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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Felipe Massa has revealed that he hopes to be at his home Brazilian Grand Prix -- but he wo n't be behind the wheel of his Ferrari . Felipe Massa has been given the all-clear to begin training as he bids to return to the race track . The 28-year-old had aimed to be able to return to racing before the end of this Formula One season , but is resigned to getting fit for 2010 following his horrific crash in July . Massa is now able to begin his rehabilitation after having plastic surgery on Monday to repair the broken bone in his cranium that resulted when a loose spring from Rubens Barrichello 's Brawn hit him in the helmet during qualifying in Hungary . The operation , at the Sao Paulo 's Albert Einstein hospital , took around four and a half hours , Ferrari revealed on its official Web site . Massa told UK newspaper The Guardian that his next step was to head to Europe to use a simulator and drive go-karts as part of his fitness evaluation . He had hoped to return to action at Interlagos -- where his 2008 world championship dream was crushed by Lewis Hamilton despite winning the race -- on October 18 , but said that he would only be there as a spectator . `` That was the race I wanted to come back in , but it 's difficult to say if it would 've been possible . It will be difficult to watch it , but I will be there , '' Massa said . He told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he still held a slim hope of driving in the final race of this season in Abu Dhabi on November 1 . `` In 2010 I 'll be back for sure and 100 % , but it would be a dream to drive in Abu Dhabi , '' Massa said . Massa will be replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella for the final five races of 2009 , with the veteran Italian having been released from his contract by Force India to take over from test driver Luca Badoer . He said he had never doubted that he would that he would get behind the wheel of a Formula One car again . `` It is my life , '' Massa , who is expecting his first child in November , told The Guardian . `` For me , the worst thing that happened was not being able to race . If you ca n't drive that 's terrible . `` But my wife has already asked me , at least 10 times , ` Are you sure you do n't feel any doubts or worries ? ' `` Always , I say , ` No , because this is what I like to do . ' If I do n't drive then I am not the same person . Ever since I was a small boy this is my life . This is what I like to do . `` So I really hope , and expect , nothing will change inside me when I go back into the car and start pushing myself to the maximum again . '' | Formula One star Felipe Massa has had successful plastic surgery on his skull . The Brazilian driver plans to attend his home grand prix in mid-October . Massa suffered horrific head injuries after a freak accident in Hungary in July . Ferrari have brought in Force India 's Giancarlo Fisichella to replace him . | [[433, 517], [433, 438], [479, 558], [19, 151], [253, 268], [358, 432], [1632, 1711]] |
TEANECK , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Actress Angela Logan has played many roles off-stage to earn a living . She 's worked as a teacher , model and hairdresser and is studying to be a nurse . Angela Logan samples a bite of her Mortgage Apple Cake as Bake Me A Wish ! founder Josh Kaye looks on . But when she fell into foreclosure on her Teaneck , New Jersey , home , Logan turned to baking an apple cake her family had always loved . `` It was a flash of desperation , '' Logan said . `` I thought , ` Wow . We could sell these cakes , they 're so good . ' '' Logan named her delicacy Mortgage Apple Cake and resolved to sell 100 in 10 days at $ 40 each to meet a mortgage payment , pay off bills and qualify for a federal program that could lower her monthly payments . She advertised the cake to everyone she knew , including her classmates . `` The hardest part was saying , ` Can you buy my cakes , this is my problem , ' because admitting to your friends that you 're in foreclosure , and that you need their help , that 's a hard thing to say , '' Logan said . Two years ago , a contractor promised to renovate Logan 's brick-and-stucco home . But instead , Logan says he took the money and did only a portion of the work -- leaving the entire second floor bare to the beams and plastic wrap still covering much of the exterior . Logan 's financial squeeze tightened when one of the actress ' talent agencies shut down without paying her for commercial work . The 55-year-old divorced mother of three fell far behind on her mortgage and other debt payments , leading her to seek help from Consumer Credit Counseling of New Jersey . Counselor Pamela Glass brainstormed with Logan to envision potential extra sources of income . `` We put our heads together to make extra money , '' Glass said . `` I said , ` Take a look at what you can do . ' She said , ' I bake once in a while ' . I said , ` Well , maybe you can do some baking . ' '' When Logan asked , neighbors , fellow church congregants and classmates responded . Soon she was baking night and day , two cakes at a time . Al Hamdi , general manager of the Hilton in nearby Hasbrouck Heights , heard of Logan 's plan and offered the hotel 's four giant ovens , letting her accelerate production . `` She was going to do something out of the box to save her home and her family . That was the inspiring part for us , '' Hamdi said . Logan figures she 's baked about 200 cakes -- double her goal . And since qualifying for the federal Make Home Affordable program , her monthly mortgage payment is dropping by nearly 20 percent . Other Americans in a financial bind can also find creative answers to their cash crunch , Logan said . `` Find your talent . Find something you can do that will help , '' she said . Watch as Logan describes the circumstances that led her to bake the Mortgage Apple Cake '' Many hobbies have the potential to generate extra cash : teaching a skill like playing an instrument or speaking a foreign language ; home repairs for those who are handy ; even dog-walking or pet-sitting for animal lovers . `` Some people have extra skills they do n't use , '' Glass said . Internet retailer Bake Me A Wish ! got a whiff of the Mortgage Apple Cake and is preparing to mass-produce it and share the proceeds with Logan . The company says it already has 650 Mortgage Apple Cake orders . `` We 're going to be baking cakes together , develop a whole line of cakes , Angela Logan Cakes , '' said Josh Kaye , president of Bake Me A Wish ! Escaping foreclosure could propel Logan to a new career in baking . But she 's still studying nursing , knowing from experience never to depend upon just one role . | New Jersey actress turned to baking apple cakes to avoid foreclosure . The idea came from brainstorming with a consumer credit counselor . She resolved to sell 100 cakes in 10 days at $ 40 each to pay mortgage , debts . So far , she 's sold about 200 cakes , attracting the attention of an Internet retailer . | [[303, 348], [371, 418], [3519, 3586], [1642, 1736], [564, 569], [613, 734], [2412, 2440], [2431, 2440], [2444, 2461], [3159, 3184], [3194, 3232]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Richard Nixon Presidential Library will allow access Tuesday to about 154 hours of Nixon White House tape recordings and 30,000 pages of documents that were formerly classified . President Nixon announces the U.S. incursion into Cambodia during the Vietnam War in April 1970 . Among the tapes and documents are conversations about the Vietnam War , Nixon 's second inauguration , the U.S. Supreme Court 's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 and the first Watergate trial , according to a library statement . Tuesday 's release is the 13th opening of Nixon White House tapes since 1980 , the statement said . The new Nixon tapes and documents will be available on the Internet and in the Richard Nixon libraries in College Park , Maryland , and Yorba Linda , California . Nixon resigned August 9 , 1974 , over the Watergate scandal -- the first president to resign from office . President Ford pardoned Nixon the following month , saying it was necessary for the nation to heal after Watergate . | Richard Nixon Presidential Library to open access to 154 hours of recordings . Tapes include conversations about Watergate , Roe v. Wade , Vietnam War . Release also includes 30,000 pages of formerly classified documents . | [[0, 26], [30, 180], [311, 411], [0, 26], [30, 180], [171, 180], [191, 212]] |
-LRB- WIRED -RRB- -- Scofflaws could hack the smart cards that access electronic parking meters in large cities around the United States , researchers are finding . `` Cities all over the nation and all over the world are deploying these smartcard meters , '' researcher says . The smart cards pay for parking spots , and their programming could be easily changed to obtain unlimited free parking . It took researcher Joe Grand only three days to design an attack on the smart cards . The researchers examined the meters used in San Francisco , California , but the same and similar electronic meters are being installed in cities around the world . `` It was n't technically complicated and the fact that I can do it in three days means that other people are probably already doing it and probably taking advantage of it , '' said Joe Grand , a designer and hardware hacker and one of the hosts of the Discovery Channel 's `` Prototype This '' show . `` It seems like the system was n't analyzed at all . '' Grand and fellow researcher Jake Appelbaum presented their findings Thursday afternoon at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas , Nevada . The researchers did not contact the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency or the meter maker prior to their talk , and asked reporters not to contact those organizations ahead of their presentation , for fear of being gagged by a court order . At last year 's DefCon hacker conference , MIT students were barred from talking about similar vulnerabilities in smartcards used by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority after the MBTA obtained a restraining order . They spoke with Threat Level about their findings prior to the presentation . `` We 're not picking on San Francisco , '' Grand said . `` We 're not even claiming to get free parking . We 're trying to educate people about ... how they can take our research and apply it to their own cities if they are trying to deploy their own systems or make them more secure ... . Cities all over the nation and all over the world are deploying these smartcard meters -LSB- and -RSB- there 's a number of previously known problems with various parking meters in other cities . '' San Francisco launched a $ 35-million pilot project in 2003 to deploy smart meters around the city in an effort to thwart thieves , including parking control officers who were skimming money from the meters . The city estimated it was losing more than $ 3 million annually to theft . In response , it installed 23,000 meters made by a Canadian firm named J.J. MacKay , which also has meters in Florida , Massachusetts , New York , Canada , Hong Kong and other locales . The machines are hybrids that allow drivers to insert either coins , or a pre-paid GemPlus smart card , which can be purchased in values of $ 20 or $ 50 . The machines also have an audit log to help catch insiders who might skim proceeds . To record the communication between the card and the meter , Grand purchased a smartcard shim -- an electrical connector that duplicates a smartcard 's contact points -- and used an oscilloscope to record the electrical signals as the card and meter communicated . He discovered the cards are n't digitally signed , and the only authentication between the meter and card is a password sent from the former to the latter . The card does n't have to know the password , however , it just has to respond that the password is correct . The cards sold in San Francisco are designed to be thrown out when the customer has exhausted them . But the researchers found that the meters perform no upper-bounds check , so hackers could easily boost the transaction limit on a card beyond what could legitimately purchased . They could also program a card to simply never deduct from the transaction count . `` We 're residents of San Francisco and our taxes are going towards a broken system that they could potentially be losing money on and we pay the consequences of that , '' Grand said . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com . | Researchers find smart cards that access parking meters can be hacked . Joe Grand and Jake Appelbaum present findings at Black Hat conference . Before smart cards , city was losing more than $ 3 million annually to theft . Researchers programmed cards to never deduct from transaction count . | [[18, 136], [1009, 1145], [2412, 2486], [2431, 2486], [3725, 3807], [3749, 3807]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Bronx woman has been charged with murder and robbery in the death of an 89-year-old Nazi concentration camp survivor , and police said a man is still being sought in connection with the death . Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 birthday party . `` He was not the kind of guy who had enemies , '' his son says . Angela Murray , 30 , was arrested Saturday , according to the Manhattan district attorney 's office , and is accused of strangling Guido Felix Brinkmann on Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment . Murray was arraigned Sunday and charged with one count of murder in the second degree and three counts of robbery . Brinkmann , a native of Latvia , was a Holocaust survivor who escaped death for a year while he was in the Mauthausen , Ebensee and Auschwitz camps . He had been slated for the gas chambers five times , but each time , he used his fluency in German to talk his way out , said his son , Rick Brinkman , who spells his last name differently . After the war , he was stunned to discover his wife , who had also been shipped to Auschwitz , alive and well in Poland . The Brinkmanns immigrated to America , where Brinkmann spent years in the bar and nightclub business , co-founding the Adam 's Apple disco in Manhattan in 1971 . In recent years , he had been the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx , working `` seven days a week , without fail , '' Rick Brinkman said . On Thursday , the building 's superintendent grew concerned when Brinkmann did not show up for work . He notified Brinkmann 's son and received permission to enter the father 's apartment , where he had lived alone since his wife died last year . Brinkmann was found face-down in his bedroom , his hands bound behind his back and his body showing blunt-force trauma wounds , police said . Brinkmann 's blue 2009 Honda Civic had been stolen , along with one of two safes in his apartment , police said . The vehicle was later recovered in the Bronx . Rick Brinkman speculated that the killing was random . `` Anybody who knew him really liked him , '' the son said . `` He was not the kind of guy who had enemies . '' CNN 's Jason Kessler contributed to this report . | Bronx woman charged with murder , robbery ; police say a man is still being sought . Guido Felix Brinkmann , 89 , was found strangled Thursday in Manhattan apartment . Latvia native had lived alone since wife died last year ; son suspects killing is random . | [[28, 146], [153, 223], [540, 546], [572, 655], [340, 353], [440, 507], [1608, 1611], [1634, 1690], [1994, 2048]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 22-year-old man from Pakistan hopes to soon swim the English Channel with an American friend -- but first he 's got to navigate the currents of bureaucracy . College teammates David Gatz -LRB- left -RRB- and Usman Javaid want to swim the English Channel for charity . Usman Javaid , an Ohio college student who has won national swimming titles in his native Pakistan , wants to swim the channel with his best friend , David Gatz , a fellow member of the swim team at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware , Ohio . They want to honor their international friendship by working together to accomplish a great feat : a relay across the English Channel . They also hope to raise money for charity . `` With teamwork and cooperation you can tackle even the toughest of challenges , '' Javaid told CNN in a phone interview Wednesday from Islamabad , Pakistan . Yet the British government has denied Javaid 's request for the visa that would let him enter the country . British authorities say they ca n't grant a visa because they have questions about Javaid 's student status , the young man said . `` They were n't satisfied I was going to Britain for the stated purpose , '' he said . Javaid said his passport contains a valid student visa for the United States and he sent documentation from the Channel Swimming Association with his visa application to prove he is scheduled to do the swim . The United Kingdom Border Agency told CNN in a written statement that `` all visa applications are considered on their individual merits , taking into account all the information provided . '' `` Where an applicant fails to demonstrate they meet the relevant rules , their application will be refused , '' the statement said . The agency noted that anyone who is refused can reapply with additional information . Mark Cooper , the director of marketing and communication at Ohio Wesleyan University , said British authorities have not contacted the university to ask about Javaid 's student status . `` We did send ... documentation to -LSB- British authorities -RSB- to follow up '' after Javaid 's application was denied , he said . Javaid has since applied to the British high commissioner in Islamabad for an emergency visa . Meanwhile , Gatz and the university 's head swim coach , Dick Hawes , are waiting in Dover , England , hoping things will work out so the men can try to accomplish their goal . The Channel Swimming Association has granted them permission to try their crossing between July 29 and August 6 , Javaid said . The association determines such `` swim windows '' after considering the expected tides and the schedules of pilot boats , which accompany the swimmers . The association sent a letter Thursday to the British high commissioner in Pakistan to confirm Javaid 's mission , said Joan Metcalfe , the association 's chairwoman . As the clock ticks , Gatz remains in Dover , where he passes the time by training in the channel . `` There is some frustration , '' he said Thursday , `` but we 're also optimistic . '' Gatz is the captain of Ohio Wesleyan University 's varsity swim team . He swam twice for the university at the NCAA national championship meet and holds numerous records . Javaid is a gold medalist on the Pakistani national swim team and represented his country at the South Asian Federation Games . Their coach said he 's proud of the pair , no matter the outcome of their attempt . `` I think it 's great . It shows so much maturity on their part -- first , to take on such a large endeavor , but it also speaks so much about their friendship , '' Hawes said . Their relationship reflects the unity of the entire swim team at the school , he said . `` This is an international family , '' the coach said of his swimmers . `` It 's a phenomenal environment . This has just been such a great experience . '' As they work to accomplish their goal , Gatz and Javaid also are accepting donations for Doctors Without Borders , an international medical humanitarian organization also known by its French name , Medecins Sans Frontieres . Gatz , who is double-majoring in biochemistry and pre-med , said the idea came as they followed news reports of Pakistan 's campaign against the Taliban this year , which displaced thousands of civilians in the country 's northwest . `` We wanted to donate to an organization that was helping people there , '' he explained . Javaid added Thursday , `` That was a big reason we chose Doctors Without Borders , because there are a lot of people suffering in that area and they are assisting them . '' Some of the donations will cover costs associated with their anticipated channel swim , he added . But even if they do n't get to do their relay , Javaid said , their effort is still worthwhile . `` Even if my visa does n't go through , we 'll continue with Channeling Peace , '' he vowed , referring to the organization they set up for their effort . `` Even if I have to swim in a lake in Pakistan while David swims in the English Channel , it 's still a powerful symbol , '' Javaid said . `` Symbols gather power not from the act itself but from the people who are supporting them , '' he said . `` A lot of people around the world are supporting us and our message . As long as they support it in their hearts and minds , we have been successful . '' | College teammates want to swim English Channel for charity , international harmony . Swim was to happen between now and August 6 , but one denied visa to Britain . Usman Javaid , an Ohio student from Pakistan , says U.K. questioned student status . Javaid reapplies for visa , waits for decision . | [[229, 288], [670, 674], [680, 713], [874, 942], [1006, 1089], [2145, 2239]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For almost four months , fans of Michael Jackson were holding what were deemed by concert promoters AEG Live as the `` Hottest Tickets on the Planet . '' Queues for tickets to Michael Jackson 's concert wind outside the O2 Arena in London on March 13 , 2009 . Now some 750,000 would-be concert-goers have been left with slips of paper that , while steeped in sentimentality , wo n't entitle them to see the hyped spectacular that was promised to be Jackson 's farewell concerts . It 's unclear whether all fans will receive a full refund . Early Friday morning , AEG Live 's Web site was still promoting the concerts , announcing there were just `` 17 days until show time . '' After midday , all reference to the shows had been removed . Late Friday afternoon , the O2 Arena was still saying that ticketing information would be available `` in due course . '' And callers to Ticketmaster 's customer service number were still being greeted the message , `` Ticketmaster is aware of the news relating to Michael Jackson . We have no official information at this stage . As soon as we have any information we will immediately contact all customers who have booked tickets through Ticketmaster . '' Seatwave , Europe 's biggest online market for fan-to-fan ticket sales , told CNN that customers who bought tickets via its Web site would receive a full refund , the cost of which would be covered by an insurance claim which could top # 2 million -LRB- $ 3.2 million -RRB- . `` This is what you buy insurance for . Unfortunately it 's always for these kind of terrible circumstances , '' Joe Cohen , Founder and CEO of Seatwave told CNN . The official secondary ticketing partner for the shows , Viagogo , also promised fans a full refund . Consumer rights group Which ? warned fans who bought tickets from third parties , including auction Web sites such as eBay , may have more difficulty getting their money back . Michael Jackson was scheduled to play 50 shows at the O2 Arena in London , a grueling schedule for even the fittest pop star , according to celebrity media advisor , Simon Astaire . `` He needed money , there is no question about that , hence his 50 dates at the O2 . It 's easy to say today and I think one has to be respectful today , but it was a stretch to do 50 concerts in the way he wanted to do in that time frame . Even for the fittest , most grounded individual it 's very , very difficult , '' he told CNN . According to estimates by `` Billboard , '' unconfirmed by the promoters , Jackson 's concerts would have netted the singer $ 50 million in ticket and merchandise sales . Back in March , tickets for an initial run of ten concerts sold out at the astonishing rate of 11 tickets per second , a feat Chris Edmonds , the Managing Director of Ticketmaster UK called a `` live entertainment phenomenon . '' Demand for the tickets prompted organizers to add another 40 dates to the schedule . The London shows were to be the first step in a multi-phase package with Jackson , including plans for a 3-D live concert film and a 3-D movie based on Jackson 's `` Thriller '' music video . It 's not known at this stage how much of the cost of Jackson 's canceled concerts will be shouldered by promoters AEG Live . The company is yet to issue a statement on the matter . It is thought only part of Jackson 's 50-date London engagement was covered by insurers . One of those was Lloyds of London , whose spokesman Louise Shields told CNN `` any losses are not likely to be significant . '' Mary Craig Calkins , partner at Howrey law firm in Los Angeles told CNN it was likely Jackson was covered by essential element insurance , a common form of cover in the entertainment industry to guard against losses associated with the main act . The policy would normally cover ticket sales and production-related expenses . `` He was hiring dancers for the production , there 's pyrotechnics , there 's the music , there 's the equipment , there 's the venue , '' Calkins told CNN . `` It 's a bigger than life tour so you would expect the expenses to be huge ... You would expect the insurance company to conduct a very thorough investigation . It 's a lot of money at stake , '' she said . AEG Live 's partner in Jackson 's stage comeback , Tom Barrack , Chairman of Colony Capital , posted a statement on the company 's Web site , saying they were `` deeply saddened '' by Jackson 's death . A spokesman for Barrack declined to comment on the financial implications , saying `` they 're not even focused on that , it 's a personal loss . '' Barrack was involved in a deal to save Jackson 's Neverland Ranch when the singer 's debts became overwhelming . Watch a report about Jackson 's lavish lifestyle '' Jackson 's sudden and unexpected death has sparked a surge in demand for his recordings and memorabilia . Since his death , hundreds of items including albums , posters and T-shirts have been listed on auction Web site eBay . And sales of his recordings have skyrocketed in shops and on music download sites . | Financial impact of Jackson 's death on London concerts remains unclear . Ticket sellers are still to clarify whether fans will received a refund , and how . Jackson was scheduled to perform 50 concerts at London 's O2 Arena . Singer 's death has sparked surge in downloads , sales of Jackson memorabilia . | [[3149, 3231], [3149, 3172], [3183, 3274], [516, 575], [1952, 2024], [3331, 3394], [4760, 4865], [4986, 5069]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A disabled punk band has launched a campaign to fight for the rights of disabled people to be able to party late . Heavy Load are a UK-based punk band with three out of five members who are disabled . `` Heavy Load , '' describe themselves as an `` anarcho-garage-punk '' band and are made up of five musicians , one of whom has Downs Syndrome and two who have unspecified learning disabilities . Their campaign , `` Stay Up Late , '' encourages carers to support disabled people who want to stay out past 10pm . Heavy Load 's manager and bass guitarist , Paul Richards , 39 , told CNN : `` The Stay Up Late '' campaign is to raise awareness , and tackle the issue where disabled gig-goers end up going home at 9pm , therefore missing most of the evening , because their support workers finish their shifts at 10pm . `` We started the campaign because we 'd be playing a gig and something strange happens at 9pm when people would start to go home . We were also frustrated with asking to go on earlier in the evening so that our fans would still be there . It 's not very punk to go on at 8.30 pm , '' he added . `` Stay up Late '' has received widespread support from disabled people and the UK government , Richards said . Even carers who may be required to work later if the campaign is successful have offered their support . `` So far , we 've only had one or two support workers say that they do n't think they should be required to work unsociable hours , '' Richards said . The group has also partnered with the UK 's leading learning disabilities charity Mencap , who they say have really helped to relay their message to a wider audience . Mencap and Heavy Load teamed up last week where the band headlined a concert in London for people with learning disabilities , giving them an opportunity to be involved in running a club night . See images from the concert '' They concert was held in conjunction with London venue Proud Camden , and around 400 people attended the event which finished at 1am . Everyone at the event , from the door girl , to bar staff and cloakroom attendants , were people with learning disabilities , venue owner Alex Proud told CNN . `` It 's the first event of its kind for people with a learning disability and there was a real buzz about how people with learning disability are an untapped source in the entertainment industry . '' He said : `` At these nights there is a lack of inhibitions . They tend to let their hair down and really know how to party ; it 's a hell of a lot of fun for all involved . Proud is eager to put on events that include people with a learning disability and to make the public more aware of this often overlooked group . `` Young people with learning disabilities want to go out , but they are not catered for in the entertainment industry , '' he added . Heavy Load have been together for 13 years since meeting at the Southdown housing in England , a non-profit assisted-living community for people with learning disabilities . Vocalist Jimmy Nicholls , 62 , posted an advert and a week later the band including Michael White , 47 -LRB- drums -RRB- Simon barker , 37 -LRB- lead vocals -RRB- and Mick Williams , 47 -LRB- guitar and vocals -RRB- was formed . Since then the band has gained many disabled and non-disabled fans and a successful documentary , `` Heavy Load , '' has been made about their lives . Now they are looking forward to setting up the `` Stay Up Late '' campaign around the world . Richards said : `` When we visited New York last year we were surprised to find that it 's an issue for people with learning disabilities to get out much at all -- so there is definitely a need there . `` We 've also been asked to go to Russia , Serbia , other parts of the U.S. , Scotland and Czech Republic to play and promote the campaign -- which we 'd love to do , but money 's tight , '' he added . However , Richards insists the campaign is not about partying late every night . `` We do n't insist on people staying up late against their will -- just having the choice to do what they want to do ! '' | Disabled punk bank Heavy Load have launched the `` Stay Up Late '' campaign . The band want disabled concert-goers to be able to enjoy gigs until the end . Disabled people often have to leave gigs early when their carers ' shifts end . Heavy Load played last week at a London club night run by disabled people . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [47, 123], [707, 725], [763, 790], [793, 852], [1718, 1727], [1734, 1783], [1912, 1979]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- NASA 's Kepler space telescope has already made a discovery , and its science operations are n't even officially under way yet . The planet used in the test is a giant gas planet about the size of Jupiter that orbits a star called HAT P-7 . NASA scientists who put the telescope through a 10-day test after its March 6 launch said this week that Kepler is working well . Its ability to detect minute changes in light has enabled scientists to determine that a planet orbiting a distant star has an atmosphere , shows only one side to its sun and is so hot it glows . Kepler 's ability to take measurements that precise at such a great distance `` proves we can find Earth-size planets , '' William Borucki , Kepler 's principal science investigator told reporters at a recent briefing . The powerful scope is looking at thousands of stars in its vision field in the Milky Way on a 3 1/2 - year mission to find planets the size of Earth and to determine how common these planets are . The planet used in the test , a giant gas planet about the size of Jupiter , orbits a star called HAT P-7 in just 2.2 days and is 26 times closer than Earth is to the sun , according to NASA . It is called an exoplanet because it orbits a star outside the solar system . Kepler detected the planet 's atmosphere , demonstrating the telescope 's capabilities and giving astronomers what NASA says is `` only a taste of things to come . '' `` It learned that this planet is like 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit . That is so hot . And it 's 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit just on one side only . The other side would be closer to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit , '' said Sara Seager , a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Kepler science team member . `` This particular planet showed an unusual change in brightness , '' she said . `` As the planet is orbiting the star , it goes through phases just as the moon goes through phases as seen from Earth . '' `` Kepler learned something new about an old planet , '' she said . `` The new discovery was that planet is extremely hot , very , very hot . And it 's very , very hot on one side , compared to the other . '' Borucki compared it to `` an element in your toaster or stove . '' | Kepler orbiting observatory beginning mission to find planets the size of Earth . It has found that a planet orbiting a distant star shows only one side to the star . `` Kepler learned something new about an old planet , '' says team member . | [[898, 954], [448, 585], [1230, 1273], [1962, 2010]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A new standoff was brewing in Honduras as the country 's recently deposed president vowed to return , while the new provisional government said it would arrest him if he set foot back in the country . Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya appears Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly . Political turmoil has swept this Central American nation of 8 million people following a military-led coup Sunday that ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya . Troops entered the president 's residence and sent him out of the country in exile . A veteran legislator , Roberto Micheletti , was sworn in that same day as provisional president with the support of congress . Roberto Micheletti , the veteran legislator who was sworn in that same day as provisional president with the support of congress , was adamant that Zelaya would not return to power . `` He already committed crimes against the constitution and the laws ; he ca n't return to be president of the republic , '' Micheletti told reporters Tuesday . `` He can no longer return to the presidency unless a president from another Latin American country comes and imposes him with arms . '' Micheletti added , `` If there is an invasion against our country , we have seven-and-a-half million Hondurans ready to defend our territory and our laws and our homeland and our government . '' However , Zelaya still vows to defy the provisional government . `` I am going to return on Thursday because they expelled me by force , and I am going to return as always : as a citizen and as president , '' Zelaya said at a U.N. news conference shortly after the world body unanimously adopted a resolution that he should be restored to power . Zelaya , speaking to the U.N. General Assembly , called the resolution historic . `` Your servant has several accusations against him in Honduras , '' Zelaya said . `` But nobody has given me a trial . Nobody has convened a tribunal . '' Meanwhile , Micheletti 's provisional government said Zelaya would be arrested if he returned . `` As soon as he arrives he will be captured , as we already have the arrest warrants ready , '' new Foreign Minister Enrique Ortez Colindres told CNN en Español . Zelaya would face charges of violating the constitution , corruption and drug trafficking , among others , Ortez said . The deposed president said he would travel to Washington to attend a meeting of the Organization of American States . He also is expected to meet Tuesday evening with Tom Shannon , the top U.S. official on Latin America . Even as Zelaya spoke at the United Nations , his opponents held a large and noisy rally in Tegucigalpa , the capital of Honduras . Crowd members waved blue and white Honduran flags and signs denouncing Zelaya . Roberto Micheletti , the new provisional president , briefly addressed the crowd Tuesday afternoon . He vowed that the next national elections , slated for November , will be held as planned , and that a new president will be sworn in as usual in January . Gen. Romeo Vasquez Velasquez , the top Honduran military commander who had butted heads with Zelaya , also spoke at the rally . By removing Zelaya , the armed forces were only complying with their constitutional duties , he said . Before he spoke , the crowd chanted in support , `` Armed forces ! Armed forces ! '' Zelaya supporters also were active Tuesday , with three major public-sector labor unions launching a general strike , a union official told CNN . About 100,000 workers joined the strike , said Oscar Garcia , vice president of the Honduran water workers union SANAA . That number could not be independently verified . `` It will be an indefinite strike , '' Garcia said . `` We do n't recognize this new government imposed by the oligarchy , and we will mount our campaign of resistance until President Manuel Zelaya is restored to power . '' Also on Tuesday , the U.S. State Department said it was reviewing its aid to Honduras as it works with regional partners on a deal to restore Zelaya to power and quell political unrest in the country . State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the U.S. was reviewing whether Zelaya 's ouster met the legal definition of a `` coup '' before any decision was made . `` Because of the situation and the very dramatic nature of the events there and our profound concern about what 's going on there , I think we 're looking at a number of aspects of our cooperation , '' Kelly said . The State Department has also issued a travel alert due `` to the current unstable political and security situation in Honduras . '' The alert `` recommends that American citizens defer all nonessential travel to Honduras until further notice . '' In another development , two U.S. military officials in Washington confirmed to CNN that U.S. helicopters will fly over southern Honduras on a humanitarian relief mission Tuesday . The officials said there is great sensitivity to any public appearance by the U.S. military in the country . The U.S. military also postponed some planned exercises with the Honduran military until the situation in the country settles down , according to the U.S. Southern Command . `` We have postponed certain activities , '' Maj. D.L. Wright , Southern Command spokesman , told CNN . Wright said this decision would be in effect for at least two to three weeks , or `` until the political situation settles . '' Zelaya was overthrown early Sunday when the Honduran military arrested him and flew him to Costa Rica . Micheletti , president of the Congress , was sworn in as provisional president later Sunday . The United Nations , OAS and most nations in the Western Hemisphere , including the United States , have condemned the ouster and demanded that Zelaya be restored to power . The World Bank said Tuesday it would freeze funds to Honduras until the crisis is resolved , and the United States said it is reviewing its aid to the Central American nation . The U.S. joined many other nations in co-sponsoring Tuesday 's U.N. resolution . Zelaya had been at odds with the other branches of government over a referendum he wanted to hold Sunday . The Honduran Supreme Court had ruled that the referendum was illegal , and Congress had voted not to hold it . The high court also had overturned Zelaya 's dismissal of Honduras ' top general , who said the military would not participate in the referendum . The court ordered that the general be reinstated immediately . Zelaya disregarded those actions and vowed to hold the vote anyway . Watch part one of interview with Zelaya -LRB- in Spanish -RRB- '' | Part two -LRB- in Spanish -RRB- '' Honduran authorities on Monday clashed with Zelaya supporters , who took to the streets and threw rocks at authorities , burned tires and set up roadblocks . iReport.com : Are you there ? Share your photos , videos . In a radio address Tuesday , Micheletti said Zelaya would be arrested if he came back . Watch interview with Micheletti -LRB- in Spanish -RRB- '' Micheletti also told Honduras ' representatives at the United Nations and OAS to quit speaking against the new government or they immediately will be removed from their posts . They are not authorized , he said , to speak for the Honduran government . In another development , two U.S. military officials in Washington confirmed to CNN that American helicopters will fly over southern Honduras on a humanitarian relief mission Tuesday . The officials said there is great sensitivity to any public appearance by the U.S. military in the country . Three Black Hawk helicopters are scheduled to leave an air base at Soto Cano in Honduras and fly south to Nicaragua . They will be used to support the USNS Comfort , which is conducting a medical relief mission . CNN en Español 's Krupskaia Alis in Honduras , and CNN 's Karl Penhaul , Barbara Starr and Elise Labott contributed to this report . | NEW : Provisional Honduran government says president faces arrest on return . Deposed President Jose Manuel Zelaya says he 'll return home this week . U.N. passes resolution saying ousted president should be returned to power . Three labor unions in Honduras reportedly begin general strike to back Zelaya . | [[127, 205], [1942, 1951], [1954, 2023], [6841, 6867], [6870, 6913], [61, 118], [220, 257], [1618, 1703], [5592, 5689], [5722, 5765], [3378, 3443]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Sri Lankan government should immediately release more than 280,000 displaced Tamil civilians living in detention camps , a leading human rights group said Wednesday . Tamil civilians are at Menik Farm refugee camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Vavuniya , Sri Lanka . Human Rights Watch said the displaced Sri Lankans were already victims of a protracted and bloody civil war . Now they are victims again , confined against their will , like criminals , the global watchdog group said . `` Keeping several hundred thousand civilians who had been caught in the middle of a war penned in these camps is outrageous , '' said Brad Adams , Asia director for Human Right Watch . `` Have n't they been through enough ? '' But a Sri Lankan Defense Ministry spokesman said the Human Rights Watch report is overstated , and he defended the government 's handling of the displaced . `` Those are not detention camps , '' said the spokesman , Lakshman Hulugalle . `` They are relief villages . All the basic facilities are being given to the people . '' Sri Lanka declared victory in May in its 25-year battle with the Tamil Tiger rebels , but concerns remain about how the island nation can heal visceral war wounds . The rebels -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -LRB- LTTE -RRB- -- waged war for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983 . As many as 70,000 people were killed in the conflict . With the cease-fire , the question of how to resettle Tamil refugees , many of whom were living among the rebels , has wrought intense criticism of the government from international humanitarian agencies . The United Nations reported that as of July 19 , Sri Lanka was detaining 281,621 people in 30 military guarded camps in the four northern districts of Vavuniya , Mannar , Jaffna and Trincomalee . Human Rights Watch said humanitarian workers are prohibited from discussing abuses or the final months of the ethnic conflict and that camp residents are allowed to leave only for emergency medical care , often only with military escort . In some camps , people have to register with the military twice a day , the rights group said . If they fail , they are subject to punitive measures such as being forced to stand still under the sun for extended periods of time . The group reported health problems created by inconsistent water supply and a shortage of bathroom facilities . But Hulugalle , the Defense Ministry spokesman , said barbed wire around the compounds is a common way to define barriers in Sri Lanka and that military guards were being utilized out of security concerns . The government fears that rebels are hiding in the camps and screening people living in them . `` These are people who were kept for months in LTTE clutches , '' Hulugalle said , referring to the displaced civilians . He said the government has a 180-day plan to resettle most people but that a lot of work was needed in the northern districts as far as rebuilding infrastructure and basic services destroyed in the fighting . The human rights activists say , however , that the government is not working fast enough . Human Right Watch said Sri Lanka 's goal now is only to resettle 60 percent of the refugees by the end of the year . U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz visited a camp this week in Vavuniya , after which he announced an additional $ 8 million in humanitarian aid for the northern districts . But even in handing out dollars , Schwartz was critical of Sri Lanka 's handling of the displaced . In a statement , he acknowledged that providing food , shelter and medical care for the displaced people was a `` formidable task . '' But Schwartz said the United States remains `` deeply concerned '' about the confinement of people to camps and the hardships they endure within those camps . He also criticized the restrictions placed on humanitarian workers visiting the camps . `` The government of the United States believes the focus now must be on the prompt return of the displaced in safety and dignity , and we want to accelerate this process , '' Schwartz said . In addition to global humanitarian aid , the International Monetary Fund has approved a $ 2.6 billion loan to Sri Lanka to mend the country . Adams of Human Rights Watch said Sri Lanka , in need of global sympathy in its efforts to rebuild , could very well go the opposite way if the Tamil people , once subjugated by the rebels , keep waking up as prisoners of their own state . | Group : More than 280,000 displaced Tamil civilians living in detention camps . Sri Lanka says the Human Rights Watch report is overstated . Human Rights Watch says aid workers are prohibited from discussing abuses . Group reported health problems created by inconsistent water supply . | [[0, 15], [19, 63], [72, 115], [82, 141], [1676, 1871], [1709, 1722], [1725, 1792], [752, 840], [144, 189], [1872, 2110], [1891, 2021], [2341, 2452], [2360, 2452]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man shot his estranged wife to death , along with their son and grandson , before turning the gun on himself as police closed in , authorities in Livingston Parish , Louisiana , said Sunday . Police say Dennis Carter Sr. shot four family members , three fatally , before turning the gun on himself . Dennis Carter Sr. , 50 , also shot and critically injured his pregnant daughter-in-law , the parish sheriff 's office said in a statement . The shootings occurred Saturday night in the town of Holden , Louisiana . Authorities were dispatched to a report of shots fired at a home about 10:40 p.m. Upon arrival , they found three people dead and the fourth -- Amber Carter , 25 -- in critical condition , the statement said . Those killed were Dennis Carter Jr. , 26 , Amber Carter 's husband ; their son Mason Carter , 2 ; and 49-year-old Donna Carter , mother of Dennis Carter Jr. and estranged wife of Dennis Carter Sr. , police said . All had been shot to death . A 16-month-old child at the home was unharmed , authorities said . Deputies believe Amber Carter attempted to escape from the gunman by jumping from a second-story window , holding Mason in her arms , the statement said , but the boy did not survive his gunshot wounds . Amber Carter had several bullet wounds , said Perry Rushing , chief of operations for the sheriff 's office , and authorities believe the gunman shot her in the back as she was attempting to get out the window while holding the child . She also may have been shot again after she got outside the home , Rushing told CNN . Amber Carter was flown to a Baton Rouge , Louisiana , hospital , and later transferred to New Orleans , Rushing said . She was in critical condition as of Sunday morning . A neighbor in the area told deputies that he heard a gunshot and saw Carter Sr. walking to a car , a red El Camino , with a gun in his hand , the sheriff 's statement said . At 11:30 p.m. , a police officer in the adjacent town of Livingston saw the vehicle entering Interstate 12 heading eastbound , the statement said . A Livingston Parish sheriff 's deputy followed the car and attempted to stop it . `` However , the suspect shot himself with a handgun , in plain view of the officers , as the vehicle veered off the shoulder of the interstate near the Holden exit , '' police said . Records from the Livingston Parish Detention Center show that Dennis Carter Sr. , of Hammond , Louisiana , had been jailed `` on three separate occasions in 2009 alone , on three separate charges of violation of a protective order and one charge of aggravated assault -LRB- domestic -RRB- , '' the sheriff 's office said . `` At this time , there do not appear to be any other suspects or victims in this ongoing investigation , '' police said . Holden is about 35 miles east of Baton Rouge . | Dennis Carter Sr. killed his estranged wife , their son and grandson , police say . Police say he also shot his pregnant daughter-in-law , who is in critical condition . Carter drove away , then shot himself to death as police pursued , authorities say . Sheriff 's office says Carter had record of domestic violence . | [[0, 5], [19, 20], [25, 57], [213, 219], [242, 266], [285, 320], [632, 699], [902, 920], [321, 338], [360, 407], [1699, 1751], [0, 15], [96, 149], [1035, 1053], [2169, 2208], [2631, 2662]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Off a desert highway , about 15 miles from her home in the southern tip of Nevada , the mystery of Maureen Fields ' disappearance began with the discovery of her abandoned car . The body of Maureen Fields , seen here in June 2005 , has n't been found since she went missing in 2006 . Investigators found the 41-year-old woman 's 2004 green Hyundai just across the California border on February 16 , 2006 . It was one day after her husband , Paul Fields , said he last saw her . Investigators say they discovered Fields ' purse and wallet , the keys in the ignition and a fully reclined driver 's seat . There were slippers and eyeglasses beneath the gas pedal , religious pamphlets , a knotted pair of pantyhose as well as three bottles of prescription tranquilizers and pain killers . Watch an update on the case '' A small spot of her blood and vomit stained a blanket strewn across the ground beside the car . But Fields , who 'd been working as a Wells Fargo bank teller in the small town of Pahrump , Nevada , has never been found . `` Just looking at the circumstances , it could appear staged '' by whoever was responsible for her disappearance , said Detective Dave Boruchowitz , an investigator with the Nye County , Nevada , Sheriff 's Office . Reported inconsistencies in her 60-year-old husband 's story , police said , paired with the fact that the couple was described as having a stormy relationship , made Paul Fields the initial suspect . A lack of physical evidence , however , has made the case unprosecutable , said Detective Joe Close , also with the Nye County Sheriff 's Office . Paul Fields , who runs an auto business out of the double-wide trailer he and his wife shared , maintains his innocence . He 's speculated that she faked her death before running off with another man . A message left at his home was not returned . But his attorney , Harold Kuehn , said , `` His contention is and my belief is that if she 's truly dead , and the court says she is for civil purposes , then he did n't do it . ... What he told police is what he told me . Basically she left one day , never to be seen again . '' In a new twist , Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett says an unknown male 's DNA was found on key items at the scene of the abandoned car . `` What we have to explore is the possibility of another suspect , '' Beckett said . `` We have to find out who this male was and whose DNA was found at the scene . It 's a lot more complicated than one may think it is . '' The prosecutor said he 's sure a jury would have reasonable doubt if presented a case with this question mark looming . `` We have a duty to make sure we 're doing the right thing , '' he said . `` There are too many unanswered questions at this time . '' Maureen Fields has been declared dead , and the search for her body , and her killer , continues . Her father , Jim Fitzgerald , has been doing some investigating of his own . The former detective with the Newark , New Jersey , Police Department -- and now a national director with the conservative John Birch Society -- has made repeated trips from his Randolph Township , New Jersey , home to speak with his daughter 's former friends and co-workers . He 's also consulted with a psychic in his search for clues . No matter when her body is found , a serial numbered metal jaw implant -- which served to combat Fields ' teeth grinding habit -- will stand as proof of her identity , Fitzgerald said . Since murder carries no statute of limitations , time is on the law 's side . `` The case is n't dead to us , '' said Boruchowitz , one of the detectives still on the investigation . `` We 're going to continue to work it until we prove who did it . '' Anyone with information about this case should call the Nye County Sheriff 's Office at 775-751-7000 . | Maureen Fields of southern Nevada was 41 when she went missing in 2006 . Her abandoned car , with keys , purse and pill bottles , was found off a desert highway . Presumed dead , there 's been no sign of her body and no evidence pointing to a killer . Unknown male 's DNA , however , was recently discovered and may hold new clues . | [[206, 232], [260, 311], [169, 205], [506, 623], [206, 232], [260, 311], [1484, 1511], [1514, 1556], [2784, 2821], [2159, 2173], [2176, 2303]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mississippi has kept its U.S. heavyweight title for a fifth straight year , among both adults and children . Adult obesity rates went up in 23 states in the past year , a survey shows . The percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states , but Mississippi , with 32.5 percent , stayed atop the latest annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America 's Health . The same survey put the state 's adult obesity rate at 31.7 percent in 2008 . In addition , 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese , the study found . Doctors have linked obesity to increased risks of a variety of conditions , including diabetes , hypertension , arthritis and heart disease . Wednesday 's study found the current U.S. economic slump could worsen the problem by putting more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families . See a map of obesity in the U.S. '' `` At the same time , safety-net programs and services are becoming increasingly overextended as the numbers of unemployed , uninsured and underinsured Americans continue to grow , '' the report states . `` For many people , too , worries over the recession are triggering increased depression , anxiety and stress , which often can be linked to obesity . '' Dr. Ed Thompson , Mississippi 's state health officer , called the report -- which was drawn from state figures -- `` old data rehashed . '' But he said the state is taking steps to address what he called `` a multifaceted problem , '' targeting schoolchildren in particular . Thompson said teachers not only are trying to educate students about the importance of good nutrition and exercise , they are changing schedules to increase the amount of physical activity students experience in a day . In addition , lower-calorie , lower-fat foods are replacing some high-calorie , high starch lunchroom staples , he said . `` We ca n't tell our children to eat wise dietary choices and then provide them with little except for poor dietary choices in their school cafeterias , '' Thompson said . Rounding out the top five states among adults were West Virginia , with 31.2 percent of its population considered obese ; Alabama , 31.1 percent ; Tennessee , 30.2 percent ; and South Carolina 29.7 percent . At the bottom of the rankings , Colorado had the lowest percentage of obese adults , with 18.9 percent . It was followed by Massachusetts , at 21.2 percent ; Connecticut , 21.3 ; Rhode Island , 21.7 ; and Hawaii , 21.8 . Even in those states , the obesity rate grew by fractions of a percent since 2008 , according to the study . Thompson said most adults know they should eat less and exercise . `` The hard part is getting people to actually practice these things , '' he said . `` Our work lives require less physical exertion than they used to , '' he said . `` With less physical activity , we should have adjusted our dietary consumption downward . '' While deep-fried Southern cooking is legendary , Mississippi also ranks high in poverty statistics and low in education -- two factors commonly related to obesity . But Thompson said education appears to be more closely related to obesity than poverty . `` We do see obesity among people who are in lower socioeconomic levels , but we see it in higher socioeconomic levels as well , '' he said . `` Being poor does not not make you obese , and being rich does not make you thin . '' The survey used the Body Mass Index standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The CDC defines someone as obese if they have a BMI -- a figure based on a ratio of height to weight -- of 30 or more , while anyone with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight . Calculate your Body Mass Index '' Adult obesity rates went up in 23 states in the past year , with 31 states now reporting rates over 25 percent . By comparison , no state topped 20 percent in 1991 , the survey 's authors reported . | Survey : 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese . Economic slump could put more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families . Other top states were West Virginia , Alabama , Tennessee , South Carolina . The survey used the Body Mass Index standards set by the CDC . | [[188, 204], [518, 606], [769, 924], [2112, 2176], [3461, 3506], [3477, 3567]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ten years ago , Al Franken wrote a satirical book detailing his fictitious race for the White House . In '' ` Why Not Me ? '' Franken trounces former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to win the election , but after countless scandals , a mental breakdown and a cloning incident , President Franken is forced to resign . Comedian , author and radio host Al Franken can now add `` senator '' to his resume . Asked how he came up with the idea for the book , Franken said at the time that a number of people had been encouraging him to run for office . `` They thought it would be a good idea because I obviously know a lot about politics ; I 'm comfortable on camera , as you can tell ; I 've been married once , have two children ; very , very good looking . And I told them that I 'd be a terrible office-holder , so that was sort of the genesis of this idea , '' he said . As far-fetched as the plot was , Franken 's political aspirations were n't fantasy , and eight months after Election Day , the Democrat will be sworn in as an office-holder , representing Minnesota in the Senate . Soon after , the outspoken comedian and former radio host will take over the desk once occupied by election rival Norm Coleman . For months , Coleman appealed the election results , in which a recount gave Franken a 312-vote lead . But Coleman 's case was put to rest last week when Minnesota 's Supreme Court ruled in Franken 's favor . Franken on the issues '' When Franken is sworn in Tuesday , the title `` senator '' will become just the next line on a lengthy and varied résumé that reflects a man who has built up an illustrious yet controversial name for himself . Franken , born in New York in 1951 , moved to Minnesota when he was 4 years old . He grew up in a middle-class family and did well in school . Franken attended Harvard University , where he majored in political science . After graduation , Franken teamed up with his home-state pal Tom Davis , and the two started writing for what became known as `` Saturday Night Live . '' Franken was also a performer -- playing self-help guru Stuart Smalley and impersonating public figures like Henry Kissinger and the Rev. Pat Robertson -- and over the course of two decades , he took home five Emmys for his work on the show . Post - `` SNL , '' Franken dabbled in film and had a successful career as an author , penning several best-sellers , including `` Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations . '' Watch CNN 's Brianna Keiler report on Franken 's plans '' In 2004 , Franken made a name for himself as someone well-versed in politics through `` The Al Franken Show , '' carried by Air America Radio . During his final show on February 14 , 2007 , Franken announced his intentions to run for the Senate . But the man who once played Liam the Loose-Boweled Leprechaun was n't the first unlikely politician to come from Minnesota . Voters there elected former wrestler Jesse Ventura as their governor in 1998 . David Schultz , a professor of law at Hamline University in St. Paul , says Franken 's win was probably not an affirmation of support for the Democratic candidate but was , for many , a `` lesser of two evils vote . '' Third-party candidate Dean Barkley was chipping into Coleman 's support , and `` in addition , Coleman threw all his dirt against Franken early , and by the general election , it was old news . '' `` Coleman had little new to campaign on during the general election , and Franken became a better candidate in terms of campaigning during the last two months , '' he said . In a video posted on his campaign Web site , explaining that he wanted to run , Franken said Minnesotans had `` a right to be skeptical '' about whether he was ready to take on such a challenge . Watch more on the Franken factor '' Franken cited late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone as his political hero . Wellstone , who first won election to the Senate in 1990 , died in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 election . Going into the race , Coleman was considered one of the more vulnerable Republicans seeking re-election . Although he 'd started distancing himself from President Bush , he had been long seen as one of the president 's allies . Franken 's campaign took off , and he raked in contributions , but his foes were not going to let Coleman go down without a fight . The former comedian 's past came back to attack him as anti-Franken ads focused on some of his more controversial lines . The National Republican Senatorial Committee launched a 60-second spot highlighting clips from Franken 's SNL days , with an announcer saying , `` Rape jokes , poor and foul-mouthed anger do not make for good training for the United States Senate . '' The Minnesota State Republican Party also blasted their challenger for a 2000 Playboy column he wrote called `` Porn-O-Rama ! '' When the votes were tallied on Election Day , Coleman held a slight edge on Franken , leading with just 206 votes . Under Minnesota law , a recount was in order because the margin of victory was less than .5 percent . The controversial recount , and subsequent court challenges , evoked comparisons to the 2000 Bush-Gore saga . But Franken came out on top in one of the most drawn-out Senate races in Senate history . A day after the Minnesota Supreme Court handed down its unanimous decision in favor of Franken -- and 239 days after the election -- the newly dubbed senator-elect thanked his supporters in an at-times emotional speech on the steps of the state Capitol . `` It is , of course , technically true that this was Paul 's U.S. Senate seat . But I do n't think Paul saw it that way , '' Franken said Wednesday , again paying respects to Wellstone . `` This seat belongs to the people of Minnesota , and so did Sen. Wellstone , and so will I , '' he said as he thanked his wife , Franni , supporters , volunteers , campaign staff members and the people of the state he will represent . Now , Franken takes on what could be the most influential role of his life as he joins the Senate , giving Democrats their potentially filibuster-proof 60th vote . Senate Democrats are welcoming their newest with open arms , and although the months-long contest has reached a resolution , it 's likely the division over Franken will follow him to Capitol Hill . `` The arrival of the man from Minnesota will make the Democrats move even more to the left . He will not only be one more vote for the left , but one more loud voice for liberal policies , '' John Feehery wrote in a commentary for CNN.com . Feehery is a former staffer for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans in Congress . `` When Franken first started in politics , he did so as the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh . Imagine if Rush were the 60th vote for Republicans , with George Bush as president . Now , think how Franken will act as the 60th vote for President Obama , '' he wrote . | Al Franken defeated Norm Coleman in one of the longest Senate races in history . Franken was a fixture on NBC 's `` Saturday Night Live '' for years . He also is a best-selling author and former radio host . Franken gives Senate Democrats their potentially filibuster-proof 60th vote . | [[5199, 5284], [334, 385], [391, 419], [334, 377], [382, 419], [2292, 2301], [2339, 2375], [6042, 6044], [6064, 6127]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Forty seven-year-old Australian `` adrenaline junkie '' Sean Langman will attempt to break the 50-knot sailing speed barrier with his half sailboat , half plane , after a serious crash last summer . The half sailboat , half plane uses technology known as supercavitation -- sailing just above the water 's edge . Langman , a shipyard owner and yachtsman , is intent on beating the French-set record within the next few weeks , with the `` Wot Rocket , '' a canoe-style pod with a nine meter-long rigid sail . The Wot Rocket is waiting for confirmation from the World Sailing Speed Record Council to attempt , once again , an unprecedented technology known as `` supercavitation '' -- sailing just above the water in a gas bubble created by the deflection of water . This is to to reduce the drag which is around 1,000 times greater in the water than in the air . `` Wot Rocket is so exciting as we push to sail up to three times the speed of the wind , '' Langman told CNN . In October last year Langman and his co-pilot crashed when they lost control of the vessel at 42 knots -- over 60 miles per hour . But after re-building and perfecting the vessel at a cost of half a million dollars , Langman is ready to try again . `` The exhilaration of sailing/flying is so big , you do n't think about danger , '' he told CNN . Langman is certain that this time around he will beat the record . `` My only concern is we wo n't be able to keep control of the craft . '' In case the pilots crash again , Langman says the most thing is to remain calm . `` Last time I felt a mild panic as we were underwater . I just hoped the paramedics would get there in time . `` But really I feel very safe doing anything on water as that what I 've done my whole life . I feel most ` in tune ' when I 'm on water , '' he added . The idea for Wot Rocket was conceived four years ago by Langman after he was inspired by the story of Burt Munro , the New Zealander who set a world land speed record on his modified Indian Scout motorcycle in 1967 -- played by Antony Hopkins in the 2005 Hollywood movie `` The World 's Fastest Indian . '' Do you think the wotrocket can beat the record ? `` I came up with the idea in the shower . So I presented it to a group of engineers and said ` this is what I believe . ' Most said I 'm a lunatic but one said ' I want to work with you ' . '' Langman joined forces with leading Australian designer Andy Dovell and sought input from Boeing 747 pilots for their aeronautical knowledge . He then had the `` Wot Rocket '' built using the staff and facilities at his various Shipyards . Finally , he teamed up with Wotif.com founder Graeme Wood who invested in the project because , as he explained , he `` likes leftfield ideas . '' `` My family think I 'm crazy , but every time I 've had an idea it 's taken me somewhere . It 's really about ideas versus science and trying to make it work , '' Langman explained . `` And no one remembers the second man to walk on the moon . '' | Half sailboat , half plane will attempt to break the 50-knot sailing speed barrier . Pilot Sean Langman crashed dangerously last year but is confident he can make it . `` Wot Rocket '' uses technology called `` supercavitation : '' sailing just above the water . | [[9, 32], [92, 196], [235, 309], [658, 716]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Blair MacIntyre imagines a world where tiny clouds of information -- Facebook statuses , business cards , Twitter posts -- float above all of our heads . `` Augmented reality '' can combine live video with data and information from the Internet . In some ways , it 's not that far from reality . Advancements in mobile phone technology have cleared the way for a coming wave of `` augmented reality '' applications that merge the physical world with information compiled about people and places on the Internet . `` When the technology gets there , this stuff could be amazingly useful and mildly terrifying in some ways , '' said MacIntyre , an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who has taught classes in augmented reality for a decade . The idea of pairing digital information with our real , 3-D environments is not especially new -- think robot-human vision in the `` Terminator '' movies . MacIntyre even plodded about college campuses in the 1990s wearing a 40-pound backpack and nerdy goggles , trying to make something similar happen . But as mobile phones become better equipped with GPS systems , which use satellites to locate the phones ; compasses , which tell the direction the phone faces ; and accelerometers , which relay the device 's tilt ; the once-lofty idea of augmented reality is being put into the hands of consumers . Last July in the Netherlands , a company called SPRXmobile released a mobile browser , Layar , that lets people see pieces of this new info-reality through their phone screens . A Layar user sets his or her phone to video mode , aims it around and sees all kinds of information pop up on the screen : blinking dots on apartments that are for sale , the values of those units , pull-down reviews of the bar up on the corner or details about sales at a nearby retail store . Watch a video demo of the app . This makes information easier to find and helps people make better sense of the physical world around them , said Maarten Lens-FitzGerald , co-founder of Layar . `` I think it will actually get you out more than you would stay at home , '' he said . `` You 're not at your couch anymore , you 're not at your desk '' when you need to find information . Layar , which bills itself as the first mobile browser that features augmented reality , is only available in the Netherlands and only on certain phones , including Google 's Android , T-Mobile 's G1 and the HTC Magic . But Lens-FitzGerald said the company plans to announce a global expansion plan on August 17 and will develop an app for the iPhone if Apple changes policies that obstruct developers from creating such applications on that device . A range of other `` AR '' apps are in development or are on the market . One , called Nearest Tube , highlights subway routes in New York and London . Wikitude is an app that aims to show people encyclopedic information about nearby landmarks . Like Wikipedia , users can add information to the service . The idea could usher in an era of cell-phone tour guides . Total Immersion , a French company , developed an app that makes 3-D baseball players spring to life from baseball cards . Users can turn the card to see their favorite players , through a phone screen , from all angles . And at Georgia Tech , researchers are working on video games that may one day make it look like virtual zombies are chasing players down real-world streets . Alex Michaelis , CEO of Tweetmondo , a site that pairs Twitter posts with geographical information , said he has developed an app that will let mobile phone users see their friends ' tweets through the video camera on their phones . He expects it to be available within the month . `` It adds information to your world , and this is what it 's all about , '' he said . To picture how that service would work , think about walking into your living room in the evening . If a roommate had posted to Twitter from the couch , his or her Tweet would hover in that space when viewed through a mobile phone 's video camera . Michaelis admits the model is a bit clunky for now . But he sees a future when the app will let people stand on a street corner , hold their phone up to their face , and see the Twitter posts of crowd members as they mill about . Phones would have to be able to communicate with satellites and computer services constantly , instead of only when someone posts a message , to make that possible , he said . `` I see this being resolved in the near future , '' he said , `` because , really , it 's just a matter of really experimenting with this technology and pushing it to the limit . '' But there are doubts about augmented technology on phones . Lens-FitzGerald , of Layar , is concerned that augmented reality is being over-hyped and may create unrealistic expectations from consumers . `` It 's a cool technology , but yeah , we need to see how much -LSB- funding and visibility -RSB- our companies will get , '' he said . `` It 's getting a lot of press now without being proven , but do we make money , are we going to make people happy with it ? We do n't know . We 're just starting . '' He added : `` It 's like the first TV . We need to build an audience . '' MacIntyre , of Georgia Tech , said the technology behind today 's augmented reality apps is crude . Mobile phone GPS is n't nearly accurate enough to make sure a Twitter post is tagged to a person , for instance , rather than the lamp post that 's 50 feet away . Furthermore , the idea behind the information-reality mesh on mobile phones is off-base , he said . `` I do n't see them answering a problem that needs to be solved , '' added MacIntyre , who believes two-dimensional maps can be used to display information much more easily with current technology . More functional problems exist as well . People do n't necessarily want to walk around the world holding cell-phone screens in front of their faces . And the world 's information has to be tagged geographically to make sense in an augmented-reality setting . But MacIntyre does see a bright future for augmented reality . Within a year , mobile phone applications will become much more functional , he said , and in the foreseeable future , augmented reality will move off of phone screens and onto futuristic sunglasses , whose wearers will see blips of information about everything around them , he said . If that happens , the `` Terminator '' vision will have truly arrived . | `` Augmented reality , '' a merger of the digital and virtual worlds , is coming to phones . `` AR '' apps put info -- like Twitter posts -- on top of live video captured by phone . Smartphone GPS and compass systems paved the way for the advance . Some say AR is in its infancy ; others question its usefulness . | [[315, 420], [173, 265], [1456, 1464], [1488, 1565], [1566, 1578], [1636, 1686], [3547, 3673], [3961, 4058], [4116, 4118], [4229, 4275], [315, 420], [1095, 1148], [4652, 4707]] |
MANCHESTER , New Hampshire -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If you listen to inventor Dean Kamen , the biggest health problem facing the world today is not AIDS , obesity or malnutrition . It 's a shortage of water . Dean Kamen hopes to tackle the world 's fresh water shortage with the Slingshot , a water purifying device . Water is the most abundant resource on the planet , yet less than one percent of the Earth 's freshwater supply is readily available to drink , according to the World Health Organization . Lack of accessible or clean drinking water , exacerbated by drought , is crippling communities in many developing countries . `` In your lifetime , my lifetime , we will see water be a really scarce , valuable commodity , '' Kamen says . Those are scary words from the man whose creations include the Segway personal motorized scooter and the Luke -LRB- as in Skywalker -RRB- prosthetic arm . But the forward-thinking inventor and his team at DEKA Research in Manchester , New Hampshire , are n't sitting around waiting for the world 's wells to dry up . They 've been working on an invention they say can tap into 97 percent of the world 's undrinkable water . It 's called the Slingshot , and it 's a portable , low energy machine that is designed to purify water in remote villages where there 's not a Wal-Mart in sight . The device takes its name from a well-known story . `` We believe the world needs a slingshot to take care of its Goliath of a problem in water , '' Kamen says . `` So we decided to build a small machine and give it to the little Davids . '' Perhaps you 've heard about the Slingshot , which Kamen has been working on for more than 10 years . Over that time it has turned dirty river water , ocean water and even raw sewage into pure drinking water . Kamen says it can turn anything that looks wet , or has water in it , into the `` stuff of life . '' The magic behind the Slingshot is a `` vapor compression distiller '' that stands between what looks like two empty fish tanks connected by a couple of hoses . One tank contains the contaminated liquid , the other is for the newly clean water . Watch Kamen demonstrate the Slingshot '' The Slingshot boils , distills and vaporizes the polluted source , in turn delivering nothing but clean water to the other side . And it does it all on less electricity than it takes to run a hair dryer . In summer 2006 , Kamen delivered two Slingshots to the small community of Lerida in Honduras . They were used for a month and Kamen says everything ran as planned . `` The machine worked very well down there , taking virtually any water that the people from that village brought to us , '' he says . `` All the water that we got from the machine was absolutely pure water . '' But there 's a problem . Kamen says each Slingshot costs his company several hundred thousand dollars to build . He 's looking to partner with companies and organizations to distribute Slingshots around the world , but says a little more engineering work needs to be done in order to lower the production costs . Kamen says the company would like to get the price down to about $ 2,000 per machine . `` The biggest challenge right now between this being a dream and a reality is getting committed people that really care about the state of the world 's health to get involved , '' Kamen says . The world 's population is quickly approaching 7 billion , making access to clean water that much more important . According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF , more than 3.5 million people die every year from water-related diseases and almost 900 million do n't have access to a safe water supply . Kamen says people in developing regions of the world need the Slingshot as soon as possible . He also thinks the problem with polluted water will spread beyond small villages . He says one Slingshot machine can supply about 250 gallons of water a day , which is enough for 100 people . That 's a lot of Davids . `` It is literally like turning lead into gold , '' he says . `` But I believe it 's more important , because you ca n't drink lead or gold . '' | Segway inventor Dean Kamen wants to tackle the world 's fresh water shortage . Kamen has designed a portable water purifying device called a Slingshot . The machine is designed to purify water in remote villages of developing nations . But assembly costs remain too high for the machine to be mass produced . | [[203, 282], [285, 311], [285, 311], [1199, 1233], [1239, 1285], [3651, 3703]] |
ROME , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Italian authorities Tuesday arrested two suspects believed to be responsible for the September 18 killing of six African immigrants in Castelvolturno , a small town of 20,000 residents north of Naples . The army has been deployed in major cities aross Italy since the early summer . Police also arrested a third man wanted by authorities for belonging to the same clan , but not directly linked to the killings . The victims were gunned down in a hail of bullets as they stood outside a store selling ethnic goods . The attack sparked a riot by immigrants who complained about `` racism '' but officials suspect a dispute over drug trafficking . Those arrested , Alessandro Cirillo , Oreste Spagnuolo and Giovanni Letizia , were on the list of the 100 most dangerous men and wanted criminals in Italy . The arrests were part of a large police operation aimed at cracking down on organized crime in the Campania region and in particular the powerful Casalesi clan belonging to the Neapolitan mafia known as Camorra . The Casalesi clan and the area where the arrests took place prominently featured in the best seller `` Gomorrah , '' a book written by Roberto Saviano who now lives under constant police protection . `` This is a great day for the Italian state , '' said Carmelo Casabona , head of the police in Caserta . `` The operation was an immediate , concrete and strong answer to organized crime in this region . '' Two weeks ago , the Italian interior minister announced the deployment of 400 additional police officers in the area . And the Italian military will deploy 500 troops by Saturday as part of a large operation Italian officials say is aimed at `` reclaiming the control of the territory . '' `` Our objective is to take the water away from the sharks , '' said Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni . He explained that the additional police officers are already working , while the army 's role will be defined at a key meeting Friday in Caserta . In the suspects ' home , police found weapons including two AK-47s that investigators say were used to carry out the killings in Castelvolturno , as well as police overalls , one gun and one pump rifle . Authorities also arrested dozens of other people , including the wife of Francesco Schiavone , aka `` Sandokan , '' the head of the Casalesi clan who was arrested a decade ago and is serving a life-time prison sentence . As part of the same operation , Italian financial police confiscated 43 companies and 134 apartments spread throughout central and southern Italy belonging to the Casalesi clan , worth more than 100 million euros -LRB- $ 144 million -RRB- . CNN Producer Flavia Taggiasco contributed to this report . | Two suspects arrested over killing of six African immigrants in Italy . Victims were gunned down in a hail of bullets in town north of Naples . Arrests part of large police operation aimed at tackling organized crime . | [[7, 28], [32, 181], [445, 547], [835, 884], [860, 989]] |
Editor 's note : Pedro A. Noguera is a professor at New York University and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education . He is editor of `` Unfinished Business : Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation 's Schools '' and author of `` The Trouble With Black Boys : And Other Reflections on Race , Equity and the Future of Public Education . '' Pedro Noguera says Obama needs to be wary of alienating teachers who can be his allies on education reform . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama has made it clear from the earliest days of his presidency that he intended to make education a high priority for his administration . He reaffirmed that commitment Tuesday when he addressed schoolchildren on the topic . In one of his first presidential addresses , he made a special appeal to students at risk of dropping out : '' ... -LSB- D -RSB- ropping out of high school is no longer an option . It 's not just quitting on yourself , it 's quitting on your country , and this country needs and values the talents of every American . '' The president 's commitment to education is truly remarkable , considering the enormous array of policy challenges confronting the administration . From health care and the economic crisis , to global warming and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , the administration is beset by controversies that will not be easily resolved . The fact that the president and his education secretary , Arne Duncan , have not allowed education to be ignored or placed on the back burner says a great deal about their recognition of its central importance to our nation . However , as the administration navigates its way into the policy debates that are swirling over the future of education , it would be wise for it to proceed with caution . The administration has already staked out positions on a number of issues -- charter schools and merit pay for teachers being two of the big ones -- which run the risk of generating additional controversy in the polarized debates over how to reform education . If these issues and the stimulus money being made available under the Race to the Top -LRB- RTT -RRB- program are not handled carefully , conflict and even paralysis are likely to ensue . The president may even inadvertently alienate an important core constituency that he will surely need in the years ahead -- public school teachers . The current policy debates over the direction of education are typically presented as battles between the reformers , led by school superintendents like Joel Klein of New York and Michelle Rhee of Washington , D.C. , and the defenders of the status quo , most often presented as the powerful teacher unions and other elements of the education establishment . While anyone familiar with the current debates knows that the differences between the two sides are real and profound , a protracted battle over the direction of education reform is not a good thing either for the administration or for those who genuinely want to see improvement in public education . Instead of choosing sides , it would be wise for the administration to do all it can to find common ground between the opposing camps as it formulates new policy initiatives . For example , instead of requiring states to adopt some form of merit pay for teachers -- a measure to which both the teachers ' unions , the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers , have already declared their opposition -- the administration could encourage states to adopt school-based formulas that reward increases in student achievement . This is similar , though not identical , to the approach taken in New York City , one that encourages collaboration among teachers and recognizes the importance of evidence that children are learning . Similarly , rather than touting charter schools as the solution to public education , the administration should treat the best charters as models of innovation that provide educators with the flexibility to implement new strategies . This is a subtle but important distinction that has been lacking in many of the administration 's pronouncements about charter schools . Unlike the public schools , many charter schools find ways to avoid serving the most disadvantaged students , and their teachers often work a longer day and longer school year without a contract . Moreover , many of the best charters are subsidized by private philanthropists and are able to spend considerably more per pupil than traditional public schools . These facts should not be used to negate the accomplishments of the excellent charter schools that have emerged in many large cities . In fact , it is far more likely that struggling public schools in these same cities would be more open to learning from the charters ' accomplishments if they were not cast as competitors . Finally , the president has championed the idea of `` promise neighborhoods '' as a way to increase the availability of social services to children in high poverty communities , using as a model the Harlem Childrens Zone . If this initiative is to result in lasting benefits to children , it will need to be combined with creative approaches to reforming urban public schools that re-formulate how we think about standards and focus attention more intently on how to deliver quality instruction to children . With dropout rates at over 50 percent in several of our nation 's cities , the administration must realize that tinkering at the margins with No Child Left Behind will not deliver the change we need . The president entered office promising to bring a new kind of politics to the nation , an approach that focused on finding common ground among diverse constituencies to solve the pressing problems of our time . In areas like health care , energy , the economy and foreign policy , this new approach has not yet gained traction . However , it is not too late for the president to unite the nation around a common effort to improve public education . For this to happen , he will need to keep above the fray and stay focused on a strategy that sends a clear message to all constituencies that working together to improve public education is in our national interest . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Pedro A. Noguera . | Pedro Noguera : It 's good that Obama is emphasizing education 's importance . He says president needs to be wary of taking sides on volatile issues . He says merit pay and charter schools could alienate key allies . Noguera : Obama needs teachers on his side to improve schools . | [[565, 635], [357, 421], [1607, 1613], [1718, 1769], [3029, 3054], [357, 421]] |
HARARE , Zimbabwe -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A European Union delegation met Saturday with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe , who said the parties had established a `` good rapport . '' President Mugabe and his wife , Grace , arrive for a ZANU PF party youth conference on Friday . `` There was no animosity , it was quite friendly , '' Mugabe said . Gunilla Carlsson , the Swedish minister for International Development Cooperation , said the parties `` definitely made some progress . '' `` Of course we did n't agree with everything Mr. Mugabe said , but it was a correct meeting and we exchanged views , '' Carlsson , who is heading the mission , told CNN 's Rosemary Church . The delegation met with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai later on Saturday . Carlsson spokesman Peter Larsson had said earlier that `` there was no sense of any hostility from Mugabe . '' Larsson was referring to remarks the Zimbabwean president made Friday , when he condemned `` bloody whites '' for meddling in his country 's affairs . Carlsson is heading the mission to Zimbabwe . `` Sanctions or no sanctions , Zimbabwe remains ours , '' . Mugabe told his ZANU-PF party 's youth conference in Harare on Friday . `` Who said the British and the Americans should rule over others ? That 's why we say , down with you . We have not invited these bloody whites . They want to poke their nose into our own affairs . Refuse that , '' he said . The European Union imposed travel bans on Mugabe and his representatives in 2002 . The bans were imposed after accusations of human rights violations and election fraud . In addition to travel restrictions , the European Union has frozen the assets of more than 200 Zimbabweans for allegedly violating human rights , according to Sweden , which holds the rotating presidency of the EU this year . On Saturday , Mugabe again addressed `` sanctions , '' saying he was dismayed that they were not lifted after meeting with the EU delegation . `` I have always been disappointed with sanctions on Zimbabwe , '' he said , adding that the EU delegation `` thought things were not working , yet we did all the things we were asked to do '' under a power-sharing agreement signed in September last year . Larsson said there was no discussion about the restrictions at the meeting . Under the agreement , which was to end months of turmoil and violence that followed the country 's March 2008 presidential elections , Mugabe retained his office , and opposition leader Tsvangirai became prime minister . The agreement -- the Global Political Agreement -- spelled out a number of fundamental democratic reforms , but so far there has been no progress toward them , Carlsson said in a statement ahead of the meetings with Mugabe and Tsvangirai . `` There have not yet been clear positive developments in all areas . I am still concerned at the lack of democratic development , '' she said then . After meeting with Tsvangirai , Carlsson told CNN that `` Tsvangirai 's government is working hard towards the implementation of the political agreement . '' She added , `` After such a long time of oppression , it is of course hard to move forward and change will take some time . But the EU is committed to follow up on this progress and encourage change . '' CNN 's Per Nyberg in London , England , contributed to this report . | Of EU meeting , Mugabe said `` there was no animosity , it was quite friendly '' EU officials in Zimbabwe to ease relations , push progress on political reforms . European Union imposed travel bans on Mugabe , his representatives in 2002 . President Robert Mugabe says West tries to impose its rules on Zimbabwe . | [[83, 115], [122, 174], [302, 323], [750, 857], [805, 857], [3187, 3193], [3241, 3259], [1416, 1498]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 33,000 items of old denim -- jeans , hats and jackets -- were sent to Washington in a recycling effort that will benefit disaster-struck homes , officials said . Erek Hansen donated five pairs of his own outgrown jeans to the cause and collected almost 1,700 pairs . National Geographic Kids magazine encouraged readers to donate their old denim instead of throwing it away . The resulting 33,088 pieces of denim clothing set a world record , verified Wednesday by a representative from Guinness World Records , according to the magazine 's blog . The thousands of pairs of jeans , which are on display at Union Station for two weeks , will be turned into housing insulation for homes affected by natural disasters . According to the magazine , there will be enough material to provide insulation for 60 houses . The jeans will be turned over to Cotton Inc. , which collects used denim for natural fiber insulation made without carcinogens or chemical irritants . Paula Rosario , vice president of consumer marketing for the company , said that the new record `` certainly attests to the civic-mindedness of today 's children . '' The ceremony unveiling the denim display also honored 9-year-old Erek Hansen , who collected nearly 1,700 jeans . The elementary school student from Curtice , Ohio , said that his friends and classmates `` were happy to help the environment . '' Hansen donated five pairs of his own outgrown jeans . The display also includes a pair from actor Ben Stiller . | National Geographic Kids magazine encouraged readers to donate old denim . More than 33,000 items of old denim -- jeans , hats and jackets -- sent to Washington . Material will be turned into housing insulation for homes affected by natural disasters . Erek Hansen , 9 , of Curtice , Ohio , collect almost 1,700 pairs of jeans . | [[307, 415], [352, 385], [0, 26], [86, 142], [416, 480], [416, 461], [552, 587], [121, 142], [148, 182], [588, 619], [674, 724], [719, 756], [202, 213], [276, 306], [1225, 1247], [1254, 1284]] |
-LRB- MENTAL FLOSS -RRB- -- College admissions are competitive , and not just from the student 's side . Sure , sometimes it 's hard to get into the college of your choice , but the schools are fighting just as hard to lure in top applicants . Davidson college students do n't have to visit laundromats because they enjoy the luxury of a free laundry service . While some colleges boast about class sizes , graduate fellowships , and endowment growth rates , this sort of info is likely to bore the 17-year-old students they 're wooing . Instead , some schools try to come up with unique perks that appeal to students , often in the form of free services . While the cost of these `` free '' perks is undoubtedly built back into tuition bills , when a family 's spending upwards of $ 40,000 a year for school , it ca n't hurt to help them feel like they 're getting something for nothing . Here are a few you might be jealous of : . 1 . Free laundry . Nothing 's more maddening for a college student than wanting to study , party , or sleep , only to be confronted with a massive mound of laundry . Most of us know that if left unchecked , these piles of dirty clothes can grow until they 're on the brink of becoming sentient beings , but students at Davidson , an elite liberal arts college in North Carolina , do n't have to worry about it . Their college does the laundry for them . Since 1919 , Davidson has been operating a laundry facility that allows students to drop off their laundry and pick it up once its clean and smelling of dryer sheets . At the Lula Bell Houston Laundry , students ' dress shirts and blouses are even pressed and put on hangers for them . The laundry clears about six tons ' worth of dirty clothes and linens a week , but if students prefer to keep their filthy T-shirts to themselves , the school also offers free self-service washers and dryers in the dorms . As if that 's not enough , Davidson was even more generous when its basketball team made a miraculous run to the NCAA 's Sweet 16 last March . The school shelled out the cash for free bus transport to the venue in Detroit , two nights ' lodging , and a free ticket to the game for any student who wanted to go cheer on their Cinderella in person . Mental Floss : 8 tuition-free colleges . 2 . Free skiing . Michigan Technological University offers a pretty standard slate of majors for its students , but it also has a real estate holding that might lure in applicants . The school owns Mont Ripley , a ski slope on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . While normal lift-ticket prices run at around $ 35 a day , Michigan Tech students can hit the slopes without dropping a dime . 3 . Free computers . At my undergrad alma mater , Wake Forest , one of the chief perks is that when you showed up for freshman orientation , the school gives you a fully loaded IBM Thinkpad and a printer . Students keep this laptop for two years , then trade it in for a new model before their junior year . Students then take this one with them when they graduate . While there was a downside to the system -LRB- if profs know everyone has a laptop , they 're not the least bit shy about making you tote it to class -RRB- , it really upped the on-campus computing efficiency . Any program you needed for a class was already loaded on the laptop , and since everyone on campus was operating one of only two types of machines , tech support could diagnose problems and fix them really quickly . Mental Floss : 12 college classes we wish our schools offered . 4 . Free theater tickets . Nothing irks actors and theater owners quite so much as playing to an empty house , so if tickets are moving slowly , why not fill the seats with college students ? NYU 's Ticket Central can wrangle Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets for up to 75 percent off their face values , but sometimes , the school can get lucky students into theaters for free to help fill otherwise thin crowds . Ticket Central also boasts that it can get students into Knicks games for as little as $ 12 and into Mets games for just $ 3 . Of course , the way those teams have played in the last year or so , that offer might scare off more prospective students than it entices . 5 . Personalized birthday cakes . College birthdays are often all sorts of debauched fun , but at least in my experience , they were often sorely lacking in quality cake . Sure , sometimes you 'd get a pan full of Betty Crocker-ed good intentions cooked in a dorm oven , which are precisely calibrated to burn cakes ' edges while leaving the center liquid , but it was rare to see a real birthday cake . Ohio University 's dining services can fix that , though , by allowing students ' parents to join the Birthday Club . For $ 18 , parents can make sure their kid gets a personalize birthday cake and all of the plates , napkins , and forks they 'll need to share it with their friends . 6 . Cheap golf . College students who want to golf on a tight budget often have to resign themselves to finding the rattiest municipal course they can find and hoping they survive the ordeal . Students at Stanford , though , have access to the Stanford Golf Course , a legendary course that 's hosted such greats as Tom Watson and Tiger Woods since it opened in 1930 . Only students , alumni , faculty , and their guests can enjoy the course 's picturesque views of San Francisco , and for guests the price is pretty steep , up to $ 110 a round . Students , though , get a great deal on greens fees ; they can get in a full round for just $ 25 . Mental Floss : 12 star-powered college roommate pairs . For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved . | Some colleges have come up with unique perks to lure students . Students at Davidson College can do their laundry for free . Free computers and theater tickets are given out at some colleges . Ohio University offers discount personalized birthday cakes . | [[548, 593], [581, 593], [599, 617], [1345, 1386]] |
Editor 's note : This is an excerpt from `` Zeitoun '' by Dave Eggers , a nonfiction account of a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina . Eggers is the author of five other books , including `` What Is the What , '' a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award . Eggers is the founder and editor of McSweeney 's , an independent publishing house based in San Francisco . Dave Eggers writes that Abdulrahman Zeitoun dreamed of fishing on the Syrian coast as Katrina approached . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- FRIDAY , AUGUST 26 , 2005 . On moonless nights the men and boys of Jableh , a dusty fishing town on the coast of Syria , would gather their lanterns and set out in their quietest boats . Five or six small craft , two or three fishermen in each . A mile out , they would arrange the boats in a circle on the black sea , drop their nets , and , holding their lanterns over the water , they would approximate the moon . The fish , sardines , would begin gathering soon after , a slow mass of silver rising from below . The fish were attracted to plankton , and the plankton were attracted to the light . They would begin to circle , a chain linked loosely , and over the next hour their numbers would grow . The black gaps between silver links would close until the fishermen could see , below , a solid mass of silver spinning . Abdulrahman Zeitoun was only thirteen when he began fishing for sardines this way , a method called lampara , borrowed from the Italians . He had waited years to join the men and teenagers on the night boats , and he 'd spent those years asking questions . Why only on moonless nights ? Because , his brother Ahmad said , on moon-filled nights the plankton would be visible everywhere , spread out all over the sea , and the sardines could see and eat the glowing organisms with ease . But without a moon the men could make their own , and could bring the sardines to the surface in stunning concentrations . You have to see it , Ahmad told his little brother . You 've never seen anything like this . And when Abdulrahman first witnessed the sardines circling in the black he could not believe the sight , the beauty of the undulating silver orb below the white and gold lantern light . He said nothing , and the other fishermen were careful to be quiet , too , paddling without motors , lest they scare away the catch . They would whisper over the sea , telling jokes and talking about women and girls as they watched the fish rise and spin beneath them . A few hours later , once the sardines were ready , tens of thousands of them glistening in the refracted light , the fishermen would cinch the net and haul them in . They would motor back to the shore and bring the sardines to the fish broker in the market before dawn . He would pay the men and boys , and would then sell the fish all over western Syria -- Lattakia , Baniyas , Damascus . The fishermen would split the money , with Abdulrahman and Ahmad bringing their share home . Their father had passed away the year before and their mother was of fragile health and mind , so all funds they earned fishing went toward the welfare of the house they shared with ten siblings . Abdulrahman and Ahmad did n't care much about the money , though . They would have done it for free . Thirty-four years later and thousands of miles west , Abdulrahman Zeitoun was in bed on a Friday morning , slowly leaving the moonless Jableh night , a tattered memory of it caught in a morning dream . He was in his home in New Orleans and beside him he could hear his wife Kathy breathing , her exhalations not unlike the shushing of water against the hull of a wooden boat . Otherwise the house was silent . He knew it was near six o'clock , and the peace would not last . The morning light usually woke the kids once it reached their second-story windows . One of the four would open his or her eyes , and from there the movements were brisk , the house quickly growing loud . With one child awake , it was impossible to keep the other three in bed . Kathy woke to a thump upstairs , coming from one of the kids ' rooms . She listened closely , praying silently for rest . Each morning there was a delicate period , between six and six-thirty , when there was a chance , however remote , that they could steal another ten or fifteen minutes of sleep . But now there was another thump , and the dog barked , and another thump followed . What was happening in this house ? Kathy looked to her husband . He was staring at the ceiling . The day had roared to life . The phone began ringing , today as always , before their feet hit the floor . Kathy and Zeitoun -- most people called him by his last name because they could n't pronounce his first -- ran a company , Zeitoun A. Painting Contractor LLC , and every day their crews , their clients , everyone with a phone and their number , seemed to think that once the clock struck six-thirty , it was appropriate to call . And they called . Usually there were so many calls at the stroke of six-thirty that the overlap would send half of them straight to voicemail . Kathy took the first one , from a client across town , while Zeitoun shuffled into the shower . Fridays were always busy , but this one promised madness , given the rough weather on the way . There had been rumblings all week about a tropical storm crossing the Florida Keys , a chance it might head north . Though this kind of possibility presented itself every August and did n't raise eyebrows for most , Kathy and Zeitoun 's more cautious clients and friends often made preparations . Throughout the morning the callers would want to know if Zeitoun could board up their windows and doors , if he would be clearing his equipment off their property before the winds came . Workers would want to know if they 'd be expected to come in that day or the next . `` Zeitoun Painting Contractors , '' Kathy said , trying to sound alert . It was an elderly client , a woman living alone in a Garden District mansion , asking if Zeitoun 's crew could come over and board up her windows . `` Sure , of course , '' Kathy said , letting her feet drop heavily to the floor . She was up . Kathy was the business 's secretary , bookkeeper , credit department , public-relations manager -- she did everything in the office , while her husband handled the building and painting . The two of them balanced each other well : Zeitoun 's English had its limits , so when bills had to be negotiated , hearing Kathy 's Louisiana drawl put clients at ease . This was part of the job , helping clients prepare their homes for coming winds . Kathy had n't given much thought to the storm this client was talking about . It took a lot more than a few downed trees in south Florida to get her attention . `` We 'll have a crew over this afternoon , '' Kathy told the woman . Kathy and Zeitoun had been married for eleven years . Zeitoun had come to New Orleans in 1994 , by way of Houston and Baton Rouge and a half-dozen other American cities he 'd explored as a young man . Kathy had grown up in Baton Rouge and was used to the hurricane routine : the litany of preparations , the waiting and watching , the power outages , the candles and flashlights and buckets catching rain . There seemed to be a half-dozen named storms every August , and they were rarely worth the trouble . This one , named Katrina , would be no different . | Dave Eggers : Abdulrahman Zeitoun grew up in a Syrian fishing town . He says Zeitoun emigrated to America and settled in New Orleans . Zeitoun and his family thought little of Katrina as it approached the Gulf Coast . | [[3526, 3559]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Los Angeles firefighters and city crews worked for several hours Tuesday to rescue one of their own : a 22-ton firetruck that was nearly swallowed by a water-logged sinkhole . Two firefighters crawled out of the truck 's windows after it sank Tuesday morning . No one was injured . The incident happened after four firefighters took the truck to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Valley Village , where flooding had been reported after a water main break , just before 6 a.m. PT . After seeing running water in the road , a fire captain instructed the rig 's driver to back up and had two firefighters get out of the truck to direct it . That 's when the ground gave way and the front of the truck began quickly sinking . The driver and captain crawled out of the truck 's windows to escape . The four firefighters were not injured . Workers had to simultaneously pull and lift the truck to get it out of the sinkhole . Watch workers pull truck from sinkhole . CNN 's Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this report . | Los Angeles firetruck nearly swallowed by sinkhole Tuesday morning . Firefighters in truck were responding to flooding call when incident happened . Two firefighters escaped truck through windows ; no injuries reported . | [[146, 164], [170, 219], [220, 304], [279, 304], [688, 771], [220, 304], [305, 325], [772, 830], [810, 842]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A high court in northern India on Friday acquitted a wealthy businessman facing the death sentence for the killing of a teen in a case dubbed `` the house of horrors . '' Moninder Singh Pandher was sentenced to death by a lower court in February . The teen was one of 19 victims -- children and young women -- in one of the most gruesome serial killings in India in recent years . The Allahabad high court has acquitted Moninder Singh Pandher , his lawyer Sikandar B. Kochar told CNN . Pandher and his domestic employee Surinder Koli were sentenced to death in February by a lower court for the rape and murder of the 14-year-old . The high court upheld Koli 's death sentence , Kochar said . The two were arrested two years ago after body parts packed in plastic bags were found near their home in Noida , a New Delhi suburb . Their home was later dubbed a `` house of horrors '' by the Indian media . Pandher was not named a main suspect by investigators initially , but was summoned as co-accused during the trial , Kochar said . Kochar said his client was in Australia when the teen was raped and killed . Pandher faces trial in the remaining 18 killings and could remain in custody , the attorney said . | Court acquitted Moninder Singh Pandher for the killing of a teen . 14-year old was one of 19 children and young women murdered . Pandher and a domestic employee sentenced to death in February by lower court . | [[0, 33], [78, 171], [418, 479], [285, 343], [208, 284], [523, 606]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man authorities believe has robbed at least 10 banks in at least four states was arrested in Missouri after a retired state trooper saw him and learned he was wanted , authorities said Sunday . Schaffner is seen in a police mug shot after his arrest Saturday in Kingdom City , Missouri . Chad Schaffner , 37 , was arrested in Kingdom City , Missouri , about 2:45 p.m. Saturday , said Missouri State Highway Patrol radio operator Paula Price . Sam Lakey , a retired Missouri State Highway Patrol officer said he alerted authorities to Schaffner 's whereabouts after seeing him at a motel in Kingdom City , about 100 miles west of St. Louis , Missouri . Lakey did n't know who Schaffner was at first , but said he felt something was n't right after seeing Schaffner and his car , partly because Schaffner did n't make eye contact with him . Watch how ex-cop 's hunch brought arrest '' Lakey , who was staying at the motel , said he remembered seeing news reports about a man sought in a string of bank robberies , so he looked on the Web site of the television show `` America 's Most Wanted '' to check a vehicle description in the case . A license plate number on the site matched that of the car outside the motel , he said . `` I felt my goosebumps raising , '' he said . Lakey told CNN that after calling his old colleagues at the Missouri State Highway Patrol , he packed up his family from their room at the motel and watched the arrest from across the street . Schaffner faces charges including bank robbery in Tennessee ; burglary in Indiana ; armed robbery in Illinois ; and receiving stolen property in Ohio , Price said . He also faces drug charges in Missouri , she said . Schaffner is suspected of robbing banks in states including Kentucky , North Carolina , South Carolina and Tennessee , according to the FBI . Schaffner is suspected in 14 robberies of various types in six states , FBI Special Agent Brian Truchon told CNN on Sunday . A spokeswoman for the Callaway County Jail , in Fulton , Missouri , said Schaffner was booked into the facility about 8 p.m. Saturday . No bond has been set , she said . Schaffner will appear in court Monday in Jefferson City , Missouri , according to Bridget Patton , spokeswoman for the FBI 's Kansas City , Missouri , office . Schaffner was identified as a suspect last month after investigators posted surveillance photos from the robberies on electronic billboards throughout the South . In the photos , a man was seen sneering and holding a pistol sideways . The robberies began in May . While no one was harmed , the FBI said they considered the suspect dangerous . `` This guy has made no effort to hide the gun , '' said FBI agent Kevin Keithley last month . `` He has threatened the use of it in every bank robbery he has committed . He has put the gun in the faces of the tellers , threatened to use the gun against them . So we want to get this guy in custody before he harms anyone . '' A woman in Morristown , Tennessee , also told authorities Schaffner hid in her apartment in August and threatened to kill her children if she revealed his whereabouts , according to documents filed in federal court . When Schaffner was identified , the FBI said he was released from an Indiana prison last year following an armed robbery conviction . He also has several other convictions in Indiana , for crimes including burglary , resisting law enforcement , and purchase of a handgun without a license , according to the Indiana Department of Correction . The last bank robbery Schaffner is suspected of committing occurred in Caseyville , Illinois , on Wednesday , according to CNN affiliate KMOV . Two bank robberies occurred in Morristown and Jefferson City , Tennessee , on August 18 , authorities said . The billboards began showing images from the robberies on August 24 , and the next day , a man told the FBI that Schaffner was in the Morristown area at the time of the August 18 holdups . The man said he 'd known Schaffner for about two months , according to a federal criminal complaint . FBI agents also interviewed a Morristown woman after hearing she 'd had a brief relationship with Schaffner , the complaint says . During the first interview , she spoke to agents outside her apartment and denied knowing him , the complaint said . But the next day she told authorities she knew Schaffner and that he had been in her apartment with her children while she talked to police outside . He had threatened to kill the children if she told agents he was there , the woman said . CNN 's Marylynn Ryan , Chuck Johnston and Justin Lear contributed to this report . | NEW : Ex-trooper checked `` America 's Most Wanted '' site after becoming suspicious . Chad Schaffner apprehended by police Saturday in Kingdom City , Missouri . Schaffner named suspect in at least 10 bank robberies in at least four states . Identification came after surveillance images posted on billboards in the South . | [[236, 295], [309, 323], [326, 359], [0, 15], [19, 76], [1488, 1547], [1705, 1821], [2302, 2464], [2357, 2441]] |
WASHINGTON -- For the second time since resigning the Alaska governorship more than a month ago , Sarah Palin is adding her voice to the fiery debate over health care . Sarah Palin says in a new op-ed that big government is not the solution to health care reform . This time , Palin is hitting the pages of the Wall Street Journal to counter President Obama 's latest efforts to reform the nation 's health care system . `` The answers offered by Democrats in Washington all rest on one principle : that increased government involvement can solve the problem . I fundamentally disagree , '' Palin writes in the 1,110-word opinion piece in Wednesday 's edition of the paper . `` Common sense tells us that the government 's attempts to solve large problems more often create new ones , '' the former Republican vice presidential candidate continues . `` Common sense also tells us that a top-down , one-size-fits-all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for one-sixth of our economy . '' Palin , whose initial Facebook posting on `` death panels '' last month is credited with spurring heated opposition to the House Democratic health care proposal , again raises the claim -- now widely debunked -- that a government panel could determine which senior citizens receive vital treatments . `` Is it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats ' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by -- dare I say it -- death panels ? '' she writes . `` Establishment voices dismissed that phrase , but it rang true for many Americans . '' Watch more on the health care debate '' Ultimately , Palin says , `` Congress will likely reject a wrong-headed proposal to authorize end-of-life counseling in this cost-cutting context '' because Americans made their voices heard in the contentious town halls last August . `` But the fact remains that the Democrats ' proposals would still empower unelected bureaucrats to make decisions affecting life or death health-care matters . Such government overreaching is what we 've come to expect from this administration , '' she says . Palin also takes issue with the president 's assertion that Democrats ' heath care proposals will rein in costs and eliminate waste and inefficiency in the system . Citing the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office , Palin says currently proposed health care legislation will do little to bring down costs , but will instead cause the federal deficit to skyrocket by more than $ 200 billion over the next decade . `` Only in Washington could a plan that adds hundreds of billions to the deficit be hailed as a cost-cutting measure , '' writes Palin . Instead , Palin argues the true solution to health care lies in `` market oriented , patient-centered , and result driven '' measures such as providing tax benefits for those who get health care coverage from their jobs , providing seniors on Medicare vouchers to buy their own coverage , and allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines . | Sarah Palin blasts Democrats ' health care reform proposals in newspaper op-ed . Palin : Public outcry led Congress not to authorize `` end-of-life counseling '' She takes issue with Obama 's view that Democrats ' plans will rein in costs . Palin says the true solution is a `` market oriented , patient-centered '' approach . | [[169, 264], [265, 274], [277, 375], [2168, 2173], [2179, 2212], [2223, 2279], [2730, 2853], [2764, 2894]] |
KAMPALA , Uganda -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least four people have been killed in two days of rioting in Uganda 's capital after radio broadcasts encouraged listeners to violently take to the streets against the government , officials said Friday . Residents of the Kasubi suburb , west of Kampala , try to flee from violence as a soldier takes photos . The rioters heard `` sectarian '' broadcasts on Thursday that `` systematically incited the listeners to cause chaos and destruction wherever they could , '' said a statement issued by Minister of Information and National Guidance Kabakumba Masiko . It described those who took part in the rioting in Kampala and its suburbs as `` marauding thugs . '' The broadcasts aired in the Buganda Kingdom , said police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba . Ethnic and political tension between the kingdom and the central government had been escalating over the past few weeks . Police and army officers were injured and police-owned property also was damaged along with other vehicles and shops , said the nation 's police chief , Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura . In Natete-Ndeba , a southwest suburb , a police station was looted of its ammunition and prisoners set free before rioters burned the prison , Nabakooba said . A curfew has been declared in the suburb , and in Kampala the army is providing support to police , said Kayihura . A doctor at a Kampala hospital said more than 50 people had sought care there , most with broken bones , but others had cuts and gunshot wounds . About 60 people were arrested in Kampala , but arrest totals in the surrounding areas were not available , Nabakooba said . Four radio stations were ordered shut down , Masiko said . Many of the rioters were Baganda between the ages of 18 and 35 , Nabakooba said . The Baganda are Uganda 's dominant ethnic group , making up about 16.9 percent of the population , according to The CIA World Factbook . The kingdom is one of the oldest monarchies in Africa . The people live mostly in central Uganda and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria . Tension between the Buganda Kingdom , headed by King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II , and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni had been increasing recently over land laws , sovereignty and political power , issues over which the two sides have been in talks for years . The Uganda government sees Mutebi as a traditional leader only and does not allow him to participate in politics . Further estranging the two is a breakaway faction of the Buganda Kingdom , the Banyala . Some interpreted police forces ' breaking up a group of Baganda amid preparations for festivities as support for the Banyala , especially after a Banyala demonstration opposing the Buganda Kingdom prompted no police action . It is unclear why the police broke up the Baganda group earlier in the week . Riots broke out after the incident , and again when radio announcers pushed Baganda to take to the streets again . Museveni said in a broadcast statement that he tried to contact Mutebi to discuss the issue as `` mature people '' but he could not reach him on the phone . The president also said that he had intelligence reports showing that the Buganda Kingdom has received foreign funding to carry out a hate campaign against the government . Asians , mostly of Indian origin , suffered severe losses when their business were attacked and looted , Nabakooba said . Although officials said the broadcasts encouraged listeners to put into action their contempt for the government , during such outbreaks of violence Asians are often targeted . Some view Asians as being most protected by the government because of special holidays or tax benefits they may get . In addition , reports of Asians mistreating natives have fueled tension between the groups . None of the four people killed were Asian or of Asian descent , Nabakooba said , but in the northern suburb of Kawembi about 30 Asians had fled to a police station for protection on Thursday and remained there Friday . Samson Ntale contributed to this report for CNN . | Radio broadcasts encouraged violent street action against the government . Government statement describes Kampala rioters as `` marauding thugs '' ? Dozens seek care , many with broken bones , says doctor at Kampala hospital . Tension between splintered kingdom and Uganda 's president has been on rise . | [[124, 217], [412, 481], [2874, 2936], [3398, 3501], [599, 697], [612, 617], [622, 697], [1367, 1469], [790, 911]] |
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Fantasy football drafts are firing up , and workplace productivity will soon grind to a halt as half the office spends half the day managing their rosters in an attempt to get the next Steve Slaton off the waiver wire . Just because you 're not a football fan does n't mean you have to be left out of the fantasy mania , though . There are all sorts of alternative fantasy leagues you can join . Why not try one of these ? Pick your breed of dog , then allocate your `` funds '' to help train and groom it into a champion on Showdog.com . Fantasy music league . If you spend more time listening to the radio than watching sports , the Fantasy Music League might be right up your alley . In this league your job is to compile a roster that has more real-life chart movement and album sales than other owners ' `` labels . '' You shell out a certain salary to sign the acts you think have the most promise , and if they out-earn your competitors , you 'll earn the fantasy world 's equivalent of a Grammy . The label that 's at the top of the standings for this season , Jenny Baird Records , boasts a roster that includes Fall Out Boy , Daughtry , Justin Timberlake and Fergie . Fantasy dog shows . If fantasy leagues come any more adorable than this , we do n't want to see them . Showdog.com allows you to enter a virtual simulation dog show league . You pick your breed of dog , then allocate your `` funds '' to help train and groom it into a champion . Your simulated dog can take on other owners ' pooches in a dog-eat-dog competition to help ascertain the best way to breed a champion show dog . All of the glory , none of the fetch ! Mental Floss : America 's most lavish dog spas . Fantasy water skiing . Water skiing is great fun , but it takes some practice before you can do it well . Why not skip all of those embarrassing spills and noses full of water by just joining a fantasy skiing league instead ? Pick your professional skiers , then get points according to how many buoys your slalom skiers pass , how many points your tricksters pile up , and how far your jumpers soar . Never again will you and your buddies just have to argue in vain about which one of you is really the most hardcore water skiing fan ! Fantasy pro wrestling . Like the violence of football but wish you had a fantasy league that stuck to a script ? Try fantasy pro wrestling . Web-based E-wrestling federations allow you to draft a stable of grapplers and then receive points for their performance in the ring and appearances on broadcasts . -LRB- We 're guessing the Undertaker is the fantasy wrestling equivalent of Peyton Manning : maybe not the top guy every year , but you know you 're going to get consistently solid production out of him . -RRB- Mental Floss : Where are they now ? WWF superstars . Fantasy bass fishing . The only thing more exciting than watching someone else fish is beating your friends at predicting who will get the nicest bass in their livewell ! ESPN.com offers a Fantasy Fishing Challenge that allows angling fans to create a team of their favorite pro anglers while working under the constraint of a $ 100 salary cap . Each angler has a set `` salary '' that he earns , and when you sign one to your team they score you points according to their performances in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings . Fantasy Congress . Just because you prefer C-SPAN to ESPN does n't mean you ca n't find a way to waste several hours on a fantasy league each week . Try out Fantasy Congress . Although the game 's Web site is currently down , FantasyCongress.com launched in 2006 to allow politics junkies to draft their favorite legislators and then rack up points according to how their Congressmen 's proposed legislation fared , how often they voted , and their willingness to cross party lines to up their `` Maverick Score . '' Fantasy eating . Do you watch the Nathan 's hot dog eating contest each Fourth of July and find yourself feeling pangs of jealousy because you ca n't match the competitors ' gluttony ? Now you can life vicariously through them ! Krystal Square Off offers fantasy eating leagues for four to seven teams that allow you to score points based on how many mini hamburgers your roster can wolf down . -LRB- Hot tip : I sat next to `` Humble '' Bob Shoudt and his adorable daughter on their flight home from Shoudt 's winning performance at the Nashville Krystal Square Off in 2006 . Not only did the man look like he could down some burgers -- his world record is 28 in two minutes -- but he was also maybe the most doting , sweetest father I 've ever seen . Pick against this guy at your own risk . -RRB- Mental Floss : 10 foods that are aphrodisiacs . Fantasy bowling . You might not be able to pick up a 7-10 split , but that does n't mean you ca n't destroy your friends at fantasy bowling . The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour has its own fantasy league , and it sounds intriguingly easy to play . Your squad scores points based on how your bowlers finish in individual tournaments , so if you 've got a guy who piles up strike after strike , you 're going to be tough to beat . According to the league 's Web site , the number four overall pick is a guy named Rhino Page . Do you really want to pick against a guy named Rhino ? For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved . | Showdog.com allows you to enter a virtual simulation dog show league . Web-based E-wrestling federations allow you to draft a stable of grapplers . Krystal Square Off offers fantasy eating leagues for four to seven teams . | [[1309, 1365], [1328, 1379], [2396, 2560], [2436, 2470], [4106, 4178]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mary J. Blige has sung her way to nine Grammy Awards and sold 40 million albums worldwide . `` I know I 'm definitely gon na pursue this as a profession , acting , '' Mary J. Blige said . With music credentials like that , the `` Queen of Hip-Hop Soul '' needed a new challenge . So Blige decided to stretch her range to the big screen . The singer stars in the new Tyler Perry film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' alongside Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson , Perry and Gladys Knight . Being in the film allows Blige to test her acting chops and sing as well . Her character , Tanya , is a club owner who takes the mic at least twice in the film . And whether she 's in character or not , Blige 's ability to communicate a song can take your breath away . CNN spoke with Blige about Tyler Perry , her acting angst and music . The following is an edited version of that interview : . CNN : What does the title of the film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' mean ? Mary J. Blige : Well , the title `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' is basically saying `` I do n't need anyone to help me do worse or feel worse than what I already feel . '' So if you 're coming with negative energy , please keep it moving , you know ? If you 're coming with negative deposits , you 've got ta go . That 's basically what it 's saying . CNN : Were you nervous about acting in this film ? Blige : I was definitely nervous , because acting is not my first profession , so I had to go and get an acting coach and really figure this thing out . It helped a lot . It relaxed me to have a little more information about it . And I find that actors are highly underrated ; they do n't get all the credit they deserve , because this is a hard job . That 's a hard job . CNN : Were you bitten by the acting bug ? Blige : Well , I 'm gon na be open to scripts , and I 'm ready to receive more scripts from anywhere . I know I 'm definitely gon na pursue this as a profession , acting . I was definitely bitten by the acting bug . CNN : Did you feel any pressure to write songs for this film , as opposed to writing for one of your albums ? Blige : There 's not any pressure in writing songs . Writing a song for the movie versus writing songs for my album because ... you get it all from inspiration from somewhere , you know ? I got all the lyrics from the actual movie , and I got all the lyrics for my songs from my life so , and other people 's lives . CNN : Do you want to hear poetry in your lyrics ? Blige : I would love to hear poetry in my lyrics . CNN : Tell me about Tyler Perry . Blige : Wow , working with Tyler Perry was -- it 's always a treat . He 's the most kind , generous , you know , supportive professional man . He 's a really good person to have in such a tough business . It 's like a pillow for your head . ... You just get to lay on it after laying on rocks for so long . CNN : What is the link between spirituality and music in the film and in life ? Blige : Well , I think the link with the spirituality and the music is that we all have a place where we need to go to heal , and most of the time people go to music to heal . Whether it be gospel or secular , but it all comes from some song that pulled you through your life or helped you through college or something like that . CNN : Do you think this film is about redemption ? Do you think people can really change ? Blige : I definitely feel this film is a lot about redemption . You saving yourself first of all , and believing you can be saved and wanting the help . I think it takes time for people to heal from whatever wounds they 're healing from . But in order to get free , what I learned is that you have to release it , because you 'll stay stuck for the rest of your life . What if this person is enjoying their lives and you hate them ? So it 's just best to release . Easier said than done , please believe it . CNN : What do you think about the music industry these days ? Blige : Well , I mean , the music industry has moved with the times . You know , I mean we are in the age where technology has taken over and music is technology now , so it 's not hands-on . It 's a little sad that there is n't any more record stores . | Singer Mary J. Blige stars in new Tyler Perry film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' Film allows Blige to test acting chops and sing as well as owner of club . `` I was definitely nervous , because acting is not my first profession , '' Blige says . Blige : Movie is about redemption , saving yourself and healing from wounds . | [[366, 410], [513, 587], [538, 568], [588, 601], [612, 674], [1401, 1425], [1428, 1469], [3403, 3458]] |
TAIPEI , Taiwan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Taiwan court early Tuesday ordered ex-President Chen Shui-bian , who is facing corruption charges , back to jail after deeming him a flight risk . Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian speaks to reporters on December 12 in Taipei . Chen had been free on bail , but prosecutors sought his return to state custody . After 12 hours of deliberation , a panel of three district court judges approved the request at 3 a.m. Taiwan time . Chen was immediately taken to jail . The island 's first former president to ever face prosecution , Chen was freed earlier in December after spending a month in jail while prosecutors prepared his indictment on several corruption charges , including embezzlement and accepting bribes . Judges ordered Chen released after the indictment was formally presented , saying they did not believe he was a flight risk . However , Taiwan 's high court was not satisfied with the decision and assigned a new judge to the case . Chen 's attorney , Jen Wen Long , told reporters after the court order : `` We question the work of the Taipei district court . Changing the judge is an interference with the justice system . '' Chen , whose term ended in May , is accused of embezzling about $ 18 million . A trial date has not been set in the case . Prosecutors allege he also took bribes , laundered money and illegally removed classified documents from the president 's office . Chen , 58 , has denied any wrongdoing and insists the charges are politically motivated . His party favors independence for Taiwan , while the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou favors closer ties with mainland China -- from which the island split amid civil war in 1949 . If convicted , Chen faces 25 years or more in prison , although prosecutors did not seek any specific jail time in their indictment . Thirteen others , including Chen 's wife , son , daughter-in-law and brother-in-law , also were indicted . Prosecutors have alleged that Chen 's son has a Swiss bank account containing $ 22 million in what they believe is illegal proceeds . Journalist Andrew Lee contributed to this report . | Chen , facing trial on corruption charges , had been free on bail . A court freed Chen in early December , but high court disagreed with decision . Chen , whose term ended in May , is accused of embezzling about $ 18 million . His trial date has not been set . | [[72, 99], [106, 134], [270, 296], [570, 635], [892, 948], [72, 99], [106, 134], [1183, 1187], [1201, 1213], [1183, 1187], [1216, 1261], [1262, 1305]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Facing the world after an isolating and traumatic experience is often stressful , especially for those who have been away for a long time . Jaycee Dugard , here at the 1991 Rose Bowl parade , was abducted later that year . Jaycee Dugard is reuniting with her close relatives for the first time in 18 years , after having been found on August 27 . Dugard was 11 years old when she was abducted in 1991 from a bus stop in South Lake Tahoe , California . She allegedly was kept in a series of backyard sheds by a convicted sex offender and gave birth to two children in captivity . A bail review hearing is scheduled for Monday in El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville , California , for Phillip and Nancy Garrido , who face charges related to Dugard 's kidnapping . In Illinois , Shannon Wilfong is charged with child abduction , allegedly having forced 6-year-old Richard K. Wilfong Chekevdia to live in seclusion and be hidden , at times in crawl spaces and the attic , for nearly two years , according to court documents . In concealing the boy , Wilfong violated the terms of a court order that granted joint custody of the child to Michael Chekevdia , the documents said . The boy is staying with his father 's family under child welfare supervision , according to CNN affiliate WSIL . The situations of Dugard and Chekevdia are extreme cases of people emerging from isolation and returning to the real world . The people who have been away often feel conflicted about leaving the situation they 've acclimated to in order to rejoin the loved ones they 've left behind , experts not connected to the cases tell CNN . Sometimes children involved in custody disputes are taught to hate their father or mother , and `` extreme tactics '' may be used , although usually not to the extent of hiding a child in crawl spaces , said Jay Lebow , psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University . `` While this case is obviously the rarest of things , other children are certainly exposed to many traumas that have meaning connected to this , '' Lebow said . The case of Dugard . Dugard is spending time in `` a secluded place , reconnecting '' with her mother and younger sister , said her aunt , Tina Dugard , in a statement on behalf of her family . `` This is a joyful time for my family , '' she said . `` Jaycee remembers all of us . '' Watch for more on Dugard '' But a person in Dugard 's situation would most likely have both positive and negative feelings about leaving the only environment she 's known for 18 years and coming back to her family , psychologists say . `` She 's going to have a lot of mixed feelings about returning to her family of origin because she 's spent almost two decades with a different family , '' said Margo Napoletano , a child and family psychologist in San Diego , California . After allegedly being confined for 18 years , Dugard probably would find the outside world frightening , Lebow said . `` You get to know this world you live in -- it may be a terrible world , but it 's the world you know , '' he said . Experts say Dugard may have developed what is known as Stockholm syndrome , in which kidnapping victims identify with their captors . Learning to live with and even like the perpetrator has survival value , Napoletano said , and also explains why someone like Dugard probably would feel somewhat torn about returning to her original family . Learn about other cases of missing children '' `` It 's a concept that explains why a kidnapped victim would stay with a perpetrator even though they had an opportunity to leave , '' she said . `` They opt to stay because it 's their comfort zone . '' But Johanna Tabin , a psychologist in Glencoe , Illinois , said Dugard 's readjustment will depend on how she was treated in captivity . Police said Phillip Garrido , one of her alleged abductors , is believed to be the father of her two daughters , and his relationship to Dugard -- whether he framed their alleged sexual encounters as violent or seductive -- will influence her feelings about leaving that situation , Tabin said . It is also important to know how Dugard felt about her family before she was taken away , Tabin said . `` Did she secretly mourn them ? '' Tabin asked . `` Did she feel she stepped on a different planet where she was all of a sudden a grown-up 11-year-old and was n't being treated anymore like a child ? '' Her family members may have constantly wondered what they could have done differently to prevent the kidnapping , Tabin said . At the same time , someone in Dugard 's situation may have asked herself at the outset , `` Why did they let me get kidnapped ? '' Lebow said . There is an infinite range of responses , but more information about Dugard 's feelings growing up and in captivity would inform how she adjusts to her new life , Tabin said . The situation is likely also difficult for Dugard 's two daughters , born to her in captivity , who have never met Dugard 's family before , Napoletano said . `` It 's basically like a wild child who may have had some contact with civilization , but basically is having to start life all over again , and that may be overwhelming to them at first , '' she said . Napoletano said she would suggest to a family like Dugard 's to be accepting and supportive , and not ask a lot of questions . `` Go about your daily life as usual for the most part , and take the lead from the therapist , one small step at a time , '' she said . Lebow advises them against looking for some sudden moment of reconnection , but rather to be loving and patient . Coming back from combat . Dugard 's reuniting with her family could also be likened to a soldier coming back from a `` hellacious war , '' Lebow said . A recent survey of military spouses of deployed Army soldiers with school-age children found that the return from deployment is the most stressful , according to three-quarters of respondents . Reunification brings excitement and relief , which is sometimes accompanied by emotional conflict , the surveyors said . Read more about the study . In the military , bonds of brotherhood form as people face dangers together , Tabin said . When service members come home , they may find life `` shallower , '' and feel that they are not the same people as when they left , she said . In a case where a husband has been away at war and returns to his wife , the desire to understand one another 's feelings is fundamental , she said . `` She wants to be understanding , he wants to be able to shove it aside , then he has nightmares , and she says , ` you 're not setting it aside , ' '' Tabin said . `` Well , consciously he is -- he 's not awake when he dreams . '' Do n't force the person who has been away to talk about their experiences , Napoletano said . She also stressed that a family should try to normalize the life of the service member who has returned from war . Waking up in the morning , going grocery shopping , washing clothes and doing other day-to-day activities help create a stable , comforting environment , she said . | Jaycee Dugard , found August 27 , is reuniting with her family after 18 years . People who return to their families after years away often feel conflicted about it . Expert : Do n't force the person who has been away to talk about their experiences . It 's important to go about day-to-day activities , such as grocery shopping . | [[242, 324], [327, 365], [2117, 2123], [2166, 2216], [112, 121], [126, 158], [1442, 1521], [2619, 2703], [2649, 2767], [3300, 3310], [3327, 3434], [5962, 6059], [112, 121], [126, 158], [6729, 6802], [5366, 5419]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He is iconic , there 's no doubt . George Hamilton gets his life story on screen in `` My One and Only . '' With the elegant suit and tie , the impeccable grooming , the tan -LRB- Did I mention the tan ? -RRB- , George Hamilton is still a charmer , and he comes across like a born bon vivant . Sure , his acting may have taken a backseat to his bronzed visage years ago , but what did happen to him years ago ? Well , there 's a story there , one now coming to the big screen . Hamilton 's formative years are loosely depicted in the film `` My One and Only , '' opening in wide release September 4 . `` My One and Only '' has the style of a film produced during Hollywood 's golden age , but the tale is easily relatable to today . In the film , Hamilton 's mother , Anne , played by Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger , walks in on her bandleader husband and another woman . She hits the road in a brand new Cadillac Coupe de Ville with her two sons , George and Robbie , en route to find a new husband and a new life . Watch a preview of ` My One and Only ' '' Hamilton , 70 , spoke with CNN about the film , old Hollywood and his mother . The following is an edited version of the interview . CNN : There is a lot of heartache in this story . Why did you want to share it ? George Hamilton : I do n't know that I really did want to share it . It 's a fictional story based on a real story loosely about me . And I went to the movie to hate it . And I looked at the movie and I thought , my God , -LSB- Zellweger -RSB- looks nothing like my mother , but she was able to portray the emotions just the way it was then . I could n't speak . I was completely overwhelmed by what Renee did . That 's a great actress . CNN : Do you think that your mother shaped your life more than your father ? Hamilton : I think they 're kind of like sand and a rock , kind of -- you keep rubbing up against them and they form you . I knew that I was the man of the family from the time I was 10 , 12 -- you know , I had to be . But I knew I had to get away from it . So I signed onto military school . Then my mother said , if you 're bad I 'm sending you to your father , and I said , send me . I ... lived a whole year with my father -- I got to know him , I got to understand the two sides to the story . My mother did n't say bad things about him . I presumed that he was this foreign person who left and abandoned us . He did n't at all . And when I made it in Hollywood and I did n't want to be an actor , there they arrived . It was their triumph , not mine . I wanted to be a doctor . CNN : Now in hindsight , do you understand what your mom was doing ? Hamilton : That 's a very good question . No , I did n't , I did n't get her . What I knew was I would work -- I was ... with people who had millions of dollars , and they just accepted me , and I would go out and buy a tuxedo in the thrift shop , and go to the coming-out party of a very wealthy socialite , and they would say oh , now chic . You wore your grandfather 's or your father 's tuxedo . And I had bought it for $ 5 . And I realized there was a whole reverse way of acting , and people just presumed you were old money , and I played that . That was my game . But when I looked at my mother I realized that she was born almost like a child , with the theory that we would be divinely supported . Always trust that , do n't be afraid . Poverty , or -LSB- being -RSB- poor , is a mentality , it 's like fog , it 's all around you . My mother was broke , but that 's just a temporary deal -- that 's a bad hand in the poker game , if you 're gon na sit through two more you can win . And that 's how I looked at it . CNN : What was old Hollywood like ? Hamilton : Well , it was mythological . It was a place -LSB- that -RSB- the first day , I saw Robert Mitchum sitting at a table and he looked at me and said , `` I know they say I do n't know my lines . It 's not true . I 'm just too drunk to say them . '' And I thought , oh , that 's an interesting man . Next Fred Astaire walks by , `` Hello , '' and I stopped : `` Hello , Mr. Astaire '' -- God I love that guy -- and I see Cary Grant sitting down . And he said , `` You 've got a nice suntan . Do you like the sun ? '' I said `` Well , yeah , I love the sun . '' ... He was so incredible . And I saw Gary Cooper , Ty Power , Clark Gable , and then they disappeared . You talk about `` Gone With the Wind , '' Hollywood disappeared ! And I had envisioned this because I was the last of the contract players , and I wanted to be like them , but they were gone ! And all the sudden I 'm seeing Marlon Brandos , and Monty Clifts , and then a whole generation of soft young men , the Beat Generation or whatever . I could n't relate to them then . Because I had related to what my mother and brother had seen years before . And that 's all I ever wanted to be . CNN : There can never be another old Hollywood . Hamilton : No , but there can be older people in Hollywood , and that 's where I am now . Just before death they turn you into an icon . And the other day I got a star on Hollywood Boulevard and I thought , God this is pretty good , and then it scared me because I thought , they give these things to you before it 's all over . CNN : And did you learn to love acting ? Hamilton : Acting has always been something for me that 's been a romp . I just show up and I have a good time , and I hope that I get through the day and I can have lunch in the sun . I used to take the script and if it was heavy I 'd give it to George Peppard and if it was nice and light , if it was a western , a few words , I 'd take it . That 's the way I looked at it . I was n't a great actor , it was n't my style . I just loved being an actor . | George Hamilton 's formative years subject of `` My One and Only '' Perpetually tanned Hamilton fell into acting ; he wanted to be a doctor . Hamilton remembers thrill of old Hollywood , then one day it was gone . | [[63, 132]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mary J. Blige has sung her way to nine Grammy Awards and sold 40 million albums worldwide . `` I know I 'm definitely gon na pursue this as a profession , acting , '' Mary J. Blige said . With music credentials like that , the `` Queen of Hip-Hop Soul '' needed a new challenge . So Blige decided to stretch her range to the big screen . The singer stars in the new Tyler Perry film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' alongside Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson , Perry and Gladys Knight . Being in the film allows Blige to test her acting chops and sing as well . Her character , Tanya , is a club owner who takes the mic at least twice in the film . And whether she 's in character or not , Blige 's ability to communicate a song can take your breath away . CNN spoke with Blige about Tyler Perry , her acting angst and music . The following is an edited version of that interview : . CNN : What does the title of the film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' mean ? Mary J. Blige : Well , the title `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' is basically saying `` I do n't need anyone to help me do worse or feel worse than what I already feel . '' So if you 're coming with negative energy , please keep it moving , you know ? If you 're coming with negative deposits , you 've got ta go . That 's basically what it 's saying . CNN : Were you nervous about acting in this film ? Blige : I was definitely nervous , because acting is not my first profession , so I had to go and get an acting coach and really figure this thing out . It helped a lot . It relaxed me to have a little more information about it . And I find that actors are highly underrated ; they do n't get all the credit they deserve , because this is a hard job . That 's a hard job . CNN : Were you bitten by the acting bug ? Blige : Well , I 'm gon na be open to scripts , and I 'm ready to receive more scripts from anywhere . I know I 'm definitely gon na pursue this as a profession , acting . I was definitely bitten by the acting bug . CNN : Did you feel any pressure to write songs for this film , as opposed to writing for one of your albums ? Blige : There 's not any pressure in writing songs . Writing a song for the movie versus writing songs for my album because ... you get it all from inspiration from somewhere , you know ? I got all the lyrics from the actual movie , and I got all the lyrics for my songs from my life so , and other people 's lives . CNN : Do you want to hear poetry in your lyrics ? Blige : I would love to hear poetry in my lyrics . CNN : Tell me about Tyler Perry . Blige : Wow , working with Tyler Perry was -- it 's always a treat . He 's the most kind , generous , you know , supportive professional man . He 's a really good person to have in such a tough business . It 's like a pillow for your head . ... You just get to lay on it after laying on rocks for so long . CNN : What is the link between spirituality and music in the film and in life ? Blige : Well , I think the link with the spirituality and the music is that we all have a place where we need to go to heal , and most of the time people go to music to heal . Whether it be gospel or secular , but it all comes from some song that pulled you through your life or helped you through college or something like that . CNN : Do you think this film is about redemption ? Do you think people can really change ? Blige : I definitely feel this film is a lot about redemption . You saving yourself first of all , and believing you can be saved and wanting the help . I think it takes time for people to heal from whatever wounds they 're healing from . But in order to get free , what I learned is that you have to release it , because you 'll stay stuck for the rest of your life . What if this person is enjoying their lives and you hate them ? So it 's just best to release . Easier said than done , please believe it . CNN : What do you think about the music industry these days ? Blige : Well , I mean , the music industry has moved with the times . You know , I mean we are in the age where technology has taken over and music is technology now , so it 's not hands-on . It 's a little sad that there is n't any more record stores . | Singer Mary J. Blige stars in new Tyler Perry film `` I Can Do Bad All By Myself '' Film allows Blige to test acting chops and sing as well as owner of club . `` I was definitely nervous , because acting is not my first profession , '' Blige says . Blige : Movie is about redemption , saving yourself and healing from wounds . | [[366, 410], [513, 587], [538, 568], [588, 601], [612, 674], [1401, 1425], [1428, 1469], [3403, 3458]] |
-LRB- WIRED -RRB- -- For the past three years some of the world 's most resourceful software engineers and mathematicians have worked feverishly in the spirit of friendly , Darwinian competition -- and in pursuit of a $ 1 million prize -- to improve the Netflix movie recommendation system by 10 percent . Netflix says it will announce the winner of its $ 1 million Netflix Prize at an event September 21 . It 's been a long journey , but it 's almost over . Netflix said Tuesday it would announce the winner at an event in New York on Sept. 21 -- where details about the Netflix Prize 2 sequel would also be unveiled . As things stand now , nobody outside of Netflix knows which team will win the million-dollar prize , but the winning entry will power Netflix 's upcoming movie recommendation engine . Because nothing about the contest barred entrants from licensing their technology to companies other than Netflix , both qualifying teams could find plenty of licensees -- even if they come in second . And not much separates the two top teams . Teams Bellkor -LRB- AT&T Research -RRB- , Big Chaos and Pragmatic Theory combined to form Bellkor 's Pragmatic Chaos , the first team to qualify for the prize on June 26 with a 10.05 percent improvement over Netflix 's existing algorithm . This triggered a 30-day window in which other teams were allowed to try to catch up -- and indeed , a team called The Ensemble , made up of lower-ranked contestants , submitted a higher score of 10.10 percent as time ran out -- a hair better than Bellkor 's Pragmatic Chaos ' final score of 10.09 percent . Before Sept. 21 , Netflix must decide -LRB- assuming they have n't done so already -RRB- which of the two qualifying teams has the best algorithm based on how they score on various undisclosed tests . The company must also determine whether the winning team 's results are reproducible , meaning that its algorithm handles new data as well as it did the test data . When we wrote about this last month , after the window for qualifying closed , Netflix declined to say whether it will reveal details about its methodology for picking the winner -LRB- whichever team loses , they 're going to want to know how , exactly , that happened -- as will curious onlookers around the world -RRB- . A Netflix spokeswoman told us , `` We are definitely going to touch on the methodology in the press conference , '' and offered to let us interview Netflix executives to find out more about how they picked the winner . Netflix vice president of communications Steve Swasey told us last month that the company is pleased with the results of the contest , and apparently , it hopes there 's more where that came from . At the same New York event where it will announce the Netflix Prize winner , the company plans to unveil details about Netflix Prize 2 . Writing on Netflix message boards , chief product officer Neil Hunt already offered some hints : `` The next contest will be a shorter , time-limited race , with grand prizes for the best results at 6 and 18 months . While the first contest has been remarkable , we think Netflix Prize 2 will be more challenging , more fun , and even more useful to the field . '' More than 40,000 teams from 186 countries competed for the first Netflix Prize . Some contestants doubted that any team would be capable of surmounting the 10-percent-improvement barrier , but two teams managed to do so . Clearly , Netflix has stumbled onto a winning formula here , and will walk away from the contest with a measurably improved movie recommendation engine -- and recommendations are a linchpin of its business . As the field of `` prize economics '' evolves , offering organizations increasingly efficient ways to solve their problems , we expect results like this to become more commonplace . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com . | Netflix will announce the winner of its $ 1 million Netflix Prize on September 21 . Prize goes to team that improves Netflix 's movie-recommendation system . Nobody outside of Netflix knows which team will win the million-dollar prize . Details about the Netflix Prize 2 sequel will also be unveiled that day . | [[216, 235], [239, 305], [306, 406], [319, 406], [459, 544], [2702, 2776], [216, 235], [239, 305], [725, 803], [620, 639], [642, 718], [536, 544], [548, 619], [2702, 2728], [2779, 2838]] |
Below is an excerpt from HLN `` Morning Express '' anchor Robin Meade 's new book , Morning Sunshine ! : How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too published by Hachette Book Group . The following takes place when Robin was working as a weekend anchor in Chicago , Illinois . Robin Meade 's book `` Morning Sunshine ! : How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too '' hits shelves September 10 . I looked down at the copy of the news story . My stomach clenched . My heart started palpitating . I think I held my breath without realizing it . The floor director gave me the cue , pointing at me as the camera came up on my face . I felt sweaty . Just as I opened my mouth to speak , the set seemed to fade into a gauzy haze . My breathing was jagged . The words came , but my voice was quivering so much it sounded like a kid singing into a big box fan on a humid summer day : `` Bray-ay-ay-ay-king new-ew-ew-ews tonigh-igh-ight . '' My hands shook uncontrollably , and I was huffing and puffing as if I were running mile twenty five of the Chicago Marathon . These were not the controlled , measured tones of someone who had been doing this for a living for years . My heart pounded in my ears , and my face flushed . I was losing it , right there with who knows how many thousands of people watching . What the hell is happening ? As I delivered the facts of the story , I did n't hear a thing that came out of my mouth . All I heard were my own thoughts . Oh , no , you 're screwing up ! Oh , no , your bosses are probably watching ! You 're going to get fired ! How will you pay your mortgage ? What will people think of you ? And then , of course , Holy crapola , where is that sound bite ? Can you see how the cause-and-effect relationship of my thoughts just engulfed me in doom and gloom ? I could n't keep my mind on the story . I totally slipped into imagining the future and the horrible repercussions of my screwup . CNN 's Virginia Cha talks to Robin about her on-air anxiety and her upcoming book '' Because I 'm writing this today , you can tell that somehow I lived to see the sound bite that evening . The whole looking-like-I-was-hopped-up-on-six-energy-drinks episode lasted only seconds . But it seemed like an eternity . Now Josh , the I 'm - going-to-be-a-reporter-someday crew member , and Michael , the I-really-want-to-be-a-rock-star prompter operator , were around me , wearing the same expression you 'd have after witnessing a car wreck . `` Robin , are you okay ? Do you need a glass of water ? '' Josh 's eyes were wide open , as if he really wanted to shout , `` Dude ! '' He did n't know what to make of this . `` Yeah , please , '' I croaked . My mouth was cotton . I wished I had a trough to douse my head in instead of a tiny Dixie cup of water . `` Everything okay out there ? '' the producer chimed in on my IFB , the earpiece through which the producer and director talk to anchors during the show without the folks at home hearing it . What to say , what to say ? `` Oh , sorry about that . Wow , that was weird ! I lost my breath or something . '' I faked a half-laugh at the end of that statement for their benefit . When Josh handed me the glass of water , I was surprised to see my hands were still trembling . I noticed how incredibly weak I felt , and I noisily gulped down the water the way my dog does at his water bowl after he 's been chasing squirrels for an hour . Get it together , Robin ! Miraculously , by the time we came out of the video and I had to speak again , it was as if nothing had happened . Except for feeling wiped out , I was back to sounding authoritative and in control , even tilting my head and smirking sheepishly as if to say , You 'll forgive me for that little freak-out I just had . The truth was , I was morbidly embarrassed -- the kind of embarrassed where you 'd rather crawl under a rock than face people . It was n't the kind of embarrassment you can laugh off , as I could so easily when I was in high school show choir . As the student body filed in for the Christmas assembly , I started jumping rope with a holiday garland . I was standing out on the gymnasium floor , and with each leap over the garland I felt a swish ! After a few times , I realized the garland was catching my knee-length choir dress in the back and flicking the skirt hem waist-high , exposing my bum for the entire eighth grade seated behind me . And laugh I did ! Would n't you know it ? The school photographer caught the moment : there I am in the 1987 yearbook laughing with my mouth wide open , my eyes as big as saucers , and my hands behind me , having just pushed my skirt back down . I have no problem laughing at myself in situations like that . My point in telling you this embarrassing story is that you can see I do n't have trouble laughing off most situations . But my job ? That was another matter . No , I was not going to be able to shrug off the `` breathing problem , '' as I had called it , trying to minimize its impact , even though it had completely bamboozled me on the air . It was all I thought about after the show , driving down the darkened streets of Chicago 's Streeterville to our condo , still gripped with humiliation . I felt as though every tourist lugging her shopping bags from the Magnificent Mile back to her hotel , every vagrant panhandling for handouts , and every pedestrian who called the city home knew I had just made a complete fool of myself . My brain should have been full of concussions , I was beating myself up so much . How badly was I cursing myself ? I did n't care to stop for my usual Cheesecake Factory late-night treat , let 's put it that way . My stomach was still in knots . I did n't turn my eyes to gawk at the car pumping the thump-thitty-thump-thump bass at the stoplight , and I barely noticed anything around me on the drive home . I could n't even feign a smile for the friendly doorman as I entered our high-rise building . The ride to the thirty-seventh floor seemed to take forever . Every time the elevator halted and the door opened I held my breath , afraid the person joining me on the ride had seen the screwup and would ply me with questions . Tim met me at the door . He had seen the `` breathing problem '' on TV for himself . I learned later it bolted him upright from his viewing perch on the couch . `` Did you watch me ? '' I asked , hoping he 'd say , `` Oh , I sensed a little glitch on your part . '' Instead he just nodded , and I saw the worried look on his face . He did n't say much . He was waiting for me to go first . I hesitated . Finally , in the kind of voice you 'd use to soothe a colicky baby , he asked , `` Honey , what happened ? Are you okay ? '' I did n't know the answer . Excerpted from MORNING SUNSHINE ! : How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too by Robin Meade . Copyright -LRB- c -RRB- 2009 by Robin Meade . Reprinted by permission of Center Street , a Division of Hachette Book Group . All rights reserved . | Anxiety attacks threatened to stop Robin Meade 's career in its tracks . Her compulsion to overachieve put Meade temporarily out of touch with herself . Meade shares how she got her confidence , and her spontaneity , back . Robin Meade 's new book hits shelves September 10 . | [[275, 294], [349, 391]] |
MINNEAPOLIS , Minnesota -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Melissa and Jackson Brandts knew right away that the photo from their recent trip to Canada was a good one . Melissa and Jackson Brandts were taking a photo of themselves when the squirrel popped up . However , it was n't until the world -- and National Geographic -- took notice that they realized exactly how good . Now , after submitting it to the magazine 's online `` Your Shot '' contest , the Minnesota couple 's photo is set to grace the pages of the magazine 's November issue . It 's appeared on the Web sites of news outlets around the world , and the squirrel -- now dubbed `` Crasher Squirrel '' -- even has its own Wikipedia entry of the same moniker . Melissa Brandts and her husband Jackson were hiking in Banff National Park the last week in May when they decided to set up their camera and use their wireless remote shutter for a few shots of the two of them . They were getting situated on the rocky shore near Lake Minnewanka when the now-iconic critter stopped by for a visit . `` The little squirrel had been running around while we were getting the shot set up , '' Melissa Brandts said in a phone interview Tuesday . `` I was joking with my husband that I hoped he was friendly because he was getting awful close and kind of scampering around our feet and stuff . '' Friendly ? You might say so . It was also a bit timid and perhaps even indecisive because it soon scurried away and then , just as quickly , rushed back again . `` Photogenic '' might also be a good word to describe it . `` All of a sudden he popped back up because he heard the shutter releasing , the clicking of the camera . The only thing we can figure is that he thought it was going to give him food or something , '' Brandts said . `` He popped right up and looked right into the camera , and we were laughing so hard because we were like ` get it , get it ! ' and we were trying to get the remote to fire . So we got a couple of pictures -- took a couple of pictures with him there , and then he ducked down and proceeded to run away . '' The resulting image exceeded all expectations . `` We did n't realize how good it was until we got back to the hotel that night and downloaded it to my husband 's computer , and when we could see it on the full screen we were like , ` Whoa , are you serious ? ' '' `` We had no idea it was going to turn out exactly like it did with him being in perfect focus , us being out of focus , and then us just laughing in the background . We were n't sure if he 'd be standing like in front of one of us or something like that . '' An international phenomenon . Brandts said she and her husband showed the photo to their friends and family and were subsequently incessantly prodded to `` do something '' with it . For months the two were n't sure what that something could be . That changed , however , when the latest issue of National Geographic arrived in the mail . `` I saw the ` Your Shot ' contest , which of course I knew existed , but I had never thought of entering one of my own pictures into it , '' Brandts said . `` I thought , ` This is what I 'm going to do ! ' '' Brandts said she submitted it on August 5 and by August 13 it was NationalGeographic.com 's photo of the day . `` Things just kind of spun out of control from there . '' The photo was soon published in the pages of two national Canadian newspapers , and Brandts received calls from a friend in South Korea who 'd seen it on a local South Korean news Web site . The couple has since appeared on NBC 's `` Today '' show as well as the Twin Cities ' local affiliate KARE . And now that it 's been selected for publication in the November issue of National Geographic , the attention has n't subsided . As of this writing , Brandts has received Facebook messages from random fans in 29 different countries . The Facebook group `` Nuts the Squirrel is a Legend '' comes complete with 5,300 fans and counting . The squirrel is also being used by Banff National Park in advertising on its Web site , and it has created a Banff squirrel Twitter account . There 's even a Web site dubbed `` The Squirrelizer , '' which has apparently been created for people who feel their photos lack a certain `` squirrel charm . '' The site 's tool will paste the squirrel cutout onto any picture uploaded . Other sites have pasted the squirrel onto various scenes from history , from the D-Day invasion at Normandy to the Apollo moon landing . And it has n't stopped there . `` It keeps popping up everywhere , like at my husband 's job , '' Brandts added . `` If people are giving him a presentation , all of the sudden they 'll have a squirrel pop up . '' Authenticity assured . It was during their appearance on `` Today '' that host Matt Lauer raised questions about the possibility the photo could have been doctored . Brandts assured him , as she did once more for CNN , that the photo is `` completely authentic '' but said she understood the skepticism because people had originally thought the photo was taken simply with a timer -- as opposed to the remote shutter she used in actuality -- which , if it were the case , would have kept the couple in focus and blurred the squirrel . `` National Geographic looked at the full high-resolution -LSB- image , and -RSB- realized it was authentic , '' Brandts said , adding , `` You ca n't make this stuff up . '' | Couple had set up camera to take their photo with mountains as backdrop . Squirrel pops up in front of camera , is snapped . Photo appears all over the Web , will be in National Geographic . On question of authenticity : `` You ca n't make this stuff up , '' woman says . | [[152, 243], [219, 243], [4654, 4687], [361, 364], [367, 412], [437, 530], [531, 595], [3633, 3718], [4511, 4541], [5336, 5351], [5354, 5360], [5363, 5397]] |
ACCRA , Ghana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama reached out to Africa on Saturday with a wide-ranging address praising the continent 's steady achievements , but he called its persistent violent conflicts `` a millstone around Africa 's neck . '' President Obama speaks before Ghana 's Parliament on Saturday . `` Despite the progress that has been made -- and there has been considerable progress in parts of Africa -- we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled , '' Obama said in a speech to the parliament of Ghana , a western African nation seen as a model of democracy and growth for the rest of the continent . Ghana was the first sub-Saharan nation to gain independence , in 1957 , and Obama continually cited the nation during his speech for its stability , political strides and painstaking economic progress . Its stability stands in contrast to other hot spots on the continent , such as Zimbabwe , where the society is in economic and political turmoil ; Sudan , where fighting rages in the Darfur region ; and Somalia , where a shaky transitional government is now battling an Islamic insurgency . Ghana , with a population of 24 million , was once a major slave trading center . Obama visited the Cape Coast Castle , a British outpost where slaves were held until shipped overseas , along with his daughters . Watch Obama 's remark after touring Cape Coast Castle '' `` I think it was particularly important for Malia and Sasha , who are being raised in a very blessed way , that history can take some cruel turns , '' he said . `` And hopefully , one of the things that was imparted to them during this trip is their sense of obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears . '' Obama , whose father was Kenyan , compared the history to that of the Holocaust , Nazi Germany 's efforts to exterminate the Jews of Europe during World War II . `` It 's one of those things that you do n't forget about , '' he told CNN in an interview scheduled to air Monday on `` Anderson Cooper 360 . '' `` I think it 's important that the way we think about it , the way it 's taught , is not one in which there 's simply a victim and a victimizer , and that 's the end of the story , '' he said . `` I think the way it has to be thought about , the reason it 's relevant , is whether it 's what 's happening in Darfur or what 's happening in the Congo or what 's happening in too many places around the world , the capacity for cruelty still exists . '' Watch how Ghana is celebrating the Obamas ' visit '' But he told lawmakers that Ghana now shows `` a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or the need for charity . '' While the nation-building the country exemplifies may lack `` drama of the 20th century 's liberation struggles , '' he said `` it will ultimately be more significant . '' As he has in past remarks , including his Cairo address last month about U.S.-Muslim relations , Obama stressed the superiority of governments that `` respect the will of their own people , '' saying they foster more prosperity and stability than governments that do n't . Watch Obama deliver speech to Ghanaian lawmakers '' `` No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top , or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt , '' he said . `` No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery . That is not democracy , that is tyranny , even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there . '' Even Kenya , his father 's homeland , continues to struggle with tribalism and corruption , he said . That eastern African nation `` had a per-capita economy larger than South Korea 's when I was born '' and now , he says , it has been `` badly outpaced . '' But he said Kenya has restored stability after the violence that followed the disputed 2007 election . South Africa has had high voter turnout in recent elections , and Zimbabwe 's Election Support Network has defended the right to vote . Watch report on Ghanaians ' reaction to Obama 's remarks '' `` Make no mistake : history is on the side of these brave Africans , and not with those who use coups or change constitutions to stay in power . Africa does n't need strongmen , it needs strong institutions , '' he said . He said his administration will work `` to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who do n't , and that is exactly what America will do . '' As for the economy and opportunity , he said African nations need to stop focusing on one particular commodity , such as oil or cocoa , and `` promote multiple export industries , develop a skilled work force , and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs . '' He cited `` our $ 3.5 billion food security initiative '' and said `` new methods and technologies for farmers -- not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa '' is what is needed . See where Ghana is located '' Obama also made reference to climate and energy challenges , saying the developed world should work with Africa to confront such problems . He said Africa has much potential to exploit its wind and solar power and geothermal energy and biofuels . As for disease , Obama said strides are being made in dealing with HIV/AIDS and malaria , but `` too many still die from diseases that should n't kill them . '' He also indicated that there need to be ways to keep African doctors and nurses from going overseas and creating gaps in primary care . `` When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite , and mothers are dying in childbirth , then we know that more progress must be made . '' He said his administration has committed $ 63 billion to fight disease , praising the `` strong efforts '' of his predecessor , George W. Bush . Watch Ed Henry 's report Obama 's emotional visit to Africa '' Obama welcomed efforts by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to help resolve conflict . He said the United States `` will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable '' and that the Pentagon 's Africa Command will fight `` common challenges to advance the security of America , Africa and the world . '' Watch Obama 's remarks as his visit to Ghana concludes '' `` We all have many identities -- of tribe and ethnicity ; of religion and nationality . But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe , or who worships a different prophet , has no place in the 21st century , '' he said . `` Africa 's diversity should be a source of strength , not a cause for division . We are all God 's children , '' he said . | Obama tells Ghana 's lawmakers Africa needs `` opportunity for more people '' `` Africa 's diversity should be a source of strength , not a cause for division '' Pledges U.S. will help fight HIV/AIDS , tropical diseases , childhood illnesses . | [[248, 311], [486, 538], [3143, 3191], [6577, 6659]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities investigating the case of a boy who disappeared in Kansas almost a decade ago plan to search an undisclosed residence Wednesday , the Butler County sheriff said . An age-progression photo shows what Adam Herrman would like today , as a 21-year-old man . Sheriff Craig Murphy would not disclose details about the residence or why authorities want to search it . He said his department will also search on an area of the Whitewater River , in southern Kansas , on Saturday near where Adam Herrman was last seen . Adam was 11 when he went missing in 1999 . He was living in a mobile home park in Towanda , a town about 25 miles northeast of Wichita , with his adoptive parents , Doug and Valerie Herrman , authorities said . Wichita attorney Warner Eisenbise , who is representing Adam 's adoptive parents , said the couple believed Adam had run away and did n't report him missing . They `` really rue the fact that they did n't '' report him missing , he said Monday . A few weeks ago , an undisclosed person contacted the Wichita-Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit , expressing concern about Adam , the sheriff said . The Herrmans told Eisenbise that Adam ran away frequently , the attorney said , and they believed he was either with his biological parents or homeless . Although the Herrmans did not report him missing , `` they were very worried about him , '' Eisenbise said . In an interview published Tuesday in The Wichita Eagle , Valerie Herrman said Adam ran away in May 1999 after she spanked him with a belt . She said she was upset but does n't remember why , The Eagle reported . The couple never reported Adam missing , Valerie Herrman told the paper , because they feared authorities would take Adam and his siblings away because of the spanking . The couple adopted his two younger siblings as well , according to The Eagle . `` We love him , and we made a terrible mistake '' by not reporting him missing , Doug Herrman told The Eagle . The couple said they searched the mobile home park and other areas for two days after Adam left . `` Then we came to the conclusion that the police probably have him , and they 're coming to us , probably to get us in trouble , '' Doug Herrman told the newspaper , but the `` police never came . '' Authorities have searched an empty lot in the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park where the family lived . There , police found an `` answer '' to one of their questions , Murphy said Monday without elaborating . Eisenbise said that on December 15 , authorities also searched the Herrmans ' homes in Derby , outside of Wichita , and took the couple 's computer , he said . The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progression picture that depicts Adam as he might appear now : a young man with blue eyes and light-colored hair . Adam had been placed in the Herrmans ' care when he was about 2 , Murphy said Monday . He had been named Irvin Groeninger III when he was born June 8 , 1987 , Murphy said , and it was not clear when his name was changed . His biological parents relinquished their rights as parents about two decades ago , and Adam and his siblings were put in foster homes , CNN affiliate KWCH reported . `` I thought what I was doing for them was in the best interest of the children , and evidently it was n't , '' Irvin Groeninger , Adam 's biological father , told KWCH . `` If he was still in my custody , this would have never happened . '' Adam 's sister , Tiffany Broadfoot , 22 , said she had last seen her brother about 14 years ago at a birthday party . `` He had the cutest little round face , little-bitty freckles right up here on the tip of his cheek , '' she told the station . CNN 's Taylor Gandossy contributed to this report . | Sheriff says his officers will search area near Whitewater River on Saturday . Attorney says parents `` rue the fact '' they did n't report him missing . Adam Herrman reportedly ran away when he was 11 , after being spanked . Parents tell paper they thought spanking would lead police to take other kids away . | [[392, 487], [753, 786], [836, 911], [912, 979], [1326, 1365], [1908, 1966], [542, 584], [1426, 1441], [1483, 1547], [1504, 1565], [1679, 1709], [1712, 1807]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The number of stray and abandoned dogs in the United Kingdom jumped by 11 percent in the past year -- the biggest surge in a decade -- possibly because of the financial crisis , a British dog charity said Wednesday . A dog looks through the door of its kennel at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London . Dogs Trust said local authorities picked up 107,228 stray and abandoned dogs from British streets in the past year . It called on the government to make microchipping compulsory for all dogs to help reunite owners with pets , whether lost or abandoned . `` The latest stray dog survey is very disappointing , '' said Clarissa Baldwin , chief executive of Dogs Trust . `` Even more tragically is the number of dogs that are being put down , which has gone up from 7,000 to just below 10,000 , a very worrying trend . '' Has recession hit your pet ? Send us your thoughts . The 11 percent rise is the highest yearly increase since recordkeeping began in 1997 , Dogs Trust said . The rise may be due to the financial crisis , Dogs Trust said . Some households tighten their belts by giving up the dog . Another possible reason for the jump : England and Wales last year changed the law to make local councils , not police , responsible for taking in stray dogs , Dogs Trust said . Cash-strapped councils might lack resources to pick up or temporarily shelter dogs . `` You 've got a lot of latchkey dogs that are just left to wander the streets , '' said Natalie Dexter , who works at the education center at Dogs Trust . `` Their homes are n't secure , gardens are n't secure , and so they 're just left to wander around . '' Local authorities handle an average of 12 dogs each hour , Dogs Trust said . Only five are reunited with their owners -- a number that could increase if more dogs were microchipped , Dogs Trust said . A microchip is an electronic device , coated in plastic , that is the size of a grain of rice . It is implanted just under a dog 's skin , beneath its shoulder blades , which causes no harm to the animal and can not be felt , veterinarians and campaigners say . The microchip carries the owner 's information , which can be updated . The information can be read by a scanner that works through a radio frequency . | Number of stray and abandoned dogs in UK jumps by 11 percent in past year . Charity urges government to make microchipping compulsory for all dogs . Some households tighten their belts by giving up the dog , charity says . | [[9, 32], [60, 96], [9, 32], [97, 134], [402, 456], [912, 996], [457, 530], [1081, 1116], [1081, 1096], [1117, 1139]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The space shuttle Discovery was waved off from its first chance to land Friday afternoon because of unstable weather near Kennedy Space Center in Florida , NASA said . The space shuttle 's landing in Florida was delayed Thursday , shown . A first attempt Friday was called off , too . The shuttle will make another orbit of Earth , while NASA mission managers watch to see if extreme moisture and lightning threaten a safe landing . The next opportunity to land in Florida would come at 7:23 p.m. ET ; however , Mission Control told the shuttle crew the forecast for that time `` looks about the same . '' Crews have been activated at Edwards Air Force Base in California 's Mojave Desert in case NASA decides to land the shuttle there , where the weather is not considered an issue . There are two chances to land Friday evening in California . The space agency , however , usually exhausts all landing windows in Florida before sending the spacecraft to California . A landing on the West Coast adds a week to the turnaround time before the shuttle can be ready for another mission and it costs several million dollars . The landing could be delayed until Saturday when there are two more chances to land in Florida or California . Discovery initially was scheduled to return to Earth on Thursday , but poor weather in central Florida also forced a delay . The seven astronauts are wrapping up a 13-day mission to the international space station , where the crew made repairs and delivered supplies . The crew executed three spacewalks and dropped off a Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill , or Colbert treadmill . It was named after comedian Stephen Colbert . Weather and technical problems delayed Discovery 's launch three times before blastoff . | Landing attempt for space shuttle called off because of bad weather . The shuttle may attempt a landing in Florida later Friday . Attempts to land on Thursday also were called off because of bad weather . NASA is readying crews in the California desert as a backup plan . | [[0, 15], [19, 135], [0, 15], [83, 154], [187, 247], [258, 295], [1324, 1355], [1361, 1377], [452, 518], [0, 15], [19, 135], [187, 247], [1324, 1355], [1361, 1377]] |
HAVANA , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Juan Almeida , a Cuban revolutionary who fought alongside former Communist leader Fidel Castro , died of a heart attack Friday evening , according to state media . Almeida , left , sits with President Raul Castro on January 1 , the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution . Almeida , 82 , was among only a handful of surviving Cuban leaders who still bore the title `` Commander of the Revolution . '' A vice president and member of the Communist government Central Committee , Almeida was among only a few black leaders in top government posts . He died of cardiac arrest late Friday evening , according Juventud Rebelde , Cuba 's state-run youth newspaper . Widely admired among Cuban nationals , Almeida fought with Fidel and Raul Castro at the start of their campesino-led revolution , participating in the failed attacks on the Moncada army barracks in 1953 and later aboard the famed yacht , `` Granma , '' that carried the small group of Cuban rebels who would later topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista . Almeida 's death highlights the mortality of an aging cast of Cuba 's revolutionary leaders . Widespread speculation surrounding the health of Fidel Castro grew in 2006 after the former Communist leader underwent abdominal surgery and later ceded the presidency to his younger brother , Raul . The elder Castro has recently appeared in a series of photos and video looking healthier , though he has not appeared in public since 2006 . Cuban state media reported that Sunday will be a day of national mourning and that flags will be flown at half-staff . | Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida died of a heart attack Friday evening . Almeida , 82 , was a vice president and member of the Central Committee . He was among only a few black leaders in top government posts . Almeida fought with the Castros at the start of their campesino-led revolution . | [[0, 6], [9, 29], [130, 167], [581, 626], [512, 580], [48, 69], [74, 114], [733, 821]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mourners gathered Saturday to remember two California firefighters who died last month battling the largest fire in the history of Los Angeles County . Capt. Ted Hall and firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones died while seeking an escape route for their crew . `` We were all blessed by these two men , and we will continue to be blessed by their example and their spirit . Their deeds and their names live on , '' Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the crowd at Dodger Stadium . `` Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones , you are giants in my eyes and in the eyes of all Californians . '' Hall , a captain , and Quinones , a firefighter specialist , were killed on August 30 when their vehicle slid down a steep embankment in Angeles National Forest . Schwarzenegger said the two men were searching for an escape route for their crew , which included 55 inmates . The governor said Hall and Quinones had sheltered the crew in a cinder block dining hall . `` Everyone reached safety , except Ted and Arnie , '' he said . `` We are humbled by their courage . '' Firefighters are still fighting the blaze , which is 84 percent contained . Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Frank Garrido said officials expected 15,000 uniformed firefighters and , including members of the public , as many as 40,000 people , CNN affiliate KTLA reported . No official attendance figures were immediately available . `` Ted , trusty veteran , widely respected , hardcore firefighter ; he was immersed in the fire service , '' said Dave Gillotte , of Los Angeles County Fire Fighters , Local 1014 . `` Arnie , he knew no strangers , '' Gillotte said . `` What a smile , what a family . '' Vice President Joe Biden also spoke at the memorial , saying there was `` very little that we can do today that is going to bring genuine solace to the empty void that the families are feeling . '' Hall is survived by his wife , Katherine , and two sons , Randall , 21 , and Steven , 20 , as well as his parents . Quinones is survived by his wife , Loressa -- who is expecting the couple 's first child within the next several weeks -- his mother , his brother and numerous nieces and nephews , according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department . Biden said the men 's wives `` knew every time their husbands walked out the door to report for duty , they knew every time that it was a risk . ... but they supported their husbands ' doing that job they loved . '' He added , `` It 's above and beyond the call of duty when two fathers seeking to save a building full of people leave their own families behind , that 's real courage . `` The only thing we can do for certain , is to promise and keep the promise , we will give the Teds and the Arnies all the support they need , the equipment they need , the capacity they need , for we owe you . '' | Capt. Ted Hall and firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones died on August 30 . Their vehicle slid down embankment while searching for an escape route for crew . Vice President Joe Biden , Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offer condolences . Officials reportedly expect up to 40,000 to attend Dodger Stadium memorial . | [[58, 85], [90, 170], [171, 176], [177, 279], [596, 627], [644, 758], [171, 176], [177, 279], [596, 627], [644, 758], [759, 840]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A campaigner for a British grandmother on death row in Texas made a unique plea for her life Thursday -- from atop a plinth in London 's Trafalgar Square . Brian Capaloff uses his slot on the plinth in Trafalgar Square to campaign for clemency for Linda Carty . Linda Carty , 51 , recorded her message this week from the prison in Gatesville , where she is serving her sentence , as part of an effort to win clemency . Campaigners say Carty 's trial was `` catastrophically flawed '' and that her court-appointed lawyer failed to take steps that could have at least spared her the death penalty . An appeal is pending in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals . `` I 'm sorry if I sound like a desperate woman , '' she said on the tape . `` I am desperate . The British people may be my last hope . '' A Scottish man who has taken an interest in Carty 's case played her seven-minute recording over and over for an hour while standing atop one of Trafalgar Square 's large statue bases , or plinths . He held up placards with messages from Carty and stood in front of a life-size cardboard cutout of her . Do you think the campaign will have any effect ? Send us your comments . `` Please listen and tell everyone you know , '' Carty said in her message . `` Please do n't let me die here . '' A contest currently under way in London allows members of the public to win an hour atop the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square . Winners can do anything during their hour that they like -- perform , demonstrate , speak , or simply be silent . Brian Capaloff , 46 , who works for a local government homelessness service in Scotland , won a slot but could n't think of what he would do during his hour . He said he asked Reprieve , a British charity that he supports , whether he could do anything for them , and they suggested he focus on Carty 's case . `` I thought that was the most important thing of all -- to stop someone who is not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt , who I believe is innocent , of being executed , '' Capaloff told CNN . It 's `` just an unbelievable injustice . '' He said he hoped his demonstration would lead people to inquire about the case and ask their members of Parliament to do the same . `` Linda Carty 's speech to Trafalgar Square shows that she is a terrified woman , and with good reason , '' said Clive Stafford Smith , director of Reprieve . `` Texas plans to kill her by lethal injection , which is a painful and lonely death . '' He added : `` The British government must do everything in its power to prevent Linda 's death . '' The British Foreign Office has filed two amicus briefs in Carty 's case complaining that Britain was not notified of her original arrest , said a Foreign Office spokesman , who declined to be named in line with policy . The first was in 2006 with a U.S. district court in Texas and the second was in May of this year with the federal appeals court . The Foreign Office is also in close touch with Carty and her legal representatives , the spokesman said . `` We 're continuing to provide her with consular assistance , '' he said . `` We 've also made the U.S. aware of our stance -LRB- against -RRB- the death penalty . '' Carty was convicted of taking part in the May 2001 murder of Joana Rodriguez , a 25-year-old Texas woman , Reprieve said . Rodriguez and her 4-day-old son were abducted by men demanding drugs and cash ; she later suffocated while her son survived . Prosecutors said Carty had hired the men to kidnap Rodriguez so she could steal her baby because , even though Carty had given birth to children in the past , she was no longer able to get pregnant , Reprieve said . Carty , who asserts her innocence , was sentenced to death in February 2002 . Reprieve said Carty 's court-appointed lawyer was incompetent . The lawyer failed to meet Carty until immediately before the trial , failed to spot flaws and inconsistencies in the prosecution 's case , failed to interview witnesses and did not look at key mitigating evidence , Reprieve said . `` My lawyer told me he was too busy to work on my case , '' Carty said in her recording . Carty was born on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts to Anguillan parents and holds a British passport , Reprieve said . She worked as a primary school teacher in St. Kitts , a former British colony , until she was 23 and later moved to Texas . `` After her conviction , investigators from Reprieve visited St. Kitts and learned that Linda was still remembered as a passionate teacher who frequently held extra classes for children with special needs . She also taught at Sunday school , sang in a national youth choir and led a volunteer social-work group , '' Reprieve said . `` This information would have enabled -LRB- her lawyer -RRB- to present her to the jurors as a dedicated teacher and community leader -- factors that might well have induced them to vote to spare her life . '' Carty worked as a confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency during the 1980s , befriending suspected traffickers to get information and sometimes to make test purchases of drugs , Reprieve said . Carty believes that she was framed because of her work with the agency , Reprieve said . Lawyers for Carty have lodged an appeal with the appeals court court in New Orleans , Louisiana , Reprieve said . If the court rejects her appeal , an execution date will be set , the charity said . Capaloff said he had a lump in his throat when he arrived at Trafalgar Square for his demonstration . `` This is about someone 's life and there 's nothing more important than that , '' he told CNN . `` It is an emotional thing . '' Only three of Trafalgar Square 's four plinths have statues on top . The fourth plinth never had a statue and has stood empty for years , with specially commissioned artworks occasionally being featured on top . This year , sculptor Antony Gormley came up with the idea to have people stand atop the plinth as a sort of living monument . Thousands applied for the chance to occupy the plinth . The project runs 24 hours a day . It began in July and is set to end in October . | Campaigner for Briton on death row in Texas pleads for her life in London . Linda Carty , 51 , recorded a message this week from prison . A man stood on plinth in Trafalgar Square and played Carty 's message aloud . Carty is accused of taking part in 2001 murder of a 25-year-old Texas woman . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [97, 137], [192, 297], [298, 309], [317, 377], [192, 297], [837, 960], [947, 1035]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Six men , including a police officer , are facing homicide charges in last week 's killing of French filmmaker and photographer Christian Poveda in El Salvador , the attorney general 's office said . Filmmaker Christian Poveda poses for a picture at a workshop in Mexico on August 29 . The suspect accused of ordering the slaying , Nelson Lazo Rivera , was already in prison , according to a statement Wednesday from the agency . Officials gave no motive for the slaying and did not say why Lazo Rivera is incarcerated . El Diario de Hoy newspaper said he is in prison for several murders , including three slayings in 2003 known as the massacre of Samcap . Poveda , 53 , had recently finished a documentary about a violent street gang , part of the Mara 18 criminal group in El Salvador . He was found shot to death September 2 in the town of Tonacatepeque , about 10 miles northeast of the capital , San Salvador , authorities said . Four of the suspects are members of the same Mara 18 gang that was the subject of Poveda 's film , the attorney general 's office said . Authorities identified them as Calixto Rigoberto Escobar -LRB- known as Toro -RRB- , Jose Alejandro Melara -LRB- El Puma -RRB- , Roberto Luis Romero -LRB- Tiger -RRB- , and Miguel Angel Rosa -LRB- El Cholo -RRB- . National Civil Police Officer Juan Napoleon Espinoza also was arrested , the attorney general 's office said . Officials did not say what his involvement in the crime may have been . But El Mundo , Diario Co Latino , El Faro and El Diario de Hoy newspapers said authorities believe the officer told gang members Poveda was giving information on the group to police . According to El Diario de Hoy , police deputy director Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde said Espinoza was a Mara 18 member , who would drink with other members in his free time and also was involved in giving them weapons , ammunition and information . Authorities said the suspects will be charged with aggravated homicide , proposition and conspiracy in the homicide and illicit associations . Poveda 's documentary , `` La Vida Loca , '' follows the lives of members of the Mara 18 gang . The documentary has been screened at a handful of film festivals and is slated for wider release later this month . His body was found in an area controlled by that same gang , officials said . The suspects had set up a meeting with Poveda on August 30 , at which time they were supposed to kill him and bury his body , El Mundo and El Diario de Hoy reported . But Poveda did not show , heightening gang members ' suspicions that he was an informant . He met with the suspects three days later and was shot by Romero , El Mundo said , but in their haste to get away the gang members forgot to bury his body . A funeral for Poveda was held Wednesday in San Salvador before his body was shipped to France . A photograph of a younger Poveda , with shoulder-length hair , and a 35 mm digital camera were placed on the altar , next to a communion chalice . `` This is a painful and brutal act . Unacceptable , '' said Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chavez , the auxiliary bishop of San Salvador . `` God moved Christian with his work , awoke noble ideals . He tried to film with his camera in order to open the eyes of those whose eyes needed opening . '' | French filmmaker Christian Poveda was shot to death in El Salvador last week . Poveda had just finished documentary on violent street gang . 4 of those arrested are members of the gang , another is police officer , officials say . Salvadoran media report the gang suspected Poveda was giving info to police . | [[0, 55], [58, 178], [809, 876], [677, 683], [691, 703], [713, 808], [677, 683], [691, 797], [955, 1012], [1493, 1672], [2525, 2531], [2547, 2611]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some $ 700 million in economic stimulus money intended to upgrade baggage screening systems at airports will go further than originally expected , Department of Homeland Security officials said Wednesday . The new systems can process up to 500 bags an hour , compared to the 150 to 160 bags per hour on the older machines , the TSA said . The DHS said the money will now upgrade systems at 10 additional airports . Earlier this year the DHS announced funding for baggage screening at airports in 15 cities . The money will be used to speed up construction of in-line baggage screening systems , which take advantage of the airline 's existing conveyor belt systems to check bags , eliminating the need for minivan-size bomb detection systems now found in many airport lobbies . Government auditors have long complained about existing systems , which the Transportation Security Administration rushed into place to meet congressional deadlines after the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks . At airports with in-line systems , airline workers at the ticketing counters place the bags on conveyor belts , which pass through explosive detectors on their way to the aircraft . That is more efficient than stand-alone systems , which the TSA employees must staff . In addition , in-line systems can process up to 500 bags an hour , compared to the 150 to 160 bags per hour processed by stand-alone machines , the TSA said . Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement that DHS was able to `` stretch our resources '' by managing the recovery money and by negotiating with airports . In addition to the $ 700 million intended for checked baggage systems , $ 300 million is being allocated for checkpoint technology , such as new X-ray machines , `` whole body imaging '' technology and bottled liquid scanners . The new airports expected to get stimulus money for in-line explosive detection systems are : . • Washington Dulles International Airport -LRB- Chantilly , Virginia -RRB- . • Lambert-St . Louis International Airport -LRB- St. Louis , Missouri -RRB- . • Yellowstone Regional Airport -LRB- Cody , Wyoming -RRB- . • William P. Hobby Airport -LRB- Houston , Texas -RRB- . • St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport -LRB- St. Petersburg , Florida -RRB- . • Gallatin Field Airport -LRB- Bozeman , Montana -RRB- . • Little Rock National Airport -LRB- Little Rock , Arkansas -RRB- . • Tulsa International Airport -LRB- Tulsa , Oklahoma -RRB- . • Charlotte Douglas International Airport -LRB- Charlotte , North Carolina -RRB- . • Colorado Springs Airport -LRB- Colorado Springs , Colorado -RRB- . Earlier this year , DHS announced funding for airports in the following cities : Atlanta , Georgia ; Columbus , Ohio ; Dayton , Ohio ; Honolulu , Hawaii ; Huntsville , Alabama ; Jackson , Wyoming ; Maui , Hawaii ; New Orleans , Louisiana ; Orange County , California ; Orlando , Florida ; Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; Portland , Maine ; and Sacramento , San Francisco and San Jose , California . To learn more about the DHS Recovery Act projects , visit www.dhs.gov/recovery . | Department of Homeland security says stimulus money can be stretched . DHS identified 10 additional airports to receive in-line baggage screening systems . Updated screening process is more efficient than stand-alone machines . | [[1453, 1646], [369, 444], [382, 400], [409, 444], [382, 391], [397, 444], [1207, 1254]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Guatemalan army stole at least 333 children and sold them for adoption in other countries during the Central American nation 's 36-year civil war , a government report has concluded . Around 45,000 people are believed to have disappeared during Guatemala 's civil war , 5,000 of them children . Many of those children ended up in the United States , as well as Sweden , Italy and France , said the report 's author and lead investigator , Marco Tulio Alvarez . In some cases , the report said , parents were killed so the children could be taken and given to government-operated agencies to be adopted abroad . In other instances , the children were abducted without physical harm to the parents . `` This was a great abuse by the state , '' Alvarez told CNN on Friday . Investigators started examining records in May 2008 for a period that spanned from 1977-89 , said Alvarez , the director of the Guatemalan Peace Archive , a commission established by President Alvaro Colom . Of 672 records investigators looked at , Alvarez said , they determined that 333 children had been stolen . The children were taken for financial and political reasons , he said . Alvarez acknowledges that many more children possibly were taken . Investigators zeroed in on the 1977-89 period because peak adoptions occurred during that time frame , particularly in 1986 . They will investigate through 1995 and hope to have another report ready by early next year , he said . A presidential ministry has determined that about 45,000 people disappeared during the nation 's civil war , which lasted from 1960 to 1996 . About 5,000 of those were children , the ministry said . Another 200,000 people died in the conflict between the leftist guerrillas and right-wing governments . The nation 's public ministry and attorney general 's office will determine whether anyone is prosecuted over the abductions , Alvarez said . Asked if he would like to see prosecutions , Alvarez answered , `` I hope so . '' Alvarez said he has attended several reunions of abducted children -- now adults -- and family members . `` I ca n't tell you how happy that makes me , '' he said . Adoption has served as a source of income in Guatemala for decades . The war just made it easier for abuses at the hands of soldiers to occur . Guatemala has the world 's highest per capita rate of adoption and is one of the leading providers of adoptive children for the United States . Nearly one in 100 babies born in Guatemala end up with adoptive parents in the United States , according to the U.S. consulate in Guatemala . Adoptions can cost up to $ 30,000 , providing a large financial incentive in a country where the World Bank says about 75 percent of the people live below the poverty level . Officials fear that often times mothers are paid -- or coerced -- into giving up their children . Some unscrupulous lawyers and notaries , who have greater power in Guatemala than they do in the United States , have taken advantage of the extreme poverty and limited government oversight over adoptions to enrich themselves . Alvarez said corrupt lawyers and notaries were the driving force behind many of the army abductions of children . The problem is confounded because many Guatemalan parents ca n't provide for their children . The United Nations ' World Food Programme says Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean . Chronic undernutrition affects about half of the nation 's children under the age of 5 , the U.N. agency said . Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom Caballeros declared a state of national calamity this week because so many citizens do not have food or proper nutrition . Despite the nation 's problems , Alvarez hopes some good will come of the report , which was released Thursday . `` We have to tell the truth about what happened , '' he said . `` Guatemalan society must know what happened and must never allow it to happen again . '' CNN 's Arthur Brice contributed to this report . | Children stolen for adoption in the U.S. , Sweden , Italy and France , report says . Some parents were killed , others were unharmed when soldiers came calling . Investigators examined period between 1977 and 1989 , ` peak ' adoption period . Reports says many more could have been taken , investigation underway . | [[0, 15], [71, 168], [634, 652], [655, 720], [850, 858], [864, 884], [1249, 1349], [1303, 1349], [1352, 1374], [1182, 1248], [1208, 1248]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. Supreme Court delayed a decision on whether to accept an appeal from a Georgia death row inmate who has gained international support for his claims of innocence in the the murder of a Savannah police officer two decades ago . Troy Davis ' case has earned the support of leaders including the pope and former President Jimmy Carter . The justices were scheduled to announce Monday whether they would take the case of Troy Davis , but no order was released . The court is expected to take up the matter again in September . Last fall , the Supreme Court granted Davis a stay of execution two hours before he was to be put to death . A month later , the justices reversed course and allowed the capital punishment to proceed , but a federal appeals court issued another stay . The high court 's latest delay means Davis will continue to sit on death row . Watch a report on Davis ' long fight '' His supporters Monday delivered about 60,000 signatures in petitions to Chatham County , Georgia , District Attorney Larry Chisolm , calling for a new trial . `` This delay is an indication that the Supreme Court is concerned by the gravity of Troy Davis ' innocence claims , '' said Laura Moye , director of Amnesty International USA 's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign . `` We will continue to call on all authorities , including the Supreme Court , to finally hear the evidence that has motivated hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to raise their voices and demand justice . '' Davis has always maintained his innocence in the 1989 killing of Officer Mark MacPhail . Witnesses claimed Davis , then 19 , and two others were harassing a homeless man in a Burger King restaurant parking lot when the off-duty officer arrived to help the man . Witnesses testified at trial that Davis then shot MacPhail twice and fled . But since his 1991 conviction , seven of the nine witnesses against him have recanted their testimony . No physical evidence was presented linking Davis to the killing of the police officer . The Georgia Pardons and Parole Board last year held closed-door hearings and reinterviewed Davis and the witnesses . The panel decided against clemency . MacPhail 's mother , Annaliese , told CNN at the time , `` This is what we were hoping for , and I hope pretty soon that we will have some peace and start our life , especially my grandchildren -- my grandson and granddaughter . It has overshadowed their lives . '' After the justices in October refused to grant a stay of execution , Davis ' sister , Martina Correia , told CNN she was `` disgusted '' by the decision . `` It does n't make any sense , '' she said . `` We are praying for a miracle or some kind of intervention . We will regroup and fight . We will never stop fighting . We just ca n't be discouraged . The fight is not over 'til it 's over . '' Ten days after the high court refused last October to intervene , a federal appeals court in Georgia granted a temporary stay of execution . Since then , further appeals by Davis ' legal team have dragged on for eight months . Prominent figures ranging from the pope to the musical group Indigo Girls have asked Georgia to grant Davis a new trial . Other supporters include celebrities Susan Sarandon and Harry Belafonte ; world leaders such as former President Jimmy Carter and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town , South Africa ; and former and current U.S. lawmakers Bob Barr , Carol Moseley Braun and John Lewis . | Supreme Court ends session without hearing Troy Davis ' appeal . Davis is on Georgia 's death row ; says he 's innocent . Davis was convicted in 1991 of murdering of off-duty Savannah police officer . Seven of the nine witnesses against Davis have recanted . | [[0, 26], [30, 134], [103, 134], [139, 264], [1520, 1536], [1548, 1608], [1520, 1608], [103, 134], [139, 264], [1862, 1887], [1890, 1961]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Insurgents locked in a standoff with U.S. Marines tricked them by dressing up as women to escape , a task force spokesman said Monday . U.S. Marines scan the site of a blast that hit a U.S. vehicle in southern Afghanistan . Women and children had been caught in the standoff between the armed groups , but some of the women were not what they seemed , according to task force spokesman Capt. William Pelletier . After the Marines began taking fire from insurgents in the town of Khan Neshin , in south Afghanistan near the Helmand River , the militants ran into a multiple-room compound , the U.S. military said . Unsure of whether civilians were inside the compound , the Marines had an interpreter talk to the insurgents , said an official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly . After some time , a number of women and children left the compound , the military official said . The released hostages told the Marines that there were no more civilians inside the compound , Pelletier said . But the Marines held their fire anyway , the official said . About 4 p.m. -LRB- 7:30 a.m. ET -RRB- , in the midst of the standoff , another group of women and children emerged from the compound , the official said . The Marines continued to hold their fire and wait out the insurgents , the official said . Finally , a screaming woman emerged from the compound with a bullet wound to her hand , Pelletier said . Then , another group of women came out , covered from head to toe according to custom , he said , with a couple of children in tow . The Marines attended to the wounded woman while the others walked away . When the Marines went into the compound , they discovered that it empty , Pelletier said . That 's when they realized the fighters had dressed up as women to escape , he said . `` Apparently these were tall , rather broad-shouldered women with hairy feet , '' Pelletier said . The Marines ' restrained approach differs from previous hits on compounds when airstrikes were readily called in , the official said . Under a new tactical directive for forces in Afghanistan , some of which was unclassified Monday , forces must protect civilians soldiers and must be sensitive to Afghan cultural norms regarding women . Pelletier said that during the standoff , `` the Marines did n't have any female forces to do any searches , and they were n't going to violate cultural norms by patting down these women . '' The standoff in the town of Khan Neshin was especially significant because it has been a Taliban stronghold for several years , and the U.S. military reported that the Afghan government regained control of the town Monday . Coalition forces began talks with local leaders several days ago and have moved about 500 Marines into Khan Neshin , a U.S. military news release said . The government takeover of Khan Neshin marks the first time coalition forces have had a sustained presence so far south in the Helmand River valley , the release said . The mission to secure Khan Neshin coincides with `` establishing secure conditions '' for August elections in Afghanistan , according to the release . Elsewhere in Afghanistan , a six U.S. soldiers were killed Monday by two roadside bombs , a representative for NATO forces said . Four were killed in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan , the U.S. military said . The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . Two soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan , NATO 's International Security Assistance Forces said . CNN 's Barbara Starr contributed to this report . | U.S. Marines faced off against insurgents in southern town of Khan Neshin . Marines surround compound , held fire because of civilians . 6 U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan . Taliban claim responsibility for attack on U.S. military vehicle . | [[19, 68], [431, 509], [558, 605], [431, 509], [608, 632], [651, 685], [1263, 1331], [3194, 3256], [3299, 3358], [3386, 3437]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- And now , the rejects . The photographs show the Boeing VC-25 making a steep bank not usually seen with passenger aircraft . Three months after the White House released a single photograph taken during a photo op of `` Air Force One '' flying over New York -- a flight that caused panic on the streets below -- the U.S. Air Force on Friday released the remaining 145 photos taken during the flight . The photographs show the Boeing VC-25 -- a military version of a 747 -- making three passes by the Statue of Liberty , at one point accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet and at another point making a steep bank not usually seen with passenger aircraft . That latter move may have contributed to the chaos below . The photographs and several lengthy government e-mail chains were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by CNN and other news organizations . The e-mail chains show that the flight 's government organizers were aware of many New Yorkers ' fears of low-flying aircraft before the April 27 flight , and show a flurry of second-guessing , finger-pointing , damage control and occasional expressions of regret in the hours immediately after the flight . Watch a compilation of still images of the flyover '' `` Thanks for the heads up on sensitivities in the New York area , '' an Air Force colonel wrote in an e-mail two days before the flight . `` This is an issue that PAG -LSB- the Presidential Airlift Group -RSB- has also been concerned with . As a result , their coordination has been substantial . '' But while the White House , the military and numerous federal and local government agencies coordinated the flight , the federal government demanded secrecy , preparing a news release that was to be distributed only if there were media inquiries . Those inquiries came during the morning flight , triggering a quick chain of e-mails among government officials . `` We ... need to construct some sort of timeline on when folks became aware of it if that is possible , '' one Air Force official wrote , responding to the public interest . `` I agree we ... need to accomplish damage control , but we are n't the POC -LSB- point of contact -RSB- , '' the response reads . `` Nor do I want to become a belly button for NORAD to push on this one . '' Wrote one top Pentagon spokeswoman : `` Nothing like having everyone point the finger at someone else so we ALL look like a big bunch of buffoons ... can you say Moe , Larry & Curly !??!?! '' In addition to the informal e-mail banter , the documents show the regimented system the Pentagon uses to monitor and respond to breaking news stories . A U.S. Northern Command document offers this `` assessment '' of the story : `` Last 4 hours : Story reported quickly . Covered by AP , CNN , FOX major news outlets . Local reporting very critical , highlighting ` scare ' factor . Local populace very critical of event , due to 9-11 sensitivities . '' It continues : `` Web site blog comments ` furious ' at best . Twitter search reveals ` tweets ' regarding two F-16 's chasing commercial airliner . Rate of 1 tweet per minute and growing . '' `` No positive spin is possible . Admit mistake , '' it concludes . In another e-mail , USAF Col. Scott M. Turner , commander of the Presidential Airlift Group , was doing just that . `` Again , my apologies sir . Real intent here was to honor NYC , not cause mass chaos , '' it reads . The next day , the Northern Command 's internal memo included depictions of New York 's three major tabloids featuring the headlines , `` Scare Force One , '' `` Just Plane Stupid ! '' and `` How Dumb Was This ! '' The photographs released Friday , meanwhile , show the presidential aircraft making a steep bank , seemingly well beyond the 30-degree maximum for Boeing 747s carrying passengers , according to one airline pilot consulted by CNN . That may have contributed to the anxiety on the ground . The Pentagon estimated the cost of the flight at $ 328,835 , which includes the Boeing aircraft and the two fighter jets that accompanied it . But , they said , `` the hours would have been flown regardless , and the expenses would have been accrued on a different mission . '' The VC-25 aircraft is designated `` Air Force One '' only when the president is aboard . President Obama was not on the plane during the photo op . After the incident , Louis Caldera , the director of the White House Military Office responsible for the flyover , resigned . `` I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group 's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible for me to effectively lead the White House Military Office , '' Caldera said in a letter to Obama . `` Moreover , it has become a distraction to the important work you are doing as president . After much reflection , I believe it is incumbent on me to tender my resignation and step down as director of the White House Military Office . '' | Presidential plane 's flight over New York led to panic on ground . Air Force releases 145 new photos of flight ; 1 had been released previously . Government e-mail chains from day of flight also released . `` No positive spin is possible . Admit mistake , '' says one . | [[249, 286], [290, 298], [304, 337], [2825, 2854], [2857, 2888], [3886, 3942], [155, 189], [341, 429], [740, 903], [1815, 1830], [1864, 1928], [3153, 3186], [3187, 3200]] |
HUNTINGDON VALLEY , Pennsylvania -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The president of The Valley Swim Club on Friday strongly denied charges of racism after his club canceled the swimming privileges of a nearby day care center whose children are predominantly African-American . John Duesler said he underestimated the number of swimmers who would come to swim at the club . `` It was never our intention to offend anyone , '' said John Duesler . `` This thing has been blown out of proportion . '' Duesler said his club -- which he called `` very diverse '' -- invited camps in the Philadelphia area to use his facility because of the number of pools in the region closed due to budget cuts this summer . He said he underestimated the amount of children who would participate , and the club 's capacity to take on the groups was not up to the task . `` It was a safety issue , '' he said . The Creative Steps Day Care children -- who are in kindergarten through seventh grade -- went to The Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley on June 29 after the center 's director , Alethea Wright , had contracted to use the club once a week . During their first visit , some children said they heard club members asking why African-American children were there . One youngster told a Philadelphia television station a woman there said she feared the children `` might do something '' to her child . Watch Wright react to comments allegedly aimed at the children '' Days later , the day care center 's $ 1,950 check was returned without explanation , Wright said . She was dismissive of Duesler 's comments Friday . `` He knows what happened at the pool that day , '' Wright told CNN in a telephone interview . `` I was embarrassed and humiliated . '' She called it an `` unfortunate situation , '' adding , `` I know what happened ; the members know what happened and a higher power knows what happened . '' Watch the club president say racism is not at play '' After news reports of the incident , the office of Sen. Arlen Specter -LRB- D-Pennsylvania -RRB- said Specter sent a letter to the club president asking him to reinstate the contract with Creative Steps , saying , `` I think that you would agree that there is no place for racism in America today . '' Duesler said he appreciates the senator 's concern , but the club 's board has yet to make a decision of how it will proceed . `` If we 're going to revise our policies here , we need to make it so for all the camps , '' he said . `` I just do n't think we 're prepared for that . '' Duesler earlier in the week told two Philadelphia television stations the children had changed `` the complexion '' and `` atmosphere '' of the club , a comment that protesters outside the facility Thursday said showed that racism was involved . Bernice Duesler , John Duesler 's wife , called the negative response her husband has faced since the incident `` unbearable . '' `` He 's not one of the good guys -- he 's one of the great guys , '' she said , holding back tears . `` He does n't deserve this . '' She added , `` If there really was a racial issue that happened , my husband and I would be the first one -LSB- s -RSB- picketing . '' Jim Flynn , who said he was one of the club members who made a complaint against the children , told CNN this week it was not racially motivated . `` There were a lot of children in the pool and not enough lifeguards , '' he said . `` As general members we were not told that they were coming . If we knew , we could decide to not come when the pool was crowded or come anyway . We could have had an option . '' He also said invitations to two other day care centers , neither of which contained minority children , had previously been withdrawn . Girard College , a private Philadelphia boarding school , told CNN on Thursday it would offer Creative Steps Day Care use of its facilities this summer . | Swim club president John Duesler : `` It was never our intention to offend anyone '' `` He knows what happened at the pool that day , '' day care director counters . Duesler : Club is `` very diverse , '' and had reached out because area pools had closed . Duesler says club 's board has yet to decide whether to reinstate center 's contract . | [[361, 404], [407, 429], [1589, 1635], [482, 541], [2295, 2364]] |
PADUCAH , Kentucky -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He arrives in the early morning hours , when the downtown streets here are empty and quiet . Former U.S. soldier Steven Green has been convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old Iraqi girl . An electric gate jerks to life as the black sedan with tinted windows pulls into a parking lot protected by an iron fence . It 's five blocks from the local county jail to the U.S. Federal Courthouse of Western Kentucky . Not even a five-minute drive . This is the only freedom Steven Green knows . He 's ushered from the car by a contingent of U.S. marshals . It 's 30 feet out in the open air . A brief chance to look up at the clouds . A moment to hear sounds not reverberated against cell walls : a bird , a car engine , a breeze in nearby trees . He is a lanky 24-year-old . He looks lean , like he could grow a little more . Not really a man , but too old to be called a boy . Regardless , he is a convicted murderer , rapist , and conspirator . The orange prison coveralls make him look a bit taller . The jury never sees Green in the fluorescent jumpsuit . Inside the federal courthouse there is a change of clothes . Usually it 's a button-down shirt and a pair of khakis . He keeps his cuffs buttoned . He looks nerdish , and you half expect him to start working on the courtroom computers . Not like a man who once asked FBI agents if they thought he was `` a monster . '' Evidence comes in a steady display of pictures and videos that seem oddly connected . The snapshot of a smiling woman lying in a field of bluebonnets . The image of a dead Iraqi strapped to the hood of an Army Humvee . A high school yearbook photo of a Texas football team . The diagram of a brain cell . Video of a firefight shot from an insurgent perspective . The most unusual trial exhibit sits against the wall behind the prosecutor 's table : a small architectural mock-up of a home . Roughly 18 by 18 inches , it is like no home in Kentucky . A flat-topped square with a raised rectangular structure at the top providing access to the roof . It is beige in color . The tiny windows have tiny bars . It is a 3-D map of a crime scene . Earlier this month , a jury found Green guilty of a raping a 14-year-old girl who lived in the home in Iraq , then killing her and setting her body on fire to destroy evidence . Green also was found guilty of killing the girl 's parents and 6-year-old sister . There is a casual manner to Steven Green 's daily entrance into the courtroom . It defies the circumstances of the moment and the imagination without proper context . This is the sentencing phase of his death penalty trial and he is the defendant . Testimony resumes Monday , with the expectation of closing arguments as early as Wednesday . Green faces life in prison without the possibility of parole , or death in prison . The testimony transports the court to unusual places : across Texas following Green 's dysfunctional childhood , into the sense of structure and order of Army basic training at Fort Benning , Georgia , and back to the chaos of horrendous combat situations four years ago in Iraq 's Triangle of Death . Green is a former member of the 101st Airborne Division , inserted into a very bad section of Iraq during some of the worst fighting of the war . His memories are of a place known as Yusufiya , 20 miles south of Baghdad . Jurors form a mental picture of his life then as former members of his unit , Bravo Company , take the stand . Amid the military lingo , the witnesses pause occasionally , struggling to convey the contempt , confusion , exhaustion , and death they knew . They speak of being shot , of killings , booby traps and sudden bloody dismemberments . This toxic emotional mix is what former Pfc. Green knew in 2005 and 2006 almost every day , along with the very real possibility of his own death . If the jury opts for its most extreme option -- the death penalty -- unlike his daily death watch in Iraq , at least Green will see that coming . When a friend or family member enters the courtroom , Green tries to make anxious eye contact . He whispers a lot to his attorneys . His hands stay around his face and his gaze on the table when the victims ' family speak through an interpreter . The Al-Janabis ' relatives do not speak of details of the crime . The questions come only from the prosecution , and the defense does not cross-examine . They speak of an orchard worker , Kassem , and his wife , Fakhriya . They speak of a simple family who did not own either their home or the furniture . They speak of a funny 6-year-old girl , Hadeel , being chased through the orchard trees by siblings . They speak of a 14-year-old girl , Abeer , with dreams of living in the city and wearing nice clothes . The jury never hears the words `` rape '' or `` murder '' come from the translation . It is a testimony about loss . The defendant sits rigid the entire time . The mention of other names comes frequently in court . Spc. James Barker : The jury knows him as the soldier who concocted a plan over a card game to target the Al-Janabi family -- a mission of gang-rape and murder . Sgt. Paul Cortez : The defense counsel describes him as senior non-commissioned officer , the one who approved the mission as long as he was the first to rape Abeer . Pfc. Jesse Spielman : His name is familiar as the fourth member of the squad to leave their traffic checkpoint on March 12 , 2006 , after donning disguises , and enter the Al-Janabi home . Pfc. Bryan Howard is the soldier left behind to guard their post . Each is out of the Army , sentenced to prison time by a military court for his part in the crime and the failed coverup . Green , the trigger man , is the odd man out . He sits before the jury , convicted in civil court for this war atrocity . His early release from the Army two months after the crime is a possible death sentence , while three of his accomplices face the possibility of parole from an Army prison in 2016 . Green still sports a military haircut . Seated at the table alongside his defense team , he often leans over and speaks with Darren Wolff , a former Marine Corps captain turned Kentucky defense lawyer . There are letters on file in the court docket from Wolff petitioning Defense Secretary Robert Gates to re-enlist Green in the Army , so the former private could face trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice . It is not unheard of in this war . Wolff points out in conversation that the Pentagon re-activated two former Marines after word surfaced of an alleged murder in Falluja in 2004 . He says Green should face a jury of his military peers . The fact that has not happened , and the former Army private sits in the U.S. District Court of Western Kentucky tried under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act for crimes committed in Iraq , may be a point of appeal . At the end of the day , Green exits the courtroom , climbs back into his prison garb and is shackled . There 's another short walk to the car , then a five-block return drive to take in the world . He returns to solitary confinement . This is his human interaction for the day . | Steven Green was convicted of murder , rape in deaths of girl and her family in Iraq . Jury in Kentucky to decide his sentence ; death penalty a possibility . Closing arguments could start as soon as Wednesday . Green faces harsher penalty because he had left Army and was tried in civilian court . | [[131, 231], [131, 163], [197, 231], [915, 925], [928, 983], [2157, 2175], [2178, 2234], [2191, 2196], [2207, 2304], [2335, 2340], [2346, 2417], [5808, 5895], [5733, 5735], [5759, 5807]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fans of Michael Jackson lined the streets outside Harlem 's Apollo Theater on Tuesday for a chance to pay their respects to the late `` King of Pop '' at the hall that helped launch his career . A hat and glittery glove represent Michael Jackson at the Apollo Theater tribute . The crowd stood eight to 10 abreast in the sun and 80-degree weather for 10 blocks , waiting for hours for a chance to enter the theater . Fans were allowed in 600 at a time , where they lay flowers and other mementos at the foot of the stage and danced to Jackson 's music as it played over the sound system . `` We left our house at 4 o'clock in the morning and got here at 9 , and we were lucky to get here , '' said Angela Staples , who came to New York from Pennsylvania with her daughter Jasmine . `` I 'm so happy about the outpouring of love and the crowd and the people . It 's so respectful to Michael . '' Those in the hall observed a moment of silence at 5:26 p.m. -- the time Jackson was pronounced dead Thursday in Los Angeles , California . The cause of the 50-year-old singer 's death has not yet been determined . An autopsy on the 50-year-old singer was was inconclusive , leaving authorities waiting on the results of toxicology tests to determine what killed him . Fans have been gathering outside the theater since last week to remember Jackson , who at age 9 won a 1967 Apollo amateur night showcase with his brothers in the group the Jackson 5 . `` While he went on from the Apollo stage to achieve international fame on an unprecedented level , to us and all of you , he 's family because he started out here , '' said Jonelle Procope , the legendary venue 's CEO . Jackson became an idol of both black and white fans and was among the first African-American artists to get widespread play on the music-video channel MTV . But in later years , he was known more for a roller-coaster personal life , including extensive plastic surgery , financial woes and a 1995 trial and acquittal on child-molestation charges . The Rev. Al Sharpton , the New York civil rights activist who became a friend of the Jackson family , urged Jackson 's fans not to let critics `` scandalize '' a groundbreaking performer . `` Michael was n't no freak , '' Sharpton said . `` Michael was a genius . Michael was an innovator . You ca n't take someone with extraordinary skills , extraordinary talent , and make him an ordinary person . He was extraordinary . He lived extraordinarily , and we love him with an extraordinary passion . '' The Apollo had been one of the top venues for jazz , gospel and soul artists for decades before the Jacksons ' breakthrough . Sharpton said the theater was home to `` the best and the baddest . '' `` You 've got to come from the stage of the Apollo and go all over the world to understand Michael , '' Sharpton said . `` We understand his journey , because we were with him every step of the way . '' The Jackson brothers ' amateur night win led to a $ 1,000 deal for 31 shows at the Apollo , said Bobby Schiffman , whose family owned the theater . `` Shortly after their appearance , Diana Ross took them on an NBC special that she did , and there was no looking back after that . They just skyrocketed , '' Schiffman said . Jackson at the time `` was a sweet little boy , '' he said . `` He was extremely talented , extremely easy to get along with , '' Schiffman said . `` He always had a smile on his face , and it was a pleasure to see him working in the theater . '' CNN 's Aspen Steib contributed to this report . | Fans line streets for blocks to pay tribute to Michael Jackson at Apollo Theater . Fans lay flowers , mementos at the foot of the stage , dance to Jackson 's music . Jackson 5 won amateur night contest at Apollo in 1967 . | [[0, 24], [52, 126], [127, 190], [1291, 1371], [473, 474], [488, 548], [488, 492], [553, 616], [1364, 1371], [1387, 1445]] |
NEW HAVEN , Connecticut -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Slain Yale University graduate student Annie Le was intelligent , driven and destined for greatness , said those who knew her . The body of Annie Le , 24 , was found in the wall of a Yale University laboratory building Sunday . `` She was also really tenacious and had a sense of humor that was never far away , and she was tougher than you 'd think by just looking at her , '' Le 's roommate , Natalie Powers , told a crowd of hundreds gathered on campus for the slain 24-year-old 's vigil Monday . Le 's body was found inside a wall at a Yale medical school building Sunday , the day she was to be married to her college sweetheart , Jonathan Widawsky , a graduate student at New York 's Columbia University . She disappeared five days before her wedding . Watch timeline leading up to Le 's death '' Le and Widawsky attended the University of Rochester together , where Le majored in cell and developmental biology with a minor in medical anthropology . In a self-profile she wrote for the National Institutes of Health 's undergraduate scholarship program , Le called her biology studies `` interesting '' but said she would like to pursue a research career in medical anthropology , `` which has highlighted the severity of health issues in societies worldwide . '' She further wrote that she would one day like to work for the NIH or become a professor . Once at Yale , she majored in pharmacology and worked long hours in the lab where she was found dead this week . Watch how Le 's body was found '' Le was scheduled to finish her postgraduate program in 2013 and had recently decided the topic of her dissertation : the effects of certain proteins on metabolic diseases like diabetes , reported the Yale Daily News , the campus newspaper . `` She was probably the most brilliant person I 've ever met in my life , '' her high school friend , Laurel Griffeath , told NBC 's `` Today '' show , `` but what made her more amazing was that there was an intersection of intelligence and personality and ability . '' Le impressed her peers and teachers long before delving into complicated medical research . Originally from Placerville , California , Le graduated in 2003 from Union Mine High School , where she was named `` best of the best '' and `` most likely to be the next Einstein , '' according to CNN affiliate WFSB-TV in New Haven . Principal Tony DeVille told Le 's hometown newspaper , the Mountain Democrat , that she was `` one of the bright spots in the school 's history . '' But she did n't excel solely in academic situations . Friends and professors gush when speaking of Le 's vibrant personality and her sense of humor . Le `` was as good a human being as you 'd ever hope to meet , '' Powers said at the vigil . Watch why police say killing not random '' Griffeath said Le knew how to balance her social life and academic responsibilities as well . `` She cared about people and she was funny , and she did n't sacrifice one part of her life for another like a lot of people kind of seem to , '' Griffeath said on `` Today . '' Thomas Kaplan , editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News , described Le as `` very outgoing , a warm person . '' `` She was diminutive in stature , but certainly not in personality , and that 's what I think just makes this so sad for everyone , regardless of whether you knew her , '' Kaplan said of the 4-foot-11 scholar . Friends describe Widawsky as the perfect match for Le . The portrayed a young couple deeply in love , constantly on the phone with each other and eager to exchange vows . Le tackled wedding planning with the same zeal she brought to her research , friends said . `` She was just so excited about this wedding and everything from , you know , her flowers to her wedding dress and just certain details about it , '' Vanessa Flores , a friend and former roommate , told CNN . `` We talked about this back in 2008 . She was already thinking about the weather -- whether June , July was going to be too hot . '' Watch Flores describe Le 's plans for `` her dream day '' '' Friend Jennifer Simpson told CBS ' `` The Early Show '' that she was heartbroken for Widawsky . `` Jon is a wonderful person , '' Simpson said . `` He is very mild-mannered , very soft - and well-spoken , but very fun . '' Despite Le 's zest for life , she was always careful and aware of her surroundings in New Haven , a city with about 124,000 people and its fair share of crime . `` She does n't walk around at night by herself . If she had to work late , she would make sure someone could come pick her up or walk with her , '' Simpson told `` The Early Show . '' Friends say they can think of no one who would want to hurt her . She was friendly with everyone , they say , and if someone had threatened or intimidated Le , her friends and family would have known about it . Watch Natalie Powers , Le 's roommate for two years , give an emotional tribute '' New Haven police spokesman Joe Avery has said Le 's killing was not random , and authorities and those familiar with the campus say there are only a handful of people with access to the building where her body was found . The uncertainty surrounding Le 's killing -- and the possibility that one of its own is behind the crime -- has left the Yale campus frightened , Kaplan said . `` Only Yalies had access to that basement , and that seems to point to someone in our community being involved in this , '' the editor said . Watch CNN 's Mary Snow report on a shaken Yale campus '' Said Powers at the vigil , `` That this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensible , but that it happened to her , I think , is infinitely more so . It seems completely senseless . '' CNN 's Eliott C. McLaughlin , Mary Snow , Susan Candiotti , Katie Ross and LaNeice Collins contributed to this report . | Annie Le named `` most likely to be the next Einstein '' in high school . Friends : Le excelled in studies , including pharmacology , medical anthropology . Grad student 's body found in Yale building the day she was to be married . Le planned wedding with the same zeal she brought to her research , friends say . | [[171, 191], [194, 196], [199, 270], [543, 618], [621, 639], [5132, 5144], [5151, 5171], [3590, 3636], [3623, 3636], [3641, 3664], [3667, 3681]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This is the summer of Auto-Tune . The Gregory Brothers have become a viral hit with their `` Auto-Tune the News '' videos . No matter how hard some people -- notably Jay-Z -- have tried to kill the trend of musicians using computers to make their voices sound like whiny robots , Auto-Tune technology continues to ride a cultural high . Now the voice-altering effects are migrating from recording studios to YouTube and mobile phones . An iPhone app called `` I Am T-Pain '' lets people manipulate their voices to sound like the popular rapper and Auto-Tune advocate . The Gregory Brothers , a sibling band out of Brooklyn , New York , has become a hit on YouTube with a series of videos that Auto-Tune cable newscasts and political speeches . The group , which also tours as a low-fi soul band , started its series of videos called `` Auto-Tune the News '' during the 2008 presidential debates and has gained millions of fans in recent months . CNN spoke with Andrew Gregory , a 27-year-old member of the band , about the popularity of Auto-Tune -- the trademarked name for the popular pitch-correction software -- and the role of technology in music and society . The following is an edited transcript of our conversation : . Why do you think your videos have taken off like they have ? I think with any sort of viral video there 's a little bit of luck involved . So we 're counting our lucky stars that we 've been lucky enough to have it take off like that . At the same time I think the novelty of seeing people like Katie Couric and Newt Gingrich sing has really captured peoples ' attention . How do you make the videos ? What actually goes into it ? Michael likes to joke that there 's a huge Auto-Tune lever that he hooks up to his computer and whenever he sees video footage he just pulls the lever , and anything that strikes his fancy is automatically Auto-Tuned . But there 's a lot of technical stuff that goes into it . ... We scour a lot of footage to see what 's going to work and what 's not going to work . We try to find what people are going to tune well and what people wo n't tune well . ... Really , by the time the video gets made I 'd say it 's eight or 10 days of work that goes into one of these videos , between the four of us . What makes someone a good candidate for Auto-Tuning ? An example of a great candidate for Auto-Tuning would be either Katie Couric or Joe Biden . Both Katie Couric and Joe Biden have just continued to astonish us with their unbelievable , almost hidden melodies in their speaking voices . A lot of it has to do with how they project their voice in terms of their soft palate . But it also has to do with how much of an oratorical fashion they speak . Joe Biden , in a lot of his speeches , is delivering them in a preacher sort of fashion that tunes really well . While someone who ended up tuning really poorly -- we thought he would tune really well ! -- was Sean Hannity . We thought he 'd tune really well just because Sean Hannity is always talking really loud . But it turns out that despite the fact that he was talking really loud , it was a nasal talking and it was a harsh and abrasive loud voice , so it ended up not tuning well at all . Does President Obama make for a good Auto-Tune ? You know , what was great from Obama was the campaign speeches . His campaign speeches were excellent , because he was sort of using that almost gospel-preacher rhetorical style . Since he 's been president , he 's been so relaxed and sort of so laid back and cerebral and sort of intellectual . He 's not been quite as excellent for Auto-Tuning because there 's a lot more of a mumbly tone about him . A lot less of the `` Yes we can ! '' and a lot more of the `` Weeeeell , as we see ... '' Has `` Auto-Tune the News '' helped your other musical efforts or do you think it 's pulling you away ? It 's certainly making us focus a lot more on `` Auto-Tune the News . '' As the videos have sort of grown in scope and become more popular , we ca n't help but continue to work on them as our fans clamor for more . Do you ever use Auto-Tune in the other performances , like in your band ? We 've never used it live . We 're no Ashlee Simpson . But I think we 've used it a little bit on our record . Right now it 's a huge fad to Auto-Tune the crap out of people so that they sound like robots . But on pretty much any record you listen to these days there 's some level of Auto-Tune on it , even if it 's a very , very small amount . If there 's just one small note that 's just a little bit flat , why would n't you Auto-Tune it to make it sound OK ? Do you think it 's hurting music at all that people expect a singer 's pitch to be perfect ? It means that people who ca n't sing as well are becoming famous singers . But I do n't know , that 's why I love going to see live music , because that really sorts out the real singers from the not-so-real singers . If you could invent any technology or pick a technology that you would like to see invented , what would it be ? Oh , wow . I 'd probably go for a teleportation machine myself . ... Like the one they used in `` Star Trek , '' hopefully , right ? Where you can jump in the teleportation machine and get to your gigs without having to carry all your amps and drive eight hours in your van . I mean , I play music for free . It 's carrying my amps and driving places in my van that I have to charge people for . That 'd be the real revolution for the music industry . Do you have the T-Pain iPhone app ? Yeah , we were beta testers for that app . Do you use the app in day-to-day life ? We 've been joking around and showing it to friends who did n't have it yet . But we 're playing our first concert in a while tonight -LSB- September 11 -RSB- . I 'm in North Carolina . And we 're going to try to hook our iPhones up to the sound system and we 're going to try to T-Pain our voices live . So we 'll see if it works . Do you have a favorite iPhone app just in general ? I 'm not much of an app guy , but when I really need to kill some time I go for PapiJump . It 's like the simplest , dumbest game possible on the iPhone . Other than that , the New York Times app is nice . What have you learned about the Internet in watching your videos go viral ? I think a lot of people are using the Internet for just a sort of quick laugh fix . Whether you 're bored at work or looking for something fun to do at home , people sort of live serious enough lives . I think everyone loves to laugh . And if you can get five minutes of the day at work ... to get a couple yucks in , I think you 'd rather do that than watch your latest YouTube conspiracy movie or something . | CNN talks with Andrew Gregory , one of the people behind `` Auto-Tune the News '' The Gregory Brothers use the technology to alter voices of news-makers . Gregory says Katie Couric has a good Auto-Tune voice , but Sean Hannity does n't . He plans to use the `` I am T-Pain '' Auto-Tune app in a live performance . | [[965, 994]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somalia said a senior al Qaeda operative tied to several attacks in East Africa was killed Monday in a U.S. strike in southern Somalia . Saleh ali Saleh Nabhan , pictured on the FBI 's Web site , reportedly was tied to al Qaeda 's East Africa operations . Intelligence sources have confirmed to the Somali government that Saleh ali Saleh Nabhan was killed , Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle said Tuesday . `` We welcome that attack because those people targeted were murderers , and they are unwanted and unwelcome in Somalia , '' Gelle said . Nabhan 's death will have `` a major impact '' on al Qaeda 's operations in the Horn of Africa , according to one regional analyst . U.S. special operations forces used a helicopter to fire on a car Monday in southern Somalia , killing several people , including one they believed was Nabhan , U.S. officials told CNN earlier . Nabhan , 30 , was born in Kenya and had been tied to attacks that included the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania , according to the sources . More than 200 were killed , and 4,000 wounded in those attacks , most of them Kenyans . The United States targeted Nabhan in an airstrike in southern Somalia near the Kenyan border in March 2008 , U.S. officials said at the time . In February 2006 , the FBI announced that Nabhan was wanted for questioning in connection with the 2002 suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel and the unsuccessful attack on an Israeli charter jet in Mombasa , Kenya . Ten Kenyans and three Israelis -- including two children -- were killed when three suicide bombers detonated a car bomb outside Mombasa 's Paradise Hotel in November 2002 . The bombing took place within minutes of an unsuccessful missile attack on an Israeli charter jet , which was taking off with 261 passengers and 10 crew members . President Obama signed off on Monday 's operation , a senior U.S. official said . The United States had been monitoring the situation for days and had intelligence that Nabhan was in the area , the U.S. officials said . The officials who talked to CNN are familiar with the latest information on Monday 's strike but did not want to be identified because they were not authorized to talk to the media . The U.S. helicopter flew from a U.S. Navy warship offshore , while the ship kept watch on the operation , one of the sources said . The warship was ready to rescue the American troops if they got into trouble . Farmers in the southeastern town of Barawe , Somalia , said they witnessed the assault . They said helicopters attacked a car and its occupants and that at least two people died . The witnesses said some helicopters landed and that some of the injured or dead were pulled into at least one helicopter . A U.S. official said the troops landed to take away the body believed to be that of Nabhan for positive identification . Nabhan is believed to be an associate of al Qaeda member Harun Fazul , who was indicted in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies . The U.S. military has long sought Nabhan because he is believed to be deeply involved in al Qaeda 's East African operations , a senior U.S. official said last year . `` He was certainly one of the leading al Qaeda figures in East Africa , '' said Rashid Abdi , a Somalia analyst for the International Crisis Group , an independent advisory and analysis organization . Nabhan `` has been living in the shadows '' in Somalia and not much is known about his recent activity , Abdi said . `` The fact that he is now out of the picture will have a bigger impact on al Qaeda than on Al-Shabaab , '' he said , referring to the Islamist militia in Somalia that has ties to al Qaeda . `` He is a man with an important organizational memory , and if a key figure like him is killed , it always has a major impact . '' Al-Shabaab is waging a bloody battle against Somalia 's transitional government and is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations because of its al Qaeda ties . There are growing concerns that Somalia could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan . CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives . Journalist Mohammed Amiin Adow and CNN 's David McKenzie , Barbara Starr and Ed Henry contributed to this report . | NEW : Analyst calls operative `` one of the leading al Qaeda figures in East Africa '' Al Qaeda operative Saleh ali Saleh Nabhan killed , Somali official says . U.S. special operations forces fired on car from chopper in Somalia , U.S. officials say . Officials : Man tied to 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . | [[19, 98], [156, 178], [213, 274], [3194, 3261], [341, 374], [704, 796], [2556, 2646], [952, 959], [965, 1035], [2929, 2961], [2966, 3023]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The car breaks down . The lover jilts you mid-trip . The hotel turns out to be a dump . Pericles Rellas thanks a dumpy hotel and a kind stranger for showing him Old Cairo in Egypt 20 years ago . Travel snafus can throw upside down the most thought-out of vacation plans . But what the mishaps lead to , and how people deal with them , can be blessings in globe-trotting disguise . `` When things go wrong , travel gets more interesting , '' said Jim Benning . `` If everything goes exactly as planned , the trip may be all right , but is it the trip you 'll tell people about for years to come ? Probably not . '' No stranger to travel trials -- he 's heard about and lived plenty -- Benning is the editor of World Hum , an online travel magazine that focuses on the journey as much as the destination . In 2001 , he found himself on a 20-hour-long , overstuffed train ride across China . It was so unbearable that he jumped off in Chengdu in Sichuan province , an area he never intended to explore . `` The only reason I got off is I could n't stand another second on that train , '' he said . `` It led to the best week I had in China . '' Travelers who can stay flexible and roll with the glitches do well , even `` thrive , '' when adversity strikes , Benning said . Nancy Donohue of Fond du Lac , Wisconsin , is one such person . Back in 2003 , the artist joined her grown son , Jeremiah -LRB- or `` Maia '' -RRB- , in volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala . Once the three-week stint was over , the two set out on a road trip to take his car back to his home in California . But only two days into the drive , the car broke down north of Acapulco , Mexico , leaving them stranded beneath the hot sun for three hours , she said . They found refuge in the town of Coyuca -- her for one week -LRB- she had to fly back to the states -RRB- and Maia for two weeks -- before the right car part arrived and he could move on . While there , they found bliss , bonding with the locals and spending their days at the beach , swimming in a lagoon and feasting on 10-cent mangoes . iReport : Read about this lucky breakdown . `` It 's the story of my life , '' Donohue said . `` Anything that happens is for the good . '' Even in the worst of times , there can be blessings , Shirley Brooks-Jones learned . The Columbus , Ohio , resident was on Delta Flight 15 from Frankfurt , Germany , to Atlanta , Georgia , on September 11 , 2001 . The terrorist attacks had closed U.S. airspace , and for 24 hours , she was on one of nearly 40 airplanes on the tarmac in Gander , Newfoundland , getting bit-piece updates and trying to understand what had happened . When it became clear that they 'd be going nowhere anytime soon , she and the others deplaned -- without their luggage . The people of Gander and the surrounding villages wowed Brooks-Jones , 73 , and the other stuck passengers with their kindness . Locals gave them shelter , food , and access to phones and televisions so they could follow the news . They made sure prescriptions were filled , gave them clothing when needed and made sure they had every toiletry they lacked . The people of Lewisporte , the modest village where she was stranded , did all of this without allowing the passengers to pay for a thing . `` We just landed on their doorstep , '' said Brooks-Jones , who 's been back to visit 16 times since that initial four-day layover . `` I fell in love with those people and the area . '' She was n't the only one . Those on her flight who were touched by the people of Lewisporte helped fund a scholarship for students there . The Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship Fund has raised nearly $ 900,000 , she said . For Celeste Botha , a far less warm , even icy , reception turned her travels topsy-turvy . She took a four-month leave from her life and career in Seattle , Washington , to explore -- many miles away in Colombia and Panama -- a relationship with a man she 'd fallen madly in love with . A Peace Corps volunteer when she was younger , Botha had dreamed about living overseas again . Going away with Mick made sense , she thought . But what she hoped would be a romantic adventure turned into a broken-hearted disaster , said Botha , 61 . Almost immediately , the man changed , turning critical and showing disinterest . `` He had just flipped the switch , '' she said of what transpired five years ago . `` When we got to Cartagena -LSB- in Colombia -RSB- , it was all downhill from there . '' She could have jetted back to Seattle , defeated , but she refused to do that . `` I was not going to let this experience with Mick destroy my experience overseas , '' said Botha , who ended up meeting a British sailor , a travel companion for years to come . `` I was determined to be happy . '' Smiles were hard to come by as Pericles Rellas led his father into the rundown Cairo , Egypt , hotel he 'd booked back in 1989 . The dump left his dad `` horrified , '' Rellas , 45 , remembered . But the next day , as they braved the overwhelming and crowded streets , they happened upon the perfect place to stay . Not only that , they met a desk manager , Nutan , who insisted on taking them around Old Cairo , showing them hidden shops and sights they surely would have missed . iReport : Read further about Nutan 's gift . Nutan did this , said Rellas , of the Los Angeles , California , area , because a stranger had once helped her when she struggled to find her way in the United States . `` She was repaying a debt to someone , '' said Rellas , who now thinks about Nutan whenever he stops to help someone who appears lost or confused . `` What have you been given in your life , and what can you give back to honor what you 've been given ? '' | `` When things go wrong , travel gets more interesting '' and memorable , expert says . Car breakdown leads mother and son to blissful town , lagoon and 10-cent mangoes . 9/11 stranding sparks long-standing relationships and scholarship . The kindness of a stranger in Cairo , Egypt , has changed man to this day . | [[403, 423], [426, 454], [1758, 1797], [1961, 1965], [2043, 2097], [148, 213]] |
-LRB- Tribune Media Services -RRB- -- You can cover a lot of territory in Scandinavia without ever checking into a hotel . Overnight luxury cruise liners stacked with saunas , smorgasbords and duty-free shopping sail nightly between Stockholm and Helsinki . Imagine enjoying a Scandinavian feast with a vista of archipelago scenery . Budget travel rarely feels this hedonistic . Boats between Stockholm and Helsinki offer the delights of a luxury cruise ship at an affordable price . Two fine and fiercely competitive lines , Viking and Silja , connect the capitals of Sweden and Finland . Each line offers state-of-the-art ships with luxurious meals , reasonable cabins , plenty of entertainment -LRB- discos , saunas , gambling -RRB- , and enough duty-free goodies to sink a ship . Of the two , Viking has the reputation as the party boat . Silja is considered more elegant -LRB- but still has its share of sometimes irritating and noisy passengers -RRB- . The Pepsi and Coke of the Scandinavian cruise industry vie to outdo each other with bigger and fancier boats . The ships are big -- at 56,000 tons , nearly 200 yards long , and with 2,700 beds , they 're the largest -LRB- and cheapest -RRB- luxury hotels in Scandinavia . Which line is best ? You could count showers and compare smorgasbords , but both lines go overboard to win the loyalty of the 9 million duty-free-crazy Swedes and Finns who make the trip each year . Viking has an older , less luxurious fleet , but caters better to low-budget travelers , offering discounts to students , seniors and railpass-holders ; selling cheap `` ekonomi '' cabins -LRB- shower down the hall -RRB- ; and allowing passengers to pay for deck passage only and sleep for free on chairs , sofas and under the stars or stairs . Both Viking and Silja sail nightly from Stockholm and Helsinki . In both directions , the boats leave about 4:30 or 5:30 p.m. and arrive the next morning around 9:30 or 10 a.m. For exact schedules , see www.vikingline.fi or www.silja.com . During the first few hours out of Stockholm , your ship passes through the Stockholm Archipelago . The third hour features the most exotic island scenery -- tiny islets with cute red huts and happy people . Going in this direction , I 'd have dinner at the first sitting -LRB- shortly after departure -RRB- and be on deck for sunset . Fares vary by season , by day of the week and by cabin class . Mid-June to mid-August is most crowded and expensive -LRB- with prices the same regardless of day -RRB- . Fares drop about 25 percent off-season for departures Sunday through Wednesday . In summer , a one-way ticket per person for the cheapest bed that has a private bath -LRB- in a below-sea-level , under-the-car-deck cabin -RRB- costs about $ 125 . Couples will pay a total of about $ 375 for the cheapest double room -LRB- with bath -RRB- that 's above the car deck . If that sounds expensive , remember that you 're getting overnight lodging , a fun scenic cruise , and substantial transportation to boot . The fares are reasonable because locals sail to shop and drink duty - and tax-free . It 's a huge operation -- mostly for locals . The boats are filled with about 45 percent Finns , 45 percent Swedes and 10 percent cruisers from other countries . The average passenger spends as much on booze and duty-free items as for the boat fare . The boats now make a midnight stop in the Aland Islands , a part of Finland that 's exempt from European Union membership , to preserve the international nature of the trip and maintain the duty-free status . While ships have cheap , fast cafeterias as well as classy , romantic restaurants , they are famous for their smorgasbord dinners . Board the ship hungry . Dinner is self-serve in two sittings , one at about 6 p.m. , the other a couple hours later . If you pay for both the dinner buffet and breakfast buffet when you buy your ticket , you 'll save 10 percent . The price includes free beer , wine , soft drinks , and coffee . Make sure to reserve your table , not just your meal ; window seats are highly sought after . Smorgasbord translates to something like `` bread and butter table . '' It has evolved over the centuries to the elaborate spread seen today . The key is to take small portions and pace yourself . Begin with the herring dishes , along with boiled potatoes and knackebrod -LRB- Swedish crisp bread -RRB- . Next , sample the other fish dishes -LRB- warm and cold -RRB- and more potatoes . Move on to salads , egg dishes , and various cold cuts . Do n't forget more potatoes and knackebrod . Now for the meat dishes -- it 's meatball time ! Pour on some gravy as well as a spoonful of lingonberry sauce , and load up on more potatoes . Other roast meats and poultry may also tempt you . Still hungry ? Load up on cheese , fruit , desserts , cakes , custards and coffee . Europe 's most enjoyable cruise , between Stockholm and Helsinki , features dramatic archipelago scenery , a setting sun and a royal smorgasbord dinner . Dance until you drop and sauna until you drip . The next best thing to being in these Scandinavian capitals is cruising there . Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio . E-mail him at [email protected], or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009 , Edmonds , Wash. 98020 . Copyright 2009 RICK STEVES , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC. . | Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows . His TV series , `` Rick Steves ' Europe , '' airs on PBS stations . Steves ' company , Europe Through the Back Door , conducts European tours . | [[5141, 5203], [5191, 5209]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iggy Pop invented punk rock . That 's how cool he is . His songs have been covered by the likes of Guns N ' Roses , REM , The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Sex Pistols . Iggy Pop : The wildest man in rock music . He is the wildest wild man of rock and his four-decade career has been marked by drug addiction , self mutilation and onstage nudity -- and at 61 years old he is showing no signs of growing old gracefully . Born on April 21 , 1947 , in Muskegon , Michigan , James Newell Osterberg grew up in a trailer park . When he began learning the drums as a teenager his parents gave up their bedroom to house his drum kit . It was n't long before he took his talent out of the bedroom , playing with high-school band The Iguanas , from which he later took his stage name . After graduating from high school in 1965 , Iggy formed a blues band called the Prime Movers . Following a brief stint at the University of Michigan he moved to Chicago , playing drums with local bluesmen , before returning to Michigan with his sights set on fronting a rock band . Watch Iggy Pop show CNN around Miami '' In 1967 , he recruited guitarist Ron Asheton , his drummer brother Scott Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander and formed The Psychedelic Stooges . It was after seeing the Doors in concert , and inspired by Jim Morrison 's confrontational stage persona , that James Osterberg reinvented himself as Iggy Pop , a drug-fueled , crazed whirling dervish of a front man , who would strut semi-naked around the stage , roll around in broken glass and dive headlong into the audience . The band shortened its name to The Stooges and released its eponymous debut in 1969 . Right from the start there was clearly something different about Iggy Pop . At the height of flower power , when The Stooges ' contemporaries were singing about peace and love , Iggy was singing `` No Fun '' and `` I Wan na Be Your Dog . '' See photos of Iggy in action . '' The album was a brilliant mess of raw , blues-influenced garage rock , but it sold poorly , as did the 1970 follow up `` Fun House , '' later described by Jack White of the White Stripes as `` the definitive rock album of America . '' Watch Iggy Pop show CNN around Miami . By this time , Iggy had begun the Heroin use that would plague his career and in 1971 , The Stooges split up after being dropped by their record label . That same year , Iggy met David Bowie , who took him to England , re-united The Stooges and produced 1973 's `` Raw Power . '' With `` Raw Power , '' Iggy and the Stooges created the blueprint for punk rock and made an album that would one day be regarded as a landmark in rock music , an album that Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain listed as his favorite of all time . Nonetheless , it was another commercial failure and in 1974 , The Stooges split again . By this time , Heroin had taken over Iggy 's life and in 1975 he checked himself into a Los Angeles mental institution in an effort to kick the habit . Bowie visited him there and took Iggy along on his 1976 tour , before the pair moved to West Berlin in an effort to get away from the temptation of drugs . It was there that Bowie produced and co-wrote Iggy 's 1977 solo albums , `` The Idiot '' and `` Lust for Life . '' The latter included the songs `` The Passenger '' and `` Lust for Life , '' which have since become staples of TV ads and movie soundtracks , spawning countless cover versions . More commercial than The Stooges ' records , Iggy 's solo albums were met with critical acclaim and better sales , but never breakthrough into the mainstream . Songs that Bowie wrote with Iggy during this period were later included on Bowie albums , with `` China Girl '' becoming a hit single for Bowie . Iggy carried on touring and releasing albums throughout the 80s , without much commercial success , although the single `` Real Wild Child '' was a hit in the U.S. and UK . But by the end of the decade , Iggy was beginning to be recognized as `` the Godfather of Punk , '' with a new generation of bands citing him as an influence . Members of Guns N ' Roses and the B52s appeared on his 1990 album `` Brick by Brick , '' which sold more than 500,000 copies , and his 2003 album `` Skull Ring '' featured the likes of Green Day , Sum 41 and Peaches . But what really made `` Skull Ring '' special was that it re-united Iggy with Ron and Scott Asheton of The Stooges . After years on the periphery , Iggy was suddenly fashionable , with the reformed Stooges appearing at festivals all over the world . The band recorded the album `` The Weirdness '' in 2007 , but it was their astonishingly powerful live performances that showed why they were still such a big deal 40 years after they started out . Any hopes Iggy may have had for a peaceful retirement in Miami have been dashed . At 61 years old he is still performing with the same energy and abandon as when The Stooges first formed , with only marginally less stage diving and nudity . It seems that the world has finally caught up with Iggy Pop , the most exciting , unpredictable and entertaining man in rock . | Iggy Pop and The Stooges produced three classic albums in the 60s and 70s . In 1975 , Iggy checked himself into a mental institution in a bid to get off Heroin . David Bowie co-wrote and produced Iggy 's The Idiot and Lust for Life albums . The Stooges re-united in 2003 and have since played all over the world . | [[2527, 2550], [2591, 2663], [2886, 2963], [2954, 2983], [3140, 3210], [4475, 4539]] |
Andrew L. Shapiro is founder and president of GreenOrder , a strategy and management consulting firm that specializes in energy and the environment and is a subsidiary of LRN . Brad Bate and Ted Grozier , consultants at GreenOrder , also contributed to this article . Andrew Shapiro says society should aim to transform all jobs into `` green jobs . '' NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a recent CNN commentary entitled `` Green jobs : hope or hype ? '' Samuel Sherraden argues that green job creation will be insufficient to bring America out of recession . But Sherraden narrowly defines green as a `` sector , '' and fails to see its potential as a strategy for the revitalization of the entire economy . When the public debate is focused around the precise number of green jobs created in , say , a solar panel factory , we miss the opportunity as a country to think more broadly about greening the economy -- and building a foundation for real growth and competitiveness . The aspiration to create `` green jobs '' should really be seen as shorthand for two public priorities -- immediate job creation and long-term transformation of the economy for sustainability and prosperity -- and both goals can be addressed simultaneously . However , in judging our progress , a simple tally of jobs in `` green sectors '' is only a partial indicator of the impact and thus can be misleading . A lot depends here on definitions . For example , Sherraden cites a 2008 report produced by Global Insight on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors , which identifies a little more than 750,000 green jobs in the United States today . A report in the same year , from the American Solar Energy Society , counts more than 9 million green jobs in the United States . This is not to say that one report is better than the other , but to point out that much difference -- in this case , more than 8 million jobs -- depends on how you count . The critical point Sherraden misses is that it 's not just job creation in new green industries that matter , but also new jobs in traditional industries -- or the retooling of old jobs -- to make those industries greener . A great example is the real estate industry . Energy efficiency retrofits of buildings and homes have the potential to yield significant savings in energy costs while creating work for building engineers , electricians , contractors , manufacturers and people in a whole host of other industries that would not typically be considered `` green . '' By comparison , 10 or 15 years ago anyone who used a computer was considered to have a `` tech job , '' but now nearly everyone uses a computer -LRB- and a cell phone and a PDA -RRB- and yet we do n't call all jobs `` tech jobs . '' We talk about how technology has changed every industry and profession . Moreover , even investments in sectors we recognize as green can have other positive economic impacts . Investing in wind power , for example , creates jobs in wind turbine manufacturing plants as well as jobs in the industries that supply the plant with parts , jobs producing the materials that make up these parts , jobs producing the electricity used in the plant , and so on . There is solid evidence that investment in green economic activity will result in more jobs than many other comparable investments because a greater proportion of funds would go toward labor and would remain in the United States . The Center for American Progress and the Political Economy Research Institute examined the impact of comparable investments in the oil and gas industry , tax refunds to stimulate household spending , and six specific energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies . They concluded that $ 100 billion of investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency would create approximately 2 million jobs , compared to 1.7 million jobs from stimulating household spending and about half a million jobs from investment in oil and gas . By investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency as strategies for our economy , we will create jobs in the United States , not just green jobs . More importantly , we lay the groundwork for American economic competitiveness and moral leadership in a carbon-constrained world . If we fail to support environmental innovation through investment and public policy , the United States will find itself at a disadvantage relative to other nations . America is at a crossroads . If we see green as an engine of growth , there is an unprecedented opportunity to create jobs and revitalize the economy through smart , wide-ranging investments supported by changes in public policy . In the debate over green job creation , we must not lose sight of the larger objective -- the creation of an economy that is more sustainable , in terms of employment , competitiveness and impact on the natural world . What we need to be asking is : How can we make every industry a green industry and every job a green job ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Andrew L. Shapiro . | Andrew Shapiro : Skeptics argue that only a small number of jobs are green . He says green industries and jobs can be the key to revitalizing economy . Shapiro : As economy goes green , jobs will be transformed . He says U.S. will lose competitive edge if it does n't invest in renewable energy . | [[268, 349], [4317, 4399]] |
CONYERS , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Your daughter is a walking time bomb . '' We have been told this more times than I like to remember . We have lived every day not knowing if the next breath she takes will be her last . After 22 years in the dark , Mandy Young is grateful to finally have a name for her condition . Her illnesses come so quickly . It 's a daily battle of fear , worry , misery , faith and hope . She has been in the hospital more than 100 times . She has suffered one life-threatening infection after another . We share her story , our story , in hopes of helping others . We make sure that Mandy knows this is not just her illness . It 's our families ' life , our journey . She is not in this alone . It 's extremely hard living a life so mysterious that doctors and scientists named her rare disease after her . It 's our story about `` Mandy 's Disease . '' Mandy was a healthy , nine pound , green-eyed beauty -- until the day she was diagnosed with Spinal Meningitis . Hours and days crept by , waiting every four hours for our ICU visit , 10 minutes of torture . `` Your daughter is very sick . Her mind is surely in a vegetated state from the seizures she continues to have . The stroke that she suffered has caused the left side of her body to be paralyzed , '' the doctors said . See photos of Mandy throughout her ordeal '' `` She is in a coma and we see no way she will wake up . We really do n't think she will live through the night . It 's time to tell her goodbye , '' they continued . Mind spinning , stomach churning , feeling like I 've had the breath knocked out of me , I whispered , `` NO . '' `` No . We wo n't tell her goodbye . And you ca n't either . She has to fight . She has to know that we want her to fight . '' At 13 months , her left eye turned red . Allergies , Pink Eye , minor infection ? All easily treated , and cured . By day five , after six trips to doctors and emergency rooms , when her eye was swollen beyond seeing and looked like a piece of raw meat , we were finally able to beg her doctor for more aggressive testing . Surgery , biopsies and a diagnosis . Nisseria Meningitides . Her eye would be replaced with a glass eye . But only if she lived . Watch Mandy talk about her illness on Vital Signs '' At 21 months . Spinal Meningitis again . The same promises of certain death . ICU . Seizures . A 106 degree temperature raged . `` There is no way that she has the strength to fight off another infection of this magnitude . It 's time to let go . We 're losing her by the minute . '' After the first bout of meningitis we were told , `` No one gets it twice . Live your life and enjoy your child ! '' Then , bout two . Although not the same type of meningitis , it was the same family . It 's rare to have it twice . But impossible to have it three times . But time three did come . `` You have to find out why this keeps happening . She ca n't go through this again . What can you do ? '' we pleaded with the doctors . They told us it could possibly be immune deficiency . This was the first time we heard this term . Mandy was discharged and our journey for a reason began . Our lives were changed forever . Twice a week for the next two years , we handed her over for blood to be drawn . She went into isolation . Daily preventative antibiotics . But nothing stopped the madness of these infections . One fever blister on her lip turned into hundreds during a nap . She was hospitalized on oxygen as the blisters took over her lungs . Double Pneumonia . Scarlet Fever . Ear infection after ear infection . Surgically implanted tubes in her ears , infection , tubes out , surgery , tubes in . 11 times . An abscess the size of a cantaloupe in her abdomen . The grueling , sometimes gruesome , immune studies continued . The only clue continued to be her low white blood count . Everything else , normal . The turmoil in my heart was insane . Years passed . Mandy 's illnesses continued . Immune studies continued . Still we had no answers . We traveled the country begging for someone to study her . `` Her body is further advanced than medicine . The test has n't been invented yet to define her deficiency . '' This was the standard answer . But , someone had to have a new test that could give us our answers . And then the time bomb that we had only been warned about exploded . Gas Gangrene and Clostridia Septicemia . A combination not seen since WWII . `` She 's fighting to stay alive . Five percent chance to live , '' the doctors said . ICU . And then , in an attempt to save her life , they began to amputate her leg . Before they stopped the spreading , her leg and hip were gone . As she lay in a coma , we prayed for help . Our search for a research specialist intensified . That 's when we found Dr. John Gallin at the National Institutes of Health -LRB- NIH -RRB- in Bethesda , Maryland . Mandy is 27 now . Her immune studies began when she was two in 1983 . And in May 2003 , we received an email that said , `` At long last we have discovered the basis of Amanda 's problem . '' Mandy has a genetic defect , called IRAK-4 . Her body does n't recognize infection and does n't produce the cells needed to fight it off . She is still studied at the NIH in hopes of finding a treatment or cure for her disease . And although finding a cure for her would be the ultimate gift , knowing that we have a name for her illness is the prize . We searched for a name for twenty years for Mandy disease . We spent weeks and months with her , in hospital after hospital , praying for her to live through her sickness . And to know that we have Dr. Gallin and his team in the background working on her behalf is incredible ! Dr. Gallin did what he said he would do and stayed with Mandy until her diagnosis was made . Now the journey continues as we search for a treatment or cure . But in the meantime , Mandy is beginning a career in motivational speaking . Of her doctors at the National Institutes of Health she says : `` They are like my family too , and I get excited about seeing them . NIH , or ` the House of Hope , ' is just that . `` A place for families to find hope , just like we did . '' | For 22 years , Mandy suffered from a mystery illness , leaving doctors speechless . Mandy 's mother recalls how doctors predicted Mandy 's death countless times . In 2003 , Mandy and her family got what they had longed for : a name for her disease . | [[226, 252], [255, 321], [5425, 5484], [5366, 5424]] |
-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- In the first truly shocking box office result of the year , `` Fast & Furious '' sped away from expectations to gross a humongous $ 72.5 million , according to early estimates from Media by Numbers . Paul Walker stars in `` Fast & Furious , '' which exceeded expectations after taking in $ 72.5 million . That result is effectively double what most industry observers had predicted for the debut of the fourth feature in Vin Diesel 's car franchise , and it left in the dust a number of notable records : . - Best April opening ever , beating `` Anger Management 's '' $ 42.2 million . - Best Universal Pictures opening ever -LRB- three-day -RRB- , beating `` The Lost World : Jurassic Park 's '' $ 72.1 million . - Best F&F franchise opening ever , beating `` 2 Fast 2 Furious ' '' $ 50.5 million . - Best opening yet in 2009 , easily beating the bows of the more-buzzed-about `` Monsters vs. Aliens '' -LRB- $ 59.3 million -RRB- and `` Watchmen '' -LRB- $ 55.2 million -RRB- . - Best opening ever for stars Diesel , Paul Walker , Michelle Rodriguez , and Jordana Brewster , as well as for director Justin Lin . Oh , and let 's not forget that it was the best opening ever for a car-themed movie ! -LRB- Beating `` Cars ' '' $ 60.1 million . -RRB- This outcome is impressive , indeed , something that has caught Hollywood by surprise and has the potential to really change things up -- like when summer-esque blockbusters are released -LRB- rarely does one open so early in the year -RRB- and like , you know , what everyone thinks of Vin Diesel . The film did it all on the strength of a solid A - CinemaScore review from an audience that was 57 percent male and 59 percent over age 25 . Like the jaw-dropping early-year debuts of `` The Passion of the Christ '' and `` 300 '' before it , this is a history-making premiere that you may well be hearing about for a long time to come . So , yeah , I almost forgot to mention : `` Fast & Furious '' was the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend . Coming in strong at No. 2 was `` Monsters vs. Aliens , '' which dropped a respectable 44 percent to earn $ 33.5 million . In 10 days , the 3-D extravaganza has banked $ 105.7 million . `` The Haunting in Connecticut '' -LRB- No. 3 with $ 9.6 million -RRB- , `` Knowing '' -LRB- No. 4 with $ 8.1 million -RRB- , and `` I Love You , Man '' -LRB- No. 5 with $ 7.9 million -RRB- rounded out the top five . And the weekend 's other big new release , `` Adventureland , '' struggled with $ 6 million at No. 6 . Overall , the box office was up a monstrous 68 percent from the same frame a year ago , when holdover 21 outplayed a number of weak new movies , none of which had Vin Diesel ... whom you 're going to start hearing a lot about , once again . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | `` Fast & Furious '' is best April opening ever , and best opening ever for Universal . Also the best Fast & Furious franchise opening ever , previously $ 50.5 million . Box office was up a monstrous 68 percent from the same frame a year ago . Check out the box office top 10 chart . | [[624, 682], [752, 783], [752, 783], [2552, 2627]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's personal physician , Dr. Conrad Murray , administered a powerful drug that authorities believe killed the singer , a source with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to CNN on Monday . Dr. Conrad Murray was with Michael Jackson on the day that he died . Murray , a Texas-based cardiologist , allegedly gave Jackson the anesthetic propofol -- commonly known by the brand name Diprivan -- in the 24 hours before he died , the source said . The doctor 's attorneys in a statement Monday said they would n't comment on `` rumors , innuendo or unnamed sources . '' In the past , they have said Murray never prescribed or administered anything that could have killed the pop star . Murray was the doctor who was at Jackson 's home when the pop star died on June 25 . Watch CNN 's Ted Rowlands report on drug allegation '' Last week , Texas authorities searched Murray 's Houston medical office and storage unit , looking for `` evidence of the offense of manslaughter , '' according to court documents . Among the items removed from Murray 's office were a computer ; 27 tablets of phentermine , a prescription-strength appetite suppressant ; 1 tablet of clonazepam , an anti-anxiety medication ; and some Rolodex cards . From Murray 's storage unit , authorities removed two computer hard drives ; and `` important contact list ; '' a suspension notice from Houston 's Doctor Hospital ; notices from the Internal Revenue Service ; and a laundry list of medical and hospital documents . Ed Chernoff , a Houston lawyer hired by Murray soon after Jackson 's death , confirmed at the time that Los Angeles Police detectives and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents used a search warrant to enter Murray 's office in northeast Houston on Wednesday morning . Chernoff said members of Murray 's legal team were at the medical office during the search , which he said `` was conducted by members of the DEA , two robbery-homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and Houston Police officers . '' Tammy Kidd , a spokeswoman at Chernoff 's office , told CNN the search `` was absolutely a surprise to us , because we 've had open lines of communication this whole time . '' Police have interviewed Murray twice since Jackson 's death . A third interview was scheduled for July 24 , but was postponed after the search warrants were executed . It 's unknown when the next interview will take place . Among those who have indicated that Jackson may have been using dangerous prescription medication are nutritionist Cherilyn Lee , who said Jackson pleaded for the powerful sedative Diprivan despite being told of its harmful effects . Meanwhile , the Los Angeles County coroner 's office continues to investigate the cause of Jackson 's death on June 25 . It has been waiting on toxicology lab results , but a final autopsy report is expected as soon as this week , a coroner 's spokesman has said . CNN 's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report . | Murray allegedly gave Jackson propofol in 24 hours before death , source says . Source close to family says doctor administered drug believed to have killed singer . Dr. Conrad Murray was with Michael Jackson on day that he died . Police have interviewed Murray twice since Jackson 's death . | [[0, 40], [104, 175], [321, 327], [359, 405], [487, 504], [0, 40], [104, 175], [252, 305], [2253, 2314]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rainstorms and flooding in southern China have killed at least 16 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless , according to state-run media . Residents in Rongcheng , southwest China 's Guangxi region on July 4 . Authorities had sent text messages to more than 1 million people to take precautions in southern China , the Xinhua news agency said Saturday . More than 400,000 residents total were forced from their homes in Fujian , Guangxi Zhuang , Hunan and Jiangxi . At least two people were missing in southeast Fujian Province after downpours that started Wednesday , according to the news agency . The financial damage caused by the rain and flooding -- including damaged homes and crops -- was estimated at $ 35.4 million . Destruction included a flooded reservoir and damaged dike in Luocheng County , where fears of a dam collapse forced evacuations . The storms also disrupted traffic , triggered landslides and cut electricity in various parts of southern China . | Storms disrupted traffic , triggered landslides , cut electricity across southern China . Media : Authorities send precautionary text messages to more than 1 million people . Financial damage caused by rain , flooding has been estimated at $ 35.4 million . | [[0, 91], [883, 893], [899, 939], [883, 893], [919, 943], [883, 893], [944, 996], [236, 338], [626, 715], [719, 752]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Virginia prosecutors are asking a state court to set a November 9 execution date for John Allen Muhammad , convicted in a series of sniper-style shootings that terrorized the Washington area in 2002 . John Allen Muhammad was sentenced to death for the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers . In a letter dated Wednesday , Senior Assistant Attorney General Katherine B. Burnett said the November date `` has been carefully coordinated with the governor 's office to insure his availability for any clemency petition Muhammad may wish to pursue . '' Burnett enclosed a copy of a proposed execution order `` for the court 's convenience . '' Muhammad 's attorney said he will file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court , and will ask the governor for clemency . During a three-week period in October 2002 , police say , Muhammad and his young protege , Lee Boyd Malvo , shot 13 people , killing 10 . The two also are suspected in other shootings and murders in Tacoma , Washington , Montgomery , Alabama , and the Washington , D.C. , area . Muhammad , now 48 , was convicted of murder in the death of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas , Virginia , filling station . Meyers was killed by a single bullet , which became the signature of the two-person sniper team . Ultimately , Muhammad was convicted of the Meyers ' killing and of one Maryland murder , which prosecutors there said was `` insurance '' in case the Virginia conviction was overturned . Malvo was convicted of one Virginia shooting and was sentenced to life imprisonment . Muhammad 's attorney , Jon Sheldon , released the prosecutor 's letter Friday . The letter , addressed to the chief judge of the Prince William County Circuit Court , says the court must hold a hearing within 10 days of receiving the letter , and must set an execution date no later than 60 days after the hearing . Since Muhammad is not required to be at the hearing , Burnett asks that the court conduct the hearing by means of a conference call . | Execution date proposed for convicted D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad . Police say Muhammad , Lee Boyd Malvo shot 13 people , killing 10 . Muhammad 's lawyer says he will seek clemency . | [[781, 807], [839, 869], [889, 903], [906, 918], [661, 681], [738, 780]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Flashback to 1984 : As a child , I am glued to my family 's black-and-white television set for our daily dose of evening entertainment and news on India 's national broadcaster . India holds its first rocket launch from a fishing village in southern India on November 21 , 1963 . But this is no ordinary newscast : Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is speaking via videolink with astronaut Rakesh Sharma , who is aboard a space station . Indian pride soared as Squadron Leader Sharma , an Indian Air Force pilot , became the first in the nation to explore the celestial realm , part of a joint mission with what was then the Soviet Union . I do n't remember what show it was , but it etched India 's `` astronomical feat '' in the minds of those who watched it , including a 10-year-old like me . But the Indian connection to space was much older than that milestone . In the country 's space calendar , November 21 , 1963 , is a key date : It marks the first rocket launch from a fishing village in southern India . Nike-Apache , a two-stage sounding rocket imported from the United States , took off that day from Thumba , a site that eventually became a favorite location for similar experiments by international scientists . So far , there have been some 2,200 sounding-rocket launches from that facility , according to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center . But the South Asian nation 's space program has been far more expansive -- the Indian Space Research Organization -LRB- ISRO -RRB- has more than 60 events that it lists as `` milestones '' since 1962-63 , which includes the successful use of polar and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicles . See India 's space odyssey in photos '' Fast forward to 2008 : The country launches its first unmanned mission to the Moon in what is being seen as the 21st-Century , Asian version of the space race between the United States and the USSR -- but this time the two nations involved are India and China . In September of that same year , a Chinese astronaut took a spacewalk , his country 's first . A month later , India sent Chandrayaan-1 -- Chandrayaan means `` moon craft '' in Sanskrit -- on a two-year mission to take high-resolution , three-dimensional images of the lunar surface , especially the permanently-shadowed polar regions . The craft , carrying payloads from the United States , the European Union and Bulgaria , will search for evidence of water or ice and attempt to identify the chemical composition of certain lunar rocks . Nonetheless , India maintains competition does not drive its space program . Vikram Sarabhai , seen as the father of India 's space program , made this case for government funding of the program in the 1960s : . `` We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically-advanced nations in the exploration of the Moon or the planets or manned space-flight , '' Sarabhai said , according to ISRO 's Website . `` But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally , and in the community of nations , we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society , '' said Sarabhai , in what the agency described as a `` vision '' for India 's space endeavors . Earlier this year , the Indian government increased the federal budget for space research to around $ 1 billion from some $ 700 million , ISRO spokesman S. Satish told CNN , as scientists propose to send astronauts into space by 2015 on solely Indian missions . ISRO was also studying the feasibility of sending a manned craft to the Moon by 2020 , Satish said , adding that plans for unmanned Mars missions in the coming years have not been finalized . The space agency dropped a TV-sized probe on the Moon last November that it said sent sufficient signals to the mother craft before a crash landing . But the country 's space ambitions are not limited to public research endeavors , Satish said . `` We have just entered the commercial satellite launch market , '' he said , including what ISRO noted is now the world 's largest constellation of remote-sensing satellites . These satellites , according to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center , capture images of the Earth that are used in a range of applications -- agriculture , water resources , urban development , mineral prospecting , environment , forestry , drought and flood forecasting , ocean resources and disaster management . Another major system , or INSAT , is used for communication , television and meteorology . `` We have mastered the space technology in these 40 years . We have already sent an unmanned mission to the Moon and now we look forward to sending a manned one there , '' Satish said . | India made its first rocket launch on November 21 , 1963 . Indian space group list more than 60 events it considers `` milestones '' India launches its first unmanned mission to the moon in 2008 . The South Asian nation is seen as being in an Asian space race with China . | [[216, 307], [1466, 1593], [1749, 1808], [4606, 4658], [1931, 1987]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- French researchers have identified a new human immunodeficiency virus , the first derived from gorillas , a report said Monday . A new virus is difficult to detect by tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants . The three previous HIV variants came from chimpanzees . The new findings indicate that gorillas , in addition to chimpanzees , are likely sources of HIV , the researchers concluded in a report published in the weekly Nature Medicine journal . The new virus , called RBF 168 , was detected in a 62-year-old woman who moved to Paris , France , from the western Africa nation of Cameroon , the report says . She tested positive for HIV in 2004 , and researchers led by Jean-Christophe Plantier identified the virus as being closely related to a recently discovered simian immunodeficiency virus -LRB- SIV -RRB- . The new gorilla virus `` has many of the biological properties necessary for human infection , '' the report says . `` The human case described here does not seem to be an isolated incident , as before coming to Paris the subject had lived in the semiurban area of Yaounde , the capital of Cameroon , and reported no contact with apes or bush meat , '' the researchers said . That would indicate that the woman contracted the virus from another human . The significance of the latest findings is difficult to determine without more information , said Robert C. Gallo , who co-discovered HIV in 1984 . `` It 's yet to be known , '' Gallo said . `` It could be zero . ... Let 's see a more full report on this individual and let 's see wider testing . '' Anthony S. Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , calls the latest HIV variant `` an oddity '' but said it 's not surprising that it cropped up , because the virus has been circulating in non-human primates for centuries . The three previous HIV variants are labeled M , N and O . The new one has been classified P . The N and O variants , Fauci said , are extremely rare . `` It 's not significant unless it establishes itself as a predominant strain , '' he said . `` We have not seen that with N and O. '' Fauci lumps the new P variant with the rare group because it has been detected in only one patient . If it were widespread , Fauci said , `` we would already know about it . When these things happen , you see a lot of them around . '' Even if the new variant proves lethal , it 's not likely to increase AIDS infections , said Gallo , director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine . There are so many HIV variations , he said , that one more is not likely to make a difference . The new virus is difficult to detect by conventional tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants . `` This demonstrates that HIV evolution is an ongoing process , '' co-researcher David Robertson of the University of Manchester said in a release . `` The virus can jump from species to species , from primate to primate , and that includes us ; pathogens have been with us for millions of years and routinely switch host species . '' HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , which attacks the body 's immune system , giving rise to lethal infections . Patients diagnosed with HIV can take medications to delay or stop HIV from developing into AIDS . There are 33 million confirmed cases of AIDS worldwide . The unnamed woman has no signs of AIDS and remains untreated , Nature Medicine said . The most likely explanation for the emergence of the new virus is gorilla-to-human transmission , though researchers say they can not rule out the possibility that the chimpanzee SIV gave rise to the new strain `` either indirectly by transmission to gorillas and then to humans or directly by transmission to humans and also to gorillas . '' Researchers said they do n't know how widespread the virus is among humans . `` The human prevalence of this new lineage remains to be determined , '' the report says , adding that `` it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere . '' Western Central Africa bears close watching , the researchers suggest . `` In conclusion , our findings indicate that gorillas , in addition to chimpanzees , are likely sources of HIV-1 , '' the report states . `` The discovery of this novel HIV-1 lineage highlights the continuing need to watch closely for the emergence of new HIV variants , particularly in western central Africa , the origin of all existing HIV-1 groups . '' Co-researcher Robertson noted that the new virus may not be restricted to Africa . `` It also highlights how human mobility can rapidly transfer a virus from one geographical location to another as has been dramatically evident with the recent emergence of swine flu , '' he said . | Strain is the first known to be derived from gorillas . 62-year-old woman who moved to Paris from Cameroon found to have RBF 168 . Likely explanation for emergence of new virus is gorilla-to-human transmission . | [[91, 122], [503, 571], [552, 571], [576, 590], [3532, 3627]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Senate voted Thursday night to extend the `` Cash for Clunkers '' program with an infusion of $ 2 billion . President Obama is expected to sign the OK to spend $ 2 billion more on the `` Cash for Clunkers '' program . White House aides said earlier that President Obama will quickly sign the bill into law to prevent any interruption to the popular incentive . The Senate voted 60-37 to approve the measure already passed by the House . '' -LSB- President Obama 's -RSB- going to want to make sure the funds are in place by this weekend , '' one senior White House official noted , because of the particularly brisk weekend business the program has sparked . The program under Obama 's economic stimulus package pays people up to $ 4,500 for trading an older-model vehicle with low fuel efficiency for new vehicles that get better miles per gallon . '' ` Cash for Clunkers ' has been a proven success . The initial transactions are generating a more than 50 percent increase in fuel economy ; they are generating $ 700 to $ 1,000 in annual savings for consumers in reduced gas costs alone ; and they are getting the oldest , dirtiest and most air polluting trucks and SUVs off the road for good , '' Obama said in a statement Thursday night . `` I want to thank Leader Reid and the members of the Senate who moved quickly to extend a program that benefits our recovery and our auto industry while reducing our economy 's dependence on oil , '' he said . The program was intended to run until autumn , but higher than expected participation caused the government to warn last week the program would run out of money without an infusion from Congress . The extension would keep the program going through Labor Day . The House voted to add $ 2 billion to the program before it adjourned for the summer on Friday . With the Senate vote , the additional money will become available right away . Several top Republicans , including Sen. John McCain of Arizona , raised concerns about pouring more money into the program at a time when the government is deep in debt . Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and other top Democrats had been lining up votes for the expansion by making the case that the program is providing a boost to the economy by increasing weak auto sales , while also helping the environment by getting `` clunkers '' off the road in favor of more fuel-efficient vehicles . The program calls for the engines of the clunkers to be made inoperable so the cars can not be returned to the road . Watch what happens to ` clunkers ' '' Democratic officials said several hurdles were cleared in order to allow the Senate to pass the bill with new money on Thursday night . On Monday , two key senators who opposed more money for the program announced they had changed their minds and now supported the extension . The announcement by Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California , and Sen. Susan Collins , R-Maine , boosted Democratic efforts to secure enough votes to pass the measure this week . CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry contributed to this report . | NEW : Obama says program stimulates economy while getting old vehicles off road . Senate votes 60-37 to expand program with an infusion of $ 2 billion . Program allows drivers to turn in gas guzzlers for fuel-efficient models . Lawmakers fear program will run out of money without extension . | [[30, 141], [395, 440], [412, 470], [1609, 1648]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Vick , recently reinstated to the NFL after being freed from federal prison after a dogfighting-related conviction , has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles , according to his agent , Joel Segal . Michael Vick is set to join his new team on Friday , according to his agent . The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback reports to Philadelphia on Friday , Segal told CNN . Details of the deal were not immediately available Thursday night . The league suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia . Vick , 29 , was freed from federal prison at Leavenworth , Kansas , on May 20 and returned to his home to serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement . iReport.com : Is this a good move ? The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Thursday night in a statement it was `` incredibly disappointed '' at the news of Vick 's signing . `` Philadelphia is a city of dog lovers and most particularly , pit bull lovers , '' said Susan Cosby , the organization 's chief executive officer . `` To root for someone who participated in the hanging , drowning , electrocution and shooting of dogs will be impossible for many , no matter how much we would all like to see the Eagles go all the way . '' However , Ed Sayres , president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , said in a statement that `` Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Philadelphia Eagles have granted Michael Vick a second chance , and the ASPCA expects Mr. Vick to express remorse for his actions , as well as display more compassion and sound judgment this time around than he did during his previous tenure with the NFL . '' `` We hope that Mr. Vick uses his stature for the betterment of the community and the advancement of the issue of animal cruelty , '' Sayres said . Eagles head coach Andy Reid told reporters he knows there are some fans that will not accept Vick . `` I understand how that works , '' he said . `` But there 's enough of them that will , and then it 's up to Michael to prove that that change has taken place . I think he 's there . That 's what he wants to do . '' He said Vick `` seems very focused , and he wants to get his career back on track . '' It is unclear what role Vick will play in the Eagles ' offense . But it was clear that the move had the blessing of current Eagles starting quarterback Donovan McNabb . `` I pretty much lobbied to get him here , '' McNabb said . `` Because everybody deserves a second chance . '' The NFL reinstated Vick on a conditional basis last month . Vick `` will be considered for full reinstatement and to play in regular-season games by Week 6 based on the progress he makes in his transition plan , '' the NFL said in a statement last month . Week 6 of the NFL season is in October . Vick may participate in practices , workouts and meetings and may play in his club 's final two preseason games under the conditions of his reinstatement , the league said last month . `` I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege , not a right , and I am truly thankful for -LSB- the -RSB- opportunity I have been given , '' Vick said in a statement last month upon his reinstatement . `` As you can imagine , the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life , mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward , '' he said in last month 's statement . Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy has agreed to continue working with Vick as an adviser and mentor , the NFL said . NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last month that Vick underwent tests , including a psychiatric evaluation , after requests from animal rights groups . Vick has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . At a hearing in that case , he told the judge he earned 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor while in prison . Court documents released in Vick 's case showed that two of his co-defendants , who also pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal , said Vick helped kill dogs that did n't fight well , and that all three men `` executed approximately eight dogs '' in ways that included hanging and drowning . The dogs were killed because they fared poorly in `` testing '' sessions held at Vick 's property . The Humane Society of the United States has said Vick offered to work with the organization on anti-dogfighting campaigns . Wayne Pacelle , the organization 's president , has said Vick was to work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting and on programs to assist youths who have already been involved . In testimony before the bankruptcy judge , Vick acknowledged committing a `` heinous '' act and said he should have acted more maturely . In November , Vick pleaded guilty to a state dogfighting charge and received a three-year suspended sentence . The Eagles are scheduled to play Vick 's former team , the Falcons , in Atlanta on December 6 . | NEW : Eagles head coach Andy Reid : I know some fans wo n't accept Vick . Agent : Vick to report to Philadelphia Eagles on Friday . NFL suspended Vick in 2007 after pleading guilty in dogfighting case . Animal advocacy group in Philadelphia says it is disappointed at signing . | [[1970, 2041], [1970, 1987], [2028, 2069], [0, 15], [202, 224], [240, 290], [478, 624], [964, 1033]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Mexican Supreme Court has ordered the release of 20 people who were convicted in the massacre of 45 people in 1997 . Mexican Mayan Indian massacre survivors reenact the killings of 45 people in Acteal village in this 2003 photo . The court ruled that authorities obtained evidence illegally and that the defendants were denied due process and lacked an adequate defense . The 20 were convicted for taking part in a massacre in the community of Acteal , in the southern state of Chiapas . Four of five Supreme Court justices decided Wednesday to order their immediate release , the court said in a statement . `` It 's obvious that the evidence was obtained illegally , '' said Judge Jose de Jesus Gudino . Investigators say 45 men , women and children were killed in Acteal by people who suspected they had links to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , a group that launched a rebellion against the Mexican state in January 1994 . It was nearly four years after that rebellion , on December 22 , 1997 , that the 45 unarmed indigenous peasants were massacred in Acteal . Then-President Ernesto Zedillo ordered an investigation that eventually led to arrests . In addition to ordering 20 people released , the Supreme Court called for the review of cases involving six others who were convicted in the massacre . Judge Juan Silva Mesa decried the judicial process that led to the convictions . `` For me there is no greater injustice than allowing them , under and in the name of the law , to commit injustice '' and thereby `` affect someone 's fundamental human rights , '' he said . CNN 's Mario Gonzalez contributed to this report . | Mexican high court orders release of 20 convicted in 1997 killings of 45 people . Court rules evidence obtained illegally , defendants denied due process . Unarmed indigenous men , women and children massacred in state of Chiapas . Killers thought Indian peasants had ties to Zapatista Army of National Liberation . | [[0, 11], [14, 36], [40, 102], [90, 102], [107, 160], [532, 618], [274, 415], [339, 382], [750, 827], [1054, 1120], [821, 827], [832, 901]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A new Taliban military `` code of conduct '' calls for restrictions on suicide attacks aimed at avoiding the killing of civilians , but U.S. and Afghan military officials dismissed the document as propaganda , calling it hypocritical . A Pakistani looks at a bus set on fire by Taliban militants in northwest Pakistan in June . The booklet , obtained by CNN in northwestern Pakistan , has emerged during a crucial moment in the fight between troops and militants in Afghanistan , where battles are raging in the country 's Helmand province and troops work to establish stability for the upcoming presidential elections . `` Suicide attacks should be at high value and important targets because a brave son of Islam should not be used for low value and useless targets , '' the code of conduct said . `` In suicide attacks the killing of innocent people and damage to their property should be minimized . '' It also says `` all mujahideen must do their best to avoid civilian deaths and injuries and damage to civilian property . '' And it says that mujahideen `` should refrain '' from disfiguring of people , such as the severing of ears , nose and lips . `` Mujahideen must be well behaved , and treat the people properly , in order to get closer to the hearts of civilian Muslims , '' the code said . Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker , U.S. military spokeswoman in Kabul , saidit was notable that the document is intended to be `` prescriptive on how the bad guys are supposed to conduct themselves . '' Watch why Taliban have brought out new code of conduct '' `` Their day to day actions contradict everything in it , '' Sidenstricker said . `` The long and the short of it is , they do n't operate in accordance to their code of conduct . '' She said more than 60 percent of civilians killed have been killed by the Taliban , and since January , more than 450 innocent Afghans have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been injured . Watch why Taliban are proving hard to uproot '' Also , half the casualties resulting from roadside bombs were civilians . `` The booklet also says suicide attacks should always be done against high-ranking officials . In reality , they have killed more then 200 Afghan civilians , '' she said . Afghanistan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zaher Azimi said the code is '' propaganda '' and that the Taliban `` will never implement that . '' He cites a recent beheading of a retired Afghan soldier as a clear example of the group 's real behavior . `` It was against all the laws of war , '' Azimi said . As far as the upcoming election , Azimi said , the Taliban has tried its best in the past `` to disrupt the normal process of peace and security , and they will try their best to disrupt the peace and security process in the future . '' The code of conduct is dated as coming into effect on May 9 , 2009 . It is similar to a previous document that emerged in 2006 and covers many topics . For example , it says `` kidnapping for ransom is strictly prohibited . '' As for prisoners , the code says `` it is strictly prohibited to exchange prisoners for money . Killing can only be decided by the Imam or his deputy . No one else has the right to do so . '' It says an imam or his deputy are on the only ones to make decisions on whether to kill , release of exchange a captured `` military infidel . '' Further , it says the practice of taking weapons from people by force `` is no longer permitted . '' `` But people may hand over their weapons voluntarily , '' it said . And it says that the `` mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate should not collect donations forcibly '' and that `` people should be free to choose who they want to give to . '' It said mujahideen should n't search peoples ' homes . `` If there is a need to do this , they should get permission from authority and the search should be done in the presence of the imam of the local mosque and two elders . '' The code said mujahids are n't permitted to smoke and that `` a male who has not yet grown a beard may not stay in a common sleeping area with other men . '' CNN 's National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said the militants `` clearly '' are aware of the need to win `` hearts and minds '' and are trying to rectify the `` mistakes '' of al Qaeda in Iraq . `` They have their own counter-insurgency strategy in winning hearts and minds , '' Bergen said . `` This is a corrective , absolutely . '' He said `` there 's a window for both sides to make some progress '' and the Taliban want to exploit the moment . `` The Taliban believe they are either winning or not losing . If you are an insurgent not losing is important , '' he said . CNN 's Ivan Watson , Tim Schwarz and Joe Sterling and journalist Janullah Hashimzadeh contributed to this report . | Taliban issues a new code of conduct to show it is a disciplined force . Code outlines rules to limit suicide attacks and civilian casualties . U.S. and Afghan officials dismiss rules as propaganda and hypocritical . | [[1548, 1605], [1558, 1605], [111, 169], [840, 943], [947, 949], [955, 1068], [176, 247], [176, 210], [250, 275], [2283, 2424]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For almost a century , the old dog has traversed landscapes across the United States , with weary , budget-conscious travelers peeking out of its windows . Greyhound bus services will run from London to cities such as Portsmouth and Southampton . Now , the iconic Greyhound is taking to the road in Britain . The company will run hourly bus services from London to select cities , starting Monday . In contrast to its U.S. services , however , the buses are glitzier and more luxurious . `` The UK service will have wireless Internet , spacious leather seats , more leg room and free newspapers , '' said Alex Warner , managing director of Greyhound UK . `` Obviously , we wanted our services to reflect the nature of UK passengers . '' For inaugural Greyhound service in Britain , the company aimed to start with the best the United States has to offer , Warner added . In North America , the same services are available from New York and Washington to select cities such as Boston and Toronto , Canada . `` There are plans to expand that . Americans should watch closely . We will introduce more of these services based on how well they are received in the UK , '' Warner said . Despite the added benefits , fares will still target the budget-conscious traveler in Britain , according to Warner . The service starts with a few cities -- from London to Portsmouth and Southampton , he said . The approximately 120-kilometer -LRB- 80-mile -RRB- trip will cost # 1 -LRB- $ 1.60 -RRB- if a ticket is bought in advance , Warner said . Prices will go up to # 4 or # 5 , depending on time of purchase . `` We are planning to keep the prices within that range , '' Warner said . Greyhound Lines is owned by British transport company FirstGroup , which bought it from its U.S. parent in 2007 . It was founded in 1914 , and has services in Mexico and Canada , according to its Web site . In a nod to its cameos in American movies and songs , such as the 1969 film `` Midnight Cowboy '' and Simon and Garfunkel 's 1972 hit `` America , '' Greyhound plans to keep at least one tie to its U.S. origins . Buses in Britain will be named after classic American songs . The names include `` Sweet Caroline '' and `` Good Golly Miss Molly , '' Warner said . CNN 's Faith Karimi contributed to this report . | Greyhound Lines to run services from London to Portsmouth and Southampton . Buses are glitzier and more luxurious than U.S. services . Greyhound Lines is owned by British transport company FirstGroup . | [[192, 282], [480, 523], [1709, 1773], [1737, 1773], [1782, 1822]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ali Herbert has spent the last seven months being `` a walking blood bank '' aboard one of the the world 's largest hospital ships . Thousands of volunteers join the massive hospital ship `` Africa Mercy '' every year . The 50-year-old nurse and grandmother from the UK resigned from her position in a hospital to volunteer aboard a ship that provides free medical treatment to some of the world 's poorest people . Like any of the 450 volunteer crew members currently aboard the Africa Mercy , Herbert can be called on at any time of the day to give blood , as the ship has no facilities for storing blood products . Instead the ship operates a system where there are usually 30 donors for each blood type . Herbert says she recently helped a young woman who needed an amputation . `` This young woman required a below-the-knee amputation , but was very weak so I was called in to give her blood as our blood groups matched , '' she told CNN . `` It was an amazing experience because two minutes after giving my blood , I saw it go straight into her arm . In the UK you have no idea what happens with your blood , '' she added . The `` Africa Mercy , '' currently docked off the coast of Benin , West Africa , also operates as a floating hospital with medical facilities including six state-of-the-art operating theaters , an ophthalmic unit , two CT scanners and 78 hospital beds onboard . The Mercy Ships charity began in 1978 and since then has been credited with providing medical services valued at $ 748 million , performing more than 41,000 operations and impacting approximately two million people . Mercy Ships CEO Samuel Smith says the charity has been able to help so many people through what he calls a `` unique business model . '' Thousands of volunteers join the ship every year , and they not only do it for free but also have to pay for accommodation aboard the vessels ; some like Herbert , pay around $ 600 a month . See more images of volunteers onboard the ship '' `` This allows almost all our resources to go into state-of-the-art medical facilities , '' Smith told CNN . It costs about $ 1.25 million every month to maintain , has three wards and a small intensive care unit operated by top surgeons from around the world . Would you give up your holiday to volunteer on the hospital ship ? Sound Off below . One of them is Dr. Joe Nasser , a Canadian surgeon and one of the short-term volunteers . Nasser is currently on board for three weeks , time he took off instead of going on holiday with his family . `` It 's a wonderful thing to do , a great humanitarian gesture , '' Nasser told CNN . `` There is tremendous need here , as these countries are very poor and have very few resources of any kind . '' He described a recent surgery he performed on a 14-year-old boy with a benign but `` extremely aggressive tumor '' that had `` invaded '' almost the whole of the young man 's face , leaving him completely disfigured . Following successful surgery to remove the tumor , the boy was given a more `` acceptable appearance , '' Nasser said . The charity behind `` Africa Mercy '' was founded by Texas-based Don Stephens and his wife Deyon . The couple took out a bank loan in 1978 and purchased a retired luxury ocean liner for $ 1 million . Their dream was to create a modern , mobile hospital that would provide free surgery and treatment to the world 's poorest people . In 1982 she sailed to Africa with 350 crew and a new name , the `` Anastasis . '' She was the first of five ships that have served in more than 150 ports in developing nations around the world . Last month , the Don and Deyon Stephens were presented with the Humanitarian Award from Variety , the international children 's charity for their 30-year commitment to treating the world 's poor . Don Stephens said the idea came after he stayed on a tropical island , and a storm occurred . `` There was a hurricane , and I heard that one of the girls had prayed for a ship to come with everything that was needed to clear up the storm damage , '' Stephens told CNN . `` It was like a laser beam going off . I could n't get the idea out of my mind and I knew it was what I wanted to do . '' In addition to complicated surgeries , Mercy Ships also trains local medical professionals in modern health care techniques . The charity also develops construction and agriculture projects . `` We then hope the countries ' health care systems can be better off after we leave for the next country , '' Stephens said . Finding that next country takes a lot of research and coordination with local governments and diplomacy . In 2010 the ship will go to Togo , then South Africa . Mercy Ships is also planning to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo . `` We need approval from the local governments and safety is also important . Fortunately , Mercy Ships has a very good reputation , particularly in Africa , '' explained CEO Samuel Smith . `` People know that we 're here to help , regardless of race , religion and political affiliation . '' | Every year thousands of volunteers join the `` Africa Mercy '' hospital ship in Africa . Volunteers are also asked to become `` walking blood banks , '' donating on call . Mercy Ships have served in 150 ports in developing nations around the world . They are mobile hospitals that provide free surgery to world 's poorest people . | [[169, 255], [1782, 1830], [3540, 3553], [3559, 3634], [367, 373], [379, 451]] |
KABUL , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 14-year-old who was trained to kill by radicals in the tribal regions of Pakistan now sits in a crowded classroom at a detention facility in Kabul . His only wish is to see his parents again . Shakirullah , 14 , is convicted of planning to carry out a suicide bombing in Afghanistan . `` I miss my parents , my mom and dad , '' Shakirullah says in soft tones . Like others in tribal regions , he goes by one name . Shakirullah is already a convicted terrorist for planning to carry out a suicide bombing . He says Muslim radicals lied and tricked him into becoming a would-be bomber . `` I have been detained for trying to commit a suicide attack , '' he says . He says his recruiters told him it was his mission as a Muslim to kill British and American soldiers because they were killing Muslims . Watch teen say recruiters `` cheated me '' '' They told him that once he blew himself up he would n't die because God would save him for being a true Muslim . Asked what he now thinks of Americans and Westerners , Shakirullah is calm , but quick in his response . `` I do n't know . God knows what type of people they are , whether they are good or bad . I do n't know them , '' he says . Shakirullah now passes his hours in a cell block at a juvenile detention facility in Kabul . He is serving at least five years in detention . He is to be transferred to an adult prison in a couple of years , authorities say . He has n't heard from his family in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan . He tried to send them a letter through the International Committee of the Red Cross but is not sure it reached them . `` I do n't know what they are thinking . They have no news of me , '' he says . On this day , Shakirullah attends a rehabilitation class , easily lost in the crowd of boys with shaved heads . All of the children are convicted for various crimes , including theft , fighting and even murder . Three boys like Shakirullah are here , all guilty of planning to kill themselves and others after being recruited by terrorist groups . With the increased violence in Afghanistan , international observers say they have seen more and more children being recruited by armed groups and national forces . The Taliban , which ruled Afghanistan with its strict Islamic rule from 1996 to 2001 , has regrouped and launched a fierce insurgency . `` As you see in many places in the world , children are being used in armed conflict . They 've been recruited as child soldiers ; they 've been recruited as armed groups . And the phenomena is now impacting , again , Afghanistan , '' says Catherine Mbengue , the UNICEF representative in Afghanistan . Watch one boy 's struggle begging for food on streets '' Inside the detention center , Shakirullah walks up to his cell , his sandals sliding across the tile floor . The cell block is empty and has metal bunk beds lined across the wall and a television set , ready for the times they have electricity . Shakirullah shares this space with 10 other boys . He sits in the center of the room with a blanket draped around him . He barely makes eye contact and looks away as soon as he does . He is shy , but forthright in his words . `` I did n't want to do it but he forced me to go , '' he says of his recruiter . Rubbing his face with his hand , he says he now spends his time dreaming of his life back home in rural Pakistan . His eyes begin to water and his voice becomes softer when he talks about missing his mother . Asked what he misses most about her , he says simply , `` A mother is a mother . '' His was a life of farming and tranquility in Pakistan , he says . It was also a life that took a drastic turn when his father decided to send Shakirullah for studies at a madrassa . He says his dad wanted him to learn more about Islam and the Quran , something he could not do himself . He says his father did n't know radicals ran the school . In the madrassa , Shakirullah learned to recite the Quran in Arabic , not his native language . He relied solely on the fanatical interpretations the mullahs were giving him . `` When I finished reciting the Quran , a mullah then came to me and told me , ` Now that you have finished the Quran , you need to go and commit a suicide attack . ' That I should go to Afghanistan to commit a suicide attack , '' he says . The teenager was n't given the chance to say goodbye to his parents or siblings when he was driven to the Pakistan-Afghan border and handed over to strangers . He says he was taken to the southeastern province of Khost , a hotbed for terrorist activity in Afghanistan . Suicide attacks have risen in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban began in late 2001 , after the 9/11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon . Shakirullah says that before the police arrested him , he was learning how to drive a car but that he was not sure how he was supposed to carry out his attack . Khost is the province where a suicide car bomb went off near a voter registration site this past Sunday , killing 16 people , 14 of whom were children . At the juvenile detention facility , Shakirullah and the others are now being taught a different interpretation of Islam . `` The teachers educate them on Islam , and explain to them that the acts that they were doing is not right for them and for others , '' says Mir Fayaz ah-Din , who works and lives with the boys at the facility , mentoring them and helping them in their rehabilitation . `` The way you want to kill yourself and someone else -- it in itself is a big offense in Islam . '' Shakirullah now says of his recruiters , `` They cheated me . '' | Teen is serving at least 5 years for plot to carry out suicide bombing . He says Muslim radicals at school duped him into becoming a would-be bomber . The thing he misses most about home is his mom and dad : `` I miss my parents '' Detention facility is teaching jailed children a moderate interpretation of Islam . | [[234, 245], [278, 325], [456, 546], [479, 546], [627, 687], [1322, 1370], [36, 52], [57, 122], [547, 625], [547, 549], [580, 625], [190, 233], [190, 203], [207, 233], [329, 346], [5107, 5141], [5144, 5178], [5185, 5229]] |
ISTANBUL , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iason Athanasiadis ' ordeal began at the airport , shortly after he checked in for his flight to leave Tehran . Iason Athanasiadis said he endured hours of questioning over several weeks in sound-proofed rooms by interrogators he could not see . `` I was heading to the gate , '' the Greek-British journalist said . `` This guy materialized on my right . He said ` are you Iason Fowden ? ' -LSB- Athanasiadis ' passport name -RSB- . I said ` yeah that 's me . ' He said ` please step to the side ... you 're not going to be flying tonight . ' '' It was an ominous introduction to Iran 's security apparatus . Athanasiadis spent the next 21 harrowing days in Iranian prisons , accused of espionage , subjected to interrogations and , on several occasions , beatings . The journalist , a freelance writer and gifted photographer who had been on assignment for the Washington Times newspaper at the time of his arrest , spoke to CNN by phone from his parents ' home in Athens Thursday , several days after an extraordinary international lobbying effort helped secure his release . Athanasiadis has extensive experience reporting in Iran . He also did graduate level academic work in Iran in 2004 , as part of a program sponsored in part by Iran 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs . The young freelance reporter realized he was in serious danger at the airport in Tehran on June 19 , when a half dozen plain-clothed security officers arrived and began leading him out of the building . The reporter resisted , and began yelling to crowds of nearby passengers that he was a journalist . `` I got kind of pulled kicking and screaming and getting punched behind an escalator , '' Athanasiadis recounted . While being dragged outside to an unmarked car , the journalist said he managed to get the attention of a Western-looking woman waiting in the airport . To this day , Athanasiadis says he does not know the woman 's name . But he believes she was instrumental in helping spread the word of his detention . `` She was the best thing that happened to me that day , '' Athanasiadis said . `` I just said ` I 'm a Greek reporter for the Washington Times . Please contact the Greek Embassy . ' And she ran after me with a note pad and pen and asked me to spell my name . '' International human rights organizations estimate thousands of Iranians have gone missing , since the Iranian government launched its crackdown on opposition activists and journalists following the disputed June 12 presidential elections . Eyewitnesses in Tehran say many families are still struggling to determine the whereabouts and official status of their detained relatives . But in Athanasiadis ' case , the Greek Foreign Ministry announced it was working for the journalist 's release just days after his arrest . That night , Athanasiadis says security officers forced him to ride into Tehran from the airport , with his head buried in his lap . Later , when he tried to make a phone call from a police station in Tehran , Athanasiadis said security forces tackled him , threw him to the ground , beat him with a club and pepper-sprayed him . Eventually , they transferred him to Tehran 's notorious Evin prison , where he witnessed new Iranian prisoners being delivered by the busload to the prison gates . That is where the interrogation began . Dressed in a prison-issue uniform , Athanasiadis endured hours of questioning over the next several weeks in sound-proofed rooms where he was never allowed to see his interrogator . `` I just sat in one of these school desk situations , a chair with a desk extension , '' he explained . `` I was told to face the wall ... and they sat behind me and they crooned into my ear . '' On the second day of his incarceration , a prosecuting judge told Athanasiadis , a fluent Farsi speaker , that he was facing charges of espionage . Since incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the June 12 election , opposition candidates and their supporters have accused the Iranian government of falsifying election results . In response , the Iranian government has accused Western governments , particularly Britain , of organizing large protests in the streets of Tehran and other cities . `` The lesson I take from this is that the Iranians , '' Athanasiadis said , `` have decided to start arresting foreigners . '' Last May , an Iranian-American freelance journalist named Roxana Saberi , was released after being detained for four months on charges of espionage . This week , French President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded the release of 23-year old Clotilde Reiss , a French academic reportedly arrested last week on charges of spying . Meanwhile Maziar Bahari , an Iranian-Canadian who freelanced for Newsweek , is another prominent intellectual now sitting in an Iranian prison . According to the New York-based organization Committee to Protest Journalists , Iran is now the `` world 's top jailer of journalists , '' with at least 30 reporters and bloggers in prison . Unfortunately , few of these prisoners enjoyed the international support that was rallied on behalf of Athanasiadis , said Michalis Kosmides , a Greek journalist and vice president of the Foreign Press Association in London . After learning of his colleague 's arrest , Kosmides launched a Facebook page titled `` Free Iason . '' Meanwhile , the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church , the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Istanbul , also intervened . He sent a high-ranking cleric and a letter to the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul , to plead for Athanasiadis ' release `` on humanitarian grounds , '' said Father John Chryssavgis , an adviser to the patriarch . `` Iran has separate nodes of power , '' Kosmides said . `` The patriarch 's statement appealed to one node with religious sentiments . '' Athanasiadis says the lowest point came 19 days after his arrest , when it appeared he would be released . `` They took me to the airport , the Greek ambassador met me with a ticket . We started heading towards the gates , then we suddenly veered off to the escalator , '' the 30-year old journalist said . `` I promptly got re-arrested and spent this very strange night in a windowless room listening to bags thumping through the chutes and listening to departure announcements ... it was the most scary time . '' It took another 24 hours of intense diplomacy led by Greek ambassador Nikolaos Garilidis before Athanasiadis finally flew safely out of Tehran . Throughout his ordeal and the countless accusations of spying , Athanasiadis said he realized one thing about his captors : they had never bothered to read any of the articles he has published over the years about Iran . `` I was shocked that they would arrest someone who had lived in Iran and had such a record of trying to introduce Iranian society to an outside audience . '' | Iason Athanasiadis arrested at Tehran airport on June 19 . Journalist had been on assignment for the Washington Times . Spent the next 21 harrowing days in Iranian prisons accused of espionage . Released after intense diplomatic effort by Greek government . | [[821, 822], [840, 863], [868, 937], [2119, 2181], [646, 710], [646, 658], [713, 733], [3845, 3881], [4385, 4393], [4450, 4534], [4633, 4703], [2684, 2706], [2709, 2819], [6370, 6415], [6398, 6514]] |
COLUMBIA , South Carolina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford left the Governor 's Mansion on Friday to visit with his family in Florida , his office said . South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says her husband , Mark , must rebuild trust with his family and with the state . Sanford departed the mansion , where he has spent much of the last 48 hours , in the passenger seat of a state vehicle . The Republican governor will spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend with his wife and their four boys . `` The Sanford family asks members of the media to respect their privacy while they are together this weekend , '' his spokesman said in a statement Thursday . `` The Sanfords also hope to take a longer family vacation toward the end of July . '' After disappearing for nearly a week , Sanford admitted last week that he 'd been in Argentina with his mistress . His admission followed days of confusion over his whereabouts . His staff had said the governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail , and his wife had told reporters she did not know where he was . He later revealed to The Associated Press that he 'd seen his mistress several times in the past year and that he 'd also `` crossed lines '' with other women . Jenny Sanford released a statement Thursday calling Sanford 's actions `` inexcusable , '' but she left the door open to reconciling with her husband . She said that although she is willing to forgive her husband , `` it is up to the people and elected officials of South Carolina to decide whether they will give Mark another chance as well . '' `` Actions have consequences , and he will be dealing with those consequences for a long while . Trust has been broken and will need to be rebuilt . Mark will need to earn back that trust , first and foremost with his family , and also with the people of South Carolina , '' she said in a statement . `` The real issue now is one of forgiveness . I am willing to forgive Mark for his actions . We have been deeply disappointed in and even angry at Mark . '' Her statement came shortly after it was announced that a review of the governor 's travel records showed no misuse of public funds in his travels . Sanford already paid back the state for the Argentina leg of a state-funded missions trip last year because he saw the woman he had an affair with on that trip . `` Mark showed a lack of judgment in his recent actions as governor . However , his far more egregious offenses were committed against God , the institutions of marriage and family , our boys and me . Mark has stated that his intent and determination is to save our marriage and to make amends to the people of South Carolina , '' Jenny Sanford said . In the week after Mark Sanford admitted to his affair , nearly half of South Carolina 's 27 Republican state senators called on him to step down . Despite the growing chorus , Sanford has no plans to step aside , his office said Thursday . `` He remains committed and determined to repair the damage he has done in his marriage and to building back the trust of the people of South Carolina , '' his office said . Republican strategist and CNN contributor Bill Bennett said that politically Sanford , once a rising star for the GOP , is `` a dead man walking . '' Bennett joins calls for Sanford 's ouster . `` He is embarrassing himself . There is the old notion of indecent exposure -- usually that refers to somebody showing some skin they should n't -- and there 's another form of indecent exposure : He is telling us way too much , '' he said . Watch Bennett discuss the political drama '' Bennett also suggested that the GOP can easily fill the gap Sanford would leave . `` We have other people , '' he said . `` We have other people who are not only fiscally interesting and sound but also can keep their lives together . '' CNN 's Kristi Keck contributed to this report . | South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves for trip to Florida . Jenny Sanford says she is willing to forgive her husband and reconcile . Mark Sanford is n't resigning , his office says . Nearly half of South Carolina 's 27 GOP state senators call on Sanford to resign . | [[11, 41], [78, 152], [1335, 1391], [1392, 1520], [1934, 1980], [155, 172], [2883, 2917], [2920, 2946], [3100, 3120], [2778, 2853], [3271, 3314]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Luanda , Angola , on Sunday on the third leg of a journey that is taking her to seven African nations in 11 days . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poses with residents of South Africa on Saturday during her 11-day trip to Africa . The State Department has described Angola as a nation with `` enormous economic potential . '' The African country is one of the largest energy producers south of the Sahara Desert and is a major supplier of petroleum and liquefied natural gas to the U.S. market . Clinton flew to Angola after a two-day stop in South Africa , where she met with the country 's new leader , President Jacob Zuma , and the foreign minister . She ended the South African trip Saturday with a visit to a housing project on the outskirts of Cape Town , where she and daughter , Chelsea , laid the first bricks 12 years ago . Clinton opened her Africa trip in Kenya . She will also travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Nigeria , Liberia and Cape Verde . `` In each nation , she will emphasize Africa as a place of opportunity , built on an ethic of responsibility , '' said Ian Kelly , state department spokesman . `` She will underline America 's commitment to partner with governments , the private sector , nongovernmental organizations and private citizens to build societies where each individual can realize their potential . '' | Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit Angola on Sunday . African country is major supplier of petroleum , liquefied natural gas to U.S. market . Clinton to visit seven African nations in 11 days . | [[0, 15], [59, 75], [87, 126], [398, 417], [488, 567], [114, 126], [132, 183], [184, 302], [949, 1046]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The United States and Britain said Wednesday they are committed to remaining in Afghanistan , despite increased military casualties and declining public support for the war effort . U.S. Marines partrol part of the Gharmsir district in Afghanistan 's Helmand province on Wednesday . `` We went into this together , and we will work it through together because we are stronger together , '' British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said after a half day of talks at the State Department with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Clinton praised Miliband 's approach on Afghanistan , including the call for the government to reconcile with moderate elements of the Taliban . `` His analysis of the way forward is very much consistent with ours , and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in pursuit of our common objectives , '' Clinton said of her counterpart . In a speech at NATO headquarters on Monday , Miliband called for rank-and-file Taliban to be given the chance to reconcile with the Afghan government , even as the campaign continues against Taliban commanders who are waging jihad . He also urged greater burden sharing not only among NATO allies in Afghanistan but by the Afghan government . `` There is a lot of talk , rightly , about burden sharing within the coalition , but the greatest burden sharing must be between the international community and the government of Afghanistan , which increasingly needs to take the lead -- the security lead , as well as the political lead -- in shaping the future of that country , '' he said . Richard Holbrooke , the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan , told reporters that boosting the training of Afghan forces would be a big focus after the country 's August 20 election . When asked whether the election would be fair , Holbrooke , who just returned from the region , said he had heard complaints from all sides but was not `` unduly upset . '' `` It 's an extraordinary thing to hold an election in the middle of a war , and this is the first contested election in Afghanistan in history , '' Holbrooke said , adding the United States has no favorite candidate but only wants `` an election whose outcome is accepted as legitimate by the Afghan people and the world , which reflects the desires of those who vote . '' July has been the deadliest month for U.S. and British forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 , with 39 U.S. troops and 22 British troops killed . Miliband said the effort was going through a `` tough phase , '' but added that the British people understood the `` vital nature '' of the mission to stabilize Afghanistan . British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been under under enormous pressure from his opposition , which charges that British troops do n't have proper resources to fight the war , including helicopters . But he was sanguine . `` I think the British people will stay with this mission , because there is a clear strategy and a clear determination on behalf of the United States and other coalition members to see this through , '' he said , adding that the British people understood the mission 's `` vital nature . '' Americans , too , have questioned whether the war in Afghanistan is winnable and worth the effort . U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and members of Congress , including Democrats , have predicted that President Obama has a year to show progress in Afghanistan before public support for the war further erodes . Clinton said Britain and the United States `` have made significant gains in the recent operations '' against the Taliban , but `` there remains much work to be done . '' `` We know that this is a challenge that is not going to be easily resolved in a short period of time , '' she said , adding `` both of our countries are still threatened by the same enemy , an enemy that has attacked London , New York and Washington . '' `` We know they 've attacked us in the past , and , unfortunately , we know that they plot against us even today , '' she said . | July deadliest month for U.S. , British forces in Afghanistan since '01 invasion . `` We will work it through together , '' British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says . Miliband calls for Afghan government to reconcile with moderate Taliban elements . U.S. official : Boosting the training of Afghan forces will be a big focus . | [[2340, 2437], [635, 702], [900, 942], [945, 953], [965, 1049], [1588, 1605], [1671, 1792]] |
PENSACOLA , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Detectives are questioning two people in connection with the killing of a Gulf Coast couple known for adopting special-needs children , the Escambia County sheriff said Saturday . Police were questioning two people Saturday , one of them the owner of a red van seen driving from the home . Investigators have found a red Dodge van recorded on surveillance cameras leaving the Beulah , Florida , home of Byrd and Melanie Billings , who were found dead in their home Thursday , Sheriff David Morgan said . `` Interviews with associated neighbors , friends and family '' led to a relative of the van 's owner and another person , who were being questioned Saturday evening , the sheriff said . No arrests have been made , and Morgan would not discuss whether the `` persons of interest '' had any connection to the Billings family . But the sheriff said investigators can tie the pair `` to enough significant events and instances in this case that would lead a reasonable person to believe that they have an association with these murders . '' A third person sought for questioning had not been found , Morgan said . The Billingses died in what police are calling a home invasion , but investigators have not said whether the couple was robbed . Eight children found at the home after the shootings are being cared for at an undisclosed location , Morgan said . The children , ranging in age from infant to about 11 years old , were not injured , police said . Twelve of the Billingses ' 16 children were adopted , some of them with special needs , the Pensacola News Journal reported . Emergency personnel and police went to the home after receiving a call just before 8 p.m. Thursday about shots being fired , said Escambia County Police spokesman Sgt. Ted Roy . An employee of the couple found their bodies , Roy said . Beulah is west of Pensacola , near the Alabama state line . CNN 's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report . | Two people are being questioned and a third is being sought . Red van , caught on surveillance cameras leaving the home , has been found . Byrd and Melanie Billings were found dead in their home Thursday . Eight children found in the home are being taken care of in undisclosed location . | [[39, 130], [219, 262], [645, 665], [670, 708], [1081, 1137], [290, 328], [329, 402], [382, 467], [447, 469], [474, 512], [1283, 1382]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A giant panda at the San Diego Zoo gave birth to a cub the size of a stick of butter on Wednesday , her fifth cub born in the zoo since 1999 . The public can view live video of the cub and its mother , Bai Yun , on the zoo 's Web site . The sex of the mostly hairless , pink newborn , which was born around 5 a.m. , is not known yet , said Dr. Ron Swaisgood of the zoo 's Institute of Conservation Research . It will take about one month for the iconic black-and-white coloration of the giant panda to become visible , Swaisgood said . Its mother , Bai Yun , will care for the newborn by herself until she starts leaving the den regularly , at which time members of the zoo 's giant panda team will step in briefly to check on the cub , he said . `` She is a very experienced mother . She raised all of her other cubs until about 1.5 years , the natural age for separation , '' Swaisgood told CNN Radio . `` She 's a real pro . '' Weighing in around 300 pounds , Bai Yun is about 1,000 times the size of her cub , who weighs around 4 ounces. , the typical size of a baby panda , Swaisgood said . `` Pandas give birth to what 's called very ` altricial ' cubs . That means they are very small and fragile . This cub would probably weigh about 4 ounces . It would be pink and hairless and completely dependent on the mother , '' he said . The birth is considered a success for the zoo 's Institute for Conservation Research , which works with research and breeding centers around the world to boost the endangered panda population . Herself a model of that effort , Bai Yun was the first panda to be born and survive at the breeding center of the China Center for Research and Conservation of the Giant Panda in the Wolong Nature Reserve in 1991 . She has given birth to four other cubs since arriving at the San Diego Zoo in 1996 from China . Two of them have since been returned to China , Swaisgood said . The newborn 's father , Gao Gao , is a wild-born giant panda that arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 2003 from the Wolong Nature Reserve . He will not be involved in raising the cub . The cub will remain in the den with its mother for a few months and gradually start to come out as soon as it is able to walk , Swaisgood said . In four to five months , the cub will be ready for the public , Swaisgood said . Until then , the public can view live video of the cub and its mother on the zoo 's Web site . `` This highly endangered species still requires a lot of attention and assistance , but there is hope for the future , '' he said . | Giant panda Bai Yun gives birth to fifth cub at the San Diego Zoo . Bai Yun will care for the newborn by herself with zoo staff occasionally checking in . Weighing around 300 pounds , Bai Yun is about 1,000 times the size of the cub . | [[119, 161], [1765, 1860], [555, 565], [578, 647], [663, 753], [950, 979], [982, 1030]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Inter extended their lead at the top of Serie A to nine points after beating AC Milan 2-1 in a thrilling San Siro derby on Sunday , dealing a fatal blow to their city rivals ' Serie A title hopes in the process . Dejan Stankovic celebrates scoring Inter 's second goal in the superb 2-1 victory over city rivals AC Milan . Jose Mourinho 's side , who were the home team in the 150th league meeeting between the two Italian giants , should have taken an 18th minute lead when a fine flowing move resulted in Esteban Cambiasso crossing from the left for Dejan Stankovic to score . However , the Serbian midfielder just delayed his shot on goal , allowing Masssimo Ambrosini to come back and produce a goal-saving challenge in the area . Inter did eventually take the lead in the 29th minute , but the goal was shrouded in controversy . Maicon 's cross from the right was met by the head of fellow-Brazilian Adriano , but the effort clearly brushed off the striker 's arm before finding its way into the net . Milan were struggling to cope with the pace of Inter 's attacks and it was no surprise when the league leaders doubled their advantage two minutes before half-time . A long free-kick out of defense was headed down by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dejan Stankovic was on hand to crack home a superb shot on the half-volley . Inter were inches from making it 3-0 in the 47th minute when Milan again failed to deal with a long ball . Georgian defender Kakha Kaladze slipped over when trying to deal with the danger , allowing Adriano a free run on goal . However , the striker fired just wide with Ibrahimovic unmarked in the area begging for the ball . David Beckham had a quiet match for Milan and the England midfielder was eventually substituted in the 55th minute for Filippo Inzaghi , seemingly holding a hamstring injury . The chances kept coming for Inter . On the hour mark the superb Ibrahimovic was denied by a brilliant reflex save from goalkeeper Christian Abbiati . However , against the run of play , Milan gave themselves hope with a 71st minute strike . Ronaldinho produced some Brazilian magic to lay a delightful ball through for Marek Jankulovski on the left -- and the Czech layed a simple pass square for Alexander Pato to find the corner of the net . That goal brought Milan to life . Inzaghi had a shot well saved by goalkeeper Julio Cesar and the same player then headed home a Pato cross , but the linesman correctly flagged for offside . The longer the game went on , Pato began to have more influence , and the teenager nearly levelled for Milan in the 78th minute but Cesar did well to save with his feet . Then , in the final minute , Inzaghi again went desperately close , producing another fine save from Cesar as Inter held on for a classic and vital victory . Meanwhile , Juve 's title hopes were dealt another blow as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Sampdoria -- meaning Claudio Ranieri 's side have now won just one of their last four matches . The visitors took a 10th minute lead when Giampaolo Pazzini was left unmarked to score from a pass from Antonio Cassano . The home side dominated proceedings but could only score once when Amauri headed home a Sebastian Giovinco cross in the 62nd minute . Despite plenty of chances , the hosts could not find the winning goal , with Pavel Nedved -LRB- twice -RRB- and Alessandro Del Piero hitting the woodwork . Elsewhere , Fiorentina held on to fourth spot and the final Champions League qualifying position as they remarkably came back from 3-0 down at Genoa to snatch a 3-3 draw with Adrian Mutu 's equalizer deep into injury time . Roma , who had won 10 of their previous 13 matches , drop to sixth after they were well beaten 3-0 at Atalanta , for whom Cristiano Doni scored twice . | Inter extend their lead in Serie A to nine points after defeating AC Milan 2-1 . Adriano and Dejan Stankovic score the goals that settle the San Siro derby . Juventus ' hopes take another blow as they draw 1-1 at home to Sampdoria . | [[19, 64], [0, 15], [82, 108], [232, 341], [232, 341], [2810, 2819], [2822, 2915]] |
GUADALAJARA , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama said Monday the United States remains Mexico 's partner in the fight against drug cartels , despite some calls in the United States to delay counter-narcotics aid because of alleged human rights violations by Mexican soldiers . President Obama speaks at a news conference in Guadalajara , Mexico , on Monday . Mexican President Felipe Calderon reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and human rights in his offensive against the cartels , Obama said . Some $ 100 million in anti-drug aid , known as the Merida Initiative , could be delayed because of concerns about human rights violations , it was reported last week . `` We have been very supportive of the Merida Initiative , and we remain supportive , '' Obama said . Obama also said the United States would work to reduce demand for drugs and stop the illegal flow of weapons south to Mexico . The remarks came at a summit of North American leaders in Guadalajara , Mexico . Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also expressed support for Mexico 's strategy , saying that the drug cartels were a problem shared by all three countries . Turning to immigration , Obama said he is committed to `` fix the broken immigration system . '' The three North American countries depend on their borders being safe and secure , Obama said , adding that he supports `` orderly and legal '' migration , while respecting the American tradition of welcoming immigrants . He also responded to critics who say that the United States has not been forceful enough in demanding the return of ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya to power , calling them hypocritical . `` The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras , are the same people who say that we 're always intervening and that Yankees need to get out of Latin America . You ca n't have it both ways , '' Obama said . `` We have been very clear in our belief that President Zelaya was removed from office illegally , that it was a coup , and that he should return , '' Obama said . The United Nations and Organization of American States , including the United States , have called for Zelaya 's return , but more than one month later , the interim government of Roberto Micheletti remains firm and talks between the two sides have so far been unsuccessful . Harper agreed with Obama 's stance . The United States has very clearly stated its position while letting a multilateral process take the lead , he said . `` That 's precisely what we want to see from the United States , '' Harper said . Turning to trade , Obama said a `` Buy American '' provision in his economic stimulus plan had little effect so far on the multibillion-dollar trade partnership with Canada . Obama told journalists that Harper has raised the issue every time they have met . Harper has complained the `` Buy American '' provision is protectionist and could harm trade relations between the closely linked North American economies . `` This in no way this has endangered the billions of dollars of trade taking place between our two countries , '' Obama said , standing beside Harper and Calderon at a final news conference . Harper responded to the same question by saying the leaders had a good discussion on the issue , and their respective trade ministers also were talking about it . Canada is the top trade partner of the United States , with cross-border commerce worth more than $ 1 billion a day . The $ 787-billion stimulus package enacted in February included a provision that only American goods be used in stimulus projects . It also stipulated that the measure would not override existing U.S. trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement . Obama also talked about comparisons between the U.S. and Canadian health care systems , saying Canada 's government-run health care model wo n't work in the United States . `` We 've got to develop a uniquely American approach to this problem , '' he said . Opponents of health care legislation in the U.S. House and Senate say it will lead to a single-payer system like the government-run program in Canada , with some warning the Canadian system means restrictions on treatments and long delays . Obama noted the U.S. system is based on employers providing health insurance for most Americans . Throwing that out would be too radical an overhaul , he said . However , he said he expects opponents of health care legislation to continue to make what he called the misleading comparison between proposed U.S. legislation and Canada 's system . `` I suspect that you Canadians are going to continue to get dragged into the debate , '' he said . | Obama : Mexico has reaffirmed commitment to human rights in drug fight . U.S. president says he supports `` orderly and legal '' immigration . Obama rejects criticism of U.S. response to Honduran president 's ouster . `` Buy American '' push has n't hurt Canada , Obama says at three-country summit . | [[366, 495], [1332, 1342], [1345, 1470], [2617, 2772]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Treating flu-stricken children with anti-viral medication including Tamiflu and Relenza could do more harm than good , a new report has warned . Researchers say not enough study has been done into the long-term effects of anti-virals on children . Researchers from the University of Oxford found that while the anti-virals reduced the duration of illness by up to one day and a half , they had `` little or no effect '' on the likelihood of the children developing complications . The researchers conceded that they did n't know the extent to which their report applied to the current swine flu pandemic , but said , `` based on current evidence , the effects of anti-virals on reducing the course of illness or preventing complications might be limited . '' In compiling their report , published in the British Medical Journal , the Oxford University researchers searched the world for trials of Tamiflu and Relenza on children under 12 . They found seven in total ; four relating to flu treatment , and three to prevention . They say none offered a big enough study to determine whether anti-virals have any effect on the chances of children developing serious flu-related complications . `` We 've got very little data to go on . These drugs have been used on tens of thousands , in fact millions of children worldwide , and we 've found only four trials of treatments involving less than two thousand children , '' said the report 's author , Dr Matthew Thompson , a senior clinical scientist at the Department of Primary Health Care , the University of Oxford . `` We did n't find any trials of children under one . And none of the trials was big enough to show if there 's any effect on serious complications like pneumonia or being hospitalized , '' he said . The report found that while anti-virals reduced the duration of flu in children , they had little or no impact on the likelihood of the child developing ear infections or any other condition that may require antibiotics . A review of one study into the effect of anti-virals on asthmatic children , who are considered to have a higher risk of developing complications from the flu virus , found that they did not reduce the risk of the asthma attacks . The report said that one in 20 children who take Tamiflu suffer nausea and vomiting , as indicated in warnings from the drug 's manufacturer . `` That obviously can be a particular problem in young children and infants where getting dehydrated is a complication of influenza , '' Thompson said . The three studies that focused on the use of anti-virals to prevent influenza taking hold , showed that their potential to stop the spread of flu was `` fairly small . '' `` We 'd need to treat 13 children with the preventive course of one of these drugs to prevent one of them from getting flu , '' Thompson said . The report 's authors suggested governments were too quick to recommend anti-virals as the first defense against the spread of swine flu . In the United Kingdom , people who suspect they have the virus are urged to phone a government helpline . If enough symptoms match the operator 's list , they 're given an online voucher so a `` flu friend '' can collect a course of Tamiflu . `` We 're not criticizing the current Department of Health policy , but we hope they 'll inform perhaps a slight shift in policy in terms of use of these drugs , '' Thompson told CNN . The British Department of Health said the report was right to suggest bed rest and over the counter remedies for people with mild cases of flu , but added that it was potentially dangerous to deter people with severe cases of flu from taking Tamiflu , including children . In a statement , a spokesman said : `` Whilst there is doubt about how swine flu affects children , we believe a safety-first approach of offering anti-virals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward . However , we will keep this policy under review as we learn more about the virus and its effects . '' The British Medical Association -LRB- BMA -RRB- also adopted a cautious stance . The chairman of the BMA 's general practitioner 's committee , Dr Laurence Buckman , said doctors always have to balance the risk of major complications from swine flu with the potential side-effects of anti-virals . `` While we know they are safe , we do know that vomiting and diarrhea can occur in some children and adults who take them , '' he said , adding `` The more we learn about these drugs the more we will know how to treat patients with the most up-to-date clinical evidence . '' | Researchers examined studies into effects of anti-virals on children . Found `` little or no effect '' when used on children suffering influenza . Anti-virals were found to shorten duration of flu-like symptoms . British Department of Health said it had `` a safety-first approach '' | [[2025, 2099], [2192, 2255], [284, 489], [1803, 1993], [3708, 3722], [3725, 3741], [3745, 3866]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He felt lonely , said he had n't had a girlfriend since 1984 . He said his father did n't love him . And he detailed plans to kill young women . The gunman , George Sodini , apparently left behind an online diary that detailed his loneliness . George Sodini , the 48-year-old man police blame for killing three women and wounding 10 others in a suburban Pittsburgh gym , left behind an online diary that is as shocking in places as it is profane in others . It offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a suspected killer who police say walked into an aerobics class , turned off the lights and fired more than 50 rounds from multiple handguns . `` Why do this ?? To young girls ? Just read below . I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions after I saw this project was going to drag on , '' the diary begins . Watch how Sodini may have targeted a woman '' It seems almost formatted , like a résumé , with Sodini 's date of birth and date of death . The date of death is listed as Tuesday , the day of the shootings at an LA Fitness center outside Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . Read an edited version of the diary -LRB- PDF -RRB- . A law enforcement source who identified the shooter said Sodini was a member of the gym . The source provided a month and year of the suspect 's birth that matches the month and year listed for Sodini in the online diary . The Web site where the diary appears is registered to George Sodini of Pittsburgh . It lists an address in or near Scott Township ; the law enforcement source said Sodini lived in Scott Township . Throughout the log , Sodini refers to a shooting that he is planning as an `` exit plan . '' His first entry is November 5 , 2008 . `` Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome , '' it says . The December 22 entry says : `` Time is moving along . Planned to have this done already . I will just keep a running log here as time passes . Many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human , very edible . After joining this gym , started lifting weights and like it . '' Two days later came an entry about loneliness . `` Moving into Christmas again . No girlfriend since 1984 , last Christmas with Pam was in 1983 . Who knows why . I am not ugly or too weird . No sex since July 1990 either -LRB- I was 29 -RRB- . '' By December 26 , the writer seems to have picked a date . `` I will shoot for Tuesday , January 6 , 2009 , at maybe 8:15 . I have list of to-do items to make . '' In an entry dated January 5 , he laments , `` Every evening I am alone , and then go to bed alone . ... Why should I continue another 20 + years alone ? I will just work , come home , eat , maybe do something , then go to bed -LRB- alone -RRB- for the next day of the same thing . This is the Auschwitz Syndrome , to be in serious pain for so long one thinks it is normal . I can not wait for tomorrow ! '' Then he loses his nerve . `` It is 8:45 PM , '' reads an entry dated January 6 . `` I chickened out ! -LSB- Expletive -RSB- I brought the loaded guns , everything . Hell ! '' A May 5 entry outlines a technique . `` To pull the exit plan off , it popped into my mind to just use some booze , '' the entry reads . `` After the gym , I stopped at Shop N Save and got a fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels . '' The diary recounts a failure with women and a growing anger . `` There are 30 million desirable women in the US -LRB- my estimate -RRB- and I can not find one , '' a May 18 entry reads . `` Not one of them finds me attractive . These problems have gotten worse over a 30-year period . I need to expect nothing from me or other people . '' The entry from Monday recounts practice for a shooting . `` I took off today , Monday , and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished . I need to work out every detail , there is only one shot . Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful . '' The next day , around 8 p.m. , a gunman with a gym bag strode into the LA Fitness gym , turned off the lights and started shooting without saying a word , police said . Investigators found his body lying atop one of his guns , about 7 feet from a woman he shot . | George Sodini , 48 , is accused of killing three women , himself at gym . Online journal called `` a running log that includes my thoughts and actions '' Diary says of January attempt to pull off `` exit plan '' : `` I chickened out ! '' Jack Daniels , vodka purchased in May to pull off plan , journal says . | [[279, 282], [306, 358], [164, 174], [193, 231], [263, 276], [390, 417], [715, 781], [722, 735], [741, 798], [1912, 1964], [3014, 3029], [3032, 3053]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Need some social etiquette advice for the digital age ? Brad Pitt 's got your back in this month 's cover story from Wired Magazine . In Wired 's new cover story , Brad Pitt offers etiquette for the digital age . So Brad , should people talk on the phone while they 're using the restroom ? `` No , you ca n't talk on the phone ! '' Pitt tells the magazine . `` Do you want the guy next to you to hear your entire conversation ? `` That 's why you should only text in the bathroom . Just be sure you do n't hit the wrong button and end up putting a photo of your junk on Twitter . Trust me , you do n't want those followers . '' Watch a CNN video about cell phone etiquette '' Humor covers for Pitt 's lack of tech credentials as the Hollywood hunk and star of Quentin Tarantino 's new film , `` Inglourious Basterds '' offers up a range of tongue-in-cheek advice for Wired readers . He touches on subjects ranging from managing your online persona to looking at porn on your work computer . Wired says Pitt approached the magazine with ideas for the story . The magazine , which is owned by Conde Nast and is a CNN.com content partner , collaborated with Pitt and contributing photographer Dan Winters to create the article . `` How to Behave : New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans '' hits newsstands July 21 . Wired said in an e-mail that the piece is a re-think of the celebrity magazine profile . On the cover , a photo shows Pitt wearing a Bluetooth device in his ear . `` Rule No. 52 : Ditch the headset . He can barely pull it off -- and you are not him , '' a blurb on the magazine front says . Most of the article is delivered in a spoof question-answer format . Pitt contributes several answers , as do regular Wired writers . One question asks if a person who exaggerated his or her salary on an online dating profile should confess . `` Hell no , '' Pitt writes . `` Everyone lies online . In fact , readers expect you to lie . If you do n't , they 'll think you make less than you actually do . So the only way to tell the truth is to lie . '' A question about viewing pornography at work is paired with a photo of Pitt scanning a copy of Hustler magazine at an office desk . A half-eaten doughnut sits on the table in front of him . `` Do n't just look at it at work , bring in your old porn mags and scan them there ! '' Pitt writes in the magazine . `` It 's like converting your vinyl to MP3s . Fill up your hard drive , and when you need a break from spreadsheets , just open a favorite pictorial . '' Pitt 's OK with porn , but he 's less understanding of people who want to answer urgent cell phone calls during movies . `` It may be a brief interruption -- just a few seconds -- but what if someone sitting near you is trying to make a decent bootleg ? Did you ever think of that ? Now all those street-corner copies are permanently defiled by your so-called 'em ergency , ' '' he writes . `` Do n't be so damn selfish . '' | Wired Magazine 's cover story features spoof tech advice from Brad Pitt . The Hollywood hunk is promoting his new movie , `` Inglourious Basterds '' Pitt says talking on the phone at the urinal is rude ; you should text instead . Pitt : Online communication is based on lies : `` The only way to tell the truth is to lie '' | [[75, 152], [153, 180], [183, 231], [812, 902], [449, 501], [2029, 2032], [2042, 2071]] |
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Father Alberto Cutie , an internationally known Catholic priest who admitted having a romantic affair and breaking his vow of celibacy , was married this week in Miami , Florida . Father Alberto Cutie was married in Coral Gables , Florida , on Tuesday , according to court documents . Cutie , 40 , announced last month that he was leaving the Catholic Church and joining the Episcopal Church . A judge performed the marriage ceremony Tuesday in Coral Gables , Florida , for Cutie and Ruhama B. Canellis , 35 , according to Miami-Dade County court documents . Cutie , whose name is pronounced koo-tee-AY , is a native of Puerto Rico , and Canellis was born in Guatemala . He was received into the Episcopal Church on May 28 at Trinity Cathedral in Miami . He will pursue the priesthood in the Episcopalian faith , the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida said in a written statement . It was not immediately clear how long the process would take . Cutie -- sometimes called `` Father Oprah '' because of the advice he 's given on Spanish-language media -- shocked some in the Catholic community when photographs of him embracing a bathing-suit-clad woman emerged last month in TV Notas magazine . He acknowledged having carried on a two-year relationship with the woman , who at that time had not been publicly identified . `` This is something I 've struggled with , '' he told CNN in May . `` I do n't support the breaking of the celibacy promise . '' Referring to his relationship with the woman , he said , `` It looked like a frivolous thing on the beach , you know , and that 's not what it is . It 's something deeper than that . '' After the photographs surfaced , Cutie was removed from his duties at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach and on the Radio Paz and Radio Peace Networks . Cutie had been president and general director of Pax Catholic Communications , home of Radio Paz and Radio Peace . He has also written newspaper advice columns and a self-help book , `` Real Life , Real Love . '' John C. Favalora , archbishop of the Catholic Church 's Miami archdiocese , said last month that Cutie 's actions have `` caused a grave scandal within the Catholic Church . '' Favalora also had harsh words for the Episcopal Church 's decision to accept Cutie . `` This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us , '' he said . | Alberto Cutie married Ruhama Canellis on Tuesday , court documents show . Cutie was Catholic priest seen in tabloid photos embracing woman in bathing suit . After pictures surfaced , Cutie admitted two-year relationship with the woman . He said last month he was leaving Catholic Church and becoming Episcopalian . | [[215, 263], [276, 286], [1136, 1232], [8, 15], [58, 136], [1233, 1305], [1490, 1534], [320, 325], [333, 428]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An explosion outside a Starbucks on the Upper East Side of Manhattan sent frightened people running into the street early Monday . Police investigate an explosion in a Manhattan Upper East Side neighborhood . The explosion blew out the windows of a Starbucks coffeehouse at East 92nd Street and Third Avenue at 3:25 a.m. , according to New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly . A `` low-order improvised explosive device '' exploded after being left on a wooden bench in front of the coffeehouse , Kelly said . The blast could be heard many blocks away , according to CNN affiliate WABC-TV of New York . Seven people were briefly evacuated from the building above the Starbucks , Kelly said , but no one was injured . The interior of the Starbucks sustained no damage . It 's too early to tell whether Monday 's incident is connected to other minor explosions in New York City in recent years , including ones at the British and Mexican consulates and another in Times Square , Kelly said . He did note one immediate similarity between the detonations : All occurred at roughly the same time of night . He said the police would continue to analyze other similarities . However , Kelly also noted that Starbucks has been the target of low-grade explosions in other cities . Police plan to examine surveillance cameras for information that could lead investigators to the perpetrator , he said . | Minor explosion outside of a Manhattan Starbucks sends people fleeing . No injuries reported from the blast ; Starbucks damage limited to broken windows . Police investigating whether explosion is connected to other pre-dawn blasts . | [[0, 24], [97, 158], [159, 236], [636, 709], [237, 348], [729, 749], [159, 236], [802, 1007]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hannah Clark is a 16-year-old with a shy laugh and a love of animals . She likes to go shopping with friends and dreams of a career working with children . Teenager Hannah Clark 's heart has healed itself more than a decade after she received a donor heart . But Hannah Clark is no ordinary teenager and her normal life today could not have been possible without a unique , life-changing heart surgery . In 1994 when she was eight-months-old , Hannah was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy -- an inflammation of the heart muscle that impairs the heart 's ability to work properly . Hannah 's heart was failing and she needed a transplant . But instead of taking her own heart out , doctors added a new donated heart to her own when she was just two-years-old . The so-called `` piggyback '' operation allowed the donor heart to do the work while Hannah 's heart rested . But Hannah was not in the clear yet . As with any organ transplant , Hannah 's body was likely to reject her new heart and she had to take powerful immune suppression drugs . Those drugs allowed her body to accept the donor heart but also led to cancer and yet another medical battle for Hannah that lasted for years . Nearly 11 years after receiving the extra heart , there was more bad news : The immuno-suppression drugs were no longer working . Hannah 's body was rejecting the donor heart . In February 2006 , her doctors tried something that had never been done before : They took out the donor heart . Doctors theorized that the donor heart had allowed Hannah 's heart to rest , recover and grow back stronger . Now for the first time Hannah 's father , Paul Clark , describes the agonizing decision the family had to make at the time : `` If she 'd never had it done , she would n't be here . Watch a report about Hannah 's amazing recovery '' `` In the very beginning it was a 50/50 chance she was n't going to make the operation . But in the next one it was even greater because it had never been done before . But we had to take that risk , '' he told CNN . The doctors were right . Three years later , Hannah has no need for any drugs and has been given a clean bill of health . The operation was a success . `` It means everything to me , '' Hannah told CNN after the pioneering operation . `` I thought I 'd still have problems when I had this operation done . I thought after the heart had been removed I thought I 'd have to visit hospitals . But now I 'm just free , '' she said , smiling . Dr. Magdi Yacoub performed Hannah 's original transplant and came out of retirement to perform the second . `` The possibility of recovery of the heart is just like magic . '' Dr. Yacoub said at a media conference . '' -LSB- We had -RSB- a heart which was not contracting at all at the time . We put the new heart to be pumping next to it and take its work , now -LSB- it -RSB- is functioning normally . '' The findings have been published in the British medical journal , the Lancet . Hannah 's amazing recovery would not have been possible without a donor . Both Hannah 's doctors and her family made an appeal for more people to consider organ donation . `` When it happens to someone close to you or yourself , you do n't realize until then how important it is to be a donor and not to be selfish like , I need that part . You do n't need that part . Give it to somebody else that needs it , '' said Clark . `` It just proves that if you can , be a donor . This can happen . '' Dr. Yacoub now advocates `` presumed consent '' -- a policy by which anyone can be considered an organ donor unless they specifically request to opt out . `` All you are asking is please make up your own mind . Do you or do you not want to be a donor ? My own family , my kids , everybody wants to be a donor . But if you do n't , then say so , '' he said . `` Just please tell us what you want to do . So , presumed consent is a good thing . '' Hannah has made a full recovery and looks forward to doing what many teenagers do during the summer holidays : Work at a summer job . Her family jokes that it 's difficult to keep her from racing out the door now that she has so much energy . For Hannah , it took the strength of two to help heal a broken heart , something she could have never done alone . | Hannah Clark suffered from a rare heart condition when she was a baby . Doctors added a donor heart to her own in a unique surgery when she was two . Doctors later removed donor heart and found her own heart had healed itself . Hannah is now a healthy 16-year-old with normal teenage aspirations . | [[440, 520], [266, 294], [713, 791], [192, 294], [266, 294], [0, 6], [9, 106]] |
Editor 's note : Jay S. Winuk , co-founder of MyGoodDeed , is the brother of Glenn J. Winuk , an attorney and volunteer firefighter and EMT who died in the line of duty when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11 , 2001 . This week Glenn was posthumously honored with the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor from the United States of America . Jay Winuk says September 11 is best observed as a day of service to others . NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The upcoming eighth anniversary of the attacks of September 11 raises a compelling question for millions of Americans : How should we best observe this uniquely tragic day in our nation 's history ? Surely , it should not be a holiday . This is no time for days off from work and three-day weekends to enjoy barbeques and white sales . No , September 11 is a day for reflection , and its historical and emotional significance should not lessen with time or be diminished in any way . It is a day to focus on the substantial lessons learned . I 'm a 9/11 family member . My brave brother , Glenn J. Winuk , was a partner at a large law firm , Holland & Knight , located two blocks from the World Trade Center . For almost 20 years Glenn was also a volunteer firefighter and an emergency medical technician . When the Towers were hit , Glenn borrowed rescue equipment and ran from safety toward the South Tower to participate in the rescue effort . He died when the South Tower collapsed . Soon after the attacks , I co-founded , with my friend David Paine and other 9/11 family members and friends , a grassroots initiative called MyGoodDeed . Our goal ? To establish the anniversary of September 11 , 2001 as an annually recognized national day of service . Our widely shared view was that there would be no better way to pay tribute to those thousands lost and those millions who rose in spontaneous , compassionate and effective service to help rebuild our spirit and our nation in the aftermath of the attacks . Supported by all the leading 9/11 family , survivor and volunteer organizations , the initiative has since attracted the attention and participation of millions of people around the world , from all 50 states and more than 170 nations and territories . People choose whatever form of kindness and service they 'd like to perform each 9/11 . And with acts large and small , they are making a real difference in the lives of people and communities in need . Some make donations -- clothing , books , eyeglasses , money , blood . Some help repair schools and parks and beaches . Some send care packages to our troops overseas , or work in soup kitchens . Some read to the blind , or visit the elderly . This Sunday , retired New York Giants great George Martin is leading a fundraising walk from New York to New Jersey to raise money for the health care of thousands of rescue and recovery workers of Ground Zero who are ailing as a result of their service after 9/11 . There is no limit to what people can do to participate . Of note is that just like those who died in the horror of that September morning , those who engage in service on 9/11 represent a wide range of political preferences , ages , races , religions , economic status and geographic locations . Unlike as suggested recently by some conservative journalists and bloggers , this 9/11 service phenomenon is not new and is certainly not about some kind of liberal agenda intended to diminish the meaning of September 11 or redefine it for political gain . Indeed , the notion of engaging in service to mark each 9/11 began during the Bush administration , and has been widely supported by both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill . In fact , in 2004 the U.S. Congress unanimously passed House Congressional Resolution 473 , saying the anniversary of September 11 should be a national day of service and compassion . In April of this year , President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act , substantially bi-partisan legislation that included a provision formally establishing September 11 as a `` National Day of Service and Remembrance . '' The 9/11 community largely applauded this major step forward . And as I watched the president sign this legislation , along with members of the ServiceNation coalition and surrounded by a diverse group of political leaders , educators , students , service volunteers and others , I experienced both chills and a feeling of great warmth as I thought about my brother who died in service to others . Service as a way to honor the victims , workers and volunteers of September 11 ensures that future generations will learn not only about the attacks but about how good people around the world responded when our nation was severely wounded . Further , it serves as a productive and meaningful way forward out of the ashes of September 11 as our national challenges are now as great as ever . Some people say , `` Enough about 9/11 already . Let 's move on . '' Surely , I understand that . Even while remembering , we must move ahead . And that 's really the point about this observance . Let 's pay tribute to all those who were injured or who perished , like my brother , and to all those who rose in service to save and protect our nation , by looking forward and by improving the lot of those people and communities in need . This moment in history was not just about the attacks . It was also about compassion . And that is the lesson of the events of 9/11 , and for me is the essence of this National Day of Service and Remembrance . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jay S. Winuk . | Jay Winuk : 9/11 has been recognized as a national day of service . He says it 's not a day to skip work or go shopping . He says people choose to do acts of kindness , large or small . Winuk : There 's no political agenda , Bush and Obama have supported it . | [[364, 440], [379, 440], [1678, 1726], [3697, 3714], [3771, 3862], [3966, 3989], [3995, 4100], [706, 767], [2237, 2288]] |
KAMPALA , Uganda -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least four people have been killed in two days of rioting in Uganda 's capital after radio broadcasts encouraged listeners to violently take to the streets against the government , officials said Friday . Residents of the Kasubi suburb , west of Kampala , try to flee from violence as a soldier takes photos . The rioters heard `` sectarian '' broadcasts on Thursday that `` systematically incited the listeners to cause chaos and destruction wherever they could , '' said a statement issued by Minister of Information and National Guidance Kabakumba Masiko . It described those who took part in the rioting in Kampala and its suburbs as `` marauding thugs . '' The broadcasts aired in the Buganda Kingdom , said police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba . Ethnic and political tension between the kingdom and the central government had been escalating over the past few weeks . Police and army officers were injured and police-owned property also was damaged along with other vehicles and shops , said the nation 's police chief , Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura . In Natete-Ndeba , a southwest suburb , a police station was looted of its ammunition and prisoners set free before rioters burned the prison , Nabakooba said . A curfew has been declared in the suburb , and in Kampala the army is providing support to police , said Kayihura . A doctor at a Kampala hospital said more than 50 people had sought care there , most with broken bones , but others had cuts and gunshot wounds . About 60 people were arrested in Kampala , but arrest totals in the surrounding areas were not available , Nabakooba said . Four radio stations were ordered shut down , Masiko said . Many of the rioters were Baganda between the ages of 18 and 35 , Nabakooba said . The Baganda are Uganda 's dominant ethnic group , making up about 16.9 percent of the population , according to The CIA World Factbook . The kingdom is one of the oldest monarchies in Africa . The people live mostly in central Uganda and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria . Tension between the Buganda Kingdom , headed by King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II , and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni had been increasing recently over land laws , sovereignty and political power , issues over which the two sides have been in talks for years . The Uganda government sees Mutebi as a traditional leader only and does not allow him to participate in politics . Further estranging the two is a breakaway faction of the Buganda Kingdom , the Banyala . Some interpreted police forces ' breaking up a group of Baganda amid preparations for festivities as support for the Banyala , especially after a Banyala demonstration opposing the Buganda Kingdom prompted no police action . It is unclear why the police broke up the Baganda group earlier in the week . Riots broke out after the incident , and again when radio announcers pushed Baganda to take to the streets again . Museveni said in a broadcast statement that he tried to contact Mutebi to discuss the issue as `` mature people '' but he could not reach him on the phone . The president also said that he had intelligence reports showing that the Buganda Kingdom has received foreign funding to carry out a hate campaign against the government . Asians , mostly of Indian origin , suffered severe losses when their business were attacked and looted , Nabakooba said . Although officials said the broadcasts encouraged listeners to put into action their contempt for the government , during such outbreaks of violence Asians are often targeted . Some view Asians as being most protected by the government because of special holidays or tax benefits they may get . In addition , reports of Asians mistreating natives have fueled tension between the groups . None of the four people killed were Asian or of Asian descent , Nabakooba said , but in the northern suburb of Kawembi about 30 Asians had fled to a police station for protection on Thursday and remained there Friday . Samson Ntale contributed to this report for CNN . | Radio broadcasts encouraged violent street action against the government . Government statement describes Kampala rioters as `` marauding thugs '' ? Dozens seek care , many with broken bones , says doctor at Kampala hospital . Tension between splintered kingdom and Uganda 's president has been on rise . | [[124, 217], [412, 481], [2874, 2936], [3398, 3501], [599, 697], [612, 617], [622, 697], [1367, 1469], [790, 911]] |
Habib Battah is a blogger , freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker based in New York and Beirut . BEIRUT , Lebanon -- When I heard Snoop Dogg was coming to Beirut , I jumped at the opportunity to show the world a different side of the country I had grown up in . So I hit the phones , tracked down the promoter and before I knew it , I was driving to the airport to film Snoop 's arrival . Beirut blogger Habib Battah with U.S. rap legend Snoop Dogg . When I first met the Dogg -LRB- as he 's known by his very courteous suit-wearing bodyguards -RRB- , he was seated in the VIP lounge of Beirut International Airport , surrounded by entourage while awaiting passport control . The U.S. rap legend had never been to the Middle East before , and I was wondering why he decided to perform in Beirut of all cities . Outfitted in a hooded sweater , despite the sweltering heat of the Beirut summer , Snoop leaned forward and told me in his low voice : `` There are a lot of places I could have started but I chose to start here because I felt they 've been supporting me you know -- they 've been down with me for long time . '' By `` starting '' in Lebanon , Snoop meant that he intended to embark on a Middle East tour in the coming months . `` Me and my man Roger had a nice conversation about putting together a Snoop Dogg Middle East tour ... so we gon na try to get that together over the next couple of months , '' Snoop , flanked by his forever-smiling local organizer , Lebanese entertainment mogul , Roger Kalaouz , told a room full of eager photographers and entertainment journalists . But the Lebanese paparazzi still wondered , why Beirut ? `` This is my first chance to party with the people of Lebanon , '' Snoop said . `` They were always partying to my music but now they get a chance to actually party with Snoop Dogg . `` This is the party capital of the world , '' he added and the room filled with applause . Hours later , Snoop drove the locals wild once again during his performance in front of thousands of adoring young fans by holding up a Lebanese flag on stage and then performing an impromptu sing-along with the chorus line `` Beirut , Lebanon . '' When the show ended just before one a.m. , Snoop did not leave Beirut without living up to his promise to party hard . Acting on a tip from a source close to Snoop 's circle , I managed to follow Snoop 's entourage to the afterparty , at a massive and highly exclusive rooftop club overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanese mountains . I entered the club through the back entrance with members of Snoop 's band that I had met at the airport . When we got inside , the champagne was flowing and the club was rocking with hundreds of people . A mixture of house and trance music reverberated across all surfaces as fireworks lit up the evening sky . Snoop 's band and crew were ecstatic , sporting looks of awe when they reached their VIP tables in the balcony section which boasts outdoor air conditioning . And even though the European electric beat was quite a stretch from the hip hop he produces , Snoop himself seemed to be getting down -- waving his hands in the air . But it was n't long before the Dogg switched things up grabbed the microphone : `` You are now rocking with the big Snoopie D.O. double jizzle for shizzle dizzle '' he said , sending screams through the glamorous crowd . Then he turned toward the DJ podium : `` Hey ! Yo ! DJ ! Why do n't you play some of that Snoop Dogg sh*t ? Once again the crowd was electrified , as Snoop began rapping to his track `` Drop it Like It 's Hot , '' -LRB- Part of the that performance is available on Snoop 's Web site . -RRB- . Later he played other local favorites such as `` Gin and Juice '' and then rocked to a new track `` That 's the Homie '' from his upcoming album `` Malice in Wonderland '' while being filmed by two cameraman and a flash light . The Beirut show producer , Roger Kalaouz later explained that Snoop was actually filming part of the music video for the new track that night . And when Snoop left the club at 3 a.m. , the party continued till seven in the morning , according to Kalaouz , in true Snoop fashion , back at the hotel . Kalaouz says he 's now preparing for Snoop 's Middle East tour beginning in December , with a focus on cities in the oil-rich Arabian Gulf states , such as the UAE , Kuwait , Qatar and maybe even Saudi Arabia . Though it remains unclear how much Kalaouz actually paid Snoop to perform in Beirut , he emphasized that the bidding process was intense with much competition from promoters in other Arab countries . Check out Battah 's blog at beirurtreport.blogspot.com . | Legendary U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg performs in Lebanon 's capital , Beirut . Beirut journalist Habib Battah followed Snoop to show a different side of Lebanon . Snoop has never visited the Middle East before and plans more dates in region . Snoop on Beirut : `` This is the party capital of the world '' | [[173, 174], [201, 250], [685, 745], [1132, 1136], [1163, 1246], [1842, 1883]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Comedy is n't evolutionary . Hollywood has been plundering ancient history for yuks at least since Buster Keaton 's day , and there 's little in `` Year One '' to suggest we 've progressed much over the last 90 years . Michael Cera and Jack Black go in search of meaning -- and some food -- in `` Year One . '' Quite the opposite , in fact . It 's a stretch to envisage Keaton picking up bear poop , as Jack Black does here , giving it an appraising sniff , then a quick lick . And I ca n't imagine him peeing down his own nostrils , as Michael Cera does -LRB- he 's chained upside down at the time -RRB- . Not to say this monkey business is n't funny ; these are the highlights of a relentlessly low-brow lark , notwithstanding several sophomoric speeches in a panicky existentialist vein . Black is Zed , a sorry excuse for a hunter in a tribe that has yet to discover the wheel . His buddy Oh -LRB- Cera -RRB- is even further down the totem pole , a mere gatherer . Neither is a hit with the ladies , and when Zed is exiled after stealing forbidden fruit , well , not even Oh wants to go with him -- though of course he does tag along . It 's no fun being a sidekick all on your lonesome . Co-written and directed by comedy veteran Harold Ramis -LRB- `` Ghostbusters , '' `` Groundhog Day '' -RRB- , `` Year One '' is little more than a series of juvenile skits dressed up in toga party glad rags . It rambles off into Old Testament territory when the boys stumble across Cain -LRB- David Cross -RRB- killing his brother Abel -LRB- Paul Rudd -RRB- , then arrive in the desert in the nick of time to save Isaac 's neck -LRB- Christopher Mintz-Plasse -RRB- from his zealous father 's knife -- though his foreskin is another story . Sorely lacking the anarchic edge that Monty Python brought to `` The Life of Brian '' and the sheer chutzpah of Mel Brooks ' `` History of the World : Part One , '' `` Year One '' is more akin to one of those old Bob Hope-Bing Crosby jaunts -- two guys bicker and banter in exotic climes , hopping from scrape to scrape without ever reaching the bottom of the barrel . Inevitably , Zed and Oh find themselves on the Road to Sodom , where Oliver Platt 's plummy High Priest orchestrates orgies in the afternoon then presides over human sacrifices in the evening . It is in Sodom that the boys will prove their manhood . Black 's manic over-reacher and Cera 's shy mumbler complement each other well enough in theory , but at 39 , Black is almost old enough to be the 21-year-old Cera 's father . It 's a big age gap for a comedy duo , and they never quite mesh or convince as bosom buddies , even if they 're fairly amusing separately . Among the supporting cast , only Hank Azaria 's fundamentalist Abraham really seizes on the possibilities ; he and Platt deliver the goods . Too many others , on the other hand , just seem to have dropped by to hang out for a day or two on set . Typically , neither Juno Temple nor June Diane Raphael gets any breathing room as the heroes ' designated distressed damsels ; Ramis ogles female flesh as enthusiastically as he milks homophobia for cheap laughs . Bearing the tell-tale scars of slash-and-burn post-market testing editing -- several early scenes simply hit a brick wall -- `` Year One '' is n't an out-and-out disaster . It 's just another feeble comedy that never finds its rhythm or builds up a head of steam . iReport.com : Share your review of `` Year One '' It was probably a lot more fun to make than it is to watch , but we 'll have to take that on trust . Even the outtakes played alongside the end credits are n't funny . `` Year One '' is rated PG-13 and runs 100 minutes . For Entertainment Weekly 's review , click here . | `` Year One '' is a feeble comedy , says CNN.com 's Tom Charity . Harold Ramis-directed film stars Jack Black and Michael Cera , but few laughs . Black and Cera play Stone Age tribesmen who meet biblical figures . | [[1212, 1214], [1227, 1272]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Ian Black has a fine sense of the absurd . Michael Ian Black , left , and Michael Showalter have `` Issues '' in their new Comedy Central show . You can hear it in the comedian 's deadpan delivery , which makes some of his serious musings sound like jokes -- and some of his jokes sound like serious philosophizing . You can see it reflected in his VH1 `` I Love the ... '' guest spots , in which he acts as if the most ridiculous pop cultural events are worthy of solemn commentary . The absurdity is also obvious in his new Comedy Central show , `` Michael and Michael Have Issues , '' in which he and pal Michael Showalter -- the two go back to the early - '90s troupe The State -- play exaggerated versions of themselves doing such things as competing for the attention of an intern and torturing a reporter as they make a TV show . `` Michael and Michael , '' which airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central , premiered last week for a multiweek run . Though Black has hopes for more , he 's well aware of the pitfalls of his particular brand of humor : Not everybody gets it . Watch Black respond to assertions that he 's not attractive '' `` Well the first episode has aired , and it was a HUGE HIT !!! -LRB- Except for the fact that not enough people watched it -RRB- , '' he wrote on the `` Michael and Michael '' site . `` Yes , once again Showalter and myself have produced a show which America has yet to discover . '' America may catch on yet , thanks to Black 's determined publicity tour . He talked to CNN.com about the origins of `` Michael and Michael , '' the comedy of discomfort and the `` Jack Benny Projection Theorem . '' The following is an edited version of the interview . CNN : How did the show come about ? Michael Ian Black : The last show -LSB- Showalter and I -RSB- did together was called `` Stella , '' which was also on Comedy Central . After that , I talked to Comedy Central about doing a different show , and they said sure . I brought on Michael to help me make it . We made that pilot , it did n't go , but when it was done , they said , `` We 'd still like you guys to do something . '' So we started pitching around ideas , and this is the one that stuck . CNN : Does Comedy Central keep a hands-off attitude with you guys ? Black : Yes and no . They definitely trust us to a certain extent . We 've had a long relationship with them , so they have a lot of faith in us . ... At the same time , they 're a television network , and I do n't know if you 're familiar with television networks , but they definitely have opinions . CNN : They like to provide notes , I 've heard . Black : Yes , that 's exactly right . So they 've given us lots and lots of notes . CNN : One thing that always strikes me about you guys is that you like the comedy of discomfort , -LSB- as in -RSB- the kind of thing that makes you laugh but makes you squirm a little bit ? Black : When phrased that way , then yes , I suppose we do like that . There 's something very funny to both Michael and myself about putting yourself in awkward situations and revealing this banal awkwardness that kind of happens to everybody . CNN : What makes you uncomfortable in real life ? Black : I 'm very uncomfortable with sincerity . -LRB- laughs -RRB- Anybody who 's being sincere about stuff gives me the icks . I just invented a term : `` gives me the icks . '' CNN : Who did you follow when you were growing up ? Black : The comedians who I always really looked up to when I was a kid were John Belushi , George Carlin , Richard Pryor , Eddie Murphy ... but for different reasons . I ca n't say I 'm particularly like any of them , but I 've always responded to comedy that does n't point itself as being comedy . ... That 's where that straight-faced thing comes from . You 're telling the joke without telling people you 're telling the joke . You have to trust that they 're going to get it . CNN : How about Jack Benny ? He was always marvelous at being able to stand off to the side . Black : I think what was great about Jack Benny or anybody who sort of does that kind of thing -- that deadpan thing -- is you 're allowing the audience to project their thoughts on to you . So you think you understand what Jack Benny 's thinking ... but it 's because it 's what you 're thinking . And what you 're thinking is funny , and that 's what makes you laugh . Does that make sense ? CNN : Absolutely . Black : It 's a theory I just made up . I feel really , really good about it . ... I 'm gon na call it the `` Jack Benny Projection Theorem . '' CNN : What do you think you 'd be doing if it were n't for comedy ? Black : Well , I do n't know what recycled cans go for these days , but I suspect I 'd be in that industry . CNN : Does `` Michael and Michael '' look like it will be renewed ? Black : We just premiered last week , and it 's just too early to know whether we 'll come back or not . We 've been fortunate . The press for the most part has been very good , and so now it 's a ratings game and we 'll wait and see how it does . CNN : You 've worked consistently since the early '90s , but there 's always the question of the big breakthrough . Your comedy might be too offbeat for the mainstream to get . Does that concern you ? Black : Well , it certainly concerns the people who hold my mortgage . They 're very concerned about it . They often say to me , `` Ca n't you be more mainstream ? '' And the answer is , I do n't think so . I 've certainly tried . I can only be me . CNN : We 're getting very philosophical here . Black : Well , that goes along with my Jack Benny Projection Theorem . CNN : Are you working on anything else ? Black : I 'm writing a book and I 'm attempting to be a decent husband and father after not being home the last few months working on this television show . ... When you 're working the kind of hours a television show requires , you do n't see anybody but the people you work with . And as much as I love them , I do n't love them as much as my family . | Michael Ian Black now in `` Michael and Michael Have Issues '' Comedy Central show features more of awkward comedy he 's known for . In real life ? Black is uncomfortable with `` sincerity '' | [[1870, 1872], [1879, 1907]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anne and Michael Harris were an `` extraordinary '' couple with a zest for life , their niece said . Anne and Michael Harris ' niece says the couple `` loved life , loved everyone . '' `` We truly hope that they are remembered for the way they lived their lives and not this tragic end , '' Charlstie Laytin said in a telephone interview Wednesday . `` We 're all just devastated and going to miss them both so much . '' The Harrises were two of three Americans on board Air France Flight 447 when it crashed Monday . The plane was carrying 228 passengers and crew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris , France , when it crashed four hours into the journey . Investigators have not determined the cause of the accident . An official list with the victims ' names was not available Wednesday afternoon . The Harrises lived in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , Anne Harris ' sister , Mary Miley , said . Michael Harris , 60 , was a geologist in Rio de Janeiro . He worked for Devon Energy , a U.S.-based independent natural gas and oil producer , a company spokesman said . The couple were traveling to Paris for a training seminar and vacation , Miley said . The two `` loved everyone , they loved life , '' Laytin said . `` Definitely glass-half-full kind of people , '' she added , recalling her uncle as a `` ham , '' who could always offer a laugh on a bad day . She remembered a moment a few summers ago when her family was in Vermont , and had just seen a classical performance of Mozart . They were `` just sitting around and having a glass of wine , and laughing and talking about family and life and what was going on in our lives ... -LSB- the Harrises -RSB- could never get enough information about what all their nieces and nephews and family members were doing , '' she said . `` It 's really the last time I can remember us all sitting around as a family and I 'm so glad that I have that memory . '' She said her family was hopeful the investigation would soon determine what had gone wrong . `` I think the initial shock of it all has really started to wear off , and the reality that they 're gone is starting to set in , '' she said . `` The grief and the grieving process is beginning and we 're just really focused on helping each other heal . '' The majority of the people on the flight came from Brazil , France and Germany . The remaining victims were from 29 other countries . Ten were employees of French electrical equipment supplier CGED , according to Agence France-Presse . Nine of those employees had won the trip to Rio from CGED because of their strong work performance , AFP said . `` There was a competition for the best sales reps ... and nine of them won and went to Brazil for four days , '' Laurent Bouveresse , CGED chief executive , told AFP . The nine were allowed to take a friend or partner , and an executive also went along , Bouveresse said , according to the news agency . CNN tried repeatedly to reach representatives of CGED . Two others believed to have been on the flight were an engaged couple , Julia Schmidt of Brazil and Alex Crolow of Germany , the couple 's friend , Brian Buzby of Houston , Texas , told CNN affiliate KTRK . Watch Buzby talk about friends on Flight 447 '' Buzby said he met the two while they were all students at Bucerius Law School in Germany . They finished studies last August , KTRK reported . `` This was Alex taking her back to tell her mom they were going to get married , '' Buzby told KTRK . `` I just hope that they were not suffering , and at least they were together , because I would have hated for one of them to go through it alone , '' Buzby said . `` They were my two best friends . I just hope she knows I loved her , '' Buzby said . | NEW : 9 French victims won trip to Brazil for job performance , AFP reports . NEW : German victim was taking Brazilian fiancee home to announce engagement . Anne and Michael Harris were two of three Americans on Air France flight 447 . The Harrises lived in Brazil and were going to France for vacation , training seminar . | [[2403, 2406], [2469, 2504], [2505, 2603], [2676, 2692], [2676, 2688], [2697, 2725], [440, 536], [1075, 1145]] |
JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A fugitive American white supremacist was arrested Monday in Israel , ending an international manhunt that began in 2007 , Israeli and U.S. officials said . Micky Louis Mayon , pictured in a 2007 mug shot , entered Israel in 2008 , authorities say . Micky Louis Mayon , one of the 100 most wanted people in the United States , was taken into custody in southern Tel Aviv after Israel received information from Interpol indicating he was there . The Ku Klux Klan member was located during a secret operation by Israeli immigration authorities , said Sabin Hadad , a spokeswoman for the country 's Interior Ministry . He arrived in Israel in January 2008 on a one-month tourist visa , frequently changed apartments , and earned money by working part time at several restaurants , the ministry said . Mayon , 32 , is being held at Israel 's Maasiyahu prison and is in the process of being deported , Hadad said . `` The search for Mayon came to a successful conclusion ... with the actions in Israel , '' Michael Regan , a U.S. marshal in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , said Monday . `` Locating and identifying Mayon in a foreign country sends a strong message that you can run , but you can not hide . '' Two U.S. marshals are being sent to Israel to escort him back to the United States . Mayon was featured on the television program `` America 's Most Wanted . '' He is a convicted felon and is accused of setting a judge 's car on fire in Pennsylvania , the show 's Web site said . | Israeli authorities apprehend fugitive American white supremacist . Micky Louis Mayon was one of the 100 most wanted people in the United States . Ku Klux Klan member accused of burning judge 's car in Pennsylvania . | [[0, 25], [29, 30], [49, 96], [1391, 1393], [1409, 1414], [1419, 1479]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Burberry , the 150-year-old British luxury brand most famous for its distinctive check pattern , has recently experienced a resurgence . Christopher Bailey , Burberry 's creative director , has been credited with the brand 's resurgence . The brand credits much of its new a la mode image to creative director Christopher Bailey . The unassuming 37-year-old British designer has successfully reconnected Burberry with a trendy young audience -- using the likes of British super model Agyness Deyn , whom he has propelled to international stardom -- in ad campaigns . But times are hard for luxury brands , with a recession that has turned many high-end consumers toward cheaper alternatives . So how is Bailey handling the current economic climate ? With stylish new headquarters in the heart of London and the recent opening of a Burberry Children 's wear store in the capital , it seems the brand has kept its wheels rolling . Watch Burberry 's creative director speak to CNN '' Bailey believes the new headquarters were an important extension of Burberry 's image , telling CNN `` the building is the brand beacon . '' `` It 's so important that everyone lives and breathes the aesthetic of what Burberry is . We have to do what feels right for the company , '' Bailey added . But that does not mean that Burberry is ignoring the recession . `` It 's all about the balance between functionality and emotion . You have to be instinctive about what 's going on , '' said Bailey . `` We think about the world recession , but it helps us focus and make sure that the brand purity and integrity is there in everything we do . `` We 've just opened our first -LSB- children 's wear -RSB- store in London and the first signs are pretty wonderful . '' But Bailey agrees that `` there has been incredible excess in the last five to 10 years , so it 's a good moment to re-balance . '' So how will that translate to the catwalk ? `` The -LSB- clothes -RSB- will be investment pieces for the long-term . It 's not just about fashion for a season . '' | Christopher Bailey , Burberry 's creative director spoke to CNN . Burberry has recently opened new headquarters and children 's store in London . `` We think about the world recession , but it helps us focus , '' said Bailey . | [[965, 1016], [1660, 1736], [1500, 1516], [1517, 1554], [1561, 1578]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Liverpool have secured the biggest sponsorship deal in the English Premier League club 's history after they announced a four-year deal with Standard Chartered Bank . Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and managing director Christian Purslow confirm the new sponsorship deal . The Reds have confirmed that the bank will replace current sponsors Carlsberg at the start of the 2010-11 season , ending a 17-year association with the Reds , for the beer maker . The figure for the sponsorship has not be disclosed but reports in British newspaper The Guardian suggest the deal is worth $ 133 million . Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow spoke of his delight on sealing the sponsorship agreement for the Anfield-based side . `` I am tremendously excited - it 's a hugely important day in the history of Liverpool FC , '' he told the club 's official Web site . `` This is the largest commercial agreement we have ever entered into . To have attracted a partner of the caliber of Standard Chartered Bank says everything about where we are trying to take this football club . `` They operate in a number of markets around the world where we have a long term plan to increase the family of Liverpool fans and this agreement will be very helpful to us in doing that . '' Purslow added : `` Many branches in these countries will effectively be a shop window for Liverpool FC and a means of attracting more supporters to the cause . `` We aspire to be the best at what we do on and off the field . This is the first commercial agreement the club has entered into which can truly be described as the best of its kind in world football . `` I hope this tells everyone , especially our fans , what we are trying to do with this football club in the future . '' The move follows Liverpool 's American owners , George Gillett and Tom Hicks , concluding a deal in July to re-finance a $ 380 million bank loan they took out to buy the club in 2007 . Plans to develop a new 60,000-seater stadium at a cost of $ 580 million were shelved due to the recession in 2008 by the club , despite planning permission being granted by the local city council . | Liverpool announce a new sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank . The means the end of the Reds 17-year association with brewers Carlsberg . Liverpool will carry the bank 's name on their shirts at the start of the 2010/11 . The deal is reported to be worth approximately $ 133 million to the club . | [[19, 185], [293, 473], [322, 330], [408, 450], [293, 473], [530, 613]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the National Football League , days after he pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol , the NFL said . Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth on Tuesday pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter . Stallworth , 28 , pleaded guilty in a Florida court Tuesday to DUI manslaughter charges in the March death of construction worker Mario Reyes . Under terms of a plea agreement , he will serve 30 days . Prosecutors said he began serving his sentence immediately . `` The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable , '' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Stallworth in a letter Thursday , the league said . Excerpts from the letter were posted on the NFL Web site . `` While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident , it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions , which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family , your club , your fellow players and the NFL . '' Stallworth 's suspension is effective immediately , the league said . Goodell wrote in the letter that `` in due course '' the league would contact his attorney to schedule a meeting with him , after which a final determination would be made on discipline . Stallworth was driving his black Bentley GT east on the MacArthur Causeway , which connects Miami , Florida , to the South Beach area of Miami Beach , when he struck Reyes on the morning of March 14 , according to prosecutors . He had been drinking at a Miami Beach club , according to court documents . His blood alcohol level was 0.126 percent , prosecutors said ; Florida 's legal limit is 0.08 . Reyes , 59 , reportedly was heading to a bus stop after work when he was struck . Court documents said he suffered `` critical head , chest and abdominal injuries '' and died at a hospital . When police arrived at the scene , Stallworth told them he was the driver of the car and admitted striking Reyes . During Tuesday 's hearing , Stallworth offered his `` deepest condolences to the Reyes family . '' `` Though I can not bring back Mr. Reyes or ease his family 's pain , I can and will honor his memory by committing my time , my resources and my voice by educating this community about the dangers of drunk driving , '' he said . Stallworth could have served up to 15 years in prison . But State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle noted in a statement that he cooperated with authorities and had no previous criminal record or traffic violations . Reyes ' family supported the plea agreement , she said . Stallworth 's attorney , Chris Lyons , on Tuesday told CNN sister network HLN that Stallworth had reached an `` amicable '' financial settlement with Reyes ' family but would not disclose the amount . He said the length of Stallworth 's jail term `` had nothing to do with Donte Stallworth being a celebrity , a professional football player or money . '' Stallworth has shown `` genuine remorse '' and accepted responsibility for his actions , Lyons said . Goodell wrote Stallworth that there is `` ample evidence to warrant significant discipline '' under both the NFL 's personal conduct and substance abuse policies . `` There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in the league , '' the letter said . `` Everyone associated with the league derives tremendous benefits from participating in our game and from the extraordinary support we receive from the public , '' Goodell wrote . `` With these benefits comes , among other things , the responsibility to conduct ourselves in a lawful and responsible way , with no entitlement to or expectation of favorable treatment . '' Goodell notified NFL clubs earlier this year that there would be increased emphasis on addressing driving under the influence and other misconduct , the league said . It noted the NFL offers a `` safe rides '' program used by most clubs to provide players and other employees with alternative transportation if they have been drinking . Under terms of Stallworth 's plea agreement , he will face two years of house arrest upon his release . He is also required to donate $ 2,500 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving , serve eight years of probation and submit to random drug and alcohol testing throughout his probation . His driver 's license was permanently revoked . CNN 's Rich Phillips contributed to this report . | NEW : NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calls Stallworth 's action `` inexcusable '' Cleveland Browns wide receiver Tuesday pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter . Stallworth serving 30 days in jail , has reached settlement with victim 's family . NFL player 's blood alcohol level was 0.126 ; Florida 's legal limit is 0.08 . | [[607, 621], [692, 707], [144, 146], [162, 230], [248, 321], [344, 354], [362, 403], [488, 519], [522, 545], [2744, 2766], [2769, 2944], [1737, 1778], [1800, 1832]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An audio message attributed to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri , the highest ranking former member of Saddam Hussein 's regime still at large , salutes the `` People of Palestine '' and calls on them to fight back against Israel in Gaza . A 1999 file image of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri , who served under Saddam Hussien 's regime and who is still at large . `` We say to the people of Gaza , give more resistance and we will be with you in the field , and know that our victory in kicking out the invaders is your victory as well , because the main assailant on the nation and on Palestine is the American imperialism , '' the recording said . `` A salute to the martyrs of the massacre , and our condolences to their families . '' Al-Douri 's recording follows reports of a similarly defiant message from al Qaeda 's deputy chief a day earlier . Ayman al-Zawahiri reportedly vowed revenge for Israel 's air and ground assault on Gaza and called Israel 's actions against Hamas militants `` a gift '' from U.S. President-elect Barack Obama . Israel is in the 12th day of a military operation against Hamas militants , who have been firing rockets from Gaza into southern Israel . Al-Douri 's 30-minute recorded message was broadcast Wednesday on al-Raei Iraqi satellite television over an old picture of al-Douri , wearing his Iraqi military uniform . CNN has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the voice on the tape . This is not al-Douri 's first purported audio message . There have been at least four others over the past three years in addition to a statement attributed to him . Al-Douri , 66 , served as vice-chairman of Hussein 's Revolutionary Command Council . He remains at large nearly six years after the war in Iraq began . He has previously been reported killed and captured , although those reports later turned out to be erroneous . He was the King of Clubs -LRB- No. 6 -RRB- on the U.S. military 's card deck of most wanted regime officials . The U.S. military says he has helped finance the insurgency against U.S. troops in Iraq with Iraqi funds he transferred to Syria before Hussein 's government collapsed in April 2002 . But it says his influence has waned while he has been in hiding . U.S. officials say al-Douri played key roles in the chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988 and in putting down Kurdish and Shiite revolts after the 1991 Persian Gulf War . | Al-Douri was vice-chairman of Hussein 's Revolutionary Command Council . 30-minute recorded message broadcast on al-Raei Iraqi satellite television . CNN has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the voice . U.S. says he has helped finance the insurgency against U.S. troops in Iraq . | [[285, 307], [314, 351], [1630, 1638], [1646, 1715], [1202, 1334], [1374, 1463], [1374, 1377], [1396, 1463], [2006, 2110]] |
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