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(CNN) -- David Beckham has promised he will do everything in his power to help England win the bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. The England and LA Galaxy midfielder has been in South Africa with Football Association chief Lord Triesman to promote England's bid ahead of the draw for the 2010 tournament. Beckham was an ambassador for the successful London 2012 Olympic campaign, and now has a similar role in the World Cup bid. The 34-year-old, who was speaking at a Coaching for Hope project in Cape Town, believes "hard work" is the key England's bid. "We can win the campaign with hard work - nothing in life is easy and you have to work for special things to be given to you and we are prepared for that," Beckham said. "Football is in our culture, in our DNA. It's in us from the moment we are brought into this world, from when we are born and that's something we will always have." Find out all the latest news about the build up to the World Cup in South Africa here. FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who had previously been critical of England's bid to stage the tournament, said that celebrity appeal can form just as important part of a bid as the quality of the stadiums. "The stadiums and infrastructure is just one of the things that the bid will be judged on," Warner added. "There is the social responsibility and the legacy that the World Cup leaves and other maters." "Celebrities? Of course that will help - isn't that what football is all about?" FA chief Lord Triesman also appreciates the role that Beckham, who has met with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Warner while on the trip, can have on charming the relevant parties. "When he talks to people, even privately, the passion and patriotism shines out of him," he said. "England is one of the few countries with its stadia and its infrastructure that could host a World Cup almost immediately, next week. "The diversity of cultures around our country is a big thing as well. There are not many countries where you can have Brazil and Portugal and so on coming to our country and for there to be lots of their fans already there. That's a special thing for us." | [
"Which person promised to help England's world cup bid",
"which is the age of the player",
"Who is the vice-president of FIFA"
] | [
[
"David"
],
[
"34-year-old,"
],
[
"Jack Warner,"
]
] | David Beckham has promised he will do everything in his power to help England win the bid to stage the 2018 World Cup .
FIFA vice-president Jack Warner admitted that celebrity appeal is an important part of a country's bid .
Beckham was speaking ahead of the draw for the 2010 event and believes "hard work" will be crucial to England's bid . |
(CNN) -- David Beckham is planning showdown talks with L.A. Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan, who questioned the English football star's commitment to the MLS team earlier this month. Landon Donovan, left, is unhappy with David Beckham's contribution at LA Galaxy. Beckham said the U.S. national captain was "unprofessional" for publicly voicing his opinions, which were reported worldwide from the soon-to-be-published book "The Beckham Experiment" by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl. "In every football player's eyes throughout the world, it would be unprofessional to speak out about a team-mate, especially in the press and not to your face," Beckham said before watching the Galaxy's 1-0 win over Chivas USA on Saturday night. What do you think? Was Donovan right? "In 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players, and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. "It's important to get this cleared up, and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days. Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation." Donovan, who led the United States to the Confederations Cup final last month, said in the book that Beckham had been a negative influence since his high-profile move to the Major League Soccer outfit two years ago. He said Beckham, who brokered a loan move to AC Milan last season, had shown little interest in the Galaxy since coach Ruud Gullit resigned in August last year. Donovan, who leads the Galaxy in Beckham's absence, also cast doubt on the 34-year-old midfielder's leadership abilities. But last week he admitted that he should have brought up his grievances with Beckham earlier. "I don't apologize for what I said," Donovan told MLSnet.com on Thursday. "I just apologize for the way I did. I should have told him to his face. I've long told David since he's been gone and I've been gone that I want to sit down and talk with him about everything. "It's fresh in everyone's minds now, and it appears like everything has gone on in a short period of time, but this has been a long time coming. The timing of it makes it a little awkward and seemingly uncomfortable, but we'll be fine. We'll get through it. "I like David as a person and I think he's a very good player. The frustrating part was at some point something happened and he seemingly turned off at the end of the year. "Nobody knows what it was, and my fault is I should have asked him and approached him and I didn't. Instead I vented to a reporter, and I regret it." | [
"Beckham is the star of what?",
"Who does David Backham plan to meet?",
"What did Beckham say about Donovan's comments?",
"Who accused Beckham of not commiting?",
"Who was the midfielder on loan to",
"Who accused Beckham of not being committed",
"What team does David Beckham play for",
"Does David Beckham plan to meet with Landon Donovan?"
] | [
[
"English football"
],
[
"Landon Donovan,"
],
[
"U.S. national captain was \"unprofessional\" for publicly voicing his opinions,"
],
[
"L.A. Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan,"
],
[
"AC Milan"
],
[
"Donovan,"
],
[
"L.A. Galaxy"
],
[
"is planning showdown talks"
]
] | David Beckham plans to meet with L.A. Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan .
U.S. captain accused Beckham of not been committed to the MLS team .
England star Beckham says Donovan's comments were "unprofessional"
The midfielder has returned to the Galaxy after loan spell with Italy's AC Milan . |
(CNN) -- David Beckham revealed that he has missed playing football "at the highest level" after being presented as an AC Milan player ahead of his three-month loan deal from the Los Angeles Galaxy.
David Beckham parades his new AC Milan kit after completing his three-month loan to the Italian club.
Beckham, 33, has negotiated a move to the Serie A giants in a bid to remain match fit and stay in the thoughts of England manager Fabio Capello.
His move to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid last year was perceived at the time as a step backwards to a league that has still to establish itself on the world stage, and the former England captain admitted that a move to Milan represented a move back into the mainstream.
"Moving to America was a big step for me because there was a lot of people who were criticizing the move, but I still believe it was a move where I wanted to challenge myself and I was able to challenge myself in different ways," Beckham told a packed press conference in Milan.
"But I have always said that I would always miss playing at the highest level. I'm not saying that in America they won't get to the highest level -- it will take time and it will happen. But with five months off during the season I personally can't do that.
"I needed to be able to be playing top-flight football to keep myself fit, to keep myself in contention for other things that are going on."
Beckham, who began the press conference by addressing the assembled media with a few words in Italian, will be in the stands to watch his new team take on Udinese on Sunday.
He will then join them at a training camp in Dubai and could make his debut when the Serie A season resumes with a trip to Roma on January 11.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder added: "I'm really happy to be here, it is a great honor. I hope to add to the team, I hope to give everything that I've always given in my career.
"To be able to have the chance to play for another one of the biggest clubs in the world, I've played for the biggest club in England, the biggest club in Spain and now I'm going to be playing for the biggest club in Italy, is amazing.
"I've been very lucky in my career to have done that, and I'm just going to enjoy it because I think to be given this opportunity is incredible." added Beckham. | [
"Where will he be on loan for three months?",
"what did he reveal",
"when will he be at Milan",
"What did he say he missed?",
"what has David Beckham revealed that he has missed",
"how long will David Beckham's loan deal be",
"who is presented",
"which club will David Beckham join on loan"
] | [
[
"to the Italian club."
],
[
"has missed playing football \"at the highest level\""
],
[
"January 11."
],
[
"playing football"
],
[
"playing football"
],
[
"three-month"
],
[
"Beckham"
],
[
"the Los Angeles Galaxy."
]
] | David Beckham presented to the media ahead of his loan spell with AC Milan .
The England midfielder revealed he missed playing football "at highest level"
33-year-old will be at Milan on loan for three months from Los Angeles Galaxy . |
(CNN) -- David Beckham was upstaged on the day his AC Milan future was finally resolved as teammate Filippo Inzaghi fired a hat-trick in the 3-0 success over Atalanta at the San Siro on Sunday.
David Beckham congratulates hat-trick hero Filippo Inzaghi as the San Siro enjoys a double celebration.
Milan confirmed in a brief statement a deal had been reached with Los Angeles Galaxy over England international Beckham. "AC Milan announces that the player David Beckham will remain at the club until June 30, 2009," it read.
The 33-year-old midfielder will then return to the United States to play for the Galaxy between July and October.
"I'm grateful to both clubs for allowing this dream to come true," Beckham said in a statement posted on www.gazzetta.it.
What do think of Beckham's move to play in the U.S. and Italy?
"It will enable me to play for Milan and the Galaxy in the same season, with the possibility of been able to keep up my commitments with Major League Soccer and the development of soccer in the United States, something which I'm very passionate about."
The deal follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs during which Milan baulked at the size of the transfer fee Galaxy were demanding -- thought to be around £12million.
Galaxy's chief executive, Tim Lieweke, admits the deal is one which suits both clubs. "I'm sorry that it had to go for so long, for him and for us and particularly for the fans," he told the Los Angeles Times.
"This is a good solution. It allows him to finish the season with Milan. We will see him in July."
Coach Carlo Ancelotti admits Beckham has exceeded all expectations during his first two months as an AC Milan player.
"Beckham has done more than we could have possibly expected from him," Ancelotti told PA Sport. "He has settled in very well with the squad and given a huge contribution up to now.
"He is very professional and we are all very, very happy that he is staying."
He added: "The aim was to keep him until June 30 and we have done that. He is very happy with the solution that has been found and we will make the most of having him now and then we will see."
Sunday's victory gave Milan a five-point gap over fourth-placed Fiorentina, who lost 2-0 at home to Palermo.
Ancelotti said Inzaghi had helped lift the club out of a crisis after their UEFA Cup exit.
"He gave us a real helping hand. It was a tough match and for most of the first half Atalanta caused us problems," he said.
"Then Pippo's ability to find the right place to be in allowed us to end the match well. We were in a crisis and now I hope that this result has put an end to the crisis."
Only the top three in Serie A will go straight into next season's Champions League group stages with the fourth place finisher having to negotiate two qualifying rounds.
With his contract uncertainty behind him, Beckham seemed to have a new lease of life and he was even given a free role behind forwards Inzaghi and Pato by Ancelotti.
The former England captain dictated the play and helped open the way for Milan to take a seventh-minute lead when Marek Jankulovski firied across goal for the unmarked Inzaghi to score.
Milan had to wait until the 71st minute for Inzaghi's second. He beat the offside trap to latch onto Pato's chip and take the ball around Consigli before slotting home.
Moment's later Inzaghi was once again in the right place at the right time to tap in Gianluca Zambrotta's pass from close range.
After that Ancelotti took both Inzaghi and Beckham off to give the fans the chance to show their appreciation for both players.
There was no change to the top three in Serie A as Inter Milan and Juventus both won on Saturday, 2-0 at Genoa and 1-0 at Torino | [
"were will beckham stay?",
"Where will he go afterwards?",
"Where is San Siro?",
"Who won the match?",
"what is beckham's future?",
"what was milan's score?"
] | [
[
"remain at the club"
],
[
"United States"
],
[
"Milan"
],
[
"AC Milan"
],
[
"will remain at the club until June 30, 2009,\""
],
[
"3-0"
]
] | Filippo Inzaghi fires hat-trick in Milan's 3-0 win over Atalanta at the San Siro .
Double celebration for fans as David Beckham's Milan future is also resolved .
Beckham will stay at San Siro for rest of season and the rejoin L.A. Galaxy . |
(CNN) -- David Beckham was upstaged on the day his AC Milan future was finally resolved as teammate Filippo Inzaghi fired a hat-trick in the 3-0 success over Atalanta at the San Siro on Sunday.
David Beckham congratulates hat-trick hero Filippo Inzaghi as the San Siro enjoys a double celebration.
Milan confirmed in a brief statement a deal had been reached with Los Angeles Galaxy over England international Beckham. "AC Milan announces that the player David Beckham will remain at the club until June 30, 2009," it read.
The 33-year-old midfielder will then return to the United States to play for the Galaxy between July and October.
"I'm grateful to both clubs for allowing this dream to come true," Beckham said in a statement posted on www.gazzetta.it.
What do think of Beckham's move to play in the U.S. and Italy?
"It will enable me to play for Milan and the Galaxy in the same season, with the possibility of been able to keep up my commitments with Major League Soccer and the development of soccer in the United States, something which I'm very passionate about."
The deal follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs during which Milan baulked at the size of the transfer fee Galaxy were demanding -- thought to be around £12million.
Galaxy's chief executive, Tim Lieweke, admits the deal is one which suits both clubs. "I'm sorry that it had to go for so long, for him and for us and particularly for the fans," he told the Los Angeles Times.
"This is a good solution. It allows him to finish the season with Milan. We will see him in July."
Coach Carlo Ancelotti admits Beckham has exceeded all expectations during his first two months as an AC Milan player.
"Beckham has done more than we could have possibly expected from him," Ancelotti told PA Sport. "He has settled in very well with the squad and given a huge contribution up to now.
"He is very professional and we are all very, very happy that he is staying."
He added: "The aim was to keep him until June 30 and we have done that. He is very happy with the solution that has been found and we will make the most of having him now and then we will see."
Sunday's victory gave Milan a five-point gap over fourth-placed Fiorentina, who lost 2-0 at home to Palermo.
Ancelotti said Inzaghi had helped lift the club out of a crisis after their UEFA Cup exit.
"He gave us a real helping hand. It was a tough match and for most of the first half Atalanta caused us problems," he said.
"Then Pippo's ability to find the right place to be in allowed us to end the match well. We were in a crisis and now I hope that this result has put an end to the crisis."
Only the top three in Serie A will go straight into next season's Champions League group stages with the fourth place finisher having to negotiate two qualifying rounds.
With his contract uncertainty behind him, Beckham seemed to have a new lease of life and he was even given a free role behind forwards Inzaghi and Pato by Ancelotti.
The former England captain dictated the play and helped open the way for Milan to take a seventh-minute lead when Marek Jankulovski firied across goal for the unmarked Inzaghi to score.
Milan had to wait until the 71st minute for Inzaghi's second. He beat the offside trap to latch onto Pato's chip and take the ball around Consigli before slotting home.
Moment's later Inzaghi was once again in the right place at the right time to tap in Gianluca Zambrotta's pass from close range.
After that Ancelotti took both Inzaghi and Beckham off to give the fans the chance to show their appreciation for both players.
There was no change to the top three in Serie A as Inter Milan and Juventus both won on Saturday, 2-0 at Genoa and 1-0 at Torino | [
"Who scored hat-trick?",
"What is the name of the team Beckham usually plays for?",
"Where will Beckham stay?",
"What is the name of player who had a hat trick?",
"Who's future is resolved?"
] | [
[
"Filippo Inzaghi"
],
[
"Los Angeles Galaxy"
],
[
"\"AC Milan"
],
[
"Filippo Inzaghi"
],
[
"Beckham"
]
] | Filippo Inzaghi fires hat-trick in Milan's 3-0 win over Atalanta at the San Siro .
Double celebration for fans as David Beckham's Milan future is also resolved .
Beckham will stay at San Siro for rest of season and the rejoin L.A. Galaxy . |
(CNN) -- David Goldman says he can't understand why he can't have custody of his son following his ex-wife's death in Brazil. The U.S. government agrees.
David Goldman is fighting for custody of his son after Bruna Bianchi Goldman died during another childbirth.
Goldman told CNN's Larry King he had no idea when he dropped off his wife and 4-year-old son at Newark International Airport in 2004 for a two-week vacation to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that he was about to become embroiled in an international custody battle.
Shortly after Bruna Bianchi Goldman arrived in her homeland she called to say she wanted a divorce, which she obtained in Brazil, and would stay there with their son, Sean.
The running custody battle has taken many twists and turns and has gained the attention of the Department of State and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"A child belongs with his family, and there is no reason why David Goldman should not get his child back," Clinton said in a recent interview on NBC's Today show. "And we're hoping that that will be resolved very soon. Obviously, if not, we will continue to raise it with the Brazilian government."
For nearly five years, Goldman has fought to regain custody of his son. It's a case that has been complicated by Bianchi Goldman remarrying, getting pregnant and dying during childbirth last summer. Sean Goldman is said to be living with his stepfather, who has been granted provisional guardianship.
"I went down ... to bring my son home," Goldman said on CNN's Larry King Live Wednesday, figuring his ex-wife's death had made the custody issue a moot point, and "we find out that this man doesn't file custody, but he files to remove my name from a Brazilian birth certificate that they had issued for my son, who was born in Red Bank, New Jersey."
Goldman continues to press his case through the U.S. government.
"The Department of State is working diligently to ensure that David and Sean Goldman are accorded their rights under the Hague Convention of 1980 on the civil right aspect of International Child Abduction," the agency said in a statement. "We'll continue to insist that the Brazilian government fulfill its obligations under the treaty and international law."
The convention, to which Brazil is a signatory, "is a multilateral treaty, which seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of abduction and retention across international boundaries by providing a procedure to bring about their prompt return," according to the Hague Convention Web site.
Brazilian courts have refused to return Sean Goldman to the United States for any custody hearings that New Jersey courts have ordered and the Brazilian government has not intervened. As a result, the case remains a stalemate.
"I would tell him that he's been very brave, as he has fought to have his son returned to him," Clinton said in the NBC interview. "His son is the most precious person in the world to him and he has gone not just the extra mile, but mile after mile, back and forth, trying to make it clear that his son Sean deserves to be returned to him."
But on Larry King Live, Helvecio Ribeiro, a Bianchi family spokesman, questioned Goldman's fitness as a parent.
"I don't question the biological right," he said. "The fact of the matter is that in order to be a parent, you have to be more than just a DNA donor, Mr. King. Fatherhood is not about making home movies and taking pictures, it's about sacrifice. It's about providing support to your child. It's about being there even when you're not there.
"And Mr. Goldman, while Bruna was still alive, failed to do so," Ribeiro said.
Goldman visited his son for the first time in more than four years last month -- a bittersweet experience that was heartbreaking when it was time to return to the United States.
"He asked me why I haven't come to see | [
"Who is working with Hillary Clinton?"
] | [
[
"\"The Department of State"
]
] | David Goldman dropped off his wife and 4-year-old son at airport in 2004 for vacation .
Wife got a divorce in Brazil, later got remarried, got pregnant and died during birth .
Wife's family lawyer questions Goldman's fitness as a parent .
State Department, Hillary Clinton working to help get son returned to United States . |
(CNN) -- David Goldman says he can't understand why he can't have custody of his son following his ex-wife's death in Brazil. The U.S. government agrees. David Goldman is fighting for custody of his son after Bruna Bianchi Goldman died during another childbirth. Goldman told CNN's Larry King he had no idea when he dropped off his wife and 4-year-old son at Newark International Airport in 2004 for a two-week vacation to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that he was about to become embroiled in an international custody battle. Shortly after Bruna Bianchi Goldman arrived in her homeland she called to say she wanted a divorce, which she obtained in Brazil, and would stay there with their son, Sean. The running custody battle has taken many twists and turns and has gained the attention of the Department of State and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "A child belongs with his family, and there is no reason why David Goldman should not get his child back," Clinton said in a recent interview on NBC's Today show. "And we're hoping that that will be resolved very soon. Obviously, if not, we will continue to raise it with the Brazilian government." For nearly five years, Goldman has fought to regain custody of his son. It's a case that has been complicated by Bianchi Goldman remarrying, getting pregnant and dying during childbirth last summer. Sean Goldman is said to be living with his stepfather, who has been granted provisional guardianship. "I went down ... to bring my son home," Goldman said on CNN's Larry King Live Wednesday, figuring his ex-wife's death had made the custody issue a moot point, and "we find out that this man doesn't file custody, but he files to remove my name from a Brazilian birth certificate that they had issued for my son, who was born in Red Bank, New Jersey." Goldman continues to press his case through the U.S. government. "The Department of State is working diligently to ensure that David and Sean Goldman are accorded their rights under the Hague Convention of 1980 on the civil right aspect of International Child Abduction," the agency said in a statement. "We'll continue to insist that the Brazilian government fulfill its obligations under the treaty and international law." The convention, to which Brazil is a signatory, "is a multilateral treaty, which seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of abduction and retention across international boundaries by providing a procedure to bring about their prompt return," according to the Hauge Convention Web site. Brazilian courts have refused to return Sean Goldman to the United States for any custody hearings that New Jersey courts have ordered and the Brazilian government has not intervened. As a result, the case remains a stalemate. "I would tell him that he's been very brave, as he has fought to have his son returned to him," Clinton said in the NBC interview. "His son is the most precious person in the world to him and he has gone not just the extra mile, but mile after mile, back and forth, trying to make it clear that his son Sean deserves to be returned to him." But on Larry King Live, Helvecio Ribeiro, a Bianchi family spokesman, questioned Goldman's fitness as a parent. "I don't question the biological right," he said. "The fact of the matter is that in order to be a parent, you have to be more than just a DNA donor, Mr. King. Fatherhood is not about making home movies and taking pictures, it's about sacrifice. It's about providing support to your child. It's about being there even when you're not there. "And Mr. Goldman, while Bruna was still alive, failed to do so," Ribeiro said. Goldman visited his son for the first time in more than four years last month -- a bittersweet experience that was heartbreaking when it was time to return to the United States. "He asked me why I haven't come to see | [
"Who is working to get the son back to the US?",
"Who is questioning Goldman's fitness as a parent?",
"Where was the divorce?",
"Where did Goldman's wife get divorced?",
"Who got a divorce in Brazil?",
"When did David Goldman drop off his wife and son?"
] | [
[
"David Goldman"
],
[
"Helvecio Ribeiro, a Bianchi family spokesman,"
],
[
"Brazil,"
],
[
"Brazil,"
],
[
"Bruna Bianchi Goldman"
],
[
"Newark International Airport"
]
] | David Goldman dropped off his wife and 4-year-old son at airport in 2004 for vacation .
Wife got a divorce in Brazil, later got remarried, got pregnant and died during birth .
Wife's family lawyer questions Goldman's fitness as a parent .
State Department, Hillary Clinton working to help get son returned to United States . |
(CNN) -- David Hall thought that he'd been careful, working diligently in his job as an Air Force sergeant, and staying quiet about his outside life, including his sexual orientation.
Then, a female cadet went to his commander, with the revelation that Hall -- who had been first in his ROTC pilot's training class and long aspired to a military career -- was gay. Soon thereafter, in 2002, he was discharged, the life-long military brat's dreams of being a pilot suddenly dashed.
"It was stunning, disappointing," Hall said of being outed, and ousted, despite "doing everything that the Air Force had asked of me." "I lost everything that I had been working for."
But starting Tuesday, Hall's future could take another turn. That's when the U.S. Defense Department is set to formally repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has been in place since 1993.
Advocates for the change overcame intense opposition from some who claimed allowing gay men and women to serve openly would hurt the military by making other troops uncomfortable and less effective, hurting morale and the military as a whole. And it also survived a last-minute push by two of the most powerful Republicans on the House Armed Service Committee to keep the policy in place.
"There were many times when we thought it wasn't going to happen," said Brian Moulton, chief legislative counsel for the Human Rights Campaign. "(Tuesday) is a tremendous day for (gay rights advocates)."
So, too, will be the days to follow. Hall, who joined the Air Force in 1996, said he's already been in touch with a recruiter, as he's actively considering returning to the military.
"My views of the military have never changed, I've always loved the military," he said. "It is great (the law is no longer in effect), because it is going to make the military stronger."
The policy, which became known as DADT, was extremely controversial when it first took shape. During his presidential campaign, Bill Clinton had vowed to let gays fight alongside straight people. But under intense pressure from conservatives fearful that such a policy would hurt the military's effectiveness, the compromise was crafted.
Under it, military officials could not ask a soldier, sailor or airman about his or her sexual preferences. But if the troop's orientation came to light, it could lead to their discharge from the military. Some, like Hall, claim they never brought anything up themselves to their superiors, but still were forced to leave.
Since its inception, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network -- which Hall now works for -- estimates more than 14,000 people were kicked out of the military due to "don't ask, don't tell," with the highest rates occurring in 2000 and 2001. The advocacy group said that its figures come from Defense Department statistics, obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests.
Efforts on Monday to reach several organizations that opposed the policy's repeal were unsuccessful.
But those on the other side of the debate described DADT as discriminatory.
"This is one of two remaining federal laws where the government says, in point-blank terms: Gay people are treated one way, and straight people are treated another way," said James Esseks, direction of the American Civil Liberty Union's LGBT project, adding that the other law is the Defense of Marriage Act. "Discrimination is written right into the face of law."
While serving, Hall said that it became "a game" for him and many other closeted military personnel, realizing "at work, I don't talk about my personal life." But in time, and after his discharge, the ex-Air Force sergeant said that he came to the realization that "the military was behind on this issue."
"They don't like change, and they don't want change unless they have to do it," he said.
Still, Clark Cooper, | [
"what is being repealled",
"In what year was the law, barring gays from serving openly in the military, enacted?",
"Which law was enacted in 1993?",
"What was the opinion of an ex-Air Force sergeant?"
] | [
[
"the \"don't ask, don't tell\" policy"
],
[
"1993."
],
[
"\"don't ask, don't tell\" policy"
],
[
"behind on this issue.\""
]
] | The repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy will become final on Tuesday .
The law, barring gays from serving openly in the military, was enacted in 1993 .
Obama signed a bill repealing it in late 2010, setting off a transition process .
An ex-Air Force sergeant outed by the policy says the military often doesn't like change . |
(CNN) -- David Headley, the Chicago, Illinois, man appearing in court Wednesday in connection with terror attacks in India, was born Daood Gilani, the son of a prominent Pakistani broadcaster, according to his half-brother. He grew up in both the United States and Pakistan, with a parent from each country. Headley's father, Syed Saleem Gilani, was working for the U.S.-government-funded Voice of America when Headley was born in 1960 in Washington, his half-brother Danyal Gilani said in a statement. Headley's mother was American, and his parents divorced after they moved to Pakistan together, not long after Headley was born, his half-brother said. He did not name the mother. His mother returned to the United States, but Headley remained in Pakistan, his half-brother said, citing "family elders." Headley went to high school at the Hassan Abdal Cadet College in Pakistan, Gilani and an FBI complaint against Headley indicate. At some point after high school, Headley moved back to the United States to be with his mother, and has had little contact with his Pakistani family since then, Gilani said. Gilani last saw Headley, whom he still refers to as Daood, "when he visited Pakistan a few days after my father's death, nearly a year ago." He got a Social Security number in Pennsylvania sometime in the late 1970s, public records show. He changed his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley on or about February 15, 2006, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order to present himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani, according to the criminal complaint against him. "His having another name or changing his name at some stage in life has come as a surprise to me. He has four kids and a Pakistani wife who also live in the United States," said Danyal Gilani, a public relations officer for the Pakistani prime minister's office. He issued a long statement last month distancing himself from his half-brother, in response to reports in the Indian press trying to link Headley to Pakistan's prime minister, whose last name also is Gilani. But Danyal Gilani said his family was not related to the prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani. Headley was arrested by federal agents on October 3 in Chicago, accused of helping plan terror attacks against a Danish newspaper that ran cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, sparking Muslim anger worldwide. He was later linked to the bloody four-day terrorist siege in Mumbai, India, in November 2008 in which 160 people were killed. The Justice Department accuses him of attending terrorism training camps in Pakistan in 2002 and 2003, and working with the group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba to carry out terror attacks. The United States lists Lashkar as a terrorist organization. India blamed the group for the Mumbai attacks. At the time of his arrest October 3, Headley was on his way back to India to plan a second attack, a source close to the investigation said. Headley is cooperating with the authorities investigating both terror plots, the Justice Department has said. His lawyer did not dispute that. Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, a retired major in the Pakistani military, was also charged with conspiracy in planning to attack the Danish newspaper. So was Tahawwur Hussain Rana, whom U.S. authorities identify as a Pakistani native and Canadian citizen who lives mainly in Chicago. Headley said he worked for First World Immigration Services, a company owned by Rana, though authorities have said in court papers that surveillance showed that he "performs few services" for the company. CNN's Reza Sayah in Islamabad, Pakistan, Terry Frieden in Washington, and Kathleen Johnston, Drew Griffin and Amy Roberts in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report. | [
"David Headley was born what name?",
"Who is accused of attending terrorism training camps and plotting attacks?",
"What is Headley accused of?",
"Whose was the son Gilani?",
"What did David Headley appear in court for?",
"Who appeared in court Wednesday?",
"What is his birth name?"
] | [
[
"Daood Gilani,"
],
[
"David"
],
[
"of helping plan terror attacks against a Danish newspaper that ran cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed,"
],
[
"Syed Saleem"
],
[
"attacks in India,"
],
[
"David"
],
[
"Daood Gilani,"
]
] | David Headley appeared in court Wednesday in connection with terror attacks in India .
He was born Daood Gilani, according to his half-brother .
Gilani was the son of a prominent Pakistani broadcaster, his half-brother said .
Headley is accused of attending terrorism training camps and plotting attacks . |
(CNN) -- David Lance Arneson, who helped trigger the global phenomenon of role-playing games as co-inventor of "Dungeons & Dragons," has died at the age of 61. A statement on the game's official Web site, wizards.com, said Arneson died Tuesday evening "after waging one final battle against cancer." Arneson "developed many of the fundamental ideas of role playing: that each player controls just one hero, that heroes gain power through adventures, and that personality is as important as combat prowess," the statement said. The game's co-creator, Gary Gygax, died last year. In 1974, Arneson and Gygax created "Dungeons & Dragons," which allowed players to assume roles in a magical world. They could be fighters or wizards, elves or dwarfs. "As characters journey through various lands, they search for hidden treasures while battling menacing monsters with their own brains and brawn," a description on wizards.com says. Some games would last days or weeks -- or even longer. "Game campaigns are as limitless as the player's imaginations," wizards.com says. What began as a hand-assembled print run of 1,000 games quickly sold out. Young people all over the world started buying up the game. By 1982, sales broke the $20 million mark. Arneson filed a series of lawsuits against Gygax insisting he was not being given credit or proper royalties for his work creating the game. The suits were settled. "Dungeons and Dragons" spawned video games, novels, a cartoon, and a movie. The franchise saw a surge this decade after "The Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" movies took off. | [
"What did David Arneson die from?",
"What games he helped to trigger?",
"What he helped on?",
"What things did \"Dungeons and Dragons\" spawn?",
"At what age David Lance Arneson died?",
"What did \"Dungeons and Dragons\" spawn?",
"David Lance Arneson was how old when he died?",
"What was Arneson battling against?",
"What was David Lance Arneson's age?"
] | [
[
"cancer.\""
],
[
"\"Dungeons & Dragons,\""
],
[
"trigger the global phenomenon of role-playing games"
],
[
"video games, novels, a cartoon,"
],
[
"61."
],
[
"video games, novels, a cartoon,"
],
[
"61."
],
[
"cancer.\""
],
[
"61."
]
] | David Lance Arneson has died at the age of 61 .
He helped trigger phenomenon of role-playing games .
Statement: Arneson died "after waging one final battle against cancer"
"Dungeons and Dragons" spawned video games, novels, a cartoon, and a movie . |
(CNN) -- David Letterman has been taking some heat and issuing some apologies for the off-color joke he made last week about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, but he found a sympathetic critic in comedian Jeff Foxworthy on Monday. Jeff Foxworthy, the father of two teenage daughters, says David Letterman's joke was flawed. The best-selling comedy recording artist in history paid a visit to CNN's "Larry King Live" to talk about Letterman's gaffe. "As a father of two teenage daughters, it was a flawed joke," Foxworthy said. Letterman joked last Tuesday that Palin's "daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez" at a recent Yankees game, stirring up an angry reaction from the Palin family. Letterman has since apologized twice for what he called "inappropriate" humor. And Foxworthy agreed: "I don't think any kind of joke about someone having sex with a teenage girl is funny." Watch Foxworthy comment on joke » But Foxworthy's rebuke of the joke was gentle in tone, and he showed empathy for Letterman as well as the Palin family. "As a comedian, you look at what Dave does," Foxworthy said. "You're trying to do this night after night, year after year, decade after decade -- at some point in the road, are you going to throw one out there you shouldn't have? Yeah." Foxworthy said it's probably time to forgive and forget. "It's about forgiveness," Foxworthy said. "He came back and apologized and said: 'Hey, the joke is flawed.' And to me you move on." King asked what advice he'd give Sarah Palin if she received an invitation to appear on Letterman's "Late Show." Foxworthy said he'd encourage the Alaska governor to accept it. "Life is about forgiveness. I think that makes her bigger to go on there and say 'I accept your apology'." Letterman has insisted he was referring to Palin's 18-year-old, Bristol, who gave birth to a boy in December, and not her 14-year-old, Willow, in the joke. Palin has called that a "weak, convenient excuse" for a joke that was"inappropriate" no matter which daughter was the target. Foxworthy, the author of "How to Really Stink at Work," also made some "confessions" about his pre-comedy career in corporate America. "I was at IBM for five years; I don't know how much work I did," Foxworthy said. The comedian, who said he used to make prank phone calls to his boss at work to lure him back and forth from his desk, had this tongue-in-cheek advice for people about how far to take things on the job: "You don't really want to get fired; you want to have a job. But you don't want to do it well, because you're going to be promoted, and that's a lot of pressure. Who can have any fun with that kind of anvil hanging over your head?" Foxworthy is also the host of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" and talked about the appeal of a game show that spotlights how much people tend to forget after all those years of cramming in facts at school. "It's a strange thing why the brain keeps some things," Foxworthy said. "Like I don't know why my brain has all the words to 'The Brady Bunch' theme song, but it deleted everything about triangles." | [
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"What was the joke about?",
"Who made off-color joke?",
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"Who made a joke about Sarah Palin´s daugther?"
] | [
[
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter,"
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[
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter,"
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[
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[
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[
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[
"forgiveness. I think that makes her bigger to go on there and say 'I accept your apology'.\""
],
[
"it was a flawed joke,\""
],
[
"Letterman"
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] | David Letterman made off-color joke about Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter last week .
Foxworthy: "As a father of two teenage daughters, it was a flawed joke"
Foxworthy also says he thinks Palins should accept Letterman's apologies, move on .
The comedian also has "advice" about having fun on the job . |
(CNN) -- David Michaelis' new biography of Charles M. Schulz explores the man behind "Peanuts," the comic strip that has delighted readers for decades. CNN.com appealed to fans out there to say what Linus, Lucy and Charlie Brown meant to them. Joy Hernandez has collected stuffed Snoopys since she was young; her dog, Dottie, is a Snoopy doppelganger. Readers responded with tales of bonding with family members while reading "Peanuts," even meeting Schulz and finding inspiration and companionship in the strip's characters. Below is a selection of responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity: Elise Marrion of Midland, Texas My grandmother always loved "Peanuts," and across the generations, that was one of the things we shared. When I was 7 years old, I spent a summer with her in Denver and every morning, I raced to find "Peanuts" in the comics section. A retired teacher, Grandma always made me read at least one front-page news story before I was allowed to read the comics. That task turned into a great love of newspapers, and it inspired me to pursue a career in journalism. Sadly she passed away before I received my degree, but I still keep her Peppermint Patty doll to remind me of her and our times reading "Peanuts" together. Kimberly Mercier of Santa Rosa, California The "Peanuts" characters were more like friends, when I was growing up. Woodstock and Snoopy were always my favorites, even today. I spent many years ice skating in Santa Rosa as a child and would often see Charles Schulz there at his favorite table in the Warm Puppy Cafe in front of the fireplace. Sometimes, we got to watch him and his "senior" team play broomball on the ice. They enjoyed themselves so much. Mr. Schulz was always kind and friendly to me, and when I became an adult with sons of my own, he treated them with equal kindness, a warm smile and hello. We have the loveliest memories of the "Peanuts" characters and their creator, a beloved man in our town. Susan Clifton of Chalfont, Pennsylvania This is more a comment on Mr. Schulz than the "Peanuts" characters. I was in my early teens and a huge hockey fan. I loved the "Peanuts" programs and coloring books and my parents told me that Charles Schulz was a big hockey fan, too. I wrote him a letter telling him of our shared interest, and before I knew it, I received a personalized letter, along with two cartoons with the "Peanuts" gang playing hockey -- each signed with a little note. I treasured that letter and personalized cartoons so much and always loved him for the fact that he would take the time to send them to me. It pains me beyond words that those pieces got lost along the way and are gone forever. Zac Davis of Blue Springs, Missouri My favorite "Peanuts" strip shows Snoopy typing on his typewriter a statement that details a struggle in many men's lives (apparently even Schulz's own): "Girls and root beer are not the answer." Brian Heraty of Chicago, Illinois I remember snippets of the "Peanuts" gang throughout my childhood. ... From "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and Christmas specials to "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron," memories of Charlie Brown and the gang abound. In all that time, there were always two answers that eluded me: Why are all the boys bald or balding, and what's the deal with Peppermint Patty? Pedro Valle of San Juan, Puerto Rico My favorite "Peanuts" character has always been Linus Van Pelt. His view on humanity is unique, like an outsider looking in. In fact, my favorite "Peanuts" moment ever is when Charlie Brown challenges Linus' dream to become a little country doctor. He asks Linus how he could become a doctor if he can't deal with humanity. The very wise Linus responds: "I love humanity; it's people I can't stand." That sums up | [
"who asked readers?",
"What did Schulz play out his personal problems in?",
"Who has a new biography revealing details of his life?"
] | [
[
"CNN.com"
],
[
"\"Peanuts\""
],
[
"Charles M. Schulz"
]
] | New biography of Charles M. Schulz reveals details of his personal life .
Book says Schulz played out his personal problems in the "Peanuts" characters .
CNN.com asked readers to share their memories of the "Peanuts" strip .
I-Report: Share your "Peanuts" memories, memorabilia . |
(CNN) -- David Waller has some simple advice for anyone looking to improve morale at their organization -- even if it's not the easiest advice to follow. IAEA deputy director David Waller calls Nobel "a bolt of lightning" for his staff "I say to them, jokingly, 'Why don't you try winning the Nobel Peace Prize?' " he said. Waller, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, knows what he's talking about. The organization, based in Vienna, Austria, and dedicated to the safe and peaceful use of nuclear power, was awarded the prize in 2005. President Barack Obama was the surprise winner Friday of this year's peace prize. But for most of this week's other winners, the honor marks a leap from relative obscurity to a spot in the international limelight. Waller said the scientists, authors, activists and others receiving Nobel honors this week should be prepared for an experience that will change their lives in the months and years that follow. "The day that it was announced that we were winning the Nobel Peace Prize, I can assure you that it was like a bolt of lightning that went through this place in terms of energizing staff and giving people a sense of self-worth," he said. "It was absolutely remarkable." In all, 172 people and 33 organizations were nominated for the peace prize-- although the Oslo, Norway-based Nobel committee had not announced who its finalists were. The peace prize is one of five awards handed out annually by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded. The peace prize is the last of the awards to be announced this week and the Riksbank prize will be awarded Monday. Even for an organization like the IAEA, a United Nations affiliate that traces its roots back to 1957, things were never the same after receiving the revered award, Waller said. "Many, many things changed," he said. "The number of applications we had for positions here, which was already high, skyrocketed. People returned phone calls very quickly. The whole spectrum of things of that nature changed." Elizabeth Dobie-Sarsam, a media specialist with the agency, remembers the day it received the Nobel -- she was on vacation and asleep on her sister's floor in Canada when it was announced. "For three years running, we had been sitting on the edges of our chairs hoping that we won," she said. "That year, for some reason, we thought, 'Oh, forget it. We're not going to get it.' " The trip back to Vienna would have taken her too long to handle the initial rush of attention, so she finished her vacation, with family members introducing her as "the Nobel Peace Prize winner" for the rest of the week. Months later, Dobie-Sarsam said, she was still working to keep up with a flood of media interest in the agency spurred by the award. She said that, four years later, the award still contributes to a feeling of unity among the agency's more-than 2,000 employees who come from over 100 different countries. "That flush of excitement, unfortunately, it goes away with time," she said. "[But] you do get reminded. You walk through the corridor and you see that certificate hanging -- it's acknowledgement that what we do is incredibly important." The Nobel recipient receives a prize of 10 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.4 million, another life-changer for many recipients. But Waller said it's the recognition of what the Nobel panel called the "incalculable value" of his agency's work that helps when employees are having a hard time with their sometimes slow, frustrating work. "I think it's a continuing energizer for our staff," he said. | [
"What year did the International Atomic Energy Agency win?",
"What was a \"bold of lightning\" for the staff?",
"What did the deputy director say Nobel was?",
"Who was named the 2009 peace prize winner on Friday?",
"Who was the 2009 peace price winner?",
"Who did the Nobel foundation name the 2009 peace prize winner Friday?",
"Which agency won in 2005 for work in nuclear field?",
"Which agency won in 2005 for their work in the nuclear field?"
] | [
[
"2005."
],
[
"Nobel"
],
[
"\"a bolt of lightning\""
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[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"International Atomic Energy"
],
[
"International Atomic Energy"
]
] | Deputy director says Nobel was "bolt of lightning" for staff .
Nobel foundation named Obama the 2009 peace prize winner Friday .
Recognition, applications will rise with announcement, winners say .
International Atomic Energy Agency won in 2005 for work in nuclear field . |
(CNN) -- Days ahead of national elections, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has announced plans to rehire 20,000 former Iraqi army officers who served under former leader Saddam Hussein.
The officers will be reinstated into the new Iraqi army, said an official with the ministry of defense.
The move garnered criticism as being a political ploy and was surprising in some circles after al-Maliki's campaign rhetoric against Hussein's Baath Party.
Several candidates who planned to stand in the upcoming election have been banned by the country's Accountability and Justice Commission because of evidence of them "glorifying" the Baath Party.
Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said al-Maliki was simply trying to secure more votes.
"This contradicts his anti-Baathist election campaign and it is very obvious that he wants to appeal to voters."
A few weeks after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, top U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer dissolved Baathist institutions, including the Iraqi army, that were viewed as threats against building a new Iraqi society.
The Baath Party was declared illegal and many Sunni Arabs lost their government jobs.
As a result, the Sunni Arab community became disenfranchised -- many embraced the rising insurgency and stayed away from the first elections in 2005.
The tensions led to pitched battles between Shiites and Sunni Arabs in the streets of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
Over the years, the United States has worked to get on the good side of the Sunni Arabs, bring them into the country's new political culture, and persuade them to accept the new Iraq.
In a separate development, a member of an al Qaeda in Iraq cell responsible for several dozen assassinations in and around Baghdad has been arrested, the U.S. military said.
Iraqi security forces seized the militant in a rural area about 38 kilometers, or almost 24 miles, southwest of the capital. The cell is believed to have conducted nearly 50 assassinations.
The arrest occurred ahead of Iraq's March 7 national elections, and the military says intelligence reports indicate that the al Qaeda in Iraq fighters "are increasingly staging politically motivated assassinations" to undermine the Iraqi government and the upcoming polls.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | [
"What is the number of former soldiers hired?",
"What was dissolved after the invasion in 2003?",
"In what year was Iraq invaded?",
"Who did the former soldiers work under?",
"When did the invasion of Irag Baathist Institutions take place?",
"What leader did they work under?"
] | [
[
"20,000"
],
[
"the Iraqi army,"
],
[
"2003"
],
[
"Saddam Hussein."
],
[
"2003"
],
[
"Saddam Hussein."
]
] | Iraq to hire thousands of former soldiers who worked under Saddam Hussein .
Move comes days before national elections, seen by some as political ploy .
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq Baathist institutions were dissolved .
Many former Baath party members became marginalized and joined the insurgency . |
(CNN) -- Days of violent unrest in the Thai capital have left dozens dead and hundreds injured as security forces clash with anti-government protesters.
The latest victims include a key opposition leader, Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol -- a renegade general better known as Seh Daeng -- who died days after being critically wounded by a sniper's bullet.
But the current crisis follows a months-long standoff between Thai authorities and protesters opposed to the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The protesters -- known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) -- support Thaksin Shinawatra, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, before he was ousted in a bloodless coup.
What is happening now?
The latest violence follows a government pledge to hold an election in November in an attempt to halt the protests. However, amid ongoing anger over a crackdown by security forces last month and a refusal by the protesters to comply with a deadline to vacate the district of Bangkok they have been occupying for weeks, authorities say the election date is now under threat.
Prime Minister Abhisit declared a state of emergency April 7, hours after anti-government demonstrators (known as "Red Shirts" for the clothes they wear) stormed the country's parliament.
Three days later, the deadliest clash in more than a decade between protesters (in this case the Red Shirts) and the military erupted, leading to the deaths of more than two dozen demonstrators and military forces.
Violence erupted again last week when protesters once again ignored an ultimatum to end their occupation in downtown Bangkok by Wednesday. Seh Daeng's subsequent shooting by an unknown assailant raised tensions further and at least 35 people have been killed and 240 wounded in the latest wave of unrest. The government has imposed a state of emergency in 22 provinces and metropolitan Bangkok.
What happens next?
Authorities have urged protesters to evacuate the protest area by Monday afternoon or face up to two years in prison for violating the order. But around 5,000 protesters remained on the streets in defiance of the authorities.
On Sunday protest leaders offered to resume talks with the government in U.N.-mediated negotiations if security forces were withdrawn from the streets. But the government has not accepted the offer. A senior official told CNN that authorities were under pressure to be more decisive in taking action to end the protests and claimed the government had been showing patience and restraint.
Media and analysts in Thailand say civil war may be looming, between the Red Shirts and the so-called "multi-colored shirts" (who support Abhisit). They are displeased with the disruption caused by the protests. They are generally middle-class city dwellers. They are not pro- or anti-government, they simply want the government to shut down the Reds to end the violence and interruptions to daily life. The red and multi-colored shirts have clashed in Silom Road, Bangkok's business and financial district.
How will Seh Daeng's death affect the protest movement?
CNN's Sara Sidner said it was unclear what the immediate impact of Seh Daeng's death would be. "Not all the protesters followed him as some thought he was too much of a hardliner," Sidner said. Some protesters argue that the Red Shirt movement should negotiate with the government to reach a settlement. But militant armed factions loyal to Seh Daeng and known as "Black Shirts" reject negotiation and appear ready to use violence to achieve their goals.
Haven't these protests been going on for a long time?
Yes, Thailand has been embroiled in political chaos for years and many here are growing weary with the instability. Ever since Thaksin came to power, there have been protesters opposing his allegedly corrupt and autocratic rule. Those protesters donned yellow shirts (the color of the king) and occupied the two main airports in Bangkok, until finally the pro-Thaksin government was brought down by a court ruling. In revenge Thaksin's supporters copied the yellow shirt tactics and took to the streets in red shirts.
Why do the sides divide on colors?
It's an easy way for them to create an identity. It all | [
"Who was greedy and self-starving?"
] | [
[
"Thaksin Shinawatra,"
]
] | Thaksin supporters say that he gave the rural poor a voice and real benefits .
Detractors say that as prime minister he was greedy, self-serving and dangerous .
Current premier Abhisit Vejjajiva keen to show no one is above the rule of law .
Current court case relates to shares transfer in Thaksin communications company . |
(CNN) -- Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth in the United States have doubled in the past 20 years, a development that a human rights group called "scandalous and disgraceful" Friday.
In addition, the rights group said, about 1.7 million women a year, one-third of pregnant women in the United States, suffer from pregnancy-related complications.
Most of the deaths and complications occur among minorities and women living in poverty, it noted.
Amnesty International issued a report Friday that calls on President Obama to take action.
"This country's extraordinary record of medical advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA.
"Good maternal care should not be considered a luxury available only to those who can access the best hospitals and the best doctors. Women should not die in the richest country on earth from preventable complications and emergencies," Cox said in a news release.
The report, "Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA," notes that the lifetime risk of maternal deaths is greater in the United States than in 40 other countries, including virtually all industrialized nations.
The report also noted that severe pregnancy-related complications that nearly cause death -- known as "near misses" -- have increased by 25 percent since 1998.
Up to 40 percent of near misses are considered preventable with better quality of care, according to a 2007 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Minorities, women living in poverty, Native Americans, immigrants and those who speak little or no English are particularly affected, Amnesty International said.
"The thing that really struck us was that these problems hit women of color, low-income, particularly hard," said Nan Strauss, researcher and co-author of the Amnesty report. "But every woman who is going through pregnancy in this country is at risk."
Figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, show that black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth than their white counterparts.
White women have a mortality rate of 9.5 per 100,000 pregnancies, the CDC said. For African-American women, that rate is 32.7 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies.
"This has been known for a while and no one has a good handle on it," said Dr. Elliot Main, chairman and chief of obstetrics at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. "This is a national disgrace and a call to action. Both numbers are a call to action -- maternal mortality and racial disparity."
The CDC analysis shows that deaths during pregnancy and childbirth have doubled for all U.S. women in the past 20 years.
In 1987, there were 6.6 deaths for every 100,000 pregnancies. The number of deaths had climbed to 13.3 per 100,000 in 2006, the last year for which figures were available.
A report called "Healthy People 2010" by the Department of Health and Human Services says that number should be around four deaths for each 100,000 pregnancies.
Statistics for other highly industrialized countries show that the U.S. goal of four deaths for every 100,000 pregnancies is attainable. Great Britain, for example, has fewer than four deaths for each 100,000 pregnancies, Main said.
"Women's health is at risk," said Strauss. "We spend the most, and yet women are more likely to die than in 40 other countries. And that disconnect is what makes it such a problem."
Amnesty International points out that nearly 13 million U.S. women of reproductive age (15 to 44 years old), or one in five, do not have health insurance. Minorities account for 32 percent of all women in the United States but 51 percent of uninsured women, the rights group said.
Furthermore, Amnesty International said, one in four women do not receive adequate prenatal care, starting in the first trimester. The number rises to about one in three for African-American and Native American women, the human rights group said.
Amnesty International also cited what it | [
"what is Whites' mortality rate?",
"women are more liekly to what",
"who are more likely to die than in 40 other countries?",
"what is black's mortality rate?",
"when was this report released",
"what country are they talking about",
"what does report call for"
] | [
[
"9.5 per 100,000"
],
[
"suffer from pregnancy-related complications."
],
[
"pregnant women"
],
[
"32.7 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies."
],
[
"Friday"
],
[
"United States"
],
[
"President Obama to take action."
]
] | Amnesty International report calls for better maternal care in United States .
"Women are more likely to die than in 40 other countries," Amnesty says .
CDC: Whites' mortality rate is 9.5 per 100,000 pregnancies, blacks' rate is 32.7 . |
(CNN) -- Debbie Phelps, the mother of swimming star Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing, is the author of a new memoir, "A Mother For All Seasons." Debbie Phelps, mother of Olympian Michael Phelps, tells Larry King her son has strong values. Phelps spoke with CNN's Larry King about her new book, a recent tabloid report detailing her son's partying ways and the infamous bong photo. The following is an edited version of the transcript. Larry King: You have this terrific new book coming. If I do say so myself, it's inspiring. Yet (Thursday's) lead story in the "New York Daily News" gate crasher column -- I don't know who writes that -- "tsk, tsk," it says, "Michael Phelps, partying your face off in public is not the way to reclaim your good guy image. The Olympian was been laying relatively low since his bong smoking scandal in January was out in full force Tuesday night at New York City hot spot Marquis" -- I think is the name -- "Michael was definitely having a good time, an eyewitness tells us, drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose. When the DJ started playing MIA's 'Paper Planes,' he got up started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling 'shots.' Phelps definitely had enough alcohol on hand for several four round. He ordered four bottles of Vodka." Is this tough for a mother? How do you react? Debbie Phelps: It's one thing that I learn at a very early age is I don't get caught up in gossip columns. I know my son. He has great values, lots of integrity. That's what I think about that. King: Did you talk to him about this? Phelps: I always talk to Michael. I talk to Michael every day. We talked about training today and things of that nature. King: But it would be normal to say, what happened, wouldn't it? I would say that to my son. Phelps: We give support. We give guidance. We give an ear to listen. And, again, I don't get caught up in gossip. King: Therefore, you don't believe it? I just want to establish what your feelings are. Phelps: I don't get caught up in gossip, Mr. King. King: What about something that wasn't gossip, the picture with the bong thing. It was a picture. Phelps: It's a picture, that's true. But, you know, a picture can say many things. It has many words. It has many meanings. It has many visualizations that you want to think. It depends on the person who is looking at that picture. You know, as a mom, I support all three of my children. I believe that no matter who you are in this country, in this world, there are obstacles that get into your life. I call them speed bumps in school sometimes. I heard someone say lightning bolts. That's another term for that. But, you know, how do we grow? How do we learn? You raise a child through 18. You send them off to college. You give them the roots. You give them the foundation to be a strong, young man, a strong lady. Life throws curve balls to you sometimes. How do you handle that curve ball? King: Michael is 23. That's an adult. He's an adult. Phelps: A young adult. King: Young adult. So one could say it's his life. He chooses to lead it. As our parent, we do our best to guide them, but 23 is 23. Do you view him still as a kid? Phelps: I view my 31-year-old daughter as a kid sometimes. You know, I look at each of my children independently and individually of themselves. They have many strong values, | [
"What was Michael Phelps seen doing in NY?",
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] | [
[
"partying"
],
[
"tells Larry King her son has strong values."
]
] | Debbie Phelps says she doesn't get caught up in gossip involving son, Michael .
Michael Phelps reportedly seen partying at NY bar .
Phelps apologized in January after photo shows him smoking from bong . |
(CNN) -- Debra Lafave, a former Florida middle school teacher convicted of having sex with a student, was arrested Tuesday for "inappropriate but non-sexual contact" with a teenage coworker, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Debra Lafave was arrested after talking with a teenager. She is not allowed to have contact with anyone under 18. The association violated the terms of Lafave's probation, which forbade her to have contact with anyone under 18, the sheriff's office said. She was released on her own recognizance. Lafave and her mother, Joyce Beasley, had no comment as they left the jail. "I can only characterize this as somewhat of a bizarre and unusual violation," said Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons. Lafave, 27, pleaded guilty in November 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years under house arrest and seven years of probation. Lafave was also required to register as a sex offender and abide by numerous conditions. She was arrested after corrections officers interviewed a 17-year-old girl, who worked at a restaurant where Lafave had been employed since January 2006, according to the violation report from Florida's Corrections Department. Watch Lafave's ex-husband discuss the allegations » The teenager told the officers that Lafave discussed "non-work related issues such as family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues and sexual issues in both private one-on-one conversations" with her and in group settings, according to the report. "I would characterize this simply as 'girl talk,' or 'guy talk,' if you will, among fellow employees, that all of us do every day," Fitzgibbons said. "This is it. There's no more, there's no less. ... I would describe it as simply a workplace friendship." The co-worker will turn 18 on January 2, Fitzgibbons said. Lafave refused to make a statement regarding the allegations, the document said. She was ordered to quit the restaurant job and now works as a receptionist in her mother's barber shop, the report said. Lafave says she suffers from bipolar disorder and is receiving treatment. Fitzgibbons said his client has done everything required of her, living with her parents and leaving only to go to work. She has done so well on two years of house arrest, he said, that he has been planning to ask that the third year be waived. Fitzgibbons said he still intends to make that request, and hopes Lafave's arrest will not hurt that effort -- "I would hope that the court would be understanding." "She's really tried hard, so it's upsetting to her," he said of the arrest, but noted it was "unheard of" for someone on probation for a sexual offense to be released on her own recognizance. E-mail to a friend | [
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Florida's Corrections Department: Lafave talked with 17-year-old coworker .
The two discussed family problems, sexual issues, report says .
Lafave was ordered to quit the job because of the allegations . |
(CNN) -- Debra Lafave, the former Florida middle school teacher convicted of having sex with a student, violated her probation by hugging a young co-worker, a Florida judge found Thursday.
Debra Lafave was arrested after talking with a teenager. She is not allowed to have contact with anyone under 18.
But the judge did not send Lafave to jail, saying the violation was "not willful and substantial."
"Please don't come back," he scolded.
Dressed in a tailored, black pantsuit, Lafave said she had "innocent" physical contact with a female co-worker she knew as under age 18. Watch Lafave in the courtroom »
At the time, she and the 17-year-old hostess worked at Danny Boy's, a small restaurant in the Tampa, Florida, area.
Lafave, 27, pleaded guilty in November 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years under house arrest and seven years of probation.
Lafave was required to register as a sex offender and ordered not to have any contact with minors. A tracking device she carries as part of her probation went off in court, prompting the prosecutor to observe, "I think she's accounted for."
Lafave acknowledged she was aware that hugs and other forms of physical contact -- as well as conversations about sex -- with minors violated terms of her probation. She referred to the sexually explicit conversations at work as just "girl talk."
Lafave denied talking about her sex life with co-workers. "I don't speak that way about my personal life," she said. But she added that her co-workers spoke freely about sex in a "small group setting."
While other co-workers socialized outside work, Lafave said, the 17-year-old was not included in those outings.
Asked why she hugged the young co-worker, Lafave explained it was a small restaurant with a casual atmosphere where co-workers felt like family. The contact came, she said, "out of my good nature, that's the way it worked."
The contacts that led to Thursday's probation violation hearing first surfaced during two polygraph tests administered as part of Lafave's court-ordered supervision.
She received a verbal reprimand a year ago, according to testimony. When the behavior continued, her probation officer asked a judge to find her in violation.
She was ordered to quit the restaurant job and now works as a receptionist in her mother's beauty shop.
In the past, Lafave has said she suffers from bipolar disorder and is receiving treatment. E-mail to a friend | [
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But judge spares Debra Lafave from jail, warns her "don't come back"
Lafave's probation forbids her to have contact with anyone under 18 . |
(CNN) -- Deep underground on the border between France and Switzerland, the world's largest particle accelerator complex will explore the world on smaller scales than any human invention has explored before.
The collider's ALICE experiment will look at how the universe formed by analyzing particle collisions.
The Large Hadron Collider will look at how the universe formed by analyzing particle collisions. Some have expressed fears that the project could lead to the Earth's demise -- something scientists say will not happen. Still, skeptics have filed suit to try to stop the project. It even has a rap dedicated to it on YouTube.
Scientists say the collider is finally ready for an attempt to circulate a beam of protons the whole way around the 17-mile tunnel. The test, which takes place Wednesday, is a major step toward seeing if the the immense experiment will provide new information about the way the universe works.
"It's really a generation that we've been looking forward to this moment, and the moments that will come after it in particular," said Bob Cousins, deputy to the scientific leader of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment, one of six experiments inside the collider complex. "September 10 is a demarcation between finishing the construction and starting to turn it on, but the excitement will only continue to grow."
The collider consists of a particle accelerator buried more than 300 feet near Geneva, Switzerland. About $10 billion have gone into the accelerator's construction, the particle detectors and the computers, said Katie Yurkewicz, spokewoman for CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which is host to the collider.
In the coming months, the collider is expected to begin smashing particles into each other by sending two beams of protons around the tunnel in opposite directions. It will operate at higher energies and intensities in the next year, and the experiments could generate enough data to make a discovery by 2009, experts say. Check out the collider complex's six detectors »
Testing the unknown
Experts say the collider has the potential to confirm theories about questions that physicists have been working on for decades including the possible existence of extra dimensions. They also hope to find a theoretical particle called the Higgs boson, which has never been detected, but would help explain why matter has mass.
The collider will recreate the conditions of less than a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, when there was a hot "soup" of tiny particles called quarks and gluons, to look at how the universe evolved, said John Harris, U.S. coordinator for ALICE, a detector specialized to analyze that question.
Since this is exploratory science, the collider may uncover surprises that contradict prevailing theories, but which are just as interesting, said Joseph Lykken, theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
"When Columbus sails west, he thought he was going to find something. He didn't find what he thought he was going to find, but he did find something interesting," said Lykken, who works on the Compact Muon Solenoid, one of six experiments inside the collider complex.
Why should the layperson care about this particular exploration? Years ago, when electrons were first identified, no one knew what they were good for, but they have since transformed our entire economy, said Howard Gordon, deputy research program manager for the collider's ATLAS experiment.
"The transformative effect of this research will be to understand the world we live in much better," said Gordon, at Brookhaven National Laboratory. "It's important for just who we are, what we are."
Black hole fears are "baloney"
Fears have emerged that the collider could produce black holes that could suck up anything around them -- including the whole Earth. Such fears prompted legal actions in the U.S. and Europe to halt the operation of the Large Hadron Collider, alleging safety concerns regarding black holes and other phenomena that could theoretically emerge.
Although physicists acknowledge that the collider could, in theory, create small black holes, they say they do not pose any risk. A study released Friday by CERN scientists explains that any black hole created | [
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] | Large Hadron Collider will have first attempt at circulating a beam September 10 .
It's the largest particle accelerator in the world and costs about $10 billion .
Lawsuits allege it could generate black holes that could eat the Earth .
Scientists say these allegations have no merit . |
(CNN) -- Deep-sea explorers say they have solved "one of the greatest mysteries in naval history" with the discovery of what was "the world's mightiest and most technically advanced warship" when it sank in 1744.
The HMS Victory sank in 1744.
The HMS Victory -- the predecessor to a historic British flagship of the same name -- was found "far from where history says it was lost," Odyssey Marine Exploration said in a news release Monday.
The find in the English Channel exonerates Adm. Sir John Balchin, one of "the greatest admirals in English history," because it shows that the ship went down in a violent storm, not due to any mistakes he made, Odyssey said.
It did not specify the ship's exact location. Maritime lore said the ship went down in the northern part of the Channel Islands, south of England near the coast of France.
Stories about treasures -- including gold -- that may have been on the ship have existed ever since its disappearance.
This HMS Victory was a predecessor to the historic British ship that took the same name and which served as Admiral Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
In court papers seeking exclusive salvage rights, Odyssey says the wreck site "consists of cannons and other unidentified objects. Odyssey believes that potentially valuable cargo may be located at or near the site."
The papers were filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, where Odyssey is based, seeking exclusive salvage rights.
There were nearly 1,000 people aboard -- "900 sailors, plus a complement of marines and 50 volunteers drawn from the noblest families of England," Odyssey said in information about the ship released together with the Discovery Channel, which chronicled the find.
Based on reports from the time, there may be as much as four tons of gold on the ship, Odyssey and the Discovery Channel said.
"Additional research indicates that there were large quantities of both silver and gold coins aboard. ... Research suggests that this prize money will also likely be located at the wreck site.
"... However, no coins have been located at the site to date, and no accurate assessment as to their value can be made prior to location, recovery and analysis."
The potential treasure also comes in another form -- bronze weaponry. "The site's anticipated ordnance collection" includes "the single largest collection of bronze cannon in the world" and "the largest consignment of bronze guns ever manufactured and preserved today," Odyssey said.
Two cannons have been recovered -- "a 12-pounder featuring the royal arms of George II" and a "42-pounder bearing the crest of George I," it said.
"The huge 42-pounder recovered is the only known example of a gun of this type and size currently in existence on dry land. The only other artifacts recovered to date were two small brick fragments that were brought into U.S. federal court in order to file an admiralty arrest of the site."
Admiralty arrest is a step mandated under international maritime law.
The discovery could set up a legal battle with the British government.
If it really is the HMS Victory, "her remains are sovereign immune," the British Ministry of Defense (MOD) said in a statement on its blog Monday.
"The wreck remains the property of the Crown. We have not waived our rights to it. This means that no intrusive action may be taken without the express consent of the United Kingdom."
In its statement, Odyssey said it "has been cooperating closely" with the ministry, and "all activities at the site have been conducted in accordance with protocols agreed with MOD and Royal Navy officials."
The ship has deteriorated to the point that recovering it is impossible, Odyssey said. "A plan is being developed for an archaeological excavation of the site, and artifacts will be recovered in accordance with a scientific project plan, which will be submitted to the UK MOD for review and approval."
The company has proposed that it be paid "with either ... a percentage of the | [
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Victory sank in 1744 between England and France .
If find is confirmed, it could set up a legal battle with the British government .
Replacement HMS Victory served as Nelson flagship for Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 . |
(CNN) -- Deep-sea explorers say they have solved "one of the greatest mysteries in naval history" with the discovery of what was "the world's mightiest and most technically advanced warship" when it sank in 1744. The HMS Victory sank in 1744. The HMS Victory -- the predecessor to a historic British flagship of the same name -- was found "far from where history says it was lost," Odyssey Marine Exploration said in a news release Monday. The find in the English Channel exonerates Adm. Sir John Balchin, one of "the greatest admirals in English history," because it shows that the ship went down in a violent storm, not due to any mistakes he made, Odyssey said. It did not specify the ship's exact location. Maritime lore said the ship went down in the northern part of the Channel Islands, south of England near the coast of France. Stories about treasures -- including gold -- that may have been on the ship have existed ever since its disappearance. This HMS Victory was a predecessor to the historic British ship that took the same name and which served as Admiral Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In court papers seeking exclusive salvage rights, Odyssey says the wreck site "consists of cannons and other unidentified objects. Odyssey believes that potentially valuable cargo may be located at or near the site." The papers were filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, where Odyssey is based, seeking exclusive salvage rights. There were nearly 1,000 people aboard -- "900 sailors, plus a complement of marines and 50 volunteers drawn from the noblest families of England," Odyssey said in information about the ship released together with the Discovery Channel, which chronicled the find. Based on reports from the time, there may be as much as four tons of gold on the ship, Odyssey and the Discovery Channel said. "Additional research indicates that there were large quantities of both silver and gold coins aboard. ... Research suggests that this prize money will also likely be located at the wreck site. "... However, no coins have been located at the site to date, and no accurate assessment as to their value can be made prior to location, recovery and analysis." The potential treasure also comes in another form -- bronze weaponry. "The site's anticipated ordnance collection" includes "the single largest collection of bronze cannon in the world" and "the largest consignment of bronze guns ever manufactured and preserved today," Odyssey said. Two cannons have been recovered -- "a 12-pounder featuring the royal arms of George II" and a "42-pounder bearing the crest of George I," it said. "The huge 42-pounder recovered is the only known example of a gun of this type and size currently in existence on dry land. The only other artifacts recovered to date were two small brick fragments that were brought into U.S. federal court in order to file an admiralty arrest of the site." Admiralty arrest is a step mandated under international maritime law. The discovery could set up a legal battle with the British government. If it really is the HMS Victory, "her remains are sovereign immune," the British Ministry of Defense (MOD) said in a statement on its blog Monday. "The wreck remains the property of the Crown. We have not waived our rights to it. This means that no intrusive action may be taken without the express consent of the United Kingdom." In its statement, Odyssey said it "has been cooperating closely" with the ministry, and "all activities at the site have been conducted in accordance with protocols agreed with MOD and Royal Navy officials." The ship has deteriorated to the point that recovering it is impossible, Odyssey said. "A plan is being developed for an archaeological excavation of the site, and artifacts will be recovered in accordance with a scientific project plan, which will be submitted to the UK MOD for review and approval." The company has proposed that it be paid "with either ... a percentage of the | [
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Victory sank in 1744 between England and France .
If find is confirmed, it could set up a legal battle with the British government .
Replacement HMS Victory served as Nelson flagship for Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 . |
(CNN) -- Deepa, 40, was born in Mumbai, where she is now a banking technology consultant, as well as running a company that offers "offbeat sightseeing tours" of six Indian cities, including Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. Deepa Krishnan: "When you live in Mumbai you feel like you're in the nerve center of the country." Deepa's Mumbai tours take in the city's bazaars, backstreets and culture and her blog, Mumbai Magic, is a personal view of life in the city. CNN: How does Mumbai compare to those other cities your company offers tour of? Deepa: Mumbai is a very young city by Indian standards, only 500 years old, whereas a city like Delhi is really ancient. Mumbai used to be a fishing hamlet and it grew after the British arrived. So it's a young city and one that has been formed by migrants. Almost everyone in Mumbai has arrived here in the course of the last few generations, and so the city has a vibrancy and cosmopolitanism that is different from other cities. CNN: What makes Mumbai special to you? Deepa: The fact that I am so grounded here -- I was born here and four generations of my family live here. But also, Mumbai is on the move, it's vibrant, it's accepting of change and it's got a very active citizenry. It's the one place where you can make a mark, where you can make a difference. When you live in Mumbai you feel like you're in the nerve center of the country. You feel like all the big events are near you and you're connected to everything. In other cities I tend to feel more remote. If there's a new play it premieres in Mumbai, if there's a new band they play in Mumbai -- everything happens here. We're close to the center of commerce and I would rather be close to the center of commerce than the center of politics! What makes Mumbai special to you? Let us know CNN: What are your favorite parts of the city? Deepa: I think my favorite is a place called Bhuleshwar. It's the "native" bazaar area that sprang up outside the old British fort. It's got a certain colorful energy and retains its 18th Century-feel to some extent. Everything under the sun can be bought there; it's got a spice market, a jewelry market. It's a busy, bustling area where a lot of trade happens, so I love it. CNN: Where do people go if they want to escape Mumbai's bustle? Deepa: We head out of the city -- we run for the hills! We go to the Western Ghats, which is a mountain range that runs parallel to the coast, barely a two-hour drive from where I live. "There's climbing and a whole bunch of very interesting mountain forts to explore; there's whitewater rafting, paragliding, cycling. Ecologically, it's a very bio-diverse area so it attracts photography enthusiasts and bird watchers. We're very lucky that we're so close to it. We also have a lot of beaches just outside the city and they are popular as well. Within the city there are little enclaves of peace -- even in Bhuleshwar market there are temple complexes where there's a surprising silence compared to the bustle of the streets. We also have our seaside promenades where we love to hang out. The young, who have no other place to go, find romance on Marine Drive and Bandra Bandstand. It's Mumbai's version of Lovers Lane -- except the lane is wide open! CNN: What's a typical weekend in Mumbai? Deepa: We party quite hard, so Saturday and Sunday evenings are days when you go out with friends and family. There are a huge number of restaurants with all sorts of cuisines on offer. There are some great clubs -- my favorite right now is a place called The Blue Frog -- and there's an active cultural scene. Alongside all the partying we're | [
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] | Deepa lives in Mumbai, where her company runs "offbeat sightseeing tours"
She says Mumbai is younger and more cosmopolitan than most Indian cities .
People in the city party hard, she says -- and there's an active cultural scene .
Last November's terrorist attacks have increased tension in the city, she says . |
(CNN) -- Defending champion Alberto Contador has issued an apology after he took advantage of his rival Andy Schleck's mechanical failure to seize the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
Schleck, who was leading Astana rider Contador by 31 seconds in the overall standings going into stage 15 on Monday, dropped his chain while launching an attack on the day's final climb and had to stop to repair the problem.
Rather than waiting for his rival -- in keeping with the Tour's sporting traditions -- Contador and a group including fellow contenders Denis Menchov and Samuel Sanchez stole a march to the finish, gaining 39 seconds on Schleck.
Contador now leads Saxo Bank's Schleck by eight seconds in the overall standings, with Spain's Sanchez two minutes behind the leader in third and Russia's Menchov two minutes, 13 seconds back.
See Contador's Youtube apology here
Spaniard Contador was booed by the French crowd as he was awarded the yellow jersey on the podium and was heavily criticized by Schleck.
But after reflecting on the stage, Contador issued a video on Youtube saying: "The race was in full gear and, well, maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry.
"At a time like that all you think about is riding as fast as you can. I'm not happy, in the sense that, to me, fair play is very important.
"The kind of thing that happened today is not something I like, it's not my style and I hope my relationship with Andy will remain as good as before."
Luxembourg's Schleck, the runner-up to two-time champion Contador last year, was angered by what he saw as a lack of "fair play" and vowed to take "revenge" on his rival.
"In the same situation I would not have taken advantage," Schleck said, AFP reported. "I'm not the jury, but for sure those guys wouldn't get the fair play award from me today.
"I'm really disappointed. My stomach is full of anger, and I want to take my revenge. I will take my revenge in the coming days."
In a similar situation in 2003, Germany's Jan Ullrich was praised for his sportsmanship after he waited for Lance Armstrong to recover from a collision with a spectator in the Pyrenees.
Armstrong then surged forward to win the stage by 40 seconds en route to the fifth of his seven Tour victories.
The 187.5 kilometer stage from Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon - the second of four stages in the Pyrenees - was won by French champion Thomas Voeckler after a fine solo ride, finishing nearly three minutes ahead of the race favorites.
Voeckler's triumph gave France their fifth victory in 15 stages. | [
"What did Contador take from Andy Schleck in controversial fashion?",
"How many seconds did Contador gain?",
"who did not wait for Schleck?",
"what did Contador apologizes for taking advantage?",
"What did Contador take from Andy Schleck?",
"Who apologizes for taking advantage of Schleck problem in stage 15?",
"How many seconds did Contador gain after Schleck drops his chain on final climb?",
"What did Contador apologize for?"
] | [
[
"the yellow jersey"
],
[
"39"
],
[
"Alberto Contador"
],
[
"Andy Schleck's mechanical failure"
],
[
"the yellow jersey"
],
[
"Alberto Contador"
],
[
"39"
],
[
"Andy Schleck's mechanical failure to seize the yellow jersey in the Tour de France."
]
] | NEW: Contador apologizes for taking advantage of Schleck problem in stage 15 .
Contador takes yellow jersey from Andy Schleck in controversial fashion .
Contador gains 39 seconds after Schleck drops his chain on final climb .
Contador, who did not wait for Schleck, booed as he collects yellow jersey . |
(CNN) -- Defending champion Venus Williams ensured the Wimbledon final would be another family affair with a devastating performance against Russia's Dinara Safina in Thursday's second semifinal. Venus dropped only one game as she crushed top seed Dinara Safina to reach her eighth Wimbledon final. Third seed Venus produced an awesome display on Centre Court, crushing world No.1 Safina 6-1 6-0 in just 51 minutes, after sister Serena had earlier won an epic three-set semifinal against Elena Dementieva. There was no way five-times champion Venus, was being sucked into such a dogfight. Her match was a much more subdued affair as she outclassed the top seed from the moment she settled into the match, winning the first nine points and breaking the Safina serve. Safina simply could not cope with the Williams serve, with one ace in the third game clocking in at 124mph, the fastest in the women's tournament. Safina managed to get her side of the scoreboard ticking in the sixth game but it was no consolation as Venus stepped up the power on her groundstrokes. When Venus broke the Safina serve again at the start of the second set the match was essentially over. Unforced errors sprayed from Safina's racket throughout the second set and a double fault in the fifth game handed Williams another break of serve. The end eventually came when Safina dumped another forehand into the net to allow Venus to take the match, after which she expressed her delight at another all-Williams, all-American final on July 4. Venus told the BBC: "This is my eighth final and it is a dream come true to have another opportunity to hold the plate up. "I was able to stay focused and I have so much experience on this court. But the hardest part has to come, to play Serena in the final." | [
"Who did she beat?",
"Who is in her eighth final?",
"what was the epic win over",
"How long did it take?",
"Who did she crush?"
] | [
[
"Dinara Safina"
],
[
"Dinara Safina"
],
[
"Elena Dementieva."
],
[
"51 minutes,"
],
[
"Dinara Safina"
]
] | Holder Venus Williams eases into her eight Wimbledon women's singles final .
Five-times champion crushes top seed and world No.1 Dinara Safina 6-1 6-0 .
American third seed takes just 51 minutes to set up clash with sister Serena .
Serena through to fourth all-Williams final after epic win over Elena Dementieva . |
(CNN) -- Defying threats of arrest or worse, witnesses to protests in Iran are managing to leak reports of violence after the country's disputed presidential elections. Anti-riot police form a barrier against protesters in Iran Tuesday. "Censoring is very bad here and they have reduced Internet speed," two Iranians said to a friend outside the country. The pair wanted to broadcast images of damage and casualties after a reported attack on a dorm at the University of Tehran. "We managed to upload a few pictures and movies ... please give it to news agencies and ask them to air it." The witnesses said riot police and militia attacked the dormitory Sunday night after a student protest the day before. Up to 150 students were arrested, according to the account, and at least one was killed. Students were beaten and shot, and one of the buildings caught fire. Some university professors resigned after the incident, the witnesses said. CNN cannot independently confirm this or other reports. The images showed a heavily damaged building, the charred remains of what appeared to be a dorm room, an injured or dead person, a burned motorcycle and a bloody floor. Many Iranians feel the June 12 election was "a sham," a Tehran man in his 20s told CNN in an interview. "During [the] previous presidential election, we had a 50.9 percent turnout," he said. "This time, we got 82 percent, because people wanted change and [current President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad out. We know that many of Ahmadinejad voters from [the] last election voted for [opposition leader Mir Hossein] Moussavi this time. "This is one of the reasons we were certain that Moussavi would win," he said. "On Saturday morning, when they released the results that Ahmadinejad got 64 percent and Moussavi got 33 percent, we were absolutely shocked. If you looked at the returns coming in, Ahmadinejad's returns never dipped -- but [conservative presidential candidate] Mohsen Rezaie's dropped from 630,000 to 570,000. How is that possible? It's just more proof that the elections were rigged ... people feel like their intelligence has been insulted and that they've been lied to." Watch a report on images coming out of Iran » Reports of violence came from outside Tehran as well. One video was posted by a person who said he had received it anonymously from a Twitter feed. It showed several people wounded by apparent gunshots, and people attempting to treat them, seemingly without medical supplies. The poster said the video was shot in Esfahan, a city about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Tehran. "We need napkins, towels!" one person yells in the video. "Quick, give them to me!" "Sit down, sit down," another person tells one of the injured. "Please relax. You are very hurt." Another image on CNN's iReport site shows the body of a man who has suffered a huge gash to his side. The man was 25, the description said, and was martyred because of his belief in freedom. In yet another video, posted without a description, a screaming crowd surrounds a man's body. CNN is not identifying iReporters who post content from inside Iran. "Iranian TV isn't giving the big picture," the Tehran man said. "They are depicting the protesters as anarchists. They even report that students are finishing finals at the university when the place has been shut down for days." One iReporter noted that Moussavi supporters are still able to organize rallies through person-to-person contact. Many Internet sites are blocked, and cell phones lack service in some areas, the person said. iReport.com: Are you in Iran? Share your story with CNN The Iranian government has blocked journalists who work for international news organizations. Witness accounts are that plainclothes police were on the streets, shooting rifles into crowds and chasing down those with cameras and cell phones attempting to communicate, fostering "mass fear." One person said the injured were staying out of | [
"What did the Twitter feed show?",
"Who was arrested?",
"Where is Tehran?",
"What does the report allege?",
"What allegedly happened at the University of Tehran?",
"What happened in Shiraz?",
"Who put a damper on protests?"
] | [
[
"several people wounded by apparent gunshots, and people attempting to treat them, seemingly without medical supplies."
],
[
"150 students"
],
[
"Iran"
],
[
"violence after the country's disputed presidential elections."
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[
"The witnesses said riot police and militia attacked the dormitory Sunday night after a student protest the day before."
],
[
"of violence after the country's disputed presidential elections."
],
[
"riot police and militia"
]
] | Report alleges arrests, beatings, shooting, fire in attack at University of Tehran .
Twitter feed shows people apparently shot in city about 200 miles south of Tehran .
Nurse says police in Shiraz in southwestern Iran have put a damper on protests . |
(CNN) -- Delta Air Lines and American Airlines announced Thursday the cancellations of hundreds of flights so the companies can conduct inspections on bundles of wires in some of their jets. Delta cancellations will affect flights up until early Friday, according to a statement from the airline. The cancellations will affect flights through Friday, according to statements by both companies. A spokeswoman for Delta earlier said 325 flights would be canceled Thursday, but later said 275 flights were cut. "Delta apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and is working to proactively contact and reaccommodate affected customers. Customers should call ahead to check flight status," a Delta statement said. Wednesday, American Airlines canceled 318 flights, said company spokesman Tim Wagner. The airline canceled 132 of its estimated 2,300 flights scheduled for Thursday, Wagner said, about 6 percent of the daily schedule. The cancellations forced dozens of people to spend the night in the atrium of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. They slept wherever they could -- on couches, on the floor, some on non-moving baggage carousels. Kelly said the airline rebooked flights and covered the cost of hotel and food for passengers on canceled flights. It was initially believed that Delta's MD-90 planes were part of the inspection but it was determined that the MD-88 planes were the only ones that needed to be inspected, a spokeswoman said. The airline said the checks are voluntary and are expected to be completed by week's end. American Airlines, meanwhile, is examining wiring secured to its MD-80 aircraft. In Atlanta, the cancellations caused grousing among passengers who missed job interviews, connecting flights and the comfort of their beds, CNN affiliate WXIA reported. "They told us 6:45 (p.m.). Then they told us 7:30. Then 8, so on and so forth and they just canceled," passenger Fred Billizon told WXIA. "So they had about 200 people just waiting on flights. And that's not a lot of happy people." This latest round of inspections was prompted by questions raised by the FAA and American safety officials about how a certain bundle of wires is secured to the MD-80 aircraft. The MD-80 is the workhorse of the American fleet. American's Web site says the aircraft accounts for 300 of the airline's fleet of 655 jets. The jet debuted in 1980 from McDonnell-Douglas, which was purchased by rival Boeing in 1997. Boeing discontinued production of the aircraft in 1999. E-mail to a friend | [
"What was the amount of American Airlines canceled flights on wednesday?",
"what was the amount of American estimated flights scheduled for Thursday?",
"What was the amount of Delta canceled flights on thursday?",
"NEW: Delta cancelations only related to MD-88, not MD-90s",
"Of the estimated 2,300 flights, how many were canceled?",
"Delta flights were canceled Thursday for what reason?",
"Delta cancellations were related to which planes?"
] | [
[
"318"
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[
"2,300"
],
[
"275"
],
[
"initially believed"
],
[
"275"
],
[
"so the companies can conduct inspections on bundles of wires in some of their jets."
],
[
"MD-88"
]
] | NEW: Delta cancelations only related to MD-88, not MD-90s .
NEW: 275 Delta flights were canceled Thursday for safety inspections .
American Airlines canceled 318 flights Wednesday to inspect MD-80 aircraft .
American cancels 132 of its estimated 2,300 flights scheduled for Thursday . |
(CNN) -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain in August will be on the same stage for the first time in the 2008 presidential campaign. The Rev. Rick Warren says he makes no endorsements because he shepherds "both sides of the flock." The Rev. Rick Warren has invited them to appear at a leadership and compassion forum in his Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, on August 16. Warren, the author of the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" spoke with CNN's Wolf Blitzer by phone Tuesday from Sao Paulo, Brazil. BLITZER: Pastor Warren, how did you do it? How did you convince both of them to show up? PASTOR RICK WARREN, SADDLEBACK CHURCH: Well, Wolf, they've both been friends for a long time. I knew both John and Barack before either of them decided to run for office, had talked with them. Both of them have helped me in the past with our peace plan and with -- they've sent messages to Saddleback at some of our conferences. And so I just thought let's -- you know, I might be the guy to get them together. So, I called them up and said, let's do it. And they said, well, we'll do it if you be the only questioner, if you don't have a forum, don't have a panel. And if you'll ask all the questions, then we'll do it. BLITZER: But they're not going to be together. They're going to be separate. These are going to be Pastor Warren and Barack Obama, followed by Pastor Warren and John McCain. But there's not going to be any interchange between the two of them, is that right? WARREN: Yes. I'm going to -- my plan is to bring them out on stage together at the beginning or at the end. But what I want to do is I want to let each of them talk without interrupting each other. And it's not a debate format. There will be plenty of time for debates. What I want to do is get people to know the real person like I know them without a time barrier and a buzzer and a time for rebuttal. Let them just speak what they need to say. BLITZER: The last time we spoke was right after you invited Barack Obama when he was still running for the Democratic presidential nomination. You got some criticism from a few fellow evangelicals out there. You called him in the interview with me an amazing, an amazing man, Barack Obama. Could you see yourself supporting him for president? WARREN: Well, I don't support anybody for president publicly. I never endorse. I never campaign. You know, as a pastor, I don't really think that's my role. I have to shepherd both sides of the flock. And I have a church full of Democrats and a church full of Republicans and a church full of independents. So, I think they're both amazing men. I've known them for a long time. They're both very, very different. They have both different theories of government, different theories of leadership, different approaches to life. And I -- what I do is I think, because I know them, I think I can set up an environment that people can actually say, oh, so that's what that guy's really like. And I think I can do that for both John and for Barack. | [
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] | [
[
"Pastor"
],
[
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
"\"The Purpose Driven Life\""
],
[
"he makes no endorsements because he shepherds \"both sides of the flock.\""
]
] | The Rev. Rick Warren will play host to candidates at his church .
Warren says he's friends with both and wants people to know them as he does .
Warren is author of the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" |
(CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton met her match while appearing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to deliver the show's trademark opening line and provide an "editorial response" to a mock presidential debate. During the opening sketch -- which featured SNL actors playing Clinton, rival candidate Barack Obama and the debate moderators -- Clinton complimented the performance of Amy Poehler, who regularly lampoons Clinton with her impersonation of the senator from New York. "I simply adore Amy's impression of me," Clinton said, providing the cue for Poehler to enter the stage, wearing the same two-button brown jacket and sporting Clinton's medium-length, layered hairstyle. Poehler giddily thanked Clinton for appearing. "I love your outfit," the identically dressed Poehler told Clinton. "Well, I love your outfit," Clinton responded, putting her hand on Poehler's shoulder, "but I do want the earrings back." The quip sparked a hyperbolic cackle from Poehler. Clinton asked, "Do I really laugh like that?" The two jokingly agreed she did. Clinton appeared on the show ahead of several do-or-die primaries that will determine the fate of her campaign. During the segment, Poehler -- who also does impersonations of talk show host Kelly Ripa, "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul and pop star Michael Jackson -- asked Clinton, who trails Obama in the Democratic race, how her campaign was going. "The campaign is going very well. Very, very well," the former first lady responded before earning some laughs with a deadpan: "Why? What have you heard?" Clinton said she appeared on the show to "just relax, have fun" without politics, but she didn't miss her chance to address voters in delivering the opening line. Saying she was appealing to all Americans -- whether they're from Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania "or any of the other states" -- Clinton opened the show with "Live from New York, it is Saturday night!" Watch Clinton open the show » Pennsylvania's primary is slated for next month, while the other four states Clinton mentioned are holding primaries Tuesday. Clinton's appearance was a poorly kept secret. The media were tipped off when she failed to arrive for a campaign charter flight from Dallas, Texas, to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. Her campaign would not say where she was, but an entertainment industry source confirmed she was set to appear on SNL. The late-night skit show has been a popular spot on the campaign trail. Obama appeared unannounced in October, and GOP candidate Mike Huckabee did a bit on the show's "Weekend Update" last week. Also, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who dropped out of the GOP presidential race this year, appeared later in the show that Clinton opened. During an MSNBC debate in Ohio on Tuesday, Clinton referenced an SNL skit in which the comedy troupe satirized the media for being too friendly with Obama. "Maybe we should ask [Obama] if he's comfortable and needs another pillow," she said during the debate. Clinton is scheduled to appear on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" Monday. E-mail to a friend | [
"What skit did Clinton reference?",
"Who appeared with Clinton during the SNL opening segment?",
"Who appeared with Clinton?",
"What rival appeared on the show?",
"Who did Clinton appear with?",
"What other politician appeared on SNL last year?",
"Who appeared with Amy Poehler last year?"
] | [
[
"an SNL"
],
[
"Barack Obama and the debate moderators"
],
[
"Amy Poehler,"
],
[
"Barack Obama"
],
[
"Amy Poehler,"
],
[
"Hillary Clinton"
],
[
"Clinton"
]
] | Clinton appears during the opening segment with impersonator Amy Poehler .
Clinton mentions upcoming primary states in opening line, "It is Saturday night!"
Her rival Sen. Barack Obama appeared on the show last year .
Clinton referenced a recent SNL skit during a debate in Ohio on Tuesday . |
(CNN) -- Democrats increased their 36-seat majority in the U.S. House, according to CNN projections, by defeating established Republicans and winning open seats as they capitalized on an unpopular GOP president.
Rep. Chris Shays, R-Connecticut, failed to win his 11th full term.
Democrats clinched a majority and took at least 21 seats from Republicans, with the GOP taking only four from the Democrats, according to CNN projections as of 4 a.m. ET Wednesday.
With winners yet to be called for 11 of the House's 435 seats, Democrats were projected to win 251 seats, with Republicans having 173.
Heading into Election Day, the Democrats had a 235-199 majority. The Democrats' apparent gains Tuesday come two years after they took control of the House -- with a gain of 30 seats -- after 12 years in the minority.
Among Tuesday's GOP casualties was longtime Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut, whose reputation for occasionally bucking his party couldn't keep him from losing to Democrat Jim Himes.
Shays' defeat leaves New England without any Republicans in the House. Shays was seeking his 11th full term.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Tuesday night she was confident Democrats would ride a "wave" of pro-Democratic sentiment across the country and add to their House majority, though she declined to predict by how much. Watch Pelosi say Americans voted for change
"We have surfers to ride that wave," Pelosi said at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, where she was watching election results.
Here are highlights of other races with projected winners:
• Democrats gained at least two seats in Ohio, including that of Rep. Steve Chabot, who was seeking an eighth term in a Cincinnati-area district that normally votes about evenly for GOP and Democratic presidential candidates.
CNN projects that Chabot lost to Democrat Steve Driehaus. Just two years earlier, Chabot was re-elected with 52 percent of the vote despite an anti-Republican tide that helped Democrats capture Ohio's governorship and take a U.S. Senate seat.
Democrats also gained a seat left open by retiring Rep. Ralph Regula. Democrat John Boccieri defeated the GOP's Kirk Schuring in the northeastern Ohio contest.
• In New York, Democrats won three Republican seats, including two left open by incumbents not seeking re-election. In one of the open races, Democrat Mike McMahon won the last GOP-held seat in New York City, defeating the GOP's Robert Straniere. Democrat Dan Maffei defeated Republican Dale Sweetland, who was trying to win a seat vacated by 10-term GOP Rep. Jim Walsh.
In a rematch of a 2006 race, former naval officer Eric Massa beat GOP Rep. Randy Kuhl in a western New York district that generally votes Republican.
• Freshman Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, was projected to survive a race that tightened after she made comments about Sen. Barack Obama last month. She was leading Democratic challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg 47 percent to 43 percent with 86 percent of precincts reporting.
Bachmann set off a storm of criticism in October when she said Obama's connection to 1960s radical William Ayers made her concerned that Obama may have anti-American views. Bachmann's comments prompted a flood of fundraising for Tinklenberg.
• In Florida, Democrats captured from Republicans two of the four seats that analysts thought they could win. Democrat Suzanne Kosmas defeated Rep. Tom Fenney, and Democrat Alan Grayson defeated Rep. Ric Keller.
However, brothers and Republicans Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart, who represent districts in southern Florida, held off their Democratic challengers. Lincoln Diaz-Balart won a ninth term, defeating former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez.
• Democratic incumbents weren't invulnerable in Florida. Rep. Tim Mahoney -- a south-central Florida Democrat elected to replace scandal-plagued GOP Rep. Mark Foley in 2006 -- lost to his Republican challenger, Tom Rooney.
Mahoney already was going to have a tough race in his Republican-leaning district. But the race became tougher in mid-October with allegations that Mahoney had an affair with one of his aides and paid her thousands of dollars in hush money | [
"What do projections say?",
"When did democrats gain control?",
"How many seats do the house dems take?",
"What the House Speaker said?",
"Who are losing their seats?",
"What did House Speaker say?",
"Who will increase numbers?"
] | [
[
"increased their 36-seat majority in the U.S. House,"
],
[
"Tuesday"
],
[
"251"
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[
"she was confident Democrats would ride a \"wave\" of pro-Democratic sentiment across the country and add to their"
],
[
"Republicans"
],
[
"confident Democrats would ride a \"wave\" of pro-Democratic"
],
[
"Democrats"
]
] | Projections: House Dems take at least 21 GOP seats; Republicans snatch four .
Reps. Chris Shays, Steve Chabot among Republicans losing seats .
House Speaker: Democrats will increase numbers .
Democrats gained control of House in 2006 elections after 12 years as minority . |
(CNN) -- Dennis Blair, the president's top intelligence adviser, announced his resignation after 16 months of power struggles, politics and personality clashes.
Blair was the third person to serve as director of national intelligence since the position was created five years ago. His resignation is effective May 28.
Although President Obama praised Blair for his "remarkable record of service," there has been tension between the two. Blair found himself at odds with the White House over the scope of his role, and there was indirect conflict with others in the intelligence community.
"From the beginning the White House did not have the same view of what the DNI should be," according to a source familiar with the situation.
"[Blair] is a manager and a leader. He is not a politico. He doesn't run around doing political stuff," the source said, acknowledging the Blair's candor got him in trouble.
Blair, a retired four-star Navy admiral, has served in the post since January 2009. His office oversees 17 federal intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
Word of his resignation came two days after the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report that sharply criticized the National Counterterrorism Center, overseen by Blair's office, for failing to coordinate properly intelligence activities to detect the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing.
The report highlighted 14 points of failure and said that the center was not organized to fulfill its mission.
Blair, who also caught some of the blame for the more recent failed Times Square bombing attempt, responded to the report by noting changes made in response to the Christmas incident, including creation of a National Counterterrorism Center analytical unit dedicated to following up on terrorist threat information. However, Blair's statement noted that "institutional and technological barriers remain that prevent seamless sharing of information."
Although Blair's resignation was not a complete surprise for those in the intelligence community, he was not expected to step down for another month, senior intelligence officials said.
He decided to leave sooner than expected when Obama asked CIA Director Leon Panetta and national security adviser James Jones to go to Pakistan and Blair was not asked to participate, the sources said.
"When the president looked to Leon Panetta and Jim Jones to go to Pakistan on this very serious threat, it was a slap at him. It was an indication of a lack of confidence in Adm. Blair," said Fran Townsend, CNN national security contributor who was President George W. Bush's chief anti-terrorism and homeland security adviser.
One Senate source said Blair has been unhappy and frustrated. "He was losing every turf battle to Panetta," the source said.
Blair and Obama also didn't have a good connection, Townsend said.
"You've got a very bright, engaged president and with a lot of charisma, and there wasn't a real chemistry between them," she said.
The DNI was intended to be the CEO of the intelligence community, looking at the 17 agencies' budgets, capabilities, training and cross-department communication.
When the position was created, the DNI was given a lot of responsibility but not enough authority, Townsend said.
"It's clear in this case between Adm. Blair and President Obama there was a mismatch and misunderstanding of expectations and responsibilities. And it will be very important that whoever the new DNI is, understands and accepts what the president's view of that position is," she said.
Even before Blair officially turned in his resignation, the White House already had spoken to potential replacements, the senior intelligence officials said.
John Hamre, a defense official in the Clinton administration; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Clapper, defense undersecretary for intelligence; and former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, are considered top contenders.
CNN's Kristi Keck, Gloria Borger and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report. | [
"The President asked who to go on the Pakistan trip?",
"What did senior intelligence officer say?",
"Who resigned as director?",
"Who resigned as director of national intelligence?",
"Where did Blair not go?",
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"When is Blair's resignation effective?"
] | [
[
"CIA Director Leon Panetta and national security adviser James Jones"
],
[
"his resignation after 16"
],
[
"Blair,"
],
[
"Blair,"
],
[
"Pakistan"
],
[
"announced his resignation"
],
[
"May 28."
]
] | Dennis Blair's resignation as director of national intelligence effective May 28 .
Blair wasn't expected to resign for another month, senior intelligence officials say .
President asked CIA chief and national security adviser to go on Pakistan trip, not Blair .
CNN national security contributor: No "real chemistry" between Blair, President Obama . |
(CNN) -- Denny's restaurants served about 2 million free Grand Slam breakfasts during its eight-hour promotional giveaway on Tuesday, the company reported Wednesday.
Cooks fill the pass-through window with Grand Slam breakfasts Tuesday at a Denny's in Emeryville, California.
The company used a commercial during the third quarter of Sunday's Super Bowl to announce it would give away its signature breakfast from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, and the response was spectacular.
Media outlets across North America reported lines of customers stretching outside and around restaurants and strangers crowding together into booths to take advantage of the special.
The restaurant chain's approximately 1,500 stores served an average of 130 Grand Slams per hour to customers who waited an average of 60 minutes for their free pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage, the company said.
"We had an extraordinary day," Denny's CEO Nelson Marchioli said when the promotion was over. "We were hoping to reconnect with millions of Americans today, and we did.
"We have received the most heartwarming comments from our servers, our managers and above all our customers. This Free Slam Day has exceeded our expectations in every way." iReport.com: Miami customers line up for Denny's meal
Denny's doesn't disclose specific cost information, but including the cost of the food, the Super Bowl spot and other production costs, the promotion cost the company roughly $5 million, it said.
The Grand Slam started as a baseball-related promotion in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-1970s and has been served chainwide since 1977. Its normal price varies by market but averages around $5.99. Denny's said it sells 12.5 million Grand Slams a year.
At the normal average price of $5.99, Denny's gave away meals Tuesday with a retail value of $11.9 million. But the goodwill value could be priceless. iReport.com: Vouchers run out at Georgia Denny's
"The key is to get the guest to come back," Troy Morgan, a Denny's franchisee in Sacramento, California, told CNN affiliate KCRA-TV.
"So, we show them great hospitality and we're confident we're going to win guests and get them to return again and again."
A Denny's competitor, IHOP, is planning its own giveaway. The chain promises to give a short stack of three pancakes to all comers on "National Pancake Day," February 24. IHOP requests a donation to Children's Miracle Network or other local charities in exchange. | [
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] | [
[
"2 million"
],
[
"130 Grand Slams"
],
[
"the company roughly $5 million,"
],
[
"$5 million,"
],
[
"2 million"
],
[
"IHOP,"
],
[
"2 million"
],
[
"Tuesday,"
],
[
"baseball-related promotion"
]
] | Restaurant chain says it served 2 million free breakfasts in eight hours .
Each of 1,500 eateries served about 130 Slams per hour, company says .
Cost of promotion, including Super Bowl ad, was $5 million, Denny's says .
Competitor IHOP to give away pancakes on February 24 . |
(CNN) -- Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said Thursday that three Occupy Denver activists have been charged with felonies -- including inciting a riot and second-degree assault on an officer.
While Occupy Wall Street protests began in New York two months ago, the movement has spread to several other cities -- as have reports of activists clashing with police. Some of the most high-profile incidents have taken place in Denver, including two tied to the filing of felony charges.
A pair of men who were arrested on Sunday were charged with felonies.
The previous night, police in riot gear arrested 17 people as they cleared furniture and tents from an Occupy encampment near the city's civic center, police spokesman Sonny Jackson told CNN. The main issue, he said, was that the items were blocking a right of way.
On Sunday afternoon, two police officers were injured when protesters became upset when police began removing a food table from a park. Some of the protesters surrounded a police car.
One woman then pushed a Denver police officer, according to an earlier Denver police statement. She and a male who came to her aid were arrested.
The district attorney's office announced Thursday that a 28-year-old man has been charged with two felony counts of inciting a riot and one misdemeanor count of obstruction for allegedly blocking a police car and and telling others to riot. He has two other cases pending from two different dates in October -- unlawful conduct on public property and unlawful sexual contact -- according to the press release.
Another 30-year-old man was charged with a felony count of second-degree assault on a police officer -- as well as misdemeanor charges of obstruction, resisting arrest and engaging in a riot -- from the same day. The district attorney claimed this man grabbed a law enforcement officer from behind and tried to hit him and wrestle him to the ground.
A third man, who is 26 years old, also was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer. That charge stems from an October 29 incident in which the man allegedly tried to use a stick to hit an officer who was trying to arrest him.
That day, demonstrators tried to occupy the Colorado Capitol -- which is not allowed -- and officers pushed them back, police spokesman Matt Murray said at the time. Pepper spray and pepper-ball guns were used against demonstrators.
The man charged, Sean Drigger, told CNN affiliate KUSA soon after the incident, "All we're trying to do is have a peaceful protest and (the police) are attacking us."
CNN's Marlena Baldacci contributed to this report. | [
"where was the riot?",
"who started the incident?",
"how many will face felony charges?",
"How many face charges?",
"What are the charges?"
] | [
[
"Denver"
],
[
"three Occupy Denver activists"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"inciting a riot and second-degree assault on an officer."
]
] | Denver's district attorney says 3 will face felony charges related to 2 incidents .
The charges including inciting a riot and assaulting a police officer .
One had accused police of "attacking us" during demonstrations . |
(CNN) -- Deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya will not be reinstated as head of state, an overwhelming majority of the Honduran congress voted Wednesday. In an hours-long process, 111 lawmakers voted in favor of a motion not to return Zelaya to office. A majority of 65 votes in the 128-member body was required to reject his reinstatement. Zelaya was removed from office in a military-led coup on June 28 and replaced by congressional leader Roberto Micheletti. On Wednesday, lawmakers voted one by one and addressed the chamber as they cast their vote, making for a slow process. The vote was a key part of a U.S.-brokered pact that representatives for Zelaya and Micheletti signed October 29, giving Congress the power to decide Zelaya's fate. The United States expressed disappointment Thursday over the latest rebuff to its diplomatic efforts to end the political crisis in Honduras. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela continued to call on the Honduran government to allow Zelaya's return and to create a unity government in the interim period before the new president takes office next month. "We are disappointed by this decision since the United States had hoped the [Honduran] Congress would have approved his return," Valenzuela said in a conference call with journalists in Washington. "Our policy since June 28 has been consistently principled. It has condemned the coup d'etat and continued to accept President Zelaya as the democratically elected and legitimate leader of Honduras throughout this political crisis." The United States continues to call for Honduras to engage in national reconciliation and creation of a truth commission to investigate the crisis, in addition to the unity government. "The absence of democratic, constitutional order is the unacceptable status quo," a senior U.S. administration official said on the conference call, remaining anonymous under the ground rules of the call and because of the sensitivity of the situation. "The election is a step toward a day where Honduras will have an electorally legitimate government in place." Zelaya, who says he does not recognize the election, also has said he would not accept the post even if Congress voted him back in. Accepting the job, he said, would legitimize the coup. Many nations said before the Sunday's election they would withhold recognition if Zelaya were not returned to power. Some countries, such as the United States, Colombia and Costa Rica, have said they will recognize Lobo. Others, such as Argentina, Brazil and Spain, have said they will not. Despite the diplomatic pressure from abroad, lawmakers were voting the will of the people, Congressman Juan Angel Rivera Tabora said. "History will judge us, and I'm certain it will judge us positively," he said. "Congress didn't make this problem. The problem came to us." Those voting against Zelaya echoed those sentiments. After the coup, the same body voted to install Micheletti as interim president. Wednesday vote only happened because the agreement between the two sides called for it, many lawmakers repeated. Zelaya's supporters argued that the coup was an illegal act that only restitution could heal. Congress sought opinions from the nation's Supreme Court and other bodies before holding the vote. The court ruled last week that Zelaya cannot return to office without facing trial on charges that he acted unconstitutionally when he tried to hold a vote that could have led to the removal of presidential term limits. The Supreme Court ruled before the coup that the vote was illegal and Congress had forbidden it. The coup came on the day the term-limits vote was to have been held. Micheletti and his supporters have insisted that Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power, not a coup. But the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the European Union and most nations -- including the United States -- condemned the coup and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated immediately. He wasn't. Zelaya, who was flown out of the country while still in his pajamas on the day of the coup, has been staying at the Brazilian Embassy in Honduras' capital since secretly returning to the | [
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"Who elected a new president?",
"Who was removed as president?",
"How many voted against?",
"Who is the de facto President?",
"How many lawmakers vote against reinstating?",
"HOw many lawmakers voted?",
"Who elected a new president?",
"Who was removed as President?",
"Who was removed as president in June?"
] | [
[
"Jose Manuel Zelaya"
],
[
"Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya"
],
[
"June 28"
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[
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[
"111"
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"the Honduran congress"
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"Jose Manuel Zelaya"
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[
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[
"Micheletti"
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[
"111 lawmakers voted in favor of a motion not to return"
],
[
"111"
],
[
"Honduran congress"
],
[
"Jose Manuel Zelaya"
],
[
"Jose Manuel Zelaya"
]
] | 111 of 128 lawmakers vote against reinstating ousted leader Jose Manuel Zelaya .
Vote part of U.S.-brokered pact between Zelaya, de facto President Roberto Micheletti .
Zelaya was removed as president in June 28 military-backed coup .
Hondurans elected a new president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, on Sunday . |
(CNN) -- Described as "serious," "intelligent" and a "good strategic planner" by a former colleague, Louis Neal ReVille worked in child-related jobs for a decade prior to his arrest last month in a case involving criminal sexual conduct with a minor, officials said Wednesday.
The former Citadel cadet-turned-camp counselor now faces a series of sex charges, including three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of lewd act on a minor, according to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, police.
"Those of us who worked with him were in complete shock," said Brent Egan, school board chairman of Coastal Christian Preparatory School, where ReVille, 32, served as vice principal. "He was just very effective (in his job as an administrator). He was a serious, intelligent guy, and a good strategic planner."
In 2007, The Citadel received an allegation from a former camper that, five years earlier, ReVille had invited a boy into his room at The Citadel Summer Camp to watch pornography. Another camper was also present. They did not touch each other, but engaged in sexual activity, The Citadel said. On Monday, the military college in Charleston, South Carolina, said authorities there should have pursued the matter further at the time.
The Citadel has said a review of ReVille's records in 2007 revealed no other complaints, and his file included a clean background check. He was a highly respected cadet and denied the accusation, the school added.
The case has drawn national attention in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal involving former coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky faces 40 counts in what authorities allege was the sexual abuse of eight boys. The case also led to the ouster Penn State President Graham Spanier and head football coach Joe Paterno. Both Penn State and The Citadel have come under fire for how authorities at each institution handled the separate accusations.
Citadel accuser says there are more victims
"It's amazing the number of places he worked at and volunteered," said Ken Ayoub, director of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina's recreation department where in the summer of 2001 ReVille began volunteering as a children's tennis coach. "He's a married guy. It's all just very disturbing."
Ayoub said each volunteer undergoes criminal background checks, and that ReVille's had come up clean.
The volunteer role was one of many involving children that ReVille, nicknamed "Skip," pursued throughout his career.
The former Alabama resident first took a job as a summer counselor at the South Carolina military college in 2001, one year before he graduated, according to a statement from the school.
There he worked with groups of children between the ages of 10 and 15 during two summer sessions at the college, the school said.
A year later, ReVille became a foster parent for the South Carolina Department of Social Services, said Marilyn Matheus, a spokeswoman for the agency.
Between 2004 and 2006, he assumed child-care responsibilities that included providing room and board to children who commonly suffer from abuse or neglect, said Matheus.
His volunteering continued at Charleston's Moultrie Middle School before taking a job as vice principal at the state's Coastal Christian Preparatory School, according to Egan.
Egan said ReVille "seemed to have a genuine interest in doing things the best way possible." He added that the former vice principal was "involved in his church" and had been pursuing advanced studies at Charleston Southern University.
ReVille's attorney, Craig Jones Jr., has said his client is sorry for what he did, according to CNN affiliate WCBD.
"Hopefully the way he's cooperated, that's one way he can hopefully show ... do what he can to help the victims to whatever extent he can," Jones said. "There's no way that, obviously, he can repair the damage that's been done."
An attorney who represents the camper who originally reported the alleged abuse to The Citadel told reporters on Monday that the victim's family had asked the college | [
"who worked at citadel",
"who is louis neal reville",
"What career ReVille pursued?",
"Where did ReVille work as a camp counselor?",
"How many counts ReVille faces?",
"Where did he worked?",
"What career did ReVille pursue?",
"where is the citadel"
] | [
[
"Louis Neal ReVille"
],
[
"former Citadel cadet-turned-camp counselor"
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[
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[
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[
"of lewd act on a minor,"
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[
"child-related jobs"
],
[
"child-related jobs"
],
[
"Charleston, South Carolina,"
]
] | Louis Neal ReVille faces three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor .
He also faces three counts of lewd act on a minor .
ReVille had pursued career in child-related work .
He had worked as a camp counselor at The Citadel . |
(CNN) -- Described as the largest single gathering of displaced residents in the world today, tens of thousands of civilians are seeking shelter along the Afgooye corridor outside Mogadishu, according to the United Nations. Members of the U.S. Navy take a young Somali boy to safety after rescuing him and 51 others adrift in a skiff. Fighting between government forces and Islamist militias has triggered the flight of more than 67,000 Somalis in and around Mogadishu since May 8, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday. Most of them are heading to the Afgooye corridor, a 30-kilometer (19-mile) stretch of ramshackle housing described by the United Nations' World Food Program as "a nightmare." The corridor between Mogadishu and the town of Afgooye is already home to 400,000 displaced Somalis, some of them living in huts made of twigs and branches. The clinics are already overwhelmed with malnourished and sick children. This week, Somalia's transitional president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, asked the international community "to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country." Ahmed told local journalists Monday that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups. The fighting has cut supplies of "desperately needed humanitarian aid" to the displaced Somalis near the capital city, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "We are starting today the distribution of aid for some 50,000 people in Afgooye corridor through our local partners in Somalia," the refugee office said Tuesday. "Today's distribution will include cooking sets, plastic sheeting, blankets and mats." The number of Somali refugees fleeing to nearby countries also continues to rise, with some 500,000 already in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea and Tanzania. Many Somalis have also made the dangerous journey across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. On Saturday, a U.S. guided missile destroyer rescued a group of 52 Somali men women and children -- including a woman who was eight months pregnant -- who had been stranded aboard a small skiff for nearly a week off Somalia's coast, the U.S. Navy said. See photos of the rescue » A helicopter based on the USS Lake Champlain happened to spot the stranded mariners, according to the vessel's commanding officer. "It's fortunate that our helicopter was flying over the right place at the right time," Capt. Kevin P. Campbell said in a U.S. Navy news release. "I'm glad we were able to be of assistance and rescue these men, women and children. Our chief hospital corpsman stated that had we not found them at the time we did, the pregnant woman may not have survived." USS Lake Champlain has been deployed as part of the U.S. 5th Fleet's mission to patrol the Gulf of Aden region, which has been plagued by pirate attacks off Somalia's coast. "We were very fortunate to have come across these people in the state they were in," said the ship's chaplain, Lt. j.g. Jarrod Johnson. "Seeing their condition really makes your heart go out to them. You can see the relief and hope in their eyes, and hear it in their conversation." | [
"What triggered their flight?",
"What has triggered flight of more than 67,000 Somalis?",
"When did this all start?",
"Where are the Somalis headed?",
"What does Ahmed fear?",
"Which corridor are they heading to?",
"How many Somalis have fled since May 8?",
"What is the name of Somalia's president?"
] | [
[
"Fighting between government forces and Islamist militias"
],
[
"Fighting between government forces and Islamist militias"
],
[
"May 8,"
],
[
"Afgooye corridor,"
],
[
"foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan,"
],
[
"Afgooye"
],
[
"67,000"
],
[
"Sheikh Sharif Sheikh"
]
] | Fighting has triggered flight of more than 67,000 Somalis since May 8 .
Most heading to Afgooye corridor, a 30-kilometer stretch of ramshackle housing .
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed speaking at a conference in Mogadishu .
Ahmed fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan . |
(CNN) -- Desperation, sophisticated smuggling operations and the emergence of a small Italian island as a migrant destination provide the sad backdrop to Monday's tragedy on the Mediterranean Sea -- the capsizing of a boat carrying African migrants from Libya to Italy. Libyan police officers help rescued migrants off an overcrowded boat that arrived this week in Tripoli. Jean-Philippe Chauzy, spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said Tuesday that Libya for years has been a destination for migrants from the rest of Africa. Its relatively successful economy is a magnet for people from impoverished regions, and its proximity makes it a logical jumping-off point for Europe. People from places such as Ghana, Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso long have traveled to Tripoli and other Libyan locations and have gotten work there, from construction to washing cars. Chauzy said even people from the Horn of Africa, where Somalis and Ethiopians have fled to Yemen via the Gulf of Aden, are choosing to travel to Libya rather than pursue a trip to Yemen. Asians as well are opting to travel to Europe from Libya. While some Africans hope to settle in Libya, many others have their eyes on moving onward to Europe. They tend to sail to Lampedusa, an Italian island lying southwest of Sicily and just north of the African coast -- considered an advantageous way station for entrance into Europe. Italy has been bolstering its efforts to stop the illegal traffic. Some of the people who find their way to the island get asylum. Some migrants eventually are returned to their home countries, but others are taken from Lampedusa to facilities on the mainland, where they are sometimes simply released instead of being deported. Chauzy said people head to Europe first and foremost to help their families back home with a paycheck. He said the global economic crisis has led to a drop in the money sent back home, and that in turn has affected hurting African economies, where prices for staple crops have plummeted. He said that the bolstering of border controls sparked by such a tragedy could prompt migrants to take other dangerous routes. Watch as details emerge on latest tragedy » Officials said at least hundreds of migrants are believed to have perished in the Mediterranean over the past year. In the latest incident, more than 200 African migrants are believed to have died after their vessel, carrying 250 people, capsized in rough waters. At least 20 people are confirmed dead, and 23 have been rescued. Another boat with more than 350 migrants aboard was rescued, and these migrants -- mostly Africans but also including some Asians -- were taken to Tripoli in Libya. The International Organization for Migration believes there are two other boats in the Mediterranean that could be carrying migrants. The flight of migrants on rough seas is not just a local phenomenon. "We are seeing it all over the world," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. Smugglers, for example, also take people from western Africa to the Canary Islands, from Myanmar to Thailand, and from Turkey to Greece. Guterres said the tragedy shows the urgent measures people take "to escape conflict, persecution and poverty in search of a better life." Some of the people can be classified as refugees -- people fleeing war and persecution and who could qualify for asylum in other countries. Others are migrants from countries where there is no persecution. They are in search of jobs and a better life. Thousands have died on their journeys, but thousands have survived as well, with many awaiting asylum and resettlement opportunities. There has been much publicity about the flight of Ethiopians and Somalis across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Many have died en route, with smugglers at times throwing people overboard to avoid getting arrested by navies for their operations. Ron Redmond, the UNHCR spokesman, said he believes such movement will persist as the "economic situation continues to worsen worldwide." The agency said the number of asylum seekers in industrialized countries increased last year for the second year running, in part because of higher numbers of asylum applications by citizens of Afghanistan, Somalia and other turbulent nations. | [
"Which African country is a destination for migrants?",
"What does strict border controls prompt migrants to do?",
"Which European country is a common destination?",
"What country is a common destination for African migrants?",
"Where does other migrants turn to?",
"What industries are African migrants looking for work in?",
"What country has since long been a destination for migrants?"
] | [
[
"Libya"
],
[
"take other dangerous routes."
],
[
"Italy."
],
[
"Libya"
],
[
"Europe."
],
[
"construction to washing cars."
],
[
"Libya"
]
] | Libya has long been a destination for migrants from the rest of Africa .
Many African migrants try to find work in industries such as construction .
Others attempt to move on to Europe, with Italy a common destination .
Strict border controls often prompt migrants to take other dangerous routes . |
(CNN) -- Despite Hillary Clinton's landslide victory in Kentucky, Barack Obama has won a majority of pledged delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination. Clinton won Kentucky by more than 30 points, but Obama's share of the state's 51 delegates was enough put him over the threshold, according to CNN estimates. Obama is expected to pick up at least 14 delegates in Kentucky, and by CNN estimates, that will give him 1,627 of the 3,253 pledged delegates at stake in all of primaries and caucuses. Obama will also pick up a win in Oregon, CNN projects, giving him the larger share of the state's 52 delegates. Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, said getting the pledged delegate majority was an "important milestone," but not the end of the trail. Neither candidate is expected to reach the 2,026 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. That means the race is likely to be settled by "superdelegates" -- party leaders and officials who will cast votes at the Democratic convention in August. Speaking in Iowa, where he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Obama told supporters, "it was in this great state where we took the first steps of an unlikely journey to change America." Watch Obama say he's in reach of the nomination » "The skeptics predicted we wouldn't get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out. But the people of Iowa had a different idea," he said. Obama continued to look to the general election, focusing his attacks as he has for the past week on Sen. John McCain, while commending Clinton for "her courage, her commitment and her perseverance." Obama said McCain's policies don't represent change. "This year's Republican primary was a contest to see which candidate could out-Bush the other, and that is the contest John McCain won," he said. McCain's camp accused Obama of launching "the tired old political attacks of a typical politician, not the 'new politics' he's promised." "Without a doubt, Barack Obama is a talented political orator, but his naive plans for unconditional summits with rogue leaders and support for big tax hikes on hardworking families expose his bad judgment that Americans can ill-afford in our next president," spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement. After Kentucky's results came in, Clinton thanked her supporters for handing her a win "even in the face of some pretty tough odds." "Tonight we have achieved an important victory," she said in Louisville. "It's not just Kentucky bluegrass that's music to my ears. It's the sound of your overwhelming vote of confidence even in the face of some pretty tough odds." Watch Clinton vow to keep going » Clinton beat Obama across all age groups, income groups and education levels in Kentucky. Eighty-nine percent of Tuesday's voters in Kentucky were white, according to the exit polls. Among them, Clinton won 72-22 percent. Nine percent of the voters were African-American and they overwhelmingly broke for Obama, 87-7 percent. The exit polls from Kentucky also suggest a deep division among Democrats. Watch how Clinton's win could affect the race » Two-thirds of Clinton's supporters there said they would vote Republican or not vote at all rather than for Obama, according to the polls. Forty-one percent of Clinton supporters said they'd cast their vote for McCain, and 23 percent said they would not vote at all. Just 33 percent said they would back Obama in the general election, according to the polls. Those numbers are even worse for Obama than in West Virginia one week ago, where 36 percent of Clinton voters said they would back him in the fall. Obama on Tuesday downplayed the idea that his party will have trouble unifying once there is a nominee | [
"Who captured the majority of pledged delegates?",
"Which state is Clinton winning?",
"what is the majority",
"Who are Kentucky voters more likely to back?"
] | [
[
"Barack Obama"
],
[
"Kentucky,"
],
[
"pledged delegate"
],
[
"Hillary Clinton's"
]
] | Obama captures majority of pledged delegates .
Obama: "Most important part of our journey still lies ahead"
Clinton wins Kentucky across all age, education, income groups, polls show .
Clinton voters in Kentucky more likely to back McCain than Obama, polls show . |
(CNN) -- Despite complaints by some owners about underwhelming battery life, the iPhone 4S scored "very well" in tests of its battery performance by Consumer Reports, which gave the device its official blessing Tuesday.
Consumer Reports' laboratory tests also determined that Apple's new phone doesn't suffer the "death grip" reception problem that was found in its predecessor, the nearly identical-looking iPhone 4.
That antenna flaw, which depleted signal strength when the user held the phone a certain way, led Consumer Reports to not recommend the iPhone 4.
"Overall, the new iPhone 4S scores higher in the ratings than the iPhone 4, thanks to such enhancements as an upgraded camera, a faster "dual-core" processor, and the addition of the intriguing Siri voice-activated feature ..." wrote Mike Gikas in a post on Consumer Reports' site.
Those upgrades were not enough, however, to let the iPhone 4S outscore the best new Android-based phones in Consumer Reports' ratings. Those top-rated models included the Samsung Galaxy S II phones, the Motorola Droid Bionic and several other phones that boast larger displays than the iPhone 4S and run on faster networks.
Battery life has been an issue for the iPhone 4S since it went on sale October 14. According to Apple's official specs, the phone should have enough juice in its battery for up to eight hours of talk time, six hours of Internet surfing, 10 hours of video viewing and 200 hours on standby. (All of these activities are on a 3G connection; 2G and Wi-Fi produce different figures).
But online forums soon filled with complaints from users saying their new iPhones weren't lasting even close to that long.
On November 2 Apple acknowledged it had found a "few bugs" affecting battery life on the iPhone 4S and other devices running its new operating system. The company said a software update coming "in a few weeks" will address the problem.
Consumer Reports said it plans to retest the phone after the software update to see if the fix affects battery performance. | [
"What reason was given for not recommending the iphone 4?",
"Who is recommending the new iphone?",
"What problem kept consumer reports from recommending the iPhone 4?",
"Is this phone better or worse than the average?",
"iphone 4s scored very well in it's tests for what?"
] | [
[
"antenna flaw,"
],
[
"Mike Gikas"
],
[
"underwhelming battery life,"
],
[
"\"Overall, the new iPhone 4S scores higher in the ratings"
],
[
"battery performance"
]
] | Consumer Reports: iPhone 4S scored "very well" in tests of its battery life .
Product watchdog said Tuesday it's recommending the newest iPhone .
Consumer Reports didn't recommend iPhone 4 because of antenna problem . |
(CNN) -- Despite current world player of year Lionel Messi's recent declaration that he wants to finish his career in his native Argentina, there are very real concerns about the current well-being of football in the soccer-mad South American nation.
Messi may be the best player on the planet, but problems both on and off the pitch -- including Argentina's humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Germany in the 2010 World Cup finals -- have put immense pressure on the national team to perform well in the Copa America tournament they currently host.
There is no doubt that the tournament is being staged on the back of a traumatic few months for Argentine football.
Serious crowd disorder, chronic financial problems, the continued drain of top talent to rich European clubs and the shock relegation of the mighty River Plate have all combined to leave many fans with furrowed brows.
Add to this the apparent strength of traditional rivals Brazil, who have just won the Copa Libertadores -- the biggest club prize in South American football -- with Santos, and whose teams are managing to keep hold of their better players due to an improved national economy, and it is clear to see why many are questioning the health of the sport.
River Plate's fate is a warning to Latin American giants
So far, the omens are not looking good. A late goal from Sergio Aguero rescued a point for Argentina in their opening group match against Bolivia.
And things got even worse for the hosts in their second group game when they were booed off after a dreadful 0-0 draw against Colombia. Next Monday's final match against Costa Rica is now a must-win affair, with the very real possibility that Argentina might crash out of the tournament at the first hurdle.
CNN's Buenos Aires correspondent Brian Byrnes summed up the mood that pervades many of the passionate followers of football in the nation.
"Argentina have some of the best players in the world and for some reason the team is not producing what it is capable of," said Byrnes.
"World-class players like Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid) and Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid) cannot even get in the side, while other nations would be proud to have players like that in their team, let alone on the bench.
"You only had to look at Lionel Messi's face after Wednesday's match. The team cannot get the best out of the world's top player and things are so bad that radio phone-ins and web sites are calling for the return of (former national coach) Diego Maradona, who was castigated after last year's World Cup failure."
Argentine football legend Osvaldo Ardiles also conceded that the national team have got problems at the moment.
Ardiles, a key member of the Argentina side that won the World Cup for the first time on home soil in 1978, told CNN: "We have drawn our first two games in the tournament and, to be honest, we were so bad that they could easily have been two defeats.
Argentina booed off after goalless draw
"Argentina are favorites for this tournament, and for them to miss out on reaching the knockout rounds would be unthinkable -- but Brazil also had a bad start (0-0 against Venezuela) so I don't agree that it is all doom and gloom yet.
"I also don't think Brazilian football is better than us at the moment. Both countries went out in the same stage of the World Cup finals, and although Santos won the Copa Libertadores, Argentina won it with Estudiantes in 2009 and Boca Juniors in 2007."
Ardiles continued: "I do believe the future of Brazilian football is in a better state than ours. The Brazilian economy is strong and they are able to bring back some of their better players from Europe. I think that will really have an effect on the national team in four or five years time."
The tournament comes just a week after the dramatic demise of River Plate.
The most famous football club in Argentina, and arguably the whole of the continent, | [
"What is the tournament called?",
"Who is hosting the Copa America?",
"Who needs to perform well in front of their fans?"
] | [
[
"Copa America"
],
[
"Germany"
],
[
"the national team"
]
] | Argentina are currently hosting the Copa America tournament .
The pressure is on the hosts to perform well in front of their home fans .
The tournament follows on from the shock relegation of top club River Plate . |
(CNN) -- Despite efforts to keep people from profiting from Tuesday's public memorial service for Michael Jackson, scalpers online Monday were asking as much as $9,000 per ticket to the free event. Free tickets to Tuesday's memorial service for Michael Jackson have appeared for sale online. Dozens of listings selling vouchers for Jackson tickets appeared Monday on auction site eBay and Craigslist, the classified ads site, prompting complaints from Jackson fans and others who felt the sales were inappropriate. "You people trying to sell these tickets should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves," said a Craigslist user in a post Monday morning. "Please flag all of these money-grabbing opportunists...if you're a true MJ fan you won't give money to these parasites." Organizers of the public memorial service, scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles, made 8,750 pairs of tickets available through an online lottery. But demand far outstripped supply, as about 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at the tickets. Winners received an e-mail Sunday directing them to print vouchers and bring them Monday to Dodgers Stadium, where they were to receive tickets and have a nonremovable wristband placed on their arms. Those entering the Staples Center on Tuesday must have wristbands to match their tickets. But that didn't stop some people from trying to sell their vouchers to anyone who could make it to Dodgers Stadium by 7 p.m. Monday. One pair of tickets attracted a bid of $275,000 on eBay before the listing was removed. It was difficult to tell whether the offer was serious. Both eBay and Craigslist took steps Monday to thwart the ticket sellers. "eBay will not allow Michael Jackson memorial service tickets to be listed on the site," the company said in a statement. "If found, eBay will remove them from the site immediately." By Monday afternoon the number of listings for "Michael Jackson memorial tickets" on eBay had dropped to a handful, and the site was removing them shortly after they appeared. Learn more about plans for the memorial » Craigslist allows its users to flag ads they find inappropriate, and ads receiving enough negative flags are automatically removed from the site. Many ads proffering Jackson memorial tickets were removed shortly after they were posted Monday. Among those was a listing posted by a man who identified himself only as Peetey, 29, of Venice Beach, California. He was asking $8,000 for a single ticket; the winning bidder would accompany his girlfriend to the service, he said. The ad was removed within 15 minutes, he said, but that was enough time for five people to call with interest. When contacted by CNN, Peetey said he sees nothing wrong with selling a free ticket to a memorial service. "We live in a capitalist society where money is what really speaks," he said. "I'm not trying to make a huge profit. I'm not trying to take advantage of anybody." Peetey, who did not want his last name used for fear of backlash from Jackson fans, said he would go to the memorial service if he can't get at least $5,000 for the ticket. His girlfriend won the lottery-issued tickets, he said, and will attend the event. "I want to go, and I have a large desire to go, but if I can get a lot of money, especially in this economic climate, it doesn't seem wise for me to sit there for two hours if I can get $10,000 for the ticket," he said. Daniel Moreno, 33, of Murrieta, California, said people trying to sell the tickets are disgracing Jackson by trying to capitalize on his death. "That kind of sucks, you know. The guy's dead," said Moreno, who posted a statement on Craigslist vowing to flag any listings selling Jackson memorial tickets. Moreno said those with tickets should give them away if they don't want to attend the service. "I don't have $1,000 to spend on this ticket and wouldn't | [
"Which sites were trying to thwart ticket sellers?",
"Where can you buy tickets for the memorial?",
"Which celebrity is the memorial for?",
"What is eBay and Craigslist doing?",
"Which person is the memorial for?",
"What did one user have to say about sellers?"
] | [
[
"eBay and Craigslist"
],
[
"eBay and Craigslist,"
],
[
"Jackson,"
],
[
"took steps Monday to thwart the ticket sellers."
],
[
"Michael"
],
[
"should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves,\""
]
] | Tickets for Tuesday's memorial for Michael Jackson have appeared for sale online .
Both eBay and Craigslist took steps Monday to thwart ticket sellers .
Craigslist user: Ticket sellers "should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves"
Seller: "We live in a capitalist society where money is what really speaks" |
(CNN) -- Despite his threats of "consequences" and the subsequent beatings and shooting deaths by government agents, the open protests on Iran's streets by hundreds of thousands of people have dented the shield of invincibility of Iran's Supreme religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, say sources in Iran. Riot police patrol a Tehran street earlier this week. Chants of "Death to Khamenei" broke a state-imposed, and a self-imposed absolute prohibition on criticizing a leader believed to be wielding the wisdom and authority of God himself. But right now, the massive network of Iran's intelligence agents, Revolutionary Guard, paramilitary Basij, and police of all sorts, are cracking down. Sources say they are also going house to house, through email accounts and web postings, through cell phone calls and SMS text messages (when the system is allowed to stay up) and even to taxi agencies whose drivers hoisted Mir Hossein Moussavi posters during the election campaign. They are rounding people up and, as it was chillingly put to me, in Iran's prisons "we have room for all of them." In addition protestors are being paraded "confessing and repenting" on Iranian state TV. The government also claims to be arresting "foreign agents" accused of stirring up the protests. Sources say the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), aligned with Ayatollah Khamenei, plucked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from total obscurity as presidential candidate in 2005, in order to hold the line against "reform" in the country after eight years of the reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Sources in the Iranian government and well-placed analysts inside the country Say the IRGC has taken up influential positions in many major sectors of Iranian society, such as the oil industry, finance, transport, construction and other businesses and politics. Iran has been "increasingly radicalized over the last four years," one told me. While there are divisions within the clerical establishment and in parliament, sources tell me that for now that does not threaten the ruling establishment. I was told the weekend arrests of former president Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter and other relatives, and their swift release, were a warning to Rafsanjani, who backed Moussavi in the election. So far the powerful mullahs, monitoring it all from the holy city of Qom, are mostly quiet. And finally, for now, while Moussavi has startled the system with his willingness to press the election case, he is also considered, at this moment, no Ayatollah Khomeini. Nowhere near as charismatic and powerful as the leader of the successful revolution in 1979. Sources say Moussavi is not formally arrested or under house arrest. However his movements and words are "controlled" by security and intelligence officials. So in effect there is no visible leader for the street protesters today -- unlike 1979, when Khomeini led from exile. Sources say all this could change if mass demonstrations hit the streets and simply remain there all over the country, if the security forces refuse to expand the crackdown, or if people go on nationwide strike, like they did in 1978-79. As long as the streets and squares remain blanketed by security, they are mostly clear of protesters. Right now, chants of Allahu-Akbar still resound from the rooftops at night. Although residents say they seem to be dying down in some neighborhoods. Even the honking horns and flashing headlights are fading from the traffic. At this moment, however, it is impossible to know how this contest of wills -- and powers -- will play out. | [
"what are the security people doing",
"whose credibility has been dented by huge street protests ?",
"What are security forces doing?",
"who is monitoring activists' emails, SMS messages?",
"Who could lose control?",
"who could lose their control in face of mass protests?",
"Whose credibility is dented by protests?"
] | [
[
"cracking down."
],
[
"Iran's Supreme religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,"
],
[
"are cracking down."
],
[
"The government"
],
[
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,"
],
[
"Supreme religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,"
],
[
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,"
]
] | Amanpour: Ayatollah's credibility dented by huge street protests in Iran .
Sources say security forces are monitoring activists' emails, SMS messages .
Iran: Intelligence officials could lose their control in face of mass protests . |
(CNN) -- Despite some high-profile bombings in recent days, Iraq's security forces are ready to take over for U.S. forces this week to stabilize the nation's major cities, the U.S. commander in Iraq told CNN on Sunday. Except for soldiers in advisory roles, all U.S. combat troops will leave Iraqi cities and towns by June 30. Army Gen. Ray Odierno said he's seen a "constant improvement" in both the security situation and governance in Iraq to prepare for the June 30 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from major cities. "They've been working for this for a long time," Odierno said on CNN's "State of the Union." In a separate interview on "Fox News Sunday," Odierno said all U.S. troops already were out of Iraq's major cities before Tuesday's deadline. "We have already moved out of the cities," Odierno said. "We've been slowly doing it over the last eight months. And the final units have moved out of the cities over the last several weeks." Watch CNN's Michael Ware on the U.S. withdrawal » The shift is part of the security agreement that former President George W. Bush's administration signed with Iraq. In the CNN interview, Odierno blamed the recent violence in Iraq on "extremist elements using the timeframe and date to gain attention to themselves and divert attention from the success of Iraqi security forces." The 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still will "maintain full coordination with Iraqi forces inside the cities" and continue to have intelligence capacity, Odierno said. With approval from the Iraqis, they also will carry out operations in major cities as necessary, he said. Odierno said his goal is to help provide security that allows Iraq to hold planned national elections leading to the eventual removal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011. He said his biggest worry is a breakdown in stability such as a "consistent increase in violence" or a situation that Iraqi forces can't handle. "I don't see that" happening, Odierno said. "I think we're on the right path." Odierno also said Iran continues to "interfere" in Iraq, including training insurgents and paying surrogates. But he said his mission is limited to providing security within Iraq, no matter the provocation from Iran or elsewhere. "I'm not authorized to do anything outside the borders of Iraq," he said. Iran's government has repeatedly denied fomenting violence inside Iraq. | [
"Does the Iranian government acknowledge t is instigating violence inside Iraq?",
"Who sees sees \"constant improvement\" in security, governance in Iraq",
"Who continues to interfere in Iraq",
"Who continues to \"interfere\" in Iraq?",
"Who sees \"constant improvement\"?",
"WHat does Iranian government repeatedly deny",
"Does Gen. Ray Odierno see improvement in security and governance in Iraq?",
"Does Iran interfere in Iraq?",
"Where do you see improvements in Iraq?",
"What is one of the biggest challenge for the military in Iraq?",
"What does Gen. Ray Odierno see in security?",
"Who continues to interfere in Iraq?",
"What does the Iranian government repeatedly deny?",
"Is there a clear presence of Iran in Iraq?"
] | [
[
"repeatedly denied"
],
[
"Army Gen. Ray Odierno"
],
[
"Iran"
],
[
"Iran"
],
[
"Army Gen. Ray Odierno"
],
[
"fomenting violence inside Iraq."
],
[
"he's seen a \"constant improvement\" in both the"
],
[
"continues to \"interfere\""
],
[
"both the security situation and governance"
],
[
"breakdown in stability"
],
[
"\"constant improvement\""
],
[
"Iran"
],
[
"fomenting violence inside Iraq."
],
[
"continues to \"interfere\" in"
]
] | Gen. Ray Odierno sees "constant improvement" in security, governance in Iraq .
Iran continues to "interfere" in Iraq, Odierno says .
Iranian government repeatedly denies instigating violence inside Iraq . |
(CNN) -- Despite some signs that the economy is on the mend, a lack of confidence from consumers and companies alike may hamper job growth during the next few months, economists say. Unlike this point last year, there are some indicators for optimism about the U.S. economy. The market seems to be on a rebound, with stock prices growing steadily since March. Meanwhile, the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, a broad indicator of the economy's strength, grew during the third quarter. It was the largest such growth since the summer of 2007. However, the unemployment rate is staggering. The national rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the first time it has been double digits in more than 25 years. The jobless rate increased in 29 states and the District of Columbia in October, according to a recent Labor Department survey. Thirteen states reported an unemployment rate above the current national rate. Track unemployment numbers by state and industry There is also concern that the GDP growth is largely the result of the economic stimulus implemented by the federal government and other government initiatives like the "Cash for Clunkers" program for automobiles. Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Chairman, said recently that economic conditions were better than they were a year ago, and a modest recovery was on the horizon. Sounding a note of caution, he said: "Some important headwinds -- in particular, constrained bank lending and a weak job market -- will likely prevent the expansion from being as robust as we would hope." Polls suggest many Americans are not confident about the economy. "Some economic indicators may suggest that the economy has turned the corner -- but try telling that to the American people," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director. More than eight in 10 Americans say that economic conditions are in poor shape, according to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Of that number, 43 percent described the conditions as "very poor." See the poll results (pdf) Ali Velshi, CNN's chief business correspondent, said it may not feel as if the economy is in a recovery until the jobless numbers decrease. That may partly explain the poll's findings. Velshi described the American economy as being founded on three pillars. One is the value of a home growing at a rate faster than the cost of owning it, he said. The other is the value of investments -- think of a 401(k) plan or an IRA or savings for kids' education -- increasing at a rate faster than inflation. The third, and most important one, is income, Velshi said. "You can live without a [buying a] house. You can live without a 401(k). You can't live without an income." On that front, Bernanke sounded somber during his remarks to the Economic Club of New York on November 16. "The best thing we can say about the labor market right now is that it may be getting worse more slowly," he said. "Jobs are likely to remain scarce for some time." Read Bernanke's remarks (pdf) Bernanke said jobs will likely be created next year but a high unemployment rate may still hold through 2010. So, why does unemployment continue to rise while Wall Street seems to be rebounding? "There's this real disconnect between Wall Street and Mainstreet," said Peter Rodriguez, an economist at the University of Virginia. "Wall Street can benefit from forward-looking financial markets and they've already begun to rise. "But that doesn't give anyone any new jobs." Rodriguez said there was "an ample amount of what you might think of as underemployment in the active workforce." Let's say you're a manager and you have 50 employees. During tough economic times, you might minimize the pain by cutting people's hours. Instead of working 40 hours, they work 35 hours, and your company limps along during the recession without having to lay off people. "What that means is, on the return to normalcy, | [
"How many states saw an increased jobless rate in the month of October?",
"How many is the national unemployment rate?",
"What is the national unemployment rate?",
"Who is the Federal Reserve Chairman?",
"What did the jobless rate increase to in October?",
"What does Bernanke say about growth in the future?",
"What do you see Ben Bernanke in federal reserve?"
] | [
[
"29"
],
[
"10.2 percent"
],
[
"10.2"
],
[
"Ben Bernanke,"
],
[
"10.2 percent"
],
[
"that economic conditions were better than they were a year ago, and a modest recovery was on the horizon."
],
[
"Chairman,"
]
] | The national unemployment rate is 10.2 percent .
Labor Department: The jobless rate increased in 29 states in October .
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sees modest growth on the horizon . |
(CNN) -- Despite the obvious claims of younger rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, few can really argue with the 96 football journalists who voted Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite as the 2007 World Footballer of the Year. Brazilian genius Kaka fully deserves winning the 2007 World Footballer of the Year award. The prestigious Ballon d'Or award is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual prize in football and Kaka's inclusion on its coveted roll of honor is a testament to the 25-year-old Brazilian's current standing in world football. When AC Milan defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final in Athens, avenging their heartbreaking loss to the same team in Istanbul two years previously, it enabled Kaka to fulfill his dream of holding aloft Europe's premier trophy -- a winner's medal he fully deserved after a sublime 90-minute performance. Kaka's stock for both club and country has risen steadily since his move to the San Siro from Sao Paulo for a fee of just $8.5 million in the summer of 2003. Unlike many a Brazilian sporting genius, Kaka did not hone his skills on the beach or the streets of a favela shanty town. He was born into a comfortable middle class Brasilia family, where football was not the only hope of a bright future. However, it soon became clear that this particular boy had a very special skill and he was signed by Sao Paulo, after his family had moved there, at just eight years of age -- making his first team debut as an 18-year-old. Kaka's progress was soon picked up by his national team coach and Felipe Scolari named the graceful midfielder in his 23-man squad for the 2002 World Cup finals, earning him a winners' medal despite playing only 19 minutes of the tournament in a group match against Costa Rica. A year later, and Kaka was on his way to Milan. Within a month he had made the starting line-up and his 10 goals helped the Rossoneri lift the Scudetto and the European Super Cup. Throughout his career, Kaka has always possessed the innate ability to score goals -- his record for both club and country sees him average roughly a goal every three games. Yet to describe Kaka merely as a goalscoring midfielder would be doing him a massive injustice. Tall, elegant and blessed with astonishing skill, Milan and Brazil utilize Kaka's ability superbly. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti soon recognized Kaka's genius, changing his team's system to a 4-4-1-1, playing the Brazilian behind a main target man. With Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso holding the central midfield area, Kaka has a license to roam in behind the lone striker, be it Filippo Inzaghi, Ronaldo or Alberto Gilardino. And Kaka does this with devastating effect, running at the opposition with pace and power, finding defense-splitting passes or shooting from range with deadly accuracy be it from a dead-ball situation or open play. The fly in the ointment for Milan comes in the shape of their poor form this season. Although they have already reached the last 16 of the Champions League, the club are floundering in Serie A and face the unthinkable prospect of not qualifying for next season's competition unless they win the trophy. Real Madrid have coveted Kaka for the last two years -- expect the world transfer record to be smashed if Milan don't secure a place among Europe's elite. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who did Kaka beat in the journalists' vote?",
"Who beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the journalists' vote?",
"What was Kaka named?",
"Who was named World Player of the Year?",
"Who averages one goal in three games for both AC Milan and Brazil?",
"Where is Kaka from?",
"What was the 25-year-old's average?",
"Who did he beat in the vote?",
"What did Kaka deserve?",
"What does he average?",
"Who was named World Player of theYear?",
"Who was named Player of the Year?"
] | [
[
"Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,"
],
[
"Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite"
],
[
"2007 World Footballer of the Year"
],
[
"Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite"
],
[
"Kaka"
],
[
"Brasilia family,"
],
[
"roughly a goal every three games."
],
[
"Cristiano Ronaldo"
],
[
"2007 World Footballer of the Year award."
],
[
"goal every three games."
],
[
"Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite"
],
[
"Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite"
]
] | Kaka deservedly named World Player of the Year for the first time in his career .
The Brazilian beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the journalists' vote .
The 25-year-old averages one goal in three games for both AC Milan and Brazil . |
(CNN) -- Despite the worldwide economic downturn it seems there is one commodity that remains as valuable as ever. With media companies around the world paying record sums for broadcasting rights, the English Premier League -- with its array of world-class players -- continues to prove a hugely marketable.
Manchester United won an English Premier League competition that was beamed into 600m homes.
With the new 2009-2010 football season approaching, the Premier League appears to have usurped every other domestic league as the sporting product of choice for most international broadcasters.
The fact that companies are still willing to hang their financial hats on the Premier League, despite increased global uncertainty, is a testament to the large audiences the thrills and excitement of the competition can draw.
And, with the division's international broadcasting rights for the next three years currently up for tender, there appears no sign that financial constraints are hindering the bidding process.
A Premier League spokesman told CNN: "Currently we have 39 international rights broadcast holders, beaming the Premier League into 211 countries worldwide.
"Premier League matches are played into 600 million homes around the world, with an estimated audience of four billion viewers and there is no sign that the huge interest in the product is subsiding in any way."
The spokesman added: "The quality of the Premier League stimulates interest to markets everywhere and attracts audiences from all over the globe.
"It's a very polished product. The grounds are full, the atmosphere is passionate and the top clubs attract supporters from every corner of the globe.
"If broadcasters are going to invest in any sporting property, they are going to choose the one that brings in the biggest audiences, which in turn makes it the most attractive for advertisers."
The Premier League is touted by many as the "most competitive" in Europe, but pinning all you financial strategy on one product is a dangerous game -- as one broadcaster recently found to its cost.
Ireland-based broadcaster Setanta, which also had major audiences in Great Britain and the United States, had an impressive portfolio of sporting rights and events at its disposal.
But the company's purchase of 46 Premier League matches, for £131 million ($215m) was the centerpiece of its coverage for two seasons -- a figure they hoped to recoup from customer subscriptions.
But when the company lost the rights to half of their games, meaning they could show only 23 matches of the upcoming campaign the British operation was forced to cease trading due to a projected loss in subscriptions.
American broadcaster, ESPN, quickly snapped up the rights in a bid to increase their market share, a policy that makes sense according to football business expert Michael Stirling, of sport sponsorship company Global Sponsors.
"Not only is the quality of the product excellent, but the fact that the Premier League is full of players from all over the world makes it both viable and successful," Stirling said.
"Unlike some other major leagues, it is not a foregone conclusion who wins the Premier League. There is a greater distribution of top players across the teams than in any other league and that makes it both interesting and exciting.
"In recent seasons we have seen the growth in popularity in Asia and Africa. In the past, countries like China have tried to down-play the Premier League in an attempt to promote their own domestic competitions.
"However, the demand and popularity of the league has been too great for these countries not to broadcast matches, and now they embrace it completely." | [
"How many homes view Premier League matches ?",
"What is up for tender?",
"what channels play them",
"what makes it in such high demand"
] | [
[
"600m"
],
[
"the division's international broadcasting rights"
],
[
"39 international rights broadcast holders,"
],
[
"array of world-class players"
]
] | The English Premier League's international rights are currently up for tender .
Despite current economic downturn the Premier League is in high demand .
Premier League matches are played into 600 million homes around the world . |
(CNN) -- Details were just beginning to emerge Thursday on plans for memorial services and other tributes to Steve Jobs, the iconic Apple co-founder who died Wednesday.
But if plans for official observances were still forming, people across the world touched by his vision, and the products that resulted, were already clamoring for ways to celebrate and memorialize his legacy.
A statement from Jobs' family late Wednesday said a website is going to be created "for those who wish to offer tributes and memories." While saying "we know many of you will mourn with us," the statement did not mention any plans for a public memorial service.
Early Thursday, that website did not appear to be live yet. A spokeswoman for the family did not immediately respond to a request for details.
In its statement announcing the CEO's death, Apple provided an email address -- [email protected] -- for people wishing to "share your thoughts, memories, and condolences."
Apple has said the company does not know when, or if, there will be a public memorial.
But at Apple's headquarters, Apple stores worldwide and on the Internet, unofficial tributes had already begun.
On Apple's campus in Cupertino, California, flags were at half-staff and an impromptu memorial had cropped up by late Wednesday. Apple employees and others showed up to leave flowers, light candles and provide other tributes.
Apple retail stores everywhere became gathering places for the Apple faithful who looked at Jobs as much more than a CEO. At an Apple store in Tokyo, iPads and iPhones showing flickering images of candles had been propped beside flowers and other more traditional items.
Online, a pre-existing group of Apple fans had already declared October 14, the day the iPhone 4S will be released, "Steve Jobs Day" as a tribute to his legacy.
"We admire his work. We've embraced his vision. And we love what he's brought to the world," reads the group's website. "Let's take a day to honor the man himself and say thank you."
The site encourages people to dress in Jobs' iconic jeans and black mock turtleneck on that day, and use Facebook and Twitter to share thoughts about him.
"We planned this the day he retired and announced it in September," the group wrote on a Facebook page where people can RSVP to "attend" the day. "It was intended to be a celebration of his life. Not a memorial." On Thursday morning, more than 7,000 people had said they would participate.
Tech-focused publications, including BoingBoing and Wired, also turned their website homepages into tributes to Jobs. BoingBoing's site was reskinned to look like an older Mac computer interface. Wired made most of its page black in reverence for the passing of a tech titan. | [
"when this information is released",
"Where will tributes be offered?",
"When is Steve Jobs day?",
"tribute to whom",
"when did released the iPhone 4S?"
] | [
[
"Thursday"
],
[
"a website"
],
[
"October 14,"
],
[
"Steve Jobs,"
],
[
"October 14,"
]
] | Early Thursday, details on tributes to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs were still scarce .
Jobs' family says a website will be created to let people offer tributes to him .
Apple's campus and Apple stores worldwide became memorials by late Wednesday .
A group names Oct. 14, when the iPhone 4S is released, as Steve Jobs Day . |
(CNN) -- Did you know that there exists an all-natural remedy for memory loss? Weight gain? Macular degeneration? Prostate enlargement? These products are so successful that clinical testing has already begun! Just listen to the following testimonial from an unidentified person ... As these ads blare at you from your favorite AM radio station, perhaps you wonder: How can this be legal? Since the late 1960s, aspirin makers have been trying to win the right to tell the public that a daily low-dose tablet can help prevent heart disease. They have been told no, and no, and no again. Federal regulators are so nervous about over-selling aspirin's benefits that they have restricted statements about aspirin to the most bland and basic. Yet while the statements about aspirin have to be cushioned in the vaguest generalities, snake oil flim-flam can be huckstered in the most truth-defying way, thanks to a 1994 law coaxed through Congress by the people who make these drugs. The law bears the long title of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. It was sponsored in House of Representatives by Rep. Dan Burton, R-Indiana, and in the Senate by Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois. The DSHEA law draws a line between synthesized medicines like aspirin and remedies made from herbs, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. This latter group was recategorized as "dietary supplements" -- that is, as foods rather than drugs. "Drugs" are subjected to exacting scientific trial to prove them both safe and also effective. Sellers of dietary supplements are not required to prove that their remedies work. They are not even required to prove them safe -- as "foods" they are presumed safe unless shown otherwise. "Drugs" must disclose any risk of side effect. (That's why those erectile dysfunction ads terrify TV audiences with their references to four-hour erections.) Dietary supplements bear no such burden -- which is why St. John's wort can be sold as an anti-depressant, without any mention of the disturbing indications that the herb weakens the effectiveness of birth control pills. "Drug" advertising must be pre-approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which minutely reviews the ads' accuracy. Dietary supplement advertising is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. So long as supplements avoid promises to cure a specific disease, their sellers can say pretty much whatever they want, provided only that they have some kind of supporting evidence on file. That evidence does not have to meet any kind of scientific test: pretty much any pattern of ink on paper will do the job. I cannot say, "My rosemary-sage-thyme-and-oregano tablets cure AIDS." But if I pay my cousin $100 to do a few experiments, I can claim, "My tablets boost the immune system -- and clinical trials are under way!" (There is an exception to the permissive rules about advertising natural products: wine. There is substantial evidence that a glass of red wine a day reduces the risk of heart attack. The laws of most states forbid any hint or suggestion that moderate alcohol use might confer health benefits. Still, if you ask the scientists, wine has better grounds to call itself a health food than does, say, echinacea!) Fifteen years after receiving the favor of Congress, dietary supplements have grown into a $24 billion a year industry. Most of the products sold by the industry are merely useless. For those who eat a balanced diet, scientists have found no quantifiable benefit from taking multivitamins. On the other hand, multivitamins probably won't do any harm. It would be better to give the $10 you spend on a jar of pills to the Salvation Army, but at least you are not poisoning yourself. The same could not be said, alas, for the unfortunate customers of a Belgian herbal dispensary who bought a supplement that contained the herb Aristolochia fangi. The A. fangi herb is rich in aristolochic acid, a carcinogen -- and users experienced an | [
"in which year was the law adopted?",
"What year was the law from?"
] | [
[
"1994"
],
[
"1994"
]
] | Consumers get constant pitches for herbal supplements as remedies .
David Frum says a 1994 law exempted supplements from scientific review .
He says people who try to be their own doctor take on unnecessary risk .
Frum: Government should regulate supplements as it does drugs . |
(CNN) -- Didier Drogba came off the bench to rescue a point for Ivory Coast as they drew 1-1 with Malawi on Saturday to book their place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Didier Drogba scored for Ivory Coast as they drew 1-1 with Malawi to book their place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Ivory Coast needed only a point from their match with the bottom-placed team in African qualifying Group E but found themselves a goal down in the 64th minute when Jacob Ngwira put the hosts ahead at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. Elephants coach Vahid Halilhodzic responded by throwing on Chelsea striker Drogba who was able to level the scores in the 67th minute. Malawi pushed for a winner as the second half wore on but were unable to add to the score and Ivory Coast secured the point they required for qualification. The result brought Ivory Coast's 100 percent run in the group to an end but ensured they will feature in the World Cup Finals for a second time following their debut appearance in 2006. Malawi also improved their chances of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations by moving third with four points, just behind Burkina Faso who have six and Guinea who are now last with three points. Elsewhere in the African qualifying zone Egypt recorded a 1-0 win over Zambia in their Group C clash in Konkola to potentially set up a deciding match with Algeria in Cairo next month. Egypt were on the back foot in the first half and were indebted to goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary who frustrated the Zambia fans with several fine saves as the visitors struggled to get to grips with the pitch at the Konkola Stadium. But the Pharaohs were a much-improved side after the half-time break and Hosny Abd-Rabou secured all three points with the only goal of the game in the 68th minute. Egypt defender Sayed Moawad laid off the ball for Abd-Rabou to fire a powerful right-footed shot past Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene and into the top corner of the net. The result means qualification will go right down to the wire even if Algeria take maximum points from their clash with bottom side Rwanda on Sunday and go three points clear of Egypt at the top of the group. Cameroon moved a step closer to qualification as they remained top of Group A with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Togo in Yaounde. The Indomitable Lions took the lead in the 32nd minute through Newcastle midfielder Geremi when he smashed home the rebound after Togo goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale had saved his initial shot from the penalty spot. Lyon's Jean Makoun doubled the advantage two minutes after the interval after he tapped home following a mazy dribble by Samuel Eto'o and Achille Emana made the points safe in the 52nd minute with a low drive. Gabon remain a point behind Cameroon after they clinched a 3-1 win over Morocco in Libreville having taken the lead after Hicham Mahdoufi put through his own net moments before half-time. Eric Mouloungou and Daniel Cousin gave Gabon a three-goal lead before Adel Taarabt pulled one back for Morocco with a late consolation. Paul Le Guen's Cameroon side, who had looked doubtful to qualify when he took over, are in pole position at the top of the group with 10 points ahead of Gabon on nine, Togo on five and Morocco with three. | [
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] | [
[
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] | Striker Didier Drogba scored as Ivory Coast drew 1-1 with Malawi in Blantyre .
The result ensured Ivory Cost qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa .
Egypt kept alive their qualification hopes with a 1-0 win over Zambia in Konkola .
Cameroon moved a step closer to qualification after their 3-0 win over Togo . |
(CNN) -- Diego Maradona's Argentina side have suffered their worst-ever World Cup defeat -- and heaviest loss in over 60 years -- going down 6-1 to Bolivia at La Paz's high-altitude Hernando Siles' stadium.
Bolivia players celebrate another goal as they humiliated Argentina 6-1 in La Paz.
Marcelo Martins opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute but Argentina levelled 13 minutes later when a long-range shot from Luiz Gonzalez bounced in after deceiving goalkeeper Carlos Arias.
Joaquin Botero, who helped himself to a hat-trick, netted his first in the 34th minute from the penalty spot and Alex Da Rosa added a third just before the interval.
Botero headed home the fourth five minutes into the second-half, before Argentina's night got even worse when they had substitute Angel Di Maria sent off.
Botero celebrated his treble soon after Di Maria's dismissal and Didi Torrico completed the rout from long range with three minutes remaining.
The last time Argentina have lost by a five-goal margin was 5-0 to Colombia in 1993 and the home media made their feelings about the result perfectly clear.
"A historic humiliation," said sports newspaper Ole on its Web site, adding: "This is our worst defeat in the qualifiers. What now.?"
The result leaves Argentina in the fourth and final South American World Cup qualification place, five points behind leaders Paraguay, who scored an injury-time equalizer to draw 1-1 in Ecuador.
Meanwhile, Brazil are up to second in the table, two points behind Paraguay, after a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Peru at Porto Alegre. Luis Fabiano scored twice with Felipe Melo adding the other goal.
Chile are third in the table after a 0-0 home draw with Uruguay, who lie in the play-off fifth position. | [
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"La Paz's high-altitude Hernando Siles' stadium."
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] | Argentina crushed 6-1 by Bolivia in their heaviest defeat for more than 60 years .
Joaquin Botero scores a hat-trick for the hosts in match played at high altitude .
Brazil up to second place in South American qualifying after 3-0 win over Peru . |
(CNN) -- Digital cameras are now as common and affordable to the average family as the Polaroid of the '60s. A self-admitted tech geek, Chris Pirillo is president of Lockergnome.com, a blogging network. Best thing about 'em? You don't even have to take your film in to the corner drugstore to get developed -- because digital cameras don't rely on film to make their pictures "stick." Thanks to technology, the entire process, from clicking the shutter to printing the pictures, is now entirely within the power of the consumer. Maybe you've taken a picture that's just not as perfect as you'd like it to be. Instead of being at the mercy of a darkroom-shackled photo lackey to improve upon it, you've got more tools than ever to take it upon yourself to edit, store, organize, and share your images with the world. Here's a roundup of 10 free, and mostly free, online tools for the budding digital photographer: 1. Picnik -- Summed up from the site: "Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful editing tools. Tweak to your heart's content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames." If you already use Flickr for your photos (here's what I do with mine), you're only a click away from taking a Picnik. That's how I discovered it, and it's worked fairly well for me to this point. 2. Splashup-- Splashup "is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. With all the features professionals use and novices want, it's easy to use, works in real-time, and allows you to edit many images at once." You'd wonder how something this extensive could be free - and it all runs within the browser. 3. FotoFlexer -- FotoFlexer bills itself as "the world's most advanced online image editor." With it, you can edit photos from Photobucket, MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and "more places." I'm not quite sure what "more places" means, but last I checked, this does not include a phone booth. 4. Pixlr -- "Pixlr is a free online photo editor; jump in and start: edit, adjust, filter. It's just what you imagine!" Alexa says it's the "fastest growing photo editor online." If these resources are starting to look similar to your eye, remember you don't have to use all of them - just pick the one that works best for your needs. 5. flauntR-- flauntR is a suite that includes the ability to edit images, add effects, add text, and print the results on everything from mugs to posters. You might be overwhelmed with the options here, but... isn't that better than being underwhelmed? 6. Photoshop Express-- Adobe's Photoshop was really the first image editor of its kind to herald in the age of digital photography, though it was designed for professionals and its endless options could be daunting (and bank- breakingly expensive) for the layman. Now, Photoshop.com is on the Web to help that very same layman -- for free or plus levels of membership -- edit, store, and share his photos. Lots of helpful tutorials promise to guide the casual user through editing pickles. 7. PiZap-- PiZap's tagline is "fun with photos made easy." It's another flavor of photo editor/storage center that, like flauntR, allows you to print the results to mugs, bags, and t-shirts. PiZap invites developers to check out its API for more personalization options (which is usually a good thing). 8. Aviary-- Aviary lets you: "edit images, create mind-blowing effects, design logos, find colors, collaborate, and more. All you need is a Web browser." This particular brand looks to be the one to beat, as they have several different tools in development. I'm guessing that within five years, this one is going to be at the top of | [
"How many free online tools were suggested?",
"Who is Chris Pirillo?",
"What does FotoFlexer bill itself as?"
] | [
[
"10"
],
[
"president of Lockergnome.com,"
],
[
"\"the world's most advanced online image editor.\""
]
] | Tech enthusiast Chris Pirillo suggests 10 free online digital photographry tools .
Photographers today have more tools than ever to edit, organize and share images .
FotoFlexer bills itself as "the world's most advanced online image editor"
Cameroid lets you "take crazy snaps with your webcam straight from your browser" |
(CNN) -- Dionne Warwick was one of the thousands of guests to attend Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Dionne Warwick said Michael Jackson brought a new insight to things people should be paying attention to. Warwick talks with CNN's Larry King about the moving tributes during the service and the legacy left behind by the "King of Pop." King also talks with Warwick's son, Damon Elliott, who has been a friend of Jackson's since childhood and was writing a song with Michael just before his death. The following is an edited version of the interview. Larry King: What did you think of the event, Dionne? Dionne Warwick: Well, it was probably one of the most emotional mornings and afternoons that I've spent in a very long time. It was done with a great deal of style and class. King: He would've liked it? Warwick: He would've loved it. He would've loved it. King: How did you and Michael hook up, Damon? Damon Elliott: From Mom. We shared moms. When I was very little, I used to beg her probably at least once a week, "Mom, you have to take me out to the house, you have to take me out to the house." She'd always say, "I'm on tour right now, baby. But when we I get home, we'll go see Michael." And one day we did, and he showed up, I think, in my living room or somewhere. King: You were writing a song at his death? Elliott: Yes. Actually, I was working on some music for the new record that I was going to get over to Jermaine. And the night before he passed away, it's crazy we were writing a song. King: How great a singer was Michael Jackson? Warwick: Michael was... King: A singer -- a pure singer? Warwick: And he could sing. Yes. Yes. It was more than the magic of everything else that he did. He was a brilliant singer. King: What was he like to work with, if you were working on a song together? What was that experience like? Elliott: Well, from a distance, I got to work with Michael. I mostly worked through Jermaine, who was another amazing talent. But just all the brothers, you know, they have so much conviction and so much feeling in their delivery. Watch Jackson family address crowd » And Michael was like the greatest teacher to all of us -- producers, dancers, singers, songwriters. He just had it all. He would come in and beat box a melody and you'd try to emulate it on a drum machine and it just was impossible. So you'd just keep what he did. King: What's Michael Jackson's legacy? Warwick: The wonderful things that he did for this entire world. I think he brought a new insight as to the things that we really should be paying attention to. He did it brilliantly, and I think that's his legacy. | [
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] | Singer Dionne Warwick: Jackson's memorial service was done with style, class .
Warwick's son was writing a song with Jackson days before his death .
Damon Elliott: "Michael was like the greatest teacher to all of us" |
(CNN) -- Diplomats edged closer to finding a way to end the fighting in Gaza on Friday as the United States and Israel signed an agreement designed to stop arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says European nations and NATO will be helping with anti-smuggling efforts.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni signed a memorandum of understanding that calls for an international effort to stem the flow of weaponry and explosives.
The agreement outlines a plan to share information and provide technical assistance to stop the smuggling of arms to the militants.
The meeting in Washington was one of several diplomatic moves afoot to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The diplomatic moves came as Israel's offensive against Hamas militants continued, with Israeli airstrikes pounding the northern and southern sections of Gaza. Watch more on the latest fighting in Gaza »
U.S. and Israeli diplomats said the agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of U.S. and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels.
Rice said the steps spelled out in the memorandum will "stem the flow of weapons and explosives into Gaza."
"The United States is reaching out to its partners as well. Together, the steps that we and other members of the international community can take will contribute to a durable cease-fire," said Rice, noting that "there must be an international consensus that Gaza never be used as a launching pad against Israeli cities."
Livni said that ending the fighting in Gaza won't be "achieved by agreements with terror, but with effective arrangements against it" -- a unified effort by the international community. She said a "durable" end to hostilities requires a stop to weapons smuggling into Gaza.
"We have agreed on a series of actions with regional and international players in order to complement Egyptian actions and end the flow of weapons to Gaza," Livni said. She said European nations and NATO would be helping with the anti-smuggling efforts.
The Bush administration has been consulting with the Barack Obama team about the memorandum of understanding and efforts to forge a cease-fire. Rice has spoken with President-elect Obama, incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and incoming National Security Adviser James Jones.
Israel on Thursday dispatched senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad to Cairo to discuss a cease-fire proposal, and Gilad was continuing talks in Cairo.
A Hamas delegation is also in the Egyptian capital, talking with leaders there who are trying to hammer out a temporary truce.
Egypt has hosted peace talks with leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and has acted as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel.
Arab and regional diplomats and leaders also have been meeting to deal with the crisis, but there is no unified Arab stand.
The state of Qatar held an emergency summit Friday in an attempt to find a unified Arab voice on Gaza. The meeting brought together some regional leaders, including the presidents of Iran and Syria and the leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Palestinian Authority were not in attendance. They plan to attend the regular annual Arab League summit scheduled for next week in Kuwait devoted to Gaza.
Arab League foreign ministers were meeting in Kuwait City on Friday and were planning the groundwork for next week's meeting.
Six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- focused on Gaza at their emergency summit Thursday in Riyadh.
Also, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon continued his trip through the region as part of the diplomatic effort to secure a truce. He has called for an immediate cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and said he is encouraged that the Egyptian government is trying to broker a truce.
He met with Israeli officials Thursday and condemned an Israeli strike that damaged the U.N. Relief and Works Agency's compound in Gaza City, sparked a massive fire and injured three people. | [
"who was at the meeting?",
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"what is key issue for Israel?",
"who met U.S. secretary state Rice?"
] | [
[
"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni"
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[
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[
"Gaza."
],
[
"northern and southern sections of Gaza."
],
[
"stop arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory."
],
[
"Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni"
]
] | Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meet .
Agreement reached on measures to stop flow of Hamas weapons .
Arms smuggling is a key issue for Israel ahead of any cease-fire .
Israeli airstrikes continue to pound northern and southern sections of Gaza . |
(CNN) -- Diprivan is a powerful I.V. anesthetic drug used for patients undergoing certain surgeries and diagnostic procedures. Patients undergoing surgery may receive Diprivan to keep them sedated during the procedure. The drug is making headlines with the claim from a nurse who worked for pop icon Michael Jackson that the singer, who died June 25, had repeatedly asked her about the drug. Nurse Cherilyn Lee told CNN that Jackson had brought up Diprivan about three months ago, saying he needed it for insomnia and that his doctor said it was safe. "He said, 'I am so sleepy. I cannot sleep. I want to have at least eight hours of sleep,'" Lee told CNN's Anderson Cooper. The medication, whose generic name is propofol, renders the patient unconscious for as long as doctors deem necessary. The patient wakes up almost immediately after the infusion is stopped, experts say. But treating sleep disorders is not an approved use of the drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says Diprivan should be given only by people trained in the administration of general anesthesia and who are not involved in the conduct of the surgery or diagnostic procedure. Watch Dr. Gupta explain when and how propofol (Diprivan) is used » The general anesthetic has the effect of making patients feel well-rested when they wake up from it, said Dr. Hector Vila, chairman of the Ambulatory Surgery Committee for the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Vila gives the drug to all of his patients who are getting office procedures in areas such as urology, dentistry and gynecology. It is also the most common anesthetic for colonoscopies, he said. "I have never heard of anyone using it for the treatment of a sleep disorder," he said. There have been cases of health care professionals self-administering the drug and abusing it, however, said Vila, who has examined deaths from Diprivan in Florida. Other deaths from the drug have occurred when administered by non-anesthetist professionals, in settings such as ophthalmology, gynecology and plastic surgery, he said. Diprivan appears white and milky, and is usually run as an I.V. drip. In addition to surgical applications, it can be used in the intensive care unit for someone who may be intubated on a ventilator. The drug itself does not provide pain relief, experts say. The principle risks of Diprivan come from improper monitoring of the patient's breathing, Vila said. When a person's breathing slows down, not enough carbon dioxide gets removed from the body, and not enough oxygen enters. This could lead to cardiac arrest, he said. Still, when used properly, Diprivan is not a dangerous drug, he said. "It's very safe in a properly trained physician's hands." The drug has been used in the past to treat prolonged epileptic seizures. A small MayoClinic study in 2008 found that Diprivan was associated with a higher risk of cardiac arrest and deaths in patients with a condition called refractory status epilepticus. Side effects of Diprivan may include dizziness and lightheadedness. Balance, coordination and judgment may be affected for up to 24 hours, so patients should not drive cars, play sports or sign contracts in that period, Vila said. Patients may also experience a euphoric feeling upon waking up, Vila said. This is distinct from older anesthetics, which caused nausea and vomiting, he said. The FDA also issued a warning to health care professionals in 2007 about patients who experienced chills, fever and body aches shortly after receiving the drug for sedation or general anesthesia. Doctors consider sedation a continuum, where relaxation is on the mild side and general anesthesia is at the other extreme. There may be complications of Diprivan if the patient is also taking prescription pain medications, experts say. Patients should tell their health care providers about any allergies they have before taking this drug, doctors say, including eggs, soy products, sulfite, benzyl alcohol and any medications. CNN's Stephanie Smith contributed to this report. | [
"What does Diprivan do to patients?",
"What does Diprivan do",
"What is the drug not approved it for",
"What group has not approved Diprivan?",
"What is the side effect of Diprivan?",
"Who should notify their doctors before taking it"
] | [
[
"keep them sedated during the procedure."
],
[
"renders the patient unconscious for as long as doctors deem necessary."
],
[
"treating sleep disorders"
],
[
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration"
],
[
"dizziness and lightheadedness."
],
[
"Patients"
]
] | Diprivan renders the patient unconscious for as long as doctors deem necessary .
FDA has not approved it for treating sleep disorders .
The drug has the effect of making the patient feel well-rested upon waking up .
People with food or drug allergies should alert their doctor before taking it . |
(CNN) -- Director Chen Kaige's films often examine the close ties of love, passion and friendship, but his own relationship with his artist and filmmaker father is one that has informed much of his life and colored his work.
Chen Kaige captures the pains and passions of relationships on the silver screen.
As a 14-year-old red guard during the Cultural Revolution, Chen denounced his father for creating subversive art. While his father forgave him, Chen has found it hard to truly forgive himself.
"I knew it was the wrong thing to do. If I didn't know, then I could've forgiven myself," he told CNN.
Chen has already touched upon such a significant moment in his personal life in his award-winning 1993 film, "Farewell My Concubine." It brought him international-acclaim and a host of accolades, including Cannes Film Festival's Palme D'or.
Like "Farewell My Concubine," Chen's latest film, "Forever Enthralled" ("Mei Lanfang" in Mandarin), once again delves into the world of Beijing opera, and it has proven to be a hit in China since its release in cinemas in December.
However, capturing the Cultural Revolution remains one of Chen's ambitions -- not only to explore the circumstances that colored the relationship with his father but an exploration of a crucial time in Chinese history.
"It's not because I was hurt and so many people hurt that I want to do my revenge. It's not like this. This is the lesson that the Chinese people must learn, no matter what," Chen told CNN.
"I hope that my generation of directors or writers could do something to tell people the truth, to tell people what really happened at that time; why a young son of a film director, you know, could denounce his own father, like I did. I was still shocked," he said.
Now 56 years old, Chen studied at the Beijing Film Academy, directing his first feature film "Yellow Earth" in 1984.
After the success of "Farewell My Concubine," he eventually took up the offer to direct a Hollywood film in 2002 -- "Killing Me Softly," with Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes.
While failing to impress the critics or register a hit at the box office, Chen remains sanguine about the experience.
"I think I've learnt a lot from that. Although I fully understand why audiences didn't really enjoy that film that much.
"In the industrial system [of Hollywood] people don't really care if you're making a good film or not. People care about whether the film can make money. It's a completely different thing, you know. Quite honestly, I wasn't very comfortable to do films that way," said Chen.
Chen will continue to make films in China and finds the country's recent transformation as significant as earlier periods of change during his lifetime.
"I ask myself whether it's a progress or we're just going back to where we not necessarily need to be. I don't know. I mean, I'm not trying to say anything politically. But I feel if you look at the very beginning of Charles Dickens' novel, 'A Tale of Two Cities,' 'It was the best times, it was the worst times...' this is the simple answer," he said.
Time will tell if today's China will be part of Chen's cinematic sweep in the future. | [
"Personal experience during what time had large impact?",
"Who found international fame with ''Farewell My Concubine''?",
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] | [
[
"the Cultural Revolution,"
],
[
"Chen Kaige"
],
[
"\"Farewell My Concubine.\""
]
] | Chinese director Chen Kaige found international fame with 'Farewell My Concubine'
Made a brief foray into filmmaking in Hollywood before returning to China .
Personal experience during Cultural Revolution had large impact . |
(CNN) -- Disgraced former NFL star Michael Vick declared that "I am not the bad person or the beast I've been made out to be" in a letter to a judge asking for leniency. Michael Vick wrote he was "forever a changed man." "I have been talked about and ridiculed on a day to day basis by people who really don't know Michael Vick the human being. They only knew the football player which is unfair," Vick said in a handwritten letter released this week. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Vick on Monday to serve 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively. Vick wrote the judge that he had accepted responsibility for his actions, would pay restitution and never again use "a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people." Read letters from Vick, his mom, sports stars » The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback said he grew up not knowing the severity of the crime of dogfighting and asked Hudson for "a second chance." Other letters supporting Vick were sent by his mother, his seventh-grade teacher and children he had met since becoming a star and one of the NFL's most highly paid players. Brenda Vick Boddie said her son fell victim to friends who took advantage of Vick's inability to "say no." "PLEASE Your HONOR give my baby Michael another chance. [H]e's never been in trouble with the law before, PLEASE! PLEASE! one more chance," she pleaded in her own handwritten letter. Former Falcons teammate Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and two sporting legends -- former home-run king Hank Aaron and former two-time boxing heavyweight champion George Foreman -- also wrote letters on Vick's behalf. E-mail to a friend | [
"Michael Vick promised what?",
"Michael Vick wrote a letter to the judge seeking what?",
"Former NFL star said he was wrong and promised to make amends",
"What team does Michael Vick play for?",
"Vick was sentence to how long in prison?",
"what Former NFL star said?"
] | [
[
"pay restitution and never again use \"a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people.\""
],
[
"leniency."
],
[
"Vick"
],
[
"Atlanta Falcons"
],
[
"23 months"
],
[
"\"I am not the bad person or the beast"
]
] | Michael Vick wrote five-page letter to judge seeking leniency .
Former NFL star said he was wrong and promised to make amends .
Vick's mom, Atlanta mayor and sports legends also sent letters to judge .
Vick sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison in dogfighting case . |
(CNN) -- Doctor James Braude leads a group medical practice in an elegant Atlanta, Georgia, office decorated with designer furnishings. It doesn't look like a charity asking for handouts. But it is asking. Obama, pictured July 1 in Virginia, has been touring the states to promote his plan to voters. "On some days we've counted up to 30 patients a day who've lost their jobs and their health insurance," Braude said. So Braude and his colleagues offer as much free care as they can afford. The doctors have also begun discreetly inviting paying patients to contribute to a fund, helping more people get care they haven't got the money for. "We're doctors. We're addicted to helping people. And when we can't, we go through withdrawal." Millions of Americans have always gone without the kind of routine medical care that is seen as a basic right in many countries. The U.S. economic downturn -- meaning people lose health insurance when they lose their job -- and the election of President Barack Obama have coincided to increase both the need and the opportunity to address the plight of uninsured America. Obama's ambition is to provide insurance for the estimated 50 million Americans without coverage. Watch why many in rural U.S. have concerns » The insurance is expected to cover doctors, hospital care and prescription drugs. But just about every detail is still being negotiated so it's not certain who would be covered, what they would be covered for or whether people who don't want insurance would be forced to have it and pay for it. The plans that emerge could become the Obama administration's most ambitious domestic program and potentially a big, early test of his presidency. American medical care needs attention Even though nearly 50 million of its roughly 300 million people have no routine health care, the United States spends more going to the doctor than any other industrialized nation in the world. Fully one-sixth of the economy is devoted to it. Under the current hybrid system, the U.S. Government pays for health care for ex-military, the extremely poor and the elderly. But the vast majority of Americans have to pay for their own health care and most do it where they work; many employers arrange health insurance and partly subsidize the premiums. The rapidly rising cost is crushing all kinds of businesses, from car companies to family farms. At the same time, hospitals and doctors say they are falling behind because the payments they receive from insurance companies aren't keeping up with their costs. "Within a decade we will be spending one out of every five dollars we earn on health care," Obama said recently. "In 30 years, it will be one out of every three. That is untenable, that is unacceptable, and I will not allow it as president of the United States." The politics: Deep disagreement There is a lot of disagreement about what to do. Congress has the job of actually turning the push for change into a functioning government program. Democratic lawmakers don't all support the president's plan or agree on how to pay for it. Republicans are split in a different way. Some lawmakers are trying to influence the Democrats' plans and others are proposing entirely different alternatives. "If you look at their plan, it really is a big government-run plan that will take control of the delivery of health care in America," said Republican congressional leader John Boehner. His suggestion: "Improve the current system so it works better." The most profound disagreement centers on whether Washington should create its own new health-insurance concern to compete with the private companies that provide insurance now. Obama and many Democrats favor it; Republicans are dead set against it. Part of the problem is that insurance companies fear the government will put them out of business, by favoring or subsidizing its own scheme. The other part of the problem is more basic and ideological. The U.S. government already runs enormous health-insurance programs for the poor, the elderly and military veterans -- but many | [
"how many americans are without health insurance?",
"What is the number of Americans without any health insurance?",
"What do people losing jobs in the recession also lose?",
"What happens to people losing jobs in the recession?",
"Who are without any health insurance?",
"How many americans are without health insurance?",
"What is largely confined to veterans, the elderly, and the poor?",
"How many Americans without health insurance are there?"
] | [
[
"estimated 50 million"
],
[
"50 million"
],
[
"their health insurance,\""
],
[
"lose health insurance"
],
[
"50 million Americans"
],
[
"50 million"
],
[
"health-insurance programs"
],
[
"50 million"
]
] | About 50 million Americans are without any health insurance .
People losing jobs in the recession also lose health insurance .
Government health provision care largely confined to veterans, elderly and poor .
Extending government role is health care is politically hot potato . |
(CNN) -- Doctors Without Borders has embarked on a massive vaccination campaign in three African countries to combat an outbreak of meningitis that has killed hundreds of people, the organization said Wednesday. A child gets vaccinated against meningitis in Niger in August 2007. The vaccinations are being carried out in Niger, Nigeria, and Chad -- part of a large swath of what is known as the "meningitis belt" of sub-Saharan Africa, the organization said. The "belt" stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia. Doctors Without Borders, widely known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres, said medical teams have treated and vaccinated 5.4 million people and plan on vaccinating another 1.7 million -- making the vaccination campaign the organization's largest ever. The group said more than 1,900 people have died in this outbreak since January. More than 56,000 cases have been reported in Nigeria, Niger and Chad alone, the organization said. Last month, the World Health Organization said the disease was at epidemic level in 76 areas of in Niger and Nigeria, and a spokesman in Nigeria, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said the outbreak was "bigger than usual." In March, the organization said a total of 24,868 suspected cases had been reported in the "meningitis belt," including 1,513 deaths. The outbreak began around the start of the year, Soyinka told CNN. It usually peaks in the dry season because of dust, winds and cold nights, before dipping around May when the rains come, he said. Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord, according to the World Health Organization. Several different bacteria can cause meningitis but Neisseria meningitidis -- which is to blame for the current outbreak -- is one of the most important because of its potential to cause epidemics. | [
"How many people have died during the current outbreak?",
"Where are the vaccinations taking place?",
"How many people have been treated?",
"Who is conducting the vaccination campaign?",
"What disease are they giving vaccinations for?",
"Where are the vaccinations being done?",
"Where are vaccinations being done?",
"When did the outbreak start?",
"What are doctors without borders doing?"
] | [
[
"1,900"
],
[
"Niger, Nigeria, and Chad"
],
[
"5.4 million"
],
[
"Without Borders"
],
[
"meningitis"
],
[
"Niger, Nigeria, and Chad"
],
[
"Niger, Nigeria, and Chad"
],
[
"since January."
],
[
"embarked on a massive vaccination campaign"
]
] | Doctors Without Borders embark on vaccination campaign to combat outbreak .
Vaccinations being done in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, where over 56,000 cases reported .
5.4 million people have been treated, vaccinated; 1.7 million more to be vaccinated .
Over 1,900 people have died in this outbreak since January . |
(CNN) -- Doctors at the Technical University of Munich have conducted the world's first double-arm transplant on a 54-year-old farmer who had lost both his arms in an accident, officials said. After transplant surgery, this farmer has new arms. His condition "is very good under the circumstances." The operation was conducted at the university's "Klinikum rechts der Isar" last week, the clinic said in a statement Friday, following several years of preparatory work. The man's condition "is very good under the circumstances," the statement said. "Now it is a matter of avoiding future wound healing disorders, infections, strong side-effects caused by the drugs and in particular any rejective reaction." A team of 40 people participated in the transplant surgery, conducted July 25 and 26. The donor matched the host in sex, age, skin color, size and blood group, the statement said. The transplant subject had lost both his arms at the upper arm level six years ago, and two attempts with artificial limbs had been unsuccessful. | [
"where is the university",
"who lost his both arms",
"Can doctors transplant arms?",
"What age is the recipient of the arm transplant?",
"What number of people conduct the operation?",
"what happened to the farmer",
"When did the farmer lose his arms?"
] | [
[
"Munich"
],
[
"a 54-year-old farmer"
],
[
"world's first double-arm"
],
[
"54-year-old"
],
[
"40"
],
[
"lost both his arms in an accident,"
],
[
"six years ago,"
]
] | Technical University of Munich doctors transplant arms on 54-year-old farmer .
Farmer had lost both his arms in an accident six years ago .
40 people conduct operation; several years spent preparing for the surgery .
Donor matched the patient in sex, age, skin color, size and blood group . |
(CNN) -- Doctors chose a woman who survived a shotgun wound to her face as the first recipient of a face transplant after treating her for nearly four years. This image projects what Connie Culp, 46, may look like two years after the face transplant. Connie Culp knew of the Cleveland Clinic's interest in face transplants and approached the medical staff, doctors said at a news conference Tuesday. Dr. Maria Siemionow, the Cleveland, Ohio, hospital's director of plastic surgery research and head of microsurgery training, had more than 20 years of experience in complex transplants. By 2004, Siemionow was looking for the right candidate for a face transplant who wasn't doing it for vanity. "They are not looking to go out on the street and be beautiful," Siemionow told CNN in a 2006 interview. "Some of these patients, when they were interviewed just said 'I want to walk on the street and just make sure I am not sticking out.' They just want to have a normal face." The doctors examined the patient's history, motivation and ability to understand the risks of the transplant. And they found Culp to be an ideal candidate. Five years after a gun blast shattered her nose, cheeks and upper lip, she had a band of scar tissue extending across her face. "The most devastating of all was the fact that society had rejected her and children were afraid of her," said Siemionow, who led the December 10 transplant operation. See before and after photos of Culp » Culp, a mother of two and a grandmother, told her doctors she could understand that some adults would shun her. "But what really bothered her the most were children -- the children that shied away from her," said Dr. Frank Papay, the chairman of Institute of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. "That sense of innocence, and her not being able to see that innocence really, really affected her." The shooting In September 2004, Culp's estranged husband shot her in the face in an attempted murder-suicide outside a restaurant in Hopedale, Ohio, according to CNN affiliate WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio. Culp was 8 feet away from her husband, Thomas Culp, when he pulled the shotgun's trigger. He then turned the weapon on himself, according to local news reports. They both survived. Thomas Culp was sent to prison. Despite her wounds, she told WTOV in 2008, "I'll always love him. He was my first love." At the same time, Culp said, she felt angry. "I wouldn't be human if I didn't. I forgive him, but I have to go on, you know?" After the shooting, Culp recuperated in a hospital and in a personal care home for two years. Culp told WTOV she had vision problems and was learning Braille. Her approach to life was to "keep motivated. Don't sleep your life away -- that could have happened. I could be depressed. I'm not." As she spoke, her breaths emitted a small whistle from her tracheotomy tube, which protruded from a surgical opening in her neck. "I cannot smell. I will never be able to smell," she said in the interview. Culp was wrong. How doctors transplanted a face The doctors at the Cleveland Clinic analyzed Culp's injuries using CAT scans and developed plastic models of her skull. They practiced face transplant operation on cadavers several times. Culp met with the hospital's surgeons, ethical committee members and psychiatry and psychology specialists who determined that she was an ideal candidate for the surgery. Then, the wait for the right donor began in 2008. "We thought we were going to wait a long time because we had to find a Caucasian female in her mid 40s to match Connie, so we expected a year before we were able to find a donor," said Papay, who is also head of craniofacial surgery. "Well, three to four months later, I got | [
"In 2008 she told who in an interview that she had forgiven her husband?",
"What is the name of the recipient of the face transplant?",
"What was her name?",
"What did she say in 2008?",
"Face transplant recipient was shot in 2004 by which relative?",
"What did she tell CNN?",
"who fit criteria",
"who was shot by husband",
"Who says Connie culp fit criteria?",
"Who was face transplant recipient shot by?",
"what year did it happen",
"What did the doctors say about Connie Culp?",
"What did she say about her husband?",
"Which year was a interview she told CNN?",
"Which year were face transplant?"
] | [
[
"WTOV"
],
[
"Connie Culp,"
],
[
"Connie Culp,"
],
[
"\"I'll always love him. He was my first love.\""
],
[
"Culp's estranged husband"
],
[
"\"Some of these patients, when they were interviewed just said 'I want to walk on the street and just make sure I am not sticking out.' They just want to have a normal face.\""
],
[
"Connie Culp,"
],
[
"Connie Culp,"
],
[
"Dr. Maria Siemionow,"
],
[
"Thomas Culp,"
],
[
"2004,"
],
[
"knew of the Cleveland Clinic's interest in face transplants and approached the medical staff,"
],
[
"\"I'll always love him. He was my first love.\""
],
[
"2006"
],
[
"2008."
]
] | Face transplant recipient was shot in 2004 by her husband .
In a 2008 interview she told CNN affiliate that she forgave her husband .
Doctors say Connie Culp fit criteria for ideal face transplant recipient . |
(CNN) -- Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez continues to shuffle his top military commanders as he tries to make good on his recent promise to cleanse the government of corruption. Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez has faced political pressure to act on government corruption. After firing 700 police officers and forcing the retirement of 31 military and police generals Sunday, Fernandez on Monday removed more generals and reassigned others. The government also has announced that more than 535 members of the nation's 24,000-strong military have been forced out in the past six months due to their suspected involvement in the drug trade. Among the generals forced to retire was the former head of the nation's top anti-drug agency, the Dominican National Drug Control, known by its Spanish acronym DNCD. In his state-of-the-nation speech Friday, Fernandez said, "In the Dominican Republic -- listen well -- narcotrafficking will not pass." Despite the president's strong words, many Dominican citizens and outside analysts said narcotrafficking already has taken hold. "The situation in the Dominican Republic is that organizations that are supposedly involved in fighting corruption and narcotrafficking are involved in it," said Tomas Castro Monegro, an anti-corruption attorney for 25 years in Santo Domingo, the capital. Tobias Friedl, a regional manager for Latin America at Washington-based iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, which helps companies assess and deal with dangers abroad, said, "The security forces -- the army and the police -- have been corrupted." The Dominican government generally carries out military promotions and retirements on February 27, the day in which the nation celebrates its 1844 declaration of independence from Haiti. But this year's numbers are unprecedented, Castro said. In 1978, he said, 48 generals were let go -- some for perceived corruption, others for political reasons. But Castro said he never has seen 700 police officers fired or more than 500 military personnel relieved of their duties. "In the majority of cases," he said, "there has to be something linking that person to narcotrafficking or corruption in general." National police chief Rafael Guzman addressed his force Monday, admonishing them not to cave in to the many temptations they face. "Today, more than ever, harassed by increasingly demanding challenges that jump out from all sides, just when drug trafficking persists in crippling society, it's time for all police agents and officers, the men and women of our dear institution ... to raise our chest, since this is the moment to define ourselves. We're with the nation or we're against it," he was quoted as saying in the Dominican Today and Listin Diario newspaper Web sites. Castro and others said police and the military have been involved in organized crime "for a long time." The evidence lies in the lavish lifestyles many of these officials are able to sustain on a public salary, they said. "They live in contradiction with their salaries," Castro said. "They live in houses that cost millions of pesos and drive big vehicles." Corrupt officials prefer to work in customs, at the airport and the border and in anti-drug units, the lawyer said. They receive bribes from traffickers, Castro said, and also profit by arresting people involved in the drug trade and taking their possessions. Castro, a well-known attorney in a nation of less than 10 million, has represented drug suspects and has argued cases before the Dominican Supreme Court. In 2000, a published report said, he filed a suit against Fernandez alleging padded road-construction contracts. Friedl, the risk analyst, notes that Caribbean routes for drug shipments have diminished due to strong interdiction efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard. The majority of shipments now travel through Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, he said. However, Friedl and others said, the drug trade still flourishes in the Dominican Republic. "The Dominican Republic is not a major drug-producing country, but it acts as a transit point for cocaine, heroin, marijuana and ecstasy bound for the United States and Europe," said | [
"Who shuffled up the commanders?",
"How many police officers does he fire?",
"Who shuffles more commanders after forcing retirement of 31 military, police generals ?",
"President Leonel Fernandez fires 700 police officers in what county ?",
"Who was the president in the Dominican Republic?",
"Who vows in a state-of-the-nation speech to rid the government of corruption ?",
"Who fired the police officers?",
"How many military retirements were forced?",
"What will not pass?"
] | [
[
"Republic President Leonel Fernandez"
],
[
"700"
],
[
"Republic President Leonel Fernandez"
],
[
"Dominican"
],
[
"Leonel Fernandez"
],
[
"Republic President Leonel Fernandez"
],
[
"President Leonel Fernandez"
],
[
"31"
],
[
"narcotrafficking"
]
] | President Leonel Fernandez fires 700 police officers in Dominican Republic .
He shuffles more commanders after forcing retirement of 31 military, police generals .
Fernandez vows in a state-of-the-nation speech to rid the government of corruption .
Fernandez says, "Listen well -- narcotrafficking will not pass" |
(CNN) -- Don Henley, a founding member of "The Eagles," is suing a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, claiming the candidate is misusing two of his popular songs. Don Henley performs at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on May 2, 2008. The suit filed Friday in federal court in California claims Charles DeVore is using Henley's hit songs "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" without authorization. The suit comes from two campaign videos that DeVore posted on YouTube that used Henley's music, according to the lawsuit. In one of the videos, DeVore's campaign changed the words of "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" to lyrics that attacked Sen. Barbara Boxer, the lawsuit alleges. Mike Campbell, who co-wrote "Boys of Summer," is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. "Don Henley and Mike Campbell brought this action to protect their song, 'The Boys of Summer,' which was taken and used without their permission," Henley's spokesman said. "The infringers have vowed to continue exploiting this and other copyrighted works, as it suits them, to further their own ambitions and agenda. It was necessary to file a lawsuit to stop them." DeVore, a member of the California State Assembly, is running against Boxer, a Democrat, in the 2010 election, according to his Web site. DeVore mentions Henley's legal actions on the Web site. "We're responding with a counter-claim, asserting our First Amendment right to political free speech," the site said. "While the legal issues play out, it's time to up the ante on Mr. Henley's liberal goon tactics. By popular request, I have penned the words to our new parody song." DeVore then posted the lyrics of a song he called "All She Wants to Do Is Tax." CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report. | [
"What does Henley claim?",
"Who filed the lawsuit?",
"Who is DeVore running against?",
"What does it claim?",
"Who filed the law suit?",
"What songs were used?",
"Who files lawsuit against Republican running for Senate seat?"
] | [
[
"the candidate is misusing two of his popular songs."
],
[
"Don Henley"
],
[
"Sen. Barbara Boxer,"
],
[
"the candidate is misusing two of his popular songs."
],
[
"Henley,"
],
[
"\"All She Wants to Do Is Dance\""
],
[
"Henley, a founding member of \"The Eagles,\" is suing a"
]
] | Don Henley files lawsuit against Republican running for Senate seat .
Henley claims Charles DeVore used his songs without permission .
DeVore is running against California Sen. Barbara Boxer . |
(CNN) -- Don Shows was a computer geek until he lost his job and took a road trip. JetBlue promises to refund some tickets purchased before a traveler is laid off from a job. While the 56-year-old from Dayton, Ohio, was away on his eight-day post-layoff adventure, he decided he really wanted to be a photojournalist. "I ran into some interesting situations when I was out touring around the backcountry" of the Midwest, he said. "The road map is handy, but sometimes the road you're looking for is not there." Stories like Shows' are more common these days. The unemployment rate was at 7.6 percent in January, and, strange as it may seem, at least one travel company, an airline and a travel-bag maker are now catering to the layoff crowd -- both the recently let go and the future unemployed. For those who buy a plane ticket before they get the ax, JetBlue is offering to refund fares. The JetBlue Promise promotion is good for customers laid off on or after February 17 and applies to ticket purchases made between February 1 and June 1. The program is designed to appeal to people who haven't been downsized but worry they might be, said Alison Croyle, a spokeswoman for the airline. "It's something that we felt would provide an advantage to customers who otherwise might be too stressed to book future travel plans," she said. Then there's the already-laid-off demographic. On some packages, Intrepid Travel is giving a 15 percent discount to people who've recently been let go. The deal, with the tongue-in-cheek title, "Laid off? How about taking off?" has gotten a few dozen takers in the two months it's been offered, said Leslie Cohen, spokeswoman for the travel company. Cohen said the discount is designed to give people a chance to clear their heads during a tough transition. Some of the deals start at less than $1,000, she said. The company is "not suggesting you use your life savings," she said. "It's really just a chance to catch your breath and see something else and come back in a little bit of a different frame of mind." For those looking to hit the skies on the job hunt rather than escape it, SkyRoll, maker of a $149.99 garment bag, says it's giving a discount. "If you recently lost your job and need to travel for an interview, we will take 50 percent off the price of a SkyRoll to help you arrive looking your best," the company says on its Web site. To get the discount, SkyRoll requires customers to e-mail the company a layoff notice. Travel discounts like the one from Intrepid may be great for unemployed people who have hefty savings accounts or large severance packages, but the program also could prey on the unemployed, said Madeline Hughes, who runs a consulting and outplacement group in Denver, Colorado. The cost of a big trip "could be lunch money for somebody for the next six months," she said. Hughes tells her clients who are laid off they need to come up with a career plan -- and quickly -- because the job market is so competitive. If a person truly has a thick enough checkbook to afford a post-layoff vacation, Hughes said she would tell the person to send out plenty of resumes before hitting the beach. "If you really do want to get away, then at least get somewhat of a plan so when you're on vacation you're not fretting about what you're going to do when you get back," she said. "People can't relax if they're afraid and they don't have a plan and they're sort of panicked." Daphne Domingo, a life coach in Seattle, Washington, said people who've been laid off should take vacations so they have time to reassess their lives -- but they should gauge the scope of their travel on their savings account. | [
"Who are travel companies and an airline catering to?",
"who is catered to",
"what will jet blue do",
"What are the companies doing?",
"In what circumstances will JetBlue give a refund?",
"what is the discount",
"What did a consultant say about the trip costs?",
"What is the discount they can get?"
] | [
[
"layoff crowd"
],
[
"the layoff crowd"
],
[
"refund some tickets purchased before a traveler is laid off from a job."
],
[
"offering to refund fares."
],
[
"some tickets purchased before a traveler is laid off from a job."
],
[
"15 percent"
],
[
"\"could be lunch money for somebody for the next six months,\""
],
[
"15 percent"
]
] | Travel companies and an airline are catering to the layoff crowd .
JetBlue will refund some tickets if you get laid off after you purchase them .
Intrepid travel offers a 15 percent discount for people recently laid off .
Consultant: Trip costs "could be lunch money" for the unemployed . |
(CNN) -- Don't believe the hype. Billy Crudup plays Dr. Manhattan in "Watchmen," the film version of the popular graphic novel. "Visionary" director Zack Snyder, as the marketing would have it, has filmed Alan Moore's "unfilmable" graphic novel by treating the comic book panels as his storyboard and his Bible. Doesn't it bother anyone that this is about as far from the definition of "visionary" as it's possible to get? The visionary sees what others do not see. Snyder -- whose previous films were a remake ("Dawn of the Dead") and another scrupulously faithful comic book adaptation ("300") -- is more in the line of a fancy photocopier, duplicating other artists' imagery with a forger's intensity. A visionary transforms the world. Snyder slavishly transcribes what's set down 5 inches in front of his face. Alan Moore, who has refused to have his name on the movie (ditto its Moore-based predecessors, "V for Vendetta" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") and who has declined all reimbursement to protest the entertainment industry's fundamental lack of respect for intellectual property, counts as a bona fide visionary. His 1986 comic book is a landmark in the history of the form, a masterpiece of pop cultural angst, filtering Cold War nihilism and disillusionment through the inspired pulp idiom of mundane masked crimefighters and one genuine, possibly radioactive, superhero. In Moore's alternative 1985, Nixon is still president, the U.S. having won in Vietnam. The Soviets are effectively neutered by America's not-so-secret weapon, Dr. Manhattan, a kind of quantum ghost in the machine capable of reconstituting matter (and nuclear warheads) at will. Watch the stars at the premiere » Moore's meta-comic switched back and forth in time with the same facility as Dr. Manhattan morphed between New Jersey and Mars, cutting between a doomsday conspiracy threatening to engulf the Earth and flashbacks relating the biographies of half-a-dozen "watchmen," a generation of intrepid masked avengers forced to hang up their capes and Spandex when public opinion turned on them in the late 1970s. (It's easy to discern the book's influence on subsequent films "The Incredibles" and "Mystery Men.") With its parallel stories and virtuoso zooming and panning visual tropes, Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' "Watchmen" always felt cinematic. You could sense Martin Scorsese and "Taxi Driver's" Travis Bickle in Moore's squalid New York and vigilante anti-hero Rorschach, but proposed movies by Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass failed to materialize, foundering on the comic book's sophisticated narrative chicanery. The solution proposed by Snyder and screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse is simply to ignore the problem and stick to the text. In fairness, this strategy has proved wildly popular in adaptations of the "Harry Potter" books, for instance, "Twilight" and "300." The fans seem to demand it -- just as there is now a common assumption that a longer, unexpurgated DVD edition is inherently superior to the shorter, tighter theatrical version. "Watchmen" the movie provides ample evidence that more is more, but less might have been closer to Moore in spirit (that is, anarchic, witty and compelling). Clocking in at an exhausting 163 minutes even without some of the book's various subplots, the film forfeits momentum and suspense for a jerky succession of expository dialogue scenes, interspersed with occasional flashes of grotesque ultra-violence. It's all invariably filmed in Snyder's spasmodic, stop-go trademark style and accompanied by a jukebox score that ranges from Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to Nena's "99 Luftballoons." On the few occasions where the filmmakers do exercise their imaginations -- in a credit montage relating the glory days of the crimefighters Weegee-style, and in a neat improvement on Moore's climax -- the results are actually ingenious and sharp. iReport.com: Fan underwhelmed by "Watchmen" But too many key scenes ring hollow, undermined by flat staging and tone-deaf treatment. | [
"What is the renowned graphic novel about?",
"What is the film based on?",
"What is \"Watchmen\" film devoted to?",
"What is the graphic novel about?"
] | [
[
"pop cultural angst, filtering Cold War nihilism and disillusionment through the inspired pulp idiom of mundane masked crimefighters and one genuine, possibly radioactive, superhero."
],
[
"the popular graphic novel."
],
[
"of the popular graphic novel."
],
[
"pop cultural angst, filtering Cold War nihilism"
]
] | "Watchmen" is so devoted to the comic book it misses vision, says Tom Charity .
Film is based on renowned graphic novel about misfit crimefighters .
A few good performances, but overall the film feels lifeless . |
(CNN) -- Don't tell Brad Pitt who or how to love. Brad Pitt talks about "soul mate" Angelina Jolie, life, and fatherhood in Parade magazine. The actor and star of the new film "Inglourious Basterds" opened up to Parade magazine about his thoughts on love, marriage and fatherhood. During the candid interview, Pitt showed off a secret area in one of his homes which he said "is a great place for sex" and reflected on his early days in Hollywood, which included superstardom and some marijuana. "I liked to smoke a bit of grass at the time, and I became very sheltered," Pitt told Parade. "Then I got bored. I was turning into a damn doughnut, really." These days, Pitt said he's happy with his decision to become a parent with partner Angelina Jolie. The two have six children, all younger than 10: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox, the latter born last year. "This family is full of life," Pitt said. "There are laughs, aggravations, irritations, but at the end of the day, it's fun. When life is really good, it's messy." Pitt said his life is very different now that he is a dad. "When I go down a path, I take it to the end," he said. "Then I take another one. I took the path of not having kids, now it's time for family. Children are a dominant value in my life now, and they weren't before." He's found a "soul mate" in Jolie, Pitt said, but he insisted he meant what he has said in the past about not marrying her. "When someone asked me why Angie and I don't get married, I replied, 'Maybe we'll get married when it's legal for everyone else,' " he said. "I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it, hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights." Pitt told Parade he takes exception to anyone trying to dictate how someone should live and who they should love. "Just the other night, I heard this TV reverend say that Angie and I were setting a bad example because we were living out of wedlock, and people should not be duped by us," Pitt told the magazine. "It made me laugh. "What damn right does anyone have to tell someone else how to live if they're not hurting anyone? How many times do you think real love comes to someone in a lifetime? If you're lucky, maybe two or three." People should be able to be happy, Pitt said, and that includes his children. "Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit," he said. "Listen, I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are." | [
"Who gave a candid interview?",
"How many children do you have?",
"What is the name of his wife?",
"Who gave a candid interview to Parade magazine?",
"He says he stands by not marrying Angelina until what?",
"What magazine interviewed the celebrity?",
"Who is the actor that gave a candid interview to Parade?"
] | [
[
"Pitt"
],
[
"six"
],
[
"Angelina Jolie."
],
[
"Brad Pitt"
],
[
"when it's legal for everyone else,'"
],
[
"Parade"
],
[
"Brad Pitt"
]
] | Brad Pitt gave a candid interview to Parade magazine .
Says he stands by not marrying Angelina Jolie until it's "legal for everyone else"
Actor says he loves being a father to six children . |
(CNN) -- Donald Trump will let Miss California USA Carrie Prejean keep her title despite controversy over seminude photos and charges by state pageant officials that she had abandoned her duties to devote time to opposition to same-sex marriage. Miss California USA Carrie Prejean caused controversy with remarks she made at the Miss USA pageant. Trump, no apprentice at turning a negative into positive publicity, brought several weeks of controversy to a conclusion at his New York headquarters Tuesday with winners all around. Trump said his Miss USA pageant stays "so relevant," unlike the rival Miss America pageant seen only on a small cable channel. Prejean gained a national following that could help her post-pageant career. Watch Prejean defend herself » The Miss California USA organization has a beauty queen better known than the woman who won the Miss USA title -- Kristen Dalton of North Carolina. Celebrity bloggers, such as Perez Hilton, whose question to Prejean ignited the firestorm, gained a higher profile and more readers for their Web sites. And groups both for and against same-sex marriage gained energy for their fundraising and publicity campaigns. Prejean stepped into the limelight unexpectedly just over three weeks ago when she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage in response to a question asked during the national pageant by Hilton, a pageant judge. Watch Hilton get dismissive » Prejean finished as first runner-up, but it was not clear if her answer cost her the crown. "He [Hilton] gave her very low marks," Trump said. "It certainly didn't help." Hilton, who is openly gay and a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, later posted a video rant online in which he called Prejean "a dumb bitch." This caught the national mainstream media's attention, and Hilton was invited to appear on TV shows to talk about it. Prejean -- with pageant approval -- also talked publicly about her same-sex marriage opposition. But when she appeared at a news conference for the National Organization for Marriage, a same-sex marriage opposition group, the controversy intensified. Lawyers for the Miss USA group demanded that NOM stop using video clips of the pageant in its TV ads. The controversy boiled to a new level last week when a photo of Prejean, wearing only pink panties but showing mainly a bare back, was published by gossip Web sites. Miss California USA officials -- some of them outspoken advocates of same-sex marriage -- suggested that the seminude photo breached the contract Prejean signed with the pageant. Her title might be taken away, they said. Watch Miss California USA offficials scold Prejean » These officials also complained they couldn't reach Prejean and she had missed important pageant events. They charged that their beauty queen had been hijacked by anti-same-sex marriage forces. But it was up to Trump, who bought the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants a decade ago, to decide what to do about Carrie Prejean. Trump united her with California pageant co-executive directors Shanna Moakler -- a former Playboy centerfold -- and Keith Lewis in his New York office Tuesday morning for a peacemaking session. It ended with hugs and smiles at Trump's news conference. Watch Trump's announcement » Those photos of a topless Prejean do not violate the contract she signed when entering the pageant competition, Trump said. "Some were very beautiful," he said. "Some were risque, but again, we're in the 21st century." Trump praised Prejean for giving a "very, very honest answer" to a tough question during the pageant. "It's the same answer that the president of the United States gave," he said. And he said he would not hesitate to invite Hilton back as a pageant judge, despite the firestorm he set off. "He's doing his thing," Trump said. "What's the big deal?" "We want tough questions," he said. "We don't want to be in a position that Miss America is | [
"What are disputes surrounding Prejeans title over?",
"Who owns the pageant?",
"Who made the final decision?",
"What does Carrie Prejean want?",
"Who was in news for her response about same-sex marriage?",
"What doesn't violate her contract according to Trump?",
"Who made final decision?",
"What did Donald Trump do?"
] | [
[
"seminude photos"
],
[
"Trump"
],
[
"Trump"
],
[
"keep her title"
],
[
"Carrie Prejean"
],
[
"Those photos of a topless Prejean do not"
],
[
"Trump,"
],
[
"let Miss California USA Carrie Prejean keep her title"
]
] | Carrie Prejean to keep title despite disputes over photos, duties .
Donald Trump, who owns the pageant, made final decision .
Seminude photos don't violate contract Prejean signed, Trump says .
Prejean initially in news for her response to question about same-sex marriage . |
(CNN) -- Double world champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a disrupted second practice session ahead of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton setting the pace on Friday.
Red Bull driver Vettel was back at the track where he claimed the first of his two world championships 12 months ago -- the youngest driver to achieve the feat -- but the German spun out on the first corner of the Yas Marina Circuit.
Vettel, who has won 11 of 17 races in 2011, recovered to rejoin practice with 10 minutes remaining, but finished in sixth position on a track where he has won for the past two years. He ended the day half a second behind Hamilton's leading time of one minute 39.586 secs.
Hamilton, world champion in 2008 but only fifth overall after a disappointing season, led second-placed teammate Jenson Button ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
Latest F1 standings after Indian GP
"I lost the car on the entrance to turn one," Vettel, who clinched the 2011 championship with third place in Japan last month, told the sport's official website.
"I think I was too wide and too far on to the kerb, so I lost the rear and couldn't catch the car anymore. I was lucky to get out again at the end of P2; there wasn't much damage apart from the front wing."
British racer Hamilton was pleased with his form and was confident ahead of this season's penultimate race.
"It was a really positive day for me," the 26-year-old said. "The track just got better and better today, so I slowly chipped away at the set-up.
"The tires are behaving well -- at the last race I had degradation and didn't have the pace, so it feels much better this weekend. That's a real positive for me.
"When you come through a Friday without any problems, it definitely makes you feel confident for the rest of the weekend."
Button, the 2009 world champion and running second this year, admitted to experimenting during his practice run on a track where passing has traditionally been difficult.
"I was playing around with overtaking on my long run," the 31-year-old said. "But I still reckon it'll be difficult to overtake people in the DRS zones.
"So I think it's going to be a bit of a struggle to make moves stick in the race -- which means it's going to be important to qualify up at the front. It's tricky around here, but we made some good progress here this afternoon and evening."
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso also slid off having spent a short period leading the field. The double world champion eventually came home third ahead of Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa.
Vettel's fellow Red Bull driver Mark Webber was fifth fastest, with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher seventh for Mercedes.
The 2011 campaign will finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo on November 27. | [
"Which driver did set the second fastest time?",
"Who set the second fastest time at Yas Marina?",
"Who is the current world champion?",
"Who finished sixth?",
"Who finished sixth on Friday?",
"WHere is Sundays Grand Prix at?",
"Where is Sunday's Grand Prix being held?"
] | [
[
"Jenson Button"
],
[
"Sebastian Vettel"
],
[
"Sebastian Vettel"
],
[
"Vettel,"
],
[
"Sebastian Vettel"
],
[
"Abu Dhabi"
],
[
"Abu Dhabi"
]
] | McLaren's Lewis Hamilton heads practice ahead of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix .
World champion Sebastian Vettel spins out and only finishes sixth on Friday .
Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button sets the second fastest time at Yas Marina .
Sunday's race is the penultimate grand prix of the 2011 season . |
(CNN) -- Douglas Cootey is replacing his lightbulbs with brighter ones, but not just to see better. The new broad spectrum lights simulate sunlight, and might help enliven his mood in the gloomy winter months.
A light box like the one shown here may help some people combat seasonal depression in winter.
Cootey, a stay-at-home dad in Salt Lake City, Utah, has struggled with depression for 16 years and shares his story with others on his blog, The Splintered Mind.
He said he started to notice last year that his depression was harder to manage in the winter. His challenge, he told CNN, is "keeping a positive and upbeat attitude in the face of a chemical onslaught induced by winter."
He realized that his symptoms fit those of seasonal affective disorder, a condition that typically generates depression during autumn and winter and then goes away in the sunnier months. In rarer cases, people can suffer from it only in summer.
"I set the clock back and look at this: I've been so unproductive," Cootey said. "Now that I know what's going on, I'm trying to counteract it.'
Between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from seasonal affective disorder, according to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, but 10 to 20 percent of the population may suffer from more mild winter doldrums. SAD is more common in women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, the Cleveland Clinic says.
Some people may be genetically predisposed to SAD, but the environment can trigger it as well, said Ignacio Provencio, a biology professor at the University of Virginia. Learn about other mood disorders »
A recent study led by Provencio shows that a genetic mutation in the eye could play a role in seasonal affective disorder. The mutation makes a person with SAD less sensitive to light. The photopigment gene is called melanopsin, which helps detect colors.
"Being able to look at one's DNA and seeing that you're a carrier or contain two copies of this gene may be able to, in the future, allow one to predict whether or not they will be susceptible to this disease," Provencio said.
The information may also help predict which people with seasonal affective disorder will respond to light therapy, because the mutated genes involve light sensitivity, he said.
Light therapy works for some people, experts say, by mimicking outdoor light and promoting a biochemical change in the brain that improves mood.
The researchers looked at 220 people, including 90 nondepressed people and 130 people diagnosed with the disorder. In this group, seven people with seasonal affective disorder had two mutated copies of the gene.
The study results make sense to Dr. David Baron, chairman of Temple University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science in Philadelphia. The study is "consistent with the literature on understanding genetics in vulnerability to illness," he said.
But Stephen Josephson, associate professor at Cornell University Medical Center-New York Hospital and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said the study points to a correlation but does not constitute definitive proof.
Although the specific causes of the disorder aren't known, some biological factors might contribute to it.
Circadian rhythm, which helps regulate the body's internal clock, may be disrupted with the drop in sunlight in fall and winter, MayoClinic.com says.
Other research indicates that the brain chemical serotonin and the sleep-related hormone melatonin may play a role, MayoClinic.com says.
Although seasonal affective disorder symptoms typically kick in around late autumn or early winter, some people experience "summer depression," accompanied by symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, irritability, agitation, and poor appetite, according to MayoClinic.com.
Experts say seasonal affective disorder is more prevalent in places farther from the equator. Someone who has a genetic predisposition to SAD may not have problems if he or she lives in Singapore, for example, Baron said.
Some people with seasonal affective disorder use a light box, a device that shines a bright light similar to outdoor light, which a patient sits in front | [
"What are some ways to treat SAD?",
"What does recent research show about the condition?",
"What percentage of the US population suffers from SAD?",
"What does SAD stand for?",
"What part of the year is associated with this condition?",
"What is indicated to be a cause of the illness?",
"What are some of the treatments for SAD",
"What is a component of the condition?",
"What percent of the US population suffers from SAD?"
] | [
[
"light box"
],
[
"genetic mutation in the eye could play a role in seasonal affective disorder."
],
[
"Between 4 and 6 percent"
],
[
"seasonal affective disorder,"
],
[
"autumn and winter"
],
[
"genetic mutation in the eye"
],
[
"Light therapy"
],
[
"depression"
],
[
"Between 4 and 6"
]
] | Between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD .
Light therapy, psychotherapy, and medications are treatment options .
Recent research indicates genetic component to the condition . |
(CNN) -- Dozens of Defense Department personnel are actively engaged in fighting the wildfires raging in Southern California, Pentagon officials said Tuesday, and thousands more National Guard and active-duty military personnel are available to help. The Rice fire, east of Camp Pendleton, caused the evacuation of the Fallbrook community. Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said that 12 Defense Department firefighting teams, with 12 engines, are already working the blazes and more than 17,000 National Guardsmen are potentially available if needed. In addition, he said, 550 Marines from Camp Pendleton are preparing to deploy to the fire area. "All of the aid that we provide is the result of a request ... from the state," McHale said. "However, we have been very proactive in independently preparing those capabilities for the possibility of such requests, and we have reached out early to state officials." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already called up 1,500 National Guard troops, including more than 200 taken from border duty to help with supplies and security at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and DelMar Fairgrounds and Racetrack, where thousands of evacuated residents are taking shelter. Schwarzenegger also requested and received from the federal government six "modular airborne fire fighting systems" units -- which are C-130s that drop water and fire suppressant on the blazes. Watch California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about the crisis » The Pentagon provided 11 helicopters equipped with water buckets to fight the fires, McHale said. Aerial attacks on the fires, however, have been minimal because of high Santa Ana winds with gusts approaching 70 mph. In an effort to make room for more civilians who have had to evacuate their homes, sailors stationed in Southern California are abandoning their barracks. "Orders have been given to all sailors ashore in barracks to move to shipboard billeting to provide room for evacuees," said a Tuesday statement released by the U.S. military. Only essential personnel are requested to report to duty at Naval Base San Diego, Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, and Naval Air Station in El Centro. Those bases have also set up cots and tents for evacuees. Also, the Navy has offered an Aegis cruiser, a guided missile destroyer, and two fast frigates to support evacuation efforts. Meanwhile, the Pentagon designated March Air Reserve Base as the primary staging area for medical and relief supplies coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, McHale said. And some 100 California National Guard medical personnel are helping alleviate "critical staffing shortfalls" at the San Diego Veterans Center, whose hospital staff are under voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders. The fires are also having a direct effect on military personnel -- McHale said 1,400 Navy personnel and their families have been forced to evacuate, and Camp Pendleton ordered 3,000 Marines to evacuate because of the fire, the Pentagon announced Tuesday evening. In all, the military has about Video 20 facilities around the San Diego area. E-mail to a friend | [
"The Navy and Marine corps have how many facilities in the San Diego area?",
"The military lent both direct and indirect support to what efforts?",
"What type of assistance is being provided by the military?",
"Where are the 20 facilities located?",
"What number of marines were evacuated at Camp Pendleton?",
"What caused the evacuation of 3,000 marines?"
] | [
[
"20"
],
[
"fighting the wildfires raging"
],
[
"help with supplies and security"
],
[
"around the San Diego area."
],
[
"550"
],
[
"wildfires"
]
] | NEW: Fires at Camp Pendleton cause evacuation of 3,000 marines .
Military lending direct and indirect assistance to firefighting efforts .
As firefighting efforts go on, base officials poised to evacuate .
Navy and Marine Corps have more than 20 facilities in San Diego area . |
(CNN) -- Dozens of flights were delayed at India's New Delhi airport Monday after lizards, birds and jackals strayed on to a runway to seek refuge from the monsoon rains. Kids play cricket through a downpour in New Delhi as monsoon rains came early to the area this week. Animal rescuers rounded up the critters and moved them to habitats outside airport property. But the operation delayed several flights and shut down the runway for some time, airport spokesman Arun Arora said. Kartick Satyanarayan of the conservation group Wildlife SOS said the animals descended on the runway in search of dry ground. His group works with the airport to move wildlife from airport property to a sanctuary on the outskirts of the capital. "It's been raining cats and dogs the last two days. And when it rains like this, water goes in and fills the burrows of these animals," he said. "The runway," he added, "is the only safe area. So they come out." While monsoon rains typically sweep across the subcontinent in early June, they usually do not reach the capital city of New Delhi and other regions in northern India until early July. Watch how Indians cope with monsoon waters » They came about two weeks early in the northern part of the country this year, killing at least 20 people in landslides, home collapses and floods. The airport sits on more than 2,000 acres that, over the years, have become home to jackals, porcupines, dogs, cats and a variety of birds. Arora would not say how many flights were delayed during the rescue operation. The airport handles 13,000 domestic and 9,500 international passengers a day. "(The) numbers are speculative as it is difficult to attribute delays to bad weather, strong winds, birds or animals," Arora said. In the past, animals on the runway have disrupted flights at the airport -- particularly during the monsoon season, Satyanarayan said. "The monitor lizards -- they look frightening but they are harmless animals," he said. "But they can grow about three to four feet long. And at the velocity a plane lands, the [lizards] can still cause damage." | [
"What did the animal invasion delay?",
"What happened because of the invasion of animals?",
"For what purpose animals take the track?",
"Which animals descended on New Delhi's runway?",
"An invasion of what has delayed flights?",
"What made the animals take to the runway?"
] | [
[
"Dozens"
],
[
"of flights were delayed at India's New Delhi airport"
],
[
"in search of dry ground."
],
[
"lizards, birds and"
],
[
"lizards, birds and"
],
[
"seek refuge from the monsoon rains."
]
] | Jackals, monitor lizards and birds descend on runway at New Delhi airport .
Animal invasion delays flights as wildlife group comes to the rescue .
Animals take to runway to dry off and warm up after monsoon rain . |
(CNN) -- Dozens of international envoys walked out during a speech by Iran's president Monday as he accused Israel of having a "racist government" and committing genocide. European Union delegates leave during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech Monday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the West of making "an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering ... in order to establish a totally racist government in occupied Palestine." Many delegates at the controversial U.N. anti-racism conference in Geneva, Switzerland, cheered his words as a minority of diplomats -- mostly from Europe -- collected their papers and briefcases and left the room. Cameras at the scene showed empty seats where delegates from France, Finland and Denmark had been sitting. The British and Spanish delegations also walked out, both countries' foreign affairs divisions confirmed. Watch delegates make their exit » U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement criticizing Ahmadinejad for using the conference "to accuse, divide and even incite." Ban said he had spoken to the Iranian president and asked him not to focus on "divisiveness" in his address. "It is deeply regrettable that my plea to look to the future of unity was not heeded by the Iranian president," Ban said. "This is the opposite of what this conference seeks to achieve. This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism," Ban said in a statement following Ahmadinejad's speech. During Monday's speech, Ahmadinejad paused a moment, then continued: "In fact, in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive racist regime in Palestine. "It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defend those racist perpetrators of genocide," he said, echoing Tehran's official line on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel was established in 1948 as a homeland for Jewish people after the Holocaust, on land also claimed by Palestinians. Ahmadinejad said Zionism, the Jewish national movement, "personifies racism" and accused Zionists of wielding economic and political resources to silence opponents. He also blasted the United States-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. "Wasn't the military action against Iraq planned by the Zionists and their allies in the then-U.S. administration?" he demanded. At least two protesters in brightly colored wigs interrupted Ahmadinejad as he began to speak, shouting: "You're a racist!" in accented English. But some delegates cheered as he began his speech while security officers dragged the protesters from the chamber. Later in the address, more protesters shouted at him from a balcony, leading him to pause and look down for a moment, a smile playing across his lips. He also blamed the United States for the world economic crisis. Israel withdrew its ambassador from Switzerland in protest before the conference, which the United States and a number of other countries are boycotting. Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., called Ahmadinejad's remarks "vile," "hateful" and "inciteful," and praised Ban's condemnation. Speaking at a Holocaust remembrance service in Jerusalem, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Ahmadinejad's address "constitutes an acceptance of racism, rather than the fight against it." "It is hard to fathom why despots such as Hitler the Nazi, Stalin the Bolshevik and Ahmadinejad the Persian chose the Jews as the main target for their hatred, their madness and their violence," Peres said. "Perhaps they targeted the Jewish people because of its spiritual power - a nation poor in material possessions, but rich in values -- for he who is infected with megalomania fears the power of the spirit." New Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared during the Holocaust commemoration event that Israel will not allow "Holocaust deniers to carry out another Holocaust against Jews." A number of European countries had vowed to walk out if Iran's president made offensive remarks. "The UK unreservedly condemns Iranian President Ahmadinejad's offensive and inflammatory | [
"Who has \"racist government\"?",
"whose remarks were hateful?",
"Who praises U.N. condemnation?",
"who has racist government?"
] | [
[
"Israel"
],
[
"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"
],
[
"Alejandro Wolff,"
],
[
"Israel"
]
] | U.S. calls remarks vile, hateful, inciteful, praises U.N. condemnation .
Dozens go as Iran's president says Israel is genocidal, has "racist government"
U.N. secretary-general says Iranian leader is trying "to accuse, divide and even incite"
But some delegates cheer; security officers drag protesters from speech chamber . |
(CNN) -- Dozens of oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces caught fire Saturday after gunmen attacked in Pakistan's western Baluchistan province, local police said.
Unknown assailants attacked 28 vehicles with a machine gun and rockets, said Meeran Bukhsh, a police official in the Bolan district.
Two people were injured, police said.
The attack is the latest in a series of strikes against vehicles in Pakistan carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan. The convoys are generally operated by contracted Pakistani firms, using Pakistani trucks and drivers.
At least six attacks have been carried out since October 1, leaving at least seven people dead.
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for several of the attacks, including one on Wednesday that damaged 54 oil tankers.
Ihsan Ullah Ihsan, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said Wednesday's attack was carried out by a special squad created especially to attack American assets in Pakistan as a response to the increase in suspected U.S. drone strikes.
"We are satisfied by the performance of our special squad," Ihsan said this week.
CNN's Samson Desta contributed to this report. | [
"Who was responsible?",
"were there any injuries?",
"when did the attack happen?",
"Who claimed the responsibility?",
"Who was the oil for?",
"Who was injured?",
"how many people were injured?",
"were the taliban responsible?",
"Who were the vehicles carrying oil for?"
] | [
[
"The Pakistani Taliban"
],
[
"Two people"
],
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"Pakistani Taliban"
],
[
"NATO forces"
],
[
"Two people"
],
[
"Two"
],
[
"has claimed responsibility"
],
[
"NATO forces"
]
] | The attack comes after a series of recent strikes on vehicles carrying oil for NATO .
Two people are injured .
The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for several previous attacks . |
(CNN) -- Dozens of tips have poured in after California authorities released more than 100 photos of women and children on Thursday that are believed to have been taken by a serial killer who appeared on the "Dating Game."
Police determined Friday that two female minors in the pictures, taken in the 1970s, are alive and well. They have received tips on a handful of other women who could be dead or missing, according to Patrick Ellis, a detective with the Huntington Beach Police Department.
"We've received several calls saying that someone in a photo could be so-and-so who's been missing or found dead," Ellis said Friday. "The response has been overwhelming, and that's what we were looking for."
Investigators are trying to determine whether any of the people in the photos were victims of Rodney Alcala, 66, who was convicted in February of kidnapping and murdering a 12-year-old girl and raping and murdering four Los Angeles County women in the 1970s. A jury this week recommended he be sentenced to death.
Ellis said police received tips on as many as four dead or missing women who were identified by other people calling and e-mailing about the photos.
"People are saying that they recognize someone from their past, from school or college or the neighborhood beach," he said.
The two women who identified themselves from the photos on Friday were minors at the time the pictures were taken and are now in their 40s, Ellis said. Police are not releasing their identities, though Ellis said they live in California.
Nancy Grace blog: See the photos
Huntington Beach Police are contacting law enforcement authorities across the country with information about dead or missing women who were identified by people calling or e-mailing on Friday, Ellis said. He stressed that police have not confirmed that any of the women or children in the photos are dead or missing.
The portrait-style photographs were discovered in a storage unit Alcala kept in Seattle, Washington, said Orange County district attorney spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder. The locker also contained earrings that belonged to Robin Samsoe, the 12-year-old girl whom Alcala abducted and killed in 1979.
The discovery of the earring in the locker has raised speculation that there may be other victims or that the photographs were trophies to Alcala, she said.
"We know that Mr. Alcala used his photography as a ruse to get close to his victims," she said.
Authorities already believe that Alcala may be responsible for deaths in New York, Schroeder said.
"It's very possible," Schroeder said. "Mr. Alcala is a predatory monster and we believe that he destroyed many lives everywhere he went."
Alcala was convicted in 1972 of kidnapping and molesting a child in Los Angeles County in 1968, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office. After serving a 34-month sentence, he was released.
In 1978, Alcala appeared as a "Bachelor No. 1" on "The Dating Game."
Jed Mills, who played "Bachelor No. 2," said he had an almost immediate aversion to Alcala.
"Something about him, I could not be near him," Mills recalled. "I am kind of bending toward the other guy to get away from him, and I don't know if I did that consciously. But thinking back on that, I probably did."
But Alcala succeeded in charming Bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw from the other side of the "Dating Game" wall. But she declined her date with Alcala.
Anyone with information regarding the identities of the women and children in the photographs found in Alcala's storage locker is asked to contact the Orange County District Attorney's Office or the Huntington Beach Police Department.
CNN's Gabriel Falcon contributed to this report. | [
"Killing 4 of what?",
"Did anyone identitfy themselves in photos?",
"What was the number of photos found in the storage?",
"What did the jury recommend for Rodney Alcala?"
] | [
[
"Los Angeles County women"
],
[
"two women"
],
[
"100"
],
[
"sentenced to death."
]
] | More than 100 photos of unidentified women, minors found in serial killer's storage .
Two women who were minors when the photos were taken identify themselves .
Authorities receive handful of tips on other women who could be dead or missing .
A jury recommended that Rodney Alcala, 66, be sentenced to death for killing 4 . |
(CNN) -- Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic frequently took center stage in the U.S. debate over abortion, was shot and killed while serving as an usher at his Wichita church Sunday morning, police said. Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions. Wichita police said a 51-year-old man from the Kansas City, Kansas, area was in custody in connection with the slaying of Tiller, who was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. The killing, which came about 16 years after Tiller survived a shooting outside his Wichita clinic, took place shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday at Reformation Lutheran Church. Officers found the 67-year-old dead in the foyer, police said. Witnesses provided a description of the car and a license number of the killer's getaway vehicle, Wichita police spokesman Gordon Bassham said. Police stopped a blue Ford Taurus matching the description about three hours later in Gardner, about 30 miles southwest of Kansas City, and took the driver into custody. No charges had been filed Sunday evening and no motive for the killing was immediately known, but Wichita police Detective Tom Stoltz told reporters: "We think we have the right person arrested." "We will investigate this suspect to the Nth degree -- his history, his family, his associates -- and we are just in the beginning stages of that," Stoltz said. See what people are saying about Dr. Tiller's murder » Tiller's slaying drew condemnation from supporters, from some of those who tried to shut down his practice and from President Obama, who just two weeks ago urged Americans to seek "common ground" on the issue of abortion. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House. The shooting prompted U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to direct federal marshals to "offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation," according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Tiller had been practicing medicine for nearly 40 years, said Peter Brownlie, president of the Kansas City-based regional Planned Parenthood office. His patients were "almost always in circumstances where something had gone horribly wrong with a pregnancy," and where a woman's health would be endangered if the pregnancy continued, Brownlie said. He and his staff had been picketed for years, with some activists distributing leaflets around his neighborhood, Brownlie said. His clinic suffered serious damage from a bomb in the mid-1990s, and he was shot through both arms in 1993 by an anti-abortion activist who is currently serving time in federal prison. "He endured that kind of stuff on a very frequent basis," Brownlie said. "As recently as early this month the clinic sustained serious vandalism that put them out of commission for a week or so." Watch Tiller describe the philosophy of his clinic in 1999 » Tiller had armed security at his clinic and a "pretty rigorous" security procedure at home, Brownlie said. But he "made an effort to live his life as normally as possible knowing he could be a target at any time," he said. In a statement issued through Tiller's lawyers, his family -- a wife, four children and 10 grandchildren -- said their loss "is also a loss for the City of Wichita and women across America." "George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence," his family said in a written statement. "We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere." In March, Tiller was acquitted of 19 counts of performing procedures unlawfully at his clinic. In 2008, a probe initiated by abortion opponents who petitioned state authorities to convene a grand jury ended without charges. Leading anti-abortion groups condemned Sunday's shooting, emphasizing they wanted to shut down Tiller's practice | [
"what was the motive",
"Where is the suspect?",
"What has happened to the suspect in the death of Dr George Tiller?",
"Where was Tiller shot?",
"who condemns killing",
"Who was shot in his church?"
] | [
[
"immediately known,"
],
[
"custody."
],
[
"in custody in connection with the slaying of"
],
[
"his Wichita church"
],
[
"President Obama,"
],
[
"George Tiller,"
]
] | Suspect in shooting death of Dr. George Tiller in custody, police say .
Tiller shot Sunday at his church in Wichita, Kansas, according to police .
Motive unknown; Tiller was one of few U.S. doctors performing late-term abortions .
Supporters, President Obama and anti-abortion groups condemn killing . |
(CNN) -- Dr. J. Stephen Jones had seven vasectomies to perform in a day. Some urologists around the country are reporting increased numbers of patients coming in for vasectomies. The schedule for Jones, a Cleveland, Ohio, urologist, has become more crowded during a recent boom in vasectomies. "My staff came to me and said, what's happening?" said Jones, the chairman of the Department of Regional Urology of Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. "Why are we suddenly having an explosion in guys asking for vasectomies?" They looked at their statistics and realized the uptick started around November as the economic crisis deepened. October went down in the history books as one of Wall Street's worst months. Since then, the Cleveland Clinic has seen a 50 percent increase in vasectomies, an outpatient surgery that is the cheapest form of permanent birth control. Vasectomies are less invasive and cheaper than tubal ligation, which involves blocking, tieing or cutting a woman's fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy. "It's unlikely that some guy read the Dow Jones numbers that day and said, 'Why don't we have a vasectomy?' " Jones said. "More likely, people have already been considering it and typically a guy and his wife have spoken a year or two about this." Jones was told by patients that they were getting vasectomies because they were losing their jobs and health insurance, or concerned about being out of work soon. "They realize they don't have the financial security long-term with what's going on," Jones said. "Several of them have mentioned, 'We can't afford to have any more children in this economy.' My perception is that it's more of the concept of raising children in an uncertain economic future." Much like Jones, Dr. Marc Goldstein, surgeon-in-chief of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine in New York, saw a 48 percent increase in vasectomy consultations compared with the same time last year. "I have never seen anything like this," said Goldstein, a urologist for the last 30 years. "When things started to go south in the stock market, then the vasectomy consults went north." Half of Goldstein's New York patients work in the financial sector. New patients filed into his office in November. "I think the situation of finance and the economy is the major reason," Goldstein said. "Some of them have mentioned that, 'It cost $30,000 a year to put my kids in private school and I can't afford to have another one.' It's never the sole reason, but it's certainly a contributing factor." During the vasectomy, the doctor cuts the two vas deferens, which are the tubes carrying sperm from the testicles to become semen. After the procedure, men can still have sex, but their semen does not contain sperm and therefore they can no longer father children. Doctors can attempt to reverse the procedure, but vasectomy reversals are expensive and only work half the time in restoring sperm flow. Carl Haub, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, a private research firm, said the National Center for Health Statistics' data showed that, "During bad economic times, the Depression and the recession in the 1970s, the birth rate did go down." See the chart on fertility rates in the United States from 1917 to 2007 » "Some folks will postpone having kids," he said. "If you had a vasectomy, you've made a bigger decision that you're never going to have another child." When people stop having children, it implies a loss of confidence in their future employment prospects. "Am I going to have a job in six months or a year from now?" Haub said. "If I'm concerned about that, people are not going to increase their financial obligations... It's naïve to say the economy didn't play a significant role in lowering the birth rate." It's | [
"What do urologists report?",
"Who reported a higher demand for vasectomies?",
"What have urologists reported a higher demand for in recent months?",
"What increased after stocks tumble?"
] | [
[
"increased numbers of patients coming in for vasectomies."
],
[
"Some urologists"
],
[
"vasectomies."
],
[
"numbers of patients coming in for vasectomies."
]
] | Urologists report a higher demand for vasectomies in recent months .
In New York, vasectomies increase after stocks tumble in fall 2008 .
During recessions, people have fewer children, according to health statistics . |
(CNN) -- Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will leave her post by noon on January 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama is to be sworn in to office. Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has resigned effective January 20. In an e-mail to the staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC, outgoing HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt asked Gerberding and several other senior officials from his team to submit their letters of resignation. "She did so, and it was accepted, and it is effective January 20," CDC spokeswoman Karen Hunter said. Leavitt explained his move this way: "The next phase of Transition involves the departure of our team on January 20, and the arrival of President-elect Obama's team later that day," his e-mail said. "In order to create a clear path for leadership transition, I am attaching a list of senior leaders who will become the acting heads of their respective agencies and offices (or in some cases, remain as heads of their respective agencies and offices) until the new administration appoints individuals to various leadership positions." In addition to the change at CDC, Assistant HHS Secretary Charlie Johnson will serve as acting secretary, Leavitt said. CDC's Chief Operating Officer William H. Gimson III will take over as interim director at the agency until the next HHS secretary appoints a new one, the e-mail added. Gimson and Gerberding were traveling and unavailable for comment. | [
"When are they leaving?",
"When will she leave her post?",
"Who asked her for resignation?",
"Who will take over as interim director?",
"Who is leaving the post?",
"What was her post",
"Who is taken over?"
] | [
[
"by noon on January 20,"
],
[
"by noon on January 20,"
],
[
"HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt"
],
[
"William H. Gimson III"
],
[
"Dr."
],
[
"director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,"
],
[
"CDC's Chief Operating Officer William H. Gimson III"
]
] | Dr. Julie Gerberding will leave her post by noon on January 20 .
Outgoing HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt asked her for resignation .
Chief Operating Officer William H. Gimson III will take over as interim director . |
(CNN) -- Dr. Rajiv Shah President Obama announced Wednesday that Shah, the 36-year-old administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, will be in charge of the overall U.S. relief effort in Haiti. "The goal of the relief effort in the first 72 hours will be very focused on saving lives," Shah said.
At Shah's USAID swearing-in ceremony on January 7, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "One only needs to ask his wife, Shivam, the lengths to which Raj will go to achieve important goals. After all, this is a man who flew to India for one day to propose to her at the Taj Mahal when she was traveling there alone. This is also a man who summited the 14,400-foot Mount Rainier -- one of the most difficult climbs in the continental United States, and it combines the challenges of an unforgiving glacier with the unpredictability of an active volcano. That may be the best preparation Raj has for working in Washington these days."
According to his USAID biography, Shah, a medical doctor and health economist, was an under-secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Shah served as director of agricultural development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2001, Shah was the health care policy adviser on the Gore 2000 presidential campaign and a member of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's transition committee on health. In addition, he has served as a policy aide in the British Parliament and worked at the World Health Organization.
USAid.gov: Biography of Dr. Rajiv Shah
US State Department: Swearing-In Ceremony of Dr. Rajiv Shah
Jimmy Jean-Louis The Haitian native and cast member of the TV series "Heroes" was searching for his elderly parents in Haiti on Wednesday afternoon. Jean-Louis learned that a house he had grown up in had collapsed, killing several of his relatives.
"I have not slept yet. The second house that I grew up in was down, and some relatives have died, from what I have been told," Jean-Louis said yesterday. "I haven't been able to reach my parents. I have heard that they are OK, but I do not know what is going on around them."
Jean-Louis was born in Petionville, Haiti, where he grew up without electricity or running water. He moved to Paris, France, when he was 12 to pursue a modeling career and had supported his parents by sending money home since he started acting nearly 20 years ago. He is the founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti, a nonprofit organization whose original mission was to provide sports and cultural education to underprivileged youth on the island. The group is now mobilizing for disaster relief.
CNN: 'Heroes' actor searching for parents after earthquake
Pat Robertson The evangelical Christian, who once suggested God was punishing Americans with Hurricane Katrina, says a "pact to the devil" brought on the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Officials fear more than 100,000 people have died as a result of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Robertson, the host of the "700 Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it." The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday.
"And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' " Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence.
CNN: Pat Robertson says Haiti paying for 'pact to the devil'
Martha Coakley and Scott Brown With less than a week to go until a special Senate election in Massachusetts, the state's airwaves are packed with campaign ads as Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown battle to fill the last three years of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's term.
Groups outside of | [
"Where did the deadly earthquake happen?",
"Where did he lead the effort?"
] | [
[
"Haiti."
],
[
"in Haiti."
]
] | 36-year-old doctor, health administrator takes lead on U.S. effort in Haiti .
Televangelist says Haitian pact with Satan brought on deadly earthquake .
Race to fill Ted Kennedy's Senate seat comes down to the wire . |
(CNN) -- Drew Peterson has met with a prominent divorce attorney more than a year after his wife, Stacy, disappeared, his lawyer confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. Drew Peterson's behavior after his wife disappeared deepened suspicion, but he says she ran off. Peterson, a former Bolingbrook, Illinois, police sergeant, has not filed divorce papers, said his attorney, Joel Brodsky. But Peterson told an author he would look into a divorce after Stacy had been missing for a year. He said he was considering divorce for the sake of their children. "I can confirm that Drew Peterson did have a consultation with Jeffrey Leving," Brodsky said, adding that no divorce papers have been filed. Leving, who bills himself as a father's rights lawyer, represented Cuban immigrant Elian Gonzalez's uncle and ultimately helped reunite the boy with his father. Police have said that 54-year old Peterson is a suspect in his wife's disappearance, which investigators have labeled a "potential homicide." Peterson maintains that his wife, who was 23 at the time of her disappearance, left him for someone else. In an interview in May with Derek Armstrong, author of "Drew Peterson Exposed," Peterson hinted that he planned to divorce her after she had been missing for a year. In Illinois, willful desertion or abandonment is grounds for a divorce after a year. The interview begins with Peterson expressing frustration with the media attention and negative reactions from his neighbors. "We were talking about the neighbors and how it's hard to live in the neighborhood with the media trucks around and the neighbors being so difficult," Armstrong told CNN. "I asked if he was going to move, and he said, 'Yeah, when I get a chance, but Stacy's on the title.' " After the one-year anniversary of Stacy Peterson's disappearance passed, Armstrong said he began to make some phone calls to see whether Drew Peterson was acting on his earlier plans. Armstrong said he called two other prominent divorce lawyers until he reached Leving's office, which confirmed the meeting. In a phone conversation, Peterson confirmed to Armstrong that he was "getting information" and "exploring options." Armstrong pressed Peterson, who responded, "A desertion. She deserted me." Peterson elaborated, "I've always said that I'm mad about that. But I'm looking into this for the kids. This neighborhood is not healthy for my kids because of Sharon Bychowski." Bychowski has been battling Peterson since his wife -- her friend and neighbor -- disappeared in October 2007. Peterson has accused Bychowski and other neighbors of harassing and threatening him. Armstrong asked Peterson whether he thought news of the divorce might encourage Stacy to contact him. "I have nothing more to say," the former cop shot back. Brodsky told CNN he had not been aware that news of the meeting with the divorce lawyer had become public knowledge. "We definitely didn't advertise it," he said. "That's real thorough detective work. [Armstrong] could show police a thing or two about finding someone." Drew Peterson said he awoke at his suburban Chicago home to find his wife gone October 28, 2007. He said she called him at 9 p.m. and announced that she was leaving him, Peterson said. Police confirm that there was some activity on Stacy Peterson's cell phone about 9 p.m. October 28, but her family and close friends say she would never leave her two children behind or go away without mentioning it to her family. In the days leading up to her disappearance, Stacy Peterson confided in friends and her sister. She said she was afraid of her husband and wanted to leave him, according to her sister, Cassandra Cales. "If anything happens to me, he killed me. It wasn't an accident," Cales quoted her as saying. At 10 a.m. that Sunday, Stacy Peterson failed to show up for an appointment with a friend. Worried, Cales called police Monday, October 29, | [
"What is Drew Peterson's previous job?",
"When did Stacy Peterson leave?",
"How long has it been since Peterson's wife left him?",
"When did Stacy Peterson leave her husband?"
] | [
[
"police sergeant,"
],
[
"October 2007."
],
[
"a year."
],
[
"October 28, 2007."
]
] | Peterson says he's looking into options since wife deserted him a year ago .
Peterson: Neighbors are making it unsafe for family to live in home .
Stacy Peterson left him October 28, 2007, husband says .
Police have said Drew Peterson, an ex-cop, is prime suspect . |
(CNN) -- Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant who authorities call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, has been indicted on murder charges related to his third wife, Kathleen Savio, the Illinois state attorney's office said. Drew Peterson was arrested Thursday on murder charges relating to his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Illinois State Police said Peterson was taken into custody about 5:30 p.m. Thursday after a traffic stop near his home. Police had staked out his home all day, said police Capt. Carl Dobrich, but waited for Peterson to leave to arrest him out of concern for his three children, who were inside the house. Peterson, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing in either case. Wills County State's Attorney James Glasgow said he believes the case is strong and said Peterson is being held on $20 million bond. "This is an extremely grave and serious matter and it is reflected in the bond," Glasgow said. Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky told CNN's Larry King he believed the bond was excessive and would seek a more "reasonable" bond, noting it was the most expensive bond he'd seen in 10 years. Watch Peterson's attorney address his client's arrest » Charles B. Pelkie, spokesman for the state's attorney in Will County, Illinois, said a grand jury indicted Peterson in the murder of Savio, whose death had been ruled an accidental drowning. Brodsky said in a written statement that prosecutors won't be able to prove their case because "he didn't do it." "There is no evidence that links Drew Peterson to the death of Kathleen Savio or anyone else for that matter," Brodsky said. "Drew did not harm Kathleen; he has said so from Day One. We're obviously disappointed a grand jury indicted him. But an indictment does not mean guilt." Pelkie said the grand jury continues to meet and is studying the possibility of charges in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Watch family members react to the arrest » After Stacy Peterson went missing in October 2007, media frenzy and police scrutiny on Peterson revealed Savio had died mysteriously a few years earlier during a nasty divorce. Savio died just before the division of the marital assets was finalized, making Drew Peterson the sole beneficiary. Savio was found in the dry bathtub of her home. At the time, the death was ruled an accidental drowning. But her family continued to insist that Savio died as a result of foul play. The investigation into Stacy Peterson's disappearance brought renewed interest in Savio's death. Authorities exhumed Savio's body, further tests were conducted, and her death has now been ruled a "homicide staged to look like an accident." Brodsky told King he believes the case has always been about circumstantial evidence and that he will bring a pathologist to trial who will say Savio died from an accidental drowning. "I think the jury's going to see that, in fact, this always has been an accidental death and still is an accidental death," Brodsky told King. Kathleen Savio's brother, Nick, told CNN affiliate WLS-TV he received a call from his sister saying Peterson had been arrested. Watch police arrest Peterson » "The state police had been telling us the day was coming," he told WLS-TV. "We kept hearing it for about eight months. I'm almost in tears here. It's been so hard for our family." "Hopefully, we'll get the justice we've always been waiting for." Martin Glink, attorney for the Savio family, said they were hopeful the grand jury felt there was enough evidence to charge Peterson. "We're very happy that the wheels of justice have continued to move and they are pointing in his direction," Glink told WLS-TV. The news was also bittersweet for Stacy Peterson's family, who continue to wait for news about her disappearance. "We have anticipated this coming. We have dreamed about it. We have been patient | [
"What happend to his fourth wife?",
"What is Peterson's first name?",
"Who was arrested?",
"What was the name of his third wife?",
"Who did Drew Peterson murder?",
"Where was Kathleen Savio murdered?"
] | [
[
"went missing"
],
[
"Drew"
],
[
"Drew Peterson"
],
[
"Kathleen Savio,"
],
[
"Kathleen Savio."
],
[
"dry bathtub of her home."
]
] | Dad of girlfriend: I'm glad justice finally came -- before he hurt my daughter"
Drew Peterson arrested in the slaying of his third wife, Kathleen Savio .
Renewed interest in Savio's death came after Peterson's fourth wife disappeared .
Peterson, through his attorney, denies any wrongdoing in either case . |
(CNN) -- Drew Peterson, who was arrested this week in the death of his third wife, joked with the media about his jail jumpsuit and chewed gum throughout his first court appearance Friday. A judge delayed Drew Peterson's arraignment until May 18 because his lawyers couldn't attend Friday's hearing. The 55-year-old former police officer flashed a broad smile and engaged in banter during the 10-yard walk to the courthouse. Wearing an inmate uniform -- a bright-red short-sleeved shirt and pants, white socks and sandals -- Peterson had his hands and feet shackled as he arrived at the courtroom. Asked how he was, he responded, "three squares a day and a spiffy outfit." He then held up the chains and said, "and I got the bling. Can't complain." Peterson, who authorities call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, was indicted on murder charges related to the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, the Illinois state attorney's office said. Watch a shackled Peterson go to jail » Peterson appeared in court Friday, but a judge delayed his arraignment until May 18. Judge Richard Schoenstedt ordered the delay after Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow told him that Peterson's primary lawyer, Joel Brodsky, had asked for it because neither he nor Peterson's other attorney could attend Friday's hearing. Peterson, chewing gum throughout the proceedings and speaking in a clear voice, told Schoenstedt that he knew both of his lawyers were out of town and that he had no objection to the delay. Glasgow, who has said he will prosecute the case personally, said Brodsky told him that he expects to ask the judge for a reduction in Peterson's $20 million bail during the May 18 arraignment. Illinois State Police said Peterson was taken into custody about 5:30 p.m. Thursday after a traffic stop near his home. Police had staked out his home all day, police Capt. Carl Dobrich said, but waited for Peterson to leave before arresting him out of concern for his three young children, who were in the house. Peterson, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing in either case. Glasgow said he believes that the case is strong. "This is an extremely grave and serious matter, and it is reflected in the bond," Glasgow said. Brodsky told CNN's Larry King that he thought the bail was excessive and would seek a more "reasonable" amount, noting that it was the most expensive bail he'd seen in 10 years. Watch Peterson's attorney address his client's arrest » Charles B. Pelkie, a spokesman for Glasgow, said a grand jury indicted Peterson in the murder of Savio, whose death had once been ruled an accidental drowning. But Brodsky said in a statement that prosecutors won't be able to prove their case, because "he didn't do it." "There is no evidence that links Drew Peterson to the death of Kathleen Savio or anyone else for that matter," Brodsky said. "Drew did not harm Kathleen; he has said so from Day One. We're obviously disappointed a grand jury indicted him. But an indictment does not mean guilt." Pelkie said the grand jury continues to meet and is studying the possibility of charges in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Watch family members react to the arrest » After Stacy Peterson went missing in October 2007, media and police scrutiny of Peterson revealed that Savio had died mysteriously during a nasty divorce a few years earlier. Savio died just before the division of marital assets was finalized, making Drew Peterson the sole beneficiary. Savio was found in the dry bathtub of her home. At the time, the death was ruled an accidental drowning. But her family continued to insist that Savio died as a result of foul play. The investigation into Stacy Peterson's disappearance brought renewed interest in Savio's death. Authorities exhumed Savio's body, further tests were conducted, and her death was been ruled a "homicide staged to look like an accident." | [
"was he arrested",
"Who is Drew Peterson accused of killing?",
"What is the name of the person who was arrested?",
"What was Drew Peterson arrested for?",
"what happened to other wives",
"What was the name of the 3rd wife?",
"Which person disappeared?",
"What did Peterson say to the media about handcuffs and chains?"
] | [
[
"Peterson,"
],
[
"Kathleen Savio,"
],
[
"Peterson,"
],
[
"death of his third wife,"
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[
"died mysteriously"
],
[
"Kathleen Savio,"
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[
"Stacy Peterson,"
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[
"I got the bling. Can't complain.\""
]
] | NEW: Peterson to media on handcuffs, chains: "I got the bling. Can't complain"
Drew Peterson arrested in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio .
Renewed interest in Savio's death came after Peterson's fourth wife disappeared .
Peterson, through his attorney, denies any wrongdoing in either case . |
(CNN) -- Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration. Jeff Bell found treatment for OCD very difficult, but says it helped him turn his life around. Afraid that he had injured a person, he would drive back to each pothole again and again to check, and he lost a lot of time in the process. "I knew that my behaviors made no sense. I knew that my thoughts that were triggering these behaviors made no sense, and yet I felt so helpless to do anything about it," he said. Bell, a news anchor with KCBS Radio in San Francisco, California, now knows that his condition has a name: obsessive-compulsive disorder. He frequently speaks out about it and has written a memoir called "Rewind, Replay, Repeat." Psychologists are debating where OCD belongs in relation to other psychiatric disorders, and whether certain symptoms are actually part of other conditions. The condition affects as many as 4 million Americans, according to the International OCD Foundation, for which Bell is a spokesman. In a class of its own? Currently, OCD sits with anxiety disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association to help diagnose mental illness. The next edition will be released in 2012, according to the APA. Many experts, such as Jonathan Abramowitz, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, believe OCD should stay with anxiety disorders. That's because people with the disorder tend to engage in repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety. Watch CNN's Elizabeth Landau talk more about OCD » There is mixed evidence based on brain scans that OCD has a separate biological mechanism, leading some psychiatrists to favor classifying it separately, Abramowitz said. "We haven't exactly pinned down what might be the problem," he said. Categorizing related symptoms Checking for evidence of harm done, as in Bell's case, is one of many manifestations of OCD. Some people are overly afraid of germs, while others are overwhelmed by thoughts of violence or sex, or fear that they have "sinned," and still others spend countless hours arranging objects, said Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International OCD Foundation. There are also people with OCD who repeat behaviors a fixed number of times because "it will undo the thought or image that came to mind that you didn't want," he said. Behaviors such as compulsive gambling are in a different category, Abramowitz said. A key difference is that those people enjoy gambling, while a person with OCD does not get pleasure from the behaviors he or she repeats. There is also controversy over whether trichotillomania -- compulsive hair pulling -- falls under OCD, because it is characterized by a repetitive behavior, but not necessarily obsessive thoughts, Szymanski said. Tics and Tourette syndrome also are OCD-related. Most people with OCD realize that their compulsions are irrational, but about 4 percent do not, Abramowitz said. Hoarders, who compulsively acquire objects without throwing anything away, tend to have less "insight into the senselessness of their symptoms" than others with OCD, he said. This is one of the reasons that hoarding may be distinct from OCD altogether, he said. Hoarders also do not respond as well to traditional treatments. Randy Frost, psychologist at Smith College, said only 5 percent of hoarders have an OCD basis for it; the rest may have other OCD-related problems or none at all. Treating OCD and hoarding Doctors may prescribe drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for OCD symptoms. But for some people this is only part of the solution, Szymanski said. The other first-line treatment is called exposure and response prevention, which forces people with the condition to confront their fears. This helps some people to stop engaging in behaviors, such as checking potholes, which would normally be their means of escaping those fears. Bell found this treatment so difficult that he initially lied to his therapist about doing | [
"How many Americans suffer from OCD?",
"What does OCD stand for?",
"What is not a symptom of OCD?",
"What do up to 4 million Americans suffer from?"
] | [
[
"as"
],
[
"obsessive-compulsive disorder."
],
[
"compulsive gambling"
],
[
"OCD"
]
] | As many as 4 million Americans suffer from obsessive- compulsive disorder .
There is some debate about whether it is an anxiety disorder or something else .
Compulsive gambling is not a symptom of OCD .
Hoarding may be separate from OCD, and there is a new treatment for it . |
(CNN) -- Drug violence in the Mexican state of Chihuahua left 24 people dead in the span of 24 hours this weekend, the state attorney general's office said Sunday.
The killings were scattered over four locations throughout the state, with eight dead in Juarez, 10 killed in the capital of Chihuahua, five killed in Cuauhtemuc and one killed in Parral.
All the slayings occurred in public places, with the killings in Cuauhtemuc occurring in a bar, said Carlos Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general.
The killings took place between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, Gonzalez said.
The victims -- all male -- ranged in age between 18 and 25 years old.
No other details about the killings or the victims were immediately available.
"This is an indicator of the incrementally increasing war between the two cartels battling for Juarez Plaza, the state's drug trafficking corridor," Gonzalez said, referring to an ongoing battle between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels for dominance in the area. Juarez Plaza is a major thoroughfare through the area.
"I can't give you a reason why the violence is picking up the last week of April going into this month," Gonzalez added.
Some Mexican news organizations have reported that the Sinaloa Cartel had defeated the rival Juarez organization but Gonzalez said, "There is no winner to this war."
The spate of weekend killings followed another bloody week in the Ciudad Juarez area.
On Wednesday, at least 15 people were killed in drug-related violence in Juarez, authorities said.
The slayings included four people whose bodies were found at one location, another three -- one of them a woman -- who were found slain at a second location, and another eight victims who were killed at a bar, police spokesman Jacinto Seguro said.
On Tuesday, 10 people were killed, Seguro said, including three who were shot outside a supermarket. Another victim was killed outside a shopping mall.
In all, 25 people were killed between Tuesday and Wednesday, Seguro said.
Ciudad Juarez is the most violent city in Mexico, with more than 2,600 drug-related deaths in 2009. No official numbers are available for this year, but more than 500 killings have been reported by local media. Some reports have the figures as high as 810 in Juarez this year.
According to a report released in April by the Mexican government, Chihuahua state is Mexico's hardest-hit state by drug violence, with 6,757 people killed since the start of the drug war at the end of 2006. | [
"What state did the killings happen in?",
"How many locations are the killings over?",
"In what Mexican state did the crimes occur?",
"How many location where the killings scattered ovre?",
"What types of places did the crimes occur?",
"What is the violence a result of?",
"How many cartels were involved in the violence?"
] | [
[
"Chihuahua"
],
[
"four"
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[
"Chihuahua"
],
[
"four"
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[
"public"
],
[
"drug-related"
],
[
"two"
]
] | Killings scattered over four locations throughout Mexican state of Chihuahua .
All the slayings occurred in public places, including a bar .
Violence result of battle between two cartels, said attorney general's spokesman . |
(CNN) -- Dubai could lose its place on the Women's Tennis Association Tour calendar after Israeli Shahar Peer was denied entry to compete at this week's event, the WTA supremo warned Monday.
Shahar Peer told CNN she learned of her visa ban Saturday, just before her scheduled flight to Dubai.
Peer was scheduled to fly into the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, but was informed Saturday night by telephone that she would not be granted a visa.
WTA Chairman and CEO Larry Scott said the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament."
Scott added: "The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour believes very strongly, and has a clear rule and policy, that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking."
Peer, who had just finished playing in the Pattaya Open in Thailand, where she reached the semifinal, said she is "very, very disappointed" to have been denied the opportunity to play in Dubai.
"They really stopped my momentum because now I'm not going to play for two weeks and because they waited for the last minute I couldn't go to another tournament either," Peer said from Tel Aviv. "So it's very disappointing, and I think it's not fair." Watch Peer describe her disappointment »
Scott, meanwhile, confirmed: "Following various consultations, the Tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week, pending further review by the Tour's Board of Directors.
"Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally, and the Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer."
Scott said Peer's visa refusal has precedence: Last year an Israeli men's doubles team was denied entry to Dubai. He said the Emirate cited security reasons following recent unrest in the region.
"At that time I was in Dubai. I made it clear to the authorities, the representatives of the government, that next year when our top players wanted to play this very prestigious tournament all of them had to be allowed to play," Scott said.
"They had a year to work on it and solve it. We've spent time through the year discussing it. We were given assurances that it had gone to the highest levels of government," Scott said.
"I was optimistic they would solve it. And we've made crystal clear to the government, to the tournament organizers that there could be grave repercussions not just for tennis in the UAE but sports beyond that." Watch CNN's interview with Larry Scott »
The Dubai government issued a short statement through the state-owned news agency, saying that Peer was informed while in Thailand that she would not receive a visa.
The agency quoted an official source in the organizing committee saying, "The tournament is sponsored by several national organizations and they all care to be part of a successful tournament, considering the developments that the region had been through."
Earlier an official source who did not want to be named, said, "We should check what happened in New Zealand, when Peer was playing there with all the demonstrations against Israel during the attacks on Gaza. We have to consider securing the players and the tournament."
In January, a small group of about 20 protestors waved placards and shouted anti-Israel slogans outside the main entrance to the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland.
They were moved on before Peer played her match.
The Israeli player said she's received phone calls of support from her fellow players.
"'All the players support Shahar," world No. 6 Venus Williams told The New York Times, adding, "We are all athletes, and we stand for tennis."
Peer is uncertain of her next move. She said the last-minute decision had left her at a loose end. She said she was concerned about her points and ranking and may go to the | [
"What did Scott say?",
"Who was denied entry for Dubai event?",
"Who is Larry Scott?",
"What is Larry Scott chief of?"
] | [
[
"Sony Ericsson WTA Tour \"will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament.\""
],
[
"Shahar Peer"
],
[
"WTA Chairman and CEO"
],
[
"WTA"
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] | Israeli tennis player back in Tel Aviv after being denied entry for Dubai event .
Shahar Peer told night before tournament she would not be granted visa by UAE .
WTA chief Larry Scott warned Dubai tournament could lose place on calendar .
Scott: "This runs counter to everything we were promised and is a setback" |
(CNN) -- Dubai could lose its place on the Women's Tennis Association Tour calendar after Israeli Shahar Peer was denied entry to compete at this week's event, the WTA supremo warned Monday. Shahar Peer told CNN she learned of her visa ban Saturday, just before her scheduled flight to Dubai. Peer was scheduled to fly into the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, but was informed Saturday night by telephone that she would not be granted a visa. WTA Chairman and CEO Larry Scott said the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament." Scott added: "The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour believes very strongly, and has a clear rule and policy, that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking." Peer, who had just finished playing in the Pattaya Open in Thailand, where she reached the semifinal, said she is "very, very disappointed" to have been denied the opportunity to play in Dubai. "They really stopped my momentum because now I'm not going to play for two weeks and because they waited for the last minute I couldn't go to another tournament either," Peer said from Tel Aviv. "So it's very disappointing, and I think it's not fair." Watch Peer describe her disappointment » Scott, meanwhile, confirmed: "Following various consultations, the Tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week, pending further review by the Tour's Board of Directors. "Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally, and the Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer." Scott said Peer's visa refusal has precedence: Last year an Israeli men's doubles team was denied entry to Dubai. He said the Emirate cited security reasons following recent unrest in the region. "At that time I was in Dubai. I made it clear to the authorities, the representatives of the government, that next year when our top players wanted to play this very prestigious tournament all of them had to be allowed to play," Scott said. "They had a year to work on it and solve it. We've spent time through the year discussing it. We were given assurances that it had gone to the highest levels of government," Scott said. "I was optimistic they would solve it. And we've made crystal clear to the government, to the tournament organizers that there could be grave repercussions not just for tennis in the UAE but sports beyond that." Watch CNN's interview with Larry Scott » The Dubai government issued a short statement through the state-owned news agency, saying that Peer was informed while in Thailand that she would not receive a visa. The agency quoted an official source in the organizing committee saying, "The tournament is sponsored by several national organizations and they all care to be part of a successful tournament, considering the developments that the region had been through." Earlier an official source who did not want to be named, said, "We should check what happened in New Zealand, when Peer was playing there with all the demonstrations against Israel during the attacks on Gaza. We have to consider securing the players and the tournament." In January, a small group of about 20 protestors waved placards and shouted anti-Israel slogans outside the main entrance to the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland. They were moved on before Peer played her match. The Israeli player said she's received phone calls of support from her fellow players. "'All the players support Shahar," world No. 6 Venus Williams told The New York Times, adding, "We are all athletes, and we stand for tennis." Peer is uncertain of her next move. She said the last-minute decision had left her at a loose end. She said she was concerned about her points and ranking and may go to the | [
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"what is the name of WTA chief?",
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],
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] | Israeli tennis player back in Tel Aviv after being denied entry for Dubai event .
Shahar Peer told night before tournament she would not be granted visa by UAE .
WTA chief Larry Scott warned Dubai tournament could lose place on calendar .
Scott: "This runs counter to everything we were promised and is a setback" |
(CNN) -- Dubai sent investors reeling Thursday after asking creditors to freeze the debt repayments of one of its biggest holding companies, Dubai World.
The announcement came after the market close on the eve of the Eid holiday and Thanksgiving in the U.S., leaving traders' hands tied over their exposure to investments in the Emirate.
Shares dropped in London and Europe as bankers struggled to gauge the implications of the debt freeze without additional guidance from Wall Street.
With very little information being distributed from Dubai, the market has been left to question the motives of ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the financial future of Dubai World and its huge portfolio.
So what happened?
Late Wednesday, the government of Dubai issued a statement saying it had authorised the Dubai Financial Support Fund to "spearhead the restructure of Dubai World with immediate effect."
The first step, it said, was to ask all providers of financing to Dubai World and Nakheel to "standstill" its debt repayments until at least May 30, 2010.
It added, to the market's surprise, that the proceeds of a $5 billion bond issue raised hours earlier wouldn't be used to bail the company out.
Odd timing wasn't it?
Dubai's decision to release its statement just before the Eid holiday in the Middle East, and on the eve of Thanksgiving in the U.S., provoked consternation.
"Dubai have certainly picked their moment to finally own up to a need to restructure their debt. I would imagine the news has ruined a few Thanksgiving dinners today," David Morrsion, a strategist at GFT told the Financial Times.
Read CNN's John Defterios' take on the Dubai debt fears
How did the markets react?
Banking stocks led equity markets lower in London and Europe as traders moved to distance themselves from a potential debt hole in the Middle East.
Technical problems in London halted trade for some time, providing further frustration for traders with exposure to Dubai World's lenders.
What is Dubai World & Nakheel?
Described on its Web site as "Dubai's flag bearer in global investments," Dubai World is a holding company with stakes in everything from ports to real estate and transport.
It includes the world's largest privately held real estate company Nakheel, which is the mastermind behind such architectural feats as the man-made residential islands, "The Palm Islands" and "The World."
Dubai World also invests in global markets through its investment arm Istithmar World, which boasts a "global footprint" in finance, capital, leisure, aviation and other business ventures.
How severe is the debt?
Dubai World is said to account for some $59 billion of Dubai's $80 billion debt burden. Nakheel had been due to pay a $3.5 billion convertible loan which expires on December 14. More debts were due to be repaid next year.
"This is not just a couple of billion story," Turker Hamzaoglu, EMEA economist at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research told CNN.
"For instance, Dubai has to service $10 billion including the Nakheel debt in December and $15 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2010," he added.
How much damage has the announcement done?
That's incalculable at this stage. Markets in the Middle East and the U.S. don't open until next week so the full impact won't be known until then.
It also depends on Dubai's next move. The surprise announcement has shaken confidence in the Emirate as a place to do business.
"The key here is the communication of this strategy. I guess everybody is on the same page regarding the need for consolidation in Dubai and for the region. But the only market-positive implication would be if this comes with a clearly open and a predictable way," Hamzaoglu said.
"The problem is, here we have a lack of transparency and all these policy reactions are either coming at the last minute, or for example, the recent one just before the long holiday."
"I think this is going to | [
"How much in debt is Dubia?",
"Who stunned global investors?",
"what is the amount dubai world account?",
"How much debt does Dubai have?"
] | [
[
"$80 billion"
],
[
"Dubai"
],
[
"$59 billion"
],
[
"$80 billion"
]
] | Dubai stuns global investors by calling for a debt "standstill" on Dubai World and Nakheel debts .
Market reactions restrained by public holidays in the Middle East and the U.S.
Nakheel is Dubai World's real estate arm, owns "The Palm Islands," and "The World"
Dubai World said to account for $59 billion of Dubia's $80 billion debt . |
(CNN) -- During a 1996 interview with television talk show host Charlie Rose, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs took exception to Rose's characterization of him as "a guy who founds high-tech companies and tries to make another billion."
"Yeah, well, I don't think of myself that way," Jobs said. "The things that I have done in my life, I think the things we do now at Pixar [the animation company he bought in 1986], these are team sports. They are not something one person does."
If pop culture were a team sport, Jobs would have certainly played quarterback.
From the invention of iTunes, which completely changed the business of music, to offering the world its first completely full-length computer-generated animated film with Pixar's "Toy Story" in 1995, Jobs left his indelible fingerprints on the entertainment industry.
The other "toys" he helped create like the iPod, iPhone and iPad not only changed the way the world consumed media, but also inserted both Jobs and Apple firmly into the entertainment zeitgeist. Even the commercials, from the 1984, George Orwell-inspired Super Bowl Macintosh ad to the more recent "Are you a Mac or a PC," were uber-cool.
While Jobs has been more well known and hailed for his innovation with high-tech, he also made some power moves which forever changed Hollywood. And in what sounds like a fantasy dreamed up by the geek gods, it all began with George Lucas.
As Jobs explained to the news program "60 Minutes" in 2003, when Lucas was creating "Star Wars" he reasoned that digital copy of his film would be clearer and cleaner than analog. The computer graphics division of his Lucasfilm company, which honed the technology behind the process, would go on to become Pixar Animation Studios after Jobs bought it for $10 million in 1986.
As chairman and chief executive officer of Pixar, Jobs led the way in marrying the endless possibilities of technology with the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry.
The world hadn't even heard of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in 1991 when Pixar struck a deal with Walt Disney Studios to develop and distribute three full-length animated films. The first of these, "Toy Story," captured audience's hearts with its tale of the adventures of a group of children's toys.
"Toy Story" went on to become the top-earning film of that year, grossing $192 million in domestic box office receipts and $362 million worldwide. It spurred two sequels, theme park attractions and an extensive line of merchandise.
It was followed by films like "A Bug's Life," "Monster's Inc.," "Finding Nemo," and "The Incredibles," the last two of which won Academy Awards for best animated feature. Jobs sold Pixar to Disney in 2006.
By then he was firmly back in the driver's seat as the chief executive officer of Apple, which was setting the world afire with its inventions.
One of his biggest launches was in 2003 with the iTunes Music Store, which revolutionized the world of music downloads.
"Other companies sold digital music before Apple," said Bill Werde, editorial director of Billboard, said in a statement. "Other companies made digital music available on computers and digital phones and used it in commercials. Apple's brilliance -- and I don't think anyone doubts that this was Steve Jobs' brilliance -- was that Apple made it exciting and simple and effortless and fun."
Jobs was a major influence on portable media, which paved the way for gamers to be able to engage in their favorite past time via handheld devices and film fans to be able to stream movies almost anywhere.
The introduction of the 99-cent single meant music lovers no longer had to purchase an entire album to selectively enjoy their favorite tunes. The ability of the iPod, and later the iPhone and iPad, to hold thousands of songs also meant that fans never had to be far from their tunes.
" | [
"Who pioneered inventions?",
"Who made the first fully computer generated animated film?",
"What did Steve Jobs pioneer?",
"What did Pixar make?",
"What made buying music easy?",
"What did Jobs inventions do?",
"Who made the first fully computer-generated animated film?",
"What was the result of Jobs invention?"
] | [
[
"Jobs"
],
[
"Jobs"
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[
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[
"iTunes"
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[
"changed the business of music,"
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[
"Pixar's"
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[
"left his indelible fingerprints on the entertainment industry."
]
] | Steve Jobs pioneered inventions that changed the way the world consumed media .
Pixar made the first fully computer-generated animated film .
Billboard editor says Jobs brillance made buying music easy and fun . |
(CNN) -- Dutch striker Robin van Persie continued his superb scoring streak this season, netting another double as Arsenal beat German champions Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the European Champions League to clinch top spot in Group F and secure qualification for the last 16.
Captain Van Persie had already found the net 15 times for Arsenal this season, and he added another one to his tally in the 49th minute when he headed home after some superb individual play on the left from Alex Song.
And Van Persie wrapped up a comfortable night for the Gunners when scoring his 17th goal from just 18 matches, tapping home from close range after Mikel Arteta's corner had been flicked on at the near post by Thomas Vermaelen.
Dortmund did pull one back through Shinji Kagawa with the final kick of the game, but it was too late to make a difference as Arsenal made it eight wins and a draw from their last nine matches, following a poor start to the season.
Andre-Villas Boas needs to be given more time
Arsenal are on 11 points, four clear of Greek champions Olympiakos, who stunned Marseille 1-0 in France.
Koannis Fetfatzidis netted a late winner to leave Olympiakos third on six points, one point behind Marseille, with Dortmund bottom of the table on four points.
However, there is a scenario that could see all those teams finish on seven points, if Olympiakos draw with Arsenal and Dortmund defeat Marseille in the final group matches in a fortnight.
Meanwhile, there was drama in Group E, with Bayer Leverkusen scoring a last-gasp winner against Chelsea to virtually secure their place in the last 16 with a 2-1 victory.
An injury time header from defender Manuel Friedrich saw the home side fight back from going a goal down, to inflict Chelsea's fourth defeat in seven matches and increase the pressure on under-fire manager Andre Villas-Boas.
The visitors went ahead three minutes after the break when Didier Drogba turned smartly in the area before firing into the bottom corner of the net.
But the German side levelled in the 73rd minute when substitute Eren Derdiyok headed into an empty net after goalkeeper Petr Cech came off his line to try and intercept Sidney Sam's superb cross.
And Friedrich rose highest from a corner in the dying stages to secure a stunning comeback for Leverkusen.
That result leaves Leverkusen on nine points, one clear of Chelsea and Valencia, who crushed Genk 7-0 at the Mestalla stadium.
Roberto Soldado scored a first-half hat-trick for the Spanish side to leave qualification finely poised.
If Chelsea beat Valencia, or draw 0-0 at Stamford Bridge in their final match, they will qualify, while Leverkusen need to avoid defeat against Genk to also go through.
Defending champions Barcelona had already secured qualification, but a 3-2 victory over Milan at the San Siro ensured they will go through as Group H winners, with Milan in second place.
Barca took a 14th minute lead when Mark van Bommel turned Seydou Keita's cross into his own net but Milan leveled six minutes later when Barca old boy Zlatan Ibrahimovic's shot crept under goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Lionel Messi restored Barca's lead from the penalty spot in the 31st minute after Alberto Aquilani had fouled Xavi in the area, but once again Milan equalized with a superb individual goal from Kevin-Prince Boateng.
However, Barca were not to be denied and they clinched the win when Messi picked out Xavi, who expertly slotted home.
In the other group game, Czech side Viktoria Plzen secured their first-ever competition win with a 1-0 success at BATE Borisov, to move onto four points, while BATE remain bottom on two points.
Meanwhile, outsiders APOEL Nicosia have become the first Cypriot club to reach the last 16 after a 0-0 Group G draw at Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.
APOEL, who were completely unfancied going into the group stage, held their nerve in a highly-charged atmosphere, which saw play halted twice when smoke bombs covered the whole pitch making it impossible to carry on.
The result means | [
"who reached Champions League knockout stage",
"What was the final score of the game?",
"Which player scored twice?",
"Who are the holders of the cup?",
"Which team did Arsenal defeat?",
"who scored twice in the game",
"What team will be the Group H winners?"
] | [
[
"Arsenal"
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[
"2-1"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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[
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] | Arsenal reach Champions League knockout stage after 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund .
Robin van Persie scores twice to keep up his remarkable tally of goals this season .
Bayer Leverkusen beat Chelsea 2-1 with a last-minute winner to virtually seal their place in last 16 .
Holders Barcelona win 3-2 at AC Milan to ensure they will finish as Group H winners . |
(CNN) -- EU border patrol missions are scouring the Italian shore in search of yet another missing vessel carrying North Africans attempting to reach Europe, a Maltese commander told CNN Thursday. Many immigrants from Africa attempt to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats. On Friday, a French patrol frigate operating under Frontex, a EU border patrol mission, alerted Italian officials of new incoming vessels after sighting six corpses floating in the Mediterranean. Maltese army officials were unable to recover the corpses because of poor weather conditions. "Unrelated to these corpses cited, last Friday, we monitored a fiberglass boat that originated from North Africa carrying about 30 to 35 people on board," said Major Ivan Consiglio from Valletta, the Maltese capital. "Its fate is uncertain," he said. "We have lost track of this boat." Malta is a hub for immigrants from Africa trying to reach Europe. Approximately 20,000 would-be immigrants have been apprehended on European shores just this year alone, according to Frontex figures. But many do not survive the trek. "These waters are like the American Wild West," Consiglio said. "So many boats try to cross with families and children and some never make it." Humanitarian groups such the Dutch-based UNITED against Racism, which keeps records on immigration, say thousands of Africans have died trying to cross the Mediterranean and the Adriatic. The trek between Sicily and Tunisia has been dubbed "a floating cemetery for African immigrants." In August, 70 people died off the cost of Malta attempting to cross the Mediterranean. On Wednesday, about 300 would-be immigrants were rescued during a storm in the Italian island of Lampedusa. Consiglio said that a growing number of would-be immigrants are braving the waters of the Atlantic in overcrowded dingy boats -- a dangerous mission this time of the year. "It's fall here, waters are choppy and covered with fog," he said. "Trips are becoming even riskier and these locally-manufactured fiberglass boats don't have the same rigidity." | [
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"wich is the hub for inmigrants?",
"What was the year that 20,000 migrants were apprehended?",
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] | [
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"immigrants from Africa attempt to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats."
]
] | This year around 20,000 migrants have been apprehended on European shores .
Malta is a hub for immigrants from Africa trying to reach Europe .
Thousands of Africans have died trying to cross Mediterranean and Adriatic . |
(CNN) -- Each year, Dr. Paul Dell and his wife, Ruthie, host Hand Camp, a refuge for children and teens with upper-limb abnormalities. Campers get to try arts and crafts, archery, and rope climbing in an environment away from teasing. The Dells, along with their staff of therapists and volunteers, work with the kids and their parents, offering advice and answering medical questions. More than 300 participated in this year's Hand Camp in Starke, Florida. | [
"Who will go to the camp?",
"What type of camp is this?",
"Who are the campers?",
"What was the name of the camp's co-founder?"
] | [
[
"with upper-limb abnormalities."
],
[
"refuge for children and teens"
],
[
"children and teens"
],
[
"Dr. Paul Dell and his wife, Ruthie,"
]
] | Many of the campers are patients of the camp's co-founder, Dr. Paul Dell .
Parent sessions are held to give advice to families, especially about teasing .
The camp is free and will hopefully stay free, co-founder Ruthie Dell says . |
(CNN) -- Earlier this year, Matt Keller sat down with officials in Afghanistan -- not to discuss troop deployments, suicide bombings or opium traffickers. He was there to talk about getting laptop computers into the hands of little girls. Girls in India take a seat on the floor and get to work on their new laptops. As Taliban insurgents continue to crack down on girls who go to school and women who dare to teach them, Keller was awestruck by the Afghan government's determination to educate all children, even if it means finding tools that allow them to intellectually grow in the privacy of their own homes. "For them to propose this was astounding," said Keller, who works for One Laptop per Child, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, nonprofit committed to creating and distributing affordable, durable and solar-powered laptops to the world's poorest children. "That hunger for knowledge, that desire to learn, is pretty profound." From Uruguay, Haiti and Mexico to Mongolia, Ghana and the small Polynesian island of Niue, at least 750,000 kids -- a number that will double by June, Chairman Nicholas Negroponte said -- are tapping away on One Laptop per Child-produced XO laptop keyboards. They're exploring mathematics, composing music and art, learning new languages, designing animation, collecting data, collaborating with peers across borders and accessing learning tools (including textbooks) that they would never see otherwise. Targeting current and historic conflict zones, including Iraq, Rwanda and most recently the Gaza Strip, not only fulfills the group's mission to offer equal-access education to the most isolated children, it may also promote world peace, Keller said. By putting laptops "into the hands of kids who would otherwise be indoctrinated," he explained, "we can make the case pretty successfully that doing this is a long-term solution to root causes." When the laptops, which incorporate free wireless Internet connectivity and open-source programming, first rolled out in 2007, they cost $205 each. Now, they're down to $180. The price is higher than Negroponte's original goal of $100 a pop, but it's a figure he believes will keep going down as One Laptop per Child finds ways to engineer the product with fewer components. The hope is that with corporate sponsorships and donations, collected through a program called Give One Get One, the computers can be delivered to kids at no cost to the poorest host-country governments. The laptops allow students to engage in learning differently, enjoy a customized approach and hone critical thinking skills, explained David Cavallo, One Laptop per Child's vice president of learning. And their mere existence, he said, keeps kids coming to school. Cavallo spoke of a school in Rwanda that lacks electricity and traditionally had a 50 percent attendance rate. It is now drawing 1,000 more students than its previous full capacity, he said, and is even attracting kids -- who in turn are teaching their parents and grandparents -- on weekends. "Rwanda is recovering from genocide," he said. This is a "real engagement of a society directing itself to a different future." And the kids, no matter their previous exposure to technology, immediately gravitate to the machines. Keller, the group's director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, recalled a visit to rural Ethiopia. As he passed out the laptops, he kept one eye on the children, the other on his watch. Seven seconds was all it took for an 8-year-old boy to flip open the never-seen-before computer, find and then hit the power button. Within two weeks, that boy and his classmates would be programming. Meanwhile, the nearby adults stared at the oddball objects and flashed the international look of, "What the hell is this thing?" Keller said. "Kids are technology natives, and adults are technology immigrants." Despite its ongoing successes, the downturn in the economy has taken a toll on the nonprofit. The last Give One Get One promotion brought in $2.5 million, | [
"Who does One Laptop per Child target?",
"What can laptops do?"
] | [
[
"the world's poorest children."
],
[
"allow students to engage in learning differently, enjoy a customized approach and hone critical thinking skills,"
]
] | One Laptop per Child targets kids in poorest and most conflicted regions .
Laptops can help girls learn in Afghanistan, where Taliban cracks down on schools .
1.5 million laptops will be distributed by June, chairman says .
Economy may be a challenge, but goal to give equal access to all kids won't stop . |
(CNN) -- Early each morning, millions of farmers around the world rise to toil in their fields. By night, gangs of mobsters scheme and legions of poker players shuffle up and deal.
Sure, none of it's real. But the overwhelming popularity of so-called social gaming -- simple games that let people play with their friends on networking sites such as Facebook -- is changing the face of video games, experts say.
And as the maker of popular titles like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, San Francisco, California-based Zynga has ridden the games' skyrocketing popularity to the top of that emerging market.
For Zynga founder Mark Pincus, the formula for gaming success on Facebook, MySpace and other sites was as simple as it might seem counterintuitive: create simple games that people like but can easily set aside.
"We built the games so they could be played in a tab on your browser while you're on a conference call," said Pincus, a veteran Web entrepreneur who created Zynga in 2007.
Of course, they've been helped by the massive growth of Facebook, where the games are so popular they've spawned "fan" pages devoted to complaining about having to watch friends play them.
Facebook, with its 400 million users, is where the vast majority of people play FarmVille and Mafia Wars along with other Zynga titles like FishVille, Vampires, Café World, YoVille and Zynga Poker.
In all, more than 65 million people play Zynga games every day, according to media tracking company Developer Analytics.
Zynga's top title, FarmVille, is played by an estimated 75 million people each month -- roughly equal to the number who have played the classic arcade and desktop game Tetris during its entire existence.
The massive growth was satisfying but not altogether surprising to Pincus, whose previous startups had included Freeloader, a Web-based information-gathering service; tech-support company SupportSoft; and Tribe.net, an early social networking site from 2003.
He said that starting the game company, which he named after his late English bulldog, was an effort to fill what he considered a surprising void in most people's daily Internet use.
"I thought in 2007 that something had gone oddly wrong with the whole Internet experience," Pincus said. "I would have thought games would have been one of the top two or three experiences people had on the Internet."
What Pincus got right, according to gaming expert Scott Steinberg, was a sort of return to the "golden era" of games like Pac-man and Super Mario Bros.
"Video games actually appealed to a huge cross-section. They appealed to everybody," said Steinberg, publisher of DigitalTrends.com. "What happened is, as we went through the mid-'80s to the mid-2000s, you started to see gaming become more incestuous in terms of 18- to 34-year-old males making games for people just like them."
By contrast, three of Zynga's top five games -- FarmVille, Café World and FishVille -- have mostly female players, with many players outside the traditional 18- to 34-year-old range.
Those games all operate on the same basic premise. Starting with a simple farm, fish tank or restaurant, the player works to make it bigger and fancier, sharing items with friends and helping each other along the way.
Some of Zynga's early titles simply mirrored existing board and card games. It was Mafia Wars -- in which players team up to whack other gangs -- that first exhibited what would become the hallmarks of social gaming: simple, single-player action that's enhanced by teamwork.
With FarmVille, that formula would become complete.
Players plant virtual crops that can be harvested hours, or days, later. Along the way, they invite online friends to become their neighbors and help each other by sending gifts or helping with the farming. There's no way to "win," but players take satisfaction in building big, fancy farms that they can showcase to their friends.
"A farm is something that is internationally understood and known. It's cross | [
"What did the founder say the key to success was?",
"What games are played by millions?",
"Who does social media gaming appeal to?",
"When can you play Zynga games?"
] | [
[
"create simple games that people like but can easily set aside."
],
[
"social gaming"
],
[
"huge cross-section."
],
[
"every day,"
]
] | Zynga games like FarmVille, Mafia Wars are played by millions every day on Facebook .
Expert says social gaming succeeds by appealing to women, other non-traditional gamers .
Zynga founder says key to success was games that can be played during conference call .
Backlash leads to FB group of 5 million saying they're tired of seeing games . |
(CNN) -- Early in Michael Mann's vivid, incisive, but half-cocked gangster opus "Public Enemies," Johnny Depp's John Dillinger returns to jail a few scant months after leaving it. Johnny Depp plays the charismatic John Dillinger in "Public Enemies." Only this time he's just visiting -- and he's taking his friends out with him. It's an audacious opening gambit, and when the getaway gets messy -- one of the gang panics and soon bullets are flying all over the place -- we glimpse another insight into what makes Dillinger tick. As he clings to a wounded comrade for dear life, and stares death long in the face, he has to make a decision: What to do with the guy who panicked and brought this upon them? Dillinger lets him go. Based on Bryan Burrough's well-sourced account of the Depression-era crime wave that gave rise not only to Dillinger, but also to a whole gallery of criminal poster boys -- Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, the Barker gang, Bonnie and Clyde -- "Public Enemies" whittles the book down to its most dramatic duel: the nationwide manhunt for Dillinger presided over by J. Edgar Hoover (a knockout Billy Crudup) and led by his Chicago, Illinois, bureau chief, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). Dillinger and Purvis assumed folk-hero proportions in their day. According to Burrough, when newsreels showed Dillinger -- public enemy No. 1 -- he was applauded more loudly than the president. A 20th-century Jesse James, he was an underdog with a reputation for fairness. It was said he never killed anybody, and he was gallant and jocular with members of the public, once offering his overcoat to a kidnapped bank teller he had taken as a human shield. The role is tailor-made for a self-styled rebel like Depp. He understands the outlaw's swagger, the ferocity that sits hand in glove with his soft-spoken sensitivity. All the romance in the picture comes from Depp: the graceful ease with which he vaults a bank railing, his astonishing self-confidence and his dedicated courtship of hat-check girl Billie Frechette (an eager Marion Cotillard). She's swept up less by the high life he promises than the passionate conviction of his pitch. Burrough paints Purvis as an ineffectual, even inept agent who was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to nab Floyd, Nelson and Dillinger. The movie has no truck with such revisionism, but betrays little interest in Bale's dour, narrow lawman. The film's parallel cop-and-robber structure recalls Mann's modern classic, "Heat." Purvis and Dillinger meet only once -- to talk -- and then face off just once more, at the climax, to kill and be killed. If the confrontation of Bale and Depp doesn't pack the same iconic punch as "Heat's" Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, the (entirely fictitious) exchange in a Midwestern jail cell remains central to the film. At one point, Dillinger reprimands Purvis for shooting down Pretty Boy Floyd, extending the poetic license still further -- as a point of historical fact Floyd died several months after Dillinger, and though Purvis was at the scene he almost certainly didn't pull the trigger. But Purvis did coordinate the execution of John Dillinger, an assassination as much as it was an attempted arrest, and maybe the nastiest crime in the picture. So when the incarcerated Depp advises the smug Bale that he should find a different line of work for his own peace of mind, his words carry a certain weight. Still, the movie's resolve to take Dillinger at face value feels a bit perfunctory, even old hat. At 140 minutes it takes a long time to find its rhythm; indeed, this is one film that would be better if it were 20 minutes longer. Still, there's little here that Arthur Penn didn't anticipate 40 years ago in "Bonnie and Clyde," except maybe the intriguing idea that organized crime pulled the | [
"Depp plays who?",
"Who does the film star?",
"Who stars as bank robber John Dillinger?",
"Whose Depp's costar?",
"What is a solid gangster flick?"
] | [
[
"John Dillinger"
],
[
"Johnny Depp"
],
[
"Johnny"
],
[
"(Christian Bale)."
],
[
"\"Public Enemies,\""
]
] | "Public Enemies" is a solid gangster flick that's not quite great, says Tom Charity .
Film stars Johnny Depp as bank robber John Dillinger .
Depp is terrific, Christian Bale as FBI man is more colorless . |
(CNN) -- Earth Day may fall later this week, but as far as former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell and other UFO enthusiasts are concerned, the real story is happening elsewhere. Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, shown after his Apollo mission in 1971, claims there "is no doubt we are being visited." Mitchell, who was part of the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission, asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the U.S. and other governments. He delivered his remarks during an appearance at the National Press Club following the conclusion of the fifth annual X-Conference, a meeting of UFO activists and researchers studying the possibility of alien life forms. Mankind has long wondered if we're "alone in the universe. [But] only in our period do we really have evidence. No, we're not alone," Mitchell said. "Our destiny, in my opinion, and we might as well get started with it, is [to] become a part of the planetary community. ... We should be ready to reach out beyond our planet and beyond our solar system to find out what is really going on out there." Mitchell grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, which some UFO believers maintain was the site of a UFO crash in 1947. He said residents of his hometown "had been hushed and told not to talk about their experience by military authorities." They had been warned of "dire consequences" if they did so. But, he claimed, they "didn't want to go to the grave with their story. They wanted to tell somebody reliable. And being a local boy and having been to the moon, they considered me reliable enough to whisper in my ear their particular story." Roughly 10 years ago, Mitchell claimed, he was finally given an appointment at Pentagon to discuss what he had been told. An unnamed admiral working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff promised to uncover the truth behind the Roswell story, Mitchell said. The stories of a UFO crash "were confirmed," but the admiral was then denied access when he "tried to get into the inner workings of that process." The same admiral, Mitchell claimed, now denies the story. "I urge those who are doubtful: Read the books, read the lore, start to understand what has really been going on. Because there really is no doubt we are being visited," he said. "The universe that we live in is much more wondrous, exciting, complex and far-reaching than we were ever able to know up to this point in time." A NASA spokesman denied any cover-up. "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover-up about alien life on this planet or anywhere else -- period," Michael Cabbage said Monday. Debates have continued about what happened at Roswell. The U.S. Air Force said in 1994 that wreckage recovered there in 1947 was most likely from a balloon-launched classified government project. Stephen Bassett, head of the Paradigm Research Group (PRG), which hosted the X-Conference, said that the truth about extraterrestrial life is being suppressed because it is politically explosive. "There is a third rail [in American politics], and that is the UFO question. It is many magnitudes more radioactive than Social Security ever dreamed to be," Bassett said. | [
"Who was told not to talk?",
"What are governments concealing?",
"Where is the alleged crash?"
] | [
[
"residents of his hometown"
],
[
"that extraterrestrial life exists,"
],
[
"Roswell, New Mexico,"
]
] | He says governments are concealing evidence that extraterrestrials exist .
The astronaut is from Roswell, New Mexico, the site of an alleged UFO crash .
Mitchell: Roswell residents "told not to talk about their experience" by military . |
(CNN) -- Ecological and conservation groups are praising a move by the Environmental Protection Agency to impose new restrictions on rat poisons to help reduce the threat of accidental exposure to children and wildlife. The rules say only farmers, livestock owners and certified rodent control employees can buy rat poison in bulk. "We are very happy that the EPA has done all it can to get these products off of the consumer market," said Michael Fry, director of conservation advocacy for the American Bird Conservancy. "By putting these restrictions in place, they are allowing a compromise to be made between themselves and organizations who have been working on this problem for a long time." The EPA's new measures, which were handed down Thursday, require that rat poisons be kept in bait stations above ground and in containers that meet agency standards. Loose bait, such as pellets, and the four most hazardous types of pesticides, known as "second-generation anticoagulants," will no longer be sold for personal use. Under the new restrictions, only farmers, livestock owners and certified rodent control employees will be allowed to purchase rat poison in bulk. Bags larger than 8 pounds will no longer be sold at hardware and home-improvement stores. Children who come into contact with highly toxic pellets can experience terrible symptoms from digesting them. They include internal bleeding, nosebleeds, hair loss and extensive bruising. Between 2001 and 2003, rat poison was responsible for nearly 60,000 poisonings, according to a study done by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. About 250 of these yearly exposures result in serious injuries or death. The EPA said it believes the restrictions will not only keep the products out of children's hands, but also reduce the ecological and wildlife risks associated with exposure to rat poison. Bait blocks that are typically placed on the ground use fish and other flavors that attract endangered species, including mountain lions. "In California, almost every animal tested by the National Wildlife Service had residues of rodenticides," said Fry. "The rat baits are also very lethal to scavengers, because the toxins remain in the rodent's body long after they initially die." Although the EPA is receiving considerable praise for the initiative, this isn't the first time the agency has worked to combat the threat of rat poison. In 1998, the EPA established two standards for rat poison. The agency required manufacturers to include an ingredient that made the poison taste bitter and use an indicator dye that would make the ingestion of pesticides more recognizable. But regulations were revoked in 2001 after the agency came to a mutual agreement with manufacturers to rescind the requirements. "We determined that the dye wasn't effective in keeping children from being accidentally exposed and the bittering agent actually resulted in a loss of efficiency in controlling rodents," said Steven Bradbury, director of the agency's Division of Special Review and Re-registration. "In our decision Thursday, we felt that we needed an approach that would stop children coming in contact with the pesticides in the first place. That ultimately led to the implementation of bait stations," Bradbury said. The decision to revoke the requirements led the West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. and the Natural Resource Defense Council to file a lawsuit three years later. Both organizations saw the retraction as a way to make it easy for consumers to purchase unsafe rodenticides over the counter. According to the West Harlem group, inner-city housing and park departments such as the New York City Housing Authority could continue laying rat baits in public areas that were easily accessible to children. "Studies show that the number of poisonings in minority children is much higher than others," said Aaron Colangelo, a staff attorney at the Natural Resource Defense Council. "Not only do we have an environmental health issue, but an environmental justice issue as well." New York State Health Department studies showed that 57 percent of children hospitalized for rat poisoning were black and 26 percent were Latino. The EPA said it is working to reduce those numbers in upcoming years with regulations like the ones it introduced this | [
"who says new regulations will reduce rat poison exposure to children?",
"What do new restrictions prohibit?",
"who laud efforts to keep rat poison off consumer market?",
"what about the restrictions",
"what did the epa say",
"What will new regulations will reduce?",
"what did the groups do",
"What can bait blocks attract?",
"what new restrictions prohibit sale of?"
] | [
[
"EPA"
],
[
"rat poisons"
],
[
"Ecological"
],
[
"on rat poisons to help reduce the threat of accidental exposure to children and wildlife."
],
[
"only farmers, livestock owners and certified rodent control employees can buy rat poison in bulk."
],
[
"threat of accidental exposure to children and wildlife."
],
[
"praising a move by the Environmental Protection Agency"
],
[
"endangered species,"
],
[
"rat poisons"
]
] | EPA says new regulations will reduce rat poison exposure to children, wildlife .
Environmental groups laud efforts to keep rat poison off consumer market .
New restrictions prohibit sale of loose pellets, bulk bags for personal use .
Bait blocks for rats that are used in the wild can attract endangered species . |
(CNN) -- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Friday he will not pay interest on the nation's foreign debt and that he was prepared to accept any consequences.
Correa made the comments to reporters in Guayaquil, Ecuador, about the interest payments, one of which was due Friday, his office said in a statement.
He said he was studying how to challenge the debt, which he called "immoral and a betrayal of the country," a reference to the way the terms of the debt were originally set.
He said that though $7 billion has already been spent to pay an original debt accrued during the 1980s of $4 billion, the principal remains about the same.
"If we have to confront international lawsuits, we will confront them and, I repeat, I assume all responsibility," he said. "I could not permit the continued payment of a debt that, in any light, is immoral and illegitimate."
Correa said he was preparing a restructuring plan to be presented to creditors within a few days, and he chafed at criticism of how the money has been spent.
"We have tried to pay this overdue social debt with a program of housing without parallel in Ecuadorian history, which certain corrupt members of the press -- in function of their political interests -- now want to discredit, pointing out the inevitable houses that -- out of 80,000 -- are going to have defects," he said.
But he said such complaints were outweighed by the "tens of thousands of happy families with their own worthy little houses ... and all the people who can testify to the success of the program."
The popular leftist economist said he would try to prove in international courts that the debt is illegal. | [
"who's the president",
"what does the president do",
"What does the President say ?",
"How much has been spent on debt interest?",
"What is he assuming?",
"What did President Rafael Correa call the foreign debt?"
] | [
[
"Rafael Correa"
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"he will not pay interest on the nation's foreign"
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[
"he will not pay interest on the nation's foreign"
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"$7 billion"
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"all responsibility,\""
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"\"immoral and a betrayal of the country,\""
]
] | President Rafael Correa calls foreign debt "immoral and a betrayal of the country"
Correa: $7 billion has been spent on debt interest, but principal remains same .
President "assumes responsibility" if nation faces international lawsuits . |
(CNN) -- Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died. Ed McMahon had suffered several health problems in recent years. McMahon passed away peacefully shortly after midnight at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center, his publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday McMahon, 86, was hospitalized in February with pneumonia and other medical problems. He had suffered a number of health problems in recent years, including a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. In 2002, he sued various insurance companies and contractors over mold in his house and later collected a $7 million settlement. Though he later hosted a variety of shows -- including "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes," McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Carson on "The Tonight Show," which Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. The two met not long after Carson began hosting the game show "Who Do You Trust?" in 1957. iReport.com: Share your memories of Ed McMahon "Johnny didn't look as if he was dying to see me," McMahon, who was hosting a show on a Philadelphia TV station, told People magazine in 1980 about the pair's first meeting. "He was standing with his back to the door, staring at a couple of workmen putting letters on a theater marquee. I walked over and stood beside him. Finally the two guys finished, and Johnny asked, 'What have you been doing?' I told him. He said, 'Good to meet you, Ed,' shook my hand, and I was out of the office. The whole meeting was about as exciting as watching a traffic light change." Watch McMahon discuss meeting Johnny Carson » Though McMahon was surprised to be offered the job as Carson's sidekick, the two soon proved to have a strong chemistry. Carson was, by nature, introverted and dry-witted; McMahon was the boisterous and outgoing second banana, content to give Carson straight lines or laugh uproariously at his jokes (a characteristic much-parodied by comedians). Watch Comedian Joan Rivers recall McMahon » Carson made cracks about McMahon's weight, his drinking and the men's trouble with divorce. McMahon was married three times; Carson, who died in 2005, had four wives. McMahon was also the show's designated pitchman, a talent he honed to perfection during "Tonight's" 30-year run with Carson, even if sometimes the in-show commercial spots fell flat. For one of the show's regular sponsors, Alpo dog food, McMahon usually extolled the virtues of the product while a dog eagerly gobbled down a bowl. But one day the show's regular dog wasn't available, and the substitute pooch wasn't very hungry. McMahon recalled the incident in his 1998 memoir, "For Laughing Out Loud." "Then I saw Johnny come into my little commercial area. He got down on his hands and knees and came over to me. ... I started to pet Johnny. Nice boss, I was thinking as I pet him on the head, nice boss. By this point the audience was hysterical. ... I just kept going. I was going to get my commercial done. " 'The next time you're looking at the canned dog food ...' -- he rubbed his cheek against my leg -- ... reach for the can that contains real beef.' Johnny got up on his knees and started begging for more. I started petting him again ... and then he licked my hand." McMahon also promoted Budweiser, American Family Insurance and -- during the most recent Super Bowl -- Cash4Gold.com. Entertainment Weekly named him No. 1 on its list of TV's greatest sidekicks. Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 6, 1923. His father was a promoter, and McMahon remembered moving a lot during his childhood. "I changed towns more often than a pickpocket," McMahon told People. He later joined the Marines and | [
"Where did his biggest fame come?",
"What did McMahon suffer?",
"McMahon was featured on what show with Carson?",
"What did McMahon host?",
"What shows did he host?",
"Where did his biggest fame come from?",
"He has suffered what problems recently?",
"What happened in recent years?",
"Who hosted \"Star Search\"?",
"Who hosted \"The Tonight Show\"?",
"What tv shows hosted McMahon?",
"What is McMahon most famous for?",
"what health problems suffered McMahon?",
"Which TV programs did McMahon host?"
] | [
[
"\"The Tonight Show,\""
],
[
"several health problems in recent years."
],
[
"\"The Tonight Show,\""
],
[
"\"Star Search\""
],
[
"\"Star Search\""
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[
"\"The Tonight Show,\""
],
[
"pneumonia"
],
[
"suffered several health problems"
],
[
"Ed McMahon"
],
[
"Carson"
],
[
"\"TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,\""
],
[
"longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick"
],
[
"pneumonia and other medical"
],
[
"\"TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,\""
]
] | McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show"
McMahon hosted "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes"
McMahon had suffered several health problems in recent years . |
(CNN) -- Eddie Murphy announced Wednesday he would not host next year's Academy Awards, one day after colleague and show producer Brett Ratner quit over an anti-gay remark he made over the weekend.
"I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well," said Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 84th Academy Awards program is scheduled for February 26.
Murphy worked with Ratner, a director, in the newly released action comedy "Tower Heist."
"First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," Murphy said in a statement. "I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job."
Ratner met with the representatives of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation before announcing his resignation, GLAAD said in a news release Tuesday.
When asked during a question-and-answer session whether he rehearses with his actors before shooting a scene, Ratner replied, "Rehearsing is for f*gs," GLAAD said in its release, citing New York Magazine's Vulture blog.
"Over the last few days, I've gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances," Ratner said in a letter about this resignation, which was given to CNN by his representative, Allan Mayer. "To them, and to everyone I've hurt and offended, I'd like to apologize publicly and unreservedly." | [
"What has Eddie Murphy decided?",
"Who has quoted him?",
"who is worked with Murphy on a recent film?",
"What has Eddie Murphy decided to?",
"What did Brett Ratner do?",
"Who is working with Murphy recently?"
] | [
[
"he would not host next year's Academy Awards,"
],
[
"Brett Ratner,"
],
[
"Brett Ratner,"
],
[
"not host next year's Academy Awards,"
],
[
"quit over an anti-gay remark he made over the weekend."
],
[
"Ratner,"
]
] | Eddie Murphy decides not to host the 84th Academy Awards .
Brett Ratner, who worked with Murphy on a recent film, made a demeaning remark .
"Rehearsing is for f*gs," New York Magazine's Vulture Blog quoted Ratner as saying . |
(CNN) -- Efraim Diveroli's father hoped his son would become a doctor or lawyer. Efraim Diveroli, 22, is doing his "patriotic" duty as an arms dealer, his grandfather says. What he got instead is a 22-year-old international arms dealer who faces a congressional inquiry for allegedly selling old Chinese ammunition to the U.S. military to equip allies in Afghanistan. Diveroli is president of AEY Inc., a South Florida company which, according to U.S. government documents, has done more than $10 million of business with the U.S. government since 2004. The papers also reveal the company struck it big in 2007 with contracts totaling more than $200 million to supply ammunition, assault rifles and other weapons to the Afghan National Army and police. The company's contract said it would get the ammunition from Hungary. But Army investigators found what the Afghan military got included corroded ammunition made in China as long as 46 years ago. The New York Times reported Thursday that AEY shopped stockpiles and ammo dumps in old Soviet bloc allies, from Albania to Kazakhstan. Albania was a big customer for Chinese armaments in the 1960s and '70s, the Times reported. Angelo Diveroli, Efraim's grandfather, told CNN affiliate WPLG-TV that his grandson is being targeted by "jealous competitors" in the international arms market. Since he was a boy, the grandfather said, Efraim Diveroli has known his way around weapons. Read the WPLG story "He's a genius about anything to do with weapons," the 72-year-old says. "Ever since he was a little boy, I would take him to gun shows and he could identify every model of guns. People would ask: How can he do that so young? He has a gift, I would tell them.'' Michael Diveroli, Efraim's father, told CNN affiliate WFOR-TV that he wished his son had turned his intellect elsewhere. He said Efraim was "a boy genius" who is "hard to control." Read the WFOR story "I would prefer he became a nice Jewish doctor or lawyer rather than an arms dealer," WFOR quoted Michael Diveroli as saying. Watch how father says son runs his own show » But his son seem to have a good idea of the circles he was running in. "What goes on in the Albanian Defense Ministry," the New York Times quoted him as saying. "Who's clean? Who's dirty? Don't want to know about it." On a MySpace page Efraim Diveroli last updated in 2005, he says "I probably grew up way to (sic) fast." But in a hint of where the then-19-year-old's future was heading, he wrote, "I definately (sic) have the desire to be very successful in my business and this does take up alot (sic) of my time." The MySpace page also hints of his need for thrills. "I'm one of those guys who needs to be entertained and having lots of fun all the time so if your (sic) also an undiagnosed case of ADD look me up," it says. He lists the weapon-heavy films "Heat" and "Scarface" among his favorites. A CNN search of Diveroli's Florida criminal record shows arrests, but no convictions, on offenses from misdemeanor battery to felony possession of stolen property. He has yet to appear in court on a March 3 arrest for driving under the influence. For now, relatives say Efraim Diveroli is out of the country. CNN attempts to contact him have not been successful. His grandfather told WPLG that Diveroli is now in Turkey or Albania doing his "patriotic" duty. "He's all over the world getting what the military needs," Angelo Diveroli says. But in a MySpace message exchange with Radar magazine, a person thought to be David Packouz, a 25-year-old who was AEY's vice president, refers to Efraim Diveroli as "my former scumbag partner" and says he is motivated by money. | [
"What did the grandfather say?",
"What age is the arms dealer?",
"What called for bullets made in Hungary?",
"Who supplied ammunition made in China?",
"Company supplied ammunition made in China decades ago",
"Who faces a congressional inquiry?",
"Where did the company's contract call for the bullets to be made?"
] | [
[
"is doing his \"patriotic\" duty as an arms dealer,"
],
[
"22-year-old"
],
[
"The company's contract"
],
[
"Efraim Diveroli,"
],
[
"AEY Inc.,"
],
[
"Efraim Diveroli,"
],
[
"Hungary."
]
] | 22-year-old arms dealer faces congressional inquiry .
Company supplied ammunition made in China decades ago .
Company's contract called for bullets made in Hungary .
Grandfather says dealer, 22, had "gift" for weaponry . |
(CNN) -- Egypt is on the roller-coaster of transition. It's a bumpy and hair-raising ride to a destination unknown. But the country is moving. And in that, there's hope.
In Tahrir Square last Friday, I was struck by the carnival atmosphere: Vendors sold candied apples and baked yams; young boys hawked red, white and-black hats and flags; a crowd gathered to watch cartoonists chalk an oversized military general dressed as Santa Claus. Activists of all political shades shouted poetry and enthusiastic speeches, leading crowds in chanting: "The people want the end of the military regime!" "The people want a civilian regime!" "We are all one!"
But by Saturday, Tahrir Square had become a battleground. Crowds shrunk to die-hards throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, while security forces volleyed tear gas and rubber bullets. From the 18th floor of the locked-down Intercontinental hotel (a barrage of tear gas having abruptly aborted my attempt to speak to those at the edges of the square), I watched as the square cleared out, battles moved to side streets, and then the atmosphere turned quiet.
Briefly. Demonstrators regrouped. Political leaders across the spectrum aired televised condemnation of the police and support for the protesters. And people started streaming again through the streets, across a nearby bridge, and back into the square. It was a sight reminiscent of the nail-biting days of January.
With such off-and-on violence, and rising numbers of dead and injured, some may wonder if democracy is worth it -- or even possible.
Many Egyptians are no longer as beamingly optimistic as they were last spring. Then, they dreamed of blooming democracy and booming economies. Today, they want stability.
Tourism has slowed to a trickle, and taxi drivers, hotel workers and souvenir vendors shake their heads at the demonstrators. Capital is fleeing, and foreign reserves drying up.
As people speak their minds, many others -- from liberals to conservatives — feel uneasy.
Large numbers of bearded men and covered women, demanding a regime based on Sharia law, frighten Christians and Muslims alike. Clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims create fear that religious strife will rend Egypt's multireligious society. And women especially worry that their freedoms are at stake.
Liberals, far less numerous, can also be intimidating. Many in Egypt believe they do not understand or accept "real" Egyptian society and threaten to corrupt it. Last month, a female blogger posted nude pictures of herself and others in a sensational appeal to expand freedom of expression. It led many to complain that too much freedom would corrupt Egyptian society.
Anger against America and Israel also worry many. A 20-something Egyptian, working for a foreign corporation in Egypt, pulled me aside in Tahrir Square to explain that former President Hosni Mubarak had known where to draw the line. These people, he exclaimed, gesturing to those around him, don't understand the hadud, or limits. Like others, he said he worries they would trade Egypt's welfare for the Palestinians' cause.
But even amid conflict and uncertainty, there's hope. Egyptians who desperately want to escape from nearly 60 years of military-backed authoritarian rule have what it takes to do so.
Egyptian nationalism is strong. Airwaves are filled with nationalist songs, and Egyptian flags abound. Friday's calls to end the military regime mingled with expressions of nationalism. Huge crowds chanted in unison: "Christians and Muslims, we're all Egyptians, we are all one," and, most directly, "Ana Masri!" ("I am Egyptian!")
There is also strong respect for elections. At Tahrir Square, parties and candidates took advantage of the gathering to distribute pamphlets and urge demonstrators to vote for pro-revolutionary forces. And even with the descent into violence, forces across the political spectrum have urged elections to begin as scheduled.
Debates are intense. Egyptians in the square hotly contested the nature of the Egyptian military and goals for the future. The Salafi Hizb al-Nur ( | [
"What country is Lust speaking about?",
"What do people in Egypt worry about?"
] | [
[
"Egypt"
],
[
"freedoms are at stake."
]
] | Ellen Lust: Egypt in bumpy transition; daily Tahrir Square goes from festive to combative .
She says some there worry democracy might not be worth it; social conflicts so challenging .
She says optimism has faded for many in face of worries over economy and Islamist control .
Lust: Still, Egypt has essentials for democracy: strong nationalism, faith in elections . |
(CNN) -- Egypt's revolution has made life tougher still for Cairo's 80,000 taxi drivers, struggling to make a living on the city's chaotic, congested and potholed streets, says the author who has written a best-selling book about them.
Khaled AlKhamissi's novel "Taxi," first published in 2006, has been translated into 10 languages. It features 58 fictional monologues with taxi drivers recreated from his own experience. A new post-revolution English edition has just been published.
Despite the optimism that swept Egypt after president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February, AlKhamissi said taxi drivers, and the rest of the country's poor, have in fact suffered more since then.
"My taxi drivers are among the 55% of the population living under the poverty line of $2 a day," said AlKhamissi. "Those 55% were not on the streets during the revolution and are without a real voice now.
"They are wise, they are watching, they are analyzing, but they are not acting."
He added: "Life has changed for them in the wrong direction. It's worse for them because we have no security and living on the streets without security is dangerous.
"There is less tourism and more chaos on the streets."
AlKhamissi said it was too early to tell if life was improving for the middle classes who took to the streets during the revolution.
"We are in the middle of a battle, and during the battle we can't see whether life is improving or not," he said.
AlKhamissi, whose second novel "Noah's Ark" -- also a bestseller -- was published in 2009, said he stopped writing his third novel at the start of the uprising on January 25 this year and has been unable to concentrate on writing since.
"It's impossible to write because my mind is taken with what is happening day after day, hour after hour," he said.
Since January, AlKhamissi has filled his time with a weekly newspaper column, lectures and speaking events. But the author wants to get back to writing fiction.
"Every night I want to write because it is my only job, my only happiness," he said. "I have to find a solution soon or I will die."
"Taxi" was credited with single-handedly reviving an interest in reading in Egypt, according to its publisher Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, but AlKhamissi denies his book is responsible.
He said: "Some journalists have said that about my book, but it's nonsense to say that one book or 10 books can change reading habits.
"Reading has increased in the last six years, but it has taken many social factors. We have had a cultural revolution in the last six years in all matters: Theater, music, fiction and publishing.
"This cultural revolution is related to youth searching for a dream."
AlKhamissi said he dreams of an Egypt where taxi drivers could have the time and education to read his -- or any other -- book.
"They don't have time to read because they are struggling to survive," he said. "When we can increase the quality of education and decrease poverty, then they will be able to read. I'm not interested in whether they read my book, I just hope they will read anything."
Another novelist credited with changing reading habits in Egypt is Ahmed Khaled Towfik, a 49-year-old medical professor described by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation as the Arab world's most prominent bestselling author of fantasy and horror. He has written more than 200 books, selling millions of copies.
He said he was among the first Egyptian authors to write for young people.
"Twenty years ago there was nothing for 16, 17, 18-year-olds to read," said Towfik. "We invented popular literature. I think I made the youth fond of reading.
"I think most of my readers were in Tahrir Square. I changed a part of their thinking, although you can't compare that to their | [
"What has gotten harder for taxi drivers since the revolution?",
"who has been unable to concentrate",
"What made life harder for taxi drivers?",
"Who is the author?",
"Since when has the author been unable to concentrate on writing?",
"Who has been unable to concentrate on writing since January?",
"who is ahmed khaled",
"Who says his grim futuristic novel could be true?"
] | [
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] | Life has got harder for taxi drivers since the revolution, says Khaled AlKhamissi .
Author has been unable to concentrate on writing since January .
My grim futuristic novel could come true, says author Ahmed Khaled Towfik . |
Subsets and Splits