turbine will generate somewhere around 20,000 -LSB- dollars -RSB- a year in royalty income . And on a 640-acre tract , you can put five to 10 of these on the tract . And you do n't have to have them if you do n't want them . Velshi : And it 's quite common that people who maybe have a piece of land , they might be farmers or something like that , this is extra income to them by making a deal with somebody like you who is going put these things up , if they do n't mind having them on the land . Do they get the electricity from it or do they just get a royalty check ? Pickens : A royalty check . But look at Sweetwater , Texas . That town was 12,000 people , then went down below 10,000 . The wind came in , it 's above 12,000 in population now . The local economy is booming . That can be repeated over and over and over again all the way to the Canadian border . Then you have a solar corridor that goes from Sweetwater , Texas , west to the West coast , and that solar corridor can also be developed . But we are going to have to do something different in America . You ca n't keep paying out $ 600 billion a year for oil . | Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens planning 4,000-megawatt wind farm . Power will tie to Electric Reliability Council of Texas transmission lines , says Pickens . He will put the turbines on other people 's land . A turbine will generate around $ 20,000 a year in royalties , says Pickens . | [[16, 40], [0, 15], [19, 117], [350, 443], [836, 852], [867, 916], [1060, 1103], [1079, 1103], [1109, 1193], [2729, 2800], [2755, 2800], [2896, 2926], [2927, 3021]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fight police misconduct with a cell phone , the NAACP says . The century-old civil rights organization has launched an online reporting system that lets users upload cell phone images of alleged police abuses . The Rapid Report System also lets users send text messages and e-mails about alleged misconduct . `` We know that most of police officers around the nation are excellent public servants . But the few who violate people 's rights are often not held accountable , '' said Benjamin Jealous , president and CEO of the NAACP . `` Research has shown that there are many barriers to reporting incidents of police misconduct , including intimidation at police departments and a lack of trust in the integrity of the system , among other reasons . This breakdown leads to an absence of public safety and a deterioration of the quality of life in many communities of color . '' The NAACP unveiled the online system Monday at its national convention in New York City . Users can post images from their cell phones or online . Cell phone footage has repeatedly helped spotlight alleged police misconduct in recent years . The fatal shooting of an unarmed man in Oakland , California , on New Year 's Day made headlines and spread across the Internet partly because of cell phone video . The killing sparked large protests in Oakland and led to a murder charge against the transit officer . | NAACP unveils new program to allow people to report alleged police misconduct . Texts , e-mails can also be sent to document alleged police misdeeds . Unarmed California man 's shooting captured on phone garnered national attention . | [[89, 238], [907, 996], [239, 262], [268, 336], [1149, 1249], [1149, 1230], [1250, 1313]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An air-supported roof over the Dallas Cowboys ' practice field collapsed during a heavy thunderstorm Saturday afternoon , leaving 12 people injured , authorities said . An aerial view of the scene shows the Dallas Cowboys logo amid the ruins of the indoor practice facility . About 70 people , including more than two dozen of the team 's rookies , were in the facility when it was blown down shortly before 3:30 p.m. -LRB- 4:30 p.m. ET -RRB- , team officials said . Two or three suffered serious injuries , but none were believed to be in life-threatening condition Saturday night , said Dr. Paul Pepe , Dallas County 's emergency medical services chief . CNN affiliate WFAA reported Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis , the son-in-law of former NFL head coach Dan Reeves , suffered a broken back . DeCamillis was seen on a stretcher wearing a neck brace . A line of heavy thunderstorms was moving through the Dallas area at the time , he said , but no other damage to buildings was reported , said Mike Adams , a dispatcher for the Irving , Texas , fire department . Watch the roof collapse on players , coaches '' Arnold Payne , a photographer for WFAA , was shooting the Cowboys ' practice session when rain began falling `` tremendously hard . '' `` I noticed the walls started to waver ... and then I noticed that the lights that were hanging from the ceiling started to sway , and it would n't stop , '' Payne told CNN . Shortly after that , he said , `` It was as if someone took a stick pin and hit a balloon . '' Watch Payne describe being inside when structure collpased '' Payne said Cowboys staff photographers were up in the metal framework beneath the canopy to film the practice session and `` actually rode the building down with the storm . '' At least one was in surgery Saturday night , he said . `` There was nowhere for them to go , and it fell so fast -- it just collapsed as if it was being imploded , '' Payne said . Video from CNN affiliate WFAA showed the roof caving in during a heavy storm , sending players , coaches and a handful of reporters and photographers scrambling to escape . Cowboys ' owner Jerry Jones told NBC that about 27 rookies from the NFL team and members of the team 's coaching staff were inside the suburban Dallas facility at the time . `` They did not get good warning there , and the structure did collapse , '' Jones said , speaking from the Kentucky Derby in Louisville . `` We 're assessing who 's injured at this particular time . '' CNN 's Matt Smith contributed to this report . | NEW : Witness : Team photographers were up in framework of structure , rode it down . Dallas Cowboys ' practice facility collapses during thunderstorm , injuring 12 . None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening , says county EMS chief . About 70 people were inside the facility when it fell , fire official says . | [[1612, 1700], [1734, 1785], [26, 81], [0, 15], [57, 138], [0, 15], [141, 166], [149, 166], [169, 180], [1969, 2045], [531, 535], [550, 600], [486, 498], [531, 535], [603, 675], [295, 365], [368, 461]] |
-LRB- MENTAL FLOSS -RRB- -- When we think of economic crises in America , two periods come to mind -- the Great Depression and whatever it is we 're in the middle of right now . But the U.S. stock market has crashed more times than we 'd like to admit . Historically , our economy has been brought to its knees by everything from greedy bankers to horse illnesses . Horses , cows , whales and a failed copper scheme caused economic panics earlier in U.S. history . So let 's take a deep breath and remember that panics are just part of the American way of life . 1 . The Panic of 1873 : America stops horsing around . During the late 19th century , the American economy relied on horses the way it depends on gas today . Horses unloaded cargo from ports , transported goods from city to city , worked the farms , supported the army , and served as the emergency vehicles of choice . Without them , the American workforce would have ground to a halt . And that 's exactly what happened in 1872 , when an estimated 99 percent of all horses in America contracted equine influenza . The highly contagious strain started in Canada and spread through New England to the South in a matter of months , leaving horses across the country too weak to stand and coughing uncontrollably . Street buggies stopped running , paralyzing commerce in the cities . Railroads were stymied because trains run on coal -- coal that was hauled out of mines by horses . And as the horse flu spread , U.S. military troops had to go into battle on foot -LRB- they were fighting Apache Indians at the time -RRB- . More tragically , a fire in Boston raged for three days because there were no horses to carry water . The flames destroyed more than 700 buildings , causing an estimated $ 73.5 million in damages and killing at least 20 people . The `` Great Epizootic , '' as it was called , spiraled out of control in less than a year . At the height of the panic , as many as 20,000 businesses failed , a third of all railroads went bankrupt , and unemployment spiked to almost 15 percent . The economy took nearly a decade to recover . Ironically , nearly all of the horses recuperated by the following spring . 2 . The Winter of 1886 : When the cows do n't come home . During the second half of the 19th century , cattle ranches in the American West were thriving . From the Montana grasslands to the Texas prairie , ranches were attracting investors back East and across the pond in Europe . But by 1886 , things were getting dicey . Overgrazing , coupled with a hot and dry summer , had left the plains almost bare . Then came the snow . Known as the `` Winter of Death , '' the following season saw one of the worst cold spells in recorded history . More than half the cattle in the West froze to death , unable to move in the thick snow . Ghoulish firsthand accounts describe the bodies of dead cows stretching for miles across the horizon . When the spring thaw and floods came , thousands of bloated corpses floated into the streams and rivers . Some ranchers quit the business entirely and did n't even bother to round up their surviving cattle . Mental Floss : Bold business scams that failed miserably . By the end of 1887 , the disaster had wiped out more than half of the United States ' western cattle and debilitated the national economy . Most cattle investors went bankrupt , and thousands of cowboys were left unemployed . But more than anything , the winter of 1886 put an end to all those turn-of-the-century , idyllic fantasies of open-range ranching in the Wild West . 3 . The Panic of 1907 : Captains of industry to the rescue ! The Panic of 1907 started the way many panics do , with a greedy capitalist . Multimillionaire Augustus Heinze , who had made his fortune mining in Montana , believed he had enough control over the copper industry to corner the market . With the help of several major banks , he concocted a scheme to buy up all the shares of United Copper . But Heinze had overestimated his prowess , and the scheme failed , bringing down Heinze , United Copper , the banks , and many , many stockholders . Mental Floss : Who is Ponzi and what was his scheme ? The debacle sent ripples of anxiety throughout the market , and investors started pulling their money out of banks altogether . After one of New York City 's biggest trusts went under , panic ensued , and the stock market collapsed . At the time , there were no central banks in place , so the federal government had no means of bailing out businesses or injecting cash into the economy . It just stood by , idly waiting for a hero to save the day . Amazingly , one did . James Pierpont Morgan , banker extraordinaire , rescued the American economy . He propped up many of the failing banks in New York by twisting the arms of other financiers , and he assuaged investors ' fears by backing up the market with his own vast cash reserves . Before long , Wall Street was on the mend . The government also learned its lesson . With the panic resolved , it created the Federal Reserve , ensuring that it could buttress the economy during hard times . Since then , the government has taken a more active role in financial matters and relied less on the kindness of robber barons . 4 . Whale of a Crisis : The collapse of America 's first oil industry . During the early 19th century , America was one of the top oil-producing countries in the world . But it was n't petroleum the nation was exporting ; it was whale oil . By the mid-1800s , the high-risk , high-profit business was the fifth-largest industry in the United States . Mental Floss : 6 things you probably do n't know about oil . At its height , the American whaling industry produced more than 10 million gallons of oil a year and sold it for $ 1.77 a gallon -LRB- about $ 35 per gallon today -RRB- . Better still , an American fleet of 1,000 ships had exclusive access to the North Atlantic territories , which ensured profits . What could have stopped such a juggernaut of an industry ? For one thing , other sources of oil . In 1846 , Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner developed a technique for distilling kerosene from petroleum , and within a few decades , kerosene had replaced whale oil as the most popular fuel for lamps . Another reason for the decline was that the whales were dying off . The enthusiastic slaughter throughout the 1800s drove some whale species to extinction and put others on the brink . With so few left to hunt , the cost of whaling became prohibitively expensive . The final blow to whalers came during the harsh winter of 1871 , when the North Atlantic ice trapped and crushed the bulk of the American fleet . Although American consumers did n't suffer as the country switched from whale oil to petroleum , coastal towns in New England and the Mid-Atlantic languished , and shipbuilders and fishermen found themselves out of work . By the time of the Civil War , whaling ships had become so worthless that Union soldiers loaded a fleet of them with stones and sank them into Charleston harbor . The hope was to blockade the South from the port , but when the plan did n't work , the ships were no great loss . America 's first oil industry had been tapped out . For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved . | Odd things caused U.S. economy to tank four other times . Disease kills 99 percent of horses in 1872 , causing business failures , bankruptcies . Dry summer , record cold winter in 1886 wipes out half the cattle in West . 1907 copper scheme causes run on banks , banker uses own money to stop it . | [[254, 266], [269, 365], [1000, 1078], [1907, 1933], [1936, 1971], [2647, 2725], [2726, 2778], [2726, 2769], [2788, 2815], [3186, 3204], [3207, 3286], [3437, 3561], [4818, 4820], [4848, 4906]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Comedian Joan Rivers and real estate mogul Donald Trump -- that 's a twosome never known for mincing their words . Joan Rivers appeared on CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' Monday night and explained her explosive confrontations . Trump selected Rivers as this season 's winner of `` The Celebrity Apprentice , '' and they appeared on `` Larry King Live '' Monday night , full of their classic candor . Among the topics covered : Rivers ' long-running war of words with runner-up Annie Duke , her dust-up and make-up with Clint Black and the `` reason '' she is against same-sex marriage . And the Donald explains why Rivers had what it took to emerge the winner . The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity : . Larry King : Donald , was it a tough decision ? Donald Trump : Well , it was . Joan fully understands it was a very , very tight race . And Annie -LSB- Duke -RSB- was terrific and Joan was terrific . In the end , I decided to go with Joan . She displayed tremendous courage . She really took a lot of abuse over the course of 14 weeks . King : Joan , in last night 's finale , you beat poker champion Annie Duke . You and Annie were still at each other up until the final moments . Let 's take a look . -LSB- King shows a video clip from `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' -RSB- . Annie Duke : I do not know a boardroom in this country where someone would be allowed to say that someone would spit on the ground and drown their mother in it , where someone would be allowed to call their friends Mafia , where someone would be allowed to say that someone is worse than Hitler . If that happened in a real office ... Joan Rivers : You 're not worse than Hitler ... Duke : ... in a real boardroom . Rivers : Hitler never had PMS . Duke : This is what I 'm saying . If it happened in a real boardroom , she would have to be fired or that would be actionable . Rivers : ... I have run a business for 20 years honorably . I have never fired anybody . I am the Number One jewelry business on television , with honor . -LSB- End of video clip -RSB- . King : Oh , boy . Rivers : Yes , oh boy . Trump : And , Larry , that was the nice part . Watch Larry King 's interview with Rivers and Trump '' King : Joanny , where did you come up with that ` worse than Hitler ' crack ? Rivers : Oh , I do n't know . You know , you 're always saying things . Hitler is the worst villain in the world . So when you really get furious at someone , you say , ` Oh , you 're a female Hitler ' or something , you know ? It 's just an expression . But I stand behind it . King : What did she do to you ? Rivers : She was very duplicitous ... there was so much mud-slinging , which I 'm not going to go into . I was told she said she wished I would die ; she said I was a cancer . King : What did you make of that squabble , Donald ? Trump : Well , I liked it very much . ... Especially this morning , when the ratings came in , because it was a ratings bonanza last night for NBC . King : What does Joanny get now ? Trump : She got $ 250,000 plus she raised hundreds of thousands more during the course of the 14 weeks . But she gets $ 250,000 . That goes to God 's Love We Deliver , which is a great charity in New York . King : What surprised you about this contest ? Trump : Well , I was just impressed with the intelligence , with the energy and verve that Joan had . I mean , Joan 's energy was beyond everybody else 's . And she was n't necessarily the youngest person on the panel . King : Joan , what surprised you about this experience ? Rivers : How it became so much more than a television game or a show . It became absolutely something I wanted to do . It was like I was going to win for my charity . King : What got you so emotionally involved , not just with Annie , other contestants ? Rivers : Larry , I play totally full-out . And you get very worn down . It 's all these weeks and weeks of getting up at 5:30 in the morning , working until 11:00 at night , no assistants to help you . You 're out there on the firing line . And , you know , the differences arise and show very quickly . You know who 's good , you know who 's bad , you know who 's a liar , you know who 's lazy , you know who 's brilliant , you know who 's a good worker . And after a while , you just play -- it becomes `` Lord of the Flies . '' King : Joan , by the way , written a Web exclusive for us about her `` Celebrity Apprentice '' win . Click here for Joan Rivers ' blog , exclusively on CNN.com . King : Do you think you 'll ever make up with Annie ? Rivers : Well , I went over afterward ; I went over to congratulate her , and I made her stand up . ... Nobody lost last night , for God 's sake . No one heard of Annie Duke before this show . Now everyone 's heard of her . Her charity made $ 700,000 . ... And what did upset me was on the way out , her whole group gave us the finger and booed . And I thought that was . . not good . Not good . King : Why does this get so dramatic ? Rivers : Because it 's `` Lord of the Flies . '' You have no sleep . King : Were n't you and Clint Black kind of mad at each other for a while and now it 's OK ? Rivers : Oh , yes . Clint is a chauvinist . My joke is now he would n't even let his wife have Equal in her coffee . You know , that 's Clint . But Clint is Clint . You get very angry at him , but at least you know that 's Clint . You know what 's going to be dealt to you . King : What did you learn from doing this ? Rivers : So many people in this country are counted out from the age of 60 . When I walked in , I looked them all over , I thought : ' I can take you all with one behind my back at 75 . ' King : Did you expect to win ? Rivers : Truly , no . Donald plays it so close and so intelligently . I did not know until they called out her name . I really thought they were going to say , Joan you 're wonderful , but you 're too emotional and blah , blah , blah . And Annie raised so much money -- which , indeed , she did . I was in shock and thrilled . Rivers : Can I say one thing quickly ? King : Quick . Rivers : Gay marriage , I am so against it because all my gay friends are out . And if they get married , it will cost me a fortune in gifts . | Joan Rivers infuriated `` Apprentice '' rival Annie Duke over comparison to Hitler . Donald Trump says he loved the confrontations -- and the ratings that followed . Rivers says experience of being on `` Apprentice '' is like `` Lord of the Flies '' She jokes Clint Black is so chauvinist he would n't let his wife have Equal in her coffee . | [[5182, 5205], [5206, 5278], [5221, 5278]] |
PESHAWAR , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Twenty well-behaved boys sit on the floor in two rows , quietly eating a humble lunch of flat bread , water and beans . The `` lost boys '' of Swat enjoy a humble lunch of flat bread , water and beans . Their hair is neatly combed and they are dressed in spotless Pakistani shalwar kamiz long shirts and baggy trousers . These boys are orphans , and they are lucky to be alive . `` Sir , it was very dangerous , '' explained 15-year-old Mohammad Nawaz . Last Friday , Nawaz and his friends escaped from Pakistan 's Swat Valley after their orphanage ended up on the front-line of the government 's war with the Taliban . When hostilities resumed in Swat two weeks ago , Pakistani soldiers from nearby barracks commandeered the roof of the four-story orphanage in Swat 's district capital , Mingora , to use it as a lookout . They built sandbag bunkers on the roof , and buried landmines in the orphanage 's playground . Then , Taliban militants laid siege to the building . Nawaz said `` many '' insurgents armed with rocket launchers and Kalashnikov assault rifles surrounded the orphanage . Watch more on the boys ' ordeal '' About 50 terrified orphans , accompanied by adult support staff , cowered in a back room on the ground floor . Shaken by the explosions and small-arms fire around their building , the older boys , some aged 16 and 17 , tried to console the youngest children , some of whom are as young as seven . They were all crying . It was n't until last Friday that the first batch of orphans were able to escape . `` We had to ride on the roof of a bus , '' said 16-year old Mohammad Yusuf , a soft-spoken teenager with the beginnings of a beard appearing on his chin . After a creeping , traffic-choked , three-hour drive from Mingora , the boys and their teachers begged for a ride from a passing vegetable truck . Yusuf said the boys rode the rest of the way to Peshawar sitting in the back of a truck on bags of peas , stopping only when the truckers had to remove the cargo to have it washed . Watch more on the situation in the Swat Valley '' `` When the peas were washed and loaded again , we all got wet , '' said Yusuf , laughing . Now the boys are relatively safe and receiving some counseling from therapists at a shelter in Peshawar provided by another Pakistani charity organization , the Dost Foundation . The children have seen more then their share of violence during two years of intermittent fighting around the Swat Valley . When asked about the worst moment two boys immediately responded `` suicide bombers , '' making explosive gestures with their hands from their chests . Due to the orphanage 's close proximity to a Pakistani army base in Mingora , the boys were often witnesses to the aftermath of Taliban attacks . In one incident a suicide bomber blew out all of the glass windows of the orphanage . Opinions were split among the boys about the Taliban . `` They want Islam , '' said Nawaz , referring to the Taliban 's demand for the imposition of Islamic sharia law across Pakistan . The proposal resonates with many Pakistanis , who are frustrated with corruption in the country 's judicial system . `` The Taliban dropped the price of public transport , '' Nawaz said , adding , `` Plus they used to help sort out traffic jams . '' Watch more on the refugee situation '' `` We are angry with the Taliban , '' argued Yusuf , the 16-year-old . `` There is no rule in Islam that allows you to behead someone . '' Since the arrival of the boys in Pakistan 's western city of Peshawar , social workers have been trying to help them relax . They spent the weekend playing cricket in the small yard of their half-way house , watching movies and on Sunday getting a tour of the city . Several boys said they were looking forward to seeing an airport for the first time in their lives . But orphanage director Muhammad Ali was wracked with worry about their future . Out of sight of the children , he broke down weeping . `` I am the father of these children , '' Ali said . `` This is not an orphanage , this is our home ... now finished . '' Ali spent the afternoon on Sunday desperately trying to call a final group of 24 boys who were trying to escape from Mingora . They left on foot , because the road out of Mingora was mined and there was a shortage of vehicles for the evacuation of refugees . Ali said the orphans , accompanied by adult administrators , had split into groups of five , with three older boys equipped with a cell phone and cash leading two younger boys . By nightfall , the orphans had walked for hours . They spent the night on the floor of a religious school outside Mingora , after authorities re-imposed a curfew in the Swat Valley . On Monday evening the children arrived exhausted and dirty in Peshawar after traveling more than 24 hours . One of their adult chaperones estimated they had to travel on foot for more then 20 miles before eventually finding vehicle transport to complete the journey . Administrators said one of the boys , named Ubaid , somehow became separated from the rest of the group , and ended up staying behind . They say he is back at the orphanage in Mingora , being cared for by the Pakistani soldiers stationed there . `` It was a long , chaotic journey and experience that I will never forget , '' said Imran Khan , one of the orphanage 's wardens . He said he had spent part of the journey carrying on his back a boy with a spinal problem . `` Swat used to be known as paradise on earth , '' Khan said . `` Now it has become hell on earth . '' More than 360,000 people have fled the conflict zone since May 2 . | Boys flee their Swat Valley orphanage after Taliban attack their home . Army had set-up position in their building , mining the playground . The boys cowered in a back room , as the fighting raged outside . They eventually rode to safety on top of a bus and back of a vegetable truck . | [[493, 658], [863, 867], [908, 957], [1166, 1192], [1232, 1276], [1572, 1607], [1872, 1975]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Singer-actress Mandy Moore and rocker Ryan Adams were married this week in Savannah , Georgia , Moore 's publicist told CNN on Wednesday . Mandy Moore first found recording success in 1999 with her single `` Candy '' and is now a well-known actress . The wedding took place Tuesday , said Jillian Fowkes , who gave no further details about the nuptials . Rumors first surfaced almost a year ago that Moore , 24 , and Adams , 34 , were dating , as paparazzi photos surfaced of the couple out together in Los Angeles , California . Moore 's first success as a recording artist came in 1999 with her debut album , `` So Real , '' which went platinum with the help of her top-10 single `` Candy . '' Adams is known for producing rock music with a country influence . He is best known for his song `` New York , New York '' , which appeared on his 2001 release `` Gold . '' Adams is also an author and has produced music for Jesse Malin and Willie Nelson . He recently announced that he was leaving his band , The Cardinals , because of inner ear troubles affecting his balance and hearing . Adams has fronted The Cardinals since 2004 . | Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams married quietly in Savannah , Georgia . Couple was first spotted together by paparazzi almost a year ago . He recently announced he is leaving The Cardinals . | [[0, 102], [971, 1039]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il , in a rare television interview Tuesday , shed some light on who might eventually take over leadership of the country . Kim Jong Nam , 35 , in southern China 's casino haven of Macau on January 30 , 2007 . Kim Jong Nam told TV Asahi in Macau that he does not care about politics or succeeding his father . `` Personally , I am not interested in this issue -LRB- succession -RRB- , '' he said in an interview with the Japanese television network . `` Sorry , I am not interested in the politics . '' The rules governing transfer of power in the secretive communist nation are unclear . Kim Jong Il rules without challenge and has built a cult of personality around himself and his family . He is widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August and has been absent from many public functions in recent months . In April , he named his son Kim Jong Un and brother-in-law , Jang Song Thaek , to the country 's powerful National Defense Commission , suggesting his third son may be his heir . `` I hear that news in the media , '' Kim Jong Nam said . `` I think it 's true ... however , it is my father 's decision . So once he decides , we have to support him . '' iReport.com : How should the U.S. approach North Korea ? There has been speculation that Kim Jong Nam would defect from North Korea and that a purge of his supporters was under way . He told Asahi he saw no reason for leaving his homeland . | Kim Jong Nam tells TV Asahi he has no interest in leading North Korea . Kim Jong Nam is eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il . Rules of succession in secretive communist state unclear . Kim Jong Il widely reported to have suffered stroke last year . | [[276, 375], [451, 516], [569, 640], [569, 654], [759, 816]] |
ROME , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI had surgery on his right wrist Friday after he broke it in a fall , the Vatican said . Pope Benedict XVI arrives at a resort in northern Italy 's Val d'Aosta region Monday . He broke his wrist Thursday . The pope left the hospital Friday afternoon and was returning to his summer home in Italy 's Val d'Aosta region , spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNN . Doctors administered local anesthesia and put the pope 's wrist in a cast , Lombardi said , adding the procedure was minor . `` There is no particular reason to cause alarm , '' Lombardi said . The pope , 82 , fell Thursday night in his room in Val d'Aosta , a mountainous region of northwestern Italy , the Vatican said . The pope arrived there Monday . The pope `` tripped or slipped in his room , '' Lombardi said . `` It was dark , in the middle of the night . It was not due to dizziness . The fact that the Holy Father waited to go to the hospital shows that it was not serious . '' He was taken to the hospital in the region 's central town of Aosta on Friday morning after celebrating his daily private Mass , the Vatican said . Benedict 's schedule for the coming days must still be confirmed , but Lombardi said he believed the pope will be able to hold his weekly Sunday Angelus from his summer home this weekend . CNN 's Hada Messia contributed to this report . | Pope Benedict XVI briefly hospitalized after breaking wrist in fall . The pope , 82 , fell Thursday night in his room at mountain retreat . He went to hospital Friday after celebrating his daily private Mass . | [[7, 28], [32, 80], [88, 115], [224, 253], [608, 616], [624, 670], [769, 777], [792, 811], [1003, 1129]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A second person has died during construction for Madonna 's upcoming concerts in Marseilles , France , authorities said Friday . Firefighters leave the Stade Velodrome stadium in Marseille after the accident on Thursday . The second fatality was a 32-year-old British citizen , the British Foreign Office and a high-ranking police official said . It was not clear whether the person was a man or woman , but the next of kin had been informed , the Foreign Office said . A 53-year-old French man was killed Thursday when a crane collapsed at the venue , a fire department spokesman in the southern French city said . A third person was in critical condition , said Alexandre Lanzalavi , a spokesman for Marseille Hospital . Two other people were in hospital and required surgery , and seven others were treated and released , Lanzalavi said . Madonna said Thursday that she was `` devastated '' to hear about the death . `` My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families , along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news , '' Madonna said in a statement issued by her representative , Liz Rosenberg . At least one Madonna show had been canceled , Rosenberg told CNN . The accident happened when a crane collapsed while lifting a large metallic truss -- a structure from which lights hang -- into place , Lt. Thierry Delorme of the French Navy told CNN . In Marseille , the fire department is a part of the Navy . An investigation has been launched into the cause of the collapse , he said . Some 27 fire engines and 80 firefighters responded to the emergency when the accident occurred about 5:15 p.m. -LRB- 11:15 a.m. ET -RRB- . Madonna was to play the first of five concerts for her `` Sticky and Sweet '' tour at the 60,000-seat Stade Velodrome on Sunday . The singer was in Udine , Italy , when she heard the news , Rosenberg said . Flora Genoux in Paris , France , contributed to this story for CNN . | Two people killed when stage being built for Madonna concert collapses . Accident happened Thursday afternoon in southern French city of Marseille . Madonna was due to play first of five concerts in city Sunday . | [[0, 15], [19, 110], [148, 240], [1696, 1825], [1696, 1703], [1708, 1825]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. military is distributing pamphlets in eastern Afghanistan in an effort to find a soldier who has been missing for more than two weeks , the military said Thursday . A soldier mans a weapon at the rear of a U.S. Army helicopter over Afghanistan in May . The Taliban has claimed responsibility for kidnapping the soldier , who has not been identified , along with three Afghan soldiers . All went missing on June 30 in southeastern Afghanistan . The military believes the soldier may have been moved to various locations , including across the border into Pakistan , U.S. military officials said . There are two versions of the pamphlets , which are in the Pashto language and were made available to CNN by U.S. Forces Afghanistan . One shows the image of an American soldier shaking hands in a group of kids with the message , `` One of our American guests is missing . Return the guest to his home . Call us at ... '' and lists a phone number . The other shows a U.S. soldier kicking down a door , and then an outstretched hand with the superimposed image of a soldier , his head and arms drooping , and the words , `` If you do not release the U.S. soldier then ... you will be hunted , '' Capt. Elizabeth Mathias , a U.S. military spokeswoman , said Thursday . Soldiers have posted and handed out the pamphlets across Ghazni and Paktia provinces over the past 24 hours , Mathias said . Days after the soldier went missing , a senior U.S. military official said , he and the three missing Afghan soldiers were captured by low-level militants and then quickly `` sold '' to the clan and network led by warlord Siraj Haqqani , who is believed to be deeply involved in the action . The Haqqani clan operates on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border and is well known to the U.S. military . The soldier apparently left his small outpost on his own on June 30 with no apparent means of defending himself , the official said . Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said the U.S. soldier visited a military post in the Yousaf Khel district in Paktika province , got drunk , and was ambushed while returning to his car . Sangeen said the soldier was taken to a safe place . Paktika and Paktia provinces are adjacent . CNN could not independently verify Sangeen 's claims . A source with the U.S. military denied the claim that the soldier was drunk . `` The Taliban are known for lying , and what they are claiming -LSB- is -RSB- not true , '' the source said . | Taliban says it kidnapped U.S. soldier , who has not been identified . Soldier , with 3 Afghan soldiers , went missing June 30 in southeastern Afghanistan . Pamphlets come in two versions : One has an appeal , the other has a warning . Soldier apparently left outpost on his own with no means of defending himself . | [[281, 292], [320, 413], [281, 292], [320, 413], [414, 471], [1820, 1887]] |
SARGODA , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mohammed Iqbal said he has been told by his landlord to pay up on debts and is left with a choice facing others in this impoverished corner of Pakistan : Sell your children or a kidney . This man 's landlord forced him to pay off money he borrowed for his children 's medical bills . For the 50-year-old Iqbal , there is only one option . Despite a law passed in late 2007 banning transplants for money , he has decided to sell his kidney and has already been for pre-operation tests . The sale will net him between $ 1,100 and $ 1,600 . `` What 's incredible here is the law that bans the operation he 's going to go through came into place in 2007 , '' said CNN 's Nic Robertson . `` He 's still able to go to a doctor , the doctors given him advice , that 's what he has to do under law ... He 's going to make money out of it 100,000-150 ,000 rupees , and that is absolutely illegal . Yet , in just a few days , he 's expecting to sell his kidney . '' Iqbal was not alone in facing this difficult decision . Others in Pakistan 's rural heartland have opted to sell their kidneys . One of them was Rab Nawas , who was deep in debt about a year ago to his landlord after borrowing money to pay for his wedding and to cover medical bills for his wife and six children . He , too , faced the choice : sell his children , his wife or a kidney . See photos of Pakistan 's impoverished kidney donors '' `` I am helpless . Should I sell my children ? Should I go sell my children ? So , it 's better I sell my kidney . I had to return the money , '' said Nawas , who now bears a foot-long scar that wraps around from his back to his belly and is too weak to work the same hours he could before . Watch Nawas show his operation scar '' People bearing the tell-tale scar of an organ removal in the villages around the farm where Nawas works are not hard to find . At one point , there were about 2,000 transplants a year -- with 1,500 of them going to what the government said were so-called `` transplant tourists . '' The 2007 law was aimed at ending Pakistan 's dubious status as one of the world 's leading organ bazaars . Nawas sold his kidney after the law was passed and said the procedure was performed at the Rawalpindi Kidney Center in the northern city of Rawalpindi . When he went to the Rawalpindi center , after CNN asked him to show where the procedure was done , he said a doctor told him they did not have a record of his operation because they destroy such records when a patient leaves . The Rawalpindi clinic -- which prior to the law was a leading user of purchased kidneys -- told CNN that it abides by the law and does not get involved in deals between kidney donors and recipients . `` Standing there it 's hard for me to fully understand the courage it took for him to make the journey . In this country , he has few rights , and even less security , '' said CNN 's Robertson . | A law passed in late 2007 bans selling organs for money . Still , many poor Pakistanis have no choice but to sell their kidneys . At one time , there were about 2,000 transplants a years . Law aims to end Pakistan 's status as one of the world 's leading organ bazaars . | [[385, 430], [401, 440], [606, 613], [619, 687], [1050, 1122], [2052, 2158], [2052, 2064], [2075, 2158]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fight police misconduct with a cell phone , the NAACP says . The century-old civil rights organization has launched an online reporting system that lets users upload cell phone images of alleged police abuses . The Rapid Report System also lets users send text messages and e-mails about alleged misconduct . `` We know that most of police officers around the nation are excellent public servants . But the few who violate people 's rights are often not held accountable , '' said Benjamin Jealous , president and CEO of the NAACP . `` Research has shown that there are many barriers to reporting incidents of police misconduct , including intimidation at police departments and a lack of trust in the integrity of the system , among other reasons . This breakdown leads to an absence of public safety and a deterioration of the quality of life in many communities of color . '' The NAACP unveiled the online system Monday at its national convention in New York City . Users can post images from their cell phones or online . Cell phone footage has repeatedly helped spotlight alleged police misconduct in recent years . The fatal shooting of an unarmed man in Oakland , California , on New Year 's Day made headlines and spread across the Internet partly because of cell phone video . The killing sparked large protests in Oakland and led to a murder charge against the transit officer . | NAACP unveils new program to allow people to report alleged police misconduct . Texts , e-mails can also be sent to document alleged police misdeeds . Unarmed California man 's shooting captured on phone garnered national attention . | [[89, 238], [907, 996], [239, 262], [268, 336], [1149, 1249], [1149, 1230], [1250, 1313]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somalia 's interim prime minister said Thursday that he has spoken to one of two French hostages seized earlier this week by gunmen who stormed their hotel in Mogadishu . Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said the government will hold Hizbul Islam responsible for the safety of both men . Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke told a news conference at the presidential palace in the Somali capital that the hostage said he was in good health and is being treated well . Sharmarke said three low-level security officials have been arrested for their involvement in the kidnapping . The Somali government is negotiating the release of the hostages , who are being held by Islamist militants , he added . The two French nationals -- who have not been identified -- were abducted Tuesday when a group of about 10 armed men raided the hotel where they were staying . The French Foreign Ministry said the two were on an official mission to help the Somali government with security . The ministry has not divulged any details of its efforts to release the hostages , saying only that it is `` mobilized . '' The two advisers had apparently told the hotel they were journalists , something that the media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders has criticized . `` We hope these two advisers are freed quickly , but we are shocked that they were passing themselves off as journalists , '' Reporters Without Borders said . `` They were on an official mission and had no need of cover . Their behavior endangers journalists in a region where media personnel are already in danger . '' Sharmarke said the two hostages were kidnapped by the militant group Hizbul Islam but later were transferred to Al-Shabaab . Both Islamic insurgencies are trying to topple the current Somali government . Eyewitnesses said a group of gunmen stormed into the Sahafi hotel , which is frequented by foreigners , and took the two blindfolded and bound hostages on foot toward Mogadishu 's Bakara market , a stronghold for Islamist insurgents fighting against the Somali government . The Somali prime minister said that the government will hold Hizbul Islam responsible for the safety of both men . He did not say if any demands had been made for the hostages ' release . Hizbul Islam is led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys , a bitter rival of Somalia 's transitional president , Sheikh Sharif Ahmed . The two men once shared leadership of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia , which opposed the presence of Ethiopian forces in Somalia . The alliance split because the two leaders disagreed over whether to use force to oust the Ethiopian forces . Hizbul Islam and Al-Shabaab have continued their fight in Somalia despite the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces earlier this year . The United Nations had hoped that the withdrawal of the Ethiopians and the election of Ahmed -- an Islamist -- to the post of transitional president would help quell the insurgency in Somalia . The Islamist insurgency is led by Al-Shabaab -- an al Qaeda-linked group that is on the United States ' terror list . It wants to overthrow Somalia 's weak , transitional government and implement a radical version of sharia , or Islamic law . Fighting in Somalia 's capital city has displaced 200,000 Mogadishu residents since early May , according to the United Nations . Journalist Mohamed Amin Adow contributed to this report . | Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke reported hostage said he was in good health . Two French nationals abducted Tuesday by gunmen from their hotel . Sharmarke said they were kidnapped by militant group Hizbul Islam . The two advisers had apparently told the hotel they were journalists . | [[304, 430], [411, 449], [96, 150], [144, 150], [155, 189], [710, 734], [742, 826], [797, 869], [1584, 1665], [1109, 1177], [1337, 1384]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The defense secretary will not ban smoking by troops in war zones despite a recommendation to do so by a Pentagon-commissioned study . Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he does not want to compound stress in combat zones by banning smoking . Secretary Robert Gates ' decision stems from concern about the stress troops face , said his spokesman . `` We are fighting two wars right now , using a force that we are demanding more of than we ever have before . They are under enormous stress and strain , and the secretary does not want to compound that stress by taking away from them one of the few outlets they have to relieve that stress , '' Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Wednesday . A new study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs recommends a complete ban on tobacco , which would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform -- including combat troops in the thick of battle . According to the study , tobacco use impairs military readiness in the short term . Over the long term , it can cause serious health problems , including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease . The study also says smokeless tobacco use can lead to oral and pancreatic cancer . Morrell said that Gates has not seen the report and will consider the recommendations to move towards a goal of a smoke-free military . `` There may be things we can do to try to move towards that goal . But he has been very clear to me , up front , that one of the things he is not prepared to do is to restrict the use of tobacco products in combat zones , '' Morrell said . Anti-smoking activist Richard Daynard said Gates ' decision was logical . But he predicted that , as smoking is banned on military bases outside combat zones , `` then the problem over time will resolve itself , even in combat zones . '' The founder of the Tobacco Products Liability Project likened the situation to that which prevailed during the 1980s , when smoking aboard U.S. commercial airlines was banned . `` There was an exception for the cockpit , at least on some airlines , on the theory that you probably do n't want your pilot , if he 's hooked on nicotine , to be cold-turkey while he 's trying to navigate your plane . '' But , he said , the exception has been phased out . CNN 's Adam Levine and Tom Watkins contributed to this story . | No ban despite recommendation to do so in Pentagon-commissioned study . Spokesman : Secretary does not want to take away outlet to relieve stress . Study recommend banning tobacco sales on bases , prohibit smoking in uniform . | [[104, 164], [726, 842], [165, 273], [274, 307], [358, 378], [538, 614], [104, 164], [726, 842], [835, 842], [851, 892], [1520, 1537], [1563, 1621]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A former engineer for Rockwell International and Boeing was convicted Thursday of economic espionage and acting as an agent of China , authorities said . A Delta IV rocket launches on March 10 , 2003 at Cape Canaveral , Florida . Dongfan `` Greg '' Chung , 73 , was accused of stealing restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets , including information related to the space shuttle program and the Delta IV rocket . U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney convicted him on charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage ; six counts of economic espionage to benefit a foreign country ; one count of acting as an agent of the People 's Republic of China ; and one count of making false statements to the FBI , according to a statement from federal prosecutors . Carney presided over Chung 's three-week bench trial last month . In a bench trial , there is no jury and the judge decides whether to convict a defendant after hearing testimony . Chung was free on bond after his arrest by FBI agents and NASA investigators in February 2008 . He was taken into custody after Carney 's ruling was read . Chung , a native of China who is a naturalized United States citizen , was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until Boeing acquired its defense and space unit in 1996 , and by Boeing thereafter . He retired from Boeing in 2002 , but returned as a contractor , a position he held until September 2006 , prosecutors said . Chung held a `` secret '' security clearance , authorities said . `` For years , Mr. Chung stole critical trade secrets from Boeing relating to the space shuttle and the Delta IV rocket -- all for the benefit of the government of China , '' said David Kris , assistant attorney general for national security , in the prosecutors ' statement . `` Today 's verdict should serve as a warning to others willing to compromise America 's economic and national security to assist foreign governments . '' The case against Chung resulted from an investigation into another engineer who obtained information for China . That engineer , Chi Mak , and several of his relatives were convicted of providing defense articles to the PRC , authorities said . Mak was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison last year . According to evidence presented at trial , individuals in the Chinese aviation industry began sending tasks to Chung via letter as early as 1979 , federal prosecutors said . Over the years , the letters directed Chung to collect data related to the space shuttle and various military and civilian aircraft . In his letters back to China , Chung referenced materials he had already sent , including 24 manuals relating to the B-1 bomber , which Rockwell had forbidden for distribution outside the company and federal agencies . In addition , between 1985 and 2003 , Chung traveled to China several times and met with government officials . His contacts in China discussed these trips in letters and recommended methods of passing information , authorities said . In a 2006 search of Chung 's home , FBI and NASA agents found more than 250,000 pages of documents from Boeing , Rockwell and other defense contractors in the house and in its crawl space , prosecutors said . They included `` scores of binders containing decades ' worth of stress analysis reports , test results and design information for the space shuttle . '' Each economic espionage charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $ 500,000 fine , authorities said . The charge of acting as an agent for a foreign government carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine . The charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and making false statements to federal investigators each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine . Chung is set for sentencing November 9 . | Dongfan Chung , 73 , convicted of economic espionage ; acting as agent of china . Accused of stealing restricted technology , Boeing trade secrets . Technology included information on space shuttle ; Delta IV rocket . Chung is a native of China who is a naturalized United States citizen . | [[0, 11], [14, 40], [100, 144], [0, 11], [14, 40], [149, 176], [635, 701], [3530, 3587], [3530, 3658], [274, 298], [306, 400], [1544, 1556], [1559, 1609], [356, 376], [379, 388], [409, 463], [389, 463], [1603, 1663], [1155, 1172], [1177, 1215]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Once he roamed the streets , moving from shelter to shelter . Now , Oliver Gomes rubs shoulders with Washington 's elite . Oliver Gomes says working in the halls of Congress gave him the motivation and money to get off the streets . Squatting next to a white wall outside a Senate hearing room recently with a cell phone glued to his ear , Gomes is being paid to hold a place in line for a lobbyist at a hearing on the climate-change bill . Gomes -- 6 feet tall , with long curly hair pulled back , wearing a polo shirt and shorts -- is one of the contracted men and women holding places in line for this hearing . Many have been waiting since midnight to ensure their clients a seat . By 9 a.m. , more than 100 people are lined up for the hearing . Only 10 seats are available to the public , and the first 10 spots are held by line-standers . The rest are shut out . Though the practice is controversial , Gomes said it has lifted him from life on the street . `` Sitting in the halls of Congress made me feel a little better , '' he said . `` It elevated me and made me feel like , well , you know , maybe I do belong here , maybe I can contribute even at that little minute level . '' Watch Gomes tell his story '' As the need for couriers on Capitol Hill declined with e-mail and fax , courier services like Quick Messenger Service of DC , Inc. have added the service of contracting men and women to hold places in line for lobbyists at hearings . The seats are valuable to lobbyists because the hearing is often their only face time with legislators . For big hearings with limited availability , line-standers may wait 20 to 30 hours . They 're paid anywhere from $ 11 to $ 35 an hour . Gomes was living in a shelter when he started line-standing . He said working in the halls of Congress gave him the motivation and money he needed to get off the streets . He now makes extra money by recruiting men for the line-standing services from the homeless shelters where he used to stay . `` When I was down and out and I was on the Hill and I had that little bit of hope that while I was actually here , it gave me the incentive to dress a little better , more professional , '' Gomes said . Many of the contracted line-standers are homeless or formerly homeless like Gomes . Williams Howard Johnson Jr. , one of Gomes ' recruits , found his bright yellow button-down shirt , green patterned tie , and slacks at a donation center because he wanted to dress well for his job . `` That comes from being a part of something that 's really meaningful to not only me but to society , '' Johnson said . Johnson was among those who had been in line since midnight for the 10 a.m. climate-change bill hearing , but he said he was happy to be there . `` I 'm a part of something today and I 'm very happy about that , '' Johnson said . Although Johnson and Gomes are glad to have a job and a feeling of importance on Capitol Hill , many people are opposed to the practice of hiring line-standers . Kalen Pruss , a fellow at the Internet environmental group avaaz.org , and her group of cheering green T-shirted environmentalists were shut out of the hearing . `` It 's very unfortunate that the people who come here to line-stand always beat us here cause they can stand here all night , '' Pruss said . John Winslow , director of linestanding.com , said the committees might be creating the lines by limiting the number of seats for the public in the hearing rooms . At this hearing , some of his clients that paid for line-standers to wait at midnight were not able to get into the hearing . `` It 's really a question of logistics , how many people does the committee want to service , '' Winslow said . `` And it seems like overwhelmingly they try to limit the number of people who attend these hearings and that just drives up demand artificially . '' Critics see the practice as just another way lobbyists are buying influence on Capitol Hill . In 2007 , Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri introduced legislation to ban the practice of line-standing . `` I have no problem with lobbyists being in hearings , but they should n't be able to buy a seat , '' McCaskill said . `` It seems to me that if we are going to make sure lobbyists are n't buying meals for senators , and we are going to make sure lobbyists are n't buying elected officials gifts , then we ought to make sure they are n't buying seating at a public hearing . '' Maria Foscarinis , an advocate for the homeless , thinks it 's ironic that some of the most powerful people in the country are using some of the most vulnerable to hold a place in line for them . `` They 're likely to be standing in line for people who well may be opposed to universal health care that would be a benefit for poor and homeless people , '' Foscarinis said . `` And yet they may be standing there for the purpose of access for the interests that are opposed to their own . '' | Contracted line-holders stand for hours to ensure their clients get seats . Seats at hearings often only chance for lobbyists to get face time with legislators . Line-standers , some homeless , are paid anywhere from $ 11 to $ 35 an hour . Critics see practice as another way lobbyists are buying influence on Capitol Hill . | [[645, 706], [645, 649], [683, 715], [1483, 1587], [1527, 1587], [1673, 1723], [2225, 2308], [3881, 3935], [3909, 3974]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Questions surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor 's past speeches generated more controversy in the final day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings Thursday , as Democrats again called her a mainstream jurist and Republicans portrayed her as a liberal activist likely to legislate from the bench . Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor greets Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina , Thursday . One GOP senator said Sotomayor 's most controversial speeches `` bug the hell out of me , '' an expression of frustration as Republicans tried -- with little success -- to get Sotomayor to reveal more about her personal views in her fourth and final day of questioning . GOP critics also summoned New Haven , Connecticut , firefighter Frank Ricci , who was the lead plaintiff in perhaps the most controversial case in Sotomayor 's appellate career . Ricci testified that her 2008 rejection of his reverse discrimination claim had undermined the concept of a merit-based civil service system . In a potential sign of Sotomayor 's strong political momentum , however , Senate Republicans indicated they do not intend to filibuster her nomination on the Senate floor . They also indicated their belief that the full Senate would vote on her nomination before breaking for its August recess . Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy , D-Vermont , said he plans to put a confirmation vote for Sotomayor on the committee 's calendar for next Tuesday . The committee 's questions once again touched on a range of hot-button issues , including gun control , abortion , same-sex marriage , the death penalty , and the role of international law in American jurisprudence . `` I think you 're a walking , talking example of the best part of the United States of America , '' Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California , told Sotomayor . `` It is my belief that you are going to be a great Supreme Court justice . '' South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham was less complimentary , telling Sotomayor that she has `` said some things that have bugged the hell out of me , '' but he quickly conceded that her judicial record has `` been generally in the mainstream . '' `` Your speeches are disturbing , particularly to conservatives , '' Graham said . `` Those speeches to me suggested gender and racial affiliations in a way that a lot of us wonder , will you take that line of thinking to the Supreme Court in these cases of first precedent . '' But , Graham conceded , `` to be honest with you , your record as a judge has not been radical by any means . ... You have , I think , consistently , as an advocate , took a point of view that was left of center . '' Graham defended the importance of probing Sotomayor 's political beliefs by highlighting the high court 's 1955 landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education , which mandated the desegregation of schools . The ruling was `` instructive in the sense that the court pushed the country to do something politicians were not brave enough to do , '' he said . Watch Graham talk about Sotomayor 's record '' The personal views of Supreme Court justices matter , he argued , because `` you 're not going to find a law book that tells you '' how to rule on contentious social issues such as same-sex marriage or whether there is a `` fundamental '' right to bear arms . Sotomayor later fired back at the Republican line of questioning , asking Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma , if he wanted a judge who pre-decided cases before hearing the evidence and facts . Watch Sotomayor 's record on discrimination '' `` Would you want a judge or nominee who came in here and said , ' I agree with you , this is unconstitutional , ' before I had a case before me ? '' Sotomayor said , adding : `` I do n't think that 's a justice I can be . '' She noted that the Supreme Court spends considerable time on cases , including Second Amendment cases involving gun control -- an issue Republicans have repeatedly emphasized during her confirmation hearings . The National Rifle Association , unswayed by Sotomayor 's assertion earlier in the week that she recognizes an individual right to bear arms , announced Thursday that it is opposed to her nomination . `` We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court , much less the highest court in the land , '' said a joint statement by Wayne LaPierre , the NRA executive vice president , and Chris W. Cox , executive director of the NRA 's Institute for Legislative Reform . Sotomayor repeatedly said she recognizes an individual right to firearms in the wake of the Supreme Court 's decision in the 2007 case District of Columbia v. Heller . The high court in that instance ruled that a sweeping handgun ban in the nation 's capital violated the constitutional right to `` keep and bear arms . '' Sotomayor refused to say , however , whether she believed the right is `` fundamental , '' which in legal terms refers to whether a federal statute applies to the states . On gun control , as in other issues , Sotomayor repeated that the Constitution and facts of the case would be the basis of her rulings . The highly charged issue of affirmative action surfaced most prominently later in the day , when Frank Ricci testified before the committee . Ricci was one of a group of 20 mostly white firefighters who sued the city of New Haven after the city threw out the results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam because almost no minorities qualified for promotions . The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals -- including Sotomayor -- backed the city in the 2008 case Ricci v. DeStefano . The ruling of the Circuit Court was overturned in June by a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court . The `` belief that citizens should be reduced to racial statistics is flawed , '' Ricci told the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee . `` It only divides people who do n't wish to be divided along racial lines . The very reason we have civil service rules is to root out politics , discrimination , and nepotism . Our case demonstrates that these ills will exist if the rules of merit and the law are not followed . '' Ricci also criticized the 2nd Circuit for disposing `` of our case in an unsigned , unpublished summary order that consisted of a single paragraph . '' Sotomayor was not present when Ricci spoke . She told committee members earlier in the week , however , that her ruling in the Ricci case was decided on the basis of `` a very thorough , 78-page decision by the district court '' and followed a firmly established precedent . Watch Ricci testify at hearings '' The Supreme Court applied a new standard , she claimed , based on a different area of law . If she were ruling on that case today , she said , she would be bound by the new standards set by the Supreme Court . Ricci was one of a long list of witnesses who testified both for and against Sotomayor . Linda Chavez , head of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity , which opposes affirmative action , argued that `` it is clear '' from Sotomayor 's record `` that she has drunk deep from the well of identity politics . '' It is impossible for Sotomayor to be a fair judge , Chavez claimed , when she has `` shown a willingness to let her policy preferences guide her . '' Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel testified on Sotomayor 's behalf , arguing that her opinion in the Ricci was case , in fact , an example of judicial restraint . It followed a string of legal precedents , he claimed , dating back almost three decades . FBI Director Louis Freeh and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also testified in favor of Sotomayor . Bloomberg told committee members that she is an `` independent jurist '' with `` sharp and agile mind '' who would bring `` a wealth of unique experience '' to the high court . Committee Republicans , unswayed by such assertions , once again examined Sotomayor 's controversial statement that a `` wise Latina '' could reach a better decision than a white man . Asked what she would say to people offended by her remarks , Sotomayor said that she regrets that she has `` offended some people . I believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent to leave the impression that some have taken from my words . '' Sotomayor was also asked to explain her remarks from a 2001 speech in which she said she agreed that `` there is no objective stance but only a series of perspectives -- no neutrality , no escape from choice in judging . '' She told the committee that , in every case , the two opposing parties view the facts from vastly different perspectives . `` You ca n't just throw up your hands and say I 'm not going to rule , '' she said . There is a choice in judging , which means `` you have to rule . '' CNN 's Dana Bash and Peter Hamby contributed to this report . | NEW : Senate wraps up Sotomayor 's confirmation hearings . Chief plaintiff in Ricci case testifies during final day of confirmation hearings . Republicans fail to get nominee to reveal more about her personal views . GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham says Sonia Sotomayor 's judicial record `` mainstream '' | [[550, 567], [571, 590], [576, 582], [594, 695], [2084, 2170], [2459, 2474], [2477, 2554]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A hearing to consider who will raise Michael Jackson 's three children has been delayed another week , while lawyers work to avoid a court battle over custody . Debbie Rowe said she married Michael Jackson to avoid the taboo of having childrien out of wedlock . The delay -- the third one this month -- was announced Friday afternoon by a Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesman . Debbie Rowe , Jackson 's ex-wife and mother of his two oldest children , has not publicly revealed whether she will challenge Katherine Jackson , his 79-year-old mother , for custody or visitation rights . Katherine Jackson gained temporary guardianship of her son 's children soon after his death last month . The two women have been working to `` privately and amicably resolve '' the matter since Jackson 's death , a Jackson family lawyer said . Rowe 's lawyer said this week that she was not asking the Jackson family for more money in exchange for dropping a possible custody challenge . A close friend of Rowe said she has been grieving Jackson 's death -- grief made more painful by paparazzi hounding her and media reports vilifying Rowe by depicting her as a heartless woman who would trade her kids for cash . `` Debbie 's a very caring , wonderful , warm person , '' said Marc Schaffel , who met first met Rowe when he worked for Jackson . `` She 's a very humble person . People , you know , do n't give her credit that she was a friend of Michael 's for over 30 years . '' Jackson and Rowe met when she was working as a nursing assistant in the Beverly Hills office of Jackson 's dermatologist , Dr. Arnold Klein . Rowe said in a 2003 interview , later obtained by ABC News , that she became closer to Jackson in 1996 when she consoled him after his brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley ended . `` He was upset because he really wanted to be a dad , '' Rowe said . `` I said , ` So , be a dad . ' He looked at me puzzled . That is when I looked at him and said . ` Let me do this . I want to do this . You have been so good to me . You are such a great friend . Please let me do this . You need to be a dad , and I want you to be . ' '' She told the interviewer they married in 1996 only to `` prevent some of the taboo of a child out of wedlock . '' While Schaffel would not say if their relationship was sexual , he said Rowe had `` a true , true love there for Michael . '' Their first child , Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. , was born in February 1997 . A daughter , Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson , was born the next year . Details of how the children were conceived and who was the biological father have been closely guarded amid much public speculation . The couple divorced in 1999 with Rowe giving Jackson full custody while she got a $ 8.5 million settlement , according to court documents . Jackson later agreed to additional support . Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001 , but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children . A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated , opening the door to a possible custody battle . Rowe claimed in the 2003 interview that she still had `` some influence '' over how Jackson raised the children , citing his practice of covering their faces in public as her idea . `` That was my request , not his , '' she said . `` I am the one who 's terrified . I am the one who 's seen the notes that someone 's going to take his children , '' she said . She said the children do n't call her `` mom '' because she did not want them to . `` It 's not that they 're not my children , but I had them because I wanted him to be a father , '' she said . Rowe , 50 , lives on a farm in Palmdale , California , about 60 miles north of Los Angeles , where she breeds horses and dogs . `` She spends time with all of her horses and her dogs , '' Schaffel said . `` If one of her horses is sick , Debbie will stay up all night long caring for them . She 'll sleep on the floor in the barn with a horse if he 's not well . `` Debbie does n't run out to all of the social events , '' he said . `` You do n't see her shopping on Rodeo Drive . She 's not hitting the hot spots . She 's not trying to be in the limelight . Debbie is just as happy at home in her very modest , humble , horse ranch . '' When Hollywood 's paparazzi surrounded her outside a restaurant near her ranch earlier this month , she showed flashes of anger and frustration . `` Are you ready to fight for your kids ? '' a photographer repeatedly shouted . `` Are you ready to get your butt kicked ? '' she replied , as she walked through the swarm . Schaffel said Rowe wants privacy and she 's `` just trying to go on with her life . '' `` She does n't react well with the paparazzi , '' he said . Rowe 's lawyers have stepped up their efforts to bolster her public image by firing off warning letters and demanding retractions when they see reports they think are wrong . One letter sent Tuesday demanded the New York Post retract its report that Rowe had agreed to drop her custody claims for $ 4 million . `` Ms. Rowe has not accepted -- and will not accept -- any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago , '' Eric George said in the letter . `` Among the several contenders for overzealous and inaccurate sensationalism , the New York Post has now seized top honors , '' George wrote to the paper . `` It would be easier to identify those few background facts that are accurate than to catalog the number of blatant falsehoods in your story . '' `` The Post stands by its story , '' New York Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan told CNN . Rowe also filed a lawsuit this week against a woman who claimed in a TV interview to have e-mails from Rowe saying she did n't really want to raise the children . The suit asked that Rowe be given any money paid to the woman for the interview . CNN 's Kay Jones contributed to this report . | Lawyers for Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe working to avoid court battle . Rowe 's friend says vilification in the press exacerbating grief over Jackson 's death . Jackson and Rowe met when she was a nursing assistant for his dermatologist . She told ABC in 2003 that she wanted to help Jackson become a dad . | [[153, 204], [1023, 1092], [1093, 1138], [1516, 1636], [1658, 1687], [1671, 1687], [1690, 1716], [3655, 3701], [5794, 5801], [5806, 5831]] |
Editor 's note : LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com , and has contributed to ESPN 's Sports Center , Outside the Lines and First Take . He is the 2009 Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -LRB- GLAAD -RRB- award winner for online journalism and the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association -LRB- NLGJA -RRB- winner for column writing . LZ Granderson says criticism of President Obama by the gay community has gone too far . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Far from flowing rainbow flags , the sound of Lady Gaga and , quite honestly , white people , stands a nightclub just outside of Wicker Park in Chicago , Illinois , by the name of The Prop House . The line to get in usually stretches down the block , and unlike many of the clubs in Boystown and Andersonville , this one plays hip-hop and caters to men who may or may not openly identify as gay , but without question are black and proud . And a good number of them are tired of hearing how the gay community is disappointed in President Obama , because they are not . In recent weeks , one would have thought the nation 's first black president was also the nation 's biggest homophobe . Everyone from Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black and radio personality Rachel Maddow to Joe Solmonese , the president of Human Rights Campaign , the country 's largest gay advocacy group , seem to be blasting Obama for everything from `` do n't ask do n't tell '' to Adam Lambert not winning American Idol . In their minds , Obama is not moving fast enough on behalf of the GLBT community . The outcry is not completely without merit -- the Justice Department 's unnerving brief on the Defense of Marriage Act immediately comes to mind . I was upset by some of the statements , but not surprised . -LRB- After the Tuskegee Syphilis Study , President Ronald Reagan 's initial handling of AIDS and , more recently , Katrina , there is little that surprises me when it comes to the government and the treatment of its people . -RRB- . Still , rarely has criticism regarding Obama and the GLBT community come from the kind of person you would find standing in line at a spot like The Prop House , and there 's a reason for that . Despite the catchiness of the slogan , gay is not the new black . Black is still black . And if any group should know this , it 's the gay community . Bars such as The Prop House , or Bulldogs in Atlanta , Georgia , exist because a large number of gay blacks -- particularly those who date other blacks , and live in the black community -- do not feel a part of the larger gay movement . There are Gay Pride celebrations , and then there are Black Gay Prides . There 's a popular bar in the heart of the nation 's capital that might as well rename itself Antebellum , because all of the white patrons tend to stay upstairs and the black patrons are on the first floor . Last year at the annual Human Rights Campaign national fundraiser in Washington , D.C. -- an event that lasted more than three hours -- the only black person to make it on stage was the entertainment . When Proposition 8 passed in California , white gays were quick to blame the black community despite blacks making up less than 10 percent of total voters and whites being close to 60 percent . At protest rallies that followed , some gay blacks reported they were even hit with racial epithets by angry white participants . Not to split hairs , but for most blacks , the n-word trumps the f-word . So while the white mouthpiece of the gay community shakes an angry finger at intolerance and bigotry in their blogs and on television , blacks and other minorities see the dirty laundry . They see the hypocrisy of publicly rallying in the name of unity but then privately living in segregated pockets . And then there is the history . The 40th anniversary of Stonewall dominated Gay Pride celebrations around the country , and while that is certainly a significant moment that should be recognized , 40 years is nothing compared with the 400 blood-soaked years black people have been through in this country . There are stories some blacks lived through , stories others were told by their parents and stories that never had a chance to be told . While those who were at Stonewall talk about the fear of being arrested by police , 40 years ago , blacks talked about the fear of dying at the hands of police and not having their bodies found or murder investigated . The 13th Amendment was signed in 1865 , and it was n't until 1948 that President Harry S Truman desegregated the military . That 's more than an 80-year gap . Not to be flip , but Miley Cyrus is older than Bill Clinton 's `` do n't ask , do n't tell . '' That does n't mean that the safety of gay people should be trivialized or that Obama should not be held accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail . But to call this month 's first-ever White House reception for GLBT leaders `` too little too late '' is akin to a petulant child throwing a tantrum because he wants to eat his dessert before dinner . This is one of the main reasons why so many blacks bristle at the comparison of the two movements -- everybody wants to sing the blues , nobody wants to live them . This lack of perspective is only going to alienate a black community that is still very proud of Obama and is hypersensitive about any criticism of him , especially given he 's been in office barely six months . If blacks are less accepting of gays than other racial groups -- and that is certainly debatable -- then the parade of gay people calling Obama a `` disappointment '' on television is counterproductive in gaining acceptance , to say the least . And the fact that the loudest critics are mostly white does n't help matters either . Hearing that race matters in the gay community may not be comforting to hear , but that does n't make it any less true . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson . | LZ Granderson : Blacks tired of hearing about gays ' disappointment in Obama . He says black gays strongly support first African-American president . He says gay rights movement is not comparable to the civil rights struggle . Granderson : Gay movement has to overcome its own racial issues . | [[401, 469], [952, 973], [984, 1051], [5573, 5634]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A federal judge ordered 10 municipal police officers arrested Saturday in connection with the slayings of 12 off-duty federal agents in southwestern Mexico , the attorney general 's office said . The recent spate of violence was sparked by the arrest of high-ranking drug cartel member Arnoldo Rueda Medina . The federal officers ' bodies were found Tuesday on a remote highway in Michoacan state , where at least 18 federal agents and two soldiers have been killed since July 11 due to drug-related violence . Video from the scene showed three signs , known as narcomensajes , or narcomessages , left by the killers . They all stated the same thing : `` So that you come for another . We will be waiting for you here . '' The officers arrested Saturday are on the police force in the city of Arteaga . Mexican President Felipe Calderon , whose home state is Michoacan , responded to the violence by dispatching 1,000 federal police officers to the area . The infusion , which more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling Michoacan , angered Michoacan Gov. Leonel Godoy Rangel . He called it an occupation and said he had not been consulted . Authorities said Wednesday they were searching for the governor 's half-brother , who they say is a top-ranking member of La Familia Michoacana drug cartel . The cartel is blamed for most of the recent violence in the state . The governor 's brother , Julio Cesar Godoy Toscano , was elected July 5 to the lower house of Congress . The governor has publicly urged his brother to surrender . There were no reports of his apprehension as of late Saturday . The sudden spike in violence followed the arrest July 11 of Arnoldo Rueda Medina , described as a high-ranking member of La Familia . La Familia members attacked the federal police station in Morelia to try to gain freedom for Rueda shortly after his arrest , authorities said . When that failed , cartel members attacked federal police installations in at least a half-dozen Michoacan cities . Under Mexican law , the officers arrested Saturday will be held for 40 days while officials determine whether to formally charge them . | Officers arrested Saturday are on the police force in the city of Arteaga . Slain agents were found Tuesday on a remote highway in Michoacan state . Governor calls infusion of federal agents in Michoacan an occupation . Governor 's half-brother , said to be key figure in drug cartel , still at large . | [[64, 195], [763, 842], [349, 436], [1141, 1167], [1256, 1284], [1300, 1362]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` A gruesome scene '' is how one investigator described the aftermath of five killings in Tennessee . A sixth body was found in Alabama . Police gather outside one of the scenes of mutliple slayings in Fayetteville , Tennessee , on Saturday . Kristin Helm of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told CNN on Saturday that authorities have Jacob Shafer in custody in connection with the deaths . She added that authorities are not looking for additional suspects . Huntsville , Alabama , Police Sgt. Mickey Allen said Tennessee authorities told him a man confessed to a slaying in Huntsville , Alabama , and to five other killings in Fayetteville , Tennessee . Allen did n't identify the man . Shafer has been questioned by the TBI and is expected to face murder charges , Helm said . Sheriff Murray Blackwelder , who held an afternoon news conference , called the slayings `` one of the worst crimes Lincoln County has ever seen . '' He did n't describe how the Lincoln County , Tennessee , victims died . Dr. Bruce Levy , medical examiner for Tennessee , was working to identify the bodies found in that state , Helm said . Fayetteville police responded to a call to South Lincoln Road about 10 a.m. -LRB- 11 a.m. ET -RRB- , Blackwelder said . Police found three crime scenes and five bodies on that street , he said . The five victims , some of whom were related , were found in two homes , Helm said . Investigators think the killings occurred either Friday night or early Saturday , she said . The sixth body was found at a business in Huntsville , Sheriff Allen said . He said he is unsure of the connection between the crime scenes in Tennessee and Alabama . Huntsville is about 30 miles from Fayetteville . `` We have no clue yet as to what unfolded there and how it relates to here , '' Allen said . CNN 's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario contributed to this report . | NEW : Man taken in custody by Tennessee authorities in six slayings . NEW : Suspect identified as Jacob Lee Shafer , who faces murder charges , TBI says . NEW : Authorities say an undientified man has confessed to the killings . Five bodies were found at two homes in Tennessee ; one victim in Alabama . | [[263, 415], [343, 386], [714, 720], [756, 790], [485, 666], [0, 15], [42, 121], [122, 157], [1266, 1328], [1341, 1357], [1373, 1385], [1388, 1411]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- New Haven , Connecticut , firefighter Frank Ricci , the lead plaintiff in perhaps the most controversial case involving Judge Sonia Sotomayor , said Thursday that Sotomayor 's rejection of his reverse discrimination claim had undermined the concept of a merit-based civil service system . New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci sued after the city threw out results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam . Ricci was one of a group of 20 mostly white firefighters who sued the city of New Haven after it threw out the results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam because almost no minorities qualified for promotions . The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals , including Sotomayor , backed the city in the 2008 case Ricci v. DeStefano . The ruling of the Circuit Court was overturned in June by a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court . The `` belief that citizens should be reduced to racial statistics is flawed , '' Ricci told the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee . `` It only divides people who do n't wish to be divided along racial lines . The very reason we have civil service rules is to root out politics , discrimination and nepotism . Our case demonstrates that these ills will exist if the rules of merit and the law are not followed . '' Watch firefighters testify '' Ricci also criticized Sotomayor 's 2nd Circuit for disposing of the case in an `` unsigned , unpublished summary order that consisted of a single paragraph . '' Sotomayor was not present when Ricci spoke . She left the session after concluding her remarks earlier Thursday . Sotomayor argued before committee members Tuesday that her ruling in the Ricci case was decided on the basis of `` a very thorough , 78-page decision by the district court '' and followed an established precedent . `` This was not a quota case or -LRB- an -RRB- affirmative action case , '' she said . The case was a challenge to a firefighter test that had a wide range of difference between the pass and failure rate of different groups . The city of New Haven , she noted , was at risk of being sued by employees who could show they were `` disparately impacted '' by the test . New Haven city officials , after a number of days of hearings , decided they would n't certify the test but would instead attempt to develop a test of equal value in measuring a candidate 's qualifications without having a disparate impact , she said . The question before the 2nd Circuit , Sotomayor said , was whether the city 's decision was based on race or its understanding of what the law required it to do . The Circuit Court ruled that it was based on the latter . Based on established legal precedent , the 2nd Circuit decided that the city 's decision was proper under established law . The Supreme Court , however , applied a new standard , she said , based on a different area of law . If she were ruling on that case today , she said , she would be bound by the new standards set by the Supreme Court . Ricci was one of several witnesses who testified both for and against Sotomayor . Linda Chavez , head of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity , which opposes affirmative action , argued that `` it is clear '' from Sotomayor 's record `` that she has drunk deep from the well of identity politics . '' It is impossible for Sotomayor to be a fair judge when she has `` shown a willingness to let her policy preferences guide her , '' Chavez said . Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel testified on Sotomayor 's behalf , arguing that her opinion in the Ricci case was , in fact , an example of judicial restraint . It followed a string of legal precedents dating back almost three decades , he said . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also testified in favor of Sotomayor , telling committee members that she is an `` independent jurist '' with a `` sharp and agile mind '' who would bring `` a wealth of unique experience '' to the high court . | Frank Ricci one of 20 firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination in promotions . Plaintiff : Decision undermined concept of a merit-based civil service system . Sotomayor : Ruling was based on `` a very thorough '' decision by the district court . New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg , others spoke in favor of judge 's confirmation . | [[430, 486], [0, 79], [174, 318], [1580, 1710], [3691, 3728], [3734, 3765], [3691, 3728], [3768, 3867]] |
OXFORD , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- You might expect Oxford and Cambridge universities to ask prospective students to compare the works of Chaucer to Boccaccio or to explain the theory of relativity . Cambridge students may have to field questions in the application process that would baffle some observers . Instead , Oxford wants to know : `` Would you rather be a novel or a poem ? '' Cambridge asks applicants : `` What would you do if you were a magpie ? '' The idea , say administrators at the two ultra-prestigious schools in England , is to see how well prospective students can think , not just how much they know . `` What we 're trying to do is move students out of their comfort zone , '' said Mike Nicholson , Oxford University admissions director . `` Many students will have a body of knowledge , and they may be expected to be trusted on that in the interview . What we want to do is take them beyond that point and get them to start thinking for themselves . '' See examples of the application questions '' In the United Kingdom , 90 percent of students are educated at state schools . But 53 percent of Oxford University 's students come from state schools . That seems to indicate that wealthier students who can afford private schools have an advantage . Tutoring company Oxbridge Applications -- founded by Oxford graduates in 1999 -- says 68 percent of the 35,000 clients it has helped are state-funded students . It costs $ 300 for a day of mock interviews or $ 1,500 for a full weekend course . Oxbridge says 47 percent of its clients get into one of the elite colleges . The overall success rate for all applicants to the two schools -- commonly referred to as Oxbridge -- is 24 percent , the tutoring company says . `` At Oxbridge Applications , we have a network of 500 former tutors and former admissions tutors as well , '' said company founder James Uffindell . `` And we take the people that have been there and done it and help supply that information back to the people that want to go there . '' Still , some of the questions seem a bit odd to the casual observer . Watch people on the street react to some brainteasers '' `` It 's totally out there really , '' said one passer-by interviewed on the street . `` Are they on drugs , these people in Cambridge ? '' Some of the questions seem downright sinister : `` How would you poison someone without the police finding out ? '' Cambridge asks . Others are perhaps downright practical : `` Instead of politicians , why do n't we let the managers of Ikea run the country ? '' | Oxford asks prospective students : `` Would you rather be a novel or a poem ? '' Cambridge asks applicants : `` What would you do if you were a magpie ? '' Administrators at prestigious schools say object is to get students to think . Observer on the street describes questions as `` totally out there really '' | [[320, 385], [201, 274], [389, 437], [431, 460], [2411, 2430], [464, 472], [475, 541], [464, 472], [547, 618], [2031, 2036], [2039, 2100], [2194, 2243]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Maryland man believed to have shot and stabbed his wife and three young children to death before killing himself with a shotgun was having money problems and left a note saying he suffered from `` psychological issues , '' authorities said . Five people , including three young children , were found dead in this house in Middletown , Maryland . Christopher Wood , 34 , may have slashed at least some of his family members in the killings and used a small-caliber handgun on others , Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins said . He was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun wound at the foot of the bed where the bodies of his wife and 2-year-old daughter lay , the sheriff said . Wood 's sons were 5 and 4 years old , authorities said . His wife , Francie Billotti Wood , was 33 . The boys were found in their beds in a single bedroom , the sheriff said . Authorities did not release the names of the children . `` These are horrific incidents , '' said Jenkins , who said he could n't remember another homicide in the past 20 years in Middletown , a one-stoplight town northwest of Baltimore . `` No one should ever have to be exposed to this . '' Jenkins told CNN that at least five notes apparently handwritten by Wood were found inside the home . While the notes did n't immediately tell investigators what prompted the killings , they did provide some insight into possible problems . `` There is some indication in at least one of the notes that there might have been some psychological issues with Mr. Wood , '' Jenkins said . There was `` a mention of some medication '' in that note , according to the sheriff . Jenkins said the sheriff 's office had no record of domestic violence or other family disputes at the Wood 's home . He said investigators also have learned of money problems for Wood , a salesman for CSX Railroad . `` We are aware there were some , maybe , debt problems -- some financial problems , '' Jenkins said . Cpl. Jennifer Bailey said deputies went to the home shortly after 9 a.m. after Mrs. Wood 's father called . Her family had not seen the Woods for about a day and her father forced his way into the locked home , finding the bodies , according to Jenkins . Authorities said a shotgun was found next to Christopher Wood 's body and a .25 - caliber handgun was found in a `` container '' in the kitchen . The sheriff said other weapons that could have been used to stab and cut the victims were found , but he did not say what those weapons were . Watch sheriff 's department 's statement '' Francie Wood 's family were longtime residents of the Middletown area . Her brother had recently retired from a career as a sheriff 's deputy , Jenkins said . The family had moved to town from Florida about four months ago . `` We 're all in shock , '' said the Rev. Kevin Farmer , the family 's minister at Holy Family Catholic Church . `` This was a family , though they had n't been with us very long , they are an integral part of our community . '' Watch views from the crime scene '' He said the road the Woods lived on is a shortcut to the church and he would often see the children while riding a scooter he uses when the weather is good . `` They would always stop and wave and get big eyes as the scooter came by , '' he said . `` They were very happy kids . '' Jenkins said autopsies will be performed on the bodies over the next few days and that it could be weeks before the results are ready to be released . Jenkins told CNN that at least five notes apparently handwritten by Wood were found inside the home . While the notes did n't immediately tell investigators what prompted the killings , they did provide some insight into possible problems , the sheriff said . `` There is some indication in at least one of the notes that there might have been some psychological issues with Mr. Wood , '' Jenkins said . Cpl. Jennifer Bailey said deputies went to the home shortly after 9 a.m. after Mrs. Wood 's father called . The family had not been seen for several days , Bailey said . Authorities said several weapons , including a shotgun , were found inside the home . Christopher Wood had been an employee of CSX Railroad , Jenkins said . He said the sheriff 's office had no record of domestic violence or other family disputes at the Woods ' home . `` In my entire career , just about 20 years , this is probably the worst tragedy I 've ever been a part of or ever seen in Frederick County , '' Jenkins said . | NEW : Note indicated father was having `` psychological issues , '' sheriff says . NEW : Investigators say they 've learned Christopher Wood also had money problems . Sheriff : Man apparently killed his wife and three young children , then shot himself . Slain mother 's family were longtime residents of the Middletown , Maryland , area . | [[0, 15], [179, 238], [875, 893], [1428, 1484], [1472, 1484], [1490, 1551], [1572, 1577], [1632, 1658], [3749, 3805], [3793, 3805], [3811, 3872], [1776, 1842], [1875, 1880], [1897, 1957], [0, 15], [60, 110], [0, 5], [111, 148], [263, 307], [310, 353], [553, 610], [1572, 1577], [1632, 1658], [2566, 2637]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Alternative treatments are as varied as the regions of the world they come from . And while they attract skepticism from some Western medical practitioners , they are an undeniable part of global health . Shark cartilage is a popular dish in Japan where it is regarded as having health benefits . In parts of Asia and Africa , 80 percent of the population depend on these treatments as their primary form of healthcare . Shark fin has long been used in traditional Asian medicine . Shark fin soup is regarded as a tonic that promotes general well-being , and shark fin has even been claimed to have anti-cancer properties . Shark fins are mainly composed of cartilage , a type of connective tissue found in the skeletal systems of many animals . In Japan , they are sold by herbalists as a powder , in tablet form or as whole fins . While shark fin has been used for centuries in Asia , in recent years it has become more popular in the West . A book called `` Sharks Do n't Get Cancer , '' published in 1992 , popularized the idea of shark fin as an alternative cancer treatment in the West , and powdered shark fin is now sold as dietary supplement . But scientific evidence does n't support the idea . A 2000 report by researchers at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington D.C. said more than 40 tumors had been documented in sharks , skates and rays . Clinical studies on cancer patients , including a 1998 study by the Independent Cancer Treatment Research Foundation in Illinois , have n't shown cartilage powders to have any anti-cancer benefits . Cancer Research UK , an independent cancer-research organization , states `` We do n't recommend alternative therapies such as shark cartilage , as there is no scientific or medical evidence to back up the claims made for these ` treatments ' . '' The use of shark fins has also been criticized by environmentalists who say the practice is threatening shark populations . In addition , environmental groups say that fins are often cut off live sharks at sea , with the bodies thrown back in the sea to drown , a controversial practiced know as `` finning . '' The ancient art of herbal healing also remains highly popular in Africa . In South Africa , the name given to the practice is muti . In Johannesburg 's Faraday market muti practitioners sell wares that are popular with locals and tourists alike . Illnesses are diagnosed by `` sangomas , '' who employ techniques including communicating with the spirits of ancestors . `` Sangomas '' then refer their patients to `` inyangas , '' who supply muti treatments . `` Inyangas '' make use of South Africa 's diverse flora and fauna , selling treatments made from herbs and animal parts . Roots , bark and leaves are all used to prepare infusions that are said to cure ailments ranging from headaches to skin rashes . Other muti medicines deal with psychological conditions , curing nightmares , bringing good luck and warding off evil spells . Acupuncture is one of the most widespread of all traditional treatments . An ancient Chinese healing technique thought to date back at least 2,000 years , acupuncture is now widely practiced alongside modern medicine in the East and West alike . Traditional acupuncture works on the idea that energy , known as `` qi , '' flows along pathways in the body , called meridians . According to acupuncture theory , if these meridians become blocked , `` qi '' can not flow freely and illness can result . Diagnosis of ailments is carried out by , among other things , feeling a patient 's pulse and inspecting their tongue . Marian Rose of the British Acupuncture Council told CNN that an important part of the diagnosis process involves asking patients a range of questions about their well-being , including their digestion , sleep patterns , and health history . Treatment involves inserting fine acupuncture needles at critical points in the body in order to stimulate the flow of `` qi , '' described by Rose as `` the body 's motivating energy . '' Traditionally , acupuncture can be used to treat headaches , chronic pain , asthma , depression , addiction , and problems with the digestive system . Acupuncture has been the subject of extensive research and in the West the practice has been studied in terms of modern medical knowledge . Dr Mike Cummings is the medical director of the British Medical Acupuncture Association , which promotes Western medical acupuncture . He told CNN that research has shown acupuncture to be effective at treating pain in particular . Cummings says that it is believed that when an acupuncture needle is inserted into a muscle , it stimulates nerves . That affects the spinal gate , where sensory input is modulated , reducing activity in pain pathways . Whether backed by medical science or simply by years of use , traditional treatments remain popular and as more research is carried out , some may even come to complement modern medicine . | Even in the era of modern medicine , traditional treatments are still widespread . In Japan , shark fin is sold by herbalists , and is believed to promote well-being . Muti practitioners sell their wares in Johannesburg 's Faraday market . Acupuncture has spread all over the world from its roots in ancient China . | [[2170, 2203], [2209, 2243], [4863, 4900], [278, 332], [782, 868], [2303, 2416], [3082, 3160]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It does n't matter that they can be feverishly hot . Or that crowds make for long food lines or the tickets may be hard to come by . Bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding performed at this year 's New Orleans Jazz Fest . Music festivals worldwide attract thousands of fans wanting to hear their favorite artists live or discover under-the-radar musicians . Each major festival has its own special twist , specific to the event and city that hosts it . From the notorious mud baths at Glastonbury , England , to the breath-taking mountains surrounding Fuji Rock in Naeba , Japan , these are events that festival-goers wait for all year . Experience the New Orleans Jazz Fest '' Our guide prepares music fans worldwide for the best festivals this summer and later in the year . GLASTONBURY , Somerset , England June 24-28 -LRB- $ 255 -RRB- . Glastonbury has been around since dairy farmer Michael Eavis first held a free two-day festival on his farm in 1970 , and it 's long been the festival in England for seeing the biggest and best bands in the world . It also may be the muddiest -- heavy rain in several years , most notably 1997 , turned Glastonbury into a muddy bog . Everyone from Radiohead to Jay-Z has headlined the festival , and with more than 700 acts each year , there is something for everybody . Some of the proceeds from the festival go to Oxfam and Greenpeace . This year 's headliners include Franz Ferdinand , Blur , and Bruce Springsteen . ROCK AL PARQUE , Bogota , Colombia June 27-29 -LRB- free -RRB- . The Rock al Parque festival , launched in 1995 , has become South America 's biggest rockfest in recent years -- some 320,000 people traveled to Simon Bolivar Park in 2006 for a weekend of Colombia 's top rock bands and renowned international headliners . Funded by Colombia 's culture secretary , the free festival has included some of rock 's biggest names , including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club , Manu Chao , and Bloc Party . In the days leading up to Rock al Parque , the festival organizers host a series of panel discussions on music production , management , and the recording industry . ROSKILDE , Denmark July 2-5 -LRB- $ 220 -RRB- . Since 1971 , the rock festival in Roskilde has hosted the top names in music , from Bob Marley to Bob Dylan . It is the biggest summer festival in northern Europe , and the `` Arena '' stage boasts a 17,000-capacity tent , the largest in Europe . The festival has a daily newspaper and a 24-hour live radio station and is also home to the annual `` Naked Run , '' where the first naked person to cross the finish line receives a free ticket for next year 's festival . Some 80,000 will travel to Roskilde to see headliners including Coldplay , Oasis and Nine Inch Nails . EXIT , Novi Sad , Serbia July 9-12 -LRB- $ 105 -RRB- . Created in 2000 by three university students as a protest against former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic , the electro-focused festival in the heart of Serbia was named Europe 's best festival in 2007 by fans voting in the UK Festival Awards . Over 200,000 people attended Exit last year , dancing at all-night raves in the gorgeous surroundings of Petrovaradin Fortress , an 18th-century castle near the Danube River . Some of techno 's biggest names will be on hand to celebrate Exit 's 10-year anniversary , including Moby , Kraftwerk , and The Prodigy . THISDAY , Abuja/Lagos , Nigeria Dates tba . The THISDAY festival in Nigeria -- launched in 2006 by the editor-in-chief of Thisday newspaper , Nduka Obaigbena , to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery -- is the biggest music and fashion festival in Africa . According to Obaigbena , the festival is meant to highlight the positive progress being made in Africa , and find sustainable solutions for the continent 's problems . The theme of last year 's festival was `` Africa Rising , '' and it showcased some of the world 's best-known artists including Jay-Z , Rihanna , and Usher . Stay tuned for this year 's lineup . FUJI ROCK , Naeba , Japan July 24-26 -LRB- $ 410 -RRB- . Japan 's biggest outdoor festival takes its name from Mt. Fuji , the site of the first festival in 1997 . Fuji Rock has been set amongst the cool forested mountains of the Naeba ski resort for the past ten years -- gondolas and hilly trails transport people from stage to stage , and the streams and forests between them are the reason why Fuji Rock has been called the most beautiful festival in the world . It 's not just about the scenery , though -- over 100,000 people will trek through the mountains to see headliners Franz Ferdinand , The Killers , and Weezer . LOLLAPALOOZA , Chicago , Illinois , U.S.A. August 7-9 -LRB- $ 190 -RRB- . Rocker Perry Farrell began Lollapalooza in 1991 as a farewell tour for his band , Jane 's Addiction . The biggest grunge rock festival during the '90s disappeared for awhile around the turn of the century , but it was revived in 2005 as a more traditional `` big weekend '' destination festival in Chicago . The past few years at Grant Park have been marked by hot summers , huge crowds , and even bigger bands . The anticipated crowd of nearly 200,000 is staggering , as are this year 's headliners : Kings of Leon , Tool , Depeche Mode , and Beastie Boys , just to name a few . BESTIVAL , Isle of Wight , England September 11-13 -LRB- $ 205 -RRB- . The trendy Bestival , the original boutique weekend festival on the Isle of Wight , is the best way to end the summer festival season in Europe . Bestival boasts a yearly fancy dress competition -- last year 's was `` 30,000 freaks under the sea , '' and 2009 is the year of `` Outer Space , '' so make sure to dress accordingly . Thousands of Bestival-goers will witness an eclectic lineup including Lily Allen , Massive Attack , and MGMT in the picturesque surroundings of Robin Hill Park . For family fun , look no further than Camp Bestival , a three-day family festival at a castle by the sea in July . PARKLIFE , Australia Late September-Early October . The Parklife series of one-day music festivals kicks off the summer festival season across Australia . The dance-focused fests have featured heavyweights Justice , MIA , and Muscles over the past two years . The day-long festivals are followed by an official `` After Life '' party that runs until the early hours of the morning , so be prepared for a long one if you 're one of the estimated 100,000 people attending a Parklife gig in one of several cities across Australia at the end of September . WOODSTOCK , Johannesburg , South Africa November 27-30 When people think of Woodstock , South Africa is n't necessarily what comes to mind . But for the past decade , the festival has been the biggest youth music event in that country , hosting a variety of both well-known and upcoming mainstream and hip-hop acts -- not to mention a variety of extreme sports stunt acts , paintballing , and flea-market stalls . Woodstock may not have the star power of the legendary American festival -- but with the wide range of music and outdoor activities it presents , its promoters are n't lying when they say that boredom simply is n't an option . SUNBURN , Goa , India December . Sunburn Festival launched in December 2007 as South Asia 's first electronic music festival , and featured heavyweights like Carl Cox and John 00 Fleming . Located seaside in Goa , on India 's west coast , the festival has its roots in `` Goa Trance , '' a type of pulsing , transcendental electro music that became popular in the early 1990s . Sunburn again treated more than 5,000 electro revelers to a three-day party by the beach in December 2008 . The festival 's founder has said Sunburn will always be free to attend , and it is not to be missed if you happen to be in India in December . | CNN has put together a list of some of the best upcoming music festivals . You can dress to kill at England 's Bestival 's fancy dress competition . Enjoy the music , comedians and silent disco at Bonnaroo in Tennessee . Dance all weekend in the shadows of a 300-year-old Serbian castle . | [[698, 772], [5514, 5613], [3066, 3085], [3112, 3192]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chinese authorities were explicit : Tear down the nation 's first sex-themed amusement park before it gets going full steam . Visitors catch a glimpse of Love Land , billed as China 's first-ever sex theme park , in southwest China . Love Land had not opened its doors yet , but authorities in the city of Chongqing -- a sprawling metropolis on the banks of the Yangtze River -- got all hot and bothered over the park 's plans to display naked human sculptures , giant replica genitals and a photo gallery on the history of sex , the state-run China Daily reported . Lu Xiaoqing , park manager , told the newspaper he got the idea for building Love Land after a visit to a sex park in Jeju , a popular destination in South Korea . Love Land would include sex-technique workshops and sex education to help adults `` enjoy a harmonious sex life , '' Lu said . `` Sex is a taboo subject in China , but people really need to have more access to information about it , '' he told the newspaper . `` We are building the park for the good of the public . '' Whatever Lu 's intentions , the newspaper said Chinese officials saw it another way : `` vulgar , ill-minded and misleading . '' The park was to open in October but was demolished over the weekend -- thongs , replicas of derrieres and all . Reactions posted on the Internet were varied , according to the China Daily . Some thought sex was best left behind closed doors , while others argued that a real need for sex education existed in China . `` Sex is a matter of privacy . It is not for publicity , '' said Xia Xueluan , a sociology professor at Beijing University . The officials in Chongquing apparently agreed . | Love Land was to display giant replica genitals and photo gallery on history of sex . The park was to include sex-technique workshops and sex education . Reactions posted on the Internet were varied , according to the China Daily . | [[428, 524], [750, 861], [549, 585], [1311, 1355], [1311, 1343], [1358, 1388]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The chairman of Tennessee 's Democratic Party wants a Republican legislative aide fired for sending out a `` reprehensible '' e-mail depicting President Obama as two cartoonish white eyes peering from a black background . Sherri Goforth , a Tennessee state senator 's aide , said she mistakenly sent the image `` to the wrong list of people . '' Obama 's image is in the last square of a collage containing portraits of the previous 43 U.S. presidents . The e-mail , which was sent to other GOP staff members , was posted on the Internet Monday . Sherri Goforth , an administrative assistant to state Sen. Diane Black , R-Gallatin , has admitted she sent the e-mail May 28 with the title `` Historical Keepsake Photo . '' She said , without elaborating , that she mistakenly sent it `` to the wrong list of people . '' According to the Tennessean , a Nashville newspaper , a note on the e-mail said it was paid for by the Tennessee Republican Party , but GOP officials denied they produced it . Black leads the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus . There was no comment from the White House as of Tuesday afternoon . Black rebuked Goforth but did n't dismiss her . `` I want to be sure that everyone understands that the communication was sent without my knowledge , '' Black said Tuesday afternoon . `` It absolutely does not represent the beliefs or opinions of my office . I want to be very clear about that . '' The senator said as soon as she found out about the e-mail , she consulted the Legislature 's human resources office , then followed their advice . `` Ms. Goforth did get a verbal reprimand as well as a very strongly worded reprimand , written , that was put in her file that if this should ever occur again , that she would be terminated , '' Black said . Watch Sen. Black discuss her response '' `` This is an employee who has had a stellar record , '' Black said . She added that Goforth has worked in state government for more than 20 years , and has had a clean record . `` We followed policy . And that 's what you do when someone breaks the rules , you follow policy , '' she said . A phone message left for Goforth by CNN was not answered . `` Is this indicative of what Senate Republicans think about our commander-in-chief ? '' asked state Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester in a statement posted on the party 's Web site . `` I am calling on Sen. Black to reject this racist smear and fire this staffer who , on state government time , on state government computers , using a state government e-mail account , launched this bigoted attack on our president , '' Forrester said . `` Keeping her on the staff would send the message that this type of behavior is condoned by the Senate Republican Caucus . '' `` This e-mail is reprehensible , insults the office of the president , and is embarrassing to all Tennesseans regardless of political party , '' Forrester said . Goforth told Christian Grantham of the Web site Nashville Is Talking that she had received a letter of reprimand from her superiors but will remain on the job . Grantham said Goforth told him she felt `` very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list '' of people . `` I inadvertently hit the wrong button , '' Grantham quoted Goforth as saying . `` I 'm very sick about it , and it 's one of those things I ca n't change or take back . '' Forrester , in his Web posting , said , `` Ms. Goforth does not seem to understand what she did wrong . She has apologized for ` sending -LSB- the e-mail -RSB- to the wrong list of people . ' I believe that any list of people would have recognized this e-mail as offensive and hateful . '' State Rep. Johnny Shaw , D-Bolivar , a member of the black and Democratic caucuses , said Goforth should be dismissed . `` I do n't think a reprimand is enough . I think this lady needs to go . I do n't think she should be a part of the people who represent the state of Tennessee , '' Shaw said . He said Goforth and Black , as well as Republican Lt. Gov. and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey , should make public apologies for the incident . `` I am appalled . It 's despicable . It 's disgusting . It should not have happened , but it does happen , '' Shaw said . `` It is the president of our country that we 're talking about . '' Several other black Democratic lawmakers agreed Goforth should quit . `` The last thing we need in the state of Tennessee is to send out the impression and the image that we are still stuck in some backwater mentality and culture that feels it 's OK to depict the president of the United States in that fashion , '' state Rep. John Deberry Jr. , D-Memphis , told CNN Radio . Forrester added : `` Unfortunately , Sherri Goforth 's e-mail joins the list of shameful episodes by Tennessee Republicans , from the infamous ` Birds of a Feather ' direct-mail piece that featured black crows with the heads of Barack Obama and -LSB- African-American -RSB- Rep. Nathan Vaughn , to the `` Barack the Magic Negro '' song that former Tennessee GOP Party Chairman Chip Saltsman sent to RNC members during his failed campaign for RNC chair . '' | E-mail shows U.S. presidents ; Obama depicted as white eyes on black background . It was sent by aide to Diane Black , head of Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus . Aide says she sent it to `` the wrong list of people ; '' Black says she wo n't be fired . Tennessee Democrats call the e-mail `` racist smear , '' call for aide to be fired . | [[128, 206], [181, 240], [1014, 1066], [241, 255], [294, 361], [741, 749], [774, 834], [741, 744], [752, 771], [774, 834], [1135, 1140], [1161, 1182], [3080, 3194], [3094, 3194], [3473, 3558], [3496, 3558], [71, 151], [2377, 2453], [3659, 3693], [3744, 3778]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some Iranian-Americans , watching the post-election unrest in Iran , say the tug-of-war between the people and their hardline government has come to a head after three decades . Crowds demonstrated in Los Angeles , California on Monday , June 15 over the Iran election results . `` I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing is a turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic , '' said Dr. Hamid Dabashi , professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City . `` Even if the Islamic Republic survives this crisis , it will no longer be as it used to be , '' added Dabashi . The contentious election results between conservative incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist challenger Mir Hossein Moussavi sent many Iranians protesting in the streets , while others celebrated Ahmadinejad 's apparent victory . Kaveh Afrasiabi , who has taught at Tehran University and Boston University and identifies himself as an independent , told CNN that Ahmadinejad 's widespread support in rural areas and small towns was the reason for his win . In results announced hours after the polls closed , Ahmadinejad received more than 62 percent of the vote , a figure hotly disputed by Moussavi 's supporters . With the credibility of Friday 's election under scrutiny , how the Islamic Republic of Iran overcomes it and reclaims its legitimacy in the eyes of some of its own citizens and the international community remains to be seen . `` There is good reason to believe that many if not most of the pro-Moussavi demonstrators are gladly taking an opportunity to safely protest something bigger : their enormous discontent with the entire system as it stands , '' said Shirin Sadeghi , a Middle East analyst for the Huffington Post . The unstable political , social and economic climate has some scholars questioning the future of the Islamic Republic . `` They are either going to crack down severely or they are going to cave in -- it could go either way , '' Dabashi said of the conservatives who now dominate Iran 's government . Many Iranian-Americans say they see this as their opportunity for change . `` This is the best chance Iranians have to evolve to a better situation , '' said Dr. Ali Nayeri , a professor at the University of California at Irvine . That chance has sparked an unprecedented wave of spontaneous demonstrations not only within Iran but also thousands of miles away from Tehran -- scenes unparalleled since the 1979 revolution . `` Thirty years ago we had the war with Iraq . Now we have an internal war with our president and the fundamentalists , '' said Reza Goharzad , a political analyst who worked with Moussavi when he was prime minister of Iran . Goharzad , of Southern California , was among thousands of voters to cast an absentee ballot . `` This was the first time I voted in 30 years , '' said Goharzad . The enthusiasm that drove record numbers of Iranian-Americans to the voting booths was overshadowed by disappointment when a shortage of ballots prevented hundreds from voting . In addition , the election results were announced before many of the voting booths in the U.S. had closed . Alex Vatanka , senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane 's , a provider of defense and security information , said Iran 's supreme ruler , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , may have miscalculated the mood of the country when he endorsed Ahmadinejad 's victory before the country 's election authority made the final call . Khamenei has since asked the authority , the Guardian Council , to recount some of the votes . But Moussavi is asking for fresh elections . Goharzad , like many other voters , questions the legitimacy of the election . He wants to know where his vote went . A student activist in Dallas , Texas , echoed that sentiment . `` The election volunteer at my voting location said that they had 500 ballots , which was not enough for the thousand or so people that turned out to vote , '' said the activist , who wanted to remain anonymous because he plans to visit Iran soon . For the first time , Iranian-Americans say , the post-revolution generation has seen the power of their unity unfold in masses . They say this has given Iranians at home and abroad hope that reform could be within their reach , if the ruling mullahs are willing to allow it . `` We are seeing a rise of a new generation of Iranians who are not taking it anymore , '' said Dabashi . `` This is no longer just about this election , this is full-fledged civil disobedience , '' he added . The divide within the Islamic Republic has pitted the reformists against the conservatives . `` The big difference between these protests and the student riots of 1999 and 2001 is that we are seeing senior caliber officials like Mir Hossein Moussavi , Mehdi Karrubi and Mohammad Khatami and Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani supporting the demonstrations , '' said Vatanka . Karrubi is a former Parliament speaker . Khatami and Rafsanjani are former presidents . Some experts say where Iran is headed actually has a lot to do with its past . `` Rafsanjani made no secret of his disdain for Ahmadinejad ahead of the election , and even back in 2005 when he lost the second round runoff to Ahmadinejad , '' said Sadeghi . Rafsanjani is chairman of the Assembly of Experts and oversees the 86-member body , which is responsible for appointing the supreme leader and monitoring his performance . Behind closed doors , Iran 's political parties are caught in the middle of a power struggle between Supreme Leader Khamenei and Rafsanjani . Rafsanjani 's role as chairman of the assembly gives him the ability to influence that body 's attitudes toward Khamenei , Vatanka said . That could only add more fuel to the political fire and social unrest in the streets , analysts say . Politics aside , at the end of the day , Iranian expatriates such as Mitra Gholami , who participated in the historic 1979 protests , feel a sense of deja vu . Gholami , now an Atlanta resident , fled Iran with her three children 15 years ago . `` I want people to have a normal life , '' said Gholami . `` I want them to have freedom . '' | Some Iranians-Americans believe the Islamic Republic possibly is eroding . Protests in Iran continue after disputed presidential election . Tensions between Iran 's clergy could be a reason for the unrest , analyst says . Iranian-Americans say they hope more freedom is result of unrest . | [[0, 15], [44, 85], [655, 839], [5844, 5858]] |
-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- June 1 , 2009 . Quick Guide . A Look Back - Take a drive back in time as another American icon 's wheels come off . Cybersecurity Concerns - Plug into the reasons why President Obama has cybersecurity concerns . Reusable Lessons - Step onto the campus of a school that 's a model of sustainability . Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED . CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : I 'm Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News ! It is the first day of June and our last week before summer break . Thank you very much for joining us . First Up : A Look Back . AZUZ : First up , a major move for the country 's largest automaker as General Motors is expected to file for bankruptcy today . This comes one month after Chrysler , another of the so-called `` Big Three '' U.S. car companies , did the very same thing . Under the terms of General Motors ' bankruptcy , the company will be reorganized and essentially taken over by the government . Thirty years ago , GM made up more than 40 percent of U.S. auto sales . Today , that number is 19 percent . The company 's reported more than $ 90 billion in losses since 2005 . As the bankruptcy process begins , Christine Romans looks back at the history of GM and the American car . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . CHRISTINE ROMANS , CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT : Henry Ford started at the beginning of the last century with four wheels and a running board ; 1908 was the birth of American car culture . That same year , General Motors was formed in Flint , Michigan . It was n't until 1925 when the `` Big Three '' was complete with the formation of Chrysler Corporation . JOHN DAVIS , HOST , MOTORWEEK : When the Big Three emerged , they not only emerged as rivals that really gave Americans much better automobiles at the time , but they also cemented the American automobile as a world standard . ROMANS : `` As goes General Motors , so goes the nation . '' That phrase defined America 's economic power for much of the last century . PETER MORICI , ECONOMIST , UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND : So many folks were either employed at General Motors or the other two major car makers , making steel and all the other components that go into cars . It just meant that if the automobile companies were prospering , the country was prospering , too . ROMANS : Today , there are 74,000 rank-and-file GM workers in the U.S. . But in its heyday , GM was the largest industrial company in the world ; a technology leader . By 1979 , 600,000 people worked for GM . Those good jobs helped build America 's middle class . DAVIS : It also allowed us to migrate out from the cities to have the quarter lot in a suburb , to basically get away from a lot of the congestion of the metropolitan areas . ROMANS : General Moters was the company that revolutionized what we drove , how we thought about our cars , and how we paid for them . GM invented auto loans and the model year . It was the first to hire designers instead of engineers to create new car concepts ; think big fins and chrome of the 1950s and 60s . And everything changed . Ford adopted flashy fins with the Ford Fairlane , as did Chrysler with the popular Desoto . Automobiles from the Big Three put their stamp on popular culture , from music to movies to television . What 's considered to be the first rock and roll song ever recorded was `` Rocket 88 '' by Ike Turner , about a GM product . The Pontiac GTO , considered by many to be the first true muscle car , was showcased in a song by Ronnie and the Daytonas . RONNIE AND THE DAYTONAS , `` LITTLE GTO '' : Little GTO , you really ... . ROMANS : The Corvette on Route 66 . The 1948 Ford in the iconic movie `` Grease . '' FROM `` GREASE '' : Go grease lighting , go grease lighting ... ROMANS : The TransAm in Smokey and the Bandit , and Archie Bunker 's Old La Salle . CARROLL O'CONNOR AND JEAN STAPLETON , `` ALL IN THE FAMILY '' : Gee , our Old La Salle ran great . Those were the days ... -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . Shoutout . GEORGE RAMSAY , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Today 's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Schultz 's civics classes at David Brearley Middle School in Kenilworth , New Jersey . Where did the word `` cyberspace '' first appear ? Was it in a : A -RRB- Movie , B -RRB- Book , C -RRB- Scientific paper or D -RRB- Magazine article ? You 've got three seconds -- GO ! Author William Gibson is credited with creating the word in a science fiction novel . That 's your answer and that 's your Shoutout ! Cybersecurity Concerns . AZUZ : It may have started as science fiction , but these days , practically all of us , including the government , spend time in cyberspace . But President Obama says we 're not as prepared as we should be , as a government or a country , for cyber-attacks . That 's why he 's planning to create a new position : cybersecurity coordinator . Jeanne Meserve explains the new job . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . JEANNE MESERVE , CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT : Hackers cut power to a skyscraper and then reprogram it to play Space Invaders in a spoof video on YouTube . But cybersecurity is not a laughing matter . U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA : It 's now clear this cyberthreat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation . MESERVE : Americans use the Internet to bank and shop and talk to one another . Electricity , water , transportation all depend on it . But every day , there are attacks . The White House estimates in the past two years cybercrime has cost Americans more than $ 8 billion . And last year alone , hackers stole one trillion dollars worth of business secrets . Military and intelligence networks have been penetrated , and tests have shown a cyberattack can destroy critical infrastructure , like this generator . President Obama says the country is not prepared . OBAMA : From now on , our digital infrastructure , the networks and computers we depend on every day , will be treated as they should be : as a strategic national asset . Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority . MESERVE : The president will hand pick a cybersecurity coordinator to integrate policies across government , work closely with the private sector , and coordinate the federal response to attacks . Still unknown : who will get the job . JAMES LEWIS , CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES : If you get the wrong person , or you put them in an office that does n't have very much power , you can have the best plan in the world and it still wo n't work . MESERVE : The plan is short on specifics , though the president says government will not dictate security standards to private industry , and will not monitor private networks or Internet traffic . Security experts say they generally like the steps the administration is taking , but warn there are many more steps to take on the long road to securing the nation 's cyber-infrastructure . Jeanne Meserve , CNN , Washington . -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . Big Ben 's Birthday ! AZUZ : Heading across the Atlantic now to celebrate a big British birthday . Big Ben , one of the world 's most famous clocks , turned 150 years old yesterday . Recently voted as Britain 's favorite monument , it 's actually just the 14-ton bell that 's named `` Big Ben , '' although most people use it describe the tower and clock , too . Despite a couple disruptions over the years , Big Ben has helped keep London on time since 1859 . Extra , Extra Innings . AZUZ : This college baseball game did n't last quite 150 years , but it did go into extra innings ; 16 of them ! Texas and Boston College took the field at 7 p.m. and left it at 2 a.m. after playing the longest game in NCAA history : 25 innings , almost 3 full games . At one point , a relief pitcher threw 13 scoreless innings . In the end , an RBI single helped Texas triumph , 3-2 . Word to the Wise . RAMSAY : A Word to the Wise ... sustainable -LRB- adjective -RRB- capable of being maintained with minimal long-term effects on the environment . source : www.dictionary.com . Reusable Lessons . AZUZ : Sustainability projects can be as simple as recycling paper and plastic and using recycled materials , or they can be as complex as altering the viscosity of waste oil to convert it into biodiesel fuel . There 's one place in Atlanta , Georgia that 's doing all of this : a school ! Jacqui Jeras takes us on a tour of the campus 's environmentally-friendly efforts . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . JACQUI JERAS , CNN WEATHER ANCHOR : The botany classroom is the great outdoors for students at the Lovett School in Atlanta . ELLIOT MCCARTHY , THE LOVETT SCHOOL : This is something that we 'll actually use later in life . JERAS : They 're digging in the dirt , getting lessons in environmental sustainability . MCCARTHY : It 's much healthier for you , it 's less chemicals , it 's completely natural and it costs less . JERAS : The school 's organic garden is just the beginning . ALEX REYNOLDS , SCIENCE TEACHER : The idea that your labor can then nourish you is a life lesson , you know , and the fact that you take responsibility . If you do something wrong , you have to fix it . JERAS : Food from the garden goes to the cafeteria . Menus change depending on what 's fresh . The dining hall is also trayless , saving thousands of gallons of water used to wash them . The cafeteria does more than just cook with sustainability in mind . For example , all of the oil that is used for fried foods is ultimately turned into biodiesel . That biofuel is used to fill up the school 's maintenance vehicles for half the cost of gas . There is even a wind turbine on campus creating electricity . But the key is keeping the students involved . BILL DUNKEL , PRINCIPAL , THE LOVETT SCHOOL : It 's really important for us to educate young people to be good citizens for the 21st century . THOMAS MACDONALD , THE LOVETT SCHOOL : It 's my earth and my water and my air , too , so I dont want anybody trashing it . JERAS : Jacqui Jeras , CNN , Atlanta . -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . Before We Go . AZUZ : Before we go : the answer to one of life 's great mysteries . Why did the chicken cross the road ? To get a donut ! At least that 's this bird brain 's excuse . Alright , he 's actually a rooster , but you get it . Every morning , he 'd hear the opening bell at Scrumdiddilyumptious Donuts and dash across the street to get his complementary breakfast . Did heavy traffic ever scare him away from his risky run ? Goodbye . AZUZ : We already told you , this guy 's no chicken . Well , we will be back tomorrow . You guys have a great one . | Take a drive back in time as another American icon 's wheels come off . Plug into the reasons why President Obama has cybersecurity concerns . Step onto the campus of a school that 's a model of sustainability . | [[62, 112], [105, 147], [199, 243], [287, 295], [301, 331], [8435, 8518]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The recent hacking of a Twitter employee 's personal e-mail account is raising questions about the security of storing personal information and business data on the Internet . A Twitter co-founder says password toughness is important to online security . The Web has been buzzing since a hacker allegedly broke into a Twitter administrator 's personal e-mail account about a month ago and used that information to access the employee 's Google Apps account . That account housed some of Twitter 's private financial documents and notes , according to Twitter 's official blog . Some of those documents circulated the blogosphere on Wednesday , and TechCrunch , a technology blog , published a Twitter financial forecast . The hacker sent 310 documents to the tech site , according to a post by Michael Arrington , TechCrunch 's founder and co-editor . In what appears to be a separate incident , a hacker broke into Twitter chief executive Evan Williams ' wife 's e-mail account and then accessed Williams ' PayPal and Amazon accounts , Twitter says . It 's unclear what if any impact the incidents will have on the future of cloud computing , the idea that documents and computing power can be stored `` in the cloud '' of the Internet rather than on desktops or laptops . Many tech blogs are weighing in on the hacking 's impact . Some see the incident as an indication of serious security flaws at Twitter . Others say it 's a sign Twitter has gotten big , and any rising company makes a good target for a cyberattack . People outside the Silicon Valley micro-blogging company , such as Twitter account holders , reportedly were not affected in the incident . `` This was not a hack on the Twitter service , it was a personal attack followed by the theft of private company documents , '' Twitter co-founder Biz Stone writes on the company 's official blog . Google 's suite of online applications , which allows users to share and store calendars , spreadsheets and text documents , is not to blame for the hacking , Stone said in the post , adding that Twitter continues to use Google Apps . `` This is n't about any flaw in Web apps , '' Stone writes . `` It speaks to the importance of following good personal security guidelines such as choosing strong passwords . '' Security experts say it 's best for users to create new passwords for each of their online accounts . The passwords generally should be complicated , combining letters , numbers and symbols . And they should be changed often . CNET , a tech site that partners with CNN , says the hack highlights how interconnected information is online -- and how vulnerable that setup is to attack . `` Although it seems that Twitter has been thrust into this situation a bit unfairly , a hack along these lines could have happened to the executives of more Web companies than anybody would like to admit , '' Josh Lowensohn and Caroline McCarthy write on the news site . `` What it really highlights is the extreme interconnectedness of the social Web : with the likes of e-mail contact importing and data-portability services like Facebook Connect now commonplace , a savvy hacker can have access to multiple accounts simply by accessing one . '' Ken Colburn , a computer security expert , recently told CNN.com / Live that Google Docs are `` as secure as anything you 're going to do on the Internet . It 's not any more or less secure than Microsoft Office . '' Writing for Mashable , a blog that covers online social media , Stan Schroeder says the latest Twitter breach proves the micro-blogging site needs to address nagging security flaws . `` There have been so many problems -LSB- at Twitter -RSB- over the past couple of months that it 's getting hard to keep track of them , '' he writes . `` It 's time to fix it once and for all , because these security issues are a dark shadow looming over the otherwise bright future of this company . '' Adam Ostrow , editor-in-chief at Mashable , says the hacking is `` another embarrassing moment in Twitter 's torrid growth , but nothing that 's likely to bring the house down . '' Peter Kafka , senior editor at AllThingsD.com , offers another analogy . `` This looks roughly akin to having your underwear drawer rifled : Embarrassing , but no one 's really going to be surprised about what 's in there , '' he writes . Another debate happening online concerns TechCrunch 's decision to publish some of the information stolen from Twitter . Arrington , of TechCrunch , writes that `` a few of the documents have so much news value that we think it 's appropriate to publish them . '' Still , `` there is clearly an ethical line here that we do n't want to cross , and the vast majority of these documents are n't going to be published , at least by us , '' he writes . Some , including TechCrunch readers , have criticized the blog 's decision to publish any of the information . Twitter has said it is seeking legal counsel on the matter . `` We are in touch with our legal counsel about what this theft means for Twitter , the hacker , and anyone who accepts and subsequently shares or publishes these stolen documents , '' Stone writes on the site 's blog . Ostrow , of Mashable , writes that there 's nothing `` really juicy '' in the Twitter documents . `` The bottom line seems to be this : your Twitter accounts are safe , but there are a number of documents that Twitter would rather not have published publicly in other people 's hands , '' he says . `` But if you 're expecting something really juicy -LRB- like , how Twitter plans to make money -RRB- , you should probably prepare to be disappointed . '' What do you think of the news ? Are you worried about security and cloud computing ? Do you use Google Docs and will you continue to ? What about TechCrunch 's decision to publish the info stolen from Twitter ? Feel free to chime in with comments below . | A hacker allegedly broke into a Twitter administrator 's personal e-mail account . The hacker stole Twitter financial documents and leaked them to several blogs . Web is abuzz with opinions on the hacking 's impact and the ethics of posting the info . Twitter says it is seeking legal counsel on the matter . | [[274, 412], [871, 912], [915, 997], [597, 660], [1293, 1351], [4915, 4975], [4932, 4975], [4976, 5083]] |
Editor 's note : Ralph J. Begleiter teaches communication , journalism and political science at the University of Delaware . During two decades as CNN 's `` world affairs correspondent , '' Begleiter was the network 's most widely traveled reporter . Ralph J. Begleiter says the Pentagon 's new policy on media access to coffins of war dead is a milestone . NEWARK , Delaware -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The reversal of two decades of policy on images of returning war casualties is an important and welcome milestone for the American people . The Pentagon 's decision announced Thursday allowing media coverage of coffins of war victims returning to Dover Air Force Base -- if families agree -- restores to its rightful , honorable place the immense value of the sacrifice American troops make on behalf of their nation . It allows the American people to honor the dignified and respectful return of war casualties to home soil for the last time . Although no one should have a veto over the nation 's ability to pay respects to its fallen troops , I believe most families will decide that their sons and daughters deserve to be recognized publicly for their sacrifice . These men and women enlisted in the military for their nation . They fought for their nation . They died for their nation . Their return should be respectfully and publicly acknowledged by their nation . The ban on images of returning casualties started accidentally , and without any reference to the `` privacy '' of the families of those who gave their lives in service to the nation . The accident of media history occurred in December 1989 when poor White House scheduling placed President George H.W. Bush before live television cameras just as the first American casualties were arriving at Dover Air Force Base from the U.S. invasion of Panama . CNN and two other major TV networks fired up their split-screen technology , showing on one side the president joking with White House reporters just before the Christmas holiday -- and on the other the sober images of flag-draped military caskets being carried ceremoniously by honor guards across the tarmac at Dover . After the holidays , the president appealed publicly to reporters to `` help me '' overcome a public impression that he had been insensitive on TV about the returning casualties . News media had been covering the return of war casualties since World War II . Some military personnel believe the showing of those images -- and others from the jungles of Vietnam -- contributed to a gradual growth of anti-war sentiment during the 1960s . Just days before the Gulf War began in January 1991 , the new media policy was formalized in a cable sent by the Defense Department to its posts : There would be no media coverage of returning casualties at Dover or other stops along the way home . The directive made no mention of anyone 's privacy but portrayed the ban on coverage of returning casualties as an effort to ease pressure on stressed families , who might feel obliged to travel to Dover to witness the return of their loved one with news media watching . Over the next decade , several exceptions were made to the ban on media coverage at Dover , including for the return of Navy personnel killed in the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen 's coast , just weeks before the election that brought the second President Bush into office . Ironically , throughout the ban on media coverage of returning casualties , the Pentagon continued documenting this important part of any war by assigning military and government contract photographers to take pictures of the flag-draped caskets . Those images , among the most poignant , respectful and dignified tributes to troops who died in service of their nation , were carefully maintained by the Defense Department . They were used for training of honor guards and for commemorating the significance of war casualties . Although taken by the government , those images were withheld from public view . From the aftermath of September 11 , 2001 , through the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 , the Pentagon kept taking those pictures even as it expanded its ban on media coverage of returning casualties -- now arguing that such war images would somehow invade the privacy of families of the deceased troops . It was those images that a series of Freedom of Information Act requests pried loose in 2005 after months of legal skirmishing . -LRB- Those requests were initiated by Russ Kick , editor of a Web site called `` The Memory Hole . '' When the Pentagon refused to respond substantively to my own series of Freedom of Information Act requests , the National Security Archive at George Washington University and I took the government to court with a lawsuit over the images . -RRB- . Just weeks before a federal judge was expected to rule in the case , the Pentagon pre-empted a precedent-setting order by releasing voluntarily more than 700 images of returning casualties . They remain to this day available to the public on the National Security Archive Web site . At the time Kick and I were seeking to make the Pentagon 's pictures public , major U.S. news organizations were busy suiting up to cover the invasion of Iraq ; they did not engage their lawyers to ask for access to Dover to witness the return of those who sacrificed their lives in the war and they have declined to do so since then . The Pentagon policy , which had come into being over the embarrassment of a president , evolved after the U.S. invasion of Iraq , into a complete ban preventing the American people from seeing the most important single measure of the cost of war . So desperate , apparently , was the White House desire to block public view of such images that military photographers at Dover were ordered to stop documenting the returns . To my knowledge , since 2005 , no further photos have been taken showing those emotional moments when a casualty touches home soil for the last time . The Obama administration 's reversal of two decades of policy on the visibility of returning casualties should have two immediate effects : . Public opinion -- consistently supportive of making the war casualty images public -- has reached a new high . Most recently , a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday reported that 67 percent of those questioned said they think the government should allow the public to see photos of caskets of U.S. troops at an Air Force base . I have had the privilege of speaking with a number of family members who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan or Iraq . Most think the pictures should be public , but only after families authorize it . This dramatic change in government policy should once again allow all Americans to see the full human cost of war , while paying respect to those who served their nation as well as to their families . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ralph J. Begleiter . | Ralph J. Begleiter : U.S. policy on photographing war dead was result of coincidence . He says it was due to split-screen image of president joking while coffins returning . Begleiter : New policy allows the nation to pay proper respect to war dead . He urges government to resume using its photographers to document the toll . | [[606, 662], [814, 939], [824, 927], [980, 1038], [1287, 1322], [1349, 1366]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Guiding Light '' will go dark in September after 72 years and 16,000 episodes , CBS announced Wednesday . Gina Tognoni is one of many performers who have appeared on `` Guiding Light '' over the years . The daytime soap opera 's declining viewership led to the decision , according to a CBS spokeswoman . The show , which the Guinness Book of World Records lists as the longest-running television drama , first aired on NBC radio in 1937 as a 15-minute serial , the spokeswoman said . It moved to television on the CBS network in 1952 . The last episode is set to air on September 18 , she said . The show is produced in New York . | `` Guiding Light '' originally was radio serial on NBC , debuted in 1937 . Show moved to CBS , which put it on TV in 1952 . Last episode of show to air September 18 . | [[397, 433], [436, 468], [516, 567], [568, 614]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- London commuters crammed onto buses , scrambled for taxis , cycled or simply walked on Wednesday as a strike by Tube workers shut down most of the subway network . Commuters queue for packed buses in London on Wednesday morning . The strike began Tuesday at 7 p.m. -LRB- 2 p.m. ET -RRB- but the first full effects were felt during Wednesday 's morning commute . The strike was set to last for 48 hours with a normal service resuming Friday morning , according to Transport for London -LRB- TfL -RRB- , which runs the city 's transportation network . The RMT trade union called the strike after talks with management over pay , job cuts , and disciplinary issues broke down . `` RMT does n't resort to industrial action lightly , '' General Secretary Bob Crow said in a statement . `` The fact is that Tube workers have been driven into walking out today . '' Transport Commissioner Peter Hardy said the talks had been making progress on all issues and he urged the RMT to return to the table . `` The RMT leadership says we were close to a deal , '' Hardy said in a statement . `` If that is the case , then they should call off the strike , return to talks ... and resolve this issue without any more disruption to Londoners . '' TfL was running extra buses and free shuttle services across the River Thames during the strike . Electronic travel cards used for the TfL network were temporarily being allowed on all train lines in greater London , it said . While most services on the Tube were shut because of the strike , one line -- the Northern line -- was running normally and five others were running on a reduced schedule , TfL said . `` It 's been really good , '' a girl on Oxford Street told CNN about her commute . `` The Northern line is running perfectly . '' Still , some bus services were packed with commuters who normally ride the underground trains or who failed to find a taxi . `` I think we 'd all like to strike for more money , but unfortunately we ca n't , '' said one woman at Oxford Circus , where the Tube is closed . Others hit the pavement and walked . `` It 's OK -- quite refreshing , '' said a man on Regent Street . He said he had just walked from Liverpool Street Station , a train station as well as a Tube stop that is more than 2.5 miles away . The RMT represents about half of the 20,000 employees on the Tube , a TfL spokeswoman said . Other unions including Unite and TSSA represent the rest , she said , and were not on strike . | London transport system crippled as Tube workers go on strike . Normal service not due to resume until Friday morning . Buses crammed with commuters ; many chose to cycle , walk to work . RMT trade union called strike in dispute over pay , job cuts , disciplinary issues . | [[9, 32], [106, 160], [136, 137], [148, 199], [443, 483], [36, 71], [9, 32], [74, 102], [1809, 1814], [1817, 1861], [2081, 2104], [2081, 2087], [2109, 2117], [586, 671]] |
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